by Juniper Hart
“I don’t know!” Erica wailed. “I—I was just out jogging and… and…”
“What is your name, ma’am?”
“Erica.”
“Erica,” said the woman. “I’m going to need you to secure yourself outside the house now. I have officers coming to the scene, all right?”
“No!” Erica howled. “He’s outside, too! He’s been following me, and there’s this weird creature stalking my home!”
She knew she had most likely imagined the latter, but a small part of her brain wondered if she actually hadn’t.
“You know who it is, Erica?” the dispatcher asked her. “You know who broke into your home?”
“I… I think so,” she stuttered. “His name is Walt. We went on a date. Well, it wasn’t really a date. I left as soon as I realized he was a—”
She stopped speaking abruptly, trying to catch her breath. She knew she was rambling, but she couldn’t stop herself.
“You need to remain calm. Erica,” the woman told her. “Listen to me, help is on the way, but you need to get out of the house. He may still be inside. You will be much safer if you go to a neighbor’s house and wait for us to arrive.”
“Okay,” Erica choked out. “I’m going.”
“Are you on your cell phone?” the woman asked.
“Yes,” she whispered.
“Stay on the line with me until the police arrive, all right?”
Erica nodded, forgetting that the dispatcher couldn’t see her, and ran down the stairs, suffocating on fear.
He’s probably harmless, she tried to reassure herself, struggling for some semblance of control. He thinks he’s being sexy or something.
But she had heard enough horror stories to know that nothing good could come out of Walt knowing where she lived.
She reached the front door, wind whipping the rain against the windows, and Erica felt like she was in a Hitchcock film. Her hands shook as she twisted the lock, pulling the knob inward.
Walt stood on the stoop, his dark blond hair plastered to his face.
“Hi, Erica,” he said conversationally, and Erica screamed.
She moved too slowly, trying to slam the door in his face. Far away, she heard the dispatch calling her name as Walt stuck his foot in the door and reached out for her. Howling, Erica lashed out, kicking him, but he seemed to anticipate her moves.
“The police are coming!” she cried. “You’re going to be caught!”
Walt slammed the door and seized her shoulders, his hazel eyes boring into hers.
“Get yourself together!” he yelled. “I am the police! Calm the hell down!”
Confusion, consternation, and skepticism flooded Erica’s body as she gaped at him. He nodded at her, solidly holding her gaze.
“Look at me,” he said. “Focus.”
Erica was too perplexed to understand anything, but she watched as Walt reached down on the floor and grabbed her cell phone.
“Dispatch, this is Detective Lahey, badge number 10823. First on the scene at the Taylor residence.”
He listened, nodded his head, and disconnected the call, turning back to Erica, who continued gawking at him in shock.
“You… you’re a cop? You’re stalking me and you’re a cop?” she gasped, looking for an escape.
Walt scowled. “I’m not stalking you, Erica,” he sighed, shaking his head in annoyance. “I’m trying to protect you.”
She didn’t know whether to laugh or scream. “By breaking into my house and—”
“I don’t have time to squabble with you,” he interjected, grabbing her arm. “Get outside and wait for patrol. I have to ensure the intruder’s gone.”
Without waiting for her to respond, he reopened the front door and shoved her out into the rain just as the squad cars came squealing to the residence.
“Are you all right, miss? Are you Erica?” the first uniformed officer asked, and she nodded numbly. “Come and wait in the car,” he instructed, leading her away from the front door. “Detective Lahey is inside?”
Again, Erica bobbed her head.
The uniformed officer led her toward the flashing lights of the car through the driving storm, and Erica could do little else but wait for instructions.
After what seemed like an eternity, she saw Walt exit the house and head toward her. Her back tensed in nervousness as he opened the door and gestured for her to follow him.
“Come back inside. He’s gone now,” he told her reassuringly, but Erica still did not trust him.
“You mean you’re gone?” she snapped, refusing to move.
Walt rolled his hazel eyes. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, exasperated. “Come inside and I’ll explain.”
She gazed up at him, gulping back her worry. He seemed sincere, but she remembered all the filthy pictures and comments she’d been emailed over the past days, and she wondered who else it could be.
“Please, Erica,” he murmured, extending his hand. “Come inside where we can talk.”
She gnawed on her lower lip and glanced around.
He won’t do anything while the other officers are here, she reasoned. If he tries anything, I’ll just scream as loudly as I can.
It was the best plan she could devise on such short notice, and reluctantly, she followed him towards the house, drops of rain splattering across her face like tiny slaps of reality.
Once inside, Walt turned to her, his expression grave. “You can’t stay here,” he told her. “We need to get you somewhere else until we catch this guy.”
Erica’s brow creased. “What is going on?” she demanded. “If you aren’t the one stalking me, then who is?”
Walt smiled thinly. “Did you happen to go on a date with a guy from IT, before you met me at the café? Called himself Jerry?”
Swallowing, Erica nodded her head. “Yes,” she whispered. “Why? What about him?”
