ClaimMe

by Calista Fox

“Will it be difficult for you to be separated from him?” Jude asked.

  She gave this the consideration it was due. Having been Drake’s assistant and occasional lover for nearly five decades had naturally resulted in a certain attachment between them, yes. But…

  “I’ve kind of gotten used to him being gone lately. Besides,” she said as she lifted her head and gazed at Jude, “it would be infinitely more difficult to be separated from the two of you.” Which begged a critical question. “Where will we go? Niagara Falls?”

  Jude’s muscles instantly bunched and tension filled the room. She glanced over her shoulder at Cray and found his causal disposition had turned strained.

  “What is it?” she asked, an uneasy feeling swirling low in her belly.

  “We’ll take you to Montana,” Jude said in his alpha voice. “I have a place in Helena, but we’ll move you into Cray’s ranch house in the country. The pack has homes close by. It’ll be safe there.”

  Working her way out of his embrace, she sat up, though she was still in Jude’s lap. “Safe?” she asked. “From who?”

  Jude winced. “It’s not so much a ‘who’ anymore, but a what. Rogue wolf. He rarely takes human form these days.”

  “And who is he?” she demanded, a chilling sensation pushing out some of the heat her imprinters brought to her. “Why would I be in danger from—oh.”

  She felt that jagged-edge pain of Jude’s again. Not to the extent she previously had, because she’d helped to alleviate some of it. But it still existed.

  “Celine.”

  That one word she whispered amped up the tension significantly.

  “His name is Vincent,” Cray told her. “He was one of our pack members, until he broke the rules and killed another wolf. One from an allied pack that is part of Jude’s family. He was disavowed, per our laws. Unfortunately, he retaliated by mauling Celine within an inch of her human life and leaving her in the woods, unable to shift or self-heal.”

  Something dark and ominous slithered down Jane’s spine. She stood, albeit on shaky legs. She reached for her dress and slipped it on. Cray joined her and zipped it for her.

  As her gaze wandered about the room for her panties—ah, there they were, peeking out from under one of the sofas—Cray continued, his tone lightening. “Don’t be scared. He wouldn’t dare set a paw on the ranch.”

  “Somehow, that’s not as comforting as you might think,” she said in a dour tone as she finished dressing.

  Jude got to his feet and quickly dressed as well. Then he said, “We tracked him to Niagara. He won’t get far from us. Cray and I can handle him ourselves and the pack will stay with you at the ranch.”

  Aside from the fear of a vampire slayer getting wind of her existence and tracking her, she hadn’t given much thought to her immortal demise in decades. Slayers were so rare these days and she was so reclusive, she doubted she’d ever been on anyone’s radar screen. But that just might have changed…

  “You think Vincent might continue his revenge on you when he finds out about me?” she asked Jude.

  He nodded. “But it won’t happen. And, granted, we shouldn’t have come here without taking care of the problem first. I’m sorry, Jane. But when the imprinting nature calls…it’s impossible not to answer.”

  “I don’t regret what happened between us or blame you for acting first,” she told him. “I’m not afraid. I can handle myself. What concerns me is that the two of you are considering hunting him alone. Why not leave me here with Drake and take your pack with you to find Vincent?”

  This pricked alpha and imprinter nerves. Jude said, “That’s not possible.”

  She laughed, despite the intensity of the moment. “You saw how protective Drake is of me. Do you really think he’d let a rogue wolf you’re hunting get within fifty feet of me?”

  Jude turned away. He rubbed the back of his neck and she felt the angst ripple through him.

  To Cray, she said, “Celine didn’t see the attack coming, did she?” Jane suspected she hadn’t been prepared for the onslaught or she would have had more of a fighting chance. Jude wouldn’t have been so deeply in love with someone who couldn’t take care of herself. Jane was certain of it. He had too much strength and power himself to not require that in a mate.

  Cray shook his head. “We expected Vincent to account for his actions and then move on. Instead, he stalked Celine, caught her alone and unawares and showed no mercy.”

