Hunted Flame

  Stone Passions 3

  Hunted Flame

  [Siren Publishing Menage Amour: Suspense, Paranormal, Contemporary, Menage a Trois, FMMM, HEA]

  An attack changes Tempest Joseph’s entire view of the world. Monster hunters are real and the three men who saved her are gargoyles. Every touch from the three men sends desire flaring higher and questions of right or wrong out of her mind. All that matters are the men and their touch. But hunters are still after her and the only safe place is with her men.

  Phoenix, Noah, and Sawyer found their mate and they won’t let some human’s hunting monsters take her from them. With the hunters targeting Tempest as well as them, they keep her close to protect her. Their hunger for her deepens the longer their together. With each touch and kiss, the connection between them grows. They can’t lose her. When an attack on the community leaves Tempest vulnerable, they’ll have to fight to save her and claim their chance at love.

  Length: 64,700 words

  HUNTED FLAME

  Stone Passions 3

  Rebecca Airies

  

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  Hunted Flame

  Copyright © 2019 by Rebecca Airies

  ISBN: 978-1-64243-985-4

  First Publication: September 2019

  Cover design by Harris Channing

  All art and logo copyright © 2019 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  If you find a Siren-BookStrand e-book or print book being sold or shared illegally, please let us know at legal@sirenbookstrand.com

  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  DEDICATION

  To SK and BB, you’ve given me such support and always listened when I was feeling the pressure. Thank you for being there for me.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Rebecca Airies has always loved to read. Futuristic, the classics, mystery, horror and of course romance from sweet to extra spicy—the genre doesn’t matter as long as the stories capture her interest and take her on an adventure. She soon discovered a love for writing and characters just waiting to tell their stories. Since that time, writing has become an obsession.

  Rebecca lives in Abilene, Texas. She loves the outdoors, growing things, and working on crafts when she’s not lost in the worlds of her characters.

  For all titles by Rebecca Airies, please visit

  www.bookstrand.com/rebecca-airies

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  HUNTED FLAME

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  HUNTED FLAME

  Stone Passions 3

  REBECCA AIRIES

  Copyright © 2019

  Chapter One

  “Seriously, what are we doing here?” Sawyer turned to look at Phoenix as he climbed out of the car. Noah slid from the back seat and slammed the door. Dusk painted the western sky deep orange and red as the eastern sky darkened from blue to black. A chilly wind whipped around them.

  “You wanted to see Tempest.” Phoenix glanced over at him.

  Sawyer shook his head. Not what he meant. Yes, seeing the woman meant to be theirs would be great, but coming to this restaurant now, it wasn’t a good idea. Especially not with what they’d have to do.

  He glanced around. No one in the parking lot, but the Rising River Restaurant was busy. Windows lined the front of the red brick building. The indistinct blur of patrons filled nearly every clear pane.

  “When you said see her, I was pretty sure you meant stake out her place in preparation for bringing her home.” Sawyer rolled his eyes. Tempest was human. Not Branal. There was no treaty to honor, and she was certainly in danger. The people coming their way wouldn’t play games. Normally, they went after anyone different. This time, thanks to George Smith, the hunters had a list to go off.

  Phoenix hung his head. “What the hell, Sawyer? All of us haven’t talked to her. You haven’t seen her.”

  “The hunters are coming, Phoenix.” He shook his head. “I’m not sure we have time to court her.”

  “I’m not thinking about courting her.” Phoenix waved his hand. “I just don’t want to burst into her life like some crazed stalker.”

  “We’ll seem even more like crazed stalkers since we’re popping into her restaurant and meeting her,” Noah said with a laugh. “There’s no way to make this seem normal to her.”

  Phoenix’s shoulders slumped. “Did you want to go home instead of walking in there?”

  “No, we’re here now,” Sawyer said. “I want to see her, even if it is for a few minutes and she’s acting as our server. I just wish we could talk to her more and learn about her. I don’t think she’ll be in any kind of mood to open up to us once we take her from her home.” He shook his head. It would be an uphill battle with her. They would win it and her affection.

  “Even without the push from the danger to her, I don’t think we’d last very long in a courting relationship. If she even gave us the time of day as a group.” Noah shook his head. “A ménage just isn’t normal in human eyes, even in these progressive times.”

  “All right, I guess we stick to the standard plan of stalk and capture.” Phoenix nodded.

  “But she doesn’t need to know that. It will be much harder to get her into our hands if she’s running from us. And she’ll be in greater danger out there on her own.” Noah closed his door and started toward the restaurant.

  Sawyer strolled after him. He narrowed his eyes and clenched his fist. A knot of fear weighed heavy in his gut. They couldn’t let her escape. Not with the hunters coming. “As if any of us are raw rookies when it comes to that.”

