Rafe places a light kiss on my shoulder and brushes his stubbled chin back and forth in a soft gesture, tingling my skin with the rasp of the short hairs. “Whew,” he whispers, “that was a big one.”
I stretch lazily as he slides behind me, pulling my ass to snuggle against his hips. In a moment his cock stirs and begins to harden again. “Ready for number four?”
I circle my hips, content to lie here for a bit. “What do you have in mind?”
My lover places small kisses up and down my neck, similar to how we started the session. “Did you pack that little bag of anal plugs? I’m thinking it’s time to work this tight ass of yours and give it a good stroking tonight.” He bites down on my neck, pulling my vampiric lust to the surface with the hint of pain.
“You want to work in that thick prick?” The heady thought fills me once again with desire.
Rafe rolls my shoulder back and leans over me. “I want to love you all night… any way you’ll let me.”
A soft smile curls my mouth as I reach up and touch his cheek with one hand. “Feeling high from my blood, aren’t you?”
His bright blue eyes take on a manic gleam, like he didn’t just fill me with his seed two minutes ago. “Oh yes, that’s part of it.”
I laugh, full and deep. The sound bubbles up and erases every care I have in the world. God, how I love this man and needed this connection tonight. I reach to pull him toward me in a kiss, but he has other ideas.
Rafe grabs both my wrists and pins them over my head. “I told you earlier—before we stop for the night I’m going to have you screaming my name.” He lowers his lips to mine, slipping his tongue inside to taunt and entice. He uses just enough pressure in his kiss to show me he’s got plenty of energy to keep going for hours. I can hardly wait.
The hot bath water
has longed since cooled, so I decide to rise and take a short nap next to Rafe. There’s nothing quite like a soothing soak in a bubble bath with a good book when you’re too keyed up to sleep. Sure, the hours of carnal pleasure dulled the edge, but when my husband drifted off, the anxiety I first felt upon arriving returned. What is that trickle of unease I feel whenever I’m at rest?
I grab a fluffy white towel and begin to dry myself.
Could the apprehension be a trick of the mind from dodging the vicious Coraline and her lackeys all evening or is it something more? My blood starts to boil, when I think of the incident at the craps table. The audacity of the woman to think I’d wager with my husband. If we weren’t surrounded by hundreds of vampires I might have been tempted to challenge the bitch, once and for all, and put an end to her jealous meddling.
I could take her in a fair fight. But who says the conniving wench would fight fair? I smirk at the vision of blowing up her head. Then again, who said I’d fight fair, either? Although, yes, I could explode her brain without exerting too much energy, but to do so would be stupid and point a big ole arrow right at the person who hates her the most—me.
Could Lucas be working with her? And what about Jonah, the lover to the second pedophilic Ancient I killed over four centuries ago? Then there was the suave Asian guy showing too much interest at the craps table. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen my old lover Daniel for years, could he be here for different purpose, too?
I sigh while hanging the towel. There really are too many people here who could suspect my unique traits.
My fellow ex-enforcers think I hunted alone on the difficult cases out of my own arrogance. Reality was I trusted my secrets with no one. I’ve never met another manipulator and have often wondered—are they in hiding or do none exist? After slipping on a pair of shortie cotton pajamas, I go through my skin care routine and prepare for sleep.
Due to the recent blood I had from Jon before we left Alaska and my topping off from Rafe an hour ago, I’m not exactly tired. But it certainly won’t hurt to lie down and turn my mind off for a little while, too. I rinse and dry my hands then turn to wander back into the adjoining suite. A rush of anxiety hits me, freezing me in my tracks.
What the hell? I felt this when I left the limo earlier tonight, but it’s stronger now. I’m not the anxious type, but all of a sudden my vision tunnels and my head feels light. Holy shit! Is that a spell?
Before I have a chance to reason through the panic, a whoosh of air blows my hair forward. A hood shoves over my head, a cinch tightening it closed around my neck. Strong hands grab and pin my wrists behind my back. I jerk my arms forward while slamming my head back, hoping to bash my attacker. The harsh bite of silver stops my arms and the lash of my skull fails to land on a target.
