by Cynthia Eden
He gave a weak laugh. His head was against the floor. “F-forget me…I’m…already d-dead…”
Chapter Four
Werewolf Rules To Live (Or Die) By…
Rule Four: Desire can be a dangerous thing. Be careful of who you want…because a werewolf’s desire is a fierce beast.
I’m already dead. “No, you’re not. I am.” Lauren lifted up his shirt. The blood made it want to stick to his skin, but she pried the fabric off him.
“Vampire!” A male voice boomed from outside of their motel room. “Get out here! Don’t make us come in after you!”
Carter’s eyelids closed. “Run,” he said again. “Window…”
Her breath heaved out. His wounds were so bad—and she knew why he’d just told her that he was already dead. Now that his shirt was out of the way, she could see the damage, and she knew she was looking at mortal injuries.
Tears trickled down her face. “Vampire blood is strong.”
He didn’t respond.
“Maybe it can help you.” She sounded desperate and afraid because she was both of those things.
“Vampire!” That sinister voice boomed again, making Lauren flinch. “We know we shot your protector! We got his fucking heat signature. He’s dead! We don’t fucking miss!”
She brought her hand to her lips. Her fangs raked across her wrist, making blood spill out, and then she put her bleeding wrist to Carter’s mouth. “Take some blood. Please, Carter, take it.”
The door flew open, wood splintered.
And Carter…bit her.
She felt his teeth sink into her wrist. She gasped at the sharp stab of pain.
His eyes opened. The gold in his stare had faded, it was barely a flicker of light in his dark eyes.
She tried to smile for him.
“What in the hell are you doing?” It was the same booming, male voice. He locked his fingers around her shoulder and jerked her to her feet, yanking her away from Carter. Her wrist throbbed, burning in the spot he’d bit her.
“I’m helping my friend.” She punched the guy in the face, as hard as she could. He was big and muscled, wearing all black and some kind of tactical gear—a bullet proof vest? His hair was shaved, but a long, red beard covered the lower part of his face. When she hit him, he flew back and rammed into the wall. That’s right, jerk. Vampire strength.
She lunged toward him, ready to hit him again. But the guy was out cold. Still…he’d hurt Carter. He’d—
“Not so fast, vamp.”
I know that voice.
Her stare snapped to the doorway. The Dealer stood there, her arms crossed over her chest, smirking at her. The other woman had a gun in her hand. “I learned from my experience with you before. This time, I won’t get too close.”
She fired her weapon. Lauren threw her body to the side, and the bullet grazed her hip.
“No!” The Dealer fired again.
But Lauren dodged that hit. She rushed toward the other woman, moving faster than Lauren had ever moved in her entire life. The room around her seemed to become a blur. Lauren grabbed for the gun.
The Dealer fired. The bullet sank into Lauren’s stomach. The pain was white-hot, but she didn’t let it stop her. She yanked the gun out of the Dealer’s hand and turned it back on the other woman.
Panting, Lauren said, “I…wanted you to…help me.”
The Dealer just laughed. “And I wanted you to die. That will help you. It will stop you from being a vampire. Stop you from becoming a monster who kills and kills. It will stop you from being just like Antoine.”
She wanted to look back at Carter. Had her blood helped him? Or, if she glanced back, would Lauren just find him dead on the floor? “You’re the only killer I see. You and your bastard shooter attacked an innocent man.”
More laughter from the Dealer. “There is nothing innocent about that beast.” The Dealer’s eyes gleamed. “He’s as much a monster as you are. Clueless fool, you don’t even know—” But the Dealer broke off, her eyes widening because she’d just been grabbed from behind.
Two men had grabbed her—both tall and thin, but one with pale skin and one with dark olive skin. They yanked her back and then—then they sank their razor-sharp teeth into her throat.
“No!” The Dealer twisted against them. “Stop, stop—”
Her blood was streaming down her neck. The same woman who’d attacked Lauren, the same woman who’d come in with her gun blazing, but…
I can’t watch this happen!
