by Kate Wendley
Zach gave her a suspicious look. “Are you sure? Because you need to do this for yourself, not anyone else.”
“I’m tired of being treated like a child. Other people can adapt, I will too. Please, sir, I’d like to be part of the exchange.”
He put his hands up in surrender. “All right, then let’s do this.” He pulled his phone out and made a call. “Hey, we’re on our way. You still up for it?”
Jade heard Liam on the other end. “Come on over.”
**
Jade stared at the bloody wrist in front of her face and frantically wondered why she thought she could do this. She was a person, not an animal. People didn’t drink blood.
She looked at Zach, his eyes void of warmth. “This is your choice. You do this for yourself.”
Yeah right. He was testing her. He wanted to know if she was good enough to be his best friend’s girlfriend, so she steeled her resolve and lifted the wrist to her mouth. She could do this. She could adapt.
She swallowed a mouthful of blood and almost gagged. It was disgusting. It was too warm and flowed into her mouth way too fast. She closed her eyes and forced herself to keep going, hoping and praying she didn’t throw up all over the place.
Her heart raced and she jerked when she realized it wasn’t because she was nervous. Something in Liam’s blood was making her feel weird and light headed. She opened her eyes and looked up at Zach in worry. She decided against pushing the bloody wrist away when Zach’s severely frowning face scared her into finishing what she started. She’d asked for this, not Zach and not Liam. Even if she was mostly doing this for Sebastian, it was still her that wanted this to happen.
She kept swallowing, but got more and more scared. She felt weird. She panted as she swallowed the too hot liquid, and the sound of Liam’s harshly beating heart got louder and louder in her ears. She locked eyes with Zach, her alpha, her protector, almost daring him to allow her to hurt herself by continuing to drink this blood.
After what seemed like an eternity, he finally told her to stop. She held the wrist to her mouth for a moment, giving Liam’s skin time to heal, or to at least quit seeping blood, and she reluctantly licked the last of it off him before letting him take his wrist back.
She was still panting when she finally looked at Zach again. He had a lazy smile on his face now.
“Good job grasshopper. You’ll be a pro in no time. How do you feel?”
She frowned in irritation. “I’m not sure.” She put her hand to her head and closed her eyes.
“Sit still for a minute. You need time to absorb the new power and get used to it.”
It was only a couple short minutes before Zach forcefully helped her up. “Let’s give these guys the rest of their night alone. I’ll help you back home.”
She thanked Liam for his blood, which felt gross and weird to say out loud, then thanked his wife for letting her come over tonight. And as Zach helped her back to her place, she had the sinking feeling this had all been a terrible mistake.
**
“How do you feel now?”
She was still irritated with Zach. Why had he let her go through with this? “My head feels fuzzy. Is it supposed to? What’s wrong with me?”
He gave her a condescending look. “Nothing’s wrong with you. You’re still getting used to the increased power. Tell you what, you go to bed and get some rest. Call me first thing in the morning and let me know how you’re doing. I’ll come right on over if you still don’t feel right.”
She stared at him in shock. What did he think he was going to do if she didn’t feel better by then? She didn’t ask because she was mad at him, and because he was the alpha. You did what the alpha told you to do, so she nodded and locked the door behind him when he left.
And then she fell into bed and cried. Her heart raced as she wondered what she’d done to herself. Why didn’t she feel good? She’d never heard of people feeling sick after they drank blood. She stared at her darkened ceiling as she frantically wondered if she’d just stupidly turned herself into a freak.
A stab of guilt raced through her at that thought. Is this how Sebastian felt way back in time? When he had no control over himself? Tears trailed down her cheeks as she wondered how she was going to tell him she went behind his back and turned herself into something she didn’t even understand.
Chapter 21
Sebastian got a call that Kaia was here. He bolted upstairs to escort her back down through the club, desperate to get a feel for her himself about whether or not she was turning wolf. Even though Anthony said he didn’t sense it, yet, and even though Anthony was damn powerful, Sebastian was the one that bit her. He would think he’d be able to sense another wolf, maybe even better than Anthony could.
She looked a little tired, but she’d also been working all day, so that was normal. He put his arm around her shoulder and opened his senses wide. She gave him a funny look while she snaked her arm around his waist.
“What?”
“Are you doing something? With your power I mean. It feels… different than Anthony, but still weird.”
He chuckled, and his mood got better and better with every second that passed that he didn’t feel anything supernatural about her. He pulled his power back, but didn’t totally stop trying to sense her aura. “Is that better?”
She narrowed her eyes. “Yeah. What’re you so giddy about?”
“Oh, nothing. I’m just having a good day.”
“Things are going good with Jade?”
He happily snapped, “Yes,” though in truth he was confused about how things were going between them. He was too overcome with relief about Kaia not turning werewolf to worry about that right now, though.
She giggled and gave him a little squeeze, and he felt like the weight of the world had been taken off his shoulders.
He left Kaia downstairs so she could be with Anthony when he woke for the night, then jogged back up to the restaurant. It was busy for some reason, and of course one of the cooks flaked out, so he pitched in to help.
