20 Shades of Shifters: A Paranormal Romance Collection

by Demelza Carlton

  One ended up along the edge of the road before falling off a cliff.

  “Point for the land changing.” He took another shot, aiming for the ground in front of the bikers.

  His aim faltered with each passing moment. He sprayed a few more bursts at the oncoming bikers and watched them swerve and speed up to avoid his onslaught of fire.

  “Damnit.” It took all his strength to remain upright in the face of what was natural for vampires.

  Over the sound of the truck’s engine, he heard that eerie echoing sound of buzzing again. Looking off in the distance, he saw the huge cloud swirling, moving faster toward them.

  Jonas fired off a few more shots at the closest biker and caught him in the chest.

  The biker swerved and laid his bike down, skidding along the road.

  The remaining two bikers crashed into him. Jonas exhaled a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding.

  Crouching low, Jonas made his way to the sunroof and tapped on it.

  He saw Tempest hit a button. A few seconds later, the sunroof slid open.

  Jonas dropped in through the opening, landed on his feet, then fell backward, the world before him going fuckity up blank.

  Did he just?

  Tempest looked over her shoulder and saw Jonas passed out on her floor. She shut the sunroof and faced the road. In a few minutes, she’d have to get him off the floor and onto the damn mattress. He didn’t deserve to sleep on the floor of her rig.

  That meant she’d have to touch him.

  Damnit.

  Maybe she could drive straight through the day and dump him off at the clubhouse. She’d lost time and had been pushed back further, so it was almost like she was starting over on her trek.

  Double damnit.

  That wasn’t right.

  Besides, that was practically walking into enemy territory with the bikes the MC wanted in the first place.

  Maybe she could offer them a trade. If they wanted to go home so bad, she could just haul them in the back, drop them off in the Shadowlands and move on.

  That would probably be best.

  Hell, maybe she’d even give Jonas the blood he needed.

  He’d saved her ass, what? Twice? Three times now?

  Triple damnit.

  Checking her rearview mirrors on both sides, she saw nothing. Satisfied that she wasn’t being followed, she inhaled, exhaled and slowed the truck. Pulling off to the side of the road, she stopped the truck and did what she knew needed doing.

  Unbuckling her seatbelt, she slid out of the driver’s seat and stood, looking down at the sleeping vampire sprawled out on her floor.

  She bent down, grabbed him around the waist and shoulders, and felt that familiar pang between her thighs, which usually followed the signals her body was giving off from his close proximity.

  Hauling him up as best she could, the weight of his body, all muscle, no doubt, made dragging him to the bed more difficult, but she managed.

  Placing him down on the ground, leaning against the stove, she pulled the bed down and fluffed a pillow.

  Why was she doing that? He was passed out.

  Picking him up again took work, straining her muscles really, but she managed. Pulling the guns off his body and tossing them aside made more noise than she intended, but he deserved to at least wake up comfortably.

  Hopefully he’d forget the promise she made.

  Using Fae strength, she situated him on the bed, legs stretched out, then shoved him against the wall. Then she closed the curtain over the window, feeling her skin heat from brushing his arm.

  If he woke up now, would he grab her thigh and feed from her? Would he bury his tongue between her legs and make her moan?

  He did like to kiss.

  She shook her head. He was a thief, he wanted to steal her cargo.

  Covering her mouth with her hand, she tried to stop the yawn that came out but was unsuccessful. “I need to get this truck moving again. Already a day behind at least.”

  Her vampire side wasn’t happy about her choice, but having fed from Jonas seemed to put that part of her at ease for now.

  His blood had given her a modicum of control over the undead side.

  Making her way back to the driver’s seat, she wondered how that even worked. Jonas hadn’t told her; she hadn’t asked how she could be both vampire and Fae.

  Semantics.

  Putting the truck in gear, she checked her GPS, found the signal and got back onto the highway. Only a few miles out from her original pick up point, according to the GPS. Tempest breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Finally.” Maybe this would be okay.

  Maybe the Fae Queen would just take a limb off, instead of her life.

  Looking at the sky ahead, she saw the dark mass of clouds swirling away from them. That meant The Hunt wasn’t coming for them today.

  More good news.

  She had no idea where they would hide when it did finally come.

  Hopefully they could breeze through without incident and make it to the Shadowlands before The Hunt hit this part of Faery.

  Of course, legend had it that merely seeing the Hunt meant they would effectively be marked for death and forced to join it, roaming the land and collecting souls for eternity.

  She swallowed the lump in her throat.

  How would that work? Technically she only had half a soul.

  Jonas technically had no soul to speak of – a gift in this case?

  She shrugged. Having been dragged back at least a good twelve hours in the wrong direction by the other MC pissed her off. With Jonas passed out, she could think.

  Or let the silence calm her.

  Several hours had passed and the sun, bright and bold, began to dim and descend. As long as it was daytime in Faery, she could drive unimpeded by the Undead. That meant if she could either speed through to the Shadowlands, or stop short before the MC’s clubhouse, she could avoid that mess altogether.

  She could take Jonas through to his home, give him the blood, then be on her way.

  Yeah. That was the new plan.

