Deana froze as shock rippled through her system at the sight. Freezing turned to gaping as Evan approached her slowly, the man’s face a mixture of worry and downright determination. His shoulders were tense as he reached her in long strides, and he looked her in the eye as if he had every intention to be here.
His mouth opened, then closed. He ran a hand through his hair, and hope filled her.
“I thought I wouldn’t be able to catch you,” he finally said. “I had to borrow a car...because of the suspension and all.”
He didn’t say anything else.
The hope popped like a balloon. But Deana was sick and tired of just waiting and agreeing all the time, so she cleared her throat.
And she decided to take the plunge.
“I need a ride. My truck broke down,” she said.
Evan nodded his head, his brown hair falling down his forehead. It had gotten so long since she first came here, and the thought of running her fingers through it again made the longing deeper. She kept herself still.
“Sure,” he replied. “Did you want me to help you find a motel?”
“Actually, no…”
“Because there’s something I wanted to tell you. It’s probably not what you wanted to hear, but I must tell you before you leave.”
That had her blinking, even while she listened on in fascination and delayed her own speech for just a little bit. The hope came back, even while she tried to tell herself to calm down. “Yes?”
“It was stupid of me to let you go.”
The hope sprung higher. “It was?”
“Yes,” he said, the honesty in his voice was staggering. He combed his fingers through his hair again. “I know it’s what you want, Deana—to leave for the city. But I just wanted you to hear my side.”
“And what’s your side?”
“You belong in Orville. You fit seamlessly there, and people love you. And I think you love them, too, because your face lights up: when you meet someone new, when someone tells you stories of why they’re ordering flowers, when you become happy for making someone else happy. And that’s just part of it. You’ve adapted so well, and honestly, that place needs someone like you—someone not afraid to take a stand and give out her heart, because hell knows it would be a disaster if it was just us left there.” He stepped even closer until there were only inches of space between them, and this close, she could smell his aftershave and natural scent—something male, earthy and so wonderful.
It dazed her, but she forced herself to speak.
“What are you trying to say, Evan?”
“I want you in Orville. With me. I’ll fight for it. I’ll fight for us, because what we had wasn’t just physical. It was more than that, and I know deep inside, you know it.”
“And if I say no?”
His jaw clenched, and it looked he was trying to wrestle with his own thoughts. Then he let out a deep breath. “I’m not an asshole. Of course I’ll let you go if you don’t want to come back…to be with me.”
“Thank you for saying that,” she said, realizing how much it mattered to her. It firmed her thoughts and strengthened her heart, and she took a deep breath, too. “I need a ride, Evan.”
“Of course.”
“A ride back into Orville, so I can stay there and forget I ever tried to leave.”
That obviously wasn’t what he expected to hear based on the widening of his eyes, and she watched the shock growing in his expression. But it was gone as quickly as it came, replaced by something intense that had her feeling nervous as she tried to continue speaking.
“It wasn’t just you who was being stupid, you see,” she admitted. “I was being stubborn in keeping to my so-called goals and hadn’t realized that what I wanted had changed since I lived in Orville and got to know the people…since I got to know you. Joan was my friend, and her death is something that will stay with me. But you…you’re there. You’re alive. And I want you more than I ever wanted any human in my life.”
To her surprise, Evan chuckled at the last part, which had her looking up and glaring at him automatically. But it changed to a widening of eyes when he suddenly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, until no space was left between them and she could stare straight up at his beautiful, hot golden eyes.
Eyes filled with lust, and something else—something heartwarming.
She stood on tiptoe, and he leaned down to kiss her, and it was as explosive as when they first touched lips. She savored the moment, having missed this so much; and allowed his tongue to sweep her out of her mind and into a daze—the wonderful kind of daze that sent her heart racing and her stomach tumbling as heat spread through it. Her nipples puckered, and he must have felt it because a hot, heavy groan came out of him. She felt his hardness pulsing against her stomach, and it thrilled her beyond belief.
Belatedly, she felt something prickle her skin—wetness, and realized it was already raining. They rushed inside his car, where he turned on the engine until it became sufficiently warm. The rain got louder outside, drowning out the sounds they made as they frantically kissed like there was no tomorrow.
When they broke for air, his hand cupped her jaw, and he bit her lower lip. She gasped, watching his eyes watching her.
“Where’s Bingo?”
He smiled at that. “My apartment. Waiting. He has enough food and water to keep him company.”
“So, does this mean we’re together?”
“This means I have every plan of mating you as soon as we get back in town,” he admitted, his voice gruff. Hungry. A hand slid under her skirt, caressing teasingly, and her breath hitched at the pleasure that spiked inside her. “Unless you want it here.” His finger slid inside her core, and electricity sizzled all over her skin.
“Here,” she gasped without hesitation. “Right now. You’re such a tease.”
Evan chuckled again.
Then he did exactly as she wished.
And she enjoyed every bit of it.
