by Jessica Snow
Jerle threw back his head and howled over his conquest. With a pleased smile, he went in search of more game, eagerly destroying precious equipment along the way. The outlaw wolf was obviously enjoying every minute of the carnage. And so was Crystal.
After delivering a few cheap claw swipes on several female factory workers, Crystal made her way to the second level of the plant where she knew Liam’s father’s office to be. She burst into his office, ready to do battle. He wasn’t there.
Inwardly, Crystal sighed with relief. As much as she hated Liam, and as an extension of her hate, his parents, she did not want to go toe-to-toe with an alpha wolf like Lance Greyson. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t hurt him. Producing a match from the pocket of her cut-off shorts, she lit it and threw it on the elder Greyson’s desk before walking out.
Next, she traveled to Liam’s office. Once inside, she went into a destructive frenzy, taking out all her frustration on Liam’s belongings. The lingering scent of her former mate fueled her rage as she did her worst. Books and papers shredded; his computer ended up on the floor in smashed chunks. After her rage was spent, she lit a match and held it against his clawed-up desk. When it finally caught fire, she stood there, watching the flames grow and grow until she could no longer stand the smoke.
Outside, Jerle’s men were quickly packing the stolen bounty in waiting vehicles, preparing to flee the scene. It would only be a matter of time before the authorities showed up. The last thing they needed now were human witnesses.
"What do we do now?" Jerle growled, stalking up to his new mate. The big man was covered in blood, but his eyes were on the meat sacks being piled into waiting vehicles. He would eat like a king tonight. Crystal would see to it.
She stared at the Greyson factory, the symbol of power for the rich family. Without the use of the Lilly cattle land, the Greysons would have been nothing. Now they would be nothing, and Crystal would take great pleasure in seeing them fall.
"Burn it," Crystal ordered a moment later. "To the ground."
Chapter 33
Liam slammed the door behind them, angrily ushering Kat into the kitchen of his apartment. "What the hell do you think you were doing with that vampire?" he demanded. "I told you to stay away from them!"
Why Kat had allowed Liam to bring her back to his place when her father’s condition was unknown, she’d never know. Perhaps it was because Theon had told her that Mike would be all right and Kat wanted desperately to believe him.
Or maybe she had allowed Liam to take her because she was sorry for knocking him out. Or the fact that he was so damn irresistibly sexy. Kat thought it was a little bit of both.
Kat could see the jealousy in his Liam’s golden eyes as she sank into a chair at the table and studied his chiseled face. She really did not feel like arguing about the wisdom of speaking with vampires right now. All she wanted to do was find McKenzie and then get her father back. "I had to speak with him. He had important information on McKenzie’s whereabouts."
Not that he didn’t save my life or anything, Kat thought. But she knew if she told Liam about Theon’s heroics it would probably send him into a jealous rage.
Kat did not know whether she was annoyed by Liam’s sudden obsession with keeping her safe, or relieved. Liam had explained to her that he thought of himself as her pack leader, and when she was out of his sight, it drove him crazy because he could not perform his duty of protecting her. Trying to put herself in wolf shoes, Kat could somewhat understand where he was coming from. But given everything that was going on with McKenzie missing and her father being held by some cult-like group, it was proving to be a hindrance.
Liam snorted with derision. "It looked like more than just talking was going on when I burst in."
Yeah, he was about to grab my jugs because he thought I was his long lost love before you showed up, thought Kat, remembering the look in Theon’s eyes. "Nothing was going on, Liam," Kat lied. "Certainly, not on my end. I was just trying to find my sister. I found out the name of the vampire who has her, for fuck’s sake. She’s alive."
"Everything that vampire told you was probably a lie. Look, Kat, I know you want to hold out hope for your sister, I would want to too, but I’m sorry, McKenzie is dead."
"No, she is not," Kat argued stubbornly. "You’ve never even seen my sister before, so how would you know that it was her that you saw in that dumpster?" She paused to let suspicion drop into her voice. "If you saw anything at all."
