TableofContents

Dedication
Prologue
ChapterOne
ChapterTwo
ChapterThree
ChapterFour
ChapterFive
ChapterSix
ChapterSeven
ChapterEight
ChapterNine
ChapterTen
ChapterEleven
ChapterTwelve
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
AbouttheAuthor
DiscovermoreAmaratitles…
Night’sCaress
TheRedLily
OnceBitten
WhenDangerBites
here

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FirstEditionNovember2017

ThisbookisforRob,myhusband,mybestfriend,andreally…allIwantforChristmas.

Prologue

IGHT

DAYS

HRISTMAS

DearSantaClaus,

MynameisLiam.I’mprobablyalittleoldtobewritingtoyou—I’mfifteen.ButI’m

anorphan,soI’vegotnooneelsetoask.Howfuckingsadisthat?Mymomdiedin

June this year. She had cancer, but she never told anyone. She just got really sick,

reallyquickly,andthenshewasgone.

ButI’mnotentirelyaloneintheworld.Ihaveanuncle.HisnameisJohnRyan,and

he’s my guardian. Except I haven’t seen him, or even talked to him, since my mom

died, and not for a while before that. We never saw much of him, but he always

promisedhe’dbethereifweneededhim.Andthenhewasn’t.Justfuckingpoofand

gone.Likemymom,exceptwithoutthereallygoodexcuse.

My mom used to say it was complicated. Uncle John was a policeman and my

grandadwasathief.Heprobablythoughtitbesttostayaway,likeoppositeendsof

thecountryaway.Grandad’sdeadnow,andUncleJohn’snotapolicemananymore,

butIguessit’sstillcomplicated.Nowhepayssomeonetolookafterme,likeI’msome

unwantedfuckingpuppyinacrappykennel.

ButChristmasisforfamilies,right?Andwhilehe’sobviouslyatotaldickhead,Imiss

mymom,andhe’sallI’vegot.So,Santa,Iwouldreallyfuckingappreciateitifyou

couldbringmemyUncleJohnforChristmas.

Yourssincerely,

LiamRyan

ChapterOne

EVEN

DAYS

HRISTMAS

“Jinglebells,jinglebells,”Wintersangunderherbreath.

Christmas was a week away, and a fresh new year hovered on the horizon, with its

promiseofnewbeginnings.

This was going to be her year. The year she took control, found a purpose…made a

difference,stoppedfritteringherlifeaway.Therewasjustoneobstacle—aratherlargeand

surlyone—inherway.

She hesitated in the open doorway, and eyed the obstacle in question. Her dad was

seatedbehindhisdesk,bootedfeetrestingonthewoodensurface,ahalf-emptybottleof

scotchandafullglassinfrontofhim.Hewassortingthroughthemail,placingtheletters

into“naughty”and“nice”piles.Hisphonewastuckedagainsthisearasheperusedone

letter,hisheavyblackbrowsdrawingtogetherashelistenedtowhoeverwasontheother

side.Afteraminute,heendedthecall,swore,screwedupthepaper,andhurleditacross

theroom.IthitWinteronthenose.

“Ouch.”

As it landed at her feet, she bent down automatically and picked it up, then sauntered

intotheroom.She’djustbecasualandaskhimonemoretime.Ifhesaidno,thenoncethe

holidayswereover,she’dgoanyway,offintotheworld.

But she loved him and she wanted his blessing. And if she was honest—a good word

fromhimwouldgoalongwaytowardgettingherdreamcareer.

“So,”shesaid,“haveyouthoughtanymoreaboutmegettingajob?”

Hedidn’tevenglanceup.“Youhaveajob.Gowrapsomepresents.”

She rolled her eyes. “A proper job, Dad. I want to do something useful, something

important.”

Sheunderstoodhisattitude,really,shedid.Hermom—anicepixieherdadhadmetona

triptotheNorthPole—haddisappearedwhenWinterwasfour.Apparently,hermomhad

alwaysbeenalittleflighty,buthonestly,ifherdadhadwanted“steady,”heshouldn’thave

taken up with a pixie. After that, he’d brought Winter up on his own, which made him

superprotective.

Andokay,maybeshehadn’talwaysbeentotallyreliable—thatwasthepixieblood.She

mighthavegottenintooneortwoscrapesovertheyears—maybemorethantwo—butshe

waspastthatstage.Pixieswerenotoriouslylatetomature—someofthemneverdid—but

shewastwenty-sixnow,allgrownup,andhestilltreatedherlikeshewasakidwithno

sense.Itwasdrivinghercrazy.

Eachyear,sheaskednicely,andeachyear,hefoundareasonforhertostay.Nomore.

Shesighedandcrossedtheroom.Perchingontheedgeofthedesk,shepickeduphis

glass,tookasipofwhisky,thenflutteredherwingssothepileoflettersstirred.

Heglancedupwithanexaggeratedsigh,thenfocusedhisattentiononherface.“What’s

that?”

“Anosering.Cool,isn’tit?”

“No.AndwhatinAsgard’snamehaveyoudonetoyourhair?”

She’dcutherblackhairsothatitwaslevelwiththebottomofherpointedearsandputa

crimsonstripethroughthefront.Readyforachange,shewasgoingforaGothlook,with

lots of black eyeliner and dark red lipstick. She looked pretty cool, at least, she thought

shedid.Herlastimagemakeoverhadbeentowearsensiblesuitsandheels,tryingtolook

grownupand…sensible.Ithadn’timpressedherdadandhadboredhertodeath.

Hestudiedherforaminuteandsheheldherbreath,waitingforhimtoblow.Instead,he

grinned.“Suitsyou.”

Wintersighed,thenglanceddownatthepaperscrewedupinherhands.Shesmoothedit

out,andasshereadthewords,somethingtwistedinsideher.

Aw,poorLiam.

“Whynotthisone,Dad?”sheasked.

Heshrugged.“Thekid’sfifteen.ToooldtobelieveinFatherChristmas.Andheswears

toomuch.”

She re-read the words, then stroked her fingertip over the splotches on the paper. “He

was crying when he wrote this,” she murmured. She could picture him, trying to sound

toughandwritingthroughhistears.Herheartbrokeforhim.

“Yeah,boyneedstogetagrip.”

Shesnorted.“Ho,ho,ho.SomuchforthespiritofChristmas.”

Withhislongdarkhairpulledbackintoaponytailandablackvelvetpatchcoveringhis

left eye, her dad looked nothing like a traditional plump, genial Father Christmas. But

then, long ago, before mankind had decided to rename him and give him an image

revamp,he’dbeenknownasOdin.OnSleipnir,hiseight-leggedhorse,he’dledtheWild

HuntacrosstheskiesatYuletide,dolingoutpresentstothedeserving,anddeathtoothers.

Peopletendedtoforgetthat.

Butdespitebeingahardass,sheknewhehateditwhenhecouldn’tcomethroughon

thegenuinecases.

“You can’t give up, Dad, just because it’s not as easy as giving an iPad. This one is

important.”

Hescowledandfilledhisglass,thenswalloweditinonegulp.“Hey,Itried,”hesaid.“I

lookedintoLiam’ssobstory.Ievenfoundhisuncle.Andtousetheboy’sfavoriteword—

he’sfucked.Littlebastardmightaswellgetusedtobeingaloneintheworld.”

“Andwhy’sthat?”

“BecauseUncleJohnworksfortheOrder.IjusthadtheirHRdepartmentonthephone,

confirmingit.Butasusual,theyarenotatlibertytodiscloseanyfurtherdetails.”

Herearsperkedup.Fromthetimeshewasalittlegirl,she’ddreamedofworkingforthe

OrderoftheShadowAccords,theorganizationthatpolicedthesupernaturalworld.Ifshe

gotinthere,she’dbedoingsomethingusefulwithherlife.Somethingimportant.

Inthepast,theOrder’smainpurposehadbeentoensurethattheearthwasn’tdestroyed

in the periodic wars that broke out between the demons and the Fae. That was exciting

enough,butthereweresomemajorchangesgoingonattheOrderrightnow—theywere

getting ready to come out of the closet and reveal to humanity that monsters really did

exist.Shewantedtobepartofthat.

Of course the Order mainly employed vampires, but Piers Lamont, who was the big

bossoverthere,wasafriendofherdad’sandasortofhonoraryuncletoher.She’dknown

him all her life and he’d said he would give her a job, but only if her father agreed. Up

untilnow,thathadn’thappened.

“DidyoutalktoPiers?”sheasked.

“Wasn’t available. But you know how secretive those bastards are. Liam will likely

neverhearfromhisuncleagain.Poorkid.”

Yeah.He’dkeepwaitingforhisuncletoshowup,onlyitwouldneverhappen.Winter

understoodhowharditwastolosesomeoneandneverknowwhathadbecomeofthem.

She’dspentyearswaveringbetweenbelievinghermotherwasdead,andbelievingshejust

didn’tcare.Bothscenarioshurtunbearably.

Shehadanidea.“IbetIcoulddoit.”

“Dowhat?”

“GetLiamhisuncleforChristmas.”

He studied her for a moment, then shook his head. “They’ll never go for it. Human

employeesoftheOrderalwaysgiveuptheirfamilies.Youknowthat.”

“Maybethat’sthewayitworkedinthepast.Butthingsarechanging.Icouldtry.”

“You’llfail.”

“Then it’s no loss, is it? Come on, Dad, you know you want this. And the Order is

probablythesafestplaceontheplanetformetowork.Whatcangowrong?”

Hestrokedhisbeardasheconsideredtheidea.Sheclampedherlipsshut;ifshepushed

himtoohard,he’dgotheotherway.Butshewasalreadyplanningthelogisticsofhertrip

toLondoninherhead.Finally,hiseyenarrowedunderhisbushybrow.“Andwhatdoyou

getoutofit?”

She fluttered her wings and widened her eyes. “Just the pleasure of making a poor

orphanboyhappyatChristmas.”

Heraisedaskepticaleyebrow.“And…?”

Sheshrugged.“AndyourblessingwhenIaskforajobwiththeOrder.”

ChapterTwo

DAYS

HRISTMAS

IfRyanhadhopedtomakeacleangetaway,hewasshitoutofluck.Hecameoutofthe

elevator to find Piers Lamont leaning against the wall opposite, arms folded across his

chest.Obviously,hewaslyinginwaitforRyan,lookinglikesomesortofrockstarwith

his streaky blond hair pulled back in a ponytail, his long leather coat, and designer

sunglasses.

Poser.

“Idonotneedagoddamnedbabysitter,”RyansnappedbeforePierscouldbringupthe

subjectagain.Christ,aftermonthsofhiseverymovebeingwatched,hejustwantedsome

alonetime.Wasthattoomuchtoaskfor?

Heshovedhishandsinhispocketsandstalkedaway,makingabeelineforthesmoky

glassdoorsthatledoutontothemainstreet.He’donlygoneacoupleofstepswhenhis

skinprickledbetweenhisshoulderblades.Grittinghisteeth,hecametoahaltandswung

around to glare at Piers. “And will you stop fucking watching me like I’m some sort of

timebomb?”

“You know you’re not supposed to leave the building alone,” Piers said, his tone so

reasonable it put Ryan’s teeth on edge. “Anyway,” he continued, “it’s the company

Christmasparty.Ithoughtyoumightliketojoinme.”

TheactualOrderwasstaffedmainlybyvampires,withafewothersupernaturalbeings.

Butthesamebuildinghousedalegitimatecompany,SAInternational,whichactedasthe

Order’s interface with the human world. The company employed a large number of

humans—most of whom knew nothing of the true nature of their employer or the

existenceoftheOrder.RyanhadzerointerestinattendingtheirChristmasparty.“You’re

kiddingme,right?”

“No.It’stimetogetyourselfinthefestivespirit,myfriend.”

Nevergoingtohappen.

Whatacrappytimeofyear.Alwayshadbeen,andthatwasunlikelytochangenow.

Buthewasguessingthiswassomesortoftest,toseehowhemanagedinacrowdof

happypeople.Toseeiflisteningto“JingleBells”onemoretimemadehimspontaneously

fuckingcombust.

Hescowled,ranhishandthroughhishair,andfinallyheavedahuge,exaggeratedsigh.

Ifhewasgoingtoexplode,perhapsitwasbettertofindoutnow.“Leadon,”hemuttered,

then shoved his hands deeper into his pockets and followed Piers across the marble

receptionareaoftheSAbuilding,toasetofbigdoubledoorsthatledtothemainmeeting

room.

Inside, the room had been decorated for the party, with thousands of silver lights that

made his eyes hurt. It was packed with people, mostly humans, all in party wear. And

dammit,fucking“JingleBells”wasplaying.

Ugh.

“Who’s a grumpy vampire,” Piers said, nudging him farther into the room. “It’s

supposedtobetheseasonofgoodwill.Where’syourhappyface?”

Fuckingvampire.

Just because Piers was happy, he expected everyone else to be as well. Not that Ryan

was unhappy. He just wasn’t wandering around with an inane grin on his face as Piers

wouldhaveobviouslyliked.

He breathed in the mingled scents of food, flowers, perfumes, and sweat, and beneath

those, the sweet lure of warm blood. For a moment, his gums ached, but he pushed the

feelingsawaywithease.Thesepeopleweren’tfood,theywereco-workers.

Glancingup,hefoundPierswatchinghimexpectantly.“What?”hegrowled.

Three years ago, he’d come to work for the Order—as a human liaison for the newly

formed Committee for the Integration of Mankind and…well, everything else. With the

existenceofmoderndaytechnology,theOrderhadcometorealizeitwasonlyamatterof

timebeforehumanitybecameawarethatmonsterswereactuallyreal.Andthey’ddecided

thatthey’dpreferthattohappenundertheircontrol.

Everythinghadbeengoingfineuntiltwelvemonthsago.He’dbeenplanningtospend

Christmas with his sister and nephew. He hadn’t spent any time with them since he’d

cometoworkfortheOrder—itwasagainsttherules.ButSallyhadcalledhimandasked

if they could meet. She’d sounded…worried, and he hadn’t been able to deny her. His

sisterhaddoneherbestforhimaftertheirmotherhadleftwhenRyanwasonlyeight,and

heowedher.Sohe’darguedforaspecialdispensation.

Ithadbeenawasteoftime.Thevisithadneverhappened,becausehe’dbeenattacked

andmortallywoundedbyapackofwerewolves.Heshouldhavedied.Excepthisfriends

from the Order had gotten to him in time, and Piers had changed him into a vampire

instead.

Hewasgratefulhewasn’tdead.Butstill,itwasallalittlefuckedup.

Apparently, under normal circumstances, a vampire would never change someone

who’dbeenbittenbyawerewolf.Itwastotallyagainsttherules.Becausepeoplewhoare

attacked by werewolves and don’t die, turn into…werewolves. Which meant he had the

potential to be a werewolf and a vampire. A fucking furry bloodsucker. It didn’t bear

thinking about. So he tried not to. But because the combination had never been seen

before,andtherewasnothingtocomparehimto,itmadeeveryonealittlejumpy.

Hewaslikesomedeep,darksecretlockedinthecellar…literally,infact,forthefirstsix

months.Itwasonlyrecentlythatthey’dtrustedhimenoughtoallowhimbacktoworkand

only under strict observation. The rest of the committee was taking turns watching him.

Waiting for something bad to happen. Except now they were all going away for the

Christmasholidays.Andtheyweren’thappyaboutleavinghimalone.

Heblewouthisbreathandeasedthetensionfromhismuscles.“Iunderstand,”hesaid.

“Youdon’ttrustme.Noneofyoudo.Butit’sdrivingmegoddamncrazy.”

“Wecan’taffordanythingtogowrongrightnow,”Pierssaid.“We’reatadelicatestage

inthenegotiations.”

Piers’soothingtonemadeRyan’shacklesrise.Hedidn’twanttobesoothed.“Igetit.

Thelastthingweneedrightnowisanyweirdsupernaturalshitgoingdown.Buthonest,

I’mincontrol.”

Piers looked him up and down, his eyes narrowed as though he could see inside him.

“Maybe.Butyousee,that’spartoftheproblem.You’reonlyayearold.Thefactis,you

shouldn’tbeincontrol.Nowherenearit.Youshouldbegoingthroughtheblood-crazed-

ripping-peoples’-throats-out-and-draining-them-dryperiodrightnow.”

“Sorry.” He tried for sarcasm, but Piers clearly wasn’t impressed. He tried again.

“WoulditmakeyouanyhappierifIatesomeone?Kissthemunderthemistletoeperhaps.

Lullthemintoafalsesenseofsecurityandthenteartheirthroatsout.Provewhatawell-

adjustedlittlevampireIam.”

ItwasameasureofhowfuckedupRyan’slifewasthatPiersseriouslyconsideredthe

question.“Itmight,”hesaid.“Butthenthere’sthefactthatyouaren’tjustavampire.”

Yeah,thatwasthecruxofthematter.Nooneknewquitewhattoexpectofhim.

Fuckingwerewolves.

If he closed his eyes, he saw feral eyes, fangs, felt the slash of claws. Inside him

something stirred, warmth where there had only been cold for so long. He opened his

eyes,dismissingthesensation.Hewasnotgoingthere.Ifhewasindenial,sobeit.

Up until now, he hadn’t shifted. General consensus was that since vampires were

stronger,hisvampiresidemustbesubduinghiswerewolfside.Andifhehadanysayinit,

thatwasthewaythingsweregoingtostay.Hequitelikedbeingavampire.Itwassortof

cool. He was super strong, might get to live forever, and given time, he’d be able to go

into peoples’ minds and control them, as well as other stuff he was only just learning

about.Butnowaydidhewanttoturnfurryonceamonth.Orhaveanythingtodowith

thoseassholewerewolves.

Piers shook his head and sighed. “I’m going to have to cancel my trip. Roz will be

disappointed,butwitheveryoneelseaway,Ican’triskleavingyoualone.”

“You’rekiddingme,right?”

“Nope.”

“Rozreallywantsthistrip.Shetoldme.”

“Shewantsyoualivemore.”

Hesmirked.“IthoughtIwasalreadydead.”

“Believeme,youcouldbedeader.Andyouknowwhatwouldhappenthen?”

“Nope.”Buthewassurehewasgoingtofindout.

“IwouldgetawholelotofgrieffromRoz.”

RozwasPiers’wifeandRyan’sfriend.HeandRozwentwayback.Backtowhenhe’d

worked for the Metropolitan police and she’d come to him with information about a

missingpersonthatshecouldn’thavepossiblyknown.Butthen,Rozwasawitch.They’d

beenfriendseversinceandshe’dhelpedhimonothercasesafterthatfirstone.Itwasdue

toRozthathe’dgottenmixedupwiththeOrderinthefirstplaceandendedupworking

forPiers.Hedidn’tholditagainsther—mostofthetime.

“I’llbegood.Iwon’tleavethebuilding.I—”

“Isupposewecouldlockyouintheholdingcellsfortheholidays.Butthatwillhardly

putyouinthefestivespirit.”

A shudder ran through him at the thought of being confined in a small cell. He’d

become slightly claustrophobic over the last few months. It was a good thing no one

expectedhimtosleepinacoffin.

Atthatmoment,someonecameupandwhisperedinPiers’ear.Athoughtfulexpression

enteredhiseyes.“Really?TellherI’llberightthere.”HeturnedbacktoRyan.“I’vegotto

goseesomeone.Stayhere.Mingle.Suckonacandycane.”

As Piers walked away, Ryan snagged a passing waiter. “Whisky,” he said. They were

playing“RudolphtheRed-NosedReindeer”now.

Jesus.

“Makethatabottle.”

ChapterThree

Wintersatontheedgeofthedesk,herbootedfeetswinging.

She’dbeenhereforanhour.Graham,thehandsomered-hairedreceptionist,hadoffered

hercoffee,butshewastoowounduptoeatordrink.

There was a good chance that Piers would just package her up and send her straight

backtoherfather.

Butshecouldn’tletthathappen.Thiswasheropportunitytochangeherlife.

Sheneededtodothisforherself.AndforLiam.Shewasgoingtofindawaytodeliver

Uncle John with a big bow around his neck. There were two people she needed to

cooperateforthattohappen—JohnRyanandPiersLamont.

But first she needed to discover just how much, or how little, Ryan wanted to see his

nephew.Todothat,shehadtopersuadePierstoletherstickaroundlongenoughtofind

out.

Atlonglastthedooropened,andhistallfigurestoodthere.Shejumpeddownfromthe

deskandhurledherselfathim.Hepickedherupandswungheraround,thenputherdown

andheldheratarm’slength,studyingherforaminute.“Ilikethenewimage.”

“Thank you.” She’d stuck with the Goth look. And she’d paid a fairy acquaintance a

largeamountofmoneytosellheraglamorthathidherwingsandherpointyears.Fitting

inwassohard.

Piersmovedaroundhertothedesk,shruggedoutofhislongleathercoat,andtossedit

onthechair.Beneathit,heworeblackleatherpantsandablackT-shirtthatstretchedtight

overthemusclesofhisbroadchest.Shesighed.She’dhadacrushonPierssinceshewas

old enough to know what penises were for. But she was also wise enough to know that

nothing could ever happen. He was too much like her father, and no way was she

exchangingonedespotforanother.Besides,Pierswasmarriednow.Andhewashappy.

Hesatinthechairbehindthedeskandstudiedhersomemore.Shetriednottosquirm

underhisintensestare.“Doesyourfatherknowyou’rehere?”heasked.

“Ofcourse.”

Pierssnorted.“There’sno‘ofcourse’aboutit.”

She’dbeentryingnottothinkaboutherprevious—extremelyshort—visittotheOrder.

Therehadbeenalittleincidentwithacoupleofhellhoundsshe’dinadvertentlyreleased

from the Abyss. Piers hadn’t been impressed, and he’d sent her straight back home…

luckily, before her dad had even realized she was gone. And the time before that…a

shudder ran through her…she wasn’t even going to go there. Some things were best

forgotten.“I’vematuredsincelasttime,”shesaid.“AndDadknowsI’mhere.I’vecome

forthatjobyoupromisedme.Please,Piers.I’mwillingtodoanything.Anythingatall.”

“Hmm.Areyouwillingtodowhatyou’retold?”

