by E A Price
She felt a pang of despair and sadness, felt that she was losing a part of herself she would never get back, but she pushed it aside. It wasn’t a new feeling for her. For a while, she didn’t think she’d ever be able to get past the truth that she would never be a mother, but life went on as it would now that she was getting rid of Ryder.
She forced herself not to look back as she walked out the bar, repeating to herself over and over that it was for the best.
Shifters and vampires do not mate.
*
Four hundred and fifty years ago
Mary soundlessly ran down to the kitchen. Rodrigo had been hot on her tail, but thankfully for all his years, he wasn’t quite as fleet of foot as her.
She should tell her master about his pursuit of her. Tell him of the way he pushed her against the wall, lifting her skirts and trying to touch her tender area, but she was afraid. Rodrigo told her he would tell Master she had encouraged him, begged him to do it. Rodrigo would tell Master she was unsatisfied with his sexual attentions and had begged Rodrigo to take her. She feared that Master would believe him. Rodrigo was a practiced liar.
A few days ago, one of Alastair’s donors had been killed. She knew it was Rodrigo. He had taken the girl without permission and drained too much of her. But he lied and said he had not. They put her death down to weakness, of her inability to withstand so much blood loss, but Mary knew it was him. He had coveted the female and Alastair had told him to stay away from her while she recovered from his own attentions. Rodrigo did not like to be told no.
Mary halted at the entrance to the kitchen as the sounds of moans met her ears. They were not the usual lustful noises; they were softer, more intimate, and needier.
She peered around the corner to see Edward sitting on the table, the wolf shifter Susanna straddling him, her skirts hitched to her waist as she slowly rode him. He was not pounding her, taking what he wanted. He was holding her, his hands caressing her, his lips catching kisses from hers. They were not master and servant caught in a dominant and subservient pose. They were lovers, each giving the other pleasure. It was unlike anything Mary had even seen in that house.
Susanna pulled back, her face flushed in happiness. “I love you,” she murmured.
“I love you, too,” breathed Edward. His fangs lengthened, and he slowly pushed them into her neck. Susanna gripped his head holding him to her as her body shuddered around him.
Mary watched in open-mouthed surprise, and for once in her life, she felt her own kindling of arousal at the tender coupling she was watching. She had found her pleasure before at Master’s hands, mouth and manhood, but it had been pleasure wrenched from her body against her will and had ultimately left her hollow.
This was something else. Something so much more, something that was new and exhilarating.
Too late, she forgot why she had gone down to the kitchen in the first place.
“What the fuck?” roared Rodrigo, pushing past her into the kitchen.
Fear struck at both Edward and Susanna, and they clutched at each other as the irate male advanced on them.
Chapter Nine
Present day
Juliet felt strangely heavy. Like something large was resting on her chest. She did not need to breathe, so it did not worry her too much, but it was enough to rouse her from her sleep.
She licked her lips as her eyes fluttered open to find the angry face of Ryder hovering above her. He lay over her bodily, but she immediately knew this pose was not sexual. There was little arousal in his scent, and he was not hard. No, he was just plain furious.
“What the hell did you do that for?” he growled.
His eyes were stark golden yellow, piercing in his rugged face.
She took another sniff and felt inordinately relieved that she could not scent sex on him. He hadn’t done anything with the coyotes. He could have, should have, but he didn’t.
“What do you mean?” she asked innocently, trying her best to angle her body away from his. He may not have been turned on, but feeling his hard muscles against her softer curves was certainly getting her there. If she wrapped herself around him now, he would probably forget his annoyance and happily strip out of his clothes and take her. It was a wee bit too tempting.
“You threw those damn coyotes at me. I almost had to get a crowbar to get them off me. Fucking limpets.”
Juliet tried to shrug. Not easy while trapped under several hundred pounds of sabre-tooth tiger shifter. “I can’t help it if females find you irresistible.”
His eyebrows raised, there was a tingling of hope in his expression.
