by Karen Fuller
WICKFORD HIGH
FURIOUSLY TEMPTED
Karen Fuller
World Castle Publishing
http://www.worldcastlepublishing.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used factiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locations, organizations, or person, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
World Castle Publishing
Pensacola, Florida
Copyright © Karen Fuller 2011
ISBN: 9781937085322
Library of Congress Catalogue Number 2011928099
First Edition World Castle Publishing May 15, 2011
http://www.worldcastlepublishing.com
Al rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews.
Cover Artist: Spittyfish Designs
Editor: Gateway Editorial Services, and Kate Richards Printed in the United States
Chapter One
Vicky Phillips stood up on tiptoe and kissed Luke Wolfburn gently on the cheek.
“Thanks for bringing me home, Luke. I can take it from here.”
He furrowed his brow, shaking his head solemnly. “No, Vicky. It’s after midnight and I told your dad I’d have you home by ten o’clock. I want to be here to help you explain why you’re late.”
She smiled, looking up into his eyes. “Things might be . . . easier to explain if you weren’t here.” Her cheeks heated. “If my dad is still awake,” She bit her lip, looking up at the soft glow coming from an upstairs window, “and I’m afraid he is still awake.
He’ll jump to all the wrong . . . conclusions. Just kiss me good-bye, and I’ll see you in a few hours in school.”
He put his arms around her and she lifted her hand to brush his blond hair away from his forehead, fingers trailing down the side of his gorgeous face in a caress. “I don’t need an excuse to kiss you.” His smile grew tender and he furrowed his brow again, shrugging one shoulder. “I’m afraid your dad won’t let you date me anymore, if I don’t explain things to him myself. You are very precious to him, and to me. I just think it’s better if we tell him together, what happened tonight.” His smile turned into a roguish grin. “I am, however, going to kiss you before we go inside. I don’t think we’ll have the opportunity again after we open that door.”
“When my dad hears what happened tonight, he won’t hold you responsible.”
Looking away, Luke frowned. “I would if I were him.”
“Luke, look at me.” Reaching up, she placed her palm on his cheek, turning him to face her. “It wasn’t your fault.”
“Your dad left you in my care, and I almost lost you.”
“You saved me.”
“It was too close for comfort. We haven’t known each other very long, but I would have been devastated if something worse had happened.”
“You didn’t send those evil people after me, Sara did.”
“Sara . . .”
Vicky shrugged. “I’m not a hundred percent sure, but I do believe she was responsible.”
“Sara’s mean, but . . . to try to kill you?”
“What better way to get rid of the competition?” Luke raised an eyebrow and she continued, “That evil man taunted me, telling me that someone in this town turned me in. I accused Sara, but he just laughed.” She shrugged. “At the time, I was assuming that to be his agreement, but now . . . I don’t know for sure.”
“I’m going to make sure Sara pays for that.”
She shook her head. “You need to leave Sara to me. I want to be positive that it was her before I do anything.” She tilted her head meeting his gaze. “I haven’t known Sara very long, but if she was behind that mob, she will brag about it. Sara likes to have the upper hand and feels threatened by me. If she was behind this, I’m going to give her a reason to feel threatened.”
He smiled at her show of temper. “You’re beautiful when you’re angry.”
She batted her eyes playfully. “Flattery will get you almost everywhere, Mr.
Wolfburn.”
Cupping her face between his palms, he brought his lips down to meet hers. She placed her arms around his waist, melting into him, parting her lips to stroke her tongue with his. Heat coursed through her as the kiss grew more demanding, getting a little carried away.
“You’re late!” Vicky jumped—
Chapter Two
Vicky winced. They’d failed to hear the door open because they were too wrapped up in their kiss. Vicky’s eyes flew open and she pulled out of Luke’s embrace.
Turning her head, she locked eyes with her father. “Dad, I can explain . . .”
His expression brooked no explanations.
