by Jane Jamison
Werewolves of Forever, Texas 5
Wild for Her
Shannon Newman’s out to stake the vampire that killed her younger sister. Yet her attempts keep getting foiled by two of the sexiest men alive. She’s burning to kill the vampire, but she’s even hotter to have the men between her legs.
Werewolves Daniel and Anderson Holms recognized Shannon as their future mate. But they’re less than thrilled to find out she’s out to kill a vampire friend. Keeping their friend alive proves a lot harder than getting Shannon into their bed, but they won’t give up. Trouble is, neither will she.
Even after she finds out that they’re werewolves, can they make Shannon realize she’s got the wrong vampire, but found the right men? Or will they die trying to keep the vampire and their future mate apart?
Note: There is no sexual relationship or touching for titillation between or among cousins.
Genre: Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Paranormal, Vampires/Werewolves
Length: 43,539 words
WILD FOR HER
Werewolves of Forever, Texas 5
Jane Jamison
MENAGE EVERLASTING
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting
WILD FOR HER
Copyright © 2012 by Jane Jamison
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62241-104-7
First E-book Publication: September 2012
Cover design by Les Byerley
All art and logo copyright © 2012 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
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WILD FOR HER
Werewolves of Forever, Texas 5
JANE JAMISON
Copyright © 2012
Chapter One
Shannon Newman settled lower in the front seat of her old black van and watched as the sun set behind the buildings. She’d arrived later than she’d planned, but who knew it would be so hard to find the town of Forever, Texas? Her GPS had taken her from the airport in Dallas to Shatland, Texas, before ending the navigation. She’d tried to find Forever on her own then had given up and returned to Shatland to ask for directions. But getting any information from the unfriendly people in that town had proved almost impossible.
The one man who’d told her what she’d needed to know had terrified her. He’d looked like he hadn’t eaten in weeks and had stared at her like she was a prime cut of tenderloin. His dirty hair and filthy clothes had stunk, but he was the only one willing to talk to her. She’d felt the evil wafting off him, but he hadn’t done anything to threaten her. Still, what he’d told her had made sense. The man, the vampire she hunted, had come to Shatland then gone on to Forever. He’d changed his name and had started a new life.
The few minutes she’d spent speaking to the dirty man had left her shaken, and she was more than happy when one gnarly old woman had listened to her question then pointed a bony finger down the two-lane road that had finally brought her to Forever and her prey.
If she didn’t know vampires were scarce, she might’ve thought most of the inhabitants of Shatland were the cold monsters. Surely the man who’d told her about Deacon oozed a sinister nature, but an entire town of vampires? Not even she was willing to go that far.
A few months ago, she hadn’t known vampires existed. If her sister hadn’t been in the wrong place at the wrong time, she’d still be a secretary to the owner of a used-car dealership and blissfully unaware of the supernatural beings that lived around humans. Her sister’s death had changed everything.
She tried to push the memory away but soon gave in, knowing she couldn’t keep the bad thoughts from attacking her. She’d tried numerous times to forget, but her sister’s memory wouldn’t let her.
Christine Newman, the youngest of three sisters, had been the family’s wild child. A sophomore in a prestigious private college in Boston, she’d partied her way through her freshman year and into her sophomore year. She’d barely made passing grades, so their parents had threatened to cut her off, but that hadn’t stopped Christine. By the middle of the year, she was partying harder than ever. Graduating from beer to drugs, she’d lost the few good friends she’d made before getting involved with a loser crowd of so-called friends.
Their parents had asked Shannon to talk to Christine and put her back on the right path. Shannon hadn’t wanted to interfere, but their older daughter, Charlize, aka Charlie, was out of the country on family business and couldn’t get back in time.
The family business. What a crock. We haven’t been a family since I was a kid.
Her grandfather had started an investment company and then passed the company along to his only son upon his premature death at fifty-seven. Her father had taken the company global and had doubled its value within five years. The side effect, however, was that he was rarely home. Her mother handled the business from the corporate offices in Boston, and, as far as Shannon was concerned, her mother didn’t care if their father stayed away on business indefinitely. Between work and her charities, she didn’t have much time for her daughters, either.
