by Grosso, Kym
“Tris, hate to point out the obvious. But number one, Alexandra has been and will always be a bloodsucking monstrosity. And number two, the girl, as you put it, could have been involved with starting the fire. She could be involved with the wolves who killed Paul. So if it makes you feel any better, that woman back there may not be all that innocent.”
“Goddamn Alexandra. It’s not her place to do this,” he snarled angrily, waving his hand over Kalli. “This…this is torture. And it will never, ever be condoned by me or anyone in my pack, understood?”
Logan solemnly considered his words, knowing that this woman was about to change everything, regardless of her culpability in any crime.
“Just playing devil’s advocate. You know I’d like nothing more than to take that vamp’s head. And I’d smile doing it,” Logan affirmed. “So…how’s the girl? She doesn’t look too good.”
“Still breathing at least, but she’s going to need to be cleaned up.” Mentally and physically, Tristan thought to himself. His wolf stirred, intrigued by the human nestled in his lap. He absentmindedly stroked a finger across her scratched forehead. She was beautiful, even with the bruise that was starting to form above her left eye. How did she get mixed up in this nastiness?
Kalli first became aware that she was no longer in the house when she felt the movement of the car beneath her. The scent of two different males roused her wolf. God, she needed her pills; she was losing control. She thought she must be dreaming. She could feel the dominant male calling to her. He’d come for her wolf, and she wouldn’t be denied. Kalli clutched his jacket, pulling it up to her face, breathing in pure maleness. She needed more. Seeking comfort, she turned her nose into the soft material couched underneath her head, snuggling against the warmth. Where am I?
Tristan shifted uncomfortably in his seat as the female turned towards him, settling her head well into his crotch. He took a deep breath, praying Logan wouldn’t look back and see what was happening. Not that he usually minded a woman with her lips on his zipper, but this was all wrong. Regardless of what he knew should not happen, his cock, apparently having a mind of its own, jerked in response to the pressure. There was no denying the warm sensation of her breath on his groin; her nose pressed against him. He tried to back into the seat, slightly moving her to relieve the pressure. Of all the things he’d expected on the car ride back to his condo, this wasn’t one of them.
A gentle push on her shoulders roused her senses. Forcing her eyes to open, her vision came into focus, and she was shocked to see a belt buckle. What the hell? As she turned her head, golden eyes locked on hers. He was the most gorgeous man she’d ever seen, but it was the sheer amount of energy that took her breath away. Authority. Domination. Alpha. Even though it had been years since she’d been around an Alpha wolf, there was no denying the infinite potency emitting from this man. Her wolf sang for it, while her mind panicked.
Kalli started to shake uncontrollably as her wolf fought to emerge. Oh God, this cannot be happening. I need my medicine.
“Please,” she begged, gasping for air.
“Calm down, now. You’re safe,” he assured her. She’d thankfully moved away from his zipper, but now was starting to climb up toward his face.
Kalli writhed in his lap, trying to fight the change. She found herself clawing at his shirt, placing her forehead against his chest. Her wolf wanted at this strange man, and she couldn’t let that happen.
“Please. I need…I need my pills. The hospital. I’m sick,” she lied. But Kalli considered changing a worse fate than being ill. She was content living her life as a human in hiding. She couldn’t risk having others finding out she was still alive.
“The hospital? Sorry, ma chère. We’ll tend to you when we arrive at the club.” If they took her to the hospital, it was likely she’d try to escape. She was a bit scraped up and very much needed food. He’d have his healers tend to her once they got home.
“No, you don’t understand. The University Veterinary Hospital. Garage, third floor. My pills are in the car,” she cried, digging her fingernails into his chest.
Tristan remembered Alexandra saying something about how she tasted “foul”. Perhaps it was whatever medication she’d been taking. Was she really sick? He needed her alive if he was going to get information out of her. Erring on the side of caution, he decided a quick detour couldn’t hurt. Perhaps they could get her identification or other information from her car.
“Logan, drive over to UVH. We can check out the car while we’re there. It’ll only take a minute,” Tristan called over to him. She stopped rubbing herself against his chest, and dropped back into his lap again. Here we go again.
