Deep red, indicating youre a strong-willed and realistic person and a bright, vibrant red that says youre a powerful and extremely competitive individual.
Bright, vibrant red also means someone whos very sexual, he said, enjoying the hint of pink spreading across her cheeks.
Yes, that, too. And you have other colors as well, but theyre so obscured by the blackness, I cant tell them apart. Youve come into contact with great evil, evil that touched you deeply.
This was too close for his comfort zone. He folded his arms across his chest.
Hire me and Ill give you a big discount. Only three thousand dollars in cash.
Thats all? he asked drily.
Keira shrugged. Work is slow right now.
And what do I get from you for three thousand dollars? He pushed close to her, getting in her face, crowding her. And for how long do I get it?
His brazen, suggestive words brought an attractive flush to her face. To her credit, Keira refused to back off or drop her gaze. You get me, for however long you need me. A week. Or a month, or more, if you desire. I need a place to stay while Im in the area.
Dale caught a faint whiff of an enticing scent that wound around his body and yanked hard. Oh, yeah...he desired. His body tightened, blood running hot and thick.
Their gazes met, connected. Something long dead inside him stirred to life. He reached out and with calloused fingers, touched her cheek.
Keiras eyes widened and darkened. Her lush mouth trembled.
Just as suddenly the connection broke. Dale stepped back.
And why are you in the area?
I travel a lot across country. Never been to Virginia before. I like the beach.
She looked innocent. Guileless.
What exactly are we talking about? What methods?
I combine aromatherapy massage and meditation with crystals to restore harmonic energy and fight evil. Light therapy, massage and reflexology. At his questioning look, she added, I work with your feet on certain pressure points.
Interesting, he murmured. He liked the idea of the massages. Maybe this could prove to be worth his time. How long had it been since a woman had grabbed his interest?
Ill need you to sign a contract, of course. To protect us both, she said. Her gaze whipped around the house, so fast he could almost see her mind recalculating like a GPS. It was fascinating and disturbing, because he knew she was pushing him hard to go where he didnt want to venture.
Hiring Keira would get Keegan off his back. Keegan already voiced his approval of her. She was better than a navy shrink and ten times safer than a damn mind-melder. And much sexier. The surge of sexual interest flared again.
But hed be damned if he let her try any of her woo-woo techniques. She could clean the house instead, cook his meals.
I need a live-in housekeeper. Youd have your own room downstairs by the kitchen and Ill pay you the three thousand and you stay for the month. Come back tomorrow at oh-five-hundred with your contract before I leave for the base.
A tentative smile. You sure?
The hesitant words contrasted sharply with her earlier confidence. She almost sounded like a child hopeful for acceptance. Dales curiosity was piqued.
He gave a rueful glance at his feet. Im not into all that New Age crap, but my feet could use some pampering.
Its not massage. Its a technique to free the energy.
Youre not going to nibble at my toes? Damn.
Her mouth wobbled in a tentative smile. Dale chuckled, the sound rusty and grating. Hell, had it been that long since he laughed? Im teasing you. Im not into having my toes nibbled.
At her widening smile, he added, There are exceptions, if the mouth happens to be wide, and lush...and a tad crooked.
The most intriguing blush ignited her cheeks. Keira put her hands to her reddened cheeks as that lovely, wide and crooked mouth parted. Oh-five-hundred sharp. Ill be here. Ill even treat you to coffee.
She leaped down the steps, marched to her motorbike and with a kick start it coughed to life, and she took off into the night.
For a few moments Dale stood in the doorway, staring after her, feeling something tighten in his chest.
He shut the door and called his neighbor to see if Keiras story was true. After talking a few minutes, he hung up and then dialed Keegans number. Spill it. Tell me what you saw in her mind.
Dale, its late....
Tell me.
I couldnt get a fix on her memories and who she is, but Ill say this, you need her. Trust me on this. Do yourself a favor. Let go and dont question, just go with your gut.
Right. Last time he did that, his guts almost ended up spilling out on the table where hed been tortured. Damn, he hated coyness.
Keegan...level with me.
Already have, son. Find yourself help and get straightened out. I dont give a damn who straightens you out, as long as its done. Hire a witch doctor if you must.