“Other females – not me,” she clarified.
“You told them to attack me,” he groused.
“Well, I may have mentioned you were looking for a good time…”
He let out a bark of laughter and moved off her body, dropping down beside her onto his back. She tried not to mewl in objection. The pressure and heat of his body over hers were quite nice.
“The only good time I’ll be having will be with you, and it will be amazing. The hell were you thinking?”
“Well…”
“It was a test, right?” He eyed her beadily.
“Not exactly.”
“You were testing me to see if I’d go for another woman. Well, I didn’t. When they jumped me, my beast was repulsed, and my dick was as soft as pudding.”
Juliet turned on her side and leaned on her elbow. “Wow, that’s pretty soft,” she teased in spite of herself.
His eyes lingered at the vee of her nightdress. In that position, the swells of her breasts pushed against the material.
“Getting harder now,” he grinned.
“Ryder,” she sighed.
“Yeah, sweet thing, say my name.”
Juliet quickly slipped out of bed and pulled her robe on. Surprisingly, Ryder remained on the bed, smoothing his hand over the space she had just vacated.
“I’ve told you before; we can’t be mates – we just can’t. Shifters and vampires are not mates.” She busied her hands tying her sash into an impenetrable knot, anything to keep them busy. “I get it, okay? I feel attracted to you, too, but that can’t be helped.”
His eyes hooded. “Least you’re not denying it now.”
“No, you know I find you attractive. But we shouldn’t do anything about it. I tossed those girls at you because I figured if you got your rocks off you’d get over it and move on.”
He lumbered off the bed and came to stand in front of her, inches away. She stared at his chest until he placed a finger under her chin and forced her to crane her neck up to his face.
“My rocks are waiting for you.”
“You’ll be waiting a long time.”
“As long as it takes. I don’t want another woman. Never will. You’re it for me, and I’ll wait for you to get it through your pretty little head that you are not getting rid of me – ever.”
His words thrilled her, though she knew they shouldn’t. She should be telling him to sling his hook and anything else he might have, but she didn’t. Didn’t say a word. What did the five-hundred-plus-year-old vampire do when faced with a romantically inclined sabre-tooth tiger shifter? She gurgled.
“Blurgh blah.”
“What?”
“Nothing! I have to get ready for work.”
“More investigating?” Ryder traced a finger along her chin.
“Yes, actually. You can’t come.”
“Yeah, I figured you only let me tag along last night because you were waiting to set me up with the gruesome twosome. No matter, I’ll be… around.” He tweaked her nose.
I’ll bet she thought in amusement. Crap, he was starting to amuse her rather than irritate – not a good sign.
“I’ll be downstairs getting breakfast or dinner – whatever.”
Ryder stooped to pick up a large, brown book. It wasn’t one she recognized from her own collection.
“New book?”
He stilled and loo
ked at her uncertainly for a moment. “Yeah.”
“Anything interesting?”
“Not sure yet,” he admitted warily.
Before she could probe him further, he left. Odd. What could he be reading that he didn’t want her knowing about? Porn? The book looked to be extremely old – at least in book years. Any porn found in that book would surely be considered tame now – bare ankles and wrists tame. He didn’t really strike her as the kind of guy who would be embarrassed by that sort of thing anyway. If he were looking at porn, he’d probably declare it and give her a devilish look, challenging her to do anything about it. Then she’d toss the book away, climb him like a tree and ask him why he was bothering looking at pictures of naked women when she was more than happy to get naked from him…
Her imaginings were starting to get away from her now.
Whatever it was, it was probably harmless. Or at least, she felt certain he meant her no harm. Even if he hadn’t already broken into her house during the day numerous times and never done anything to hurt her, she trusted him – innately. She felt safe with him in ways she never had with a male. Master’s treatment of her had really screwed her up when it came to males. She’d dated but never felt comfortable in inviting them to spend the day sleeping in her house. But Ryder was different. She just couldn’t figure out why. Logic would say they were mates, but seriously, she was beating a dead horse on this one. They couldn’t be mates! Either that or fate had royally screwed up – but fate did not work that way… did it?
