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  She stopped at a large door, and slipped the key into the lock, smiling as it clicked open, swinging the heavy wood across the floor. A wedge of light opened up across the room, illuminating a stack of boxes off to her right. Apparently Sirus was using the place as a storage room, which meant finding the files would be more challenging.

  She cursed her dumb luck and tossed the keys back in her purse as she stepped farther inside, casting more light along the left section of the room. An antique, oak desk shimmered into sight as the door swung away, casting a harsh glare along the back wall.

  Ripley turned to flick on the lights when her gaze landed on the dim outline of a half-naked man on the couch, his large form splayed across the cushions. Her breath caught in her chest, the audible rasp whispering through the room. She sensed the air ripple around her a moment before a set of fangs appeared in front of her.

  She shrieked and lurched back, losing her purse as it slipped off her arm, landing with a thud on the floor. She raised her hands in defence, glancing towards the door when another body materialised behind it and slammed the thing shut. Pale skin held her eyes as the figure turned, the man’s face distorted into some kind of animal. The first creature grabbed her arm and she instinctively yanked back, tripping over her bag when her foot caught in the strap. Her boot shot forward, launching her body backwards. There was a harried moment of freefall before a loud bang rattled her head, and she faded into the darkness.

  “Congratulations, Mathias. I think you got her.”

  Mathias scowled at his brother as he morphed back into his human form, kneeling beside the woman crumpled on the floor. “She surprised me. I only grabbed at her to stop her from getting hurt.”

  “You might want to work on your technique.”

  Mathias shook his head, brushing a handful of auburn hair back from the woman’s face. He didn’t need to check for a pulse. He could sense her blood beating just below the surface of her honey-coloured skin, the rhythm erratic, but strong. “What the hell is she doing here? I thought Sirus said no one used this room anymore.”

  “Just another reason we can’t trust the man.” Gabe dug through her purse, holding up a set of keys. “She had a key.”

  “Now what?”

  “We either leave her on the floor, or do the more noble gesture and lay her across the couch.” Gabe knelt down beside him. “You know how I feel about a damsel in distress.”

  Mathias smiled. They’d been vampires for five centuries, yet Gabe still saw himself as the gallant knight. Hell, Mathias wouldn’t be surprised if the pretty little damsel had a black belt in karate with more moves than the dancers upstairs.

  He nodded, lifting her limp body off the worn carpet before shifting over to the couch. Her hair fell in a puddle on the dark leather as he laid her across the cushions, her head still bowed towards her chest. He squinted when Gabe flicked on the lights, bathing the room in a harsh glow.

  “I know. We don’t need the light, but I doubt our little pixie is going to want to wake up still encased in shadows.” A sly smile tilted Gabe’s lips. “I think you scared ten years off the poor girl.”

  “You didn’t help by slamming the door shut with your face all fanged out.” Mathias blew out a long breath, taking a closer look at the woman.

  She was small compared to them, with lush, full lips and a heart-shaped face. Her nose accentuated the perfect symmetry of her features and he couldn’t help but wonder what colour her eyes were. He’d been too preoccupied trying to make sense of her presence to notice, and now all he could see were closed lids brimming with thick, dark lashes.

  Mathias traced his fingertip along her cheek. “She’s not wearing any makeup. I thought all women in this century wore that stuff?”

  Gabe shrugged, motioning at Mathias to make room as he dipped the couch with his weight. Mathias shuffled back, lifting the woman’s legs across his as Gabe settled at her side. A small tremor moved through his fingers when his hand slipped on her boot, sliding up her calf and across her skin.

  He pulled his hand back, looking up at Gabe. Being twins, they’d always shared a special connection, but their abilities had grown since their resurrection. He knew Gabe had felt the vibration, surely as if the man had been the one to touch her.

  “What was that?” Gabe ran a single finger along the girl’s leg until he brushed her flesh.

  Another tremor filled the air, prickling the hair on the back of Mathias’ neck. He shook his head, shifting his gaze to the woman’s face when an electrical charge seemed to fill the air.

