Back Cover Copy
Only a vampire is man enough to teach werewolves how to fight.
Pretty librarian Sugar wants her life to stay quiet. That’s hard enough when friends and neighbors turn into furry werewolves every full moon. But when a hot vampire gets involved, life’s bound to get complicated.
The Omegas have always been the pansies of the paranormal. Now Chicago’s top werewolf pack has issued them a life or death challenge. Their only option: hire a vampire warrior to teach them the moves.
Daedalus has been a powerful vampire for ages. Intrigued by the chance to train the geeks of the underworld, he wasn’t bargaining on losing his heart to a human. Can he make the Omegas a success, fit into Sugar’s quiet life, and avoid being ripped to shreds in the process?
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The thin Weres battled with the box, and she smiled at the sight. “I think you need to turn it sideways and slide it at an angle.” The coffin shone like glass. Temptation got the best of her, and she ran a finger along the surface. It felt cool. “Is he in there?”
“No, he’s not.” A rich, masculine voice drifted over her shoulder.
Sugar spun around, sucked in a hard breath, and stepped back against the coffin. Magazines ran pictures of mainstream vampires. TV even showed a few interviews with them, but nothing prepared her for this particular one.
The deep blue color of his eyes reminded her of the sea. Well-defined cheekbones led to a strong jaw and a slight teasing smile on his full, sensual lips.
A stirring began deep inside her. He wasn’t beautiful, more sexy and hot.
Breathless, Sugar experienced an impulsive urge to ask him to rub the smooth, pale skin of his bald head all over her body. A hunger awoke, one she thought lay dormant. It unfurled inside of her and wanted to be fed.
The Omegas
by
Annie Nicholas
The Vanguards: Book One
The Omegas
978-1-61650-114-3
Copyright © 2009, Annie Nicholas
Edited by Pamela Tyner
Book design by Brian Hunter
Cover Art by Renee Rocco
First Lyrical Press, Inc. electronic publication: January, 2010
Lyrical Press, Incorporated
17 Ludlow Street
Staten Island, New York 10312
http://www.lyricalpress.com/
eBooks are not transferable. All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission.
PUBLISHER'S NOTE:
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.
The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.
Published in the United States of America by Lyrical Press, Incorporated
Dedication
I’d like to dedicate this book to my family who stuck by me through sickness and health.
Acknowledgements
To my fellow writers at Rom-Critters and Romantic at Heart for teaching me all I know.
Chapter 1
“I found the solution to our problem!” Eric strode into Sugar’s living room holding an envelope. He handed it to her and joined the rest of his werewolf pack lounging on her mismatched furniture.
Sugar examined the front, then the back of it. “Pal Robi Incorporated. What’s this?”
“It’s our salvation.” Eric shifted in his seat to lean forward. “Read it to everyone.”
She slid her fingernail in a corner, tearing it open. The letter was printed on good quality paper with a huge golden company emblem stamped at the top. An errant blond curl slid in front of her eyes, she shoved it back behind her ear.
To the Omega pack:
I have reviewed the details of your plight. Pal Robi Incorporated deals mostly in security issues, but I find your problem worthy of my personal attention. Enclosed you will find a non-negotiable contract. Please review it closely, and have your signature notarized. The return fax number is listed on the contract so proceedings can begin. Mail the original to my office. Thank you for your business.
Sincerely,
Daedalus Pal Robi
As Sugar scanned the contract a cold surge of intuition clenched her stomach. Shocked confusion exploded inside her mind, robbing her of any coherent thought. “You hired a vampire?”
Her shout shattered the silence around them.
The pack responded to her outburst with low growls directed at Eric.
On days like this she wondered what she’d gotten herself tangled in. She wasn’t pack, just a plain vanilla human. The Omegas were her neighbors. They were also her best friends.
Every full moon they became werewolves, each of them outcasts from their old packs. Driven by loneliness, Eric had solicited Sugar to help him search for others like himself. Werewolves with no attitude. Geeks of the underworld. Pansies of the paranormal.
Their friendship spanned years, since high school, when he’d rescued her from a home of drug abuse. Eric had treated her like a little sister, advising her on life in general. When he survived his werewolf attack, both their worlds shattered and their roles reversed.
Eric found four others to join him: Sam, Tyler, Katrina and Robert. No alphas ruled in this pack. They needed each other, so they became a family. All five lived in the apartment next to her.
Eyes wide, Eric held his hands out in front of him. “Mr. Pal Robi is offering to teach us how to fight.”
Sugar tilted her head as she surveyed her friend. “Yeah, for a substantial fee. How can you guys afford this?” He always thought with his heart.
Eric looked at his pack, pleading. “Before you make any judgments, let’s have Sugar read the contract out loud.”
She held it in front of her.
