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Marked
Lydia Parks
A month of research pointed shapeshifter Cole to nurse Alicia Ortiz as the only hope for his people's survival.Yet he hadn't needed any of that research the moment he saw her. Her kindness and power shone as strongly as her beauty, and Cole had to fight his desire for her. His duty was to convince Alicia to embrace her heritage, not give in to his passion. But even though it may mean failing his mission, Cole could not resist the urge to claim her as his own. . . .
A month of research pointed shapeshifter Cole to nurse Alicia Ortiz as the only hope for his people’s survival. Yet he hadn’t needed any of that research the moment he saw her. Her kindness and power shone as strongly as her beauty, and Cole had to fight his desire for her. His duty was to convince Alicia to embrace her heritage, not give in to his passion. But even though it may mean failing his mission, Cole could not resist the urge to claim her as his own…
Marked
Lydia Parks
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Other Books By
Don’t miss the other spooky and sensual NOCTURNE BITES, available at www.millsandboon.co.uk and wherever eBooks are sold. Titles include:
Demon Kissed by Patti O’Shea
A Vampire’s Mistress by Theresa Meyers
Hunter’s Surrender by Anna Hackett
Vampire’s Tango by Michele Hauf
Her Dark Lord by Mel Teshco
Time Jumper by Connie Hall
The Prophecy by Nina Croft
Lured by Lori Devoti
Moon Marked by Linda Thomas-Sundstrom
His Magic Touch by Cynthia Cooke
The Bewitching Hour by Vivi Anna
Looking for more paranormal romance? The sizzling and spine-chilling books of Silhouette Nocturne are available at www.millsandboon.co.uk or your local bookstore.
Interested in writing for Nocturne Bites? Send your submission to NocturneBites@Harlequin.ca
Chapter One
Cole caught her scent long before she passed his door. Fruity shampoo, floral soap and sweet female sweat drew a groan from deep in his chest.
He rose from his chair, crossed the room in two strides and stood with his palms and forehead pressed to the door, his eyes closed. Alicia’s heels thudded on the concrete walkway and her keys jingled. She stopped in front of her door, unlocked it and disappeared inside her apartment.
A month of research pointed to her being the one, but he hadn’t needed any of that research the moment he met her. He’d been drawn to her, not just as to one of his own, but with a force stronger than anything he’d ever faced. She was beautiful, yes, but so much more. She was special. Her kindness shone through like a beacon, insight glistened in her eyes, and her power was a golden aura.
His hands curled slowly into fists against the cold wood.
He wanted her so badly he shook.
Music seeped through the wall between them, something with a quick, steady rhythm to match his heartbeat. He pushed away from the door and paced the room. One quick circle. Two.
It was well past time to approach her. He’d put off this moment for fear of failure.
He couldn’t return without her. And the thought of staying away much longer was unbearable. The confines of his secret, being surrounded by strangers, existing only as a human: these things were taking their toll. His muscles longed to burn, his soul to fly across open ground. He could almost hear the wind whistling past his ears.
He stopped in the middle of the room, staring at the door.
He must take the risk. This was the moment of truth.
With a deep breath he started forward.
Alicia dropped her pack on the table as she went to the kitchen, where she filled a glass with water and gulped it down. She kicked off her shoes. Even comfortable shoes were painful after ten hours on tile floors.
She was halfway through the water when the doorbell rang.
Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she left the glass on the counter, turned down the stereo as she tiptoed past it and peered through the door’s peephole.
She smiled at the distorted view of Cole’s face. Even like this, her neighbor was way past gorgeous.
For a moment, she considered leaving him there so she could watch him. Would he ring the doorbell again? Or would he give up?
He ran his hand across his sensuous mouth and glanced around. That mouth had been causing all kinds of erotic thoughts for months, since the first day he’d smiled at her. She wondered how his lips would feel against hers.
Alicia pushed her hair into place and opened the door. “Hi.”
Cole’s amber gaze slid quickly down her body and back up. “Hello.”
A shiver tripped up her spine in response.
Shifting his weight to one foot, he shoved his hands into his pants pockets as if he were a kid selling magazines. “I know you just got home, but do you mind a little company?”
He was anything but a kid, although she wasn’t sure if he was closer to thirty or forty. Broad shoulders and a flat stomach on his six-foot frame did nothing to give away his age. Long, sandy hair, always a little wild, set off his tan nicely as did his golden eyes, no doubt a contact-altered shade. Except for the light scar down the left side of his face, he could easily have been a model for expensive men’s clothing.
Actually, the scar didn’t detract from his appeal. It just hinted at a rugged side.
“Come in,” she said, stepping away from the open door. “Want a beer?”
“Yes, thank you.”
Grinning, she walked to the kitchen and drew two bottles from the refrigerator. She’d certainly never met anyone as polite as Cole. Almost old-fashioned. In the three months he’d lived next door, she’d never heard him raise his voice or his stereo, and never seen him fail to help anyone with their grocery bags if he happened to be passing by. He’d spoken to her quite a few times, mostly small talk about the weather.
