Vampire (Alpha Claim 8-Final Enforcement): New Adult Paranormal Romance (Vampire Alpha Claim)

by Eros, Marata

  Not real normal.

  “What is she trying to do to us, Jade? I mean, I will take care of you. You're safer with me. Doesn't she get it?”

  Jade looked down at our entwined hands, her hair falling forward.

  I put a strand behind her ear, trailing a finger along the outside, making her shiver. I loved the way she reacted to me, it was one of the things that I liked the most. We just seemed to fit.

  Jade's lips parted. “She thinks she's protecting me, Caleb. After,” she swallowed, “my dad, she's really over protective.”

  “I don't like this sneaking around shit.”

  She nodded in obvious agreement. “What choice do we have?”

  We sat for a few moments in silence. “Ya know, I think she's kinda right.”

  Jade looked at me in surprise.

  “We can still see each other in school.”

  She shook her head and I raised my brows. “She wants us to break up.”

  “What?!”

  “That's why I'm so upset!” Jade said, tears cascading down her face.

  I pulled her to me, pressing her head into my shoulder.

  Were the adults insane? What the hell was Andrea thinking? I hated being younger sometimes; our options were limited. Lame.

  “We could fake it,” I said.

  She pulled away, a puzzled expression riding her tear-stained face. “Fake it?”

  “Ya know, just pretend until this whole thing is over. You know they're going to catch this bastard soon, and the dumb aura reader that's working with him.”

  “Even our friends?” Jade asked, sniffing.

  Whoa, that seemed like too much. I shook my head. “No, that's too much pressure. But, if a few key people thought we weren't together, it may even get back to his ears.”

  She didn't ask me who he was.

  I stood up and so did she. “In fact, this is probably the best solution for a temporary fix.”

  Jade rolled her lower lip into her teeth, biting nervously. “Okay, maybe. But for how long?”

  “A couple of weeks; max. Before my birthday.”

  “That's three weeks away!” she said, looking out the window where the leaves on the tree I'd climbed were starting to turn color.

  “It'll be hard to pretend, Caleb,” Jade said.

  Yeah, it would. I shrugged. “We can do it—to keep you safe.”

  I tilted her chin up with my finger. “We can do anything.”

  I kissed her as she went on tiptoe to reach me. Her fingers moved up in my hair that had gotten long. We melded together and I picked her up, her legs going around my waist as I carried her to the bed. We did a slow fall to the surface and started moving into each other, our kisses getting deeper, my hands moving over her body.

  “Jade!” Andrea yelled up the stairs.

  I groaned. There was always an adult interrupting Jade and me. Couldn't they go die? Hell.

  Jade turned her face to the side. “Yeah?” she called back.

  “I need your help with supper!”

  “ʼKay, I'll be right there.”

  We stared at each other for a heartbeat, my arms in the push-up position over her. Her lips were swollen from my kisses, face flushed with soft pink color. The green of her eyes were a bright emerald.

  I didn't want to leave her. I wanted this moment to go on forever.

  “Me too,” she whispered, sensing it all from her hands wrapped around my forearms.

  I dipped in for one last lingering kiss and stood.

  Her hands trailed down my arms as I slipped away. I jerked open the window and backed out of it, fingers gripping the rough wood of the sill.

  She looked at me and with a half-sob then gripped my shirt, tugging me in for a last kiss.

  I backed away and Jade slammed the window shut.

  I watched her wavering form through the glass as she moved to the door and through it.

  She never looked back.

  I wanted to puke. It was my plan, but somehow I had a bad feeling about it.

  As it turned out, besides AFTD, I wasn't too bad on intuition either.

  CHAPTER THRITY

  The next two weeks were the worst of my life.

  Jade and I acted like we didn't like each other. Tiff and I were called in twice for suspicious clues that turned out to be nothing, and I was stuck in a ton of core classes that had me bored to weeping.

  What was really interesting was that Jonesy was still an Unclassified, but we all knew what he was: an Electra Magnetic. His newfound ability was sweet. Once again, the adults were in the dark (like mushrooms, singing in their own shit). I liked it that way. The ones I thought were bad were sometimes good, the ones that were good sometimes weren't.