“Luke, go home. I’ll explain everything to my dad,” she whispered, patting his arm. Luke pressed his lips into a grim line, and stood his ground.
Mr. Phillips crossed his arms over his chest, looking very tall and very angry.
“Luke’s not going anywhere, young lady, until I get to the bottom of this. I want you both inside and in my study now.”
“But Dad . . .”
“Yes, sir,” Luke tone was resigned, but the glint in his eye told her he hadn’t lost any of his resolve.
“But Dad, it’s not what it looks like . . .”
“Now, Vicky.”
Vicky lowered her eyes, her shoulders slumping. “Yes, sir.”
Luke took her hand and led her through the front door, Mr. Phillips huffed out an exasperated breath and followed them into the study, shutting that door too.
Her father brushed past them, taking his chair behind his desk. Leaning back, he steepled his fingers under his chin and sat, while the silence stretched. Luke cleared his throat to speak, but Mr. Phillips held up his hand for him to remain silent. He leaned forward in his chair, clasping his hands in front of him on the desk. “Luke, I trusted you with my daughter. I distinctly remember telling you to have her home not one minute after ten. It’s now almost one in the morning. Add to that, you were pawing at my daughter on the front porch. I suppose you know she’s no longer allowed to go out with you.”
Until her father spoke, Vicky’s guilt had her staring at a spot on the carpet. Upon hearing his verdict, her eyes lifted, and she glared at him. “Dad, that’s not fair. We didn’t do anything wrong. All you saw was Luke kissing me goodnight. He wanted to come inside and tell you what happened tonight, but I didn’t want him to.”
“Vicky, you are just one step away from being grounded. Don’t push me.” Examining her rumpled, dirt-stained clothes, he glanced from Luke to Vicky and he rolled his eyes.
“What have you two been up to?” He slammed his hands down on his desktop, standing up abruptly. “What have you been doing with my daughter?”
Luke’s mouth dropped open. “I haven’t done anything to Vicky, Mr. Phillips.
Please, just let me explain . . .”
Vicky could not take it anymore. Her father’s accusations were so far off base it was absurd. Her tired mind cracked a little and a giggle escaped her lips.
Luke shot her a worried glance. “Vicky, stop, this isn’t funny.” She shook her head, laughing harder.
Mr. Phillips crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at his daughter. “Vicky, this isn’t anything to laugh at. You’re working on being grounded for a month. Would you like to go for two?”
Her eyes widened. “Dad, I have had the worst, and best day rolled into one.
Before you kick out my boyfriend and ground me, I want to speak.” She inwardly
cringed. Boyfriend. She and Luke had not had that talk yet, and she’d blurted the word out to her dad in the heat of the moment. Too late for regrets, she charged on. “You’re jumping to way too many conclusions without asking for my side of the story. I have never given you any trouble before, so why would you think I’d start now?”
“Just look at yourself.”
She looked down at herself, and then back up at him, shrugging. “I can explain.”
“Well, you’d better start talking fast and make it good. And it better be the truth, young lady.”
She crossed her heart, holding up her hand in pledge. “I’m going to tell you the God’s honest truth, Dad.” She locked eyes with her father again. “Can we sit down and talk with you?”
Her father exhaled heavily, gesturing for them to be seated. “You’re stalling, Vicky.”
“I’m not stalling, Dad.” Swallowing hard, she glanced at Luke, and he reached over, squeezing her hand for support. She exhaled. “Here goes nothing. I was having a wonderful time on my date with Luke.” Her father's eyebrow raised once again, and she continued, “By the way, his family’s place is a restaurant, not a diner.” He rolled his eyes, opening his mouth to speak, and Vicky held up her hand to stop him. “Anyway, Luke took me to the department store for my uniform, just like he was supposed to do.”
She did not want to tell her father what happened, because she was afraid he would make her pack up again and move. She liked Luke and did not want to move, again.
Closing her eyes, she gripped the arms of the chair for courage. “Now, Dad, I want you to listen to everything I tell you before you react . . . okay?”
