The Bodyguard: Nash
Available now at Loose Id
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Philly bartender Victoire Duramel picked the right night to lose control of her magic. The night Fae bodyguard Nash Dupree sensed his soulmate and a strong, untrained magic violently unleashed.
Struggling under the strength of her power, Victoire accepted Nash's help without question. Now he wants to train her and teach her how to control her magic. But there's a price. Her heart and soul.
When she denies him, Nash refuses to let her go. He'll do whatever he must to guard the feisty witch and have her for his own.
Excerpt One
Seductive and intoxicating, the scent of magic filled the air. But it wasn’t the magic that called to him. It was the witch wielding it. For hundreds of years, he’d searched for his true love. And tonight, with this delectable scent, Nash knew she was nearby. There was no other explanation for his magic’s reaction to the scent. This was the closest he’d ever been. He wasn’t about to waste this chance.
“You need to find your one. That way you’ll leave my wife alone.”
Nash snorted and looked at Nic. “You’re the one who invited me into your bed. If you wanted me gone, all you had to do was ask. Oh, wait. You did, and I complied. It was months ago, Nic.”
“Please.” Elena reached out and put a hand on each of them. “Not here in public. We’ll settle this at home.”
Whatever. I haven’t done more than flirt with Elena. Something else is bothering Nic. But what?Nash glanced across the table and studied his brother and sister-in-law. Fae and vampire. An unlikely combination, but then, he wouldn’t have predicted his own true love would be a witch.
As he watched the two lovebirds, the scent drew closer, giving him a hard-on as he lost the ability to think straight. Nash looked out the window of the small café, hoping for a glimpse of his woman. There was only one way to know for sure if she was his true love or not. Sex. No-holds-barred sex.
A tall woman with long, dark hair hesitated outside the café. She turned and looked inside. Blue-gray eyes met his and held for a long heartbeat. Nash reached out with his mind. As soon as he brushed against her mind, she looked away, frightened, and hurried away. Shit! I scared her.
“Excuse me.” Nash rose and was halfway out the door before either Nic or Elena could say anything.
Nash looked both ways, but the slender beauty had vanished. Following her scent proved as much of a challenge as he was sure convincing her to sleep with him would be. As he grew closer to her, the strength of her power increased and made his dick hard. Was she using her power on someone or something?
Fear permeated the air, mingling with her sweet seductive scent. Nash hurried, unable to see the woman who stirred such a deep response from him, but able to sense her well enough to track her. Hell, he sensed her so well he could probably have communicated with her telepathically. But that would most likely scare her again.
When Nash passed a dumpster, she came into his view. The sight made him pause. A man approached her, menace in his every step. The beauty threw her arms out, and magic streaked from her hands, knocking the man across the alley into a brick wall.
Instead of releasing the excess magic she’d summoned, she stood there, staring at the man. Power strained visibly at her fingertips, begging for release. Why the hell didn’t she release the power she was obviously struggling to control? Didn’t she understand that she’d summoned too much energy, and it needed someplace to go?
Suddenly, she dropped to her knees and raised her arms to the sky.
“Please.” She sounded scared and desperate as tears slipped down her cheeks. “Please, someone help me.”
Before he knew his intent, he’d crossed the distance and placed his hands on her shoulders, sending her strength.
“Let me help you.” When he whispered the words next to her ear, he felt a shiver of desire race through her. She moaned as, unguarded, her lust and magic reached for him.
“Please, let me go. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“It’s all right, love. You won’t hurt me.”
“No.” She shook her head. “You don’t understand. I don’t understand. I’ll hurt you if you don’t let go.”
“You won’t hurt me. Let me help you. Let me ease your pain.”
* * * * *
“You don’t know what you’re saying. If you don’t release me, you’ll end up dead, like that drunken idiot.” Victoire looked up at the stranger through tears. He had no idea what would happen to him if he touched her. If he thought she could control these powers, he was wrong. Dead wrong.
“He’s not dead, and your power doesn’t intimidate me.”
Victoire struggled against desire and the straining magic inside her. She looked up at him. His bright blue eyes held her gaze. She fell into those pools of deep blue, finding a peace in them she hadn’t known since she’d discovered she had magical powers. This man, whoever he was, called to something in her. Something primitive. Something she’d tried to subdue ever since she’d discovered these uncontrollable powers. Goddess help her, she wanted this man, no matter the cost.
As they spoke, he eased through her rapidly weakening shields, letting some of her magic free. A burst of energy streaked to the ground and faded.
“What are you doing?” Panic flared. Victoire rose and quickly backed up. “Stop it!”
“I’m not trying to hurt you or weaken you. You need to release some of your pent-up magic before it hurts you.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” A twinge of guilt ate at her. So she lied. She had to. Even if it was obvious that he’d seen her display.
“It’s okay. I have some powers myself. I don’t think you want to hurt anyone. I won’t tell anyone about you, either.”
Victoire stared at him, trying to understand her fear and lust for this stranger. It wasn’t that she was afraid of him. She was afraid she’d hurt him. And the lust. Good Goddess, who wouldn’t have an instant case of the hots? The man was absolutely gorgeous.
“How do you propose to help me?”
“I’m going to help you release all that energy.”
“How?” She narrowed her eyes and glared at him.
“With sex.”
Michelle
