by Renee Rose
“Do you need anything else?” Jordy asks. She waits until I shake my head to set her plate down and slide into the chair next to me. She catches me staring at her and freezes. “Is this okay?” Her soft voice is musical, sweet.
“Yeah, Kit. You’re good. Make yourself at home.”
Biting her lip, she looks around the kitchen. “I kinda already did.”
“Good,” I say firmly, and pat her knee. I like her close to me. Hell, I want her in my lap, but my body’s still knitting itself together.
It’s been a long time since someone cared for me this way.
She finishes before I do, and waits with her eyes downcast. I follow the line of her gaze and realize my knuckles are bloody. Hell, my entire body is one raw mass of cuts and bruises. I feel it now that I’ve come down. The meat is helping though. I’m beginning to heal. One solid night sleeping and I’ll be back on my feet.
Jordy rises and clears the table. She’s still in those ridiculous overalls, but they don’t hide the luscious curve of her ass.
“Hey, Kit.” I catch her arm as she walks by. She stills but doesn’t look at me. “I’m sorry. About passing out like that.”
Something flickers on her face but disappears immediately. She wasn’t expecting an apology. Hope she realizes how fucking rare it is. I don’t usually act like I have someone to answer to.
She turns fully toward me. “Is it the fighting that makes you do that?”
I weigh the costs of telling her the truth for a crazy second and go with a partial lie. “Yes.”
“You were amazing. So fast. Parker and Declan said they’d never seen anything like it.” She bites her lip like she’s not sure she should’ve told me.
“I did what I had to do.”
“It was incredible,” she says. “You went so fast, we couldn’t even see half your movements. You didn’t look real.”
I shrug. “It was dark.” Not really, but I gotta stop this line of thinking.
“You were faster than any shifter.”
“You’ve seen a lot of shifters fight?” I scoff.
“Yes, tonight. You took on a whole pack and nearly won.”
“Not really. It was touch and go at the end.”
“Not really,” she insists. “You could’ve beaten them.”
“You don’t know that,” I dismiss.
“I know what I saw.” Her voice gets soft as she figures it out. “You blurred. You were so fast you blurred. The only other creatures I know who can blur like that are…” She doesn’t say it but I hear the end of the sentence, anyway. The only creatures who can blur like that are vampires.
“I’m just fast is all.” Lie, lie, lie. From the look on her face, she knows it too. But she’s not correcting me. Too well trained. By Augustine. I growl.
“Thanks for dinner.” It’s still dark out, so can’t be breakfast yet.
“It’s your food. I just served it up.”
“You took care of me, Kit.” I strip off my shirt and she gasps.
“You’re hurt!”
“Yeah, Kit. Fought a pack of cats.” I check the spot where the claw dug into me. It’s not bleeding but not healing as quickly as usual. My system’s still dealing with the effects of the juice.
“You need a bandage.” Jordy leans close. My cock jumps as she inspects the wound, her breath light on my abs. I can’t help reaching out and lifting her hair back to see her face.
That’s when I see the purple mottling above her collarbone, around her neck.
“What the fuck,” I growl. “You got bruises on your throat.” I take her head in my hands to examine her.
She bites her lip but holds still. “Grizz, please. It’s nothing.”
“Doesn’t look like nothing. Looks like someone tried to choke you out.”
“It was one of the cats. He grabbed me and kinda…got his hand around my throat.” She raises her hand to demonstrate.
My bear rumbles deep in my gut. I’ll kill him. Gripping her hair, I turn her head this way and that, memorizing the placement of the bruises. The pattern. The cat will die with the same marks around his neck.
“It’s been hours. Why aren’t you healing faster?”
She hesitates. “Prey shifters heal slower.”
I feel like a tool. She took care of me and all I notice is how hot she is. How much I want to bone her. I’m not taking care of her the way I should.
Time to rectify that. Right the fuck now.
“Shower.” I let go of her hair so she can stand. “You go first.”
