Dreams of Seduction (16 page)

BOOK: Dreams of Seduction

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She pushed them high on her arm, wanting to be able to concentrate solely on what she was doing.

Closing her eyes, she thought about the kind of man she wanted. She wanted a man who was honest and loyal, one who had morals without being self-righteous. He’d be strong, with wide shoulders and piercing blue eyes. His fingers would be calloused, but they’d be gentle as they stroked over her body. A shiver skated down her spine. Her breasts felt heavy and a low pulse of desire began to throb deep in her belly.

Her eyes popped open and she sucked in a breath of the cool evening air. The breeze caressed her skin like a phantom lover, teasing and touching her everywhere. In spite of the chill, a bead of sweat rolled

down the length of her spine. She shuddered and wrapped her hand around the small votive candle, envisioning all her sexual frustration flowing from her and into the wax.

Thankfully, both of her friends were focusing so hard on their candles, they hadn’t noticed anything amiss. When they were all done, Rhiannon placed her votive candle on the patio stone that sat in the middle of her garden for this very purpose. She motioned to her friends and they did the same. The three red candles now sat in the middle of the stone, the scent of rose perfume surrounding them. “If I was doing a big ritual, I’d cast a circle and do more elaborate preparations, but this is simple candle magick.”

She stepped forward and lit her candle, then handed off the matches to Esther so she could light hers.

Esther then passed the matches to Maggie. The flames leapt into the air, diffusing the scent of the rose oil into the air.

Rhiannon stepped up close to the candles and raised her hands in the air. The other two women did the same, and they all touched their fingers together, forming a circle around the burning flames.

Tipping her head back, Rhiannon stared at the moon, drawing its energy down to her. “Lady Moon in the sky so bright. Lend your power. Lend your might. Bring to us a love that’s true. And one that one day we won’t rue. In this time and in this hour, we three ladies ask this of thee. We ask this done and harm to none, what we have wrought here now is begun.”

A breeze came up suddenly, whipping around them, but not extinguishing the flames. Rhiannon could sense the power building in the center of their circle, spiraling upward and outward. Her fingers tingled and her entire body vibrated. Tension stretched her nerves to the breaking point. The energy shot upward and outward, flinging itself toward the heavens. The breeze subsided and the candles flickered and died. The women slowly lowered their hands back to their sides.

“Did it work?” Maggie glanced nervously around the yard.

“Only time will tell.” Rhiannon didn’t want to tell the women of the huge amount of power she’d felt welling up between them. She nibbled her bottom lip. Maybe it wouldn’t work at all. Maybe it would work too well. She had no idea what had possessed her to ask for a true love instead of a lover. She shook her head. What was done was done. Her magick tended to not work that well anyway, so there was really no need to worry.

The truth will set her free…or get her killed.

Alexandra’s Legacy

Alexandra Riley’s day starts out like any other in her normal, predictable world. Then a tall, dark stranger bursts into her father’s garage and shatters the illusion. In one shocking moment, she discovers why she’s been feeling hot, restless—she’s the half-breed daughter of a legendary werewolf and is a much-sought-after prize.

Joshua Striker, enforcer in charge of protecting the alphas of the Wolf Creek pack, has come to take Alex home. Nothing more, nothing less. From the first moment he sees her, she becomes the one thing he can’t afford—a distraction from his duty. A weakness he doesn’t want—but can’t resist needing.

If only keeping her safe was as simple as fending off males on the hunt for a mate. Through city streets to the mountains of North Carolina, Alex and Joshua have to evade those who don’t want their pure bloodlines tainted with human DNA, as well as bounty hunters who think the only good werewolf is a dead one.

What Joshua and Alex can’t outrun is the passion that flares between them—or the choice Alex must eventually face. Whether to claim her inner wolf, or forfeit her chance to claim Joshua as her own.

Warning: This book contains sexy werewolves, rogue werewolves, nasty bounty hunters, a mysterious vampire and plenty of hot sexual interludes that will raise your blood pressure.

Enjoy the following excerpt for
Alexandra’s Legacy: Joshua Striker’s heart was pounding, although outwardly none of his excitement or agitation showed.

He’d found her. It hadn’t been easy, but he’d managed to stay one step ahead of the two roving packs of wolves searching for her. She was a treasure and they all wanted her.

He could barely see her now, blocked by the bulk of her father’s body. But the one glimpse he’d had of her had been more than enough to fire his blood. He could almost feel her long, slender body bucking beneath his as he thrust hard and deep. He wanted to fuck her until she was screaming with pleasure, until they were both sweaty and spent. And then he’d do it all over again.

