by Cynthia Eden
“You are leaving me?” Her angry shriek.
He kept walking.
“You are such an asshole! I’m going to die, and you don’t care?”
One foot in front of the other. Keep walking.
“You’re leaving me with dead vampires? How can you do this? I thought you were going to save me!”
“I did.” He tossed a wave over his shoulder. “You’re welcome.”
“Ugh! You can’t just—”
He put on a burst of speed and shot out of the alley. He could move just as fast as vampires, and he knew that—to the woman in the alley—it might even look as if he’d simply vanished. He kept up his fast speed until he reached the corner and stopped near his waiting motorcycle. His breath heaved in and out. He could still smell her scent. His fingers lifted. They were shaking, just a little.
What in the hell?
Since when had he ever wanted a woman so badly that he started to shake from need?
***
Elise Aine put her hands on her hips and glared at the now empty mouth of the alley.
“That went well,” a male voice announced from behind her.
“Fuck off,” Elise snapped without looking back. There was no point in looking back. No one was there—just a brick wall. A wall and lots of shadows.
“You found the hunter, my lady,” the voice continued. “That’s a win.”
“He left me in the alley.” She stepped forward and nearly tripped on a vamp. Furious, she kicked him. Then nearly broke her toe because staked vamps were hard as stone. “Ow!”
The disembodied voice immediately wanted to know, “What’s wrong?”
“I am alone in a stinking alley, talking to a dumbass who isn’t here, and I am miserably, weakly human!” She was so angry that she wanted to scream. Instead, she started leaking. Tears. Elise swiped an angry hand over her cheek. She had never cried, not until a week ago. That was when her banishment had started. She’d never cried, never been weak. Never needed anyone else’s help or protection. Until I was banished. In fact, the very idea that someone would need to protect her—her!—would have been insulting.
“Go after him.”
Elise rolled her eyes. “Of course, I’m going after him. It’s not like I have a choice.” At least she knew Harrison was in the city. That was a starting point.
“Good. Excellent. He will see the error of his ways and fall at your feet.”
She glanced down at her heels. Her filthy, now broken heels. Her nose scrunched. “I’m thinking that’s going to be a no.”
“My lady?”
“Stop spying on me. I’ve got this.” Such a lie. Elise was lost and desperate, and she hated for anyone to see her crying.
“I’m not spying!” Now he was all offended. “I’m tied to you, you know that. I’m your loyal—”
“Go get laid or something okay? I’ve got this. Stop peeking at me through mirrors and shadows.” She stomped forward, moving on her broken heels and then just giving up on them and tossing them away.
At the mouth of the alley, Elise paused and glanced back. So…were the dead vamps just going to be left there? Or was there some sort of hunter clean-up crew that would arrive?
Yet even as she looked back, Elise felt the wind blow against her. Thunder rumbled in the distance. The wind picked up, and it…it hit the vamps. Only the stone seemed to fade, no, to thin. To become…ash? Or something very like ash as the stone faded away and the would-be ash blew in the wind. It blew and blew, until nothing was left.
Well, how about that? She’d never actually seen what became of a vamp’s remains. Sure, she’d tangled with plenty of vamps in her time, but when it came to body disposal, Elise didn’t tend to get her hands dirty. She had people for that.
She turned around, stepped forward—
And tripped on her dress. She fell face-first onto the dirty, stinking ground, and her left hand slammed into some sort of goo—the sort that she didn’t want to think about too much.
For a moment, she just remained there, all prone and fucked up, but…
Then she rose. Straightened her spine. Lifted her chin. Her hand swiped over the side of the dress as she wiped away that wretched goo. One deep breath, and she headed down the street.
A catcall followed her as she ambled along the pavement.
She ignored the call. Harrison Key was her agenda, but, unfortunately, the hunter had left her. But…was he still in the area? Had he gone after the vamp who’d gotten away? If so, then perhaps Harrison would be close enough to come to her aid again.
