“They’re dead,” she whispered. “My brother killed both of them.”
“None of that was your fault—what they did, what your brother did, or that he found you and followed you into a vampire’s lair. You believe that, don’t you?”
“I guess so,” she said.
Roel was on his feet and pulling her up to hers before she barely got those words out. Her expression was one of terror, but he couldn’t stop himself. “Lea, are you crazy? You were the victim, not them. You can’t control what people do. You can only control what you do after the damage is done.”
She was trembling under his palms, and he hated that he was scaring her. He couldn’t help it. His emotions were all over the damn place. What he really wanted to do was protect her, to let her know that nothing or nobody would ever hurt her again, but what he did next surprised even him.
He kissed her.
Chapter 46
Jaxon
Feeling a little too full from his feeding, Jaxon fumbled with the hotel room key, putting it in upside down first then backward.
“Piece of shit!” he complained, then smiled when the green light on the door lock mechanism gave him the go ahead. “Third time’s a charm.”
As he pushed his way into the room, two things became bluntly evident to him at the exact same time. One, Lea was out of bed, and two, he was about to murder one of Mena’s mutts.
He flew across the room so fast that Roel barely had time to register that he and Lea weren’t the only two people in the room, before Jaxon punched him so hard in the face that the act knocked the guy over the sofa and into the wall eight feet behind it.
He shook his head when the blow rattled his own headspace, but he didn’t stop. Ignoring Lea’s screams, Jaxon bounded over the sofa and landed on top of him, his knee nailing Roel right in the gut and holding him down so he could pound on his braincase.
Even though he’d fed and was much stronger now, every punch he threw felt like a brick to his own cranium.
“Stop!” Lea cried. “Jaxon, please stop. You’re going to kill him!”
He paused long enough to shout, “That’s the fucking plan! Now, get in the bedroom!”
A low growl vibrated from beneath him, and when he looked back down at Roel, the guy’s eyes were shining silver. He barely registered that sirens were going off before he was tossed across the room from the violent power of Roel’s shift.
As he got to his feet, a massive black wolf rounded the sofa, stalking toward him, its head hung low and its teeth bared.
Jaxon smiled as he cracked his neck, then palmed the hilts of the twin silver daggers he kept on his outer thighs. He crouched, ready for the fight. “C’mon, puppy,” he snarled, and was just about to make a run at him when Lea jumped between them, tears rolling over her cheeks, a cell phone in each of her hands, one toward him and the other toward the wolf.
With the adrenaline pumping so wildly through his veins, he couldn’t decipher what was being shouted over the speakers of the phones, but he knew Phoenix was the voice on one and Mena was the voice on the other. It was just a bunch of jumbled words until both Phoenix and Mena shouted in unison, “Stand down!”
A whine came from Roel as he lay down on the plush, burgundy carpet. It was clear Mena’s order had more of an effect over him as a wolf than Phoenix’s command had over him as a vampire, because Jaxon still wanted to cut the mutt’s heart out, or at least give him a dose of silver poisoning. He honestly believed the only thing stopping him was Lea. She was knelt by Roel’s wolf form and petting him.
“Christ!” Jaxon swore. “What are you doing, Lea?”
Her head whipped around and she glared at him with tear-filled eyes. “Leave, Jaxon!” she demanded. “Get out of my sight!”
“I can’t! Phoenix gave me an order to stay here and protect you!” He pointed at Roel as he shouted. “I’m gone for forty-five minutes and come back to him trying to swallow your face!”
“We talked, we laughed and then we kissed! Nobody has shown me as much attention in thirty-two years as Roel did in half an hour!” she spat the words at him. “I may not be a shifter or a vampire, but I am a person; I have feelings, Jaxon; I have needs, and nobody has ever given a fuck about them until now!” She swallowed and took in a few calming breaths as he stared at her, stunned. “Just leave… please. I feel safer with him than I ever did with you.”
