Animal Instincts: An Underworld Romance
Chapter 1
Lucian swept himself into his black leather trench, let his fingertips brush across the pendant he wore devotedly for the better part of the last millennium, and made his way through the sewer systems of downtown Bucharest. He emerged top-side just three blocks from the Doc’s office. He opened the door to the office and waltzed in, not bothering to knock.
He halted at the sight of a slender bare back among long honey-blonde waves. His eyes darted away quickly, surprising himself with his sudden sense of modesty. “Excuse me, I didn’t know you saw patients, Doc,” he mumbled before turning to leave.
A soft, feminine chuckle echoed through the room, making him stop and turn again. “A mutt with manners. Who knew?” The woman pulled a black button-down onto her shoulders, turning toward him as she buttoned the front. Her eyes caught his attention first. The brightest shade of green he’d ever seen. Two perfect emeralds staring back at him. His gaze dropped as he saw her mouth kick up in a grin. The corner of her lower lip held a small cut, and her right cheekbone was bruised. Some sense of primal male instinct kicked in, and he began searching the rest of her for injury, finding a deep gash at the swell of her chest. The rest of her injuries, if she carried more, were concealed by her black blouse and blue jeans .
His eyes lifted to her face again before he spoke. “You really should leave the bastard.”
Her eyebrow quirked in response before she grinned again. “I did…in a pile of his own blood.”
That shocked the hell out of him. As petite as she was, that was hard for him to imagine. An image of his Sonja taking on the monstrous Lycans of ages ago flitted through his mind. “You were very lucky, then.”
She laughed. “Oh, luck had little to do with it. The bastard actually tried to bite me, which really pissed me off, so he asked for it.” She stepped out from behind the exam table, and he noticed the combat boots she wore, betting concealed knives were inside.
“He tried to…bite you?”
“Yeah, fucking bloodsuckers. That’ll teach me to go on blind dates at midnight, huh?”
He felt his mouth gape open. A human that not only knew the existence of vampires, but was capable of killing one? “You went on a date with a vampire?”
Her eyes narrowed. “Oh, don’t give me shit. I didn’t know he was a vamp until he tried to give me a love-bite."
“So you killed him for trying to bite you, or for being a vampire?”
“I didn’t try to kill him until he pulled a gun on me.”
“Wow, he doesn’t take rejection well.”
Her cheeks flushed. “Guess not.”
He got the impression that wasn’t the whole story.
She turned toward the Doc. “Thanks for patching me up, Ed.” The Doc nodded, and she left, brushing past him on her way out.
The Doc focused on Lucian before shaking his head, which gave Lucian all he needed to know. He followed the woman out.
Chapter 2
Eliza had barely begun walking down the sidewalk when she sensed the Lycan male following her. She ignored him until she had gone ten blocks and rounded a corner and he remained behind her. She spun on her heel, planting her feet and folding her arms across her chest. The Lycan hesitated for a moment before stalking up to her.
“If you wanted to walk with me, all you had to do was ask.”
He grinned, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. She gazed into them for the first time, and felt an overwhelming sense of sorrow. It crept over her skin, making her shiver, and she had to fight the sudden urge to cry, which made no sense because she hadn’t cried since the death of her mother nearly three centuries ago. “I’m more trouble than you can handle,” he said.
She took a step toward him, planting herself within a foot of him. “I can handle more than you think.”
He shook his head, stepping back from her. “You have no sense of self-preservation, do you?”
“I’ve been taking care of myself a long time, and I always seem to find my way out of trouble.”
“It’ll catch up with you eventually.”
“I wish it would. I’m getting tired of waiting.”
A large, black man came barreling down the street toward them, his dark eyes flickering to her for a moment before turning his attention to the Lycan. Eliza rolled her eyes. Great, more mutts.
“Lucian, something’s come up,” the black one said.
Eliza glanced back at the Lycan. Lucian? The Lucian? She had heard tales of the famous leader of her kind, but never dreamed she would have ever met him.
Lucian and the black one walked about twenty yards away, unaware that Eliza was very capable of overhearing even their hushed conversation.
“Derek hasn’t reported in since yesterday. I think the vamps got him.”
Lucian cursed. “Round up the rest and bring them back to headquarters. We can’t risk the vampires discovering how large our numbers are.”
The black one nodded and Lucian turned back toward her, his gaze narrowing as he noticed her staring. Then it widened and he began to sprint towards her.
A hand covered her mouth as a blade rested on her throat. “Struggle and I’ll slit your throat, bitch.”
Eliza took two deep breaths, trying to calm herself. Her hand came up to rest on her attacker’s. In a flash, she ripped the man’s pinky out of socket, causing him to drop the dagger. She spun away from him, backhanding him in the jaw and landing a solid kick to the midsection. He grunted and fell backward. She glanced up, noticing four more men racing her way.
“Fuck me,” she whispered to herself before another hand grabbed hers and yanked her down the sidewalk. She twisted her arm out of his grip before realizing it was Lucian.
He stared at her for a moment before grabbing her hand again. She ran with him, racing past him and yanking him along. He caught onto her speed and matched his pace with hers. The alleyways of Bucharest became a blur as they sped by pawn shops and run-down apartments. He pulled her down toward the Subway, jumping onto the track and racing down the tunnel. Halfway down, he cut into a hidden doorway, pulling her inside.
Suddenly, she was pinned against the wall, his large palm covering her mouth as his body pressed into hers. She struggled, and he shushed her quickly, listening for signs of movement in the tunnel. Several minutes ticked by as they remained motionless.
Finally, his head snapped around to stare at her as his hand released her mouth. He gazed at her for a long moment, while his body remained flush against hers. “You aren’t human.”
