“What the fuck do you think you’re doing? You’re in a Vampire bar, asshole. Do you really think you’re going to get out alive?!” Seth shouts from where he is taking cover on the other side of the room.
The distraction is just what I need as I dive behind an overturned table. It was going to turn into a bloodbath soon if we didn’t disarm him.
A scream echoes loudly across the room that has my wolf clawing to get out. Dani. I try to fight the change, but my wolf isn’t messing around. His mate needed him. Within seconds my wolf’s howl echo’s loudly throughout the room. I can hear Seth curse, but I’m too far gone. It’s suicide to shift given the Sun Sinner’s rules, but my need to protect Dani consumes me. I hear the empty click of the barrel as I jump out from behind the table. The man is sweating profusely now as he tries to refill his weapon. His hands trembling as the bullets miss the chamber, landing in a pool at his feet. I growl in satisfaction as he backs up, hitting the wall behind him. I crouch low, snapping my teeth, preparing to attack.
“What the fuck is going on here?” Cal shouts from above. The distraction is enough for the shooter to turn and smash through a window into the night. Dani. I quickly scan the room. It’s pretty much empty now, everyone having already left after hearing the gunshots. I find Daniel dragging a reluctant Dani towards the back exit.
“Nothing to do with us,” Seth says, appearing from a darkened corner, holding up his hands as he walks towards the Sun Sinners President.
Ignoring him, Cal turns his full attention to me.
“Shift,” he demands, his voice cutting through the air around me like ice.
I close my eyes as my body distorts and cracks until human once more. Naked, I stand, ready to face my punishment.
The rest of the Sun Sinners are now gathered around us, and I watch Cal survey the damage around him. “Find the shooter,” he commands as the vampire's race off into the night. “I’m disappointed in you, Lautner. You, more than anyone, know the rules here.”
I remain silent. I’m not going to try and defend myself. I can’t. I made a stupid move, and I deserve whatever came next.
“Here’s the deal, you don’t get paid for the fight here tonight,” Cal says, walking towards me.
“Deal,” I respond quickly, wondering why I’m getting let off so easily.
“Not so fast. I can’t have rumors spreading that the Sun Sinners have gone soft, can I?” he laughs. “Now, I could gather the Sun Sinners to give you a good kicking, but where’s the fun in that. We both know you would enjoy it,” he smirks, circling me. “What I need is more shifter blood. And a champion’s blood, such as yours … well, that could be worth a lot more.”
“You want my blood? How much are we talking?” I ask cautiously.
“Don’t worry. You’re one of my top incomes. Just enough that you might be slightly weak for a few days.”
“Fine. Let’s get this over with?” I say between gritted teeth.
“Not now. I have plenty after tonight’s fight. I’ll call you. Now … if you'll excuse me. I have a human to kill.” In the blink of an eye, he’s gone.
“Motherfucker,” Seth says, turning towards me. “What the hell were you thinking shifting in here? That could have gone a hell of a lot worse,” he growls, clearly irritated at my stupidity.
Ignoring him, I turn to find Daniel storming towards us. His eyes are dark. The power of his wolf seeping out under his anger and lack of control.
“Why? She was with me. Why her?” Daniel growls, coming to a stop before me.
Without thinking, I grab him by the neck, pinning him against the wall. “What the hell do you think you’re playing at, bringing her here? You nearly got us all killed!”
“Me,” Daniel gasps, struggling for air. Shit. I loosen my hold around his neck just enough to let him speak. “What did I do? She was my date.”
“Your date? You know nothing, kid, do you?”
“Let him go, Lautner,” Seth calls out.
“Is she safe?” I ask Daniel, ignoring him.
“Yeah, I watched her get into her car and drive off,” he replies. I loosen my hold, letting him fall to the floor before me, clutching his reddened throat.
“She? Who’s she? Do you mean Dani?” Seth demands, grabbing my arm. Wrong move. I swing, catching him with a right hook.
“She is none of your damn business,” I hiss.
