Frozen Heart of Fire by Julie Kavanagh Page B

none would know of his pain.
    “She’s in the Cave,” Noah told him as they both turned right and proceeded down the slight slope towards the darkest bar of the club. Each level, each section of the club had a different theme, the Cave was the lowest level and two floors below where she had been spotted. It was shadowy as Noah and Joshua descended down two flights of stairs toward their prey. This being Valentine’s Day, huge pink hearts adorned the walls and hung from the ceilings, highlighting the romance of the day.
    “There, that’s her.” Noah nodded at the slight figure perched on a tall stool, her back facing them.
    What’s she drinking? Joshua sent a deep thought to the barman, one of his clan, who could read the energy sent his way.
    Water, but she wanted it to look like an alcoholic drink, Aden replied.
    Joshua smiled. As he slowly approached her, he noted how she sat, who sat around her, and her possible escape routes. Two large men lounged at each of the three exits, their determined eyes watching the woman’s moves; she wouldn’t get past them. Joshua nodded at Noah as they took seats on either side of her.

Chapter Two

    “Let me buy you a drink.” Noah smiled into her pale face as she turned at the sound of his voice.
    “That’s very kind of you, but no thanks.” Her voice was soft, but told of living nowhere near there. She wasn’t local, which would explain why she hadn’t announced herself to the staff.
    “Please, let me get you a drink.” Noah leaned in closer, knowing his brother listened intently, breathing in her energy, absorbing knowledge about her.
    “Thank you, but no thank you.” Eva’s voice dropped its niceness and she thrust a little burst of winter chill at the good-looking man with the awesome eyes. He was definitely her type; she liked them dark and his face was the best she’d seen all night. Wasn’t it a shame she was working, she may have enjoyed spending a little time with him, particularly on an evening like one. Wasn’t it typical that she should be working on the most romantic day of the year?
    “Surely, another glass of water wouldn’t hurt?” Another voice, deep and cold, demonstrated he knew what her glass contained.
    If she’d thought the first man was good-looking, she hadn’t seen anything yet. The voice came from her left and she spun in her seat at the sound of his darkly delicious tone. He was grinning, a smile that didn’t leave his lips and failed to warm up the coolness of his dark eyes. If she thought the first man was handsome, then she needed to rethink her levels of gorgeousness. Yes, this man was beautiful, with a mop of dark hair and a face that belonged to an angel.
    She knew this man, recognized his face from the many photos she’d scanned. This was the man she’d been warned to avoid and she realized, all too late, that the first man was the younger brother, Noah who managed the club and oversaw the clientele, which meant the man she stared at was Joshua Ravenwood—her most fearsome enemy.
    “What are you?” Ravenwood asked, his tone expecting no lies, no refusals.
    “I have to go.” Eva slid off the high stool, but before her feet could touch the floor, the elder Ravenwood, caught her arm. His fingers dug deep into her flesh, preventing her escape, his palm hot on her skin even through the thickness of her jacket.
    “I asked you a question.” He leaned in toward her, his breath warm on her neck and his words demanding an answer.
    “I came here for a quiet drink. Is this how you treat your customers?” Eva snarled but she could see he wasn’t fooled. She’d been warned of his acute ability to sense minute details; to know the wrongness of a situation without knowing why.
    Joshua’s smile didn’t fade as his determination increased. He still couldn’t determine her kind—her clan—but there was something about her which touched something deep within him. She seemed pretty enough, her short hair a mess of pointed