Josef clucked his tongue. “Naughty girl,” he murmured, moving toward her. She trembled, tears pouring down her face, the heavy scent of her terror thickening his body with hunger. Others from his unit came their way, drawn no doubt by the girl’s fear-thick scent. Addressing two of his men, Josef said, “Search the woods for the boyfriend. If you find him, I want him brought in alive.”
“What are you going to do with her?” Miles demanded at his back.
Looking over his shoulder, Josef arched one brow. “Is that really any of your business?”
Miles’s voice shook with rage. “You can’t kill her. It’s forbidden to take a human until Calder says otherwise. We’re only allowed to feed from animals, Josef.”
“On the contrary,” Josef replied with a low, husky laugh. “She’s seen our faces, which means she can’t be allowed to live. Calder would insist she be taken down.”
Miles’s ice-blue eyes burned with hatred. “You can’t feed from her.”
“Wrong, Miles. I can do whatever the hell I want.” Turning his attention back to the girl, Josef reached out and stroked his hand down the pale, shimmering length of her golden hair. “She must be dealt with immediately.”
Miles moved to Josef’s right, aggression pumping off his muscular body like a sweltering wave of heat, his meaty hands fisted with frustration. “You’re walking a dangerous line, Josef.”
Cocking his head a fraction to the side, Josef held the Casus’s scornful stare, silently warning him to back off. When Miles failed to relent, Josef transformed his right hand in a lightning-quick movement, his long claws wrapping around Miles’s throat before the Casus could so much as blink. Miles froze, his eyes wide with fear, his clammy skin only a fraction away from being sliced open beneath Josef’s lethal grip.
Leaning close, Josef whispered against the other man’s cheek. “Do you really want to lecture me, Miles?”
The Casus held perfectly still, not even daring to breathe, and Josef gave a low, arrogant rumble of laughter. “That’s what I thought,” he drawled, releasing his hold. Miles swallowed convulsively, sucking in a shuddering breath, his expression an entertaining blend of outrage, relief and lingering fear. Josef smirked at how easy it’d been to cow the soldier, then turned his attention back to the girl, whose terrified gaze had latched itself on to his clawed right hand.
“Now, where were we, sweetheart?” Wearing a lopsided grin, he stepped forward, then hooked his claws at the neckline of her gown, shredding the cloth down the center. She screamed behind the gag, flailing and kicking, but he could see in her glazed eyes that she knew it was too late. Nothing was going to save her now. Not her boyfriend or her sleeping parents or Miles’s pathetic protests. And despite what Miles believed, there would be no repercussions for her death. After all, Josef had Calder’s permission to take as many of her kind as he needed.
His whole purpose in being there was to take down Gregory, and it was no secret that DeKreznick had been taking human meals. In order to match him in strength, Josef had been given permission to take proper feedings, so long as he was careful to keep control of his hunger, without allowing it to override his reason, as it had done to Gregory’s brother.
Without taking his eyes off the girl’s twisting body, he spoke to his men. “Secure her on the ground, arms and legs spread as wide as they’ll go.”
While the Casus followed his orders, Josef removed his clothing, then leaned his head back, soaking in the light mist of rain against his naked flesh as he allowed the full change to overtake him, transforming his body into the ultimate instrument of pain. Thunder bellowed in the distance, echoing the frantic pounding of the girl’s heart as Josef positioned his massive, leathery gray body between her thighs. Taking a handful of earth that held the human Harcourt sister’s delicious scent, he rubbed it over the girl’s trembling body, grinding the dirt into her pale breasts. As he pulled in a deep breath, Josef smiled down into her fear-twisted face. “That’s better. Now you smell good enough to eat.”
So good, in fact, that for a moment he actually considered keeping her around for seconds. Like leftovers, he could taste her again before making the kill. Tie her up on a bed and have his way with her for as long as he liked.
It was an interesting thought, but then he shook his head, changing his mind. If he was going to put that kind of effort into it, why not wait until he finally got his hands on Olivia Harcourt? Her scent was compelling enough to keep it interesting long after she’d gone numb from fear.
