by T. S. Ryder
A screech. Donna rounded the van, claws sprouting from her fingertips. She made a beeline for Kayla. Quin howled in pain and leaped in her path. Donna slashed at him
Kayla turned on her heel. She raced back to her car and climbed in, locking the doors behind her. Could vampires break car windows? She fumbled with her keys. What could she do? Why hadn't she learned more about the vampires so that she could actually help in this situation?
Eric released the coven leader, turning to bite the vampires surrounding her. Quin had Donna clamped between his teeth; she was struggling wildly, clawing at his nose and face. Blood poured from the scratches she opened up, but he didn't release her.
The coven leader jumped to his feet. His gaze narrowed in on Kayla and he dashed for her. Kayla threw the car into gear and stomped on the gas. The vampire snarled, jumping at the last second. He landed lightly on the hood of the car–the others weren't so lucky. As Eric jumped out of her way, Kayla plowed through the vampires, sending them sprawling every which way.
The coven leader punched a fist through the windshield. And then Eric had him in his jaws, tearing him away. Snarls and screams filled the air. A piercing shout made her shudder.
And then all was silent.
The vampires drew away. They formed a group, knees bent and hands up, baring their long fangs and hissing. Eric growled as he faced them. He spat something out of his mouth–Kayla had a suspicion that it was a head–and threw his head back. He howled, deep and long. The vampires cowered back from him.
With Quin still struggling to hold Donna, Eric shifted. Kayla's heart was in her throat. Her knuckles were white as she clutched at the steering wheel. What if the vampires attacked while Eric was in his Human form? Blood ran in rivulets down his body, but he stood tall as he faced the vampires. They backed away from him, clumping together in a tighter group.
"I did not want it to come to this," he said. "I want peace, not to kill each other. But if you don't find a way to let that happen, I will kill every last one of you to protect my mate and child. You have lived anonymously here for years. You are not a danger to the human population. You don't have to be a danger to me or my pack. We can find a way to live in peace."
The vampires glanced at one another, but Kayla's gaze was drawn to where Quin and Donna still struggled. Quin shifted, his arms tightening around her. Donna's face was twisted in pain, her whimpers mixing with screams as she reached towards Kayla. Her fangs flashed in the dim light.
How could there be peace when the vampires had turned Donna into something like that against her will?
"Donna!" Quin twisted her around to look at him. "Donna, look at me. I love you. Donna, I love you!"
The newly-formed vampire's struggles wilted. She sagged against Quin, burying her face into his chest. Her shoulders shook for a moment before she turned towards Eric.
"He wanted a war. The coven leader. He told me. That's why he changed me. He wanted to provoke you. He had no interest in peace. He's been lying to all the vampires, saying that you killed that vampire he sent to duel you… Except he said he sent him to negotiate."
"Take her back to the pack," Eric said quietly to Quin. "We'll find a way to help you through this, Donna."
Quin scooped her into his arms and strode away. The rest of the vampires left glanced at one another. One of them stepped forward, shoulders thrown back. "We do not want to die."
"Good. Because I do not want to kill you. So, you will give me my daughter, and my mate will take her home. But I will stay and we will talk about how to proceed from here."
Kayla's throat was dry as the vampire nodded slowly. Her hands shook. Would this really be the end? Could they really have the peace they so desperately wanted now?
Chapter Ten – Eric
Eric grinned broadly at the commercial that Kayla had developed for the community garden project. Showing images of young and old alike gardening, it went through the steps of what needed to be done before reassuring the people it was free to use for everybody. They'd been getting overwhelmingly positive feedback from the project, and it was thanks to the marketing plan Kayla had put in place.
The Alpha stretched his legs, considering everything that had changed in the past few months. Kayla and Mikayla had moved in permanently, as the boxes that were still in various states of being unpacked were a testament to. Mikayla was comfortable being outside again, though she still crawled into bed with her parents at some point every night. It would take some time to get over her experiences, but she was getting there.
And the vampires had finally accepted that he wasn't out to get them. Since he killed the previous coven leader, he'd been able to actually talk with them all and develop a plan that was beneficial to everyone. As such, he was building them a new home.
Instead of being crammed into the two grain elevators that didn't have the space for them to have privacy or even room to do much more than hunker in their own little corner, they were getting a house. Fully furnished bedrooms would be provided for each of the coven members. What they seemed to be most excited about was the air conditioning and the blind-shutters that they could open at night after the sun went down. Apparently, things got very hot and stuffy in the grain elevators.
All in all, things were looking up for everybody involved.
"Hey, has my commercial come on yet?" Kayla leaned over the back of the couch, stealing one of the potato chips he had in a bowl.
"You just missed it." Eric straightened. He pulled her over the back of the couch and nestled her into his arms, kissing the back of her neck. She moaned lightly and wiggled her butt against him. With a grin, Eric kissed her again.
"Mikayla asleep?"
Kayla nodded. "Yeah. She's out like a light. And I think she might end up sleeping the whole night…"
Eric laughed and buried his face in her neck, but Kayla didn't relax the way he wished she would. With a frown, he straightened again.
