by Chloe Adler
In less than a second, I could tell what was wrong and immediately cranked his neck, hard, to the left. There was a popping sound, his eyes snapped open, and then he smiled and moved his head around by himself.
“Easy there,” I said as he tried to stand up, grasping my outstretched hand.
“What the—?” Sadie was back by his side, off the phone.
“Your amigo fixed me, señorita,” said Mateo, smiling. He reached back and touched his neck. “It’s still a little sore but I can move my head again. I thought I broke my neck.”
“I’m calling it a day,” Sadie said loudly. “Pack up and go home, except for you, Mateo. You wait here. Ryder’s sending an ambulance.”
“No, no, lady, I’m fine.”
“We’re getting you checked out to make sure.”
“No dinero.” He rubbed his first finger and thumb together.
“My boyfriend is a paramedic. It won’t cost a thing.”
Mateo let out an audible sigh and then went to sit down and wait on the patio.
Sadie turned to me. “What happened? Did you do something or did he feel better on his own?”
I shook my head, completely unable to describe what had happened in a way that sounded rational. It was as though my fingers had just known what to do. What the hell else would explain why I’d crack the neck of someone with a potential spinal injury? How else had I known his vertebrae were misaligned, and just how to realign them again? “I guess I found my inner chiropractor?” I joked lamely.
“Not safe!” she practically yelled.
I shrugged. “Wasn’t a conscious decision. I would’ve never chosen to do something so foolish. You know me well enough to know that.”
“Yeah, of course.” She put her arm around me. “Go home and get some rest. You look beat and need your strength for later.”
“I am not used to this type of heavy lifting, that’s for sure.”
“Maybe you should consider another career.” She raised her eyebrows at me.
“Like what? More bartending?”
“Chiropractor,” she said, kissing me on the cheek. “You’ve obviously got the knack.”
Chapter Nineteen
I had to sleep for several hours after returning home from the manual labor gig. Exhaustion had seeped into every pore of my body, including my consciousness. We’d agreed to leave around midnight, and my alarm went off at ten p.m. Everyone was already gathered in the kitchen waiting for me so we could formulate the plan.
“Carter and I will go in first,” announced Burgundy. “We’re the strongest and if we need to block anyone, we can bite them into submission and tie them up.”
“That’s illegal,” said Chrys, rubbing the back of her neck.
“Chief Sheldon said we could do whatever we need to.” Burgundy narrowed her eyes at no one in particular.
“What?” My head swiveled around. “You told Sheldon?”
She nodded. “I had to, in case something goes wrong and we’re all captured. If I don’t check in by morning, he’s going to send the San Diego cops over.”
“And why haven’t they done that already? For Alec?”
“So first of all, they didn’t know where Alec was until Chrys found him. Second, it’s outside of their jurisdiction. For what it’s worth, they did contact the San Diego PD, but without proof to justify their claims, they wouldn’t get involved.”
“No proof?” Sadie’s voice was high and loud. “What about the ransom demand? They’ve admitted they have him.”
“No proof that they’re in that particular house. Remember, they don’t recognize Signum methods as legal or even reliable.”
I snorted. “Assholes.”
My friends nodded.
“Quiet. Let’s finish the plan,” said Burgundy.
When it was all hashed out, barring unforeseen events, we each retired to our rooms to change. We were all dressed in black, having agreed it best for blending into the darkness and for intimidation. I thought it was foolishly optimistic, thinking we could sneak in and out without being seen.
At half past eleven, we piled into two cars, Burgundy’s and Carter’s, so Ryder wouldn’t be required to drive in case he had to attend to Alec on the way back. It took a little over twenty minutes to reach our destination and we parked around the corner. Ryder was supposed to bring the car around to the front of the house in ten minutes so we could make our getaway. He had argued with Sadie about going inside but we’d convinced him that he needed to stay safe. He was our only hope for helping any casualties, and if he were one of those causalities, all would be lost.
The Trackers’ house stood alone in the middle of the block with large palm trees flanking both sides and a tall, ominous-looking wooden fence surrounding it. The place practically screamed EVILDOERS SQUATTING HERE. Why the police hadn’t checked this place out long ago was anyone’s guess.
The gate was locked but Carter easily broke it with one hand. We let ourselves in, slipping behind the overgrown shrubs. The house itself was dark. Good. Hopefully that meant everyone was sleeping.
We split up and tried each of the windows. They were all locked, so when we met around the back, we motioned to the vampires. Carter wrapped his hand in a T-shirt and broke one of the tiny glass panes in the back door. Using his preternatural speed, he snatched the largest shards from the air before they hit the ground. Thus, only a faint tingling filtered through the air, like light raindrops on a copper roof.
The witches ducked out of sight just in case as I stood my ground. We all waited a minute or two and when no lights blazed on, he reached in and unlocked the door, opening it for us. The witch sisters waited outside in case we needed them. If everyone were caught, we’d be in a world of hurt.
