Seth's Promise

fxà{Ëá cÜÉÅ|áx All rights reserved. Copyright © August 2007 Yvette A. Lynn Cover Art Copyright © August 2007 Yvette A. Lynn This is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in this novel are fictitious or used fictitiously. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form. ISBN: 978-1-934475-23-2 Publisher: Amira Press, LLC Baltimore, MD www.amirapress.com

Chapter One Had I really known what I would be getting myself into when I suggested protecting Gracie, and further, drinking her blood for a cure to the disease that rampaged our city, I would have turned on my heel and walked away. I would not have allowed the faint attraction I had to her to germinate into something that had me working to protect Innocents on the opposite side of town from wherever she happened to be. She was mated to Jake, and I respected that. Besides, she was a vampire and I was a werewolf. The two didn’t exactly see eye-to-eye. It was common knowledge that the vampires resented the werewolves for being able to walk in the day and the night. They hated the fact that they needed us to guard them from anyone who would hurt them at their weakest. It didn’t take much imagination to deduce why werewolves weren’t too fond of vampires in return. Even a newly turned vampire developed some type of requirement for being the undead. They were as arrogant as hell. Every one of them took pleasure in knowing that they were immortal. We were not. They’d grow stronger with age. We’d weaken just as any human would. Certain aspects of our mutated DNA came with the territory. If we weren’t feuding as enemies, we worked together in a sort of delicate truce. Those rules pertained to the good guys, those of us who cared about saving the humans who hadn’t been converted to something less than human. The creatures that only cared for their next meal or being the ruling power, were what we stood against. And it was a full time job. Like I said, I steered clear of Gracie most of the time because of what I was dealing with. Ever since I drank her blood to overcome the sickness that plagued Bendmore, I was drawn to her. She was on my mind often. And lately, even more so. I had dreams. Vivid, sexual dreams. In them, instead of her short-cropped hair, she had long black tresses like ebony silk, splayed upon my pillow. Worse, I knew from the crumpled sheets and the intoxicating scent in the air, that I’d just finished making love to her. Each time, I woke drenched in sweat and regretting that the damn dream didn’t play from the beginning. I should and did feel guilty. Jake, Gracie’s mate, was now my friend. Though they were vampires and I was a werewolf, we looked past the differences to contain the spread of monsters outside our city. Yet, it was rumored that it had already occurred. Next week, Gracie and Jake planned to travel to Florida to investigate an uprising of vampire activity there. Their being gone would be welcome relief, and I could hopefully concentrate on my work without wondering what Gracie was doing. Lately, I’d begun to wonder if drinking someone else’s blood would relieve my brain. But I didn’t attack humans. I kept my feeding to animals. So until I dared to bite a human or became so starved I didn’t care one way or another, I was screwed. It was on one of these tormenting dream nights that I was awakened out of my sleep at three in the morning. The incessant knocking tore me from my fantasy lover, when I was just about to make a new twist to the ending by calling for a ‘do-over.’ When the fool wouldn’t stop, risking his or her life by knocking on a werewolf’s door, I swung my bare feet over the side of my bed and sat up. Groggy, I stood while trying to control the distended rock between my legs, brought on by my erotic dreams. I swore when I stubbed a toe on the antique dresser my late wife had 1

found in a shop in downtown Bendmore. My toe throbbing, my shaft pulsing with a desire to sink deep into a woman’s soft spot, I wrenched open the door with unnecessary force. “What!” I shouted, before seeing who it was. Gracie brushed past me, unafraid. “Hello to you too, grumpy.” For a moment, I stood clutching the door, wondering if I could somehow make it back to my bedroom—which was really across a small floor space since I lived in a studio apartment—without her seeing the woody I was sporting. Unfortunately, it wasn’t getting any softer. If anything, it had hardened even more painfully. What the hell was I thinking, feeling like I was? And Jake was likely to be nearby since they were like conjoined twins of late. “What brings you to my humble abode, Gracie?” I questioned as I scuttled at top speed across the floor, with a hand over my privates. “I was up for the last thirty-six hours, remember? With that mess over at the theatre. I need my beauty sleep.” She laughed, a musical sound. I gritted my teeth and turned my back to drag on my pants. I did notice she didn’t bother turning away. I could sense her eyes still on me. Werewolves didn’t have the ability to read minds, though I’d have given anything to know what she thought of how I filled out my boxers. A glance at her serene face gave no clues. When I was fully dressed, she moved to the rocking chair positioned at the side of the bureau. The aging pine creaked despite her slight weight, and she rocked back and forth using the tips of her booted toes. I averted my gaze to my own shoes, away from her shapely legs encased in their customary jeans. “Well?” “I need your help, my friend.” The desperation in her voice was obvious. “I know you’re busy with all the new cases springing up—new vampires, werewolves and...gah!...those other things out there. But I have no other choice at the moment.” “No choice in what?” Did she really think I would tell her no if it was in my power to do something for her? The chair stilled. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. She was the spitting image of the woman in my dreams, except for the hair and the skin complexion. Where Gracie’s skin was a rich coffee with cream, the woman in my dream appeared slightly lighter, caramel but paler. I noted the look of surprised disbelief that flitted across her features, remembering how this woman—helping her—had helped me to move past the hole in my chest after I’d killed my own family. “I found out recently that I have a sister.” She grinned. “All these years, growing up an orphan, and somewhere in the world, I had a real live sister. Well, not somewhere, New York. She lives in New York. Can you believe it?” “That’s great, Gracie. I’m glad for you. Will she be coming here soon? Will I get to meet her?”

2

She shook her head. “No, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” She hesitated, wringing her hands. It was an odd thing to see. Gracie had grown from a scared and reluctant vampire, to one of the top leaders in the area. She had a small army at her command, all trained to fight the ‘good fight.’ Seeing her unsure just didn’t sit well with me. She surged to her feet as if she couldn’t stay still another moment. “I’ve been having dreams. Almost every day. I dream of my sister in danger. That someone is after her. I can’t rest.” “So bring her here. I’ll help to protect her and find whoever it is you’re sensing. Ah...you do know that she’s real, right? Not just a figment of your imagination?” She laughed. “Yes. I wouldn’t have come here if I didn’t check it out. Records I was able to obtain confirm that I did have a sister, a year younger than I. She was adopted, while I was not.” I wondered if I detected bitterness in her tone. “Anyway, I have her address, and I’d like you to go and get her. Convince her to come here. I must fly down to Florida, as you know. While I want to drop everything to ensure my sister’s safety, I can’t do that. I trust you, Seth.” She dropped to her knees in front of me and clasped my hands. “Please, my friend, promise me you’ll find her, keep her safe and convince her to come back to Bendmore.” I hesitated, “Why do you keep saying ‘convince?’ Have you spoken with her already?” She nodded with a guilty grin. “Yes. She’s doing some research or something. Says she’s close to a breakthrough and can’t leave right now. She wanted me to come to her.” Irritation crept into her voice. “I guess we’re all busy these days. Still, I’m worried. Seth, you said you’d look out for me when we first met, remember? Well I need you to look out for Janae just as if she was me.” “Janae? That’s her name? Pretty.” “So you’ll do it?” How could I say no? She was right. I had made a promise to her, to protect her with my life. And Janae was a part of Gracie. “Ok, I’ll do it. For you.” She jumped to her feet to toss her arms about my neck. Her soft body brushed against mine, and I went hard again. Just when she brushed sweet lips against my cheek, a breeze unsettled the newspapers I had stacked in one corner of the room. I looked up to find Jake bearing down on me. “Do I need to kill you tonight, Seth?” he queried, in a half-joking tone. “Not tonight,” I told him. “Maybe tomorrow. In the daylight.” I laughed out loud at the look on his face. “Now if you’ll excuse me. Since I’m up, I might as well get a bite to eat.”

3

With that, I glanced back over my shoulder at the moon still high in the sky. Just enough time to grab a snack before daylight. Willing my bones to realign, my skin to grow hair in places that were not quite natural, I transformed to the howling beast within. My physical senses heightened. Mm, already I caught the heady scent of a rabbit in the woods behind my apartment complex. Fast food. The best kind. As I climbed out on the fire escape outside my window, something I did for enjoyment rather than necessity, I heard Jake call after me. “You’re disgusting, Seth. Just thought you should know that.” I chuckled as my keen sight picked out my prey in the darkness. The hunt was on.

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Chapter Two Water ran down over my naked body, the rivulets teasing my already inflamed desires. It had been so long since I had a man, and cold showers or even warm ones, with my fingers stroking myself, did not cut it. Sometimes, I was so desperately lonely, I could cry. For years now, I’d told myself if I could find the cure, then nothing would stop me from finding the right person to share my life with. I could live a normal life, get married, have children. Waiting for darkness to fall over New York City, in order to step out into the world, would be a thing of the past. No hiding out behind thick material barriers that kept all sunlight out. That thought...that dream is what kept me going day in and day out, no matter how many failures I faced, no matter who told me I couldn’t do it. I planted a foot on the side of the bathtub and stepped closer to the warm jet. Running a hand down from my neck, to my breasts to my belly, I washed away the suds of my strawberry body wash. Just about to relieve the sexual tension that was building in my nether regions, a voice not two feet away made me jump and scream. “You look just like her.” I yanked on the shower curtain and dragged it across my naked form. “Who the hell are you? And what are you doing in my house?” Though my demand was bold, I was shaking all over. I wasn’t lost on the fact that someone had been following me lately. You get used to the darkness when you live in it all your life. I could see him hiding in the shadows, waiting. Now he had invaded my home? Where was my mace when I needed it, and where was my cell to dial 911? Despite my fear, I did notice he had gentle green eyes, but that could be deceiving. He held up hands in surrender. “I’m not going to hurt you. I’m Seth. Remember Gracie called you to tell you I was coming.” I sneered, “Yes and I told her that I don’t have time for you. I’m not going to Bendmore right now. I can wait until she returns from wherever it is she went. She can stop through then, or if I’ve come to a stopping place, then I will visit.” He crossed him arms, seeming to be in no hurry to vacate my private space. His eyes flicked to the curtain around me before returning to my face, and I knew the thing wasn’t doing much to hide my nakedness. But I was frozen in place. “Why do I get the impression you feel your research is much more important than your sister?” “I...” With a frown, I glanced around the small bathroom in search of my towel. It wasn’t where I’d left it, which was on the down-turned toilet seat. It wouldn’t have surprised me if this pervert friend of Gracie’s had moved it on purpose, hoping to see me naked. I wasn’t giving him the satisfaction if I had to walk back into my bedroom with my shower curtain wrapped around me. “You wouldn’t understand. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to complete my shower.”

5

He grinned, “You mean take care of your sexual needs.” I squeaked and jerked the shower curtain closed. Oh my God, how could she have sent him, of all people? And it didn’t help that I’d noticed how big he was, really big. He had to be all of six, four or five. I thought tall men were so hot, and right about then my body was a raging inferno thinking about Seth. Even his name was sexy. I held myself rigid, waiting for the click of the bathroom door, letting me know he’d left me alone. I would have to remember to lock myself in for as long as he was in town, which I hoped wasn’t long at all. **** “I feel like we got off on the wrong foot,” Seth announced when I stepped fully clothed into my living room where he sat. He held out his hand. “I’m Seth Parker. You are?” “You know who I am,” I told him as I scrubbed my damp hair with a towel. “Humor me.” I sighed and dropped the towel on the arm chair near where he stood. “I’m Janae Lattisaw. Now, please leave my home. I have to get some sleep, and I have an important meeting tomorrow night.” His eyebrows rose. “Sleep? But it’s almost six in the morning.” “Yes and one wonders why in hell you’re at my home at this time of morning,” I told him testily. I was not in the best of moods when daylight was near. It only reminded me of a life I should be used to but lamented still on a daily basis. As I said, I was lonely. Now that my parents were both dead—they were much older when they adopted me—I had no-one who understood my plight. My position had not facilitated many friendships. The only person I saw with regularity was the professor. “And if you must know, I am a nocturnal person.” “Great.” His grin spread wide. “So am I. An appointment, you said? Will you be available after ten tonight? I can come by then.” “You’ll never give up otherwise, will you?” He shook his head. “Fine. You may come by, but I must warn you. I will not pause to do a lot of chitchatting. I have work to do. And if the professor is available, I will invite him over as well.” “Your boyfriend?” Oddly, I detected a note of jealously in his tone, which was weird since we’d just met. Though he did treat me as if he’d known me a long time. It was the familiar look in his eyes when he glanced at me. It was both enticing and disconcerting. I was curious about this handsome man and what thoughts flowed through his mind.

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Just to get back a little of my own, I decided not to relieve his mind. Let him think the professor, all of sixty-five years old, was my boyfriend. He’d realize the truth soon enough. Professor John Carter had been my mentor ever since my sophomore year of college. I valued the man’s opinion, thought of him as a second father and hoped that, with his experience, we’d uncover the cure to my disease, Xeroderma pigmentosum. The sun was fatal to me, and I could not go out into it at all. But I maintained the dream that some day it would all be over. That hope, and the fact that the professor and I felt we were extremely close, kept me going each day in this solemn existence. We’d find the answer we needed. My future happiness—my life—depended on it. I couldn’t allow myself to ever think otherwise. After Seth had gone, I busied myself with preparing for bed. I yanked back my hair and braided it before tying it up on top of my head. When I slipped between my powder blue silk sheets, he came back to mind. A man that big must be well-endowed, I thought, and then chastised myself. It had been a year since I’d been intimate with a man, and that lack was clouding my judgment. I began to wonder if I should give bar-hopping another try. Just for a one night stand. It hadn’t been so bad that last time. I mean sure, I’d had to finger myself while he played with my breasts, but it was better than nothing. I yawned, thinking it over. Maybe I could take one evening off. Who knew? The demands of my body could be what was blinding me to finding the missing link to my freedom. I chuckled as I clicked off the Tiffany-styled peacock lamp on my nightstand. What would Seth say to being a one night stand? No. That was out of the question. Besides, my sister hadn’t told me what her relationship to him was. Though I didn’t know her, I was not the boyfriend-stealing kind of woman. Just getting any boyfriend was damn near impossible as it was. **** When I stepped inside, the Village Knocker was overflowing with wall to wall bodies, all drinking and swaying to a blaring jukebox. I almost did an about face and went back home, but this particular bar was known to have some really hot white guys, my personal favorite— well those and the occasional Latino man. Squeezing through the crowd while scanning for the perfect candidate for my bed, was not easy. I was starting to sweat, and the fans overhead were doing little to cool me. When I reached the bar, I ordered a light beer and pinched open a couple of buttons on my blouse. Fanning myself, I took another look around. At the end of the bar was a man wearing a cowboy hat, plaid shirt, jeans and—can you believe it—boots. His feet had to be flaming. But he was sexy, and the way he was eyeballing me, I figured I’d go over and feel him out. “Hi there,” I purred, sidling up to him. “Buy you a drink?” His brown eyes drank me in from head to toe. “Uhn, uhn, uhn. Now, you know you’re looking for one thing and one thing only in that getup,” he quipped. I laughed, striking a pose. “What this rag?” I teased him, putting a hand to my chest to call his attention to my breasts. I was very proud of my D cup boobs, and the coral lace of my 7

blouse showed them up well. The guy’s eyes were glued to stay. “I’m just here to get out of the house.” “I’ll bet.” We’d just begun to get cozy, and he was looking like the one I was going to take home, when we were rudely interrupted. “Just what do you think you’re doing?” The voice so close, I knew he’d nearly pressed his lips against my ear. Though annoying, it was somewhat necessary to be heard over the den. I swung around to face Seth, and whatever control I felt I had over the sexy cowboy behind me, went right up into the whirling blades above my head. Eyes as cool and clear as the green in my shirt, long straight hair, dark as midnight, and a body that made me want to ride him until sunrise—that’s what made up Seth Parker. I mean I’d seen all this the night before, but he got finer every time I laid eyes on him. Deciding to play it cool, I leaned an elbow on the counter. “I’m doing what grown up girls do. What are you doing? Following me?” “Hardly need to give it much effort. You have a very distinctive scent.” I put my hands on my hips. “Just what is that supposed to mean.” To show off, he leaned in closer to me, sniffing the air next to my neck. “I’d say strawberry, peach...and...” He paused and flicked an eyebrow up toward the ceiling. “Sweet potato?” How had he known? The strawberry body wash was easy. So was the shampoo with peach in it. But I’d decided at the last moment on the sweet potato for dinner and brushed my teeth afterward. He must have been snooping through my apartment or my trash. Having never met her, there was no telling the kind of person my sister was, but I thought she sounded like she had some sense about her. So why did she send this strange man, and why did he feel it necessary to interfere with my mating ritual? “What are you, part blood hound?” He chuckled, a deep rumbling sound that sent shivers down my spine. “Something like that. Listen, you cannot just go off by yourself without someone to protect you.” I tossed my head toward the cowboy. “Funny, I was just about to pick up an escort before you happened along. Now leave, Seth. I don’t need you here interfering.” “Whether you like it or not, Ms. Lattisaw, I’m here to help you and—” “I don’t need your help, Mr. Parker,” I blurted. “No matter what my sister may have told you about dreams she’s had, that someone is after me for whatever reason, I have yet to see any evidence of it. I do not believe in that ESP stuff or whatever it is she thinks she has. I believe in what I can prove with science. Therefore, I am perfectly safe. No-one is creeping behind me in some dark corner. Best of all, I don’t need you to protect me!” 8

