Squealing tires followed by the crunching and scraping of metal on pavement behind her sparked her curiosity. Her nose tingled at the smell of hot breaks and burnt rubber. When she turned to look at the wreckage, she gasped. The van lay on its side in the middle of the street. A much stronger and larger male, with hair black as night and long enough to allow fingers to comb through it, stood at the front of the vehicle, his massive chest rose and fell under his black T-shirt as he took deep, calculated breaths.
After punching through the glass, he reached inside the windshield and pulled out the driver. A force of power rolled off the newcomer unlike anything she’d ever felt before. He didn’t radiate demon magic like the others. Although his aura was dark, his power was almost godly and familiar.
Her stalker.
His power reached out to her like physical touch of a lover, sending tingles over her skin. His sculptured body moved in a sensual, yet deadly manner. Her hands itched to touch him, to feel his warm skin under her palms. She closed her eyes to stop the urge to go to him, shivered, and cursed her body for responding to him. Usually demons threw off eerie fridge energy. But, this one, he warmed her in a way that no other man had ever done.
Okay, Lo. You have officially lost your mind.
The Amiddian, held off the ground in the death grip of her stalker, kicked his legs wildly and screamed as the larger male spoke in tones too low for her to make out the words. She caught a glimpse of huge sharp fangs before he latched onto his victim’s neck.
After a few moments, Mr. Tall Dark and Scary tossed the lifeless body away like last week’s trash and turned toward her. She swallowed hard.
His attention snapped to the left. Khloe followed his gaze to another demon running toward her.
Her stalker flashed to stand in front of the other demon, and she fled in the opposite direction.
She was so not hanging around to see what he did to that one. Cutting to her right, she ran into the woods, away from her stalker and would-be captors.
Several feet inside the undeveloped property, another demon materialized in front of her. She dug her heels into the ground to keep from plowing into him. White-blond hair framed his too-thin demonic face. Most demons looked human, allowing them to blend into the natural world. This one didn’t blend very well. At least not to her. For one, his crimson-colored eyes were anything but human. Secondly, his dark magic rolled off him in powerful, choking waves.
Heart hammering in her ears, she darted to the side, but he was too fast for her. His large, rough hands wrapped around her upper arm and his sharp claws dug into her skin, making her cry out. As quickly as he’d grabbed her, an iron bracelet snapped around her wrist. The cuff he slapped on her right arm instantly muted her magic. She felt the flow of energy slow and back away from the iron.
She tried to force is out, create a spark, but it didn’t work. Even her elemental magic reseeded. Damn.
She was powerless against him.
Panic gripped her, and she struggled against the large demon. Survival instincts kicked in, and she brought her foot up and thrust it out, right into his groin. With a painful groan, he crumbled to the ground.
It was a good thing male demons had the same weakness as human men. Take out the jewels and women could rule the world.
The warm tingle across her skin said her stalker was closing in on her, and she bolted deeper into the woods.
Jagger tossed the Amiddian to the side, stepped away from the overturned van, and froze. Khloe stood on the shoulder of the road about fifteen feet ahead, and watched him. Her pink-streaked blond hair framed her oval face, making her look like a pissed off angel. He took a step forward and felt the presence of another demon. He turned to the new energy to see a horned, blue-skinned demon advancing toward Khloe.
Fuck. Where were they coming from?
Letting out a low growl, Jagger materialized in front of the demon and grabbed him by the front of his shirt. Holding the hell-spawn off the ground, Jagger let his fangs drop. “What do you want with her?”
The demon narrowed his eyes and smirked, but said nothing.
Tightening his grip, Jagger gave the demon one more chance. “You can tell me, or I’ll drain the memories from your useless soul.”
The idiot laughed and vanished.
Fuck! No one should have been able to flash from his hold. He surrounded them with a spell for just that reason. There was only one possibility. Khan had a power source just like Jagger suspected.
Fisting his hands to his side, he whirled around to find Khloe gone. Great. Another complication.
Scenting the air, he picked up on her chocolate-rose fragrance and rushed into the forest. Several feet into the trees and brush, he found her.
She wasn’t alone. A Regal—the imperial guards of Khan and the most powerful demons in the Underworld—stood over her, with his hand gripping her arm.
Rage ran in Jagger’s veins, fueling his need to protect her and kill for her.
He soon discovered his Khloe was a fireball. She kicked the Regal in the balls, taking the demon to the ground. Turning on her heels, she took off again, but not before he caught the scent of blood.
A deep growl ripped from his throat, and he thrust his hand toward the male struggling to stand, hitting him with a ball of fire. The demon puffed into a black pile of dust.
No one harmed what belonged to him and lived.
Santa's Executive Excerpt
From another Fated Desires author: Carrie Ann Ryan brings us a Holiday Tale sure to keep you
warm in the winter.
Book 2 in the Holiday Montana Series
Santa’s Executive
Chapter 1
Sometimes being the bad boy seemed a whole lot easier. Justin Cooper let out a sigh and closed his eyes. The tension that had crept through his shoulders and neck throughout the day seemed to suffocate him. He sat at his desk in his office at the elementary school and wished he were anywhere else. Sure, he loved being the principal of his small-town school, but, sometimes, he just needed a break.
The school bell rang, a soft trilling sound that set his teeth on edge, indicating he might just get that break he wanted. It was the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, and the temperature had dropped dramatically in their small Montana town of Holiday. He’d deal with the biting cold, just as long as he got his much-needed break. A full five-day weekend all to himself.
He let out a snort. Okay, not all to himself.
He was one of five Cooper brothers, which meant he was never too alone. They’d grown up close, and he, Matt, Tyler, Brayden, and Jackson hadn’t drifted apart as they’d aged like some families; perhaps because, after the death of their parents, they’d needed to rely on each other. Not to mention Matt, his youngest brother, had proposed to Jordan, bringing another family member into the fold.
Being the most prominent family in town had its drawbacks. No, he was never quite alone, and everyone knew his business.
Holiday was one of those storybook old Western towns that had never quite gotten with the times and evolved. But, he was okay with that. He kind of liked having the general store across the street from his brother’s hardware store. Everything was pretty much laid back and moved at a slower pace.
It was a perfect pace when he really just wanted to hide away and relax. Though, in reality, he never got the chance to do just that.
He ran a hand through his too-long hair and groaned. He needed to get a freaking haircut because, according to Jordan, he was starting to look like some punk kid. And, God forbid, he didn't fit the part of a proper and professional school principal. As it was, he looked like the aging bad boy of a small town.