by Talyn Scott
Kalen allowed him to caveman her, keeping her mouth shut while keeping an eye on the other three. She saw that no more punches were being thrown, and, interestingly enough, Syon had never released his vampire against the two werewolves.
Then she saw why.
Two vampires rushed the corridor, one with glowing orange eyes, and the other with glowing… She couldn’t begin to figure out what color his eyes were from this distance. Green was fitting, but they were a form of green. Both stood enormous, taller than any other vampires she’d seen, their heads swiveling in that nonhuman manner as they glided in the way of vampires to the scene.
The orange-eyed vampire made eye contact with her, his head tilting curiously, the beads rattling in his hair. “Stop, Mason.”
Mason laughed. “Would you have your female around this, Oycher?”
The green-eyed one said to Oycher, “I told you, she’s be-spelled.” Both vampires, with their eyes fixed on her, caught Archer, Jude, and Syon’s immediate attention.
“Me?” She gasped, tightening her grip on Mason, or maybe it was he who tightened his grip on her. “Be-spelled?” She eyed the one they called Oycher. Jenny had gone on and on about him, the leader of the North American Vojaks, and Kalen would have to admit he was off-the-charts commanding.
Jude pushed away from Syon, bringing down his werewolf. His shirt was torn at the shoulders, but his leathers were intact. “We know there’s a block on her memory, Sage,” he said to the green-eyed vampire. “Her mother was murdered when she was a teen. There’s no need to call attention to it.”
“My apologies,” Sage offered, his eyes a twist between mint and the Bells of Ireland. His hair of white-blonde, so eerily similar to hers, brushed the tops of his leather-clad warrior’s shoulders. He spoke to Mason, “May I approach your female, Mason?”
This time, she swallowed her biting retort, saying calmly, “I can speak for myself, and I will talk with you.” Shards of her distant memories had been resurfacing, as of late, and Kalen wanted an ‘out’ one way or the other. She either wanted to remember everything or forget everything. The in-between left her in constant limbo.
Mason sighed and lowered Kalen gently to the floor. He gripped her, though, keeping both hands on her. “All right, Sage. What’s this about?”
“Last night, I noticed your female inside Six Feet Under, giving off what I can only describe as an aura,” Sage explained as Oycher moved next to him. “And I wasn’t the only one who noticed.” Both were dressed head-to-toe in leather, weapons dangling from their belts. And if she were a betting girl, she would say more blades were hidden than were shown.
She brushed her shaking hands over her clothes, trying to situate them while steadying her nervous breathing. “I guess I made quite a spectacle of myself at that club.” Kalen glanced at Syon. “We should have met at a coffee shop.”
Syon said, “It wouldn’t have made a difference.”
“It would have made a difference to meet her in a human establishment, asshole.” Archer got between them, his hand curling around hers. “She won’t be going anywhere with you again.”
Mason nodded his agreement, then asked Sage, “That’s why I dragged her out of Six Feet Under, too many excited fangs around Kalen for my tastes.”
“I followed you out, wanting to warn you about the Vojak aura and the shady vamps checking her out, when I discovered a Habaline shifter lurking in the alleyway.”
Mason nodded. “Yeah, he was scoping us out. Followed us for a while.”
“He wanted your female,” Sage explained. “I warned him once, when he didn’t listen…”
By the look on the warriors face, she realized Sage’s second warning came by way of fists and blades. She forced a smile. “Thank you.”
Sage looked down at her. “Daytime’s not so bad in these parts, but nightfall is when you want to use what the humans call the buddy system.”
“Got it.”
Archer said to Sage, “Tell me about the spell on her.”
“It’s an odd one,” Sage went on, “part of it belonging solely to Vojaks.”
This didn’t surprise her. “My dad was a halfling human, but my grandfather was like you, Sage, a Vojak.” Upon closer inspection, her green that swirled within the blue of her eyes nearly matched Sage’s own, though his were solid. Kalen always thought she carried more similarities to vampires than to werewolves.
