Serving Sera

by Bonnie Rose Leigh

  ‘There’s not much more than what we’ve already told you. We think one of them works at the florist shop in town or in the florist department at the grocery store. Willow smelled fresh flowers during her kidnapping. Other than that, the summoner of the Demon Lord Leonard liked to watch, but stayed in the background. She never heard him speak, or caught his scent. She just had a feeling of being stared at by a male from the darkened corner of the mausoleum.”

  Chance rubbed his palms along his thighs. “Well, it’s more than what we had when we got here. Noah and I will start looking into this tomorrow. Do you have a bed and breakfast you’d recommend we stay at? Oh, and some place to eat? We’re starving.”

  “You’re more than welcome to stay with us,” Willow offered.

  “That’s okay. You’re newly mated and we’ve just found ours. It will be better if we have a place of our own.”

  Derek nodded. “The apartment above the pub is empty now that Willow is at home with us. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if you use that.”

  Chance turned toward Willow, raised his brows in question. “Really? You wouldn’t mind?”

  “Not at all. It’s been sitting empty for over a month. It’ll save you time and money while you find a place. I’m assuming you’ll be settling here in town to be near your mate?”

  “Of course. Well, let me meet with Noah. I’ll give him what info I can and see about getting some dinner. Besides, staying above the place our mate is employed will work out fine for the both of us. Thank you for your generosity.”

  “Anytime,” Willow said. “I like Sera. She always holds herself back as if she’s expecting trouble at any time. You and your partner might be just what the woman needs to calm down.”

  Chance stood and headed for the door, but Derek called him back. “Quinn should have the keys to the apartment locked in the register behind the bar. Tell him to hand them over to you.”

  Chance left their office smiling. First, they’d found their mate, then a temporary place to stay while they wooed her. Life couldn’t get much better than this.

  * * * *

  Noah Andrews watched the woman who would soon become his mate from a distance. He’d chosen a seat not in her section once he’d learned her name from Quinn Donovan. Sera Serveti was a lovely woman. Her dark chocolate skin would compliment his own. She wore her hair weaved in long braids that hung halfway down her back. Though slim, she wasn’t skinny like women tended to look these days. Her breasts were full, her hips lush. Thankful and pleased beyond words to have a name to go with the face and body he’d been dreaming about for half his life, his cock thickened inside his jeans.

  Quinn believed that Sera stayed on the run from someone or something, although she’d never come out and told him so. He’d pointed out to Noah that she didn’t seem to make friends easily and that she always seemed to be looking over her shoulder. He couldn’t guarantee she hadn’t done something criminal in the past, but he didn’t get that vibe from her. Instead, he sensed she hid from someone stalking her. He couched all that as supposition since she’d never actually said she was in any danger. Just that she acted like a woman always on the run.

  Some things he didn’t have to be told, but were obvious to a trained eye. So Noah watched and waited, knowing that before this night ended, she’d feel his gaze and bolt. He’d be ready when she did.

  His wolf pushed against his skin, anticipating the run, the hunt for its mate. The animal inside wanted nothing more than to chase her down and force her to submit. The human side of him couldn’t agree more. Again, his cock thickened behind the zipper of his jeans, becoming an urgent, throbbing ache. Soon he’d have the zipper’s teeth marks running up and down its length. He didn’t care though.

  Finally, he had his mate within sight, and he couldn’t care less how uncomfortable it made his body while he waited for her to get used to him. And she would get used to him. He wouldn’t give her any choice about that. He was in her life to stay, despite whatever else was going on in her life. She’d just have to adjust to the idea. He’d waited too many years, searched for her too long to walk away from her now.

  Settling back in his seat, he ordered another beer, and waited for Chance to join him. Within minutes, they sat together, watching Sera go about her job. She worked her shift tirelessly, which was a feat considering the fuck-me heels she wore. She kept smiling even when the drunks tried getting a little too friendly, evading wandering hands with gracious banter and even turning down not so subtle come-ons without crushing young egos. Although he wanted to do some crushing of young bodies every time someone tried to put a move on her.

