A Demon infatuated with the enemy:
Azriel Ivanovich knows the new intern he’s hired at Argent Tech comes with a price tag. It’s possible the young, sexy college grad is in bed with the people trying to stage a takeover of the company he and his brothers built as a cover for their underground activities. With the help of a former member of one of the most dangerous and influential shady organizations in the world, Azriel and the Shadow Demons are about to stage a hostile takeover of their own. Of the permanent kind.
A little lamb lost among the wolves:
All Lamb Newsome wants to do is start an exciting, promising life after graduation. The little break she takes in the Florida Keys before starting her new internship started things off smashingly. There she meets a wealthy man who is familiar with Argent Tech and they hit it off from the start. Both in bed and out of it. When she finds out he’s married, things unravel quickly. The mess that follows isn’t what she expected, however. Instead of a jealous wife, she has one of the owners of the company after her. In retrospect, she realizes she really shouldn’t have fallen for the guy, but the sex is just that good.
Betrayals and secret wars:
Had she known the stakes, Lamb wouldn’t have bet her heart. Now all she can do is believe in her Demon. Even if she doesn’t know how he lives in the shadows. Now, she has to survive. But how is she supposed to do it on her own? And how can she ever trust her heart again when all it wants is the Shadow Demon she can never have?
Lamb glanced back at him, a speculative look on her face. “You planned this all along. Didn’t you.”
He shrugged. “Does it matter? You’re a beautiful woman. What man wouldn’t use any means necessary to be alone with you if he could get you in a receptive mood? Hell, just being in your company gives me a thrill.”
“You’re full of shit, but I think I might be game. First, though, you know I have to ask. Do you have a woman somewhere I’m going to run into at a party?”
Azriel strode the two steps separating them and reached out to cup her face. “Absolutely not, my little Lamb. There is no woman anywhere who has any kind of claim on me. I’m not married, nor have I ever been. I’ve had my share of women for pleasure, but never for long and never for anything other than sex. As a result, I’ve never had sex without a condom. No reason to give a woman a chance at getting her claws into me when she’s not who or what I want.”
“I’ve never had sex without a condom either.” She sounded small and shy, but probably knew this had to be done. Azriel hated seeing her uncomfortable but knew it would be worse before it was over.
“Not even Luxemberry? He seems like the type who’d use the possibility of you carrying his child to control you.” He was fishing. He wouldn’t actually call it subtle either. But it was a place to start.
“He tried to, but I always insisted.” She frowned slightly as if just realizing something that she didn’t like. “Those last couple of days especially. He really pressured me to let him go without a condom. It had been an issue from the first time, but he actually tried to force the issue once. One of the last times we had sex. I was honestly afraid I couldn’t stop him.”
Azriel frowned. Not only did he not like the thought of that bastard assaulting her like that, but he was just one more small piece of the puzzle. He wanted to fuck her bare… why? The only explanation was so he could possibly get her pregnant. At the very least, he’d have used that as an excuse to see her more and, quite possibly, to get her to let him fuck her again without a condom because the deed was already done. Which would make sense if he’d kept in touch with her. But he hadn’t. Not until he’d seen her at the party. Which meant he probably had a backup plan. Since he was now actively chasing Lamb again, his backup must have fallen through.
“While I can understand why any man would want to secure you for himself any way he could, he and I will have words over that the next time we meet.”
She shook her head. “There’s no need for that. It’s done. Over. I’ll never willingly sleep with that swine again.” Her delicate features scrunched slightly in distaste.
“Just so we’re clear,” Azriel pressed. “When we have sex, we use a condom.”
“Yes. I’m sure you’d have more reason than me to insist on protection, but I have no desire to get pregnant.”
Azriel couldn’t help but push her. Just a little. “Oh, really? I’m a billionaire. Part owner of a trillion-dollar tech company. If I got you pregnant, you’d come away with a sizable chunk of money, no matter if you kept the baby or not. All it would take would be a good lawyer and a paternity test.”
She stepped back, looking for all the world as if he’d slapped her. Azriel winced, bracing to take the onslaught he’d just brought down on his own head.
“Do you honestly think I’d use a baby as a payday? Besides, since you obviously didn’t listen to my story, I was the one to insist on protection. Not him. By your way of thinking, shouldn’t I have been the one to try to not use protection?”
“Easy there, little Lamb. I was simply telling you a man in my position doesn’t take a woman without protection unless he intends on keeping her. James Luxemberry intended to keep you.”
“But he’s married? Did he think he could keep me as some kind of plaything?”