“Again,” Jude interceded, “the spell’s obviously there so she will no’ recall the brutality of her mother’s death.”
Sage studied her intently, his eyes roaming over the side of her face toward her ear. “Whose mind is it, hers or that of the spell-caster?”
Oycher nodded. “Memories are what carve us into who we are, the good and the bad.”
Archer bared his teeth. “Can you see anything, Oycher?”
Oycher shook his head no. “I can’t even read her.”
“Read?” Kalen asked. “As in minds?”
Oycher nodded. “I might be able to see where the block perimeters are placed, though, if you can relax. Then Sage could remove them, if he were so inclined.”
“I’m inclined,” Sage volunteered. “But remember there’s always a price to pay.”
Mason snarled. “Don’t threaten my female.”
Syon broke his silence. “Sage isn’t threatening, just speaking the truth.”
Sage’s eyes dropped to Kalen’s throat. “I would only ask for a single blood payment.” His eyes snapped back to hers. “However, on the opposite side of Oycher’s opinion, the real price you might pay could cost you far more than blood. What if there’s something you don’t need to remember?”
Jude nodded, rubbing her cheek with the backs of his knuckles. “This makes sense, lass.”
“Can you at least see where the perimeters are?” she asked Oycher.
He lifted his chin, his glowing orange eyes meeting those of her males. When Oycher was satisfied with the silent response. He narrowed his eyes on her forehead, stepping toe-to-toe with her until all she saw, felt, and smelled was this commanding Vojak, one of the most feared vampires in North America.
Suddenly, a white-hot beam scoured her mind, its aim like that of a flashlight, going here and there. Kalen gripped her temples, her mind flipping as though someone were tickling her memories like old-fashioned files in a file cabinet. “What’s happening?” Just as quickly as it came, the sensation evaporated.
Oycher stood back from her, all of her males putting their hands on her, rubbing her back, her arms, her face. They soothed her in the way of werwolves, offering comfort through touch. But she didn’t want touch right now, she wanted answers. And, strangely enough, her instincts told her to run. In fact, her body went on lockdown, preparing to do just that.
Jude’s eyes glowed with his Beast, his mouth forming a soft warning, “Don’t do it.”
Kalen froze, reminding herself that werewolves loved the chase, but it would scare the hell out of her. “What did you find, Oycher?”
“I found that’s it’s more complicated than I imagined.” Oycher tilted his head, as if listening to something far away. “Maestru and Alpha Jordan have arrived. It’s time.”
Two hours later, Kalen found herself walking up the flight of steps leading to Mason’s house. She didn’t know what was upsetting her stomach more, Jenny’s refusal to leave that creature-filled facility, the thought that her father had tampered with her brain more than she’d realized, or the coconut curry shrimp she’d inhaled after they’d left the Joint Faction Facility.
Likely, it was the flight home.
She rubbed her stomach again. “Is it too much to ask that we take a vehicle next time?” They’d flown high over Marco Island, landing on Sanibel Island just ten minutes ago. She couldn’t deal with heights all that well. Even yesterday, during her flight to Fort Myers, Kalen had hyperventilated at least a half dozen times. “I hate helicopters. Hate. Them.”
Mason waved a hand over his door, the tumblers inside
the lock mechanism clicking open under his mental command. “I needed to transfer medical supplies to Sanibel Island, and the chopper was handy. What mode of transportation would you prefer the next time you visit Jenny?”
“How about your motorcycle?”
“You would squeeze your inner thighs around me,” he continued her thought, “with every road bump jolting your sweet spot. Yeah, I can see you on the back of my bike.” Mason lifted her again, this time with his hands beneath her thighs.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, wiggling her core against his hard-on. His hands moved beneath her butt, his fingers massaging.
