by Tigris Eden
“Melissa, I have work to do… and I’m sorry if I didn’t say good-bye, okay.”
Melissa sniffed a couple of times and then burst out laughing. “I’ll be down in like two shakes. Dravaggio said you went down to the mess hall. You’re eating before you and the human,” she tried to sound polite but it came off as practiced, “take off to pick up her daughter?”
He wanted to be honest, he needed to be. Draven had never imagined he’d run into Jesminda, or that Melissa and she would ever meet. Melissa was possessive, and it sometimes extended past annoying. His mother said she was securing her place by his side. He didn’t see her by his side, not right now. This should have been a red light. Was it because he was faced with the past? Or because he had feelings for someone else? Had he known all along? His wolf wouldn’t accept another unless it was her. Fuck. Things were just getting better and better.
Royce laughed a deep heartfelt sound. The table shook from it. He picked up Jesminda’s spoon and began rearranging her meats, stacking them on top of each other. “Damn man, I can’t wait for the show. Jes you have the best seat in the house to….” He looked at his watch, “Friday Night Smackdown, which begins after this commercial break.”
Gabe laughed and politely excused himself. He mumbled something about always missing the good shit and how he hated manning the computers. He rose quickly and took off towards the elevator. Right on cue, it dinged open and out walked Melissa. She walked to where they were seated. No one mistook her judgment of Jesminda. She took one look, sniffed, and dismissed the human. Melissa calculated everything, right down to when they should start breeding pups.
She took a seat and carefully, as if by accident, pushed the table towards Royce and Jesminda. Draven would have never pegged her for spiteful. Clearly, he’d been wrong. Royce stopped it with his hand before it made contact with Jesminda’s stomach and placed an arm on the back of her chair. Royce didn’t care for Melissa, and he got along with everyone, just not her.
“Careful, your claws are showing.” Royce drummed his other hand absently on the table.
“So what if they are?”
Jesminda hadn’t even batted an eyelash the whole time. She kept her eyes on her food, as if she knew Royce wasn’t about to let the table hit her. She didn’t so much as make a sound, didn’t even flinch. Draven admired her gumption. She may have issues with men getting in her personal space, but women were an obstacle she wouldn’t back down from it seemed. Before he could apologize, Melissa planted an open mouth kiss on him. She left no questions about her purpose for coming down to the cafeteria. She meant to mark him before he left.
“Knock that shit off, Melissa!” Draven pulled her arms from around his neck and looked at her sideways. “Before I go, there are some items we need to discuss.” He was about to become a total asshole. Again.
“That’s fine. I wanted to talk to you, as well.”
Jesminda stood, tray in hand. She didn’t give them a second look and walked over to another table. She sat and began eating. Well, the wolf in him didn’t like that shit one bit, and neither did Melissa. The growl started low in her throat and she flipped her blonde hair back, pinning Jesminda with an even stare. Royce rose and sat next to Jesminda. He was acting as a buffer in her defense.
“Human, you don’t leave the table unless Draven gives you permission. The only reason he has to do this babysitting job is because the captain said so. He doesn’t want the job, and I don’t blame him. You’re weak, and the weak should be hunted.”
“Melissa!” Draven shouted. “You will shut up!”
Silence reigned and the others in the cafeteria directed their attention to the scene unfolding.
Slowly, Jesminda looked up from her plate and grinned. She politely sipped her soda, sat it back down on the table and pushed her tray away.
“Oh, I’ll do a whole lot more than leave. I will go wherever the hell I want. If your man doesn’t want to babysit me as he called it, he doesn’t have to. Royce is more than capable of protecting me. I didn’t ask for Agent Stone, and I sure as hell don’t want to be stuck with him. So, do us all a favor, huh. Stop being the bitch you are and grow the fuck up.”
Draven watched as Jes pulled her hair into a ponytail. What was she doing? His wolf went on the defensive. Not for him or Melissa but for Jesminda. He’d grabbed Melissa’s wrist in a death grip before he knew he had.
