by Riley Storm
Rann watched Gayle turn her fiery hair and gaze on his team leader.
“No,” he said, reaching up to touch her face again. “No, he didn’t. Kladd did what he had to do. He won the fight. That’s what a good leader would do. You can’t be mad at him.”
“He hit you. You damn well bet I can be mad at him,” Gayle said.
“It was a fight, darling,” Rann pointed out as his brain made the world clear again and he remembered what had happened. “That’s sort of the point.”
“Well, I don’t like it,” she pouted, but she stopped glaring lasers at Kladd, at least.
“I mean, neither do I. I wish I could have won without taking any hits. But alas, that’s not the way it went, now is it?” Rann said. “Besides, Kladd is going to do a great job. Maybe even a better one than I would.”
“How can you say that?” Gayle asked. “You would have been amazing.”
Rann grabbed her hand and squeezed. “Thank you. But I would have been distracted.”
“You would? With what?” she asked, helping him up into a sitting position.
“You,” he said quietly, looking up at her, feeling his heart swell.
“Oh,” Gayle said in a small voice.
Rann winked at her.
“No offense,” he said to Kladd, who was still hovering nearby.
“None taken,” the former team leader said. “Besides, you’re still going to lead something.”
“I am?” Rann asked.
“Someone has to lead the team now that I will have other responsibilities. May as well be you. In fact,” Kladd continued, tapping his chin thoughtfully. “I happen to believe I hold the power to tell you that you’re the team leader now. Whether you want it or not. Sucker.”
Rann snorted. “I’m your man.”
“Good,” Kladd said, sticking out his hand.
Rann took it and let the other shifter pull him to his feet.
“Well, isn’t this a cute bromance,” Gayle said as she too stood up. “But he can’t be team leader just yet.”
“What? Why not?” Rann asked, confused.
“Because. Leaders have responsibilities, and you have one to me first.”
“I do?” he asked, confused.
“Yes. You have to take me to a wedding. I don’t want anything getting in the way of that.”
Rann grinned. “Yeah, yeah, I do, don’t I?” He turned to Kladd. “Put that on hold until Monday, will you? I have a date on Saturday with a beautiful woman and another on Sunday with a hangover.”
Kladd stared at him for a moment then threw back his head and laughed. “Okay. I think we can manage that.”
“Good,” Gayle said. “Otherwise, you were going to have to deal with me.”
Rann smiled even wider.
God, he loved that woman!
I just hope I get to tell her that soon.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Rann
He waited for the car door to slide upward and out of the way.
“Who did you say you got this from again?” Gayle asked as he carefully exited the sports car and pushed the gull-wing door shut.
Then, he moved around to the far side with unhurried haste. They were perfectly on time—being late for an evening wedding took talent—although Rann didn’t give a single fuck if they walked in there late. Those two deserved worse than an interruption.
“A friend,” he said, helping her out. “Sports cars aren’t really my thing, but I wasn’t going to let you pull up in a pickup.”
Gayle smiled and tugged her dress back into place.
“You look radiant,” he growled, thoughts turning impure as he noted the way the silky charcoal gray fabric clung to her every curve.
“Why, thank you,” she said demurely, looking back over a shoulder as she headed toward the entrance, tossing him a long wink. “Are you coming?”
“Just tell me where,” he rumbled, catching up to her and taking her arm, adjusting his own clothing to fall back into place.
“Behave,” Gayle said without a trace of reproach. “We’re at a wedding, I’ll have you know.”
Rann snorted. “With you, the only thing I can do is misbehave. Especially when you look like that.”
Gayle smiled, and he watched her skin blush down to her collarbone and past it. The dress had nothing but a pair of thin straps holding it up. The front plunged to reveal a polite amount of cleavage before disappearing in thin ripples of excess material, while the dress was open to mid-back before being cross-strapped to just above her butt.
Rann had been unable to stop himself from staring lewdly and truthfully didn’t have much intention of trying. She was stunning, and he didn’t care who saw him eyeing her up like his next meal. He wasn’t about to fake anything when it came to her. Certainly not today.
“You look nice too,” she said as they ascended the steps to the church.
“Would you believe this is the second suit I’ve bought to impress you,” he said with a chuckle, trying like crazy not to reach up and tug at the tight collar.
“You don’t need a suit to impress me,” she said with a giggle, leaning into him.
Rann looked down at her eagerly. “So, I can take it off?”
“Now, now,” Gayle said. “Let’s not get too hasty, shall we?”
Rann pouted and sighed theatrically. “Okay.”
“It really makes your butt look good, by the way,” she added, giving him a playful bump with her hips.
“That’s actually my butt-booster underwear, but thanks,” he explained as they reached the top of the stairs.
Gayle paused, turning slowly to look at him. “Your what?”
Rann looked away. “It’s like those bodysuits women wear under things to ‘smooth and shape’ or whatever. But it’s for men. And it goes on your butt.”
“You’re joking, right?” she asked.
“Nah. I wanted to look extra good today, so I pulled it on,” he said, grabbing the door handle and opening it for her.
“I don’t believe you.”
“Go ahead,” he said, sticking his butt out in full view. “Give it a squeeze, feel that padding.”
