Claws and Fangs Read online

  “Easy.” He laughed. “They are sharp. Careful, or one of us will need to lick whatever you cut with them.” He tilted his head. “Look at my neck, Matty love. I fed before I woke you. It’s your turn.”

  Her gaze tore from her finger to his neck. Hunger rose, and she inched closer.

  “Go with it, love.”

  She couldn’t stop. She licked at his blood. The taste made her moan—and she bit into him.

  The feel of her fangs piercing his skin created a jolt rushing throughout her body, and pure pleasure struck. She clutched at Blaron, moaning, pressing her breasts tightly to his skin, frantically rubbing against him, needing to come so badly it hurt.

  “Yes,” he groaned, his hands gliding down her sides to cup her ass. “Ride me.”

  Desire burned through Matty. She wanted him to fuck her. She pulled her mouth away, remembered to lick at his skin, and stared into his eyes. She lifted her hips and wiggled them until his shaft aligned perfectly with her pussy. She sank down on him, her body sleek with need already, and cried out as she came just from the feel of him stretching her with his thick cock. Her body quaked and Blaron groaned.

  Their gazes met. “Bite me again and it will make us both come.”

  She hesitated. “I love you.”

  He smiled. “I love you too.”

  “This is kind of crazy. We barely know each other.”

  His hands caressed her skin. “We have forever to learn, and what is between us is already strong. We’re meant to be together.”

  She moved on his shaft, moaning. “You’re irresistible, in my defense.”

  “I can be persuasive when I’m after the thing I want most in the world, and that’s you.” He turned his head, offering his neck. “Take me, my brave, beautiful Matty. I’m yours.”

  The sincerity of his words made happy tears fill her eyes. He meant it. He didn’t see her scars. He loved her, and had given her an eternal new life to share with him. She was sexy, desirable and beautiful to him. Something inside her knew, as she brushed her lips over his neck, that they’d be happy together. They had forever to get it right...and any arguments in the future promised to be very, very pleasurable.

  Lacey and Lethal

  Chapter One

  Lacey held her breath. She wrapped her hand tighter around the weapon, knowing she couldn’t afford to miss the target. She would only get one shot and if she blew it, it would be a deadly mistake. The wind stirred and she nearly backed away from the edge of the building. A breeze wasn’t her friend.

  The back door of the club swung open, hit the wall, and one of them stepped outside. He stood in the shadows, paused while the door closed at his back, and light flared from a small source. A grimace twisted her lips. Of course he wouldn’t be worried about getting cancer from smoking a cigarette.

  “Do it,” a male voice whispered from the earpiece wedged inside her left ear. “Take the shot and bring that bastard down.”

  Her boss stating the obvious annoyed her. She’d climbed a rickety fire escape to the top of what should be a condemned building to do exactly that. She adjusted the barrel just enough to get a bead on the shadowy figure of the tall man, took aim, and pulled the trigger.

  The rifle barely made a sound but she could have sworn he heard it when his gaze turned her way, as if he was curious to identify the noise.

  Just before he collapsed, she glimpsed long, muscular legs encased in black leather. She shot him again in the muscle of his calf, the silvery dart visible against the black.

  “Go! He’s down. Move it!”

  An engine roared to life and headlights blinked on from farther down the alley. Tires squealed as a van shot forward then skidded to a stop as the side door rolled open and two burly men jumped out. They grabbed the motionless, drugged man on the ground, moving fast to scoop him up and dump him inside. The driver punched the gas and the van took off.

  Lacey backed away from where she’d hidden, keeping low and quiet in case the guy’s friends heard the commotion and rushed out of the club. She shoved her rifle into the holster that was slung across her back. She gripped the rope she’d tied to the air-conditioning unit and jumped, praying it would hold her weight.

  Her body slammed against brick but she eased her grip and quickly slid lower, leather gloves protecting her skin. She reached the ground safely, heard the roar of the engine coming at her, and turned her head.

  “Shit. I hate this part,” she muttered. Jeff wouldn’t stop but he’d slow down. She hesitated, gauged the speed of the van and began running ahead of it, keeping as close to the wall as possible.

  Fear made her heart race. The guy they’d tagged didn’t live alone inside that club. If the others had heard anything, they’d be coming outside, searching for him. They could be hot on her ass and she wouldn’t know it until they had her. The bastards moved lightning fast.

  She turned her head and threw out her hand when the van slowed. Matt reached from the open doorway, one strong arm thrust outward while he clung to an interior handle.

  Their hands clasped and he yanked hard. Pain shot through her shoulder as she was hoisted off her feet and jerked inside the van. He released her as soon as she was inside. She landed on something soft. Something large and warm was sprawled out under her.

  Her gloved hand felt crushed from Matt’s grip but she flexed her fingers and knew nothing was broken. The van door slammed closed and darkness reigned as the vehicle picked up speed.

  “Brace!” Jeff, her boss, yelled.

  The van turned sharply, the tires protesting as the van tilted toward the left. Lacey tensed, tried to grab hold of something, but rolled and slammed into the opposite wall. A heavy weight flopped over her legs. She grimaced, her shoulder aching. The van righted, picking up even more speed.

  An interior light came on. She glanced at a pale Matt and a frightened-looking newbie. She looked down while removing her gloves and cursed. The guy they’d taken was facedown now, his legs tangled with hers. She sat up to stop the rifle from digging into her shoulder blade.

  “That was easy.” Matt grinned.

  “Screw you. Next time you can be the one who scales down a building without a safety harness and feels like a fish being yanked onto a moving boat.” She rolled her shoulder. “You’d have dislocated my shoulder if you were any stronger.”

  A loud bang from the top of the van startled them.

  Lacey’s gaze jerked to the roof and she watched in stunned shock as something sharp pierced the top of the vehicle. The long blade sliced it as easily as a can opener.

  Is that a damn sword? Really?

  The newbie screamed in a high-pitched girly wail as he scrambled to the back of the van. Matt kept his cool, tossing a handgun at Lacey. She caught it, leaned back flat, and began firing at the roof.

  “We have a passenger!” Matt bellowed.

  The sword withdrew and the van lurched wildly as Jeff spun the wheel sharply in an attempt to knock the person off the roof. Something thumped and rolled away. Lacey stopped firing, ejected the empty clip, and held out her hand. Matt threw her a fresh one. She barely caught it, slammed it home, and waited.

  The long blade didn’t tear through the roof again. She looked at Matt and he nodded. He gripped the side door, shoved it hard, and then dived toward the back. The door rolled open.

  Lacey scrambled back against the opposite side, her gun trained on the opening—but nothing happened.

  She relaxed, watching the buildings fly by as the van picked up speed. Matt crawled forward to close the door.

  “I hate our job,” he muttered.

  “Jesus,” the newbie sobbed.

  Lacey held Matt’s gaze. “You shouldn’t have brought your brother along.”

  He shrugged. “We’re a man down and we needed an extra pair of hands. I couldn’t haul that bastard inside the van by myself. It would have slowed us down, and we just barely got out of there alive.”

  She turned her focus on their unwilling guest. He took up a