Drake the Defender

by Rhiannon Neeley

  Drake helped, lifting her up and bringing her back down. “Damn woman, I’m not going to last.”

  Grace braced herself better and rode him, slamming herself against him on the down stroke. Drake groaned and closed his eyes. Grace felt her own oncoming orgasm build. Her breath came in short gasps, her hair swung, brushing against his chest.

  Drake clenched his teeth and bucked up, his orgasm bringing on her own release. Grace screamed out her satisfaction while Drake growled his own, shooting his hot seed deep inside her.

  As the echoes of their passion died down, Grace’s muscles finally gave out and she collapsed on top of him. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tenderly in his embrace. Listening to his heartbeat, Grace never wanted to leave this place. She didn’t want to leave the protective circle of his arms.

  She didn’t even want to leave the mine.

  Grace especially didn’t want to face everything that waited out on the mountain, in town or at home.

  * * * *

  Rogue Shanley had had enough of this waiting for Grace to come home.

  He’d left the house after arguing with Dillon and now he was madder than hell. His driving reflected his mood. He flew down the mountain road, music blaring, flicking his cigarette ashes out the window.

  Grace didn’t want him at the house a couple of nights ago, thanks to their argument about her telling him what to do all of the time. He had apologized, said he was sorry, said he was thankful for the way she had taken care of him since his father had been shot. Told her that she was the best Aunt a guy could have, but she needed to realize that he wasn’t a kid anymore. He was twenty-two years old, not that much younger than she was, and she couldn’t keep telling him what to do.

  Grace had agreed. Now she had promised to meet him twice today and there had been no sign of her. Dillon had been fit to be tied.

  Well, Rogue was going to go down to the blasted Sheriff’s office and see what was what.

  Being a Sheriff was not the job that he wanted to see his Aunt doing anyway. After all, that was how his own father had gotten himself killed. And his mother—he hadn’t seen her since he was about three years old. She had run off to who knew where, and never looked back.

  Aunt Grace was the only woman that he cared about.

  Rogue hated worrying.

  He swung the car into a spot in front of the Sheriff’s office and waited a moment, taking stock of what he saw.

  Two out-of-county Sheriff’s car and two State Police cruisers were lined up along the sidewalk. The Sheriff’s office was lit up inside like it was Christmas. Rogue could see people moving around inside.

  Rogue got out of the car, icy fingers clawing at his stomach. Something was going on. Something big. Something bad.

  Rogue headed for the front door.

  Inside, he spotted Harry, who was sitting behind Dot’s desk. Harry was talking to one of the officers. “I tell you,” Harry was saying, “Grace was draped over that table in the jail cell and the suspect we had in custody was puttin’ it to her like there was no tomorrow. And she was liking it. Oh boy, was she liking it.”

  “Where’s Grace?” Rogue asked. He was shaking with anger. “Something happen to my Aunt Grace? Where is she?”

  Harry’s face turned three shades of red and his Adam’s apple wobbled up and down a few times before he spoke. “Rogue—didn’t see you standing there.”

  “Guess not,” Rogue shot back. He put his hands palm down on the desk and leaned in. “Are you going to tell me where she is?”

  Harry cleared his throat. The officer he had been talking to faded away. “Grace is—well, Rogue—she’s not acting right.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “She’s taken a shine to a man we had in custody. A murder suspect, no less. And right now, she’s somewhere out there in the hills with him when we got four bodies lying dead up on that mountain.”

  Rogue couldn’t believe what he was hearing. It wasn’t like her. She took her job too seriously to get mixed up with some criminal. “Anybody go out and look for her?” he asked.

  “That’s what we’re getting ready to do, but Rogue … we’ve got a killer to find.”

  “What about Grace?” Rogue felt like the top of his head was going to blow off. Grace was like a mother to him. Shit, she was his mother. And this idiot behind the desk was more worried about finding some killer instead of searching for one of their own.