Gayle frowned, reaching out automatically to grab his butt. “I don’t—hey! That is not funny,” she protested as he began to snicker.
“Made you grab it,” he teased and waved for her to go inside.
“Everyone just saw me grab your ass,” she muttered, shaking her head, but he could hear her restraining laughter as she entered.
“And now they’re all going to see you entering looking like a million bucks,” he said.
“Yeah.”
Rann took her arm again as they entered. A young male with suspenders draped over his prodigious waist came toward them, looking stunned.
“Y-y-you shouldn’t be here,” he started to say, but Rann sent him back with a ferocious glower, letting just the hint of fire enter his eyes.
“She has an invite,” he growled.
The young male swallowed visibly then nodded and backed away.
Satisfied, Rann turned to Gayle. “May I show you to your seat?” he asked.
“You may,” Gayle said, allowing herself to be led to a mostly empty pew.
The church itself was small. A dozen pews were arrayed on either side of the aisle. At the front, a small white altar sat before a beautiful arching stained glass window depicting the crucifixion. Rann wasn’t particularly religious, but he could certainly admire the quality of the work put into the window. It was gorgeous.
More than one head turned to look at them, and Rann savored the looks of shock—and at least one of outrage—that were directed their way. He smirked and smiled openly as he waited for Gayle to take a seat, daring anyone to come up to them.
“You know,” he murmured as he sat next to her, closer to the aisle, just in case anyone tried to come toward them again. “I must admit that I’m rather surprised you wanted to come today. I definitely thought you were going to cancel the whole idea.�
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Gayle sighed slightly, and he felt her shrug. “Honestly, I almost did. Like half a dozen times. I went back and forth about it.”
“Nobody would blame you for not coming,” he pointed out.
“I know. But it’s…it’s going to be some closure, in a weird way,” she said quietly. “To see them get married and then never see them again. Yesterday, when I walked out of the cubicle job, I knew I was never going back, that I would never see that place again either.”
Rann watched her face as she spoke, seeing the thick, plump cheeks dimple as she smiled, and he could see that Gayle meant what she was saying. It wasn’t an act but something she was experiencing deep within her.
“Everything is changing now. My romantic life,” she said, finding his hand and giving it a squeeze. “Personal life. My work. And I feel good about it, Rann. Like, really, really good about it, you know?”
“I’m glad,” he said. “I feel good about it too, for the part that concerns me, and I’m happy for you about the rest. You deserve it.”
Gayle lowered her head in embarrassment but it didn’t stay there for long.
“It’s nice,” she continued. “Especially if I get this job at the charity. I just want to do something fulfilling, you know? For my mind, body, and soul.”
Rann thought for a moment. “You could do me.”
Gayle giggled loud enough that several people glanced over at them. “That only fills one thing,” she pointed out. “Well, maybe two, but not at the same time.”
He snorted with laughter. “And you told me you wanted pure thoughts in here.”
“Shut up,” she laughed, slapping his leg lightly.
“Besides, have enough wine, and maybe I can fill three things too,” he suggested under his breath.
“Not on your life,” Gayle retorted immediately. “Not with that monster between your legs.”
He grinned and opened his mouth to reply, but at the same time, the music started up and everyone turned to face the back. The ceremony was getting under way.
So he leaned down to whisper into her ear instead. “I’m sure we could find something to help me with that.”
Gayle went beet red and stayed that way as a single groomsman and bridesmaid came down the aisle. Rann didn’t recognize them, nor did he truly care. He was here for Gayle, nobody else.
Next came Mikey. Rann smirked as the portly plumber did a double take when he spied him and Gayle, but then the groom resolutely fixed his gaze forward and marched to the altar.
Then, the music switched and everyone rose. Rann purposefully did so last, so that he was still moving as the bride entered through the rear of the church, an older man—presumably her father—escorting her along.
Rann stretched an arm wide, and as he saw the bride’s gaze focus on them, attracted by the movement, he draped his arm over Gayle and grinned broadly. It was a very clear symbol, and he watched the blood fill the bride’s face as she figured it out.
Karen stumbled on her next step down the aisle, and Rann felt Gayle twitch next to him, but it was the only sign of laughter she gave. He admired her for that. Gayle was far more mature than he was because he was grinning wide like an idiot.
As she passed, he was quite positive that the red in her face was no longer from anger but instead embarrassment at her misstep.
Shouldn’t have been a colossal cunt then, Karen. Serves you right.
They sat, and he leaned over to Gayle.
“I think the point has been made.”
His mate nodded. “It was great, wasn’t it?”
Rann nodded, looking down at her. He didn’t have a reason. He just wanted to watch his mate, to admire her beauty. After a few minutes, Gayle realized he was staring at her and tilted her head up at him.
“What?” she asked.
He just shook his head and smiled. “You’re beautiful.”
Gayle blushed again. “Focus up there, mister. They’re about to say I do.”
Rann shrugged and turned his attention to the altar, slumping back into the pew as he did. His brain caught up to the ongoing ceremony, noting that Mikey had just said his ‘I do’s.
“Do you, Karen Smith, take this man, Michael Kostwick, to be your loving husband, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?” the priest asked calmly.
