Wolf's Den

by J. R. Mitchell

  When we reached the entrance to the crypt, we were told to freeze. I stopped in my tracks, barely able to hold the girl up. I screamed, “Come and get this girl, before I drop her. I'm Ariana Reynolds, I have court orders to hunt and execute these vampires, the entire kiss of the rogue vamps if necessary."

  "What is wrong with that huge fucking dog?” A man yelled out of the darkness.

  I could hear Ian growling. I glanced down at him and told him to hush.

  "He is mine. I take him with me on hunts. It's a dangerous job. This way I am not risking anybody else's life, just this dog's.” I replied with a shrug, as I was relieved of the girl's weight.

  Ian let out one last small growl before he sat on his haunches and licked my hand. I felt like I would collapse from fatigue and pain. However, I needed to go and sleep before the next night or I would be killed. I looked down at Ian and nodded. We started to walk towards my Humvee.

  I opened the passenger door for Ian to jump in when I heard my name being called.

  "Ariana Reynolds,” I turned and saw a police officer walking towards me, “I need a statement before you go—holy-shit—you are all bloody—Medic!"

  "That is unnecessary,” I commented as an EMT came rushing over.

  "If you want a statement then you need to take it now, or I am leaving.” I said to the police officer.

  "It can wait ‘til after your wounds have been attended to—"

  I held up my hand to keep him from finishing, “I don't think so, you see I don't need medical attention, I need to go home and sleep.” There was a bite to my words. I smiled to try to ease the look of shock on his face. When the officer told me I needed medical attention again, I grew angry.

  "I told you already. I don't need any fucking medical attention,” I pushed the EMT away from me, and slapped at his hand when he reached back towards me, “Now either take my fucking statement, or I'm fucking leaving."

  "Reynolds!” A familiar voice bellowed.

  Just what I needed, a hard time from the police chief, what more did he want? I had killed more vamps tonight than I ever had in a single go before. I was beat to hell. I carried a seventy-pound girl up hill in a dark crypt passageway out to safety. I saved a cop or two, and polished off eight vamps tonight, counting the two already dead. Not to mention the three Ian and I had killed that had started this whole mess. The only thing I hadn't accomplished was killing Raif, and right now, he was fast becoming number two on my list, second only to the irritating cops.

  I held out my hands to stop the chief from yelling at me. I started in on him, “Listen, I have a screaming headache, I have an open court order from your judge to execute these rogue vampires, I saved the asses of three of your cops, and I want to go home.” I took a deep gulp of air, glaring at him before I continued, “If I come down to the station tomorrow morning, may I please go home, shower this crap off me and get some fucking sleep?” I questioned.

  He glanced over my shoulder and into my truck. He gasped at the sight of the very large wolf sitting in the passenger seat, “I hope you have a license for that mutt.” He uttered as he pulled the cops arm and walked away.

  I grinned at his back then wearily got into the truck and started it up. I turned my head to look at Ian and shrugged as I mind spoke, I better get a License to have a wolf, if you are gonna keep doing that in public.

  I shifted into first gear and peeled out of the parking lot. We headed to Wolf's Den.

  The trip down Cerrillos Road was a blur, I was so tired, at one point Ian jumped into the back seat, while I was not paying attention, then he crawled back up front in his human form.

  I stared at him. A low tingle started in my belly when I saw him naked. With the thought of sex on my mind, I almost crashed into another vehicle. If Ian had not grabbed the wheel and yanked it towards him, I would have crashed into the little Toyota stopped at the red light.

  "Sikaoki, please stop making me grow hard, and concentrate on driving, we will stay at the Den. I have done some remodeling, so that you would not be averse to staying there."

  I glanced at him, suspicious. I shrugged it off, and decided for once, not to argue. Maybe the bond had mellowed me out, although I thought it was the exhaustion, I hated to think that being bonded with Ian was going to change me that drastically.

  As I parked the car, I felt my eyelids droop. I knew that there was no way I'd make it home. I could sleep on the office couch. Ian carried me through the back entrance of the bar.