The vampires looked away while I shifted into my cougar and then the three of us padded in together. Alec was in my blood now. I could find him anywhere. The room we landed in looked like it had once been used as a service porch but all that remained now were dirty buckets. Several were filled with some nasty-smelling liquid and the others contained soiled rags. As quietly as we possibly could, we made our way down the unlit hallway. The walls were dingy with stains and peeling, yellowed paint. I paused outside a room, placing a large paw on the closed door.
Carter tried the handle; it was locked of course. Breaking it would be too loud but now that we knew which room he was in, Carter could break the window. Burgundy and I remained by the door as Carter returned out back. A few minutes later, the sound of a muffled shatter threw up my hackles. We both kept our backs to the door, but again, no lights came on. When Carter opened the door from the other side, we almost fell on top of him. Without thinking, I bounded inside the room, growling. Alec lay as we’d seen him in the crystal ball, on a filthy mattress, shackled. His hands and feet were cuffed, a small length of chain running between each.
Quietly padding over to him, I nudged him with my nose. As his eyes opened to swollen slits, I licked his face.
“No, Jared, you shouldn’t be here,” he whispered. “Quick, leave before they find out.”
“We’re not going anywhere without you,” Carter whispered to him, bending to lift his frail body off the bed, which is when I noticed dripping blood.
I strangled my instinctive roar just in time. The blood was coming from Carter, and it was thick and dark.
Burgundy was licking her lips, probably not even aware of the gesture, while she shook her head. “Can we hoist him out the window?” She eyed the jagged glass.
“It’s pretty tight and as you can see, the broken glass cut me the hell up. I can heal myself but I’m not sure what it would do to him in his state.”
Just as we turned to carry Alec out of the bedroom, we came face-to-face with a shotgun.
“Well, well, what do we have here?” said a gruff voice muffled by an inordinate amount of facial hair.
“Oh, sir, please don’t hurt us.” Burgundy threw her arms up in the air. And was it just me, or had she gone a little Souther
n? “They made me come with them. I tried to tell them how stupid it was, how dangerous y’all are.”
The man may have smiled at her, it was difficult to tell. “Well, now, aren’t you a pretty thing. A bit larger than I like to rumble with but,” his tongue shot out to lick his hidden lips, “I’ll make an exception.”
Burgundy jutted out a hip, pulling her hair over one shoulder while pretending to fan her face with her other hand. “Well aren’t you just adorable,” she cooed.
The man took a step toward her and I snuck behind him. Carter stood waiting, with Alec slung over his shoulder. Burgundy approached the hairy thug, running her hands up his chest.
“You’re a little whore, aren’t you?” he mumbled, not sounding the least put off by the accusation.
“Excuse me?” She looked up at him, slowly licking her lips. “I’m a big ‘ol whore.” She pushed her massive tits into his chest and rubbed her crotch against his.
Carter ran around him, stumbling with Alec. Burgundy darted toward the man’s neck and sank her fangs into him.
“You fucking bi . . .” he trailed off and then passed out in her arms.
“Carl?” another man’s voice rang out down the hallway. “What’s going on?”
“Run,” Burgundy said and Carter dashed out of the room with Burg on his heels.
Carl’s compatriot was at the other end of the hallway, but his alert had other doors opening. Three more men came out, all brandishing guns.
I roared and Burgundy turned around to cover Carter, who’d kept running with Alec bundled in his arms.
I pounced on the man nearest me, knocking him to the floor. The gun flew from his hand, hit the ground and went off but I didn’t have time to check for gunshot victims. Grabbing him by the leg, I dragged him away from the others while he kicked and screamed. God would I wouldn’t do for sedative-filled fangs like the vampires had.
I pulled him out the back door and in a second Carter was on him, biting. I went back in for Burgundy. She lay bleeding, propped up against a wall with the other two men prodding her with their guns. Her head was resting on her chest and it took everything for me not to attack and kill the men instantly. I roared instead and they turned, cocked their weapons and shot at me. I dodged, my cougar form faster than their slow human reflexes. I banked off the hallway walls and landed on top of them, knocking their weapons from their hands.
Then Carter and the girls were inside. Carter and I tag-teamed the two remaining gunmen, me pinning them down while he bit them. The girls were dragging Burgundy down the hallway, away from the bodies. Carter helped as we caught up with them.
Outside they linked hands and started casting a spell around the house so the occupants couldn’t leave. I bent over Burgundy, licking her gunshot wound. From the looks of it, she had been shot with a small-caliber handgun, not a shotgun. Small miracles.
“I’m going to have to carry her to the car,” Carter said. I yowled, looking around for Alec. “Alec’s with Ryder. Let’s go.” He motioned for the girls to follow and we all jumped into the car. Ryder had the engine running and as he peeled off down the street, Sadie called Sheldon and told him what had happened.
“We’ll call SDPD and have them send squad cars,” he said.
By the time we got back to the Casa, Burgundy was stable. Carter had fed her Sadie’s blood, who’d been more than happy to help. Rex flung himself on top of her, frantically licking her face.
Sheldon called back. They’d arrested four men, but Landry hadn’t been among them, and as far as the law was concerned, there was no proof that he was involved. Unless they could get one of the men to flip on him, he’d get away again.
Carter offered Alec some vampire blood to help him heal but he declined.
