He heard the resounding howls and knew they were following him. Tonight would be their last pack run before they returned to their seemingly human lives.
***
Vivienne couldn’t suppress the groan of pain even if she wanted to. Her head was on fire, her legs throbbed, and it felt as if someone had taken a strap to her backside, decided that wasn’t enough, and proceeded to use a cane. She shifted and opened her eyes. Pitch black. Why was it so dark? Where was she?
It came back to her quickly. She’d been chased by a wild animal, and then she’d run into a serial killer—and oh God, she was probably in his house somewhere, chained to a wall in his basement as he went to Rite Aid to buy something seemingly inconspicuous to torture her with. Dental Floss or toothpicks….
She began to struggle, and was surprised to find that her arms were not restrained. Something covered her eyes, though, and she went to remove it.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” said a chipper voice from somewhere to her right.
Vivienne started, then froze. Oh hell, the serial killer was next to her. Her hands played around the edges of the blindfold and she licked at her dry lips.
“Are you thirsty?”
Had she not been so terrified, Vivienne might have marveled at the fact that he sounded so nice. She was, but she wasn’t stupid. What if he got off from killing women after drugging them? The water could easily be roofied or poisoned.
Vivienne nodded, testing her legs to see if they were bound. They weren’t. She could take her chances and run.
“Yes. Can I have something to drink?” Her voice was hoarse. She felt him shift next to her and tugged off the blindfold the same instant she bolted upright and sprung to her feet. It was dark but there was light coming from an opening directly ahead of her. She was heading for it when he was suddenly before her. He was fast! From what she could make out of him, he was young, too young to be killing women.
“Just release me. I won’t tell anyone where you are. I swear,” she began, sizing him up even as she said those words. She’d taken a few karate courses in college. Could she take him? She’d been able to take Max, and Max was bigger. If she jabbed him in the throat, she’d have time to run and find help. If help was nearby….
“I won’t hurt you,” he told her softly, and she drew back when she felt him nuzzle her cheek, like an animal. More specifically, almost like a dog.
“Sorry. You smell different.”
He grabbed her arms and in that moment, Vivienne realized that despite his appearance, the teenager was strong. She reluctantly sat down after being led back to the quilt. A flask of water was placed into her hands and at his insistence, Vivienne lifted it to her lips and sniffed.
“It’s from the spring.”
The annoyingly sweet voice, and her parched throat, made Vivienne take a sip. Heaven rushed down her throat, but she waited. When she didn’t feel hazy or drugged, she began long swallows that made her feel lethargic afterward.
“Who are you?” she asked after long minutes of silence.
“Eli,” was his vague reply. When he made no move to follow up his answer, Vivienne continued with her questions. “Are you going to release me, Eli?”
“Oh yes. We’re not going to hurt you. I promise. Conall will take you back to your friends soon.”
Conall? As he spoke, she began to relax. He didn’t sound like a killer, just an excited teenager.
“I can go back by myself. I—”
“It’s not safe for you at this time of the night. Conall will take you back.” His voice was firm. “Do you like chocolate?”
If not for the fact she was in some deserted area with a potential pubescent killer, he would have been her new best friend. She loved chocolate. All kinds. She had a big sweet tooth that had grown even larger through absolute overindulgence.
“Here, it’s Swiss chocolate. Conall always carries some with him.” He handed her a bar of something and after sniffing that, too, because just because he looked all of fourteen didn’t mean he couldn’t feed her poison, she nibbled at it.
Heaven. She sighed and relaxed even more. The sugar forced the lethargy away, and after consuming the bar, she felt more awake.
“Who is Conall?” She remembered a man with a deep voice, black hair, dark eyes, harsh, distinct features.
“Conall’s the leader—erm—he’s in charge,” he finished lamely and Vivienne lifted her brows in confusion. Remembering he couldn’t see her expression, she was about to ask what that meant when Eli spoke. “He’s in charge of me. He’s my uncle.”
She nodded. Eli was slowly putting her at ease. First, the water then the chocolate, and now he was telling her that he was camping with his uncle. Nothing serial-killer like, if not for the blindfold.
“Why did you blindfold me?”
He didn’t answer. She turned to look at him in the dark. Of course, she could not make out his expression. Just a shadow.
“Do you have a lamp or something?” she finally asked.
“Yes.” He moved about and then the cave was illuminated by a burst of golden light. She squinted and then looked at him. She was right. He was a teenager—an attractive teenager, but a teenager still.
He smiled at her, and she found herself returning it.
“The blindfold?” she repeated, and his smile fell. He didn’t want to answer the question and she could read it in the startling green of his eyes.
“You’ll have to put it back on soon,” he hedged, looking very uncomfortable, and she narrowed her eyes. “It’s just that we’re private people. I’m sorry. I promise we won’t hurt you.” With that, the light suddenly went out and she felt hands on both sides of her head as the blindfold was reapplied. A trace of fear leapt through her but the boy’s whisper—“You’re safe with us”—settled her.
She was opening her lips to demand that he escort her back to her sister when the sounds of laughter and shrieks filled her ears.