“Shit,” he mutters, rubbing his jaw. “Is Dani your mate?”
“No.”
“Shifting just now? That wasn’t a mistake. You had no control over it. Your wolf was protecting his mate, no matter the cost.”
“I have no intention of taking a mate, Seth. You know that better than anyone.”
“Sometimes we don’t get to make that choice,” Seth states, rubbing his jaw.
“I do. All I have to do is get the next seventy-two hours over with, and then I’m free from this damn mating curse.”
“That easy, huh?” Seth replies sarcastically.
“Yeah, it is,” I snap, turning around to meet the eyes of a distraught Daniel.
“Your mate?” he asks sadly. The question rolls off his lips with such desperation I almost feel bad for him. Almost. But the thought of any man touching Dani like I just did fills me with rage.
Dani would never belong to him. She belonged to me. The other half of my soul. My mate. Mine.
“I’m sorry, Daniel.”
I storm from the Warehouse jumping on my bike. The familiar thrum of the engine between my thighs doing little to ease any of the built-up tension. My wolf is too damn close to the surface right now, and I have to keep him under control. If I shifted now, I would search all damn night until I found her, burying myself between her legs. Now that I’d had a taste, I wasn’t sure how I was going to resist. The next seventy-two hours were going to be a bitch. I just hoped that I was strong enough to resist.
Chapter 8
Dani
I slam the car door behind me, making my way towards my house. My body, still on fire from Lautner’s touch that I swear I can still feel his hands caressing my skin. What is it about him that calls to me? After Lautner left, Daniel wouldn’t even look at me. I could feel the pain radiating from him, yet I couldn’t say anything. I had never wanted to hurt Daniel; that was never my intention. But with Lautner, it’s like I had no control over my body. I was inextricably drawn to him. I had followed Daniel back upstairs just as the gunshots went off. I remember screaming just before Daniel threw me to the ground before practically dragging me out the back door.
“How did it go?” Lacey asks tiredly from her sleeping bag on the floor as I enter my bedroom.
“Fine.” I sigh, stripping out of my dress and curling up in bed. I knew Lacey would want to know everything that happened tonight, but I was having a hard time understanding it myself.
“Just fine. You’re the only one of our pack to have ever ventured to the Warehouse, and that’s all I get. Fine?” she huffs, crossing her arms across her chest.
“It’s just a bar, Lacey,” I reply. “You know … alcohol, music, illegal cage fights to the death. Oh, and a sexy shifter that looked like he wanted to kill me.”
“Daniel?” she quickly jumps in, concern lacing her voice. “I knew he was a serial killer. Didn’t I tell you not to go?”
“It wasn’t Daniel. It was his pack brother, Lautner.”
“Tell me everything,” she says, turning on the bedside light.
I sit up with another sigh, trying to piece the past few hours together in my mind. “Well, when I got there, I met Daniel, and he was great. We had a drink, and then we …”
“Was he hot?” she interrupted.
“Who?”
“Daniel? Lautner? Both?”
“Yes. For the sake of this conversation, I’m going to tell you right now, they were both hot. It was going well at first. Daniel and I had a drink, and then we went to watch the fight. That’s when it got weird. Lautner, he’s their packs enforcer, was fighting t
his guy called Tommy West. Turns out the Stone Valley Pack have a bad history with him and his brother. Lautner snapped his neck inside the cage.” I shiver, replaying it back in my mind.
“That’s awful.”
“Not really. From what I hear, he deserved it; but that’s not the weird part. As soon as Lautner looked over, our eyes met, and it’s like we were instantly connected. There was a deep rush of power under my skin, and everything became different around me. Magnified. I … I think it was my wolf.”
“Wow, and you start off with, fine.”
Taking a deep breath, I continue. “He came straight over after the fight acting weird and telling me to leave. Then he called me a whore, before actually leaving with a woman who looked like a whore,” I mutter jealously.
“A whore,” she retorts, “Who the hell does he think he is, calling you that. You’re a virgin, aren’t you?”