He gripped the arms of his leather chair, knuckles white. His voice dropped to a low growl, “Just spit it out, Vicky.”
She looked away before she spoke. “That vigilante group, the ones that killed Mom . . .” Her voice quivered, and she looked at the ceiling, trying to blink back the tears. “Well . . . they kind of . . . um . . . kidnapped me from the dressing room of the store.” The color left Mr. Phillips's face, his irritation replaced with concern. “They . . .
um . . . knocked me out with chloroform . . . and I . . . uh . . .” A single tear trailed down her cheek. “Dad, this is hard for me to say.” Bracing herself, she charged on, “I woke up tied to a stake.” She shook her head, the words pouring out easier. “They must have dragged me through the field before they tied me up. I don’t remember how I got so dirty.”
“Oh my God, Pumpkin.” His voice shook with emotion. His wife, Emily, had died that way the week before. She winced at her father’s reaction, his face paling and he swallowed hard before he spoke again, “Did they hurt you?” She opened her mouth to speak and he cut her off, Luke needs to go home. We need to talk about this in private.”
She shook her head. “Luke stays, Dad.” Her father opened his mouth again, and Vicky pressed her lips together, shaking her head. “Luke knows, Dad.” His eyes grew wide. “Luke is the only reason I’m sitting in front of you now. He and his family saved me from that bunch of maniacs. I used my powers to stop those lunatics, but it wasn’t enough. They would have burned me at the stake.”
Mr. Phillips's gaze wandered around the room. “Well, if Luke and his family called the police, why didn’t they call me?”
Vicky gave Luke an uneasy glance, biting her bottom lip. “The police weren’t involved.”
“Vicky, those madmen have to be stopped.”
She shrugged, tilting her head. “Oh . . . they were stopped.”
His eyebrows knit together in confusion. “Do they have them tied up somewhere?”
She winced. “No, not exactly . . .”
He blew out a breath. “Well, Luke, since I’m getting evasive answers out of my daughter, could you please explain to me what you and your family did to rescue Vicky?”
“Dad,” Vicky cut in, “this is the part where I ask you to have an open mind.”
Ryan held up his hand, shaking his head. “Okay, I’ll keep an open mind. I just want answers, and I want truthful answers.”
This time Vicky reached over, squeezing Luke’s hand reassuringly. Luke pressed his lips in a grim line, looking from Vicky to Ryan before he spoke. “Well sir . . . we are .
. . man this is hard to say.” Vicky nudged him for encouragement. “Here goes nothing.
We’re werewolves sir.”
Vicky's father sat back in his chair, closing his eyes. He shook his head and then reached his fingers up, rubbing his temples. Opening his eyes, he stared hard at Luke.
“What did you do with those madmen?”
The color drained from Luke’s face. “Uh . . . let’s just say that they won’t be a threat to Vicky anymore.”
Mr. Phillips shifted in his chair “What do you mean, no longer a threat? Until those men are dealt with, they will always be a ‘threat’ to my daughter.”
“Dad . . .”
He shook his head at Vicky. “Pumpkin, I need to know . . . all of it. If those men are still out there, we have to leave. Your mother died at their hands. I can’t lose you too.”
Vicky shook her head. “Those men can’t hurt me or anyone else anymore.”
Luke swallowed hard, shifting uneasily in his chair. “They’ve been dealt with sir.”
“Dealt with? You mean dead, don’t you?”
Luke diverted his eyes. “Yes, sir, I do.”
Mr. Phillips stared off into space. “I see. I guess we need to report this to the police,” he mumbled more to himself than to anybody.
Luke caught his breath in alarm. “That won’t be necessary.”
He turned his head, and furrowed his brow in worry, as he focused his full attention on Luke. “We have to report this. I don’t want to get you and your family in trouble, but someone will find the bodies. It could get ugly.”
