Ivory (Manhatten ten) (13 page)

“Thank you.” All I could do was stroke Panther’s fur and stare. It hadn’t been me who saved him. It was all of the Ten’s resources. If I hadn’t been able to get in touch with Angel…

I would’ve been shattered.

When did Panther become so important to me? His existence was more than an acquaintance, but we weren’t friends. Lovers, perhaps?

Only once, and it had been sensational, but we lacked the level of shared experience that label deserved.

He’d called us partners.

The moment I glimpsed his shifted form, something clicked inside me. We were meant to hunt together. With Panther at my side, there was no game we couldn’t fell. Nothing we couldn’t accomplish.

There was much to learn about the man, but…I wanted to.

“Ah…” The medic touched my shoulder. “Can you step away?”

My icicle spikes grew out of control, edging dangerously close to Panther and the machines that kept him alive.

I bit the power back as far as I could and retreated from the gurney. It caused me physical pain to step away from the helicopter, but I couldn’t endanger Pan by flying along.

I’d been worried my run-in with the Ten would ruin my life among the humans, but in the end, my own people were the ones responsible.
 

My own powers.

I would never be able to mix with humans again. Perhaps not even super humans. Where was my place now?

The helicopter lifted into the air. Panther had to recover.

When he did, we would have a talk about places.

First, I had unfinished business.

“Not going along?” Jet appeared at my side.

“I can’t.” As if he couldn’t see the six-inch icicles that sprouted from my arms. “Do you have to get back?”

“No hurry. Why?”

“You can help me round up the ones who did this to him. The ones responsible for the other murders.”

Jet rubbed his hands together, and a dark smile twisted his striking features. “Race you there?”

I rolled my eyes. “Follow me.”

We were halfway there before I realized I was playing part of the team.

But was that good, or bad?

Panther

Machines beeped. I was moved and jostled. Everything hurt, but the pain was good. Time passed and drugs washed into my system.

When I finally came to, sunlight streamed through my window. Manhattan skyline. I was home. In the medical suite, but still home.

It took effort, but I turned my head. Tank sat at my bedside, working his way through a newspaper. I was grateful, but his wasn’t the face I wanted to see.

“Where is she?”

“Roof. Trying to get her powers under control.” Tank’s newspaper rustled. “And I’m cheating by saying this, but if she wasn’t afraid of hurting you, she’d be the one in this chair.”

Damn. I needed to see her. Needed to touch her and mark her with my scent. I hated that Tank knew things about her that I didn’t.

Tank sighed. “Think you guys can keep the thoughts down enough that I don’t have to flee the state?”

“No promises.” I yanked out my IV and hopped off the bed. Not smart. I wobbled but grabbed a chair before I bit it. After a few shaky steps, my feet moved better. But not perfect. Super or not, major blood loss stung. So did medical staples.

I shambled to the elevator and hauled my way up the last set of stairs to the roof. I smelled her before I saw her.
 

Ivory’s scent was amplified. It was her own icy-sweetness multiplied by a thousand, and it was as tempting as it was frightening. She’d been powerful before, but now her energy crackled.

Turning the corner, I skipped a breath.

It was a winter wonderland in the middle of Manhattan. Snowbanks mounded the roof and Ivory lay in the middle of it all. A snow angel.

My snow angel.

Ice scaled over her arms like armor. She took deep breaths and it receded, but more snowflakes fell from the sky.

I didn’t want to disturb her, but I had to hear her voice. “Having trouble?”

As she jerked, icy spikes pin-cushioned her body. Good thing I hadn’t tried to jump her.

A few more deep breaths and the ice melted away. “You’re well?” She ignored my question.

“Fine.” And I was. In front of Ivory, the pain and weakness all flowed away. I pushed through snow, breaking a path toward her. “You saved me.”

“No.” She stood and a cascade of sparkling ice shed from her. “You saved me. I would’ve been transported home like a log for my mother’s hearth.”

“You’re the princess?”

“Not anymore.”

My chest clenched, but I had to know. “Will you go home? To confront her? Or back to your old life…”

“I fear I have no home.” She lifted a hand that glistened with ice, and waved it over the wintry roof-scape. “I took the power from Kevan and the others, and we turned them over to the police. I wouldn’t have been welcomed before that, and now…I can’t control it.”

My pulse sped. Maybe… “Say it again.”

“What?” Ivory’s brow wrinkled.

“You lost control.”

“I lost
all
control.”
 

That was exactly what I wanted to hear. “About time.”

Ivory

Panther’s smile heated my blood. Goddess, it was amazing to see him on his feet. Waiting for him to heal had been agonizing. I’d thought…

But here he was, up and needling me again. I’d even missed that.

“You’re pleased?”

“I’m fucking ecstatic.” Panther plowed through the snow until he loomed in front of me.

“I’m dangerous.” So much energy clamored inside me. I had to vent it constantly or worry I’d wake to find Manhattan buried in a few feet of unseasonable snow. I’d spend the rest of my life on the edge, always close to losing myself to the torrent of ice.

“So am I.” His fangs extended. “We all are.”

“But you control your beast. It doesn’t control you.”

“Ruin fried our flat screen last week and Nil ashed his computer. Hell, Cyclone floods his floor every other day. No one expects us to be perfect.”

A wisp of hope grew inside me. But… “The workers in your office. And the police and other humans you work with. It’s not safe for me to be around them.”

“So don’t be. There’s no rush. Figure out how to handle it, and in the meantime, the Boss will keep you honest. We’ve got an investigation to finish together, right?”

