by KM Lowe
“Yeah, I believe they’d like it here. Lisa’s just getting used to her abilities, right now, but she loves the outdoors. Markus… well, although he led a sheltered life, he knows all about his heritage and he loves to be surrounded by wilderness.”
“Tell me a wolf that doesn’t.”
That is very true. Our beasts are born outsiders. We like to be surrounded by our pack, but we love to roam and explore. That’s why most packs are in the middle of nowhere.
“Something smells amazing,” says Callum.
Lavina walks through from her kitchen, carrying big serving platters full of food. It looks like we’re having roast beef and all the trimmings. For us, this is a typical Sunday dinner.
“I Googled what you guys eat back home and I wasn’t keen on cooking haggis, so roast dinners seem like the next best thing. I hope it lives up to your expectations.” She smiles and takes her seat at the other side of the table.
“You should get some pointers from Jasper while he’s here; he loves to cook,” Callum pipes up, filling his plate with the delicious-looking meat.
“Is that so, Jasper?” asks Lavina.
“I don’t have much choice at home. According to Lisa, I’ve mollycoddled Markus, and he hates cooking anything that doesn’t go in the microwave. When I’m staying at the camp with the pack, Joel, the other shifter I rescued as a child, always stops by for his breakfast. I guess it’s become the norm for me to cook.” I lean forward to fill my plate and everyone else is tucking into their meals. It’s probably the quietest I’ve heard them all. “What about you? You guys don’t need to eat, why go to the bother?”
“We don’t need to eat, but we socialize with humans. We also have human connections through our vampires and I like to live a normal life, or as normal as can be considering what we are.” Lavina smiles, and as always, her flawless skin shines.
I didn’t realise how hungry I was until I started eating this meal. But then I remember the last forty-eight hours in those damn cells. Nothing much passed my lips except water. Even the water wasn’t great, but I needed to keep hydrated. I just hope to God I never have to spend another minute down in those cells.
One last task and I’ll be free.
CHAPTER 12
Jasper
Between the torture Kevin and I endured, the trip here, and Lavina’s cooking skills, I’m exhausted. We’re all sitting in the large living room around the roaring fire and the heat isn’t helping matters. Stracey hasn’t left my side much, apart from helping Lavina clear up after dinner. Callum and Kevin are sitting in front of the fire, legs stretched out in front of them with a bottle of beer in their hands.
“It’s so peaceful out here.” Stracey speaks softly, but we all hear her and nod in appreciation of the quietness.
“Sometimes it’s too peaceful,” says Lelland. “I think we prefer it when we have work to do. The last few days, we were sitting in limbo, waiting for the council to get back to us about you guys. But tomorrow will see us planning, so rest up tonight. I need you all bright-eyed in the morning.”
“On that note, I think I’m going to head to bed. Kevin and I have had a crazy few days and I’m getting too old for it.” I laugh and stand up quickly.
“I’ll walk you up because I’m going to call it a night too,” says Stracey as she stands behind me.
“Sleep tight, ol’ man,” Callum mocks, and I flap my hand out to shut him up. I’d think there was something wrong if he wasn’t trying to get a rise out of me.
“You good, Kev?” I ask before leaving him sitting with Callum and Lelland.
“Yeah. I won’t be far behind you.”
I nod in response and leave the grand living room with Stracey.
“You’re good with Kevin, you know that?”
“Yeah. He’s a good kid.”
“You know, I think I could get used to this peaceful atmosphere,” says Stracey as we walk up the spiral staircase side by side.
“Really? Wouldn’t you miss the busy pack life?”
“Probably. But don’t you ever feel like you want a little more out of life? Don’t get me wrong, I love healing and I love being a part of a big family, but sometimes I just want…”
“More.” I finish her sentence and turn to face her as we stand at her room door.
“Even though I don’t know what that more is,” she whispers.
“One day you will.” I lift my hand to caress her cheek. I’m happy to see her lips curl up into a smile. “I… I…”
“Sshh.” She lifts her finger to cover my lips. “I know.”
