by Grosso, Kym
“Yeah, I hear ya. I was two seconds away from staking that vamp bitch tonight. Seriously Tristan, I don’t have your diplomacy skills,” Logan quipped. He went over to the bar and poured them each a sizable glass of whiskey.
“I know. If she didn’t keep the vampires in this city on such a tight leash, she’d be dead. And I’d be the first one lined up to kill her,” he declared flatly. And after tonight he meant it. How did someone torture a human like that and feel nothing? He just could not relate. It was as if the vamp was completely devoid of compassion. The only feelings she had were about her own needs.
“Not only is she narcissistic, she’s a true sadist. Not that I haven’t seen it before with other vamps, but damn, she’s nasty.” Logan fell alongside his friend, shaking his head and handing Tristan a tumbler.
Tristan took a large draw of the amber liquid, savoring the flavor as it danced over his tongue. “Thanks, brother. I swear I feel like I’m ready to punch something. I need to shift. Run. Something. I love the city, but it would be nice to just go wolf right now.”
“I hear ya.” Logan needed to run too, blow off steam.
“Have you got the purse?” Tristan asked. He needed to know more about the mysterious woman lying upstairs in his bed.
“Yeah, it’s over by the door. Not much in it. Standard girl stuff. There was identification. Name’s Kalli Williams. Twenty-nine years old. City address. Nothing really out of the ordinary for a human.”
“Any more strange pills?”
“Nope, nothin’. Listen, I know you’re frustrated, but the girl will wake up soon and we’ll get answers.” Logan wasn’t really sure that what he was saying was true, but he was always the optimist.
“Will we? I gotta tell ya that I’m not convinced that girl laying upstairs in my bed has anything to do with the fire. What do we really know? She’s guilty of taking a freakin’ snake? And while I’d like to know where the hell she took Eve, not even the vamps saw anyone go into Eden. I’m telling you, Logan, something else is about to happen. I know you saw it in your vision, but I can feel it and it’s not good. The meeting with Jax can’t come soon enough. I’ve got to know if he’s in on this.” Tristan raked his fingers through his hair.
“Well, friend, nothin’s happening for at least a couple of hours so we might as well just chill…maybe with Mira,” Logan suggested, slyly raising an eyebrow at Tristan.
A grin broke across Tristan’s face, knowing exactly what Logan was thinking, and it didn’t exactly involve relaxing. But after sporting a hard on for the last half hour in the car, he couldn’t deny that he needed to get laid as much as Logan did.
Soft knocking at the door got their attention. “Come in, Mir,” Logan yelled, unwilling to get up to answer the door.
Mira walked in with a clipboard in her hands, tapping it with a pen. Tristan and Logan watched as she slammed the door and started pacing, immersed in thought.
Without looking up, she began speaking. “Hi guys, just wanted to bring you an update. Talked to Willow, and about fifty percent of the pack will be moved in with her by the end of the weekend. Most of the others are going up to the mountains. You may need to talk to Zed and Nile; both want to stay in the city at their own places. I don’t know what’s up. They told Willow it was work related, but I’d bet you it has to do with a woman. Probably human.” She rolled her eyes and kept talking. “Um, let’s see. What else did I need to tell you? Oh yeah, I ran through the list of all potential clients. Most are screened and clear. I have one or two that still need clearance.”
She stopped in her tracks and looked over to the men, who were staring at her with wide grins on their faces, enjoying an adult beverage. “What? Am I boring you? Or is it that you’ve started without me?” she joked. She’d freed her long blonde hair from the confines of its clip.
“More like stopping,” Logan responded.
“Thanks for the update. I’m glad to see you have it under control,” Tristan replied, complimenting her work. She was nothing if not a type A person who could teach a course on responsibility. Her driven personality was quite congruent with her Alpha status within the pack.
“Want a drink?” Logan asked, toasting his glass up in the air.
“No thanks, I’m good.”
“Yes you are,” Tristan teased. He patted the cushion in between Logan and him. “Come, Mir. Sit with us. Relax a bit. It’s been a long night.”
Mira took off her suit jacket and kicked off her pumps. Obediently, she listened, and squeezed herself between the two strong men.
