Nick and I were both eyeing the last piece of pepperoni pizza. I slapped my right hand into his lap and caressed the length of his cock, distracting him while I scabbed the slice with my left. Hey, it was from Trecaso's.

He pried my hand off, but was laughing as he settled for a slice of mushroom and onion. Brad dropped another six-pack on the coffee table, and we all helped ourselves.

"So who's the new guy?" I waved my pizza in the direction of the kitchen where the man in question was sitting with the rest of our group.

"Indor Brackston. Moved into the old Anderson place a couple months ago." David spoke with his mouth full.

"Indor?" I slanted a look around the coffee table.

"Family name of some kind. Haven't quite gotten a straight answer out of him." Evan reached for another slice of pie while he spoke.

"I thought we got garlic bread." Dryden levered himself off the floor and headed into the other room.

I licked my fingers and slouched back onto the couch. We'd be heading out for the evening in about an hour. This was our planning time, figuring out who was going to work with whom, and where.

We weren't always this formal, but there'd been a rash of preternatural activity in the area, and that's what we did. Something that we were just drawn to, or drawn into. Had been that way most of our lives.

Nick slapped his hand on my chest, and if I didn't know him so well I'd have thought he was copping a feel.

"Can I see it?" His hand was already going for the neckline of my shirt.

I didn't help, just watched as his hand disappeared under the fabric. The knife he was going for was hanging in the center of my chest. I didn't quite manage to keep from jumping when his fingers slid into my bra, and cupped my right breast.

"Hey!" Not that I didn't enjoy it, but God only knew where Nick's hands had been.

"Just returning the favor," he said as he rolled my nipple, then moved his hand to the blade.

"Ass." Though I couldn't keep from smiling.

Nick snapped the blade and let it drop out of the tip sheath into his hand. "This is sweet." He studied the knife as he weighted it in his palm. "How's it throw?"

"Like a wet dream." It was the nicest blade I'd ever owned. The composite metal held enough silver to take care of the nasties, without my having to forfeit too much tensile strength. Its unique triangular shape caused it to fly like an arrow when thrown.

"Hey, Bailey, Corellis, you two are stuck with each other tonight." Reynolds scooped up the empty pizza boxes and headed towards the kitchen.

Nick slid the knife back into its sheath, then took his time replacing it inside my shirt.

I slapped his arm when he cupped my other breast and squeezed. "Hands off, Corellis."

He leaned into me, his hand still on my boob. "You know you want to."

My heart fluttered in my chest. Yeah, I wanted to, had wanted to ever since I'd lost my virginity to him, on a dare, a decade ago. But the man was a player. Had commitment issues, as far as I could tell. Hadn't ever had a girlfriend, but never lacked for company. "Not if you were dipped in Lysol."

His eyes darkened, dropping to my lips and staying there. We both noticed when my nipple beaded against the palm of his hand.

A wicked grin curved slowly over his lips and I held my breath. The rumble of conversation faded into the background as my awareness narrowed down to the man in front of me. He lowered his face until his lips were a whisper away from mine.

"I've dreamt about tasting you again." His voice was husky as he closed in for a kiss.

I dropped to my back and rolled off the edge of the couch, coming to a stop in a crouch facing him. I was vaguely aware of money changing hands between the rest of the group around us. Rolling my eyes, I straightened, then stood looking down at Nick.

"Come on, hotshot, let's go collect our toys."

Nick followed me to my house, then parked next to me in the garage. I swung out of the cab of my pickup and trotted inside, pausing only long enough in the kitchen to grab a beer.

I made a quick side trip to my bathroom for the ointment, some gauze, and an ace bandage, then I headed for my armory. It's really my office, but I've got more weapons in there then anything else. Hell, I've got some of everybody's weapons here. We all left supplies at each others' houses so we'd always have something familiar to work with.

Nick strolled in, beer in hand, and headed for the cabinet where he stored his stuff.

