Kerry reached out and connected her mind with his. She eased in with a gentle, soothing touch to calm the raging fury that threatened to boil over. His body relaxed a bit, but his anger remained.
Dante ripped the offending envelope open and withdrew the note inside. Side by side, her arms wrapped around his waist, they read the ugly words that screamed up at them from the page.
The bitch will die first while you watch.
Then it’s your turn—traitor.
Death is coming for you.
—The punisher—
Dante shook with anger. Kerry shuddered and hugged him tighter. She buried her face in the warm hollow of his neck. She breathed in his distinctly male scent. He threw the hateful message across the room and wrapped his arms tightly around her. Dante kissed her hair and rubbed her back reassuringly.
“He won’t come near you. So help me God, Kerry. I won’t let anything happen to you.” His voice, raw and gruff, enveloped her in a blanket of security. He rocked her softly and stroked her hair with exquisite tenderness. Kerry closed her eyes and allowed herself to float in the security of his embrace. The deep baritone of his voice rumbled through his chest and along her cheek. “We need to tell Samantha and Malcolm about this immediately.”
Kerry convinced Dante that it would be far more appropriate to knock on their door like a couple of regular people, opposed to just materializing in the middle of their suite. Based on her experience with Dante, she doubted they were over there playing Scrabble.
Sure enough, a surprisingly gracious Malcolm answered the door clad in the hotel bathrobe. “What’s going on?” Malcolm gestured for them to enter the suite and ran a hand through his tousled hair.
Kerry stifled a smile. Oh yeah. No Scrabble playing over here.
“I’m sorry to bother you both,” Dante apologized. “But when we got back to our suite tonight, we found this waiting for us on the bed.” He held up the crumpled paper. “We thought you should know about it before you speak with Davis and the others.”
He handed the note to Malcolm and immediately pulled Kerry into the hard shelter of his body. Her arm fit perfectly around him, and her other hand rested on his chest. His heartbeat thrummed strong and steady beneath her fingers.
Strong
and
steady.
Kerry smiled and hooked her thumb through the belt loop on his jeans. Those were two words that fit him perfectly, but he couldn’t hide his feelings from her. He glanced down at her with a tight smile. She knew it was meant to reassure her, but there was no use trying to hide his concern. She could see it and feel it.
The bedroom door clicked open, and Samantha emerged, looking equally tousled. She went directly to Malcolm’s side and read the note with him. Concern rippled from both of them, and the lines in their faces deepened.
“This was in your room?” Malcolm wrapped his arm around Sam’s waist and handed the note back to Dante.
“Yes,” he hissed.
“I knew something was wrong when we got into the suite,” Kerry said quietly. She looked at Sam. “It was like they left behind some kind of residue. It was definitely an energy signature, but not like any that I’ve ever encountered.” She made a sound of frustration. “It was thick and dark and very strong.”
“Evil,” Sam whispered.
Kerry nodded solemnly. “Definitely. But there was something else.” She paused for a moment and closed her eyes in an effort to recapture the moment from earlier that night. “There was an extra layer to it,” she said quietly. “The darkness, the ugly thickness of it, was blanketing something—no, someone else.” Her eyes flew open, and she looked up at Dante. “There were two of them.”
“Are you sure?” he asked gently.
Kerry nodded furiously. “Yes. That’s it,” she exclaimed. “There were two of them. That must be why it was so strong, so overwhelming!” Her smile faded, and her momentary pride at figuring it out was quickly replaced with the reality of their situation. “Well, shit. One person wanting to kill me is bad enough. But two? Well, that really sucks.”
“As disturbing as all of this is,” Malcolm began. “It is helpful. The person writing these notes is referring to a ‘traitor.’ This obviously means that we’re dealing with a Purist.” His somber gaze landed on Kerry. “Could you tell if they were both Amoveo?”
Kerry’s face fell, and she shrugged one shoulder in defeat. “No. I’m sorry.” Well, so much for feeling like she had figured anything out.
“Hey,” Samantha said sternly. “Don’t you dare start to feel badly about yourself or your abilities.” Her eyes softened, and she looked at Kerry through loving eyes. “You’re the one who confirmed that we’re definitely not dealing with a single player.”
“You should listen to your friend. She’s a smart cookie,” Dante said with a wink to their friends. The levity in his voice quickly faded, and his face grew somber. “You two should watch your backs as well. If we’re dealing with more Purists, then none of us are safe.”
Malcolm nodded his agreement. “We’ll go back to Westerly tomorrow and touch base with Nonie and Davis. There must be something that can help us from the experience with Sam’s parents, and our own encounter with the Purists.” He ran his hand through his hair and looked lovingly down at Sam. “Maybe there was something we overlooked. Some clue as to who else has been involved in all of this.” He turned to Dante with serious eyes. “Did you ever find anything in your father’s papers? After all, his job on the Council was to see if he could identify other humans who might be able to mate with our people.”
Dante’s jaw clenched, and his back straightened at the mention of his father. “No,” he said tightly. “My mother and sister have been handling all of my father’s effects.” His voice dropped to almost inaudible tones. “They haven’t had much contact with me since his death. I’m afraid that they blame me for not being able to save him.” He cleared his throat, obviously struggling to contain the raw emotions that still hovered beneath his strong exterior. “It doesn’t matter. To them, he’ll remain a hero. I don’t ever want them to know that he was a traitor.”
Kerry’s heart broke for him. He was clearly still deeply wounded by his father’s betrayal, and it was compounded by the fact that he couldn’t even be honest with his mother and sister. As the rest of them mulled over the last few details about tomorrow, Kerry remained focused on Dante. He was amazing. Not just because of his devastatingly good looks or rock-hard body—which were unquestionably drool-worthy—but because of the man he was on the inside. He would rather let his mother and sister hate him than ruin their image of his late father.