**
Jade felt terrific and could almost laugh at how freaked out she’d made herself last night. Zach must’ve known everything would be fine. She really should trust him more.
She smiled and hummed a little song as she threw off her work clothes before heading down to the restaurant. She wished Sebastian could meet her at her place instead because she was feeling a little frisky tonight, but he said he was too busy.
She texted him that she was on her way down, and he was waiting for her with a smile on his face. It made her want to tackle him with kisses. He took her in his arms, his hug feeling better than anything on earth. He pulled back just enough to kiss her, and she fell into it.
He wasn’t shy at all when it came to showing her how much he wanted her. She liked that, but wasn’t sure she was ready to always be the same with him. It made her feel guilty at the same time that it made her mad, like she had to justify her feelings to herself every time she thought about them.
“Hi honey. You’re in a good mood tonight.”
“I’m just happy to see you.”
“Really? I’m happy to see you, too.”
They sat down across from each other and Jade had her order taken. “You’re not going to eat with me?”
“Sorry, I need to help out in the kitchen.”
She pouted and he gave her a cockeyed grin. “I can come up later when it calms down, though.”
She perked up at that. “Ok.”
The intimate look in his eye made her heart race and gave her hope that everything really was ok between them again.
“So how are things with you and Anthony tonight?”
The smile left his face and she was instantly sorry for bringing it up.
“The same.”
She gave his hand a little squeeze.
He halfheartedly said, “It’s ok. It’ll work itself out eventually, or else maybe I’ll be looking for a new place to live. We’ll see.”
> She immediately felt protective of him, damning Anthony for being so harsh.
“I need to head back to work. Can I stop by later?”
“Of course.”
He gave her a hug goodbye and a quick kiss on her forehead, then whisked off towards the kitchen. He turned and smiled just before disappearing behind the swinging door.
**
Jade quickly ate her dinner, then headed straight for Zach, who was hanging out in the club. He knew all the gossip around here and would hopefully know when Anthony’s girlfriend would be in again. Tina told her she’d seen her here before, but Jade didn’t know who she was.
Zach was hanging out with a group of people, talking and laughing, his arm around a pretty blonde woman’s shoulder. As Jade got closer, she realized the woman was human. It stunned her that she could feel her essence from this far away. And since humans weren’t allowed here at the club, the blonde had to be Anthony’s girlfriend.
She looked a lot more normal than Jade expected. Anthony was so freaking scary that it seemed totally at odds that his girlfriend looked like a regular, friendly person.
Zach seemed happy as he talked and laughed with others in the group of mostly wolves, and for a brief instant, Jade wondered why he didn’t have a girl. His attention turned to her and it instantly made her self-conscious to walk right up to the group of people she mostly didn’t know. She thankfully spotted her friend Maria in the crowd.
“Hi Maria. Hi Zach.”
“Jade!” Maria stepped through everyone and gave her a hug.
She heard Zach say on her other side, “That’s Sebastian’s girlfriend.”
Jade pretended she didn’t hear and feigned surprise when Zach touched her arm and said, “Jade, meet Kaia, Anthony’s girlfriend.”
Kaia smiled as she put her hand out. “Hi Jade. It’s so nice to meet you. Sebastian’s told me all about you.”
“He has?” That surprised her for some reason, and then she felt bad for that thought. She knew Sebastian adored her. She was the one who was dragging her feet.
“You’re as beautiful as he said you were.”
She honestly blushed at that. Damn him for being so nice… usually.
Zach pointedly asked, “How are you tonight? Feeling ok?”
She stilled. “I feel great, actually. Thanks for everything.”
He nodded, giving her a quick once over.
She turned her attention back to Kaia. “It’s nice to meet you. You’re the first human I’ve ever talked to that knew about our world. Have you always known about us?”
“No way! Not until I met Anthony, actually. I have to say it’s pretty crazy. Forces you to open any closed doors in your mind, you know?”
“Closed doors?”
Kaia gave her a look. “Yeah, like reevaluating your world and what you thought was important to you. When you find out there’s way more going on out there than you ever realized, it puts a lot of things in perspective.”
Jade stared at her as her comment hit home. Everything in her life was definitely being put in perspective right now.
Kaia gave her a lopsided grin. “Or maybe that’s just me.”
She mumbled, “No, it’s not just you.”
Kaia leaned closer. “Sorry? I didn’t hear you. It’s kind of loud in here.”
“I said, it’s not just you.”
Jade was surprised to notice Kaia’s tense shoulders relax. There was the slightest, most subtle difference in her stature, and it made Jade feel good that she’d seen it. She was really starting to like the extra power she gained from Liam, which only made her wonder what other things she’d been avoiding her whole life out of fear of the unknown.
She flicked a look at Zach. He seemed like his usual, casual self, except she could feel his attention focused on her even when he wasn’t looking at her.
Jade turned her attention back to Kaia and the reason she’d come over here. “So I heard about that loner vampire attacking you a while ago. That must’ve been scary.”
She made a face. “Yeah. I mean, I’ve been roughed up before, but that dude really did a number on me.”
“You’ve been beat up before? That’s terrible! And then for Sebastian to hurt you recently, too. I’m so sorry to hear about that and that Anthony’s upset at him for it.”
