Alphas Unwrapped: 21 New Steamy Paranormal Tales of Shifters, Vampires, Werewolves, Dragons, Witches, Angels, Demons, Fey, and More

by Michele Bardsley

  We walk out the door, and find Treson angrily leaning against the hallway wall. “It’s about time! I will not…”

  I cut him off. “Letta will have the first say. You may speak afterward.”

  “What the fuck, Rondy? That bi…”

  I move faster than Treson can blink, and I have him pressed against the wall with my hand at his throat. I have no idea what’s come over me, but I will not back down. “You go too far,” I ground out. My eyes go amber. “She is part of this clan, too. You will find a way to get along, or you will find a new clan.”

  I watch the anger sizzle in his eyes. He blinks and his anger completely disappears. He inhales slowly and his smile slides into place. I remove my hand. “I didn’t think you had it in you, my liege. It’s about time you behave as a vampire should.”

  I return the smile. “It seems to be getting easier by the day. I like this giving orders shit.”

  He laughs and I join in. I grab Esha’s hand, and bring her around so she’s standing in front of me, and I wrap my arms around her. “Esha, this is Treson. Treson, my mate. I believe Letta belongs to her, and, since she took Donovan’s leg off in one bite, I think she can handle putting you in your place.”

  “Please tell me you ate it along with the rest of his damned body,” Treson says with interest.

  Esha tilts her head. “My mate wouldn’t allow it. He seems squeamish at times.”

  Treson laughs again. “It’s a vampire thing. They have no problem with ripping limbs off, as long as no one eats them. Fortunately, we aren’t as choosy.”

  “Agreed,” Esha answers him.

  He takes her hand and I growl. She pushes back into me a bit and Treson drops her hand. “My apologies, my lady. I forget what it’s like to be around a mated pair.” Treson focuses on me and nods. “You listen to what that…” he takes a deep breath, “she-wolf complains about, and you’ll understand. She’s an unforgiving harpy in disguise.”

  We walk downstairs. The great-room is large, and comfortably decorated with furniture that is big and sturdy. Separating the great-room and the dining room is a massive, two-sided fireplace that can be used to heat both rooms. The women wait in the dining room, and it looks like Mother and Grandmother are siding with Letta, who is sitting between them.

  “I hope you have found comfort in your new home.” I tell them. “I think I’ll have a glass of wine. Would anyone like to join me?”

  Three heads shake back and forth, their mouths set in firm lines.

  “I’ll grab the wine,” Treson says. “Would you like a glass, my lady?” he asks Esha.

  “Water, please.”

  He uses the side door, which leads to the kitchen. I sit at the head of the table and pull Esha onto my lap. I see Grandmother’s eyes narrow, but I don’t care. This is my home, and I will show public displays of affection whenever I choose. She needs to get past the customs of her homeland and understand that I make the rules.

  Esha’s voice whispers into my mind. “Your eyes, V.”

  What the hell is wrong with me? I concentrate on returning my eyes to their natural brown. Esha settles into my lap and her body relaxes. Treson brings out drinks, and I’m impressed that the tray has glasses of water for all the ladies. He just scored the first point, but I’m not sure if he’ll win the game.

  “Letta, I told you that you could speak first. Control your temper and tell me what the problem is.”

  She looks into my eyes and then looks to Esha.

  My ire rises quickly. “You may belong to my mate, but all of you belong to me. I suggest you act accordingly.”

  Her eyes go large, and I would swear she’s trying to force out tears. She turns her head to Treson and gives him a long, cold stare. He doesn’t seem concerned. She turns back to me. “Your wolf has no manners. He was in beast form when we arrived, and, before anyone could stop him, he humped my leg.”

  If Esha hadn’t dug her very sharp nails into my thigh, I would have burst out laughing. Instead, I bite my lip and try to think of something to say.

  “I apologized,” Treson throws out.

  “I have been shamed, and he owes more than an apology,” Letta angrily adds.

  Goddess help me. If this is what normal clans go through, I need to run away with Esha and stay hidden for eternity. Esha lightens her grip before I wince. “What would you suggest that would appease you, Letta?”