  Harry looked at him, one eyebrow raised. “I told you. There’s no sign of a struggle here. Grace went with that Drake Raven willingly.”

  “How the hell can you be sure of that?”

  Harry stood. “Because, I saw it with my own eyes. She took him as a lover.”

  Rogue slammed his fist down on the desk.

  Every officer in the place turned toward the sound, hands on gun butts.

  Rogue pointed a finger at Harry. “Something happens to her Harry, I’m coming back for you.”

  “That a threat, boy?” Harry puffed out his chest.

  “No. Not a threat,” Rogue said, turning toward the door. “It’s a promise.”

  He shoved out through the door and into the damp night air. His blood was pumping so hard through his veins, he could hear the rush of it in his ears.

  “If they won’t look, I will,” he said through gritted teeth.

  He couldn’t let anything happen to her. He just couldn’t.

  If something did, someone was going to pay.

  Chapter Eight

  Barack was well fed.

  Dillon was no more of a challenge than a mere puppy. It saddened Barack when he realized too late that disposing of Grace’s father would distance her from him. The demise of her father would upset her but some things had to be. She would need to sever all ties to her family once she became Barack’s mate. He did not plan to share her in any way.

  After he had drained the old man, Barack had taken the body and placed it in a bed, draping it with the coverlet. He could afford to show a bit of reverence for the father of the woman he would take. Actually he had done Dillon a favor. Pain, a distinct flavor, permeated the old man’s blood. Barack couldn’t believe how much the man was enduring. Dillon had a hidden strength that he felt, but he would bet that no one else had ever realized just how strong the old man had been.

  Afterward, he had entered the bathroom and inspected his wound. With the infusion of human blood, his regenerative healing process accelerated. The wound was now almost closed. Still, when he moved his arm, he felt soreness. It puzzled him. He was weakening. After all this time, he was winding down.

  But his time was not up yet.

  And he wanted one more chance to see if his heart could actually feel love again.

  With Grace.

  He surveyed the bathroom, picking up tubes of makeup, sniffing at perfume bottles. Memorizing the scent of her.

  Catching his reflection in the mirror above the sink, Barack stared into his own yellow eyes. Where has Anthony gone? He wondered, almost unable to see the man that he once was. He bared his teeth, inspecting the fierceness of his smile. It had not been that long ago that he had cut quite a figure, had a mysterious style about himself. That was the persona he presented, when he had shown his human form to Lydia.

  To Grace, he must have looked a wolf in cop’s clothing.

  He did not want to be distasteful to Grace. Barack knew that, at one time, he was considered quite handsome.

  He took a deep breath. Time to make some changes. Clean himself up. He had no idea when she would arrive here, but when she did, he did not want to look like the wild man of the woods.

  He reached into the shower and turned the water on full blast.

  He stepped inside, letting the shower spray hit him full force. While he stood beneath the steaming water, he thought about a few things that still needed to be completed before he could whisk Grace off in his arms.

  There was the problem of Rogue who also resided here. That one would also have to be disposed
of. He looked young and strong, almost the size of Barack himself. Licking his lips, he knew that Rogue’s blood would be rich with raging hormones. That would surely give his aging system the jolt it needed.

  Then there was a little problem of what to wear. Barack wanted to be clothed when Grace arrived. A stark naked man would indeed put her on the defensive.

  And there was something else, something brewing in the wind that he couldn’t quite make out. Whatever it was, it smelled like trouble.

  Barack tilted his head back, letting the water sluice over his head.

  Whatever it was, the trouble that was coming, he would deal with it when the time came.

  He soaped himself, taking care to get rid of any vestiges of blood splatter from his feeding.

  If Grace wasn’t home soon, he would go looking for her. He was getting anxious to begin her turning. If he could get it underway, he could come back and take care of Rogue. He didn’t think Grace had gone far. But then, he had to be careful. If he didn’t find her by dawn, he would have to retreat one more time to evade the sunlight.

  The coal mine would give him great protection.

