With cool blue eyes, he assessed her. Sharp intelligence was reflected in his assessing stare. She should tread carefully. He ran a hand over his long, orange shirt that fell mid-thigh. Leather straps crisscrossed his chest matching his tan leather kilt. The touch of white at his temples was the only sign of his age.
Kele elbowed Susan in the kidney and then pointed at her eyes, then to the floor.
Grinding her teeth, Susan bent her head and stared at the colorful, Persian-like rug.
“Father, this is Susan. I met her on the way to the Temple.” Kele cleared her throat. “I took her from the Apisi alpha when she crossed onto our lands.”
“Sorin crossed our borders because of this female?” He spoke softly since room’s silence allowed his voice to travel easily.
“He was chasing her.”
“Typical. She doesn’t seem attractive enough to warrant such recklessness. He must be desperate.”
A loud snarl to Susan’s left cut through the alpha’s comment. She followed the direction of the angry noise and caught a sound of surprise in her throat. Silver Mane—Sorin—hung from chains by his wrists. Naked. Suspended like a gruesome marionette. Dried blood had formed small trails along his torso. His face was contorted in a fierce scowl as his gaze met hers.
For a split second, she saw through his anger and knew he took offense at the insult tossed her way. She almost laughed, since what Kele’s father had said was true. Nobody would consider her much of a catch. She returned her gaze to the carpet. At least Sorin still lived. Had he really broken pack law to get her back? Something fragile within her chest fluttered.
”Sorin wished her return but I denied him. She’s not a shifter and bears no marks. He didn’t heed my warnings.”
Kele’s father’s silence weighed heavily on Susan. It took every ounce of her self-control not to glance up.
“Doesn’t explain why you prostrate yourself at my feet, Kele.”
“May she remain here as my guest?”
A roar announced the arrival of Kele’s bitchy mother. “Little disrespectful beast jumped me for a stray.”
Kele trembled.
Touching Kele’s hand, Susan steeled her spine for another attack. How awful to be related to that wicked female.
Her new friend glanced at her. “Stay strong.”
Susan’s stomach clenched and her eyebrows shot up. How the hell did she stay strong if she was weak to begin with?
A body hit the ground, hard, on the other side of Susan. She turned toward the noise and found Ahote lying on his stomach, face to the floor. A set of bloody scratches ran down his shoulder and arm.
Sandwiched between Kele and Ahote, Susan took a deep calming breath. It would do no good to run again. Think wolf, not human. The wild animal documentaries she’d watched all advised against running. Instinct could make the shifter chase her more. Running meant fear and gave them power over her. They’d continue treating her like prey. In other words, they’d tear her to pieces.
Kele yelped, causing Susan to twist again. Her mother had sat on her.
Fuck this. Susan lifted her head and faced Kele’s father. Wasn’t he going to do anything about his crazy wife?
He sipped his drink, a small smile on his lips as he watched his family. Next to him sat a slighter male with thick brown curls trimmed close to his head. His gaze met hers. He nodded before smiling and flashing fangs as long as a tiger’s.
So her day could get worse. This must be a vampire. Fantastic.
“Enough.” Susan’s shout echoed in the cavern, and she sat on her knees. “I’d like to go back to the Temple. At least there I only had one shifter trying to eat me.” She pointed at Sorin and ignored Kele’s spastic sputter.
“Eat you?” Kele’s father ran his fingers through his thick blond hair—the same pale shade as his daughter’s. He glanced at his companion, the one sporting fangs, and smirked. “Is that what the Apisi do to their females?”
The vampire’s grin grew wider. “You have to admit, your people come off as a little brutal on first impression.” He took a sip from his cup; all the while his gaze never left Susan. “This is about dominance, not food, young female. You must have done something to set Chaska off.” He gestured to Kele’s mother at the unfamiliar name. “That doesn’t take much.”
A growl rumbled deep inside Chaska—the unnerving creature Kele called mother. “The stray attempted to touch me without submitting first. I’m due at least that small measure of respect, vampire.”