“I hate to tell you this, Erica,” Walt said, “but he has a history of stalking women he meets online. His name is Arthur Schultz. He’s a dangerous man.”
Erica couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Wait… you knew that before you met up with me that day?” she demanded. “And you didn’t warn me?”
Walt shrugged nonchalantly. “There was nothing to warn you about yet. We have been tracking Schultz closely for some time, but given his experience with computers, he has thrown us for a loop. Our only hope is that we catch him in the act.”
Erica’s mouth dropped open, and she stared at him in shock. “You used me as bait?” she shrieked. “Then why didn’t you catch him?”
“Because I was following you, Erica, not him.”
Suddenly, a shiver of apprehension slithered through her body as she remembered the sensation of being followed. She hadn’t imagined that, after all.
“Why were you so rude to me?” she asked.
“It was an act,” Walt explained. “I was trying to keep you from Jerry, not trying to make you fall in love with me.”
A silence ensued between them.
“You can’t stay here,” Walt said again. “Your family is at risk.”
Erica scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest.
“So I have to hide until you maybe, possibly, perhaps arrest this guy?” she questioned. “I don’t think so.”
But even as she said the words, she knew there was no way she was staying at her house now that Jerry—Arthur Schultz—knew where to find her.
“What about my parents?” she asked.
“They’re going to be fine. He’s after you, not them,” Walt answered. “We will put you up in a hotel,” he told her quietly. “I have no doubt that he has been watching us. He’s not going to let up just because you called the police. In fact, you may have made him angry by calling us. He’s going to come after you again, and when he does, I intend to be there.”
Erica cocked her dark head to the side and peered at him. “What makes you think you can catch him this time? You haven’t been suc
cessful so far.”
Walt seemed embarrassed by the question, but Erica didn’t apologize for it. She had a right to know about her safety, and she wanted to know what she planned to do in order to catch her stalker.
“I’m going to be with you the whole time,” he murmured. “I’m going to stay in the room with you.”
Erica’s jaw dropped open once more, her blue eyes wide with disbelief.
“You must be joking!” she screeched, remembering their two-minute date. The thought of spending any amount of time with the arrogant cop was more than she could bear. Sure, he’d said it had all been an act, but what if not all of it had been fake?
“It’s the only way to ensure your safety and catch him,” Walt said. “Think about the other women he’s done this to, Erica. And if we don’t get him, think of how many more there might be.”
The words sent chills through Erica’s body, and she studied his face with contempt as she came to a decision.
Those other women are going to owe me big-time for this, she thought sourly, but she knew that there was no debate; she had to go through with the operation.
“This is never going to work,” Erica grumbled, pacing around the small hotel room. “He’s going to know you’re here. If he’s been watching so far—”
“We have secured the perimeter several times,” Walt assured her. “We believe that he’s been tracking you electronically, anyway. He doesn’t need physical eyes on you to have eyes on you, if that makes any sense.”
Erica grunted in frustration. “We’ve been holed up here for two days and nothing has happened,” she groaned. “He hasn’t sent another text or email. Maybe you guys scared him off when you came to the house.”
“This fits with his MO,” Walt told her, and Erica could tell he was attempting to keep his patience.
He has no right to be annoyed with me, Erica thought. After all, she was the one wasting her summer vacation away, waiting for something to happen. She stared at the detective, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. And somehow all the communications just stopped when Walt reappeared.
She eyed his ripped physique through her peripheral vision as she strode through the room impatiently.
It’s a damned shame he’s such a jerk, she lamented, trying not to stare at him openly. He’s incredibly good looking.
Erica did not want to admit that Walt had not once shown any signs of the arrogant bastard whom she had met the previous week.
Even if that was an act to keep me at bay, he obviously has it in him, she thought, but as the hours together ticked by, she couldn’t deny that she had a mounting attraction to Walt. She’d had ever since she had laid eyes on him, though that had been slightly dampened by his attitude at the café.
Now, though…
Well, don’t get too comfortable, she chastised herself. Because you two will soon say goodbye and that will be the end of that.
“I’m going to Wendy’s,” Walt announced, and she stared at him.
“What?”
“I’m going to Wendy’s,” he repeated. “Do you want something?”
“You’re leaving me here?” she snapped. “I thought the whole purpose of you being here was staying by my side!”
“I will be ten minutes,” he retorted. “And there are units on all entrances.”
Erica folded her arms across her chest and shrugged. “Fine. Go.”
He grunted and spun to leave while Erica shook her head at his retreating back.
Some security, she thought contemptuously as he stalked from the room, slamming the door behind him.
Erica flopped onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling. This is absolutely pointless, she thought to herself furiously. When Walt gets back, I’m telling him I’m going home.
A loud knock on the door startled her, and Erica tensed, bolting upright.
“Who is it?” she called.
“Forgot my key,” came the muffled response. Erica rolled her eyes, sliding off the mattress to open the door.
Without warning, a figure came flying at her, pinning her back to the bed and glaring at her with enraged eyes.