  * * * *

  Grace was exhausted but she was also uneasy. She should be out there tracking down whatever was killing people, not lying here on this bed with Drake.

  She eased herself out of his arms and got up.

  “Now what?” Drake asked. His voice was deep and raspy, as if he’d been half-asleep.

  Grace scowled at him, stepping into her panties. “How can you lie here so calmly when there’s a killer running around out there?” She snatched her pants up from the floor and stepped into them.

  Drake turned onto his side and propped his head up with one hand. “Are you always this grouchy after sex?”

  Grace looked at him. “No… I…” The sparkle in his eyes clued her into the fact that he was joking. “Dammit Drake. Be serious.” She picked up her shirt and pulled it on, furiously working the buttons into the holes.

  “I am serious. Both times we’ve had sex, afterward you become a raging wild woman.”

  Grace sighed. He was right. She had acted like a hell-cat after both times. But it wasn’t because of him. It was because of this situation. “I’m sorry,” she said, “But I’m between a rock and a hard place.” She crouched down in front of him so that she could look directly into his eyes. “It’s my job to protect the people here in this county and even though my career is now in shreds thanks to our performance at the jail…”

  Drake squeezed her hand. “I’d say that I was sorry about ‘attacking’ you, but I’d be lying. I am sorry that it’s made it hard for you though.”

  Grace sighed again. “It doesn’t matter. It’s spilled milk. But the thing is—while I’m still Sheriff, I still have a job to do. I can’t just sit here and wait.” She searched his face, looking for what, she wasn’t sure. In his eyes she saw seriousness and compassion. It told her that he was trying to understand her position.

  “Listen,” he said, pushing himself up to sit on the edge of the bed. “Waiting here will bring him to us. We need to trap him in an enclosed place. We don’t want to try to fight him out in the open. He would have the advantage of a quick escape. Right now, we have one good thing on our side.”

  “What?” Grace asked. It was really hard to concentrate. He was still buck-naked sitting on the edge of the bed while she crouched in front of him, almost in the perfect position to wrap her lips around that wonderful cock of his.

  “Grace,” he said, touching her cheek. “Even though what you’re thinking about doing with that beautiful mouth of yours sounds like a lot of fun, we are having a discussion here.”

  Her eyes snapped open wide. She was turning into a harlot. “Just how often do you read my thoughts?”

  “Lately? As often as possible. Why? Does it bother you?”

  Grace slapped his thigh and stood. “Of course it bothers me. Some thoughts are private.”

  Drake raised his hands, palms forward in defense. “Alright. I’ll stay out of your head.” He got up and quickly pulled on his pants. “There,” he said. “Now maybe you won’t be tempted.” Then he grinned.

  “Oh … you,” Grace said. She parked her hands on her hips. “As I was saying—I don’t feel right just staying here when there’s work to be done. Besides, the other officers are probably here by now and you can bet that Harry is spilling the whole story about you and I to everyone who will listen.”

  Drake’s eyebrows drew together in a frown. “Grace—I’m telling you—I know what I’m doing. I’ve been doing this all of my life.”

  “Hunting vampires. Yes. You told me.”

  * * * *

  To Drake’s amazement, Grace began to laugh. Her laughter echoed through the mine like bells sounding. She grasped her sides and bent over, the laughter taking her breath. “What has gotten into you?”

  She pointed at him. “Y—you have.” She let out a fresh peal of laughter and stumbled back to the bed. She dropped down on the edge, propped her elbows down on her knees and buried her face in her hands.

  Drake touched her shoulder. “Grace.” Her shoulders hitched. She wasn’t laughing anymore. When she looked up at him, tears rolled down her cheeks. Drake’s heart clenched.

  “Oh hell…” she said. “I think I’m losing it.”

  Sweeping her up in his arms, he hugged her tightly. “Let me fix it, Grace.” He wove his fingers into her silky hair. “Please let me fix it.”

