I had a cat once, she told him. I had a lot of things once, until a scumbag caught my mom on a deserted stretch of running trail. She shrugged. Now I have a purpose.
As she divested herself of both weapons and kicked off her shoes, she felt like the cat was studying her. Something in his eyes almost seemed to be assessing her.
As if she hadnt gotten enough of that from Phil already.
She shook her head at him. I dont have to justify myself to you, too. I didnt invite you in here, in case youve forgotten. She unfastened her pants and slid them down her hips, then turned her back on him as she reached into her closet for a hanger. Youre welcome to go anytime you want to, just dont look at me like I dont measure up.
Id say your measurements are just about perfect.
Delaney spun at the sound of the deep male voice. And froze. The D.C. Vampire stood in her doorway watching her as intently as the cat had moments before.
Son of a .
Her headache and jitters disappeared in a rush of adrenaline and anger. This time, he was going down.
She whirled, reaching for her Glock. And never touched it. He slammed her back against the wall, wrenching her arms above her head, capturing her wrists in a single large hand even as he pressed his body against hers. Eye to eye with the buttons of his burgundy silk shirt, she fought for her life. Struggling to free her hands, she tried to ram her knee into his groin.
He stopped her cold, nailing her to the wall with his pelvis.
Her breath heaved. Fury swirled in her mind as his size and sheer strength overwhelmed her. , hed gotten her. Twice. It was inexcusable.
The blood pounded fast and hard through her veins as she stared up into his face, her own reflected in his dark wraparound sunglasses. God, shed never seen anyone so ugly on the inside who was so incredibly good-looking on the outside. Was that how he got so close to his victims?
Her mind lurched with realization. How did you get in here?
You wouldnt believe me if I told you. His voice was deep and rich, as pleasing as his looks even as he gripped her jaw, immobilizing her with an ease that terrified her. For years, shed trained hard so this kind of thing wouldnt happen. So she wouldnt find herself the prey instead of the hunter.
So she wouldnt end up like her mother.
Yet, in the end, she had. The tightness of the killers mouth, the determination in every line of his face let her know he intended to finish what hed started yesterday. And her utter inability to move beneath his iron grip told her there was nothing she could do to stop him.
Blast it! If she thought begging would help, she might have tried to force the words past her pride. But not for a second did she believe hed listen to her. The man had shown his other victims no mercy whatsoever. None. For Gods sake, hed killed two children.
He was utterly without a conscience.
Hatred flared hot and coarse, burning through her blood. Youre going to pay, you bastard, for all the lives youve stolen. Sooner or later, theyll catch you, and youre going to fry.
Right, he muttered.
She tried again to jerk her face out of his hold, but he only tightened his grip.
Hold still, or youre going to have bruises.
His words caught her so off guard, she laughed, a single, humorless release of sound.Are you kidding? Im going to be dead.
Im not going to kill you. The words were terse. Frustrated. Now will you look into my goddamn eyes?
She stared at him. Was it possible she was dreaming this? Maybe having a fever-induced nightmare? Because the way this was going down made less than no sense. The killer, appearing out of nowhere, only wanted her to look into his eyes. .
But incomprehensible or not, she knew she wasnt dreaming. The bite of the mans fingers on her jaw was too clear. His scent too real. Tooluscious.
She groaned. Ive got to be dreaming.
You are dreaming. Now look into my eyes!
I am! she snapped back. Or Im trying to. It might be easier to do if you took off those ridiculous sunglasses. In case you hadnt noticed, its nighttime.
He growled low, the sound almost that of a jungle animal. Oh yeah, she was moving from nightmare to delirium. Any minute now Phil the Easter Bunny was going to hop into the room. And she probably wouldnt even notice, so mesmerized was she by the killers amazing mouth.
Definitely delirious.
Something brushed her mind, a softness, almost a warmth that eased the lingering pain of the vision.
You wont remember my face, the man murmured softly in that deep, sexy voice.
Of course not. Like she could ever forgetface.
