![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.shilohwalker.com\/website\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/Hunters-Rise-21.jpg\" "\\"Hunters")
<\/a><\/p>\nEven before she saw the moonlight shining off his pale hair, she knew.<\/p>\n
He was down there, in the backyard, waiting for her. And damn it. He\u2019d hauled her bike out. Bastard. He was leaning against it, leather stretching over those long thighs, a black T-shirt clinging to his lean chest. He had that blond hair pulled back in a neat tail at the nape of his neck, and he looked good enough to eat. In many, many ways.<\/p>\n
Her fangs pulsed.<\/p>\n
Lower, much lower, other things pulsed. Because she knew he\u2019d be aware, she figured she\u2019d hide one hunger within another. Standing in the open window frame, keeping her knife hand free, she murmured, \u201cOh, look. It\u2019s Meals on Wheels.\u201d<\/p>\n
He grinned at her. And then he leaped. Sylvia fell back, moving away from the window even as part of her wished she could stand there and just watch him move\u2014<\/p>\n
She pulled another knife, but didn\u2019t bother hiding that one. He\u2019d go for the one she\u2019d left in open view, she hoped.<\/p>\n
He came through the window, almost silent, a grin on his lips, his blue eyes glinting with humor. That hot, rich scent of his flooded her head and suddenly, she had to swallow. It was that, or start drooling.<\/p>\n
\u201cDelivery service.\u201d She waggled her knife at him. \u201cI like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat mouth of yours ever get you in trouble, Sylvia?\u201d<\/p>\n
She shrugged lazily. \u201cA time or two. You know, I don\u2019t like strangers touching my bike.\u201d Actually, she didn\u2019t like anybody touching her bike. \u201cWhat\u2019s your name?\u201d<\/p>\n
Instead of answering, his eyes dropped to her knife. \u201cYou know, if you greeted the real Meals on Wheels that way, we\u2019d have a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, since you\u2019re not actually on the menu, it\u2019s not an issue.\u201d She eyed him narrowly. He wasn\u2019t armed. Or at least, he wasn\u2019t holding any weapons. He probably had weapons. He wouldn\u2019t go out to Hunt without them. But he wasn\u2019t holding any. She could see his hands, open. Empty. Unlike hers.<\/p>\n
Although, hello, he was a werewolf\u2014in a matter of seconds, he turned into a fucking weapon.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hadn\u2019t exactly planned to be on the menu.\u201d He slanted his gaze to hers, a slow smile curling his lips. \u201cBut if you\u2019re hungry\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0. just put away your blades.\u201d<\/p>\n
Blades\u2014<\/p>\n
Shit. He was good.<\/p>\n
Sighing, she tucked them away. He wasn\u2019t here to fight. If he was, they\u2019d already be at it\u2014she\u2019d be bloodied, battered, and hopefully, she could at least mark up that pretty face of his a little before he killed her. Still, she was pretty certain that wasn\u2019t what he wanted out of her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWould you just go away?\u201d she said, combing her hands through her hair. She needed a shower. She needed to change. And she was twenty miles away from the place she was renting. \u201cI\u2019ve got a job to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
He lifted a wrist. \u201cAre you hungry?\u201d<\/p>\n
Sylvia couldn\u2019t have been any more surprised if he\u2019d sprouted a second head. That hunger tried to grab her by the throat, but she\u2019d mastered it long ago. Still, she found herself staring at that wrist, the exposed veins for a long, long moment, almost mesmerized.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re hungry, go ahead.\u201dTorontococked his head. \u201cI\u2019ve fed vamps before. It\u2019s not like I\u2019ll miss a half a pint.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her belly all but cramped with need and her knees got weak just thinking about it. What the hell\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0. she wasn\u2019t that hungry. She\u2019d just fed last night. She could go another day before it should be this bad. Wary, she eyed him. \u201cWhy? Why would you feed me? You should all want me out of the territory.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, for one\u201d\u2014he watched her, that light of amusement still in his eyes\u2014\u201cit\u2019s considered polite to make sure new\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0. visitors don\u2019t go hungry. After all, hungry people sometimes go looking for food in the wrong place. We can\u2019t have that. Besides, you and me? Tonight, we\u2019ve got a killer to track down.\u201d<\/p>\n
We\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot unless it\u2019s snowing in hell.\u201d Sylvia glared at him. A killer to track down? With a fricking Boy Scout? No. Way. No way in that frozen, snowy hell.<\/p>\n
\u201cCheck the forecast, baby.\u201d He lowered his hand and sauntered forward, his gaze dropping to rest on her mouth. \u201cDid you smell me on you when you woke?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m starting to think the crap about Masters having wicked control is just that\u2014crap. Otherwise, I don\u2019t think I would have woken with your scent on me. Men with control don\u2019t go pawing sleeping women.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, I\u2019ve got control.\u201d He dipped his head.<\/p>\n
She held her ground, curious. He breathed in her scent, and when a groan rumbled out of him, she felt a strange warmth rush through her. Oh, this wolf was not good for her peace of mind. Not good for her\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0. he was starting to make her want things, and this was only the second time she\u2019d seen him. Not just sex\u2014if all she wanted was sex, she wouldn\u2019t get that curious little twist in her heart when she looked at him.<\/p>\n
This was much more than just craving sex; how was that even possible, anyway? She\u2019d seen him twice. In under twenty-four hours. It was insane\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0. and it was very real. She wanted to see his hair free, falling around her as he moved over her. She wanted to feed from him as he rode her. Wanted to feel his teeth on her flesh, breaking it\u2014<\/p>\n
