Passion's Prey: The Shadow Shifters (36 page)

At the five-minute mark he recorded her results, pleased with the perfect score. He was about to take her over to her proud parents because he knew they were getting anxious and the last thing Papplin wanted was to endure Nick’s wrath. But something told him to take a blood sample—something like the fact that the Assembly had voted to store samples of every shifter’s DNA. He quickly found a needle, clamped on a vial, and pricked a tiny vein in Shya’s foot. He almost looked away since this was a normal task, but something kept his eyes riveted on that vial.

“Is everything all right?” Nick asked from behind him.

“Ah, yes. Yes,” Papplin said, sure his tired eyes were simply playing tricks on him.

He finished, labeling the sample and setting it aside. Wrapping the gorgeous little girl in a pretty pink blanket already provided by her mother, he carried her over and placed her in Ary’s arms.

“Hello, Shya,” Ary said.

Nick leaned over both his lovely ladies, kissing his daughter on the forehead. “Hello, my precious little girl.”

And as they cooed and ahhed over this joyous event, Dr. Papplin took the vial of blood and carried it back to his office.

Epilogue

Three Months Later

The Grand Ballroom at the Willard InterContinental in Washington, DC, was the location for the kickoff to President Wilson Reed’s reelection campaign. As staunch supporters of the current president and his administration, Reynolds & Delgado had purchased a table of ten seats to the fund-raising event that started at seven thirty on a chilly winter evening.

Priya Drake, columnist for
The Washington Post,
with her sights on becoming a White House correspondent in the very near future, covered the president’s first reelection fund-raiser with all the zeal of an ambitious reporter. She’d stuffed her press pass into the small beaded purse she carried, after showing it to be allowed entrance. In her palm was a small handheld recorder that she cupped expertly so when she was speaking into it—taking her notes for the column—it would appear she was only coughing or otherwise covering her mouth. Not everybody needed to know that whatever they said or did around her was subject to appearing in black-and-white print come tomorrow morning.

She’d taken position just inside the entrance, standing near a pillar that gave her access to everyone as they walked in. This way she’d get first attempts at interviews with DC’s most powerful. And she was not disappointed as she stood back to watch the newest arrivals.

At seven fifty-three in the evening, Roman Reynolds, dressed in a classic two-button Gianni Versace tuxedo, entered the large ballroom with its thick white pillars, golden accents, and crystal chandeliers. On his arm was his wife and former MPD detective, the lovely and never overstated Kalina Reynolds. Mrs. Reynolds wore what Priya was certain was Vera Wang. In Priya’s other life she had to have been a fashion designer, and her obsession had simply carried over. Even though she couldn’t afford half the items she gawked over, she knew them all name by expensively designed name. Kalina’s dress was a fabulous A-line V-neck in a very alluring teal color that accented the ex-cop’s gorgeously natural golden skin tone.

The Reynoldses had been pictured before as they’d been out to dinner or at some other social event the millionaire lawyer was invited to. And Priya had to admit they made a stunning couple.

Next—and Priya could have probably predicted this—came Dominick Delgado and his adorable wife, Aryiola. The rumor mill was still abuzz with news of Nick’s quickie marriage and the resulting baby girl that had been born just a few months ago. Although there had been no pictures of the baby yet, Mommy and Daddy were both looking their picture-perfect best tonight.

Nick wore an appropriate modern-cut tuxedo, while his wife sported what Priya’s eagle eye nabbed as Donna Karan—a lovely tangerine dress with one capped sleeve and a crisscross pattern over her chest. Priya gave a mental thumbs-up to this obvious South American beauty for the dress but hated her for regaining that killer body so soon after having a baby.

In the back of her mind Priya noted there had never been any photos of the pretty foreigner with a protruding belly, so the baby could always be a rumor. However, the larger-than-life diamond on her ring finger was obviously the real thing.

Next up was a face she didn’t see in the tabloids often—only when he followed behind Reynolds and Delgado, which was most of the time. As Priya recalled, he was an FBI agent and looked terribly familiar. She would have sworn he was a professional wrestler if it hadn’t been for the company he kept. It didn’t matter who the designer of his tuxedo was, the slate-gray material fit him perfectly, adding an ideal touch to his military-like features of bald head, cold eyes, and stern jaw. His date, whom Priya could swear she’d seen someplace before as well, was likewise beautiful. Her hair was long, cascading over one shoulder in big bouncy curls. The dress was white and fit like a second skin—damnation to another gorgeous body. It hugged her generous breasts in a halter and displayed one outrageously long and equally toned leg through a split that soared upward to midthigh.

This was a new couple, one that looked as abnormally gorgeous as the former two. Really, Priya wanted to visit whatever salon these people did. Her own medium build and mocha skin tone could use a professional makeover. Even though she thought she did a damn good job of remaining stylish and sexy on her meager reporter’s budget. If the offer to move up in the world dropped in her lap, she’d scoop it up faster than a bird does bread crumbs. And she wouldn’t look back. Priya had vowed long ago to never look back.

The men that followed were all dressed in tuxedos, all handsome as sin, taller and broader than most of the other men in the room. Priya’s gaze followed them as they moved to a table near the far left wall of the room. She wasn’t sure why, but when she moved to find a seat she made sure it was at a table in close proximity to this one. And as she stared—blatantly because there wasn’t a modest bone in her body—one of the men looked up and locked gazes with her. For a minute she was startled—his eyes were a dusky tone of gray—but then she kept right on staring, feeling as if she were falling into that swirl of muted color, falling so slowly but so completely she didn’t have a moment to catch her breath.

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ALSO BY A.C. ARTHUR

Seduction’s Shift

Temptation Rising

About the Author

A.C. Arthur
was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, where she currently lives with her husband and three children. An active imagination and a love for reading encouraged her to begin writing in high school and she hasn’t stopped since. Her debut novel,
Object of His Desire,
was written when a picture of an Italian villa sparked the idea of an African-American/Italian hero. Determined to bring a new edge to romance, she continues to develop intriguing plots, sensual love scenes, racy characters, and fresh dialogue—thus keeping the readers on their toes! Visit her at:
www.acarthur.net
.

PRAISE FOR A.C. ARTHUR

and her Shadow Shifter novels

“Deliciously edgy, sexy, and certainly not to be missed. A.C. Arthur knows how to deliver the heat.”

—
Lora Leigh, #1
New York Times
bestselling author

“The shifter universe just got sexier with the kick-off to Arthur’s sizzling new series, Shadow Shifters … intriguing.”

—RT Book Reviews

“Arthur does a great job of building up the sexual tension … I’ll be looking for the next one in the series.”

—Under the Covers

“Romantic … exciting … fast-paced.”

—Genre Go Round Reviews

“I am in love with A.C. Arthur’s new series, Shadow Shifters. From start to finish, I was absolutely hooked … an incredible roller-coaster ride! With amazing suspense and sizzling sparks, Arthur creates a fantastic cast of characters that have secrets and lusts and so much more … Highly recommended to all paranormal romance lovers.”

—Romancing the Book

“
Temptation Rising
has everything a good book should: action, adventure, suspense, mystery, and fiery-hot passion … The love scenes are intense and the detail, especially when they wind up in the jungle, is amazing … Arthur is a talented author and reader … [I] will eagerly look forward to the next one in the Shadow Shifters series.”

—Romance Junkies Review

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

PASSION’S PREY

Copyright © 2013 by A.C. Arthur.

All rights reserved.

For information address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.

www.stmartins.com

eISBN: 9781466815018

St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition / April 2013

St. Martin’s Paperbacks are published by St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.