She turned to find her next target. The zombies turned on her. She watched Markus reach for the gun on the counter as the zombies advanced on her. She back away carefully. It took every bit of willpower she had not to listen to the wolf side. The wolf screamed to fight, even if she was out numbered. She gasped as she felt the cold touch of metal against her neck.
“Don’t fucking move.” Hanna slurred. Paige could smell her blood. “You!” She pointed at Markus. “Drop the gun or I’ll kill her.”
Markus raised the gun in submission.
“No!” Paige shouted.
“Shut up.” Hanna pressed the blade against her throat. Paige took a deep breath and relaxed her body. Her eyes locked on Markus. He stared at her.
“Don’t do it.” She whispered.
Markus nodded. She watched him aim the gun at one of the zombies. She could feel Hanna slide the blade against her throat.
Paige winced in pain as she pushed Hanna backwards. She heard the sound of Markus’s gun firing, and Hanna grunt as she fell to the floor behind her. Safe. The wolf whispered.
Paige let out a deep breath as she turned to look at Ben and Markus.
They both stared at her as they limped towards her. Ben barely held himself up and Markus was bleeding from a wound on his head.
Paige pushed herself away from the wall. “Are you two okay?”
“Better than you look.” Ben muttered.
“We need to get out of here. With all the gun shots I’m sure someone would have called the cops.”Markus said, strained.
Paige grabbed onto Ben and hooked his arm over her shoulder. Together she and Markus carried him to the doorway and out into the night. Markus had been right, she could hear the sirens coming towards them as they managed to make their way to the truck and get Ben in. She stared at the bite marks on him.
“Is… is he going to become a zombie?” She asked as she climbed into the seat beside him. How long did he have left?
“No, that’s all myth. Zombies can’t create zombies. You have to be dead first to be made a zombie.”
“Oh.” What else was a lie? Did she even know the truth from the lies about being a werewolf?
Markus climbed into the driver’s seat and gunned the engine.
“So… what now?” Paige watched as they pulled away from the driveway. She could hear the sirens getting closer and closer. They made it to the corner of her street and turned. It was another minute before they saw the police cars speed past them. Paige’s heart dropped into her stomach.
“Now, we need to get back to our hotel and get him patched up. He won’t turn into a zombie but if he loses much more blood he won’t be well.” Markus turned the vehicle onto a side street. “Then, we figure out what we’re going to do with you.”
Paige’s heart pounded. “What… what you’re going to do with me?”
Ben snorted beside her. He reached out and took her hand. “Would you quit worrying so much? We’re not going to kill you.”
Markus smirked from the front seat. “I think I can speak for both of us when I say that we actually kind of like you Paige.”
“I actually kind of like you guys too.” Paige smiled.
Epilogue
They made it to the hotel just fine. Markus packed up their stuff as Paige tended to Ben’s wounds. Once he was cleaned up they realized he wasn’t injured as much as they feared. They let him rest , while Paige helped Markus pack up.
“We’ve should probably get out of here soon. You should come with us. Chances are the cops aren’t going to be able to explain what happened at your house and they are going to talk to you about it if they have the chance.” Markus was direct with Paige.
“So… I’m on the run?”
“Kind of… you’ll be able to come back eventually, if that is what you want.”
“And if I don’t?”
“I’m sure your family would be happy to see you…. Or you are always welcome to stay with Ben and I.”
“You know… maybe I’ll visit my family sometime…. But until then I think I’ll stay with you guys for a while.”
Markus grinned as he pulled Paige into her arms. “Good.” His lips touched hers gently.
WEREWOLF HUNTERS
BOOK 2 : SUBMIT
By Passion Books
Chapter 1
Ben dropped down onto his knees. He scooped the red wolf up in his arms and stood.
“Is she alright?”
“I think so. I don’t see any signs of blood.”
The two men fell into pace together as they made their way to the truck where they had been waiting for an hour.
Markus pulled the door open and Ben laid her down on the back seat of their dirty black pickup truck. Markus closed the door after Ben slid in beside her. His fingers ran through her fur but more than anything he looked for any sign that she may have broken a bone. “She seems fine.”
“Good.” He could hear the relief in his friend’s voice as they made their way back to the hotel. “I wish we could do more than just sit in the truck and wait for her.”
“Same.” Ben scowled. Dating a werewolf had its issues but by far the hardest part was letting her out on her own each full moon. They knew that there were hunters out there, that would kill her just because of what she was. A month ago they had been those hunters.
The car ride was quiet as they made their way to the small hotel just outside of town.
When they pulled in there were only two other cars. A woman sat outside smoking. Markus glanced at Ben. “You think she’ll be an issue?”
“Pets are allowed.” Ben shrugged as he scooped the wolf into his arms and popped the door open. He was utterly aware of the woman watching him as he carried the dog to the door Markus was opening for them.
The hotel room itself was nothing more than two beds, a bathroom, a TV and something that resemble a counter and a mini fridge. Ben lay the dog down onto her own bed then turned to his friend.