I cover her hand with mine and rest it on my chest. Our eyes dance, our breathing shallow. I take half a step forward and capture her mouth with mine. First, I lightly place my lips over hers to gauge her reaction. She steps forward until her chest is up against mine. Our mouths work together deeper, exploring each other like it’s our last kiss. She pulls back and never takes her eyes off me. I take her hands in mine and walk across to my room. I expect her to stop me, but she follows me into the room, closing the door behind her. She steps back against the closed door and looks a little lost. Her body isn’t relaxed like it was five minutes ago. I need to fix that. I take two steps into her. My hands wrap around the back of her neck softly, drawing her into my embrace, my thumbs caressing her cheeks.
“I should have done this a long time ago, but I was lost. I didn’t think it was possible to have two soulmates. I felt like I was betraying Carmen. I’m sorry I put you through that. Not seeing you on Monday morning was the wake-up call I needed. I love you, Stracey. From the moment I met you, I’ve always loved you. I’m sorry it took me so long to realise it.”
“What matters now is that you do know what you want. I wasn’t going to play second fiddle to Carmen, but I wasn’t about to rush you to move on. Wolves are impossible to understand at times, but I get that the bond between soulmates is hard to break. I don’t know how this will work because I’m not a shifter. But, what I do know is that I can’t push you away anymore. I…”
I cut her words off with my mouth. The heat that lay dormant for so long is taking over my body. My dick is straining behind my pants. I can’t get enough of her. I need her now. I run my hands down her neck, trailing my fingers down her breasts lightly, making her arch into me.
“Tell me now if you don’t want this.”
“I’ve always wanted this, Jazz.” She reaches down to the hem of her shirt and pulls it over her head, leaving her breasts covered in white lace. My arms wrap around her waist and I lift her, her legs wrapping around me quickly. Feeling her so close is going to take me over the edge before we even begin. I place her down on the bed and take my t-shirt over my head. I loosen my trousers and slide them down my legs, leaving me naked. Her eyes roam up and down my toned body, taking in every fine detail. I lean over her, placing kisses up her stomach, to her breasts, biting the peak of her nipples through her bra. My hands wander down to the waistband of her leggings and I slide them and her pants down. My shy little woman isn’t so shy when she wants something. I smile at how her body reacts to my touch.
She reaches around her back and unclips her bra. Watching the material fall down her arms sends a tingling sensation to the base of my spine. I lie between her legs, my lips capturing hers. The softness of her mouth, the ferocity of the way she duels her tongue with mine, the little whimpers; it’s all ingrained into my head now.
“I wanted our first time to be slow, but I’m not sure we can do slow,” I say while I pepper kisses down her neck onto her collarbone.
“We have the rest of our lives for slow. Right now, we need this.” Her breaths come out in quick pants.
I run my hand down to her stomach, to her moist centre. She’s more than ready to take me. I run my finger down her core, plunging into her, stretching her walls to accept my length.
“I need you, Jazz. Now!” She cries out, biting her lip in frustration.
“I need you, too. Always.” I remove my fingers and line mys
elf up with her entrance. With no further warning, I drive myself home, feeling her walls clench around me. I’m not going to last long at this rate. My body is slowly coming undone with every thrust. Every kiss. Every touch.
“Come for me, honey. I’m not going to last much longer.” I trail my finger down to her bundle of nerves and circle her teasingly. It only takes a few more thrusts before she’s digging her nails into my back, calling out my name as she soars into oblivion. My final thrust makes me see stars. My whole body convulses and relaxes upon her chest. I lay my head over her beating heart. Her fingers run through my hair, soothing my soul. For the first time in years, my beast is at peace, and I’m not fighting my emotions.
“I love you, Stracey.” I lift my head up and gaze into her tired, sated eyes. “Thank you for waiting for me. For giving me chance after chance to realise I need you in my life.”
