Primal Pleasure: Pendragon Gargoyles, Book 3 Read online

  “I raced nearly two hundred miles on no sleep and shitty gas station food. I left the raptors in a frenzy, ready to rip out Sarah Duncan’s feathers one by one. The cats are at the throats of the gray wolves again, the bears are losing their minds, and half our clan is in favor of instituting a new mating policy, whereby the silver foxes will soon have arranged marriages. I left all that behind to save you from Hunters.”

  “Hunters?” Julia blinked in confusion. “Rip out Sarah’s feathers? Is she okay?”

  He spoke through gritted teeth. “The Whitefeathers and Gerald have it all under control. Sarah’s the one who told me you were having trouble with Hunters.”

  “What do the Whitefeathers have to do with this?”

  “Julia, focus, would you? Why would Sarah think you were dealing with Hunters?” The thought of Julia being hunted down and killed had nearly stopped his heart before he’d managed to bear down and concentrate on finding her.

  “Hunters? Where would she get that idea?” Her expression cleared. “Oh. Right. The last time we spoke I mentioned Jason’s family’s disgusting hobby of mounting dead things in their homes. She might have gotten the wrong impression.”

  “I’m not sure she did. Ned Williams seems pretty threatening.” And he likes you way too much for my liking.

  “He is, but he’s nothing I can’t handle.” Now she sounded like the competent legal assistant he knew her to be. Sexy, unruffled, self-contained. “I’m sorry if you rushed out here on our behalf, but we’re fine.”

  “Oh, right. I can see that. Some asshole just shot all of our tires. Your sister is involved with an outsider the clan knows nothing about, and you’re getting married to Ned No-Neck Williams.”

  Julia pinched the bridge of her nose. “I didn’t say we weren’t having some problems, but it’s a family matter. Not your concern, Ty.”

  He liked her saying his name. He’d like it a whole lot better if she’d cry it out as her body clenched around his in orgasm. “Oh, but it is my concern. Meghan’s in some serious trouble. And it doesn’t seem like she’s going to drop this Jason anytime soon.”

  “I know.” Julia sighed. “But we’ll handle it.”

  “Yes, we will.” Ty made a sudden decision. Maybe he could fix a few issues at once. He had no transportation at the moment. Considering the “long line of Williamses” in Nowhere, he’d venture a guess he’d have a hard time finding spare tires for his truck in town.

  Time to match wits with a sexy, conniving adversary. Satisfaction flooded him at the thought of tangling with Julia again. He really had missed her.

  “What does ‘we will’ mean?” Suspicion made her voice husky.

  “It means I’m here to fix a few things. But first things first.” He took a step closer, pleased when she licked her lips, nervous.

  “Ty—”

  He answered how he should have the first time she’d asked, four weeks ago. “Yes, Julia. Yes, I’ll take you home and make love to you until neither of us can walk.”

  He kissed her before she could close her pretty mouth.

  She’s determined not to give in. He’s determined to make her beg.

  Point of No Return

  © 2010 Mandy M. Roth

  Project Exorcism, Book 3

  As head of the Sargaidia guards, Nina Janelle is accustomed to getting what she wants out of her men—in battle and in bed. These days, she’s in a losing battle with her panther-shifter heat cycle, each round requiring more and more men to quell her burning need. Until she meets Commission Officer Jordan Vasil. Suddenly, only one man can satisfy her—too bad the cocky pilot grates on her very last nerve.

  Nina’s is the only face floating in his mind when Jordan lies alone at night, suffering from unrequited lust. It seems she’d rather slit his throat than bed him—until he finds her in debilitating pain from her efforts to subdue her urges. Ignoring her attempts to push him away, he gives her what she needs. His touch. His body.

  Nina’s not quite ready to concede defeat, but she needs Jordan’s piloting skills to find her missing brother. Alone with him in close quarters promises to be more than distracting. Losing control could cost more than her kick-ass reputation. It could cost their lives.

  Warning: Contains a hotheaded female who doesn’t like having to rely on any one let alone a man. And an equally stubborn alpha shifter male who’s is more than willing to go toe to toe with her before rocking her world.

  Enjoy the following excerpt for Point of No Return:

  “Nina? You’re zoning off on me again. Let’s get you inside. Something is wrong.” Jordan reached for her but Nina took a step back.

  “I’m fine, Vasil. Really.” She eyed the outer perimeter fencing. Even with it there, the beauty of nature still managed to prevail. She took a deep breath in, savoring the floral scents of her home planet.

