9781618857835FrozenFuryBeckNC Read online

  FROZEN FURY

  The Seven Sin Sisters 5

  Paloma Beck

  Erotic Romance

  Secret Cravings Publishing

  www.secretcravingspublishing.com

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  A Secret Cravings Publishing Book

  Erotic Romance

  Frozen Fury

  Copyright © 2013 Paloma Beck

  E-book ISBN: 978-1-61885-783-5

  First E-book Publication: July 2013

  Cover design by Dawné Dominique

  Edited by Kyle Lewis

  Proofread by Elaine Meyler

  All cover art and logo copyright © 2013 by Secret Cravings Publishing

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  Dedication

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  FROZEN FURY

  The Seven Sin Sisters 5

  Paloma Beck

  Copyright © 2013

  Chapter One

  Gage walked the halls of the empty lab building for the fiftieth time that night. Still not a sound. He was pissed Madden gave him this assignment. He was a damn sharpshooter, a sniper, the best shot the TEU had, and this was the assignment he received. Gage had to play night watchmen for a research lab because the regular night guard heard a few bumps in the night. Wasn’t there anyone else? This was exactly what sucked about being the baby brother.

  The MagCircle Lab was locked up tight. No one without finger-touch access was getting into this place. Their regular security guard was in his watch house at the gate. Another guard on the interior seemed like frickin overkill to Gage. Madden had said something about getting closer to the discovery of the gene specific to women of the Magdalena Circle. He supposed with Nassir’s men having gotten so close recently, maybe this wasn’t a completely idiotic idea, but it had been months since they’d heard anything from that group of men.

  Whatever.

  He’d just sit his ass down in the lobby and check for games on the television. There had to be a basketball game on somewhere.

  Just inside what looked to be another dark hall, Gage’s senses went on alert for the first time in hours. There was sound, albeit muffled, from one of the labs. Drawing his gun, he held it by his side and crept towards the door with a dim light radiating underneath. The sounds he’d heard were hushed as if someone were trying to go undetected. Pausing to extend his breed senses, he picked up a singular heartbeat. Only one person to contend with.

  Taking up his communications device, he used the keys to punch in a message. Intruder. Single. Then he waited, impatiently, for a reply.

  No more than one minute later and with a silent vibration, Gage had his orders. Take down alive. Why was he not surprised? Well, there was always the challenge of injuring enough to deter without killing.

  Gage shrugged, content that he’d at least get to play with his gun. He pocketed the device and moved closer to the door to survey the room. His gun was still steady in his left hand. This shot would have to be perfect so he could bring the douchebag in for questioning.

  He knew he was still undetected because of the heart rate of the intruder—the beat remained steady. Gage tested the doorknob and found it unlocked. He twisted slowly until he felt the pop of the latch. It gave a quick clicking noise and he sensed the intruder pause in whatever they were doing, only to
return to their task, undeterred.

  Gage slid his foot into the small crack of the door and gave himself to the count of seven to ready himself for the shot. One. Two. Three. Goddess, did he love the power of his guns. Four. Five. Six. Seven.

  He propelled the door open, kneeled onto one leg, and fired directly into the intruder’s shoulder without so much as a flinch. His target was down without even a scream. He breathed a sigh of relief though he hated not being able to take a kill shot. Still, the rush of taking someone down ran its course through his system. There was nothing like the perfect shot. Aim. Shoot. Mark.

  Only, something didn’t feel right this time. That breath he took had a fragrance that wasn’t exactly recognizable, and yet it seemed to call to him. It was a siren’s call. As he made his way to the intruder, he noticed it was a female. She was in a lab coat with the MagCircle emblem emblazoned on the left breast. Then that scent rose up again—a scent that caused his groin to stiffen. He stopped, struck in the very spot he stood. Holy fuck!

  Gage dropped to his knees by the woman lying in a pool of blood. He’d just shot his mate. Panic swept over him despite knowing he hadn’t rendered a kill shot. There was just so much damned blood.