  I didn't remember the trip to the bed I woke up in, however when I woke up, it had to be daytime, not that there was the barest hint of sunlight.

  The bed was huge, it was far larger than a king size. I could feel my nakedness because the satin felt wonderful against my skin.

  When I realized I was naked, I sat up right with a gasp. Then I heard the chuckling.

  Ian's, evil little laugh.

  "What the fuck is so funny?” I demanded searching the pitch-blackness that can only be achieved by living under ground.

  "I wondered how long you would sleep Sikaoki. How are you feeling?"

  Taken aback by his question, I concentrated on where all my aches and pains were last night, and couldn't find the barest hint of any of them.

  "What the fuck happened? I can remember pulling into the parking lot, and that is it. Why don't I feel any pain? Why are you up? What the fuck time is it?"

  Ian smiled at me and shrugged. He looked dispassionately at my growing anger.

  "Damn it Ian, I was supposed to be at the police station first thing in the morning.” I searched in vain for my cell phone, I could not locate it. “Okay what have you done with my phone? I need my clothes, and I need to meet with the cops."

  "Listen you need to change your attitude or I will tell you nothing. Now why don't you start over, maybe with a good morning kiss for me?” Ian said calm as could be.

  I jumped up from the bed, completely naked and rushed him. I didn't care that I had no clothes on, although I should have remembered about my attraction to the giant Indian because he was baiting me.

  Sad to think that he knew me so well, but I guess he did, it must have been a side affect of the bond.

  I punched him in the face, but Ian didn't even flinch. He grabbed each wrist and pinned them behind my back, not enough to hurt, but I did feel a pinch.

  I didn't want to give up so easily, so I kicked at his knee, and missed. Then I tried to stomp on his foot and missed again. The entire time Ian was trying to capture my mouth with his, and so I was fighting a losing battle.

  The second his mouth met mine, I melted. I stopped fighting back and just went with the flow. It felt good not to have to worry about anything. To feel safe and know that Ian would take care of me.

  But for some reason the feeling didn't last too long. I felt a vibration against my stomach, the closer Ian pressed my body into his, the stronger it got. When I realized that it was my cell phone, I lost my mood of seduction and saw red.

  As if it was second nature, I kneed him in the crotch with all the strength I could muster. He rewarded my effort with a grunt, and released me from his hands that held me hostage.

  "Son of a fucking bitch, Sikaoki, that hurts no matter how dead I am.” Ian cursed in a bellow of rage.

  I looked down on him as he cradled his groin in a crouch. I was tempted to kick him in the face, but thought better of it—I had no shoes on, and he had a very hard head. Hell, I might break my foot.

  I fucking heard that, my head is not that hard.

  I held out my hand without saying a word. I knew he didn't want to give up my phone. He thought he would be able to seduce me into staying with him, without worrying over some nonsense that was going on in our lives. But he should have turned off the vibrator to my phone or destroyed it, if he wanted me never to leave.

  The lost sense of security I felt from being held close to Ian made me shiver. Recognizing it for what it was, I backed away when he stood.

  It scared the crap out
of me to feel that I must depend on someone else, what scared me even more was the fact that I wanted to.

  Grudgingly, Ian gave up my phone. I inspected it and found that it was four in the afternoon.

  I cursed under my breath at the stupidity of having a dead boyfriend that didn't stay dead when he was supposed to and the fact that I had missed my appointment. I had missed twenty-two calls, I was furious at the world, Ian, and myself.

  I browsed the numbers of the calls I had missed and I saw that the police station had called twenty times, and that I had two unknown numbers.

  I decided to get the most unpleasant call I had coming out of the way and hit return call on the number I had most recently missed. When the chief answered, he wasn't happy, and I had to hold the phone away from my head to keep his voice down to a hushed scream.

  After he was done with his tirade, I placed the phone back up to my ear, “I will be there ASAP, that is the best I can do.” I replied while I flipped Ian off.