"Can you give me a hand here a moment?" I held out the first aid supplies to clue him in to what I was asking for.

"Sure." He set his beer down on top of the desk and removed the supplies from my hands.

I pulled my T-shirt off, then turned my back to him. "Unhook the bra."

The back of the bra came apart and I shrugged it off my shoulders. I felt his hands, warm on my sides, then he stepped into me, curving his fingers over my breasts, while he nipped a path along my shoulder to my neck.

I leaned into his hands. At first to move the wound on my back and shoulder away from his chest, then momentarily forgetting myself as his fingers teased my nipples, and his lips and tongue caused shivers to race over my skin.

One of his hands started to track down my stomach, wrenching me out of the haze of lust that had settled over me.

"Just change the dressing." I'd meant to sound hard. Or at the very least indifferent. I don't think I managed either.

His hands were unmoving, one covering a breast, the other just inside the top of my jeans. We'd flirted off and on over the last ten years. Hell, I flirted with all the guys to some extent. To tell the truth, most of it was just in good fun, I'm not sure that the guys on the team ever thought of me as a girl.

Nick shifted closer, his chest brushing the wound, and I was momentarily blinded by the flash of pain. I concentrated on my breathing, trying to will away the burning sensation.

I hadn't been paying attention. Even with the pain I should have kept an awareness of what he was doing. He'd worked his hand down between my legs, and was preparing to stroke a finger inside of me. Christ. "What is wrong with you?" I tugged on his arm, unable to budge it. He'd never gotten this out of hand with me since I was sixteen. Might have had something to do with the fact that I'd stabbed him the next time he'd tried anything.

His finger plunged inside of me, causing me to jerk back against his erection.

"Nothing some hot sweaty sex won't cure," he breathed against my neck.

I felt my resolve weakening as he worked his magic in my pants. My body melted against his, my wound forgotten as he brought me closer. He bent his legs and pressed the hard ridge of his cock into my butt, as he added a second finger, his thumb brushing over my clit. I don't know if I would have caved or not. Right then I heard a couple of the guys talking as they came down the hall towards the office.

Nick cupped my sex, and for a moment I thought he intended to continue, audience or not. Then he sighed, and drew his hand away, stepping back to pick up the antibiotic cream. I bent over and placed my palms on the top of the desk, just before Dryden and Armo walked into the room.

Nick peeled off the old dressing, then sent Armo into the washroom for a soapy cloth.

"You haven't been changing the dressing often enough," he scolded.

"Kind of a tough spot for me to work." I shrugged.

Dryden was digging through one of the drawers along the wall. "You got any weapons you wouldn't mind loaning to Indor for a couple of months until he can get himself outfitted?" He pulled up several pieces, glanced at them, then dropped them back into the drawer.

Armo returned with the cloth, and Nick gave me a heads-up before he pressed it to my wound. I gritted my teeth, and still a grunt escaped me.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "Shouldn't have turned your back on a demon to begin with."

"If you'll remember, it was his pet that did this," I groused.

He used the other cloth that Armo had brought to rinse the soap off, then patted the area dry. I didn't have to look to know that the three men were exchanging glances. I'd been out with a guy that had only been hunting with us for a couple of months. Didn't really know him, but everyone he'd hunted with said he did a good job. Until he'd been paired with me.

We'd come upon a demon and his erkat stalking a couple of teenaged girls. James had done everything right for the first part of the fight, but I lost sight of him when the demon had focused on killing me, instead of fighting the two of us at the same time.

I had the demon down, and was digging in my pouch for the saltwater mixture that I'd developed, with a little assistance from a mage, to eradicate the remains, when the erkat swiped its talons across my back. I was quick to dispatch the ugly little pet, doused them both with my mixture, and waited until there was nothing left of them.

James had also disappeared and, as far as any of us knew, he'd never been seen again.

Of course, we knew the demons didn't have him. We'd checked. Beyond that, we had no idea where to look.

