Free Kiss of a Dark Moon by Sharie Kohler

Santiago’s gaze from her mind forever.
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    â€œGood job, Santiago. You let her get away. I thought you were supposed to be the best.” The NODEAL agent’s lip curled as he struggled to his feet, patting himself down and examining himself with feverish intensity, making certain he had not been scratched or bitten. Even though it wasn’t a full moon and the lycans had been in human form, one scratch or bite was all it took to become infected. Finding no marks, he dropped his hands to his sides.
    â€œI am the best. Only, she’s tougher than she looks,” Rafe replied, looking over each agent with cool assessment, worse for wear, but still alive. Un-impressed, he let them see he deemed them lacking. If this was what NODEAL had to offer, no wonder the organization had been so easily absorbed by EFLA. No wonder the lycan threat in North America was growing at an alarming rate. “Besides. I didn’t see you getting the job done. And did you notice how quickly all those lycans disappeared once she left? They were after her, not us. I just saved your asses.” He held up a hand. “No thanks necessary.”
    Rafe turned his attention to the car turning onto the street, studying it closely as it eased to a stop before Gideon March’s house. His stomach sank a little as Charles Laurent emerged from the dark sedan.
    The two agents beside him immediately straightened in an attempt to look composed before their new boss. Rafe could have told them it was pointless. No one impressed Charles Laurent.
    The cold bastard had climbed to the upper ranks of EFLA by stepping on the backs of everyone above him and mercilessly establishing the policies that marked EFLA as nearly as ruthless as the monsters they hunted, policies such as the termination of rogue hunters.
    The chief proponent behind the merger, Laurent was not going to allow anyone to stop him from transferring EFLA policy onto NODEAL.
    Although they had both been assigned to the Houston division, Rafe and Laurent had different duties: Laurent to do what he did best—dish out policy; and Rafe to focus on his area of expertise—the elimination of special targets EFLA deemed in need of killing. Only, Rafe had not killed Cooper. Laurent had done that, on a whim, when he caught Cooper calling the March family to warn them of the hits taken out on their lives. Another casualty of Charles Laurent’s ruthless agenda.
    â€œWhere is the female?” Laurent stopped before them, assessing each man coolly.
    â€œBitch got away,” Davis grumbled.
    Dark anger churned in Rafe’s gut at this slur. He flicked his eyes over the agent, his gaze crawling over the beer belly pushing against Davis’s untucked shirt, wondering how he managed to track and destroy lycans in his out-of-shape condition. EFLA maintained strict physical requirements for all its hunters. The guy probably couldn’t even run a mile.
    â€œShe got away?” Laurent echoed. “How is that possible? You’re trained agents.” His gaze slid over to Rafe. “Santiago. Were you here?” His voice indicated his doubt, his conviction that if Rafe had been there, Kit would not have gotten away. She would be dead.
    â€œI arrived late. Moments before a small army of lycans decided to make an appearance.”
    Laurent’s mouth turned down. “I see.”
    â€œI don’t think you do. Your decision to inform the lycan population of Kit March’s identity was ill-advised.”
    Laurent’s nostrils flared, the only sign of his displeasure at Rafe’s challenging him. “Our first priority is to see her dead.”
    â€œI know my job. I’ve never failed before. Don’t you trust me?”
    â€œWe’ve never had a target like her before. She’s a huntress—among other things. I deemed additional insurance necessary.”
    â€œYou’re aware they may not kill her.” Rafe shook his head in