Thunder

by Jasmine Wylder

  Now, she sat next to the bed, keeping an eye on the morphine drip. Hurricane had everything stocked up like a hospital, except for the drugs themselves. Melanie wasn’t certain exactly what was going on anymore, but she was pretty damn sure that this wasn’t an overdose after all. Had he been poisoned? Some sort of attack that made his wolf go crazy?

  Roxy swept into the room. She wore an oversized sweater, which ought to have made her look dumpy. But no. She looked just as glamorous in it as she had looked in the silk blouse. She carried a tray with a fragrant tea and a handful of crackers, which she set down on the night table next to Melanie.

  “You need to eat something,” she said to Melanie’s questioning look.

  Melanie took one of the crackers and nibbled at it. “Have you found out anything about Felicia?”

  “No. The blood in the house was definitely Thunder’s. But it looks like Felicia was kidnapped. We’ll have to find out more when Thunder wakes up. He wasn’t able to explain much more than who you were to Josef earlier.” Roxy pulled one of the blankets a little higher on Zane’s bare chest, looking worried. “One of these days his luck is going to run out.”

  Melanie didn’t bother asking what that meant. “Do you think a rival gang took Felicia?”

  “In a manner of speaking, I suppose.” Roxy glanced up at her, snorted, and shook her head. “You’re a shifter, but you don’t know anything about the vampires, do you?”

  “Vampires?” Melanie repeated blankly.

  “Vampires. Vicious, undead monsters that go around sucking blood and killing people. The Savage Brotherhood is humanity’s only line of defense against them. Those wounds on his arm? A vampire bit him. Twice. Once to drink his blood, the second time to poison him. Vampire venom is very dangerous to shifters. It makes us go crazy, and in many cases, it kills us. Zane’s been bitten enough that he’s built up somewhat of an immunity… But he’s not invulnerable to it.”

  Melanie stared at her, uncertain whether she was joking or just on drugs. “Vampires.”

  “Vampires.”

  “Right. Of course, it’s vampires.”

  Roxy rolled her eyes at Melanie’s tone of disbelief. “You don’t believe me now, but you will once Zane wakes up.” The other woman circled the bed and leaned on the back of her chair, arching a manicured brow. “You know, not every prisoner would watch over their captor with such dedication. You got a bit of a BSDM kink there?”

  Heat rushed to Melanie’s face. Her jaw dropped, and she protested incoherently. Roxy laughed and sashayed out of the room. Melanie glared at her, stuffing the handful of crackers into her mouth. There was nothing happening here—She was helping because that’s the kind of person she was.

  It had nothing to do with her cat going crazy every time Zane was no longer in sight. Nothing at all.

  Chapter Six

  Thunder

  A familiar buzz of heat and energy ran under his skin as he woke up. Zane licked his lips, an oddly salty taste in his mouth. When he rolled his head to one side, he saw an empty IV drip hanging by the bed. The needle had been removed from his skin, a crusted scab the only indication it had been there.

  Zane lay still, knowing from experience that trying to move, only to find himself strapped down, would make his wolf go crazy and relapse back into the rabid fear of the vampire venom. His heart thrummed, and he had to admit that he had been damn lucky to get out of this one alive. If Melanie hadn’t been there to suck the venom from his system, he wouldn’t have gone rabid—he’d have just died.

  When a vampire bit a shifter, the average reaction was either going rabid or dying, depending on how much venom was in the system. For the survivors, when the rabidity passed, they’d have a brief time of feeling like they were back to full strength only to fall so ill that they couldn’t remember their own name.

  He was a little different. He went rabid quick, healed quick, and never had that second relapse. Instead, it left him with a case of raging hormones that demanded sometimes up to a week in bed with a handful of women. His stamina was always… very high after an attack like this.

  Inhaling softly, he caught the sweet scent of a feline nearby. His head turned so fast that he got a crick in his neck.

  Melanie sat in a chair nearby, her arms pillowing her head as she leaned on the arm. Her dark hair tousled around her, having not seen a brush in several days now. She made the most adorable little snores he had ever heard, and Zane couldn’t help but smile. Those were just like the sounds she had made while he kissed her neck and entered her…

  Wait.

