OUT OF THE DARKNESS

  JACI BURTON

  PRAISE FOR JACI BURTON

  “A STALWART IN THE ROMANCE GENRE.”

  —USA Today

  “A wild ride.”

  —#1 New York Times bestselling author Lora Leigh

  “Jaci Burton delivers.”

  —Cherry Adair, New York Times bestselling author

  “Burton is a master at sexual tension!”

  —RT Book Reviews

  “One to pick up and savor.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  CONTENTS

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Also by Jaci Burton

  About the Author

  PROLOGUE

  Stefan gasped for breath, the pain drawing him inside himself. It was too much to bear. He didn’t have much time left. Blood poured from the wound in his heart, sizzling as it hit the carpet. It burned within him, the silver-dipped knife rapidly draining his life force.

  What a fool he’d been. He should have known, should have suspected that his murderer would want him out of the way.

  He crawled to his nightstand, wincing as his heart began to pound erratically against his rib cage. He fought to breathe, aware of the meaning of the soft gurgling bubbling up in his throat. Not much time left. Hurry!

  He pushed the speed dial button on his cell phone, praying that Duncan would pick up. The sound of a Scottish brogue filled him with relief.

  “Duncan,” he gasped.

  “What’s wrong?” Duncan’s worried voice sliced across the line.

  His hands had gone numb. Using his last remaining strength, he gasped, “No time. Find Harlee…my daughter. She has to know. Go to Robert, he…he knows where.”

  “Harlee? Who the hell is Harlee? Stefan? Are you all right? Answer me!”

  Collapsing, he was unable to summon the strength to hold the phone long enough to say any more, though he wished he could have revealed his killer. Damn. He prayed Duncan understood what he wanted, that Duncan would do what was necessary to find and protect Harlee. Numbness settled over his body, white light blinded him and the wrenching pain evaporated. A lifetime’s remorse at having missed out on the pleasure of knowing his daughter washed over him.

  You kept her safe, and that’s all that mattered.

  A soft voice called to him, despite the number of years since he’d last heard the sweet tones. Amelia appeared in front of him, a beautiful specter he’d waited a lifetime to see again. Her soft hair blew around her, teased by an unfelt breeze. She was still as breathtaking as the day he’d lost her twenty-five years ago.

  Come to me, Stefan. I’ve missed you.

  So many regrets, no time to atone for his mistakes. If only he could do things over again, this might have turned out differently. Then Amelia might not have died and Harlee would have grown up with them.

  I love you, Amelia,” he whispered as light filled his body. Suddenly all those regrets meant nothing and the past slipped away. He knew only euphoria now and an eagerness to be with his love. Our daughter will be queen and you and I will be reunited.

  He gasped his last breath just as the door to his bedroom opened.

  ONE

  Need slammed into Harlee’s pussy, burning along her nerve endings and stabbing her womb, a sizzle of heated desire singeing her oversensitized nipples. Two pairs of hands and two mouths touched her everywhere as she breathed out a sigh of bliss. One’s calloused palms caressed her distended nipples, pinching until she cried out. The taut buds tightened and sent ecstasy shooting straight between her legs. She ached all over, craved the touch of these two men like she’d never craved anything before. She needed them. Without them, she wasn’t complete.

  One lay underneath her, his thick cock nestled against her throbbing pussy. The other cupped her breasts in his huge hands, the crisp hairs of his chest tickling her back. He adjusted himself behind her, moving one hand away from her breasts to work the silky lubrication into her ass, stretching her until she burned with need, overcome with a hunger impossible to resist.

  A needy whimper escaped her throat as the fingers left her slowly, only to be replaced by the broad head of his cock. She held her breath as pressure increased with each thick inch working its way into her tight back entrance, squeezing the shaft slowly entering it. Oh it burned, stretching her, filling her ass until she was on fire. It was exquisite, the pain, the tenderness he showed as he inched in slowly, drawing her hair to the side to lick her neck. She shivered, certain she had died and gone to heaven.

  She wished she could make out their faces, but they were a blur, as if a fog deliberately kept their identities hidden. But she knew them, knew she was destined for this moment. And they adored her—their one goal was her pleasure. She felt like a queen, her body worshipped so completely it moved her to tears. She never thought she’d be loved like this.

  The one under her grasped her hips in his powerful hands and positioned her over the flared head of his cock, tantalizing the entrance to her pussy by brushing against her clit. Spasms tightened her womb as he shifted, pulling her slowly down onto his shaft, impaling her with his thick heat. She cried out as her vaginal muscles tightened around his thick cock.

  Both men filled her now, their cocks separated only by a thin membrane of skin. One thrust while the other retreated, each movement driving her clit against the pelvis of the one beneath her.

  The world spun on its axis, shards of sweet ecstasy splintering inside her. The one behind her sank his teeth into the soft flesh of her shoulder. She whimpered as torturous pleasure pummeled her, taking her closer to the orgasm she so desperately sought.