Tank. I’d forgotten his ability to suppress my powers. I’d thought it an annoyance, but now it was a blessing. He could stop me from causing harm. And Pan was right. We’d taken care of Kevan, but the hateful masterminds who wanted all supers dead were still out there. Maybe I could have a purpose.
 

“And you?” I shook another layer of ice off my shoulders. “You’ll be in the most danger if you stay close to me.”

“You won’t hurt me.” Panther leaned down until our eyes were level. “And fair warning, this is about how close I plan to stay. I’ll help you deal with whatever you need to deal with.”

As warmth spread through my limbs, some of the ice melted. “Am I truly welcome here?”
 

“Valdís.” Panther touched my cheek. “Anywhere I am, I’ll make a place for you.”

“Call me Ivory.” I covered his hand with my own and heat soaked into my skin. “I need a fresh start.”

“You’ll stay?”

“Yes.” Where else would I go? I belonged neither with the ice people, nor with normal humans.

Panther understood what it was to be in-between. Both of us were too wild, and as a pair…we fit.

He offered me a hand. I was quite capable of walking on my own, but I didn’t want to when I could stay connected to him. As soon as he had me in his grasp, he growled and swung me off my feet. No man had ever been able to do that.

“Since we’re starting fresh, you might as well move down to the tenth floor. Better lighting down there.” Panther kicked open the roof door.

“Is that all?”

“No.” He lifted me up and crushed my mouth with a deep, deep kiss. I was breathless when we hit the elevator, and he only paused long enough to punch the button.

The doors almost closed on us three times before we stumbled into the apartment. Heat seared into me. Panther’s breath, his hands, everything was so warm. We finally fell onto his bed, tangling until he felt like a part of me. One I wasn’t willing to let go.

“I want you to stay with me.” Panther lifted onto his elbows. “I’m a possessive bastard, but I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you here.”

“Do I look like I’m running?” I arched up and planted a kiss on his collarbone.

“God, no.” He dropped and rolled, crushing me in his arms. “You look perfect.”

“Then we don’t need to talk anymore, do we, my Panther?” I stroked down his chest, over the taut muscles, so warm, so welcoming.

This was where I belonged.

He growled and flipped me again. This time, he sat on top, pressing me into the mattress. “I’ll be yours anytime.” Panther began unbuttoning my shirt. “But one favor?”

“Yes?” Transfixed by his fingers, I was in no position to refuse.

“Call me Balam.” He took my nipple between his teeth.

“Balam…” My spine arched.

“Don’t worry about overusing it.” He added a swirl of tongue and moved to feed at my mouth again. “My Ivory.”

So flushed and heated, the power inside me misted away. All that existed was the bed and my beautiful creature. My hunting partner. My lover. My balance.

I hadn’t known how empty I was. Now I overflowed.

“I will never let you go.” I spoke the words in my language, but a growl rumbled in response.

“Don’t know what it means, but you’re mine now.”

Yes. I was.

About the Author

Lola Dodge was forged in the suburbs, tested in the retail wastelands and reborn as a romance writer after several strong cocktails. Armed with her M.F.A. in Writing Popular Fiction, she travels the world in search of story fodder and men with accents.

www.loladodge.com

Twitter
@Lola_Dodge

Look for these titles by Lola Dodge

Now Available:

Manhattan Ten

Temptress

Kiss your powers goodbye.

Temptress

© 2012 Lola Dodge

Manhattan Ten, Book 1

Kidnapping a super-powered suspected felon from a Vegas bachelor party is another day at the office for Jenny Ray, alias Temptress. With one kiss, any naughty supe’s powers are hers. Except this time she’s caught by her mark’s boss, who’s no ordinary superhero.
 

It’s Thinktank, leader of the toughest hero crew around. One destroyed men’s room and near-toilet-drowning later, Jenny’s forced to steal an innocent hero’s powers.
 

For a super brain, Tank’s feeling pretty idiotic. First, he let Jenny close enough to get to him. Second, he’s helpless against the tide of desire that rises in him every time he kisses her. Which he’s doing a lot, since she’s trying to give him back his power—only it’s not working. As he shadows her on her various freelance casino security jobs, he realizes she’s no she-demon—she’s a time bomb. Her acquired powers are shredding her, body and soul.
 

As they give in to desire, a shadowy figure from Jenny’s past surfaces with a kidnapping plan of his own. Jenny will do anything—even level Las Vegas—to rescue the man she loves. But there may not be anything left of her when the dust settles.

Warning: Contains high-stakes poker, high-end cocktails, and high-flying over Las Vegas skies. Never drink and fly!

Enjoy the following excerpt for
Temptress:

“Robert Donavan, alias Steel.” The cuffs clicked. “I’m authorized to take you into custody under section three point eight of the Superhero Justice Act. You’re to be tried for the rape of one Miranda Hutchins.”

His eyes widened. With his super-strength, he could’ve snapped the chain, but he didn’t have the time. I lowered my mouth. As soon as our lips met, it was too late.

He gasped, but my power worked fast. I sucked in his breath, sifting through his life force until I sensed the glowing center of his being. His powers. Once I could feel them, they were mine.

Steel’s eyes rolled back, and he sagged against the bed. I left him cuffed and disentangled to straighten my dress and hair.

That was one obstacle down. Now all I had to do was get a three hundred pound lump of unconscious muscle past seven of his closest hero friends, out of the club and down to the station.

It was asking a lot, considering I was just freelance. But who else could do it? If they got to keep their powers, supers tended not to sit around and wait for trial.