Primal Attraction (Shadowlands Bear Shifters Book 2)

by Olivia Harp

“I’m going to take a cab, I don’t drive.”

  “You don’t? Why?”

  “Vees don’t like taking more risks than necessary. There’s always the chance of an accident exposing you, or a cop pulling you over. DMV’s closed at night, you know. He’d have to take me in.”

  Of course. It made perfect sense.

  “I can take you home if you want.”

  She rolled her eyes so hard it made him laugh.

  “What?” he asked, holding his laughter.

  “First of all, Rosenberg is like, half an hour away from here. Going back to the mountain would take you what, an hour and a half? Second of all, I’m not inviting you in for coffee or anything. You shouldn’t waste your time.”

  “Wait, I can’t offer you a ride because you think I wanna get in your panties? Really? That’s sexist.”

  She chuckled.

  “You’re saying that thought never crossed your mind?”

  “I’m insulted!” he said raising his hands, “I mean, sure, I’d love to get in your panties, what man wouldn’t, right? But I offered myself to do it because you’re kind of cool.”

  She stopped, her hands went to her waist.

  “Kind of cool?” she repeated.

  He nodded.

  “Yeah, just a bit,” he said, “besides, I don’t wanna ruin our friendship, having sex with you and all.”

  She laughed, “oh really? Is that it?”

  “Yeah, you couldn’t be with other men after me so we’d have to get married or something, and nobody wants that.”

  “Damn right,” she said, “nobody wants that.”

  “So, what do you say?”

  She pursed her lips and finally said “okay.”

  The parking lot was just a big graveled area, nothing fancy. Three street lamps tried their best to light the place, but failed miserably.

  Mav's pick–up truck was on the far corner of the lot, a huge, silver beast, capable of handling the most difficult terrain with ease.

  Then he heard it.

  Someone was behind them, his steps soft. He turned around but no one was there.

  “I heard it too,” she said, grabbing his arm, “we should leave.”

  “I know you’re there,” Mav shouted, “stop messing around before you get hurt.”

  Nothing moved. The cold wind caressed his face as he focused ahead, trying to find him. He could smell a man. No, there were—

  “You think you’re bad!” a screeching voice yelled. His words came out a bit slow, slurred. It was the idiot drunk guy from before, Scar Face behind him, grinning: they’d waited long enough to get them.

  “Didn’t I tell you to stop talking to us, unless you want to be destroyed?”

  “You told me to take it outside,” Scar Face said, “that’s what we’re doing.”

  Four other men came out of the shadows. These guys are good, I didn’t hear them move at all.

  “We’re gonna show you some manners,” Idiot guy said, grabbing a metal pipe laying on the ground.

  All of them laughed stupidly, surrounding Faith and Mav.

  Chapter 5

  “It’s all of them,” Faith said, their crazed eyes fixed on her and Mav.

  “You start this you better be ready to go all the way,” Maverick warned.

  “Oh, don’t worry about that,” Idiot Guy replied, “we’ve been waiting a while now.”

  “Stay back,” Mav whispered to Faith, “don’t be scared.”

  “Oh look at him!” Idiot Guy said, “He wants to protect her!”

  All of them laughed. Scar Face stepped forward.

  “Can I take him out yet?”

  Idiot Guy shrugged.

  “Sure, be my guest.”

  The rest of the guys stared at Mav intensely, breathing hard, adrenaline surging in their bodies.

  Mav softly pushed Faith back and tightened his hands.

  “Come on, Stitchy,” he grinned, “let’s do this.”

  Scar Face bolted forward, screaming bloody murder.

  He swung hard and fast, but not fast enough for Maverick, who slipped out of one, two, three punches. The last one just barely missing him; he stepped aside and grabbed Scar Face hand, pulling it ahead, tripping him with his foot.

  The big man hit the gravel. It happened so fast he wasn’t completely aware of what just happened. Humiliation washed over him as he looked up at Maverick, his face full of surprise.

