Could she hear him?
“I should probably get home. It’s very late, and I have the opening shift in the store tomorrow.” Kat took a step back from me. Which was a good thing. It was all I could do to keep from devouring her lips.
“Of course. Sorry I’ve kept you out so late tonight, grandma.” I needed to cut the tension before either of us initiated another kiss. I could feel her wanting me as much as I wanted her.
She shoved her shoulder into my chest and walked past me. “You’re older than I am. What does that make you? Great-Grandpa?”
“Definitely something great.” I laughed at my lame joke, and the tension began to ease. I took her hand and held it for the walk back to her place.
“Don’t worry. We’ll figure out your shifting issue.” We were at her front door.
A strand of hair fell into her face, and I moved it behind her ear. Kat closed her eyes and moved her face so it was cradled in my hand.
I leaned down and gave her a very light kiss on her lips. Anything more and I would have a hard time leaving.
“Goodnight, Kat,” I whispered against her lips.
“Goodnight.” She turned and opened her door. As she closed it, she smiled up at me through her long, dark eyelashes. My heart skipped a few beats. I was a gonner.
9
Kat
I was in trouble, no other word for it. The kiss with Damien sealed my fate before I even realized it. My non-relationship with Ivan had been over for a while. Even though I didn’t want it to be, it needed to be.
Over the past couple of weeks, since all of the drama with the vamps during the Hurricane, Damien and I had spent more and more time together. At first I thought Damien was just a flirt. When he asked me out I was a little surprised.
I hadn’t seen Ivan for a while. He said he needed to take care of something and left. I wondered where he went and what he was doing.
Where was he? Would he care if he knew about Damien?
The only question I needed to answer was, is Damien a rebound? Or the real thing? Only time would tell if my feelings were real.
I leaned against the door and sighed. No one was in the living room, most of the lights were out. Usually, the girls waited up after a date, I wondered where they went.
While I was still leaning against the door, I felt a firm knock. As I opened the door I thought it was Damien coming back for another kiss. “Damien…”
My heart skipped a beat and fell into my stomach. It couldn’t be him. I hoped he didn’t see me coming home with Damien.
“Ivan…It’s been a while. How are you?”
He stood there staring at me with such intensity I began to squirm.
“I am good. We need to talk. Will you take a walk with me?” His voice was low and melodic, it spoke to my soul and made me wonder if I really was over him yet.
“You can come in.” I opened the door and motioned for him to enter.
“I can’t. I came by earlier looking for you, and Sam invited me in as well. There’s a barrier keeping me from entering. Which is actually a good thing. This means whatever you have done will keep all vampires out of your home.” He stood there on the front porch, hands in his pocket, staring at my lips.
I licked my lips and looked away from him. “I’m glad. We had the local witches put a spell on the apartment and the store. I guess it really did work.”
“Will you take a walk with me?” He shuffled to the side to allow me room to exit.
I walked outside and closed my door. “Where are my sisters? Did you see if they went anywhere?”
“They went to bed right before you came home with Damien.”
He knew. Ivan had been here waiting for me, and he saw the goodnight kiss.
I sighed and walked down the stairs thinking about how I could keep from hurting him. The sound of his voice told me he was already in pain.
“Ivan, I hadn’t heard from you in a while. What have you been up to?” Once I was down the stairs, I took a right and headed to my backyard.
“You know I’m never far. I just thought we needed some space, after the last time we spoke.” Ivan quietly followed me to the backyard.
We both said nothing more for a few moments. It was a bit uncomfortable. What could I say? He saw me kissing another man. Although, the last time I saw Ivan he did tell me to move on.
“So you’ve been here this whole time? What? Keeping an eye on me? While keeping your distance?”
“Yes. Damien is a good man. I don’t like him, but he does treat you well and will do whatever it takes to keep you, and your sisters, safe.” It sounded like Ivan was giving me his blessing.
“Um, yeah. He’s a nice guy. He tried to help me shift tonight, and I couldn’t. Something is wrong. Are you sure I’m a shifter?”
“Yes, I am. Your blood tastes no different from any other shifter I’ve bitten. Except for maybe the magic flowing through you.” He shrugged.
“Wait, you’ve bitten other shifters? You can taste magic in my blood? What does that even mean?”
“It means I have fought many shifters over the years. As a vampire who is no longer part of the Queen’s court, I am not protected. Therefore, I have been attacked many times by various members of the paranormal community, as well as vampire hunters.” Ivan had never told me this part of his past. He was holding out on quite a bit of information.
“Okay, what about the magic you tasted? Is it normal to taste magic in a shifter?”
“Sometimes. It just depends on if they are using spells from the witches or have been shifting a lot. You know the shift comes from magic, right?” When he looked me in the eyes, I shuddered. He was so beautiful in the moonlight.
I took a step closer to him and began to raise my hand to cup his face but stopped myself before it got too close. “Yes, I knew it came from magic. Could it be the magic is piling up in me since I haven’t shifted, ever?”