Thatwasahardone,butshewasopentonewexperiences.Shepouted.“Honestly,I’ve

grownoutofmyrebelliousstreak.I’mmuchmoresensiblenow.”Whydidshehavethe

ideahewasn’ttakeninbyher?“Justgivemeachance.”

He steepled his fingers. “It so happens, I might have a job for you to do over the

Christmasholidays.”

“Thankyou,thankyou,thankyou!”

“Ihaven’ttoldyouwhatitisyet.”

“Whateveritis,I’lldoitperfectly.You’llbesoimpressed.”

Hesmiledatthat.“SitdownandI’lltellyou.”Hewavedhertoachairontheotherside.

Shesatdown,handsinherlapassheimaginedagoodemployeewouldsit.Andthenshe

triedtoholddownherimpatience.Shemanagedthirtyseconds.

“Comeon,tellme,you’redrivingmecrazyhere.”

“Ihavea…friend.”

“Youdo.That’snice.”

“HisnameisRyan.JohnRyan,actually.HewasthehumanliaisonfortheOrder.”

Shewentstill.ShouldshementiontoPiersaboutLiamandhislettertoherdad?Butif

shedid,andPierssaidno,thenitwouldbeoverbeforeitbegan.Shecouldn’tgoagainsta

directorderfromPiers,notifshewantedtoworkhere.Soshejustwidenedhereyes.“A

human?Really?”

“Not anymore. A year ago, Ryan was attacked by werewolves. He was dying and the

onlywaytosavehimwastochangehim.”

Uncle John—or rather Ryan as he was obviously known here—was a vampire? Now

that might make things more difficult. “Isn’t that against the law? Changing someone

who’sbeenbitten?”

“Maybe.Buttherewasalotofpressure.Ryanhasinfluentialfriendsaroundhere,and

it’s fair to say that a few lives would have been made very difficult had we let him die.

Includingmine.”

“Okay,gotyousofar.What’sthejob?”

“WeneedsomeonetokeepaneyeonRyanovertheChristmasholidays.”

“Why?Ishecrazy?Attackingpeople?Drainingthemdry?Whydon’tyoujustlockhim

upuntilhecalmsdown?”

“Actually,he’samazinglycalm,consideringhe’sonlybeenchangedayear.Toocalm.”

“Likebeforethestorm.”

“Yeah.Somethinglikethat.Anyway,everyoneisawayfortheholidays.I’msupposed

tobeaway.”

“What’stheproblemwiththisRyanguy?Whydoesheneedtobewatched?”

He was quiet for a moment, as if deciding what to tell her. Interesting. “Mainly the

vampire-werewolfthing.Nooneknowswhatmighthappen,sosomeoneneedstobehere

incase—”

“Heturnsintoahairyvampire.Cool.”

Piersshuddered.“Notcool.”

“Letmegetthisstraight.Ibabysit—”

“Don’tcallitthat.EspeciallyanywhereRyanmighthearyou.You’reabodyguard.”

Thatsoundedmuchbetter.Moreofficial,likeaproperjob.Everythingwasfallinginto

place.LikeFatemeanthertobehere.Thiswastheperfectopportunitytogetupcloseto

thisguyandsuggesthevisithisnephewoverthefestiveseason.MaybePiersdidn’teven

need to know. They could be there and back before he returned. Obviously, the whole

vampire thing made the trip a little more difficult logistically. But it was nothing she

couldn’tsortout.Shewasresourceful.“SoIwatchthisguyuntilyougetbackfromyour

holidays,andafterward,yougivemeaproperjobhere.”

“Yes.JustkeepRyansafeandproveyoucanbetrusted.”Hegaveheralook.“Youcan

betrusted,can’tyou,Winter?”

Shecrossedherheart.“Totally.Onehundredpercent.Absolutely.”

Heshookhishead.“Imeanit.Anythinghappenstohimandyouareonthenextsleigh

home.Andonemorething.”

“Yes.”

“Ryan is a little reluctant. I’m going to sell this on the basis that you’re a friend’s

daughter,awayfromhomeinthebigcity.”

“Whichistrue.”

“Andthathe’llbelookingoutforyou.Infact,you’llbelookingoutforeachother.”

“Why?”

“It’saguything.Leavehimabitofpride.”

JohnRyanwasclearlyoneofthosemenwhodidn’tthinkawomancouldprotecthim.

“Ohno,he’sanasshole,isn’the?”

Vampiresshecoulddealwith.Assholeswereawholedifferentmatter.

ChapterFour

IVE

DAYS

HRISTMAS

Ryan came awake with the suddenness he’d become used to in the last year, as though

awakeningfromthedead.Whichhesupposedwasasgoodadescriptionasany.

Hedidn’tmove.Somethingwasdifferent.Hewasn’talone,whenheshouldhavebeen.

He’d definitely been alone when he locked the door to his underground apartment last

night.

Now his nostrils filled with the warm, sweet scent of fresh blood. So close. He could

feelthepulsethrumminginhishead.Hisgumsached,andhisfangslengthened,andevery

muscleinhisbodyclenchedtight.

Getagrip.

Up to now, he’d managed to refrain from drinking from anyone or anything with a

pulse.Thatwastheleasthecoulddoifhewasgoingtogooutthereandtrytoconvince

peoplehewasn’tamonster.Anditwasn’tasthoughtherewasaproblemgettingaholdof

blood. The Order had contacts at the local blood bank who kept him stocked with O

negative—hisfavorite.

Heblinkedopenhiseyes.Theroomwasbathedinarosyglowfromthelampbesidethe

bed. He was staring up at the ceiling, everything quiet. Yet that sweet scent surrounded

him.Slowly,hepushedhimselfupandwentstill.

A young woman sat perched on the end of the bed. Tiny, but hard to miss, she was

dressed in a miniscule black leather skirt, fishnet tights, knee-high boots, and a black T-

shirtthatfelloffoneshoulderandwasclearly—fromtheamountofskinondisplay—all

sheworeontop.Shehadpaleskinandshortblackhairwithstreaksofcrimsonframinga

small,pointedface.Andhugesilvereyes.Shesmiledathim,obviouslynotputoffbythe

factthathisfangswerefullyextendednow,andhewassniffingatherasthoughshewas

themostdeliciousthinghehadever—

She held a glass out to him. “I took the liberty of getting this for you. It’s from your

fridge.Incaseyouwerehungry.”

Foramoment,herwordsdidn’tmakesense,thenherealizedtheglasswasfullofblood.

Clearly,shewasawareofwhathewas.Andequallyclearly,shewasn’tconcernedbythe

idea of being in a room with a hungry vampire, which made her either very stupid or…

actually,hehadnoidea.

He moved slowly, keeping a tight rein on his control, because he wanted so badly to

knocktheglassaway,leaponher,sinkhisfangsintothesoftskinofherthroat,drink—

“Hey,holdittogether,bigguy.”

Herealizedhe’dbeenalmostswayingtowardher,probablydrooling.Classy.Heclosed

hiseyesforasecond,countedtoten,openedthem,tooktheglassfromheroutstretched

hand, and swallowed the contents in one go. Immediately, his hunger receded, and he

couldthinkagain.

“Whoareyouandhowdidyougetinhere?”heasked.Shedidn’tlooklikeathreat.

Shesmiled.“I’mWinter.AndIpickedthelock.”

“Why?”

“Iwantedtointroducemyself,andIknewyouwouldn’tbeawakeyet.”Sheshrugged.

“MaybeIwasalittleimpatient.”

Heshookhisheadandmadetopushthesheetawaysohecouldgetup,thenrealizedhe

was naked and stayed where he was. He rubbed his hand across his chin. “But who are

you?”

“I’myournewbaby—oops,bodyguard.”

Piershadtobekidding.Shewastiny.Howthehellwasshesupposedtoprotecthim?

Andwhatifhedidloseitandgocrazy—whichobviouslyeveryonewasexpecting,sooner

orlater?Howthehellwasshesupposedtostophim?

“Thisissomesortofjoke,isn’tit?”

Forasecond,hurtflashedinthosebigeyesandhefeltlikeacompletebastard.

Shesniffed.“I’mstrongerthanIlook.”

Thethingwas,hehadlearnednottotakepeopleatfacevalue.Inhisnewworld,what

you saw wasn’t necessarily what you got. The fae had all sorts of glamors to hide what

theywere.Glamorsthatcouldbepurchasedforaprice.

“Areyouindisguise?”heasked.Didhesoundhopeful?“Areyouusually…bigger?”

Shesighed.“No.Thisisit.”

“What are you?” He’d become sensitive to scent since the change, and he breathed in

deeply but couldn’t identify what she was. Sweet. Sweeter than a human. Maybe a little

faeinthere.

Sheshrugged.“I’masortofmongrel.Notveryinteresting.”

Hedidn’tpush;someofthemixedracesweresensitive.“Howoldareyou?”Nowthat

helookedcloser,sheappearedolderthanfirstimpressions,maybemid-twenties—though

agewassomethingelsethatcouldbedeceptiveinthisnewworld.Hecouldseeapairof

definitewomanlybreastsoutlinedbeneaththethinmaterialofherT-shirt,fullandround

and…Heforcedhimselftolookupandintoherface.

Shescowledthen.“Oldenough.”

Forwhat?

Asiftoanswerhisunspokenquestion,shestaredathim,hergazeloweringtohisbare

chest, then she licked her lips with a small, pink tongue. And just like that, heat shot

throughhim,sinkingdowntohisgroin.Heblinkedinshockandhadtofighttheurgeto

peer under the sheet to check if he’d just gotten a boner. He hadn’t even had a twinge

sincehe’dbeenchanged,thoughPiershadsaidthatwouldn’tlast.

Whyher?

Shewasn’thisusualtype,which,ifhecouldrememberthatfarback,rantotall,leggy

blondeswithbigbreastsandcommitmentissues.

She hitched up her T-shirt, which had fallen off one shoulder again, drawing his

attention back to her breasts. Her nipples were hard little points, clearly visible, and his

dicktwitched,fillinghimwithamixofeuphoria—hehadbeenalittleworriedaboutits

lackofinterestrecently—andguilt.Afterall,theyhadonlyjustmet.

Maybeshewasoneofthosesexdemons.Theoneswhocouldseduceamanwithalook

andthendrainhimdryandleavehimfordead.

Whatawaytogo.

With that crazy thought, he decided that maybe it was time to get up and get dressed,

findPiers,andaskhimwhatthehellhethoughthewasupto.“Couldyou…uh…leavefor

aminutewhileIgetdressed?”

Shesmiled,thenshrugged.“Sorry.PierssaidI’msupposedtowatchyou.”

“IsomehowdoubtPiersmeantforyoutowatchmeinbed.”Maybeitwasasetup,and

shewassomesortofearlyChristmaspresent.Hisdicklikedthatidea,aswell.Hewasin

bigtrouble.

At that moment, there was a commotion at the door and Piers strolled in, followed

closelybyhiswife,Roz,aprettybrunettewithshort,spikyhair,asweetdimpledsmile,

andascarybadassattitude.

Piers stopped just inside the door and sniffed the air, then frowned and cast Ryan a

suspiciouslook.Hehadthesuddenurgetodefendhimself,tosayhehadn’ttouchedher.It

wasn’thisfault…Instead,hekepthismouthshut.

Piersturnedhisattentiontohisvisitor.“Whatthehellareyoudoinginhere,Winter?”

“Iwantedtostartwork.”

Piersshookhishead.“GotalktoRozforaminute,”hesaidtoher.“Ineedtospeakto

Ryanalone.”

Shepursedherlips,thenjumpedoffthebed.“Ofcourse.”Shewastiny,evenwiththe

four-inch heels. He watched as she sashayed across the room—she had a cute ass—and

disappearedoutofthebedroomwithRoz.HeturnedbacktoPiers,whowasstillwatching

him.

“So,you’vemetWinter.I’dplannedtointroduceyouthisevening.”

Ryan didn’t know how to ask this, but he had to. It was best to know what he was

dealing with. “She’s not an…incubus, is she?” When Piers looked blank, he continued.

“Youknow…oneofthosesexdemons?”

Piersglared.“Forastart,anincubusismale.Youmeanasuccubus.Andno,ofcourse

sheisn’t.”Thenhefrowned.“Whatdidshedo?”Hesoundedresigned.

Ryanshrugged.“Nothing.”

Hiseyesnarrowed.“Whatdidyoudo?”

Gotabonerforthefirsttimeinforever.“Absolutelynothing.”

“Then I’ll forget you asked that question. Winter is your bodyguard until after the

holidays.Thenwe’lltalkagain.”

“WhatthehellisshesupposedtodoifIdecidetoloseitandgoontherampage?She’s

agoddamnedmidget.”

“Don’t,fortheloveofGod,callherthatanywhereshecanhearyou.”Piersshuddered.

“She’s sensitive on the subject. And she’s just going to stick close to you. If anything

happens, she’ll call for backup.” He glanced at the door where the two women had

disappeared,thenmovedclosertothebedandspokequietly.“Betweenyouandme,thisis

asmuchforhersakeasyours.Keepheroutoftrouble.Herdad’sagoodfriendofmine,

andhe’sworriedabouther.She’shada…shelteredupbringing.”

“Isshefae?”

“No.”

“And…?”

“I’llletherexplain.Ifshewantsto.She’salittle…shy.”

“Yeah,Igottheshybit,”hesaidsarcastically.“Rightaboutthetimeshebrokeintomy

bedroom.”

“Shyandimpetuous.”

“Howdidshedothat,anyway?Thedoorwaslocked.”

“Shy,impetuous,andresourceful.”PiersstudiedRyanforamoment.“Iwouldn’thave

saidthisifyouhadn’tmadethesexdemoncomment,but…”

“Yeah?”

“Keepyourhandstoyourself,okay?Notthatyouwouldn’t,becausehell…I’mbetting

you’veforgottenwhattodowithyourdick.”

Ryan thought about being offended, but Piers was probably right. Or he had been, up

until about ten minutes ago. Before that, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d been

interested in sex…probably before he had come to work for the Order. Jeez, it was a

wonderhisdickhadn’tshriveledupanddroppedoff.“Why?”

“I told you, she’s the daughter of an old friend. A powerful old friend. And he’s very

protectiveofher.”

“Isthereanythingyou’renottellingme?”Hehadanunpleasantthought.“Herfather’s

notademon,ishe?”

“No,he’snotademon.ButWinterdoestendto…attracttrouble.”

“Really?Soundsliketheperfectbodyguard.”Not.

Piersshruggedagain.“It’sjustyouthfulhighspirits.SoasIsaid,you’llbelookingafter

eachother.Doingmeafavor.”

Great.Butreally,itwasn’tasthoughhehadanythingelsetodo.Christmashadnever

beenmuchofabigdealforhim.Asakid,he’dneverseentheinsideofachurch,sothe

whole religious aspect went right over his head. And there hadn’t been any money for

fancyfoodorpresents.Hisdadwasusuallynotaround,doingastintinprisonasoftenas

not.Hissisterhaddoneherbest,butshehadn’tbeenmuchmorethanakidherself.Nobig

deal.

Whenhe’djoinedtheforce,he’dalwaysvolunteeredforshiftsovertheholidayperiod.

Lettheguyswithfamilieshavetheholidayoff.Hedidn’tgiveashit.

Andlastyear…Well,bestnottothinktoomuchaboutlastChristmas,excepttosayit

had passed in a haze of pain and hunger. That was partly why everyone was taking this

Christmasoff,becausethey’dallstuckaroundlastyeartohelphimthrough—orpossibly

toattendhisfuneralifhehadn’tmadeit.

Apparently,ithadbeentouchandgo.

The Order had been trying to bring the werewolves on board, persuade them that

revealingthetruthabouttheirexistencetohumanswastheonlywayforward.Afewwere

infavor,butmostofthemwerestuckintheirwaysanddidn’twanttochange.Ryanhad

beenseenasaneasytargetandthey’dluredhimtoameeting,planningtokillhimasa

way of stalling the negotiations. And while they hadn’t succeeded in doing him in, the

negotiationshadcometoastandstill.Ryanhadbeenpackingsilverbulletsthatnightand

hadmanagedtofatallyshootthealpha,leavingthepackleaderlessandinchaos…though

he’d heard that Marissa, the old alpha’s mate, was trying to take control. That would be

badnewsfortheOrder,andevenworsenewsforRyan.Itwasoneofthereasonshewas

keepingclearofhisnephew.NowaywashedraggingLiamintohisfucked-upmessofa

life.

Roz peered around the door. “Are you done with the pep talk?” she asked. “Can we

comebackinyet?”

“Yeah,jointheparty,”Ryanmuttered.

Shegrinnedandcrossedtheroom,leaneddown,andkissedhimonthecheek.“Thanks

for doing this. I’ve always wanted to go to Iceland for Christmas. And Piers wouldn’t

leaveyoualone.”

No,becausehewassomuchsaferwithlittleMissMidgettoprotecthim.Buthekept

thewordstohimself.HelovedseeingRozhappy.Hewouldn’tdoanythingtospoilthat.

“I’mjustgoingtotakeWinterupstairs,”Pierssaid.“Introducehertotheguysandget

hersecurityclearancesortedout.You”—hepointedatRyan—“putsomeclotheson.”

Theyalltroopedout,Winterattherear.Shehesitatedatthedoor,castalookoverher

shoulder,andblewhimakiss.

Hisdicktwitched.

Yup,hewasdefinitelyintrouble.

ChapterFive

Holymoly,thatmanishot.

Winterhadspentatleastanhourstaringattheriseandfallofhisnakedchest.Itwasa

beautifulchest,broadandmuscularwithasprinklingofsilkyblackhair.Justthesighthad

filled her mind with all sorts of illicit thoughts. A few times, her fingers had crept out,

seeminglywithawilloftheirown,meaningtotugdownthesheettogetalookattherest

ofhim.She’dresisted,butonlyjust.

Shewasn’tthatpervy,butithadbeenaclosething.

His face lacked the perfection of most of the vampires she knew, though that would

change with age. He had dark messy hair, a crooked nose, and high cheekbones. She’d

spentaninordinateamountoftimetryingtoguesswhatcolorhiseyeswere.

Butnowsheknew.Greenandbrownandgoldallmixedtogether.Whenhe’dlookedat

her,littletingleshadshotthroughherbody.

Itmadeherrealizehowlongithadbeensinceshe’dactuallyhadsex.Shesuspectedthat

was something to do with her father—he scared most men off. But the truth was, she

hadn’tmetanyonewhointerestedherinalongtime.

JohnRyaninterestedher.

She was supposed to keep close. Maybe she should keep very close. She’d seen him

lookingather,soshedidn’tthinkhe’dbehardtopersuade.Moretingles.

“Areyoupayingattention?”Piersasked.

Shejumpedandtriedtorememberwhathe’dbeentellingher.“Yes,boss.”

Heshookhishead.“Don’tmakemeregretthis.”

“Iwon’t.”

“Firstsleighback.”

“I’llbegood.I’llprotecthimwithmylife.”

“Don’t you dare die. Your father would never forgive me. Just stick close to Ryan. If

anything happens, call for help. Graham will be around, and there’s a skeleton staff on

duty.Someonewillcome.”

Shepattedhisarm.“Don’tworry.We’llbefine.”

Heshuddered.“Imusthavebeencrazy.WhydidIeverthinkthiswasagoodidea?”He

gaveheralongsuspiciouslook.“Andonemorething.Ryanisanunknownquantity—we

donotwanthimplacedinsituationswherehemightlosecontrol.Noundueexcitement.”

HadPierssomehowseenintoherthoughts?HerplansforgettingupclosewithRyan?

Shehopednot.“Noundueexcitement.Gotit.”Whatconstituted“undue”exactly?Better

not to ask. If they didn’t get into specifics, then she wouldn’t be going against direct

orders.“Go,”shesaid.“I’vegotthiscovered.Haveagoodtime.Anddon’tworryabout

us.” She almost pushed him out the door. But at last he was gone, and she rubbed her

hands together then headed back downstairs. She couldn’t believe how well this was

going. Now it was time to get working on the plan. She tapped lightly on the door to

Ryan’sapartmentandenteredwithoutwaitingforareply.

Shefoundhimleaningagainstthecounterinthekitchen,sippingonabottleofblood.

He’dgottendressed,whichwasdisappointing,infadedjeanswhichhuggedhisleanhips,

andawhiteT-shirtwhichhuggedhisbroadshoulders.Shesighed.

“I’vebeenthinking,”hesaidasshecamein.“Perhapsweshouldjust”—hegaveashrug

—“pretendaboutthebodyguardthing.Youcanhaveanicebreakandseethecityinstead.

Piersdoesn’thavetoknow.”

Hewantedtogetridofher.Thatsortofhurt.She’dbetifshewasblondwithblueeyes

andbigbreasts,heprobablywouldhavebeenquitehappytokeepheraround.

Standingupastallasshecould,sheputhershouldersbackandstiffenedherspine.“I

can’tdo that. I’vebeen employed bythe Order to makesure you’re safe,and I mean to

fulfillmyduties.”

He pushed himself up from the counter, then took a step toward her. A little shiver

prickledoverherskin.Ashestareddownather,sherealizedhowmuchtallerhewasthan

her.Morethanafoot,she’dguess.

“Idon’tmeantoberude,honey,buthowdoyouplantodothat?Imean,whatareyou

goingtodoifI’mattackedbyapackofwerewolves?Bigmotherfuckers.”

She pulled her phone out of her pocket and waved it in front of his face. “I’ll call for

help.” And then she’d kick some serious werewolf hairy ass. While she might be small,

she wasn’t totally helpless—she had a few talents inherited from her mom, who’d

apparentlyhadawickedwaywithice.Shealmosthopedshewouldgetthechancetouse

them.

“Great.”

“Anyway,that’snotlikelytohappeninthecity.Sodon’tworryyourlittleself.Youjust

goaboutyourbusiness,andI’llfollowatadiscreetdistance.Youwon’tevenknowI’m

around.”

He cast her a look of disbelief. “In that outfit, somehow, I doubt it.” He ran a hand

throughhishair,frustrationineverylineofhisbody.“Ineedtogetoutofhere.”

Shenodded.“That’sbecauseofthewolfinsideyou.”

Hewentstill.“Thewolf?”

