Hunger Awakened

by Charlene Hartnady

  “Oh, is that what this says?” He touched the letters.

  “You can’t read?” Lord help her. What was she signing up for?

  “He shook his head. We have no need where I come from.” He raised his brows. “Is reading important in human culture?”

  There it was again. That word. Human. “Why do you keep saying human? You realize that you’re a human right?”

  He cocked his head, lifting his eyes in thought. The whole gesture was odd. Strangely, it didn’t strike her as human at all. The guy was clearly human though. Ten fingers. Ten toes and all that.

  “I’m not entirely human, no.” He shook his head once.

  Ding, ding, ding. And the crazy award goes to … “You look human to me.”

  He pushed out a heavy breath through his nose. “I’m mostly human. Well, half, I guess.”

  "Half-human." Another laugh broke free. This one was loud. Vicky had to clutch her belly. "Half-human … half … alien?" She said the first thing that came to mind. Those eyes weren't … Of course, he was human. What the heck!?

  “Alien.” He chuckled. “Um … no … that would be crazy.”

  He was starting to get the picture. “If not alien then what? I don’t believe you. I believe you when you say you’re not from around here and when you say you have no clue when it comes to women. I’m really struggling with the whole ‘not entirely human’ part of this conversation though.” She snorted.

  “I’m a shifter.” He squared his shoulders. “Part animal.”

  The laughter on Vicky’s lips died a sudden death. “Right.” She could feel that she was frowning. “I’m struggling to believe you here. You’re half-wolf or something?” She raised her brows and tried not to look like she thought he was off his rocker.

  “Or something.” He nodded, his stance becoming more relaxed.

  “Not wolf then?”

  “No.” He shook his head but didn’t elaborate.

  Sure, Vicky had heard about the existence of non-humans. Small bands of vampires, wolf shifters and even elves living in rural areas within the US and across Europe. There were even sightings of dragons documented in recent years. Dragons! It was a load of bull if you asked her. The part about there being non-humans though, that part was true. It had to be. Not that she’d ever seen any herself or knew of anyone who had seen one. Let alone interacted with one. She’d never heard of any other kind of shifters aside from wolves though. That had to be bull too. Also, shifters preferred rural areas, didn’t they? They stuck close to the wilderness, far away from here.

  Thing was, he didn’t seem completely human. “So you’re a shifter but not of the wolf variety?” She could hear the skepticism in her voice but it couldn’t be helped.

  “Yes.”

  “What are you then?”

  “I would rather not say.”

  Because he was talking the biggest load of shit. That’s why. He narrowed his eyes. “Are you going to help me? I will pay you well.” He tossed her two wads of cash.

  She caught one of the wads on instinct, the other fell with a twack at her feet.

  “There’s more where that came from.” He looked pointedly at the money before his eyes met hers.

  “Hold up just a second. How do I know this isn’t dirty money, or blood money? That you aren’t some crazed mass murderer?” Even as she said it, she knew it wasn’t true. Weird? Yes. A bit nuts? Absolutely. Violent? She took pause. Potentially. A shiver rushed through her. Evil though? Inherently bad? She didn’t get that from him. Not at all. She could be wrong. Very wrong.

  “I’m no murderer. At least, I wouldn’t kill someone unless they deserved it.” His eyes narrowed and his jaw tensed. “My people are wealthy. We mine gold.”

  Yeah right! She bit down on her lower lip to keep from laughing at him again. Then again, he had to have gotten the money from somewhere. The cash in her hands was very real. Mining gold though? Again, he was full of it!

  “Look, if you can’t help me, please refer me to someone who can.”

  My ex.

  Jeff the snake.

  If he found her, it wouldn’t be long before Bright Eyes over here found her ex. Jeff would take his cash in two seconds flat. The thought of that happening burned her ass. “I’ll help you.” Vicky leaned down and picked up the second wad of notes. “How much is here?”

  He shrugged.

  Unbelievable. She sighed. “Fine, half now,” she held up the two wads, figuring there must be at least twenty thousand dollars in her hands, “and half when we’re done?” She raised her brows.

