LITMIR.BIZ

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her ribs. Wouldn’t be much longer now before she was being hunted. Her legs pumped hard and her palms dampened.

      Now wasn’t the time to freak out. She had to keep a level head. As she breached the clearing of trees, her heart jumped into her throat.

      A brick house—a freaking mansion—lay on a giant spread of land surrounded by the forest. She didn’t know how many rooms it had but the mansion had to be as big, if not bigger, than the one she lived in with thirty other vampires.

      There were at least a dozen males patrolling the grounds and judging from their outlines, they were all armed to the teeth.

      Flipping on the radio she’d taken, she kept the volume low. As she listened to the chatter, she realized she’d been discovered. It was only a matter of time before everyone knew of her presence. Her instinct to fight kicked in with a rush of raw rage she’d never experienced before. She might be outnumbered but she’d come this far. No turning back now.

      Using one of her main advantages—lightning fast speed—she rushed toward the house. Her boots barely touched the earth as she sprinted right into the den of wolves.

      The patrolling males stopped and a few uttered surprised curses but she ignored them. If she could get in the house, she could find her friend. After that…well, she hadn’t exactly thought that far ahead yet.

      A low, guttural growl sounded to her left. A werewolf with gleaming white teeth hurtled through the air toward her. Using all her lower body strength, she jumped high in the air. She couldn’t clear the six foot beast so she used his back as a springboard and landed on the hard earth. At least she landed on both feet.

      When she hit the ground, she didn’t pause. Some of the werewolves ran at her in human form while others shifted to their animal form. She kept going full speed.

      The growling and snapping behind her was terrifying. Blood rushed so loudly in her ears it was all she could do to try to block out those vicious sounds. She couldn’t get distracted by her fear.

      Just a little bit farther…

      Her thigh muscles strained again as she prepared to leap. As she got closer to the brick monstrosity, she leaped through the air again and latched on to a stone balcony railing. Using all her strength she hoisted herself up and propelled over it.

      Two French doors greeted her but she didn’t bother trying the lock. Shielding her face, she jumped through it. Glass shattered and wood splintered everywhere but somehow she managed to stay on her feet.

      Knowing the animals were close behind and that she had minimal options, she quickly scanned the bedroom. A king-size bed, and a bunch of expensive-looking furniture adorned it.

      Natalia’s scent was strong. As if she’d been there recently. Maybe she was still alive. Hope leaped in her chest.

      Angela glanced behind her to find one of the male guards standing on the balcony. He was in human form.

      His eyes were wary but he didn’t hold a weapon in his hands. “I’m not going to hurt you if you’d just—”

      She glared at him and reached for her weapon. As soon as she did two strong arms encircled her from behind.

      Twisting and struggling she fought the viselike grip. When she felt her attacker’s hard-on against the small of her back she screamed and lashed out with her foot, connecting with his instep. It didn’t faze him.

      “You perverted beast!” She twisted until she could see the shifter’s face then froze. It was him. A thousand-year-old Alpha…her old lover. “Oh shit.”

      With pursed lips, Knox shook his head. “Such language,” he murmured. His charcoal eyes matched his hair, adding to that whole dark and brooding thing he had going on. Everything about his features was hard, sharp…dangerous. He hadn’t changed much since she’d seen him last. Especially those eyes. If she let herself, she could drown staring into them. Her throat tightened as she tried to think of a response. With him holding her so close—

      “That bitch should be strung up and punished.” She turned at the sound of a new male voice.

      Now three of them stood on the balcony. Damn, they were quiet. Or maybe she’d just been so focused on Knox she hadn’t heard them.

      He still hadn’t let go and she braced herself, waiting for him to throw her to the wolves. She was a vampire after all. And she knew how much he hated her kind. It was the reason she’d left him all those years ago. It might not have been her choice to be turned from human to vampire, but she’d known Knox wouldn’t care. To him, vampires were all the same. Or at least that’s what he’d told her when she’d been human.

      She felt his body tense. “I should punish each of you for letting an intruder through our ranks. You will all leave.”

      One of the youngest looking males opened his mouth and Knox growled low in his throat. “Now.”

      Once they’d disappeared back through the broken doors and leaped off the balcony, she clenched her fists at her sides. Her short nails dug into her skin. The pain was a perfect distraction from her fear.

      Knox leaned down until his mouth was next to her ear. His breath was warm against her skin. A traitorous tingle skittered down her spine. “If I let you go will you try to run?”

      She gritted her teeth, despising her physical response to him. “No.” But only because it wouldn’t do any good.

      He paused a moment before letting her go. Quickly she put three feet between them and turned to face him. Her breathing was uneven and ragged and she hated the terror forking through her. To not be scared of him would be stupid, though.

      She’d seen Knox’s strength before. Had seen him rip apart a vampire trying to hurt her in seconds. With his bare hands. But she’d been human then. He’d actually cared about what happened to her and had wanted to protect her. Now…well, she was a vampire.

      It had been exactly ninety years since she’d last seen him. Something she shouldn’t remember, but it was hard not to. Once she’d loved this shifter with all of her being. But the moment she’d been turned into a vampire she’d known that no amount of love she had for him would make a difference. She had been turned into his mortal enemy against her will. So she’d run from him without telling him what had happened to her. She hadn’t been willing to risk letting him kill her.

      Seemed all her running had come to an end. After nine decades she was finally face to face with the one man she’d never been able to forget.

      Chapter 2

      Knox stared at the petite vampire before him and fought to breathe. Angela Lavigne. Angel, to him. The nickname had driven her crazy for some reason. Same pale gray eyes, same midnight-black hair, much different haircut. It was shorter now, falling around her face in a messy, sexy look that he knew wasn’t intentional. She’d been fighting his wolves and running for her life so it was only natural.

      The moment he’d seen her on one of his security cameras running for the house he’d been floored, then had instantly gotten rock hard. The reaction was embarrassing but she’d always had that effect on him. Ninety years later, it didn’t matter. He hadn’t had much time to tell his pack to back down as they attempted to intercept her. Not that it had mattered.

      She’d run in here like she was on a suicide mission. “It’s been a long time, Angel.”

      Her eyes narrowed to slits. “Don’t call me that. Where’s Natalia?”

      He was surprised by her question but he didn’t move. Instead he allowed the anger he’d been holding at bay to rush through him, knowing she’d sense it. “You’re here to retrieve her for your tribe leader? You’re a bit young to be a death merchant.” He practically spat the words.

      Angela jerked back at his words. “What are you—?”

      The door to the bedroom flew open and Natalia barged in. On instinct he put himself

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