  No.

  Zane let out an annoyed breath. He had been in no condition to make love. Even if he had been, Melanie didn’t want anything to do with him. Right? So, he must have imagined the whole thing.

  Disappointment hit hard, but he tried to shove it aside. He could feel the blanket wrapped around him tenting at his nether regions, but he was too used to this to be embarrassed by it. His need would be distracting for a while, but it was nothing he couldn’t handle if Melanie didn’t want to help him get through it.

  Wait, what? Where had that come from? Yeah, she was attractive, but she wasn’t the only option available. Take Roxy, for example. She made her living out of sex, having chosen the lifestyle and working for a reputable organization. She chose her clients and when and how she delivered the ‘product’. He trusted that she wasn’t being manipulated into it. He had, from time to time, paid for her services. She was beautiful, sexy, and knew what she was doing.

  And she was right there. Roxy, her hair done up in braids and wearing a stunning wrap dress that emphasized her bounteous curves, sauntered into the room carrying a tray. Her eyes widened when she saw he was awake and a smile crossed her face.

  “You’re finally awake. Good. Josef’s been worried.” Roxy set the tray down on the nightstand and glanced at the still-sleeping Melanie and lowered her voice. “She’s been here the whole time. Fretting like a mother hen.”

  Well, his reaction to her was not at all the way a son looked at his mother. Zane shifted uncomfortably and lifted one hand, still bound, to point at the leather straps holding him down. “Care to untie me?”

  Roxy stared at him for a moment, then nodded. Zane kept himself relaxed as she undid the straps. The nervous energy still making his wolf pace dissipated once he was free, and he slowly sat up and swung his legs off the bed. He still felt a little weak from the vampire attack, but it was nothing that he couldn’t handle. That he woke up meant the worst had passed. He’d be able to handle the rest.

  “My oh my,” Roxy said dryly, glancing at where the blanket, still covering him, tented. “Looks like you need some help taking care of those after effects…”

  Zane cleared his throat, glancing away. Heat crept up his cheeks and he piled the blanket over his lap. Roxy rose her eyes at him, and when he glanced at Melanie, a smirk spread over her face. He opened his mouth to tell her that he didn’t require her services, but before he could, she had undone the tie on her dress and let it fall open.

  Out of instinct, Zane’s head swiveled, and he looked up and down her body. His loins were already tight and looking at her, they actually throbbed.

  “Roxanne...”

  Of course, it was his voice that made Melanie wake with a start. She bolted upright, eyes wide and bleary. They sharpened up a hell of a lot when they landed on Roxy’s exposed body, with her small, lacy bra and pantie set. Melanie’s eyes bulged.

  “What the fuck do you think you’re doing? He’s in no shape for sex!”

  “Melanie,” Zane started.

  “Actually, kitten,” Roxanne interrupted, “after being attacked by a vampire, it’s beneficial for a shifter to have sex and lots of it. Especially when he’s a man like Thunder here. It just makes it… easier, I suppose, to recover. Of course, if you want to join us you’re welcome to.” She winked. “It’s hard taking care of a viral man hopped up on vampire venom on my own.”

  Melanie choked and spluttered, her
face going beet red. “You are not having sex with him!”

  Zane couldn’t repress a chuckle. Whether it was her being protective or possessive, he didn’t really care. His wolf relaxed further. Its tail wagged, and it bowed in Melanie’s direction, an invitation to play. When she shot him a glare, he only grinned wider. “I think I’m a grown man who can decide for himself whether to have sex or not.”

  Melanie’s face flared beet red, but she turned her glare at him. “You have been unconscious for a week. You need food, liquids, and if there is any exercise, it’s gotta be gentle and not sex. I don’t know what she’s going on about vampires, but it’s only common sense.”

  “Since when do you know about vampires?” Zane frowned at Melanie as he spoke.

  Melanie folded her arms and glared at him.

  “I told her,” Roxanne told him. “I thought she deserved to know what she was getting mixed up in. I’m not sure she believes me yet, though.”