Another cat call.
This one was closer.
She knew why, of course. Elise was being hunted. She hadn’t lied about that unfortunate situation to Harrison. She hadn’t lied about anything. She couldn’t lie.
Monsters were coming for her. Monsters were drawn to her right now. If they caught her scent, they’d be pulled to her. Moths to the flame. She was burning bright.
Elise saw a club up ahead. She hoped the fact that she didn’t have shoes wouldn’t stop her from gaining entrance. She pasted a bright smile on her face even though Elise knew she probably looked like warm hell.
The bouncer’s nose twitched—
Oh, no, he’s going to stop me—
The bouncer waved her past. “Go on in, lady. Bet you’ll find a real good time waiting.”
Well, that was nice. After her day—and night—Elise could certainly use a good time. She headed into the club. Lights were flashing. Bodies were gyrating. Music pounded. Oh, it seemed like everyone there was having a good time. Her body began to sway. Her bare toes curled against the cold floor.
And a hard hand grabbed her wrist. She was jerked around and pulled up against the body of—
Werewolf. He’s a freaking werewolf. His eyes are a dead giveaway. Golden, feral eyes stared back at her.
“Hey, sweet thing.” He grinned at her, flashing teeth that were a little too sharp. “Thanks for walking straight into my den.”
Shit. She’d walked into a werewolf den? No wonder the bouncer had been all eager to let her inside. But he’d been wrong…being werewolf prey did not make for a good time.
The werewolf ran his fingers—tipped with claws—down her arm. “I am going to have so much fun with you.” He leaned closer. Put his mouth to her ear. “I know what you are,” he whispered.
Oh, really? Elise lifted her left hand. Slid it over his chest. “I know what you are, too.”
He backed up a little and smiled down at her. Such a wolfish grin. He thought he was the big, bad predator.
He thought wrong.
Her right hand drove a knife into his stomach.
He howled.
“Silver, asshole,” Elise spit out. “Bet that stings like a mother, huh?” Smoke rose from the wound.
Everyone turned to gape at them as the guy howled and howled in pain. Crap. Elise spun and ran. The crowd was made of mostly humans, but if the place was really a werewolf den, the pack would be there, too. When she caught a few growls and angry snarls, Elise glanced over her shoulder.
Oh, damn. They were charging for her. Three werewolves with glowing, golden eyes. They were moving fast, too. Way too fast and she only had the one knife and—
Oof!
All of the breath was knocked from her as she slammed into a brick wall.
She staggered back and would have fallen—
Not a brick wall. Just felt like one.
Harrison smirked at her. A stupid, oddly sexy smirk. “I can’t even leave you alone for five minutes before you find trouble?”
“Trouble…” Heaving breath. “Found me.” That was part of her curse at the moment. It was also why—she suspected—he was back. “Help?” Another heaving breath.
He lifted one dark brow. His handsome face—truly, she hadn’t expected him to be so good-looking—didn’t show a hint of concern. That face of his was all hand-crafted perfection. A square and strong jaw. Killer cheekbones. High forehead. Straight blade of
a nose. His hair was thick but short, and shoved back as if by careless fingers. And his eyes—those bright, bright blue eyes of his glittered with…
Amusement?
What an ass. Did he want her to beg? It was completely alien to her, so very foreign, but she gritted her teeth and managed, “Please?”
Fast as a blink, he’d yanked her behind him. Since he was very muscled—awesomely so—and very tall—had to be about six-foot-two or three—she appreciated him being between her and danger. He shielded her with his body as she stood on her toes and craned to see around him.
The charging werewolves halted.
“Hunter,” one rasped.
“It’s great to be recognized by fans,” Harrison replied. “Thanks.”
“Get…out!”
Uh, oh. That bellow had come from the werewolf she’d stabbed. He was lumbering toward them, holding his hand over his bleeding gut, and sending her a look that could totally kill.