  Her eyes go darker. “His head or balls on a platter. Both would also work.”

  Treson rises suddenly from the table. “See what I’ve had to put up since they arrived? She won’t accept my apology, and I’m not giving up my head or balls.”

  “Sit down, Treson,” I say wearily. “Mate, would you like to offer advice? I believe I’m at a loss.”

  She turns her head and winks. “Mother, Grandmother, you saw this offense?” she asks them. I give her credit for maintaining a serious tone.

  Grandmother speaks first. “Yes, the disgusting dog needs to have better control of his wing-wang.”

  I close my eyes for a moment. Goddess, please strike me with lightning. She doesn’t do as I request, though. When I open my eyes, everyone is still tense, and they’re staring at me.

  “Mother?” Esha asks.

  “I admit it was quite unorthodox as far as greetings go, but I fear the poor wolf may have a problem with his water works.”

  Esha’s nails are back in my leg, and it occurs to me that she’s not doing it to keep me from laughing. It’s so she doesn’t start.

  Treson groans aloud, and I’m glad for the pain Esha inflicts. My mate asks another question. “What did you do after this transgression, Letta?”

  How Esha keeps her voice steady is beyond me. If I say another word, I’ll lose it completely.

  “I punched him in the head,” Letta replies.

  Esha turns to Treson. “Did you stop your improper behavior?”

  Treson looks down at the table. “After a minute or two,” he mumbles.

  Esha nods. “Letta, slap his face and make it count. You will only have the one chance. Treson, you will stand and take the blow. And you will never behave this way again, or my mate will handle your ungentlemanly behavior.”

  There, take that. I want to applaud. Esha handled things and still deferred to me. You would think we’d been mated for years.

  Treson stands and walks to Letta. She stands, and, before anyone is prepared, her fist connects with Treson’s jaw. He staggers back two feet. When he brings his hand to his mouth, his fingers come away covered in blood.

  Esha’s body stiffens. Before I can say anything, she admonishes Letta. “Now you will tend gently to Treson’s injury, or I will give him permission to slap you back.”

  Treson speaks next. “Truthfully, my lady, I would prefer to tend my own injury.” He turns to Letta. “I offer another apology.” He bows and turns to me and Esha. “May I be excused?”

  I nod, and he leaves without looking back.

  “Very well done, Granddaughter.”

  “Yes, Daughter, you handled that grandly.”

  “Thank you, my lady. I feel much better,” Letta admits.

  Am I the only one who finds this entire travesty hysterical? “My mate and I are going hunting. She needs to shift. We will hunt alone this first time, but tomorrow night everyone is welcome.”

  We leave the house quickly. I take Esha’s hand and lead her through the forest. At the base of a large tree, I stop and fall onto a soft bed of pine needles and pull her on top of me. She begins laughing first. I truly love this woman.

  Chapter Twenty

  Esha

  Every morning and evening I pray to the Goddess to give us more time. I hope for at least six months. The clan is, for the most part, learning to live together and be a family. Letta and Treson grumble around each other, but with a sharp word or two from V, they back off. A snowstorm hit us hard and turned our surroundings white. We hunt as a pack—tigers, wolves, vampire. This part of the forest is not passable in the winte
r, so we don’t fear discovery.

  “Stay on your side of the room, dog.”

  Letta and Treson are at it again, both growling and interrupting our pleasant evening. The rest of us are curled up on the couches, watching a movie. Christmas is a week away, and there are holiday movies on almost every channel. I love it.

  “Sit down and be quiet,” V snaps at them. They immediately do as they’re told.

  “Oh, I love Miracle on 34th Street,” Letta says.

  “Shhh,” Grandmother says with a growl.

  I’m wrapped in V’s arms and content. I’ve thought about asking if we could cut a small tree and bring it inside. So much of Christmas is based on Celtic and Pagan beliefs, I don’t think the Goddess would mind, and we would all be able to make decorations to hang from the branches.

