Kissed by a Dark Prince (Volume 1) by Felicity Heaton Page A

want to let me have this chance to redeem myself. I can see it in his eyes.” She looked across the room at him where he was talking to the three male hunters.
    The air between them shimmered and Olivia gasped as Loren appeared right before her. The air behind him wobbled too and the other one appeared, the one who had looked ready to kill her the few times they had met.
    Sable drew her short collapsible crossbow from the belt of her black uniform and had it aimed at Loren before Olivia could react. The other three hunters sprang into action too, drawing their weapons and aiming them at the two elves.
    Loren stood before her, dressed in complete black scale-like armour that hugged every inch of his lithe body like a second skin. A black helmet covered most of his head, the top flaring up from a point above the bridge of his nose, sweeping back into serrated curved spikes that almost resembled a crown. The black metallic material obscured the lower half of his face, but she would recognise his blue eyes anywhere.
    His fingers flexed around the black sword he had drawn. His armour turned them into long jagged claws with sharp pointed tips that looked deadlier than the blade they gripped.
    Loren’s blue eyes met hers, a touch of warmth in their silent greeting, and the lower part of his helmet folded back to reveal his face, stopping when it had cleared his cheeks.
    She had forgotten how tall he was, but she hadn’t forgotten how beautiful. He stole her breath.
    The hunters behind them called for assistance on their communication wristbands and the alarms in the building wailed, dropping the room into red flashing light.
    Loren’s sensual lips peeled back and he bared his teeth. All blunt. He was masking what he was and she couldn’t blame him.
    He raised one hand, his claws flashing menacingly in the red strobe, and the alarms went silent and the lights came back on.
    Everyone stared at him, surprise written across their faces. She probably looked the same way. What powers did Loren have? Just the abilities she had seen him use so far were incredible and she had the feeling they were just the tip of a very big iceberg.
    Loren turned on her, his blue eyes cold now, his voice little more than a thick snarl. “Is this the greeting I was to expect?”
    Olivia raised her hand and lowered Sable’s weapon for her, and indicated for the other hunters to do the same. They didn’t. This wasn’t going to go well. If Loren felt threatened, his friend would attack to protect him.
    The male tossed an emerald green glare at the men around him, disgust written in every line of his handsome face.
    Olivia stepped towards Loren. “No, but we hadn’t settled the details regarding your visit and your arrival was unexpected... and you’re not exactly dressed in the friendliest way.”
    “You expected us to walk into this trap without weapons... pitiful mortal.” The man behind Loren sounded just as gruff and vicious as he had the time he had barged in on her and Loren back in the castle. He went to draw the black blade hanging at his waist.
    Loren placed his hand on the male’s arm. “We are not here to do battle, Bleu. Remember that. Our quarrel is not with these mortals.”
    He sheathed his own sword and released Bleu.
    “I apologise for the manner of our arrival, Olivia. We had not agreed a time and I had concluded my business, so I felt it provident to come here so that we might begin our tests.”
    Olivia stared up at him. No one in this world spoke like Loren. He sounded antiquated, a constant reminder of his incredible age. A cute sort of reminder. She liked how he spoke all formally and rigid. All noble and princely.
    Her bosses came forward, the three male hunters flanking them, leaving the doctors to stare at Loren and Bleu from across the room.
    It struck Olivia again how tall the elves were, towering four inches over the tallest of the men in the room. They were slighter than two of the male hunters, but Olivia knew that