Snippet Saturday ~ Fear

Welcome to another Snippet Saturday! Today's theme is Fear. Check out my excerpt and then hop along to the other blogs! Sorry I can't be more chatty, BFF is in labor!

The man who vows to protect her may be her biggest threat.

Savage, Book 1

Being the daughter of a world-renowned scientist, Sienna Peters has struggled to carve out her own career in the field. But her world is sent spinning when she discovers a secret species being held in the lab where she works, and the horrible things being done to them. Compelled to do more than hand off an information-packed jump drive to her father, she sets out to free the creatures.

The minute his team enters the compound, federal agent Warrick Donovan knows their mission will have more trouble than they bargained on. Unfortunately, trouble comes in the form of Sienna Peters, the younger sister of his close friend. Now not only does he need to save her pretty ass, he needs to discover just how involved she is with the imprisonment of the shifters.

Sienna knows she should trust no one—not even the man she might still love. But as the danger escalates and past passion ignites, her heart has other ideas. Even when the shroud of mystery is ripped off more than one stunning truth…

Warning: Must love alpha males, be intrigued by federal agents who may or may not shift into wolves, and most importantly be prepared for intense action of the dangerous and sexual kind.

Coming this Spring!

EXCERPT

The creatures inside the cell continued to howl and scream as their bodies contorted. Fingers splayed out at awkward angles, stretching longer and longer, while joints grew thick and gnarled. Hair poked through the human skin covering the—oh God it was a wolf. The smell in the hall was rancid with sweat and human waste…animal waste.

Her heart stuttered at the sickening scene, and she wasn't even aware that she'd stopped fighting Warrick, but now clutched his shirt in fear.

Unable to close her eyes, Sienna watched as another creature appeared to shift back into human form, the fur on its body retracting as smooth dark skin appeared. And the change kept happening to all the creatures. Obviously uncontrollable, inexorable and agonizing. They were human, and yet they were animal.

Her gaze connected with one of the creature's—a woman—inside the cell, and the glaze of pain in her stare had everything inside her clenching with compassion and helplessness.

"I'm taking the tango outside to the van," Warrick said.

Her body jerked as he kicked open a door, his shoulder digging into her stomach. Then the door swung shut and the inside of the lab disappeared. But what she'd seen had been burned into her mind—she couldn't get rid of the image.

Warrick's grip on her tightened as he lowered her back over his shoulder and to the ground. Before she could get her balance or take note of their surroundings, she was forced up against the side of the building.

She welcomed the rough brick surface against her bare shoulders. It jarred her back to reality a bit. The slight chill in the night air added to the goose bumps that already covered her, but the proximity of Warrick's hard body radiated a heat that reminded her this whole situation was entirely too real. What she'd seen was real. She swallowed against the nausea that now threatened.

Warrick's arms came down on each side of her head and his face closed in on hers, his expression fierce, any trace of softness from earlier long gone. She blinked, trying to gain her surroundings, to calm herself, to form a clear thought.

"Tell me, Sienna. What the hell are you doing here tonight?"

Her heart couldn't seem to slow from its erratic pace. In a daze, she shook her head, trying to suck a breath. "It's not possible…things like that just can't exist."

He laughed mockingly, even as something hard—frightening—flickered in his eyes. "To the rest of the world, they don't."

"I…oh my God, Warrick, I don't feel so well." Her body started to tremble and she shook her head. "I need to get out of here. I need to get out of here! Warrick, let me—"

"Hey." Warrick caught her chin in gentle hands and forced her to look at him. "Look at me, Sienna. Come on, look at me. There's a good girl. You're all right."

She stared into his eyes, almost hypnotized at the intensity and firm conviction in his gaze. The reassurance and calm that Warrick had always been so good at giving. He stroked his thumb in a gentle caress down her cheek.

"You're all right, Sienna. Okay, sweetheart? Take a couple deep breaths. You're fine."

And suddenly she was. His familiar, gentle voice and reassuring words sucked the fear and anxiety right out of her. It was the closest she'd been to a panic attack in years.

Her muscles lost the tension she'd been holding and with each slow breath she dragged in she became more aware of everything. The smell of freshly cut grass and the scent of Warrick's soap. The sound of the suffering creatures inside, mostly muted by the thick brick walls of the building.

"Better?"

Sienna gave a heavy nod to Warrick's soft question. "How did you find out about them, Warrick? Those creatures? Are your friends going to hurt them?"

"Are my friends going to hurt them?" The gentleness in his expression vanished, replaced instead with disbelief as he leaned his face closer to hers. "My friends are on a damn rescue mission from whatever the hell kind of evil your employer was behind."

A flush of guilt stole up her neck and she averted her gaze. She couldn't exactly deny his accusation. But what did Warrick mean by rescue mission? And who were the other guys who he was communicating with?

Feeling much calmer now and a little more in control, she asked, "How did you know they were here, Warrick?"

Warrick stared at her, his gaze narrowed with consideration. The intensity of his stare had her squirming and her gaze shifting away from his.

"You didn't answer my question, Sienna."

"I'm here for the same reason you and those men are. To set them free."

Her admission was met with silence. A sliver of unease moved through her and she turned her head to glance back at Warrick. If his gaze had been intense before, it was downright intimidating now. Even though they'd grown up together, and she knew instinctively he'd never hurt her, a shiver of fear ran down her spine.

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