  A knot suddenly forms in my lower belly, and I’m unprepared for the instant pain. I cry out, bring my feet up to my chest, and curl into a ball.

  “Esha?” V’s concerned voice overrides the television’s volume.

  I can’t talk. Breathing is almost beyond me.

  “Something’s wrong,” V says, but his voice sounds far away.

  Cub whispers through my head.

  No, it can’t be. We’ve had no time, and V and I are still bonding. If this happens now, he may not survive. The pain goes away as suddenly as it began, and I inhale. When I open my eyes, Mother and Grandmother are staring at me in horror. They knew this would happen, but we all thought we would have more time.

  “Are you okay?” V asks.

  I have no idea how to tell him that our time is almost over, and that he is in grave danger. He lifts me onto his lap and slides his fingers through my hair.

  “I’m good,” I whisper, absorbing his touch and offering a silent prayer to the Goddess. Just me. I want him to live and find another mate. My tiger doesn’t like this, but I don’t care. She cannot take him with her in death.

  V stands with me in his arms and carries me up to our room. He lies back on the bed, keeping me on his lap, and pulls me in close. “You are not okay. What happened?”

  “May I tell you a story?”

  He doesn’t answer, but his arms tighten.

  He needs to understand why a child is so important. “Mishea, the alpha grandmother of all beastkind tigers, mated young and had a daughter a few months later. After the birth, Mishea killed her human mate because she thought him too weak and did not want him near her daughter. Ania, the daughter, never knew her father. She grew up and also found a human mate in her late teenage years. Unlike her mother, Ania loved her mate dearly. When Ania’s daughter was born, Mishea killed the human father out of jealousy. Ania swore vengeance against her mother and left her mother’s clan and formed her own.

  “Mishea became bitter and insane with jealousy. She wanted more children, and slept with many humans. She would kill the men directly after the one union and eat them. No matter how many human lives she took, she did not become pregnant.

  “A few years after Ania’s mate was killed, Ania slept with a human man and gave birth to another baby girl. One night, Mishea stole the child after placing a sleeping potion in the water-well used by Ania’s clan. Mishea also killed the first daughter born of the union between Ania and her beloved mate. Mishea felt that the first daughter was too close to Ania and she would never be a true child to Mishea.

  “Ania sought vengeance and also a way to steal her daughter back. Mishea kept the child hidden and disappeared from her clan for hundreds of years. Ania never gave up hope of finding her baby girl. Three tiger clans developed through the years. Every twenty years or so, another baby would disappear from one of these clans.

  “Finally, in desperation, Ania made a deal with a witch. Ania wanted to know the fate of her daughter. For the favor, the witch asked a great boon. Ania agreed. If a mated tiger does not have a child within the first year of mating, she dies, and her soul belongs to the witch. The tiger’s soul keeps the witch young.

  “Mishea killed her granddaughter when the child turned sixteen, because Mishea did not want to lose her to a mate. A few years would pass and she would steal another child. When Ania told the clans, they hunted Mishea down and killed her.”

  I stop talking for a moment and take a slow, deep breath. I lift my head and meet V’s eyes. “All female tigers are subject to the witch’s spell. It cannot be broken. Mother and Grandmother knew this when we mated. They knew that finding you would only delay my death. I didn’t care. My tiger recognized you immediately. She bathed in your power and claimed you as mate, even knowing that you could not grant us a child; she disobeyed the laws of our kind and took what she wanted. I am alpha, the first true alpha born since Mishea. I live with her past deeds, and I die because them.”

  I wait for V to respond. He doesn’t say anything for several minutes. “A year. You said we would have a year to make a child.”

  I did tell him that, because it is the usual time period, but other females have had far less time, and if their mate is incapable of creating a child, they die in agony. “It’s different for every female. I continue to pay for Mishea’s sins. My time of yearning has begun, and we do not have long.”

  He starts to speak.

  “Shh,” I tell him and place my finger on his lips. “Our mating is not complete and our souls are not fully merged. You are vampire, and so I do not know how this will affect you. When I die, you may die with me.”

