Thirst [All-American Vampires 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) (9 page)

“Maybe we should talk about—”

“Tomorrow, Claire. Just sleep on things tonight. I promise, we’ll talk later.”

She looked at him for a long moment, and he thought she was going to argue with him. Instead she nodded and finally shut her eyes. He stood and walked to the door, turning off the light and taking one final look at Claire as she lay on the bed, already drifting off to sleep. Damn, she looked so innocent and fragile. He should be shot for the things he wanted to do to her. Shaking his head at his own insanity, he left the apartment, making sure her door was securely locked behind him, and headed home.

Claire sat stiffly in the front passenger seat of the SUV and snuck surreptitious glances at the stone-faced man seated next to her. Hawk had picked her up just after dusk, efficiently loading her suitcase and laptop before bundling her into the front seat in short order. As soon as he’d pulled the vehicle into traffic, his cell phone had rung, and he had been conversing with the person on the other end of the call ever since. She couldn’t help but feel a little spurt of relief that she didn’t have to talk to Hawk yet. After what had happened between them the night before, she wasn’t exactly sure what to say to him. It was all very awkward, another reminder of how little experience she had with men.

Gazing out the window, she turned her attention to the purpose of their trip. Guiltily she realized that she’d allowed her attraction to Hawk to push her concern for Cassidy into the back of her mind for a while the night before. She needed to focus all her energies on finding her sister and not indulging herself in a sexual fling. Mind made up, she let her thoughts drift to other matters.

At last, Hawk hung up the phone and looked at her with a narrowed gaze.

“Sorry about that. Just some business stuff I had to deal with. So, how are you doing this evening?”

“Fine. I’m fine.” She couldn’t quite bring herself to meet his eyes, so she focused instead on the view outside the front window, which basically consisted of trees and blacktop.

She heard him sigh and felt embarrassed at her own ineptitude. Then he spoke again. “Good. It shouldn’t take us too long to get to Bienville.”

“Bienville?”

“That’s the name of the community that belongs to the Piney Woods pack. It’s just a little northeast of Biloxi, off Highway 49.”

“Oh. Of course. I knew that. That’s where the werewolves who work at the casino are from. I’ve heard some of them mention it before, but I’ve never been there.”

“I have. Several times. It’s a nice little town. Ricardo Diaz is the pack Alpha for Piney Woods. He makes sure that only pack members settle there. Or people with a close affiliation to the pack.”

She was intrigued enough to forget about how uncomfortable she’d been feeling. “How does that work? Can’t anyone move there who wants to?”

She saw Hawk shake his head. “All of the land is pack owned. If someone decides to move or sell, it just reverts back to pack ownership. Nothing is ever advertised for sale, and no new businesses are allowed to open that aren’t pack.”

“I see. Do all the pack members in the area live in Bienville?”

“Pretty much. Except for the ones off at school or who have to travel on pack business. It’s safer for them. And they prefer being with their pack. They’re all pretty close knit. Wolves are a very closely bonded group. Unlike vampires or even witches, who tend to be a lot more solitary.”

“Seems like that would make things difficult depending on what you wanted to do for a career.”

She darted a look over and saw him nod. “That’s one reason why the pack is so grateful to the Buchanans for offering the weres the chance to work in the casino or the hotel. And there are occasionally pack members who petition to move either temporarily or permanently to another pack if there is a job they are interested in or if they meet someone who lives somewhere else and want to be with them.”

“I guess I’m pretty ignorant when it comes to werewolves. I’ve spent most of the last several months concentrating on learning all I can about vampires. Is there anything I should know before we get there?”

“Nah. They’re pretty easygoing. The main thing to remember is that Diaz has the final say in all matters pertaining to his pack. He gets advice from the Elders of the pack, but his is the deciding word.”

“In other words, if he had decided he didn’t want me to see this woman, that would have been it?”

“Pretty much. But luckily Diaz is a reasonable Alpha, and as long as the woman was agreeable, he didn’t see that it would do any harm. That’s not always the case. There are some pack Alphas who can be real hard-asses and want no outside contact beyond what is absolutely necessary. Quinn and Ty have been working hard to establish good relations with Diaz and the Piney Woods pack. They believe that we can no longer afford to keep ourselves so insular. A good example of that is this bloodslaves business. Not enough people were sharing valuable information so we could connect the dots.”

