by J. C RIMELL
“Anything,” Cade answered with a lazy drawl, his wolf busy soaking up her petting.
“What are these scars?” she asked, brushing a finger over the puckered lines across his outer bicep.
“They represent my position within the shifting family. Two for pack soldiers, given by my Alpha's claws during my initiation,” he paused as if in reminiscence, his hand slipping lower over the perfect mound of her ass. “Each section of the family has them, maternal females and submissive males have one, pack two, Protectors three. Sentinels have four, two on each arm. Alphas have two on each arm and one over the heart and so does the Overseer, but he also has a cross over the heart.”
“Oh, I see. It sounds painful,” she said, quite fascinated. Her skin tingled with each stroke of his fingertips. “I've never done anything like this―you know―with anyone else,” she divulged quietly. It was the truth and she wasn't ashamed of it. Kit knew without a doubt Cade was sexually experienced, and he would have guessed she wasn't. Kit realized from the way she melted under his touch, the way her heart constricted at the thought of this night ending, she wanted more of him. So much more. And if they were to go any further, then he would discover the truth for himself anyway.
Cade's heart stilled as he brought his head back so he could see her face. Taking her chin between his thumb and forefinger, he tilted her head so she would meet his gaze. Her dewy, sapphire eyes stared back at him with a shyness that tugged at his heart strings. It answered the suspicion that his wolf had seemed to sense, making him feel like he was the luckiest son of a bitch on the planet. He side kicked the guilty feeling swiftly, he'd be damned if any other guy was getting anywhere near her anyway. He was selfish and greedy for Kit, he wanted all of her and knowing he was the first man ever to have touched her, just made it all that much sweeter.
Her soft, feminine smile made his chest swell, made his heart expand ten-fold and drenched him in a wave of utter absorption. Ah, hell. He'd just fallen from the highest cliff. The world stopped spinning as it tilted completely off its Axis, and the woman in his arms just became his entire universe.
“Thank you for trusting me, Kit. I promise you...” he smiled with a devilish curve to his lips. Rolling her onto her back, he leaned over her, “… that was just a taste of some of the things I wanna do to you, baby.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Leon paced on the wraparound porch of the large hunting lodge with impatience. Days ago he had sent one of his coven to summon the brothers and to his dissatisfaction the vampire male had returned this night without them. “Seth should have returned days ago.” He ceased his pacing and stared out into the darkness. The sky so vast it swallowed up the world in its heavenly allure of endless diamonds. He had lived for almost two thousand years, yet their beauty was still mesmerizing.
“He will come, sire,” Valerie tried to reassure him.
Leon spun around to face her. “How can you be so sure?” His icy gaze narrowed but was both intimidating and curious as he searched her face. Her deep blue eyes shimmered with the reflection of stars. She was extraordinarily beautiful, with black satin hair that fell over her shoulders in a 1940's style, reminding him very much of a young Gene Tierney.
“Because,” she said, moving toward him with a graceful fluidity. Her lithe body was dressed in modern clothing, skinny jeans, and a black turtleneck. It was all she needed, even with the freezing temperatures, vampires didn't feel the cold. “He won't risk his brothers, and besides, he knows you would find him no matter how far he ran.” She stopped before him, trying to find something about the man that still appealed to her. Examined those heartless ebony eyes, his thick, blue-black hair that caressed the collar of his shirt and lips full of promise.
But she found nothing.
It was then she decided to leave. Just how she would do it was another matter entirely.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Seth closed in with caution and avoided following the same route the woman had taken with what he now knew was a wolf. The scent alone had been enough, but he knew from experience, this wasn't any normal wolf, but a shifter. He, himself shared a similar genetic makeup, albeit a little more fucked up now. But he knew that whoever the male was, he would scent Seth in the very same way if he got too close.
