Bound (Wolf in Exile Part 5): Werewolf Shifter/Vampire Paranormal Romance (3 page)

T
he water showering
down on his body had run cold about five minutes ago, yet Thane stood there under the streams, allowing it to calm the tension in his body. It did nothing to wash away his worries or put him at ease, however.

He sensed a light chill creep into the bathroom, and then Kalena’s sweet feminine scent followed. Thane glanced up just as she entered their large master bath. Her white see-through negligee complimented her honey-kissed skin. The garment was so short that it barely reached her mid thigh. The image was all a blur through the foggy glass, but Thane got an instant erection.

Kalena had become relentless in her sexual pursuit of him. Heck, when he was wolf, she’d had a high sex drive. Now, she wanted sex morning, noon, and night. Apparently, a vampire’s pheromones were highly addictive. It was the main reason why vampires thrived despite the fact that they hadn’t officially come out. One taste of a vampire, whether it was through sex or just the mere act of kissing, and a person would submit freely whenever the vampire called. Thane hadn’t bitten Kalena for this reason. Despite her constant offers. Had she submitted to be bitten because of his lure, or was she hell-bent on becoming what he was?

Thane slid the sliding glass doors of the shower open and caught a full glimpse of her beauty. He grinned when she gazed down at his cock and licked her lips.

She pushed her straps down her shoulders. “Do you need some help?”

“Yes, but the water is chilly. I don’t want you to get cold.”

“Come out,” she said and then turned to reach for the oversized towel hanging on the rack.

He switched the water off and walked out into the waiting towel she held open for him. She started with his chest, drying the water from every inch of his skin. As she encircled him and pressed the towel to his wet skin, her fingers traced along his body. By the time she’d finished, his cock was so hard the veins along his shaft had filled themselves to the max.

“Sit down.” She pointed to a bench near the shower stall.

“Kalena…”

“I don’t want to talk,” she stated and then knelt down between his legs.

She cupped his balls with her palm and then wrapped her tiny fingers around his cock. She kissed his cockhead gently then slid her mouth down the length of him.

“Shit.”
He grabbed at the edge of the bench and closed his eyes.

Soon the bathroom was filled with his moans and the sound of her lips suctioning his wet, hard cock. Her tongue felt so good against his rigid shaft that he let a little piece of control slip away. He grabbed her hair, his fingers rubbing against the base of her scalp and pumped up into her mouth. When she lifted her gaze to catch his, the intimacy and telltale signs of lust in her irises brought him to the edge. A climax blasted through him and his seed spilled into her mouth. She took all of him, milking and licking him until not a drop of semen was left.

She straddled him, laced her fingers around his neck, and kissed him. He returned the kiss, tasting her sweet lips mixed with his own flavor until he was hard again. She was already wet and slid down him with ease. Just as she reached the base, he pushed up into her to the hilt, making her cry out. He bent his head to suck her nipples. They were soft and tender and more than filled his hands when he cupped them. His fingers dug into the flesh of her plump ass as she rode him, rocking her hips in a decadent rhythm. She was in control, taking him deep within her sex over and over again.

When he released her tight nipple, he caught her gaze and saw his own savage expression staring right back at him, reminding him of who he was and what he had become. His fangs pinched into his bottom lip and his eyes flashed with hunger. He dropped his gaze to her pulsing jugular and swallowed.

Kalena smiled wickedly, her irises clouding over with passion. It was as though she knew he wanted her in a way that defied all logic.

For a moment, he tuned out everything but Kalena. The sounds of pleasure escaping her mouth. Her sweet scent mixed with the seductive draw of her arousal. The thrumming pulse of the skin just covering the vein he wanted to devour. The soothing sound of blood rushing through her body.

His mouth watered. His gums tingled as his fangs lengthened.

He buried his face into the crook of her neck and inhaled deeply. They embraced each other as she worked her sex with a slow grinding force that drove him crazy.

As he’d become accustomed to doing, he slid his tongue across the vein, tasting her sweat and her skin. He was so close to biting her. He could literally taste her blood through the shield of delicate skin that lay across her jugular. Fuck, he knew she’d be as sweet as the finest fruit. Just one nip and he could break the skin. Just one bite and her blood would flow freely…

And so would all her old memories. Every last one of them.

He pulled his fangs back into his gums and tilted himself so that his shaft stroked against her clit. Her lips parted and she held firmly to the back of his neck as he gave her pleasure that rendered her speechless, unable to counter his refusal to feed on her.

Kalena cried out his name when her climax came. He reacted to her pleasure, his balls drawing up tightly, flooding with his seed, which then surged up into her. His orgasm shuddered through him with the same intensity in which he adored her.

“Beautiful,” he breathed, kissing her lips gently. “I love you, Kalena. Never forget that.” He wanted her to know just how much. Their love held them together. When all else failed, love would bind them forever. Nothing else. Not a memory. Not a bite. Only love.

