First Kiss of Freedom: A Vampire Shifter Hybrid Romance (The Whitemoon Warriors Series Book 1)

by Nichole Wolfe

  Suddenly, Torin, the Alpha’s son, stood in front of her. She snapped her teeth at him. “Get the hell out of my way.” She tried to go around him, but he blocked her again, his arms crossing over his chest as he jerked his chin to the left.

  Talon walked towards her, Eva at his side. Nessie’s fists clenched.

  “Where do you think you’re going this close to dawn?” Talon asked, his voice curt. He was obviously used to getting what he asked. Well, shit on that.

  “None of your goddamn business,” she snapped, lifting her chin.

  Talon’s gaze, way too similar to her own, narrowed.

  Torin got in her face. “Don’t speak to him like that, you filthy bloodsucker!”

  Nessie shoved him away, sending him flying into a pile of baskets a few yards away.

  “It’s Charlie,” Eva said softly, her eyes on Nessie.

  Nessie frowned at her. “He’s not back yet. I’m going to find him.”

  “Don’t be stupid. Dawn is near,” Talon said.

  “I won’t leave him out there to burn!”

  Talon shook his head. “I will send out a search party. And you will get inside.” He nodded toward Torin, who gave Nessie a nasty look, but went to gather the search party.

  “Don’t think you can tell me what to do.” Nessie glared at Talon and her mother as they stood side by side. “No matter who you think you are.”

  Their eyes widened. “How did you-” Eva began.

  “I heard you!” Nessie yelled. She stared at her mother shaking. “I don’t care who you fucked, he is not my father and he never will be.”

  Nessie’s skin burned with frustration. Her father was dead, her sperm donor was a hairy monster by moonlight, and where the hell was Charlie?! She eyed the line of trees.

  “Don’t even think about it,” Talon snapped. “The search party will find him. Plus, he’s got more experience getting out of the sun than you do.”

  Nessie recalled asking Charlie about getting out of the sun in a pinch. “Underground,” she muttered. She looked up at Talon. “Charlie said if necessary, we could bury ourselves to escape the sun.”

  Talon nodded. “I’ll let the search party know to look for any loose piles of earth, but they won’t be able to uncover him until after the sun goes down.”

  Eva rubbed her arm. “They’ll find him, dear. Lycans are some of the best trackers in the world.”

  Nessie wanted to shrug her mother’s hand off her. She was still pissed at her for keeping so many secrets. The truth of her heritage for one thing. But the deep-seated concern written on the woman’s face made her hesitate. “I should be helping them,” she told her.

  Eva smiled at her. “I know you feel that way, but you know that's not possible. I'm afraid you’re going to have to sit out on the action this time.” Her fingers closed around Nessie’s hand, her smile unwavering. She jerked her head toward the house to the right - Talon’s. Groan. “C’mon. Let’s get you inside where it’s safe.”

  Nessie wrinkled her nose at her. Eva just chuckled at her, rolled her eyes, and tugged her hand, pulling her toward the house. Nessie slumped her shoulders and followed her mother.

  Once in the safety of the large basement, she began pacing. Visions of a crispy Charlie replayed in her mind whenever she tried to lie down, so she asked Eva to get her something to do. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much to choose from. The primitive village was a far cry from the cultural hubs and history-rich cities the vampires occupied. No hologram televisions, no museums, theaters, or shops. At least in the mansion she had a library of books to keep her mind occupied. Here it was nothing but four walls, a bed, and a closet full of linens and cleaning supplies. What the hell did these lycans do in their spare time?

  Eva chuckled and Nessie looked back at her, finding her mother looking highly amused. “What?” she asked.

  Her mother replied, “Lycans are a very primitive species. Unlike vampires, they don’t come from a human background and have a much stronger connection to nature than they do to human history or culture. That’s why you don’t see any of the frivolities and luxuries that Jack’s mansion possessed.”

  Nessie hadn’t realized she’d voiced her question out loud. Ooops. Although, her mother still hadn’t quite answered her question. “So, what do they do in their spare time, then?”

  Eva’s sensual smile had her second guessing wanting the answer. Her mother gave it to her anyway. “Lycans are very in tune with their physical needs. They spend the majority of their time tending to them.”

