Good girl, bad boys. Going off-path was never this much fun.
Urban Fairytales, Book 2
Yvonne Rousel is having trouble keeping up a brave face. Ezekiel Crawford and Daniel Hunter are her best friends—and she’s about to lose one of them to another woman.
Thanks to a pact between the human residents of Monroeville and the local werewolf pack—brides for protection—Ezekiel has won the right to choose a mate. Yvonne’s doing her best to be happy for him, but fear persists that his marriage could signal the beginning of the end of their charmed friendship. Because once Ezekiel’s preoccupied with his new bride, how long will it be before Daniel, too, drifts away?
Ezekiel and Daniel have no intention of letting their happy threesome come to an unhappy end. Their plan is a little unconventional, a tad kinky, and destined to be a whole lot of fun. Now all they have to do is convince their good-girl girlfriend to take a walk on the big, bad side. And stay one step ahead of a jealous lawman…
Warning: It’s not your grandmother’s fairytale…unless she likes big bad wolves, hot three ways and double penetration.
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This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
577 Mulberry Street, Suite 1520
Macon GA 31201
The Better to Eat You With
Copyright © 2010 by Lena Matthews
ISBN: 978-1-60928-109-0
Edited by Sasha Knight
Cover by Natalie Winters
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: July 2010
www.samhainpublishing.com
The Better to Eat You With
Lena Matthews
Dedication
To Eve Vaughn, my iPod soul mate and my friend.
Chapter One
“She’s not here?”
“She’s here.” Ezekiel Crawford leaned against the wall, bored as hell and twice as annoyed. He could easily think of a million and one different things he’d rather be doing tonight, other than this. But being here, as lame as it was, was necessary if he wanted to claim his mate. And he did. More than anything else in the world.
“How do you know?” asked his best friend and confidant Daniel Hunter, who was braving the throngs of power-hungry mothers and their desperate daughters with him tonight.
“Because I smell her.”
“Really?” Daniel waved his hands around. “Even through all these…”
“Meatcicles?”
“I was going to say people,” Daniel said dryly.
“Sorry. People.” Ezekiel chuckled at his friend’s disgusted tone. He knew it couldn’t be easy for the human man to be friends with a werewolf at times, but that’s what made their friendship fun. For Ezekiel at least. “To answer your question though, yes, I can smell her.” Yvonne’s scent was like no one else’s. A combination of the sweetness that lingered on her from the bakery as well as her own earthy aroma.
“Then where is she?”
“Not in here.” Where she was supposed to be along with all the other single eligible women of town. “So the question, my friend, is why?”
“Bathroom?”
“No. This is no coincidence. She’s been kept from me on purpose.”
“Who would be stupid enough to do that?”
The list was long, but the top offenders were easy to point out. “We can start with granny.” Ezekiel nodded to the front of the room toward an older African-American woman who was doing her best to blend in with the crowd. “Daddy.” This time he gestured to Mayor Tyrone Rousel, Yvonne’s father. “Or Deputy Dawg,” he drawled, staring straight ahead at Sheriff Jasper Phelps, who was watching the two men intently from across the room.
“So many enemies…”
“So few places to bury their bodies.” Just to annoy the sheriff more, Ezekiel winked at him, laughing to himself as Jasper rested his hand on the butt of his gun. His animosity amused Ezekiel in the worst way. In Jasper’s head, they were nemeses, in Ezekiel’s, Jasper didn’t even warrant a second look. Bored now with the supposed standoff, Ezekiel sighed and crossed his arms. “Can we go home yet?”
“Not without picking a mate first, I’m afraid.”
“I’ve already picked my mate.” Years ago, as a matter of fact. He’d just given Yvonne time to come into her own before he made his move.
“They don’t know that.” Daniel gestured to the crowded room and the preening women who were staring at Ezekiel as if they were the wolves and he was the prey.
Damn. Didn’t anyone ever tell them it was the wolf who was supposed to do the chasing, not the other way around? “Then let’s make the announcement so I can get her and bail. I’m starving.” And horny and anxious to finally make her his. But Ezekiel didn’t have to tell Daniel that. His friend knew his heart and mind as if they were his own.
“No, you can’t.” Daniel sighed in a long-suffering manner. “You know as well as I do there’s a protocol to follow.”
“Protocol sucks.” All Ezekiel wanted to do was get Yvonne and leave. He didn’t think he was asking for too much.
“Titty baby.”
Ezekiel let out a sharp bark of laughter at his friend’s crass comment. There weren’t many humans or wolves who would dare speak to him in that way, especially considering he could tear Daniel limb from limb without even breaking a sweat.
“Can’t you just enjoy this for a moment? Look around, man. Every woman in this room wants in your bed.”
“Lucky me.”
“You don’t sound like the man who could have his pick…” Daniel smiled, “…pardon the expression, of the litter.”
“Funny.”
Daniel shook his head in disgust. “Sex appeal is wasted on the jaded.”
