Crimson Sunrise

by J. A. Saare

  When he pulled away, he skimmed his lips across my cheek, the stubbly bristles on his face chafing the skin slightly. He kissed my ear, licking at the sensitive outer shell, and blew a steady stream of warm air inside. I gasped as goose bumps scattered below my skin and heat spread throughout my body. The scents of forest and earth filled my nose, causing my muscles to quake and my body to tremble.

  I ground my hips against his pelvis wantonly, the familiar wet heat developing between my legs making me crazed. His groan was muffled by my mouth as his hands eagerly guided me lower, then lower, until his very obvious erection pressed against the sensitive bead at the top of my hammering sex...

  “Who’s in there?” Derek demanded as a loud pounding came from the door, making it shake.

  Caleb didn’t let go, growling. “Go upstairs, Derek!”

  “Unless you two are in the middle of something, and by something I mean in the middle of hot sex,” Derek snapped. “Then you’d better let me in. Sammie’s upstairs and I’ve got to take a shit.”

  I burst out laughing and Caleb rolled his eyes. He kissed me once more and rolled his hips, sultry deep blue eyes capturing mine as a quiet moan passed my lips. He squeezed my thigh as he helped me down, his lingering fingers trailing over my bottom and lower spine possessively. I readjusted my jeans and navy sweater and glanced into the mirror to make sure my hair wasn’t all over the place.

  “You’re perfect.” Caleb pressed his lips against the top of my head.

  “Can you hurry the fuck up?” Derek yelled, pounding on the door. “I’m ground-hogging it out here!”

  We walked to the door and Caleb unlocked it. Derek pushed past our bodies as he stepped inside and turned, placing a forceful hand on each of our backs.

  “It took you long enough. Damn!”

  The moment we were outside, the bathroom door slammed shut in our faces.

  “What was that all about?” Beverly asked as she passed us on the way to the living room. We both shrugged and smiled, following her.

  ****

  We drove to Haven’s after dinner. Sammie decided to ride along with Caleb and me in the family truck, while Derek and Sarah followed in her car. Since Haven slept most of the day away, it meant we had to visit during his peak business hours. It was all a part of the job. Owning a bar meant staying awake for most of the night.

  Caleb grumbled about coming to the Pit, but since Haven had made the trip to save my ass a few weeks before, Caleb felt obligated to accept the invitation. I hadn’t returned to Haven’s since the first time Caleb had brought me to the werewolf bar.

  It had been a mixed experience. It was the first place I’d kissed Caleb, which was a definite plus. However, I also managed to get tossed into the Pit itself with two angry werewolves, which was a total downer that could have turned deadly.

  “Remember, Sammie,” Caleb warned, rousing me from my drifting thoughts. “It can get wild in here. Don’t go wandering off.”

  “Okay, Daddy. I made sure to bring fresh diapers, too.” Sammie grinned and I bit my cheek to keep from laughing.

  “Don’t be a smartass. I mean it.”

  “Will you go into the Pit?” Sarah asked, wiggling from side to side in apparent anticipation.

  “No,” he answered tersely, becoming tense beside me.

  We pulled in front of the bar where cars and trucks were scattered. The graveled road emptied out around the building, into the manicured lawn that surrounded it. The moon wasn’t out tonight. The only light came from the billboard deep in the ground that indicated you’d found Haven’s Pit. Caleb pulled along the side, under one of the many trees that kept the location hidden.

  After throwing the truck into park, he turned the key and opened his door in the same motion. We climbed out and I looked up. The stars were brilliant in the sky. There were no city lights to detract from their prismatic sparkling overhead. I inhaled deeply, basking in the autumn air. It smelled like winter. The air was cold and burned my cheeks and lungs.

  Caleb’s arm came around my waist, and he pulled me close. I smiled up at him before pivoting around to look for Sammie. I reached out to her as she slid across the seat and closed the driver’s side door.

  It was laughable, really. I was as nervous as she was ecstatic.

  Sarah and Derek were waiting on the porch of the large wooden building, just beside the door. Derek looked so different with long hair versus the buzz cut I’d grown accustomed to. Blond strands curved around his eyes and ears now, softening his features.

