“Sure, but there’s a price for each one.” He leaned toward her, pausing when only an inch or so prevented their noses from bumping together. “A kiss, and I gotta be honest, I’m hoping you have a few hundred questions.”
“No deal.” Morgan added a derisive snort for good measure. “I’ll find someone to ask who doesn’t think with his dick.”
Cal retreated, his lips tightening and one corner of them twitching upward. Was he laughing at her? “Good luck with that. Not all the people who have the answers are the friendly type. They’ll want to kill you. Now is that really better than kissing me?”
Ice coated her stomach as she stared at him, and she knew her voice betrayed the fear she’d been fighting. “You’re lying.”
“Let’s get something straight right now. I may not tell you everything, but I’ll only lie to you if it’s absolutely necessary.” He leaned in again. “I will never lie about someone wanting to kill you.”
“Why would,” she paused when he shook his head.
“You’ve asked one question. I’m not answering another until my fee is paid.”
It’s just a kiss. Morgan took a sip of her whiskey, her eyes flicking to his lips. A quick meeting of skin, maybe a little spit exchanged. It’s no big deal.
She set her glass down, braced a boot on the cross bar of her stool and rose slightly. His lips felt hot against hers, sending tiny flutters of excitement across the skin of her face. She dropped back onto her stool, hoping her expression didn’t betray that excitement. “Why would these people want me dead?”
“Because you’re about to become something important.” He smiled, head tilting to the right. “Pay up.”
She obeyed, trying to ignore her reaction to the contact with him and realizing she needed to formulate better questions. He silently watched as she settled again, his lips curved in the faintest of smiles.
“What did you mean by ‘Awakening?’”
“It’s a rebirth of sorts. You’ll become what you are meant to be.”
“I want answers, not riddles,” she snapped.
“Then ask the right questions. Pay up.” This time, he licked her bottom lip.
A quivering thread of desire shot from there to her groin, prompting her to blurt out the next question without much thought. “What are you?”
“No more human than you are.”
She was too busy gaping at his matter-of-fact tone to resist when he leaned across to take advantage of her surprise. After a lingering exploration of her mouth, he straightened. “Now you’re starting to ask the right questions, but I’m not answering any more in public.”
Morgan slipped off her stool, her fingers tightly gripping the edge of the bar while her legs shook. “Then we’ll go outside.”
Cal collected the bottle and glasses. “Can’t carry alcohol out of the building. We’ll go upstairs.”
Being alone with him seemed like a terrible, wonderful idea. She licked her lips. “No.”
“Your choice. If you change your mind, it’s up those stairs, first door on the right.” He nodded at the staircase at the end of the bar before walking away.
She watched, chewing on her bottom lip. Not human? Awakening?
He knew someone was trying to kill her, but how could he know that? Unless...
The tang of blood interrupted her thoughts. She’d bitten down too hard, a canine stabbing into soft flesh. Licking the spot, Morgan felt a trickle of fear as the blood stopped welling and the tiny wound sealed.
It was completely gone–healed. Only a coppery aftertaste remained.
Calhoun knew the answers. She was going to get them, even if she had to beat or fuck them out of him.
Decision made, she headed for the stairway.
Cal set the glasses and bottle down on the black metal and glass coffee table, not turning as she halted in the doorway. “Nice view.”
“I like to keep an eye on things when I’m here. Have a seat.” He didn’t wait for her, settling close to one end of the blood red couch and picking up his glass. The black carpet muffled her footsteps, and Cal half-expected her knife to make another appearance when she paused behind him for a few seconds.
It didn’t. She walked around to sit at the opposite end, ignoring her glass in favor of watching the dancers below. “So, you like to watch. Pretty sure that makes you some kind of pervert.”
He chuckled. “Maybe it means I like to stay aware of my surroundings.”
“Is there a reason you need to?”
“About a few million or so.” He let a few seconds pass. “Pay up.”
