Authors: Jambrea Jo Jones
Absolution (13 page)
Finding Anabella was like searching for a needle in a haystack. No one in town knew anything about her, and when he showed her picture, he caught a vague sense of recognition but nothing firm. He didn’t know if his being a stranger factored into their response and if the town was circling the wagons to protect their own, or if they really didn’t know anything about the woman.
David had been in town three days, and he knew he would have to call Russ this morning to inform him of his failure. He’d never let his alpha down before, and being the bearer of bad news left a bad taste in his mouth. Hopefully, Russ would tell him to come home, but David feared that would not be the case.
He couldn’t stay in the town much longer. The urge to change to his wolf form rolled over him constantly, but David didn’t want to risk transforming in this unfamiliar place. Frustration at his failure made the urge stronger, and each day he struggled more with the wolf within.
Where the hell could she be?
David waved the waitress over for a cup a coffee. He pulled his phone from his pocket to call Russ, then he caught a scent in the air—a new fragrance, fresh and musky all at once. It smelled like home and set off a hunger he’d never felt before. He turned, trying to locate the source of the essence.
Then he spotted her, and his body went on high alert.
The woman made his heart stop. Beautiful didn’t even begin to describe her. The goddess—all curvy and lush—caused his libido to go haywire, making his cock swell and throb. Usually lust didn’t hit him this hard or fast. It had to be the heavenly aroma coming from the woman. She looked to be close to six feet with long, flowing red hair. He wanted to tangle his hands in it and pull her to him for a kiss. He tried to shake it off, but the urge became stronger, almost like a spell compelling him to go to her.
When she turned around, their eyes locked. He could easily drown in their liquid, green depths. She blinked, and the spell shattered until her tongue darted out to lick her luscious, red lips. He felt his cock swell even more.
Her face turned a beautiful shade of rose. David wondered if she could see the tent his dick created in his pants from looking at her. He got up from his table and took a step forward then hesitated when he noticed her backing away. She slipped out of the diner, but David’s eyes never left her.
It appeared he’d found Anabella Pouge.
Bella felt someone staring at her. She clutched her wolf pendant and turned to look for the source. She spotted the man in the diner, and a wave of lust washed over her body. She couldn’t believe he existed. Her dream man, the man who haunted and teased her, making her want what she knew she could never have. Her knees weakened, and she had to clutch the doorframe. Her face flushed, her body going up in flames from the heat of his stare.
The man had to be over six feet tall with black hair and black eyes. He looked like he’d been painted straight from her fantasy. He even had the scar by his right eye. She wanted to reach out and trace it like she had so many times in her dreams. He’d done things to her she’d never dared allow a living, breathing man to do. Her panties dampened as she thought about him and their night time romps. She had to leave now, because if she didn’t, she would touch him.
She missed a step on her way out of the diner and fell on her ass.
The heat of embarrassment surged up her face, and she glanced around. Of course, her dream man saw her and walked straight towards her, stalking her with a look of lust in his eyes. She tried to scramble up, but the long skirt she wore tangled around her feet. At least she could say this was the first time she’d fallen head over heels for a guy. Bella covered her mouth with her hand to stop the hysterical laughter from bursting forth. She needed to get away.
She couldn’t let him touch her, or she would have a headache for a week. Bella had learned the hard way that a touch from someone caused a weird echo in her head, as if she merged with the other person’s mind. It created a psychic pulse that stayed with her, sometimes causing her to black out. She’d never learned to block it, and that was why she stayed away from people. How stupid to think coming into town would be a good idea.
She managed to get to her feet as her dream man reached out to her, closing the distance. She inched away from him before he could touch her.
“Wait! Stop. I need to talk to you.”
He sounded as wonderful in real life as he did in her dreams, but she couldn’t stop now, no matter how much she wanted that honey-coated voice to wash over her. She needed to get away—fast. She turned and moved towards her car.
“Anabella…wait.”
Those words stopped her in her tracks. How did he know her name? Who was this man?
She turned back around as dread pooled in the depths of her stomach. He rushed forward again, and Bella put out her hand.
“Stop! Don’t move.” Her voice held a slight tremor.
His presence loomed over her, larger than life.
“Who are you, and how do you know my name?” She lowered her arm to her side, relieved when he didn’t make any further move towards her.
“I need you to come with me, Anabella. I’m not going to hurt you.”
Bella backed away, shaking her head. This might be her dream man, but she didn’t know him, and she had no plans of going anywhere with him. She watched movies, and being the dumb bimbo who merrily went along with the killer did not play into her plans.
What is that noise?
She cocked her head as the sound of tires screeching on the pavement caught up to her. She twisted towards it, and her skin began to crawl. A sense of evil washed over her, permeating her very being. She didn’t have time to think about the sensation, because one minute she stood frozen with a car barrelling towards her and the next, dream man hoisted her over his shoulder and ran.
She heard the car’s brakes squeal, and the sedan doubled back, headed their way. She tried to see if the Chevy still aimed for them, but the speed at which he ran forced her head to flop around. He dodged between buildings, carrying her as if her height and weight meant nothing. She had to control herself because she had this weird urge to bite him to see how he tasted.
What the hell was wrong with her? Sure, he’d rescued her, but she still didn’t know him from Adam. Bella hoped she woke up from this dream soon, because these things just didn’t happen to her.
