Wild for Her

by Jane Jamison

  “Like what kind of shit?”

  “Nothing. Just things.”

  He pulled her closer, wanting to feel more of her body than just her arm. She had curves he could hold onto, and his cock was responding as it should. Just thinking about her on her back, her big eyes fixed on him, her arms wrapped around his neck, and her long legs hooked around his waist had him salivating.

  “So what really brings you to Forever?” Although he could guess her answer, he was sure she didn’t realize that fate had brought her to Anderson and him. But their topic of conversation didn’t matter. He just loved hearing her talk. Her voice had a husky tone that made him think of hot, sweaty nights between cool sheets.

  “I’m just passing through.” She kept her gaze straight ahead, but the pulse in her wrist where he’d slid his fingers picked up speed, giving her away.

  “Hardly anyone passes through Forever, and, if they do, they don’t wind up at the pharmacy picking up incontinence diapers.” He pressed his fingertips harder against her wrist, waited for her pulse to pick up even more, and grinned when it did.

  “Well, if you aren’t going to believe me, don’t bother asking.”

  “You don’t need to bite my head off. I’m making polite conversation is all.” He couldn’t stand it any longer. He had to have his arm around her, if only for a second. He let go of her and slipped his arm under her jacket then around her waist.

  “Hey, watch it!” She yanked out of his hold, jumping away as something fell out from the inside of her jacket.

  He stared at the wooden stake lying on the sidewalk. “You’re kidding me.”

  She snatched up the stake and shoved it back under her coat. “I think I’ve seen enough of this town.”

  “Shannon, don’t tell me you’re planning on using that stake on Deacon Slater. Because trust me, if you do, you’re going to open yourself up to a world of hurt.”

  She glanced around, noted the couple approaching them, and whispered low and hard, “Keep your trap shut, okay? What I do is my business and not yours, so back off.”

  “It is now. I promised Jackson I’d watch over you.”

  “So what? I didn’t ask you to butt your nose in where it doesn’t belong.”

  “Maybe not, but I can’t let you kill Deacon.”

  “You can’t kill what isn’t living. Besides, he deserves it for what he did.”

  Daniel hated to ask. After all, Deacon was at least a hundred years old. There was no telling how much pain he’d caused in the past. But the Deacon that had taken up residence in Forever didn’t deserve to have a sharp piece of wood driven into his cold heart.

  “What did he supposedly do?”

  “There’s no supposedly about it. Fuck off and leave me alone.” Whirling, she broke into a trot and headed toward the black van.

  Daniel watched her go, unable to figure out if he should stop her or report her to Jackson and Deacon. Like most werewolves, he didn’t care for vampires much, but Deacon was different. He’d helped the pack with a rogue vampire and had always treated werewolves with respect if not friendship. No way could he let anyone harm Deacon. Not even his future mate.

  * * * *

  Shannon couldn’t wait until morning. By then she’d have finished her business with Deacon Slater and gotten the hell out of the small town. After telling Daniel to fuck off, she’d driven out of town, waiting several hours before daring to drive back in. Even then she’d parked in the alley between two buildings—an alley not unlike the one where her sister had been murdered—and stared at the pharmacy.

  The pharmacy had a fair amount of business even during the early morning hours before the sunrise. She glanced at her watch and shifted to get the kinks out of her body. Only one hour more and she’d slink over to the parking lot behind the pharmacy, the lot where a big Cadillac with blacked-out windows waited for its unholy driver to come back. It was the perfect car for a vampire. Long, lean and tinted to keep anyone from looking inside it.

  Another visitor to the pharmacy had her squinting. Was that Daniel? Why did she care anyway? If anything, she should hope he didn’t show up. Had he told that big guy Jackson and Deacon about her plan to stake the vamp? If he had, she was in trouble, and it’d be all his fault.

  Still, she couldn’t deny that her heart picked up speed every time she thought about him. She barely noticed the blue pickup as it pulled into a parking space in front of a store several yards from the pharmacy.

