by Jenika Snow
The man stopped, pulled a cigarette out of his coat pocket, and proceeded to light the end. He inhaled deeply from it twice, let the dog walk around his feet for several minutes, and Lathan knew he couldn’t wait any longer.
Stepping out from the shadows, the man looked up at him, and for one moment they just stood there, facing each other, no fear coming from the human. But as Lathan felt his wolf rise, felt his wolf start to show itself in the form of his glowing eyes and lengthening fangs, he saw fear morph the human’s face.
He turned, about to run, but he was no match for Lathan. He was in front of the man before the human even took a step—had his hand on his throat, and had them back in the shadows a second later. The little dog started barking, but Lathan turned and looked at it over his shoulder. He made a low growl, his wolf flashing forward enough that the dog whimpered and ran off, the leash trailing behind.
Lathan turned back to the man, stared into his eyes, and willed the compulsion to flow from him freely.
“You’ll relax, let this happen, and once it’s done you’ll go home, eat a big meal, drink plenty of water, and go to sleep, remembering nothing.”
The guy slowly nodded, his pupils fully dilated as the compulsion seeped into his mind, wrapped around him and took hold. He tilted the human’s neck back, bared the side of throat, and saw his jugular pumping. Lathan’s mouth watered, his fangs descended even more, and the vampire side of him pushed back his wolf, taking dominance.
Opening his mouth and piercing the human’s throat, Lathan felt the rush of warm blood pour into his mouth. The human tasted foul, like nicotine, alcohol, and prescription medication. But what was in the blood wouldn’t affect Lathan. All he got from it was the sustenance. But when he drank Abbi’s blood it was so much more. It wasn’t just about the sustenance, wasn’t just about the need to feed, to survive. It was about so much more.
He took all he needed, sealed the wound with his saliva, and backed away.
“Go, do as I’ve said.”
The human pushed away from the tree, stumbling a little bit. The dog was huddled across the park, the scent of his submission and fear clear. It knew Lathan was the dominant one, knew he was a dangerous creature.
He watched the human leave. He’d be fine, would survive another night, and yet despite controlling his need to feed Lathan didn’t feel like he’d been sated. What he wanted, needed, was his mate, but he knew he’d have to be patient with her. He could very easily scare her to the point she’d never accept the mating, and even if he couldn’t let her go, wouldn’t, Lathan also wanted her to come to him on her own. He needed her to.
Chapter Three
Abbi finished putting her paperwork in the files, cleaned off her desk, and grabbed her purse. The office was still packed with her co-workers, but she was heading out early, wanted to run some errands while it was still light out. The memory of the vampire that had attacked her… no, not attacked her, drank from her, tried to make her forget what had happened… it was like he’d tried to protect her.
She shook her head, feeling like she was losing her mind. The fact remained, even if he really hadn’t hurt her, he had mated with her. That was clear by the mark on her neck and the fact he’d said so. She knew enough about the paranormal world to understand when someone was mated they were no longer alone. That otherworldly entity would do whatever was in their power to claim them as theirs. And although he was a vampire, and she knew that his kind couldn’t go out in the sunlight, she also knew he was something more… something much more.
She left the office and did the errands she had while the sun was still out. When she finally got back home, bags in hand, her heart started to race; the sun was starting to set. The fear was in her, strong, potent, but there was something else. It was like this pull, this need, yet she couldn’t understand it, couldn’t place why she felt like that.
Abbi knew that if she was going to survive this she needed to accept the reality of her situation. She couldn’t run, not from an otherworldly being, and certainly not one that mated with her.
Closing her eyes, she pictured him in that alleyway, imagined him right before her again. Her pulse beat hard and fast, frantic, and anticipation rushed through her. She felt those emotions, held onto them, and let them wash over her. His hair had been so dark, short and brushing along his forehead. And his face… God, his face was like a mixture of an angel and devil, a demon that used itself for temptation, to bring people to their knees and have them do its bidding.
It seemed like a ludicrous thought, but she knew he wasn’t just a vampire. Maybe he was half demon, half shifter? Maybe he was something altogether different, a creature she’d never heard of before?
The feeling on the back of her neck intensified again, the hair standing on end, and she turned. Facing the front door, staring at the scarred wood, a feeling inside of her rose. It might be closed, but she knew someone or something was on the other side. It was a feeling that had her body going into the flight or fight mode instantly.
She wasn’t stupid enough to go to the door and open it, but then she found herself moving toward it, as if her body and mind were at war. It was like she couldn’t control herself, couldn’t stop herself from moving forward, gripping the handle, and just holding it for a second.
She swore she heard his heart beating on the other side of the wood, knew it was the creature, the man that had mated with her, right on the other side. She was afraid, but the more explosive emotion inside of her was the anticipation, the need that she had to see him, had to look at his face because he was her mate. This feeling was so damn intense, so unstoppable, that Abbi couldn’t stop herself from turning the handle and opening the door.
There he stood, his dark jacket moving along the top of his black pant-covered thighs from the wind blowing. His head was slightly downcast, his eyes trained on her. They glowed for a moment, the tingling in her body intensifying from that fact.
