Alexandra Kosta once knew beauty and privilege as stepdaughter to the Fae king, until he banished her and scarred her for life. Now working as a bounty hunter, shes tasked with hunting down sexy werewolf Dominic Farrell. But Dominic is also part incubus, possessing the power to seduce any woman into doing his will.
When Alex is injured on the job and Dominic takes her back to his lodge, he agrees to release herif she will share his bed first. Unlike most men, he doesnt recoil after seeing Alex in her natural state and she cannot deny their overwhelming attraction.
But in order to save herself she has to turn Dominic over to the enemy. Can she destroy the one man who loves her as she is?
Incubus Wolf
Bonnie Vanak
www.millsandboon.co.uk
Chapter 1
A seedy Alaskan bar was a strange place to search for a rogue werewolf. Then again, Alexandra Kostra had been in more bizarre place.
Maybe if she said it enough, shed believe it. Believe this last and most dangerous job was a cakewalk. Alex paused, gathering her magick around her like a velvet cloak. Bitter air swirled the dead leaves at her feet, sent them scampering across the graveled parking lot.
Closing her eyes, she concentrated and changed her appearance.
It paid to be a Fae bounty hunter who could glamour.
Thin ribbons of stale cigarette smoke floated on the musty air as she strolled inside. Faded Christmas lights hung from the dusty rafters. From a battered jukebox in the corner, a country singer wailed about losing his dog and his wife. Alex cringed at the smell of spilt beer, spicy chili and cigars and filtered out the scents. Smoky golden light from overhead showed a long scarred wood bar, crowded with men. They swiveled and eyed her like fresh deer meat as the door closed behind her. Alex swore one even drooled.
All except one. The man at the end, drinking a mug of golden liquid, kept his head down, studying his beer. Her quarry.
Alex slid onto a stool, ordered a draft from the big-bellied bartender. He nodded, lust gleaming in his eyes. Disguise was working. Yeehaw. As if a big-breasted redhead dressed in skintight leather and a come hither look in her innocent baby blues wouldnt do the trick. Hell, Alex bet that in this neck of He-Man territory, any breathing woman would suffice.
Except for rugged Dominic Farrell. Even though he hadnt lifted his head, she could see that no desperation showed in his eyes. He certainly wasnt possessed of the same avid hunger as the others because there was no shortage of women to warm him on a cold Alaskan night. Women would walk for hours over frozen tundra for just the promise of bliss from his caressing hands, his hard body, his wicked tongue. No woman was safe from him.
Dominic was a hybrid, with incubus blood, which made him a very sexy, very powerful and very dangerous werewolf.
And very difficult to catch and bring back to the demon prison where hed escaped from six months ago.
The offers started before shed even settled on the stool. Drink offers, offers of conversation, sad, desperate offers and the blunt offers of sex. Alex smiled politely, bantered with a few men while focusing on Dominic.
A hank of inky black hair hung over his wide forehead. His face was bent toward the mug, a black cowboy hat hiding his expression. He looked average in his faded sheepskin jacket, jeans and red-checked flannel shirt. But even the other men gave him a respectful distance as if they sensed he was trouble.
If the human men knew how deadly those fangs were, how they could rip and pierce and shred to defend a woman Dominic wanted theyd run outside screaming into the cold night air.
Tonight, though, it seemed like Dominic wasnt interested in anything but his beer. He stared at it as if it held all lifes mysteries.
Alex opened a button, then another, to show off the body her glamour conjured. Eyes opened wide, the other men leaned closer, their savage appetites in full overdrive. The male attention brought back memories of another era. Men had called her the most beautiful in the land.
Alex shoved aside the bitter thought. Concentrate on your target. Get him to notice you.
But Dominic didnt even stir.
What, do I have to take off my clothes to get you to notice?
Alex nudged the beer drinker dressed in a red-and-black checked shirt who looked tall as Paul Bunyan. Whos that lone wolf?
Lumberjack dudes wide smile slipped. Thats Dominic. Keeps to himself. Not very friendly. You dont want anything to do with him.
The man began to sing off key, Dominic the Donkey.
Finally, her prey lifted his head, showing lean, rugged features, and eyes of coldest blue. He gave the singer a look that would send the bravest soul running. You calling me an ass, Wheeler?