“That wasn’t...”
“It was a question, and the deal is a kiss for each answer. Refuse to pay, no more answers.”
Morgan scowled, turning her head. “You’re a dick.”
“I prefer ‘business man’.” He shrugged, lifting his glass for a drink. It went flying as she turned, planting her right knee on the couch while knocking it out of his grasp. Cal didn’t react as she grabbed a handful of his hair and yanked his head back. She was on him instantly, her shins digging into his thighs, the sides of her feet bracing against the insides of his knees.
A thin, cool line pressed into his throat. “There’s your little friend. You know, this would be a lot more fun if clothing wasn’t involved.”
“Shut up.” She applied more force, and the blade broke skin. He felt a drop of blood gather and slide down to pool in the hollow of his throat. Her voice was low and flat when she asked, “What am I turning into?”
“A Were.”
Her gaze moved over his face, a tiny crease appearing between her brows. She looked cute when puzzled. “A what?”
“Were. Once your Awakening is complete, you’ll be able to shift to a different form. You’ll be a wolf.” He slowly laid his hands on her thighs, and slid them upward until they reached her hips.
“People can’t turn into animals.”
“No, humans can’t turn into animals. I told you we aren’t human.” The pressure on his neck eased. “We’re something different. But I was human, a long, really long, time ago.”
She almost asked “how long,” but stopped herself. “You’re this Were thing too?”
“Yes.” He smiled, letting his canines elongate. “I have three forms: human, wolf, and one that’s in between the two. But technically, I suppose we’re really hybrids.”
“Hybrids of what?”
“Alien and human.”
Her scowl returned, and she dug the blade into his skin again. A few more drops of blood joined the first. “I’m going to cut your fucking head off if you don’t stop screwing around.”
“With that little thing?” he scoffed. “You can’t kill me. Only one thing can, and it’s not where you can get a hold of it.”
Her scowl morphed into a truly impressive feral grin, her top canines dropping as gold sparked in her eyes. “I can hurt you. A lot.”
“True, but I promise not to hold a grudge if you do.”
She hissed. “You’re an infuriating bastard.”
“So everyone tells me.” He smiled again, raising his right hand and wrapping it around her wrist. “I’m not going to be in the mood to talk if you cut my throat. I’ll be too busy sulking.”
Silence fell as they stared at each other. The gold faded, and her canines retracted. Morgan hit the button on her switchblade, the edge cutting a thin furrow as it shot back into the handle. Her grip on the knife loosened as she watched the cut heal.
Cal slipped the knife free and tossed it away before returning his hand to her hip. “If you’re going to keep pulling my hair, I want another kiss.”
She let go, settling back on her heels, and blinked upon realizing his hands were around her waist. “Let go.”
“I don’t think so. I like you right where you are. Next question?”
“Aliens.” She frowned. “Really?”
“Yes. There are two different species involved. They’ve had space travel for I have no idea how long, and the
war between them began almost the minute they both got it. One of them feeds on life, the other protects it.”
He stopped to let her digest that, sliding a hand under the back of her shirt. The electricity was still present, the jolts not quite as heavy as before. “This actually makes a great bed time story. You in the mood for a change of scenery?”
Her eyes widened. “Un-fucking-believable. You really do think with your dick.”
“Guessing that’s a no. All right, where was I?” Fingers stroking her back, he sighed. “The Life Eaters wander around, dropping small colonies on each planet they find that has evolved intelligent life. They also take some of the natives with them, to breed on board their ships and feed off of.”
“Life Eaters,” she repeated, the little line between her brows reappearing. “Like... vampires?”
He nodded. “That’s the name they have here.”
“I thought I was going crazy.”
Cal went still, his hands tightening around her waist. “What are you talking about?”
“You already know. You told me downstairs...”
“No, I said that there were people who will want to kill you, given the chance. Tell me what you’re talking about.”
