Page 46 of Act of Passion

Brooke stared at him. “You expect me to believe my mother was a queen? Try another one. She cut cute shapes out of my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and she baked cookies with me. You got the wrong info onme.”

He ground against her, his erection pressing to herstomach.

Brooke saw the way he looked at her with nothing short of rapture on hisface.

“I cannot believe she had a child,” he said. “I see it now. You have her classic beauty and her body. But your skin coloring is more like your father’s. As is your hair coloring. How did I not sense this on you yearsago?”

She glared at him. “Get offme!”

“Get the fuck off her,” Tut groundout.

Elm started to look in Tut’s direction and Brooke panicked, knowing the monster could and would kill themen.

She grabbed Elm’s cheek, directing his attention back to her before letting her power rise slightly, knowing she was tapping into the side of herself that exuded and demanded sexuallust.

He licked his lips. She felt his power drawing upon hers, trying to feed his need forsex.

She stared up at him. “Well, are you going to do this ornot?”

He tipped his head, appearing confused. “Brooke.”

She let more of her power up to greet his, and he instantly began to grind against her. She nipped at his jaw without actually making contact withhim.

He gasped, loosening his hold onher.

She flipped him over and straddled him, lowering her body, coming just shy of kissing him, her power riding high. He looked enraptured. So much so that he didn’t notice her going for the last of the knives she had on her. She drew them out and bit his lower lip, making himmoan.

Brooke sat up quickly and plunged the knives into his chest. She rolled off him fast, and thrust power at him, sending him sliding across the floor and into hismen.

She knew it wouldn’t kill him, but it would hurt him for a moment. Enough time to possibly slow his responses. Putting out her hands, she drew upon the energy around her and her hair lifted as wind circled. And she swayed, burning through her power at too high a rate. She spun around and thrust it at the men behind her, breaking her hold on them. She nearly tipped over fromexhaustion.

Suddenly the man in the mask was in front of her, grabbing and holding her to his powerful frame. He lifted her and ran with her in the direction of the back exit. Auberi followed close behind them, tossing his mask along the way. They made it to the fire escape, but instead of going down the stairs, the man holding her went up and over therailing.

Brooke held tight to him, expecting pain to come. None did. The man landed almost catlike before standing tall with her still over his shoulder. Auberi landed next to them without so much as a hint ofpain.

Somehow, she managed to squirm free of the masked man’s grasp. She fell out of his hold and came up fast, bursting into a run, knowing she had to get toEdee.

She made it to the end of the alley and bolted out and into the street. Dark vehicles were parked at all angles in it. She knew what that meant. More men from The Corporation. She made a move to run in the other direction but the side door of the van nearest her opened and large arms yanked her off her feet and into thevan.

Chapter Fourteen

Malik triedto run after Brooke, only to find his friend ripping him back. “No!”

“Asshole,” snapped Auberi from the right, drawing Malik’s attention before grabbing him. “We have men shooting at us from above and more coming from the front and you want to chase a stripper? Granted, she’s a powerful stripper, but a stripper all the same. Admit it. The stripper kickedass.”

“Never call her that again,” he returned before thinking too hard on it. He inhaled deeply as the words fell from hismouth.

He could barely think straight. Brooke was not only alive but she was a supernatural? That couldn’t be. Could it? His irrational behavior all those years ago had been caused by the medication PSI had been testing, hadn’tit?

He’d never had another dose of the meds, yet he still reacted the same way to the woman. And it was more than obvious that she wasn’t human after all. That could only mean onething.

She really was his mate, and he’d not only chased her away all those years ago, he’d done so again the minute they were together again. And now The Corporation was afterher.

Auberi pointed to the end of the alley, which was filling with more bad guys. “Oh look, the evening just got more interesting. Happy birthday, non-birthday,Tut.”

Malik’s lion pushed up fast, wanting to be free. It took all of him to stay in control enough to think. He charged at the men and felt Auberi there, close at hisheels.

Two men in partially shifted form rushed at him. He could smell the mix of supernatural on them. They were functioning hybrids, unlike the ones who smelled like death and were basically rotting from the inside out. Apparently, the enemy was getting better at perfecting theircreations.

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