  This town stays up later than any small town I’ve ever heard of. What the heck do these people do at night?

  Yet another question bothered her. Where did a small town like Forever get off having a man like Daniel? At the very least, he should have moved to a larger city where more women could’ve appreciated his heartthrob looks. He towered above her, easily reaching six feet and then some, with a face that could make women fall at his feet. His shoulders looked like they could hold the world’s weight with no problem, while his lean waist spoke of a flat, toned abdomen. His hair touched the tops of his shoulders, curled slightly at the ends and framed his rugged face as though a painter had managed to put the essence of masculinity down on canvas. And his eyes. His eyes were the bluest she’d ever seen. They reminded her of a summer day when not a cloud marred the broad Texas sky.

  But his touch was the part she didn’t understand. As soon as he’d laid a hand on her, she’d experienced a wash of emotions and sensations, none of which she understood, save one. She wanted him. In the pharmacy, walking down the sidewalk, anywhere he’d like to have her. Even now her pussy clenched with need. He was the first man who’d ever given her such a strong, visceral reaction, and she hated the fact that she’d never see him again.

  Why did he have to live in the same town as the vampire who’d slain her sister? She groaned at her lousy luck. But she had no choice. She had to avenge Christine’s murder.

  She blinked, rubbed her eyes, and blinked again. But what she saw was real. Daniel slid out of the blue pickup and waited until another man eased out of the passenger side. They stopped to talk under the glow of a streetlight, giving her a good look at Daniel and his friend.

  Holy shit. His friend is as hot as he is.

  Suddenly aware that she might get caught gaping at them, she closed her mouth, hunched down in the seat, and pulled out the binoculars stuffed in the pouch on the side of her seat. She adjusted them, bringing the view into focus. She studied Daniel then darted her gaze to the other man. He was about the same height as Daniel, but his short hair was brown instead of black. His body could rival even Daniel’s as she skimmed from his face to his wide shoulders and downward. Both men wore T-shirts, as though the chill didn’t bother them. Their jeans, faded in the right places, hugged their buttocks then flowed down their long legs. Worn boots and cowboy hats finished the look.

  She paused, just now noticing the warmth in her panties. Could simply looking at them make her pussy wet? She ran her tongue over her lips.

  She frowned as the men strode over to the pharmacy and went inside. If only Daniel hadn’t seen the stake. Was he telling the vampire, warning him to take care?

  Damn it, Daniel. Stay out of this.

  But she had a feeling he wouldn’t. It didn’t matter. She’d put her plan in action tonight, whether Daniel interfered or not. She checked the stake on the seat beside her.

  This is for you, Christine. Come hell or high water.

  Leaving the keys in the ignition, she opened the door as quietly as she could and left it open. She’d need a quick getaway. Skulking to the other side of the street, she avoided getting directly under the streetlight and hugged the wall to the pharmacy as she headed toward the back of the building.

  She gritted her teeth and tried the rear door of the car, but it was locked. Jumping up and staking him from behind was no longer an option. Instead, she’d have to hide out and surprise him when he came out the pharmacy’s back door.

  A Dumpster sat next to the back door, giving her a good place to hi
de. She hurried over to the Dumpster and ducked behind it. Clutching the stake in her hand, she closed her eyes and saw herself going through with the killing. What did Charlie always say? See it. Believe it. Do it.

  She’d never killed so much as a fish before, but she had no doubt she could kill the monster that had murdered her sister. The only questions remaining were if she could stake him faster than he could move to protect himself and if she had enough strength to shove the stake far enough into his chest to reach his nonbeating heart.

  Yet whatever happened next, she’d have done her best. Now all she had to do was to wait for the vampire to come outside.

  * * * *

  “I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but I hope you’re wrong about her.” Anderson ran his hand over the short hairs on his head.

  “Wrong how?” Daniel leaned on the counter and watched Deacon go about his business. “Wrong that she’s our mate? Or wrong that she wants to off Deacon?”

