Stealing Hope [Midnighter Seductions 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  Midnighter Seductions 2

  Stealing Hope

  An ancient portal quietly reopened the day the Mayan calendar ended, but it wasn't the "big bang" ending of the world as predicted. It will, however, change everything for Hope Laroux.

  Researching localized stories for her thesis is what brings Hope to New Mexico. There she learns the legends of ancient hunters like Midnighters and Chupacabra are, in fact, truth, not fiction.

  When she`s kidnapped by two seductive Midnighters and taken through a portal into their world, she allows herself to pretend in an ever-after love she never thought she`d find. Until she learns they don`t plan on ever letting her leave.

  Falcon and Wolfe steal Hope away in the middle of the night to protect her from their ancient enemy, the Kimil, creatures locals know as Chupacabra. They know she was chosen by the gods for them, but can they convince her to give up everything she’s worked toward for a chance at a legendary love?

  Genre: Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Paranormal

  Length: 52,324 words

  STEALING HOPE

  Midnighter Seductions 2

  Corinne Davies

  MENAGE EVERLASTING

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

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  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting

  STEALING HOPE

  Copyright © 2013 by Corinne Davies

  E-book ISBN: 978-1-62242-949-3

  First E-book Publication: April 2013

  Cover design by Harris Channing

  All art and logo copyright © 2013 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  Letter to Readers

  Dear Readers,

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  This is Corinne Davies’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. Davies’s right to earn a living from her work.

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  DEDICATION

  For my Banga and Grampa who taught me what a life time of loving your soulmate was like. They argued occasionally and laughed all the time. He surprised her with kisses when she wasn’t looking and held her hand whenever they were together. After a long painful separation, they were finally reunited on the other side of the veil. I miss them both but I’m so happy they’re back together.

  STEALING HOPE

  Midnighter Seductions 2

  CORINNE DAVIES

  Copyright © 2013

  Chapter One

  There was something to be said for silence. Falcon leaned back against the frame of the building behind him and lifted the bottle in his hand to his lips. The ice-cold beer helped to soothe his parched throat. It reminded him of a similar drink they had back home but on Earth it wasn’t as sweet. The summers in this part of Earth were hotter than he’d ever experienced. He rarely unbraided his hair here. Keeping it all tied back was much cooler. He and his fellow warriors were making great progress on the building behind him. They’d hired a local company to grade the driveway and parking lot. The contractor had suggested laying a paved parking lot, but Jag and Rock had decided not to. They wanted to keep the area around the portal as natural as possible. All the machinery in this world was so damn loud and disruptive.

  “Hey, you okay?” Rock stepped next to him and leaned back against the building. “Do you and Wolfe need to go home for a while?”

  “No, we’re both fine. We’ve only been back for a couple days.”

  “Perhaps your tolerance deteriorates the more time you spend over here?”

  On his home dimension of Lu’um all of the warriors were highly in tune with the energies that flowed through their world. They drew strength and stamina from it, but coming to Earth was like trying to breathe in an atmosphere that didn’t contain as much oxygen as he needed. You could get used to it, but it drained you after a while. Rock and Jag, their Nohchil, their leaders, had set up a rotation so no pair of warriors had to spend too much time here.

  “I don’t think so, Nohchil. Blade and Thunder spend more time over here than Wolfe and I and they’re not having any problems.”

  “We’re still learning, Falcon. Every warrior is different, and stop calling me that.”

  Rock and Jag had recently accepted the mantle of true leadership when they claimed their Noonsa Atan, Destiny. But neither he nor Jag wanted to be treated differently than before and they tended to get grumpy when anyone reminded them of their new position. Of course that meant they all did at every opportunity. The warriors were a select group of men who’d been born to protect their world and share one woman. They believed that sharing a woman would ensure her safety. If one of them fell during battle then she and any children wouldn’t be left alone unprotected. But their world had changed since the original legends were written. There were still violence and battles outside their Kaah, their city. The Midnighters’ gifts had evolved as well. They had relied on brute strength and primitive weapons to fight. Now, they were able to manipulate the natural energy of their world to protect and fight.

  According to the legends, now that the portal had opened, their Atans would be irresistibly drawn here, but in the last nine months only Destiny had arrived.