"Is something wrong?"
"I was just thinking about Donna and Quin. I tried calling her today, but I couldn't get hold of her. Have you heard from Quin at all?"
Eric's face fell into its own frown. There was nothing that could be done to change Donna back from the vampire she had become, but Quin wasn't going to just give up on her. They had headed up into the mountains, far away from any human civilization, to help her adjust to her transformation. They were taking it little by little, and so far things were turning out quite well. Not good enough that Donna could return to human civilization, but Quin was hopeful that Kayla and Donna could start having supervised visits soon.
"I talked to him this morning. They both are sounding very optimistic. And I think they're finding other ways to make their isolation bearable, if you know what I mean."
Kayla relaxed, a knowing smirk crossing her face. "Oh, I know. Well, at least one good thing came from it. They're getting lots of alone time without us interrupting them… and we get alone time without Quin bursting in on us. I just wish…"
Eric squeezed her hand. "I think that they might be able to get Donna adjusted enough to be back by the end of this year, or the beginning of next."
"I hope you're right. I miss my best friend."
"I know. But in the meantime, maybe I can distract you?"
He nuzzled her neck again. Kayla laughed, wrapping an arm around his neck and tilting her head back to give him better access. He loved the feel of her fingers brushing through his hair, tugging it to the ends, the soft whisper of her fingertips against his scalp.
"You never told me about the position you wanted to try," he whispered in her ear. "You know, the one that you 'researched'… Hmm… I still wonder what you were doing researching sexual positions…"
"I think you know exactly what I was doing," Kayla moaned breathlessly as he began undoing the buttons of her blouse, still nibbling at her neck. "And unless you stop teasing me about it, maybe I'll never tell you."
He squeezed her two lush breasts, moaning in desire as she ground her
backside more firmly against him. His loins tightened, sending shivers down his spine, and it took all his strength to stop himself from tearing off her clothes and taking her on all fours like animals. She didn't like it when he wrecked her clothes, even though he could easily buy her replacements. So he forced himself to be slow as he fumbled with the catch on her jeans.
Kayla giggled, still combing her fingers through his hair. "Need some help?"
"No," Eric grunted as he finally got it undone. He pushed the jeans off her hips. "There we go! Now…"
He slipped a hand between her legs. As he found her sweet spot, she arched herself from him, increasing the friction between his hand and her body. Her head fell back against his shoulder. Eric laughed, kissed her neck, and pushed her pants off her hips. He held one thigh, bringing her knee to her chest before working at her again.
"Will you tell me now?" he whispered in a low, husky voice.
Kayla groaned, digging her hands into his jeans. "Tell you what?"
"The position you're eager to try."
"Never."
Eric let her go. She cried out in protest, but he merely shifted her off his lap. Turning, he knelt between her legs as she slumped on the couch. He lowered his head; as soon as his mouth made contact, she let out a scream and her whole body jerked towards him. Eric drew back, startled by her response.
Kayla pressed her hands over her face and burst into embarrassed giggles. "I'm sorry."
"Well, that was quite a reaction… Are you sure you don't want to tell me what you want?"
"I want you to take me from behind," she mumbled, her face still hidden. "But laying down, on our sides, with you playing with my breasts."
Eric almost laughed. "That's not as scandalous as I was thinking. Come here."
He pulled her from the couch and laid her on her side. She started giggling even more, squirming in his grasp as he laid behind her. But once he took off his jeans and pressed against her, the giggles turned into a moan. He was already prepared for her, her intoxicating presence all he needed. The way her eyes fluttered as he pushed into her nearly finished him; she was so beautiful, so sexy. So perfectly formed for this.
"I love you," he whispered, holding her tight as he started up a steady rhythm. "I love your strength and kindness and intelligence… I love everything about you."
Kayla moaned in response. Her hands ran up and down his arms, her body already trembling, on the edge. Eric buried his face into the back of her neck, gritting his teeth against his arousal. He needed this to go on much longer than it had. He needed to give her the pleasure she deserved, to give her everything a woman as beautiful as she was needed.
When panting turned to grunts and grunts turned to screams of pleasure, Eric couldn’t hold it any longer. With Kayla writhing in his arms, he found his completion. Both of them grew still, gasping for breath. Kayla moaned as she rested her head back against him.
"Is it just me, or does that get better every time we do it?" she asked breathlessly.
Eric's mind was too scattered for him to recognize the words, let alone reply to them. He clung to Kayla's warmth, eventually coming back to himself enough to press a kiss to the back of her neck. "Wow."
Kayla giggled. "We're going to have to try out new positions more often."
"Yes. And maybe do some 'research' together." Eric chuckled. "And the best thing is, we have our whole lives ahead of us to find out exactly what works best for us."
"Yeah." Kayla slowly moved away from him before she rolled to press her body firmly against his with her arms around him. "And you know what else? Everything that scared me before is gone. I have no more doubts, my love. No more fears. You and I are meant to be, and I can't wait to spend every moment of the rest of my life with you."
Eric pulled her tighter, his whole body feeling relaxed and warm. His eyes slid shut. "Me either. And when we're ready, we'll have more children. What do you think about three in total?"