“Archer let Jude and me know how beautiful and soft your pussy is, but I didn’t need to be reminded while inside the Joint Faction Facility,” he said, pressing her impossibly closer. “I’m dying to bury myself within your wet heat. Resisting you is nothing short of miraculous.”
“You know that I’m not asking you to resist.”
“What about Jude and Archer?”
She leaned her forehead against his. “I’m a little nervous.” A smile flitted across her lips. “Scratch that. I’m petrified of taking you three on at the same time. I know what it’s about, pretty much, but I don’t see myself handling it physically.”
“That’s why your males need to take the worry from you.” His tongue flicked out and licked her bottom lip. “Are you sure you’re not thirsty for more blood?”
“You fed me well on the chopper.” Her eyes sparkled. “I think the pilot feared he was next, though.”
“He wanted to be next.” Mason walked backwards until he met his bedroom door. “How about a soak in the tub? Jude and Archer should be here soon. Then, we can veg out in front of the television.”
“I didn’t hear anything past a soak in the tub.”
“Yeah?”
“Naked in the water with you?” She sighed. “That trumps my motorcycle fantasy.”
“I want to hear about this motorcycle fantasy in detail.” He gave her a stern look. “Don’t leave out a single word.”
“Hmmm.” She tapped her chin. “Goes something like…Both of us naked and riding your motorcycle under the stars.”
“With the night air brushing our skin?”
“Yep.”
“I like the way you fantasize.” He lowered her to the floor and lifted her blouse over her head. “Nice bra, baby.”
She stared down at the sheer, black lace. “I thought — ”
“That you would flip every cell in my body on heightened alert by wearing it?” He took her hand and placed it against his bulge. “Mission accomplished.” He leaned down and brought a lace covered nipple into his mouth, sucking until his cheeks went concave. Then kissed his way up to her mouth, his hands cupping each mound. “Your pale pink nipples are a beacon for my Beast. It wants to nip them until you cry out with your release.”
“I wouldn’t turn that down.”
“Then think about how your three males will make you feel when we come together for the first time.” He unfastened her shorts and let them fall to the floor. He nearly keeled over as her platinum triangle met his gaze. Mason reached between her legs, his fingers sliding against her soft flesh. “What happened to your thong?”
“It’s in another male’s pocket,” she explained, her fingers trailing over his throat when he growled a warning. “Settle down. Jude and Archer kept playing with my thighs under the lunch table. One of them clawed my thong off and kept it.”
“Whoever did the deed will probably wrap it around his cock tonight and rub one off. That is, unless you decide to offer up your virginity tonight to all of us.”
She looked to the ceiling in exasperation and then back to him. “You’re not touching me that way until I decide?”
“Sounds like it.”
She hissed at him, crossing her arms and tapping her toe.
He circled her, his eyes moving up and down her plush body. “Too bad you can’t take a bath with those heels on.” He whistled. “Your body, Kalen, I’m trying to put what I feel into words and it’s not happening.” He reached low and lifted her again. She swatted his ass as he carted her to the bath. “Let’s go find some slippery soap.”
***
But she was already clean, he wanted to scream as his fist nearly went through the window. He stepped back on the deck, moving away from the sound of her voice. He lifted his hand, snarling at the stake he’d prepared just for Kalen Young. “Absolve the innocent,” he whispered the spell in utter disappointment and a touch of rage. After all, if he couldn’t save her purity then she must die.
Walking away without her innocent blood on his stake was the hardest part, but he managed another step, then another, his eyes glowing in the moonlight.
Chapter Eleven
Jude and Archer were the last to enter the private meeting room in the Joint Faction Facility, which consisted of a few long tables and dented folding chairs that could barely hold a male’s substantial weight, surrounded by cinderblock walls with assorted chunks — the size of someone’s head — missing from them. Jude knew the factions would never spend money on the place, apart from the medical corridors, because tempers flared when all were called to meetings, such as this one.