  "What? No explanation as to why you never showed up this morning?” He questioned in a voice just under a shout.

  "Would you believe I overslept?"

  "No I wouldn't fucking believe you overslept—"

  I interrupted him, “Then I have no reason to explain myself.” I promptly hung up the phone resisting the urge to beat the crap out of Ian.

  With a sigh, I looked at Ian, then around the room to see if I could find my clothes.

  "Where are my clothes Ian?"

  "Why should I give you back your clothes? I don't think you will be going anywhere without them.” He said, with a quirked eyebrow.

  I drew a breath to scream, rant, and kick him. I thought better of it, grabbed my phone and brushed past him. When I reached the door, I glanced back at him, and saw a challenging look on his face.

  Turning the knob, I kept eye contact with him. He shook his head, he thought he knew me, but some things nobody can predict. I walked up long winding steps with Ian hot on my tail. He still thought I would cave in. When I reached the top of the stairs a large door blocked my way, I opened the door and walked past his body guards, butt-naked armed with only a cell phone.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  I walked out of the club, butt-naked and into the afternoon sunlight. I would rather not repeat the experience. I was very aware of the eyes on me from cars driving past. I heard the bodyguards snickering at me from behind, and yet I could tell they were also impressed with my body.

  I reached under my rear tire, grabbed the extra key as fast as I could and jumped into the driver's seat. Thank God I had opted to put seat covers in, so that my bare butt didn't meet cold leather. Not that it was terribly cold; the sun had been beating down into my truck all day. One thing about Santa Fe, it could be freezing temperatures outside, but it looked gorgeous when the sun was shining. As long as you were indoors, it seemed like a perfect day. Unfortunately, for me, it was one of those days.

  I revved the engine. I could see Ian sitting there in his office chair, stunned that I had just left his resting place—naked.

  I made sure my shields were clamped down tight, so Ian wouldn't overhear me as I thought, Jesus Fucking Christ Ariana, what the fuck is wrong with you? Two weeks ago, you would have pulled a gun on Ian and blown his brains out the back of his head.

  I felt the tears trying to spill out of my eyes. I forced them back, put the truck into gear and raced away from Wolf's Den.

  Thank God I knew the roads as well as I did, because the drive to my house was a blur.

  When I pulled into my circle drive, I was grateful to be home. The tears had started almost the second after I had left the bar. I had only one thought—I wanted to talk to my mom. Unfortunately, I couldn't. She had died over three years earlier. I suspected that was one reason why Raif thought I would be the perfect vampire bounty hunter.

  I didn't care any more. Of course, he had somehow snuck into my heart anyway. Maybe he tricked my heart into loving him. But love was borderline hate right now. I didn't know what would happen.

  On the one hand, I was happy that he had gotten away. But in my right hand there was a P228, begging to blow his heart away well what was left of his heart.

  Could the walking dead have a heart? I mean, I knew they had hearts, but did they feel? Ian seemed to feel for me, but were the undead capable of feeling an emotion as strong as love?

  As I climbed out of my Humvee, I listened to my brain ramble on. I felt a fresh rush of tears threaten to spill. My gut clenched, the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. I knew in my heart that there was someone, or something in my house.

  Christ, I needed a damn dog.

  I felt at a disadvantage, naked and unarmed. Seconds later, I got back in my truck and sped away. Whatever or whoever it was, could wait until tomorrow, or at least later tonight. I'd go back home after I found some clothes and a weapon that was smaller than a mini-Uzi, or rocket launcher. I wasn't into destroying my own home.

  I pulled out of my driveway, my recent tears all but forgotten. I wondered where I would go to find what I so desperately needed.

  Not knowing what else to do, I called the only person I knew other than a vampire that might help me out, at least he would clothe me.

  I didn't want to call the Lieutenant, but when you have no friends, I suppose you take what you can get.

  Almost to Cerrillos Road, I flipped open my cell phone and dialed the number for Pete.

  "Hello Pete, Ariana here, listen I need a favor, please. I will explain everything when I get there. I need clothes, and shoes, or at least socks, and I need a firearm."

