“I come baring gifts, no pun intended.” Brand walked down the wooden steps with a bag of blood in his hands. Tucker and Gray turned toward him as he approached.
“What’s that?” Tucker asked.
“Leverage.” Brand tossed the blood bag on the table beside Tucker. “Since pain isn’t working, perhaps a little human blood will do the trick.”
“And sic the vampire on the trail of another human? I don’t want to subject someone else to his torture.” Tucker shook his head.
“I’ve been told on good authority that vampires only hunt the blood of human’s they taste from the body. A blood bag does not create the blood bond.” Brand reassured them.
Tucker nodded his thanks, picked up the blood bag, and walked toward the cage. “Well, then, it looks like we have something you want, and you have something I want.”
“The witches’ council contracted the hit. I don’t have a name,” Andre responded, his eyes glued to the red bag of liquid.
“And the reason for the hit?” Tucker wiggled the bag in front of Andre like a carrot in front of a rabbit.
“Don’t ask, don’t tell.” Andre shrugged.
“You’re a disgusting excuse for a vampire.” Tucker tossed the bag to Gray, and left with Brand following behind him.
“What are you going to do with him now?” Brand asked.
“I suppose he needs to be returned to the vampires.”
“And the witches?”
“Find out who and why.” And kill them, his bear chanted in his mind.
“I have a new proposal when you’re ready,” Brand called after Tucker as he headed to his room.
***
Ashlee
My reflection in the mirror looked like a hollow shell of my former self. The lacerations formed bruises under my pale skin and without makeup I had nothing to hide behind. The lack of sleep created dark circles under my eyes and made my skin look thinner. A shell or ghost of my former self. There was no question about it, I needed to escape this hell before it took more of me.
Stella had given me clothes. They weren’t much, a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, but they offered far more coverage than the skimpy black dress. We still hadn’t made much progress in the shoe department, but the former pumps turned into flats would hold up until I got home.
The knock on the door surprised me. I knew it was him. There was authority in everything he did, including knocking. “Come in.”
Tucker entered his room with a commanding presence. I wanted to ignore him, but I couldn’t. There was something that drew me to him, like a fish caught on a hook, scrambling to get away, helpless to fight against my fate. It wasn’t just his good looks. There was more, a connection that surpassed anything I’ve ever felt.
“Are you feeling better?” He asked, drawing me back to the moment.
“Truth, no, but I’m sure you want to hear the lie.” I turned back to my reflection, watching him covertly through the mirror.
He crossed his arms over his chest. “I want you to feel comfortable enough to always tell me the truth.”
“Why do you do that?” I spun around to face him.
“What?” He didn’t play off the innocent look very well at all.
“Act like there is more between us than being strangers.”
“I didn’t know I did that.” Confusion crossed his features and he unfolded his arms.
“Well, you do.” I crossed my arms over my chest. It was my turn to put space between us.
“But seeing how I’ve saved your life a couple times, and you’ve slept in my bed, I think we’re a little more than strangers, don’t you?”
His words were like arrows to my heart. My eyes glanced at the made-up bed, his scent still wrapped in the linens, mingling with mine. The effect created amazing, erotic dreams.
I wasn’t really used to a man being so brutally honest. It was odd. I swallowed hard and pushed the images from my dreams away. I needed to change the subject. “I suppose, but that means I might need to know your last name.”
“Montrose.”
“Hi, Tucker Montrose. I’m Ashlee Thomas.”
“Nice to finally meet you.” He closed the gap between us so fast I blinked and nearly missed it. His calloused hands caressed my cheek. “You didn’t sleep well last night.”
It wasn’t a question, just a simple observation.
“I need to go home. I need to sleep in my own bed, wear my own clothes, and go to my job before I lose it. All of this is a little traumatizing,” I admitted.
“I told you that you’re not a prisoner here, but I don’t know how safe you’re going to be away from my compound. Andre finally talked. Apparently the witches put a hit out on your life.”
“What? Why?”
“I don’t know, but I think it is time to ask your friend Callie what she knows.”
“Do you think she did this? It can’t be her.” I shook my head in denial.
He frowned. “I don’t know, she seemed sincerely concerned when you were injured.”
“She’s my best friend. She’d never hurt me.” Even as I said the words, doubt began to spread through my mind. She’d lied to me our entire lives, keeping a major secret hidden that could get me killed. It was hard to trust someone who would do that.
“She is the one that brought you to the party, the mixer that had your assassin lying in wait. It is a coincidence that is hard to ignore.” He twirled a strand of my blonde hair around his finger.
I swatted his hand away. “You don’t know her, she wouldn’t… she couldn’t…”
Tucker knelt down in front of me so he was at eye level. “I’ve learned long ago, people are not always what they seem. Especially paranormal creatures. We’ll work together and find out the truth.” He spoke with a finality that I wasn’t extremely comfortable with.
“And following that logic, maybe I can’t trust you.”
He nodded. “Tell me one thing I’ve done that makes you feel like you can’t trust me.”
I couldn’t. We both knew it, but I let him stew for a moment. The silence stretched painfully between us. “You haven’t done anything, yet. Neither has Callie, and I’ve known her almost my entire life. She is a good person, and a great friend.”