Not to be easily taken down, I lash out with a leg, connecting with someone’s midsection. An expulsion of air follows the blow and then something heavy crashes against my skull, pitching me to the cold tile.
“Bitch is quick. I’ll give her that.” The male voice sounds familiar, but muffled by the ringing in my head from the blow. Before I have a chance to launch myself in the direction it came from, a booted foot lands in my midsection, knocking me back to the floor.
A scuffle sounds in the next room, and for the first time in decades, my heart squeezes with real panic. How many attackers are there? Do they have Rafe subdued already?
I reach out with my mind to find I’m blocked. Well and truly blocked—the kind resulting from silver on my head. Whoever is here knows exactly what I am and what I’m capable of.
I try to slow my ragged breathing as I pick myself up from the floor, movements hindered by the silver bindings around my wrists.
“What do you want?” I ask in an even tone, keeping the rage out as best I can.
Cora’s voice comes from the next room, where the smash of a lamp against the wall indicates the struggle with Rafe still thrives. “Come now, my dear. Surely you couldn’t have thought you fooled us all?”
Hands grasp the hood on the side of my face as another set of hands latch onto my upper arms from behind. The hood is adjusted and Coraline’s angry features appear through two eye slits in the silver-lined cloth covering. “There, that’s better.” She grins—her full hatred of me no longer hidden by the sheen of civility. “Wouldn’t want you to miss the best part.”
I’m dragged into the suite and my head is twisted to face the bed I shared with my spouse earlier. Three vampires struggle to restrain Rafe, only one I recognize—Lucas. He holds a huge knife to my husband’s throat, a gleeful look on the bastard’s face.
The vampire on Rafe’s left looks like he lost one too many boxing matches before he was turned, his nose appears flattened and his features look rough and muted. The one on his right has stringy black hair and an almost pasty-golden hue to his skin, bespeaking of a distant Asian relative. I’ve never seen either one before, but they’ll be dead the second I see them again.
Cora’s voice grates in my ear. “You will tell us what we want to know about the other manipulators, Alexandria,” she says in a singsong manner. “Or he’ll be the first in a long line of deaths we lay at your feet.”
Frantic to get to Rafe, I struggle against the vampire holding me. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Lucas draws the blade slowly across Rafe’s flesh. A thin line of crimson runs down my lover’s neck. “Try again, bitch,” the vampire says, “or I’ll cut your toy right through to the bone.”
Rafe stares at me, our eyes lock through the slitted hood. “If you kill him, I’ll tell you nothing,” I say.
Held as a hostage doesn’t sit well with Rafe, and he shakes his head once. I stand straighter, testing the hands holding me to see if I can break the grip when needed.
Once again, a blow to the head knocks me to my knees. Whatever they’re hitting me with, it sure as hell hurts. Stars cloud my vision as I watch Rafe struggling with his captors again, desperation on his face when he sees what they hit me with. I try to look back over my shoulder, but the slits don’t allow much of a view.
Coraline’s heavy breathing punctuates the air, and I catch a glimpse of a thick wooden shaft with a fist-sized studded metal ball on the end. Bitch looks like she’d gladly bash my head in if I move. She raises her arm again, preparing to bring the mace crashing down.
Rafe lurches against the vampires restraining him, pulling an arm free. They scuffle for a moment and it looks like Rafe may overpower the one on his right. A low guttural growl of anger spills from my husband as he clenches the throat of the vampire. In a flash, the second man punches my husband across the jaw.
It takes all three of them to subdue him again and the tension in the room runs sky high. A bellow of frustration comes from Cora and she screams, spittle flying from her mouth in her rage. “He’s not worth the trouble. Finish him!”
I whip around to see Lucas’ arm slice across Rafe’s neck, a fountain of blood shooting into the air. “Nooo….” rips from my throat as I lunge to my feet and barrel across the room with every ounce of strength I possess.
The heavy mace knocks me in the shoulder. A sickening crunch of bones precedes an acute shooting pain radiating out from my left side. The force of the blow propels me to the rug, where I struggle to rise. As I gain my feet, the two vampires holding my husband toss him to the wood floor where a large pool of red starts to spreads around him.