  Another few hours later, she’d pulled onto the side of the road again, stopped the truck and opened the door. Getting out, she stretched her legs, arms and worked some of the soreness from her shoulders.

  Her body ached from sitting for so long but that was part of the life she chose.

  And once she delivered the bikes, it would be the last time she made this haul.

  Walking to the back of the truck, she yanked the chain off the doors and flung them open. Climbing inside, she pulled back one of the sheets and whistled.

  Sleek but large, black with plenty of matte black chrome, the motorcycle practically begged for riding.

  Examining the stitching on the leather with her finger, she looked closer at it and saw the Fae symbols woven into the seat that gave the bikes their magic to cross realms.

  She didn’t blame Jonas or his MC for wanting these motorcycles. Twelve of them filled the truck with barely enough room for a person to fit in between them. Earlier she had barely managed to squeeze into the back but a closer look during daytime made her appreciate just how large these magnificent motorcycles were.

  Throwing the cover back over the bike, she jumped down from the cargo holder, shut the doors and tugged the chain back to secure the door.

  Another truck sped past in the opposite direction, honking a horn.

  She waved.

  What she wouldn’t give for CB radios in Faery, or a cellphone. It was a stretch that GPS worked. Faery had limited towers and repeaters set up, but the entirety of the land was magic and that tended to interfere with computers and WIFI signals like the Earth Realm had.

  Stretching once more before re-seating herself in the driver’s seat, Tempest closed the door, started the truck up. A glance at her gas gauge told her she was fine but would need to refuel before tomorrow ended.

  There were a few fueling stations on this stretch of road. She’d probably top off the truck
at the next one, provided no more incidents slowed her pace.

  The sun had almost dipped below the horizon half an hour later. Not unusual for this stretch of Faery, but it meant that Jonas would wake up soon.

  She swallowed the nervous lump in her throat, feeling her heart begin to beat again. She didn’t want to want him as much as she did, but the lust she felt made concentrating almost impossible.

  Forcing herself to focus on driving, she exhaled and realized that a nap wouldn’t be a bad idea. She could crash on her bed—except for Jonas.

  Shit.

  She didn’t want to be on it when he rose.

  Fuck it.

  She scanned the highway, found a spot she’d used to stop the truck at on several other runs, and pulled off the road.

  The clearing gave her enough protection from other trucks or bikes passing by so she could sleep without having to keep an eye open.

  This would be the last time she took a nap in the rig.

  What was one more short spell?

  Sighing, she shut the truck off, made sure the doors were locked, pulled the keys out of the ignition and made her way back to the bed.

  Jonas was still out.

  Thank the Lord and Lady.

  Pacing back and forth, she hemmed and hawed until she swore silently and then climbed onto the bed beside Jonas, his massive frame taking up more room than she remembered.

  Why couldn’t she sleep in the driver’s seat?

  Oh, right. That didn’t constitute a real nap if she remained upright.

  She couldn’t help their bodies touching. At least they were both dressed.

  Rolling onto one side, she yanked a pillow from beneath the stack she’d laid Jonas’ head on, fluffed it and slid it under her own head.

  Closing her eyes, she inhaled sharply, her body responding to the scent of earth and wood.

  Jonas’ scent.

  Forcing herself to roll over and face him, she inhaled, nipples hardening when she drew more of his masculine aroma into her lungs.

  She would miss him.

  Damnit, they’d done exactly what she didn’t want to do.

  She’d grown fond of him.

  She was fonder of retirement, she reminded herself. Place out in a rural area of Faery, near a lake with slightly warmer, but definitely more consistent temperatures, that’s what she reminded herself she was after.

  Maybe she’d live near a village so she didn’t have to worry too much about supplies and food.

  Then her fangs lengthened, serving to bite her in the ass with another reminder that she’d need to be near a village so she could feed that part of her.

  There was just no winning with the undead.

  Reaching over to move strands of hair from Jonas’ face, she studied him, admiring the hard lines of his jaw. Unlike her eyes, his weren’t tri-color. When they opened, they would be bright blue.

  She’d have to ask him about his heritage before this was all over.

  Damnit.

  Tempest stirred, feeling something hard pressing against the curve of her ass. Eyes open, her senses on high alert, she didn’t move, didn’t so much as breathe.

  Except the warm breath on the back of her neck made her nipples hard.

  She still had a few days to go before arriving at her destination, hopefully only slightly off time. Tempest had no urge to face the journey ahead of her but if she stayed in bed, she knew she’d end up in a position she swore she wouldn’t find herself in again.

  “Morning, darlin’.”

  Jonas’ drawl made her stiffen against him, pressing her even harder against his arousal.

  “You promised.” He’d moved his mouth closer to her ear and the warmth of his breath made her senses tingle. An arm draped over her while fingers skittered lightly over her stomach.

  Her nipples grew tighter. She shifted her legs, squeezing them to alleviate the growing need.

  “I uh…don’t think—”

  “Exactly, Tempest. Don’t think. Just feel.”

  She swore she heard pleading in his voice and had to wonder how long he’d been alone. The thought itself was ridiculous, he had the MC.

  None of whom appeared to be female, of course.

