Fall of kNight

by T. L Mitchell

  Daniel chuckled softly as he grabbed my arm. His fingers locked around my flesh as he pulled me over onto his hard and taut body. I couldn"t explain the type of arousal that ran through me as my body made contact with his.

  “Well, some people do like to watch.” He whispered in a growl. The corners of his mouth twitched into a smile. The dark eyebrow above his right eye lifted.

  The tones in Daniel"s voice tingled in my ears. A certain rush of heat ran through my body, igniting the fire in my veins. It was no wonder why I responded to him so easily. His spicy scent illuminated my senses as the moon did the night. It propelled me into an intoxicated state. If we were anywhere other than here, I would consider the mating response. My heart warned me otherwise.

  “You"re still weak. I really don"t think this is a good idea.” My lips curled into a sly grin. Honestly, I didn"t think Daniel would pursue it.

  “Hmmm,” he began in a deep and throaty growl. “Not weak enough for this,” he said as he slid his hand behind my neck, pulling me closer to his face.

  Daniels lips touched mine. My pulse increased against the warmth of his scent. My lips parted in a breathless gasp as his tongue touched the inside of my lips. Fire wielded inside my veins as I gave into the kiss. If I needed to be the responsible one this night, then I was going to have to try harder. I forced myself back.

  “Daniel, let"s save this for a little later.” I peered into his eyes. His lips broadened into a smile. “You are just intent on torture aren"t you?”

  His face softened as he lightly chuckled. The run seemed to help Daniel with his anxiety. He was back to his normal self again; torturing me. Even in the dark, I could see the twinkle of humor in his eyes. He knew without a doubt that I was his. It seemed Daniel enjoyed the thought of torturing Richard as well. It was a cruel effort on Daniel"s part. But he was sure of himself, if maybe a little over confident. Boys do like their games. I feared the type of game Daniel was beginning to play was going to become deadly.

  “All right, you win…for now. We need to go home.” He rose to his feet. “We still need to discuss this with Dad. I am not sure he is going to be pleased to hear what happened here tonight.”

  As Daniel stood, I glanced over the wound. It was completely healed, leaving no signs of damage or trauma. My fingers traced over it, examining it more carefully. He was fine. We would need to be better prepared next time.

  We dressed rapidly in our robes. As usual, I ended up waiting patiently for Daniel to unlock the car for me. Within a short minute or so, we pulled out onto the road, heading back to our home.

  An eerie feeling about the werewolves we killed tonight kept gnawing at my nerves. It was still a mystery to me as to why the werewolves were roaming the area again. The feeling that we were being tracked bothered me.

  “Daniel, did you think it was a little odd they came from behind us?” I had to release my thoughts verbally.

  Daniel glanced towards me, then back to the road. “Yes, I was thinking the same thing. They were tracking us.”

  “But why?” My attention turned to him.

  “I am not sure. It seemed as though they were hunting us. I have never seen werewolves do that before. And there were more of them out there than just the two.”

  “It sounds like they are planning something. I mean with all of them grouping together like that. Daniel, this is not good.”

  “It looks that way.” He slowed the car down as he made the turn down our long driveway.

  “What if there are more out there than we can take on? I mean, tonight you got hurt.”

  “Did you notice anything different about them?” He glanced at me again.

  I shook my head. To me they were the same smelly creatures I"d seen for the first time a few months ago. There was no difference I noticed other than the age of the youngest one.

  “Julie, these were stronger than the ones we killed out in the meadow. I have a strange feeling there is more to these guys than meets the eye.”

  “Surely you"re not thinking about running tests on them, are you?” I couldn"t believe what I witnessed as he nodded his head.

  Daniel pulled in front of our home and turned off the car. We sat there staring at each other for a long moment. I couldn"t believe it. He actually wanted to test these things.

  “Julie, all I need is a blood sample. Don"t look at me like I"m Victor Frankenstein.”

  “Doctor.”

  “What?”

