The Beta

by Annie Nicholas

  “Robert is fine. I was checking on a…friend.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “And you, Esther?”

  She laughed. “I’m up to no good.” And she winked at him.

  A rosy blush surfaced on his cheeks as he stumbled.

  Something in this man attracted the devil inside of her. She entangled her arm around his and leaned into his hard body. The strength hidden under the geeky exterior sent a pleasant shiver through her body. Not all things were as they appeared. She hated surprises but not this one. If this was an act then he deserved an Emmy. She glanced at him, pleased that she needed to arch her neck back slightly to meet his sharp green gaze. She liked them tall, and she prayed he was the real deal.

  God, what was she doing? She assessed him like a potential lover instead of a possible avenue to get her mark. Stupid, focus. Once Daedalus was out of the picture she’d come back for Rob if she still wanted him. Until then…she stopped in front of a duplex. “This is my place.” She lied with the ease of an expert.

  “All right.” He shoved his hands deeper in his front pockets as if not sure what to do with them. “It was nice meeting you, Esther.” His gaze flickered to hers, and he cleared his throat. “Would you like to have dinner sometime?”

  The innocent anxiety of his request melted her to the spot. In her profession the men she got acquainted with were arrogant sons of bitches. “I’d like that.” The answer came out before she knew it, but at least it rung with honesty. Something she didn’t hear often enough.

  He grinned, relief awash on his expression, and took out his cellphone. “Give me your number and I’ll call you to make plans.”

  Torn, her heart fluttered in a small flight of frenzy. She wanted to see him again, but knew she could never offer what he deserved. Smiling, she gave him a fake number. Better for him if he never got to know her, but she wanted one more thing before they parted. She stepped closer. “Won’t you kiss me goodbye?”

  Returning his phone to his pocket, Rob ran his hands along her arms as he bent forward. The light, chaste brush of lips on hers sparked a craving for more.

  As he withdrew, she followed and threw her arms around his neck, closing the distance between their bodies.

  His shoulders tensed, but she didn’t release him as she licked his bottom lip, asking to enter. He opened his mouth, getting braver when she moaned and pressed harder against him. Strong arms engulfed her, fingers threading through her hair, as Rob bent into her body.

  She wished she could say she didn’t enjoy it, but the fire behind his kiss almost had her ready to pull him into a dark corner and undo those loose jeans of his. Oh, how she’d make him beg to never stop. Running her hands down his back, she took slow pleasure in the lean power under his clothes. Every defined muscle traced a delicious image in her mind. Arousal bloomed between her thighs. She continued down until she grabbed his ass.

  This time the moan that tore from her throat came involuntarily. Damn, she wanted him, bad, but she did what she had to and finished the kiss by softly nipping his delectable bottom lip.

  His eyes widened, and he touched the spot where she’d bitten him.

  “Too much?”

  He raised an eyebrow. “I liked it. I’m just surprised that I did.”

  Waving with her right hand, she tucked the left one behind her back. “Goodbye, Rob. I’ll talk with you soon.”

  He grinned and strutted down the block, turning at the corner.

  Releasing the breath she held, she examined the content of her hand. A worn brown leather wallet the size of her palm with the info she needed from Rob to find her mark.

  Chapter 2

  The building blocked Robert’s view of Esther as he turned the corner. His car wasn’t in this direction, but he didn’t want her to witness his jump and heel click. The werewolf blood running in his veins enhanced the excited leap, making it higher than a human’s. He bent his knees to absorb the impact of landing. Tonight, he’d kicked ass and kissed a dark-haired beauty. Her smell still lingered on his hands with the memory of how her thick, mahogany hair felt curled around his fingers.

  He couldn’t believe his ears when she asked him for the time. Tall, she had long legs with a nice curve to her hips and breasts, intelligent blue eyes and a personality playful enough to draw him out his shell. She’d taken control of the conversation, no hesitation in asking him to accompany her home or in kissing him. He loved smart, confident women but one had never liked him back.

