Saving His Mate (A vampire-werewolf romance)

by Savannah Stuart

  Half-smiling, he shook his head and closed the distance between them. He pulled her into a hug. “Can’t blame a wolf for trying,” he murmured, his breath warm against the top of her head.

  As she started to step out of his embrace, she nearly fell back as Rex body-slammed him. Davis flew through the air, landing against one of the freezer doors with a thud.

  Oh, shit.

  His claws and canines immediately came out as he and Rex simultaneously rushed each other. They growled and snarled as they started pummeling each other with their fists, claws and teeth. In seconds they were rolling on the ground like maniacal cubs, not trained and disciplined supernatural males.

  Margery knew better than to get in the middle of a fight with two dominant males but she wasn’t going to let them ruin her kitchen. Grabbing a huge bowl of melted butter, she used her shifter agility and jumped onto the nearest flat prep station. She tossed the warm butter down on their heads and to her surprise they both shouted in disbelief and rolled back.

  As the mess trailed down Rex’s hair and into his face, she cursed herself for imagining what it would be like to lick it off him. The thought of eating just butter was weird, but not the thought of tracing her tongue over every single inch of him.

  “What the hell is going on in here?” Sarah demanded from the doorway, staring at all of them as if they’d lost their minds.

  Margery didn’t wait for them to answer. She ripped off her apron and tossed it at Davis. “You two clean this crap up. And find a way to work with each other the rest of the night because I’m leaving.”

  “Margery,” Rex said as he stood, more of the butter dripping down onto his shoulders. Why did he have to look so adorable? “Please let me apologize—”

  “No.” She shook her head, not wanting to hear it. The thing was, she wasn’t even angry. She knew exactly why Rex was acting all crazy and territorial. When Sarah had told Margery that she’d make a move on Rex if Margery didn’t, the strangest possessive urge had welled up inside her, making her wolf claw at her in a way she never did. So she understood the vampire’s primal urges.

  Which was exactly why she couldn’t be around him any longer. Distance was the only thing that could help. She hoped. Then she’d have to talk to Grant about rescinding his offer to Rex. They couldn’t have a vampire in their pack. Not when he was making Margery want to climb the walls with an undeniable need she wouldn’t give into.

  No, no, no. She refused to believe what her wolf was telling her. Refused to even think the words, much less admit the truth aloud. He wasn’t her destined mate. “Sarah, you’re in charge. Call me if there’s a problem.” She didn’t wait for a response as she hurried to the front of the shop.

  Her keys were in her pants pocket and she didn’t need her purse. Sarah could just bring it to her later. It was a little after midnight and the second she stepped outside the crisp April air rolled over her. Not quite summer but a little warmer than their normal spring. The parking lot was nearly deserted except for pack vehicles and Rex’s SUV. Inhaling deeply she savored the fresh scent of the ocean nearby. It calmed her—sort of.

  Nothing could actually do that right now. Nothing but the mysterious and sexy vampire back in her bakery. As she slid her key into the ignition her door was wrenched open. She turned, ready to tell Rex to back off when a female she didn’t recognize slammed something into Margery’s neck. She hadn’t even scented the female. Her adrenaline was pumping so hard that her senses were all jumbled up.

  Cold agony slid through her veins, nearly immobilizing her. But she refused to go down without a fight. Punching out, she slammed her fist into the female’s nose, the hit almost as weak as a human.

  The female laughed as she took the punch, the sound grating against Margery’s senses. Her vision blurred as another shot of pain battered against all her nerve endings. What the hell…

  Silver.

  The bitch had shot her up with silver. Calling on her only remaining strength, Margery let her wolf take over, knowing her animal side would protect her as best as she could. The woman cursed as she shifted, the last sound Margery heard before she succumbed to blackness.

  * * *

  “I’m going to smell like butter all night,” Davis muttered as he watched Margery go.

  Rex kept his gaze pinned on the wolf, resisting the urge to go after Margery. He refused to make her feel cornered when it was clear she needed space.

