Carnal: A Dark Shifter Romance

by Piper Stone

  “I can’t put anything past you,” I said, laughing softly. “Yes, a former human friend of his remains a fugitive.”

  “Then you will talk to him when the time is right, Max.”

  “I will do what is... necessary.”

  The tension was palpable. The ways of the Wolfen and the requirements of law enforcement had always been at odds.

  “At this point, we must hunt our own as required. This female is... unusual, Max. She is human, yet you have already begun the mating process with her.” He reared back, his eyes narrowing. “You must weigh your decisions carefully. You are by all rights the next leader of the entire Wolfen species. You must act accordingly. You are fully aware of Gregor Fenton’s attempts at usurping your control.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. The man was a pompous asshole, although his number of pack followers was growing. “I’m aware of his activities, Father.” The three amigos. I allowed the past to enter my mind, a time when Stone, Gregor, and I had been so damn close. The ways of our people had forced us apart but our collective desire for power had taken on an entirely different meaning than when we were younger.

  “He is formidable, son, and not the same man as you knew. Something for you to keep in mind.”

  “Much like Stone Keeler has changed, I suspect.” I was already tired of the banter.

  “Stone is... angry. That will fuel him.”

  I had no idea how to counter that. Stone had been given a raw deal in several ways, but he’d stepped up to the plate. How things had changed. “How can you be certain Kathleen is my mate?”

  “Don’t kid yourself, Max. You are hungry for her, the kind of famished needs that you’ve never experienced before?” he asked.

  I weighed the answer. “Very much so.”

  He pressed his hand against my cheek, closing his eyes. “Your eyes are different, my son, the rings of fire surrounding your pupils burning brightly. In turning to fight the beast, you tasted his anger as well as experienced it, but I suspect he also tasted yours. That also means this wolf is well aware of her possible importance. The scent of her disturbs me. I do not like what is happening. The timing is... bad.”

  The timing. The entire situation was horrific.

  “You once told me that we don’t choose our mates, that they’ve already been preselected for us. The ancient ways of our heritage. If she is truly my mate, how can I deny what I am hungering for?” I threw the words back at him. I didn’t believe in what so many of our young people, including myself called the true curse of our people.

  “You must try until we know what we are dealing with,” he spat, taking a gulp of his drink.

  “And what if I can’t? She draws on me every minute of the day. When I’m near her I feel stronger, more alive. When I’m no longer close, my hunger becomes insatiable.” I dropped my gaze to his shaking hand before looking at my own. Even at this moment, the longing was almost too much to bear, the beast yearning to breach the surface. What the hell wasn’t he telling me? “You mated with a human, Father.”

  He walked away in a stilted manner, moving toward one of his massive bookshelves. He was searching for a book. “The truth is that I was a fool, Max, and my love for your mother could have cost me everything.”

  “Are you suggesting that I am not allowed to mate with her?”

  “I’m telling you that if you turn her, she could die. We are born into what we are, Max, not turned as in some terrifying ghost story. I am also telling you that if you fully mate with a human and especially if you turn her then you will never be accepted as the alpha.”

  But you were. I thought about what he was saying and shook my head. “That’s a chance I am willing to take.”

  Blackhawk shook his head once again, tugging on one of his ancient books, the very one he’d taught lessons to me from. The book I’d shunned when I’d reached my teenage years. “You burn deeply with a hunger that I haven’t seen in you before. You should read the various marked passages, my son. They will be important in your upcoming leadership and with the decisions that you make.”

  “You already sensed that I’d discovered a mate even before I did. What aren’t you telling me?” I wasn’t shocked. My father was far more powerful than anyone truly realized. He was also the keeper of the peace, a man who’d encouraged harmonious living amongst humans from as long ago as I could remember. I understood his concerns.

  But not about Kathleen.

  Death.

  I’d already sworn to protect her with my life.

  He had a faraway look in his eyes as he headed back in my direction, the book firmly placed in his grip. “I know many things, my son. My father once told me that knowledge is the key to our survival. My perceptions are very strong at this point. Be certain of what you learn, Max. If this woman is your mate, then the curse that was foretold centuries before has been unearthed. That would explain the rogue wolf and the anger burning within the Nightwalkers. If that is the case, you can expect blood to run in the streets of Denver. I should have seen this coming. I should have warned you.”

  I glared at the gilded book, the musty smell of it assaulting my senses. “What the hell are you talking about? You believe the attacks will continue.” The term curse had been tossed around along with the various untrue stories about werewolves.

  “The attacks will continue because the hunger pangs will grow within this wolf to the point nothing will stop him. There is the foretelling of a curse placed on our kind. In truth, I didn’t believe in what I was told as a child, but now, I’m not so certain.” He took several deep breaths, his hand shaking even more as he took another gulp of his drink. I’d never seen my father this way. He was always in control, always providing answers.

  “A curse.”

  “Yes...” he hissed, elongating the single word. “We’ve evolved so far, our lives joyful. Now this.”

  “What will I find in this book?”

