The Protectors: The Blood Bar Chronicles, Book 2

by Chellie Edwards

  Sam was at the door of the car, and he stood there for a moment. Had he actually heard her? Slowly he did a one-eighty, and her pulse kicked up until she thought her heart might beat out of her body.

  Nina knew before he even spoke that she was ready to take a chance on whatever they might have together. “Every part of me wants you more than I even thought was possible. What I’m feeling is real, Nina. What about you? Does your body crave mine as much as mine does yours?”

  She didn’t hesitate as she whispered her answer. “Yes.”

  “Then it doesn’t matter what put us together. It matters that we’re both here now.”

  Nina nodded slowly and stepped farther into her hallway, away from the open door, and walked to the back of the house. She stopped as she walked into her bedroom and stood looking at her bed. The bed she’d slept alone in, day after day, month after month, for two years. Nina didn’t want to sleep alone any more.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Sam joined her in the bedroom a minute later and closed the door behind him. He stood at her back and placed one hand on her hip, the other on her shoulder, and kissed her neck.

  Nina didn’t care about anything else, except feeling him inside her and around her, right now.

  Sam walked her over to the bed, turned her around, and sat her down, kneeling in front of her. “Tell me what you want me to do.” Sam sighed into her mouth as he kissed her softly.

  “Everything.” There was no hesitation. Nina knew exactly what she wanted, and she was going to live every second of. She’d adored her husband, she always would, but she needed companionship.

  She needed Sam.

  Sam only stopped kissing her to lift the bottom of her jumper and pull it up and over her head. He gazed at her body, his seemingly ever-present smile hovering around his lips as he bent and took her nipple in his mouth.

  Nina threw her head back and held Sam’s head right where it was as he licked and bit her nipple. She pushed her fingers through his silky dark hair. But there was only so much she could take. “Make love to me, please,” she pleaded, pulling his head up before laying back on the bed.

  “My pleasure.” Sam kneeled over her and undid her skirt, making quick time of discarding it. He ran his finger over her bare pussy as she blushed at the thought of him ripping off her knickers earlier tonight.

  Nina sighed as she began to relax, opening her legs to him. Sam adjusted himself, and she smiled. “I can help with that, you know.”

  “I’m hoping you can.” Sam smiled back as he undressed himself, standing before her naked. His dick was lovely and big, and she licked her lips at the prospect of it being all hers. His leg injuries and a few rogue marks on his body should have marred his perfection, but they didn’t. She wanted everything about him. She desired everything.

  Sam slipped his hand behind her and unhooked Nina’s bra. “I want to taste you completely,” Sam said as he lay next to her, his dick poking into her upper thigh. “You’re gorgeous.”

  Skimming his hand down her body, over her breasts, and lower in between her legs, Nina gasped.. “Please,” Nina begged. “I want you now.”

  Sam moved, kneeling in between her legs andpushing her open for him to look at. She didn’t feel embarrassed; she was way past any of that. All she knew was that she wanted him so badly it hurt.

  When he bent his head to her pussy, she thought she might die from the sheer pleasure of it. His tongue hit every spot she’d been deprived of these past two years, and she immediately felt her orgasm approach.

  “Please, fuck me as I come, Sam.” His eyes were glazed as she looked down at him. He’d pulled out a condom from somewhere and sheathed himself before nudging her pussy. He gazed into her eyes for that last acceptance of what he had to give her.

  Nina nodded, wanting it all.

  Sam slipped inside her, and she screamed, wrapping her legs around his hips and pushing herself against him. Instantly she was coming, and her pussy tightened holding him tight inside her. Through the haze, she saw Sam close his eyes, and the grasp of his hands on her hips tightened. She watched him as she hit her peak, loving the play of his features as he battled his own control.

  “Let go; we’ve got all night.” Nina hadn’t realized she’d spoken that out loud until he fell overher and took her mouth in a bruising and hot kiss, as he fucked her hard and fast.