  The gang stopped laughing. Scar Face got up, his fancy clothes covered in dust.

  “Who are you?” he asked. A flash of worry tinging his expression.

  “It doesn’t matter who I am,” Maverick said, “what matters is if you’re willing to be this guy’s bitch and get your ass kicked for his ego.”

  The big man put his guard up again, furious. He screamed and rushed to him, trying to tackle him down. Maverick did not move out of the way, he waited until Scar Face was two feet away and stopped his tackle with an exploding blow straight on his jaw.

  The crunchy sound made Faith shiver. Scar Face gasped a throaty sound and fell again, unconscious.

  Idiot Guy mouth hung open, his eyes wide. A low snarl escaped him, his fists clenched. He was scared and angry. A dangerous mix.

  “Who the fuck are you?” he said.

  “Your friend here just asked me that,” Mav replied, “and look where that got him, coyote.”

  That word tensed them all up, Scar Face was getting up now, still not one hundred percent aware of what had happened, his friends lurched forward, madness filling the air.

  Maverick stepped behind Scar Face, his attackers had to get around the big guy to get to him, losing their momentum, giving him enough time to pick his target. Idiot Guy was the obvious choice but he hadn’t scrambled forward with the rest of his pack. This idiot’s gonna serve. He picked up the closest to Faith. He let out a wild roar and hit him right in the pit of his stomach.

  They were shifters, and that was a good thing. If they were regular, drunk humans, he would have had to hold out for them. It would be very risky to attack a man just because he was an asshole.

  But shifters were a different story. They healed fast, it would take much more than a few punches to kill them. Not that he was planning on doing that anyway. Besides, he needed the exercise.

  The man he just hit was on his knees now, gasping for air, unable to utter a word, tears flowing down his cheeks. Mav leapt forward, towards the leader, who still had the metal pipe on his hands.

  He couldn’t get close to him, though. Scar Face grabbed him by the collar and pulled back. Mav stumbled and the next thing he saw was the Idiot swinging at him, shit. He darted down, just in time for the pipe to split Scar Face’s head, dropping him to the ground.

  Maverick rolled away from the leader, turned and saw two of the attackers going for Faith.

  His bear roared inside, trying to come out. His heart raced, he couldn’t let them touch her, but as they lunged at her, her eyes glowed and suddenly she wasn’t there anymore. She just blinked out of existence.

  The men stopped, looking all around.

  “Up here,” Faith said, she was crouching over the street light, up above them.

  A screaming guy tackled Mav hard, taking him by surprise.

  He crashed against the side of a red Toyota and hit the floor. This is my favorite shirt, damn it! Another man jumped at him, trying to crush his head. They were not pulling any punches; they were trying to kill him. Maybe he shouldn’t have played with them.

  Maverick moved his head just in time for the kick to hit the car, destroying the passenger’s door, shattering the side window.

  It was time for him to teach them a lesson. These coyotes were no match for a White Paw Bear. And what if he was a normal guy? Would they kill him? His bear growled, that angered him.

  He grabbed the man’s ankle and pulled, sending him to the ground, the man’s scream resounded loud in the night as Mav stood up, tightening and twisting his grip, the bone cracking in his hand.

/>   Just behind him, Idiot Guy brought down the lamp post, yelling “I’ll fuck you up!” to Faith, but as soon as the light went off she jumped at him from up high, kicking him in the face with such force even Mav shuddered. He was out instantly.

  One guy remained. He was terrified. They were so sure they’d beat someone out, pat themselves on the back and go home, feeling like big men. Now, his friends were unconscious or unable to move. He started laughing nervously.

  “We were just playing,” he said stepping back, a crazy grin on his face.

  Mav hesitated. The man was powerless now, he was no threat, and using him as his punching bag —for all the pleasure it would bring him— wouldn’t be right. The Coyote shifter was genuinely scared. Probably about to crap his pants. The man laughed nervously again. Maybe I should let him go.

  But Faith wasn’t as merciful.

