by Maddie Foxx
“He didn’t take part in that.”
“Oh, and did he stop Earl?”
“Well, no, but he left.”
“Why are you so willing to put all of this on yourself when you can’t even remember what happened?”
“Because I woke up naked and covered in blood, the chain pulled from the wall. It had to be me,” Tessa wailed.
“You need to get a grip, Tessa. Let this play out before you come unglued.”
“I’m already unglued, can’t you see?”
“Oh, I can see, but I don’t see Jason’s death as a bad thing. And you’re not the only one who might wish him dead, you know. There’s Carrie’s daughter, Ariel, and other shifters in Creeksboro. We all take care of our own here in the shifter population. Don’t put this on yourself. Go home and keep quiet. Don’t risk Raphael turning against you now. You might need him on your side.”
“And when he learns I’m a killer and I concealed it from him?”
“Again, unless you remember something, you’re not a killer.”
* * *
Tessa dressed in the clothing Paige had given her and she drove the ATV back to Raphael’s cabin. It was quite dark and she welcomed it. His light was on and she hoped he was alone because all she wanted to do was fall into his arms and lose herself in his kiss.
She knocked and when Raphael opened the door, concern was mirrored in his eyes. “I was so worried,” he murmured as he took her into his arms.
Raphael pulled her inside, one hand working into her hair while the other yanked her tee-shirt out of her jeans. He touched the small of her back, and she moaned into his mouth as his lips took hers into a fiery kiss. She held back nothing as she thrust her tongue into his mouth, seeking his, inhaling his fragrance, wanting to taste more than his mouth had to offer. She felt his cock pressed against her stomach and she enjoyed how it felt, aching to have it in her hand, entering her mouth, tasting him there, too.
She pulled away, panting. “Don’t you want to know where I’ve been?”
“Not now. I want to know what it sounds like when you come.”
“Are we alone?”
“Completely.”
A smile curved Tessa’s lips. This was what she needed even though it would be short-lived. She wanted to forget what had happened the night before, or what had almost happened. She wanted to live in the moment.
Raphael yanked off his shirt, revealing his muscular chest she’d never get bored of seeing, unbuttoning his jeans and pulling out that beautiful cock of his. As he moved to remove his jeans the rest of the way, Tessa took off her shirt and lowered her pants. Raphael closed the distance between them and pulled her to the table, bending her over it. She felt her bra being unhooked before her breasts were cupped in Raphael’s strong hands, his thumbs rolling her nipples until they were hard, stiff peaks.
She sighed as his hands left her breasts, but only momentarily as she felt his hot mouth at the top of her panties. He then used his teeth, tugging them down with a grunt. “The alpha wants to taste you now.” She almost exploded right then as his tongue worked his way down her crevice. She parted her thighs as he took his place between them, parting her wet folds with his eager tongue as he devoured her innermost reaches.
When his tongue entered her pussy, she pushed back, wanting to feel it deeper than she knew she could. He moved up, but she pushed him away. “No,” she demanded, dropping to her knees. She took her place in front of that magnificent cock she so longed to taste, willing her fangs to stay back so she could give him the moment. She licked around his head, paying attention to the crease, lapping up the juices, which appeared at the opening. Tessa knew he’d taste wonderful and musky, just like he smelled.
When she finally opened her lips wide to take him in, he pushed forward to assist her in her journey. She grabbed his balls with one hand, yanking on them as she worked her mouth. Raphael aided her by pumping his cock in and out of her mouth, not too deeply, but just enough to get the job done. When he finally let out a loud groan, he pulled free from her mouth.
“Enough. I w-want to be inside you,” he said.
Tessa smiled and moved to turn around again, but Raphael lifted her and drove deeply into her pussy. She gasped, but only momentarily as he carried her across the room, thrusting into her tightness until they were at the bed. Only then did he release her. Tessa lay down as Raphael positioned her feet over his shoulders and drove his cock in deeply. Tessa gasped only once, but that was when her eyesight was hazy like the last time they were together. The only thing she didn’t like about what he was doing was the lack of control for her. However, it might’ve been for the best as her fangs grew in her mouth and she snapped her jaw in his direction, wanting to drive them deeply into him.
