Authors: Belinda Meyers
He liked seeing her like this, all
confident and sexy.
Her lips were slightly parted,
breathing fast, and little puffs of steam escaped them with every exhalation.
Impulsively, he bent his head
forward and kissed her.
Chapter 3
Feeling her eyes fly wide open, Jackie started to jerk
backward. Who did this crazy mountain man think he was, anyway? And this was no
time for kissing! But his lips felt good against hers, and she didn’t break
away—at first. She leaned into the kiss, just slightly, and started to open her
mouth to receive him. Her tongue brushed his, and one of her hands reached out
and flattened against his ridged eight-pack. Ooo, he was hard, and hot, too.
Like a buff furnace. She wondered if the rest of him were hard.
What was she
doing
?
She pulled back and stared at him.
“What was that?” she said, hearing the raggedness in her voice. Shit, she could
feel the heat pooling in her center. Despite everything, this Matt guy had
turned her on.
“Just seemed the right thing to
do,” he said.
“Well. It wasn’t.”
It was dark out, but streetlights
lit the posh neighborhood, and she could see one corner of his mouth quirk up
in a cocky smile.
“You sure?” he said.
“Yes!”
His broad shoulders rose up in a
shrug. “Okay.”
She could almost hear the
If you say so
. She studied him for
another moment, then shook it off. She had bigger things to worry about. She
had been astride the wall, but now she flung her outside leg inside and jumped
down. Her knees flexed easily, and she crouched on the grass like a cat.
With a grunt, Mat dropped down
beside her like some sort of big lumbering beast.
“Quiet!” she hissed.
“Why? I thought this was a friend
of yours.”
She sniffed. Speaking in a whisper,
she said, “Never met him. My regular contact for this sort of thing is in New
York. But he wouldn’t touch this one.”
“Why?”
“Afraid of Walsh, of course. I had
to cast my net wide to find a mage I could use under Walsh’s radar—and brave
enough to risk his wrath. Tannenbaum was the best I could find.”
Matt nodded, and she liked the
grim, tough look on his face. This was a man who was no stranger to action, she
could tell. He might be handy if things went south. Jackie had never had anyone
she could rely on before, not for a long time, and part of her resisted the
idea that that could change.
Those who
get soft get taken.
That’s what her mentor in the burglaring world had
taught her.
“So anything could be waiting for
us in there,” Matt said.
“That’s right. So be as quiet as
you can.”
She was crouched right next to him,
and one of her arms just barely rubbed his. It was a total accident. Well, mostly.
He seemed to notice. His grim look
faded, and amusement danced in his eyes when his handsome face turned back to
hers. His lips were still a bit reddened (as red as she could see in the
dimness, anyway) from their kissing.
“Want another?” he said.
“What? No!” She shook her head.
“Concentrate!” She wasn’t sure if she said that more to him or to herself.
“Come on, let’s get going.”
Still hunkered over, she moved
forward, threading her way through the high, ornate hedges that filled
Tannenbaum’s lawn. Ahead loomed the high, vaguely Gothic mansion. Shit, gargoyles
even crouched in the corners, and one side of the house rose up in a lofty
spire. Wind howled fiercely, shaking hedges and raising gooseflesh on the nape
of Jackie’s neck. Adrenaline rushed like fire through her veins, and she
embraced it.
She paused when she reached the
last hedge. Beyond stretched the driveway, then the canopied front porch with
its graceful columns. The huge, polished wood door stood beyond.
It yawned open.
Breath caught in Jackie’s throat.
“The door’s open,” Matt said,
crouching next to her. “That can’t be good.”
“Maybe Tannenbaum left it open for
us,” she said, thinking fast. “An invitation.”
“You believe that?”
Instead of answering, she said,
“Keep moving.”
She darted toward the door. Crossed
the driveway, jumped up the stairs and paused on the threshold of the mansion.
Beyond the partially open door stretched the foyer, then a grand staircase
rising from a marble floor. A decorative statue rose from the marble in the
center of the lobby. Some of the mansion’s lights were on, but some weren’t.
She couldn’t tell if the place was occupied or not. She heard no sounds from
within.
“Well?” Matt said, startling her.
“Should we go in or call this off?”
“No, we go in. You still with me?”
