Bounty's Flame Read online

  Bounty’s Flame

  A standalone paranormal romance novella

  Lia Davis

  After Glows Publishing

  Bounty’s Flame

  © copyright 2018 Lia Davis

  Published by: Davis Raynes Publishing Group, LLC

  PO Box 224

  Middleburg, FL. 32068

  Cover by: Glowing Moon Designs

  Formatting by: Glowing Moon Designs

  All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely 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 prison and a fine of $250,000.

  www.AuthorLiaDavis.com

  Contents

  Introduction

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Also by Lia Davis

  Bounty’s Flame

  His claim on the Phoenix and her host will finally unite them…or destroy them all.

  Amelia Carter has one goal: to stay alive and keep the Phoenix within from falling victim to the evil that has kept them on the run for the past year. With the Phoenix’s power of sight, they are able to stay one step ahead, until Caleb Reed catches up with them, sparking desires beyond her wildest fantasies.

  A shapeshifting hellhound and paranormal bounty hunter, Caleb finally ends his century-long search for his runaway mate. When he discovers his charge is the Phoenix who fled his bed over a hundred years ago, he turns the tables on the crime lord who seeks to capture her for her powers. Keeping his mate safe becomes his priority, because he won’t fail her again.

  1

  Amelia never knew if she was stuck in a dream or one of the Phoenix’s visions. Nor did she care as long as she got to see the sexy, dark demon that brought her pleasure beyond anything she’d ever experienced. The scene was the same. A dimly lit room with a large-ass bed dressed in black satin sheets, taking up most of the space. Straight out of an erotic romance novel, right down to the hero, who stood beside the bed, waiting for her.

  Dark hair framed a masculine face. Even though she couldn’t see his eyes, she knew they watched her. She felt it like a physical touch. Sexual heat rolled off of him in thick waves. She found it impossible to turn away, not that she could anyway. He captivated her.

  “Come here, Nix.”

  She shivered at his soft, husky command. The one thing Amelia didn’t understand was the nickname. The man—no, demon—had always called her that. Or was it the Phoenix’s nickname? The bird within her wouldn’t talk about it, and she remained silent while they’d relived the erotic dream over and over for the past couple of months.

  As if she had no control over her body, Amelia walked farther into the room, not stopping until she reached the bed. Then she climbed onto it and stood on her knees, facing him. Leaning into her, the demon smiled before reaching out to stroke her cheek. A soft moan escaped her. Electrifying energy flowed between them, sending tingles skittering all over her.

  When his lips touched hers, she melted. A sense of belonging and security filled her. With this male, no one would ever hurt her. She knew that down to the bone.

  The internal flame that belonged to the Phoenix raced through her veins. The male hissed out a groan and pressed his hard cock into her thigh. Her pussy ached for his touch. Gripping his large shoulders, she scored his skin with her nails and moved her hips against him.

  No matter how many times she’d lived the dream-memory-vision, the intense spark of heat and raw passion ignited like it was their first time.

  He broke the kiss and trailed his lips along her jaw to her neck. Sucking in a breath, she whimpered when he bit down gently on the sensitive part of her throat. Damn, he was going to kill her with the teasing.

  One rough hand slid down her side, which was bare to him. She didn’t remember undressing. Then again, she never did.

  It’s just a dream. Go with it.

  A squeeze of her hip jerked her attention to his features. His dark brown gaze held hers. A flash of silver rippled through his irises right before a primal growl rumbled from his chest. Wolf was the first word that came to mind, but that didn’t seem correct.

  “What kind of demon are you?”

  He didn’t answer. He never did. It was as if he couldn’t hear her. Was it even her dream? But there was no doubt it was her body he pleasured.

  Gliding his hand across her belly, he captured her mouth in another hard, demanding kiss. His tongue dipped inside, searching for hers. Just as their tongues twined, he slipped two fingers inside her. Desire burst within her and built with each thrust of his fingers, pushing her over the edge.

  “We have to go! Amelia! Wake up!”

  “What? How?” Amelia shot straight up in bed and grabbed the Sig from under her pillow. Her breaths were labored, and she ached with need. “Damn it, Mel.”

  “Shh. Listen.”

  Amelia scented the air. “Fuck.”

  The stench of pipe tobacco and body odor reached Amelia’s super-sensitive nose, sending her into fight-or-flight mode. Levi’s trackers had found them again.

  “They have the worst timing. I didn’t even get to orgasm that time. Bastards.”

  The Phoenix let out a huff inside Amelia’s head but didn’t comment. Amelia raced to the duffle bag she never bothered to unpack, zipped it up, and threw it over her shoulder. Gun in hand, she eased the motel door open.

  After a quick glance down the hall, she darted to the stairwell across from her room. About two floors down, she skidded to a halt as two very large demons rushed up the stairs from below. Even though they looked as human as she did, she could tell they were demons. The Phoenix’s gift of sight not only allowed her to see into the future, but to see the true natures of paras that hid who they were from the humans.

