by Katie Reus
“It’s how I ended up with the Murphy pack. The pack was good to me, provided for all my needs and when it was clear that I had the makings of a warrior despite my smaller size, Adam—that was my Alpha’s name—never balked. I always held myself back just a little bit from everyone because I was afraid to let anyone too close.”
Noah thought that wasn’t much different from now, but it was clear she was opening up and he didn’t want to say or do anything to stop her so he remained completely still.
“One of the warriors started courting me. . . .”
Noah stilled when she trailed off and he realized he’d been growling. “Sorry,” he muttered, embarrassed.
Even though she was turned away from him, Noah swore he could feel Erin smile. “Anyway, he was well liked by everyone in the pack and a lot of the females had had their eye on him, but he picked me. I cared for him, or thought I did, but I knew I’d never love him. Not the way my parents had loved each other. I’d heard about the mating call and that it’s like something inside you just wakes up and takes over when you’re near your true mate, but I never felt that with him. And I was glad.”
Noah frowned, not understanding. “Why?”
“I thought it would be a hell of a lot easier—safer for my heart—to be with someone like that. At the same time I still looked up to him, thought it was flattering that he’d ‘chosen’ me out of all the females of the pack.” She snorted before continuing. “I didn’t realize it at the time but later it was obvious that he thought I’d be easy to manipulate. We weren’t mated, but I got pregnant with his cub despite the fact that we’d used protection during my heat. During my pregnancy I discovered that he and some other males from the pack were selling vampire blood, and I was disgusted. I . . . I should have just gone straight to Adam, but I didn’t want to betray the father of my child. So I told him to come clean to our Alpha and stop what he was doing or I’d tell Adam for him.”
Noah’s entire body went cold as it registered what she was about to tell him. Even though he’d known she’d recently been pregnant when he’d found her he’d never imagined . . . fuck. He tightened his grip around her bare waist. “You don’t have to go on,” he rasped out, not wanting to hear the words.
She swallowed hard. “He told me he would, but then he ambushed me, beat me within an inch of my life and left me for dead. The baby didn’t make it. Even though I hated him, I still wanted the baby. I would have loved—” Her voice broke off and he felt her hot tears on the arm he had underneath her head.
He tried to think of a response, but there was none. He wanted to rip that bastard apart limb from limb and watch him writhing on the ground as he suffered. He wanted to torture the guy until all he knew was pain. But telling her all that wouldn’t do a damn thing.
“What’s his name?” he rasped out, surprised his voice even worked. Whoever he was, he was a dead man walking.
“No, Noah. Just . . . no.” Her voice was soft and tired and even though he wanted to demand she tell him, he knew it wasn’t the time to push.
As he tried to think of suitable, comforting words, Erin turned to face him and buried her face against his chest. His grip on her tightened. He’d do anything to protect this amazing woman and he hated that someone had hurt her so badly. So deeply. No matter what, he would find out who hurt her.
“Just hold me, Noah,” she murmured against his skin.
So he did. Stroking his hand down the length of her spine, he kept his movements soothing and steady until her breathing evened out and it was clear she was asleep.
Too many conflicting emotions raged inside him. The need for vengeance and the need to take care of Erin. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, they were fated to be mates. What she’d described about something waking up for mates was exactly how he’d felt the instant he’d met her. Something had been missing in him until her and no matter what happened here in New Orleans or in the future, he would protect her from anything.
Chapter 11
Chris had his elbow propped up on the interior of the driver’s-side door of the new truck he and his brother had stolen a few hours earlier. After throwing those Molotov cocktails into Screamers they’d had to pick up a new ride. They would have to exchange it for something with an extended cab soon to accommodate the next female they took, but for now it would do.
“We should cut our losses and go.” Malcolm had been unusually quiet since they’d attacked that club.