Luke shook his head. “They won’t find any bodies.” He shifted in his chair . “All traces of the . . . event . . . have been removed, including the stake.”
He stared hard at Luke, frowning. “It sounds like you and your family are accustomed to dealing with these kinds of situations.”
Luke’s eyes locked with his. “No, sir . . . we’re not. My family and I may be werewolves, but our kind doesn’t make a habit of killing people. We’re not like the werewolves you read about in horror stories. We can control ourselves. Our kind are more of a shape-shifter for lack of a better explanation. Our bite can’t turn people into werewolves. It’s a gene that passed on from generation to generation.”
He shook his head in thought. This was a lot to absorb, and he was suddenly curious. “Do you know how your family inherited this . . . trait?”
Luke nodded. “About a hundred and fifty years ago, a white witch enchanted my ancestor. Her reasons have been lost over time, but I believe it had something to do with protection. I don’t know the whole story. I believe at the time someone or something was after her. I can’t imagine what it could be because she was a very powerful woman. I mentioned to my mother that Vicky was a white witch. My mom said that their kind is rare and that Vicky is probably an ancestor of the witch that enchanted our family. We will protect her with our lives. I instinctively feel like that’s what our kind was created to do, and my family feels the same way I do.”
Mr. Phillips let a long breath slide past his lips. “You’ve given me a lot to think about.” He glanced up at the clock. “Go home Luke. It’s late, and I still need to talk with Vicky. Thank you for coming to her aid.”
Luke stood up, but hesitated. “Sir, I . . . uh . . . Vicky and I . . . I mean . . .”
Frustrated, he spoke forcefully. “I still want to date Vicky.”
Vicky’s eyes widened and she placed her hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle.
“Good-night, Luke. We’ll talk at school.”
Mr. Phillips cleared his throat. “You’ll know what my decision is on that subject, later, after I’ve had a private talk with my daughter.”
Luke inclined his head. “T
hat’s fair enough. Well . . . goodnight.” He met Vicky's gaze straight on. “Will you meet me in front of school before class?”
Vicky couldn’t help it, she giggled. “Sure, Luke, is fifteen minutes early, early enough?”
“Yeah, that would be great.”
“I’ll see you in a few hours.”
“Great! Good-night, Vicky, and you too, Mr. Phillips.”
Mr. Phillips wrinkled his brow shaking his head. “Good-night, Luke.”
“I’ll let myself out.” He left, closing the study door behind him.
Her father grew serious again. “Are you okay, Pumpkin? Did they hurt you?”
She self-consciously rubbed at her chafed wrists. “I’m okay, Dad. I’ll be sporting a few bruises for about a week, but otherwise I’m unhurt.”
He shook his head, leaning back in his chair. “I think we need to move again.
Someone in this town informed those lunatics you were here. I thought this place, would be safe for you.” He scrubbed his face with his hands. He brought his gaze back to hers “It appears that I was wrong.”
Vicky shook her head frantically. “I don’t want to move again.”
He sat up straight, splaying his hands. “Be reasonable. Someone in this town is out to get you.”
“Luke will protect me.” As her dad’s eyes widened, she tried to reason with him.
“I think I know who is out to get me.”
He scowled. “Oh? Whoever it is, we have to stop—”
Vicky shook her head. “I’m not absolutely sure but . . . I think it was that girl . . .
you know . . . the one I got into a fight with . . . in the bathroom at school.” He shook his head in confusion. “That girl that I was forced to demonstrate my powers to yesterday at school.”
He gave her a puzzled look. “The one that you said called you a harlot?”
“Yeah, that would be the one.”
“That’s all the more reason that I should get you out of here. If that girl’s out to get you, I need to take you away from here, to safety.”
“I’m not running from Sara! If I’m ever going to feel safe anywhere, I have to stand on my own two feet. I have to stop running and stand my ground.” She jumped up from the chair charging up to the desk. “Dad, I’ve never been a coward. Don’t turn me into one now.”