Susan gaped at her. This was all about respect? She took mental notes. If she was going to survive she needed to learn the rules fast. No touching before showing respect. Check.
“Not everyone lives by shifter standards. You should unleash your mate and let her travel outside the forest more often, Inali.” The vampire addressed Kele’s father.
Susan started to file away what info she’d gathered into her mental cabinet for later examination. The vampire lived outside the forest? She hadn’t made it this far in her field of science by being stupid. Her mind was her biggest asset and her best weapon. The shifters lived in the forest but their laws didn’t extend past it. Who inhabited the area outside their borders, and were they easier to live with?
“My mate’s duties lay with the pack. Not dealing with outsiders. That glorious task is my responsibility.” Inali set his cup down.
Chaska dealt with pack problems, like Susan, and Inali took care of things outside the pack, like the vampire. That made some sense. Did that mean dealing with Inali would be easier? Somehow she doubted it.
Inali approached Susan. Even when he squatted, his size dwarfed her kneeling form. Twice as wide as her, probably close to seven feet tall, and all muscle. If she needed to imagine a shifter leader—alpha—it would be Inali.
Kele squirmed next to her under Chaska’s weight. The smaller female sent Susan a warning glare.
Susan comprehended the danger of her situation but she lacked the details on how to react in this culture and the consequences of those actions. Should she bite him? Take off her clothes? Maybe offer to cook them a meal? They obviously didn’t play by human rules.
He smiled at his mate, but no warmth shone from it. “Why are Kele and Ahote involved in this drama?”
“Our daughter attacked me and stole the stray from my hands.”
His hard expression turned to surprise. “Is this true, Kele?”
Her friend went limp. “Yes.”
Both parents beamed. The expressions disappeared so quickly, Susan wasn’t sure if she’d seen it. They turned more reserved gazes on Susan. These people spoke English yet she couldn’t, for the life of her, understand anything going on. Attacked, chased, and made both her and Kele grovel, but they found a moment to look proud?
“It’s about time you take a stand and strive for more dominance in the pack, Kele.” Her father continued to eye Susan as if she’d transformed from an insect to a sentient person before his eyes. “Though I question your motives.”
Chaska rolled off her daughter. She strolled to the cushions and crawled next to the vampire, whose smile turned to ice at her proximity. With a languid stretch, she reached over and snatched the cup from his hands. After draining the contents, she tossed it to an attendant.
The cup thudded on the carpeted floor, sending the servant to chase after it.
The bitch apparently enjoyed spreading her loving nature to all those around her. Susan wasn’t special. It almost made her want to cry. Not.
Chapter Five
Benic’s frozen smile cramped his face as Chaska settled in next to him. He sighed. If he showed any sign of annoyance, she’d only treat him worse. Inali ruled this huge pack with his intelligence, and Chaska made sure he remained dominant over everyone with her less than demure ways.
Through superior vampire armies, Benic’s people had taken over the vast lands of the wolf shifters. This grand forest reserve housed five packs. All that remained of the Iroq Nation. It was his responsibility to keep
them under control. Otherwise the council would exterminate the proud race. Cat shifters were easier to manipulate with their desire for material goods. The wolves, though, were connected with their land. He hated to see such power wasted.
He ruled this forest and its surrounding lands, but years of experience had taught him good relations worked better with these packs than brute force.
Chaska had the right to take Benic’s drink if he was shifter. But he wasn’t. The bitch had done it on purpose to needle him, trying to get him to lose his temper so he’d appear weak. Vampire Lords were supposed to remain in control at all times. Instead of ripping her head off, he offered Chaska his kindest smile as if she were a simple child. He’d call her a wild beast, but she’d take it as a compliment.
As lord, he could technically cage her. Then he’d lose Inali’s friendship and his fine supply of wine. The trade-off wasn’t worth it.
Chaska lay across the cushions, her taut muscles relaxing.
