The Monster Ball: A Paranormal Romance Anthology

by Heather Hildenbrand

  Another scene flashed in my head. This time the werewolf was a woman, with the hunter by her side, both slinking through the forest as if they were hunting. Together.

  What?

  I jerked back from Grayson, the figures fading away. Grayson stared at me, his eyes wide, his brows furrowed. Did he see the same thing?

  “What was that?” we yelled together. He shook his head slightly, his face impassive. Maybe it was just me. Was I hallucinating? What the hell did they put into their alcohol at this party?

  Grayson’s hands ran down the front of my dress, bringing me straight back to the present. He bit down hard on his lip, his eyes dropping to where the slit of my dress had ripped, exposing me to him. A voracious rumble burned up his throat, sending shock waves through me. What was it with him? He shouldn’t be able to undo me like this. I shouldn’t be able to overlook what he had done and why I was here.

  His eyes went to mine as his fingers curled under my dress, finding me.

  “Oh god.” My head fell back. All reasons to leave sprinted away. Whatever strange moment just happened was forgotten.

  “There you go, trying to make me a god again.” His gaze devoured me, his fingers working me. “Though, I think we can take turns worshiping each other.”

  “Yes,” I gasped, not responding to his words but what he was doing to me. I was out of control. I needed him. Now.

  Crudely shoving at his jeans, he grabbed my wrist, his gaze darting around. “Are you sure?”

  Bizarrely, something in me was undeniably certain, but I didn’t trust the feeling. It was ridiculous. He was my enemy. The very thing I had sworn to kill. But peering down at him, a truth locked onto me.

  “No.” I shook my head. “But it doesn’t seem to matter.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I can’t seem to stop this.” I understood that more than anything. A power I couldn’t fight, nor did I want to, coiled panic around my chest. “From the moment I saw you…” I lifted an eyebrow, echoing what he said to me earlier because I felt the same thing in every fiber of my being. “I was drawn to you. And hell’s teeth… I wanted to fuck you.”

  “Bloody hell, Red,” Grayson groaned. “You might get your wish after all.”

  “What’s that?”

  “To kill me.”

  Chapter Seven

  Grayson

  I was mostly animal. My instincts were raw and primal. But being leader, I had to control myself a lot more than others. I was ruthless, but I also had to be diplomatic with my packs and other Sups. I couldn’t simply kill or fuck everything I wanted because the wolf wanted it, though I was pretty lax with the latter rule as long as feelings and strings stayed out of it. That was all my wolf wanted anyway—sex with no complications.

  Then I saw her.

  Riley, the Red Huntress.

  A Vanator.

  My enemy.

  Instead of wanting to kill her, my wolf wanted to take her. Badly.

  And that was before I tasted her. Touched her. Saw the strange images. All of it simply intensified the need to be inside her. To claim her.

  What the fuck?

  A dart of fear zigzagged through my chest, pitting the logical king against the savage beast.

  I yanked back my hand, my wolf growling at me, wanting more of her, not less. Pitching her on the ground, I rolled my body over hers and snarled down at her.

  She stared up at me, not a wisp of trepidation, her beautiful gray eyes challenging me. It was subtle and different than anyone else looking me straight in the eyes. It was an open challenge. Like she was my equal. Boldly contesting an alpha wolf was like asking for trouble. It was a dare, opposing my authority. This usually met with swift and severe punishment. There was only one alpha.

  “Watch it, Red,” I growled. “I wouldn’t provoke me right now.”

  “Or what?” she defied. “I am not one of your pack. I won’t roll over and show my belly.”

  “Really?” I tipped an eyebrow, peering at her body underneath mine. Her stunning dress, dirty and ripped, almost completely exposing her naked body to me. “Looks like you already have.”

  I was prepared for her reaction but not her strength. She appeared elegant and slight, but the Hunter had strength I had never seen. With a powerful force, she tossed me off her, climbing to her feet, her lips curled up in a snarl. I followed her to my feet, grinning at the way she was puffed up and miffed as hell.