She laid her head on his shoulder, her breaths coming in uneven sprints as she recovered. “My life feels complete with you in it,” she said.

Thane kissed the top of her head. He would protect her with everything he had, but she deserved the truth. He’d have to tell her soon about the beast lurking in the darkness, and about why he was so protective of her and his children. For now, he wouldn’t steal her joy or deny her pleasure.

“
D
o you have any children
, David?” Kalena asked Thane’s friend, now the triplets’ godfather, as he rocked Katara and Taylor in his arms. Both babies were fast asleep, but for some reason, Toby wanted to explore. Apparently, he wanted more playtime with his blocks. As the youngest and smallest of the triplets, he was the most active.

“Naw. Never wanted any, but I can see what I’ve been missin’.” David grinned down at the babies. “I joined the Navy and served for most of my life. There wasn’t much time for all that. And then when I retired, I went lookin’ for adventure and found trouble instead.”

“What kind of trouble?”

“The kind of trouble that gets you thrown into a shifter prison, that’s what.”

“I never asked you about why you ended up there,” Kalena said.

“A fight in a shifter bar over a woman. Stupid, I know, but I wasn’t the one pursuin’ the woman. She came on to me. I guess the guy needed to prove himself to his Pack so he approached me for a fight. Imagine bein’ surrounded by a group of men who circled you like prey? At the time, I didn’t know they were wolves shiftin’ back and forth into men, but once I was accused and thrown into Area S2, I figured it all out. I saw it all. I hid in a small area pretty well and kept to myself until Thane came along.”

Kalena shook her head. “What were you accused of, exactly?”

“I was forced to protect myself and I was prepared to do it in any way I knew how. My military trainin’ kicked in during the attack while the guy had the upper hand. I didn’t want to fight. I just wanted to get the hell outta there without gettin’ my ass whooped. I picked his lightweight ass up and cracked his spine across my knee. I only meant for it to immobilize him while I got away, but he ended up bein’ in a coma for a short while and not able to function. When he woke up, it didn’t take long for the guy to point me out in a lineup and claim that I started the fight. He’s paralyzed now. A wolf who can’t shift. I ain’t meant for it to happen that way, but I damn sure wasn’t gonna let ‘im kill me. After the breakout, I was cleared of my sentence when Thane took a seat at UCON.”

“How long was your sentence?”

“Five years.”

“That’s unfortunate,” she offered. “But I’m glad you’re out now.”

“Thanks to you for getting through to Thane,” he said.

“I’m glad he didn’t give up after all.”

“Me, too.”

“Did you take the shifter DNA?”

“Naw. I figure I’ll just go on and die when my time comes. I’m not afraid. That doesn’t mean I’m not loyal to Thane and his people.”

“You’re a good man, David.” Kalena smiled and then got up to follow baby Toby across the room. He’d somehow made it all the way to the large bay windows of the nursery. He held on tight to the windowsill and his chubby little legs wobbled as he tried to peek out of the glass.

As Kalena bent down to pick him up, she saw a strange woman pull up into the driveway in a red Jeep. She must have appeared as a casual visitor to the guards because they had opened the iron gates to let her in.

The woman parked the truck and got out. She was impeccably dressed in the same blazing red color as her Jeep. The guards on duty had her surrounded, but she appeared to laugh and chat with them like she knew them. She wore a black wool coat over her dress and red stiletto heels. Despite the winter season, she also wore large black sunglasses. She moved gracefully, and sex appeal oozed off of her as she talked with the guards. The guards’ expressions were both confused and utterly fascinated at the same time. Any man would stare at the blonde bombshell in the driveway, but…

An ominous turbulence gathered low in Kalena’s belly. Something didn’t seem right about this. Who was this woman? No unidentified woman had ever visited here before. Thane wouldn’t keep secrets. What was going on?

“David…?” Kalena whispered without turning her gaze away from the suspicious gathering in the driveway.

“Yeah? Has Thane got visitors again? I could have sworn folks weren’t arrivin’ ‘til next week…” His voice trailed off.

“There’s a visitor, but I don’t feel right about it.” Finally, Kalena tore her gaze away enough to scoop Toby up in her arms. “Will you take my babies to the safe house?”

“Safe house? What? What the hell?” David looked up, startled.

“I don’t recognize the woman downstairs.” Kalena sat Toby in a twin baby carrier and then took Katara away from David to sit her in the other empty harness.

David rose with Taylor still in his arms and was about to maneuver off into the direction of the window, but Kalena caught his arm. “Don’t…I know something isn’t right. Please, just take them.” She held up the carrier.

“All three of them?” he asked reluctantly but stood there while she buckled the straps to his shoulders.

