Half in Love [Willie Krenshaw] (Siren Publishing Classic) (11 page)

The heat and pain from the shift were muted by the pain already coursing through her body. The change came quickly because her mountain lion had been so close to her skin for days. She felt her bones shifting, changing. Her skin felt hot and tight. In a few heartbeats she changed from the slight human form to her larger, heavier tawny cat. The tatters that had been her clothes fell to the ground like confetti.

The surprised vampire loosened his hold on her long enough for Willie to get her back claws into his stomach and tear his gut open from navel to groin. He released her completely as the pain registered in his head. Panic flashed across his face as the large cat that he now faced growled low in her chest.

She stalked her prey, loving the feel of the ground under her paws. Her body moved with feline grace, silently flowing across the ground. The vampire was trying to hold his intestines inside his body so he could heal the gaping hole she’d ripped in his gut. He fell backward a few steps, yelling something incoherent at her. She grinned a toothy smile at him and pounced. She sunk her teeth into his shoulder and dragged him to the ground. Her front claws dug into his chest and back, sinking easily through his clothes and skin. She crushed the bones in his shoulder when she bit down. Blood ran down her face. The shrill screams echoing through the night made her want to laugh. This was so exhilarating. She had only hunted small game in her cat form, but to take down prey as large as herself was almost fun. The fear that rolled off the male in thick waves made her want to cause him more pain.

Reality crept into her brain as her humanity returned. She ended the vampire’s existence with a quick shake of her head and a few precision bites. Once his head was disconnected from his body, she turned to see how Nick had faired. She could see that one of the other vampires was decapitated and laying in a heap not far from where she stood.

Her cat’s sense of smell was far better than her advanced human equivalent. She took in Nick’s scent and purred deeply. With her cat and humanity merged, she couldn’t quite remember what the big deal was about taking him as a mate. She knew that she hadn’t wanted to mate him, but in this form the reasoning seemed flawed. His scent called to her like nothing else she had ever smelled. She turned her head to find him and see if he needed her help.

What she saw was magnificent to both the predator and female in her. Nick had his shirt off. Gleaming pale skin covered a muscular back that flexed with each breath. He had small wounds scattered across his chest and back, some still bleeding. The contrast of his ruby blood and ivory skin was breathtaking. He looked like a painting, barbaric and harsh, spread across a shadowy canvas. His opponent was bowed, kneeling in front of Nick with surrender etched across his body. She stood, rooted to the spot, watching the male that she would claim as her own tower over his prey.

She shook herself from her musing and chuffed at Nick. It would take her a few minutes to shift back, and she currently didn’t have any clothes to put on once in her human form again. She approached him on silent feet and nudged his thigh, purring loudly. She stood at his side, waiting for him to acknowledge her. She watched admiration and something she couldn’t define cross his face. His shining emerald gaze met her feline stare, and a sensual understanding flowed between them. He wasn’t disgusted by her other side. He accepted all of her pieces and parts just the way she was.

When he reached out a hand and ran it over her head and under her chin, she thought she had died and gone to heaven. She leaned her head into his hand and closed her eyes in bliss. She opened one eye when he chuckled and smiled a toothy, cat smile up at him.

“You realize that you are adorable as a kitty, right?” He stroked her from head to tail. She warmed under his hand and whipped her long, thick tail around his leg. She tickled the bulge in his pants with the tip of her tail, huffing with amusement when he shivered. She thumped him playfully with her head in reply. “I guess you don’t have clothes to put on if you change, right?”

Willie found it funny that he was addressing her like she was still human. She loved that he understood that it was still her inside. She yowled low in her throat and nodded her massive head once. A movement in her periphery had her swinging her head around until her attention lit on the vampire still breathing in front of Nick. The male vamp had looked up and was staring at her with a mixture of resentment and fear. Vampires and shifters were not cuddle buddies on a normal day, but could coexist well if they needed to. In this instance, she had to fight the urge to rip him apart and chew on his bones. She snarled low in her throat, but she didn’t give into the urge.

“Seems my cat would like to use you as a chew toy. Now, let’s get this over with. I need to know why you were targeting me tonight.” Nick focused his attention on the male kneeling in front of him, but he kept a hand on Willie’s back. His touch kept her grounded to her human side.

