“I’m not having a reaction to her anymore.”
“What?” Lee barked at him.
“She’s not affecting me like before.”
“Good.” He eyed Gunner warily. “Then, why are you still here?”
“Boys,” Piper said, stepping back to stand behind Lee. “Look, since he’s normal now, why don’t we go inside, sit down like adults, and see if we can figure this out?”
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” Lee said, as he wrapped his arm around her.
“If he acts up, we kick him out. Disinvite him.” Her eyes landed on Gunner. “That works, right?”
He nodded.
“I can’t believe I’m agreeing to this,” Lee muttered. “Okay. Come on in, but you’d better keep your hands and fangs to yourself.”
Gunner brought out the blood packs he’d stuffed into his jacket pockets.
“I’m prepared.”
He waved Gunner inside, and as he passed him, Lee growled. Gunner returned the warning with a low rumbling from his throat and flashed the fires in his eyes.
“Just pull ‘em out and measure ‘em, already,” Piper sighed, as she walked inside ahead of them both.
Gunner coughed a laugh at her taking the wind out of their sails, easing the tension between the two men.
“You’d have your hands full with that one.”
“And then some,” Lee agreed with a wiggle of his eyebrows. “Come on. We’re supposed to be on the same side.”
Gunner entered the house and was enveloped by the scent. Bending at his waist, he clutched his stomach.
“Piper, run!” Lee shouted, but she stayed where she was seated on the couch.
“It’s not me,” she said with a shake of her head.
“What?” Gunner and Lee both asked.
Gunner sank his fangs into yet another blood bag.
“Let him get himself under control a little bit more, and then I’ll tell you my theory.”
After drinking four packs, Gunner felt well enough to take his seat. Once he did, Lee went to stand in front of the fireplace. It didn’t go without Gunner’s notice that he had placed himself at the perfect spot to launch an attack. He would’ve done the same had he been in Lee’s shoes.
“Imogen,” Piper said plainly.
“What about her?” Piper stared at Lee pointedly, with her head canted to the side. “He’s never laid eyes on her,” he replied.
“And you hadn’t seen me, either, before the Hunger hit you.”
“But Gunner’s not a shifter.”
“Well, it seems to me that if there’s some force pairin’ off our kind, it stands to reason that there’s also somethin’ like that for vampires.”
“But Immie? Why her?”
“How should I know? Why did it pick me for you, Lee? But it seems to be based on scent, and I was around her right before he went berserk. She hugged me, so apparently, he smelled her on me. I’ve showered since then, and I’m wearing clean clothes, and he doesn’t want me anymore. But she’s been all over this house, so that’s why he’s affected again. Seems like a valid explanation to me.”
“Who is this woman?” Gunner asked.
Lee whipped around, grabbed a picture from the mantel, and handed it to him.
“That’s her and me earlier this year at a music festival she wanted to go to.”
Gunner stared at the photo, as something locked into place. She was beautiful, his Imogen. She had tiny flowers at her ears, tucked into her brown hair that fell in waves below her shoulders. Her smile shone brightly, as she held her fingers up in a sideways peace sign, with an ankh bracelet dangling from her wrist. Her cheeks were rosy, with the start of a sunburn, and freckles peppered her nose, adding to her allure. Through the beige peasant blouse, he could see the outlines of a sky-blue bikini top, and his eyes followed the strings to where they circled her neck, tying at the back.
To him, she was a vision of soft femininity, the gentleness that was missing in his life of blood, bullets, and incriminations.
“Take me to her,” he murmured, lost in the photo of the woman he believed to be his mate.
“Dude, it’s freaking 2 a.m. She’s asleep.”
Setting the photo on the coffee table, Gunner jumped up from his seat and stormed over to where Lee stood.
“I said, take me to her! Now! I need her, and she might be suffering like I am!”
“Back off, before I kick you out!”
“Guys!” Piper stood with her hands on her hips. “Here’s what we’re gonna do. Lee, invite Imogen to visit and have some wine with us tomorrow night. You,” she said, pointing to Gunner, “come over after you wake up, and then you can meet her. And you’d better bring your A game. This chest-thumpin’ act is not gonna impress her. And she’s human, so I doubt she’s feelin’ whatever is happenin’ to you.”
Gunner placed his head in his hands.
“This isn’t how I normally behave. I’ve lost all control of my senses.” Looking up, he said, “This thirst is overwhelming. The need for blood is ruling me in a way I haven’t experienced since I was first turned. It’s even worse than that!”
“Sounds exactly like the Hunger to me.”
“Then, you know why I have to go to her!” Gunner thundered.
“I scarfed down an ungodly amount of carbs in order to keep working on your case and control myself. If I can do that for a couple of weeks, you can handle one more night.”
“Oh, Lee…” Piper whispered. “My poor baby.”
“Hush, woman,” he said, as he winked at her.
“What time tomorrow night?”
“How about 9? She should be done with work by then.”
Resigned to his fate, Gunner stood and went to the door.
“I’ll be here.”
“Gunner.” He craned his neck to look at Lee over his shoulder. “If she’s not the one, leave her alone.”
