Let Them Eat Cake

by Ravyn Wilde

  “Gee, fellas. This hardly seems fair. Three big boys like you against a little slip of a girl. Can I play?” Maria taunted.

  Justin pulled off his shirt to cover the sobbing girl-child in front of him. By the time he pushed her out the door and told her to sit down for a minute outside while he helped Maria, all hell had broken loose.

  One man stood in a corner of the room, his body contorting as he ripped off his clothes and started to change from man to wolf. Shit! They did not need to fight a wolf in this small space. For a brief second, the question ran through his mind if the fictional stories about a werewolf’s bite turning a human into a wolf by the next full moon were true.

  I really need more information about paranormals before I attempt to do battle with them. Without another thought for his own safety, he pulled out his gun and shot the half-man, half-wolf in the upper leg. The sound reverberating out of the creature’s mouth as it howled in pain and agony and then crumpled to the floor made the short hairs on the back of Justin’s neck stand out.

  The body reverted in a quick flash to a naked man, and Justin glanced at Maria, who was still trading blows and kicks with the other two men. Well, to be accurate, she moved through them like a whirlwind, connecting with her hands and fists while they attempted to land even one blow. In his fast check on her, he didn’t see any blood or reddened skin.

  He turned his attention back to the Were on the floor. He didn’t know if the werewolf he’d shot would heal from the silver bullet fast enough to be a threat again, but he figured he didn’t want to take the chance. As he strode across the room, he whipped out some of the reinforced plastic Zip-ties he’d grown accustomed to using for prisoner restraint in the Special Forces. He always carried a supply of the ties in his car, and out of habit he’d stuck some in a front pocket of his jeans. In a smooth, practiced motion, he held the man’s arms behind his back, wrapped the little black piece of plastic around the wrists and inserted one end through the small hole. He tugged tight and let the lock engage. He hoped the restraint would have to be cut off, that the Were couldn’t generate enough strength and leverage to break the tough plastic strands. He bent and bound the man’s legs together around the ankles as well.

  When he finished, he turned to see what else he could do to assist Maria. He saw her working on beating the largest of the men to a bloody pulp. The rhythmic slap of her blows accompanied the third man’s groaning sobs as he clutched his groin a few feet across the room. Nice to know a well-placed kick to the balls will work on werewolves, he thought, as he moved to grab the man’s legs and pull him away from the wall holding him upright. With a knee to the Were’s back, Justin repeated the restraining process, pulling out his last two ties to bind the man’s hands and feet to match his friend. The Were gagged in agony…must have been some kick.

  Justin puzzled over his strange, happy feeling in discovering Maria could take care of herself. He’d avoided relationships for a long time, understanding there were people from his past that could always catch up with him. He realized on one hand that she would be able to handle the situation if someone ever came looking to even the score, and yet he knew he would never want her to face them alone. Which meant he would always want to be by her side.

  Since he wasn’t one-hundred percent sure the Zip-ties would be enough to hold the moaning man if he recovered from Maria’s kick anytime soon, he added an insurance policy and used the butt of his gun on the man’s head.

  “You stupid bitch-Sentinel. You have no right to interfere in my pack’s business,” the last Were growled.

  Maria laughed and taunted the man. “Gee, Nathan. You’d think after the last time I busted your ass for trying to force someone to do your bidding, your tune would have changed. Guess a year of confinement for not following paranormal law wasn’t enough to bring you to heel.”

  Well, her taunts answered one question, Justin thought. The werewolf knew who and what he fought.

  With a roar the man charged Maria. Justin moved forward with the intention of blocking the threat. Before he could get near them, he stopped and watched in amazement as she met the man’s rush, turning him in her arms and securing the Were with his back to her chest. She pulled his head to one side and bent over him, sinking her fangs in his throat. The way she fed from the man included none of the slow sensual teasing and careful penetration she used when taking Justin’s blood. This constituted primal feeding.

