Donna Grant: Midnight's Temptation

A few minutes later Aisley was handed a large mug of something steaming, which Phelan assumed was coffee, and a pastry.

Aisley smothered a yawn while she wrapped both hands around the mug. He shifted to the right and saw there was a table hidden by a large poster in the window where two men were seated. Both staring at her.

Unease rippled through Phelan. He knew what those men wanted, and it wasn’t going to happen.

For the next seventeen and a half minutes he was content to watch her eat and drink. As soon as Aisley was done, she paid and left the café.

Just as Phelan expected, she wasn’t alone.

Three steps behind her were the two men. With his speed, Phelan came up directly behind the men without them even knowing it. Their attention was focused on Aisley so they never suspected someone might be watching them.

“Hey!” one of the men called out to Aisley.

She turned around, her magic already gathering around her. Phelan hissed in a breath, startled by the way his body continued to burn with pleasure at the feel of her magic.

Her fawn-colored eyes widened for a split second as she caught sight of him. Phelan didn’t give her or the men time to say anything else. He moved his arms up and out between the two men as he stepped between them.

They paused in surprise, and Phelan elbowed them in the face simultaneously. The two men hit the ground with a thud.

“I suppose you want a thank you,” Aisley replied saucily.

Phelan opened his mouth to respond when movement behind her caught his eye. “Duck,” he said as a man lunged for her.

Despite his warning, Aisley didn’t move quickly enough and the brute’s fist caught on the back of the head, sending her out into the rain and down on her knees off the sidewalk.

Inside him, Phelan’s god, Zelfor, bellowed for battle. And Phelan wanted nothing more than to give in. But humans didn’t know of the Warriors.

Instead of releasing his god, Phelan peeled back his lips and growled as he advanced on Aisley’s attacker. He reared back his fist to send a punch to the man’s jaw to knock him out, when the brute pulled a gun from his jacket.

Phelan grunted as the impact of the bullet crashed into his chest. He looked down at the gaping hole in his leather biker’s jacket and then up at the man.

“This was my favorite jacket.”

“What the bloody hell are you, mate?” the man stammered before he turned and ran away.

Phelan glanced at the two unconscious men before he reached for Aisley. She held the back of her head with one hand and braced the other on the sidewalk. He gently lifted her to her feet, but as soon as she was up, she pulled out of his grasp.

“Why did you stop them?”

Phelan frowned. “Do I really need to explain it, lass?”

“Yes,” she said and gave a jerk of her head. She winced and leaned against a store window.

“You need to lie down. Let me take you somewhere.”

With her face pale, she opened her eyes to stare at him. He wanted to touch her, to run his hands down her face, over her high cheekbones, and across her full lips. He yearned to hold her luscious body against his again, but somehow held himself in check. Instead, he let his gaze feast on her beauty.

From her oval face and midnight hair slicked to her head to her defiant chin. Delicate ebony brows arched slightly over large eyes tilted up at the corners. She had a small nose and a high forehead. It was her lips, full and wide, that were made for sin.

Her legs were long and lean on her trim frame, but she had feminine curves that would make a saint’s mouth water with temptation.

As delightful as her body and face were, that’s not all that drew him. Besides her magic, Aisley had a quick wit and an even quicker mind.

She fascinated him at every turn. She held him riveted, intrigued.

Beguiled.

One black brow rose. “You’re not taking me anywhere.”

If she only knew he’d be happy to take her right then and there. Would the knowledge make her blush? Would her skin flush with desire? He was dying to know.

“If you’re going to kill me, do it now.”

“Kill you?” Phelan took a step back, completely dumbfounded at her words. He had never given her any such notions. Why would she think that? Unless … she knew what he was. “Why do you think I’d want to kill you?”

Doubt flashed fleetingly in her fawn-colored depths. “Isn’t that why you’re following me?”

“If I wanted to kill you, beauty, I’d have done it that night in the club when I kissed you. Or the second time when I watched you dance.”

A small frown furrowed her brow. “What do you want?”

“This,” he said and closed the gap separating them.

He covered her mouth with his. Phelan couldn’t stop the moan when she responded to his kiss. She opened her lips against his, and he quickly swept his tongue inside to mate with hers.

The kiss was supposed to have been soft and gentle, but the desire for her burned too brightly inside him. He wrapped his arms around her and attempted to deepen the kiss.

The same instant she ducked out of his arms. Phelan opened his eyes to find himself staring at his reflection in the glass before him. He turned his head to the side to look at Aisley.

He had never had to work so hard for a woman before. What did she want from him? And more importantly, why was he having such a difficult time figuring it out?

“Why do you keep running from me? I know you like my kisses, beauty, because you kiss me back.”

Aisley rolled her eyes. “If you’re really not here to kill me, then let me go.”

Phelan turned to face her. He had a tough choice. If he wanted to earn her trust, he had to let her go. But how could he when she was within reach of him now?

With his speed, there was no way she could outrun him. He could have her in a hotel room in a matter of minutes. Then have her undressed and in his bed even quicker.

But he’d been kept against his will for decades. He wasn’t about to do that to someone else, especially not Aisley.

“I’m no’ your enemy,” he told her.

“Prove it. Let me go.”

“I’ll follow you.”

She shrugged.

Phelan blew out a breath and moved aside so she had a clear path to her car. “I’ll earn your trust, beauty,” he said as she walked past him.

“Doubtful,” she replied with a snort.

Phelan waited until she was in her car and drove off before he grabbed his helmet and hurried to his bike to follow her.

MacLeod Castle

“How much longer?” Arran asked the room at large.

Lucan glanced at his elder brother, Fallon, to find him staring into the cold, empty hearth in the great hall. “Aiden and Britt will tell us when it’s done.”

“It” was the serum Britt had synthesized from their blood. Lucan wasn’t the only one uneasy about bringing a mortal with no magic into their battle, but Britt wasn’t just an amazing doctor. She had managed to gain Aiden’s love.

As uncle to Aiden, Lucan couldn’t be happier. He knew his nephew had been floundering about in their world of magic. Not that he blamed Quinn and Marcail for protecting their son. Lucan would do the same thing if he and Cara dared to have children.

Children. He let out a long sigh and shifted his gaze to his wife. Cara sat with some of the other Druids. Her chestnut curls were pulled away from her face in a ponytail. She smiled at something Danielle said, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes.

That’s when Lucan saw Cara glance up the stairs. She was as worried as the others. Most of last night they had sat in bed talking about Britt’s serum and how it could help the Warriors in their upcoming battle.

“What has you frowning?” Quinn asked as he came to stand beside him.