Jaxon's chipper mood vanished. "Whitemoon? What the hell are they thinking? We've been at peace with them since Lauren was traded to them years ago."
The male shrugged. "It doesn't seem like they're in a peaceful discussion mood."
Jaxon removed his arm from around Charlie and began walking toward the door. "It must have been our breach of their territory lines earlier. I didn't see any of their members when we took the bloodsucker, though."
There were some masculine yells in the distance. Jaxon whipped his head around toward Lucus. "What the fuck are you waiting for? Get your ass out there!" His gaze dropped to the other one still clutching his nose on the floor. "And take his ass with you."
A moment later, Lucus hauled the other male to his feet and they both ran out the door. Jaxon turned toward him. "Unfortunately, I've got some business to take care of before we can have any fun, my friend." He slapped Charlie's shoulder, smiling. "Don't worry, I'll be back soon."
***
Pacing, Nessie mentally recited the basic shifting principles Talon and Torin had taught her in the last few hours. Her mother had explained that, so far, she’d only shifted during hunger rages. But apparently, she could shift anytime the moon was out.
“You can’t shift during new moons at all. And on full moons, you won’t have any choice. You’ll have to shift,” Talon explained as the others gathered their weapons. “Well, at least that’s how it is for normal lycans. We’ll have to wait and see if that holds true for you.”
Nessie bounced on the balls of her feet at the bottom of the basement steps. C'mon, c'mon. She urged the sun to move faster. She didn't have the time or patience to wait for its slow ass to drop behind the mountains. Gods, I hate this, she thought.
The other pack members had gone ahead of her, able to begin the attack in daylight. Lucky bastards. She understood the advantages of drawing Blackmoon's attention.
Her eyes drilled a hole into the door at the top of the stairs. Almost there. Another few moments and she'd be able to sneak her way into Blackmoon and find Charlie while the others kept Blackmoon's members busy.
Three, two, one. Nessie burst through the door, hearing the metal door groan under the force. The cold dusk air rushed over her skin as the scenery blew by in a blur.
As the familiar musk of sweaty males and dog filled the air, she slowed to a solid sprint by human standards. Circling the edge of the village, she saw the faint glow of dozens of torches that perched outside each house. When the chorus of battle faded somewhat, she crept toward the first building, slithering along the edge in silence.
Glancing up, she saw the moon crest over the canopy. She inhaled, closing her eyes as dozens of scents bombarded her. Damn it all to hell. Why did she have to be so bad at this? She couldn't pick Charlie's scent out of all the unfamiliar ones. Her eyes darted from this house to that, trying to jog her memory. Nothing. The houses all looked the same, ranging in size from a shed to a several room home.
Daring to tip-toe further toward the center, she decided the smaller buildings were the better option. The first two she came across held nothing but tools and lumber. The next one made her stomach churn with several bloody chains, daggers, whips, and devices she didn't even want to attempt to name. Had any of those been used on Charlie? She shuddered at the thought.
"I was wondering when you'd show up."
Oh shit, here we go. Nessie froze, feeling her body tense at the deep voice that was all too familiar. She turned her head, seeing Jaxon's crooked grin widen as their eyes met.
"You humans are so predictable," he sneered, taking a step toward her.
Still thought she was human? Wonderful. At least she hadn't completely lost the element of surprise.
She smiled back sweetly, catching his gaze flicker in confusion. "Have you really been waiting around for me?" Pressing her hand to her chest, she batted her lashes at him. "I'd be flattered if you weren't such a gigantic prick."
Licking his lips, he allowed his eyes to venture over her body. "I think I'm going to like having you around. Aren't you cold in so little clothes?"
Shit. She'd forgotten. With cold no longer being such an adversary, the layers of clothes hadn't crossed her mind. Of course, she hadn't been concerned with portraying herself as human when she had left the basement in such a hurry either. She hoped the fact that she wore little more than a tank, jeans, and boots didn't alert him to her little secret.
She kept her sweet smile planted as she shrugged. "Must be the adrenaline."
His smirk widened and he rolled his shoulders. "I'm just getting your blood pumping, baby cakes."
