Rhye smirked. A few months ago, Joseph and his sidekick were ready to tear out each other’s throats. They’d been tossed together by Leon as unwilling partners when she-wolf agent Jasmine showed up at the compound with information about a dangerous magical drug and to solicit help from the hunters in getting the shit off the streets. Now, Joseph, Leon, and Jasmine were almost inseparable in the field; they had been ever since Jessa, Jasmine's older sister, left her and came on board officially as a member of the hunters."Alpha Rhye, what do you think happened to Joseph?" Jasmine's eyes held a trace of confusion as she looked up from the mess in front of her. "If you thought it was a witch, then we should be careful. If this happened to Joseph, then it could happen to anyone.""How can we heal him?""I'll talk to someone, someone who knows about such magic." Rhye groaned. He just hoped Livia could help him heal Joseph. Rhye exhaled a wry breath as he steered Joseph into the hallway. He

For reasons Rhye had no interest in examining even now, he had stood in the center of the carnage he’d wrought, wanting nothing less than complete obliteration. Fire and cinder, smoldering rubble. He had wanted the lab erased from existence, nothing but a scar of black ash on the empty lot where it stood. And whether he wanted to acknowledge it or not, he knew that his want for destruction had more than a passing connection to Livia. It had been her face he’d seen in his mind as he lit the place up. It had been the thought of her grief that made him savor each of the rogue deaths he delivered tonight.Shoving his hands into the pockets of his coat, Rhye headed against the wind and cut down a South End side alley. He wasn’t sure where he was going, although he supposed he should have known. He recognized Livia’s shitty neighborhood even before he turned onto the street that would eventually dump him onto her block. Rhye still couldn’t fathom her living in such squalid conditions. As t

Livia woke up slowly, feeling as though her consciousness had been transported somewhere far away and tranquil, only to be returned to her body like a feather carried gently on the breeze. Maybe it was a dream. A long, sweet dream... a peace she hadn’t known for months. She stretched a little on the futon, her bare legs rasping against the terry-cloth of her bathrobe and the soft crush of a blanket that covered her from chin to toe. She snuggled deeper into the pleasant warmth, sighing, and the sound of her own breath startled her. No noise. No blaring music or chattering television, even though she couldn’t sleep – could hardly function – without them. Livia’s eyes snapped open and she waited for the psychic assault to hit her. But there was only silence. Dear Lord. Seconds passed, then a full minute or more … and there was only blessed, wondrous silence. "Did you sleep well?" The deep male voice carried from across the studio apartment somewhere. She smelled toast browning, and t

Leon led the way, bounding up the stairs like an overly excited puppy. In a move she probably should’ve seen coming, he tried to put her bags in his room. Alpha Rhye made a sound almost like a growl and gave him a look, then retrieved her bags and led her farther down the hall. "I just wanted her to feel safe, that's all!" Leon said with a frown. Livia hid a grin and shook her head. She had a feeling staying with these men would be a lot of things, but boring wouldn’t be one of them. It took two hours to unpack everything and get her belongings set up in the guestroom. Rhye showed her too, telling her it was hers for as long as she wanted it. That had surprised her, to put it mildly. She’d been operating under the assumption that she would be expected to leave as soon as she found a new place. That still might be true, if Leon had anything to say about it, but oddly enough, Mr. Dark and Brooding had clearly overheard the invitation and hadn’t disputed Rhye’s words. Leon had gone

The next day, Rhye ate up the sight of Livia with a long, lazy glance. He returned from the council mountain. She could practically feel the way his gaze traced down her neck and bare shoulder before skimming over the curve of her breasts down to the flare of her hips. It was another morning and here she was cooking heartily. His eyes glittered at the sight of her weapon before journeying down her shapely legs and back up again just as slow and purposeful.“I could get used to waking up to you in my kitchen every morning.” The grin on Rhye’s lips grew downright mischievous. “Even better, if it were in my bed,” he purred.She rolled her eyes. “How's your journey?”“Boring.”“Well, I'm not surprised, I hate mountains.” She replied with a sweet smile.Every molecule in her body tingled at the open hunger in his eyes. For a moment, she felt like prey beneath his stare. Except, she was fairly positive bunnies weren’t tempted to cuddle up with the tiger looking at them like they wanted to e