Sanibel Sizzle - Vampire Werewolf Menage

by Talyn Scott

  She blinked them open, startled with the liquid that ran between them, flooding their joining. “Blade!” Ciaran was instantly soothing her, a hot body pressing firmly against her back. Pushing her hair to the side for Blade, he groaned as Blade’s beast flashed and sank his canines into her shoulder, shaking her with its teeth before calming itself. She forced herself to relax her shoulders and accept this part of her nature. The mystical claim was heady, uniting them completely with one decisive bite. One she could never refuse, didn’t want to.

  Releasing his bite, Blade tossed his head back. Tendons strained in his neck as he roared his pleasure. “The beast is sated,” Ciaran murmured against her ear, squeezing his hands between them and kneading her breasts. “You’ve pleased him well.”

  “That’s one word for it,” she inhaled, feeling every blast of her mate’s hot come. “He pleased me well…repeatedly.” Blade, you are sexy as hell.

  Blade collapsed, bringing Rebecca down on top of him. “Was I too rough, baby?”

  “No,” she said, rubbing her face under his chin, “but a little sexual torture goes a long way.” He slipped out of her, softening with a gentle slide. “I’m beat.” And she drifted to sleep within seconds.

  Ciaran misted to the bathroom and back. “Put this cream on her nipples and her backside when you remove the plug. Don’t leave her.” He held up his hands. “It’s not an Alpha’s order, but a co-mate’s request. I smell trouble, and I have to investigate.” He dematerialized.

  19

  It was one day before full moon when Ciaran smelled vampires. Even the younglings were coming out in the village to take a curious peek. But he could sense that the pups were afraid of them. They should be. As they grew older, vampires were apt to go mad. A species vampire in bloodlust left many young immortals defenseless, running from a nigh unstoppable killing machine thirsting for more power.

  Ciaran misted past his wards downhill to find Maestru pacing uncomfortably. I’ve been expecting you. The Alpha knew as well as anyone else that any vampire was shamed to ask a beast for assistance.

  And their leader stood before him.

  “Greetings, Maestru,” Ciaran said stiffly, “there is no nourishment here for your kind.” You won’t ask me what you want but beg.

  “Nourishment, no,” said Maestru, “that would be unsportsmanlike among the young and weak.” He glanced around at the children. “Besides, I’ve recently enjoyed a good meal.” He licked his lips.

  “So I smell.”

  Maestru had the decency to look chastised. “Mine is a request a creature such as myself normally finds…disgraceful.”

  Ciaran didn’t take it personally. Vampires and werewolves were not nature’s bedfellows. The Alpha stood still and listened as Maestru quietly described a plan devised to overtake the Habalines. Ciaran refused to acknowledge that he imprisoned the Habaline leaders and Maestru would not be permitted close enough to the castle to find out. Nowhere near my queen will you go, vampire.

  When Maestru finished, Ciaran flashed a smile showing all his white teeth. “The law of this land prevents vampires to hunt on our grounds. Making it quite impossible if you want to stay as you would need to feed,” he said softly. He could sense the villagers growing angry with thoughts that the vampire was provoking his Alpha beast. In time, they would learn to trust him as their leader.

  Maestru’s eyes flared crimson as he hissed, “Even if we do not kill?”

  “My clan is not your underlings to become feed for your cattle.” Perhaps you should show me your ace now.

  Maestru was bewildered. “You are a fool not to accept a union to complete a common goal. One that is centuries past due. One that is necessary to each of our species.”

  A youngling wandered too close, so Ciaran pointed an index finger at his mother without removing his eyes from the vampire. She quickly grabbed the wanderer and rushed inside, clicking her latch with haste.

  He had many to protect. This large pack depended on their new Alpha’s guidance, but they held threadbare hopes of improving their quality of life. The Habalines had stolen everything they had right down to their pride, and some males had no will to live after their families witnessed them helpless. Ciaran was going to change all of that.