  “You ready for some fun?” Derek winked at Sammie and she nodded exuberantly.

  We went inside together, escaping the bitter cold.

  The upstairs bar hadn’t changed. There were still tables scattered to the right. The jukebox situated in the far corner blared heavy metal music from its familiar space. To the left was a mirrored bar with various liquor bottles lining the shelves. Directly in front was the dance floor, complete with a spinning disco ball that sent holographic squares dancing across the walls.

  Both the bar and the dance floor were empty, but several people sat at the tables. A few stopped to watch as we went by, whispering quietly to each other. As Caleb was no stranger to the place, I was sure their conversation involved him in some way.

  We walked past the dance floor to the narrow hallway on the left and strode down the corridor until we came to the last door on the right. Caleb lifted his fist and pounded on the door several times, stopping only when a voice roared through the wood.

  “Private game in here!”

  “It’s Caleb.”

  “That’s all you had to say!”

  The door opened and Haven’s smiling face greeted us. His unbelievably good-looking surfer boy image hadn’t changed since the last time I’d seen him, and his green eyes shone as he showed us inside the small room. He had his long hair pulled back, his white T-shirt tucked into knee ripped jeans.

  “Let’s head down, shall we?” Haven moved to the side of the tiny space and opened the hidden flap in the wall. His fingers moved deftly over the numerical pad just behind the panel and the wall on the opposite side of the room shifted with a crack and a wheeze of air, revealing the elevator shaft that would take us down.

  Sarah and Derek went first, squeezing in together as they descended from view. When the elevator returned Caleb started to pull me into the confining space then frowned when he realized Sammie would be left behind.

  “Go with Sammie.” I tried to push his immobile body toward the elevator. “I’ll go with Haven.”

  His frown deepened and his gaze flickered back and forth between Haven and me. He was stuck in an indecisive battle, taking several uncomfortable moments to make a decision.

  Haven broke the silence and motioned at the elevator. “Take Sammie. Emma won’t be tempted to snoop around while she waits for you. Your sister will.”

  The indecision on Caleb’s face vanished. “Good point.”

  “Hey—” Sammie started to complain when Caleb snagged her arm and walked inside the cramped space. The door closed and a light hum indicated the elevator was descending.

  “You’re a bust as far as business goes.” Haven peered down at me. “But it’s good to have you back.”

  “Is that a compliment?” I asked curiously.

  “It’s a compliment.”

  When the elevator returned Haven went in first. I had to press against him in the small space but tried to keep a sliver of room between us. The doors closed and we descended.

  My heart started to pound as it went dark and the floor gave way beneath us, taking us down. After several seconds, the doors opened again, and the sounds of people talking and shouting erupted in my ears. Caleb appeared in front of me, grabbed my hand, and pulled me to his chest. Sammie was beside him, her mouth opened wide as she gazed from one end of the room to the other.

  Energy coursed over my skin, vibrating and tickling, causing the hair along my nape to lift. There were people waiting inside the pit carved i
nto the earth, situated in the center of the room. The rail surrounding it was nearly full, and there were cheers and chants that indicated a fight would start soon.

  We followed Haven to his private table, shouldering past the people standing or sitting near the bar. Sarah and Derek were seated and waiting for us. We slid in—Haven first, then Sammie, followed by me and Caleb.

  The same waitress from my first visit strode to the table. She looked at me, scenting the air, and relaxed when my smell jarred her memory. Unwelcome visitors didn’t come back to Haven’s after meeting the crowd waiting upstairs. Haven rotated the watchdog werewolves who pretended to be patrons, but their task remained the same—keep humans out.

  “What can I get you?”

  “The usual,” Haven said, pulling out a cigar and lighting it. She nodded at him and turned to Derek and Sarah.

  “A Guinness and a Cape Cod.” Derek ordered their drinks and leaned back in the booth. The waitress turned to Caleb, Sammie, and I.

  “Killian’s on tap and two cokes.” Caleb pressed against me, removing any distance between us. She nodded again and scurried off, vanishing between the bodies along the bar.