  So why did it turn him on to watch her? He could feel his body sit up and take notice as he answered his own question…because he remembered what it felt like to have her mouth sucking on him while he slammed into her cunt. He rubbed his hand over his straining cock, trying to readjust his jeans to his shaft’s expanding girth. He met Maria’s gaze over the neck of her subdued snack.

  She pulled back and licked a few drops of blood from her lips, never losing eye contact with Justin. She worried about how he would react. “Sleep,” she commanded, and the Were dropped in front of her.

  “I’m sorry, Justin. When I take someone’s blood I have a window of opportunity to command his actions,” she explained. “I apologize if seeing me attack him bothered you. I didn’t think,” she said as she watched his eyes, waiting for a hint of condemnation.

  She’d seen him take his shirt off to cover the girl but had been able to tune out the thought of his naked flesh when she’d been busy. Now the sight of him distracted her. She wanted to go to him, to run her fingers along his muscles. And her tongue. She could see his cock push against the restraining fabric of his jeans. She licked her lips again and he groaned.

  “It didn’t bother me in the way you believe it did,” he replied. “All I can think about is getting your sweet mouth on my skin.” He grinned, obviously trying to lighten the mood. “What can I say, I’m a vampire groupie.”

  Maria rolled her eyes in amusement and shrugged away her growing arousal. Turning, she surveyed the room. “Nice work. What are those things you used to tie up the Weres?”

  “Zip-ties. We used them a lot in Spec Ops and I still use them for police work. They are less bulky than handcuffs and are very effective on humans. I’m not sure how well they’ll hold up on paranormals, but I added encouragement for them to stay put.”

  “I can see you did. Again, good work and a great idea—we’ll have to cuff a few Weres and vamps with those tie things and see if they can get free. It would be great to be able to use these. My bookends will have called the pack I use for holding prisoners. They should be arriving soon and we can turn these three over to them. Brian and Matt are sitting outside with the doctor we paranormals use. I want them to check out the girl and her mother and brother. The doctor will make sure the werewolf you shot will heal. Not that I really want him to. Where is the girl?” For all she cared, the creep deserved a lasting reminder of his crime.

  “I told her to wait outside the door. I’m hoping she did. I didn’t want her going alone to discover her mother and brother the way we found them.”

  “Good point,” Maria said, as she moved to the door and looked down the hall. The girl sat on the floor, curled into a tight ball with her head bent over her knees, crying. “Hey, doll baby, it’s all over. We’ve taken care of those three. They won’t hurt you anymore and I promise they’ll pay for what happened to you tonight. Let me help you up and take you to your momma,” she crooned.

  “Brian, please bring the doctor in. This girl is hurting.”

  As Maria helped the girl to her feet, she motioned Justin back when he moved to help. “You are a very masculine reminder of tonight’s events,” she whispered, shaking her head.

  Understanding, Justin backed away. The girl would be leery around men for a while. Justin wondered if paranormals had psychiatrists. He figured why not, they seemed to have many of the same troubles humans did. Murder, rape, power issues…and he felt sure those were only a few of the problems Maria dealt with as Sentinel. Seemed to be a full-time job.

  They saw the front door open as they walked
down the hall. Carefully, Brian and Matt helped the girl out of Maria’s arms as they murmured silly nonsense to her. Justin could see how the girl would view them as non-threatening.

  A group of six men—the Were pack, Justin assumed—came in, and with rough competence escorted the prisoners out. He nodded as they signaled approvals with thumbs up and disappeared out the door with their captives. He watched Maria give comfort and exchange words with the now conscious mother and young boy…watched as she reassured herself of the family’s recovery by talking with the doctor.

  He continued to watch and marvel as she whispered something in the girl’s ear that made the poor child smile through her tears. And smiled himself when Maria finally turned to walk toward him.

  Her slow strut echoed through his soul. Still dressed in Gothic leather, with soft breasts overflowing her corset and big, blue-streaked hair, she hadn’t broken a sweat during the fight. And he would be taking her home.

  “Take me home, handsome,” she whispered when she got closer.