  Brett was trailing after Jade like a puppy dog and I was on a fine line of tension all the time.

  She'd spread around the school that we'd broken up and there were a few guys that had taken notice (of course). Brett was the main one. Always there, always following.

  As I was cramming my pulse-readers into my locker, Jade walked by and I stared at her like a guy starving; the sweep of her back with the hair falling in the middle of it, swinging as she walked by. The pink tee she wore underscored by a chocolate-colored lace cami. Her pink flats peeked out from skintight pants, but her face was a pinched mask.

  I scrubbed a hand over my face, forcing myself not to look at her again. When I looked up Sophie, was there. I spied Jade getting swallowed in the crowd with Brett trailing after her.

  I stood so fast that I was light-headed, my fists curling. I actually moved forward when Sophie put a hand on my shoulder, and I remembered she was standing there.

  Jonesy walked up and put an arm around Sophie. “Hey,” he said.

  My eyes strayed to where Jade had been. I looked back at Jonesy, “Hey.”

  “Looks like you're wantinʼ to put a hurt on somebody.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Is it who I'm thinkinʼ?”

  “Yeah,” I ground out, my fists like hammers by my side.

  “Caleb,” Sophie started, “Jade's not liking it any more than you are. She's as helpless as you.”

  “I'm not helpless. I'm steaming, effing pissed .”

  Jonesy smiled. “About that—”

  John arrived with Tiff, Bry and Mia. “Did you get the pulse, Caleb?” Tiff asked.

  I looked at Tiff. Shit, I turned to my locker and found my pulse where I'd left in on the lone interior shelf at the top of the lockers. I depressed the pad and a message was there from Garcia:

  Another crime scene; location under strictest confidence. - Garcia, Raul-KCP

  Location as follows:

  I thought my password again to unlock the location and looked at Tiff with surprise and she raised a finger to her lips.

  Right , couldn't say it out loud. I nodded my understanding.

  I began to pulse Jade, I just had to make that connection. Right now, until this shitty investigation was through, it was all we had. The strain was taking its toll. My thoughts touched on Brett again and my expression darkened.

  Jonesy got in my grill. “Listen Hart, calm down.”

  I looked down at him. Not by much, we were closer in height than we had been. We were towering over the chicks now. A superb development.

  “I can't help it. That turd is scenting on Jade and she's not into it at all. ” My fists clenched again.

  John shrugged. “Just ask to be taken off the case. It's interfering with your life.”

  “No,” Tiff said. “We're in it for the long haul. And it isn't gonna be much longer. It's bigger than us,” she motioned to everyone milling around in the hall, spilling out into the huge commons area.

  I hung my head and muttered, “Tiff's right, but it blows.”

  John clapped me on the back. “Man up, your birthday is coming up and I bet you this will all be over by then.”

  John was trying to cheer me up but I was in my own black cloud of agony.

  At least we could go to Gramps�
�. It'd be bonfire time, all the little kiddies out trick-or-treating and us around the fire trying not to freeze our asses off.

  “We're going to your grandpa's right?” Sophie confirmed.

  I nodded.

  “No lake, though?” John asked.

  “Yeah, it'll be drained by then,” I said.

  “Bunch ʼo stumps, Hart!” Jonesy said.

  I shook my finger at him. “We're not doinʼ any of the shootinʼ off fireworks this year. Gramps about got his ass handed to him for that.”

  What a disaster that'd been. Jonesy thought it was a great idea to light the fireworks on the exposed stumps that poked out of what was left of the lake water.

  “Nobody hands your grandpa his ass I'm just sayinʼ,” Tiff remarked.

  Alex walked up. “What about asses?”

  We all looked at him and Jonesy said, “We're just talkinʼ about Caleb's grandpa, perv-boy.”

  Alex gave a puzzled expression, “Why are we talking about old guysʼ asses?”

  Sophie rolled her eyes. “We're not! Jonesy, ugh!” She threw up her hands and he leaned in close to her and whispered something in her ear that caused her to giggle.