Already did. He told the admiral about Keira. You satisfied now? Youll get off my back?
Youre doing the right thing, Dale.
He snorted. Well see. I dont believe in any of that woo-woo shit.
Maybe you should. Maybe thats the only thing that can free you.
The admiral hung up, leaving Dale to ponder his cryptic words.
He went to the window and stared at the full moon, feeling the itch and pull of scar tissue. Or maybe it was the itch and pull of something deeper.
That wolf that hurt him, if he got his hands on the beast...
Dale went into the kitchen, opened the sliding glass doors and stepped onto his deck. A cool, refreshing breeze caressed his cheeks. He was a powerful Primary Mage, a Mage who could shape-shift into any life form. Right now the wolf called to him, the urge to run wild and free in fur. Closing his eyes, he stretched out his hands and called upon his magick, and shifted into a large gray timber wolf. He ran into his backyard, and leaped over the wood fence, giving a joyful yip as he raced through the woods. Senses filled with the night air, the sights and smells of the land.
Freeing and exhilarating, he relished the feel of leaves and earth beneath his paws. The wolf had no responsibilities, didnt have to visit a shrink to keep his job. The wolf had no scars, only thick fur. The wolf would never be tied down and helpless and vulnerable.
His wolf had power.
And if his wolf ever got his big paws on the demon wolf that tortured him as a man, that SOB would pay with Dales claws.
The wolf grinned as he ran with the night.
Chapter 3
A gentle breeze stirred the American flag hanging next to the front door. Everything about this house, from the bright white paint to the neat black shutters and the truck in the drive, seemed normal.
But nothing was normal, especially not the man living inside.
Keira took a deep breath and steadied her nerves. When the door opened, she gave a bright smile.
I hope you like your coffee black. Because I took you for a black-coffee guy.
She thrust a steaming coffee cup at the man in the doorway. Dale Curtis stood military straight in a starched khaki uniform, looking crisp and fresh and undeniably more handsome than a man should look at 0500 hours.
Those scrutinizing gray eyes showed a hint of a smile. Thanks. Come in.
Carrying her valise, Keira followed him to the kitchen. Tension knotted her stomach. His older friend, clearly a superior, had done some kind of odd mojo on her last night. She remembered nothing except that his smile had been kind.
Still, she couldnt trust that the older man wasnt setting her up, even though he whispered into her mind that she was safe now. Right. Nothing was safe anymore. Not since the Centurions had torn her world apart.
This arrangement troubled her. Living with him wasnt on her agenda, but she needed to buck up his powers so he could destroy the Centurion demons. Keira suspected he hired her only to fulfill an obligation.
The commander set down the coffee, then sat on a wood stool at the breakfast nook. His penetrating gray gaze seemed to bore into her. For too long, shed operated alone, avoiding others, especially men. This close proximity unnerved her. Dale Curtis studied her, as if puzzling out her real identity. Her hand trembled as she fumbled in her case. Not this soon. She needed time, needed to gain his trust. But instinct warned that was something this man did not easily give.
He glanced at his watch. Lets see the contract. You have thirty minutes before I leave for base.
Tempted to take the watch and throw it into the trash, Keira plopped the contract on the table. In conveniently large type, unlike most legal contracts. You can actually read this. She glanced up at the clock. Of course, Im sure youll have to be at work soon.
Dale slid the papers closer and began to read, his brows drawing together. Holding her breath, she tapped her fingers. But he was a fast read and finally came to the last page.
Sign here.
Keira handed him an old-fashioned quill. When he scratched his name in bold, strong letters, she took the quill and pricked her thumb. A droplet of blood spilled over his signature. She licked her thumb and gestured to the contract.
Ill give you a copy. The contract states you are free to break the agreement at any time by declaring verbally to me, I renounce you. I renounce our agreement.
Shed seen him pour over the rambling legalese in the document, but wanted to ensure that Lt. Commander Dale Curtis knew exactly what he was getting into.
Without telling him every single, small detail.
But cooperation was essential. No man could be bound to her against his will.