“Piers told me. But it’s obvious anyway. I can see him pacing behind your eyes. He

wantsoutandyou’renotlettinghim.Wolveshatetobetrapped.”

Hestudiedher,hisheadcockedtooneside.“Youknowalotaboutwolves,doyou?”

“Abit.Realones,though,werewolves,notsomuch.They’rejustlikebigdogsreally.”

Ha—herfather’stwocompanions,FrekiandGeri,wouldnodoubthavesomethingtosay

aboutthat.Shegrinnedandreachedintoherbag,pullingoutadoglead.“Butdon’tworry,

I come prepared. If it even looks like you’re shifting, I’ll get you straight on the lead. I

wouldn’twantyouchasinganycats.”

Shockflashedacrosshisface.“You’rekidding,right?”

“Yeah.”Sheshovedtheleadbackintoherbag.

Hesnorted.“Areyousureyou’renotademon?”

Sheraisedabrow,thentuggedatastrandofbrightredhair.“Really?DoIlooklikea

demontoyou?”Timetogetsomeinformation.“Whatareyourplansovertheholidays?

Doyouhavefamily?”WouldhementionLiam?

Hegaveashrug.“NonethatIplanonseeing.”

“Butyoudohavesomeone?”

“I have a nephew.” Did she detect a note of longing in his voice? Or was that just

wishful thinking? “He lives up north. I’m his guardian actually, but I haven’t seen him

since…”Hesnarled,showingthetipsofhissharpwhitefangs.“Itseemedforthebest.”

“That’ssad.”Shesupposedwhathewassayingmadeasortoflogicalsense.Butthere

was nothing logical about family. Hers was big; she had a whole hoard of half-brothers

andsisters.Shewastheyoungestbyalongway,andmostofthemthoughtthatmeantshe

needed looking after. But while she sometimes got frustrated with them, her dad

especially,shecouldn’teverimaginebeingwithoutthem.Allaloneintheworld.

Somehow,shehadtomakeRyanchangehismind.

“Ibethemissesyou.”

He shrugged. “I was never the best of uncles anyway. Even before my change in

circumstances,hehardlyknewme.”

“Butyou’reallhe’sgot.”

“Yeah, poor kid. He’s better off without me. The only good thing I can do for my

nephewisstaythefuckaway.”

That didn’t sound promising. She had to find some way to change his mind. Ryan

obviouslyhadseriousissues.Andshesuspectedtheywentbacktobeforehewasturned

intoavampire.Shewaswildlycurious,butshe’dgivehimsometimebeforesheprobeda

bitmore.Afewminutesatleast.Lullhimintoafalsesenseofsecurity.

She watched as he picked up a shoulder holster from the sofa and buckled it on,

checkingthepistol—asilverDesertStorm—beforeslottingitback.Hecovereditwitha

batteredleatherjacketfromthebackofachair.Thejacketwastightacrosstheshoulders,

makingherthinkitwasprobablyfromhispre-vampdays.Vampirestendedtomuscleup

quite a bit, and grow a few inches, though she was guessing Ryan had been pretty big,

evenbeforethechange.

“Wherearewegoing?”sheaskedastheyheadedtotheelevator.

“I don’t know. Just out.” As the elevator doors closed, he glanced at her, his gaze

passing over her slowly, lingering—or was that more wishful thinking on her part?—on

thethrustofherbreastsbeneaththethinT-shirt.Justonelook,andhernippleshardened.

Whatwouldhappenifheactuallytouchedher?Shearchedherback,thrustingthemout

justalittle.Shehadgoodbreasts,bigcomparedtothesizeoftherestofher.Alotofmen

had commented on how nice her breasts were. Then she remembered Piers’ words—she

wasn’tsupposedtogetRyanexcited.Atleast,notthisearlyoninthejob.She’dhaveto

builduptoit.Shehunchedhershouldersandshothimaquickglance.Hiseyeswerestill

onherbreasts,butthenheblinkedandlookedupintoherface.“Youneedacoat.”

“Idon’tfeelthecold.”

“Allthesame,youneedacoat.Otherwise,you’regoingtostandoutlikea…girlinaT-

shirtandmini-skirtinDecember.Aren’tbodyguardssupposedtoblendin?”

Hehadapoint,but…“Idon’thaveacoat.”

Theelevatoropenedintoalargeareawithmarblefloorsandlotsofhugepottedplants.

Graham sat behind a counter across from the smoky glass doors that led out onto the

street. She followed Ryan, admiring his ass in the faded denim, the long legs, broad

shoulders…andimaginedhimnaked.Shewasturningintoatotallech.

“HaveyougotacoatWintercanborrow?”Ryanaskedastheycametoahaltinfrontof

Graham.

“Letmelook.”

Heslippedthroughthedoorbehindthecounterandcamebackaminutelater.“There’s

this.Someonemusthaveleftitbehind.Piers,Ithink.”Heheldupablackleathercoat.

“Cool,”shemurmured.Shebreathedinthefamiliarscentofcenturies-oldvampire.Yup.

Piers.“I’msureUnclePierswon’tmind.”

“UnclePiers?”Ryansaid,histoneconveyinghisdisbelief.

She giggled. “Not a real uncle. But he and my dad are pretty tight. I’ve known Piers

sinceIwasalittlegirl.”

Ryanfrowned.“Yourdadhassomeweirdfriends.Whoisheexactly?”

Sheshrugged,notreadytogetintothatconversation.“Oh,nooneimportant.He’sjust

beenaroundforawhile.”Sheslidherarmsintothecoatandsighed.Thiswasn’tgoingto

work.Herhandswerehiddeninthesleeves,andagoodsixinchesofthecoattrailedon

theground.Shesniffed.Shereallyhatedbeingsmallerthaneveryoneelse.

Ryan’slipstwitched.AsdidGraham’s.Yeah,shewassodamnfunny.

“Winterismynewbodyguard.”Ryanmanagedtokeepanalmoststraightface.

“Iknow,”Grahamsaid.“Pierstoldme.”

Ryanstrippedoffhisjacketandhelditouttoher.Sheslippedoutofthecoatandthey

swapped.ThejacketsmelledofRyan,auniqueblendofthecoolmuskyaromaofvampire

andthehotferalscentofwerewolf,andshebreathedindeeplyassheputiton.Itwasstill

too big, but she could work with it. Rolling up the sleeves, she glanced across as Ryan

shrugged into the leather coat. She let out a wolf-whistle. He looked way past cool and

totally badass. Underneath the jacket, her nipples peaked again. She had such appalling

tasteforbadmen.Itwasonemorereasonwhyherdadwassoworriedaboutheroutinthe

big,wideworld.Butshecouldlookafterherself.

AndRyan.

Sheshovedherhandsintoherpockets.“Okay,I’msuitablydisguised.Letthebaby—

oops,again—bodyguardingbegin.”

Ryantossedheranarrow-eyedlook,butthengaveanodtoGraham,turnedaround,and

headedoutthedoorandontothestreet.Winterhesitatedinthedoorway.Hehadn’tsaid

wherehewasgoing,butsheallowedhimtogetabouttenfeetaheadandthenfollowed.

It was just after ten in the evening. The SA International building was situated in the

middle of the business district, and the streets were still busy. Lots of people wandered

aroundinChristmaspartygear,invariousdegreesofinebriation.Onemanhaltedinfront

ofherandwavedabunchofmistletoeoverherhead.

“Howaboutakiss,darling?”

Shesmiledserenely.“Howaboutanicicleshovedupyournose.”

Whenheappearedalittlereluctanttomoveon,shakinghisgoddamnmistletoeoverher

head,sheblewintohisface,turningtheairtoice.Heflinchedandsteppedback,asthough

notsurewhathadhappened.Thenhehurriedafterhisdrunkenfriends.

ShelookedaroundforRyanandfoundhehadhaltedupaheadandwaswatchingher,a

frownonhisface.Shewaggledherfingersinwhatshehopedwasasurreptitiousmanner

andwavedhimtogoon.

Whowasbodyguardingwhohere?

“Go,”shemouthed.

He turned reluctantly and walked on, moving with a grace he probably wasn’t even

aware of. The people parted in front of him, as though they could sense that he was

different,notoneofthem.Everyfewminutes,he’dglancebackoverhisshouldertocheck

thatshewasstillthere.Howwasshesupposedtobeunobtrusivewhenhekeptstaringat

her?

The next time he did it, she glared, then pulled the lead from her bag and dangled it

fromherfingersinathreateningmanner.Hegrinnedandcarriedonwalking,seemingly

aimlessly.Shetrailedhimforaboutanhour.Hedidn’tstop,hedidn’tlookinanyofthe

shopwindows.Justkeptonwalking.

They passed Saint Paul’s Cathedral. A group of carolers were singing “Away in a

Manger,”andshepaused—shelovedthatsong.Someonewavedabucketunderhernose,

collectingforthehomeless.Onlyshedidn’thaveanymoney.Noneatall.Shehurriedand

caught up with Ryan, then tugged on his sleeve. He whirled around, reaching under his

newcoatforhisgun.Thenherealizeditwasherandwenttotallystill.

“Don’tdothat,”hesnarled.

“Jeez,you’rejumpy,”shemuttered.“Doyouhaveanymoney?”

“Money?”

“Youknowthatpaperstuffyoubuythingswith.”

Hefrownedthenreachedintohisjeanspocket,pulledoutawallet,andhandedittoher.

She plucked out a handful of notes and returned it, then ran back to the man with the

bucketandtossedtwonotesontothepileofcoins.“HappyChristmas.”

Ryanwasstillwaitingwhereshehadlefthim.“Theywerefifty-poundnotes,”hesaid.

“Isthatgoodorbad?”

Heranahandthroughhismessyhair.“Areyouforreal?”

“Definereal.”

He shook his head. “This isn’t working. I can’t relax with you stalking me the way

you’redoing.Itmakesmetwitchy.”

Sheshrugged.“Sorry.Can’tleaveyou.Orders.”

“Thenwalkwithme,whereIcankeepaneyeonyou.”

“Okay.Butdon’tfeelyouhavetotalktome.”

“Iwon’t.”

Theywalkedinsilenceforfiveminutes.Shecasthimasidewaysglanceandfoundhim

staringstraightahead.“Wherearewegoing?”sheasked.

“Nowhere.”

“Where’sthat?”

Hestopped,turnedtoher,andstareddown.“Ijustliketowalk.”

“Aw,youhavenowheretogo.That’ssortofsad.”

“No,it’snot.”

“Youreallyshouldthinkaboutvisitingyournephew.”

“That’snotgoingtohappen.”

Oh,yes,itwas.Shejusthadn’tworkedouthowtomakeithappenyet.Butshehadto

comeupwithaplansoon.Theydidn’thavethatmuchtime.ItwasclearthatRyantruly

believed his nephew was better off without him. She had to find some way past that. It

wouldcometoher.Butlikelynottonight.

“Don’tyouhaveanyfriendswecouldgosee?”

“No.”

“Maybe we could, uh, sort of pretend we were friends and…you know…do

something…friendly.”

Hesnorted.“Likewhat?”

Hmm.Shewasn’tusedtothis.“Youcouldbuymeadrink.”

“Canyoudrink?”

“Whyshouldn’tIbeableto?”

“Somepeoplecan’t.Orshouldn’t,atleast.”

“Youmeandemons.HowmanytimesdoIhavetosayit?I.Am.Not.A.Demon.Not

evenalittlebit.”

“Okay,adrinkthen.”Afteraquickglancearound,heheadedoffatafastpace,Winter

trottingalongbesidehim.Hepausedbesideabarthenmovedon.Thenanother.Gosh,he

wasfussy.Finally,hestoppedattheDrunkenPony.“Thisshoulddo,”hemuttered.

“Whatwaswrongwiththeothers?”

“Iusedtoworkaroundhere.They’recopbars.Ididn’twanttoriskrunningintoanyone

Iknow.”

“Areyouashamedofme?”

“Yeah.”

He pushed open the door and she followed him inside. The hum of conversation

stopped,andallattentionfocusedonthem.Ryanseemedunawareoftheatmosphere,but

Winter’sskintingled.

The room was dark and crowded and smelled of too many people, too close together.

Andotherthings.

“Whythisone?”sheasked.

He shrugged. “I don’t know. It seemed…” A frown tugged his brows together.

“Welcoming.”

She guessed there was some sort of spell on the place. A sort of welcome-all-

supernaturals spell. The clientele had gone back to their drinks and conversation. She

relaxedonceshesawthattheywerenolongerthecenterofattention.

“Whatdoyouwanttodrink?”heasked.

“Idon’tknow.Picksomething.”

ShestuckclosetoRyanastheymadetheirwaytothebar,butdespitespottingacouple

ofwerewolves,alonefae,andagroupoflesserdemons,shefeltnosenseofathreat.

AftertakingtheglassofredwineRyanhandedher,shefollowedhimtoasmallbootha

coupleofwitcheshadjustvacated,andslidinoppositehim.

Hewasstillfrowning.Ithadtakenhimawhile,buthewasatlastsensingthepresence

ofothers.Rollinghisshoulders,hesniffedtheair.“There’ssomethingnotrightaboutthis

place.”

“You’veneverbeeninherebefore?”

“No.Hey,Piershasbeenstickingtomelikeglueforthelastyear,andhewouldn’tbe

seendeadinadivelikethis.”

Shegrinned.“No,probablynot.”

Hewasstaringacrosstheroomatthetwowerewolves.“Arethey…?”

“Yes.Don’tstare.”

“Whatthehell?”

“It’sasupes’bar.There’saspell.Yourecognizedit,eventhoughyoudidn’tknowwhat

itwas.”

“Arewesafehere?MaybeIshouldgetyouout.”

Aw,thatwassweet.Hewasworriedabouther.“Actually,we’reprobablysaferherethan

anywhereelse.Supes’barstendtobeneutralzones.Sorelax.”

Heblewouthisbreathandsatback,forciblyrelaxedhisshoulders,andtookasipofhis

drink.Apintofbeer.“Whatelseishere?Canyoutell?”

Shepointedoutthewitchesandthedemons.

“Howcomeyouknowallthis?Whatareyou,Winter?”

Shewassavedfromansweringwhenamanstoppedbythebooth.Tallandskinnyand

slightly stooped. He appeared old, in his seventies. But Winter was pretty sure it was a

glamor.

“Welcome.Iamtheownerofthisestablishment.”HestudiedRyanforamoment,then

shook his head and muttered something under his breath. It might have been along the

linesof“abomination,”butshewassurehedidn’tmeanitasaninsult.Shethrustouther

handandhetookitalittlewarily.“Hi,I’mWinter.Lovelyplaceyouhavehere.”

“Thankyou.You’renewintown?”

“Sortof.We’reworkingattheOrder.”

Hewentstill.“Iwillseeyouarenotbothered.”Hemadetowalkawayandthenturned

back.“Andofcourse,thedrinksareonthehouse.”

“Areyousureit’ssafe?”Ryanasked,oncetheywerealone.

“Don’tworry.Yourfearlessbodyguardisheretoprotectyou.”

He smiled at her then. He had a nice smile. Slightly crooked, it made him seem more

real.Andhericy-coldheartmeltedjustalittleinsideher.

Andinthatmoment,shedecided:shedefinitelywantedhim.Hedidn’tstandachance.

ChapterSix

DAYS

HRISTMAS

Hecameawake,oralive,orwhateveritwascalled,inthedarknessofhisroom,andlay

withhiseyesclosed,thinkingaboutthelastfewdays.

AndWinter.

Helikedher.

Shewascuteandfun.Thatfirstnightinthebar,she’dentertainedhimwithdescriptions

ofwhoandwhattheotherclientelewere.Shekneweverythingandcouldchatternonstop.

Allhehadtodowassetheroffonasubject,andshekeptgoing.He’dlearnedmoreabout

the supernatural world in three nights with her than he had in the year since he’d been

attackedandchanged.

WithPiersandtheothers,hehadn’tlikedtoasktoomanyquestions,andhe’dsortof

closed himself off. It wasn’t that he was angry at them for turning him or anything like

that.After all, hehadn’t wanted todie, and they haddone the onlything possible at the

time.Still,ittookahellofalotofgettingusedto.

But he was enjoying spending time with Winter, was beginning to hope she’d stick

aroundaftertheholidays.

And he was keeping his hands to himself, as Piers had instructed. Though he had to

admit,itwasharderthanhe’danticipated.Andgettingharder.

As was his dick. At regular intervals, whenever it was in the presence of Winter. But

then she did have the most amazing breasts and the sweetest lips, which he’d been

thinkingaboutwaytoomuch.

He’dpreviouslythoughtthatmaybehislibidohaddiedalongwithhishumanlife.Piers

hadtoldhimthatwascrap,butPiersdidn’tknoweverything.AndRyanhadbeenworried

it was some sort of result of the weird vampire-werewolf cross. But this morning, when

they’dgottenhomejustbeforedawn,aftershe’dkissedhimsweetlyandchastelyonthe

cheek while pressing her full, firm breasts not so chastely against his chest—in what he

wassurewasadeliberateprovocation—andlefthimathisdoor,he’dactuallyjerkedoffin

the shower. Imagining her small hands wrapped around his cock, her lips…he’d all but

exploded.

And now, if he wasn’t mistaken, he was lying with a truly impressive boner. Maybe

he’djerkoffintheshoweragain,beforeWinterturnedup.Abottleofbloodandawankin

theshower.

Lifeisgood.

Someone,somewhereinthevicinityofthebottomofhisbed,clearedtheirthroat.

Whatthefuck?

Shehadn’tbrokenintohisroomsincethatfirstmorning.Andnowwassonotagood

timeforhertohavedoneitagain.

Heopenedhiseyesandpeereddowntotheendofthebed.Hersilvereyeswerewide

andfocused,ifhewasn’tmistaken,onthetentinthesheetcausedbyhiserection.

“Isthatnormal?”sheasked.

Whatthehelldidshemeanbythat?Hewastemptedtopeekunderthesheet,himself,

just in case something weird was happening. Instead, he kept his gaze fixed on Winter.

The scent of her filled his nostrils. She smelled so sweet and another hunger arose,

minglingwiththefirst.

Shelickedherlipsandthetenttwitched.“Oh.”

He willed it to subside, but nope. Nothing was shifting that fucker. Well something

might…

He tried to imagine Piers standing over them, saying do not touch. But somehow, he

couldn’t conjure up the vampire’s image. And his dick just got harder. It was almost

painful now, and his balls ached. He searched for a way out of this that didn’t involve

grabbingWinter,draggingherbeneathhim,sinkinghiscockintoher,andhisfangsinto

thesoftfleshofherthroatand…

HecameoutofhisdaydreamtofindWinterhadinchedcloser.Shewastouchinghisleg

now,beneaththesheet,andhertouchsenttremorsalonghisskin,feedinghishungers.

Heshovedhimselfupthebedandawayfromher,wincingasthesheetdraggedacross

his sensitive cock. Closing his eyes, he pressed a finger to the spot between his brows,

thenranhistongueoverhisfangs.Heneededaplan.

Shouldhemakearunforit?Lockhimselfinthebathroom?Thatwouldn’twork—she

couldpicklocks.Maybediveforthekitchen?Feedonehungeratleast.

“Areyouscaredofme,Ryan?”

Heopenedhiseyes.Shelookedso…earnest.Andhot.Howhadhenotseenitfromthe

start?“Yeah.Terrified.”

Herlipstwitched.“I’mnotscary,honest.”

“Whatdoyouwant,Winter?”

“You.”

Shock hit him in the gut. She was so direct. Why would she want him? Maybe he’d

misunderstoodher.Maybeshewantedhimforsomethingelse,somethingthatwasn’tsex.

“Me?Forwhat?”

Shepressedherlipstogether.Hehadanideashewasfindinghimamusing.

“Youdon’thavetoworry,”shesaid.“I’mnotlookingforcommitmentoranything—I

knowyoudon’tdorelationships.AndI’mhalfpixie—”

“Halfwhat?”

Shefrowned.“Pixie.We’reknownforoutfickleways.Wedon’tdorelationshipseither.

Butthetwoofusarehere,spendingtimetogether.Ilikeyou.Andclearlyyoulikeme.”

Shewavedherhandathisdick.Whythehellwouldn’titgodown?

Heshrugged.“That?Happenseveryevening.It’savampirething.”

She wrinkled her nose and her lips twitched some more. “Go on, admit it, Ryan. You

likeme.”

Whatwashesupposedtosay:No,Idon’t?Thatwouldhardlybepolite.Hedidn’twant

to hurt her feelings. He did like her. And his dick really liked her. But that didn’t mean

anythingwasgoingtohappen.

Hercoollittlehandwasedginguphislegnow,sendinghisbrainintochaos.Hetriedto

rememberwhythiswasabadidea.Therewasareasonsomewhere.

Ah,thatwasit.“IpromisedPiers.”

“He’sjustbeingprotective.”

Yeah,butofwho?Ryancouldn’tquiteshaketheideathatifanyonewasindangerof

beinghurthere,itwashim.Hetriedagain.“Imightlosecontrol.”

Shewascrawlingupthebednow,andhecouldn’tbackawayanyfarther.Shesmelled

sogood.Andhecouldseethepulsebeatingatherthroat.

“Okay,Igetit,”shemurmured.“I’llbackoff,becauseclearly,you’rescaredoflosing

controlanddoingsomethingyoumightregret.”Butshewasn’tbackingoff.Shewasstill

coming.“ThoughIhavetosay,Ithinkyou’remakingamistake.”

Heshookhishead,tryingtogethisbrainfunctioning.“Iam?”

“Ithinkyouneedtolosecontrol.Letyourwolfhavealittlefreedom.He’sgettingall

grouchyinthere.”

“Idon’tknowhow.”Andhedidn’twantto,anyway.He’dadjustedtobeingavampire.

Hedidn’twanttobeagoddamnwerewolf.Theywereassholes.

“Youjustneedtorelax.”

Howwashesupposedtorelaxwithhersoclosehecouldseethebloodinherveins?See

herhardlittlenipplesthroughthethinmaterialofherT-shirt?Shewaskneelingathisside

now.Then,beforehehadachancetorealizewhatshewasdoing,she’dhikedupherskirt

andflungherlegoverhim,straddlinghiships…pressingdownagainsthiscock.Shefelt

sogood,soright.