  Haven puffed on the cigar and exhaled. The smoke billowed up, floating to the table lamp hovering overhead. The air around it turned thick and gray as the smoke swirled and created wispy shapes before evaporating.

  “I’m glad you came.” Haven stared at us through a thin cloud of gray-white and leaned forward on his elbows.

  “We owe you,” Caleb responded, his hand tightening possessively on my thigh. “It was the least we could do.”

  “You don’t owe me, bro.” Haven laughed loudly. “I enjoyed myself. Trueblood vampires don’t venture to my neck of the woods. Watching one in action getting his ass kicked...that was worth the trip.”

  I smiled, remembering all too well. Haven, Sam, Sarah, Derek, and Billy flew to Scotland to bring me home when the vampire prince, Decimus Watts, attempted to abuse his authority and place me in his fold. The prince believed my yet to be unlocked vampiric ability—necromancy—would overpower his. He wasn’t willing to take that risk.

  Recalling the snarling and vicious teeth when they arrived, eager to devour and destroy, I was positive Haven meant exactly what he said. They wanted to rip Decimus’s throat out that night.

  “Still.” Caleb turned to me, blue eyes dark and adoring, squeezing my thigh gently this time. “I’m grateful to you all.”

  “Stop it, bro. You’re making me blush.” Haven shook his hand, scattering cigar ashes. He pointed at me and said, “She’s pack now, and we bleed for our own.”

  Sammie shifted anxiously beside me, a newfound energy wafting off her in humming waves. She was excited, and I instinctively knew why. She was hopeful I’d decided to officially join the werewolf fold. Caleb and I had discussed it, but it was a tough decision for him. He didn’t want to be responsible for a change I might hate.

  Sammie grasped my arm and trickles of her power ran past my skin, delving into my muscles and bloodstream. I absorbed it, pulling the power inside my body instead of forcing it outward.

  “You’ve made up your mind?”

  “Not here.” I leaned over to her and whispered quietly, “Your brother and I have to finish discussing it. When we know, you’ll know.”

  “So this”—Haven threw a small wrapped package onto the table—“is why I had you come here.”

  Caleb handed the bundle over to me, allowing me the honors. I glanced around, blushing with embarrassment at all the inquisitive stares and smiles. I was never good at accepting gifts, especially when others weren’t opening them as well.

  The purple paper was neatly taped down and I pulled it apart carefully, revealing a little white rectangular box. I cast the paper onto the table and lifted the lid. A credit card and key rested just inside. I handed the box to Caleb and glanced at Haven curiously.

  “When you came back to the Pit, we made a killing, no pun intended,” Haven explained, looking past me to Caleb. “I put some of it back for you. The key is to my private place in Colorado. You haven’t decided where you are going yet, right?”

  Caleb shook his head. “We’re still deciding.”

  “Then there you go. The cabin isn’t stocked. You’ll have to stop for things before you arrive. And you’ll need to use that card for clothes. It’s cold as all hell this time of year.”

  “Thank you,” I said, amazed. Haven was always generous when it came to Caleb.

  “Don’t sweat it, chica. You two just hurry back. Christmas is big business here. Maybe you can come by.”

  I nodded but didn’t say anything. The decision to return would ultimately come from Caleb. He both loved and loathed the place.

  “Oh shit, almost forgot!” Haven lifted his hips and dug into his pocket. “You’ll need the keys to Big Red when you get there.”

  “Big Red?” I echoed questioningly.

  “Big Red is the only way to get around in the hills up there. The tires are already set for snow.” As he spoke, the image of the huge red monster truck with enormous wheels hidden in the barn at his cabin in Tennessee came to mind. “I had someone drive her to the other cabin a month ago, in case I decided to go to Colorado this year.”

  The waitress returned with our drinks and placed them in front of everyone before scuttling away. Derek and Caleb guzzled their mugs down, but Sarah and Haven took their time, sipping on their drinks before placing the glasses onto the black marble table. Sammie started to squirm around again, and I turned to her. She smiled uncomfortably and leaned closer.