“No way.” The rich vamp bloodborns in New Orleans had more money than sense. He and his brother worked off recommendations and other vamps from California had recommended them to the ones living here. They couldn’t just pull out and leave. That was a fast way to make powerful, wealthy enemies who had all sorts of resources.
“We can easily set up shop somewhere else.” Something foreign trickled off his brother—raw, unadulterated fear.
The bitter scent lingered in the air, nauseating him.
“What’s the matter with you?” he asked, not bothering to hide his disgust. He didn’t take his eyes off the two-story townhome across the street though.
“You saw those vampires,” Malcolm murmured.
Yeah, Chris had. He wouldn’t admit it aloud but he was terrified of them too. After firebombing Screamers, they’d run, then doubled back after stealing a truck. Then they’d waited to see if anyone leaving looked like they planned to start trouble. Sure enough a handful of vampires had run straight to the Campbell compound. He and his brother had been forced to hide a street over on top of another mansion’s roof and they hadn’t seen everything, but they’d seen enough. There were some powerful-looking vampires and it seemed as if they’d been working with Erin and that giant male who was her partner. Whoever those vamps were could definitely be a complication, but Chris and his brother had the wealthy vamps on their side so it eased his lingering fear. Unfortunately Erin was another problem he hadn’t counted on. He’d discovered she was the enforcer they’d been worried about so her presence in addition to those vampires was disconcerting. Not enough to make him leave though.
Ignoring his brother’s worries, he glanced at his watch. Three a.m. Like clockwork, sixty seconds later a light in one of the upstairs bedrooms came on. He watched as they continued to flick on, making a trail through various rooms until the kitchen light illuminated the downstairs left window. Curtains covered the window but he’d scoped out the house before. Well, he’d hired a human criminal to break in and take pictures and get the layout so neither he nor his brother would leave a scent behind. Then he’d killed the thug.
“We still have four women,” Malcolm continued.
“Exactly and they’re all too weak. We need another source.” And the female shifter in the townhome they were watching was their next victim. Their human Kelly had picked her out so they knew a little about her. Young feline shifter, forty-five years old, first pregnancy, and only two months along. Still lots of time to drain her of plenty of blood. If they didn’t want to lose any more females until they were ready to kill them, they had to conserve their resources.
Unfortunately this female had a very protective mate. Well, all the previous mates of the females they’d taken had been protective too, but now that word of the kidnappings had spread through the city, everyone was being more vigilant. Chris wouldn’t let that stop him though. They were slowly learning this female’s schedule and soon enough they’d find an opening in it and take her when the time was right.
Malcolm shifted nervously in his seat. “Come on, let’s get the hell out of here. I feel like we’re targets sitting on a main street in a stolen truck. Plus we need to make that delivery soon.”
Gritting his teeth, Chris conceded that his brother was actually right. They needed to just buy a new vehicle with cash so they wouldn’t have to worry about being stopped by the human police. He didn’t want to have to be forced into killing a cop. That would bring more trouble their way and they couldn’t afford that right now.
They s
till had to make an unplanned delivery before dawn. He’d received a text right after they’d bombed Screamers that one of his best-paying customers was running low on product. Unfortunately he and his brother were too. Their demand was growing, yet they hadn’t managed to take another shifter yet. He’d almost said no to his customer, but had decided against it. They’d get this female soon enough and if they had to drain her or one of the others, so be it.
Erin moved against the soft sheets, her heart racing out of control. Sweat blossomed across her face and covered her neck and had started to drip between her breasts despite the chill in the room. The flames in the fireplace had dwindled to almost nothing and it was snowing outside, the wind battering her window. The eerie howls of the wind felt like a reminder that she couldn’t let her guard down.
It didn’t matter that this small band of male shifters had taken her in and had been kind to her. What if they turned on her? What if . . .
She tensed and pulled the sheet up to her neck as the door to her bedroom opened. Immediately the tension fled her body. It was just Noah.