They both let out a sigh at the same time. Ben reached for his friend, took his hand and pulled him close. Their lips touched gently. Markus’s fingers tangled into Ben’s hair pulling him closer. Ben’s hands cupped Markus’s butt, his nails digging in through the jeans.
“Come to bed with me.” Markus pulled Ben towards the free bed.
********
Paige let out a deep breath. She hadn’t slept that well in a month. She rolled over, stretching her sore muscles and looked at the bed beside her. Ben and Markus lay in each other’s embrace. They look so cute together. Her brow furrowed as she tried to remember the night before. She let the blanket fall to the ground as she looked down at her body. There were a few small bruises and some minor scratches but nothing to be worried about. Paige spent a couple seconds looking over her body. No ticks. Good.
Even though she had just woken up and wasn’t fully healed, she gently padded to the bed where Markus and Ben lay. My boys. She crawled into bed with them, it took a couple seconds but she managed to get between them.
Markus rolled over with a groan. “Well hello.” His lips touched Paige’s for a fraction of a second. “How are you feeling?” He pulled her into his arms.
Her head rest against his bare chest. “I’m feel… good.” It was probably an odd thing to say to most people but having changing into a wolf for a night and running until you couldn’t run anymore, you feel well rested.
“Good,” Markus rolled on top of her. His lips touched her forehead gently, trailed their way down to her jawline, touched her lips and made their way down her neck. “Cause we’ve got a case to solve still, remember?”
Paige groaned as he pushed himself off her and crawled out of bed. He shook Ben.
“Yea, yea. I heard you.” Ben groaned. He pushed the blanket away from himself and rolled out of bed. Paige stared at his muscular back as he slipped a shirt over his head and snatched up a pair of pants from the ground.
“Did you two have fun without me?” Paige asked. Ben always slept naked, but eve
n Markus had been wearing nothing but a pair of boxers.
Ben laughed. “No need to be jealous. We fell asleep minutes after getting you into the room.”
“You did?” Paige sat up looking for Markus to Ben.
“Yup.” Markus nodded seconds before he slipped into the bathroom and closed the door.
Paige forced herself out of the comfy bed, again, and padded to her duffle bag. It was something she was still getting used to, her entire life packed into this single duffle bag.
“So, you still want to go talk to that guy?” Ben had brought up knowing a friend who might know a friend yesterday. Apparently the friend did have a friend who might be helpful.
“Yea. Eric said he’s an older guy, doesn’t hunt any more but keeps tabs on what’s going. Eric also said we need to bring a bottle of bourbon with us when we meet this guy.”
Paige pulled on her favorite black tank top and a pair of well-worn skinny jeans. She tied her long red hair into a bun and pinned any trace of it out of her face. Honestly sometimes she wondered why she even bothered keeping it long in the first place. There had been several times she had contemplated just shaving it all off.
But Markus likes to grab it. She reminded herself. So, there was her answer. That was why she kept it.
Paige snatched up her make up bag as the bathroom door opened and she ducked in before Ben could get in there.
It only took her five minutes to apply her make up but by the time she came out from the bathroom their bags were packed and most of the weapons were in the car. To say Markus and Ben were careful would be an understatement.
“Here,” Markus handed her a six inch knife. “Just to be safe.”
It was the same every day. The same knife and the same five words. Paige had stopped trying to convince them she didn’t need it.
Paige slipped the knife onto her belt, slipped her wallet into her pocket and they were ready to go.
Chapter 2
The man had grey hair and deep set brown eyes. He looked from Markus to Ben to Paige before stepping out of the way to allow them into his house. “Your friend didn’t say you were bringing a dog.”
Paige stared at the man, their eyes locked for a fraction of a second before he smiled taking the bottle of whisky Ben offered. “She’s friendly.”
“I’m sure she is.” A small smile flickered over the man’s face as Paige passed him. “Eric said you were in town about a case. It wouldn’t happen to be the vampire, would it?”
“That’s the one. He said you’d know everything that was going on around here.”
“I may be too old to be out there but I try to keep an eye on everything that’s happening around town, just in case I need to call an extra set of hands.”
They entered a small sitting room. Most of the room was cluttered with books but the coffee table was spotless other than a small laptop.
“So,” Paige sat down between Markus and Ben. “Do you know anything about the case?” The boys had made it sounds like he did. They made it sounds like it was going to be a short gig and then they would be on to the next town in the blink of an eye.
“I know it all.” The man cracked the whisky bottle open and took too a long drink before he turned his attention back to the three of them. “I’ve always known about the vampire here. He’s been here for 100 years, hell, I even go out to dinner with him every now and then.” He saw the look on their faces and chuckled. “Not the kind of dinner you’re thinking of. The thing is... I know Roderick. I know he wouldn’t be doing this and I know he wouldn’t tolerate it.” The old man took another swig from the bottle. “I can’t believe I’m saying this but I’m worried about him.”
“We can check it out.” Paige piped up. “Do you have any idea where… Roderick,” She felt odd calling the vampire by his name. “Lives?”
“He lives on the east side of the city, right on the outskirts of town in an old brick house. The one with the stained glass window.”