“Got it, boss. What kind of car are we looking for?” he asked.
“Black. Black convertible. BMW,” she replied, her voice starting to calm. Out of exhaustion she laid back onto Tristan. Thank God he’d agreed to take her to the car. She’d get her pills and regain control. Again she pulled the black fabric to her body, pressing it over her mouth in an effort to hide her face. Tired, hungry and weak, she knew there was no way she’d escape an Alpha wolf. But if she took her antidote, she’d get well and bide her time until she could escape him. Kalli wasn’t sure why he’d saved her or what he wanted, but there was something about him. He wasn’t hurting her; it appeared that he needed her for some reason. For what, she had no idea.
As Logan pulled into the garage, he glanced back at the girl who was still wrapped round his Alpha. Seeing her face, he knew for certain she was the one from his dreams. Poor Tristan. He silently groaned, knowing Tristan would have his hide once he found out the truth about the girl, and worse, found out that he’d seen it. But he wasn’t sure how it all fit together with the fire or the death of the driver in New Orleans. Sure, the girl looked innocent, but he knew better than to trust a woman based on looks.
Logan navigated up to the third level, slowing as he approached what he assumed to be the car. All four tires had been slashed, presumably in an attempt to prevent her from getting away during her abduction.
“This it?” Logan asked, knowing it was more of a confirmation of what he already knew.
Kalli reached forward with both arms until she found the door. Slowly she rose, sliding up until her fingertips reached the lip of the car window. She moaned, unable to go any further.
“Hold on there. Let me help you.” Tristan carefully slid his hands underneath her torso; one hand supported her just above her waist and another under the swell of her breasts.
She peered over the window’s horizon to see her little convertible. Breathing a sigh of relief, a rush of hope washed over her. The silly car had been the one extravagance she’d allowed herself after she left. The hospital, where it was parked, was her home; it was everything to her. But would she ever get her life back now that an Alpha had her in his grip?
“My pills are in the center console,” she cried, as a single tear rolled down her cheek. “Let me down. I won’t run.” She let her body go limp and fell onto her back, staring blindly up at the leather ceiling.
Tristan heard a resigned acceptance in her voice. It was better this way. Guilty or not, she had stepped into his world, and one simply didn’t walk away after becoming a person of interest in a territorial war. He looked down into her sky blue eyes, realizing she’d disconnected from him. She needed time before he’d be able to get all the answers he needed.
Logan got out of the car, fully prepared to break open a window. Looking to get lucky, he tried the car handle but both doors were locked. Circling the car, he noticed a pair of shoes thrown against the concrete wall. He squatted to inspect them, and guessed that they belonged to their girl. As he stood, he noticed metal glinting underneath the front rear tire. A silver keychain, shaped as a dove. He picked it up and looked at the writing, ‘Libre Volonté’. Free will? From what or whom was she fleeing? Clicking the key, the car locks clicked open.
“Look at that,” he commented, smiling over at Tristan who was watching
him. “I’m good.”
Tristan rolled down the window. “Yes you are. Now move your ass, Logan. There’s something not right with this girl. Did you find her pills?”
Logan held up a brown tube and shook it. “Got it.” He rummaged through the car a few minutes more, before he got out and shut the door.
“Took you long enough,” Tristan commented as Logan handed him the bottle of pills. “Water?” he asked, hoping for the impossible.
“Sorry, man. I’ve got nothin’. Can’t she just chew it?”
“Guess that’s how it’s going to have to be. Come on, ma chère. We’ve got your pills.” Tristan opened the unmarked bottle, and he wondered what kind of medication it was. Even though he wasn’t human and didn’t use their pharmacies, he knew for certain that most pharmaceuticals were labeled. It seemed strange, but she obviously needed the pills.
“Please, just one,” she whispered, her eyes locking on his.
Tristan took out a white chalky tablet and placed it on her tongue. She closed her eyes in relief while her lips sealed around his finger. The sweet bitterness burned her throat. Thank you, God. Her wolf whined in grief as she was pushed to the back of Kalli’s psyche, jailed yet again.
