chapter one
Red Santiago crawled out of the dark tunnel straight into the jaws of hell. Something growled near her ear and the hair on the back of her neck rose. She swallowed hard, then chanced a glance over her shoulder. She saw Morgan Hunter and Demery Wilson frozen in place. They were staring at something behind her. Red followed their gaze and her heart stammered in her chest. She had never seen so many carnivores. Something primal rose inside her as the mixed pack of canids closed in around them, their jaws snapping in anticipation of an easy meal.
Morgan began to peel his clothes off. His movements were deceptively unhurried. Demerys dark eyes took on a red glow and his fangs lengthened. Out of habit, Red reached for her laser pistol.
Before she could pull the weapon, Morgan shook his head. “We dont want to give away our position.”
Theyd removed their identi-chips so satellites couldnt track them, then theyd slipped across the boundary fence that divided the republics from no-mans-land. Theyd done all this to remain undetected. And theyd succeeded so far. One shot from a laser pistol would change that.
Red cursed under her breath at her carelessness. She knew how the International Police Tactical Team operated and what guidelines they followed. As an officer with IPTT, it had been her job to enforce those rules.
But there were no rules here. Her tactical team training was useless. The sound of canid paws scrambling over the sand grated on her already frazzled nerves, leaving her edgy. Red flexed her hands, easing them away from the pistol. Why didnt they just attack already?
Morgan was naked now, poised for the packs next move.
The largest canid, a coyote hybrid, stilled, sensing the change in its prey. Something in its bloodline had given it added size and darker coloring from the rest. Saliva dripped from its powerful jaws. It yipped, which in turn spurred the whole pack on. They all started baying. Starvation overrode the alphas naturally cautious nature as it broke away from the pack to attack.
Morgan shifted, his scream fracturing into a pained howl. His amber eyes gave off a predatory gold glow as talons sprouted from his fingertips and his canines lengthened. Blood painted the sand crimson as his bones broke and muscles reshaped. His hair thickened, along with the skin on his chest and abdomen, which now formed a protective covering for his vital organs. Standing on two legs, Morgan was more wolf than man.
He was already moving by the time Red glanced around to judge the distance of the pack closing in behind them. Hed targeted the alpha male, his challenge for supremacy clear.
Demery hissed a warning to a few of the coyotes, wolves, and wild dogs thatd gotten too close. He swiped at them, his movements graceful and swift, but they remained out of reach.
Morgan tackled the alpha, his teeth going for the coyotes ruff. They tumbled upon contact, end over end. The hybrid was quicker. It leapt to its feet. Teeth bared, its head snapped back. Powerful jaws found Morgans arm and bit down— hard. Blood welled in the canids mouth as it shook its head, attempting to tear off bits of flesh. Morgan cried out, then slammed the heel of his palm down on the animals muzzle, trying to break its grip. Red could tell that despite the pain he had to be in, Morgan was trying not to hurt the starving canid.
The coyote released its hold, licking the blood and bits of flesh from its teeth as it did so. The hackles on its back rose higher and its tail stiffened as the alpha prepared for a second attack.
Pain seared Reds hands as claws shot out of her fi ngertips, ejecting her short nails in the process. It couldnt have hurt more had she been playing with razor blades. She screamed, drawing the alpha hybrids attention away from Morgan. He lunged, rolling the animal beneath him.
He placed his forearm over the alphas throat. The other hand held the coyotes body to the ground. Morgan sunk his teeth into the animals neck. It stopped struggling. He held the coyote and growled, until its tail tucked between its legs. The hybrid exposed its abdomen and whimpered in defeat. Morgan slowly let the animal up. The coyote dropped its head and slunk away. The excited yipping stopped. The silence made the hair on Reds arms stand on end. Was it over?
Morgan stood and made eye contact with each animal. In turn they ducked their heads and kept their gazes averted. A few tried to challenge him, but all it took was a rumbling growl from Morgan to bring them into line.
“Thats more like it,” Demery said. “Way to go, wolfman.”
Blood smeared his skin. Morgan could smell its coppery tang. The aroma filled his nostrils and stimulated his senses, nearly making him drunk with desire. His mouth watered for a taste. He knew it would be hot, sweet, and sticky. Morgan licked a blood drop from his bottom lip and his gut clenched. What was happening to him?
He knew without looking that his eyes were glowing. They did anytime the wolf came out to play. But would they still be gold or had they started turning red—thanks to the vampire blood Raphael Vega had given him. Morgan had almost been killed that night in Nuria, fighting his cousin Kane for the alpha position. If Raphael hadnt come to his aid, Morgan had no doubt he wouldve died. But living came with a cost. One Morgan wasnt sure he could pay.
