The snake didn’t try to come out today, but I nearly let the bloodlust get too heavy to control before I remembered. I held onto it, though. I kept control and stayed bent over.
Without warning, Dare pulled out, put me on the ground, and drove into my pussy, his eyes wolf, his voice full of gravel.
I wasn’t the only one on the edge.
My legs curled around his body as the weight of him over me soothed me. “Not supposed to drink from you, but damn I could make it good at the end.”
“I know, Hailey. Not today.” Skilled fingers massaged the area around my clit until my eyes rolled into my head.
I moaned a long, drawn out, “Fuuuuccckkkkk,” and he chuckled as he slowed.
“Yeah. Agreed. God, you feel good.”
His voice was a little more human, and I opened my eyes, met is gaze. “I think we might be okay gentle?”
He nodded, “I know. We’re good.”
I groaned as his cock slid out and back in, easy and slow so I felt every spot inside me being touched individually. I thought I’d go crazy from the pleasure, and yet I stayed sane. Stayed me. Dare was both comfort and excitement. So familiar, but never traditional, never normal. I sighed as he stroked, caressed, and loved me with his oh-so-clever hands until my skin tingled and my blood heated.
Dare brought me to a slow, rolling orgasm, let it play out, and then went back to pounding me until I screamed his name for my next release. I wanted to bite him so damned bad, but Bran wanted me off wolf and on a mostly human diet. He’d let me drink from the tiger yesterday, but it’d been a reward after a grueling workout session, when I’d needed the power of it to heal.
So today, I kept my teeth in when I orgasmed, and then rolled into him with my forehead touching him instead of my lips, to make sure I wasn’t tempted to take a sip.
“Tell me I have time for an egg and cheese sandwich?” I asked.
“If you don’t, we’ll make time.”
Chapter 21
Ghost
The MC was on edge as we prepared for the picnic. No one wants the Concilio breathing down their necks, especially the supernaturals known for being outlaws.
Apollonius and Myrddin came with Aaron Drake and his family, and Aaron made sure Apollonius was introduced to the top people.
Randall came by for a bit, as did some of the other high level Pack wolves, and Myrddin seemed to take special note of our interactions.
Hailey was still at Bran’s. Her first official outing was planned for Tuesday evening, when we’d bring her to the RTMC bar. We’d keep her in the VIP section, and we’d have plenty of wolves around, as well as Bran and Alex, in case there was a problem.
Bran and Alex planned to let her drive around the back roads of Signal Mountain this night, though — in an effort to take her mind off the fact she couldn’t come to the party. New wolves have to almost relearn to drive, with their faster reflexes and stronger muscles. Apparently, new vampires do as well. She wouldn’t be able to get out of the car, but she’d at least be able to drive around and take in some different scenery.
This night would mark the first time Hailey had left Bran’s property since she returned to us. I wished I could be there, but I agreed with Bran about letting her get out tonight in order to keep her spirits up.
I’d be by her side for the big day Tuesday, at least.
Most of my morning and afternoon was spent around the smoker, making sure the pig cooked right. I kept busy, but my mind wandered. I like to have back-up plans for every possibility, and it wasn’t possible with the Concilio looking over our shoulders.
When the party started, I talked with my brothers, kept an eye on the party, and people watched. Gen no longer walked with a limp, but she wasn’t wearing high heeled shoes yet either. I wasn’t sure why Duke hadn’t arranged for her to get Lugat blood, but for whatever reason, they’d let her go through the long process of healing. The bullet had gone through her outer thigh and missed bones and major blood vessels, but there was some muscle damage.
Duke was never far from her, and his back was never to her. He always positioned himself so he could watch her — until Gen’s brother and his three partners showed up, and Duke knew Isaac was watching Gen, too.
Isaac eventually made his way to the group of men around the smoker. We all shot the shit a while, and Isaac asked me if I’d like to walk to the woods with him.