  Davis finally glanced back at him and held up his hands in mock surrender—though his body was tense and it was clear he was ready for another attack. Rex had lost complete control before, tackling the other male like a new vampire not in control of his baser needs. It was embarrassing, especially since he’d done it in front of the female he wanted more than he’d ever wanted any other.

  “Feel free to let the pack know Margery’s off limits,” he finally managed to grit out.

  Davis watched him warily. “You must have heard our conversation. You knew she wasn’t interested in me. Why’d you attack?”

  Rex had heard it and it’d pissed him off beyond reason. He didn’t owe the wolf an explanation but if he was going to assimilate into a wolf pack he knew he needed to be somewhat diplomatic. “You offered her something casual. Margery deserves more than that.” If she ever allowed Rex to touch her there would be nothing remotely casual about it. “That was your first strike. Then you touched what’s mine.” The guttural words were out before he could stop himself. Even the image of Davis’s arms wrapped around Margery’s lithe form made him crazy. That primal thing built up inside him, pushing at all his rationalization, stripping him back to who he’d been when he’d just turned into a vampire.

  And it scared the shit out of him.

  Davis’s dark eyes flared pure wolf for a moment, likely from Rex’s threatening tone, but then his entire body relaxed. “Damn, vampire. Get that shit out of your hair then go after her.”

  “Yeah, me and bozo here have this covered. Go see Margery. She deserves some happiness,” Sarah said, still lingering in the doorway.

  “Bozo?” Davis asked mildly.

  “Yeah. That’s what you are for poaching on another male’s territory. What the hell’s the matter with you?”

  “It’s not like I knew…”

  Rex tuned out their conversation as he stuck his head under the faucet of one of the industrial sized stainless steel sinks. After washing out what he could using the antibacterial soap he wiped the last remnants of butter from his face and neck. He didn’t give a shit about his clothes, he just wanted to find Margery and explain—and apologize for—his asinine behavior.

  When he exited the kitchen, Davis was still cleaning up under another sink behind him. In the main store there were half a dozen people in line, some quietly murmuring to each other as Sarah rang them up. After a quick nod at her, he hurried out into the parking lot and immediately stilled as he rounded the side of the building.

  Margery’s Jeep was there.

  Heart beating an erratic tattoo, he raced to the driver’s door and realized it wasn’t quite closed, as if someone had shut it but not pushed hard enough. He pulled the door open and full-fledged fear erupted inside him, clawing away at his insides.

  Her key was still in the ignition and remnants of Margery’s shredded clothes lined the front seat. There was no way in hell she’d have shifted in the middle of the parking lot unless she’d been under threat.

  The thought of anything threatening her made him see red.

  Forcing himself to remain calm, he looked around, focusing on any potential threats. Whatever had happened to Margery, he was going to find her. Because he refused to believe otherwise. As he scanned the perimeter of the parking lot he inhaled deeply, taking in all the scents. In a place this busy, it was damn near impossible to sift through everything. He’d learned long ago to consciously ignore the majority of scents and sounds around him except when he needed to home in on something.

  Somehow he locked down his fear for Marge
ry, keeping it at bay as he took control of his senses. Along the main road there was a couple strolling down the sidewalk, hand-in-hand. On his other side he spotted a couple making out in the front seat of a car. Dismissing any threats, he leaned into the front seat and inspected everything.

  The sharp scent of fear and anger permeated the air. Margery was afraid but she was also pissed. A heavy dose of guilt slammed into him. If he hadn’t been fighting with Davis like an out of control male she’d have never come out here by herself. He picked up part of the shirt she’d been wearing. He already had her scent but he inhaled, pulling it deeper into his memory. As he did, something slick and almost shiny caught his eye. Leaning down toward the seat he zeroed in on the substance. Before he gently touched it, he knew what it was.

  Colloidal silver. His finger burned as he swiped against it, but he ignored the discomfort. Right now finding Margery was all that mattered. The terror splintering through him would have to take a back seat. He had to keep a level head if he wanted to save her.

