The Love Spell

~ Chapter One ~

THE LOVE SPELL

Chapter One

Azura Myers woke with the sudden, shocking certainty that she wasn't alone.

Someone was in her house. In the bedroom. With her.

She could feel him, standing there, standing close to her. So close that she could hear the steady sound of his breathing.

Fear pumped through her. Her heart pounded and her hands began to shake.

Oh, my God. Oh, my God. She'd read stories about this. About men breaking into women's homes and attacking them while they slept.

She kept her eyes closed, trying to think, trying to figure out what the hell she should do. She could try screaming. If her neighbor happened to have his hearing aid in, then Billy would have a fifty-fifty shot of hearing her.

Or she could try to fight him. She'd taken a self-defense class at the Y. She knew how to go in hard and fast on a man's weak spots. Oh, yeah, she could fight. Eyes. Ears. Groin—

Then again, maybe he wasn't there to attack her. Maybe he was just a robber. Maybe he just wanted to steal her blind, and if she kept her eyes closed, he'd go away. He'd just go—

The floorboard near her bed squeaked, and Auria shot out from beneath the covers, screaming at the top of her lungs.

A dark shadow lunged for her, and a man's large hand slammed down over her mouth.

The guy was tall and well-muscled. She could feel his body pressing against hers. She threw her hands up, trying to press her thumbs into his eyes.

He growled and twisted away from her. Her nails raked across his face, and she lifted her knee, preparing to deliver as hard a hit to his groin as she could.

"Dammit!” His voice was a grating whisper in the darkness. “Stop it! I'm not here to hurt you!” He took a quick step away from her.

She stumbled back and reached for her nightstand drawer where she kept a flashlight. Billy had given it to her last Christmas. As far as weapons went, it wasn't much. But it was better than nothing.

"You don't need that,” he said softly, moving to turn on her overhead light. “I told you, I'm not here to hurt you. There's no need for you to be afraid of me."

She blinked, her eyes adjusting quickly to the sudden flash of light. When she got a good look at the man who had broken into her home, she knew she was in serious trouble. He was, without a doubt, the most dangerous looking man that she'd ever seen. Physically, his size alone was intimidating.

He had to be at least six-foot-two, maybe six-foot-three. His body was thick with muscles, his shoulders broad and strong. His medium length, dark brown hair was pulled back into some sort of ponytail at the nape of his neck. He had thin lips and a sharp, almost hawkish, nose. His light silver eyes were glinting and hard, and his jaw was strong, sculpted, and currently clenched.

He wore black leather—a heavy leather coat that clung like a second skin to his wide shoulders. Beneath the open coat, she could see that he wore a simple black shirt and a supple, black pair of pants that melded tightly to his powerful thighs. His feet were encased in high black boots, and a black belt wrapped around his waist. A wickedly sharp knife hung from that belt.

Oh, my God. Her gaze locked on the weapon. The knife was huge. And sharp. And the hilt was covered with jewels.

"Don't be afraid of me, Azura.” There was a plea in his voice. “I promise you, I'd never hurt you."