Liam glared at her. "I know what I saw, Kat. Not to mention, the girl was the spitting image of you—minus the curves." He walked over to the table, braced both hands against it, and stared her in the face. "You insult me, Kat, doubting me like this. And you doubly insult me consorting with lowly vampires behind my back."
Kat gaped. Did Liam need to be knocked upside the head again? How could he be so callous? "Behind your back? I have every right to try to find out what happened to my sister, seeing as how I don’t believe you really saw her! Not only that, but my dad is being held captive by some human group called the Wardens. I am not letting you pen me in while they’re in danger. Do you want to keep me safe? Then do something to help me, instead of freaking out like a dog with separation anxiety!"
Surprise crossed Liam’s face. "Your dad is being held by the Wardens?"
Kat relaxed a little. This tidbit of news seemed to have calmed Liam’s angry demeanor somewhat. "Yeah." She quickly relayed what happened after she had left Liam.
"This is very troubling," Liam muttered when she was done, his brow furrowing. "The Wardens have not gotten involved in paranormal affairs for quite some time."
"No shit," Kat agreed. She felt a ping of curiosity. "How’d you find me anyway?"
Kat did not want to tell Liam that it was a good thing he had come along when he did. Though Theon had seemed harmless enough, Kat could not be totally sure what he had intended to do. Kiss her? Bite her?
"How many times must I tell you this, Kat?" asked Liam tirelessly. "I have your scent. I can follow your trail anywhere."
"It’s that strong, eh?" asked Kat. Maybe I need to do some major douching.
Liam nodded. "Yeah, especially because you’re having your estrous cycle."
Kat reared back with surprise. "Say what?" What the hell was an estrous cycle?
The gold specks in Liam’s eyes swirled around as he gazed intently at his mate and his voice took on a husky tone. "In wolf terms, it means you’re in heat."
Looking at Liam’s hot body, Kat definitely felt like she was burning up. Is that why I’ve been so damn moody and horny?
"Which makes you doubly irresistible to me. Even though chaos is all around us, your body is all I can think about for long."
A shiver went down Kat’s spine at the flames raging in his golden eyes. Not surprisingly, she found her body responding to his ardor, a tingling rising from within the depths of her stomach and an aching longing in her nether regions.
A musky scent filled the room and Kat became confused. It took her a moment to realize that she was actually smelling Liam’s pheromones, and boy, were they overpowering.
Think of Daddy! she thought with panic as her body temperature soared. And McKenzie!
Liam stood up and slowly made his way around the table to Kat’s side. Kat immediately felt the heat emanating from his hot body. Damn, he was on fire! Those strong thighs in those jeans, the massive bulge of his crotch, and those washboard abs made Kat want to grab him and drag him to bed.
Liam’s voice was breathless with desire as he closed in. "And even though my family has disowned me, and my former mate wants me dead, my only desire is to be inside of you."
Talk about an ego boost! Kat tried really hard to resist the desire that was slowly taking over her body, but when Liam leaned over and his lips found her neck, her nerves burst into flames. "Take me!" she gasped.
What are you doing, Kat? her annoying conscience demanded. You must go find McKenzie.
Shut the fuck up!
Liam leaned over her body as he tore his shirt off, buttons flying. He bent down and kissed her neck, his hands roaming up her stomach to cup her big breasts. Kat’s nipples tightened in response.
Hungry for a taste, Kat grabbed him by the back his neck and forced him to kiss her, their lips locking with rough fervor. A second later she parted her lips and let his tongue slide inside. She began sucking on it and lapping at the insides of his mouth, little wet noises and ragged breath punctuating the silence.
Geez, Kat, you’re going to suck his face off.
But Kat did not care. She enjoyed the taste of Liam’s saliva. There was a strong, sweet quality to it. Finally, she let go of his neck and Liam descended to her breasts, kissing every part of her exposed flesh along the way.
He tore open her shirt, exposing her bra, quickly removed it and then buried his face between her breasts, whipping his head about in a feverish frenzy.
Kat threw back her head and groaned, turned on by his hunger for her body.
"I love your breasts," Liam growled, his voice muffled by her flesh. "So big and full."