  Nessie raised an eyebrow. “Physical needs?” Gods, did she really want to know?

  “Sleep, sustenance, and sex.”

  Nessie rolled her eyes. She’d suspected as much Especially after she’d jumped Charlie’s bones a few hours ago. “I’m surprised there aren’t more little furry monsters running around then.”

  Eva’s smile faded. “Offspring are few and far between. Me and Talon were quite blessed when we conceived you, actually. It’s very rare for a mixed couple to conceive, let alone carry the fetus to term and successfully deliver a healthy infant.” Eva took her hand in her own, guiding them to sit on the edge of the bed. “You have always been a very special girl, Nessie. My little miracle.” Her face grew somber. “But you need to heed my advice in this. We must stay with Talon’s pack. I know you don’t want to,” she continued as Nessie opened her mouth to argue. “But you are in a great deal of danger still. These woods are filled with lycan packs. For thousands of miles. Nothing but wilderness and wolves. Trust me. You are the most valued commodity in their world, Nessie. They will do anything...anything...to get you.”

  Nessie studied her mother. The hard set of her jaw, wide-set eyes focused solely on her, and her hands clutching her own. The woman meant every word. Nessie’s head tilted to the side. “Why would they value me? I was just a slave. And now, I’m a…I don’t even know what I am.”

  “They never saw you for what you were. You had never transformed fully. Your scent was human like mine. Outwardly, you appeared completely human. But you’re not. Even before Charlie turned you, you were never completely human.”

  Nessie took a deep breath as her mother reminded her of her unavoidable link to Talon and the pack. “I’m a lycan. I know. But why does that matter? You said so yourself, there are tons of them running in these parts.”

  Eva shook her head. “Not females. That is what makes you so valuable. Female lycans are extremely rare, an entire pack can go centuries before one is born. Ninety-nine percent of their population is male.”

  Nessie shrugged. “I still don’t get the big deal. There are plenty of human women like you to take care of those ‘needs’.”

  Eva smirked. “While that is true, a female lycan improves the chances of healthy offspring exponentially. It’s why Talon’s father was so against us marrying. There had been a female lycan born in a neighboring pack, and his father had arranged for Talon to marry her instead.”

  Nessie felt the urge to hug her mother as the memory had clearly saddened her. “So, Talon’s wife is a lycan?”

  Eva shook her head. “No. No, she’s human as well.”

  Nessie’s brows clenched. “Then what the hell was the point of denying your marriage?”

  “The female lycan didn’t live past her second birthday. It happened after I had already been captured. At that point, there were only human females left to choose from.”

  Nessie studied her mother a moment. She was obviously crushed at losing Talon, which made her think of Charlie. And while she hated to admit it, she, too, would be crushed if she lost him, which was a very real possibility. Just the thought chilled her blood and made her want to crawl into a deep ditch and wither away.

  Her mother grabbed her hand. “You are especially unique, Nessie. A true blend of the supernatural species. Every pack will want to get their hands on you. You could potentially be the only vampire able to produce children.”

  “Then why should I stay with this pack?”
>
  Sighing, her mother stroked her cheek. “Talon has always been a good man. And he is one of the only pack Alphas to have banned slavery. I’m not asking you to forget your father.” Nessie tensed as she mentioned the man who raised her, and his unfortunate demise. “I’m just asking you to let him protect us. Please. I don’t want to lose you again.”

  They both jumped as the front door upstairs crashed open and several heavy footsteps padded across the ceiling. The basement door clicked open and soon the room filled with a handful of males, including Talon, Torin, and several others she had yet to meet.

  Torin stood next to his father, arms crossed and scowling. He obviously hadn’t gotten over their little scuff earlier. Like she cared.

  When none of the brooding males spoke up, Nessie huffed. “Well? Did you find him or not?” Please don’t say he’s dead. Please don’t say he’s dead.

  Talon exchanged looks with Torin, who shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. Talon faced her. “We were able to track him,” he stated.

  A few seconds ticked by as Nessie’s heart raced like a freight train. When Talon didn’t continue, she had the urge to smack the words out of him. “And? Where is he?” Why the hell was everyone being so hesitant? Just spit it out!