Nick coated the cuts with the special ointment our wizard had concocted, placed the gauze over the entire mess, then wrapped the ace bandage around my middle to hold it in place. Ending high enough that his hand brushed the bottoms of my breasts.

When he was done, I flexed my back to make sure it was going to stay in place. I happened to glance at the other men when I turned to find my shirt. I almost shook my head when I saw that Dryden and Armo were staring in fascination at my boobs.

"You'd think you guys never got to see breasts." I tugged my shirt over my head.

"Not like those." Armo stated, shifting his feet, making me wonder if he were reacting to the sight. You know, down there.

"I was just checking out the knife; it's a new one." Dryden turned back to the drawer now that I was covered up again.

"And you guys wonder why we never get any new women on the hunt with us." I did shake my head then, and opened the cabinet where I kept some of my older stuff. I dug through it, and found a boot sheath and an older dagger. It was a nice dagger, but the newer ones were lighter and easier for me to use.

I also found some silver-tipped darts and a belt pack for them. After considering the other items on the shelves, I added a pouch of bluent a local witch prepared for us--not that there'd been that many rogue fae lately, but we'd have to supply the stuff to the guy anyway. I also threw in half a dozen vials of the saltwater mixture we used to dispose of the bodies.

Dryden was dropping all the items we were handing him into a soft leather duffel.

"You got any iron in there yet?" Armo was holding a custom Benchmade push dagger. Flipping through the other items on the shelf, he found the its sheath. "I've got a boot sheath for it." He tossed the two items to Dryden, who plucked the blade out of the air with one hand while he snagged the sheath with the other.

"I think we've got enough." He zipped the bag closed. "You two hear about the lamias working the college bars?"

"I thought David and Russell were working that sector tonight." I was pulling out my own weapons and strapping them on while we talked.

"Armo and I are working it with them, we're just not sure four of us will be enough. I've got a feeling there's going to be more of them then we're expecting."

"Has anyone talked to Reinhold?" Nick finished buckling his back sheath, then slid a fourteen inch custom sawback into it.

I wondered when Nick had gotten the knife, but didn't bother asking. He wouldn't tell me anyway, let alone tell me who was making this stuff for him. I finished strapping on my knives. I had a dagger strapped to my right ankle, a Dieter/Ray fixed blade on my right thigh, and a set of Colt throwers on my left upper arm. Add the neck knife and my back dagger, and I was set for blades. At least for tonight.

I clipped on my inner pants holster for my Glock, and my ankle holster for the Taurus PT22 that Nick had given me when I got out of the hospital last. I grabbed a couple of spare mags, and clipped some darts along my waist over my left hip.

Since Dryden was talking about the number of lamias out, I threw a dozen of the special vials into a padded fanny pack, then I had to reclip the darts to the strap on the pack.

Figuring I was ready to go, I made eye contact with Nick and raised an eyebrow at him. He nodded, and we both turned to the door at the same time.

"Call us if you need help at the U," I shot over my shoulder as we left.

* * * *

Nick and I had been patrolling the northwest quadrant of the city for three hours when the call came in.

"Christ, Nick, I don't know where they all came from, there's got to be a couple dozen of them, at least." Armo shouted so loudly I could hear him.

Nick hung up, shot a glance at me, then smiled. "Couple dozen lamias just showed up at Mike and Terry's."

"Who called us?" I turned in my seat for a better look at Nick's face.

"Armo."

"How many of us is he asking to the party?" Nick's cell phone rang again. This time he pulled to the side of the road when he answered. He was quiet for a moment then said, "Not that I'm aware of." After another moment, he disconnected the call. When Nick told me what was going on, I worked the calendar in my head to see if there was something significant about tonight that would explain the excessive activity.

Usually the lamias hunted in small packs, and there were never more than one or two packs widely spaced in a single city on the same night. They weren't nearly as powerful as their blood-drinking brethren which was one of the reasons they liked to keep a low profile. That they were drawing such attention to themselves made me think there was something else going on.

