Excerpt of Dark Harmony by Lilly Cain

"I thought we were going for a walk," she said.

He looked back at her, amused. "Helena, you don't want to do this in an alley, do you?"

Her heart pounded wildly. There was no mistaking what he meant. "Not really."

The cab ride was swift, most of it lost to his heated kisses. As his tongue thrust into her mouth, she opened her lips for him and let the sensation wash over her. Cascades of sparks danced down her body until they pulsed at her hot clit. When had she become so wanton? She wondered at her behavior even as she allowed his hand to slide up her skirt.

"I never do this sort of thing," she gasped.

"I know."

God, the way he smelled, like cloves mixed with saffron and musk. She wriggled closer to him. His fingertips grazed the lips of her pussy. She could have ripped off her clothes then and there, but the cabbie spoke up to tell them they'd arrived.

The local Hilton had never looked so inviting.

"I've got a room." His voice rang deeper than ever, its low peal humming down her spine.

His steps as eager as hers, they dashed to the elevator. The instant the sliding doors closed, he pulled her to him. His long-fingered hands cupped her ass through her skirt and his mouth devoured hers again. She stroked the taut, lean muscle of his back. She couldn't think. His mouth left hers to kiss and lick a path to her throat, and she groaned aloud with need. He nipped at her neck and the quick pain made her gasp. Desire flooded her senses.

The elevator doors opened with a chime, and they stepped out as one, their bodies pressed as tightly together as possible while still managing to rush toward his room. Helena's mind was reeling. She staggered off-balance as he let go for a moment to unlock and open the door to his room. Why was she so dizzy? She put a hand to her throat and felt wetness. When she looked down at her hand, she saw blood.

"I'm bleeding." Her voice caught in disbelief.

He grabbed her arm, wrenching her through the open door and into the dark room.

Faster than she thought possible, the door slammed tight and the lock clicked shut.

"I'm bleeding!" she said again, louder, panicked.

"I know." He pulled her hand to his mouth and licked at the blood on her fingers.

She wanted to scream, but couldn't. The heat of his mouth and the sound of his soft moan froze her in his arms as the room whirled around them.

As his tongue rasped her fingertips, her heart pounded again and not from lust. It was so damn dark in the room, she could barely see a thing. Only a crack of light from the bathroom door and the faint glow from the half-draped window allowed her to glimpse his face. His cold eyes glittered with the tiny amount of light. She felt odd, sick. She tried to pull her arm away, throwing her weight away from him, but he didn't budge. Her attempts to pull away from his awful licking were useless. His height and strength, so arousing earlier, were terrifying now. Worse, as she scanned the shadowy room for some weapon or way to escape, she caught a movement.

They weren't alone.

She opened her mouth to scream, but it was covered quickly by a hand, not Darien's. Behind her she felt the brush of another body, female, perhaps. As she struggled harder, two other bodies pressed against her. Hands ripped at her clothes. It was like the crowded dance floor at the bar, but more violent. Glimpses of the men and women surrounding her flashed in the available light. Gleaming eyes, soft lips, long hair, they were beautiful, and they laughed at her.

Her blouse tore under their touch. Darien released her hand and pressed his lips to her throat, softly licking and kissing her skin. His heat burned against her fear, and her body responded despite the shock of what was happening around her. The confining hand dropped from her mouth. Her lips parted and he kissed her. The dizzy, confusing fear receded as he stroked her now-bare breasts. That scent of crushed cloves was sharp, and she stilled in his arms.

What the hell was wrong with her? She was being molested by a group of psychotic fashion models, and she should be screaming. Instead, it had to be the most erotic and exciting thing she'd ever experienced. It was as if she were watching some strange pornographic film, wildly sensual and a touch frightening, but it was okay because it wasn't really happening to her. She stood naked now in their hands, uncertain as to when or how she'd lost her skirt. She could no longer look away from Darien's eyes. He pinned her gaze with a heat that held her entire body still.

"This is my pack, Helena. They need you like I need you. You're so beautiful and responsive. Relax. Enjoy this. You were meant for this. Your body was designed to delight the senses." He nuzzled his lips over her cheek and breathed in deep against her skin. "Your skin is like silk. You smell like sin. And you taste so good. Soon you will be completely mine."

Her fear became uncertainty. His voice sent shivers down her spine, a path immediately followed by the sensual caress of a stranger. Relax? And yet she was no longer on her feet. They were lifting her to the king-sized bed at the center of the room. The breeze caused by their moving bodies caressed her naked skin. Despite her confusion she was wet, and, she realized with a sort of dismay, she was aroused enough to want what was happening, whatever it was. She'd never experienced the kinky side of sex.

The soft bed now under her, they crowded around her in the darkness as Darien stood aside. They spread her arms and legs open on what had to be raw silk sheets, the nap of the silk so soft it made her skin seem rough. The shadows hid their exact number, and Darien's spicy scent was mixed now with others. The blended scent seemed to pour over her skin, and even through it. With every breath she took she became more aroused and less caring of the strangeness of it all. Soft moans of appreciation and the hiss of clothes being discarded gave her hints of those that were moving around her.

They never let go, but her urge to run seemed to have evaporated under their hot touch. In fact, she was perfectly still, waiting for their first touch. She felt hot and wet, her nipples so hard they ached. No one moved and she squirmed, just a tiny bit to ease the ache low in her body. The anticipation drew a shudder from deep inside her.

That was it, the movement they must have been watching for, a signal that she wanted this.