  * * * *

  Colin Moore was a nervous wreck. Ever since John had phoned him and told him he was to stay here and be Drake’s backup, his stomach had boiled in acid. By the time he had returned to the hotel John had told him what to do, after taking care of the paperwork for Drake’s release. Now, he was going over his tool kit. Not his lawyer tool kit.

  His vampire hunter one.

  Even though this was his first assignment as a true member of the Unkindness, he shouldn’t be this nervous. Colin had been with the Unkindness for almost ten years now as their legal counsel and he was well informed about exactly what the Unkindness of Raven’s purpose was. He was also thirty-eight years old and too old to be acting like a teenager on his first date with a cheerleader.

  Maybe it’s just adrenaline, he told himself as he closed the kit and left it at the foot of the bed. He had a definite rush going, that was for sure. This was nothing like the calm satisfaction he got out of his legal work. This was going to be an absolute roller-coaster ride.

  Colin ducked into the bathroom and stripped off his clothes. He took the fastest shower he had ever taken in his life, dried off and rummaged through his suitcase for something black. He had remembered the vampire toolkit, kept it in the car actually, but he had never thought about black clothes. He wanted to try to blend in as much as possible, even though from what John had told him, it really didn’t matter at this point. He was scheduled to have his teeth bonded next week. That was going to be an experience in itself. Having fangs.

  Dressed and tools packed, Colin headed back out to his car.

  He had a good drive ahead of him and then, he was going to have to find this coal mine.

  He hoped he didn’t get there too late.

  He didn’t want to leave Drake in the lurch.

  And he didn’t want to miss any of the action.

  * * * *

  Grace sniffled and disentangled herself from Drake’s arms. “Great,” she said, swiping at her eyes. “I must look absolutely gorgeous.” Then, she hiccupped.

  Can I get any more girly? she thought, angry at herself for breaking down when what she really needed to do was be stronger than she had ever been in her life.

  “You look wonderful to me,” Drake said. “You always will.”

  Grace let out a laugh. “What … flattery now?”

  Drake planted a kiss on her lips. “Truth. Not flattery.”

  Grace patted his chest. “Thanks, but I know that I can look a hell of a lot better than I do now.”

/>   If I ever get this nightmare over and done with, she thought, turning away from him and starting to pace. “We should have told Harry, left him a message or something, about what to look for.” She reached for her radio automatically before realizing that she’d left it at the office and even if she did have it, it wouldn’t get a signal out from in here.

  “And what kind of message would you have left? Look for a guy with fangs? And he would run right out and arrest who?” He smiled widely at her, one eyebrow raised.

  She pursed her lips, looking at those dangerous fangs of his inside that delicious mouth. “Yeah, okay.” She put a finger to her lips. “Tell me—why do you have those?” She wiggled the finger at him.

  “To fit in.”

  “They’re very sexy in a wild sort of way,” she said.

  “I’ve never bitten anyone. Not yet anyway, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

  Grace felt a shiver rush through her at the thought. In all actuality, she thought vampires were the most sensual creatures. In movies and books. Just the thought of drinking someone’s blood seemed more intimate than even the hottest sex. At the hands of Drake Raven, she would readily give him permission to bite if he wanted. As long as he was careful.

  Drake was shaking his head.

  Grace frowned. “You’re in my head again.”

  “Sorry. But I find it a most interesting place to be.” He ran his tongue over his lips. “Maybe when this is over, you and I could indulge in a little bloodsport.”

  “What is that?”

  “Hmm. I’ll explain it later. Now is not the time. I especially don’t want you bleeding when Barack shows up. He’s going to be hard enough to handle as it is.”

  When Barack shows up, she thought. She was tired of waiting for him to show up. “You know what?” she asked, grabbing a tin of coal oil from along the wall. “I’m tired of waiting. I’m going to find him.” She started for the entrance.

  Drake grabbed her arm, stopping her. “That’s a dangerous thing to do. I thought we agreed to wait here.”