Games Demons Play (Mystic Isle, Book 3) by Selena Blake

to
find a car exactly like Gorgeous before your friend finds out she’s
missing, right?”
    Izzy’s good mood burst like a soap bubble.
She blew out a sigh and looked around for a place to sit. An
elegant wooden bench sat just on the other side of the casino
entrance. She made her way over and sat down, dropping her head in
her hands.
    Shade rubbed her back and she leaned against
him.
    “You are right. Gorgeous is a rare car. She
cannot be replaced easily. Every piece of a Bugatti is custom. The
tires: specially made. They even have their own pe — oil. And it is
not like the factory mass-produces the car.” She stood up, paced
across the hall and back.
    “Right.”
    She sighed. “There’s a yearlong wait list
from what I have heard,” she said, staring down at the polished
tile.
    “There is.”
    “And each year, the car is different.
Improved. Gorgeous was four years old. How will I find her
twin?”
    “I have a guy looking for her twin.”
    She turned and looked up at him.
“Really?”
    He nodded.
    “You are, what is the phrase? One in a
billion?”
    He smiled and nodded.
    “You are one in a billion, Shade
Sotenburg.”
    “Joshua.”
    She frowned.
    “My given name is Joshua.”
    She stretched up and kissed the corner of his
mouth. “I think Shade suits you.”
    He kissed her full-on, cupping her cheek in a
warm palm.
    When he pulled back, she felt thoroughly
kissed. Happy. Content in a way she had not been in many years.
    “How long until I must sign up for the
tournament?”
    He glanced down at the expensive watch on his
right wrist. “Three hours.”
    She nodded. “Come. I need a cocktail… and to
tell you something.”
    She laced her fingers with his. They started
down the long, wide corridor, passing shops and restaurants.
    She ordered a house cocktail from the
handsome man behind the Tiki bar, then led the way to a corner love
seat behind a massive potted palm tree.
    “You shared with me,” she said when they were
settled. “Now I will share with you.” She wanted to see his
reaction to her words so she turned, tucking her knees. “I told you
I am two. Valencia turned me. I was in Paris. It was late. I
thought I was safe.” She tried to forget the wolf’s face. Tried and
failed to forget her fear. Over time she had become numb to the
story, telling it quickly and without fanfare.
    But staring at Shade, watching his eyes
search hers made it hard to keep the past away. His concern touched
her.
    “What happened?”
    “A werewolf attacked me.” She kept her voice
low, barely above a whisper.
    His frown was immediate, but there was more
to his expression. Despite his species and size, Shade was gentle
in the ways that counted. But that gentleness did not stop him from
cursing and then glancing around the room like he would punch the
first werewolf he saw.
    The waiter brought her drink and she murmured
her thanks.
    Shade’s jaw was tight and she could feel the
tension coiling in him. Reaching out, she placed a hand on his
arm.
    His gaze swung to hers. “Did he rape
you?”
    She nodded. “Yes.”
    He swore again. There was a long pause while
he stared at her. What was he looking for?
    “What aren’t you telling me?”
    Izzy looked away, seeking courage to face the
memories.
    “He —” No. She couldn’t go into detail. Not
now. “He left me for dead. Valencia said I should have died. I lost
so much blood. But she was able to turn me,” she said brightly.
“And here I am.”
    “How can you stand to be around them?”
    She could not deny that she watched for them
everywhere she went. Constantly sniffing the air, she was on
permanent alert. Even here on Mystic Isle where the rules forbade
any type of violence.
    Yet with Shade at her side, she felt calmer.
More relaxed than she had during her previous visits.
    “I should have been gentler with you, mausi . Forgive me.”
    Her jaw dropped in surprise but she quickly
closed her mouth. “You do not need to be gentle with me. I am
moving