Fierce Awakenings

by Kristy Centeno

  After five minutes of pacing, a simple knock on the door sliced through the otherwise quiet bedroom, forcing her to jump.

  “Come in,” Victoria called out.

  Thankfully, Danero opened the door and smiled as he walked in before closing it behind him. “This better be important,” he said, feigning irritation.

  “I need a favor from you,” she replied with a nervous smile.

  “Of course you do.”

  Victoria fought the urge to roll her eyes. “This is serious.”

  Danero walked in, sat on the edge of Victoria’s queen sized bed, and crossed both arms over his wide chest. “Why do I have the feeling I’m not going to like this?”

  She couldn’t pretend nothing was amiss with Danero. He knew her as well as Tyrone did and it was obvious to him she had something up her sleeve.

  “I have to do this. If I don’t, I’ll regret it for the rest of my existence,” she said. “And in this case being immortal can’t be considered a perk.” since

  “Don’t tell me what you’re planning. The less I know, the better.”

  She knew he was right. If she revealed anything of what she planned, her father could find out and then she would be creating trouble not only for her but for him as well.

  “I only need you to do something very simple for me.” Victoria lowered her voice.

  Danero tossed a quizzical look in her direction. “And that is?”

  Reaching over to the duffel bag sitting comfortably on the bed, she picked it up and gave it a little shake.

  Danero reacted by furrowing his brows. “Victoria, what in the world goes through that head of yours?”

  “You said you didn’t want to know,” she protested.

  “I don’t, but it’s obvious.” He pointed to the duffel bag. “I’m not sure what you’re thinking is a good idea.”

  “It probably isn’t, but I need to take the risk.”

  Shaking his head, Danero started to protest, “If your father—”

  “The only way he’s going to find out is if you tell him.”

  Danero blinked, looking up at Victoria as if he couldn’t believe she had said that. “I would never betray you, you know that,” he mused.

  “I know, which is why I need to ask this favor of you.”

  “Okay, shoot,” he said, letting out some air.

  Dropping her tone to a whisper, she sat next to Danero on the bed and said, “I need you to take this bag and hide it in the trunk of my car.”

  Incredulous, Danero stared at her for a few seconds without saying a word, making Victoria think for a moment that he would deny her that one request.

  “I don’t like this, but I’ll do it.”

  Letting out a sigh of relief, she made to hand the duffel bag to Danero but he shook his head.

  “Not now. At about two in the morning, when I’m making my night rounds, I’ll stop by and you’ll have to toss the bag out the window. I’ll need your car keys, though,” he said.

  Victoria placed the bag on the floor and then pointed to the bedside table where her keys sat, undisturbed. Danero grabbed the keys, tucked them into his jeans pocket, and then turned his attention back to her.

  “Tomorrow the betas, Tyrone, your father, and I have a hunting party planned. If it all goes well, the morning’s events should keep us busy for a couple of hours at least. You won’t have another chance to leave—if that’s what you’re planning.” He grinned. Nothing went unperceived by Danero and although she hadn’t said a word to him, he’d already figured out what she had planned—or some of it.

  “What time are you all leaving?”

  “Five in the morning. I’m supposed to sound the alarm, so you better get up and be ready by the time we start running toward the woods.”

  “I’ll be ready,” she assured him.

  “I’ll be around, patrolling, so make sure that you’re alert when I stop by for your bag. It will be less suspicious if anyone sees you walking out of the mansion with nothing in your hands.”

  Victoria bobbed her head up and down. “What about the car keys?” she asked.

  “I’ll tuck them under the driver’s seat.”

  Scampering to his feet, Danero started for the door. “That’s as much as I can do for you, Victoria. But you know that if you get caught…” He left the rest of that sentence unspoken but the message was clear.

  “I know, but I have to leave. It’s—”

  “I understand. I had the urge to run away from it all once too, so I know how it feels,” he said, a sadness tinting his normally cheerful green eyes. “If you do come back to face the consequences, I’ll run off with you.”

  It was Danero’s devotion to Victoria that she admired the most. Since Darius’ departure, Danero had taken it upon himself to watch over her and he’d done a hell of job safeguarding her from her father’s lashing tongue and hand more than once, which had put him in a precarious position with the alpha. Danero was probably the only beta in the pack that didn’t fear the alpha, and although she wasn’t sure, she had the feeling it had something to do with the kind of life he’d led before stumbling upon the Bonvalet pack, which she knew little of.

  “I’d hate to put you in a position where you’d be on my father’s bad side.” Victoria furrowed her brow. “It’s bad enough that I’m asking for your help.”

  “You had my help even before you asked for it. You know that. Besides, it’s not like Victor Bonvalet is my favorite person. He only tolerates me because of what I contribute to the pack and I tolerate him because of you.” Danero shrugged. “If I happen to get on his bad side then I’ll deal with it as I deal with everything else.”

  Victoria embraced Danero, her emotions getting the best of her. “Let’s cross that bridge when we get to it.”

  Danero wrapped his arms around her. “Take care, Victoria. And don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

  “I promise,” Victoria whispered.

