She took position a few feet away and caught the eyes of two men standing on either side of the blonde. Their eyes roamed over Alexandra’s body and she returned their inappropriate perusal with one of her own. The one man snickered then licked his lips. She turned away as if bored with their flirty looks.
Her long platinum blonde hair was pulled back in a low ponytail. She wore tight blue jeans, heeled ankle boots, and an off the shoulder sweater. She always liked to wear relaxing clothing while photographing, and she never knew if she would need to lay on the ground, or a get a little dirty grabbing the perfect shot. Her friends, mostly wolves, told her she was stunning, and they helped her keep the not so sincere wolves at bay. Sometimes she felt as if they were her guards, like perhaps the gods assigned them to her, but she liked them all. Got along with them well, and shared things girlfriends share with loyal friends.
She watched the men and the children with caution as well as interest. To learn that somehow her family, her parents had a connection to these shifters gave her a feeling of uncertainty of where she belonged. Perhaps that was why she did jobs like these, freelance ones, where she wouldn’t be forced to a daily routine, stuck in the same office, doing the same photo touchups day in and day out?
She smoothed her hands along her tight-fitting jeans, and then lifted the camera up to catch the expressions on some of the children’s faces as they took in the art. She also caught a few moments the blonde woman shared with the children as they hugged her waist and leg and she pointed and spoke of the art.
“What are you doing?”
The deep, abrupt voice made her jump a moment. Usually she was so aware of everything going on around her, but got caught in the beauty of the scene before her, and the compassion in the blonde’s eyes as well as the adoration in the children’s eyes toward her.
It was one of the big guys that had been with the blonde woman.
“Oh, I’m a photographer,” she said, and stared up at the man. He was big, and mean looking, with a scar along his cheek.
“Doesn’t explain why you’re taking pictures of the woman and the children.”
“I suppose you would think it was strange, but actually I was compelled to take the photos. She is a beautiful woman, and it seems the children adore her.”
“Stamos?”
The man turned, and the blonde was there with another man, as some other adults walked the children around the gallery.
“Is something wrong?” she asked, and looked Alexandra over, squinted, and then smiled softly.
“Just asking this photographer why she was taking pictures of you and the children,” he said to her, and then eyed over Alexandra.
“I didn’t mean to be disrespectful. There’s no ulterior motive, ma’am. I’m a freelance photographer working on some various things today, and I was compelled to take your picture, and of the children, as well.”
“Compelled?” the woman asked, stepping closer. She sniffed, in what she thought was an inconspicuous way, but Alexandra knew what to look for. Her grandmother taught her well. Alexandra lifted her chin.
“Yes, ma’am. It was a beautiful sight. The compassion in your eyes and the adoration in the children as they held onto you. Would you like to see?” she asked, and lifted the camera strap over her head and went to move closer when the man Stamos stepped in her way and raised his palm.
“Stamos,” the blonde whispered, and then shook her head. He exhaled as if annoyed and then retreated. Alexandra showed the woman the pictures and the blonde loved them.
“These are amazing, even looking at the small window I can tell they are brilliant. You said you’re a freelance photographer?”
She asked.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Oh please, call me Elaina.” She stuck out her hand and Alexandra stuck out hers.
“Alex,” she said.
“Alex?” the woman questioned.
“Short for Alexandra, but everyone calls me Alex.”
“Very sweet. Would you mind taking some more? I mean only if it doesn’t interfere with your current work. I would love to get some for the orphanage and for my home. I think my husband would love to see them.”
Alexandra smiled.
“Sure. Why don’t I give you my card? I can take some pictures, and when you contact me with an e-mail I will send you proofs.”
“Fantastic. Thank you, Alex, and nice meeting you.”
“You, as well, ma’am, I mean, Elaina,” she said and smiled.
Elaina nodded and then looked at Stamos, who followed her into the gallery and back toward the kids.
