by Creator
She set the timer on the stove for forty minutes and went back into the living room. Picking up her book, she decided to do a little reading. It allowed her to escape from reality for a short time. At one time, she had enjoyed books filled with suspense and mystery. Now she just wanted a simple, light-hearted tale with a happy ending. She had enough suspense in her own life without adding to it with her books.
She had barely read four chapters when she heard the timer go off in the kitchen. Putting her book back down on the coffee table, she walked back to the kitchen. She turned off the timer and opened the
oven door. Grabbing two potholders, she removed the casserole dishes and placed them on top of the stove. The chicken looked nice and juicy; the meal should appease all of the hungry werewolves roaming around.
Closing the oven and making sure it was turned off, Kiera headed for the garage across the street to get Gabriel and Michael for lunch.
As she opened the front door, a tall dark headed werewolf turned to face her. She smiled and nodded.
“I’m just heading across the street to get Gabriel for lunch,” she explained.
He slid his dark sunglasses down his nose and peered at her over the top of them. “I’ll walk with you.”
She sighed, knowing to expect such a response. She could barely go to the bathroom by herself and she figured that if any female werewolves had responded to Connor’s plea for help that she would have found herself with company even then.
Walking beside the stoic man, Kiera made her way across the street. Although, she had to admit he was rather yummy looking; they all were for that matter. She may be happily married, but she wasn’t blind.
As they entered the garage, she looked around for Gabriel. It was unusual for her to not see him working on a car.
“He’s in the office,” a voice said.
Looking to her right, she saw Michael under a car. “How do you do that?” she asked.
He slid out from under the car and grinned at her. “I recognize your scent and the way you walk. Who else would you look for other than your husband?” he asked.
“Good point,” she said with a grin. She had grown rather fond of Michael since joining the family. Although she had noticed that when Cole and Marin were around, Michael seemed rather distant. She wondered if he was wondering where his mate was now that both of his brothers were married. Not that he would ever admit to such a thing! It hadn’t taken her long to notice that he flaunted his “player” lifestyle to his family. She often wondered if it was just a smoke screen to hide his true feelings.
Kiera walked into the office and perched on the edge of the desk. Looking down at her husband, she smiled. “Are you ready for lunch?”
“You know I am,” he replied with a grin. Standing, he reached for her hand. He pulled her close for a kiss, but kept enough distance between them to not soil her clothes with oil. He loved his job, but it definitely wasn’t the cleanest profession in the world.
“Then again, maybe I want dessert first,” he murmured against her lips.
Kiera pulled back and smiled at him. “You know you have to clean your plate to get dessert.”
Gabriel grinned at her. “Does this mean that if I’m a good boy I might get dessert later?”
Kiera looked hesitant for a moment. She really did want to be intimate with Gabriel again, but she just felt so self-conscious about it. Things had been different when it was just the two of them in the house.
Gabriel sighed, practically reading her mind. “Kiera, we can’t put our lives on hold just because we have guests.”
“I know; it’s just… I know they can hear everything that happens in the house. I don’t feel comfortable making love with you when I know we have an audience,” she said, giving him a pleading look, begging for his understanding.
“What if I banish all of them from the house tonight? I’m sure that Connor and Colin could put up a few more of them for a night or two.”
“What about having a guard in the house?” she asked.
Gabriel shrugged. “If we have all ten wolves outside, I don’t see how anyone could get inside. If they do, everyone is just a shout away.”
Kiera threw her arms around him and kissed him. “You’d really do that for me?”
Caressing her cheek, he smiled at her. “Honey, I’d do anything to make you happy.”
Kiera blushed and got off the desk. “I guess we’d better go across the street. Otherwise, you might find all of the food gone. You have to keep up your energy for later,” she said saucily.
Gabriel chuckled and followed her out of the garage. The guard was still standing by the door and nodded as they passed. Kiera had a valid point. The werewolves could hear everything that happened in the house. He could understand her tentativeness when it came to making love under those circumstances. It wasn’t exactly ideal for him either, but he had missed feeling her naked body next to his, missed being deep inside of her, missed watching her climax. He decided to change the direction of his thoughts before they got him into trouble. As it was, his pants were starting to get a little snug.
As they stepped through the front door of the house, the guard closed the door behind them, resuming his position on the porch. Gabriel believed his name was Ramsey. So far he had found him to be competent in his duties. He was mild mannered and usually on the reserved side, mostly speaking when spoken to.
In the kitchen, several wolves had filled their plates and were eating with gusto. His brother was just sitting down at the table when they walked in.
“There’s not much left,” Michael said, nodding toward the stove.
“We figured as much,” Gabriel replied.
Kiera and Gabriel walked over to the stove. They filled their paper plates, grabbed some forks and some water, and sat down to join Michael. It seemed to be an unspoken rule amongst the guards that the table was reserved for family, as no one ever sat at the table during their meals.
“You know, I’ve been thinking about something,” Michael said. “What if the vampire has stayed away because of the massive amount of werewolves running around?”
“Wasn’t that the idea?” Gabriel asked.