  He moved toward the couch, sitting down with difficulty. “There is an ancient burial ground that is not to be disturbed by anyone. If the location is destroyed, the wrath of every pack will be set forth, the beginning of the end. Our kind will return to their primal state, hunting and feasting on humans.”

  “The end of our kind?”

  He lifted his head. “Or humans. The ultimate fight for control.”

  I realized at that moment that whatever I might read in the ancient journal could change the course of history. “What am I supposed to do?”

  “Lead, my son. You are the future. You must come back to the community. It is vital that your presence is known. There are so many who respect you.” My father’s imploring voice was haunting.

  The future. I was beginning to believe that there would be no future, but I knew he was right. Above all, my people needed to trust in their environment and their leaders. They had the right to feel safe. I would find a way to fulfill my commitment on both regards. The decision weighed heavily on my mind. “I will return within twenty-four hours, but it will be on my terms. I will fulfill my duties as a law enforcement officer first and foremost.”

  My father’s face flushed with relief. “Understood. That makes an old man very happy, my son. We will have many things to discuss when you return.”

  “I gotta go, Pops, and give me some time to see what I can find.” I polished off the drink before heading to the door. A damn curse. I prayed to God that this was just an ugly fairytale and that we merely had a basic murderer in our midst. When he spoke again, they were words that would remain with me for some time.

  “One piece of advice. If this woman is your mate, Maximillian, you must not turn her, but you do need to protect her at all costs. She could be the key to our survival.”

  Chapter Six

  Max

  Survival.

  Protection.

  While I embraced the necessity, I held back on forming any distinct opinions. There were too many questions that needed answers. My training negated such methodology.

  I wo
uld follow through with my promise, returning to the pack, but not until after tonight. My only method of limited protection was covering her with my scent. By all rights, as my mate, I should take her to our city, and keep her locked away in my cabin. I half laughed at the thought. If I knew anything about Kathleen, she would attempt to kill me for even trying.

  And she wasn’t ready to learn the truth about the man who’d already fucked her.

  I was playing a risky game, but I had to buy some time in order to put additional pieces together.

  I sat back in my seat, mulling the options. Given the rather brutal fight I’d had with the rogue wolf, if the creature was diseased, the near taste of her would fester in his mind and his loins, embroiling his increasing hunger. He would make an attempt on her life sooner versus later.

  My grip on the glass of bourbon was so tight that I heard the thick crystal cracking, fissures forming on every inch of the surface. Exhaling, I released the firm hold, curtailing my rage and scanning the room for anyone who might be of concern.

  The book my father had provided had proven to be interesting, although the stories were more like fables told to children in order to prevent their misbehavior. I remembered only some of the pages, pretending as a child I’d listened to the teaching. While I’d had little opportunity to do anything but scan over the chapters, the detailing of how our kind came to be was fascinating reading. Humans called what we had lycanthropy, a mythological disease that had an almost cult-like following.

  If the stories penned in the ancient script were correct, the disease was similar in nature to the stories told, although deadlier and certainly contagious. From what I’d learned, the disease had gone dormant, but was always predicted to return in order to replenish the Wolfen population, possibly attacking the human population as well. Christ. I shook my head. The only reason I gave the bullshit any credence were the factual stories of rogue wolves, but even then, there were bad wolves just like humans. I was beginning to wonder what the hell to believe any longer.

  What I could buy is that darkness had enshrouded the earth thousands of years before, and the violence encompassing every aspect of human life had nearly destroyed civilization. The accounts in history books corroborated the Wolfen stories.

  A brutal and fast sweeping disease had taken hold, pitting man against beast. Although other animal species had been protected, wolves hadn’t been immune to the terrible malady, the disease altering their DNA structure. I fiddled with my drink, laughing at the various representations, all told through the eyes of a priest who’d lived long enough to tell the entire story.

  But a single word had been used since that time and always would be. Predator.

  The holy man had also predicted a curse after the first Wolfen had been murdered, almost to extinction by a faction of human hunters, their bodies laid to rest in true honor, as well as secrecy.

  If their bodies were ever disturbed, bones touched by human hands, their wrath would be unleashed, seeking revenge.

  I didn’t believe in curses, although the priest’s story was at least a fascinating read. However, the fear about some unknown disease rearing its ugly head again was certainly plausible. We’d come into existence in some wretched manner after all. There was even a remote possibility that other animal species could be affected this time, altering their DNA much like the wolves. I tapped my fingers on the table, swirling the tip of my index finger back and forth. What there hadn’t been was any mention of this infamous burial ground that I’d been able to find. I would search again later.

  I’d read the book more as an officer of the law than a Wolfen, realizing the stories could be just that. If not, then what were the chances there were at least duplicate pages, allowing for some elaborate ruse in order to obtain some edge? The possibilities were endless.

  As well as outlandish.

  I was still a special agent, which meant I had a job to perform.

