Forbidden Alliance: A Werewolf's Tale (Forbidden Alliance Trilogy)

by Ayusso, Danae

  “Um…” I nervously gnawed on my bottom lip, trying to find the courage to ask if it was okay to pay him back the buck and change difference for the salad.

  Tanis raised an eyebrow, his head tilting to the side to regard me as if he could read my mind.

  Oh shit! He better not be able to read my mind…if he sparkles in the sun, that’s it, I’m staking his ass myself!

  “Caesar salad?” I meekly ordered and instantly cringed when Tanis made a disgusted, scoffing sound—that I foresaw.

  “No,” Tanis said in a clipped tone. “We need another moment. Please bring us a bottle of Baroli Barolo,” he ordered, his voice soft and velvety and, once again, I fought to contain the whimper building in my chest.

  “Can I see your ID please?” the waitress asked and nervously tucked her hair behind her ears.

  Lovely. Just because I’m a werewolf doesn’t mean that I’m a goddamn ancient. I’m only seventeen! Oh, that isn’t good. He’s over three hundred years old…that makes me jail bait and then some! Well, that answers that. He took me to dinner simply because he’s amused by the little wolf girl...by the young kid sitting across from him. Since I can’t keep blurting stuff out, can’t keep from undressing him with my eyes, can’t stop envisioning attacking his lips with mine…that sucks. Jay Dee, you were obviously giving yourself way more credit than you were due.

  Tanis looked intently at the blushing, flirting, young waitress and I fought the snarl that was suddenly tugging at my top lip, and I bit my tongue as it fought to growl that he was mine. Tanis smiled when the waitress made eye contact with him. His pupils completely dilated, covering the beautiful blue and silver with black. “We are both twenty-one,” he said in a deep, sexy voice. “Thus there is no need for you to verify our ages.”

  “Oh, okay,” she said breathlessly as her chest frantically rose and fell with each rushed breath that broke past her lips, tiny beads of sweat dotted her hairline, and she licked her dry lips. You could smell the heat rolling from between her legs and it was stomach turning; nothing screamed romantic dinner like the stench a slutty waitress.

  I slid the butter knife off of my napkin and my hands painfully wrapped around the shiny metal, quickly turning it into origami under the table. I was seriously envisioning phasing right then and there so I could rip her throat out.

  “Would you like a complimentary bottle of Dom Pérignon Champagne?” she asked, inching closer to him.

  Touch him, I dare you! I mentally hissed.

  Tanis looked from her to me and his brow furrowed. “No thank you, the red will suffice,” he said dismissively and waved her away. When the waitress was gone, he leaned across the table. “Is something wrong, Miss Jay Dee?”

  I closed my eyes and shook my head; thoughts that dark and animalistic were as foreign to me as the possessiveness and attraction I was feeling towards the vampire on the other side of the table. It scared me that I was having such dark and bloody, homicidal even, fantasies...all of which obviously revolved around Tanis... No, not revolved around, he was the source of them! I was certain of it, and I wasn’t entirely sure if I liked that or not. No creature, especially a man for that matter, should have that type of influence over someone, just like thrall.

  “It doesn’t matter,” I mumbled. “Was that thrall?” I asked, changing the subject, and opened my eyes and looked at him.

  He smirked, possibly sensing that I was about to go all wolf girl up in there and needed a distraction, and by God, he was damn sexy when he smiled like that—a kid in a candy store caught stealing and trying to talk his way out of it—so of course it was the distraction I so desperately needed. “Yes,” he said, batting his lashes at me. “Rather impressive, is it not?”

  “No shit,” I snorted. “Make me do something,” I said, and bounced up and down in my seat. Now that was interesting and helped to push the dark thoughts from my mind.

  Tanis cocked an eyebrow. “Like what?” he asked apprehensively.

  “Nothing I’ll kick your ass for,” I strongly suggested with a smirk.

  “Very well,” he said with a dramatic sigh before looking intently into my eyes. Again they dilated and the beautiful silver-streaked blue was replaced with black. “Order something and do not fret the price,” he said, his voice was beyond sexy and like velvet as the words rolled from his lips. His warm breath washed over my face and caused me to bite my bottom lip as a screaming line of desire shot through me—that was a first and it was more than welcomed.