I didn't like not knowing what that something else was.

Reinhold still wasn't answering. I hung up, and thought some more about the situation.

"We're missing something here." I tapped my phone against my chin while I thought. "There's some reason that so many lamias are out tonight. I'm just not seeing it."

"Know anyone that's up on their vampire history?" Nick flipped the turn signal, and I realized we were running out of time.

"Not on my speed dial."

There were too many possibilities, an historical date, some ancient custom, the phase of the moon. I ran through my mind everything I knew about them. They were a lesser vampire, feeding on the energy that humans gave off during sex. What they did didn't kill humans, but could permanently cause damage if taken to the extreme. Rarely happened. They were also easier to kill then most of the other kinds of vampires.

So why tonight, of all nights?

Reinhold still hadn't answered by the time we'd pulled into a parking space on a side street a couple of blocks from the bars. I checked my gear, then hopped out of Nick's SUV. An almost electric current stirred across my skin, filling the air around me, even as I moved to meet Nick at the front of the vehicle.

"Do you feel that?" Nick asked as he dropped an arm around my waist.

"Yeah." I fell into step with him.

It neither lessened nor strengthened as we neared our destination. But the constant itch of it across my senses was beginning to irritate me. I pulled Nick to a halt.

"What the hell is it?" I rubbed my arms, surprised that the hair wasn't standing up on them. "It's irritating."

"Work with me here," Nick said, before he drew me into his body and lowered his face to mine. Our lips met, and the desire inside of me that I always had around Nick flared hotly as we kissed. He nipped me lightly, then stroked between my lips with his tongue.

With his free hand he brushed down my back, across my hips, to my buttocks. He kneaded my ass while he held me closer, tighter. I found my hands running over the muscles in his back, moving one down his spine then over the curve of his ass, the tight muscle there causing a rush of arousal to flood my core.

Groaning, I rocked myself against his erection as I clutched his buttock, ate at his mouth. He dropped his other hand to my ass, picking me up, dragging my crotch along the hot, hard length of his cock.

If not for the surge in energy around us, we would probably have shed our clothes and taken each other right there. But the sizzle of power that washed over me broke through my lust.

I fought my way free of his mouth, and worked my lips over to his ear.

"It's the lamias, Nick. They've found a way to amplify people's lust. They're feeding off the result."

Nick was breathing hard, still grinding my sex over his shaft. "Christ, I'm not going to make it." His voice was rough, his features harsh.

He put me down, wrapped his fingers around my wrist, and started dragging me back to his vehicle.

"Where are we going?" I had to trot to keep up with him.

He didn't answer me, just hauled me to the back of the SUV, keyed open the lock, and shoved me inside. I scuttled backwards as he followed me in. Shutting the door, he turned and stalked towards me on his knees, his eyes shining, visible even in the darkened interior.

He grabbed my ankles, and tugged, causing me to fall flat on my back. Then his hands were at my waist, quickly opening my pants. I wasn't helping him, but the urge to do so was building inside of me. He pulled one boot off, then the other, released the clip on my thigh sheath, then my fanny pack, and wrenched my pants and underpants down and off my legs.

I flipped the ankle sheath off, as anxious as he was by now to get down to business.

He freed his erection, shoving his pants down to his knees, then moved between my legs. Our eyes met, and for one brief moment, we knew we wouldn't be doing this, actually taking it to this level right here, right now, if not for the compulsion.

Then he fell on me with a hunger that was answered by my own.

I raised my knees on either side of his rib cage, and he was there. Plunging into me without preamble. But I was wet, very wet, and tight. It had been a while. The scream of my inner muscles as he cleaved his way through them only served to heighten my need. He bit my lower lip as he locked his arms around my shoulders in an iron grip. I bit back, digging my elbows into his sides, my fingers into his shoulder blades.

His cock plowed into me, my inner walls clutching at him, squeezing him. The nerves burning with pleasure, needing more.