Ithadbeenalongtime.Thatwasall.Butwhydidshehavetobetheonetowakehis

dormantlibido?Shewasofflimits.

Heclearedhisthroat.“Ithoughtyouwerebackingoff?”

“Iam,”shesaid.“Ijustwantakissfirst.Justonekiss.”

He should get out of this situation right now. His dick was so hard that if she moved

againsthim,hemightexplode.Asifsensinghisdesperation,shewriggledalittle.

Maybehecouldreasonwithher.“Youknowyou’retakingadvantageofme?”

Hereyeswidened,andsheblinkedingenuously.“Littleoldme?Takingadvantageofthe

big,badvampire?”

Sheliftedherheadasthoughtotempthimwiththewhiteskinofherthroat,herpulse,

andhishungerroaredtolife.Hecouldfeelthetiesonhiscontrolloosening.

As she leaned closer, he balled his fists at his side, because otherwise he would have

grabbedheranddraggedhertohim,losinghimselfinher.

Itbecameamatterofpridethathewouldn’tgivein.

I’mbetterthanthis.

He could control his hungers. He would control them. But she filled his senses,

saturatedhiminaneedthelikeofwhichhecouldneverremember.

Hadheeverwantedanythingthismuch?Neededanything?

Shewasstaringathimwiththoseamazingsilvereyes.Comingcloser,herlipsslightly

parted—

Somethingranginhisears,breakingthespell,andheshookhishead.

Wintersighedandsatbackonherheels.“Savedbythebell,”shemuttered.

Heglancedatthephoneonthetablebesidethebed.Onlyafewpeoplehadhisnumber.

Thecommittee.AndSteve,themanhepaidtolookafterhisnephew,becausehecouldn’t

orwouldn’tor…

Wintersighedagain,asthoughrealizingshe’dlosthisattention.“You’dbettergetthat.

Itmightbeimportant.”

Pushing herself up and off him, she gave his dick a last look and headed out of the

room.“I’llgofindyousomethingtoeatandthenwecangowalkthestreets.Again.”

The phone was still ringing. He picked it up and looked at the number, but didn’t

recognizeit.

Hepressedthebutton.

Alowgrowlsoundeddownthephoneandhishacklesrose.“Whoisit?Whatdoyou

want?”

“Paybacktime,asshole.Wehaveyournephew.”

For a moment, the words made no sense. He hadn’t heard anything from the wolves

since the attack, though at the time, Marissa had sworn revenge. Was this it? “I don’t

believeyou.”

“He’s in Kendal. Come and get him by tomorrow night or he dies. Come alone. Tell

anyoneaboutthis,andhedies.HappyChristmas.”

Thecallendedbeforehecouldsayanotherwordandhesatstaringatthephone,trying

tomakesenseofwhathadbeensaid.Ithadtobethewerewolves.MarissahadLiam.A

roarofragefilledhisheadandheforceditdown.

Kendalwashisoldhometown,whereLiamstilllived.Hisfingersfumbledashepressed

thenumberonthephone.“Steve.It’sRyan.IsLiamthere?”

“HappyChristmastoyou,too,mate.”

“Sorry.”

“SaythattoLiam.Wherethehellhaveyoubeenforthelastsixmonths?Thatboylost

hismother.Youcan’tsparehimafewminutesofyourprecioustime?”

“Look,just…”Hetookadeepbreath.“Whereishe?”

“Out.”

Agrowlformedinthebackofhisthroat.Heswalloweditdown.DidhetellSteveabout

thecall?Butthey’dsaidtheywouldkillLiamifhetoldanyone.Hecouldfeelthepanic

rising inside him. Claws raked down his insides, and the growl rose again in his throat.

“Look, when he gets back”—if he got back, but Ryan wouldn’t even think that—“keep

himthere.I’monmyway.”

Heendedthecallandstaredatthephone.Inthekitchen,hecouldhearWinterhumming

“JingleBells.”Nothingseemedreal.Thiswasn’tsupposedtohappen.He’dbeenkeeping

awayfromLiamsothisverythingwouldnothappen.

Heatwashedoverhim,followedbyanicyragethatconcentratedhisthoughts.

Iftheyhurthiminanyway,theywoulddie.

Hedidn’tknowhow,butsomehow,somewhere…

Hegotoutofbedandpulledontheclotheshe’dbeenwearingyesterday,thensatdown

to tug on his boots, his brain racing ahead. What choice did he have? He had to go. He

wasprobablywalkingintoatrap,butwhatthehellelsewashesupposedtodo?

Butthatmeanthe’dhavetoloseWinter.Becausehehadtogoalone.Andbesides,he

wouldn’ttakeherintodanger.

Asheenteredthekitchen,shebeamedathimandhandedhimaglassofblood.“Wasit

somethingimportant?”sheasked.Shewasstudyinghimclosely,asthoughshecouldsee

intohishead.Howwashetogetaway?

“No.Nothingimportant.”

Shesmiled.“I’vegottogotalktoGrahamaboutsomething.Whydon’tyoufinishyour

bloodandmeetmeinreceptionintenminutes?”

Shepattedhisarmandthenwalkedout.Thathadbeenalmosttooeasy,buthecouldn’t

stop to think about it. As soon as she disappeared, he packed a cooler box with bags of

bloodfromthefridge.Thenhegrabbedhiswalletandkeys,thelongblackcoat,andlet

himselfoutoftheapartment.

Hetooktheelevatoruptwofloorstotheparkinggarage,loadedthecoolerintotheback

ofhisblackSUV,andclimbedintothedriver’sseat.Hehadtogetawayfromthebuilding

beforeWinterrealizedhewasgone.

…

WinterpausedinthestairwellandpeeredaroundthecornerasRyandisappearedintothe

elevatorandthedoorsclosed.Shechewedonherlipsasshetriedtopushdowntheguilt

wellingupinsideher.

Hewasupsetrightnow,buthereallyhadn’tleftherwithanyotheroption,andtimewas

runningout.Itwouldallworkoutforthebestintheend,though.

She’d come to realize over the last couple of days that Ryan was essentially a really

goodguy.HewasstayingawayfromLiambecausehetrulybelievedthathewoulddohis

nephewmoreharmthangoodbybeinginhislife.

ButshecouldhearthesadnessinhisvoicewhenhespokeofLiam.Hemightnotthink

ofhimselfasmuchofanuncle,buthewasawarethathewasallLiamhad.

AndLiamneededRyan.She’dreadandre-readhistear-stainedletter.

She’d had to find a way to bring them together. And it wasn’t just so her dad would

supporthergettingajob.Thatmighthavebeenthecaseinthebeginning,butshe’dcome

tocareforRyan.Hewashurting.AndLiamwashurting.Andshehadthepowertohelp

themboth.Itwasnotimetobesqueamish.

She’d come up with a cunning plan. Clearly the only way to make Ryan go see his

nephewwasifhebelievedLiamwasindanger.Soshe’darrangedthecall.Hewouldgo

runningtoLiam’saidbecausehewasthatkindofguy.Shewouldgivehimafewminutes

headstart,thenshe’dfollowonbehind,doingherbodyguardingdutyfromasafedistance.

LiamandRyancouldhaveahappyreunion,andspendawonderfulChristmastogether.

Thatwasworthhersufferingalittlebitofguilt.Adefinitecaseoftheendjustifyingthe

means.

Ofcourse,Ryanwasprobablygoingtobepissedoffwhenherealizedthatshe’dplayed

him. But hopefully he’d be so relieved Liam was safe that he’d get over it quickly. He

didn’tseemtobethekindofmantoholdgrudges.Shehoped.

AndoncetheygotbackfromvisitingLiam,shewouldmakesuretheyhadsomealone

timewithnointerruptions.

Sherealizedshewashumming“JingleBells”underherbreath.

Itwasmeanttobe.

Helikedher.Shecouldseeit.They’dgrowncloseoverthelastfewdaysandsheliked

tothinktheywouldbefriendsaswellaslovers.

Andaftertheholidays,Pierswouldbesoimpressedwithherbodyguardingskillsthat

hewouldgiveherajobattheOrder.HerdadwouldbesohappythatshehadmadeLiam’s

Christmas wish come true, he wouldn’t argue about it. She reckoned some sort of PR

position,managingsocialmediamaybe.Shewasgoodatthat,anditwouldbeimportant

workoncetheyrevealedthemselvestotheworld.

She took the stairs up to reception. She wanted to give Graham a heads up that they

wouldbeoutoftownforafewdaysandnottoworry.Shehadeverythingundercontrol.

He glanced up and smiled as she approached. “Hi,” he said. “I was just trying to get

holdofyou.”

“Youwere?”

“We’vehadacoupleofanonymoustips.Apparently,Marissahasbeenmadepackalpha

ofthecitywerewolves.Whichisbadnewsforus,andevenworsenewsforRyan.”

“Who’sMarissa?”

“Amadbitch.Shewastheoldalpha’smate—Ryankilledhimthenighthewasattacked.

Shewasn’thappy,tosaytheleast.Andnowthatshe’sincharge,Ryan’sinrealtrouble.

Thefirstthingshedidwastoputabountyonhishead.”

Forasecond,thewordsdidn’tmakesense.“Hishead?”

“Yeah.Essentially,shewantsitdetachedfromhisbody.I’mtryingtogetholdofPiers

and the others, to see how they want to handle this. But don’t worry about it. Just keep

Ryaninsideuntilwehaveitsortedout.”

Sheblinkedacoupleoftimes,tryingtogetherbrainworking.Thiswasn’thappening.

“Inside?”

“Thebuildingiswarded.Nothingisgettinginhere.He’llbesafe.”

Oh,shit,fuck,crap.

“He’snothere.”

“What?”

She swallowed. “He’s gone. To visit his nephew for Christmas.” Oh God, should she

mentiontheboguscall?Butwhatgoodwoulditdo?Thiswasherfault.Shehadtogethim

back.“Hegavemetheslip,leftmeanote.”Shesentupatinyprayerforforgivenessfor

the lie. “I have to call him.” She scrambled in her bag for her phone, then punched in

Ryan’snumber.

“Pick up, pick up.” Only, he didn’t. Obviously, he didn’t want to talk to her. He was

followinginstructions.

“Youtry,”shesaidtoGraham.

Aminutelater,heshookhishead.“Notanswering.”

Agh!

Panicchurnedinsideher.Whattodo?Shehithisnumberagain,typedintext…

Liamissafe.Thecallwasafaketogetyououtofthebuilding.Butyouhavetocome

back.There’sapriceonyourhead.Callme.

Hedidn’tcall.

“I’mgoingafterhim,”shesaid.“Keeptrying.Andletmeknow.”

She’d fucked up big time. Now she had to get out there…and make sure Ryan’s head

stayedsecurelyattachedtotherestofhim.

ChapterSeven

Ryan’sphonerangashewasdrivingoutofthebuilding.HeglancedatcallerID.Itwas

Winter, and he ignored the call. A few seconds later, another call. This time, it was

Graham.Heignoredthatoneaswell,thenswitchedoffhisphoneandtosseditontothe

passengerseat.

Lightsnowwasfallingashedrovethoughthecity.Hisbrainscrambledtocomeupwith

aplan,buthecouldn’tfocusonanythingotherthanthefactthatMarissahadhisnephew.

Whatthehellwashesupposedtodo?Thatbitchhatedhim.NowaywouldsheletLiam

go, even if Ryan did turn himself over to her. He needed a plan and his brain wouldn’t

work.Christ,he’dthoughthewasdoingsowell,keepinghisdistancefromLiam.

HewasoutofLondonnowandontheM25,circlingthecity.Itwouldtakehimatleast

fourhourstoreachhisoldhometownofKendal.

Restinghisheadagainsttheseat,hestaredoutintothedarkness.Thesnowwasgetting

thickerasheheadednorth,bigfatflakesthatswirledandsplattedagainstthewindshield.

The roads were quiet, but he slowed his speed to a crawl. If he crashed, he was fucked.

And Liam was dead. If he was stopped for speeding, then Liam was dead. Hell, likely

Liamwasdeadanyway.

Acarhadslidacrosstheroad,blockingtheexitfromthemotorway,andhesatforan

age,waitingforittoclear.Hecouldfeelhisangerandfrustrationrising.Nothinghedid

wouldeverbeenough.

He’dfailedhissister.NowhewasfailingLiam.

HewasguessingSallyhadplannedtotellhimshewassicklastChristmas.Instead,he’d

beenattacked,andhe’dneverspokentoheragain.Stagefourbreastcancer.Bythetime

shewenttothedoctor,itwastoolateforanyonetodoanythingforher.Thesadpartwas,

if she had told him, he could have saved her. Roz was a witch and a healer. She would

havecuredhissister.

Sally had left him a letter…and the guardianship of his nephew. In the letter, she’d

askedhimtokeepawatchoverLiam.She’dsaidhewasagoodboyandaskedRyantotry

and see that Liam had a better life. How the hell was he supposed to do that? He was a

newly turned vampire. He didn’t even know the boy. And he’d convinced himself that

Liamwasbetteroffwithouthim.

He’dcontactedanoldschoolfriend,oneoftheonlypeoplehe’dkeptintouchwithafter

he left. Steve had been his best friend at school, and he’d also joined the police force,

albeitthelocalone.He’dmarriedhischildhoodsweetheartstraightoutofschool,andthey

hadfourchildren.Whichmeanttheywerealwaysshortofmoney.Ryanhadofferedhim

anobsceneamounttotakeLiamintohishomeforthenextthreeyearsuntiltheboywas

eighteen.

He’ddonehisbest.Sowhydidhealwaysfeelguiltywhenhethoughtofhisnephew?

Whydidhefeelheshouldhavedonemore?Nowitwasprobablytoolate.

And in that moment, he swore that if they got out of this, he was going to be part of

Liam’slife.

Atlasthewasfinallymovingagain.Thesnowwasthickening.Heswitchedontheradio

togetaweatherreport.Fucking“JingleBells”wasplaying,andheswitcheditoffagain.

The swirling snow was almost mesmerizing, together with the rhythmic whir of the

windshieldwipers.Hecouldn’tseefarinfrontofhim,andhekepthisgazefixedonthe

roaddirectlyahead.Heseemedtobegettingnowhereafterdrivingforhours.

Lightsflaredinhisrearviewmirror.Avehiclewascomingupbehindhim,fast.Abig

vehicle.Probablysomesortoflorry,fromtheheightofthelights.Hewaitedforittoslow

down, but instead, it just got closer. There was nothing else on the road. Why the hell

didn’t they just pass him if they wanted to be total arseholes and drive too fast in these

conditions?Heflashedhislightstoencouragethemtogoaroundhim.Buttheywerestill

coming.

Hesquinted.Thelightswerealmostblindinghimnow.Atthelastminute,herealized

they weren’t going to slow down, and he jammed his foot on the gas pedal. The SUV

leaped forward, but it was too late. The truck rammed into him from behind. He fought

withthewheelashiscarskidded.Thenhewasrammedagain.Hehitabendintheroad

and he was sliding sideways. Somehow, he gained control once more and grabbed his

phone,switchediton,andpressedspeeddial.Hewasprettysurethathewasn’tcoming

outofthisalive.Buthewantedsomeonetoknowwhathadhappened.Winterwasgoing

to be pissed. Looked like she’d failed as a bodyguard. He hoped Piers wouldn’t be too

hardonher.

“Graham?”

“Wherethehellareyou?I’vebeen—”

“I’mjustnorthofjunction26ontheM1,andI’mabouttocrash.”

Hiscarwasrammedagain,andthistime,itlefttheroad.Hewasskiddingsideways,and

hedroppedthephoneandgraspedthewheel.Butthetirescouldgetnotraction,andthen

hewasrolling.Downthesteepbank.Overandover.

Heblackedoutforamoment.Orlonger.Hecouldn’ttell.

Thecool,softcaressofsnowfallingonhisskinbroughthimaround.Whenheopened

hiseyes,hewasupsidedownintheoverturnedvehicle,hangingfromtheseatbelt.The

windshieldwasshattered,andthethicksweetscentofbloodfilledhisnostrils.Foronce,

the scent didn’t raise his hunger, probably because it was his own. He felt no pain, but

blood was dripping from a wound on his forehead. And gushing from a cut on his right

arm.Hefeltaroundwithhislefthand,fumblingforhisphone,butcouldn’tfindit.

Hell,hewasgoingtodiehere.AndthenLiamwoulddie.

Noway.

He knew enough about werewolves to know that if he shifted, he would heal himself.

Insidehim,hiswolfclaweddownhissides,howlingtobefree.ButRyandidn’tknowhow

tolethimloose.

Hebreatheddeeply,calminghimself.Heneededtogetoutandawayfromthevehicle.

Whoeverhadforcedhimfromtheroadwouldnodoubtcomeandfinishthejob.Butwhen

hetriedtopullhimselffree,hisrighthandwasuseless,hisarmalmostslicedthrough.

Shit.

Thewoundwouldheal,giventime.Andhe’drecover…ifhegotfood.Buthesuspected

timewasnotsomethinghehadmuchof.

Whichmeantheneededtofreehimselfrightnow,grabsomebloodfromthetrunk,and

getthehelloutofhere.

Hepeeredthroughthebrokenwindshieldanduptheembankment.Alorrywasparked

up on the hard shoulder and two figures passed in front of the headlights. They were

comingforhim.

Buttherewassomethingelse.

He heard a siren in the distance, getting louder, and saw flashing lights. The vehicles

were closing in and the figures hesitated. They were talking together, and then they

retreated.Aminutelater,thelorrypulledaway,andaminuteafterthat,apolicecarhalted

just above him. Then another. And an ambulance. Graham had managed to call in the

cavalry.

Itlookedlikehewouldlivetoseeanotherday—well,anothernight,atleast.Hiswolf

whimpered. Ryan relaxed his hold on his control and felt the encroaching darkness. He

neededtostayconscious,butthestrengthwasseepingfromhimwiththesteadyflowof

hisblood.

Flashlights headed down the embankment. He fixed his gaze on the lights, trying to

keephiseyesopen,buthislidswereheavy.Hewascold,butthenhewasalwayscold.At

thethought,heatflaredinsidehim.

Sleep,hewhispered.

Andhiswolfslept.

Herelaxedhiscontrolandthedarknesstookhim.

ChapterEight

Winter was the first to admit that she wasn’t a good driver. With the icy roads and the

heavysnow,shewasallbutshakingbythetimeshepulledintothehospitalparkingarea.

Please,please,don’tbedead.

He was a vampire. And a werewolf. Both were almost impossible to kill. She had to

holdontothat.

Unlesswhoeverwantedhimdead,knewwhattheyweredoing.

Ryanwassoyounginsupernaturalterms.

Andshewassupposedtohavekepthimsafe.Thiswasherfault.Shewouldnever,ever

forgiveherselfifanythinghappenedtohim.

Grahamhadtoldhertowaitforbackup.ThatifsomeonehadforcedRyanofftheroad,

theycouldverylikelyhavefollowedtheambulanceheretofinishthejob.Thatwaswhat

she was worried about, and she wasn’t waiting around for it to happen. She was his

goddamnedbodyguardandfromnowon,shewasgoingtodoherjob.

Sheparkedthecarascloseasshecouldgetandthenranfortheentrance.

“Amanwasbroughtinheretenminutesago.CaraccidentontheM1,”shesaidtothe

receptionist.“Whereishe?”

Somethingflashedacrossthewoman’sface.Pity?“Areyoufamily?”

Shebitbackherimpatience.“Yes.I’mhis…wife.”

“Couldyougiveussomeinformation?Hehadnoidentificationonhim.”

“AfterI’veseenhim.Please,Ineedtoseehim.”

“He’sinroom103.Upthestairsandalongthecorridortotheleft.But—”

Shedidn’twaittohearanythingelse,justwhirledaroundandheadedalongthecorridor,

takingthestairstwoatatime.Haltinginfrontofthedoor,shedrewinadeepbreath.Then

shepusheditopen.

Andherheartstopped.Theroomwasemptyofpeople,exceptforashroudedfigureon

thehospitalbedinthecenteroftheroom.Hehadasheetpulledupoverhisface.Asob

brokefreeofherthroatandsheforcedherselfcloser.

Getagrip.He’savampire.

Herhandsshookasshereachedoutanddrewbackthesheet.Hiseyeswereclosed,and

hisfacewaspale.Therewasnoriseandfallofhischest.Acutranacrosshisforehead,but

itwasalreadyknittingtogether.

Shelaidherhandonhischeek.

“Ryan.”

He’d clearly shut down. Too much blood loss, at a guess. But she had to get him

conscious if they had any hope of getting out of here. A wheelchair was parked in the

corneroftheroom.Ifshecouldgethimintothat,thenshecouldrollhimoutofhere.But

itwouldbemucheasierwithsomehelp.

Without giving herself time to think, she raised her wrist to her mouth and bit down

hard,breakingthroughtheskin.Shetastedthesharpmetallictaintofbloodinhermouth.

ThensheloweredherwristtoRyan’sface,partedhislipswithherotherhand,andpressed

herwristtohismouth.

“Comeon,”shemuttered.

Hiseyesblinkedopen,widewithshock.

Thankgoodness.

Thenhishandmovedunderthesheet,comingoutandgraspinghers,holdingittohis

mouth. She could feel him drinking now, the pull of his lips as they sucked at her life

force,gettingstrongerbythesecond.

Enough—orshe’dbetheoneinthewheelchair.

Hisgripwasstrongnow,hiseyesglowingcrimson.

“Ryan,youhavetostop.”

Noresponse.

She gritted her teeth and tried to yank her hand away, but he was latched on tight.

Closinghereyes,sheconcentrated,senttheicedownfromhercoretoherfingertips.He

droppedherhandandstared,hisfangsstillextended.

“Whatthehell?”

Shescowled.“Ididasknicely.”

Shesawthemomentitallcamebacktohim,panicflaringinhiseyes.“OhGod,Liam.I

havetogetout—”

“Liam’sfine.Ipromise.”

Therewasamovementatthedoor,makingherturnslowly.Trouble.

She’dbeensofocusedonRyan,shehadn’tsensedtheirapproach.Shereallywascrapat

this bodyguard stuff. There were two of them. Both male and both big. And when she

breathedin,hernostrilsfilledwiththeferalscentofwolf.