Neither of them had said a word since the tackle, not that she could talk in her position. And it’d all happened so fast, Bella hadn’t notice immediately that she couldn’t hear inside her dream man’s head. No thoughts, no emotions, nothing. Zip, zilch, nada. The foreign feeling had her reeling.
He shoved her into a car. Her head spun, but at least the throb from her visit to town had slowed to a dull roar.
“Get down and don’t move.” Dream man threw the car into gear and raced off.
Bella didn’t react fast enough to his command because her thoughts couldn’t settle. Still flabbergasted, she could only look at him. At her hesitation, he shoved her down onto the floorboard, startling Bella out of her stupor.
“Who are you? How do you know who I am?
What is going on
?” With each word, Bella became more hysterical.
“My name is David. Keep still and quiet so I can concentrate on not killing us both.”
Short and to the point. David. She thought for sure she’d wake up any minute. Bella curled into a ball on the floor, rocking back and forth to calm herself. She didn’t think to fight or defy him. She wanted answers, and he could provide them. She had to give him some credit, he’d saved her life. But that would take him only so far. Everything happened for a reason, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t question his motives. Her parents had always told her to believe yet question, and that was just what Bella intended to do.
David half expected a fight from Anabella. She surprised him when she didn’t try jumping out of the car or attacking him. Well, she couldn’t be too calm. She hadn’t stopped rocking since he’d told her his name.
He glanced into his rear view mirror.
Fuck!
The car still trailed them.
What did this woman mean to his pack, and who wanted her dead?
Hell, what does she mean to
me?
His hard-on still raged. The situation should have caused his erection to wilt, but her scent kept him stirred up.
Goddamn it
. He had to shake himself from his thoughts.
He rounded another corner and felt the car slipping a little. “Fuck!”
He didn’t want to scare Anabella any further, but he didn’t have a choice. He reached into his pocket for his mobile and threw it down to her.
“I need you to dial a number and give that back to me.” David rattled off the digits and waited for her to hand him the phone.
It rang two times before someone answered.
“Zareb, I need a favour. I’ve got a tail I need to get rid of. Can you help, or am I too far away?”
A crash sounded behind them. David looked into the rear view mirror to see the car that had been following them turned over and smoking.
“Thanks, Zar. I owe you one.” David closed the mobile with a snap.
“You can get up into the seat, Anabella. We’re safe for now.”
An hour later, Bella and David pulled into the car park of a hotel.
“I would like some answers, now. I think I’ve been patient long enough. You know who I am. Now tell me what is going on.”
He hated the tremor in her voice, but he couldn’t do anything about it now. Not until he had answers.
“Look, I’m going to get us a room,” he said wearily. “Stay here. Don’t try to run, because I will find you.” He looked deep into her eyes, and she rewarded him with a look of strength he hadn’t expected to see. He hoped his next words didn’t drain her courage. “You can’t run from me.”
David left the car and went into the hotel. He walked up to the counter, worried she’d bolt. It didn’t take him long to get a key. When he looked towards the vehicle, he relaxed. She sat there, waiting. He hurried to the BMW and opened her door.
“Let’s go. I got us a room on the ground floor, and after I make a call, we’ll sit and talk.”
* * * *
Bella sat in a chair by the window so she faced David. “Who are you calling? Does this have anything to do with that Chevy in town?”
He continued to the chair by the room phone without answering.
“Why aren’t you using your mobile?”
He gave her a look and dialled. Apparently, he’d meant it when he said he would talk to her after his call. She gave a deep sigh as he ignored her. She drummed her fingers on her chair as her calm slipped away.
Her head started to pound from the echoes of the people in the next room. She wanted to go home. Usually it took longer for the voices to affect her, but with the day she’d had, the wave of thoughts came at her faster than normal. At this rate, she would pass out before David got off the phone.
The pain usually started with a dull throb and escalated, depending on how many people surrounded her. Tonight, she couldn’t even hear David over the roar in her head, and she really wanted to know the details of that phone call. She wanted to understand, but she couldn’t even focus. She would give anything to block the sounds coming from the room next door. The voices echoed in her head, bouncing around like a marble game she couldn’t win.
“
That’s my hot momma, come to daddy.
”
“
Yes, baby, I like it there, baby. More, more. Harder, harder
.”
“Wait, no, no, no. Stop”
“I want more.”
“
No, stop.”
“Right there. Can’t this lug hurry up, already? Maybe I’ll fake it. I need to get home to my husband. Come on, stud.”
“
Man this bitch is hot.”
It flowed through her head with no end, one voice wrapping over the other.
Bella felt a tap her on her shoulder and jumped. She couldn’t focus her gaze, and David looked fuzzy. She tried to reach up to his face. She wanted to wipe the frown away, but she couldn’t even move her hands.
“Anabella, are you okay? I’ve been calling your name for a couple of minutes. What’s going on?” David looked worried.
“I…can’t…I…” Bella passed out.
About the Author
Jambrea wanted to be the youngest romance author published, but life impeded the dreams. She put her writing aside and went to college briefly, then enlisted in the Air Force. After serving in the military, she returned home to Indiana to start her family. A few years later, she discovered yahoo groups and book reviews. There was no turning back. She was bit by the writing bug.
She enjoys spending time with her son when not writing and loves to receive reader feedback. She’s addicted to the internet so feel free to email her anytime.
Email:
[email protected]
Jambrea loves to hear from readers. You can find her contact information, website and author biography at
http://www.total-e-bound.com
.
Also by Jambrea Jo Jones