“By the way, no one wants your man, least of all me.” She’d addressed them both in her statement, making it clear to him, as well as Melissa. We’ll see about that. The possessiveness was rising fast. He never acted this way where Melissa was concerned. How many more signs do you need?
Jesminda stood, walked over to the trash and dumped the rest of her food. She stared at him for a moment. Her eyes told him everything. She was under the impression he didn’t care about her feelings or her situation. She was wrong, seriously wrong. He cared a lot. He did not want her running for the rest of her life with a child. An innocent child should be playing, not hiding out with a friend. He was going to get them someplace safe, catch Marcus, and watch over them from afar. He owed her that much. Draven set his attentions back on Melissa.
“That was uncalled-for Melissa, and childish.” He let go of her arm and put his head in his hands. Time to face the music.
“You said you needed to talk. What’s going on, baby?” She tried rubbing his back in a soothing motion. He shrugged her off.
“Things have changed between us.” Draven looked into her eyes. He needed her to see the severity of the situation.
“Changed… How?” He could see her shoulders stiffen. She may not know what he planned to say, but she’d still tensed, prepared for the worst. Jesminda was human; the fact that Melissa had chosen to pick on someone weaker than her didn’t sit well with him. Several things weren’t sitting well with him. Was he about to crown himself King of the assholes?
“There’s a lot I need to explain… and not enough time to go into detail.”
“Oookaayyyy… just spit it out.” The scent of Melissa’s confusion drifted into his mouth. It tasted vile, harsh.
“The way you handled yourself with Jesminda was immature.”
Melissa sat back in her seat and folded her arms.
“She doesn’t matter.” She waved a hand between them. “We matter.”
“You’re lucky I didn’t rip your throat out for the disrespect you directed towards her.” Whoa! That was not the conversation he was trying to have. Melissa’s eyes grew large with fear. Her wolf sensed his anger. He was known for having a temper, but never with females. He acted as if he were protecting his mate. Get a clue already, Stone.
Royce decided to be a gentleman at that point and got up without saying a word. Melissa shrugged as if his reaction wasn’t a big deal. Royce walked in the direction of Jesminda. Draven stood and towered over Melissa. If he needed to bully her, he would. He was alpha. He was not to be challenged. The snarl that left his mouth got her attention. Now she got the gist of it. Head bowed and mouth closed she waited. She always tried to bait him. He was almost there, his anger rising, spilling out of his pores.
“As I said, things need to change. Now.” He saw his friend headed in Jesminda’s direction and he knew the other male would try to console her. Controlled breaths. Royce was a friend, not a poacher. His friend had gone to check on her well-being, nothing more. He was giving Draven time to break it off with Melissa in private. That was all.
“Change how?” Melissa asked meekly.
“We made a mistake. Our relationship is over.”
He ignored her questions and walked steadily towards his future. It didn’t matter she’d given birth to someone else’s child. The child and the mother now belonged to him.
# # #
The fucking nerve of that broad had Jes hyperventilating. She wasn’t confrontational by nature, but people were not going to step on her any longer, male or female. She didn’t want the wolf, and he obviously had some serious issues if h
e’d hooked up with someone like Melissa. Why the fuck did he have to be here? Why did he have to show up? Were the cosmos playing some sick joke on her? Why was she letting a woman who obviously suffered from lack of trust in her man, rile her up? The woman had issues. Maybe she was the one with issues? Jealousy issues. Yeah, maybe a little. It had a lot to do with the fact she’d come face-to-face with her daughter’s father. Feelings were bound to spring to the surface.
Jesminda didn’t even think she’d be able to handle the road trip. She couldn’t fly with these guys…these shifters. Especially wolves, they couldn’t stand to have so many smells clogged together like that. Their noses were so sensitive; sifting through the smells was next to impossible. She didn’t know about Royce, he could easily pass as a human. Maybe she could convince Dravaggio to change his mind.
“Hey.” Royce tapped her on the shoulder. “You good?”
“I’m good.”
“Well, if it makes you feel better, they’re over,” Royce said with a satisfied smile. “About damn time, too. Bitch was seriously fucking up his mojo.”