Itwastoolatetogetoutnow.

AndRyanwasstilltooweaktobeofmuchhelp.Itlookedlikeitwasdowntoher.Time

toearnhersalary.Notthatshewasbeingpaidasalary,atleastthatsheknewof.Ithadn’t

beendiscussed.Allthesame,herreputationwasatstake.

Behind her, Ryan was struggling to rise. She turned back to him and patted his arm.

“Leavethistome.”

…

Ryanrubbedattheplacewhereshe’dzappedhim.Hisskinwasicycold.

Butthebloodwassingingthroughhissystem,lightingfires,wakinghimfromthedead.

Hecouldfeelhiswoundshealing,hisfleshcomingtogether.

Hewantedmore.Heneededmore,likehehadneverneededanythinginhislife.

His fangs were fully extended. And he curled his lip, reaching for the source of the

sweetblood.Shesteppedoutofreachandslappedhishandaway.“Ryan,getagrip.We

havecompany.”

Heglancedpastherthen,hisgazelockingontwoofthebiggestgoddamnwerewolves

hehadeverseen.Theystoodintheopendoorway.Andallthatwasbetweenthemandhim

was a five-foot slip of a girl they could probably break in two with one snap of their

fingers.

Orclaws.

Their hands were changing as he watched, the claws extending, black hair sprouting

fromtheirknuckles.

He hated fucking werewolves. He glanced from them to Winter. Fear rose inside him

and panic took hold of his mind. She wasn’t moving, and she should be running. “You

havetogetoutofhere,now,”hesaid.“Thisisnotyourfight.”

She looked at him as though he were crazy. “Of course, it’s my fight. I’m your

bodyguard.”

“Piers never meant for this to happen. You’re supposed to phone for help. Get out of

hereandusethefuckingphone,Winter.”

Sheshrugged.“Ileftitinthecar.Sorry,butIwasinahurry.”

“Youleftitinthegoddamncar?Thengousethephoneinreception.Justgetthefuck

outofhere.”Hehadtomakeherleave.Somehow.Hecouldn’tbeartowatchherdie.She

didn’tdeservetodie.Shewassweetandgood.Whatthehellwasherfatherdoing,letting

herlooselikethis?AndwhatthehellwasPiersthinking,lettingherputherselfinharm’s

way?

Shedidn’tmove,exceptmaybetoedgealittleclosertohim.Wasshecrazy?Shehadto

getasfarawayfromhimaspossible.Hewasnothingbuttrouble,justafucked-upmess

who’d never been any good to anyone. Just like he wouldn’t be able to help Winter.

“Winter,youcan’tdie.Notforme.They’llletyougo.You’renotpartofthis.”Heturned

tothewerewolves.“You’lllethergo,right?”

Oneofthemgrinned,thenlickedhislips.“Ofcoursewewill.Ifsheasksnicely.”

“Askthefucknicely,Winter.”

Shetotallyignoredhim.

Herolledoffthebedandcrashedtohisknees.Hewasasweakasakitten.Hegrabbed

hold of the edge of the bed and dragged himself up, then swallowed, trying to find the

wordsthatwouldsaveher.

They were in the room now, so he could smell them. Inside, his wolf awoke. But his

wolfcouldn’thelphimnow.“Herfather’sanimportantman.Youdon’twanttopisshim

off.He’llcomeafteryou,andyou’llwishyou’dneverbeenborn.”Heturnedhisattention

toWinter.“Tellthemwhoyourfatheris,Winter.Goddamnit,tellthemnow.”Heswayed

andheldtighter.

One of them lunged toward Winter, and Ryan roared and dived toward him, crashing

face-firsttothefloor.Hepushedhimselfup,justassavageclawsswipedforher.Only,she

wasn’tthere.Shemovedfasterthanhecouldfollow,andheshookhisheadtryingtomake

senseofwhathewasseeing.

Shecameatthewolffrombehind,herhandgraspinghisshoulder.Andthemanwent

still. Shock flared on his face. He opened his mouth and…just stopped. Exactly as he

stood.

“Whatthefuckdidyoujustdo?”thesecondwerewolfgrowled,andreachedoutforher.

Thistimeshestoodherground.

“This,”shesaid.Andshewrappedherhandaroundhisarm.

His eyes widened, then he froze in place. Ryan could see the ice flow over his body

fromthepointofcontact.

Blinking, he shook his head. He couldn’t take his eyes off the two figures frozen in

place.Hepulledhimselfalongthelengthofthebed,reachedouthishand,andtouchedthe

nearestone.Theguy’sskinwascoldasice.Ryanflinchedanddrewhishandaway.

Winter came up beside him, pushing a wheelchair. She tugged his hands free of their

holdonthebed,thennudgedhimgently,andhecollapsedbackintoit.

“Aretheydead?”heasked,notsureifhewantedtoknowtheanswer.

“Unfortunately,not.Theycouldcomearoundanytime.Andtheyprobablyhavefriends

whoaregoingtoruninatanymoment,solet’sgetoutofhere.Ihavemylimits.”

“Youdo?”Hefoundthat,atleast,alittlecomforting.

Shegrabbedthesheetfromthebedandlaiditonhisknee,tuckingitin,thenpickedup

his pile of clothes from the table next to the bed, his boots from the floor, and bundled

themontopofhim.

As they passed the first wolf, Ryan stared. The man’s eyes were moving, following

themastheycrossedtheroom.Itlookedlikehewascomingaround.

“Let’sgo.”

Shepushedhimoutthedoor,thenhesitated.Ignoringthesigntoreception,sheheaded

toward the emergency exit. As they reached it, he leaned forward and pressed down the

bar to open the door, and they moved out into the freezing air. She stopped and swore

underherbreath.

They’dcomeoutonametalfireescape,onestoryup.Nowaycouldshemaneuverthe

wheelchairandhimdownthosestairs.

Hetriedtopushhimselfupbutwasstilltooweak.Heneededmoreblood.

“Sorry,”shemuttered.Thenshetippedupthewheelchair,andhetumbledout,bouncing

androllingdownthemetalstairstolandinanundignifiedheapinthesnowatthebottom.

Winterpushedthechairdownandcametoahaltbesidehim.

“Idon’tbelieveyoudidthat,”hesaid.

“Iapologizedinadvance.Nowgetbackin.”

He pulled himself back into the chair. And she was off and away again, sliding and

slippingthroughtheslushysnowthatcoveredtheparkinglot.

He became aware of something else. Dawn was close, tugging at his consciousness.

Howlongdidhehave?

ShecametoahaltbesideablackSUV,anotheroftheOrder’svehicles.Afteropening

the door, she half-pulled, half-pushed him into the back seat, where he collapsed. She

shovedthewheelchairintothetrunk,andthenranaroundandjumpedinthedriver’sseat.

Secondslater,theyweremoving.

He glanced out of the rear window at the hospital building. The emergency door they

hadcomethroughopenedandafiguresteppedoutontothefireescape.Itlookedliketheir

newfriendshadcomearoundandwereonthemove.

Buttheywereawayandheadingoutontothemainroad.

“Wherearewegoing?”heasked.

“Rightnow,Ijustwanttoputsomedistancebetweenusandthem.Thenwe’lldecide.”

“Ihavetokeepmoving.IhavetogettoLiam.”

“No,youdon’t.Reallyyoudon’t.He’sfine.Theydon’thaveLiam.”Sheglancedover

hershoulderathim.“Itwasalietogetyououtintheopen.Butyouareindanger.Marissa

putapriceonyourhead.”

“You’resureLiam’ssafe?”Shenodded.“Absolutelysure?”Hewantedtobelieveher,

but…“Givemeyourphone.”

Shefumbledontheseatbesideherandthenpassedhimthephone.HekeyedinSteve’s

number.Hisfriendansweredafterthefourthring.

“Steve.It’sRyan.”

“Fucking hell, Ryan. It’s the middle of the night. And it’s Christmas fucking Eve

tomorrow.Whatisit?”

“IsLiamthere?”

“DidImentionthemiddleofthenightthing?Ofcourseheis.He’sinbed,justlikethe

restofus.”

“Areyousure?Canyoucheck?Please,Steve,it’simportant.”

Hecouldheartherustleofblankets,Stevemutteringunderhisbreath,awomaninthe

backgroundaskingwhatwasgoingon.Hegrittedhisteeth,holdinginhisimpatience.

“Yeah,he’shere,”Stevesaid.“Sleepinglikeababy.Youhappynow?”

OhGod,Liamwassafe.Hehadanotherchance.“Thanks.”

“Look,what’sgoingon,Ryan?”

“Nothing.Well,something,butIdon’twanttogetintoitoverthephone.I’llbethere

tomorrow night.” He did the math on his head. “About nine or ten, depending on the

weather.”

“It’sChristmasEve,Ryan.Whatthefuck.”

“Sorry.”Hecouldfeelthedawntuggingathismind.“Ihavetogo.I’llexplainwhenI

getthere.Andhey—keepLiamathometomorrow.”

“You’rejoking.”

“No.Justkeephimsafe.”

“Areyouinsomekindoftrouble?”

“I’vegottogo.Talktoyoutomorrownight.”Heendedthecallandrestedhisheadback

againsttheseatforamoment,weakwithrelief.Andweakwithhunger.Andjust…weak.

“It’snearlydawn,”hesaid.Hehadn’tbeenoutsideafterdawnsincehe’dbeenturned.It

wouldchangeashegotolder,butrightnow,hehadnocontrol;thesuncameupandhe

slept.Ordied.Whatever.Andifhewasoutsidewhenthathappened,hewastoast.

Winterglancedoverhershoulder,herlowerlipcaughtbetweenherteeth.“Iknow.But

thewindowsaretinted.You’llbeokay.”

Hehadnochoicebuttotrusther.Andstrangely,hedid.Heneededtotellhersomething

beforehepassedout.

“Winter.”

“What?”

“Thankyou,”hesaid.

“Don’t thank me. I messed up. I shouldn’t have let you out of my sight. And I won’t

again,onceIgetyoubacktotheOrder.”

“I’mnotgoingback,”hesaid.“IfIgoback,they’llkeepmethere.AndIhavetogoget

Liam.”Hecouldfeelthepulloftheday.Hedidn’thavelong.“Promiseyouwon’ttakeme

back.”Shewassilent.“Please,Winter,promiseme.”

Shesighed.“Ipromise.”

Thathadtobeenough.Anythingelsewouldhavetowaituntilsunset.Itwastimetodie.

…

Everything went silent in the back seat. She’d lost him. Gone to wherever vampires go

duringtheday.Sheblewoutherbreathandtriedtoloosenherdeathgriponthewheel.At

least the snow had stopped, and the night was clear. She was back on the motorway,

headingnorth.

She chewed on her lip while she tried to work out what to do. What options did she

have?She’dpromised.Andsomehow,afterthewayshe’dliedtohim,shecouldn’tbring

herselftobreakthatpromise.Besides,itwasrelativelysafe.Theyhadn’tbeenfollowed.

Shewasprettysuretherewasnowaytheycouldbetracked.

Sherubbedhereyes.Ithadbeenalongnight.Soshe’dputalittlespacebetweenthem

andthehospital,thenstopatashopandbuysomemuch-neededsupplies,andfinally,get

off the motorway and find a hotel for the day. Somehow, she’d get the unconscious

vampireoutofthecarandintoahotelroom.Withouthimfrying.Andwithoutherbeing

reportedfortransportingacorpse.

Theadrenalinewasdrainingfromherbloodstream.Shefeltalittleweakandshaky,and

sortofteary.Justcomingdownfromthehighofnearlydying.

Gosh,herdadwouldhavebeensopissed.

She’dtriedtolookconfident,forRyan’ssake.Butithadbeentouchandgo.

Ashiverranthroughherandthenahugeyawn.

Anhourlater,shoppingdone,shepulledupinfrontofthereceptionareaofasprawling

hotelontheoutskirtsofamedium-sizedtown.

Shejusthadtokeepgoingalittlebitlonger.

ShetwistedinherseattolookatRyan.Hiseyeswereclosed,andtherewasnosignof

breathing. When she leaned between the seats and placed her hand on his chest, she

couldn’tfeelaheartbeat.Thatwasnormal,butallthesame,shesniffed.Shecouldhave

donewithhiscompanyandsupportrightnow.That’swhathappenedwhenyoufellfora

vampire—theywerenevertherewhenyouneededthem.

Theskywaslighteningtoadullgray.Anewday.ChristmasEve.Suddenly,shefelta

pangoflonging.Forherfamilyandtheirtraditions.ChristmasEvehadalwaysbeenthe

busiestdayoftheyear,andshe’dlovedit.Shesighedandclimbedoutofthecar.Theman

on the reception desk gave her a curious look but didn’t make any comment. He’d

probablyseenitall.Orthoughthehad.

“CouldIhavearoomaroundtheback,please?It’squieter.Andonthegroundfloor.”

Hejusthandedherakeyandtookhermoney.

“Thankyou.”

She drove the car around the back and parked in front of their room, as close as she

could get. It was full daylight now. She scrambled into the back and crouched beside

Ryan,consideringhimforamoment.Thesheetshouldcovermostofhim.Sheduginto

thebagofshoppingandpulledoutthescarfshe’dbought,wrappeditaroundhisneckand

face,thenrammedthehatontopofhishead.

Then she got out and opened the room so they could get in fast, running inside and

pullingthecurtainsacrossthewindowsleavingtheplaceindarkness.Returningtothecar,

shetuggedthewheelchairoutofthetrunkandpositioneditnearthebackdoor.Thenshe

stoodback,handsonherhips,andblewoutherbreath.

God,hewassobig.

Itwasagoodthingshewasstrongerthanshelooked.

She made sure the sheet was wrapped around him securely, then hooked her hands

underhisshouldersandpulled.Itwasawkwardwiththechairintheway,butshefinally

maneuvered him into it. The sheet had come away from his feet and they were already

turningpink.Shepulleditoverhimagainandtuckeditin.

“Thatyourboyfriend?”avoiceaskedfrombehindher.Shejumped.

Awomanstoodthere,inashortskirtandsandals—asinappropriatelydressedasWinter.

“Hepissed?”

Shetookadeepbreath.“Yeah.Felloutthewindowandsprainedhisback.”

“Youneedanyhelp?”

“No.I’mgood,thankyou.”

She waited until the woman had wandered off, then grabbed the leather coat from the

pileofclothesinthebackofthecarandplaceditonhislap.Hewasascoveredashewas

goingtobe.

She pushed the chair toward the room, heaving a sigh of relief as she got inside.

Leavinghimjustinsidethedoor,shewentbacktocollecttherestofRyan’sclothesfrom

thecar.Whenshegotback,sheclosedthedoor.Therewasonlyonebed,butitwasbig,

and she pulled back the covers and sheets. After pushing the wheelchair close, she half-

tipped, half-dragged the unconscious vampire onto the bed. She pulled off the hat and

scarf, thought about removing the hospital gown but decided against it. Instead, she just

straightened his limbs and stood back. The wound on his head was almost healed. She

pushedupthesleeveofhisgown.Thecutherewasmoreserious—itlookedlikethearm

hadalmostbeenseveredattheshoulder,butit,too,washealingwell,andwouldprobably

benearlyasgoodasnewbythetimeheawokeatsunset.

Shetuggedtheblanketsoverhim—notthatheneededthem,butmaybesheneededthe

illusionofsomesortofnormalcy.Thatwasanewthoughtforher.

Finally,herworkdone,shecollapsedintoachair.Shelookedatthefoodshe’dbought,

thengrabbedthebottleofwhiskyandtookalongpull.

Intheevening,whenRyanawoke,theywouldhavetodecidewhattodonext,butfor

now,shewasgoingtocrash.

ChapterNine

DAY

HRISTMAS

“Howareyou?”

Ryandidn’tanswer,andhedidn’topenhiseyes.Herecognizedthevoice.Winter.She’d

savedhim,takingdowntwoofthebiggestmotherfuckingwerewolveshehadeverseen.

Clearly,he’dunderestimatedher.

AndLiamwassafe.Theyhadn’tkidnappedhim.AndRyanwasn’tgoingtogivethem

theopportunity.He’dgocollecthisnephewandtakehimbacktotheOrder.Pierswould

justhavetolivewithit.

Howwashe?

Relieved.Andhungry.

Reallyhungry.

Hesniffed.Herbloodwassweetandsonear.Justalittlebiteaway.

She’d let him drink from her at the hospital. How could he have ever guessed how

different it would be, feeding from another living being? Not the taste of blood, but the

tasteoflife.Nowhewouldneverforget,andhewouldalwayscrave.

“Ryan?” She touched him lightly on the shoulder, and every muscle went tight. His

fangselongated,andhisdickcametolife.Whichwasaproblem,becausehedidn’thave

enoughbloodtosparefornonessentialsrightnow,anditlefthimalittlelight-headed.His

dickjerkedasthoughtoargueitscaseforupgradetoessential.

Forcinghislidsopen,hestaredstraightintoherface.Shewassoclose.Heballedhis

handsintofists.

“Ithinkyou’dbetterbackoff,”hemuttered.

Hereyeswidened.Butsheslowlystraightenedandtookastepback.Heriskedabreath.

No,stilltooclose.“Farther.”

Shebackedawayuntilshewasagainstthewall,thenliftedonebrow.“Farenough?”

Maybe.Maybenot.

“I’mhungry,”hesaidinexplanation.

“I know, and I’m sorry. But you’re just going to have to forget your principles for

tonight.”

Hepulledhimselfupsohewasleaningagainstthewallandwatchedherwarily.“Ihave

nocluewhatyou’retalkingabout.”

Sheheldoutherarm,wristup.“I’mafraidI’mtheonlyfoodaroundrightnow,andyou

needtoeat.”

He went still, his gaze locked on the outstretched arm. Was she suggesting what he

thoughtshewassuggesting?

Whenshe’dfedhiminthehospital,he’dbeenunconscious.Atleastatfirst.He’dhad

no choice. Now he stared at her wrist with the blue tracing of veins, and hunger roared

insidehim.Heforceditdown.He’dalwaysswornhewouldn’tbeoneofthosevampires,

thathewouldnottakefromahuman,thoughPiershadalwaystoldhimtherewereplenty

ofvolunteerswillingtogive.He’drefused,seeingitasamatterofpride.

Buthewouldn’tbetakingfromWinterbecauseshewasofferingfreely.Ordidshejust

thinkthiswaspartofherjob?“Isthisbecauseyou’remybodyguard?”heasked.

Shestaredback.“No.It’sbecauseI’myourfriend.”

Asthewordssankin,heclosedhiseyesforamoment.Hewantedthis,buthadafeeling

thatitwouldchangethingsforever.Maybehe’dneverreallyconsideredhimselfoneofthe

monsters.Afterthis,wouldhebeabletodenyit?

“You’renotamonster,”shemurmured.

“Canyoureadmymind?”

“No,butyourfaceisprettyexpressive.Sometimesyouhavetotakewhat’sofferedin

thenameoffriendship,Ryan.It’sthewayweallsurvive.”

Shetookastepcloser,andhebreathedinhersweetscent.Hewantedthissomuch.But

hecouldn’thurther,andhewasafraidhewouldlosecontrol.Whatifhekilledher?She

washelpinghim,andhe’dlosecontrolandripoutherthroatand…

Shesankdownontotheedgeofthebed.Andhedidn’ttellhertogo.Hisbreathingwas

speedingup,hisheartracing.Hisfangswerefullyelongatednow,andheranhistongue

alongthem,tastingthesharpmetallictwangofhisownblood.Itjustincreasedhiscraving

forhers.

Hiseyesfixedontheveininherwrist.Therewasafaintmarkwhereshe’dbledforhim

lastnight.Shehealedfast.

Sheliftedherotherhand.Herindexfingerextended,lengthened,whitelikeice,intoa

point,andsheranitacrossherwristsothebloodwelledup,andhewaslost.Hetookher

arm,helditwithbothhands,andlifteditalmostreverentlytohismouth.

Don’tloseit.Don’tloseit.

He kept his gaze locked on hers as he licked along the cut and almost swooned. A

shudder ran through him. Winter’s was different than the other blood he’d had, richer,

warmer,fulloflife.Helatchedon,suckedhard,feltthewarmbloodfillhismouth,trickle

downhisthroat,warmhim,bringlifebacktothedeadplaces.Anddeepinsidehim,his

wolfblinkedsleepily.

Icandothis.

Hetookadeepbreath,strokedhistonguealongthecut,andheldherawayfromhim,

justtoprovehecould.

Shegrinned.“That’sreallyimpressive.Imean,Iamreallyimpressed.It’salittlescary

howmuchcontrolyouhave.Notnormal.Butyoushouldtakemore.Youneedtobeback

tofullstrength,justincase.”

“Youdon’tmind?Doesithurt?”Rozhadoncetoldhimthatitcouldfeelamazing,that

Pierscouldmakehercomejustfromhisbite.He’dinformedherthatwasTMI—toomuch

information.Atthetime,she’dbeentryingtopointoutthateatingfromthesourcewasn’t

abadthing,thatinfact,itcouldbeaverygoodthing.MaybeforherandPiers.Theywere

inlove.

“No,itdoesn’thurt,”Wintersaid.“Itfeels…sexy.”

Henarrowedhiseyes.“Youeverfedavampirebefore?”

“Areyoumad?Mydadwouldgocrazy.”

He still had hold of her arm, and he tugged her closer. “I’m glad. I don’t want you

feedinganyothervampire.”Onelasttugandshefellagainsthim,bracingherselfwithher

freehand,herpalmagainsthischest.“Justme.”

Underthesheet,hisdickwashard,andhisballsachedviciously.Lastnight,backinhis

apartment,beforethishadallbegun,she’dnearlyseducedhim.Maybeitwastimeforthe

huntertobecomethehunted.Therewereotherveinshecoulddrinkfrom.Hewantedto

exploreherbodywithhishands,hismouth.Tastehereverywhere.

Ashereleasedhisholdonherwrist,disappointmentflashedacrossherface.Butnotfor

long.Hegrabbedhershouldersandhauledheracrosshim,soshestraddledhiships.Her

eyeswerewide.

