Tessa, Vampire/Werewolf Romance, (Standalone) (Shadow Creek Shifters Book 3)

by Maddie Foxx

  Tessa watched as Raphael shucked his clothing, placed them on a chair on the porch of her cabin, and then shifted into wolf form. She was amazed at the majestic creature that circled her, rubbing his thick fur against her legs. “Behave, Raphael. This is beginning to feel weird.” She laughed.

  He raced away and it took a minute before she was able to still her own heart as it throbbed against her chest. She was shocked that Raphael hadn’t told her about what happened and she didn’t want to overreact, but all she was consumed with were thoughts of paying Jason back for what he did to Carrie. She hopped on, firing up the ATV, and driving off. All she wanted to do was to see Carrie and just how badly she was injured.

  Tessa wound through the trails with ease, missing the deer that glided past her. Soon she was on the main road, heading to Shadow Creek, which was only a few miles ahead. She squinted her eyes as the traffic was heavy going into Creeksboro. That part of Wyoming wasn’t populated with ranchers for the most part, and it was strange that so many cars would be headed to town.

  She turned at the Shadow Creek Ranch sign overhead and skidded up the drive, which led to the main house. Tessa hopped off and silenced the engine just as Angus strode up.

  “Shouldn’t you be guarding the cattle tonight? It’s a full moon; can’t you see?” She smiled.

  “I was just heading that way. If you’re here to see Seth, he already left, but Melody is upstairs with her mother. That’s why you’re here, right, to see Carrie?”

  “Yes, but where did Seth go?”

  “He wouldn’t say, but he was in a hurry. Kept muttering about he had to go before it got dark.”

  Tessa thought that strange. Why would he leave Melody with her abused mother? It didn’t make any sense to her, but she didn’t know what she’d encounter inside. She imagined that Melody would be upset even though she hadn’t seen her mother in some time. She was still her mother, after all.

  She hadn’t quite made it to the door when Brendan came barreling out. “Whoa, where’s the fire?”

  “At home if I don’t get there to take my turn with watching the twins. Katlyn is really exhausted and Chase and I have been taking turns.”

  “Can’t blame her. She’s nursing two babies and that can’t be a treat.”

  Brendan nodded and strode toward his cabin while Tessa knocked and the maid opened the door. She didn’t say a word, just quickly backed up. Paige was sitting near the fireplace.

  “Is it true that Carrie was hurt by that bastard, Jason?”

  Paige sighed. “We don’t know for sure. Brendan and Seth have agreed to wait it out until Carrie is conscious to tell them who the guilty party is. If she ever wakes up.”

  Tessa’s brows drew together. “What do you mean if?”

  “You’ll see when you go upstairs, but it’s not pretty. I’ve never seen a woman beaten so badly and recover fully.”

  Tessa began to pace. “And they want to wait? We all know who did this. Of course it was Jason. He was just over to Silver Creek asking Melody where her mother was. It all adds up. I can’t believe Brendan is just waiting for her to wake up.”

  Paige stood and finished the last of her wine. “Would you like a swig before you go upstairs? You look a little pale.”

  “No…sure, I’m starved, but I’ll take care of that later.”

  “And by that, I hope you don’t mean you plan to hunt tonight.”

  Tessa frowned. There was no way Paige would cut her some slack on her hunting animals. “That’s the furthest thing from my mind at the moment.”

  Paige led the way up the stairs instead of answering, and Tessa was glad for that. She had no plans to hunt anyway since the woods would be alive with shifters. Surely even Raphael had a hard time stopping himself from shifting on the full moon.

  She followed Paige up the long hallway, which was dark except for a red night light every ten feet. It made for an eerie stroll up the hall if one was not a vampire. Luckily, Paige and Tessa were the only ones she knew of. The possibility of more didn’t sit well with Tessa. Food was already hard to come by since the blood bank on occasion didn’t have the supplies, like that one time when she was sent a blood substitute. If it hadn’t been for Paige, she wouldn’t still be here to even walk these halls. Tessa had been in need of a blood transfusion on that occasion.