“What is that?” She didn’t know that she’d asked the question out loud until Eli replied.
“Family. Friends. Stay here, please. And don’t remove the blindfold.”
“No, don’t leave, Eli,” she said urgently. “Eli? Eli?”
Her hand lifted to the blindfold and she would have tugged it off but for the large hand that suddenly stopped her. The hairs of the back of her neck rose at the contact. This was not Eli.
***
“Stand up.”
His voice was gruff as he helped her to her feet. Conall had returned from the run before the rest of the pack to find Eli talking to the woman as if he’d known her all his life. Not only that, but the blindfold had been on her lap. He’d remained hidden in the shadows of the cave, waiting for his nephew to scent him on the air, and knowing he would have to put the pup through intensive training to hone his skills as both hunter and fighter. Maybe he was just distracted among pretty females. Eli was of that age. Conall vowed to find him some pretty pack females. Not pretty, brown-skinned human females with trusting golden eyes and vulnerable expressions.
“Wait, please. Who are you?”
Conall contemplated answering falsely, before he remembered Eli had told her his name already. “Conall.”
She nodded, a little shiver racing across her body. “Will you take me back to my sister?”
“Yes.”
“I’d like to remove my blindfold to see you.”
“No.”
“Why not? I can’t walk with it on.”
She released a shriek as he lifted her, her arms scrambling to grasp at his shoulders. The human held him tightly, like he was an anchor, and burrowed close.
“You don’t have to carry me.” He was already moving. “I can walk.”
“This is faster. Just hold on to me.”
***
A cool breeze touched Vivienne as he moved, and her lids grew heavy. Before long, she felt the world slipping away, her heartbeat easily matching the solid thump under her ear as her breathing eve
ned. When next she awoke, Vivienne was perched against the bark of a tree and she could hear her sister’s frantic voice.
She tugged the blindfold from her eyes and blinked to readjust her gaze.
“Why didn’t you go with her?” Cassie was screaming at one of her friends. “You should have told me. God, she’s been gone for two hours! She’s probably lost somewhere or God forbid—no, I am not going to think of that. I would know if something bad happened to Viv. Come on, we need more flashlights and why can’t I ever get a damn signal when I really need it?”
Pushing to her feet, Vivienne lightly dusted the dirt and leaves from her sweat pants. How had she gotten here? She remembered the man named Conall picking her up and then she was sitting on the ground, propped against a tree.
Rubbing her hand over her face, and thinking that the night had been strange, to put it lightly, she walked toward her sister’s gradually rising voice.
***
“Oh yes! Please…harder. Ahh! Conall, yes!”
Samia was on all fours and Conall was behind her, hips plunging forward as he remembered honey-colored eyes, soft, plump lips, and a lithe frame. She wasn’t his type at all. She was human, for Luna’s sake, but he’d wanted her. He’d wanted to strip her bare and take her on the forest floor, under the moonlight. Especially when she’d fallen asleep in his arms, and had snuggled close as he sped through the trees toward the campsite. As he watched her sleep, he’d thought of all the things he could do to the body hidden under those clothes. He’d been so affected at the images that after making sure she was safe with her sister and friends, Conall returned to the campsite ready for a night of debauched sex that would soothe his beast.
Vivienne. That was what she’d been called by her sister after she stepped onto the campsite. As Conall stared at them, he saw the similarities—twins—but he also easily caught the little differences that made him ache for Vivienne and left him unaffected staring at her twin. Her face was slightly fuller, although still thin and small, delicate, and although obviously frightened about her trek through the forest, she’d spent most of the time comforting her sister. She’d even interjected humor into the situation, causing her sister and their friends to laugh. And she had a beautiful smile, beautiful lips, beautiful throat….
He felt Samia ripple around him, screams and growls escaping her, but he continued on, pumping furiously as he felt himself grow larger. Samia moved beneath him, groaned and pushed back, trying to take all of him into her body. One hand gripped her hip as the other moved to her shoulder, holding her firm. There were things he intended to do only with his mate, and pinning was one of them. Samia knew that. It was the way of their people, a joining too intimate to be done with just anyone, but she seemed to forget the more he took her. He continued to move against her, careful not to press too viciously, lest he be pinned. His release was fast and quick, and as he came, an image of the human female pushed to the forefront of his mind.
Conall moved away from Samia and lay on his back, placing a hand behind his head as he stared up at the dark stone ceiling of the cave. She immediately crawled next to him, wrapping her arms and legs about his body as she pressed her head into his shoulder.
Without acknowledging her, Conall closed his eyes and steadied his breathing. He thought of the human and the effect that she’d had on him, quickly forgetting that Samia slept beside him.
***
The next day found Vivienne true to her word as she trekked down the mountainous state park to where she’d parked her silver Toyota Hybrid. Today was her birthday, and she was going home to take a long shower, sleep for a few hours, and go out with her best friends, Max and Drew. She hadn’t gotten any real sleep last night, especially with the eventful night she’d had, and to top it off, Cassie had drilled her about her whereabouts, and had launched into a monologue of how much she’d miss Vivienne if anything were to happen to her. Vivienne loved her sister, and listened to Cassie as they cuddled together at the age of twenty-three, just as they’d done when they were younger. She’d been really tired, but every time her eyes closed, Cassie would nudge her or pinch her lightly, anything to keep her awake until Cassie grew tired and they both finally had a few hours of rest.