  He shakes his head and determination enters his eyes. “No, because you will not die.”

  I want to believe so badly, but I know the end is close.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Rondy the Desperate

  If a witch started this curse, a witch can fix it; two witches, to be exact. I’ve spent a lot of time with Dmitri’s bear clan, and it just so happens he has two bearshifters who are also witches. Tyboll and Veda never liked me for some reason, but that won’t stop me from seeking their help.

  Mother and Grandmother are not helping matters. I will not allow them to travel with us. They are afraid that, if I take Esha from them now, they will not have a chance to say goodbye. They have already given up, just as they did before I went to grant death to Esha. Their attitude infuriates me and drives me crazy at the same time.

  Also, Letta disappeared and we haven’t seen her. It worries Esha, but neither of us has time to deal with it. I leave Treson with Mother and Grandmother. The women say a tearful goodbye while I grind my teeth. This will not be goodbye, but no one believes me.

  We cannot get to the witch cabin by road. Esha’s pain has increased in frequency, and she was awake most of the night. It’s been forty-eight hours since she told me the story of Mishea. I thought vamps were bloodthirsty, but we have nothing on tigers.

  I carry a pack with human clothes for me and Esha. She shifts to tiger so she can make the journey. We travel through the mountains; the snow adds to the long and torturous journey. Her pain increases every hour, but she fights it, and continues without stopping. I haven’t explained what we’re doing, and ask only for her trust. She does as I ask, and I have no doubt that she would follow me to hell.

  It takes two days, because Esha’s pain does not allow her to run. I’ve never approached the witches’ cabin from this direction, and almost thought we would need to travel to the bear clan’s home and backtrack. But we stumble out of the trees and see the cabin nestled within the woods before us.

  The cabin is dark, there is no smoke in the fireplace, and we can see no lights. I do not feel the witches’ presence and I fight back panic. This cannot happen. I will not lose Esha. We approach and find the door unlocked. Esha is shaking with pain and from the cold. We enter and I head immediately to the fireplace, with Esha at my side. She sinks to the floor and shifts.

  “We will get warm, eat, and travel to the bear clan’s home. They will know where the witches are,” I tell her as I look for matches. Wood is waiting within the fireplace, ready to burn, and is also stacked beside the hearth.
<
br />   “Witches?” she breathes out on a long, pain-filled sigh.

  “Yes, the witches will solve our problems.” I find the matches and start a fire. I look down and Esha is curled into a tight ball. I know she’s fighting the need to moan. Since that first night, she hasn’t voiced her pain. I lift her and carry her to a small couch. I lay her down and cover her with a blanket that rests on the arm. “I need to find food. I will blink into the kitchen and blink back within a minute. Be strong, my love.”

  She grabs me with trembling fingers. “No, don’t leave me. I won’t make it any further. Stay with me, V, please.”

  Her eyes are haunted. She still thinks I will die with her. I feel none of her pain, and I know I will live. That is why we must find the witches. “You will be strong and fight. You will not give up. Once you eat, you will be able to travel.” I blink into the kitchen, which is only about twenty feet away.

  My eyes scan the room and stop at the table. I walk closer and pick up a single piece of white paper. There is a small vial filled with dark liquid beneath it. I start reading the note and flash back into the room with Esha after the first line. Esha’s eyes are closed and her breathing erratic.

  V and Esha,

  Welcome to our home. It is impossible for us to attend your arrival. We will not be returning. We knew who you were when we first met you, V. The Goddess always has a larger plan and you are a part of it.

  After you and Esha share the liquid in the vial, our destiny will change and we must go our own way. What we grant you will cause turmoil within the clans. Beastkind might be fooled and think Esha bears a child due to a human surrogate, but the vampires will know.

  The potion will reduce Esha’s pain and give you time to do what comes naturally. The vial contains great magic passed to you by my mate Tyboll and me. It takes both of us to change your destiny and, at the same time, causes grave danger for us. Respect our wishes, please.

  The justice you serve brings balance to a very bad world. You are meant to continue your trials with Esha by your side.