“Be nice, Mistress Vampire. No biting in this bed,” Raphael said as he pumped her harder and harder until she screamed. Tessa felt herself turned and he took her from behind much more gently, working her slowly into an orgasm she never expected to come. She didn’t feel that Raphael was simply fucking her. He was taking his time and making sure she found hers before he tensed and filled her with his hot load.
He pulled out and lay next to her with a grin on his face.
“You seem awfully pleased with yourself,” Tessa said, balancing herself on an elbow.
She gasped as his fingers found her opening, stretching her as he inserted two fingers. She loved how great he was making her feel. Raphael apparently was experienced enough to know exactly how to find all those hidden places even she didn’t know she had. Like they had been lovers before this lifetime. She knew just how ridiculous that sounded, but it went deeper than that. It was as if she’d known Raphael for a very long time.
She hopped to her knees and as she gazed into Raphael’s eyes, she pounced on him. She feigned like she was intent on burying her fangs into him, but he tossed her off the bed with a thump.
“Hey, don’t be so rough.”
“You tried to bite me.”
Tessa stood and just shook her head at him. “If I had wanted to bite you, I would have.”
Raphael laughed. “That sounds like a challenge.”
“Really it’s not. I’m stronger than you.”
“Care to prove it?”
“I don’t want to hurt you, Raphael.”
“You couldn’t even if you wanted. I’m a werewolf and the strongest of my pack. Why else do you think I was appointed alpha?”
“I thought because it was your birth right or something. I don’t actually know that much about werewolves.”
“And I don’t know much about vampires, either.”
“I don’t know much about vampires and I am one.”
Raphael grabbed Tessa’s arm and pulled her back to bed, but she was having none of that. She had to prove to him just how powerful she was. She pushed him to the mattress and as he flopped to his stomach, she pushed a knee into his back.
“This isn’t turning me on,” Raphael said.
“Well, it’s turning me on.”
He shifted positions and took a hold of Tessa’s waist, pinning her to the bed as she smiled up at him. She reached out, worked her hand into the back of his hair, and yanked it back as he moved to kiss her. His eyes became animal-like and he buried her with his body, thrusting into her wetness. Tessa’s fangs grew in length with each thrust, and how she welcomed him taking her like this. He was much rougher as he pulled free and pushed her face down on the bed. He straddled her back and she kicked her legs, wanting to feel that glorious cock inside her again. She felt her ass parted and Raphael pressed a finger inside her tightness. Tessa’s eyes widened at the invasion until she felt his other hand cup her mound. He kept rubbing against it as he slowly worked his finger in her ass until she threw her head back and made a noise, which didn’t sound human or animal, but a little of both. He growled in her ear that he had to leave her and he was off the bed and out the door just like that.
Tessa rolled to her back, enjoying the breeze that m
ade its way inside the cabin. She gazed out the door and the moon looked almost full that night, too, but she knew time had passed.
She wasn’t upset by Raphael’s departure. Katlyn had told her before that Brendan had to leave as he couldn’t control his beast one time. It so wouldn’t have been the moment for him to shift into a werewolf. It would’ve been crossing a line she wouldn’t welcome.
CHAPTER FIVE
The smile, which had curved on Tessa’s lips, vanished as she heard the sound of a truck pull up alongside the cabin. She grabbed the blanket and covered herself, vulnerable. Raphael left the door wide open and there she was, quite naked and prepared to stay that way since her clothes were across the room.
Someone appeared in the doorway and it was too dark to see who except that it was a man. Tessa inhaled his musky fragrance and a hint of perfume that she knew belonged to Katlyn.
“Brendan?” Tessa asked.