She’d ended up waking when her sister moved, then stretched and left the tent. It was frigid, colder in the morning than it had been last night. As soon as Vivienne was standing and thinking coherently, she wasted no time. She rinsed her mouth with some bottled water, hugged her sister while they exchanged birthday wishes, and after some minutes of talking to her sister and her friends, she had them lead her to the trail that would take her down the mountain, to indoor plumbing and electricity!
Thoughts like those were swarming her head as she navigated her way down some of the steeper parts of the mountain, and it was because of thoughts like those—in particular, she was debating a shower versus a hot bath—that she didn’t see a raised root. Pitching forward, she grazed her knee against the rocky terrain.
“Shit—fu—ouch!” she muttered as she pushed off of the knee and sat down. This was why she had to get out of here. Pulling her sweats up, she reached into her bag and removed a stack of traveling tissues. Grabbing about half of them, she applied pressure to her bleeding flesh and looked around. Except for her, the trail was deserted. She almost smiled at that. Maybe her sister and the men she’d run into had been the only ones camping last night. It was impossibly cold up there.
After nursing the graze as best she could, she removed the bloody tissue, wrapped it in a ball, and put in back into her bag. Cassie might be the eco-friendly one but she wasn’t about to add to environmental pollution, either. She pressed the rest of the tissues against the gash, and used a spare shoelace to create a temporary bandage.
Vivienne was surprised she was handling the situation so well. She guessed her happiness at leaving the park had overridden any irritation she’d felt through her stay there. Standing, she tested the leg. It was sore and throbbed like a bastard, but she could walk. She continued down the trail, and within the hour, she was sitting in her car as she made her way back to the city.
***
Conall’s morning run had taken him back to the site where he’d left the human female. He’d watched as the others led her to the trail that would take her down the mountain, had seen her fall and hurt her knee. He’d felt a swell of respect as he watched her nurse the wound without throwing a hysterical tantrum. In fact, she lost her smile only when she released her string of curses directly as she fell, but it returned almost immediately. He followed her, lurking behind trees, as she finally descended and made her way over to a silver sedan. She looked back to the mountain, and with a grin and what appeared to be a salute, no doubt good riddance, jumped into her car and drove away.
Even in wolfen form, Conall found himself smiling.
Chapter Two
There was nothing quite like staring at oneself on the evening of one’s birthday, especially when the oneself in question thought she looked quite good. The midnight black, curly mass that was her hair had been blown straight before being flat-ironed into flowing, Pantene-Pro-V perfection. It now touched right below her shoulder blades, and seemed to brush invitingly over the tops of her breasts. A red V-neck tunic shirt exposed a teasing expanse of smooth brown skin before hugging over slender curves. The sleeves of the shirt caught at her elbow so that while tantalizing, it was still conservative. Her long legs sported fitted dark blue jeans, before giving way to a pair of ankle-length, red suede boots with thin, tall heels.
Drew had helped her accessorize, and gold was the accessory of choice. A flat golden bracelet that she’d received from her mother, artistically designed in the shape of a snake with a soft ruby atop its head, adorned her right wrist. Two thin, golden earrings hung from her ears. She’d gone light with her makeup, as usual. A hint of blush, sunset-colored eye shadow, and shiny red gloss.
Vivienne placed her hand on her waist and turned to the side. The jeans certainly flattered h
er bottom. She almost chuckled at that. Her mother would have said something like that. Evelyn had always said, in her slightly accented voice, that her girls were “beautiful, but could use a few more curves.” Especially Cassie, who was almost rail thin because she was now a strict vegan.
“Jeez, Viv, stop showing off already.”
She turned to face Drew who sat at the edge of her bed, nursing a mock scowl. Her lips kept slanting upward in a smile before she tried to regain control and flatten them.
Vivienne chuckled. Drew Tierney was one of her closest friends. Since freshman year of college, when Vivienne had sat next to the smart but introverted girl in Contemporary Art, the two had been inseparable. They’d only grown closer as the years passed and now Drew was one of her roommates. The other was Max.
“If I’m staring, it’s only because I don’t recognize myself.” She turned to look back into the mirror, and pouted her lips. “You should be a makeup artist on the side. I know people who would pay for this.” Most of them, she worked with. Paralegals, legal assistants, even some lawyers. Gosh, some of those lawyers really, really needed a night out. Maybe a few days of sleep.
Drew chuckled and in the mirror, Vivienne saw her shake her head, causing the micro-braids she wore to fan out about her face. She rolled her dark eyes. “The only reason you’re so surprised about the transformation is because you don’t put any effort into doing it on a daily basis. You’re like me, content to be natural…unless it’s your birthday.”
Taken by Moonlight Page 2
