Forbidden Claim

by R. L. Kenderson

  Reid shook his head. “I’m sorry. I can’t do that. I can’t be with you like this, during your mating heat, and not be your mate. I’m sorry.”

  A cramp seized her body, and they both waited for it to pass.

  “How do you know that I’ll have your baby? You know how hard it is for our kind to get pregnant.”

  He smiled. “Because your body has been waiting for me.” He closed his eyes and inhaled. “And you’re ovulating, Angel.” He looked at her again. “I want you to know that it’s killing me to sit here and not have sex with you. But I need you to know how important this is to me.”

  Tegan reached out and grabbed Reid’s cock. “What about now?”

  Reid groaned and shook his head. “Nope. I want all of you or none at all.”

  “You’re so selfish,” she teased as she stroked him from base to tip.

  “Damn right I am.” He looked her in the eyes. “When it comes to you, Tegan, I want everything.”

  It was irrational to even be considering this. She’d known Reid for years, but she hadn’t even dated him, and he wanted her to be his mate.

  “What if things don’t work out?” she whispered.

  “That’s the least of my worries because I know we’re meant to be together.”

  “You’re crazy,” she said.

  “I believe I said the same thing to you at the wedding chapel.”

  She smiled up at him and pulled her other leg up to her chest. “Fuck me, Reid. Make me yours.”

  He growled. “God, I thought you would never ask.”

  He grabbed hold of his shaft and swiped it through her wetness a couple of times, and then he slowly sank inside her. His self-control was making her go insane. She wanted him to lose control and fuck her.

  When he bottomed out, he tilted his head to the side. “Mark me, Tegan.”

  “Me first?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “Because, when I mark you, there will be no holding back.”

  Tegan pulled Reid down and sank her canine teeth into his neck as she clenched her internal muscles around him.

  He was hers now. Reid was hers.

  And she was never giving him back.

  “BRAM VARG?”

  Bram jumped up from the filthy bench in the jail. “Yes?”

  “You made bail.”

  About fucking time.

  He’d called Stan and Larry twenty-four hours ago. He’d needed to get out of there before anyone found him. After he’d been thrown in jail for bullshit charges, he’d known that hitting the vampire was a mistake. If he was the reason his father got into a war with the Minnesota vampires, he’d never be able to go home to Illinois. Of course, if the vampires killed him, he’d have nothing to worry about.

  The officer opened the cell door and took him through his paperwork to get him out of there. They were almost finished, and he was basically free to go when he remembered his vehicle.

  “How do I get my car?”

  The man looked at something on the computer. “It’s been impounded.”

  “What the hell?”

  The officer gave Bram a look.

  Bram cleared his throat. “Does it say why?”

  “Nope.”

  The man was clearly lying. Bram wanted to reach across the desk and wrap his hands around the officer’s neck, but he wasn’t that stupid or impulsive.

  “Fine. Can you at least give me the information on where I can pick it up?”

  The officer handed him a card. “Here you go.”

  Bram picked up the card, his wallet, and the keys, and then he exited out to the waiting room.

  Larry and Stan stood as soon as they saw Bram.

  “What the fuck took you two so long to get here?”

  “We had to drive from Mankato,” Larry said.

  Do these two idiots think I’m stupid?

  “It doesn’t take you twenty-four hours to make a two-hour drive.”

  They both started stammering.

  “Just shut up and get me out of here. I need a shower.”

  Bram needed to wash the filth of jail off of him and track down Isabelle. The fucking cunt was going to pay for everything he’d been through the last few days.

  Sabrina—not her real name, of course—walked into the brightly lit hotel and headed straight for the suite number she’d been given.

  She’d been hired to spend the next twelve hours with her clients. She was making a killing today, but she never knew if it was worth it until her shift was over.

  She had no idea what would be waiting for her on the other side of the door. She knew she had two clients, which meant she was going to be one tired woman in twelve hours, but she only hoped that, if they could afford a place like this hotel, they were clean.

  After many years in the escort business, she’d stopped caring if her clients were young or old, good-looking or ugly, sweet or assholes. All she cared about was if they showered or not.

  She enjoyed sex and didn’t have to fake it a lot in her profession, but she still struggled with it when her clients smelled. It was amazing how many professional businessmen didn’t wash themselves on a regular basis, thinking a thick layer of cologne would make up for it.

  Sabrina knocked on the door and heard movement on the other side. The door swung open, and a very good-looking man around her age stood on the other side. His hair was dark blond, and his eyes were a beautiful sea-green. He only wore a pair of boxers, which outlined an impressive package, and his chest and arms were very well-toned.

  His hair was messy, and his eyes had bags under them, but she just might enjoy herself today.

  When he’d opened the door, he’d looked excited, but upon seeing her, his face fell.

  “Damn it, I thought you were room service. I need to eat.”

  She had to laugh at that. Most men were happy to see her. They weren’t usually disappointed that she wasn’t food.

  From her position at the door, she could see a living room straight ahead with a sliding glass door to an area in the back. Right in front of her was a hallway that went right and left, and from the left, she heard footsteps before a woman appeared, wearing an oversize T-shirt.