“If I can prove to you that someone is keeping tabs on you,” he paused, “other than me, of course, would you allow me to protect you then? Until we can return to Bendmore?” I crossed my arms beneath my breasts, unintentionally drawing his gaze to the gap displaying my cleavage. Warmth spread down my body at the interest I saw in the green depths. “Ok, bloodhound. Prove it.” He slipped an arm about my waist and tugged me against him. I struggled to free myself, but he held on, whispering in my ear. “Calm down, princess. Black trenchcoat, ten o’clock. Black cap, three o’clock, and don’t forget the man you intended to take home with you, to your left.” His lips brushed my ear, and I shivered. Pushing him back meant nothing. He was determined to hold on to me, so I played his game. “Ok, smarty pants. I see the men you pointed out. They’re all watching, but so what? They see a guy who appears to be scoring. What of my potential bed...um...date? I approached him, not the other way around.” He sighed, “So young, so much to learn. Everyone in here is drinking something, except the men I have pointed out. Do you want to know why?” I shrugged and sat down on my stool again. “Because they’re vampires. The undead, who cannot consume anything at all except blood. Another interesting factoid about our friends is that they have a heightened sense of hearing. They are aware that I’ve shared their secret, so the best thing for us to do is get out of here now. I don’t think they’re ready to make a move, but desperation calls for desperate acts. Let’s go.” I yanked my arm free and stood up, nearly tumbling off my stool instead. “I’m not going anywhere with you. You’re crazy.” I started toward the exit, shoving my way through the bodies. There was no such thing as vampires, and I was beginning to think I should never have taken the call from Gracie. Sure she faxed over records and a couple photos, but that stuff could be doctored. For what reason, I didn’t know. My parents had left me comfortable, but not rich. I was no-one special, so what did a bunch of strange guys, who no doubt worked for Seth or Gracie, want with me? Something told me I didn’t want to find out.

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Chapter Three She was feisty, beautiful and sexy, a combination that set fuel to my raging desires. And she smelled incredible. The strawberry and peach teased my heightened sense of smell. Like the canine I was, I wanted to bury my face in her hair—wherever I might find it—and lose myself in her warmth. The jeans I wore were squeezing the life out of my shaft, and I regretted wearing them. It was what vanity got me when I chose my clothing that night, hoping she’d like what she saw. Silly of me to think we could somehow recreate my dreams. If my package was disabled, that would not be a good thing. When she took off in a huff to leave the bar, I followed close behind. I didn’t need to glance around me to see that the vampires were following. They were being very obvious now that I’d pointed out their presence. Something told me Janae would think I was trying to trick her by hiring men to follow her. She wouldn’t be satisfied until bloody fangs were sinking into her long graceful neck. That wouldn’t happen if I could help it. Making Janae a vampire seemed like a good strategy for them—make her more sympathetic to their cause. Yet, I was betting on them leaving her alive for the time being. There was no telling how long that would last, so I had to convince her of the truth before it was too late. I caught up with her at the corner of Washington Square and MacDougal and grasped her arm. “Wait, Janae. It’s dangerous out here at night.” I could barely get the words out. Just touching her arm sent an electric shock firing through my fingertips, right through my entire body. I was aware of her on so many levels. Right then, I wanted to take her in my arms and cover her mouth with mine until she begged me to stop. She was exactly like the woman in my dreams. I knew now that I’d been dreaming of Janae and not Gracie. That alone was a welcome relief. Maybe if I could pursue something with Janae, whatever I’d been dealing with over Gracie would disappear. As I studied her face, startled and turned up to mine, I wondered what she tasted like. “Stop it!” she demanded. I lifted my brows in question. She pulled herself free. “I see it all over your face. You want me.” “And that’s a bad thing?” She gave a good impression of a wolf’s growl. I was awed. “Yes, it’s bad. I’m not just jumping into bed with you, Seth. You’re Gracie’s man and—” “What makes you think I’m Gracie’s man?” I interrupted. “Well aren’t you? Would she send someone else? I guess I just assumed.” I grinned, stepping closer to her. “What you’re saying is you were hopeful that I am free? Put your worries to rest, princess. I am not attached to anyone currently. So if you’d like, we can return to your place and—” “No way! As I said, I’m not jumping into bed with you, whether you belong to Gracie or not.” 10

I huffed, “You were about to do it with that vampire in the bar. At least you know my name.” “Are you so desperate?” She turned away from me and then crossed the street, heading toward the park. I followed close behind, noting the followers in the shadows. It was time to get off the street. “No, I’m not so desperate. I just thought I felt a connection between us.” And I’ve been living through the torment of not making love to you in my dreams, for weeks now. She tossed a flirty look at me, and I knew she wasn’t saying no exactly, but delaying. Why couldn’t women just do what they knew they wanted? Like sleep with a guy despite knowing nothing about him. Damn, I was horny. She strolled toward a bench. Instead of perching on it as I expected, she stood on it, stretching her arms out in the cool evening breeze while throwing her head back. Her eyes were closed. “Well, Seth, I think I should know more about you before I even consider making you my lover.” “That’s fine, but we should do it off the street, back at your place.” She gave me a look of disdain. “I’m not trying another tactic in getting to your bedroom. I’m just saying the men, behind us? Remember?” She hopped down and grabbed my shirt front. “Fine, let’s go. And the first thing you should know about me is that I have strange habits.” “Like?” “Like, for a long time I did risky things to offset the hurt and loneliness of having my disease. Early on, I tried going out into the sunlight because I was convinced that the doctors had made a mistake. Now, I have no problem meeting new people, even at night. Of course that’s the only time I can get out, so I guess it’s why I’m not intimated by it. I don’t have a shy bone in my body, and love just walking up to a total stranger to strike up a conversation.” She stopped and looked back over her shoulder. “In fact, it might be interesting to meet your friends, especially the one I was going to...date.” “Oh no you don’t.” I settled my hands on her shoulders to give her a swift about face, while wondering what disease she was referring to. She looked healthy to me. “You’re going home right now.” It occurred to me that she might rebel against my command. Janae seemed to be extremely independent. She would not be bullied, no matter how much I tried my intimidation technique. I had to admire her spunk. That and the way she worked that mini skirt she wore. When she pulled out ahead of me, her hips causing the faux red leather to sway side to side, 11

I thought I’d jump out of my pants. Fantasies of sliding my hands beneath the material to see just what kind of panties she wore made me want to howl at the moon. **** After seeing her in her house, I took a quick look around the premises. “Ok, I’ll be right back. Then we’ll talk,” I told her. I intended to confront the men from the bar, feel them out for their intentions. I was hopeful that they wouldn’t attack. I could hold my own easily with one vampire, probably two. Three was pushing it. Before Janae could protest against my high-handedness, I pulled her into my arms and kissed her lips. The sweet promise of every man’s fantasy, was in one taste of her. For a split second in time, I forgot everything—my promise to Gracie, the men outside on the street— everything except my desire to have her in my bed. With the look of surrender in her eyes, it was even harder to put her away from me. “I will be right back,” I told her again. “Just wait for me. Please.” It was with slight irritation, that I approached Black Trenchcoat, as he leaned negligently against a street light pole. He was in no way intimidated by my approach. His height easily matched mine at six foot-four, and from the size of the guns straining at the sleeves of his coat, I knew he would be a worthy opponent should we engage in hand to hand combat. “So,” I began. “So?” He wasn’t going to volunteer his intentions. “Why don’t we just dispense with the formalities, shall we?” I deepened my voice, going for a threatening tone. “You back off the lady, and I won’t have to pick you out of my teeth later tonight. Deal?” He threw back his head laughing, then shifted his weight from one leg to the other. It was real clear that my threat didn’t faze him. “Listen, wolf, why don’t you mind your own business. She’s ours, or will be soon. No puppy is going to get in the way of our plans.” I stepped closer to him, hearing his friends close in as I did. “What’s that supposed to mean? You want to turn her, make her one of your disgusting breed?” “Look who’s talking. You who eat raw meat, animals that are still alive. You disgust me.” His eyes glowed in the darkness. If I were a mere human, I might have been scared at the sight. “Do you really think you’ll scare me off, wolf? Where’s your pack? If you haven’t noticed, I have my friends to back me.” “Ah so you admit you can’t take me alone.” I nodded. “Good to know. “Go to hell.” 12

“You first.” He signaled to the other two vampires and I heard them stop. The leader wanted to prove he wasn’t afraid of me, but I smelled his fear as sure as any animal senses the emotions of his prey. Vampires were a cold and calculating bunch. Their emotions were often suppressed. Being out of control was something they feared. Conversely, werewolves thrived on the emotion, the hatred. At least most did. I’d learned the hard way what it meant to lose control, to act on animal instinct, and the mistakes I’d made in the past still haunted me. But this vampire had no way of knowing I wouldn’t lose control and rip him to shreds before his buddies could help him. I counted on that fear, fueled it. We circled one another for long minutes, evaluating, sniffing each other out. I waited for him to make the first move and he for me. But I wasn’t ready to attack. I needed to know more about what they were after, why Janae was so important. It was true that Gracie had made enemies in her quest to control the expansion of non-humans, but was that the only reason they sought her sister? And since Gracie hadn’t known about the girl before she started having dreams, I couldn’t imagine someone did a background check on her to find out for themselves. No, there was more going on here. Maybe Janae herself could provide me with the answers. It seemed like as good a reason as any to get back to her place. I was sorely missing the delicious smell of her, and I don’t mean the fruit scent. With that tantalizing thought in mind, I dismissed the vampires on their merry way and hurried back to Janae’s. After ringing her bell, I struck a pose I knew women found irresistible—the ‘I don’t care’ expression on my face and a thumb hooked in my pants. But it was me who was thrown for a loop when she answered in a white lab coat, with what looked like nothing underneath. Her feet were bare, showing rose-painted toenails, and her long hair was pinned up in a disordered mess. She looked adorable. Damn! “Hello, princess. Miss me?” The carefree woman who flirted with me on the street a short while ago, was gone. In her place was a driven, half crazed person I didn’t recognize. “What? No, I am very busy. You are breaking my concentration. I was this close to isolating the formula. God, if I could just get it right. Maybe I could…” She trailed off and turned away. I followed, wondering what she was going on about. We crossed her stylish living room to a door just off the kitchen. A short descent to the basement where she unlocked another door revealed a rudimentary lab. I stood in the doorway admiring all the makings of a mad scientist’s hideout. I suddenly saw the petite beauty in a whole new light. “What is this? Just what are you up to down here? Looking for the cure to cancer?” I strolled around sniffing in containers filled with blue, pink or yellow liquid. If my nose didn’t mistake me, one contained the remnants of blood. Two refrigerators occupied the west wall, while a long table stretched from the north to the south end. It was littered with textbooks and notepads. Near one was a mini recorder and a stand holding tiny cassette tapes. I imagined

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Janae was very good at documenting her progress on whatever it was she was doing. “Is this for school? A science project?” She rolled her eyes and hesitated. Then excitement filled her eyes. “It’s a project I’m working on with my professor. Remember I mentioned him? This isn’t the official lab of course. When I get an idea, I like to try it out right away. So I had all this stuff brought down here. I know it doesn’t look like it, but this room does pass specific health codes for the type of work I’m doing.” I smiled into her warm brown eyes, feeling myself lost in her excitement. “I’m impressed. So, are you going to come clean about what you’re doing or will I have to get rough?” I teased. Reminding her of what she was about, changed her yet again. Steel, if possible, entered her gaze and she swung away to face the table with her notes. “I’m finding a cure for my disease. I’m close. I feel it, though I can’t yet prove it.” My insides constricted. I didn’t like to hear that something was wrong with her. Was it cancer as I’d guessed? Surely she didn’t think she, a young inexperienced woman could do what doctors had been researching for years to find. “What disease?” “Xeroderma pigmentosum. It’s a condition that makes going out into sunlight deadly. If I can find the key to curing it, I can go out into the day and live a normal life. It has been my dream all of my life.” I stared at her in disbelief. It didn’t seem possible that a vibrant woman, with almond-tinted skin as smooth and fresh as a newborn’s, could have a condition that was characterized by skin cancers. I wondered if she was mistaken. But how could she be? “Are you sure, Janae? I mean your skin.” She touched a slender hand to her cheek, and tears welled in her eyes. “Yes, the evidence that tells me I’m close. The formula the professor and I have put together wards off the ravages of ultraviolet radiation, but it’s temporary and it doesn’t protect against actual exposure to the sun. I learned that the hard way.” “I’m so sorry.” I had no idea what to say. I wanted to hold her, to wipe away her tears and sooth her frustrations. But she’d already turned back to her paperwork, pouring over them as if they had the secret to the fountain of youth. For her, I suppose they did. Now I knew why the vampires were after her. A phenomenal breakthrough like what Janae hoped to accomplish would give guys like Black Trenchcoat, a whole new arena to play in. If they could go out into to the sunlight without harm, they would be invincible. This was bigger than Gracie and Jake had imagined. I needed to get a message to them and my werewolf brothers as soon as possible. This was a whole new type of game.

