New Beginnings (20 page)

Victoria made her way to the other end of
the bar, even further away from Slater and took the last stool.
Jess turned in her direction and froze for barely a fraction of a
second as her gaze locked on Victoria.

Jess kept the smile on her face and moved
toward her.

Interesting. She wasn’t intimidated.
Victoria already liked the little wolf.

* * * *

Jess walked away from Liam, and kept the
forced smile plastered to her face as she caught the scent of death
and a whiff of blood. Vampire. There was only one she had heard
about in Edenton, and that would be Slater’s ex-vamp.

It took every ounce of will not to glance
over to Brody’s table, where Slater sat the last she looked. She
moved to the corner and smiled at the stunning woman. Flawless,
glamorous and everything Jess would never be. That gave her just a
thread of anxiety, but Slater was hers and she knew it.

Victoria smiled warmly, which was odd
because she couldn’t remember such a welcoming expression from a
fanger. Ever. Not even when they were trying to enthrall someone so
they could bite.

She had to know, so Jess stuck out her hand
and hoped she wasn’t making a huge mistake. In a room full of
werewolves, she figured it was safe enough.

“Jess, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.
I’m Victoria.” Victoria leaned forward and shook her hand.

So much sensation flooded her system that
she jerked away from her touch. Jess stood there, trying to catch
her breath, knowing she was beyond aroused by something Slater had
done to Victoria. That was just it though. Hot, wild fucking, but
no real emotion.

She gripped the counter and shook her head
as she looked up at Victoria whose brow arched as she watched Jess’
reaction.

“Are you alright?” She asked softly.

Jess nodded, a huge load sliding from her
shoulders. “I am. I don’t suppose you want anything?”

“Afraid not.”

When she looked over, Slater looked up and
gave her a slight grin he only seemed to give her since they mated.
She nodded once and moved on to Clint to refill his drink before
anything could get too terribly awkward.

Slater leaned against the pool table,
waiting for Brody to take his shot. He knew he was going to lose
this game. He rarely won against Brody to begin with, but his
concentration was blown to shit. He wanted to stalk up to Jess and
lay his claim on his woman before he had to tear some dumb wolfs
eyes out for staring a little too hard at all those curves packed
into her small frame.

Danika nudged him. “You know it’s a miracle
that no one seems to notice how hung up you are over her.”

Slater looked over at Danika.

“So, did you?”

“Did I what?” He snapped.

She narrowed her eyes. “Seal the deal?”

“Does it look like it?”

She snorted. “You’ve been antsy and
irritated since she showed up, and now you’re a grumpy old bastard.
What gives? You two mate?”

There was a bam as the front doors slammed
open. Slater’s gaze snapped up to find Dacia storm in with the wind
blowing around her on a fairly calm night. Her dark eyes locked on
Jess who was busy smiling and serving Liam another beer.

Jess glanced up and nodded to Dacia in
greeting before directing her attention back to Liam.

Dacia froze with a frown, then slid her gaze
over to Brody who moved around the table with a groan. Slater felt
bad for the guy. Really he did. He’d been telling the damned woman
no since the one time he got drunk enough to make that mistake
eight years before, and never again. Brody was smart. He wouldn’t
do it. Didn’t mean Dacia was ever going to get it.

One corner of her scarlet painted lips
tipped up as she eyefucked Brody who still had his back to her.

Slater rolled his eyes and squeezed Brody’s
shoulder. “Much luck.”

“Fuck, the night was going so well. She
always has to ruin shit.”

Danika smirked, “I could toss my drink on
her. I wouldn’t mind.”

“No,” he groaned. “Not worth the
hassle.”

Dacia marched over, but instead of making a
bee line for Brody, she came to Slater while Brody made his way to
the counter to refill their pitcher.

“I need to talk to you,” she whispered
harshly.

He had a sinking feeling about this, but he
nodded and followed her into a semi-quiet corner of the bar. “What
is it?”

“Something’s not right with Liam. He’s
trying to make me jealous of Jess. It’s not Brody she’s been
fucking. It’s you, and I know because I caught enough of a show to
know.”

