Full Moon Rising (Riley Jenson Guardian 1)

It might be the only chance I had to escape. I lowered my shields a little, feeling out the thoughts of the man still in the van. Unlike the guards at Moneisha, this man was shielded from psychic intrusion

I swore under my breath. That one fact would make escape more difficult. The only chance I really had now was if I could somehow get the man's attention and get him in the back of the car with me

And the best way to get a man's attention? Flash some breast, of course

I shifted a hand. Metal clinked against the metal again. Obviously, I'd been chained, and if the burning on my wrists and ankles was anything to go by, those chains were silver. I couldn't claim my wolf form until they were off

In the front of the van, the man stirred. I held still, waiting, until the squeaking of the seat indicated he had gone back to whatever he was doing. Slowly, carefully, I undid the buttons on my coat, then pulled up my sweater. Once my breasts were free, I flicked off the foul-smelling blanket and rolled onto my back. I kept my eyes closed, my breathing slow and even, as if I were still out of it

The seat squeaked again, then came a sharp intake of breath. Desire surged around me, a hunger as sharp as any wolf's

For several seconds, nothing happened. Then the van lurched as the man moved into the back with me. The scent of mint and death became so strong my nose twitched. Only with those scents came a feeling of wrongness. This man wasn't human, wasn't wolf, wasn't even a shapeshifter or vampire. He was something else, something I'd never come across before

And whatever he was, he was dying

The heat of him caressed my skin. His breathing was short, sharp, the smell of his desire so strong it stirred the moon fever in me

He stopped. I cracked open an eye, watching as he reached for me. His eyes were a muddy brown and filled with hungry intentness. Around his neck was a thin piece of wire - the psychic shield. Get that off, and his mind was mine

His fingers ran across my breasts, his touch hot and somehow foul. Bile rose in my throat, but I resisted the urge to move. He smiled, revealing teeth that were as pointed as any vampire's but stained black and rotten

It took me a moment longer to realize those teeth were actually extending. He was going to feed... on my breasts

I lurched up, chopping a hand across the windpipe with as much force as I could muster. He made a gargling sound, his eyes wide as he struggled to breathe

I gave him no time to think, no time to react, just ripped the wire from his throat, almost garroting him in the process. With the wire gone, I lowered my shields and surged into his mind, swiftly taking control

I thrust him back against the wall of the van. Pain burned up my wounded arm, and sweat broke out across my brow. There wasn't a lot of strength in my grip, and I was forced to switch hands. The chains chimed, jarring against the sound of the stranger's harsh breathing

Using my free hand, ignoring the increasing pain, I gripped his face and forced him to look at me. "Where has the other man gone?"

His voice was as flat and as lifeless as his eyes when he answered. "For a crap."

So I had maybe five minutes more, at best. "Where is the key for the chains?"

"He has them."

I swore softly. "Where are we?"

"In a rest stop near Seymour."

Which was only about forty-five miles out of Melbourne. Obviously, not enough of the elephant juice had gotten into my system, because I'd slept little under an hour. "Where are the keys for the van?"

"In the ignition."

"Move into the passenger seat."

He obeyed. I wiped the sweat from my eyes and knew from the pounding ache beginning behind my eyes that I couldn't hold that depth of control for much longer

I threw off the blanket and looked down at the chains. They were definitely silver, not metal, but luckily, they weren't tethered to anything in the van. They'd wanted to restrict my movements, but hadn't expected me to wake before they'd reached their destination. I pulled down my sweater, climbed into the front of the van, and started the engine

"Where were you taking me?"

"Genoveve, then Libraska."

The first name rang a distant bell. I'd heard it somewhere before. But at present, I didn't have the time to worry about it or to question him any further. I had to escape before the second man came out because I very much doubted if I'd have the strength to battle two of them

"If you've got a phone, give it to me."