Night Creatures: Book 2

by Ebony Brightman

  “Owen is Willa’s enforcer, isn’t he?”

  “Yes. One of them, anyway.”

  “Is he going to try to kill us?”

  Arlo barked a laugh. “No! Owen exists to help us stay disciplined. He takes care of problems when they arise, but that rarely means killing people. Breaking the law means drawing attention. His whole job is to help maintain order. To help maintain our secret.”

  Nisa turned the water off as Arlo grabbed towels. “What about Willa?”

  “Well,”—Arlo toweled off—“there’s no way Owen didn’t report in. So she definitely knows we’re together.”

  “What do you think she’ll do about it?”

  “She’ll probably summon us to her office or house. I thought we’d have more time to figure things out.”

  Nisa dropped her towel and walked into the bedroom. “She can summon all she wants. I’m not going.”

  Arlo followed her. “If we don’t, she’ll just come to us instead.”

  Nisa noticed Arlo’s bags in the corner of the room. Butterfly wings fluttered as she turned out the light, and they both climbed into bed.

  Arlo pulled her to the middle until they were lying chest to chest.

  Her fingers traced full lips. Then his deep-set eyes and thick eyelashes. “There’s no getting out of this, is there?”

  Arlo’s lips were barely touching hers. Kissing her just enough to make her loins stir. “Do you want to get out of this?”

  He held his breath, waiting for her to answer.

  “Never.”

  CHAPTER Seven

  “Ow! Stop pinching me.”

  “I called your name like ten times!”

  “So you pinched me instead?”

  Blake was hovering over Nisa’s side of the bed. She was still wearing her overalls, but she’d replaced the baby tee with a sleeveless mock turtleneck.

  “Is that my shirt?” Nisa said.

  Blake looked down at herself. “I needed something that shows off my guns. In case Owen gets any ideas.”

  Nisa sat up and rubbed her face. Blake was sipping coffee and it smelled like heaven. “Flex for me.” Blake used her free arm to pose like Mr. Universe while Nisa squeezed her bicep. “That’s not a gun, that’s a pea shooter.” Then she flopped back down on the pillow.

  “Hey!” Blake pinched her again. “These earned me a blue belt in Krav Maga.”

  In truth, Blake’s muscles were impressive. Where Blake had Nisa’s eyes, lips, and hair, she was far less curvy—and one hundred percent fit.

  Nisa nudged Arlo with her elbow. “Are you hearing this?”

  Arlo answered with a muffled, “Yes,” then begrudgingly rolled onto his back. “What time is it?”

  Nisa pulled her phone from the nightstand. “7:19.”

  Blake took another sip. “You’re wondering why I’m in your room.”

  “Because I didn’t lock the door?” Nisa guessed.

  “That Willa woman is here.”

  Nisa waited for Blake to jokingly smile, but no smile came.

  “Fuck.” Nisa threw back the covers. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”

  Blake followed her to the bathroom and watched Nisa pee.

  “Damn. Are your boobs getting bigger?”

  Nisa pointed at herself. “Pregnant.”

  “My back hurts just lookin’ at ‘em.”

  Nisa flushed, then hurried to the sink.

  “I like your boobs,” Arlo called out.

  Nisa and Blake raised their eyebrows and smirked. Then Nisa grabbed panties and a tee shirt from the closet.

  Arlo had slipped out of bed and was pulling the bandages from his ribs. Blake had already seen him naked the night before, but it still made Nisa feel awkward. Especially when Blake mouthed, “Nice butt.”

  Nisa pulled her hair back. “How's your shoulder, by the way?” She could see a couple of gashes, but mostly they had scabbed over.

  “It’s fine,” Blake said exasperated. “Stop asking me about it.”

  “Why don’t you go keep an eye on things? We’ll be down in a few minutes.”

  Blake sat on the bathroom counter and let her feet dangle instead. “Why? Can’t you hear them? I can.”

  Nisa sniffed her pits and rolled on some deodorant. “Really?”

  Arlo walked into the bathroom. He’d put on pants but not a shirt. Blake could hardly pull her eyes from his abs. Nisa could hardly pull her eyes from his completely healed flank.

