Wanted_Undead or Alive

by Kerrelyn Sparks

  Phineas deepened the kiss, molding his lips to hers, and she opened her mouth to let him in. She swirled her tongue with his. He tasted of blood, but she’d tasted blood many times as a wolf, and it only made her hungrier for him.

  A surge of wolf power shot through her, and she broke the kiss with a gasp. “Phineas, I have to shift! I can’t wait much longer.”

  He sat back, grimacing. “Damn.”

  “I can’t help it. We have to hurry!”

  With vampire speed, he zipped out of bed and into the bathroom, so fast she barely had a glimpse of his naked body. But what she saw was enough to make her collapse on the bed with groan of frustration. A few seconds later, he was back and throwing on the clothes she’d washed.

  She scrambled out of bed as he pulled on his cowboy boots, and noticed a surveillance camera close to the ceiling. It was blinking red. “Is that thing on?”

  He glanced at it, his eyes back to their normal dark brown. “Damn.”

  “That’s a yes?”

  “Yeah.” He set his cowboy hat on his head and tossed her his jacket. “Let’s go.”

  She strode alongside him. “So we showed up on a monitor in the security office?”

  “Maybe.” He headed down the hall, snapping his plaid shirt together as he went. “I should have thought about it, but I was . . . distracted.” He punched the button for the elevator. “I owe you an apology.”

  “Why?” She watched him stuff his shirttails into his jeans and considered offering some help.

  “I manhandled you.” He buttoned the top of his jeans and buckled his belt. “I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

  “Phineas, I’m okay. I . . . enjoyed it.”

  He glanced at her. “Really?” When she nodded, his mouth curled up and his gaze drifted to her chest. “You were right about the B-cup.”

  She smiled. “It’s good to know the Three-Step rule is still in effect. I was worried after you turned me down the other night.”

  He waited for her to enter the elevator, then punched the button for the ground floor. “What is this Three-Step rule?”

  “In my experience, men tend to be rather simple.” She paused when he arched a brow at her. “Well, it basically means that at any given moment, a man’s brain is only three steps away from thinking about sex.”

  He frowned, considering, as he took his jacket from her and put it on. “I disagree.”

  “You don’t think about sex that often?” She scoffed. “I find that hard to believe.”

  He gave her a wry look. “I don’t need three steps. Hell, I just look at you and want sex.”

  Her cheeks warmed with a blush, and she smiled slowly. “You know, after I’ve been a wolf for a few hours, I could shift back, and we could have a date. I tend to have a lot of excess energy I need to work off.”

  He moved toward her. “I could help you with that.”

  “Goodness. You are faster than three steps.”

  “You bet.” He planted a hand on the elevator wall, close to her head. “I’ve got a fast mind, but slow hands.”

  She licked her lips. “Sounds perfect.”

  He tilted his hat back and leaned in for a kiss.

  A thrill shot through her, and her toes curled inside her cowboy boots. What a sexy kisser. Making love to him was going to knock her boots off for sure. “Phin?”

  “Mmm.” He nuzzled her neck.

  “The elevator door has opened.”

  He glanced back. “Damn.”

  They hurried to the MacKay security office. Zoltan was selecting a sword and pistol from the caged weapons area. Freemont was focusing on a computer screen, but his eyes were twinkling and his mouth twitching.

  Brynley glanced at the wall of monitors and spotted Phineas’s bedroom on the bottom row. Damn was right.

  Phineas put on his shoulder holster and checked his sidearm. “Where are Jack and Lara? We need to go.”

  “They just left,” Freemont replied. “Jack teleported her to the school. The were-panther lady went into labor, and Lara insisted on going there. Jack said he’d catch up with you guys later.”

  “Caitlyn’s having the babies?” Brynley asked. Damn, but she hated to miss that. She couldn’t help it, though. She had to shift. “Oh my gosh, what if Caitlyn has to shift?”

  Freemont shrugged. “I don’t know. Some Vamp doctor from Houston is with her.”

  “Robby has been teleporting Carlos back,” Zoltan added. “Now that it’s dark here, they should be arriving soon.”

  Phineas touched her arm. “I can take you to the school if you want.”