Suddenly she grew warm all over. Why was she happy he was no longer with Melissa? She shrugged. He could spend more time with his daughter now. That’s why she was happy. Sure, and denial is not a river. Royce laughed.
“Could you stop that? Or turn it off?”
“What.”
“You know what… the whole mind reading thing. It freaks me out.”
Royce shrugged. “I could… but then I’d be bored.”
She was about to comment when she felt the wolf; before she even saw him. Her body was already setting its frequency to Draven time. Ugh!
Her body wanted him and her mind rejected him on all levels. She just couldn’t get over the fact that because of him, she had Faith; a beautifully gifted green-eyed beauty who was part werewolf. He lied to you, don’t get all mushy.
“Hey,” he whispered softly. “I’m sorry about what happened. Melissa had no right to talk to you that way.”
“Shouldn’t she be the one to say sorry?” Jes turned and looked over at him. He was beautiful, dangerous, and his face said he was sorry. Not just for his girlfriend’s actions, but for his own.
“She should,” Draven cleared his throat. “But I know she won’t so I’m apologizing for her. And for me.” The smile he gave her was genuine. It was the first one she’d ever seen from him.
“Apology accepted. We need to discuss when we’re going to leave.”
Draven took two cautious steps forward. He grabbed the side of her arms; it was gentle, not rough like she’d expected.
“I mean…” He took a steadying breath, looked past her shoulder at Royce and then back at her. She could see the concern in his eyes, his worry and his fears. What did he have to be afraid of? He was choosing his words carefully as his eyes scanned her face. He couldn’t be looking at her with want? Could he? It was too much. Jesminda looked down. Staring at him was doing things to her she didn’t have time to analyze. She was staring at his throat, watching his Adam’s apple work up and down. When he cleared his throat again, she decided she didn’t want to hear what he had to say.
“I want to apologize about before, when we first met.” She cut him off with a glare and then pulled herself from his grip. She started to head back towards the cafeteria, over to the elevator. She’d made it halfway down the hall when he caught up with her and grabbed her shoulder, spinning her around. She immediately tensed for the slap. It never came.
She was all kinds of fucked up because of a man, but she was taking small steps to getting her life back. She needed to take bigger ones. Draven would find out the hard way if needed. The old her wouldn’t stand for this crap and neither would the new one. Not now, not ever.
“What?”
“I just wanted to say that I was sorry, that’s all. You have to understand, back then I was on assignment.” He shook his head. “I wanted to spend more time with you. I was an idiot for leaving. I was young.”
“Your apology isn’t needed. This isn’t about five years ago. This is about the safety of me and my daughter.” She held up her hands to stop him from speaking, shaking her head. “Don’t, that was then, this is now.” Jes closed her eyes for strength. She needed it in large doses. “We never started a relationship to say it’s over, right? No names, after this you’ll never see me again.”
Royce was standing over by the elevators when Jes finally reached him. When the doors dinged open, she quietly walked in with Royce standing next to her. Draven caught up and stepped inside. It was an uncomfortable silence as the three of them rode up the few floors to get back to the lobby. Her stomach hurt and her ears felt like they were on fire. These were all the signs her body gave off that led to crying. She’d stood up to him. She should feel good about herself, not horrible. The knot that had formed in her belly somehow made its way up to her throat, suffocated her air supply. She needed out of the elevator and into some fresh air.
The doors opened and Jesminda stepped out, greeted by Royce’s twin Ronin. It was unnerving; they looked so much alike. The slight difference was their eyes; Royce’s were amber and Ronin’s were metallic silver. Ronin’s head was shaved bald, and Royce’s dark brown hair with auburn highlights fell across his forehead. Royce oozed seduction with his looks. Ronin wore a “fuck with me and I’ll fuck with you” vibe all over his person.
“Well, if it isn’t the sugar-coated gumdrop. The boys treating you well?” His stance was passive and his words had no inflection. It was as if he were on autopilot. Jes was out of her element with the men in the Shadow Unit. Ronin took the cake though; he made her feel as if she were under a microscope and he was dissecting her piece by piece.