His invisible feelers stretched out once again. Picking up the sound of a female moaning with soft cries of pleasure ignited a fire within him. Rage engulfed his throat, visions of her with another male made his jaw tick and his blood boil with jealousy. He wondered what it was about her that struck him so? Was it just a physical, sexual attraction she ignited within him? Or was that he'd let her slip through his fingers when he'd had the chance to satisfy his body's long, forgotten urges? His carnal lust for the opposite sex had resurfaced after lying dormant for longer than he cared to remember.
Seth cursed himself. What a fool he was.
§
Cade's hands were restless. Having Kit's thigh tucked between his leg and her body beneath him pressed in tight to his chest was both agony and ecstasy. He slipped his hand below the cotton of his shirt and traced the curve of her waist. Felt her skin tingle with pleasure, and just as he was about to become lost in the very sound of her once again, his acute hearing heard something he didn't like.
His body stiffened before sitting bolt upright.
“Cade?”
He didn't answer Kit but raised a finger to his lips to silence her. With a shake of his head, he got up and moved in front of her protectively, smelling the air. Kit got up quietly and found her underwear, slipped into them and rushed over to her clothes and wedged her feet into her soggy Converses. She watched as Cade moved forward. His muscles tensed tight, his body preparing for whatever danger he sensed was out there. Her own heartbeat began to race, adrenaline sparking beneath her skin.
The rain had stopped, and the wind was blowing in the opposite direction making it difficult for Cade to pick up a scent. But he knew something was out there, surveying him as he stood at the top of the stairs having teleported out. The storm was now a distant drum. His predator night vision scanned the area and although he couldn't see anything threatening, he wasn't about to take any chances.
“It's time to go,” he said, coming back to Kit. He rolled up the sleeping bag and stomped on the dying fire, dowsing the remaining embers with the thick sole of his biker boot, rendering the room in darkness save for the silver glow of his eyes.
“What was out there?” Kit asked, having already gathered her damp items of clothing. She felt him draw close and drape his jacket over her shoulders. Grateful, she slipped her arms into the heavy leather before he spun her around to face him and she stared into two glittering moons.
“There are so many things I want to tell you, but now isn't the time.” He pulled her close, kissed the top of her head. “It's not just shifters like me that exist on this earth, Kit.”
Okay. Now she felt a little freaked. It was one thing to be falling for a guy who shifted into a damn magnificent wolf. But to think of some of the other things that could be out there scared the shit out of her. After all, what sort of things was he talking about?
“What else is there, Cade?” she asked, slowly pulling back and watching eery shadows skim across his luminous gaze.
He took a hold of her hand and led her out of the room. “To put it simply, baby,” he said, glancing back over his shoulder at her as he prepared to teleport them out onto the steps. “The enemy.”
Seth watched the lovers from afar and his supernatural sight locked onto the woman. There was no mistaking it was her. The memorized taste of her blood resurfaced on the tip of his tongue, the perfume of her deep in his lungs. What a fool he had been to let her go. Even at a distance when the sky was dark and heavy with clouds, the slither of moonlight caressed her face and arrested his black heart.
Only now he was a good few hours behind his brothers. They would probably wait at the stop point; a derelict cabin about fifty miles North, deep in overgrown w
oodland. Normally they'd stay there until it grew dark again before continuing the journey. Along the way, they picked up human trash, rapists, and pedophiles. Those who shouldn't breathe the same air as the good and decent population and would feed the vampire coven that were waiting. They'd be turned into a monster just like him. Seth's stomach clenched in anxiety. Torn between doing what he should or doing what his body wanted him to do.
It was the latter that won him over. He could easily catch up with his brothers once he’d satisfied his curiosity. After that, well, he didn't have a clue. And in that decisive moment he didn't really care.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Kit saw Jo at the window fingering the curtain aside anxiously. The porch light illuminated, and she opened the door. With a haughty hand on her hip, Jo waited for the two of them to dismount Kit's bicycle. She didn't miss how Cade laced his fingers through Kit's with a male protectiveness as they approached the front steps.
