Into the Mist
Into the Lair
Their final mission will be to win her love .
Amber Eyes
© 2009 Maya Banks
A beautiful, vulnerable woman appears at the high country cabin where Hunter and Jericho live between
assignments. They are captivated by their stunning, reticent visitor and vow to protect her—and uncover
what she’s hiding. Neither is prepared for the unbelievable. Their beautiful innocent is a cougar shifter
who’s spent a lifetime alone.
In the shelter of their love, Kaya blooms, finally willing to trust—and embrace her humanity again. Then
Hunter and Jericho are called away on a mission that goes terribly wrong. Now, pregnant, and alone once
more, she must find her way in a world she doesn’t belong to—and hope that the two men she loves will
find their way home.
Warning: This title contains explicit sex, adult language, sweet lovin’, multiple partners and ménage a
trois.
Enjoy the following excerpt for Amber Eyes:
The cougar waited patiently until the cabin went dark and all sounds within were silenced. Hunger
gnawed at her belly, and pain was her constant companion. She needed food. She needed to shift.
Her eyes glowed in the dark as she stared, alert and listening for movement. It was time.
There on the floor of the porch, the golden brown fur rippled and blurred. Pink skin replaced animal hide.
Long, honey colored hair, feminine tresses, flowed down her neck as the eyes of the cat became human.
Fingers curled and dug into the hard floor, and a human gasp of pain hovered in the room as her injured
hand protested the change.
Never before had she attempted to shift when she was so close to humans. But she needed food, and she
needed the rejuvenation her human form would bring. It had been too long since the cat had made a kill.
Game had been scarce.
Now that she was human again, the raw meat of her prey was no longer enticing. Her mouth watered, and
her stomach growled at the thought of cooked food. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d enjoyed
such a luxury.
She picked herself up and stood, wavering on unsteady legs. Chills chased up and down her naked skin,
causing an uncontrolled shiver to quake her spine.
“I am Kaya,” she whispered as she stared down at her human form. It was a reminder, one she gave
herself on the few occasions she embraced her humanity. Over the years, her memories had become
fuzzy, and it was hard to separate what was real with what was fantasy.
She had been forgotten by the humans, but she wouldn’t let herself forget her past or her heritage.
On silent feet, she crept toward the cabin door, testing the lock. To her relief, it opened easily and she slid inside the much warmer interior. After so long of seeking what warmth she could in dens and small caves,
the heated interior of the cabin was as close to heaven as she would ever come.
For a moment she simply stood there, soaking in the warmth, allowing her insides a slow melt. Then,
remembering that she was no longer the cat, she hurried forward. It wouldn’t do for the two men to
discover her.
Jericho and Hunter.
She didn’t know why she’d been drawn to them or what possessed her to seek them out each time they
returned to their cabin. Maybe it was her own loneliness and desire to be around other humans even when
she herself was not in human form.
A large shirt lay carelessly over a chair as if thrown there without thought. Her hand reached out and
caressed the soft material. She inhaled, scenting the male who’d worn it last. The one called Jericho.
She loved his smell. Him and the one called Hunter. It was what had first drawn the cougar to the isolated
cabin high in the Rocky Mountains.
She knew from their conversations that they were as mistrustful of other humans as she was. Had they
been cast aside like her? Forgotten?
They liked her and looked forward to her visits. The idea that her company brought them pleasure gave
her an inexplicable thrill.
The material of the shirt felt good against her fingertips, and without thought, she picked it up and
wrapped it around her body. It enveloped her, brushing across her skin like the warm spring sun after a
harsh winter.
She quickly buttoned it, even though it would be ruined when she shifted back. It was a temporary
pleasure she wouldn’t deny herself. She enjoyed so few that she clung tenaciously to this one.
Irritated that such a simple treat could sidetrack her from her goal, she hurried into the kitchen, the smell
of fresh food guiding her. Her mouth watered as she found a pot of a wonderful-smelling concoction on
the stove and next to it a half-eaten round of cornbread.
She stared impatiently at the meat mixture in the pot and sniffed, trying to ascertain the contents. It didn’t