Bad Moon Rising: A Loup Garou World Novel (Tempting Fate Book 2)

by Mandy M. Roth

  “They worry,” I said, in response to her mate and his first cousin fretting over her.

  She let out a long breath. “Well, I worry about you. I don’t like being this far from you.”

  “You’re two hours away,” I said.

  “Might as well be another planet. I’m missing out on everything. I stare at the same walls all day, hoping my overprotective husband leaves the house long enough for me to go outside and take a walk—alone.”

  Laughing, I went to retrieve my spare tire. “Marital bliss getting on your nerves?”

  “He hovers. Every time I turn around, he’s there.” She grunted and then grumbled.

  I snorted. “He’s standing there now, isn’t he?”

  “Yes.”

  “Run, Exavier,” I said, knowing his sensitive wolf-shifter hearing would pick up on my side of the conversation with ease. “She’s not safe to be close to.”

  He chuckled. “I know. I’m thinking of wearing a cup around her.”

  “Just a few more months and then you’ll have a little bundle of joy,” I added.

  “I cannot wait!” he thundered. “I want like ten more.”

  Lindsay sounded as if she might inflict serious bodily harm on him.

  “Exavier, you might want to bring that up again after the first one comes.”

  “Ouch!” he said, yelping. “Okay. Let go. Baby, do not twist it off me. If you do, how am I going to handle your other cravings?”

  “Too much information here, folks,” I said, trying to get the spare on.

  Lindsay laughed. “I miss you. Come stay with us for a bit.”

  “Can’t. Lots of weird stuff has been happening around here,” I said as the hair on the back of my neck rose.

  It was all the warning I had before something grabbed me by the hair from behind. I dropped the tire but grabbed the tire iron. It scraped across the ground on my way up.

  “S-Slayer,” something said in my ear, holding me off the ground.

  I didn’t wait to figure out who or what it was. I acted fast, ramming the tire iron into its stomach. It dropped me and hissed.

  Turning, I found the three vampires who had tried to listen in on Jay and me at the club. They weren’t alone. They’d brought a number of friends.

  “Gina?” asked Lindsay, the phone still on the ground by the blown tire. “What’s happening?”

  “Just another day in the life of me,” I said, watching the men, wondering who would attack first.

  It didn’t take long before I got my answer. Two came at me at once. I spun and hit one with the tire iron and the other, I kicked back from me.

  “Bitch!” one spat. “I will tear you to bits.”

  “Blah, blah, blah,” I said, rolling my eyes, having heard just about every curse word out there in my line of work. Hell, I knew obscenities from hundreds of years ago, as a large part of the job left me facing off against men and women who had been alive a long, long time.

  They all came at me this time. Perhaps mocking wasn’t the best plan I’d had.

  Live and learn.

  I unleashed hell on them, ducking, weaving, just missing taking dagger-like nails to the face and neck. I kicked, hit, and bashed them with the tire iron, deflecting their blows with relative ease.

  One got a good hit on me, and I went airborne before hitting the ground by the tire and phone. It didn’t feel great. Not that anyone would assume it would. The tire iron skidded across the ground, just out of my reach.

  “Gina!” shouted Lindsay. “Are you okay?”

  The vampires used the moment to try to gain the advantage on me. If they thought I was weaponless, they were wrong. I yanked off my heels and popped to my feet as if I had springs on my ass. Whirling around, I rammed a heel into a vampire’s chest. He burst into a cloud of dust instantly. I did the same to another. He lingered a bit before turning to ash.

  When a third fanger charged me, I groaned. “Really? It went so well for the first two. You looking to be the encore? You’re like lemmings.”

  That only served to piss the rest of them off more.

  One of them went up and over me, grabbed me by my hair, yanking me off the ground, causing me to drop one of my heels. I grasped his wrist, squeezing hard, knowing I was crushing his bones. He released me, and I impaled him with my remaining heel. Vamp dust rained down on me as I bent and snatched my other heel from the ground.

