“I see I’ve hit upon something,” the vampire said. “Obviously he hasn’t confessed his love to you.”
Kiera met his gaze, “Just because he hasn’t said it doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel it. Not all men are free with their emotions.”
“True, very true, but seeing as how you’re married surely he would have said something,” the vampire replied.
Kiera shrugged, feigning nonchalance that she really didn’t feel. Her self-doubts were eating away at her and the vampire knew it. He had known exactly where to fling his barbs.
“What does it matter to you?” she asked.
The vampire smiled. “It doesn’t, not really. However, I find it interesting that you haven’t denied the fact that you love him. What’s it like to love someone who doesn’t return your affection?”
“Just stop it! If you’re going to kill me, get it over with,” Kiera said, tired of his games.
With lightning speed, the vampire was behind her, his arm wrapped around her waist, his other hand tipping her head sideways, exposing her long throat. “Are you sure that’s what you want me to do?” he asked softly.
Kiera was so nervous she was shaking. Why had she baited him like that? Was it going to hurt when he bit her? Would it be a slow death? Would she know her life was ending?
The vampire bent his head closer, inhaling her scent. “Your blood calls to me, begs to be taken,” he said, trailing his tongue along her skin.
Kiera shivered in revulsion. “What do you want from me? If you were going to kill me, you would have done it already.”
Nuzzling her neck, the vampire murmured, “Are you sure? Maybe I just like playing with my food,” he said, rubbing himself against her.
Kiera could feel his erection as he pressed himself closer. She closed her eyes, terrified of what would happen next. She hadn’t counted on him wanting her in that way. Her skin broke out in a fine sweat as she contemplated her fate. If she screamed, would anyone hear her? Would they get to her in time?
Pulling her tighter against his body, the vampire kissed her neck. “Yes, I’m definitely going to enjoy playing with my food.”
Abruptly he released her. Kiera was too afraid to move. Prying her eyes open, she turned her head to look over her shoulder. He was gone!
She collapsed to the floor, sobbing. Why was he toying with her like this? Why was he dragging it out?
Crawling over to the shower, Kiera turned it on. She stripped out of her gown and crawled under the water. Not bothering to close the shower door, she curled up and cried. She cried for the fate she knew was surely coming; she cried for the love she wished she had; and she cried for what would never be. She had no doubt that the vampire would eventually finish what he started; one day he would tire of his games and kill her, draining her dry.
She heard Connor’s voice calling from the hallway, but she couldn’t answer. She rocked back and forth under the water, her arms wrapped around her knees, reliving the past few minutes over and over.
“Kiera, are you in there?” Connor asked as he neared the bathroom door. He could hear the shower running, but the door was wide open. Wouldn’t she have closed it before getting in the shower?
“Kiera,” he called out once more.
When he didn’t get an answer, he stepped into the bathroom and froze. He saw Kiera curled up in the bottom of the shower, crying. He quickly averted his eyes.
“Kiera, are you okay?” he asked.
She didn’t answer.
Connor wasn’t sure what to do. He didn’t want to embarrass her or anger Gabriel. Deciding that he shouldn’t be the one to extract her from the shower, he quickly ran downstairs. He had offered to stop by this morning to keep an eye on Kiera, but apparently he hadn’t arrived soon enough.
Rushing across the street, he ran into the garage. He spotted Gabriel under a car and jogged over to him.
Hearing footsteps, Gabriel slid out from under the Charger he was working on. “What’s wrong?” he asked, noticing the panicked look on Connor’s face.
“There’s something wrong with Kiera. She’s in the shower, curled up on the floor. I think the vampire’s been back,” he said in a voice low enough that customer’s wouldn’t overhear.
Gabriel jerked to his feet and took off for the house. Taking the stairs two at a time, he bolted for his bedroom. Seeing the open bathroom door, he approached the door with caution.
When he looked inside and saw Kiera rocking back and forth under the water, his heart broke. Walking to her side, he kneeled outside of the shower door.
“Kiera, sweetheart, can you hear me?” he asked softly.
Kiera didn’t respond, just continued rocking back and forth.
Realizing she must be in shock, Gabriel turned off the water, wrapped her in a towel and lifted her into his arms. He walked into the bedroom with her and laid her on the bed.
Connor stood in the hallway just outside.
“Is she okay?” he asked.
Gabriel shook his head. “I don’t know. Would you close the door? I’m going to get her dressed and see if I can get her to snap out of it,” he answered.
Connor nodded and pulled the door shut as Gabriel has requested. He headed back downstairs to give the couple some privacy.
Once they were alone, Gabriel removed Kiera’s towel and dried her off. Pulling out a pair of her panties and a bra, he slipped them on her. He rummaged through her things and found a loose pair of pants and a knit top.
Dressing Kiera, he watched her face for any sign that she was coming back to him. She stared vacantly at the ceiling, completely unaware of what was happening.
Lifting her into his arms, he held her close.
“Come back to me, Kiera. Please come back to me,” he murmured in her ear. He gently rocked her and rubbed her back.
What had happened? Connor had mentioned the vampire, but Gabriel hadn’t seen any evidence that the bloodsucker had been around.