  She was blonde, too. Not as good-looking as the man in front of her, a little plainer, but she looked clean, so Sabrina was fine with that. She’d thought her two clients were men, but she must have misheard, or the receptionist had.

  Whatever. It didn’t make any difference to her as long as she got compensated. She was still paying off her student loan debt for a career that paid pennies compared to being an escort.

  The woman stepped in front of the man and wrapped herself around him. She stood up on her tiptoes and sucked on the man’s neck. When the woman pulled away, that was when Sabrina noticed the bite mark there.

  Shit. She hadn’t been told the clients were into biting.

  “Who’s this?” the woman asked, looking at Sabrina over her shoulder. The woman had a clear stay-away-he’s-mine look on her face.

  The man draped his arm around the woman and said, “Beats the shit out of me. I thought she was my room service.”

  “Mmm…food. Did you order some for me?” the woman asked.

  The man kissed her. “Of course. You need your strength more than I do.”

  “Excuse me?” Sabrina said. She was very confused. “I was told to come to this hotel room. I was told I had two clients to meet. But you two seem to have no idea why I’m here.”

  There was a knock on the open door beside her as room service arrived. The man who had answered the door practically pushed Sabrina out of the way to get to his food. The attendant set the plate on the entry room table and lifted the lid, and then he was tipped and sent on his way.

  It was all bacon and sausage.

  The woman picked up a fork to feed herself, but the man started shoving the sausage in his mouth with his hands.

  Another man’s voice came from the right side of the hall. “Did I hear some
one knock on the door?” He came into her line of view, and his shoulders dropped. “Damn. It’s just your food.” He grabbed his crotch. “I am dying here.”

  The female looked up. “Sorry.”

  What is she sorry about? Isn’t she with the first guy?

  About the same age as the first man, the second guy had tan skin, dark hair, and the most unusual orangish-yellow eyes. He, too, was shirtless but had on shorts at least. His muscles were bigger than Guy One.

  He spotted her in the doorway. “Hey. There you are.” He grinned. “We’ve been waiting for you.”

  Finally.

  She held out her hand. “I’m Sabrina.”

  Guy Two took her hand and pulled her into the room. “Hey, Sabrina. I’m Chase.”

  He reached behind her and closed the door. She noticed he smelled wonderful.

  He stepped back. “You like?”

  “I’m sorry. Like what?”

  “How I smell.” He raised his hand and looked up. “It’s all the hormones in the air.” He looked back at Sabrina and grinned. “They make you want to have sex with me.”

  She’d heard a lot of lines in her day, which was ridiculous because she was a sure thing. If they paid, they got laid. Yet her clients hit on her all the time.

  But he was right. She was actually getting turned on from just being close to this guy. That stuff didn’t happen anymore.

  Chase grabbed her hand when there was a bang to her left.

  She and Chase looked over. The lid of the plate had hit the ground. The woman jerked out an arm and clutched Guy One’s shoulder. She made a noise, as if she was in pain.

  “Shit, Isa. You need me again?” Guy One asked.

  She nodded.

  He threw down the piece of meat he’d been eating and picked the woman up. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he started walking away from them toward what looked like a bedroom from Sabrina’s view.

  She noticed he had scratch marks across his back. Damn. Those two must like it a little rough.

  The woman kissed the man as he used one hand to push up her shirt and pull down the front of his boxers. Sabrina was completely surprised and turned on as she watched the man thrust inside the woman.

  The couple hadn’t hired her, but they had no reservations about having sex in front of a stranger. For a second anyway.

  They walked through the door, and the man kicked it closed with his foot.

  “Don’t worry, honey; Ranulf and I will take care of you.”

  “Huh?”

  Chase rubbed his nose behind her ear. “You smell good, too.” He stepped away and pulled her with him to the last door on the right.

  He pushed it open, and Sabrina saw another man coming out of what had to be a bathroom. This guy had light-brown hair, bluish-green eyes, and only a towel covering his muscular body.

  “This is Ranulf. Ranulf, this is Sabrina.”

  “Thank God,” Ranulf said as he threw the towel in the bathroom behind himself.

  She turned to look at Chase. He pushed his shorts off and kicked them in the corner.

  “Where did you guys come from?”

  All three men were muscular and hung.

  Chase pulled her into his arms and began to kiss her neck while unbuttoning her shirt. “It’s part of our job.”

  Ranulf came up behind her and kissed the other side of her neck.

  “It’s part of your job to be hung like a horse?”

  Both men laughed, and Chase said, “No, I was referring to our physique.” He pushed her shirt off, and Ranulf unhooked her bra. Both fell to the floor. “Beautiful,” he said and cupped her breasts.

  “Are you guys in the military?” How she was having a conversation she didn’t know because all their touching felt incredible. But she was so curious about them.

  A sound of ecstasy came from behind the wall.

  “Don’t worry,” Ranulf said. “That’s Reid and Tegan.”

  There are more of them?

  Ranulf pushed off her skirt and her thong. “Keep the high heels on,” he said in a low voice.

  Chase moved his mouth up to hers and pushed his tongue past her lips. She normally didn’t kiss her clients, but he knew what he was doing with his mouth, and she didn’t have the willpower to stop him.