Heburiedhisfaceinthesideofherneck,foundthepulsepoint,bitdown,andfelther

stiffen against him. She tasted so good. He pulled back, then stroked the small bead of

bloodfromherwhiteskinwithhistongue,sealingthewound.

“Wasn’t this where we were last night?” he asked. “Before we were so rudely

interrupted.”Slidinghishandaroundthebackofherneck,heurgedherfacetohis,and

kissed her, tasting blood as his fangs nicked her lips. This was obviously a learning

process.Helickedthebloodaway,savoringeverydrop,thenkissedheragain,carefuland

slowly,pushinghistongueintothesweetness,feelinghersquirmcloserinhisarms.

Thenhekissedalongherjawline,nibbling,licking,intoxicatedwiththetasteandscent

ofher.Histonguedippedintoherear,andshemoanedandpushedagainsthim.Hekissed

the pulse point in her throat, felt his hunger rise like an icy fire inside him. His wolf

growled,andthehungercalmed.Raisinghishead,hestaredintoherdazedeyes.

“Youwantthis?”heasked.

Sheranherhanddownoverhischeek,herfingerstrailingacrosshislowerlip,thenshe

leaneddowntokisshimlightly.“I’vewantedyoufromthemomentIsawyou.”

Really?

He’daskhermoreaboutthatwhenhewasn’tinsuchahurry.

Slippinghishandsunderthehemoftherobe,hetuggeditopen,sliditoffhershoulders,

and tossed it on the floor. Beneath it, she was naked, totally naked, and quite the most

beautifulthinghehadeverseen.Herwaistwastiny,curvingoutoneithersidetogenerous

hips and firm, full breasts, tipped with dark red nipples, now tight little buds. Unable to

resist,heloweredhisheadandkissedonecarefully,lickedit,holdingherasthetremors

ranthroughherbodyandherspinearched.

Heshiftedhishandstoherhips,hisfingersdiggingintothesoftflesh,andthenturned

herquicklysoshelayonherback,hereyeswideasheleanedoverher.

For a moment, he just stared. Her skin was pale and flawless. The hair between her

thighsmidnightblack.

He kissed her throat and then her breasts, sucking and nibbling and licking down her

body. She tasted of ice cream, cool and sweet and totally delicious. He nipped at her

nipples, and she squirmed, then he laid a trail of butterfly kisses over her flat belly,

blowingsoftlyonthecurlsatthebase.Herthighspartedtemptingly,andheshifteddown

thebed.

Hisdickwassohard,hemightexplodeatanymomentandthatwouldbeawaste.First,

heneededtomakehercome,becausehewasprettysurehewasgoingtolastnotime.And

maybejustonemorelittletaste.

Lowering his head, he stroked his tongue along the seam of her sex, then kissed her

innerthigh,ranhistonguealongthelineoftheveinandfeltthethrumofherpulse.

When he glanced up the line of her body, he found her staring down at him, her lips

slightlyparted.Shegaveasmall,almostimperceptiblenod,andhisbreathcaught.Buthe

wanted this, needed this. His hunger was overwhelming. He lowered his mouth again to

herflesh,bitdown,feltthemomenthisfangspiercedtheveinandherwarmbloodfilled

hismouth.Heatandlifeflowedthroughhim.Andhisneedbuiltinsidehim.

Howhadheeverdonewithoutthis?

Hishandslidupherotherthigh,partedthefoldsofhersex,findingherhotandwet.He

forcedhisfangsfromhervein,lickedatthesmallwound,thenshiftedslightlysohecould

place his mouth on her sex. She went still beneath him, then her hips lifted, pressing

againsthim.

…

Holymoly.

Nothinghadeverfeltthisgood.Ever.

Winter closed her eyes and let the waves of pleasure wash over her, coalescing in her

belly,building…

Histonguestrokedalongthelengthofher,lappingather,teasingcirclesaroundherclit

untilshealmostscreamedwiththeneed.Shepushedupagainsthim,andatlast,hewas

there.Suckingandnibbling,pressingwiththeflatofhistongue,thenteasingwiththetip.

Everything tingled, as if she was filled with fairy dust, and she was going to burst into

flames and be totally consumed. Then he bit down gently, and everything tightened. He

strokedwithhistongue,andsheexplodedintoathousandglitterypieces.Asshetumbled

throughspace,hekissedher,andshewasflying.

Sheopenedhereyesashecrawledupthebed,settlingbetweenherthighs.Forasecond,

hestareddownather,hiseyesglowingcrimson,andshecouldsmellthewoodsyscentof

werewolf.Thenhepushedinsidewhileherorgasmstillrippledthroughher.Hewasbig,

andhestretchedher,thesensationborderingonpain,anditfeltsogood.

Hepulledout,andpleasureshiveredthroughher.Thenheshovedbackin,grindinghis

hipsagainsther.Herspinearched,andshecameagain.

Shewasvaguelyawareofhimcominginsideher,butitwasablurofmingledpleasure

andpain.Hecrasheddownontoherandtheairwhooshedfromherlungs.Thenherolled

hersoshewassprawledacrosshim,hisbighandsholdinghertight.

“Thankyou,”hesaid.

“Mypleasure.Really,itwas.”

Achucklerumbledthroughhim.

Theyhadtomove,makeaplan.Butsheallowedherselfjustafewmoments,withhim

stillinsideher.Ifshewasn’tmistaken,hewasgrowinghardagain.

Well,maybetherewastimeforaquickie.

ChapterTen

Half an hour later, they were on the road heading into the darkness. Snow was falling

again, and Ryan was driving. Winter sat beside him, munching on a packet of chocolate

cookiestogetherstrengthup—shewasfeelingalittlelightheadedfrombloodloss.

She swallowed the last, brushed the crumbs off her fingers, and cast him a sideways

glance.Asifsensingherattention,helookedawayfromtheroadandflashedheragrin.

Hewaswearingtheclothesshe’dpickeduponthewaytothehotellastnight—hisown

hadbeenalittlebloody—blackjeansandablackshirt.Withtheleathercoatoverthetop,

helookedleanandmeanandsupercool.Healsoappearedmorerelaxedthanshe’dever

seenhim.Atpeacewithhimself.

Greatsexwoulddothat.Shefeltallbonelessandmelty,andshehopedtheywouldget

to do it again. And again. But first she had a confession to make, and she just hoped it

wouldn’ttotallyruinthemoodandmakehimhateher.

“What’stheplan?”sheasked.Theyhadathree-hourdrivebeforetheyarrivedatRyan’s

oldhometown.Thatwouldgetthemtheresometimebeforeeleven.

“We go in there, pick Liam up, and head back to London. There should be plenty of

timetogetbackbeforedawn.”

“Andareyougoingtotellhim?”

“Tellhimwhat?”

“Whathappened?Whatyouare.”

He snorted. “I don’t think so. I mean, what am I supposed to say? Hi, Liam, sorry I

haven’t seen you since your mom died, but I’m a vampire and a werewolf now, and it’s

been a little difficult. You want to come and live with me?” He ran a hand through his

messyhair.“He’dprobablyrunsofastintheoppositedirection,we’dnevercatchhim.”

Shegrinned.“Youmightberight.Butyou’llhavetotellhimsometime.”

“WhenwegetbacktotheOrderandhecan’trun.”Hesighed.“I’dhopedtokeephim

outof this life.At least untilhe was grown upand could makehis own decisions about

whetherhewantedanythingtodowithme.”

ShethoughtofLiam’sletterandthetearstains.“Hewantsyou.You’rehisonlyfamily.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve no choice now. They’ve already used him against me once. I won’t

riskthathappeningforrealnexttime.”

Shebitherlip.Nowwasthetimetomakethatconfession.Butshedidn’twanthimto

hateher.Shewasn’tquitesurewhatshewanted,butshehopedherfuturewouldbeatthe

Order,maybeworkingalongsideRyan.Gettingtoknowhimbetter.Partofherwishedshe

wasthesortofgirlwhocouldofferhimmore,andthathewasthesortofmanwhowould

appreciatetheoffer.Butshesuspectedtheywerebothtoosetintheirways,andshenever

wantedtohurthim.Theycouldstillbefriends.Withlotsofbenefits.

Butshecouldn’tbehisfriendwiththeliebetweenthem.

“You’vegonequiet,”Ryansaid.

Sheclearedherthroat.“There’ssomethingIneedtotellyou.”

“Thereis?”

“And I think you’re going to be mad at me. But I just wanted to help. Only I didn’t

knowaboutthepriceonyourhead.Iwouldneverhavedoneit,ifI’dknown.”

“Donewhat?”

Shetookadeepbreath.“Igotsomeonetomakethatphonecalltoyou.Lastnight.And

pretend that they had Liam.” He didn’t say anything. Maybe he’d never say anything to

heragain.Still,sheforcedherselftogoon.“ItwasobviousthatyouwantedtoseeLiam,

andyouwereonlystayingawayoutofsomemisguidedideathathewasbetteroffwithout

youinhislife.”

“Butyouknewbetter.”

“Yes.No.Maybe.AsIgottoknowyou,Irealizedthattheonlywayyouwouldgivein

andgotohimwasifyoubelievedheneededyou.Andhedoes.”

Thecarwasslowing,andRyanpulledovertothesideoftheroad.Astheycametoa

stop, he turned in his seat to peer at her. “Let me get this straight. You got someone to

pretendtheyhadkidnappedmynephewsoIwouldgorunningtotherescue?”

“Yes.Anditworkedbeautifully.Iwassopleasedwithmyself.ExceptthenGrahamtold

me that this Marissa wolf had put a price on your head, and I knew I’d sent you into

danger.Icouldn’thavelivedwithmyselfifanythinghadhappenedtoyou,nottomention

Pierswouldhaveevisceratedme.Iwassupposedtokeepyousafe.”

“Yeah,notparticularlyeffectivebodyguarding.”

“Totalcrap,”shemuttered.Shestudiedhim,tryingtoreadhisbodylanguage.Washe

furiouswithher?Wouldheloseit?

“Soyoucamerunningtotherescue?”

“Yes, except they ran you off the road before I got there, and I thought I was too late

and…”Sheranoutofwords.

Hewassilentforamoment.

Hereitcomes.

Hewasgoingtoblastintoher.Mayberipherheadoff.Drainherdry.Hideherbody.

Instead,hechuckled.Shestaredathimindisbelief.“You’renotangry?”

“I’mfuckingfurious.”Hesighedandshookhishead.“Why?”

“Ijustwantedtohelp.IcouldtellyoufeltbadaboutLiam.AndChristmasisatimefor

families.And—”

“Enough,” he said. “You did it. You’re sorry. And you did come and rescue me after

all.”Heblewouthisbreath.“Weneedtomoveon.”

Shereachedoutandrestedherhandonhisarm.“Butitmeansthewolvesdidn’tgoafter

yournephew.Somaybeyoucanleavehimwhereheis,afterall.Ifthat’swhatyouwant,

whatyouthinkisbest.”

“No.Westicktotheplan.WhenIthoughtIwasn’tgoingtomakeit,Ipromisedmyself

thatifIdidsurvive,IwouldgoandseeLiam.Makesureheknowsthere’saplaceforhim

withme.”

Heswitchedontheengineandpulledontotheroad.

Winterstaredoutofthewindshieldasthesnowfell,cocooningthemintheirownlittle

world.Shewasgladhewasgoinganyway.ForbothhimandLiam.

“I think you’re doing the right thing. It’s horrible to lose someone you love and not

knowwhy.”

“Whodidyoulose?”heasked.

Shewatchedthesnowforaminutebeforeanswering.“Mymom.WhenIwasfour.She

just left. She was a pixie and they’re not known for commitment. My dad said she just

wantedherfreedom.Iguessshewanteditmorethanshewantedme.”

“I’msorry.”

“Metoo.”

“You’reapixie?Iremembernow—you’refickle.”

“Halfpixie.ButItakeaftermymomapparently,thoughIdon’trememberherthatwell.

It’swhymydadworriesaboutme.I’mimpulsive,withcommitmentissues.Atleastyou

won’t have to be concerned about me getting all heavy and serious on you. You know,

becausewehadsexandeverything.”

“I’mnotconcerned.”

“I made a vow when I was six years old that I would never fall in love, because I

couldn’ttrustmyselftostay.”

“Youdon’thavetoworry,either.I’mnotbigoncommitment.”

Maybe she wanted to worry a little bit. She wanted to ask why, but that was a

conversationforanothertime.“We’llkeepitlightthen?Andjust,youknow…betogether,

untilwedon’twanttobetogether.”

“Soundslikeaplan.Actually,thereisafavoryoucandoforme.”

“Anything.”

“Ifhecomeswithus,willyoulookafterLiamformetomorrow?Duringtheday,while

Isleep.It’sChristmas.Idon’twanthimtobealone.”

“I’d love to.” Relief washed though her. Ryan didn’t hate her. Liam was going to be

withhisuncleforChristmas.Andaftertheholidays,shewouldgetherjobattheOrder.

Everythingwasgoingtoworkout.“Let’sgogethimandtakehimhome.”

ChapterEleven

LMOST

HRISTMAS

Ryancouldtellthehousewasemptyastheywalkedupthedriveway.Throughtheopen

curtains,thesilverlightsofaChristmastreeflickered,butotherwise,thebuildingwasin

darkness.Hesupposedtheycouldallbeinbed.Buttheplacehadanemptyfeeltoit.

“They’renothere,”shemurmuredfrombesidehim.

“No.”Hadsomething happened?They’darrived laterthanthey’d expected.Thesnow

had thickened, and he’d had to crawl along in almost zero visibility. Luckily, the snow

plows had been out—eager to get their Christmas overtime—and the roads were clear.

Otherwise, they would have been walking. Now the snow had stopped, and everything

wasaglitteringwonderland.ItwasgoingtobeawhiteChristmas.Abovehim,theskyhad

cleared,andthestarsshonedown.Heglancedathiswatch—itwasjustbeforemidnight.

WherewasLiam?

As he approached the front door, he saw an envelope stuck to the glass, with Ryan

scrawledacrosstheback.Hetoreitoffandpulledoutthenote.

Ryan,youbastard,wherethehellareyou?I’vebeentryingtocallyousincenine.No

fucking answer. We’ve gone to midnight mass. You’d better be here when we get back.

Steve.

“They’vegonetochurch,”hetoldWinter.

“Dowewait?”

“No. Let’s walk over there. It’s only ten minutes away.” He couldn’t face hanging

around,waiting.Andafterthelongdrive,itwouldbearelieftostretchhislegs.

Hefeltgoodbothphysicallyandmentally,betterthanhecouldeverrememberfeeling.

Vitallyalive,whichwasironic,really.

The snow was crunchy underfoot. Winter walked beside him and after a minute, she

slippedhersmallhandintohis.

He’dforgivenher.Ithadbeeneasy;he’dbeenmoreshockedbyhersheeraudacitythan

angry.Andevenalittleamused.Perhapshisreactionwaslessthanaltruistic,becausehe

wantedtomakelovetoheragain.Hecouldhardlydothatifhewasatoddswithher.And

already,hehungeredforherblood.

Bloodandsex.Hewasasimpleguy.

Butitwasmorethanthat.Shewasright.Subconsciously,he’dbeenriddledwithguilt

over ignoring Liam, because it hadn’t been the totally selfless act Winter had described.

Yes, he hadn’t wanted to bring Liam into his fucked-up world, but it had been almost a

relieftohaveajustifiablereasonforstayingaway.Beingavampiregavehimtheperfect

excuseforkeepingtohimselfandnotlettinganyoneclose.

Hewasacoward.Healwayshadbeen,asfarascommitmentwasconcerned.

“Youknow,”hesaid.“Ilostmymotheraswell.WhenIwaseight.Shegotfedupwith

waitingwhilemydadwentinandoutofprison,andjustwalkedawayfromusall.”

“I’msorry,Ryan.”

“Ineverheardfromheragain.”

Scary how their pasts were so similar. As were the results—both terrified to commit.

He’dhatedhisdad,andhadheldhissisteratarm’slength,becausehehadn’ttrustedherto

stay.Andassoonashewasable,he’dgottenasfarfromthistownashecould,heading

southandlosinghimselfintheanonymityofLondon.

Nowhefeltthetugoffamiliarity.He’dwalkedthisroutetoschooleverydayforyears.

Hestoppedatthewroughtirongatesinfrontofthechurchgrounds,pushedthemopen,

andusheredherdowntheyew-linedavenuethatledtothetoweringgothicchurchandits

hugewoodendoors.

Theservicewasstillinprogress,andthesoundofsingingdriftedoutintothestillnight

air.“OLittleTownofBethlehem.”Heheadedforthedoor,butthenpausedassomething

occurred to him. Weren’t vampires supposed to be barred from churches? Didn’t they

spontaneouslycombustorsomething?ThatwouldimpressLiam.

Beforehecoulddecidewhethertoriskit,thesingingstoppedandamomentlater,the

joyfulringingofthechurchbellsfilledtheair.Midnight.ItwasChristmasDay.

“HappyChristmas,”Wintermurmured,andhesqueezedherhand.

Thedooropened.Hesteppedtotheside,Winterbesidehimasthecongregationstarted

toleave.

Ryan studied them, watching for his nephew. He hadn’t seen Liam in more than two

years.Wouldhehavechanged?Thechurchwasnearlyemptybythetimehespottedhim.

God,he’dgrown.

HewasastallasRyannow.Butlanky,withshortdarkhair.

“Helooksjustlikeyou,”Winterwhisperedfrombesidehim.

LiamwaswithSteveandhiswifeandpresumablytheirfourkids,buthelookedapart

and alone. As the small group came up level with them, Ryan stepped out onto the

pathway.

“Hello,Liam.”

Theyallstopped.Ryankepthisgazefixedonhisnephew,catchingthemomenttheboy

recognizedhim,theflashofasmilethatwasquicklywipedoutandreplacedwithascowl.

He hoped the boy wasn’t going to make this difficult. They needed to get back on the

road.Butfirst,heowedLiamanapology.

“I’msorryaboutyourmother,”hesaid.“Andfornotbeingthereforyou.”

“It’sbeensixmonths.Wherewereyou?”

He shrugged. Now was not the moment to go into that particular answer. Hopefully,

therewouldbelotsoftimelater.“It’sdifficult.Iwillexplain,buttherewerereasons.”

“Reallygoodreasons,”Winteradded.Shenudgedhimtothesideandheldoutherhand

toLiam.“Hi,I’mWinter.I’mafriendofyouruncle’s.”

“Youlooklikeatotaldick,Ryan,”Stevesaid.“Tellmethetwoofyouhavejustcome

fromafancy-dressparty.”

Ryanglanceddownathimself.Allinblack,helookedlikeagoddamnvampire.Winter

was no better, in her black leather Goth gear. They were a matching pair. He grinned.

“Yeah.Somethinglikethat.I’vecometotakeLiamhomeforChristmas.”

“Home?”Liamasked.

“We’reheadingbacktoLondon.I’dlikeyoutocomeandspendtheholidayswithme.

Afterthat,youcandecidewhereyouwanttolive.”

“ButIcouldstaywithyou?”HesoundedsotentativethatRyan’sheartached.

“If you want.” There was a good chance that he wouldn’t, not once everything came

out. If he decided to come back here, then Ryan wouldn’t make him stay. “I hope you

will.”

“Areyousure,Liam?”Steveasked.

“Yeah.I’msure.”

Atthatmoment,Ryan’swolfawokeandgrowledsoftly.Ryanignoredhim,thenstepped

forwardandshookSteve’shand.“Thanks,mate.”

“Onedayyou’lltellmewhat’sbeengoingon,right?”

“Ofcourse.”IftheOrder’splanstorevealtheirexistencetotheworldcametofruition,

thentherewasnoreasonwhyhecouldn’t.Infact,hewasquitelookingforwardtoit.

Hiswolfgrowledagain,thenlashedout,rakinghisclawsdownRyan’sinsides.“Ouch.”

Whatthehellwashisproblem?

Steveandhisfamilyturnedtogo,justasWintertuggedonhisarm.“Ryan?”

Helookeddown.Hereyeswerewideandslightlypanicked.Hefollowedhergaze.The

restofthecongregationhadleft.Onlythevicarstillstoodinthedoorway.Butallaround

them,figuresemergedfromthedarkness.

Ohshit.There’stheproblem.

Hewentstill.Werewolves.Awholefreakingpackofthem,itseemed.Ashewatched,

Marissastrolledoutoftheshadowofthetrees.“HappyChristmas,asshole.It’spayback

time.”

ChapterTwelve

Andthingshadbeengoingsowell.

Stevelookedatthem.“Morefriendsofyours?”heaskedRyan.Hedidn’tsoundunduly

worried.Winterwassurethatwouldn’tlast.

“No,”Ryanreplied.“Youneedtogetoutofhere.AndtakeLiamwithyou.”Heturned

toher.“Yougo,too,”hesaid.

Yeah,likethat’sgoingtohappen.

“No one is going anywhere,” Marissa said. “I wouldn’t want your friends to miss the

party.” Two werewolves moved up to stand at her shoulders. They were huge. Winter

searched the grounds and counted at least twenty more. No way could they take on that

many. Liam was wide-eyed, rooted to the spot. She gave him what she hoped was a

reassuringsmile,butwasn’tsureshepulleditoff.

“Justletthemgo,”Ryansaid.“Theyhavenothingtodowiththis.”

“You killed my mate,” Marissa replied. She was tall with long red hair, and Winter

hatedheronsight.

“Hetriedtokillmefirst.”

Wintersearchedhermind.Whatwasitshewassupposedtodoifeverythingwentbad?

Callforbackup.Exceptbackupwasatleastfivehoursaway.Thiswassonotgood.She

searchedaroundinherbagforherphone.

EdgingbehindRyan,shepulledthephoneoutandturnediton.Immediately,thescreen

filledupwithalineofmissedcalls.Graham.Whythehellhadn’tshethoughttoswitchit

onearlier?

Sheknewwhy.Becauseshehadn’twantedanyonetoorderthemback.Withoutadirect

order,shecouldpleadignoranceandsay…what?Thatitwasjustaninnocentvisit.They

hadn’tbeendoinganythingwrong.Onlyonceagain,she’dmessedupspectacularly.

