But he still possessed a civilized side, even if his vampire nature kept sniffing her as unobtrusively as possible. The smell of her blood, and that he’d fantasized taking hers down his throat, added to the jumpy nature of his groin.
It didn’t help, either, that ten minutes ago he knew she’d be a willing partner. When she’d dragged his hand over her bare leg to the top of her thigh, he’d almost jumped her. If they’d been anywhere else but in the club, he would have.
Despite his current pressing, almost agonizing need to bury himself between Verena’s legs, he’d made his calls to his fellow officers about Mellet right away. There wasn’t a clean officer in Five Bridges who didn’t know Mellet and despise his ass. He’d put the word out to be on the lookout for him but by now the bastard was probably holed up and would stay that way until he’d sold the girl to the highest bidder.
It would be a waiting game for both him and Verena.
When he saw fur appear on her wrists, and knew her rage had sent her into a wolf-shifting pattern, he made a quick decision. He knew some of the Savage Border Patrol wolves and had heard enough about the triggers for shifting, that he’d recognized Verena’s plight at once.
While he’d been on the phone putting the word out about Mellet, he’d contacted Kennard, a U.S. Border Patrol officer. The human worked the 16th Street platforms constantly surveilling the deadzone for signs of drug runners. The platform patrols also watched for flyers, any of the five alter species powerful enough to levitate out of Five Bridges. Arrests and a few executions were conducted every single night. The U.S Government had one goal: To keep the alter species contained. Drake had always agreed with the necessity of quarantine, violence being a profound side-effect of the transformation.
Kennard was expecting him at the twenty-foot-high lookout near 16th Street. He began to slow and as he neared the platform, he got Kennard on the phone and let him know he was headed in. On the officer’s command, he drew to a complete stop and watched as the searchlights found his location.
A bullhorn-amplified-voice called out. “Drake, is that you?”
“Yes, and the wolf, Verena.”
“Get over here, you ugly sonofabitch.”
Drake chuckled as he flew Verena over to the platform.
Okay, what’s going on? Verena asked. Why are you taking me here?
You’ll see. Trust me, you’re going to love it.
At least eight officers were present, an unusual though not surprising number. The platform was divided into two parts. The men stood behind a four-foot protective wall. The front part of the space was completely open and made it simple for Drake to touch down.
When he landed, Verena immediately stepped off his foot. “Kennard, I’d like you to meet Verena Seward.”
“Nice to meet you, Verena.”
“And you.”
Kennard grinned then turned his attention to Drake. “She’s too damn pretty for you. How’d you get so lucky?”
“Luck is right.” He slid his arm around Verena’s waist, staking his claim. Men were the same everywhere and he needed to make his intention clear.
“So, what can we do for you?”
“Simple, I’d like my woman to use your track.” Drake glanced over his shoulder.
Verena shifted slightly to stare out at the desert as well. “What track?”
Drake turned to her. “They’ve got a motocross track here that they use during the day. It’s frowned on by the powers that be, but it’s allowed and well-supervised since our kind has to hole-up for the day. They’ve got hills and everything.”
Kennard interjected. “A real twisted up thing, Verena.”
Her eyes widened. “Isn’t this illegal?”
The men behind the partition chuckled. Kennard said, “Most of the chiefs look the other way. Don’t worry, we’re good to go right now.”
Verena turned once more to face the deadzone. “Where is it?” Drake felt her curiosity like a spark of electricity on his skin.
Kennard’s voice once more hit the air. “Light it up, boys.”
A long line of platform-level searchlights sent a powerful flood of light that extended about a quarter mile. Drake could see the entire motocross track which extended out at least an eighth-of-a-mile and had to be twice as wide.
“Holy crap.” Verena scratched at her wrists again.
He couldn’t help it; the fur turned him on.
He repressed his constant need, however, and said, “Merry Christmas, Verena. It’s all yours for the next half hour.”
Verena’s light blue eyes took on an amber glow. When she turned to face the U.S. officers, Drake heard their reactions in a few amazed if muffled invectives.
Drake felt Verena’s sudden tension and he wondered if he’d made a mistake.
Verena turned toward him fully. Are they here to watch me?
He didn’t speak right away, but sought for the right words. Finally, he said, It was the price of admission, but you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.
They want to see me shift and everything.
What had he been thinking to bring her here? Verena was shy by nature. She would never go for putting on a show for the men. Yes. They’re all curious. Truth? I am, too.
~ ~ ~
Verena glanced at the officers. They remained quiet as they stared at her, though some looked down at her wrists or her neck.
She turned back to the track. The hills and ditches called to her wolf. She wanted to run more than anything.
But what a weird night this had become. She hated exhibitionism and her restrained nature didn’t want to be gawked at by a bunch of men. Changing into a wolf, something she still despised on a really basic level, made it even worse.
And yet, something within her pummeled against her reservations. What she needed as an alter creature was right in front of her. What did it matter if the men wanted to watch a wolf race around a motocross track?