  Yes, Tanis’ suggestion was suggestive and, by far, was the sexiest thing I had ever heard, but there was nothing there that would make me do what he was telling me to do.

  “Miss Jay Dee, do not fret the price,” he continued. “Simply order whatever you wish. You may even order one of everything if it tickles your fancy,” he purred with a smirk.

  Huh? Isn’t there supposed to be some kind of mental intrusion or something clouding my mind and telling me to do it? I mean, the tickling thing is a suggestion that I’m more than supportive of...bring it back to the appropriate, Jay Dee. You’re getting as bad as that skanky waitress who was practically dry humping his leg!

  I’ll admit, I wanted to do what Tanis suggested simply because he asked me to, but at the same time, I wanted to bite him because of what he was telling me to do...because he was telling me to do something! Had he never been around strong werewolf women before? We don’t take kindly to being bossed around. If anything, it was a one-way ticket to an ass kicking.

  “Anything you want,” he repeated, then licked his lips.

  The annoying vampire didn’t play fair.

  I snorted, rolling my eye. “No.”

  “Wait, what?” he stammered, confused. “No, what?” he asked, shaking his head to clear it, and his pupils contracted, revealing the beautiful blue that swirled with metallic silver when he was excited, but at that moment they swirled with confusion.

  “No,” I mockingly sang. “I’m not going to order one of everything just because you said I can. You really are pushy and bossy,” I informed him and his eyes widened. “And let me give you some words of wisdom, Old Man; strong women don’t like being bossed around, regardless of how charming the man that’s doing the bossing is. Honestly, I don’t know what the deal is with those other broads, but that wasn’t very convincing at all.”

  Tanis leaned back and pushed his hand through his hair in frustration; his expression was masked with confusion and fascination. “I cannot believe that did not work! I put a thousand times more effort than needed because of how bloody stubborn you are.”

  “Hey!” I whined, throwing my napkin at him.

  He ignored me; Tanis was obviously consumed with the failing-to-thrall Jay Dee debacle.

  “Huh,” he huffed, sounding aspirated. “You must be immune to it...or extremely hardheaded, thus immune to it.”

  I made a face at him and he chuckled.

  “It is rare, not entirely unheard of for someone of my age, but very rare,” he continued. “However, it is hard to tell though because your eyes are black. Usually I can confirm effectiveness when the subject’s pupils dilate. However I cannot tell with you.”

  I huffed. “So I’m broken. Lovely.”

  “No, not at all, Miss Jay Dee,” he assured me. “It is a very, very good thing. Especially with Romeo around, he has taken notice of you.”

  My mouth fell open; Romeo had taken notice but not Tanis—that sucked.

  The waitress returned with some bottles of imported water and the wine with two glasses, and instantly I was glaring at her again.

  “We will take one of everything on the menu, minus soups and salads, with dessert and dessert wine,” Tanis ordered, never taking his eyes off of me and smiled smugly when I turned my attention, and glaring, from the waitress to him—now I was glaring for an entirely different reason.

  You had to give the smug vampire credit, he was smart. I would say that he should have been because he’s over three-hundred-years-old, but I’ve known
some five-century-old werewolves that acted like five-year-olds, so age obviously had nothing to do with having brains.

  The waitress pushed her chest out and huffed, trying to get his attention. “I get off at nine,” she whispered.

  “Sod off,” Tanis snarled, startling her.

  It took all of my conscious effort to keep from doing the happy dance and singing at the top of my lungs that he just blew a skinny twenty-something off so we could be alone.

  “I applaud your effort,” I absently said, watching from the corner of my eye as the horny waitress disappeared into the kitchen to put our order in; I was rather confident that she was crying.

  “It was nothing really,” he informed me, his tone made it more than obvious that he was being a smart ass, and, yet again, it stole my attention.

  “You’re a smart one,” I said and he nodded, “ass,” I quickly added and he chuckled. “You’re a smart ass. But enough about you…” I tried to sneer but ended up smiling when our eyes met.