I had no idea what he was up to, but I walked with him, and when we’d left most of the party behind, he lowered his voice to say, “Abbott told me about Hailey. Don’t know how much I can help, but if she needs another cold-blooded shifter to talk to, I don’t mind.”
“I don’t think she has the same issues Viper has. Vampires are cold by nature, so she isn’t a warm-blooded human dealing with a cold-blooded snake. Still, I appreciate the offer and I’ll let her know.”
Apollonius walked to us through the woods, and I had no doubt he’d heard us. Not a big deal, but the man made me nervous.
“I’m once again impressed at the cohesiveness of the powerful supernaturals living in Chattanooga,” he said as he approached us. “Some of it has to do with family relations — Gen is family to Isaac through her brother, and to Randall through Duke. Bethany is important to Duke because of Gen, and to Aaron Drake because Jonathan is a staple in his household. Eric is partnered with Abbott’s third in command, and is also attached to Aaron through Ranger, his uncle.” He chuckled and added, “Though with word of what Kendra did to the last bloke who hurt Eric, I’m pretty sure he’s the safest human in Chattanooga.”
“Yes, but Aaron Drake and his people, the local Strigorii vampires, the Pack, and the RTMC would get along even if we didn’t share people in common. We sit down and talk when there’s a problem, and we don’t jump straight to talk of retaliation and getting even.”
He tilted his head. “Hailey is important to the RTMC, and is now also important to the man everyone sees as being the head Lugat on this side of the world. The Cherokee are going to find out about her eventually, and it may take both factions to keep her safe from them.”
“But, she’s Cherokee,” I argued. “She’s one of them.”
“Maybe, but if whoever’s in charge decides she’s a dead thing — brought back to life through evil — they’ll try to destroy her.”
“No,” said Viper as he stepped out from behind a tree. “Snakes aren’t to be killed. They’re to be bargained with, and avoided, but we don’t kill them. Once the Elders see her shift, the vampire blood in her shouldn’t matter.” He shrugged. “When she eats food and stays away from blood, you don’t smell the vampire on her as much. It’s possible, if we plan it right, we might be able to introduce her and leave the vampire bits out.”
“They’ll find out eventually,” I told him. “I won’t be around forever, and neither will you. I’d just as soon have her accepted as she is now, while we’re here to help keep her safe.”
Viper shook his head. “They need to meet her as the snake, and then learn later she’s more. They need to see she isn’t a threat before they learn the whole truth. Also, as the current Elders die out, the ones who’ll take their place may be a little more open minded.”
I looked to Apollonius, and he shrugged. “We’ve allowed the Cherokee autonomy from us, though we’ve obviously kept an ear out to be sure they didn’t put us all in danger. He may be right about the current Elders versus the upcoming leaders. I’m counseling you to tell them she’s a snake so you can control how they find out, but my organization owes them nothing, so I won’t insist you tell them the whole truth.”
Chapter 22
Hailey
Dare and Viper were on either side of me, Bran just behind me. Halfway across the parking lot, I stopped walking and told them, “I’ll hold Dare’s hand when we walk in, but ya’ll need to drop this protective formation thing. We’re four friends going to a bar for dinner and drinks. Can ya’ll chill the fuck out, please?”
“We’ll walk you to our table like this,” Bran
said from behind me. “If you do okay while we eat, we’ll walk out differently, but you’re going to have to deal with us sticking close at first.”
I rolled my eyes, but smiled at Dozer as he opened the door to let us in. I hadn’t expected to see Gonzo working, and I smiled at him, too. He came to me for a hug, and I let him fold me into his arms.
“It’s good to see you out and about.” He pulled back and looked at me a few seconds. “It was a bad night. I’m glad you’re okay.”
I nodded. “It was. I’m glad Constance and Max are okay, too. I’m sorry I missed Sheila’s funeral.”
“I’d like to get her to our table,” Bran told Gonzo as he put his hand to my back and urged me forward.
“I’ll see you later,” I told Gonzo with a smile.