  “Shane is saying, ‘I’m glad you’re here, Willa . . .’ And Willa just told him she’d deal with him later.” Blake’s mouth hung open a little, still listening. “Owen just snickered.”

  Arlo was brushing his teeth. “Have you always been able to hear like that?”

  “I think the sound just carries up here.” She hopped off the counter. “I think I will go downstairs. I’m missing the fun.”

  Blake left, and they walked back into the bedroom. Nisa pulled on a pair of jeans as Arlo pulled a long-sleeved shirt over his head. “Can you hear them? I mean I hear murmurs and intonations, but I can’t make out what they’re saying.”

  “I can hear them when I concentrate.” Arlo sat on the corner of the bed. “You don’t have to go down there, Nisa. I can handle Willa.”

  “No,” Nisa said. “I want to face her. And I want us to do it together. She separated us the last time and that’s how she beat us. It let her and Callum control the narrative. I won’t fall for that again.”

  “Okay.” Arlo nodded his head. “Let’s get this over with.”

  #

  Willa was a master manipulator. There was no malice in it—she simply maneuvered people until they did what she wanted. That’s why she’d pounced so early in the morning. To keep Nisa and Arlo off balance. But Nisa didn’t care. She was ready for it. And by the look on his face, Arlo was too.

  They rounded the corner and the gang was all there—Shane, Blake, Owen, and Willa. Nisa had expected to find them in the kitchen but they were sitting in the living room with tea and Danish.

  As usual, Willa looked impeccable in a slim black skirt, calf hair boots, and a cropped leather jacket. Her hair was shorter than the last time Nisa had seen her—still soft and silvery, but trimmed in a way that made her eyes look deadly.

  Willa and Shane were sitting in the armchairs. Blake was parked pretzel style on the raised hearth of the fireplace. Owen was sitting in the corner on a stool from the kitchen, not too far from Willa.

  That left the couch. Willa’s eyes were keen as Arlo sat first, and Nisa sat down next to him. Arlo instinctively entwined his fingers with hers and pulled her hand into his lap. Willa didn’t twitch or move. Just stared as if trying to solve an equation. Nisa stared back, remembering how Willa looked the last time she saw her—standing in the doorway of her Mill Valley home, nodding as though she’d done Nisa a favor.

  Shane shifted in his chair. “I think the reason we’re all here is that a contract has been breached . . .”

  “Shane,” Willa said, “be quiet.” Her eyes never left Nisa. “You’re looking well.”

  Nisa didn’t flinch. “As are you.”

  “I’ve been told you’re pregnant. Is that true?”

  Nisa paused. It was none of Willa’s business, but she had nothing to hide. “Yes. It’s true.”

  “And it’s Arlo’s.”

  “Or mine,” Shane interjected.

  “Yes. It’s mine,” Arlo said.

  Willa nodded her head as if confirming a suspicion.

  Nisa’s voice was tempered. “Why have you come here, Willa?”

  “Because, as your husband said, a contract has been breached. Understanding the facts will help me decide what to do about it.”

  “You needn’t do anything,” Nisa responded. “I’ve told no one about the pack. I’ve continued to work on the screenplays. And I’m still living in this house. I’ve held up my end.”

  Willa nodded in Blake’s conspicuous direction. Blake chose then to reach for a Danish. “Then who’s this
?”

  “My sister.”

  “Did she not see you two copulating last night? While Arlo was in his beast form?”

  Nisa cut her eyes at Owen, the dirty, rotten blabbermouth. “She did. But she’s my sister. She’s not going to say anything.” Blake, who was sucking jam off her fingers, nodded vigorously. “I have already written one script and I am well into writing the second one. I can have all three written before it’s time for me to give birth. At least the first draft. We’re not violating the contract, just shifting the focus of it.” Nisa looked over at Shane. “I think Shane’s ultimate goal is to be successful and to get these scripts produced. Nothing about me and Arlo being together changes that.”

  Shane grimaced. “You seem to be forgetting that you are my wife. You owe it to me to make this marriage work.”

  Nisa scoffed. “I owe you nothing.”

  “You owe me everything,” Shane replied. “And what happens when we’re done with those three scripts. I get left in the dust? No way.”