  Amelia raised the gun, aiming it at one of the creature’s heads. Their eyes flashed crimson, and their pupils narrowed into slits, reminding her of a cat’s or a snake’s.

  “You can’t shoot that in here. Humans will hear you. Besides, it won’t kill him.”

  Damn. Phoenix was right, of course. Turning on her heel, Amelia ran back up the stairs, only to come face to face with another tracker.

  Fuck. Now what?

  “Trust me, Amelia.”

  What choice did she have? Of course, she trusted Mel—the Phoenix she named after her best friend who’d died in her arms a year before. Taking a deep breath, Amelia allowed Mel to take over her body.

  It was always strange to be in the backseat while another entity took control. At the same time, it felt comfortable to have Mel in the driver’s seat.

  As soon as Mel had the reins, she turned around and barreled into the demon blocking their escape down the stairs. Amelia felt the fire within her flare to life, filling every fiber and extending to her hands. When she made contact with the demon, he yelled and jumped out of the way.

  They raced down the stairs and out the door to the
pool area. Rushing through the gate to the parking lot, Amelia glanced over her shoulder, now back in full control of her body. The demons burst out of the stairwell and pinned their glares on her.

  This wasn’t going to end well. There were too many humans around to get hurt.

  Think.

  “Mel, we have to kill them, don’t we?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you know how?”

  “Chop off their heads.”

  Great.

  Where the hell was she going to get a sword to cut off their heads?

  One of the demons materialized in front of her with a sword as long as Amelia’s leg in one hand. Without another thought, she pulled out her gun and fired at the demon’s hand. A clang of the metal hitting asphalt echoed through the parking lot as he dropped the sword.

  She jumped forward and grabbed the sword. Swinging it up as she rose, she put all her force into the momentum as the weapon sliced through the demon’s neck. The male’s body dropped to the ground, his head rolling a few feet away.

  “I’m going to be sick.”

  “Hang in there. We have two more coming.”

  Out of instinct and the strength she got from being bound to the Phoenix, Amelia swung around and stabbed the first demon in the chest. He stumbled back, eyes wide as if not expecting her strength. She wasted no time in swinging the sword again to cut off his head.

  Pain exploded in her leg, and she crumbled to the ground. Her first thought was that she’d gotten shot. Glancing down, she saw blood seeping through her jeans. Yep, she was shot, but not with a normal bullet. The bastard had used a silver bullet. Seriously? Fucking moron. She wasn’t a rabid werewolf. Her thigh burned as if someone shoved hot coal in the wound. Clenching her teeth and pushing away the pain as much as she could, she stood and glared at the demon.

  He snarled and ran at her, but she was ready. Flames shot out of her fingers. When the demon tackled her, she covered both of them in fire. He screamed, but she held on to him until he stopped moving and breathing.

  Shoving his charred remains off of her, she pushed to her feet, her leg aching like hell. But Mel had already begun to heal it. Another benefit of being the Phoenix’s host.

  “We have to go. There will be more.”

  Amelia limped to her car, noting her duffle bag a few feet away. She shook her head, not bothering to ask Mel if she’d teleported the bag out there. The Phoenix had powers Amelia didn’t understand, and she didn’t even know if there were limits to them. She was too tired and too damn sore to think about it.

  “Where to?”

  “I’ve heard Nashville is nice this time of year.”

  With a nod, Amelia started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. A new town. A new adventure. She couldn’t wait to see what Levi sent after them next.

  Caleb materialized in the parking lot of a rundown motel and sniffed the air. The Phoenix was definitely here. Her scent and magical signature still lingered in the breeze. However, she was not alone. By the smells mingling with hers, he guessed there were three tracker hounds.

  Scanning the area, he spied a scorched spot on the pavement. Locking his jaw, he walked over and squatted beside it. He touched the asphalt and growled. It was still hot. He’d missed her by minutes.

  Fuck.

  The way she broke out of the dream without a word told him she was in trouble. Still connected to her through the vision, he was able to teleport to where she had been. The dreams were the only things he had to track her. He never saw her new host or even knew her host's name. The Phoenix made sure of it.

  “Where are you, Nix?”

  Teleporting back to his home inside a cavern in the Blue Ridge Mountains, he called for his right hand, aka boy genius. “Razor!”

  The younger demon poked his head from the kitchen area. “Yeah?”

  “I need you to check the Red Motel in Houston for any single females who checked in over the last week, or any extended stays,” Caleb barked out as he made his way to his room. He needed a cold shower and some sleep. He’d only get the shower. Sleep was out of the question.

  The Phoenix made sure of that. He didn’t understand why she was reaching out to him after two centuries of silence. Dread gripped his heart. The thought she was in trouble wouldn’t leave his mind. The evidence of the trackers only confirmed it.

