A Mate for Griffin

by Charlene Hartnady

  “What do you…?” She tried to shrug him off.

  “Don’t fight me,” Lance growled softly against her ear.

  “I am not—” A loud snarl behind them cut off what she was saying.

  “Get your filthy fucking hands off of her. Sarah is not just some female you can use.”

  “You’re headed back to…sorry sweetness, what’s your name?” Lance looked at the gorgeous vampire who smiled.

  “Jade.” Her smile widened.

  “You’re headed back to Jade’s place so what concern is it of yours?” Lance kept his voice even.

  “You plan on rutting her and leaving her. For a second fucking time. I won’t stand by and watch you hurt her.” Griffin took a step forward. His eyes were blazing and his jaw was clenched.

  “Sweet, little Prim enjoyed warming my bed and quite frankly, I enjoyed it just as fucking much.” Oh shit! He didn’t just say that. “You run along with Jade. Mingle all you fucking want.” His arm tightened around her. “I’ll take care of little Prim.”

  Griffin’s face had turned red with rage. “Don’t you fucking call her that.”

  “Don’t worry, once Sarah starts dating me, she won’t be so prim anymore.”

  “Leave them,” Jade purred. She linked her arm with Griffin’s. “Lance will take care of the human.”

  “I’ll take excellent care of—”

  “I told you to take your fucking hands off of her.” Griffin seemed to grow taller. He pointed a finger at Lance. “Do it now or so help me.”

  “What the hell has gotten into you?” Lance began to pull his arm back. “You used to be—”

  From out of nowhere Griffin punched Lance square in the jaw. There was a cracking noise and his head jerked back. Lance took a step back but stayed on his feet.

  “You’re a fucking dick.” Griffin growled, advancing on Lance.

  “And you’re a fucking, delusional idiot so that makes us even.” Lance smiled and a trickle of blood dripped down his chin.

  “Not even close.” Griffin said, he turned to her. His dark eyes made her suck in her breath. “Step to the side, Sarah. I need to teach this asshole how to treat a female.”

  She shook her head. “No, please don’t.”

  “Do it.” he growled, as his stare turned back to Lance. “I’m beginning to rethink this friendship. You might be too far fucking gone after all.”

  “Told you I’m a lost cause.” Lance’s eyes clouded for a split second.

  “I should’ve fucking listened.” Griffin advanced on him.

  “Wait.” She tried to step between them but someone yanked her back.

  “Don’t. They’ll hurt you.” A feminine voice.

  Sarah turned, looking into wide green eyes. Jade. The other woman smiled. “You are a weak human. You can’t stop two males in their prime. Let them fight it out. Don’t worry, I will look after the loser.” Then her eyes widened just a smidgen. “Unless you want both of them?”

  Say what!?

  There was a loud thudding and grunting noise. She turned back to see the two big vampires going at each other. The crowd had parted, making plenty of space. They watched with clear interest and enthusiasm.

  Sarah felt horror rise inside her as punch after punch landed. They were pummeling one another. Best friends. Fighting. Over her.

  She turned and fled. She didn’t care that she didn’t have an escort. She ran out of the busy room and down the hall. She didn’t stop until she was on the steps of the hotel. Her chest heaved and her side ached. Her calves felt tight and her legs heavy as she trudged up the stairs.

  The lobby was brightly lit. The lady at the reception desk gave her a nod and a smile as she walked past. Up another flight of stairs, her room was on the left, three doors down.

  Her keycard was in her clutch. Within seconds, she had her back to the door. Sarah squeezed her eyes shut.

  What the heck had just happened?

  What the heck?

  What the?

  She put the palm of her hand to her forehead, the start of a headache brewing. Confusion would do that to a person. Lance wanted her but the thought left her cold. Griffin, her buddy, her pal, her friend dammit, had kissed another woman. Again she recalled his hands on Jade. His mouth devouring the beautiful female. And there it was. A clenching. A squeezing. Pain and anger. Hurt and more confusion. Shit! Had she developed feelings for Griffin? They had spent plenty of time together. She had enjoyed his company…maybe a little too much? All the hand holding. His arm casually slung over her shoulders. They’d only kissed that one time and it had…pretty much rocked her world, even though she’d refused to admit it at the time.

