The Wolf's Mate: Billionaire Shifter Paranormal Romance (Hearts on Fire Book 4)

by Natalie Kristen

  Tia laughed and articulated the words slowly, so Sarah could mimic her.

  The two of them were home alone. Caine had taken Amanda out to a fancy restaurant for dinner, and they wouldn’t be home so soon. Mother and son had a lot to catch up on, and Tia had a sneaking suspicion that she would be featuring quite prominently in their conversation.

  Amanda had politely invited Tia along, but Tia insisted that she wanted to stay home with Sarah. She knew that Amanda hadn’t had a night out since Sarah came into her life. The woman deserved a break.

  Sarah let out a big yawn when Tia finished the book. “Ah, shall I put you to bed, sleepyhead?” Tia asked.

  Sarah yawned again and rested her head on Tia’s shoulder. Gently, Tia carried the girl back to her room and tucked her into her crib.

  Tia chuckled when she heard an adorable little snore from the girl. “You snore like your daddy,” she whispered.

  Tia stood in the dark, watching the baby sleep and listening to her soft, gentle breathing. She closed her eyes briefly, remembering the sound of Caine’s steady breathing and rhythmic heartbeat. She had looked upon his handsome face as he slept, memorizing his features and wishing that he wasn’t just a one night stand. When she left his bed that night, she never thought she would see him again.

  But fate seemed to enjoy testing her and teasing her.

  Fate had struck her down with cancer before yanking her back up on her feet. And now she had been given an assignment which looked easy on the surface but was in fact anything but.

  She had to remain professional and detached, even though she was almost insane with lust every time Caine smiled at her. For the past three weeks, she had been watching him interact with his mother and daughter at close quarters.

  Caine was stern and demanding in the office, but at home with his family, he laughed often and he was sweet, warm and caring. He was a hands-on dad, and he changed, bathed and fed his daughter cheerfully.

  “I always knew Caine would make a great dad,” Amanda had remarked one evening as they watched Caine play with Sarah on the living room floor. “He used to work such long hours, but now, I think he’s finally seeing that there is more to life than work.”

  Tia sighed. She tried not to show it, but she was falling in love with Caine and his family.

  Quietly, she tiptoed out of Sarah’s room and closed the door. She went to the living room and flipped through the channels distractedly. There wasn’t anything good on TV, so she just settled down and watched the news.

  She drew her legs up under her and felt her ankle holster under her sweatpants. Blowing out a breath, Tia stretched her legs straight out in front of her and hugged a cushion. She might be in comfortable sweatpants but she always made sure that she was armed and ready. She was here officially as a bodyguard, and she wouldn’t be caught without her weapon while on duty.

  Tia glanced out the window when she heard the engine of a car. But it wasn’t Caine’s car. They wouldn’t be back so soon. Caine was a workaholic, and it had been some time since Amanda enjoyed a nice, relaxing night out with her only son.

  Tia had a feeling that Amanda knew that she and Caine had slept together. Amanda would yawn and say that she was retiring to her room after dinner, but Tia saw that the older woman wasn’t really sleepy. She was just giving them the opportunity to be alone together, and maybe bond as a family with Sarah.

  Tia blushed.

  She would love to be Sarah’s mom. She had grown to love the little girl so much. And she loved the girl’s father too.

  A sudden movement outside the window snapped Tia out of her thoughts.

  She clicked off the TV and stood up.

  There was a sound at the side of the house. Tia peeked out the window but she didn’t see any lights in the windows of the neighboring house. The neighbors were out, yet Tia heard a sound coming from their garden.

  She opened the front door soundlessly and stepped out into the chilly night air. Moving quickly and quietly, she hurried towards the back of the house and stared around Amanda’s neat backyard. Nothing seemed to be out of place.

  Tia went back into the house and locked the door, her heart pounding rapidly. She stared at Sarah’s room door and gulped.

  The door was slightly ajar.

  In a flash, Tia was in Sarah’s room.

  She saw two men standing beside the crib, and one of them had Sarah in his arms. The girl’s eyes were closed and she wasn’t moving.