“I just need to sleep it off.” He buried his face in my fur, and we walked into my bedroom together and shut the door.
Chapter Twenty
The happiness and comfort I experienced waking up in the arms of my man were completely foreign. Before his return, I hadn’t realized just how out of control I’d been. Now that he’d returned, I could breathe again. Something vital, something I hadn’t even known was missing, was back. Like a chamber of my heart? The connection between us ran much deeper than anything I had imagined. Without him I was incomplete, only half a person. With him, I was the person I’d always imagined myself to be.
“Whatcha thinking?” He was looking up at me.
“About how happy I am that you’re here, safe with me.”
He craned his neck up to kiss me. “How much?”
“I’d like to show you how much.”
He smiled but his skin was still too pale and I shuddered, remembering how we had found him the night before.
“Are you up for it? I don’t want to make you—”
His finger grazed my lips. “Shhh. Make love to me. I need to feel your body, your mouth. I need to know.”
I took Alec in my arms, pressing my body tightly to him. “Know what?” I whispered, my mouth pressed to his ear.
Instead of answering, he turned his head to kiss me, pulling my lips and tongue into his mouth and sucking lightly. His hand reached down between our bodies to find my cock, already hard for him.
“You sure?” I panted.
“Yes,” he hissed, climbing on top. His actions were different from last time. Fevered. Needy. Grinding his groin against mine, he held my arms immobile and mashed his mouth down.
This kind of sex was more my usual fare than sweet lovemaking, but with Alec, I wasn’t used to it at all. More often than not I was the top because I rarely trusted other men to do the job right. But Alec topping me? That blew my mind. I stopped thinking and moved with him, my cock thickening to almost painful proportions.
Like the acrobat that he was, Alec flipped himself around in a flash so we were sixty-nined. And before my brain could catch up, I was buried deep in his mouth. I grabbed his cock and pushed it down my throat as well, sucking him with the same fervor he was showing me. We pumped into each other, fucking each other’s face without shame or hesitation.
The wetness that seeped from his tip was thick and sweet, dripping down my throat. I reached underneath his perfectly proportioned ass and pulled him closer so I could bury my nose in his scent while forcing his rod down my throat. The man smelled divine, like a mixture of pleasure and sin. Licorice and woodsmoke. I couldn’t get enough.
“Jared,” he moaned around my cock, sending waves of pleasure down my spine.
I shivered and bucked, trying simultaneously to take him deeper while plunging my own cock into his wet abyss.
So lost was I in my lust that when he stopped abruptly, I protested with a squeak. Holding onto my cock with one hand, he licked the shaft slowly while tickling my balls. He moved the hand on my shaft over the extremely sensitive tip and squeezed, dropping his mouth over it and then flicking it back and forth with his tongue.
“Oh Alec,” I cried out.
“Do you want me to continue?” he teased.
“Yes, please, don’t stop.”
He hoisted my legs firmly apart, continued working my cock with his hand and dropped his head down to rim me with his tongue.
“Oh god, Alec,” I cried out, unable to pay homage to his dick anymore.
The man played with my anus, tasting me with his tongue and then inserting a very wet finger. All the while he kept pumping my cock, spreading my pre-come over the tip. The rhythm built as I rode his hand, tongue and finger. When he curved the inserted digit upward, pushing against the right spot, I almost lost it but he bit down on my balls just in time.
“Fuck,” I yelled but he just laughed, playing me harder.
Covering the crown with his mouth, he sucked on just the tip while cradling my nuts and pumping his finger inside me. As my penis swelled even larger, the telltale sign I was about to come, he deep-throated me while tickling my ass. The orgasm shot my come down his throat as he swallowed and gasped, holding onto my cock for more. He hollowed his
cheeks, sucking me down while I clawed at the sheets, writhing in ecstasy.
When it was over he kept his mouth resting over me as I softened. Then he gently released me, pulled his finger out slowly and flipped around, grabbing a tissue off my nightstand to clean up.
“That was incredible.” I beamed up at him as he hovered above me, reaching out to run his fingers through my hair and dusting soft kisses over my nose and cheekbones.
“When you’re rested, in like five minutes, I’m going to pound the fuck out of you and shoot you full of my sperm.” He waggled his eyebrows at me.
“I don’t need five minutes.” I grinned lazily, spreading my legs for him.
“I don’t want you on the bed, Jared. I want you bent over the bed.”
Hearing him say that with such authority plumped my cock right back up.
I slid off the bed and bent over the side, raising my ass to him. “Lube and condoms are in the—”
“I know exactly where they are,” he said, reaching into my nightstand.
Before applying the lube, however, he dropped his face down to my backside, moving his tongue over my opening, licking and diving in, then back out to lick in tiny circles. My cock lengthened, bulging beneath my stomach. Alec reached around, fisting my girth while continuing to tongue my ass.
“Do you like receiving?” he said.
“I like receiving from you,” I groaned.
He pushed his tongue inside of me and I lifted my ass up to meet it, giving him better access to my groin so he could alternately play with my sack and cock. After several delicious minutes, he stopped to pour some lube into his hands, which he massaged around my opening and spread over my hard member.
