Wild Hearts (Blood & Judgment #1)

by Eve Newton

  Carter examines the wound quickly and I see the pained look in his eyes.

  “Pull…it…out,” I choke out. I would do it myself if it wasn’t buried in my fucking back where I can’t reach it.

  He shakes his head sadly. “It’s…fatal, Aria.”

  “Do…it.”

  He walks behind me and grips the handle of the blade. I brace myself for what’s about to come.

  A moment later, he rips it out in one sudden motion.

  “Fucking hell!” I curse. The blade has serrated edges.

  The agony of it forces me to my knees. And that just pisses me off even more. It’s not a position I like to be in, especially not in front of my pack. I never show weakness. Not to anyone.

  The fury building within me fuels my strength and I force myself back to my feet. I can feel the wound already starting to heal.

  I straighten up and look at the pack, Carter and Vicki. They are all staring at me in disbelief.

  “How?” Vicki gasps. “Silver to the heart should—”

  “What? Kill a wolf? I am no ordinary wolf.” I hold my hand out to Carter and he hands me the blade by the handle, which is not made of silver. I hold it up to the pack. “Silver can’t kill me. Do you still doubt me? Do you still doubt my ability to lead you?”

  Wolves respect one thing above all else: strength. And, here I am, demonstrating that I possess more than any other wolf in existence. I’ve always kept my abilities quiet, not wanting to expose them to anyone. It’s better when people underestimate you. Danger comes from letting people know what you’re truly capable of.

  But I no longer have a choice. My authority has just been challenged by a member. I have to set them straight. This is the best way to do that.

  I stride over to Vicki and wrap my hand around her neck. Hauling her off her feet, I seethe, “You’ve put us all in danger of exposure tonight.”

  “I…I wanted—”

  “What? Fun? Fun is exactly what will get us all killed right now. The time for that will come when we’re not being hunted by the fucking Ambassadors!” Without warning, or a second thought, I tighten my grip. She chokes and her arms flail in an attempt to stop me.

  I rip her head clean from her body in one tug of strength.

  I toss her dismembered head aside and approach the pack, wiping my bloodied hand on my leather pants.

  They’re all stunned into silence at just witnessing their Alpha murder one of their own.

  “That’s the price to pay for treason. You all have a choice. You either fall in line, or you leave. If you can’t get behind me, walk away now, because you’ve just witnessed the consequences of choosing Vicki’s option of betrayal. Are we clear?”

  A roar of confirmations erupt, echoing through the alley.

  “Good. Now, return home,” I command. I eye Carter. “Ensure their safety.”

  “And you?” he asks, concerned.

  “I need to clean up the mess inside the bar. I’ll burn the hellhole to the ground. I can’t leave any trace of us being here. And…now…fuck…I also need to arrange a new safe house. Vicki has jeopardized our current location with her stunt tonight.”

  He nods compliantly and leads the pack away.

  I watch them go, once again feeling that sliver of guilt creeping up on me. While the wolf might relish death and destruction, I don’t. The human part of me abhors it. But, as Alpha, often I have to do things I don’t like for the greater good—things that haunt me.

  No one can ever know.

  Chapter 2

  ~Aria~

  As I stride down the hallway of the nightclub towards Tony’s office, I can feel I’m right on the edge. I’m barely keeping it together. Sweat is pouring off me. The burning sensation coursing through me has reached fever pitch and the pain is immense. It’s been a long time since I’ve come this close to wolfing out. The fresh blood of all those I had to kill tonight staining my clothes and skin is not helping matters either. It calls to the wolf on a primal level that is so difficult to deny or ignore.

  I need release now.

  I reach the door to his office and draw his scent to me in a bid to calm myself for the next few minutes until I can take what I need. Until he can get me there. Only another Alpha wolf can get me off in the intense way that I need to be able to calm the wolf down. And Tony is one hell of a powerful and formidable male Alpha wolf. He’s also a fucking asshole and an untrustworthy son of a bitch. But I don’t give a crap about any of that right now. This is business. No strings.