“If I tell you what I know, will you set me free?” The male’s voice was higher than she expected and was nasally. He sounded like a whiner.

“I’m not promising anything. If you give me information, I may be lenient, but I’ll have you know that I’m a Council Investigator. Your attempt on my life warrants a death sentence.” Nick paced in front of the male, exuding power and calm. He bent slightly to stare into the male’s face. “I’m sure you knew who I was and what my station was with the Council. The fact that you attacked me anyway is pretty indicative to your dishonorable nature. Now, talk.”

The male cleared his throat and started talking in a fast, wispy whine. “Stephen Walker is my maker. He sent us after you because you’re after him. It’s as simple as that.”

“Stephen is behind this?” Nick seemed taken aback for a split second, and then the harsh mask descended again. “Mmm, I was under the impression that no one knew I was assigned to finding and interrogating him. Someone on the Council must have leaked the information.”

“He sent us after you a few days ago as well. Me and Troy shot you with a dart a few nights ago and were carting you back to Stephen, but you broke out of the van. So, he sent us looking for you tonight. We knew your vehicle and found you driving around. Stroke of luck actually.”

Willie stared at the vampire who was spilling his proverbial guts. He was weak. She hoped that Nick would let her kill it. She snorted a very un-feline noise as she pondered that thought. In her cat form, though, she really would gladly dispatch the irritation for him. That way he didn’t get this maggot’s blood on his already bloody hands.

“So, what were you supposed to do when you found me tonight? You and your friends here weren’t out to capture me. Did he tell you to kill me off? Is that it?”

“All I know is that he wanted you gone. Something about the investigation and not wanting to be dragged in front of the Council.” The whining increased. “Can I go now? I’ve told you everything I know.”

“Not yet. Where is Stephen now? Where were you supposed to take me after drugging me?” Nick continued to pace around the male. Power and control oozed from him. He was beautiful like this, Willie thought.

“There’s an abandoned warehouse not far from here that he uses if he has to meet us. I don’t know where he stays otherwise. He don’t let any of us know where he stays. Guess he’s afraid we might rat him out.” The male was seriously getting on her nerves. Her skin twitched with inaction. She really wanted to crush his throat to shut him up. “Our meeting times are set up and sent via text messages. Please let me go. I’m sorry we attacked you.”

“Nope, not yet. This is all food for thought,” Nick said. He stopped in front of the male and a cold, harsh light entered his eyes. “I’ll give you a choice. Go before the Council and have them deal with you, or I’ll end it now. I promise you I’ll be extremely quick and clean with it. I don’t know how long you’ll remain under the Council’s control before they kill you.”

The male tried to get to his feet and was slammed back down by a palm on the shoulder. He whimpered under Nick’s hand. Willie had enough. She was tired and done listening to the male with his weak voice. She sprang at him, sank her teeth into his throat, and ripped out a dripping chunk of flesh. Before Nick could stop her, she sank her muzzle into the gaping hole she’d created and broke his neck. She held down the torso with her paws and finished pulling the head from the body with a few chomps of her powerful jaws.

“Well, damn, Willie. I was hoping to hand him to the Council.” Nick’s voice was laced with laughter as Willie licked her lips and sat, licking a paw to clean her face off. He bent down and caught her heavy head under the chin. His eyes caught hers and held her suspended for a long moment in the heat of his gaze. “You are absolutely beautiful in this form. But, I think you are still more beautiful in your human form.”

Willie ducked her head and continued her cleaning. She couldn’t answer him, and it probably was a good thing. She enjoyed the contented feeling she had in this form and purred her happiness. She didn’t feel torn between wanting Nick and not wanting to mate. In this form it was an inevitable conclusion that he would be their mate. Her human and animal sides weren’t divided in this form, so thought was very straight forward. She knew Nick was her mate, therefore eventually he would be.

“Come on, I think I have an extra shirt in the truck. I don’t think it’s a good idea to drive around with you in the back of my truck, especially in that form.” Nick walked off toward the Hummer, and she followed at a sedate pace. Her eyes were at the perfect ass-viewing level, and she was enjoying the sway of his narrow hips. He had the most perfect ass of any man she’d ever seen. She looked up to find him silently laughing at her. “Even in cat form you are very forward, aren’t you? Stop ogling my ass so we can get out of here.”

