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

by Michele Bardsley

  When his body was wracked with infection was not the time to make amorous advances. The moment she’d touched him, he’d connected to her soul, saw the woman she’d become.

  Keeping her safe had become his obsession. He cursed the body that was failing him, the carelessness that let him fall into a trap in the first place.

  How could he forget? Azazel had killed his brother, Ashael, that way.

  “Where are we going?” She murmured the words against him, snuggling tight against him.

  “To bed.”

  “Good. Now I won’t have to use my imagination anymore.”

  Her words flooded his body with energy. Lust simmered inside him, but he groaned in frustration. He couldn’t risk it passing the infection into her body, and it would be just like the enemy to give a deadly side effect to Earthly pleasures.

  She fell back asleep and he eased open the door to the room. Laying her on the coverlet, he let himself loosen her garments and take off her boots. Socks followed close behind. His fingertips traced the arch of her foot, and she kicked lightly.

  Ticklish.

  He wanted to know every inch of her body. Keep her with him forever.

  With gentle care, he tugged her pants off and then covered her with the blankets. Groaning at the aches in his body, he took off his boots and socks, and then climbed into bed.

  She inched back, and he wrapped his arms around her, tucking her tight against him.

  Her hand grasped his. “We’re really in bed together.” He liked the husky tone of her voice.

  “Yes, we are.” He smiled. The back of her neck burned bright red. Was she embarrassed? Or angry?

  “How did we get here?”

  “Walking. Well, actually, I walked, you were carried.”

  “Why, I mean—”

  “Shhh.” He pulled her against him. His body’s pain eased as she relaxed into his touch. “Sleep now. Talk later.”

  “Like I could possibly pass out now.” Her body trembled for a few moments and then she slipped back into a fitful sleep.

  When they woke up, would they be facing a friend or enemy when Isaac arrived? Ashley was his to protect. Having her in his arms was the closest to Heaven he’d been in centuries. He wouldn’t pass this up for anything.

  Chapter Ten: The Enemy of my Enemy

  ASHLEY CAME AWAKE in slow shifts of awareness. The warmth at her back, the weight of a hand across her waist, the hot breath of a man against her throat. And the strong smell of apples.

  That scent filled her stomach with dread. She didn’t have to look at him to know. The infection was back.

  Blankets tangled her legs as she turned in his arms. His handsome face was haggard with exhaustion, and too pale. She placed a hand on his chest and opened her fingers wide, trying to stop it again.

  His hand captured hers and his eyes opened. No illness or pain clouded them. Yet. “Don’t.”

  “But it’s back.”

  “I know. If you keep doing that, I won’t be able to fight it off on my own. Let me heal myself too. I’ve been through worse moments. Trust me.”

  Worry ate at her. It made sense, in a way. He knew his body better than anyone, right?

  “There’s that line again.” His thumb brushed against the dip on the bridge of her nose. “You’re worried. Stop that.”

  “I can’t help it. Earlier I saw it inside you, like a living breathing thing.”

  “Good description. That’s exactly what it feels like too.”

  “This isn’t funny, Daniel.”

  He cupped her cheek and pulled her forward until their foreheads touched. She looked down rather than face the intense scrutiny of those gorgeous eyes. “I’m not laughing about this, my sweet doctor. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying our time together.”

  “You make it sound like we’re not going to survive this.”

  “Pessimist. I just said I wanted to enjoy a moment. Without interruption.” He pulled back and then brushed his lips across hers.

  She moaned at the gentle caress. Soft nibbles and sips of her followed, until her breath came in low gasps.

  His tongue teased the slit of her mouth and she opened, welcoming him in. His skilled kiss stole her breath and gave it back in a rush of pleasure.

  The door banged open and Ashley jerked in surprise. The kiss broke off at the best part. She moaned and dropped her burning face in her hands.

  “See what I mean? Take them when you can get them.” He laughed and pulled her back into his arms. She buried her face against his throat. “You have perfect timing, as always, Iris.”