“Gee, thanks. I wasn’t exactly going to stop and tell him that.”
“You know what I mean. Asshole,” she mutters.
“That’s what I called him, but that’s not the end of it. He found me later as I was leaving, wanting to talk. He touched my arm, and it was like an electric current was running through my body. I don’t know what came over me, but I … I kissed him.”
“You kissed Lautner?” she shrieks excitedly.
Blushing, I look away. It had gone a lot farther than kissing, but I wasn’t about to tell Lacey that. The man had given me my very first orgasm, well … one that wasn’t produced by my own hand. Clearing my throat, I continue. “Then some crazy man had a gun and started firing blindly. It was a pretty wild night, really.”
“I wish I’d gone with you now,” she says excitedly. “But back to the kiss. Please tell me it was good. And what about Drake? What about Daniel? Are you going to see Lautner again?” she asks, bombarding me with her questions.
“I don’t think so. Lautner kept telling me to leave. I don’t think he would be too happy to see me again,” I respond. Although, by the way his hands had been touching me, I think he was fooling himself more than me. “Besides, my father has a contract, remember. I’m Drake’s.”
“But what if Lautner is your fated mate?” she asks quietly.
“Don’t be crazy, Lace. There’s no such thing as fated mates. Besides, even if there was, I still haven’t shifted properly. Just because I think I may have felt my wolf earlier tonight doesn’t change a thing. I don’t think I could mate, even If I wanted to?”
“I’m telling you, all the signs are there. The instant connection? Couldn’t take your eyes off him? Lautner might be the one?”
I lie back down, nestling myself under the safety of my comforter, wishing that Lacey were right. There was just something about Lautner that called to me. He had made me feel alive for the very first time in my life.
“Earth to Dani, you still awake?” Lacey whispers.
“Yeah, I’m just tired. It’s been a long night,” I reply.
“If he is your fated mate, he might be exactly what you need to get out of your engagement to Drake. He’s an enforcer, isn’t he? If there is anyone capable of standing up to your father, it would be him.”
“Maybe,” I reply with a yawn struggling to keep my eyes open. I’d been wide awake on the drive home, but now the adrenaline was leaving my system; I felt more tired than I’d ever been before. “Right now, I need to sleep. We have that pack meeting early in the morning, and I don’t need another reason for my father to be pissed at me,” I say, setting the alarm on my phone. “Did anyone call?”
“Just Drake, but don’t worry, you’re in the clear. I told him you were in the shower. He said he would see you at tomorrow's meet.”
Breathing a sigh of relief, I close my eyes. My mind instantly picturing the gorgeous shifter with the beautiful amber eyes. Deep down, I know that I will probably never see him again, but for the briefest moment, I imagine that Lacey is right. That Lautner is my fated mate, and that there is something better out there for me, after all.
Chapter 9
Lautner
There’s no sign of Mick's Escalade by the time we get home. Our alpha owned an old hotel on the outskirts of the Valley. It isn’t huge by any standards, but we all have a room here. It’s over three floors. The first floor held two reception rooms, a fully equipped bar, and a kitchen. While the remaining floors have our private rooms and spares for Council members or allies that need a safe place when passing through.
As I dismount from my bike, Daniel tries his best to ignore me as he brushes past.
“Don’t mention any of this to your father,” I call out to his retreating form.
He stops, turning around to face me. “You mean our alpha, right?” he snaps.
“This is my business, Daniel, not pack business. I will handle it how I see fit. Unless you want to take me on, I suggest you walk away now and keep your goddamn mouth shut.”
“Whatever, Lautner. Unlike you, we can't lie to our alpha,” he states.
“I'm not asking you to lie. I'm asking you not to mention it. There's a difference,” I snap.
“Whatever,” he mutters. “This is going to bring you down, and it will take all of us down with it.”