  A dark chill slithered down Jane’s spine. “Poor thing.” Gripping Jude’s forearm, she said, “If, indeed, he knows anything about me, he’d be taking quite a risk coming after me. He’d pick up Drake’s scent as well. Would he even want to tangle with two vampires at this point?”

  “There’s no telling what he’s willing to do now,” Jude told her. “We lost his scent up north, right around the time we picked up yours. For all we know, he’s gone to Nova Scotia to avoid us.”

  That put her more at ease. “You’re hunting him and he knows it. Not the other way around.”

  “I couldn’t let the slight go, Jane.”

  “Of course not. I…” She shook her head. She hadn’t let the one against Sean go either. Though killing a slayer—killing anything or anyone—had not sat well with her. She hadn’t attacked the slayer as a vampire might, per se. She hadn’t bitten him and drained him dry. Rather, she’d used the same tactic he’d employed to murder Sean. She’d staked him and burned him.

  Jude and Cray both seemed to pick up on her sudden consternation. Cray asked, “Did you avenge your lover’s death?”

  She nodded before turning away, her stomach coiling tight. “How could I not?”

  “Then you understand what we must do,” Jude said in a quiet voice that still managed to convey his authority. “And you know we will do anything in our power to keep you out of harm’s way while we do it.”

  “I don’t doubt that,” she said as she turned back to the two men. “What I’m saying is…” Her hands shook and she wrung them absently. “I can’t just be left to wonder whether you’re okay. Montana’s so far away. I’d rather be with you, but if that’s not possible, at least let me stay close by. Here in Manhattan.”

  She would have insisted on this—absolutely putting her foot down—but she’d already learned Jude’s will was stronger than hers. She had to appeal to him in a different manner. To give him the respect he was due as the alpha, while trying to reason with his rational side.

  Cray let out a low growl as he shoved a hand through his messy hair. “She has a point, Jude. We’d be distracted ourselves if she were that far away from us.”

  “Then what do you suggest?” Jude demanded as his gaze locked with Cray’s. His frustration was as palpable as his concern for her safety.

  “If you don’t trust Drake to protect her, then we have to take her with us.”

  “On a hunt?” Jude asked between clenched teeth.

  “It’s not like I’d slow you down.” Jane’s soft voice filled the room and both pairs of mesmerizing eyes snapped to her. She didn’t back down. “I can run just as fast as you, I assure you. I can go months without sleeping and I can hunt in rural areas when I need to feed. The two of you would be much saner knowing you were protecting me and I would be able to breathe easier too, knowing you’re close by.”

  “And what happens when Vincent catches your scent and decides to prey on you to continue his revenge or to devastate both of us?” This question came from Jude, who simply would not yield.

  She lifted her chin a notch and squared her shoulders. “I’m smart and I have good instincts. I killed a slayer, for Christ’s sake. Test me if you must, but have some faith in me.”

  Her plea—and the fact that he’d unintentionally insulted her—seemed to drive some of the tension from him. He reached for one of her hands and pulled her to him.

  Staring down at her, he said in a gentler tone, “I’m not questioning your ability to protect yourself or to help us, Jane. I simply can’t experience again what I
went through with Celine. Particularly when it comes to you.”

  “I understand that,” she said, letting go of some of her own frustration. “It’s the same for me when it comes to you and Cray. It was horrific losing Sean and we weren’t bound together the way the three of us are. But I don’t think there’s any other choice than to take me with you.”

  “She’s right.” Cray didn’t even hesitate or vacillate further over the course of action they needed to take. “You won’t be able to focus on what needs to be done if she’s not with us. Neither will I. You’re already tormented by knowing that to avenge Celine’s death, and your cousin’s, you have to destroy Vincent. If Jane’s not with us, your emotions will be doubly taxed.”

  Jane hated the pressure they put on Jude. She could feel how heavily this decision weighed on his soul.

  She said, “I won’t do anything to intentionally put myself in jeopardy. I’ll do whatever you ask of me. Just…take me with you.”

  He nodded. “It’s right up there with imprinting on you. I have no choice in the matter, do I?”