He sheathed the daggers, then ran both hands over his face in frustration, torn between whether or not she was telling the truth or just lashing out in anger. He’d never known her to lie.
“Fuck it,” he muttered, then walked to get his phone that was on the floor by her knees.
“Stay there,” Phoenix’s voice said just before Jaxon picked up the cell phone. “I’m on my way.”
Jaxon stared at the phone with wide eyes, just now realizing that the call with his master was still in progress. Shit!
“I can be there in ten minutes,” Mena said from Roel’s phone. “That hotel is only a few blocks from Alex’s apartment.”
“There’s really no need—” Jaxon started.
“I’ll pick you up, Mena,” Phoenix said. “It’s best Rhodes doesn’t tag along on this trip.”
“I’ll be ready when you get here,” she said, cheerfully, and both calls ended at the same time.
“Ahhh…” Roel groaned and stretched, then realized he was naked in a hotel room with Lea, and quickly grabbed the first thing he could get his hands on to cover himself. It was a throw pillow from the sofa. “Uh… I probably need to apologize for a lot of things, but I’d like to be clothed when I do it.”
Jaxon sighed as he fell into a chair. “I have clothes in my duffle bag in the bathroom. Be my guest.”
“Thank you seems odd to say after what just happened, but so does the fact that you are loaning me clothes. I’m not going to look into it much, since I’m the only naked man in the room.”
“That’s the reason I’m loaning you clothes, dummy.”
Roel clutched the pillow to his midsection and walked backward to the bathroom. He gave Lea a little wave and smile before shutting himself inside.
She laughed.
Jaxon sighed. “Why him, Lea?”
She turned on him, a challenge in her eyes. “Why not him, Jaxon?”
He shook his head. “If he hurts you…” He let the rest of the sentence trail off as he ran a hand through his hair.
“I’m sorry… about earlier, I mean. I didn’t mean it when I said I didn’t feel safe with you. You’ve always taken good care of me, Jaxon. I was just angry with you. You shouldn’t have attacked him. He wasn’t doing anything wrong. I kissed him back,” she said quietly.
“It’s not wise to get mixed up with him, Lea.”
“I need a reason why. He’s shown me nothing but kindness the whole time I’ve known him.”
“I will kill anyone who even thinks about hurting you, but I can’t touch him. I lost my mind when I walked in and saw him touching you. I didn’t even think. I just reacted. I nearly ruined everything.” He chuckled. “Phoenix will probably put me in a cell for a century. Aw, who cares? I deserve it, right?”
“No, you don’t deserve to be locked in a cage. You weren’t really going to kill him.”
He gave her a sad smile. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”
The bathroom door opened and Roel walked out. “They’re a little small, but it covers everything that might embarrass Lea.”
Lea laughed out loud at the sight of him looking over his attire. It looked like Roel was waiting for a flood to happen, and he hadn’t even bothered with a shirt, not that any of them would have fit him, since all he owned were mediums and Roel had to be at least an extra large with all that bulk.
Jaxon let his head fall back against the chair, trying to ignore the big elephant still lingering in the room. It didn’t seem to bother Lea or Roel, since they were laughing and joking at the length of his jeans. Maybe it was just him. He was still frustrated. But why?
Lea looked happy, end even though Roel was a mutt, Jaxon supposed he was a good enough guy. But was he good enough for her? Hell no! And he was almost positive Phoenix would agree with him. Lea wasn’t just some girl; she was family.
Quick and persistent pounding on the hotel room door had him on his feet and grabbing for his daggers again.
“Jaxon, put those away,” Lea said, and strode toward the door.
He was in front of her in an instant.
She scowled at him. “Someone who means us harm wouldn’t knock!”
“Just…” He huffed. “Just stay here. I’ll see who it is.”
“After you put those away,” she insisted.
He frowned, but he sheathed them then walked to the door. “Who is it?”
“It’s Heath and Brad, douchecanoe!” Heath said.
