STORY EXCERPT

A snarl erupted from her chest, and she flung herself free of her captors. The volcanic heat in her veins from John’s and Tanner’s touch changed to ice. She jerked her ankles apart, shredding the bonds. The metal cuffs shattered and fell from her wrists as she allowed her fury full rein. She didn’t need a mirror to know her gray-green irises had suddenly drowned in the blackness of her past.

If they’d questioned her powers before, they wouldn’t anymore.

She struggled to her feet. Dizziness swept over her, but she straightened her spine and pulled in a fortifying breath. “Kill me or die.”

Gathering his wits after Sarah’s surprising escape, Tanner debated standing to face off with her. She’d suffered through the Goddess only knew what at the hands of a cruel, sadistic man. Putting himself on equal footing wouldn’t calm her rage or increase the odds of taking her alive. Given the ease with which she’d destroyed her bonds, he and John would likely have to kill her or be killed in a recapture.

But is she truly evil? Or is she protecting herself?

John rubbed his right hand, the leather straps having burned bright red stripes across his palm when she’d pitched herself sideways. “Why didn’t you kill us when you had the chance, Sarah? You could’ve, you know.”

Throwing a frown at his partner, Tanner snorted. “Great strategy, John. Antagonize an angry woman.”

“She doesn’t want to hurt us. Otherwise, I’m pretty damn sure we’d be dead already. Isn’t that right, Sarah?”

The black began to fade from her eyes, but she turned her back to them before the natural gray-green color returned. She’d helped form the third side to complete the triangle of the shifters’ power. With the destruction of Kazmer, could the Black Triad have lost more than an essential leader? Were the remaining elders weakened even more than anyone had thought? Or had Sarah finally realized the cost of her choice?

She also hadn’t taken advantage of the opportunity to flee. Her ability to break what Tanner had thought were unbreakable restraints left him confused. If she’d meant the “or die” part of her challenge, he and John would be lifeless bodies on the ground by now. She should’ve dropped them with a single magickal blow and been on her way.

He laughed with a sudden realization. “You do have a heart. And your soul is no longer black.”

John pushed to his feet but didn’t move closer to her. “Naga’s going to be pissed.”

Spinning back around, Sarah perched her fists on her hips, emphasizing her feminine shape. Her irises were once again pitch black, her voice confident and clear. “The soul of an elder of the Black Triad cannot be redeemed.”

Her stance and attitude should’ve convinced Tanner, even if her words didn’t. He didn’t believe her, though—not when she hadn’t gone for the kill and escape. “Then you were never a true elder. Show us the source of your strength.”

She reached for the row of buttons on her blouse, her fingers working each one free of its hole without hesitation. The flaps separated, baring a narrow strip of pale skin between her breasts and down the length of her abdomen. Only a band of white lace below her full tits interrupted the view.

Flinging the shirt off her shoulders, she stripped down to her bra and formfitting skirt. She pivoted to reveal the intricate tattoo on her lower back, but not before Tanner got a peek at her dark nipples poking at the see-through lace. Her waist tapered in from the flare of hips, accentuating a perfectly rounded ass. A flash of desire zinged from his balls to his gut.

John strode up behind her, dropping to his knees and putting his face at eye level to the ink markings. Tanner joined him, remaining on his feet to study the design from above. They’d spent years learning every detail of the pattern that defined the power of a Black Triad elder. If she’d been endowed with title of “elder,” they’d know it in a matter of minutes.

Pointing to a curving black line that started at her spine, John traced outward, his finger nearly skimming along her back. One swirl led to the upper left corner of the inverted triangle, ending in hollow circle. The opposite side mirrored the first. A bold outline encased the three angles in red.

Every additional thread that matched the true imprint made Tanner’s stomach twist a little tighter. He glanced away, unable to watch as John began his study of the central runes. She wasn’t pure evil. She couldn’t be.

A faint line of puckered pink skin on her shoulder blade drew Tanner’s attention. Another lay parallel above and below. More stood out against the slightly pinker skin near her neck. Several crisscrossed the area directly over the tattoo, and his jaw tensed. Someone had whipped or beaten her—on numerous occasions.

Returning his gaze to the symbols, he blinked away the haze of uncontrolled wrath. The damage had happened long ago, and based on Sarah’s claims of violence, she’d already exacted vengeance upon the man who’d hurt her. With any luck, the bastard had suffered before he met his end.

“Holy shit. Look at this, Tanner.” John picked up a leaf and ripped off the stem, using it to point out his discovery. “Right here.”

