As soon as she let go, Rex followed, drinking from her as he came, his tugs and groans against her neck making her crazy. She dug her fingers into his back, knowing she’d mark him and not caring. She wanted her mark on him, just as he was marking her with his teeth, scent and his own bruising grip.
Arching her back, her breasts rubbed against his chest, the additional friction stimulating her even more until they both collapsed against the couch.
Rex withdrew his fangs, and she immediately mourned the loss of that connection until he gently nuzzled her neck, flicking his tongue over the small wounds. With her healing capabilities and his attentions she doubted she’d have markings by the time night fell.
She gently ran her fingers up and down his back until he pulled his head up. Still half-hard inside her, his gaze was intense and so full of adoration, she couldn’t help the sappy smile that spread across her face.
“Too tired for more?” he asked quietly, the pure male question making her laugh.
She shook her head and before she’d answered audibly, he moved off the couch, clutching her to him with a possessive intimacy as he made his way to her bedroom.
Oh yes, today was going to be long and wonderful. Deep down she hoped it was the start of something more. Whatever was happening between them, whether it was the mating pull or not, she’d never felt anything like it and she wanted the chance to see where this relationship could lead.
Chapter 8
“Anything new?” Grant asked, seated across from Rex at his desk.
Rex scanned the newest email he’d received from Pascal, the male who’d hired him to hunt down Stanley. Rex had contacted him, making it clear he wanted every single bit of information on the dead vampire. A week had passed since Margery had been kidnapped and they were still trying to hunt down the male who’d gotten away.
It was after sunset, but Rex had been up working for hours before coming over to see the alpha at his home. Talia was at work and Margery was downstairs with a couple of her packmates eating. He shook his head. “Not really. Just more trivial background information on Daria and Franz.” Daria was the female Rex had killed; they were ninety-nine percent certain Franz was the male who had escaped.
According to Pascal, the two had left the coven about a month before Stanley stole from him. Pascal hadn’t connected the three of them as working together, but a couple of his coven members had confirmed the three of them had been close. It appeared that they’d wanted to start their own coven—with money stolen from Pascal.
Stupid and greedy. Unfortunately Franz didn’t have any credit cards and hadn’t left a paper trail anywhere. Not exactly surprising if he was on the run.
“We will find him.” Grant’s voice held a deadly promise.
Rex nodded, trying to leash his anger. He knew they would. Both he and the alpha had put out enough feelers in the supernatural community that someone would turn Franz in. But Rex wanted the male eliminated now. He needed to know the threat to Margery was completely gone. And that male was going to suffer for daring to take her. “Not soon enough.”
“Margery’s going back to work tomorrow,” Grant said, changing the subject.
Rex gritted his teeth. This was a conversation he’d already had with the stubborn female. “I know.”
A ghost of a smile touched Grant’s mouth. “You want to keep her locked down twenty-four-seven.” The statement was laced with mild amusement.
“Of course not…Maybe.” It was his own issue and he knew he had to deal with it. She was incredibly capable and able to protect herself. He just experienced the strongest need to keep her safe from all harm. Which he knew was impossible. The female was over two hundred years old. Clearly she knew how to take care of herself and he couldn’t be with her every moment of every day anyway. That knowledge didn’t lessen the steady need to protect that hummed through him, a constant maddening beat. “I’m not used to feeling like this.” Like he would die if anything happened to her.
Grant full-on smiled then. “Welcome to my world. Now…what’s your answer?”
It had only been a week since the alpha asked him to join the pack, but Rex knew without a doubt what he wanted. “I’m in.”
The alpha nodded once, not surprised. “Good. I’ve never seen her so happy.” Continuing in a lower voice, he said, “What about living arrangements? We have more than one condo open, but…” Grant trailed off, his unspoken question clear.
“I don’t know yet.” Rex knew what he wanted; to move in with Margery permanently. After almost two hundred and fifty years of living virtually alone, the thought of sharing space with someone should scare him. Instead he embraced it like he’d never done with anything else. He wanted to wake up to Margery’s face every evening and to hold her tight every time they went to sleep.
Grant’s gaze narrowed a fraction, his eyes going wolf as he assessed Rex. “You don’t know?”
“I know, I just don’t know what she wants,” he muttered.
He earned another smile from the alpha, taking Rex off guard again. He’d never seen Grant so relaxed. “Why haven’t you asked her?”
“There’s been a lot going on.” He couldn’t keep the defensive note out of his voice even though his answer was total bullshit. They hadn’t left the bedroom much, which was fine with him.
The alpha snorted. “Or you’re just too much of a pussy to tell her what you want.”
Yeah, or that. What if she said no? The thought made something dark and uncomfortable settle in his chest. He didn’t respond because he heard light footsteps on the stairs. A moment later Margery’s subtle lavender scent invaded his senses.
Grant stood and rounded the desk. “I’ll let you tell her in case you haven’t. I already knew your answer, so tonight we’re celebrating on the beach. Party starts in an hour.” As he pulled the door open they found Margery standing there. The alpha grunted something before moving past her, clearly giving them privacy.
