Harlequin Nocturne March 2016 Box Set Read online

  Her eyes clouded with tears. “Thank you.”

  “And now we begin. First—”

  “Oh, wait, I forgot something that might help us.” Annie withdrew her hands from his and stood. “My great-great-great-great-grandmother wasn’t my only supernatural visitation today.”

  He watched as she went to the sofa and rifled through her purse, at last producing a feather. “You were right—my spirit guide is a bird. He made contact with me and left this.”

  “Some bird.” He laughed. “I thought for sure it would be along the lines of a robin or a starling.” Something feminine and petite like Annie. But the cinnamon-red tail feather was one he instantly recognized. “This is from a red-tailed hawk. Your bird is a highly intelligent raptor known for its hunting skills and partnership with humans through falconry. An excellent animal guide that will offer you its protection.”

  “It’s huge. A little intimidating even. But I’m sure we’ll become great friends. Maybe the feather can help us with the ritual.”

  “Absolutely.” He laid it between them as she resumed sitting across from him.

  “All hunters have the skills of night vision, extraordinary hearing, a keen sense of smell or an intuition when the shadows arrive. We can even discern the marks and signs of shadow creatures. And some of us are better at various skills more than others. My specialty is blocking.”

  “Blocking?”

  “I can prevent certain sensations from entering or exiting my energy field. When hunting, it allows me to maintain intense focus while at the same time I can stop others from sensing me. To a degree, that is. It’s not like I’m invisible. If a shadow draws close enough, they will hear, smell and see me. But I have a definite edge no one else has. It’s why I’ve been an unofficial leader of the group.”

  “That’s not the only reason,” Annie objected. “You would be a leader no matter what. You’re smart and courageous and fair. The other hunters recognize those traits in you.”

  She had too much faith in him. He should warn her off; there was a certain ruthlessness to him that grew sharper from every contact with Nalusa and the wisps. He hated to imagine how much that ruthless nature would have overcome him after Nalusa’s bite if Annie and her grandmother hadn’t been there. She was truly his savior, although she was too insecure to recognize it.

  “At any rate, I’ll try to show you how I block sound. I’m not sure you’ll be able to do it. I don’t know if this is something I inherited, but I do know that over time I’ve been able to perfect this ability, so maybe some of it is learnable.”

  “It will be, I can feel it.”

  A smell of fresh-cut grass quickly followed by a flower aroma wafted through the air. “What the hell is that?”

  “Ms. Belle, the great-great-great-great one. She’s lending her support and approval.”

  Would he ever get used to this hoodoo witchy business? Then again, she’d adapted quickly to his fight against the shadow world. If she could deal, he could do the same.

  “It’s like this. During a hunt, when I’m blocking noise, I visualize sound waves floating toward me in slow motion. At the instant I hear a note, I picture a golden shield of light covering my entire body. As the waves advance toward me, I filter each note through the shield so that the noise is muted. If the will-o’-the-wisps are trying to fill my mind with negative messages, I can entirely block their attempt.”

  “That’s so cool,” Annie whispered.

  “Let’s try something. Describe any sounds you hear now.”

  She closed her eyes. “I hear the electrical hum of the air conditioner and the refrigerator. Far away, I hear the tide and the screech of a few children playing tag. I hear the whirr of the ceiling fan above and a car passing by on County Road 143.”

  “Can you hear my energy field?”

  She shook her head. “Not at all.”

  He took a deep breath. He was about to open himself to someone as deeply as he’d ever allowed. He dropped the normal protective barrier that was his walking-around daily existence. Let it all go in a swoosh that felt like a boulder rolling off his shoulders.

  Annie gasped.

  Had he released too much? Quickly, Tombi blocked the flow. “Are you okay?”

  She inhaled deeply. “Yes.”

  “What did you hear?”

  “It’s hard to explain, but the music from your aura was rich and deep and melancholy. I heard the flute, drums, a chanting, a rush of flooding waters, a snake’s hissing and rattling, and the music of the wisps, only it was distorted. Instead of alluring, it was frightening and demented.”

  Rushing waters. Always, his parents’ death weighed on his heart and mind. “You nailed it.” He shook off the sad memories. “Let’s try something. I’m going to play a few musical notes on my cell phone, and you try to picture the sound waves and block them with a golden shield.” Tombi withdrew his phone from the back pocket of his jeans. Ready to try?”

  Annie nodded.

  He hit Play.

  Annie screwed up her face. A minute passed.

  “Annie? Are you okay?”

  She waved him off. “I’m concentrating.”

  “Sweet Home Alabama” rocked on. When it ended, Tombi shut off his phone.

  “Any luck, Annie?”

  She opened her eyes and grinned. “Yes! Dammit, it freaking worked. Only for a few seconds, but it worked!”

  What a relief, it actually worked. “Good. With practice you can do it for longer periods of time. Don’t do too much at first, or you’ll get exhausted.”

  Tears rained down her cheeks. “I can’t thank you enough.”

  “I can think of a few naughty ways you can express your gratitude,” he said with a wink.

  Annie smiled. “Okay. I’m ready when you are.”

  “Right here in the circle? Right now? Suits me fine.”

  Annie sat up, resting on her knees and placing her hand on his shoulders. “Making love to you feels natural and right, whether in a sacred circle or not.” A grin swept her face as she tilted her neck upward. “If you’re still around, my dear great Ms. Belle, I suggest you leave immediately.”

  CHAPTER 13

  Tombi pulled Annie’s body against him so that his face nestled in her cleavage. For such a petite woman, her breasts were full and luscious. He knew she wore no bra, had been eyeing the peak of her nipples beneath her cotton T-shirt ever since she’d come home from the hospital and changed clothes. He liked that, with him, she was comfortable enough to let loose. Hell, he’d love Annie to loosen up enough that she’d want to parade naked whenever they were alone.

  He cupped his hands beneath her breasts and turned his face into one of the ample mounds, kissing her through the thin cotton, until the fabric was wet and rough in his mouth.

  Annie groaned and squeezed him tighter, reaching down and pressing her hand against his manhood. It bulged and chafed against his jeans, straining for release. She obliged by unbuttoning his pants and unzipping the jeans. Reluctantly, he withdrew from sucking a nipple, stood and hastily stepped out of his pants. He bent his knees to sit back down, but Annie had other ideas.

  Her mouth was on him, taking in every inch. Tombi placed his hands on her head and ran his fingers through her soft hair.

  Sweet, sweet Annie. It felt so damn good. This was what he wanted. Needed. To experience her in every way. But if she didn’t stop... Tombi tugged at her hair, and she withdrew.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked, her voice rough and deep with passion.

  “Not a damn thing. It’s just your turn.” He nodded at her clothes. “Take them off,” he demanded.

  Annie gave a slow, seductive smile and stood, taking her sweet time as she lifted the shirt up over her breasts and then her head.

  He could never get enough o