Fighting for her Mate: Shape Shifter Paranormal Romance (Sassy Mates Book 5)

by Milly Taiden

  Zane gave an indignant huff. “Aria, please. How many times…it’s Bram Stoker.” The man turned to Mason. “If I may be so bold, sir. The cliché you referred to—a vampire not entering a home unless invited in—is quite a falsity. I assure you Hollywood does not know the ins and outs of the vampire species. But other than that, I enjoyed the movie.”

  Emma tugged on Mason’s shirt. “What movie?”

  Mason grinned. “Lost Boys. Don’t worry about it. It was before your time. Mid-nineteen eighties.”

  “I know the Lost Boys. Who in their right mind hasn’t heard of that movie? Those guys were so sexy.” She laughed then glanced at Zane again.

  With all once again seated, Tristan turned to Aria, but Aric interrupted. “Dad, may I ask Aria a question first?” He gave a slight nod. Jordan looked at him with a questioning look. “Aria, Emma told us you’re a daywalker, so I understand how you can be here. I’m assuming the same is true for Julian, Penelope, and Zane?”

  The normal-looking man lifted a finger. “Aria, if I may answer the young wolf’s question?” Aria slid back on the sofa and gestured for him to continue. The group’s eyes rested on the new visitor. “The answer is quite simple, my friend. After a certain age, the vampire body is no longer flesh as you know it, as long as the body never tastes human blood. Over time, the living cells in the skin transform into a leather-like texture that is not affected by the sun and very strong.”

  “Wait,” Karla barged forward, “what’s different about human blood? What do you drink then?”

  The male vampire sighed and lifted his nose. “Does anybody ever read anymore? I put all this in writing just for this reason.”

  Penelope raised her brow at him. “Julian, that was over two thousand years ago. Nobody reads papyrus anymore. You have to put it in a thing called a book.”

  “Yes, Penelope. Do not patronize me. I know what a book is. Has it really been that long? Seems like last year I scribed the ‘pyrus.”

  “Um, excuse me?” Vampire eyes swung to Jordan. “Sir, I can maybe assist you with that. I’m writing a book on the mating ritual of wolves.”

  A smile lit Julian’s face. “Ah, a child after my own heart.” A low grumble disturbed the air. Jordan kicked Aric’s shin, but the vampire reassured him. “No worries, wolf. As I was saying, we do not consume human blood from a human. Blood in the body carries a particular enzyme that allows cells to die, be carried off, and rejuvenate; the body is in constant refresh mode.

  “This enzyme is quite fragile and the sun’s rays easily destroy it. I’ve seen humans who have spent much of their lives in the sun and their skin is wrinkled and leathery. But as for vampire lore, that is the reason vampires are restricted to the night. The sun literally destroys the skin.”

  “Okay,” Emma started, “what you’re saying is human blood carries a cleaning crew. It takes away the old stuff and leaves new. And if you go a long-ass time without blood, the crew dies, leaving the old to solidify in place—the old being the tough skin. So what do you drink?”

  Julian’s expression became hard. “Packaged human blood is safe. Outside the warm body, the enzyme dies quickly. Animal blood has its own enzyme which doesn’t affect human skin. Our resistant covering is almost indestructible. That is one reason why those who make it to this age survive even longer.

  “This is one reason Aria has banned human blood. She’s doing a good thing for her kind. Yet they cannot control their urges, thusly stay weak. They deserve to die like the dogs they are.”

  Aria quickly jumped in. “Thank you, Julian. These are our friends who aren’t concerned about your past. Let’s get to why we’re here.”

  “Agreed,” Tristan said. “What brings you to our home?”

  Aria glanced at Emma, then Tristan. “I’m not sure if you know, but the first raid I planned on at Embraced didn’t really happen. Rumors are flying about why my two treacherous vampires have disappeared. Fortunately, no rumor is even close to the truth. So I think our interference in the trade that night went mostly unnoticed.”

  Emma’s face lit up. “Does that mean we stopped them?”

