Desire Unchained Read Free Page B

with, a history of his paternity
    going back dozens of generations. The very top symbol, an unseeing eye just beneath his jaw,
    was his personal mark, which would have appeared following his first maturation phase at the
    age of twenty.

    “And?”

    She smiled tightly. “I spent months researching your species after that night.” Not that
    much information had been available. Oh, incubi had been thoroughly documented, but his
    particular breed, Seminus, was so rare that she’d unearthed only sketchy details.

    “Then you know my nature—”

    “Your nature?” Anger flooded her, anger she thought she’d buried. “I get that you pretty
    much live in a state of perpetual arousal. I get that your need for sex is all but uncontrollable. But you know what? I don’t give a crap. You tricked me into having sex with you. Used your
    incubus tricks and pheromones. You lied to me, made me think you were human.” She could go
    on, about how betrayed and sickened she’d been when she’d learned the truth, but ultimately,
    what had happened after she’d fled his apartment was what mattered. “You ruined my life,” she
    snapped.

    Well, she’d done that herself long before Shade had walked into her coffee shop, but he’d
    definitely made things worse.

    “Shit,” he muttered. “See, this is why I make it a rule to not sleep with a human more
    than once. Your females are clingy.”

    She stared. Sputtered. “Are you kidding me? You think my life was ruined because you
    seduced me and then broke my heart?”

    “Well, yeah,” he said, shrugging one broad shoulder.

    What. An. Ass.

    Snarling, she leaped into an aggressive crouch so fast he reared backward. Her chains
    rattled as she trembled with the force of her rage. Her skin prickled, tightening, her gums ached,
    and she knew she was dangerously close to letting out the inner beast.

    “You arrogant son of a bitch.” She slammed her palm into his chest, was thrilled to hear
    him grunt. “I was upset that night, but I’d have gotten over it. Too bad I never got the chance.
    See, after I left your apartment, I was attacked, torn up, and left to die. You might have known
    that if you hadn’t had some skanky vampire shouting your name. You might have heard me
    scream.”

    Shade’s gaze sharpened on her, points of midnight flint. “Someone hurt you?”

    “Am I supposed to believe you care?”

    His hand came up to curl around hers. “Believe it or not, I’m not a monster.”

    She laughed, a hard, bitter sound. “No, but I am.” She got right up in his face. “Because
    of you, I’m a monster, Shade. I’m a goddamned werewolf.”

    Two

    A werewolf? Not good.

    Shade closed his eyes, hoping that when he opened them, he’d wake up in his own bed
    and Runa would be gone.

    “Well?”

    So much for that. This nightmare wasn’t going away. He opened his eyes. Wished he
    hadn’t. Runa was glaring at him, her pale eyes sparking. Gods, he’d bet she was beautiful in
    beast form … shiny, toffee fur, glowing champagne eyes. She’d be big; would probably stand
    taller than him. And now the fact that she seemed taller and leaner made sense. Those bitten by
    werewolves, or wargs, as they usually called themselves, put on muscle and grew an extra inch
    or two in human form.

    Now that his head had cleared, he could smell her as well. Her scent was no longer
    flowery and sweet. No, she smelled earthy, like a late summer rain in the forest. Oh, and she also
    smelled really, really pissed.

    “Isn’t the full moon in two days?”

    Her eyes narrowed. “Why? You think I have a raging case of PMS?”

    “It occurred to me.” Weres might joke about Pre-Moon Syndrome, but those who weren’t
    were-creatures didn’t find anything funny about their hair-trigger tempers, mood swings, and
    out-of-control sex drives.

    “Oh, right. My anger wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that of the two people I
    hate the most in the world, I’m chained in a cell