  She buried her fingernails in the chest of the one she straddled. He pulled her forward and took her mouth in a ravaging kiss that left her breathless.

  This was ecstasy, the completion she’d spent her life looking for. She was close, so close to the edge of reason that she lost all focus. All she could do was savor each pulsing second as they took her higher and higher.

  Pleasure burst and spiraled like a vortex inside her. She screamed, the keening wail more animal-like than human. Her climax washed over her, heating her body, boiling her blood a torturous rack of pounding pleasure. They poured their semen into her, hot strikes of liquid filling her cunt and ass, sending her into another eruption even stronger than the first.

  She couldn’t take this. She was going to die from it. But oh, she never wanted it to stop.

  The fog began to clear as her mind focused once again. She could almost make out the appearance of one of the men. Tanned skin, white teeth, sharp canines…

  Sharp canines? She squinted, certain she’d imagined it, when a low growl from behind her made her half turn.

  Surely that wasn’t—

  * * *

  The hand clamping over her mouth took her instantly from dream to reality, from pleasure to mind-numbing panic. Gone was the dreamy, post-orgasmic euphoria, replaced by abject terror as strong hands pinned her to the bed.

  “Shhh, no one’s going to hurt you,” a harsh male voice whispered.

  Her heart thundered, swelling in her chest and mashing her lungs until she couldn’t manage an inhalation. Her pulse rushed through her veins and she fought for breath as her throat suddenly constricted. When he yanked the covers off, her brain cells finally kicked in. She struggled, fighting against him with all she had. She’d been trained for hand-to-hand combat for God’s sake…where the hell were her skills right now?

  If only she could reach the gun in her nightstand. At least she had the advantage of knowing the layout of her bedroom. She pushed with all her might against the hands holding her, inching her fingers toward the nightstand drawer. But she was slammed back against the mattress and a hard body straddled her, driving the air back out of her lungs again. He used his body weight to keep her still and his hands to hold her arms above her head. She let out a shriek in hopes a neighbor would hear her, but a hand clamped down over her mouth again.

  How many hands did this guy have? Dammit!

  “Should we keep her mouth covered?”

  That was a different voice than the first. There were two of them? How did they get in? She always locked the doors and windows and any breaking glass would have woken her since she was a light sleeper. She tried to make out their features but it was too dark. How the hell could they see when she couldn’t?

  She sent the command to her brain to move, but terror and the weight of the man sitting on her held her immobile.

  Do something! Don’t just lie there like a statue! Fight, dumbass, fight!

  Brain cells once again engaged, she struggled, kicking upward and trying to scratch his hands with her fingernails, but it was like a fly trying to fight a bull elephant. He was simply too strong. And his weight on her diaphragm cut off her air, rendering her too weak to struggle.

  She was not going to let this happen!

  “I’m not going to take a chance on her waking the neighbors by screaming,” the one sitting on her said.

  “Ach. Then hurry,” the other said. “Maybe we should blindfold her or knock her out.”

  Knock her out? Dammit, she couldn
’t let that happen.

  “Blindfold. And gag. Find something to wrap around her eyes and mouth.”

  Frustrated tears stung her eyes and she blinked them back, trying to gather her wits. She was a trained government employee. She wasn’t supposed to be in this position. And why the hell were these men here anyway?

  She heard one of them rummaging through her dresser and in moments her eyes were blindfolded and something covered her mouth, making her gag. Nausea rose up, causing her stomach to convulse. She forced herself to calm down enough that she wouldn’t throw up and choke to death.

  No matter how hard she struggled, she couldn’t fight off the sizeable man who abruptly hoisted her into his arms.

  “Grab that blanket and cover her and let’s get the hell out of here!”

  She offered up a fervent prayer of thanks when the blanket was thrown over her naked body. At least she was covered now.

  “Don’t fight me or I swear I’ll knock you out,” the voice snapped. “We don’t want to hurt you, but we have to get you out of here fast. You’re in danger.”

  Danger? What the hell was he talking about? She was in no danger. Or she wasn’t until these two broke into her house. They were trying to save her? From what? From whom?

  This was all bullshit. And if he thought she’d lie compliant in his arms while he kidnapped her, then he was one can short of a six pack. She wriggled against him, arching her back and kicking out with her feet in the hopes he’d drop her and she could run. Because if he let her loose, she knew this area well and she could damn well outrun just about anyone.

  If she just could get loose.

  “Sonofabitch! It’s like trying to hold a slippery eel in my arms!” he hissed to his companion. “Hurry the hell up and get the fucking door open.”

  Once out the front door, the one holding her sprinted, jostling her up and down and slamming her against his hard chest. His grip on her was like being bound in steel and despite her struggles, she couldn’t budge. She heard the sound of a car door, and soon she was being pushed across cold leather seats and belted in. One of them slid next to her and held her still, wrapping one leg over hers and gripping her arms so she couldn’t move. The doors shut, the engine fired to life and they peeled away.

