Releasing Kate (Power and Pain, Book One)

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An Excerpt From: RELEASING KATE

Copyright ? CYNA KADE, 2009

All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing,
Inc.

Chapter
One

At two in the morning, Kate walked into hell. Stretchers
lined the hallway. Doctors yelled orders and nurses scurried to comply. Two
elderly patients moaned loudly, as if trying to outdo each other, adding to
the din and the bedlam. The smell of antiseptic fought with the scent of
blood and vomit. Kate barely noticed the noises or the smells or the chaos
as she walked into the nurses? station of the emergency department.

?Hey, Janet, where do I start?? Kate said to one of the
night nurses who stood at the desk filling out paperwork.

Janet looked up from the charts, relief crossing her
face. ?It?s you! What are you doing here, girl?? she exclaimed. ?It?s been
a long time since you graced our halls.?

Kate smiled. Janet had been a nursing student when Kate
was in X-ray school. They used to party a lot and Janet enjoyed razing
Kate. It had been awhile since they?d seen each other. Janet was a night
person and didn?t function well on days. Kate was an administrator now and
rarely worked nights so their friendship had drifted a little.

?Pete?s a little overwhelmed. He called and asked me to
help,? Kate said.

?You?re such a good boss.? Janet grinned and pointed to
the X-ray request box. ?Have fun. The patients are ready and waiting for
you.?

Kate raised an eyebrow as she realized there were ten
requisitions in the box and that each patient needed multiple X-rays. ?It
will take awhile to clear these out, try to keep the docs off my back.?

?I?ll do my best,? Janet replied. ?You?re lucky that
most of the docs are already in surgery. Oh yeah,? she paused. ?Watch out
for this one,? she said as she raised a form and put an orange flag on it.
?He?s drunk and rowdy. He?s already punched one nurse. If I were you, I?d
put him last.?

Orange meant abusive. The patient might fight and was
dangerous. Usually an orange flag came with a couple of guards, but Kate
didn?t see any extra bodies hanging around the department. ?When I get to
him, I?ll need some help,? she stated.

Janet nodded. Nothing fazed her, even a request for
nonexistent help. ?When the time comes, someone will help,? she replied.

Kate sighed. She hoped the patient would sober up before
she had to X-ray him. It was hard to take films of patients who couldn?t or
wouldn?t hold still. Besides, mean drunks were no fun. They just weren?t
rational. They typically didn?t feel the pain that kept sober patients
cooperative. Setting aside the problem of a difficult patient, Kate grabbed
a requisition and started the exams.

After a couple of hours, the list of patients had
decreased dramatically. Kate took the last requisition from the box,
relieved that she was almost done, at the same time aware that this one
might be her most difficult exam. Janet was nowhere in sight so Kate
figured she?d check the room to see what the patient was like.

Michael sat in the darkened corner of the exam room
watching the rowdy drunk on the stretcher. The dimmed lights hadn?t put the
guy to sleep. Michael wished he could order the guy to leave and come back
when he was sober. Unfortunately, the patient?s leg was bent and obviously
broken. He needed treatment. Still Michael wondered how much longer he?d
have to baby-sit.

Suddenly a surge of adrenaline heightened his senses.
His eyes narrowed and his predatory instinct roared to the surface. He
raised his head and sniffed before he stilled into near invisibility as the
door cracked open. A woman peeked into the room.

Michael?s special gift allowed him to see her naked and
bound, spread before him like a dinner feast. Her lips trembled and her
body arched as his long fingers delved into her dripping cunt.

The woman gasped and cast a quick glance toward the
corner where Michael sat. She shook her head as if to clear it. Then she
looked at the patient, grimaced and closed the door.

Michael slowly exhaled the breath he?d been holding and
smiled. He hadn?t expected to find a clan woman here. No wonder his senses
had kicked in so hard. He?d been celibate for too long. He simply didn?t
trust himself around most normal women?his needs were too dark and too
strong. He hadn?t been able to fit in a trip to Sanctuary. Now he wouldn?t
have to. Here was a clan woman to slake his needs. But he didn?t recognize
her. He knew most of the clan members. Even from the distant clans. Who was
she?