\u201cYou keep thinking whatever you\u2019re thinking and I\u2019ll have you naked and wrapped around me in ninety seconds,\u201d he whispered. \u201cAnd I still haven\u2019t told you my name. After all, we really should know each other\u2019s names before we fuck, right?\u201d<\/p>\n
Oh, she was in so much trouble here. Jerking back, she gave him a narrow glare and wished there was something, anything she could do to control her body\u2019s response to him. Anything to keep him from reading that response. She might as well waste her time wishing the sun wouldn\u2019t rise.<\/p>\n
\u201cI said it once, I\u2019ll say it again,\u201d she whispered, her throat dry. \u201cGet the hell out. I\u2019ve got a job to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, Syl. We have a job to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
She stilled at the sound of her shortened name on his lips. \u201cIt\u2019s Sylvia,\u201d she said huskily. \u201cSylvia. Not Syl. Not any other name. Sylvia. And we don\u2019t have a job.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay.\u201d He shrugged, unconcerned. \u201cThink about it. It makes more sense. What we need is information from Pulaski. What you want is to complete your contract. The two things don\u2019t have to be mutually exclusive.\u201d He reached out, toyed with a lock of hair.<\/p>\n
She watched as he wrapped it around one finger, around and around. Then he let it go, the backs of his knuckles brushing against the curve of her breast. \u201cLike your Master is going to go for that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy Master\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u201d He chuckled. Scratching his chin, he tipped his head back and studied the ceiling. \u201cThat\u2019s a funny thing. Let me put it this way. If I produce the results he needs, I don\u2019t think Rafe\u2019s going to give a flying fuck what happens to Pulaski. Not officially.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot officially? What in the hell does that mean?\u201d She sneered at him. \u201cYou Boy Scouts are all about your damn rules.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBoy Scouts?\u201d He started to laugh. He ended up leaning against a wall, he laughed so hard. \u201cI\u2019m a Boy Scout? And I\u2019m all about rules? Please. Pretty please, if you ever meet Rafe, you have to tell them that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, like you\u2019re not?\u201d Crossing her arms over her chest, she tapped her nails against her arm and eyed him. \u201cIf you\u2019re not all about rules and being Boy Scouts, then why in the hell would you all do the shit you do? It\u2019s not like you do it for glory or anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we don\u2019t\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0. who will?\u201d He eyed her curiously.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo it\u2019s altruism?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. It\u2019s\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u201d A far-off look crossed his face and then he shrugged. \u201cSomebody has to be willing. If it\u2019s not us, I guess it\u2019s nobody. And that\u2019s just not an option.\u201d He paused then asked softly, \u201cDo you really want to live in a world where nobody stops the monsters, Miz James?\u201d<\/p>\n
Where nobody stops the monsters\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0. Images flashed through her mind and the remnants of the dreams from the past day rose up to choke her. \u201cOh, go fuck yourself,\u201d she snapped. Spinning away from him, she went back to the closet and snagged her pack. She needed to get out of here. Fast. Once she got to her bike, she could keep away from him. Even a were couldn\u2019t keep up with a vamp on a Harley, right?<\/p>\n
Bending down, she grabbed her bag. When she turned around, he was there. Her breath caught in her throat as he crowded her up against a wall, his body blocking her in, one arm resting by the wall near her head, the other coming up to rest lightly on her hip.<\/p>\n
Too intimate\u2014<\/p>\n
\u201cListen, Sylvia\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u201d He dipped his head and once more breathed in her scent. \u201cWe need to get something straight. You\u2019re not\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0. aw, hell. You smell so good.\u201d<\/p>\n
As he turned his face into her hair, she shuddered. \u201cOkay. I\u2019m glad we got that straight, wolf. I smell good\u2014glad we got that nice and squared away. Now. Can you give me some space?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d He pushed his thigh between hers.<\/p>\n
Shock flooded her. Heat flooded her. \u201cWhat\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy name isToronto,\u201d he whispered against her ear. \u201cSay it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTor\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.Toronto?\u201d She tipped her head back, frowning. \u201cThat\u2019s a\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u201d Hated place. I hate that place, I hate that place, I hate that place\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.<\/em> \u201cWeird name.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah. So what? Say it again. I want to make sure you remember it. Because sometime very damn soon, I\u2019m going to be inside you, Sylvia.\u201d The last words were spoken in a growl against her lips.<\/p>\n \u201cToronto.\u201d She opened for him even as she reached up and jerked the band from his hair.<\/p>\n read more<\/a>… Or you can just preorder!<\/em><\/p>\n B & N<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Amazon<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Indiebound<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Book Depository<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0BAMM<\/a><\/p>\n Other authors on a snippet rampage<\/p>\n \n Megan Hart:Read in bed! <\/a>
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