Reunited

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An Excerpt From: REUNITED

Copyright ? SALLY PAINTER, 2008

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

Garrett gazed down at the woman in his arms, finding it
impossible to believe he was holding the Reconciler. He?d found her! Just
in time too. Her aura bore a demon?s mark. She?d been recently tagged as a
target, judging by the intensity of the reddish haze radiating off her. How
long had they known about her?

His mind crowded with questions but the sudden whiff of
her scent, a seductive mixture of earth and flowers, encircled him like
wispy tendrils, numbing all thought. He drew the sweet fragrance in through
his nostrils and electric currents zinged through him. What was that?

Taut muscles flinched and his heart drummed a new
rhythm. A strange and perplexing beat that matched the anxious quaking in
him. The sensation spiraled to his gut, twisting until it wound tight like
a corkscrew and then released in a powerful surge of need. Primal. Urgent.

?What the fuck?? he panted, looking down at the woman
still cradled in his arms.

Full rosy lips parted and a soft moan rushed between
them. He raked his tongue over his lips, imagining how she would taste.
Just a slight touch of his lips to hers? He held her closer against his
bare chest. Sweat trickled down his back. Garrett shook his head as though
he could disentangle himself from the seductive spell but his mind filled
with the image of her naked body writhing beneath him.

He?d never experienced such a compulsion. His mind raced
with possible reasons for the emergence of such a highly charged energy and
then a fearful thought struck him. He?d heard of overwhelming urges taking
control when a gargoyle was in the first stage of mutation.

Infected gargoyles claimed to be victimized by their
inner natures, no longer in control of their free will. This couldn?t be
happening to him. He couldn?t mutate. Not now. Not when he?d finally found
their salvation. He looked down at the Reconciler.

Fate wouldn?t be so cruel.

He groaned. Heat pooled in his groin and his cock
throbbed. The gargoyle nature was one of discipline, Garrett reminded
himself. He was a trained warrior, able to control all desires, especially
any unwanted reactions, yet at that moment he didn?t feel in control. The
desire wouldn?t abate. In fact it stretched against the fraying threads of
self-control.

?I won?t be defeated. Not by a primal instinct to mate a
human. Not after all the battles I?ve fought against demons.?

Resolve was quickly supplanted by impulse and his
feverish mind clouded as he looked down at her. God, she was so beautiful.
She had a warrior?s physique, toned and firm, yet at that moment she was
every inch of feminine softness. Gentle curves pressed into him as she lay
unconscious in his arms, seducing him with the forbidden.

?Sweet paradise! I won?t allow this to happen,? he
rasped and willed the arousal away.

The energy relented and twisted to his belly, churning
into a hard knot. Licking his lips, Garrett studied the goddess cradled in
his arms. Ethereal and irresistible. Moonlight bathed her face, tracing
long dark curls that cascaded over his arm. His fingers trembled. He needed
to caress the shimmering fall?no, what he needed was to sink his cock deep
inside her warmth and find release.

Mercy! Was there no mercy? Not for mutants. A
feeling of hopelessness settled in his gut. None for him.

?I?m not a fucking mutant,? he growled. There must be
another explanation for what just happened. Something he was overlooking.

Her perfume filled his nostrils and Garrett frowned at
the oval face, so perfectly formed? Realization struck him. The emergence
of his baser self must be because of her. It wasn?t the virus.
Somehow? Maybe it was a special power she held as the Reconciler.

If it could do this to him, what would it do to
gargoyles weakened by the virus? It would mean chaos not salvation. Garrett
squinted. It couldn?t be her. He knew the Legend inside and out. Nowhere
did it mention the Reconciler having this kind of power over gargoyles or
that her scent was an aphrodisiac.

His stare traced the slender column of her neck to the
front of her blouse. Full breasts rose high above the first button, luring
his gaze to dip beneath the material in search of rosy tips. The imagery
shot liquid fire to his groin, pooling at the very tip of his cock. Pre-cum
leaked past his attempt to stop his body?s response to her as the feral
instinct seized him.

He clamped his mouth shut, straining to control the
surge of power coiling tighter and tighter in his gut, threatening to break
free. He tensed his body against the force but it raced up his throat,
clawing against his clamped jaw. A low groan vibrated against his teeth,
curling his upper lip into a snarl. Neck muscles constricted and his head
fell back as the building pressure pried open his mouth. A fierce roar
burst from him, echoing into the night and startling nearby dogs into
frightened yelps.

?Son of a bitch,? he wheezed and gulped for air. ?I have
to get out of here.?

Car. Go to the car.

Garrett forced his feet to take a step forward. One
foot in front of the other. He carried her back to the SUV and opened
the passenger door where he lowered her into the seat. He paused, staring
down at her, longing to touch her face. He reached over to buckle the seat
belt around her.

As he straightened, his hand brushed one of her breasts.
He froze. It had been a simple touch, yet every cell in his body sparked to
life. Strong nails dug into the flesh of his palm as he tightened his hand
into a sweaty fist. The hot night air pressed down on him, offering no
relief for his fevered flesh. Visions of her lying naked in his arms with
legs spread wide for him, revealing tender flesh, pink and moist? He
swallowed past the dryness in his throat. Raw nerve endings ached with the
need to feel his cock scrape past the velvety folds of her pussy and plunge
deep inside her.

He shook his head and shoved away from her. This must
stop. He pounded his fists hard into his chest but the pain from the blows
didn?t break the spell. The hunger consumed him.

Garrett knew if he remained there any longer, he?d lose
this battle for his self-control. He slammed the car door shut and hurried
around the front of the vehicle but glanced at her through the windshield.
By all that was holy, he wanted to throw open the door, steal her from the
vehicle, and disappear into the night with his prize.

His mind raced. He must think about something else.
Demons. Shit, he had to get her out of there. They would return with
reinforcements. His legs shook as he walked around to the driver?s side.

?What the fuck is happening?? he breathed.

?