by Cynthia Eden
Carter’s hand flew out and locked around Riley’s wrist. “No one is killing her.”
“No?” Riley lifted a brow. “Now that sleeping beauty is out, let’s be real. No bullshit. I know that you were hired to track her—”
“Shut the fuck up.” Carter glanced over his shoulder. “During the day, she hears a whole lot more than you think.” He’d learned that lesson the hard way. His attention turned back to Riley, and he saw the surprise on the wolf’s face. “Watch yourself,” Carter warned him.
Riley nodded, showing he understood.
Silence reigned but Carter stayed tense.
“Would you be able to let her go?” Riley’s voice was soft, barely above a whisper. Easy enough for a werewolf to hear, though. Could a vamp hear it, too? “If she wanted to leave you, could you let her go?”
Carter didn’t answer the other wolf. Maybe because…he was afraid to answer.
I won’t be like Antoine. I’ll never be like him.
***
Carter carried Lauren off the plane. He made sure to keep her covered, not wanting her skin to burn in the sunlight. He hadn’t called ahead and made contact with his pack yet. He’d ditched his phone, not wanting Antoine to track it in any way, and then he’d worried that Antoine might be keeping tabs on the Vegas pack, so Carter had just decided to keep playing things safe.
No phone contact.
Riley took care of getting a car ready for him. The wolf scored a big, black SUV with tinted windows. Carter eased Lauren into the back of the vehicle, and he kept the cover over her body.
“Got your lady?” Riley asked from the front.
Carter held her tighter. “Always.”
Riley took off. Carter gave him directions as they traveled. They weren’t heading for the bright lights of Vegas, not this time, and they hadn’t flown in to the major airport there. Carter had a few tricks up his sleeve, and he had plenty of connections, too. He’d used some of those connections with his flight—and the landing. He’d made sure the landing was a quiet one, far away from prying eyes.
“You certain your pack will be thrilled with your arrival?” Riley wanted to know. “Sometimes, the packs are more trouble than they’re worth.”
He knew Riley was speaking from personal experience. “Griffin is a good man. He’ll help me.” Carter realized he sounded confident, and that was a good thing. Maybe he’d convince Riley with that confidence. But the truth was that Carter wasn’t sure how Griffin would react to his reappearance.
Riley didn’t speak again. Not until they were near the alpha’s mansion. A real, honest-to-God mansion. Right in the middle of the Nevada desert. The thing was freaking huge and enclosed by a giant fence and a huge ass gate. The place was also very, very well-guarded. As the SUV approached, three men—werewolves—immediately blocked the gate.
“These guys don’t exactly look friendly.” Tension had entered Riley’s voice.
No, they didn’t.
And when those guys got close enough to catch Lauren’s scent…when they realized she was a vamp…
Griffin appeared.
Carter’s breath heaved out in a relieved rush when he saw his friend push past the men at the gate. For a moment, Griffin stood there, his hands on his hips and his dark hair raked back from his face. The guy was glaring right at the SUV.
At me.
“I need to talk with him first,” Carter said as he eased Lauren down in the back seat. “But, just, um, as a precaution…If it looks like he’s going for my head, get Lauren the hell out of here, okay?”
“What?”
“Just as a precaution. I’m sure it won’t be necessary.” Maybe. Carter slammed the door shut. The Nevada sun immediately blazed down on him, and he wished he wasn’t wearing a damn black t-shirt. Squaring his shoulders, he marched toward the guy who was both his friend and the current pack alpha. With every step that he took, Griffin’s face darkened even more.
Shit. So much for a happy reunion scene. Not that Carter’s hopes had been that high, though he’d at least hoped to avoid a battle to the death with the alpha.
Carter stopped when he was a foot in front of Griffin. A muscle jerked in the alpha’s jaw.
Griffin’s eyes were glacial. “You disappear…You vanish without a word.”
“Right. About that…” Carter cleared his throat. “It wasn’t exactly safe to have me around then. I figured it was for the best if I—”
Griffin’s hands flew out and locked around Carter’s shoulders. “You’re addicted to vamp blood.”