“I guess I really owe a lot to the Buchanans.”

“Yeah, you really do.”

“Maybe I’ll be able to thank them in person when this is all over with.”

“I’ll see what I can arrange.” He shot her a slight smile, and her heart stuttered. If she’d thought he was attractive before, he was even more so when he smiled. Confused at her reaction to him, she quickly changed the subject.

“How will I be able to talk to this female werewolf? I understand that she doesn’t speak English.”

“She speaks a little, according to Diaz. And luckily they were able to find a translator from another pack who has come to stay temporarily and help the woman improve her English language skills.”

“I just hope that she’ll be able to help me find Cassidy. I’m running out of ideas. I have to find her, Hawk. I don’t know what I’ll do if I can’t save her.”

“Let’s take this one step at a time, okay? Don’t get too worried if she doesn’t know anything that can help us. There are still other options on the table. Remember that.”

Silence fell again, only this time it was a much more comfortable one. Claire drifted into deep thought, wondering again what, if anything, the woman would be able to tell them. She didn’t dare hope that the woman would know exactly where to find Cassidy, but maybe she could put them on the right track.

A few miles later Hawk turned his blinker on, and they left the main highway to turn onto a narrower two-lane road. A mile or so down and she saw the sign for the Bienville community. Another turn onto an even narrower road, and it wasn’t long before Claire was able to make out the distant lights of some buildings slowly coming into view.

In no time at all, they were passing businesses in what looked to be the main street of the town. Claire spotted a small grocery store, a Laundromat, a hardware store, and a gas station along with a few other small businesses she couldn’t quite identify. It seemed to Claire that the town must be pretty self-sufficient. Hawk took a right-hand turn and entered what looked like a residential neighborhood. They finally turned down a long, twisting driveway which ended at a large two-story, white house. It had a huge wraparound porch that was filled with chairs and swings. Several cars were parked haphazardly around the driveway. She cast a quizzical look toward Hawk, who smiled reassuringly before pulling in beside an old pickup truck.

“This is Diaz’s home. Apparently he thought it would make the woman we’ve come to see more comfortable if we kept this as casual as possible. If I had to guess, I’d say that he’s got most of his hierarchy here with him.”

“Hierarchy?” She didn’t think she’d heard the term before.

“That means his Beta and the others who are part of his inner circle. They are his most trusted pack members and guards.”

She nodded. “I see.”

“Don’t let it worry you. It’s more protocol rather than any lack of trust. Any time they have non-pack members on pack land, they make sure that the Alpha is protected. He is the glue that holds his pack together, and they don’t want to risk losing him. Things were pretty bad here before Diaz took over.”

“How long has he been their Alpha?”

“Only a couple of years. Hammonds, the Alpha before Diaz, was a mean sonofabitch. Diaz challenged him and killed him to become the new Alpha.”

“Killed him?” Claire was shocked.

Hawk nodded. “That’s the way it’s done in the werewolf packs. Pretty savage, I know, but it seems to work for them. Anyway, Hammonds still has a few followers that harass the pack from time to time, and they would like nothing better than to have the opportunity to get rid of Diaz. So they have to be on the lookout for any possible danger.”

She smiled weakly, not wanting him to see just how intimidating she found the idea of being surrounded by a room full of badass werewolves who thought killing their leader was just another day in the pack. “Sure. I am pretty dangerous.”

He let out a short bark of laughter. “Well, you are a vampire. You could drink his blood and drain him dry if you caught him by surprise.”

She grinned. “True.”

“Like I said, Quinn and Ty have worked really hard to have a good relationship with the weres, but it’s still a pretty new thing. It will take time for the werewolves to feel comfortable having a vamp on their land. So just try not to take it personally.”

Taking a deep breath, she unfastened her seat belt. “Okay, let’s get this done.”

After they got out of the SUV, they headed toward the front door. She felt Hawk’s hand come out to rest in the middle of her back and found herself comforted by the warmth of his touch. It surprised her just how much she was beginning to like him.

