by Taylor Dawn
“If you marry Layton Kyle, you won’t have a life to live.” He took a seat on the edge of the bed.
“You have such a flair for drama. I guess I should expect that after the display last night.”
“The pack will kill you if you marry him. That’s where I was last night. They knew I was bringing you to Blue Creek.”
“Then I’ll go back to Las Vegas, problem solved.” She sassed.
Micah stood and began pacing the room. “I’ve done my best to protect you from them. Hell, I’ve put my own ass on the line so they would leave you alone. But I can’t do it anymore. Vampires are our enemy and you are half vampire, Gia.”
“What’s your fucking point?”
“There’s only one way they will let you live.”
Gia rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. Whatever he had to say, she didn’t care. “And?”
“You have to become part of the pack.”
“As in, I have to be a wolf, like you?”
“First of all, that would be impossible.”
“You pretty much lost me when you came in here demanding that I break it off with Layton, so hurry up and tell me what they want me to do.”
“You have to marry someone in the pack.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “You?” She whispered.
“I imprinted on you when we were kids. I guess it was written in the stars long ago.”
“I don’t believe you. Get out!” she shoved at his rock hard chest. “You’re just doing this because I wouldn’t let you fuck me!”
“Clearly you aren’t thinking straight right now. I’ll give you some time to think it over.” Micah left the room, shutting the door behind him.
“What is it with men proposing at the wrong fucking time?” Gia shook her head. “Is it too much to ask for a bouquet of flowers? Or even a dinner date, first?” Not that she wanted extreme romance, but it would have been nice to have a proposal that didn’t feel like a demand.
Micah’s, in particular, seemed on the desperate side. Was he telling the truth? Was she in danger if she didn’t say yes to him? So many questions riddled her and it was time to seek out answers. Gia didn’t ask to be Dahmpir, she was born that way. She never dreamt that the blood coursing through her veins would cause such a battle between two dominant species who wanted to rip each other to shreds.
***
Layton stood in the dark confines of his basement, stretching his body as to work the kinks out. Sleeping in a coffin wasn’t for the faint of heart or for those with an aversion to enclosed spaces. As cliché as it was, he preferred the morbid bed over any other resting place.
“Finally, you’re awake,” Layton spun around to see the outline of his sister across the hollow room.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’ve come to save your ass, as usual.” She flicked on the light switch, causing him to wince at the sudden brightness in the room. “Seems there’s some sort of wolf apocalypse about to ensue.”
“You’d be wrong.” He brushed past her and up the stairs.
“But I’m not. The brother of your human fuck toy stopped by the club not too long after you skipped town.”
“I will warn you once about disrespecting Gia. After that, I will…”
“You’ll what? You’ve been making idle threats ever since we were kids. I could fill the Nile with the number of times you’ve threatened to rip my head off.” Layton quelled his anger. His sister was right—he could threaten her all he wanted but the fact of the matter was, he wouldn’t hurt her. She was the one connection in the world he still had. “They’re going to kill her,” Astrid jumped up and took a seat on the kitchen counter.
“What makes you think that?”
“Because for thousands of years our kind has been at war with the wolves. They want us gone and we want to use their pelt to keep us warm in the winter. There is no balance when it comes to the rivalry.”
“She’s not even full vampire.” Layton shoved a hand through his hair.
“Do you think they give a shit about that?” Astrid scoffed. “And they call us the blood thirsty heathens.”
“I’ve never been at such a crossroads before.”
“I’m going to give you my advice, even though you won’t take it. Dump the blonde and get as far away from her as you can.”
“You’re right, I’m not taking your advice.” He began pacing the floor.
“So, a human is more important than family?” she asked.
“I want her to be a part of our family, Astrid. I get the sense that you don’t want me to be happy.” His brow creased with displeasure.
“That’s not it at all. I want you to be happy, just not with her. Find someone of your own kind like I have. Sure, you’ll be upset for a while, but eventually, you’ll move on.”
“It’s not worth being on this earth—dead or alive if I can’t be with the woman I love. I’m not budging on this either. I will find a way to keep her safe and make her my wife, you can bet on that.” Layton was more than determined to tie Gia to him in marriage.
Eleven
GIA HADN’T SEEN OR HEARD from Layton for two days. She kept to herself in the small house she shared with Micah—making sure to avoid him as much as possible. He’d been a close friend; an almost brother to her as they grew up together. Now, she saw him in a different light. The wolf thing didn’t bother her as much as it probably should have, but the threat of death unless she married him was nagging her. If Layton were to find out about it, he would more than likely fly into a fit of rage and try to kill every wolf in a hundred mile radius, including Micah. Gia couldn’t let anyone else lose their life over her.
“I know you’ve been avoiding me,” Micah walked into the living room where she sat on the sofa with her legs curled underneath her. All he wore were a pair of stark white athletic shorts and a ragged ball cap. His sculpted abs and chest caused Gia to take a second look as he stood in front of her with his hands braced on his hips.
“It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out, congrats.”
“Don’t be a smartass.” He moved around the coffee table then plopped down on the cushion beside her. “Do you hate me?” he asked.
“I don’t hate anyone.”