  After a moment, Danero pulled back and said, “Be extra cautious. Your father might be expecting you to try something.”

  Victoria nodded. “I will.”

  Apparently satisfied with her answer, Danero stood and gazed at her again briefly before marching out of her bedroom, leaving a puzzled Victoria doubting her new goals. What if she was caught? What if Victor somehow figured out she would attempt an escape? What if she risked it all for nothing?

  Refusing to dwell on such worrisome thoughts, Victoria slid under the covers, comfortably settling herself on her right side, and squeezed her eyes shut. Within moments of settling in bed, she began to dream of a certain white-haired, blue-eyed, pale young man with features that were beyond stunning.

  Chapter Seven

  As he did every other night, Tristan had gone out for a walk/run. Normally, he would encounter an animal or two during his escapades, but that was about it. During the summer he might’ve encountered a human or two on the trail, but he always avoided them. They never even suspected he was there. This was his territory and it had been so for hundreds of years. Only a few people knew where he made his home due to the fact that he preferred his privacy, which was why he’d always refused to join a coven.

  In his opinion, covens were overrated. Why bother living with groups of equally hungry blood drinkers that constantly competed over hunting territories when he could live alone in his own territory? Males usually got into it with each other, competing over females or prey, or both. He saw no need to live in such uncomfortable accommodations for the sake of companionship. He preferred to live the solo lifestyle. It afforded him plenty of room to breathe comfortably and plenty of time to contemplate what he wanted to do next or where he wanted to go.

  Thanks to his solitary life his peace of mind had remained virtually intact for years, up until the moment he ran into the red- headed wolf-girl, that is. Encroaching and hunting on his territory was a crime punishable by death as far as he was concerned. Yet as he approached what he assumed was the very werewolf he’d seen the night bef
ore, with every intention of forcing her heart down her throat, he had completely lost his nerve upon seeing her lovely face.

  The previous night he detected a presence within his territory, and when he spotted the werewolf feeding from a dead deer he had every intention to beat the crap out of it. That was, of course, until he realized the werewolf was female. He didn’t know exactly why the sex of the beast mattered to him, but it did.

  It had been so long since he had encountered a werewolf that he’d forgotten they even existed. The one and only time he’d seen one was hundreds of years before and that one was a male. He’d never come face to face with a female, especially one as beautiful as this one.

  She had come out of nowhere. For the first time in years he had no idea what to do. He was taken off guard by both her loveliness and her origins. Seeing her beautiful long flowing red hair, green eyes, and olive colored skin brought up a different kind of hunger that he had not felt for a long time. What surprised him the most was the fact that she had no idea he was a vampire. Where had she been all her life?

  Tristan knew that fewer and fewer vampires remained, and much fewer were being born into the world of immortality. Humans just didn’t survive the bite as often as they had in the past. For some reason, Mother Nature was getting rid of his kind. He expected her to at least know what he was, but the young girl was completely taken aback by him.

  The surprise was mutual. He wasn’t expecting to see a werewolf, much less one bold enough to hunt on his territory. Then again, given the fact that she hadn’t picked up on what he was right away was a clear giveaway that she had never encountered a vampire before tonight.

  He could only wonder what underground society she’d been living in to not pick up on what side of the supernatural branch he belonged to. Of course, she was also very lucky that he had no intention of ending her life because if he had, she would have been dead within minutes.

  He had a certain fascination for her, he realized. She was a beautiful creature, werewolf or not, and once he was close enough to touch her soft skin, he lost control and had reached out to touch her face. He had enjoyed the feel of her skin and the warmth of her body way too much, and that shoved his hunger for her blood to the very edge. His vampire instincts overpowered common sense and his sexual desire for her.

  To his utter amazement, she hadn’t put up much of a struggle. He half expected her to at the very least attempt to take his head clean off, but she didn’t. After debating back and forth on whether or not to fend him off, she settled for wrapping her small, warm arms around his waist and pressed her curvy body against him. It had taken all the willpower he possessed not to throw her down on the ground and ravish her body as he drank from her.

  Tristan sighed. It had been far too long since he last had female companionship.

  Even now, as he recalled their encounter, his manhood responded with a mind of its own. It jerked upward, pitching a tent in his pants just by recalling the feel of her pressed against him. He wanted her, badly. It mattered little what the rules of both species dictated. Since when did he care about rules or regulations, anyway? He never followed any proper vampire ‘protocol’ as the elders liked to call it. Why should he start now? Forbidden or not, he still wanted her, he wanted more of her blood, too.

  That sweet elixir was something else entirely. Never in his one thousand years of being had he drunk such powerful, stimulating, and completely satisfying blood. Tristan was no stranger to drinking blood. Throughout his vampire years he had consumed human, animal, and vampire blood alike. But the blood from this she-wolf was unlike anything he’d ever tasted.

  Usually, he would feed until the feeling of satiation brought his feeding to a halt. However, once he drank the she-wolf’s blood he felt this new source of power run through him. The rush that navigated through his insides was near overwhelming. It was an intoxicating feeling, one he wanted to experience again.