  Damn, I wanted her. I didn’t even realize I was reaching for her until she knocked my hand away, stepping back.

  “Stay away.” She shook her head, her hair disheveled, grass and leaves in it. I liked her even more like this. Wild. “I can’t seem to think straight when you’re touching me.”

  “Same.” My muscles itched to move to her, the need to touch her overpowering me. I moved closer like a cord reeled me in.

  “Stop.” She shoved my chest. My hands curled around hers, wrenching her against me.

  Equal. Partner. The wolf howled inside me, increasing my pulse.

  Sod off, wolf, I yelled back. There is no bloody way.

  “Let me go.” She squirmed against me, her voice strong, but there was no sincerity behind it. It was like I could sense her truth. Feel what she wanted.

  “No.” I gripped her tighter.

  “You asshole!” She yanked her wrist, her knee inching up.

  I quickly darted out of the way. Twisting us around, I slammed her back into the castle wall. The sounds of a DJ mixing music wafted out through the arches while guests strolled to the cliff, enjoying the evening. I shuffled us deeper into the shadows, flattening my body into hers. Simply feeling the heat of her skin blurred my head like I was trolleyed off my arse.

  “Let. Me. Go.” Her eyes blazed with life. Passion.

  “Make me, Hunter. If you think yourself my equal to kill me, then you can certainly move me away.” I dared her, my gaze dipping to her mouth.

  There wasn’t even a beat before she pulled out of my grip, her fists slamming into my gut. Unprepared for her attack, I stumbled back, shocked she was able to move so fast and easily. She pounced quickly, and I rose to retaliate.

  Riley grabbed my biceps, flipping us around, knocking me back against the wall, huffing oxygen out of my lungs. Her mouth hit mine with bruising force, her nails scraping through my hair. My body responded to hers with untamed ferocity. My hands moved up her frame, exploring every curve. Our mouths hungry and consuming, her hands tore at my clothes like neither of us could seem to get close enough.

  Images began to assault my mind again. Wolves and hunters from long ago, from different places and times, were dressed in outfits from the past. Memories, which weren’t mine, flooded through like a collage, showing some hunting together, some shagging, some holding hands. All in love and working in harmony.

  I broke the kiss, peering at Riley. By her expression, I knew she saw the same thing. Her mouth agape, her eyes bewildered, her gaze scoured mine for answers. This didn’t make sense. Wolves and hunters, as far as I knew, were each other’s natural enemy. It was what I was taught growing up. Generations of stories and folklores had been passed down about our warring groups. The hatred we held for each other. The slaughtering of werewolves by hunters and our retaliation.

  This didn’t make any sense.

  The images should have steered me away from Riley and got me as far from her as I could. Instead, I felt a link driving us together, craving her kiss more. To lose and find myself in her.

  Her chest heaved, our mouths still only inches apart. Desire seeped off her skin, dancing on my taste buds like a delectable dessert.

  “Alpha?” I heard Reika call out for me from the castle, stepping out into the night, Alarick right by her side. “Are you out here?” It would take them mere seconds to sniff me out, their presence putting an end to this. I froze like I was some adolescent getting caught by my parents. Sex was so natural for wolves; most did it out in the open. However, being leader, I usually took my pleasure behi
nd closed doors. I was very brazen about it, especially when it involved lots of females at once. My second and third had seen me in the act more times than I could count. I never felt the need to sneak the girl I was with away. To keep her just for me. They never meant enough to me.

  Instinct had me wanting to protect Riley. Keep her solely mine.

  Riley linked her fingers through mine, pulling me with her as she ran around the castle wall. I couldn’t stop a grin from hitching the side of my mouth as we darted away like teenagers. My little cheeky huntress had the same idea.

  Spotting an arched wooden door on the side of the castle, she slipped us inside, shutting it behind us. Hunters couldn’t see in the dark like wolves, but magic gave them exceptional sight and hearing. Without light, she continued down the dark stone passage, the sides decaying and smelling dank. The glamour was kept to the main ballroom, restoring it to its former glory; the rest of the castle showed the truth of its age.

