All right, maybe I had some idea. But since when am I a legend to werewolves? To witches and vampires sure, but werewolves?
“Any chance you could just tell me what this is about?” I asked.
She sneered. “Where’s the fun in that?”
About that time the wolf I’d managed to escape inside the club found his way to us. With only a look shared between him and the she-wolf, he attacked. I sidestepped his flying lunge and kicked him in the ribs.
As he stumbled rain began to fall and the other werewolves charged forward.
“Great. Just fucking great.”
The largest of the men swung at me and I caught him with a forward push kick to the chest, successfully driving my silver covered boot heel into his flesh.
He howled in pain and the woman yelled, “Get her!”
I spun out of the way of another attack and as I moved I pulled my thin belt from around my waist. With a few magic words and a flick of my wrist it became a whip chain with silver on the tip.
How did I avoid the silver? Very carefully. As for my boots, I simply didn’t touch the heels without gloves, and that was only to clean off the blood. Normally that was vampire blood.
One man grabbed my arms from behind and I kicked my right leg high, hitting him in the face with my shin. There’s a reason I only wear imitation leather pants. The real thing doesn’t stretch very well. And who wants to kick ass with a rip in the crotch of their pants?
The first wolf to jump me began to transform. As I cracked my whip to keep back the others I heard his bones breaking and reforming. Rain began to fall suddenly, as if the violent lightning had sliced open one of the clouds. He howled as his face lengthened into that of a wolf. His legs broke below the knees with a sudden snap and his feet became enormous paws. I’d watched a werewolf turn before, but it never failed to capture my attention. It was both fascinating and terrible and while I was caught in the moment, the she-wolf caught me with a right hook.
“Bitch,” I said, staggering back. I felt the blood from my busted lip drip onto the exposed skin of my upper chest. Yes, even in the rain I was aware of how blood felt on my skin, and knew the difference between that and rain. Being a vampire has that effect.
I laughed and gave my whip a snap in her direction. “You hit like a little bitch.”
Truthfully, she hit like a pissed off mule and I’d be wise to avoid her next punch. But I hoped my taunt would catch her off guard and give me the opening I needed.
She was fast, but I caught her around the neck with my whip and snatched her toward me. She screamed as I spun her around to face the alley while I drove my fangs into her throat.
Before that moment I’d never tasted werewolf blood. Now I knew why so many preferred it. It was like a sweet, old wine. She fought me hard and I couldn’t hold on for long. I released her and kicked her forward into the charging fully transformed wolfman. I also managed to pierce her back with my silver heel.
She yelled an unintelligible string of curse words at me that ended in, “bitch.”
“Blood for blood,” I said, smiling in a way that I knew showed my fangs.
The wolfed out one stepped forward with a roar and I widened my stance, preparing to jump. If I could get onto his back, I could choke him to death.
That was my plan, only I didn’t have a chance to carry through. Just as he made a move toward me a gargoyle swooped down out of nowhere, blocking me from the werewolf.
Chapter 3
I didn’t know if this guy was a friend or an enemy. All I knew for sure was he was big, intimidating, and I couldn’t see around his wings.
He growled at the werewolf and I realized he was nearly tall enough to look the wolfman in the eyes. Damn.
“Fuck it,” the she-wolf said. “This is more bullshit than she’s worth.”
I moved to the left enough that I could see around one wing, and saw the werewolves backing down the alley. Once they were several feet away they all turned and ran.
The gargoyle turned to face me and water cascaded down the ridges and curves of his impressive physique. He had the body of a man, wings like a bat, and large ram’s horns. Long dark hair clung to his pale gray skin. I wondered if he felt like cold stone, or like the warm flesh of a man.
“Who are you?” I said, gripping my whip tightly. “Why did you interfere?”
“Tris Grima?” he asked.
His voice was deep and gravelly and his ethereal blue eyes glowed brighter when he spoke my name.
“You’re the second person tonight to know my name and I have no clue in hell who you are.”
“My name is Hugh Garet and I am the guardian of your bloodline.”
Well, I wasn’t expecting to hear that. “And which bloodline would that be? The witch half or the faerie half?”
He smirked. “The witch half.”
“Haven’t you heard? I’m dead. I’m also the last of my bloodline on the witch side, as far as I know. So, I guess that lets you off the hook.”
“Not so fast,” he said taking a step forward as I tried to move around him.
He reached out a hand toward me and I didn’t move away. His skin was shockingly warm against mine as he touched the small amulet I wore around my neck.
“I was summoned,” he said. “When your blood touched this stone.”
I put my hand over his and a thrill ran through me. It was as if the world stood still and I no longer felt the icy touch of the rain. I’ve been around metaphysical stuff enough to recognize magic when I feel it.
“That was unintentional,” I said softly.
“The summoning part, or the magic I felt between us just now?” he asked.
“Both.”
His wings flapped once, casting droplets of rain into the air. “I can’t just leave,” he said.
I flicked my whip to the side and it turned back into a belt. He looked surprised, but didn’t comment while I put the belt back around my waist.
