by Nina Croft
“Did you ever love me? At all?”
“I never allowed myself to love you.”
Tasha closed her eyes to shut him out. She couldn’t bear to look at him anymore. Her whole life had been a lie. She’d spent eight years yearning to return to a family, which had never been hers to begin with. A father who had never loved her, who had arranged to have her murdered. She shivered, and Jack’s hands slid over her shoulders, pulled her back to rest against him. She realized how hard she’d been holding on to the hope that somehow it was all a mistake, that there was some explanation for what she’d seen in Oswald’s head. As she started to shake, Jack’s hold on her tightened.
“So, can we kill him now?” Sebastian murmured, his eyes cold and steady.
Her father was staring at them. “I’m a scientist. I just did my job. I followed orders. Natasha, you have to listen to me.” He took a deep breath. “Natasha, please, let me talk to you alone.”
She shook her head, pressed herself back into Jack.
“For your mother’s sake. She loved us both—she wouldn’t want this.”
Tasha needed time to let it all sink in. She didn’t know if she was ready to stand by and see her father die. Even if he wasn’t actually her father.
“Let him go,” she said, and saw the tension drain from him.
“He tried to have you killed,” Sebastian said.
“Please, I don’t think I can stand much more of this. Just let him go.”
Sebastian shook his head in disgust, but then nodded in resignation. “Don’t presume this is over,” he said to her father before taking him by the arm. “I’ll see this piece of shit off the premises. Then I need to get back to the house.”
He paused in front of Jack and Tasha, and then leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. “Remember, you have a family now. You can forget this scum. Look after her,” he said to Jack.
“Natasha,” her father said. “I need to talk to you. There are things you need to know. Here…” He reached into his pocket and handed her a card as Sebastian dragged him past. “Call me, please.”
The door closed behind them. To Tasha, it was like saying goodbye, not only to her old life, but also to all her dreams. Yet, she had no choice—her old life had been a lie. She had to look forward. She had a chance at a new life now, with the pack.
She pulled herself out of Jack’s embrace and turned to face him. He smiled, shrugged out of his jacket, and tossed it on the back of the black leather couch. Next, he unbuckled the shoulder holster, laid it on top of the jacket, and then crossed the room to a cabinet and poured them both a drink.
He took a seat on the couch. His long legs stretched out in front of him and stared at her through half-closed eyes. A ripple of excitement shot through her. He patted the seat next to him. “Come and sit for a moment.”
She sat down and took the drink he offered but put it on the table untouched. “What is this place?” she asked. “Do you work here?”
“I own the building. We use it as headquarters.”
“Headquarters of what?”
“We’re a small group who believe the time of living in secrecy is coming to an end. We keep an eye on the interactions between our kind and humans. We also do contract work, often for the government.”
“What sort of contract work?”
“It wasn’t an accident or a coincidence that I was at The Facility. We’d been watching them for a while. One of my men had gotten too close and been taken. He died. He was young, not strong, and he couldn’t withstand the hunger. Or maybe they killed him just to see if they could.” He shrugged. “So I went in.”
“Weren’t you in danger?”
“No, I’m older, stronger.”
“How old?”
“A few hundred years.Old enough, anyway.”
Tasha closed her eyes and tried to imagine living so long. No wonder he thought of her as a child. When she opened her eyes, Jack was regarding her intently.
“How do you feel?” he asked.
“Numb,” she said. “All the way here, no, even before that, ever since the meeting with Oswald, I’ve been trying to fool myself into believing there’s an explanation, that my father didn’t actually pay someone to kill me. Okay, so he’s not my father, as it turns out, and I can’t decide whether that makes it better or worse. It’s as if my whole existence is a lie. You know, through the last eight years, all I could think about was getting back to my family. Now it doesn’t even exist.”
She reached over, picked up her drink, and took a sip. “Ugh! What is this?”
“Fifty-year-old scotch,” Jack said wryly.
She put it down.
“Sebastian was right, you know,” Jack said. “You have a family now. You belong with the pack. And there’s a job for you here, if and when you want it.”
“A job? Doing what?”
“We could always find use for a telepath, and we already have a number of wolves on the team.”
She thought about it. “My father was shielded. That must mean they’re still working with telepaths. There may be others like me out there.”
“We’ll look into it. You can help if you decide to work with us.”
She sat back, closing her eyes. There was a place for her, a job. She wasn’t alone; she had friends. She would join the pack truly become one of them. She opened her eyes and glanced at Jack, her heart beating stronger at the thought.
“You know, you should have let Sebastian kill him,” Jack said. “I don’t trust him not to come after you again. You need to be able to protect yourself better. Once you make the transition you’ll be stronger, faster, you’ll heal even quicker. You’ll be almost impossible to kill.”
“I know. I’d already decided to join the pack.”
“You had?”
She nodded. “So there’s something I need to do.”
Chapter Eight
Tasha nibbled on her lower lip. She didn’t know what she would do if Jack rejected her now, but she had to take the risk. “Jack, will you make love to me?”
He smiled. “I’d already decided to do that, but you needed to make the decision yourself. But let’s be clear here, you’ll be different. It won’t be easy to overcome the stigma that goes with having a vampire lover.”