“Sex appeal.” Now that was amusing coming from Daniel. The fair-haired muscular man had been turning down pussy from the moment he hit puberty. “I sincerely doubt they’re here because they find me attractive as much as they find what I can offer attractive. If they’re chosen, then not only will their bellies increase with an heir to a large dynasty, so will their bank accounts.”
Money. It always boiled down to money. Ezekiel didn’t consider himself a cynical were by far, but he knew if it wasn’t for the monetary compensation, a deal between his pack and the people of Monroeville would have never come about.
Protection for wives. It was the deal that had sealed the fate of everyone involved. Protection for the town against unsavory sorts plus the bonus of financial stability, while the wolves gained the mates who could help them reproduce and keep their species alive.
Mother Nature was a finicky bitch. Although she gifted the wolves with many things, the ability to father daughters wasn’t one of them. Their unique werewolf DNA made it impossible, so they had to reproduce with humans to keep their lineage going. It was a deal lucrative for all involved. But it had nothing to do with love, a fact Ezekiel was about to change.
“Don’t sell yourself short, my friend,” Daniel said.
“I’m not. I’m honest. Half these women hadn’t given me
so much as a second look until I defeated Lars last month in the pack challenge.”
“You have to admit, you winning the challenge was a long shot.”
“It wasn’t a long shot. I was underestimated.” A mistake he was sure his packmates wouldn’t make again. A quiet man, Ezekiel preferred to play his cards close to his chest. He didn’t talk to hear himself speak, he didn’t wrestle to prove he was strong, and he didn’t throw down a challenge unless he meant to win. “We’re allowed to fight for the right to pick a mate every five years. I couldn’t chance Yvonne would still be single in another five.”
“You had motivation, all right, my friend. They…” Daniel gestured to the fawning women in the crowd, “…just don’t know that it wasn’t them.”
“They’ll know soon enough.”
“That they will.”
Ezekiel knew he should feel bad since some of the women there may have genuinely been interested in him, but he had a difficult time summoning up the proper guilt. Yvonne was all he cared about.
“Look.” Daniel jabbed him lightly with his elbow. “Your father has arrived.”
Ezekiel looked over at his father and Alpha, Lehi, as he entered the room followed by several of his packmates, including his older brother Azarel. As if sensing his son’s stare, Ezekiel’s father glanced over at the two men and gave a small nod. “Looks as if we’re finally going to get this party started.”
“And yet Yvonne is still unaccounted for.” Uncrossing his arms, Ezekiel pushed away from the wall. “This will never do.” He didn’t damn near kill his packmate to be waylaid now. This was too important. She was too important.
“Before you get all riled and furry, let’s go look for her. But—and I hate to say this because of how much I have riding on this as well—have you ever considered there’s a chance Yvonne’s not here because she doesn’t want to be here?”
“No. Never.” There wasn’t a chance in hell of that.
“Cocky much?”
“No. I know my mate.”
“Your mate?”
Daniel sent him an annoyed look from the corner of his eyes that made Ezekiel laugh. For someone who didn’t have dual forms, Daniel possessed a very strong beta vibe. Ezekiel was more than sure there had to be a strain of wolf DNA coursing through his friend’s blood. “Mine, yours, ours. Is there a difference?”
“I’m making sure we are on the same page.”
“Maybe not the exact same, but somewhere in the same chapter for sure.”
“Then by all means. Let’s go find her.”
“Yes. Let’s.”
The two men left the main hall and headed toward the back rooms where her scent was stronger. Ezekiel followed her heady aroma to the small kitchen. There they found Yvonne humming to herself as she lined the silver serving tray with cookies from her bakery. She was staring down at the dish and swaying about as she listened to the music blaring out of the small white earbuds connected to her iPod. From the way she continued to arrange the food, Ezekiel knew she hadn’t heard them approach, which was fine with him. He enjoyed watching her while she was unaware.
It was the only time he could freely look at her and not have to worry about guarding his expression. Ezekiel had been told plenty of times by Daniel that everything he felt for her was written all over his face whenever she was about. And Ezekiel believed him. She was his mate, and in a word, Yvonne was perfect.
He’d known her since she was a little girl, but there was nothing kid-like about the woman in front of him now. Gone was the dark-skinned, knobby-kneed tomboy who was constantly into mischief, and in her place was a self-assured, voluptuous woman who made his cock hard whenever he caught a glimpse of her.
The pretty African-American woman was the epitome of beauty in his eyes, and he couldn’t wait until she was finally his.
“What is she humming?” Daniel whispered.
“‘Somewhere Down the Road’,” he answered without thinking. “Manilow song.” It was one of her favorites, a fact Ezekiel had filed away in his mental rolodex a long time ago.
“And why do you know that?”
There wasn’t much about her he didn’t know. “He’s her favorite singer.”
“Yes, I know, but leave it to you to show me up by being able to name the damn song.”
Ezekiel chuckled at the annoyance in his friend’s tone. Daniel hated being out of the loop, especially if it had anything to do with the woman they both loved. As if suddenly sensing their presence, Yvonne looked up and gasped, dropping the spatula she was holding.