“Let her go!” Lauren yelled and she fired at the men, the bullets sinking into them. They stilled, just for a moment, and then the pale man looked up at her. Blood covered his mouth and his teeth.
“Silver bullets?” He gave a sharp bark of laughter. “Not for our kind, dear girl. Better save those for the beasts.”
The other vamp also lifted his head. The Dealer was silent as the blood coursed down her neck. The vamps let her go, and she fell to the floor, crumpling like a broken doll.
The vamps advanced on Lauren. She fired the gun, again and again. She fired until the gun just wouldn’t shoot any longer.
The vamps were bleeding from their wounds, but they didn’t stop approaching.
“You’re pissing me off,” the one on the right said—the one with the olive skin, the jet-black hair, and the hard, brown eyes. “You’re just lucky Antoine wants you back, mostly unharmed.”
Antoine. As soon as she’d seen the fangs, she’d known that Antoine had sent those bastards after her. She spun away from them, and her gaze fell on Carter.
Carter…he was still on the floor, but something was wrong. His body—it looked different. Contorted. And were those claws coming from his fingertips?
OhmyGod. What did my blood do to him? “Carter?”
His head lifted at her cry. His eyes opened. And his eyes—they were glowing.
“Shit,” one of the vamps snarled. “We need to get out of here. I did not sign on to fight him.” He grabbed Lauren’s arm. “Come on.”
The hell she would. She punched the vamp, and since bullets had thudded into the guy’s body moments before, weakening him, the vamp staggered back.
She wasn’t going to be easy prey for the vamps. She wasn’t weak. Not anymore. Antoine had caught her when she was weak. He’d hurt her. Killed her.
Not again.
She bared her fangs at the two vamps. “You aren’t taking me back to him.”
They rolled back their shoulders. Their bodies tensed, as if preparing for a fight. Then the pale vampire smiled at her. “Antoine said you’d fight. We came prepared.” His gaze swept over her. Heated. For the first time since the bullets had burst through the motel room door, Lauren realized…
She was completely naked. Hell, no. She’d lost her towel with Carter, and she hadn’t even spared a thought to her nudity when the bullets had started flying.
“Nice,” the vamp told her with a leering grin. “I can see why Antoine was so taken with you. And the way your blood covers your skin…”
“I was freaking shot!” It wasn’t as if she’d planned to appear this way.
“Makes you look all the more delectable. Like I just might have to take a bite.” He stepped toward her, snapping his teeth together.
But the other vamp—the one she’d punched as hard as she could—moved into his path. “Wayne, you don’t want to piss off Antoine. He’ll tear your head off for even thinking of screwing her.”
She grabbed the towel from the floor, yanking it around her body. She needed a weapon. She—
“You’re right, Kent,” Wayne sighed and seemed supremely disappointed. “So let’s just get this delivery shit taken care of, alright?”
The Dealer’s goon groaned. Was he about to wake up? She could actually use him right then. At the very least, the guy would be a distraction for the vamps.
And Carter…his bones seemed to be snapping. That terrible popping filled her ears. She stared at him in horror as fur seemed to burst along his skin.
“Help him!” Lauren screamed. “Something is wrong! I gave him my blood and—”
“Sonofabitch,” Kent grunted. “We need to get out of here, now.”
No way. She dropped to her knees next to Carter. She reached out for him, her hand shaking. What had she done to him? “Carter?”
His glowing eyes were on her. His features were distorted, all twisted up—his nose was lengthening and razor-sharp teeth had exploded in his mouth. “Mine.”
What?
Something stabbed into her neck. Ice immediately seemed to flood her veins and her body shuddered.
“That will knock out an elephant, so it should keep a new baby vamp under control for a while.” Kent dropped the syringe he’d been holding, and he lifted Lauren into his arms. He tossed her over his shoulder. Lauren couldn’t even fight him. Her limbs were heavy, weighted down, and that terrible cold slithered through her entire body.
“What should I do with all of the others?” Wayne demanded.