  In the next breath, I leaped up and onto the hood of my Jeep, to get a better vantage point. When I looked up, I found there were even more of them. “You’re like bunnies! You just keep multiplying.”

  “Xavs, call Jay! Hurry! Tell him Gina needs help,” yelled Lindsay, sounding very panicked.

  “Ah, this is nothing, Linds,” I said, leaping off my Jeep and onto another vampire, dusting him quickly too.

  Who would have thought heels would come in handy while killing supernaturals?

  Stepping to the right, I watched a vampire fall into the side of my Jeep. I rammed a heel into his back, dusting him quickly as well. I kept going, fighting in the street, by myself, barefoot and in a dress that didn’t exactly want to stay put while I maneuvered.

  “Gina?” Lindsay asked, her voice holding concern. Then, “Exavier, what do you mean he’s not answering? Screw voice mail! Can’t you like zap him? You’re all powerful or something, aren’t you? What do you mean you’re not? You’re always making yourself out to be. Dammit, Xavs, I will rip pieces of you off if she gets hurt!”

  Poor Exavier was going to catch hell for weeks to come over this all. I felt bad for him. Lindsay’s hormones were no joke. She had the magik and the temper to make his life very difficult.

  “Lindsay, stop. I’m fine,” I said in between ramming my heels into more vampires. It was almost assembly line-like.

  They line up.

  I kill them.

  I bounced a vampire’s head off the hood of my Jeep. One of them clawed my back open. I winced and then spun to glare at the culprit.

  He paled, which was impressive, considering he was the whitest damn vampire I’d ever seen.

  Going at him extra hard, I beat him backwards before jabbing one heel into his neck and the other through his heart. I then stared down at his ashes. “Asshole.”

  I stood there, barefoot, in a fighting stance, breathing hard, blood dripping down my back, expecting to find more vampires to kill.

  There were none.

  Lindsay was still shouting at me. Apparently, she and Jay subscribed to the same panic and general loss of trust in my abilities.

  Exhaling, I bent for my phone and lifted it a little slower than I usually would since I was injured. “Stop freaking out, Lindsay. I’m fine, and they’re all dead or gone. See what you’re missing out on here?”

  She cried to the point I felt bad for her.

  “Linds, I swear to you, I’m fine. I’m going to finish changing this tire and then head home. Stop trying to make Exavier come for me. I know that’s what you’re doing,” I said with a grunt.

  “You sure you’re good?” asked Exavier from the background. “Eion and I are getting ready to head to you.”

  My life wasn’t that bad if hot hunks were at the ready to rush to me, thinking I needed help when I didn’t. They’d be to me quickly because they’d travel by way of magik. Not car. “I swear. Now, take your woman to bed and show her why she needs to leave your man parts intact.”

  He laughed. “Call if you need anything. I’m going to try to pry the phone from Lindsay’s hand. Wish me luck.”

  Laughing, I hung up and looked around at all the ashes. That was a hell of a workout. On top of it all, I still hadn’t finished changing my tire. So far tonight, I’d shown up at a vampire den that I wasn’t aware was a den, had a really old, really hot master vampire offer to give me endless pleasure, my friend showed up growling like a damn fool before I basically gave him a lap dance, vamps attacked me, and now a friggin’ flat tire.

  Could it get any worse?

  5
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  I looked around the area, making extra sure all the baddies were gone or dust. The idea of leaving one of them to possibly hurt an innocent didn’t sit well with me.

  On the surface, everything in the desolate area seemed quiet now that the vampires were no longer a threat. Yet I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was merely the eye of the storm.

  The same darkness I’d felt in the club that had emanated from Reynaud trickled over me at such a slow rate that I nearly missed it. Had I not been focused on figuring out what else was out there, I might not have even noticed it.

  His men had been the ones who’d attacked me. They’d called me a slayer the minute they’d cornered me. That meant Reynaud knew the truth about me. He knew I wasn’t some random human who’d met up with her boyfriend at his club. A sinking feeling came over me when I realized he’d probably known all along what I was.