  “Never mind.” I opened the car door and climbed out.

  The driver"s door opened and slammed behind him as he swiftly moved around the car toward me. “Listen,” He began as he grabbed my arm. “I need to figure out what is going on. If you want to talk about a Dr. Victor Frankenstein, then let"s discuss Dr.

  Miller.” Daniel shot out.

  Dr. Miller, the man"s name alone made my teeth ache. Considering his involvement in the betrayal of my father, I would rather not hear that man"s name ever mentioned again. Then the thought occurred to me, Brendan Phillips, the young man whom Dr.

  Miller found. The same young man whom Miller used in his experiments with the vaccines that Miller hoped to sell to the government.

  “We still haven"t found Brendan. How do we know he hasn"t already turned into a werewolf?” The frown on my face showed my clear irritation with the matter.

  “We do not know. This is the reason I am worried. Julie, there are too many questions left unanswered.” Daniel turned and opened the front door.

  I shook my head as we walked inside the warm home. This conversation would have to continue another time. I was craving the woofie shake Daniel always made for us after a run. Deep in my own thoughts, I headed toward the kitchen while Daniel made his way up the stairs.

  The smoothie was easier to prepare than I had expected: powdered protein, soymilk, a couple of scoops of a vitamin powder and blend. I reached into the cabinet and grabbed two glasses. Slowly, I filled them to the top with the milky substance and taking a sip, I was satisfied. I turned the television on and watched the news closely.

  Missing persons were always our top priority.

  The sound of water running upstairs drew my attention away from the television.

  Daniel was already in the shower and a smile crossed my face. I was tempted to join him.

  So far, there was no news on the missing persons. I turned off the television and with both glasses in my hands, I headed upstairs. Daniel was going to need this drink more than I did.

  Daniel appeared from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist.

  Standing in the doorway to the bedroom, I froze while my heart began that silly fluttering again. His black hair, still wet from the shower was combed straight back. It gave him a kind of sex appeal I adored. My eyes grazed over his tall statuesque figure, not missing anything, including the bulge behind the towel.

  As my eyes roamed over his broad shoulders, I took note of his lengthy, muscular arms. A quiver ran through me as I skimmed over the tight eight pack of muscles across his stomach. Those tight and well-muscled buttocks only enhanced the narrowing of his physique, not to mention his long muscular legs. I was in a frozen state of awe. A little too long, I contemplated how much I adored his body. The beautiful hazel eyes seem to gleam with a hint of pleasure. I knew he had caught me staring.

  “Do you think I should finish the drink before or after?” A wicked smile crossed his lips.

  “Before or after what?” My voice was a little breathless. I handed the shake to him.

  His husky voice had brought me out of my moment of awe. Daniel"s spicy scent filled the room and my senses tingled and came alive. I knew without even checking, Daniel was aroused.

  “Before or after I ravage your body.” He growled softly as he took the drink from my hand.

  I gave him a wink followed by a precarious grin. “I think you"d better finish your drink, wolf boy. You took a pretty good hit tonight.” I moved around behind him to check his shoulder.

  The wound w
as still fine but that didn"t alter my concern. I gently ran my fingers over the slightly red area. Daniel"s muscles shuddered under my touch. Tenderly, I pressed my lips against the injured spot causing a soft moan to escape Daniel"s throat.

  He turned around to face me, sliding one arm around my waist. The towel between us couldn"t hide his full desire. The warmth of his body enveloped me as he pulled me tighter against his frame.

  “You know if we did not have to go to see my father…” He growled against my neck. His lips trailed down my neck to the sweet spot. “I would take you right this moment.” Softly he nipped the sweet spot on my neck.

  My lips quivered and my body trembled. Fire scorched my body as my heart pounded the flames of passion through my blood. My legs went a little limp. Daniel pulled me closer, supporting me in my weakness. The hardness of him pressed against me, full, thick and erect. My thoughts faded. Need and desire overtook me, flooding my mind with thoughts of how I wanted Daniel. What pleasures could I inflict upon him?