“She is. I have no doubt of it.”
Chapter 15
“What do you mean, Gunner was released from prison?” Terrance shouted into the phone. “Why would they do that?”
“I don’t know, my lord, but his name was not on the list of current inmates. I thought you would want to be alerted.”
“Upon whose orders was he let out?”
“Jana Noskova herself, sire.”
“On whose recognizance was this granted?”
“His own. For a probationary period.”
“Send me the paperwork immediately.”
“Yes, sire.”
Terrance ended the call and looked down at Reina. She was sitting back on her heels, ignoring his hard cock that had been down her throat before his henchman called. Grabbing her by the back of her head, he yanked her to his crotch.
“Who told you to stop sucking?”
“I didn’t want you to be distracted.”
“You think you’re that good? To keep my attention from where I want it?”
“I—”
“Then, show me. Earn it.”
She opened her mouth, taking his length, and began bobbing up and down. Licking and sucking him furiously, she grabbed his balls and tugged them in a rough manner, before releasing them and handling him the way he wanted her to.
“Deeper!” he growled, pressing her head lower onto him, until he felt her lips at the base.
Tipping his head to the side, he watched her movements on him, as he shifted his hips, driving his shaft into her mouth. His thighs clenched, as his come surged.
“Don’t you fucking stop!” he growled, holding back as long as he could, while she moved on him even faster.
“Aaahhh!” His essence shot from his tip, into her waiting mouth, and as she swallowed, he watched her throat move. “All of it, Reina,” he said, feeling her wet tongue slide over his throbbing flesh. “Look at me.” She obeyed. “That’s your place, on your knees before me. Isn’t it?”
She nodded, as she continued sucking, keeping her eyes where he’d told her to. He allowe
d her to worship him for a few more moments, before shoving her away from him.
“I have another job for you, Reina, but this one doesn’t require my cock.”
“Yes?”
“I need you to attend to Gunner’s again.”
“Sire?”
“He’s out of jail.” He pulled up his pants and stood, walking around the room in thought. “No doubt, he’s returned to his home. You’re going to get inside and back into his bed, so you can report to me as you did before.”
“Please don’t send me away, Terrance. Not to him again!”
Quick as a flash, he was in front of her, with his hand wrapped around her throat.
“Are you telling me ‘no’?”
Reina shook her head, as she trembled, and her eyes glittered with unshed tears.
“I want to stay with you.”
“I thought you wanted to serve me in whatever fashion I desired.”
“I do.”
“Then, you’ll serve him as if he were me. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
“Yes, what?”
“Yes, my King.”
Chapter 16
As the chauffeur drove Reina to Gunner’s house, she practiced her expressions in a hand mirror.
“Oh, Gunner! My love! I came as soon as I heard! We can be together again!”
Rolling her eyes, she did the same with her tongue in her mouth, tasting what was left of Terrance’s essence. A true leader, he took from her everything she had to give, and she was willing to do whatever she could to advance his plans, like she had the last time.
The trap she’d laid those months before had been a chore to bring to fruition, but one by one, she’d delivered the people to Terrance to be sacrificed. She then notified him that the con was set, as she watched Gunner creep into the window she’d left open at the warehouse. It was fitting that she had been the one to set the whole thing up, and for Terrance, as a senior Directive official, to discover Gunner in such a compromising position.
Since then, she’d brought more to be slaughtered for the cause, sneaking them out of The Directive holding cells, or picking them up off the street with promises of jobs, food, and shelter. Their terrified faces, as they realized her true intent for them, didn’t bother her anymore. After the first few, it became easy to lure them to their deaths. After all, Terrance’s ascension assured hers, yet she would’ve done anything he asked of her to be at his side, regardless of her status once he began his reign.
A laugh escaped her, as she thought about the bodies lying in the same place they had been when Gunner was apprehended. Terrance had shown her the order he drafted for the shifters to be buried properly, if possible, but there was nothing to be done for the vampires’ ashes. He’d sent the decree to Magno to cover the required bases, but the corpses hadn’t been interred and were a dead monument of his blood offering to the ancient deities he’d worshipped before he was turned vampire.
As Terrance had directed after Gunner’s arrest, Reina had taken the recent victims to a different location to avoid disturbing the previous ones, possibly angering the gods.
“Ma’am, we’re here.”
“Don’t park right in front of the house! Drive down a block or two!” The chauffeur nodded, pulled to the side of the street, and shifted into Park. “Don’t wait for me.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Opening the door, she stepped out, narrowly avoiding a puddle. She slammed it shut and walked off in the direction of Gunner’s sprawling estate.
“He did that on purpose. Stopping in all that water. Bastard.”
A male form came out from the shadows, and she saw that it was Gunner. A blood pack was stuck to his fangs, and she wondered at that. She’d never known him to drink in the open, where he could be seen.
He was walking erratically, first one way and then another, and she decided to tail him at a safe distance so as to not be discovered. Although, the way he was acting, she thought she could’ve walked right up to him, and he wouldn’t have recognized her—the woman to whom he’d professed his love.
Something was definitely off.
An hour later, they were at the edges of the city, and she had to hang farther back to keep him from seeing her.