  Tanis nodded and brushed against the side of my foot with his. “I will give you that, sometimes I can be an unmitigated and comprehensive arse,” he said and I fought to keep from swooning—everything he said with that sexy British accent of his was hot; there was no way he didn’t know that he was turning me on. He was a vampire after all, so his senses should have been as heightened as mine...possibly even more since he was so much older. “I quickly figured out with you, Miss Jay Dee, that I mustn’t give any options and simply do as I wish, yet I must offer a give to me take so I do not appear, as you put it, bossy.”

  Damn it. I can’t argue with him there.

  “Have you had Italian before?” he asked, and opened the wine.

  I shrugged, watching him curiously.

  “You must allow the wine to breathe,” he explained and I nodded even though I didn’t know what in the hell that meant.

  “Mom’s spaghetti and Chef Boyardee,” I admitted, answering his initial question, and instantly wish I hadn’t; now I was making myself look like bleached out reservation trash.

  Tanis chuckled. “See! Consider this an educational experience. You will sample various pastas, sauces and Italian cuisine, enjoy lovely wine and phenomenal company-”

  “Who, coincidently, is the epitome of humility and modesty,” I dryly added and he smiled wide.

  “But of course! It is a date with a purpose,” he teasingly informed me.

  Wait, did he just call this a date? Oh my god! I’m on my first date and I didn’t even realize it!

  “This is a date?” I asked, wanting to confirm what I think he just said.

  His cheeks flushed an even deeper shade of rose. “But of course. I am dressed to impressed and you are,” he looked up at me and smirked, “good company.”

  I rolled my eyes and pouted.

  So I’m nothing but entertainment for the bored old vampire?! That’s just great. If that’s the case, why didn’t he hit up one of the girls who were desperately trying to get his attention and in his pants in Creative Writing or Gym? At least they would have put out instead of silently staking claim to him like some kind of possessive alpha male in a pack of bitches in heat. Seriously, why would he bother with the werewolf outcast of the Lhaq'temish? Obviously he either has too much time on his hands or he’s not right in the head. Yup, that’s my awesome lack-of-luck; I go on my first date at almost eighteen-years-old, with a three-hundred-year-old vampire nonetheless, and I’m merely here for his entertainment.

  Whatever.

  Not thinking about it, I grabbed the glass of wine in front of me and drank it in two unladylike gulps. It wasn’t bad, I wasn’t used to drinking wine, sometimes Jack and beer but that was only on rare occasion, and I motioned for a refill.

  “Are you going to be okay to drive since you’re drinking?” I asked; it would the responsible thing to be concerned with, not the most important thing, but the only one that wouldn’t make me look any more pathetic or desperate than I already felt.

  “Yes,” Tanis assured me, refilling my glass.

  Thankfully the appetizers came; I was so hungry I could eat the ass end of a horse. Again, Tanis dismissively waved away the waitress who was so desperately trying to get his attention and dropped the paper coaster with her phone number on it that she discreetly slipped under his napkin to the floor.

  That’s so damn hot.

  He handed me a small porcelain plate and motioned towards the appetizers covering the table. “Me system processes alcohol differently than yours,” he said, addressing my drinking and driving concerns. “It would take many, many gallons of wine for me to even feel squiffy.”

  That was an interesting bit of information, and obviously a major difference between vampires and werewolves: werewolves got drunk as shit just as a human would, gallons of overly priced wine wasn’t necessary. I saw Jarvis get shitfaced off the two cans of Pabst he stole from our uncle’s cooler when he was fourteen.

  “Why do it then?” I asked.

  Tanis absently shrugged. “I suppose I drink it because I enjoy the taste of a fine wine...it reminds me of home,” he added the latter as more of an afterthought. It was more than obvious that his mental and verbal filters were suddenly missing, and that he just admitted something that he possibly hadn’t spoken about in centuries. It made me feel good that he was so comfortable around me that he could open up, but it scared me at the same time because it made me as vulnerable as he was inadvertently making himself. “Clean water was not something that was in great supply when I was a nipper, thus we would have wine with nearly every meal.” He absently swirled the wine in his glass, intently watching the dark red liquid slosh around in the delicate crystal stemware as it formed a small vortex.

  “How did it happen?” I whispered.

  Again, he shrugged but I don’t think that he actually heard my question.

