The Wolf Next Door ( A Paranormal Romance) (The Anthology Novella Series)

by Darlene Kuncytes

Well…

  Her only other option was to suck it up and ask tall, dark, and dreamy.

  Or call the cops.

  And she sure as hell didn’t want to have to do that. This was embarrassing enough!

  “Do I detect a damsel in distress?”

  Ember let out a tiny little cry of surprise as she spun on her heels to find Bader standing there.

  No…scratch that, she thought with a little shiver of excitement. She found him looming there, like some kind of sexy ass storm cloud. All dark and dangerous and yummy.

  “I’ve pulled a complete doofus move and locked myself out,” she muttered, hoping she didn’t look half as embarrassed as she felt.

  She had no idea just what in the bloody hell was wrong with her where this man was concerned. He was like damned female Viagra!

  “Well, let’s have a look,” he whispered, taking a step closer to where she stood. His chest pressed up against her side as he leaned in and grasped the door handle, giving it a sound jiggle. “Yep. You’re locked out all right,” he chuckled, his breath caressing the curve of her ear and causing her body to practically vibrate. It was soft and sensual and had her body responding in ways better left unmentioned.

  “Well, Gee, thanks Captain Obvious. I wasn’t sure how a door handle worked,” she retorted snidely and his laughter echoed through the hallway.

  “I had to check,” he explained with a slight wink. “It’s a guy thing.”

  “Whatever,” she mumbled, thinking that she might have been better off having dealt with the cops making fun of her.

  “I’m sure I can get you in,” he said, placing his hands on her arms and gently moving her out of the way.

  She felt the heat of his fingertips on her skin even after he had taken them away, and once again she shivered as if a current of electricity had been shot up her spine.

  She watched with interest as he pulled a card out of his pocket and slid it into the gap of the door. He moved it just a bit and…presto! The door to her apartment swung open.

  “Oh. Well, I just feel so much safer now,” she remarked, shaking her head in disgust.

  Good Lord! Was that all it took to get into her apartment? It was a wonder she hadn’t woken up dead by now!

  “It’s not as easy as I made it look,” he laughed, reaching down and picking up the bags she had set on the floor. He took a step back so she could walk through the door and she did, painfully aware of him following behind.

  The man just had an essence about him. It was a charisma that was in your face and distracting as all hell.

  “You can just leave those there,” she said, pointing to the small table by the door where her keys sat mocking her.

  “I can take them to the kitchen for you,” he offered, heading in that direction and she sighed in defeat.

  Why the hell not?

  Ember walked into the tiny galley kitchen and leaned against the doorframe, knowing she was going to regret her next words as sure as the sun was going to rise in the morning.

  “I was going to make myself dinner. If you haven’t already eaten, you’re welcome to join me.”

  “That’s about the best offer I’ve had all day,” he replied almost instantly. “I was just about to order myself a pizza.”

  “Well, it won’t be anything fancy, but I promise it’ll be edible.”

  “Edible works for me.”

  Bade opened a bottle of wine as Ember got to work. He had offered to help, but she had swooshed him away with a flick of her hand saying something about too many cooks, and asked that he pick out some wine and get each of them a glass.

  He was actually enjoying watching her move about the tiny kitchen, chopping and sautéing as the air filled with a wide array of the most amazing smells. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was until she had removed the chicken from its package and he had caught a whiff of that distinctive scent of meat.

  He cleared his throat and took a sip of his wine, a bold Sauvignon Blanc that was remarkably smooth, yet full bodied and he silently gave her props on her taste.

  “Are you sure I can’t help?”

  She looked over at where he stood watching her and graced him with a quick smile. “You could set the table, if you don’t mind.”

  “Not at all. Domestic bliss at its best,” he chuckled and instantly felt a shot of pure adrenaline hit him right in the groin when she laughed in response.

  It was light and musical and airy…and it was a sound he found himself wanting to hear again.

  He knew that he was treading in dangerous waters here. He didn’t need to get too close to this woman. He needed to do what he had been asked to do, and move the hell on.

  He didn’t need entanglements. In fact, he detested them.

  No matter how bewitching they might be.

  Ember tried her best not to stare at the man sitting across from her, eating the chicken she had prepared as if it were a six-course gourmet feast, and wondered how someone who looked like that could pack away the food like he was.

  She was flattered the he really seemed to be enjoying her cooking, yet couldn’t help but think he was merely being polite.

  She sipped her wine as she stole quick glances at him. The man was male perfection personified. So, what in the world was he doing here with her, casually eating dinner as if this was all just a normal, everyday occurrence? Things like this didn’t happen to her.

  Ever.

  The few guys she had dated in her twenty-six years had been normal, average every-day guys. Not to mention that it had been a few years since she had even dated anyone at all.

  That could account for her serious case of the lusties whenever her new neighbor was around.

  She had always been pretty much one step up from a hermit.

  When Evan had been around, he had been the one with all the friends. The one who had always forced her to go out and experience the world.

  Now, she stayed pretty much to herself. She didn’t go out and make friends. That wasn’t her style. She enjoyed her solitude.

