Hmm, maybe he went back to sleep.
Crossing from the hall, she entered her living room and stopped abruptly.
He looks so cute when he’s sleeping. He must have fallen asleep waiting for me to get back.
With her hand on her chest and a tear in her eye, she looked at the love of her life, perfect, still, and handsome. His tussled brown hair matched his body. He lay with his arms and legs stretched out in every direction. His muscled framed looked softer and less threatening sprawled over her long couch.
I don’t understand how one hand hanging off the couch and one leg draped over the top can be comfortable, but there he is, sleeping soundly.
Her socks rubbed against the carpet as she crossed the room to her couch. She stood at his shoulders, bent down and laid a soft kiss upon his lips. Ready for it, she quickly moved to the side and watched his body jerk and land on his feet in front of her.
“Ouch! What the…oh, Paige. You know I hate it when you do that.”
“Kiss you while you are sleeping?”
“Yes, wait, I mean no. You know what you do; rub your feet across the rug, so when you kiss me the static electricity shocks me and makes me jump.”
A playful and coy smile crossed her face. “I told you my kiss was electrifying.”
“Yes, well, you don’t need to work up static for that.”
“No? Well, you do look cute when you are all jumpy.”
“Is that so?”
She stepped closer, placed her hands on his chest, and leaned on her toes to kiss him for real. Her mouth moved with his as her tongue explored his mouth and her breathing got heavier. Pulling away, she glanced into his face and returned his smile.
“You drive me crazy, woman, but I love you.”
“I love you, too.” “How is Anna?”
“She is going to be fine, but we have to go.” Dropping her hands, she rushed to her bedroom and grabbed her overnight bag, tossing it on the bed. She noticed Ozzie standing in the doorway. She blazed a trail between her bed, closet, and dresser. “She is putting herself into deep meditation. We are staying at her house, so we can take turns watching her.”
“Watch her? Sleep?”
Stopping mid stride with her hands full of clothes, she turned to him. “Well, not actually watch her sleep, just be in the house and peek in on her. While she is under, she is vulnerable. She is, for a lack of a better word, dead to the world.”
“Like, vamp dead?” “Yes and no.” She walked to the bed, dropped her clothes on her bag, and sat down. “Come here and sit down. I will explain it.”
“OK, I’m sitting down and trying to stay calm. Now tell me how this works. You look worried and that kind of scares me.”
She grabbed his hand and looked into his dark, gray eyes. “In this state, she’s as I said, dead to the world. She can’t wake up until her journey is over. Once she induces the sleep, she stays that way until she finds what she needs. The needs are different. I have seen her do it once before. She did it because she was badly injured. This time she is taking a journey, so to speak.”
“A journey to where?”
“Her past. She is looking for Jaxson. She was with him earlier and he told her to look for him in her past, so she’s going to try and find him.”
“OK, so we need to watch over her because in her state she won’t awaken if danger approaches. Is that it?”
“Yes. She’s defenseless in this condition. That’s why it’s dangerous for her to do it. Her enemies could come in and kill her and she wouldn’t know. She would simply be killed.”
“Does this have something to do with the fact that Jaxson is in love with—”
“Yes, and Anna doesn’t think they can be together, you know, because of what she is.”
“You mean because she thinks he is human?”
Furrowing her brows, confusion laced her voice “What do you mean ‘think’?”
“Did she sleep with him?”
“Yes she did, that is why she was there in the first place.”
“Well, the fact he survived should have been her first clue.”
“First clue to what? Ozzie, what are you not telling me?”
“Do you think she will wait until we get there before she goes to sleep?”
The tight grip of fear clutched at her heart as the answer to that question surfaced. Her pulse raced, her heart pounded, and her eyes bulged as her body reacted. Snatching up her bag, clothes and all, she raced out of the room.
“Ozzie, let’s go! She won’t wait. And when we get there and all is well, I need you to explain to me what you are talking about.”
“I am right behind you. You get in the car, I will grab the keys.”