I inched my knees higher. He changed the angle of his thrusts, and we both groaned. A heaviness in my pelvis started building, my clit throbbing, sending sparks of pleasure through me whenever the crisp hairs at the base of his shaft ground into it.

Then the release, an explosive absence of pressure that sent shock waves of ecstasy racing outward from my core.

Nick cursed, muttering a constant stream of expletives, just before his semen started splashing across my womb. He came in a series of short bursts, but continued to thrust, his shaft hard yet, his curses taking on a harsher edge.

I felt myself winding towards another orgasm, the muscles tightening, bringing me closer, but still building. He bit my neck, and I screamed as I exploded outward from my uterus. My vagina convulsed around his cock. Then I shattered again when he swelled and hardened further.

His body stiffened; he shouted an incoherent word, then he was spewing, driving his shaft hard against my womb, lengthening my orgasm. With a final slam of his hips, a final wash of release, he collapsed on top of me.

I was still twitching, having trouble focusing, when he levered his chest off mine, and stared into my eyes. "Can you do anything to help us with the compulsion?"

Nick was one of only three men in our group who knew I was more than human. It was one of the few things I didn't talk about. The only reason Nick knew was because I'd lost control of it when he took me to his bed when I was sixteen. Then again, I knew Nick's secret, too, and exactly why he couldn't help us out in this situation. His magic was too similar to the kind that we were fighting.

"Crap. I should have thought of that when the lust started getting to us."

He grinned, and for a moment I thought he was going to kiss me. Then his grin widened, and I knew the idea had occurred to him, and he hadn't said anything. Super ass.

"Better let me up so I can concentrate," I grumbled.

Forcing ourselves to withdraw from each other, we gathered and separated our stuff. Then I pulled my clothes and my sheaths back into place, finding it took a lot more effort than I would have imagined. All the while I tried to think of something I could do with my magic to counteract the compulsion.

In the end I fashioned what was basically a full body condom for each of us that would protect us from outside contamination. It was the best I could come up with on short notice.

"I think that should do it." I started scooting towards the tailgate.

Nick stopped me with an arm across my chest. "I think we should test it out."

He drew me into a kiss, which quickly became heated. When my hands began working on dragging his shirt off, my brain finally kicked in. I shifted my hands to his chest, and pushed.

He backed away from me, enough to see my face. "What?"

His eyes were hooded with lust, his pupils so large they nearly consumed the brown of his irises.

"Oh yeah." He smiled wickedly at me. "We've got to check out the bars." Then he brushed his knuckles down the side of my face.

I suddenly realized that he'd been testing me, seeing just how much desire I had for him without the compulsion.

"Ass," I muttered as I climbed out of the vehicle behind him.

---

Find out what happens in your neighborhood when the sun goes down and the paranormals come out to play.

One - Orion Authority

Buy Now at Liquid Silver Books

---

Reviews

From The Romance Studio:
This is a very exciting story, very erotic and not for the faint of heart ...
The story is full of action, scary and creepy creatures, very sexy men, and a bit of humor also. Ms. Andel really tells a good story and I want to read more of them.
Rating: 4 hearts
Reviewer: Maura Frankman

From Fallen Angel Reviews:
Lisa Andel's latest is a hot one, so be prepared to experience a fiendish world where some of the beasts, goblins and other paranormal beings are lusty creatures, and the men and woman tasked with keeping you safe aren't quite what you expect them to be. 
                                                Rating: 5 Angels
                                                Reviewer: Rachelle

From JERR:
The first story in the new series by Lisa Andel, The Team introduces us to the elite beings in charge of West Park. I must say, she definitely introduced them with a bang ...
With plenty of action and scorching sex, mixed with super sexy otherworldly
beings, The Team is an excellent introduction, one that has me eagerly
awaiting the next chapter.
Rating: 5 stars
Heat level: O
Reviewer: Stacey Landers

Cover artist: April Martinez
Editor: Lynne Anderson