by Mandi Casey
The necklace had a beautiful gold-linked chain that held a sparkling pink ruby gemstone the size of a quarter set on a gold-plated backdrop. Hands shaking slightly, I clasped the necklace around my neck, noting how the ruby sat in the center of my chest, and how the gold felt warm as it touched my skin. I would never take it off.
I walked out into the store proper and sat at the counter to make a phone call. Calling the vampire leader, Kieran, before he sent someone out to hunt me down like Morris, seemed like the right thing to do. Before the phone lines could do their magic and connect me to his phone, the chimes above the store’s front door jingled, telling me a customer had arrived. Only, it wasn’t a customer.
It was Blake.
He sauntered in and sat down on the small loveseat next to the fireplace on the side wall of the store. I lost the struggle to keep the distance between us, hung up the phone, and walked to the end of the counter. I had the fire lit, as I normally did in the evenings and would continue to as long as the chilled winter air persisted. The brick building housing the store was old and not well insulated. Frigid air blew in around the frames of the front door and windows. Without the fire, the store was too cold to be in all day long.
The firelight glowed against his tanned skin and emphasized the angles of his jaw and cheekbones. He took on the presence of a predator and a sensuously sexy man at the same time. There had to be a way to distract myself from the sexual pull he had on me. There was no way anything could happen between us. That would be a very bad idea. He was too arrogant, too pushy, and had his own pack-derived agendas that involved me as the Selected, not me as a woman. My heart began to beat faster, not to mention all the other things my body did involuntarily every time he touched my elbow, or his breath caressed my neck. Geez, all it took was for him to be in the same room.
“Hello, Sydney.”
“What do you want?”
“I came by to ask if you would like to join my family for dinner at the packs’ den.”
“Ha! Now seriously, why would you think for even a minute you’d get me to say yes to going anywhere with you? What’s in it for me?”
There was a sparkle of mischief in his expression. He traced my entire body with his gaze. The heated interest in his eyes would scorch me the second my guard was let down. There was an undeniably strong physical attraction between us. For me, it was instant the second he walked into my store yesterday, and again last night at the club. Starting a relationship, especially with a werewolf, was the last thing on my agenda, for say, the next century. There was a lot to learn about these people, about the vampires, and I needed to figure out what my part was in all of this before I started dating one of them.
He laughed. “It’s dinner, and an opportunity for you to meet Morris. There’s nothing in it for anyone. He just wants to talk to you.”
“Is your invitation optional?”
“Of course you have a choice. But if you don’t come to dinner, you’ll have to meet him eventually, and it means a lot that he’s willing to open up his home to you, where his family lives. He is willing to give you a show of faith, to prevent repeating the past. The leader of the pack would like to develop a working, even positive, relationship with you. My suggestion would be that you don’t take the invitation lightly. It’s just as important for you to be civil as it is for him.”
“And what happens if my answer is no?”
Blake shrugged his shoulders and said, “He’ll come and find you.”
“So I’ll take that as a no, it’s not optional.”
I leaned my back against the side of the register counter while we talked. My body wanted to be near him. The heat he’d given off since arriving at the store crept along my skin in a warm, soothing motion, replacing the achiness of my muscles with lust and need. Pushing my body off the wood of the counter, I walked toward him, questioning whether his interest in me was as a person, or as an entity that could help his pack. It made me weary of his intentions. Did he feel the pull between us as well? His smile faded the second he saw the necklace around my neck.
His body clenched with anger, and his fingers that were resting peacefully on the armrest of the sofa now dug deep into the plush cushion. Blake was barely able to conceal his feelings of hatred toward the vampires.
“So, you won’t come and have dinner with me, but you’ll wear a necklace from the leader of those parasites?” His face stretched tight and a crease developed on his forehead.
“For your information, none of the vampires have come and talked to me yet. This necklace was a gift from my grandmother, and you have nothing to be so mad about. You have no right to judge me.”
When he heard the vampires hadn’t directly given me the necklace, some of the tension left his body, but not all of it. His face was still red, but he released his death-grip on the couch. “I’ll pick you up from your house at ten tonight then.”
“How do you know where my house is?”
He rose from the sofa and strode over to me. He moved so close, my heart started beating faster, and my breath became shallow with anticipation and the need for him to kiss me. Being so close to him made me nervous, and my palms grew moist. There was no denying the attraction between us, and my body was defying all my self-preservation instincts. My skin tingled in hopes that he would touch me, caress me, do anything he wanted to me.
Blake leaned in close, and his warm breath blew on my lips. “I’ve always known where the Selected lives.”
I sighed in resignation. It seemed there wasn’t a choice in the matter of going to the wolves’ den. “Fine, pick me up at my house at ten.”
“Till tonight.” Blake never looked back. He pulled the door open, and let it close behind him.
My question was, how did he know the necklace was from the vampires? Grandma Maria wrote that they had given it to her, so she must have worn it, but many family jewels were handed down when people passed away. So how did he know?
The more information I obtained about all the players involved, the better, and the sooner I did, the better for all involved. I took out Grandma’s journal again to find the page where she had written the contact numbers for both Morris and Kieran. It was time to let the vampires know they weren’t going to push me around. They needed to know my family was off limits to them, and they didn’t need to come and find me.