Rann stifled a yawn.
Gayle elbowed him.
Karen opened her mouth.
The stained glass window behind the altar exploded inward.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Rann
“Get out of here,” he snarled at Gayle, coming to his feet even as fire blossomed in both hands.
To her credit, Gayle didn’t hesitate to obey. While most people were still staring in shock, she was scrambling for the back door.
“Everyone out!” Rann shouted, but the screams and panic had started.
He thrust a hand forward, and a stream of fire caught the first vampire in the stomach, sending him flying back through the air. Rann snarled savagely as he noted it was Jed, his former informant.
“You picked the wrong place today,” he spat as the others focused on him. “You picked the wrong person. I let you all get away once before, but not today.”
One of the Hunters stalked forward.
“Stay back!” Rann shouted, but Mikey was already moving, and that much mass couldn’t be stopped quickly.
The Hunter backhanded Mikey. There was a mighty crack, and the plumber spun away in a perfect pirouette before collapsing to the ground.
Karen screamed. The female vampire came up to her, looked her up and down, and then sighed. “Your dress is tacky,” she said.
“Never thought I’d find myself agreeing with a vampire,” Rann growled. “But you can’t have her.”
The female vampire grinned and her jaw came unhinged, fangs sprouting from the upper teeth. She grabbed Karen and forced the woman to her knees.
Not today, Rann thought, feeling his dragon come to him. The confines of the church were small, but he could adapt. Scales replaced skin. Wings burst from his shoulders and curled flat against his back. Horns sprouted from his head and his fingers became claws.
There were more screams from the church, but Rann didn’t have time to look. His focus was on the three vampires in front of him.
There’s a fourth somewhere. Don’t forget that.
He suddenly feared that it was out front, waiting for anyone who came rushing out. Like he’d told Gayle to do.
Fear spurred him onward, and he went at the Hunter in a furious onslaught of blows. Vampire skin parted and split, and he drove the Hunter clear across the altar to the wall of the church.
Jed closed in from his side, but Rann was ready for that. He ducked under one of the Hunter’s strikes, closed his hand in a fist, and jerked it upward. A sheet of flame erupted in Jed’s path, stopping the young vampire cold.
Rann spun, lashing out with a leg, and dropped the Hunter onto his back. He grabbed the vamp by the leg and flung him back out the gaping hole where the stained-glass window had been.
The female vampire leapt on his back with a shriek, hammering at him with viciously sharp nails that gouged his scales but didn’t quite penetrate them. Rann roared, reaching up behind him with both arms.
“Shit,” he muttered, grabbing on to the only thing he could find and hauling forward.
The vampire screeched as he slammed her into the ground by her breasts. It wasn’t his finest moment, but in a fight to the death, there were no rules. Rann blasted her with fire, melting her face beyond recognition. Then, he bent down and, without hesitation, tore her jaw from her face.
Spinning, he flung the lower mandible like a frisbee. It smashed into Jed’s face just as the vampire cleared the wall of fire, breaking his nose and sending him stumbling backward in surprise.
Rann leapt for him, intending to finish the job. “You lying sonofabitch,” he snarled. “You set us up!”
Jed shrieked as Rann grabbed hold of his head
and squeezed.
Bone shuddered, and then Rann let fire fill both of his palms. There was only one place for it to escape. Through Jed’s ears.
The vampire howled and let loose with the most spine-shivering cries Rann had ever heard as his brain quite literally melted away.
He dropped the lifeless corpse just as a woman screamed. Rann turned to see that the Hunter was back, and he was advancing on the bride, Karen, who was crouched next to the unconscious Mikey.
The Hunter was hurt, and its eyes were wild with fury. Rann wasn’t sure if it was even thinking straight at this point.
He rushed forward to intervene.
Karen was a huge bitch, and he hated her. Part of him wanted to let her die because he felt it was what she deserved for the way she’d treated Gayle. To betray someone you called your best friend so thoroughly like that…he couldn’t fathom it.
But she was still a human.
“Hey, ugly!” he called as he walked forward. “Yeah, I’m talking to you.”
The vampire hissed at him. Its skin had turned almost black again, like the day it had come through the Gate from the Otherworld. Rann wasn’t sure what that meant, but he doubted it would be good.
“That’s right,” Rann said, keeping its attention focused on him. “Look at me.”
The vampire hissed again. It was as if it was losing its cohesive, intelligent thoughts and reverting into some sort of primitive state. Was that how it healed, perhaps? Or was Rann about to find something out about vampires he’d never known before?
It sure does feel like my lucky day…
“Get away from her,” Rann growled, flinging a small ball of flames at the vampire. “I said get back!”
He charged forward as the vampire lunged at Karen.
The two collided, and Rann’s eyes went wide as the vampire grabbed his hands and spread them wide, overpowering him with raw strength.
“You can’t have her!” he shouted as he saw the vampire’s eyes dart past him to Karen.
The creature redoubled its efforts, driving Rann to his knees. Bellowing his rage, Rann drew on his dragon strength and his fear for Gayle and poured that all into his strength. His arms trembled, and he saw them begin to move.
