Angel/Hiss (Bayou Heat Box Set Book 7) by Alexandra Ivy, Laura Wright Page A

Indy?”
    She didn’t make him wait.
    “Yes, Angel,” she breathed. “I’ll be your mate.”
    He buried his face in the curve of her neck, breathing deep of her scent of wildflowers.
    “Thank the Goddess.”
    “But…”
    He growled, giving her skin a light nip before he lifting his head to study her with a wry smile.
    “Why did I know there was going to be a but?”
    “I can’t stop my mission until every lab has been found and destroyed,” she said, her expression settling into stubborn lines.
    “I know,” he said. And he did. This woman had been held captive, tortured, and experimented on. The only way she would be able to make sense of her life was to bring an end to the bastards who’d treated her as an animal. “As long as you accept that you don’t have to be Wonder Woman anymore.”
    She snorted, a wicked smile teasing at her lips. “I would never fill out Wonder Woman’s outfit.”
    His gaze lowered to the rounded globes of her breasts that were tipped with rosy nipples. His mouth instantly watered.
    He hadn’t devoted nearly enough time tasting those tempting buds.
    “You’re perfect. You’re beautiful and courageous and loyal and…” His words trailed away with a husky groan as her fingers at last closed around his aching cock.
    “And?” she teased, scattering kisses over his chest.
    “Mine,” he rasped, grasping her leg to tug it over his hip, leaving her exposed for his cock to slide into her with one steady thrust.
    ***
    Stanton polished off the last of the gumbo he’d sent the guard to pick up from Chelsea’s favorite restaurant. In the back of his mind he knew it was a mistake to prolong this encounter. Not only because it made the inevitable parting even more painful, but because every minute he was in her presence he risked exposing her to his master.
    But when had he ever allowed logic and common sense to clutter his mind when it came to this woman?
    It was at last Chelsea who brought an end to his afternoon of insanity.
    Collecting their plates, she moved to place them in the sink before turning to watch as he rose from the table.
    “You haven’t told me why you’re here.”
    He allowed his gaze to drink in the beauty of her fiery curls surrounding the perfect oval of her face. A face only made more beautiful by the scars that proved she was a survivor.
    “New Orleans has become too dangerous to continue our research here,” he said, grimacing at the enormous loss of property they’d suffered over the past week. In total he’d been forced to burn four labs and two homes.
    This one would be next.
    Chelsea arched a brow. “You’re afraid the Pantera might at last hunt you down and rip out your heart?”
    Stanton shrugged. He wasn’t stupid. He knew the beast-men would shred him to tiny, bloody pieces if they ever managed to get their hands on him. Thankfully, the Pantera had been happy to remain hidden in their swamps so long he’d been able to create several layers of security around his various businesses, including emergency evacuation plans.
    Still, the fact that they now had him on their radar meant he could no longer take unnecessary risks.
    “They have become a…” He searched for the appropriate word. “Complication.”
    Chelsea gave a sharp laugh. Unlike Stanton, she’d developed an inability to dismiss the Pantera as mere test subjects. And that, of course, had been her problem.
    Once she saw them as people with feelings and dreams instead of just creatures, she’d been unable to continue with her research.
    “A very dangerous complication,” Chelsea taunted.
    “They won’t be able to stop us,” Stanton said with genuine confidence. The animals were dangerous, but they weren’t nearly as tech savvy as he was. “But for now we’ve transferred our patients to our other labs.”
    She frowned. “I thought your master was convinced that Hiss would be the answer to all his troubles.”
    Stanton hesitated, abruptly knowing where the conversation was