Mating Fever by Susan Hayes
Leta
Leta watched in fascination as the massive hound with teeth the length of her index finger and eyes that glowed a demonic orange transformed back into the sexy, arrogant son of a bitch she had fought with earlier. Even his clothes reappeared, a fact she found both intriguing and disappointing. If she were going to die soon, a little full frontal nudity would have been a nice image to go out on. And if the Devil had sent a Hell Hound after her, then her death was likely coming very soon indeed.
She never expected to live a long life, but she always assumed she would go down fighting and take a few of her attackers with her. She never figured on meeting up with a Hell Hound. The Hounds were the stuff of nightmares and dark legends. Unstoppable. Damned near unkillable. Once they had their target’s scent, they could track them across the world and even into Hell, or Heaven, and nothing would deter them. There was no point in fighting with something she couldn’t defeat or escape. All she had was the slim hope that whatever the Devil wanted, it wasn’t her life. And if it were, she would fight so long as there was breath in her body, even if it meant going after the Devil himself. Her life was no bed of roses, but she wasn’t going to simply give it up without a fight.
Why can’t they just leave me alone?
“Up you get. You’ve got an appointment with the King of Hell, and he’s not known for his patience.”
The big man offered her his hand, and she found herself reaching up to take it despite her reservations. The need to touch him overrode all other instincts. The second their hands made contact a shimmer of heat danced up her arm, making her gasp. What the hell? Now was not the time to lose her damned mind. Weirder still, he seemed to feel something too, because he was staring at his arm with a frown that somehow didn’t make him look any less gorgeous.
“Now that we’re done dancing, will you give me your name and maybe some kind of explanation as to why you’re here?” Once he let her go, she dusted herself off and did a quick assessment of the damage. She was bruised and battered, and she still felt a lingering headache that came on every time she used any of the abilities from her father’s side…like blasting someone with fire.
“Carnage,” he said, taking hold of her hand again. Before she could pull away, he fastened a silver manacle around her wrist.
“Hey! What’s with the jewelry?” she demanded, snatching her hand out of his reach and trying to ignore the zing of desire that passed over her skin at his touch. “And what’s Carnage? Your name or the reason you’re here?”
The smug asshole smirked at her. “It’s my name. I’m here because Luc sent me to fetch you.”
“Luc? You call the Devil by his first name? Well, isn’t that cozy.” She held up her wrist. “And this? Are we engaged now?”
He lifted his arm, and she noticed the twin to the manacle she wore was around his wrist, the two of them linked by a section of finely forged chain. “The jewelry is to make sure you don’t wander off on me. It’s teleportation-proof, so don’t bother trying.” He leaned in close and whispered in her ear. “As for the engagement offer, I’m not looking for a wife, but if you’re looking for someone to share your bed, sweet cheeks, I’d be happy to volunteer for the night.”
His words made her pussy cream as she imagined what he would be like in bed. He would be a beast, no doubt about it. If the whispered and dark stories were to be believed, the Hell Hounds all had the stamina of a god and an appetite for pleasure that rivaled Lucifer himself.
A hundred lurid images danced through her head, each more arousing that the last. There was something about him that had her totally off her game, and it was getting worse the longer she was near him. She needed to put some space between them, which wasn’t going to be easy now that they were chained together. Forcing herself to focus, she opted to channel her unexpected sexual tension into something more useful. Anger.
“Are you hitting on me? I thought you were in a hurry. Something about your bosom buddy Luc not being patient.”