“Get the gasoline out of the SUV. Torch the fucking place. We already killed the clerk, and no one else is at this shit-hole.”
Kent took her outside. In moments, she was tossed into the back seat of an SUV. Her eyes were open, but it seemed as if her body was paralyzed. She couldn’t move at all. She could only watch, utterly horrified, as the vamps took gasoline canisters out of the SUV and then went back toward the motel room.
Carter! Carter! She was screaming for him, but no sound slipped past her lips.
She smelled the smoke, it floated to her, burning her nose just as the vamps ran toward the vehicle, laughing once more.
“That’s how you take care of a witch,” Wayne announced with relish. They’d left open the back door of the SUV, so confident that she couldn’t flee that they hadn’t even bothered to secure her in any way. “You burn her. Burn, baby, burn.” He jumped into the front of the vehicle.
Kent slid into the back with her. He slammed the door shut behind him. “Let’s get the hell out of here, man.”
Tires squealed. The vehicle lurched. Lauren had a fast view of flames swirling from that little motel.
Carter! She couldn’t say his name, but—
“Aw, look at that,” Kent said. He leaned toward her, and his hand swiped over her cheek. “The little vamp is crying.” He shook his head. “Hate to break it to you, but if you’re crying for the beast, you are seriously delusional. That guy wasn’t helping you, he was—”
Something crashed into the back of the SUV. Something slammed hard into them. From the front of the vehicle, Lauren heard Wayne swearing, but then the back windshield of the SUV shattered. Glass flew inward, raining down on her and Kent. Kent jerked away from her and turned toward the back of the SUV.
“Get the hell away!” Kent yelled.
Those were the last words he yelled. Something hit him. Something big and furry, with lots of teeth. A beast. A…wolf? The wolf went straight for Kent’s throat. Blood flew, and Lauren could only watch, utterly helpless, as the beast tore into the vampire.
“Let him go!” Wayne yelled from the front. He twisted his body, trying to reach back to grab the wolf.
That was when the SUV started spinning. The vehicle lurched to the right, and then it was flipping end over end. Metal groaned and crunched, more glass shattered. Lauren’s body flew up and down. She was a rag doll, her head snapping back and forth, and—the wolf came for her. His eyes were so bright. His muzzle was red with Kent’s blood.
A wolf? She’d always liked wolves. She’d thought they were beautiful. Strong.
This wolf is going to kill me.
The wolf’s body slammed against her as the SUV kept rolling.
Chapter Five
Werewolf Rules To Live (Or Die) By…
Rule Five: Mating is forever. If you don’t believe that, try taking away a wolf’s mate. See how well that shit works for you.
“Lauren, sweetness, I need you to wake up.” Carter’s voice was low and, yeah, he could admit, worried.
He’d pulled Lauren from the wreckage. He’d killed the two fool vamps who’d thought they could take her from him. And now, he was freaking the hell out.
Lauren barely seemed to breathe. He’d tried to give her his blood, but her fangs weren’t out. She hadn’t bitten him, she hadn’t even swallowed when he’d attempted to trickle some of his blood into her mouth. She was ominously still, and the woman was scaring the hell out of him.
What did they do to you, baby?
“Lauren.” His voice snapped with command. Pleading hadn’t worked, so why not try something else? But his fingers were gentle as he stroked her cheek. “You have to wake up.” He’d already dug the bullets out of her body. Two bullets. One that had gone through him and into her shoulder when they’d been back at the motel. The other bullet had lodged in her stomach, and he knew the Dealer had been responsible for that gut shot.
The Dealer was dead now, as was the shooter she’d brought to the motel. They’d been dead before the fire started, courtesy of the vamps. The vamps hadn’t believed in wasting good blood. They’d slashed into their victims before starting the fire.
And the time it took for them to feed and kill…that was the time I used to transform. The vamps should have waited on their meal. Carter had transformed, letting his beast out, and he’d chased after the SUV. There had been no way he was letting Lauren leave him.
You’ll never get away from me now.