A small sigh escaped as he pulled his wet digit out of her mouth. Goddammit. The woman was scratched and sick, possibly his enemy, and he was thinking of a damn blow job. Shit, he needed to get back to the condo, and fuck something, even if it was his own hand. The pressure of helping Kade, then the fire, his sister; it was getting to be too much. Something had to give.
“What’s happening, Tris?” Logan asked, wondering if it had worked.
Tristan didn’t want to tell him what was happening, because what he was feeling was inappropriate, to say the least. “She’s falling asleep. Whatever was in those pills seemed to calm her. Let’s get back to the condo. Call Julie. Tell her to meet us up in my condo. She can heal and watch over this woman. Then call Mira and have her meet us at your place.”
Thirty minutes later they pulled up in front of Livingston One. The brand new skyscraper, home to Noir, offices and several luxury condominiums set aside for pack members only, gleamed with reflective black glass. Tristan had already owned the property prior to the fire; call it serendipity, but construction had just finished. With Noir taking the top five floors of the building, Tristan’s penthouse rested safely underneath it, with Logan’s under his.
As the car pulled up to the entrance, Logan handed the keys to the valet. “Hey Ryan, take care of my girl, here.” He patted his car.
“Will do, sir,” Ryan, a young wolf, assured him.
“Tristan’s in the back. Hold it a second while I get Toby,” Logan instructed. He whistled over to Toby, who jogged over, giving him a smile.
Both Toby and Ryan had been adopted into the pack by Tristan after they’d been abandoned as teens. He’d been putting them through college, and both kids worked for him, valeting cars.
“Toby, hold the door for me. Tristan’s in the back with a guest,” Logan said casually, wondering what else he should call her. Guest hardly seemed appropriate, but prisoner didn’t suit the situation either. He shrugged; either way she was going upstairs. They’d have her name soon enough.
“Yes sir,” Toby obediently responded.
Toby opened the car door, and held it wide open, and Logan leaned in to help Tristan. But Tristan held up his hand, gesturing for him to step back. It’s starting already, Logan thought to himself.
“I’ve got her,” Tristan told him as he effortlessly exited the car cradling Kalli against his chest as if he were holding a baby. “Thanks. Hey, how’s school going? Keeping your grades up?” he asked in a parental tone.
“School's going well. My chem class is tough but I’m studying hard,” Toby beamed.
“Good to hear. Just make sure you keep your mind on your grades and keep the distractions to a minimum. I’ve heard you two are turning into quite the ladies’ men,” Tristan teased, looking over at Ryan through the glass, who’d been playing with the radio, but glanced up in time to catch what his Alpha’d been telling Toby. He smiled and gave Tristan a thumbs-up through the glass.
Tristan nodded toward and smiled at him, acknowledging his response.
“Yes sir,” Toby laughed, shutting the car door. He and Ryan had had a great summer, parking cars and meeting the sexy women who frequented the club. They weren’t hurting for dates.
“Ready to go, Alpha?” Logan asked, rescuing Tristan from further conversation. “I’ll run interference.”
Tristan looked down at the tranquil woman who slept in his arms. “Yes, let’s go.”
They took the private elevator up to Tristan’s penthouse, avoiding prying eyes. As the doors opened, Tristan immediately started toward the guest room.
“Did you get ahold of Julie?” he asked Logan, without looking at him.
“Yeah, she’s on her way up. I’ll wait for her here and let her in,” Logan told him, knowing she’d have to be let in. Even though the private elevator opened directly into the foyer, only he and Tristan had the code to take it. All other guests arrived separately.
Julie was a nurse practitioner and all-round pack healer. While wolves healed fairly quickly on their own, given a full shift, it wasn’t always possible to engage in a transformation. Younger wolves didn’t transform until after puberty, and often got into scraps. Julie was also a midwife and attended most, if not all births, depending on what the mother wanted. She practiced both traditional and alternative medicine, catering to supernaturals. On occasion, she’d treat a witch or vampire, if it was a friend, but they generally didn’t need aid.