“Glad to leave,” Harrison inclined his head. “We’ll just—”
“She stays.”
The music wasn’t playing any longer. No gyrating bodies. The humans were gaping, and Elise was afraid the werewolves were about ten seconds away from full-on shifting.
“I don’t…um, I choose not to stay,” Elise called out, voice too sharp. “I’m leaving with him. He’s with me. I’m with him. We’re totally together.”
Harrison swung his head toward her.
She smiled at him. “We are together.” It would help her out so much if he would just say those three little words back.
“Is this true?” The wounded werewolf’s disbelief was clear. “You’re with her?”
Elise held her breath. All she needed Harrison to say in order to seal the deal, so to speak, was—
“No, I’m not with her.”
Sonofabitch. Was he just trying to make things extra hard for her?
Elise caught the werewolf’s grin. “If she’s not yours, then she doesn’t leave. She stepped into my den. She stays.” He lunged forward.
Harrison caught him and wrapped one hand around the werewolf’s throat. “You have a crowd of humans watching you. Have you lost your mind?”
The werewolf’s eyes glowed ever brighter. “Give…her—”
“You’re not getting her. You’re not touching her.”
Elise held her breath. Come on, Harrison. Say it. Just say—
“We’re together,” Harrison fired out. “As far as you and any other monster is concerned, she’s off-limits, got it? So keep your paws, your claws, and everything else away from her.”
The wolves backed up.
“Damn straight,” Elise heard herself crow. She couldn’t help it. She’d just scored a major win. “You back up when a hunter is in town.”
Harrison looked over and frowned at her. “Are you…quite sane?”
Some might debate the issue, but she just went with… “Yes.”
He nodded. Then he glanced at the werewolves. Voice low, he growled, “I’m not killing you because there are humans around. Consider yourself very lucky, Gustave.”
Gustave? That name was vaguely familiar. It nagged at her mind.
The bleeding werewolf narrowed his eyes. “You’re a fucking fool, hunter. You picked the wrong side.”
“Yeah, well, any side you aren’t on feels right to me.”
Oh, damn. The name clicked for her. Gustave Etienne. He was an ancient werewolf. One of the strongest out there. And, goody, it appeared he was her new sworn enemy. No wonder he’d known what she was the minute she walked up to him. He’d met others like her before.
She needed the wolf to shut the hell up before he said too much. Elise slithered closer to Harrison and wrapped an arm around him.
He immediately stiffened and his blue eyes swung back to her. “What are you doing?”
“Hugging you?” It felt like that was what she was doing. “We need to leave. Now.”
Harrison grunted. Grunted—at her. Had she picked a winner or what?
She tugged on him.
He wrapped an arm around her. His arm was strong and warm and when he touched her, a little tremor shook her body. Oh, hello, unexpected treat. She’d felt a similar tremor when they’d been back in the alley. Her response to the hunter was unexpected, but not unwelcome.
Especially since…
We’re together.
She had to stop herself from actually bouncing with glee, but a little happy hum did escape her.
“Are you humming?” Harrison asked with a foreboding frown.
Shit. She hummed when she was happy. “Um…let’s go. They look hungry.”
Mostly…Gustave looked hungry, and his hungry gaze centered on her.
“I would have taken the job,” Gustave announced.
The job?
“We could have been on the same side,” he told her. “Now you’ve made us enemies.”
Elise winced. “Was it the silver knife to the stomach? Because, in my defense, I could’ve aimed for your heart. I was being nice.”
He blinked.
“You’re welcome.” Once more, she tugged on Harrison’s arm. “Let’s go.” He didn’t move. The guy was like a giant stone statue.
His bright glare was on the werewolves. His body was tense and battle-ready as he snarled, “Follow us, and you’re dead.”
Oh, she liked that warning. “Yeah.” Elise gave a hard nod. “Stone-cold dead.”
Gustave laughed. “You’re outnumbered, hunter. Have you looked around?”