One of the reasons Savage Territory had so many struggles was the sheer lack of space. The square miles allotted to several thousand shifters didn’t begin to accommodate the needs of the wolves. Dominance wars between packs broke out at least once every three or four months. A lot of shifters died in the process.
For years, there’d been a movement to get the wolves established in more mountainous regions to accommodate the hunting drives of the species. But the U.S. Government had enough on its hands containing two dozen segregated provinces just like Five Bridges, in the various major cities of the country. They didn’t have the man power or resources to create a separate home just for the shifter alter population.
She took a long series of deep breaths. Her drive to run that track as fast as her wolf legs could manage became a fire inside her.
And something more.
She glanced at Drake.
She felt a strong connection to him, as though from the time she’d greeted him on Joy’s front walk, she’d been forming an unusual relationship with him.
Looking down at her feet, she experienced a strange tingling sensation and it wasn’t wolf at all, but vampire. “Drake, this is really weird.”
“I can feel something coming off you, an odd energy. What’s going on?”
“I don’t know all of it, but let me show you instead.” She pivoted to face him.
Though she’d never been able to do it before in her wolf life, she levitated, just like that. “I think I’m getting this from you.”
“I don’t understand. You said you couldn’t levitate.” He gripped her arm as though to hold her steady. He, too, looked down at her feet.
“I couldn’t. Not until this moment.” Another zip of energy passed through her at his touch. In the deepest, lizard part of her brain, she felt a new skillset emerge and one so completely intact, she was stunned. To Kennard and his men, she said, “Give me a second, fellas. Okay?”
“Sure. Of course.” The men all stared at her with shocked expressions.
She rose into the air, not far
. She didn’t want the U.S. Border Patrol shooting her out of the sky. She descended as quickly and touched back down on the platform extension. She could feel that right now she possessed every ability Drake had for levitating.
Maybe that was the moment she made her decision, but she wasn’t holding back, not right now. Part of her would always be a restrained person, but she could feel the future calling to her.
She drew her phone from her purse and found the video of Mellet again. She wasn’t sure exactly why, but his arrogant grinning face completed the change taking shape inside her.
She couldn’t keep living the way she’d been living, hiding out in Elegance, refusing to embrace what she really was: An alter wolf.
Putting her phone away, she turned one last time toward Drake.
He frowned and looked guilty as hell. Verena, I didn’t mean to put you on the spot.
She smiled then took his chin in her free hand and leaned up on her high heels and kissed him. The U.S. officers responded in the usual male fashion by hooting and whistling. Men. Same everywhere.
She drew back and held his gaze, enchanted all over again by his green eyes flecked with gold. You did a good thing bringing me out here, because I want on the track more than I can say. So, now I’m setting aside my careful nature and I’m going to give your friends a show.
He caught her elbow. Hey, not too much of a show. His gaze fell to her cleavage then her legs.
She chuckled, then slapped her purse again his chest. “Hold this for me?”
He scowled. “Sure. But watch your skirt.”
She couldn’t help but laugh as she turned away from the men and faced the desert. She dropped down vertically off the platform otherwise Drake was right; the men would have had a view of her bare ass and a strip of her red-and-green Christmas thong.
She levitated to a point where the men would be able to see her transform. Her clothes and heels would be absorbed by her wolf, one of the many miracles of shifter life. Adrenaline flowed through her, setting her heart on fire again. Five feet off the ground, she let her wolf come.
The transformation was instantaneous and the moment her four paws hit the dirt she started to run. The first hill was low, the next one higher. She could hear the men cheering her on. She ran faster than she ever had and each stretch of her forepaws, each strike into the dirt, felt like heaven.
She gave herself over completely to the experience.
She ran and ran.
She made one loop then another and another.
The more the twists and turns grew familiar, the faster she raced.
She’d just started getting winded when she saw Drake at the starting point, where she’d first transformed. Sorry to stop you when I can see how much you’re loving this, but the half hour’s up.
Had she really been running that long? Time had become extremely fluid during her run, because she would have sworn only a handful of minutes had passed.
Verena stared up at him, looking at Drake through her wolf eyes. Each wolf had a different way of seeing once they transformed. She was fortunate because everything around her was outlined with a red glow. It seemed fitting to see Drake lit up with a Christmas aura.
He’d given her this gift, of being fully wolf when she’d resisted so long. But she’d needed the experience on more than one level.
She stood before him panting. Can I have a minute to catch my breath before I shift back?
We’ve got some time. I didn’t want to press my luck by cutting it too close.
She glanced up at the men on the platform. Two of them had left, the others stood chatting though they were still watching her. She’d never put on a show before. It felt bizarre.
When her wolf-tongue no longer lolled, she thought-the-thought and whirled through her transformation. There was no pain. Only the first few times, early on in her Five Bridges life, had hurt her. Once she’d let go of her fear, however, the move from woman to wolf had become seamless.
Drake stared at her. He didn’t smile or say anything. He didn’t even blink.
“What?”
He frowned slightly and took a step toward her. He took her arm in hand. “You’re amazing.” His voice was low and husky.
