by Mandi Casey
“Kieran, is there any way to thank you for saving me?”
“Don’t worry. Nothing will happen to you if my coven has anything to say about it. I’ll be in touch.” He curled a finger around my hair, gave it a gentle pull like a big brother would do to a sister who was always in trouble, and he was the one to step in and save her. Was that the way our relationship would remain?
“We still have to talk about that blood sharing thing you did back at Trevor’s, and what’s going to happen when Andras finds out his wife-to-be isn’t an immortal?”
Kieran directed me up the front porch steps, and said, “Sydney, you remind me so much of Maria. It is almost painful at times. I can’t look at you and not think of her. She was very special to me. You will always have my help, but there will be times when my coven will ask things of you that you will not like. But that is neither here nor there, for now. We’ll talk another time. I do not wish to have an encounter with your wolf. We were able to work together long enough to make sure you and your aunt were safe. Now that you are, it’s time for me to leave.” He looked down at my purse and motioned toward it. “Don’t forget, the blood gift to you is still in there. Use it wisely if you ever find yourself in such a position again. There is always more where that came from.”
Before he evaporated into the night, I asked, “Are you going to contact Morris about the vampire and werewolf rogues working together?”
Kieran nodded. “I will consult with my Knights, then the decision will be made on how to handle the rogues. Morris will be made aware of what we plan to do before any action is taken. After all, some of the rogues are wolves, possibly ones that once belonged to his pack.”
He grasped my hand in his, lifted it to his lips, and placed a kiss on the top as his body dissolved into the dark night air.
So maybe the vampires weren’t as terrible as the wolves thought they were? Kieran had the perfect opportunity to get my blood, as willing as he was probably ever going to get me. But he didn’t force me. He didn’t take advantage of the situation, when his entire race would have been able to walk in the sunlight. That is, if it was me who was truly the Selected the prophecies told of.
I slung my purse over my shoulder. I was glad that I’d thought of grabbing it on our way out of the compound and went into the house.
Big, strong arms wrapped around me even before I could shut the door behind me. Blake was there, waiting for me to enter. Aunt Judith was also there in the living room, smiling, tears of relief in her eyes. Blake’s embrace made it barely possible to breathe; it was that tight.
“Blake.” I tapped him on the back to signal to him that he was crushing me.
Blake took a step back, sniffed the air, and asked, “Why do you smell different? You smell like a vampire.”
Exhaustion began to set in and take its hold on me.
“Yeah, about that. It’s been a really long night.” Walking over to Aunt Judith, I gave her a big hug, and kissed her on the cheek. We said goodnight once we were both sure that everyone was okay and the proper wards against unwanted rogue vampires and werewolves were placed on the house. Aunt Judith told us she was also going to plant powder bombs around our home, in case the lightning demons decided to pay us another visit.
After she went to her room, Blake stood staring at me with hunger in his eyes. He had remained silent while letting me soothe and reassure Aunt Judith that it was just another day in the bizarre life as the Selected. I grabbed his hand and stared into his beautiful gold and bronze eyes. I reveled in the heat he gave off and pulled gently on his hand to guide him over to the couch.
“Blake, thank you for taking care of my aunt and working with Kieran. It must have been very difficult for you.”
He repositioned his body, leaning his hot muscular leg against mine. Instantly, the heat poured from him, infusing me with want and need.
Blake put his hand on my thigh, making the intensity of my desire all the more difficult to ignore. “I know exactly how you can thank me. Go out on a real date with me, not as friends. Don’t even try to deny your attraction to me. Your scent is quite overpowering, and it’s hard to fight myself for control not to ravish you.” Blake’s breathing deepened. His eyes began to change, becoming more predatory.
I needed to put distance between us before my head lost the war raging with my body to let him do whatever he wanted to me, with me, right there in the living room.
“Fine,” I said, rising to my feet and trying not to smile too much. “I’ll go out with you on a real date.” Then a disturbing vision crossed my mind. “That is, as long as you don’t go all furry on me.”
“I promise not to turn into a werewolf, but who knows? Someday, you may beg me to see me in my fur coat, on all fours, behind you.”
The vision of him riding me from behind, as a werewolf, made me hotter than I thought was possible, or that I wanted to admit, even to myself.
I must have looked concerned because he rose and came to within a few inches of me, eyes sober. “I will never put you in harm’s way.”
“I know,” I whispered, leaning toward him.
His kiss was light, but filled me with such need, I could hardly stand it.
He gently pushed me away. “Not tonight. Maybe after our date. You need to sleep.”
Disappointed, I realized he was right. My body was in no shape for some serious hip-bumping.
He traced a finger along my cheek, branding me with his heat. “I’ll check on you in the morning, and we’ll plan our next date.”
I felt my lips curve upwards, and watched as his sexy ass retreated down my front steps.
Finding out I’m the Selected, destined to change the world of both the vampires and the werewolves, was a bit overwhelming. Blake later understood why Kieran had given me vampire blood. He wasn’t happy about it, and he complained incessantly about how bad having consumed blood made me smell, until my body processed Kieran’s blood and got rid of the offending odor. In the days to follow, my festering rogue bites were almost completely healed, and life was pretty much back to normal.
Well, as normal a life as a Selected could have.
Sydney’s adventures continue
in the second book
of the Tales of Sydney Sedrick series:
Betrayal Bites
Sydney Sedrick, cursed with the powers of the Selected, is monitored by the vampires and werewolves who covet her abilities to rid the city of one another. Sydney receives a summons to attend the Blood Rites Ball, an Elder vampire ceremony to determine her fate. The Midwestern Werewolf Pack demands her loyalty, while Blake, the heir to the wolf pack, is adamant she is his life-mate, meant to be together, forever. To make matters worse, an insider is betraying the vampires, leaking information to the rogues, who want Sydney dead.
Sydney’s powers grow as tension builds
between the vampires and werewolves
in the third book of the series:
Fanged Fury
Sydney is cursed by a lust spell forcing her to work with unsavory characters to find a way to break it before doing something she can’t undo, like sleeping with her sexy-as-sin, half vampire-half fate demon bodyguard. Complicating matters, a new werewolf comes to town, investigating the Midwestern Werewolf Pack, and Sydney must figure out a way to keep the local wolves from killing the newcomer before the entire Alabama pack come calling, ensuring chaos and bloodshed.