Charlie had already joined the company, and Christine and Shannon were supposed to do the same. But Shannon had shocked everyone by turning down a high-level position, along with a hefty salary and bonuses, to work at a used-car dealership as a secretary. The job with few r
esponsibilities had appealed to her. God knows she didn’t need to work for money, so why get tangled up in the stress of running a multibillion-dollar business?
All three girls had acquired huge trust funds from their grandfather on their eighteenth birthdays, securing their financial futures. But when her parents had blocked Christine from accessing her trust fund, her sister had crumbled instead of getting a lawyer and fighting for control. Shannon hadn’t realized at the time that her sister was already an addict who could no longer think rationally, much less muster up enough strength to challenge her parents.
But none of that mattered to Shannon. Revenging her sister’s death was her focus. She hadn’t been there for Christine in her last days, but she could be there for her now. After she destroyed the vampire who’d killed her sister, she’d settle into her boring life and never look back. Even Charlie had finally admitted what she’d tried to deny, that a vampire had taken their sister’s life, but she’d had to stay home to take care of last-minute business affairs. Once she’d handled the problems, she planned on breaking the news of her resignation from the company to her mother then joining Shannon in her quest for justice.
If only Christine hadn’t followed the vampire into the alley. At the time of her death, she was hooked and would’ve done anything to get more drugs. Even following a strange man into an alley in the roughest part of Dallas on a spontaneous trip with a young man who they’d later found out was her boyfriend-drug dealer.
Shannon took a file off the passenger seat and flipped through the descriptions Christine’s drug buddies had given the police. The police hadn’t done much with the information, and the source in the police department had given a copy of the file to the private detective she’d hired. She could understand why they didn’t care. Why bother finding out who killed another addict? Christine was no longer known as the daughter of wealthy parents, and even the news media hadn’t cared to run a story.
She read the eyewitness descriptions of the man out loud, committing them to memory as if the details weren’t already imprinted on her psyche.
“Tall, thin, dressed in black. He was cold. Like a corpse. His eyes were black, his hair was black. He even wore black clothing.”
A movement in front of the Up All Night Pharmacy had her lifting her gaze. But it was just another ordinary customer. Did they realize who—no, what—ran the pharmacy? How could they? If they did, they’d run screaming back to their homes.
She read more of the descriptions, paying more attention to the unusual.
I saw fangs. Real, sharp fangs.
His eyes glowed red when he looked up from her body.
His teeth were huge. Like an animal’s. Or a vampire’s.
At least the last witness had gotten it right. But could she trust their accounts of what had happened that night? After all, they were probably high when they gave their statements to the cops. But if they were making it up, wouldn’t they have gotten more creative than giving the stereotypical description of a vampire?
The private investigator had done his job well. He’d found similar killings in Boston, Houston, and, finally, Dallas. Rumor had it that the son of a prominent Boston family had done the horrific crimes then had been exiled to a small town in Texas. They’d found out the name of the family then the name of the small town where he’d been sent. Bribe money paid to the right sources was all it took. Richard Rollingsford of Boston had changed his name to Deacon Slater and had moved to Shatland soon after her sister’s murder.
The sun had gone down, and she sat up taller in her seat. Based on her research regarding vampires, he had to arrive after dark. Where was he? And how would he arrive? Vampires didn’t change into bats except in the movies, so he’d have to come by car or walk. Once she found him and made sure he was the right one, she’d put a stake deep in the middle of his heart.
She shook her head. Funny that she had to make sure he was the right vampire. Weren’t they all unholy creatures she should stake to rid the world of their evil existence? Maybe. But for some reason, she didn’t think she could kill a different vampire, an innocent vampire. Was there such a thing as an innocent vampire? Nonetheless, she wanted to exterminate only the one who’d killed her sister. The rest of them had nothing to fear from her as long as they didn’t hurt someone she loved.
No. I know he’s the one. Everything the private investigator told me fits. She shook her head, refusing to let the doubt take hold, and focused on the best way to get the vampire.
What if he came in through the back of the store? She could sit in her car the entire night and never see him. No, she had to do more.
