by Nina Croft
“No,” he said. “Any sex will do. Now, I must go speak to the pack, explain why I gave one of our own to the vampires. They won’t be happy.”
He left the room and Tasha forced herself to turn and face Jack. “Is that why you wouldn’t have sex with me in The Facility?”
He nodded. “I knew you had no wish to perform for your captors.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I told you why. Do you think you would have liked the consequences if your jailors had discovered that little piece of information?”
An image of Johnson’s clammy hands flashed through her mind and Tasha shuddered in revulsion.
“Besides,” Jack continued. “It wasn’t my place. Pack law needs to be taught by the pack. We do not interfere with others’ laws. That’s why Oswald had to die. He sold pack secrets to outsiders.”
“You’re not an outsider.”
“I’m not pack. Sebastian and I work together, often for a common cause, but we are different. Tasha, if you accept pack law, you have a place here, a family. They will protect you.”
“Better than my first one did?” she asked, unable to hide the bitterness in her voice. “I can’t believe my father wanted me dead. Why, Jack? What’s wrong with me?”
Jack reached out and pulled her into his arms, holding her close to the long length of his body.
Every inch of him imprinted onto her skin, and for brief moment, she allowed herself to relax.
“Nothing,” he said. His hands slid down her arms and glided up over her body, tangling in her long red hair. He tilted her head back and looked down into her eyes. “Absolutely nothing,” he whispered the words into her mouth, kissing her cheek, slanting her head back further to lick at the soft flesh of her neck. The scrape of his fangs sent a shiver of pleasure through her.
“Do you know how much I wanted to take you?” he asked. “How hard I was each time I fed?”
He backed her up until the edge of the table was pressing at the small of her back. His large hands came up to cup her face and he kissed her again, this time on the mouth. He nipped at her lower lip until she opened to him, and his tongue pushed into her, hot and wet, as his hips thrust his rock hard erection against her.
A scalding heat flooded her body, and she gasped into his mouth. She’d wanted this for so long. The kiss hardened, a sharp nick, and the copper taste of fresh blood filled her mouth. Jack groaned and ground his hips harder into her. He slid one hand down over the sweep of her hipbone and between their bodies. His palm cupped her through the denim, and liquid heat flowed from her. He pressed upwards. She moaned and rubbed herself against his hand.
Jack lifted her onto the edge of the table, still kissing her mouth. He spread her legs, pressing his hardness where his hand had been, rocking against the very core of her. The zipper of her jeans slid down, and his hand pushed inside. One finger slid into her slick, slippery wetness. Tasha’s head fell back as pleasure flooded her body. A whimper escaped her lips, and she was drowning in exquisite pleasure. She never wanted it to stop—she needed more.
“Not on the table, Jack,” a voice said from behind them.
Jack went still above her.
“You know,” Sebastian continued, “I really would have expected a little more finesse from somebody with your experience.”
Jack withdrew his mouth from hers, licking a last drop of blood from her lips. He looked down at her, his eyes a little rueful as he removed his hand from between her legs. She bit back a whimper of loss and closed her eyes.
When she opened them, Sebastian was leaning in the open doorway, a watchful expression on his face. “Perhaps,” he said, with a sharpness in his voice that she didn’t quite understand. “You should tell her we don’t feed vamps, at least not voluntarily. Ditto for fucking them.”
Jack took a step away, and Tasha had to fight the urge to reach out and hold on to him. “That’s pack lore,” he said to Sebastian. “Not vampire lore.”
“Great, just great,” Tasha said, pulling up the zip on her jeans. “So this is my new family, huh? What is he, my father?”
Jack smiled. “I doubt that’s the position he has in mind.” He sighed. “It’s probably for the best. You need to think about what you want. In the meantime, I’ll find out what I can about your father.”
As the door closed behind him, Tasha had a desperate urge to call him back, but he was right. She needed to come to terms with all she’d learned before making any decisions. Sex was off-limits until she decided whether she wanted to join the pack for real, or try for a normal life. She couldn’t believe she’d let Jack go so far when minutes earlier she’d stated she was quite capable of saying no, if that’s what it took to remain human. Still, she couldn’t help gazing longingly at the closed door.
“It really isn’t done, you know,” Sebastian said almost gently.
She glanced at him. “What isn’t?” she asked her thoughts still on Jack.
“Sex with a vampire.” Sebastian poured them both a drink. “It’s not drugged,” he said when she hesitated. “We have accepted you as one of us now. But Tasha, it would be much easier for you if you truly became one of us. Sleep with me tonight and run with the pack afterward.” He ran his hand down her arm, and her skin tingled under the touch.
“I promise you you’ll enjoy both experiences.”
Gazing up at him, she realized he was as beautiful as Jack, in his own way. She could do what he asked and let him deal with everything. But she knew she wouldn’t. Her body still throbbed from Jack’s touch.
It was Jack she wanted.
But first, she had to confront her father and find out what had happened. There must be some explanation for what he’d done, some way she could still go home.
“I can’t,” she said. “At least, not yet.”
He sighed and let go of her arm. “Then sit with me for a while. You must have questions.”