  Though he was resigned to the inevitable, she could see it still troubled him greatly. But she wouldn’t concede. She had to be with them.

  “I’ll tell Drake while you get us a cab. I have a backpack at home. I can be changed and packed in seconds.”

  She rushed out of the room, telling the salon attendant—who Drake had obviously instructed not to bother them—to lock the salon door and not let anyone in. Drake would have to replace the sofa before he reopened that room.

  Quickly making her way upstairs, she shared with Drake everything—well, almost everything—that had transpired downstairs with Jude and Cray, including telling him about Celine and Vincent. When she got to the part where they’d all agreed she’d go with her imprinters, Drake shot to his feet and planted his hands on his desk, leaning forward and pinning her with a hard and somewhat crazed look.

  “Absolutely not, Jane!” he spat. “You can’t possibly consider going on a hunt like that and putting yourself in danger.”

  “We’re long past considering, Drake.” She fought to keep the exasperation from her tone—all of her men seemed inclined to protect her. Not a bad thing by any means, but somewhat inconvenient at the moment, given the circumstances. Rushing on, she said, “It’s a done deal. I just feel bad I’m leaving you in a bit of a lurch. I said I’d stay on at Body Scenes and now I’m reneging.”

  “Body Scenes is my responsibility, ultimately. Don’t worry about the club. But, Jane,” his expression turned grave, “are you sure you know what you’re doing? What you’re getting yourself into?”

  She sighed. “I know I’ll go stark raving mad if I’m here and they’re out there…somewhere…and I have no way to keep tabs on them.”

  “I’m sure they have cell phones,” he said in a dry tone.

  “They’ll be in wolf form, Drake. They’re hunting, for Christ’s sake.”

  He groaned. “You and two wolves out looking for a murderous ex-pack member. Yes, that sits really well with me, Jane.”

  “I know how you feel. I’m sorry. I hate that you’ll worry about me. But I’ll have my cell. I promise to keep in touch. I also swore to do exactly as the alpha tells me to do, so you know I’ll be safe.”

  One of his dark brows lifted. “You swore to do exactly as someone tells you to? You, Jane? Really?”

  She laughed. “You’d be surprised the concessions I’m willing to make for these two. I belong with them, Drake. But I will return. After all of this is over, I’ll come back so I can see you and Shana. Following that, I believe I’ll be moving to Montana.”

  “Montana! Jane, what are you thinking?” His look turned incredulous.

  “Drake,” she said in a soft tone meant to pacify him. Emotion welled within her as she implored, “You have a new wife. Let me have a new life.”

  He raked a hand through his dark hair as a puff of air hissed through his lips. She adored him for caring so much about her, but her mind was made up. And she knew it was the right decision.

  “Fine,” he finally said, clearly seeing in her eyes this was what she truly desired. “You know all I want is for you to be happy. If this is what you want—”

  “It is,” she assured him.

  “Please call me,” he insisted. “Regularly. I don’t give a damn whether your alpha gets annoyed. He’ll just have to deal with it.”

  She smiled. “He’s learning how to share me.”

  “I’m sure I don’t even want to know to what extent.”

  “Good. I don’t have time to dish the details. Although…Salon B does need a new sofa.”

  He actually chuckled. “You just can’t do anything in a normal way, can you, Jane?”

  “Vampire, remember?” She was finally able to accept that fate and was decidedly relieved to be immortal. It had a multitude of advantages, after all.

  She rounded the desk and gave Drake a quick kiss on the cheek. Then she said, “I’ll be back soon.”

  “You’d better be.”

  Squeezing his hand, she told him, “You’ve been my dearest friend for five decades. That’s another bond in my existence that can’t be broken.”

  Releasing him, she turned away and hurried back downstairs, where Jude and Cray awaited her curbside, the back door of a taxi opened for her.

  She slid in between the two men and gave her address to the driver. Elation and apprehension were two contradictory emotions that had no business mingling together, but they did just that in Jane’s stomach. She was thrilled to be with Jude and Cray. Deliriously happy to be tied to them in such a significant and powerful way.