Jaxon opened the door and was welcomed by a fist to the sinuses. He grabbed his nose and stumbled back, but someone steadied him on his feet before he fell on his ass.
“How does that feel?” One of them said. He honestly couldn’t distinguish anything except his blurry vision at the moment. “Huh? That feel good, jerkoff?”
“We’re linked, asshole!” Jaxon was pretty sure it was the other one who responded that time. “So if you pick on one of us, you’re picking on all of us, including your master!”
“You okay, Roel?” the first one said, and Jaxon was pretty sure it was Heath.
Roel chuckled. “What, like you didn’t think I could handle one vampire on my own? Give me a little credit. Damn!”
“It’s not only your puss that’s taking a beating, fucker!” Brad said.
Roel laughed. “You’ve had worse—”
“The two of you about gave Heather a damn heart attack!” Brad shouted. “It was like I was getting my ass beat by a damn ghost or something.”
“I’m sorry,” Roel said, but he didn’t lose that shit-eating grin.
Heath looked at Lea then pointed at her. “No. Don’t you dare tell me all this was over a girl! I swear I’ll kick your ass myself, Roel.”
“It wasn’t over a girl,” Roel said, with a grin.
“Whew!” Brad said. “I don’t think I’m up for another beating tonight.”
“It was over me kissing a girl.”
“Shit!” Brad said, and cringed when Heath lunged at Roel.
Roel dodged him, laughing.
Chapter 47
Mena
The headlights from the Corvette were shining in my eyes as I jogged to it, and I realized that had become a real pain in the ass since I was a wolf; bright lights were even brighter now, and I wondered if my eyes reflected the way animals’ eyes do at night when a light is shined on them.
I didn’t notice that Phoenix was waiting with the passenger door open, and I jumped and let out a little squeal when I saw him. “Jesus, Phoenix! Give a girl a heart attack, will ya?”
“Am I that ugly?” he said, amusement thick in his voice.
I grinned. “Not even close, Adonis.”
He lost the smile as he stared at me. “I was hoping it was you I was picking up.”
I grinned mischievously. “Who else would I be?”
“I’d rather not talk about her, if you don’t mind.”
“She gets enough of my time. I’ll be damned if she gets the time I have with you.”
Without moving his head, he let his gaze creep down then up my body, and a hunger lit in his eyes. A heat I only recognized when I was around Phoenix swept through me at the look of approval he was giving me.
“Nice dress,” he whispered, when the journey his eyes had taken stopped on my mouth.
I wanted to kiss him so bad, but I knew Alex was watching. I’d left him at the door, with him insisting, for the fourth time, that he come with me. That wasn’t happening. I needed some alone time with my man.
The corner of Phoenix’s mouth turned up on one side. “You want to kiss me, don’t you?”
“If I’m that obvious, we’d better go before my wolf’s boyfriend sees how turned on I’m getting by a man I’m supposed to dislike. He’s watching us. I can sense his anxiety from all the way out here.”
Phoenix’s eyes flashed with desire, and I thought he was going to kiss me right then and there anyway, but his focus darted toward the door. “As can I,” he said. “Get in.”
I giggled as I ducked under his arm and sat in the passenger seat.
He shut my door and took his time walking around the car to get in on the driver’s side, all human-like. I smiled when he put the car in reverse.
“Just let me get out of his sight and you’re mine,” he said.
After Alex’s apartment was behind us, Phoenix’s hand found mine and he laced our fingers together. His eyes constantly moved from the road to the rearview mirror and back again.
“Is he following us?” I asked as I turned to look out the back glass.
“No, but he’s a cop. It wouldn’t surprise me a bit if he had someone follow us.”
I let out the breath I was holding in. “I don’t think he would do that. He knows you—”
“He doesn’t know me. He just thinks he does.” As he looked over at me, his eyes were drawn to the hem of the dress mid-way on my thigh. “You’re the only one who truly knows me. You’re the only one I’ve ever let in, Mena.”