He closed the door behind him with his mind, wishing he was with Kalen instead of here. Archer looked over his shoulder, nodding in silent agreement. Although they couldn’t read one another’s mind, it wasn’t a far stretch to realize the other wanted this honeymoon period to be just that — a honeymoon period. But duty called nearly every waking minute, and honor didn’t allow for laziness.
“You found another body this morning and you’re just telling me now!” Jayce roared at Maestru.
“She was a mixed blood,” Maestru explained calmly though his obsidian irises leaked into the whites of his eyes, “and she wasn’t under your protection.”
“This is total bullshit!”
“Your Pack males are in our private morgue, examining her body as we speak!” Maestru yelled back.
“Not good enough,” Bane interceded, his hand on Jayce’s shoulder but Jayce shook it off. “Coven knew these old vamps were circling Fort Myers and Captiva Island before we did. You refused to answer our questions, to assuage our concerns.”
Maestru answered Bane, though his eyes stayed locked on Jayce, “They are visitors.”
Bane laughed mirthlessly. “Traveling without any entourage to speak of, and not one of their Brides or Younglings traveled with them.” He cocked his head, studying Maestru. “How many trips do you make, Coven Master, without your Bride Dakota?”
Maestru’s eyes whipped to Bane’s, the talons of his power slithering from his body in a weave of smokey tendrils. “Is today the day you’ve chosen to die?”
Jayce lifted his fist and extended his index finger towards the closed door. “Everyone out on my side except Bane, Archer, and Jude.”
Maestru raised his hands, reining in his power from the stifling meeting room. “All leave on my side except Sage, Oycher, and Syon.”
Jude crossed his arms, unimpressed by Maestru’s show of dominance, and watched Pack males and Coven members file out. There was something here, something Coven was covering up, but what?
When the door closed after the last male left, Jayce plopped down on the edge of a table. “Tell me what’s going on underground, and don’t leave out one fucking word, or I won’t be held responsible for the devastation caused by my Alpha Beast’s temper.”
Maestru leaned against the wall, his arms crossed the same way as every male present. “How would I keep underground investigations going, if those I’m investigating think I share intel with werewolves?”
Syon spoke up, “This is why I have undercover vampires on the inside, and I refuse to risk this investigation, risk their lives, for the likes of Pack.”
Bane flashed his canines. “We’re wasting time dividing lines when creatures are dying out there!”
Maestru stared hard at Bane, then
shocked the hell out of all of them. “For once, the Beta is right.” He gestured to Sage. “Share your intel with Pack. My gut tells me the murders are intwined, and I never go against my gut instincts.”
Sage raised a surprised eyebrow, then stepped forward. “The foreign vampires, as well as other vampires sneaking in under Pack’s radar, are here for virgins.”
Jayce’s mouth dropped open, his face twisting in open disgust. “Come again?”
“I know,” Sage said, pinching the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and thumb. “Just hear me out.” He dropped his hand and met eyes with each of them. “It gets even weirder. From what we’ve gathered, vampires, who have lost their Brides or perhaps never met them and had given up their search, buy who they want to spend eternity with — changing the female into a vampiress in the process.”
The only way a vampire could claim a Bride that wasn’t his true soulmate was to make love to an untouched female, a virgin. “So females are being forced to mate with vampires?” Jude asked in horror.
Sage shook his head. “It’s nothing like that. It’s more of a… ” He looked to Oycher in confusion. “What did you call it?”
“Something like the human dating services.”
Jayce snapped his teeth. “So you’re telling me that humans are trotting around Southwest Florida, knowing about your kind?”
“Some of them do.”
“What we’ve pulled out so far is that there are underground clubs, involving humans and creatures alike, which cater to these vampires and the greedy women who will sell themselves to the highest bidder.”
Jayce admitted, “I’m having a hard time believing money is that important.”
Maestru inclined his head, thinking. “Yet we are wealthy beyond anything a human could attain. How are we to judge the pull of money to those who have practically none?”