“Yes, it’s me. Why is the door open?”
“Raphael apparently had the urge to shift and left abruptly.”
Brendan laughed low in his throat. “I’ll close the door so you can get dressed, but then I need to talk to you.”
When the door was shut, Tessa’s heart rapped against her chest like a drum. Had Brendan found out what she had done to Jason? Had Paige told him? She got up and hastily dressed, praying that Raphael would stay gone long enough to speak with Brendan privately. Tessa hadn’t made a decision to tell Raphael what really happened in that cabin, even the part where she was nearly raped. She shuddered thinking about it, and not just that part, but how Jason and Earl had met their violent end. She just wished she could remember what really happened that night. It wasn’t that she didn’t think she could trust Raphael with the truth; it was just that they were finally getting closer. Would he still want her if he found out what she was capable of, especially around the children?
Tessa opened the door, taking a huge breath while her insides felt like jelly and her legs wobbly. She didn’t know what to expect when she finally faced Brendan. She came off the clapboard porch with a creaking of the wood as Brendan turned.
“Something has happened.”
“Is it Carrie?” Tessa asked in a panic.
“No, there’s been no change in her condition. That’s not why I’m here. Where were you the night of the full moon?”
Tessa trembled involuntarily and it was all she could not to let Brendan know the truth. “I went to Shadow Creek to see how Carrie was doing.”
“And after that?”
“Where is this leading, Brendan? I don’t think I need to give you the whole rundown on my activities of that night.”
“I think you do. There’s been a livestock loss, or I should say massacre.”
“I don’t understand. Did you lose cattle that night?”
“No, but one of the ranchers had thirty sheep massacred.”
Tessa gasped. “And you think I’m responsible?”
“It wouldn’t surprise me. Vampires get hungry and when they do, they can’t always control themselves, especially a new-blood like you.”
Tessa bit down on her lower lip. “There’s no way I’d murder thirty sheep. That’s not only overkill, but I don’t need that many to satisfy me. I’ve lived on far less.”
“And that’s all you have to say for yourself?”
“Yes, that’s all of it.”
“You better come up with a timeline before the sheriff gets here.”
“Why would he be coming out here?”
“Clayton told the sheriff in confidence about what you are.”
Tessa’s head began to ache. She didn’t like how Brendan was speaking to her. “You talk about me like I’m some kind of monster.”
“Whoever killed those sheep certainly isn’t human.”
“Why would Clayton tell the sheriff about me? I thought it wouldn’t be good if people in town found out that I’m a vampire?”
“I know, but I’m not responsible for Clayton’s actions and he’s the one leading this investigation. This is going to go bad for all of us if he doesn’t figure out who killed those sheep.”
“When you say killed, you mean drained of blood or something else?”
“They were ripped apart. I’ve never seen anything like that before. If it was an animal, why were the sheep left behind? They didn’t appear eaten, just mutilated. Every one of us, shifters and vampire alike, will be on alert. Clayton will be coming after all of us for this.”
“Did this happen close to Shadow Creek?”
“No, to the north.”
Tessa gulped, but did so quietly. “I see, but the night of the full moon brings out plenty of shifters at night, even full-blood werewolves. I’ve heard there are some in Creeksboro.”
“No, there’s only one, Dr. Evans, and he chains himself to the wall in his basement on the night of a full moon.” Brendan paused. “I’m shocked you’d place the blame on a man you don’t even know.”
“I’m not blaming him. I just heard some talk about full-bloods possibly pushing into this area.”
“You’re misinformed. There’s simply no evidence to support that. Until this is cleared up, I think you should stick closer to Silver Creek and not come to Shadow Creek. It’s hectic enough with Carrie’s condition.”
Tears wet Tessa’s eyes, but she blinked them back. “You don’t want me near your sons?”
“I have a family and ranch to protect. I just would feel better knowing if I can truly trust you, Tessa, or if you really are capable of doing something like this.”
