Chapter 1

I watched him as he crossed the floor, his movements agile, beautiful, deadly. And he was coming for me. My heartbeat picked up a little and I found myself breathing a little deeper, trying to catch a whiff of him through the hundreds of other scents that permeated the mall food court.

One moment, I was lost in thought, sipping on my milkshake and the next, my eyes locked on his unmistakable form. His lips twisted just slightly, giving me a small smile as he drew closer. I felt an answering smile slide onto my face, my body temperature increasing as I flushed with pleasure at seeing him.

"Is this seat taken?" Talon inquired, nudging the chair across from me that currently held my feet. I pretended to deliberate for a second before dropping my feet to the floor with another smile.

"How was your trip?" I asked as he draped his rain-spotted leather jacket across the back of the chair before sitting. He'd been gone for a week, like he usually was, and I'd missed him.

"Same old," he replied with a shrug.

"You're no fun," I told him, scowling. "Did you bring me back anything?" Looking eager, I took an enthusiastic drink of my shake.

His eyes traveled over my face, his beautiful amber orbs shining dimly as he looked me over. "Maybe." I just rolled my eyes, making him chuckle briefly. "Did you miss me?" he asked, leaning forward on his forearms.

"Maybe," I replied airily, enjoying his expression before reaching across the small table to lay my hand on his wrist. My thumb rubbed lightly across the back of his hand, his skin smooth and warm.

I drank him in, his tanned face perfectly setting off his pitch-black hair, smooth forehead with dark brows perched over his gorgeous amber eyes. His nose and ears bore a slight red tinge from the cold, the color a little lighter than his full lips, a light dusting of dark stubble gracing his jaw and upper lip. Talon Ciar was the star of many a woman's fantasies, but only I could call him mine.

I watched as his lips moved into another small smile, realizing then that I'd been staring. I felt my cheeks heat up and dropped my eyes to my hand on his arm; only he had that effect on me. Being a Shape Shifter and growing up with Werewolves had pretty much erased embarrassment and propriety but I couldn't seem to remember that when he looked at me.

"When did you get back?" I asked, trying to regain my composure.

"About an hour ago," he replied, moving his arm so that he could hold my hand in his. It was oddly intimate, the way his fingers danced across my palm. It might have been because we'd had so little physical contact outside of the dojo in the four years we'd known each other. It might still have been that way if not for the attack on my father's pack and the subsequent battles involving his now-dead brother, Zaire. It was because of his fear of losing me that he'd finally made his feelings known. "I went home, took a shower and went looking for you."

Irrational pleasure coursed through me at his words; the thought that he had almost immediately come looking for me made me feel special.

"Did you have any plans for tonight?" he asked me, one of his long-fingered hands still holding mine captive while the other rubbed up and down my forearm, making me want to purr. I couldn't help but enjoy and cherish his every touch and caress, wanting more and knowing I could have it.

"Not really." I gave him a slight shrug so that he didn't let go of me, watching over his shoulder as a group of rowdy teenagers passed through. "Why?"

"I thought I might take you out to dinner, maybe do a little dancing if you're up for it." His tone was light, not quite careless but not far from it. It was the tone that suggested he wouldn't mind changing his plans if I wanted him to. It was a little disconcerting having him behave like my interests were important. I wasn't used to having my wants attended to, much less my desires catered to.

"Sounds good," I told him with a small smile. "Is it fancy or casual?"

"It's a surprise," Talon whispered against my knuckles as he raised my hand to his lips. The gesture was so sweet when compared to the stereo type of his true nature. A Demon being sweet? Who'd of thunk? I gasped a little when he raised his eyes to mine and saw the smoldering, raw need that caused his eyes to flash brighter momentarily before he released me. I could tell he needed to take life essence; all Demons needed it to survive. But in his eyes I also saw his desire for me, raw and presented to me like a gift I could refuse if I wished.

I wasn't that stupid. I wanted him, too.

I felt my face heat up again and was about to suggest we take care of both things when my cell phone rang.

"Of course," I groaned, my caller I.D. telling me it was my aunts' shop. "Hey, what do you need?" I answered, trying to keep the irritation out of my voice.

"Did Talon find you?" Aunt Gene's voice called into my ear a little loudly. Sometimes she forgot I had a cat's hearing. Literally.

"Yeah, he did," I replied, holding the phone away from my ear as a loud clamor erupted in the background. "What's going on?"

"Target practice," she replied and I groaned. "Yeah, something like that. Listen, I need you to run by a few places and pick up some things." She listed off what I needed to get and we hung up.

"Sorry," I told him, putting my phone away and gathering up my trash.

"Don't be," he told me, "we have tonight. I think I can last that long," he added playfully.

"Hmm," I replied, intrigued. "I look forward to it, then." He walked me to my car, my poor Toyota looking out of place compared to the Mercedes parked beside it. The rain had slacked off, the skies clearing up enough to let a few rays of sunshine through. "I guess you don't need a ride home," I commented, nodding to the Mercedes, Talon's usual car.

"No, I have a few stops to make myself."

I reached for the door but found myself pressed against it and turned to face him. His hands gently captured my face as his lips touched mine, the kiss quickly turning furious. I was satisfied to see I wasn't the only one breathing hard when we broke apart, his fingers gently trailing down my face. His eyes were bright with hunger for me and I shivered in anticipation.

"I'll see you tonight," he told me, reigning himself in after planting another brief kiss on my lips. I waited until he started his car to get into mine, waving when he honked at me before leaving the parking lot. Yep, I had it bad for him.

I ran my errands in a state of growing excitement, ignoring anything that might have brought my mood down. It was with impatience that I waited out the rest of my work day, anticipation lending me nervous energy so that I couldn't sit still. My aunts shared speculative looks when they thought I couldn't see, knowing exactly the cause of my restless behavior. By the time six o'clock hit, they were fair shoving me out the door. I raced home, eager to spend time with Talon.

I'd yet to discover a suitable relationship title for him. He was much more than a boyfriend and the term "lover" wasn't quite accurate. Most of the time I simply thought of him as mine, which felt good and right. I knew I loved him and that he loved me, which was all that really mattered.

I listened to my messages as I plugged my cell phone into the charger and sorted my mail, not really paying any attention until I heard Talon's voice.

"Hello, Ramirez." Even through a recording, the sound of his voice was enticing. "I imagine you're just getting home. I'll be there to pick you up at a quarter till seven. Be sure to look on your bed." The machine was out of messages, which was just as well, since I was already running up the stairs to my room.

Laying on my bed was a wide, flat box, the kind that department stores put clothes in. Right after we got together, Talon had asked if he could give me gifts. I'd laid down a few rules and he'd stuck to them quite well. The first thing he bought for me was a giant stuffed frog that now sat in the chair in my room. The next was a beautiful wind chime. We hadn't discussed clothes and I wasn't sure what to expect.