Lucian swept himself into his black leather trench, let his fingertips brush across the pendant he wore devotedly for the better part of the last millennium, and made his way through the sewer systems of downtown Bucharest. He emerged top-side just three blocks from the Doc’s office. He opened the door to the office and waltzed in, not bothering to knock.
He halted at the sight of a slender bare back among long honey-blonde waves. His eyes darted away quickly, surprising himself with his sudden sense of modesty. “Excuse me, I didn’t know you saw patients, Doc,” he mumbled before turning to leave.
A soft, feminine chuckle echoed through the room, making him stop and turn again. “A mutt with manners. Who knew?” The woman pulled a black button-down onto her shoulders, turning toward him as she buttoned the front. Her eyes caught his attention first. The brightest shade of green he’d ever seen. Two perfect emeralds staring back at him. His gaze dropped as he saw her mouth kick up in a grin. The corner of her lower lip held a small cut, and her right cheekbone was bruised. Some sense of primal male instinct kicked in, and he began searching the rest of her for injury, finding a deep gash at the swell of her chest. The rest of her injuries, if she carried more, were concealed by her black blouse and blue jeans .
His eyes lifted to her face again before he spoke. “You really should leave the bastard.”
Her eyebrow quirked in response before she grinned again. “I did…in a pile of his own blood.”
That shocked the hell out of him. As petite as she was, that was hard for him to imagine. An image of his Sonja taking on the monstrous Lycans of ages ago flitted through his mind. “You were very lucky, then.”
She laughed. “Oh, luck had little to do with it. The bastard actually tried to bite me, which really pissed me off, so he asked for it.” She stepped out from behind the exam table, and he noticed the combat boots she wore, betting concealed knives were inside.
“He tried to…bite you?”
“Yeah, fucking bloodsuckers. That’ll teach me to go on blind dates at midnight, huh?”
He felt his mouth gape open. A human that not only knew the existence of vampires, but was capable of killing one? “You went on a date with a vampire?”
Her eyes narrowed. “Oh, don’t give me shit. I didn’t know he was a vamp until he tried to give me a love-bite."
“So you killed him for trying to bite you, or for being a vampire?”
“I didn’t try to kill him until he pulled a gun on me.”
“Wow, he doesn’t take rejection well.”
Her cheeks flushed. “Guess not.”
He got the impression that wasn’t the whole story.
She turned toward the Doc. “Thanks for patching me up, Ed.” The Doc nodded, and she left, brushing past him on her way out.
The Doc focused on Lucian before shaking his head, which gave Lucian all he needed to know. He followed the woman out.
Chapter 2
Eliza had barely begun walking down the sidewalk when she sensed the Lycan male following her. She ignored him until she had gone ten blocks and rounded a corner and he remained behind her. She spun on her heel, planting her feet and folding her arms across her chest. The Lycan hesitated for a moment before stalking up to her.
“If you wanted to walk with me, all you had to do was ask.”
He grinned, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. She gazed into them for the first time, and felt an overwhelming sense of sorrow. It crept over her skin, making her shiver, and she had to fight the sudden urge to cry, which made no sense because she hadn’t cried since the death of her mother nearly three centuries ago. “I’m more trouble than you can handle,” he said.
She took a step toward him, planting herself within a foot of him. “I can handle more than you think.”
He shook his head, stepping back from her. “You have no sense of self-preservation, do you?”
“I’ve been taking care of myself a long time, and I always seem to find my way out of trouble.”
“It’ll catch up with you eventually.”
“I wish it would. I’m getting tired of waiting.”
A large, black man came barreling down the street toward them, his dark eyes flickering to her for a moment before turning his attention to the Lycan. Eliza rolled her eyes. Great, more mutts.
“Lucian, something’s come up,” the black one said.
Eliza glanced back at the Lycan. Lucian? The Lucian? She had heard tales of the famous leader of her kind, but never dreamed she would have ever met him.
Lucian and the black one walked about twenty yards away, unaware that Eliza was very capable of overhearing even their hushed conversation.
“Derek hasn’t reported in since yesterday. I think the vamps got him.”
Lucian cursed. “Round up the rest and bring them back to headquarters. We can’t risk the vampires discovering how large our numbers are.”
The black one nodded and Lucian turned back toward her, his gaze narrowing as he noticed her staring. Then it widened and he began to sprint towards her.
A hand covered her mouth as a blade rested on her throat. “Struggle and I’ll slit your throat, bitch.”
Eliza took two deep breaths, trying to calm herself. Her hand came up to rest on her attacker’s. In a flash, she ripped the man’s pinky out of socket, causing him to drop the dagger. She spun away from him, backhanding him in the jaw and landing a solid kick to the midsection. He grunted and fell backward. She glanced up, noticing four more men racing her way.
“Fuck me,” she whispered to herself before another hand grabbed hers and yanked her down the sidewalk. She twisted her arm out of his grip before realizing it was Lucian.
He stared at her for a moment before grabbing her hand again. She ran with him, racing past him and yanking him along. He caught onto her speed and matched his pace with hers. The alleyways of Bucharest became a blur as they sped by pawn shops and run-down apartments. He pulled her down toward the Subway, jumping onto the track and racing down the tunnel. Halfway down, he cut into a hidden doorway, pulling her inside.
Suddenly, she was pinned against the wall, his large palm covering her mouth as his body pressed into hers. She struggled, and he shushed her quickly, listening for signs of movement in the tunnel. Several minutes ticked by as they remained motionless.
Finally, his head snapped around to stare at her as his hand released her mouth. He gazed at her for a long moment, while his body remained flush against hers. “You aren’t human.”