Half in Love [Willie Krenshaw] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Lea Barrymire

  “Okay, bud. Just let’s move nice and slow.” Willie approached him with the blade held against her right leg as she offered her left hand to him. She was surprised by the power in the man’s grip when he grasped her arm and pulled himself up to his feet. She grabbed his arm when he wavered, tilting precariously. She looked him over quickly while helping him stay on his feet. Tall, handsome in an old-fashioned chiseled way, and vampire. Well, shit, there went her night.

  As quickly as she could, Willie ripped her hand away from the man and sank into a fighting stance. She backed away a few steps and waited, poised on the balls of her feet. She breathed in the night and let her vampire out to play. She rolled her head on her shoulders, loosening up her muscles. Canines extended from her top and bottom jaws, filling her mouth and gums with extra inches of teeth. She yawned wide like a lion to seat her teeth and lips around the additional lengths. She was surprised that her mountain lioness woke from her normal slumber to take notice of the man in front of her. The lioness stretched in her mind and swung her nose up to catch a whiff of his scent. Well, hell, this was definitely something she didn’t need tonight. A slight growl rumbled from her chest as the powers inherent to vampires and shifters coursed through her system. A slight rush of adrenaline heightened her senses and made her morbidly giddy with the prospect of a battle.

  She watched the vamp try to steady himself. He’d stumbled awkwardly after she jerked her hand from his. He bent forward and groaned as his head hung and his arms shook while propped against his legs. He wavered slightly on his feet but didn’t fall. Willie waited for him to give up the charade of being ill and attack her, but after a few moments of no movement, she started to question his behavior. Could a vampire be sick?

  “Look, I know what you are, and you probably know what I am. Let’s just get this over with.” Willie wanted to get the fight on, but she wouldn’t attack until he made the first move. Robert had taught her to always take a defensive attitude with vampires. Sometimes giving her opponent an extra few seconds to study her made them second-guess an attack. With this vamp, she hoped that she wouldn’t have to fight him. She could decapitate him in this position, though, all bent over and not watching her. Damn my morals.

  “There’s something wrong with me,” he said, groaning. He slowly shook his head back and forth, still not looking up. His short, spiky black hair moved stiffly on his head. “My head’s all fuzzy. I can’t think.”

  She watched him for another moment and then decided that she wasn’t going to stand and watch him any longer. Waiting for him to spring at her was a dumb move. If there really was something wrong with this vamp, then it was her lucky night. She could walk away without getting sweaty or bloody. She stood from her stance and cautiously took a step away from him, watching for any flicker of movement. When nothing happened, she took another step away, backing toward the street. She willed her fangs back into her gums and rubbed absently at her teeth as they receded. She turned when she reached the sidewalk and took one last look at the man, still hunched over in the alley, before heading off at a fast pace. She made it three steps before she sensed movement behind her. Shit.

  “Please, I won’t hurt you. I just need help getting home. I don’t know what I’m doing in this alley,” he whispered. His voice was gravelly and deep, pulling a shudder from her. The vamp had made it to the sidewalk and was standing shakily ten feet behind her.

  “Look, I don’t know what game you’re playing, but if you’re going to attack me, let’s just get it over with, shall we?” Willie stepped a few more feet back from the mouth of the alley. She still carried her blade and was willing to bleed the idiot if necessary.

  “I don’t want to fight you. I need your help, please.” He stumbled forward a pace and sank to his knees with a pained moan. “My name is Nickola, Nick. I swear an oath to you right now that I won’t harm you. I just need to get home.”

  Willie studied Nick with every sense she could. He couldn’t be drunk because alcohol didn’t affect vamps. He couldn’t be high either because the drugs that affected humans just didn’t have the same hold on vampires. He could be suffering from starvation. She knew from experience that not feeding caused weakness and disorientation. He wasn’t acting disoriented or like he was hallucinating, though. He was weak and perhaps injured. She tilted her head and sniffed again. She couldn’t smell any blood, of any kind, on him.

