by Kristie Cook
They were swept through the grand foyer and into a great hall where an orchestra played and vampires danced and mingled. Jewels took Mindy’s hand and led them around until they found their friends. They chatted, and Mindy even danced with a friend from work, grateful Nana had taught her how to waltz. She immediately pushed the thought of Nana out of her mind and forced herself to focus on the here and now. That had been the final decision maker to even come—knowing she needed a distraction from the day’s events.
And what a distraction this had turned out to be. Not at all what she’d imagined, which had been a dark basement with Normans being taken by the vamps in whatever way they desired, passing the humans along to each other, both mouths and legs open wide. She’d expected a bloody orgy, in other words. The Daemoni were known for such things even when it wasn’t a holiday.
She certainly hadn’t expected a glamorous mansion, ballroom dancing, and champagne. But, she concluded, vampires were gluttonous in all ways, so she really shouldn’t have been surprised that some—most from her city, it seemed—reveled in the luxuries only money could provide.
A dinging sound rang through the room. The orchestra fell silent and all conversation ceased.
“Dinner will be served momentarily,” a bodiless voice carried through the grand hall. “We ask that you make your way to the banquet room.”
As a whole, the crowd moved for the double doors in the side of the hall, to where, apparently, dinner would be served. Mindy paused, hesitating. She’d assumed too soon that this would be a night of elegance and propriety. This was the part she didn’t want to participate in.
“Come on,” Jewels whispered as she hooked her arm into Mindy’s. “You don’t have to drink. Or eat. Or whatever. But don’t stay here by yourself. It will look ... uncouth.”
Uncouth. Mindy tried not to laugh at the word and strode alongside Jewels. Shock once again hit the vampire when they entered the banquet room. Several round tables were scattered about, each of them covered in a spread of traditional Thanksgiving food—dozens of turkeys, bowls of stuffing and mashed potatoes, boats of gravy, platters of vegetables, and dinner rolls.
The vampires chose their seats, but none of them sat down, so Mindy stood behind hers like everyone else did. She looked around the room with curiosity as the vamps all took their places and the room settled into a disturbing quiet. Then Normans filed through one door and into the room. Mindy began to gnaw on her lip as the humans made their way to the tables and took the seats. A very handsome young man about Mindy’s age, with a head-full of dark hair and the sexiest lips she’d ever seen, sat in the chair before her. As if her mouth could fall open even more, it did when Jewels’ Norman sat in the chair in front of her.
“Let the feast begin!” called out the same voice.
The humans dug in. And so did the vampires. The Normans feasted on turkey and the trimmings and the vampires feasted on the Normans. Mindy only watched, not able to bring herself to partake.
“Oh, Mindy, the turkey is delicious,” Jewels said when she came up from Norman’s throat for a breath. “Try it.”
Mindy’s brows pushed together.
“Yes, try it,” said the man sitting in front of her. He tilted his head, exposing his neck to her. His vein pulsed invitingly. His tongue slid over his lips as his hand reached up to her face. He pulled her down to him. “Please try it. I’ve been waiting for your lips on my throat. I guarantee you’ll like it.”
As his scent, mixed with the fragrance of the food, filled Mindy’s nose, her mouth salivated. He pulled her closer until their lips touched. Kissed her until her knees nearly buckled. Opened his mouth so she could taste the turkey on his tongue. But that’s not what he meant. He suddenly twisted, his hand clamped against her head, and practically forced her to drink from him. And when his blood filled her mouth, it was the most delectable flavor she’d ever tasted. Sexy man mixed with a holiday feast.
They all ate beyond their fill. Drank until they were daft. Kissed and sucked and stroked until they climaxed. It really was a bloody orgy. And Mindy loved every minute of it. She ate and played with her new guy, and he ate and played with her, both of them enjoying each other’s bodies until the new day dawned and Thanksgiving was over.
And then they went back to her apartment for dessert.
Every tradition has a start somewhere, Mindy thought as she lay in her new guy’s arms (she really needed to find out his name), and she’d now started a new Thanksgiving tradition for herself: The Vampire Thanksgiving Feast. A feast like no other.