  “No,” Aria exhaled a long breath. “Trevan and his guys were given information earlier today about a trade. Their part is the delivery to the club. That tells me now is the time to act.” Aria looked to the floor, then met Tristan’s eyes. “I’m here to ask you and your pack to fight with us against those who are feeding on humans.”

  Shock from the question kept everyone speechless. Tristan sat back and steepled his fingers against his chin. “How dangerous will this fight be? Will I lose many members of my pack?”

  “I’m hoping to present a strong enough front that they will simply surrender to me.”

  Julian lifted his chin. “You know there is little chance of that happening, Aria.” Julian turned to Tristan. “Reality is we don’t know if any minions will stand by the leaders and fight. I venture a guess that most are fair-weather underlings: only around when things are running well. As soon as there is trouble, they’re gone.”

  “Dad,” Aric started, “from what we’ve seen, when vampires have been involved in the attacks on Jordan and Ellie, they ran when help showed up. Julian’s guess is a good one.”

  The vampire’s brow raised and he gave an upturned corner of his lips and a slight nod toward Aric.

  “Tristan Alain Wolfe,” Barbara crossed her arms over her chest. “Don’t even pretend to think about this. Not only humans are being taken. One of our own was abducted. And you know as soon as they taste wolf blood, they will want more and more. Fortunately, Maria is young and her blood is not as potent as an adult’s.”

  “As always, my love, you’re my perfect mate to balance my alpha tendencies.” To Aria, he said, “We’ll ask for volunteers who understand the risks.”

  Aric glanced at his brothers. “You have three right here.” He winced when Jordan twisted on his lap. “I know you meant six, my gorgeous husband. If not, you might not make it to the raid alive.”

  “Jordan, come on—”

  “Don’t you come on me—” Her cheeks caught on fire when she realized what she’d said. It took Aric a second to put two and two together. When he did, he hooted like a were owl on the prowl.

  Ellie looked over her shoulder at Caleb. “Don’t even think I’m not going.” He sighed and said nothing.

  Nate grabbed Karla by the waist and turned her to him. “My sweetest love. I know how strong and capable you are when it comes to protecting those you love. So I ask on behalf of the cute, helpless, tiny babies in the other room that you stay with them. Plus, we don’t know if you can shift yet.”

  Karla looked at him with loving eyes. “Of course, I’ll stay with the babies. No argument.”

  Barbara smiled. “Well done, Nate. Was Aric watching you?”

  A whiny “moooom” came from the oldest brother’s side of the room.

  “Everyone settle down.” Tristan brought the group back to attention. “Aria, when are you planning for this raid?”

  “Tonight.”

  ELEVEN

  Aria stood in the shadows in her club, Embraced, a glass of animal blood in her hand. This would finally be it. She’d kill all those who dared go against her. Those who thought they knew better than she did. Vampires she knew were loyal to her mixed in with the crowd. It would end tonight.

  Her pocket vibrated and she pulled her phone from her leather pants. A text popped up on the screen: ETA 5 min. The show would start very soon now. She had to make sure the right people were at the club. That meant letting the drop happen first to bring out the big fish, then they got to fry them up. Not that she’d ever think of eating a fish. Something about that thought squigged her out.

  Slowly, casually, she made her way toward the door leading to the back and upper rooms. This would be where the action took place. She slipped through the door into the hallway. She passed the stairs ascending to the second level, then put her back to the wall and peeked around the corner.


  Several vampires were walking toward the rear stage door. Outside, Trevan and his crew would have the young victims. She didn’t have time right now to think about the wolf. Her mind should be focused on what was about to happen, but for some reason she still felt tingles of awareness at the thought of him. Later, after everything, she’d hate herself for spending too much time with him on her mind. For now, she’d ignore the image of his bedroom-eyes popping into her head.

  Time for the show. Hopefully everyone was in place. Retracing her steps to the main room, she re-entered the main lounge and headed toward the stage. Her pocket vibrated. A text read: Bait taken. Locked and loaded.

  She shoved her phone into her pocket and jumped up to the music booth setup. Grabbing the strung out DJ by the scruff, she launched him forward into the dancing crowd. She found a button labeled “stop” and pushed it. The high-decibel thumping ceased.