  Grinning like a fool, he jogged to his car, burning off the extra energy her kiss produced. He’d wanted to do so much more with her, like push her against the wall so she could wrap her legs around his hips and allow him to grind against her core. Maybe tomorrow night, he’d get what he fantasized.

  Approaching the car, he pulled out the keys. The gas gage was on empty on his way here. He needed to fill the tank, but he couldn’t recall how much cash he’d brought with him. After working for banks and credit card companies for the last few years, he never liked using either, not trusting the system. His right back pocket, where he usually placed his wallet, was empty. Checking the left pocket, his heart sank into his gut as it turned out empty as well. He patted the front ones and only found his cell. Maybe he’d dropped it while wrestling with Talon?

  Deep down inside, he knew the truth. Esther.

  He was such a fool. Beautiful women didn’t ask geeks like him for a kiss. Grinding his teeth, he pictured her laughing at him as she flipped through his wallet, counting what little cash he carried.

  The hole in his gut grew wider. Crap, he didn’t have anything to buy gas and no way to get home but his own two feet. The last thing he wanted to do was call Daedalus or anyone from the pack for a lift. He’d never hear the end of it.

  Respect was something you earned, and how would he ever obtain any if he fell for obvious scams?

  Clenching his fists, Robert turned around and marched back to where he’d left Esther. His beast stretched inside him, frustrated that he wouldn’t release it. Control over one’s inner monster sounded easy, but the struggle became an hourly routine. Shifters dealt with this all the time, day or night, in sickness or in health. The first rule of the Vasi pack was human dominance over animal instinct, because once the beast started calling the shots the shifter began to forget right versus wrong and listened to the laws of the jungle instead.

  Robert crouched by the spot where Esther had stood as she’d kissed him. Sometimes animal instincts came in handy. Her scent left a trail. He wanted his wallet back, and his pride.

  Creeping into the nearby alley, he undressed, folded his clothes into a neat pile, and hid them behind a trash can. Naked, he called to his beast and allowed the full change. Pain built in his body as his limbs grew and bone molded into new shapes. He used to scream or howl as he transformed, but after three years of making the shift, he’d learned how to absorb the discomfort. It only took a few seconds, then he saw the world through his beast’s eyes.

  As a powerful, efficient killing machine he needed restraint. He took a deep breath, taking in the surrounding scents, then shook to settle his fur. Bi-pedal, he stood over six feet tall, but the elongated arms and increased flexibility meant he could run on all four when needed, topping speeds of forty miles an hour on a flat stretch.

  Esther didn’t stand a chance.

  Licking his muzzle, he bent low to inhale her delicious scent, not surprised to find it led away from the duplex she claimed was her home. He followed her heady smell farther up the street where she’d crossed and entered another alley. The muscles in his back bunched, wanting to spring into action, to run howling into the night, sending fear in all who dared cross his path. He stopped in the alley and forced a calm over his beast. Nothing good would come from rampaging through this neighborhood. They needed to focus, take their time, and find their prey.

  Fury at how the female had manipulated him boiled in his stomach. A growl rose in his throat as he stalked along the narrow alley. Filthy water lay in sc
attered puddles, and the faint scent of urine almost masked Esther’s trail. He swung his head back and forth in a slow arc, not wanting to miss it.

  The alley opened to a quiet street, not far from where he’d met Daedalus. No one should be around to witness a werewolf out for a stroll this late at night. He hoped. Even as a legal citizen, his size and form still freaked people out. Dead was dead when lynched by an illegal mob. Prosecution needed evidence, witnesses, and a compassionate jury to convict for murder. Those things tended to disappear when paranormal beings were the victims. Better to keep a low profile.

  Scrambling over the cement, he raced along the sidewalk from shadow to shadow, just like Daedalus taught him. His heart pounded as her scent grew stronger, fresher. Around the corner, he spotted her not fifty yards away, wallet in hand as she rifled through his stuff.

  The snarl escaped him before he could control the beast.