  Nina draped her arms over his shoulders and held on. The sensations bubbled through her over and over again until she thought her body couldn’t take it. And then he was coming and shouting out his own pleasure into her mouth.

  For moments after, there was silence. Neither moved from their positions, and she wondered whether she’d died and gone to heaven.

  “Maybe later you can tell me what happened to your friends.”

  Sam was quiet for a time before nodding his head. She knew from just hearing the emotional showdown he and Dan had that it had to have been hard for him. But right now, she didn’t want to think about that.

  “Want to go again?” she asked, stroking his tight bum.

  “Abso-fucking-lutely.”

  Nina giggled as he rolled her over so that she was on top.

  It was going to be a hell of a night.

  ***

  After leaving Nina’s cottage the next morning, they’d spent the day at Sam’s flat above the bar making love, careful not to make too much noise in case Ehrst was at home on the floor above. Sam had needed to get back to check on the bar. But now it was evening, and both Nina and Sam had somewhere to be. “We’re going to be late, Sam.” She swatted at his hands as she put on some earrings. She gazed into the mirror and barely recognized the woman who looked back at her. These past few days had been amazing. Her guilt over John had almost disappeared. It niggled her occasionally, but she knew, deep down, that John would have wanted her to be happy after he’d gone. And now she was.

  She loved her husband still, but she’d realized love wasn’t always a once-in-a-lifetime deal. Nina caught Sam’s eye in the mirror, and he winked before pulling his T-shirt over his head and covering up that sexy six-pack she loved to lick.

  “Come on.” She took his hand and led him down the stairs and into the bar.

  The hubbub of the room made them squeeze closer together, and Nina held his hand tightly. Nina looked around at the men in the room, knowing from Sam that they weren’t human and curious as to what they all were.

  Her writer friends were all there too, waiting to plan their next move. The tension was heavy. Too many supes, Sam had said, was a recipe for disaster.

  But it didn’t matter now. They all knew why they were here. To stop a war and protect their own.

  Just as her friends were important to her, so was this new life they’d all been led to when they’d entered the Blood Bar. Nina would help them fight for the right to peace and protection from those who wanted to harm them.

  Vampires and werewolves were all apparently in attendance, along with a few more supes she had no idea of. Her friends looked ready for action and happier than she’d ever seen them. Even her friend Noelle looked different. Nina looked closer. No, it couldn’t be…

  Sam pulled her to within touching distanceclose and smiled at her shocked look. “I think your friend might take her steak very rare these days.” Nina glanced back at Noelle as realization started to sink in, but she didn’t have a chance to comment on this new discovery as Sam kept talking.

  “I think this is going to be a long ride, Nina. Are you sure you want to be involved?” After they’d seen everyone arriving back at the bar earlier, Sam had spoken to a few of the supes and found out the deal. Nina thought about what he was asking and looked around the bar again. This was her life, and she needed to be here for the women who had propped her up and kept her going after John’s death.

  “I’ll be standing right next to you, all the way.”

  Sam lowered his hand to her backside and pulled her against his hard-on.”When we leave here, I’m going to make sure you know
just how sexy those words were.”

  Nina laughed and knew she was looking forward to a new life with Sam the gargoyle. They were taking it one day at a time, but what they had was special. She was thankful at the amazing gift of love she’d been given twice in her life.

  All they had to do was make it out of this mess alive. Nina’s heart pumped a little faster at the prospect of an exciting life with Sam. It was exactly what she needed after all this time of just existing.

  Slipping out of Sam’s arms, she stepped over to the bar and reached over for a couple of bottles of beer. She gave one to Sam.

  Clinking the bottles together, they made a private toast to themselves while activity went on around them. “To us,” Sam said quietly, his eyes not leaving hers.

  “To staying alive,” she said equally as quietly.

  “I’ll drink to that.” He pulled her close and took a kiss from her more-than-eager lips.