We were seated at a six-person table, and as soon as we’d given our drink orders, Bash and Angelica sat with us. “It’s so good to see you,” Angelica said, a drink in her hand. “Bash told me you were doing okay, but seeing you is… damn, girl. You gave us all a scare.”
We were visited by most of the MC over the next hour, as we ate and drank, and then ate some more. After spending my entire life barely eating much at all, being required to eat large quantities of food when I wasn’t drinking blood had taken some getting used to.
I smelled Dare and Viper go tense at the same time, and followed their gaze to a man in a suit walking our direction.
“Here we go,” Dare told me. “Remember what we talked about.”
Dare stood and offered his hand to one of the men as he said, “Detective Johnson, it’s a pleasure to see you. I assume you want ice water?”
The detective nodded, and Dare turned to the other man. “Detective Cruz, I suppose you’re here to talk to Hailey? As you can see, she’s alive and well.”
“I need to ask you some questions in private, ma’am.”
I shook my head. “I’ve been alone in the woods for months. I’ve actually been back a few days, but wasn’t sure I could deal with crowds. Since I know the MC, I figured this might be safe for my first outing in public, but I’m really overwhelmed. I kind of need the safety of my friends. If you want to go into the office where it’s quiet we can, but I won’t go in there with you alone.”
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but I need to question you alone.”
I smelled lion, and they’d told me the attorney at the next table was a lion, so I assumed the man who approached us was Zeke.
“I couldn’t help but overhear,” he said as he stepped behind me, “but since I’m on retainer for the MC, I’d like to inquire as to why you need to question Miss Griffin.”
Detective Cruz gave Dare a look full of venom before answering the attorney. “We had reason to believe she was present during the shooting that killed and injured a number of the MC and their wives and girlfriends. We were concerned she’d been killed. It’s good to see she’s here, but we need to verify her whereabouts for the months she’s been missing.”
“So, she isn’t a person of interest, isn’t suspected of doing anything? You feared she was a victim, but now you know she wasn’t. Do I have it right?”
Detective Johnson gave Dare a calculating look before he answered the attorney. “Yes, you have it correct. I believe Detective Cruz has some concerns the MC may be coercing Miss Griffin into giving the statement they want her to give, which is why he’d like to speak with her away from them.”
“Detectives, the MC were the victims of a horrible shooting, and their friends and families were gravely injured and — in one case — killed. Miss Griffin, however, wasn’t present for the event, and I don’t believe you have cause to bring stress to her by questioning her alone.”
The men talked another two or three minutes before Brain arrived to offer to have the detectives seated at their own table, and even offered them a steak dinner on the house, but both men left without accepting the invitation.
The rest of our evening was uneventful, other than the nervous tension I smelled all around me as Harmony came to sit at our table. She was the first human they let near me, but I was fine and I told them all — again — that I could handle this.
If I didn’t tell the humans what I was, they wouldn’t know. I’ve been told I always smell like a supernatural, but sometimes it’s hard to figure out what I am if you don’t already know. Sometimes I smell like Lugat, sometimes I smell like snake, and sometimes the combination confounds people because it doesn’t really smell like either.
I’d eaten food for the past couple of days, and Dare told me I smelled more like snake than Lugat, but he worried some would realize there was another scent in there as well. It couldn’t be helped, though.
The other man like me — both snake and Lugat — hadn’t wanted to meet me. He had, however, answered some questions for us through the Concilio, and I now knew it was likely I’d live until someone killed me. This meant I’d have to watch Dare grow old and die, but I should have at least a hundred years with him. Assuming he didn’t get his ass killed, anyway.
I also learned if I stick to mostly food, I’ll eventually be okay in full sun for short outings, and cloudy days for much longer periods. At first, the other snake/Lugat hybrid had to go four or five days with only food and no blood before he could handle an overcast day, but within a few years he only needed to go forty-eight hours without blood in order to handle direct sunlight for short periods. I’d tried to walk upstairs on a rainy day for a few moments, and I’d had something like a sunburn on the skin touched by filtered light. As a new vampire, I’d have to be super careful of sunlight. However, we were going to see how I did with only food and no blood.