  Cozy.

  “You guys are aggressively fixated on body parts,” Mia commented.

  “Only one!” Jonesy said and Sophie's eyes narrowed.

  Nice, the ass fetish back online.

  John and I shared a full look, and trudged off to class. Right after school I was gonna have to do another crime scene. Strange that Tiff and I weren't going right away.

  I hauled out my pulse to let Jade know but instead of the message I should have sent, I pulsed what was swimming in my head, never leaving my mind:

  Initializing

  Jade LeClerc

  Hey.- CH

  Hi, it's good to get your pulse.- JLeC

  I gotta see you. Can you sneak out between Science/English and meet me by the restroom? - CH

  nods I love you- JLeC

  Me too.- CH

  Pulse to Hibernate

  I watched the green luminescence fade and sighed with relief. We'd sneak a moment and that would get us through today.

  I was so done with My Plan. It seemed doable in the beginning but now it was pretty much sucking ass. Having to act like the moon didn't set on Jade's head was not working.

  And that assclown Brett needed to back the hell off.

  *

  I pushed Jade up against the small alcove wall that separated the boysʼ and girlsʼ bathrooms. My palms were planted on the wall on either side of her head, her chest pressed against mine. I could feel her heartbeat, her warm breath on my neck. I moved in and kissed her before she had a moment to think, groaning.

  God, I missed her.

  She kissed me back, all too briefly, then pushed her hands on my chest.

  “What?” I asked, my fingers began to play with her hair, feeling the silk of it.

  “You're going to another crime scene?”

  My eyes flipped up to meet hers.“Yeah, Tiff and I. Another murder.”

  “God!” she half-yelled and a few kids in the hall looked over at us as they poured out of their classes.

  I moved reluctantly away from her, feigning indifference for the eyes that found us together.

  The green of her gaze darkened and I knew a huge girl rage was coming on. “I need this to end, Caleb.”

  Duh.

  Some of what I was feeling must have showed on my face cuz she went on, “I mean it. I am tired of pretending,” she said as she lowered her voice, “I want us to be together again.”

  Jade put her hand on my forearm, stroking me and that chemistry we had sprung between us.

  Our gazes locked, the hall with the other kids melting into the background. I actually did a stupid thing and began to move toward her again, to hell with appearances when Brett walked up.

  “Hey guys,” he said with a smirk, shattering that swirling heat. It dissipated like mist under the weight of his scrutiny.

  Brett hadn't missed the growth spurt train and we stared at each other for a tense interval.

  “Hey Brett.” Jade's voice was unexcited.

  He broke the stare, and looked at her with eyes that softened. He was gone on her, even I could tell.

  “What are ya doinʼ hanging around with him?” Brett asked, jerking his head in my direction.

  She shook her head. “Caleb had a question about a class.”

  Our eyes met. Her hand on my skin a burning memory.

  “Okay, why don't we go to Science together?” Brett asked, looking between us.

  Jade nodded, and my heart paused in my chest. “See ya, Caleb,” she said with a sad little wave.

  She walked away with Brett, their size a huge contrast. He was so big compared to her.

  The final blow was him glancing over his shoulder and sending me a wink.

  The fucker.

  Mia walked over, seeing my expression. “Sorry, Caleb.”

  “I want to kill his ass.”

  She shrugged. “You got to see this through, like Tiff said.”

  See it through . I nodded. “See ya later.” I stalked off to class.

  I'd made up my mind. They'd have to find someone new. I wasn't gonna risk losing Jade. Nothing was that important.

  Even death.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  I looked over at Tiff and she shrugged her shoulders. We were back at Clemen's Cemetery, both on our bikes.

  “They didn't pick you up?” I asked.

  “No, Garcia said to meet us here.”

  That wasn't normal. Usually there was always a cop picking us up to take us to the crime scenes.

  “Ya know, it's weird that the killer would do somebody else at this cemetery.”

  The same cemetery where all the fun with the Graysheets had been had. Yeah, that. I nodded. “Yeah, this whole setup isn't right.”

