One Down: Bayou Heat (Pantera Security League Book 1) (11 page)

“What?” Both Raphael and Cerviel spoke at once.

Michel grimaced. “Something that she could sense, but couldn’t actually find. Like an echo of power hidden deep inside her, but dormant.”

Cerviel scowled. “What the hell does that mean?”

“I don’t know,” Michel said.

“We will most definitely keep a close eye on her—” Raphael began, but Cerviel growled his disapproval.

“Oh, hell no. There’s no ‘we’ keeping eyes on Hallie. Only me.”

Raphael looked at Michel and heaved a resigned sigh. “The Goddess save me from newly mated males.”

The Suit chuckled. “It’s a problem we both know all too well.”

Growing impatient to see Hallie, Cerviel snapped, “Is that all?”

The older male flicked a brow upward. “Are you trying to get rid of us?”

“Yeah,” Cerviel said bluntly. “Clearly it isn’t working very well.”

As Michel laughed once again, Raphael growled softly. “Fine. For now. You can remain at the safe house together. But stay out of sight.”

“You realize its me you’re talking to, don’t you?”

“I’m not sure who you are anymore.” His eyes attempted to pierce a hole through Cerviel’s skull.

Good luck with that. The thing is made of steel.

“If you notice anything, and I mean anything at all…unusual about Hallie, I want you to call me.”

“Yeah, yeah. Go away.”

Teeth gritted, Raphael gave a shake of his head, then motioned for Michel and headed back toward the border. Cerviel could hear scraps of their words—plans and concerns regarding the remaining assets—floating back to him on the breeze, but he didn’t attempt to decipher more. Right now, he was only interested in one thing.

His mate.

* * *

Though they weren’t exactly inside the Wildlands, the beauty, the air and the bayou near the border in the remote location in front of the safe house had an almost medicinal effect on Hallie. As she walked on the bank beside the slow-moving water with the male she now called her own, she felt at ease. She felt safe.

She felt at home.

But she wondered, couldn’t help but wonder, as Cerviel’s hand wrapped around hers, how he would feel crossing back over into a world that believed him dead.

If that was indeed the plan.

Things were so very much up in the air at the moment. The leader of the Pantera wished her to remain at the safe house indefinitely. For study. More questions. Perhaps even something dire. And Cerviel had refused to leave her. Goddess only knew what the future would bring. But at least they would face it together.

“Where are we going?” she asked him, so deep in thought she hadn’t noticed they had gone farther into the bayou—the cottage no longer in sight.

“A favorite spot of mine.”

“Oh, then I definitely want to see it.”

He glanced over at her, his eyes chocolate in the warm sunlight. “Being here with you, it’s changed things for me, Hallie. Everything feels new again, not tainted with pain and sadness. But open, I guess. To possibilities.”

Her heart squeezed. “I’m so glad. When you walked down those stairs at the ranch, it changed everything for me.” She stopped and turned, looked up at him. “You healed me, Cerviel. My heart, my soul, my outlook.”

He pulled her into his arms, kissed her gently. “I’ll never be apart from you. Or you from me.”

She nodded, tears pricking her eyes. “Listen, I know we have to stay here for a little while, figure out what I know or have that’s so vital to the Pantera, but if after that you want to go, leave the Wildlands behind and never come back, I’m with you.”

Something flickered in his eyes. Raw emotion, perhaps even love… It was there inside her too, so she recognized it. Then he glanced past her, into the distance, toward the wild land of the Pantera and a wistful expression took over his features.

“I would love to take you there, my home. Used to be. I’d love to show you a real life, out of the shadows and into the light.” His gaze returned to hers. It was soft and adoring. “The Wildlands has such beautiful light, kitten.”

“Your parents…” she began tentatively.

He nodded. “Remember what I told you about facing your past, and the truth?”

“Sets you free?”

“Yes.” He shrugged. “We’ll just have to wait and see.”

“I’m good with that. As long as I have you waiting right alongside me.” She grinned up at him. “There are so many things we can do while we’re waiting.”

A low growl rumbled in his chest and his eyes darkened. “Agreed. And I say there’s no time like the present.” One dark eyebrow lifted seductively. “You know where we are right now, kitten?”

A ripple of excitement went through her. “Tell me.”

“We’re just shy of the border.” His eyes glistened, and when he blinked, Hallie was sure she saw something feline behind his pupils.

The look sent her body into flames and she inched closer to him. She was all for making love on the soft patch of ground beneath their feet. Hell, with Cerviel, she was for it anywhere, anytime.

“The magic extends a few feet,” he continued, his tone husky and deep. “You want to?”

The implication of his words sent jolts of electricity to all her warm, wet parts. She nodded eagerly.

But when he suddenly released her and backed up a foot, she was left confused, and irritatingly sexually frustrated.

Sensing or maybe scenting her mood, Cerviel chuckled. “Later, kitten. I promise. All day and all night. But first…”

She didn’t understand. She stared at him. Waiting.

“There’s magic where we stand,” he said, then growled at her.

But it was no growl she’d ever heard from him before. There was no male in it. Only feline. It reminded her of her dreams.

Nerves gripped her as she now understood what he was asking. What he was attempting to bring forth. “What if I don’t have it?” she muttered. “What if it’s not there and you—”

“No more what ifs, kitten,” he interrupted, his eyes fixed on her. “I know she’s in you. Takes one to know one,
ma chère
.” He grinned. “Now. Bring her on. Let her come out and play. With her mate.”

Inside Hallie’s body a potion was brewing. One she didn’t seem to have to add to or even stir. It was just there. And this male, and this land—this magic—called to it and forced it to rise like a phoenix from the ashes.