The blackness I keep so tightly leashed rages to the surface—the animal instinct to kill sprints to the forefront of my mind. I flex my arms and pull with all my might. The bonds weaken and my wrists move a few inches apart. I
will
get out, and I will rip them apart with my bare hands. There’s still time to save Rafe if I can close his wound and give him more of my blood.
“Hit her again!” screams the same muffled male voice from the bathroom. “She’s stretching the silver!”
I reach my husband’s side as the mace connects with my skull, a resounding crack echoes through the room. Pain explodes through my head and wetness runs down my face inside the hood. I fall to the floor next to Rafe, watching the room fade to black.
No!
I scream in my mind, battling to retain consciousness. As the darkness encroaches, I lose control of my limbs.
The final words from Lucas seem to come from miles away. “Take his body and throw it out back with the rest of the trash.”
Jonathan
My eyes spring open
in the darkened living room. The time on the tiny DVD player near the television reads not quite six a.m. Hmmm… after staying up late into the night talking to Candy, I can’t imagine why I’d jolt awake after the drama of yesterday’s shootings. God, what a mess we’ve got on our hands.
Despite the horrors we have waiting for us my mind feels curiously light. Something seems off… no, wait… different might be a better term for it. Like a burden I wasn’t aware of has been lifted.
I lie still for a moment, getting my bearings and try not to disturb the young woman sleeping next to me on the couch. My eyes close and I sink into the cushion, reviewing what I did yesterday and what could make my mind feel like this. Concentrating on my connection with Vivian I realize it’s not there—that’s what seems off. She’s not there for the first time in over seven years. Is it the physical distance between us or has she deliberately muted it more to give me space? She promised to not cut me off, so maybe it’s the distance.
Should I call her with one of the charged satellite phones? We spoke yesterday, and it’s not like we said we’d talk every day. I get the feeling she’s pulling away for my own good, but I don’t like it. I run a hand over my face, determined not to obsess over the ancient vampire—especially after discovering who Spike really is. Vivian has told me enough times that she and Rafe can handle everything without me, so I might as well take the hint.
The simple joy of last night’s one kiss floods through me. I wanted the moment to go on and on almost as much as I wanted to press my advantage and try for more, but the timing was off. It would have been shitty to make a move on her when she’d earlier witnessed her packmate jerking me off.
Last night, here in the dark, I opened to the shifter like I haven’t with anyone in years. I told her about how I came to be Vivian’s servant and she shared her tumultuous late teen years living on her own, which lead to masquerading as a man to stay safe.
We’ve both been through the ringer and talking to her felt like one of those moments with someone when you first connect and realize you have a lot in common. It was kind of freeing, actually.
I glance over at the stunning young woman. A lock of soft hair is brushed behind an ear while she sleeps on the pillow next to my hip. Her delicate heart-shaped face and cute button nose look even more sensual when she sleeps. Damn, I’ve got it bad.
Long after midnight, she stretched out on the sofa cushions and I stayed propped up on the connecting chaise. I’d wanted to scoot over and hold her in my arms but didn’t because the raw feelings and desires scared me. That and the whole “grows a dick” thing still had me feeling a little off my game.
I’m dying to ask her about the sexual encounter with Naomi, but had a feeling if I brought it up she’d want to talk about the moment in the woods she witnessed… and reminding her of my indiscretion didn’t seem prudent.
A small smile lights my face at the thought of Candy’s wolf’s teeth snapping at my ass yesterday. She was interested in me for a good long while and I had no idea. I still can’t believe I thought I was gay. Fucking pheromones.
She said she understood my loyalty to the vampire and didn’t have an issue with it. Could that be true? My heart swells at the mere thought of having someone for myself, outside of the loving couple… a true mate of my own. Would she consider moving here and join my growing pack?
Geez Louise. Listen to me. I sound like a chick. I shake my head at the desperate thoughts. Placing more importance on the evening than I have any right to. Best thing would be to wait and see how things develop. Maybe if I suggest she stay for a few weeks this summer that might be more of a safer approach.