  She wouldn’t carry silver around with her. Someone must have injected her with it. It was the only thing that made sense of the mess left behind. There weren’t too many reasons for her to have gone wolf in a semi-public place. But if she was being threatened or attacked to the point her inner animal felt the need to take over, her human side wouldn’t have had a choice. Silver in her bloodstream would be excruciating but it wouldn’t kill her. Not at her age. That knowledge was the only thing that kept his primal side at bay. Barely.

  He pulled out his phone, ready to call Grant when his phone buzzed with an incoming text.

  If you want to see that pretty shifter again get in your SUV and drive west. Wait for instructions. Tell anyone in that wolf pack and the bitch dies.

  Icy tendrils wrapped around his throat, squeezing tight. Someone had to be watching him. After the text followed a picture of a brown and white wolf with a shackle around one of its legs. It was connected to a thick chain. Rex almost crushed his phone in his hand. He’d never seen Margery shift but he had no doubt that was her. She lay there, her head on her paw with her eyes closed. He prayed she was just unconscious.

  Without knowing what her kidnapper wanted he couldn’t let Grant know about this. Not yet. He was going to get her back.

  Rex strode toward the front of the parking lot where he’d parked, his movements jerky. Margery had left her Jeep at the side of the building, somewhat out of sight, but there hadn’t been many spots when he’d arrived.

  As Rex reached his SUV, Davis strode out the front door. Rex could see Sarah inside at the cash register helping the last customer while the others were now sitting at the high-top tables eating their pastries.

  “Hey, Rex,” Davis called out, but Rex ignored him.

  Jumping into the front seat of his SUV, he threw it into reverse before hauling ass out of there. He didn’t know if he was being watched and he couldn’t be seen talking to anyone. As he pulled onto the main road, his phone rang.

  Hell, maybe he was being watched. It was from the same number as the text. He answered immediately. “Yeah.”

  “I’m going to give you an address and you’re going to plug it into your GPS system and follow the directions exactly,” a female said.

  “Who is this?”

  “The female who has your bitch. Saw you two cozying up at her bakery. Can’t believe you’re hooking up with a shifter but I guess there’s no accounting for taste with a piece of garbage who hunts his own kind.” Her voice dripped with unconcealed disgust.

  Rex’s grip tightened on the steering wheel, those icy fingers around his throat squeezing even more. So this had to do with his job. Shit. This could be about pure payback. And God knew he’d made plenty of enemies. “What do you want from me?”

  She quickly rattled off an address then said, “Go there. You’ll be met by a vampire. You’re going to take him to Stanley then we’re going to do an even trade for your shifter.”

  Like hell. “That’s not how trades work,” he snarled. “I’ll meet you at a centralized place and we’ll do an even trade out in the open.” Unfortunately he didn’t have Stanley. The only good thing was, this female had no clue the vamp was dead.

  “No. I’m in charge and these are the parameters of my deal. As soon as we’re done here, throw your phone out the window. If you don’t, I’ll know. Be there in ten minutes or she dies. Bring backup and she dies.” The female hung up.

  Rex let out a savage curse, but did as she said and threw his phone out the window. He input the address while driving, his hand actually shaking. He was over two hundred years old and his fucking hand shook. If this unknown female hurt Margery…he couldn’t even think about that. No, he had to stay focused on his mission. Then he’d destroy whoever had taken her.

  Once the address registered he realized it wasn’t far, around ten minutes out. Maybe less. The female had given him just enough time to get there and ensure he couldn’t set a trap. From the dashboard map he realized how close it was to Charmaine’s bed and breakfast where he’d killed Stanley. For a brief moment he thought about contacting her and getting more intel on what Stanley had been up to and who his associates had been. But he didn’t trust her enough.

  He used his Onstar system to call Grant. He rarely used the system but kept it as a backup. Now more than ever he was thankful to have it.

