Page 40 of The Fate of Black Hearts

“What kind of message?” he asked with hesitance.

“At the second full moon from today they will meet me at the beach of West Lulworth in Dorset at first dark. They must come without Willem or any of their new masters being aware.”

“That’s rather specific. Is this smart?”

“They need help on the full moon. I’m giving them six weeks to realize a full moon still representscatastrophe if they’re not medicated or safely occupied. They took the suppression drug, or at least they should’ve, last week. That should hold them until then.” The drug had been discovered two decades ago to suppress the full moon sex craze. It dulled the need, but sometimes the instinct persisted.

“I won’t play intermediary to communicate.”

She held her hands up in prayer.

“Okay,” he said gruffly. “This one time only, but that’s it.”

“Just once. Thank you.” She jumped in and hugged him fast before stepping away, not that he returned the hug. “Whatever role you’re supposed to play in all this is probably out of my control. Can you please leave out our history when you communicate with them?” She stared at the lines of worry on his face. The worry was for her. He wasn’t flying the flag of a black heart today. “That kiss sucked.”

“I know.”

“If you put your lips on mine again at any point in the future, you better mean it.” She may mean the words, but the last thing she wanted was to get involved with any male. The words had just flown out.

He stepped forward to rest his forehead against hers.

This close to him she couldn’t think of anything but kissing him for real.

“I can’t do it like I mean it,” he whispered.

“You can’t or won’t? Is it because I’m a lycan?”

“It’s nothing to do with what you are. I’m forbidden to feel like this.”

“I knew you wanted it as much as me. Whoforbids you this?”

“The Mage Conclave…and my future.”

“They’re the ones who caged you. Promise me someday you’ll tell me why.”

He ground his back teeth together.

“Do they fear you because you’re strong? Your future… Do they fear you’ll go bad?” She reached up to massage his jaw until he relaxed.

“They fear me for sure. It’s complicated.”

“Your power isn’t why they cage you.”

“Someday, perhaps, I’ll tell you.”

She grinned. “You want me.”

“Evie…”

“You want me so much that it’s bothering you.” She put her lips against his neck and kissed his hot skin.I’m getting sucked into him again.“I’m impressed at your restraint.”I can’t do this. Can’t handle… I won’t let anyone have power over me again. It is a fearsome power.“Let’s get on with saving Efrem or we’re going to end up doing something stupid that’ll make things more complicated.”

A low rumble of a sound she could never recreate came out of him. It was something between a groan and a growl. “We’re already complicated as hell.”

Chapter Twelve

1976…twenty minutes later…

Dom dropped Efrem on the floor of Evie’s plane, disgusted that the lycan had gotten captured and then couldn’t free himself. He’d observed the scrappy blond for a long time since he was the person closest to Evie. Sneaky like a fox, Efrem accomplished things that were sometimes surprising, but above all he remained loyal only to Evie. It’s why Dom let him live. That, and the fact they didn’t seem to have any sexual attraction.