A Love Worth Biting For (6 page)

“I figured that out. So you are here to educate me on being a wolf? I already know what I am. Or what half of me is at least, and thanks to my new mate here, I can tell, my wolf can hold his own. I do not think my control is much of an issue. There was no threat of change last night.”

“There wouldn’t be.” Doc allowed eye contact. The situation was easier now that I was mated. The tension I felt yesterday between him and Jake wasn’t as palpable.

“Yeah. Mating has to be done in human form to take. Our wolves were making sure we didn’t fuck up. Just that we fucked.” Nobody has ever accused me of being dainty.

“She is quite well-spoken, my mate, is she not?” Jake smiled like he hadn’t just insulted me.

“Quit talking about me like I’m not in the room. Get back to the important stuff. You and Doc got all official and proper about who you are to your Family. Who are you?”

Jake stopped mid-chew and swallowed. He looked back and forth between Doc and I, as if he was trying to decide whether or not to spill his big bad secret.

The hell with that
.

“Are you saying that, as my mate, you are going to keep something as basic as
who you are
from me?” Air quotes helped me emphasize how dumb he was being.

Doc knew something about my mate I didn’t, and as the only one in the room who didn’t know the big bad, I was kind of getting ticked off. Alphas, male or female, aren’t known for our long fuses.

“I’m the Protector.”

“Thanks, Mr. Not-At-All-Helpful. I heard that last night. What I don’t know is what that means.” I really was getting sick of everybody around me talking over my head.

Jake’s only response this time was to shake his head. Luckily Doc was beginning to dole out a little information.

“He carries all his Family’s mysteries. Every bit of history. Every willing source. Every previous and future planned relocation.”

“Okay. So he’s the mystery man. Why is that a big deal?” If someone didn’t start explaining what the hell they were talking about, I was going to break something. I glanced at the couch. Well, something else.

“The vampire Family unit will not accept another species knowing these secrets. As my mate, I would not keep them from you, or at least they would not believe I did.”

“Dude. You’re half another species. So what does it matter that I’m all the other species? Prejudice much?” I have a way with people.

“You did not just call me dude.”

I felt like a ping-pong ball, bouncing my attention back and forth between Doc and Jake. At least I’d learned Jake didn’t like being called dude. Which was unfortunate, because I used that word a lot.

Jake let a fabulous little tidbit slip next. His role as Protector was because of some magic that had found its way into his head. It was for life. He told us there was no leaving. Looking at me, he let the big bomb drop. “So you need to become Family. Either that, or they take back my miasma.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad.” I shrugged. So he gave back his woo-woo magic. Big deal.

“They have to remove it from my skull. Along with my brain.”

Ouch
. Okay, so Jake leaving was not a viable option. That left me joining the Family. One problem.

“Can I be turned? I mean, is it even possible? I’m not natural born. Can I go through another change?”

The looks that passed around the room.
Oy
. Basically nobody knew.
Wonderful
. At least I had barbeque sauce for my chicken nuggets.

Chapter Seven

The next morning brought a sunrise, but unlike those fabulous TV dramas, no brilliant ideas had popped into my head during my dreams. I was still stuck with a mate I shouldn’t have, but wanted more and more each time we were near. His touch was like a heady drug that knocked me senseless. I needed some time for my brain to reboot.

Jake was back at the cabin with Doc. I was on campus. Mary had been texting me like a maniac. She was worried I was flaking out. She also was digging for information on Jake.

What the hell could I tell her? I knew I should start pulling away. I always ended up having to sever all ties with humans sooner or later, no matter how much I liked them. That was the problem with hanging with those who weren’t of the paranormal persuasion. Yet every time we moved somewhere, I still made human friends. If I wanted to go all psychology on myself, I could conclude it was a desperate way to reconnect with the humanity I lost. I preferred to think I just happened to run across some really cool humans.

Take Mary, for example. She could sketch anything in her handy-dandy notebook, but she wasn’t an art student. She was majoring in nursing. Said she wanted to help people and do something that mattered. Mary didn’t have much of a family. She had been in foster care most of her life. She blended so well into our Pack when I brought her by that I had thought of turning her. Now, with all this stuff going down, I was glad I had restrained myself.