  The vamps on the floor looked around, like coming out of a daze. Aria snatched up the wireless mic and stood on top of the DJ equipment to become center stage.

  “Hello, everyone. Thank you for coming to my club tonight. Here’s a couple vampire jokes to get tonight rolling. What does a vampire order at the bar? A bloody Mary. What kind of dog does a vampire have? A blood hound.” A male voice in the crowd yelled to turn the fucking music on. Aria raised a brow.

  “Hey, dumbass, I said my club. Who owns this place?” The idiot paled more than he was. She nodded. “That’s right, asshole. Do you know who I am?” She waited for his negative shake of the head before showing off her fangs. “I’m Aria Valderi.” She turned back to the crowd.

  “No more jokes. They all suck. Tonight’s entertainment is a reminder of the vow you took when joining this elite club—no human blood allowed. I’m having a special show tonight, and unless you want your head ripped from your body, I suggest you leave.” No one got up. They looked at each other as if wondering if this lunatic lady was for real. They had no fucking clue.

  She’d give the stupid fuckers one more chance. With a lift of her hand, she brought the mic close to her mouth. She took a deep breath and yelled, “NOW!”

  Speakers exploded, sounding like gun fire, and people covering their ears panicked. The race to the door was on. Much better. Her loyalists gathered the crowd outside into groups to see if any of them had human blood in their systems. It was easy to smell the difference. If they were clean, they were allowed to leave.

  Aria jumped onto the dance floor and watched the vamps trample each other to the doors. So far, no one of any importance had tried to leave. Only normal everyday folk. A door behind her closed.

  From the shadows, a tall, dark bombshell of a man arrogantly sashayed toward her. He clapped his hands, coming to a stop in front of her. “Bravo, my darling fiancée.” Filip was as dashing and smooth as he always was. Under his tailored suit was a body any woman would appreciate, vamp or not.

  Of course, the rest of him was damn fine, too. That face probably got him everything he ever wanted. “Here’s a joke for you, my love. What happened when two vampires met? It was love at first bite.”

  “Dammit, Filip. You’re doing all this? And I was starting to like you, despite your old, lame jokes. Even contemplated the mating thing, even though it would be a business deal only. Fortunately, that thought wasn’t around long enough to make me throw up.” Aria winced.

  “Oh, Ari,” Filip picked at his perfectly manicured nails, “you were always prone to being overdramatic, weren’t you?” He softly chuckled. “That’s one of the things I loved—laughing at you.” His tongue slid between his lips, one side to the other. “And counting the days until I got to fuck you.”

  “Me? Not a chance, Filip. I’ve come to take down your operation. Before I kill you, though, tell me why a wolf brings you little girls. Can’t get your own victims, Fil?”

  She noted his temper kicked in. “Rahound is a tool. You’re such a child, Aria. Wait until you get older. You’ll see the draw and taste of what live human blood offers. We’re not meant to survive without it. We’re not meant to suppress how nature created us.”

  From the shadows behind her, Julian, Penelope, and Zane approached. Filip’s countenance faltered just a bit. Zane slipped his glasses off and stowed them in a pocket in his overcoat, then sighed. “Filip, you were always the stupid one, weren’t you? You should have stayed in your Turkish castle and bullied the little humans in your commons. You’re playing with the big kids now and aren’t following the rules.”

  The same door Filip walked out a few minutes ago opened and many more vampires filed in behind him. “As you see, Zane, I have my own followers, and we don’t like you. It’s time for the big kids to go as all old things do: into the ground.”

  Filip look at his large group behind him. “You should have brought along more friends, Aria. Odds don’t look good for you.”

  Aria smiled. “You seem to be missing Anton and Chantal. Do tell, Filip. What happened to them?”

  His eyes flashed red, then he threw his head back and laughed. “I should have known it was you when you didn’t raise any investigation about their disappearance.”

  Aria stepped closer to her ex-fiancé. “You’ve always been too arrogant, Filip. That’s caused your downfall. Now, I’m cutting you down to size—to put your ashes into a toilet to send you where you belong. With the shit.”