  And, she certainly didn’t eat meals with hot men who looked like something that had hopped right off the pages of a Men’s Health magazine!

  “Have you lived here long?” he asked, and Ember jumped slightly.

  “Almost a year,” she answered.

  “Are you originally from this area?”

  “No. We grew up in Washington state, but after our parents passed, we, um, we moved around a bit for a few years. Trying to find a place we liked enough to settle down in. Too many memories back home and really no family to speak of.”

  She watched as he nodded, his eyes skimming over her face and landing on her lips.

  A warm rush of blood hit her cheeks like a slap to the face.

  Damn.

  “This is a beautiful area,” he agreed softly.

  The sound of a dog, or perhaps it was a coyote, howling outside drifted in through the open sliding glass door of her balcony and she watched with curiosity as he seemed to stiffen ever so slightly.

  Almost as if the sound disturbed him.

  Strange, she thought with a small furrowing of her brow, that a man so…ripped might be alarmed by the sound of an animal outside. But, that was exactly what it seemed to be. His relaxed demeanor of only a moment before seemed to slip away in an instant.

  He gave her a quick, almost uncomfortable smile and stood. “Listen, I really should finish unpacking,” he offered, almost hastily, taking his plate and walking over to the sink. “I hate to dine and dash on you, but it’s been a busy few days, and I really need to get some last-minute things taken care of. Besides,” he said, glancing up at the clock hanging on the wall. “It’s getting late and I’ve used up enough of your hospitality for one night.” He turned and caught her gaze, that devilish glint back in his eyes. “I’d hate for you to get sick of me because I’ve overstayed my welcome.”

  Ember stood and silently followed as he made his way to the door, wondering just what in the hell was happening
here?

  “Thank you, for dinner,” he said, standing in the doorway and leaning against the frame as he looked back at her. Their gazes locked and it was as if all the air had suddenly been sucked out of the building.

  Before she had a moment to think about it, he leaned forward and kissed her. Soft, warm…amazing.

  His hand cupped her face as his mouth teased hers and she thought for sure that she had died and gone to Heaven.

  It was just that good!

  Much too soon, he leaned back. “Thank you again, for dinner, Ember,” he husked before turning and walking down the hall. Leaving her to stand there wondering if she was dreaming and would wake up any moment.

  Bade walked over to his balcony and slid open the door, stepping through and gazing out over the grounds and into the woods that bordered the complex. He could see a set of eyes glowing from the tree line and turned back, a muscle in his jaw twitching slightly.

  “Shit,” he mumbled as he left his apartment and headed downstairs and out of the back entrance of the building. He began to make his way across the field at a steady gait, heading in the direction where the eyes still glowed in the light of the moon; silently watching his every move as he approached.

  Ember watched in fascination from her window as Bader made his way across the grass, her brows furrowing in bewilderment.

  Jut what in the ever-loving hell was he doing?

  She watched, completely engrossed, as he jogged towards the woods before quickly disappearing into the thick trees and out of sight.

  Just what in the world was that all about?

  Ember cursed herself for being so nosey and forced herself to move away from the window. It was none of her business. Perhaps he was just some kind of a nature freak. Lord knew he was rugged enough to be the outdoor type. The man belonged on the cover of Field and Stream for God’s sake!

  Besides, it wasn’t her place to stick her nose into his business. No matter how much she may have wanted to.

  She pushed away the nagging urge to go back to the window, and instead made her way to the kitchen to start cleaning up. She needed to keep herself occupied.

  It was none of her business, she reminded herself once again as she began washing the dishes.

  None of her damned business!

  Bade stepped through the line of thick pine and glared into the darkness, what little patience he possessed was teetering on the brink of extinction at the moment.

  “Alright, Liam,” he growled. “You really don’t want to piss me off any more than I already am at the moment. I was in the middle of enjoying dinner, and I’m not exactly thrilled to have been disturbed.”

  Bade turned at the sound of rustling to find a tall, muscular blond stepping out from behind one of the trees. His angular face was covered by a neatly trimmed beard and his mouth was turned up in a shit-eating grin.

  “Hello, oh glorious leader,” the man laughed, and Bade clenched his jaw, trying with every fiber of his being not to just throttle the irritating ass.

  He hated to be called that, and the lunkhead damn well knew it!

  “Why are you here, Liam?” Bade ground out, his tone aptly conveying the fact that he was in no mood to go back and forth with his second-in-command at the moment.

  “Well, I came about some information that I thought you might want.” Liam replied, leaning back against the tree he had come from behind.

  “And…let me guess,” Bade snarled. “You forgot to pay your cellphone bill again?”

  Liam snickered, but the grin faded from his lips only a moment later as he met his friend’s impatient glare. “I figured it would be best to tell you this in person.”

  Bade inwardly groaned, knowing that if Liam had taken the time to come all this way, the news couldn’t be good.

  “Let me have it,” Bade urged, although he really wasn’t quite sure that he wanted to hear it.

  “Devlin is aware that you’ve been asked to help find Neoma’s fiancé,” he responded. “He also knows about the sister.”

  “Shit!” Bade spit. “How?”