"Liam!" she groaned, feeling moistness gather down between her wobbly thighs. It felt so damned good and they hadn’t even gotten to the best part yet.
Liam’s hands were already snaking in that direction. Kat waited, wanting to be explored. She swore as soon as he touched her there that she would literally burst into flames. Liam began deftly unbuttoning her pants while still enjoying her boobs, pushing her legs open wide.
His lips found her right nipple and he began suckling on it like a baby wolf hungry for milk. Kat felt a stab of sharp pain as his teeth grazed it, and then pleasure.
They were so involved in their moment of passion that neither one of them heard the front door being flung open and the sound of rushing footsteps.
"Kat?" A familiar voice shouted with surprise.
Kat and Liam froze and then Kat’s jaw dropped in disbelief at the sight of the man standing in the kitchen doorway, gaping at her with shock. "Kevin?" Ugh, what the fuck? Talk about killing my lady-boner. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Before her ex-boyfriend could respond, a black arrow streaked across the kitchen floor and slammed into Liam, knocking him off the table.
"Get your filthy paws off my charge, wolf scum!"
Kat’s jaw dropped further. "Ashley?"
Her former clubbing buddy was dressed in a latex body suit, looking for all the world like she was ready to kick some ass.
"Kat, I’m telling you now," another familiar voice said, "I have absolutely nothing to do with this. Ash has gone bat-shit nuts."
Elizabeth came walking in behind Kevin, but she froze and her eyes widened with shock when she saw Kat lying on the table with her breasts exposed and her legs spread wide.
Embarrassed, Kat crossed her arms over her chest and closed her legs. Talk about being caught with your trap open. "It’s not what it looks like," Kat said quickly.
Really, Kat? she thought to herself. Who the hell do I think I’m kidding?
Meanwhile, Liam made a move toward Ashley, but she drew out a gun and pointed it at him with lightning speed, stopping him dead in his tracks. "If you so as much try to put a paw on me, wolf scum, I’ll put a silver bullet through your heart so fast, you won’t know what hit you," she growled.
Alarm flared inside Kat as she realized the gun that Ashley was holding was real. "Ash, what the hell do you think you’re doing? Put that thing down now!’
Ashley barely spared her a glance over her shoulder. "Stay out of this, Kat. This is my duty." She turned back on Liam, who had both his hands raised defensively, his golden eyes eying the gun wearily. "What were you just doing with my charge?" she demanded.
Are you kidding, Ash? Kat thought with exasperation. What did it look like we were doing?
Liam’s eyes flickered over to Kat then back on Ashley. "That’s really none of your business."
Ashley cocked her weapon. "You wanna bet?"
"Ashley, knock it the fuck off!" Kat shouted in warning. She resisted the urge to walk over and smack some sense inside of her friend’s head. With her unpredictable strength, she was afraid she’d knock it off accidentally.
Liam licked his lips, his only sign of nervousness, his eyes glued to the gun. "Kat and I are mated. We were merely enjoying ourselves."
"Kat, this guy is your boyfriend?" Kevin asked with disbelief. Her former flame looked like he had seen a ghost as his eyes flickered between the two. Kat knew why. It was because Kevin probably thought she would never get another man, especially one that was better looking than him. She could not help but feel smug satisfaction at Kevin’s disappointment. But she had no time to gloat. Ashley looked serious about carrying out her threat to shoot Liam.
Kat stood up from the table, still trying to keep her breasts covered while keeping an eye on the unhinged Ashley. "What’s her deal?" she asked Elizabeth, ignoring Kevin’s question.
Elizabeth shook her head slowly. "I don’t know, Kat. She just shows up at my apartment today, talking about werewolves, vampires and witches and shit, and how she is your protector, destined to save you from getting eaten out on your kitchen table by a totally hot guy." Elizabeth eyes roved over Kat’s exposed flesh and then appreciatively over Liam’s hot abs, letting Kat know that she knew exactly what Kat and Liam had been doing before they barged in.