  “Maybe she’s wearing something?”

  “This isn’t human, Mathias. Whatever’s going on here is beyond their realm.”

  Gabe moved his hand to her jacket, pulling the zipper down an inch at a time, as if he expected something to jump out at him. Mathias followed the slow progression, snagging his lower lip when the bottom popped open, exposing a strip of vivid green.

  “I wonder if her eyes match her sweater?”

  Mathias turned to Gabe, not sure he’d heard the man correctly. After a century of abstinence, Mathias hadn’t expected the comment. He drew his brow together, shifting his gaze between the vixen on the couch and the gleam glimmering to life in his brother’s eyes. “I guess that means you feel it too.”

  “I don’t feel anything. I was just noting how green her sweater was.”

  “No, you were wondering what shade her eyes were, which is totally different.” Mathias sat back, cocking his head over to one side. “Go ahead and lie to yourself. I can sense the truth. You’re as affected by this… this…pixie, as you called her, as much as I am.”

  Mathias reached down and grazed a hand across his cock, feeling the damn thing stir to life. He closed his eyes, feeling his brother’s confusion mix with his. How many times had they taken a woman into their bed only to leave in frustration?

  “Something’s wrong.” Gabe glanced at the door. “Maybe Alexander is behind this.”

  “He left too close to sunrise. And I doubt even fifty-proof sunscreen would keep his cold-hearted ass alive.”

  “Not funny. Maybe we should…”

  Gabe’s voice trailed off as a faint flicker of blue flashed beneath the green fabric, sending a cold wave through the air. Mathias reached for the source just as Gabe pulled her coat open, revealing the deep V of her shirt and the soft creamy swell of her breasts. More blood surged to Mathias’ shaft as he trailed his fingers up her stomach, stopping below the sensual hollow between her breasts. His brother’s fingers joined his as they dipped into her shirt, skimming over a smooth vial of glass.

  Mathias’ mouth gaped open, his fangs at the ready, when the room exploded into a pulse of blue light. Power surged through his body, knocking him across the couch. He hit the armrest and shuddered to a halt, wincing when Gabe crashed against the far wall. Mathias levered up, watching the tiny pendant fade from a brilliant blue into a deep sapphire, before finally winking out. He clenched his jaw, his gaze falling to his brother.

  Gabe pushed to his feet, bracing some of his weight against the wall as he stared back, his brown hair wild around his face.

  “Bloody hell,” said Mathias.

  Gabe nodded. “If not now, it soon will be.”

  Chapter Two

  Gabe stared at the woman—the guardian—and felt his whole world turn upside down. After searching for the talisman for five hundred years, it seemed impossible that it’d simply fallen into their hands. Yet he knew, without a doubt, she wore the pendant they’d been created to protect…the woman they were destined to love.

  Gabe stopped dead. Love was not an option. Guarding the talisman from the likes of Alexander was one thing, but he’d be damned to believe that a single pendant could rule his heart, if he’d ever had one. This was strictly business.

  His cock throbbed inside his pants, swelling to the point of pain. It clearly didn’t share his sentiment. He took a step forward, watching Mathias trail his fingers up and down the woman’s leg.

>   “I know it’s been a while, but I hardly think our pretty little pixie will appreciate waking up to find you pawing at her.”

  Mathias scowled, slowly drawing his hand away and raising his fingers as he inhaled. His eyes closed on a murmur of ecstasy as his lips curved into a feral smile. “God. She smells like raspberry wine fresh from the vineyard.” He looked up at Gabe. “Don’t tell me you don’t feel as if you’ve been searching for her your entire life?”

  “We have been searching…for the talisman! It just happens to belong to her.”

  Mathias flashed Gabe a knowing smile, nodding at his crotch. “Then why is your cock on the verge of breaking through your zipper? Maybe you should release it before it explodes.”

  “And maybe you should keep your hands to yourself until we figure out what to do.”

