Grey Wolf in the White House: The Trilogy (Paranormal BBW Erotic Romance)

by Mia Harris

  Ari suddenly felt like curling up into a ball and crying.

  “Ross… I know you don’t like me very much, but could you please tell me what is going on?” she asked, fighting back tears.

  “Ari, I never disliked you. You were, by far, one of the best interns I ever had. Even though you flounced around with all your silly little hair-dos and lipstick, I still saw your potential. That’s why I pushed you harder than the rest. I apologize if I came across badly.”

  “If I have so much potential, then why did Damien Xavier have to lobby for me to get offered a paid position?”

  Ross looked incredulous.

  “He told you that? That’s ridiculous. He’s a senator; he has no real say over who we employ at the White House. You were offered the position because I wanted to offer it to you. You are a strong, intelligent woman, and you earned the job through your hard work. Believe that.”

  “Oh.”

  “Yes, oh. What else did that pale white son-of-a-bitch tell you?”

  Ari found herself pouring her heart out to the older man, telling him everything that she had experienced over the last three weeks, from the time she had been kidnapped up until the few moments before her escape. He listened carefully, and then placed a hand over one of hers and squeezed.

  “There, there, my dear. You aren’t the first human to have been taken in by a vampire’s lies. They are renowned for their cunning, manipulative tendencies. There’s an old saying… it goes something like, the very best of lies are those that have a sprinkling of the truth in them.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Some of what Mr. Xavier told you is correct, and I must say, he is even smarter than I thought. Don’t feel bad, I can see almost anyone being tricked by what he told you. After all, Remy wasn’t entirely honest with you about things, so I can see why you thought he was one of the ‘bad guys’.”

  Ross chuckled again, before assuming a more serious expression.

  “Let me explain everything to you. Listen carefully.”

  “Okay.”

  “The story that he told you about the origins of the werewolves… that was accurate. They are, in fact, a species that diverged from the vampires several thousand years ago, beginning with Remus and Romulus. Evolution is normally an extremely slow process, but this was… different, for reasons I don’t even understand myself. It was almost immediate. Our best scientists are still studying it.”

  He coughed for a second, and then cleared his throat.

  “Anyway, the reason Remy and a lot of other werewolves lie about their origins is because… well, you can imagine how the vampires feel about them. They always saw themselves as above humans anyway, and they saw the new werewolves as…well, inferior sub-people, seeing as they are technically a sub-species. It’s ridiculous, but that’s vampire logic for you. When the werewolves became immensely powerful, the vamps were furious. To them, the werewolves should have been a slave species.”

  “Why do the werewolves lie about it?”

  “It’s a difficult thing to explain. But the gist of it is that they don’t want to tell their children where they originated from for two main reasons. They don’t want to admit that they are descended from their mortal enemies, and they also don’t want their children to ever get the idea that they are inferior in any way.”

  “Oh. So what about the mass killings of the vampires? And the laws they brought in?”

  “There was never any mass culling of vampire families. That’s another myth perpetuated by the vampires. If you don’t believe me, by all means go and look at the archaeological evidence that we have from that period. There is nothing to suggest that it is true. As for the law… the werewolves actually had nothing to do with that.”

  “What?”

  “The vampires infiltrated the ranks of ancient Rome, and when enough of them had gained power to exert political influence, they brought the law in themselves.”

  “Why would they do that? Why would they deny themselves the draining of humans, when that’s what they needed to do?”

  “They don’t need to drain humans, Ari. They need blood to survive, but they can get by without actually killing or seriously hurting a person. In fact, if blood is in short supply, a vampire can eat or drink normal human food for a few days before starving. What do you think the vampire senators and their wives do at political events? They don’t drink blood, obviously; they are happy to much away on canapés if it makes them look human.”

  “Still, though… why bring the law in?”

  “Think about it. What did Mr. Xavier tell you about what happened when the law was enacted?”

  “He said that there was an almost immediate population explosion, for humans.”

  “Exactly. And look how many people there are today; billions upon billions. The vampires wanted this to happen, so that when they eventually took over the humans and werewolves, they would not only have countless slaves, but they would also have a massive amount of potential prey. To hunt. Vampires love to chase and hunt.”

  It was a lot to take in. Ari sat back in her seat, her mouth almost hanging open with shock at all the new information that was being presented to her. I’ve been so stupid. I should never have listened to Damien.

  “There is so much more to it than what I’ve told you in the last few minutes, Ari, but right now I think you need to go home. You must be exhausted, and you have twigs in your hair. You made the right decision in leaving the vampire compound, though.”

  He smiled and patted her hand, and she was overwhelmed by a sense of panic.

  “I can’t go home! My roommate… he’s a vampire too.”

  “Don’t worry about that, my dear. You have a new apartment, in a much nicer neighborhood, where you will be safe from the vampires. All your possessions from the old place have been moved to the new one. We are on our way there now.”

  “What? I can’t afford a nicer area than the one that my old place is in.”

  “It’s been taken care of,” he replied.

