Don’t worry? The man she’d made out with this morning—no, made out was too mild a term for what they’d done… The man who’d rocked her world, turned her into a sexual being she didn’t even know she was capable of becoming, made her want things she’d never dreamed about, drove her insane with the need to fuck like an animal—that man was in fact an animal. A wolf. She snickered to herself. Don’t worry… Right.
“So, there is a vampire out there?”
“Uh huh. And he isn’t a nice one either.”
“There are nice ones?”
“Well, I guess I don’t really know the answer to that. Haven’t met another.”
“How do you know he exists then?”
“I’ve seen him twice, once from a distance and another time when he had the audacity to walk into my office. And… I’ve seen the destruction he leaves in his wake.”
Juliana wrapped her arms around her body below her breasts to stop the shaking.
“What sort of destruction?” She couldn’t keep herself from asking questions better left unasked.
“He pops up every few months or so. Spreads his ‘wealth’ around the country and even Canada. But when he shows, there’s no doubt. He drains small animals and leaves their empty carcasses on the forest ground. Sometimes they aren’t so small. And occasionally they aren’t animals.”
Humans…
Is it cold in here? Juliana glanced around until her gaze landed on a plush blanket over the back of a chair. She finally stood, grabbed the throw and wrapped it around her. But the chill remained. She couldn’t keep the cold out with the blanket any more than she could use it to shelter herself from the bombardment of unwanted information. How could she possibly believe what she was hearing?
“What are they gonna do, exactly?” Her voice was so low she could barely hear herself. As if it were safer that way—keeping her sounds to a minimum. She tiptoed over to Hardin to barrage him with more questions.
“Run him off most likely.”
“Can’t they catch him? Kill him or something?” Or get killed?
“Doubt it. Even with three of them, they’ve never caught him yet. He’s very fast. They threaten him every now and then, enough to get him to leave…for a while. But it’s different this time. No tellin’.”
“Different how?”
“You.” He turned his head to her for a second.
“Me?”
“Serg won’t let anybody threaten anything that’s his. None of them would.”
“His?”
He cleared his throat and looked back outside, staring into the darkness. She figured he couldn’t see a damn thing, because she couldn’t. But it must have given him something to do to feel useful and kept him from having to confront her directly.
“What does that mean?” She reworded the question.
“Look, I don’t understand it too well myself. These are the only wolves I’ve ever met. And they’ve never had…women here before. But, from what I can tell—”
“They don’t have girlfriends? Lovers? No one?”
“Nope. Stick to themselves. Like they’d rather not.”
She thought back to this afternoon when she’d first arrived. No wonder Jaxon and Micah were so stunned. Seemed like they had a “no chick” pact or something. And Sergius had broken the agreement. Maybe that wasn’t so crazy after all.
“I heard what you were saying before I walked in. What? Did Sergius like imprint on me or something?” Is that what they call it?
“Something like that.”
“Do I have a say in the matter?”
“No idea. You’ll have to ask Serg. I know about as much as you do now. Probably less, actually.”
“So, why don’t the police catch the vampire or why doesn’t the government track him down or whatever, if he’s such a threat?”
“Hardly anyone human knows of his existence. No one in my office does. It’s not like I can put out a manhunt for McKinney. No one would know why. He’s tricky. He doesn’t leave obvious evidence.” Hardin turned to look her in the eye. “And, he’s fast. Faster than the wolves. Very difficult to track. Even harder to catch and kill. The best the wolves ever do is run him off for a while.”
“How did you find out about them?”
“I sort of stumbled on this problem with the vampire by accident years ago, and then the truth about the Durhams being shifters soon after that. The brothers had been helping us find missing people for several years. I thought one or more of them were psychic.” Hardin chuckled. “There was no other explanation for their incredible tracking skill. They’d just show up and had an uncanny ability to find people.”
Juliana stepped closer until she stood inches from Hardin. “Then what?” Her eyes burned. She couldn’t bring herself to blink, as though she’d miss part of the story if she did.
“Then a hiker was found dead, drained.” He stared unmoving out the window, still holding his gun against the pane as though prepared for anything.
“Drained?” Juliana swallowed. “Of blood?”
“Yep. I made some offhanded comment to Sergius about thinking there must be a vampire in the mountains. Only problem was, Serg didn’t react to that quite appropriately.” Finally Hardin lowered his gun and let go of the curtain to give his full attention to Juliana. “He wasn’t really surprised. Didn’t laugh at my statement like a normal human would have.”
“Did he know about this McKinney guy then?”
“Coincidentally, no. But being supernatural himself, he didn’t find the idea that outrageous. He said, and I quote, ‘I suppose it’s possible’.”
“Shit. You must have freaked out.”
“Oh yeah. I said something like, ‘You think it’s possible there’s a vampire living in my national forest? What the fuck are you, dude?’ And that was the moment I realized the Durhams weren’t ordinary humans. The look on his face was priceless. In a very serious, no-nonsense tone, he informed me that he didn’t want a vampire roaming around in this forest any more than I did and that he would look into it. Look into it! I nearly pissed my pants.”