As if summoned, she opened the door again and stuck her
head back in the room. ?Hello,? she said to the patient, ignoring the
sitter.

?Hey, cunt, how are you doing??

Maintaining a professional demeanor, she explained, ?My
name is Kate. I?m an X-ray tech and I?m going to take some pictures of your
leg. I?m going to bring in the machine now.? She propped open the door and
walked back into the hallway.

?My leg?s fine! I don?t want any pictures!?

Michael watched the woman?Kate?as she drove the portable
into the room. She didn?t look big enough to control the machine yet she
had it positioned in minutes. Competent as well as beautiful. She was short
and curvy yet athletic, like a gymnast or a cheerleader. Michael?s cock
tightened with need. He wanted to unpin her hair, to discover its length,
to wind it around his hands and force her to the ground. He could almost
feel her writhing beneath him.

His heightened senses caught her scent?vanilla with a
whiff of strawberry. He clenched his jaw and forced his erection into
submission. He tried to rationalize his response. He?d been too long
without a woman. But with gut-sinking certainty he knew his celibacy didn?t
explain his response to Kate. He was sure that she was clan and most likely
his mate. Nothing else would cause his dramatic response to her presence.

Yet he?d never seen this woman in Sanctuary, his clan?s
secret enclave, located deep in the mountains. Sanctuary protected his race
and allowed them to fully engage their sexual proclivities without outside
interference.

The clan was ancient. No one knew its true origin. As
with any society, they had only mythology and speculation on which to base
their beliefs, their way of life. History had shown the danger of revealing
their innate proclivities. An entire race dedicated to the pursuit of
physical sensation might have been tolerated?until their telepathic powers
became known. That is where they truly differed from other people. Bitter
experience had taught the clan to remain hidden. Even today.

One of their scientists had recently discovered the gene
responsible for their needs, preferences and abilities. Now that a
biological component had been confirmed, some of the clan argued that it
was time to reveal themselves. The elders
counseled caution. There was nothing wrong with working or studying outside
Sanctuary but revealing themselves was a foolish idea. If clan members felt
too constrained, they could always go to one of the other enclaves
scattered throughout the world or live a less sexually satisfying life
anywhere they chose.

Michael had done just that. He?d visited all eight clans
over the years. He knew many of the other families but he?d never seen this
woman before. Besides, she hadn?t responded to his presence. If she were
truly a mate, she would have taken more notice of him. So if she wasn?t a
clan member, who was she and where had she come from? And how did she
arouse his instincts? No, she had to be clan. That was the only explanation
for his reaction. Michael shook
his head and yanked his thoughts back to the scene playing out before him.

?Hey,? the patient said with a drunken smile, ?you?re
cute! If you really want to help me, why don?t you go down on me? That will
take away my pain.?

?Maybe I should relieve your discomfort by cutting it
off,? Kate replied sweetly.

The patient blanched.

Michael smiled. Not only competent and feminine but
spirited as well?everything he required in a woman. But if she didn?t know
her heritage, he couldn?t rush her. He fought down his instinctive reaction
to protect her. If he didn?t get a grip, he?d break the patient?s neck.
This wasn?t the time or place to claim the woman. He had to control
himself.

The patient shut up for a few minutes as Kate finished
setting up the machine. Then he started in again.

Kate was just getting ready with another withering
statement when a movement in the corner of the room drew her attention to
the sitter. He had silently watched the entertaining by-play and she?d
forgotten his existence. Oops! Kate typically tried not to threaten
patients in front of witnesses. She was getting tired.

?Suck me!? the patient demanded.

Kate ignored the patient?s demand and the filth he
continued spewing. She knew she?d be done soon. They were just words,
embarrassing as they might be.

Suddenly the sitter stood. Kate gulped. In the dim
light, she hadn?t realized the man?s size. He was not only tall but
well-built. He moved like a panther. He came over and stood beside her?very
close beside her. His dark hair was unkempt, as if he?d recently run his
hand through it. His unusual eyes peered down at her from under thick black
brows. His slightly crooked nose indicated it had been broken at one time.
The rest of his bone structure was perfect. Prominent cheekbones and a
strong chin that framed the firm, hard lips that tipped at the edges into a
half smile.