Hed lived so many years with his wolf. Through war, pain, and triumph. The feral nature of the beast was as natural to him as breathing. Morgan didnt know what hed do if it went away. The wolf was what kept him bound to Gina, his little Red. If he lost that tie, then everything theyd sacrificed, everything theyd worked to protect would be for naught.
The thought that he might lose himself to the blood pulsing through his veins scared him more than he cared to admit. Without his wolf, who was he? There were no easy answers. Morgan would have to settle with knowing that for now he was still a wolf and Gina was still his mate. And hed fight to his last breath to keep it that way.
He threw his head back and howled. The heart-pounding sound wasnt animal and not quite human either. When he finished, the pack scattered into the darkness and his gaze fell upon Gina. Morgans nostrils fl ared and his cock began to rise.
“Come here.” His guttural voice raked the air, scoring the night.
Ginas knees visibly quivered. She glanced over her shoulder at Demery.
“Ill be waiting for you three dunes over. Make it fast,” the vamp said, grinning with more fang than usual. Demery hadnt fought, but he appeared to be worked up thanks to the blood dripping down Morgans arm.
A growl rumbled out of Morgans chest. A warning and a promise, letting the vamp know he would fight to keep Gina and his blood. Demerys dreadlocks shook as he laughed. Morgan watched the vamp go and didnt stop until hed disappeared over a dune.
“I said come here,” he repeated. This time his words werent nearly as garbled. Morgans ironclad control was gradually slipping back into place.
Gina hesitated, then slowly approached. Morgans gaze sharpened as he circled her, demanding her submission. He stuck his nose in her long, black hair and inhaled deeply. Under the dust and sand, he smelled warm, musky woman. His cock jumped at her quick intake of breath.
“Mine,” he said, sounding more like himself. “Now take your clothes off before I rip them from you.”
Ginas fingers trembled as she unbuttoned her shirt. She wasnt scared. Morgan wouldve smelled it had she been. No, fear wasnt fueling her reaction to him. It was anticipation. Gina wanted him, almost as badly as he wanted her.
She pulled at the last two buttons and they popped off, dropping onto the ground to be swallowed by the sand. Theyd barely had a chance to share a kiss much less do anything else, since Demery had been with them hiding out in the remains of Kanes house for the past week.
But he wasnt here now.
The tension thrumming between them created heat waves, electrifying their nerves, while ratcheting their need. Morgans breathing deepened and his muscles quivered. He was afraid to touch her for fear hed ravish her.
Ginas gaze locked on his mouth and she licked her lips, her hunger palpable.
Morgan shuddered. “Take off the rest,” he rumbled when she hesitated.
The air rushed out of his lungs as Morgans world narrowed to those luscious hard peaks hidden beneath a wisp of synth-material. One taste and he knew hed be lost. He inhaled, catching the sweet scent of moisture gathering between her thighs as she seductively shucked her shirt and slipped her boots and pants off.
He hadnt bothered to shift entirely back into his other form. Morgan remained perched somewhere in between the animal and the man. He tongued his long, sharp canines in anticipation. Morgan couldnt wait to taste the delectable treat in front of him. By the way she was looking at him, Gina couldnt wait either.
“Get on all fours.” He gently raked her with his claws. Gooseflesh rose on Ginas skin. Morgan needed this connection, this bond. It was what kept him alive when Roark Montgomery had him wrongly imprisoned and later tried to kill him. It was why he willingly crossed into lawless no-mans-land. And why he fought so hard to clear their names. “Please, Gina,” he begged, laying his heart bare.
Morgan waited for her to drop, his breathing ragged from restraining his feral nature. The second Ginas knees hit the sand, he was on her. He pushed her onto her hands and swiftly entered her from behind. One thrust into Ginas tight warmth and Morgan was home. The only home hed ever need. It seemed like forever since hed last lost himself in her body. Morgan trembled, caught between savage need and emotional overload.
Gina moaned. The sweet sound coaxed him, drove him on to claim her. There was nothing gentle about his taking, though. Morgans hips pounded her round bottom as he guided them toward hot, sensual bliss. He couldnt seem to get deep enough. He wanted to crawl inside her until they were one heart, one being.
His claws gripped her trim waist firmly, but managed not to puncture her skin. Morgan brushed a kiss against her neck and felt his canines lengthen into fangs. He was too far gone to stop. Along with the intermingling of their juices, he could smell the blood coursing in her veins. Just one taste.