He wasnt beautiful. Such a word implied a degree of softness, and there wasnt one soft thing about the mans features. Strong jaw, hard cheekbones, and a mouth that could have been sculpted by the finest artist. Not a single softness about him, yet his looks were utterly arresting.
Im dreaming, remember?
The growl that rumbled in the mans throat sounded more pained than threatening, his mouth thinning with displeasure. The softness brushed her mind stronger than before, sending a shiver of pleasure rippling through her blood.
His scent teased her nostrils, increasing the pleasure playing with her senses. He smelled wonderful. Like the air after a thunderstorm, clean and fresh, and a little wild. The feel of his body pressing against hers sent heat coursing through her veins to pool damply between her legs.
Heaven help her, she was turning into one mentally disturbed puppy because this guy was actually turning her on.
The man sucked in a breath as if he could feel her bodys traitorous response to him. The hand at her jaw gentled, his thumb brushing over her skin, melting her from the inside out.
Against her abdomen, the hard, thick length of him swelled. Her body quickened, her breasts turning tight and heavy.
This was sick. . He was a killer!
Cant do that, brown eyes. Besides, its a dream, remember?
His voice slid through her like warm syrup.
She was losing it, absolutely losing it if she was getting turned on by the man who was preparing to kill her.he raped her. Though, heaven help her, she wasnt sure it wouldrape. The thought of him taking her, sliding that thick shaft deep inside her, made her body clench and weep.
What are you doing to me?
he growled. He released her face and reached for her hands, forcing them against her cheeks as his warm fingers brushed her skin. Were going to try this again.
Try what? What exactly are we trying to do? If she knew, maybe she could help him. Or pretend to. If she got him to let his guard down, maybe she could find a way to escape.
He didnt answer her. Instead, he licked his lips, sending a shiver of longing shimmering through her. A need to feel her mouth against those lips. .
He clenched his jaw and pressed his fingers firmly against her cheeks.
Like before, warmth brushed her mind, but this time it went deeper, flowing down into her body on a rush of pleasure so sharp she gasped. Desire swamped her, and she thrust her hips against his, rubbing herself on the hard length of his erection. Even as her body burned, her mind recoiled, horrified at her bodys betrayal. She couldnt have played the part of the horny slut any better if shed tried.
The thought brought her up short. What if she could use this ungodly attraction to her advantage? In war, anything was fair. And sexual desire had been wielded as a powerful weapon since the dawn of time.
All she needed was a moment to turn the tables on him, to outsmart him and seize control. A moment to take the bastard down.
Her mind spun. Rape wasnt his usual M.O. None of the other victims had been sexually assaulted. If she could get him to have sex with her, he might start thinking of her as something other than his next victim.
It would be the last mistake he ever made.
CHAPTER 5
Tighe stifled a groan as the half-naked woman rubbed her lace-clad pelvis against the erection filling his pants. Hed never had this much trouble exerting a little mind control over a human.
What in the hell was happening? He could barely think through the flood of sensations assaulting his body. The sweet, exotic scent of her intoxicated him. The taste of her arousal danced on his tongue, making his body throb and ache. His hands shook with the need to free his erection, push aside the scrap of lace that covered her honey, and push himself deep inside her.
Get control! Yes, she was beautiful, and hotter than sin, but his life was at stake here. Sex was not on the agenda.
But, goddess, she was lovely. Her flawless skin was the light natural tan of the Mediterranean, her limbs long and slender, her body toned and strong, yet not without lush, perfect curves. Her hair, fire-lit mahogany, had come loose and fallen around her shoulders in soft waves. Her eyes were the same dark color, though while her hair sparkled with red-and-gold highlights, her eyes glittered with hatred.
The only thing, the only thing he should be thinking about was clouding her mind so he could climb inside and retrieve his visions. Maybe then, hed finally be able to catch that good-for-nothing clone.
But getting control of her was proving to be damned difficult. Twice hed tried to cloud her mind. Twice all hed seemed to do was arouse her. Which was a disaster on so many levels.
