Brass: Ruthless Bastards (RBMC Book 6)

by Chelsea Handcock

  When the door of the Escape burst open and a blur of blonde hair and curves darted toward him, Lucas was floored. His jaw dropped, his hands clenching at his sides in tight fists as though he was trying to hold his body back from getting up and running straight for her. His thigh muscles bunched and contracted with the effort to stay in one place.

  The woman was beautiful, so beautiful in fact, Lucas hadn’t realized he’d stopped breathing until his amulet started to burn the shit out of his chest, causing him to come back to the here and now. She was saying something to him, but he didn’t hear the words. He could only look at her, taking everything in. What the hell! Lucas loved women of all shapes and sizes, but he had never had this kind of response to one, not even close.

  Wrapping his hand around his amulet, he allowed the burn to sink into his hand. She was kind of short for his tastes. Lucas had always liked tall women, he was never attracted to short, tiny ones like this lady. He would have to turn himself into a pretzel just to kiss her, but he knew it would be worth the effort. None of his previous feelings or tastes made a damn bit of difference now. This chick was just right as far as he was concerned. He felt his canines drop from his gums, pricking his lip. The sting caused him to grunt in pain but made him focus. He needed to get his shit together because she was coming right at him, full speed. Showing a human his Otherness was not permitted, for any reason.

  He had a duty to the McClanes and his pack to keep his secrets well-hidden, or he would be facing more than just a slap on the wrist. Allowing humans, other than mates, to know about his abilities or other forms was against Pack law and punishable by death. Something his Alpha would gladly carry out. Breathing slowly, he concentrated on his thoughts and not his senses because right now all those senses were pinging on the tiny blonde.

  His beast was clawing at him to move, to get closer, and scent the air. When the urge was too great, he couldn’t have stopped himself if he tried. Lucas lifted his nose into the air, needing to imprint her unique scent into his soul. The sweet smell of honeysuckle invaded him, wrapping him in a calm he had never felt before; his mouth watered for a taste. Shaking his head, he chastised himself for thinking this way. She wasn’t fried chicken, after all, she was just a woman. An extraordinary woman, but a woman just the same.

  Groaning, he felt all the blood in his body pooling in his groin, making the calm he felt for a fraction of a second evaporate just as quickly. He wasn’t a teenager, he was fucking twenty-seven. He had been controlling his body for years. It was embarrassing.

  When she offered him her hand, there wasn’t a force on earth which would have stopped him from taking it. The shock which coursed through his body the moment their hands met was breathtaking. He wasn’t a poetic guy, but it was as if Zeus himself had shot a lightning bolt right through the two of them, binding them together. When she pulled away, he almost growled.

  That was enough to stop him in his tracks. He needed to block her out, get his shit together, and get the hell out of here. But he also needed her touch. When she offered her hand a second time, he held on a little tighter. He didn’t need any help getting up, he just wanted to feel her touch.

  When her mouth fell open a little as she took him in, Lucas smiled. Maybe he wasn’t the only one affected. He could smell her honeysuckle scent deepen, become headier with her arousal.

  Lucas stood and adjusted himself covertly, not wanting the woman to think he was a pervert or something worse. She might be attracted to him, but she was also human. Were’s and Vamps were different; as long as the attraction was there and both parties were in agreement, neither would hesitate to take this attraction further. But this woman wasn’t putting off any vibes she was looking for a hook up of any kind. Her reaction to him though, hell, that made him feel ten-feet tall.

  Lucas decided to focus on her face, it seemed the safest thing to do. Were and Vampire, he had excellent vision, hearing, and strength, but distance caused distortion. That’s why he hadn’t been able to see her through the windshield of her car, well, that and the sun. Now, he realized there was something to be said about an up close and personal view.