“Sure have. Saw all the humans. That’s why I haven’t already put silver bullets into all of your werewolf hearts. Because I could. I could fire them before you even shift.”
Sweat appeared on Gustave’s brow.
“I didn’t come to kill you tonight. Word in hunting circles was that you were being peaceful. That you kept your hands off humans.” Harrison shook his head. “Then I find you going after her.”
Gustave’s slightly thin and beast-like face purpled with fury. “She attacked me. I haven’t done anything to her.”
Okay. He was being truthful. “He’s a werewolf,” Elise whispered in what she hoped was the tiniest, most terrified voice in the world. “I thought he was going to eat me.”
Gustave made a choking noise.
But Harrison—he stiffened. “Come near her again, and you’re dead.”
“I’ve done nothing to—”
“You’ve been warned.” He turned away. Kept a tight hold on Elise.
She hurried to keep up with him. She stumbled. Dammit. This whole walking thing was hard. Especially since she’d only started walking around fairly recently. Until then, she’d used a whole other method of transport. Her feet were hurting and bruised and—
She tripped. Over nothing.
She would have gone smacking down face-first again, but Harrison caught her. He lifted her into his arms and frowned at her. The guy seemed to frown a whole lot.
“What is your deal?” Harrison demanded.
Her lips parted.
Before she could reply, his gaze dropped to her feet. Her bare feet. He stared at her wiggling toes an oddly long time as he held her and they just kind of stood in the werewolf den.
“Ahem.” Elise cleared her throat, and his gaze flew back up to hers. “We were making our getaway.”
“Where in the hell are your shoes?”
“Back in the alley?” She considered this. “Probably covered with vampire ash.”
He cursed, but started walking again, so she considered that movement as a win. Right before they slipped out of the door, Elise looked over Harrison’s ever-so-broad shoulder and gave a little wave to the werewolves who were glaring after her.
Very clearly, she saw Gustave mouth, “You’re dead.”
Not yet, she wasn’t. In fact, not only was she not dead…
But, because she’d gotten her big, bad hunter to say the most precious words in the whole world…
We’re together.
Unfortunately, though, her hunter didn’t realize he was her husband. She’d be sure to tell him…eventually.
But first, there was the little matter of…staying alive.
Chapter Two
“It is so sweet of you to carry me. Absolutely chivalrous, and I did not expect this. You are very much more than they say, and I think people have been incredibly wrong and rude when they say that you are a cold-blooded, heartless bastard of a man who doesn’t care about anyone but himself and who—”
“All right. Ride’s over.” He plunked Elise down on her feet before she had a chance to reveal any other details about what people said about him. Not like he cared what others thought. Screw them.
She tottered on her feet. Her eyes went huge, and then her hands flew out to grab him—it looked like it was either grab him or fall.
Her upper body smashed into him as her hands clamped around his arms.
Harrison shook his head. “Seriously, are you hurt? Is it your legs? Your feet? Something I should know about?”
“Walking is…difficult.”
No shit. The woman kept tripping. He knew because…maybe he’d seen her fall in the alley.
Maybe he’d gone back to check on her. Just—hell, why had he gone back again? Harrison wasn’t sure. He’d just done it, dammit. He’d gone back to the alley. He’d followed her as she made her trek down the street, and he’d tailed her into the club.
“I’m used to a different method of transportation, but I’m all good now.” She stared up at him. All dark eyes. Sweet scent. Seductive curves.
“You’re good,” he repeated.
“Um…”
“If you’re good, then do you want to get off me?”
“No. I like being on you.”
His dick was already up. Being so close to her, getting turned on had been a fast and instant reaction, but at her words…
Yeah, the zipper just left an impression on my dick. Because he was rock hard and aching for her. So big and ready that if she glanced down, there would be no missing his current situation. Hell, she probably felt his reaction. He cleared his throat. “Don’t say things like that.”