  “Sorry to interrupt your shenanigans, but your friend is here. He said the Mission is surrounded. He’s scoping the territory now. His words, by the way. Seems kind of young for the job.”

  “What job?”

  “Protection detail until I get better.”

  Why did Daniel sound so relieved? Glad to be interrupted? Or happy to see backup while they fought the infection?

  “Get dressed and come on down to the kitchen. I’ve made us lunch, Ashley.”

  “What about me?”

  “I just filled the bird feeder. You and your friend can have a party.”

  Ashley couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up. “She’s really giving you a hard time.”

  “That’s Iris for you.”

  “I mean it, you two. Hurry up. I don’t like strange angels sniffing around my home.”

  “Okay, okay.” The door shut and Daniel snagged her around the waist when she would have left. “Where are you going?”

  “To the kitchen.”

  “I think we have time for a few more kisses.”

  The heat inside her had nothing to do with embarrassment and everything to do with the attraction sparking between them. “Do we now? Are you sure?”

  “Let’s find out.”

  She laughed until he stole her breath and made her ache. Angels were damn good kissers.

  ***

  Ashley brushed her forefinger across her lips where they still tingled from his kisses.

  “You look a little too upset for a woman in love.”

  Ashley didn’t bother to deny it. When they’d searched out the infection together, Ashley had seen the complicated tangle of love and sorrow Iris and Daniel held for one another. Not a passionate love, but something far deeper. “It’s returning, isn’t it?” Her stomach twisted against the desperate urge to get him to a hospital and have tests run. Asking Iris this question went against the logic that burned through her brain. Hell, what she’d done in there only hours earlier was impossible.

  Iris sliced a lemon with slow, meticulous precision.

  Daniel’s trust in Iris was both a slap to Ashley’s pride and a spark to her curiosity. As a doctor, she couldn’t deny the evidence of his wounds closing right in front of her eyes, and at the same time, she couldn’t put her belief in it, either.

  Iris plucked a few leaves and from a plant and rubbed them between her fingers. The scent of mint filled the air. “There’s no stopping it.”

  Ashley dropped her hands to her side immediately. “We need to get him to a hospital, then.”

  “Wouldn’t do any good. There’s no cure.” Iris wrapped a lemon wedge in fresh mint leaves and dropped it in a tea cup.

  “You’re telling me to give up?”

  “Hell no.” She poured hot water over the lemon and mint.

  “What are you doing? While we’re out here playing with lemons, he’s in there dying.”

  “I am doing everything I can,” Iris shouted, knocking a plate to the floor.

  The sound of it shattering left the air heavy with tension. Ashley knelt and began picking up the pieces, feeling a shame she hadn’t known in a long time. From beneath lowered lashes she watched Iris. Tears stained her leathery cheeks as she struggled to get her emotions under control. “I’ve never seen anything like this. Azazel usually kills—” she choked on the word, cleared her voice and tried again. “He usually kills the guardians.
I don’t know what his game is this time.”

  Ashley finished picking up the broken stoneware. “You’ve faced him before.”

  She huffed out a breath. “Countless times. He has taken everything from me.”

  “Why?” She looked up at Iris, hoping that, for once, she’d get a straight answer.

  “There’s a war coming. People like you, me, and that bird brain in there are all that stands between Azazel and the hell on Earth he’s always wanted.”

  Her memories of Azazel and his place among angels was too limited to make sense of her words. “Why do you insult Daniel like that? It’s obvious you care for him very much.”

  “That’s because she’s an eighth bird-brain herself, you know,” Daniel cut in and Ashley rose from the floor. She noticed that Iris remained hunched over, her eyes focused on the steaming cup in her hands.

  Ashley took in his form, pleased to see some color back in his cheeks, but it was too soon for him to be up and about. “I thought you were going to walk the grounds with your friend.”

  He pushed off the doorway and brushed his knuckles against her cheek. “He can wait a few minutes.”

