angel had been looking out for her. Or rather, a guardian bear.
Tanner. Just thinking of him made her pulse skip and her ears ring. It was pathetic, really — and confusing as hell — because she’d grown up thinking destined mates were a myth. But then her sister Kaya had gone all dreamy-eyed for a wolf and rode off into the sunset with a blissful look on her face. Not just a
this-guy-knows-his-way-around-a-woman’s-body
kind of bliss, but a deeper, soul-soothing kind. The kind that said
forever
.
But, shit, could it really be that fate had its eye on her, too? It had taken all she had to peel herself away from Tanner after their first night together, and this time had been even harder. She was still reeling from his kiss. Still savoring the faint scent of him on her clothes, and damn it, still dreaming about the way his fingers had traced the contours of her face.
Mate,
her dragon purred inside.
She could just hear her great-aunt Tilda cackle now.
As a witch, you’ll be immune to that fated-mate nonsense so many shifters make asses of themselves with.
Maybe. Maybe not.
A taxi cruised past, and part of her jumped up and down.
Hail it! Get the hell out of town!
But she didn’t budge, because another voice in the back of her mind chanted Tanner’s name over and over and just wouldn’t let up. It was just like when she’d tried leaving Vegas with Kaya and Trey a few days ago — that feeling of a rubber band pulling her back to Tanner, refusing to let him go. That
how am I going to survive the next few hours without him
feeling she swore she would never, ever give in to.
And yet, there she stood, pining away for her bear in a thousand different ways.
Shit.
Her
bear?
He is ours. And he saved us. Our hero!
her dragon crowed.
She snorted. Her dragon really ought to have more pride.
He put himself in danger for us!
That part was true. Painfully true. The question was, what was she going to do about it?
She stalked the streets, zigging and zagging and checking behind her every few seconds while gradually moving away from the high-rise glitz of the Strip and into the seedier side streets of old Vegas.
A ghost dressed in a pinstriped suit and leather shoes meandered past, tipping his hat to her. A rat skittered into the shadows, and a crow cawed overhead. The faint scent of the desert wafted in on the fading morning breeze. She tilted her chin up, watching the colors of sunrise blend into the full light of day. A good time to be out — when vampires were not. Still, their henchmen might be out and about, so she didn’t let down her guard.
She hustled into a bright red English phone booth on the corner of Eighth and Fremont — the kind with dozens of square windows and a gold crown on the top. A goddamn crown, as if the Queen might turn up in Vegas and make a quick call to Buckingham Palace to check on her corgis.
Karen darted inside and tapped her fingers beside the keypad for a good three minutes. She’d lost her phone sometime in the past few hours. Should she call her sister? Shouldn’t she?
Finally, she punched the number. Kaya was an early riser, and she might worry — or worse, grow suspicious — if Karen didn’t check in. The last thing Karen needed was her older sister coming to her rescue again. She’d gotten herself into this mess; she could get herself out.
Right?
She pursed her lips.
The phone buzzed twice before the line clicked and her sister’s breathless voice came on. “Karen? Are you okay?”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes, Mom.”
“Where are you?” Kaya demanded.
“Um…Palm Springs. It’s great.” Karen closed her eyes to the storefronts and the stretch limo rolling through the intersection, imagining golf courses, fountains, and whispering palms instead. So she was fibbing. So what? It was for her sister’s own peace of mind.
“So you’re out of Vegas? Thank God.”
Well, she was out of the Scarlet Palace. Close enough?
“Where are you?” Karen asked, trying
Tanner. Just thinking of him made her pulse skip and her ears ring. It was pathetic, really — and confusing as hell — because she’d grown up thinking destined mates were a myth. But then her sister Kaya had gone all dreamy-eyed for a wolf and rode off into the sunset with a blissful look on her face. Not just a
this-guy-knows-his-way-around-a-woman’s-body
kind of bliss, but a deeper, soul-soothing kind. The kind that said
forever
.
But, shit, could it really be that fate had its eye on her, too? It had taken all she had to peel herself away from Tanner after their first night together, and this time had been even harder. She was still reeling from his kiss. Still savoring the faint scent of him on her clothes, and damn it, still dreaming about the way his fingers had traced the contours of her face.
Mate,
her dragon purred inside.
She could just hear her great-aunt Tilda cackle now.
As a witch, you’ll be immune to that fated-mate nonsense so many shifters make asses of themselves with.
Maybe. Maybe not.
A taxi cruised past, and part of her jumped up and down.
Hail it! Get the hell out of town!
But she didn’t budge, because another voice in the back of her mind chanted Tanner’s name over and over and just wouldn’t let up. It was just like when she’d tried leaving Vegas with Kaya and Trey a few days ago — that feeling of a rubber band pulling her back to Tanner, refusing to let him go. That
how am I going to survive the next few hours without him
feeling she swore she would never, ever give in to.
And yet, there she stood, pining away for her bear in a thousand different ways.
Shit.
Her
bear?
He is ours. And he saved us. Our hero!
her dragon crowed.
She snorted. Her dragon really ought to have more pride.
He put himself in danger for us!
That part was true. Painfully true. The question was, what was she going to do about it?
She stalked the streets, zigging and zagging and checking behind her every few seconds while gradually moving away from the high-rise glitz of the Strip and into the seedier side streets of old Vegas.
A ghost dressed in a pinstriped suit and leather shoes meandered past, tipping his hat to her. A rat skittered into the shadows, and a crow cawed overhead. The faint scent of the desert wafted in on the fading morning breeze. She tilted her chin up, watching the colors of sunrise blend into the full light of day. A good time to be out — when vampires were not. Still, their henchmen might be out and about, so she didn’t let down her guard.
She hustled into a bright red English phone booth on the corner of Eighth and Fremont — the kind with dozens of square windows and a gold crown on the top. A goddamn crown, as if the Queen might turn up in Vegas and make a quick call to Buckingham Palace to check on her corgis.
Karen darted inside and tapped her fingers beside the keypad for a good three minutes. She’d lost her phone sometime in the past few hours. Should she call her sister? Shouldn’t she?
Finally, she punched the number. Kaya was an early riser, and she might worry — or worse, grow suspicious — if Karen didn’t check in. The last thing Karen needed was her older sister coming to her rescue again. She’d gotten herself into this mess; she could get herself out.
Right?
She pursed her lips.
The phone buzzed twice before the line clicked and her sister’s breathless voice came on. “Karen? Are you okay?”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes, Mom.”
“Where are you?” Kaya demanded.
“Um…Palm Springs. It’s great.” Karen closed her eyes to the storefronts and the stretch limo rolling through the intersection, imagining golf courses, fountains, and whispering palms instead. So she was fibbing. So what? It was for her sister’s own peace of mind.
“So you’re out of Vegas? Thank God.”
Well, she was out of the Scarlet Palace. Close enough?
“Where are you?” Karen asked, trying
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