  The alpha picked up on the fourth ring, sounding distracted. “Yeah.”

  “It’s me. Margery’s been taken by an unknown female. Probable silver poisoning. There might be more than one kidnapper. I don’t know for sure but I’m guessing it was vamps. This has something to do with the male I was hunting because she wants to do a trade.” Which he would have done, if Stanley was still alive. “She insisted I throw out my phone so it’s possible someone’s watching me.” At least they couldn’t see into his SUV with the dark tint on the windows. He quickly repeated the address.

  “I’m putting together a team as we speak,” Grant said, his voice clipped and tense.

  Rex could hear movement and low murmurs in the background. “It needs to be small and you guys better be fucking invisible. They’ll kill her if they sense backup.” Under normal circumstances he’d never order an alpha around but he didn’t care now.

  “We will be. Take care of yourself. We’re going to get her back.” The deadly edge to his voice left no doubt that Grant would follow through. Margery was his packmate and if she’d been around since Grant’s father was alpha, there was no way in hell he’d let this go unpunished. Whoever had taken her would die.

  And Rex wanted to be the one who meted out that sentence.

  As he neared what should be the last turnoff according to the map, he slowed. The road was about a mile before the one leading to Charmaine’s, but the landscape was basically the same. Farmland and pecan trees. He didn’t like how open it was but the night and trees should give him enough cover if necessary. As the road turned into a dead end, his GPS announced that he’d arrived at his destination.

  He turned it off, then slid into the backseat. Crouching low he surveyed his surroundings as he pulled out a few explosive devices he always kept with him. Without knowing how many threats were out there he was going to be as prepared as possible. There was a dilapidated picket fence around a big spread of land that had pecan trees surrounding it. Behind it he could barely make out a barn-like structure through a thicket of trees. Withdrawing one of his blades, he slowly opened one of the doors and stepped out.

  A soft whistling sound was his only warning. As he dove to the ground, an arrow skimmed his upper arm, ripping his shirt open, but didn’t penetrate skin. Pumped up on adrenaline he barely felt the burning sensation over his bare arm. But someone had shot at him with a silver-tipped arrow.

  He might be used to tracking down vamps and bringing them back alive, but this time he was ending whoever was behind this swiftly and with brutal force.

  Chapter 5

  Margery shifted against the dusty co
ncrete floor, cursing her chain. She tried to focus on her surroundings but a dull throb of pain threaded through every fiber of her being. Being in wolf form helped, but the agony of the silver in her bloodstream was making her weak and disoriented.

  Though the room she was being held captive in was dark, she could still see enough thanks to her extrasensory abilities. A wooden ladder was propped up against a trapdoor in the ceiling. She could scent normal foliage, moldy hay and pecan trees. She could even scent traces of the ocean, but the salty tinge in the air was incredibly faint. Which gave her hope that they hadn’t gone too far. Maybe ten or so miles from the main beach strip. Margery couldn’t know for sure but she didn’t think they would have been able to go far because the woman who’d taken her was a vampire. Not with sunrise only a couple hours away. Her sense of time was skewed along with everything else but her animal sensed that not much time had elapsed. Her animal had also sensed the female was a vamp right before she’d fallen unconscious.

  When the trapdoor opened, Margery laid her muzzle on her paws, feigning sleep as she kept her breathing and heartbeat as steady as possible.

  “She’s still out,” the female murmured.

  “We should just kill her now,” a male said.

  Margery forced herself not to tense or change her breathing, but if these two tried to kill her, she was taking one of them with her. She might be weak right now but if one of them got close enough, she’d rip their throat out.

  “Not yet,” the female snapped as she shut the door. “She’s our only bargaining chip for Stanley…” Her voice grew fainter as she left, but Margery couldn’t even hear them walking away.

  She also hadn’t heard them approach. Either she was weaker than she thought or they’d used their vampiric gift of speed to sneak up on the door—or they hadn’t left at all. Maybe they were just waiting to see if she’d been faking being asleep.