They didn’t speak for what seemed like forever, but then he took a step toward her. Abbi knew she should run, slam the door in his face at least. But no door would keep him out, and she knew no amount of distance would have him leaving her alone. She was surprised because, despite the whole mate situation, she was attracted to this male. He was dangerous; she knew that just by looking at him. The male potency left him in hard waves, slamming into her, leaving her breathless. She feared him, feared what he was, but she also grew warm having him so close, smelling the wild, spicy scent of him, and knowing he could control her with just a command.
“Will you let me in?” he asked in a deep voice, one that held this slight European accent.
She should have said no, should have used common sense in this matter, but right now she wasn’t thinking clearly, wasn’t acting like her normal, safe self. Instead she moved back a step, went to the side, and pulled the door open wider. He didn’t need an actual invite to come in, not like how movies portrayed.
In fact, nothing about the movies that told of vampires, shifters, demons, or any other supernatural creature was particularly correct. Of course some things were true: blood, sunlight, immortality. Stakes through the heart didn’t kill them, crucifixes didn’t faze them, and they weren’t these evil creatures that lived in a cellar.
He moved into her home, and she found herself shutting the door, closing herself in with him.
“You remember,” he stated matter-of-factly.
“Yes,” Abbi said softly, her throat feeling tight, her lips dry.
He turned and faced her then, eyeing her up and down, making her feel nude, bared for him. “I assumed since you’re my mate.” He took a step closer to her, and she moved one back. The door stopped her retreat, and she placed her hand on the smooth, cold wood behind her.
“What do you want from me?” she asked, even though it was a question she knew the answer to.
He didn’t answer right away, just continued to stare at her. “You know the answer to that question,” he stated matter-of-factly, and a sh
iver worked its way up her spine.
She nodded slowly. Yes, she did know the answer to that.
“You fear me.”
“Yes,” she said in a soft voice, not about to lie to him, because even if she did she knew he would be able to tell.
“You know about mates?”
She nodded again.
“And what do you know?”
She swallowed the lump lodged in her throat. God, her throat was so dry, so tight. She felt like she was suffocating, or maybe being strangled. “I know that you won’t stop until you have me completely.” A chill consumed her after she spoke, the truth of those words heating her body, making her confused but aroused at the same time.
He moved another inch closer to her. Although his body temperature was colder than hers, she swore a blast of heat left him and slammed into her. The scent of him—wild, dangerous, all male—filled her nose, had her wet between her thighs, and had her nipples hard. She knew this arousal wasn’t just because she’d never had a man look at her the way this hybrid was staring at her, knew that because they were mates she wouldn’t be able to deny herself the desire she felt for this stranger.
“What’s your name?” she asked so softly she didn’t even know if she’d spoken at all. Why she cared about his name, why she cared about anything that had to do with him was beyond her, but she’d asked the question and wanted the answer.
“Lathan.”
“What are you?” Again it took him a long time to answer, or maybe it just seemed time stood still as she waited for his rely.
“I’m an abomination, my sweet mate.”
The way he said that last part had her feeling relaxed, had her wanting to forget about her confusion on this and just let things happen. It was ludicrous, but it was the truth, and she knew having a mate had this connection, this electricity moving through them.
“What does that mean?”
He breathed out harshly before speaking. “It means my father was a vampire, kidnapped my werewolf mother, and raped her.”
The silence after he spoke stretched between them. She felt the horror in his statement.
“I am the product of that, the abomination of having a father that took from an unwilling female.”
Her heart beat wildly, because although she didn’t know this man, this otherworldly creature, she could feel his emotions, the sympathy, regret, and anger as if it were her own.
“I’m a demon amongst my kind, feared by the supernatural, and they have every right to stay away, to think of me as a creature that can cause destruction.”
She didn’t know what to say, how to respond to what he’d revealed. He reached out and she tensed, her whole body going taut. He touched her cheek, smoothed his thumb along the curve of her chin, and she leaned into his touch. She’d never felt this arousal, this warmth or comfort before. Abbi had never wanted to be close to a man like she did Lathan, and despite the complexity of all she didn’t want to fight it.
God, she was screwed up.
“I won’t take from you, Abbi,” he said softly.
She saw his fangs, saw his eyes flash from what she now understood to be his wolf. “I’m afraid of all of this.”
He smiled, but it was soft, gentle even. It was strange seeing that on his face, knowing it was for her.
“I’d never hurt you,” he said and looked down at her neck. Her mark throbbed, tingled. “I only want to make you mine, only want to make you see that we belong together, no matter what.” He lifted his gaze to her eyes again. “I can feel, sense you’re alone.”
She felt herself nod. “I am.” She had no one. Her family had consisted of jumping from one foster home to the next; never feeling like she belonged or that she was loved.
“You don’t have to be alone anymore.”
She wanted to just accept this, to forget about everything else, about her life, all her fears and worries, and just say fuck it all. She wanted to be with this male that she knew would give her the world because they were mates. It was a once in a lifetime phenomenon, a connection with another person that forever changed lives. This man, this hybrid vampire and werewolf wasn’t like anyone or anything in this world, and that intrigued her, made her just want to submit to her feelings.