He paused in front of a house and then stomped one foot in frustration. Curious, she dashed behind trees and shrubs, as she crept closer. Then, of all things, a male shifter emerged from inside, threatening Gunner, ordering him to leave his mate alone.
None of it was making sense to Reina.
What would Gunner want with a shifter female?
Then the woman in question appeared, but rather than breaking into a battle royale, after a bit of posturing between the two men, she told them to go inside.
To Reina’s shock, they obeyed her, further relegating Gunner and the shifter to a lower status than Terrance, who would’ve never allowed her to tell him what to do. That would’ve earned her a resounding spanking. At the thought, she giggled and considered doing exactly that. But it was the image in her mind of the displeasure in his face, the disappointment in her defiance, that made her push the idea away. She’d been born to obey him, to submit to his every whim, and she intended to do so for the rest of her life.
Dashing to the side of the house, underneath an open window, Reina listened to their conversation, and a smile crept over her face at the realization that she wouldn’t have to debase herself with the likes of Gunner. He was handsome, but he was too nice for her. Terrance was her perfect match, knowing when she needed his palm reddening her ass until she cried. He understood her. He satisfied her and was her true mate.
As she heard Gunner describe his symptoms, she covered her mouth to keep from cackling.
He has the Thirst! Terrance will be so pleased! Any problems Gunner could possibly pose can be thwarted easily! All we have to do is get the girl!
Easing away from the house, she called the driver to meet her a few blocks away. As they went back to the city, she again withdrew her phone from her purse.
“Do you have news?” Terrance drawled.
As she told him of Gunner’s circumstances, he laughed with her.
“Come home, Reina. I have another use for you.”
“I’m eager to serve.”
Chapter 17
Imogen crawled into her bed, bone tired after wrestling with Mr. Potter’s two bloodhounds. They were sweet enough, but they loved their baths, especially splashing her. Somehow, she’d managed to slip on her non-slip linoleum, tumbling to the floor. The dog in the sink had broken the lead securing him there and jumped out, shaking his ears, body, and tail, sending shampoo and water all over the interior of her van.
Her usual one-hour grooming time had turned into more than double that, but the look on Mr. Potter’s face when Imogen returned them to him had made putting up with their shenanigans worth it.
After she returned home, she decided to clean her vehicle the next morning. She went inside, drew some hot water, and added the luxurious bath bomb she’d splurged on at a boutique she’d seen on her commute. As the tub filled, she went to the kitchen and poured herself some wine, filling it to the lip of the glass. A romance novel she’d bought at the grocery store a few weeks prior was lying on the counter, and she picked it up, as she went back to the bath.
Setting them on the tile by the tub, she pulled her long hair up into a high ponytail and then shrugged out of her clothes. She went into her bedroom and flipped her stereo on to a smooth jazz station, and then she lit some scented candles that were in the corners of the tub.
Too bad, there’s not a man here to enjoy this romantic mood. Especially that guy I dreamed about last night. What a hottie!
Imogen rubbed her arms, thinking about the carnally delicious things they’d done to each other, as she wondered how her imagination had come up with the sexual acrobatics they’d performed together.
She shrugged and then glanced down, and when she saw that the water was close to the top, she qui
ckly shut off the faucet.
“Aahhh,” she moaned, as she first dipped her toes in.
She then immersed her body up to her chin. Warmth engulfed her, helping her tired and tight muscles loosen, as strains of saxophones and piano keys filtered into the room. Reaching over the side, she dried her hands on a towel, before picking up the novel and her drink.
Several chapters later, the water had cooled, while her temperature had risen at what she’d read.
Only in romance stories. Never in real life.
She tossed the paperback onto the floor, drank the last of her wine, and placed the empty glass beside the book. After pulling the plug to drain the tub, she blew out the candles and then stood, with her hand on the wall. When she noticed how her fingers had pruned, it reminded her of growing old and being alone.
Just stop it. You’re only thinking about this because Lee found his mate. Your guy is out there somewhere. He could be looking for you right now. You don’t know. Maybe it’s the dream guy. Snorting, she thought, Yeah, right, and began drying her body.
Wrapping the towel around her, she padded into her bedroom and slipped a short nightgown over her head. Then she saw the novel lying there, calling to her to finish it.
She went to the kitchen, grabbed the wine bottle, and then returned to the bathroom, where she picked up the book and her glass and took them to bed with her.
Hours later, when she finished the romance, she closed it, set it on her side table, and turned off the lamp. The room was bathed in darkness, and soon she was in a deep sleep.
He was there again in her mind, making love to her throughout the night.
Imogen… Baby… he moaned, as he moved inside her with deep, strong undulations of his hips.
She tried to see his face. The prior dream had seemed like it was filled with fog, or a mist, and she hadn’t been able to discern anything other than his voice and body. Searching for more, she ran her hands over him, listening to his guttural groans of pleasure mixed with her own.
Her climax slammed into her with a shattering impact, and her arms fell to the mattress, as the only thing she could do at that point was feel. She was nothing but her senses, tasting his mouth, smelling his scent, being filled with him.
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