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Chapter Four “Hi, Cheryl. How’s it going?” I said to the Professor’s wife. I’d met her the few times she came by the university when he and I were working together at the lab, but she was scarce most of the time. She worked as an ESL teacher and did private study almost twenty-four seven after that. Sometimes I wondered how the two of them could have a successful marriage when they never saw each other. Then I figured that was the point. Still, I hoped that when I found someone at last, we’d be able to tolerate each other enough to spend time together daily. Maybe I was asking too much in the times we lived in. “I’m good, Janae. How’s the research going?” She was asking out of courtesy. I’d seen how her eyes glazed over whenever myself or the professor talked about our work. Cheryl was excited about one thing and one thing only—her own work. Now that could make her talk. But since I was equally bored with it, I didn’t encourage discussion. Like I said, I didn’t see her often anyway. I shifted the phone to my other ear. “It’s going ok. No major breakthroughs yet.” I didn’t want to admit that I did have a breakthrough, or so I thought. I couldn’t even bring myself to share with the professor, especially since I’d been using myself as a guinea pig. I wanted to prove my theories first. And for that I needed to work at the school lab. “Is the professor in?” “Afraid not. He had something come up. Said you should go ahead to the lab without him, or the two of you can meet tomorrow.” The boredom was sliding into Cheryl’s voice already. I decided to end the conversation quickly. “Ok, thanks. Talk to you later, Cheryl. Have a good night.” So I was flying solo. I didn’t mind. I could get lots more accomplished without the professor narrating every move he made. It was very distracting. I sometimes thought he enjoyed the sound of his voice. It seemed clichéd, but since the tone was the deepest baritone I’d ever heard, it just might be true. Everything I did, everywhere I went was always in close proximity to my home. It was safer to be near home should I lose track of time, then to hope that there was some place secure enough and comfortable enough to keep away all sunlight. But I was on the right track. I could feel it. Soon I’d enjoy the warmth of the sun on my face, as I’d only read about in books. I left my house, barely able to contain my excitement. I was almost skipping down the street. The formula needed only a little tweaking I thought, and just maybe I’d be able to go out into the daylight. If I coated it thick on my skin, and if I could develop the serum to be shot into my bloodstream, then maybe I could stay out for an hour. But no more. A brisk fifteen minute walk later and I drew up before the darkened school. A breeze blew my hair across my face, making me shiver. I glanced around into the shadows. There was noone around. I hadn’t seen the men following me since Seth had been shadowing me for weeks. While I’d been lusting after him the entire time—and I could see the feeling was mutual—no other man had come near me. That was annoying the hell out of me since I 15

hadn’t yet decided to start something with Seth. He didn’t seem like the commitment type, and spending time with him told me I could love him. Since he’d disappeared, with only a note commanding me to stay put until he returned, I didn’t think it was relevant. I was used to doing my own thing, and I would continue. Even hot and sexy Seth wasn’t going to change that. With no evidence whatsoever of what he’d been claiming, I wasn’t going to find myself more trapped than I normally was. He could forget it. Hoisting my bag higher onto my shoulder, I ascended the stairs to the entrance of the school and unlocked the single door on the right. The professor had given me the key a couple years ago. It was a boon to be trusted by such a brilliant man, and I strived to live up to his expectations, as well as my own. Soon the lights in the lab were the only glimmer throughout the building, and I was hard at work on my formula. I danced from beaker to beaker, test tube to test tube, leaning over the counter on my tiptoes. I had an odd habit of working in bare feet, and when I was at home, just my lab coat. Call me crazy, but it was fodder for inspiration. Working in the school meant only my flip flops came off for the night. Just as I was going to draw a blood sample from my arm, a door slammed down the hall. I jumped and stabbed my arm randomly. “Ouch!” Freeing myself of the tiny needle and stifling the drip of blood, I strolled over to the door, to peek out. The hall was dark, lit in spots by moonlight coming in from the high windows over the metal lockers. If my eyes weren’t deceiving me, honed as they were from years of darkness, someone was standing at the end of the hall, at the bend which led to the stairs. Fear crept over me, and chill bumps broke out on my skin. “H-hello?” I called, praying it was just Seth being an idiot. “Seth, is that you?” Something in my mind told me it wasn’t him. He teased me, tickled me and told me offcolor jokes sometimes. But he’d never deliberately tried to scare me. This person wanted me afraid, or they meant me harm. He began to move toward me. and I backed away. I scrounged inside my coat pocket for my trusty mace. “Who are you? I have mace.” God, I sounded like an idiot. Oh yes, a bad guy’s going to back off because of my pepper spray. I couldn’t see his face. He was still in the shadows. Yet, I wanted to find out if there was something familiar about him. I should have run then, inside the lab and locked the door behind me, but I waited like the ‘too stupid to live’ females in the occasional horror movies I watched. Just twenty or thirty feet away, and the moonlight illuminated his face. Glowing eyes reflected in the limited beam. My blood froze in my veins when my gaze lowered to his mouth. Fanged teeth! Oh God, Seth spoke the truth. My bare feet couldn’t spin fast enough, when I turned to rush back inside the lab. I slammed the door behind me and threw the deadbolt into place. Not stopping, I bolted across the 16

checkered floor to the other exit, which led into another classroom. When I reached it, I heard the unmistakable splintering of the lab door as it slammed against the inside wall. I stifled a cry and brushed tears from my eyes as I kept running back out into the main hall, headed to where I’d first seen the vampire. At the end of the hall was another classroom, which I ducked inside knowing I could never outrun the vampire. The closet at the opposite end beckoned me, and I ducked inside its darkness, closing the door behind me. As I struggled to control my breathing, I remembered Seth’s other warning. The vampires had an acute sense of hearing. If I didn’t slow down my panting, he’d hear and be on me. Then I realized if he heard a whisper, across a room in a crowded bar, he’d easily pick up on my pounding heart. The closet didn’t have a lock on it. Not that that made any difference whatsoever considering he’d just ripped a solid wood door off its hinges. I was dead, and there was nothing I could do about it. Even with that knowledge, I wasn’t ready to give up. I felt around the floor, in the dark. My fingers curled around the cold thin metal of a hanger, and I worked the head of it until it was unraveled. Holding it like a weapon, I waited. His footsteps grew closer, until they stopped just short of the closet. The screech of nails being drawn across a chalkboard set my teeth on edge. I gripped the hanger tighter, holding it up before me. He wanted to scare me, to paralyze me with fear. It was very nearly working. Desperation had me holding on to rational thought. Where was Seth when I needed him most? The knob twisted. My breathing quickened, whistling through my nostrils and drying my throat. Seconds before I was exposed, I shoved the door open hard, catching him beneath the chin. In one fluid motion, I rammed the pointed hanger into his thigh and dove up over his falling body. He howled in pain, but was on me just as I made it to the classroom door. He knocked me to the floor, and straddled me. “This won’t hurt much, baby.” Rough fingers brushed my hair away from my neck. I cried out in terror, bracing myself for the worst. Before his teeth made impact with my neck, his body was torn from mine and flung hard against the lockers. I watched in horror as his head came down fast on the floor. A human man would be dead or unconscious. The vampire flipped over and was on his feet in seconds. That’s when I saw the beast that had flung him. It was bigger than the vampire, by a few inches. It hulked over him with wide shoulders and even in the darkness, I could see the long shaggy hair. It growled like a dog, yet stood on hind legs, as it tore at the vampire with its teeth and claws. Shock and horror overcame me. I slid backward on my rear away from the fighting creatures. As they tossed each other about, breaking plaster on the walls, denting lockers and even shattering a glass window, I realized that one or both might be after me when they finished. It was time to get to safety. I flipped over onto my stomach and shoved to my feet. As fast as my trembling limbs would take me, I made it to the lab to grab my purse and keys. Not looking back, and trying hard 17

not to hear the painful cries behind me, I ran down the hall to the back stairs and took them two at a time. When I reached the street, I broke into a full run. I didn’t stop until I reached home. My sides were splitting, my throat was as dry as toast and my head was pounding when I let myself into the house. I set the alarm, which I never used though it was active. I dragged the couch and several chairs in front of the door, then hurried into the kitchen to locate a weapon. With a kitchen knife in my hand and an old baseball bat that belonged to my father on the table beside me, I paced back and forth. I had no idea what I should do. If I called the police to tell them two monsters were duking it out in the university, they’d have me committed. Or worse, I’d be brought up on charges since it was known that I went to the school that night. Then again, nobody seeing the damage those two did would think my short self was capable of it. These thoughts and more rampaged in my mind while I waited for my breathing and heart to return to normal. My logical train of thought wasn’t working for me. I had known science most of my life. My father worked as a high school science teacher. He’d taught me early on not to believe in fairy tales. If my kind-hearted Daddy had only known that his beloved theories could not give an adequate explanation as to how a man could grow out his canine teeth at will and suck the blood of another person, he would have walked away from his beliefs forever. And what was that other thing? Seth had only mentioned vampires. He said nothing of other creatures. I had never questioned him further, believing that the man I wanted so desperately was half off his rocker, since it was clear that he believed what he was saying. Now I knew he spoke the truth, though I would give anything to find that he was a liar. It was too much to handle. I wanted to curl up into a little ball and pretend it never happened. Even as I stood there, still trembling, it felt like I’d never be able to relax or sleep again. A click from the living room stopped me mid-pace. My teeth chattered, and I gripped the knife in both hands before me. My gaze dropped to the tip for a second, noting the wavering back and forth. It would be a miracle if I managed to stab anything, the way I was shaking. The clang of one of the chairs I’d piled on top the couch in front of the door, was so loud in my ears it hurt. The others soon followed. The alarm went off a second too freaking late. As soon as it did, another sound came, like something ripping free of its hold. The blaring alarm stopped. I thought I might collapse from fear, until Seth called out to me as he hurried across my living room. “Janae? Are you ok? Where are you?” He sounded worried. For an instant, I didn’t believe he wouldn’t hurt me. I stood still, with my back pressed against the refrigerator, the weapon still gripped before me. I barely blinked when his bulk filled the doorway, his beautiful eyes clouded with concern. “Aw, princess. It’s ok. I’m here.” Not until he said the words did I realize I was still crying, sniffling. He crossed the space between us and pried the knife from my stiff fingers before dragging me into his arms. I

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melted against his chest, my legs giving out. He lifted me and returned with me to the living room to collapse on the couch. “I-I saw...,” I babbled. “I know. It’s ok now. No-one’s going to hurt you,” he soothed. Struggling in his arms, I wanted to explain to him that it would never be okay again. I’d probably never find rest after this trauma. “No, Seth. You don’t understand.” He pulled back from me to look down into my eyes. I was instantly lost. He seemed to be sending all the comfort he could in just a look. Somehow watching him, I knew I was safe, if only for a moment. Seth was strong enough to keep that monster away from me. “It was two nasty monsters,” I whimpered. It must be that I was still trembling that I thought I felt him flinch. I nuzzled deeper into his hold and buried my face into his neck. “Please, Seth. Don’t leave me again tonight. Please.” “I’m not going anywhere.” For long moments, I cried in his arms, and he rocked me as long as I needed it. When the tears lessened, he lifted me again to carry me to the stairs and up to my bedroom.

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Chapter Five It hurt to know Janae thought of me as a monster. It hurt more to see her easy confidence shattered in a matter of minutes. All the time I’d been with her, protecting her, she’d never shown fear, even when she thought I must be out of my mind telling her about vampires. She’d laughed and taken it in stride. She went out alone at night without a thought to her safety. It wasn’t that she was reckless. I’d seen her little collection of mace, laughable against the creatures that walked in the night. But she lived in a different world, despite being chained to the dark hours. She did what she had to do to survive. I admired her spunk, her personality. No, I more than admired it. I found I wanted to be near her at every turn. An emergency meeting had taken me out of town for a day. In light of her independence, it had been foolish of me to think that Janae would follow an order to stay put until I returned. It was also an error in judgment to think that the vampires wouldn’t take advantage of my absence. I’d taken the precaution of placing garlic secretly about every entrance to her home, but that meant nothing when she left the house. When I’d returned to find her gone, I nearly had a heart attack. And then to go down to the school to see her lying beneath that...thing, crying as she was, I lost all sense of control. It was good that she’d gone home, though unsafe. My rage had led to me killing the vampire. That would have been too much for her. Now holding her in my arms as I prepared a bath for the two of us, I realized how much she meant to me. In the short time we’d known each other, my lust for her had evolved to something more. But what could we have together? She thought I was nothing but a nasty beast. And she’d be more traumatized if she knew the thing she saw tonight was me. I had been a coward all along, ratting out the vampires’ existence, yet concealing my own. As I stepped into the warm bubbles in her bathtub, gently helping her to sit between my legs, I knew I would not tell her the truth. If we had only tonight to be together, then I would take just that and treasure it. My plan was to take her back to Bendmore, where there were others to help look after her. The latest Intel was that there was an unknown vampire who had ordered Janae turned. Just as I suspected, they wanted her to be sympathetic to their plight, to manipulate her to their will in hopes that she’d develop her cure. Gracie, on hearing the news, had insisted I bring her sister back home, whether the petite beauty liked it or not. Sitting there, washing her while she still trembled in my arms, I figured she wouldn’t put up much of a fight. As I washed her hair with her favorite peach shampoo, I wondered how I’d simply hold her and not make love to her tonight. I didn’t have to wonder at all. As I washed away the suds, she turned toward me, her brown eyes wide with innocence so sweet it was breaking my heart. She lifted her chin, parting her soft lips. It was a clear invitation that I was not about to refuse. Our mouths connected in a kiss that sent me from mildly excited to brick hard, in nanoseconds. I slipped a hand along her belly, letting my baby finger graze the silken curls at her center. It was all I could do not to dip further beneath the warm water to her sweetness. Tracing a path to her earlobe and then on to her quivering shoulder was torment enough for 20

now. I wanted to wait until we were in her bed before I completely took her, but from the flavor of Janae, it was becoming increasingly impossible to hold out. She seemed to feel the same, “Take me now, Seth. I want to forget the horror of tonight and just get lost in your touch.” I captured her chin again to delve my tongue inside her delicious mouth before answering. “Woman, you’re tempting me beyond my control. I don’t let that happen often.” “Why fight it? You’ve been after me since you laid eyes on me.” She managed a small smile. “It makes no sense to draw back now. I want you inside me right here, right now.” “Your bed would be better, softer, more comfortable.” She flipped around in the water, sloshing some over the sides, to kneel above me. Her lovely breasts bounced inches from my lips, which had an indescribable need to suckle on the rigid points. Her heated gaze dropped to my shaft and widened as if in awe. “Oh my God, Seth. How can you be so huge?” I chuckled, feeling like the big bad wolf, “All the better to pleasure you, princess.” She covered my lips again, dragging her teeth over my skin, capturing my bottom lip in a nibble. “Then get that damn thing inside me now. I’m on fire.” Who was I to tell her no? I held my eager lover still long enough to reach for a glove in the back pocket of my jeans, then ripped the package open with my teeth. She bounced over me, impatient. “Sorry baby. I’m extremely fertile. I’m sure we’re not ready to be parents just yet.” She stared at me. “How do you know you’re so fertile?” The glove in place, I curled fingers around her narrow waist and dragged her to me. “That’s for another time. Now, come here and satisfy the wolf.” The curious expression on her face slipped away instantly to be replaced by hot lust. Cutting off all discussion, I twirled the tip of my tongue over one of her nipples. She bucked against me, and tangled her hands in my hair. I sucked the tiny nub in my mouth and worked it long enough to drive her insane. When I knew she couldn’t take it anymore, I dipped a hand down between her legs to stroke her more. I wanted nothing more than to please her, to make her forget how afraid she’d been. I was there to hold her, to make love to her until she was strong again. When her whimpers of pleasure grew louder, I allowed her to ease down on my shaft, to ride it as I slipped in and out of her. Our rhythm was perfectly matched in long slow strokes, in and out, until I was ready to burst. When I could no longer control my own desires, I slid both hands around to her rear and gripped tightly to shove myself in her faster and harder. She hung on to the tub behind me, her head thrown back and screaming her wild pleasure. It was a hard fight not to release watching her. Just seeing her enjoying my inches gliding along 21