  Tristan ran one hand over his head in frustration. What was he thinking? He had to be daft to desire a she-wolf. She was his enemy, clear and simple. This couldn’t be happening to him. He had to be confused. Perhaps his desire was due to the time spent in seclusion without a female companion. Of course, the fact that the girl was beyond attractive didn’t help matters at all. If anything, her beauty served to remind him exactly how long it had been since he’d had any female friend. Yes, that had to be the reason why he was so desperately holding himself back from running into the woods to search for her. If he tried hard enough he would find her, he knew that much.

  Tristan shook his head in frustration and sighed heavily. He couldn’t go out looking for a female enemy. Hell, the whole idea was crazy. There was a big chance she belonged to a pack. What were the chances of her being a lone wolf? Zero to none. In order to get to her he would probably have to bypass many giant puppies. And given that he would probably be outnumbered twenty to one, that wouldn’t be a very wise idea. He would end up in pieces in no time. Sure, he would take a few of them down with him, but eventually, the werewolves would take their advantage over him and put it to good use. Why take an unnecessary risk?

  Besides, there was another way for him to reach her without making his presence known to the pack. Tristan stopped pacing and faced one of the rock walls of his cavern. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the girl’s essence. For the second time in his vampire life, Tristan appreciated the gift that came once he was turned into an immortal.

  His unique ability allowed for him to teleport his body from one location to another. He discovered this gift completely by accident after he was captured by a coven full of animalistic vampire-like creatures whose main thrill was to torture and kill humans and other vampires. It was while trying to escape that he discovered that by focusing his mind on a specific location or person, his body would transfer itself to whatever destination he desired. To this day, he was sure those monsters were still trying to determine how in the hell he got away. Ever since that day, he practiced that unique ability until it came as natural to him as blinking or breathing.

  The only flaw his gift had was that he could only fade into places he had already been.

  Tristan focused on the still warm blood coursing through his veins. Her life essence was strong, powerful. The proof of that lay in the fact that even though a few hours had gone by since he’d consumed it; he could still feel the blood flowing strongly inside his normally cold body, filling him with a warmth he welcomed. No blood that he’d ever tasted before was able to sustain him as long as hers.

  It was on this essence that he focused in order to locate the wolf-girl. Surprisingly enough, it took him less than a second to find her. Within moments, his immortal body was traveling at lightning speed through the air as it dematerialized into a foggy mist that to the unsuspecting eye, would appear to be nothing but a cloud or fog. He found himself inside the girl’s bedroom in no time at all.

  The image of her sleeping form filled his line of vision. Unlike before, when she had been filled with so much fire, she was now docile, her lovely features calm and submissive. As he approached the bed, she shifted from lying on her back to lying on her side and the action forced the sheet covering her body to slide down her long legs. He caught sight of bare thighs and legs and had to refrain himself from moaning out loud. The girl was certainly a beauty.

  When he finally reached the bed, he leaned forward to gaze upon her gorgeous face. Her features were smoothed out by the relaxation only sleep could provide and the need to touch her delicate skin was almost more than he could bear. When she whispered his name in her sleep he nearly choked on his own tongue. What a way to turn a man on. She was dreaming about him. The way she purred his name threatened to awaken his dormant manhood all over again. If she only knew he was inside her bedroom right now. What would she do? Would she alert the busy pack downstairs? Or would she allow him another taste of her succulent blood? He ached to find out.

  Given the chance he didn’t think he could refrain from taking more than
just her blood. Perhaps he would lose his head in the process but it would be worth it, he was sure of it. Unable to hold off any longer, Tristan smoothed his long, cold fingers over her skin and delicately caressed the side of her face. It felt good to touch something so warm and alive, so different from him.

  The girl shifted once more, turning on her right side, facing him. Even though her eyes were closed and she appeared to be sleeping, Tristan tensed. He didn’t want her to see him standing in the middle of her bedroom. He wasn’t sure how she would react to his presence, so better not risk his neck, just in case. After several seconds of waiting to see if she awoke, he let out a breath of relief when she didn’t move or give any indication that she was about to wake up. Reassured the girl still slept, Tristan reached out once again and tentatively touched her delicate skin.

  She was so beautiful he could look at her forever and not grow tired of her features.

  For several heart stopping seconds he skimmed the side of her face as if wishing he could memorize everything about her. Hovering over her, he inched his lips near her left ear until his breath feathered over her smooth skin. Unable to stop himself, Tristan murmured into her ear, hoping she would get the meaning behind his words.

  “Come find me, wolf-girl. I’ll be waiting.”

  She stirred and opened her eyes. In a flash he was gone.

  Chapter Eight

  After Danero had howled at two a.m. to signal her he was outside her bedroom window, startling her awake immediately, Victoria tossed the duffel bag out the window as they had agreed and he left immediately to hide the bag in the trunk of her car. Although she had intended to get at least another two and a half hours of sleep, she had found that sleep did not come as expected. She had been too busy overanalyzing everything and eventually she gave up on sleeping altogether and simply laid there thinking, debating whether it was a good idea to even go through with her crazy idea of an escape.