Because he had to remain in control himself, and that was hard to do when one of the most beautiful women hed ever touched was thrusting her hips against him, gasping with desire.
His gaze caressed her face, then moved to her eyes, staring into their dark depths as he once more pressed into her mind to control and cloud. But all she did was gasp, her passion thickening as she resisted his control as no human ever had before.
Hawkes words came back to him. Shes only 99.9 percent human now.
And, apparently, immune to his control.
Maybe if he could calm her, hed be able to breach her minds unnatural defenses. He softened his hold on her jaw, his gaze drawn to the rich fullness of her mouth. Heat swirled low in his body, his own mouth aching for a taste of her. Dont be afraid of me. Im not going to hurt you.
Its not fear Im feeling right now. Her voice was low and husky as she pressed that tiny scrap of lace against his raging erection. Youre a handsome man. Sexy as hell.
Sweet nature, did she realize she was asking him to take her? He focused on the taste of her emotions. Desire was there, but barely discernible beneath the fear and the fury and the raw, hard-core determination.
He snorted with understanding. The lady Fed was playing him. Trying to use the attraction between them to distract him so she might escape.
Smart.
And damned annoying. Because hed been attempting to play her. Clearly trying to calm her wasnt going to do an ounce of good because, at the moment, she had better control over her emotions than he did his.
So if calming her wasnt the way to get past her mental barriers, he needed to get her to lower her guard another way. Perhaps by earning her trust. And he knew just the way to go about it. With what was, amazingly, almost the truth.
You dont have to be afraid of me, Delaney.
She tensed, her eyes flaring for only an instant. You know my name.
I had to find you. Im not who you think I am.
Hard eyes probed his face, the touch of her gaze deceptively soft. And who do I think you are? Her sultry voice felt like a stroke to his throbbing cock.
Heaven help him.
You think Im the man who attacked you, the man whos killed more than a dozen people in the past few days. But Im not him.
Sharp doubt ripped through her eyes, then disappeared behind a wary screen. Who are you, then?
His twin. He stroked her soft cheek with his thumb, enchanted by the silky smoothness of her skin. Would her skin taste as sweetly exotic as she smelled? Thats why youre still alive, brown eyes. My evil twin would never have let you live. Im not sure how you managed to escape him the first time.
Her gaze searched his face as if looking for the truth. Someone shot him, she said slowly. I shot him. Her eyes narrowed. Is he dead?
No. Hes still very much alive. Which is why Im here. He opened his mouth to tell her hed come to protect her, then remembered who she was. What she was. Delaney Randall was no damsel in distress. She was a warrior. He needed to appeal to that in her. I want to stop him before he kills again, and I know you do, too. If we work together, we can get him, Delaney. He stroked her cheek, watching her formidable brain debate his words.
Work with me, brown eyes. He tasted her doubt, her uncertainty, and pressed his advantage. Help me catch him before he kills again.
He tasted it, the small, secret lift of excitement amid her raging doubt. The opening of her mind, just a sliver.
It was enough.
Tighe pushed hard into her mind, pressing against the softened resistance. He had no choice but to force his way in. If he couldnt get control of her, he had to kill her.
No choice.
The womans eyes widened, then fell heavily as she moaned, her body arching to rub against his arousal. Her passion surged, rising like a thick, exotic scent on her skin, ensnaring him, threatening to wrench him free of his own thinning control.
She groaned. What are you trying to do to me?
Not this.
Goddess help him. He had to get past the barrier in her mind. As he pushed harder, she flung her head back, gasping for air, looking for all the world like a woman about to
She screamed as she came, her body rocking, shaking, shuddering with the force of her release.
Holy heavens and Earth. He was a heartbeat away from following her into that sweet oblivion, his own body hard as stone, dying for a taste of her, dying to be inside her. Never had he been in so much pain for a woman.
Her eyelids lifted slowly, heavy with passion above stunned eyes. I want you inside me. Now.
