Free A Love For Lera (Haikon) by Aliyah Burke

dangerous rumble grew and rose within his
chest. Possessiveness hit him like a ton of bricks. Lera lifted her head and
scanned the room briefly before putting her attention back upon Murdock. Almost
like she heard me. Kori saw red when Murdock gestured toward the garden and
placed his hand on the small of her back.
    Kori wanted to maim, to kill. And he would start
with Murdock Denton for daring to put a hand on his woman. Blending into
the shadows with ease, Kori headed for the door leading out of the gardens.
Some of the sights he passed made his stomach twist with disgust. It didn’t
help matters that Lera walked by the same images and didn’t even flinch.
    Have I said today that Dane is going to kill
me?
    The garden area was beautiful. Dimly lit and lots
of places for people to sneak off for a moment of privacy. Kori’s hands
clenched as he scented through the overpowering perfumes, colognes, and the
smell of sex to find the freshness attached to Lera. Grasping it like a
lifeline, he followed it. Toward the back of the gardens. Each step he took
fueled the fury simmering just below the surface.
    “Oh, excuse me,” Murdock Denton said after almost
running into him.
    “My fault,” Kori said. “I wasn’t paying attention
to where I was going.” Ripping Murdock from limb to limb was a viable option in
Kori’s mind.
    The man’s smile was more like a lewd leer. “Yeah,
there are a lot of distractions around here.”
    “Sure are,” he agreed.
    “Enjoy.” Murdock walked away.
    Kori didn’t respond. He continued on his way and
walked around a corner expecting to see Lera there but there was no one. He
snarled as the beast shifted angrily within him. Where is she? His skin
prickled, and he turned to find a tall, voluptuous blonde woman in a red
catsuit behind him. The zipper on her outfit was almost to her bellybutton.
    “Looking for someone, handsome?” she purred,
trailing a finger down her exposed skin.
    “Actually, yes.”
    She pouted. “Well, from that tone, it ain’t me.
But, since it’s just the two of us here, how about we wait for her…or
him…together.”
    Kori could smell the desperation on her, and it
repulsed him. He fought back his initial response. “As tempting as the offer
is, I really need to find her.”
    The blonde sighed. “Who are you looking for? I’m
here a lot, maybe I can help.”
    Not sensing any malice in her, Kori told her.
“I’m looking for Lera.”
    She snorted. “Figures. She was over by the statue
in the water, that mermaid one. Not sure if she left or not.”
    “You know Lera?”
    “Yes. She hasn’t been to these parties in a long
time but she used to come all the time. Murdock has a thing for her. Bad.” She
shrugged. “Well, if you decide you want a woman and not a cock tease, come find
me.” The blonde vanished from sight.
    Used to come all the time. I’d say you’ve
heard more than the name Murdock Denton, Valera. There had better be one
hell of a reason for her lying to him about how well she knew him.
    Kori walked in the direction he’d been pointed.
There was an exit by the corner, and he took a deep breath before moving
closer. He halted near the stone wall surrounded the small pond. She wasn’t
there. There was, however, a large man at the rear gate.
    On the wind came her voice, and he sat on a bench
to eavesdrop.
    “You can’t provoke him like that, Kim.”
    Kim. A male. One she considered a friend.
Jealousy reared its head and Kori walked away from the gate to a dark place
then jumped the wall with ease. Cloaked by more shadows, he headed back to
where her voice had come from.
    “I can’t do nothing,” the male snapped.
    The wolf growled at the man’s angry tone toward
Lera.
    “You also can’t do this, Kim. I’m not saying I
don’t believe you. I do. But I also know if you piss him off, Rissa could be
the one to suffer. If I make him mad, he’ll just be mad at me. And I’m used to
guys being mad at me. I don’t care.”
    Kori stepped