  We dismounted, and I got my pulse out to let the Parental Unit in on where I was, but Tiff put her hand on my arm.

  “Don't pulse anyone, I had to use my password to unlock this location. We're not supposed to say.”

  “My mom won't like not knowing where I'm at after school.”

  “She gonna have a cantaloupe?” Tiff asked.

  I laughed, I couldn't help it. “Nah, I'm thinkinʼ that would kinda hurt.”

  Tiff rolled her eyes. “Ya know what I mean! Is she gonna like, alert the media or something?”

  A couple of seconds ticked by. Maybe. “She's kinda a panicker.”

  “What about your dad?”

  I shook my head. “No, he'll think it through logically.”

  “That's great considering how illogical your life is.”

  There was that.

  We heard voices and hiked the same path we'd just done a few months ago on a hot summer day. The season was different, the feelings the same.

  “I hate this place,” Tiff whispered.

  I shrugged. “Yeah, nothing good has happened here.”

  “It's a frigginʼ trend,” she said.

  We got to the top of the knoll where the old wood fence stood, its slats stood like decaying teeth as they wrapped the perimeter of the old graveyard. I caught sight of Smith the Null, Garcia and Jade.

  What the hell?

  Tiff whipped her head to me. “What the hell is goinʼ on?”

  I shook my head. “Not sure, but I don't like it.” Things weren't adding up. Where were the dead techs? The tape—the body?

  Actually, there was a body. As we approached, I recognized it was McGraw.

  His pulse was in his hand, sightless eyes looking into a sky that was growing dark.

  My heartbeat quickened and I said to Tiff in a whisper, “Be ready.”

  “ʼKay,” she replied in a shaky voice.

  We stood within ten feet of Garcia, Smith and Jade. My eyes sought Jade's and I found terror there. My power welled to the surface like a wave to shore and stopped like it hit a wall.

  My gaze shifted to Sm
ith.

  “Oh my God, he's tuned up,” Tiff said.

  Eff me. My eyes traveled back to Jade, and that's when I saw it. Smith had a gun pressed to Garcia, a defenseless Jade in the middle. Smith reached out with a hand and stroked Jade's hair and she whimpered.

  “Don't touch her.” My voice choked with rage.

  “I'm sorry Caleb, I never saw it,” Garcia said.

  “Shut up, Raul,” Smith commented conversationally, never taking his eyes from mine.

  “Your little girl here,” Smith began, sinking his hands into her hair and jerking her against him as she yelped.

  I moved forward.

  “Don't,” Smith said, cocking the hammer with a dull click and pushing it into Garcia.

  Our eyes met.

  I was helpless to protect Jade. I could feel my power swirling like smoke in a glass box. Fingers seeking escape, constantly moving for exit.

  Finding none.

  Tiff moved closer and Smith's eyes followed her. “Stay where you are, death lover.”

  Wonderful. My gaze shifted to Jade. “I'll get you outta here, I promise.” My voice broke.

  “No one is going anywhere. This place is about to get a little more full,” he said toeing McGraw on the ground. “He was a mite too sharp for comfort, but it was her that I was worried about.”

  I looked at Jade and her face filled with regret.

  “Explain to lover boy how you got my complete attention.”

  She glared at him.

  He jerked her again, using her hair like a handle.

  Jade screamed.

  I moved without realizing.

  Smith took the butt of the gun, hitting Garcia in the face with it.

  Garcia fell to his knees.

  “Stay put Caleb, or it will be Jade next. Don't think I won't. I love to hit girls.” He pressed Jade against him, his gun a black disaster in his hand.

  My fists clenched, my jaw locking on the enunciation. “Tell me Jade.”

  Tears streamed down her cheeks. “I thought, I could talk to one of the policemen about you. That I could tell them how much of a strain it was for us but—” she sucked in a sob.

  “Too upset? Fine. I'll explain,” Smith said.

  Garcia made his shaky way to his feet. As he did a girl came out of the caretaker's cottage and my memories burst out of me in a sickening rush.