“Now, you don’t think you’re going to get away with sitting like that, do you? Come here.” Tristan set his glass down on the coffee table, and then reached to swing her around so that the back of her head rested in his lap. Logan pulled her legs up onto him and began to rub her.
“I love it when you don’t wear stockings,” Logan remarked.
Tristan smoothed her hair out of her face and rubbed her head with one of his hands, resting the other below her breasts.
“Oh my God, okay, I think I died and went to heaven. What did I do to deserve this?” Mira moaned.
Tristan wanted release and Mira could give it to him. His wolf had been clawing at him; there was something about that human woman upstairs. Rarely did Tristan feel confused about his emotions. One of the benefits of being Alpha was the serenity of knowing what to do in almost every situation. He was a born leader: decisive, authoritative. Having the ability to quickly assess the state of affairs and determine the correct course of action, he didn’t vacillate. He and his wolf were always in sync.
Yet ever since he’d taken Kalli into his arms, his wolf wanted what he shouldn’t have. Not that Tristan’s cock disagreed, but his head told him otherwise. You couldn’t trust a woman based on looks alone. He didn’t even know her. Perhaps Sydney marrying had affected him more than he thought. Or maybe it was that he simply hadn’t had a break since the battle he’d helped Kade fight. He’d been dealing with Jax Chandler’s relentless pursuit of his sister. Then the fire and club rebuild.
As he stroked Mira’s hair, he reasoned that sometimes things just didn’t make sense. What he did have was a red-blooded female in his arms, and his beta, both of whom would ease any tension he’d been feeling over the past month. Instead of worrying about the suspect, he needed to ease his own sexual needs.
“Logan, isn’t Mir looking lovely today?” Tristan massaged her shoulders. She closed her eyes and moaned.
“Yes she is, Tris. You know, it’s been a long time since we played. The three of us…together. I’ve missed this,” Logan said as his fingers glided along the inside of her calves. He watched Mira’s lips fall open as he teased up toward her thigh. Her hips began to wiggle slightly, calling him toward her center.
Tristan looked over to Logan and met his eyes. “I’ve missed it too. Now look at how beautiful she is, Logan. I bet she’s nice and wet for you. Yeah, that’s it,” he encouraged as Logan pushed a hand under her skirt, still only barely touching her thighs. “Mir, tell him what you want.”
“Please, Logan. Touch me,” she whispered, reaching for Tristan’s chest.
Tristan found the side opening to her skirt and unzipped it. Then Logan tugged the skirt off until all that remained were her panties. Tristan began to unbutton each pearl of her blouse. Before long, her breasts were bared save only her bronze-colored silk bra. He rubbed his hands all over her chest and tummy, teasing her without touching her breasts directly.
Mira sucked a breath as the cool air hit her skin. She stared into Tristan’s eyes, intent on making love to both of her men.
Logan gradually slid his forefinger into the flimsy material, only enough to tease her.
“Logan. Tristan, please,” she begged.
Tristan’s cock hardened as she pleaded. Burying himself into her sweet heat could take the edge off of his day. God, she was so responsive, even after all these years. No, she wasn’t his mate. But she was loyal, sexy and available. What else did
he need? His wolf roared in protest, and Tristan pushed him aside. The rational thing to do would be to make love to this ready and willing woman in his lap. He’d done it many times before, so why was the wolf upset? Ignoring his beast within, he extended a claw, and cut her bra free, exposing her creamy flesh. Her nipples peaked in response and she gasped at the act.
“Touch me,” she demanded.
Tristan, happy to oblige, grazed his fingertips over a nipple.
“More,” she cried.
“Logan, I think our little she-wolf is getting impatient. Shall we help her?”
“Ah yes,” Logan groaned as he slipped his fingers down into her slick folds. “She’s so warm and wet. Aw baby.” He withdrew his hand for a second, only to tear the panties off her body.
She moaned in protest. “Don’t worry, we’ll take care of you, Mir,” Tristan assured her, cupping her warm breast in his hand. Shit, Logan was turning him on by the way he touched her. Sometimes Tristan wondered if he could ever give up having threesomes with his beta. Sharing sexual experiences with his best friend completed everything he needed. He and Logan never had sex alone with each other nor were they in love, but he loved him and wanted to share everything with him.
