Alphas Unwrapped: 21 New Steamy Paranormal Tales of Shifters, Vampires, Werewolves, Dragons, Witches, Angels, Demons, Fey, and More

by Michele Bardsley

  Gabe felt Hope’s arms creep around his neck, her fingers delving into his hair, and he looked up.

  Her eyes were dark green with desire. Her bottom lip seemed swollen as if she had bitten into the tender flesh.

  “Hello,” she said in sleep-tinged voice.

  “Hi.” He caressed her cheek. “Babe, what’s going on? You had a nightmare, a bad one.”

  Her expression blanked. “I did?”

  “You said I was going to die.”

  She turned pale and swallowed hard. “I don’t remember, Gabe.” She lightly scraped her fingers across his unshaven jaw. “It was just a dream.”

  He opened his mouth to question her further, but she reached up and kissed him. He felt her hand wrap around his cock. “What’s this?” she asked throatily, stroking his hard-on.

  “That’s my happy meter,” he said.

  “You mean horny meter?”

  “To-may-to. To-mah-to.”

  She cupped his balls, playing with them briefly before returning to the long strokes.

  He groaned as she worked a sweet magic. His hand traveled down her side, across the flat expanse of her stomach until he found the very center of her. She shifted underneath him, opening eagerly as he slipped a finger inside her wet heat.

  “God, woman,” he said tightly as he positioned himself above her and slowly slipped inside. Apparently impatient with his slow seduction, she gripped his hips and arched against him, urging him to take her. A hot emotion burst inside him. He knew she would never tell him no, never deny him all the physical pleasure.

  She grasped him with her inner muscles. Excitement rushed through him, made him grab her hips to plunge deeper inside her. All control slipped away, and Gabe held onto her hips pumping into her. His thumb found her most sensitive spot, stroking gently. Liquid desire poured through him, a vortex of feeling that spiraled up, spreading tendrils of heat and light through his body.

  “That’s it, sweetheart. Yes,” Gabe said in a low voice, as she grabbed onto his shoulders and began to buck her hips. Gabe thrust deeply, his orgasm cresting, when she shattered around him. He moved his hands to her hips again and pulled her close to keep himself inside her. The aftermath of her climax tugged at his cock. She felt so good, so tight, so wet… he cried out as his release rushed through him.

  He rolled off, gathered her close, and they clung to each other, silent, until they both fell back asleep.

  THE POUNDING WOULDN’T stop. Over and over, the obnoxious sounds continued until Hope put the pillow on her head and buried herself deeper into the sheets. Still the knocking didn’t cease. Wait. Knocking? She dragged the pillow away from her face and listened.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Pearson, are you awake?” Elias’ voice filtered through the cabin’s door. Hope heard Gabe groan then his dark, shaggy head popped up.

  He blinked. “Who the hell is that?”

  “It’s Elias. Want me to get it?”

  He fixed her with a bleary, blood-shot look and slowly nodded. She suppressed the urge to grin and give him shit for not being a morning person. She watched as he sank into the mattress and promptly closed his eyes.

  “Uh, hello?” Elias hollered.

  With an amused look at Gabe, Hope bounded off the bed, tugged on her jeans and sweater, then hurried to the door and opened it. Elias stood on the small porch hunkered in a gray overcoat. She was surprised to see the bright blue sky and sparkling snow at least two feet high around the cabin.

  “Good morning, Elias. Wow! The snowstorm moved on, huh?”

  “Howdy, young lady. Yep. Roads are cleared and phones are working.”

  The crisp, sweet scent of cinnamon rolls bit into the cold morning air. Her eyes were drawn to a plate of gooey pastries sprinkled with cinnamon that Elias’ held in his left hand.

  “Are those for us?” she asked, her mouth watering.

  “Yep. Mary sent ‘em.” Elias handed her the plate, and she eagerly took it.

  “Tell her thank you,” Hope said. Her thoughts turned to the sleeping man behind her. Their stolen time together was over.

  “Should Gabe and I call a cab?”

  Elias laughed. “Won’t get cab service out here even on a good day. I’ll take you to Tahoe soon as y’all are ready to go.” He looked at his watch. “It’s a little after ten now. What say we meet up at the office about noon?”

  “Thank you. You’re very kind.”