I started to respond to that, but he moved our joined hands to the fabric and started pushing it up my leg. I couldn’t remember what I was going to say after that.
“What are you wearing under that dress?” he asked as he stopped to caress my skin just out of reach of the place I wanted him to touch most.
I sighed as I let my head fall back against the headrest. “Nothing,” I breathed.
He froze. “Nothing?”
“Well, my boyfriend didn’t pack me any ‘other things’ so I figured he didn’t want me to wear any.”
He didn’t laugh. He didn’t say anything, either.
I turned my head to look at him, and his eyes were on me, full of lust.
I smiled. “Would you rather I had worn the cotton bikini briefs I had in my suitcase? I argued with my wolf, but I eventually won. She didn’t approve of the dress, either, but I—”
“Come here,” he growled.
“What—” I said, but he pulled me across the console and onto his lap.
I was only mildly concerned that his vision was obscured by my head when he crushed his mouth to mine. I honestly couldn’t remember the last time he’d looked out the windshield, but the vehicle took the curves and stops easily enough.
He raised me up with both his hands so I could straddle his hips as he kissed me. Was he driving with his knees or what? That thought didn’t last long, because one of his hands came up to cup my left breast while the other went south to see if I was telling the truth.
I gasped when he pinched my nipple through the fabric and sunk a finger deep inside me at the same time.
Grinning against my lips, he said, “You naughty little vixen, you.” His thumb found my clit, and he massaged both of my special spots simultaneously, until an orgasm ripped out of me so quick and violent that I had no choice but to scream.
The last syllable of his name was still on my tongue when I felt him positioning the blunt tip of his erection at my opening. When had he had time to unbutton and unzip his jeans?
Disregarding my internal questioning, I raised up a bit to give him a better angle, and then I took all of that stiff heat in me at once, embracing the fact that the pain was just as great as the pleasure.
He wrapped both arms around my waist, his body trembling with need and surprise at the same time. “Damn it, Mena,” he muttered through a clenched jaw. “I didn’t mean for you to—oh, fuck, you feel good!”
My wolf tried to protest, but I somehow knocked her down and blocked any way of reentry. This was my time, and if she wanted me to suffer through another night with Alex, she’d better damn well understand that.
I rocked against him, feeling his ha
rdness fill me, a welcome pressure I’d missed and longed for since we’d parted the night before.
He pulled the front of my dress down a little, exposing my right breast, and then immediately latched onto my nipple, biting and nipping and driving me insanely close to another climax.
“Phoenix!” I gasped. “I—I…”
“I know, Lupacchiotto. I can feel you tightening around me. Let it take you.” He thrust his hips toward me, pounding my ass into the steering wheel. My arms flew around his neck and I clung to his body as the orgasm exploded around his erection in waves.
He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me tightly to him, and then I felt the soft kicks as he released inside me.
Phoenix
He’d managed to live over seven hundred years without falling in love, and then the moment he found his soul mate, the one person he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was meant to spend an eternity with…
He sighed after breathing in the scent of her shampoo, and then he kissed her neck right above the collarbone. Well, he supposed four weeks with her was better than to have never found her at all.
Ironic as hell, but true.
She snuggled in closer. “How long have we been here?”
“The hotel parking lot?” He chuckled lightly. “About five minutes.”
“I guess it would be leader-like of us to go up and scold our minions, wouldn’t it?” she said as she leaned back against the steering wheel.
“I’m sure they already know what they did wrong and are expecting us to discipline them. What if we didn’t show up at all?” He grinned as he pulled the fabric of her dress farther down in the front and leaned in to kiss the swell of her breast. “We could go back to my house—”
“Don’t finish that sentence,” she said, pushing him back. “You know we have things to take care of.” After she adjusted her clothing, making sure everything was as it should be, she pulled the handle and pushed the door open with her arm, getting out before he had a chance to protest.
Midnight Moonrising Page 28
