Free One Down: Bayou Heat (Pantera Security League Book 1) by Alexandra Ivy, Laura Wright Page A

eternal.

 
     
     
9B CHAPTER 8
     
     
    Dawn had broken, along with his vows as a member of the PSL.
    But did he have one shred of a regret?
    Fuck. No.
    He’d deal with that when they returned.
    Cerviel glanced over at the female he and his cat now called MINE . She was dressed, like him, but her hair was gloriously wild and free and her eyes still held the glow of her climax. They’d both dressed quickly, knowing the trek was long, and that the chopper would soon be arriving. But even so, Cerviel couldn’t help himself. He went to her, took her hand and pulled her into his arms. The addiction. Wanting to feel her soft weight against him for as long as possible.
    She released a sigh and let her head fall against his chest. They snuggled in silence for several minutes, then she tilted back her head to study him with a blatant curiosity.
    “Why you?”
    He gazed down at her beautiful face, trying to concentrate on her words when the only thing he wanted to do was kiss her, then remove her clothes again and lick her from head to toe.
    “What?” he asked in absent tones.
    “Why were you the one who came for me?”
    He leaned in and kissed her nose. “You’re not complaining, are you? It might break my heart, female.”
    A blush touched her cheeks. “I don’t think you’d believe me if I did complain. Not after you made me melt into a puddle of goo last night and this morning.”
    He chuckled. He’d done his own share of melting. “Goo?” he teased.
    She gave a firm nod. “Oh yeah.”
    Cerviel allowed the tips of his fingers to trail up and down the curve of her back. He smiled when a small shiver raced through her body. “Is goo good?”
    She rolled her eyes. “So good. But stop fishing for compliments and answer my question,” she commanded.
    He paused. Usually he would have responded with a light quip that would have seemingly offered an explanation without telling her anything. He was a master at deflection and he could manipulate any conversation with an ease most politicians would envy.
    But Hallie wasn’t like everyone else.
    She held a special place that was changing all the rules in his life.
    Every second he was with her.
    “I’m not really supposed to discuss the mission,” he murmured, his loyalty to the league in conflict with his burgeoning loyalty to this female. He had to speak to Raphael. Once Hallie was recognized as his mate, things would be different. He would see to it.
    She arched a brow. “Why not?”
    “It’s a secret,” he told her.
    Her lips twitched. “You have a secret identity?”
    He gave a lift of one shoulder. “Actually, I do.” He could practically feel the leader of the Pantera behind him, holding a noose—handing him his walking papers.
    “Hmm.” She laughed, clearly assuming that he was teasing her. “So what is it? CIA? Black ops?”
    He exhaled. He’d never told anyone what he was about to reveal to her. “It’s the PSL,” he said. “The Pantera Security League.”
    She laughed again, enjoying what she assumed was a game. “So you’re a puma Jason Bourne?”
    That quip he couldn’t ignore. “With a better taste in clothes, I believe,” he said.
    Something in his expression made her still, the smile fading from her lips.
    “This isn’t a joke?”
    “No,” he assured her, wondering what she would think of his work. Granted, he would never be able to tell her everything, but he fully intended to give her what he could. “It’s the truth, Hallie. Cerviel isn’t even my real name, my birth name.”
    She eased away from him, studying him with a searching gaze. “What is it, then?”
    He shook his head. “I can’t even recall it. It’s dead and buried. Each of us in the league took a new name. The name of an angel. Both light and dark.” His brow lifted. “We thought it fitting.”
    Her eyes were wide and stunned as she took in what he was telling her. “Who was Cerviel?”
    “He was a Principality angel.” He felt his chin lifting as he