  Griffin.

  Dammit. Tears stung her eyes. He was totally off limits. He wasn’t interested in her and even if he was it wasn’t something they could actually act on. Sarah had…been with his best friend. They were working together to get her and Lance together.

  This was messed up.

  She fought tears as she thought of the two friends fighting. How they were tearing into one another. It was safe to say that their friendship was in jeopardy. Lance was making progress. He wasn’t the seemingly cold, detached asshole he had been before. Yet Griffin had made it sound like he was giving up on his friend. All because of her.

  She should’ve listened to the internal voice that had told her to go home on the day that Griffin had chosen her. The same voice had told her to go home after the kiss she and Griffin had shared. She’d ignored it then too. Right now it was screaming for her to pack her bag and high-tail it and she wasn’t going to ignore it again.

  Sarah grabbed her suitcase and began packing. There was a guardhouse at the gate. Hopefully they would let her call a cab. She was leaving. There would be no waiting for morning. No seeing how this played out. No more stalling.

  Chapter 11

  “Stop,” Lance growled. His eye was swollen shut and his lip was cut and bleeding. The left side of his face was swollen as well. Already, an angry purple bruise was forming.

  Griffin knew that he didn’t look much better. He could taste blood. Three of his teeth were loose and he could barely see out of one of his eyes. The other was swollen as well.

  “Agree to leave her alone and we’ll stop,” Griffin growled.

  “Can we talk about this?” Lance stepped forward.

  “There is fuck all to talk about.”

  “There is a lot to talk about.”

  “Fuck talking.” Griffin punched Lance. He didn’t put any force behind it.

  Lance laughed, he bent over holding onto his thighs. The male grimaced as he pulled himself upright. “There are a few things that I need to explain to you. You are seriously pigheaded.”

  “Fuck you! I’m pigheaded?” Griffin tapped his chest. “You’re an asshole.”

  Lance nodded. “I’m not denying it. Let’s get out of here unless you want the female.” He gestured to somewhere behind Griffin.

  Shit! His heart raced as his eyes scanned the crowd looking for Sarah.

  Lance laughed. “Jade is quite something.” Disappointment hit as the leggy female stepped forward, a sexy smile on her lips.

  “Another time perhaps.” His eyes continued to scan the crowd. It was as if every vampire from the castle had congregated to watch them fight. There was no sign of Sarah.

  Shit!

  It wasn’t safe for her to wander around unescorted. The thought of something happening to her on his watch was abhorrent. The need to protect her at all cost, rose up in him. She was a weak human and a female at that.

  “We need to talk.” Lance gripped his wrist.

  “Not now.” Griffin walked from the room. If Lance said the wrong thing, he was liable to snap all over again and this time he wasn’t sure he would be able to stop. The male needed to learn a lesson or two. He’d tried the easy way, the relaxed way. The time for hard lessons had arrived. He was no longer going to watch him hurt others, especially really sweet human females. Especially special ones li
ke Sarah.

  Griffin began to jog. Within minutes he was outside the human accommodations. He could make out Sarah’s window from down there. Her light was on and he could see movement behind the blinds. It was a single shadow. A small, distinctly female shadow. He watched for a time until he was satisfied that she was safe.

  Something told him that she would not want to be bothered right now, so he refrained from going to her. Only just. He needed to apologize. To explain. He needed to…go and right fucking now. On a hard sigh, he turned and made for the castle.

  His room was in the west wing. Thankfully no one was around and he was soon in his suite. Griffin quickly removed his bloodied and torn clothes.

  He turned the faucets on hot and showered away the sweat. At first the water ran crimson. His face stung but there was also the familiar tightening and itching as his flesh healed. Within an hour or two it wouldn’t even seem like he’d been in a fight.

  Asshole.