Incredible, she mused. Who would’ve thought that the sexiest thing about this man would be his heart?
They said their good-byes and agreed to meet the next day to compare notes. Before Kerry could walk to the door and leave in a traditional way, Dante picked her up and through a wicked grin whispered, “
Verto
.”
The odd sense of displacement was accompanied by Samantha’s laughter as they vanished from the room. Within seconds he had visualized them back into the bedroom of their suite. He promptly placed her on unsteady legs and cradled her hips with his hands.
“Are you alright?” he asked and placed a soft kiss on the corner of her mouth.
Kerry let out a slow breath and nodded. “I have a bit of a head rush.”
“You’ll get used to it after a while,” he said as he kissed his way down her neck. Kerry leaned her head to the left to allow him easier access to her sensitized skin. His hands slid down her rib cage, along the curve of her hips, and cupped her ass.
“That I’ll get used to,” she breathed. “But I hope I never, ever, get used to this.” Kerry ran her hands along the muscles of his broad chest and slipped her arms around his back. She held him to her and floated in the cradle of his touch, his body, and his heart.
She sank into him and closed her eyes as the image of his fox filled her mind. The sweet honey of his soft ministrations chased away the fear and carried her in a cloud of warmth.
Safe.
She felt safe with him. Death threats, Purist Networks, Caedo, none of it mattered. She knew deep in her soul that he wouldn’t let any harm come to her. The reality of her feelings for him hit her brutally.
She loved him.
Her heart ached with loving him, and
that
was terrifying.
Kerry took a deep breath and lifted her head to look him in the eyes. The instant she captured his gaze, her eyes shifted to the eyes of her clan. She licked her trembling lips nervously and searched for the courage to say three words. The three words she’d never even considered uttering to a man. They were just three little words. Right? Then why the hell couldn’t she bring herself to say them to him?
He stared back intently, his warm amber eyes searching hers for answers. “What is it?”
Losing her nerve, she smiled and nuzzled his neck once again. “Nothing. I’m just glad you’re here with me. You make me feel safe. I trust you, Dante.”
She wanted to tell him, to scream at the top of her lungs how much she loved him. That she craved him and needed him with every fiber of her being. However, looking into those searing eyes and wrapped in the shelter of his arms, she still didn’t have the courage to say it out loud. She wondered if she ever would.
Dante stroked her back softly and held her body tightly against his. Soon his gentle strokes became more insistent; her heart fluttered as his body hardened against hers. His desire for her pressed insistently against her. Hot, hard, and demanding. He trailed his fingers along her spine, leaving little licks of fire in its wake. Kerry moaned softly in response and placed a warm soft kiss against the base of his throat. She didn’t think she’d ever get enough of him. She ran her hands up his strong arms and took his head in her hands. She locked her heavy-lidded eyes on his, and a slow smile spread across his face.
Dante grabbed her ass, held her tightly against him, and ever so slowly ground himself against her. She kept her gaze locked with his as she reached down between them and released him from the confines of his jeans. Feeling a new sense of bravery and confidence, she wrapped her fingers around the hot length of him. A low growl of pleasure rumbled in his throat. She watched with satisfaction as the sensations washed over him and became deeply etched in his face. He threw his head back as she stroked his hot shaft with surprising skill. She loved the power of being able to give him this kind of pleasure. She wanted to give him more, everything she possibly could.
Kerry dropped to her knees, placed her hands on his hips, and looked up at him with a nervous smile.
I’m new at this.
She nibbled her lower lip.
Dante reached down and held her face in one hand.
You
don’t have to do that. I don’t want you to do anything you’re not comfortable with.
Would
it
please
you?
Kerry blew softly along the length of him.
He smiled, his body shuddered, and a low growl rumbled as he fought for control. Dante’s eyes opened, and he looked down at her with desire and something that looked a lot like love. He stroked her cheek with his thumb.
Everything
you
do
pleases
me.
“How about this?” she murmured wickedly. Kerry leaned in and licked the full length of his massive cock. His body quaked, he swore softly, and he gathered her hair in his hands. His voice floated into her mind, sounding as desperate and turned on as Kerry felt.
Woman
you
are
killing
me.
That was all the encouragement she needed.
Kerry held onto his narrow hips and lapped at the pearly drop that had appeared on the tip and wrapped her lips around him. Dante groaned loudly as she slowly took him deeper into the warm, dark cavern of her mouth. Tentatively at first, but soon her tempo increased, each time taking him further and deeper. He whispered soft words of pleasure and coaxed her along. She held the base and squeezed tightly as she suckled him to the very brink.
When she sensed him reaching the edge of his control, she brushed his shaft with one last long stroke of her tongue. Kerry kissed her way up his rock-hard abs, lifting his shirt as she went along. She pulled it over his head and ran her hands along his beautiful chest. His heart beat rapidly just under the surface in perfect time with hers.
“I have to be inside of you,” he whispered gruffly. “Now.”
He wrapped his arm around her waist and spun her so her back was pressed up against him. Kerry looked up and saw their reflections in the mirror. She reached up with both hands and threaded that silky soft hair of his between her fingers. She sighed with satisfaction as the cool strands surrounded her heated skin and sent her heart racing.
They stayed there for a moment, eyes locked on their decadent reflection. He kissed her cheek, waved one hand, whispered the ancient language, and the rest of their clothes disappeared before her eyes. Kerry’s eyes widened at the erotic sight of her naked body stretched out against his.