Garrett
Chapter 1
“There’s trouble.”
Those weren’t the words Garrett Limewell wanted to hear—not a good start to a day, to be honest. He was a few men down today, with a co-worker’s suspension period being extended from two weeks to one month, and two more co-workers down with the flu and incapacitated. Now his boss, the actual sheriff of the town, was also too sick to get out of bed—and as second-in-command, Garrett had no choice but to take over in the meantime.
Being short four cops would have been alright, but they were some of the best in their town, which left him with the newbies.
Overexcited newbies, to be more precise, like the person in front of him who had trouble with the concept of calm.
Dan Sherwood looked like an eager kid who was about to get his first break, his body practically vibrating with excitement as he waited for Garrett to acknowledge his statement. The boy was eighteen, had a couple of months training before he got this job, and was still so wet behind the ears that he needed to be constantly monitored.
He was also the youngest son of one of the richest businessmen in Orville—a town that needed all the businessmen it could get, considering there were only a few of them equipped and willing to stay here.
Shifters like him, for example.
“What is it?” Garrett finally asked.
That was all the signal the young man needed before he launched into it. “Vampires were spotted at our borders, trying to get in. Charles tried to handle it, but they’re resisting. I think he is in over his head.”
The almost-glee in the boy’s tone had Garrett leveling him with a stare as he slowly stood up. “And you left him?”
Dan blinked. “I’m sorry?”
“You left him to die. Did you want him to die?”
Dan’s eyes widened, and he frantically shook his head. Then his eyes widened some more when Garrett didn’t so much as blink as he kept looking at the boy in disgust. He’d have liked to give the other a lecture, but n
ow was not the time.
Besides, you often showed people like these how it was done.
“Sir—”
“Come,” Garrett said softly. “We’re going.”
“I’m coming with you?”
“Yes. You’re showing me where Charles is. And you’re going to face those vampires even if they will kill you.”
“But—”
“Or I’ll kill you myself.”
Garrett didn’t have to look to see if it worked because he could already hear the newbie following him in shock.
*****
“Let us in.”
Hisses followed the words, and Charles visibly gulped, even while he straightened his shoulders. Then he stepped forward just a little bit and puffed out his chest, a move that was as idiotic as anything Garrett had ever seen.
“Identify yourselves first,” Charles declared.
“We don’t have to tell you our names,” the tallest of the pale creatures hissed, his eyes narrowing and pinning the rookie cop in place. “Let us in. We need blood.”
“I need your identity first,” Charles insisted. “We need to register you in our papers and make sure you’re not bringing any kind of disease to Orville. Then we want to interrogate you. We do not give blood for free. We do not accept criminals. Your identification is important, so we can put it in our system.”
The young shifter rambled on, and Garrett could see the vampires’ expressions turning darker and darker—an indication that they were going to attack any minute now. There were three of them, and it looked like they didn’t see Charles as a threat—which, if Garrett was honest, he wasn’t. The boy was nineteen and vibrating with nerves. Deciding it was time to butt in before the shifter was ripped apart, Garrett stepped forward. He didn’t make any noise, but Dan did, following him and stepping on a twig.
All three pale heads turned in their direction at once. Fangs were bared, and Garrett felt Dan put his hand on his gun holster. Garrett shot the boy a steely look, one that promised retribution if he proceeded.
Dan gulped and slowly removed his hand.
Garrett turned back to the vampires.
“I believe there’s no need for this kind of disrespect, gentlemen. My colleague asked for your identity in exchange for your entrance. Your entrance includes blood, shelter and a home in the vampires’ assigned territory. So long as you comply, things will remain peaceful between us.”
“And if we don’t?” the same tall vampire asked.
Garrett pretended to consider it. “There are three of us and three of you,” he said calmly, no hint of threat in his voice. “That’s a pretty even fight at first glance…but the way I see it, that’s three hungry and sleepless vampires versus three well-fed and energized bears. We haven’t had any fights for a while, and we’ve been anticipating it since day one. These rookies here? They’re thirsty to rip throats apart. And they’ve been trained not to stop until everything’s shredded to bits.”
That was a lie, of course. But silence followed his words, and he could see the vampires go still and look at each other, then at them, warily. He thought that would fix the situation and get them to comply.
But the tall vampire was persistent, his greasy hair unmoving as he took a step forward. Black eyes turned red as hunger and anger flashed, and Garrett braced himself, his expression still calm.
“Identity,” he repeated.
“Go to hell.”
“Your loss, then,” he murmured.
They both tensed, prepared to jump. Garrett’s hands transformed into claws, waiting for the blur to come.
“Stop it, you macho men.”
The female voice interrupted whatever was about to happen.
Dan and Charles stiffened, already half shifting. The vampires’ heads swiveled in the voice’s direction, but Garrett stayed in place, not moving as he already knew who it was.
The devil herself.