Alexandra felt her gut tighten, then some sort of sensation filter through her system. There was some sort of awareness, not a connection, but an indicator that she was meant to meet Elaina and take these pictures. So odd. She giggled to herself and wondered if her grandmother’s magical abilities and strange tales were beginning to mess with her head. She focused on the scene before her, catching several more shots, including of Stamos and the other two men who seemed pretty fierce. She took several more, and then noticed a man by one piece of art with his eyes on Elaina. She was a stunning woman, with long blonde hair similar to Alexandra’s, but Alexandra’s was almost platinum blonde.
As the children and adults continued to walk along, Alexandra almost did, as well, when she saw the one boy, around Brock’s age, hesitate as the man said something to him. He motioned for the boy to come closer and Alexandra got a bad feeling in her gut. She took pictures of the man and the boy, and then walked closer just as the man took the boys hand.
“Hey, what do you think you’re doing?” she asked, drawing attention to the man and the boy. The boy had tears in his eyes and the man pulled him faster. Alexandra called out to Stamos.
“Stamos!” she screamed to him, and then ran toward the man. She grabbed onto the boy’s other hand, and when the man went to strike her, she ducked. He released the boy, and she pulled the boy behind her, and then countered the man’s moves.
“Stop right there!” Stamos yelled, and she sensed them coming, and then the man growled at her, revealing his wolf eyes, and then turned and disappeared out the door. She grabbed onto the little boy and hugged him as he cried, and one of the men ran after the man who turned to take him.
“Lionel, what happened? Oh my God,” Elaina said and bent down, and then the boy went to her and hugged her.
Stamos looked over Alexandra. “What happened?” he asked.
She explained, then one of the other women, someone who should have been watching Lionel, was reprimanded by another woman.
“It’s okay. It worked out fine. Thank goodness Alex was here and saw, and stopped the men.”
“She was out of her mind. That man was a…he could have seriously hurt you,” Stamos said to her.
She swallowed hard. That wasn’t a scary situation to her because in her mind, nearly dying had been the worst ever, so everything else was minor.
“My focus was on the boy,” Alex said, and then smiled softly at Lionel.
“Thank you, miss,” he said to her, and then the woman brought Lionel back toward the group.
“Thank you, Alex,” Elaina said, and then gave a soft smile before the other man and Stamos walked her away.
Alexandra wondered if the other guy who chased the man who grabbed the boy, actually found him. She waited around a little longer and then got a call from Kurtis. She answered as she headed out of the gallery and toward the gardens.
“Hi, Kurtis, what’s going on?”
“I’m in the neighborhood. Where are you?”
She squinted her eyes and could hear something in his voice. “You sound out of breath,” she said to him.
“I’m fine. Tell me where you are, Alexandra.”
When he called her by her full first name she knew he wasn’t kidding. Something was going on. She looked around her. Sensed something, and then felt that soothing sensation across her belly. She sighed. “I’m at the gallery on the corner of
Melvin.”
“I’m a block away. Are you in the garden or inside?”
“The garden. Kurtis, something is wrong. What is it? Do I need to worry?” she asked him.
“No, I’m almost there.”
“I’m making my way to the front entrance where more people are,” she said, and pushed her ponytail over her shoulder, and looked around her, and felt her heart racing. Kurtis was her best friend. The one man she trusted, that her grandmother trusted, and a wolf she didn’t fear.
* * * *
Kurtis Knoll hurried down the block, fixing his shirt, and hoping he didn’t look like he just got into a fight with another wolf. He had been on his way to locate Alexandra. He knew that she was in the city today doing some freelance photography, after receiving a phone call from someone who spotted a rogue wolf in the same area. He immediately headed toward the art district when he saw a man being chased by another man. As he realized the men were wolves and one of them, a member of Saint pack, he sprang into action to assist.
They tumbled around with the guy, and when Kurtis smelled Alexandra’s scent on his sleeve of his shirt, he bared his teeth and went into protective mode. The other wolf felt threatened and it became a mess quickly. The man who had Alexandra’s scent on him took off running, screaming the word monster at the tops of his lungs, which caused Kurtis and the other wolf to back off.