He started striding toward her, his shoulders swaggering with every step. Arrogant scum. She felt her blood rushing in her ears, her gaze falling on the large vein pulsing at his neck. Shit!
She spun away from him, resisting the urge to run. Her gums throbbed and pain laced through her fingers. Not yet, she told herself. I need him closer first.
Her skin coiled as Jaxon ran his meaty hand up her spine. As his fingers gripped the back of her neck, he murmured in her ear, "Not even running from me, eh? I almost get the feeling you want me."
Gag. Choke. Vomit. She had to resist all three urges, forcing herself to remain still as his free hand slid up her thigh. Now is as good a time as any, she thought.
"Oh, Jaxon," she whispered, hearing his heavy breathing pause. She took a deep breath, drawing his attention to her voice, and releasing the vice-grip of control she had on her body, and hoping it worked.
Her fangs punched painfully from her gums, her fingers screaming as they lengthened and contorted, claws ripping through her fingertips. "You have no idea how badly I want you." Dead. She smiled, her pearly whites pricking along her lips as she turned her head to look back at Jaxon, seeing her glowing gold eyes in Jaxon's pupils. Surprise, motherfucker.
Jaxon's grip loosened on her neck, his mouth falling open. "What the fuck?"
Mental high-five. Goal accomplished. Taking advantage of his state of shock, Nessie slammed an elbow into his wide-eyed mug, making him stumble back. She was on him in an instant, sinking her claws through the flesh of his chest and climbing up his large body. His carotid a beacon to her rising hunger. Allowing her new instincts to overcome her, she slammed into his throat to access the blood that made the monster tick. Let's drain this deranged dog.
He groaned, his arms clutching her against him, making her pause as she gorged on him. That was not a groan of pain. When she felt something solid press against her groin, she froze. Was this crazy fuck getting off? She tore her fangs from his flesh, hearing him moan as she pushed her claws deeper into his chest, trying to force his body off her.
His eyes were wide and wild. Bat shit crazy. What the hell did she just do?
"Oh, baby, I think I might have just fallen in love with you."
Oh. Hell. No. She licked the blood from her lips, watching his gaze flicker down to her mouth, his pupils dilating. Shit, this was bad. Oh, bad, bad, bad. No more fang action for this lunatic. She slammed her head up, pain bursting through her skull as it connected with his face. There was a satisfying crunch as Jaxon’s head flung back, blood pouring from his now-distorted nose. She pulled her knees up in the widened space between their bodies, her feet climbing his chest and kicking him off her. He flew twenty feet in the air as she rolled to her stomach and jumped to her feet.
Her body shifted, bones bending and snapping into their new place. The form-fitting clothes she wore split at the seams to accommodate her growing figure. She turned in place as the thud of Jaxon’s feet on the grass reached her ears.
Blood dripped down her chin, her eyes locking onto Jaxon's. Ah, shit, here we go, she thought as Jaxon's dark eyes shone gold.
"You are a beautiful creature," he murmured as if he was right next to her ear instead of thirty feet away. His voice contorted, deepening even further, until it was lost to his growing snout.
“Well, you’re not,” she said, swiping her clawed hand through the a
ir. However, her own voice sounded completely foreign to her. The voice of a monster, low and growling.
Jaxon chuckled and roared as his shoulder jerked out of its socket. Nessie watched in awe as the larger-than-life man morphed into the larger-than-life wolf with fur as dark as his soul. He shook out his thick coat and stretched his limbs as they popped back into place.
His gold gaze locked with hers for a moment, and she could swear she saw his wolfish grin before he snapped his teeth and charged.
She grinned back, bending her knees. Unlike the beast before her, she was not restricted to four legs. Thanks to her vampire side she assumed, she retained the ability to walk on two legs, along with her handy opposable thumbs.
He would go for her throat as any common beast would. She spun to get out of reach, but his jaw clamped down on her ankle. Damn. He wasn’t as predictable as she thought, apparently. She twisted her torso, gripped his snout with both hands and wrenched his jaw open. He growled as she pulled her foot out of his mouth.