  Tia rushed at them but one of the men grabbed Tia by the throat and slammed her against the wall. She tried to reach for the gun at her ankle but the man wrenched her arm behind her back.

  Tia turned and stared into the man’s glowing red eyes. She looked up at his pale, skeletal face and saw that zigzag scar between his eyebrows.

  “You!”

  She recognized the thug at once. She would never forget his face.

  “You killed my partner! You killed Roy!” Tia hissed.

  She scratched viciously at the man, aiming for his eyes. Her nails raked down his gaunt face, splitting his skin. But the blood that oozed out was black, not red.

  Tia gasped.

  These men were not human. She’d suspected as much, but she wasn’t sure she could trust her memory.

  Tia lashed out. Human or not, they were not taking Sarah.

  She clawed at the thug, drawing more blood. The man bared long, deadly fangs at her, and closed his thin hands around her neck.

  “Let’s go,” his accomplice snapped. “Take her along. We may need to feed again.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Tia dropped to her hands and knees and retched violently. She was relieved to find that she was on solid ground at last. Spitting out the terrible sour taste from her mouth, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and raised her head.

  She forced herself not to heave and took a few steadying breaths. Everything finally stopped spinning and Tia blinked rapidly to adjust her sight to the darkness.

  Just where the hell was she?

  She wasn’t in Amanda’s house, that was for sure. She was shaking like a leaf, and all her insides felt like they had been scrambled to mush.

  Tia swallowed the bitter, acidic taste at the back of her throat.

  She had been transported from Amanda’s house to another location in a spinning, nauseating instant.

  Tia finally got to her feet and tried to get her bearings. She seemed to be in the middle of a sprawling, shadowy, empty hall.

  She turned around slowly, and looked up at the domed ceiling high above her. There were tall, ornate pillars at the side and a curving staircase behind her. Tia stared at the patterned glass in the windows and gave a start of recognition.

  This used to be the old museum. She remembered visiting the museum with Kerry many years back. This building was no longer in use.

  All the artifacts, paintings and exhibits had been moved to the swanky new museum in the heart of the city. But the old museum building hadn’t been torn down. It still stood at the periphery of the city, waiting resignedly for demolition and new building plans to be approved. The abandoned building had been fenced off and largely forgotten.

  A candle flickered at the top of the stairs and Tia whirled round. She saw a tall, white-haired man in a tuxedo coming down the stairs. His red eyes glowed as he smiled at Tia.

  Tia saw the tips of his fangs and forced herself to remain calm. “Where is Sarah?” she demanded. “And who the fuck are you?”

  “Sarah?” He laughed softly, and his laughter echoed all around her. “You’ll see her soon.” His voice seemed to come from behind her.

  Tia spun round but there was no one behind her. She turned again and stumbled back in shock. The man was standing right in front of her, and she could smell the scent of blood, death and decay on him.

  She backed away. She knew what he was.

  The man stood and watched her as she stumbled towards a door. Tia wrenched the door open and tumbled into a dark room.

&
nbsp; She scrambled about blindly in the dark and cried out in alarm when she tripped over something, or someone lying on the floor.

  A torch on the wall behind her flared to life.

  Tia pressed her hand to her mouth to stopper her scream when she saw the corpse at her feet.

  The man was lying face up, his eyes wide open. His skin was gray and papery, and Tia could see that there was not a drop of blood left in his body. There were deep puncture wounds at the side of his neck.

  The torches around the room lit up one by one. This room used to house the medieval artifacts, and Tia remembered thinking that the electric torches were so cool. But the room was now lit up by real flame torches. The leaping flames cast eerie, grotesque shadows around the room and illuminated the horrific scene before her.

  There were drained, shriveled bodies all over the room. Some had been thrown carelessly on top of one another, while others were scattered at the far corners of the hall.

  Tia stared at their ragged clothes, unkempt hair and unshaven faces. The victims were beggars, druggies, homeless people, the forgotten and forsaken members of society. They had been dragged off the streets and killed, and nobody gave a damn.

  She whirled round and saw the white-haired man at the door. “Who are you?” she hissed.

  “My name is Quillan,” he answered with a pleasant smile.

