Styx's Storm
Authors: Lora Leigh
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
EPILOGUE
"Lora Leigh delivers on all counts."
--Romance Reviews Today
Praise for Lora Leigh's Novels of the Breeds
MERCURY'S WAR
"Erotic and suspenseful . . . Readers will laugh, readers will blush and readers will cry."
--Romance Junkies
"With two great twists, fans of the Breed saga will relish [
Mercury's War
]."
--Midwest Book Review
"Intriguingly powerful with plenty of action to keep the pages turning. I am completely addicted! A great read!"
--Fresh Fiction
DAWN'S AWAKENING
"Leigh consistently does an excellent job building characters and weaving intricate plot threads through her stories. Her latest offering in the Breeds series is no exception."
--Romantic Times (41/2 stars, Top Pick)
"Held me captivated."
--Romance Junkies
"Heart-wrenching."
--Fallen Angel Reviews
"Erotic, fast-paced, funny and hard-hitting, this series delivers maximum entertainment to the reader."
--Fresh Fiction
TANNER'S SCHEME
"The incredible Leigh pushes the traditional envelope with her scorching sex scenes by including voyeurism. Intrigue and passion ignite! . . . Scorcher!"
--Romantic Times (41/2 stars)
"Sinfully sensual . . . [This series] is well worth checking out."
--Fresh Fiction
HARMONY'S WAY
"Leigh's engrossing alternate reality combines spicy sensuality, romantic passion and deadly danger. Hot stuff indeed."
--Romantic Times
"I stand in awe of Ms. Leigh's ability to bring to life these wonderful characters as they slowly weave their way into my mind and heart. When it comes to this genre, Lora Leigh is the queen."
--Romance Junkies
MEGAN'S MARK
"A riveting tale full of love, intrigue and every woman's fantasy,
Megan's Mark
is a wonderful contribution to Lora Leigh's Breeds series . . . As always, Lora Leigh delivers on all counts;
Megan's Mark
will certainly not disappoint her many fans!"
--Romance Reviews Today
"Hot, hot, hot--the sex and the setting . . . You can practically see the steam rising off the pages."
--Fresh Fiction
"This entertaining romantic science fiction suspense will remind the audience of
Kitty and the Midnight Hour
by Carrie Vaughn and MaryJanice Davidson's
Derik's Bane
as this futuristic world filled with 'Breeds' seems 'normal' . . . [A] delightful thriller."
--The Best Reviews
"The dialogue is quick, the action is fast and the sex is oh so hot . . . Don't miss out on this one."
--A Romance Review
"Leigh's action-packed Breeds series makes a refreshing change . . . Rapid-fire plot development and sex steamy enough to peel wallpaper."
--Monsters and Critics
"An exceedingly sexy and sizzling new series to enjoy. Hot sex, snappy dialogue and kick-butt action add up to outstanding entertainment."
--Romantic Times
Berkley titles by Lora Leigh
STYX'S STORM
LION'S HEAT
BENGAL'S HEART
COYOTE'S MATE
MERCURY'S WAR
DAWN'S AWAKENING
TANNER'S SCHEME
HARMONY'S WAY
MEGAN'S MARK
NAUTI DECEPTIONS
NAUTI INTENTIONS
NAUTI DREAMS
NAUTI NIGHTS
NAUTI BOY
Anthologies
NAUTI AND WILD
(with Jaci Burton)
HOT FOR THE HOLIDAYS
(with Angela Knight, Anya Bast, and Allyson James)
THE MAGICAL CHRISTMAS CAT
(with Erin McCarthy, Nalini Singh, and Linda Winstead Jones)
SHIFTER
(with Angela Knight, Alyssa Day, and Virginia Kantra)
BEYOND THE DARK
(with Angela Knight, Emma Holly, and Diane Whiteside)
HOT SPELL
(with Emma Holly, Shiloh Walker, and Meljean Brook)
THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by the Penguin Group
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Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
STYX'S STORM
A Berkley Sensation Book / published by arrangement with the author
PRINTING HISTORY
Berkley Sensation mass-market edition / October 2010
Copyright (c) 2010 by Christina Simmons.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author's rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,
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375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
eISBN : 978-1-101-44397-2
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Berkley Sensation Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,
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This book is for you!
The men and women, lost and lonely, searching and wary, uncertain and ill prepared for what the heart can lead them into.
Sometimes, love is right around the corner. It's the road not taken that has suddenly intersected with that congested road of life you're traveling, bringing you to a harsh and sudden stop.
It's a look. It's a smile that warms you to the depths of your soul, steals your breath, and pulls you aside as that moment in time screams to a halt and leaves you struggling to adjust.
It's the love you didn't expect.
It's the love you didn't ask for, hadn't thought about, and you realize it's the love that heals the wounds in your soul.
It's the love that will reveal the person you are, and the life, though never perfect, that you never knew you dreamed of.
Call it destiny, call it fate.
Or call it a gift from God.
Whichever, it's the dream and the everlasting hope for the future.
From Storme Montague's journal, age 14
They're Breeds. Dad says man created them, but only God could give them a soul. At the moment, the world, as well as the scientists that created them, are debating if they have souls. I once believed no creature on Earth could live without a soul, without the blessing of God at the very least, but the majority of the Council scientists believe otherwise.
And still, I'm torn.
Dad and my brother, James, are scientists working here in the Andes Mountains, in the Council compound known only as Omega. It's one of the few remaining functioning Breed labs because Breed rescues have destroyed the others.
Dad and James feel the rescues will be attempted here soon. They seem so confident of it, and even act as though they look forward to it. And I can't understand why.
I see the Breeds. They are perfect specimens, so beautiful and strong, like the lions, tigers and wolves whose DNA they were created from. But it doesn't matter how you dress up an animal, does it? Isn't it still an animal?
When they howl in rage, rip at each other with teeth and claws, and fight for the food the soldiers bring to them each day, they are animals, not humans.
And yet, I look in their eyes when I accompany Father to the training facilities or labs, and in them, I swear I see such desperation and such rage. It's the rage that truly terrifies me.
They speak. They never laugh. They flash sharp canines, and strain at the chains that bind them, and I feel their rage. But I also see the animal inside them. It shines in their eyes, turning them nearly red, glowing with such strength that I know if they were free, they would first seek to kill the men and women who created them.
My father, my brother, even myself. Anger suffuses their expressions when I look at them, as though they cannot bear to be seen, or to see another outside the bars of their cages.
The tension is growing here at Omega. Breeds, soldiers, scientists and lab technicians seem to be holding their breath as they fight to keep the secrecy of this lab intact. To hide the few Breeds held, not for their fighting capabilities, but for some special project Father and James have referred to as an affront to humanity.
How could humanity be offended more than it has been with the Breeds? I've asked my father this, and in his eyes I've seen such disappointment, such a sense of sorrow that my chest clenches in pain.
I just want it to be over. I just want to leave here with Father and James, and I just want to be free.
I can feel the end nearing. We all can. Especially Father and James, who are working such long hours, well into the night, to destroy and to hide whatever they've been working on secretly. I wish they would hurry. I wish we could escape ourselves, just slip out and never return.
Father says, "Once the Council has its grip on you, they ensure you can never be free." And I see in his eyes as well as my brother's that feeling that they too are no more than captives here in this hidden compound.
I won't let them get a grip on me. I won't be like the Breeds, I won't be like the scientists. One day, I swear, I will be free.
