That precious part of her soul that he carried and protected reminded him why he must put his desires aside. She was far too important. He laughed at himself as he considered his obsession. Stalking her wasn’t kingly behavior but he was unable to stay away. His hands trembled as he pulled into a parking space.
She was close enough that he could open his mind and search for the familiar thread of her thoughts. He hated how anxious she was about fitting in enough shifts before rent was due.
Impatient to see her, he exited his car and headed into the pub. The heavy scent of greasy food, sweat, and stale beer didn’t drown out her sweet, honeysuckle fragrance. It instantly caught his blood on fire. His body coiled and his erection strained to claim her. Unruly bastard. After wrangling with his fangs and controlling the glow from his eyes he approached the hostess, using glamour to ensure she seated him in Elsie’s section.
He’d never had to fight for control over his body. He was always in charge. Giving orders, providing direction, and making the difficult decisions. And, he did it without a second thought.
Now, he felt like a mindless creature controlled by his cock and this unending desire for a mate he feared he’d never have. If that were the case he’d become an empty shell of a male, and his life would hold no meaning. And, he’d die of starvation if he didn’t feed from her. The Goddess was either a sadistic bitch or brilliant genius.
He watched Elsie head towards the back of the kitchen. Seeing fatigue etched on his mate’s bruised face was a bucket of cold water that doused his ardor. He wanted to take care of Elsie and provide for her. He wanted to lavish her with luxuries and give her everything she desired. Cherish her like a queen. His queen.
His breath left him when she returned from the back. Tonight, she wore a tight, black sweater that had a deep V-neck, giving him a glimpse of her cleavage. She was stunning. She moved with grace and greeted her customers with smiles and patience.
Once again, her sweet scent wrapped around him. He had to close his eyes against their glow and press his lips firmly together to hide his fangs. The musical sound of her voice soothed and ignited him as she spoke to the customers at the next table. He opened his eyes and his lust heightened as he watched her nibble her lip as she wrote down their orders. He craved some of that tasty treat.
Her sway as she walked toward the computer to enter an order reminded Zander how her hips had moved under him in the dream-sex they shared. With a groan, he covertly adjusted his erection. Goddess, he needed her. Her beautiful, heart-shaped face and sensual, full lips had him yearning to touch and taste them. He loved the small spattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose. The gentle clearing of a voice had his eyes snapping open.
Elsie stood by his table, and when he met her gaze, Zander’s world settled.
Her lips stretched into the most beautiful smile he’d ever seen. “Why am I not surprised to see you here tonight? You alone?” she asked, probably searching for Orlando or Santiago.
“Aye, I’m alone. I was hungry,” he answered as he perused her body from head to toe, “and I wanted to see you. You look stunning, as always. How has your day been, a ghra?”
She sighed and glanced over her shoulder. “I’m just glad my boss didn’t send me home when he saw my face. I can’t afford to miss a shift. My rent is due next week,” she confessed.
Zander was determined to find a way to support her and relieve some of this stress. He couldn’t bear to see her working so hard with little compensation.
“You keep calling me a ghra. What does that mean?” she asked.
He held her gaze for a moment, considering his reply. He was unsure how she would feel about the term but refused to lie to her. “A ghra means my love.”
He watched her reaction to his words and dipped into her thoughts. He couldn’t help the slow grin that escaped when she thought about how she loved his accent. He focused on that rather than her fear of a relationship between them.
She cleared her throat, “So, what can I get you?”
He reached up and ran a finger along the back of her hand. He felt her shiver in response. You, naked in our bed was his first thought. Instead, he said, “I’ll take a Black and Tan, and whatever you recommend for dinner.”
“What happened to Mr. Bossy Pants? Letting someone else make decisions for you? This must be uncharted territory for you,” she smirked and scribbled on her notepad.
“You’re the only one with that privilege.” He enjoyed how her blue eyes widened at his comment.
“I don’t know what to make of you, Zander.”