  “Either. If she’s our mate, we’re screwed if she somehow manages to stake the undead dude. The vampires will come after her, and we’ll end up widowers even before we get a chance to claim her. But if she’s not our mate, then we don’t have a stake—no pun intended—in keeping Deacon alive. Still, here we are, putting our butts on the line to keep him from going to the ground.”

  Deacon lifted his eyebrows and gave him a haughty look. “I’m sorry my impending death causes you frustration, Anderson. But you’ll forgive me if I think my staying alive is more important than you getting between her legs.”

  “Yeah, friendship sucks sometimes.” At Deacon’s pointed look, Anderson added, “Again, a bad choice of words.”

  “So we’re going to play bodyguards until she shows up or we sense that she’s left? Is that the plan?”

  Anderson shrugged. “Unless and until you come up with something better.” But he could tell his cousin didn’t have any ideas. He leaned on the counter and tried to act nonchalant as Deacon rang up the last customer.

  “Why isn’t Jackson Carr handling this? He jumped on it when he thought she was a vampire groupie. Why not now?”

  Anderson had spoken to Jackson before coming to the pharmacy. “He thought it best that we stay out of the mess. You know, let the vampires take care of her. He figured we’d get involved anyway, because she’s our future mate. Nope. Jackson and the rest of the pack aren’t going to help.”

  But Daniel wasn’t letting the subject drop. “Which begs another question. Why aren’t your vampire buddies lending a hand? Not that I want her to get drained or anything.”

  Deacon moved to the computer and started punching the keyboard. “The council thought it best that I handle the situation myself. Primarily because of her connection to werewolves. They don’t want to risk having my personal problem escalate into an incident between our people.”

  “Great. So neither of our people will get involved.” He glanced at Daniel and saw his frustration mirrored in his cousin’s eyes. They were on their own.

  The sun would rise soon, giving Deacon his cue to leave. As soon as the daytime pharmacist arrived, they’d head out the back way and get Deacon into his car without any problems. Once the vampire was home and in for the day, his regular human companions could take over.

  “Deacon, why don’t you vamps live in a group? You know, like a pack? We rarely live in a house by ourselves like you do or with nonwerewolves. Instead of living with your own kind, you gather humans who like getting fangs in their necks. It doesn’t make much sense.” Daniel shifted from one foot to the other.

  Anderson shot him a look, warning him to keep his inner wolf at bay.

  “My kind prefers a symbiotic relationship, Daniel. My three human subjects take care of me, my house, and my possessions while I give them a home and a purpose in life. Something which humans sorely need, but often lack in their regular, boring existence.”

  “Then why don’t you pay for real bodyguards, Big D? It’s not like you don’t have the cash.” Anderson rubbed his thumb and two fingers together. “From what I hear, you’re rolling in dough.”

  Deacon’s cold glare rested on Anderson. “Money is not the issue, but trust is. It would take too long to find suitably aggressive humans I could trust to keep me safe. And the name is Deacon, not Big D.”

  How can a cold glare have such heat behind it? If Deacon could kill with just a look—which he’d heard older vampires could do—then he’d already be ashes smoking on the floor at his cousin’s feet. Anderson shook off the unsettling thought.

  “Aw, so that means you trust us? I think that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me. Of course, you’ve only talked to me like five times before today.” Daniel shot the vampire a fake sweeter-than-sweet smile.

  “First, you were already involved, since you believe this woman to be your future mate. Second, since you were already involved, you offered your help. I didn’t ask you. Neither one of those things means I trust you. I simply don’t have any other options. Also, next to vampires, werewolves make the best bodyguards.”

  “Gee, thanks.” Daniel grabbed a candy bar from the counter, tore off the paper, and popped half of it in his mouth even though Deacon gave him another glare. “Consider it part of my job benefits,” he mumbled, his mouth full of food.

  “Deacon, do you have any idea why she wants to take you out of this world and into the next?” Anderson waved away Daniel’s offer to have the other half of the candy bar.

