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Diego was a taskmaster. A dictator. A relentless, merciless tyrant. Yep, that was the only word that really described him—“tyrant.” He transitioned overnight from a sweet, gentle caretaker to a ruthless, demanding sadist.

Leila glared at him. “Do you have a personality disorder?”

He raised an eyebrow but continued massaging her legs. It wasn’t the easy, light massage she was certain she needed—at least she knew she preferred. No, he was doing deep tissue, working every muscle thoroughly. She could have sworn he smiled briefly, but if he did, it was faint and gone in less than a second, so she couldn’t be certain. Had she been, she might have kicked him hard.

“Personality disorder?”

“Don’t pretend you have no idea what I’m talking about. You went from sweet caretaker to sadistic masseuse. And you did it overnight.”

“I’m keeping you from getting blood clots.”

Definitely a trace of humor in his voice. She made a face at him. “I think you’re being unnecessarily enthusiastic about it.”

The deep tissue massage hurt, but it also felt good. He had indicated, at breakfast, that he wanted her up and walking, that they would go outside, where he had set up a target range. She was excited that she would be doing something . Anything. She wanted to be back in shape and on the move as fast as possible. She particularly liked that he included training in her recovery program. That showed he meant what he said when he indicated he wanted a partner. He “got” her. She was a fighter, and she would fight at his side, not hide away in a safe room if they were attacked. She had skills, and she wanted to continue to use those skills.

Leila had a love of her country. She even had great respect and sympathy for her fellow soldiers. Despite many of the soldiers she’d encountered in the program being overly aggressive, there were also some who were good men. Each of the soldiers had volunteered for the enhancement program with the idea that they could better serve their country. The soldiers couldn’t possibly have predicted the unfortunate results. They had no way of knowing the enhancements would bring out just as many negative traits as positive ones. She believed her training and physical enhancements enabled her to keep other soldiers safe.

“Don’t like you thinking about men.”

She scowled at him, lifting her head from the mattress to pin him with her narrowed eyes. He should have withered, but he only lifted an eyebrow.

Diego moved from massaging her legs and thighs to her hips. She should have known lying in bed so much would compromise her hips. There were so many sore spots, some far more intense than others. She decided not to voice her opinion of his masseuse abilities. She was half joking and half serious. She didn’t want him to think she whined during training.

“Babe, you don’t have a poker face.”

“I don’t know how you can read what I’m thinking from an expression on my face,” she grumbled. “I can’t decide if you’re the best masseuse in the world and what you’re doing feels amazing or if it just hurts like hell.”

That earned her one of his brief faint smiles. She’d do just about anything to get his smile.

“And what’s with the comment about other men? I don’t believe for one minute you’re the jealous type. You’re too laid-back for that.” But he wasn’t. He was intense beneath that calm facade, and she knew it. She saw into him, into places no one else did. He kept those traits hidden from the rest of the world. She shouldn’t like knowing things about him that others didn’t, but she secretly reveled in her knowledge.

“Not going to discuss this with you until I’ve put a ring on your finger and you and Grace are living with me.” He sounded gruff.

His hands were magic. He might be targeting every sore muscle she had, but he was definitely easing the painful knots.

“Don’t look at me like that, Leila. You see inside me, whether you want to admit it or not. I’m no hero. I never will be. I have something dark and ugly in me, and you’re very aware of it.”

“You aren’t nearly as bad as you think you are.” But she knew he was capable of terrible things. Horrific things. Whatever genetic material had been used to enhance him, she knew it wasn’t brawn so much as cunning predator. A thinking predator. The way his mind worked, he was always hunting prey.

“Don’t kid yourself, Leila. You have to know what you’re getting. Who you’re getting. I would protect you and Grace with my life. But I don’t show mercy to my enemies. I hunt them down and make certain they can’t come at us again.”

“You aren’t making a very good case for yourself.”

“Turn over. Let’s get this done so you can go outside.”

His hands on her body, helping her roll over, were so gentle she melted inside. He might think he was a monster, but he was unfailingly gentle with her.

“I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life. The truth is I’ve never wanted anything for myself. I never thought about having a wife and children. I figured I’d make certain Rubin was taken care of and happy, and then I’d end it. Rid the world of the darkness in me.”