BELONGING
This next short story, Belonging, introduces a couple of new characters in the Soul Savers world, as well as including some secondary characters you’ve already met. Again, it does not fit in any particular place in the main Soul Savers Series chronology, although it would definitely be before the events that conclude Wrath (Book 5). This couple has found a special place in my heart. I hope you love them as much as I do!
Chapter 1
The wolf sprinted through the woods, the sounds of heavy footfalls not far behind and the echo of the gunshot still ringing in her ears. Her powerful legs carried her faster in a rhythmic pace, the air sucking in and out of her nose, a growl at the base of her throat. She sprang over a fallen tree and scurried under another, before pushing her legs harder. Her ears twitched backwards as she listened for her pursuers, but she seemed to be putting a nice distance between them. Not a safe distance yet, but hopefully soon.
She imagined what she looked like—all beast with midnight black fur and the distinct white marking on her chest—as she ran through the forest. The awe-inspiring image of her pack mates when they ran came to mind, and she hoped she looked just as majestic. She certainly felt as though she was beautiful and powerful, a gorgeous creature outrunning the enemy. She felt that way for now anyway.
But the soul within her didn’t truly believe she was a gorgeous creature, not when she knew the kind of blood that ran through her veins, the grotesque hunger that made her wolf’s stomach growl. Not when she knew that the so-called enemy were merely normal humans—Normans—who simply protected themselves. Just as she would have done not too many years ago. After all, she may have been a lone wolf this time, but a pack, either her old one or another, had left their mark on the Normans’ village. And how were they to know she had nothing to do with those killings?
The wolf quirked her ears again to listen, but heard nothing. Not the signs of Normans, anyway. Only a stream rushing nearby, the wind in the few leaves that remained overhead, and the sounds of scurrying animals on the forest floor. She’d outrun them! She slowed to a trot then an amble as she sniffed the air. She followed her nose and ears to the squirrel under a pile of leaves. One quick strike and the rodent was hers. Not exactly her preferred dinner, but likely the only meal she would have until tomorrow. She tried not to think about what she was doing as her teeth picked the meat from the squirrel’s bones. It’s better than a human, she reminded herself. The thought sent a shiver down her spine, and she shook it out.
While hunting for a place to curl up for the night, she came to the edge of the forest, and a spectacular sunset lit up the sky over the low Appalachian mountains. The wolf sat on her hind haunches and gazed at the glowing pink and yellow sky. A thin stream of white smoke caught her eye, and her gaze followed it down to a chimney on a small house at the base of the mountain. She sniffed the air and inhaled the wonderful scent of burning leaves and wood—a scent of memories, of happiness, of coziness and warmth. The scent of a lifetime long gone. The wolf looked back toward the sky and, unable to help herself, let out a long howl.
She turned back for the woods, skirting its edges as she returned to her hunt for a safe place to sleep. Her eyes kept darting back to the little house, and her heart ached to go nearer. But that would be stupid. Unsafe. Normans were there, and she’d spent half the day running away from them. Why on Earth did she so badly want to run for them? She knew that answer deep in her heart, but
she ignored it.
Just as she eyed what appeared to be a hollow log big enough for her to curl up inside, a snapping sound tore through the quiet and pain clawed at her back paw. The wolf yelped and turned. A steel trap! She remembered her brothers setting such contraptions many years ago. And now one had her. The thing’s teeth dug into her flesh, and she couldn’t help the whimper. The animal lay down on her side, stared at the sky, and whined. But she’d only allow such self-pity for a minute. Then she’d suck it up, knowing the one thing she had to do to free herself from the trap. With a sigh—the air was cold and she’d soon be freezing—the beautiful black beast closed her eyes and forced the change.
“What the hell?” a low voice demanded. A Norman jogged into the woods, coming to a full stop when he saw Rissa lying on the ground, completely naked, the trap enclosing her ankle. “I thought ... good thing I heard that wolf and came running. He could be anywhere. How the hell did you get caught in this?”