A customer at another table motioned for her. She looked over her shoulder and held up a finger indicating she needed a moment then turned back to him. “I’ll put in your order and get your beer right out.”
“Take your time,” he said before she turned away. “I plan to enjoy the view.” He knew she heard his words by the pink blush that stained her cheeks as she rushed off.
Zander watched Elsie flit about the restaurant. The mating compulsion had him standing several times, ready to take the heavy tray from her. The impulse was frustrating and he knew he looked like an idiot with his up and down movements.
The delivery of his food and drink was a much-needed distraction from his obsession. He was disappointed when she wasn’t the one to deliver it to his table. He sipped his beer and smiled down at the chipotle burger and cheesy jalapeno fries she ordered for him. His little mate had a sense of humor, but the joke was on her. He loved spicy food.
She approached his table, putting an extra sway in her hips. She stopped next to his chair and cocked her hip. “Everything okay with your order?”
Zander lifted an eyebrow and smiled. He enjoyed this game. “Perfect.”
She snorted, and even that was endearing. “I doubt that. I told Rodrigo to spit on your burger.”
“Too bad it wasn’t your spit,” he countered with a wink, and their eyes locked.
The minute hitch in her breath had his heart pounding in his chest. She felt their connection, too. A smile curved his lips as her mind detailed what she wanted to do with him. He felt his small amount of control slip away as he fought the urge to take her in his arms and fulfill her wishes.
“I, uh, have to go check on orders,” she stammered before she hurried to the waitress station.
As much as he wanted to stay, he needed to leave. If he didn’t, he might drag her to a back room and strip her bare. He waited to stand, willing his erection away. No such luck. Fucker wasn’t going anywhere so long as Elsie was nearby.
Zander zipped his jacket and threw down all the money in his wallet, which was several hundred dollars then headed her way.
She was at one of the computers. He grasped her hands and leaned in to kiss her bruised cheek.
“I will see you tomorrow night,” he whispered then headed for the exit.
He would join his brothers on patrol and hopefully relieve some pent-up frustration until her shift was over. Then he planned to watch her from the trees near her apartment.
From Vampire King to stalker. How the mighty had fallen.
*****
Blood dripped from Zander’s arm as he gripped a skirm by the hair of its head. He punched the shit out of the guy, and damn, it felt good. He hated these motherfuckers. They robbed him, and those he loved, of so much. He’d be damned if he allowed them to take any more. He kicked hard and was rewarded with a cry of pain.
“Get those sons of bitches!” Kyran yelled. His brother was on the ground and a skirm had its teeth locked on one of his calves.
“Two got away,” Zander grunted, punching the scumbag in his grip.
The male spun around and ripped into his forearm. The second the venom reached Zander’s bloodstream, searing pain put him on his knees.
“Arsehole,” he cursed, slipping his sgian dubh between the skirm’s ribs. He released his hold as the skirm flashed on fire, becoming ash.
He looked over and watched Gerrick punch his attacker i
n the head one last time before grabbing a titanium blade from the small of his back. Quick and efficient, he pierced the guy through the heart. A sweep of Gerrick’s boot scattered the remains, and the ashes of his kill were swept away in the breeze. The sorcerer quickly muttered a tracking spell which would allow them to follow the trail that skirm left behind.
Rhys dispatched the minion he held and began running after Gerrick. “C’mon, let’s follow the baby-poop-road,” the cambion shouted over his shoulder.
Zander cracked a smile at the irreverent warrior’s description of the illuminated magical path. Fucking Rhys.
“Goddess, this shite burns,” Bhric complained as he examined a bite wound on his shoulder.
Zander could attest to how painful the injuries were and the scars they left behind. The one on his forearm didn’t need stitches but right now, it hurt like hell.
Skirm bites took longer to heal because of the demon venom in their saliva. Normally, supernaturals healed at an accelerated rate, the exceptions being wounds made by silver and skirm bites.
