Enduring Retribution e-book by Kathi S. Barton Page A

shuddered. She didn’t blame him. Trolls smelled bad and their eating habits were horrendous. He told her he would honor her request, as would all the other beings.
    “I thank you. Now, I’m sorry, but I must go. I have to get back to another…I’m on an assignment.” She shifted into her falcon and left him standing on the hillside. He looked at her oddly as she flew away, but she was too busy to think about what it might mean.
    She flew back to the alley and gathered up what she could from the first man’s scent to find the woman that they had been discussing. After throwing the piece of shit into the dumpster, she shifted to wolf and followed his scent back to the lair he had shared with the target.
    The woman’s body, another vampire, had been tortured beyond any hope of her being brought back, Bailey was saddened to see. She reached for the master again and told him of the grim discovery and where to find the body. He said he would make sure that things were cleaned up before the police were notified by a nosey neighbor, and he thanked her again.
    Bailey took the next flight to the United States. She was in serious need of down time. Her body ached and she was tired beyond what she had been for some time. She told Griff to not take any more assignments for a few days. He agreed that she needed to rest as well.
    She decided to take a long, hot bath when she got back to her house. She pulled her hair up in a sloppy knot on top of her head as she stepped into the warm water. While lying there, she thought of the pool she had seen at Tristan’s home and how lovely it would be to sink down into its depths right about now.
    Then her thoughts turned to his body and the way it felt pressed against hers, his mouth moving over her throat, down along her pulse. The way his blood had tasted to her, the richness of it, powerful and dark. She wondered how his mouth would feel on her skin, how it would feel to have him inside of her. Suddenly realizing where her thoughts were taking her, she jumped out of the tub and quickly dressed in her favorite jammies.

    ~CHAPTER TEN~

    She was in her kitchen stirring the cocoa in the warmed milk when Tristan entered her house. He could smell her, the fragrance she had used in her bath, the lotion on her skin. Tristan could even smell her arousal, hot and spicy.
    Tristan slipped up behind her and wrapped his hand around her waist with the other around her mouth so she wouldn’t scream. Startled, her hand went to the weapon that wasn’t there.
    “Don’t, Bailey, it’s me, Tristan.” His cock hardened when he pulled her to him.
    He ran his hand up and down and around her waist and settled it over her belly, pressing her back into him. His mouth was moving slowly down her neck, nipping as it went. Her body, already relaxed from her bath, softened more as he touched her. When he felt her lean back into him, she pulled away and moved to the other side of the kitchen. Tristan reached over and turned off the burner under the milk.
    “I’m sorry. I’m sorry about everything.” He looked down at her pants, a pair of loose-fitting flannel lounge pants that tied at the waist, her bare feet peeking out from under the legs of them.
    The design nearly made him laugh, for they were a contradiction with their wearer. They were daisies and bunnies on a bright pink background. The top, a bright pink sleeveless t-shirt with a dead bunny on the front was more to her temperament. The shirt was tight, and her breasts were bare beneath it. As he stared at them, they swelled and tightened, and her nipples puckered and pushed hard against the material. His breath caught and his heart slammed against his chest.
    When he looked at her face finally, he saw his own need and wants staring back at him.
    “Come to me, Bailey. Now. Come to me.”
    She didn’t hesitate but launched herself into his arms, wrapping her body around his, legs at his hips and arms around his neck. He caught her to him and turned to