His fingers found the knots in her neck and began to work them out. She forced herself to relax, to breathe through the pain.

“Diego.” She whispered his name on an exhale. On a protest.

“The minute I saw you, Leila, I knew you were the one. Every single thing about you appeals to me. I know I’m asking a lot. I know what you’ll have to live with. But I also know I would move heaven and earth to make you happy.”

“By your own admission, women chase after you.”

“But I don’t chase women. I would never disrespect you.”

He worked his way down her right arm, and it felt a little like heaven—or hell. She wondered if she decided to stay with him, if that would be her life—a mixture of heaven and hell. She was grateful she was on her stomach with her face turned away from him. He seemed to be able to read her every expression, and she wanted to be conflicted. She told herself she was. She had Grace to think about. But if she was honest with herself, she’d already made up her mind. As much as Diego seemed to want her, she wanted him.

“Having said that, Leila, I won’t tolerate that kind of disrespect from you. There won’t be any cheating. Not physically or emotionally. I’m not meeting your needs, you say so. You communicate that to me immediately. If I piss you off, don’t sit on it for days, letting the wound fester—tell me so I can make it right.”

“We’re going to have disagreements,” she pointed out.

“I don’t want a yes woman. I want my warrior woman. I respect your opinions. I have no idea how to have a decent relationship or how to parent. I do know we don’t need to hit our children or raise our voices to them.”

She couldn’t help turning her head to look at him. Her eyes met his. There was pain there. She’d known there would be. If his mother were still alive, Leila might consider doing her in. “I like that. I don’t know how that will work when they’re teenagers, but I’m okay with no hitting or yelling.”

“There will be consequences,” he said. He bent his head and brushed a kiss across her cheekbone. “I believe in consequences.”

She did as well, but she had the feeling she’d be tempering his disciplines when it came to consequences for their children. Diego wasn’t a man to let things slide. She let her lashes drift down as his hands moved across her back, finding every painful place.

“When you’re looking inside me—which is very cool, by the way—can you tell if I’m healing the way I’m supposed to?” She wanted to change the subject. The intensity of their conversation was draining. If she wanted to have energy to go outside and shoot at targets, she needed to relax.

“I sped up the healing process as best I could. I also gave you my blood twice. The first time, it was to save your life, so I didn’t feel I had much choice. I knew my blood would enhance your gifts, but your eyesight and hearing were already good. The second time, I felt giving you blood would help speed the healing process. You needed it, but it was marginal whether you could do without it or not. I chose to give you the blood.”

She realized that someone else might consider him ruthless and arbitrary, making decisions for her when those decisions affected her hearing and eyesight. She liked that he was decisive. When she was alone on an assignment, she had to make life-or-death decisions, and there was no room for hesitation.

“Am I close to being healed yet?” she asked hopefully.

“Babe, I removed your spleen. You have other damage. The repairs are coming along nicely and are much further along than they would be if you’d had regular surgery. That doesn’t mean you can leap up and go running around playing soldier.”

“Is that what you do? Run around playing soldier?” There was no way to keep the amusement out of her voice. The way he put things was hilarious to her.

“I don’t play soldier. I wish I did. I hunt using the skills of every predatory animal Whitney put in me. Soldiers have little chance against me.”

She opened her eyes again and studied his face as he focused on her hips and buttocks. The lines in his face were carved deeper than one would think on first glance. He was an extremely handsome man, but not in the accepted sense of the word. There was a brutal, almost cruel, handsomeness to him. If she had any talent for drawing, she would want to draw his face over and over. It would take a million years to get it right.

“Do you know what kinds of animals he put in you?”

“Raptor and reptile, as well as wolf; leopard; two different kinds of tigers, Siberian and Bengal; as well as polar bear and wolverine. Do you see a recurring theme? Whitney enjoyed his little pleasures. He knew I was already too much of an alpha, renegade personality, and he did his best to amplify every aggressive trait I possessed.”

She was silent for a moment, enjoying the feeling of his hands moving down the backs of her thighs. He wasn’t exactly impersonal, but he was careful not to be inappropriate. She wasn’t certain how he managed to feel possessive and detached at the same time. He was Diego. That was her answer.

“You ready to head outside?” he asked after he’d finished massaging both her legs and feet.

Elated, Leila tried to flip over quickly, but he laid a hand on the small of her back, fingers splayed wide, taking up most of her back, preventing movement.