“We all suffered injuries, so stop your bitching. Let’s go,” Zander lifted his arm to show a huge tear of his flesh where the skirm had ripped into his arm. “I canna wait until the scientists figure oot how to counteract this venom.”
“Och, you’re like wee bairns, with all the crying. Jace will bandage your boo-boos when we get home. Dawn is coming arseholes, so hurry the fuck up,” Kyran snapped as he limped down the alley towards his Denali.
Zander knew his brother enjoyed pain but damn, he had a hunk of flesh hanging from his calf. He shook his head, glad Kyran was on their side.
*****
Yanking a makeshift belt fashioned from a scarf through her belt loops, Elsie cursed the painful ache of her black hole. She poked at her visible ribs, grateful that her sister wasn’t there to scold her. She had lived on energy drinks and little else for longer than she could recall.
Her thoughts went to Zander while she did her hair and applied her mascara, the only make-up she typically wore. He came into her life like a whirlwind and drove her to the point of insanity. Her body reacted every time she thought about him. If she saw him or heard that sexy Scottish accent of his, forget it, she was done.
His gruff exterior was misleading. At first, she thought of him as an autocratic jackass. Correction, he was an autocratic jackass, but he was one of the most thoughtful and giving persons she’d ever met. Not only had he given her gifts, he had also left her an obscene tip two nights in a row.
Now, she had more than enough money for rent that month, as well as, the next two. Everything he did was making her life better in some way. He wanted more from her, yet never pushed her on the subject. Guys like him were rare, and he was slowly and methodically chipping away at the ice surrounding her heart. It was scary but at the same time, thrilling.
She didn’t want to want Zander. She made a vow to love Dalton forever. Hell, she joined SOVA to exact revenge on that being taken from her. She used guilt over her desire for Zander to keep the distance between them yet her will was slowly crumbling, and it broke her heart.
Shaking her head, she pulled on her black boots and left her apartment. There was too much running through her head, and Elsie hoped she could force it out before she encountered any skirm. Distraction wasn’t wise. She jumped into her beater of a car and headed to meet Mack.
A loud ringing had Elsie scrambling through her backpack to answer the call before it went to voicemail. The night Dalton was killed left her with a phobia for missed calls. She grabbed the phone and quickly flipped it open.
Placing it to her ear, she rushed out, “Hello.”
“Hey, cupcake, how’s it going? I stopped by with a key lime pie. Where are you?”
She smiled at Orlando’s familiar voice. She could imagine him running his hands through his white-blonde hair, making it stand up in every direction. They had become close and she felt he was the brother she never had.
“I’m actually on my way to meet a friend. Next time?” She hated lying to Orlando. Keeping secrets felt wrong but it was for his safety.
“Is your friend single? I don’t mind joining you guys.” She had to laugh at his response. So magnanimous of him.
“She is but not your type at all. She would eat you for breakfast, buddy. Besides, no boys allowed. It’s girls only tonight.”
“You don’t know what you’re missing. Have fun but be careful, and don’t do anything stupid. I’d hate to arrest you,” Orlando teased.
“I’m more than capable of taking care of myself. And, don’t forget that you are my get-out-of-jail-free-card. I’ll call you tomorrow.” Elsie flipped the phone closed and tossed it on the passenger seat.
Her car sputtered and coughed out a cloud of black smoke as she sped through the next stoplight. The wheel started shuddering under her palms.
“Don’t you even think of dying on me right now,” she yelled at the clunker.
Saying a quick prayer, she motored along. The shimmies increased, and it seemed as if the whole thing would fall apart. Slowing her speed didn’t help matters and when she tried to speed up, the car jolted, and a loud clanging echoed before the engine died.
“No, no, no. Not right now,” Elsie pleaded and banged against the steering wheel.
She tried to maneuver the vehicle across the lanes of traffic to pull over. After pissing off most of Seattle, she made it to the side of the road and came to a complete stop. Elsie turned the key, trying to start it again but the car didn’t make a sound.
“Shit!” she shouted.