Kaia looked startled. “What? Anthony’s not mad at Sebastian for hurting me.”
Jade felt Zach’s attention much more firmly planted on her now, but she didn’t dare look at him. “Oh, I must’ve heard wrong. You didn’t get hurt?”
Kaia put her hand on the back of her neck. “I wouldn’t say I got hurt, it was just a small accident. I’m fine.”
Jade nodded, then glanced cautiously at Zach. He didn’t say anything, and didn’t look mad, just very intense. She turned back to Kaia. “So what do you do? I work at a bank.”
She spent some time getting to know Kaia better, and before Jade left they’d exchanged phone numbers and agreed to meet up for lunch sometime. She smiled as she left the group and went back to her place, hoping she’d planted a seed for Sebastian and Anthony to make up. That’s what girlfriends were for, right?
**
Anthony took a welcome break from work when Kaia joined him in his office. She wheeled herself over in the other chair, then leaned in for a kiss. He was glad for the interruption, and ecstatic that she still didn’t have any signs of turning shifter.
“Baby, are you mad at Sebastian?”
He startled at her question, and the longer he took to answer, the more worried she seemed. In truth, he was still conflicted about what Sebastian did. He felt hurt, angry, and betrayed. It was too similar to what the Alpha Wolf, Eli, had done many years earlier, except Sebastian wasn’t Eli. He wasn’t a womanizing playboy who thought too much of himself, and only friends with Anthony so he could gain power from his blood, and prestige through a cushy job with the family.
But they both bit human women. Anthony was devastated when Eli did it because he’d thought he was his friend, and thought he cared for their community and the safety of everyone in it as much as Anthony did. He was horrified by Sebastian because he bit the love of Anthony’s life, potentially taking away any chance of Anthony turning her vampire someday.
Anthony wasn’t ready to tell Kaia all that though, and he felt guilty keeping it from her, especially since he was the one to insist he didn’t want secrets between them. He wished he could take those words back. He was Master of this territory and some things weren’t meant to be shared with others.
But he loved her, so he did the next best thing. He tried to always speak the truth when he did tell her things. He just didn’t volunteer anything that would only worry or scare her, like that she could’ve possibly turned werewolf. It made his conscience feel only slightly better keeping the secret since she still showed no signs of turning. The human woman Eli turned had symptoms of becoming wolf within hours of the bite. It’d been days now for Kaia.
He took her hand in his and said, “Yes. I’m upset with him. He should not have bitten you.”
“Why are you upset, though? It was an accident. He was just being himself. He hadn’t totally woken up yet and he said I felt like pack to him. It was a good morning nip.”
Anthony stared at her. Sebastian wanted to be himself and Sebastian was a shifter. Shifters liked to bite. They liked rough play and he hadn’t known that he shouldn’t be rough with Kaia. Maybe this was all Anthony’s fault for not making sure Sebastian knew how careful he needed to be with her. With all humans.
He sighed. He couldn’t be mad at him for this. He was still scared about Kaia turning wolf, but he really couldn’t blame his friend, and deep down he knew Sebastian really was a true friend.
He nodded and gingerly reached for her neck. She turned enough so he could see the bite, and he cringed. It was healing, but it looked terrible.
Kaia carefully said, “I know I don’t know a lot about vampires and shifters, but, well…” She flinched, then sai
d, “I’ve read stories where vampires can heal bites on people. Is any of that real? Can you heal my bites?”
Could he? “I truthfully don’t know, my sweet. I’ve never had a reason to find that out. Ever.” She earnestly looked at him and it made endless possibilities run through his mind.
He gave her a weary smile. “I would love to find out for you, but I won’t just try it. More than anything I don’t want something unintentional and irreversible to happen, but I’ll look into it. That I promise.”
She climbed into his lap and wrapped her warm, soft body around him. “I love you, baby.”
He smiled and held her close. “I love you, too, my sweet. With all my heart.”
**
Sebastian turned the restaurant over to Oskar once the dinner crowd thinned out and headed to Jade’s. He felt awesome to have someone to share his great mood with tonight. Kaia had nothing shifter about her and it was a huge monkey off his back.
Jade opened her door and literally pulled him inside. Heat instantly shot through him. She wore a snug tank top and capri leggings with a long button down shirt hanging open on top of it all. From the looks of things it wasn’t keeping her all that warm because he could clearly see her pert nipples through the fabric of her top. Oh God… she wasn’t wearing a bra.
His hands trembled as they kissed, but he quickly pulled back and started buttoning her top together. He huskily said, “You should put some more clothes on.”
**
Jade felt great tonight. It was like she just realized she had a body that had needs. She arched her back and leaned into Sebastian as she took his hands off her shirt and pulled it open again. “Why?”
He went still as he hungrily eyed her. “Because I only have so much self control around you.”
She felt his desire stronger than she’d ever been able to, and it made her crazy with need. She teasingly laid kisses down his neck. “I want you to lose some of that control. I want you to touch me in places you haven’t yet.”
He sucked in a breath and quietly groaned. She placed one of his hands on her behind and the other on her breast, and he froze for a moment, then touched her more fully, then froze again.