Morgans mouth began to water and revulsion fi lled him. Hed promised himself he wouldnt bite her again. Ginas delicious scent wafted in the air. Desire swamped him, demanding the ultimate release. Morgan might as well have been trying to hold back the moon. “Please forgive me.”
His gaze fastened on his mark at the curve of her neck. He began to tongue the spot, licking the salty sweat from her skin. Gently at first, then growing in fervor. Morgan needed to mark her again, reinforce his claim while he was still able. He kissed Gina once more and she quivered, her body clamping him tight. Morgan growled, then latched onto her shoulder, biting deep where hed bitten her the first time theyd made love.
Gina mewed and her legs nearly gave out, but he held her up. He wasnt done yet and neither was she. Morgan could feel the desire growing inside her. It throbbed in time with the pull of his mouth.
He rumbled deep in his chest, his rough tongue lapping at her tender flesh while his hips continued to piston. Skin slapped heated skin. Bonding two bodies. Repairing wounded souls.
A chorus of grunts and moans punctuated his movements as Morgan conquered Ginas flesh and laid siege to her heart. His love deafened him to the world around them.
“Mine,” he ground out, pressing his lips to the side of her neck and drawing deep. “And Im yours.”
“Always,” she said.
In the whirlwind of frenzied coupling, they mended their relationship, erasing all the pain that had come with the separation theyd experienced thanks to Roark Montgomerys machinations. With Ginas blessing, Morgan had been able to lay his past to rest, no longer haunted by the wife and child hed lost in the last war.
Morgan reached under Ginas body and stroked her sensitive flesh. By the third caress, she exploded on a long, drawn-out gasp, her body gripping his erection like a vise. His movements lost rhythm and became even more frantic as he rushed to follow her into oblivion. “I dont deserve you.” The hot brush of his breath bathed her neck as tears silently fell from his eyes. He lost focus. Morgan jerked three more times, then he bellowed in release.
They both collapsed onto the sand. Morgan lay on top of her, licking the blood hed drawn from biting her shoulder. His fingertips glided over her skin, loving her, memorizing every inch. He couldnt believe she was really real and not something his desperate mind made up to soothe the beast. His claws were gone now. So was the extra hair and skin that had covered his body. He pressed his lips to her nape.
“Im sorry I bit you. I promised myself I wouldnt, but . . .” his voice trailed off. How could he explain to her that he couldnt control himself? The excuse sounded lame in his mind.
Gina looked over her shoulder. “You know I love it when you bite me.”
Morgan frowned. She didnt understand. How could she, when he barely understood it himself? “Its different now. Im not sure whats happening to me. Raphaels blood has changed me somehow. Im a wolf, but my desires have altered.”
Her eyes crinkled at the corners. “You are still the man I love. Ill take you in any form I can get you,” Gina said, her voice a rich husk.
Morgan didnt deserve her. Hed meant what he had said. He was a hard man to love and he knew it. There was no denying his nature, but he was still grateful to have her. “Ive missed you so much. I didnt think Id ever see you again after Roark locked me up,” he said, sliding off her.
The loss of warmth was acute.
Gina rolled over to meet his amber gaze. “Dont ever leave me again.” She touched his cheek.
“I wont.” Morgan pressed his lips to her palm.
“Promise?” she asked.
“On my life,” he said, tenderly brushing the hair off her forehead. Hed die before he would allow them to be separated again.
“Good.” She smiled. “Because Ill kill you myself if you do.”
He laughed, a big belly of a sound that eased the last of the tension taking refuge in his shoulders. Morgan pulled her close. “I wish we could stay here like this forever.”
Gina snuggled against him. “Me, too.”
“But I doubt Demery will wait for us much longer and we dont want to lose the cover of night.”
“Are you guys about done?” Demery called out from nearby as if on cue. “Id like to walk for a few hours before we make camp.”
He didnt sound three dunes away. If the shifting sand was any indication, he was on the other side of the dune they were lying on. Morgan tried not to smile.
“You better have just walked back,” Gina warned. She gave a quick look around. “Or Im going to kick your ass.”
Demery was silent.
Morgan chuckled and began to gather his clothes. He slipped on his pants, then picked up Ginas clothes and handed them to her.
“Are you two coming or do I have to come over there and get you?” Demery asked, amusement in his voice.
“He wouldnt dare.” Ginas eyes widened as she looked at Morgan.
He grinned. “I learned a long time ago never to encourage a vampire.” Excerpted from Crimson by Toni Allardice.
Copyright © 2009 by Toni Allardice.
Published in November 2009 by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.
All rights reserved. This work is protected under copyright laws and
reproduction is strictly prohibited. Permission to reproduce the material in
any manner or medium must be secured from the Publisher.