I slide off the couch to kneel on the floor next to her. The mysterious shifter lies on her side, an arm curled under a throw pillow. Her breathing sounds low and steady, like in a deep sleep. My gaze travels to the dip of her waist, noticeable even through her bulky men’s clothes. Before I can stop myself, I reach out and place a palm on her jeans-covered hip. It’s not creepy to touch her without her knowledge if I don’t actually molest her, right?
Warmth spreads through me as I softly mold my hand over her feminine curve. She feels slender and athletic. I’ve always admired a woman who stays in shape. Okay, I’m being creepy now. I need to stop before I do anything else and seriously regret it.
I pull away the offending hand and glance back at her slumbering face. Her eyes are wide open and she’s staring at me with a thoughtful look. Crap! Tell me I did not just get caught doing something that falls precariously close to illegal.
“Er… umm… I…” I say, frozen in my guilt.
Candy lifts her head and leans forward. “Shh….” She softly places her lips on mine and gives me a tender kiss. I press closer, deepening the contact, and cup my errant hand around the back of her head. In a moment that’s over far too soon for my taste, she pulls back and flashes a sly smile. “Do you normally feel-up sleeping women on your bosses’ couch?”
No longer ashamed of my actions, I grow bolder and push the envelope even further. “Are you sure that was feeling you up?”
Her eyebrows lift. “Maybe it wasn’t.” The confident young woman leans back and stretches, reaching her arms past the pillow, pushing up her breasts to strain against the shirt buttons. When she glances to see if I’ll take the bait there’s a clear invitation on her face. I could be dead wrong, but in the dim light from the kitchen it looks like she wants me to go further.
The devil inside, aka the raging boner painfully shoving into my thigh, encourages me to take the leap. Not wanting to appear like some callow youth groping her at the first opportunity, I lean in near her neck, where the top two buttons of her shirt lay open. Taking a deep breath, I fill my senses with her unique spicy musk.
The aroma clearly is not male or female, but somewhere in between. While in this form she definitely smells more like a chick—at least, that’s what I tell myself as I trail soft kisses down the exposed flesh and slowly edge my lips under the loose fabric.
She feels silky under my touch. When I gently suck her skin into my mouth, her breath hitches and her heart thumps faster. Before I have a chance to decide how far to go, she pulls her arms back down and opens a few more buttons.
“It’s not ‘feeling’ if you don’t use your hands, now is it?” She spreads her shirt wide, revealing two hard nipples sitting atop beautiful breasts. My breath catches in my throat as the slit of my cock weeps in my pants. Those tits look pretty enough to fuck.
Never one to disappoint a lady, I gently cup her sexy offering, determined to make sure if I feel her up, I do it properly. When I lower to taste one dusky peak, she arches to press herself deeper into my touch.
I pull the tightened flesh between my lips and tease the ridged peak with my tongue. A low moan comes from the languid shifter, encouraging me to continue. My warm palms squeeze her flesh and press the two globes together, creating a channel I’d love to slide my prick through. I flick my tongue over one nipple then reach for the other one, closing my hot mouth over the aroused areola and loving it like I did the first.
Her voice rushes out on a husky sigh, “Now that’s more like it, Jon.”
I chuckle inside, my humor radiating like a low grumble that vibrates against her skin. By the shift of her hips on the couch, she likes the added sensation.
I pause in my ministrations to clear my lust-soaked brain. What am I doing? How far do I want to take this?
The sexually frustrated man within wants to rush headlong into whatever Candy might be offering, but the calm inner alpha who Vivian left in charge raises his unwelcome head and reminds me quite pointedly of my responsibilities.
Supernatural hunters. A dead werewolf. Several injured Weres. The arrival of Cy due to sabotaged communications.
A heavy sigh issues as I pull away from the tempting display and draw the young woman’s shirt together.
Her eyes hold a question, a slight tinge of uncertainty coloring the depths. “Is something wrong?”
I shake my head. “Not in the way you think.” I kiss her one last time, lingering over her luscious lips, leaving no doubt that I do indeed want her.