“Can we at least get out of the rain to discuss what the hell is going on?”
He looked down at his body. “I suppose I should change.”
He moved as if stretching his back and his wings disappeared. Then, he stretched his neck and his horns quickly retracted until they too were gone. As this happened, it looked as though his skin came alive. The pale gray faded giving way to smooth white skin.
The only things that remained the same were his eyes, his hair, and the black pants he wore.
“Wow. That was impressive,” I said.
“All except the part where I’m standing barefoot in an alley,” he joked. “Clawed feet don’t exactly mix well with shoes. Please tell me you drove here.”
“Didn’t you?”
“No, I flew.”
Chapter 4
His tall, muscular body looked strange in my small car. However, being cramped awkwardly in that tight space didn’t make him any less gorgeous.
“I keep some towels in the trunk, just in case. But I figured by the time I got them out, they’d be wet too,” I explained.
Goosebumps rose on his skin and though he didn’t complain, I knew he was getting cold.
“My apartment isn’t far,” I said.
“Do you bring strange gargoyles back to your place often?” he said, giving me another sexy smirk.
“This is my first time,” I teased. “I’ve never met another gargoyle. I’ve read about them, but I wasn’t sure if you guys were real or not.”
“I’m real, but maybe not for much longer.”
The rain started coming down with a vengeance then, so I focused on my driving and didn’t ask more questions. That didn’t mean I didn’t have questions, like what the hell was I going to do with him? And why was he here?
My apartment is in the part of Jackson City, sometimes simply called Old Town.
“It looks like a ghost town out there,” Hugh said.
“It is, except for a few random night clubs. That’s what I like about it.”
The grave
l crunching beneath my tires was a welcome sound; it meant that I was home.
“You live here alone?” he asked as we got out, raising his voice to be heard above the rain.
“Yes.”
He paused to look up at the building and I paused to get another look at him. Rain poured over every curve and feature. I’d heard all sorts of legends about gargoyles and looking at him, I wondered if the one about them being carved from stone was true.
“Let’s get you in out of the cold,” I said.
“Aren’t you cold?”
“I feel the cold, but it won’t kill me.”
I stopped by the door and used one of my fangs to pierce my fingertip. I touched the doorknob with my blood and whispered the words to let Hugh inside.
“Do you have to do that every time?” he asked.
“No, not if I’m alone. But the spell wouldn’t let you in, even if you do claim to be my guardian.”
“I am your guardian.” And with those words, he followed me inside.
“This place is huge,” he said, looking around.
I paused to lock the door behind us. “It used to be a seed store/livery way back in the day. I live in the top part and use the lower half for storage.”
“You have a lot of magical supplies down here.”
“I didn’t stop being a witch when I became a vampire.” I also didn’t stop being a vampire hunter, but I wasn’t sure if now was the time to discuss my career choices.
He towered over me as we stepped into the lift, both of us dripping wet.
“I don’t know what to make of you,” I said.
“That makes two of us. All I know for certain is that I am here to protect you.”
I laughed softly.
“I realize that a badass like yourself probably doesn’t think she needs protecting.”
I nodded.
“Nevertheless, that is what I’m here for.”
As we entered my loft I flipped on the lights and went straight for the laundry room.
“I should have some dry towels in here,” I called. “I was doing laundry before I left.”
He gave me a funny look as he followed me into the room and took the towel I offered.
“What?”
“I have a hard time picturing you doing laundry, or any other domestic task.”
“Is it all the black, the leather, and the chains?” I joked.
“Probably. But I dig the whole, escaped from an 80’s rock band look.”
I laughed. “Really?”
“And that’s not me making fun of you. That’s my nervous attempt at humor,” he said, grinning. “I really do like all the leather and chains.”
“Well, that’s all about to come off.”
His look of shock was kind of adorable. He even blushed a little bit.
“Don’t worry, I’ll give you some privacy to get out of your wet pants,” I teased. “You can put them in the dryer.”
I pulled off my boots, careful not to touch the silver heels. I could feel his eyes on me while I dried my feet.
“Nice nail polish,” he said, smiling.
“You like green glitter?”
“I like feet.”
Damn. That was hot.
“I’ll be back,” I said. “Make yourself comfortable.”
Chapter 5
I walked into my bedroom and found that I was still smiling. I didn’t know anything about Hugh, but I liked him.
I removed my bracelets first. They served as more than decoration; each one had a different spell or enchantment to enhance my abilities. I peeled out of my wet clothes and tossed them into the laundry basket in the corner of the room. I walked into the bathroom and took a quick look at myself in the mirror. My busted lip had already healed and I had no other visible injuries. The only marks on my pale skin were the faerie tattoos, inked with elvish magic. They look like dark vines with small red buds, running down the right side of my back from shoulder to just above my butt cheek.
I took my long dark hair in my hands and gave it a squeeze over the sink, getting rid of any excess water. The red streaks running through my hair matched the small red buds on my tattoo. Pulling back my hair revealed the slight point at the top of my ears, the only obvious sign of my faerie DNA. My eyeliner was smeared to hell and back and I laughed as I thought what must have gone through Hugh’s mind when he first saw me. I wasn’t exactly the picture of vampire sexiness that most people imagine.