Her eyes were a little too wide to suit her casual tone of voice. “Some freak jumped me about a week ago. He had fangs and was really strong. I thought he was some Goth with implants, hopped up on whatever the going thing is here.”
With a thrust of his hips, Cal tossed her sideways, onto her back on the couch, and pinned her down. He checked her arms and neck as Morgan squirmed. Collecting both her wrists in one hand, he ripped the top she was wearing from neckline to hem.
She yelled, “What the fuck are you doing?”
“Did he bite you?” He didn’t see a mark, but noticed her lacy, black bra had a front clasp. He liked front clasps, and pushed his forefinger under it.
“No, and you better stop right now, or I swear to God I’ll have your balls bronzed and hanging on my wall.”
He paused, though itching to finish the job and see what her breasts looked like unfettered. It would only take a little twist and two quick sweeps to bare the tempting mounds. A quick glance at her face assured him she wasn’t the forgive and forget type. “Can we make a new deal?”
Suspicion lowered her voice. “What kind of deal?”
“I’ll finish the story if you’ll let me occupy my hands while I talk.” He slowly removed his finger and tapped just above the clasp. “You can sit on me again.”
Chapter Four
A combination of desire and disbelief briefly struck Morgan dumb. Is he for real?
Calhoun seemed to be serious, his eyes glued to her chest while his fingers twitched just an inch above her right breast. She watched him wet his lips.
“You ripped my shirt.”
He didn’t look up. “I had to make certain you hadn’t been bitten. Sorry. I will replace it.”
Earlier, he’d said he might not tell her everything. Maybe he’d let something slip he didn’t intend to, if she agreed to his stupid little deal. “They’re not that fascinating.”
“Matter of opinion. I find them extremely fascinating.”
Morgan smirked before she could catch herself. He did stop when she told him to, and she didn’t think he’d done so because of her threat. No, he had manners and knew that no really did mean no. Or that stop meant no. Whatever. “The door’s open.”
“I’ll close it. Does that mean we have a deal?”
She vented the most put-upon sigh in her arsenal. “Yeah. Go close it.”
Calhoun was off her in a flash, returning before she had finished sitting up. He hopped over the back of the couch, kicked his shoes off and settled, patting his thighs. “Right here, darlin’.”
Rolling her eyes, Morgan straddled him. Maybe her first impression was wrong, and she could manipulate him after all.
He peeled off the remnant of her shirt. “Where was I?”
Her breath caught, turning her voice to a squeak. “Um, ship food.”
“Right. They eat a lot. They’re able to turn humans into vampires by feeding their blood to them. That’s how they build their armies, because vampires can’t otherwise breed.” With delicate movements, he undid the clasp of her bra and slowly pulled it away from her breasts. “Beautiful.”
Shivering, Morgan forced her hand up, and smacked him above his ear with the palm of it. “Focus.”
“Oh, I am.” He slid the straps off her shoulders and down her arms then tossed her bra behind the couch. “Their goal is to conquer each world they find so they can control their food source.”
Morgan sucked in a breath at the first contact of his fingertips stroking over her. “And?”
“That’s pretty much it for them. The other race, the Guardians, they try to track and destroy enemy ships. When they’re too late to keep a colony from being dropped, they set up a home guard by giving a few natives a little extra bit of DNA. Those so changed can change others for a while, but eventually, natural breeding takes over and spreads that DNA around.”
She chose to ask another question instead of grabbing his head and shoving his face against her chest. “How do you change others?”
“When I could–it only lasted for a few centuries–I bit them to transfer the DNA. We made this huge ceremony out of.” Calhoun shrugged, cupping a hand over each breast. “We were pretty primitive back then. They are just the right size.”
A few centuries? Morgan glanced down, which was a bad idea. The sight of his large hands covering her breasts caused far more than a few tingles of reaction. She jerked her eyes back up. “Uh... why are you so sure I’m going to become this Were thing?”