“You think you can hide from me?” Schultz hissed at her. “You think you can run away from me so easily?”
Erica wrestled her arms against his, but he was surprisingly powerful for such a wiry man.
“Let me go!” she screamed, but he pressed his lips down on hers to silence the noise, his hands becoming vices against her wrists.
Erica jerked beneath him, but her actions were futile. Panic swelled in her mind as she felt herself unable to breathe.
Suddenly, Arthur was flying through the air, his body landing across the room in a sickening thud as it crashed against the wall near the door.
Gasping, Erica scrambled to her feet, where she froze in terror.
A scaly purple and black creature had entered the room, its long tail flicking against the carpet with anticipation. Its brilliant eyes rested on Erica, and when she opened her mouth to scream, no sound came out.
This is the creature I saw outside my window, she thought, her head racing, the rest of her thoughts swimming. This beast… this… dragon?
Slowly, he lowered his head, shifting his hazel eyes downward, and Erica understood immediately.
He has been protecting me all along, she realized, gulping. There was no longer any fear but a deep sense of gratitude as he turned away, a sharp claw snatching up the unconscious body of the stalker from the corner.
“No! Wait!” Erica cried, rushing toward him.
His massive head acknowledged her, snorting slightly, and Erica placed her palms on either side of his snout, nuzzling her nose to his.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
He roared, loudly enough to make her jump, but there was no malice in his noise. In the blink of an eye, he was gone, Arthur in his claws.
Erica stared, wondering how such a beast had managed to vanish so easily.
Dizzy, she fell back against the bed, her pulse racing. She had no idea what to make of what had happened, but she knew she owed everything to Walt.
Am I going to see him again? she wondered, anxiety filling her at the idea that he might not return.
She did not know where to go or what else to do but wait.
When the door opened again, Walt simply stood in the threshold, meeting her inquisitive stare.
There was no need for any words to be spoken between them, and Erica flew off the bed and threw herself into his arms, melding her lips to his.
Her appreciation intermingled with the attraction she had been fighting were overwhelming, and even if she had wanted to, Erica would have been unable to resist. With primal fervor, she pulled him into the room, ripping at his shirt to expose his defined pecs.
Erica explored every crevice of Walt’s body with her fingertips, falling backwards onto the bed with him atop her.
His lips travelled along the line of her chin, up toward her earlobe, where he suckled on the small flap gently, sending tingles through her body. Walt’s palms made their way beneath her white t-shirt, kneading at her supple breasts as her breaths grew sharper and the speed of their heartbeats.
His head moved lower, along the curve of her bosom, his tongue tasting the sweetness of her flesh as he made his way toward his destination.
Erica helped him remove her shorts, pushing his thick, blond hair toward her core. When his mouth touched her throbbing middle, she gasped, jerking slightly at the sensation shocking the most sensitive area on her body.
Encircling her waist, Walt deeply delved his tongue into Erica’s velvet softness, and she moaned in ecstasy, her eyes falling closed.
Suddenly, Erica envisioned his dragon’s tongue tasting her, heated breaths of fire burning into her as her body tensed eagerly beneath him, her climax building surely. She exploded with intensity, crying out as her fingers tightened in his hair. Walt didn’t stop until Erica had full released and her body shuddered for the last time.
But what Erica
really wanted was to have Walt inside her, and when he finally raised his head, his hazel eyes boring into her, she was ready for his member as it plunged inside her, engorged and hot.
Erica’s head fell back, her eyes rolling as Walt dipped into her, slowly and rhythmically.
She felt as if he were made for her, rocking back and forth, peering deeply into her face, like he could read her soul.
Another orgasm began to fill her, and she gripped Walt’s waist firmly, her nails digging into his back as he, too, swelled to release.
Erica moaned as she gushed once more, sensing her lover grow rigid inside her before spilling his own desire into her. Onward he pushed, his movements slightly less choreographed as he grunted in pleasure.
They sighed together, relaxing in synch, and Erica lay in Walt’s arms, feeling secure for the first time in days.
He rolled off her, propping himself onto his arm so that he could study her.
Erica gazed back at him expectantly.
“About what you saw earlier…” Walt said, lowering his green-brown eyes, and for the first time, Erica noticed flecks of gold in their depth.
“Yes?” she asked, her heart still racing.
“It’s part of who I am,” he told her quietly. “I can’t do anything about it.”
Her eyes widened in surprise. “Why would you want to?” she breathed. “It’s incredible.”
His head rose slowly, and he stared at her dubiously. “It’s a curse,” he replied softly.
Erica shook her head. “No,” she insisted. “It’s a blessing. It’s my blessing. You saved me, and I will spend my life trying to thank you in every way I can.”
Light filtered into Walt’s golden green eyes, and a slow smile formed on his lips.
“So…” he drawled, licking his lips. “How about you show me those tits again?”
Erica groaned and smacked him as he fell back onto the bed, laughing.
She closed her eyes, exhaling happily. Her summer break was not going to be so boring after all.
THE END
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3
Shifter Pursuit Series: Summer Holiday
