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  Shar shook his head. “This isn’t her world and while you have the heart of a warrior, you still wouldn’t fit into ours. You have something we don’t have, Brady. You have a conscience.”

  “I meant what I said. You can’t take her,” Brady growled, holding the blood-smeared sword away from his side. If he had to give up his life for Raven, he would do it without a second thought.

  Rather than growling back or smirking like that damn Pahso had, Shar’s expression still held regret as if he truly felt sorry for Brady.

  “I had no idea this would happen, Brady, or I would have found someone else to look after Raven,” Shar told him. “Emotion isn’t understood in our world. What you two had was up here. If it will make it easier, I can wipe away memories of her. You can return to your life thinking you had a nice vacation and nothing more.”

  “You do and you’ll find your head in the same condition Pahso’s was.” He wasn’t used to experiencing fear, but he sure felt it now. Then he looked at Raven, still help captive by the guard. No one’s hands belonged on her but his.

  Brady advanced on the creature, ignoring the guards’ low murmuring that signified they wouldn’t mind turning this into a bloodbath.

  Shar looked at the guard holding Raven and snapped his fingers. At that same instant, Raven’s eyes widened to saucer-size.

  “No!” she screamed, realizing his intent.

  In a heartbeat, Raven, Shar and his guards were gone. Even the corpses of the creatures Brady and Raven had killed were gone, not leaving even a hint of the death and destruction. The sword disappeared from Brady’s hand and he stood there alone, the artificially slumbering guests and staff ignorant of the slaughter that had taken place on the serene island.

  And Brady, the guy who never flinched from danger, who faced death with a big shit-eating grin, threw back his head and let loose the angry cry of an animal who’d lost his mate. When his throat could no longer work, he slid bonelessly to the ground with the stark realization he’d just lost what mattered to him most.

  Epilogue

  If misery had a name it would be Brady Hayes.

  It had been three months since he got back from the resort and not one day passed that Raven’s name didn’t enter his mind or her voice didn’t haunt his dreams.

  True to his word, Shar’s payment was in Brady’s bank account, but he hadn’t touched a penny. If there were a way to return the money he would have done it along with a suggestion of where Shar could shove the money. He turned down jobs and spent his days on the beach. There he would watch the surfers and imagine one of them was Raven riding the waves.

  And each night, he’d drunk himself into a stupor so he could sleep.

  In a word, he was a fucking mess.

  It hadn’t made matters any easier when his pals tried to do their best to pull him out of his apathy after he returned from the resort.

  After Raven was taken there was no reason for him to remain. What surprised him the most was all the guests and staff waking up without any idea a demon war had been waged there. The scary part was that there was no record of a Raven registered there. When he broke into her room he found no hint of her ever staying there. It was as if she never existed except in his memories and his heart. Within an hour of Raven’s disappearance, Brady felt a horrible burning on his ass and discovered the mark was gone. Damn thing hurt more coming off than when it was placed. With nothing there to hold him, he boarded the next plane out.

  When the doorbell pealed, he was tempted to ignore it, but past experience warned him the pounding on the wood would come next and he’d think about shooting his friends, no matter how good their intentions were. He pushed himself off the couch and stalked to the door, throwing it open with the intent of causing serious pain on whoever dared disturb him.

  “Look, I have no desire to get drunk, get laid or…” he growled. He stopped short at the woman standing before him.

  “Are you sure about that second item?” Raven asked in a low voice that he swore held a hint of uncertainty.

  He didn’t hesitate in hauling her into his arms and holding her so tight she squeaked.

  “Breathe! Brady, I have to breathe!”

  He loosened his hold but not by much as he leaned back far enough to study her. Blonde hair, blue eyes, big smile and three months later she still had her tan. Her white knit top barely covered her flat belly and the scrap of denim disguised as a skirt showed off her long legs that he recalled wrapped beautifully around him when he made love to her.

  “Why? How?” He shook his head. “Tell me this isn’t a drunken man’s dream.”

  “Then you don’t mind I showed up here?”

  “Hell no!” Brady whooped loud and long, swinging her around in a tight circle. Her laughter was music to his ears. He kicked the door shut and swung her up into his arms and carried her over to the couch. He settled her on his lap, his hands tightly holding hers as if afraid she’d disappear. “I don’t know and I don’t care how you got away from there. You’re not going back.”

  Her smile trembled at his fierce declaration. “Do you mean it? You really are happy to see me?”

  “Hell, yes! You belong with me and this time he’s not taking you from me. We’ll find a place on the beach where you can surf all you want and we can dance naked in the moonlight. But I want you someplace safe, so they can’t ever come after you again.” He tracked every feature. For once his memory hadn’t faulted him. “I’ll find someone who can help me with that. I promise there won’t be any surprise visits from the family.”

  Raven placed her hand against his cheek. He swore her face fairly glowed. “I have something for you.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a black envelope, handing it to him.