Kate felt as though a large predator had just moved into
her personal space, taking all her air with him, replacing it with a musky
scent that drove straight to her cunt. This was the man she?d seen in that
flash of a vision when she?d first entered the room. She wasn?t sure what
had happened a few moments ago so she had decided to ignore it, for now.
But she couldn?t ignore the man.

Kate forgot the patient as the stranger circled her
waist with a muscular arm. The minute he touched her, Kate found herself
chained to a wall facing the stranger. He held a whip in his hand and her
knees buckled at the thought of what he was going to do. Kate blinked and
found herself back in the room, held close against the man?s side. She
looked up and he smiled down at her as he moved her away from the patient
with a firm but gentle touch that lingered just a moment too long. Kate
wasn?t prepared for the wave of heat that rippled through her pelvis and
she nearly moaned when he released her. She shook her head. It had been a
long time since any man?s touch had affected her in any way and she
couldn?t remember ever feeling such an instant arousal.

Who was he? His perfectly tailored clothes looked
expensive. His gray herringbone suit fit smoothly across his wide
shoulders, narrowing perfectly around his waist without a ripple or pull.
Tailored, not off the rack. She was fairly certain his black tie was pure
silk.

As he turned his attention to the drunk, she wanted to
warn him not to get too close to the patient while wearing a tie but the
wave of masculine rage radiating off him kept her silent. Kate was thankful
his anger wasn?t aimed at her.

The stranger used a finger to turn the patient?s head.
As their eyes met, the stranger said, ?You will let the tech take your
pictures. You will stay still while she does so. You will not speak to her
again. She is my woman.?

His woman?
Kate debated protesting his claim. Before she could say anything, he
continued.

?You are insulting her. If you insult her, you insult
me. Do I make myself clear?? he asked. His soft voice contrasted with the
wave of menace that poured off him.

Stunned by the stranger?s aura of restrained violence,
Kate nearly forgot to breathe. He hadn?t harmed the patient but a sense of
danger filled the room. The broad, muscular shoulders filling his expensive
suit were not just for show.

The patient and the stranger seemed to share a perfect
moment of masculine understanding. The patient shut up and settled down.
Apparently, he agreed with Kate?s assessment.

The stranger turned to Kate.

Kate looked up and lost herself in his eyes. Such an
unusual color, golden like a tiger?s eyes. They?d lost the intensity of a
moment ago and now looked warm and comforting.

She eyed him warily. Her head didn?t reach the top of
his shoulders so she knew he was a couple of inches over six feet. He
tilted his head down. Smiling, he reached out and lightly caressed her
cheek.

Kate shuddered. She wanted to lean her head on his broad
chest and forget the world. She?d never felt so warm and protected. He made
her feel secure.

?Finish the exam,? he commanded in a voice that softly
slithered through her. It resonated in her chest and filled her pelvis with
heat as his musky scent enveloped her in a protective cocoon. She just
wanted to sink into his arms, knowing he?d keep her safe in this perilous
world.

Kate mentally shook herself. Women in the twenty-first
century didn?t expect rescue from a man. She should be angry that he
interfered. She?d been a tech for years. She was used to handling abusive
patients. She silently repeated the mantra. Part of her was annoyed that
the stranger had intruded.

She couldn?t deny the man?s effectiveness though. The
patient remained quiet and cooperative throughout the rest of the exam. Her
thoughts whirled while she finished.

Despite her internal protests, she admitted that the
knight-in-shining-armor act aroused something primitive deep within her. No
one had ever come to her rescue before. A long-buried, deeply feminine part
of her thrilled to let the big strong man take care of her problem. Ouch, she thought as she finished
up, I must be tired. She took a
deep, calming breath and told herself to think about it later.