“Yes,” Kalena said. “You have to go. Please.” She pushed him out of the door. “Use the back door. You remember where to go, right?”

He nodded backing out of the room. “Yeah, Thane showed me months ago.”

“Then go!”

“What about you?” he asked.

“Just take my babies and go. This has nothing to do with them.”

A door from the upper level opened. Once David heard it, he was out of Kalena’s sight in a split second.

Kalena grabbed the gun Thane had given her for protection, stuffed it into the waistband of her jeans, and walked toward the voices down the hall.

When Kalena reached the corner hallway near the great room, two of the housemaids were escorting the woman around.

“Oh, how lovely! I love this home. It’s so…I don’t know…
grand
,” the woman said in a thick southern accent. “I couldn’t resist coming out here early to congratulate the couple.”

Kalena swallowed, utterly confused. What was the woman talking about?

“Did you bring any bags? We weren’t expecting anyone until next week, but we never turn guests away,” one of the maids asked.

“Bags? Oh, my bags…I left them out in the car. I’ll get them later,” the woman said sweetly. Her tone of voice was stale and pretentious. “Where’s the happy couple?”

“Well, Thane is—”

Before the maid could say another word, Kalena stepped around the corner and revealed herself. “Hello.”

The woman swiveled around instantly, nearly spinning on her stilettos. The maids had already put away her coat and sunglasses. She was slim and tall. Her graceful posture reminded Kalena of a movie star posing for a picture. Her pretty face and mouth still remained pleasant, but her eyes told a different story. Her irises had almost turned black, which was a stark and unnatural reaction for a fair beauty. And there was no doubt…the woman was beautiful.

“Ilene is an early guest. She says she came all the way from Texas,” Nora, the maid, said. “We’ll prepare a room right away for her.”

“An early guest for what?” Kalena asked.

“Oh…you don’t know? Well bless your heart.” Ilene drawled. Then she laughed like a heathen.

Kalena felt sickened. “I’m sorry, but I don’t believe we’ve met.”

“No, sugar. We haven’t met before, and we have some catching up to do.” Ilene shook her head and pursed her lips. “You must be Kalena—the bitch who killed my lover.”

T
hane had just left
the main building of Silex Pharmaceuticals when his cell phone rang. His caller ID displayed the number from his residence. He answered immediately.

“Thane. It’s Constance. Your guests are arriving early.” She sounded panicked.

“What? No one should be arriving for a few days now. How many?”

“Well, just one, but the new linens you ordered last week aren’t here yet. If more people come early, we’ll be out of linens,” she urged.

Constance was known for overreacting, but she kept his house in order and virtually spotless.

“Calm down,” Thane said, softly. “You said only one person has arrived so far. That doesn’t mean everyone who will be staying with us will come early too. Who is it?”

“Oh…” Constance breathed heavily. “I don’t know her, but I told Nora to check the guest list. A pretty lady with a Texan accent. A shifter…”

Thane’s phone buzzed, indicating that he had another call. He glanced down quickly to see Jugkar’s name flashing on the screen. The young wolf shifter called Thane just about every other day now. He liked to talk, even if it was just to hash stuff out with Thane, especially if he was coming to a roadblock where the old Silex information system was concerned. The guy was a genius when it came to hacking into secret databases. It wasn’t odd that Jugkar was working over the holidays either.

“Silex, are you there?”

“Yes, I’m still here, Constance. I have a call on the other line. Do what you have to do in order to make any early guests comfortable. Everyone knows about the surprise. Just not Kalena. Not yet. Call the linen company and have them expedite the shipping.”

“Yes, sir.”

Thane switched over to the other call. “This is Thane.”

“It’s Jugkar. Are you seated?” Jugkar’s rushed tone came through the line.

“No, I was in the labs at Silex talking to some scientists about some of the old formulas. I’m walking out now.”

“Oh, man…you won’t believe what I uncovered.” The wolf’s giddy excitement flowed through the phone.

Thane stopped in his tracks. He knew Jugkar too well. When the man got excited, it meant he’d discovered some major dirt.

“What’s going on?” Thane asked.

“Man, I don’t even know if I can explain this in words. You’ve gotta see it.”

“I’m scheduled to be at UCON in thirty minutes. Can you sum it up, or should we schedule a meeting tonight.”

“It seems that Gavril recently bought a home down in Texas using a fake alias and the proceeds from a now defunct trust fund company. But get this…?”

“Yeah?” Thane pressed the cell phone tightly to his ear.

“There’s a woman living in the home by the name of Illene Northman. She’s been living there for years.”

“Northman? Why does that sound familiar?”

“Illene Northman is Upir’s stepdaughter. She’s one of us, Thane. She’s a shifter who can’t shift.”