  What pleasures could he inflict upon me? My breath shuddered.

  Daniel growled again. The tingling sensation shot through my body as my body ached for him. The tender points on my breast became hard and full. I truly wanted him, every powerful and lovely inch of him. I wanted to drench myself in his control. The desire in my body wanted Daniel, but the reasonable part of my mind knew we would have to wait, duty called. Thomas Maxwell was a man you don"t stand up, especially not in the current conditions.

  “You know Thomas is expecting us.”

  Daniel sighed. “I guess you are the reasoning one of us. Maybe…after we get back?” He exhaled a long breath.

  “Maybe?” I teased and pulled back from him. My eyebrow rose as my lips formed a wicked smile. “Maybe, I’ll ravage you when we get back.”

  The corner of Daniel"s lip broadened into a smile. I knew what was hidden behind that towel would have to wait but Fate help me. It was all I could do to force myself away from that man. I turned and headed for the shower.

  Once I was showered, I walked back into the bedroom. From the sounds coming from downstairs, he was waiting on me, while watching the news. My decision for dress would have to be made in a hurry. Mulling over my closet, I grabbed a pair of black jeans, topped them off with a thick black sweater then grabbed my black leather boots.

  Giving my hair a couple of tosses, I headed down the stairs to meet Daniel.

  “Anything new?” I said as I approached the last step.

  He leaned forward and turned off the television, setting the remote back on the coffee table. “Well, it turns out our missing people were found tonight.”

  “They found them?”

  Daniel stood to his feet and turned to me. “No, we did. Their pictures were plastered all over the news. They were two brothers who disappeared two weeks ago.”

  He walked toward me.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Most definitely, I would recognize the larger one anywhere. We should go.” He said, as he opened the front door and waited for me to walk through.

  We made our way to the car. Daniel turned the key and brought the vehicle to life.

  My thoughts traveled back over tonight"s events again. What if Daniel was right about these guys?

  “Do you think someone has reopened the Miller Project?” I couldn"t help my curiosity.

  “I am not sure, but I would like to find out.”

  “Daniel, how are you going to get samples? I mean it"s not like we could just walk up to one of them and politely ask.”

  Daniel turned the car off the main road, heading down his father"s driveway. He glanced at me with a precarious look.

  “Julie, let me handle this.” His words were firm and sharp.

  Inside the huge home, Thomas was waiting in the great room, pacing back and forth. The glass of cognac in his hand gave me the idea our news was not the only thing we had to discuss. Charlotte sat on the sofa, poised elegantly with one leg crossed over the other. In her hands, she also held a glass of cognac. Daniel gently touched the small of my back as we moved further into the large room.

  Thomas stopped his pacing and looked up as we entered. Combed straight back, his once coal black hair was peppered with streaking silver threads that clearly showed his age. The lighter graying sides accented his strong face, which showed signs of deep concern. There was much about this night I had to fear.

  “Julie,” Charlotte began. “Daniel.” Her arms reached out for me.

  I could feel the motherly love as I fell into her embrace. I let her go as Daniel towered over her, leaning down to give her a hug. The love between mother and son could be felt, even from afar. He let her go, only to move toward Thomas. Thomas stood in front of the bar, nursing the remains of the cognac in his glass. Daniel nodded once to his father then poured himself a drink.

  Thomas took another sip, his gaze focused on Daniel. My breath came almost to a halt. The anticipation of what I saw on his father"s face was grim. Daniel poured another drink, and then moved to my side. He handed me the glass of cognac and seated himself beside me on the sofa.

  Thomas"s bushy eyebrows rose as his gaze went from me then to Daniel. “How was the hunt?”

  “We killed two. But there was something different about tonight.” Daniel began.

  “They were hunting us.”

  Thomas took another sip of his drink. “And?” He prompted.

  “Dad, they were different than the group we defeated in the meadow. These guys were bigger and stronger than the others.”