“Good question,” he hedged. The man wanted her in his pocket. Likely wanted her dependent on him so he could get the information he wanted. Assuming they didn’t already have an arrangement. Azriel was beginning to believe his gut telling him Lamb was entirely innocent. “One for another day. Right now, I want you out here in a swimsuit that shows plenty of skin. If we’re going to play tonight, I want you feeling the burn before we start.” He gave her his best wicked grin. “Which means teasing you the rest of the afternoon. By the time the sun sets, I want you so ready for me that you’re the one making a move.”
She sighed. Her smile was slow in coming but when it did, he seemed to light up the world. “I guess that’s only fair since I’m the one who said I wasn’t sleeping with you.”
“Was that you? I thought it might have been my other date.”
Lamb giggled. “You’re such a cad. Fine. I’ll go change. But I expect you to be shirtless when I get back. I want to see what I’ll be getting later.”
   | A Shadow Demon, hell-bent on protecting his city… Alexei Petrov has more money than he can ever spend in many lifetimes, but his life is more than glitz and glamour. Behind the scenes, Alex is part of an elite group working in the shadows, hunting down those who would prey on the most vulnerable in the city. Which is how he found the most desirable women he’s ever seen. A young mother in fear for the life of her child… Merrily fled with her daughter with death on her heels. She has no idea what her father has done, but he’s managed to throw her and little Bellarose into the middle of a war. Scared, hunted, Merrily gets caught in the crossfire of what looks like a gang war, but it’s something far more sinister. A desperate flight lands her in the arms of Alexie Petrov. Literally. And the man is everything she knows she can never have but wants with every fiber of her being. Nowhere to hide… Even tucked safely away in the home of the richest, most powerful man in the city of Rockwell, Merrily’s past finally catches up with her. Bellarose’s father has come calling, and hell is hot on his heels. Fleeing seems like her only option, but Alex is just as dangerous as anything headed her way. And far too seductive and possessive for her peace of mind. Though she knows he will only break her heart, Merrily can’t resist the lust that burns between them and soon finds herself more than infatuated with the man. Needing to prove her worth, Merrily knows she’s up for the challenge. Welcomes it. But just who are the demons in the night? And why does she welcome this one’s embrace? Along Came a Demon (Shadow Demons 1) The thing about homeless shelters was they were exactly what the name described and nothing more. Shelter. For the homeless. There was nothing remotely safe about them. Merrily Dane couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a decent night’s sleep. Between the creepy pervert who was supposed to be on the other side of the room away from the young mothers and children, and the drug addicts -- who weren’t supposed to be there in the first place -- making deals at all hours of the night, she was turning into a paranoid insomniac. She tightened her hold around her daughter, Bellarose, and whispered next to her ear, “I love you, pumpkin.” Merrily hated being in this situation, but until she could get on her feet again, she didn’t have much choice. Getting back on her feet wasn’t going to be easy without an identity. “I love you back, Mommy.” Somehow, the child seemed to know she needed to keep her voice down. She’d learned quickly in the time they’d been on the run. It broke Merrily’s heart nearly as much as it made her angry. “Hey, Mommy?” Rose continued to whisper. “Yeah, baby.” “When we get to our forever home, can I have a black cat, and a white cat, too?” “Sure, baby. I’ll do my best.” Merrily’s heart was breaking. Rose asked for the same thing every night. They’d left her black-and-white tuxedo cat when they’d been forced to leave and the girl had been heartbroken. Hell, Merrily had been heartbroken. Fortunately, the lady next door had agreed to look after the animal while Rose and Merrily were on “vacation.” Mrs. Burton had offered to take the cat several times in the past so Merrily didn’t feel like she’d imposed too much on the older woman. Instead of a fun-loving outing, however, she and Rose were stuck in a homeless shelter trying to make their way out of the reach of whatever gangster her father had crossed. The barracks layout of this shelter wasn’t exactly conducive to privacy or quiet, but it was all she’d been able to find with an available bed in this city. This time of year, the shelters were maxed out. Luckily, she’d found a spot in the corner so she could put her daughter on the inside of the bed and herself between Rose and everyone else. It was a small, bunk-style bed barely big enough for one person, but Merrily was small and her daughter was only four. She figured she needed to find something better in the morning because this place was seriously creeping her out. Then again, it was probably the only shelter that didn’t require an ID and she couldn’t afford to be on the grid. Which brought Merrily to her greatest worry. Despite the shady characters surrounding her, despite not knowing where their next meal was coming from, despite the shelter being one step away from being out on the