After washing my face, I slipped into my favorite plush purple robe and went back into the hallway.
I found Hugh standing in the living room, wearing nothing but a towel and a smile. The bright blue towel matched his eyes.
“Are you hungry?” I asked.
He raised an eyebrow. “Do you have food in the house?”
“No, but I can always order take out.”
“How about wine?” he asked. “I’d kill for a good merlot right now.”
I laughed as I walked to the kitchen. “That won’t be necessary. I’ve got some stored from when I was human. It wasn’t that long ago.”
I took the bottle from the cabinet and was flooded with bittersweet memories of purchasing the wine on a shopping trip with my mother. No point in saving it any longer. It’s not as if I could enjoy it. Everything tastes like ashes to me, except blood. That tastes like magic and candy all swirled into one.
I poured the wine for Hugh and could almost hear my mother’s voice saying, “Never let good wine go to waste.”
My fridge had always had a shelf reserved for potions. Now that was its only contents other than blood. No matter how clean I kept it, there was something so grim about a fridge full of blood. It seemed like a waste of a very nice refrigerator.
I poured myself a glass of AB negative. AB negative is like a rare vintage, if we’re comparing it to wine. Tonight had been strange, to say the least, and I felt I deserved a good drink. But first, I needed to heat it up. I could drink cold blood, but it’s pretty gross.
“Do you gather the blood yourself?”
I turned to see Hugh standing in the doorway.
“No. I use a home delivery service.”
“The she-wolf’s blood wasn’t enough to sustain you?”
I shrugged as I offered him the glass of wine. “I barely got a taste, and I’ve got the munchies.”
I took the warm blood out of the microwave and savored my first sip.
He tried the wine then and smiled. “This is good, thank you.”
“Do I get to hear now why a gargoyle came to my rescue tonight?”
“I wasn’t sure you were still alive,” he said softly.
“Well, technically …”
“You know what I mean. I didn’t know I was a gargoyle until seven years ago, when I spontaneously transformed for the first time.”
“What triggered it?”
He seemed to be searching for the right words before finally saying, “The death of your mother.”
I couldn’t hide my shock and nearly dropped my glass. “Excuse me?”
“I’m not just your guardian. I am your family’s guardian.”
“I don’t mean this to sound hateful or anything, but if my family has a badass gargoyle guardian, why is my mother dead?”
His expression was full of regret as he said, “Because I didn’t know I was living under a curse. I know from my research that your mother was a very powerful witch with fae blood.”
“She was also a vampire hunter by trade,” I added.
“As were you, the last time I checked.”
I nodded. “You are correct, but why do you know all this?”
“I’m getting there, I promise. The talisman you wear, did it belong to your mother?”
I touched the necklace absently as I replied, “Yes.”
“The night she died, I’m guessing her blood touched that stone, and activated my curse.”
“I’ll admit I have limited knowledge when it comes to family guardians of any kind, but I have hea
rd of them.”
He took another sip of wine. “Then you’re already ahead of where I started. First, I suppose I should tell you that I am a private investigator and I specialize in paranormal cases. So, none of this was completely strange to me. I was tracking a werewolf who owed someone money when my skin started to turn gray. By the time I got back to my car to hide, my wings and horns grew all at once, busting out my windows, and tearing the fabric on the roof of my car. The change lasted for a few hours. During that time I had a panic attack while pulling myself from the car and somehow managed to fly onto a roof, where I waited it out. It was a miracle no one saw me. Afterward, I threw myself into research. After more than a year, and a few tracking spells, I started to learn about guardians and curses.”
“You can perform magic?”
“My abilities are pretty limited, but yes. My grandmother was a witch. I have some small amount of her magic in my blood. Information on guardian curses is very limited. And my grandmother is no longer around to ask.”
The way he spoke about her let me know his grandmother hadn’t moved away, she was dead.
“I’m sorry. I know what that’s like.”
“It was her murder years ago that got me into this business. I was good at tracking down information and people.”
“And being big and muscular doesn’t hurt.”
He smiled. “No, it doesn’t.”
“How did you learn this was connected to me?”
“I found a specific type of tracking spell, one that was supposed to help a guardian to find the bloodline they were meant to protect. It led me to the place where your mother was killed. Of course, I didn’t know that at first. I did some further research on the location and found a write up in the paper about her murder.”
“I didn’t mean for it to be reported. Apparently, the fighting had drawn some attention and someone already called the police.”
I closed my eyes and tried not to remember that night. But that didn’t do a damn thing to help. I could still see her there, lying in my arms covered in blood. With her last breath she pulled the talisman from around her neck and pushed it into my hand.
Taming the Vampire: Over 25 All New Paranormal Alpha Male Tales of Contemporary, Military, Shifters, Billionaires, Werewolves, Magic, Fae, Witches, Dragons, Demons & More Page 151