  * * * *

  The address on Rob’s driver’s license was located in a wealthier part of the city, according to the GPS app on her phone. Esther saved it and rubbed her chest. For some reason, it felt hollow.

  The wallet contained very little—some cash, ID, and an ATM card. No credit cards, gym memberships, business cards. Hell, it looked like her wallet, except her ID was fake. She gasped. Could his be? Who was Robert McKay?

  Someone who lived in a rich area should have more. Nothing about Rob fit her expectations. Investigating him interested her far more than her ticket-to-wealth Nosferatu.

  A snarl from the pits of hell tore through the night air. Her heart leaped straight into her throat. She dived toward the building, rolling to get momentum, and sprung onto her feet.

  Approaching from the end of the street was a huge, dark werewolf. Amber eyes glowed as it stalked closer.

  She shoved Rob’s wallet in her bra and palmed the thirty-eight special from her waistband. Some believed that women should carry small caliber handguns like a twenty-two or even a thirty-two, but that shit wouldn’t stop a two hundred pound man, let alone a vampire or shifter. Just piss them off enough to want to take their time tearing you limb from limb. So a large caliber gun was a necessity in her profession. Her easy-to-conceal gun packed power.

  Standing with her legs braced apart, she aimed. “Don’t try it, fucker. This ain’t no pop toy.”

  It didn’t listen, just kept pacing forward. Her breaths became ragged. Stupid idiot probably lost control of his beast and now she’d have to wound him. She squeezed off a warning shot next to his clawed foot. She didn’t kill for free.

  The werewolf leaped from the ricochet of cement, rebounding off the building next to him with his feet, and sprung forward with incredible agility. This wasn’t the run-of-the-mill shifter out of control, he was a trained warrior.

  Shit!

  She twisted and ran, knees pumping to her chest with every ounce of speed she could gather while wearing heels. People would be amazed at how fast a terrified woman could move on stilettos. She’d had enough practice to be a gold medalist. Killing werewolves was easy, it was the not getting scratched or bitten part that made her run like a coward. She didn’t stand a chance at hand-to-hand combat with the thing, let alone outracing it. Her only chance lay with her car and her gun.

  If that monster scratched her, then she’d be joining the pack. She didn’t play well with others. The irony of a slayer turned monster wasn’t lost on her. Actually, it happened more often than not, but she owned a special bullet to take care of herself if that ever occurred, and she’d take her destroyer on that last journey as well.

  Heavy panting drew nearer as it closed the distance between them. She should have shot it dead when she had him in her sights. Jumping onto the hood of her silver gray sedan, Esther slid across it and landed on her feet. She swung around, aiming her thirty-eight special at her assailant’s chest, but nothing followed her.

  She choked on her fear. Where’d it go? Crouching low behind the car, she kept the gun ready, scanning the area. Nothing. How could something that big vanish?

  The thumping of her heart drowned out her hearing. She tried to take a deep breath, to find the calm void she escaped to while hunting monsters, but damn it, she was the prey this time. A chill ran down her spine.

  Taking one hand off her weapon, she reached in her pocket for her car keys. She tugged at them, but they snagged on something. She yanked and yanked, but it wouldn’t budge. Her stomach cramped as the street remained quiet, almost as if it held its breath.

  She glanced at the tangle of loose threads wrapped around the key ring and gave it another yank, but it only tightened the knot.

  Hot breath blew on the back of her neck. She jumped in a lithe motion, landing on her feet, and spun around with her gun ready.

  The creature plucked the thirty-eight special from her hands before she could pull the trigger. He discarded it over his shoulder like it was a toy. Towering two feet above her head, he glared with his iridescent amber eyes. His shoulders spanned at least twice her width.

  “You are one big mother fucker,” she whispered, awe apparent in her voice.

  He bared his teeth and lunged.

  She pressed against the car as her body froze, then pried her eyes open when the end didn’t come.

  The werewolf melted before her eyes as it transformed back to his human form. His fur shrank into pale white skin covering wiry muscles that slid back into place. The color of his irises darkened until she gazed into a set of sharp green eyes.