"Both of you stop talking like I am not here!" Ashley snapped. She cocked the gun at Liam. "You got three seconds to get the hell out of here before I blast a hole through your ass!"
"Ash!"
"1-" Ashley began her countdown in a low voice.
Liam took a step forward. "Listen, you don’t want to do anything you will regret. I’m a son of a prominent business owner. I can pay you a lot of money to—"
"Oh, shut the fuck up!" Ashley yelled, suddenly furious. "You’re just a Goddamned wolf that can’t keep his hand off my charge." Then she calmed and placed a manicured finger over the trigger. "2—"
Kat looked into Ashley’s eyes. They were dead serious. Ashley meant business. "Liam, go now!"
Anger flashed in Liam’s eyes. "I’ll be back for you Kat," he growled. Then with his eyes on Ashley, he stalked out, rudely brushing past Kevin on his way out.
Liam peeked through the window of his townhome, waiting for his moment to break in and overpower the girl in the cat suit. He had no idea who she was, but he knew that she was a dangerous human. Every movement she had made suggested that she had been trained to do battle against his kind. She would not have batted a pretty eyelash while emptying silver rounds into Liam’s body.
Anger grew as he watched Kat arguing with the girl and then as she pointed a gun at his mate. Despite the threat, he doubted the girl was going to hurt Kat. Still, it angered him that a human had the temerity to expel him from his own home. He was about to let his rage get the best of him, and killed in the process when his phone vibrated in his pocket.
It was a curious thing. It hadn’t rung since the previous day. He ignored it. It was probably just his father asking him to come home to face his punishment. But the phone continued to vibrate, begging for his attention.
Cursing under his breath, he pulled it out and answered—and then his face turned white as he listened to the message on the other end.
"What the hell do you think you’re doing, Ashley?" Kat yelled as soon as Liam had left, turning on her friend with fury. "You just threatened my man’s life and forced him to leave his own residence!"
Ashley lowered her gun, staring at the spot Liam had been standing. "Protecting you."
Kat snorted, pulling her shirt over her breasts. She could not help but notice Kevin throwing a wistful glance her way. Maybe he was missing the fun he had once had playing with he
r boobs, which were all natural, unlike those of the two-bit tramp he had left her for. The thought made Kat feel good. But Ashley was pissing her off. "Protecting me? Protecting me from what? Getting laid?"
Holstering her gun, Ashley looked over at her and replied, "From yourself."
Kat placed her hands on her hips angrily. "Well did it ever occur to you that I don’t need your Goddamned help protecting myself?"
Ashley shook her head, ignoring Kat’s acidic tone. "Sure didn’t. That’s why I’m here."
"Don’t waste your time arguing with her, Kat," Liz said. "I’ve already tried. It’s hopeless. She thinks she’s Xena, the Warrior Princess."
Suddenly, what Liz had said concerning Ashley’s knowledge of the supernatural came back to Kat. "How in the hell do you know about the shifters and vampires, anyway? I thought most humans had no idea they existed." Ashley had always been a girl whose only mission in life was to get laid and bang hot guys, so this new change in her carefree demeanor was a surprise to Kat.
Ashley looked grim. "I was taught these things the moment I was old enough to remember."
"By whom?"
"The Wardens."
Kat paused, her jaw dropping. "You’re a Warden?" It seemed very unlikely, but if it was true, it was good news. If Ashley knew the Wardens, then she would surely be able to get Big Mike freed.
Ashley shook her head. "No. I’m a Guardian. Wardens and guardians are two different things."
"A Guardian of what? This doesn’t make any sense!"
Ashley’s gaze was penetrating. "You, Kat, I was born to guard you. I am your Guardian."
Kat laughed. "This is such bullshit!" Between Liam trying to control her, and now Ashley, she was getting thoroughly pissed off.
Ashley shook her head. "It’s true. Long ago, when werebears were more plentiful, they required human handlers. We would protect them from being hunted by other humans, who saw werebears as dangerous predators that needed to be extinct. Not to mention the vampires and wolves, to whom the bears were hated enemies. In those dark times, Kat, it was my people that helped your kind to survive."