  She was suddenly behind the guy, choke holding him hard, his face instantly going red, a hidden switchblade fell to the ground. The fucker had tried to fool him.

  He tried to fight her, his hands reaching back, pulling her hair, scratching her neck, but it was too late. It had been too sudden for him to react on time.

  The man stepped back two, three times and then fell to his knees, Faith still chokeholding him. He closed his eyes and laid still on the ground, unconscious.

  The soft light of the remaining street lamps bathed Faith’s side. Her face sharply contoured in the long shadows they cast. Her eyes were jet black, with an orange spot in them, the reflected bulbs. Her fingers were claws, her mouth adorned with a smile, her canines unnervingly long.

  Mav understood why people feared vampires, they looked terrifying when in full self–defense mode.

  She did not need anyone to protect her.

  Fuck. His hard on pressed hard against his jeans. This gave a whole new meaning to the ‘you look pretty when you get angry’ saying. And she didn’t look just pretty. She looked stunning.

  Out in the distance, sirens approached.

  “Thank you,” he said.

  Faith’s face slowly turned fully human again, her eyes inquisitive.

  “Let’s go, before the police arrives,” she said.

  He smiled and jogged to his truck, opening the door for her first.

  You want to be as gentlemanly as you can when you find you’re falling for a vampire girl.

  Chapter 6

  Mav drove in silence, the droning noise of the engine the only constant in the cabin.

  Faith looked at him. He was a wild beast. Fighting six people because of her. No, it wasn’t my fault. And it all ended up fine.

  “I’m sorry,” she said.

  He took a glance at her, “sorry for what?”

  “I don’t know. I feel responsible, I don’t know why.”

  “Honestly? I’m happy.”

  She turned to him, “what? why?”

  He didn’t speak instantly; he was choosing his words.

  “Those bastards wanted to fight someone, anyone, tonight. I’m happy they picked us and not someone else.”

  “A human, you mean.”

  “Yes.”

  He had taken his shirt off, it was useless now, ripped apart in the fight. His wounds healed in front of her eyes, dried blood still stained his pants and skin. He was so ripped he might as well have been carved out of wood.

  Strong, hard chest, wide shoulders... the ridges of his abs were deep and deliciously within reach.

  After they drove out of the parking lot and the adrenaline faded, the memory of him fighting like that —fighting to protect her— had turned her on really bad.

  This was not like any other man she had met. He was a killing machine, yes. But he didn’t show it. He didn’t need to pretend he was hard or tough, or flaunted his strength to prove himself. Despite his cockiness, he was pure honor. He almost fell for the last guy’s trick, even. Good thing she was there to put him down.

  She tried to forget about the way he looked at her after the fight was done. She showed him her ugly side and he had a fucking hard on.

  Her thighs warmed up. Gosh, I hope I’m not releasing any scent a shifter could pick. I don’t know how that works.

  He looked so calm, she never in a million years would have thought the man was a warrior, deep inside. But she saw him. That’s what he was. The man was fury in a beautiful package.

  She shifted her legs, her core was getting wet and she had to do something, anything, to distract herself. Stop thinking about it! She turned on the radio, volume low. Her hand laid on the leather bench seat, the silence getting more and more uncomfortable, until he held her hand.

  “Thank you for helping me, you’re really something,” he said.

  She nodded, then pulled her hand away before he saw that she was so nervous she was shivering, and looked out the window.

  Rosenberg appeared in the distance. The small town a glowing contrast against the dark sky.

  It was hard for her to connect with anyone. The only places she could socialize were nightclubs and bars. She didn’t drink and didn’t have time to make friends, so what was the point of going out tonight? She found only trouble. And she didn’t mean the guys back there. This guy was trouble.

  Loneliness is a wicked enemy.

  She could try and reach out for other vampires, but it was a dangerous idea. Hunters and freaks roamed the Internet, pretending to be vamps. It was the only way they could kill someone without any consequence. It might be illegal but no one really cared. Not the police, not the government, not the people.

  It was easy to fear them.