Heaven help him, thats all he wanted. All he wanted. And he couldnt take her. She was human, dammit. Human. And even if she werent, his desire for her was nearly out of control. If he entered her, he feared hed lose himself entirely. And if he went feral, hed kill her.
That was something he was loath to do.
But he had to taste her.
His fingers released her wrists to slide into the softness of her hair as his mouth covered hers. She cried out, the sound halfway between a moan and a plea, as if she were drowning, and he was the only one who could save her. Or maybe he was just transferring his own feelings to her because that was exactly the way he felt. Hed die if he didnt taste her.
His tongue swept inside her welcoming mouth, reveling in the sweet, exotic lushness. She tasted just as hed imagined she would, only a hundred times better. Like the nectar of a rare jungle orchid.
Like heaven.
His tongue stroked hers, then her teeth and the insides of her cheeks, exploring the damp depths of her, thrilled when she did the same, as if she couldnt get enough of him.
Heaven knew, he couldnt get enough of her.
Kissing wasnt enough. He unbuttoned her shirt with quick fingers and brushed aside the opening to cover her lace-covered breast with his palm, squeezing gently until she arched into his touch and moaned into his mouth. His fingers went to the tight little peak, pinching and rolling it between his finger and thumb until she was rocking against him in a half-crazed frenzy.
He pulled away from her mouth and tasted the sweet skin of her cheek and the salty tang of her brow.
His breaths were coming in short, shallow gasps, his own brow damp from the effort to retain some semblance of control. But why maintain control? Why not just take her? With his release, this crazed need would abate. Hed be able to get them both under control.
The logic almost made sense.
Fuck me, the woman groaned, her freed hand sliding between them to clamp around his painfully hard erection. I need you inside me.
Goddess. His hand slid to the button of his jeans, but as his fingers reached for the zipper tab, the bitter taste of hatred slid across his tongue. His hand stilled as he explored the taste and knew it was hers. A hatred of him, certainly, but also of herself. Self-hatred had a taste all its own.
She might have decided to play on their mutual attraction, but she was way past pretending, lost to passions madness. And despite his assurance to the contrary, she still thought him a killer. She hated herself for wanting him.
Goddess knew, he didnt want this attraction any more than she did. He did not fuck humans.
It was all he could do to pull away from her, but he managed it. Barely. He gripped her shoulders and pushed her back to the wall. Her damp, swollen lips and slumberous eyes were nearly his undoing, until he saw the confusion in those eyes and the pain of betrayal, even if the betrayal was her own.
Once more he looked into those eyes and attempted to cloud her mind.
She shuddered. Dont. The word was low, pained.
He was getting nowhere with her. Whatever had happened to thrust her in the way of his visions was making her immune to his control. And if he couldnt control her, he had to eliminate her as a problem. Kougar was right.
The Ferals never destroyed life without justification, but humans who threatened the Therian race or any of its members, in any capacity, were eliminated without hesitation. Always.
The woman watched him with fathomless eyes, her lips parted as she struggled to catch her breath. What now?
A hard knot formed in his gut. Hed promised he wouldnt hurt her. His hand reached for her, his thumb stroking her soft cheek.
From that first vision when hed watched her face her death with a warriors toughness and fury in her eyes, hed known she was different. When shed faced him tonight, thinking her attacker had found her again, hed tasted her fear on his tongue, yet shed never whimpered. Never begged. Shed fought him. Even while her pulse raced, her mind had remained clear, her words calm, laced with a bitter wryness that had tugged at him. Shed won his admiration, which was something no human had done in a very long time.
He met her gaze as his palm slid down the long column of her throat, and he saw the question in her eyes. She wasnt ready to die. He could feel her will to live rushing over him with a force like liquid steel. Yet she waited, watching him, with grace and courage.
As his palm stroked her throat, he knew he couldnt do it. Human and fragile as she might be, there was something peculiarly strong about her. Inexplicably rare.
Deep inside him, he felt something stir, as if the tiger within raised its head, scenting something on the wind.
He couldnt take her life.
But neither could he let her go. Sliding his finger to the hollow at the base of her ear, he pressed.