  Music and the smell of alcohol and lust found me right before my vision spotted a flicker of golden light in the distance. I knew this place enough to know it led us back to the party. We got so close I could see people dancing, ball gowns sweeping the floor, the music vibrating along my spine, caressing my skin like it could touch me.

  “Stop.” I wasn’t ready to be surrounded by people. I wanted her alone.

  She halted, whirling around to face me. Only with a few moments of us being apart, I was starving for her. Ached for her.

  Her mouth met mine, ravenous, her lips as greedy as mine. My hands slid around her ass, picking her up, her legs hugging my hips. I rammed her against the wall, and bits of stone crumbled down to the ground. Her fingers went to the buttons on my jeans, finishing where she left off.

  The pictures came again as I bit and licked down her neck, our desperation for each other knocking around the space like a drunkard. This time I welcomed them, feeling with every image the pleasure between us grow deeper, enveloping us. Tying us together.

  Her fingers found me. I sucked in a sharp breath, my gaze snapping to hers. Once again she stared at me, defying me to stop her. I wasn’t a complete nutter. She’d have to be the one to end it. I couldn’t.

  “Why do I feel like I can’t stop?” she whispered hoarsely, echoing my thoughts. “Magic I can’t fight?”

  “Do you want to?” I drew my nose up her neck to her ear, her body shivering at my touch.

  “No,” she exhaled. “Not at all. And that should make me want to run. I can’t explain it. I need you. Now.”

  She didn’t have to explain. The same power raked down my muscles, thinking it might be possible to die from blue balls. My hands glided up her body, kneading her skin.

  “My, what big hands you have.” She grinned wickedly.

  A laugh burst from my chest; I was fully willing to participate in her game. “Better to grab you with, my dear,” I muttered into her neck, nipping at her skin.

  “What a big mouth you have.”

  My hands slid down her stomach, reaching the split in her dress, licking my lips. “All the better to eat you with, my dear.”

  She drew in a deep breath, her eyes glazing over with lust.

  “You know what else is big?” I pressed into her.

  Her hands peeled my jeans over my hips, her mouth dipping by my ear. “All the better to fuck me with…”

  Bloody hell.

  Riley took control, forgoing any foreplay, both of us beyond that. The call to feel her was far too loud and desperate. I lifted her, her body sinking down on mine.

  “Holy. Fuck.” I heard myself roar. White blasted through my sight, pleasure so intense air halted in my lungs, my legs dipping as I felt her take me in. She cried out, her head knocking against the wall, her nails digging into my arms.

  It was no secret I had a lot of sex. Incredible, mind-blowing sex. Nothing, I mean nothing, compared to this. Another plane on another universe.

  Mate. Mine. My wolf howled as we started to move together. Noises and cries which sounded completely like animals came from both of us. The thought didn’t scare me. Actually, it made me plunge deeper, wanting to mark her. Is this what Reika and Alarick meant when they kept telling me there was nothing like it? That all the lovers in the world all at once couldn’t even get near what this felt like? I had scoffed it off, thinking they hadn’t experienced incredible sex like I had…

  I was a complete knobhead.

  The way she felt wrapped around me, there were no words. It was a million times more than what they had told me. This girl would bring me to my knees.

  Riley tore at my shirt, ripping through it like it was paper, her hips matching my ferocity, demanding more from me. I didn’t even care if the whole ball heard us. And unless it was spelled, they would.

  With every thrust, it was like threads wove around us, spiderwebs linking me to her, to the point I could feel her pleasure as much as mine, intensifying the sensation roaring through me. A deep groan came from me, my muscles trembling, my spine burning. I could feel her body tighten around mine, swear words spouting off her tongue.

  “Grayson,” Riley cried out my name, her teeth biting down on my neck. Hard. Drawing blood. Unfiltered bliss, to the point it was almost painful, coursed through me; a deafening roar bellowed from me as I let go.

  Then everything went black.

  Suddenly I was standing in a forest. A familiar couple, a wolf in human form and hunter, stood off in the distance, laughing and touching like they couldn’t get enough. I knew I was just a viewer, watching the past play out before me.