her tunnel, was taking me to my climax. I wanted to cry out her name, to tell her how much I loved her. I resisted, reminded myself this was just the best sex I’d ever enjoyed. So I nuzzled into her strawberry-scented neck and let myself go, exploding in a tsunami of satisfaction. Pulling Janae tight into my arms, I stroked her back as we rode out the delicious sensations. When I could bring myself to do so, I slid out of her and tossed away the glove. We washed ourselves again and then I stood to wrap her in a towel and carry her into the bedroom. It felt so right to care for her. She was no longer trembling, but I still cherished treating her gently. If I could help it, she’d never remember anything before my lovemaking. And with my enhanced abilities, I could go on all night long. Resting her in the center of the bed, I slid up beside her and lifted her leg to stroke the tender skin on her inner thigh. She began to tremble again, but this time not from fear. On a slow trail, my fingertips traveled the length of her thigh to her dark intimate curls. I found her button and teased it with the pad of one thumb. She whimpered and bucked against me. “Princess, I can go on. Is that what you want?” “You know I do, Seth. Please.” Her voice quivered and I reveled in my dominance over her senses. I would do much more before the night was over, to make my love plead for my mercy. It sent me to new heights. Janae was more than enough for any man. Suddenly, I knew I’d never feel anything for another woman again. With those hypnotic thoughts and more running through my mind, I spread her legs wider and then buried my face between them. Something told me Janae would be a tasty treat to savor for long hours. **** “Wake up, sleepy head.” I shook Janae awake at sundown. “Time to get going. She murmured and flipped over, before tucking her pillow more comfortably beneath her chin. “Five minutes, Dad.” I frowned and snatched away the pillow. “I hope that you don’t think of me as your father after last night, or rather this morning.” Chocolate eyes full of sweet innocence, popped open to blink up at me. My heart skipped a beat. I tried to school my expression as not to look like a lovesick fool. Janae swung her legs over the side of the bed, then groaned in pain. “Ouch, I’m so sore. Just how many times did we do it?” I shrugged, extending a hand to assist her. “Who knows. A dozen?” She smacked away my hand. “Feels like it. Look at you, all chipper and ready to go. How can you not be tired?” “I’m more used to it.” 22

She stopped on her way to the bathroom and swirled back to face me. I flinched, wishing I could call back the words. “I mean, I’m used to living on very little sleep. I can be chipper at any hour. Apparently, princess, you can’t.” She gave me a dirty look that told me I hadn’t fooled her. I knew I was looking at a thorough interrogation of my previous sex life, before long. I was hopeful that she’d accept “from now on, it’s just you, baby.” Then again, was it? I was still pretty sure she wouldn’t accept the real me, and unless I was forced to, I couldn’t bring myself to tell her. I couldn’t face that look of terror on her face when she knew. That meant nothing more than a sexual relationship—if I could handle it with no strings. It was an odd circumstance for a man, more so me, who hadn’t been exactly circumspect with my heightened libido after becoming a werewolf. “Ok, Mr. Smarty-pants, I’ll let that one slide for now. So, where are we headed in such a hurry? I need to go over to the school to see if I can salvage some of my work.” Here, her voice trailed off on a tremor. I crossed the floor to gather her in my arms, but she resisted and stood straighter. When I would have followed her into the bathroom, she held up a hand. “I’m ok, Seth. Don’t feel the need to baby me. Last night was...awful, but I must go on. I need this work completed. Can you understand?” I nodded, “Of course I do. But don’t make the mistake of pushing me away to prove a point. Everyone needs someone.” She frowned, but didn’t reply. I was left outside the closed bathroom door. It felt cold and lonely. After Janae’s report to the police and the university’s authorities, we were on our way. Janae had tried to contact the professor she worked with, whom I’d still yet to meet, but his wife informed us that the man was ill. He’d call her in Bendmore when he was better. I did my best to soothe Janae’s disappointment, and we locked up her house. My brothers would meet us at a stopping point, halfway to our destination. We figured the vampires wouldn’t risk attacking too soon after the failed attempt the night before. They would regroup and plan something new. I hoped by that time, we’d be back among family, with Janae secure. The thing that worried me most was how to keep her from knowing that the population of monsters was significantly higher in Bendmore than anywhere else in the United States, in fact, the world. We had a regular Halloween Town going. And I loved it, couldn’t wait to get there. I called Gracie the moment we hit the outskirts of the city. I picked up her scent before I saw her off to our left, in the woods. She’d just touched down, having flown across the city from her “home” in the mountains. I never understood why she and Jake preferred a cave to a real house. Maybe it had something to do with being a vampire, being near the dirt. Still, it was weird.

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I pulled the rental car I drove, over to the shoulder of the road, and Janae turned questioning eyes on me. “Why are we stopping here, in the middle of nowhere?” My answer died on my lips at Gracie excited shout. “Janae! I finally get to meet you.” Watching the two women embrace with tears and laughter at the same time was like observing twins. One would never guess they were a year apart. Gracie was a couple inches taller than Janae, with a more slender figure. Of course, with my heart beating for Janae, I saw at once that she had nothing on my lover. When Gracie caught my look, over her sister’s shoulder, her eyes widened in surprise. I cleared my throat and looked away. Gracie moved to hug me and kiss my cheek. “Thank you so much, my friend. It means everything to me that you brought her back safely. Was there any trouble on the way?” I shook my head. “No. My brothers were near. No worries.” Janae frowned, “You said that before, Seth. I didn’t see any brothers. Where are they?” With a chuckle, I shuffled her back into the car. “You’ll meet them soon enough. Let’s get you settled. Sunup isn’t far. Is everything ready for her, Gracie?” “Yes. We fixed up Jake’s parents’ old house. You’ll like it, Janae. Welcome home.”

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Chapter Six All the way down to Bendmore, my mind was filled with thoughts of what happened at the school, followed by re-enactments of the sex marathon that Seth and I had. On one hand, I was still scared out of my mind since my world had been turned upside down. Then on the other, never in my wildest dreams did I imagine sex could be so good with a man that I’d be ready to beg for more. Yet, I didn’t have to beg. Seth was like an Ever Ready. He kept going. His shaft had stayed hard the entire night, and his skill. I could almost lick my fingers as if I’d had a scrumptious meal. The man was incredible! The next night, I was so sore, I could barely move. And if I didn’t hurt so bad, I would have jumped him again. There was no question of me having to finger myself to get a little relief. His tongue, his fingers, his great big hard-on—oh my, I wanted to bow down to the perfection. It was all I could do not to chant his name and start a sect of followers. But then he’d withdrawn. He was still solicitous of my safety and comfort. I even thought I saw tenderness in his eyes once or twice, but something told me he was pulling away from me. It was what all men did, so you wouldn’t get attached to them and fall in love—when they wanted only sex from you and not a relationship. It hurt. I was angry because I’d told myself all along that Seth wasn’t the marrying kind. He’d mentioned having a family before, but refused to go into details when I asked. He wanted to keep me at arm’s length. Well fine. It was for the best anyway. I didn’t feel like being hurt anymore than I was already. If he didn’t want me, then I’d find someone who did. I had made a big breakthrough in my work, and my sister had shared on the way to the house that Bendmore, though small, had a great nightlife. It was perfect for me. So, the sex with Seth would be missed—terribly missed—but life would go on. It always did for me. No matter how hard it got. The next night, when Gracie met me to take me to dinner, I decided to use it as a chance not only to get to know her, but more about Seth. So much for my plan to let him go gracefully. “Hey, you’re not eating, sis?” She wrinkled her nose, putting me in mind of myself. It was freaky. “No, I had an upset stomach earlier. You go ahead though.” When I’d ordered, I set in to the questions. “So who adopted you? Are your parents still alive? What was it like growing up in this town where we were born?” She laughed, “Slow down. First, I wasn’t adopted. I grew up in foster homes. So, no parents. Second, Bendmore, though it doesn’t look like it in comparison to New York City, is a city in itself. We have a mayor and everything.” Guilt washed over me, and I reached out to pat her hand. “I’m sorry. It should have been you who was adopted, not me.” Gracie shrugged and leaned back, a half smile on her face. Her clothes were all black, from the top and slacks to the boots she wore. Her hair was cropped in curls close to her head.

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She was beautiful in my book. “I’m glad you were taken care of, Janae. Don’t feel bad for me. We couldn’t all get that lucky.” I set down the glass of Coke I was sipping from and drew in a deep breath. “That’s not exactly true. See, the Lattisaws, my parents, wanted a healthy girl. They got me instead. The social worker somehow managed to make a switch when they came to pick me up. I guess back then we looked even more alike. My skin was not as light as it is now. Probably was the same as yours. It so happens that by the time I nearly died in the sunlight, they already loved me and didn’t want to give me up. I was fortunate, but it should have been you. Not me.” Gracie sat quiet for a long time. I wondered if she’d feel resentment toward me. I could only imagine the horrors of growing up in foster care, even in a close knit community such as Bendmore. I’d seen movies on TV of what could happen. I prayed it hadn’t happened to Gracie. “I’m sorry,” I said again. Before she could answer, a woman’s squeal of delight cut across the crowded restaurant. This place seemed like the local hangout with young and old people milling about the tables. Like Gracie, not everyone was eating. And quite a few were dressed in all black. Where were the colors in this place? My curious gaze located the squealing woman, who jumped from her seat wearing the brightest of colors in the place. She was dressed in a skin tight red leather jumpsuit, which was cut so low in the front, I wondered if her breasts would fall out any second. Her flaming red hair was wild on her head, but added perfectly to her sexiness. Then my heart plummeted to my toes when she yelled “Seth” and threw herself bodily into his arms. I thought I would faint or vomit when her lips closed over his in a kiss so passionate, it ripped my heart out through my chest and stomped it beneath her spiked heels. “Excuse me,” I mumbled and bolted out of the restaurant. I made it to the curb in time to hurl the few bites of burger I’d swallowed before the incident. My appetite was gone. I glanced up and down the street to determine the way back to Jake’s house. A man I didn’t recognize stepped up to me. “You should go back inside, Janae, and wait for somebody to escort you home.” I frowned. “Do I know you?” He hesitated, and I wondered if he was about to lie. “I’m one of Seth’s...brothers. Loch.” I placed a trembling hand on his arm, “Well if you’re not too busy, Loch. Can you take me home? I’d really appreciate it.” He hesitated, his gaze on the restaurant behind me. I tugged at his sleeve, wishing he’d hurry up before Gracie or Seth came out. Though I didn’t expect Seth to make it since he had his arms full of the she-devil. A knife of jealousy twisted in my gut at the thought. I wanted to

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cry, but forced the thought from my mind. Hadn’t I said he wasn’t the one woman type? I was right. It was time to let go and move on. Before Loch could agree, the door to the restaurant opened. Both my sister and my loser exlover strolled out. I turned my head, crossed my arms and tapped a clog on the ground. I had nothing to say to him. “Janae, I need to talk to you,” he whispered. “It’s not what you think. I—” I held up a hand. “Loch!” The man hesitated. He looked at Seth, seeming to wait for the okay. It ticked me off, and I turned to Gracie instead. “Thanks, for dinner, Gracie. I find that whatever you had earlier has come on me. I won’t be finishing my dinner. But I hope we can do it again soon. I will be busy with my research for the next week or so, but I’m sure we can find time for more visiting. I’m so glad you found me.” With that, I turned on my heel and marched away. I don’t even know if I was headed in the right direction. I wasn’t good with directions unless I’d matched out my course exactly. I was surprised when a moment later, Loch fell into step beside me. We didn’t talk for a few blocks, and then I stopped at a corner. “Um, I guess you should say which way I’m supposed to go to get home, because I have no idea.” He chuckled, “Oh, I thought you were just blowing off steam and needed a walk.” That got me to laughing. “Nope. I’m not good at directions. I like to map everything out. Can you help me?” As I tilted my head to the side with a half smile curling my lips, I considered flirting with Loch. He was really cute, with blue-grey eyes and straight black hair that fell into his eyes. He had that bad boy Toby Mcguire look when he played the evil Spiderman. Except, Loch was much taller and really built like a body builder. No, he wasn’t cute. He was hot! Yet, I could have wept that he wasn’t Seth. My flirty pose faltered when he turned away. When he spoke, he was blunt. “I find you to be as beautiful as Gracie. Every man who sees her desires her, vampire and wer...others also. But like Gracie, you’re spoken for. I won’t cross Seth for anything.” “I don’t belong to Seth. Looks like he already has someone.” I rolled my eyes in the darkness, hating that I sounded like I was fishing for information on the witch in his arms.” “Who Kai? No, that whore is old news. Seth doesn’t want her anymore.” I grunted, resisting the urge to whine that it didn’t look that way to me. It was enough to know they’d had something before. I was not so naive that I didn’t know how old flames reignited all the time. Besides, who could compete with that body? I don’t know why Loch didn’t admit that all the guys wanted Kai. It was depressing.

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When we reached the house, I turned to my new friend with another encouraging smile. “I understand that Seth used to have a family long ago. Something happened to them. Do you know about it?” He closed like a vault before I could complete my questioning. “You should talk to Seth about that.” “Are you afraid of him or what? You didn’t even decide to walk me home until he gave you the go ahead.” I placed my hands on my hips while glaring at him. “One would think it’s you that he owns.” The irritation was clear. “No-one owns me. I simply recognize the chain of command.” “The chain of command? I thought he was your brother, not your boss. Ever since I got here, I feel like everyone has secrets. What’s going on? Just tell me something,” I coaxed. He reached past me to push the front door wider after I’d unlocked it. “Goodnight, Janae. Be sure to lock up. It was nice meeting you.” With that, he turned away and disappeared into the night.” I spun on my heel and slammed into the house. “Damn, Seth! What the hell have I gotten myself into coming here?” With more cursing and fussing, I went to the basement to scope out a place to continue my work. Already, I was regretting the move. And if things didn’t improve, sister or no sister, I was going back. As soon as I talked to the professor, I’d make my decision. **** Dark glasses, black clothes and enough special formula sun block to coat twenty people. I couldn’t believe it. Here I was twenty minutes out in the day, with no ill effects. A thrill surged through me. I’d made tremendous progress in the last few weeks. I may not be any closer to solving the mysteries of Bendmore, and really that was partly due to my nose being buried in my notes most of the time, but at least I could experience the day for the first time. It was incomparable. I strolled through the woods at the end of Main Street, to a gurgling stream. Crouching beside it, I resisted dipping my fingers inside for fear I’d wash away my formula. When I heard a twig snap, I glanced around, but no one was there. There was no need to worry anyway. Vampires could not enjoy the day as I had not been able to. None would be about to hurt me. And the other creature, well, I was hopeful that was bound to the night too. Deciding not to push it, and because it still felt like someone was watching me, I turned to retrace my steps to the street. I’d downloaded a map of the entire city from Mapquest on the Internet, so I wasn’t worried about getting lost. As I headed toward home, I considered who I’d share my good news with. I hadn’t spoken more than a few words to Seth since the night of his lip lock with Kai. And my sister had flown the coop yet again on some emergency of which she didn’t care to share the details. 28

She was vague on just what her job was, and I had to wonder if she did feel resentment toward me on our different upraising. I was considering giving her half my inheritance since it was rightfully hers. She should be Gracie Lattisaw. It seemed only fair. I intended to discuss it with her when she returned. For now, I needed someone to tell my good news to or I’d burst. At home, I showered and changed into more colorful attire, with my favorite flip flops on my feet. Casual was the only way to go. After phoning Loch, I made a sandwich and waited for him to come. Normally, I did not open the door during the day, because of radiation but I was willing to take the risk since the serum was still working in my blood stream. In half hour, Loch showed, his friendly grin spread across his handsome face. “What’s all the excitement about?” “I wanted you to be the first to know,” I gushed. “My formula works! Well it’s not the cure I hoped for, but it allows me time in the daylight. I was outside about forty-five minutes this morning. Isn’t that incredible?” His eyebrows shot up. “Wow, Janae. That is wonderful. Though I wish you would have called me earlier to escort you. We’ve secured your house, but outside isn’t safe.” I pouted, “It’s daylight. Vampires can’t come out in the day, remember?” He seemed about to say something else, but thought better of it and shrugged. I bounced up and down. “I’m almost as good as free. Be excited for me, Loch. Please. I can barely contain myself.” With that pronouncement, I threw myself into his arms with a joyous whoop. My arms were wrapped about his neck and my feet were off the ground. He had no choice but to hold me or let me fall on my rump. And wouldn’t you know, that’s when Seth walked into my house. Me with my body pressed tight up against Loch’s and him as red as anything like we’d just been making love or something.