Pushing off his giant snout, she flipped out of reach and bolted. She had always been fast by human standards, but that had been because of her lycan genes and not natural talent, unfortunately. Jaxon was nipping at her heels in no time flat. Maybe four legs were better than two. Dammit.
Masculine cries of war grew louder with every step. The others were close. Too close. Not needing Jaxon calling for his buddies to come help out, she veered away from the sounds. Risking a glance back, she skipped a step to keep her calf from being devoured by Jaxon’s massive mouth. A second snap of his jaws followed, making her lose her balance as she tried to jump out of reach.
She crashed to the ground, barely catching herself before her face had a much too intimate moment with the dirt. Jaxon’s heavy body pressed down on hers, nearly suffocating her. Clawing at the ground, yanking hunks of grass out, she tried to slither from beneath him. Fat chance. She coughed, needing air, loose dirt flying up her nose. More coughing.
Jaxon’s teeth clamped down on her shoulder. Hard. She screamed, but it came out as a roar. Oh, right. Not human. She stilled. When her brain didn’t go fuzzy and shut down on her, she smiled. Apparently, oxygen was no longer a necessity. Thank you, Charlie. I fucking love your fangs.
When the pain from Jaxon’s brutal bite subsided a bit, she tried to buck him off of her. You’ve got to be kidding me. Is he humping me like a fucking dog? Seriously! The rhythmic movement of his hips slamming into her ass made her gag. When she couldn’t simply muscle him off her, she tried to slam her head into his, but his fat wolf head was too high up.
He began wheezing. Wait. Was he laughing at her? Son of a bitch! She flailed beneath him, whimpering as his teeth sank deeper into the flesh of her shoulder, scraping along her flesh. She grit her teeth to keep from screaming. When she peeled her eyes open, Jaxon’s arms morphed beside her returning to human. Talon had mentioned that lycans could shift at will under the moon.
“Can’t get you properly naked without some nimble fingers,” he purred into her ear. His fingers dug under the waistband of her torn jeans.
She let out a laugh, making him pause.
“You find this amusing?” he asked, dumbfounded.
“Well, yeah. You changed back.” Giving up your advantage, you dumbass. “Just so you could take my clothes off?”
His lips curved into a smile as he pressed his mouth against her throat. “Well, I can’t very well fuck you with these on,” he murmured, tugging on her waistband.
She laughed harder.
“What the fuck is so funny?” He sounded irritated.
She peered back at him, seeing the shiny gold of her eyes still reflected in his dark brown ones. “You really are a big, dumb dog, aren’t you?”
His mouth fell open as his eyes narrowed. “You little bi---”
Reaching up over her head, she dug her claws (because she wasn’t a dumb fuck who changed back to a weaker form in the middle of battle) into the sides of his face, relishing in the roar she drew from him. His weight lifted as he tried to pull his face away, giving her some precious leverage. She slammed her body up, finally able to buck him off of her.
Somehow, the agile bastard landed on his feet, albeit a little wobbly. She swung, putting all her strength into her arm as it crashed against his temple, catching him off-guard. He toppled, and she leapt over him, raining blows down on his face relentlessly until it was one, big, swollen mess.
He spat blood at her. “He’s dead, you bitch!”
She froze, trying to search his eyes for the truth, but they were nearly puffed shut. “You lie!”
He managed an ugly smile before closing his eyes and passing out.
“No!” She shook him. Nothing. She pulled him up by his collar. “If he’s dead, then you’re next, you bastard.” She picked his big body up and slammed him onto the ground. Once. Twice. She lost count. She screamed and yelled at the unconscious body she was most likely killing, but didn’t care. First her father is taken from her for no fucking reason. And now, Charlie? What the hell did the universe have against her? She snarled as she gazed down at Jaxon’s unrecognizable face, roaring as she smashed her boot onto his face, hearing another satisfying crunch.
“Nessie?”