“Leave her alone, Ronin. She’s scared enough of you, and your charm isn’t working, if you hadn’t noticed.” Royce pushed him out of the way and held the door open so she and Draven could step through. It was still dark outside, and the moon cast a bright light on the black pavement.
“I’m pulling the car around,” Draven said, taking the steps two at a time.
Royce pulled something out of his shirt pocket and lit it.
“That’s bad for your health,” Jes stated. He was smoking a dark brown cigarette that had an unusually spicy smell to it and the smoke was red.
“Nah, it’s not a deal-breaker for me. Besides, it makes me look more appealing to the women.” He took another drag of his cigarette and inhaled deeply, blowing the smoke out through his nostrils while wagging his eyebrows. She laughed.
“Sure, keep telling yourself that.”
A black SUV pulled up to the curb, and Royce put out his cigarette and started down the steps, heading towards the car’s passenger door when all hell broke loose.
9
There was no sound before the front window of the SUV shattered. Not even the slightest whine or slicing of air. There wasn’t time for Draven to duck as the window’s glass burst. Silver shards sprayed the inside of the vehicle, cutting him on his face and forearms. Who the fuck was shooting at them? Another shot whistled through the interior and passed the passenger side window. Draven’s gut bottomed out.
It wasn’t him or Royce that was hit. The metallic tang of blood was fresh in the air, human blood. It was Jesminda. Draven kicked the passenger door off its hinges in order to get to her. His heart driving in mad force to get blood to all of his extremities as everything slowed in motion. His vision tunneled and all he saw was her; lying on the steps, blood decorating her shirt, pooling beneath her back. He noticed Royce bent over her, shielding her from additional fire. There’d been only two shots. One had hit the window to distract him, and the second was meant for her. The warm fresh smell of her blood made his stomach churn. It bathed the white alabaster stairs as it trickled down one step to pool on another. His animal side wanted to track the fucker who’d shot at her, but he knew she needed him here. He’d only just got her back in his life. For however short a time it was, he didn’t want her to leave the earth
, let alone his sight. He wasn’t going to over think it, plain and simple, she belonged to him.
“Is she okay? How bad is she hurt?”
Royce looked over his shoulder and shook his head.
“She’s got chest trauma. A severe lung laceration. Man, the fluid has already started to collect in the air sacs.”
“Fuck!”
Draven kneeled on the step next to her body. Royce slowly stood and took stock of their surroundings, assessing if there were any more danger. The man could hear anything; why didn’t he hear the fucking bullets?
“Good fucking question. I should have, but fuck, I didn’t.” Royce pulled at the back of his neck and sighed. “Fuck, man… I’m sorry.”
Her blood was everywhere. Seeping from her wound. The bullet wound was on the opposite side of her heart, but a lung had been punctured. She couldn’t even talk from all the blood pouring from the sides of her mouth. Shit! Fuck! She wasn’t going to make it. There were so many things he wanted to say, wanted to tell her. How the fuck was he going to pull that one off? Time was slowly ticking away, and all he wanted to do was fucking rewind, all the way back to five years ago when he’d first met her, first tasted her skin. He’d give anything to go back. She wasn’t just leaving him, she was leaving her daughter. Who would take care of her daughter?
Royce rolled up his sleeve and pushed Draven aside. “What the fuck are you doing man? You can’t save her, no one can!” Draven sat down next to her body and cradled her in his lap. She deserved better than this. Why hadn’t they been able to sense the danger? Where was everyone else? No one had come running out of the building.
Royce continued what he was doing. He mumbled something under his breath, too low for even Draven’s ears to pick up, and then his fangs descended. He bit down and put two holes in his wrist. What the fuck? Royce wasn’t a vampire, and even if he were, it wouldn’t save her. Blue blood welled where his fangs had punctured. Royce tipped Jesminda’s head back and made her drink. Why the fuck does he have blue blood? No one’s blood ran blue. Draven looked at his long-time friend, dumbfounded. Blue blood? Blue blood? Why do I know that?