He was one of the biggest, most intimidating shifters she’d ever met, but deep down she knew this male would die to protect her. His mere presence dispersed the stupid fears she’d latched onto about this pack. Connor and his wolves would never hurt her.
Hell, even her wolf knew that, but when she was left alone she let her mind wander and sometimes worked herself up. The wind had woken her up a few minutes ago and she’d started internally freaking out for no reason. Only a month had passed since they’d found her in that disgusting alley but it seemed like a lifetime ago. As if that was some other female who’d almost died.
Now she was in upstate New York on her new pack’s secluded land trying to get her shit together. Connor, his brother Liam, and the rest of the Armstrong pack had taken her in with no question. They’d been so kind to her and asked for nothing in return.
“You okay?” Noah asked softly as he stepped into the room. The way he walked was as if he was literally moving over eggshells.
He was like that with her and though she hadn’t seen him interact with many other females, something in her gut told her that he wasn’t like this with everyone. Just her. He was so protective, almost like a mother hen. After what she’d been through, she was soaking up his caring nature like a sponge.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just . . . restless.” She still didn’t know him well enough to open up to him about her past, but she was honest enough. The thought of lying to him did something strange to her insides. Okay, his presence did something strange to her. She just wasn’t sure what it was.
He stepped farther into the room until he was at the edge of her bed. She was wearing a thin tank top and pajama pants but she held the sheet up to her as a small barrier. “You can sit.”
He did, but on the edge of the bed and he perched so close to the end it looked as if he might fall off. “I thought I heard . . .” He cleared his throat and continued. “I just wanted to check on you. Feel like going for a run?”
She didn’t think she’d made any noises in her sleep loud enough to draw anyone from another room so she wondered if he’d been sleeping outside her door again. She’d caught him once in wolf form dozing out there and had told him it was unnecessary. He hadn’t exactly agreed though. He’d just grunted a nonresponse and walked away.
Erin glanced at the clock. It was five o’clock in the morning. The sun wouldn’t be up for another hour or so, but her wolf could definitely stretch her legs. And the thought of going running with Noah before anyone else had risen was exhilarating. “Just me and you?”
He nodded, his dark eyes glinting with something he quickly covered. It looked a lot like lust. “Yeah,” he rasped out before quickly standing and turning away from her. “I’ll wait on the front porch for you.”
So he’d already be shifted and waiting for her, which sadly meant she wouldn’t get to see him naked. Something she shouldn’t even be thinking about. All the males had been so careful about shifting in front of her, especially Noah. But the more days that passed, she became more and more curious about what he would look like without any clothes. And she never wondered about the other pack members.
Just him.
Erin’s eyes flew open as she jerked against a tight hold . . . Noah. It was just Noah. And they were in New Orleans, not New York. Without turning over to look at the clock, she knew it was still too early to get up. The room was way too dark and if she was being honest, she wanted to snag just a little more time in Noah’s embrace.
Half asleep, he murmured something soothing to her and nuzzled the side of her neck with his face. Even in human form, he sometimes acted like a wolf. Sighing, she closed her eyes and decided to steal just a bit more of this precious time with him because she knew it wouldn’t last forever.
Chapter 12
Brianna poured herself a cup of coffee before sitting down at the small, round kitchen table to reread the list of bloodborn names Erin had given her and Angelo. After scouring the house of the dead human female last night, she and Angelo had met up with two more of her vampire contacts. They had been neither helpful nor particularly polite to Angelo. That alone angered her beyond belief.
And now Marcus wasn’t answering her calls. If he was somehow involved in this, she would destroy him. But deep down, she knew he wasn’t.
She’d been extremely surprised to see Ian in New Orleans and working with such an obviously young group of vampires no less. Last she’d heard he’d been in Europe somewhere and was being groomed to eventually join the Brethren. She was sure there was a story about why he was here now, but she didn’t have time to worry about it. Not until these females were found.
