by Jeni Burns
"Doubt me. Challenge me. Fight me even. Each reincarnation of you does these things. However, each and every one of them dies before I can make you see the truth of my words." He took a step back and stared straight into her soul. Every lifetime suffered from losing her simmered under his skin, the need to claim her properly beat back his restraint. This time his fangs grew with his consent. "Please, Kara. Trust me."
"Trust you? I barely remember you. All you are to me is fang and pain." She trembled as the words left her lips. "My mom, my aunts, and now my grandmother are all dead. I fail to see the timing between me losing my ring and you finding me anything close to a coincidence."
Leo retracted his fangs and stalked across the small space to give him a moment to think. Each time he and Kara found each other she'd been stealing something. Every single time. And each time she'd been evasive as hell about the items. But he'd always won out and convinced her to share the spoils. Sometimes she stole priceless art, other times artifacts long-believed lost, but the ones she always insisted on keeping for herself were jewelry. Over the lifetimes, he'd believed those to be personal winnings rather than hired jobs, but now he wasn't so sure.
"What's this about you losing a ring? I've known you for hundreds of years and you never wore a ring on your finger." He moved closer until the space between them only allowed for the rising of her chest as she breathed. "Not even that one time when I placed a ring on your finger and asked you to be mine legitimately as you insisted humans did." He cocked his head to the side and smiled as her pupils went wide.
"You remember it don't you?" He slid a hand into hers and rubbed his thumb over her ring finger. "It was quite stunning if I recall. A deep red ruby. Set in silver." He leaned close and kissed her knuckle. "If I remember correctly, I placed it on your finger while you slept beside me after a particularly filthy night of thievery and debauchery."
Her lips parted in a perfect circle and he wondered if her brain conjured the same memories he relived. Refusing to give her an out to discount whatever she felt at the moment, he placed her hand on his chest and slid his around her waist drawing her close. The smell of the werewolf on her compelled the alpha male in him to replace it with himself. His smell, his touch, his taste.
Claiming her the only coherent thought in his mind. He took advantage of the soft puff of air from her parted lips, inhaled her breath, and made her mouth his personal playground. His tongue sank into her warmth and toyed with hers until she surrendered, sagging against his strength. Her fingers smoothed across his chest and her other hand clutched hard in his hair, prickling each nerve ending in his scalp, the light bite of pain encouraging him.
One instant he held her against his body, the next her back was pressed hard against the door and he nestled himself between her legs, his cock hard and ready beneath his trousers. Her breath came in pants and his hands palmed her thighs around his waist as his tongue delved deep. The need to taste her sparked the resurgence of his fangs.
"Ouch!"
Leo smiled and pulled his mouth from hers. "I thought you liked a bite of pain, my love." To make his point, he ground hard against her core, banging her back against the door.
In the limited space between them, she smiled and pulled his hair. "Oh, I think you know I do." Mischief colored her eyes. "But keep those fangs at bay -- for now."
With a nod, he retracted them and resumed a through work over of her exposed flesh with his mouth. Her ankles locked behind him and a soft moan escaped when his tongue found a sensitive spot along her clavicle. His hands traveled the planes of her body, the heat between them threatening to consume the hold on his restraint.
He cupped her breasts in his hands and brought his hungry mouth to one peak straining beneath the fabric of her top sucking hard. Her head banged against the door and her thighs clutched him tighter.
"How?"
The whispered question made him smile and nip the hard nub.
"Holy hell," she groaned.
Heat from her core begged for his attention. Releasing one breast he undid the button on her jeans and slid his hand between the fabric and her skin. Moist heat welcomed him. Without waiting a heartbeat longer, he slid a finger through her folds and deep into her. Her inner walls clenched the digit setting his pace.
Every fiber of his being wanted, no, needed her.
Commotion in the hallway stilled them both.
"How did you lose her? It's bad enough Jared failed. And now you."
Kara's eyes went wide and she struggled to untangle herself from his embrace, but Leo held fast, placing the finger that only seconds before had been inside her body against her lips, silencing her.
"Boss, she had a vampire protecting her."
"A vampire?"
"Yeah. That guy who works for Julian. You know the one. Beats us to almost half of the bounties out there. Leo-something or other."
Something landed hard against the other side of the door.
"Let me make this very clear, Finn," the voice on the other side of the door dropped and Leo leaned closer to hear. "We need to find this girl and take her out. She's the only thing standing between us and taking over the territory here. Do you understand me? Because your failure will not be tolerated." The door banged once more and the voices stopped as the sound of footsteps followed the squeak of wheels. Murmured 'hellos' chased the passing noise.
"Don't screw this up. Find her. Kill her. And if the vampire gets to her first, kill him too. The pack likes initiative like that."
"Sure thing, boss."
Kara squirmed in his arms and he could feel the tension fill the room as the seconds ticked by in silence. He ignored her and listened for the men in the corridor the move on. When he was certain they were alone again, he turned his focus back to the woman in his arms, the scent of her arousal tucked neatly between them on his fingers. Despite what had transpired on the other side of the door, the scent of her called his claiming instinct into action. Two rewards from one bite; her pleasure and his claim.