  Ari wasn’t sure what he meant by that, but she decided not to press him right now. She was tired, and right now, she just wanted a hot bath and a warm bed. She wasn’t even upset that she would never see her old apartment again; it seemed like a distant memory now, after the way that her life had changed so drastically in recent times.

  The car pulled up to a beautiful old apartment building, and Ross squeezed her hand again before handing her a key.

  “Well, here we are. The driver will escort you upstairs. I understand that you may need some time to re-adjust after your experience with the vampires, but the White House position is still yours if you want it. Again… I am very glad that you are safe. If you weren’t, it would have killed Remy,” he said.

  Ari thanked him and headed into the building, followed closely by the driver. The key had a number attached to it, so she knew exactly where to go, and once she had arrived, the driver cleared his throat and spoke.

  “Well, Miss Mills, this is your new apartment. There are guards posted in different places outside to keep you safe. Goodnight.”

  With that, he turned on his heel and left. Ari unlocked the apartment and stepped in, gasping as she looked around. The place was even nicer than the room that Damien had given her; decorated in all her favorite colors, with her favorite style of furniture. Even her favorite paintings were hanging on the walls, and she could see a few ornaments that her mother had given her sitting on a windowsill and an elegant-looking coffee table. Whoever decorated this place really knows me.

  She explored the apartment some more before heading into the bathroom and taking a long, luxurious bath. As she relaxed in the warm water, she felt a twinge of hatred when she remembered how the vampire had seduced her while she took a bath. God, I’m so stupid!

  She then recalled Remy’s angry face when she had seen him tonight, and felt tears springing to her eyes. I betrayed him. He will never forgive me. Damien had made her feel as if she really should be afraid
of Remy, but the second that she had looked into his eyes tonight, all her old feelings for him had immediately come flooding back, filling her mind with a confusing mixture of regret, hurt and… love. I do love him. And now I’ve screwed everything up.

  After drying and dressing in her favorite pajamas, which she had found neatly tucked away in one of the bedroom drawers, she realized that she desperately needed a drink of water. She padded to the kitchen and filled a glass, not bothering to turn the light on, and as she gazed out of the kitchen window, she admired the incredible view of the city that lay before her. This really is a lovely apartment. I wonder how long I can get away with living here before they realize that I can’t really afford it.

  Still thirsty, she filled the glass again, and as she raised it to her mouth she suddenly saw two amber-yellow eyes faintly reflected in the window. Remy. Whirling around, she saw him standing directly behind her, glaring down at her, and the glass dropped from her hand and smashed all over the floor. He didn’t even blink.

  “We need to talk,” he said, repeating his earlier statement.

  “Remy, I…”

  Ari tried to say something else, but her mouth dried up, and her tongue felt paralyzed. Remy’s eyes blazed with fury again, and he took a step backwards, as if he knew he might hurt her if he came any closer.

  “Do you have any idea what you did to me? How could you, Ari?” he shouted, his hands bunching up in fists at his sides.

  Ari felt a spike of adrenalin surge through her body, and she contemplated running.

  “Don’t you dare! I know what you’re thinking of doing, and running away won’t solve anything,” he continued.

  “Okay,” she whispered, backing away from the broken glass.

  Remy moved closer, and she found herself backed up against the nearest wall. He seemed so much larger than she remembered; at least, compared to the pale, thin vampire that she had spent the last few weeks with.

  “Remy, you’re scaring me.”

  “Am I? Maybe you should be scared. I turn my back for five seconds and you run away with a vampire? You let him touch you… you even let him bite you. How could you?”

  His eyes glowed an even brighter yellow, and Ari was suddenly overcome by anger.

  “You know what, Remy? Screw you! You never once told me how you felt about me. You were hardly ever around; I mean, I know that you’re very busy, being the President and all, but still… I had no idea how you felt. I still don’t know! Also, you lied to me about so many important things. If you had just been honest with me, then maybe Damien wouldn’t have been able to trick me!” she said, adrenalin still pumping through her veins.

  Remy watched her as she shouted, and the light in his eyes started to fade.

  “You know what else? Damien was kind and gentle to me. He wasn’t rough like you are all the time. He actually seemed to have respect for me. Even though it was all a lie, it felt nice to actually have a man treat me properly for once!” she continued.

  Once her rant was over, she stared into his face, her chest heaving. The yellow glow was completely gone from Remy’s eyes, but seconds later it flared up again, and then suddenly he was transforming right before her. His eyes glowed brighter than she had ever seen them, and within seconds there was a large grey wolf standing in front of her, baring its teeth.

  Ari gulped in fear, wondering if he was going to attack her. Instead, the wolf lay down in front of her, pressing its furry chin to the floor and looking up at her with its big yellow eyes. They seemed to glisten in the moonlight that was streaming through the kitchen window, and for a moment Ari thought that it looked like it had tears in its eyes. In his eyes.

  She sank to the floor beside the wolf, and tentatively reached a hand over to his head. He didn’t move, and Ari began to pat him gently, still not quite able to believe that the animal was really Remy. The wolf whimpered softly, and she continued to stroke him as warm tears started to stream down her face.

