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“They sabotaged it. By now your car is scrap.”
Ariana’s hands tightened in her lap. She hadn’t bathed, eaten a full meal or slept, and this news sent her raw nerves screeching. The dark intensity on his face and the savageness of his voice warned he told the truth.
“Why are they against me? I’ve never hurt anyone!”
“Not yet, because the demon inside hasn’t been released yet, Ariana. You will not allow it power.”
Panic thudded in her heart. “How do you know about me?”
He ignored her question. “Those after you are werewolves, part of Jarrett Lawson’s pack. The pack sensed you coming and threw nails into the road. You didn’t have a chance. They were running you down on purpose until you dropped and were forced to use your dark powers. Jarrett wants you the same way I want you.”
She was terrified to ask but did so anyway. “What for?”
He shot her a glance filled with hot male hunger and purpose. “Naked in bed underneath him, to make you his mate.”
Chapter Two
The last of the three Darkling triplets wanted by the Society had been captured. She now lay slumped over in sleep, riding shotgun in his sleek red Jaguar.
First she’d issued a string of vehement cuss words about his plans. Then, after turning the air blue and her face red, she turned away.
“I need to rest and shut off my mind, and my mouth.” Tucking her legs beneath her, she’d promptly dozed off.
“But I like your mouth. I like it on mine very much,” he’d murmured back.
Daimon gave a wicked smile as he guided his car to the farmhouse. A Jag for a jaguar. She was clever as well as lovely. He glanced at his charge. Even the smudges of dirt streaking her face, the ripped jeans and the mussed hair couldn’t dim her beauty.
His nose wrinkled. She hadn’t bathed in a few days, but somehow that made her scent of hot sunshine and delicate wildflowers more potent and alluring to his feline side.
This particular assignment had fallen right into his lap. Ariana had not recognized that he was the childhood companion she’d known—the cat who’d had kept her company as she went on solitary strolls through the woods. She’d never known his true identity or how he’d guarded her from the predators in the dark forest and kept her safe.
Then again, he had never shown her his human side until that night when they’d made love. Didn’t want to scare her off. Daimon’s hands tightened on the leather wheel. He had some demons of his own and they weren’t pretty.
When the Society for the Elimination of Malevolent Magick had assigned him to find Ariana and tame her dark side, he’d gladly accepted. Her two sisters had already been mated and their demons were no longer a threat. Daimon wanted her at his side. The Society would have no means to destroy her, because he would fully assimilate her dark powers.
He needed them to revitalize the weakening spirit of his people. So the task of absorbing her demon powers to keep her from turning evil fit exactly into his plans.
Unfortunately, his enemy wanted her as well. Jarrett, alpha leader of the Lawson pack, was ancient, knowledgeable, and could accomplish the same as Daimon by mating with Ariana. The Lawson pack would gain immeasurable power and they would come straight for Daimon and his men.
The battle would be bloody, brutal and cost many lives.
His jaw tightened. Jarrett had nearly worn her down, if not for the Darkling taking refuge in the restroom, a safe and neutral zone no werewolf could access.
The weathered, split-rail fence came into view. Daimon relaxed as he drove to the gate. With a press of a button, the gate swung open to and he proceeded up a long gravel driveway.
The three-story rustic lodge had a backdrop of Washington pine. Once used as a hotel, it now served a different purpose. The seventy-five acres had become his to rule after he’d agreed to become leader of this colony.
A short while later, he pulled in front and cut the engine. Ariana sighed in her sleep. Gently he smoothed back her blond hair. His knuckles rubbed against her chilled cheek.
His brow furrowed as he assessed her appearance. Skin stretched tautly over fine bone instead of the soft roundness he remembered from the last time they had seen each other.
As a child, she’d trusted him utterly, confided secrets, cried into his silky fur.
He’d trusted no one, told no secrets, and his eyes were dry as desert dust.
Emotions were a luxury. He couldn’t afford them, not if they were to survive the winter and constant threats from the Lawson pack.
“Sunshine, fear not,” he murmured, his fingers caressing her nape. “I’ll take good care of you.”