“I’m telling you it isn’t me. It can’t be.”
“You can’t even tell me where you were that night.”
“I could under different circumstances.” She wanted to say that she just had a memory lapse, but how could she possibly explain that to him? He was already pointing fingers squarely at her.
“That’s bothersome, Tessa, but for all of our sakes, I hope you’re not guilty of this. When the sheriff shows up, you had better come up with a timeline where you were. They won’t be so easily swayed.”
“You mean like you?” Tessa spat. “I think you’ve already judged me.”
Tessa walked back in the cabin, barely making it to the table before the tears fell. She didn’t blame Brendan totally, but he seemed like he just wouldn’t believe any story she came up with. She could simply have told him that she had a memory lapse, that she woke up covered in blood and very well might have murdered two humans, right? No, she couldn’t do that. She just hoped she could convince the sheriff that she was innocent and wasn’t into killing livestock.
Tessa rubbed the back of her neck when the door opened, Raphael’s bare feet thumping against the floor as he walked toward her. He kissed the back of her neck and she pulled away.
“Not now, Raphael,” Tessa said weakly. “Brendan was just here and I’m barred from Shadow Creek. I can’t even see the babies,” she sniveled.
Raphael pulled her chair around, his eyes boring into hers. “Why did he say that? That doesn’t sound like Brendan at all.”
“Thirty sheep were murdered north of here. Brendan told me the sheriff would be here to question me. Clayton told him I was a vampire apparently.”
“That doesn’t sound good, but Clayton is responsible for investigating any livestock losses. I’m sure once he investigates he’ll find out who took those sheep.”
“It was worse than that. Those sheep were mutilated. Ripped apart, actually, was what Brendan said.”
Raphael fell silent for a moment and said, “If this happened on the full moon, it could be a shifter.”
“But the sheep were not eaten, only ripped apart.”
“I could check to make sure Dr. Evans had chained himself up before the moon rose that night.”
Tessa’s eyes widened. “Chained?”
“Yes, it’s the only way a full-blood can stop themselves when they shift. They’re not like a normal shifter.”
“I know, but I didn’t
even think they would do anything that drastic.” Tessa paused then said, “I don’t want to put it on anyone. It’s just that it couldn’t have been me.”
Raphael gave Tessa a hug, and he whispered into her ear, “Don’t worry. We’ll find out who did this.”
“I need to come up with an elaborate timeline that night if they’re coming to ask me what happened.”
“Where exactly were you last night?”
Tessa frowned. “Why ask me that now and not before?”
“I was just happy to see you, I guess.” He smiled.
“This isn’t funny. I feel like I’ve been singled out to be responsible here. What if they don’t believe me? I can’t remember exactly what happened that night except for visiting Carrie to see how she was.”
“And how is she? I meant to ask Seth, but he’s been unreachable. When I called Shadow Creek he wasn’t there.”
“I called and left you a message last night, didn’t you get it?”
“I left my phone at the main house,” he said.
“Oh, well, there’s been no change with her. She’s still unconscious.”
“What about Melody?”
“She won’t leave her mother, not yet anyway, but Paige will look out for her.” Tessa rubbed the back of her neck to loosen the stress knot nagging at her. “I wish I could go there and try to coax Melody home, but Brendan made himself quite clear that I was to stay away.”
* * *
Raphael wanted to support Tessa, take her into his arms, and bury himself deep within her to get her out of her foul mood. “So, you don’t remember what happened that night?”
“No, and it’s going to be hard to convince anyone of anything if I can’t even remember where I went that night.”
Raphael’s face darkened. He felt she wasn’t totally being honest with him, so he asked, “When was the last time you saw Seth?”
“Before the full moon. Remember when I came back from Shadow Creek looking for Carrie?” Tessa didn’t like where the conversation was going. “If you’re assuming I hooked up with Seth that night, you’re wrong. He wasn’t even at Shadow Creek when I went there to see Carrie.”