Coveted (34 page)

 
Sneak Peek

BloodSworn

T
rina
wasn’t aware what woke her, but she wanted to kill them when the warm, sensual
dream faded. She held still, half-able to feel those hands linger on her body,
but the outside world refused to bow to her wish.

Sounds seeped in first.

Or the absence of sounds.

No tweeting of birds. No people coming or going.
She groped for her weapon and sighed of relief when her fingers encountered cool
steel.

The image of the sexy man, bound and determined to
bring her pleasure, vanished like a wisp of smoke, and she nearly whimpered.

Then she became aware of the soft surface beneath
her and not the hard lump of the makeshift bed she’d created in the shed. She
cracked open one eye, uncertain what to expect.

The Den.

Merrick.

He was the Leo. Of course he was. How could she
not have known? And how the heck did she get his attention or more importantly,
how did she escape it now that she was his concubine?

Memories of yesterday flittered through her head.
One thought rose to the forefront, like how she fell asleep on the couch and
ended up on the bed.

Half-afraid of what she’d find, she stretched out,
shivering at the feel of silk against her skin. She was spread-eagle on the
bed, nowhere near the sides, when she realized she was alone. Relief and
disappointment struck in equal measure, and she hated that she felt both.

The dream teased the back of her mind. She felt
haunted by her phantom lover’s touch, the aching need when he kissed her. She
was devastated by the loss, the realization he wasn’t real.

She befriended humans, but had never committed to
a relationship for the simple fact that any boyfriend she chose would always be
in danger.

She’d avoided the paranormal as well for fear of
discovery. But the man in her dream was different. He knew about her past and could
protect himself.

What hurt the most was it would only ever be a
fantasy.

She rubbed her eyes, banishing the dream as best
she could. She had work to do. Sunlight streamed through the room, and she was
surprised at how deeply she’d slept. A few more nights rest like last night, a
couple of meals, and she’d be back to normal.

But first she had to do her job.

She scooted to the edge of the mattress and found that
her feet dangled nearly a foot from the floor. She dropped down, the plush rug
warm under her toes. She walked around the bed to grab her pack, probing her
ribs, taking measure of her injuries.

Or where her wounds should’ve been.

She ripped off the bandages, wincing at the tug of
stubborn tape. Deep bruises made the whole side of her body sensitive to even
the slightest touch, but the open lacerations she’d sustained last night had closed.
Smooth skin met her fingertips. Though she was thankful, the rapid healing
didn’t bode well for her.

It meant the bindings were weakening. How much
longer before they broke all together? A small part of her, the little girl who’d
lost her powers just as she found them, cheered at being able to defend
herself. The adult trembled.

What did she know about magic?

If she reversed the process and stopped her magic
from unraveling, she could buy herself some time. She was halfway bent down to
kneel and grab her bag when she saw him.

The same man from her dreams.

A very naked man.

Merrick.

Her mind rebelled. She couldn’t have had a sexy dream
about the man who might very well destroy her. Vampires had been inside the Den
not a day ago. She couldn’t forget that, no matter how much her body wanted to
be worshiped by him.

Merrick lay stretched out, dwarfing the
extra-large couch. He didn’t look comfortable, but that wasn’t what captured
her attention. The sun highlighted the golden color of his skin. It was just
how she imagined his animal would appear.

The only thing blocking her view was the sheet
draped haphazardly over his slim hips. Her brain short-circuited at the thought
of him completely nude.

Him sleeping within a few feet of her and all without
a stitch of clothing on struck her dumb, and her emotions jumbled at the
conflicting emotions.

She swallowed hard and fanned her face. No matter
how much she might have wished it, there was no way that image would ever be
far from her mind. Every time she saw him now, she would picture him stretched
out as if for her pleasure.

It didn’t matter that she was a doctor, that she’d
seen hundreds of naked bodies. She knew layers of skin and bone, but nothing in
her studies had ever shown a man structured quite like him, with muscles quite
so defined and begging to be stroked.

Doctor.

She shook her head at the reminder, as if she
could banish the impulse so easily. She needed to get a closer look at him to
decide what was the best course of action…for medical purposes she told herself
sternly when her pulse betrayed her and sped up.

She just didn’t know if she’d survive it.

One thing would help…getting him clothed.

But she couldn’t tear her gaze away from that
sheet. Or more precisely, what it hid. Where was a gust of wind when you needed
one?

Her fingers itched to explore all that exposed
flesh, but she feared it had nothing to do with science. Her body urged her to
touch, while the sane, sensible part of her mind seemed to have taken a
vacation.

Then she saw the lines of strain, the stiff way he
held himself even in sleep. She needed to see his back.

“Merrick, roll over.”

Trina found herself sprawled across the floor with
a lion, in all but animal form, half sprawled over her with his face just
inches from hers.

She hadn’t even seen him move.

Was it her imagination or were his teeth sharper,
his body larger, and his eyes shaded just this side of golden?

She gave a tentative smile, knowing better than to
try and escape. “Hello.”

“Are we under attack?” He blinked as if confused,
finally recognizing her. His sleepy expression sent her heart thumping hard
against her ribcage. The rumpled appearance only made him more attractive, more
approachable and more touchable than was good for her.

Especially when she felt the sheet tangled around
her feet.

No matter how much she told herself not to do it,
it was too late. Her eyes flickered downward.

Yup, naked.

And such a nice naked backside, too.

It was her turn to blink when she felt his
arousal.

“Attack?” It sure felt like it, and she was
unarmed.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stacey Brutger lives in a small town in
Minnesota with her husband, son and an assortment of animals. When she’s not
reading, she enjoys creating stories about exotic worlds and grand
adventures…then shoving in her characters to see how they’d survive. She enjoys
writing anything paranormal from contemporary to historical.

Other books
by this author:

BloodSworn

Coveted

A
PeaceKeeper Novel

The Demon Within
(Book1)

A Raven
Investigations Novel

Electric Storm
(Book 1)

Electric Moon
(Book 2)

Coming Soon:

Electric
Heat (Book 3)

Electric
Legend (Book 3.5)

Electric
Night (Book 4)

Citadel

Watch for her first
dystopian novel called
Citadel

or her next
urban fantasy called
Electric Heat
.

Visit Stacey online to find out more at
www.StaceyBrutger.com

Join her
newsletter
by visiting her site.