The Darkening by Robin T. Popp Page B

Lexi ignored them as she continued down the street, her focus on following the leprechaun's scent as it mingled with the smells of roasted nuts, hot dogs and car fumes.
    She had to give the little guy credit. Even drunk, he certainly covered a lot of ground in a short period of time. She was starting to feel a little winded and couldn't help wondering how Darius was doing. A quick backward glance showed he was keeping up.
    When the trail turned down another alley, Lexi knew the little man was getting tired. Without realizing it, he'd just turned down a dead end.
    Slowing her stride to a walk, she focused on her other senses and was rewarded when her lupine ears picked up the faint sound of heavy panting. Her quarry wasn't too far ahead of her now.
    "The trick in dealing with leprechauns," Darius said softly beside her, "is you must never give them time to think about what they're doing."
    Lexi understood what he was telling her and moved into a trot as she followed the scent down the alley. There was a Dumpster up ahead, and she paused beside it to listen. A scurrying noise behind a nearby overturned box drew her attention, and she pounced on it.
    The impact of her foot against the box sent the little man scurrying out. He was so intent on keeping an eye on her that he didn't pay attention to how close he was to the wall. He hit it with bone-jarring force and for the second time that night, bounced off and landed on his back. This time, Lexi didn't give him a chance to roll away from her. She pinned him to the ground with her paws, teeth bared and growling.
    Darius appeared and slipped a golden cord around the little man's neck. "That should hold you," he said.
    Darius was holding the cord loosely in one hand, and before Lexi could growl a warning, their prisoner jumped up and threw himself at the wall again. This time, some of him actually went through, but his head, neck and shoulders stayed behind, anchored by the cord.
    "Ye can't hold me," the little man said in a heavily slurred voice. "I'll disappear." His laugh sounded like a cat coughing up a fur ball, and Lexi, even in wolf form, wanted to roll her eyes.
    The leprechaun struggled to loosen the golden cord from his neck, and when that didn't do any good, he began hopping around, pulling back on the rope, looking much like a bass on the end of a fishing linemouth open wide as he flopped around on the ground.
    Darius held firmly to his end of the cord and watched the little man's attempts to escape with unveiled amusement. "He's not going anywhere," he said to Lexi. "You can change back."
    He turned his attention to the sleek black wolf watching him so intently with those light gray eyes. Even in this form, she was stunning.
    He knew he should look away, but he couldn't resist the temptation of watching her morph. With the air still shimmering around her, she was a vision to behold. Her long dark hair fell around her like a sheer veil, accentuating her figure. His hands itched to hold the full weight of her breasts; his thumbs ached to stroke the dusky rose nipples that had beaded against the slight chill in the air. Her slim waist made the gentle flare of her hips all the more inviting, and Darius let his gaze travel down the length of her, pausing briefly at the dark curls at the apex of her thighs, and then traveling further down to the long length of nicely toned legs. Darius couldn't move, lost between awed reverence and thoughts of what it would be like to crawl between those legs.
    "Saints almighty, but she's a rare one."
    Startled from his thoughts, Darius furrowed his brows and glared at the leprechaun, who was also staring at Lexi. Feeling Darius's gaze on him, he looked up and winked. "I wouldn't be minding taking her for a wee ride."
    Darius yanked on the cord, jerking the leprechaun forward until the small face connected with his fist. "Don't look at her."
    The leprechaun clutched his nose, yelling obscenities. "What the hell? You can't tell me what to