  “I don’t know if you can understand me while you’re a wolf, but I’m sorry, Remy. He was so convincing, and I believed everything he told me. I really thought that you would hurt me, and it was so hard to believe otherwise when I had no idea how you felt about me. I know it’s too late to tell you this, but I was falling in love with you more and more, every time that I saw you. Even when I was with him, you kept popping into my head. I still love you now.”

  She tried to choke back more tears, and the wolf stared up at her. Ari had no idea if Remy had heard and understood her, and she curled up into a ball on the floor and sobbed, closing her eyes as the hot salty tears flowed down her cheeks. She felt as if she would never feel happiness ever again.

  A hand stroked her hair, pushing a strand behind one of her ears, and she opened her eyes. Remy was sitting next to her again, in his usual human form. He trailed a finger down one cheek and wiped away her tears before standing up and reaching into his pocket. Ari looked up and saw that he was holding a bobby pin. Confused, she stood up and stared at it.

  “What’s that?” she asked.

  “Do you remember the first time that you saw me as a wolf? You ran, and your hair came undone, leaving two bobby pins on the floor. I caught your scent from them, and went to your apartment. Do you remember?”

  Remy’s voice was as deep and masculine as usual, but seemed to have a softer edge to it now.

  Of course I remember. The memory of that night has been permanently burned into my mind, she thought.

  “Yes.”

  “Then you would remember that I only returned one of your pins. I kept the other, and I have kept it on my pocket every day and every night since that night. It still carries your scent, and whenever I was not with you, I touched it and smelled it to remind myself of you.”

  “Oh. Remy… I had no idea.”

  “No, you didn’t. But… you’re right. I realize that this isn’t your fault. I should have told you how I felt about you every day from the moment that I started to feel it. I should have been more honest with you about my kind. I should have told you more about what was going on with the vampires, rather than keeping you in the dark.”

  He cleared his throat, and Ari saw streaks of wetness on his cheeks.

  “I thought that I was protecting you from the horrifying reality of what the vampires are trying to do, but all I ended up doing was allowing you to be manipulated by Damien Xavier,” he continued. “I’m sorry, Ari. I went to see you that night, and I smelled that a vampire had been at your door. I knew that he had taken you. This is all my fault.”

  “No, I should have trusted you. So many other people told me not trust him; I should have listened.”

  “It’s not just that. I am deeply sorry for all the pain that I caused you. I never intended to hurt you. That first night when I broke in here, I just wanted you so badly, and you seemed to enjoy the rough way that I played with you. I thought that’s what you liked, and it didn’t occur to me that sometimes you would want me to be gentler with you. If I hurt you, I am sorry. Please believe me when I say that it was not my intention.”

  Ari didn’t know what to say, so she let him keep talking.

  “One more thing. That time that I told you I would never let you go? I was just saying that as part of our silly, rough games. I didn’t mean it. If you had ever wanted to really leave me, then all you had to do was say so. I would have been heartbroken, but I would never have stopped you from doing what you wanted.”

  Ari still couldn’t find the words to answer him, and he reached out and stroked her face again.

  “I am so sorry that I put you through all this. I had no right to come here and blame you. This apartment… I bought it for us, and I decorated it myself, the way I knew you would want. It was going to be a surprise, but then… you disappeared. It’s all paid for and under your name, so you can keep it. Think of it as a parting gift.”

  He looked straight into her eyes as he continued.

  “I’ll admit that I was furious when I heard that you
were working for him; I felt as if you’d betrayed me. I was still angry when I saw you tonight. But at the same time… when I saw you come crawling out of that hedge like some kind of ridiculous squirrel-creature, I melted. I was just so happy that you were safe. My reaction was unfair; I should not have grabbed you like that. I was just so emotional… knowing that you were safe after weeks of not seeing you.”

  Remy took a deep breath.

  “I love you, Ari.”

  With that, he gave her one last look, and then turned and strode towards the door.

  “Wait!” Ari called after him.

  He stopped in his tracks for a moment, and finally turned around to face her again.

  “Yes?”

  “You can’t just come here and call me a ‘ridiculous squirrel-creature’, and then leave!”

  Remy’s eyes flickered with amusement for a second, despite the obviously-pained expression on his face.

  “That’s all you got from what I just said?” he said softly.

  “No. I love you too, Remy. Please don’t go,” she whispered.

  “I must go. All I have done is cause you pain.”

  “Look at how much I hurt you when I left. I’d say we’re about even,” she replied.

  He stared at her for several moments, and Ari was suddenly terrified that this was it; the last time that she would ever see him. It can’t be. I love him.

  “If I were to stay… I would like to begin making things up to you,” he said, stepping closer to her.

  “How so?”

  “I would like to give you what you need. A soft, tender touch. I’m sorry about how rough I get.”

  “I like it most of the time,” she said, a little smile playing on her lips. “It’s just… sometimes I do need you to be gentle with me. That would be nice once in a while.”

  He stepped even closer, and Ari could feel his warm breath as he leaned down and lightly trailed a fingernail up and down her face.

  “Are you sure, Ari? I want nothing more than to be with you, but I don’t want to risk hurting you if you think, in any way, that it’s a bad idea.”