The house was quiet when he entered.
“Gia?” he called. “Ma chère?”
When there was no response, he headed for the bedroom. Where her scent was the strongest. The bed was still unmade, white sheets askew, reminding him of what they’d shared last night. But there was no Gia.
His eyes caught on the small garbage basket beside the bed. At the bottom was a crumpled piece of paper. His gut tightened and a strain of fear rippled through him. His note? He reached in and took out the paper.
Dammit, she’d been angry. What had Raphael been holding back? What had Ashe told him? Maybe Gia had confided her ire in the human woman. Told her she no longer cared for him.
Fuck, he was spinning.
On a growl of impatience, he left the bedroom and searched every other room before heading back outside.
Had Gia been so angry with him for leaving without telling her that she didn’t want to be with him anymore? Was that possible? He dropped onto one of the porch steps and scrubbed a hand over his face. He was an idiot. An asshole. How could he let something like this happen? She’d asked for honesty from him. That’s all she’d wanted. Had she interpreted leaving without telling her as dishonesty?
Hiss sat on that step for an hour, waiting, mentally beating the shit out of himself. This was it. She wasn’t coming back. No doubt she was on her way home, to the Wetlands. And he was getting what he deserved. The law of nature. He had taken and hurt so many. Now it was his turn.
A wave of such terrible pain blanketed him. He’d found forgiveness and redemption in the Pantera. He was free. And yet he wished to be back in the lab, in a cage, beside her. The knife he still had strapped to his ankle hummed. He slipped it out and held it. Stared at it.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
The breath left his lungs as his head came up. Not five feet away stood the female he’d just been grieving. His eyes skimmed over her, from long, bare legs to cut-off jean shorts and a blue tank top. She looked as edible as always. Her blond hair was piled on top of her head, a few strays bracketing her beautiful face. How had he not heard her? How had he not scented her? The blade in his hand felt cold and he thrust it aside. He wanted warm. He wanted heat.
I want my mate.
“Gia?” He couldn’t believe it. Couldn’t believe his insane mind, and all it had conjured in the past hour. “Oh, fuck, ma chère. You’re here. You’re still here.”
She stared at him like he was crazy. She wasn’t wrong. He was mad. For her. For their life together. He didn’t want to live it without her.
“Of course I’m here,” she said. “Look.” She held up the basket in her hands. Inside were about twenty Dyesse lilies. “I’ve been searching everywhere for these. For you. For when you returned.” Her gaze searched his. “Where else would I be, Hiss?”
He was truly a male gone mad. And undeserving…so undeserving…
“You thought I’d left you, did you?” she asked. “Over that?” she pointed at the note.
Hiss hadn’t even realized he’d brought it out here, much less that he’d been holding it. He nodded, cursed and tossed that aside too.
She walked up to him, placed the basket beside him and crawled into his arms. Her eyes found his, and she leaned in and kissed him on the mouth. “In case you’ve forgotten, I mated you.”
“I haven’t forgotten,” he uttered, his body reacting instantly to her closeness.
“Where you go, I go,” she said then kissed him again. “If that’s here or the Wetlands. Even if I’m pissed. Even if I want to slug you for not waking me up and telling me where you’re going.”
His hands went around her, crushed her to him. He growled. “Goddess, I love you, female.”
“And I love you,” she returned. “But don’t do that again, okay?”
“I promise.” He couldn’t believe this was happening. Her with him. Always. Forever. Wildlands, or maybe the Wetlands. He liked that idea. A new adventure. Starting fresh.
He stood up then, taking her and the basket of lilies with him. She wrapped her legs around his waist and held on tight as he carried her inside. He needed her. More than air this time. It was something far more special, more primitive…
Something only claimed lovers understood.
Once inside the bedroom, he set her down gently and started removing her clothes, then his own.
“So have you decided to mate me, then?” she asked, completely comfortable in her skin. Her luscious, highly addictive skin.
Totally naked now, Hiss grabbed the basket of flowers and started tossing the blooms onto the bed. He was going to take her surrounded by Dyesse lilies. “Oh, that’s already a done deal, ma chère.”
“I don’t think so,” she said with a wicked thread to her voice.
He tossed the basket aside and stalked toward her. “What do you mean, Gia?” he growled. “Make no mistake, you are mine.”
“Of course I am.” Her brown eyes flashed. “But in my sect, we make it official in a very special way.”
He stopped in front of her. “I like the sound of that.”
“Good.” Before he could say another word, she shifted into her cat—a medium-sized gray puma with very mischievous eyes.
For a couple of seconds the puma pawed the ground. Then it came at him, knocking him onto the bed. Snarling, it jumped up beside him and started nuzzling his neck. Hiss had no idea what kind of ritual they were getting into until the cat bit down on his hand.