Carter didn’t fight, not yet. Griffin was his friend, and, truth be told, he’d screwed the guy over once before. He’d jumped to conclusions about Griffin and the wolf’s vamp mate—and Carter had made a nearly lethal mistake. He was determined not to make more mistakes with the guy. “Isabella’s blood changed me.”
Griffin’s expression became even harder. “You got addicted. Only instead of coming to me for help, you ditched the pack.”
“Yes.” No point denying it. “Because I didn’t want to bring you down into my hell.”
Griffin swore. “Fucking too late. We’re there.” He let go of Carter, and the icy fury in the alpha’s eyes would have frozen a lesser wolf. “I hear you’ve been hunting vamps.”
Again, Carter wasn’t going to lie. Not to Griffin.
“Fuck.” Griffin closed his eyes for a moment. “And I guess the part about you taking the new vamp is true, too? Where in the hell is Lauren McIntosh?”
How did the guy know about her? Carter cleared his throat. “She’s about…ten feet away.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “She’s in the SUV. You know vamps don’t handle the sun that well.”
Griffin’s eyes flew open. “You brought her here?”
Like he would have left her behind. “I need your help. She needs protection.”
Griffin’s claws were out. His teeth snapped together. “Right. Protection from you.”
No.
Griffin motioned with his claw-tipped hand, catching the attention of the nearby guards. “Bring the vamp inside. Make sure she’s secured.”
The guards immediately moved to obey—and Carter immediately moved to put himself in their way. “No one is touching her but me.” They should be clear on that point. His voice had gone low and lethal. “So just stand your asses back down. I’ll bring her inside. The sun can’t touch her skin. I’ve got a…friend driving.” Riley counted as a maybe friend. “He and I will pull the vehicle into the garage, and then I’ll carry the vamp into the house.”
The guards glanced back at Griffin.
Carter turned his attention to the alpha, too.
Sadness flickered on Griffin’s face. “What did you do?”
What I had to do.
“Carter, are you trying to start a war?”
Carter didn’t answer.
“Because that’s exactly what you’ve fucking done.” But Griffin inclined his head. “Get the vamp inside, and then you meet me in the study. You’ll tell me everything that’s happening. Every. Single. Thing.”
Chapter Ten
Vampire Rules To Live (Or Die) By…
Rule Three: Beware of werewolves. They’ll try to eat you alive.
Carter carried Lauren into the werewolf den. He knew she wasn’t going to be happy to wake up and find herself surrounded by wolves, but there wasn’t much choice. The den was the safest spot for her. He maneuvered through the mansion, his steps barely making a sound on the marble floor. He entered the guest room and made his way to the bed. Lauren’s long lashes cast shadows over her cheeks, and he bent, placing her gently on the bed covers.
She didn’t stir.
“The study,” Griffin barked from behind him. “Now.”
Carter didn’t look away from Lauren’s face. “We can talk here. I’m not leaving her.” He turned to face the alpha. “It’s not that I don’t trust the werewolves here…”
Griffin’s jaw tightened.
“Okay, it’s that I
don’t trust all the werewolves here.” Carter shrugged. “She’s too important.”
Griffin’s gaze glittered as it drifted between Carter and the still woman on the bed.
“Where’s your vamp?” Carter pushed.
Griffin growled. “She’s the hell away from you.” His lips twisted in fury. “You’re addicted to vamp blood. You think I’d let you anywhere near my Isabella now?” But then he slammed the door shut behind him. “Fuck! Fucking hell!” Griffin raked a hand through his hair. “I know Isabella’s blood did this to you. You should have come to me—I could have helped you!”
“How? By letting me feed on vamps? By letting me feed on Isabella?”
Griffin’s silence was a stark answer.
Yeah, that’s what I thought. His spine was so straight it ached. “I had to leave. My crimes couldn’t come back to the pack.”
“But isn’t that exactly what they’ve done?” Suddenly, Griffin appeared very, very weary as his shoulders dropped. “It’s different when you’re alpha. There are so many who depend on you then. And you don’t have the same choices any longer.”