  It felt too good.

  She grabbed on to him as Ranulf pulled her ass back and pushed his cock inside her.

  A gasp escaped her throat, both men making her feel insane with pleasure.

  Maybe the next twelve hours would be worth it after all.

  QUENTIN’S CELL RANG. “Hello?”

  “Hey, Rawling. I need you to come back to headquarters,” his captain said.

  Quentin pulled the phone away and looked at it as if it would show his captain’s face. He put it back to his ear. “Okay. What’s this about, sir?”

  “I’ll tell you when you get here.”

  That didn’t sound promising.

  “Okay, I’ll be there in about ten, give or take a few minutes.”

  “Sounds good. Oh, and, Rawling? That guy you put in jail yesterday? A Bram Varg?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Peterson said you were keeping track of him?”

  “I am,” Quentin answered hesitantly but honestly. He doubted this was why his boss was pulling him back to the station since he’d said he’d tell Quentin when he got there. But the captain didn’t like it when they took too much of an interest in the criminals they’d arrested.

  “Yeah, well, it looks like he made bail this morning.”

  Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

  Quentin had to bite his lip from cursing out loud. There was no way he’d be able to explain who and what Bram was to him.

  He cleared his throat. “Thank you, sir.”

  “You’re not going to go out and hurt him, are you?” His captain phrased it as a question, but Quentin knew he was partly serious.

  Quentin laughed. I won’t. But he couldn’t promise no one else wouldn’t. “No, sir.”

  “Good to hear. I’ll see you in ten.”

  As soon as his captain hung up, Quentin called up his other boss.

  “Quentin, what’s up?”

  “I just found out that Bram got out on bail.”

  “Shit.”

  “That’s pretty much what I said.”

  “I’ll get Lachlan to look into him. Hopefully, the asshole used credit cards or something, so we can find him. I didn’t want to go after him with two men down—four if you count Zane and Hunter. And I want to keep the vampires out of it. I understand their need for justice and vengeance, but if Bram’s father finds out that he was killed by vampires rather than punished by shifter law, we could end up with a war on our hands.”

  “Damn. I didn’t even think of that. I guess that’s why you’re the alpha.”

  Damien laughed, but he didn’t sound like he thought the situation was funny. “I knew there was going to be politics involved, but I had no idea the extent.”

  “Good luck, man. If you need me to do anything, let me know.”

  “I always do, Quentin.”

  A surge of pride went through him at his alpha’s words.

  “Are you going to tell the vampires?” he asked.

  “Yes, because, if the situation were reversed, I’d want to know.”

  “You’re a good man.”

  “You might have to tell the vampires that.”

  “Say, my captain called me back to the station. I don’t know what’s up because he won’t say until I get there, but I don’t have a good feeling. I’ll let you know if something has come up.”

  “I’ll have my phone on. I’m going to go find Lachlan. We’ll talk later.”

  “Later.”

  By the time Quentin hung up with Damien, he only had a few minutes left before he got to the station. He went straight to the captain’s office and knocked on the door.

  “Enter.”

  Quentin pushed open the door and was shocked to see his parents sit
ting on the captain’s couch.

  The captain stood up. “I’ll be right outside.”

  Quentin turned to his parents. “What’s going on?”

  His mother’s brown eyes filled with tears, and she dropped her head into her dark hands. His father put his arm around his mother, his own green eyes full of sadness. His father’s light skin was paler than normal, and his mother’s shoulders shook as she sobbed.

  Quentin dropped his knees to the floor. “Mama, what’s wrong?”

  His father looked at him, and it hit him.

  “Larissa,” Quentin said, answering his own question.

  His mother raised her head. “Your sister is in the ICU. She overdosed. They found her in an alley with a needle in her arm while-while-while—” She hiccuped from her crying and looked at her husband.

  “Two men were having sex with her, son,” his dad finished.

  Quentin jumped up. “What the hell?” He put a fist in front of his mouth, afraid he was going to throw up. The thought of his sister being violated while she was dying made the breakfast he’d eaten that morning feel like a rock in his stomach. “Oh, Larissa.” He swung around. “When did you find out?”

  “This morning,” her father said. “Your mother tried calling her phone. They didn’t even know who she was. They had her listed under Jane Doe.”

  “Are you sure it’s her?” Quentin asked.

  Drug addicts lost stuff when they were high or traded things to get their next fix.

  “We went there this morning,” his mom said. “We went there first before we came to you.”

  “I need to see her.” It killed Quentin that his sister struggled with drugs. “I don’t understand. She was doing so well. How many months had she been sober this time?”

  His parents stood.

  “Two,” his mother said. “I was worried when I hadn’t talked to her for a few days. I had no idea it would be this-this-this bad.” She started crying again.

  Quentin opened the door and looked down the hall for his captain.

  When the captain saw him, he came back to his office. “Take as long as you need, Quentin.”

  Quentin nodded. “Thank you.” He turned to his parents. “Let me get changed. I’ll be right back.”

  When he met up with his parents again, they were standing by the elevator, and they had obviously been talking.