“How did you find out the brothers were werewolves? Did he just tell you?”
“No. Not at all.” Hardin shook his head. “It was actually McKinney that tipped me off. The bastard wanted to rid himself of the shifters, so he waltzed right into my precinct and told me there was a trio of large wolves wreaking havoc in the mountains. He described them dangerously approaching humans and told me they should be hunted down and killed for safety reasons.
“He was a little too zealous and my hackles were raised in his presence. Undoubtedly he used his mind-altering mojo on me in order to convince me to grab my rifle and head out for the kill.”
“Geez. What kept you from being convinced?”
“His biggest mistake was sending me here. As soon as he told me I’d find three large wolves hanging around this area, I knew. A hundred-watt light bulb went off in my head. I drove straight here and waited on the front porch for the Durhams to return. Sure enough, it didn’t take long for three naked men to lope out of the woods toward me. And the rest is history, as they say.”
Hardin jerked as though he’d forgotten where he was and resumed his frantic peering out the crack between the curtain and the window frame.
He continued, “As far as we know, none of the other wolf packs have had any success catching this vampire either.”
“There are other werewolves?” Juliana held her breath. Her fingers ached where she gripped the blanket around her shoulders. She stared at the sheriff.
“Well, Sergius and his brothers at least have family. They came here from South Carolina where they left cousins, aunts and uncles to establish their own home in a new territory.”
Juliana wandered back over to the couch and lay down when the story seemed to be over. Way too much to think about. She snuggled under the soft comfort of the blanket and closed her eyes. Her brain swam with all the information she couldn’t even begin to process all at
once. She fought sleep, but it didn’t help. The curtain of darkness tiptoed over her like a thief in night.
Chapter Twelve
“Juliana?” Strong arms wrapped around Juliana’s frame, and she startled when they lifted her into the air, still wrapped like a burrito in the cover she’d burrowed into.
Her eyes mere slits, she saw Sergius’s face inches from her and breathed a sigh of relief. He’d come back. At least there was that. “What happened?” she murmured.
“Nothing much. I’ll tell you about it tomorrow. Sleep. Gonna carry you to bed.”
Bed. Nice. And his bed. Even nicer. She remembered the soft sheets, the smell of him all around her as she’d slept earlier, before the craziness had turned her world upside-down.
“So tired.”
“I know. Just sleep.”
She landed gently on the firm mattress and stretched out. Without opening her eyes again, she was only vaguely aware of the tender touch that tugged her cocoon of warmth away and then covered her with the cooler sheets of the huge bed. Before she could manage to fully drift off again, she found herself surrounded in a firm embrace that chased away the chill of the sheets and lured her under.
Serg stared down at the sleeping form of the beautiful woman beside him and held her even closer. She was so small, but not fragile. Not physically or emotionally, which brought a smile to his face. She’d never be bowled over by him or his brothers. No, she’d set them in their place fast and furiously. He’d no doubt.
Her skin was smooth and perfect. Her glorious curls lay across his pillow and he leaned over to put his cheek on them and smell her scent. Not quite hers, actually. She’d used his shampoo earlier. He’d make a trip to town tomorrow to get whatever supplies she required. He wanted her to smell all feminine and Juliana-like, as she had when he’d first found her. Even before that. Hell, her scent had permeated the cruiser this morning before he’d met her. Was that just this morning?
Well, yesterday he supposed. It was almost one in the morning now.
She was passionate. He’d known that just by seeing her hair the first time, all tousled and falling out of the band she’d started out wearing on the hike.
Were all redheads so fiery? Or was that a stereotype and he’d gotten lucky?
The stress of the last few hours melted away as he gazed at his mate.
They hadn’t come face to face with McKinney, but they had run to the edge of the national forest, chasing him out of their territory. Too bad the bastard was quicker than them. They’d have ripped him limb for limb given the opportunity.
Never in ten years had he had the balls to come so close to their cabin. Sergius swallowed hard. The vamp wanted something and wasn’t about to give up easily. Sergius nuzzled Juliana’s neck. The fucking vampire couldn’t have her. Ever. Serg would do everything in his power to ensure that fact.
Exhausted himself from the long day and the long run, Sergius closed his eyes and let sleep take him.
Goddamn animals. Who in the hell do they think they are?
Keeton paced a hole in the ground, literally.
With his strength, he could punch a tree trunk and damage it beyond repair. And he had. Several.
He needed to feed too. That bear he’d had earlier would have been enough under normal circumstances to last him for days. In fact, he’d done that purposefully to keep himself from killing the redhead. He wanted her like he’d never wanted anything in his life. He could taste her essence on the tip of his tongue. She was his. He had plans that didn’t include those bastard werewolves.
His mouth watered thinking of tasting her sweet alabaster skin. He was sure he could keep himself from killing her. Just a taste now and then to lure her, keep her in enough of a stupor to not realize she was under his influence.
Humans didn’t live forever, but as long as you gave them just a nip occasionally, you’d kill several birds with one stone. They’d take in enough vampire serum to keep them slightly delirious and pliable, always willing, ready and able. Second, the serum’s qualities would prolong their lives considerably, slowing down the aging process. And third, and perhaps most important, the host got the pleasure of tasting the sweetest nectar in the world day in and day out.