  “We have been waiting for you, Riley and Grayson.” A woman’s voice jerked my head to the side. She looked to be in her late sixties, small with white-streaked hair, familiar steel gray eyes digging into me. A massive wolf with golden eyes strolled to her side, her fingers lacing through its fur.

  I sensed a presence next to me. Turning, I spotted Riley coming up to my side.

  “You know us?” Riley’s eyebrows furrowed.

  “Yes.” The woman smiled at her. “We are kin. I am part of you.”

  “Why are we here?” I looked around. “And how are we here?”

  “It’s a magic only mated wolf-and-hunter pairs connect to. It’s deep in both of your blood.” The woman stroked the wolf’s head. He snorted, locking his unique irises with me. My family were all leaders, each inheriting it from the line before. We all had the same golden eyes. In my gut, I knew he was a great-grandfather of mine somewhere down the line. “We’ve been waiting for a long time for you two.”

  “Why?” Riley folded her arms.

  “Because you’re the ones who will break the curse,” the woman replied, looking over her shoulder at the other pair oblivious to us. “We weren’t always enemies. At one time we worked together. A team. A mated pair leading both clans. A wolf and a hunter. We lived in harmony and love.”

  “What?” Riley and I sputtered.

  “The legends are wrong. We are supposed to be together, not against each other. We are the perfect pairing for hunting the real monsters. Together we protected the innocent.”

  “But...” Riley’s head shook.

  “Shush, girl.” The woman held up her hand. “You will not believe my words. You must see it for yourself. Let me show you.”

  The forest shivered, and the scenery changed around us, the day altering to night. A full moon hung above the tree line, glinting on the figures before us. The same man, the wolf, leaned against a tree, but a completely different girl stood in front of him. She was a hunter but much younger than the other woman, merely a teen. Her face looked a lot like the other girl, a younger sister, perhaps?

  The wolf stroked the back of her short blonde hair as she giggled, nuzzling closer to him. I couldn’t hear what they said, but it didn’t matter. I could see the lust in their eyes, the way he kept trying to undress her.

  My gaze caught a movement in the shadows, and I spotted the huntress he had been with before. Her gaze locked on them, fury radiating
off her body. The wolf was so keen on this younger girl, kissing and undressing her, he didn’t sense the other woman. She watched them without a sound, their grunts and moans filling the air. She never once stepped forward as her lover screwed another woman. But I could feel her heartbreak. Her love for him quickly turned into ash.

  Her mate betrayed her.

  Only one moment with Riley, and I knew if I caught her with someone else, there would be nothing left of the man to identify, just scraps of flesh. And the thought of kissing another woman was like ripping my own heart out. It had been instantaneous, the connection between us, and shagging merely cemented it.

  Mine. Mate. My wolf practically purred. He wanted no other either, and the thought of ever hurting her, being with someone else, had him howling under my skin.

  The hurt this other woman must have experienced, watching her sister and her mate rut against a tree, had to be utterly excruciating.

  The woman backed up slowly, a resolve set in her shoulders; my stomach sank. I wanted to grab the wanker and beat the crap out of him, make him see what he already had. The little girl didn’t even hold a candle to the woman he just burned.

  The scene transformed again. We were now in the woman’s hut, and she sat over a boiling cauldron, muttering a chant under her breath. The smiles and life I saw earlier were gone. She was filled with hate. Vengeance.

  “No.” Riley put her hand to her mouth, stepping closer, her attention on what the woman was holding. “The bloodstone.”

  In the woman’s palm was a gemstone the size of a wolf’s heart, the smooth surface was dark green with red splashes threading through the rock, looking like drops of blood.

  My back went rigid. The bloodstone was a werewolf’s weakness. Our kryptonite. Our curse. It was why we hated witches and hunters so much. They could wield it to their will. It gave them more power and us less. The legend said they used this to curse us. Because of this curse, on a full moon, we became vulnerable, easy to kill, by all…even humans. It was a lore we did everything to alter by taking it on as our name, embracing it, denying any truth to the myth.