Games Demons Play (Mystic Isle, Book 3) (18 page)

“Care to explain?” he said, staring at the
tall, lithe brunette. She seemed to be in the know.

“Valencia, this is Shade. Shade, Valencia
Fabelle,” Coco said.

Valencia studied the woman in his arms as if
deciding how much to tell him. He started to tell her that she
needed to level with him because he wasn’t going anywhere but Izzy
snuggled closer.

“She’s part demon,” she finally said.

“Obviously.” Izzy’s light blue eyes had been
red. Lust, anger any of the deeper emotions turned a demon’s eyes
red. She’d seemed more powerful than before. Angrier. “And yet you
changed her anyway.”

“She would not have survived much longer,”
she defended.

“Why did you not tell me?” Izzy
whispered.

“It didn’t seem important at the time.”

The elevator stopped and the doors opened.
Shade stepped off first and the others followed. He strode over to
the couch and sat down, settling Izzy across his lap.

Valencia perched on the edge of a chair.
“It’s what kept you alive before I could get to you,” she continued
as the other two women sat on the loveseat. “You had so much to
learn about our kind, so much pain to get past. The werewolf, and
Yuri for that matter, obviously didn’t realize your parentage.”

“But… I’m a—”

“Hybrid.” Valencia nodded. “If you continue
to drink Shade’s blood your demon side will grow stronger. You’ll
eventually stop needing blood at all.”

“And the red haze?”

“Will return when you feel extreme anger,”
Shade said.

“With Shade’s help, you’ll learn to control
it,” Valencia told her.

Shade kissed Izzy’s forehead. He wasn’t so
sure about that. At the moment he wanted nothing more than to tuck
her into bed and go back downstairs and gut the bastard.

“Who would have thought… our sweet little
Izzy is part demon,” Avery said quietly, then smiled.

“Are you okay now?” Valencia said.

Izzy nodded. Indeed, she seemed perfectly
fine. Back to her old self, the corners of her mouth turned up.

“We’ll be in the cottage if you need us,
chérie
,” Coco said.

“I am sorry I cried on you,” she whispered
once they were gone.

He hugged her to him, conflicted. Only his
need to soothe her trumped the blackness threatening his temper. He
sighed, knowing it wasn’t his fight. Izzy had gotten her hands on
the bastard and as long as she felt vindicated, that’s all that
mattered right now.

“I don’t mind.”

They sat there for a long time, her tucked
against him, hand over his heart. Hours, he realized when he looked
at his watch. The stars would be out by now and day…a thing of the
past. A week ago he would have given little thought to the time of
day. But now, it was second nature to make sure of the time and
that the thick sun-blocking curtains were closed if need be.

“You awake?” he whispered.

She made a sound to the affirmative.

“What are you thinking about?”

“You,” she said without hesitation.

“What a coincidence. I was thinking of
you.”

She laughed softly.

“How did you get to Mystic Isle, by the
way?”

She sat up in his lap and turned to him.
Worrying her lower lip she stared into his eyes. “Do not get
mad.”

“Mad?”

“Pierre brought me. But I begged him to.”

Shade sighed.

“Do not be mad with him.”

“How could I? You wrap everyone around your
little finger.”

He cupped her cheeks and leaned in for a
kiss.

“Even you?” she asked quietly.

“Especially me,” he whispered against her
lips. “How do you feel about living in Germany?”

Her lovely blue eyes widened. “With the
Autobahn?”

“With me.”

Smiling, she pivoted and dropped her feet to
the floor. Wordlessly, she pulled him up and headed for
bedroom.

“Izzy…” Why didn’t she answer him? If she
thought this relationship was just about sex —

She stopped and picked up her lucky deck of
cards. Glancing up at him, she held up the cards and then dropped
them into the trashcan next to the dresser.

“Those are your lucky cards.”

She stepped to him and slid her palms up his
chest. “I don’t need them anymore. I have you and I cannot get any
luckier than that.”

Want to know what happens after Izzy and I
leave Mystic Isle? Visit
www.selena-blake.com/GDPeverafter
Stayed tuned for the
next book in the Mystic Isle series, Pursued by a Werewolf. Avery’s
story.

Dear Reader,

I hope you enjoyed Izzy and Shade’s love
story. After everything Izzy has been through, I knew she needed an
extra special guy. Someone caring and understanding, thoughtful and
able to roll with the punches. That man was Shade and I’m so glad
they’ve found their happily ever after.

Since I know you don’t want to miss any
upcoming book news I keep my website updated regularly and you can
frequently find me chatting with readers on my blog. Sometimes I
let my assistant give away books on Fridays, so stop by. Visit at
http://www.selena-blake.com
.

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I truly hope you enjoyed Games Demons Play.
But even if you didn’t, I’d still appreciate a review. I read each
and every one and I learn from them so that each book is better
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Happy Reading,

Selena

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***

Looking for more werewolfy goodness? Check
out Selena’s bestselling Stormy Weather series, starting with Book
One, The Cajun’s Captive.

