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Chapter 1 Gray Barsk spread his fingers over the dry, caked dirt beneath him. His head was pounding. Still, his mind darted from one event to another, over what had happened this evening, what he’d done wrong, how he had landed in this cell… He was a hellhound, one of the legendary forandre, shape-shifters, meant to run the wild hunt. Only gods and other forandre were a match for his kind—not Svartalfars, dark elves. Still, the mercenaries of the nine worlds were known for their cunning, a characteristic that had obviously been at play here. The dark elf had caught him off guard. Poison or magic must have graced the tip of his blade. Gray wouldn’t have fallen so quickly otherwise. But the poison wasn’t all of it. His instincts had been dulled, too. Even drunk, he should have been able to defeat one little flea of a dark elf. And he wasn’t drunk. He’d had one mug of beer; that was all. No, the bar was a set-up, a trap. Gray realized that now. What he didn’t know yet is if it was designe
Chapter 1
Chapter 2 Leve pulled her feet more fully beneath her, watched the male as he approached. He’d changed back to human. Why? Desire trailed through her, made her want to roll over, expose her belly, let him know she wouldn’t fight him. But she didn’t. She wasn’t quite far enough under the pheromones’ control to give in. As soon as the ramp door had clanged open and she’d heard the steam, she’d known she needed to get away. From what Halla, one of the other females locked away here, had told her, the pheromones contained in the mist pumped up male hellhounds, urged them to mate or kill, but the same chemicals subdued females, took away every urge they had except to submit. The steam stole their very will. Leve had raced behind the ramp, hoping the air would be less tainted there, and it had been. She’d been herself for a while, but once the male invaded the space, she’d had to move again. Couldn’t risk being that close to him, not after he’d taken a full dose of the emotion-laden mist int
Chapter 2
Chapter 3 The female’s lips were soft, and moved with an urgency that made Gray want to jerk her form against his, feel the tension strumming through her, share it. Her body was soft too—soft curves packed onto hard muscle. And she smelled good, pure female but bathed in anxiety, fear and determination. She was a mix of contrary emotions, a puzzle. One he would like to solve. But, his mind warned, puzzle or not, this kiss was wrong, too out of character for what he’d seen from her so far. His mind battled with his body, telling him to kiss her. The feel of her breasts pressed against his chest, her sex cradling his, had to be part of a trick. He’d be a fool to give in, no matter how badly he wanted to. He started to untangle her hands from around his neck, to push her away, but the door rattled louder. She pushed against him, knocked him to the ground and straddled him as he had straddled her earlier, while her lips never left his. Then it hit him. She had answered his question. Seduct
Chapter 3
Chapter 4 Gray’s arm had fallen to the small of Leve’s back. The weight of it was reassuring, letting her know she wasn’t alone, not anymore. Escape. Was it possible? She’d never allowed herself to dream of such a thing. She’d always stayed focused on just surviving. But now, after seeing how Gray had fought the mist and didn’t succumb to its allure, how he’d pulled her from its grip, too, she couldn’t help but feel some flicker of hope. Maybe let into her heart the idea that merely surviving wasn’t enough. She wanted to live—really and truly live. But to do so, to fool the dark elves, she’d have to open herself to another risk. She blew a breath through the circle of her lips. “We’ll have to convince them…” Her decision made, she grabbed the hem of her shirt. Gray pulled back, surprise in his eyes. His silence made it easier. She closed her eyes and pulled the shirt over her head, pretended she wasn’t in the packed-earth cell, pretended she was free. And she was, in a way. This was he
Chapter 4
Chapter 5 Gray watched as Leve positioned herself out of the way. Then he began roaming the cell, roaring and muttering, slamming his fist into the wall—acting like a thousand hellhounds he had seen caught in the out-of-control spiral of bloodlust. His efforts paid off. Within minutes the door at the top of the ramp rattled open and a tray laden with meat slid down. He jumped on the food, pretended to shove it into his mouth as quickly as he could, sliding it under his shirt, which still lay on the floor, instead. As he pretended to chew, he continued to roam, stumbling past Leve, who lay curled on her side performing her own act of the drugged, submissive female. She went as far as to cringe when his foot brushed her hair, and for a second he stopped, forgot she was acting, too. But when her eyes darted to the side, he remembered himself and his role. He let his steps drag, his body slump, until he fell to his knees, then over, face-first in the dirt right between the hidden entrance
Chapter 5
Other Books by Lori Devoti and Silhouette Nocturne: UNBOUNDGUARDIAN’S KEEPWILD HUNTDARK CRUSADE (Available in April 2009 wherever books are sold) And don’t miss the other spooky and sensual NOCTURNE BITES: MORTAL ENEMY, IMMORTAL LOVER by Olivia GatesBROKEN SOULS by Bonnie VanakSCIONS: PERCEPTION by Patrice MichelleMAHINA’S STORM by Vivi AnnaWILDERNESS by Barbara J. HancockDREAMCATCHER by Anna LeonardSON OF THE SEA by Nancy HolderMATE OF THE WOLF by Karen WhiddonRETURN OF THE BEAST by Lisa Renee JonesRACING THE MOON by Michele Hauf Looking for more paranormal romance? The sizzling and spine-chilling books of Silhouette Nocturne are available at www.eHarlequin.com or your local bookstore. Interested in writing for Nocturne Bites? Send your submission to NocturneBites@Harlequin.ca
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