“I wouldn’t miss this for the
world,” he said.
“You’re a little too eager, ace.
Don’t do anything stupid.”
He gave her that look again, that
look that said he didn’t like being patronized. She
almost
apologized. But Jackie Gage apologized to no one.
The wind gusted suddenly, banging
the door against the outside wall, and she had to stifle a squeak.
“Let’s do this,” she said, mastering
herself, and slipped into the interior of the mansion. With more grace than she
would have expected, Matt followed at her heels, then came up beside her. He
didn’t seem to like her taking the lead when there could be danger ahead. Again
Jackie was tempted to let herself rely on him, but her good sense quickly
overrode this. He was just some random guy, she thought. Even if his intentions
were good, he wouldn’t be able to handle himself if shit really did go down.
Matt had closed the door after
them, and she appreciated not having the wind blowing on her anymore. The
mansion’s heater, if it was on, must be set on low, though, as it was still
pretty cold inside. She could still see her breath when she exhaled.
“Well?” said Matt. “What now?”
“We find Tannenbaum, what else?”
She chastised herself for her abrupt tone. With a sigh, she said—as close to an
apology as she could come—“I don’t usually work with a partner.”
Matt hadn’t seemed to take offense.
He seemed hard to phase. Which was good, with her tongue.
“Should we call out?” he said. “It’s
so … quiet in here.”
Jackie chewed the inside of her
cheek. Matt was right, this place was like a tomb, its silence thick and heavy.
Idly, her gaze strayed to the statue that rose right before her. It depicted
an, er, statuesque woman in clingy flowing robes raising her arm aloft; a hawk
was just alighting on her forearm.
The statue’s eyes blinked and
swiveled to Jackie.
Jackie gasped and leapt back. Matt stalked
forward, his fists raised and his eyes darting all about.
“What is it?” he said.
Finger trembling, Jackie pointed.
Matt’s eyes went to the statue.
The stone woman’s mouth creaked
open, and Jackie shivered at the sound of stone grating on stone.
“You
should not have come,”
the stone woman said.
Jackie’s heart skipped a beat. Then
she frowned.
“Tannenbaum?”
she said.
The statue had spoken in a male voice, and it was one she recognized from her
two phone conversations with the mage.
“Tannenbaum?” Matt repeated, and
glared up at the statue. “He doesn’t look like I pictured.”
“He’s just speaking through the
statue,” Jackie explained, though she knew Matt had been joking. “That’s not
really him.”
Matt gave her a look that said he
wasn’t an idiot. To the statue, he said, “Why shouldn’t we have come here?”
The mouth worked again, sending
more shivers down Jackie’s spine, and the eerie voice issued:
“Walsh’s agents arrived first. Even now I’m
being held here, in—”
The front door exploded open. Jackie
spun, her hand pulling out her knife, to see a huge form framed in the doorway.
A giant silhouette against the dim outdoor lights, it made a rumbling sound and
stepped inside. Cracks ran from the marble where its feet touched down. The
thing was
heavy
.
“What the hell?” said Matt.
“Don’t panic,” Jackie said.
Civilians
, she thought. The non-magical
were useless in fights like this. She had to struggle against the wave of fear
that suddenly twisted in her own belly.
Matt smacked a fist into a meaty
palm. He grinned, but it was a hard grin. “I’m not panicking.”
The form in the doorway took
another step, then another, and as it emerged from the shadows the lights of
the lobby revealed it, and Jackie’s heart slammed into higher gear.
“A
golem
,” she said in dismay. She almost laughed to see the puny
knife she had raised in defense.
The creature stepped forward again,
cracks running out from the marble wherever it touched down. Indeed, it was
huge, terrifying being, a massive, crudely-rendered man-shape made of dense
fired clay but powered by sorcery. Its eyes blazed with fire, and Jackie knew
that Walsh was looking through its eyes. It lumbered forward some more, its
giant hands bunching and unbunching at its sides. It could tear her and Matt
apart without breaking a sweat. That is, if it sweated. Which it didn't.
Well, it didn’t know whom it was
dealing with.
