WHERE DARKNESS LIVES

Luc lifted a dark brow. “Lover?”


“A cur.” Curs were humans who’d been bitten instead of being born a pure-blooded Were. They were capable of shifting, but they couldn’t control the shifts as a Were could, and they weren’t immortal, although their lifespan was greatly increased. “Well, more or less.”

“What does that mean?”

“He’s been turned, I can smell it, but he’s a pathetic excuse for a cur.” The image of his short, pudgy body and pasty face turned Sophia’s stomach. “He’s an embarrassment to curs everywhere. I’ve never encountered such a timid creature.”

He stepped forward, pressing her body against the wall. “Not your type at all.”

“You know nothing of my type.”

Lowering his head, he allowed his lips to brush over the racing pulse at the base of her throat.

“I know I’m it.”

Hell, they both knew he was it.

She was going up in flames from a mere touch.

What would happen if he actually kissed her?

Not about to stay around and find out, she shoved her hands against his chest.

“Ugh,” she muttered, marching around him and down the stairs.

It was bad enough that she’d spent the day dodging bullets. She wasn’t going to make it worse by becoming another victim to Luc’s fatal charm.

She had no doubt there were enough of them littering the streets of Miami.





Luc finished his sweep of the office building and was pulling his black Mercedes SL550 Roadster past the uniformed guard who was opening the gates of Sophia’s neighborhood when his cell phone beeped.

A glance at the flashing ID and he grimaced, knowing he couldn’t ignore the call.

Turning up the car stereo, he put the phone to his ear. There were too many demons with superior hearing to take chances.

“What’s up?” he demanded, sighing at his caller’s response. “Sí. I’m headed back to her house now.” His jaw tightened. “No, she doesn’t suspect anything. Not yet. But she’s too smart for me to fool for long.” There was another burst of sharp words. “Yeah, I got it. I’ll keep in touch.”

Tossing his phone into the passenger seat, Luc parked his car at the end of the tree-lined street. Then, briefly considering the benefits of shifting, he gave a shake of his head and jogged toward Sophia’s house.

He’d already called his wolf to search the office building. His human form couldn’t begin to match his wolf senses, but while he was stronger than most Weres, he didn’t want to waste unnecessary energy.

Not when he couldn’t be certain he wouldn’t need to protect Sophia.

Reaching the nearly half acre of parkland surrounding Sophia’s house, he did a swift search of the grounds, including the pool house, before entering her home through the patio doors.

He’d checked through her living room, a guest bedroom, and the fully equipped gym before heading to the kitchen.

Not surprisingly, he found Sophia leaning against the marble counter, her arms folded across her chest. She would have sensed him the moment he entered her yard.

Halting in the center of the ceramic-tiled floor, Luc allowed his gaze to run over her slender body barely covered by a lacy red camisole and matching silk shorts.

He bit back a growl, his gaze lifting to the beautiful face framed by the pale golden hair.

The lust he didn’t mind. What male wouldn’t be hot and bothered by the sight of a gorgeous, half-naked female?

But the sense of recognition from his wolf, as if she ... belonged to him, was unnerving.

Especially when the emerald eyes were glowing with a warning that was far from welcoming.

“Do your duties include breaking and entering?”

He deliberately glanced toward the door leading from the breakfast nook onto the patio. A dew fairy could break the flimsy-ass lock.

“No, but they include an inspection of your alarm system.”

She snorted. “I’m a pure-blooded Were. That’s all the alarm system I need.”

Scowling at her nonchalant tone, he turned back with a glare of frustration.

Dios.

Did she know how her seeming lack of concern was challenging his wolf to do whatever necessary to protect her?

“Obviously not if some lunatic has managed to wander around your place without getting caught,” he growled.

“The lunatic always trespassed when I was at the club.” She allowed her gaze to drift down to his heavy boots and back to his narrowed eyes. “At least until tonight.”

“You need an alarm system.”

She heaved a purely feminine sigh of exasperation at his stubborn expression.

“Did you find anything at the office building?”

He moved past her to open the fridge and pulled out a bottle of perfectly chilled beer. Twisting off the cap, he downed half of it in one swallow.

“I found that the secretary from the insurance claims company is staying late to burn the midnight oil with the janitor.”

“Midnight oil?”