“Hmm, very possible. It’s good you are trying to figure this out. Your wolf is probably going crazy trying to get out. I’m sure the wolf pack will find a way to help you. I am very happy you found them.” Ivan turned and walked toward the garage and stopped.
“Ivan, I wish things were different. You know that, right?” If I wasn’t part shifter, I would be with Ivan. There wouldn’t be anything standing in our way.
When a vampire is with a human, he takes his daily blood from her. Once they decide to be exclusive, he won’t take blood from anyone else because of how the bite makes the acolyte feel. It’s a sexual experience for most, when the human is willing.
Ivan is unable to drink my blood.
“Have you tried animals since we last spoke?” I had suggested he drink the blood of larger animals. He had tried it in the past and hated it.
“While I detest anything but human blood, I did try. I couldn’t drink enough animal blood to sustain myself. Which is why I have stayed away. There is no way for us to be together. I realize this.”
“I see. Soooo, you’re alright with me dating Damien?” My heart was aching. I had real feelings for Damien. However, I also had very strong feelings for Ivan. I felt like my heart was being pulled in two.
“I will never be alright until you are in my arms. But this doesn’t mean I don’t understand why you would be with Damien.” Ivan put both of his hands on the sides of my head and leaned down to kiss me.
It wasn’t a deep kiss. He just barely grazed my lips and pulled back. My heart began beating so hard he had to hear it with his preternatural senses. I didn’t want him to pull back.
“Ivan, I wish things were different. I really do.” This time I did allow my hands to cup his cheek, and I rubbed my thumb along his lips.
“Are you sure you won’t be able to handle me keeping an acolyte just for the feeding aspect?” He leaned down and kissed my neck causing goosebumps all along my body.
“I’m sure. I can’t share. It would hurt me every time you drank from someone else, even if you came to me right after. The one time we
tried broke my heart watching while you drank from another.” It was awful.
The girl obviously enjoyed herself immensely, if the sounds coming from her were any indication. Plus, she tried to rub herself against Ivan while he was drinking. I ran from the room and couldn’t watch as he finished his meal. When he joined me, I had tears running down my face.
Even though he didn’t touch her in a sexual or romantic way, I still felt betrayed. It was as though he really was cheating on me right in front of my eyes. There was no way I could handle him using an acolyte to feed. Even if it was a guy, it would gut me every time.
“So, is this goodbye? Is there any way we can be friends? I know you don’t have many left after the queen excommunicated you.”
“I will need some time. Friendship is something I want with you. Just give me time to get used to seeing you with Damien. When he first kissed you, I wanted to rip his head off.” The fury in his eyes almost scared me. I had to take a step back from the anger rolling off him.
“I’m sorry you had to witness it. Had I known you were around…well…tonight would have gone very differently.” My hands fiddled with the edge of my shirt, and I stared at the grass beneath my feet.
“It was needed. Watching your reaction to his kiss is what is going to help me move past my feelings for you. I wish you happiness and a long life. Be sure to keep trying to find a way to shift. It will help you protect your family.” Ivan turned around to leave.
I put my hand out and grabbed his arm. “Wait, before you go, I need to know. Have you heard anything else about the possible uprising within the vampire community?”
Vampires didn’t need to breathe, so when Ivan took a shaky breath I knew he was having a hard time being so near me.
“It’s coming. Both sides are increasing their forces and acolytes. Don’t be surprised when you see more college students go missing. The young, smart ones always do better as soldiers. The pretty co-eds are favored among the acolytes as well.”
“Will you keep me informed if you hear more from the few vampires who still talk to you?” I knew he had a few friends, although Ivan told me they kept their distance from him as much as possible.
“I can’t. Not right now. If I have news, I will let one of your sisters know. Please forgive me, Kat.” Ivan turned and disappeared before I even had a chance to respond.
Sighing, I slowly walked through my backyard and up the steps to my home. There was a pain in my chest which could only be my heart breaking, again, for Ivan.
How long before I stopped loving him? Could I love two men at the same time?
What I thought I felt for Damien wasn’t the same as what I knew I felt for Ivan. Ivan and I had several years of history. I wasn’t sure when I fell in love with him. It was probably the first night I met him. He saved my life and walked me home.
Before that night, I had no clue magic was real or vampires existed. I had lived in a bubble. A safe bubble until I was attacked by a ferocious vampire who wanted nothing more than to drain me dry. At least until he tasted my blood. Ivan jumped in and killed the vamp.
We spent so many nights together after we met. Mostly he told me what was really going on. I learned all I could from him while keeping my sisters in the dark about the true nature of New Orleans and the evil within.
Ivan tried drinking my blood a couple of times, but he couldn’t stomach the taste. We tried to have a normal relationship, like humans. Ivan isn’t human anymore, so it never worked. His hunger always got in the way.
We fell in love and tried several times to make it work. In the end, we both knew it couldn’t be, no matter how much we loved one another. When Rico and his pack entered our lives, I knew what Ivan and I had was over. Not because of Damien, or anyone else, just because I realized how dysfunctional my relationship with Ivan was.
Once I was at the top of the steps to my place, I stopped. I could hear laughter on the other side of the door. My sisters must not have gone to sleep as Ivan suggested.