The sun was going to rise soon. If Lauren wasn’t waking up, then he’d just get her to a safe place, and he’d make her drink from him. He’d figure out what the vamps had done to her. He’d help her. Helping Lauren was his priority. No, she was his priority. The only thing that mattered to him now.
A bite had changed everything.
He’d been near death when she’d offered her wrist to him. He’d licked at the blood on her skin, blood she’d offered to him, and the taste had been unlike anything he’d experienced. So sweet. His personal candy. He’d opened his mouth, and even weakened, he’d had to take a bite. His fangs had pierced her skin, and he’d felt the bond between them.
Werewolves mated only once. They knew their mates instantly…once the bite was exchanged. If a werewolf was with the right partner, the bite would electrify the wolf’s senses. It would send pleasure pounding through every nerve ending.
There was an old saying in the werewolf world…with the bite, lust came first. Nature’s way of saying…This is the one you want.
And then…if the wolf was very, very damn lucky, love could follow. Carter wasn’t exactly a big believer in love. If he couldn’t see something, if he couldn’t touch it, then it wasn’t real to him.
But the bite…the mating bond…that was something altogether different. He needed Lauren. Craved her. Without her, hell, he might just go insane.
That shit had happened to others…
Mating is forever.
He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead. He’d found a battered jacket in the wreckage of that SUV, and he’d covered her delicate skin with it. “I’m gonna take care of you, I swear it. I’ll keep you safe.”
Her lashes opened, and as she gazed at him—first in confusion and then in fear—Lauren screamed. The sound was high and utterly terrified.
“Wolf!”
Carter winced. Yeah, he figured his secret was out now and the best way to deal with it—
Lauren grabbed his shoulders. “There was a wolf here.” She’d shot to a sitting position and the jacket started to slide from her body.
For the sake of his sanity, he shoved that jacket back into position. “Sweetness, you scared the hell out of me. I was afraid I wouldn’t get to you in time.”
She looked to the left, to the right, peering over his body and staring at the wreckage.
“They’re dead,” he said flatly. “Those vamps won’t ever hurt you again.”
Her wide-eyed stare came back to him. “There was a wolf.”
And I’m right in front of you.
“He was horrible.”
Carter’s gut clenched.
“His fur was matted—”
He’d just escaped a fire for shit’s sake. Not like he’d had time to stop for a grooming.
“Blood was pouring from his mouth—his teeth were like knives—”
Now, really, could a vamp judge on that score? Vamps had sharp teeth, too.
“He was snarling and growling, and I-I thought he was going to kill me.”
“Never.”
“Wh-what?”
Okay, she was obviously not in the best frame of mind to hear that he was, in fact, the snarling and growling, matted beast who’d saved her sweet ass. He rose to his feet, lifting her easily in his arms and holding her against his chest.
“Carter, what happened to your clothes?”
He’d yanked a pair of jeans off one of the dead vamps. Not his best moment. “Fire damaged them.” Actually, he’d ripped right through his own clothes when he transformed. “Don’t worry, I’ll get us more.” As soon as he got them to safety. He started walking down the road, holding her against him, damn grateful that Lauren was with him.
He could hear the wail of sirens. Someone must have finally figured out that the motel was a ball of fire. Cops and firefighters would be racing to the motel, so he’d have to hurry. His steps quickened as he rushed back to the parking lot with her. Sure enough, as soon as he got to that lot, the heat from the blaze lanced over his skin.
But his truck—that stolen ride—was safely away from the blaze. For the moment.
He put Lauren in the front seat and grabbed the spare clothes that he’d left in the vehicle. It was a good thing he’d brought extras for himself and for her. “You can dress while I drive, but for now, we need to get the hell out of here.”
Carter didn’t waste any more time on talking. He hurried into the driver’s seat and tore out of that place. The flames raged behind him, lighting up the scene brighter than any sun rise ever could.
Beside him, Lauren was digging into the bag. She yanked out some jeans and a t-shirt, even underwear because he’d tried to think of everything for her.