  If Chance hadn’t pulled him back, he might have made more than one scene. His wolf was hell bent on getting her out of there. He wanted all other scents off her, except his and Chance’s, of course. It took every ounce of his willpower and then some to remain seated until the majority of the pub patrons started heading home. Knowing he would soon scent the two of them had him eager, like a kid at Christmas waiting for Santa to make an appearance. His wolf pressed against his human skin. Soon she’d run and he’d give chase. Soon.

  Chapter Three

  Sera went back to work feeling anxious for no obvious reason. The pub was packed. Not surprising since it’d been a nightly occurrence the entire time she’d worked there. Her tables were full and people were standing around the bar, using it as a place to lean against while they drank and chatted with their neighbors. This made getting to the pub for drink orders nearly impossible. No way would she know if enemies were nearby with so many people crowding around her.

  Her wolf wanted to escape, wanted to shift and race across the countryside to rid herself of the scents overwhelming her own. Hours passed at a breakneck pace, and soon she forgot about the nebulous sense of being watched that had washed over her earlier in the evening.

  Occasionally, her thoughts turned to the stranger she’d nearly run over in the kitchen. Yet each time, she’d hastily wrangle her mind under control. She didn’t have time for a man, despite what both the woman and the wolf wanted. She had a crazed stalker after her and, until he stopped hunting her, she couldn’t risk having more than a one-night stand with a man. It wouldn’t be fair to her, and certainly not fair to whatever male she got involved with.

  She wanted it all. A man, a home to call her own, a cub to nurse at her breast. Until she could settle down and live her dream, she would just continue avoiding men. The last time she’d even considered dating anyone, she’d ended up with a dangerous and powerful vampiric stalker chasing her from one end of the country to the other, desperate to claim her as his eternal bride. She definitely needed to stay away from men, if for no other reason than to ensure that her stalker didn’t harm another innocent man. Too many people had already been harmed simply by trying to help her. She’d not let another be hurt. Not if she could help it.

  As the crowded pub finally began to empty, Sera’s wolf once again grew agitated. The hair at the nape of her neck prickled and goose bumps pebbled across her flesh. She knew someone had focused all their attention on her, was watching her even now. She growled low and threatening, pissed that once again she’d have to run, find somewhere new to live.

  Once she’d discovered his name—Grakis Darksbane—she knew to avoid him. That name was on the Top Ten Supernatural Most Wanted list. Hunters had been after him for more years than she’d been alive. She’d refused him and ran, knowing, even as she did so, her chances of escaping him indefinitely were nearly impossible. Why couldn’t Grakis have just left her alone when she’d told him she wasn’t interested in dating him, wasn’t interested in anything he had to offer? She’d been perfectly happy working at Sassie’s singing two sets a night and going home to her half-dog-slash-half-wolf, Lobo, every evening. Then he’d shown up, had started watching her shows every night and, when he’d asked her to sing at a club he owned, she’d followed her instincts and told him she wasn’t interested. Rather than accepting her decision, he’d begun stalking her
, showing up wherever she happened to be, even following her to the salon and the grocery store.

  If he’d just been a human, it wouldn’t have been a big deal. Her wolf would have easily handled the situation. But Grakis was a vampire, one of the meanest ever made from what she’d heard and one who led an entire band of rogues. She hadn’t taken long to discover that he had his hands in everything from prostitution and drugs to kiddie porn and sexual slavery. Not to mention he was suspected in the disappearance of several Hunter’s sent to bring him and his followers to justice.

  When she found her beloved Lobo gutted on her back porch, she knew who’d been responsible and knew that staying in Chicago had become impossible. She’d buried her pet in the backyard beneath an oak tree, then packed a couple of bags. The next morning, she waited until the banks opened, closed her account and left town. That was nearly eighteen months ago and she’d been running nonstop ever since.