  Paige stopped at the door. “I don’t want you to be too shocked. Carrie’s really in bad shape.”

  Tessa nodded as she entered, stopping as Melody was reading a book to her. The girl looked up as the floor creaked and raced toward her, wrapping her small arms around Tessa’s waist. As she buried her head in Tessa’s arm, she felt a warmness she couldn’t quite explain. Is this how it would feel to be a mother?

  Melody pulled away, tears dripping from her large eyes. “It was just awful. We found Mama staggering in the forest and she just collapsed. She said my name once, but that’s when she closed her eyes. She hasn’t opened them since.”

  “I’m so sorry, Melody. How awful to see your mother like that.”

  Tessa moved toward the bed as Melody hugged her arm. She gulped back a breath as she stared at the prone Carrie. Both her eyes were purple, black, and swollen shut. She began to shake her head. “This is really awful. You shouldn’t be here, Melody.”

  Melody pulled away and pouted. “That’s what everyone keeps telling me, but I’m not about to leave her side. What if she wakes up and I’m not here?”

  “I’m sure Paige would call you right away and tell you when she wakes up. There’s no sense in getting yourself sick.”

  Paige walked over to the bed. “See, even Tessa thinks you should go home, or at least get some sleep. We have plenty of bedrooms for you to sleep in, you know.”

  Melody yawned. “I’m not even tired.”

  Tessa took her hand. “You sure look plenty tired to me. Let’s go, young lady. I won’t take no for an answer.”

  “Fine, but only if you lay down with me. At least until I fall asleep.”

  Tessa smiled as they walked into a bedroom next to the one Carrie was in. She pulled back the covers as Paige brought out a nightgown and handed it to Melody. “I had Angus pick this up for you. I hope it fits.”

  Melody took it into the bathroom and appeared five minutes later in the pink nightgown, slipping between the sheets. Tessa laid down on top of the cover, and it wasn’t long before Melody was breathing evenly and snoring slightly. Only then did she carefully slip out of the bed and join Paige in the hallway.

  “That didn’t take long, but I didn’t expect it would. That poor child has had a vigil by her mother’s bed since Carrie was brought here.”

  Tessa walked back into Carrie’s room. “Where did Seth go?”

  “I don’t know, but he was in a hurry. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him acting so strange, insisting he had to leave before nightfall.”

  “He’s been acting strange lately, period. First, he acted all interested in me, and then next—he’s changed his tune. He doesn’t act like the same man if you ask me.”

  “You didn’t turn him, I hope?”

  “No!” Tessa gasped. “Why would you think that?”

  “Well, he’s human and his blood might be too much a temptation for you.”

  “Raphael is warm-blooded, too. Don’t forget.”

  “True, but we don’t know what would really happen if a shifter was bitten by a vampire.”

  Tessa looked over to where Carrie was. “So if I bit Carrie, she wouldn’t wake up?”

  Paige’s eyes widened. “I don’t think anyone has ever bitten a shifter before, and I wouldn’t recommend it.”

  “Just because you don’t know what would happen?”

  “Do you really want to play God here?”

  “You’ve done that with me, Paige.”

  “Yes, but this is a shifter, and not the best of them as is. You’d be risking creating a monster.”

  Tessa couldn’t quit thinking about Carrie’s condition, but it seemed that if she was tur
ned into a vampire, she might just wake up. “You’re probably right. I guess I was just wanting to hear Carrie tell us who did this, but why wait when we all know who the culprit is?”

  “Besides the fact that both Seth and Brendan have agreed to wait? Nobody wants to rush to judgment.”

  “And what if by waiting Jason slips through their fingers?”

  “Not hardly. Everyone knows Jason is most likely holding up at his grandfather’s cabin ten minutes from the Hazard County line to the north.”

  “Hazard County?”

  “Yes, that’s where we are.”

  “Oh, sorry. I guess I didn’t know that. I probably should get going.”

  “Why the rush now?”

  “I slept with Raphael,” Tess told Paige.