She stepped right in front of him, a vision with silky red hair and pale skin that had tinges of pink. Her long, curved body was wrapped tight in a white dress, one so innocent-looking that it made him almost scoff. Smoke-gray eyes glanced in his direction, cold and emotionless, before turning to the vampires.
He waited for the speech. Braced himself for it.
“My name is Angel Hayley, and I’m a vampire resident of Orville. We live here in peace and are pleased to welcome you, as this is a sanctuary for our kind from the evil outsiders. Pardon my acquaintance’s rudeness, but he means well. We really would love to know your identities so that we could welcome you personally. I’ve anticipated your arrival and have blood waiting in our territory—in bags, freshly squeezed and very warm.”
The damn woman managed to make acquaintance sound like a curse word, but the vampires didn’t notice, as they already latched on to the most important words in their vocabulary: warm blood. They eyed her with interest, and she graced them with a smile that transformed her face from pretty to beautiful.
Charles visibly gulped, obviously entranced. Dan blinked.
Garrett sighed.
“We’ll take your offer,” the tall vampire hissed. “My name is Zeke. My companions are Orion and Das. We seek refuge from outside forces that have attacked us.”
“Outside forces?” she asked.
“Humans who have mistaken us for delinquents,” the second vampire hissed.
Angel nodded her head. “I’m sorry to hear about that. I’ll have my fellow vampire guide you to our territory. Daria?”
Immediately, a blur appeared in front of them, materializing into another pale, pretty woman who smiled in welcome and gestured at the vampires to follow her. She was one of the younger ones and didn’t give them much trouble and was even known to greet their kind whenever they passed each other on the streets.
Unlike the other red-haired female.
Dan and Charles glanced uncertainly at Garrett, but he didn’t make any protest.
The vampires crossed the town border and sidestepped the shifters. Then they followed the younger vampire and disappeared from sight.
When they were gone, Garrett glanced at the two rookies. “Charles.”
“Yes, sir?”
“Don’t bore vampires by reading the guidebook word for word. And be careful with your words in general. They’ll rip you to pieces.”
Charles gulped and frantically nodded his head. “Yes, sir.”
“Dan?”
“Yes?” the other asked eagerly.
“Dial down that excitement. That wasn’t something to be excited about. The shortest vampire had his eyes on your throat and would have bled you dry before you could shift. He’d probably have torn your eyes out, too.”
That had the rookie’s eyes widening, the excitement dissipating.
“Y—yes, sir.”
“Patrol the area now. Both of you.”
“Yes, sir!”
They scrambled off. With that dealt with, Garrett turned to the only person left, disliking dealing with this one the most. Gray eyes met his, obviously ready with her back ramrod straight and her chin up.
He spoke first.
“I would like to speak with you.”
“Then speak,” she clipped out.
“You won’t like it.”
“Try me.”
Well, okay.
“You don’t have the authority to undermine my authority like that. So back the fuck up and don’t mess with me.”
Chapter 2
Angel Hayley tolerated shifters—in fact, she could so far as say that she was on good terms with some of them, with the exception of the prejudiced ones who didn’t want to have anything to do with her. They didn’t attack the vampires or anything like that, but they were openly derisive, and she knew they were just waiting for the right opportunity to drive the vampires out of this town.
So, Angel disliked them and did her best to stay away from them.
But this shifter in front of her?
He was a whole other level of dislike.
>
You don’t have the authority to undermine my authority like that. So back the fuck up and don’t mess with me.
Oh, no, he didn’t.
The words made her spine stiffen, and she was narrowing her eyes before she knew it.
In front of her, Garrett Limewell looked ready to bite.
As far as shifters went, she was used to their rough features, and he was no exception. Garrett had that inherent quality they all had—rugged looks that belied a deep strength within, one she would never underestimate. But while most shifters looked like they’d been in too many brawls for their face to be considered beautiful, all of Garrett’s rough features seemed to work for him: from the tall, toned body, to the dark blond hair, to the crooked nose that might have been broken once, up to the five o’clock shadow on his jawline. Her heart beat spiked a bit, irritating her and making her narrow stare turn into a glare.
Dark blue eyes met her glare with cool calm.
“I wasn’t messing with you,” she replied, her tone scathing. She couldn’t help it. “And I hope you’re not forgetting that as the vampire representative, I have the authority to step over yours in important matters like this.”
“To hell with that. The sheriff is the head of this town, second only to the council members.”
“You’re not the sheriff,” she pointed out. His eyes flashed with irk before he banked it down.
“He’s sick. I’m in charge right now.”
“And you were about to kill them and cause chaos. Is that what you call being in charge?”
“Yes. Anyone steps out of line, they need to be put in place. Whether it’s shifter or vampire.”
She scoffed. “Oh, please. What are you, a caveman?”
“Miss Hayley, I highly recommend you step away, so we can end this discussion.”
Angry, she stepped forward instead. “Over my dead body.”
The growl came—but not from him. A clawed boy went for her, ready to slash. She almost took a step back but braced herself for it.
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