Michelle Rowen - Primal

Table of Contents

PRAISE FOR AUTHORS OF PRIMAL

MICHELLE ROWEN

Rowen never disappoints!

Gena Showalter, New York Times bestselling author

Rowens characteristic wit, infused with a dark edge. A great read!

Kelley Armstrong, New York Times bestselling author

A high-octane thrill ride to a fresh, new, dark and sexy world.

Eve Silver, national bestselling author

AVA GRAY

Ava Gray is a must read!

Larissa Ione, New York Times bestselling author

Sexy, clever, and tightly plotted.

Lauren Dane, national bestselling author

Riveting romantic suspense... [The] chemistry sizzles.

Publishers Weekly

JORY STRONG

Never a dull moment within this blazing read.

Fallen Angel Reviews

The passion is going to blow your darn mind.

Dark Angel Reviews

Jory Strong will leave you hooked.

Romance Junkies

LORA LEIGH

Lora Leigh delivers on all counts.

Romance Reviews Today

Erotic, fast-paced, funny, and hard-hitting.

Fresh Fiction

The incredible Leigh pushes the traditional envelope.

Romantic Times

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This book is an original publication of The Berkley Publishing Group.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

Copyright 2011 by Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
Bleeding Heart by Michelle Rowen copyright by Michelle Rouillard.
Skin & Bone by Ava Gray copyright by Ann Aguirre.
Angel-Claimed by Jory Strong copyright by Valerie Christenson.
Primal Kiss by Lora Leigh copyright by Christina Simmons.

Excerpt from Nightshade by Michelle Rowen copyright by Michelle Rouillard.

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the authors rights. Purchase only authorized editions. BERKLEY SENSATION and the B design are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

PRINTING HISTORY

Berkley Sensation trade paperback edition / February 2011

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Primal / Lora Leigh... [et al.].Berkley Sensation trade paperback ed.

p. cm.

eISBN : 978-1-101-48632-0

1. Occult fiction, American. 2. Love stories, American. 3. Paranormal romance stories, American. I. Leigh, Lora.

PS648.O33P75 2011

813.087660806dc22

2010046257

Bleeding Heart

MICHELLE ROWEN

The events in Bleeding Heart take place a few days after those in Nightshade .

ONE

Shes the chick with the vamp-killing blood?

The loud voice pulled me out of a thick cloud of nightmares about pale-skinned monsters with sharp teeth and claws. I opened my eyes wide and stared up at the peeling white paint on the motel rooms ceiling.

Yeah, her names Jill, was the reply. Both voicesone familiar and one notcame from outside, and I could hear them clearly through the thin door.

So, what are you? Like, her protector or something?

Something like that.

Shit, man. Youre not forgetting youre half vampire, right? What if you get a taste of her? Will it kill you, too?

I dont drink blood, so Im not planning on finding out.

I slipped out of the lumpy bed and moved toward the window to the left of the door so I could peek outside. The view was the same as it had been for three daysa very unglamorous gray cement parking lot with a dying twenty-foot-tall palm tree blocking my view of the main street.

Declan Reyes stood with his back to the green door, his profile clearly visible to me. Hed lost his left eye a long time ago, and the damage was covered by a black eye patch. His face was scarred around that patch from old injuries, just like the rest of his body. Dhampyrs like Declanhalf human and half vampirehealed fast, but scarred from every flesh wound they received. They also didnt have the benefits of immortality like a vampire did. Thanks to his human side, Declan was every bit as mortal as I was.

He had his arms crossed over his chest, and he faced a darkhaired man only a couple inches short of his six-four. The man looked tough, like a bouncer or a bodyguard.

Or, more likely, a vampire hunter.

Declan had said he was going to contact one of his old pals here in Los Angeles to see if he could help us out. This must have been the pal in question. Nice of him to make house calls.

The idea of anyone else getting involved with my problems didnt set my mind at ease, but I was trying not to complain. Id recently become extremely guarded about my privacy. It was safer that way.

The mans lips parted to show straight white teeth as he grinned. Wait. I think I get it. Youre doing her, arent you?

Doing her? Declan replied dryly.

His smile widened. Got to say, Im surprised. Rumor had it that you were... uh, how do I put it?

What?

Neutered. Dont take it the wrong way, but thats what I heard. That serum you were on beforethe shit that kept your vamp side at bayI heard it fucked with your libido. Always wondered why you were never that interested in hitting the titty bars with me. I guess now I know, right?

Declan glared at him without speaking, and I gripped the window ledge, worried that there would be a fight between them. This was one of Declans friends? He sounded like a Grade-A asshole, enough to make my skin crawl.

I actually jumped when Declan laughed a second later. It was a humorless sound.

My sex life is none of your fucking business, Jackson.

Ill take that as an affirmative. Jackson was laughing, too. What about the permanent drug youre on now? Does that