  And now he was toying with me.

  Turns out, the night could actually get worse.

  My attention was pulled to my right.

  Reynaud was there, leaning casually against the exterior of a building not that far from me. If darkness didn’t leak from the man, I’d have thought he looked hot there. Posed as if he were doing a magazine spread. But his exterior was a ruse, something to hide the darkness in him.

  Reynaud’s tongue ran over his lower lip as his blue-gray gaze drew up and down me painfully slow. Everywhere his gaze went, so did raw power. It felt as if it was swallowing up the air around me, rushing over my body. The darkness enveloped me, making my head feel fuzzy, as if I’d had too much to drink. The need to make contact with the vampire was all-consuming and the next thing I knew, I was putting my hand out to him.

  Hello, body. Beckoning the big scary vamp dude to you is a really stupid idea.

  My body didn’t seem to agree. Especially when I crooked my finger, in his direction, as if my next step was taking him to bed with me.

  So not the next step.

  Desire coursed through me.

  Shit, it’s the next step.

  When the realization of what I was about to do came over me, I paused. He was successfully swaying my thoughts with his vamp mojo. And if I didn’t do something to change the situation, I very well might find myself in bed with the man. After that, I’d end up a meal. Neither sounded great to me.

  My mind scrambled with ways to block his control over me. Attacking him sounded great; unfortunately, whatever he was doing to me kept me from moving. Kicking his ass would be difficult if I was basically a hormonal statue, begging to be with him. I needed a tinfoil hat and a crossbow.

  Of which I had neither.

  I had a tire iron that I couldn’t get to, and my pumps, which would be as effective on the master vampire as hitting him with a fly swatter.

  I was totally—and soon to be literally—fucked.

  The expression on his face said he knew as much. He was in charge of the situation. The next move was his. I was merely an unwilling pawn in his game. One that he’d just proven couldn’t harm him.

  I blinked, and he was in front of me, making me gasp because that never happened to me. I always saw vampires moving, knew what they were doing and felt them.

  But not him.

  His hold on me lessened enough for me to move. I seized the moment, trying to hit him, but he caught my hand. He didn’t hurt me. He merely held my hand in his, his gaze still searching mine. I wasn’t sure what he was looking for, and I didn’t care. I just wanted to get away from him. As I attempted to kick him, he blocked the move, looking amused and turned on.

  Trust me to find the one vampire who got horny when bodily harm was threatened.

  “Gina,” he said, his deep voice sliding over me.

  I moaned as need slammed into me. I knew it was his doing, not my own feelings or desires.

  Kill him, don’t drool over him.

  His soft laugh eased up my body.

  My gaze hardened. “Stop.”

  “Gina, I could release you fully, but you will do your best to kill me, and I will be forced to attempt to cage my demon, so it would do you no real harm,” he returned as if he was doing me a great big favor by taking my free will. “I want you. You will grow to want me in return.”

  Defiance shone brightly from me. Like hell I would. I’m pretty sure I’d stake him in his sleep.

  He grinned, showing fang. “You desired the male you were with at the club. I could smell it on you. Smell the lust coming from you both. That same lust for him will happen with me in time. The sooner you stop fighting the pull, the better. I’ve waited a long time for you, and have spent years searching for you. I will not let another moment pass us by.”

  My brow quirked. “Looking for me? Why?”

  “Fate,” he replied, as if that one word summed up everything nicely and tied it in a bow.

  I shook my head slightly and made another move to attack him.

  He caught me and dragged me against his authoritative frame, his power pushing through me once more. I thought for sure I’d pant like a dog in heat. Thankfully, I didn’t.

  “Join me at the club and allow me to show you pleasure the likes of which you have never seen.”

  “Are you planning to kill me or screw me?” I asked.

  “I’d much prefer the latter, but should we not find common ground, the former will occur,” said Reynaud, before he took my hand in his and lifted it to his mouth, kissing the back, his long dark hair falling forward. “I was not finished with our time together, and I did not like seeing you with the other man.”