Colors blurred in her peripheral vision as she raced through her house and out the front door. Her arms were full of unpacked clothes and her overnight bag as she twisted her hands and fiddled with the door handle. Her feet raced gracefully down the steps to the 2012 black Dodge Challenger. She wrapped her finger around the cold metal handle and pulled the door open.
“You need some help?” “Nope, got it. Get in and let’s go.”
Their butts dropped into the seats, their doors slammed shut, and the engine roared as the car sped away. Taking a deep breath, she steadied her nerves and calmed her heart rate.
She will be OK, breathe. No danger.
“Paige, can you tell me why you are freaking out so badly? I understand the urgency because she won’t wait, but she is only in danger if there is a threat in her house. Who else knows she is doing this?”
“Just us. You’re right. I’m sorry, it’s just she’s my best friend. I’m sure she’s fine. There’s only a danger if her enemies are around.”
“Well, why is that? It is not like she is going to announce it.”
“She doesn’t have to. If there are any with supernatural power around, they will feel it.”
“OK, explain that. I have been hunting the supernatural for most of my life, I have never heard of such a thing.”
“It’s like a link. Every supernatural being leaves its own mark, like an essence of sorts. Each is different, while at the same time they are part of the same thing. You feel the aura of the supernatural, and once you meet a species, you can then recognize the basic differences of each.”
“Such as?”
“Each supernatural species has its own tell-tale signs. Most vamps carry the scent of blood and death, but some, like Anna, smell like their food. For example, Sebastian, her maker, smells of blood and sex because he feeds off both. Were-animals smell of their deep origins, such as the woods, plains, sewers and some smell like fresh rain and tropical flowers.”
“My brain kind of understands that. The theory of it makes sense, but in reality…I’m having a hard time wrapping my mind around it. It is not something a human can sense, is it?’
“Some can, to a degree. It comes in…a feeling I guess you could say.”
“OK, I got it. I can sometimes sense when I am close to whatever it is I’m hunting. Werewolves are the easiest, to me they smell like—”
As if a small ball, her head bounced against the seat as the car sped up and raced faster down the highway. Her body was pinned to the seat by the force of acceleration. She felt like she had become one with the seat.
“Ozzie, why are you going almost a hundred miles an hour?”
“Wolves are mortal enemies of vamps right?”
“Sometimes, yes. Why?”
“How well do Anna and Mr. Perry get along?”
“She hates him. She can’t put her finger on it, but she says he gives off bad vibes when he is close. Why?”
“I have been keeping tabs on him since I found out he is a werewolf. I think he is the one behind the slaughter of those teenagers.”
“Wait, are you talking about the kids at the cliffs?”
“Yes.”
“The news said they died because they had been drinking and fell off into the ravine. They said they died instantly fr
om broken necks.”
“That’s what I told them to say. Well, that’s what I told the cops to tell media. There were ten kids, and all of them decided, in their drunken stupors, to swan dive to their deaths? No. My team and I repelled down that cliff so we could wrap the bodies and prepare them for transport. Every one of them had deep teeth and claw marks all over their bodies. The wolves toyed with them. The gashes were deep enough to cause severe pain but not instant death.”
“What does that have to do with Anna?”
“My hunting buddies and I have been watching him. We were on patrol last night. He moved in two doors down from Anna.”
“Oh no! That’s close enough to sense what she’s doing.”
“That’s what I was afraid of.” Chapter 4
Paige could smell him before she got out of the car. Her heart pounded against her chest and every hair on her body stood at attention. She reached over and grabbed his arm, preventing him from getting out.
“Ozzie, wait. It’s Perry! I think he is in the house.”
“How good will his senses be if he’s concentrating on Anna?”
“Very good. I’m sure he knows we’re here.”
“Open the glove box.”
Hands shaking, she worked at steadying her nerves and popped the latch. Her eyes bulged at the sight before her. She rolled her head to Ozzie, and gave him a questioning look.
