Lila gave everything to bring down AimTech, a huge corporation with a nasty secret. Now smart and sassy Lila has no choice but to go into hiding. All alone, she starts her life over in a small town, trying to forget the one man her heart aches for but who could never be hers. Little does she know, her troubles with AimTech are far from over.

Cain is one of the secrets AimTech was hiding. With his raw power and magnetism, he takes control after the corporation falls. His first task: find the woman who created a raging, demanding inferno inside him when he was held captive by AimTech. The only problem is, he doesn’t know her name.

Can these two fated mates find each other again before their past tears them apart?

Cain is a paranormal romance featuring lots of steam and a guaranteed HEA.

Chapter 1  

She couldn’t stop herself from looking at him; every day she came to work was the same. She didn’t stare at him like a specimen like the other scientists and observers in the room, because for whatever reason, every time she saw him, there was a wrenching somewhere in her heart.

His menacing snarls filled the room and his handler for the day struggled to keep him flat on the table, the chains rattling. The subject pulled them tight as he strained and flashed canines that were sharp and lethal.

His DNA had been messed with so many times when he was young that the scientist had failed to label him just one animal, unlike the others who had distinctive traits.

His hair had so many shades of gold like a lion’s mane. His eyes were piercing blue-green, similar to a wolf she had once seen in a zoo. His teeth, when they emerged with anger, were as sharp as any predator. She looked over the stacks of muscle on him and clenched her fingers on the clipboard as she fought her body’s response to him. His large hands were capable of crushing a grown man’s skull, all without him blinking an eye.

She longed to feel them roam over her naked skin. The faint spots across his shoulders, like a leopard, were barely noticeable in the light.

He watched her when she entered; he always watched her. She knew what prey felt like being stalked; he might not be able to carry it through behind his bars, but the air about him was lethal, dangerous. His eyes blazed as she came closer, and she had to force herself to carry on.

“This gentleman is Cain.01. The subject is highly aggressive, as you can see.” She gestured to his straining muscles and furious expression. “Training is still crucial at this stage.” A few disgruntled mumbles filled the air from the two-way speaker system. “I know, I know. It’s been a long wait, but we believe this current batch will be ready in a year. If you look at your packets, you will see the rigorous training regime and discipline techniques used if they don’t obey.”

The angry snarls were constant now and distracting. She fought off a flinch at the rattle of chains beside her and kept her tight grip on the clipboard, so she didn’t do what she desperately wanted, which was to free him.

If they caught her touching him or attacking one of the handlers, she would be fired and quietly killed in a no doubt seemingly tragic accident. For those who truly pissed off AimTech, she would be killed quietly but not before they threw her in with the subjects to be pulled apart. Murdering her wouldn’t be out of the question for them.

Not that AimTech ever called it that, but the one time she saw it happening on the monitors, she rushed down, but it was too late.

The pheromones they pumped into the room were undetectable to humans, but the subjects’ sensitive noses picked them up, and it sent them wild with the need to mate or kill.

The chemical was controlling them and making it the only thing on their minds. The poor female subject was part of an experiment. Lila found out later that they had new drugs they had given her, making her compliant and docile.

She couldn’t even fight back.

The drugs addled their mind and the two male subjects were covered in scratches, bites, and bruises after fighting for dominance when they went into a frenzy. When they realised what they had done, the first male raked his claws across his own throat, tears in his eyes. The second male apologised to the female before doing the same. It was the moment that made her realise she needed to make things happen faster. Their deaths had been a heavy weight on her conscience.

They might be thought of as animals, but their protective instincts were strong. AimTech bred them that way in the hopes of having guard dogs and assassins loyal to the company or whoever bought them.

She almost smiled because they had failed. The only beings the subjects showed any protectiveness towards were each other.

She focused on the window in front of her and motioned to the handler, who pushed the button on his side of the table. The sound of chains in the room was loud in the silence as they waited for Cain’s bound body to turn.

“As you can see here, he has spots like a leopard along his shoulders and upper back.” Hovering her finger above the areas, the heat radiating from him was no surprise because the subjects ran hotter than humans. “When darkness falls, his ability to camouflage himself in the surrounding environment makes him excellent for spying and scouting ahead.”

“What if we don’t need a spy?” A voice came from the speakers, high-pitched and whiny.

“You think the canines are for show?” she asked.

She smiled in false humour, giving the one-way glass a coy look. Laughter came through the speakers, and Cain’s claws raked the table before retracting again quickly. Gritting her teeth, she continued.

“Some subjects will be better suited to certain areas, but of course, all will be more than able to...” She left the words they wanted to hear unsaid, lingering in the air, a temptation. She shrugged her small, delicate shoulders and grinned, “...respond lethally.” She finished, pointedly to a few chuckles.

The subjects could kill them all if given a chance.

When she pressed the button beside her, the machine whirred, pulling the chains tight across his chest and his arm laying him flat on his back once more.

She hated this part most when doing a presentation to investors. As her hand neared him, the growls turned into rumbles in his chest that sounded scary. She took his hand and pushed on his fingers hard, releasing his hidden claws. The investors always liked this part.

The gasps and murmurs of delight sickened her as his claws came out, where moments before, his fingernails looked normal. The chatter was indistinguishable as they started talking between themselves.

“Naturally, these subjects don’t come cheap,” she put in, but they were all hooked, she could tell. There was no need for a hard sell, which was good. The sooner she got the subject back in his cell, the sooner she could go somewhere quiet to hyperventilate.

“How much to buy one now?” A deep voice asked. As she opened her mouth, he added, “and his handler?”

“Gentlemen, this project is still in the early stages, and it’s only one of our enterprises regarding DNA modifications,” she smiled and turned to the second page on her clipboard that showed the complex code of DNA and explained at length the details of the first trials that had ultimately failed.

“As you can see, it took a long time to perfect this; the cleverest minds in the world are below you right now, creating cutting-edge science; all for you!” She emphasised the last word knowing how much AimTech liked her to cater to each investor as if they owned the world. “I would love nothing more than to gift you each a subject of your own, and a time will come soon when you will be able to purchase them.”

This was better than telling them AimTech had no intention of ever giving up one of its prized subjects. The only time she had heard it discussed seriously was when their biggest investors almost backed out. Panicked Grant, the head of AimTech, had quietly done a deal under the table to gift them with some of the first experiments.

“So, do we pay you for a promise of maybe buying one in the future?” The same voice from the crowd spoke.

“No, good Lord, no,” she said in fake shock.

There was a reason she had been chosen for this. She was petite, but her voice carried volume. She had an innocent air that drew the eye, or so Grant once said. Then he would squeeze her hip and sneer at her, “It doesn’t hurt that you’re hot too; you will have them eating out of your hands.”

Ugh, pig.

Her long blonde hair tied back showed off her delicate neck and jawline. Her eyes were bright blue, with a small nose that drew down to a fine point at the tip. Her lips, though, were what Grant loved best about her. He stroked his fingers over them every time he saw her. “What sweet poisonous lies fall from these perfect lips,” he had muttered, then grabbing her cheeks, he would kiss her hard and release her.

Grant didn’t like her, not really. He liked to use her as the draw for his investors. She’s the line; the subjects are the hook. In a room together, both were a catch.