Benic’s gaze traveled to Kele, sprawled on the rugs like a naughty pup. Thank God shifters didn’t all grow up to be hunters. The young female definitely had been filling out nicely over the last two or three years. With her mother’s beauty and her father’s intelligence, she’d be quite a catch.
Inali sniffed at the stranger next to his daughter and shook his head. “What exactly are you?”
The question snagged Benic’s attention like a baited hook. He leaned forward, studying the reckless female’s slim, plain face and the tangle of brown hair on her head. Dirt smudged her clothes and skin as if she’d rolled across the ground. Who was he to judge another species’ habits? His people fed off the blood of others.
“I am Dr. Susan Barlow, and I’m a human.”
Benic’s slow-beating heart squeezed painfully. “I’ve never heard of your species before, and I’ve been all over the world.” After all these centuries, nature could still surprise him with a new creature to study. He jumped up and down inside his mind, not wanting Chaska observing his excitement. She’d probably kill Susan out of spite. “Where do you come from?”
“From everyone’s reactions, I assume humans are a rarity.” She began to stand, but a low growl emitted from Inali. Kele’s hand shot out and tugged her back to the floor.
Benic swallowed his laugh. The human would receive more than a swat if she didn’t act more submissive. No one met Inali’s stare unless they were high in the pack hierarchy and no one ever stood to tower over him. The shifters would consider this human a stray, the lowest in rank, even worse than an omega. Someone without a home or pack—someone who wouldn’t be missed if killed.
“Susan, is it?” Benic offered a reassuring smile, but she cringed. “If you plan on staying with the Payami, you’ll need to be better at playing by their rules.”
Her hands clenched at her sides. “And I can’t play by the rules if no one tells them to me.”
He had wandered the world to add to his collection of blood samples and here appeared a new species, almost on his doorstep. If he was going to get a sample, he’d have to do it soon. With her attitude, she’d be dead by the end of the week.
Inali slipped his finger under her chin. “You’ve never been in contact with shifters before?”
“Never.”
“How is that possible? We populate most of these lands. Wild”—he glanced at Benic—“or otherwise occupied.” Inali sniffed her hands. Benic knew shifters tended to leave temporary scent markers in these areas. The alpha marked him every time he came to visit, warning anyone away from demanding some silly challenge. As Inali passed his nose over her right wrist, he chuckled. “Now I understand Ahote’s involvement.” He slapped the prone male shifter’s injured shoulder. “It’s always commendable to protect your interests.”
The young male sat up. A huge smile spread across his smug, idiotic face. Handsome and charismatic in a more-muscle-than-intellect way, Ahote drove Benic mad. Females threw themselves at the selfish shifter. He didn’t deserve such bounty.
Vampires cherished the few females born to their race. Their male-female ratios were even worse than the shifters’. However, most pack males would experience having a mate of their species at some point in their lives. Vampires males were lucky to even get a glimpse of one their females, let alone bed one.
Inali tapped his daughter on the head. “Kele, return to your room and teach your guest some manners.”
Without question, the alpha’s daughter snatched the human’s hand and pulled her out of the pack room. Benic didn’t miss the longing look the human gave the Apisi alpha hanging from the chains. How interesting.
He hadn’t had a chance to deal with that small pack personally. This offered so many opportunities on political, financial and personal levels. If he were a cat shifter he’d be purring.
Inali glanced at Ahote. “Get out, scamp. No more trouble tonight.” He watched the warrior saunter after the girls before returning to the comforts of the cushions. “Do you need to be so hard on Kele?” he asked his mate.
Chaska picked at the food displayed on the table next to her. “Yes, I do. She needs to learn to fight. We won’t always be around to protect her.” Chaska chewed on a piece of jerky. “Don’t misunderstand me—I’m happy she jumped me and defended that—thing. But why now? What is so important about the human that Kele would risk my wrath?”