Logan circled her nub slowly with his forefinger. She pushed her hips upward seeking more pressure, but he wouldn’t give it to her yet. No, he wanted to draw it out, make the tension and pleasure last.
Mira reached for Tristan’s belt, frantically trying to free him. She desperately wanted him in her mouth, seeking out his steely length through the fabric of his trousers.
“Fuck,” he hissed at her intrusion and cuffed her right wrist.
She moaned again in protest.
“Not yet, ma chère. Don’t move, just feel. Concentrate on what Logan’s doing to you.”
“I need more,” Logan grunted as he moved onto his knees, putting her legs over his shoulders. “I can’t wait to taste you.”
She reached for her breast and squeezed it, but Tristan took that hand as well and pulled her arms over her head, gripping her wrists firmly.
“No, no, no,” he scolded. “No touching yourself, either. Hmm, we might have to spank her lovely little ass tonight. She’s not listening.” Tristan knew just the thought of it would push her over the edge; she loved being smacked on the bottom while he made love to her from behind.
“Stop teasing me. I can’t take it. Oh my God!” she screamed, as Logan trailed the tip of his tongue between her inner lips.
Tristan reached down with his other hand and pushed her apart, allowing Logan better access. Mira raised her hips upward, seeking relief. The pressure of her orgasm was built. She was almost ready to come, but she needed just a little more.
“She tastes so good,” Logan groaned as he pressed his fingers deep inside her. Mira began to shake; she was falling over. Logan’s lips took her sweet pearl, sucking gently as he pumped into her. She screamed in pleasure as she flew apart into orgasm.
Aroused and ready, the spell broke for Tristan as his cell phone buzzed in his pocket. Releasing Mira’s wrists, he immediately reached for his phone to read the text, ‘She’s awake’. Tristan’s thoughts slammed back to the woman upstairs in his bed.
“Sorry guys, party’s over…well, at least for me. But please keep having fun, okay?” Tristan kissed Mira’s head as she smiled up at him, sated for the moment. He gently moved away, straightened his clothes and walked toward the door.
“You need me?” Logan prayed he didn’t.
“No, I’ve got this. I’ll call ya later.”
Logan scooped Mira up into his arms as if she weighed nothing. “Okay then…I guess your loss is my gain,” he declared, smiling as he carried Mira away to his bedroom. He knew better than to ask twice.
“Bye, Tris!” Mira waved giggling as she disappeared into the hallway.
Tristan’s mind raced; he couldn’t wait to interrogate the suspect. There was something about the whole situation that didn’t make sense. And Kalli was the key to getting the answer.
Chapter Five
Warm water pulsed around her body as the fragrant smell of lilacs danced in her mind. She felt warm and safe. Then images of Alexandra flashed. Blood. Vampires. An Alpha. Screaming, her eyes flew open, scanning her surroundings. Panic coursed throughout every cell in her body in a flight or fight response.
“Hey, you’re safe. You’re okay,” a comforting female voice advised her. She looked over to see a young woman with long brown hair kneeling at her side by the tub. A tub? Her heart raced, realizing she was stark naked in a bath full of steaming bubbles and jets pulsating around her bruised flesh.
The woman regarded the tub as if she knew what Kalli was thinking. “It’s just a warm bath to get you cleaned up, hun. Nothing happened. I’m a nurse. Really, see?” She leaned over and pulled a stethoscope out of her black bag.
Kalli said nothing as she surveyed her surroundings. She was in a large whirlpool Jacuzzi; warm heat lamps shone overhead. The bathroom felt dark and rich with its umber painted walls and fawn-stained crown molding. The flicker of a single candle danced across the black speckled granite countertop of a chestnut vanity. Although she could think of worse places to find one’s self, waking up in strange places was really getting old.
She struggled to find her voice, aware that her throat was raw from screaming. “Where am I?”
“You are at the home of Mr. Tristan Livingston, Alpha of Lyceum Wolves,” Julie answered cheerfully. “You’re safe, but a bit scratched up from your run-in with that dreadful vampire. Don’t worry, though. Your vitals are good. We just need to get you some rest and something to eat. You should be good in a few days.”