“We’re in the middle of a situation here, you know that. As much as I might like to push it all aside and spend hours exploring every inch of your body, I can’t. Another of Vivian’s vampires was scheduled to land before dawn and I left instructions for them to wake me,” I glance at the clock, “in ten minutes.”
Candy sighs and nods her head. She reaches to button her shirt and I brush her hands aside and complete the task myself, taking my time and running my fingers over her skin while I’m at it.
“How do you want to play this?” she asks.
There’s wariness in her expression. I wonder how many times she’s revealed her true self to someone she’s interested in and they’ve rebuffed her. It can’t have been an easy game she played when she chose to disguise herself as a man.
I smile, eager to take the pain from her eyes and try to inject a little humor in the situation. “What—are you assuming I’m worried about people thinking I’m chasing a guy? Don’t I look confident enough to you that I can pull it off?” I sit back on my heels and strike a body builder pose with my upper body. “Surely they will quake at my manliness and keep their thoughts to themselves.”
Candy laughs softly and sits up, swinging her feet off the couch to rest on the floor next to my knees. “You’d do that for me?”
I think back on the hours we spent talking in the dark last night. She knows about my dedication to Vivian and didn’t berate me my choice or try to convince me to leave the vampire—which is way more than the last few woman I’d been with ever did. Diana’s thinly veiled jealously leaps to mind. I found it surprising she was able to keep it in check whenever she was around Vivian. Good thing she doesn’t work in the main building. Lori from Romeo’s pack was more vocal in her opinions on my choice.
“Yeah, I would.” I tilt my head to the side while I examine Candy. “But I think this is your choice. You’ve presented yourself as a guy in Romeo’s pack. It should be you who decides who
you
want to be as we move forward.” I clear my throat before speaking my next thoughts, unsure of myself but not wanting to mislead her. “Although, when we’re alone, I’d prefer you to be yourself… you know… as a woman….”
She laughs loud, and takes my hand. “Are you sure about that?” She winks to soften her implication. “I could have sworn I saw you checking out Spike’s ass a little too closely, once or twice.”
Heat burns my face at my remembered confusion. God, I thought I was going crazy. I think I had almost convinced myself I might be bi. For a fleeting moment I picture the slim and athletic Candy naked, a woman in every sense of the word, except for an erect cock jutting out from her hips. The image doesn’t repulse me like I thought it would.
If I’m perfectly honest with myself, I have to acknowledge the past times I’ve tried to seduce Rafe with my werewolf pheromones. Granted, the purpose was to get into Vivian’s bed, but the truth is there, nonetheless. “I won’t deny I’m curious about your form-altering… er… ah… abilities. But I have no idea how far or fast I’d be ready for changes.”
She nods. “That’s fair enough.” Candy glances to the dark living room windows. “I have no problem revealing my true self to Romeo’s pack…” Her voice trails off. She looks back at me with a touch of worry on her face. “But the ladies might not be too happy when I do.”
It’s my turn to laugh. The sound spills into the air like I haven’t laughed in ages. Tears gather in the corners of my eyes, “Oh man, how many of them did you go down on?” Picturing this attractive woman on her knees between the thighs of any of those gorgeous Weres gets the blood flowing to my cock again.
She shrugs, unsure of herself. “I was lonely and they were willing. We both enjoyed ourselves. I never took it beyond oral sex.”
“You think that matters? If they consider themselves straight they might really be pissed.”
She looks me right in the eye. “We had a president who said it wasn’t sex. We’ll just have to see, won’t we?”
Her strength is admirable. She’s willing to face the unknown by revealing herself to her pack to spare my image of being with a man. I tug her hand and draw her closer to me, placing my free hand behind her head to pull her lips to mine. The kiss is over quickly, but it has the desired effect for both of us—we’re ready to face the outcome to see what could be between us.
“I think you’re amazing,” I say.
“And I think you’re freakin’ hot,” she says with a smile. “Want to do that muscle pose for me again, big guy?”
I get to my feet and pull the brown-haired beauty with me. “Let’s get some coffee going first. Then, I’ll show you my moves.”
Her infectious smile warms me as we head into the kitchen. I never expected this moment and I want to cherish it for as long as I can.