streets alone with a four-year-old, Merrily was terrified her father’s “employers” were finally on her trail. It was nothing overt, just a feeling of being watched. Bellarose shivered and Merrily brought the threadbare blanket higher to make sure the child was covered completely. She hated turning her back to the room -- especially since she knew she needed to keep an eye on everyone and everything -- but she knew she was too slight of build to be much good in a fight and the only protection her daughter had was Merrily’s own body. She tried to shift the arm pillowing Rose’s head to get circulation going again. Life sucked sometimes. She and her beloved daughter were cold. In a homeless shelter full of shady people. Terrified out of their minds. Being hunted. She could practically feel the hunters breathing down her neck. She had to get out of this city. The only reason she’d stopped here was because it was as far as her money would take her and the only city with a bus station in the area. After a couple of hours worrying about what her next move needed to be, she finally drifted off, wondering how the hell she was going to get herself out of this mess. * * * “If you keep Hell Bitch waiting, it will just be that much worse.” Azriel wasn’t actually referring to a person. He referred to the white cat that had adopted the Shadow Demons as her humans. She completely ignored the black cat currently dozing in Azriel’s lap. The white cat’s gaze focused completely on Alexei Petrov, and Hell Bitch’s ears were laid back in that way cats have of showing their complete displeasure with someone. Alexei Petrov glanced down at the feline warily. The beast might look innocent sitting there all prim and proper-like with her tail curled around her paws, but she was even more of a demon than any man in their organization. Alexei and his crew were justice when justice was overlooked or beaten down. Called vigilantes by some. Heroes by others. Personally, Alex thought all of them fought their individual demons so the name Shadow Demons fit in more ways than one. “Don’t let the pussy make you a pussy, boss.” Giovanni Romano was the tech guy in a group of tech guys. If there was a gadget he didn’t have or know how to get, no one had ever been able to name it. Not only could he obtain anything they wanted or needed, he made himself an expert with it in a few hours, thanks to his photographic memory and genius IQ. If he still didn’t have what he needed -- or wanted -- the bastard simply made it. He was invaluable in their endeavors, but he was a bit of a smart ass. Alexei flipped him off as he bent down to scoop up Hell Bitch, as they affectionately called the demon cat. She abruptly flattened her ears, bared her teeth, and scratched the shit out of him. When he dropped her, she turned and sauntered over to her food bowl and sat down, again looking straight at Alex. “Bitch,” he muttered under his breath. The cat growled softly, her dual-colored eyes narrowing. “Just for that you get the dry food.” He poured a scoopful into her bowl. Hell Bitch reached over and upended the bowl as if to say get me the fucking Royal Canin, bitch boy. Alex raised an eyebrow, glancing at Gio, who was studiously looking everywhere but at him. Then Alex stomped to the cabinet and grabbed Hell Bitch’s favorite flavor from a stockpile of canned cat food. He opened it and the cat’s whole face relaxed as if in bliss. Again, she sat all prim and proper with her tail wrapped around her feet until Alex had gotten every morsel out of the can. “Have at it,” he grumbled. When Azriel snickered, Alexei smacked the back of his head as he walked by. “Next time,” he told Azriel, “feed her before six. I’m not the only one with access to the fucking cat food.” “She thinks it’s your job to feed her in the evening,” Azriel commented, raising a hand in surrender. “You know she won’t eat unless you put her food out.” “Fucker,” he muttered as he stalked through the room to the shower. It had been a long fucking day and he just wanted to scrub himself from head to toe. Before he could, however, Giovanni stiffened and sat up straight in his chair. Alex paused. “We got bad guys afoot?” Giovanni’s workstation consisted of a wall of monitors showing every corner of the problem sections of the city of Rockwell. The wealthy, more affluent sections monitored themselves, but the people in the sectors the Demons monitored were at the mercy of the city’s underground crime bosses. This was where men like the Demons were needed. Places the police were afraid to go. As time-consuming as it was setting up tech to monitor these places, as well as the endless testing of gadgets and physical training, this was something Alex knew he had to do. It was what he had been born to do. “Hell’s Playground.” Azriel sighed as he glanced over Gio’s shoulder. “It’s every fucking week with that place. If there’s trouble, you can bet it will be there.” |
Sounds interesting. Loved the excerpt!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a very good book.
ReplyDeleteSuch clever covers. Love the layering.
ReplyDeleteGreat cover, sounds like a good book. Thanks for the review.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog post- love finding new (to me) authors
ReplyDeleteThis sounds good. Nice cover
ReplyDeleteI like the cover! The colors are great!
ReplyDeletesounds so good.
ReplyDelete