“Then she deserves a chance to prove herself. I have some business to attend to today and when it is finished, I’ll take you into town and we can talk to her.” He stood up and headed toward the door.
“But I need to return now.” I followed him to the door.
“We all have needs, Ashlee.” His green eyes traveled hungrily up and down my body. “It won’t hurt you to wait for a few hours.” He left.
My fists shook at my sides. All I wanted to do was have him let me go with someone else. Instead, he just made me feel like a selfish, whiny snit. If he’d stayed around long enough, I would’ve slapped the bastard. No part of me wanted to be alone with this man while we investigated the hit on my life.
The hit on my life! Wow, those words were loaded guns. I sank down on the edge of the bed as the situation started to hit me like a ton of bricks. There is a hit on my life? Vampires were sent to kill me? The assassination was bought by the witches’ council? Seriously? What level of hell did I step into and how did I get here?
Dread crept up my spine like a thousand little spiders. What did I do to put myself on this path?
***
I felt the caress of a calloused hand on my face, a familiar touch. The gentleness urged me out of my restless sleep. I slowly opened my eyes and came face to face with the ruggedly handsome Tucker. His tanned face crinkled with a sweet smile that touched his green eyes. For a moment, I thought he was there to play leading man in my sexy dreams. “I’m sorry for waking you. Brand and I finished our negotiations, and I am able to take you back to town, if you’re up to it.”
His words told me I wasn’t dreaming. “You’re going to let me go home?” Hope filled my heart.
“Once I know you’re safe, yes.”
&nbs
p; I threw the covers off my dressed body. “How long was I asleep?”
“Brand and I were hashing out details for the last four hours.”
I looked out the window and took note that the sun was setting. It was a challenge to keep the sadness out of my voice. “The day is almost over.”
“It is. I’d like to meet with Callie before nightfall.” He handed me my phone. “Can you call her and arrange a meeting?”
My mouth went dry as I took the device. “I don’t know if I am ready to talk to her.”
“The sooner we get to the bottom of this, the quicker you can get back to your life.”
After a moment of hesitation, I pressed the buttons that placed the call to Callie. “Okay.”
“Ash, are you alright?” Her voice echoed the concern I expected from a best friend.
My voice was cold, harsh. “Can we meet?”
“Of course, where?”
“How about our usual coffee stop?”
“Sounds great. When?”
“When?” I had no idea how long it would take to get there.
“A couple of hours.” Tucker supplied the answer in a hushed tone.
“In about two hours?”
“I’ll be there.” There was a pause. “Ash, be careful.” She hung up.
“Thank you, Ashlee.” He grabbed clothes out of the dresser and took off his shirt. The man was built. I wanted to turn away, but it was impossible to do. The way his muscles flexed and rolled smoothly under his tanned skin was mesmerizing. My lips and mouth went dry. I bit and licked my lips as he unbuckled his jeans and maneuvered the green t-shirt over his head, arms, shoulders, and torso. I couldn’t help but imagine my fingers running over each and every solid, bumpy inch.
“Can I ask you a question?” I decided to distract myself.
“Of course.”
“I still don’t understand why you’re helping me.”
He chuckled. “I think it’s pretty obvious I’m interested in you.”
“Interested?” His word seemed foreign to me.
He approached me with careful strides. “I desire you. Once I know you’re safe, I’d like to pursue you.”
I scrambled from the bed to put space between us. “Once I am safe.” I nodded.
“I’d like nothing more than to take you to my bed now and get lost in hours of pleasure, but the logical thing to do is eliminate the threat first.”
“Logic and pleasure don’t always mix,” I offered a weak, shaky smile.
“Especially when I am close to you. All I want to do is touch you.”
“Why?” I’ve never met a man so hell bent on pursuing me. I wasn’t a bad looking gal, but I wasn’t a supermodel either.
“I believe you are my mate.”
I found myself hoping the word didn’t mean what I thought it meant. The word seemed so ‘long term’ and ‘commitment-like.’ “Mate? How can you know that?”
“My reaction to you, both my human and animal side. I am content in your presence.” He sat at the edge of the bed and changed his socks. “I won’t know for sure until we copulate, but our connection is pretty obvious.” His eyes roamed my body. It took longer than expected for him to come back to my face. Heat spread everywhere his eyes lingered. “Don’t you agree?”
“I… I don’t know.”
“How about we find out?” He had me pressed up against the wall so fast I couldn’t react. His body was hard in all the right places. I felt my knees go weak as his lips crushed against mine. It was aggressive, yet tender, tentative, waiting for me to respond. I opened to him and reveled in the way his tongue took control, plundering my mouth. His hands moved from my cheeks, down my arms, and settled on my waist, leaving goosebumps in their wake. We were both breathless when the kiss broke.
His green eyes connected to mine. “Does that clear things up for you?”
I struggled to get my breath back. “No, it only makes things more confusing,” I admitted.
He kissed my forehead, and finished changing his jeans with a chuckle. I turned away, but not before I saw the definition of his butt through his boxer briefs. Wow, he’s a hottie!