  Change didn’t come by standing around expecting and Ciaran didn’t have all day. Duty called and there was a bonny female he yearned to cherish while he could. “I have heard a terrible thing, Maestru. Could it be you have imprisoned one of us, a female? My informant claims the female is a queen, no less.” Maestru rolled his simmering eyes at him. Evidently, this was not the vampire’s ace.

  “Then there is no point in prolonging our discussion, Ciaran. We both understand that if I admit to the capture of a werewolf queen, I am subject to death.”

  So now we enter a real negotiation. “Truly, if you want a temporary alliance with me, you will make right what wrongs you have recently committed.” Return the queen, bloodsucker, or I will take off your head. “Have you brought everything to the table? Am I to understand you are honest with me this very moment?”

  Maestru narrowed his eyes and raked angry claws through his midnight hair. Backed against the Alpha’s wall, he answered, “My sources say the queen is returning to her Alpha within the hour. I cannot promise this to be true since a rumor is what it is. However, all information from this particular fellow has been reliable for centuries.” Crossing his arms over his chest, Maestru almost looked contrite - a small child called out to his father’s den for stern discipline.

  Who ever said a vampire was unable to lie? “Well then, what issue do you have with the Habalines that I cannot clear when I hand them their asses?”

  “Why should we risk our imprisoned females to your discretion?” The vampire leader stepped closer, seething.

  “I would never leave any female in their compound, vampire or not,” Ciaran enunciated every word, holding back a roar that would crumble the village. “I would rescue them all.”

  Maestru said nothing. No doubt, he was thinking of the right time to show his hand. “Strength in numbers,” he spat.

  “I have all the numbers I need.”

  “You will have more killed without my coven’s assistance.” He entered Ciaran’s personal space.

  Now he was insulted. “What Alpha wouldn’t take his subjects’ lives into consideration?” War was a nasty thing, a villain within itself. Pungent and cruel, it demolished everything in its path with the precision of a wrecking ball. Like any warrior worth his salt, Ciaran loved to fight but hated the death that followed. Nevertheless, with every swing of his sword, the purpose always backed the strike. And except for what would have become of Rebecca, he had never made a wrong kill in his very long life.

  “Did you kill Renee Shirley?”

  “Fuck you,” was his mirthless response. “I never took the Shirley lass. I claimed my queen from her former pack, as is my right to do so.”

  Maestru bristled. “You claimed a queen?”

  “Let it be known to all that I have claimed Rebecca Walker.” His arms opened wide, bluffing his confidence. For the first time in countless years, fear prickled Ciaran’s body. An Alpha’s queen was always his weakness, as she granted the Alpha additional power which other immortals wanted to strip away to level the playing field. Not to mention an Alpha would do anything to get her back if she were taken.

  Unbelievable as it still was, his beast was granted a second chance to happiness. And the creature that stood before him had no qualms with abducting a queen. From what his beast smelled, Maestru glutted himself with the female’s blood. If she were not immortal by partaking of her mate’s blood, without a doubt, the queen would have died in the vampire’s arms from his feeding alone. This will not happen to Rebecca.

  “I wish her well.” The vampire inclined his head, “Especially considering your upcoming endeavors.”

  It wa
sn’t a threat, but the irony was not lost on the Alpha. His guilt hung as a noose around his throat, and it would be that way for eternity. Ciaran had stolen what he thought to be another’s mate to kill for vengeance, and he didn’t want that to come full circle. Now, the worn excuse that years of bitterness shrouded his conscious didn’t hold water. And even though the strangest changes of destiny brought his mate to his lonely arms, Ciaran could never repair the grief that he had caused Rebecca and her clan. Rebecca’s treatment was the worst crime he had ever committed, but rescuing these females would grant him the ability to look in the mirror again without as much shame.

  “Perhaps we can bargain,” Maestru’s voice held resignation, “reach an agreement if you will.”

  The sun inched high, causing Ciaran to dream that vampires were really subject to its rays. I have other matters to attend to. “Out with it,” his tone was weary. Does he need a drumroll?

  “He is not my prisoner, yet he entered a blood oath with me,” Maestru said coyly. “He was to show himself and convince you to release…well, now she’s your queen. So I doubt that’s to happen.”

  “And you are talking about?”