She sank into the chair behind her and took the drink from his outstretched hand. She waited until he was sitting comfortably.
“So,” she asked. “Do vampires really sleep in coffins?”
Sebastian shook his head in disgust. “You’re obsessed,” he said. “Obsessed with a bloodsucking leech.”
Tasha smiled. She hadn’t expected an answer, but hadn’t been able to resist the temptation to wind him up. Obviously, the habit hadn’t died with Johnson. Sebastian’s eyes narrowed on her smile.
“So,” she said quickly. “Tell me all about werewolves.”
Chapter Seven
Acres of thick woodland surrounded the house, enclosed by a six foot wall circling the entire perimeter. Tasha had spent the day meandering through pathways not made by human feet, breathing in the scent of growing things. It felt so good to be outside, to be free.
She knew there were wolves around her; she could sense their presence, smell their feral odor. But the thought didn’t frighten her. Even without the full moon, Tasha felt the pull of the night and a part of her longed to break free. She knew she had to make a decision—had to decide whether she wanted to be a real werewolf. She’d been thinking over the things Sebastian had told her the night before. He’d made the whole werewolf thing sound breathtaking, wild and exhilarating, and deep down, Tasha knew what her decision would be. Still, she needed to face her father first, find out what had happened all those years ago.
She stayed in the forest long after night had fallen only returning to the house as the sickle moon rose above the trees. Jack lounged on the veranda, one shoulder against the wall, arms folded across his chest. He studied her closely as she climbed the steps toward him. “Have you decided?”
She nodded. “I have to see my father.”
“I thought you would. We’re meeting him tonight.”
She bit her lip. “Does he know I’m alive?”
“He knows nothing. We approached him through official channels. He believes he’s coming to a budget meeting.”
The door behind them slammed, and she lo
oked across to see Sebastian. “I’m coming with you,” he said.
Jack raised an eyebrow.
“We protect our own,” Sebastian said.
Jack’s eyes narrowed. “She’s not yours yet,” he growled.
Sebastian smiled. “Did you come out without any supper tonight?” He turned to Tasha. “Vampires tend to get a little bad tempered on an empty stomach.”
“I’ve fed,” Jack snarled.
Tasha glared at him. Who had he fed on? She bit back the question.
“Good,” Sebastian replied. “I wouldn’t want you distracted.”
Sebastian drove them into the city. Jack sat beside him in the front with Tasha in the back. No one spoke, and she was glad of the silence to try and make sense of her thoughts. She was going to see her father after so many years. She should have been happy, excited. Instead, she couldn’t dislodge the cold hard dread that had settled in her stomach.
The streets of London flashed past almost unnoticed and eventually they arrived in the underground parking garage of a huge office block. She followed Jack and Sebastian through the silent building. Once out of the elevator, Jack turned to her. “Are you sure you want to go through with this?”
She peered up into his face, but his expression was blank. “I don’t think I have an option,” she replied.
“Of course you have an option,” Sebastian said. “You can let us deal with it for you.”
“What exactly does ‘deal with it’ involve?”
“We kill the bastard,” Sebastian growled. “Hell, do you want him to live after what he did to you?”
“We don’t actually know what he did or why,” Tasha said.
“Tasha,” Sebastian said. “The evidence is overwhelming. This can’t turn out well for you. Let us sort it all out.”
But she blocked the words out. There had to be a reason—she wouldn’t allow herself to consider the alternative.
After a minute, Jack sighed. “Okay, come on.” He led her through the dark corridors.
“What is this place?” Tasha asked.
“Just an office building. My company owns it.”
“Your company?”
He smiled. “Vampires need to work too, you know.”
Beside him, Sebastian snorted. “Don’t you believe it; they’re all lazy bastards, sleeping all day.”
A light shone from the open doorway of an office. Tasha’s heart slowed as they approached. Jack squeezed her arm and then pushed open the door, and Tasha found herself in a huge, ultra-modern office, all black leather and stainless steel. Three men stood by the desk. Jack nodded, and two of the men left the room, leaving the third standing alone.
Tasha took a step forward, but Jack put a warning hand on her arm. She stared at her father.
He’d hardly changed in eight years and a wave of longing washed over her. This was the father she remembered from her childhood. She shook off Jack’s hand, but could feel him and Sebastian taking up positions on either side of her. She didn’t need to be telepathic to sense the menace radiating from them.
Her father was staring back at her now, a slight frown of recognition on his face.
“Dad,” she said.
The frown disappeared. It was replaced fleetingly by alarm, which he quickly covered, leaving his expression blank. “Natasha?” He stepped toward them, his movements jerky as though he was in shock, and Jack and Sebastian shifted a little closer. “My God, Natasha, is that you? I thought you were dead.” The words were forced, but Tasha could sense the truth in them. “What happened?” he asked.
“That’s what we’re here to find out,” Sebastian said from behind her.
Her father’s eyes shifted past her to rest fleetingly on each of her two bodyguards. “Who are you?” he asked. “I was told I was meeting the finance team about budget changes to my program.”