  “Blackmoon’s got him,” Torin said, his scowl deepening if that was even possible.

  “Blackmoon?” she asked. What the hell was that?

  “It’s a neighboring pack. With an Alpha the size of a black bear.”

  Nessie’s heart stopped. Literally. Bam. Racing one moment...dead still the next. Not a peep from the soppy son of a bitch that did cartwheels whenever Charlie was around. That giant black monster of a wolf had Charlie in his claws. And after Charlie had nearly ripped his head off, she doubted he’d be too friendly to his new captive. Her eyes searched Talon’s face. “Is he...is he…” Gods, she couldn’t even say it!

  “No, he’s not dead. We would have smelled the ash. For some reason, he’s keeping him alive.”

  She exhaled a long breath she hadn’t realized she’d held in. She clenched her fist, growling under her breath, “I know why.”

  Talon and Torin quirked their brows, their expressions identical. “Why?” They asked in unison.

  It was Nessie’s turn to scowl. “Bait.”

  The males muttered among themselves. Most of them wondering why Blackmoon would care about a bloodsucker.

  “Charlie interrupted him ‘claiming’ his new slave,” Nessie started. “And now he thinks Charlie will lure me back so he can finish the job.”

  “You?” Torin asked, snickering. “Why the hell would an Alpha care about claiming a bloodsucker, like you?”

  Nessie’s fists clenched as she took a step toward the arrogant prick. Talon held up a hand and turned toward his son. “She is not a bloodsucker.”

  Torin looked doubtful. “She snapped those fangs at me more than once.”

  Torin’s eyes narrowed to slits as he watched her. She was about to give the little prick an up-close and personal look at her fangs if he kept calling her a bloodsucker. Said prick’s eyes widened suddenly as his gaze met hers.

  “As you can see, son, her eyes glow gold like ours.” Talon had turned toward the small group of males that stood huddled around the stairs. Each masculine face turned toward her, expressions ranging from shock and confusion to anger and disbelief.

  "What is this bullshit?" a scruffy blonde male asked as his pale green eyes narrowed on her.

  Torin remained silent as his gaze, gold beginning to creep into his hazel irises, darted over her face.

  Talon stepped forward and turned toward the scrutinizing males. With his body situated slightly in front of her, Nessie had to lean to the side to see Torin's face. His eyes were locked on his father's now as his head began shaking.

  "Yes, my son. What you suspect is true." Talon's voice softened as he continued. "She is my daughter."

  There was a mixture of gasps and curses among the group, but Torin remained speechless, only his head shaking as his lip curled and his jaw twitched.

  "Which makes her your sister," Talon said.

  There was a sharp intake of breath, and it took Nessie a moment to realize it had been her. Torin was her brother. Somehow, she hadn't thought of that before now.

  "No," Torin snapped. "No, you're lying." Torin squeezed his eyes shut and turned away from them.

  Talon took a step forward and put his hand on his son's shoulder. Talon went on to tell how Nessie came to be, and what had happened to Eva that had torn the two away from the pack. Slowly, Torin's fists unclenched. His gaze met hers, no longer narrowed in suspicion, but open in genuine curiosity. A brother seeing his sister for the first time.

  "You didn't know either, did you?" he asked.

  Nessie shook her head. "No, not at first. I overheard my mother talking to Talon. That's how I found out." She took a tentative step forward, the corner of her mouth curving upward. "And, compared to me, you handled the news pretty well, actually. I guess we know who the hothead in the family is."

  Torin managed a weak smile in return before looking toward his father. Following his gaze, Nessie found Talon smiling at the two of them. His hazel eyes, the exact shade of his children's, sparkled with pride.

  Clearing her throat, she took a breath. Enough of the touchy feely. Time to get down to business. "At dusk, I'm going for Charlie."

  Talon turned on her. "What? That's madness! You can't take on an entire pack by yourself!"

  Sticking her chin in the air, she said, "I guess we'll see, won't we?" Talon's gaze bore into her, and she stared right back.