Taking a deep breath, I opened the door to what I knew would be a slew of questions.
10
Damien
After I dropped Kat off at her place, I wasn’t tired so I decided to patrol. One of my teams wouldn’t be far away. We always had someone close to Kat’s place. Even with the protection spell, we still monitored them. I wasn’t convinced the witches really protected their home. It wouldn’t surprise me if they protected the store, only to save their precious spells, and left the apartment open to vampires.
I smelled the acrid stench of death before he said anything. “Damien. We need to talk.”
Ivan. Of course. The moment Kat let herself move on he would show up. This guy was insane and so selfish. If he just stayed away, Kat would forget about him.
I turned around, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. This was my enemy. Not because he was a vampire, we had already decided we weren’t going to be mortal enemies. We were on the same side, oddly. No, he was the competition for Kat’s heart.
She never told me they were an item. I heard her sisters tease her enough to know Kat and Ivan did have something. Since I hadn’t seen him with Kat lately, I assumed they broke it off. I hoped he wasn’t here to claim his territory or something.
“Ivan, what brings you back? Or, should I say, out in the open? I know you’ve been lurking in the shadows lately.” I had sensed him on many of my patrols.
He never got close to Kat or her sisters. He just stayed back and watched. I always left him alone, assuming he was nursing a broken heart.
“I saw you earlier, with Kat.” He narrowed his eyes and took a couple steps closer to me.
So he knew. He left her alone. If she chose me, he couldn’t say anything about it. Besides, how could he have a relationship with his natural enemy?
“And?” I stood there waiting for him to attack me.
Out of the alley came a beast. It went straight for me, since I was the closest to its mouth. It howled and bit my shoulder before I could react. My attention had been so focused on the vampire, I didn’t notice there was another enemy present.
“What the…!” Of course, it was a full moon. It’s been awhile since we had any werewolves to worry about I didn’t think to be on my guard.
A pain radiated out of my shoulder the likes of an alligator bite, or something just as dangerous. I had a very high tolerance for pain, so this wouldn’t sideline me, but I needed to get it’s muzzle off of me before it tore my shoulder and arm off.
I reached behind me and grabbed the monster by its throat, forcing it to loosen its hold on my shoulder. With my other hand, I reached for the lid of a trash can. I momentarily let the throat go so I could smash the beast’s head with the metal lid.
Its hold on my body loosened just a bit more, allowing me to breathe somewhat easier as the pain receded.
Something came behind it in a blur. Ivan pulled the animal off my back before I had a chance to do it myself.
The werewolf kept chomping its mouth at me once I was free of it.
After I moved a few steps away, it turned to snarl and attempted to get away from Ivan. Werewolves were strong, but old vamps, like Ivan, were stronger. Ivan punched it in the snout.
The beast took a few steps back, toward me, and shook its head. Ivan’s punch had to have caused it pain and possibly even blurred eyesight. I’ve seen Ivan knock out a vampire with one punch before.
I slammed the back of its head with the trash can lid, and the wolf fell forward, landing on its arms. This wolf wasn’t about to give up. He shook his head and bounced back up looking at me.
With Ivan behind him, I knew we were going to win very shortly. When I threw another punch using the metal lid, Ivan reached out and grabbed the mutated arms of our mutual enemy.
Ivan held the arms of the monster behind its back, and he then threw the werewolf against the brick wall of the building next to him.
The head hit the wall and thunked loudly. It was such a hard hit, the were
wolf was knocked out.
“Thanks. I owe you one.” I nodded to Ivan who shook his head.
“You need to pay more attention to what’s going on around you. If you’re going to be responsible for Kat’s safety you can’t let werewolves, or other enemies, near.” Ivan leaned down and grabbed the head of the fallen monster.
The werewolves differed from wolf shifters in many ways. Wolf shifters looked like a very large wolf. We had all of our faculties about us when we were in our other form. A shifter of any sort knew exactly who they were. We were born this way, not made.
The werewolves were mindless monsters one night of the month.
They looked different from us. Typically, they stood on two feet and had two arms. They could run on all fours if need be, but generally only ran on 2. Their snouts were also longer and more pronounced than ours. Picture a werewolf from comics or the older movies and that about sums them up.
“Wait! Don’t kill him yet.” I put my hand out and took two steps closer.
Ivan looked up at me with a raised brow. “Why? We always kill the animals. They have no control over themselves once they change. You know this. You’ve killed them as well.”
“Have you seen any werewolves around here lately? I haven’t. Where did he come from? Is he a new one? Or just passing through? It seems very strange to have a werewolf show up right before the vampires begin their war. Don’t you think?”
“Ah, I see your point. Do you think he’s a diversion?” Ivan stood up and looked down at the poor sap who had no idea what had happened to him.
Werewolves were changed by a bite from another werewolf. They had zero control over themselves when the moon was full. They would wake up naked somewhere and have no idea what happened to them the night before. Since their shift didn’t come from ancient magic, they ripped their clothes during the shift. When they turned human again, they were always naked.
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