  Strings are not my thing.

  Fuck ‘em and chuck ‘em is more my style.

  I storm into his office and kick the door shut behind me.

  He’s sitting there in a charcoal designer suit—just one of his many suits that cost way too much. I’m not sure what costs more—his suit or his Italian leather loafers. His shaggy brown hair is styled in that casually wild way that contrasts sharply with the way he dresses. It brushes the collar of his crisp white shirt. I notice that his tie is missing and his shirt is unbuttoned at the collar.

  Normally, I absolutely detest ‘suit guys’. I hate money types and businessmen. And Tony has his fingers in a lot of pies, including the high-end nightclub I’m standing in right now. Appearances can be deceiving and while it might scream money on the outside, beneath the façade it’s as shady and underhanded as can be. Just like Tony. But I’m not here for his personality. Besides, he’s an Alpha at heart, so he still maintains that rough edge that I need in a man I’m fucking. That’s why I overlook what he does for a living and anything else that comes along with that. The only things I want from him are his hands, his mouth and his cock.

  He’s lounging back on his white leather wraparound couch, with a champagne glass in one hand and another full one beside an ice bucket on the expensive marble coffee table in front of him. He’s clearly prepared and knew I was coming. I didn’t tell him, so he must have eyes on me. I make a mental note to investigate that.

  His nostrils flare as I walk further into the room and he sniffs the air. His gaze darkens dangerously and he smirks at me slyly. “Mmm…your scent is even more irresistible than usual.”

  Of course it is. The blood. He’s a sick bastard. He loves spilling blood, especially human blood—a power play to assert his dominance, or some macho bullshit. He should have been a damn vampire.

  He gestures to the champagne glass on the coffee table.

  I shake my head. “No time for that.”

  Sauntering towards him, I strip my tank off, swaying my hips seductively from side to side as I do. His eyes follow my hands as I run them through my hair, down my neck, my collarbone, over my boobs and stomach. He shifts his weight on the couch as I hook my fingers into my leather pants and panties and peel them down my legs.

  “You’d better be ready for me,” I tell him, as I kick my boots off.

  “Fuck, babe. No issue there.”

  I lunge at him, leaping towards him. He growls as I land on his lap.

  His hands are in my hair a moment later as my mouth crushes his, taking him in a harsh, bruising kiss. The moment we touch, it sparks my need to a whole new level. One that I can barely control. My claws spring free. They tear at his shirt, ripping it to shreds and nicking him in the process. He hisses as I rake them down the hard muscle of his chest. His hands leave my hair and his own claws swipe at my bra, slicing it apart and freeing my boobs. I break our kiss and grab his head in my hands, jerking him forward to force him to my chest. He growls appreciatively at the sight of them and sucks one of them into his mouth.

  “Harder,” I command breathlessly, as I grind my pussy roughly against his rock-hard cock.

  Instead of doing as I command, he reaches behind me. I hear the clinking of ice and realize he’s delving into the ice bucket. I’m barely able to register anything else, because I’m so far gone in the heat of my need to sate my wolf’s appetite, that I cry out in surprise when he presses an ice cube to my nipple.

  “That’s r
ight. I love when you scream for me,” he whispers in my ear.

  I don’t try to stop him. Although he knows I’m always in control during sex, he likes to exert some Alpha dominance in small ways. But right now, I don’t give a fuck. What he’s doing to me is getting me off in a big way and I’ll be damned if I’m gonna stop it.

  I arch my back, pushing my boobs further into his hands as he draws the ice cube slowly over my sensitive peaks to the point of a painful burn. My wolf loves that and I know he enjoys inflicting pain too. Pleasure and pain go hand-in-hand for him.

  He draws the ice cube down my stomach, leaving a trail of ice-cold wetness that soothes my overheated skin. He flashes me a malevolent smirk just before pressing the ice-cube right to my sensitive, swollen clit. I scream ferociously and he groans with satisfaction.

