Fatal Sight (Harbingers Of Death Book 2) by LeAnn Mason (book club reads .TXT) 📕

Angling my head to the side, I opened my mouth wider, suckling his lip and pulling the supple flesh into my mouth before gently biting.

The kiss became almost frantic as we grabbed for more of each other, arms roving, pulling, squeezing, as if we were attempting to occupy the same space, to become one.

“Ahem.”

The vehement throat clearing from nearby brought our lust back down to manageable levels, though slowly. Returning to our faculties, grips loosened, heart rates and temperatures normalized, but our minds were clouded and hazy. I was still wet but far from cold. Blinking my eyes open, I stared into Seke’s chiseled face as I became aware of the murmuring.

“No way, I’m not getting in there. You couldn’t pay me enough to physically break that up.” Revulsion was heavy in Raven’s voice.

Some of the heat dissipated at the sound of her disdain, but I couldn’t tear my eyes from Seke’s inviting hazel.

“I’ve never seen him like this.” Ember sounded almost impressed.

A satisfied smirk curled up Seke’s mouth, and I flushed all over again, knowing I had put it there.

“We need to get a move on. Time is of the essence, isn’t it?” Cole growled.

“That is what Aria indicated,” Torgny replied.

The use of my name, reminding me of my role as leader here and of the dire mission — my mission — finally had me blinking out of my daze. “They’re right, of course,” I murmured quietly, though my traitorous fingers were still sifting through Seke’s facial hair.

I knew what we needed to do, but physically removing myself from Seke’s strong embrace was proving more difficult than I cared to admit. By the conflicted look lingering on his previously stoic face, I surmised that Seke struggled as well.

“Of course.” And with great effort, the Egyptian god stepped back, his glorious arms falling from my body, and his solid chest breaking contact with mine. The shadows dripped away, exposing our unimpressed audience.

I began to shiver again. Except, this time, I couldn’t contribute my wetness to its cause. Well, at least not the wetness that our onlookers can see.

I needed to redirect. Shaking off the moment, I plastered a beatific smile on my face and asked brightly, “So, how did you like riding Torgny, doggy-boy?”

A few minutes later, the whole crew was ambling through the doorway of a local bar, the first eatery we identified in the area. It was just as well because there would be plenty of noise to cover any conversation we had but also dim enough lighting to hide most of our features. Ordering a round of drinks and some greasy food to accompany the booze, we crowded into a corner booth.

The bar seemed to be a good place for tourists because it was full to the brim with loud people, both in voice and attire. The women wore skimpy dresses in wild colors, many of which sported large island flower prints, while the men didn’t seem to know how to button their equally wildly printed shirts. Every one of them was completely shit-faced.

You know that point when you’re sloppy? Where you’re loud and giggly and can’t stand on your own? Yeah. There. One shot away from rushing toward the bathrooms but puking on the floor instead. If any of us had been wanting a quiet booth to discuss things, we’d have run screaming from this place. Luckily, that was not the goal. So when the waitress returned, we each dove in, not worrying much about keeping our voices down.

You must always consider your surroundings and do what you need to blend in. Standing out in a crowd is a sure way to ensure that everyone remembers you. Makes it easy to follow your movements. Be vague in words, confident in movement, and sound in mind.

Translation: do what those around you are doing without giving away your true nature or intentions.

No problem. I took a hearty guzzle of my beverage before joining the conversation. I hadn’t been much of a drinker before I joined the HDPU because I couldn’t let down my guard. But now, even though I still had peeps trying to catch me, I had a whole team of supes to watch my back. In theory, anyway.

“Okay, so we need to decide how we’re planning to get to Bermuda from here and if there are any bread crumbs we can follow once we arrive that won’t burn us,” Cole started.

“Do we know anyone who frequents Bermuda we could maybe call on for a favor?” Ember asked sagely.

“We don’t do many retrievals in the tropics,” Gunhilde replied with a shake of her auburn head.

I put down my glass. “I may know someone.”

“You? You know someone? Since when?”

“Raven,” the HDPU members admonished the snippy shifter in unison — very team-like.

“Well, after you guys evicted me from the prison unit, I bounced around a bit.” I played like it hadn’t affected me, but by the pitying looks from everyone else at the table, they obviously didn’t believe my nonchalance. “Anyway,” I plowed on hurriedly so they wouldn’t feel the need to bring up past baggage between us. “I met Charon with the HDWU. Maybe they’d be willing to help out.” As much as I didn’t want to experience another upchuck session, it made sense to ask for their assistance — even if I’d bailed after just one retrieval.

“Nuh-uh. Nope.” Raven’s black hair swished through her drink as she shook her head.

Cole agreed. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to pull more Harbingers units into this mission if it’s not sanctioned.”

Ember nodded. “That plan would be a great way to ensure we never make it to Bermuda in the first place.”

“I know Charon. And I believe you know his crew, including a hellhound by the name of Stone?” Seke asked, directing his comment toward his team.

“Jess knew Sena,” Ember said quietly. I almost missed the words they were spoken so softly. “She would have loved it here. So much sexual energy. She’d have feasted.”

The table