Slater just stared back at her.

“Right, well he wanted me to throw some huge
fit and cause a scene. Obviously, I’m not playing along, but I
thought you might want to know the man is packing silver bullets.
Whatever he’s planning, it’s not going to have a happy ending.”

“Shit, and you know this how?” Slater
demanded.

“Doesn’t matter.” As soon as the words were
out of her mouth, there was a crash and breaking glass. Slater
looked up to see a startled Lincoln looking down at the mess at his
feet as a vaguely familiar face marched up to the counter with a
dark look in his green eyes.

Gregory. The stupid bastard had made the
trip out and was going to try to make a claim.

* * * *

Fucking witch couldn’t even get this one
thing right. Liam was tired of waiting. Dacia stormed in and then
went all soft on Slater, probably because it was pretty damned
obvious the man wanted Jess. He still found it funny that this
young little wolf was playing it so cool not letting on that she
was fucking the Alpha. He knew, he just knew it deep in his
soul.

Every damned male wolf was watching her like
she was a bitch in heat. Not that a female wolf could ever have a
child. For the two centuries he’d been alive it just never
happened. They never even got pregnant. A human woman could produce
a child with a male werewolf, but that was a hard road to
travel.

Not that it mattered. Liam hardly cared. He
just needed his other pawn in place and all hell would break loose.
That’s when he’d take Slater out and then clean out all of his
loyal hounds, every last one.

Everyone in the place went quiet when the
doors banged open once again. Breaking glass filled the silence and
Liam tried like hell not to smile but may have failed. At least
this part of his plan would work perfectly. He didn’t need Dacia
after all.

Wait for it.

More chaos.

Then Action.

He could smell Lincoln’s nervousness over
everyone’s shock and confusion and didn’t bother to look at the
mess. The strongest scent in the room belonged to Gregory, and that
was anger and desperation.

“Jessica Abrams, what the fuck are you
doing?” Gregory snarled.

“Running
my
bar,” she answered
coldly.

“And if I told you I want you? I’ll give you
the bar, if you’ll just come back with me. I’ll even leave all the
women alone.” he growled.

She wasn’t even fazed. “Bullshit. I never
wanted you, and I don’t want your piece of shit bar. I have one.
Now get the fuck out.”

“Why won’t you come back home, where you
belong?” he pleaded.

Liam winced. This wasn’t going the way he’d
imagined. Gregory was pussing out.

“Just go home Gregory. You’re making a fool
out of yourself, as usual.”

“Did you mate someone? Is that why you don’t
want me?”

Jess groaned. “I never wanted you. You only
got some because I was drunk for the first time in ages. Trust me,
you weren’t good enough for a repeat.”

“You mated someone. Didn’t you?” Gregory
groaned.

Liam spun in his seat to see disappointment
on the guys face. What did this guy feel for Jess? Did everyone
want a piece of her?

“I don’t have to be mated not to want you,
or anything to do with you.” She threw up her hands. “Do you really
want reasons? I can give you reasons.”

“Yes. Why?” he demanded.

“One, you’re a slob. Two, you may eat pussy
like a gold medalist, but you’re a lousy lay. Three, you smother me
and I’m not even yours.” She sighed heavily and rolled her eyes.
“Four, you still don’t believe that I should own a bar when I ran
yours. Five….”

“Enough.” He bellowed and she had the
audacity to smirk. “Was I really that bad?”

“Trust me, you were really that bad.”

“I was drunk,” he attempted.

She closed her eyes and took a long deep
breath. “Seriously, Gregory, if I hadn’t been drunk, we would never
have wound up screwing. That’s all it was. One drunk night of sex,
that’s all it will ever be. I feel absolutely nothing but disgust
for you. So you can take your sorry ass and march it out of my bar
because you are officially 86’d.”

“I… but….”

Mark strode over, grabbed Gregory’s arm and
dragged him toward the door.

That was it? He was going to cave without a
fight?

Fine, if he needed something done, it was
better to rely on himself than anyone else.

