9781631052415ShadowedSpiritBeck

SHADOWED SPIRIT

Seven Sin Sisters Book

Paloma Beck

Erotic Romance

Secret Cravings Publishing

www.secretcravingspublishing.com

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A
Secret Cravings Publishing Book

Erotic Romance

Shadowed Spirit

Copyright ©
2014
 
Paloma
Beck

E-book ISBN: 978-1-63105-241-5

First E-book Publication:
 
July 2014
  

Cover design by
Dawné
Dominique

Edited by Kyle Lewis

Proofread by Makayla
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2014 by Secret Cravings Publishing

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Dedication

For Linda –

Deny it all you want, but
you’re the one who taught me to call it as it is. Used with a bit of subtlety,
it’s a trait that has served me well.

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Shadowed Spirit

The Seven Sin Sisters Book

Paloma Beck

Copyright ©
2014

Chapter One

Idiots.
All of them.
Complete idiots. They hadn’t restrained her. The second the damn sedative they
must’ve given her wore off, Sadie was on her feet and at the unlocked door.
Again, a bunch of idiots.
Who doesn’t at least lock their
captive in? She listened to their muffled conversation enough to know these men
were part of the group looking for the Valendite DNA. Sadie didn’t know much
about this group, but she knew enough, and she had no intention of being a part
of their experiments.

The
voices in her head—her sisters and a few others—still chanted at her, drawing
her focus away from her escape. They were in a circle. She could feel the waves
of power rush to her and Sadie realized this is what woke her. What she
couldn’t remember was just how long she’d been out for or how long she’d been
missing. She could call out to her mother and she’d most likely be able to
travel to her, but was that what she wanted? Sadie would be putting her in
danger and she couldn’t live with herself if she caused her mother harm.

Sadie
seemed to get herself into these predicaments too often now. The risks she
took, or the fact that she didn’t live the sheltered lives her sisters had
accepted, were the cause. She’d be damned if she’d let them see just how badly
she gotten into trouble this time. Already they called her the black sheep, but
she couldn’t help that she felt claustrophobic during the times when she was at
home. Traveling had been her respite since coming of age. She loved her
sisters, but her wanderlust, despite being dangerous at times, called to her.

Taking
stock, Sadie ran her hands along her snarled hair, smelled the musky, earthy
odor of her damp clothing and noted the dirt covering her. She might be messy,
but she’d never let herself get like this before. She had to have been here for
days. Damn it, why couldn’t she remember her time here? What had these men
given her? Seeing the marks on the insides of her arm, Sadie cringed. What did
they do while she was knocked out?

Drilling
through her most recent memories, she recalled being at a bar. She’d planned to
meet up with a friend before they each headed in separate directions. Her
friend was heading to Chicago to be part of a dance cast there while Sadie did
her final show in Las Vegas. She wasn’t fool enough to believe she could stop
destiny, but she was willing to give herself a little more time to have some
fun. If she hadn’t missed it already, she was set to work a show in Vegas. It’s
what she’d been rehearsing for and so different from her normal stage
performances. For a few months, she’d be just another dancer in a Las Vegas
Club instead of an heir to a prophecy.

With
plenty of experience in evading people, Sadie sunk into the shadows surrounding
her. The skill had served her well since she didn’t like being bothered with
all the details of her people.
The Prophecy of the Seven, The
Circle of Magdalena, blah, blah, blah.
She knew she’d be a part of it
all before long and, if all went well, some of the things she liked least about
herself would reverse when her soul sin was lifted. First though, she had to
figure out just how to trust a man again.

Mase
betrayed her. She knew from the beginning that he wasn’t her mate, but she’d
liked him. Despite her devil-may-care attitude, he saw through it and treated
her like a princess. She’d been pampered, catered to, and she even thought he
might love her. With so many Valendite Breeds not finding mates, Sadie wondered
if they couldn’t be happy just as they were. Then
Mase’s
true personality seeped out and Sadie was literally knocked on her ass. And now
this, whatever this was that she’d gotten caught up in. She wanted to scream
and rage all over again at the memories just eluding her.

