Lian/Roch (Bayou Heat) (2 page)

“They’re written in an ancient script,” he explained. “The Geeks haven’t been able to translate them yet.”

Michel rolled his eyes. Lian didn’t blame his friend. Like their current streak of bad luck wasn’t enough. Now the scrolls they needed had to be written in some weird chicken scratches?

“So we’re fucked?”

“Maybe not.” Lian once again lowered his voice. “Xavier asked me to fetch some scholar who specializes in obscure languages and bring him to the Wildlands.”

Michel blinked, looking exactly like Lian had felt when Xavier had approached him.

Baffled. And dubious.

Extremely dubious.

“How would a human be able to translate the words of a Pantera goddess?”

“He was trying to explain the tedious methods of philogy—”

“Of what?”

“Some fancy way of saying someone who studies languages.”

Michel grimaced. “Christ.”

Lian nodded in agreement. There was nothing like a Geek to make you feel like an idiot.

“Exactly. It all sounded like blah, blah, blah after a while. Still, if this scholar can help then I’ll track him down and bring him back.”

Michel remained confused. “Why do you have to track him down? Can’t Xavier just invite him to come to the Wildlands? It’s not like we’re flying under the radar anymore.”

Wasn’t that the truth? Lian suppressed the tiny frisson of unease. He was trying to ignore the looming human confrontation. Right now he had more pressing troubles to deal with. One disaster at a time, thank you very fucking much.

“Supposedly this researcher is some sort of hermit who never leaves his home,” he told his companion. “Xavier didn’t even have a name beyond GoliardRetro.”

“What kind of name is that?” Michel demanded.

“Some nerdy screen name thing,” Lian said. In all honesty he wasn’t interested in the language professor. His job was getting the man to the Wildlands as quickly as possible. The Geeks would take it from there. “Xavier managed to trace the computer to a general location in the northwest corner of the state. I’m going in to find him and convince him to join us here.”

“And if he doesn’t want to come?”

A smile of anticipation curled Lian’s lips, the song on the jukebox appropriately changing to Eye of the Tiger.

Or in this case…puma.

“I can be very persuasive.”

Michel narrowed his gaze, studying Lian with an oddly curious expression.

“Why you?” he abruptly asked.

Lian blinked. “Excuse me?”

Michel leaned an elbow on the bar, his steady gaze never wavering from Lian.

“Why did Raphael choose you to go get this scholar?” he pressed. Michel might look like a Hunter, but he was a perfect Suit. He had the insatiable curiosity of a trained spy. Every stone had to be turned over before he was satisfied. “There are Hunters in Bossier City.”

Lian glanced toward the window, half expecting to see a member of his extended family standing at the edge of the bayou, waiting to walk him home.

“Because I told him if I had to spend another day in my house I was going to shove my head in a wood chipper,” he admitted in rueful tones.

Michel gave a sudden laugh. “That bad?”

Bad? Lian rolled his eyes. He could barely breathe when he was forced to spend more than a few hours in his childhood home.

“I have an entire family of Nurturers who are constantly looking for someone to smother,” he said, his expression one of disgust. No one loved their family more than he did, but yeesh. A full-grown male didn’t like to feel as if he was still in the nursery. “I swear to the goddess, I can’t step out of my private rooms without one of them trying to brush my hair or slap a band-aid on one of my boo-boos, or shove a cookie down my throat.” He shook his head. “Yesterday I twisted my ankle during a training session with Parish and my mother threatened to tie me to my bed if I didn’t spend the afternoon resting.”

“Awww.” Michel smiled with mocking amusement. “It’s sweet.”

“It’s…humiliating,” Lian muttered. “If I don’t get away I’m going to lose my fucking mind.” Rolling his shoulders, Lian slid off the stool. “Speaking of which, I need to get on the road.”

Michel stood, his expression somber as he placed a hand on Lian’s shoulder.

“Take care,
mon ami
. These are dangerous times for a Pantera to be on his own.”

Lian nodded. “Always.”

* * *

The pretty cottage situated several miles south of Shreveport was built well away from the dirt path and hidden behind a tall hedge. And if that wasn’t enough to discourage unwanted visitors, there were a number of nasty traps hidden around the property.

After all, a young woman living on her own couldn’t be too careful, Dr. Sage Parker had always assured herself. And if that made her seem antisocial, well…so be it.

She had her work.

Not only as a researcher, but she taught online classes for a local college.

It was all she needed.

At least, that’s all she would admit to needing.

If she spent her nights lying awake, a restless need that she didn’t entirely understand plaguing her body, she wasn’t going to admit it.

Not even to herself.

Finishing her breakfast, Sage left the sun-filled kitchen to enter the main room of the cottage that her father had transformed into a library.

The walls were hidden behind floor-to-ceiling shelves that held her rare collection of leather-bound books. In the center of the room was a long, glass case that held fragile texts that needed constant temperature control. And in the far corner was a small desk nearly hidden beneath the crates of books that had arrived during the past week.

Sage halted to pull her pale, silvery blonde hair into a lopsided ponytail. As usual, she’d forgotten to comb it when she’d climbed out of the shower. Not that it mattered. There was no one to notice if her hair was tangled, or her delicate features that were dominated by large grey eyes were bare of makeup, or her tall, slender body was covered in a pair of yoga pants and faded Harvard University sweatshirt.

Her mother had complained that she had too much of her father in her.

He’d been a history professor who’d been little more than a shadowy figure to Sage. More often than not he was off on some archeological dig. And when he was home, he spent his days locked in the library instead of devoting any quality bonding time to his only child.