  He pulled out his phone to connect to TEU headquarters and didn’t even give dispatch a chance to speak. “I’ve got an innocent down. I need a medic right away.”

  “Nico is en route. He was being sent to pick up the intruder. Is this a second person?”

  Gage looked down at the woman and saw her eyes flutter. She was conscious. That was good. He might not normally deal with people after he shot them but this he knew. Her breathing was rapid but steady, her eyes opened and her fingers were still warm. All good signs.

  “No. I-I made a mistake. Goddess, I made a fuckin’ mistake. Tell Nico to hurry it.” Gage needed to damp down his panic and help her as best he could until Nico arrived.

  Flipping the phone closed, Gage knelt at the side of the woman—his mate—and felt for her pulse. It was light and her breathing was shallow. She’d lost consciousness again and he had no way to communicate with her. His mate was lying on this cold floor with life draining from her and the only thing he knew how to do was kill. He’d never worried about healing someone. He’d stanched the bleeding with a towel tied around her arm, but she’d already lost too much. Gage calculated the time it would take Nico to arrive and knew he couldn’t sit back and wait. Not when he had the exact remedy within his own body.

  He did what he had to do, just as he always did. Nodding to himself, Gage rolled up his sleeve, bit into his wrist to strike a vein, and brought it to her mouth. Once a few drops of blood seeped between her lips, she responded instinctively by opening her lips and fastening onto him. Still, her eyes remained closed and there was no other movement. Despite the agony splitting his insides at what he’d done, Gage reassured himself that she would heal. It wasn’t a kill shot and there shouldn’t be this much blood, but it didn’t matter. Gage knew this above all else. A mate’s blood heals.

  Once convinced he’d given her as much blood as she could take, Gage sat down and pulled her onto his lap. Uncaring about the blood coating her and now seeping into his own clothes, he cradled her in his arms and prayed to the Goddess that he hadn’t done the unthinkable. Her heart rate picked up and steadied after providing her the much-needed blood. Now holding her against him, he sat and simply took her in.

  She was stunning. Long, thick waves of brown hair draped over her shoulders. Gage touched a curly spring with on hand and marveled at such softness. He was a warrior, a fighter, a trained sharpshooter, and there was not a singular soft thing about him. She seemed to be everything he wasn’t—soft, delicate, petite, and beautiful. How he wished he could see her eyes again or be graced with a smile. She simply lay in his arms making not a single sound.

  “Gage!” Nico yelled from the hallway. Thank the Goddess.

  Gage turned his head from his mate and called out. “In here. Follow the light to the lab at the end of the hallway.”

  Nico’s footsteps drew steadily closer until Gage felt him walk around and squat down. He dropped a large bag on the floor that Gage guessed was his medical bag and began looking over the woman. He lifted the towel to expose the wound.

  “Who is she? I take it she’s not an intruder.”

  “She’s my mate.”

  Nico’s eyes flashed up from where he’d been concentrating. The wound seemed to be healing already. “You shot your mate?” The stunned tone in Nico’s voice also held a shade of disbelief and maybe some humor. “Nice way to meet.”

  “Stuff it and just tell me she’s okay.” Gage’s growl escaped even as he fought it back.

  “I don’t get it but she’s already healing. I know the mated Magdalena women heal fast but I didn’t realize they had the ability before they were given blood…” Nico’s words stopped suddenly and he looked sharply at Gage. “You didn’t?”

  Gage nodded, just once.

  “What the hell were you thinking? You began the mating process, you idiot.” Nico’s voice held disbelief as he shook his head back and forth. Gage wasn’t at all surprised by his reaction.

  “What was I supposed to do? All I could think was that she was dying, that I’d killed my mate.” Gage raised his voice, frustrated, ready to punch Nico for the condemnation in his voice.