As she lifted her mug to her lips she felt more than heard Angelo enter the room. His big hands settled on her shoulders and he dropped a kiss on the top of her head. Her sense of smell wasn’t nearly as strong as his, but he reminded her of the forest with his wild and clean scent. “Why didn’t you wake me?” he murmured sleepily.
She tilted her head up to look at him. His dark hair was mussed sexily and she knew there was no way he’d done it intentionally. The slight curve of his normally hard mouth made her shiver as she remembered how he’d taken her hard and fast from behind last night. She’d climaxed so quickly it surprised her. Then he’d held her with such gentleness until they’d both fallen asleep. The thought of waking up in his arms every morning was so appealing. Okay, more than just appealing. She wanted it so bad she ached for it. This sexy shifter had gotten under her skin so quickly that her entire world was offkilter. He made her want things she knew she had no business dreaming about. Not when they came from such vastly different worlds. She squashed the thought as she smiled at him. “You looked so peaceful, like a big feline, I didn’t want to disturb you.”
He growled softly and leaned down to nip her earlobe. “I told you not to compare me to a freaking cat.”
Brianna couldn’t hold back her grin. She wasn’t used to teasing or playing, but this big lupine shifter made it so easy. “Why not? You’re as pretty as one.” It drove him insane when she called him pretty, which made it that much more fun to do. When he got worked up, they usually ended up in bed. Or on the floor. Or on the kitchen table. She didn’t care where as long as she was with him.
Those hazel eyes of his narrowed. “Damn, you’re good. I know what you’re doing.”
“And what would that be?” She widened her eyes, trying to look innocent.
“Goading me into taking you right on the kitchen table.” He stood and headed for the full coffeepot on the counter, but she didn’t miss his erection before he turned from her.
“Do I truly have to goad you into anything?” She struggled to hide her laugh.
He turned back to her and she could tell he was fighting a smile. “You know you don’t. What are you looking at?”
All thoughts of teasing fled her as she slid the list of names to the side. Angelo picked it up and was si
lent for a moment. He’d already looked at it the night before. They had also scanned the laptop they’d retrieved before handing it over to Erin. Neither of them had found much of interest. There had been a lot of pictures, some downloaded bank statements—the recent ones showing very large deposits that didn’t fit with a Pilates instructor’s salary. Brianna knew her way around computers well enough even if she did hate the damn things and something she’d noticed last night kept bugging her. The storage space on the computer was almost completely full, but she couldn’t figure out why. Not with the simple amount of files on it.
“What are you thinking?” Angelo asked as he took a seat next to her.
The man seemed to dwarf everything in the room, especially when he was this close. She shrugged. “Nothing important.” Well, nothing she could pinpoint at the moment so it wasn’t worth bringing up.
Watching her, he was silent for a long moment before he said, “What time are we meeting your contact again?”
“An hour.”
His hazel eyes glinted almost wickedly at her answer and before she could even think about saying more, he’d scooped her off her seat and had her straddling him. Her thighs stretched around him as he pushed the long T-shirt she was wearing up to her waist. She’d snagged it off the floor this morning. It was his and she liked the way his scent wrapped around her. Of course he would prefer she walked around naked, but she couldn’t do it. Shifters were so unabashed in their nudity and maybe one day she would adjust, but she doubted it.
“I like my scent on you,” he said before dipping his head to her neck where he gently nuzzled her. He growled softly as he did, a sound that made her shiver in a very good way.
Last night when he had refused to tell Erin Marcus’s name it had surprised her. The cynical part of her had briefly wondered if he planned to tell the redheaded shifter later when Brianna wasn’t around, but she’d quickly dismissed that. Angelo was a man of his word and he had promised her and Marcus. Even if he did not care for the vampire—at all—or even trust him at this point, Angelo would not betray him. In the fae world, her people often said one thing, but did another. Not the warriors, but the majority of the royalty had no problem lying and playing politics. Human politicians had nothing on the fae royalty.