  Sera finally thought she’d found a place to call home when she’d discovered Serenity, a town full of beings like herself, only to learn that it had its own problems, a cult devoted to Black Magic and a demon lord loose to plague the town. Now her wolf sensed she was being watched. She couldn’t take the chance that Grakis had finally caught up to her. She wouldn’t see anyone hurt because of her. The people of this town had enough danger stalking them without worrying about what she might have lured here.

  She had no choice but to go home, grab the bag she kept packed in case she had to run, and get the hell out of Dodge. She’d lived in Serenity long enough to know that its townsfolk would protect her. But she couldn’t allow that, couldn’t allow them to become targets of an evil vampire bent on capturing and controlling her. One day, she vowed, she would free herself of her tormenter and return to Serenity and rebuild her life.

  Needing to know who had taken an interest in her, Sera headed over toward a table overflowing with empty beer bottles, intent on surreptitiously studying the remaining patrons as she cleaned it. She had to know who would come after her if she wanted to evade them when her shift ended. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that whoever it was would follow her as she left the pub. She’d just have to make sure they couldn’t track her.

  She gathered the bottles and placed them on her tray, then slowly scanned the pub. She knew she could easily pinpoint whoever watched her. Almost immediately Sera’s gaze locked on another’s.

  Her heart thundered in her chest. Her mouth went dry as she stared at the man. He’d shaved his head. It was as smooth as the rest of him. She could see had no chest hair. His shirt was open almost to his waist, exposing skin nearly as dark as her own and well-defined muscles she wanted to run her fingers across just to feel them beneath her hands.

  She glanced back to his face and felt herself blush at his knowing expression. He grinned at her and winked, obviously enjoying her inspection. Breaking eye contact, she noticed that another man shared his table. She couldn’t see his face, only the back of his head, but her wolf stretched beneath her skin. She knew him. Her wolf recognized him as the man she’d smashed into earlier.

  Her stomach churned and her palms grew sweaty. Her wolf wanted both men. Wild and untamed, the she-wolf wanted Sera to march up to them and give them her neck. She wanted to be mounted.

  Her breasts began to swell beneath her blouse, her nipples to pebble. Her clit pulsed and throbbed. Sera began to shake, frightened at her loss of control over her own body. She didn’t understand, wasn’t sure she even wanted to.

  She needed to get away, but how? Her shift wasn’t over and the pub was still open. But if she stayed until closing time, she knew the men would follow her, sensed it all the way to her soul. She couldn’t allow that to happen because her wolf wanted these men, wanted to claim them as hers. If she gave in, she knew absolutely that they wouldn’t allow her to walk away. She didn’t know how she knew that, but she didn’t have a doubt in her mind that they would not let her leave their side if she submitted to them.

  Her heart stuttered in her chest at the thought of leaving them. Her wolf battered her mind, growling her displeasure that she’d abandon her mates. Mates?

  Her head snapped up. She couldn’t stop herself from sniffing the air, trying to separate their scents from the other patrons. They couldn’t be her mates. Could they? Her hands shook, rattling the bottles on her tray. Sera set the tray down on the table, and lowered her gaze as she sucked in gulps of air. This couldn’t be happening. Why now? Why would she find her mates now when she had no choice but to leave to keep everyone in Serenity safe?

  After wiping her sweaty, shaking palms on her apron. Sera straightened and turned her back on the pair. She needed to leave. Now.

  As nonchalantly as she could, she picked up the tray and headed toward the kitchen. She’d stop by the office and tell her boss Willow that she wasn’t feeling well and needed to leave. Then she’d just slip out the back door. By the time they tracked her down, she would have reached her cabin, grabbed the bag and hightailed it out of town.

  Her stomach clenched at the thought of leaving her mates, but Grakis had killed trained Hunters sent after him. What chance would her mates have? No, she had no choice but to leave. Somehow, someway, she’d defeat Grakis and return. Knowing if she looked back she’d never leave, Sera focused on putting one foot in front of the other as she made her escape into the kitchen. Although her heart broke with every step, she’d just have to suck it up. She could do this. She would do this despite the angry snarling of her wolf. It was the only way.