“You could learn to love me, G,” Micah reached out, grabbing her hand in his.
“Love shouldn’t be learned. It’s something that just happens.” She jerked her hand from his.
Just as he stood from his seat, a knock came at the door. “Who the hell could that be,” Micah’s annoyance at the interruption was clear. When she watched him swing the door open, the annoyance turned to anger. “What the fuck do you want?”
“I’m your brother. Aren’t I allowed to pop in for a visit?” Gia’s eyes went wide as Garian strode through the door. When he spotted her, he glanced at his brother then back to her, “Did I catch you at a bad time?” one side of his mouth lifted in a smirk.
“I could use some fresh air,” Gia said as she jumped from her seat on the couch. Once her knee boots were secure over her jeans, she grabbed a sweater and darted out the door. Whatever Micah and his brother needed to talk about, didn’t need to include her. She had enough on her plate as it was.
Behind the house began a narrow trail that led into the forest nearby. Since Las Vegas didn’t afford the luxury of much greenery, Gia used her time away from the house to explore where the path would take her. With her sweater pulled over her head, she felt its warmth blanket her as she took the first few steps into the canopy of trees. The air was somewhat damp, causing her face to chill slightly but she wasn’t letting that deter her from moving forward.
Each step seemed to clear some of the thought debris in her head. No, she hadn’t come up with a sensible solution to her problems yet, but at least she was smiling. How could a person not smile when they were among nature as she was? The birds above were singing, the leaves under her feet crunched under her boots and the sunlight filtered through the top
s of the trees, hitting particles of dirt in the air, making them appear as glitter. It was all so beautiful.
Stopping for a moment, Gia spun around, taking in her surroundings once more. She eyed the path that would take her back to the house just to make sure she hadn’t taken a wrong turn. When she was satisfied, she whipped back around and halted in her tracks. Her body stiffened at the sight in front of her. With her heart pounding in her ears, she pulled her hands into fists as if she were ready to fight. When the low growl sounded, however, she changed her mind. It didn’t matter how tough she thought she was, there wasn’t a chance in hell she could fight a wolf of that size and live to tell about it. Turning on her heel, Gia thrust all of her energy in running away from the beast. It was larger than Micah had been in his wolf form and from the looks of it, the furry fucker wasn’t friendly.
Gia felt disadvantaged as her feet stomped on the ground below. The forest wasn’t familiar and if she didn’t come upon the house soon, she was as good as dead. The path seemed to go on forever as she continued to run—trying to gulp in as much air as she could even though her lungs were on fire. Looking behind her, she could see the menacing beast was gaining on her. Soon, it would be right on top of her due to the fact that her pace slowed considerably. Had she really walked that far in the forest? It hadn’t seemed like it when her stride was leisurely but now that she was running for her life, the trail wouldn’t end. Gia knew there wasn’t a possibility of outrunning something that depended on speed and agility as a way of life. Even though the wolf more than likely had a human form, it was still part wild animal.
As if she decided to stop fighting, Gia halted. She bent at the waist while gasping to pull precious air into her chest. Just as she looked up, her entire body was pounded to the ground—a sharp pain lancing through her left side. A shrill scream escaped her lips as she was helplessly pinned to the underbrush of the forest. Snarling teeth met her face when she opened her eyes—each one just as razor sharp as the next to it. She couldn’t defend herself from something such as that, not in a million years. Maybe that was her fate. Maybe all of her years led to that moment, and it was her time to go.
“Mommy, don’t hurt her!” Gia could hear the voice of a child nearby. “Please?” it was the little girl, Xena. Reality dawned on Gia as she put two and two together. The wolf on top of her was the child’s mother.
***
Layton paced the light-tight basement, waiting for the sun to dip below the horizon. Something inside him was compelling him to be with Gia, although he had no idea why other than the fact that he loved her.
“You still have about twenty minutes until the ball of fire is gone,” Astrid stood, propped against the wall with a wine glass half-full of blood. “Besides, I’m not sure what your plan is.”
“I’m going to get Gia away from that wolf.”
“Then I have ten to one odds on the fur coat.” She took a gulp of her drink.
“So, you’d stand back and watch me be mauled by them?” Layton’s fury was mounting.
“Why not? I stay out of the way and I live to cause drama another day. It’s, what do the kids these days say…how I roll?” She laughed.
“I have protected you from the time we were turned into these blood thirsty monsters, Astrid. You wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for me.”
“Fuck you, brother. There is no moral high ground when you don’t have a soul.” She angrily tossed the glass to the floor, shattering it and spilling blood. Layton glanced down at the red stain, “Go ahead, lick it off the floor. You know you want to.”
Will all of his strength, Layton rushed forward, pinning his sister to the wall with his hand around her throat. “I wish I possessed the amount of hate you have bottled inside you. Then I might desire to leave devastation in my wake just as you do.” He dropped his hand. “Why are you even here?”
“Isn’t it obvious? I’m here because if I were to stay in Vegas, and let you get killed, it might upset the balance.”
“Balance of what?”
“Let’s say you do die—for all intents and purposes we are going there. Then Blondie gets upset and causes a ruckus in the vamp community. How do you think Aria would react?”
