Excerpt of A Love Untamed by Pamela Palmer

Fox strode through Feral House, his boots clicking on the hardwood floor, the golden fox head armband that had appeared during his first shift tight around his upper arm, his mind in turmoil. For days his gut had continued to whisper that same fecking word. Wrong.

And now he thought he knew why. Hell, everything was wrong. The situation at Feral House could not be worse. As he strode down the hallway, he saw Kougar coming out of the media room.

"Any news?" Fox asked. Kougar was a cold–eyed warrior with a mustache and goatee that made him look more than a little unapproachable. But he'd welcomed Fox warmly and given him no reason to think he wouldn't share whatever he knew.

"Jag and Paenther will be returning soon. And we may be able to cure the dark infection."

"That's brilliant."

Kougar plucked his goatee. "The Shaman believes that my mate, Ariana, may have the solution buried inside the wealth of knowledge in her head," Kougar continued.

"That's a bloody intriguing comment."

Kougar looked at him. "Are you aware that she's Ilina? The queen of the Ilinas?"

Fox nodded. "I heard. Which is another bloody intriguing comment. For a thousand years the world thought the Ilina's extinct." He cocked his head at the far more senior Feral. "You knew the truth."

"No. I only learned the truth recently."

"Where have they been all this time?"

"Most of them in the Crystal Realm, their castle in the clouds."

Fox knew he meant that literally.

"Ariana will be arriving momentarily."

Even as Kougar said the words, Fox smelled a whiff of pine, then watched, awestruck, as two petite beauties materialized out of thin air.

Ilinas.

The one was a pretty brunette dressed in jeans and boots and leather jacket. The way she looked at Kougar, with a lover's smile, told him she must be Ariana.

But it was the other one who caught Fox's attention and clamped her pretty little fist tight around it. Her hair as light as her companion's was dark, she was dressed in a timeless outfit that marked her a warrior—leggings and tunic that skimmed graceful curves, a knife hanging from the belt at her slender waist, golden hair falling in a thick braid down her back. She appeared as delicate as a doll—her head small and lovely, her nose pert, her mouth a pretty, petal pink.

But when she glanced his way, sapphire eyes pinned him, eyes as hard as blue diamonds, and suddenly she didn't seem delicate at all.

As their gazes held, his heart went still then began beating like a herd of spooked cattle. Fire leaped into her eyes, but not the kind of fire he was used to. There was no warmth in those sapphire eyes, no desire. Only a bright, cutting heat that promised to flay the flesh from his bones.

The beauty jerked her gaze from his, turning toward Kougar and his mate.

Hawke and Faith joined Fox. He hadn't even seen them enter the hallway.

"Amazing that they still exist, isn't it?" Fox murmured, unable to tear his gaze away from the Ilina. She was like a little spitfire, eyes snapping with anger, that pretty mouth twisted with annoyance. Still... "She's a fine thing, the blonde."

"That's Melisande," Hawke said quietly beside him.

Melisande. A lovely name for an intriguing woman.

"Apparently she tried to kill Lyon a couple of weeks ago," Hawke continued.

Fox glanced at him with surprise. "And he let her live?" His gaze returned to the female with a new appreciation. So she knew how to use that sword. No, not delicate at all.

"That was my reaction the first time I heard. It was something of a misunderstanding and they've called a truce of sorts. But the woman apparently has a chip on her shoulder the size of the South Pole when it comes to Ferals. That one's trouble with a capital T."

Sapphire eyes cut to him, then away again without an ounce of interest. Without a modicum of warmth. "Chips can be knocked off."

Faith snorted beside him. "So can heads."

Fox chuckled. "She hasn't met the right Feral yet, is all."

Hawke clasped him on the shoulder. "You'd have more luck taming a tornado."

Kougar turned to them. "Fox, Faith, I'd like you to meet Ariana, Queen of the Ilinas and my mate. And her second, Melisande."

The blonde scowled and he wondered if she was really as cold as she pretended to be. If he'd seen only her, he might wonder if that were typical of her race, but Ariana's eyes radiated warmth and love along with strength.

Melisande interested him mightily. His gaze dropped to her mouth, a paradox if ever there was one. At once hard enough to flay a man alive and yet shaped like a lover's dream—the bottom lip plump and kissable, the top sculpted in pale pink perfection.

"If you'll excuse me?" Ariana said after introductions were made, then turned back to Kougar. "Where's the Shaman? I understand we have work to do."

As Ariana started back to the doorway where Melisande and Kougar waited, Fox followed, turning on the charm. Could such a cold woman be charmed? The thought made him smile. It had been too long since any female had presented a challenge.

With each step he took, the woman grew more beautiful. Her skin was a flawless cream, as soft, he was certain, as her eyes were hard. Her lashes, a darker gold than her hair, perfectly framed those magnificent eyes. Her body, though small, was perfectly proportioned, her curves neither too slender nor too round. And his hands itched to clutch her waist and pull her against him.

As he drew close, her scent, of wild heather, teased his nose, nearly drowning him in pleasure.

"Melisande, is it?" he asked, drawing on the full force of his Irish upbringing. "A beautiful name for a beautiful woman."

Sapphire eyes snapped at him with disbelief, certainly not the usual reaction to his attention, but he played the game the way he knew how. He held out his hand to her, uncertain whether she would meet him half way and suspecting that if she did it would be with a huff or a roll of pretty blue eyes. Either would be fine as long as he got to touch her.

"I'm Fox, Melisande. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"That's what you think." Her voice was music laced with acid. She ignored his outstretched hand, her eyes narrowing as she smiled at him, but there was nothing pleasant about that smile. Hawke's words came back to him, that he'd have more luck taming a tornado, and it occurred to him that he might finally have come across a female who was immune to his charms.

"Mel," Ariana warned.

The petite blond flung her empty hand toward him as if it were not empty at all, as if she meant to toss a fireball in his face.

Instead, exquisite sexual pleasure rushed through his body on a blast so strong, so pure, that he nearly came right there in the middle of the hallway. On a groan, he arched his back, his eyes dropping closed as the pleasure roared through him, wave after wave of pure ecstasy.

When he could move again, his eyes snapped open and he straightened to find the most fascinating woman he'd ever met staring at him in wide–eyed disbelief, her mouth forming a horrified O.

A grin spread slowly across his face, his gaze locking with hers. The next time he felt that kind of rapture in her presence he'd be deep inside of her and she'd be screaming her release right along with him.

Go to hell shimmered in Melisande's eyes as if she'd heard his silent promise, her mouth snapping closed, once more tightening into a hard line. With a low growl of fury, the beauty disappeared, misting away.

Fox began to laugh.

"What did you do to her?" Kougar asked, clearly puzzled.

Fox shook his head. "I've no bloody idea."

"Watch your step," Ariana warned softly. "Melisande is a good person, but she has a violent and justified hatred of Therians. While she's obligated to honor my alliance with the Ferals, she's unpredictable. She won't try to kill you. But that's about all I can guarantee. And if you hurt her, even that's off the table."

"Point taken." But the grin hovered at the edges of his mouth, the pleasure still coursing through his body. He had no intention of hurting her. Not at all. What he had in mind would have her arching with as much pleasure as she'd just given him. And more. Far more.