I wince at his words, hating that he is right, that I was dragging them both into my mess. I had no intention of lying to my alpha forever, just long enough for the mate bond to be over. I know if Mick found out, he would only try to dissuade me. He would tell me that I wasn’t my father, but they have no idea of the darkness that waits inside me. My father had made me a cold-blooded killer by the age of eight. And now, at twenty-six, I used my skills to their full advantage, torturing and killing for the pack. If I didn’t let the monster loose inside of me now and again, I’d just be another stray on the street killing for fun.
“You should take it easy on him,” Seth says, as we watch Daniel retreat indoors. “You did just steal his girlfriend, after all.”
“I didn’t do shit.”
“I get it. You’re pissed, but maybe you should talk about it.”
“And what about you, Seth. Are you ready to talk? Tommy’s dead now. I killed him.” I know I’m goading him, waiting for a response. I hate that he hadn’t screamed at me yet. I had just taken away the one thing he’s wanted since we’d gotten him back two years ago—the chance at revenge.
Seth stares daggers at me as the silence stretches out between us, neither of us wanting to give in.
“I know you’re looking for a fight, Lautner, but you’re not going to get one from me. Not tonight. Just tell me you’re alright, and I’ll drop it?” Seth finally replies.
I wanted to say yes. That the moment we left the Warehouse, and I had gotten some distance from Dani, that the lava that ran through my veins had instantly cooled. But the truth is, I felt empty. No longer whole. Not like when I had first left tonight. Somewhere over the past few hours, she had taken apart of me with her, and the only way to get it back would be to hunt her down and claim her, but there is no way I’m admitting defeat. The man is stronger than the wolf.
Not trusting my words, I nod.
“Good. I'm going for a drink. You coming?” Seth asks, walking past me, not waiting for an answer.
No sooner had we walked through the door when Seth’s phone rings.
“Where?” he commands down the phone. “I got it, Thane. Send over the coordinates and stay there. We’re on the way.”
“The Sun Sinners found a body,” Seth says, turning towards me pushing the phone back into his jean pocket.
“So, let their asses deal with it. What's it got to do with us?”
“The body is mutilated and partially changed. We need to get out there now before it gets light. This could be the sign we’ve been waiting for.”
“Fine, I’ll get the keys. We’re taking your car though. I’m not getting blood in my trunk like last time. It took me forever to get that shit out,” I grumble, heading towards the kitchen.
Seth is waiting by his blac
k chevy when I return, tossing him the keys.
“I tried phoning Mick and Ryan to let them know, but their phones are still switched off. Daniel’s going to stay here and fill them in when they get back,” Seth informs me unlocking the car. I climb into the passenger seat, wondering what else can go wrong tonight.
Seth quickly types the coordinates Thane sent over into the GPS, and we headed out.
***
“What now?” I ask Seth as he finally pulls over at our destination.
“This way.” Thane bangs against the side of the car, causing me to jump at his sudden appearance. This mate shit must have me more off my game than usual.
“Fucker,” I snarl, knowing he can hear me just as well as if I were shouting it at him.
Thane just grins as he raises his middle finger, flipping me off. “I’m the one doing you guys a favor, remember that. Now let’s go!”
Exiting the car, I wait as Seth gathers our supplies from the trunk. We follow Thane down an old trail leading towards the creek. The sound of water sloshing against the rocks getting louder as we continue, and it’s not long before the faint scent of death hits me.
“The head and arm were found here, and Kai found his torso about a mile east.” Thane points out.
“What about the rest?” I ask, wrinkling my nose.
“Well, that’s for you to find, isn’t it? This is clearly pack business, nothing to do with the vampires.”
“What about the shooter? Did you get him?”
Thane shakes his head. “That fucker vanished as soon as he left the Club. We followed his scent, and it passes through here. However, considering how weak it is, he probably came this way before the Warehouse, not after. We’ll find him,” he replies. “Nobody hits the Club and gets away with it. I’ll see you both next Friday.” And just like that, the vampires are gone.
Lautner: A Dark Fated Mates Romance Page 4