Free Lust Unleashed (Night Seekers, Book One) by Desiree Holt Page A

camera.
    I wonder what he’d think if he saw me shift?
    He began snapping pictures of the area, crouching low to get shots of the ground, then of the surrounding area. He’d send them back to the office and let the team put them up on the screen and compare them with the photos from other kill sites. But like this place here, he wasn’t even sure what they should look for. When he looked up, Dakota was standing rigidly beside the mule, hands clenched into fists as her sides and a strange look on her face. Neil Washington didn’t seem to notice. His gaze was fixed on Jonah and what he was doing.
    Jonah put the camera away, walked over to the mule and took Dakota’s hand. It was ice cold. He had to mentally restrain himself from pulling her into his arms.
    “I’ve got what I want. Let’s go back.”
    Dakota just stood there, unmoving.
    “Girl, are you all right?” Neil came up on the other side of her.
    “She’s fine,” Jonah said. “But we need to get back.”
    He helped Dakota into the four-wheeler, buckled her seat belt, then climbed in behind her. He could tell Neil Washington wanted to say more but he simply clenched his jaw and got in behind the wheel.
    “I’ll be checking on you,” he told Dakota when they stopped back at his garage. He looked at Jonah. “Don’t make me hurt you, okay?”
    “No worries there.”
    Jonah drove the ATV back to Dakota’s, following the trail he’d memorized on the trip up. At the cabin he lifted Dakota in his arms and carried her into the house, placing her on the bed and pulling the quilt over her. The sun was beginning to set and there was a late afternoon chill in the air that didn’t help the cold engulfing her body.
    “Don’t move.” He kissed her forehead. “I’m going to build a fire.”
    She just looked at him as if he were a stranger, her eyes seeing nothing. Jonah was beginning to feel a chill himself. Apparently Dakota had laid a fire that morning in preparation for the evening because there was already kindling and paper in the grate. He pulled one of the long matches from the holder beside the fireplace, struck it on the stone and lit the paper. As soon as it flared he took some of the wood in the basket and placed it crossways, waiting until the blaze took full life.
    Dakota still hadn’t moved and his concern for her was growing. Stripping off his clothes he tossed them onto a chair. Next came hers and then he climbed into bed next to her, pulling her body tight against his.
    “I’ll warm you,” he murmured. “I’ll chase away this chill, whatever it is.”
    Whatever it was, it was damn strange. Something had invaded her from that place on Neil Washington’s property. He’d learned from the gossip he overheard in town that Dakota had certain skills she’d inherited from her mother. That was why people bought her potions and salves. But he had a feeling it also meant she could sense things most people couldn’t. Something evil had reached out to her and he needed to chase it away.
    He whispered soft words to her as he rubbed his hands over her body. Her skin, so warm when they’d made love before, was cold and tight, as if she’d been deep frozen and was trying to thaw out. Desperate to break through the chill gripping her, paralyzing her, he turned her to face him and pressed his mouth to hers.
    Her lips were cool, as if she’d brushed ice cubes over them, but the moment he slipped his tongue inside he felt the chill in her body begin to dissipate. He licked the roof of her mouth and tasted the slick inner flesh, over and over until he felt her small tongue begin to stir in response. Throwing one leg over both of hers he pressed the thickness of his cock against her mound, using his leg to draw her tight against him, infusing her with his heat.
    And suddenly it became more about lust and less about body heat. His need for her rose up like a hungry animal, one he had to mentally leash lest he frighten her with his rampant desire. This was