It all happened so fast that Sloane didn't have time to think. Just react.She was still reeling from her emotional confession to Donovan when she saw the glint of metal behind him. Her mind had only had a split second to scream, "Blade!" before she saw the knife arcing down toward Donovan's shoulder. She cried out, giving Donovan a hard shove out of the weapon's path.If she'd been a little stronger - or Donovan a little smaller - he might have avoided the knife completely. Instead, it caught the edge of his sleeve, slicing down his arm as he twisted out of the way.But despite the injury, Donovan was fast. His instincts took over quickly, and he sent his fist flying back toward his attacker.It was the tourist Donovan had nearly attacked earlier. But no ordinary tourist would carry a knife like that, let alone swing it at a stranger.But apparently he hadn't expected Donovan to fight back. Or maybe he'd thought that if he'd hit his mark Donovan would not have been able to defend
When they reached the hotel, Donovan took Sloane to her room."I need to check your back," he told her as he laid her gently on her side on the bed.The moment she touched the mattress, a gray-and-white hairball bounced up out of nowhere, and Donovan bit back a curse of surprise. He'd forgotten all about the little furry demon.The cat hardly spared Donovan a glance. Instead, it went straight to Sloane and rubbed itself against her arm, then curled up against her belly, snuggling in as if the only reason she was here at all was to provide the little beast with a warm place to sleep.Donovan shook his head, chasing away the insults he wanted to hurl at the little beast."If the wound isn't deep, we can treat it here," he told her. "Otherwise, I'm taking you to a hospital.""Wouldn't it look suspicious, walking into the hospital with a knife wound?" Sloane asked, gently stroking her cat's fur.He frowned. "You think I care about that when your wellbeing is on the line?"That sile
Sloane wanted to die of humiliation.She'd been willing to let Donovan tell the Set about them, but this was not the way she'd expected this news to come out.Donovan climbed off the bed, grabbing her bra and bringing it over to her."Thanks," she said, cheeks blazing. At least he looked as embarrassed as she felt. Whatever happened, at least they were in this together - in this and everything.There was something amazingly beautiful about that realization.She released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She still felt shaken, and physically weak, and she knew the gaping, gnawing pit in her stomach - with two holes, one for each of the children she'd never meet - would never truly go away. But there was something else there now, too. Something that made her feel stronger. She was no longer alone.Still trying to make sense of this strange new feeling, she finished dressing. Then Donovan held his hand out to her. "Shall we?"She would have much rather have hidden he
BOOK ONE: CLAIMING HIS TREASUREPrague, Czech RepublicThere was nothing like a cold beer and a good fuck to help a man unwind after a hunt.Jackson North leaned back on his stool and took a long, slow sip of his lager, letting it sit on his tongue as his eyes traveled up and down the bar. The dimly lit public house was lively tonight, and he picked up snippets of conversation in at least five languages as he scoped out his potential company for the evening. There was no shortage of attractive women in this particular hole in the wall, but he was in the mood for something special. A good hunt always left his body thrumming with a distinctive sort of hunger.He wasn't the only one on the prowl tonight. Beside him, his teammate Toshi was chatting up a pretty German girl with blue streaks in her hair. Jackson had heard a duck speak better German than Toshi, but the girl seemed to find his mistakes charming. She laughed and ran a finger down one of the tattoos on his arm as she correct
Atlanta, Georgia, USA - One week laterThere came a point, in dealing with late-night work crises, when stabbing one's eyes out with a pen started to look like a viable - even preferable - alternative to spending even another moment staring at paperwork. Charlotte Carver had passed that point about two hours ago.Her vision blurred as she gazed down at the pile of files in front of her on the coffee table. Her temples throbbed. Her throat ached. And out of the corner of her eye, her laptop screen appeared to flicker. Was that normal? Or had her mind finally cracked? She rubbed her eyes as she stumbled to her feet. She needed caffeine. Immediately.The fifteen-foot walk to her kitchen felt a lot longer than it should have. Her gaze flicked to the clock on the microwave as she fumbled with the coffee maker. Midnight. How the hell was it only midnight? It felt like she'd been awake for two days straight.You nearly have, she reminded herself. After all, her boss had called her at tw
"It's me," Jackson breathed in Charlie's ear. "Don't worry, it's me."Almost immediately, he felt her body relax in his arms. But though she seemed to realize she wasn't in any immediate danger, her chest still heaved against his arm and her pulse still fluttered like mad where he gripped her at one wrist. She was terrified, and no wonder.Still, tangled as they were and with his face partially buried in her hair, his body was half convinced they were in a very different sort of situation. Her lips were soft as butter beneath his calloused fingers, and her hair smelled just as he remembered - like strawberries and cream. He was hard as a rock before he even realized he'd nestled closer to those silky strands. The last time he'd had his face in her hair, he'd been buried deep inside of her. This was always his favorite position - being curled around her from behind with her neck within easy reach of his mouth and her breasts within reach of his hand. There was nothing to muffle the sw
Split, CroatiaThis was, quite possibly, the stupidest thing she'd ever done.Or the best.She was in Croatia. Standing on Croatian soil. Breathing Croatian air. It felt like a dream - though the twenty-one straight hours of travel she and Jackson had just endured were probably partially to blame for that. After two restless flights and a long layover, the two of them finally stood outside the airport in Split, a small city on the Croatian coast.She was still in shock that Jackson had agreed to let her come. When she'd threatened to keep the atlas, she'd half expected him to leap across the car and wrestle it out of her hands anyway. He could have easily overpowered her. Instead, he'd just stared at her - long enough to make her squirm in her seat and make her entire body go hot - before giving a single nod of agreement. She still had no idea what was going on, but she wasn't about to question it. This was her chance to have the adventure she'd always dreamed of, wasn't it?If sh
Charlotte forced herself to focus on the strange new world outside the car, and though she couldn't completely forget the presence of Jackson beside her, she soon found herself enthralled by the city around her. Split was nothing like she'd imagined. Below them, a thousand red-orange roofs gleamed in the rising sun, and beyond that, the Adriatic Sea shone a bright turquoise blue. She'd never seen anything like it. It was half modern city - complete with grimy advertisements on every corner and stray cats scampering down the side streets - and half historical wonder. She kept catching glimpses of a white tower poking out among the roofs down near the water."That's Diocletian's Palace down there," came Jackson's voice at her ear. "Built by the Roman emperor of the same name. They let you climb the bell tower. If you have a chance, you should. The view is amazing."He spoke to her as if she were on a vacation instead of possibly running for her life. But another thing struck her about