“I don’t care. I’ll always be different anyway.”
“Good.”
They were silent for a moment. Tasha glanced sideways at Jack. She’d wanted this for so long, but now she was scared. “I don’t know what to do.”
“I do,” Jack said. “Get up.”
She frowned but rose to her feet and stared down at him. He appeared relaxed, almost indolent as he sprawled on the sofa, his head back against the cushions, long legs stretched out in front of him. His eyes gleamed emerald through the thick curtain of his lashes, never leaving her.
“Take off your clothes,” he ordered and her skin quivered with anticipation.
“Ooh, I love it when you go all masterful on me.”
Jack shook his head. “Just take off your clothes, Natasha.”
Her mouth went dry, and she licked her lips. She unbuttoned her shirt, her fingers clumsy, her whole body trembling with expectation. She slipped out of the shirt then unfastened her jeans and slid them down her legs. She kicked off her shoes and stood for a moment in her underwear. Jack said nothing. He continued to watch her as she removed the rest, until finally, she stood before him naked.
“Come here,” he said.
She forced her legs to move and went to stand in front of him. His eyes glittered as they moved over her bare flesh, making her skin tingle. The feeling intensified on the tips of her breasts, between her legs, cramping the muscles of her stomach, and she swayed toward him.
He reached out and caressed the soft skin of her belly, down over her hip, slipping between her legs to stroke her inner thigh where the blood thundered so close to the surface. She was melting from the inside out, but she had to ask one thing before they went any further.
<
br /> “Jack?”
“Yes?”
“You’re not just doing this because you feel sorry for me, are you?”
He laughed softly.
“What’s funny?” she asked.
“Stop thinking so hard.”
She wished she could. She really did. “Make me,” she challenged.
He stared at her, allowing the mask to drop so she glimpsed the fierce predatory beauty beneath, and something close to fear unfurled deep within her. He reached out and pulled her to him, so she fell across his legs. He leaned down and kissed her savagely. His lips were brutal; his tongue thrusting hot and wet, into her mouth, his whole body hard against her own. It was minutes before she came up for air, panting. “Jack?”
He sighed. “Yes?”
“I feel strange. This whole wolf thing, it’s not going to happen right now, is it?”
“No, not quite yet.”
“Good, because I’d hate to try to eat you.”
He laughed again. “Feel free,” he murmured, leaning down and licking slowly across her breast, biting gently on the swollen tip. “Because I definitely plan to eat you.”
He lifted her effortlessly, turning her so she lay on her back beneath him. “Do you know how long I’ve wanted this?” he asked, pressing his body into hers. “What you did to me in that cell, rubbing your sweet little body against mine? Teasing me. Begging me to take you.”
He stood up then and stripped off his shirt, swiftly followed by the rest of his clothes, and Tasha stared. “Wow,” she said, mesmerized by the sheer size and beauty of him, the evidence that he really did want her.
He grasped her knees and parted her legs, coming down to kneel between them. “This isn’t going to be slow or gentle,” he warned as he reached down and touched her between her thighs. He parted her drenched flesh, opening her to him, his nostrils flaring. One long finger pushed inside, and her inner muscles clenched around him. He withdrew his finger slowly, spreading the moisture over the tight little nub, already engorged with need. He rubbed over it repeatedly with the pad of his thumb until she was writhing against him. When her hips bucked uncontrollably, he withdrew.
He sat back and regarded her for what seemed an age, then slowly clasped his hand around his erection. Tasha followed the movement and stared at him in awe. He was long and hard, the skin silky pale, stretched, the head darker, swollen with the same need she was drowning in. He leaned toward her, positioning himself. She closed her eyes as he nudged at the opening to her body. He paused, and then thrust into her, sheathing himself in one skillful move. Tasha cried out in shock; he was huge, scorching hot, filling her completely. She lay still for a moment, as her body grew accustomed to his. His large hands slid beneath her to cup the backs of her thighs and pull her closer to him. Her head fell back, and he came down over her, his mouth at her throat.
She flinched at the sharp, quick stab as his fangs pierced her skin. Then gasped, but he gave her no time to think as he started to move inside her, almost leisurely at first, withdrawing, and then pushing into her with a slow grinding sweetness. She bucked under him, needing more, and he increased the tempo until all she could do was wrap her legs around him, dig her nails into the satin skin of his shoulders, and hold on as he drove them both higher and higher. She writhed and twisted, wanting more, but unsure as to what it was she needed.
He went still, eased his fangs from her throat, and rose above her. Her blood stained his lips, his black hair was loose around his shoulders, his green eyes fierce as he stared down into her face. And suddenly, she knew what it was she wanted. She wanted all of him, his body and his mind. She reached out with her inner sense and crashed straight into the wall of his mental defenses.
“Please, Jack,” she whispered. “I love you. Let me in.”
