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liquid way she moved. Even in those bulky clothes, her curves couldn’t be
hidden. They stole his focus when he should be watching for danger.
    As he inhaled, her light scent of wild flowers wrapped
around him, leaving him trailing her like a lost pup, inching closer until he’d
bump into her if she stopped.
    It wasn’t that he couldn’t ignore the tantalizing scent. It
wasn’t that his body hardened at the slightest whiff that interested him at the
moment. No, it was that it faded in and out. One second there, then gone the
next, like she’d vanished.
    She made no sound as she moved. If she weren’t walking a
pace in front of him where he was able to see her, he would never had known she
was there. No wonder she slid past his guards so easily.
    “Where did you train?”
    “What?” She stopped short, sending him plowing into her. He caught
her around the waist before she went sprawling. Though her body was slight, the
muscles were well defined. His hand automatically sought the hem of her shirt,
only to curse as he found another layer of clothing underneath. He brushed his
fingers against her stomach, enjoying the way the muscles tightened and trembled
under his touch.
    Some of his disgruntlement faded at her telling reaction.
    He released her the instant she gained her balance, unwilling
to risk getting sucked under her spell again or frightening her off with his
hunger.
    Once on her feet, Trina watched Merrick retreat, very
conscious that she’d caught him blatantly staring at her ass. Instead of
embarrassment, he gazed at her like catnip. His question about where she
trained faded into the background until he asked again.
    She bit her lip, debating how to answer him without revealing
more about her past. “I spend a lot of time at the gym.”
    He narrowed his eyes as if he sensed that though it wasn’t a
lie, it wasn’t the complete truth either. Thankfully, they neared the Den, and
he didn’t pry further.
    When they rounded the corner, the Den remained silent and
still. That wasn’t necessarily unusual as shifters were stealthy buggers, but
the absolute nothingness surrounding the place didn’t feel natural. The haunted
feel she so loved about the house had turned menacing.
    Trusting her instinct, she halted, trying to pin down what
set off her radar.
    “Wait.” She was absurdly grateful he stopped.
    A half-smile touched his lips as he gazed at her with those
green eyes that saw too much. “You don’t have to be afraid. No one here will
bother you.”
    Her brows furrowed at his odd comment, but she waved it
away. Then she pinned down what bothered her. No sound. The insects she fell
asleep to nightly had vanished. The pungent scent of lilacs that surrounded the
Den was smothered, leaving behind no scent at all. “There’s something wrong
with the house.”
    Even before she finished speaking, shapes shot over the fifteen-foot
wall surrounding the house. Burly humans armed with knives, only no human could
jump that high or move that fast.
    Merrick tossed her bag over the wall, shifting positions to
keep her protected. Three shapes torpedoed toward Merrick with terrifying speed.
She’d been so centered on watching Merrick that she nearly missed the shape that
launched out of the darkness aimed at her.
    Training kicked in. She dropped to her back and thrust her
legs into her attacker’s gut. The momentum propelled her attacker over her head.
Blades flew toward her face. She twisted away and barely missed having her
right cheek cleaved down to bone. The body beamed into a parked car with a
sickening thud. Cursing at the gravel gouging into her shoulder blades, Trina
wasted no time rolling to her feet and drawing her own blade.
    The image of a hulking human shimmered as her attacker
struggled to stand, and Trina caught a glimpse of the true form beneath. Dressed
in black, the slight build suggested a female or a youth. Gone were the knives.
In their place were teeth and claws that, if they got close