“Oh, my God.” She tore the earbuds from her ears and pressed her hand against her breasts.
The two of them entered the room, coming to a stop when they reached the island where she was working. “Did we scare you?” Ezekiel’s question didn’t warrant an answer, but he asked it all the same.
“You know you did,” she said with a mock frown. “What are you two doing back here?”
“We could ask the same thing of you.” Daniel snagged a cookie from her tray, earning him a smacked hand in the process. “Hey.”
“Keep your grubby paws off of my food.” Her harsh words were softened by the warm look in her big brown eyes. Yvonne was a natural nurturer. He knew for a fact she gave away more cookies then she sold, but making a buck never seemed to be an issue with her. He couldn’t wait to see how she was with their cubs.
“He’s the one with paws, not me.” Daniel popped the cookie in his mouth with a grin, looking not at all remorseful. Not that Ezekiel blamed him. Her delicious treats were worth a smack or two.
“Like I can tell one from the other.” She countered her gruff tone by scooping up a cookie on her spatula and holding it out to Ezekiel. “Here, you might as well take one too.”
“Can’t you?” Ezekiel asked quietly as he took her offering.
She frowned. “Can’t I what?”
“Tell the difference.”
“Of course. He’s the blond human hottie and you’re the brunet wolf hottie.” She tempered her sassy words with a wink that had him grinning. She was one of the few souls who had that effect on him.
“The real question is who’s hotter?” Daniel pulled up a stool and sat down in front of the island.
“I’m not touching that one with a ten-foot pole.” She smiled and shook her head, sending her shoulder-length twist braids bouncing about.
“You never did answer his question.” Ezekiel reminded her, grabbing a stool for himself and sitting.
“Which one?”
“What are you doing back here?” He needed to hear for himself she wasn’t avoiding him or the chance to be his mate.
“My grandmother asked me to help in the kitchen for a bit.”
Ezekiel glanced over at Daniel and smiled. He loved it when he was right, and lucky for him, he was right enough times to make being him fun. “For how long?”
“Until the ceremony started.”
“Is that what she said?”
Yvonne frowned. “Well, no.”
Ezekiel didn’t think so. His attraction to Yvonne was clear to everyone but the woman in question. And her family knew according to the rules laid out centuries ago, Yvonne had to actually be present in the hall in order for him to claim her. “The ceremony is about to start.”
Yvonne arched her brow in her cute and bossy way. “Then shouldn’t you be out there?”
He matched her brow for brow. “Shouldn’t you?”
Before she could comment, Daniel, the peacemaker of the duo, butted in. “Were you even going to come out into the hall?”
“Of course.” She smiled, dropping her haughty act. “You think I’m going to miss the opportunity to meet the woman who finally reins him in?”
“What makes you think you don’t already know her?” Daniel asked.
“Better question,” Ezekiel interrupted before she could answer. “What makes you think it isn’t you?”
For a second, Yvonne’s heart stopped beating, then common sense kick
ed in. He wouldn’t pick her any more than she’d sprout wings. He was teasing her. As usual. Ezekiel was always doing stuff like that. Both men did, in fact. Sometimes she wondered if either of them drew pleasure from doing anything else.
“Well?” Daniel queried. The handsome blond reached out and brushed his hand against the back of hers.
Her skin tingled, as it normally did when either of them touched her. She was such a goner and they didn’t even know it. “Well what?”
“How do you know he’s not picking you?”
“For one simple reason,” Yvonne teased half-heartedly. “He can’t handle me.”
“Oohhhh,” Daniel instigated, smiling broadly. “Did you hear that, man? She thinks you can’t handle her.”
“Of course I heard her. I’m standing right here.”
And not denying her words at all. Yvonne’s spirits sank. Even though she knew he would never in a million years pick her as his mate, she didn’t necessarily enjoy having the proof of it waved in her face.
In all honesty, Yvonne had dreaded this day for as long as she could remember. The day when some perfect little thing would swoop in and take Ezekiel from her once and for all, and with him, Daniel as well.
“Are you going to tell me who it is?” So I can learn the name of my new mortal enemy. “There’s a pool going on, you know.”
“Who are you betting on?” Daniel asked, snagging another cookie. With as much as he ate, she would have thought he would be big as a house. Instead he was as fit as his partner in crime. Ezekiel was far more muscular, but that didn’t mean he was more attractive than Daniel.
In fact both men were finger-licking good and they complemented each other in the best of ways. Where Ezekiel’s hair was dark as oak, Daniel’s was light as wheat. Daniel was clean shaven and Ezekiel had a goatee and mustache. They were opposites, but both gorgeous all the same.
“Well?” Ezekiel prodded. “Who gets your vote?”
“I actually didn’t place a bet.” Yvonne grabbed the plastic wrap and ripped off a good portion to cover the cookies. If she didn’t do something fast, there would be no snacks for anyone after the choosing ceremony.
The Better to Eat You With: Urban Fairytales, Book 2 Page 1