Surprised by the mention of the party Rex stood as Margery entered.
She immediately smiled at him, taking his breath away—something she seemed to do at least once a day. “I love your manners,” she murmured as she shut the door behind Grant.
Rex was from a different time, just like her, and not standing for a female simply wasn’t done. He pulled her into his arms as he sat back against the chair, tugging her into his lap. She settled right over his growing erection, making him groan. “What else do you love about me?” he murmured, nipping at her jawline.
She wiggled over his hard length once, teasing him. “I’ll tell you later. What did you guys talk about? Is there any news about the missing vamp?” The hope in her voice nearly shredded him.
She’d known he was coming up here to discuss hunting down Franz, and Rex had wanted to give her good news. “Nothing yet but we’re going to find him. But, I do have good news. I’m joining the pack.”
Her dark eyes widened before she kissed him, brushing her lips over his sweetly. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me earlier, sneaky vampire,” she said as she leaned back, her expression clearly pleased.
Not that he’d been worried she’d be disappointed. Okay, he’d been fucking nervous. What the hell was happening to him? It was like he’d turned into a lovesick fool. Shit. He loved her. That’s why he felt overly protective and insecure. This had nothing to do with the electric pull he experienced because of what he knew was the mating call. This was different, deeper.
He loved her.
How had he not realized sooner? The past week they’d barely left her place. They’d had a lot of sex, but he’d also gotten to know her. He loved every single thing about her from the way she took care of so many of her packmates, just lending an ear to listen, right down to the way she sang horribly off-key in the shower.
Margery lightly thumped him on the chest and he realized he hadn’t responded. “What are you thinking?”
“Living arrangements. I’ll need to move all my stuff down here.” Most of i
t was in a private, secure storage facility anyway because he traveled so much for work.
“The pack—your pack—will help. Will it be weird for you to be a vampire in a wolf pack?” Biting her bottom lip, she watched him curiously, and maybe a little nervously, as she waited for his answer.
“Hell no.” He was certain he’d have to deal with the occasional challenges from pack members wanting to display dominance, but it would have been the same if he’d been in a coven. Supernatural beings were a lot more primal than humans in some ways.
She instantly relaxed, sliding her fingers over his shoulders. Even through his shirt the feel of her elegant fingers brushing against him turned him on even more. Because he’d been rock hard since he’d scented her out in the hallway. “We better get back to the condo. I don’t think Grant would appreciate us going at it on his office floor.”
The wicked gleam in her eyes told him that she was considering doing just that. Which made him even hotter. “I guess so.” Sliding off him, she dragged her hand over his erection.
He groaned as he stood. “We’re going to have to be quick. Grant’s throwing a party in an hour.”
“That’s what he was talking about when he left? I didn’t think he meant a real party,” she said as he opened the door, heading out into the hallway first.
It was instinct for him to enter any space first to check for danger, even in their alpha’s house.
“After you see how shifters party, you’re never going to want to leave the pack,” she continued, excitement lacing her voice.
He nearly snorted. He’d never leave. Not unless she did. And then he’d follow her anywhere. “Grant said there’s an empty place next to yours I can take,” he said abruptly. But I don’t want to stay there, I want to live with you, he silently thought. Grant was right, he really was a coward.
“Oh…is that what you want?” she asked carefully. The shift in her scent was subtle as she stepped out behind him. It was sharper, one he’d never scented before, and he wasn’t sure he liked it.
No, that wasn’t what he wanted. He scrubbed a hand over his face as they paused outside the office door. He didn’t want to live in another place. He wanted to be with Margery every second he could. If it was practically any other situation he could use his strength to get what he wanted. When hunting for someone he depended on strength, research and understanding the habits of his prey.
With Margery he felt impossibly out of his depth. This wasn’t a game and while it was a hunt in a way, it wasn’t one where there was one winner and one loser. He’d never been in a real relationship before and he couldn’t screw this up. Not with her.
“Hey you two, break up whatever you’re doing!” Talia shouted as she bounded up the stairs with Ella and Lauren Hayes, two jaguar shifters who had mated with Asher and Max, respectively, right on her heels. The two jaguars might as well be sisters for how much the petite, honey-blonde haired cousins looked like each other.
Right now the three women were practically jumping up and down with excitement. Lauren nudged him out of the way and grabbed Margery’s hand. “Welcome to the pack, Rex,” she said in his direction as she dragged Margery to the stairs. “We’ve got some party planning to do.”
Margery smiled and shrugged as if to say ‘what can you do’ while Lauren dragged her away. Her smile was real but something lingered in her scent and in her expression that had those invisible icy fingers tightening around his throat again. Fuck, he was an idiot. He should just tell her he was moving in. Because he wasn’t going anywhere.
* * *
At the tiki bar by the pool behind Grant’s house, Margery grabbed another martini for herself and a beer for Rex. Rex didn’t need to eat, but he could drink liquids other than blood. And she’d discovered that his favorite beer was Dos Equis. Grant must have known that too because he’d stocked the bar with them.