She would need plenty of food, warmth and tender loving care before he set out on his task. Seducing her into his bed and coaxing out her dark powers to infuse his men with strength shouldn’t take too long. Desire fled in the face of tender concern. Daimon frowned. Ariana was an assignment, nothing more. His people were in desperate need of her. He could not allow his feelings for his childhood companion to deflect his goal.
Skin like pale porcelain was marred with dirt. Her powder-blue sweater was torn and destined for the trash. The print trousers were frayed, as if the pack had chased her through brambles. Daimon’s lips narrowed. He’d tear Jarrett’s throat out for running her ragged.
“Hey,” he told her, jostling her gently. “We’re home. Wake up.”
As Ariana rubbed sleep out of her eyes, his throat tightened. All the forgotten misfits in his unruly pack depended on this woman—and Daimon taking her in the flesh.
If he didn’t mate with her and absorb her dark powers, they risked much.
Their very lives.
A purple-and-green quilt covered her. Ariana sat up, pushing aside the fabric. Dust motes danced in sunbeams streaming through the partly closed green drapes. Morning already. Last night she’d bathed, pulled on a thick terry-cloth robe and eaten a hearty meal. She’d dozed off in her chair afterward. The last thing she remembered was Daimon carrying her to this bed.
His scent was familiar, and that arrogant air hadn’t changed. A tingle rushed down her spine as she remembered meeting him a year ago in a northern California bar. She’d been lonely and vulnerable. He was handsome and charming.
And then he’d taken her to his cabin in the woods, lain her down on the bed.
Ariana covered her face with her hands. After, she’d fled like the hounds of hell chased her. Her demon had surged up with each exquisite stroke of his hands, each slow thrust inside her trembling body. It had scared her. Daimon had been fierce and possessive, murmuring how she was his now, and he’d never let go.
No man could hold her, and no man would ever coax out the darkness inside her. So she’d sung him to sleep, then dressed and fled, taking care to cover her tracks.
So much for taking care. He’d found her anyway.
Boots shuffled against the wood floor. She glanced up. Her rescuer stood in the hallway, his sharp emerald gaze sweeping over her in a soft caress. A smile curved his firm mouth.
“Good morning. I trust you feel more human now?”
Ariana yanked the covers over her naked body and shot him a scathing look. “I was dressed in a robe last night.”
“And so uncomfortable, I took it upon myself to ensure you’d receive a good night’s sleep.”
“Assuming? That makes you an ass.”
Daimon showed no reaction. “I told you my plans, to make you my mate. Now get dressed and go downstairs. Breakfast is ready.”
“And I told you what I thought of them. I’ll take your offer of a hot meal, and if you’ll loan me a little money, I’ll pay you back soon as I get to Portland.”
He cocked a dark brow. “Running off so soon? What kind of host would I be if I sent you out naked into the world?”
“Where are my clothes?”
“Burned,” he said briefly. “There’s plenty of clothing that should fit. I went shopping for your size. After you get dressed, come downstairs and meet my men. They’re eager to know their future mistress.”
Knots formed in her stomach. “I’m no one’s mistress.”
“You will be,” he murmured. “We jags tend to be loners, but in this colony, we’re forced to band together.”
“How many jaguars?” Gooseflesh sprang on her arms as he told her. Thirty! So many would make it difficult to leave if Daimon didn’t release her.
“Don’t you like cats?” He cocked his head at her in a peculiar way she vaguely recognized.
Ariana loosened her grip on the sheets. “I had a cat, once.”
Daimon sat on the bed. “A childhood pet?”
Her throat closed tight. “Whiskers was my only friend. I found him when I was seven. My sisters always played without me because I was frail. We moved when I was twelve and I had to leave him behind. I cried as he sat on the porch as we drove away. Who would feed him? My dad said he’d be okay on his own, but I couldn’t believe it.”
His gaze softened. “He was.”
“I couldn’t forgive myself.”
He wiped a stray tear away with the edge of one thumb. “All is forgiven. Your father was looking out for your virtue. He knew you were growing up, becoming a beautiful woman.”