Rissa ignored the man, not able to even bring her eyes up to his face. She tried to curl into a ball, hiding what she could of her girl bits, but the trap dragged at her ankle, the steel teeth still gnawing at her skin. She bit back another cry. The man knelt down beside her. Rissa tried to spring away and let out a gasp with the pain.
“Relax, sweetheart,” the man said. “Let me help you before you make it worse.”
She peered at him, but couldn’t see his face. He kept it turned to the side, toward her feet, averted from her nakedness. All she could see was dark hair curling over the edges of a gray beanie, dark scruff on his jaw, and a tall body clad in an orange winter vest, a black hoodie underneath, and jeans. His large hands grasped at the metal jaws of the trap, and the golden words Georgia Tech that decorated his hoodie’s sleeves rippled as the fabric strained against his bulging muscles. As soon as her ankle was released, Rissa quickly pulled her leg away. She curled into a ball, trying to hide her most private parts. Her body shivered from both cold and fear. This man would have questions. All kinds of questions. She needed to get away and fast.
Gentle fingers skimmed over her foot, and she looked down with terrified eyes. The man—who was about her age, barely more than a boy—wiped away the blood trickling down her ankle. She jumped back at his touch. Pain shot through her leg.
“I’m so sorry,” he said. “I thought I’d cleaned up all the traps, but it’s not like there are usually people traipsing around these woods. What were you doing out here, sweetheart? And if you don’t mind me asking, where the hell are your clothes?”
And there were the questions. They were only the beginning, she was sure. His eyes skimmed over her shins and her arms—the only parts he could really see, thankfully the light was dimming as the sun fell further behind the mountain—and to her face. Something flickered in his dark eyes, but Rissa nearly missed it, too busy staring at his mesmerizing face. Especially his lips—full, kissable lips. She wondered what they tasted like. She licked her own lips and moved her gaze to his eyes, a dark brown like her own. The initial glint brightened into a twinkle as he watched her stare at him and he returned the favor.
I have to get out of here. As though the reminder were a prod in the ass, Rissa sprang to her feet to run. But more pain jolted through her leg, all the way to her hip. Her ankle immediately gave out, and she fell to her hands and knees, giving the stranger quite an eyeful. With a frustrated cry, she collapsed to her side again and returned to her ball shape. Every profane word she knew flew through her mind.
“Looks like it’s broken,” the stranger said.
“It’s fine,” Rissa said through clenched teeth, her human voice rough. “I’ll be fine. Just leave me alone. Please.”
The guy chuckled, the sound laced with disbelief. “You’re a young woman alone in the woods, severely injured, and naked at that. No way can I just leave you here.”
“I said I’ll be fine,” Rissa snapped. “Just go!”
The man rose to his feet, took one stride over to her, and knelt beside her again. Too quick for her to react, he scooped his arms underneath her and lifted her as he stood.
“Not a chance, sweetheart,” he said.
Rissa struggled but only for a short moment, because the movement only increased the pain in her foot. She considered changing back to her wolf form, but he held her so closely against his chest, she wasn’t sure she could. On the other hand, the transformation would surely surprise him, giving her an opportunity to escape. Yet, something kept her from doing so, kept her in his arms as he headed for the house with the smoke rising from the chimney.
“The holiday season’s coming, you know,” he said as he walked up the front steps. “ I won’t exactly be making brownie points with Santa if I leave you out there, unable to walk, and no place to go for miles. Let’s get you inside and warmed up, then I’ll take you wherever you want to go.”
Rissa held back a snort. The holidays. Was it that late in the year already? She didn’t really care. She didn’t have a home. No family to go back to. The holidays were a part of her old life. Now she had nothing to be grateful for, no comfort or joy in her life.
As the stranger carried her inside his home, laid her on the couch, and covered her with a heavy blanket, she looked up into his kind eyes, and for the first time since she’d been bitten six years ago, she wondered if there was something left in her to live for. To be thankful for.
Chapter 2
“What’s your name?” the guy asked as he stood over her.