  “Okay, for shits and giggles let’s assume you are telling me the truth that you aren’t going to attack me. Where do you need to go? Where’s your car?” Willie swung her gaze, searched the darkness for any other signs of trouble. If he was the bait and there were others waiting to grab her, she wanted to be ready. Her eyes swept back to the bent figure in front of her. She could see him shivering under the coat he wore. Hell.

  “I don’t know where my vehicle is. I can’t seem to remember much right now. If you can call me a cab, I’d be grateful, unless you have a car near?” He struggled to his feet again and stood, breathing heavy.

  “Look, I’ll get you a cab, all right. It might take a minute, though, with it being so late.” Willie glanced up and down the street, willing a cab to come wandering down this stretch of night. She did believe there was something wrong with him, but she wasn’t really keen on finding out how long it would take his vampire body to heal the issue. She’d be a good citizen and grab him a cab, but that was it.

  “Okay.” He winced as he stumbled toward a store front and slumped onto the steps. He placed his head in his hands, groaning softly.

  Willie pulled her phone out and hit the speed dial for the cab company she usually used to send drunks home when she worked. She relayed their location and clicked her phone shut. Ten minutes she had to wait. Ten long, potentially dangerous minutes. Great.

  “So, what are you?” His voice was still a whisper but it sounded stronger. His back rose and fell with smooth, slow breaths. He was healing.

  “I’m exactly what I smell like. I’m a shifter that was partially turned by one of you.” She watched his still form for some reaction. She wasn’t used to discussing her lineage with a vampire. Adrenaline still moved through her system, forcing her to bounce on her feet to burn off the excess energy.

  “Partially changed? How?” Nick slowly raised his head and frowned at Willie. His green eyes flashed with interest and definitely didn’t hold as much pain as before.

  “Yep. I was drained at the age of thirteen by some asshole. I must’ve bitten him while fighting him off and ended up going through a partial change. My father thinks that I’ve got a natural immunity to the virus. So, as the rhyme goes, all the king’s shifters and all the king’s vamps couldn’t put all the pieces back together again. I live with a foot in each world, and both worlds keep trying to cut my feet off.” Bitterness edged her words with a sharpness she didn’t like to hear in her own voice. She’d spent years trying to accept her plight, but explaining it to one of “them” was just too much even for her.

  Willie shifted restlessly from foot to foot. She didn’t like the intensity of his stare. She hoped the cab would get to them soon so she could bundle this man into it and get home. This is what I get for being a Good Samaritan. I go for a walk and end up chatting with a bloodsucker about my messed up genetics.

  “I have never heard of such a thing happening. I thought the virus was unstoppable once it entered the human body.” He ran a hand through his hair and breathed deeply. He rolled his head around his neck a couple of times and sighed. “I’m finally feeling more like myself.”

  “Well, then I’ll be on my way,” she said as she backed further down the street, bouncing on the balls of her feet. She wanted to run away from him as fast as she could. The urge to do so was so strong that she had a tough time remaining where she was. This was the longest conversation she’d ever had with one of her blood-drinking cousins, and she wanted to get away before it ended badly. She’d learned long ago that hatred could make any being deadly, and she didn’t want to take on this sof
t-spoken man. “The cab will be here in a few moments, and you’ll be on your merry way.”

  “Wait. What’s your name?” He tried to stand but slumped back to the stoop with a groan.

  “Nope, no names with this savior routine. I don’t need you tracking me down later once you’re all better. I like my head right where it is.” Willie turned and headed off down the street, hoping he would just let it go.

  “But I don’t have any money on me. My wallet isn’t in my pocket. How am I to pay the driver?” His deep voice traveled easily through the quiet. His plea made her turn, sigh, and slowly walk back to him. “Please, if you can pay for the cab ride, I can repay you once we reach my home.”