*
Four hundred and fifty years ago
Mary sat on the floor by Master’s feet. Absently, he petted her head. Usually, she hated being treated like his pet – like a dog, but today she wouldn’t be anywhere else.
Edward stood before them, defiant and bloody from the punishment Rodrigo had already given him for his dalliance with Susanna the wolf shifter
Master was tensing in anger, but each time his fingers sifted through her hair she thought he calmed a little. Good. At least she might save Edward a little of his wrath. She could not escape the image of Edward and Susanna’s coupling. The tenderness warmed her cold, dead heart something fierce. But it also gave her such an acute feeling of longing that she wanted to scream. She thought of Thomas, and as good a man as he had been, she doubted he was capable of such passion. No, like being a mother, this was something that was not meant for her, and it made her want to cry.
Rodrigo snapped and snarled as he circled Edward. Master’s other friends, Marguerite and Alastair lounged on sofas watching with glee. Not very friendly thought Mary sadly. Vampires really were beastly.
“Shifters are off limits,” purred Master in a deceptively silky voice. “You know the dangers. Feeding and fucking at the same time – what were you thinking?”
Edward raised his chin. “I was hungry, and I needed to fuck. I was not thinking. You have seen the girl – surely I am not the only one who has trouble resisting such a fine body.”
Alastair and Marguerite murmured and chuckled in agreement, failing to notice the worry in Edward’s voice. But Mary didn’t, and if she didn’t, Master certainly didn’t.
Master traced Mary’s earlobe. “I am surprised. I thought you had more control.” He nodded at William, another wolf shifter servant. “Bring in Susanna.”
William did, moving stiffly. If Mary remembered correctly, Susanna was his cousin. He could not look her in the face.
Susanna was pale and shaking slightly, a far cry from the flushed happiness Mary had seen earlier.
When William let go of her, she dropped to the floor. Edward tensed. “This is my doing; there is no need to involve her.”
Rodrigo gripped Susanna by her hair, and she summoned the courage to growl at him. He smirked, and Mary couldn’t hide her disgust as she noted his burgeoning arousal.
“I forced her,” said Edward quietly, “do not blame her for this.”
Susanna sucked in a breath as if she was about to argue but she dropped her head just as quickly. “I am sorry,” she murmured. “He said he would kill you.”
Edward’s eyes widened, and Rodrigo grinned nastily.
“Susanna here has already told me of your intention to mate her. Says you fancied yourself in love with her, says you fancied her as your mate!” Rodrigo spat the last word.
Edward looked at him in hatred. “She is my mate.”
“That is not possible,” murmured Master.
“It is, I don’t know how but it is.”
“You are wrong!” roared Master. “And the fact that you would risk so many of your own kind for this whorish wolf shifter disgusts me. You are a traitor to us, and this cannot be allowed.” Master nodded at Rodrigo and Edward leaped at him, but it was too late. Rodrigo ripped out Susanna’s throat an instant before Edward landed.
Edward threw Rodrigo against the wall and desperately tried to stop the blood pouring out of Susanna, but the damage was done.
Mary screamed as Edward, angry tears running down his cheeks launched at Master. Marguerite and Alastair leaped into the fray and Mary pushed herself backward. The room flooded as William howled and the other wolf shifters poured into the room – all of Susanna’s pack, all friends, and family. They shifted and pounced on the vampires.
Mary watched the horror unfolding in front of her. The fight was so fast, but to her naïve eyes, it seemed to go on forever.
A large black wolf spotted her and advanced on her. She felt momentary fear, but in truth, she almost welcomed whatever was coming to her. She had already lived a long life, and it had been filled with pain and hurt, how much worse could the next life be? She closed her eyes only to open them again as Master lifted her against him. The black wolf lay at his feet, torn to pieces.