  “It’s my pleasure, missy. Well, enjoy yourselves,” he said with a wink.

  She felt the sting of a blush on her cheeks as she shut the door. She took the rolls into the tiny kitchen, put them on the counter, and opened the fridge. Bottles of orange juice, water, and tomato juice were lined up like little soldiers on the top shelf. She grabbed two bottles of orange juice.

  “Hey, are you going to hog breakfast?” Gabe mock-growled from the bed. She closed the refrigerator door and turned around to look at him. He had his arms behind his head and was watching her through half-closed eyes. Her gaze was drawn to his naked chest.

  “Your morning attitude still sucks. Orange juice?”

  “Yep. Bring those buns over here,” he said. “Oh. And the cinnamon rolls.”

  “Ha. Ha.” She grabbed the plate and carried it to him. He sat up and plucked a sticky roll from the fragrant pile. He took a bite, and sighed with happiness. “These are good. Not Amelia good, but nobody can bake like her.”

  Amelia had gotten the entire Pearson clan hooked on her honey cinnamon rolls. And Gabe wasn’t kidding. Amelia was the best baker on this side of Mississippi.

  “Elias said the phones are working. All we have to do is get dressed and go to the office.”

  “If the land lines are fixed, maybe the cell towers are, too.”

  She watched him scoot off the bed, grab his jeans and tug them on. She fished her phone out of her purse and looked at the bars. She had none. She tried Gran’s number anyway, and got silence for her efforts. “Damn.”

  Gabe scooped his smart phone off the nightstand and stabbed the screen before putting it to his ear. “Guess the cell towers are still out.”

  AFTER SHOWERING AND getting dressed, Hope and Gabe left the cabin and walked down the cleared stone path to the tiny rental office. Elias stood behind counter, sipping a steaming cup of coffee. Gabe insisted on giving cash to cover the costs of the long distance calls, and Elias finally gave in and took the $100 bill.

  “I’ll leave you to make your calls in private while I go warm up the car.”

  Elias left, and Hope looked at the state maps on a wire rack as Gabe called for a tow truck and arranged a rental car once they got to Tahoe. Next, he called his insurance company. She discovered a candy display by the door, and immediately spied seven different kinds of chocolate. Her mouth started to water. Chocolate counted as food, right?

  “Okay, we’re set,” said Gabe as he put the receiver back into the cradle. “Got a guy who will tow the Jeep to Tahoe and fix it up. We have a rental car waiting for us, too. Just for the hell of it, I tried Donna’s apartment. Nothing.”

  “We’ll find them,” said Hope. She touched his arm. “Keep—”

  She felt electrified, as though Gabriel were an unsafe conduit that she accidentally touched. She was mentally thrown forward into swirling chaos that soon became…

  Donna yelling.

  Joey crying.

  A tall, well-dressed man with handsome features and a vicious smile held the little boy by his coat collar.

  “No!” Donna made a grab for her son. The man backhanded her. She fell, cradling her cheek. Blood mixed with her tears as she rose to her knees and reached out for Joey. The man slapped her arms away.

  “You never should’ve taken my son. He belongs to me.”

  “We aren’t possessions, Evan! You don’t own us.”

  “You ungrateful bitch.” He curled his free hand into a fist and punched her. Donna collapsed.

  Joey’s sobs turned into terrified screams.

  “Hope? Hope!”r />
  “We have to go,” she said, sagging against Gabe. “Donna and Joey are in trouble. We need to hurry.”

  THE DRIVE TO the rental car agency in Tahoe seemed to take forever. Worry knotted Hope’s neck muscles, and Gabe’s silence was rife with recrimination. Elias seemed to sense the tension and turned on the radio to a swing band station.

  Once they arrived, Hope leaned kissed Elias on the cheek. “Thank you.”

  “My pleasure, young lady.”

  She climbed out of the car and waited for Gabe to say good-bye to Elias. Thankfully, getting the rental car took very little time, and they were on the road again, driving into the mountains toward Donna and Joey’s cottage.

  “How do you think her ex-husband found her?” asked Hope.

  “I don’t know. He lives in Boston, which is why we settled Donna and Joey on the West Coast. New names. New identities. New job. New school. We took every precaution. But Evan Phillips is a vengeful prick with very deep pockets.” He smacked the steering wheel. “Damn it.”