  I listened to him sputter. It seemed an eternity before he quieted and asked me where he should meet me. I gave him my location and we agreed that the outlet mall would be the best place to meet because it was never busy.

  "Thanks Pete. I really appreciate it, I owe you big time.” I said into the phone just before I hung up.

  I knew he was going to want answers, how many answers I was willing to give was another question altogether.

  * * * *

  I pulled up to the streetlight by the outlet mall, the truck next to me honked. It was times like this that I really wished I had my gun on me. I was not in the mood to deal with a perverted driver, although I was naked, so who could blame him?

  I pulled into the parking lot and saw Pete's truck. I parked next to him and saw the look of shock on his face. I scooted across the center console and stuck my hand out the door. I took the clothes he held out to me.

  I shimmied into the baggy jeans and rolled the waist of the Levis to secure them. I first put on the tank top and then the sweatshirt he had given me. I jumped out of the truck barefoot, but clothed. I walked around to the passenger door slid in and looked at him and waited for the questions to begin..

  "So what the hell is going on?” Pete asked the second the passenger door closed.

  "Well lets see, I was exhausted after leaving the cemetery, and almost passed out driving Ian back to Wolf's Den, I woke up at four this afternoon naked without weapon or cell phone. Thankfully, I got my phone back, but I was not willing to play vampire games to get anything else, so I left the bar naked.” I paused to think of how I would phrase the rest of my story then sighed and took a deep breath to finish.

  "I drove home and was about to go into my house, but I got the feeling that I get when something just isn't right. I didn't want to enter without a weapon, so I tore out of there."

  Pete nodded and watched me like he was trying to determine if I was telling the truth or not.

  "Then I called you. I'm not overloaded with friends, you know, other than vampires I have no one to turn too. I thought you would give me what I needed to go seek and destroy the intruders in my house."

  I was cold when I looked at him. Dead of any and all emotion. He winced at the look I gave him and I let it soften a minute.

  "So what do you say; can I have a hand gun? Too bad you didn't have any shoes that fit me, but barefoot is better than a p
air too big."

  I studied him as he studied me. He started his car and we drove away.

  I didn't say anything as I watched cars pass us by. I watched as a hotel, a grocery store, and then Wolf's Den disappeared behind us. I was a little hesitant when Pete started back to town. I couldn't help thinking he might be nuts enough to take me back to the bar to retrieve my belongings. I actually held my breath as we passed Ian's place.

  When we drove past, I exhaled a long breath. Pete glanced at me, and grinned, he continued to drive. When we hit St. Francis Drive, better known as highway 84/285 he took a right and then a left on St. Michaels. We passed the hospital and continued down Old Santa Fe Trail until we were out of the city limits.

  It was gorgeous out here in the foothills of the Sangri De Cristo Mountains. I found myself envious of Pete and the scenery he got to see as we continued to drive. It must have been nice to get that kinda view on the drive home, I said to myself.

  Pete turned down Nine Mile Road and the second we hit the dirt he sped up.

  It seemed that like me, he found it fun to drive on the dirt fast. It made life a bit more interesting. Coming up to a ninety-degree corner, I held on to the ‘Oh shit bar’ located above my door as he maneuvered us around the corner in a classic drift.

  Once around the corner, I could see for miles in all directions. I found myself enjoying the washboard road. I was becoming comfortable as his speed passed sixty miles per hour.

  Just when I let go of the ‘Oh shit bar’ I was thrown into my seatbelt as he slammed on the brakes, and sharply turned into a driveway, I found myself growing tense again as he stopped at a mailbox, climbed out and retrieved some envelopes.

  "Nothing but damn bills,” he muttered as he climbed back in and threw the vehicle in gear. He sped towards the only visible house.

  The silence grew uncomfortable. Pete glanced at me, and grinned like the devil, “What are you smiling at?” I asked in anger. “I was a little hesitant at first to come out here. The view is more than worth bringing me out here to the boon-docks I hope you have some good scotch."