Lauren Dane‘s de la Vega Cats series is one of my favorites. When she offered to share an excerpt of Beneath the Skin, the latest installment, I was thrilled.
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de La Vega Cats: BENEATH THE SKIN by LAUREN DANE
Copyright 2012, Lauren Dane
All Rights Reserved, Samhain Publishing
He didn’t bustle in. Didn’t barge or storm. No, Gibson de La Vega seemed to melt into the space. How he did that and still managed to be a total badass she had no idea. But it made her a little dizzy. He moved like a male on a mission, his gaze taking in every corner, every place anyone could be standing or hiding.
But when that assessing gaze caught on hers, it was like everything held its breath for a moment. She had to gulp at the immensity of the way he looked at her. It was more than the usual shifter gaze. This male was big and dangerous, but hot damn was he delicious.
That gaze moved from her face down to the place where her leg had been doctored up. He frowned, moving to her. “Are you all right? Shouldn’t you be resting?”
She shrugged, fighting shyness she didn’t know the origin of. “I’m fine. I’ll be healed tomorrow. Missed the bone and all major arteries.”
“It’s not acceptable.”
It was a laugh that surprised her then. She couldn’t help it. He was offended by how she healed?
“Well, that’s tough. It’s how I heal.”
That gaze again, those deep brown eyes boring a hole right through her defenses. “The getting-shot part. Not the healing part. Silver is hard on even the fittest shifters.”
“Oh.” She wiped sweaty palms down the front of her jeans, wincing when she got near the wound. “They didn’t use it. It was 9mm ammo. No silver.”
He cocked his head. “I wonder why that would be?”
Dario shifted. “What’s their game?”
“A good question for our prisoner. Where is he?”
“Here.” She indicated the closet. “He’s in there.”
“Can you lock up? I don’t want anyone wandering in. I need to…question him.” He did stalk this time, right up to the closet.
She threw the locks on the one door she’d left open. She’d closed up shop a few minutes before, not wanting to have to explain why they had someone tied up and held in a broom closet.
She was steady. Alert. Holding herself together well. He couldn’t imagine too many other shifters who’d be doing so well after being shot.
Admirable.
And even so, Gibson seethed with rage. It wasn’t something he did very often. But the very idea that this female had been injured by anyone, much less this trash of Bertram’s, was offensive beyond the pale. Shifters didn’t go to war with other shifters. Not now when they faced such big outside threats. They should be standing together, not shooting women. Not harming this woman.
Her brother, that much was easy to deduce given the strong resemblance, nodded his way. “I’m Drew.”
He didn’t hold a hand out though. He showed his neck and averted his gaze, accepting Gibson’s dominance. So very unlike his sister in that way it nearly made Gibson smile.
Instead he nodded.
Dario grinned and tipped his chin. “Hey, Drew.” Dario looked back to Gibson. “He’s dating my sister.”
He thought he recognized the face from a few jamboree events of late.
“Let’s get this trash taken out.”
Drew opened the door, and the male jaguar was still tied up but was conscious and pulling at his bonds. Gibson reached in, grabbed the rope and hauled him out, tossing him on the floor nearby. “Who are you and why are you here?”
The jaguar just looked up at him.
Gibson sighed and leaned back against the counter. “I have no plans to scare you with threats. I will shoot you if you don’t answer my questions. That’s not a warning, and it’ll be the only time you hear it before I unload a few bullets into you.”
Fear bled into the guy’s eyes. Good. Fear was useful.
“You shot one of my cats. You also shot me. What’s the purpose here?”
“My name is Hal Pepper. I’m acting on my own.”
Gibson pulled his weapon and clicked the safety off.
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Lauren has generously offered to give one copy of Beneath the Skin away. Leave a comment for a chance to win!
This book is available from Samhain Publishing. You can buy it here or here in e-format.