  “Yeah, but this is the first time that it meant this much to us.” Noah shook his head and opened the door.

  Too right. That was their mate in there, and he wouldn’t let some human hunters touch her. With her name on the list of suspected “monsters,” the hunters would capture and torture her to try to get their proof. They couldn’t let that happen. Sawyer followed him in, and Phoenix entered right after him. Sawyer held his breath. Would they even get a seat in her section? Diners crowded around tables, and both sides of the restaurant were packed.

  “Things have mattered before,” Phoenix muttered as he stepped up beside Noah.

  Noah shoo
k his head. “Not like this. All the other times, yeah, it might have been for the good of everyone else, but this time is personal, and that’s why it’s going to be so much more important and so much easier for us to rush and mess up.”

  Phoenix turned and glared at Noah. “We won’t mess it up.”

  “No, but just saying that this isn’t going to be easy for us. We won’t be logical about this.” Noah held up a hand.

  “Logic can come after.” Phoenix shook his head. “I’m not losing her.”

  After they had her in their home and happy. Sawyer nodded. He could definitely agree with that.

  An older woman showed them to a table. He turned his head. A redheaded waitress drifted among the tables, delivering food and chatting with the diners. She hadn’t come near enough for him to tell by scent.

  “Is that her?” Sawyer nodded his head toward the woman delivering food two tables away as he sat down. He drummed his fingers on the dark wood of the table top.

  “Yeah, hopefully, I can find my damned tongue this time. I barely said a word the entire meal when I was with Dante.” Phoenix shook his head.

  Noah reached over and patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, man. You’d just discovered the truth. I’d expect you to be stunned. Doesn’t mean I won’t rib you about it sometime in the future, though. Smooth talker got tongue-tied.”

  “And it doesn’t mean I won’t take you to the ground.” Phoenix knocked Noah’s hand off.

  “Hello, I have your menus right here. What can I get you three to drink tonight?” The sweet voice rolled over him.

  A shiver shot down his spine. Sawyer whipped around and stared. He inhaled, and fire seared through him. He dropped his hands beneath the table and clenched them. His nails hurt as his claws pushed to burst free. Damn. Way more intense than his parents had implied.

  Tempest had secured her fiery red hair at the back of her neck. A white button-down shirt highlighted her pale skin and the swell of her breasts. Black pants molded to her full hips.

  “Hi.” Sawyer smiled up at her. Damn, she was gorgeous. Curvy and a little above average in height.

  She handed him a menu and smiled. “Hello, did you have a drink preference, or would you like an appetizer?”

  Sawyer opened the menu and glanced at the appetizers. “We’ll have an order of the wings and the loaded potato skins. I’ll have an iced tea.”

  She noted the order down. “Regular iced tea or peach tea? We have both tonight.”

  “Give me the peach,” Sawyer said, then leaned back in the chair.

  “And for you two gentlemen?” She turned to Phoenix and Noah. “Weren’t you here yesterday?”

  Phoenix nodded. “Yes, I’d stopped by with a friend then. We’re on our way back from a conference.”

  She’d rip into him for that lie later, but it was unavoidable. They couldn’t tell her the truth. Not yet. Even when they did and she saw their differences, she wouldn’t accept the truth and the danger. Sawyer ground his teeth. She’d fight the attraction to them and maybe even run. It had happened before, especially with humans brought into the gargoyle community. They’d have to watch her to ensure she didn’t make it out.

  “I hope you had a good time there. Do you know what you want to drink?” Tempest held her hand poised.

  “Water for me as well as a cup of coffee.” Phoenix nodded, and then continued, “Also add an order of the stuffed mushroom appetizers.”

  “I’ll do that.” She nodded. “And what would you like to drink?”

  “Normal tea, no sugar,” Noah replied with a nod. Tempest jotted down the order and walked away.

  Once she was out of earshot, Sawyer turned to Phoenix. “Have we learned anything about that group coming in?” With the number of people around them, they had to be careful what was overheard. “When they’ll arrive?”

  “They think some of them might already be here, which is why this project is going to have to move forward at a fast clip. I don’t want anything destroyed or wrecked because of outside interference.” Phoenix tapped his fingers.

  “Sounds good to me. Were you thinking of finishing it this time or the next?” Sawyer raised a brow. Today or tomorrow. If the hunters had scouts in the area, they needed to get her out of danger as quickly as possible. They’d come after her. She was on the list.

  “This time, if possible, but there will have to be some set up done. Do you two agree?” Phoenix glanced at Noah and Sawyer.

  “With that other group coming in, they’ll go after any weakness. I’d say this time is the best option. Get everything in order and just go.” Noah nodded.