  “I don’t,” Melanie shot at her, but there was a strange way she was holding herself, a stiff way that made Zane think she was exaggerating her disbelief.

  He stood, holding the blanket around his waist. His legs were a little shaky, but still strong enough to hold him up. The thing about being asleep for a week, processing the venom in his system, was that he always woke up with more energy than he knew what to do with. He walked around the room a little, hoping to soften his hardness, but it was no use. He sighed as he returned to the bed and sat down.

  “Rox, go get Hurricane, will you?” Maybe if he talked about other things, it would distract his body from its desires.

  Roxy nodded and swept from the room, while Melanie spluttered. She slammed her fist down on the bed, bringing Zane’s attention back to her. “I am not going to get involved in some group sex orgy thing!”

  “Okay. Neither am I.”

  Melanie’s brow furrowed.

  Zane laughed, but quickly sobered. “I’m the alpha of the Ivywood chapter of the Savage Brotherhood and a vampire attacked my home. He took my mother.” A sharp, panicked pain shot through his heart, but he swallowed it down. Eldric wouldn’t hurt his mother when he was after money, would he? “I can’t go to the gang; it’d make me look weak. So I need Hurricane’s help on this one.”

  “Vampires. Are they a rival gang?”

  Zane rolled his eyes. “No. You know stories about vampires? Dracula, Carmilla, all that? They’re those type of vampires. Well… not exactly, but close enough. When a human’s bitten, they turn into a vampire. If a shifter is bitten, they go rabid. The animal inside loses all reason and lashes out at anything that moves. Lots of times this can be circumvented with sex, if the rabidity hasn’t progressed too far.”

  Melanie shifted on the spot, looking uncomfortable. “Well… that’s what Ava told me when I called her to get her to check on my dad for me. You could have let me phone her earlier,” she added, glaring at him, “then at least I’d have known that she brought my dad to her place!”

  “Tornado is the alpha of the Coalfell chapter. If he knew that I had a prisoner from Coalfell, especially his mate’s best friend, there would be a lot of trouble.” He frowned at her. “I hope you didn’t say anything about being a prisoner.”

  “Of course I did!” Melanie rolled her eyes. “And then I told her that I was staying to look after you like a fucking idiot.”

  He wasn’t certain why the swear coming out of her mouth was so amusing. He had to grin, though. “And so, Ava told you about vampires… and you still don’t believe her.”

  “I don’t know. I mean… vampires… But there has to be a reason why she’s okay with being mated to a gang leader...”

  Hurricane and Roxy came back into the room and Zane let out a sigh of relief. The thought crossed his mind that maybe he ought to get dressed first, but he shook it off. They were shifters. Nakedness was a part of the deal. There was no reason why he needed to get dressed.

  “Glad to see you awake.” Hurricane gave him a thin smile.

  The two of them weren’t close, not really, but Zane knew that he could always count on him. He had been part of the gang for a long time, until he was ousted by Typhoon’s orders. Despite that, he still helped the gang when he could. His house wasn’t charmed against vampires like the safe houses would be, but it was out of the way and made for a convenient place to crash when things were getting hairy. Not to mention he was a billionaire, and the money helped in the quest against vampires.

  Zane trusted him more than any member of his gang, even his friends. Hurricane had been his brother’s best friend; just before his brother died, he had told Zane that he’d confessed a long-burning love for Hurricane to him, and Hurricane had turned him down, but with a lot more grace and respect than his brother was used to. And then, he had nearly been beaten to death trying to save him.

  There was something about that shared grief that had bonded the two of them. They were like brothers. Not close, but always there for each other.

  Hurricane gripped his shoulder. “Glad to see you up.”

  “Yeah. Thanks for keeping me here. And I’m going to need more help. The vampire that attacked me? It was Eldric. He took my mother and wants money to let her go.”

  Hurricane’s eyes widened. Roxy and Melanie glanced at each other, their expressions confused, but neither spoke. Zane was grateful. He didn’t want to get into all the messiness about his relationship and past with Eldric right now. There was already enough to worry about.