  The tender caress brought his kiss to mind. Sick or not, the man knew how to turn a simmer into a raging fire with just a look and a touch.

  Iris snorted. “Don’t mind him. If he’s well enough to flirt, he can take on the world.”

  Daniel grinned and grabbed Iris from behind in a fierce hug. The woman squealed in surprise. “The tea, Daniel. What are you trying to do, give yourself more scars?”

  “You really do love me.”

  “Don’t be an idiot. You’re a pain in the butt. I only put up with you because my mother would curse my spirit to follow you forever otherwise.”

  With him hugging her, Ashley noticed a striking resemblance, despite Iris’s age. She turned on her heel and found the trash can, dumping the shattered dish in the hopes of hiding her confusion.

  “Ashley Baker, allow me to introduce you to Iris Gonzales, my great, great, great grandniece, and the last living member of her tribe.”

  Ashley’s eyes widened and she watched them both. The unbelievable time gap blew her mind.

  “He thinks I should respect my elders. I keep telling him bird years don’t hold a candle to human years.” Iris squirmed away from him, but the joy in her eyes was far different from the sadness earlier.

  “She’s your niece?”

  “My brother took a human wife. They had two sons. Who beget two daughters each, and so on and so forth until Iris was born.”

  “Where is your family now?”

  Iris’s smile died a little. “Hunted to the death.”

  Righteous anger roared to life inside Ashley. “By Azazel?”

  She nodded. “Him, the Fallen, as well as the Host.”

  “The Host? You mean the angels in Heaven?”

  “Yes. Nephilim, the descendants of humans and angels, are considered an abomination by all sides.”

  “So they’ve been trying to kill me too, all this time? Why are you protecting me, then?”

  “Well, you’re different. Many generations ago, Azazel forced many human women to bear him children. You are one of those descendants.”

  Ashley sank down on a stool. The roaring in her head grew louder, drowning out the momentary peace she’d found in Daniel’s arms.

  “It’s a lot to take in, trust me, dear. You should have seen my expression the first time Daniel opened his wings. I shrieked until I was hoarse.”

  “I remember you laughing and giggling. Your mother was the one shrieking at me when I took you for a flight around the neighborhood.”

  Ashley could almost see it.

  “Your grandmother and I were childhood friends. Did you know that?” Iris handed the tea cup to Daniel and dropped two sugar cubes in.

  “I had no idea.” Her Nana never spoke about her old life. Only superstitions and proverbs seemed to come out of her these days. With agonizing guilt, she realized her Nana’s safety had fallen to the back of her mind. “I have a picture of her on my phone. Let me grab it really quick.”

  “I’ll come with you.” Daniel went to set down his tea and Ashley held up her hand.

  “No reason to. It’s in the car where you left it. I’ll run out and be right back. Just relax and enjoy your mint infused lemon water.”

  “Don’t mind her. She’s an obsessive iced tea drinker. This is perfect as always, Iris.”

  Ashley shook her head. Who would have ever imagined that a big badass angel liked hot lemonade in a tiny china cup? Not her.

  She unlocked the car with the key fob and opened the door. Her last memory of the phone was when Daniel had dropped it in the passenger seat. She bent over and ran her fingers along the floor board.

  The passenger door jerked open and a fist clenched her hair, shoving her head back down. A hard object pushed on the back of her head, while the blade of something sharp slid lightly against her throat, too near the carotid artery for her comfort.

  “Make a sound, and you’ll die before it reaches their ears.”

  She nodded slightly as her mind whirled. Was this part of Azazel’s plot or a good ol’ fashioned kidnapping at knife point? At the moment, she wasn’t sure which was worse.

  “Good. Follow my instructions carefully. When I let you go, you will sit up in the driver’s seat and start the car. We’ll leave the grounds and you’ll follow my directions.”

  “Where are we heading?”

  The blade pushed deeper into her skin until it stung. Liquid tickled its way down her throat. She didn’t dare swallow or whimper. Scalpel sharp. Infinitely more terrifying than she wanted to admit.