  She winced. “I have to shift.” The wolf didn’t care about her new friends. It growled inside her. Let’s go now! “I need to go back to the cabin. Now.” Hopefully, after a few hours, she could return to see how Caitlyn was doing.

  “Okay.” Phineas slipped knives into his boots, then turned to Zoltan. “Ready to go?”

  Zoltan sheathed his sword. “Yes.”

  Phineas grabbed Brynley, and within a few seconds, they were materializing at the cabin in Wyoming.

  Zoltan glanced around quickly. “It looks the same. No one came during the day.”

  For a second, Brynley’s form shimmered as she fought to keep the wolf from breaking free.

  “Whoa!” Phineas jumped back.

  She regained control. “That was close.”

  “You’re telling me!” Phineas yanked off his hat and ran a hand over his hair. “For a second, I thought I was hugging a wolf!”

  “You almost did.” She sat and yanked off her cowboy boots. “I hate shifting with clothes on. It rips them all up.” She pulled off her socks.

  “You’re stripping now?” Phineas shot a warning look at Zoltan.

  “I think I’ll check on the horses in the stable.” He strode to the front door, then glanced back at Phineas, his eyes twinkling. “You’re not joining me?”

  Phineas dropped his hat on the kitchen table. “In a minute.”

  Zoltan snorted and left, closing the door behind him.

  “Does he know how to feed the horses?” Brynley stood to unbuckle her belt and unzip her jeans.

  “Sure. He’s used to horses. He’s a medieval dude.” Phineas moved to block the front window. “You need blinds in this place.”

  “Afraid a deer might see me?” She dropped her jeans to the floor and kicked them aside. Her hands trembled as she unbuttoned her shirt. “I’m so excited. I can hardly control myself.”

  “I’m getting a little excited, too.”

  Her cheeks grew warm. “We always strip before shifting. It’s no big deal.” She’d done it in front of others for years, but she suddenly felt self-conscious with Phineas watching her so closely. She removed her shirt and dropped it on the chair. “You want to come with me? There are a whole bunch of trees out there you could punch.”

  “Very funny. I have some investigating to do, but I’ll come back for you in, what—two hours?”

  She reached behind her back to unhook her bra. “I don’t know how long I’ll be gone. I won’t be wearing a watch, you know.” She slipped the bra off and dropped it on top of her shirt.

  He sucked in a breath of air.

  She blushed.

  “Hello, ladies.”

  She laughed, thankful her shyness was short-lived, and strode toward the door. “I’ll see you later, big boy.”

  He glanced down at his jeans. “It is that obvious?”

  She grinned as she stepped outside onto the porch. The cool air chilled her skin, but soon she’d be warm in a thick fur coat.

  “Didn’t you forget something?” Phineas said from the doorway.

  She wiggled out of her panties, then tossed them back at him over her shoulder. “Keep those for me, will you?”

  He caught them, his eyes gleaming red.

  She ran down the steps and into the grassy meadow. At last! The full moon shone down on her, and she lifted her arms, surrendering to the inner wolf.

  The surge of power was
orgasmic, so strong and overwhelming she didn’t feel the pain of bones shifting or fur sprouting. Within seconds, she was the wolf.

  She was free.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Be safe, sweetheart,” Phineas whispered as he watched Brynley trot into the woods.

  Her father and ex-fiancé didn’t know she had returned to Wyoming, so she should be safe roaming about for a few hours. The national forest was over a million acres and filled with animals, so finding her would be like finding the proverbial needle in a haystack. Hopefully, Rhett Bleddyn would remain in the vicinity of his ranch. As for her father and his minions, they would be miles away at his ranch in Montana, busy celebrating their big monthly hunt.

  Still, Phineas tensed with worry when Brynley disappeared from view. You have to trust her, he chided himself. She’d been shifting since she was a teenager. She knew how to handle herself in the woods. And it was important for her to have this last night at home.

  He strode into the stable and found Zoltan whispering to Molly as he filled her manger with hay. “What’s up?”

  Zoltan glanced at him with the hint of a smile. “It appears you are not the only one here in love.”

  “What? Who?”

  Zoltan tilted his head toward Molly. “The mare. She is smitten with a wild white stallion.”

