EMBRACE ME AT DAWN Excerpt by Shayla Black

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EMBRACE ME AT DAWN EXCERPT

“Lucan?” She pressed a hand to her chest, stunned.

He merely nodded at her. “I see we’ll be starting at square one.”

“What are you talking about? What the devil are you doing?” She frowned. “We’re not starting anything. Where’s Marrok?”

He shrugged, his black T-shirt clinging to his lean frame and broad shoulders, outlining every ripple of his pectorals and abdomen. Her mouth went dry. He’d always looked fit and masculine when they’d been mated. Now he looked so incredibly male. Virile, formidable. Like the warrior he’d become.

“With Caden, presumably whipping Duke’s arse back into shape. A few days away with the humans to try to contain the Morganna situation and…” He shook his head with faint regret. “No one here gets a break for any reason. That should probably be your first lesson.”

She wrapped her arms around herself, thoughts flying. It wasn’t as if she’d asked for a break; she’d begged to be here. But Anka refused to start an argument with Lucan, even if he seemed to want it. “Lesson? I’m waiting for Marrok or Bram, so we can start my training. I certainly wasn’t expecting you to sneak up on me and attack. Don’t do that again!”

A grim smile lifted his mouth—one she’d seen curl up in joy, turn down in sadness, open to her with passion before he took her lips in a tender kiss. This caustic expression was one she’d rarely found him wearing. “You’ll be waiting forever on them. I’m it, love. I’m your trainer. Over the next weeks and months, I’ll come at you at any way I damn well wish to make you learn, and you don’t get to tell me no.” He raised a sharp brow. “Still want to be here?”

Anger pricked her, followed by horror. What the devil was going on? Anka shoved her confusion aside and focused instead on quelling the hurt that Lucan clearly didn’t want to be here with her. “You’re my trainer?”

Lucan simply smiled. The expression wasn’t nice.

The ground fell out beneath her. “But Bram said—”

“What you wanted to hear. I drew the short stick, love. If you’re determined to fight Mathias, I’m the one who’s going to teach you how. Unless you’d like to quit.”

His tone told her that he’d ten times rather she gave up. That’s what the old her would have done, whatever he wanted her to do. Now? She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him, one brow raised.

“Bram has a sick sense of humor.”

“I won’t argue with that,” Lucan quipped.

“I’m not quitting.”

Impatience crossed his familiar, dear face. Being this close to him filled her with a longing that almost made her knees give way beneath her. Anka drew in a deep breath. This weakness wouldn’t help her fight Mathias. She had to focus.

“Pity, but as you pointed out earlier, it’s your choice. That’s your only choice, though. Everything else is my call. Remember that, love. Do as I say or quit. Are we clear?”

“You’re being a bastard.” And somehow his hard attitude was arousing.

“Is that a yes or a no?”

She gritted her teeth. He’d always had a frustrating stubborn streak. Apparently, it had grown during their parting.

“Yes,” she hissed.

Lucan smiled smugly, and she fought to stifle her anger. He wanted her to get mad, goad her into losing her temper, so he’d have a valid reason to refuse to train her. Figuratively speaking, he’d shoved her to her knees and forced her to heel. It annoyed the piss out of her.

She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, painfully aware of the fact that his attitude also made her wet.

Damn it.

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