  “I’ve lived many lifetimes and traveled many different places. Who knows what this girl is thinking? Perhaps she’s confusing me with another vampire. Perhaps she’s a professional vampire killer. We’ll never know until we can ask her. Unless, of course, she forces me to kill her first.”

  “From the impression she gave me, I don’t think she’s a professional. This is more personal. Are you sure you haven’t gone hunting lately?”

  “We obtain our blood through legal means as well as a few human consensual donors, as you know. And no, I haven’t gone hunting in quite a long, long time.” Deacon paused as though listening. “Patrick is getting out of his car as we speak.” He whirled around and headed toward the back of the building.

  “If he had a cape, it’d be swirling around him just like in the old Dracula movies.”

  “Cuz, you’ve got to stop watching those late-late-night movies.” Daniel punched Anderson in the arm. “Keep on your toes.”

  They hurried after Deacon, who was already waiting for them at the back door. Patrick swung the door wide, his body moving to the music he was listening to on his iPod. He jerked back, obviously startled, as Daniel and Anderson came up behind Deacon.

  “Is something wrong?” He pulled the earbuds out and darted his nervous gaze between the three men.

  “Do you remember the blonde woman who came in during your shift?” At Patrick’s nod, Deacon continued, “Apparently, she’s decided to end my existence.”

  “Oh, shit.” Patrick glared at Daniel. “See? I told you she was trouble.”

  “Yeah, yeah. So you got one right. Back off, man, and go sell a few condoms.”

  Anderson snorted at Daniel’s verbal jab then stepped into the darkness outside and shifted to bring out his werewolf eyesight. He scanned the area around the Cadillac and wished he’d thought to move the car closer to the back door.

  “Don’t dawdle,” urged Daniel.

  Deacon didn’t bother glaring at Daniel again. “I never, as you call it, dawdle.”

  The vampire stepped out of the building, and Anderson would’ve sworn he blended in with the darkness. He pushed Daniel ahead of him, urging him to stay close to the vampire while he lingered behind a few steps. He scanned the lot and had turned around to walk backward and check their rear position when he heard a screech.

  A dark figure hurled itself at Deacon, the stake held over its head, ready to plunge into Deacon’s back. Anderson shouted a warning and leapt between the attacker and Deacon.

  He grabbed the arm of the
attacker and wrestled for the stake. He and the attacker landed on the ground in the same moment he saw Daniel push Deacon into the car. The car sped out of the parking lot, leaving the werewolves to deal with the would-be killer.

  Dark, furious eyes latched onto his from a face that could only be described as angelic. Even with a snarl curling her lips, she was beautiful. And stronger than any human female he’d ever encountered.

  She screamed again as he wrenched the stake from her hand and flipped her onto her back. Daniel grabbed her legs as she tried to kick free while he took hold of her wrists and sat on top of her. The spark, that indefinable something werewolves felt when they first met their future mate, rocked him, almost making him forget to hold her. She widened her eyes, and he saw the confusion in them before the anger came roaring back.

  “Let me go, asshole.”

  “Whew. Daniel, you didn’t tell me about her potty mouth.”

  The hood of her sweatshirt fell off to reveal a tumble of silky blonde hair. “I told you to get off of me, dirtbag.”

  She finally stopped struggling, the weight of his body on top of her making it hard for her to breathe as she dragged in air. But the fire in her eyes hadn’t subsided.

  “If I get off, will you stay put?” Anderson threw her stake into the Dumpster. “Well, what’s it going to be? Do I sit on you until the vampires come and take you? Because, trust me, they don’t take lightly to one of their own getting snuffed out.”

  At her nod, Daniel released his hold on her ankles and jumped away. Anderson stood up and pulled her along with him. Although she’d stopped fighting him, she slid her gaze around, looking for a way to escape.

  “Turn me loose.”

  “Do you promise to be a good girl and not run?” He didn’t know why he offered, because she had no intention of staying put. Still, he wanted to give her a chance to explain herself.

  She let out her frustration with a big huff of air. “Yeah. Sure.”