He caught sight of Alexandra by the front entrance to the gallery, and was shocked to see more of Saint pack and a bunch of children. They were gathering into the bus and just as they all got on, Stamos and two other guards who were protecting the Alphas’ mate Elaina, stared at him. Kurtis wrapped an arm around Alexandra’s shoulders and smiled. “So glad I caught you. I had a feeling you would be this way,” he said, being sure they faced away from those wolves.
“What are you doing down here, and why did you sound panicked over the phone? What’s wrong?” she asked him.
He glanced back toward the bus, the men already onboard, and then exhaled.
“Nothing is wrong. Have you eaten lunch yet?”
“No, not yet, and don’t change the subject. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.
“Okay then, I’m off to another location and then to meet up with my friends.”
He scrunched his eyes together. “Who?” he asked.
She moved from his arm and gave him a tap to his belly. “You know who,” she teased him.
He exhaled. “Luna?”
She chuckled, then gave him a wink. “How about a very petite blonde, with big blue eyes, and a gorgeous smile.”
He shook his head and looked away. He knew she was talking about Loki. Now he would want to go to wherever they were going and keep eyes on Loki, Alexandra, and her friends. They were all young, and wolves, too, except for Alexandra, who was pretty damn special. He took on the role of being her protector once word got out to the neighborhood about how her, her sister and grandmother nearly died being attacked by rogue wolves. “Where are you going? The Locust Tree?”
“Why, thinking of showing up with your brother and cousin?”
“You know I worry about you.”
“You don’t need to. I’m a grown woman now, no longer that naive child who nearly had her life ripped from her at too young of an age. Besides, all of my friends are trained wolves, and I am well trained, too. Thanks to you and your brothers, and their crazy friends.”
“Wolves is the key word, Alexandra,” he said in warning.
“I know they tell you about my training and my competitiveness. You know I can handle it.”
“Never underestimate the powers of a shifter. It will be the last mistake you make.”
“Yeah, kind of already had that hammered into my head,” she said, and he felt badly.
She still suffered from headaches because of the assault. He rubbed the back of her head and then squeezed her shoulder and pulled her close. He noticed the other men looking at Alexandra. She was a very attractive woman. Her platinum blonde hair and big bold, blue eyes, thick eyelashes and super sexy body stood out. She was fit and toned, dressed even casually like she was right now in tight blue jeans and an off the shoulder light blue sweater, and she looked amazing. He could only imagine what she might look like tonight going clubbing with her friends.
She leaned against him. “So, any idea when you might make a move on Loki?”
“Too many responsibilities.”
She pulled away and walked along with him. “Your brothers and cousin aren’t ready? They need to stop doing such crazy things.”
“Alex, you don’t understand wolves. You think they’re bad, Alphas are twenty times worse.”
“Seriously?” She squinted.
“Hopefully you never cross paths with any, because you would definitely get into serious trouble.” He winked. She chuckled, and he walked her to the trolley so she could head home.
Chapter Two
“Doesn’t look like I remember,” Heracio said to his brother Saunder.
“It’s been several years since we’ve been back to these parts,” Saunder said, then took a slug from his bottle of beer.
Heracio looked around the bar. It was crowded with loads of scents of familiar packs and unfamiliar ones. This was the city so there were bits of mixed breeds, and a whole lot of other things he couldn’t differentiate. Add in the perfumes and colognes of humans, and his senses were all screwed up. He glanced at Preston, lead Alpha, and his brother. His eyes were staring through the crowd, and right onto the backside of one sexy platinum blonde. She and her four friends were laughing and having a good time, and the blonde was wiggling her hips to the music while she took a sip from her drink.
“See something you like, Preston?” Heratio asked, pulling his older brother from his daze. Preston looked at him, but then Heratio watched a redhead, a female wolf from Clover pack, slide right up next to Preston.