She sniffed the air. His mating hunger had risen to a new high. Only this time, she no longer repressed her ability to catch, define and categorize his scent. Instead, she leaned up and kissed him, at the same time letting her ability to smell take over.
A thrill pierced her. What Drake released in his vampire musk hit various points on her body, like small pings at her throat, her breasts, the insides of her elbows, her wrists, her navel even at her knees and ankles. As his tongue penetrated her mouth, each point of thrill sent pulses to the next, coalescing in a final breach of her sex.
She drew in a deep breath as pleasure flowed through her. She wanted more, needed more.
When she pulled back, he asked, “What did you just do?”
“I smelled you. Drake, you should take me to your home now, or any place we can be private.”
He extended his purse to her. She took it and drew her phone out.
He caught her arm. “Don’t call anyone. Please, Verena, give us this next stretch of time.”
She loved the begging tone of his voice. She met his gaze and her nostrils elongated. She was wet for him and in desperate need herself. “I have to see if Sophie’s called. You should check your messages as well. You know this is the right thing to do.”
She almost laughed at the way he gritted his teeth as he fished his phone from his pants pocket. He huffed a sigh and slid the face a couple of times.
He held it up for her to see. “No one’s checked in. How about you?”
She held up her phone as well. “We’re good to go, Drake. I’m thinking we should say good-bye to your friends then get the hell out of here.”
He shuddered then nodded several times in a row. He opened his arm for her.
She shook her head, then levitated swiftly and flew in the direction of the platform. Drake caught up with her before she’d reached the U.S. officers.
She thanked them for the use of the track. She even shook hands with them across the partition in the middle of the platform. As she did, she realized how different human males felt from their alter counterparts. She knew she was no longer human, but in this moment, she realized just how different she was.
“Merry Christmas,” Kennard said to her. “We appreciate you showing us a wolf-shift. None of us have seen one before.”
“The track was worth it. Merry Christmas to you all.”
Drake exchanged his own set of farewells then with a sweep of his arm toward the open night sky, he gestured for her to launch.
She didn’t wait, but shot into the air.
“Not too high,” he called after her. “Especially this close to the border.”
She levelled off as he drew up beside her. He then directed her to his home.
Within less than a half minute, she was descending to a modern dwelling at the far, northeastern boundary of Crescent Territory.
When he landed with her on the front porch, then threw the door wide, she gasped at the sight before her.
“While you were running the track, I made a call to my housekeeper.”
Candles were lit and a Christmas tree glowed with red and green lights. A large poinsettia sat on the fireplace hearth. In addition, Champagne chilled in a silver bucket on the coffee table next to a platter of the most beautiful chocolate dipped strawberries.
She stepped inside his home as one in a dream. “Drake, this is wonderful.”
He moved up behind her, settling his hands on her hips. “Not too corny?”
She chuckled softly. “It should be. I should hold it in disdain because it’s completely cliché, but I don’t. You know why?”
She turned in his arms. The look of vulnerability in his eyes, squeezed her heart. “Because I know you did this for me and I’m going to bet that before this Christmas Eve, you nev
er bothered once setting up decorations.”
“You’re right. I didn’t. And yes, I did this for you.”
She slid her arms around his neck. “There’s only one problem.”
“What’s that?”
“As inviting as both the champagne and the strawberries are, I want you first.”
~ ~ ~
From Drake’s point of view, the evening had misfired so many times, he wasn’t sure he’d heard her right. “You want me first?”
“Yes, I do. And I mean all of you.” She drew close, tugged the top of his turtleneck down, then licked a long line up his neck. “But you should be prepared. I’m learning to appreciate my wolf tonight and this won’t be simple. Things might get a little wild.”
Her words were like fingers tugging in just the right way on his cock. He hardened, grabbed her ass and pulled her against him. “I’m game as hell. But you should remember that I’m a vampire and I intend to feed. I like using my fangs, maybe in more than one place.”
Her eyes fell to half-mast, a beautiful look on her. She kissed him, a demanding, forceful pressure on his lips. He gave as good as he got and she responded with a deep, almost hoarse moan.
Drake couldn’t believe Verena was finally here, in his home, running her hands down his shoulders and arms. She squeezed all along the way, feeling him.
I love your body, Drake. So much muscled mass.
He was done for. He drew back and picked her up in his arms. He didn’t bother walking, but used every levitating skill he had to fly her in a brisk sweep through his extensive home all the way to the master bedroom.
The whole time she sucked on his neck.
When he reached the master bedroom, he tugged the comforter and sheets away, settling them on the floor at the foot of the bed.
He turned toward Verena, unbuttoning his suit coat at the same time. But his fingers froze the moment he caught sight of her.
The woman had lost her dress and now stood in a red and green thong and a matching bra. The latter pushed her breasts into a line of cleavage that made his mouth water. She had a narrow waist and full hips, a sight that ramped him up even more.
Alphas Unwrapped: 21 New Steamy Paranormal Tales of Shifters, Vampires, Werewolves, Dragons, Witches, Angels, Demons, Fey, and More Page 26