“Instead,” Sebastian said. “You’re meeting with us about why you paid a werewolf to murder your own daughter.”
“A werewolf? What are you talking about?”
“We have his confession. You’d be dead already but your daughter seems to want to give you the benefit of the doubt. We don’t. You have five minutes to explain before you die.”
Her father turned toward her. “Natasha, please I would never…”
Tasha closed her eyes and reached out with her mind. And met with a complete blank. She opened her eyes and looked into his, and all of a sudden, she knew there wasn’t going to be a happy ending. “Why, Dad?”
“Natasha, I don’t know what these people are talking about. I’m overwhelmed you’re here, that you’re not dead.”
“He’s lying, Tasha,” Sebastian growled in her ear. “Read him, and let’s get this over with.”
“I can’t,” she said.
“What do you mean, ‘can’t’?”
“He’s shielded, like the guards at The Facility.”
“Then perhaps we need to use a more conventional means of persuasion.” Sebastian took a step toward the other man. “Do you know what we are?”
“You look like mercs.”
“Mercs?” Tasha asked.
“He means mercenaries, paid killers,” Jack said. “Don’t you, Dr. Grant?” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes, which remained as cold as polar ice. “Oh, we’re killers all right, and sometimes for money, but you can be very sure, that right at this moment, I would happily kill you—just for fun.” He flashed the tip of one fang, and Tasha’s father took a step back. “You know what I am,” Jack continued. “But then my companion here is something else entirely.”
Sebastian reached out one arm, and Tasha watched in fascination as the fingers turned into claws. She gasped. She had lived with this talk of werewolves for so long she’d stopped thinking about what it actually meant. Would she be able to change like that?
“With a little practice,” Sebastian drawled in her ear. “Sleep with me tonight, and you’ll see for yourself.” She glanced at his face in surprise, and he laughed. “I don’t need to be a mind reader to know what you were thinking,” he said.
She turned to her father. He was backed up against the wall, fear and revulsion on his face.
“I don’t understand, Natasha. How did you come to be with these…” He hesitated. “…people? I thought you were dead.”
“It seems your paid assassin got greedy,” Jack said. “Saw a chance at some extra cash and sold her.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I saw you, Dad. I read the man you paid.”
“You can do that? You have that much control?” He rubbed at the spot behind his left ear.
Sebastian’s eyes narrowed at the movement. “Jack, you’ve been studying the implant you got from the guard. Can you remove it?”
“Not here,” Jack replied. “At least not without killing him.”
“Well,” Sebastian said. “Killing him would be my choice, but I doubt it would improve our chances of getting information. What about using some of your persuasive vampire skills?”
Jack shrugged. “Might work. On the other hand, with the implant it’s just as likely to blow his brain. We don’t know enough about them yet. Tasha, do you want to try first?”
“Why, Dad?” Tasha asked again. “How could you do that to your own daughter?”
He glanced away for a moment. When he looked back, his eyes were cold. “I could do it,” he said. “Because you’re not my daughter.”
“What do you mean? Who am I?”
“You’re a laboratory experiment, in vitro fertilization, DNA modification. You were grown in a test tube.”
“But why?”
“We were researching telepathy. We wanted to increase strength. Your genetic parents were mild telepaths. We had managed to identify the gene that gave them their talent, and then we modified it. Once you were born, it was decided you would be grown in a home environment as near normal as possible.”
Tasha’s head was about to explode. She was finding it diff
icult to take in. “What about my mother? Did she know all this?”
“Of course she did. And she wasn’t your mother. But she loved you. She knew nothing about the—” he paused, and glanced from Jack to Sebastian “—other.”
“You mean about you paying a werewolf to kill me.”
“I didn’t know he was a werewolf. And, no, your mother loved you. She was devastated when you disappeared. Heartbroken.”
“So why did you do it?”
“I was under orders. There’d been problems with the others.”
“Others?”
“You were one of a batch.”
“I have sisters and brothers?”
An expression of distaste crossed his features. “If you can call them that. Anyway, most of those brought up on the outside have been eliminated.”
“On the outside?”
“In home environments like yourself.”
“But why were they killed?”
“They became telepathic. We were told to look for certain signs.”
“But I don’t understand. Isn’t that what you were trying for?”
“Yes, but at the time, we hadn’t developed the shielding technology. What we were doing was confidential, and the handlers thought it was best not to be exposed. We had plenty of samples still in the labs. It was either eliminate you, or lock you up for life.”
“So you were doing them a kindness,” Sebastian said. “How sweet.”
Tasha rubbed the spot between her eyes. “So you bred telepaths and then killed them so they couldn’t read your minds?” She shook her head in disgust.
“The orders came from the very top. I argued, but Frank insisted.”
“Frank?” Tasha asked.
“Frank Latham, my boss at the unit. Anyway, Frank said some of the others hadn’t been able to cope, had gone crazy—we couldn’t risk leaving you on the outside. He put me in touch with a man called Oswald. I didn’t know he was a werewolf. Back then, we weren’t even sure they existed. It was supposed to be quick. You weren’t supposed to suffer. And you have to understand, I’d always known it was a possibility.”
