Vampires Bite: Book 2 (When, Were, & Howl Series)
Page 7
In the dead of night, Francis strapped his sword across his back. Parking his van a few miles down the road, Francis hiked back to Garan’s lair and watched until Garan settled in.
Creeping softly into the house, Francis climbed the stairs one by one.
“Hello? In here.” Garan sounded terribly pleased with himself for hearing Francis creeping up the stairs, his tone rising and falling with a false lilt.
The element of surprise gone, Francis burst open the bedroom door with startling force, sword in hand.
“Oh, Francis, you’re always so dramatic.” Garan laughed, picking at the hole in his face where the strips of flesh once hung. Garan chewed on the skin. “Pizza delivery boy will be here in a few minutes. We can share if you like.”
I have a meal. “No, thank you.” Francis said aloud.
Garan started to back up, stumbling over clothes. “I didn’t know you liked weres that much. So sorry.”
Francis stepped over a pile of clothes. “You chained me up, took my blood, and made me the laughing stock of the shifters.”
Garan put his hands up in a gesture of defeat. With a wary glance at the sword Garan leapt suddenly at Francis and grabbed his arm, using his foot to trip Francis backwards. Francis fell back clutching tightly to the sword while Garan pulled against his arm, trying to pry it from his hands.
While Garan focused on the sword, Francis elongated his fangs, pulling Garan to him in a death grip, and ravaged his neck with brutal force slurping Garan’s blood out.
To Francis, the aroma of blood, smothered in rotten death, smelled fragrant, spicy, delicious. Garan struggled feebly against Francis, his hand dropping away from the sword while Francis sucked him dry as promised.
“Don’t kill me.” Garan whispered toward the end, his voice imperceptibly faint.
Francis drank deeply, his body sinking with Garan onto the floor, his teeth still deep within Garan’s neck until only a bloodless shell remained.
Eyes bright and feverish, Francis took the sword and plunged it into Garan’s heart, the blade hissing and steaming as it sliced through the dead and bloodless muscle. When Francis drew back the sword, only a thin smear of gore coated the surface. Grabbing a towel from a pile of clothes, Francis wiped it clean, his head buzzing with energy. Then he beheaded the vampire.
The doorbell rang.
Francis opened the window to call to the pizza boy. “Be right down.”
Tearing off his bloodstained shirt, Francis grabbed a somewhat cleaner one from the pile on the floor and ran for the bathroom. Quickly washing the blood from his face, Francis took the stairs down two by two, signed the credit card statement with a flurry, and pulled the pizza box out of the boy’s hands.
“Thanks so much.” Francis shut the door in the boy’s face.
He lifted the lid and his lip curled up in a sneer. He dumped the pizza into the kitchen trash. His job here was done. Francis slipped out the back.
Chapter 20
Rob leaned against the doorway to his office, a fine dark stubble grew along his cheeks, but that was the only disheveled part about him.
“So, tomorrow’s the full moon.” Rob said.
Jen shuffled through a few papers, avoiding Rob’s glance. She felt so awkward since the night she spent with him. Why did relationships have to be so complicated? She said, “Yes, it is.”
“Would you like to spend it with me?” Rob looked so confident, so sure of himself. Had that been all Jen saw in his stance, she'd have said no. But there was something else, a hope in his eyes.
Jen’s heart beat faster, filled with longing. On the full moon Rob would know if she were the one. If not,could she bear it? Seeing him every day, cleaning up after his moon trysts? No. She'd have to quit. But she wanted to know. She really liked him.
What if she said no and he was her mate for life, and they never connected. That would be a thousand times worse.
Taking a deep breath, Jen smiled nervously. “Yes, but what about Ali? She’s staying with me for a while.”
“She’ll be fine for the night. I have the feeling she’d tell you to come, if she'd stayed in human form.”
“Okay, then.”
Rob straightened and his super-smile lit the room. He rubbed his hands together as if he were about to eat a raspberry cheesecake. “Great. So I’ll pick you up at seven and we’ll go to my house?”
Jen swallowed, hesitating. “Ummm…Rob? I’ve always spent the full moon in the closet. What will it be like? Will you still know me when you’re on moontime?”
Rob stopped. “Of course I’ll know you, but…you mean you’ve never spent a full moon outside?”
“Once when I was young, one of the neighborhood teenagers thought it would be fun to scare me. Mom said sometimes the wolves lose control on a full moon. I usually hide during moon time. Too many creatures out.”
“That explains a lot.” Rob said. He crossed the room and brushed the hair from Jen’s eyes. “I give you my word. You’ll be safe with me.”
“Okay, seven o’clock, tomorrow.” Jen wrapped her arms around his shoulders, her head against his check. “Oh, and Rob?”
“Yeah?”
“The office is off-limits.” Jen grinned, watching Rob’s mouth open in surprise. Yes, tomorrow evening would be interesting.
Chapter 21
Jen stopped at the office with a giant bag in her hand. In a few short hours, she and Rob would have their first official date. She couldn't help but feel glee at her planned joke. They would not spend a minute at the office, but come Monday, Rob would know she planned for it.
Taking fitted sheets out of the bag, Jen methodically removed all of her accessories from the desk. She'd known in advance that she was going to do this, just not when. She'd been careful to keep it sparse until she'd pulled off the joke.
Giggling, she slid the sheet over the dark wood. She'd purchased flannel sheets. The corners hung badly over the side, but Rob would get a kick out of it. She lined her monitor, and accessories along the side of the wall and fluffed up a pillow before putting it on the edge of the desk. Come Monday morning, Rob was in for a surprise. Because there was no way she'd be spending her moon tryst with him in the office.
* * * The End * * *
***To drop in on Jen’s date and the growing relationship between Ali and Travis, join me in Episode 3 of When, Were, & Howl.
http://www.amazon.com/Tryst-Fate-Episode-When-Were-ebook/dp/B005C2CNYC/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1394599573&sr=1-1&keywords=tryst+of+fate
Dear Reader,
With this latest edition of the When Were & Howl series, I have made significant additions to the story line. The covers on the old series are rainbow with a black shadowed wolf and will not carry the new storyline. If you've accidentally purchased one of these after the release of the new series, please contact me at the email below.
If you'd like to sign up to hear about new releases and contest information, please email me at fictionjeanetteraleigh.com with Newsletter Request in the subject line.