  “You wouldn’t have killed her with this shot. You skimmed her shoulder. And from the wound, I’d say it went in and out, a clean shot.”

  “Then why all the blood?” Gage had never paid attention to the bodies once he shot them. The blood seemed like so much. “And she was cold. Her blood pressure was low.”

  “Shock. And the projector of the bullet going clean through would cause the extensive bleeding,” Nico explained. He was already applying a topical ointment and securing a bandage over the wound.

  “Do we know who she is? A name?”

  “I hadn’t even looked. I have no idea.” Gage flipped the lapel of her lab coat and felt into the deep pockets before shaking his head. “She’s not wearing an employee badge.”

  “Ok. Let me check through the desk before we check in with Madden. He’s on standby waiting to know if he needs to call it in to the MagCircle Lab Director.” Nico plopped a large backpack-style bag onto the top of the desk and began rummaging through it while Gage turned his attention back to his mate.

  She was so peaceful. Gage prayed to the Goddess that she wasn’t in too much pain. He wondered what he would even say to her when she woke up. How would he make amends?

  “Holy shit. My friend, you are in so much trouble and I’m not even sure who is going to give it to you first.” Nico whistled and broke out into laughter.

  “What’s so funny? And what are you talking about, trouble?”

  “Your mate’s name is Amelia,” Nico announced, grinning. “Amelia Sinster.”

  “Oh, hell no. Not as in one of the Sinster sisters?”

  “I’d definitely say so. There’s even a family photo in her wallet of all seven sisters. It makes sense too, now that I think about it, since Amelia is a scientist. She’s been working on genetic deviations to assist in the procreation for the breed.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “I’ve been following the medical research,” Nico shrugged. “She’s top in her field. Even the humans have used some of her research to help in their fertility studies.”

  Gage studied Amelia more carefully. He stroked her curls from her face and looked for a family resemblance, only seeing it once he was observing more closely. If he pulled all her hair off her face, he could remember her from Layla and Madden’s Pronouncement where she’d had it braided on the top of her head. He’d thought she was beautiful even then, but a fling with his brother’s wife’s sister would not exactly be a good welcome to the family. He’d kept his paws off.

  Amelia being a Sinster put a kink in things. “Well, fuck me. I am in trouble,” he sighed. “Let’s bring her back to the compound.” Gage
rose to his full height and tucked her gently against him.

  “You have to call this in,” Nico insisted.

  “Once we get in the car.” Gage led the way out of the lab. It could go unpatrolled for the remainder of the night. There were only a few more hours until dawn.

  * * * *

  Madden stomped back and forth across Gage’s living room. After Gage gave his full report, Madden stared at him in disbelief, shot a look at Nico who nodded and left, and then remained silent for far too long. Gage knew this reaction wasn’t good. It reminded him of the time he’d broken his mother’s porcelain Hummel figurines when they were still kids.

  “You do realize just how complicated this mess is?” The frustration in Madden’s voice rumbled just below the surface.

  “Yes. Of course I do. I’m not an idiot.”

  “Some might argue that, Gage.”

  “Give me a break, Madden, I made a damn mistake. Who would’ve thought it was a scientist in the lab at that time of night? I had no reason to consider it wasn’t an intruder.”

  “You’re impulsive. Had you checked this out before going in with your guns blazing…”

  Gage cut him off, furious with Madden’s assumption. “I did check. No one—absolutely, fuckin’ no one—was signed into the lab legitimately. She was there somehow without having it recorded in the building’s security.”

  “We’re checking how that’s possible now. She’s a bright girl.” Madden nodded.

  Gage agreed but still wondered why she might have wanted to go undetected.

  “Look, I get that I screwed up. Goddess knows I’m going to pay for this. I already am. It’s killing me first to find out that I shot an innocent, a woman from the Magdalena Circle, and then to realize that I shot my mate, Goddess knows I screwed up.” Gage sat and put his head between his knees. He was rambling, frustrated with himself and questioning everything.