  “Mike Carter,” Maestru was now quite smug.

  “Foolish, very, very foolish to provoke me this way,” said Ciaran. One angry hand scooped the vampire by the neck and shook him until he rematerialized several feet away. The Alpha flared to mid-transformation. Three breaths in, one long and incredibly disturbed push out. A killing machine with lethal claws, unbelievably sharp canines and a body that held three times the muscle mass his already gigantic human facade displayed. He could tear a vampire’s head off with a single swipe. I will taste your blood, vampire.

  “It’s true,” Maestru warned. “He’s alive with me and nearby.” His bruised throat was healing before Ciaran’s eyes.

  And with that statement, the ground opened up, swallowing the vampire with it. Only his head was above the soil and that was met with an iron foot. As the Alpha pressed down, he asked in his guttural best, “Any last requests?”

  Maestru found that he couldn’t mist away this time. “You’ve spelled the very ground?”

  “Even ignorance is lost on you,” he snarled. The Alpha beast swam in his vision, a red haze that neared full transformation. And it was not the greatest idea to let onlookers see that type of unleashed power unless Ciaran had no other choice. Some things were best left in the shadows, and one of those things was his beast. “You come to my land speaking falsities of a very personal nature, yet expect me to form an alliance with you based on trust?” With his heel, he shoved the vampire’s head back. “I take offense.”

  “Calm yourself, cousin.”

  It was the right voice, but Ciaran refused to turn and said, “New vampire tricks?” Even though, the scent is there.

  “Jayce Jordan never killed me. I’ve been held for the crimes I committed with Jody,” Mike’s words choked him. “My Alpha agreed to release me after he had time to cool, and on the contingency that his senior pack members agreed when my time was served.” He cleared his throat and Ciaran smelled his humiliation. “Only a few select knew, as he didn’t want rumors to get back to Tatum before the final decision was made.” He took a deep cleansing breath. “Therefore, you didn’t know, nor did Mother. But in all honesty, I was never to die.”

  Ciaran’s shoulders were locked with tension, the beast howling inside his head. I have mourned you greatly. He brought it down as far as he could go, but he still couldn’t turn around. “Knowing what I now feel about my own queen and the deadly possessiveness of my Alpha, why would Jordan grant you any mercy? I wouldn’t.” He took his foot off the vampire’s head.

  “I mated with her on the full moon…without Jayce or Bren present. She was unconscious. Although I stole her away, I knew after mating that Jayce couldn’t kill me without killing a part of her. But I still hadn’t planned on getting caught,” he breathed, “Jody wanted the Alpha and I listened. Maybe I wanted Tatum all to myself…wanted to run with her.” He eased around, standing parallel to Ciaran. “When he took Tatum back and Gage secured her, Jayce bit down to deliver my death blow. Then he knew by taste, by scent, that it was too late.” Mike rubbed the front of his throat as an afterthought. “He broke my neck and summoned pack members to their duty….my imprisonment, my punishment.”

  “Does Principia now know you’re alive?”

  “She does.”

  “Why are you hiding behind vampires?” The beast relented, leaving Ciaran to deal with this profound moment alone. He faced Mike with his own eyes, the ones not flaring the werewolf.

  “He’s not hiding you idiot!” Maestru screeched, “Let me out of this grave!”

  “Vampire, have you forgotten your manners? Civility is wasted on no one.” Ciaran released him without apology.

  “I associated with Maestru to be freed and reunited with my mate. It was a task that seemed impossible. Day after day, I manipulated every second I could until it happened. He brought Tatum to me. I thought if I showed up here, and you knew Jayce hadn’t killed me, then you’d release Rebecca. And Maestru expected me to negotiate your alliance to free his kind from the Habalines.”

  Ciaran’s eyebrows hiked. “So you broke out and stole the queen again? Even though her abduction is the same crime that landed you in jail from the start? Rocks must be rolling in your head, Cousin. I think your reasoning is slanting your mother’s way. Perhaps they should pad the next cell that they place you in.”

  “You’d let me go back to prison?” Mike was nonplussed. “You’re Alpha now. Won’t you back me up at all?”