She hissed her displeasure at him. “I’m more than ready, Diego. I despise being cooped up.”

“You can’t make any sudden movements. I know it doesn’t feel as if you have a thousand stitches in your belly, but you have the equivalent. The repairs appear to be holding, but that doesn’t mean if you decide to go dancing, they will.”

She blew out her exasperation with a blast of air. “Seriously? I’m just turning over.”

“Then you’ll do it slow. I’m going to help you roll over and sit up. Once you’re sitting, take a minute to make certain you don’t get dizzy.”

Leila tried not to roll her eyes at him. He was simply looking out for her, the doctor in him taking over, but seriously? She wanted to move . There was no getting away from his strength as he aided her in rolling over and sitting up. For a moment the room spun, but she was never going to admit that to him. She breathed her way through it, waited for her head to clear and looked triumphantly at him.

“I’m fine.”

He handed her a bottle of water. “Hydrate.”

Again, she resisted making faces at him. She thought living with Diego, the man, was going to be difficult, but she found the doctor annoying. She could argue with the man, but it would be silly to try to argue with the doctor. And she’d lose every time. She drank down half the bottle and looked at him over the top.

“I can walk. My legs feel strong.”

He nodded, that slow, heart-stopping grin flashing for just one moment. “I’ve got a couple of trekking poles for you. I want you using them at first. I’ve got the gear for target practice. Are you hungry?”

Leila shook her head. “Nope. I just want to get outside. Out into the open.”

He helped her to stand. Again, she felt dizzy and had to lean into him. Diego circled her waist with his arm. It felt like an iron bar, but it also felt safe. He felt safe. A solid wall holding her up. He was patient, waiting until the momentary weakness had passed.

She rubbed her face against the wall of his chest, inhaling deeply, taking him into her lungs before she stepped away from him. “I’m ready.”

He handed her the trekking poles, indicating the door with the duffel bag he’d picked up.

The moment the cool breeze touched Leila’s face, she felt so much better. The day was beautiful. Not too cold, certainly not overly hot. There was no fog swirling through the trees, just a million shades of green surrounding them. The house was in a very small clearing, the towering trees and thick brush several feet back from the cabin.

“Rubin and I like to see what’s coming at us,” he explained.

“What if you get trapped in the cabin?” She couldn’t imagine, but if someone did sneak up on them, they would have a problem disappearing into the forest.

“Three escape routes, Warrior Woman. I’ll show them to you when we go in this evening.”

She liked that they were going to be outside for several hours. They walked slowly along a faint trail toward the destination Diego clearly had in mind.

“You said you mostly healed animals before you did surgery on me. Tell me about those animals and how you came about helping them.” She not only loved the sound of his voice and wanted him talking to her, but she wanted to know everything there was to know about him. She knew he loved animals—probably more than he did humans.

He matched her pace. She was a little awkward using the trekking poles. It wasn’t something she was used to, and she needed to establish a rhythm. More than anything, she was weak, and that made her cautious. She didn’t want to fall on her face and have Diego decide it was too early for her to be outside. His voice would distract her and keep her moving even when she felt a little out of breath.

“The first time I ever healed an animal was my sister Lucy’s pet rabbit. We weren’t allowed pets, but she’d found some baby bunnies all alone. All of the babies in the nest were dead but one. Most likely we had eaten the mother, but none of us told her that. Lucy managed to keep that one alive. She really fought for that little thing.”

He matched her steps for a couple of minutes in silence and then strode ahead of her. She could see two camp chairs placed side by side in a small opening facing the trees. He set the duffel bag down and came back to escort her.

“You were telling me about the baby bunny and your sister Lucy.”

He took the trekking poles from her and helped to lower her slowly into one of the camp chairs. “My sister Lucy liked to sing. She was a ray of sunshine dancing around the house. Even when she did chores, and she did a ton of them, she danced and sang. She put that little baby rabbit in a sling around her chest to keep it warm. You have to understand our mother thought singing and dancing was a sin. A big dark, black, ugly sin. That meant Lucy would have to be subjected to an exorcism, according to our mother. She said Lucy had the devil in her and it needed to come out.”

