by Jenna Payne
“He’s three hundred years old,” she said. “And hates what he is.”
“But he’s the king,” I said.
“Not all those who possess power choose it,” she said. “Are you coming to the battle?”
“No,” the werewolf king said, and we both jumped, not realizing that he had been listening to our conversation.
“What battle?” I asked.
“The one with the Dvina Coven,” the king said. “It was discussed while you…rested.”
“I have to come,” I said. “To save Jess.”
“You’re not strong enough,” the king said. “Mia will remain here with you to guard you.”
I stood up, causing everyone’s attention to shift to me.
“I don’t need a babysitter,” I shot back angrily, stalking away. The king got up, following me silently. I realized that I had nowhere to go. Noticing, he took me by the arm, leading me toward his tent.
“Why do you always treat me as a lesser being?” I snapped. I was livid. He was taken aback, obviously not used to being spoken to in that manner. He cocked his head to the side in a very dog-like manner.
“Humans are weaker. Slower,” he said matter-of-factly. “Not really much of a threat to vampires. Especially when they have recently fed.”
“If I’m lacking so much, then why do you care? Let me go,” I said. He put his hands in his pockets, and then shrugged.
“I want you to stay,” he said.
“So I can be your human thrall?” I flung my hands in the air. “Why did you even come and talk to me at the club?” He was looking at the ground, smiling.
“Because when you’re at a nightclub and a beautiful woman meets your eye with such an arresting glare, you’d want to speak with her, as well.” I had no response to that. He cleared his throat. “I realize that you feel like you have no choice. I know that you’ve been taken out of your own world. But you’re not safe there until the Dvina have been eliminated. If it would make you comfortable, you can ask me anything, and I will answer.”
“I appreciate your candor,” I said, not really sure where to begin. I sat down on the edge of the bed, while he sat down in his high backed chair. My heart was pounding. There was something about being alone with him… it made my mind go blank. “Mia said that you are three hundred?”
“She also told you not to mention it, if I recall correctly,” he said.
“You said anything.” He bowed his head.
“I was born three hundred and twenty-two years ago,” he said. “In London.”
“Why don’t you have an accent?”
“I’ve lived in America since I came with the first settlers,” he said. “This is where my pack has always lived.”
“Your pack?”
“Supernaturals live in groups, for safety. Vampires and witches live in covens. Werewolves live in packs, and faeries have courts.”
“How did you become king?”
“The elders were killed off by a coven of vampires,” he said. “As the next eldest, rule fell to me.”
“But what about Davey?”
“We look as we do when we are turned. I was twenty-four when turned. Davey was sixty-five.”
“So you must have a name,” I said.
“Of course I do,” he said not answering the question.
“And a family.”
“They are dead.”
“I’m sorry,” I said.
“It was a long time ago,” he replied. “They died along with my humanity.”
“But isn’t being part human what makes you a werewolf, and not a full wolf?” I asked. He looked at me strangely, as though I were suggesting something new to him.
“So, you still find something human about me?”
“Those that you call weak, and slow, yes. You are, partially, one of us.” I said.
“But I’m also part wolf, thus a monster,” he said.
“I never called you a monster,” I whispered. He snarled, shifting into wolf form as he launched himself at me. I found myself face-to-face with a huge white and gray wolf. He had eyes like yellow fire. He growled at me, and I found myself completely calm. Slowly, I reached up a hand, placing it on the side of his muzzle. Shock and surprise flashed across his face as he shifted back into human form. His clothes were torn during the shift, and he stood before me, naked. I tried not to gawk, keeping my eyes focused on his.
“You aren’t afraid?” he asked.
“No.”
“Why?”
“You saved me,” I replied. He cocked his head again, as though trying to make me out. “What is your name?”
“I’m the king,” he said.
“Not my king,” I said.
“Garrett,” he said. “Although I haven’t gone by that name in over a century.”
“Did it kill you, Garrett?” I asked.
“Did what kill me?”