Tristan nudged the guest room door open with an elbow, careful not to hit Kalli’s head. She’d need to be cleaned up and fed before they settled her under the covers, so he decided to lay her atop of the comforter. Gently placing her down, he slid his hands out from underneath her warm body.
He sat on the edge of the queen-sized bed and sighed, watching her chest rise and fall under Logan’s tux. His wolf had been gnawing at him the entire car ride home; he begged to smell her, nuzzle her, lick her. And shit if Tristan didn’t want the same thing. He couldn’t understand why he was having these feelings toward a mortal woman he’d just met, one who could be involved in the fire. Still, staring down at her sweet face, he wanted to touch her.
Julie and Logan watched as the Alpha ran his fingers through the woman’s hair. Shit, here we go, Logan thought. He coughed, drawing Tristan out of his trance.
“Hi, Alpha. Sorry to interrupt,” Julie apologized. She walked over and looked at the girl in his bed, shaking her head. “Now, I know you missed me, big guy, but there are easier ways to get me in your bedroom.” She winked at him, trying to lighten up the atmosphere.
“Ah, Jules, thanks for coming,” Tristan greeted her, reaching over to squeeze her arm, welcoming her to his home. “This, here, is a very important person of interest.” He looked down at Kalli, and continued. “She’s been roughed up and fed on by vampires. But I need her well enough to question. You should know that we think she’s sick.”
“Did she tell you that? What happened?”
“No, but during the car ride, she started freaking out, screaming for her pills. We managed to get them out of her car and gave her one. Alexandra claimed there was a strange taste to her blood. I don’t know.”
“So she’s been with Alexandra? How long?” Julie asked in a professional manner, yet she was well aware that the girl had probably been tortured by the bloodsucker.
“Yeah. About two days.”
“Can I see the pills you gave her?”
Tristan reached into his inside jacket pocket, pulled out the small bottle and dropped it into her hand. “Here, this is it. Logan grabbed her purse. I’ll see if he found anything else.”
Julie pushed down and screwed open the safety cap, and shook a few tablets into her hand. “Hmmm. Bottle’s not marked and neither are these pills. Could be some kind of generic.”
“Not sure, but she seemed damn anxious to take one. Almost like she was having some kind of a panic attack. As soon as she took it, she calmed right down. She’s been sleeping for a good thirty minutes now. But I really need to talk to her.”
“Okay, well why don’t you go take a break and I’ll get her cleaned up. Try to feed her something. Here, let me get my bag,” She walked back into the hallway, where she’d left her medical kit. Picking it up, she caught Logan’s eyes. She smiled and mouthed: “It will be all right.” She could tell he was worried about Tristan.
“Okay you two, leave me be. I’ve got some work to do,” she ordered.
Tristan stood, rubbing his hand over his face. Before he walked away, he turned again to Julie. “One more thing. She might be a runner. I’m going to have Simeon stand guard at the elevators. Unless she can sprout wings and fly out from forty stories, she won’t get far. But we don’t know if she’s dangerous, so be cautious, okay. Text me when you think she’s ready to talk. I’m gonna go downstairs for a while to Logan’s.”
“No problem. Will do, Alpha.” Julie knew Simeon wouldn’t let the girl out of the condo. He was one of the strongest wolves she knew. If anything happened, she’d call on him right away.
“Thanks.”
“Thanks, Jules,” Logan added.
Clapping a hand on Tristan’s shoulder, he walked down the hallway toward the elevators, relieved to get away from the girl for a while. Logan sensed Tristan’s frustration about not getting immediate answers, but even more overwhelming was his Alpha’s attraction to a stranger they’d just met. Unable to stop fate, he’d be damned if he didn’t fight tooth and nail to protect Tristan from being hurt. Despite his visions, he still wasn’t sure whether her nature was good or bad. Regardless, he was certain that the woman they’d just saved was about to rock Tristan’s world.
Chapter Four
Tristan fell back onto the soft leather sofa and sighed. “Well, that was fucking fun.”