“There, there, my angel,” he said almost mockingly. “You know I will always take care of you.”
He carried her out of the room, away from the carnage. Alastair did not survive, nor Edward and any wolf shifters who did were quickly executed. Unfortunately, Rodrigo escaped with barely a scratch. That was the last time Master had shifters for servants.
Chapter Ten
Present day
Emily gave Juliet a quizzical look as she approached her desk. Yes, she did look quite different in jeans, sneakers and a t-shirt. While Juliet felt her age, she certainly didn’t look it. The sleek suits and dresses helped her appear older, but dressed down, she barely looked eighteen. Truthfully, she had only been seventeen when she was changed, but that was not something she spread around. People tended to make jokes about her being underage – which given that she could actually remember what people did before TV and the radio were invented was ridiculous. They read books and talked to each other more.
“Good evening, Emily.”
“Good evening,” beamed the efficient young woman, the irritation of the previous evening forgotten. “I barely recognized you. You look so young – it suits you.”
“Thank you. I won’t be in the office for the next few days, Emily. If you could just hold down the fort for now, and anything urgent pass it on to Director Barnes, please.” The giraffe shifter was more than capable.
Emily wrinkled her nose in vexation, thinking she had been left out of something. She was excellent at keeping Juliet’s diary and didn’t seem to like to think she was missing anything. “Vacation days?” she asked.
“Just a small investigatory matter I must attend to.”
“Is there anything I can do to help? I did some training as a computer tech when I worked at the Serpens City SEA. Perhaps I can do some research for you?”
Emily looked at her eagerly, almost insistently, and Juliet didn’t want to offend her by saying no. She was a centuries old vampire – a creature of terror – and yet she was scared of upsetting her twenty-four-year-old human assistant. How she achieved such a stone cold bitch reputation, she would never know. She was such a pushover. Another reason she needed to stay away from Ryder – it was only a matter of time before she gave in.
Though hopefully, she wouldn’t need her too much.
“Zane Lowery called for you a few times.”
Emily gave her another interested look and Juliet retained her blandest expression possible. Zane had been an agent at the SEA, but he was fired for an unprovoked attack on another shifter. It had been to do with his ex-girlfriend – honestly, Juliet couldn’t be bothered with the details. Recently, Zane had been instrumental in taking down the people who kidnapped Ryder – as they also kidnapped his mate, a unicorn shifter called Sky.
“Thank you, I just need to make a few calls, but then I’ll be out of the office.”
Emily tried to get some more details out of her, but Juliet remained shtum. Emily may be a little intense at times, but she was good at her job and willing to work nights to fit in with Juliet’s schedule. She was a real find.
Juliet called Zane asking for an update. She needed help, and he was the bear shifter for the job. He had been offered his job back at the SEA but turned it down to continue working as a private investigator. She’d offered him the case and when he accepted had him sign a non-disclosure agreement. Having him work the case was safer if she did have to hand her killers over to the elders. Zane wasn’t exactly fussy about rules and laws – he was happy to skirt around them.
Zane was trying to find the missing boyfriend of their victim. Juliet handed over the passwords for her e-mail and social media pages. In between bullying Carrie’s friends over and over, he and his dove shifter assistant Mercy were combing through her e-mails and posts for a few clues.
When she spoke to him, he was his usual gruff, rude self. Mating hadn’t changed him, and his sweet mate didn’t seem to want him to change.
What would she change about Ryder if they mated? Actually, nothing. He annoyed the hell out of her and yet she didn’t really want him to change. Uncomfortable thought.
Zane found a couple of ex-boyfriends and talked to both of them – meaning he scared the hell out of them by bullying and shouting, but they were both from a couple of years ago now. If either of them wanted to hurt her, they probably would have done it by now. They had no idea who the new mystery man was either, though the original agent who questioned Carrie’s neighbors did get a sketchy description of a man leaving her apartment late at night.