Her car was well and truly dead. She laid her head down on the steering wheel and looked out into traffic. What was she going to do now?
Mack was waiting for her at the park. Luckily, taking the bus was something Elsie often did, and she knew the schedule by heart. There was a bus stop nearby she could catch. As she climbed out of her car and glanced back, she realized a piece of her engine was lying in the street. The hunk-of-junk was literally falling apart but she’d worry about that later. Right now, she had to get to Mack.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Forty-five minutes and three bus transfers later, Elsie climbed off the bus a few blocks from the park where Mack was waiting. She flipped up her collar against the cold wind and misty rain. The familiar sensation of a million, tiny ants crawling under her flesh had her fingers flexing over her knife as she scanned the area. There was a vampire nearby but Elsie had no idea where he was.
Her stomach suddenly lurched and her heart twisted in her chest. Vertigo struck, and she swayed on her feet. It was a feeling she quickly identified. As she waited for the premonition to hit, she realized it wasn’t merely a vampire. Something was going to happen to someone she loved.
She waited, steadying herself on a nearby tree trunk. No vision came, only a foreboding sense of malice. Her ability never gave exact details but it always identified the person in danger. Not this time, apparently. Elsie considered texting Mack or calling her sister but realized she didn’t have her phone in her pocket. She shoved her thoughts to the backburner when a rancid odor drifted on the breeze. The vampire was hiding in the bushes behind her.
Not wasting time, Elsie’s feet carried her further into the park. She veered toward the trees on her left. Lowering her head, she snuck a peek back to see if the vamp was following her. She didn’t see anyone. Unwilling to risk a confrontation that could endanger innocents, she continued along her path. Soon, she heard the crunch of leaves beneath a heavy tread.
Her heart thumped and her palms sweated as she picked up her pace. The threat was breathing down her neck and she prayed she wasn’t outnumbered. She scurried behind the first evergreen she came to, and chanced a peek at what she was facing.
Elsie’s heart skipped a beat at what she saw. Two vampires were strolling toward her with confidence. Their eyes had the same eerie glaze, and she wasn’t surprised when their fangs gleamed in the moonlight.
She shuddered then headed
into the wooded area. She stopped in a small clearing and rolled her shoulders, trying to relieve the tension as she waited. Fortunately, she didn’t have to wait long.
A vamp with greasy, blond hair lowered his head slightly and adopted a feral grin. His crazed eyes darted about and Elsie wondered if the kid was on drugs.
“You shouldn’t have come in here, little girl. Run along now. We love a good chase. And, be sure to scream. Screaming turns us on,” he sneered.
She cocked her head to the side and considered her options. “Nah, I don’t think I will but you may want to consider running,” she declared as she pulled her knife from her boot.
The black-haired vamp, appearing slightly cleaner and a tad saner, laughed aloud. “You’re brave. It’ll be fun to watch you crumble.”
The greasy-blond vamp charged toward her before the other finished talking. She backed up against a large boulder, seeking safety at her back. The creature moved fast and its claws scraped against her forearm as she turned and ducked. Her knife slashed out, catching him low in the side. Black bloomed across his side and she blanched. Elsie had never seen one bleed, and it made her pause until the vile odor reached her nostrils, and she leaned over and gagged.
Her inattention was a mistake as blondie managed to wrap his arms around her waist. Terror sank claws into her gut. She yanked against his hold but couldn’t escape his tight grip. If she didn’t get free, she wouldn’t make it out alive. She fought harder, yanking and thrashing wildly. Black hair stalked toward Elsie and her fear intensified, causing her fight-or-flight instinct to hit overdrive.
She began kicking out at his legs and tugging with her arm. “Oh, hell no! I won’t let this happen,” Elsie shouted.
His intent was obvious but she wasn’t going down without a fight. She clawed at the young man’s hand, trying to pry his fingers from her arm. The guy’s grip was like a vice. To throw him off balance, Elsie threw her body forward and kicked. She aimed for his groin but missed.
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