“Watch this,” Jackie told Matt,
aware she was showing off for him but not knowing why. Digging into one of the
tiny pouches sewn into the inside of her black leather jacket, she pulled out a
pinch of special powder and flung it at the golem’s feet. As the powder flew
through the air, she said a magical word under her breath. The powder hit the golem’s
feet and instantly ice sheathed them.
“Ha!” Jackie said. “Take that!”
The golem tried to lurch forward,
but the ice held it fast. Its fiery eyes blazed bright in anger. Jackie turned
to see Matt looking at her with new respect.
“You can do magic?” he said.
She shrugged with false modesty.
“When you deal with magic users on a regular basis, you’d best learn some magic
or you’re a goner.”
“I think I might just have to kiss
you again.”
He started to take a step toward
her, and she didn’t step away. Maybe she should let him. Then again, he was
just a civilian, a non-magical person. He would be lost in her world. Slowly,
she edged away, and she didn’t miss the look of hurt on his face. Sorry,
buster. She was a lone wolf. Or lone something, anyway.
Creak.
Her head snapped around. The golem
was breaking free! Cracks ran through the icy sheath encasing its legs,
widening with every second. Damn it all, if that thing broke loose she didn’t
know what to do. Her limited ability to cast spells didn’t encompass wrangling
with the likes of this horror.
The golem’s right leg broke the ice
and stepped forward. Then, slowly, its left. Jackie swallowed and felt her own
legs shaking as it towered over her.
“Run!” said the Tannenbaum-voiced statue
behind her.
But she was paralyzed. The golem
reached out a hand toward her, moving slowly but inexorably. It would grab her
and squeeze her to pulp. Its fiery eyes blazed brighter in anticipation.
“I don’t think so,” said Matt.
A huge bear exploded from inside
him and barreled into the golem. Jackie stared in amazement. One second Matt
had been a regular man, although tall, ripped and drop-dead gorgeous, and the
next he was a huge gray-brown grizzly bear slamming into the golem. He knocked
the terrible being back, his enormous claws raking its face and chest. One of
the golem’s arms smashed against his flanks, and Jackie cried out. That had
been a hell of a blow. Heedless, Matt fought on, driving the golem back and
back. The two titans fought a private war, fangs flashing and heavy clay limbs
slamming, and Jackie shook loose of her paralysis.
At last Matt toppled the golem
backward with a mighty heave. It tottered for a moment, then fell, seemingly in
slow motion. When it struck the marble floor, a great boom rang out, and the
golem shattered into a thousand pieces. The fire in its eyes faded to black.
Matt let out a terrible, triumphant
growl and placed a paw on the largest chunk still intact. Blood gushed from his
sides, and Jackie knew he must be in pain, but he was the victor and he was
relishing it. Jackie felt tears burning her eyes. She approached him
cautiously, and he turned to her. The anger in his brown, liquid eyes faded,
and, wondering at herself, she reached out a hand to stroke his muzzle.
His fur was so soft.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” she heard
herself ask.
The air rippled around him, and he
was a man once more. Jackie felt her cheeks grow hot. Matt had shredded his
clothes when he Shifted, and now he was utterly naked. A huge, broad-shouldered
naked man, with those broad shoulders tapering down to a narrow waist and
standing on long, muscular legs. And with an enormous shaft hanging between
those legs, big balls swaying behind it. His pubic hair was the same shade as
that on his head, a lovely blond-ish red. And the cold had done nothing to
diminish his cock’s size. He was
huge
.
Indeed, a hint of steam seemed to rise from him, and she realized he must
emanate a great deal of heat. The cold would
never
shrink him.
“I didn’t have time,” he said,
answering her question. “And you didn’t ask.”
It was true, she realized with
embarrassment. He had asked about her—heck, he’d asked
too much
about her—but she hadn’t asked about him at all. Well, she
wouldn’t apologize for it. She was Jackie Gage, after all.
“Well, you did good,” she told
Matt. She lifted a finger to trace a stream of blood trickling down his ribs.
He looked pretty beat-up, although somehow that just made him sexier. Like a
warrior returning from the field of battle. “We should get you patched up. And,
erm, some clothes would be good.”
Or not.
He shrugged, and she realized he
didn’t seem at all uncomfortable about being nude. In fact, a hint of amusement
flickered in his eyes as they bored into her. She felt her flush creep down her
neck.