  BIOGRAPHY

  Multi-published author Xandra James has always wanted to write romance books. Even when she was sneaking peaks at the hot bits, too young to fully appreciate them, she dreamed of writing her own.

  Now, older and wiser, she’s got the opportunity to project her slightly dark and wacky, British sense of humour onto others, whilst still writing the hot bits – bonus!

  When not writing, Xandra is thinking of excuses as to why she shouldn’t be doing the housework, looking after a husband and cats that refuse to pick up after themselves and climbing the mountain in her house that’s affectionately called her tbr pile.

  Desperate Desires

  Sasha May

  I dedicate this book to the ladies at the Up-and-Coming Writers group, without whom this book would have never materialized. Thank you all for this opportunity and the support you gave me throughout. I would also like to dedicate this to my husband. Thank you for listening to my ideas and encouraging me to write when my conscience fought with my characters. Lastly, to my three amazing children. Thank you for being patient with me when I was only half paying attention to you as the story mulled in my head. I love you all dearly.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Morgan Miller watched from his table. He sat in the far corner on the right of the bar. His eyes, one blue and one yellow, focused on the entrance, giving him the perfect view of anyone who came in or went out. Tonight he had one mission: To fulfill a hunger he had endured for far too long.

  He was a werewolf, one who didn’t belong to a pack. Though he was satisfied with running through acres of woodland without needing permission from his alpha, there were times when being alone darkened his spirits.

  The woods surrounding his home enabled him to hunt the wild animals. Though this was not his preferred choice of food, it was a restraint he had learned in the pack he used to belong to as a child back in England. There had been a dispute over territory between his alpha and another werewolf. Unfortunately his alpha, also his father, was killed, rendering the pack homeless. Not long afterward, his mother and sisters were gang raped and starved to death by the new alpha and his pack. Morgan and his brother, both seven at the time, ran away. They ran in different directions, seeking refuge with distant relatives. Morgan went to live in Cornwall with their paternal grandparents and never heard from his brother again. He wasn’t even certain if he was alive.

  Morgan had lived with his grandparents for over fifteen years. After their deaths, he came to Scotland to hide on their acres of natural preserved woodland and lochs. He had kept the discipline of his pack and had never caused any trouble or drawn attention to himself. Now he was a grown man, and his needs had changed.

  Morgan had developed a new hunger, a conflict of interest he had struggled to satisfy for years. He needed to mate, and that need was taking over all others. The problem being that any born female werewolf would belong to a pack. His choice was limited to one; to lead a life of non-commitment. It’s one thing to find a human to accept him for all that he is. Finding a human willing to be changed was quite another.

  Of course he hadn’t been celibate all those years. Far from it in fact. There had been an abundance of meaningless sex with many men or woman, which satisfied him to a point. But Morgan longed for the softer touch of female skin. To be able to hold onto the contours of her body at night and wake up to every morning.

  Mating with a human had its own potential risks. She would have to survive the bite first. Only then could she bear his children. Despite this, Morgan’s desire was too strong to disregard. His primal instinct spoke volumes from deep within. He wanted to have children who would become werewolves in time. He had to nurture them to form his Pack.

  Morgan looked toward the bar where his attention was drawn to a tall, dark-haired male standing about six feet. Morgan knew he was a werewolf. One who’s aura oozed dominance. Could this be the famous Xander de Rista? The wolf in his human form had already noticed Morgan and the annoyed look on his face unnerved him.

  The man who he assumed to be Xander started walking toward him. Morgan wasn’t going to cower away. He had been living close-by for the last two years, and though he had smelled the pack while out running, they had never crossed paths. Until now.

  “Are you going to be a problem?” The deep growled question was thrown at him, and Morgan knew there was more meaning to it.