  “We’re not sure,” Liam replied, shaking his head slightly. “But, you know how that bastard operates. If there is any way in hell that he can find someone’s weakness, he sure as shit is going to find it, and use it to his advantage. Devlin gets off by playing dirty,” he said, the disgust lacing his tone more than evident. “Damn, but I really hate Bloodsuckers.”

  Bade nodded his agreement as he tried like hell to control his temper. Neoma had asked for his help and he’d be damned if he was going to fail her.

  Not to mention the fact that he wasn’t about to let the filthy Vampire or his family harm a single hair on Ember’s head!

  “Have you gotten any closer to finding out where they’re holed up?” He asked, and Liam shook his head.

  “They’ve covered their tracks pretty damned well,” Liam responded.

  “He always has,” Bade agreed darkly.

  “Yeah, well, this bastard has been a thorn in our sides for way too long now, and I would like to finish this business with this Bastard once and for all.”

  “I plan on doing just that. For Neoma, as well as the pack. I’m tired of these arrogant bloodsuckers. Just let me know if you hear anything else,” Bade said as he turned to head back toward the apartment. He stopped and looked back at Liam. “By phone, if you don’t mind. You seem to forget, we’re not in the mountains here. You don’t need to be running around only to get your ass captured by the dog warden, or worse yet, shot by some trigger-happy jackass with a gun who might spot you.”

  “Whatever you say, Boss,” Liam laughed before shifting and taking off in the opposite direction than Bade was headed.

  “Asshole.” Bade huffed at the retreating wolf before stomping back towards the building.

  Ember watched as Bade made his way back out of the woods and towards the complex. She had washed and dried the dishes before her curiosity had gotten the better of her and she made her way back to the window like some kind of creepy peeper, and cautiously pulled back the drape.

  Yes. She felt like a complete slime, but she just couldn’t seem to stop herself. Her intriguing neighbor had her interest piqued and one of her biggest faults had always been her inquisitive nature. And, this was all much too good to ignore!

  She watched as he walked back with a determination that only added to the masculine aura of the man, and she just about lost her shit when he glanced up at her window.

  With a guilty little squeak, she preceded to jump back, trip over her own damn feet, and land smack dab on her ass with a solid thump.

  Dear God.

  When she had finally gathered enough resolve to pick herself up and cautiously peek back through the curtains…he was gone.

  She spun around when she heard his heavy footsteps coming down the hall. They seemed to hesitate in front of her door and she held her breath, waiting for him to pound on it shouting that she was a peeping Tom…or Tilly if you wanted to be picky, but after just a few earth-shattering seconds, they continued down the hall and she let the air out of her lungs in a quick whoosh.

  That would teach her to stalk Mr. Sex-on-a-Stick!

  Ember groaned as she turned and made her way toward her bedroom, deciding that she needed to mind her business and just go to bed.

  She grabbed her nightshirt and headed for the bathroom, rubbing her backside as she went.

  Chapter Four

  “Ember… you need to find me.”

  Ember looked around frantically, trying to pinpoint where the sound of her brother’s voice was coming from, but couldn’t see anything through the thick blanket of fog that was surrounding her.

  It was disorienting, and it made the sound of Evan’s words seem as if they were coming from every direction all at once.

  A whisper on the wind.

  She felt as if she was caught in a vacuum and the air was being sucked right from her lungs by the pressure of it all.

  “Evan!” She called, her
body beginning to shake as she searched in vain for any sign of her twin.

  She thought she saw a figure off in the distance and tried to clear her vision enough to make it out.

  Tall, broad shouldered, yet lanky and she knew in an instant at that it was him. It was him! Finally!

  Ember’s tears stung her eyes as they streamed down her face, and she ran towards her brother, her heart swelling to the point that if felt as if it was about to explode right there in her chest.

  “Evan!” she cried again, throwing herself into his waiting arms.

  Her sobs were coming in earnest now, and she tried her very best to fight them back. She had a thousand and one questions for him!

  “Where have you been?” she sniffled. “I looked and looked for you!”

  “Emmie,” he whispered into her ear, and the urgency in his voice caused her to lean back.

  She looked up into his eyes. Eyes so much like her own, and felt him slip something into her hand. She looked down and watched silently as he pressed the strange coin the woman at the shop had given her securely into her palm, exactly as she had done.

  But…how?

  “You need to wake up now, Emmie. There isn’t much time. They’re coming for you. You have to get to Bader. You have to let him know that they’re coming.”

  Ember sat bolt upright in bed with a strangled gasp as she tried to get her bearings. Her heart was slamming erratically against her ribs, knocking what little air was left, right out of her lungs.

  She dropped her head into her hands and tried to fight off the panic gripping her. She needed to figure out what in the hell had just happened.

  She could feel the last tendrils of her dream slipping away from her, and fought off the shiver that slithered up her spine as she tried to remember every little detail that she could.

  It had seemed so real, and she knew, without a doubt, and to the very recesses of her soul, that her brother was alive and in some very bad trouble.

  He needed her. He was calling out to her, and she couldn’t ignore it.

  She wouldn’t!

  Her stomach did a strange little flip as Evan’s final words echoed through her brain…