“You’re hurt worse,” she murmurs. “Maybe you should—”
I shake my head. “Ladies first. My momma raised me right.” I don’t add that she would’ve smacked me for not taking better care of Jordy and offering sooner. “Come on.” I head to the bathroom and turn on the shower. Jordy waits by the door and I motion her in.
“I can’t,” she says, her eyes downcast. “Please, let me serve you.”
Serving me in the shower…now that’s an idea.
No! Bad bear!
“Strip,” I order.
Her hands fly to her t-shirt and pause, her eyes meeting mine.
“That’s right,” I tell her before turning my back to give her privacy. “Clothes off, then hop in the shower.” I close my eyes at the sound of rustling of clothes. I remember every curve of her beautiful body. I want to touch all that alabaster skin. Find out where her sensitive spots are. Learn what makes her hum.
Too much fucking temptation.
“I’ll get you clothes.” I head out of the bathroom.
Jordy
I close my eyes and let the warm water cascade over my face. Showers are so good, but rare. Most of the time Augustine just had me hose off in the backyard. He really got off treating me like a pet.
It wasn’t until I met Grizz that I realize how messed up my master was. Sure, I liked some of it. But he never treated me like an equal. To him I was an animal. A pet. Or not even that—just a plaything, a food source, an object to be used and thrown away.
There was a time when he was kinder. When I thought we could be more. But then—
The scars on my chest itch at the memory. I wish I knew what happened that night. How I tried so hard but still displeased him. Worthless, he called me. He’d never been so cruel before.
A knock on the door breaks my thoughts. I jump.
“Clothes out here, Kit.”
He calls me ‘Kit’. I’ve never had a nice nickname before. I like it.
I turn the water off carefully. I didn’t shave, but my legs are still pretty smooth.
I walk out and Grizz is playing messages on his home phone. It’s on speaker, but even if it wasn’t I could hear every word. Not because my shifter hearing is that good, but because the person who left the message is shouting.
“Of all the stupid fucking things to do—and then you call the fire department? We don’t need this kinda publicity.”
Grizz hits a button, and the message stops as I approach. I tried to be quiet but there’s no sneaking up on him. Either that or he was waiting for me.
I flush as he looks me up and down. My hair is wet—he doesn’t have a hair dryer, but I pulled it back as neatly as I could. I’m wearing an oversized t-shirt of his and a clean pair of underwear. Someone must have put the things we bought in the bike saddle bags. One of the silly shifters we met—Declan or Parker.
“I forgot to get pajamas,” I say what he already knows. His gaze sweeps over me, snagging at chest level. My nipples are hard, showing through.
“It’s all right,” he says thickly, and goes back to listening to the message.
“Garrett here,” the voice recorder says, and crackles as Garrett immediately launches into a yelling rant about what happened in the shifter Fight Club parking lot. Grimacing, Grizz listens through. I sigh when the angry noise stops and Grizz’s eyes crinkle at me.
“Made some waves tonight,” he says.
“It wasn’t your fault.”
“Doesn’t matter. Getting blamed for it. My phone is blowing up.”
“Did the fire department really show up?” Exposing ourselves to humans like that would be a death sentence for my clan. Maybe it’s different for predator shifters.
“No. Laurie’s smarter than that. They reported a fire two warehouses over. It was just a firetruck that showed. The pack arrived on the scene fast, though, and cleaned up.”
I wince. “There was a lot of blood.”
“Blood, shredded clothes, fur…humans would definitely ask questions if they found it. The pack probably hosed off the parking lot. Garrett probably will have them scrubbing up blood all night. Still, it was a close call.”
“Yeah.”
“I understand why he’s upset, I really do.” He punches a button, and the machine announces message deleted. “The Fight Club is wolf run, but it’s drawn attention and trouble before.” He shakes his head. “Not a great time to be a shifter. It’s getting harder and harder to hide from humans.”