  “I speak. You listen. Do you understand? Say yes, if you do.”

  “Yes.”

  The pressure eased off the back of her head. “Be a good girl and get in the driver’s seat. We’re going to take a trip to meet my boss.”

  She slowly pushed herself up and brushed the hair from her eyes. Instant recognition flashed in her mind. The crazy patient from the ER grinned at her in triumph. A pistol waved at her to move.

  Using a human to do his dirty work. She’d called it. How long would it be before they knew she was missing?

  And when they noticed, would it be too late?

  Chapter Eleven: Living Weapon

  ASHLEY DROVE IN silence, mind racing, body ready to react. It was surreal how the wolves fell to either side of the car, keeping the pace for several miles before falling away. Others would take their place, as though escorting them straight to Hell itself. Eyes bright blue, almost white. Less terrifying than the red eyes of blood lust, but no less eerie.

  She put pressure on the cut at her neck, hoping it would stop bleeding by the time they arrived wherever they were going.

  Her companion muttered to himself, but kept his gun trained on her.

  “Turn left here.”

  “Are we going to go far? I’m almost out of gas.”

  He glanced over. “We’ll make it.”

  She nodded and continued driving.

  “Take a right here, and park next to the red truck.”

  Hard to miss the fire engine red shine of a new pickup. She pulled in and put in park. “Now what?”

  “Get out.”

  “No way.”

  He waved the gun toward her face. “I have a gun. You follow along, you keep your brains intact.”

  One of the hunters sniffed at her window. A flare of red “Do you know what those things are?”

  “Master’s pets.”

  “No, they’re rabid attack dogs who froth at the mouth and try to eat me when they catch a whiff of my blood. I’m not going out there.”

  “Nice try. They’ve never reacted to my blood before.”

  “I’m not going to ask why that would even be a regular part of this conversation, but I have a suggestion if you don’t believe me. Why don’t you let me roll down the window? If their eyes stay blue, we’re great. If they turn red, you
and I wait here until the dogs get called off.”

  “That’s not the plan.”

  “Is having me killed part of your plan? I don’t think your master wanted me to drive all the way out here so his pets could finish me off. If that were the case, you’d have been given orders to slice me up and toss my body out of the car the moment we left the Mission grounds.”

  She could see the doubts rolling around in his head like unfettered marbles slamming into one another. He was going to be a while at this rate.

  “I’m going to roll it down a bit, okay?”

  She reached over and did that, dropping the window on his side, just in case. It took just a crack of the glass for the wolf next to her sketchy passenger to slam its body against the door. Glowing red eyes peered inside the car. He shrieked. The window went back up immediately, but the other dogs were circling.

  “Told you so.”

  A huge pressure built inside Ashley’s head. She gasped at the pain clawing through her mind. Her companion screamed and she covered her ears, burying her face against the steering wheel.

  Howls and shrieks followed for a split second, and then there was blessed silence.

  Her door opened and she stumbled on her way out. The sound had rattled her sense of balance and muffled the noises around her. She barely acknowledged a hand helping her up.

  It took a moment for her hearing to return.

  “Ashley, hey, can you hear me?”

  A hand waved in front of her face, and she focused on the speaker.

  “Rick?” His familiar smile warmed her to the bone. “What are you doing here?” She shook off the cobwebs that seemed to cling to her mind.

  “You’re a hard woman to track down. The whole city is looking for you. Security said you’d been kidnapped from the parking garage. Is that the guy who did it?”

  Rick gestured toward the passenger seat. A man lay with his mouth open and blood trickling from his ears and nose. Did she know him? She swiped a hand over her mouth. He needed help.

  “Ashley,” Rick shook her. “Snap out of it. What the hell did he give you?”

  “Nothing. I don’t think.” She’d been having a nightmare. A dream about dogs and angels. Shrugging out of his hold, she scrubbed a hand over her face. “Maybe he did. I don’t know. I’ve been dreaming about some crazy shit.”