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Chapter Seven I suppose it was my just desserts walking in Jake’s house to find Janae in Loch’s arms. But it didn’t make the kick in my balls any less painful. I saw red. There was no need for questions at all. I was going to kill him. Marching forward, I snatched Janae out of his arms and flung her onto the couch. Not missing a beat, I hauled my so called brother and friend outside onto the street and down around the corner so that we’d be out of her eyesight when I broke his neck. Loch was as big as I was, and did not go easily. “Seth, let me explain.” “Explain? There is nothing to explain,” I growled. In seconds I was transformed to a werewolf, ready to shred his skin to ribbons with my claws. Just as quickly, he changed also and we were in a gridlock. “I’m going to kill you, here and now.” “I would be lying if I said I wasn’t attracted to her.” Loch’s voice was a thick growl, barely discernable as human. “But I did not overstep my place, you being the leader of the pack and my friend. She jumped into my arms. What was I supposed to do?” Rage surged through me. I caught a hold of his neck and slammed him against the wall before lifting him in the air. He shoved a foot between us and pushed me backward until I hit the ground. As swift as his canine cousin, he was on top of me, his teeth bared. He continued. “You came in an instant before I would have put her away. Still, you should think about telling her the truth of who you are before you lose her completely.” I flipped him over, not wanting to hear his words. When I had him pinned down again, I told him what he could do with his advice. “What I decide to share with Janae is my business and not yours. You will stay out of it. You will keep your hands off of her or I will rip your head from your shoulders. Do I make myself clear?” “You’d kill one from your pack?” I panted over him, not blinking. “I would kill Gracie if it meant keeping Janae safe.” His eyes widened. Everyone knew of my alliance with Gracie, grateful as I was for her saving my life and giving me purpose when I’d lost all hope. My words to Loch told him how much Janae meant to me, and I could have bitten off my tongue. “If you love her so much, why do you push her away? Why do you let her believe you have a relationship with that whore, Kai?” “Because we can never be together. Now that’s all I’m going to share with you. Heed my warning.” I stood and let him go. We faced one another, each still leery of attack. Loch respected my leadership, but he wasn’t overly intimidated by my threats. Not that he didn’t believe me. He knew I didn’t make empty promises, but he could hold his own almost 30

as well as I could. It was that he knew family meant much to me, and a werewolf’s family was his pack. For me to say I would kill one for another person, was a big deal, not to be taken lightly. That’s why I hated my slip of tongue. Now Loch knew Janae was my life, closer to me than my family. He brushed his clothes off, glancing around us. “You don’t have to worry about me going after Janae, Seth. But it’s foolish of you to think another man won’t. She’s beautiful and desirable. You know the testosterone that’s floating around this city. We’re practically choking on it. If you don’t lay claim to her, someone else will. And it looks to me like she’s an independent minded woman with needs of her own. If she chooses another...” I was ready to attack again, but he held up his hands in surrender. With a curt nod, he turned and strolled away. I stared up into the brightening sky, running a hand over my face. My anger hadn’t cooled much, especially remembering that Loch told me Janae had jumped into his arms. What the hell was that about? There was only one way to find out. If she was thinking she would seduce my brothers, she had another thought coming. My usual move to enter Janae’s home was to pick the lock, and if she had a silly chain on, I’d extend a claw to slide it open. I was pretty cocky about my ability to get in anywhere, without using brute force to tear the door off its hinges. At that minute, I felt like throwing my skills to the curb behind me and going with force. Turned out neither was necessary as she was waiting for me to return. The look of fear in her eyes was almost enough for me to take her in my arms and never let her go. Why did she have to be so beautiful? Why did I have to love her so much? The thought only made me feel worse, knowing the sheltered princess wouldn’t be able to cope with who I was. I was saving myself and her the heartache by keeping her at a distance. She stepped aside to let me pass, but then glanced up and down the street. “Seth, what did you do to Loch? Where is he?” “I killed him.” A choked scream escaped her lips as I dropped into a chair. It was better to keep my gaze on the butt ugly vase, smack dab in the center of the coffee table than on her. I didn’t remember Jake having that the last time I was here. And then my swift mind caught on to something else. “What are you doing at the door? It’s something after eight. The sun is up. How are you not hurt?” I jumped to my feet and yanked her from the doorway before slamming it. With my heart pounding, I examined the skin on her face and arms. No burns were apparent. “How is this possible? You found the cure?” Her face glowed and she giggled. Then she frowned. “Did you really kill Loch?” I sighed, “No. Now tell me about this.” I indicated her body again.

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“It’s my formula. I rubbed it on my skin and took a serum that allows me to be in the sunlight for about one hour. I bet if I improve it, I can be out even longer. Well I did wash it off, but when you ran off with Loch, I rubbed on some more. Then my skin started tingling so I figure it’s only good for one hour, no matter how much I reapply. I’ll have to test to see when I can reapply for it to work...” “Janae!” I yelled above her babbling. It was obvious that she was excited at her breakthrough. Then another thought occurred to me. “Is that why you threw yourself on Loch? Because you were excited?” “You’d like to think so, wouldn’t you? Never mind the fact that he is hot. That he’s been here with me a lot more than you have since we arrived in Bendmore.” I moved away, avoiding her gaze. “I’ve been busy. I—” “Save it for what’s her name. Um...Kai. I think that’s what Loch said her name is. Your girlfriend.” “Look Janae. It’s not like that...” “Then how is it, Seth? Why don’t you explain it to me, because I don’t get it. First we’re lovers, can’t get our hands off each other. Then you avoid me like the plague. Then you try to kill a guy because I’m in his arms. You don’t want me, and you don’t want anyone else to have me either.” She turned and left the room. I followed her into the bedroom. She continued to rant while stripping. I felt myself growing hard at the sight. “What am I supposed to think? You were practically having sex in the restaurant. At least my situation was just a hug.” “Now you’re exaggerating. We were not having sex. She kissed me. And she’s an old girlfriend who hasn’t gotten it into her head that we’re over. That’s all. Now you’re happy?” I turned my back on her to keep my eyes off her naked form. My body was already trembling with a desperate need to touch her. “I just figure with everything that’s happening right now, a relationship between you and I just isn’t smart.” “Bull!” The shower turned on behind me, and her voice became muffled. “You think I was some kind of virgin when we got together, Seth? I’ve had my share of men. I’ve dated, and I know when a man gets scared. He backs off, uses anything he can to throw in between him and the woman he’s got feelings for. I can be like many women who have a low self-esteem and think maybe you don’t want me. But sorry, baby. I saw the hard-on you’re sporting right now.” I cursed under my breath. “I don’t know all that’s going on around here. You won’t talk to me, but I think I’ve got you figured out.” I stiffened. Did she really? She didn’t sound scared. That instant of fear at the door when I came back from my confrontation with Loch, was gone. It was replaced by her anger. Maybe 32

she was suppressing it. I wasn’t real hopeful that it wouldn’t resurface when faced with the reality of my...condition. “You have an anger problem. I’ve seen it before. Guys who seem to be calm always in the face of everything. Then out of the blue, they snap. Is that what you’re afraid of, Seth? That you’ll hurt me in your anger sometime? Is that why you keep women on an impersonal level, sex only?” I chuckled with relief. She didn’t know the truth. The anger problem was a good guess though. If it were true, it would be a good excuse. I considered lying and saying she was right. But then she’d try to rehabilitate me. It was better if she thought I was an insensitive jerk. “Is that something your professor would come up with, Janae? You college types?” I steeled myself to see her step out of the shower wet and naked, a more heady combination. Crossing my arms over my chest, I took on the look of the ‘in it for one thing only’ man. “Look, baby. It was good. It really was. Your body is incomparable, but that’s all it was. We both knew what we were getting ourselves into. And being male, sure I’d get jealous if my best friend started going after a woman I just had in my bed. I would feel no different if he sniffed around Kai.” The hurt in her eyes took away my breath. When tears started, my arms dropped to my sides. I couldn’t do it. I do love you, princess. She swung away from me, her shoulders shaking. I felt ill. Quickly, I crossed the room and pulled her back against me. I nuzzled her neck, kissed her on the top of her head. Tipping up her chin, I covered her sweet mouth, tasting the mint on her tongue. With my cheek, I captured the falling tears, as my hand came up to cup her breast. I wanted so much more. Having her pressed against me was driving me insane. I so needed to be inside her. Capturing her lips again in a searing kiss, I slid my hand down between her legs and stroked her until she was wet. She moaned and pressed herself against my erection. I was almost hopeful that we’d make love, but she pulled away, leaving me lonely. Tears fell fresh down her face. I reached to wipe them away again. “Don’t, princess. I...” “Don’t say it,” she whispered. “Just don’t say it. One thing only. It’s all I ask. Be honest and tell me what happened to your family. I know you had a wife and two children. How did they die?” God, that was the one thing I couldn’t tell her. If I wanted to scare her off, or scar her for life, I’d admit the truth of that. Oh you know, baby. I was a new werewolf and not used to the wild emotions of my species, I lost control and... “Not sharing that either?” She stepped back away from me. Of its own accord, my gaze dropped to her bare breasts. Damn, she must be seducing me on purpose! But every woman who did it, at least had the presence of mind to toss our lures with facial expressions, sweet words. Janae nearly brought me to my knees just being naked. She was better than Kai could ever be.

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“You don’t understand, Janae. There are things at work here that would be hard to explain. I...I want to be honest with you. Ask anyone. I’m not the type to lie. I lay it out plain no matter the consequences.” She sneered, “Are you telling me I’m so special that you have to lie to me? You know what you can do for me, Seth? Get the hell out of my house.” She sighed. “Or rather, get out of my temporary home. I have lots to do preparing a clean dose or two of my formula. You’re only slowing me down. How silly of me to think that you were different, that if nothing else we could have enjoyed each other sexually. I’m not the kind of woman who demands more just because I uncrossed my legs. But you didn’t know that and did care to find out.” I was twenty-one kinds of a fool. Here was a sexy woman telling me she would have jumped in my bed with no strings attached, and I’d gone and ruined it by loving her enough not to offer her just that. Frustration had me wanting to rip my hair out of my head. And with her standing in front of me completely naked, I knew I’d spend the rest of the day and probably well into the night running through the woods, trying to work off my need. “Janae...” “Get out.” I stood there watching her for a few moments longer and then, in defeat, walked out the door.

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Chapter Eight Instead of working on my formula, I slid into my bed to try to sleep away the day. Only I stared up at the ceiling for hours, reliving first Seth’s touch on my burning skin, then his cruel words. Some part of me knew he had been trying to put me off, and that I was more in his eyes than that whore who’d thrown herself at him. But another part, the vulnerable side, which had come to love him, hurt all the more because he found it necessary to push me away. I had told him the truth. If he didn’t want me, I would not push myself onto him. I would have been fine having only a sexual relationship with him. Well, it would have been hard hiding my feelings, but I would have made it work, to have even a night in Seth’s bed was better than not having him at all. Wasn’t it? But after his comparison, I was humiliated and hurt. I couldn’t just beg to share his bed after that. He owed me a huge apology, though I wasn’t so sure I should accept it. What was his problem? What was so damn secret in this stupid town? A few hours before nightfall, which I only knew by the clock on my nightstand, I began to plan mentally what I needed to do. First things first, I needed to call the professor. Maybe I would share with him about what had happened between Seth and me. I rolled to the side of the bed and felt for the phone. It suddenly occurred to me that I’d been so one track minded, that I hadn’t spoken with the professor in weeks. I never got his reaction to the attack from the vampire. I never discussed my coming down to Bendmore. Dialing his number by heart, I waited for someone to pick up. On the fifth ring, when I was about to give up, Cheryl answered. “Cheryl, hello. I’d like to speak to he professor, please.” She seemed impatient. “He’s not in. I’ve given him your previous messages, Janae, but perhaps he’s no longer interested in your little project.” I gasped. She’d never been rude before. Well, not completely. “I don’t understand.” “Oh, don’t you? I know what you’ve been up to all this time. You young girls think you can steal my husband. Well I’m not going to have it. When I find out where he is...” “What!” Where did that come from? The professor was old enough to be my father, and he’d mentored me for years. What was her problem? “Cheryl, you know I’m not like that. The professor has been like a father to me. I don’t know where he is, and—” The phone clicked in my ear. I jumped and stared down at it. This was officially the Twilight Zone, and it was about to get weirder. The doorbell rang. I glanced at the clock. It wasn’t completely night fall yet. I wouldn’t be able to answer it, and whoever was there should know that if they knew me. When it sounded again, I flipped on the bedroom light and looked down at my skin. It was red-brown in places. The cream might have side effects I needed to examine. Putting more on at this point wasn’t an option. I stood and headed out to the living room. At the front 35

door, with treated liner all around the cracks of the door and the mail slot permanently sealed shut, I yelled through the door. “Whoever you are, you must know I can’t open this door until well after sundown. What do you want?” The voice that responded was muffled, the words slurred. “Hi...uh, it’s Samuel...I have a message for you, miss.” I rolled my eyes, “I said I can’t get it until sundown. Leave it on the step. I’ll get it later.” I waited to hear his response, but there was nothing. No sound of walking back down the stairs or rustling paper. I moved to the couch and sat down to wait. Part of me was hopeful that it was from Seth. Yet, if it was, why would he send a note, knowing I couldn’t open the door. And why wouldn’t he just call my cell? Time had never moved more slowly. I was beat. My eyes were dry, and I could only imagine, red. Breakfast had been too many hours ago, but I couldn’t bring myself to go make something to eat. I had the irrational thought that the message would disappear if I left the living room. Stupid, but there it was. Finally, the clock on the mantel struck eight. It was dark enough to venture out. I rushed across the room to fight with the chain and the deadbolt lock. When I had them undone, I threw open the door only to be faced with a thin stranger standing before me in ratty clothes and a face mask. I screamed and tried to slam the door again, but he was stronger than he looked. He wedged a foot between the door and the jamb and pushed to keep me from closing it. “Wait, I’m not going to hurt you. I have a message.” I could have kicked myself for not being more careful, having my mace at the ready. Nothing had indicated that he’d left earlier, and I hadn’t imagined that he would stand out there all that time. I put my shoulder against the door, “I told you to leave it. Now go away!” “I can’t leave it, miss. It’s not written down. I can’t write.” That made me pause. He couldn’t write? I glanced at his hands, curved around the door. He wore worn gloves, the middle and ring fingers sew together as if to make one bigger slot. From their size, bigger than a thin man’s hands should be, I knew they must be deformed. Against my better judgment, I opened the door wider. “What is it that you want to tell me?” I held up a hand to keep him from crossing the threshold. “You can tell me from out there.” He nodded. “There is a man who is willing to tell you everything you want to know about Bendmore, including everything about Seth Parker.” My heart stopped. If he was telling the truth... “What man? Who is he and why didn’t he just come here on his own to tell me?” The man reached up to scratch at the mask, as if through the heavy leather, he could reach his skin. I couldn’t see any exposed skin behind it, even around the black dead eyes, and