“I can tell one of my own.”
She had to think about that, and thinking was rapidly becoming difficult. “One of your own?”
“I am, among other things, the Wolf Fount. The very first werewolf.” He gently tweaked her right nipple. “Perky. I love perky.”
Her insides were melting. “You really think I’m going to turn into a wolf?”
“Yes.” He was sweeping the pads of his thumbs over her nipples, and Morgan could feel them hardening in response. Her breasts felt hot and heavy. The room was a lot warmer than it had been when she had first walked in.
“What if I don’t?”
“You will. Are you tired of asking questions yet? Because I can think of a few things we’ll enjoy far more.”
So could she. “Why were you worried I might’ve been bitten?”
“He’d be able to find you again. Maybe even call you to come to him. How did you get away?”
Morgan hesitated. What the hell. “I kicked his ass and cut his throat.”
Cal finally looked up, his hands going still. “Well, that was one way to piss him off, and now he knows you aren’t human.”
“There was a lot of blood, and he wasn’t moving when I left.” She wiggled a little, hoping his hands would start moving again.
“He’s alive. They heal like we do. Mind if I take my shirt off? I’m feeling a little overdressed.” He grinned, and she noticed a tinge of orange beginning to brighten the darkness of his irises.
Her voice was far too breathless. “Be my guest.”
Oh, good. They were making progress. Cal tugged the tails of his dark green polo shirt free of his jeans, and yanked it over his head. Crumpling it into a ball, he threw it over his shoulder.
Morgan’s gaze wasn’t on his face when he was done. The tip of her tongue moistened her lips as she lifted one hand and just brushed the hair across his chest. From her expression, he felt certain he was pretty close to her ideal as far as her preferences for chest hair went. Possibly chests, too.
She raised her other hand and began exploring. His skin flinched at each soft touch and its accompanying flare of electricity. Keeping his mouth shut seemed like an excellent idea. No sense distracting her right now.
He’d need to make certain she was protected until her Awa
kening was complete. Afterward too; he wasn’t going to risk her being captured, tortured, and killed. Female Weres were just too damned few to allow that to happen.
Convincing her would be the tricky part, as he was certain she’d argue she was perfectly able to take care of herself. Sometimes he missed the old days, when most women hadn’t fussed much about being cosseted and protected.
It’d probably be easier just to put her on lock-down. Then he’d know exactly where she was at all times, and could be present for both her Awakening and first change. Cal wanted to be there for them. Both events were painful, and he could help her through them.
He swallowed a groan as she trailed her fingertips over the thin line of hair that led down into his jeans. Morgan glanced up, her eyes blankly intent. The gray was fading from them.
In ten minutes or less, she’d be tearing off the rest of their clothes. He hoped.
Sebastian would see that no one disturbed them, even if he hadn’t thought to ask that favor. The huge windows were one-way mirrors and he didn’t bother with the interior lights when the club was open, so no possibility of Peeping Toms there. Checking to make certain she was fully absorbed with his chest, Cal carefully unbuttoned her jeans. She didn’t notice. Perfect.
His were next, while her fingers were on their way up. Her nails were short and manicured. Was the metallic blue they were painted her favorite color?
Considering the punch she could throw, her hands were rather small and fragile, with long, slender fingers. They looked made to wander the ivory keys of a baby grand, not to wield a blade.
Morgan chose that moment to lean forward and flick his right nipple with her tongue. His cock went hard so quickly, it hurt. She straightened, her eyes now bright green with a thin line of gold shining around the tiny dots her pupils had shrunk to. “Take off your pants.”
Hell, yes. Cal nodded and she slid off his lap. They stood up at the same time, zippers making harsh burring sounds. Morgan paused, looked down, and sat to remove her boots and socks. He slowed, lifting each foot to tug off his own socks.
When she stood again, peeling her jeans off, he followed suit. She looked over. “Nice dick.”
The Wolf Fount Page 3