Conversation halted. All heads swiveled to Dominic, then the men stared at their drinks. Power rippled in the air, a subtle tendril that stirred the molecules, thickened the tension. The smell of beer and liquor and stale cologne faded, overtaken by a very male scent of pine forest, rainwater and testosterone.
Dominics scent. The other men seemed to shrink within themselves. If they had tails, theyd be lowered.
Alexs fingers curled around her glass.
Blood draining from his face, Wheeler shook his head. Im sorry man. Just kidding. Sorry. Youre no ass. Im the ass, Dominic.
Grunting, Dominic tossed a few bills by his half-drained glass, nodded to the bartender. With the slow, stalking grace of a predator, he approached. He gave Wheeler a cold stare, then his gaze fell upon Alex. His nostrils flared and his eyes widened. A lazy smile played on his firm mouth. That smile, so sexy and inviting
The hurt young girl shed once been resurfaced. She saw herself, searching out the window for her lover, whod promised to return. And never had.
You have a job to do.
Alex was a good actress. She lowered her lashes and summoned her sexiest smile. Leaving so soon, stranger? Dont want to stay and see whats on the table?
He cocked his head, his eyes very blue, like lasers. Is that an offer, sweetheart?
She shrugged. I dont think youre up to the challenge.
He said nothing, but studied her a moment. Then he leaped forward with the savage speed of his kind, pulled her off the stool and into his arms.
The kiss was absorbing, maddening, a fusing of lips. He tasted of cold beer and hot desire. Lazily his tongue swept into her mouth, tasting her with possessive intent. Her lower belly clenched hard as her nipples tightened. It was the kiss of a man who wanted to lay a woman down and mount her. The kiss of an incubus, who knew exactly what he wanted and how to get it.
In the corner, the jukebox played Hot Blooded. Alexs mind swirled with a shocked vortex of pleasure. Celibate for the past ten years, she felt her body slowly kick from dormant to sexually charged. She slid her arms around his neck, leaned into him and kissed him back. His beard bristle abraded her cheeks. Beneath the layers of clothing, his body was hard with thick muscle. A low growl rumbled from his throat as he stroked a thumb over her pulse, feeling her heart shift from normal into overdrive.
He released her abruptly, amusement gleaming in those eyes. Except now they werent ice-cold, but flaming. He wanted her.
And for a sheer moment, she desperately wanted him back. The deep throbbing between her legs increased. Oh damn, this was not good. She conjured images certain to tamp down the sexual pull, and to her relief, felt the arousal vanish as if someone doused her with icy water.
Touching the brim of his hat, he nodded. Evening, miss.
The door slammed behind him.
It was just a kiss, but her body had burned from his touch. Alex touched her mouth, her pulse racing.
Hey, lady, I can show you a good time, too.
Wheeler gave her the eye. Interest flaring on their faces, the other men watched. First she had to throw off the wolves, so to speak. Alex gave a smile she didnt feel. Someone want to play a slow tune? I feel like dancing.
Stools pushed back, boots scrambled to the jukebox. Quarters and dollars were fumbled. Alex let the glamour drop to show her real face. The men turned around, faces eager. Several gasps sounded, followed by looks of pure horror.
Always, they stared. And then the whispers began.
Damn, look at her face, one said. Looks like the ass end of my truck.
Holy crap, Wheeler said. Thought she was hot. Must have been the liquor. He fumbled for a cell phone and dialed. Hey, its me. You should see the freak show at the bar.
Alex felt the familiar twist of hurt. Yeah, I know what I look like. Get over it, guys. Go kiss a moose. She shrugged back into her coat and went outside to follow Dominic Farrell.
Chapter 2
Alex could track anyone or anything. And with Dominics scent burned into her brain, finding him wouldnt be tough, not with the tracking chip shed slapped on his black pickup. Before hed entered the bar, shed watched as hed climbed out of the trucks cab with a graceful, lean-hipped swagger in his tight black jeans.
In her sleek SUV, Alex followed her quarry, keeping a safe distance behind. After a few miles, she caught the flash of taillights. She slowed as the truck pulled into a hayfield. He cut the engine and got out, walking alongside the road.
Several yards behind him, Alex parked. She tailed him, making no noise in her soft-soled boots, watching as he vaulted over a chain-link fence.
Words on the gate proclaimed See the Wild Wolves of Alaska!