He paused and looked down at Leila. She hadn’t considered that he was that much taller, but he seemed to tower over her. His features were once again hard, giving him that brutal edge. His mouth looked almost cruel. His look alone set her heart pounding, but she refused to look away. She looked beyond the intimidation to the rage inside him. And it was rage. Deep.

He didn’t look away from her, even knowing what he was revealing to her. He let her see the killer in him. That was there in his eyes. She could have sworn she saw flames leaping behind those dark angry eyes.

“Tell me,” she whispered, reaching out to place her hand gently over his wrist.

His first instinct was to jerk away from her, but he didn’t. He continued looking down at her with the eyes of a savage predator. She refused to look away or be intimidated. She absolutely knew she was the safest person in the world from him.

“Tell me, honey,” she encouraged.

“My sister was sunshine and light. She was one of the few bright spots in our home, and yet because she dared to sing or dance, our mother had to do her best to extinguish her light. I could barely stand by and watch the things our mother did to her, all in the name of what was holy. Lucy didn’t utter a single word no matter what was done to her.”

Leila found herself holding her breath. She knew something terrible was about to be revealed. Diego’s expression didn’t change. His voice remained low and without inflection. Still, she knew, and air caught in her lungs and burned.

“It wasn’t enough for her that she hurt Lucy. Our mother ripped that little rabbit from the sling Lucy made, and she flung it across the room toward the fireplace. It hit the pipe and landed on the floor. Before our mother could stomp on it, I snatched it up and was gone. I was fast, really fast, and once in the forest, even Rubin wouldn’t be able to find me if I didn’t want to be found.”

“You knew she would punish you.”

“I’d stopped giving a damn what she did to me a couple of years earlier. In any case, Rubin blocked the doorway, giving me even more time to get under cover. The rabbit was in bad shape, with two broken bones. I wasn’t going to allow it to die. I knew I could heal it. I felt a well of heat and energy rising when I put my hands over the little body. Weirdly, I could see inside the rabbit’s body just by laying my palms over it. I could easily map out every bruise and every broken bone.”

“Was it scary to realize you were seeing inside the rabbit? I think that would have both elated and horrified me.” Leila couldn’t imagine making that discovery or knowing what to do with it after she found out she was able to look inside a creature.

His gaze swept the trees and along the ground, then he took a seat next to her. She noticed he did that often. Searching for tracks, always alert to his surroundings. She had always thought she was wary, but Diego was clearly a cut above her when it came to vigilance.

“I can’t say I was horrified. I was overcome with the need to fix everything wrong. I could feel heat rising in me, radiating through my palms. It was difficult to control the temperature, and I was fearful of killing the baby rabbit myself. It took time to figure out how to use that energy to heal the bruising and the broken bones.”

She didn’t understand the sorrow in his voice. It didn’t show in his expression, but his dark eyes had taken on a haunted quality. She couldn’t help herself. Uncaring that he might reject her, she stood, swayed only for a moment, and took the couple of steps to his side. She straddled him, sitting fully on his lap, half expecting him to push her off. It was just that there was too much pain in his eyes. Comforting him was a compulsion impossible to ignore.

Diego looked shocked. He hadn’t expected her to notice his distress, let alone react to it. She had the feeling no one had ever made an effort to comfort him. Or no one had cared enough to see he needed it. She leaned into him and brushed a kiss over his lips.

“Did the rabbit die?” She nuzzled his throat and then laid her head against his chest. She wanted him to tell her what had happened next to cause that look in his eyes.

“No.” He cleared his throat, and his arms circled her with unexpected fierceness. “No, the rabbit lived. It’s just that Lucy…”

He trailed off and buried his face between her shoulder and neck, sending a million goose bumps rising on her skin. She shivered and burrowed closer. Diego’s arms tightened to steel bands. He brushed a kiss on top of her head.

“I worry talking about my life will give you nightmares.”

The way his tone stroked velvet caresses over her skin was a revelation in just how easily Diego could bring every nerve ending in her body to sizzling life. She hadn’t known she could ever react to a man physically the way she did to him.

“I want to know every detail of your life, Diego. If it’s something that causes nightmares, I want to share that with you. Hopefully, by telling me, it will lighten that burden in you.”