  Paige smiled at that. “And here I was wondering if it would ever happen. How about Seth? Was he there, too?”

  “Since it was early today and Seth has been here since Carrie was found, I’d say not. But I sure wish things hadn’t happened the way they did today.”

  “You regret being with Raphael?”

  “No, I meant about Carrie being hurt. I wish that hadn’t happened. Do you really think someone besides Jason might have done it?”

  “I’m not sure. She had scratches, but I can’t say whether they were from an animal or her stumbling through the trees in the forest. We just want to be sure before we take vengeance.”

  “Oh, so they do plan to take action when they find out who did this?”

  “Of course. Brendan takes this seriously. Carrie is part of Shadow Creek regardless of how bad of a mother she’s been.”

  Tessa nodded. “Well, it seems that since everyone is in agreement, that’s probably how it should be handled.”

  Paige walked Tessa to the door and said, “I really hope you’ll let Brendan handle this.”

  Tessa smiled. “But of course. I need to get back home, though; I forgot to take my medication. Could I use your cell phone so I can call Raphael and let him know Carrie hasn’t woken up yet?”

  Paige had a strange expression on her face. “Oh, and he’s not shifted yet tonight?”

  “Why would you think that?”

  “It’s a full moon, is all. You need to be careful out there tonight. The moon has a strange effect on both shifters and humans alike.”

  “Actually, Raphael is waiting for my call before he shifts.”

  She cocked a brow and watched as Tessa called Raphael. “Would you mind? I’d like a little privacy. I mean, you know Raphael and I just…you know.”

  Paige smiled now. “Of course.”

  Tessa waited until Paige had left before she walked into the far corner of the room and began surfing Jason Traxler’s name. She also found a Milford Traxler, and after a few minutes found a blog interviewing him about hunting and fishing. It included a description of where his hunting cabin was located. Not an exact location, but it was off Mill Creek Road. That should be enough to go on for starters.

  Paige’s shadow came off the wall and Tessa quickly called Raphael’s number. She knew he wouldn’t answer since he was already on the prowl in wolf form, so she left a message. “Raphael, this is Tessa. I just wanted you to know that Carrie still hasn’t woken up. Melody finally went to bed and hopefully will decide to come home tomorrow.” Tessa hung up the phone just as Paige appeared.

  “So, you couldn’t get ahold of him?”

  “No, he must have shifted already.”

  “You should pay a visit to Katlyn while you’re here. She’d love that.”

  “With no medication for the cravings, I don’t think that’s wise. I haven’t even eaten yet.”

  “I could spare you a glass.”

  What would it take to get out of there? “No, thanks, but I should check on Maxwell. He’s upset about Melody being gone,” Tessa lied since she had no idea what Maxwell really thought.

  Paige looked at Tessa like she could see right through her lies. “You should keep the phone just in case. You know—if you need help.”

  Tessa stuffed the phone in her pocket and nodded as she left. Once she was outside, she breathed in deeply. She wasn’t sure how much longer she’d be able to lie to Paige like that. Or did she already know what she was about to do: hunt down Jason Traxler and end his pathetic life. There was no way she’d wait around for Carrie to wake up. From the looks of it, it didn’t seem like she’d wake up at all. Tessa wasn’t about to give Jason another chance to finish Carrie off or ever go near Melody again. She was fully capable of handling both Jason and Earl if he got in the way, but she knew in her heart that she’d be killing the both of them. She couldn’t have Earl live to tell a tale about what Tessa did to Jason. She most certainly would follow through and do what she should have done before: killed that rat bastard. He’d left a trail of abuse and suffering, and it was past time for it to stop, forever.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Tessa fired up the ATV and after revving it, she scattered stones and dust in her wake as she left Shadow Creek behind. She drove to the north, cutting through a trail, which crossed over the barren fields, and ranch where Brendan and Seth’s neighbor Jonathan once lived before he tried to frame Shadow Creek for being responsible for his missing sheep. He had planned to take over Shadow Creek, but in the process of his deception, Maxwell’s father Nate was killed. Paige helped to exact revenge, but ultimately, it was the werewolves who put an end to Jonathan’s life. Of course, the humans in town didn’t know that, not even Clayton who had romanced Paige for a time. They simply thought Jonathan disappeared. There was speculation, of course, but with Jonathan simply missing like they thought instead of dead, his ranch was simply wasting away. Since he had no kin to speak of, his property would be owned by the state of Wyoming at some point.