"I don’t know about that… but what do you think about another baby in eight months?"
His eyes snapped open. He stared down at Kayla in wonderment. She grinned broadly and nodded. Eric felt a well of happiness burst inside him. With a shout of joy, he jumped to his feet and started dancing. Kayla laughed at him until he pulled her up with him. They spun in a circle, stark naked, laughing and dancing together.
*****
THE END
The Bear Detective's Mate
Description
A personal assistant who comes under attack PLUS a hot Bear detective assigned to protect her PLUS a conspiracy they have to uncover!
Curvy Ana Medina is sick of unlucky romances and focuses on her job - being the PA to a Senator fighting for Shifter Rights. But they have enemies and when there’s an assassination attack on the Senator and herself, she is put in protective custody.
Detective Joseph Baker has found his mate. At least, that’s what his Bear tells him. Joseph doesn’t want a mate, but no matter how he tells his Bear to shut up, he can’t help himself when he’s around her. He’s supposed to protect her, but her luscious curves, delicious scent and mocha-kissed skin call out to him.
Police rules forbid intimacy between the two, which proves to be a challenge. All Ana can think about is the muscles that ripple all over him, his dress shirt that stretches over his perfect pecs and those buttons strained to keep it closed. Too bad he’s proving himself to be a class-A jerk.
Joseph tries to protect her any way he can but the attackers will stop at nothing and Ana and Joseph have to work together to uncover a conspiracy, even if that means that Joseph has to pretend to be her boyfriend.
Can they resist the undeniable attraction to each other? Will they stay alive under the string of attacks? And can they find out who the enemy is?
Chapter One
Ana Medina turned off the video camera. Her boss, Senator Seth Fischer, was practicing the speech he would make before parliament the next day and had elected to record it so he could hear for himself how it sounded.
Everything needed to be perfect if he was going to convince the other senators that the proposed Shifter Registry was unconstitutional and posed a risk to shifter lives. It could neither be too harsh nor too mellow; he could not attack his opponents or even appear to be doing that or they'd argue his arguments were against a straw man and not the real issues; he had to deliver it passionately, but not emotionally.
It was a headache, but Ana was more than happy to help him perfect his delivery. After all, the Shifter Registry Act was just one step away from a Shifter Detainment Act and she wasn't going to just sit around and watch American citizens have their hard-earned rights stripped from them. Ana wasn't a shifter herself, but that made little difference to her. People were people.
"Let's see the playback," Seth said. He sat in his chair, loosening his tie. "Politics are going to be the death of me."
"You're making the world a better place," Ana replied comfortingly. "Little shifters all over the country are watching you on television, thinking that they can be anything they want to be, because you are standing up to the voices that would tramp them down."
"Thank you, Ana. It means a lot, especially these days." He smiled at her.
But before she could return the smile the window shattered. Glass sprayed every which way. A flower of blood bloomed on Seth's shoulder.
Ana acted on instinct, throwing herself over the senator's desk to tackle him to the ground. Bullets ripped holes in the wall where his head had been and Ana spread her body out over her boss, trying to shield as much of him as possible. He tried to shift her off him, but she held tightly. A PA was replaceable. A senator with Seth's popularity was not.
The door burst open and two security guards rushed in. Both zeroed in on the window, standing on either side with their guns drawn, but the bullets had stopped. Not that their handguns could do much against a sniper rifle. One of them drew the blinds, blocking the room from the shooter.
It was only then, after
the immediate danger was over, that Ana actually realized what had happened. It wasn't some random shooting, it had been as assassination attempt. Her limbs began shaking and her throat went utterly dry.
Somebody had just tried to kill the senator. She had no doubt that they would have had no problems killing her, too, if she happened to be in their way.
"Are you okay?" Seth gripped his arm but peered up at Ana with worried eyes.
"I'm fine."
She realized she was still laying over him and pulled herself up. If she and Seth didn't have the brother-sister relationship that they did, that could have been very awkward.
"You were hit," Ana said. "We need to get you out of here and bandage that up. I'm going to call 9-1-1."
She fished her cell phone from her pocket and reported what had happened, still crouched behind the desk with her boss, peeking warily at the window. But with the blinds drawn and the two guards in the room, it seemed like the attack was over.
Seth winced as he clutched his injury. He attempted to stand and Ana had to loop her arm around his waist to support him. She might be in shock, but from the pallor of his face and the fact that he had been shot, Seth was clearly off worse. He wasn't letting that stop him, though.
"Ward, call up the captain of the seventh precinct. He's an old friend of mine and I want his team handling this."
One of the guards nodded and whipped out his phone. Ana helped Seth to another room, this one without windows. The guards cleared everybody out of the surrounding rooms, just in case. Ana helped Seth lay on the floor and went to her desk of get her first aid kit.
Until the buildings around them were cleared and it was determined that there were no more snipers in the area, Seth wouldn't be leaving the building. She had to get the bleeding under control.
Snipers.
Ana choked back bile. Just our luck that there would be an assassination attempt now when shifter tensions are running so high...