He left his fangs fall and ducked his head to her find the pulse point in her neck. He resisted the common-sense voice screaming in his head to stop, and bit.
6
Fun Bites
Kara bit back a yell and grimaced against the heat searing through her. Her crazy libido interpreted what should be pain as please. Damn it.
If she got herself out of this, the dojo would be her first stop. She needed to find her ring and hope it got Leo and the other men off her trail until she could come up with a better plan than running for the hills.
The suckling pull of blood at her neck sent her eyes rolling back into her head. How could something so deadly feel so...irresistible? Heat pooled in her core and her damn traitorous body rubbed shamelessly against the vampire draining her.
She deserved death. Hell, she'd managed to avoid it for far too long already. This situation alone, stood as proof. She should have 'too stupid to live' tattooed on her somewhere. Her skin tingled and a pop of sorts brought her from the brink of death.
"You taste the same as always, my love. Sunshine and sass." Leo traced a finger across her lips and smiled. "Now, I need you to drink from me. It'll only take a little bit to ensure the bond."
His words landed like a shot to her heart. He'd claimed her. Now, the ring wouldn't do a damn thing to keep her hidden from him. He'd taken a piece of her as his own. Her spine went rigid. She pushed against his chest and released her legs, falling to the floor in the narrow gap between their bodies.
"What if I don't want to? What if I want to walk outta here and never see you again? Because if you've been telling me the truth about us; in all those lifetimes, I must've never taken your blood. Right? Or you would've found me the moment I was born, right? Hell, I'd be a vampire if I drank from you, right?" Her last question came on the tail of a whisper as her mind reeled. Stories from her childhood sprang from every corner of her sex-addled brain. Even if Leo had bitten her time and time again, claiming to be her mate, until s
he drank from his veins, his 'claiming' was nothing more than a declaration of intent. Much like the ruby ring he described from a previous lifetime. Confident in her assessment, she slid around him and put some much-needed space between them. If she could convince Ronin to help her recover her ring, she might stand chance at getting out of Vegas with her life intact and never exposing her cousins the threat at hand.
His face contorted from pleasure to dread. "Kara, don't do this. Not again."
"See, it's the 'again' that tells me I'm doing the right thing. Because if I always turn you down, then there must be a good reason why." She raised an eyebrow and grinned.
"You refuse because of your damn pride," he hissed. "And once more, it'll be the death of you." He balled his hands into fists at his side and every tender and soft bit of him went rigid.
"Then let me die in peace." The words escaped before she could bite them back.
"Have at it, love." Leo, swept an arm, wrenched open the door, and held it for her. "But I refuse to stand by and watch it happen this time." He shook his head. "I always think it'll be different with you, but it never is. As always, Kara, you only care about yourself. Hope you find whatever you're looking for this time around."
When she didn't respond, he gave one last shake of his head before walking out into the hallway. A piece of her wanted to run after him and beg him to be patient with her, but the reality was, she couldn't. Her feet refused to move and her brain believed if there was a way to save not only herself, but also her cousins, she had to do it. Alone. Or at the very least, without the help of a vampire.
She closed her eyes and counted to ten. In the short span of time, three things became clear; she couldn't go home, her family was in danger as long as she was here, and Leo could find her for the rest of this lifetime now that her blood ran through his veins.
The limited options conjured by her mind challenged her resourceful nature. She bit back the tears threatening to fall and tasted the wash of her blood as her lip split under the pressure.
As far as places to disappear went, Vegas rocked. The constantly changing throng of people made it easy to blend in. With a steadying breath, she squared her shoulders and opened the door. A quick peek proved the coast was clear. She slipped from the storage room and shot down the hall in the opposite direction than she'd come with Leo hoping it'd reduce her risk of running into her family, the vampire, and the unknown men looking for her. She rounded a corner and saw a stairway through a small window in a door at the end of the hall. Without breaking her stride, she grabbed a hospital gown off a laundry cart and draped it over her arm.
Instead of heading toward the basement, she ran the stairs as fast as her heels could carry her. With each floor, she peered through the window and debated the unit beyond the door. It wasn't until she landed on the fourth floor she made her decision.
In the fluorescent light of the stairwell, she stripped down to her bra and donned the flimsy gown. Her shirt and fishnets got rolled into a pant leg before she tucked them and her boots beneath the gown and held them against her midsection. When the hallway beyond cleared, she ambled out barefoot. Yells from one of the delivery rooms down the hall muted any noise she made as she searched for the prep room she knew had to be nearby.
Score! The scrub room was labeled and empty. Redressing took only a minute and she covered her clothes with the cotton blues. A surgical cap hid her hair and she grabbed a disposable mask on her way out of the room. Moving through the hospital would be slightly easier if no one gave her a second look. The main elevator was only a hallway over, but the employee cars would be more discrete. Wandering the halls, she found her alternate escape route. A woman pushing a huge plastic cart of clean linens nodded in her direction as they traded places in the hallway. The elevator glided to the first floor without stopping.