  “Yeah, that’s my opinion, too.” Sawyer turned his head. Tempest carried a tray of food to another table. “I don’t want this to blow up in our faces like it has before.”

  Those damn bastards would probably go after the most vulnerable first, and she was vulnerable. Single, lived alone, and human.

  Chapter Two

  Tempest plodded out of the restaurant. She exhaled. It had been such a long day. A piercing ache slashed through her feet with every step, and her lower back had a knot the size of a cantaloupe in it. Going home, putting her feet up, and a hot bath would help a lot with that.

  Then again, on a night like this, she’d crave a hot bath anyway. The chill bit into her as she trekked across the parking lot. A cold breeze whipped her hair across her face, the strands lashing over her lips and cheeks. The wind stung her cheeks as if shards of ice dug into her skin. Damn, it felt like a winter storm was brewing.

  She trudged over to her car. Shadows crowded around her with every step she took. Employees had to park at the back on the right side of the restaurant. Her heart thumped against her chest. Lights had long since gone out in that area. Not that her boss cared. Lighted spaces in the front of the restaurant were for the guests.

  She shook her head. Right now, she needed the job. Suck it up. Nothing’s ever happened here. She’d get to her car and go home just like every other night. Anxiety crept over her, sending shivers over her as the darkness and silence surrounded her.

  She clutched her keys. When she reached the end of her car, she clicked the lock button. A soft honk sounded as the lights on her car flashed. The locks thunked when they released.

  A soft click of something hard on concrete sounded behind her. She glanced over her shoulder. A dark shape rushed at her. Behind him, two other shadowy shapes dashed across the parking lot. Her breath lodged in her chest. She spun and ran for her car.

  She jerked at the car door. It stuck. Fucking thing. Not now. She pulled. It swung wide. Something slammed into her back, pushing the door closed again. No, someone. Stings prickled over her head as someone gripped her hair and pulled.

  The dark figure tugged her head back and thrust forward, smashing it into the roof of her car. Dots flashed in front of her eyes. She flailed, trying to scratch him. Pain throbbed in her head. Her mouth dried as fear rushed over her. Someone jerked her back and thrust her head forward again.

  * * * *

  Phoenix growled. His heartbeat raced. The son of a bitch hurt her. Claws burst from his fingertips. He sprinted the last few steps and grabbed the man, while Noah grasped their woman as she slid down the car.

  Phoenix slammed the man against her car. The man’s eyes widened. He lifted a gun, but Phoenix ripped it out of his hand. He slammed his hand into the man’s jaw. The man staggered but remained conscious and swung at him. Phoenix again drove his fist against his face. This fucker had to go down, now.

  “She’s out, Phoenix. We have to get her to the hospital,” Noah said as he lifted Tempest into his arms.

  Phoenix blocked the next punch and drove his fist up into the bastard’s chin. The man crumpled to the ground. He flexed his fingers and took a deep breath. Can’t kill him. He might give us some information.

  Phoenix rolled his shoulders. They’d been too late. Hell, it was just lucky that they’d come here tonight. It would have been easier to find a spot to wait
and watch near her home, but they’d wanted to make sure she didn’t have an accident on the way. Plus, they hadn’t been able to shake worry of an attack here.

  “We also need to get this asshole to the Cim and the Betas so they can see if they can drag anything from him.” Phoenix clenched his teeth. It would be so easy to snap his neck and toss him in the dumpster, but they needed that information. If they could get it. Most of these people who joined the hunters were fucking zealots. The bastards didn’t care who was hurt. And they’d made the bad decision to come after his woman.

  “I’ll take her to the hospital. You take him to the Cim. We can’t do it together, because she needs immediate attention with this head wound. And that bastard would wake up and probably get the authorities involved saying he’d been kidnapped.” Noah glared at the man.

  Phoenix took a deep breath. Damn it. Noah was right.

  “I’ll take him. You call me when you get there and when you learn anything.” Phoenix straightened. “I’ll take her car. We shouldn’t leave it here.”

  “Her keys are on the ground. Could you call ahead and make sure one of our docs is there to treat her? I’d like to keep the authorities out of this, if possible.” Noah looked at him

  “I’d like that, too. We can probably get around police by saying it’s an accident and we found her unconscious on the beach, near some rocks.” Phoenix shook his head. “We should have been here earlier.”

  “We arrived as soon as we could. I’m going now. Don’t beat yourself up over this. I know this is going to haunt your nightmares like it will mine, but we have to focus. This is their fault. Not yours, not ours.” Noah adjusted Tempest in his arms. “We have enough trouble coming with getting her to see that we’re not her enemy. And hell, even getting her out of the hospital might be difficult.”