Sadie
made her way down a hallway, away from the men’s voices she could hear coming
from a room to her left. Her only plan was to get the hell out of there. With
silent feet, she padded through corridor after corridor for what seemed like
hours as she hunted for an exit. The building had grown silent and Sadie
wondered what happened to the men talking earlier. Had they all left? Were they
now wandering through the building and would find her? She had to move faster.
She had to locate a way to freedom.

In the
next moment, someone snatched her from behind. She opened her mouth to let out
a scream, but a large hand clamped over her mouth. Unwilling to be taken again
without a fight, Sadie bit down and sank her teeth into flesh. A rush of salted
liquid slipped past her teeth before she spat it out.

“Fuck!”
The person holding her jolted back without loosening his
hold.
“Stop.
Just be quiet,” he whispered into
her ear. His words were rough, but the chill that ran down her back was not from
fright. They were like a caress to her senses. His voice put her at ease even
as they made unused muscles stand up to take notice. She kicked herself for
being so stupid. This was no time to be thinking with her hormones.

“Put me
down,” she muttered around his fingers, trying to use her most stern voice
despite the predicament she was in. She would radiate calm and try to think
through some of the little tricks her mother had taught her for controlling the
elements.

“We’re
here to rescue you. I’m with TEU.”

Well,
why the hell hadn’t he said that to begin with? She wouldn’t have bit him if
she’d known he was a good guy. And from the strength he was radiating, Sadie
knew that not only was he a good guy, but a Valendite Breed. There was no
denying the aura of strength surrounding them. Her sisters’ husbands were power
personified and this man was no different.

She
shivered against the hard wall of muscle at her back as he pulled her around a
corner and through a side door she never would’ve found on her own. The Goddess
was looking out for her. She knew that she didn’t have long before she’d need
to return and fulfill her role in the prophecy.

* * * *

Fuck.
The little spitfire bit him. Twisting and snarling in his arms, he couldn’t get
a good look at her, but he was still certain the tiny thing that appeared to
have rolled in the mud and smelled it too was Sadie Sinster.

Even as
he hurried to get her to a secure location, Granger’s body grew rigid at her
bite. His muscles tensed and he went on full alert. It took him a few minutes
to realize why. He threw out his senses to see if there was cause for alarm.
No, there was no danger. They’d taken out the captors and even that hadn’t been
much of a fight. What had just happened must be the beginning of a Claiming.
This stinky, dirty woman in his arms was his mate.

As if
life had dished him up another serving of fuck you, he was holding his mate in
his arms and she was obviously afflicted with the soul sin of sloth. Of course,
it couldn’t be lust or envy or any of the more interesting of the sins. His
mate was nothing like her beautiful sisters. What had he done in his life to
deserve the shit he got dished?

The
only other time he’d seen Sadie was through a long-range riflescope at weddings
where she’d likely been forced to clean up. Hell no, he had no plans to let
anyone know what he’d learned when she bit him, just yet. And unless he gave
her blood, she wouldn’t have keen enough senses to pick it up. Maybe, just
maybe, he was wrong.

Now
that he’d gotten her secure in their suite of rooms, Granger made the call into
TEU with his report while Sadie’s father examined her for injuries. He needed
to let Madden know the rescue had been successful and they’d be returning in
the morning after they’d completed a short debriefing. They’d return in time
for Amelia and Gage’s Pronouncement. He didn’t share any other details,
especially the one about his possible mate.

“Granger,
I’m sending you right back out with Trevor,” Madden explained over the phone.
“I want you to do recon on all the sites I’m sending you files on. Our
government contact has given the thumbs up to eliminate all roadblocks in this
mess. We’ll shut down any possibility of our secret getting out.”

“I’m to
take out all targets?” He asked, surprised.