I’d need to be above ground in the daylight to talk to the Cherokee Elders.
Chapter 23
Ghost
Wolves have a relationship bond we can initiate. A lone wolf is allowed to tap into our magic for three things: to change, for a simple relationship ceremony, and to bind a human who finds out about us, though we’re advised to bring a Pack wolf or Strigorii vampire in to witness the latter. Those are our only three exceptions, while Pack wolves can use their magic in myriad ways — but some wolves gladly give that up in order to remain autonomous.
The relationship bond works with humans, and often works with other shifters. It basically says the two of you are a unit and nothing will come between you. It’s the wolf version of marriage, but you have the added insurance of knowing if the other is thinking of cheating on you before the act occurs.
I trusted Hailey with my life, but my wolf wanted the bond. Sometimes, a bond does more than intended. Some couples — even human and wolf — end up with telepathy, some end up knowing when the other is in trouble, and many can feel their mate all the time. They know if they’re happy or sad, even from a distance.
When I explained it to Hailey, her first question was whether Bran had okayed it, and my wolf got so pissed I had to leave her little apartment cell. The guards let me out, and I went above ground, got on my bike, and left.
I appreciated everything Bran had done for us, but the wolf and I were beyond ready to have Hailey to ourselves.
I went home instead of to the clubhouse. It was one in the morning so people would have been up and around, but I wanted to be alone.
Once I was home, the wolf wanted to run. I went into the woods and stuck to the areas of the Chickamauga Battlefield I knew humans stayed away from. I was still a wolf, still running when the sun came up, so I burrowed in on the side of a steep hill to go to sleep.
I awakened with a start to the sound of human footsteps, but relaxed when I picked up Gonzo’s scent. My wolf growled to let him know I wasn’t up for company, but he walked to me and stood over me anyway.
“You don’t need to be out here in daylight. What’s up?”
I growled again and he sat on the ground and leaned against a large tree. “Okay, brother. I can use some time in the woods. We’ll just hang out a while.”
I tried to go back to sleep but it didn�
��t work. I growled again and focused on how it felt to be human, imagined myself calling him a meddling asshole, and in no time at all I was standing over him doing just that.
He only smiled and shrugged. “Don’t know what’s bothering you, but sleeping alone in the woods in broad daylight isn’t a good idea.”
I looked to the sky. “What time is it?”
“Nearly two in the afternoon. I got Dom down for a nap just before the nanny arrived. I put Connie in the basement cage and left. Saw your bike parked outside and not in the garage, so I stopped to make sure you were okay. Followed a fresh scent to the woods.” He stood and gave me an even look. “I don’t think you’re okay.”
“You’re still having to play the part of Constance’s jailor, but you changed her so you’re in charge. I’m having to share Hailey with Viper and Bran, and I can’t bitch about it because I still have her and didn’t lose her, but my wolf needs…” I shook my head. “I’m having trouble with it. She lives at Bran’s house. Maybe if I could bring her home, but I’m not sure I can give her what she needs. Bran knows about baby Lugats, Viper can help her with snake shit, but I’m just food — and right now I’m not even food.”
“You give her a reason to live. I’ve seen the two of you together. It seems fucked up to me, that she was your sister and now your lover, but I can’t deny how close you are.”
“Stepsister,” I reminded him. “But you aren’t wrong. It could’ve been weird, but the way it all worked out — it doesn’t feel wrong. It’s just like… we went from stepsiblings to friends to more. It makes sense to me and my wolf. We’ve loved her forever, but the time apart meant we came back together in a different context.”
“Okay, so how do you fix this?”
Fuck. Could it be so simple? When he asked the question, I knew the answer. “I talk to Bran about bringing her home with me a few days. We’re trying an experiment where she only eats human food for a while, so now’s the time to do it.”
Ghost: The Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Club, Book 8 Page 15