  Phineas’s eyes widened. “You can communicate with her?”

  “Yes. By the way, she approves of you and Brynley. The gelding does as well.”

  “Oh, that’s a relief. I’d hate to leave them off the invitation list.”

  “Then you plan to marry soon?”

  “I was joking.” He winced. Not really.

  Zoltan gave him a knowing look.

  “Well.” Phineas headed back out the stable door. “Let’s get some work done, okay?” The sooner they completed their mission, the sooner he could get back here for Brynley.

  Zoltan accompanied him to the cabin. “You believe Corky is hiding at the ranch owned by Rhett Bleddyn?”

  “It’s possible. We know for sure he’s a werewolf. An Alpha.” And the one Brynley’s father had wanted her to marry. Phineas gritted his teeth. Bleddyn was probably still hoping to marry her. He might have bought a nearby ranch so he’d have a reason to stay in the area and pursue her if she ever returned.

  “He’ll be shifting tonight.”

  “Yeah.” Phineas mounted the steps to the front porch. “He and his pack will be off hunting, so we should be able to sneak into his house. Hopefully, we’ll find Corky there.”

  Zoltan smiled as he followed Phineas inside the cabin. “While the wolves are away, the Vamps will play. I like it.”

  “Bleddyn’s ranch is next to Nate Carson’s place,” Phineas continued. “We’ll teleport to Nate’s house and ask him to call Bleddyn’s ranch. Then we listen in and teleport straight into Bleddyn’s house.”

  “Excellent. Corky will never know we’re coming.”

  “We need the element of surprise.” Phineas checked his sidearm. “She may not be alone. Dimitri could be with her.”

  Zoltan tucked a pistol under his belt, close to his sheathed sword. “We should knock her unconscious to make sure she doesn’t escape. Then we can teleport her straight to Romatech and put her in the silver room.”

  “Got it.” Phineas checked the knives concealed in his boots. “I teleported on Nate’s driveway before, so that’s probably where we’ll land.”

  “Let’s do it.” Zoltan looped an arm around Phineas’s shoulders to hitch a ride.

  They arrived and quickly looked about. The full moon gleamed off the smooth white concrete of the circular driveway. It was quiet, except for the howl of a wolf far in the distance. A werewolf most probably. Phineas tensed. He should have stayed by Brynley’s side.

  But it was the perfect night to hunt for Corky. Her werewolf allies would all be busy.

  “Nice house,” Zoltan murmured.

  “Yeah.” Phineas strode to the entrance and rang the doorbell.

  Footsteps ran toward them and the door jerked open.

  “Thank God!” John Brighton shouted. His hopeful expression quickly crumpled into one of confusion and disappointment. “I thought you were the paramedics.” He pushed past them and ran into the driveway. “Where’s the blasted ambulance? I called ten minutes ago.”

  “What’s wrong?” Phineas asked.

  “It’s Nathan! Dear Lord, if they don’t hurry, he could die!” John dashed back into the house, headed for Nate’s office.

  “What happened?” Phineas followed with Zoltan close behind.

  “That damned brother of his. He brought a monster into the house.” John stopped by the office doorway, where a maid stood, crying into a handkerchief. “Bring more towels. Hurry!”

  She scurried away, and John ran into the office.

  Phineas paused at the doorway, surprised by the level of destruction. The floor was littered with papers. Chairs overturned and broken. Holes punched in the walls. Nate’s mangled wheelchair was resting on its side. And Nate lay in a bloody heap on the floor.

  “You have to apply pressure.” John grabbed the bloody towel from Nate’s limp hand and pressed it against the gaping wounds across his chest and abdomen.

  “Too . . . weak,” Nate whispered.

  “What happened?” Phineas zoomed toward them at vampire speed and knelt beside Nate.

  John was too focused on Nate to notice. “Kyle and Mr. Bleddyn came to see him. I heard them shouting and crashing furniture. I rushed inside and . . .”

  “What?” Phineas asked.

  John grimaced. “Bleddyn had turned into a monster! His head was human and he was shouting, but his arms were like a wolf, and he was clawing at Nathan.”

  “He’s an Alpha werewolf,” Phineas explained. “Capable of a partial shift.”