This is an agreement between Pal Robi Incorporated and Eric, Sam, Katrina, Tyler, and Robert, from here forward to be known as the Omegas.
Scope:
1. Pal Robi Inc. will provide to the Omegas, training in defense, hand-to-hand combat and small weapons use.
2. Training will take place for the duration of the period beginning with the trainer’s arrival until the challenge date.
3. Combat training is inherently dangerous. Pal Robi Inc. is not responsible for injury or death sustained during such training.
4. Trainer will not intentionally hurt and-or kill any Omega during the period of this agreement.
Responsibilities of the Omegas:
1. Omegas will provide trainer from Pal Robi with appropriate lodgings.
2. Omegas will provide daylight security of said trainer.
3. Omegas will submit to the direction of the trainer without question for the duration of the training.
Fees:
1. Omegas agree to pay Pal Robi Inc. $8,000 in cash prior to the beginning of training.
2. In addition, Omegas will provide the trainer with fresh, consumable blood upon request.
Penalties:
1. Failure to provide payment renders this agreement null and void.
2. Failure to abide by the terms specified represents a breach of contract which renders the agreement null and void.
3. Breach of contract will result in an immediate
investigation. Vengeance will be swift and unmerciful.
Sugar placed the contract on her lap while waiting for their reactions.
Robert held up his hand to speak, like a kid in a classroom.
She sighed. How could this pack of puppies fight a pack of wolves? “Robert, speak up. You don’t need to ask permission to talk anymore, remember?”
He grinned sheepishly. “What do they mean ‘vengeance will be swift and unmerciful?’”
They turned to Eric, but it was Tyler who answered. “It means if anything happens to the vamp, we can kiss our asses goodbye.”
Eric stood to face his pack mates, staring at each one in turn. “How can we not hire him? The Ayumu pack officially challenged us. One of us has to fight and beat one of their alphas in a month. There’s no other way.”
“We be absorbed again,” Katrina whispered in her exotic oriental accent, as she hugged her knees tight against her chest. Being a submissive female in a pack equated to being anyone’s meat.
Sugar tried to help Katrina open up and come to terms with those old wounds, but they kept her captive, stuck in this phase for life.
Tyler shuffled closer to Katrina, petting her long, black, silken tresses. She shrank from him, fear etched on her delicate features.
He looked at Sugar and shrugged. It made her furious to watch Katrina cringe. Nothing would make her happier than to get some kind of revenge on the pack mates that did this to her dainty friend. How did preying on weaker members equate to strength? She just couldn’t understand werewolves.
“Couldn’t you run away?” The weight of Sugar’s words hung in the air.
Eric crossed his arms. “There will always be another Ayumu pack wherever we go. We’re finally happy. We have jobs, friends, and a home. It’s all worth fighting for, right guys?”
Sugar looked around her disorganized living room at her stray werewolf friends. They nodded to each other, sealing their fates.
There went her quiet life.
A vampire would be moving in next door.
• • • •
Two nights later Sugar heard struggling outside her apartment door. The book in her hand didn’t grab her attention like the racket in the hall did. Standing, she left the book behind and tiptoed to the door. She cracked it open to peek outside. Eric, Tyler and Robert were carrying a large, black, shiny coffin past her apartment.
Sugar sighed and rubbed her chin. She’d like to hide in here for a month, not wanting to meet the trainer. It was silly to worry about this stranger, but he meant change.
Vampires had announced their existence years ago, becoming legal citizens. This one apparently ran his own business, which would help her friends. It wasn’t like he’d be something from the horror movies that had kept her awake with nightmares when she was a kid. She squared her shoulders. Time she faced her own demons and met this new neighbor.
She padded down the carpeted hall barefoot, to where the boys were trying to wedge the coffin through their doorway.
The thin Weres battled with the box, and she smiled at the sight. “I think you need to turn it sideways and slide it at an angle.” The coffin shone like glass. Temptation got the best of her, and she ran a finger along the surface. It felt cool. “Is he in there?”
“No, he’s not.” A rich, masculine voice drifted over her shoulder.
Sugar spun around, sucked in a hard breath, and stepped back against the coffin. Magazines ran pictures of mainstream vampires. TV even showed a few interviews with them, but nothing prepared her for this particular one.
The deep blue color of his eyes reminded her of the sea. Well-defined cheekbones led to a strong jaw and a slight teasing smile on his full, sensual lips.
A stirring began deep inside her. He wasn’t beautiful, more sexy and hot.
Breathless, Sugar experienced an impulsive urge to ask him to rub the smooth, pale skin of his bald head all over her body. A hunger awoke, one she thought lay dormant. It unfurled inside of her and wanted to be fed.
“You’re not wolf.” He loomed over her. A black tattoo on his well-developed chest peeked out from underneath his partially unbuttoned white dress shirt.