  “You!” She placed her hands on Rob’s bare chest and tried to shove.

  He didn’t budge an inch.

  Rob was a werewolf? It took a moment for her thoughts to collect into something coherent, then she realized he was naked. Her prior imagination didn’t do his body justice. Fine sculpted muscles covered his torso, arms, and legs. She stared—no, she might as well be honest—she gawked.

  His cock swelled under her observation.

  She swallowed around a hard lump in her throat.

  “You have something I want.” Rob placed a finger under her chin and dragged her gaze back to his face. He had something she wanted too.

  With his hands, he patted her body. He yanked her car keys out of her pocket, tearing the tangle of threads, and dropped them to the ground. A growl rumbled deep in his chest. He spun her around, pressing her to the car.

  Wetness pooled between her thighs. She wanted him to take her. Now. She didn’t care if the whole neighborhood watched.

  He used his hip against her lower back to pin her as he continued to search for his wallet.

  Pickpocketing the thing was the best decision she’d ever made. She squirmed under his hips until she felt his erect cock against her ass and leaned into it. Hearing his sharp intake of breath drove her devilish side crazy. She rubbed against him, inviting more than a little pat and tickle.

  Rob propped his forehead against her hair. “Esther, what are you doing?”

  “What do you think?” She rested her body along his. “I never would have guessed in a million years that you were a shifter.”

  His hand slid over her abdomen. “Where’s my wallet?”

  “In my bra.”

  “Of course it is.” He sighed and held out his hand. “Can you give it to me?”

  Still a gentleman. She knew he wanted her, and she offered herself on a freaking silver platter. The men she knew would have torn off her panties and been balls deep inside of her by now. “Come and get it.”

  His grip on her tightened as he ground his cock against her. Slowly, he slipped his hand down her V-neck shirt. “Which side?”

  She laughed, it sounded deep and sultry. “Guess.”

  Going deeper, he cupped her left breast inside her bra, taking his time to search.

  Her nipples hardened at the brush of his hand. She arched her back, craving more.

  “Nothing here.” He switched hands and searched her right cup. “A-ha.” He pulled out his belonging then quickly returned his hand inside her bra. He pinche
d her nipple and rolled it between his fingers until she cried out. Then he retreated from her. “You’re beautiful, Esther, but I don’t bed women I can’t trust.”

  She clung to the car and caught her breath.

  As Rob strolled away from her he changed back to his beast form. She’d never watched the transformation before. The fluid way he changed and grew must have hurt like hell, but he didn’t utter a sound, just kept walking with his wallet in hand.

  “Rob?”

  The werewolf glanced over his shoulder.

  “I’d let you tie me up if that would make you feel safer.”

  Chapter 3

  Esther dozed with one eye open. All afternoon she sat in her car, parked a few houses from Rob’s, and watched nothing happen. As the place stayed quiet her thoughts drifted to neutral ground.

  Or at least, they tried to. Rob left her in a bad way last night. Her vibrator finished the job, but she didn’t get the kind of satisfaction he could have provided. What the hell was going on? A man never drew this kind of attention from her, she didn’t believe in lust at first sight, but Rob proved her wrong. He wasn’t a man though, but a full-blown werewolf, a warrior werewolf.

  Fanning herself with her hand, she cracked open the car window. She should have dragged him into the alley when she’d kissed him. They would both be happier, and maybe she would have had a dinner date tonight instead of being crammed in her sedan with the remains of Taco Hell on her passenger seat.

  She sat in front of his beautiful brownstone with a lovely granite staircase, hoping to follow Rob to Daedalus’s lair. That’s how she explained this stakeout slash stalker thing to herself for the hundredth time. Focus on the Nosferatu, not the hottie werewolf.

  A pretty blonde walked by her car, wavy hair hung past her shoulders, heels clicking on the pavement as she hurried in the evening’s fading light. If Esther had curves like that Rob would never have walked away.