Carter felt more tension slither through his body. “What does that mean?”
“It means—Antoine Abandonato.”
Carter’s gaze jerked to the bed. To his vamp. “Stop.” How much could Lauren hear? Shit. Shit.
But Griffin wasn’t stopping. “He wants her back. If Antoine doesn’t get her, he’s coming to Vegas for a battle. Isabella said he doesn’t bluff. He kills. He’ll have every vamp he can find at our gate.” Griffin paced toward the bed. “Is this woman really worth a fight? Is she worth the lives of the werewolves here? Because they count on me. They turn to me for protection. I don’t know her. I know nothing about her, and you—”
“She’s mine,” Carter cut in gruffly.
“What?”
Carter lifted Lauren’s hand. Even during her day sleep, her fingers curled with his. “She’s my mate. So, hell, yes, she’s worth a fight. She’s worth anything to me. Everything. I won’t turn her over to Antoine, but I will kill the bastard. I’ll make sure that he never hurts Lauren or anyone in this pack. I swear it.”
Griffin held his stare. “He wants me to kill you.”
Not unexpected at all. “I didn’t exactly leave the best impression on the guy…”
“If I don’t kill you, he’ll come for my pack.”
Sonofabitch.
“So tell me…” Griffin bared his sharp teeth. “What the hell do you think I should do?”
***
Lauren opened her eyes. The room around her wasn’t familiar, and she sat up, fast, her heart lurching in her chest. On a bed, in a dark room, in—
“Easy,” Carter’s deep voice came to her and her gaze flew to the foot of the bed. He stood there, staring at her with a faintly glowing stare that seemed to see straight into her soul. The gold in the darkness of his eyes is heavy tonight. “You’re safe, sweetness. I’ve been in this room with you the whole time. I wasn’t going to leave you unguarded while you were vulnerable.”
Her breath heaved out in a quick rush. She jumped out of the bed and hurried to him. “Where are we?” She wanted to throw her arms around him and hold tight, but fear held her back. Uncertainty.
“Don’t remember anything this time?” His head tilted to the side. His fingers rose and skimmed down her cheek.
At his touch, everything in her seemed to calm. The fear faded, and a warm glow took its place. Her breath came easier. She found herself inching closer to him. Wanting more of his touch. More of him.
“Lauren? Do you remember anything?” Worry was in his eyes.
She didn’t want him to worry. Remember anything? “I remember being on the plane. We were…headed to Vegas.” Her one-time home. The place of her dreams.
The city of her nightmares. My end began in Vegas.
“We made it to Vegas.” His fingers slid under her chin as he tipped back her head. “And I need you to trust me.”
Her heart squeezed as understanding hit. “I’m in werewolf central.”
“Yeah, yeah, baby, you are. But I talked to the alpha. No one is going to hurt you.”
She was surrounded by werewolves. A vicious vamp wanted her dead. Her life was a mess. But she wasn’t panicking because—Carter. Just being with him soothed her. He anchored her.
“I need you to trust me.”
“I do.” Didn’t he see that? Now she did touch him. Her hands curled around his powerful arms as Lauren held on tight. “I’m in werewolf central, but I’m not freaking out.” Okay, she was freaking out, a bit, but she was holding her shit together. “Because I’m with you. You’ve saved my ass. You’ve helped me, and maybe…maybe I’m not sure about this mating thing, but I am sure of you.” More so with every moment.
Pain flashed on his handsome face. “There are…things you don’t know.”
“Then tell me about them.” She stood on her toes and her lips pressed to his. “Tell me everything, because I’ve seen the secrets in your eyes.” Another kiss. “Tell me.” She didn’t want any secrets between them. “Whatever it is, we can handle it.”
His arms came around her, and he held her tight, in a grip that was unbreakable. “I want that to be fucking true.”
“It is—”
He kissed her. Deep, hard, consuming. His tongue swept into her mouth and the desire she felt for him broke to the surface. Just burst inside of her. Ignited like a wildfire raging out of control. She couldn’t hold it back. She couldn’t fight it.