“I'm sure you're trying to put me in an early grave. If you were younger, I would ground your ass for a month.” Jo eyeballed the two of them suspiciously. Her eyebrows rose as she took in the T-shirt Kit was wearing under the leather jacket that was way too big for her small frame. Her gaze swung over to Cade's bare chest and her cheeks flushed a little. “Cade Grayson, I sure as shit ain't happy you kept my niece out this late after what she's been through. I hope for your sake you treated her with respect,” she warned sternly. Descending the steps, she came closer, sticking out her chin as she took the bundle of damp clothes from Kit's arms. “And that you were… safe.”
Kit looked away, embarrassed by her aunt's impromptu comment aimed directly at Cade, making her feel like she was sixteen again. Cade smiled and cleared his throat, giving her hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze.
“Absolutely, ma’am.”
Jo sighed and nodded. “Well, all right then. But don't call me ma'am, I ain't old enough to be called that.”
Once her aunt had disappeared back inside, Kit fidgeted nervously and Cade could sense her unrest.
“Hey,” he said, pulling her in close to him, “she's just being protective, and I can't say as I blame her.” He lifted her chin so she'd look at him. She was sheepish, sweet, and so damn cute he could hardly bare it. He leaned in and stole a kiss. Just a soft, full of promise kind of kiss. A perfect end to the night, and then with reluctance he broke it when he heard her heartbeat quicken.
She unzipped his jacket and slipping free from the warmth of it, she handed it over to him. “Here, don't forget this.”
He took it from her and slid into it, her floral scent had rubbed off on the lining and his wolf lapped up the pleasure of it. He could see questions building up behind the deep blue of her eyes he knew she wouldn't ask. “It's alright. I'm not far away.” He brushed his thumb across her cheek. “I can sense you, and if you need me for anything, baby, just call.” He smiled, knowing she had memorized his cell number and found himself impressed by her aptitude for remembering numbers.
Cade led her up the steps, smoothed the pad of his thumb along the seam of her pretty mouth, before leaving her standing in his shirt. Mounting his Harley, he cast one more lingering look at the woman who made everything inside of him want to scoop her into his arms, carry her up the stairs, and make love to her the way he yearned to. But having to refocus on work, he rode away into the night.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Gunner's supernatural snout was the best among his comrades, even when still in human form. As he crouched low behind a beat up black sedan parked next to the cemetery, he picked up a whiff of something on the breeze. The air shifted. A vibe of death slithered over his senses. He raised his head just above the hood of the car and caught the sight of a male trying to avoid the lighting of the street lamps.
At least six feet two with a shaved head, and judging from the size of him, he worked out. The guy pivoted, spearing him with a knowing stare and Gunner knew at once the dude wasn't human. Rising to his full height Gunner kept eyes locked on the fucker that now spun on his heel and jumped the cemetery wall in one hell of a sweet maneuver.
Gunner had to give the guy some credit, the wall was easily five feet.
He didn't hang around.
Sliding over the hood of the car Gunner ran and took a giant leap, throwing himself over the stone wall and landing on his feet the other side. He was met by a knee strike to the face that bust his precious nose wide open. Gunner cursed as he felt the bone pop and pain shoot out under his eyes. Despite the throbbing ache spreading across his face, he grabbed the offending knee, twisting it roughly and with such force, it sent the guy straight to the ground.
Daniel knew someone was watching him while he'd been following his brother, Seth's trail. When Seth hadn't turned up, he intuitively felt as though something was wrong. The other brothers were now making their way North to the cabin. They had agreed that if he and Seth were not with them before tomorrow's dawn; they were to go on without them.
He spat out the mouthful of sod and pushed himself up onto his elbows. In a quick strike, Daniel used his free leg and shot it backward with everything he had and hit Gunner square in the chest. It gave him a seconds grace to get to his feet before spinning around and taking an iron fist in an uppercut to the chin. His jaw vibrated on impact and his brain exploded. The sound of a .45 automatic being cocked stopped him dead in his dazed tracks. Daniel's sight cleared in time to see the large, red-headed shifter holding a Glock aimed straight at his chest.