  “It’s not your fault, Gabe.”

  “Every contingency should’ve been covered. I swore to Donna that she and Joey would be safe.” He pulled onto a paved driveway curving up a small rise. He parked in front of a home that looked like a country English cottage. It should’ve invoked feelings of comfort and coziness, but instead it oozed with terror. Bad intentions. Pain.

  Gabe jogged up the steps. Hope followed, feeling like a badly stitched doll. Her arms and legs didn’t want to work right, but she managed to stand beside Gabe without grabbing onto him for support. Gabe unlocked the door and ushered her inside.

  Her guts immediately started cramping. Gabe was right. The house appeared undisturbed. One would think that Donna and Joey had simply gone on vacation. On a metaphysical level, however, it was chaos. Fear. Terror. Hatred. This horrible mix of emotions left by victims and perpetrator assailed her, knocking the breath right out of her and causing physical pain. She walked to the living room where the feelings intensified.

  “Babe?”

  “I’m okay. I need to go room to room,” she said. She opened her purse and took out her digital recorder. “I’ll record everything I see and feel.”

  Gabe nodded. He started shucking off his clothes. “I’m going to shift and sniff around.” Naked, he strode out the back patio doors, starting his shift as he sank to all fours. He was a magnificent creature—both man and beast.

  Hope inhaled a steady breath and began her walk-through. The living room still had echoes of the argument. She traveled down the hallway, went into both bedrooms, and even stood in the only bathroom. No bad vibes in this part of the house. Whatever happened started in the living room. She returned to that space and instantly felt sick again. Nausea roiled in her stomach as she stepped into the small kitchen. Shit. The horrid feelings were even stronger in here.

  She saw a door that she thought led to the pantry, but when she opened it, she saw instead a wooden staircase that disappeared into the darkness below. Donna’s cottage had a basement.

  Her fingernails dug into the paint as an image flashed.

  Evan carried the limp form of his ex-wife into the kitchen. He called over his shoulder, “Joey stay in the living room.”

  “Don’t hurt Mommy anymore!”

  “I’m not hurting her. She’s just taking a nap.” He opened the basement door and muttered, “A permanent one.”

  Hope dragged in shuddering breaths. Were they too late? Had Evan killed Donna and kidnapped Joey?

  Hope dug around in the kitchen drawers until she found a small flashlight. She aimed it down the stairs, using the tiny beam to guide her into the shadows. She felt around on the wall for a light switch. Instead she felt a heavy string slap her face. She reached up and pulled it. Light flooded the area, revealing thick concrete walls, a washer and dryer, and a large metal rack filled with an assortment of tools, holiday decorations, books, and other random items.

  No Donna.

  I’m missing something.

  The cramping and nausea were even worse down here. She walked the space, looking for anything that set off her psychic alarms.

  The left side of the metal rack was askew. She tugged objects off the bottom shelves and peered at the back wall.

  There was a large square panel. A knob placed at the bottom edge meant the door could be opened.

  Feeling like she was on the right track, she moved the shelving system. Items fell off and bounced along the floor, but it wasn’t the mess she was worried about. Once she had enough space, she grabbed the knob and yanked.

  The whole panel fell off, clattering to the bare floor with a loud clang.

  A low moan issued from its dark depths. Hope poked her head through and immediately saw Donna curled into a ball, her hair matted with blood.

  “Donna? C’mon, honey. We’re getting you out of there.” Hope reached in and took the woman under the armpits and dragged her into the basement. She laid her flat and checked for injuries. Donna moaned when Hope felt along her arm. Sprain or break, maybe.

  Shit. She couldn’t tell Gabe about Donna until he reappeared in his human form. Getting Donna up the stairs wasn’t going to happen. Hope didn’t have the strength to carry her. She brushed hair away from Donna’s pale, bruised face.

  Shit. She couldn’t tell Gabe about finding Donna until he reappeared in his human form. Getting the injured woman up the stairs wasn’t going to happen. Hope didn’t have the strength to carry her. She brushed hair away from Donna’s pale, bruised face.

  Donna’s hand shot up and grabbed her wrist. Her bloodshot gaze pinned Hope’s. “Evan and Joey… snowstorm.” She closed her eyes and swallowed hard. “Heard him say… Fannette Island.”