  “Typhoon can’t find out about it,” he added. “A compromised alpha doesn’t last long.”

  Hurricane nodded, his brow furrowed. “I can get the money easy, but this is clearly a trap. Eldric only shows up when he wants to cause trouble.”

  “Don’t I know it,” Zane muttered darkly. His fists clenched. “I just have to figure out what his endgame is here. Why he came at me for that money and if he really wants it. The vampires are still in a state of disarray since they settled with that new king down near Coalfell. A lot of the other kingdoms are refusing to recognize the new treaty, saying they had nothing to do with the destruction of the old one. They’re on their best behavior, though. The chaos is something that Eldric thrives on. For all I know, he’s trying to stir things up so he can get his own kingdom.”

  It was unlikely, though. Eldric had never shown any interest in ruling anything himself. They needed to figure out his endgame, though.

  Hurricane glanced at him warily. Zane couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but he didn’t protest. Which was a good thing, because the priority here was to get his mother back. After that, if he could kill Eldric, it would be a cherry on top. He couldn't risk his mother’s safety for revenge, though. Even though Eldric had killed his father and bitten his step-father, forcing Zane to kill him. Yes, his step-father had been a horrible man, and if Zane had known that he was beating his mother, he would have killed the man in a heartbeat. The fact was, though, that if he hadn’t been in the process of turning into a vampire, he never would have had the strength to hurt Zane’s mother so badly that she lost her ability to shift into her eagle form.

  “So, you’re going to pay him and get Felicia back, right?” Melanie asked. There were dark circles under her eyes that he hadn’t noticed before.

  Zane nodded. He frowned, then sighed. “You should get out of this before you get mixed up further. Go home to Coalfell and your father. Forget about vampires and everything you saw… The Brotherhood is the only defense against vampires, and the man you saw those two idiots kill was a vampire. Just go about your life pretending you know nothing. It will be much safer for you.”

  “It’s too late for that,” Roxanne argued. All the heads swiveled to her. “Eldric was in your house, he probably knows all about her. Leaving now would only put her father in danger.”

  Melanie shivered. “Then what do you suggest I do?”

  “Stay here for a while. At least get some sleep. You’ve hardly closed your eyes since we brought Zane back.”


  Melanie flushed, but she nodded slowly. She yawned as she got out of the chair, stretching her back out (which, Zane noticed, made her breasts pop out that much more. God, but she was beautiful). She yawned again, and Roxy gestured for her to follow her out. It left the two men alone, and Hurricane leveled him with a concerned look.

  “How long do you have before you need to pay him?”

  “The end of the month.”

  Hurricane nodded. “Then you have time. If you don’t want Roxy, I’ll call in another of the girls. You need to rest up and take care of things so you’re at full strength when you go after Eldric—Ivywood needs its alpha, especially since Typhoon’s so busy dealing with all the kings right now.”

  “Yeah, I know,” Zane snapped at him. “I’m not going to do anything stupid. But I will do whatever is necessary to get my mother back, Hurricane. She comes first.”

  Hurricane nodded slowly. “Yeah. I know. Now, I’m going to call—”

  “No.” Zane scowled as he bunched up the blankets over his hips more. “I don’t need a woman, Hurricane. I’ll handle this myself.”

  Hurricane arched a brow skeptically, but didn’t say anything. He clapped Zane on the shoulder and shrugged. “I’ll let you have some privacy, then. You can have the fourth room on the left down the hall if you want a bigger bed—you’ll also have access to my online collection if you want.”

  Zane snorted as Hurricane left the room, shutting the door behind him. The thought of porn wasn’t appealing to Zane. As he settled back on the bed, taking himself in his hand to release the pressure that was even more acute since Melanie left the room, all he could think of was her and her face. His eyes drifted shut and he brought up the dreams of them together, sighing as he wished he had the real thing snuggled beside him, warm and receptive, with her ruby lips and bright eyes.

  Chapter Seven

  Melanie

  Her cat hissed and spat and clawed at her chest, as though she still needed to be worried about Zane’s health. He was awake, he was horny—he was fine. She needed to put him out of her mind and get some sleep.