“To admit that you have no power over me,” I responded.
“I have power over you,” he said, coming very close to me. “Just not the kind that I expected.” He leaned in, and kissed me. I was shocked, and he seemed hesitant. He kept his eyes open, and so did I, seeing him as he experimented, to see how far I would let him go.
“Why are you not afraid?” he asked.
“I’m terrified,” I replied archly. He picked me up, and I wrapped my legs around his hips, arching my back so that I was leaning into him. He kissed me deeply, and I responded, closing my eyes and surrendering to him entirely. He ran his hands up my sides, rucking my mini dress up. He inhaled deeply, and stopped. He placed me down again. I found myself flooded with disappointment.
I looked up at him, his five o’clock shadow coming in, his artfully tousled hair, and the dark circles beneath his deep, brown eyes.
“Why are you stopping?”
“I don’t want to hurt you,” he replied.
“You won’t.”
“How do you know that?”
“I trust you,” I said. He reached for me, hungrily. I heard fabric tear as he grabbed at my dress. I looked down and screamed.
“This is Balmain!” He looked aghast for a second. “It’s worth three thousand dollars.”
“Oh, but darling, I’m the king of the werewolves,” he said, laughing as he regained his composure. “I can get you three more.” Then, he tore the remains of my dress off of me. I stood there, before him in only my bra and panties.
“That was quite unfair of you, Garrett,” I said. I unhooked my bra, letting it fall to the floor.
“I’ll show you what’s unfair,” he said. He knelt before me on the floor, pulling my panties down as he trailed kisses up my stomach, starting below my bellybutton. I ran my fingers through his hair, feeling my skin rise in goosebumps as he ran the palms of his hands down my sides, pulling me closer to him as he kissed me between my breasts. He took one of my nipples in between his teeth, and I inhaled sharply as he teased it with his tongue.
He pulled away from me. Picking me up, he placed me on the bed. I shifted my weight so that I was leaning back into the soft mattress, meeting his smoldering stare with my own. He leaned forward, placing his hands beside me, as he began to kiss me eagerly, mouth open. I lightly ran my tongue over his teeth. He inhaled deeply as I ran my hands over his chest, running them downward, over his hips and his buttocks. We were going fast, but I wanted it.
I could feel him—he was hard against my leg, and he ran a finger over the lips of my vagina, sticking it in, feeling the wetness of my desire for him. He leaned down, and as he continued to massage me with his fingers, licked my clitoris with his tongue. I felt myself come awake at his touch, and he continued to lick, causing me to writhe deliciously. He looked up at me, smiling at me. I gestured toward him.
“Come play with me,” I said, and he climbed over me. I put my hands on the sides of his face, kissing him. The taste of myself was on his lips, and I licked it off, feeling turned on.
He pushed himself inside of me, his eyes open, gauging my
reaction. He started off slowly, building his movement. Closing my eyes, I let my head fall back, and moaned as he gave me exactly what I wanted. I could feel myself opening farther as he began to rock, back and forth, forcing his way deeper inside of me with each thrust. It was electric—I could feel my body responding as he began to move faster.
“Harder,” I demanded, and he responded, slamming into me as we both began to build to a crisis. He lifted my left leg over his shoulder so that he could go deeper inside of me. My breathing thickened as I felt a kinetic flash through my stomach. I convulsed with pleasure, crying out. I surrendered to him, letting all of the worry and fear over Jessa and the vampires melt away for just a little while.
*****
Several hours later, I awoke in the king’s tent, alone. Sitting up, I looked around me, remembering all of the events of the night before. So much had happened. I looked over at the pieces of my phone, strewn across the floor. My heart sank for Jess, while at the same time, I thought of Garrett with butterflies. I felt so conflicted by the two opposing concerns.
When I left the tent, though, I found the old warehouse nearly empty. Towards the center, Mia sat, surrounded by the children. She was reading to them from a book. Fear clutched at every one of my senses, and I raced over to them, despite the fact that I was wrapped in only a sheet.
