by Lia Davis
Once I’d seen and felt everything, with my heart broken in two I went back downstairs. “This was not vampires,” I said through clenched teeth as I fought hysteria. “There are no signs of vampires here.”
“Agreed,” Quin said. “It was humans.”
How?
Kane
The coven’s home was exactly as I figured it would be. The house was covered in blood and there were no survivors. I smelled silver and humans, but there was no lycan scent on the property. I walked slowly around the house, smelling. I didn't have the nose of my beautiful mate, but it was strong enough to discern the fact that no lycans had been on the property in a very long time, if ever.
My vampires combed the property, dressed in gear that protected them from the sun, looking for clues, desperate to figure out who had hurt us.
As I walked in the back door of the house, the captain of our small sentinel force approached me, giving me a slight bow of deference. “Sir.” He handed me a small, gold pin. “We found this.”
I peered at the object before lifting it to my nose. It had definitely belonged to a human.
“We believe it’s part of a military uniform,” the captain said.
I agreed but wanted to know his reasoning. “Why do you say that?”
He knew I was testing him. “The stamp on the back, sir. It was made for one of the human military branches.” I turned the pin over to inspect the imprint.
“Do you know which branch?” I didn’t recognize the stamp, but the pin looked like a part of a set of ranking bars.
“I’m sorry, I can’t call it to mind, sir.” He looked frustrated.
“It’s all right. I’ll find it.” I didn’t know it either. I’d get on it as soon as I got home.
By the looks of the destruction, the vampires in the house had put up a fight. Some didn’t get the chance before their heads were removed. Bile rose in my throat and a snarl ripped from my chest.
They were attacked just after dawn, but their innate sense of danger should’ve alerted them. The curtains were open, though. The dawn light would’ve slowed the coven down, made it much harder for them to defend themselves.
Fury boiled in my veins. Lycans hadn’t attacked, but who did?
I left my team to do their jobs. Walking out the back door, I pulled my hoodie into place and looked at the late afternoon sunlight streaming down on the home. How had someone attacked two strong species in two different places, at nearly the same time? Who had the knowledge and ability to do such a thing?
The sound of tires on gravel had me moving in a flash. I reached the front lawn in time to see Jillian’s vehicle come to a stop in the driveway. My blood quickened as she glared out the window at me.
As she exited the vehicle, every instinct screamed at me to protect her, but I couldn’t rush toward her. If I did, she’d likely take it as a sign of aggression, and we’d end up in a fight neither of us could win.
I forced my body to obey my mind instead of my passion and walked slowly to her as her guards flanked her. The two males looked tense and ready to defend their princess at all cost. My respect for them increased. Slightly.
Her attention moved past me to the house. “It’s bad in there, isn't it?”
Her blond guard grunted at her and touched her elbow, allowing his fingers to linger on her skin. “Careful,” he whispered, as if I couldn’t hear him.
She gave him a nasty look, and I barely suppressed the urge to rip his finger off for touching her. “It’s fine, Voss.” She covered his hand with hers before she turned back to me. “They entered the home the same way here as at our den.” Her attention returned to the house. I wanted to wrap her in my arms, the pain on her face was so evident. Though, I didn’t understand how she knew the method the attackers used to enter the house.
“Are you okay?” I watched her, but she didn’t answer as she studied the scene.
“Investigating murders always drains her,” the blond said behind her. “She shouldn’t be here, taking on your problem.”
“It seems to me this is our problem,” I said. “Why is she investigating murders? Wouldn’t that put her in more danger since she’s the heir?”
Blondie grunted, although it sounded like there was a hidden laugh in the sound. “Let me fill you in on how Jillian works. Rules don’t apply to her, no matter how much we want them to. She…” He glanced at her and frowned before continuing. “She would go to the crime scenes on her own. That’s why she has two sentries.”
I met Jillian’s gaze. She shrugged then pointed to my hand, fisted over the pin. “Voss is right. What’s in your hand?”
“We found this.” I held out the pin to her.
Carefully, she picked it up and studied it. “It smells of human,” she murmured. Her voice was soft and husky. I knew it was only because she was hurting, but the sound of it made me want to gather her up and take her far away from the carnage. “Do you know what it’s from?”
“It looks military,” her guard with the darker hair said. I was pretty sure I’d seen him around, always glaring.
“Quin?” I asked.
He nodded, regarding me suspiciously.
“I think we sometimes drink at the same bars.”
He nodded again but didn’t say anything.
The blond stuck his chin out. “I’m Voss.”
I gave him the same chin wag back. “Kane.” I was surprised to find I didn’t feel an innate need to kill them.
Maybe it was a learned behavior after all, not instinct.
Quin took the pin from Jillian and studied it. “I don't recognize the branch.”
“Neither do I, but I’m going to find out,” I said. “I’m not even sure it’s a sanctioned unit.”
We discussed the possibilities, but we all agreed it was human.
“I need to go inside,” Jillian said. “At least to see one of the murders, to make sure I get the same impressions as I did at the Crane home.”