She was still impressed that Grant had managed to keep this party a secret from her. She was glad he had though because if Rex hadn’t accepted joining the pack and she’d known about the party…She shook her head. No need to think about that because he was a member now, something that made her happier than she’d ever been. Even if he had mentioned moving into the empty place next to hers. She hadn’t known how to respond and had been grateful when Lauren and the others had dragged her away to help prep for the party.
Maybe it was stupid but she’d assumed he’d move in with her. The last week had been amazing and more intense than she’d ever imagined possible. She knew what she felt for him and it was way more than the mating call. She’d thought he felt the same. Since she didn’t want to depress herself, she locked all those thoughts down tight and made her way around the pool.
She ignored calls from her packmates to jump in and play volleyball and sidled up to Rex who was talking with Lauren and Max, Grant’s second-in-command. He was one of her favorite packmates and she was so happy he’d found someone.
“You didn’t have to get that,” Rex murmured as he took the beer and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
Even if she felt off-balance by what he’d said earlier, she loved how affectionate he was. There was no guessing where she stood as far as that went. “It’s your party, you’re not going to do anything but relax.”
The heated look he gave her in response made her toes curl in her sandals. When a plastic beach ball flew past them, hitting Lauren in the head, the jaguar shifter playfully batted it back at a group of the partygoers and quickly excused herself to join them.
“Give us a few minutes?” Rex asked Max, who raised his eyebrows but trailed after his mate. Rex then took Margery’s martini and set it on a nearby table next to his beer before taking her hand in his. He linked his fingers through hers, his grip reassuring. “Take a walk with me.”
“What about the party?” she asked as they headed down the private wooden boardwalk to the beach. Not that she really cared. She loved being alone with Rex.
Music was blasting, everyone was relaxed and drinking and she knew in an hour or so they’d move it to the beach for a bonfire. But for now it was just the two of them. There were a couple boats idling out in the water, the nearly full moon gleaming down on everything. He didn’t respond until they reached the end of the long boardwalk. “What’s going on with us?” His voice was so low she almost couldn’t make out the question above the softly crashing waves in front of them and the party noise behind them.
“What do you mean?” He’d probably picked up on her emotions, something that was a good and bad thing. She gestured toward the surf, wanting to sit in the sand closer to the ocean. Even though that vampire was still out there, she and Rex were two strong supernatural beings. She wasn’t worried about being ambushed. Especially not so close to the pack.
As they sat in the sand, he kept his fingers threaded through hers and he turned to face her. “Something’s bothering you.” A statement, not a question.
She sighed, knowing she needed to be honest. She might be new to this relationship stuff, but he deserved her honesty. Even if it would hurt if he told her that he didn’t want to live with her. As she started to respond, her hair blew slightly back as something whistled past her face.
Rex threw his body over hers, tackling her against the soft sand. Something thudded behind them. An arrow. It took her less than a second to realize they were under attack.
“He’s shooting from the water. Stay low,” he ordered as he practically dragged her down the beach.
She shoved up from the sand and sprinted with him. A few thuds trailed after them, but none too close.
“You want to end this now?” Rex’s eyes glowed intensely bright.
Without him having to explain what he wanted to do, she nodded. If that bastard out there thought he could hurt them on pack land, he was dumber than she thought. She heard the engine and knew they had only moments to make a decision. She stripped off her dress and shoes, leaving her in her bathing suit, as Rex slid his shoes and shirt off. Without a wor
d, they both hurried toward the water, using their incredible speed to swim toward the boat.
It was starting to pull away, the shooter likely realizing the mistake he’d made. He might be good with a bow and arrow, but aiming from a moving boat had to be damn hard.
Rex pulled ahead of her, using his incredible speed as he cut through the water like a torpedo. The engine roared and panic jumped in her throat as the boat started to flee. She wanted this to end now, not wait for this asshole to come after them again.
Calling on all her strength, she stroked harder. Her fear blossomed into something sharp when she saw Rex jump from the water into the boat. As she reached the idling vessel, full-blown adrenaline took over. She clutched at the side and pulled herself up only to collapse in relief when she saw Rex standing next to a pile of ash already turning muddy as it mixed with the ocean water. She’d known he was strong, but damn.
Before she could swing herself over, Rex grabbed her under her arms and hauled her up, pulling her close. She shuddered at the sensations punching through her. He was safe, unharmed.
“It’s over,” Rex murmured. “Stupid fucker thought we had the money Stanley stole. He wanted it back.”
Which meant the money was still out there. Not that Margery cared about that. She kept her arms wrapped tight around him as she leaned her head back to look up at Rex. She might be relationship challenged, but when it came to this male she had to tell him how she felt. If something had happened to him and she’d never gotten the chance it would have shredded her. He deserved to know this was more than just physical attraction and more than just the mating call. “I love you, Rex.”
His eyes glowed brighter than she’d ever seen them, his expression dark, hungry and so full of love it made her knees weak. He wasn’t holding anything back now. “I love you too, and I’m not moving into that empty, fucking condo. I’m moving in with you whether you like it or not.”
Saving His Mate (A vampire-werewolf romance) Page 7