“Where are they?” I asked.
“They always hunt by night,” she responded. “It is the way of the wolf.”
“Will they be back?”
Her look said everything.
“They went after the Dvina,” I said. “So soon?”
“It is better to hit them when they are most likely to be satiated by recent feeding,” Mia said apologetically.
“Tell me where to find them,” I begged. “Please, Mia.” She looked away for a moment, her face shadowed. She nodded.
“We should get you something to wear, though,” she said, making the children giggle. I felt myself flush deep crimson. Mia smiled at me, and then walked over to a chest of drawers. “As a pack, we share things. As the king’s apparent consort, you’re like an honorary member.” She pulled out a pair of black skinny jeans and a white flare racerback tank top. She handed them to me.
“Thanks,” I said.
“I’ll go and see if I can’t find a pair of sneakers and something that you can use as a weapon against the vamps.” I nodded, and went back to the tent. Putting my own underwear back on, and then the clothes, I was surprised to find how close of a fit Mia was to me.
Mia shouldered her way into the tent. In one hand, she carried a pair of ratty low-rise black Converse sneakers. In the other, she carried a sword in a red leather scabbard. My stomach sank. I had never even held a sword before.
“Do you know how to use this?” She asked.
“Not at all,” I admitted. “You don’t have any guns?” Her laugh was a sharp bark.
“You’d need spectacular aim to shoot a vampire,” she said. “You’d need to be able to read their minds, and to shoot where they will end up.”
“How is a sword better?”
“You might be able to stab one as it rushes you. They can sidestep a bullet.” She explained. “This is all theoretical, by the way. I don’t know for sure.”
“How come you don’t know?”
“Werewolves fight with teeth,” she explained.
“Don’t you have anything shorter?” I asked.
“Any shorter, and you might not be able to skewer them properly.” She handed the sword to me and patted it. “This is your best bet. Although, maybe you should take this.” She handed me a hunting knife, which I placed sheath and all into the back pocket of the jeans. I reluctantly buckled the scabbard to my waist. Mia pulled out a map, pointing to one of the city’s parks.
“The vamps are hiding out in a house that borders Palmer Park,” she said. “They will most likely do battle in the park. There’s more room for them to maneuver.” I nodded. I knew where I was going. I grabbed my bag, looking for my transit pass.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Mia said. “I’m driving.” She led me out of the building. “Pups, you stay here and behave.” The kids were involved in a game that involved tagging and running, and didn’t acknowledge what she said.
She walked out of the warehouse, to a small garage in the back of the building. It was filled with vehicles, covered in black tarps. She walked up to a motorcycle, uncovering it. It was a black Ducati that screamed of power and effortless cool.
“This is yours?” I asked, taking the helmet that she offered me.
“Immortality has its perks,” she said. “One of them being that you can afford expensive toys.” She got on the front, revving the motor, and I climbed on back, wrapping my arms around her. We sped out of the garage and into the nighttime city. The golden lights rushed by us, and we wove through traffic, angry drivers laying on their horns as Mia blithely cut them off. We were at our destination quickly, taking maybe a total of twenty to thirty minutes.
“Maybe you should leave that helmet on,” she said, as we parked several streets away from the park. We cut across backyards, coming up on the park from the residential side. We looked over a back fence to find the battle going on. Werewolves were locked in battle with vampires, and witches lit up the night with spells aimed at them. Mia pointed to where Garrett stood with the high priestess, Eavenna. He was in wolf-form, white with gray. He looked magnificent. I could see his eyes burn with yellow fire from where I stood.
I jumped the fence, hauling myself over awkwardly. I hit the ground, staggering, as I began to unsheathe my sword in an ungainly manner. Mia leapt the fence, landing easily beside me as she shifted. Beside me, she stood, a great black wolf, with eyes of green fire. She nodded to me, and we raced over to the king, ducking through combatants. As we ran, spells from the witches shot over my head, vampires hissed, and wolves’ teeth flashed in the night.