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wondered if he was sensitive to the elements as I was. Just the thought propelled me to give him a chance, and the unknown man who’d sent him. He looked up above my door, and peaked over my right shoulder. “He can’t. You have traps.” I thought he was crazy. I didn’t have any traps. The windows were all secure and covered, but that was to keep out sunlight. I wasn’t aware that Seth or Gracie had arranged for anything other than that. I shook my head. “I don’t have any traps. Just tell him to knock on the front door, and while it’s night out. Better yet, he can just give me a call. I shouldn’t be opening the door to strangers.” All the while I spoke, he was shaking his head side to side, irritating me. “Then what do you suggest?” I demanded. “Take down the garlic. Then he’ll come.” My eyes widened, and my mouth went dry. It felt like my heart would pound out of my chest. Take down the garlic? First, I didn’t even know Seth had put up garlic. And second, I didn’t smell anything. It must be some special kind that had no bad smell. The scariest part was that a vampire, one of the creatures who had attacked me back at the university, wanted to talk to me. He wanted me to take down the only thing that had kept him out of my house all this time. Well he could forget it. I was not falling for his lies, only to leave myself open to being murdered or worse—changed to one of them. “No-freaking-way,” I enunciated. “I’m not that stupid.” The thin man became agitated. He paced back and forth across my step, glanced over his shoulder to the darkness across the street. I couldn’t see anything, but figured someone was out there. I prepared to close the door when I could catch him off guard. I’d call Loch and pray he could get here before someone broke in. Just as I decided to slam the door, he stopped pacing and held open the door with one massive hand. “He will tell you who killed Seth Parker’s family. He will tell you why Seth Parker should be in jail.” I was very nearly sick on the man’s shoe, but managed to swallow until the need to vomit went away. He was lying. He had to be lying. But now I knew I needed to hear what he had to say, even if it was risking my life. I wasn’t sure where the garlic had been placed or how to remove it. “Ok, I agree on the condition that you help me get rid of the garlic.” He nodded and I stepped back. He walked around the living room sniffing the air. I followed suit, but still smelled nothing. Over near the front windows, he sneezed, then leaned high on his toes and stretched his arms above the material covering the windows. All along the ledge there were small vials, filled with a yellowish liquid. When he’d cleared several more places around the front door, he determined the living area to be cleared 37

enough for his “master.” I frowned in distaste. This felt like Frankenstein, and I wanted no parts of it. Soon the strange man cleared out, and I braced myself for the vampire to show. When the thin man wasn’t looking, I’d swiped one of the vials and pulled open its top to smear some of the contents on my hands. Then I held my hands behind me and stood in the far corner of the living room. Since Seth had placed them at the entryways, I figured there must be more at other windows. Being near the kitchen and bedroom windows seemed to be the safest place. He came in as dark as the night. I began to think vampires only wore black or was it a fashion trait of Bendmore, Weird Town? He approached me quickly and then stopped some feet away. I was satisfied to see the look of distaste on his face. I wanted to giggle but didn’t want to antagonize him. I knew I appeared calm, but my heart was hammering in my chest and my palms were clammy. I could have wet myself with fear. “T-Tell me what you’ve come to say,” I said as bravely as I could. “What do you know about Bendmore and about Seth?” He demonstrated no emotion, just stood there watching me with those grey eyes, so pale they looked almost white. It was very intimidating and he knew it. His skin was just as pale and he clasped his hands in front of him, not moving any part of himself, not in breathing or blinking. I had visions of him lying in a coffin, but had to shake myself because it was freaking me out. He began quietly, “Several years ago, a meteorite crashed here in Bendmore. It brought with it not only a disease that was killing the citizens, but also a curse that began to change us. Some became vampires, some werewolves and some other monsters that cannot be described. This occurrence set off a chain of events where one species strives for its right to live, while another seeks to dominate it.” I didn’t have to ask which “poor” species was the underdog. I might have told him that he should practice using emotions to gain sympathy. He seemed to read my mind, or perhaps the doubt on my face, and rushed on. “The werewolves swore to protect the vampires while we sleep. Instead, they slaughter us at our weakest. There is nothing we can do except spread out to other areas, seeking our rest in obscure places. But there are vampires who side with the werewolves, some you know personally. They follow us and if we do not surrender to their laws, we are killed.” I grew cold. Did that mean that Seth was a vampire? This man had said some of these bounty hunter vampires were people I knew. That must be it. And what did it have to do with his family? The vampire anticipated my questions. “I will be quick. I expect that he will soon send someone to watch over you, and I can’t be found here. Seth Parker, the one you’ve had an affair with, is a werewolf. He has killed many of us in cold blood. And he killed his own family, a wife and two children, at the time of the plague.” 38

I swayed, and then the sickness I’d held at bay until now, would not be denied. Catching site of a potted plant, I bent over it and hurled the contents of my stomach. Which wasn’t much. I sank down to the floor and rested my head on my arm, as I trembled in disbelief. Through a haze, I watched the vampire move toward the door and turn back toward me. “Samuel will always be nearby, even in the daytime. If you need to talk more, signal him. He will know how to get in touch with me. For now, I want you to think about one very important thing. The formula you are developing would help me to save my people from extinction. We are trapped in the night, unable to walk during the day. If you can find it within you to free us, you would be saving many lives.” Then he was gone.

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Chapter Nine I felt like I was suffocating. I wanted to be with Janae every waking moment. I wanted to show her all of Bendmore, even with it’s screwed up citizens. I wanted to show her where I was born on the edge of town. I wanted to share with her the pain I felt every day because of what I did to my family. I wanted to cry and hear her tell me she loved me in spite of it all, that I was forgiven. But none of that was going to happen, so I felt choked and hopeless. When one of my brothers informed Loch that a halfer was sniffing around Janae, I knew it was time to tell her our town’s history. I wasn’t ready to share my information quite yet, but at least I could fill her in on some. It would help her to be leery of those around her, probably shatter her sweet innocence. The first thing I noticed upon entering the living room after she let me in the proper way, was that the scent of the garlic had moved. How had she known it was there? I looked her in the eyes, and there was definitely something different. Fear gripped my heart when I saw that she was afraid of me. At that moment, it took a lot for me not to cry out to her. “Janae, who has been here? Who’s been talking to you?” I demanded. She lifted her chin, defiance in her gaze. “No-one. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I could have called her a liar, and forced her to tell me. But that wasn’t going to help my cause. I needed her to see me in a better light. “I’d like to take you out tonight. Show you the town. Are you busy? Can you get away from your work for a while?” She turned away and busied her hands with straightening magazines on the coffee table. “Why this sudden interest in me? You made how you feel quite clear. Being in it for the sex doesn’t require you to take me out on the town.” I winced at the harsh words. “I deserved that. Come on, you don’t get out much. Just go with me. Besides, Loch is on another job and he wouldn’t be able to escort you.” A sudden expression came over her face, and she froze. Worried, I placed my hands on her shoulders, but she jerked as if I burned her. I swung away to hide the pain of her rejection. Biting down on my inner cheek kept my expression tight when I’d gained control again. “So, will you go?” She shrugged, grabbed a jacket and met me at the door. “Fine, but I’m not in the mood to play lucky little woman, happy to be seen with big bad w-Seth.” My eyes widened. She couldn’t have been about to say “wolf.” I tried looking info her face, but she marched ahead. If nothing else, my princess was still ticked at me. I had to find the words to get her to accept my apology. I’d handled things wrong, had been cruel. The last thing I’d wanted to do was hurt her. She was so sweet and so precious to me. I had to make it right.

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I showed her the site where the meteorite touched down, where the surge had once flowed. I breathed in the night air. Sometimes I still missed it. And yet it was that evil paranormal drug in our atmosphere that heightened my Lycan cravings and sent my emotions into a frenzy— the night my family died. “You’re remembering them,” she stated matter-of-factly. I didn’t ask her how she knew. I nodded, “Yes.” “Do you feel guilty?” Now who was being harsh? “Yes, I feel guilty. They died because of me. Because of what happened here.” I indicated the area around us. “An evil vampire wanted to possess Gracie, to free himself of the curse on him.” She gasped, her eyes widening. “Gracie? D-Did he get her?” I knew what she was asking me. Did the vampire make Gracie one of them. But that was for Gracie to share, and apparently she hadn’t as yet. “Not like he wanted to. Jake, myself and my brothers helped. We killed him, ended the plague through a serum made from Gracie’s blood and cured everyone who was sick.” She grinned, her eyes shining. “So my sister is a hero. She saved others when they needed her, despite who they were.” I stared down at her, wondering what wheels were turning in her head. Now was the time to admit all the truth to her and let the chips fall where they may, but I couldn’t do it. I wanted her to love me, not fear me. I took her hands and stroked them between my thumb and forefinger. “Janae, I’m sorry that I hurt you. That’s the last thing I ever want to do. I can’t explain everything now, but I will soon. I’m just asking you to trust me.” Doubt still clouded her eyes. So, to prove my words, I pulled her into my arms, and lifted her off her feet. Behind me was an old stump and I sat on it, depositing her on my lap. When I kissed her soft lips, and found my way blind to the buttons of her blouse, it felt like it had been years since I tasted her. I wanted myself inside her without delay. She pushed me back. “I know you’re still keeping things from me. What kind of relationship can we have? Oh, but I forget, you aren’t interested in a relationship.” She sighed. “You’re as bad as a woman, giving off mixed signals. One minute you treat me as if I’m precious to you, the next like I mean nothing.” She waited for me to speak, but I couldn’t bring myself to say it. It was likely someone had shared my secret with her, but what if they didn’t? What if that fear I’d seen in her eyes earlier was just my imagination? I willed myself to blurt it out. Janae, I killed my family. When I was out of control, when I knew little of the beast that raged inside me. But I would never do that to you. God, there was no way I could utter the words.

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The moment for confession passed, and she turned her head away. I closed my eyes, resting my cheek against the top of her head. “Janae...” She shifted on my lap, covered my lips with her hand. “It doesn’t matter. Let us enjoy the night and each other.” Her hand dropped to my shoulder, and she kissed me while sliding the other hand down to the front of my pants. I was ready to bust out of my jeans when she stroked my thickening shaft. I hadn’t expected her to allow me to touch her again, and had told myself it was better that I didn’t anyway. But my lust for her sweet body was driving me insane. I lifted her and carried her to a grassy area, before placing her down gently. Following, I lay a hip at her side as I pulled open her pants. She was already wet when I slid two fingers inside her, stroking in and out, almost in pain that it wasn’t my erection penetrating deep in her warmth. Watching her buck against my fingers was too much. I pulled back, stripped her and myself of our clothes and positioned myself between her legs. Only pausing long enough to put on a cover, I lifted her legs and pushed fast into her. Perhaps it was the full moon over our heads or the thought that I wouldn’t have her tomorrow, I felt myself losing control. The beast inside wanted his way. As I stroked, pressing her legs higher, I bit down on the howl that threatened in my chest. A glance at her showed her eyes to be closed, which was a good thing since my nails were lengthening without my permission. Hair sprouted on my face, and my nose elongated. I should stop and hide in the shadows, but I couldn’t. Instead, I leaned down toward her sniffing at her pungent aroma. Just the scent made me harder. I slid my tongue along her neck, then nipped at her rigid nipples. She whimpered her pleasure, while arching up to my mouth. As my tongue slivered over her soft skin, my teeth sharpened. I pulled out of her and kissed down over her belly, grazing and sucking alternately. When I reached her moist center, a low growl of hunger started in my throat and wouldn’t be silenced. I glanced up at her, but she seemed lost in my ministrations to her body. I dipped my tongue inside her sweetness, and soon I was lost. Wrapping my now clawed furry hands around her thighs, I pulled her down to my greedy mouth to feast on her. I grunted as I ate, forgetting to be subtle. When she began to quiver, I tickled her with my nose, then positioned myself over her again to drive deep inside her. Her yells of ecstasy, and mine, echoed through the silent night. Right at the end, before she could descend from the heights of pleasure, I flipped her to her side and settled behind her, hoping she didn’t notice the extra hair that must be tickling her neck. I had an indescribable urge to bite her. It would make her mine in body and soul. She could run alongside me on the hunt. But I didn’t want to take her by trickery or by force. I wanted her to want to be with me for all time. It was hard to believe that she’d want to be with me, given who I was. So, I remained silent, willing my body to return to its human form. “I guess we should go now,” I whispered in her ear.

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She trembled at my words, then nuzzled closer in my arms. “Soon. Maybe you’re not too tired to do it again?” With a chuckle in my throat and a tightening between my legs, I was more than ready. That was another reason why I loved this woman. Damn, she had as much sexual stamina as I did. There was a way to keep her from fearing the creatures of darkness, including myself. I wouldn’t give up until I figured it out, and kept her as my own. **** “What’ve you got?” I strode up to Loch, my tone indicating how I felt about his interrupting my time with Janae. He shuffled from foot to foot, a wary look in his eyes. Glancing back into the woods then back at me, he indicated with his head the direction of our query. “The halfer. From the smell of him, a few miles that way. Same one spotted near Janae. Wanna interrogate him with me?” I pondered the sky. Only a couple hours before sun up. “Definitely.” Without another word between us, Loch and I shifted to our wolf form. We could run faster and track easier. An hour later, we ran the halfer to ground in an old cabin on the edge of the woods, just south of the site. This time, unlike the report the wolf had given previously, he wasn’t wearing a mask. His face, the result of the meteorite’s poisoning, was deformed. It looked like he’d been about to change to one creature, but the process had been halted and left that way. It was hard to look on. Taking on my were-form, I advanced on him, where he sat huddled in fear on his cot. I snatched him by the collar. “Why have you been following my friend?” “W-What friend? I ain’t been messing with your friend.” A low growl began in my throat. I lifted him off his feet so that he hung in the air. Narrowing my eyes on him, I didn’t have to look in a mirror to know my eyes glowed. The look never failed to intimidate those weaker than myself, except maybe a strong vampire or one with sufficient backup. This guy had no-one at the moment, and he knew it. When he pressed his lips together in an attitude of defiance, I figured somebody had threatened him with the end of his hideous existence should he open his mouth. I shrugged, “Suit yourself. I’m hungry anyway.” He squealed like a child and began to tremble. “Don’t eat me, please.” Did he really think I’d wanted his stench on my tongue? I hadn’t eaten humans before and wasn’t starting with him, even if he was a halfer. Still, the threat worked just the same. “Talk!” “My master told me to follow her, just watch out to see what she was up to,” he confessed. 43

“Why?” “Don’t know.” I shook him hard. His body flopped around my arm. “Truly, truly. That’s all I know,” he whined. “Why would the master tell me what he was up to? He’d know I would be too scared not to talk if you werewolves bullied me.” I considered his words then tossed him across the room so that he landed against the wall and dropped heavily onto the unfinished wooden floor. “You chose the wrong side.” He stood on shaky legs, rubbing his shoulder, “No I didn’t.” We figured we weren’t getting much more out of the man unless we were willing to beat it out of him, and even then I guessed it would be useless information. It was likely he was kept in the dark about his master’s plans, so Loch and I left to retrace our steps back to my place. I decided that I would sleep a couple of hours before relieving the wolf watching over Janae. Then she and I would have a long talk.