  He accepted it warily. His name was written in bold purple script across the front. “This isn’t going to explode or melt me, is it?”

  She shook her head.

  He tore one edge off and watched a folded piece of black paper slide out. He unfolded it and stared at the neatly printed lines.

  Brady,

  You have given my stepsister a gift that she would never have found down here. It is something found among your kind, not ours. Therefore, if your feelings for her have not changed, which I have an idea they haven’t, then she is yours.

  If that is the case, naturally, some changes will have to be made, as Raven will not be allowed to return to her home. With the next dawn all memory of her past life will be erased with new memories of a human upbringing to take their place. Raven will be as human as you are. And by your accepting my stepsister as your mate, your memories of your meeting and all that happened at the resort will also be erased and new ones will take their place.

  If your feelings have changed, Raven will leave and you will never see her again and all memory of her will be gone come dawn. Don’t consider this a threat. I’m only doing what would be best for you both. We don’t use the L word down here. At least, not the L word you appear to feel for Raven. But I would say that is the L word Raven would use in regards to you and I sense that is the word you associate with her.

  The decision is yours.

  Shar,

  Lord of the Dark

  P.S. This letter will disintegrate the moment you finish reading it

  Brady yelped when the paper and envelope burst into flame and was soon reduced to a fine ash.

  He looked up at Raven. “Do you know the contents of this letter?” And received a barely perceptible nod. “Did you honestly think I wouldn’t still want you? Hell, Raven, I haven’t forgotten a word, a gesture, since that day we met.” His throat felt suddenly raw with emotion. “I even went back to the portal Shar had me use that first time, but it was closed.”

  She sucked in a deep breath at the realization he had tried to come after her. “It was just as well. Entering it without an invitation would have at the very least sliced you to ribbons.”

  “You won’t miss your old life? Your relatives?”

  She sh
ook her head. “Shar finally came to realize that I no longer belonged there.” She uttered a watery chuckle. “I think it was all the tears. They don’t understand that kind of tears down there.”

  “And Shar’s dreams of using you to further his political dynasty?”

  “Did I tell you I have two thousand stepsisters? He can choose one of them.” She leaned forward and buried her face against the curve of his neck. She inhaled the warm musky scent of his skin. “We don’t dream, but down there I dreamed of you every night. I told Shar he would have to destroy me, because I would never do what he wished. If he thought Pahso’s destruction was bad, he hadn’t seen anything yet.”

  Brady’s chuckled rumbled deep within his chest as he hugged her tightly again. “My bloodthirsty Hellion Barbie!”

  “You fought Pahso for me. You risked your life when you didn’t have to.” She pressed butterfly kisses all over his face.

  Her wiggling in his lap quickly had his dick standing at attention and ready for action. A less than subtle hint Brady wasn’t about to ignore.

  “You know what?” He stood up, easily hefting her up in his arms as he carried her to his bedroom. “Dawn will be here in roughly sixteen hours, twenty-two minutes.” He stopped and looked down into her upturned face. One he intended to look at for the hundred or so years if he could have his way. “Remember that thing you did?”

  One eyebrow arched upward. “Thing?”

  “That tingly thing where you-ah-,” he ducked his head and whispered in her ear.

  “Oh, that.” She ran her fingertips across the back of his neck. A flash of red and black trailed down his back then moved around to his front.

  “Whoa Mama. Yeah, that.” He carried her into the bedroom and dropped her unceremoniously on the bed then dropped down beside her. Within seconds, she was stripped of her clothing and his t-shirt and shorts lay on the floor. Raven’s giggle soon morphed into a breathy sigh. “You don’t think Shar could let you keep that skill, do you?”

  “Brady!” She reached out and circled his cock with her fingers and gently squeezed.

  He closed his eyes and just wallowed in the sensation of her hands on him. “Then, again, I’m sure we’ll do just fine without it.”

  ###

  Author Biography

  Linda Wisdom was born and raised in Huntington Beach, California. She majored in Journalism in college then switched her major to Fashion Merchandising when she was told there was no future for her in fiction writing. She held a variety of positions ranging from retail sales to executive secretary in advertising and working for a personnel agency.

  Her career began when she sold her first two novels to Silhouette Romance on her wedding anniversary in 1979. Since then she has sold more than eighty novels and one novella to six publishers. Her books have appeared on various romance and mass market bestseller lists and nominated and winning a number of Romantic Times awards and Romance Writers of America Rita Award.

  She lives with her husband, Barney, her spoiled mini white Schnauzer, Syd, an equally spoiled parrot and Florence, her tortoise with attitude, in Southern California.

  A number of Linda’s backlist books, including her Hex paranormal series, have been optioned for film and television.

  She is a two time Rita finalist and winner of varied awards over the years.

  You can find information on Linda’s books at http://www.lindawisdom.com

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six