“Hand me the Kimber .45.”
“And which one is that? How did you fit both of them in here?”
“It’s the bigger black one. The smaller one is a Kimber Silhouette and it’s made for women. It is a . 45, too. I bought it for you to carry. They are my emergency guns. The big ones are in the trunk with the rest of my hunting gear.”
She wiggled the metal around until she loosened it enough to remove it. She took a deep breath as the calm from within flowed through her just below the surface. Her nerves stopped jumping and left her mind to focus on the task at hand. Her breathing evened out and her heart worked at a regular pace. Hands rock steady, she handed over the gun.
“Are you sure that’s going to work?”
“It has great knock-down power and it is loaded with small cartridges filled with liquid silver. Guaranteed to stop all dogs of any size, were or otherwise. Of course, for the bigger ones, may take more than one, but the result is the same. Dead is dead, and that is what we are after.”
She watched his hands move over the cool steel as he slammed in the clip and cocked it. Inhaling deeply, she prepared for what was sure to be a battle. She gripped the handle and opened the door. With one foot out of the car, he stopped her. She turned to him and asked a question.
“What? You have a plan or something?”
“Yes, but you’re not going to like it.”
“If it includes me staying in this car, then you’re right. I hate it. I see that look on your face.”
“I’m not trying to be macho. You’re just so tiny. I don’t want to see you hurt. Besides, if I’m worried about you, it splits my concentration.”
She bit her lip in contemplation . What should I do? He knows about Anna, but will he be as accepting of me? It’s one thing to befriend the supernatural, but sleeping with it is a whole other animal, and I am a whole other animal. Maybe I can go and help without giving away the one secret I have.
“I refuse to stay in this car. However, I will stand behind you and out of your way. Who knows? Maybe I could even help. Sorry Ozzie, but that’s my best friend, I can’t just sit here.”
With a talent most women have, she let the tears come to the surface and gloss over her eyes for added effect. She watched his face turn form stern resolve to confusion and finally, acceptance. Inwardly smiling at her win, she sighed and jumped out of the car. Her shoes landed neatly next to the tire when she slipped them off and headed toward the house. She stopped her advance at the hood of the car, as promised, and followed behind Ozzie as he crept into the house.
Rays of orange and yellow from the glowing sun snuck through the cracks in the curtains and gave the living room an eerie glow. Plush carpet helped to mask their footfalls. Her animalistic senses took over. She smelled his woodsy scent a few feet away and felt his presence.
Perry is in her room!
The thought sent her into overdrive. Her body, stock still, vibrated as her inner animal ached for release. Heat shot from her center and filled every limb, every nerve, and every cell in her body. Breathing through clenched teeth, she tried to pull it back. It didn’t work.
She dropped to her knees, cradling herself, and her scream rattled the windows. Her body shook and her muscles coiled and twisted under her skin like snakes in a nest. White fur split through her flesh. As it rolled and swirled, her body took on a new shape. She sat on her haunches in full-on white tiger mode, and she rolled her big blue eyes to the man she loved. He stood motionless wearing a look of shock and disbelief. Her heart broke.
I will have to deal with him later. God I love him, please don’t let him run from me.
Shaking her head slightly, her ears perked up and she stalked the trespassing wolf.
Low to the ground, legs bent, she crept closer and quietly down the hall. Her nose sniffed the air and the disgusting taste of blood and grass stuck to her tongue.
He’s in her room…low life dog!
Her massive lean frame lowered closer to the floor, almost touching, and she worked her back feet, preparing to pounce. She flexed her muscles and went airborne. Her body stretched through the air as she jumped, and the door opened. Mr. Perry, in wolf form, stood waiting for her. She saw it coming, yet could not stop it.
Three large gashes opened her skin across her front legs and chest, from his clawed hand. Her massive size collided with his. A loud roar ripped from her throat. She felt the blood running down her legs and paid little attention to pain. She felt only pure resolve and focused. Her mind only worked at one thing, protect! Their bodies hit the ground and she rolled off him. Her massive shape jumped onto the bed in a protective stance and growled at the wolf before her. Large sharp teeth flashed as she pulled her lip back and dared him to step closer.