  He stepped closer, his body touching hers. “The Dsendiyun group do you in?”

  She cringed at the thought of the alien race that seemed to make landing on her planet a monthly affair. They were a race whose female population had dwindled to nearly nonexistent. While relatively harmless, they did tend to be very grabby while planet-side. Their ships were either the worst ships ever made or they tinkered with them prior to approaching Sargaidia’s atmosphere in hopes of gaining permission to dock. She suspected that was more the case. A vessel holding nearly thirty of them had required a tow less than four days prior. In those four days, Nina had responded to more complaints from the women of her village—in regards to the Dsendiyuns nasty habit of grabbing a handful of ass whenever the opportunity presented itself—than she had to any other calls.

  Jordan had accompanied her on several of the calls, finding the alien race amusing until one of them put his hand on her backside. Nina was then forced to pull Jordan off the Dsendiyun and then had to spend nearly two hours calming Jordan down. She’d spotted the same alien later that night, at a tavern in the heart of the village, and she could have sworn he was more bruised and battered than he’d been when she’d left him.

  She raised one eyebrow in question. “By chance did you happen to meet up again with the Dsendiyun you were so fond of?”

  He blinked incredulously. “Whatever do you mean?”

  “Vasil.”

  “Hey, can I help the guy just happened to be where I was?” he asked, faking shock.

  “And he just happened to end up looking as though a pikineius beast had at him?”

  “Weird, huh?” he asked, his sexy grin setting the mood.

  She snickered and found herself stepping even closer to him. He shocked her by putting an arm around her. Throwing it off should have been her first thought. It wasn’t. She leaned against his muscular body and looked out at the natural beauty all around her.

  Jordan stiffened a second before rubbing her arm and placing his chin lightly upon her head. “Pretty out here, isn’t it?”

  Nina’s hand went to his chest and the act surprised her. Still, she didn’t pull away. “It’s one of my favorite spots to come and think. I like it because no one else seems to. Makes it peaceful, quiet.”

  “Do you want me to go?” he asked, tensing more.

  Yes.

  No.

  Conflicted, Nina let out a shaky breath and found herself clutching his shirt. She lifted her head, her gaze colliding with his. Awareness prickled over her body, slow at first, then with an intensity that nearly made her moan. She wanted this to be the man who stopped the powerful burning, the nearly crippling pain of her cycle, but her mouth refused to open and ask it of him. She chose instead to simply stare up into his emerald green eyes, wondering when the next smart remark would come from him or if he’d find humor in her vulnerability.

  He put his hand over hers, cupping it firmly in place. “Tell me to leave, Nina.”

  The way he said it sounded as if he was hoping she’d send him away. That he didn’t have the willpower to do so on his own. That was ridiculous. Jordan was one of the strongest men she knew, and
that wasn’t even counting his stubborn streak.

  “Jordan?”

  His breathing was quick and shallow and his eyes narrow as he continued to meet her gaze. Was he aware of her cycle? Did the shifter in him realize she was fertile and that her body craved his?

  She tried to back away but the attempt was half-hearted. He held firm to her, his breathing calming slightly. He closed his eyes and the muscles in his neck worked before he looked upon her again. He released her hand but she kept it in place on his chest. “Sorry.”

  Taking a deep breath, she stayed near him, drawing in his scent. Musk with a hint of spice. Under it all she could smell his cats and hated admitting how wet they made her pussy. Why did it have to be Jordan? Why did it have to be the one man on the planet who didn’t bend to her whim? Who stood his ground with her. It was her luck to want the man who irritated her the most. She tipped her head as a coy smile overtook her.

  Jordan winked and she giggled.

  Giggled, of all things.

  She wasn’t one of those women yet she was fawning over a man. Even with the knowledge, Nina couldn’t seem to stop herself. At best, she managed to stop grinning up at him and relax. Her gaze returned to the scenery but she stayed pressed to him. She couldn’t recall a time she’d sought a man’s embrace for the sheer comfort it provided. “Can I tell you something and you not have a laugh?”

  “Yes,” he said softly. Jordan was famous for his swift wit and temper. Hearing him agree to her terms so quickly surprised her.

  “I have never been off Sargaidia. I’m not sure of what to expect out there.”

  He was to pilot her off the planet for their retrieval mission. They were taking a shuttle from the Alpha Brig Three and from what she’d been told, Jordan was the best man for the job. With their departure set for morning, she’d find out soon enough what it was like to leave her home planet.