The woman collapsed, unconscious, and he swept her into his arms. Somehow, he was going to have to find another way to steal back his visions and get control over her.
Hawke and Kougar were going to think he was starting to lose his ability to reason.
And he wasnt entirely sure theyd be wrong. He didnt have to have premonitions to know Delaney Randall was going to be trouble.
CHAPTER 6
Tighe pushed through the safe-house door Hawke held open for him, the unconscious woman in his arms.
Hawke lifted a single winged brow. Any luck?
None. Frustration plucked at his fraying nerves. Nothing about this mission had gone right, with the possible exception of the ease with which hed gotten into Delaneys apartment. From the moment hed touched her, every plan had taken a nosedive.
Each time hed tried to cloud her mind, she got more excited, as if someone had gotten inside her and changed all her wiring. And maybe someone had, if inadvertently. His clone. Goddess knew what had happened when that bastard attacked her.
It almost certainly explained Tighes inability to catch her mind. It didnt explain how shed gotten under his skin. The passion he drew in her was heady, certainly, but the fire that had burned in him when hed pressed his body against hers, that burned in him still, was way more than a simple reaction to her own fire. There was something about the woman that sent his senses into a barrel roll.
I couldnt cloud her mind, he informed his companions. She reacts to my attempts, just not in any way thats the least bit useful.
How? Hawkes keen eyes gleamed with curiosity.
Tighe growled by way of answer. He glanced at the sofa, considered laying the woman down, then discarded the idea. Even though he knew she was fully out, some part of his brain, some instinct, made him certain shed escape him the moment he released her. And he wasnt letting her go.
The information might be useful, buddy, Hawke pressed.
Tighe scowled, then relented. When I push into her mind, her body reacts.
Reacts how?
Damned nosy Feral. Sexually, Hawke. She reacts sexually. I pushed hard enough that she came.
Hawke whistled, that eyebrow of his lifting again. Interesting.
Tighe snorted. Yeah. And bloody useless. Im still no closer to clouding her mind.
Did you try to seize control during her orgasm?
Tighe stilled. No. Damn. At the moment of sexual release, the body and mind were most open. Open to bonding with a partner. And open to being captured by a mind capable of control. It took me by surprise. Hell, hed been fighting his own release so hard he hadnt given a single thought to taking advantage of hers. Not in that way. Ill try it again.
If Jag had been there, hed have demanded to watch, the asshole. Hawke just nodded.
You should have killed her. Kougar stood in the doorway of one of the bedrooms, watching them, his arms crossed over his chest, his pale eyes emotionless.
Tighes grip on the woman tightened. No one ever really knew what went on in that Ferals head. For as long as Tighe had lived at Feral House, rumors and speculation had swirled around Kougar. Of all of them, his past was the most deeply cloaked in mystery. They knew he was the oldest among them, but if anyone knew how old, he hadnt shared it.
Centuries ago, rumors had swirled that Kougar was half-Mage, that hed been responsible for the deaths of the seventeenseventeen Ferals killed in a mysterious cave, seventeen whose animals had never again risen to mark another. But Lyon trusted him. And that was enough for Tighe. In the six centuries Tighe himself had been a Feral, Kougar had never proven himself anything but loyal.
But he rarely spoke. Instead, he watched silently, waiting, until the time came to fight. Then he fought with a skill and ferocity worthy of any berserker.
He was a good man to have on your team as long as you werent looking for anything approaching warmth or friendliness. Kougar didnt possess an ounce of either.
Tighe might trust him at his back, but he was a long way from trusting him not to eliminate the human woman the moment he got a chance. Particularly since they all thought Tighe was slowly losing his mind.
A warning growl rumbled deep in his throat as he met Kougars pale gaze.
Dont even think about it.
Killing her might be a mistake, Hawke said.
Why? Not that Tighe didnt agree, but he was half-afraid his own reasons had more to do with fearless dark warriors eyes than anything remotely logical.
Hawke shrugged. Theres no guarantee youll get the full visions back if shes gone. Right now youre still getting snippets, right?