  “How so?” Thomas asked as he poured himself another glass.

  “They were a little harder to kill. The one who attacked me was very strong. I took a pretty good hit tonight. It took everything I had to bring him down.”

  “And the other one?” Thomas looked to me.

  “I managed to kill it. It was faster than the first group we encountered.” I managed as I took a sip from my glass.

  Thomas paused for a moment, considering the news. “They attacked you?” His gaze darted from me to Daniel. We both nodded.

  “This, of course, means something else is happening with our werewolves.”

  “Dad,” Daniel shifted beside me. “I have a feeling these were genetically enhanced.

  I won"t know for sure until I get a blood sample.”

  “And what was the reason you did not take a sample tonight after you killed them?” Charlotte inquired.

  Daniel turned to his mother. “Because I need a fresh sample, while the individual is still living. Once a person is dead, the tissues begin the decomposing process. Any signs I would be looking for in the blood would not be there. If I had a fresh living sample, I could tell if there is any mutation.”

  “Do you need it from a human form or when it has transformed?” Thomas asked.

  “I will need it in human form.”

  Thomas took another sip of the cognac. “Then this is something that needs to be done immediately. You are thinking that someone has access to Dr. Miller"s research.”

  “I think it is possible, yes. But I don"t know why.”

  “Daniel,” Thomas paced back and forth again. “Dr. Miller was planning on selling this vaccine to the government. If we find out that these things have mutated, then we are in for a long ride. Our goal will be to find out who is behind this little operation.” He sighed then stopped. “However, we have bigger problems.”

  Daniel"s spine stiffened. I could feel the rush of fear run through him. He could tell from the expression on Thomas's face this was the cold blow we expected. What could be worse than the werewolf problem, I wondered.

  “For starters, the Council is arriving in less than a week. There is no easy way to put this. Daniel, they want you. Leadership is what they need at this point. There seem to be some problems between the clans.”

  Leadership on the Council meant order and control of the Lycan clans. The Council only chose the strongest, the most purebred. It was a high honor to be recommended,
but it was an even higher honor to be chosen by the Council itself.

  “Son, you are strong and you possess the qualities the Council seeks. The clans are in an uproar right now. Several clans have ignited a war against one another. The rebels, who do not want to conform to the ways of the Council, are calling themselves the Dark Wolves. They have killed many in an effort to gain control and destroy the Council. The Council fears if this civil war is not stopped in time, the increasing werewolf packs will take advantage of our weakness. They may use it to their advantage by attacking the weaker of the Lycan clans, converting them to their ways or killing them.”

  “What?” Daniel leaned forward and placed his arms across his knees. “What are you talking about … Dark Wolves?”

  Thomas took a breath and began again. “Dark Wolves, they have formed some type of group against the Lycan Council. We do not know where this business started.

  All we know is that they are trying to take over the Council. Daniel, our very lives are at stake here.”

  “Wait a minute. The Council wants to put my life in danger to save their ass? Dad!”

  “No! Now YOU wait a minute!” Thomas snapped. “You are the one they have chosen to lead an army of Lycans to seek out and destroy these rebels.”

  “But why? I mean have you considered it sounds a little lame that they would choose me for leadership? Are they so afraid of dying…?”

  “It is not about death. It is about preserving our way of life. Each of us has a responsibility.”

  Daniel huffed a breath. “Yeah okay, whatever! It appears my responsibilities have increased more than anyone else. Did you happen to mention to them I have a problem with vampires?”

  “The vampires are not their first concern at this point.” Thomas calmed his voice to a normal tone.

  “Yeah okay, this is really great, Dad. Julie and I are due to be married in a couple of weeks. I have to protect her from a vampire who has a hard on. And now you are telling me I have to risk my ass for a group of leaders who don"t even have the strength to defend themselves against an attack from a small group of rebels. Not to mention we may have a larger problem to deal with concerning werewolves in our own backyard.