Sheraisedthephonetoherearandpressedreturncall.

“Er…wehaveabitofasituationhere,”shesaid.

“Winter?”Graham’svoiceheldamixtureofpanicandrelief.“Wherethehellhaveyou

been?Whereareyou?”

“InKendal,pickingupRyan’snephew.”

“You need to get out of there now. There are a whole load of fucking werewolves

headingyourway.”

“Toolate.They’realreadyhere.”

“Shit.Crap.”ShecouldhearthepanicrisinginGraham’svoice.“Youhavetoholdthem

off.Keepthemtalking.Piersisonhisway.Andyourdad.”

“My dad?” she screeched, her gaze automatically going to the sky, as though her dad

mightpopupatanymoment.Buttheskyremainedempty.Couldherdadtakeonawhole

packofwerewolves?Shehadnodoubthewouldtry.OhGod,FatherChristmaswasgoing

todie,anditwasallherfault.

“Pierscalledhim.Apparently,you’regrounded.”

Thatwouldn’tdomuchgoodifshewasdead.

“Just stay alive until they get there,” Graham said. “I’ll find out where everyone is.

Don’tdie.Anddon’tletRyandie.I’llberightback.”

The line went dead. And suddenly she wanted him back now. She was a crap

bodyguard.Ryanhadbeenrightfromthestart.Howcouldshesavehim?Andnow,likely

Liamwasgoingtodie,too,anditwasallherfault.

Everyonewasgoingtodie—her,Ryan,Liam,Steveandhisfamily,eventhevicar.And

FatherChristmas.Thatreallywasn’tfair.

AsshesteppedaroundRyan,hishandcameouttostopher,andshesidestepped,placing

herselfbetweenhimandMarissa.Behindher,sheheardhimswear.

“Youdon’twanttodothis,”shesaid.

Marissaraisedabrow.“Idon’t?”

“JustabouteveryoneinthewholeOrderisheadingourway.IfIwereyou,Iwouldturn

aroundandleavebeforeyoureallypissthemoff.”

Her phone buzzed. Graham. She raised it to her ear. “They’re nearly there,” he said.

“HandmeovertoMarissa.”

“Hewantstotalktoyou.”Shehandedthephoneover.Thewerewolf’snostrilsflaredas

shelistened.Thenshedroppedthephonetothegroundandstampedonitwithherboot.

“You know,” Marissa said to Ryan. “I wanted to take my time with this. It was my

Christmas present to myself. I was going to have fucking fun. You were going to die

screaming.First,I’dkilleveryoneyoulove,andthenyou.Now,Iguesswe’lljusthaveto

killyouquickly.Andthatpissesmeoff.”

Wintertriedtoremembereverythingsheknewaboutwerewolves,huntingforawayto

givethemtime.Onlyonethingcametoher.Butitwasareally,reallybadidea.

“UncleJohn,what’shappening?”Liamwasclearlycatchingonthatsomethingwasn’t

right.

“I’mphoningthepolice,”Stevesaid.Hereachedintohispocket,butagunappearedin

thehandsofthewolfonMarissa’sleft,aimedrightathim.Heslowlyloweredhishand.

“What’sgoingon,Ryan?”

“I’msosorry,”hesaid.“Ishouldneverhavecomehere.Ishouldhavestayedthefuck

away.”

Butthiswasn’thisfault.Thiswasdowntoher.Shehadtofindawaytoputthingsright,

somehowgivethemmoretimeforhelptoarrive.SheturnedtoRyanandspokequickly

underherbreath.“Youhavetochallengeherasawolf.”

“What?”

“It’spacklore.Ifanotherwerewolfchallengesher,thenshemustacceptthatchallenge.

Shehastofightyou,one-on-one.Wolf-on-wolf.”

Steve, who was the closest, picked up her words. “What’s she talking about Ryan?

Fuckingwerewolves?Areyoucrazy?Areyouonsomething?”

Ryansnarled,hisfangshadelongated,andthetipsshowed.Stevetookastepback.As

didLiam.

“Ifyoudon’tchallengeher,”Wintersaidquickly,“shecanjustshootyou.Andtherest

ofus.Weneedtime.Theothersarecoming.You’reawerewolf.Challengeher.”

Ryangrittedhisteeth.“Idon’tknowhow.”

“Justsaythewordsafterme.”

Ryan snarled again, then strode past her and stopped only a foot from Marissa. “I

challengeyou…”

“Underpacklaw,”Wintersaidunderherbreath.

“Underpacklaw.”

“Toadueltothedeath.”

Ryan cast her a look of panicked disbelief, but repeated the words, and a mutter ran

throughthepackofwerewolves.TheyallglancedatMarissa,awaitingherresponse.

Marissaglared.“Areyoucrazy?”

“Withoutafuckingdoubt,”Ryanmuttered.

“You’reyoung,barelyayearold.Andyouexpecttofightme?”

Ryanlookedoverhisshoulderather,andWinternodded.“Yes,”hesaid.

“You’lldie.”

“Hey…weren’tyougoingtokillmeanyway?Andeveryoneelse.Ihaven’texactlygota

lottolose.”

Marissa frowned. “You’re just playing for time. You think someone is going to come

andsaveyou.”Sheturnedtothemanatherside.“Assoonasit’sover,shootthemall.”

Andthenarippleofmagicranthroughtheair,andshewasgone.Inherplacestooda

hugeredwolf,hergoldeneyesgleaminginthedarkness.

SheheardLiam’sindrawnbreath.

“Holycrap,”Stevemuttered.Hischildrenwerehuddledbehindtheirmother,frozenin

place.

“Whatnext?”Ryanaskedher.

“Youneedtoshift.Buttakeoffthecoatfirst,”Wintersaid.

“What?”

“Thecoat—takeitoff.You’llonlyruinit.”

Helookedatherasthoughshewascrazy,butshruggedoutoftheleathercoatanyway.

“Idon’tknowhowtoshift.”

Theredwolfleapedathim,slashingclawsacrosshischeek,andhesnarled.Buthekept

hisbodybetweenthewolfandWinter.

“Justletitgo.”Comeon.Comeon.

She could see the wolf behind his eyes, pacing, growling, but the vampire was too

strong. She needed to find a way to break that control. Winter shrugged out of her own

jacket,releasedherholdonherglamor,andherwingssprouted.Shepoppedintotheair,

overhishead,andlandedinfrontoftheredwolf.

“Winter!”

SheignoredRyan,dancingintheairinfrontofthewolf’snose,soitsnappedather,its

huge,whiteslobberyteethmissingherbyinches.

Behind her, she heard a growl. At last. She turned in the air as Ryan crashed to his

knees.Itwasn’taneasyshift—she’dheardthefirsttimeneverwas,andhisvampirewas

stillfightinghim.Butitwasashift,andshewatchedashisclothesrippedandtheblack

fursproutedoverhisbody.Sheheardthecrackofbonesrealigningasheturnedintothe

scariest wolf she had ever seen, midnight black fur, huge elongated fangs, and crimson

eyes.

“Whatthefuck…”someonemurmured.Shewasn’tsureifthewordscamefromfriend

orfoe.Ryanthrewbackhisheadandhowled.Thenheleaped.Winteronlyjustmanaged

tobuzzoutofthewayashehurtledpastherandslammedintotheredwolf.Marissawent

downundertheforceoftheattack,rolled,andcameuponherfeet.Shebackedaway,all

confidencegone,hergoldeneyeswary.Ryanpacedinfrontofher,alowgrowlrumbling

inhisthroat.Whatwashewaitingfor?

Heturnedtolookather,whereshehoveredjustabovetheground,andshecouldalmost

seethequestioninhiswolf’seyes.ItoccurredtoherthenthatRyanhadverylikelynever

killedanythinginhislifebefore.Hehadnocluewhattodo.Buthehadtoendthis.

Shebaredherteethathim.

Hopinghe’dgetthehint.

Hislongnosewrinkled.

“Forgoodnesssake,”sheyelled.“Killthebitch.”

Marissa took advantage of his distraction and leaped for him, jaws gaping open. She

landedonhisback,herteethburrowingintothefurathisnape.Heroaredandshookhis

head, breaking free. And then they were rolling, a mass of black and red fur, over and

over,aseachtriedtogetakillinghold.

Clawsrakedacrosshisnoseandhehowledinfury.Itseemedtoreleasethelastofhis

controlandhisattackturnedfurious.Secondslater,Marissawaspinnedtotheground.She

whimperedandbaredherthroatinsubmission.

Winter held her breath, praying he would find the conviction to do what was needed.

OnlyMarissa’sdeathcouldendthis.

HelookedatWinter,blinkedhiscrimsoneyes,andthenlungedandsankhisfangsinto

thefurattheredwolf’sthroat.Brightbloodspurtedacrossthewhitesnow.

Heburiedhisheadinthedyingwolf’sthroatandsherealizedhewasdrinking.Afurry

vampire.Cool.

AmovementintheairaboveherheaddraggedhergazefromRyan,andshestaredup

intothenightsky.ItwasherdadonSleipnir,hiseight-leggedhorse,comingtotherescue.

Onlyhewasnolongerneeded.

Theredwolflaydeadonthesnow,andRyanthrewbackhisheadandhowled.

Seriouslyimpressive.

ShefloateddowntothegroundinfrontofLiam.“Areyouokay?”

“Yes.No.Ihavenoclue.”

“Look,thingsaregoingtogetalittlescary,buteverythingwillbefine.”Shehopedshe

wastellingthetruth.Outofthecornerofhereye,shecouldseeRyanstillinwolfform,

pacing and growling. The werewolves had melted back into the trees but were watching

fromtheshadows.Theiralphawasdead,killedinachallenge.Itlookedliketheyhada

newalpha.

A black SUV screeched to a halt. Piers and Roz jumped out and ran across the space

betweenthem.

Piersglancedfromhertothewolf.Ryansnarled.Pierssnarledback.

“What the hell?” he asked Winter. “All you had to do was watch him. Just keep him

aliveforafewdays.Whathappened?”

Sheshrugged.“Hey,he’salive.”

She grabbed Ryan’s coat where it lay on the ground and hurried across to him. He

pausedhispacingandgrowled.Reachingoutherhand,sherestedherfingersinthesoft

fur at his neck. In the crimson depths of his eyes, she saw Ryan take control. The wolf

calmed, and a moment later, the man was back, naked and looking pretty good. She

handedhimthecoat,andheputitonjustasherfathercrash-landedbesideherandjumped

offhishorse.

Hegrabbedherbytheshoulders,staredintoherface,andpeeredatherneck.

Ohshit.

He shook his head. “I knew it was a mistake. From now on, you do not leave the

house.”

Ha,likethatwasgoingtohappen.Anyway,she’dwonthisone.Againstallodds,she’d

succeeded.She’dbroughtLiamhisChristmaspresent—ifnotwrappedinabow,thenat

leastwrappedinalongleathercoat.

“Ididit,Dad.ComeandmeetLiamandhisUncleJohn.”

Epilogue

HRISTMAS

Ryancameawakesuddenlyasthesunset.Helayinthedarknesshumming“JingleBells”

underhisbreath.

Therealizationstoppedhimshort.

ItwasChristmasDay.Andhewasfilledwithasenseofanticipationhehadn’tfeltin…

forever.Hecouldn’twaittogetoutandgofindWinterandLiam,toshareChristmaswith

them.

Thenasweetscenttickledhisnostrils.Someoneclearedtheirthroat,andasmiletugged

athislips.Heopenedhiseyesandfoundherperchedatthebottomofhisbed.Tonight,

shewasdressedinaredleatherminidress,trimmedwithwhitefluff,thighhighshinyred

boots,andamatchinghat.Christ,shelookedcute.

“You’reawake,”shesaid.“It’sabouttime.We’veallbeenwaitingforyou.”

Hepushedhimselfup,draggingthesheetwithhim,thenpattedthemattressathisside.

“Comejoinme.”

“Noway.Mydad’supstairs.”Sheshuddered.

He could see her point. Her dad was seriously scary. “He’s back, then?” They’d only

been briefly introduced last night. Apparently, coming to rescue Winter had put him

behind schedule. He’d dashed off to finish whatever he should have been doing on

ChristmasEve,butwiththepromisetojointhemthiseveningfordinner.

ChristmasdinnerwithFatherChristmas.

Ryan was still trying to get his head around it. His new girlfriend’s dad was Father-

fucking-Christmas.ThoughhewasaprettyfreakingscaryFatherChristmas.Hell,thefact

thatRyanevenhadagirlfriendwasweirdenough.Aftereverythingthey’dbeenthrough

together,hefelthecouldcallWinterthat,eventhoughthey’dagreed—nocommitment.It

wasenough,fornow,thatshewantedtospendtimewithhim.

“Oh yes, he’s here,” she said, jumping from the bed. “And he’s dying to meet you

properly.” She grabbed a pile of clothes from the chair and tossed them to him. “Get

dressed.”

“Where’sLiam?”heaskedashepulledontheclothesandsatdowntoputonhisboots.

“Isheokay?”

“He’sfine.Hesleptuntillunchtimeandnowhe’shelpingRozcookChristmasdinner.”

Hedidn’tthinkRozcouldcook.Anyway,heknewtheonlythinghewantedfordinner.

He lunged for her as she sashayed past, pulling her onto his knee and kissing her. For a

moment,sherelaxedagainsthimandkissedhimback.

“Mydadwillcomelookingforus,”shewarned.“ThoughtherewassomethingIwanted

toshowyoubeforewejointheothers.”Shereachedintothetopofherbootandpulledout

awornpieceofpaper,thenhandedittohim.

“Whatisit?”

“Justreadit.”

Hesmoothedoutthepaperandreadtheletter,felthishearttighteninhischest.Heread

it again, his finger running over the tear-stained words. Liam was right—he was a

dickhead.

“That’swhatstartedallthis,”shesaid.

He lowered his head and rested it against her breasts, breathing in her sweet scent.

“Thankyouformakingithappen.”

“Itwasmypleasure.”

HeheldherhandastheyheadedtoPiers’apartment,onefloorup.

Lastnight,he’dbeensurethattheywereallgoingtodie.Herelivedthemomentwhen

she’d sprouted wings and flown straight for Marissa. His heart had nearly stopped.

“Maybeyourdad’sright—youshouldbeconfinedtothehouse.”

“Ha.Tryit,lover-boy.”

But he didn’t really want to clip her wings. “How about from now on, we keep each

othersafe.”

“Soundslikeaplan.”

Hestoppedatthedoor,loweredhisheadtokissherformoralsupport,justasitopened.

“Hey,”Pierssaid.“It’stheLeaderofthePackandhisbodyguard.”

“Fuckoff.”

Apparently,thatwasanotherthing…andsomethingWinterhadfailedtomentionwhen

shewasscreamingathimtochallengeMarissalastnight.He’dkilledtheoldalpha.Now,

hewastheLeaderofthePack,notapositionhe’deveraspiredto.Butthatwassomething

toworryaboutaftertheholidays.

“Hey,howcomeyounevertoldmeFatherChristmaswasreal?”heaskedPiersasthey

steppedpasthim.

“It never occurred to me that you didn’t know. We’ve been trying to recruit him for

years.”

RyannoddedatWinter’sdadacrosstheroom.Hewaswatchingthemwithhisoneeye.

Ryanguessedhewasgoingtogetagrillingatsomepointthatevening,buthe’dputitoff

aslongaspossible.

Roz came over, Liam beside her, carrying a tray of drinks. Ryan handed a glass to

Winterandtookoneforhimself.

“Howareyoudoing?”heaskedLiam.

“IfeellikeI’vefallendowntherabbithole,butotherwise…okay.It’sactuallyallpretty

coolandnoonehastriedtoeatmeoranything.”Thenheedgedcloser.“Isthatguyover

therereallyFatherChristmas?”

“Yeah.Iknowyouwrotetohim.”

“You’rekidding?Hegotmyletter?”

“Yes. So you’ll want to say thank you, at some point.” He grinned. “I might not be

everyone’sideaofagreatChristmaspresent,butatleastyougotwhatyouaskedfor.”

“Wow.”

“I’lltakehimover,”Wintersaid.

Ryan watched them go, then looked around and sighed. It had taken him a while to

realize it, but these people were his family. He loved them. And suddenly, he knew that

Winterwasgoingtobeshitoutofluckwiththeno-commitmentthing.Buthe’dbreakthat

toherslowly.Afterall,theyhadtime.

Hesteppedintothemiddleoftheroom.Everyonestoppedtalkingandturnedtolookat

him.Heblewouthisbreath.Hecoulddothis.

HelookedatPiers.“IguessIneveractuallysaiditbefore…butthankyou.Thankyou

for saving my life…sort of. For trying to keep me alive, and for giving me the best

bodyguardever.”

“Hear,hear,”Wintersaid.

Thenheturnedtoincludeeveryoneelseintheroom.“Andthankyouallforbeinghere

withmeatChristmas.BecauseChristmasisforfamilies.Andyoupeoplearemine.”

“Shit,”Piersmuttered.“Imightcry.”

Ryan ignored him. He raised his glass. “To families. May we always be together at

Christmas.”

Andeveryoneraisedtheirglassesinreturn.“HappyChristmas.”

IfyoulovedBittersweetChristmas,don’tmissbookoneinTheOrderseries,

BittersweetBlood.Turnthepagetostartreading!

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here

ChapterOne

RuleNumberOne:Neverquestionthepast.

Taratookasinglestepintothealleywayandstopped.

Upahead,somethingshiftedintheshadowsandawaftofwarmaircarriedthestenchof

dirtysmokeandrotteneggstohernostrils.Aprickleofuneaseshiveredacrossherskin.

NowaywassheendingupdeadinadarkalleybeforeshehadachancetobreakRule

Number One. Wrinkling her nose against the smell, she held her breath and backed out

intothebrightlightsofthemainstreet.

Andstraightintosomethingsolidandunexpected.

Forasecond,shethoughtshemusthavehitabrickwall.Abrickwallthathadn’tbeen

therethirtysecondsearlier.

“Areyouokay?”

Abrickwallthattalked.

Swallowingthelumpinherthroat,sheturned.

Hereyeswerelevelwithhischestandatfirstallsheregisteredwashisimmensesize.

Takingaslowstepback,sheforcedhergazeupward.Intheartificiallight,hewasleached

of color, with black hair pulled into a ponytail, and skin so pale it appeared white. She

wentstillassilvereyescapturedhers.Forasecond,shestaredmesmerized,unabletodrag

hergazeawayfromthestranger.

“Areyoulost?”Hespokeagain,breakingthespell.

“No.Yes.Maybe.”Shewavedthemapclutchedinherhand.“Iwasconsideringashort

cut.”

A short cut to the railway station and a fast train away from here. For the last ten

minutes,she’dbeendithering.Shouldshegoahead,breakRuleNumberOne,andperhaps

cometoamessyandprematureend?Orshouldsherunawayandtrytoforgetthestupid

ruleshadeverexisted?

“A short cut down a dark alley? Has no one ever told you it’s dangerous to wander

downdarkalleysalone?”

Was there some subtle threat beneath his words? Did he look vaguely menacing for a

moment? Or was it merely her overactive imagination playing games with her? He was

justaman—atall,powerfullybuiltman,butquiterespectableinhissleek,darkbusiness

suitandredtie.

Still,alittlevoiceinherheadwhisperedtohertoturnandwalkaway—thoughperhaps

notdownthedarkalley.

Butsomethingheldherback.

All her life she’d been afraid. Aunt Kathy had brought her up to fear just about

everything,andshe’ddoneabrilliantjob.ButAuntKathywasdead,andTararefusedto

livelikethatanymore.

“Well?”hemurmuredandsherealizedhewaswaitingforananswer.

“Actually,yes.I’mquiteawareofthedangers.ButIhaveanimportantmeetingandmy

mindwasonotherthings.”Likerunningaway.

He considered her for a moment. “Where is this important meeting? Perhaps I can

help.”

“CRInternational.Youknowit?”

Hislipscurvedintoaslowsmileandsuddenlysherealizedhowdevastatinglyattractive

he was. “You mean the CR International building behind you?” A faint trace of

amusementtingedhisvoice.

Shepursedherlipsbutturnedslowly.Hewasn’tkidding.Itstooddirectlyopposite,on

the other side of the street. An immense structure of steel and smoky glass with CR

Internationalinbiggoldlettersoverthedoor.Howthehellhadshemissedthat?“Oh…

thankyou.”

This was it. Either she’d discover the truth, or she’d be blasted by a bolt of divine

retribution.Timetofindoutwhich.

Shetookafewstepsbutcouldn’tresistglancingbackoverhershoulder.Themanstill

stood,handsinhispockets,watchingher,astrangealmosthungrylookinhiseyes.

“Overactiveimagination,”shemutteredandheadedacrossthestreet.

Ayoungmansatbehindthereceptiondesk;handsome,withdarkredhairlikeafoxand

blueeyesthatperfectlymatchedhisshirt.

“I’mTaraCollins,”shesaid.“IhaveanappointmentwithMr.Grant.”

“I’lllethimknowyou’rehere.”Hereachedforthephonebesidehim,butitrangbefore

he picked up, and he sent her an apologetic glance. “One moment.” As he listened, a

startledexpressionflickeredacrosshisface.“Sure,Christian.Noproblem.”

Heputthephonedown.“Ms.Collins?”

Taranodded.

“I’mafraidMr.Grantcan’tseeyoutonight.”

Tara sagged with relief and bit back a “halleluiah.” She’d done her best, but now she

could legitimately put off breaking Rule Number One just a little while longer. Like

forevermaybe.

“Absolutely no problem,” she said. “Shall I make another appointment? Perhaps in a

coupleofweeks?Amonth?Ayear…?”

Ayearsoundedgood.

He smiled, showing perfect white teeth. “No need. That was Mr. Roth—the owner of

the company—he’ll see you instead. I’ll take you up myself as access to the thirteenth

floorisrestricted.”

He called one of the security guards over from beside the door and spoke with him

quietlythencameoutfrombehindthereceptiondesk.

“Myname’sGraham.Ifyou’dcomewithme…”

She followed him, not to the bank of elevators where a few people waited, but into a

smalleronearoundthecorner.Inside,therewerejusttwobuttons,onepointingupandone

down.Grahampressedtheupbutton,andtheyrosesmoothly.Whenthedoorsopened,he

didn’texit.Instead,hepointedtoasetofblackdoubledoorsopposite.