When he was ready, he laced his fingers with mine, kissed my knuckles, and pulled me out the door. “We should get going.”
The drive into town was farther than I thought, and I found myself thankful that he saved me that night in the woods. The walk would’ve taken days. The silence that fell between us was like a big rock sinking us into the dark abyss of a muddy lake. Painful. I wanted to talk about the kiss, discuss his strange admission, but what does one say to that? And if I could say anything, what would I say. He’s attractive, but his world scares me… that doesn’t seem like a good statement for an open conversation.
How could he know how he feels anyway? I mean, since I’ve met him, I’ve been a burden on him. Besides, no man, even when I was at my skinniest, and looked my best, has ever chased me. I was always the pursuer. He was flipping my world upside down and making me feel like I’d walked into an alternate universe for the last few days. It felt good and scary. Nothing felt right. The only thing I knew for sure was, I just wanted to go home.
Chapter Eleven
Tucker
HE’D NEVER MET ANYONE LIKE Ashlee before. She had a way of spinning his world out of control, and control was what he thrived on. The whole ordeal was beyond frustrating, yet there was no way he could walk away from her. He’d laid his feelings on the table for her, kissed her with passion to show her his need, and she sat over there in silence, doing her best to ignore everything he just did. It infuriated and intrigued him all at once. She responded to that kiss, he was sure of that. She was aroused by his touch, her scent indicated as much. Only, when she had the opportunity to discuss the situation, she remained quiet, lost in her own world, miles away from him.
Underneath the mystery, it stung a little. Most women threw themselves at him. They gave chase, he would allow them to catch, they would get lost in the pleasure, and he’d release them. He was never interested in more than a few rolls in the sack, but with Ashlee, there was something different. He was connected to her, wanted to protect her, needed to possess her. Maybe when all the excitement was over he’d be able to walk away. He doubted it, but he’d heard somewhere that relationships forged in intensity were short lived. If that was the case here, maybe he’d get out of this mess with his sanity intact. If it wasn’t, he didn’t know what he’d do.
He parked the car across the street from the coffee house and stopped Ashlee from getting out the moment the engine was off. “We wait. I want to see who shows up first.” His hand on her arm caused a spark between them. He really enjoyed it when their skin touched, and kept his fingers on her longer than necessary.
“You’re wrong about Callie,” she insisted.
“I hope so, for your sake,” he released his grasp, “but in this matter, please humor me.”
She nodded and slouched into her seat.
“Are we going to discuss what we talked about earlier?” Tucker finally asked after a long uncomfortable silence.
“I don’t know what to say,” she admitted, but her skin turned a darker shade of red. He liked that he could get under her skin as much as she got under his. It evened the playing field a little bit.
“How about we start with the kiss?” He grinned.
“It was a kiss.” Ashlee looked out the window, avoiding his eyes.
“And did it make you feel anything?” He probed.
She was silent for a while, hands wringing in her lap, face looking in the opposite direction. The woman was good with using silence to her advantage. It was a trick he’d used many times in negotiations before. Was that what this was, a negotiation?
“Yes.”
His heart leapt at her single word response.
“To be honest, I don’t know what I feel.” She looked at him, her eyes moist from the confusion written all over her face. “Your world frightens me.”
He turned and touched
her face, a gentle caress. “Haven’t I shown you I can protect you?”
She nodded, but didn’t speak.
“Do I frighten you?”
“A little.”
Two little words that stung worse than finding a nasty bee hive while looking for a treat of honey. “I’m sorry.”
“You’ve got to understand, I’m a human who didn’t know monsters were real a few days ago. I… it’s just too much all at once.”
Tucker swallowed hard. What could he do if his mate was frightened of him? Nothing. He couldn’t change who, or what, he was. He wouldn’t. “She’s here. Alone. Let’s go.” He got out of the car. Her words hit him like a brick and he needed time to work through what she was trying to tell him. There was no future for two people if they both didn’t reciprocate similar feelings. Fear was the farthest thing from liking someone he knew. How could he make those two things work?
They crossed the street and headed into the coffee shop.
***
Ashlee
Guilt consumed me. I wondered if I shouldn’t have been so blunt. I just figured he deserved the truth. The Coffee Hub was busy. The tables were full of people working on laptops, playing with their phones, or talking to their friends. This was one of the few social settings left where people actually put down their electronic devices and carried on real live conversations. Callie and I always loved coming here to people watch. You meet the most eclectic mixture of people in this little shop. One table may have a religious study group enjoying a philosophical debate, another, a couple enjoying an afternoon with their favorite beverage. I’ve seen kids jamming out to music, people interviewing for jobs, others in study groups discussing their classes, and so much more. It was a dream place for people who loved to watch people. Today the place was packed.
I noticed her curly brown hair first, before her hand went up to signal us to a table. She had already ordered my favorite drink. I sat down, took the cup, and went to take a sip before Tucker pulled the plastic cup out of my hand and dumped it in the trash.
“Seriously?”
“Until I know she didn’t set you up, you won’t be drinking anything from her.”
Once Upon A Midnight Page 189