“Honey, you’re scaring me. Please talk to me. Tell me what happened,” he coaxed, hoping she would respond.
There was a knock at the door.
“What?” Gabriel growled, hating the interruption.
Connor stepped into the room. “I think I can help.”
Gabriel looked at his cousin, thinking. “What can you do for her?”
“I don’t know how to explain it, but there’s a chance I might be able to connect with her – mentally. I can’t promise it will work, but I thought I could try,” he replied.
Gabriel gave him a terse nod.
Connor stepped closer, stopping when he stood beside them. He reached for Kiera’s hands, taking them in his own. Hunkering down so that he was eye level with her, he concentrated.
The fear he saw in her mind made him wince. He tried to sort through her thoughts and memories, piecing together what had happened to her. Shaken from what he saw, he released her hands and looked at Gabriel.
“What? What did you see?” Gabriel asked.
“You don’t want to know,” Connor answered.
“She’s my wife damn it! Of course I want to know,” he growled.
“He caught her when she was alone, surprising her in the bathroom. He terrorized her, making her think he was going to kill her, before threatening to…” Connor trailed off, unable to complete the thought much less the sentence.
“Threatening to what?” Gabriel asked in a flat voice, terrified that he already knew the answer.
Connor swallowed the knot in his throat. “He told her that he was going to enjoy playing with her before he killed her.” He stopped and looked Gabriel in the eye. “Don’t make me say it… don’t make me tell you the rest.”
Gabriel tightened his hold on Kiera. “We won’t let that happen; we won’t let him near her.”
Connor took Kiera’s hands again, trying to get past the fear and memories, trying to find her. She had hidden herself away somewhere deep inside. Connor just needed to find her and coax her back out.
After wha
t seemed like an eternity, Kiera blinked and slowly looked around the room.
“Where am I?” she asked quietly.
“Oh thank god!” Gabriel exclaimed, hugging her, kissing her hair.
“Gabriel?” she asked, looking up at him. “What are you doing home?”
He laughed weakly. “I came home for you, sweetheart. I came home to see you.”
She nodded and looked at Connor, who was still eye level with her. “Hi Connor, I didn’t realize you were here.”
He smiled. “Morning Kiera, I haven’t been here for long; just stopped in to spend a little time with you today.”
She nodded; a frown on her face. Everything was a little fuzzy. Looking down, she noticed her clothes. When had she gotten dressed?
“Gabriel, what’s going on? I don’t remember getting dressed,” she said.
He hugged her tightly. “Don’t worry about it, honey. You weren’t feeling well this morning so I had to help you.”
Kiera fought to remember what had happened. She felt fine, maybe a little weak, but overall she felt the same as she always did. Why had Gabriel had to help her with her clothes?
In a flash, the memories nearly suffocated her; the vampire, his threats, how scared she had felt. She gasped, “He was here.”
“Shh; you’re okay now. He isn’t going to hurt you, Kiera. I’m here and so is Connor,” Gabriel told her.
She huddled into him, drawing strength from being near him. “I was so scared, and he said such awful things to me,” she said, a silent tear falling on her cheek.
“I won’t make the same mistake twice. I won’t leave the house until I know someone is here to watch over you,” he said.
Connor decided to leave the two alone and quietly slipped out of the room. After seeing Kiera’s memories, he felt sick and angry. So far, only one pack had responded to his inquiry for more werewolves. Pulling his cell phone out, he decided he wasn’t taking no for an answer and started making phone calls. One way or another, Kiera would be protected. No woman should ever have to go through that.
Chapter Twelve
One month later
Kiera was in the living room, surrounded by werewolves, or at least it felt that way. Connor had managed to get twenty wolves from various states to come to her aid. There were at least five in the house at all times, with another five patrolling the grounds. They worked in shifts with ten on and ten off duty twenty-four hours a day.
She felt suffocated, but in a good way. The vampire hadn’t been back in the house, at least not to her knowledge. There hadn’t been another note or anymore threatening appearances. She hadn’t relaxed yet. She knew the moment her guard was down he would strike, so she stayed alert and focused.
Noting the time, she headed into the kitchen to make lunch for everyone. Feeding such a large crowd, she had been making casseroles for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. One day a week they would order pizza and on Saturdays they ordered Chinese food to help break up the monotony and give Kiera a break.
Pulling two large casserole dishes from the cabinet, Kiera began gathering her ingredients. She was going to make chicken with cheesy rice for lunch. It was simple to make and filling enough to feed twelve werewolves and herself.
Kiera hummed as she cooked. She looked forward to lunch because Gabriel always came home. It was hard to have alone time with someone when there were always so many people around. Their love life had slacked off a bit, mostly because of her. She was embarrassed to make love to him while there were strangers in the house. With their sensitive hearing, she knew they picked up on every little thing.
Once the dishes were in the oven, she pulled out the paper plates and plastic forks. It hadn’t taken long for Kiera to realize that doing the dishes three times a day for so many people just wasn’t possible. Now they stocked up on disposable things, including cups.
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 a
way.”
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.
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