They knocked on the door, and almost immediately it opened to reveal a very large, very good-looking mountain of a man. His face was the color of milk chocolate, and his eyes were a melting brown. His looked them both over sharply before nodding briefly at her companion. “Hawk. Come on in. The Alpha is expecting you.”

The two men shook hands and then turned their eyes on her. The werewolf raised an eyebrow in question, and Hawk quickly performed the introduction. “Aaron, I’d like you to meet Claire Landry. Claire, this is Aaron Jenner. He’s the Beta for Piney Woods pack.”

Claire held out her hand, and it was enfolded in both of the Beta’s. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Jenner.”

“Oh, no, sweetheart. You can call me Aaron.” His eyes sparkled as he sent her a flirtatious smile. Claire got the impression that, though Aaron seemed good-natured and fun, he didn’t let anything get past him.

Hawk shook his head. “Back it up, loverboy. Claire’s not here to play with you. Besides, she’s taken.” Then he hooked his arm around her waist and pulled her tightly against his body.

Claire sent him a surprised look, and Aaron laughed. “Gotcha, man. I’m not one for poaching another man’s woman.” He met Claire’s eyes. “But you decide this ugly vamp’s too tame for you, just let me know. You hear? Once you’ve gone were, you’ll never go back.” He winked and chuckled when Hawk frowned at him. “Come on this way. The Alpha’s waiting for you both in the den.”

Hawk and Claire followed him down a short hallway that opened up into a huge room scattered with two large sofas and several overstuffed chairs. Filling all that furniture were some of the biggest men Claire had ever seen. None had quite the bulk that Aaron had, but she imagined they were all well over six feet. Though they seemed to be casually conversing, she got the feeling that these men never relaxed completely. Their eyes were constantly moving, assessing any possible threat to their Alpha. If Hawk hadn’t been with her, Claire would probably have turned tail and run just as fast as her vamp speed would take her in the opposite direction.

Ricardo Diaz sat in a chair directly opposite the doorway they’d entered through and stood as soon as they walked in. There was no doubt in Claire’s mind who he was. An aura of command hung over the man like a mantle. Easily as tall as his men, he had brown eyes and dark-blond hair, which surprised Claire, who had assumed, apparently erroneously, that he would have brown hair because of his Hispanic name. He studied her carefully before offering a small smile and turning his attention to her companion.

“Hawk.” The Alpha stepped forward and held out his hand. “How the hell are you?”

Hawk responded, shaking the were’s hand. They chatted briefly about the Buchanans. Once they’d finished their greetings, the Alpha looked at Claire. “And you must be Miss Landry. Welcome to Bienville.”

“Please, call me Claire.” She offered her hand.

“And I’m Ric.” Her hand was enveloped in his for a short moment before it was released. Claire got the impression of velvet over steel. “Come sit down.” He gestured toward an empty love seat, and she and Hawk quickly took a seat. He introduced his men, and they all nodded briefly as their names were called. Claire knew she’d never keep them all straight. Diaz then asked, “Would you like some refreshments? We do keep a supply of bottled blood on hand for our vampire visitors.”

Hawk answered for them both. “No, thanks anyway, Diaz. We’re good.”

Claire leaned forward. “I want to thank you for letting us come here, Mr…Ric,” Claire corrected as he raised an eyebrow at her formality. “It means so much to me to have this opportunity to talk to the women who were rescued. I’ve been running out of options.”

“I’m glad that we are able to help you, Claire. When Hawk explained your circumstances, I understood your desperation. Of course, if Anya had not agreed, I wouldn’t have forced her to meet with you. I want you to understand. It was completely her decision. She is very young and has been through some terrible experiences. She is only just now starting to feel comfortable, even among her own kind. She is trying very hard to regain some semblance of a normal existence and wishes only to put everything behind her and move forward. But when I told her about your sister, she was eager to help in any way she could.”

“I understand. She must be very brave and compassionate. I hope that my questions don’t bring back too many painful memories for her.”

“I’m sure everything will be fine. She’s waiting with her interpreter in the kitchen down the hall. I just wanted to warn you not to expect too much. The whole experience was very traumatic for her, and I’m not sure that she is going to be much help to you. Her memories of her capture and imprisonment are somewhat fragmented and vague. We think she may have been drugged for all or at least part of the time she was with the vampires. So she may have nothing to offer you.”