  Fucking dickhead. Lance didn’t hesitate to step in. Not one fucking second. The moment he saw an opportunity to have Sarah, he had taken it.

  That had been the plan though. Why had he intervened? He should’ve gone with Jade. The female would’ve given him all the blood and sex he needed. He squeezed a fist and let his forehead rest against the tiles. The last of his reserves left him, leaving utter weakness in their wake.

  He’d operated on sheer emotion this evening. Only operated was the wrong word. Reacted was more an apt description. The instinct to protect the fragile human was all consuming, even now. It was normal for him to feel this way. He had promised to look after her. Promised to help her. Handing her over to that son of a bitch was not the way to do it. If she had been his, he would’ve nurtured her. Fucking worshiped her. She deserved it. He could recall how she’d tried to put herself between them again tonight. Thankfully, Jade had intervened. He owed both females an apology.

  It could wait until tomorrow. It would have to. He switched off the water and practically dragged himself from the shower stall. After a half-assed attempt at drying off, he fell face down onto his bed.

  ****

  Flip! Her bag was heavy. She walked another twenty feet and dropped it, walking around to the other side and picking it up with her other hand. Her arms would be stretched after this. Sarah almost laughed out loud at the thought of stretched arms. Long, thin things. Her hands would reach her knees. Guys wouldn’t fight over her then.

  She choked out a sob. Who would’ve thought? A few weeks ago she would’ve been excited at the prospect. Two really muscular, gorgeous guys…fighting over her. Best friends. A few weeks ago she would never have believed it possible. She would’ve been ecstatic. Right now, not so much. Things weren’t always what you imagined them to be in your mind.

  “Stop!” A voice boomed. It was followed by a sniffing noise. “Human.” The voice sounded confused. “What are you doing, human? Why are you here? You should be safely tucked in for the night.”

  Although her heart pounded, she had to try and play it cool. The vampires were not the bosses of her. The kings couldn’t make her stay. Even Brant had said as much. If she wanted to go, she would damn well go. Although Sweetwater wasn’t the biggest town, it still had a twenty-four hour cab service. “I’m leaving,” she stated simply.

  “It’s almost midnight.” The voice sounded amused.

  “Urm…I can tell the time.” Shit! Don’t antagonize.

  “You should not be wandering around and you can’t leave right now. It is not safe.”

  Then again, she hadn’t thought about safety. Jenna had been kidnapped at the bus station right after leaving. Although it was her asshole ex-boyfriend that had done it, it sounded like they would’ve kidnapped whoever left. Her ex was dead and so were all the guys responsible but the threat wasn’t over. Maybe she should stay.

  The thought of Griffin and Lance laying into one another resurfaced. Maybe she should risk staying until morning.

  Then she remembered the way Griffin had kissed Jade.

  There was a sniffing noise. “You are hurt.” The voice was now concerned.

  “I’m fine.” She whispered, wondering what he was talking about. The guys may have fought but they hadn’t so much as laid a finger on her. “Look…” She tried to see who it was that was talking but all there was to see was a dark shape. “Who are you anyway? I prefer to be able to actually see who I’m talking to.” She squinted into the dark.

  “Oh…” An amused chuckle. “I forget that you humans do not have our senses.” The large shape drew closer. He was big. Almost as big as Lazarus. Sarah shivered.

  “I will not harm you, human. My name is Titan. I am an elite warrior and one of the royal guard. Since the start of The Program, I have worked as a program guard. It is my duty to protect you humans.”

  “You’re an elite?” She dropped the bag with a light thud. Her arm was shaking. Her fingers felt crampy.

  He nodded once.

  “Why aren’t you part of the ten?” It was her understanding that the men had fought to become a part of The Program. The ten best men that didn’t have bloodlust were selected to take part. This guy was huge, he so could have made it if he tried.

  His eyes seemed to darken but it was probably just the light, or lack thereof. Titan shook his head. “I do not understand humans. I almost hurt one once…accidentally.” He quickly added. “I would never harm a female on purpose, especially a weak human.”