Her boot hung mid-air over Jaxon’s face. Spinning, her eyes darted over the landscape. Was her mind playing tricks on her already? Or had she just heard…
Her vision zoned in, landing on Charlie’s sweet face and noticing the claw marks across his face and chest. Relief washed over her like a warm breeze in a blizzard, and she felt herself shrinking back to her normal form. In the distance, Charlie limped at Talon’s side. She ran towards him. Reaching him a moment later, she cupped his face as she felt tears trickle down her cheeks. Jaxon lied. She send up a silent apology to the universe. Apparently, it wasn’t all bad.
“He said you were dead,” she croaked as she stroked his face. “I thought I’d never see you again.”
He smiled at her. That stupid, aggravating, lopsided smile that annoyed her to no end was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. “And, obviously, that upset you?” He motioned towards Jaxon’s unconscious body. “You aren’t gonna get rid of me that easily.”
She half-cried, half-laughed as she pulled him against her body. “Don’t ever disappear on me like that again.”
He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight. She could smell the blood on his body, a mixture of his and several lycans. “I didn’t disappear intentionally, I promise.”
She pulled back to look at his face. “I know, I know. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have bolted. I was so scared of everything. Acting like a pathetic fool.”
He cupped her face in one palm, smiling down at her. “You just ran headfirst into a pack of angry lycans for me. I wouldn’t call that scared or pathetic. Maybe a little foolish, though.” He winked at her.
She slid her hand over his face. “I would’ve taken on ten packs for you.”
His smile faded as his eyes widened. “Does this mean?”
Her eyes found the mark she had indeed left on his shoulder, running her fingers across the puckered skin. “It would seem I have officially claimed you.”
His glanced down at his shoulder, his mouth falling open. “You…you…marked me.” He snapped his gaze back to her.
“I didn’t even know it, but I guess when a vampire falls in love with you, it’s inevitable.”
His lips crushed against hers in a kiss that shattered her thoughts, putting other kisses to shame. She wanted to fall into it and let it consume her…
Talon’s cleared his throat, pulling her back to reality where dozens of furry not-so-little monsters were waiting to rip them to pieces. “We should probably get back to Whitemoon now that Charlie’s been recovered.”
“Yeah,” she and Charlie said in unison as they disentangled themselves.
“Absolutely,” she said, her voice more breathy than she intended.
“Let’s go,” Charlie’s husky voice had
her catching his gaze as they shared a sly smile, their gazes already darkening.
They made it to the basement in record time, not even bothering to wait until they were through the door. Nessie tugged at Charlie’s shirt, contemplating ripping it off him. What the hell. It was stained with blood and dirt anyway.
Talon’s chuckle mingled with the sound of what was left of Charlie’s shirt being torn from his body. “I think we may have to remodel that basement soon,” he murmured as he headed off toward a different part of the house.
Charlie kicked the door shut before Talon had finished speaking, pulling Nessie into a kiss to rock the gods right off their pedestals.
A chorus of rips and tears filled the room as clothes left bodies in a scramble of who could get the other naked first. Nessie won, having had a head start, but no victory dance ensued as Charlie pushed her onto the bed and tore her final piece of clothes (damn, and she liked those jeans) off of her.
She plunged down on him as her fangs sank into his throat, groaning as he filled her up in so many ways. She released a muffled cry as he bit into her chest, marking her again, claiming her heart.
My heart was dead. Until I found you.
And my soul was caged. Until you set me free.
BONUS CONTENT
Thank you so much for reading my book. If you enjoyed it, please feel free to post a review at Amazon or Goodreads or on any social media platform you choose. You have no idea how much this helps me out! If you’d like to see more from the Whitemoon Warriors world, make sure to sign up for my newsletter at www.nicholewolfe.com where I share exclusive sneak peeks and deleted scenes.
And now, for the real bonus content…
Excerpt from KISS OF FIRE
Prologue
Something’s wrong, she thought as she stared up at her mother’s pale face. Her mother shivered in the damp, cold air of the cell they’d been thrown in several hours ago. She rubbed her hands over the bruises that blotched her mother’s arms.
First Kiss of Freedom: A Vampire Shifter Hybrid Romance (The Whitemoon Warriors Series Book 1) Page 17
