Table of Contents
Till Death
Helen shivered and heard a small moan lift from her mouth. Every cell in her body stood at attention from that one little touch. Her skin grew warm and her abdomen tightened against a jolt of heat. She wanted something she couldnt name. Needed it. It wasnt just desire. It went deeper than that. Bone deep. Soul deep. He had something that belonged to her and she wanted it. Even if it killed her.
His lips slid over her cheek, barely touching. Maybe not even touching, just stirring the fine hairs along her skin. Whatever he was doing, it was wonderful, fear or not. She felt as if she was being filled up with energy. She felt more alive than she ever had before.
All from a barely there touch from the man who would watch her die...
guin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street,New York, New York 10014, USAPenguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto,Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, EnglandPenguin Ireland, 25 St. Stephens Green, Dublin 2,Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.)Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124,Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.)Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park,New Delhi - 110 017, IndiaPenguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, North Shore 0632,New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.)Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue,Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa
Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices:
80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
First published by Onyx, an imprint of New American Library, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
First Printing, May 2009
Copyright Longshot LLC, 2009
All rights reserved
REGISTERED TRADEMARKMARCA REGISTRADA
Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
PUBLISHERS NOTE
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 Web sites or their content.
The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the authors rights is appreciated.
eISBN : 978-1-101-04614-2
http://us.penguingroup.com
For gamer nerds everywhere, especially those who grace our dining room table every Friday night. Stay out of tentacle range!
Acknowledgments
Thanks and hugs to Belles: Sara Attebury, Dyann Barr, Julie Fedynich, Sherry Foley, Liz Lafferty, and the newest Belle, Claire Ashgrove. Your ongoing support and boundless enthusiasm for this series are pricelessty Zach.
Thomas swiveled his head around, leaning so he could see past Zach. He shrugged one massive shoulder. Not that I can remember.
Sorry, man, said Zach, an appreciative grin on his dark face.
Youre looking at the waitress, scolded Drake.
Yes, I am.
Unapologetic as ever, Zach rubbed a hand over his jaw and watched the waitress with the name tag that read LEXI wiggle her behind.
Drake thought about calling Zach on how easily he was distracted, but he knew it wouldnt do any good. Besides, nothing important ever got by Zach. He could look at all the women he wanted and if things went to hell, hed still have his sword in his hand faster than any of the three men at the table. Which was good, considering their mission.
He, Zach, and Thomas were hot on the trail of the Synestryn demons that had taken Kevins sword after theyd slaughtered him, and the last thing he needed right now was a distraction. This suburban Kansas town was crawling with demons. Literally. Or at least it would be once the sun set.
Drake checked his watch. Eight thirty-two. Nine minutes to sunset. Then Logan would show up and they all could get back to work. That left him eight minutes to figure out who this woman was and why she was hiding from him.
Drake got up and went to do just that.
The waitress stepped in his path as if she could actually stop him. How cute. He doubted there was a whole five feet of her unless he included those ridiculous blond spikes sticking out from her head.
Can I get you some more coffee? she asked with a cheerful, fake smile.
No. My friends could use a refill, though. Zach had been eyeing the waitress all night, and as far as Drake was concerned, he could have her. She was just a little scrap of a womantoo fragile for any of the really fun stuff.
The shy brunette on the other hand... she had potential. Hed seen her come into the diner with the old lady, being so careful to help her walk without damaging the older womans pride. She was all soft curves and glowing warmth. Her light brown hair fell forward over her shoulders in twin braids, drawing his eye right to her breasts. As if he needed any help finding those. She filled out her tank top and then some, which he dutifully noticed. She was a couple of inches taller than average, and all that extra height was in her legslong, curvy, bare under the cuffs of her khaki shorts. All of her was curvy and soft and feminine and Drake hated that hed noticed.
He had more important things to think aboutlike killing off a slew of demonsand it was hard enough to keep his focus on his work when the pain was getting worse every day. He sure as hell didnt need some soft, curvy distraction.
The waitress hadnt taken the hint and she was still barring his path. Not a good idea consan of his shoulders. Mirrored flames danced in his golden brown eyes and a proud half smile tilted his mouth. She could smell her flesh burning, could feel the heat consume her. The pain of her blistered skin as it blackened was too much to bear. She screamed, begging death to come claim her.
Reality snapped back into place, washing the vision away. Helen sucked in a desperate breath. She wasnt dead. At least not yet. The bright lights of the diner seared her retinas, and the smell of burning flesh was replaced by that of onions and french fries. A draft from the air vent overhead cooled her skin, making her shiver.
She forced her body to relax, to remember where she was. Just breathe .
Her lungs expanded, pulling in the scent of the man who had her trapped. Soap. Coffee. Clean male skin. He smelled nice. Safe. And if that wasnt the most ridiculous thing shed ever thought, then she didnt know what was. If there was one person on the planet who wasnt safe for her to be near, it was him, no matter how he smelled.
He was still only a scant inch away, giving off that low purr that resonated in her chest. Helen wasnt sure if she wanted to push him away or stroke her finger over the intriguing curve of that choker he wore. Something about it tugged at her memories, though she was sure shed never seen anything like it before.