  Filip’s eyes flared again and his lips pressed together. “I have things to do, little girls to drink. If this show of yours is finished, I’m letting my people take care of the four of you.”

  She turned and yelled, “Lights, please.” The house lamps overhead popped on to reveal scores of vamps and werewolves standing along the back wall, watching intently. A very good-looking wolf stood at the front of the pack. Aria licked her lips.

  Filip breathed in loudly. “Really, Aria? You want to fuck a wolf?”

  She turned to Filip. “Over you? Absolutely.”

  Filip’s response was instant. He hissed with fully bared fangs, taking a swipe with claws at Aria. She dropped into a crouch, easily avoiding his swing, then launched forward into Filip’s mid-section, taking him down along with tables and chairs.

  Julian, Penelope, and Zane spread out, keeping Filip’s group contained with the back wall corralling them. Several of Aria’s vampires came to the dancefloor as well as Trevan, the Wolfe brothers following.

  Aria and Filip were well-matched fighters. Her natural power was that of Filip’s through age. Still, Trevan didn’t look happy. He appeared to be waiting for a reason to step in and tear out the bastard’s heart. It brought a slight grin to her face. Silly mutt. He really thought she couldn’t take care of herself?

  Conversation between the two groups of vamps, those in front of the three old vampires and those behind, turned into yelling, then both groups exploded onto each other. There were more vamp fighters on their side than the enemy’s, so Trevan and the wolves were to watch and wait until needed.

  Tables and chairs were smashed into splinters and stakes, which would come in handy for taking out a blood sucker who got too close. Half-filled glasses remaining on the tables from clubbers found their way into hands that beaned them into the fighting group.

  For a second, Aria thought she smelled smoke. Her quick look around was enough for Filip to get his hands on her and throw her into the DJ stand on stage. Machines and piles of CDs flew into the air, crashing into the stage curtains. Aria rolled to the back wall. Filip was there before she got to her feet.

  He kicked her ribs repeatedly. His knee grinded into her backbone, pinning her to the concrete. Fuck, that hurt! Fingers wrapped in her hair and her head slammed into the cement, over and over. She should have been more vigilant toward the bastard. Between Filip’s weight and the wall, Aria had no way of getting out of the situation. She flailed, trying to buck him off, but he was too balanced to tumble.

  The wolves stood in awe at the back of the room gazing over the dance floor. The powerful three vampires tore through the others
like decimation machines set on high. Smoke began to gather above the floor like an inverted fog machine.

  Caleb hollered to the brothers and took off for the kitchen behind the bar. He hurried through the swinging door into a blaze that had climbed the walls and burned into the ceiling. On the grill sat an engulfed apron, probably tossed when everyone evacuated. It was useless to look for the fire extinguisher; it was doubtful the fire department could save the building by the time they got out here.

  Screams came from the lounge.

  TWELVE

  Caleb and the four brothers ran from the burning kitchen at the Embraced nightclub into the lounge area. They arrived to see the ceiling falling through with burning timbers. Caleb quickly analyzed the situation. The group fight had dwindled to Aria’s three and a handful of others. Caleb and the brothers urged all non-essential fighters to get the hell out, if they hadn’t already.

  Mangled bodies lying on the dance floor had caught fire from the collapsing roof. Broken furniture and booths quickly went up in flames. Within a minute, the front half of the building burned around them.

  Emma dashed through the door to the middle of the lounge. She took a deep breath and coughed. “Aria! Aria!” She caught a scent toward the stage. She stepped forward then was lifted off her feet.

  “Emma,” she barely heard Mason over the noise, “what the hell are you doing?” He held her to his body, arm around her waist, feet off the floor.

  “I have to find Aria. She’s not outside, Mason. I can’t let her die in here.”

  “Where is she?” He squinted from acid smoke in his eyes and looked around.

  Emma pointed toward the stage. “I think back there.” Back there being behind a wall of blazing curtains and stage equipment.

  A hot breeze brushed by them smelling like Trevan. He leapt through the stage flames, disappearing from their sight. If anyone were to save her, it would be Trevan. He’d not give up; he’d die trying.