Ben nodded. “And you’re sure this isn’t him?”
“I know Roderick, he would never… do something like this.” The man sounded convinced as he took another drink from the bottle. He glanced at Paige then his eyes locked on Ben. “Just as you know your werewolf girlfriend wouldn’t hurt a fly. It can’t be Roderick. I know it’s not… there’s got to be another vampire in town and he has to be really bad if Roderick isn’t stepping in to stop him.”
“We’ll check it out before dusk.” Markus reassured him.
The old man pushed himself to his feet. “Then you better get going.” He was right. Paige looked out the window. On a cloudy day like today the sun wouldn’t be up for much longer and she really didn’t want to get stuck in a vampire’s house as they were waking up for the night, most likely hungry.
The old man pushed himself to his feet. He motioned to Paige. “Come with me.”
Page glanced towards Markus and Ben before pushing herself to her feet and fallowing the old man out of the room. “Your aura is very clean.”
“Um… thank you.”
The old man chuckled. “It means you’re a pure wolf. It runs in your family.”
“Yes… how did you know that?” Paige scowled as he led her down a hallway. They stopped in front of a door and the old man opened it. It was a library. The books weren’t really sorted, or even on shelves. They were scattered and stacked everywhere they could be.
“Um, stay here.” The old man stepped over a pile of books and made it to the middle of the room. Paige turned to see Markus and Ben coming towards her. They smiled and Paige turned her attention back to the old man. He was stepping over a stack of books, climbed onto one and reached onto one of the few shelves that actually had books on them. He pushed a few out of the way before she saw him actually grab one. He jumped down from the stack of books and turned to face Paige.
The book flew towards her.
She caught it just in time.
“Take good care of that. It’s an old book, but there is no point in me having it when you have more of a right to it than I do.”
She looked down at the cover. There was no title. It was just a pocket sized black leather book. She opened the book to its first page. James Maclan. 1772
“It’s a real life account of living with a wolf side, as he puts it. In other words he’s a werewolf and writes about it.” The old man made his way back to the door. “He says he is from a bloodline that dates back to the 1600s. There have only ever been six bloodlines counter that carried the werewolf gene… so there.”
Paige stared down at the book, her mouth hung open. “So… you’re giving this to me?”
“Yup. Not like I need it.”
“Wow. Thank you so much.”
The old man shrugged but didn’t say anything.
Markus cleared his throat. “We’d better get going. We’ve only got about an hour of pure sunlight and well, it would be ideal if we could get this wrapped up tonight.”
“Of course.” The old man nodded. “Come back if you’re ever in the area. And bring more whisky.” The man smiled as he walked them towards the door.
Paige’s fingers curled around the book tightly. She wanted to rip it open and read every page right then and there. She didn’t want to wait.
They said their goodbyes to the old man and piled back into the truck, this time they all squeezed into the front seat.
Markus’s arm wrapped around Paige as Ben started the truck and they headed towards the town.
“Do you know much about your family?”
“No… not the werewolf aspect of it… I never even thought to ask honestly.” Paige let Markus pull her into his arms.
“Do you think your dad would know much about it?”
“I don’t know. He’s very proud of his heritage, if you know what to look for you can see a whole bunch of werewolf stuff at the house. He never talked about it very much to be honest. He always kept it to himself. Maybe… maybe I’ll ask him about it sometime.”
Paige
hadn’t talked to her family since just after she had hooked up with Ben and Markus. She figured she should warn her parents that the police would be calling to see if she was around. They had, unfortunately, and her mother had spent most of the phone call yelling at her for not calling sooner. Paige had explained she was tending to someone’s wounds. She hadn’t said it was one of her boyfriends.
Actually, her parents didn’t even know she was traveling with two men. All they knew was she was hitting the road for a while. Her dad has insisted on not knowing any of the details.
“Have you called them since… since you left your apartment?”
“No.”
“You should call them.” Ben spoke up. “They’re probably worried sick about you.”
“I know I just… I can’t. My mom was so upset with me and my dad… he sounded disappointed more than anything else. Maybe I’ll just send them a text later tonight.” She stared out the window straight ahead. The sun was setting around them and there was no doubt they were losing time.
Ben turned the music up as Markus reached into the back seat for their weapons. He grabbed the guns and a small tin.
“What’s special about those?” She asked as she watched Markus opened the tin. Not to her surprise there were bullets in there.
“Special vampire ones. They are laced with holy water and pine tree oil.”
“Oh,” Paige watched as he loaded the guns with the bullets. Over the past couple weeks Paige was beginning to realize there was a lot to this line of work. There were bullets for vampires, bullets for demons, and a whole bag of stuff Paige wasn’t allowed to touch because it had ‘werewolf tools’ inside it. Even being within a couple inches of it made her stomach turn. She could smell the silver, and the scent from the bag made her want to puke.
VAMPIRE: PARANORMAL: Out For Blood (Vampire Alpha Shapeshifter Romance) (New Adult Paranormal Fantasy Short Stories) Page 35