“I’ll never force anything on you,” he said again, leaned in, and she held her breath. “I won’t even force a kiss on you, even though I want it really fucking badly, Abbi.”
Her heart beat fast, pounded behind her ribs. Feeling bold, feeling strength rise in her—or maybe she was high off the fact this was her mate—Abbi leaned in the rest of the way that separated them. Their lips touched, and she felt him harden beneath her, felt his entire body stiffen as if he was now stone.
It felt like a lightning bolt went right through her body, and it happened just because of this one kiss. He swiped his tongue along her bottom lip, and as if on instinct Abbi opened for him, touched his tongue with hers. This was so unlike how she normally acted. She wasn’t bold, didn’t take risks, yet here she was, doing something that was quite possibly dangerous, but which felt so damn good.
“You have no idea the restraint I’m using to control myself with you, Abbi.”
She had an idea, because right now, the way this felt, made her want to throw her control out the damn window as well.
Lathan pulled away, cupped her face with his hands, and smoothed his fingers over her cheeks. “When you’re ready for this mating, for me, I’ll be here.” And then he opened the door and left her standing there, her body on fire with lust, and her mind whirling.
Whatever he was didn’t matter, though, because he wanted her, she wanted him, and she knew he wouldn’t stop until he had her.
Chapter Four
It was late, the sun had already set hours before, but here was Abbi still at work, finalizing some paperwork. She closed her eyes and rubbed them, exhaustion weighing on her, and the need to get out of this sterile cubicle pulling her harder and harder as the time passed.
She finished the last of the files, packed up her stuff, and grabbed the office phone. Dialing the local taxi service, she was going to have a car pick her up and take her home since it was so late, even if she really couldn’t afford the fare and she only lived about a ten minute walk up the street. It was dark, and she was afraid because of that, and even knowing Lathan was most likely watching couldn’t remove the fear of the danger around her.
It should have, though.
“I need a cab,” she said once the person on the other end of the line picked up. She gave the address, but when she was told there was at least an hour wait she knew that what she was going to do wasn’t smart. She canceled the pickup, not wanting to wait an hour, because she could walk home well before the cab even showed up.
She grabbed her purse, checked her can of pepper spray that was inside, and grabbed it. When she had her jacket and bag, she headed out of the office.
Abbi hadn’t seen Lathan in the last few days, but she knew he was near. Abbi had been able to feel him close, her hair on her arms standing on end; she felt the need to find him, touch him, sate the heat inside her. But despite all of that she stayed away, used this time to think, to decide what she wanted to do. The truth was she wanted to see what it was like to be mated, to fully accept it. She just needed to fully accept and give herself to Lathan, and trust that being mated wasn’t the worst mistake she allowed for herself.
She headed out of the building, wrapped her jacket around her chest tighter, and looked down the street both ways. It was the middle of the week, the streets still having traffic, but not as heavy as if it were the weekend. The streetlights lined the length of the street, but even if there was ample lighting this wasn’t the best part of town. There weren’t prostitutes on the corners, or drug deals going on, but there was a high crime rate, and that alone had her always on alert.
A few couples walked on the sidewalks across the street from her, and Abbi started walking, just wanting to get home. She had an awareness that Lat
han was around, and the feeling that things would be okay intensified the more she thought about it.
Breathing out slowly, she kept her head down, her hand in her purse, and her fingers wrapped around the bottle of pepper spray. She walked for less than ten minutes before her heart started racing at the sound of young men laughing, cursing, and making lewd comments.
Walking faster, she glanced up and saw three guys leaning against the side of one of the buildings. They smoked, held bottles wrapped in brown paper bags, and when they saw her they straightened, pushed away from the wall and started walking toward her.
“Hey baby,” one of them called out.
“Come over here and have some fun with us,” another said.
She was about to cross the street when one of the guys darted forward so fast it stunned her. He stepped in front of her, grinned, and that’s when she saw his fangs. God, not only were these men bad, which was plain to see in the lewd looks and disgusting comments they made, they were also of the otherworld.
“Baby, come hang out with us. We won’t bite… hard.” He reached out and grabbed her upper arm, squeezing her flesh hard.
That had the other two guys laughing like hyenas, and her fear climbing. She thought fast, grabbed the pepper spray, and pointed it at his eyes. It might not help her in the long run seeing as she was outnumbered and they were immortals, but at least she was fighting back. She sprayed him in the eyes, and he covered them with his hand, howling. At least the fucker could feel pain.
He’d let go of her arm to cover his eyes, and she ran in the other direction, but before she even moved a foot away the other two vampires were in front of her, their grins wide, their fangs long and sharp.
“This one has spunk,” one of them said.
“I bet she’ll taste real good, maybe have a bit of a kick to her as well.” The one that spoke grabbed her around the throat, and before she could try and claw his hand away, if that would have even helped, she found herself in a darkened alleyway. Her back was to the cold, hard, and unforgiving brick wall, and the stench of the nearby Dumpster slammed into her nose.