Come on you overgrown hound, come closer. Two inches is all I need and I can rip your throat out.
She eyed him as he stalked close. Putting weight on her back legs and feet, she rose up and slashed out at him with both paws when he got within striking distance. Deep growls filled the air. Fur flew and blood splattered the walls. Ozzie’s loud voice exploded through her sensitive ears.
“Paige, move!”
Her large padded feet clawed wildly at the wolf, knocking him into the wall. A shot rang out. She shifted her gaze from the bleeding dog on the floor to the gun-wielding hottie at the door. If she could have smiled without looking dangerous, she would have. Her body shivered once and her naked human form resurfaced. She collapsed onto the bed.
“Is he dead?”
“Yes. One shot right between the eyes. A wolf can’t heal from liquid silver oozing in his brain.”
“That was a…good shot.”
“This is my job. I have had a lot of practice.”
The pain hit and her tiny frame shook
uncontrollably. Her chest and arms felt like they were on fire as they burned and bled. She clenched her jaws shut and tried to breathe through the torment. She felt him wrap her in his arms and hold her close as he picked her up and carried her out of the room. She voiced her protest.
“We can’t leave her.”
“We’re not. I am taking you into the bathroom to clean up those gashes. They look deep.”
She held her eyes shut and focused on his scent. He smelled like a Stetson cowboy, even though he wore the look of a bad boy, from his dark green leather jacket to his denim jeans and black boots. His stance and demeanor screamed bad to the bone, but his touch and tenderness whispered lover boy. She opened her eyes when she heard the sound of running water.
“A white bathroom? Why, knowing who we are, would she redecorate an
d have a white bathroom? Everything is white, the sink, toilet, tub, shower, even the rugs are white.”
She smiled at him when she looked and saw him smile at her and reply.
“Not everything is white. Looks like the wall and the tiles are a light blue.”
She sat huddled in his arms as he sat on the side of the tub checking the water temperature. With her leg extended, she stretched and ran her toes under the water.
“That is fine, it’s not too hot.”
The heat from it felt good as it splashed along her skin, when she stepped into the shower and sat down. Water snaked down her legs and feet. She moved her upper body from the flow of what felt like rain. “I am so glad she installed the rain soft shower head. This would be murder on my skin right now.” She noticed him stripping off his clothes. “What are you doing?”
“You need hel—“
“I can do it, it’s OK. I just need to wash the wound.”
“Can you raise your arms?”
She gingerly lifted her arms and pain shot across her chest, as if struck by lightning. Wincing, she crossed her arms over her chest and gulped a few deep breaths. With her eyes squeezed shut, she collapsed into the ceramic tub as a tremor ran up her spine. She felt his toes brush across her feet and she opened her eyes and looked at him. He stood, tall and naked, as the shower ran across his frame. After a moment, he bent down and lifted her in his arms. With a soft, white cloth, wet and soapy, he gently washed the blood away. She would have preferred salt and lemons in her raw, exposed flesh opposed to the harsh antiseptic and alcohol scorching her wounds. It felt as if her arm and chest had been covered in lighter fluid and set ablaze. Her face buried in his chest had muffled her screams. She couldn’t help but pound her tightened fist on the tub and kick her legs even though it offered no real aid. Cool water splashed and ran down her skin in an effort to rinse her clean. With her teeth as tight as a Pit Bull’s locked jaw, she tried to calm her labored breathing.
All the pain she felt from the scratches, soap, and aching muscles didn’t come close to touching the pain in her heart when she heard the agony in his voice when he spoke.
“I am so sorry, Paige. I swear I am being as gentle as I can. Just a few more minutes, I am almost done, I promise.”
Rock n Roll Promises (YAE) (Rock n Roll Paraphantasy Series) Page 3