  Gabe moved in closer, cursing the moment her scent carried to him through the air. Mathias was right. She smelt sweeter than ripe berries, and more intoxicating than the wine they used to drink after a campaign. He clenched his jaw, stilling the need to push his brother aside so he could run his fingers along the smooth, creamy flesh they’d bared on her chest. Her breasts were perfect—all perky and round—and he could tell they’d fill his hands nicely. He could just see the outline of her nipples through her soft sweater, the tips pressing against the fabric. He should have taken the time to touch them when he’d been sitting beside her. Now, all he could think about was licking each turgid point, and sucking on them until her voice deepened with raw desire.

  Mathias laughed again, and Gabe shot him a fierce glare.

  “Why must you fight everything, Gabe? I thought you’d be happy we’ve finally found the bloody thing.” Mathias turned his attention back to the woman, running a single finger through her hair. “She’s beautiful.”

  “I’m relieved that the talisman actually exists.” Gabe stepped up beside the couch. “But I’m hardly happy about the circumstances. I’ve heard Alexander ramble enough times to know that the energy pulse we felt is like a homing beacon. As soon as his horde can move through the shadows, we’ll be faced with a full-fledged war.”

  “I’ll die before I let that bastard lay one finger on her.”

  Gabe sighed. He, too, felt the overwhelming need to protect both the talisman and the girl. Just looking at her made his chest tighten until it felt as if her heart had become his. “We won’t let them hurt her. But I’ll be damned if I know where to go.”

  “We can’t go anywhere for several hours. That should give us some time to come up with a solution…and some time to play.”

  “Down, boy. I think you’re forgetting the poor girl knocked herself unconscious trying to escape us. She’s not going to wake up and beg us to make love to her. You’ve spent too many hours watching the patrons play in Sirus’ rooms.”

  Mathias shook his head, nodding at her. “She might be hesitant, but if she feels half as strongly as we do…” He looked away for a moment. “It’s as if I can hear her pulse throb in my head…feel her heart beat in my chest.” His eyes locked on Gabe’s. “I swear she’s climbed inside my very soul.”

  Gabe drew his lips together. “We don’t have those anymore.” He broke his brother’s gaze. “But there must be a reason we’re so affected by her. Perhaps coupling gives us strength?”

  “I don’t care what it gives us. All I know, is that I’ll use all of my charm, and every vampire trick there is, just to get a taste of her soft skin.”

  The woman moaned and tilted her head to the other side. Mathias moved back, as Gabe knelt beside the couch. He watched as her eyelids fluttered, opening in fleeting flashes of green before finally focusing on his face. His jaw clenched as he stared into their jade depths, the edges tinged a pale yellow. He smiled, seeing his brother’s desires flash through his mind, before she bolted up and scooted backwards, raising her hands in front of her as if she planned on smacking them both on the head.

  “Easy.” Mathias held up one hand. “We’re just checking on you. You had quite a fall.”

  The woman shifted her gaze between them, as if judging which one she should trust. She held her ground, pulling her knees towards her chest, as her nostrils flared with her frantic breath, her scent a mixture of fear and excitement. The men exchanged a glance, each moving back a bit. She seemed to take their brief retreat as a sign of surrender, and lowered her hands until they were curled around her legs. She didn’t speak, just scanned the room, as if searching for some hidden evil.

  Us.

  Gabe tried not to sigh at the thought. He could tell by the images flipping through her head, she wasn’t prepared for the truth just yet. She seemed trapped between what her intelligence thought was real, and what her mind was certain it’d seen.

  “Are you okay?” He hoped the simple question would ease some of the tension suffocating the room.

  She nodded, glancing once more towards the door, before sighing and shaking her head. “I’m fine, thank you.”

  Her voice flowed across the short space, making the room dip as it wove down his spine and wrapped around his cock, making the damn thing impossibly harder. He felt Mathias react the same way, and realised all hope of salvation had vanished. He’d travel to hell and back for her. And he had a bad feeling he just might.