Just as she had from that cage.

Eyes closed, she felt a rush of intense heat. It overtook her, every inch, including her mind. It was like a tornado. She was flipped and tossed about, then, all at once, everything halted. Almost painfully. She cried out, felt hands on her…skin?

Skin…

Fur…

Her eyes opened. She blinked against the brightness. Strange…so strange. How was it possible? Things looked larger, like the trees and the bayou. And she was low to the ground, but felt strong, invincible.

Amazing.

Cerviel was grinning from ear to ear. “I knew it,” he said, excitement in his voice as his gaze moved over her. “You’re gorgeous, kitten. Auburn coat, and eyes so green they put emeralds to shame.”

Hallie opened her mouth to speak, but only snarls and hisses came forth. A slight thread of panic erupted in her. This would take some getting used to.

She looked around, stalked forward, feeling the warm ground beneath her feet. No, not feet.
Paws
.

She felt on edge, hungry, but not for food. For movement. The air on her muzzle. Scents in the air rushing her…

“I know,” Cerviel said with a smile that lit her world. “I know what you need. I need it too.”

Unlike her, Cerviel shifted in seconds. It was a fast rush in a strange mist and there he was. He stalked over to her and rubbed his head against her, lapped at her ear with his tongue. And she purred. Goddess have mercy, in cat form, she truly felt everything times ten. A heightened awareness. A driving hunger.

An almost manic desire when her eyes took in the massive golden puma before her, with his fierce gold eyes.

He snarled at her. An invitation to play. And she crouched, low. For a brief moment, he seemed confused. Then, like a switch being hit, he got it. She was giving him a head start.

Cerviel took off down the bank, and seconds later, Hallie’s puma followed, racing after him. The wind in her fur, the scents in her nose. And her love…her puma, her mate, her protector, her savior, leading her into a brand new and glorious world.

H
U
Click here to Pre-Order
U
H
Elyon's story, and the next book in the Pantera Security League series, TWO TO GO, coming September 19th!

Enjoy a Sneak Peak of Alexandra's Ivy's newest suspense novel, KILL WITHOUT MERCY!

BY ALEXANDRA IVY

PROLOGUE

Few people truly understood the meaning of ‘hell on earth.’

The five soldiers who had been held in the Taliban prison in southern Afghanistan, however, possessed an agonizingly intimate knowledge of the phrase.

There was nothing like five weeks of brutal torture to teach a man that there are worse things than death.

It should have broken them. Even the most hardened soldiers could shatter beneath the acute psychological and physical punishment. Instead the torment only honed their ruthless determination to escape their captors.

In the dark nights they pooled their individual resources.

Rafe Vargas, a covert ops specialist. Max Grayson, trained in forensics. Hauk Laurensen, a sniper who was an expert with weapons. Teagan Moore, a computer wizard. And Lucas St. Clair, the smooth-talking hostage negotiator.

Together they forged a bond that went beyond friendship. They were a family bound by the grim determination to survive.

CHAPTER ONE

Friday nights in Houston meant crowded bars, loud music and ice-cold beer. It was a tradition that Rafe and his friends had quickly adapted to suit their own tastes when they moved to Texas five months ago.

After all, none of them were into the dance scene. They were too old for half-naked coeds and casual hookups. And none of them wanted to have to scream over pounding music to have a decent conversation.

Instead, they’d found The Saloon, a small, cozy bar with lots of polished wood, a jazz band that played softly in the background, and a handful of locals who knew better than to bother the other customers. Oh, and the finest tequila in the city.

They even had their own table that was reserved for them every Friday night.

Tucked in a back corner, it was shrouded in shadows and well away from the long bar that ran the length of one wall. A perfect spot to observe without being observed.

And best of all, situated so no one could sneak up from behind.

It might have been almost two years since they’d returned from the war, but none of them had forgotten. Lowering your guard, even for a second, could mean death.

Lesson. Fucking. Learned.

Tonight, however, it was only Rafe and Hauk at the table, both of them sipping tequila and eating peanuts from a small bucket.

Lucas was still in Washington D.C., working his contacts to help drum up business for their new security business, ARES. Max had remained at their new offices, putting the final touches on his precious forensics lab, and Teagan was on his way to the bar after installing a computer system that would give Homeland Security a hemorrhage if they knew what he was doing.

Leaning back in his chair, Rafe intended to spend the night relaxing after a long week of hassling with the red tape and bullshit regulations that went into opening a new business, when he made the mistake of checking his messages.

“Shit.”

He tossed his cellphone on the polished surface of the wooden table, a tangled ball of emotions lodged in the pit of his stomach.

Across the table Hauk sipped his tequila and studied Rafe with a lift of his brows.

At a glance, the two men couldn’t be more different.

Rafe had dark hair that had grown long enough to touch the collar of his white button-down shirt along with dark eyes that were lushly framed by long, black lashes. His skin remained tanned dark bronze despite the fact it was late September, and his body was honed with muscles that came from working on the small ranch he’d just purchased, not the gym.

Hauk, on the other hand, had inherited his Scandinavian father’s pale blond hair that he kept cut short, and brilliant blue eyes that held a cunning intelligence. He had a narrow face with sculpted features that were usually set in a stern expression.

And it wasn’t just their outward appearance that made them so different.

Rafe was hot tempered, passionate and willing to trust his gut instincts.

Hauk was aloof, calculating, and mind-numbingly anal. Not that Hauk would admit he was OCD. He preferred to call himself detail-oriented.

Which was exactly why he was a successful sniper. Rafe, on the other hand, had been trained in combat rescue. He was capable of making quick decisions, and ready to change strategies on the fly.