  Harlee shook so hard her teeth chattered. Nausea built in her stomach as adrenaline surged through her system. She couldn’t throw up now. It was time to force her body to relax. She needed to think rationally and the only way to do that was with a clear head. She wasn’t dead yet, so there was still a chance to escape unharmed.

  Focus on your surroundings. You can’t see, but you can still hear.

  She tried to memorize each turn they made, but there were too many. She listened for any unusual sounds but the roar of blood in her ears blocked out anything but her own jackhammering heartbeat. Her mind was a jumbled mess of panic and what ifs, making it difficult to concentrate.

  She lost track of time, of turns, unable to guess how long it had been since she’d been taken. It felt like hours had passed but she knew it hadn’t been that long. Terror rose within her. The gag made her mouth dry, she was dying of thirst and even worse, she had to pee. Sweat poured off her body, no doubt due to the rush of adrenaline from being so harshly awakened and kidnapped. And her entire body trembled.

  Why did they take her? Yes, she worked for the government, but she was only a psychiatrist. Was this about the vampires and lycans? Hell, no one outside the government knew they existed. Then again, maybe this had nothing to do with her work. But if not, then what?

  God, none of this made any sense.

  The only good thing out of all of this was that they hadn’t hurt her yet.

  Yet.

  No, they’d covered her with a blanket and carried her out to the car. Other than holding her in place, gagging and blindfolding her, she was intact. She’d just have to wait and see what they had planned, but she wasn’t about to sit back and let them call the shots. As soon as possible she’d make a run for it. She’d rather die trying to escape than suffer whatever they had in mind. And if it was about the lycan and vampire studies they’d done, she’d never reveal the location of the lab.

  They were climbing. She felt the angle of the vehicle change as they started upward, her head falling against the headrest. She tried to imagine the parts of the area nearby that would have such steeply sloping hills but didn’t know whether they had headed into the mountains or the city. Damn.

  Being blindfolded and traveling in the backseat of a car while it wound around narrow roads was not helping her stomach at all. She tried to breathe slowly, but she was so damn sick she just knew she was going to toss her cookies any minute.

  Finally, she heard the crunch of gravel and the vehicle slowed to a crawl, then stopped. This was her chance, maybe her one and only chance, to escape. When she heard the car door open and felt the seatbelt release, she tensed, waiting for her opportunity. When he reached for her legs, she pulled back and kicked hard. She heard the whooshing sound of indrawn breath, but God almighty it was like kicking stone! Her shins stung from the impact of pushing against his steely chest.

  They grasped her ankles and jerked her across the seat. Taking a deep breath and fighting with all her might, she writhed against the hands that forced her from the car before she was once again lifted into arms so powerful that her pitiful fight made little impression.

  A whirring engine sound grew louder, wind whipping her hair against her face. A chill bit into her skin and she shivered as one of them carried her closer to the roaring noise. She was placed inside a helicopter and strapped in, one of them holding her tight against him again, eliminating any chance of making a run for it.

  Her stomach lurched as they lifted off. After it rose, she pitched backward as it flew at breakneck speed toward its destination.

  Good God, had they mistaken her for someone else? Someone important? Who the hell would go to this much trouble to kidnap her?

  After a quick, nauseating ride, the helicopter dipped then slowed, finally, blissfully landing. The loud whir grew softer and she was once again hoisted against a body too strong to fight. Not that it stopped her. He might be bigger and harder than her, but she’d make sure that whoever carried her had an unpleasant experience. She even managed her first smile since this entire episode started when she dug her elbow into his rib cage, rewarded with his groan and a curse.

  Throughout the trek outside, then inside while riding on the elevator, she fought, kicked, growled and dug her fingernails into his hands until she drew blood. Tension made his muscles taut but he never said a word nor did he retaliate by striking her or hurting her in any way.

  But dammit, she couldn’t get free and she couldn’t see! And her mouth was cottony from the stupid gag and she still had to go to the bathroom.

  She heard a door open, then she was deposited none too gently onto a cold tile floor. The blindfold and gag were removed and she blinked rapidly, attempting to adjust her gaze to the brilliance of the lights. She squinted, lifting her hand to shield her eyes, only one thing on her mind at the moment.

  “I have to pee.”

  Strong hands circled her upper arms and directed her to a closed door across the room. “There.”

  Disoriented, she worked her way toward the door. After blissfully relieving herself, she surveyed her surroundings, searching for an escape route.

  Nothing. Not even a damn window in here. Were they in the basement? The elevator had risen, not descended, or at least she thought so. By the time they’d gotten on it her legs were shaking and her mind was occupied with emptying her bladder. She was way beyond the ground floor so no hope for escape from this room. She glared at herself in the mirror above the sink, forcing her brain to work. She was a government trained employee for God’s sake…she had a decent working mind and had taken all the terrorism and capture classes. She’d even paid attention, though she doubted at the time she’d ever have to utilize the skills taught her. Surely she could figure a way out of here.