“Now you three are definitely not from around here,” she said, and Heratio squinted at her, his senses picking up on the various smells of male on her. Wolves were sexual creatures, but this one had no limitations.
“Take a hike, not interested,” Heratio said to her.
She snarled at him but then slid her hand along Preston’s arm “You change your mind, you let me know. I’ll do the three of you like you’ve never been done before.” She winked. As she turned to slither away in search of some other prey, she smacked right into one of the women who was with the platinum blonde, and it got everyone’s attention.
* * * *
“It was hysterical. You should have seen his face when I popped up around the corner and caught him rubbing himself. All while he watched Lilly Clark just standing by the bus stop,” Avi said, as she told them all about her story at work today.
“That is hysterical. I swear, he is just a horny teenage kid who hasn’t had sex yet,” Alusia said to them, then took a sip of her drink.
“He isn’t a virgin, but he definitely hasn’t had much experience. He stares at me all the time when I’m working, and I swear he gets aroused while doing it,” Avi said, and they laughed.
Then some woman bumped into Avi hard and sent her into Alex. Alex grabbed her by her shoulders, dropping her drink in the process, but then Alusia, Loki, and Luna started telling off the redhead who looked like a streetwalker wearing a tight dress that hugged her skinny figure and her little breasts. The dress was so short, and the woman reeked of booze and sex. Alex wondered how the woman even breathed in that thing, never mind how did she wear those stilettos with such stick legs?
“Shut up, bitches. Unless you want to take this outside!” the redhead, roared and gave the stare down to Alex’s friends.
She could tell that the ladies were going to get nasty, and now they were drawing everyone’s attention.
“It was an accident. I’m sure you’re sorry,” Alex said, and then pulled Avi and Loki back.
“Awe how cute. Who is whose pet?” she asked.
Alex was shocked. She let go of
her friends. “You did not just say that. You know what, whatever. You asked for it.”
Loki and Avi gave a sly grin just as the redhead gave Alex a shove, pretending to turn, and then went to strike Avi. That led to a series of cheers and hollers, and then another woman dressed similarly to the redhead joined in, and as Alex went to back up her friends even though they didn’t need it, she felt a strong arm go around her waist and a hard, solid chest press up against her back. She gasped, but then felt the warm breath and heard a deep, commanding tone of voice. “Stay out of it,” he whispered.
She turned to look way up at some gorgeous blonde she didn’t know, who had striking blue eyes and was so much bigger than her; she felt completely intimidated. He was double her size at least, and tall. So tall and big and every ounce of her knew he was a wolf. Her body tingled like never before, and his fingers gripped her hip as he inhaled against her neck. She heard his chest rumble in a low growl that completely made her pussy throb and leak.
She was so in tune to his body, his size, the muscles, and the feeling of being surrounded, protected, that she got even more scared.
A yelling fight was going on behind her, but it was muzzled by the sound of her heartbeat, the pounding in her ears, and how she felt odd in this strange man’s arms.
“You stay right here, and leave the fighting for the animals,” he said, and she opened her mouth in shock, but then another man pressed closer.
“Everything okay over here?”
She glanced at him, and he was just as good looking as the man holding her around the waist, but then his eyes squinted and he bent lower, inhaled against her hair and he growled low, his chest mumbling against the front of her. The attraction, the deep, carnal need went up another notch. Thick, large warm hands caressed against her body and she felt it so deeply she was frozen in place. She was lost between the two huge men, and she knew they were wolves, but not just any wolves. These were superior ones. She was confused, and didn’t know why she was reacting to these men in such a way. She pulled from the one blonde’s arms. They were wolves. Good looking ones and not from around here, more than likely passing through. Trouble. They could be nothing but trouble. Her grandmother warned her about the magic abilities of some shifters from the dark side. Although she didn’t feel like they were evil, she didn’t understand her reaction, and then that sensation of warning began to simmer.
Hunters of the Gods_Power of Their Mate Page 3