  Ripley sat on the couch, hugging her knees, not sure what to make of the situation. Fuzzy images flashed in her head—the man on the couch, the door slamming shut, fangs following her into the darkness—and she wasn’t quite sure if they were real, or if she’d imagined the entire incident. She glanced at the door, feeling the hair on her neck prickle.

  The guy to her right brushed her leg, drawing her attention. “Is there something you’re looking for?”

  She glanced at the other man before settling her gaze on him. It was obvious they were brothers. From the similar curve of their jaws and the strong shape of their faces, to the way they both cocked up one side of their mouth into a sexy smile. But that’s where the similarities ended.

  The guy at her feet was blond-haired, blue eyed, with the kind of body that made her think of surfboards and sandy beaches, though his skin was too pale to be a surfer. His hair was cropped, the ends spiked against his head. It looked sexy and daring, but a bit too short for her to wrap around her fingers as she pulled him close, positioning his head between her thighs.

  Ripley drew a harsh breath. Where the hell had that thought come from? One moment she was looking at his face, the next her mind had filled with the image of his head wedged between her legs, his rough hair rubbing her thighs with intimate seduction.

  She dropped her gaze when his sexy, half-smile widened, all too aware of the fire heating her cheeks. Thank God he couldn’t read her mind, or she’d never be able to meet his gaze again.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  It was the dark-haired god speaking this time. The one with the brooding gaze and bedroom eyes, whose voice sounded like melted chocolate. His hair was longer than his brother’s, with subtle waves enhancing the rich colour. He looked taller and bulkier, with arms the size of most men’s legs. What she wouldn’t give to feel those arms wrapped around her as his body hovered over her, his legs wedging hers apart as he slipped inside her, filling her until she begged for mercy.

  Damn it!

  Ripley huffed out a harsh breath, mentally telling her head to shut up. She wasn’t one to dream about strangers fucking her senseless before she even knew their names. Why her libido had decided to spring to life and take over her conscious thoughts was as mysterious as the images she’d seen in the dark.

  The guy cleared his throat, drawing her attention back to his face. His lips were perfect, all pouty and full, and she couldn’t stop her tongue from tracing hers in response. A low growl sounded in her head, followed by a whispered promise of seduction.

  “Perhaps you’d feel better if we properly introduced ourselves. I’m Gabriel, though you can call me Gabe, and this is my brother, Mathias.”

  Ripley follow
ed the motion of his hand as he pointed first to himself, then to the blond at her feet. More images fluttered to life, but she crushed them with a firm shake of her head as she nodded at the two men.

  “Ripley—”

  Her voice caught when Gabe gently clasped her hand and raised it to his lips, dropping an open-mouthed kiss along the back.

  His fingers were cold, but his touch singed her senses, making her skin tingle beneath his caress. Her heart thrashed in her chest, threatening to pound through her ribs, as he slowly drew back, his hooded gaze locked on hers.

  “Charmed.”

  His voice filled her head, making the temperature in the room rise. She tried to swallow past the dryness in her throat, praying he didn’t notice the way her nipples tightened, crinkling her skin until the small tips poked against her sweater. She cursed when his gaze shifted slightly, flicking towards her chest before rising to her face again. Tendrils of desire stirred in her core as a sinful smile captured his lips.

  Mathius cleared this throat. “What my Neanderthal of a brother means is, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  Ripley smiled as Mathias shook her hand, rolling his eyes at Gabe. Mathias was definitely more relaxed than his brother, but she had to admit she liked the contrast.

  “It’s nice to meet you both.”

  She went to pull her hand away, but Mathias seemed reluctant to let it go. A shiver shimmied down her spine, but she couldn’t tell if it was fear or excitement. Something about these men threatened her natural barriers, making her stomach clench in anticipation and her body heat with renewed arousal. She felt a sense of loss the moment Mathias released his grip. Her body suddenly chilled.