  “It’s not the energy. Working so close to the portal helps with that.” He tilted the beer to his lips and took another swallow. Lifting his Stetson from his head, he wiped the sweat from his forehead with his arm and then put it
back on. “I don’t know if I can explain it. I feel like something is going to happen. Only, I’m not sure if it’s a positive event or if I should be worried.”

  A large smile curled Rock’s mouth, an unusual occurrence from their normally stoic leader. “Be afraid, my friend. Be very afraid.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Falcon wasn’t in the mood for cryptic comments. But before Rock answered, the large smile melted from his expression.

  “Wolfe, why are you carrying my Noonsa?”

  Falcon turned and saw Wolfe coming toward them carrying Destiny. She rolled her eyes and smacked Wolfe on the chest. “Because, he suffers from the same delusion that you all do. You all believe that I am unable to walk on the two feet that have served me well for over twenty-five years.”

  Falcon knew better. He and Wolfe had been having fun flirting with Destiny since the first day they set eyes on her. They both knew that her whole heart belonged to their Nonchil, but it was too much fun getting Rock and Jag riled up. It’s what got them sent to this side of the portal in the first place.

  He pushed off the wall and took a step toward her and Wolfe. “You’re safety is of the utmost imperative to us. I’d hate for you to get a sharp rock in those partially covering shoes you insist on wearing on your delicate feet.”

  “They’re called flip-flops, Casanova, now, stop trying to piss my hubby off.”

  Hubby? He met Wolfe’s expression, but his warrior brother didn’t have a clue what Destiny was talking about. There was still a lot they were learning about Earth and its sayings. They understood and spoke the language, but some of the cultural sayings they didn’t know or understand yet. She gave Wolfe a look and he immediately put her feet on the ground.

  Destiny skipped over to Rock, her feet making little flopping noises in her shoes. At least the name fits.

  “I figured out the perfect name!” Rock easily caught her when she leapt up at him. She wrapped her legs around his waist and Rock cupped her ass with his hands. Falcon wanted to find a woman of his own to share with Wolfe, one that would also jump into their arms when she was excited. Although, he was starting to believe that Destiny was one of a kind.

  After the Cha’an, the claiming ceremony, it took six Raxka to ease the mindless sexual hunger they’d felt. As enjoyable that night had been, both he and Wolfe agreed that something had been missing. It was like seeing the sun but having to be content with a bright light afterward. That restless longing had only increased in the past months as they waited. There was no guarantee that the next woman to cross their paths would be for them.

  “Name for what?” Wolfe asked as he came up next to Falcon and slapped him on the shoulder. Falcon pulled himself out of his thoughts. Wolfe was right, brooding wasn’t going to help.

  “For the club! We’re going to call it ‘Midnighters.’ It’s perfect. Eddie has been telling me all about the legends and you guys fit the bill. Big, bad, and tough, with a habit of stealing women away to your home, without asking first.”

  “You were unconscious, Noonsa. I couldn’t ask.” Rock pressed a quick kiss against the tip of her nose. “I don’t hear you complaining now.”

  “Of course I don’t complain. I have two sexy Midnighters all to myself.” She turned to Wolfe and Falcon. “Have they told you the rest of the plan?”

  “A bit.” Falcon thought it was a strange idea, but whatever helped them in this quest he was all for trying. “I don’t see how dancing is going to attract more Atans.”

  “Because you and the other warriors are going to be the dancers. There are enough strip clubs out there for men. Why can’t we have one for women? It will bring women in droves and then while you are dancing it will be like the ook’at. You dance and your Atan won’t be able to resist you.”

  “I don’t think I like the idea of bringing one of our private ceremonies to this world for public viewing.” Falcon knew that Wolfe was a flirt, but he was also very much a traditionalist. “Don’t you think that will attract more Kimil, Rock?”

  The Kimil were their sworn enemies. The creatures had been lying in wait on this planet for a millennium looking for a way back into their dimension. They were an evil race with an endless hunger for living energy. Feeding from humans was the easiest source, but feeding from an Atan would make them almost invincible. In this world they were called Chupacabra, but most people didn’t believe in their existence.

  “The Kimil know we are here already, or at least they sense the portal has been opened. The Atan will be drawn here as Destiny was and I don’t want to put them in that kind of danger.”

  Destiny laid her head against Rock’s chest and hugged him. “I’m fine, big guy. You and Jag saved my life and made me happier than I ever thought possible.”