By six in the morning, the chaos in emergency was down
to a manageable level. Kate couldn?t get the stranger out of her head.
Usually sitters were just anybody who happened to be competent and handy on
short notice. That guy definitely wasn?t the norm. Kate caught Janet just
as she was leaving work. ?Who was that guy?? Kate asked.

?What guy? Oh gosh, you mean the sitter, don?t you? I am
so sorry, I forgot he was there and I didn?t get a chance to warn you,? she
exclaimed, a strange expression on her face.

?Warn me? Why? Who is he??

Janet looked around, obviously nervous. ?Not here. Let?s
go grab a cup of coffee.?

Once settled in the cafeteria, Janet squirmed.

?Give,? Kate said.

?I?m sorry. I was under strict orders not to tell anyone
about him and I sincerely forgot he was in that room.?

Kate raised an eyebrow.

?Girl, he?s your new boss,? Janet stated with a smile.

The previous chief executive officer of the hospital had
been arrested on Medicare-fraud charges. The staff was elated. The guy
punished offenses but never rewarded good work. He?d starved the
departments of funds. He had refused to buy desperately needed equipment.
Working conditions had been appalling under his administration. No one
mourned his leaving.

Yet the staff worried about who?d come in to fix the
mess and just how it would be fixed. Everyone knew the board was looking
for a hard-nosed replacement with a sterling reputation. The hospital
needed government funds. Whoever came in had to be acceptable to the feds,
to the state and to the insurance companies who insured the survival of the
institution if not the survival of the patients. After a couple of weeks,
rumors floated across the grapevine. The board had hired a new guy. Some
big deal who made a career of rescuing hospitals in trouble. He typically
fired eighty percent of the department heads. All the managers were
concerned, including Kate.

?It is not a good time to make jokes like that,? Kate
said.

?No joke, girl.? Janet shook her head. ?It?s fact.?

Kate waved a hand, encouraging Janet to continue.

?He was apparently roaming the hospital hallways when he
heard about the crash. He came down, and get
this?he introduced himself and asked what he could do to help. He didn?t take
command. He didn?t make our lives rough. He asked.? Janet paused then said,
?I was really impressed.?

Kate looked at her with a stunned expression. The boss
men never got their hands dirty on the front lines. It was unheard of,
especially at night. Typically the night shift was invisible to
administration.

?Of course, you know how Nora is, especially with such a
double whammy?he?s gorgeous and he?s her boss. Well Nora was all over him,
ignoring the patients.?

Janet and Nora had tangled plenty in the past. Janet had
moved to nights so she rarely saw Nora anymore. Like most department heads,
Nora worked days and only showed up on nights when she had no other choice.
Nora felt that her master?s degree meant she didn?t have to touch a
patient. Actually, that feeling was probably a good thing since not only
was she a bad administrator, she was a lousy nurse too.

Janet continued, ?He gave Nora a look that chilled me
though it wasn?t even aimed at me. He gave her this look, and get this?he said, ?I don?t need butt kissing right now
and you have a department to run. I suggest you run it. Where can I help???

Janet fanned herself with a napkin. ?Whoa, girl, is he hot?about six-two, great body, rumpled black
hair, expensive clothes and those eyes. They?re like topaz lasers
penetrating deep into your soul. Wow! I had trouble talking around him,
he?s so devastating. If I weren?t happily married I would have dragged him
off to a broom closet. Those muscles, that face,
that voice?? She shook her head and went back to her story.

?Anyway, Nora was speechless. I thought she was going to
have a heart attack but then she spotted me and told me to give Mr. Kyle
anything he needed. Oh I wish I could.? Janet paused to sip her coffee and
cool down. ?Girl, I had him doing all kinds of nasty stuff. He never once
complained or declined. He really was helpful,? she stated, sounding
surprised. ?That?s why I sent him to help you. Sorry I couldn?t warn you
ahead of time.? She stopped as she saw the expression on Kate?s face. ?What
happened in there? You didn?t do anything that would get you in trouble,
did you??