  He doesn’t let up and instead of removing it as I’d thought he would, he crushes his palm to my pussy, holding the ice there. I buck against him wildly, because it’s too much. It burns like a bitch. I see him register the grimace on my face, but he just returns it with that smirk of his.

  And that’s when I realize he’s gonna wait for it to melt and torture me for as long as possible.

  The bastard knows I won’t stop him either, because I’m too far gone to be able to.

  All I can do is scream.

  His cock pulses beneath me as he gets off on my cries.

  He pulls it away just before it melts completely and he pops it in his mouth. And then his lips close over my right nipple. The medley of heat and ice is amazing. I’m so close to coming now.

  I rise up on him and slide my fingers into his hair, tugging hard enough to make him hiss as I force his mouth to my pussy. His warm tongue delves between my folds, soothing the harsh burn from the ice. I’m awash in the pleasure-pain paradox and I squeeze my eyes shut as I savor every pleasurable stroke of his talented tongue. He teases me for a while before finally assaulting my clit over and over again. Oh God. Holy shit. I can barely breathe. It’s so fucking intense.

  I crash over the edge, coming hard all over his tongue. He laps up every drop of me.

  But I’m not done yet. It takes more than that to sate my wolf. I rip his head back roughly and tear open his pants. Without giving him a warning, I impale myself on his cock in one sudden motion, driving him right to the hilt.

  “Fuck!” he grits out. “I love it when you do that, babe.”

  I ride him hard. His sharp claws dig into my hips, but he doesn’t guide me or try to control the rhythm. He knows I hate that.

  As I drive his thick cock deep inside me over and over again, I feel the wolf start to calm. This is just what I need. I pick up my pace, slamming down on him hard. He roars in pleasure.

  “Yes! Ride me hard, babe! Just like that!” he pants, pleading desperately for me to drive both of us over the edge.

  Ecstasy grips me and I growl ferociously as my orgasm rips through me. Seemingly endless, pulsing waves of bliss rack my body. I barely register his cries of release as he comes apart beneath me. I close my eyes, relieved that the wolf is finally sated.

  ***

  I open my eyes, instantly alert—the benefit of being a wolf—and immediately register the wet heat between my legs. I look down to see Tony’s mouth on my pussy. He winks at me slyly. I’m all for it until he snarls dangerously and bares his wolf teeth.

  Instantly, I shove my hands at him, propelling him across the room in an incredible show of strength that he’s only seen from me once or twice in the decade that we’ve known one another.

  “What the hell are you doing?” I demand, shooting to my feet and snatching my clothes up off the floor as I hurriedly start to dress.

  “You know exactly what I was about to do, Aria.”

  Yeah, I do, but I was hoping that there was somehow another explanation, because I really don’t want to kick his ass. The wolf has just been sated and a bout of violence will just fuck with that and rev it up again.

  “I won’t be claimed by any wolf, Tony!” I thunder.

  “I’m not just any wolf, Aria. Between us, there is great power.”

  “Without you, there is great power.”

  He growls low in his throat at my shot to his masculinity. But I don’t give a crap about his male Alpha ego. It is what it is. I am far stronger than him and any other wolf in existence and as much as it pains him to admit it, he knows it’s true.

  “You’re a woman. The only female Alpha of a pack. The other Alphas will never respect you. How many of them have already come at your pack in the last seven years since you took leadership?”

  Buckling my pants and sliding my pistol back into my holster, I warn him, “My pack matters are not your business.”

  “I beg to differ. You came here for my help tonight.”

  So, he definitely does have eyes on me then. Shit. More blood will need to be spilled now to get his guys off my tail.

  As I slip on my shirt, he continues, “Mating with me will solve your problems. With a strong male Alpha wolf beside you, no one will challenge either of us. We will rule all the wolves, Aria.”

  “You’re talking about mass-control of an entire species, Tony. You sound just like the Jurisdiction who send their Ambassador soldiers to hunt us down. The only difference is you’re not talking about killing our species. Although, with you, the spilling of blood is never that far off.”

  “What do you care about the rest of them? We will have supreme power and control.”