A curse fell from his lips as blood bubbled up from the two small holes.
Suddenly, the cat shook and shimmered, and in front of him, gloriously naked, blond hair licking the tips of her hard nipples, was his mate. She took his hand and lapped at the blood.
Hiss’s cock went steel-hard.
“Now take me, male,” she commanded, crawling onto the bed on all fours. “Only when your body is in mine will I truly belong to you.”
The cat inside of Hiss roared, and he was on her in an instant.
“Mine,” he gritted out, his cock pressed against the entrance to her sex.
“Almost,” she teased, circling her hips.
With one hard thrust, Hiss was inside her.
Warm.
Wet.
Heaven.
Coming 8.11.2015
About The Author: Alexandra Ivy
Alexandra Ivy is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Guardians of Eternity series, as well as the Sentinels and Bayou Heat that she writes with Laura Wright. After majoring in theatre she decided she prefers to bring her characters to life on paper rather than stage. She lives in Missouri with her family. Visit her website at alexandraivy.com.
Book list:
Guardians of Eternity
Hunt the Darkness
May 28, 2014
978-1420125153
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00GYLVRRE
Darkness Avenged
June 4, 2013, Zebra
ISBN 978-1420111385
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00B60D9ME
Levet
March 26, 2013
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00AKI4IT6
Fear the Darkness
September 1,2012, Zebra
ISBN 978-1420111378
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B007T9WUNU
Bound by Darkness
December 6,2011, Zebra
ISBN 978-1420111361
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B005G023B8
Devoured by Darkness
November 2010, Zebra Paranormal
ISBN 978-1420111354
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B003VWC1R4
Beyond the Darkness
April 2010, Zebra Paranormal
ISBN 978-1420102987
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B0031W1ECW
Darkness Unleashed
November 2009, Zebra Paranormal
ISBN 978-1420102970
Amazon: http:
//amzn.com/B002SBMUCA
Darkness Everlasting
May 2008, Zebra Paranormal
ISBN 978-0-8217-7939-2
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B005ZID44G
Embrace the Darkness
November 2007, Zebra Paranormal
ISBN-10: 0821779370
ISBN-13: 978-0821779378
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B0026HPHZS
When Darkness Comes
January 2007, Zebra Paranormal
ISBN 0-8217-7935-4
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00C69EQKI
SENTINELS:
Born in Blood
Book #1 Sentinel series
December 31, 2013
ISBN 978-1420125146
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00DV1IUXY
Blood Assassin
Book #2 Sentinel series
January 6, 2015
ISBN 978-1-4201-2516-0
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00LEU4RD6
About The Author: Laura Wright
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author, Laura Wright is passionate about romantic fiction. Though she has spent most of her life immersed in acting, singing and competitive ballroom dancing, when she found the world of writing and books and endless cups of coffee she knew she was home. Laura is the author of the bestselling Mark of the Vampire series and the USA Today bestselling series, Bayou Heat, which she co-authors with Alexandra Ivy.
Laura lives in Los Angeles with her husband, two young children and three loveable dogs.
Book List
Mark of the Vampire
Book 1: Eternal Hunger
978-0451231499
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B0042JSOFS
Book 2: Eternal Kiss
978-0451233844
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B004IYJE9C
Book 2.5: Eternal Blood (Especial)
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B0062CWT22
Book 3: Eternal Captive
978-0451235879
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B006CUDE3W
Book 4: Eternal Beast
978-0451237729
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B007HU7KD6
Book 4.5: Eternal Beauty (Especial)
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B008EXK208
Book 5: Eternal Demon
978-0451239754
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B009D3G9XM
Book 6: Eternal Sin (November 5, 2013)
978-0451240163
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00C5R7964
Bayou Heat Series
Bayou Heat Raphael & Parish
Book #1 and #2 in the Bayou Heat Series
January 7, 2013
ISBN 978-0-9886245-0-4
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00AWR090M
Bayou Heat Bayon & Jean-Baptiste
Book #3 and #4 in the Bayou Heat Series
April 15, 2013
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00CBWEW3Q
Bayou Heat Talon & Xavier
Book #5 and #6 in the Bayou Heat Series
July 9, 2013
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00DTAGN7C
Bayou Heat Sebastian & Aristide
Book #7 and #8 in the Bayou Heat Series
November, 2013
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00GKB7MIG
Bayou Heat Lian & Roch
Book #9 and #10 in the Bayou Heat Series
April 19, 2014
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00JTDZ1YE
WICKED INK CHRONICLES (New Adult Series- 17+)
FIRST INK
SHATTERED INK
CAVANAUGH BROTHERS
BRANDED
BROKEN
BRASH
March 3, 2015
Contents
ANGEL by Alexandra Ivy CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
HISS by Laura Wright CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9