There was a lot to think about. I wasn’t sure the situation of how Michael met Brianna was pure coincidence. My guess was the pack leader sent him to Chicago to get closer to her so the wolves had an opportunity to use her safety and loyalty against me if the need ever arose. Seeing them together, how happy she was at the nightclub with Michael, how happy he seemed to be with her, made me think no matter what his intentions were initially, they seemed to be quite different toward her now.
I’d have to wait and see how, and if, their relationship progressed. What was best for my sister was anyone’s guess. Would she take finding out the truth better from Michael, or should we be the ones to tell her? The best-case scenario would be she never found out any of this and stayed in Chicago, but that wouldn’t happen, and she’d probably find out sooner or later.
My hands began to shake while dialing the number for the head of the vampires.
It was dark out, so the vampires should be up from their nightly slumber, or whatever they called it. After an obnoxious amount of waiting while the phone line rang, a voicemail service picked up. My message was short, my name and where Kieran could call when he wanted to talk to me.
Once that was done, the day’s sales receipts needed to be tallied, which weren’t much. Not many customers had come out shopping in the freezing cold weather.
The next thing on my list was to call Brianna on her cell. Was she also going to be at the werewolf dinner, and if so, what did she plan on wearing?
Chapter 6
Blake arrived early in picking me up, so Aunt Judith had him sit in the living room while she made him tea as I finished getting ready. Their voices traveled
up the stairs into the bathroom as I put on my make-up. They kept their conversation casual and light. When Aunt Judith laughed from something Blake said, it was clear to me he was being his charming self. She didn’t seem to be as stressed or as nervous as she had been after meeting Michael.
Taking one last look in the mirror to make sure nothing about my appearance would embarrass me later, I decided it was time to go and meet the pack leader. My favorite black high-heeled suede boots hugged my feet, and my special occasion jeans gave me confidence. My butt did look good in them. I was ashamed I hoped Blake would notice. Looking at my reflection in the mirror, I admired the necklace the vampires had given Grandma, sparkling and clear to be seen by all. It was a gift from a family member, and no one was going to try to tell me to take it off.
I turned the corner at the bottom of the stairs and saw Blake’s profile. He didn’t seem to have heard me coming down the stairs. After I had a moment to appreciate the relaxed pose he had taken on the couch, he turned and looked at me. It was in his eyes. He liked what he saw as his gaze slid up and down my entire body. And we were going to be alone in a car together? He will not charm his way into my world. He will not talk me into getting naked and letting him do all sorts of naughty things to me. I couldn’t let him. The vampires wouldn’t take well to me going out with the heir to the werewolf pack. Hopefully my cold ‘don’t mess with me’ attitude whenever Blake was around would make him quickly lose interest.
Blake stood, after searing me with his sensual ‘oh the things I want to do to you’ stare. Standing when a lady entered the room was certainly a gentlemanly move the men in Chicago didn’t partake in.
Aunt Judith turned and smiled at me. “Sydney, you look nice, dear. We were just talking about how cold winter has been this year and how hopefully it will warm up soon.”
“Yes, it has been a cold one, Aunt Judith. It sure must be nice for them not to have to bother themselves with coats.”
Okay, that might have been an unnecessary comment. But I needed to set the tone right away to keep a cool distance. The sooner that was set, the easier it would be to handle Blake and his advances. Just looking at him was hard enough without thoughts running through my head of seeing him naked, standing in front of me. As soon as was politely possible, Blake would be bringing me back home. The faster the dinner was over with, the better.
“It is nice not having to worry about coats and such, like humans do. You’re right, Sydney.” Blake laughed.
My attempt at offending him didn’t work. I’d have to work harder at being mean and distant.
“Sydney, why don’t you two go ahead to your dinner? I’m just going to get cleaned up a bit and go to bed. Don’t worry about being home late. The store doesn’t open until eleven tomorrow so you can sleep in.”
To my utter astonishment, Aunt Judith looked at Blake and winked at him! I’d have to let her know he didn’t need anyone encouraging him and his bad-boy behavior. Now Blake knew there was nowhere for me to be, so Aunt Judith had effectively ruined my plans of calling it an early night.
Blake chuckled under his breath. He knew he’d charmed my aunt to the point she was even encouraging us to spend time together. It didn’t make any sense. She was so worried about Brianna being with the wolves, but it was just fine for me? What was the difference she saw between the two men? They were both werewolves, so that made them both extremely dangerous.
“Blake, why don’t you go ahead and start the car so it’s warm?”
“All right. It was ever so nice to meet you, ma’am.” He shot me a knowing grin as he tipped his head to Aunt Judith, then left.
As soon as I was sure he was out of earshot, I faced my aunt. “Aunt Judith, what is going on? Just yesterday you said you didn’t like or trust the werewolves, and now it seems you don’t mind me, pretty much against my will, having to go to a dinner I’ve been so-called invited to go to?”