  The bar was quaint, but not the one I’d met her in the night before. The location was her choice, far enough removed from where either one of us lived that she believed herself to be safe from my clutches. I swirled the glass in front of me several times while I stared out the window. She had no idea what she was in store for. I dragged my tongue across my canines, feeling the sharp points already exposed. Additional control was needed. I shifted in the seat, my nerves on edge and my cock aching as it had for a solid twenty-four hours.

  I’d had little time to investigate the prophecies and in my opinion ramblings of one of our ancestors within the book, but my father remained rattled, even calling an emergency council meeting for the moment I returned. I would look at this rationally.

  The possibility of wolves abandoning their humanity, killing humans for no other reason than sport sounded like the Nightwalkers. I knew many wolves in both packs would enjoy living like animals once again, if only for a little while.

  If the murders had been performed by a rogue wolf with potential followers, as there always were with alpha dogs, there was the remote possibility others would go into a killing frenzy of their own. That sounded more like the Nightwalkers’ behavior than Wolfen, but then again, I didn’t know my own pack very well any longer. Whatever the case, the evidence could bring a lockdown to our city. There would be questions asked, press breathing down our necks. I couldn’t afford to allow that to happen.

  If Kathleen was the key, I would find out why.

  But at this point I had to assume the alpha role, curtailing any disobedient behavior. I’d gather those around me who were not only aware but believed in my leadership abilities. Then we would begin hunting within our own community.

  I could smell her already, the fragrance one that I would never forget. I was immediately excited, desire forcing my hands to shake.

  Get fucking control.

  I snarled, rubbing my hands across my mouth.

  The very second she walked into the bar, the light over the entrance highlighting her gorgeous features, I was thrown into another carnal moment. The beast that had been called to the surface only hours before was ready to strike again. Had I made a mistake turning earlier in order to fight the wolf? In order to save her life? No. I’d broken the rules and I would do it again.

  She had no idea how close she’d come to becoming the wolf’s latest victim. If I hadn’t intervened, the creature’s feast would have been considered a true victory. If she was my true mate and was taken, my leadership would possibly be challenged by the Nightwalkers, as well as every other pack. Fuck the rules. My father had mated with a human and remained leader and so would I.

  The decision was agonizing but one that had to be made.

  It was time I accepted my rule, taking over the reins since my father was ready to relinquish control. The rumble in my gut told me I was doing the right thing.

  I took a sip of my drink, enjoying the view for a few more seconds as she absently brushed her hand through her hair. God damn, I was overwhelmed with her magnificent sensuality. I hadn’t anticipated anything but business attire, but her gorgeous red dress caught every red-blooded male’s attention. I could hear what they were saying, buddy to buddy, their longing to fuck her, stripping her of her will. Over my dead body. The light coat she was wearing certainly couldn’t hide her voluptuous curves or the way the silky material hugged all of them in a provocative manner.

  She was a feisty minx in wolf’s clothing. A temptress. I allowed a dark chuckle at the thought.

  With my better than twenty-twenty eyesight, I could see the nervous tic on the corner of her mouth. I could also hear her rapid heartbeat, the blood pulsing through her veins.

  She was nervous.

  She was also excited.

  Another moment of dousing the fire with gasoline. As she walked closer, a slight growl pushed up from my throat, the sound entirely that of an animal. Fighting my urges to take her here would be difficult.

  Kathleen stopped a few feet from the table, giving me a onceover. Her expression was pensive, even
pissed. She must have learned we would be working together. “Agent Cordero.” The tone of her address was husky, sensuous, and very much on purpose. She was actually trying to unnerve me. I had to give her additional points of respect.

  “I think given our less than formal initial meeting, we can certainly go by first names. Don’t you, Kathleen?” I moved to pull out her chair, refusing to back down until she eased onto the seat.

  “Fine, Max. Or would you prefer Maximillian?”

  “Max is fine. What would you like to drink?”

  She leaned over the table, studying my glass, lifting it into her hand. If she’d noticed the cracked exterior, she didn’t comment before gulping the remainder. “My, my, Jefferson’s Presidential Select. You are a man of expensive tastes.” She wiped her mouth with her arm before placing the glass on the table.

  “A refined woman who knows her Kentucky whiskeys. I’m impressed.” I lifted my hand and two fingers toward the bartender, ordering two.

  I could see the hint of surprise in her eyes before she laughed and eased her coat from her shoulders. Leaning forward, she folded her hands and stared straight into my eyes. “Let’s get this straight, Max. I realize that we shared an... experience, but now that we’re working together, that’s never going to happen again. Ever. Do you understand me? Do I need to explain it any clearer?”

  The woman had no idea the kind of reaction her angry words created deep within. Every vile and nasty thing that had entered my mind would happen. Period.

  I would chain her.

  I would whip her.

  I would train her.

  I would use her.

  In the end, she would enjoy every moment of surrendering to me and the passion that we’d already shared.

  I leaned forward until I knew that she would be able to hear every word I said in little more than a commanding whisper. There was no sense for anyone else to know our business and given the circumstances, I had to force our connection, cognizant of exactly how she would react. “Now allow me to make myself clear, Kathleen. You belong to me.”