“A few days? I really need to get home and…” her voice trailed off as Julie held up a hand, silencing her.
“Hun, I know you’ve had a rough time of it and all, and I’m not going to judge, but the Alpha wants to talk to you.” She went about her business, readying up a warm towel. Throwing it over her shoulder, she bent down and slid her hand behind Kalli’s back and under her arm.
“Come on now, I want to see if you can stand. Lean on me, and I’ll wrap this towel around you. That’s it.”
Kalli let her weight fall back on the strange woman as she tried to stand. The Alpha wanted to talk to her? Oh God. She knew she shouldn’t have gone in to get that snake. He was going to ask about the fire and what she’d seen. She didn’t want to be involved. She could not let them find out she was alive.
Finding her legs, she pushed upright until she was standing. She sighed as the warmth of the towel engulfed her.
“That’s it. Look at you, standing all on your own. God, Alexandra’s such a viper. I can’t believe she did this to you. Can you step out of the tub? Just hold onto me as you move, okay?”
“Alexandra?” Kalli did as instructed as if in a daze. She let Julie dry her, trying to focus on staying stable on her feet. Weakness was not something she was used to feeling and she disliked having to rely on someone to help her, but at this point, she had no choice.
“Yeah, you know, the bloodsucker who drained you?”
“I…I didn’t get her name. I shouldn’t have gone out to the parking garage alone. I should have…” Kalli’s soft voice trailed off as a small tear ran down her cheek. She should have known that someone would have seen her at the club. Embarrassment washed over her, knowing that she had let this happen. But there was another emotion that racked her mind. Anger? Yes, she was mad all right. But most of all, at the moment, she felt violated. Was there no place on this earth she could be safe from the violence?
“Hey there, I know what you’re thinking. Just stop it right now. The vamps. They can even get to us wolves, you know. A human woman is just no match for them. There’s nothing you did to cause this to happen to you,” Julie told her. A somber expression flashed across her face.
If you only knew, Kalli thought silently.
“Now, come on, let’s get you dressed and in bed.”
&nbs
p; “I don’t have anything to wear,” Kalli began to say and stopped when she saw Julie hold up a large man’s t-shirt with a black wolf insignia on it that read: ‘Harley-Davidson’.
“This will do. Wait ’til the Alpha finds out I was digging around in his skivvies,” she joked. “Ah, the thrill of it all.”
Kalli had a hard time trying not to smile back at the lovely nurse. She gratefully allowed Julie to pull the shirt over her head. It was better than being dirty and infinitely better than being covered in her own blood and body odor.
“Now, for the pièce de résistance.” Julie held up a black pair of man’s boxer briefs. “You’ll probably swim in these, but I found a new package in his room, and well, it’s better than no undies. I’ll leave it up to you.”
“Thanks, I’ll, um. I’ll take them. They’ll be okay until they stretch out.” Then they’d probably fall right off of her, but there was no way in hell she planned on staying in a wolf’s den with no underwear. She had to figure out a way to escape the hell she’d gotten herself into. Glancing over to the door, she considered making a break for it. Dizziness racked her brain as she started to wobble.
Julie grabbed onto Kalli’s arms as she wavered, almost falling onto the floor. She eased her into a sitting position and rubbed her back. “Okay, I’d say that’s enough exercise for today. Just take a second and breathe. That’s it. You’re sitting well. Better now?” Kalli nodded as Julie ran a towel over Kalli’s long raven hair. After patting it dry, she dropped the towel on the floor, pulled out a comb and began to tease out the knots.
“Oh and hun, don’t even think about leavin’ this room right now. Yes, I saw you eyeing the door,” she said, continuing her work.
Busted, Kalli groaned inwardly. Who was she kidding? She was barely well enough to stand, let alone walk.
Julie finished up and set the comb on the nightstand. “I probably failed to mention that you are on the forty-fifth floor of a city skyscraper, so there’s just one exit out of here and my friend, Simeon, is keeping watch on that one. Besides, I’m telling you that you’re safe, okay? Nothin’ is gonna happen to you up here. I promise. And besides, you’re in no condition to leave, anyway.”