  If one more person called her a weak human tonight she was going to scream.

  He shook his head again. “I have volunteered to guard and protect humans while they are on vampire territory. I do so to make amends for my actions.”

  This wasn’t the right time for chit chats but she couldn’t help herself. “What happened?”

  Titan shook his head. “A misunderstanding but it could have cost the female her life…or worse.” His eyes clouded. “It is not something I wish to discuss. It deeply shames me.” He bowed his head, looking like he was in deep thought.

  “Of course.” Sarah blurted, feeling bad for asking such a personal question.

  “I will help you back to your room.” He reached for her bag.

  “No. I’m leaving.” She squeezed her eyes shut as she pictured Griffin and Jade naked in bed together. They were in the throes of ecstasy. Jade had her head flung back. Griffin was kissing her neck. No, he was drinking from her. Somehow the intimate act seemed almost worse than the sex. “I have to go,” she added. Her voice was a little high pitched.

  “There are bad people out there. Ones that would see you hurt. There is a protocol that has been put in place. It needs to be followed for your protection and safety.”

  “I’m a pre-school teacher. What would anyone want with me? I really need to leave.” It was more a case of not being able to stay than having to leave. She couldn’t face Griffin in the morning. She couldn’t face Lance either for that matter. She was ruining their friendship and falling in love with the wrong guy. Things would only go from bad to worse.

  “You would be surprised female. Those groups would hurt you just to get at us. They could try and kidnap you for ransom. It has happened before.”

  “That ended really well for them last time.” She shook her head. “I doubt it. I can’t stay. I’m afraid that I must insist.”

  Titan shrugged his massive shoulders. “We can’t force you to stay. I will help you.” He lifted her bag like it was filled with feathers.

  “Thank you.”

  He nodded once.

  With Titan carrying her suitcase, it took just a few minutes to get to the front gate.

  “Good evening.” A guard at the gate nodded. She could see another two on the other side.

  “Evening.” Titan nodded. “This way.” He almost put his hand on her back but pulled back at the last second. He ushered her into the building. There were three more guards inside. One sat at a desk and two others watched various security feeds. There was a long row of green flashing
lights and a whole bunch of screens.

  “Come in, control.” The two way radio on the desk sparked to life. “North section five is clear.” The guy at the desk put up a hand as they approached. He picked up the radio and depressed a button. “Control one copy.” He put down the radio. “I take it that the female still wants to leave?”

  Titan nodded. “I tried to talk her out of it as discussed, but to no avail.” He turned to her. “We saw you approaching on the security feed.” He turned back to the guard. “Please have her sign the paperwork and then assist her in any way possible.” Titan turned back to her. “Are you sure this can’t wait?”

  She shook her head. “I’ll be fine. I’ll call a cab and be on my way.”

  “Since it is protocol not to interfere, you can call your cab,” Titan said.

  Sarah swallowed thickly and nodded.

  The big guy raised his brows. “We will organize an escort. Someone will follow you for a day or two just to be sure.”

  “That won’t be necessary.” Sarah heard the slight quiver to her voice. Why was she fighting this? It was for her own good.

  “These are the rules. Humor me, female.”

  Sarah let out a pent up breath. She could see that there was no point in arguing and if she was honest, even though she had to leave, she was feeling nervous about it. An escort was welcome. Sarah nodded. “Thanks for your help.”

  “Think nothing of it.” He gave her the tiniest of smiles. Sort of. His eyes were warm. He looked really sweet.

  “I really appreciate it.” She touched his arm to show that she was sincere. He stiffened under her touch. His jaw clenched and he stepped away, trying to feign indifference.

  “Just doing my job.” he nodded. Titan turned back to the guard. “Wait for an SUV. The female doesn’t leave until her escort is in place. The vehicle should be here long before her cab arrives.” Then he turned and walked out.

  “Here, female.” The guard put down a single sheet of paper. And handed her a phone. “Call your cab. Do you need me to look up the number for you?” He pulled his laptop closer.