  A large SUV came down the drive and stopped close to them. Eddie waved at them through the window and they all waved back. Eddie was the first person they’d met here on Earth. At the time he’d been a violent alcoholic and they’d helped him heal from his disease. He’d been their greatest support and source on information in learning about Earth.

  “Thank you for the drive, Eddie.” Jag got out of the vehicle. “Are you coming home with us tonight?”

  “Nah, I haz ta do a favor for a friend and pick his niece up at the station. I’ll be there tomorrow.”

  “See you later, my friend. Be safe.” Jag shut the door and Eddie waved at them all and turned the SUV around.

  Falcon’s gaze was drawn to the stark black lines that covered Jag’s arms. Rock had a matching set as well. The warriors all had markings on their arms that matched their brothers’. But where his and Wolfe’s looked like shiny new skin, Rock’s and Jag’s had turned black during the Cha’an when they’d claimed Destiny. As their in’tialóox, their third, her skin had changed as well. Her marks were a delicate match to her men’s. Where Rock’s and Jag’s were black, hers were an iridescent complement to her skin.

  “Hello, Noonsa. I missed you.” Jag pressed a quick kiss against Destiny’s smiling mouth before Rock lowered her enough that her feet touched the ground. She wrapped her arm around Rock’s waist and leaned her head against Jag’s arm.

  “Falcon, Wolfe.” Jag nodded at them both. “You accomplished a lot today.”

  “Thank you, Nohchil,” they answered in unison, gaining a glare from Jag while Destiny giggled. Falcon winked at her and she rolled her eyes at him.

  “We were discussing the ramifications of this idea,” Rock stated. “We’ll always have at least eight warriors here to stand guard around the area. If this attracts Kimil, then it’s easier to kill them.”

  “That’s a good idea, but how often would this have to happen?”

  “It can’t be a regular thing, because we want the biggest draw when we do it,” Destiny answered. She’d told them a long time before she’d worked in this business and had a good idea what to do. “The rest of the time we’ll run this like a normal dance club and only be open on weekends. I think we can carry enough business that way to stay under the radar.”

  Falcon knew no one cared if this place made any money. They’d discovered that a simple rock that was much too soft to be of any use on their world was very rare on Earth. It wasn’t difficult to exchange a few ounces at time for local currency. Their focus was drawing the Atans there and taking them back to Lu’um where it was safer, before the Kimil got their hands on them.

  Destiny poked her finger against Rock’s upper arm. “You’re looking like you’re getting pink. When’s the last time you put sunscreen on?”

  Rock frowned and shrugged. “I may need you to rub some more lotion on me.”

  “Good thing I picked up some aloe vera at the store. Let’s get you home.”

  The Earth’s sun emitted a specific ray that was absent in their world. Many of them had learned the hard way how painful a sunburn could be. He and Wolfe had gotten in the habit of coating every spare inch of skin before venturing out in this world. They said their good-byes and the trio headed into the
building and to the secret entrance to the portal. Falcon already felt better that there was a locked door between any unwanted visitors and the portal. Not only humans. They’d captured a terrified wildcat on the wrong side of the portal once. It’s had taken three warriors to subdue the cat enough to get her back to Earth and the kittens she’d been separated from.

  Falcon’s thoughts were disrupted again when Wolfe took the beer bottle from him and downed the rest of it. “It looked like it was getting warm,” he said by way of an apology. Not that Falcon really cared. He’d give his life for his warrior brother if it was needed.

  “I’m glad you’re here to save me from the dangers of warm beer.” Wolfe grinned and held his arm out. They clasped arms for a moment. “There is something out there, Wolfe. I can’t put my finger on what it is, but I don’t like it.”

  “I know. I asked Blade and Thunder if they had felt anything, but neither of them have. Blade said that Rock and Jag felt the same way in the hours leading up to Destiny’s arrival.”

  Falcon stood up straighter. “Do you think that is what this might be?”

  Wolfe shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m almost afraid to hope. What if something gets to her first?”

  “We’ll destroy it and claim our Atan. The moment we find her we snatch her up and take her home.”

  “That didn’t work out as well for Rock and Jag if you remember.”

  “But they’re happy now.” Falcon scanned the horizon, hoping he would see a small female figure in the distance. Our Atan is near and I can’t wait to get my hands on her.