  “You will teach me all there is to know about females?”

  “Yes.”

  “How to approach them and talk to them? How to make one like me?”

  “Wait a minute. I thought you weren’t looking for a relationship.”

  He shook his head. “I’m not but I need to teach others of my kind. So far, females have been afraid and very averse to any type of … physical contact.”

  “Wait a minute.” She put up her hands. “I don’t run a whore house. I’m not some kind of pimp.”

  “I don’t know what you mean.”

  Was this guy for real? For a second she was tempted to believe his far-fetched tales. “Well, Bright Eyes, I’m not going to teach you about women to make it easier for you to get into their pants.” This was about love and not sex. She rolled her eyes at the love part and tried again. This wasn’t about sex.

  “Why would I want to get into their pants?” He looked truly confused.

  “For sex. I’m not going to teach you the skills you need so that you can sleep with them. Then you’ll go and teach all your friends how to seduce and—”

  “This has nothing to do with mounting … with sex. It’s about mating and procreation.”

  Vicky laughed, putting the cash on her desk. “Well, I hate to tell you, Sunshine, but procreation doesn’t happen without a bit of,” she laced her fingers and clapped her palms together, “the two-backed monkey dance taking place.”

  He frowned so hard that his brows almost touched. His eyes darting to her hands. “This isn’t about fucking.”

  The way he said the word had her cheeks turning hot. Vicky wasn’t the type to embarrass easy, it was just … well, the way he said it was sexy. He was good-looking, even if he was a touch crazy and a lot different and possibly a pathological liar to boot.

  “It’s about males of my species finding mates. It’s about our future. It’s very important to me, to all of my people.”

  “Clearly.” She glanced at the money. This was crazy. She would be mad to take this on. What choice did she have though? “Right, so you don’t actually want to find someone for yourself? You’re not looking for,” gag, “love? You’re also not planning to use my techniques to pick up women with the sole purpose of getting them into your bed?”

  “I have no interest in sex or in females.”

  Oh! So it was like that. Okay. Why did she feel disappointed? “It’s fine if you’re into men.”

  “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Gay.”

  He continued to frown.

  “It’s fine if you prefer having sex with men, my cousin Sean is—”

  “No. I don’t like having sex with men. I just don’t have sex.”

  “Not ever? You’re celibate? Why?” She realized she was being rude, asking such a thing. What a waste. What a serious waste of all of that. Even if he was a bit of a bullshit artist. She quickly put up her hand. He would probably have lots of sex once he actually started getting women to give him the time of day. “You don’t have to tell me, forget I asked.” She shook her head. “So, you need me to teach you so that you can, in turn, teach the guys of your species how to find women with the purpose of marrying them and having babies?” It sounded far-fetched. It sounded silly. It sounded perfect. She wouldn’t be teaching him how to fall in love, or how to snag the perfect partner. There would be no love, no starry-eyed shit. No romantic bull. So what if he w
as spinning a story – for a reason she couldn’t fathom. This was right up her alley.

  “That is correct.”

  “Alright, Bright Eyes, if that’s the case, I can take this assignment on. You have yourself a deal.” She held out her hand.

  He looked down at it. “My name isn’t Bright Eyes or Sunshine.”

  “I know.” She smiled at him. “You never introduced yourself though.” She shrugged once.

  “I’m Talon.”

  Interesting name. “Talon what?” She raised her brows.

  “Just Talon.”

  “No last name?”

  He shook his head.

  Of course no last name. “My PA will help you fill out some forms. Basic stuff like your address and contact details.”

  “Address?”

  “You know …” She paused. Insane! “Where you live.”

  “My home is very far away from here. I am not permitted to disclose its exact location.” Of course not! “I need to find a hotel.”

  “Okay. Fine.” She nodded. “Maggs can help you with the forms and help check you into a hotel. At your expense, of course.”

  “Yes, of course.”

