Too Dangerous to Desire by Alexandra Benedict

of two bodies, his breath scarce, his arms weak and numb. A hard stab of knuckles to the lower back sparked in Adam a devastating spasm, crippling him for a moment, making him faint.
    The gun.
    Adam could see the pistol, the metal luminous under the raging glow of fire. Trapped under a heap of bodies, the confusion great, he managed to maneuver an arm and recover the weapon.
    A shot rang out.
    One fiend yelped and rolled backward, clutch ing the bleeding wound at his shoulder.
    Adam aimed for the other villain, but he missed, the pistol knocked from his hand again. Still, the interruption afforded Adam an oppor tunity to gather his wits and strike at the rogue sitting on top of him.
    A solid jab to the nose cracked the devil’s bone. He sputtered, the blood oozing from his nostrils.
    Adam shoved the brute away. Unfettered from the clinging devils, he dashed into the darkness, away from the suffocating smoke, and toward the spot he had last seen Evelyn being dragged away.
    “Evie!”
    But she was gone.
    Frenzied, Adam shouted her name once more.
    But only the splinter of wood and the lash of flames as the cottage crumbled were heard.
    “Adam! ”
    Adam whirled around and spotted a group of spooked and tethered horses.
    And then he saw Evelyn.
    A henchman was struggling to haul her across one of the mounts.
    Adam rushed toward the grappling couple. Dizzy, his body cramped, he didn’t care that he was in poor condition to engage in fisticuffs. He grabbed the villain and dragged him from the horse. Evelyn tumbled, too, shrieking.
    But a swift punch to the jaw didn’t even daze the fiend. He in turn knocked Adam to the ground and straddled him before he reached for Adam’s throat. The devil squeezed, sucking the breath from Adam’s lungs.
    Adam could feel the blackness encroaching.
    At the sound of Evelyn’s cries and rasping cough, Adam gathered his remaining strength and aimed for the one part of the villain exposed to him.
    He shot his fist right at the man’s cock.
    The scoundrel seized.
    One more knock across the head with his fist, and Adam had rendered the devil insensible.
    “Evie.” Adam gasped and massaged his tender throat. “Are you all right?”
    She was wheezing.
    Bright spots dotted Adam’s eyes, for he, too, was gasping for air. He crawled over to Evelyn, reached out for her . . .
    Adam opened his eyes and peered into the darkness, the shadows in the room taking shape.
    Where was he?
    He lifted his head to better explore his sur roundings, but the spasms in his skull pressed him to keep still.
    He was dizzy and weak. Blood dripped from the wound at his temple into his eye, blinding him for a moment. He blinked to brush away the moisture.
    What had happened?
    He was drained of energy. He tried to move, but something cold and heavy prevented him . . .
    Adam was stripped to his trousers, chained— and hanging.
    He clenched his teeth to gird against the in tolerable abuse. He was suspended from a beam, wrists bound in shackles. His toes touched the ground, but the sharp stinging in his shoulders had him gasping for air.
    His memories a blur, Adam concentrated on the ghostly sights and sounds storming his weary brain. Flashes of light, screams filled his head. Heat scorched his skin.
    There had been a fire . . . at the cottage . . . and a fight . . . Evie!
    “Evie.”
    Adam rasped the name, his smoke-stained lungs burned and dry. Fresh torment pumped through his blood, making him restless, eager to find Evelyn.
    “Evie is not here.”
    The rough voice came from the shadows.
    Once more Adam lifted his head, dismissed the spastic pulsing to explore the blackness. “Who are you?”
    “I am Dmitri.”
    The shadow shifted.
    Adam focused his watery gaze on the moving darkness, but his vision was a blur; he could not make out the villain’s face in the dim light.
    “Where is Evelyn?”
    Another bout of vertigo brushed over Adam, and he lowered his head to release some of the biting pressure. He had to stay