  “Great. Look, if you live close, I can give you cash to cover the ride. There’s no way I’m getting into a vehicle with you and going to your house. I’ve had a long night, and I just want to go home.” She rubbed the tension from her neck and slid her blade back into its sheath under her coat. Damned if she knew why, but he didn’t seem inclined to kill her, so she might as well relax a little.

  “I live north of the city. From the smell, I’m assuming we’re near the water?” He looked up again and his eyes flashed at her. His vampiric side glowed softly in his eyes. He tilted his head and studied her with a slight frown on his face. “What traits did you inherit from your touch of vampire?”

  “Why?” she asked, suspicious of his sudden interest. She took a step away. Her fingers twitched to pull her blade again just to have its comfortable weight in her hand.

  “Well, I’m just interested in knowing what a half-breed would get from us.” He looked confused as to her reaction, and she actually felt a laugh bubbling in her belly. This was the most surreal interaction she’d ever had with anyone. “I’m sort of a vampire historian and would like to add this information to our history. If it was possible for you, then it might be possible for others.”

  “Okay. Fine. I’ve got retractable fangs, both top and bottom jaws. I drink blood, but still need to eat food. I have night vision like a vamp. Um, I don’t need to sleep but can if I want. I heal fast, but faster if I take blood after an injury. I can hypnotize humans, and I’m not susceptible to hypnosis from others. I think that about sums it up.” She ticked off the characteristics on her fingers as she studied his face for his reaction. She tried for flippant, but she was starting to find it difficult to think around this man. If she was honest with herself, she also was having a tough time not watching him for another reason altogether. The hard lines of his face made him handsome, but those eyes were mesmerizing and not in a vampy way. They were like emeralds, shining from his face. His dark hair just made them stand out even more from his pale face. His lips were perfect and moved with each of his emotions and thoughts. His face was open and beautiful, and she wanted to watch him for the rest of the night. Right now his lips were quirked in a slight smile. She glanced up to see him watching her.

  “What shifter traits did you lose with the change?” He seemed to want to keep her talking. She sighed.

  “None. I can shift into my animal form at will, but most strong shifters can do the same. I can walk in the sun without too much issue. I do burn, but like a normal fair-haired human. As long as I wear sunscreen I’m fine. I’m stronger than a shifter male, but I don’t have the strength of a vamp.” Willie stalked to the steps and sat next to Nick. Her feet hurt from work, and she just wanted to be a little closer to him. As the urge to flee left her, she was becoming aware of another need that had nothing to do with fighting. She breathed in deeply, tasting his scent on the air. “I didn’t shift until after going through the change, though, so our guess is that the vamp blood fixed my shifting issue.”

  “Very interesting. Your scent is very unique. I couldn’t place what you were until you were closer to me in the alley. At first I caught the vampire scent, but it was enhanced with your shifter blood. Very alluring.” He turned his head and smiled at Willie for the first time. The smile transformed his face into something that should be outlawed. His teeth were white and straight. His eyes crinkled at the corners and a hint of a dimple in one cheek took all of the hardness from his face. Her heart rate raced, and she gasped. Heat flooded her face as she blushed at her reaction to that simple twitch of facial muscles.

  She stood quickly and turned her back to Nick, willing her body to stop reacting to this man. Damn it. She didn’t need this right now. Before she was forced to turn back she heard the unmistakable sound of a vehicle turning onto the street. She sighed with relief when she saw it was a cab.

  “Well, your ride is here.” She threw over her shoulder as she walked to the street and waved down the car. She grimaced at the chuckle that rumbled from Nick’s chest.

  Chapter 2

  Nick stood with feline grace and moved easily to the cab once it rolled to a stop. He was almost back to normal, and could feel the last of the effects of the sedative being worked from his system. He was sure he’d been given a sedative, but his memory was still muddy. How’d he end up in an alley? Better yet, who in their right mind would sedate him and then leave him?