  She was also terrified of what lay ahead for the three of them.

  They obviously shared similar feelings, because they didn’t utter a word on the way to her apartment. When they reached her building, the doorman did his duty and opened the back door of the car. Cray stepped out, then turned to Jane, not allowing the doorman to continue his job and assist her from the car. Jude paid the fare and they were just about to enter the complex when all three of them pulled up short at the same time.

  That dark and ominous sensation snaked down Jane’s spine again.

  “Let’s take a walk,” Jude suggested in a strained tone.

  The disconcerting scent wafting their way was so faint, of course a human could never catch wind of it. But they did.

  Jane bade her doorman a good evening and walked along with Jude and Cray, tightly packed between them.

  Cray said, “Vincent must have followed us to Manhattan, wondering why we’d abandoned the chase.”

  “If that’s the case,” Jude said, “he would have smelled Jane’s scent mixed with ours this evening. And now, for sure, he knows about her.”

  They walked stealthily toward the aroma that grew stronger to their ultra-heightened senses. It felt as though Jane’s heart was lodged in her throat, but she would show no fear.

  Oh fuck. It was irrelevant for her to hide her fear. Wolves could smell it. She’d forgotten that part.

  Still, she’d made her bed. She’d do whatever she could to stay out of immortal jeopardy, because that would only comprise her lovers’ safety. She couldn’t suffer through that again.

  They rounded the corner and crossed the street to Central Park. It was past two in the morning and there were very few people milling about, other than the revelers who’d just left the bars and the homeless who were looking for someplace to sleep tonight.

  Their stealthy advance on Vincent morphed into a predatory stalking. All dressed in black, they blended into the shadows as they wove their way through a thick patch of tall trees. They neared their quarry and the tension escalated amongst them. Jane sniffed the cool evening air…and discovered Vincent was no longer alone.

  Her hand gripped Jude’s arm. He said, “He must have formed a new pack.”

  There were at least two more werewolves in addition to Vincent. All the wolf scents became difficult to discern and individualiz
e for Jane. But one thing was certain. They were no longer at an advantage. This would be a three-on-three fight.

  She swallowed down a lump of anxiety and, instead, let her more primal nature reign.

  They stopped in a dense area of forest close to the lake. She kicked off her high heels and Jude grinned at her, despite his obvious unease.

  “You’re going to make Lara Croft look like a ninny, aren’t you?”

  “No one messes with my family,” she retorted. These were her people now and she was determined to defend them as much as she would herself. Not that she expected Jude or Cray to fall short in any way, shape or form. She had no doubt they were voracious warriors in their own right.

  From behind a huge elm came a silver-colored wolf with glowing green eyes and a low snarl tearing from his lips.

  Vincent.

  Where the other two wolves were, exactly, she didn’t know. She couldn’t dissect the scents enough to separate them and locate the other two, which frustrated and alarmed her.

  In a low voice, Jude said to Cray, “You stay with her. They’ll try to attack me from the east, but I’ll counterattack.”

  Jane tensed. “You can’t take on all three of them.”

  Cray actually had the audacity to chuckle. “Watch him.”

  Jude moved away from her and Jane felt an instant void, like half of her was suddenly hollow.

  Cray said, “Trust him. He knows what he’s doing.”

  A few splinters of moonlight penetrated the bushy-topped trees surrounding them, partially illuminating the clearing where this challenge would take place. Jude stripped off his clothes in a hasty fashion. He was a tall, dark figure for just a few seconds more. Then he lunged forward, diving into the air and landing as the sleek, dark-as-night wolf she’d imagined he’d be.

  The transformation left her breathless. The virility of him seemed to shoot out from every lean and furry inch of him. Beside her, Cray shed his clothes and shifted too. He stood next to her in wolf form, all shaggy, sandy brown fur and hypnotic blue eyes.

  She’d never been a dog lover, but suddenly, she understood why those who were always seemed ripped apart when theirs went missing. She’d be devastated too, she knew, as she ran a hand over Cray’s back, feeling the silky strands of his fur against her skin.