“Maybe she’s just tired of you.” Benic grinned and didn’t care if his words hurt. He knew he was tired of her. The cruelty of fate astounded him when faced with the fact that a creature like Chaska would be gifted with a family and not him.
Inali laughed. Benic understood the alpha didn’t need to defend his mate since she was more than capable of tearing out throats. He protected her in other ways, like keeping Benic from putting her in chains.
Benic rubbed his chin as he watched Inali gesture for another wineskin. His relationship with the Payami pack was profitable, yet tentative to which alpha ruled. Benic’s life span had outlasted three Payami alphas already. A bond with Kele could be used to strengthen ties with the next generation.
“You still haven’t told me the reason for your unexpected visit, old friend.” The alpha filled a new cup with wine and offered it to him.
“I was returning home when I was blinded by a blue light. It shone in the sky over the forest.” Leaning back into the cushions, Benic took a sip of the fine wine the Payami produced. Benic always kept a stock of the decadent, rich liquid in his cellar. “It’s my duty to investigate such anomalies. What do you know of it?”
The alpha met his gaze, but a slight tic pulled at the corner of his left eye. It wasn’t in shifter nature to lie—they could sniff a fib from miles—but it made them proficient in twisting truths. “We sent some hunters out to investigate. It didn’t happen on our lands.”
Chaska stared at the cushions, picking at non-existent lint and chewing on her snack like it was the tastiest piece of dried leather.
Neither of them fooled him. This day kept getting better and better. First the strange light, then meeting a new species and now these alphas wanted to keep something from him. He’d been playing politics since before their grandparents were pups. This was like taking toys from babes. “Whose land, then?” This forest truly belonged to him by vampire law, the only laws that carried any true force. Inali could delude himself all he wanted. The blue light was a slight curiosity, but the alpha couple’s reaction just made his interest grow tenfold.
Sighing, Inali shrugged. “It was on Temple grounds. Neutral territory. I can’t guarantee your safety there. Not all packs have taken to vampire rule as mine has. There are some who would like your head.”
Benic ground his teeth. “I’m quite aware of my popularity.” Would it be worth risking his three-hundred-and-fourteen-year-old neck to explore the blue light without his warriors? His castle lay a few hours’ ride south of here. By the time he reached it and returned there might be nothing left to investigate. The light had been strong enough to see from the edge of
the forest where he’d been riding in the northern region. Had the shifters discovered a new energy, or maybe a weapon? He swirled the wine in his cup as if looking for an answer within its depths.
Inali frowned. “What do you make of the human?”
“I don’t know. There hasn’t been a new species discovered in as long as I can remember.”
“Sorin says she fell from the blue light.”
Benic set his cup on the table before he dropped it. “From inside it?”
The alpha shrugged. “So he says. One should take what an Apisi says with a grain of salt.”
Pursing his lips, he allowed his gaze to wander toward Sorin’s hanging form. “Would you mind if I fed upon the human?” The only way he could learn the truth was by questioning the creature himself.
Chaska made a gagging noise.
“Behave, mate.” Inali grinned. “As long as she consents and you don’t kill her, then it makes no difference to me. Ahote on the other hand…”
Benic rolled his eyes. Ahote’s interest in the human just made her more appetizing. “If he doesn’t want me around the female, he should protect her better.” He rose in one graceful motion.
Strolling up the den’s staircases, he watched the main floor. Night covered the area but his keen eyesight penetrated the darkest shadows. Especially the one concealing Ahote as he drove his cock into some omega female he had pinned to the wall.
Fool. He had enough dominance to obtain a proper mate among the pack’s stronger females, yet he wasted his seed on the submissive, weak ones. Apparently his interest in the human wasn’t that strong; otherwise she’d be the one with her ankles clasped around his hips.
The faint sounds of the female’s climax reached Benic’s ears. He shook his head and grimaced, continuing his journey to Kele’s room. Only one hinge appeared still connected to her door, and splinters bloomed from the frame. He stuck his head past the doorway and pointed at the damage. “Your mother?”
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