  He took a deep breath and soaked in the unique scent of his savior again. He could feel her essence working into his tissues, branding him with her perfume. His addled brain wanted to claim her, make her his. She was striking with brown eyes so dark they looked black set in a pixie face. Her hair was wild and moved with her like it had a mind of its own. Her curves were tempting enough that he struggled in his drugged haze to not reach out and pull her against him. She was small for a woman, but her strength and spiky personality made up for any lack of height.

  He wracked his mind for something he could say, some draw he could use to keep her with him. He couldn’t have her walk off into the night, never to be found again. He wanted to see what her eyes looked like as she gave into passion. With a quick look over his shoulder, he verified that she was still standing at the curb, waiting to give him some cash that she’d dug out of her pocket.

  “Hey, man, where you goin’?” the cabby asked Nick, chomping on a piece of gum. When Nick gave the address, the driver scoffed. “Geez, man. That’s awful far.”

  “How much will it be?” Nick asked, making his voice slightly louder so his audience of one curvy woman could hear. He quickly grabbed the mind of the driver with a flash of vampire energy and placed the answer into the driver’s mind.

  “Uh, it’s going to be about ninety once we make it across town,” the cabby-puppet muttered.

  Nick smiled when he heard the curse behind him. He’d estimated the amount she had in her hand and knew that she didn’t have that much in cash. She’d either have to ride along and pay with a credit card, or they would be forced to travel to her home to get a vehicle. Either way, he’d be able to be with her a little while longer, absorbing her scent and reveling in her presence. He schooled his face to show concern and contriteness before turning to face her.

  “Shit,” she muttered under her breath and stalked toward the cab. She scowled at Nick and signaled for him to get in the vehicle.

  “I swear I can pay you back as soon as we get to my home,” he said as he slid across the seat and waited for her to slide in next to him. He watched the emotions flow across her face as fear, anger, and apprehension worked out who would win. The fact that she was so sure he was going to hurt her, but still would help him, amazed Nick. To find someone pure of heart in this day and age was a truly unique experience. Especially a woman that had been through what sounded like was a hellish experience.

  “Sure. Let’s just get going so I can make it home sometime tonight,” she grumbled. She slammed the cab door shut and plastered herself against the door to keep as much space between them as she could.

  * * * *

  Willie breathed as shallowly as she could to keep Nick’s scent from taking over her senses. She already could feel herself relaxing in the confines of the cab, soaking in his essence. Her skin felt warmed and sensitive under her coat. She had an urge to lean over an
d rest against him. Her mountain lion was clamoring to rub against him like a cat in heat. What the hell? There was no possible reason for her inner cat to take a liking to a vampire. Unless he was her… No. No fucking way. There was no way she was fated for a vampire mate. Fate couldn’t be that cruel to her after everything else she’d gone through. The unmistakable wetness between her thighs and the urge to lick him from head to toe was all the damning evidence she needed.

  If he was her mate, she needed to get as far from him, as fast as possible, before she did something stupid, like mark him. If she didn’t escape him and she did give in and take him as a mate, she would be stuck. She would have to keep in contact with him so her mountain lion would stay sane. If she marked him and then ran, she would eventually go mad or die, or both. Mated shifters needed to stay near their mates or suffer the dire consequences. Robert made it blatantly clear to her that mating was a forever and ever story. There was no running from the union once it was sealed.

  With a sigh, she glanced over and studied his face in the passing illumination from the street lamps. Did he feel it, too? she wondered. She almost hoped that it was one-sided so she could walk away from this man and keep her life as simple and austere as she’d kept it for years. She didn’t want a mate. Didn’t need a mate. She knew that it was a possibility that she would eventually run into a shifter that would complete her, but she never thought a vamp would be her fated other half. The yowling reverberating inside her skull told her that the possibility was definitely there. Her inner kitty wanted to play with the male sitting next to her.