And despite where they were, despite the beasts waiting literally beyond the door, she didn’t want to fight her desire for him. Their time together was precious, and she wanted as much of him as she could have.
Would it always be this way? Would they touch, kiss, and lose control? She knew she was surrounded by danger, but in that moment, Lauren didn’t care. Carter was touching her, kissing her, and he was acting as if she were the only person in his world.
She wasn’t afraid of him. Not her strong, fierce werewolf. But she was afraid that she might be falling in love with him.
“I can be such a selfish bastard,” he grated against her lips, “but you make me want to be more.”
He was more. How could Carter not see that? Her hands rose and cupped his cheeks. “You’ve saved me. You’ve helped me.” Her smile came slowly. “Don’t look now, wolf, but I think you just might be my hero.”
A loud banging shook the door. “Trouble!” The one word thundered out in a man’s rough voice.
Lauren flinched. The werewolf at the door didn’t seem friendly.
“Get your ass out here, Carter, and bring your vamp!”
Carter stiffened. “That’s the alpha.”
A knot formed in her stomach. “He doesn’t exactly sound happy to have us here.”
Carter’s eyes glinted. “He’s not.”
Wonderful. Lauren pulled away from Carter. His jaw hardened, but he let her go. She straightened her shoulders and headed for the door. She’d face this alpha, she’d face the whole pack. Did they think she wasn’t good enough to be with one of their wolves? She’d show them, she’d—
Carter caught her hand before she could reach the doorknob. He spun her around and then he pushed her back against the wood of the door, caging her with the heat of his body. He kissed her, his tongue thrusting into her mouth. He kissed her deep, he kissed her desperately. He kissed her as though an alpha wasn’t on the other side of that door. He kissed her with a desperate passion that had her whole body yearning for more of him. Her nipples ached, and her panties got wet…and all the while, a pissed alpha was waiting for them both.
I don’t care. When Carter touches me, I only focus on him. Dangerous. Very, very dangerous.
She should push him away. Instead, her nails were sinking into his shoulders and she was pulling him even closer. Her mouth opened wider, and a moan slipped from her. His cock shoved against her—fully erect and heavy—and she wanted him in her. She wante
d the implosion of pleasure to sweep through them. If only they were a million miles away from the werewolves and the vampires. On a deserted island, all alone, free to touch and taste and pleasure and—
And when the sun rises on that deserted island, what happens to you then?
Her hands slid between them. She made herself push against his chest because if she didn’t stop kissing him—right then—she’d be fucking him. Or biting. Or both. Even with the alpha only a door away. “T-trouble, remember?”
He licked his lower lip, as if still tasting her, and the lust in his eyes had her breath catching.
“You,” Carter stated flatly, “you are the most important thing in my world. Every wolf out there knows that fact. They won’t touch you. No member of this pack will hurt you.”
You are the most important thing in my world. No one had ever said that to her. Not the lovers she’d had over the years, the ones who’d given her pleasure but hadn’t even seemed to really know her. Not the parents who’d barely seemed to tolerate each other—much less her. Her father had finally left for good when she was sixteen, and her mom hadn’t talked with Lauren in at least three years. Her mom had remarried, moved to Mexico, and hadn’t looked back. Her friends had been surface friends—all focused on dancing, competing, making it to the top. No one had ever spoken to her this way.
No one had ever looked at her the way Carter did.
“I made mistakes,” he added grimly. “I’m fixing them, I swear, I am. Give me a chance—let me show you that I can be better. That I can be good enough for you.”
“Good enough for me?” Now she laughed, feeling a bit of her tension ease. “I was just worried the werewolves wouldn’t think a vamp was good enough to be—”
“No.” The snarled word cut her off. “Don’t ever think that way. You are the most important thing to me. They know it. And you need to know that. No one will ever come before you. You, Lauren, you’re it for me.”
Again, his words seemed to sink right through her, piercing the cold that she hadn’t even realized encased her heart.
“You are the best thing that has ever happened to me.” Now his eyes narrowed. “You’re too good for me, but I can’t let you go.”