a tidal wave.
She turned the wheel hard.
Twigs and dirt hit the underside of the Humvee like an explosion as the tires spun and then finally caught.
The back quarter panel of the Humvee slammed into the nose of the truck.
Kiera’s head smashed against the side window, and she cried out as pain blossomed across her temple.
Sounds of crunching metal filled her ears even as the world swam precariously in front of her.
She stomped on the gas and the Humvee shot forward.
The screech of tree branches scratching metal blended with the loud crack of snapping tree limbs and shattering safety glass.
“Kiera!”
She blinked furiously, realizing that she had nearly blacked out. A grouping of trees stood directly in their path, and she couldn’t seem to get the message to her arms to turn the wheel.
Ryan reached over the front seat and turned the wheel hard to the right.
The Humvee responded but clipped the trees on the driver’s side as they narrowly missed the head-on collision.
“Let up on the gas. Pull over here, and turn off the lights.”
Her slow-moving brain didn’t argue, which should have told her how injured she was. Instead, she followed his instructions.
When she put the car into park, Ryan reached over her to shut off the lights, his warm hand resting on her shoulder. “Grab the cat and get out.” Shiloh’s warm body was thrust into her arms.
“Don’t forget the gun duffel and my backpack,” she said in his general direction before she pushed open the door and stepped out into the chilly night. It was stupid, but those two bags were the last links she had to her father—other than the heavy ball of fur in her arms.
As the cold night closed around her, she shivered, and her nipples tightened into hard nubs against her thin lacy bra as the overwhelming smell of pine filled her senses. The thin material of her T-shirt was little protection against the frigid night breeze swirling through the forest. Shiloh curled tight against her stomach, and she held him closer, enjoying what little pulsing heat he offered.
She glanced up, surprised to find Ryan standing in front of her. “Shit. I’m losing time.” The logical part of her brain told her she most likely had a concussion and needed to get to a hospital soon. The rest of her wanted to giggle and then lie down and take a nap.
Ryan captured her chin between his fingers, and the warmth of his skin burned through her, clearing her thoughts and making her frown.
“Arousal should not override the effects of a concussion.” Her words sounded a bit slurred, and she wondered if they actually were or if her hearing had been affected.
Ryan laughed as he looked deeply into her eyes. It took her a moment to realize he was probably checking her pupils, not stealing a quick romantic moment. She nearly laughed at her own fragmented thoughts.
“Remind me to explain to you one of the necessary food groups for a witch—Klatch or Cunt—when we aren’t in so much danger.” He took Shiloh from her and set the cat on the ground with a quick admonishment to stay close.
“I’m a doctor, damn it. I know all about witches needing sexual energy.” The severe slurring of her words frustrated her, and she clenched her jaw. A quick shiver ran through her as the warm patch Shiloh had left against her stomach dissipated, leaving her colder than before.
She snorted at Ryan’s admonishment to Shiloh. Since when did the stubborn fricking cat ever listen? He had a mind of his own, and it would probably be wiser for her to carry his heavy ass. She tried to say the words, but for some reason, they never made it to her lips.
Ryan slipped her backpack over her arms and settled it between her shoulder blades before he hefted the gun duffel onto his own broad shoulder. “Let me know if this gets too heavy and we’ll drop it. Let’s go.”
She shook her head, which was all she was able to manage. This backpack was everything she needed to survive on the run—money, alternate IDs and more. There was no way she was leaving it.
Ryan didn’t stop to acknowledge her denial. He grabbed her hand and started forward just as noises of pursuit reached them from back the way they had come.
Kiera stumbled after him, concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other and not tripping over roots, fallen tree branches, or even worse—her own feet.
Scant slivers of silver moonlight filtered through the canopy of pine branches to dapple the forest floor, which in her current condition, only made it harder to stay upright, since the gently swaying patches of light made her dizzy.
Ryan’s warm fingers around hers made her hand the only part of her entire body that wasn’t shivering with cold. Even the exertion of jogging through thick underbrush didn’t seem to raise her temperature.
When her feet were frozen through and her lips were so numb she could no longer feel them, they stopped, and Ryan raised his free hand in the air.
A shimmering silver oval appeared in front of them and expanded rapidly until it was large enough to step through. Ryan led the way and had just crossed the threshold when the sound of crackling energy slowly filtered through her foggy brain.
A blue beam sizzled past her and hit Ryan in the shoulder. He stiffened and growled through gritted teeth.
Energy tingled through her fingertips where they were joined with his and surged up her arm in a heady rush.
Ryan stumbled and fell back, away from the portal, his hand pulling free from hers. As he fell, he sent a sizzling pink beam back at the assassins.
Kiera whipped her head around just as another beam of energy hit her square in the chest.
She gasped as liquid warmth threaded its way over her skin in a tingling rush.
Every hair on her body stood on end as another blue beam joined the first. A surge of pure power and heat seeped below her skin and spilled through her veins, thawing her extremities and filling her with pure searing energy…and lust—there was no other way to describe it.
Her breasts became heavy with need, and her pussy throbbed as her clit swelled until her soft lacy panties were nearly unbearable against the sensitive little nub.
What the hell was happening? Obviously others didn’t have the same reaction to an energy beam as she did.
A laugh spilled from her lips at the erotic sensation.
The beams cut off abruptly, and she nearly sagged as the energy left her. When she straightened, she realized her thoughts were clear and all her pain was gone.
Has the world gone crazy?
Her suddenly clear mind registered three black-clad assassins. The man in the middle was a pure human, and the outer two were Cunt warriors.
She didn’t stop to question how she knew that information. Especially when they reached over their shoulders to retrieve the rifles