Covering the girl’s body with his heavy form, Josef growled with triumph as he took his first bite at her shoulder, burying his fangs hard and deep. God, there was nothing like it, the power that came with the kill. He didn’t even mind that they weren’t alone. The greedy eyes of those watching only made it sweeter. Made him feel like a god. One whose due was this succulent little piece of flesh beneath him.
Josef only wished he had more time to enjoy her.
Though his ears were roaring with the ecstasy of the kill, a sharp sound caught his attention, and as he turned his wolf-shaped head to the right, he found Miles backing away, the Casus’s forearm held over the lower part of his face, as if to block out the intoxicating scent and taste of the girl’s blood in the air. Staring into the man’s horrified eyes, Josef gave him a slow, bloodied smile.
“And Miles,” he called out, the raspy words garbled by the distorted shape of his mouth.
“Yeah?”
“Third time’s a charm. Screw up again and I’ll be sending you back to Meridian myself. In pieces.”
The Casus responded with a curt nod, then turned and quickly disappeared into the darkness, leaving Josef to his feast.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Saturday morning
THE INSTANT OLIVIA OPENED her eyes, the bright streams of sunshine creeping around the edges of the blinds told her that she’d overslept. She was still rubbing her eyes, trying to get her brain working, when Aiden came out of the steam-filled bathroom wearing nothing but his signature smart-ass grin…and a snowy-white towel tied around his sleek waist. She knew she should look away, but it just wasn’t going to happen. Not in this lifetime. The guy was nothing short of perfection. Pure animalistic beauty, deadly and dangerous and drop-dead gorgeous. She couldn’t stop watching the way his muscles moved beneath all that dark golden skin as he walked across the room, everything cut and tight…and big. She wasn’t some shrinking violet, but it was impossible not to feel small and delicate and dainty when he was near. His body was massive…huge, the towel leaving far too much firm, mouthwatering flesh for her to ogle.
And you’re going to just keep on ogling the poor guy until you make an ass of yourself, aren’t you?
She mentally nodded in response to the silent question, knowing it was true. But what hot-blooded woman wouldn’t ogle such a prime specimen of rugged, masculine beauty? He truly did remind her of an ancient Celtic warrior. His body wasn’t the kind you found in a gym. No, it was a body that had been honed into a lethal weapon, its purpose to destroy its enemies. His shoulders were broad, his muscles ropy and thick, and yet he didn’t look overblown. Instead, Aiden Shrader had the sleek, toned look of a deadly predator. One she could easily imagine crouching in the silent darkness of the night with gaping jaws, eyes glowing as it stalked its prey.
Knowing she was going to do something embarrassing if she allowed herself to keep staring, Olivia managed a deep breath and finally forced herself to look away. She figured she would last about a second before her gaze shot right back to him, gorging on the visual feast, but a startled cry broke from her lips the instant she spotted the empty side of the bed. “Where’s Jamie?” she demanded, lurching up into a sitting position, her wild gaze flying around the room in a terrified search for her niece.
“Calm down, Liv. She’s fine.” Her gaze whipped back in Aiden’s direction as he picked up a comb off the dresser and began working it through the wet skeins of his hair, his powerful biceps bulging as he raised his arms. “Y
ou were out for the count when she woke up, so I helped her pick out some clothes. She dressed herself in the bathroom, brushed her teeth, then claimed she was starving, so Kellan and Noah took her to the restaurant for some pancakes and sausage.” With a grin kicking up the corner of his mouth, he laughed as he said, “She’s already got those two wrapped around her little finger.”
“Oh.” She blinked, trying to decide how she felt about that. “Will she be okay with them?” He gave her a look that had her wincing, and she shook her head, trying to get her thoughts in order. “I’m sorry,” she murmured, rubbing two fingers against her pounding forehead. “I don’t mean to insult anyone, especially after what the three of you did for us last night. It’s just that I don’t…well, I don’t know them.”
“Nothing’s going to happen to Jamie on our watch, Liv. Kellan and Noah are two of the best guys I’ve ever known. They’re taking good care of her.”