Her mother, on the other hand, had been a local midwife who’d dabbled in voodoo. She’d been determined to have her daughter follow in her footsteps, but Sage had adamantly refused.

Okay, maybe she had some weird…abilities.

But she’d rather be labeled an eccentric scholar, than a witch.

Especially now that both her parents were dead.

With her hair out of her face, Sage reached for the box of protective gloves she always used when handling her books only to drop them on the worn carpeting when the sound of a startled male cry echoed through the air.

An intruder.

Holy…crap.

Instinctively moving to grab the silver letter opener off her desk, Sage headed out of the library and into her parents’ bedroom that she’d converted into a storage area for her overflow of books.

It didn’t occur to her to call 911. It would take the cops a half hour to get to her place. If they even bothered to come. Her mother had placed a curse on the local chief of police when he’d cheated on his wife. He’d laughed at first, then he’d broken out in painful boils. He still held a grudge.

The putz.

Pushing open the door, she tentatively stepped into the room.

At first she could see nothing through the gloom.

She kept the curtains closed to guard her books against the sun. Now she had to strain to catch sight of the intruder who was struggling against the net that had fallen over him the minute he’d forced open the French doors and stepped into the room.

Her first thought was that she was glad the net had been magically enhanced by her mother to keep any intruder trapped until Sage released them.

Clearly the man was furious and ready to do some damage.

But as she snapped on the light to get a good look at her unwelcomed visitor she forgot how to breathe.

Oh…my.

His male beauty hit her like a punch to the gut.

The dark, perfectly chiseled features. The long black hair pulled into a tight braid. And the eyes that smoldered with golden fire in the shadows.

There was a raw sensuality that shimmered around him, calling to her most feminine needs.

Without warning the gnawing hunger that had only bothered her at night was suddenly flooding through her body, the strange sensations making her heart race and her palms sweat.

Good lord. She swallowed, feeling as if her skin was too tight for her body.

She’d been aroused before. She’d even had sex, although it’d been a colossal disappointment.

But nothing had prepared her for the blistering awareness that sizzled through her as a rich, intoxicating male musk seeped deep inside her.

“What the hell?” the man snarled, glaring at her in fury. “Get me out of here.”

She felt a ridiculous stab of disappointment.

Why?

Did she think he was going to be struck with the same tingling, breathless fascination?

Yeah. Fat chance.

Holding the letter opener in front of her, she took a hesitant step forward.

“It’s very rude to trespass,” she informed him.

His hands gripped the net, his large body tense with outrage.

“Maybe if you answered your damned door I wouldn’t have had to trespass,” he said between clenched teeth.

Sage frowned, belatedly recalling the pounding she’d heard when she was in the shower. She’d assumed that it was the wind banging one of her loose shutters.

Now she shrugged, not about to admit that she didn’t recognize the knock because no one ever came to see her.

That was just…pathetic.

“I didn’t answer because I don’t want visitors.”

“Fine.” The golden eyes narrowed. “I’m not looking for you, anyway.”

Oh. Another stab of disappointment.

“Then why are you here?”

“I’m looking for Dr. Parker.”

She frowned in confusion. Did he mean her father? Surely not. He’d passed away ten years ago.

“Why?”

He gave the net a frustrated shake. “Get me the hell out of here.”

She clutched the letter opener, trying to ignore her uncontrollable reaction to the stranger.

Not easy. He really was a magnificent specimen of manhood.

Tall, muscular, starkly beautiful…

She shivered, heat licking over her skin.

Why was it suddenly so hot?

“Not until you tell me what you want with Dr. Parker,” she forced herself to demand.

A low growl rumbled in his throat. “Xavier sent me”

Sage made a sound of shock. “XavierTopGeek?”

The stranger’s eyes widened, something that might have been amusement shimmering in the golden depths.

“Top Geek?” He gave a sharp laugh. “Oh hell, I’m going to have to share that sweet nugget with my fellow Hunters.”

“I don’t understand.”

All humor was wiped from the intensely male face. “You don’t need to,” he snapped. “Let me out or you’re not going to like the consequences.”

Sage frowned, turning to study a nearby pile of books. Her mind didn’t work properly when she was looking directly at the intruder.

“Hush, I’m thinking…” Her inner debate of whether or not to try and contact the man she’d been chatting with online for the past few years was brought to a sharp and painful end as arms wrapped around her and she was tossed onto the nearby bed. “Eek.”

She slashed the letter opener toward her attacker only to have it knocked out of her hand as the man leaped on top of her, pressing her into the mattress.

“Not so fun being trapped, is it?” he rasped, his eyes darkening as she struggled beneath him. Heat abruptly sizzled between them as his body hardened. “Although I’m beginning to realize there are a few unexpected benefits.”

A combination of fear, and anger, and potent arousal exploded through Sage.

“Get off me.” She slammed her hands against his chest, panic thundering through her.

Regret softened his harsh expression as he gazed down at her, but he refused to budge.

“Where is Dr. Parker?” he demanded.

“Why?”

“I need to speak with him.”

“About what?”

He hissed in frustration. “Do you always answer a question with another question?”

“No.” Sage grimaced. Even being held hostage by a stranger she found it impossible to lie. “Okay, maybe I do. It’s a habit.”

“Look, I have no intention of hurting you, but this is important,” he said, an unmistakable sincerity in his voice. “Can you just tell me how to find the scholar?”

Sage cleared her throat. If Xavier had sent the man, then he couldn’t be looking for her father. And it was obvious she wasn’t going to get rid of him until he’d spoken to ‘Dr. Parker.’

“You already have.”

Chapter 2

Sage watched shock tighten the man’s expression, something in the back of his eyes making her stiffen in alarm.