“No one ever made my heart beat faster or turned my legs to jelly. Only you could do that. It was torture being around you but only as your friend.”
I lower my head, take her lip into my mouth, and kiss her softly. My dick stirs to life inside of her all over again, but this time, we’re going slowly. “I’ll make it up to you. Once this operation is over with, I’m going home to tell the council I’m leaving. It’s time I spend every moment with the people I love and care about. Markus and Lisa need me now more than they ever did. You need me now. Our future will start together. Forever and always, if you’ll have me.”
“Forever and always.” She smiles softly, wrapping her legs around my waist, pulling me closer to her body.
This moment will never be forgotten.
CHAPTER 13
Stracey
My eyes open, and immediately, I need to close them. The light is blinding me from the window. It dawns on me where I am and who I’m with. I feel Jasper’s arm wrapped around my body. His front is spooning up against my back, with his large member pressing against my backside. Just as I think about Jasper’s manhood, I replay what we did last night, on not just one occasion, but numerous times. I don’t think I’ve ever felt as loved and cherished in my life. I just hope he doesn’t wake up this morning and regret what we did, because I don’t; far from it. I’ve waited to feel this love from Jasper, and now I don’t know what I’ll do if he shuts down again.
His arm tightens around me. His warm breath on my neck makes me still. I relish his touch and relax back into his embrace. Goosebumps spread up my arms.
“Good morning, beautiful,” he whispers groggily. “I thought I’d been dreaming, but then I wake up to the most beautiful woman in the world lying beside me.”
“Did you sleep okay?” I ask.
“I did. Eventually.” His husky laugh makes me turn on my back. I know exactly what’s running through his head right now, because it was gone three a.m. before we settled down to sleep. It was like something snapped inside of us and we needed to be together. All the years of pent up frustration spilled over and we made the most of it.
“Me too. I think we need to get up,” I say cheekily.
“Five more minutes.” He leans over and places his mouth over mine. I feel the shockwaves run through my body, but nothing and no one else enters my head. Jasper stills, lifts his mouth away from me, and listens carefully. “Sorry, we need to get up. Something’s wrong.” He climbs off the bed and dresses in last night’s clothes.
“Jazz, what’s going on?” I jump out of bed and pull on my clothes just as quickly.
“I’m not sure, but I hear someone shouting for Lelland. It wasn’t a good shout either.”
He grabs my hand and we quickly walk down the staircase. I’m terrified about losing my footing, but Jasper is on a mission and he has one aim; get to the raised voices. The closer we get to the dining room, the louder the voices get.
“What’s going on?” Jasper asks as we stop in the doorway.
Lelland responds first. “Come in. Jasper, this is Ashley. Ashley, this is Jasper. He’s here to help us sort out this little problem.”
Ashley holds her hand out to Jasper. “Nice to meet you. Lelland speaks very highly of you.”
“Likewise. I’m surmising you’ve met Callum and Kevin. This is Stracey. She’s our pack healer back home, but she’s been pulled, or rather dragged in to help us.”
“Nice to meet you.” Ashley holds her hand out to me and I accept it. “I’ve just been filling in Lelland. I got a call from the sheriff. It looks like these bastards are targeting innocent young people from the nature trail. Over the last twenty-four hours, four civilians have gone missing. It’s one thing our own kind vanishing, we can hide that under the radar. We can’t hide human disappearances as easily. All of us could become a target if this gets out.”
I can hear the fear and agitation in Ashley’s voice, and I desperately want to help them fix this.
“It sounds like they’re taking people for their food source. It can only be for that fact.” Callum steps forward and leans his hands on the table. A look passes between Callum and Jasper and I focus on the man I love. He’s deep in thought and looks tense.
“Jazz, what are you thinking?” I lift my hand and squeeze his bare arm.
“It’s been a long time since we came across something like this, but it didn’t end too well. It isn’t often that wolves and vampires come together, but when they do, it’s usually to create an army. But what we need to find out is why. You need to tell us everything, Lelland. How long has this been going on? How many people have vanished?”