  And Caleb was no closer to discovering who had killed her previous host and made her go on the run. The bigger issue was she blamed him for her former host’s death.

  “Not again, Nix. I’ll give my life to keep you safe.” He stepped into his bathroom, undressed, and turned on the cold water. “The next time we meet, I’ll make you mine. That’s a promise.”

  2

  Caleb pushed his way through the sea of sweaty bodies to the table in the back corner of the bar. He hated bars and clubs. Too many humans unknowingly conversing with the paranormal, or paras as many called them for short. Plus, having a mix of vampires, demons, and shifters in one place was asking for trouble.

  However, the owner of The Rage had one rule—play nice and go home with all your body parts. Levi Stone wasn’t human. Like most living in the human world, he hid his para identity from everyone with a spell. The level of black magic flowing around the male indicated Levi had too much power or too many high-power connections in the Underworld to be fully human.

  Reaching the corner booth, Caleb sat across from Levi. “I thought we’d meet somewhere quieter.”

  Levi lifted one large shoulder in a half shrug. “This won’t take long.”

  “What is the purpose of this meeting?” Caleb had never cared for the blond male across from him. Sure, he’d done small jobs for Levi in the past, but money was money. And Caleb’s services weren’t cheap.

  Sliding a photo across the table, Levi didn’t change his cold expression. “I need that female brought to me, alive.”

  With a raised brow, Caleb flicked his gaze from the picture to Levi. The way the other male worked his jaw and stared at the photo didn’t sit well with Caleb. The female appeared familiar, yet Caleb didn’t know why. “Who is she?”

  “Does it matter? It’s not like you to ask questions.”

  It was Caleb’s turn to shrug. “Changing my business practices.”

  “She stole something from me.”

  Caleb picked up the photo and studied it, memorizing her face. Hair and eye color could be changed, but one’s features couldn’t without a lot of plastic surgery. In the picture, her hair was a fiery red that fell to her shoulders and curled at the ends. Her eyes were the palest shade of green he’d ever seen. But it was the roundness of her face and her button nose he focused on, as well as the dust of freckles across her nose and cheeks.

  Nix.

  The name of his lost mate drifted across his mind, but he shook it off. The Phoenix was on his mind because the fiery goddess had called to him in his sleep again the night before. Hell, he was still hard from not getting the release he desperately craved.

  It’d been two weeks since he’d tracked her to the motel, only to find she’d fought trackers and fled before he got there. Why would she risk coming to him again?

  Shutting off his train of thought, Caleb slid the photo across the table to Levi and sat back in his chair. “Do you have any leads to where she is?”

  Levi shook his head. “No. I had a trail on her, but…she killed them.”

  Intrigued, Caleb stared at his client. Used to taking down the strongest and meanest creatures for a number of individuals, Caleb hadn’t had the pleasure of chasing one so beautiful. “I’m tempted to hunt her for free just to ask her how she killed some of your trackers.”

  Levi groaned. “She killed three of them. She decapitated two of them and burned the third alive.”

  Caleb chuckled, masking the spike in pulse at the information. He was tempted to probe for more details, like when and where she killed them. The scene from the motel flashed in his mind. Fear sliced his heart, and his leeriness of Levi’s in
tentions grew stronger.

  Levi let out a snarl. “I’m glad you find this funny. Her name is Amelia Carter. She works odd jobs that pay under the table. One of my scouts saw her in her Nashville this morning.”

  “I’ll find her. For now, it’s the usual fee with half upfront. If she’s a pain in the ass as you claim, the fee doubles.”

  If she carried the Phoenix inside her, all bets were off, and Levi would become the hunted. There were too many unknowns and suspicions. The air around Levi moved in inky waves, setting off Caleb’s internal alarms. The male was purposely withholding information. Usually Caleb didn’t give a shit. He just accepted a job and got his mark. Yet, Nix had been on his mind and in his dreams too many times in the last few months. He’d often wondered if she was trying to tell him something.

  He’d searched too long for the killer of Nix’s first host. The male had torn Caleb’s mate from his arms and life. If Levi turned out to be the killer… Well, payback was a bitch.

  Caleb raised a brow in challenge, waiting for Levi to argue over the cost.

  “Fine.” Levi tossed a white envelope on the table and stood. “She may look harmless, but don’t turn your back on her.”

  Caleb tucked the envelope into his jacket pocket and made his way out of the bar. For the first time in decades, he actually looked forward to the hunt. He hit the remote to unlock his BMW when he was a foot from it. Sliding inside on the soft leather, he started it and peeled out of the parking lot. He hit the Bluetooth button on the steering wheel and called Razor. The demon answered on the first ring.

  “Yo, boss man.”

  Caleb ignored the greeting. “I need info on an Amelia Carter. Last seen in Nashville.”