Kiss of a Dark Moon by Sharie Kohler Page A

snatched her purse off the counter. Early morning sunlight shot through the large bay window that looked out over the backyard, already warming the kitchen. The day would be a scorcher. Not good. Just what she needed. Lycans were more aggressive in hot weather. They usually avoided it. But forced out into it, they would be in high temper.
    A quick stop at her grandmother’s for a few necessary items—namely money—and she would go. Leave town. Temporarily, of course. But she wouldn’t stay away forever. Someone would pay for murdering Cooper. For making her run and for robbing her of her freedom, her life.
    She had worked damn hard to gain Cooper’s acceptance, to persuade him to train her and let her hunt. The only thing she lacked was official authorization from NODEAL and a paycheck. He’d had faith in her. And now he was dead.
    Someone would pay.
    A pair of dark eyes set in a too-handsome face flashed before her mind. She had a pretty good idea who that someone should be.

CHAPTER 7
    S canning the yard, Kit hurried to her car, her purse and duffel bag slung over her shoulder, bouncing with her steps. A warm vapor rose up to meet her, coating her skin in a sticky sheen of perspiration. She clutched the keys so tightly in one hand that the metal cut into the tender skin of her palm.
    Although she spotted no one, her nerves were stretched tight as wire. Imagined or real, the sensation of being watched stayed with her as she tossed her bag and purse into the passenger seat. An instinct not to be ignored. She had honed it over the last few years.
    Heat swamped her as she recalled last night, and what had happened when she’d followed her instinct and investigated her sensation of being watched. Shaking her head, she forced herself to forget. To not think about the way he had touched her, the burning sensation that had fired her blood when he put his hands on her.
    Ducking her head, she had almost cleared her doorframe when a hard hand clamped on her shoulder. Ready for the bastard, Kit spun around, barely registering a pair of pale blue eyes before she reacted, jamming the heel of her palm into the man’s face. Instantly, the grip on her arm vanished. Without stopping for breath, she grabbed her assailant’s shoulders with both hands, yanked him closer, and slammed her knee into his gut with the barest grunt.
    â€œShit!” He dropped to the ground like a load of bricks.
    Before she could escape inside her car, someone else yanked her by the wrist and flung her around, slamming her face first into the rear passenger door. Pinned, her wrist trapped, she kicked backward at this new attacker, making contact.
    A fierce oath gave her a moment’s satisfaction. Until a hand grabbed her by the back of the head, tangling in her hair and slamming her head down against the roof of the car with a resounding crack. Pain exploded in her forehead. Her vision blurred, and she clung to the car, struggling not to succumb to the welcoming gray pulling her in, promising relief, escape from the hurt.
    Rancid breath fanned her ear. “Don’t give me any trouble, March. It’ll go easier for you.”
    Wincing, she twisted her neck around to get a look at this attacker, recognizing him instantly. “Lockhart,” she breathed. A few months back, she had killed a few lycans fleeing him. It stung her pride for him to be getting the best of her now.
    Lockhart spun her around, exchanging his cruel grip on her hair for a handhold around her neck. He pushed hard against her, pinning her hips and legs between him and the car so that they could not budge.
    â€œYou know my name? I’m flattered.” He grinned: an unfortunate row of uneven teeth against a heavily acne-scarred face.
    â€œSure,” she replied, breathing deeply against the throbbing ache of her head. “My brother said you were NODEAL’s shittiest agent.”
    His grin slipped. “And I see you’re just like