Tara stared at them, unable to shake the feeling that this was the point of no return.

WhatifAuntKathyhadbeenright?Whatiftherewasaverygoodreasonnottoquestion

thepast?

“Goahead,”Grahammurmuredfrombesideher.“Mr.Rothdoesn’t…bite.”

Tara scowled at the faint thread of amusement in his voice—it seemed as though

everyonewasfindingherfunnytoday.Shestalkedoutoftheelevator.

Thisfloorappeareddeserted,andhushed.Herfeetmadenosoundonthethickcarpets

asshewalkedtowardtheimposingdoors.Withoutgivingherselfanymoretimetothink,

shepressedherfingerlightlytothesmoothblackmetalandthedoorswungopen.Inside,

theroomwasinsemi-darkness,theonlylightspillinginfromthefloortoceilingwindows

thatlinedthefarwall.

Perhapsnoonewashome.

She hovered in the doorway, unsure whether to stay or go, when a man spoke from

inside.

“Comein,Ms.Collins.”

Thevoicewaslow,husky,andvaguelyfamiliar.Shehesitatedamomentmoreandthen

tookthefewstepsinside.Behindher,thedoorswungshut.Theairwascoolagainsther

skinandsheglancedaround.

“Lights,”shemuttered.“Lightswouldbegoodhere.”

A faint click, and warm light filled the room. Tara blinked a couple of times then her

gazelockedonthefigureseatedbehindthehugesteeldesk.

Themanfromthealley.Whywasn’tshemoresurprised?

“Youknow,”shesaid.“Youcouldhaveintroducedyourself.”

Asmallsmilecurvedhislips.“Andspoilthesurprise?”

Yeah,right.

He stood slowly, then came around the desk to stand in front of her, one arm

outstretched.Tarafoughttheurgetohideherhandsbehindherback;somethingaboutthis

mansetheronedge.Ofcourse,itcouldbethatthewhole“breakingtherules”thingwas

just screwing with her mind, that right now, she was predisposed to see weirdness in

everything.

Shegraspedhishandfirmly,intendingthegreetingtobebrief,buthisfingerstightened

aroundhers.Hergazeshottohisface.Hewasn’tahandsomeman;hisfeaturesweretoo

harshforthat,withpaleskinstretchedtightoverhardbones.Buthissilvereyesheldher

mesmerizedasheliftedherhand.Foramoment,shewassureheintendedtokissit,buthe

merely inhaled deeply. Something flashed in his eyes, something hot and hungry, and a

shiverranthroughher.Thentheexpressionvanishedasifithadneverbeen.

“I’mChristianRoth.”

“Soyourreceptionisttoldme.”Shegaveatug.“CouldIhavemyhandback?”

Hesmiledandreleasedher,thengesturedtoachairinfrontofhisdesk.

“Whydon’tyousitdownandtellmehowIcan…helpyou.”Hewaiteduntilshewas

seated, then returned to his own chair. “So, Tara Collins, why do you need a private

investigator?”

This was the moment she’d built herself up for over the last six months. She’d even

practicedthewordsinfrontofthemirror.Butnow,atthelastsecond,theydidn’twantto

comeout.Sheclearedherthroat.Tookadeepbreath.Shecoulddothis.

“IwantyoutofindoutwhoIam.”

There,she’ddoneit.BrokenRuleNumberOne.

Shesatverystill,staringatherhands.Heraunthadalwaysbeenalittlevagueaboutthe

actual consequences of breaking the rules—just that they’d be dire. Tara had always

imagined some sort of fiery bolt from above. Now she waited for it to crash down and

annihilateher.

Nothinghappened.

“So,you’renotTaraCollins?”

“Yes.No.Idon’tknow.I’vealwaysbeencalledTaraCollins.ButIdon’tknowwhoshe

isorwhomyparentswereorwhereIcamefrom.”

“Perhapsyou’dbetterexplainalittlemore.”

She wished she could. Really she did. But she had no explanations; nothing she’d

discoveredsinceheraunt’sdeathmadeanysense.“MaybeIshouldstartatthebeginning.”

“Agoodplacetostart.”

Was he mocking her? But his expression was bland and she decided to give him the

benefitofthedoubt.“IwasbroughtupbymyAuntKathryn.AtleastIalwaysthoughtshe

was my aunt. We lived in a house on the Yorkshire moors. Aunt Kathy was a little…

eccentric.”Andthatwastheunderstatementofthecentury.“Sheneverleftthehouseand

shewouldhavepreferreditifIneverleft,thoughsometimesIwould…”

“Youwould?”

Sometimesshewouldsneakoutandhideonthemoors,highabovethenearbyvillage,

andwatchthepeoplegoabouttheirnormallives,anddreamofbeingpartofthat.Butthat

soundedpatheticandforsomereasonshedidn’twantChristianRothtothinkherpathetic.

“SometimesIwouldgoout,butmostlyI’dstay.Itwasanoddlife,butIdidn’tknowany

different, and I was happy, at least when I was younger. Then six months ago my aunt

died.”

Thefamiliarsenseoflosswashedoverher.Heraunt’sdeathhadn’tbeensudden—she’d

beenillforalongtime—butithadbeentheendofeverythingTarahadknown.

“And?”

Herhandsgrippedtheedgeofthedeskinfrontofher.“AndIfoundeverythingshehad

toldmewaslies.”

“Everything?”

“Idon’tthinkshewasevenmyaunt.Idon’tknowwhoshewas,orwhyshebroughtme

up.Aftershedied,Ifoundpapers,buttherewasnothingabouther.Itwaslikeshenever

existed.”Sheglancedathisimpassiveface.“Mywholeworldwasalie.EverythingIwas

broughtuptobelievein.”Allthosestupidrulesshehadfollowedforthelasttwenty-two

years.

“Sowhatisityou’dlikemetodo?”

Shefrowned.Hadn’tshebeenclear?“Itoldyou,IwantyoutofindoutwhoIam.Who

myauntwasandwhyshewaslookingafterme.”Whenheremainedsilent,shecontinued,

“Ihavemoneytopayyou.ThehousewasinmynameandIhaveallsortsofinvestments.

I’vegotcopiesofthepaperworkhere.Ithoughtitmighthelp.”

Shetookoutthefoldercontainingthemeageramountofpaperworkshe’dbeenableto

findaboutherselfandherauntandplaceditonthedeskinfrontofhim.Shewatchedas

he flicked through the file, his eyes widening. Hers had almost popped out of her head

whenshe’dseenhowmuchmoneyheraunthadstashedaway,allinTara’sname.

Christianclosedthefileandsatback.“Whydoyouwanttoknow?”

Itwasagoodquestion,andoneshe’daskedherselfmanytimes.Shehadalifenow.She

had friends, was going to college, getting real qualifications. She had a chance of that

normallifeshe’dalwaysdreamedof.Butwhileshe’dlovenothingmorethantoforgetthe

past,shecouldn’t.Allthetime,inthebackofhermind,thequestionsniggled.

Why had her aunt lied? What was she hiding? What was so bad that Aunt Kathy had

concealed them away in that big old house on the moors? And what was it with all the

stupidrules?Thelistofquestionswasendlessandsheneededanswers.

“My life has been pretty odd until now and I just want to be normal. But what if I’m

not?”

“Soreally,youwantmetofindproofthatyou’renormal?”

Shesmiled;she’dcometotherightplaceafterall.“Yes.”

There was a light tap on the door. She glanced over her shoulder as Graham peered

inside.

“Christian—”

“Whatisit?”

“PiersLamontisinreception.”

“Okay,Graham.We’vefinishedhereforthemoment.”

Graham closed the door behind him and Christian rose to his feet. “Well, Ms. Collins

—”

“Please,callmeTara.”

“AndyoumustcallmeChristian.Well,Tara,I’llreadthroughthepapersandseewhere

wecangofromthere.Perhapsyoucancomebackinafewdaysandansweranyquestions

thatcomeup.”

Shestood.“Doyouthinkyou’llfindanything?”

“I’msureIwill,anddon’tworry,”headded.“Therewillbeanexplanation.”

Tarasearchedhisface,tryingtodecideifhewastellingthetruth.Orwashejusttrying

to placate her, because really he thought she was crazy, and he wanted to get her out of

there fast? But his face was bland, impossible to read. Suddenly she felt drained. She’d

doneit,brokentherules,andnowshehadtolivewithwhatevertheyfound.

“Tara?”

“Yes?”

“Onequestionbeforeyougo.Howdidyouchooseme?”

For a moment, she considered lying—after all, she had just said she wanted to be

normal. Then she shrugged. “I didn’t choose you. My cat did. He’s called Smokey and

I’vehadhimallmylife.”

He scrutinized her as though wondering what to say next, or perhaps whether to say

anythingatall.“Andjusthowdid…Smokey,chooseme.”

“Well,hedidn’tpickyoupersonally,justyourcompany.Heputhispawrightonyour

advertisement.” Christian regarded her with a strange expression in his eyes, and she

hurriedon,“Idon’twantyoutothinkI’mcrazyoranything,butSmokeyisactuallysuper

brightandIdidlookyouupontheinternetafterward.”

“Very…sensible.”

Why did she get the impression that “sensible” was not the word he was thinking of

rightnow?Perhapsitwastimetoleave.

He must have decided the same, because he strode past her and opened the door.

Grahamwaitedontheotherside.

Bythetimesheenteredtheelevator,TarawasgrinninglikethemadwomanChristian

no doubt thought her to be. She’d done it—broken Rule Number One—and hadn’t been

struckdownbyaboltfromabove.Thenagain,maybeitwasadelayedreaction.Maybe

thatboltwouldhitherasshewalkedoutthedoor.Hergrinfaded.

“Areyouokay?’

Theelevatorhadstopped,butGrahamwatchedher,aslightfrownonhisface.

“Sorry?”shesaid.

“Mr.Rothcanbeoverwhelmingwhenyoufirstmeethim.”

“Hewasverykind.I’mjustalittleworriedaboutwhathe’llfindout.”

“I’msureitwillbefine.”Grahampressedthebuttonandthedoorsparted.Amanstood

waiting,andTara’smouthfellopen.

He looked like a rock star. An enormous rock star. Shoulder length blond hair pulled

intoaponytail,blonddesignerstubble,lotsofblackleather.Shehadabriefimpressionof

himsmilingather,beforeGrahamnudgedheroutoftheelevator.

Therockstarinhaleddeeplyasshepassed.“Mmm.Sugarandspice.”

Her feet slowed, but Graham somehow maneuvered her, not very gently, across the

receptionarea.Sheglancedoverhershoulder.Therockstarwasdefinitelysmiling.

ThecoldairhitherfaceasGrahamescortedherfromthebuilding.

“Mr.Rothtoldmetomakeanotherappointmentinacoupleofdays’time.”

“Friday,”hesaid.“Seveno’clock.”

“Icantaketimeoff,comeduringtheday,ifit’seasier.”

“Mr.Rothpreferseveningappointments.Sevenwillbefine.”

Hedisappearedbackintothebuilding.Glancingatthedarkalleyopposite,Taratooka

deepbreathandsetoffdownthebrightlylitstreet.

NowforRuleNumberTwo.

…

Hercat?

ChristianRothstaredatthecloseddoor.He’dlivedalongtime,andverylittlesurprised

himthesedays.Buthercat?

He inhaled, catching the lingering scent of her on the air. It was mouthwatering; a

sweetness tinged with a sharp, bitter flavor he found intoxicating. He’d spent the entire

interviewwonderingwhethershetastedasgoodasshesmelled.

She was also ravishingly pretty, with that bright blond hair and huge green eyes. But

thatwasn’tusuallyenoughtocatchhisattention.Therewassomethingmore,something

verydifferentaboutTaraCollins.Hejustcouldn’tworkoutwhat.

Yesterday,someonehadlefthimaverycrypticmessage,suggestingheshouldmeether.

He’dbeenundecided.Thenearlierthisevening,Piershadcalledandtoldhimthere’dbeen

ademonsightingclosetohisbuilding.Huntingdemonswasn’tChristian’sjobanymore,

but he’d gone as a favor. He’d tracked the demon to the alley opposite and then been

totally distracted by a delectable blonde who’d crashed into him and sent his senses

reeling.

She’d had the same effect when she walked into his office. For the first time in what

seemedlikeanage,hishungerhadrisen.Evennow,hisgumsachedwiththeneedtofeed.

If it hadn’t been for Piers’s imminent arrival, he’d have gone hunting tonight with little

TaraCollinsashisprey.

ButPierswasonhisway.Firstthephonecall,nowapersonalvisit.Pierswasheadof

the Order of the Shadow Accords, the organization that policed the supernatural world,

and whatever he wanted, it was unlikely to be good news. Still, Christian couldn’t deny

thetwingeofexcitementthattwistedhisguts.He’dmadetherightdecisiontoleave the

Order,buthemissedtheexhilarationofthechase,thethrillofthekill.

Graham stuck his head around. He had a slightly frazzled look in his eyes, no doubt

from the unexpected visitor; Piers tended to have that effect on humans, even ones like

Graham,whohadspenttimearoundtheirkindandknewwhattheywere.

“He’shere,”Grahamsaid.

“Sendhimin.”

“Anotherthing—Pierssawyournewclientinreception,andI’mguessinghelikedwhat

hesaw.”

“Shit.”He’dhavetowarnPiersoff,whichwasboundtopiquehisinterest.

WhatwassoalluringaboutTaraCollins?

Piers was dressed in his usual gear, black leather pants and a long black leather coat.

Tall,aroundChristian’ssix-foot-four,hewasleanandhard,andbeneaththecoat,he’dbe

armedwithenoughfirepowertotakedownanarmyofdemons.Helookedexactlywhat

hewas—akiller.

He grasped Christian in a huge bear hug, and clapped him on the shoulders. Then his

handsfellaway,andhesteppedback.

“Christian, you look like shit.” A slow grin spread across his face. “In fact, it’s worse

thanshit—youlooklikeabusinessman.”

“Iamabusinessman.”

“Aboringbusinessman.”

Christiandidn’tbothertodenyit.

“Youalsolookhungry.”

“Ihaven’tfedinafewdays.”

“Days?”

“Weeksthen.”Christianshrugged.“It’snotaproblem.”

“Talkingofeating,Iranintosomeonecomingoutoftheelevator.Young,blond.”

“Leaveheralone.”

“Shesmelleddelicious.”

“She’saclient.Idon’twantyoueatingmyclients.Now,whatbringsyouhere?”

Piersshovedhishandsinhispocketsandwanderedacrosstothewindowstostareoutat

the lights of the city. He appeared outwardly calm but Christian knew him too well.

SomethingwasbotheringhimandChristianhadtocurbhisimpatienceashewaited.

Piersturnedbacktofacehim.“Iwantyoutocomeback.”

Itwasn’tanythinghe’dexpectedandhefrowned.“Notgoingtohappen.IlefttheOrder

twentyyearsago—forgood.”

“Comeon,Christian,youknowit’snotthatsimple.”

“Can’tyoucope?Youwantmetocomebackandtakeover?”

“Hell, no,” Piers said. “I like being the boss. We’ll take you on as a consultant.” His

eyesdrifteddownoverChristian.“Youlooklikeaconsultant.Besides,don’tyoumissit?”

Piersmovedbehindthedesk,satinthehugeleatherchair,andspun.“Thisisfun,butit

hardlycomparestohuntingdemons.”HecametoahaltfacingChristian.“Howcanyou

livelikethis?”

“Easy.”

Piers considered him for a moment, head to one side, weighing his next move.

“Gabriel’sdead.”

Impossible.

Shock ripped through Christian. And following close on his disbelief came a wave of

regret.Theemotionwasunexpected,andheturnedawaytogivehimselftimetothink.

Gabriel was the youngest of the Order’s agents, but he’d still been strong. He should

havebeenstrongerthananythinghecameupagainst.

“Weneedyouback,Christian.”

“TellmewhathappenedtoGabriel.”

“We don’t know what happened to him. He went out on a call last Friday night—a

typicalminordemonsighting—andvanished.Henevercalledin.Nothing.”

“Sohowdoyouknowhe’sdead?”

“What else could it be? We haven’t heard from him in five days. Besides, Ella

confirmedit.Youknowshe’sneverbeenwrong.”

ArippleofdistasteranthroughhimatthementionoftheOrder’stamewitch.Ellahad

long ago given herself over to the dark practices, but she was powerful, so the Order

protectedher.

“Shealsobelievessomethingbigiscoming,”Pierssaid.

“Anotherwar?”

“Shecouldn’tsay.Butthere’smore.ItwasEllawhotoldustocometoyou.”

Christian’s eyes narrowed as he processed that piece of information. Not good news.

“Why?”

“Again,shecouldn’tsay,justthatyouhadanimportantparttoplay.”

“Couldn’tsay,orwouldn’t?Doessheknowmore?”

“Idon’tthinkso,butyouknowElla—shehasherownagendas.”

“Youwerefoolstokeepheron.Itoldyouthatwhenyoutookover.Youshouldhave

eliminatedherafterthelasttime.”

“She’suseful.”

“She’sevil.”

Pierssmiled.“That’srich,comingfromyou.”

Christian pursed his lips. It was an ongoing argument between them. “Do you really

believewe’reevil?”

“Good,evil,whoknows?Bymostpeoples’standardsweare.So,areyoucomingback?

Willyouhelp?”

“Ineedtothinkaboutit.”

Butitwasalie—hedidn’tneedtothink.Excitementunfurleddeepinsidehim,risingto

thesurfaceandminglingwiththehungerthatalreadystirredinhisblood.Heknewhe’d

goback.

Piersgrinned.“You’llbeback.Justdon’ttaketoolong.”Hegotup,nodded,andleftthe

room.

Christiansankintothechairbehindhisdeskandrestedhisheadonthebackoftheseat,

staringintospace.Sofewemotionstouchedhimnow,butherecognizedsadness.Gabriel

hadbeenoneofhis,thelastofhisoffspring.

ChristianhadleftTheOrderafterthelastdemonwar,sickenedbythecarnage,butalso

awareofthedarknessrisingwithinhimself,ofthepartofhimthatreveledintheslaughter,

thatlovedtoslakehishungerwithdemonblood.

Sohe’dsteppeddown,pursuedadifferentlife,alifeamonghumans.

Now Gabriel was dead, and Christian would have his revenge. He’d hunt down

whateverhadtakenGabe,killthem,anddraintheirblood.Itwasalongtimesincehe’d

feastedonimmortalblood.Humanswerefine,butnothingbeatthebloodofademon.

Hishungerrose.Theofficesuddenlyseemedlikeacage.Heneededtogetoutintothe

night.

Grahamglancedupasheenteredtheouteroffice.“Youhaveafinancemeetinginhalf

anhour,”hesaidasChristianpausedbythedesk.

“Cancelit.”

“Whereareyougoing?”

Christiansmiled,withasmallflashoffang.“I’mgoinghunting.”

…

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tocontinuereadingBittersweetBloodnow!

Acknowledgments

HappyChristmas,andahugethankyoutoeveryoneatEntangledPublishing,who,whenI

askedattheverylastminute,couldIpleasewriteaChristmasnovella,saidyesandhave

worked so hard and fast to make it on time. And a particularly huge thank you to my

lovelyeditor,BrendaChin,forallherhardwork—itcouldn’thavehappenedwithouther

fabulousinput.

Also,abigthankyoutomylong-sufferinghusband,Rob,whohadtoputupwithme

playingChristmassongswaytooearlythisyear.

AbouttheAuthor

Growing up,

Nina Croft

spent her time dreaming of faraway sunnier places and ponies.

Whenshediscoveredboth,andmuchmore,couldbefoundbetweenthecoversofabook,

herlifechangedforever.

Later,sheheadedsouth,pickedupahusbandontheway,andtogethertheydiscovereda

loveoftravelandadislikeof9-5work.Eventuallytheystumbleduponthesmallalmond

farminSpaintheynowcallhome.

Nina spends her days reading, writing, and riding under the blue Spanish skies—

sunshineandponies.Proofthatdreamscancometrueifyouwantthemenough.

Ifyou’dliketolearnaboutnewreleases,signupforNina’snewsletter

here

www.ninacroft.com

DiscovertheOrderseries…

AlsobyNinaCroft

THE

ARK

ESIRES

SERIES

THE

EYOND

UMAN

SERIES

NTHINKABLE

NSPEAKABLE

UTTING

OOSE

SERIES

THE

HINGS

EFORE

SERIES

THE

ABYSITTING

ILLIONAIRE

SERIES

THE

ELVILLE

ISTERS

SERIES

DiscovermoreAmaratitles…

anAncientsnovelby

When artist Brie Lark left her vampire ex and hometown for New York City, she promised herself two things: she’d

nevergoback,andnomorevampires.ButherFBIbossneedsherundercoverbackhome—withavampire.FBISpecial

AgentSebRikarehascutallemotionstoprotecthimselfandleadsadeliberatelysteady,almoststerilelife.Butasmuch

asBrieirritateshim,hefindshimselfdrawntoher.

ILY

aVampireBloodnovelby

JulietteCross

The Black Lily needs a larger army if they are to defeat the vampire monarchy. In order to do so, former lieutenant

Nikolaimustseekhelpfromthered-hoodedtemptressheneedstoavoid,forthesecrethecarriescouldprovedangerous

forherifshegetstooclose.ButSiennawilldoanythingfortheBlackLily…

NCE

ITTEN

aWolvesofHemlockHollownovelby

HeatherMcCorkle

One night was all it took to change everything. But the biggest danger? Ty: history professor, super sexy Viking

werewolf,andthemanwho’sbeenassignedbytheCounciltoteachmehowtosurvivebecomingawerewolf.

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ANGER

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aBravoTeamWOLFnovelby

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Buttoned-upCorporalKaitlynAmadorisdangerousoneverylevel.MarineCaptainJaxcansurvivethetemptationfor

onlysolongbeforehiswolftakesoverandpursueswhatitwants.

Document Outline

Dedication
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Discover more Amara titles…
Night’s Caress
The Red Lily
Once Bitten
When Danger Bites
here

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