  “So, you sent a bunch of your men after me to be sure I got the message?”

  He shrugged. “I needed to see if what I suspected was true. If you were as good as you are rumored to be.”

  I wasn’t feeling very awesome at the moment, considering he had ahold of me and seemed to know my moves before I made them. “And?”

  “I am not disappointed.” He smiled. “Come, I promised you a night of pleasure.”

  My gaze went to the piles of ashes surrounding us.

  He laughed, and the sound eased over me. I knew he was influencing me, but I didn’t know how. I should have been immune to his gifts.

  Apparently, I wasn’t.

  “Gina, I have more where they came from,” he said, his gaze moving to the ashes as well.

  I tensed. “Aren’t you going to try to kill me?”

  He touched my cheek. “No. This is where I take you back to the club, spend time with you before I take you to my bed.”

  His power eased over me.

  I took a step back and slipped on the ashes with my bare feet.

  He caught me, steadying me, his face close to mine. His free hand came to my neck. I knew I shouldn’t let him near such a vulnerable spot, but I couldn’t help myself. The urge to panic didn’t come, and I knew he was the one keeping me from freaking out.

  He stroked my neck more, keeping me bent back as he held me. “Tell me why I cannot read your thoughts. It is rare for me not to be able to read a slayer with great ease.”

  I stiffened. “How are you influencing me?”

  His gaze raked over me. “I will admit, you are harder to control than any I’ve encountered before.”

  “Try to seduce a lot of us then?” I asked, really interested in the answer.

  He waggled his brows. “No. Only one before you—my mate. The rest I tortured for months, sometimes years before finally killing them, or finding a way to convert them over to join those of us who hunt at night.”

  I gasped. “A slayer can’t be turned into a vampire. It’s not possible.”

  “It just takes the right vampire,” he said calmly, still looking at me with an expression that freaked me out. I couldn’t move to even try to get away from him. Whatever he was doing was keeping me right where he wanted me.

  Boldly, he licked my neck from my collarbone to my ear. He chuckled softly. “Someone helped you to mask your natural scent.”

  I tensed.

 
He pressed his lips to my ear. “What did you come to my club for on this night? I think maybe it was you trying to kill me.”

  Lying was an option, but I went with the truth, kind of. “No. I didn’t come to kill anyone. I was curious about the club. I’d be remiss as a slayer if I didn’t check it out.”

  He looked surprised by my answer, as if he was expecting a lie. With a smile, he kissed my neck, my chin, and the corner of my lips.

  Try as I might, I still couldn’t move.

  “You are exquisite. Bedding you will be explosive,” he said, sounding horny as hell. “I feel you trying to resist my hold. I have to say, you are doing so much better than any other has before you. Why is that?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe I just have a better sense of self-preservation,” I replied, still struggling within myself to move. It was as if sleep paralysis had me in its clutches.

  “Do you understand that I could take everything I wanted from you here and now?” he asked, his mouth still on the edge of my lips.

  “Y-yes.” My fear was real, and I knew I was shedding a tear.

  He wiped it away and caressed my cheek. “I said I could. I did not say I would—yet.”

  “What are you?” I asked. “You’re not just a vampire. Your darkness is so much more than others.”

  He tipped my head back more and kissed my neck gently.

  As I felt his fangs break my skin, I fought with everything I had to move, to thrust him away from me, to kill him. When he started to drink from me, my need to get away from him lessened and lessened to the point it was nearly gone.

  Visions of death and destruction filled my head, each one appearing as if they were my own memories. I saw a battlefield, fires, and bodies burning in all directions. The smell of the burnt flesh was nauseating. As I looked around, I smiled, knowing it was my handiwork that had caused the death, the destruction.

  The vampire moved his mouth off me fast, hissing. “You were in my memories. How?”

  I knew blood was trickling down me, but there was nothing I could do about it. “I don’t know. Never happened to me before.”