“Sydney, nothing is going on. Your friend Blake seems like a very nice man. He doesn’t give off the same vibes Michael does. And there is a difference. Sweetheart, you have to associate with these people because you are the Selected. Brianna doesn’t, and as far as I’m concerned, your sister should stay as far away from them as possible.”
“So you don’t think we should, uh, date or anything like that, right?”
Aunt Judith smiled like a schoolgirl daydreaming about the boy she’d like to date. “Well, he does seem to be a very enchanting young man, and when is the last time you’ve been on a date?”
I held my hand up in front of me. “What? No. We are not even going to talk about me having anything but a necessary business relationship with Blake. That’s what this dinner is, a business dinner, and that’s all.”
Her eyes said she didn’t believe me but was not arguing the point because she was calmly waiting for me to catch up with reality. Well, reality was pretty much sucking right now.
“Aunt Judith, did Grandma have anything like weapons? How did she take care of herself? I mean, being the Selected, I’m sure she was attacked. How’d she keep the werewolves and vampires from taking her daughters?”
“Sydney, your grandmother wasn’t the only one with abilities.” I could have sworn my very humble aunt was talking about herself.
“What do you mean? Do you know how she protected her family?”
“Sydney, my friend and I have dabbled a bit with the local Wiccan community. I’ll be able to provide some protection for the house, dear. Don’t you worry.”
“Like what kind of protection?” I was seriously intrigued. And why haven’t I heard of any of this until now? It was like I’ve been living with a blindfold over my eyes my entire life.
“Wards, dear. I can place wards on the house so the vampires can’t come in unless they are specifically invited.” Aunt Judith was grinning from ear-to-ear.
“How do you know they’ll work? Have you tried them before?”
“Don’t worry, I’m sure they’ll work just fine. Now you go on ahead with that handsome boy and have a good time, Sydney.”
I didn’t know whether to scream or hug her.
“Good night, Aunt Judith. Hopefully this won’t take long.”
For a mangy animal, Blake did have good taste in cars. His Audi was parked next to my Jetta, and as he said he would, he’d turned on the heat just for me, evidenced by the car’s exhaust puffing a series of clouds out into the cold air. Blake stood outside the passenger door leaning against the car. His muscles bulged out of his T-shirt while his arms crossed against his chest.
He smiled when he saw me, and said, “All ready?”
“I’m ready. Let’s get this over with, shall we?”
He laughed again. Apparently he thought he heard something funny.
“Yes, this dinner is going to be way more enjoyable for me than you.” He leaned over and opened the car door for me, another gentlemanly act. Once I was comfortably situated in the plush bucket seat, he closed the door behind me.
The silence felt heavy by the time he finished backing out of the long driveway. “Blake, what is your take in all of this?”
He looked at me quizzically.
“What do you really want out of life living as a werewolf?”
One of his eyebrows lifted in a contemplative gesture. “Oh, so now you want to get personal? I’ll answer your questions if you answer mine, deal?”
“That’s fair, so?”
“I want what every ordinary man wants out of life. Live for a very long time, which given my people’s abilities that will most likely come true if the Goddess of the Moon allows. I want a family, children of my own, and to keep my family and the pack safe from those that would harm them, including the vampires. As far as being a werewolf, it’s all I’ve ever known. There’s nothing about being a werewolf that makes me not want to be one.”
“So you don’t mind having to change into an animal every month and chase after other animals?”
“Sydney, not all wolves are hunters. Some of us sta
y near the den and protect the women and children, and some of us go out and hunt. It is no different from what humans do. We just happen to wear our fur coats when we do it instead of a blazing-orange, overstuffed jacket.”
That made me smile, until he noticed. Letting him think he was growing on me didn’t go along with my cool demeanor plan, but that’s exactly what he was doing. The sooner he realized he was growing on me, the more difficult he would make things for me. He was probably just as aware of the physical attraction between us.
He navigated the car over the deep snow through town and kept going toward the city limits. Blake headed to the vast open lands that surrounded the city proper of Kenosha.
“So, now it’s my turn for a question. Are you dating anyone?”
I looked at him in surprise. My heart began to pound in my chest, making it hard to think of what to say.
“I’m between boyfriends, if that’s what you mean.”
He chuckled. “I suppose that answers my question well enough. How many boyfriends have you had?”
“That’s two questions, so now it’s my turn. What does Morris really want with me?”
“Sydney, your topics of small talk are a little disappointing. Morris wants you to be on his side, the wolves’ side, as the Selected. He doesn’t want the vampires to have sway over you. He doesn’t want you to help them find our dens because they want us all dead. Since we value our lives, we all hope the same, actually. Now, for my question, how many human lovers have you had?”
“What kind of a question is that? And why would you specify human?”
“I answered your question. You owe me an answer to this one, Sydney.”
“I find this highly personal, and I don’t like how you’re using this against me, but fine, I’ll answer you.” She paused. “I’ve had seventeen human lovers.”
He must have found my response extremely humorous because he laughed so hard, he struggled to breathe. When he was finally able to catch his breath, he said, “Oh my, that is a lot of lovers for someone your age, and that’s a complete and utter lie. There’s no way you have had seventeen lovers in your life, so tell me the truth.”