Bile rose in her throat. Shed heard of this roadside attractions cruelty. Her breath fogged the air as she climbed over the fence, dropped down and followed Dominic. A ribbon of gravel drive threaded through a thicket of pine trees and led to a small, darkened building. On the buildings right side was another fence. A few men gathered outside the building. Alex donned the glamour of a brunette with rosy cheeks and an apple-fresh look.
Then she hid behind a thick pine tree and watched.
Lets do it, she heard him say quietly.
Breaking open the gate, the six vanished behind the compound. Alex dashed after them and ground to a halt, shoving a fist into her mouth to stifle her gasp.
Silver moonlight showed six gray wolves tied to a short length of chain. Ribs jutted out from their lean bodies. They paraded around a pole, their desperate whines echoing in the night. The scent of animal tinged the air, along with the sharp taste of helpless fear.
Ducking behind a tree, she watched Dominics face tighten. He and the others worked quickly, as the wolves closed around them, tails wagging eagerly as if sensing friends. As each wolf sprang free and ran across the open meadow, through the gate Dominic had opened, Alex felt a quiet, peculiar joy. As if her own spirit were set free and bounding across the field.
Damnit. Hold on, boy. Almost got it, Dominic muttered.
Her throat closed as she watched him try to free the last wolf. The chain wrapped around his throat, the gray wolf whimpered. Alex fought back the miasma of pity. She had to focus on Dominic, not these poor creatures.
A light flicked on inside the nearby cabin. Someone stepped onto the porch.
Dominic gave a low curse and with brute force, broke the chain. The wolf, seemingly traumaticized, did not move. Not until Dominic slapped it on its hindquarters. Dominic sprinted away as the man left the porch.
Alex followed. In the near distance to her left, metal glinted in the moonlight. Wicked steel teeth lay below the leaves. Suddenly the wolf headed toward the trap.
The wolfs leg would snap under the pressure. Not if she could help it. With a preternatural burst of speed, she passed the wolf, stepped into the trap. Metal jaws slammed into her ankle. Pain shot through her bones, rattling her teeth. She collapsed, fighting shock and burning agony.
The wolf bounded across the field, vanishing into the woods. Safe! He was safe. Alex sat up, pushing past the pain and chanted a spell to release the trap.
Nothing. She touched the trap and a blue arc leaped up, shocking her nerves.
Magick. The trap was laced with it. And she was helpless.
The man coming toward her laughed. Boots crunched in the crushed grass as he advanced.
Here.
The man sent a blue arc of energy into the trap and the jaws sprang open. Alex pulled her ankle free, biting her lip. Burning pain seared her skin. Crab-crawling away, she eyed her rescuer.
Moonlight glinted his silvery hair. He had a handsome face, but a flicker of cruelty shone in his dark eyes. Robes of dark red velvet indicated status. A wizard of great power. Alexandra Kostra. The Society for the Prevention of Malevolent Magicks best paranormal bounty hunter.
Alexs heart raced. How did you know
I heard the rumors about your new hunt in Alaska. One of my associates saw you in the bar, and told me you were following Dominic Farrell. The man patted the steel. Dominic and his friends always stop by to free the wolves Ive captured. So I set out extra traps in case you happened to stop by.
Nice greeting. Ever consider just a phone call?
Every time she started a hunt, the underground paranormal world whispered of her target because she always got her quarry.
I have something youll want. A vial of green liquid glowed in the moonlight as he removed it from the folds of his robes. I call it Beauty in a Bottle. It will restore your former looks, everything youve dreamed of. Alicia Cantros, the fairest Fae in the land.
How the hell did this bastard know her real name? Shed worked hard to leave behind Alicia, learned not to look back, and move on. Glamour cloaked the ugly scars. As long as she remained celibate and asexual, the tattoos covering her face never appeared.
My dreams involve you, on the ground, one of those wolves you tortured at your throat.
Dont be so hasty. He leaned close, darkness swirling in his eyes. Think of it, Alexandra/Alicia. You can once more be the golden-haired Fae, who enchanted all men who gazed upon her.
The old longing pushed to the surface. Alex struggled with her emotions.
His voice was hypnotic and low. No one will ever call you ugly again. You wont be forced to hide or disguise yourself just to enter a grocery store. People wont stare because your face appalls them.
Tempting with promise, the lure dangled before her. But shed learned long ago that talk was cheap and men lied.