Page 12 of Reaper

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Page 12 of Reaper

Chapter Four

Ara

Nervous energy washed through her when Reaper pointed out the house on the top of the mountain.She closed her eyes in order to calm her rapid pulse, but other thoughts crowded in.The kisses they shared over the last few days snuck in through her panic, and although more welcome than the thought of meeting complete strangers, it did nothing to slow her heartbeat.

Their kisses had been the first real intimate contact she’d had and instead of feeling trepidation each time he touched her, her thoughts scattered and she craved more.She liked that he reached for her hand or pulled her into a hug because he wanted to.Some part of her rationalized that he didn’t want to spook her so he chose gestures that put her at ease, before he moved on to more intimate ones.From the moment she had woken up in his bed and recognized him, no part of her resisted his touch.

As the time they spent together grew, she observed that she was always aware of him and on the rare moments they were separated, she found herself missing him.

As if sensing her emotions, he reached for her hand and laced their fingers together.Her muscles relaxed and the tension in her body drained away.Throughout her life, she had never trusted anyone with her safety.Until now.

Reaper had asked her about her childhood; she couldn’t quite bring herself to tell him the entire story.People couldn’t help but judge others by their past, and she grew afraid that Reaper might change his mind about helping her if he knew the entire truth.She would tell him at the right time, but until then, she would show him that he could trust her in return.

After she had accepted that they would need help in finding any connection between her kidnapper and Dr. Ames, she couldn’t help but wonder at the danger she presented to Reaper and his friends.

She had no clue why the man chased her.

He had gotten nothing from her the entire time she had been under his control.The one thing her mind looped back to was that he craved her death.She had slipped past him after giving him nothing but trouble, and he would want to punish her for that.Although this man had a vendetta against her, the last thing she wanted was others being hurt because of her.

“I still think this is a bad idea.”

His hand squeezed hers in reassurance before he spoke.“They are government assassins who, on top of being deadly because of their nature, are additionally trained in weapons, hand-to-hand combat, and defensive techniques.Their senses are unparalleled, and if that isn’t enough, Kai has state-of-the-art sensors, cameras, reinforced doors and windows, and enough weapons to arm a small country.”

The more she thought about his profession, the more she worried for not only him, but those she had yet to meet.Although he meant the words to be comforting, they were anything but.To distract herself from the thoughts swirling in her head, she asked him to tell her about his friends.

“Kai and Liv are mates, as you know.Liv is a brilliant immunologist.Her work centered on finding a cure for cancer, but after she turned, she started researching the differences between human DNA and immortal DNA.Hunter helps her in the lab when she’s not working with Seth.Seth is the kid from next door.He has known Kai since he was twelve, but it wasn’t until the kid grew close to Liv that he really opened up.He helps Liv while she teaches him everything she knows.He’s the little brother she never had.

“Let’s see, there is Xander.He’s the computer whiz and the quiet one.He’s very good at observation, so don’t freak if he asks you questions or studies you—that’s just his way.Gunnar and Jade are our recon and tracking specialists.Gunnar is quiet but he’ll probably gravitate toward you because he’s curious.Axel and Kane are the combat and weapons trainers.Kane recently lost his mate at the hands of Dr. Ames and is still recovering.You’ll catch a flash of sadness from time to time, but he’s been trained to be an assassin and it’s given him a purpose.Axel is a gigantic blond lion-shifter who thinks he’s God’s gift to women.Ghost is our boss and he coordinates the contracts, communications, and determines who gets sent out on assignments.There are others who drop in from time to time, like Thomas and Isaac, who are vampires, so they prefer to be alone.”

Before she could place all the names with their specialties, Reaper parked the SUV.He must’ve sensed her trepidation because without a word, he dashed around the car and opened her door.When their eyes met, she spotted a flash of need and she couldn’t help the shiver that passed through her.She found that she couldn’t pull her gaze away from him, mesmerized by the flames in his eyes, but his growl reminded her why they had left the sanctuary of his home.

She glanced down at the hand he offered and reached for him.Her breathing slowed back to normal at his consistent thoughtfulness.He sensed that she was overwhelmed and steadied her with his contact.By the time he tugged her toward the front door, she blew out a relieved breath and relaxed.She trusted him.

It shouldn’t have surprised her that he had a key to the door, but when they walked through the entrance and a loud beeping rang from the panel on the wall beside the door, she tensed at the sound.After he entered an extensive code, she leaned against him and took in her surroundings.

The living area had space to fit an average-sized house, with couches, rocking chairs, tables, and other furniture scattered throughout the space.Although the house looked enormous and intimidating from the outside, the inside was bright, cheerful, and welcoming.Her eyes were drawn to the beautiful stone fireplace with flames dancing inside, and the overall effect was warm and inviting.

“Where is everyone?” she asked.

Reaper bent down and brushed a kiss on her lips.“They didn’t want to scare you off by gathering around when we arrived, but they are around.”

“Can you sense them?”

“Yep.I can hear their footsteps and tell who they are by their footfalls, and I can also scent them.”

He led her across the room and when he opened the sturdy wooden door, she noticed that they were at the top of a stairwell.Without room for both of them to travel at the same time, he led the way.But not before he reached back and laced their fingers together.

When they reached the halfway point on the descent, she heard music coming from somewhere below.She tried to place the song, but gave up when Reaper stopped at the bottom of the stairs and she sensed more than heard his chuckle.

Curious, she peered around his wide shoulders and knew that her eyes widened the moment she noticed a tiny woman, with a mass of curly brown hair, flash from one side of the room to another.Her speed was breathtaking and Ara blinked as a reaction to the movement.When she reopened her eyes, the woman had moved from where Ara last placed her.Her eyes searched and found her, and Ara could see her head bouncing up and down to what could only be described as heavy metal thrashing.

Transfixed on the woman in front of her, Ara failed to hear someone come down the stairs behind her until a hand clamped down on her shoulder.Ara whipped around and pressed her back against the wall of the stairwell, an instinct that she’d honed all those years she spent on her own.She closed her eyes as a loud bang reverberated through the basement.

She took a deep breath, getting her emotions under control, before she opened her eyes and found the source of her panic smiling at her from across the room.Like other shifters, the man was colossal, and she groaned when she realized her mistake.

“Shit,” she blurted.“Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it.That was fucking cool.”


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