  “We’ll go clothes shopping tomorrow and then we’ll have a barbecue with that shirt as fuel. You can’t go around advertising that you have a big cock. Am I clear? Even if it’s true.” Shit! What was she saying? She had seen the outline when she had been looking him over earlier. His jeans were tight. Too tight. Hard to miss. Didn’t mean she could go around saying things like that. Then again, she was trying to help the guy, that meant being straight with him. “You shouldn’t boast about a thing like that. Most women like a big cock but it needs to be a surprise.”

  “Yes, but I don’t actually have a big bird. We don’t keep animals where I come from. We eat them. The shirt is inaccurate.”

  He looked completely serious. Vicky laughed so hard her sides hurt. Tears poured down her cheeks. It was wrong of her and unprofessional on every level, but she couldn’t help it.

  “What?” he asked, completely deadpan.

  She was going to hell for laughing at him, but there was no way she could stop herself. "A cock is another name for a rooster, which is a bird." He didn't seem to register. "It also means dick … penis …"

  He frowned, then something in his eyes sparked. “Oh … prick. You mean prick?” His hand went back to his shirt. “So this says I have a big prick?”

  She nodded, watching as he cupped his junk, still deep in thought. It was strangely erotic even though the movement wasn’t meant to be in the least bit sexual. Then he shrugged. “Oh well. I am bigger than human males, in stature, so I guess I more than likely have a big prick as well.”

  Um … no ‘maybe’ there. “Yeah, but you shouldn’t advertise it. Women don’t like that sort of thing.” She wiped the last bit of moisture from her eyes. If nothing else, she hadn’t laughed like this in a very long time.

  “Fine.” He nodded. “I won’t wear it again. Are we going to meet tomorrow?”

  “Be here at nine sharp.” What was she getting herself into? “Do you have a phone?” He nodded again, handing her his device. “This is my number.” She programmed it into his contacts. There were only three other names on there. All first names and all strange names. Weird!

  Why was she doing this again? Oh yes, money, that’s why … and lots of it.

  Just yesterday she’d been begging for a change in luck. For an opportunity to earn enough money for a fresh start. She had no idea yet what that fresh start would entail but at least, when she did figure it out, she would have enough funds to make it a reality.

  Chapter 4

  What the …?

  What was that insistent ringing?

  Vicky rubbed her face with one hand while searching for the light switch with the other. It flicked on, burning her eyes. It took a second or two for them to adjust before she could find her phone. It was her landline. From a number she didn’t recognize. “Hello?” Her voice was groggy.

  “Hi. Is this Vicky Kilpatrick?”

  “Yes.” She noted that it was ten past midnight. “What is this about?” It came out sounding curt. Tough, it was late. Who was this guy?

  “Do you know a Mr Talon?”

  Who? Him? Bright Eyes? Had to be. Shit! For just a second, she contemplated lying. “Um, yes.” Her voice sounded as wary as she felt.

  “I am Peter Jackson, the Night Manager at The Grand Plaza. Please, will you come and collect Mr Talon? It’s a matter of urgency.”

  Hell no! “It’s the middle of the night. I can’t pick him up right now.” Forget curt, now she sounded pissed off. Why did he want her to pick him up? “Tell him to go back to bed.”

  “Please can you come and fetch him, or I’ll be forced to call the police and have him arrested.”

  “Arrested?” They couldn’t be serious. “What? Why? What happened?”

  “Well, er …” He cleared his throat. “Mr Talon went to fetch ice down the hall and got locked out of his room.”

  “And you’re kicking him out?” What was wrong with these people?

  “He was naked.”

  Oh, good lord! “These things happen though.” Not really. Who fetched ice naked? No sane person, that was for sure. She tried to smooth it over. "Surely you can't kick him out for making a mistake. Please, can he stay? I will fetch him in the morning … first thing."

  “It’s happened before, yes, but he walked into our lobby, completely naked, making no attempt to cover himself. It’s unacceptable. This is a five-star establishment.”

  Naked? In the lobby? No attempt to cover himself? Of course he was. Why didn’t this surprise her in the least? “He’s not from … around here. He’s from abroad and doesn’t know any better.” She pulled in a deep breath. “Maybe you can give him a second chance.” Please! Please!