“Yeah.” I murmur. “My clan used to say that all the time. That’s why they sold me.”
“Hey.” He puts a finger under my chin and tips it up. “You didn’t deserve that.”
“Thank you for saying that,” I whisper. He looks like he wants to say more, but he shakes his head and steps away. I wilt without his touch.
He sucks in a breath as he peels his black t-shirt off.
“Oh no,” I whine. His body is a mess. That broken claw he pulled out was only the beginning.
I wave my hands in the air, not knowing where to start.
“First aid kit, bathroom,” he says and I rush to get it.
He follows me, filling the small space with his bulk. I squeeze into a corner as he wipes steam from the small mirror and angles his body so he can assess the damage. It’s no use—the mirror is small and dingy and his entire massive body is covered with cuts and gashes.
Grabbing a washcloth, he starts wiping like he’s scrubbing a counter. Like his mangled body is concrete and not flesh. I know he’s strong but I wince just watching.
“Please, let me help.” I hover.
He hands me the rag, I rinse it out and dab at his skin. He sucks in a breath and I pause.
“Does it hurt?”
His head is bowed, his eyes gleaming through his hair. “No, Kit. Not that.” He clears his throat. “You can be rougher with me, I can take it.”
I continue cleaning. Every inch of him is hard with muscle. It’s crazy, like something out of an anatomy textbook, except there probably aren’t words to describe all the muscles he has. Big ones, medium ones, small ones crammed in between the ones I recognize. He has a twelve pack, for crying out loud. I run my hand over the rugged contour and he makes a noise between a moan and a growl. A purr, I’d call it, if he was a cat.
“Good bear,” I whisper, and duck my head so I don’t see his expression.
When I reach his side, he lifts his arm. There’s another claw stuck in his side and when I tell him he growls at me, “Pull it out. Make it fast.”
I tug it out and wash the wound with plenty of water. Now that all the extra blood stains are gone, he looks a lot better. His healing has kicked in a little and some cuts have scabbed over. I’m going really slowly, making it thorough, trying not to hurt him. It’s taking a lot of time but Grizz doesn’t seem to mind.
“I do this sometimes,” I say to fill the silence. Distract him a little from a particularly rough scrape. “Clean up subs after blood play.”
“At Club Toxic.”
“No. There’s another place vampires play harder. Um.” I raise my head and meet Grizz’s bright eyes in the mirror. “Outside of the king’s jurisdiction.” My face burns; I’ve told a secret.
“He’s not gonna like that,” Grizz says. With his eyes bright he looks like a machine, a blond terminator sent to kill humanity.
I shake my head. “Don’t tell him.”
“Gotta tell him, Kit. I’m on this mission for him.”
“I don’t want to get anyone in trouble.” I go back to cleaning him up. Why did I have to open my mouth? Augustine will kill me if he finds out what I spilled.
Grizz’s hand closes over my neck. I still but he only strokes back my hair. “Won’t be your fault if they are.”
I swallow. “What will the king do if he doesn’t approve of the secret club?”
“That’s up to him. Not our business, Kit. Where is the club? Do you know?”
I close my eyes. “I can show you.” I’ve already betrayed my master. In for a penny, in for a pound.
“Good girl,” he murmurs, tearing me in two. I shouldn’t feel good about helping my master’s enemy, but I do.
I stay silent as I finish his back.
When I’m done, I wait as he takes the mirror down and checks out his back at all angles. “Thanks, Kit. Should heal faster now.”
I wait on his bed as he showers. I should try to run and warn Augustine, but something makes me stay. I tell myself it’s his orders, but he hasn’t given me an order in a while. I wish he would, so I could turn off the thoughts buzzing like angry bees around in my head.
Grizz enters barefoot, wearing a soft-looking pair of sweatpants and nothing else. Even though I know it’s a lot better, his chest still looks bad. I wince at the red marks.
“Like raw meat, huh?” he says. “Don’t worry, I know my chances at a modeling career ended long ago.”