  John’s eyes widened. “Werewolf?”

  “Kyle is one, too,” Phineas said. “Most probably, Bleddyn is the one who changed him.”

  “I wouldn’t tell them about Brynley,” Nate whispered. “Is she all right?”

  Phineas swallowed hard. “Yes.” He hoped that wasn’t a lie. “Your brother remembered seeing her?”

  “No,” Nate whispered. “But he knew something was wrong, so he checked the security tape. Saw you both at the front door.”

  “Shit,” Phineas muttered. He’d forgotten about that damned camera.

  “That’s enough, Nathan,” John ordered. “Save your strength.”

  “He is bleeding out,” Zoltan said quietly. “We must move quickly.”

  John glanced up at him. “Who the hell are you?”

  “Zoltan,” he replied. “A friend.”

  “We both are,” Phineas said. “And we could have Nate at a clinic in two seconds.”

  John scoffed. “Impossible.”

  “You will have to change your mind about what is possible,” Zoltan told him. “A werewolf just attacked your friend.”

  “And we can teleport him to the clinic.” Phineas leaned over to gather Nate into his arms.

  “What?” John scrambled to his feet. “You’re not taking him anywhere without me. Who are you?”

  “Vampires,” Zoltan replied.

  John stumbled back. “No.”

  “I have more towels!” The maid rushed into the room.

  Zoltan whipped around to stare at her, and she halted with a jerk. Her face went blank, then she turned and left the room.

  “What was that?” John demanded. “What did you do to her?”

  “Mind control.” Zoltan gave him a stern look. “Do I need to use it on you, or will you come along quietly?”

  “I—I—” John gasped when Zoltan latched on to him at vampire speed. “What—?”

  They vanished.

  Phineas teleported Nate straight into the security office at Romatech. The alarm went off, and Freemont leaped to his feet, grabbing his automatic.

  “Holy crap, Phin.” He lowered his gun and turned off the alarm. “You scared the sh
it out of me!”

  “I’m taking this man to the clinic. Hurry, get the door!”

  Freemont opened the door, and Phineas dashed into the hallway, carrying Nate. Zoltan was coming in the side entrance dragging John.

  “Where are we?” John demanded. “This is kidnapping!”

  “Get Roman and Laszlo to the clinic now,” Phineas told his brother.

  Freemont winced. “Roman’s not here. He’s at the school, helping with Caitlyn’s delivery.”

  “Send Laszlo then!” Phineas zoomed toward the clinic at vampire speed.

  He set Nate on a gurney and turned on the overhead lights. Zoltan zoomed in and set John on his feet.

  “Get away from me!” John reeled back. “You—you’re some kind of monsters!”

  Zoltan looked annoyed. “Have we harmed you?”

  “You kidnapped me and Nathan!”

  “We took you to a clinic to save his life,” Zoltan argued.

  John looked frantically about. “Where is this place?”

  “Romatech Ind—” Phineas stopped when Laszlo rushed in.

  “Oh dear.” Laszlo’s eyes widened at the sight of Nate. He zoomed over to the sink and washed his hands with vampire speed. “He’s fading fast. We’ll need at least four bags of”—he sniffed—“Type A positive.”

  “I’m on it.” Zoltan rushed toward the refrigerator.

  Laszlo snapped on some gloves and zoomed over to the gurney. He inserted a needle into Nate’s arm and motioned with his head toward the tray. “Phineas, take the scissors and cut the shirt off him.”

  “Right.” Phineas lifted the blood-soaked shirt away from Nate’s torso and began cutting.

  Nate moaned.

  John approached the gurney. “What can I do?”

  “Pray,” Laszlo answered. He grimaced as Phineas peeled back the shirt. “He has a lot of internal damage. I’m not a doctor. I can sew up a cut, but this is too much.”

  “What if we give him vampire blood?” Zoltan suggested as he stacked bags of blood on the work tray. “Won’t that heal him internally?”

  “Or we could transform him,” Phineas said quietly.

  Zoltan and Laszlo stopped and exchanged looks.

  “What?” John asked. “What are you talking about?”

  “If we turn him into a vampire, it will heal his wounds,” Phineas explained.