“We knew about the rogue wolves about six months ago. They lay dormant and didn’t cause any issues. It’s only the last three months we’ve noticed wolves and vampires going missing. It could’ve been going on right under our noses, but we had a lot going on at home.” Lelland sinks into his chair at the head of the table. His hands run through his hair, resting on the back of his neck, and Lavina makes her way to his side and takes his hand.
“Do you know of any reasons why they’d be doing this?”
“None.” Ashley speaks up first. “The last two weeks, my husband and I, even Lavina, were followed. They don’t care who sees them. They have no fear, Jasper.”
“You said they have a witch,” I say.
“Yes. We’re unsure of who or what talents the witch holds. There’s wards around the camp they’ve set up. We’ve tried to break them with very little luck.”
“Okay. Well, maybe I’ll try a simple looking glass spell. If I can get a feel into what’s happening in the camp, how many there are, how many casualties, it’ll give you a better understanding of what you’re up against.” I look around the room at all eyes on me. “What?”
Jasper wraps him arm around my front and pulls my back into him. “Will you be able to break the wards?”
“Probably. I won’t be breaking any wards until I know what you all face. You need to be prepared for whatever fight is coming your way. I won’t lose any of you.”
I turn in Jasper’s arm and face him. His eyes meet mine and I wait for a fight, but nothing comes.
“I like you already,” Ashley says from behind me. “Let’s get started, because if they take any more humans, I’ll have to go oriental crazy on their asses.”
“Are we going to stand back and let the women take charge?” asks Callum, causing Ashley and me to turn and glare at him. “Jasper, really?”
“What do you want me to do, Callum? We can’t do anything until we have a clear picture of what’s happening. Stracey is the only link we have to that information. Ashley seems touched by this situation. Am I right?”
Jasper and Ashley stare at each other until she says, “I don’t like what they do to innocent people. I care about this town. It’s been a second chance for me and my family. We’ve made a life here. Why should that stop because wolves and bloodthirsty vampires want power?”
“Nice to know what you think of us,” says Callum, sitting down.
Ashley propels her anger towards Cal. “Do you kidnap, rape, and torture
young girls?” Lelland stands in front of Ashley as she makes her way around the table to Callum. “Well?”
“No. Of course not. But you’re a bloodthirsty vampire. You’re no different.”
“Yes, I am! I won’t stand by and watch more people die at their hands or paws, whatever they use. If you want to keep breathing, I suggest you keep your opinions to yourself.”
I’ve heard enough. I step forward again and place my hands on the table in front of Callum. “Stop winding her up. We’re all here to help one another. I need this table cleared of any items. I’ll use this space for any magic I need to do. It would help if you weren’t making enemies out of alliances, Callum.”
“Will they know you’re doing this looking glass spell?” Jasper asks.
I shrug. “Possibly. If they have a powerful witch on their side he, or she, could have a security spell in place. Much like our wards we had around the camp. If that happens, I won’t be granted access.”
“They do have a spell around the perimeter. None of us can enter,” says Lelland, raising his head to address me.
“Was it just vampires that tried to cross the barrier?” Lelland nods. “They might not be expecting a pack of wolves to descend upon them. It may be a vampire block, pretty much the same as stepping over a threshold uninvited. You’d be locked out with a barrier. Maybe. I’m just guessing at the moment. Let’s see how I get on with the looking glass spell. If that works, maybe we could go up the mountains with just the wolves, just to see if they can cross over. If they can’t, it will take a little longer for me to grant you access.”
“What do you need to do this looking spell?” asks Callum.
“Looking glass spell, Callum.” I roll my eyes at the big wolf shifter, because he can be comical, as well as annoying. “All I need is some candles and a scrying mirror.”
“A what? What’s one of them when they’re at home?”
Everyone chuckles at Callum apart from me. I’m gobsmacked that he doesn’t know, but as I look around the room, I think everyone was glad Callum asked the question, they just weren’t as brave to ask.