  Finally, after several minutes of silence, Talon closed his eyes and sighed. "You're as stubborn as your mother," he muttered. She stuck her tongue out at him, not caring if he saw. Which he did and rolled his eyes, smiling. "Given that he is your chosen mate-"

  Nessie took a step back. "Whoa, whoa. I didn't say anything about -"

  "Oh, please, Vanessa," her mother finally chimed in. "If you're willing to take on an entire wolf pack to save him, then you've claimed him. And by the looks of that mark on your chest. He’s claimed you as well."

  Nessie looked down at her chest, heat rising in her cheeks as sure enough, there it was. Charlie’s fang marks scarred into her chest. She tried to think back. Had she left the same marks on him back in the woods?

  The thought of calling Charlie "mate" terrified the ever-living shit out of her. It also had her heart doing flippin' acrobatics.

  "Are you willing to leave him to his fate at Blackmoon?" Talon asked.

  If Jaxon was half the dickhead she thought him to be…

  Raising her chin, she met Talon's gaze unblinking. "Hell no." He's mine.

  Talon nodded. "Very well. As your chosen mate, Charlie is entitled to the protection of the pack as well."

  Several more curses flew through the room.

  "The fuck he is!"

  "He's a bloodsucker!"

  "What is this shit?"

  Talon spun. "Shut the fuck up, all of you!" Cricket. Cricket. Well, damn, the man had skills.

  CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

  “Why isn’t he dead yet?”

  “Jaxon wants him alive. I think he has a hard-on for that human that got away a few days ago, and he thinks this bloodsucker is her lover.”

  A grunt of approval. “Bloodsucker bait. I like it.”

  Charlie didn’t bother opening his eyes. He already knew at least two mongrels stood guard. Plus, he had the migraine of a fucking demon right now. Coming back from the dead...again...didn’t come without its side effects. The rest of his body screamed in silent agony, so, yeah, he was definitely content with lying still at the moment. Motherfucking mutts must have had a field day with his body before it regained a pulse.

  “Yeah, but she’s a stupid bitch if she comes for him. Jaxon will eat her alive.”

  One of them snickered. The douchebag one. “Yeah, literally. Bitch won’t know what hit her.”

  His immortal ass
needed to get its shit together and heal. Faster. Because these dickheads needed to die. Yesterday.

  He heard the creak of a door and heavy footsteps. "How is my favorite prisoner?" Jaxon's unnaturally low voice clawed at Charlie's brain, making him want to wince. Not yet. Play dead until your strength returns. "Hasn't he reanimated yet?" A long silence ensued, then Jaxon clicked his tongue. "His heart beats, you idiots. Learn to use your fucking senses!"

  Slam! Charlie groaned as the son of a bitch buried his boot in Charlie's gut. Curling his body and wrapping his arms around his midsection, he finally peeled his lids open. Jaxon smiled down at him, happy as a harpy. "Up and at 'em, sunshine," he practically sang.

  Fuck. This was gonna be a long day in the clutches of a slightly deranged half-dog. Jaxon grabbed the scruff of his neck and hauled him to his feet, wobbly as they were. Smiling even wider, Jaxon released him and looked over at his companions, snickering. "You know, I've missed this. Bloodsuckers come through the area so rarely anymore that I never get to have any fun." He looked down at Charlie again, grinning like a fucking lunatic. "I want to thank you for that, my friend."

  Crack! The meaty fist of the monstrous beast struck the side Charlie's face and he felt his jaw shatter. Charlie stumbled, but managed to regain his balance.

  "If he keeps going like this, he's gonna end up killing the delicate flower anyway," one of the guard dogs muttered to his companion.

  Jaxon's happy face fell as he looked over at the duo. The loudmouth one snapped his mouth shut, his eyes widening as he fell silent. Jaxon took the one giant step he required to cross the tiny room, the smaller male backing into the wall at his approach. One quick jab to the face later, the mouthy one's head slammed into the wall. He crumpled to the floor, clutching his nose as it gushed blood.

  A smile back on his ugly mug, Jaxon recrossed the room and threw a heavy arm over Charlie's shoulder. "Now, is that any way to talk to our new friend here, Lucus?"

  Lucus' eyes widened and he shook his head rapidly.

  Apparently, Lucus was the smart one of the pair. Or the cowardly one.

  The door suddenly flew open as a tall, lanky male stepped over the threshold. "Whitemoon's attacking."