I led her inside, to the stairs where the first vampire lay dead, his heart ripped out of his chest. She closed her eyes and moved her head around as if looking around. I didn’t know what she was doing, but I didn’t get a chance to ask. Her guards followed against our heels, unwilling to let her go far without them.
“Anything?” Quin asked.
“It’s exactly the same,” she whispered. “It might even be the same people.”
Furious, I steeled my voice. “So a group of military-trained humans decimated a den of wolves, then came here and destroyed a coven of vampires. All strong, agile, easily able to defend themselves.” Who the fuck would do such a thing and why?
“And they timed it perfectly. The neighbor that saw them enter the den described it as being in the middle of the night, and this was just after dawn. They seem to have been in bed?” Jillian asked.
I nodded. “They knew when they would be at their most vulnerable. They lived a traditional life, sleeping during the day and up at night.” Many vampires did.
“Excuse me,” Jillian said to her guards. “I need to go outside. This is…the headless bodies, the children.” Her voice cracked at the mention of the kids, and she turned and rushed out the door.
What was going on? She seemed to be absorbing some sort of emotion or something from the scene. It was said her family had extra powers or abilities. Maybe it was true.
Once outside, I studied her face. It was lined, worried. She’d had a rough night. Her tawny eyes were sorrowful.
“Go home, Jillian and get some rest,” I said. “I’ll research this militant group.”
“As will we,” Voss said as Jillian gave me a defiant look.
Maybe she didn’t appreciate my dominating tone. Get used to it, princess.
“We have several retired military alphas and omegas,” the sentry continued. “We’ll make some inquiries.”
Wolves made excellent soldiers, either rising quickly through the ranks if they were alphas, or becoming dutiful soldiers if not. Vampires weren’t able
to go into the military, not with our problems with the sun.
I gave them my number, and Jillian took my phone from me to put her number in mine. Her hand brushed my wrist and she stiffened. Hell, I barely stopped myself from stiffening. I wanted to grab her hand and pull her into me, lifting her off of her feet and wrapping her legs… Shit. I was in for a long night.
“Call me if you find out anything,” I murmured to Jillian, ignoring her guards. They shifted behind her, uncomfortable with how close I stood to their precious princess. I let my voice drop and pushed a small amount of power into it. I didn’t know how it would affect her, but it was worth trying. “Call me if you need—or want—anything.”
She looked up at me, eyes wide and breath labored as she handed my phone back. Then she turned without a word and walked to her SUV.
Once again, it took all my restraint to stop myself from going after her and dragging her home.
5
Jillian
I couldn’t relax. I couldn’t even keep my focus on the murders. My body hummed with energy, my wolf pacing and snarling at me. The full moon wasn’t for another two weeks, so she was stuck in there for the time being.
It was a good thing too because I had a feeling the crazy beast would hunt Kane down. She wanted him something awful. But the mating of a lycan and a vampire was forbidden, much less the mating of Kane and Jillian. We’d have been thrown out on our ears, excommunicated from both of our families and friends.
“Will you chill out, Jill?” Quin put his fork down and glared at me. “Why don’t you go lay down? Crime scenes always drain you, but tonight you’re as keyed up as you get on a full moon night.”
“Shut up, Quin,” I muttered as I picked at my late dinner.
“Well, no wonder you’re upset,” he continued. “That damn vampire sticking his nose in. You can’t trust a vampire, much less Kane Webb. He’s their King! He’s got manipulation and deceit bred into him.” He picked up his fork and stabbed it into his chicken. “He’s Lilith’s fucking son.”
Didn’t he think I knew that? But it wasn’t that simple. He was my mate. I ached to be near him, to simply be around him. I’d known for a matter of hours and it had turned my world on its head. He’d said he’d known for years. How had he survived this feeling for years?
“We just need to solve these murders and get him out of our hair. He should be in the dictionary under ‘bad boy.’” Quin kept going on and on about how much he hated Kane.
“Quin!” I shouted. “Don’t you think I know all this? Do you think I’m stupid?” I knew vampires weren’t to be trusted. But all the legends said that our mates are the ones we can trust most, that they couldn’t be mated if they couldn’t be trusted. “Shut the hell up. We’ve both been attacked, and by a force too powerful and too tactical. The fact that the vampires found that pin is a very lucky lead.”
Quin opened his mouth to argue, face angry. Voss sat back, wisely keeping his mouth shut.
“No.” I shook my head. “I’ve heard enough of your vitriol. We need to work with Kane for now. So stuff it.”
I shoved my chair back and headed for the stairs, tuning in to my hearing. The last thing I wanted to do was run into my dad.
Voss and Quin could clean up the damn kitchen before heading to their basement apartment. As my sentries, they had to be close to me at all times, a suffocating rule. Dad didn’t have bodyguards day and night. If I thought for one second it was because I was a woman, I’d burn them all to the ground. But, even my strong, capable father had been surrounded by guards before coming into his High Alpha strength. It was a rule, or tradition. Whatever. I had to be kept safe so I could take over the pack one day.
As I tiptoed past my dad’s bedroom I heard snoring. Thank goodness. He was the last thing I needed to deal with. I’d update him on everything we’d found in the morning.