  “And the wolves will be little more than slaves to our whims! No! No way! Our species needs to live free, not under someone’s thumb, Tony!”

  It’s then that I realize exactly how unhinged he has become over the years, during his rise to power as Alpha of his notorious wolf pack. He’s power-hungry and making dangerous decisions because of it.

  As I get ready to leave, he comes towards me slowly, his voice softening as he says, “Politics isn’t the only reason I want to claim you, Aria. What we’re doing isn’t just fucking to me anymore. I want you. All of you.” He strokes my cheek softly and gazes into my eyes. “I’m in love with you.”

  I feel myself stiffen at his words. I’m in love with you. Oh, hell no. I bat his hand away and take a step back, shaking my head. My eyes narrow at him, flashing with a fiery intensity. “Nice try, but you should know by now that I’m not so easy to manipulate.”

  “I’m not manipulating you,” he insists. The plea in his voice and the vulnerability I’m sensing from him doesn’t escape my notice. But I’m not willing to believe it. Love has no place in my life and certainly not with a man as despicable as Tony.

  “I don’t love you, so all of this is moot,” I tell him firmly. “Besides, I’ve told you I’m not normal. You can’t mate with me. It’s too dangerous.”

  He scoffs. “An excuse I don’t believe for a second.”

  Argh! What does it take? “Look, I came here to fuck and for business. That’s it.”

  Hurt flashes in his eyes. “I’m not in the mood to be doing business right now.”

  Translation: he won’t help me.

  “Unless…” he starts, closing the distance between us and fixing me with those I’m-in-love-with-you eyes of his again, “…you give me what I want in return. Let me claim you and I will guarantee you my assistance.”

  Urgh. He has absolutely no shame. “You already owe me!”

  He owes me big time for me pushing back a couple of Ambassadors who threatened his life a few years back.

  “Well, I don’t feel like paying up right now.”

  This conversation is pointless now that his infamous stubbornness has set in. “Forget it.” He would have been the easiest route to relocating my pack to another safe house, but I’m certainly not dependent on his help. I’ll take care of it on my own.

  I cross to the door.

  My wolf senses kick in abruptly and a fraction of a second later I hear him snarl.

  The air moves. He’s leaping at me!

  I spin around sw
iftly, drawing my pistol as I do, and fire off a shot. He yelps—a wolf sound—and as I look down at him writhing on the floor, I see that he’s half wolfed-out. If I’d reacted just a tad slower, he would have pounced on me in full wolf form and my wolf would have come out to play before I could stop her. Close call.

  “You’re lucky these bullets aren’t silver.”

  “You…shot me?” he pants as he struggles to rip the bullet from his chest cavity. He won’t be able to heal until it’s out, but I’m not about to help him out, because he’ll be back on his feet in no time if I do.

  “This thing between us is done,” I tell him, my tone ice-cold and uncompromising.

  “Aria, listen—”

  I don’t bother to spare him another glance. I’ve made my decision and that’s it. I never go back on a decision. Ever. And I have no problem cutting people out of my life without a second thought when it’s called for. It’s vital to my survival.

  As I turn away from him, I tell him, “This was only ever sex, Tony. I have plenty of others to choose from. You’re just one of the many.”

  “You bitch!” he snarls.

  I cross to the door and call over my shoulder. “Forgetting that was your big mistake.”

  And with that I storm out, slamming the door behind me. Fucking male Alpha wolves!

  Chapter 3

  ~Ember~

  I am Ember Savage.

  I am running.

  Away from someone, yes, but also towards someone. I am running from my father. A sadistic, calculating, cold-hearted monster.

  He is a vampire so ancient and so powerful that he believes he is the ruler of us all. I disagreed, so I ran the first chance I could, escaping from his clutches back in England. I want to be free and I find my father repugnant. I will never believe in his regime. This clashes with his plans for me, but tough shit. You see, I’m also a vampire. But I was born this way two hundred years ago. I wasn’t created like the majority of my kind. There are only a handful of us in the world that are born to it and out of that handful I am even more special.