His woman was currently hiding out in the home of those damn animals. And no stinking shapeshifter was going to ruin her for him.
He just had to figure out how to lure her into his arms and the rest would be history. All he needed was patience. They couldn’t watch her every second of every day forever. No, soon they’d fuck up…and then the prize would be his.
Chapter Thirteen
Something heavy and hot pressed Juliana into the bed. She wiggled to free herself from the obstruction while her mind struggled to remember where she was and why she was so encumbered.
It was so dark. She could barely breathe under the firm arm pinning her across the chest. Soft hairs tickled her nose. Arm?
Her eyes flew open as realization dawned. She was with a man. She never slept with a man. A moment of terror made her almost scream before she managed to push the covers away from her face and caught a glimpse of her surroundings.
Sergius. Jesus. She must have been dead to the world to forget that man. And no doubt, considering how tired she’d been. She had a vague recollection of him carrying her to bed from the couch. After that, nothing.
Obviously he’d tucked himself in right alongside her and now was attempting to suffocate her with his body heat. Geez, the man’s core temperature was not ninety-eight point six, that was for sure.
Right…he wasn’t exactly human. Who knew how many degrees the wolf body maintained?
Her eyes adjusted to the dim light coming in the window. The moon was low in the sky. What time was it?
Ugh. “Serg… Get…off…me.” His arm weighed a ton. It was a wonder she’d managed to stay alive under it without a crushing chest injury.
Ya think you might be exaggerating a smidge?
“Mmm.” He pulled her closer instead of releasing her.
“Serg.”
“Yeah?”
“Your arm.” Shit, his leg was over both of hers too. She was well and totally pinned. She squirmed fruitlessly against him for a minute, trying to rouse him. Well, apparently not “fruitlessly” because her hip grazed over the “fruit” of her efforts and he was definitely “roused”. At least one part of him was. Even if his brain hadn’t fully caught up.
With a final shove, she wiggled free and scrambled toward the other side of the bed for cooler sheets. Damn, that man was hot.
Serg, however, flung himself into a sitting position the moment she broke contact, sending her into giggles at the image of him bolting forward as though he were hinged like a zombie.
“What? What happened? You okay?”
“Fine. You were suffocating me.”
“Your skin is so cool and smooth, it felt wonderful against mine.”
“Yeah, well, yours is way too hot. Felt like I was in a sauna.”
He took a few shallow breaths, seemed to stare her in the eyes even through the darkness. “Come here.” One hand reached out for her. His voice was husky, deep. Sexy.
When she leaned back a few inches instead of forward, a stream of moonlight hit his face, enlightening her to his serious expression. His chest heaved for breath as though he’d been exercising instead of sleeping.
His full lips were sensual, especially when he drew one side of his mouth up in a half smile, but as she watched, the tip of his tongue licked across his bottom lip and then traveled around to lick the top one.
The sudden need to taste those lips made her belly tighten. She clenched the sheets on both sides of her to keep from flinging herself into his arms.
Sure, earlier today she’d practically begged him to make love to her. Embarrassing to think back on. But that was before.
Before they’d reentered civilization. Before she’d had a good meal and something to drink. Before she’d found out a madman was after her. Before
…she’d seen Serg shift into a werewolf.
So why did her heart beat rapidly in her chest? Her hands itched to wander around that wide expanse of chest. Her pussy ached to have that enormous cock she’d seen earlier stuffing her to the hilt.
Lord, you’ve lost your marbles, girl.
Serg smiled as though he knew what she was thinking. He leaned forward the few inches necessary for contact, wrapped his huge hand around her upper arm, and dragged her body toward his.
She lay on the bed, shaking beneath his gaze as though she were cold, when moments ago she’d been burning up. The quiver in her body wasn’t from a chill this time. It was the product of her lust.
Her tongue reached out of its own accord to lick her lips as she stared at his and thought about how talented she knew he could be with that tongue. He’d used it yesterday to swirl around and around her nipples, driving her to the edge of sanity.
Sergius leaned the last few inches and placed a sweet kiss on her lips. “I want you so bad, baby.” God, his words alone ratcheted up her arousal. Blood surged through her veins. He leaned closer, angling his head and pressing against her mouth with more determination. His tongue was everywhere, inside and outside. He devoured her, and she was lost in the sensation.
Her body melted against the mattress, all doubts skittering away.
He hovered over her. When she felt the heat pooling in her belly, she flung her arms out and grabbed Serg by the biceps. He didn’t come any closer though, no matter how much she silently pleaded with him to let his weight rest on her. She craved the feeling of his skin next to hers.
Instead, he pulled back, nipped around her lips a few times and then gazed into her eyes, into her soul. “We have to talk.”
“Isn’t that supposed to be my line?”
“Not this time.” His gaze roamed her face. He reached with one finger and brushed hair out of her eyes, tucked it behind her ears, barely grazing over her skin.
Rescue in the Smokies (Durham Wolves) Page 9