Kneeling next to him, Tanner let the filtered sunlight enhance the contrast between skin and ink. Red dye filled the center of a circle with wavy lines radiating out from it.

Sarah flinched when John gestured to the next picture, and Tanner almost didn’t notice the absent black dots—three of them.

The Black Triad is missing.

ADULT EXCERPT

Shallow breaths slowed. Her body seemed to relax, and she blinked at him. The feverish glaze was gone.

John let out a relieved sigh. “How are you feeling, Sarah?”

She furrowed her brow, as if thinking. “Better. My heart was racing, and I… The water feels wonderful.”

Grasping him around the neck, she kissed him. Her lips were soft and warm, and she traced the seam of his mouth with her tongue, demanding entrance. He opened to her but made no move to deepen the kiss. She craved control, and he had no problem submitting to her lead. His biggest disappointment would be if she regretted taking this step.

She slipped inside, stroking her tongue along his. Each stroke became a little more aggressive, her mating hormones seemingly guiding her farther into desire. She squirmed against him, and he rocked forward to press deeper into the inviting crevice of her shapely backside, damning his decision not to remove his boxer shorts. Every arching movement she made pushed his underwear lower on his hips. Was she rubbing her nipples on Tanner’s chest and grinding her pussy into his dick?

With a gasp, she broke the kiss. “No matter what I say, don’t stop. I want to fuck you both. I need you both.”

Although her voice didn’t carry the same desperation as yesterday, John hated to think she’d lost control already. Having sex with him and Tanner should be a conscious choice, not one directed by lust alone. Her commitment required her to choose them of her own free will, and simply fucking each other’s brains out didn’t equal committed mates—something his clan’s future depended on.

“Don’t you want me?” The hurt in her eyes was John’s undoing. She couldn’t possibly be fully under the power of her hormones to ask that question.

Tanner snorted. “You have no idea how much I want you. Tell us exactly how you want us.”

Giving her no chance to doubt him, John shucked his shorts and pulled her ass tight to his groin. “Does that feel like I don’t want you?”

She groaned. “That’s where I want you, John. Tanner in the front and you in the back, surrounding me and filling me.”

Jerking his head toward the edge of the pool, Tanner walked backward toward the shallow end. “We’re going to need lube.”

John kept pace with Tanner, holding Sarah between them. A faint whisper skittered through his mind, and a jar of aloe and a towel appeared just beyond the water’s edge.

As he stepped out of the pool, Tanner lay down on the towel and guided her over him, lining up the vee of her thighs with his erect penis. He reached up to cradle her tits. “I’m all yours.”

Water dripped from the ends of her braid to run down her spine and into the valley of her nicely rounded butt. Her ass cheeks spread wide as she lowered herself onto him, revealing her pink rosette. She rose for a moment and then sank lower. Her high-pitched cry echoed through the chamber.

John’s balls contracted at the sight of his mate’s tight hole. He’d waited so long to claim her. He removed the lid from the jar, scooped a generous glob of aloe, and rubbed it over her puckered entrance. When she didn’t flinch or pull away, he pressed a finger to her slippery anus, taking his time to loosen the taut ring of muscles blocking his way inside.

After several gentle massages with the tip of his finger, she welcomed him in to his first knuckle. A little more pressure took him to his second knuckle. He carefully moved in and out, working more of the lube into her ass.

As he added another finger, she moaned and thrust against him, forcing him deep into her snug tunnel. “Now. I’m ready.”

John withdrew his fingers, coating himself with the remaining aloe. “You’ll tell me if you want me to stop? I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Yes, I promise. I need you inside me too.”

Her husky tone convinced him she was ready, and he lined up his cock with her hole. The head slipped in with little effort, making him jump from a quick jolt of pleasure. She sucked him an inch deeper with the rhythmic squeezing of her contracting muscles. His dick throbbed with the pressure.

“You’re okay, Sarah?” The question took concentration, and half of it was already focused on not ramming himself inside her to the hilt.

“Yes.” She arched backward, sending him balls deep into her pulsing body. “Oh, yes.”

“Goddess, have mercy!” A shudder ripped through him as he tightened his grip on her hips. The primal need to mate had never been this strong.

Tanner grunted and pulled her forward for a rough kiss. “I hope you’re close to coming, because I’m about to explode. Ride me hard, Sarah.”

Skimming his fingers along the contours of her waist and ribs, John leaned down to nip at her neck. “Hard and fast.”