This was the first time he’d dropped by.
Alicia had just about decided he was gay. She knew she wasn’t a knockout but, at twenty-nine, she was still relatively young and she had a good figure. Hard work kept her weight down. Most single guys in the complex had asked her out within the first month of moving in. Cole hadn’t even hinted at being interested.
He stood in front of the overused orange living room suite watching her approach with more than a hint of interest.
Why the sudden change? Maybe he’d broken up with someone and was just getting over it. Or maybe he was incredibly shy.
He accepted a beer and waited until she dropped onto the sofa before sitting in the chair. His forearms, exposed by rolled sleeves, roped with muscle as he twisted off the cap. He didn’t wear jewelry of any kind, not even a watch.
His first drink emptied nearly half the beer, and Alicia matched his action. Their gazes locked over the tops of the bottles. Vibes slipping across that connection suggested an upcoming invitation to a movie or dinner, or maybe more.
She reminded herself that she didn’t need a man in her life, no matter how good-looking. The last boyfriend had been more trouble than he was worth. She liked keeping her life easy.
Still, Cole might be worth a little trouble.
He lowered his beer. “How was your day?”
Was he too shy to just ask her out? Or was she wrong about the vibes?
“Okay. Hospital’s a little busy this time of year, but not impossible. How was yours?”
He nodded. “Fine.”
She waited but he didn’t elaborate. Instead, he stared at her necklace. She raised her hand to finger the metal twisted long ago into strange symbols. The action yanked his eyes back to hers.
Alicia lowered her beer to her lap and settled back on the sofa. Cole drank again, sipping this time, and he glanced around her apartment.
She waited.
Finally, he placed the bottle on the coffee table, leaned forward with his elbows on his jean-clad thighs and clasped his hands, lacing his fingers. “I must tell you something.”
“Yeah?” She shrugged. “Okay, shoot.”
“It’ll probably be hard for you to believe.”
“Okay.” Strange opening line, but he had her attention.
He suddenly rose from the chair and stepped around the coffee table to cross the room. With his back to her, he stood perfectly still and stared out her front window. All he could see from there was the parking lot and the side of the next building, but he watched as if a parade were passing.
“I know you were raised by your grandmother,” he said.
Had she told him? She didn’t remember having a conversation with him about her grandmother.
“Her name was Mildred Ortiz,” he continued, “and she was from the Ohkay Owinge Pueblo.”
“You knew my grandmother?” An uncomfortable warmth spread down her back. Had he been spying on her for some reason? If so, why?
He turned to face her, but remained across the room. “Your mother’s name is Pearl. You were told your father died in a vehicle accident when you were three years old. Your mother, lost in her grief, left you with your grandmother and disappeared. You haven’t seen or heard from her since.”
Cole wasn’t here to ask her out, and he had definitely been spying on her. Her throat tightened and a sour knot started in her stomach.
“Why—?” She swallowed hard. “How do you know so much?”
“Alicia,” he said in a purposely soothing voice. “I’m not here to frighten you.”
No? He was doing a fairly good job of it.
“Then why the hell are you here?”
“To tell you the truth about who you are.”
Where should he start? How would he convince her?
Cole sat in the chair, gripping the arms, fighting the desire to pace. He listened to water run, and then the bathroom door open. Alicia returned to the living room looking even more wary than when she’d excused herself.
She eased onto the sofa, watching him, and drew her bottom lip between her teeth.
Cole stared at her mouth and imagined her under him, her eyelids heavy with passion, her lips parted. A ripple of desire ran through him.
He must stop thinking about her this way. She wasn’t some potential mate, or even a woman he could bed and leave. She might be the only hope for the future of his people.
This wasn’t going to be an easy conversation. One thing he’d discovered about those on the outside was that they didn’t connect with the Earth anymore. So few of them believed in possibilities beyond their experiences, or even wondered what might be. Instead, they focused on their electronic, high-speed worlds and thought their futures would survive through technology.
“You said I was told my father died in a car crash. Is he still alive?”
He admired the fire in her emerald eyes, even when flashing suspicion. “No, he’s dead.”
“But?”
“But he wasn’t the man you think he was.”
She frowned. “My father was Joseph Ortiz. He was—”
“Your father’s name was Lorne. He was…like me.”
She narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean, like you?”
Cole let his gaze sweep quickly over her body. She had skin the color of potent earth, smoothed by water, dusted by wind, and holding the promise of the sun’s warmth. Her long black hair she wore pulled back, but shorter strands outlined her face like an artist’s brushstrokes. She was beauty born of both nature and man, and her soul whispered to him.
His gaze returned to hers. “I come from a place few people outside know of.”
“Where?”
“I can’t tell you that, but it isn’t far. When you’re ready, I’ll take you there.”
Her brow furrowed, and she stood.
He also rose and stepped closer to her, leaving only an arm’s length between them. “It’s a place where—”
“Is this some kind of joke?”
“No.”