“Yes.
We’re about two steps away from the fulfillment of the prophecy. If these
groups know enough, they likely understand just how close it is too. We can’t
fool around anymore.”

“Okay,
Madden. I’m your man. Trevor and I leave in the morning?”

“No.
Your plane is refueled and waiting. Take off as soon as you can tonight.”

Shocked,
but happy to get away from Sadie and his crazy notion she could be his mate,
Granger finalized the details with Madden and agreed to check in tomorrow
evening after the Pronouncement.

Scanning
the mission report, Granger recognized each location. He was being sent in to
take out every last person with a connection to the group researching the
Valendite Breed DNA. The instruction was clear—he was to go undetected using
long-range precision artillery bombardment with high explosive payload. They
weren’t taking any chances that there would be survivors. This was some serious
shit.

He
nodded at Trevor who entered the room, stone faced, reviewing his copy of the
report. Trevor was new, their newest TEU recruit, but he was the right choice
because his specialty was in explosives. He spent his younger years
apprenticing with his father who dealt with underwater cavern explorations that
required the use of some heavy explosives. Granger knew he’d gotten the best
possible partner.

“You
good with this?”
Trevor’s voice gave away his uncertainty.

“We got
this.
You and me.
We’re taking this down and ending
it.” Granger narrowed his eyes and pinned Trevor, attempting to infuse some of
his own confidence in the kid.

* * * *

Sadie
relaxed on the bed while her father examined her body. She felt better after
showering though her memory was still foggy enough to be frustrating. Bits of
the past days were returning, but not her full memory. She remembered everything
up until arriving at the bar. Then there were flashes of men talking to her, or
to one another, as she lay under a bright light. Sadie knew she had to have
been drugged for such a memory loss to occur.

“They
drew blood.” Her father touched the tender bruises along the bend in her arm. She’d
uncovered them when she washed the dirt off her body and had already figured
that out. She just nodded.

 
Aside from wishing like hell she could
remember more than snapshots of her time in captivity, she felt physically fine.
Tired and hungry, but fine.

“Daddy,
I really am okay. Can I have some time alone? I know the debriefing is in the
morning and I just need some time to myself.”

Sadie’s
thoughts were jumbled with memories of an earlier time she’d been held by
someone, only that time she’d trusted the person. That first time had been her
own fault for being so stupid, but this time, these bastards had simply taken
her. Why had this happened? She couldn’t understand the significance of taking
her blood. Sadie just needed some time alone to mull everything over and to
lock those memories back up where they belonged.

“I know
you need to be alone to recharge, but just let me check you over first. I won’t
be long.”

Sadie
smiled indulgently at her father. He’d always understood her need to seek
refuge from the chaos that a house filled with eight women created. He was the
only one that never seemed to hold it against her. She could let him reassure
himself she was fine for a few more minutes, knowing he’d then give her some time
alone.

“Did
you feel any discomfort while you washed?
Any areas that hurt
when you touched them?”
Her father, always a healer, looked and sounded
worried.

“Some
soreness around the areas that are bruised.
That’s all though,” Sadie
reassured him. Then blushing, she added, “Dad, I know I can’t remember much,
but I do know they didn’t hurt me
physically.
. .
there. My body would tell me.”

Sometimes
they forgot that as women of the
Magdalena
Circle
, their abilities—especially as they related to the earth—were far
superior to human or even
vampiric
senses. She and
her sisters had a communion with their own bodies and were able to sense the
smallest of changes or disruptions even with one another. Sadie was certain she
was fine.

Sadie
cleared her throat, rough and dry from lack of hydration. “How long have I been
missing?”

“Your
friend, Tabby, called your sisters when you didn’t show up at the bar. That was
four days ago.”

His
response stunned her. She’d been gone four days. She had no memory of anything
that happened to her for the past four days. These bastards had stolen time
from her. They’d taken four days away from her. Goddess, why would they do
that? What could they want with her?