“She wouldn’t appreciate it.” He answered.
“Right.” Astrid winked.
“And if she starts a war between vampires and wolves, the humans will suffer greatly.” Layton took a seat on the edge of his coffin.
“All of the mouth breathers you’ve come to know will be the target of so much anger and hate from both sides. Including your little sassy tart.”
“Why would you want to protect Gia? You hate her.”
“As much as I’ve tried to dislike that half-breed, she has done one thing that I approve of.” The red haired vixen sighed.
“And that is?”
“She’s made your surly ass happy. Happier than I’ve seen you since we were turned. I know you did this for me, brother. Looking back, I don’t think I would have asked something so great of you had I known what life would be like. If you want to blame me for everything, go ahead. God, or whoever sits up there judging us, knows I’m good for a round of the blame game.”
Layton hung his head, “After the death of our parents, I only wanted what was best for you. I thought a new life in America was the way to do that. Fuck, had I known that the ship would sink…”
“No one could’ve predicted that. But at least the tragedy gave birth to a good movie. By the way, Rose had plenty of room on that wood plank. Jack would have totally fit.”
He couldn’t help but chuckle. “We are going to get through this.”
“I know we are. We have some kick ass people willing to help us.”
“Yeah? And who’s that?”
“Us,” Gaith’s voice caused Layton to lift his head. With him stood Gia’s brother, Zach.
“As long as you fucksticks don’t decide to eat me, I’ll do what I can to keep my sister from harm,” Zack extended his hand in a gesture to shake Layton’s.
“You don’t have to do this for me,” Layton said.
“I know that. But Gia is family and family sticks together no matter how hard shit gets. Besides, I’m a half-breed too. I kind of have a dog in the ring as well.”
“You know I’m down for a fight, boss,” Gaith smiled then looked toward Astrid. “Just as long as I get to skin some wolves, I’m rearing to go.”
“The first thing I need to do is to get Gia to safety and away from Micah. I’m going there alone tonight. Can the three of you manage to stay out of trouble while I’m gone?” he pointed his gaze toward Astrid.
“Why do I always get the blame for trouble?” she scoffed.
Gaith kissed her on the cheek, “Because, my love, you are what the youngsters call a Drama Llama.” The bouncer laughed then looked back at Layton, “no worries boss, I’ve got things covered here.”
After nodding to the trio, Layton trudged up the stairs and into the kitchen. He hated having to cause trouble but it couldn’t be helped. If the wolves were intent on hurting Gia, he would make sure she was out of their way. He only hoped that her leaving with him wouldn’t result in him seeing the wrong end of a pissed off wolf.
Twelve
“GET THE FUCK OFF HER!” Gia heard Layton yell just as the wolf disappeared from atop her. She lay there gasping for breath while clutching her side that was in serious pain. When she raised her hands to her face, the amount of blood streaming down her fingers was staggering. If she didn’t get the bleeding stopped soon, she would take her last breaths on the forest floor after all. “Damn it,” Layton cursed as he crouched down beside her. “Hold still so you don’t lose any more blood.” He pulled his shirt above his head and wadded it in his fists. Gia winced when he pressed the material to her open wound. “I know it hurts, just hang in there, okay?” she nodded.
“I’m going to die here, aren’t I?” she whispered.
“Not if I can help it,” his confident tone gave her a smidgen of
hope, which she so desperately needed at that moment.
“You should know better than to stick your nose into wolf business.” Gia’s head turned to the side to see a beautiful brunette walking their way. She was pulling a shirt over her naked breasts on her approach. “I guess you’re dumber than you look.”
***
For a few moments, Layton thought he was in a dream. It wasn’t possible, was it? “Sakura?” he breathed.
“In the flesh.” She held her arms out from her sides as if putting herself on display for him. And why wouldn’t she? “Looks like you moved from dating wolves to humans,” she sniffed the air, “I mean, half-breeds.” Sakura was a rare beauty. Her underlying Asian heritage shone through with her alabaster complexion and her dark brown straight hair. She was unusually tall for her culture, but her height of six foot made her all the more appealing.
“I never guessed that Blue Creek would be filled with a bunch of renegades. Is that how you fill your time now? Preying on the innocent?” he asked.
“Not that I have to explain myself to you, but, I moved on orders.”
“Who initiated those orders?”
“Mommy?” A small child darted through the trees to stand by Sakura. Layton wasn’t surprised that his former flame had a kid. She’d told him several times in the past that she wanted children and the little girl looked just like her. “Who’s that man?” the little girl asked.
Sakura let out a bitter laugh, “That’s a disgusting vampire.”
Layton watched curiosity mask the child’s face as if she wasn’t sure if she should hate him or not. That’s how things went with his race, most people believe that vampires were bad people because of the word of others. They didn’t take the time to make a judgement for themselves.
“Hey,” he heard Gia’s faint voice behind him.
“Shit.” He hurried to her side once more. “I’m taking you to my home.” He scooped her into his arms, her thick crimson blood spilling down his shirt.
“How long do you think you’ll be able to stay in this town while the pack is intent on hunting you?” Sakura asked.