  “Quillan,” Tia said, gulping. “Which coven do you belong to?”

  There were only two vampire covens in the city. Most vampires weren’t dangerous. Their numbers were small and kept in check by their Masters. Vamps who murdered humans were disposed off swiftly by their Masters. Balance and order was important for their survival.

  Vampires only needed a small amount of blood to survive, and they usually had more than enough willing donors. Many people liked to be bitten during sex. It was rumored that a vampire’s bite could be orgasmic. Tia wasn’t willing to find out if that was true though.

  But looking at the bloodless corpses around her, Quillan had been draining his victims dry.

  “I don’t belong to any coven. I’m the oldest vampire in the city. Why should I be controlled by a younger Master?”

  Tia backed away slowly. The two Masters were powerful and respected, and they made sure that their vamps didn’t go rogue.

  Quillan was a rogue vampire. A very old, rogue vampire.

  “Ah, I know what you’re thinking,” Quillan said. “You’re thinking I’m a monster, a murderer, a savage killer. Why did I have to kill all these innocent people?” He gestured around the room. “But...I’m only doing what I need to survive.”

  “You don’t need to kill to survive,” Tia said.

  “I’m afraid you’re wrong, my dear. You see, I’m dying.”

  “Dying? You’re a vampire!”

  “Vampires are not immortal. After five hundred years, our strength starts to wane. We begin to weaken, and our senses become dull. We don’t live forever, contrary to popular belief.”

  Tia swallowed. Five hundred years was a very long time. No wonder everyone thought that they lived forever. They outlived almost everyone else.

  “Most vampires grow tired after five hundred years. It is with a sense of relief that most of them go to their eternal sleep. This is especially true of vamps who have watched their loved ones die one by one. So they embrace death like a lover. They are fools,” Quillan scoffed.

  Quillan smiled at her, and Tia saw his facade begin to crack. Lines and wrinkles appeared on his face, and his eyes sank deep into his sockets. Tia bit down a strangled cry and forced herself to look directly at this cold, ancient, dying creature.

  “You’re five hundred years old,” she whispered.

  “Yes, but I’m not ready to die. I have finally found my phoenix.” His red eyes gleamed. “The blood of a virgin phoenix will revive me and keep me alive for another five hundred years.”

  “A phoenix...” Tia shook her head. “No.”

  “Yes. But it’s so hard to find a phoenix, and even harder to find a virgin. Times have changed.” Quillan laughed and said, “You’ve got to get them young. Before they are defiled.”

  Tia’s eyes widened in panic and terror when she heard a baby’s cry. “Sarah!”

  “Ah, Sarah. My sweet, pure phoenix,” Quillan said.

  He bared his fangs in a grotesque smile. Tia staggered back in horror. His face and form changed as he aged rapidly before her eyes.

  Tia suddenly understood that he had been gorging on human blood in a desperate but ultimately futile effort to slow down his demise.

  Quillan’s voice grew weaker, but his eyes glowed with a maniacal light.

  “It’s time. It’s time for my rebirth,” he whispered.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  The man with the zigzag scar entered the room soundlessly and stood behind Quillan. His accomplice came in after him, holding Sarah by her ankles.

  “Sarah! Don’t hurt her!” Tia screamed. “Don’t you touch her!”

  Sarah stopped crying when she heard Tia’s voice. She twisted round and stared at Tia, stretching out her chubby arms imploringly to Tia.

  “It’s okay, sweetheart,” Tia whispered. “Don’t be afraid.”

  Tia moved forward, but Quillan jerked his head and snapped, “Nelo, make sure she doesn’t interrupt anything.”

  “Yes, Master.”

  Nelo moved with superhuman speed and dug his nails into Tia’s shoulder to hold her in place. The scar on her shoulder throbbed painfully. This piece of shit was the one who had given her that very scar.

  “Don’t move,” Nelo snarled. “And I won’t make it painful for you.”

  “Fuck you,” she spat.

  Nelo smiled, his fangs lengthening. Nelo and his accomplice were vampires sired by Quillan. They were under his control and did his bidding. They were the ones who had snatched all those homeless people off the streets. How many innocent people had they fed to their Master?