Olivia nodded, surprised to find that she actually believed him. The pressure in her chest began to ease a little, allowing her heart to beat a bit more normally, her lungs no longer choked with fear. Of course, the instant she was no longer upset about Jamie, her hormones reminded her that she was alone with a half-naked man. One who just so happened to be the hottest thing she’d ever set eyes on. And as one minute flowed into the next, Olivia suddenly found herself thinking that if the towel around Shrader’s waist was just a little smaller, she’d be able to get a glimpse of…well, of all of him. And from what she’d seen last night, she knew there’d be nothing “little” about it.
Running her tongue over her lower lip, she did her best not to dwell on that particular thought…or to drool over the hard muscles moving so sinuously beneath his dark skin. But God, she’d had no idea that a man could actually be built like that. Of course, the second the thought fired its way through her brain, she realized her mistake. Aiden wasn’t a man. He was something other…something more. And from the looks of the bulge beneath that white cotton, a lot of it appeared to be between his legs.
And there you go obsessing about the guy’s crotch again! Get a grip, woman. This is getting ridiculous.
Pressing her hand to her forehead, Olivia coughed, striving to sound normal as she said, “Uh, shouldn’t you get dressed?”
“Should I?” His low voice reminded her of a sensual purr, thick and dark and sexy, his hazel eyes heavy lidded as he watched her with a strange, searing intensity that had chills dancing over her skin.
She pulled her brows together as she studied his hypnotic expression. Quietly she said, “Are you trying to seduce me, then?”
The wicked smile that slowly curled across his mouth did something funny to her pulse, the rushing sound outrageously loud in her ears. “Is that what I’m doing, Liv? Seducing you?”
“I told you before,” she said carefully, surprised by the hoarseness of the words, “that I’m not all that impressed with sex.”
A deep, husky burst of laughter rumbled up from his chest, the provocative sound making her realize that she’d never really noticed how bone-meltingly sexy a laugh could be. “Yeah, well—” he tossed the comb back onto the dresser and gave a laid-back kind of shrug “—that’s probably because you’ve been having sex with the wrong kind of guys, honey.”
Even though she knew she should have been mortified by the conversation, Olivia couldn’t help but laugh herself. “I hate to admit it, but you’re probably right.”
“What happened with the dickhead ex, anyway?” He moved to the foot of the bed, where he must have placed his bag before taking his shower.
Olivia pulled her sheet-covered knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. “Chris was a divorced dad whose son was in my class last year. Turned out he thought I’d make a good stepmom, but wasn’t all that interested in ‘satisfying himself exclusively’ with a woman like me for the rest of his life. His exact words, no less.”
“You’re kidding me,” he grunted, shooting her a dark look from under his brows. “That’s some kind of joke, right?”
A bitter laugh broke from her throat. “Trust me, I wish it was.”
“What a prick.” The masculine look of outrage on his beautiful face did wonders for her wounded pride. “And you actually liked this guy?”
She rolled her lips inward as she turned her attention to tracing the floral pattern on the comforter. “He was my slice of normal.”
“Slice of normal? What the hell’s that mean?”
Glancing up, she tried to explain. “I’m the lone human in my family, Aiden. Chris was…well, he was where I thought I belonged. The human boyfriend who could offer me a nice little human life. My slice of normal.”
He pulled on a pair of boxers under his towel, then tossed the towel onto the end of the bed. “But did you like him?”
“We seemed to have a lot in common,” she said with another soft laugh, eyeing the discarded towel. She wanted to pull it against her face, where she could have a deeper pull of the Watchman’s dark, alluring scent, and she had to force herself not to act on the impulse. “And Chris and I got along well,” she added, lifting her gaze to find him pulling a pair of faded jeans out next. “I really wanted to like him.”
With his mouth curled in a cocky smile, Aiden gave a sarcastic snort. “That’s a telling answer,” he drawled as he pulled on the jeans and buttoned the fly.
“Yeah, I guess it is. But it’s the truth. His son, Nathan, was adorable, and at first Chris seemed like the perfect guy. It wasn’t until I caught him…” She paused, her voice trailing away as she realized what she was doing, pouring out her heart to a guy who could easily run for the King of the Studs. “God, I don’t even know why I’m telling you this,” she admitted with an embarrassed laugh, hiding her face behind her hands.