* * * *

Slater knew something was terribly wrong. It
all happened at once, but time seemed to stand still.

Gregory was dragged away and Jess spun
around the same time Liam stood up and pointed a gun to her head.
Slater burst into motion but he was clear across the bar. Now he
cursed himself for keeping his distance.

Brody was right there and tackled Liam to
the ground but he heard a gun go off a second before Jess stumbled
back as blood poured down her back and a flash of light in the
midst of crimson exited the wound.

Her old Alpha wailed, “No, not Jess. Not
her.”

There was a commotion but Slater could only
focus on Jess and the gun that lay beside her body. He picked it up
as he dropped to his knees and aimed at Liam who was already
bleeding from his skull and unconscious on the floor. That didn’t
stop him from putting a bullet through his head even as Brody held
him in a chokehold.

Brody’s rage filled eyes snapped up to his
and he nodded once. “It’s done.”

The gun fell from his hand and he scooped
Jess into his lap. He smelled the tang of silver and tears filled
his eyes. “It was silver.”

“Slater, let me help.” Victoria’s calm voice
pulled him from the overwhelming grief long enough to look up at
her.

“How?”

“I’ll give her some of my blood and drain
enough to pull the poison out but I need to hurry. You need to
trust me with her.” Her onyx eyes bored into his, but she didn’t
try to enthrall him.

“Save her. Please, for the love of God, save
her.”

She knelt in front of him and tore her fangs
across her hand to place at the exit wound in her shoulder as she
tore her other wrist open to pour some blood into the wound. Then
she opened her mouth and sank her teeth into the bloody wound. Jess
was too weak and too far gone to even flinch.

His whole future flashed before his eyes. A
future filled with Jess and her smile, her attitude, the way she
hogged the bed and the blankets even when she was wrapped around
him. In just a few days she had become such a solid part of his
life. He couldn’t lose her.

* * * *

Silver tinged blood never tasted good, and
especially not in wolves. Still, Victoria couldn’t take the agony
in Slater’s eyes when she could save the one person who had any
chance to make him whole. Sure, she’d have to find a new man to
play with, but she knew their arrangement was temporary, even if it
had gone on for decades.

She quietly drank and gave her oldest friend
a gift only she could give him. It was the first time, and she
prayed it would be the last time she saw him cry. It was
gut-wrenching to know he never even cried after his wife killed
herself.

The wound in her hand had closed and she had
to tear it open again because Jess’ wound was still open, but
closing. The silver was nearly out of her blood, and she could pour
her own blood into Jess’ chest to close the wound.

“Slater,” one of the enforcers said again.
“What do you want me to do with Gregory?”

He made a desperate pain filled sound, but
she knew he couldn’t tear his eyes away from Jess who was still
limp in his arms. “Take him to one of the cells. If I talk to him
now, I won’t get answers.”

Victoria supposed that was right. Slater
would have him in pieces if he took a second to do anything but
hold his mate.

“I never meant to hit her. I never wanted
her hurt,” Gregory babbled.

“Take him away, or so help me, I will tear
him apart,” Slater snarled.

“Tried to stop Liam. Not shoot her.” Gregory
pleaded hysterically, he was a blubbery mess.

“If he hadn’t gotten involved, I would have
handled it,” Brody snapped.

There was more conversation but her
attention focused in on the woman in Slater’s embrace. She was
nearing death and Victoria would hate to snuff out her life.

* * * *

Slater could only think about Jess and her
waning life. The one person who could have successfully thrown a
wrench into their relationship was the one saving it. He would owe
Victoria everything.

He trailed his fingers over Jess’ pale face,
tears dripping down his and onto hers. “Talk to me, Jess. Please,
baby, talk to me.” He heard the wolves whispering, and he couldn’t
bother himself to care. They were going to find out sooner or
later.

She couldn’t die, she just couldn’t. He
needed her like the air in his lungs, the blood in his veins, the
heart pounding in his chest. “I need you, Jess. Wake up.” His voice
was already hoarse and ragged but he felt like he was being torn
apart from the inside.

Her eyelids flickered but that was it.