Rissa’s nose twitched—something here smelled strange, but she couldn’t pinpoint the faint odor—but she kept her mouth shut. He didn’t need to know her name. He didn’t need to know anything about her. She needed to get the hell out of here before this went any further.
He continued staring at her expectantly, and when she didn’t answer, his dark eyes twinkled. “Well, then. I guess I’ll start. I’m Gray.”
Rissa’s brows pushed together. Gray? What kind of name was that? Was it even a name? The stranger must have seen the curiosity killing her because he grinned widely. Dimples punctuated his smile, and Rissa’s thighs quivered in response.
“That’s what everyone calls me, for many reasons. Maybe I’ll tell you one if you tell me your name.”
Her eyes cut away from him and his fabulous smile, and she scowled at the blanket. After another long moment pregnant with expectation, Gray must have given up on her. He rose to his feet and strode away, and Rissa watched him through her lashes. He had wide shoulders, a narrow waist, and a confident stride that screamed, “Hot sex here.” Rissa swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. Once Gray’s perfect ass disappeared through a doorway, she came to her senses and seized the opportunity.
She bolted to her feet and quickly gathered the blanket around her. Once she was outside in the dark night and far enough away, she wouldn’t need it. She could change and stay warm in her own fur coat. But for now, she’d already given Gray enough to look at; he didn’t need to see any more. She tested her weight on the injured ankle. It had already begun to heal—a nice, wolfy benefit—but remained pretty sore. She’d toughed out much worse, though. Gritting her teeth, she rushed for the back door in the kitchen, the one Gray had carried her through only minutes before.
He already stood in front of it, something in his hands, a smile on his face, and a challenge in his eyes. “I told you, I can’t let you go back out there alone, especially in the dark. There’s nowhere for you to go, and it’s too dangerous.”
“I—I can take care of myself,” Rissa said.
Gray’s gaze skimmed over her, and though the blanket covered everything but her head and feet, the look in his eyes remained appreciative. Yep, he’d seen too much earlier. He didn’t have to see her now to know what she kept covered.
“I’m sure you can, sweetheart,” he said. “Until you step into another trap, anyway.”
Rissa’s nostrils flared. “Did you set those?”
She’d grown up with brothers who loved to hunt and trap, and
every season she’d begged them not to do it. Sometimes she’d even follow them into the woods behind their house and spring the traps herself so no animal would get caught up in one. And when they did, she’d set them free every chance she had. Now that she’d become one of those animals who could be caught, she hated the things even more.
Gray chuckled darkly. “Not a chance. Some assholes around here come on our property and set them like they own the place. Whenever I get up here, cleaning them up is one of the first things I do.”
“Why?” Rissa blurted, forgetting that she was trying to get away from this guy, not hold a long, drawn-out conversation.
“Damn things are a nuisance. Dangerous to humans and animals alike.”
Score one for Gray. Rissa shook her head, both to that thought and to Gray’s answer. “No, I mean, why do they come on your property if they know you don’t want the traps there? Isn’t that trespassing or something?”
“Yeah,” he said, his voice suddenly gruff. “Trespassing. But they don’t give a shit. They’ll do anything to capture the wolves.” Something dark and dangerous flickered in his eyes, but then he shrugged and held out wads of fabric toward her. “I don’t even want to know what happened to your clothes, but you can wear these until I get you home. Mind if we eat first, though? I was just about to start dinner when I heard the wolf howl and then found you.”
Rissa’s eyes flickered to the window in the back door. Night had settled in completely, and the dark outside made the window more of a mirror. She nearly jumped at her own image reflecting back at her—dark eyes that looked too big for her face, hollowed cheeks, and a rat’s nest of curly hair. Her mouth already watered at the thought of real food, and by the looks of her, she really needed it.
“You look like you could use a good meal,” Gray said, echoing her thoughts. He thrust the clothes at her again, and she had no choice but to take them. As soon as she did, he nodded toward a door off the kitchen. “Bathroom’s over there. Help yourself to whatever you need.”