Ariana tensed herself against the compassion. She flung his hand away. “And what does that have to do with a stray cat? It’s not like he was the big bad wolf.”
She didn’t like the wicked gleam in his eyes. Daimon’s mouth quirked upward. “Just the big bad pussy.”
Her heart skipped a beat as he picked up her hand, gave the knuckles a slow, lingering kiss. “Meow.”
“No…you?”
“None other.”
“You can’t be Whiskers!”
In a blink, he vanished. In his place was a small black cat with brilliant emerald eyes. The cat climbed into her lap and nuzzled her chin just as her childhood friend had.
As her trembling hand stroked his fur, the cat purred. He grabbed the sheet in his small teeth and tried to yank it past her breasts.
“Hey!”
She jerked away and he jumped off her lap, transforming into Daimon again. Daimon in a black shirt and jeans, wearing a sexy smile and no shoes.
“Your father knew what I was. He saw no harm in it, until you were on the verge of womanhood. Then he wanted me the hell away, but I wasn’t budging, so he moved your family. And warned me to stay away unless I wanted to tangle with his powers.”
“Why did you hang around me?”
His gaze grew guarded. “To protect you at first. You were lonely, in need of a friend, but you were frail back then, Ariana. Your solitary jaunts into the woods were risky. There was darkness in those woods. I would not see you hurt.”
The thought comforted her a little. “And later?”
Those broad shoulders stiffened. “I was your guardian. That’s all.”
It wasn’t. Ariana reached for her angelic side. The white light was the teller of truth. She sent a tendril snaking toward him. In the starkness of his expression, she saw the answer.
I was lonely, too.
She reached out and touched his hand. “So much pain inside needing to be healed. So little peace.”
Daimon’s eyes darkened. “So you enjoy playing head games with your powers? I’ve got a better game in mind.”
He reached up and gripped her jaw lightly, his thumb feathering over her skin. “Soft as an angel’s wing. Angels are cotton candy and fluff. But there’s more to you, Ariana. Much more. Let me show you.”
A tingle raced through her as she remembered his lips on hers, the warm pressure and subtle movements. His mouth hovered near hers, tempting, rich and full. Tendrils of his delicious scent wrapped around her like a blanket. Her body reacted naturally, her breasts tingling and full, the space between her legs throbbing.
“Would you like to know?”
A sigh and a small nod. But he did not kiss her. Daimon nuzzled her neck, breathing softly into her ear. “Sweet Ariana. You were made for love. I’ve never forgotten you, searched so long for you, my other half, my true mate. Your kind heart saved me when I was a cat caught in a snare. I need you.”
Desire pushed aside earlier resolve to resistance. Ariana practically purred as he praised her beauty, stroking her shoulders, burying his face into her hair.
Daimon ran his hands down her arms and the sheet spilled in a waterfall to her lap. Cool air washed over her breasts. Their nipples pebbled and she blushed.
With a reverent look, he touched her breasts. Flicked a thumb over one pearling nipple. She shivered in delight. And then she looked up with a startled gasp.
In the shadowy hallway stood several men. She scented their feral hunger. Their lean faces were cruel with lust, their nostrils flared. Their bodies tense with anticipation, they stared at Ariana as if she were prey.
Fear licked her spine. “Your men?”
Daimon leaped off her, his expression savage as he paced toward the door.
The tallest and strongest spoke up, his voice a husky rumble of intent. “We want to touch her.”
Ariana froze.
Chapter Three
“No.”
“The rules.” The strongest gave a thin smile. “Remember? If she’s to stay here, we must know her.”
“I know the rules, Theo. But you forget who’s in charge.”
A low growl rumbled from Daimon’s throat. He gave the man a hard shove in the chest. The male staggered back, bowed his head and then looked with respect at Daimon.
Authority reestablished, Daimon returned. “Ariana, these are my men. They will not hurt you.”
He gave them a vicious glance. “They have given their word. But they want to know you, to touch you, to mark you as someone they need to protect. There’s no sex involved. None. They will be gentle or I’ll rip them to pieces myself.”