  “Sshh,” soothed Hope. “We’ll find Joey. Everything will be all right.”

  Donna slipped into unconsciousness. However, the badly injured woman didn’t let go of Hope’s wrist.

  The vision slammed into her mind with an almost physical force.

  The little boy’s fearful brown eyes were on hers. She saw the tiny scar above his eyebrow, the freckles sprinkled across his nose, his tiny mouth open in a silent scream. Surrounded by darkness and blinding snow, she struggled toward the bound boy. She smelled the wet earth, felt the rocks scrape her hands as she fell. She scrambled to her feet and ran. The unending drops of water soaked her shivering skin, but she pushed onward.

  Almost there. Almost there. Almost there.

  With a lunge, she wrapped her arms around the terrified boy. The resignation in his brown eyes chilled her. He whispered, “You’re too late.”

  She followed his sad gaze to the body that lay next to him.

  Gabe was on his back, a gaping wound in his chest, his eyes locked in an unseeing stare. Snow had already started to cover his body made cold by death.

  Hope jerked her hand from Donna’s grip, her heart pounding erratically.

  It was exactly as she feared. Gabe being within her radius would lead to his death, especially if her stubborn ex-fiancé tried to rescue Joey. She was being shown the future now. A future she could change. This was her opportunity to save him.

  AFTER THE AMBULANCE left with an unconscious Donna and the police had finished taking statements, Gabe and Hope returned to the empty house. From the moment Donna gave her clues about Joey’s location, Hope had been formulating ways to save the boy and Gabe. No matter which way she came at it, she could only see one solution.

  She had to go alone.

  So, she hadn’t told Gabe everything when he asked if Donna has said anything, only that Evan had taken Joey. The police issued an all-points bulletin and an Amber Alert. Even with the police working the case now, she couldn’t trust that they would find Joey in time, or that Gabe would give up on finding Donna’s son. No, he would put himself in harm’s way without a second thought. Gabe was insanely good at tracking. It’d be foolish to think he wouldn’t find her. All she had to do was stay one step ahead until she’d nullified the threat t
o Gabe and saved Joey.

  “There’s no way Evan drove out of town last night. He had to be pinned in by the weather, just like we were,” said Gabe. “I’ve checked the Reno-Tahoe Airport and they’re still delaying flights. And no one can even get to the Sacramento International Airport. With another snowstorm brewing, we might be in for another brutal night.” Gabe rubbed his chin.

  “He’ll want to go to the Sacramento airport,” said Hope. “They have international flights.”

  Gabe lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. “You’re right. The easiest way to retain custody of Joey is take him to another country, probably one without extradition. Shit. That really ups the ante.” He looked around. “There’s nothing more we can do here. Let’s get back to Tahoe and rent a hotel room. We both need rest.”

  “Sounds good, but first I need to use the facilities.”

  “Okay.”

  She went to the bathroom and secured the door. She took her cell phone out of her purse and used the map function to find Fannette Island. Luckily there was only one island on Lake Tahoe and it was located in Emerald Bay. Twenty miles up the mountain. She scribbled down the address so she could input into the car’s GPS. She took the battery out of her phone, dropped it into the toilet, and flushed it. Then she put her phone on the tile floor and stepped on it. She didn’t want to risk the smart phone clogging the toilet, so she opened up the tank and dropped the large pieces into the water.

  She washed her hands, took a deep breath, and told her reflection in the mirror that she was doing the right thing.

  Gabe waited for her in the living room. She made a show of looking into her purse. “Shit. I think I left my cell phone in the basement.” She grimaced, and as she expected, Gabe immediately came to the rescue. “I’ll get it, babe. Meet you in the car.”

  “Okay. Thanks.” She stood up on her tippy toes and kissed Gabe. He looked surprised, but also pleased. He dipped his head and gently placed his lips against hers. His mouth was warm. His purely masculine smell gave her visions of long nights spent making love. She allowed his tongue entrance and then boldly swept the tip of her own tongue against his bottom lip, devouring his mouth as he did hers. She heard him groan and a shot of electric desire zapped the pit of her stomach. She wanted to die when he broke the kiss, but instead she smiled.