  Arlo had had enough. “Shane, you and Nisa are done. She wants nothing from you. She needs nothing from you. Stop being a parasite. Move on.”

  Shane rested his elbows on his knees. “She wasn’t done when I was eating her pussy a few weeks ago. It sure seemed like our marriage wasn’t over then.”

  Nisa had stopped breathing. She’d thought that “seeing red” was a figure of speech, but it wasn’t. Her vision had actually turned red, along with her face.

  Arlo was deadly calm. “I’m going to kill you.”

  Owen silently shifted on his stool.

  Willa sighed as though she’d seen this all before. “You two need to let the women speak. Nisa. I owe you an apology. I hadn’t considered how volatile things were for you here. It was my impression that the main trouble was Shane building his career on the fruits of your hidden labor. I made an assumption based on Arlo’s past behavior and sent you home without asking enough questions. And for that I'm very sorry.

  “I apologize to you as well, Arlo. What I thought was promiscuity was clearly the beginning of a mating phase. Your development as a Lycan has always been unique. But given the fact that Nisa is pregnant, and how active you two have been . . . my thoughts on the matter have shifted.”

  Shane spoke through clenched teeth. “This could be my baby too. And if it is, I’m not turning it over to a pack of wild dogs.”

  Blake reached for another Danish. “I thought you didn’t even want kids, Shane. You guys have been married for ten years and boning longer than that. Then suddenly there’s Arlo and Nisa’s pregnant? Do the math.”

  Willa stared at Blake with a curious look, then turned her attention back to Shane. “Shane, if you refer to my family as ‘dogs’ again, I’ll have Owen break your legs.”

  “I have an OB appointment later today,” Nisa said. “I’ll ask my doctor about a DNA test.”

  Arlo’s voice was sharp. “Great. I’ll be there.”

  “And so will I,” Shane said.

  Nisa squeezed Arlo’s knee. “I’ll go by myself. It’ll keep things . . . civil.”

  “I can go with you.” Blake swallowed another bite.

  “Thank you, Blake. I’d like that.” And Nisa meant it.

  Willa’s eyes were piercing. “I also want to extend an invitation for you and Arlo to come stay with me and Callum.”

  “NO,” Nisa, Arlo, and Shane said in unison.

  “Hear me out.” Willa held up her hand. “There are certain quirks that can come with having a Lycan child. I can answer any questions you might have about the pregnancy, and I can make sure that both you and the baby stay safe.” That last part was directed at Shane.

  “No.” Nisa shook her head. “You have a habit of trying to take my choices away, and I imagine that would only get worse if I was living under your roof. Shane may be difficult but he's not unreasonable. I’m sure that the three of us can figure this out.”

  “That’s fair, but then I think Owen should stay here.”

  “No.”

  “My nephew is a wonderful man.” There was genuine warmth when she said it. “But he’s still a Lycan. Sharing living space with a romantic rival is a recipe for disaster.”

  Nisa laughed. “Arlo has no rival.”

  Willa was unswayed. “In your mind. But I doubt it’s as clear to Arlo and Shane.”

  “Why do you care so much?” Nisa wondered.

  “Because Arlo is family and I love him.”

  “And yet you were willing to let him ‘wither and die.’ Your words not mine. Why the change of heart now that Arlo could have a pack of his own?”

  Arlo spoke up. “Is that what you told her?”

  “The point is . . .” Willa interjected.

  “The point is,” Arlo interrupted, “is that you told me Nisa had gone back with Shane as part of an agreement to keep our secret. Not because she thought I was under personal threat.”

  Willa’s voice hardened. “Judge me all you want. You’ll understand once your own child is born. That you’ll do anything to protect them and remove any obstacle. Even when they’re grown.”

  “Owen can stay, for now,” Nisa said. “But I don’t want to see you again. Not for a while, at least. And not uninvited. And Owen,”—Nisa turned her gaze on him.—“you are here to keep the peace, not to be Willa’s wolfy spy.”

  Owen looked at Willa, who nodded.

  “And I’ll be staying here too,” Blake said. “I'm not leaving you alone with these clowns.”

  “And what about me?” Shane asked quietly.