  “I mean...you didn’t bite yourself and turn into a vampire, right?” I clarified and nervously picked up a bread thing that was on one of the plates and sniffed it.

  Tanis looked up at me and chuckled. “It will not bite,” he assured me before snapping his teeth at me and I blushed. “No pun intended, of course. It is Bruschetta,” he explained and I cocked an eyebrow so he clarified, “which is crostini with tomato, basil, garlic and fresh mozzarella. Splash some of olive oil on it since that is how the Italians eat it. And to answer your question, I did not bite meself. Me sister and I were bitten by our older brother who had been turned eight years prior. d’Artagnan was the eldest of nine siblings.”

  My eyes widened as I slowly chewed, trying to swallow the lump in my throat so I didn’t choke on the overly priced Italian food.

  “Sickness swept through our village, killing nearly three-quarter of the villagers. Only meself, Georgiana and d’Artagnan survived in our family. Fearing for our livelihood, d’Artagnan went in search of a wealthy bride. He found one, however he found more than he was bargaining for: she was a vampire. Eight years later, when I was barely nineteen years of age, he turned us and we have been vampires ever since.” He looked up at me. “Not the romanticized tale that you were expecting, was it?”

  I shook my head before I could stop myself.

  A small, sad smile pulled at the corners of his mouth but it quickly fell so he turned his attention back to his wine. “Hollywood and lonely spinsters with too many cats and a typewriter have romanticized vampirism into something dark and sensual yet beautiful; a way for love to last for all eternity; a means to never have to say goodbye; a commercialized means to push one’s sexiest and undermining to a woman’s worth religion on the unwitting preteen masses. But very rarely do you hear of the penned tale of one’s own brother that viciously, like a starved, blood crazed animal, sank his fangs into the flesh of his own little sister and brother, force feeding his polluted blood into their mouths, forcing them to forsaken all they knew and once loved. Like a thief in the night, he took away our futures and the destination which awaits everyone: the serenity and absolut
ion of death.” He looked up at me and the ancient sadness and regret that was so very visible in his eyes caused mine to tear up.

  “I am so sorry,” I whispered. “About your sister and what your brother did and...your family and...” my words trailed off; what was there to tell him that he hadn’t already heard countless times before throughout the centuries?

  Tanis laughed once, humorlessly. “Thank you, Miss Jay Dee, but there is nothing to apologize for, and as for me family, they died long ago. I do not remember their names or what they looked like; memories fade with time. It is a give and take...you give up your past to embrace the dark gift. Georgiana wanted it and I did not. However, d’Artagnan did not give us a choice, as usual.”

  I gasped; Jarvis would have never done anything like that to me, and I wouldn’t have done it to him...we loved each other because that’s what family was: love.

  “Well, I suppose he did give us a choice,” Tanis said, bringing his glass of wine to his lips, “however when I said no, he took it as a yes and did what he wanted,” he snarled the last part before taking a drink, draining his glass in two gulps. “Do I hold ill-will towards him?” he rhetorically asked, refilling his glass. “Not anymore. A part of me got over it after the first century, but there are always those moments that get me knickers in a twist. Are you enjoying the food, Miss Jay Dee?” he asked, changing the subject.

  “It’s good, thank you,” I whispered, not even remembering what the appetizers tasted like; hell, I didn’t even remember eating any of them. I was too wrapped up in the story of Tanis Ashton and the overflow of ancient emotions that wrapped around each word that left his lips to worry about myself, food, or my empty stomach.

  “Think nothing of it,” he said with a warm smile.

  Thankfully, the rest of dinner was filled with lighter conversation. We laughed, teased, told jokes and talked shit to each other, but most importantly, we were both smiling and it was simply because of the other.

  Dinner was...it was the perfect first date, it honestly was. I sampled off of every plate. To my amazement, everything was delicious and it was the perfect way to have dinner—not that I’d ever admit to Tanis that he was right. By the time dessert came, five or six bottles of wine were gone and I had moved my chair next to his so we could share the delicate desserts...that was my excuse, honestly, I couldn’t stand to not be near him any longer. And I don’t know what made me do it, most likely it was the wine, but I did, I flicked a spoonful of chocolate mousse at him, hitting him in the cheek with it.