She picked up the holy water she’d taken from a Catholic church, put it into her pocket, then hid a stake under her arm. If she had the chance, she’d sprinkle the vampire with the holy water then, while he was writhing in pain, she’d drive the stake through his heart. Checking for any onlookers, she opened the door and slipped to the pavement.
A few people smiled at her as she crossed the street, and she gave them a polite nod but kept going. Compared to Shatland, the people in Forever were friendlier, but now that she’d found her target, she didn’t want to strike up a conversation with anyone. She dropped her gaze to the ground, avoiding making eye contact with anyone else.
She opened the door of the pharmacy and hurried inside. The woman she’d seen go into the pharmacy earlier said hello, and she mumbled a greeting in return. Now that she wanted to be invisible, to blend in with everyone else, people noticed her. Not wanting to draw attention to herself, she took her time walking over to another aisle.
She picked up a box of tampons and snuck a peek at the man behind the counter. He was chubby, wore thick glasses, and mopped his forehead with a tissue. He was definitely not the vampire. But he had to know the vampire, and she knew the best way to get him to pony up the information without making him suspicious.
Shannon strolled to the pharmacy counter and gave the man her most engaging smile. “Excuse me, but could I ask you a question?”
His gaze slid over her as he mopped his brow. Aware of her noticing his tissue, he shoved it in his pocket and tried to appear more professional. She widened her smile, and his eyes grew bigger. No doubt he thought she was flirting with him. She was, and the poor guy was probably astounded that a great-looking blonde girl like her would give him the time of day, much less a beatific smile.
“Uh, sure.”
She tried not to notice the bead of sweat running down the side of his face. “Could you please tell me where I can find condoms?”
She shouldn’t have done it. She shouldn’t have played with him. Even now, as he stumbled for an answer and shifted back and forth on his feet, she felt remorseful. Was he only an employee? Or was he a human blood bank for the vampire? She’d heard of humans who liked letting a vampire suck their blood, but she’d never understood the attraction.
“We, uh, have, um, an assortment to, um, choose from.” He pointed a chubby finger at the display behind her.
She glanced at the display then turned back to him. “Oh. I guess I didn’t notice it.” She batted her eyes and hoped the flirting gesture wouldn’t give the poor guy a heart attack.
“Uh, no problem. Let me know if you need anything, uh, else.”
Wow. I didn’t know my flirting would rattle him so much. Still, if he can give me information…She frowned and turned the expression straight into a pout. “I don’t know anything about these things.”
She leaned toward him, and he almost fell over the counter trying to get closer as she cupped her hands around her mouth and lowered her voice to a sultry whisper. “I’m a virgin.”
He jerked and knocked over the display of lip gloss on the counter between them. “Oh. Let me help. But why do you need condoms? If you don’t mind my asking.”
She gave him a look that promised everything he could ever desire even as a surge of guilt rushed through her. “You never know when I might meet a hot guy and let him pop my cherry. You kn
ow what I mean?”
He sputtered an answer she couldn’t decipher and blushed up to his curly roots.
Once she’d helped him put the glosses back on the display, she picked up the last one, undid the lid, and spread the strawberry gloss over her pouty lips. “Never mind about the condoms. The lucky guy should buy them, right? What do you think? Is this my color?”
He failed to speak and nodded instead. She put the gloss on the counter. “Okay. You convinced me. I’ll get it.”
As he rang up her purchase, she searched behind him, trying to see if anyone else was in the back of the store. “Are you running the store all by yourself?”
He took her money, his fingers grazing hers. “Yeah.”
“That’s a big responsibility.” She’d lured him in, and it was time to see just how much information she could get out of him. “But it’s a twenty-four-hour pharmacy, right? Surely you don’t stay here all night long? I mean, a man’s got to have a little time off for fun.”
He watched her lips like a man obsessed with lip gloss. “Uh, no. I don’t stay during the night. The owner takes the night shift. So I, uh, can do anything I want later on.” He managed to summon up enough courage to reach out and touch her hand. “In fact, if you wanted to…I mean, if you don’t have other plans, would you like to—”
“But it’s already night. Shouldn’t the owner have come in by now?” She cut him off, unwilling to lead him on any longer.
He frowned, thrown by her interruption. He drew his hand back and peered at her though the thick lenses. “Are you one of them?”