  “What’s on your mind?” Maverick asked, nonchalantly.

  “Nothing,” she replied.

  “Wow, you a Zen master or something?”

  She snorted.

  “What?”

  “Yeah, your mind’s empty, like a Buddhist monk,” he said, awkwardly. Yeah it was a bad joke, but it worked, “back in the club I thought you’d never stop talking!”

  She slapped him in the arm.

  “Shut up! You’re the one who can’t be quiet!”

  “I’m kidding, but you know what I mean, you’re still upset for those assholes?”

  She thought about it for a second.

  “Yes, of course. A pack of wild animals jumped us and we fought for our lives. What did you expect?”

  “You’re right. Stupid question,” he said, “but still, you all right?”

  She thought about it, “I think so, yes.”

  “Great. Those guys needed that. They can’t go on being assholes. Especially if people find out they’re shifters. We did good.”

  “You think?”

  “Yes, they’ll be fine by mid–day tomorrow. They might have a headache but that’s the point, they earned it.”

  She giggled, “you got that right.”

  “Of course I did, have I ever not been right?”

  “Oh, don’t start with that, bear man, we just met. You’re doing great so far, please don’t turn out to be a creeper.”

  “I’m definitely not a creeper.”

  “Yeah, that’s what a creeper would say.”

  “Oh really, that’s what anyone would say, especially not creepers!”

  “Okay, prove it,” she teased.

  “Prove it? How?”

  “I don’t know,” she said, her bad mood gone, “you’re the one who has to prove it not me.”

  “Okay I’ll prove it to you.”

  “How?”

  “I don’t know, let me think.”

  Then he saw it and smiled.

  “What?” she asked.

  He pointed ahead, “take a look at that. I think fate is on my side.”

  There was a big road sign as they entered the town:

  “AUTUMNBERG! ROSENBERG’S END OF SUMMER FESTIVAL! MUSIC, FOOD, DRINKS, AMUSEMENT RIDES, FIREWORKS AND A LOT OF FUN!”

  Her stomach dropped. Oh no. She was just kidding, now she got herself—

  “We got ourselves a date,” Ma
verick said.

  ***

  “It’s here?”

  “Yes,” she replied.

  “I thought vamps lived in abandoned buildings, underground tunnels, that kind of places.”

  “You thought wrong.”

  He was parked in front of a perfectly preserved Victorian house. Blackout curtains on every window.

  His hand grazed hers.

  “So?”

  “So... what?” she replied.

  She was not letting him in. Out of the question. She had been serious back there. Real serious.

  “Do you want to go to the festival?”

  Oh, that. She was a little bit disappointed, honestly. She clicked her tongue.

  “No, Maverick. Things like that are dangerous for our kind. Too many people, too many risks. This has been fun, but we can’t see each other again.”

  He considered her. Then slowly shook his head.

  “I’m trying to accept that, but I can’t,” he said, his hand on hers.

  She didn’t reply. Didn’t know what to say.

  “All right. As you wish,” he finally said, “give me a good–bye hug and I’ll leave.”

  She leaned in and held him. He was huge, his hot skin touched her arms and her face, it had been years since she’d felt like this. So drawn to someone.

  “I had a great time,” he whispered, goose bumps exploding in her skin.

  She turned to him, their lips inches close, his green eyes fixed on hers, she felt his pulse racing.

  “Me too—” she whimpered as he leaned forward and kissed her.

  A million sensations came back to her, like a rippling wave throughout her body. They were almost forgotten. Butterflies in her stomach, her core dripping as she melted in his arms.

  His kiss was intense; she was so into it that she forgot she wanted him to leave. All she wanted right now was his lips, his arms, his body. She had been wanting this all night. And now she was in his arms. She put her hands on his naked back, his hot, hard muscles were making her lose her mind.

  His left hand went to her waist and lifted her, placing her in his lap, his right hand explored the contours of her legs.

  She couldn’t control herself. This was wrong. She should stop now. There was no chance in the world something like this could work.