“Yeah, but what if he’s just biding his time? He has to realize that the werewolves can’t stay here forever. What if he’s just waiting on them to leave before he tries anything?” Michael asked.
Kiera paused in mid-bite. “He came at me before when a werewolf was in the house. What’s stopping him now?” she asked.
Michael shrugged. “Probably easier to go up against one werewolf instead of ten, or maybe he’s just waiting on us to give up, believing that he’s gone.”
Kiera gave Gabriel a troubled look. “Do you think that’s what he’s doing?”
Gabriel studied his wife a moment. He knew she was scared, but she deserved the truth. “Yeah, I think he’s just waiting us out. He figures that either the other werewolves will leave or that we’ll get sloppy.”
Kiera took a deep breath and let it out, trying to steady her nerves. She licked her lips as they suddenly felt dry. “What if we make him think he’s right?”
Gabriel narrowed his eyes, not liking the sound of her question. Was the foolish woman going to put herself into harm’s way? “What do you mean?”
“Well, what if the werewolves back off just enough that he thinks they’ve left?”
“His sense of smell is probably better than ours, Kiera. Half the patrol would have to leave in order to pull it off, possibly more. I’m not willing to risk your safety by lowering our numbers,” he responded.
“But Gabriel…”
“No buts,” he interrupted. “I’m going to take any chances. Do you know what he’ll do to you when he gets his hands on you?”
She shivered, remembering her encounter with him before, the threats he’d made when he’d found her in the bathroom. “I know, but we can’t spend the rest of our lives looking over our shoulders either!”
Gabriel sighed. “I’ll give i
t some thought, but I’m not making any promises.”
She gave him a small smile, feeling as if she’d won. She knew that he would come around. It was the only way to end this thing once and for all.
***
Later that night, all ten guards patrolled the outer perimeter of the house, giving the couple their space. Several grumbled that a little embarrassment wasn’t worth the risk, but Gabriel stood firm. He wasn’t willing to lower the number of guards as Kiera had suggested, but he could make sure she felt comfortable in her own home at night.
After locking up the downstairs and checking all of the windows on the second and third floors, Gabriel walked into their bedroom. Kiera had already dressed for bed and was wearing a long satin nightgown. The top barely covered her breasts and Gabriel had to stop and catch his breath.
“Do you like it?” Kiera asked, not sure how to take his silence.
“You’re beautiful,” he said.
She smiled at him and beckoned for him to come over to the bed.
Gabriel shook his head, “Not yet. I need to shower and get all of the dirt and grease off of me before I join you.”
Kiera sighed, but nodded her head. “I’ll be waiting right here.”
Not wasting any time, Gabriel entered the bathroom, stripped off his clothes, and started the shower. Once the water was warm, he got in and started scrubbing away the grime from a hard day’s work.
In the bedroom, Kiera reclined back on the pillows, listening to the sounds of Gabriel showering. She briefly contemplated joining him, but decided she’d rather wait in the bed. It had been over a week since they’d made love; she refused to accept a quickie in the shower.
The closet door slowly creaked open.
Kiera tensed and looked over at the partially open door. She couldn’t see anything in the dark interior. She sat up, anxious at what had made the door open. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she could hear its beat in her ears.
Just as she started to relax, a white hand with long white fingers gripped the door and opened it further.
Kiera felt a strangled scream in the back of her throat, but she couldn’t seem to force out a single sound. The vampire slowly stepped from inside the closet, leering at her.
“Did you really think that a bunch of werewolves would keep me out of your house?” he asked.
Kiera opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She glanced toward the bathroom door, but could still hear the shower running.
“Your wolf won’t be any help to you right now. He has no idea that I’m here,” the vampire said.
Kiera whimpered and gripped the sheets so tight that her knuckles turned white. She knew that fleeing was out of the question. He was much too fast and would catch her in a second.
“What do you want?” she whispered.
He arched an eyebrow and looked her over from head to toe. “I want you, of course. Did you think that had changed since our last time together?”
“I had hoped you were gone,” she answered.
The vampire chuckled low in his throat. “No, I don’t ever give up on my prey.”
He stalked toward the bed, looking over her hungrily. His tongue flicked out to lick the tip of a fang and wet his lips. He could see her pulse beating out of control and wanted desperately to sink his teeth into the plump vein running through her neck.
Kiera was shaking uncontrollably, but stayed her ground. She met his stare and controlled her urge to bolt. When he reached out an icy finger and trailed it down her arm, she flinched.
“It’s just a pity that I have to drain you,” he said. “You’re much too pretty to be dead.”
The vampire leaned onto the bed and pulled Kiera closer; pressing his nose against the skin of her neck he inhaled her scent. It was intoxicating! He drew his tongue along the line of her vein, feeling the blood pulsing through it.
He groaned and pulled back. “Do you realize that I could have you right now? I could sink my teeth into you and suck your blood at this very moment and no one could do anything about it.”
Kiera bit her lip to keep from crying out. She watched him, hoping he wouldn’t bite her, but wondering what he was up to just the same.