  There was something about crossing the property, which had Tessa shuddering. The owner met a violent end there and Tessa was thinking about doing something that would change her life forever. If she was actually able to kill Jason and Earl, she’d take it to her grave. Well, make that a secret she’d not share with anyone. Tessa knew if it went too much to the south that she could count on Paige, but she certainly hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

  On the other side of the property was Mill Creek Road, named for a dried-up creek since Wyoming was in a dry spell. She whizzed onto the road heading north and even the sounds of the engine didn’t drown out the wolves howling. How many werewolves were there in Creekboro anyway? She couldn’t help but be nervous. She was planning to kill two men if they were together. Hopefully, they weren’t.

  The more north Tessa drove, the more remote it was. She had passed some ranches noted by the signs that most had, but she was quickly enveloped by the wilderness except for a small store with one pump for gasoline. Tessa pulled over and hoped to ask for directions.

  When she walked inside, the bell rang overhead and an older man with a gray beard and deep frown nodded at her. Tessa went over to the cooler and scanned the soda selections, choosing a grape soda, which she took to the counter.

  She was rung up and the man said, “That will be $1.50.”

  Tessa pulled out two dollars and handed them to the man. “Is it true there’s good hunting and fishing hereabouts?”

  His eyes brightened as he gave her the change back. “Sure is. Best in the state.”

  Tessa figured that wasn’t totally true since Wyoming was home to many state and federal parks known for game and fishing.

  “I read a blog about a Milford Traxler. Seems he claimed that his property had the best hunting and fishing around.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “It’s not hunting season right now, but he has a stream on his property, lucky bastard.”

  “Could you point me in the direction of his property?”

  The man stared her down. “I don’t think a pretty gal like you should go there by yourself. That grandson of his was through here yesterday and I think heading to the cabin. He’s not the sort a woman would want to encounter at night, or even in th
e daylight hours. My granddaughter dated him in her teens and he treated her real bad.”

  This certainly wasn’t helping Jason’s cause. It made Tessa very angry.

  “I don’t think he’s still there. I saw him in Creeksboro not even an hour ago.”

  “Really? Okay then, go up the road a spell until you see a closed-up store. There’s a trail that will lead you right there, but I recommend you waiting until daylight hours. There’s a full moon tonight.”

  “I know, but why does that worry you?”

  “It doesn’t, but I have sense enough to know to stay indoors. Ever since the government gave those shifters rights, I just don’t feel safe outside at night. Certainly I’d never go out during a full moon.”

  “I thought shifters could shift all of the time, not just on the full moon.”

  “You’re right, but I can’t help how I feel. It’s not right, you know, shifters being my neighbors.”

  “Have they ever bothered you?”

  “Well, no. I can’t say they have, but still, I miss the old days when shifters kept to themselves and we didn’t know our neighbors were a werewolf or mountain lion.”

  “I’m sure you don’t have anything to worry about. From what I’ve experienced, shifters are not that much different than us humans. They just want to live in peace to raise their families.”

  Tessa opened her soda and thanked the man for the information before she went out the door. It would seem that many humans still didn’t like shifters integrating in Wyoming. Hopefully in time that would get better and not worse. Perhaps in a way, it would be much better for them to have remained in secret like vampires were. It more than told Tessa how very important it was to keep her true nature hidden. There’s no way humans were ready to deal with the reality that vampires also lived amongst them.

  * * *

  Seth stumbled through the forest until he was nearing a cabin far from both Shadow Creek and Silver Creek. He couldn’t afford to be discovered or hurt anyone he knew and loved. The simple truth was that he had become someone he neither trusted nor knew. After running, he was sure nobody he knew would be harmed by him.