He caught at her chin, forcing her head up until she had no choice but to meet the full intensity of his dark gaze. She felt color rising beneath her skin. She hadn’t ever considered that she would flirt with a man or, in this case, be brazen enough to tell him the truth. Her truth. She was all but declaring her growing feelings for him.

“My sister was horrified that I had saved the rabbit. She was the only one I told. I showed her the little guy, and she backed away from it. She told me only the devil could have done such a thing and I had to get rid of it. She told me never to tell anyone I could do such a thing and not to do it again.”

Was there shame in his voice? The hard lines in his handsome features remained exactly the same. She was staring into his eyes, and she couldn’t see shame, but she still felt it in him. In his heart. In his soul. His own sister had said those things to him. An older sister. One he admired and thought of as practically the shining light in their home, yet his saintly sister copied his mother when it came down to it. She had all but destroyed her younger brother in that moment.

It was no wonder he never allowed anyone to know of his healing skills. He hadn’t told Rubin or his GhostWalker unit for what he believed was a very good reason.

“When they found out Rubin was able to heal, did they view it as coming from the devil too?”

She felt his instant rejection. His body stiffened, and his hands clamped down on her hard enough that if she fought him, she would bruise. He didn’t frighten her. Nothing about him did. She remained relaxed, leaning into him, sharing his personal space. It felt intimate and weirdly right.

“They never knew about Rubin. And if you knew him, you’d understand why no one could ever think that Rubin’s incredible talent comes from the devil.”

She caught the warning in his tone. She doubted if he even knew it was there. Instead of being put off, Leila liked him all the more for his intense loyalty to his brother. She wanted him to have that same allegiance directed toward her.

“What happened to the baby rabbit?” She dared to hope that he hadn’t destroyed it as his sister had instructed. “Did you kill it?”

For the first time, he looked uncomfortable, his gaze sliding away from hers. “I couldn’t do that. It was really tiny and helpless. I hid it, made a warm burrow for it and fed it myself. When I left the house, I’d carry it with me against my skin.” Faint color actually crept under his skin. He not only sounded embarrassed but looked it as well.

She hugged him tighter. “You’re so incredible, Diego. Truly wonderful. If I wasn’t already falling hard for you, that right there would have done it for me.”

His eyebrow shot up, and all trace of embarrassment disappeared. Once more, he looked the confident, commanding man she knew him to be. A trace of male amusement showed in his eyes, setting off a series of spinning roller coasters in her stomach. She just managed to avoid pressing her hand over the spot in an effort to still the chaos.

“For being my warrior woman, you certainly have more compassion in you than is good for you. It’s a wonder you can function in the field.”

She was aware of the underlying serious question. “It’s different. The men I hunt aren’t innocent. They aren’t helpless. They have every chance to kill me.”

Leila felt him wince. His arms tightened into the steel bands around her again as if he could shield her from the assignments she carried out.

“The idea of you facing them alone without backup doesn’t sit well with me.”

“When you’re used to working within a team, that makes sense to you, Diego, but I’ve never worked with anyone else. I don’t ever depend on someone else. I know if I get into trouble, no one is coming. I have to figure out how to get in and out of wherever I’m going without a hitch. I also don’t have the responsibility of looking out for anyone else. It’s just me, and I can just worry about myself.”

She pushed back against his arms, signaling she was ready to get off his lap. She was all too aware of him and how vulnerable she’d made herself. He dropped his arms at that slight signal, and she slid off his thighs to stand in front of him, her hands on his shoulders to steady herself.

“Thank you, Diego. You have no idea how much I appreciate you.”

He turned his head and brushed a kiss along the back of her hand. “I’m not sure what I’ve done to deserve a thanks.”

“A million times you could have taken advantage of me or just misconstrued what I was doing, but you didn’t.”

His smile transformed his face, causing fireworks to detonate in the very center of her core. The sparkles radiated outward along every nerve ending and rushed through her bloodstream with little electrical sparks.

“Don’t think you’re out of the woods, sweetheart. I have every intention of taking advantage of you, just not until you’re one hundred percent.”

That should have made her happy, but she found herself wishing she was already one hundred percent or that he would put aside his gentlemanly behavior.

“Are we going to take bets with our little shooting match?”

She settled back in her chair and picked up the weapon of her choice, examining it carefully before loading it.

“That wouldn’t be exactly fair,” Diego pointed out.