Eric tapped her chin with his finger, silently instructing her to close her mouth. “Sugar is our neighbor.” He gestured to the rakish vampire. “This is Mr. Pal Robi.”
Heat crept up her cheeks. She stuck out her hand. “Nice to meet you.”
His hand engulfed hers while he shook it tenderly. “Is that your real name?” He didn’t release his hold.
She dropped her chin. A thrill ran through her. “My parents have a poor sense of humor. I have a twin named Spice.”
Amusement creased the skin around his eyes. “Sugar and spice, and everything nice.”
The poem annoyed her more every time someone quoted it. “Yes, I’ve heard the rest. I’m not a little girl anymore.” She withdrew her hand from his. Maybe the phenomenal packaging was only skin deep.
A carnal light sparked in his eyes. “Definitely not a little girl. You may call me Daedalus.”
His gaze traced her face and slipped lower, caressing the curves of her breasts, then down along her hips.
Sugar gasped as this alarming man studied her. She could almost hear the Omegas leering at her response to Daedalus. “I’ll get out of your way.”
He didn’t move as she pressed herself against the wall to squeeze by him. The tips of her breasts brushed his well-muscled arm. They pebbled, pushing through her blouse. Naughty images of him running those large palms over her nipples played in her mind.
Her panties got damp as a flash of desire burned through her. She realized he’d wanted her to brush against him. He was such a cad, and it made her want him even more.
• • • •
Daedalus watched her heart-shaped ass wiggle back down the hall. She was ravishing. He would never mix business with pleasure, but she didn’t belong to the pack. Just a neighbor and a bonus.
She reminded him of the 1950’s pin-up poster girls, pretty and full of luscious curves. He still kept those posters in storage.
Sugar. His thoughts sprang to the hard caramelized shell on crème brulee. He would like to ignite her sweetness into a passionate inferno.
Daedalus had felt her response to him as she brushed his arm. The flush of color in her face pleased him. He wanted her to turn and look his way one more time before she entered her home.
The Omegas began wrestling with his coffin again. “Can we call you Daedalus?” one of them piped up.
Sugar glanced back at him.
“No.” He gave her a shameless wink.
Chapter 2
Sugar walked to the Omegas’ apartment. Quiet dominated their corner of the building since Mr. Pal Robi’s arrival last week. She’d seen them when she went out on her garden balcony to water the plants last night. They jogged with their vampire trainer on the sidewalk. He ran, and they straggled behind. Other than that she hadn’t seen any of them. No one came over to visit. Not even Katrina, who had become a permanent fixture in her home.
She stood in front of their door and wiped her sweaty palms on her old, worn jeans. Maybe I should have changed.
The thought irritated her. She’d never worried about her looks before he moved in. She’d never lusted after a man like this either. Her past lovers always started as emotional relationships, then grew into something physical. What she experienced with Daedalus seemed more animalistic.
If she fucked him and got it over with, then maybe her mind would clear. The memory of his sexy half-smile with a wink haunted her every night. Those blue eyes, broad shoulders, firm body, bald head—
The apartment door swung open, and the demon of her fantasies stood staring at her, shirtless.
A thin sheen of sweat covered his pale skin as if he’d been doing some vigorous exercises. It made him shine. The circular tattoo she’d glimpsed through his shirt on their first meeting covered his heart, a black snake eating its tail.
He gave her
a crooked smile, melting her to the spot. “Hello, sweetness. I got tired of waiting for you to knock.” He stepped back and gestured for her to come in.
As she entered the Omegas’ apartment she noticed the place looked cleaner than usual. Five wolves under one roof could make quite a clutter. Daedalus must have them run a tighter ship.
“How did you know I was out in the hall?” A little shaken after his sudden appearance, her concentration slipped and she couldn’t remember her reason for being there. His being half-naked didn’t help.
“I have a good sense of smell.” He closed the door behind her.
“You smelled me? Good to know for future reference.”
Fingers ran through her curls as she walked past him. She glanced over her shoulder, but his back faced her while he locked the door. It must have been her imagination. The touch felt real though. Did he move that fast?
He finished with the locks and turned around. “I heard you walk down the hall too. Why were you waiting?”
She didn’t know, looking for some courage maybe or a little self-confidence with an internal pep talk. “I was thinking about going back for a book Sam wanted to borrow,” she lied. Something unsettling occurred to her. “Can you read minds too?”
He chuckled and leaned in close, his nose almost touching hers. “Possibly. Are you thinking dirty thoughts?”
“No!” Her cheeks burned.
“Then I guess I can’t.”
Did that mean he was thinking them?
He brushed past her to sit on the worn, beige couch. His touch sent a thrill through her, it unnerved her too. He tapped the cushion next to him.
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