  “I really need to use the restroom. Where is it?”

  Lifting a finger, I turned to Caleb, missing the long layers that once fell so softly against his face as I whispered in his ear, “Where’s the restroom?”

  “It’s past the bar, on the left.” He stared down at me, brows furrowing. “I’ll take you.”

  “Actually, Sammie needs to go. I’ll go with her.”

  “I don’t know, Emma.” He tried to argue, shaking his head and gripping my knee. “I think I should go with you.”

  “Caleb.” I locked eyes with him, frowning. “You have to stop. We’re just going to the bathroom.”

  His face was immobile for several seconds, and I thought he was about to argue further. Instead he shifted to the right, allowing us to slide along the leather and stand beside him. He kissed my head, pulling me close for a moment, and I knew it was because he didn’t like me being out of his sight. Not that I could blame him. I had a penchant for attracting trouble.

  “If you’re gone longer than a few minutes I’m coming for you.”

  “Okay, Daddy,” I mimicked Sammie’s earlier remark and rolled my eyes.

  Derek laughed under his breath and Caleb grinned, lips lifting wryly at the corners.

  I grabbed Sammie’s hand and looked for the narrow hallway past the bar. We wound past the people encased in the smoke from cigars and cigarettes. I pulled her behind me and entered the brown door with a picture of a woman and the word Chica painted just below.

  The bathroom was surprisingly clean, lit from above by dual florescent lights. Two sinks were mounted on the beige wall, the metal piping beneath vanishing into the tile. Sammie dropped my hand and hurried into one of the three stalls. I stifled my laughter. Sammie never did anything half-heartedly.

  The door opened behind me and I turned. Blonde hair caught my gaze before I looked into an all too familiar face. Her big blue eyes would have been pretty if they weren’t trapped inside such a hateful visage.

  “How are you enjoying my sloppy seconds?” Bridgette asked haughtily.

  “Oh God.” I groaned. The last time we met was bad enough. Caleb didn’t want the renowned werewolf hussy, and she didn’t want to let the rejection go.

  “Who do you think kept Caleb happy those months you were gone? Did you even think about that? I can promise you, he’s not one to spend time alone.”

  Her smile broadened and she stepped forwar
d. Her black leather pants were unbelievably tight across her stomach and legs. The white lace top barely covering her torso plunged dangerously low, helping her generous breasts press outward. One false move would bare her to the world.

  My temper ignited, even though I knew she was lying, and I snapped, “Derek’s right. You are a crazy bitch.”

  “Hit a nerve, did I?” She put her hands on her hips, delighted I’d taken the bait. “Do you want to know how to keep someone like him satisfied? I’ll give you a hint, but I have to warn you, it doesn’t involve being human.”

  Sammie flew from the stall, her face no longer happy-go-lucky or youthful. Her hair moved around her shoulders, the large curls bouncing wildly with each deliberate step. Her eyes were shifting, changing colors along the iris. Like her brother, they shifted from indigo to a vivid ice blue. And like her brother, she was equally protective.

  “Who is this?” Sammie demanded.

  “No one. Are you finished?” I asked quietly, grasping Sammie’s arm to keep her from moving forward. She was angry. I could feel it all around her. The air was charged. The energy surging off her slammed into me.

  A solid punch to my chin sent me reeling and threw me back into the wall where my head smacked the rough plaster. I slowly crumpled to the floor. It wasn’t as powerful a blow as it could have been, but I still saw stars.

  Sammie launched herself at Bridgette as I tried to shake my head clear. Struggling to stand on watery legs, I watched as they went at each other. They collided with the bathroom door and it burst off the hinges, sending them barreling into the hall. I chased after them as they shoved and pushed. Bouncing each other off the hallway walls, they blasted into the open bar.

  Sammie was strong, but Bridgette had spent years in the Pit, which gave the bitch the advantage. She lifted Sammie by her turtleneck, bringing her feet off the ground, and pushed her to the floor. People crowded them, cheering and urging them on. Energy erupted around me and I took it in. I couldn’t fight like werewolves, but I did have my own unique ability. I was fairly certain I was going to need it.