Kate smiled. Janet knew Kate could be extremely blunt
and that she was quite capable of defending herself in ways an
administrator might not understand. ?Everything went fine. He was very
helpful.? She reassured Janet, knowing she hadn?t meant to set up Kate.
Sometimes Janet?s hormones overruled her head. Of course, Kate?s own
hormones hadn?t been too stable since the incident. She was glad to know
she wasn?t the only female affected by the man. ?I didn?t have a chance to
do anything. He kind of took over,? Kate said as she explained what had
happened. She left out the part about her feeling of being feminine and
helpless.

?Wow! Do you think there?s a chance we actually have an
administrator who understands front-line work??

?Time will tell,? Kate replied cautiously, suddenly
feeling far more vulnerable than normal. She wished Janet had mentioned the
sitter?s identity before Kate?s encounter. The rumors had mentioned his
reputation. They hadn?t mentioned his physicality. He wore power like a
cloak. Strength and intensity flowed around him like the undertone of
aftershave. He was the dark knight riding to the hospital?s rescue.

Kate went back to emergency to complete her paperwork.
By the time she finished, it was nine. She thought about going home for a
short nap, but knowing the new boss was in residence, she opted to work on
the budget instead.

By three, Kate readied to leave. The day had been one
crisis after another and she had administrative call tonight. She groaned
as she stretched. She dreamed of getting a nap. She had just turned off her
computer when the phone rang.

?There?s a mandatory meeting for all department heads
scheduled for four o?clock,? Eileen stated.

?You?ve got to be kidding,? Kate said.

?In case you haven?t heard, the new boss is here. He
wants to meet everyone at four, in the boardroom.? Her carefully controlled
tone made Kate nervous. It sounded as though Eileen were sending a signal.
She usually didn?t use that tone with Kate.

Eileen had been an executive assistant for years. She?d
survived many changes in regime. Her political instincts were honed. Eileen
had once told Kate she liked her because they never discussed work.
Instead, they?d talk about Eileen?s new grandbaby or Kate?s latest
relationship at their once-a-week lunches.

?What?s up? Is he making your life difficult??

?I really can?t say,? she stated.

Kate thought of a reason for Eileen?s strange tone. ?Is
he there with you??

?Yes,? she replied.

?I?ll be there,? Kate said, knowing that the only other
option was to turn in her resignation. She sighed and restarted her
computer. She worked on estimates and projections for an hour then she
printed them out and headed to the boardroom.

Kate walked into the conference room at two minutes to
four. Most of the other department heads were already there. They all
looked nervous. Rumors of last night?s actions had spread. Only a couple of
the other department heads ever got their hands dirty or even remembered
what front-line actions were so there were a lot of uncomfortable people.

Kate grabbed her umpteenth coffee of the day. Without a
caffeine boost, she?d never make it through the meeting. She sat next to
Susan Bringly, the laboratory head. Susan and Kate weren?t close but as two
of only three female department heads, they did have some issues in common.

Susan?s second in command was trying to get her job too.
Unfortunately for Susan, he had a good chance of succeeding. Susan was not
a great administrator. She rode her people too hard. She rarely stood up
for them. She never drew blood and had little idea of the problems in her
department.

Janet had told Kate that last night?s tech was
incompetent. He?d hidden himself in the laboratory because he couldn?t hit
a vein. Janet said the nurses ended up drawing all the lab work. Nurses
were very expensive substitutes for phlebotomists.

Suddenly a hush came over the room as the boss entered
at precisely four o?clock.

Administrators were usually late. Probably to impress
everyone with their importance. Maybe this guy wasn?t that disorganized or
that insecure.

Kate watched him walk to the head of the table. He?d
changed suits, she noticed, wishing she?d had an opportunity to shower and
change. A nap would have helped too. Two in the morning was a long time
ago. Kate used to do thirty-six-hour shifts so she knew she was still okay
on sleep but she was out of practice. Thoughts of her bed were getting
harder to keep out of her head. Then an especially strong image of Kate in
bed with the new boss startled her back to awareness.

Where the hell had that thought come from? Looking up,
Kate met his eyes. They glowed like amber jewels and if she didn?t know
better, she?d think he had planted the suggestive image in her head. What
was it with the images of sex? Specifically sex with this man? She?d never
fantasized like that before.