  “I’m just here, enjoying the view and a quiet drink.” He smiled back in response, his voice was calm but firm. Morgan knew without a pack’s protection, he was sailing fast up shit creek without a paddle. But by the same token, he had just as much right to be there and wasn’t afraid to say so. The man studied him a few moments, as if he was making a mental judgment.

  “I know who you are, Mr. Miller,” Xander continued with his very cool tone.” We haven’t had any problems yet, so let’s keep it that way, shall we?”

  Morgan heard the unsaid threat in Xander’s voice. Though he wasn’t too happy about being stuck in a small bar with a Pack leader, who obviously liked his space, he felt compelled to assure Xander that he was no threat.

  “I mean no harm Xander. Just a drink and I’ll be on my way,” he stated and offered out his hand for him to shake, complete with a smile.

  Xander studied him for a moment before making a move. Morgan was thankful his trouble-free life appeared to go in his favor. Xander grabbed Morgan’s hand with such strength he knew it was another sign of power and to give Morgan a taste of what he was up against should he not behave himself.

  With that, Xander turned and walked back to the bar where another man stood waiting. They spoke a few words, about him he thought, as the other man turned to look in Morgan’s direction. Morgan thought he recognized the other man’s scent. He knew him but couldn’t place him. Morgan’s mind worked hard trying to place the face or scent, going as far back as he could remember. Nothing. The man didn’t stay focused on Morgan as he would have expected had they known each other. Thinking he was mistaken, though his gut told him otherwise, Morgan turned his attention back to the bar. He really wanted to avoid competition with a pack alpha, so he decided then was not the best time to find out who the familiar stranger was.

  ***

  Devonte looked around the room searching for either of his bosses, Sam or Ehrst. Typical. When I don’t want them, they’re around, but when I do, they’re nowhere to be seen! Then again, he was certain he’d seen Derrom come in. No doubt he had found Ehrst, which meant that Ehrst was otherwise engaged.

  Under normal circumstances, Devonte wasn’t rattled by humans in the bar, but tonight there was a group of girls chatting at a table that made his eight pack tighten even more. But not because he was taken with any of them. They were nice enough in his opinion, but Devonte was more in knots with concern than attraction.

  At the bar, his job was to protect the varying species from trouble with humans.

  Well, that wasn’t entirely true, as each paranormal would and could look after themselves. His role was more a case of making sure that nothing could be linked back to the bar. />
  A pat on his back made him turn to find Sam standing next to him.

  “How’s it going, Dev?” Sam asked, his attention directed at the table of ladies.

  “I have the same concern, Sam. Something doesn’t feel right tonight,” he said, having noted the same look of concern in Sam’s eyes. “The women have given no specific reasons to be worried, but we have shifters, vamps, and timeless in here tonight.” There was no need for Devonte to explain further; he and Sam had worked together for many years and knew each other well.

  “If something gives, Devonte, handle it. Malachi is here, and with a table full of human ladies, I’d hate to think what could happen.” With another pat on the back, Sam left him to it.

  CHAPTER TWO

  As she walked through the drizzling rain, her heels clicked rhythmically on the pavement. Amilian had great expectations about the night. Excitement flooded through her veins as she thought about the women she was meeting up with.

  Amilian had been a member of the Wicked Ladies of Fiction writers group for just over a year. She had missed the last meeting with the ladies due to a reorganization night at the library. After hearing what the girls got up to, she wished she had gone with them instead. They knew how to let their hair down. She walked faster with a smile on her face.

  She had joined the group with aspirations of becoming a romance writer. The warm and cozy kind you sit on your sofa and read, wearing your pjs with a duvet, unlimited chocolate, and cups of tea. The only problem was her love life didn’t leave her with enough facts in regard to the sex scenes that lured readers in. Her imagination worked fine, remarkably so, if the feedback from the ladies in the group was anything to go by. But Amilian wanted to experience attraction just the way the women in her stories did. So tonight she was on the lookout. If she was going to be a romance writer, she needed to experience romance. To do that, she had to let herself go.