“The arrogance of my man. You have no idea if you can outshoot me. Just because you have a big bad reputation and I don’t, doesn’t mean you’re better than I am.”

He laughed. Actually laughed. The sound was like music to her, playing over her skin and sinking deep, branding his name somewhere she knew she’d never get it out. She didn’t want to. The truth was, she was already lost. Free-falling right off the cliff when she wasn’t a risk-taker. She was a methodical huntress. She planned ahead for every contingency.

Falling so fast and so hard for a man hadn’t been in her plans, but now that it had happened, she accepted it. She had made up her mind that she wasn’t going to be a coward and pass up the opportunity to be with a man like Diego Campos.

“Let’s do this.” She lay completely prone on the ground, eyes on the series of targets he’d set up. “You go first.”

Diego stretched out beside her on the ground. He wasn’t super close to her, but she could feel the warmth of his body, and it was distracting. Apparently not for him. He didn’t miss. Every single bullet fired was a kill shot. It gave her an incredible rush, knowing he hadn’t gone easy on her. She didn’t want easy. She wanted a partnership. She knew the reputation of Diego Campos. If you ever had the misfortune to get into the sight of his rifle, you were as good as dead.

She would like to see what he could do with a knife. He seemed to prefer to use knives, something she disliked. Killing with a knife was very personal. Up close. She could feel the blade enter the target and knew the damage she’d done. She could see her prey’s eyes, feel their emotions. She didn’t want to use a knife if she could avoid it. But she was excellent with one when the need arose.

She took her time with each shot, knowing her skills would surprise him, maybe even impress him. At least she hoped he would be impressed. She was an excellent shot, and like Diego, she didn’t miss. Each bullet fired was a kill shot. When she’d hit the last target, she couldn’t help but look over at him, anxiety uppermost. She knew most of the men she’d trained around despised that she was a better shot than they were. She wasn’t Diego Campos good, but she was very close.

The look on his face was everything she could have wanted. Fantasized over. Needed. There was sheer pride in her. A slow grin swept up toward his eyes, lighting that darkness. It might have been brief, but it was there.

“You should have insisted on a bet.”

That said it all. Was everything to her. Before she could reply, from somewhere in the forest, quite close, the great horned owl issued a challenge to any owl entering her territory. Diego reached over and gently curled his fingers around Leila’s shoulder. She looked up at his face, and a shiver of fear slid down her spine. His entire demeanor had changed. She was no longer looking at her sweet companion; she was looking at a full-on predator. There was no mistaking the killer in his eyes.

He didn’t speak, but his hand moved, signaling her toward the cover of the trees. She didn’t argue. She was up and moving in a low crouch straight into the thicker forest. He moved with her, shadowing her every step, her smaller body dwarfed by his. She wanted to demand that he stop protecting her. She was his partner when it came to threats—and in this case, the threat was there most likely because of her.

Once both had been swallowed by the deeper foliage, Diego indicated a large tree with an extensive root system. “Crawl in there.”

She frowned at him. She didn’t hesitate because there were spiders, lizards and mice; she was used to dealing with insects, reptiles and even rodents. She took a few heartbeats, shaking her head at him. “How am I going to be helping you if I’m hiding like a coward in there?” She hissed the question, keeping her voice a mere thread of sound.

“You won’t be hiding for long, Warrior Woman.” He flashed her a grin. “I’m just going to scout out the enemy. I’ll let you know how many.”

“It could be your brother. Or Luther.”

“The owl knows both men. She would have let me know they were on their way, but she wouldn’t have raised an alarm.”

Leila didn’t argue with him. She crawled beneath the framework of roots. Diego placed several weapons as well as ammunition beside her right hand and a bottle of water beside her left.

“Won’t be long, sweetheart. Catch a nap if you’re so inclined.”

“A nap?”

“Don’t tell me you aren’t a little tired. You’ve been working nearly nonstop after lying in bed. You’re still not completely healed. A nap will do you good.”

“Is that what you do when you’re about to go into combat?”

“Yep. Keeps me sharp.” He grinned at her, pressed a kiss to his fingertips and then placed the pads of his fingers on her lips. “Seriously, Leila, this won’t take that long. I just need to know where they are, who they are and how many, and lead them back this way if they’re lost.”

“Well, if that’s all, a nap sounds like a perfect choice.”