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He sa easily her cool, stark beauty intimidated others The worace that showed through, and they moved on The men took one look at her on Mercury’s arer over his woman It wasn’t done To become forith a Breed mate was to take one’s life in one’s own hands

And he felt her dissatisfaction Her need to let all that wildfire inside her free She only let herself go when he was taking her, loving her But that fire burned inside her eternally

He could see her in reds—garnets and the vivid scarlet She would light up the night with her long hair, high heels and the dresses he knew she would love And she would light up everyone around her

But she was frightened He could feel her fear, and it pricked at the ani inside himself, called free by that primal response in the woman he loved

He hadn’t felt that instinct in over eleven years Until her fear Until the smell of it as they entered Sanctuary drifted around hi past the bonds of control, easing into his

Andmore, and it made no sense

As they ne and watched the CEO of Engalls Pharmaceuticals as closely as decorum allowed

She could feel Mercury’s tension beside her, increasing as they chatted, working closer to Horace Engalls, one of theto, and his snobbish wife, Cara Brandenalls

Ria ran the inforh her head quickly There was nothing significantly ialls Pharalls was a division

She was the daughter of Phillip Brandenmore, married to the alls by ten years and her voice had risen against Breed lahen it caure in her own little set, regarded ariness and considered a formidable enemy

Horace Engalls had begun courting Sanctuary years ago in the hopes of acquiring Breeds to strengthen his security on his labs He’d been turned down repeatedly But he and Brandenmore both were associates of a very powerful senator that Sanctuary liked to keep happy Which meant the two men had the invitations the senator requested for them

Ria knew Cara well, just as she had known Cara’s mother before Phillip Brandenmore divorced her

“Ria,here?” Cara’s cool, superior slanced at where Ria’s hand rested on Mercury’s ar “I’m surprised Dane allowed it”

Ria arched her brow “Dane’s my employer, Cara, not my brother”

“I always assuht, vicious “Perhaps I rong?”