  Reluctant to give in to her feelings, Tempest rolled onto her back. She saw Jonas now on his side, arm still over her stomach, his fingers now spread over her hip.

  “I won’t take what you won’t give.”

  “It’s not that.”

  “Then what, Tempest?”

  She blinked. His fangs had lengthened but he appeared to be in complete control. She had no response to his question but the way he looked at her like she was dinner only made her all too aware of their confines.

  She should move away.

  Her body would forgive her. She had her fingers and somewhere around here was a vibrator.

  Then her heart beat loud against her chest, just the one time. But it was enough to start something else, a buildup of desire spreading throughout her body.

  “Do you want me, Tempest?” He moved to give her room but his hand didn’t leave her.

  Her own fangs lengthened in response to the low growl in his voice. “Jonas? Are you in there?”

  He smiled. “Very much so. I’ve had practice controlling this side of me. And while I meant what I said, I can smell your arousal. I’m sure you can too.”

  Unconsciously, Tempest sniffed the air, smelled her wet heat.

  Jonas inched his hand down lower until he’d reached the snap of her jeans. “I bet if I undid these and slid them down to dip in a finger, you’d be very moist.”

  “Ugh. Don’t use juvenile words.”

  He chuckled, the sound reverberating through her body and adding to the tension filling her.

  “Wet. I’d find you wet.”

  Soaked by now, actually.

  Fuck it. If she was going to give in and be her word, since being forsworn wasn’t something the Fae prided themselves on, she’d make him beg.

  “What do you say, Tempest? Three orgasms?”

  The way he loomed over her should have frightened her. He could overpower her, take what he wanted, get her blood and rob her all at once.

  With all that, how come she found herself wanting him to bend down and kiss him?

  He rubbed her thigh and dragged his hand slowly over her crotch, pressing into her.

  She squeaked and undulated her hips.

  Jonas continued to rub her, the fabric of her jeans increasing the pressure against her clit and making her throb with anticipation at what he would do next.

  Except she wasn’t the type to sit back and let the man do all the work.

  Rolling onto her side, Tempest leaned up on an elbow and threw one hand around Jonas’ neck. Drawing his mouth to hers, she tasted him, careful not to prick him.

  The beast inside her wanted to drink from him again but it didn’t need to. She however, needed to thrust her tongue into his mouth.

  He parted his lips and wrestled with her tongue.

  She moaned into the kiss, felt his hand slid around to her ass and give it a good squeeze.

  Pulling back from the kiss, Jonas shifted again and rolled her onto her back. Settling on top of her, both of them clothed, the weight of him pressing her into the mattress made her feel submissive.

  She hated it, yet reveled in it because it was him.

  He wouldn’t hurt her.

  The Fae part of her mind asked why not.

  Grinning into another kiss, she tasted him again, let him plunge his tongue inside her mouth before nipping her lip with a fang.

  The little pinch of teeth against skin didn’t make her bleed, but it excited the Fae part of her.

  She threw her arms around his neck and dragged her fingers into the thick mass of hair, yanking him from the kiss.

  He stared down at her before she turned the tables and caught him off guard. Pushing herself up and forcing him to his back, she couldn’t help her grin from widening before dipping her head lo
w and stealing a kiss. Then she backed off, flipped her hair to one side so she could only see him and the wall.

  Straddling him, she rubbed herself against his hardness while pressing against his chest. “This needs to come off.” She tugged on the leather.

  “You don’t like my cut?”

  “I don’t care about your cut. I want you naked.”

  “As you wish.” He started to sit and remove his leather but she grew impatient.

  Yanking it off him, she tossed it onto the counter and shoved him back against the bed, planting her hips over his in just the right spot.

  “I don’t think this is very fair.”

  “What?” She quirked a brow.

  “You have your top on.”

  “Problem solved.” She straightened, grabbed the hem and tossed it onto the floor. When he reached for the clasp on the front of her bra, she slapped his hands away and shucked the bra off, aware that it too flew somewhere on the floor. “Now what? Happy?”

  “Much more so.”

  Before she could utter a witty retort, he sat up in lightning speed and attached his mouth to one of her nipples, clamping his lips around it while his tongue flicked over the nipple.

  She instantly sucked in a breath and shoved the back of his head against her body, feeling the electric spark shoot south. The sensation of his warm, wet mouth only made every nerve in her body come alive.

  He sucked harder, pulling the nipple with his lips, then released it with a wet pop before grazing her skin with his fangs.

  Tempest whimpered.

  Jonas moved to her breast and repeated the motion, sucking hard while his tongue slid over her erect nipple.

  She writhed in his lap, wanting the barriers between their skin to disappear but not wanting him to stop playing with her breasts.

  “I love these,” he murmured before lifting up her breast and drawing his tongue along the underside.

  Her belly fluttered and her grip on his head tightened. She let him lick and suck, kiss and caress while those electric sparks continued heading straight to her core.

  Jonas kissed the spot between her breasts and then drew his tongue from one nipple to the other.

  Gasping, she threw her head back when he caught her nipple with his lips and sucked hard. She rolled her hips over his, shoving her breast deeper into his mouth before feeling the bite that sparked a definite change in her mood.