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Chapter Ten I was on my way back home. It was spare of the moment, and probably something I should have decided to do long before now. I’d let me attraction to Seth cloud what was really going on. Who was I kidding? I loved him with all my heart, and feeling that way I didn’t want to believe the doubts that I had might actually be warnings. The man across from me sat stiff and nervous. His hands gripped the steering wheel at the ten-and-two position like a rookie driver. If I were not in the position I was in, it would have been funny. He caught me observing him. “I’m not used to driving. It’s been a few years. I am used to flying.” I wrinkled my nose. “Flying?” He nodded. “Uh...vampires have the ability to fly. I guess more like controlled levitation.” My eyes widened. How naive I was. Here was a whole city of people, from what he was telling me, who were mostly either vampire or werewolf. A minority were human and the rest were what he’d called halfers. It was frightening. In fact, I didn’t want to believe this was true. It would be easier to think I was dreaming, that I was having a nightmare. “And my sister?” I croaked, almost not wanting to know. “A vampire.” I closed my eyes. Liars. They were all liars. Seth, Loch, my sister. None of them felt it necessary to share with me the truth. Maybe they thought I couldn’t handle it. Now things were making sense to me. The entire town seemed to run only at night. There were grocery stores with night hours. Malls, movies even schools that had night hours. Little activity happened in the day, even though the werewolves were not affected by sunlight. They were still naturally nocturnal. Why hadn’t I questioned it before? Because I didn’t want to face the truth. Just like Seth didn’t want to tell me about his family and the fact that he was a werewolf. The vampire continued, “I’m glad I sent Samuel back with another way to contact me. The wolves closed in on him tonight, probably killed him.” I gasped, “Was Seth involved?” He shrugged, “Most likely. He’s the head of the wolves. Even if he wasn’t there, he’d give the order. You don’t understand what it’s like here. Always under the paw, so to speak, of the wolves and the traitor vampires who think their way is the only way.” I ground my teeth and turned my head to look out at the passing landscape, “I said I’d help you. You don’t need to try to sell me on your cause anymore.”

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“What I don’t understand is why you decided to help us. We are aware that you were his whore...I mean his girlfriend.” I suppressed the tears that sprung to my eyes. He was right the first time. I had been just another whore to Seth. Just like Kai. But I wasn’t going to share with this vampire about her visit to me right after Seth dropped me at home. The scene replayed in my head like my own personal torture device. “What do you want? Why are you here?” I went on the attack the second I saw Kai at my front door, just minutes after Seth dropped me off. It was jealousy, pure and simple. Even in a gothic-looking long black cloak, accented with thigh-high black boots, she was the sexiest woman I’d ever seen. I was not ashamed of my own figure, though when did a woman not wish for changes. Still, she went beyond all physical perfection. It wasn’t fair. No wonder Seth had wanted her, maybe still wanted her. She put up her hands to keep me from closing the door in her face. Her eyes looked wet as if from crying, and I gave her a suspicious look figuring it was all an act. “Please, wait a minute. I came here because I want to talk to you about Seth.” “Not going to happen.” Again I tried closing the door. With strength a woman as tiny as she was shouldn’t have had, she shoved it open and walked past me. I had to grab on to the wall to keep from falling. I followed her when I could get my balance again. She stood in the middle of the living room, sniffing the air with distaste. “Get out. I don’t know who you think you are.” Kai whirled around to face me, “Look. Let’s not play games, Jenny.” “Janae.” The beauties never remembered names. I could have slapped her. “Whatever. The truth is I want Seth and—” “Maybe you should get it through your head that he doesn’t want you anymore.” I indicated the way out with an arm toward the hall. She ignored it. “As I was saying. I want Seth, but I was willing to let him go until he came to my bed again.” A look of triumph entered her eyes. I felt sick. “I don’t know, maybe you two had been having a disagreement. The problem is, I got pregnant.” I gasped, and then frowned. “That’s the oldest trick in the book, lady. I haven’t even been here that long. Go tell that to someone who will believe your lies.” Right there, in front of my eyes, she changed. Into this hideous beast with hair all over her body. Her legs grew longer, so that instead of shorter than I was with five inch heels on, she was taller, bent forward slightly as if she didn’t like her height. Her hair at first silky and in perfect order, at once grew wild atop her head. Eyes, reddish-orange stared out at me with hate and anger.

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I screamed and backed away, terrified she was about to attack me. Instead, she spoke in a deep voice that didn’t sound human or female. “You see what I am? That’s what Seth is. And that is what the child is, growing inside me. Gestation for a werewolf is only three months.” She opened the cloak wider so that I could see her belly was rounded with child. There was no faking that. It looked high and solid. My heart stopped. I wanted to die right there. I remembered Seth telling me he was very fertile, that he had to be careful to use protection at all times. This was how he knew? But the timing wasn’t the same. Or maybe they had other children together that he hadn’t told me about. I was too scared to ask. Kai seemed to read my mind. “I’ve been pregnant before, when I wasn’t ready. We have a doctor here who has helped me. But this time, I felt ready to have Seth’s baby.” She never took her eyes from me as she changed back to human form. It freaked me out more. “I thought it best to tell you since Seth obviously hasn’t shared it yet.” “Yet?” My voice broke. “Yes, yet. He knows. We decided to get married. I know he’s weak. He always was. Shoot, a male werewolf has a heightened sexual drive. I can live with that as long as he comes home to me every night.” So that’s why he came to me. Because it was ending between us forever. He knew I would never put up with sleeping with a married man. And our time together at the site was just him enjoying what the mother of his child had given him permission to have. My whole world was crashing down around me. All that time, I hoped beyond hope that somehow he would come around. Of his own accord, he’d tell me the truth. But that was too much to ask. Now I found that he had even more secrets than I could have imagined. So here I sat, like the lovesick fool I was, riding in a car with a vampire who was just as much a monster as Seth was, to my way of thinking. But one had to choose sides, and I had chosen to go with those who hadn’t been lying to me from the beginning. At least I didn’t think they were. The vampires had admitted that they wanted the use of my formula. Giving them access to it as I developed it didn’t seem like a big deal to me. A part of me wanted to get revenge on the others who treated me like I was a dumb city girl who didn’t deserve to be in their inner circle. Well, Seth and Gracie could go to hell for all I cared. I was done with them. Kai could have him. I peeked out my window again, then turned to the vampire. “Um, it’s close to daylight. We need to find shelter. And I keep thinking of you as ‘the vampire.’ What’s your name?” He seemed hesitant at first. “I’m Corbin. And don’t worry. Our stop is another mile ahead. We’ve already made arrangements.” It didn’t look like he was going to offer much more than that, so I turned back to the road to wait. He was just as vulnerable as I was, so I wasn’t overly worried that he would allow me to cook to death in the daylight. Besides, my formula had come a long way, but an hour in 47

the day wouldn’t do much for them. Now wasn’t a good time to kill me off, if that was their intention. Soon Corbin took a dirt road leading off to the left and drew up to a house that looked abandoned. All of the windows were boarded up, and I questioned the strength of the roof. When we stepped out of the car, I thought we’d head up the front steps, but Corbin led me around to the back, to a basement door. A shiver rippled over me. I hoped there weren’t any coffins down there. Cobwebs and a musty odor greeted my nose, making me sneeze, when we descended the stairs into the darkness. Corbin moved out ahead of me without doing the zombie thing I was, feeling my way forward. I wondered if that was a bonus to being what he was. “Through this door is a bedroom. You can sleep in there. Don’t worry, it’s sealed from sunlight.” Corbin indicated a square dark spot ahead of me. I assumed it was a door and stumbled toward it. A long time later, I rolled over in bed, unable to sleep. My thoughts were filled with Seth. The loss of him weighed so heavy, it felt like I would never sleep again. I tried to focus on figuring out my next step with the formula, but combinations of zinc oxide and titanium dioxide couldn’t hold my attention. I sighed and tossed about a few minutes, before shoving my blanket between the wall and the mattress. When I’d gone to bed fully dressed, I expected the cold dampness of the basement to chill me in the night. Now I was sweaty and uncomfortable. My twisting froze at the rattle of the doorknob. There was no lock on it, and I’d wedged a chair against it as silently as possible to keep Corbin out, or anyone else who might get ideas during the day. Of course at the time I’d forgotten how that vampire at the university had torn the door off its hinges to get to me. And wouldn’t you know that little tidbit had slipped my memory when I’d agreed to come on this trip with the monster on the other side of the door. Sure Corbin looked innocuous enough. He was barely five foot two, if I had to guess. His frame was that of a sixteen year old boy though he appeared to be in his thirties. Only now, in the pitch black basement of a house in the middle of nowhere, I was reminded that appearances could be deceptive. The knob rattled again. I couldn’t see it, but it sounded like someone had turned the knob and was pushing the door. The chair hadn’t given way, so I assumed they were still trying to be quiet. I pushed back the sleeve of my blouse, and pressed the light button on my watch. It was eleven-thirty. I assumed, in the morning. My heart was pounding. It was way too early for Corbin to be up or any other vampire. In our sketchy conversation, when he’d opened up enough to give me more information on vampires, I’d learned that they all rested during the day, finding it hard to stay awake. I found that odd since they were so eager for my formula.

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So who was out there? Some other monster? Seth had admitted there were others, who weren’t vampire or werewolf. What did this thing want with me? I was about to find out, whether I liked it or not. Reaching for my purse, which hung at the head of the bed, on the metal frame, I blindly fished inside to locate my pen light. When I found it, I clicked the on switch and pointed it toward the door. My heart nearly stopped when I was in time to see fingers reach inside the narrow crack the chair allowed. Strength that was anything but natural had the wood snapping in half. The chair’s backrest was suddenly in pieces and the door was swinging open silently. My body quaked. I looked around in the darkness for a weapon, anything that would defend me against this creature. Why, oh why had I left Bendmore? At least there I’d been safe. God, how could I be so foolish? Too late I saw that I was being one of those women. The stupid ones in the horror movies. Except, this was all too real.

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Chapter Eleven The pin light in my hand was barely stable as I trembled with fear. Still, it illuminated the pale face of the man before me, a man I never expected to see here and now. “P-Professor?” He stepped into the room and shut the door, a grin spreading across his face. The malevolent light in his eyes had me shrinking against the stone wall behind me. This man had been my mentor. He couldn’t be involved in this, with the vampires. It just wasn’t true. Professor Carter chuckled, “I see your brilliant mind at work, Janae. You’re trying to work out how I could be working with the vampires. When we’ve been side by side, slaving away at creating a cure for you.” I nodded, “Yes. Exactly. How can you be? What are you doing here?” “Do you really want to know? Because once you know, there’s no turning back.” He paused as if impressed with his own words. I was too bewildered to determine if he was talking out of his mind. “The Matrix...remember?” I blinked. “Ok, this has all been a wonderful plan of mine that worked perfectly. Or almost perfectly.” He moved forward and sat down on the bed beside me, as if he hadn’t just broken into a basement bedroom by smashing a chair with two fingers. I felt like I was going to be sick. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” “No? Well let me start at the beginning.” He tapped a long bony finger against his bottom lip. I trembled. “It happened a couple years ago. I was making a speech on the miracles of science, how it was entirely possible to cure Xeroderma pigmentosum.” “Yes, I remember. I was there. You were giving the speech at night at the university. I remember being so thrilled that it was an evening presentation.” He patted my hand, but I jerked away, and he continued as if I hadn’t been repulsed by his touch. “Well, I did intend to give it during the day, but was contacted by a man who was willing to fund the research. He wanted to hear more. However, his conditions were that I give the speech at night.” The professor wiggled his brows at me. Even a moron could figure out that the man the professor referred to was a vampire, or someone like me. Since my condition was rare, the vampire was a more likely guess. “What happened next?” I encouraged him to continue. It gave me more time to wonder what I needed to do to get out of there. Being daylight, I was trapped inside. But maybe somehow I could slow him down until I put on my formula. Who was I kidding? The man was no longer human. That was obvious. I couldn’t overpower him. “We met alone, and suffice it to say, he was very persuading. Gave me this.” The professor held up a pendant. It had three leaves with topaz jewels in them. Though pretty, it didn’t 50

seem to be anything out of the ordinary. “I see the expression on your face, my dear. This pendant is centuries old. It was found in a cave, in a small city you may know.” He chuckled. I cringed. “Bendmore?” “Ding, ding. You win. This lovely piece helps a you to channel another person, even take over their body. However, only a master vampire can wield it with that much skill. All us lesser beings can only focus in on a person we have a connection to, to transfer thoughts or dreams. The one who holds the pendant can force another to make the connection.” I frowned, “What do you mean?” He reached for me, and slid me to his side. I fought to remain free, but his hands were like steel bands around my arms. It was a losing battle. He brushed my hair away from my ear and whispered, “It means, with my help you were used to send dreams to your sister.” My eyes widened. I shook my head in disbelief. “I did not. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” “Oh, but you did. Do you think our many nights together were only to work on your formula? No, I used a little ‘persuasion’ to get you to send distress signals to your sister. It would lure her out to come help you. And then we could kill her.” I sat dumbfounded. How could he have used me and I not know it? All these years I’d known the professor, and yet he’d sold me out the first chance he got. “How did you do it without me remembering?” He held up the pendant, waving it triumphantly in the air. “When I say, you will do it again. You will transfer your thoughts to Seth. You will call him to help you, lead him here. And I will be waiting.” Oh God, he intended to kill Seth. But why? Fear gripped me so tight, I found it hard to breathe. My chest hurt, and I bent forward pressing a fist against it. Not Seth, please God, not Seth. When I would have pulled away again, his hold tightened. He slid one hand along my back to my neck and squeezed. “Why would you do this, Professor? Why would you hurt the man I...um...my friend.” I hoped he hadn’t noticed my slip. I wasn’t so lucky. “The man you love? Poor Janae. Don’t you see? This could be huge. We could be rich. Your condition is rare, but the vampire population is growing. When we have what they need to walk in the day, then they will pay for it. The vampires will be the ruling force on this planet. Contrary to what others may think, I feel it’s time to make you a vampire. You should thank me.” I’d heard enough. I balled my hand into a fist and slammed it between his legs. When he doubled in pain, I shot forward to the door. Glad he left it open, I stumbled through the darkness, stubbing my toes all the way. There was no light to guide me, and I tried to 51

remember the layout. The door leading to outside was to the left. Maybe a stairway leading up would be to the right. Before I could turn, the professor had me. He slammed a hand down on head and yanked my hair. My head snapped back so hard, it felt like he’d broken my neck. My breathing was labored. I swung my fists trying to make impact again. He scooped me up to press my body against his. I felt nauseous. “Now, you will join us, my dear.” He sank sharp teeth in my neck. Almost immediately, lethargy poured down over my body, and I went limp. Even without his charm, my thoughts and heart cried out to Seth. I prayed he’d be safe no matter what became of me. **** When I came to, my neck felt like it was on fire. The numbing effect the professor had somehow put on me when he bit me, had worn off big time. I reached up to cradle my neck and found two little puncture wounds side by side. All this time I’d been kept safe, now this. I sat up, peering around the room. It was still dark. Someone had put me back in the bed. The musty smell was present, so I knew I was in the basement. The question was, where were Corbin and the professor? I could hear no movement outside the room. Swinging my feet over the side of the bed, I slid to the edge and tried standing. The room immediately began to spin. I wasn’t sure if I was dead, or rather the walking dead, as Corbin described vampires. My vision certainly hadn’t improved and no hunger for blood was obvious. I was hopeful that the process hadn’t worked, or that the professor had changed his mind. The thought that they could come back any second to finish the job got me moving. I ignored the dizziness, shoved to my feet and felt my way to the door. I had to wrench it open as someone had slammed it hard. Funny how I never heard that while I was out earlier. I paused just outside the room to listen. No sounds came to my ears. I flipped up my sleeve to see the time. It was after midnight. God, I’d been out over twelve hours. A cool evening breeze cooled my over-warm face when I made it outside. Relief flooded my being seeing the pale moonlight. I’d not realized how desperate I was to see again. As I moved toward the trees, in the direction I thought I remembered the dirt road to be, I figured the vampires were out getting their dinner. My stomach turned at the thought. If only I’d awakened earlier, maybe I could get to civilization before they returned. As it was, I imagined they’d been gone since sundown. I was running out of time. Half hour later, I stumbled onto the dirt road and followed it for what seemed like a mile. I kept glancing up into the night sky for signs of the vampires. Corbin had said they could fly. I didn’t want one to drop down on me suddenly. It was terrifying being out there alone, feeling vulnerable to anything stronger than me. At one point, I stopped and stepped into the trees to look for a weapon. If the old movies were true, vampires could be killed with a wooden stake to the heart. Where was a thick piece of wood when a girl needed it?