  “I’ve already risked war with Jayce’s pack for pure stupidity on my part.” Ciaran shook his head. He was exhausted, and the day wasn’t half over. “Unlike you, I learn from my mistakes.”

  “You are at war now, what’s the difference?” Was Mike’s reasoning.

  Ciaran was truly pained refusing his blood, his best friend, but he had to put his co-mates first. “It saddens me to say this, but you sound like a spoiled child, Mike. You join the rest of our clan that uses my power for their mediocre gain. A snit here, a crime there, and a scandal they can’t handle on their own, they bring to me. In fact, everyone in our family has come crying to me, and that includes you. I’ve given myself out until I haven’t anything left for my new queen and co-mate or even this pack. That ends now.”

  Ciaran placed his hand over Mike’s heart and said, “We were more than cousins; we were best friends. The thought of your death led me to horrendous decisions that I’ll never be able to justify to the female who means everything to me. So this is the best decision I can offer you now: If you want my assistance, then you are to grow up at once and help with this cause. See where it takes you when you’ve cleansed your selfish soul.”

  20

  Ciaran found Rebecca in the castle’s chapel. He hadn’t stepped foot in the chamber since he was a lad. It held a dreamlike quality that he’d missed, an exclusive peacefulness found nowhere else. Sunlight speared the stained glass, casting his mate in an incredible glow. She was an angel. As they were werewolves, there was no surprise; she’d scented him before he spoke.

  “It’s very beautiful here.” Brushing her hand across an ornate wooden carving, she looked through her lashes at him.

  “Yes, you are.” He stepped closer. “Where’s Blade?”

  “He’s still sleeping. I was followed by six guards, if that’s what you’re asking.”

  He shot her a penetrating look. “I saw them and spread them out for privacy. Did he remove the…”

  She cut him off. “Yes, he removed it before I showered.” She took another look around and said quietly, “You can have your privacy. I’m finished.”

  He asked, “Prayers to get away from me?”

  “This shows you have a lot to learn about me, Ciaran.” She straightened her spine, dressed in jeans, a cream
y fisherman’s sweater and saddle-brown knee boots. The items he’d provided for her and Ciaran was proud she wore them. He also wanted to rip them right off her curvy body with his teeth. Rebecca shrugged. “I’ll admit to selfish prayers. Everyone is guilty of that offense from time to time. But not today, I prayed you would succeed in your quest to get our females back.”

  Taken aback, Ciaran thanked her. “How queenly and kind, you wear your new role well.” He inched forward, wondering when he would no longer scent her distrust even though he smelled her arousal right behind it. “Is the staff to your liking?” A domestic conversation they didn’t yet have.

  She waved an unconcerned hand in the air. “I don’t care about those things.”

  “You are at a place of honor, especially in our pack members’ eyes. They want you to care.” He eased closer. “I want you to care.”

  She pressed her wee feet down, standing firmly in place. That’s my girl. “Are we still talking about the staff, Ciaran?”

  “Maybe not,” he whispered. As he looked around, he saw changes he wanted to make to the chapel. It was a holy place and it deserved the best he could afford it. The pack needed a fine-looking place to worship.

  “I’m listening.” She gestured to a pew.

  They sat in a remarkably comfortable silence before he began. “It doesn’t matter what was done to me in my youth. Sadly and horrifically, disgusting things happen to younglings daily, and they earn their medals by simply surviving and bringing themselves to walk again after crawling through such unimaginable filth.”

  Rebecca let her knee touch his, nudging him on. You have boundless courage, lass. “No matter his prior circumstances, if any male is worthy of self-respect, he is responsible for making honorable decisions.” He blew out an anxious breath. “In total honesty, I should have never granted myself pity from the start. Even if it is the way of the Weres to avenge, I should have kept a clearer head while moving everyone’s thoughts forward, especially those belonging to my aunt. I should have told my clan to work out their endless lists of trivial issues and took the time to better myself as Alpha while strengthening this army for battle.” He swallowed roughly. “Maybe I would have been here sooner, taking back the suffering females years ago.”