His cock swelled in anticipation, pressing hard against the zipper of his jeans. A fine sheen of sweat formed on his skin, making it itch. His scalp tingled, his muscles tightened. He shook his head to clear away the haze of lust enveloping him. Now was definitely not the time for this. His job was to protect her, not to claim her.

The man in front of him issued another low growl. James LeVeau, or rather James Riley as he called himself now, had disappeared from the Wolf Creek pack of werewolves in North Carolina almost fifty

years ago. At the time he’d been the alpha of the pack, the toughest and smartest one of them all. After his beloved wife, Leda, had died in childbirth, he’d simply vanished.

There had been plenty of rumors over the years. The most intriguing one was that he’d had a child with a human, a daughter. Now they all knew the rumor was true and she was a prospective mate for many of the single male wolves.

The past hundred years had not been kind to the werewolves and their numbers were dwindling at an alarming rate. The past three decades had been even worse. Children were far and few between, as were females of mating age.

Personally, Joshua felt that had more to do with all the infighting between packs, but the reality remained that they needed children to expand their population. The fact that she was the daughter of one of the most powerful, most well-respected wolves in the country was a bonus. Whoever she mated with would immediately gain in status and standing.

“I come from Wolf Creek. Ian sent me.”

That gave the older man pause, but he didn’t back down or relax his stance. “Who are you?”

“Striker.” James blinked, but gave no other indication of what he was thinking. Joshua admired the other man’s self-possession.

“Last I heard Miguel was Striker of the Wolf Creek pack.”

“He was my father.” It still hurt for Joshua to think of his father. The large man had seemed invincible to his sons, but death had claimed him all the same.

“Was?” The very stillness of the other man assured Joshua that he was ready to spring and fight at any second.

“It took four rogue wolves and several humans to bring him down.” He wanted to tip back his head and howl with the sorrow that was his constant companion. Instead, Joshua swallowed, refusing to show any of the emotion beating at him. “He was searching for you.”

“You’re young Joshua.” James’ eyes narrowed as they raked over the younger man.

“I was. Now I am Striker of the Wolf Creek pack.” Striker was more than just their name, it was his family’s duty within the pack. The head of the Striker family was in charge of pack security, of protecting the alpha pair and the pack as a whole. That duty had fallen to him and he would not fail, no matter the cost.

“I am sorry to hear about your father. He was the best of us.” Joshua could not mistake the sincerity and the sorrow in James’ voice. “I missed him.”

“Why did you never contact him?” The biting question was past his lips before he could restrain it.

Joshua was angry with himself for letting his emotion show. It was a weakness he could not afford.

“It was not safe. I had too much to lose.” James shook his head. “In those days they would not have accepted my child. She was not of pure blood.” He gave a bitter laugh. “Times have changed in the past

few decades, have they not? Back then, they might have killed her, now they want to claim her.” His features hardened and the alpha warrior was revealed. “I will do whatever it takes to protect her.”

“Dad?” Her low, lilting voice washed over Joshua like a physical caress, making it hard for him to breathe. “What’s this all about? Who is this guy?” He could hear the uncertainty, the question in her voice as she stepped out from behind her father.

James reached out his hand and wrapped it around her shoulder, pulling her beneath the shelter of his arm. “This is part of what I needed to speak to you about.” His gaze never left Joshua’s face. “Lock the door and come upstairs. We have to talk.”

Joshua turned away from the pair, purposely leaving his back exposed. Taking his time, he threw all six bolts on the door. When he was done, he faced them and cocked his eyebrow in question. The older man motioned to a doorway at the far end of the garage.

He strode past them, trying not to stare at the woman. He didn’t know her name, but he knew that he wanted her. Something about her reached deep inside him, demanding that he claim her as his own. With his preternatural sense of smell, he caught a faint whiff of her scent and almost moaned. She was close to coming into heat, but not quite there yet. At the moment, it was just the faintest tantalizing perfume that made his head spin and sent lust surging through his bloodstream. Layered over that was the clean scent of woman, her own personal fragrance. It was fresh, like the mountain wildflowers after a summer’s rain.

And he was obviously losing his mind if he was waxing poetic when there was a pissed off alpha at his back and danger surrounding them all. If he didn’t keep his mind on business, he’d never live long enough to have a chance to claim his woman.

And she was his. She just didn’t know it yet.