Branded By Fire Excerpt

I'm back from Conscription 2009 (great con - post on it later this week), and as promised, here's another excerpt from Branded By Fire.

Mercy and Riley have been in a meeting with Lucas and Hawke as this begins.

___________

Riley stirred beside her. “You need us the rest of the day?”

It was Lucas who answered. “No. Go . . . play.”

Hawke’s grim look turned wolf-wicked as Mercy narrowed her eyes at her alpha and left the room. She felt Riley exit beside her, though he didn’t say a word until they were back in the main corridors. “I guess the secret’s out.”

“What’re you talking about?” she said, the devil in her taking over. Seeing that bloody, broken body had been the final straw—she needed to decompress. And what better way than by teasing Riley?

“You,” he said, his voice dropping as she stopped and turned to face him, “and me.”

Her nipples hardened to aching points, but she made her expression dismissive. “Don’t flatter yourself.” She shoved her hands into the back pockets of her jeans and rocked back on her heels, decision made. Excitement was a taut bow inside her as she said, “I had an itch. You scratched it. End of story.”

A low growl that made her thighs clench. But she smiled and wiggled her fingers. “See ya later, wolfie.”

Riley was about to stalk after her when be belatedly realized he was no longer alone. Scenting the air, he found out how the intruder had snuck in under his defenses. His wolf didn’t consider his younger sister any kind of a threat. “Bren, don’t say a word.”

Brenna took one look at Riley’s face and bit back a laugh. Not fast enough. Her oldest brother turned to her with that look. The one that made everyone behave. But this time, she was laughing too hard to hold it in any longer.

Riley just waited until she’d gotten it out of her system before raising an eyebrow.

“You and Mercy. I love it!”

Silence.

She sniggered. “You wanted Little Miss Submissive and you got a DarkRiver sentinel.” Her giggles started again, deep in her throat.

“Brenna, I’m still your eldest brother.”

“And I’m mated to a big, bad Psy.” She put on her best annoying little-sister voice. “Plus you know you love me.”

“I know that right now, I wish I had some duct tape to put over your mouth.”

Oooh, that was interesting. Nobody really ever got to Riley. She knew he loved her to pieces, but even she had to prod and poke at him for a really long time before she got a reaction. “Mercy and Riley in a tree. K-i-s-s-i—” She shrieked as he picked her up, threw her over his shoulder, and strode toward her quarters.

Her laughter came unbidden. She was giddy with delight. Riley had always been mature, contained, but he’d also had a sense of quiet humor. He was the kind of man children loved because he was both patient and open. But he’d changed after her abduction, withdrawn all that warmth, become so hard that nothing seemed to reach him. She hated that. And she loved Mercy for refusing to allow Riley to be this stranger he’d turned into.

Her nostrils flared at the familiar scent of ice laced with something that was uniquely Judd. “I assume you have a reason for manhandling my mate?” Cool words but his amusement was apparent.

“Riley likes Mercy,” she stage-whispered, trying to twist around to look at her mate. “But she told him that h—oomph.” Riley set her on her feet without warning.

She swayed, but Judd’s hands on her hips kept her upright. Pushing her hair off her face, she leaned into her sexy Psy mate and smirked at Riley. “Sooooo . . .”

“Judd.” Riley ignored her. “You’re obviously not interesting enough for my sister—she’s got way too much time to poke her nose into other people’s business.”

Judd wrapped his arms around her from behind, his chin on her hair. “I’m more interested in you and Mercy.”

Growling—Riley actually growled—her big brother turned on his heel and left.

_________

Hmm, wonder where Riley's heading off to???