Something flickered behind his eyes, then the wall melted, and she was deep in his mind. He started to move again, his eyes never leaving hers, and, through the link joining them, she shared his exquisite pleasure. It echoed her own, with each thrust of his hard body. And beneath the pleasure, she could sense the love he felt for her, and how close he was to complete surrender. She sank into the sensations, rising up to meet each stroke, the feeling building within them until finally, when she thought they could take no more, he went rigid above her, pressed once more, and they both exploded into a million pieces.
“Double wow,” she said and heard his soft laughter as she faded into blackness.
“Tasha, wake up.”
She ignored the words and snuggled closer, loving the feel of his hard body against her own. He nipped her earlobe between his teeth.
“Ouch,” she said. “What was that for?”
“We need to get you back. The pack is waiting for you.”
She sat up reluctantly. “You know, I’d sort of forgotten the whole werewolf thing. Is it really going to happen?”
“Yes, and Sebastian said the sooner the better.”
“You talked to Sebastian about this?”
“I wanted to be prepared.”
She sighed. “Just one kiss then?”
When he didn’t move, she leaned across and kissed the pale skin of his chest, licking her tongue across one hard nipple as she trailed her fingers over the ridged muscles of his belly, wrapped them around the hard, silken length of him. She leaned across him, breathed softly over the swollen head, and he jerked beneath her fingers.
He groaned, reached down, and pulled her up until they were face to face. “Just one kiss…” he replied.
Sometime later, she stirred uneasily.
“Jack?”
“Hmm?”
“I feel strange. I mean—really strange.”
He glanced into her face. “Shit.” He sat up and grabbed her hand. “Come on, we’re out of here.”
They were silent on the drive back to Sebastian’s. Tasha sat tense beside him, fighting the trepidation building up within her.
“Relax,” Jack said.
“I can’t.”
Prickles were running up and down her skin, and she rubbed her arms trying to ease the sensation. She could sense something alien stirring inside her, peering out from her eyes. Opening the window, she let the cool air soothe her.
The drive seemed to go on forever, but at last, Jack pulled up in front of the house. He came around and opened her door. “I can’t come with you,” he said as she got out. “But I’ll see you tomorrow night. Good luck.”
“Will I need it?”
He smiled. “No.”
He pulled her to him, and gave her a lingering kiss on the lips, his tongue sliding over hers.
“Tomorrow night,” he murmured.
The car disappeared down the drive. All around her, the night pulsated with expectation. Tasha couldn’t see anyone, but she could sense them waiting for her. A wolf howled, and she followed the sound, walking slowly around the back of the house and into the dark woods. In a clearing, she found the pack, and at the center, Sebastian stood, still in human form. She walked forward, and the crowd parted for her, forming a circle around her and Sebastian.
He looked down at her and shook his head. “Been feeding the leech again?” Then he smiled and held out his hand. Tasha took it, and he drew her into the center of the circle. He released her hand and began to unbutton his shirt. “You don’t need to undress, but the clothes vanish when we change. We find it easier to take them off.”
She nodded and slowly removed her clothes.
Sebastian watched her, his eyes gleaming with appreciation, but she couldn’t concentrate. A change was happening inside, making her body tremble.
“Relax,” Sebastian murmured, “It only hurts if you fight it. Let it flow through you.”
Her skin was too tight, stretched over her bones. The feeling was building and building until she raised her head to the sky and screamed. She fell to her knees, her fingers clawing at the wet earth, the wolf within her rising to the surface, demanding to be released.
Sebastian fell to h
is knees beside her. Then he was gone, and a huge silver wolf stood in his place.
She stopped fighting and felt herself shift—felt her wolf’s leap for freedom—and a moment later, she stood on all fours, panting. She shook herself, turned her head to stare at the dark russet fur of her back, lifted one paw and sniffed the air. The night was rich with smells; the tang of the wet earth, the musky fragrance of the other wolves, and far away the scent of prey—the intoxicating odor of hot blood and warm flesh. Filled with a wild elation, she raised her head to the starlit sky and howled. All around her, the others joined her song.
The silver wolf was before her, pouncing playfully, swatting her nose. He nipped at her shoulder then turned and ran. And she followed, racing after him through the dark forest.
She woke the following morning in her own bed, naked. After a brief knock on the door, Sebastian entered. He was dressed in faded jeans and a dark blue shirt, which exactly matched his eyes. He sat down on the bed, his gaze searching her face. “How do you feel?”
“Fantastic. It was the best night of my life.”
“Good. So, how was it with the leech?”
Tasha frowned. “Stop calling him that.”
He grinned. “Are you defending him? God, it must be love. So how did it go?”
“How did what go?”
“You know…” Sebastian waggled his eyebrows in a suggestive manner.
“Mind your own business.”
“Hey, you can’t blame me for being interested,” he said. “Vampires are such secretive bastards.”
“Well, I don’t think he sleeps in a coffin if that helps.”
He shook his head. “Just be careful. Don’t let him overwhelm you.” He ran his fingers almost absently over his throat. “I know what it’s like.”
“You? I thought you said you didn’t feed vamps.”
“Actually, what I said was, we don’t voluntarily feed vamps.” He shrugged. “When Jack first approached the pack, we fought. We fought. I lost. He fed. It was just the once, a dominance thing more than anything else. I’m only telling you because I know how good it can feel.”