He picks up the clothes on the bed—the ones we bought. I folded them but didn’t know where to put them. With an arched eyebrow, he clears out a drawer in his dresser and drops my clothes in. I should comment on this, but I’m too tired. His movements are fluid and graceful but seem to fill the room.
The fighter returned home. The conquering hero. His presence saturates the air, making me aware of how small I am. How female. The perfect prize for a warrior.
I tuck my knees under my chin and hug my legs. “What now?” I ask.
He looks back at me, his eyes still bright. Oh yes. His bear’s aware of how fragile this situation is. How he wants me. How right it would be. I belonged to Augustine, and he took me. The strong rule over the weak, and if you want something and you’re strong enough to take it, it belongs to you. That’s the way of the jungle. And when shifters and vampires are involved, everywhere’s a jungle.
“Do you want me to take you to the secret club?” I ask, trying to diffuse some of the tension.
His eyes dim like a light switches off. “Not tonight. Tomorrow. Tonight we sleep.”
Oh.
“Don’t worry, Kit, I’m not gonna hurt you.”
“I didn’t think you would.”
He prowls to the bed and lays his hand on my neck. A gentle move, but even a human would recognize it for what it is. I can snap your neck, but I won’t. Another way to stake a claim. Being powerful enough to be violent, but being gentle instead.
I shiver.
“Sleep, Kit. That’s all.”
As I lie down and he turns out the lights, I don’t know if I’m disappointed or relieved.
Chapter 7
Jordy
The dream starts as soon as I shut my eyes, like it was waiting for me. A dark monster in my head, snapping its jaws, swallowing me whole. I’m in the secret vampire club. Augustine is there, a menacing presence. That’s not right—he should be a comfort. I strain to remember the times when he was a comfort before. But in this dream’s time and place, Augustine is not benevolent. He’s not my friend. He’s just my master.
“This her?” another vampire asks. Augustine confirms yes. Their voices are muted in that dream state, but I know they’re talking about me. Hands begin to crawl up my flesh, stroking and probing, taking liberties. I should lie still—Augustine orders me to—but I can’t. I fight and get restrained for my trouble. Not with ropes. With hard hands.
“Feisty little thing,” the other vampire comments.
“Not usually,” Augustine grunts. His voice drips disgust. I know
he despises shifters, and in this moment he makes no effort to hide his feelings. I feel small, inferior even as the hands on me dirty my skin. “Be still,” my master hisses again.
“Let me.” The strange vampire says and digs his fingers into my skin. I arch and try to cry out but my throat is a tomb. The aura of this predator is so strong, it’s suffocating. The air’s too thick to breathe. “That’s it,” the vampire says in mocking reassurance. “Be easy.” His fingers are claws now, slicing my skin. The blood flows. “Be still and give me what we want.” His lips find my chest. I jerk once, and still again. This isn’t a dream. It really happened. “Good girl,” the one-eyed vampire croons, and, lowering his head to my left breast, begins to feed.
Grizz
I lie in the dark, trying to rest. Jordy’s breathing funny, soft puffs against my bare chest. It is not helping. Every time I try to relax, she whimpers and presses close to me, and it’s all over. I’m sprung.
With a sigh, I roll to my back. My dick sticks up like a flagpole, tenting the sheet. Yeah, yeah. I’m hot for this chick, I get it. Enough already. I will my cock to go down.
A choking sound makes my eyes fly open. Jordy jerks against me, her little fingers digging into my raw chest. It hurts, but I don’t fucking care.
Something’s wrong. She’s upset. Her face is screwed up tight, her mouth open like she’s trying to scream.
“Kit.” I thumb her cheek and she convulses so hard she nearly hits my chin. What the fuck?
“Kit. Come on, wake up. Jordy. Jordy!”
Jordy
Someone’s calling my name. I follow the voice down the dark tunnel, stumbling towards the light.
“Jordy!”