  “The phoenix. Give me the phoenix, Donn,” Quillan said, holding out his gnarled hand.

  “Don’t!” Tia yelled, struggling hard as Nelo gripped her arms. “Don’t do it! Can’t you see? He’ll kill you once he has regained his powers. He’s not like the other vampire Masters. Those Masters protect their covens and keep the order. Quillan has no coven! He’s not a true Master! He sired you to use you! Don’t do it! Don’t give him what he wants. He’s using you!”

  But Donn ignored her and handed a whimpering Sarah to Quillan. The old vampire took the baby in his arms and clucked his tongue. “So tender, so fresh...”

  Quillan inhaled the baby’s scent and chuckled. “Yes, the phoenix in her is strong. Her blood will revitalize me. Like the phoenix, I will rise and become powerful again.” He waved dismissively at Tia and said to his two minions, “Donn, Nelo, the human is yours. Enjoy her, but don’t make too much of a mess.”

  Tia screamed all manner of curses as the two younger vampires fixed their ravenous eyes on her. “Get away from me! Sarah! Leave her alone, you dirty leech! Get your fucking hands off her, Quillan! I will kill you, I swear!”

  Tia stopped kicking and thrashing when she heard a howl. It sounded like it was coming from the back of the building.

  “A werewolf,” Quillan hissed, his eyes glowing dangerously.

  Tia kept her face impassive even as she breathed Caine’s name.

  Sarah was wailing at the top of her lungs, screaming for her daddy.

  “Donn, get rid of the wolf,” Quillan ordered.

  Donn nodded and disappeared. He simply teleported out of the building. Tia had seen Donn and Nelo teleport away with their victims when she was a cop. Not all vampires could teleport. It was a unique ability inherited from one’s vampire master.

  Tia gulped and hoped that Quillan had grown too old and weak to teleport. His strength was weakening, so he should have lost some of his powers. If he teleported away with Sarah, she would have no idea where to find him. And by the time she got to him, Sarah…

  No!
/>
  She would stop him. She would not allow him to take a drop of Sarah’s blood.

  Without warning, Tia slammed her elbow into Nelo’s side. Her elbow hurt like hell but she didn’t stop for breath. She lunged towards Sarah, but Nelo caught her and yanked her back. Tia spun round and aimed her fist at his nose, but Nelo caught her hand in his palm and twisted.

  Tia screamed in pain and rage and kicked the vampire hard in the shin. She tried to reach for Sarah again, but Nelo kicked her legs out from under her and she fell noisily to the ground.

  A heavy boot landed on her back, pinning her down. Tia looked up and saw Quillan pulling Sarah’s head back to expose her neck. The little girl was bawling as she flailed and struggled helplessly.

  Quillan dug his long, yellowed nails into the baby’s soft flesh and drew blood.

  “No! No!” Tia shrieked.

  There was the sudden sound of glass shattering as a round orb smashed through a window.

  Tia turned and saw a deformed, misshapen ball fly through the broken window and roll across the floor.

  The ball stopped in front of Tia and stared at her.

  Tia choked down a cry.

  It wasn’t a ball.

  It was Donn’s head.

  The vampire’s eyes were wide and staring, his mouth open to reveal his descended fangs. A trickle of black blood flowed slowly from the base of the decapitated head, and the inky rivulet crawled inexorably towards Tia.

  Tia struggled and snapped her attention back to Quillan. The old vampire was holding Sarah tightly to his chest as he backed slowly out of the room.

  Tia blinked hard. Quillan seemed to be fading. Shit!

  Quillan couldn’t teleport swiftly due to his waning strength but he could still dematerialize. And he was taking Sarah with him.

  Silently, Tia reached for the gun at her ankle. Nelo still had his boot on her back, but he was watching the broken window warily.

  As soon as her fingers closed around the handle, Tia wrenched her gun out and fired a shot at Quillan.

  She aimed her shot low so she wouldn’t hit Sarah. The bullet lodged in the vampire’s leg and Quillan let out a terrible roar. His translucent shape became clear and solid once more.