  * * * *

  Chance sensed his mate’s gaze on them, but didn’t turn to watch her. He could tell from the determined glint in Noah’s eyes that she’d spotted them. “I take it she knows we’re here watching her, Noah.’

  “You could say that. From her reaction, I say we get out of here. I can smell her anxiety. She’s going to try and make a run for it.”

  Scooting out his chair, he stood, tossed a few bills on the table to cover the costs of the burgers they’d inhaled. Grabbing up his jacket off the back of his seat, his gaze met Noah’s. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Together he and Noah made their way out of The Howler. After stepping outside, Chance tilted his head back and closed his eyes, inhaling the crisp December air. He could smell his mate’s scent amidst all the others. Already he knew he would be able to track her by her unique smell, no matter where on Earth she tried to run.

  Beside him, Noah growled, low and menacing. “There she is,” he said, pointing toward a small compact. Three men surrounded her and had her pressed against the side of her car. Inside him, his wolf raged at the threat to his mate. The man agreed. Without stopping to strategize, he and Noah approached their woman.

  Seconds later, he realized that their mate hadn’t screamed for help. In fact he sensed no fear from her at all. That didn’t appease his wolf, however. It didn’t like seeing her surrounded by other men, their scents blending and mingling with hers. From the low, threatening growl beside him, Noah felt the same.

  Despite knowing his mate didn’t fear those surrounding her, Chance’s wolf would not abide having them so close to her. A rumbling growl left his throat, sounding loud in the night. “Step away from my mate,” he ordered. Sera’s head jerked up, her gaze locked onto his. To hell with being subtle. She’d tried to run from him and neither the man nor the wolf was happy. Let the men trapping her against her car feel his wrath. He had plenty of it to go around.

  Beside him, Noah’s snarling grew louder. It wouldn’t be long before Noah gave into his beast and attacked the men threatening their mate. He didn’t know who was more surprised, them or Sera, when the three men turned away from her and began to slowly approach him and Noah.

  “Or what, wolf?” one of the three asked. He was bigger than the others, rougher looking. He was massive in size, his hair shaggy and unkempt, and his clothes looked like he’d worn them for several days. Chance could feel this one’s eagerness to do battle and he silently encouraged it. He a
nd Noah had no problems showing these fools the danger of messing with their mate.

  Spreading his legs shoulder width apart, Chance crossed his arms and snickered. “Boys, you don’t know who you’re messing with. I suggest you leave while you still can.”

  The apparent leader of the group took another step forward and fisted his hands at his sides. The other two men quickly glanced first at Noah, then dragged their wary gaze to where Chance stood before slowly backing away from their leader. Smart men.

  As Chance and Noah prepared to defend their mate, Sera pushed away from her car door and crept toward the retreating pair. His every dominant, protective instinct demanded he keep her away from those who would harm her, but he couldn’t chance that by drawing attention to her. He wouldn’t put her in more danger than whatever she had planned.

  “Stop. All of you face me and kneel with your hands behind your head.”

  Chance wanted to snort in disbelief. Did she really think they’d just listen to her? But even as he thought that, he found himself doing exactly as she said, just like Noah and the men who’d cornered her. His arms lifted, his fingers laced behind his head, and his legs lowered him into a crouch, then down on his knees.

  Stupefied, amazed, proud, and—he admitted to himself—pissed, he and Noah found themselves trapped, dutifully obeying their mate’s command and unable to do anything about it. When he got free he was going to tan her ass for this. Not so much for taking control, but for exposing her ability to those who could, and more than likely would, tell another given a chance. First though, he had to find a way to get loose.

  Chapter Four

  Noah couldn’t believe it. From one second to the next, he found himself on his knees, facing his mate along with Chance and the men who’d forced her against her car and he couldn’t do a damn thing about it. He sensed nothing but the wolf in Sera’s scent, but somehow, she had the abilities only vampires were known to have. Could she have been bitten, he wondered. Or did she have a vampire in her family tree?