She secured the mask before stepping into the fray. It took a moment to gather her bearings and find an exit. Sunshine hit her skin as soon as she exited the building, soothing a chill she hadn't acknowledged. Her car was parked on the far side of the building. With her luck the men from earlier knew what she was driving and would be waiting. Fishing her phone from her jeans pocket beneath the scrubs was worthy of a grand prize on one of those funniest video shows, but the device contained her salvation.
She scrolled past her cousins and nana's names in her favorites list and landed on the only other person she trusted. With quick fingers, she hit the talk button and waited while it rang in her ear.
"Yeah?"
"Shell?"
"Hey, K. Give me a sec."
Rustling on the line along with some grunting followed by a 'ye-haw' told her exactly what she'd interrupted. Hopefully, she'd interrupted a date and not a playroom session. A 'giddy-up' echoed over the phone line followed by a long moan. Yeah. Shelly was definitely at work.
Some fumbling crackled over the line before her friend's chipper voice sounded. "What's up, girl?"
"How many times have I asked you not to answer the phone while you're working?" Being that she sold the tools of Shelly's trade, she could all-too-accurately imagine the faux stable room complete with whips and bits.
"Who said I'm working? Besides, if I didn't answer, I might miss new clients," her friend answered and the sound of a door sliding into place sounded in the background. "So, you called me to bitch about my working habits or what?"
Kara took a minute to reign in her attitude. It wasn't her business how her friend made money, just like it wasn't anyone's how she made hers. "No. I called because I need a favor."
"Sure. Shoot."
"Nana died this morning."
"Oh, shit. Sorry, K. She was the coolest ole' broad in all of Vegas."
"Thanks. But here's the problem-" She paused as the reality of her situation hit home. "I think someone might've been behind her death." She lowered her voice and added, "Like my mom's."
"What? Are you sure you aren't being paranoid again? I know, I know. Your mom and aunts all died together, but girl, that doesn't mean anytime someone dies, it was a plot against your family. You know?"
"What if I told you someone shot at me earlier?"
"Wait. What? You should've led with that! Tell me where you are and I'll come get you."
"I'm at the hospital. Julia called me while I was at the store helping a new business account. On my way out, someone shot at me."
"Are you okay? Are you hurt? Who shot at you?"
"I don't know. But I'm fine," she rushed to add so the litany of questions would stop. "Another guy sorta stepped in and helped." Her mind flashed on images of Leo fighting for her. Instead of conjuring images from only a little over an hour ago, her brain picked an image of him in a sharp suit and bowtie. Nothing like his clothes from today. In her mind, a hat topped his head, shading the wanton look on his face, but not enough for her to imagine he was thinking of anything other than devouring her whole.
"What guy?"
"No one important." Her body protested the lie with sparks of pleasure tickling along her nerve endings.
"Sure. Some random guy saves you from gunshots and he's not important? I call bullshit, K."
She could hear the tell-tale signs of her friend starting the car.
"I don't know what he is exactly, but I'm pretty sure he's wrapped up in this somehow."
"Oh. Like he's saving you so he can kill you himself or something?"
She heard the irony in Shelly's voice, but it didn't stop her for almost screaming 'yes' into the phone. Deep down she had to acknowledge the fact that Leo might have his own reasons to want her dead. She'd heard the men outside the supply closet suggest he was a seasoned bounty hunter, but maybe there was more to it. Maybe like herself, he stole for more than the challenge of the heist. Maybe he stole for the thrill of the hunt.
"I don't know," she finally admitted.
"Well, I'm on my way and before you know it, we'll have it all figured out."
Shelly's relentless positivity made their friendship easy to e
njoy. In the ten years since meeting in high school, the two were practically inseparable.
"Thanks, Shell. I'm going to owe you one after this all settles."
"Friends don't keep tabs," she replied and disconnected.
Kara dropped a pin to share her location via text and wandered around the back of the building toward the back lot where it seemed badge access was required to park. As she climbed under the gated entry she pulled the mask and surgical cap off her head. Her life was nothing like she planned. Instead, it took all the twists and turns of her dream walking escapades. The phone buzzed silently in her hand with an incoming text.
Did you recover the brooch?
Her newest client was persistent. She'd only agreed to the job a week ago and yet, the texts came with daily clocklike precision.
Although, this text wasn't like the others. It came from an anonymous number and mentioned the actual brooch.
Another pinged through.
Where is it? We know you have it.
Who were these people and how did they know she'd located the brooch last night while dreaming? Her phone buzzed once more, but this text was from Shelly.
Where you at?
She looked around for a good landmark before texting her back. Shelly's lime green Kia wasn't hard to miss as it swung around the back of the building headed for her. She pulled to a stop and Kara slid into the passenger seat. "Thanks for coming." She leaned over a pecked Shelly on the cheek and confirmed her friend had come straight from work. The leather getup wasn't part of her non-work attire.
"Of course." Shelly waited all of three seconds before the questions started. "Who shot at you? Who rescued you? What happened to Nana? Where're your cousins? Do they know someone tried to shoot you?"
"I only know one of those answers," she griped. "And they are still inside with Ronin. At least, I think they are. Damn, I'm not even sure if I know one answer after all." She dropped her cell into the center console and slouched in the passenger seat to wiggle the scrub pants off over her jeans.