  “What about you?” Nisa said. “You’re getting your screenplays.”

  “And after that?” Shane stared at Nisa.

  Everyone watched her, waiting for an answer.

  “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

  #

  The impromptu breakfast had broken up when Callum had started texting Willa. Arlo asked where Callum had been, but all Willa would say is that he was dealing with pack business. And then she’d left with a flourish, headed for the office.

  Shane had once again stormed off to the den. Blake had borrowed yoga pants and a sticky mat from Nisa, stating she needed to “cool out” before the OB appointment. Owen, who was wearing a fresh change of clothes, had returned to the couch to read. Nisa wondered where the clothes had come from, but it had probably been Willa.

  She and Arlo had headed back upstairs. Nisa wanted to go over Shane’s notes before her doctor’s appointment, and Arlo needed to go to work. He was on a strict deadline for the mural he was working on and had another job lined up right after.

  Nisa walked into their room and dove for the bed. Arlo closed the door behind them, sliding the bolt in place. She raised her head from the duvet. Something peculiar was dancing in Arlo’s eyes. “What’s that face about?”

  Arlo stepped closer to the bed. “Nothing really. I just . . . I know more than ever that I never want to lose you.” He leaned across the bed, massaging her ass. Then Nisa giggled as he grabbed her by the hips and dragged her to the floor.

  “I thought you were going to work.” She was on her knees now, her body pressed against the edge of the mattress as Arlo kneeled behind her. She tilted her head to the side as he kissed behind her ear, and his hands slid around her waist to unbutton her pants. He yanked her zipper down, and then his fingers were in her panties as the other hand skimmed under her shirt to squeeze breast.

  Her body reacted instantly, his fingers sliding effortlessly over her clit as her body readied itself for sex. She groaned as he tugged at her nipple and rolled it between his fingers, then ran his hand between her breasts as he sucked on her neck. His hand delved deeper between her legs and, satisfied with the slickness, began eagerly pushing down her jeans.

  Nisa braced against the bed, looking over her shoulder as he unsheathed himself. Then he was gliding into her, urgent and steady until he’d buried every inch. It was potent but shocking as her body adjusted, and he began to ride her. He too b
raced himself, putting one hand on the bed and the other back in her pussy, determined to bring her to a hasty orgasm.

  Nisa panted as their bodies slapped together, their sex smelling of desperation. Climax rocketed through her, violent and quick as Arlo too found his release. He buried himself with one more thrust, holding her tight as his cock finished jerking. Then he collapsed to the floor, out of breath, and Nisa collapsed with him.

  It was a minute or so before her body stopped tingling. Then she wriggled her pants back over her hips and went to sit in her corner reading chair. Arlo stayed on the floor, his pants around his knees, his cock limp against his thigh. Nisa pulled her knees to her chest and watched Arlo with guarded eyes. “What was that?”

  Arlo looked at Nisa, then stared at the ceiling. “I don’t want Shane touching you. Not ever again.”

  Damn you, Shane.

  “It’s not what you think.”

  “Did he force you?”

  “What? No.”

  “Then I don’t need the details.” Arlo pulled his pants up and came to standing. “But never again. You can’t have us both, Nisa.”

  Nisa was shocked. “Of course not! I don’t want Shane or anybody else. I only want you.”

  Arlo kneeled by his belongings, pulling out sketches and notebooks. His back was to Nisa but she could see the tension. “You made the decision we should stay here. And you made the decision to honor that contract.”

  Nisa blinked. “To keep Shane from outing you guys.”

  Arlo looked at her. “And I love you for that. But I want to be clear. I can put up with a lot, but I’m not sharing you with Shane.”

  “I could give a shit about Shane. And I don't want to feel like I'm being fucked by him either. I understand why you’re upset, but my pussy is not a place to put your anger.”

  “I wasn’t trying to . . . I just wanted you to remember how hard I can make you come.”

  “So you were teaching me a lesson?”

  “No . . .”

  “Yes. You were.”

  Arlo pulled on his boots, then slung his work duffle over his shoulder. He slumped a little under the weight of it. Nisa stood as he approached her chair. “I don’t want him to get between us.”