The vampire trailed his hand down Kiera’s leg, from knee to ankle. “Maybe instead of draining you completely, I should just make you a vampire. Then I could have your delicious blood and still have you by my side.”
“I’d never stay with you,” she answered, repulsed by his suggestion.
He laughed, showing her his fangs. “Oh, I believe you would. Do you really think your wolf would want you after you’re dead?”
Kiera hesitated. It was only for a second, but it was long enough for the vampire to take notice.
“Ah, not quite so certain, are you?” he asked. “Has he not confessed his undying love for you?”
“That’s none of your business,” Kiera replied stiffly.
In the other room, the water shut off, alerting them both that Gabriel was finished with his shower.
The vampire sighed. “It looks like I’ll have to postpone this conversation for another time.”
Without another word, he opened the bedroom window and vanished into the night.
Kiera couldn’t hold back her tears another moment. Shaking, she sobbed non-stop until Gabriel came into the room.
He briefly noted the open closet and rushed to Kiera’s side, wearing nothing but a towel.
“Honey, what’s wrong? What happened?” he asked.
Kiera couldn’t stop crying long enough to talk. She threw her arms around Gabriel and buried her face against his neck.
“Kiera, I need you to talk to me, sweetheart. I have to know what happened.”
She sniffled and fought back her tears. In a wobbly voice, she said, “The vampire was here.”
Gabriel stiffened. “Here? In our bedroom?”
She nodded and looked at the open closet door.
“He was hiding in the closet?” Gabriel asked, trying to pry information out of her.
“Yes, he said that no matter how many werewolves we had that he would always find a way into the house,” she said.
Gabriel walked over to the closet and slammed it shut. Glaring at the open window, he stalked over to it. Leaning out, he surveyed the area. All he could see where the werewolves patrolling below and the woods beyond the house. The vampire was nowhere to be seen.
Slamming the window shut, he locked it and turned to face the bed. Kiera was still shaking and sniffling. Sitting on the bed, he pulled her into his arms.
“So much for our romantic night,” he murmured.
Kiera pulled back to look up at him. “What do you mean?”
“Well, I’m not going to make love to you after everything you just went through,” he answered.
“Not even if I want you to?” she asked.
He looked at her intently. “Do you? Do you want me to make love to you?”
“Yes,” she whispered. “I want you to wipe the memories of him from my mind. I don’t want to think about anything other than us.”
Gabriel cupped her jaw and kissed her. The moment his lips touched hers and he inhaled her sweet scent, he was lost. Pulling the towel from his waist, he dropped it on the floor. Grabbing Kiera around her waist, he hauled her into his lap.
Kiera buried her fingers in Gabriel’s hair and pulled him closer. She wanted to feel his body pressed against hers; wanted the memory of him to be etched into her mind.
Gabriel placed his hand on her thigh, enjoying the silky material of her nightgown. He slid his hand down her leg until he reached the hem. Slipping his fingers under the hem, his fingertips explored the skin of her calf. He trailed his fingers up to the sensitive skin at the back of her knee, lightly skimming the surface of her skin. When his hand reached her thigh, he felt her indrawn breath and knew she was turned on by the experience.
When he reached the top of her leg, his fingers skimmed the edge of her panties. His finger gently ran the length of
her lips, feeling the moisture through the material. He groaned into her mouth and pressed his body against her, forcing her to lie back on the bed.
Gabriel pushed her nightgown up to her waist. Reaching between her legs, he cupped her. Her clit was already engorged and he could feel it through her panties. Flicking it with his thumb, he grinned with satisfaction when Kiera arched her hips off the bed.
He trailed kisses down her throat to the slope of her breast. Nudging the material aside with his nose, he found her nipple, hard and begging for attention. He gently lapped at it, drawing a gasp from Kiera. Sucking her nipple into his mouth, he continued to rub her clit with his thumb.
Kiera whimpered and arched against him. She wasn’t sure how much more she could stand. It had been so long since she’d felt him inside of her that she wasn’t feeling very patient.
“Gabriel, I want you,” she whispered.
Releasing her nipple, he leaned back and grasped the sides of her panties in his hands. Sliding them down her legs, he dropped them to the floor. Helping her sit up, he slipped her gown over her head and tossed it aside.
Kissing her, he pushed her back down onto the bed. Reaching between her legs, he continued to tease her.
“Gabriel, I mean it! I want you and I want you now,” she said.
He chuckled. “I know you do, sweetheart. Just lie back and relax.”
Leaning down, he took her nipple into his mouth once more. As his thumb circled her clit, his fingers teased her opening. She was so hot and wet, begging for him to take her. He slipped his index finger inside of her, gently stroking her. Adding a second finger, he plunged deep inside of her.
Moving to the other nipple, he licked and nipped it. His fingers continued to slide in and out of her body as his thumb stroked her full, sensitive clit. He felt her hips meeting his thrusts and knew she was close to an orgasm. Curving his fingers a little, he found her g-spot. He felt the hot liquid gush around his fingers as she gasped and arched off the bed, her inner walls clenching down on him.