Targeted Read online

  “Sometimes,” she admitted, feeling a cold chill run down her back at the thought. “But I’ll be okay. I’m just…not ready to date right now.”

  “Of course not. And you don’t have to until you’re ready.” Mimi patted her arm comfortingly.

  “Thanks Mimi. Did I ever tell you how sweet you are?” Kate grinned at her with genuine affection. “You’re like my guardian angel, you know that, girlfriend?”

  “Aww…” Mimi’s narrow cheeks grew red. “Stop it.”

  “I will not,” Kate said. “If you hadn’t found me when you did, I—”

  Her voice died in her throat and a feeling of dread clutched at her heart like an icy fist.

  “You what? Kate? Are you okay?” Mimi looked at her anxiously.

  “I…I just…” Kate couldn’t form anything coherent to say. Across the busy, crowded food court a tall figure was standing, watching her. A tall, muscular man with dark hair and burning blue eyes.

  The man from her dream.

  Kate felt like her heart was about to stop. Cold sweat broke out all over her body and suddenly she couldn’t get a deep enough breath to fill her lungs, even though she was gasping for air.

  Him—it’s him! He’s coming to get me!

  Her hands clenched into trembling fists and she started to see spots dancing in front of her eyes. God, was she going to black out?

  No, can’t do that! Have to take control. Have to breathe!

  “Kate? What is it? What are you staring at?” Mimi looked to see what had put the expression of horror on her friend’s face. But just as she turned her head, the tall man, who was head and shoulders above anyone else in the food court, somehow melted into the crowd and disappeared.

  As soon as he left, Kate’s heart gave a little skip and started beating normally again. Her breathing slowed and her tense muscles began to relax.

  “Nothing,” she said in a voice that trembled only a little. “It’s nothing. For a minute I thought I saw—”

  “Saw what?” Mimi looked at her with genuine concern on her long face. “Seriously Kate—what? You looked white as a sheet. For a minute I thought you were going to faint or have a panic attack!”

  “It was nothing.” Kate waved a hand, trying to dismiss the dark figure. “A figment of my imagination, that’s all.”

  “Well…if you’re sure.” Mimi was clearly reluctant to let it go.

  “I’m sure,” Kate said briskly. Standing, she grabbed her empty cup and Mimi’s tray. “Come on—break’s over. Time to get back to work. I have expensive watches to sell.”

  “But—”

  “And if I sell that Yacht-Master, we’ll have our own party!” Kate promised recklessly. “It’ll be amazing.”

  “That sounds like fun.” Mimi seemed willing to let herself be distracted, at least for now. Kate breathed a sigh of relief. She dumped their trash in the can and they chatted lightly about possible party themes as they left the food court together. Of the tall, dark-haired man with blue eyes, there was no sign. Kate tried to tell herself he was just a figment of her imagination, brought on by Mimi’s mention of her dreams. But he’d seemed so real standing there, staring at her.

  So real and so very, very dangerous.

  To be continued in Forgotten, Brides of the Kindred 16, coming soon...

  Also by Evangeline Anderson

  Brides of the Kindred series

  Claimed (Also available in Audio and Print format)

  Hunted (Also available in Audio format)

  Sought (Coming to Audio August 2015)

  Found (Coming to Audio 2015)

  Revealed (Coming to Audio 2015)

  Pursued

  Exiled

  Shadowed

  Chained

  Divided

  Devoured

  Enhanced

  Cursed

  Enslaved

  Targeted

  Forgotten (Coming Soon)

  Mastering the Mistress (Kindred novella available only in Mastered 2 Box Set)

  Born to Darkness series

  Crimson Debt (Also available in Audio)

  Scarlet Heat (Also available in Audio)

  Ruby Shadows (Also available in Audio)

  Cardinal Sins (Coming Soon)

  Compendiums

  Brides of the Kindred Volume One

  Contains Claimed, Hunted, Sought and Found all in one volume

  Stand Alone Novels

  Purity (Coming soon to Audio)

  Stress Relief

  The Last Man on Earth

  YA Novels

  The Academy

  You've read the book...now listen to the Audio. Listening is like reading it for the first time all over again...

  Available Now Available Now Coming Soon Coming Soon

  Available Now Available Now Available Now

  Click to follow the links and listen to a scorching sample. ; )

  Brides of the Kindred Glossary

  AllFather—the evil head of the Scourge, a race that are the byproduct of a failed genetic trade. The AllFather is one of the Old Ones and has the power to reach into a person’s mind to harvest emotional pain and trauma. He lives for the fulfillment of the Scourge Prophesy.

  Ancient Ones—beings which live in the Deep Blue—the darkest and most inaccessible part of the Rageron jungles. They are sentient but not related in any way to the Kindred. Each Ancient One has two forms—a bipedal form which resembles a human or Kindred and a beast form which can be deadly and they can change between forms at will. The Ancient Ones predate even the First Kindred and revere the skrillix plant, which they guard jealously.

  Bespeak—to contact someone mentally using a Think-me device. It is considered rude to bespeak someone you don’t know intimately.

  Beast/Rager Kindred—come from Rageron—a jungle planet full of beautiful but deadly flora and fauna. They have dark hair, golden eyes, and hot tempers but their most defining characteristic is the mating fist. The mating fist is an area at the base of the Beast Kindred’s shaft which engages fully only during bonding sex with his chosen mate. When engorged it swells to keep the Beast Kindred and his bride locked together until she is completely bonded to him. This ensures sex that is both extremely long lasting and multiorgasmic for both partners.

  Blackness between the Stars—another name for the Hoard or Grimlax, an ancient enemy of the Kindred. These beings have no souls and so are considered demonic by the Kindred.

  Blood Fever—a condition suffered by unmated females on Tranq Prime, the home world of the Blood Kindred. Blood Fever or Burning Blood as it is often called, is caused by a parasite living on the icy world that affects only women. The parasite—found in the fleeta or blood beetle—reacts with a compound in the Tranq Prime water supply to cause the fever. Symptoms include chills, increased sexual need and the feeling of the blood heating in the veins as well as increased coloration of the nipples and sex. If the fever is not treated in forty-eight hours, it will result in death.

  Once a Kindred male has had a female’s blood, he forms a natural antidote to Blood Fever which he can pass on by sharing body fluids with her. The most effective way to get the antidote into the female’s system is for a Blood Kindred to bite her, thereby injecting it along with his essence. However, it is also possible to pass along the healing fluid through sex.

  Blood Fever used to be very common on Tranq Prime which is what prompted the cold, proud natives to initiate a genetic exchange with the Kindred in the first place. A recent vaccine has nearly eradicated the disease, however, and the original inhabitants of the ice bound planet have little reason to continue the trade. A faction calling themselves Purists are against any further trade with the Kindred.

  Blood/Tranq Kindred—are blond with pale blue eyes and come from Tranq Prime where ice, snow, and arctic-like temperatures are the norm. To combat the severe weather conditions, the Blood Kindred have higher than normal body heat with double the human amount of red blood cells. They have developed specific biting