She chuffed at him and strolled to the Hummer. He silently opened the back door and placed a shirt on the seat. He motioned her into the truck with a bow, and she hopped onto the seat with an easy leap.

“Let me know when you’re ready. I’m going to call the Council while you are shifting. Take your time, okay. I know that two shifts close to each other are draining.” Nick quietly shut the vehicle door and wandered away from the truck. A shiver of apprehension skated down Willie’s spine at the mention of the Council. She shook her head and closed her eyes. Nothing she could do about that right now. With a controlled breath, she beckoned to her human side, drawing her forward and bringing on the shift again.

Willie finished buttoning the shirt that Nick had given her. She felt very self-conscious without pants or underwear, but she would just have to make do with the shirt. She’d been watching him through the windshield for the last couple of minutes as she rested from the shift. He seemed agitated and kept pushing his fingers through his hair. Obviously his call to the Council wasn’t going as he expected. With a deep breath, she opened the door and stepped into the night with nothing but the dress shirt on.

“Alex, damn it. I don’t want to drag her into this. I need you to give the Council the information and be done with it.” His voice floated on the breeze, and was tight with controlled anger. “No, I’m not going to bring her to the Council. She isn’t involved in this. No, you don’t need to come anywhere. If they want a full report from me, they’ll wait until tomorrow night and I’ll be coming alone.”

Willie felt the urge to reach out and touch him, sooth his anger. She watched his body stiffen in response to whatever this Alex was saying to him. He growled and snapped a quick, “Because I don’t trust you. Fine, see you in an hour,” into the phone before flipping it closed and shoving it into his pocket. Anger rolled off him in waves. He sighed and turned to face her. His eyes swept up and down her body with a slow caress. The tension seemed to drain from his body as his eyes took on a hooded, needy light. She would never get used to being looked at with that level of lust.

“I take it the Council is pissed about me?” She blushed under his scrutiny, fidgeting with the edge of the shirt. It rested against the middle of her thigh, but the knowledge that nothing covered her under the shirt had her nervous. Once she was back in her human skin, the tension and warring emotions had slid heavily to her shoulders again. It was so much easier to think in her cougar form.

“Not pissed, interested. Which could be just as detrimental. I called Alex, a longtime friend, in hopes of talking him into giving my report to the Council. It seems they’ve found out about you and are interested in meeting with you. For tonight, though, we don’t need to respond to their summons. I’ve given my report to Alex, which is what I’m required to do.” He sighed and walked slowly to Willie. He reached out and stroked a finger down her cheek. He leaned in close to her, crowding her body with his. Heat infused his gaze. “It’ll take them a few hours to decide if they’ll require your attention, so until then you are safe. He’s meeting us at your house in an hour to discuss the Council’s thoughts.”

She could read the intention in his face this time and didn’t fight it. She closed her eyes as he leaned into her space, breathing him in and tilting her head back in invitation. She was done fighting with herself over this. A soft sound escaped when his lips lightly stroked over hers. She smoothed her hands up his chest and over his shoulders, wrapping them around his neck. His muscles were hard and smooth under her hands. She melted against his chest and reveled in the feel of his hard body against hers. Shivers raced down her spine, and goose bumps erupted on her arms as he teased her lips with his, silently asking for her permission. She parted her lips and tasted his. She pulled his head down to hers, making her invitation blatant. His tongue slicked across her in a sensual slide. With a growl, he wrapped his arms around her back, pulling her against his chest. He took control of the kiss, delving into her mouth. He nibbled along her lips, sucking them into his hot mouth. He moved along her jaw, nipping and kissing until he reached her earlobe. He sucked the lobe into his mouth and bit lightly. She groaned and molded her body to his, slowly moving her pelvis against his groin. The feel of his hot mouth on her neck made her legs weak. She offered her throat to him in true submission. He obliged by kissing and sucking against the skin at the base of her neck. He growled softly against her neck before he pulled back and stared into her face.