  “I know you’ve traveled extensively so this has to sound foolish to you but I’m nervous about leaving and about staying. It’s all so confusing.”

  “I’d like to lie to you and tell you how other planets in the quadrant aren’t any different than here, Nina, but I won’t do that.” He wrapped his arms around her fully, his hands going to the small of her back. “Sargaidia’s sister planet, Margaidia, is similar in the sense of its beauty, but it’s covered with a good deal of large cities as well. Buildings as tall as the eye can see, people everywhere, a lot of hustle and bustle. It’s a nice mix if you’re into that sort of thing. I find myself preferring Sargaidia though. Other planets differ depending on which you’re talking about. Some seem to be nothing but machines now. Others seem to be no more than wasteland. Some are little but water for as far as the eye can see.”

  Nina did her best to soak in all that he was telling her. “You’ve seen so much, Vasil. How is it you’re content to be here? I mean, I understand why your brother is would stay but I can’t imagine our planet being able to hold someone like you to it.”

  There, she’d said it. She’d voiced her biggest fear. She was scared Jordan would leave. He’d been on her planet for a year and a half and she didn’t expect him to stay much longer. Not a man like him. One who had seen the universe and had no commitments holding him to her planet.

  He skimmed his hands up her back and cupped her neck. Heat flared through her body. “I like it here, boss, and I have no plans on leaving.” A wry grin spread over his handsome face. “Unless you want me to go.”

  “No,” she said a little too fast as she clutched his arm. Her mind screamed at her hand, ordering it to release him but she could no more pry her fingers from him than she could stop the uncontrollable urges he brought about in her. Needing to save face, she stammered out a response, “Umm, I mean, Sevan would miss you. As would your nephews.”

  Something Nina couldn’t read moved over Jordan’s face. “Yeah,” he said, dipping his head, his lips closing in on hers. “He probably would.”

  “J-Jordan?”

  His lips were so close—hovering right there. “Yeah, baby?”

  She didn’t scold him for the demeaning pet name. Rather, she leaned up, putting her mouth closer to his. “I should yell, right?”

  He laughed softly. His fingers kneaded the back of her neck. “It does seem to be what we do best.”

  She focused on his lips. “What’s that?”

  “Yell at each other,” he confessed, his thumbs caressing just below her ears. His lips skimmed hers and fire shot through her entire body. She froze, knowing if she dared to move she’d ravish the man.

  He used his thumbs to tug at her jawline, pulling her mouth open slightly. “I’m gonna kiss you, baby. You all right with that?”

  A second before she would have responded with a yes, Nina sensed someone nearing and pulled back from his touch, putting a good foot of space between them. Jordan reached for her and she lifted her hand to him, stopping just shy of making contact.

  “For now,” he whispered. “This will do.”

  Primal Pleasure

  Sydney Somers

  He will have his revenge—one wicked seduction at a time.

  Pendragon Gargoyles, Book 3

  Emma is used to getting dragged into her twin sister’s magical messes, but this time her predicament is more than a minor annoyance. She’s chained to a cat shifter that her sister encased in a curse of stone. Worse, the unfortunate gargoyle’s waking up. And her sister’s not there to take the heat.

  After a century suspended in stone, Cian would do anything to get his hands on the sorceress who put him there. Strangely, his dreams of revenge turn into an animal hunger to put his hands all over her—in every delightfully wicked way imaginable.

  Never as talented as her sister, Emma doesn’t trust her own magic. But for now she must let Cian believe she’s the culprit in order to strike a bargain: to permanently lift the curse in exchange for his tracking skills to find her missing sister. The longer she is near him, though, the closer she comes to surrendering much more than her body to the brutal warrior.

  As their attraction catches fire, Emma dreads what could happen when he learns the truth. If he will sacrifice her to break the spell…or fight for a love that goes beyond animal instinct.

  Warning: This book contains adult language, violence, bone-melting explicit sex and a stubborn alpha male who likes his revenge served hot, wild and strong enough to bring him to his knees.

  eBooks are not transferable.

  They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work.

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  Samhain Publishing, Ltd.

  577 Mulberry Street, Suite 1520

  Macon GA 31201

  Primal Pleasure

  Copyright © 2010 by Sydney Somers

  ISBN: 978-1-60928-147-2

  Edited by Lindsey Faber

  Cover by Kanaxa

  All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: August 2010

  www.samhainpublishing.com

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  l Pleasure: Pendragon Gargoyles, Book 3