“Aw, don’t be like that. I’m dying of curiosity over here, Liv.”
Peeking at him through her fingers, she watched as he slipped on a dark green T-shirt that did amazing things to his eyes. “Seriously, Aiden. It’s not like you’re even interested. You’re just being…nice.”
“Trust me,” he muttered under his breath, his attention focused on his bag as he zipped it closed, “I’m not particularly nice to women. And after last night, you should have figured out that you’re wrong about the not being interested part, as well.”
Tilting her head to the side, she tried to read his expression. “I so don’t get you.”
“What’s not to get?” he asked, shooting her a sideways look as he grabbed his gun from its hiding place on top of the wardrobe.
“It’s just…well, I would think human women would be boring for a man like you. Not to mention the fact that you don’t like humans to begin with.”
Olivia wondered if she kept repeating that particular truth as a way to remind herself to keep her head, or if she just liked the twinge of pain it inflicted. Before she could decide on the answer, he shocked her by saying, “Actually, I prefer them.”
Though he’d averted his gaze, Aiden could feel Olivia’s confusion as she tried to come up with a logical reason for why he would prefer sleeping with a species that he hated.
“I don’t understand.” Soft, nearly silent words. “Why would you prefer them?”
“Because they’re safe,” he muttered, checking the clip on the Glock.
“Safe?”
Rolling his shoulder, he struggled to put the truth into words as he reached behind him and slipped the gun into the waistband of his jeans. “They don’t get to me. Don’t make me feel anything I don’t want to feel. They’re just…there.”
Her breath sucked in with a shaky gasp, and Aiden knew exactly how she’d taken the telling statement. Knew she was thinking the worst of him—that he was a user, a bastard. Which was pretty much the truth. He wanted to say something to make her understand that she was different, but what could he say that wouldn’t make it worse?
Better just to change the subject before he ended up saying something he would really regret. “So this ex.�
� He refused to say the prick’s name. “Didn’t he mind?”
“Uh, mind what?”
Slipping his wallet into his back pocket, he ran his tongue over his teeth. “The fact that he couldn’t get you off.”
Her eyes went wide. “How do you know that he didn’t?”
Aiden shot her a crooked smile that felt tight on his face. “If he had, you wouldn’t keep claiming that sex isn’t really your thing.”
She frowned, looking for a moment as if she would tell him it was none of his damn business. But then she exhaled a soft breath of air, her irritation seeming to bleed out as she said, “I don’t really know if he knew, since we didn’t talk about it. But maybe…maybe that’s why he felt the need to get his jollies elsewhere.”
“So he was an idiot as well as a prick,” he snorted, wishing he could have just five minutes alone with the guy. That was all it would take to repay the bastard for hurting her.
“Pretty much.” She shrugged, her eyes dark with emotion. “But I tried to make it work. I mean, it wasn’t like I didn’t…make an effort.”
Aiden knew exactly what she was attempting to say. She’d tried to enjoy sex with the worthless prick, and as her soft words melted into him, something hot and thick twisted through his insides, the powerful sensation as foreign as it was disturbing.
That’s because for the first time in your life, you’re actually jealous.
Whoa. Sagging back against the wall, he scrubbed his hands down his face as he tried to wrap his mind around that stunning realization.
Knowing this was going to spell trouble, Aiden wanted to laugh it off as some kind of cosmic prank, but the truth was hard to deny. And to make it even worse, he wasn’t the only one who was dealing with that ugly green monster. No, his beast was suddenly focusing on Olivia with a fierce, possessive purpose, its guttural voice snarling within his head that she was his. He forced himself to look away from her, but the damage had already been done. The provocative image of her sitting there in the midst of all that soft white bedding, her hair tousled, cheeks still warm from the heat of her blush, already had his dick as hard as a friggin’ spike. His gums burned from the weight of his fangs, the animal in him more than ready to come out and take matters into its own greedy hands.
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