After catching my bedroom door before it slammed and closing it softly, I stalked to my bathroom and took a quick shower to wash the night off of me.
All the shower succeeded in doing was turning me on more as I imagined what it would be like to have Kane in there with me. Then my mind went totally wild as Quin and Voss joined us. Son of a bitch.
I returned to my bedroom to find my phone ringing, vibrating on my bed where I’d thrown it when I undressed. I almost ignored it, figuring it was either Voss or Quin, but I checked it to discover it was Kane.
“Hello?” I asked tentatively. Standing naked in my bedroom when his deep voice came over the line drove my wolf mad. Our clothes are already off, invite him over. He can climb in the window. She was such a dirty dog.
“Jillian.”
I fought the urge to touch myself at the sound of his voice. This mating shit was for real. I’d never been so turned on and needy. I was surprised Voss and Quin hadn’t smelled my desire all day.
Maybe they had. Maybe that was why Quin was so pissy at dinner. Fuck!
“Yes?” I was fairly sure I came across as cool and calm instead of nearly panting in desire.
“I want you.”
Oh, yes. Mother fuck me, yes, yes. “Excuse me?”
“You know what I’m talking about. You’re my mate, no matter how we deny it or think we can’t give in to it.”
“Listen, there was some attraction today, but that doesn’t mean—”
“Yes, it does. You know exactly what it means.”
My knees nearly dropped underneath me. “It doesn’t mean anything.”
“Bullshit. Call it what you want, but I know the truth. Listen, I found out about the military group. Come to my apartment downtown, and I’ll show you.”
“I don’t know where you live,” I said, the resolve in my voice totally gone, but he had already hung up.
“I’m so glad I don’t know where you live,” I told the phone. “If I did, I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from going to you.”
As I set the phone back on the bed, it vibrated with a text. The motherfucker had texted me his address.
Son of a bitch! Damn it all to hell.
He had information I needed. I had to go get it, as he obviously wasn’t giving it to me over the phone. It being the information, not him. Or his cock. I moaned, fighting myself. I had to go. I would go in, let him tell me whatever he needed to tell me, compare notes on the murders, and leave.
I dressed quickly, putting on my sexiest black panties and bra. Even as I clasped the bra and slipped on the panties, I lectured myself about the fact that he’d never see them, that I’d never give him the chance.
Poking my head out the door, I heard my dad still snoring down the hall, and Quin and Voss were moving around in the kitchen. Their voices drifted up the back stairs. I tiptoed toward the front stairs, then successfully slipped out the front door. They’ll be so pissed if they find out I’m gone.
They’d definitely hear my car start, and it was their sworn duty to not let me go anywhere alone. I grabbed my bike instead, walking it down the road. They might still hear it, but it would be far enough away that they’d dismiss it. Enough of our pack lived on the road and drove motorcycles. I’d slipped away for some alone time several times that way.
I really didn’t want them coming after me, so thanks to the distinctive modified exhaust, I walked the bike a lot farther than I normally would have. When I was pretty sure I was out of earshot, I hopped on and fired up the engine, roaring off toward the city.
This is not going to end well.
6
Kane
I hadn’t expected her to show, but I heard low rumble of her bike roaring toward my apartment. I wouldn’t say I’d stalked her over the years, but I’d kept an eye on her, and every single time I heard that bike I knew it was her.
I watched out my window as she stepped off the bike, took her helmet off, and shook out her long brown hair. She pulled a brush out of the saddlebags and worked out the knots from the high speeds. If I hadn’t known the struggle myself, I would’ve thought she was primping for me. My own bl
ack hair was fairly long and tangled every time I rode without binding the strands.
She looked up at the building, spotting me in the window almost instantly. I used my speed to open the door downstairs before she’d even looked away from the window I’d been standing in. “Come in,” I said from the open doorway.
Her eyes were wary. She was having a hard time deciding if coming in was a good idea. “I’m not going to bite you,” I said with a chuckle. It was a lie, if I had the opportunity and her consent, I absolutely would bite her.
She smiled at me and walked forward, brushing against me as she entered the hallway.
My apartment was positioned above a human-owned delicatessen, closed at this time of night. The surrounding buildings were mostly storage and closed businesses. We were well insulated in the apartment and the landlords had no idea what we were. Most importantly, no one in my coven knew where my apartment was. It was my little escape from my mother, prince of the vampires bullshit, and Trinity.
I turned and watched Jillian climb the stairs, her heart shaped ass making my already-hard dick twitch. She was gorgeous, and she was mine. I didn’t know how we’d make that work, but I was already halfway to lost.
For the first time in my life, I didn't want to fuck and feed. I wanted to take her into my arms and claim her as my own. Not someone to get off with. Someone to belong to, who belonged to me. I wanted to claim her.
But I couldn't. Not yet.
She pushed the door open at the top of the stairs, revealing my apartment. I loved my little space in the small city we shared. It was all mine and quiet. Jillian was the first person I'd ever invited up.
She didn't take the time to admire the furnishings. As soon as I shut the door behind me, she whirled.
"What did you learn?" she demanded.