Shamira continued, oblivious to Shane's reactions. She turned and did an overhand flick, snapping the tip about four feet away. She saw a sudden gleam of something metallic come out of the cracker. "What the hell?"

"Silver spike," Reaper explained. "The whip was designed for combat against magical creatures. A whip can be a dangerous weapon in the right hands."

Shamira looked around, seeing a number of varieties of whips. "So these aren't your . . . toys?" she asked, glancing over at Shane and looking flushed.

He looked smug. "Actually, we don't use full whips when we play. They do too much damage." He glanced over her hard body....