The priestess saw us first, saying something to the king, who shifted back into human form.
“What do you think you are doing?” he snapped.
“I’ve come to help,” I replied.
“This is no place for a human,” he said. “And you have disobeyed orders, Mia.”
“This is my fight, too,” I said. “I’m here for my friend.”
“I swore to protect you,” he said.
“You can’t keep that promise if you’re dead by the end of tonight,” I replied.
“You don’t think I’d come back?”
“I don’t know that,” I said.
“Let her fight,” Eavenna said. “She has every right.” She smiled coldly. It didn’t meet her eyes, and I wondered what they were to each other with a flash of jealousy. I wished for her résumé. That type of power would be entrancing for a king…wouldn’t it be?
“I don’t like it,” he said, but shifted back into wolf form. Eavenna put a delicate, graceful hand on my shoulder and led me to where they had been standing. She shot off a spell in the direction of a vampire who was going at throat of a witch. He burst into flames.
“Couldn’t you do that to all of them?” I asked.
“I have a definite limit,” she said evenly. Just then, I looked up to see the vampire from the night club. His eyes glowed with the same red fire, but tonight it was brighter, stronger. He was in the center of a group of vampires who were charging in our direction. I held up my sword, which was heavy in my hands. I was shaking in fear as Eavenna held up her hands. She mumbled something, and waves of flame shot toward the vampires, but they left them untouched.
“They are too strong. Their recent feeding is working against us,” she said, stepping forward and drawing a long, pale blade. Mia joined her. Garrett stood beside me, blocking the vampires from me with his large canine form. One of the vampires broke from the group, going after Garrett, who met him in between me and the rest of the group. I saw two vamps attack Eavenna, Mia fighting them with teeth flashing.
Suddenly, the vampire from the club was standing
before me. I lifted my sword, which shook as I tried to hold it up. He pushed it aside with a hand on the flat of the blade. He got up close to me, and I could smell blood on him, sweet and cloying.
“Did you think that you could challenge me?” he laughed, and it was cold, like tree branches scraping against a frost-covered window. “Your friend thought that she could withstand me, as well.” My eyes grew wide, and he laughed.
“Her blood tasted as sweet as yours will,” he said. “Her screams were…delectable.” With that, he grabbed me, picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder onto his back. As he did so, the sword dropped from my grasp. The vampire turned and fled. I yelled out to Garrett, who tried to give chase, but the vampire that he was battling grabbed him around the neck as he tried to come for me.
*****
I didn’t know where the vampire took me; it was somewhere outside of the city. He ran for a long time, considering the fact that he was running at about sixty miles per hour. The sun was just coming up on the horizon when we entered a house that was old, and musty-smelling. He placed me down on my feet on the splintering wooden floorboards. They creaked when I shifted my weight on my feet.
“Where are we?” I asked my throat dry.
“I wouldn’t tell you that,” he responded.
“Why not? It’s not like I’m going to be able to escape,” I said.
“That would imply equality, and you are my food, not my equal,” he replied coldly. He grabbed me by my hair, forcing my head back and baring my neck to him. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw his fanged teeth descend. I felt them sink into the delicate skin of my throat. As he drank, I whimpered. When he was done, he pushed me away, and I swayed where I stood. I felt weak. He wiped his mouth with a hand.
“I can taste your endorphins,” he said. “Your fear is delicious.” I crouched down on the floor, afraid that I was about to pass out. I had a light cold sweat beading on my skin, and I felt sick. I inhaled deeply through my nose as I placed a hand over where he had bitten me. A white handkerchief fell to the floor before me. “And I taste something else, too.”
I said nothing, but glowered.
“Be sure to not bleed out,” he said. “It would be such a waste.” I grabbed the handkerchief, wrapping it around my neck and tying it so that there was a reassuring pressure on the wound. “And don’t fear, you won’t become a vampire. I didn’t take enough of your blood for that, and the hour is not ideal.”
