Wraith's Awakening (Para-Ops) by Virna DePaul Read Free Book Online Page A

dismiss that foreign emotion of fear and tamp down his rage.
    When he was assured of his control, Knox slowly turned and faced the human female he'd wanted to bite from the moment he'd seen her. She was dressed conservatively in a white oxford shirt and navy blue pants, her auburn hair pulled back into a tight ponytail. Taller than most females, she was neither delicate nor bulky. While most would consider her average in looks and sex appeal, Knox saw what most didn't.
    He saw the strength in her supple body.
    He saw her courage, her compassion, and her integrity.
    And at that moment, he saw the fiery sensuality that flared in her eyes before she banked it and stared at him with a practiced look of mild curiosity.
    Felicia had always tried to hide her attraction to him, but she'd always failed. Nevertheless, he'd abided by her wishes and kept his distance. But not anymore.
    Not-the-fuck-anymore.
    He didn't speak the words, but given the way her eyes widened, she'd guessed at his thoughts. Knox dipped his head in a courtly bow. “Hello, Felicia. Imagine running into you here.”

EXCERPT OF CHOSEN BY FATE (BOOK 2)

    AN ABANDONED WAREHOUSE WASHINGTON, D.C.

    Caleb's hands moved swiftly and efficiently as he set up the mobile radar equipment he'd spread out on the roof. The building below his feet had been swept and a perimeter established. Now all Caleb had to do was determine who was in the room with Mahone and whether Mahone was still alive.
    Briefly, he glanced at Ethan Riley, leader of Hope Restored Team Blue and the four men, skilled in entry and perimeter surveillance, who'd accompanied them here. “Did you get in touch with the Para-Ops team?”
    Riley looked up from checking his rifle. “They've detained the vampire Dante Prime. Devereux said he tried to teleport here, but he'd depleted his powers in Korea . . .”
    Caleb snorted. “No shit.” Although vamps could teleport to and from anywhere in the world, provided they'd been there before, that kind of travel drained them. Before he and the rest of the team had interrupted the Vamp Council to question Dante Prime for treason and conspiracy to commit murder, Knox had spent several hours teleporting between North Korea and the United States. Each time, he'd carried a wounded Other or one of his team members back with him. It was a wonder the vamp was even capable of talking at this point...
    His fingers moved faster. Almost there. Glancing at his watch, Caleb clenched his teeth and felt a bead of sweat trickle down his temple. He knew they couldn't go in blind but-
    “What about your wraith? Was she what you expected her to be?”
    Caleb paused for only a fraction of a second before continuing his task. “She's not my wraith. She's a wraith who decided to keep the name Wraith, just to be ornery. And she's exactly what I expected her to be.” What he didn't say was that she was also far more than he'd expected. A heinous bitch, yes, but one whose attitude and mouth was designed to hide something textured and complex and . . .
    Disgusted with himself, Caleb pressed his lips together and pushed thoughts of Wraith out of his head.
    Get Mahone out. That's all he could think about right now.
    “Finally!” Snapping the last wire in place, Caleb flipped on the power and adjusted the radar settings, then scanned the building's interior until the radar picked up body heat. “Bingo.”
    Caleb immediately zoomed the camera in and got a good look at Mahone.
    Dear Essenia, he thought, automatically invoking the name of the Earth Goddess to give him strength-strength he was clearly going to need to help Mahone. Although humans believed Essenia was an Otherborn deity, few knew Earth People-like the Native American tribe to which Caleb belonged-had prayed to the same deity for centuries.
    With his wrists shackled to chains hanging from the ceiling, Mahone looked like he'd gotten into a fight with a chipper machine and lost. His face and body were covered in blood, and what was