  “Love to. If you’ll answer just one small question.”

  “What’s that?” she asked.

  “Tell me what happens if a Were bites me while they are in wolf form? Hell…what happens if they bite me in any form? Would I want to howl at the moon the next time it becomes full?” His voice remained steady, never rising in tone.

  Maria looked up at him. She realized now that Justin went into the fight with at least a small part of his mind wondering if he could have been turned into a werewolf if something went wrong. And he hadn’t hesitated.

  She smiled. “No. It burns like crazy and might make you a little sick, but werewolves are born, not made. If a werewolf’s mate is human, the first marking bite given after the wolf claims the mate will alter their genetics and tie the chosen individual’s aging to the wolf’s lifespan.”

  Maria realized that she would need to spend some time educating Justin on the different species. It wasn’t fair to expect him to just jump in without knowing the hazards.

  “There is speculation that a werewolf doesn’t pick a mate, but is somehow driven by scent and internal makeup to find the one true genetic companion for each wolf. And it can be another wolf or human or another species of warm-blooded other. But it hasn’t been proven yet. So unless you are some werewolf female’s chosen, there would be no changes.” She tucked her arm around him as they walked out the door and headed toward his car.

  “Great. It’s nice to cross one question off my list.” Shrugging in acceptance, he turned to her, his gaze hot and lust filled. “There are a couple of hours until dawn and I promised myself I’d get to ravish you at least a few times tonight. And I always keep my promises.” Justin winked at her and she stumbled, his hands warm against the bare skin of her back. Oh, yeah. Time to head home.

  Maria started stripping as she reached her bedroom. “I have got to take a shower,” she announced. “The longer I leave this blue crap in my hair, the harder it will be to wash out.” She knew all she had to do was wave her hand and the shower would be unnecessary. But after tonight’s revelations and the fight with the Weres, she wanted the soothing ritual of the water and the comfort of her bathroom.

  The drive home and subsequent time to think left her feeling cranky. The taste of Nathan’s Were blood was a nasty reminder of what he’d done to Anissa this night. The girl would heal physically, but it would be some time before the emotional scarring faded.

  She tried to concentrate on her surroundings, letting the room soothe her frayed nerves. She loved this bathroom. It had been one of the main attractions when she bought the penthouse. A close second was the fact she could dive off the roof any time she wanted.

  She looked around the large room at the pale yellow walls and the beautiful, raised-bowl, robin’s egg-blue sinks and the large Jacuzzi tub in the same color. The tub beckoned to her sore muscles, but she knew the hair dye would leave a horrible ring. She sighed in resignation and turned to the shower. It wasn’t like the huge glass-block shower would be a hardship. It boasted three spray nozzles and a removable shower wand, with a center bench she could sit on, adjusting the spray to beat her tired sinews into melting puddles.

  She rubbed facial cleanser into her skin and opened the stall to turn on the water, letting it heat up. As she scrubbed the Gothic face paint from her skin, she thought about Justin. She was worried. Time spent with him seemed to never be enough. Her soul screamed with the urge to touch him. Connect with him. She felt a growing desire to bind him to her. Bind him with blood and make him immortal. She shied away from the thought of him someday growing old and dying. In all her long life she’d never needed anyone. Loved, yes. Cared for, definitely. But this feeling of skin-crawling need was unquestionably new. She had to get control of herself. If this kept up she’d be jumping him with the sole purpose of draining every drop of his blood and replacing it with hers.

  Maria shook her head. She promised herself long years ago she’d never turn anyone. She saw daily what the extended years of loneliness could do to a person. The madness that could overcome vampires faced with a limitless amount of years on earth and no one to share them with. She’d seen them turn humans they loved, hoping for centuries-long companionship, only to watch the couples grow quickly apart as the call for dominance and separate space grew in the newly changed.

  Most of the time she enjoyed her life. Loved her powers and the enhanced perceptions of the world. But she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t lonely. Turning Justin, however, wouldn’t be an answer to mental and physical isolation. It would mean the end of their relationship in a few short years, and she’d be left with nothing but sweet memories to haunt the rest of her long life. And so would he.