Sometimes. Hell, I dont know if I am or not. Its not consistent. At first I was seeing her as she got the visions, along with glimpses of the killing. Then just the glimpses. But I havent seen anything in hours.
What if she dies, and the visions die with her? Well have lost a powerful weapon.
Tighe silently thanked his friend, his grip on his captive easing. Hawke was right. Maybe somewhere in the mess that was currently acting as his brain, hed had the same thought.
The next time she has a vision, buddy, try to get into her head. Even if you cant steal it back, maybe you can share it. Enough, at least, to figure out where the attack is taking place.
He met Hawkes gaze. Ill work on her. Both on clouding her mind and on accessing her next vision. But we dont need an audience. Youre leaving. His gaze shifted to Kougar. Both of you.
Kougars expression didnt change, it never did, yet he sensed the warriors disapproval.
I dont think thats a good idea, Tighe. Hawkes brows drew down. If you lose control, you could kill her.
Tighes gaze swung to Kougars. Then problem solved. He looked back at Hawke. Its a risk were going to take, Wings. This woman may be human, but shes a fighter through and through. And FBI. Shes already seen my face. She doesnt need to see yours, too. Not until Im sure I can clean her memory. Besides, Ive got to get her sexually aroused again, and Im not having an audience for that.
An odd protectiveness had him tightening his grip on the woman in his arms. The thought of anyone else listening to her cries of passion, to her scream of release, filled him with a strange and jealous anger.
Calm, Tighe. Calm.
He took a deep breath and met Hawkes gaze. Unless you want to see my claws, this discussion is over.
Understood. Well grab our things and take off, but we wont be far, buddy. Well keep an eye on the house.
Five minutes later, as the two Ferals closed the door behind them, Tighe stood in the middle of the living room, looking down at Delaney Randall. His mind told him to lay her down, but his arms refused to let her go. Why? What was this strange need in him to hold her? A need that went beyond merely keeping her from escaping. It was a need that went against every ounce of logic in his head.
Was it merely the unruly attraction he had for her getting out of hand? Or was it the madness that was slowly disintegrating his ability to act logically? To act sanely.
A madness that could ultimately destroy them both.
Delaney eased out of sleep, a purr in her throat at the feel of warmth at her back. Warmth. Man.
The killer.
A cold wash of adrenaline cramped her stomach, sending her pulse careening into her ears as her mind snapped fully awake.
Hed knocked her unconscious. Which beat the hell out of killing her, for sure, but the arms of a killer was not where she wanted to be.
Slowly, she opened her eyes a slit in case the man at her back wasnt the only one in the room. But all that met her gaze were the shadowed furniture and walls of a dark, unfamiliar bedroom. A single, large window covered by sheer curtains glowed from the light of a streetlamp.
Not her apartment. Hed knocked her out and kidnapped her. That could make escape infinitely more difficult since she had no idea where she was or who else might be around to stop her if she managed to escape him.
But that didnt mean she wasnt going to try.
In the distance, a truck downshifted, the sound merging with the low rumble of predawn traffic. City traffic. She doubted hed taken her far.
And why had he kidnapped her at all? Why was she still alive?
Her senses took quick inventory as she shifted slightly. He was holding her, spoon style, his thickly muscled arm heavy across her waist. But she couldnt feel any bindings to indicate hed tied her either to the bed or to himself.
She was still wearing the blouse shed worn to work, the fabric soft but with little give. Her bra was tight against her rib cage. On her legs, if she wasnt mistaken, were the sweatpants shed been planning to put on, the ones that had been lying across the foot of her bed.
The thought of his dressing her, of him sliding the pants up her bare legs and her hips, sent a cold chill rippling over her skin. Had he touched her? Had he raped her?
Her pulse pounded in her ears, but she forced herself to breathe. To think. She didnt feel sore down there. And she almost certainly would if hed taken her when she was unconscious.
Besides, why would he bother raping her when shed begged him to take her? When shed been so hot for him, shed come.