Hunger Undone
Publisher: Amira Press
Length: Novella
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Three months ago, jaguar shifter Marshall Mackenzie met his mate. Sultry witch Mira Jones is beautiful, smart, and everything he wants -- there is just one problem. Their introduction was orchestrated by his employer, which meant Marshall was forced to break Mira’s trust in order to uncover the secrets of a magical coven responsible for killing innocents. Mira fled from him when she learned the truth -- both angry and afraid -- but Marshall’s determined to teach the alluring female that while she can run from the hunger that now consumes her, she can never hide.
Excerpt
“Can I get you anything else, cowboy?”
Marshall Mackenzie shook his head and waved away the waitress without averting his attention from the large circular stage situated in the center of the room. Although his Stetson was low on his head, obscuring his face, he could see just past the peak to the dancer working the pole and engaging the crowd. She was a thing of beauty, just as breathtaking as he remembered. Her long, pale limbs moved gracefully as the sinewy muscles stretched and flexed, the disco globe directly overhead creating a rainbow effect that reflected off of her nearly nude body in shimmering holographic squares.
Three months had passed since she’d split from California without a trace and hauled ass to a different location, leaving him a wreck in the process. Not that he was surprised. Being singled out by his employer, Wolfe McCoy, always carried serious repercussions—especially when those being questioned or held under lockdown weren’t of the human variety. The government wasn’t as lax with things that went bump in the night, changed forms, or had the ability to cast magic.
It was a part of the reason he had been brought into the case that included the ever-private and impossible-to-get-close-to witch, Mira Jones, in the first place.
He stretched languidly in his chair, forcing the jaguar within to simmer down as he inhaled the succulent scent of the female who had haunted his dreams for weeks. He’d known what Mira was to him in the moment he snared her, drawn to her presence as only mates could be. Unlike vampires, who could identify their mates through smell alone, Therians required skin-to-skin contact to make the connection. As it happened, she didn’t grant him the opportunity to touch her until it was far too late to stop what had been set into motion.
It was bad luck that had torn them apart before they’d even had a chance to start and forced him to remain behind on the preternatural case that involved Bad Boys Inc. when she’d fled. It was hard to recruit shifters, which meant when the shit hit the fan, Marshall was usually spread pretty thin. Thankfully, he was due a vacation. It was a good thing he’d saved up his time, too, because it had taken weeks to find the sultry female mesmerizing the audience with lithe twists and turns of her supple body.
The music slowly died down, the lights dimmed, and appreciative hoots, hollers, and clapping followed as she collected her bra. Unlike the dancers before her, she didn’t attempt to lure tips from those sitting ringside with lingering glances or air kisses. Instead she collected the money tossed onto the stage, murmured her thanks with a sinful grin, and held her head high as she sashayed past the pole to the curtain at the back.
Marshall rose from his seat and started making his way to the rear of the club. Drunken patrons began flashing their dollar bills the minute music spilled from the speakers and a new dancer took the stage. He barely masked his disgust as he waded through the thick smoke and pungent scent of body odor and sweat, livid that his female had been forced to exist in such conditions in order to hide among the masses. Once he took Mira out of this hellhole, he would ensure she never returned to it. After tonight, she would never be forced to sell herself in any fashion to survive.
The guard blocking the hallway to the back didn’t give Marshall any trouble, not when he pulled his duster aside, flashed the badge on his belt, and revealed the sidearm nestled under his arm. His notable size and height were usually enough to get the job done, but having the backing of a Browning pistol and Uncle Sam in situations like these certainly didn’t hurt.
Once he stepped past, he took his time, walking confidently toward the back of the building. Nude females crammed the dressing space he entered as he pushed aside the heavy curtain at the end of the hall. Most were staring into the mirrored vanities bolted into the walls, but a few were relaxed on the large leather couch on the far left of the room. He didn’t pay attention to the lusty stares that darted in his direction, transfixed on the redhead who stood at a locker directly in front of him with her back turned. She closed the snaps on her blood red bra as he neared, her matching boy short panties already in place, hugging the luscious curves of her ass.
He knew that she could hear him as he approached, as she’d teased him the first night they’d met about his boots and the very distinctive sound they made as he walked. At the time he’d bullshitted his way around her observation, claiming they were the most comfortable footwear around, but what he wanted to tell her was that the heels of his boots were as essential as a belled collar, keeping him from getting shot by a comrade when he moved too quietly and caught them off guard.
He smiled at the memory. Even then, the desire to share everything with her was present.
“Stop right there, Marshall,” she said quietly as she turned, sending long tendrils of vibrant, flaming scarlet over her shoulder. “Don’t come one step closer.”
He couldn’t prevent the throaty growl that rose from his chest. Her voice was as sultry as her body and face. So damned sexy he couldn’t help but respond. Blood flowed to his cock, firming the flesh that had not found release in the warm cradle of a female since he’d faced off against the witch who was now scowling at him.
“Do you think you can stop me after I came all this way, darlin’?” he drawled and continued advancing, purposefully ignoring her request.
“I think I could try.” She met his stare without flinching, her hazel irises flashing a beautiful grass green. “Are you sure you want to go there? You can’t trick me this time.”
He stepped closer to her, placed one hand on the wall just over her head, and whispered as he bowed over her shorter frame, “You’re surrounded by people who I’m wagering don’t know a damned thing about who or what you are. I’m willing to take the chance.”
“Damn you.” She peered over his shoulder, undoubtedly validating his observation. When she returned her gaze to him, he could see the fury radiating through her thinned lips and furrowed brows. “What are you doing here?”
“Don’t be coy, sweetness.” He brought a hand up, slowly brushed his knuckles over the soft swell of her breast, and grinned when she gasped. Her lower lip quivered, and her cheeks turned an alluring shade of crimson. Lowering his voice, he said, “You know exactly why I’m here.” |