  “That was his second chance.” It was the guy on the phone’s turn to sound a little pissed off and a lot exasperated. “He was out on his balcony earlier in the evening and you guessed it, Madam, he was buck-naked. It’s a second-floor suite that overlooks the pool. There were complaints from more than one husband.”

  It wasn’t funny, but Vicky had to stifle a laugh. Funny how none of the women complained. “I understand. Are you sure it can’t wait until morning? What if he promised to stay in his room and I promise to co—”

  “It can’t wait. We would rather not have him arrested. Our group could do without the negative publicity, but I’m afraid we will have to make that call if you don’t come through. We don’t trust him not to do it again.”

  “I need ten minutes to get dressed and it’s a fifteen-minute drive.”

  “You have half an hour, Madam, or—”

  “Yeah, yeah, I’ll be there.” She couldn’t have her meal-ticket arrested. She couldn’t very well live up to her end of the bargain with him in jail, now could she? Vicky threw on some jeans and a sweater, pulling on her boots. She ran a hand through her hair, not bothering to brush it. Vicky grabbed her jacket on the way out since there wasn’t time for more.

  Traffic at this time of night was a dream. Thirteen minutes later, she was stopped at the gated entrance to the hotel, by a security guard for the hotel. “Good evening.”

  “Hi, I’m here to pick up a guest.”

  “Which guest, Madam?” He narrowed his eyes and pulled up a clipboard.

  “Mr Talon.”

  His eyes widened and he nodded once. “Drive right through,” he said without looking at the board in his hands. He’d been expecting her.

  The gate to the hotel parking slowly went up. “You may park in the disabled parking area ‒ just this once, mind you,” he called after her as she drove in.

  Vicky parked and headed in through a large revolving door. Wow! Five stars was right. This place was amazing. She headed for the reception area, trying to picture Talon walking through there, stark naked, probably during rush hour when the place would have been humming. It was still surprisingly bu
sy for this time of night. There was a guy in chinos with a lady in a little black number. Another couple came in behind her.

  There were two well-dressed ladies at reception. “Good evening.”

  “Hi, I’m Vicky Kilpatrick, you—”

  “Great!” The receptionist pointed to one of the many seating areas. “You can take a seat over there while I let my boss know that you’re here.”

  Vicky nodded once and then did as she was told. The sofa was one of those fancy, handmade, soft leather numbers. The receptionist left through a large oak door behind her, returning moments later with a man she assumed was the night manager. Talon followed right behind him, his bag slung loosely over his shoulder. Talon still wore the ‘BIG cock’ shirt. Oh boy! No wonder he was being kicked out.

  The night manager wore a suit and tie. The tie bore the insignia of the hotel. He was very serious-looking. “Vicky Kilpatrick?” He raised his brows, walking quickly. Talon took easy, long strides. The manager had to take three short, quick ones to match each of his. It would have been comical if not for the situation.

  She nodded.

  “Hello, Vicky,” Talon said. Although he didn’t smile, he still looked glad to see her.

  “I’m Peter Jackson and I’m so happy you came.” Even though he emphasized the ‘so’, he, on the other hand, did not look happy. “Mr Talon is free to leave.” He stepped to the side. “His bill has just been taken care of, including Mr Danial’s dry-cleaning account.”

  “Dry-cleaning?” Vicky frowned.

  “There was an unfortunate accident at the pool, involving a tray of cocktails, it happened when Mr Talon walked out onto his balcony. The waitress was so distressed at seeing Mr Talon naked, she dropped the entire tray on Mr Danial’s lap.”

  Distressed? Yeah right. Vicky felt her lip twitch.

  The manager rolled his eyes dramatically. “I’m afraid Mr Talon will not be welcome back at The Grand Plaza or at any of its eighteen group units.”

  “Okay.” A little harsh. “Let’s go.” She turned her head slightly in Talon’s direction, wanting to get out of there before they changed their mind about letting him go.