  She stepped under the shower and let the hot, almost scalding water beat across her shoulders and shut out the morbid turn of her thoughts. She would just let the future take care of itself for the time being.

  Damn, the water felt wonderful. Her muscles ached with a deep tired throb and the heat helped to ease them a little. She reached for the shampoo bottle and poured some of the light, floral-scented liquid into her hands and started to wash her hair.

  She didn’t hear the shower door opening. Or see Justin standing there watching as she groaned in pleasure over the slide of hot water against her skin. But she realized he was there. Could feel him with every cell of her being before he moved to place his hands on her shoulders.

  “Let me do that,” he murmured next to her ear. “It’s as good a way as any to get my hands on you. It has been far too long since I’ve heard you moan in pleasure.”

  Maria agreed. The hours spent doing anything that kept them from enjoying each other seemed to stretch out interminably. She lowered her hands and let him take over the job of cleaning the dye from her long hair. She groaned as he used his strong fingers to massage her scalp. When the water finally ran clear, she turned her body over to his care. Let him guide her through the lazy, mesmerizing dance of growing desire.

  She felt each callous as he skimmed his hands across her shoulders and moved her hair to one side. The wet suction of his mouth as it moved down her spine made her nipples stand at attention. He nipped the base of her backbone and she shuddered. With slow intent, he turned her in his arms until his breath tickled her stomach. He knelt before her with glistening droplets of water on his hair and face.

  Damn, he was gorgeous. The deep blue eyes were topped with thick, dark blond eyebrows. His nose was large…yet perfectly balanced in the rugged features of his face. His lips were full and luscious and flawlessly framed by his trim beard and mustache. The wild mass of blond ringlets fell across his face and she smiled as he used one hand to slick them back in frustration. She wanted to lick every drop of water off that face and body.

  He smiled up at her as he moved one hand to her thigh and lifted her leg, draping it over his shoulder as he settled lower between her legs. Burning eyes steady on hers, he brought his mouth close to tease over her mound.

&nbs
p; Maria gasped, the tauntingly erotic tickle of his mustache and beard searing her exposed flesh. She closed her eyes and let her head fall back, letting the shower spray run through her hair as his mouth consumed her.

  Justin’s tongue slipped between the engorged seam of her pussy and he licked a pathway from her opening to her clit. His teeth tugged with gentle insistence against her labia ring and she was forced to throw one hand out to grab the shower’s emergency bar to keep her balance, her other hand grasping his hair. Twining her fingers in his wet curls, she pulled him to her.

  She moaned and undulated her hips in helpless abandon against his mouth as the water continued to pour over their bodies. The quickening flicks of his tongue and lips lashed her flesh into a sharp frenzy of heat and she begged him for release. She could feel her gums swell and her canines drop in reaction to her intense arousal.

  “Justin, please,” she gasped.

  The torment increased as he used his fingers to gently part her labial folds until she was fully open to him. The rasp of his tongue along her clit was followed by deep rhythmic thrusts into her channel as he pressed into her. She glanced down and Justin’s gaze locked with hers. The vision of him feasting on her, of seeing the lower half of his face buried in her flesh and his mouth working over her pussy increased her pleasure. She began to ride his mouth until her hips bucked in wild thrusts against his face.

  Then he moved one hand to sink several fingers deep inside her as he simultaneously sucked hard on her clit, and she screamed, her body clenching in preparation. She pulsed. Throbbed. And her orgasm hit her like lightning as bolts of pleasure scorched her skin. Before she had time to catch her breath, Justin was there, sliding his thick, heavy cock into her pussy.

  Her muscles tightened and her body reacted, immediately thrown into the beginnings of another orgasm. Justin’s hands held her still. Kept her motionless as he began to plunge his thick girth in and out of her. He increased the tempo and power of his penetrations and she moaned in concert with every deep invasion of her core.