Lately, Mary was volunteering at the local kids’ hospital. She was working on a mural for their play area. Mary was good people. Good people who didn’t want me to flunk out of school.
How sweet
.

She was sitting beside me as I traced the matemark on my neck and tried to give a rat’s ass about this lecture. I’d ditched the choker on the way to class and just let my long hair be my cover.

To be honest, I needed a distraction. So I was sitting through a general studies class, chewing on my pencil and trying to decide when to show back up around my Pack. I had to smell different, and any wolf would notice my matemark—the fluid lines of that mark were like giant, neon blinking arrows.

Nope. Safer to stay away from supernatural beings as much as possible. My plan had worked through three whole classes. Then Vampire Barbie walked in.

Turns out Shelly was the TA, or more likely had compelled the prof to believe that she was the TA. I had never seen her in that class before, but she damn sure knew I was there. Her eyes found me immediately.
Crap
.

I gauged the exits.
Not too far
. I was sitting in the back row. Too bad my name and a request to stay after class were out of Professor Reagan’s mouth before I got one foot on the stairs.

“I told you, you were gonna catch trouble for missing that project.”

“Thanks. Your astute observations are infinitely helpful.”

“No problem. If you need help with the makeup work, we can hit the library study rooms together.”

Mary spent a lot of time on the third floor of the library. The study rooms were okay, but the hottie who worked on the janitorial staff there was the real reason my bestie was so studious. I knew the guy. He was of the furry persuasion. Not bad to look at, but not my type. I didn’t take kindly to him eying my human buddy the way he did, but that wasn’t my biggest concern at that moment.

As the room emptied and Professor Reagan found himself walking away without the benefit of knowing why, I pulled my wolf tight to me. I didn’t know what this was going to be, but I knew if it turned bad, I would need her strength. Jake’s skin was the toughest I had ever abused, but I wasn’t sure if it was his mixed heritage or the vampy side of him that caused it. Either way, if Vampire Barbie wanted me dead, it wasn’t going to be an easy fight.

“I find I have a little problem.” She reminded me of a shark circling prey as she paced in front of me. I tried not to fidget or check for open wounds.

“Blood stains on your shirt? Use cold water.”

She wasn’t amused. So much for charm.

“Jake is missing. And the last thing I heard was that he had blown off his dinner date to go find you.”

“Oh?” When unsure of what information the enemy had—or whether they were, in fact, the enemy—I find it best to play dumb. With my long, red hair and gum smacking between my teeth I could look the part.

“You reek of him.”

“So that sense of smell isn’t just a wolf thing? Damn. I thought I was special.”

She did that creepy statue-still thing vampires do, while I paced like the caged dog I was.

“Is he still alive?”

“Of course! He’s my ma—”
Crap.

“He’s your what?” She barely moved her mouth. The words sizzled from between her teeth.

“Nothing. I gotta go.” I slapped my palm against my messenger bag. “Class.”

“You will take me to him. I may look young, but I have grown powerful over time. I will see my Protector, or I will slaughter you here. I will have no issue with tearing you apart if harm befell him.”

“Are all vampires this melodramatic and bitchy? Or is it just a hobby of yours?”

Her fist hit me for a first-rate face punch. I had to give her credit for not hesitating. I also had to give myself a minute. My face needed a reboot.

I was resetting my nose as we hiked through the trees toward the cabin. It had already partially healed, so breaking it a second time added a whole other smattering of blood to my not-so-new-anymore tank top.

“He better be unharmed. Or no treaty will save you.”

“You know, you keep jabbering about this treaty. Care to clue me in?”

“No.”

Glad I stopped walking for that friendly exchange. She’d already informed me that I was to produce Jake for her inspection or die by way of a tiny blonde vampire tearing the flesh from my bones in half-inch-wide strips. I didn’t think the building department had it in the budget to get werewolf blood and hair cleaned from their carpet, so being the humanitarian I am, I decided to escort my new sister-in-law to a meeting with my mate.

I was extra convinced when I tried to run, and she knocked me unconscious for a few with her fist.