  He could see the light green specks in her expressive, but hooded blue eyes framed by black glasses, along with the small spattering of freckles decorating her tiny nose. Her perfectly glossed lips were supple and plump. Right now, the bottom one was more pronounced as she pursed them together. Her little pink tongue was peeking out of the corner as if she was concentrating extremely hard. Fuck, the sight made him think of other things those lips and tongue could do to him and put him right back where he started; maybe he needed to just not look at her at all.

  But damn, her blatant perusal of his body made him smile wider, and his dick, the bastard, became even harder. A few seconds ago, he would have doubted that was even possible. He was wrong. When she focused on that part of him, he couldn’t help the little growl of approval which escaped his throat. He and his beast liked what she was doing, and he figured what the hell, two could play this game. Lucas let his eyes wander over the woman, the curves he noticed before generous. Fuck, they were more than generous.

  When her eyes met his for the first time, he couldn’t help smiling at her, letting her know that, yeah, he knew exactly what she’d been doing. He was grateful she hadn’t looked up sooner and caught him doing the same. But then everything quickly changed. He could smell the fear coming off of her in waves and knew he needed to do something. When she started to walk away, he couldn’t let her go, so he followed and offered an apology and introduction. He really wanted to know who this woman was. When she didn’t offer her name, he decided it was probably better to walk away. She might entice him like no other, but he wasn’t a creeper.

  Before he got too far away, she called out to him, making his day. He couldn’t remember the last time he had smiled so much. There wasn’t much in his life to smile about, but almost getting hit by this woman and meeting her for the first time made him happy.

  Now that he knew her name, he also knew exactly who she was. Ruth and Edwin had been talking about her nonstop for the last couple of weeks as he worked by Edwin’s side fixing up the old cabin. He knew they loved her dearly, but that she was also only coming out of a misguided belief Edwin was ill. Lucas didn’t like deception on any scale, it had been the story of his life for way too long. He preferred honesty in all things. He didn’t blame the old couple, but he still didn’t like it. No one should be blindsided the way Kaylee was about to be.

  Lucas Valentin had grown up knowing exactly what he was and what was expected of him. He was a Were, a man who changed into a beast, more specifically a wolf. But most importantly, he was the Guardian of the witches, the highest honor among his kind. Chosen at birth, Lucas was given the amulet currently resting on his chest right above his heart. He didn’t know much about the object except it held untold power and allowed him to walk in the daylight; he wasn’t just a Were, he was also a Vampire.

  It was unheard of and he was loathed because he hadn’t been strong enough to resist “him.” Lucas felt the shiver run up his spine just thinking about “him” and what had happened that fateful day. He hated those memories and hated what he had become. Concentrating on where he was going, he took off at a greater speed, knowing Kaylee wouldn’t see him now. Lucas tried to shake himself out of the past. He needed to concentrate on his job because it looked like his newest charge had just gotten to town. He would do just that, protect the McClane’s at all costs. He hadn’t made it very far before Edwin came into view.

  “Guardian, you know better than this. She’s off limits to your kind,” Edwin McClane said. He wasn’t a powerful Warlock, but he was a part of the McClane Coven, and Lucas had a duty to him, so he stopped and addressed the man.

  “I know my place, Edwin, I also know Kaylee is different, special.”

  “Oh, and how do you know that, Lucas?” Edwin said with a sneer.

  “I don’t know, Edwin,” pulling his shirt aside he revealed his amule
t, “maybe you can explain to me why my amulet just changed from smoky quartz to amethyst and burned the hell out of my chest when she arrived, and I got her scent. Then maybe we can talk about how off limits your granddaughter is to me.”

  Lucas didn’t give Edwin a chance to reply, instead he stormed off. By the time he made it to the forest edge, he didn’t have any choice but to shift. His animal and vampire were playing havoc with him and needed to be set free. Stripping himself of his clothes, he shifted. Looking back in animal form, he could see a figure at the window of Kaylee’s room, and he howled out his pain at being denied. Lucas ran as fast as his four legs would take him away from Kaylee.