At his nod, she snapped open her case and withdrew a velvet box. Inside the red velvet bed was a shimmering wide silver armband. A large blue sapphire was in the center amid intricate runes studded with smaller sapphires.
Please slide this on me, above the elbow.
She held out her bare right arm.
This is a slave armband.
Suspicion flared in his eyes. Keira held her breath. So close, would he balk now? A man of reason, she realized. A man who questioned all because he left nothing to chance.
She shrugged. Is it? The armband provides me protection while I cleanse your house, and assures you that as long as it remains on me, Im bonded to you as your contractor.
And as long as you put it on me, Im protected from demons. They cant touch me.
Then if it protects you, why dont you wear it all the time?
Smart. She wasnt accustomed to dealing with a man who had both valor and a piercing intellect.
Keira pointed to the gleaming sapphire. Why would I wear it when there are more human thieves whod harm me to steal the jewels, not knowing the armbands real value?
Dales full mouth pursed, but his eyes twinkled. You have an answer for everything. Rehearse much?
But he gently slid the armband in place. Feeling the warmth of her skin, the metal settled against her arm, not uncomfortable, more reassuring than restricting. She was bound to him. Her wolf could not attack him as long as the band remained in place.
He didnt remove his hand. Instead, his fingers brushed against her skin. Heat curled inside her body.
For a wild moment, she wondered what hed be like as a lover. What would it feel like to at last surrender her innocence, give everything to a man as magnificent and powerful as him?
And surrender your heart, give total power over you, a small voice mocked. After twenty-three years of guarding what little you have left?
Dale stroked the skin under her arm along the band, and she bit her lip. Feelings surged, along with a delicious heat that made her toes curl. This band bonds you to me. So it means you must do anything I tell you.
Keira fisted her hands to hide their trembling. Not exactly. Im no pushover, Lieutenant Commander.
With forefinger and thumb, he lightly clasped her chin. The spicy scent of his cologne swam in her nostrils. She became lost in the intense grayness of his eyes. Dales mouth parted as he lowered his head.
But instead of a kiss, he nuzzled her neck, inhaling deeply. Dread filled her.
Mages couldnt scent the demon blood inside her. But he was a Primary, and much more powerful than an ordinary Mage.
What are you, Keira Solomon? Why do I crave you? Every time I draw close, I think of sex, he whispered.
They have support groups for that.
She backed away until her backside connected with the sliding glass doors. The commander advanced, a determined look on his face.
He would have answers, would wring them out of her.
I thought you said you had to go to work. She mustered a smile and tapped his watch. Better get going.
Please, let him be the kind of guy whos never late.
The base can wait for once. This is more important.
Closer still he came, until his tall body overshadowed hers. He could overcome her with weight and sheer physical strength.
Inside, the demon blood surged, but her claws did not emerge. Because her wolf could no longer hurt him. Good for him, not so wonderful for her if he wanted to overpower her. Could he find out who she was?
Keira cringed and squeezed against the glass doors. He slowly stalked toward her.
The admiral sensed something about you. I sense something about you. Something in my blood is calling to you. Youre not who you appear to be.
She wriggled away as he reached for her. Blood is for vamps. I dont like vamps. They like to sleep in and they never appreciate my cooking when I make garlic sauce.
He clasped her chin in one strong hand, his grip gentle, but firm. I will have answers, Keira. Youd better hope and pray I dont find out anything I dont like.
Tightness constricted her chest, but she gave a small laugh. Why? Youll feed me to the wolves?
A slow smile touched his mouth. Not quite.
Too bad. Because I always liked to play Little Red Riding Hood, only with a big knife and some nunchakus. I dont fight fair.
Neither do I. He pushed a strand of hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear. Not when it comes to chasing down something I want very, very badly. I can be quite ruthless. Like a wolf.
And here I thought you were a puppy dog, Lieutenant Commander. A seemingly nice guy with too much starch in your collar. She tried to duck beneath his embrace, but he caught her and pinned her against the door.
You dont want to know what Im capable of, Keira. And youd better pray you can handle what I deliver, because I guarantee by the time I finish with you, youll be in no shape to fight me. Ill know every cell of you, every inch of you. And there will be no secrets between us.