The cabin came into view, and Doc and Jake were out front chopping firewood. Actually they were busy hacking up the pieces of the old couch to use as firewood. We had really thrashed that thing. We might as well make use of the pieces.

They both had their shirts off, but my eyes were glued to the hard planes of Jake’s chest. Muscles flexed as he swung the ax and accidentally sliced through both the piece he meant to cut and the steadying base below. Our eyes met as he looked up and brushed back the hair that had fallen out of place. I was still a good hundred feet away, but the “oh shit” that formed on those lips was easy to pick up.

Nose twitching, his expression went dark, and a nanosecond later he was at my side. I should say front, because he had my face in his hands and was looking for any injuries.

“Are you okay? Who did this? I will dismember them.” Jake took my elbow. He didn’t squeeze. It was like he didn’t want to hurt me more, but I had already healed.

“Awww. Honey, you say the sweetest things. But I doubt you want to dismember your little sister here. We just had a discussion, and after I came to, I decided she needed to see you. So here we are. Who wants beer? I do. Doc stocked the fridge like he promised, right?”

“Shelly did this? She would never harm you. She is not that unintelligent. The treaty would have her life for that.” Again he was spouting about things that were outside my knowledge base.

I pulled back and waved an arm behind me toward the little Vampire-Barbie statue. “Are we going with the theory that she fell on me with her fist?”

Shelly stepped forward. She wanted to be acknowledged. I wanted her to head back to her coffin.

“I thought she had you. I thought you were harmed. The treaty would have been void. I broke no code. Now that I have found you, we can go home.”

Jake looked at me. What, as the uninformed mate, I all of a sudden had something crucial to add?
Fuck that
. “I said I wanted beer. You two can discuss all the stuff I’m not meant to know. I’ll be inside trying to find clean clothes and something alcoholic.”

Now if my mate were a chivalrous wolf, he would have either told me to stay or followed me in. But my hybrid mate agreed and stayed outside to chat at the grownup table. So I did what any mature, even-tempered woman would do. I broke shit.

Chapter Eight

It was a good thing the grownup table walked through the door when they did. I was about to work back up into another round of throw-things-against-the-wall. Doc was working on sweeping up some of the damage, and I was headed to help him, but when a certain perky blonde was the first one into the cabin, I paused to consider if I could throw her first.

“I can see you’re living in a lovely environment, Jacob. No wonder you’re reluctant to leave.”

Vampire Barbie’s little snide comments would have gotten her ass kicked were it not for the slight intonation in her voice. She wasn’t looking down at me. There was something in her voice—in her stance—that clued me in on something I hadn’t seen before. Acceptance.

Weird
. I still wanted to rub permanent marker on her perfectly blood-free clothes, but I refrained from more destruction. I could always key her car later.

Jake came to my side and looped an arm around my waist. His skin blazed against mine. He still had no shirt on, and I couldn’t help licking his shoulder before resting my head there. His skin was salty. Guess hybrids sweat. He tasted musky and manly, and when the surface of his arm erupted in gooseflesh, I wanted to taste more. The destruction had left me a bit calmer. I felt better, and I never really liked that lamp anyway.

Shelly’s nose wrinkled. Her cute mannerisms would have grated on me more were I not licking my mate. “What is that smell?”

“Mating pheromones. It’s a common occurrence in mated wolves. Lets all of us know to stay back. They’re taken.” Doc had trailed in before I chucked the ugly bubble lamp at the wall. He had helped clean up that. And the end table. And the radio. And a few dishes.

“No wonder you stay back. It’s not exactly the most pleasant smell.”

“I think your sister just said you stink.” I whispered to Jake as Shelly and Doc discussed the mating situation.

“How do you know it’s not you?”

“I am a fragrant flower of womanhood. You’ve been chopping wood all day. It’s you.” Actually it was both of us. Mating pheromones are only attractive to your true mate once the bonding has occurred. Because Jake and I had done the whole bite and claim dance, we both thought the other had a very attractive cologne. To any other shifter, and apparently vampire, we smelled like a shower was in order. One of those evolutionary fail-safes to prevent fighting among Pack.