June

The low rumble of thunder drew Sebastian
Deveraux's gaze to the East window where he could see the mighty
Mississippi and its churning dark waters. The morning's slow
drizzle reached a downpour crescendo. He sighed, knowing that the
hurricane looming in the Gulf of Mexico would wreak havoc with his
shipping business. At least for the next few weeks.

The wet weather and dropping barometer made
his joints ache. He knew he should at least call the office to make
sure his second in command had things under control, but he was
having a hard time convincing his body to get out of bed. As the
Alpha, it was his job to protect his pack and take care of their
needs. And that took money. In another few years, it would be time
to sell Deveraux Shipping and fade into the woodwork.

Humans would get suspicious if the CEO of a
shipping empire never seemed to age. He was feeling ancient today.
And lonely to boot.

In his wolf form, he rose up on all fours and
stretched before heading to his closet. The original floors of the
old plantation house were cool against his paws. He'd loved the
wide pine planks on sight and hadn't wanted to do anything more
than seal them and toss down a soft rug or two.

Inside his closet, he transformed into his
human self, his muscles and bones stretching and compacting until
he straightened to his full six feet four inches. He leaned his
head to the right and heard, as much as felt, his neck pop. Today's
muggy weather called for jeans and a T-shirt.

He was zipping his favorite pair of Levi's
when the scent of gumbo wafted under his nose. He sniffed the air
appreciatively. One of his brothers must be heating up last night’s
leftovers for breakfast. Like any red-blooded man or beast, he
loved to eat. Loved meat, loved anything that set his taste buds on
fire and made his mouth water.

Dieu
, he missed France. Missed the food, craved the bread, a sip
of French wine straight from the vineyard. But he could never go
back. He clenched his jaw at the flood of memories that rushed
forth.

Slipping a T-shirt over his head, he strode
to the kitchen and found Andre stirring the gumbo in a heavy cast
iron pot. They nodded at each other in greeting.

“Coffee's on,” Andre said, his deep voice
sleepy and rough.

“
Merci
. Jules up yet?”

“
Non
. Think any more about what he
said,
mon frere
?”

Sebastian had thought of little else. He
hadn't gotten more than a few hours of sleep last night. Jules, and
the rest of their small pack, wanted a secure future and everything
that went with it. Mates, kids. Sebastian wanted the same thing.
But that security came with a price. As wealthy as he was, it
didn't matter when he wasn't mated.

Being mated was a sign of security, one he
longed to give his brothers and cousins. A complete Alpha pair. It
would signify their future.

But when he thought of his other half, the
woman who’d stand at his side, it wasn’t a she-wolf he pictured.
And when he thought of his pups, they didn’t have dark hair like he
and his brothers. They were angelic blonds with piercing blue eyes
and infectious smiles.

Impossible.
He mentally shook the thoughts away.

“I can't just pick up a mate at the market,”
Sebastian said. He'd said as much last night.

Andre watched him with dark eyes. The same
eyes that all the Deveraux men were blessed with: dark as night,
filled with stormy emotions and a sense of cunning found only in a
true predator.

“Forgive me, brother, but I don't think
dating bimbos and celebrities is going to help in your search.”

“I didn't realize I was searching,” Sebastian
said. He took a sip of the strong black elixir that promised to
jolt him awake. The hot liquid hit his tongue and scalded its way
down his throat.

Truth was, there was only
one woman he'd ever wanted as a mate. But she obviously wasn't
destined to be his other half, his
Luna
. The weight of his
responsibility pressed down heavily on his shoulders. He knew he
should step aside and let Andre become the Alpha, but nothing was
that simple. There was no stepping aside for wolves. Everything had
to be fought and won. And Sebastian had no intention of fighting
his own brother.

After a long pause, Andre muttered, “We all
wanted her, you know.”

“She was never yours to have,” Sebastian
snapped. Andre didn't look surprised or hurt at the outburst; he
simply flicked his gaze to the floor, but Sebastian apologized
anyway.

“You should go after her,” his brother
ventured.

“It wasn't meant to be.”

“Are you still buying into
that stars aligning crap?
Mon
Dieu
. Enough already,
mon frere
. If you want her, you must
go get her. Make her listen to reason. Find out why she ran. Bring
her back and make her yours.” Andre's voice rang with emotion. He
almost sounded like he, himself, had been in love. Painfully,
completely... and lost her. “Tie her up if you have to.”

The mention of tying her up sent fire through
his system. There was so much he needed to explain to her. But she
wasn’t likely to want to hear him.

He’d make her listen. Perhaps if he proved
that he wasn’t the same man, that they—weren’t the same men…

He stared at Andre for a long moment. “Maybe
you’re right.” Swallowing his pride was tough, but the alternative
was bleak. Pointless. He’d been living it for far too long.

“I know I am,” Andre countered, not unkindly.
“And she’s worth it. Whatever you have to do to get her back.”

Sebastian nodded. He’d always known that. So
why had he waited so long?

Before he could answer that question, a sharp
sound outside caught his attention. Not thunder, nor rain.
Something else. A low growl sounded from the hallway.