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I didn’t find anything, so I kept moving. The little twigs were barely an inch in diameter, probably wouldn’t do any harm. I wanted to put as much distance between myself and that house as possible. All too soon the dizziness returned. I began to stagger, and had to stop to lean against a tree along the way. My vision blurred and tears sprang to my eyes. I was terrified that I was finally dying. I’d lost too much blood, though there were no stains on my clothes. I couldn’t feel any dried blood on my neck. It was as if nothing happened to me, that it was all a dream. Except the damn sick feeling that was taking over. When I couldn’t take it anymore, I dropped down to my knees and fell over in the grass. Dirt coated my lips, but the will to brush them clean wasn’t there. Soon I heard something in the still night. I didn’t know what it was, but something was coming. I began to cry in earnest. He was coming to finish me off. The snap of twigs sounded behind me when he landed and walked towards me. I had been blindly searching with my fingers for anything to use as a weapon. He reached me, pulled me over to my back. As he did, my hand gripped something, and I rammed it with all my strength into his chest. Blood spewed from his lips onto my face. I screamed and screamed. Then despair set in all over again because the pungent red liquid seeped into mouth, and it tasted good. With great effort, I heaved his body off of mine. Looking into his face, I confirmed that it was the professor. Now, I’d never be able to ask all the questions that still churned in my mind. Why his wife attacked me as if I had led him astray, why he so readily joined a group that were just using him. For as long as I’d known him, the professor had been a humble man, researching for the sake of helping others. Or so I thought. It didn’t make sense, and it probably never would. I pushed to my feet, still feeling shaky. When I stepped over his prone body, something glittered in the moonlight. I bent down to find it was the pendant the professor had mentioned using to make me contact Seth. I wondered how it worked. Clutching it in my hand, the hurt and loneliness overcame me, having lost the one man I’d ever loved. I pressed my forehead against the jewel while the tears fell. For a long while, I knelt there in the darkness, the moon having moved behind a cloud, and cried out his name. “Seth, I miss you. Why couldn’t you love me, like I loved you?” My heart ached for him. Now I’d really be alone because I was becoming a vampire. How could a werewolf want a relationship with a vampire? And he also had a family of his own in Kai and the baby. I was really feeling the self-pity at that point. I settled my wet cheek into the palm still holding the jewel, and closed my eyes. Almost immediately, like the flash of a person taking a picture in my mind, I saw Seth. I knew it was him, though he was not in human form. He was a full-fledged wolf. I don’t know how I knew it was him, but there was no doubt. Weirder still, I could sense his emotions. He was desperate, hurting...afraid.

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One last time. The thought shot through my mind. Right then, I didn’t care what Seth had done or who he planned to be with and why. If I was going to spend eternity alone as a vampire, then I was going to have one last night in his arms. I pushed to my feet and began my slow trudge through the woods. I don’t know when I left the dirt road or where the main road Corbin and I had traveled on, had gotten to. The only thing I thought of was getting to Seth. Was I sensing his direction? Was the pendant leading me? I didn’t know. I wasn’t even sure if the vision of him was not just a figment of my imagination. I just wanted to get to his side. Soon. When I heard a howl, I started running. He was close. How I prayed the wolf was Seth and not some animal out for its meal. Another thought occurred as I pushed forward. Was Seth fully aware as a human would be when he was in wolf form? Was it the same as a werewolf, the way Kai had been? I hoped so. Red, glowing eyes pierced the darkness. I slid to a halt, my heart threatening to rip open my chest. “S-Seth, is that you?” For a moment, the wolf didn’t move. It watched me warily. Then it transformed into a human. It was Seth, as naked as the day he was born. Without pausing, I threw myself into his arms. Fresh tears fell down my face, and I kissed him through them. At first, he stood still in my arms, holding back. Then his arms came up to crush me to him. His mouth found mine. He lifted me and with hands not quite back to their human form, he ripped at my pants until they were shreds around my ankles. Laying me down in fallen leaves, he entered me forcefully. I wrapped my legs around his waste, demanding every inch to fill me. I wanted it rough and fast. Our bodies moved in unison, as one. I never wanted it to end. “Seth...I...” Finding the right words seemed impossible. He pulled me closer, sensing my desperate need. “Janae, do you want to be at my side always? Do you want to be mine, and me to be yours?” I cried out, “Yes, please. Oh yes.” Before I knew what he was going to do, his teeth sharpened and he bit me, in the same place where the professor had drawn my blood. Panic welled inside. I pounded at his shoulders, struggling to get free. I could only imagine what hideous, twisted creature I’d become, having been bitten by both a vampire and werewolf. The way my world was spinning and the burning in my veins, I figured it meant death. I would never be able to keep Seth. The last thing I thought before I collapsed was that at least I’d be dead in the ground and wouldn’t be aware of my loss love.

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Chapter Twelve When I saw Janae wandering in the forest, my heart soared. Finding her gone, my brother not knowing where she’d disappeared to was a blow. Horrible thoughts ran through my mind, thinking a vampire had gotten to her. I feared she lay dead somewhere in the darkness. Yet, something inside me wouldn’t let me believe she was dead. As I transformed to a wolf to track her, Loch arrived with news that nearly sent me in a frenzy to get to her. “The vampires have her, Seth. My sources say it was a guy named Corbin. I’ve heard he was one of the ones watching her in New York.” Loch’s words had my blood running cold. “You may have seen him. Small, thin, about thirty-something?” I nodded. The description matched one of the guys from the bar, the night I’d tracked down Janae. “Anything else?” Loch hesitated. “Tell me.” “Just before Janae left, Kai visited her.” I had been jogging back and forth, trying to pick up on Janae’s scent. At Loch’s words, I froze, then returned to human form. “Explain!” “When I learned about her visit, I cornered Kai at the Site where she was busy with her latest man. Just as rumor had it, she is pregnant. Due any day from the look of it.” “Do you know whose baby it is?” Loch shook his head. “No, but then she’d had so many men, she probably doesn’t know. At least you know it’s not yours.” I cringed. “Never. I had more than enough of her after finding her in bed with another man months ago. Her lust is apparently insatiable. What was she doing at Janae’s?” “Exactly what you think. Convincing Janae that her baby is yours.” A look of censure came into Loch’s eyes. “Janae had no reason to believe otherwise when you never set the record straight about Kai.” I growled and turned away. Loch was right. I’d been so afraid of what Janae would think of me when she learned I was a werewolf, I’d let her believe a lie. My denial of continuing a relationship with Kai must have sounded weak in the face of my refusal to share all my secrets. And it caused more damage in the process. Only now, when it may be too late, did I feel ready to share everything with her. I closed my eyes, dragging in a deep breath. If they hurt her... “There’s more.”

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I rolled my eyes. “Of course.” “Apparently, there’s another vamp who’s leading the rogue group. They’ve ordered your death and Gracie’s. Gracie’s last trip revealed that they made a Professor John Carter a vampire. That means—” “That he has access to Janae, and she has no reason not to trust him. Damn it.” “The report also said something about controlling thoughts. Do you know anything about that?” “This Professor Carter may have access to something that enables him to control her thoughts.” My heart ached to reach Janae. If I was too late, they’d change her. But I had to know what I was up against. Loch looked surprised. “What do you mean?” “I’ve spent quite a bit of time in the presence of vampires in the last few years. Our alliance with the Bendmore undead has been beneficial in many ways. I know that if a vampire has a certain pendant, he can force another’s thoughts. That pendant was thought to be destroyed when the alien vampire died.” Loch grunted, “I guess someone found it.” “I guess so.” I shifted again to wolf form. “Time to go. Janae is in danger. I feel it.” I searched on through the day, realizing I might never locate her in time, since it was obvious she hadn’t traveled by foot. If she was in a car, her scent would be more faint and harder to trace. Besides, no matter how fast I was, I couldn’t match a car’s speed. She could be long gone. By two the next night, I was losing hope. Once or twice, it felt like she was near, even in my head, but I hadn’t found her. Her scent had grown stronger, but I didn’t allow myself to believe I wasn’t just getting delirious from lack of sleep and having no inclination to hunt, for the first time since becoming a werewolf. When I heard her call to me, I was shocked to look up to find my love standing before me. It didn’t seem possible. Even after she drew me into her arms and kissed me, I couldn’t make myself respond, fearing it was all a dream. Then when her tears touched my face, I crushed her to me, promising myself I’d never let her go again. Making love to her seemed only natural, despite the danger of being in the middle of nowhere and not having my pack with me. How could I not bite her when she agreed to be with me always? It was only after I transferred the curse, that I recognized the tangy taste I knew to be an enzyme from a vampire’s bite. In my studies of them, and from my tasting of Gracie’s blood, I’d learned that vampires carried a numbing agent in their bodies. It was secreted at the bite mark. And it was all over my precious Janae’s neck. Despair was a boulder on my shoulders when she went unconscious and stopped breathing. 56

“Janae!” I cried. “Oh God, please no! Janae, baby wake up!” **** Janae was dead. Had been for four days. Gracie wanted to bury her, to mourn a sister she never got to know properly. I wanted to rip everyone to shreds, to take out my anger and despair on them all. They knew better than to approach me. I’d holed up in Janae’s house, with her body lying peacefully in her bed. I know it was pathetic, but I couldn’t face this dismal existence without her. “Seth, you can’t continue like this. I loved her too,” Gracie reasoned for the millionth time. “She needs to be buried. Look, it’s not your fault. You didn’t know she’d been bitten.” “Get out, Gracie,” I grunted from a chair in the corner. I was in werewolf form. I was nothing but a wild animal, so I might as well stay one. The self-pity in that room was thick. “No!” she yelled. “Pull yourself together, Seth. You’re stronger than this.” I railed on her. “What the hell would you do, Gracie? If that body was Jake’s? Huh? You’re telling me you’d be over it in four days? You wouldn’t blame yourself for killing him? You have no idea what she meant to me. Jake has been by your side from the beginning of this insane lifestyle. Hell, you two think its all fun and games. Well I had to walk alone, after ripping my family to shreds. Now here I am again. I killed another person that I loved. Maybe I deserve to be alone.” “Seth—” “Get out, I said!” My growl and teeth were enough to finally drive her out of the room. She slammed the door behind her, and I slumped back down in my chair to stare at Janae. Her face was sweet in repose. She didn’t even smell bad, wasn’t decomposing. I sighed, and moved to the bed to stroke her hair. Gently, I caressed her face with my fingertips. Her soft skin was still warm. What? I bent closer, “Janae? Baby, wake up. How can you not be decomposing? How can your body be warm if you’re dead? Janae, come back to me.” She didn’t move. “Janae, I love you. I want you to be my wife. I will never lie to you again. You know who and what I am. If you can accept me, I want to spend my life making you happy. Kai means nothing to me. I left her months ago after finding that she was cheating...repeatedly. She lied to you. Her baby is not mine, sweetie.” I waited. No reaction. And then when I bent closer to blurt out anything else that came to mind, her eyes opened. There was no other indication that she was alive.

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“Janae?” “How do you know that you are very fertile if you don’t have a baby by Kai?” she whispered. My heart soared, “Simple. I’m a dog.” She laughed, and it was music to my ears. “Have you been faking all this time?” I asked as I helped her to sit up. She shook her head. “No. I don’t know what or where I was. I was in darkness, and then suddenly I heard your voice. I listened, and it helped me to wake up. Tell me again how you feel about me.” I gathered her onto my lap, squeezing her as tight as possible without hurting her. “I love you, Janae. Oh how I love you, woman.” She giggled. “That’s good. You’ll need all the love you can muster for me, because I’m not too sure what I am.” “What do you mean?” “I’m so thirsty, you look like dinner. Yet, I feel like I could howl at the moon. My blood is on fire, I’ve got this gamey scent in my nostrils and my emotions are way out of whack.” I threw back my head and laughed. I didn’t care what she was, as long as she was mine. “Don’t worry, baby. We’ll work everything out. I’ll make sure you have anything you need.” “Good.” Her voice became rough. Her brown eyes glowed, all of her teeth grew sharp and her smooth skin turned a shimmering purple. She really was something to behold. Rather sexy actually. “I’m thirsty.” A promise was a promise. I tilted back my head, and the love of my life latched on to me, sinking her fangs deep into my neck. I closed my eyes, my shaft hardened at the intimacy of allowing her to feed from me. Thoughts of what it would be like to make love to such an interesting creature, flitted through my mind. When her hand slid down the front of my pants to squeeze my erection, I knew I was about to find out. The enemy vampires were still out there somewhere, including the unknown leader. I didn’t doubt that they’d come looking for Janae again to continue development on her formula. But they’d have serious conflict on their hands once they got a load of my wife-to-be. I was looking forward to the battle, and fighting side by side with this new creation—half wolf, half vampire. THE END

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TuÉâà à{x Tâà{ÉÜ Yvette A. Lynn is the mother of two boys and lives in Baltimore, Maryland. She’s loved reading since before she knew how. She finds that writing gives voice to all the stories just floating around in her head, demanding an outlet. She’s loved to write since middle school and though she gave it up for many years, the heroes and heroines never stopped pushing her to come back. Yvette’s favorite types of books to read are fantasy, paranormal, vampire/werewolf and some types of contemporary. She’s a softy for a romance and loves when it’s both sensual and action packed. To learn more about the author, you may visit her website at www.yvettelynn.com. She loves hearing from both readers and authors.