Daniel stared at the male in the faint glare of the street lamp that carried over into the cemetery. He could have put him into a trance and escaped, but he'd quickly realized the male wasn't human and a strange feeling pulsed inside him.
He was struck by how good-looking the male was. With tousled red hair like a blanket of flames and glowing eyes, vibrant and green, like two emeralds in a face that were all hard lines and angles. Daniel felt his body respond. It wasn't a secret among his brothers that his attraction was toward males, and they were fine with his sexual preferences.
Gunner took the guy's kick to the chest. It was hard as a sledgehammer that knocked him backward giving the son of a bitch the chance to get to his feet. Gunner grabbed his Glock from his holster and aimed right where he knew it would stop the guy―whatever he was―long enough to immobilize him for a short while at least. His gut clenched as the guy turned around and his night vision caught the captivating white of his eyes, so piercing and unusual, it made him stop breathing.
Daniel knew from the way the shifter was looking at him. How his body had tensed and his heart had paused its natural rhythm when their eyes had locked. He was attracted to him.
His eyes seemed to have no place belonging in a face so handsome and rugged, Gunner thought. They belonged in a face much more beautiful, for want of a better word. They were intelligent and old. Knew things, had seen things, and they were looking at him with a kind of hunger that couldn't be mistaken for anything other than sexual.
Oh… Fuck.
§
Having followed downwind and at a considerable distance, Seth used the framework of the wraparound porch to climb up to where he knew the female was sleeping. He sensed there were only three occupants inside.
Two were human, the third was feline.
He peered through the bottom of the window which was ajar and saw her curled up in a fetal position beneath her quilt. Two curious, bright green eyes stared back at him from the bottom of the bed. The large tabby held his gaze, then with a hiss of discontentment, it leaped from the bed and scurried through the crack of the bedroom door that let in a thin strip of light.
Carefully lifting the sash window, it creaked and groaned despite his best efforts, making him pause to check it hadn't woken her. When he saw she made no movement, he entered. Her scent filled the room, it was both overwhelming and tempting and Seth felt his fangs fill his mouth as he inched toward her. He was completely adrift in the soft sound of her breathing, the fluttering of her heartbeat
a gentle lullaby to his ears.
His body shook as the blood became uncomfortable beneath his skin. He hated himself, this beast he'd become through no choice of his own. But he was a monster nonetheless wasn't he? His memories were the only things that transferred along with his soul every time he monopolized a new host. The only things that still remained a part of the real him.
His jaw ticked, his hands clenched, despite it all he wanted her…
She must feel cold, he thought, as she tugged the covers up around her body as though to get warmer. Her skin prickled as a blanket of unease seemed to crawl over her body, making her shiver and moan in her semi-conscious sleep.
Seth's inaudible, ancient chanting filled the room. It wrapped itself around the woman who lay sleeping, but no longer comfortably. She stirred, her eyes flickering rapidly behind their lids as he repeated the age-old language of his brethren. He soothed her thoughts until she slipped back into a deep slumber she wouldn't wake from until he was ready for her to.
A sudden, familiar qualm made him pause. It was a brother, and he was close. He muttered a silent curse. Seth could not abandon his fellow walker, they had a pledge that would not be broken by any of them. He pulled the quilt up and over the woman with such gentleness, afraid he would break her delicate body with his strength, like cradling a butterfly too tightly. He couldn't resist one last caress of her body with his hungry gaze before he finally covered her with the blanket and lifted the trance.
Disappearing into the night with a venomous curse at having to leave the female once again, Seth shadowed past the two cops parked at the end of the drive. Both were oblivious to his presence as their noses remained wedged into a book and the Shadow Creek Journal crossword. He followed his instincts and retraced his steps knowing that his brother would have been trying to find him. He knew it would be Daniel and wondered who had put an end to his pursuit.