Thane’s fingers shook and the phone almost slipped out of his sweaty palms. A dry lump rose in his throat. He had forgotten to breathe and his lungs burned. His phone buzzed again, but he didn’t even bother to check caller ID or answer this time.

“You there?” Jugkar asked.

Disturbing images from the day of Thane’s struggle with Gavril flashed through his mind. He could do nothing to erase them. All of the memories flooded back as the worst-case scenario played out before him.

Thane frowned and his blood quickened. “Gods, no…”

He dropped his arms to his sides, mustered all the power within him, and teleported to his home using the speed of light.

“
Y
our lover
?” Kalena shuffled backward. Her earlier suspicions were finally making sense.

“Don’t play stupid. You know very well who I mean,” Illene said.

“Gavril?”

“Bingo,” she said, taking several steps forward.

“Oh, God,” one of the maids cried out. Another raced for the door.

“Stop right there!” Illene demanded. “Take another step and I’ll claw both of your faces off.”

Kalena reached for the gun near her waistband.

“Don’t run now. Where’s that twin of his?”

“None of your business,” Kalena replied.

“Gavril and I really had a good thing going until his brother messed everything up. Until you put a bullet in his head. You two have ruined everything for me. All of my stepdad’s bank accounts were wiped cleaned by UCON after he was murdered and now I have nothing. That’s no way to honor a deceased Council member now is it?”

Kalena’s mouth dropped open and she felt nauseous.

“Oh, don’t look so shocked. The rumors always come around. You got involved and threw yourself into an argument between two brothers. You killed a legend. An innovator. We were to mate. We were to be together forever.” She frowned.

“I killed a murderer,” Kalena stated.

“No!”

Kalena didn’t miss the deep growl that erupted with Illene’s outburst. The woman’s eyes were still as black as coal.

“We finally came into our own and became who and what we were born to be, and Thane couldn’t stand it. He was no innovator like his brother. He let you kill Gavril and did nothing to stop you. His own blood brother.”

Kalena saw tears pooling in Illene’s eyes and it looked like the woman would cry.

“Illene…Gavril murdered his parents. You know that, right?”

“Why bring that up?” she shouted, her eyes bulging. “They favored one son over the other because of circumstances. They treated Gavril like an illegitimate child because he couldn’t shift. You have no idea what it feels like to be…so…different. Gavril’s parents deserved death. I was the one who nurtured Gavril all those years they cast him aside. He could have been anything he wanted. Anything! And you both killed him…so both of you will die. There will be no surprise bonding ceremony. I want you both in the ground.”

Illene growled and her body began to rumble uncontrollably. The whole situation was like deja vu to Kalena as she realized that Illene was about to shift. But into what? A wolf? Or a beast?

Kalena grabbed her gun and aimed it. She was tired of this. Tired of having to choose between life and death for herself…and for someone else.

Illene laughed hysterically as her body began to shape and morph into something ugly and animalistic. The sharp tone carried through the living space like an echo.

“Shoot it!” one of the maids yelled out.

Before Kalena could follow through, the beast slapped the gun out of her hand and it landed on the floor more than six feet away.

One of the maids dived for the gun. The beast lunged and clawed the innocent woman across the back, and she stayed down.

Without a weapon to subdue the beast, Kalena was pretty much toast. There were more guns in the storage ottoman in the next room, but she had to get to them first.

The beast was clumsy and slow, but she was big enough to eat up the distance to get to Kalena. The beast barreled into her and pushed her forcefully into the wall. Kalena’s teeth rattled in her mouth and she tasted blood as she bit her tongue.

Eyes as black as coals stared at her. Kalena barely recognized Illene in there. It was like the beast had taken over completely.

Kalena saw fireflies and blinding light. Sparks of red and black. Everything would be okay because she knew her babies were out of harm’s way. Nothing else mattered.

One minute it felt like the air was being squeezed right out of Kalena, forcing her to give up. In the next, a gust of cold air whizzed across her. The beast was no longer holding her to the wall.

She opened her eyes at the very same moment Thane clawed the beast in the gut.

The beast squealed, nearly shattering every piece of glass around them.

Kalena grabbed the wall and panted furiously as her lungs refilled with air.

Streams of blood cascaded down Thane’s arm where he had punctured through the beast’s gut. The beast shook violently until fur retreated and soft creamy skin began to expose itself again. Illene emerged once more as the beast faded away.

A horde of other bodies had rushed into the home. A mix of vampires and wolves. Kalena didn’t bother to identify any of them as she watched Illene let go of her beast and become a weak, docile woman.

“What are you?” she asked Thane.

“What does it matter?” Thane replied.

“Vampire…” Her lips parted and her eyes fluttered as if she would faint from the revelation.

“I am no longer inferior. Don’t you see what greatness Gavril has achieved?”

“No, but I will see,” he said and grabbed her neck. “The truth…”

“No…” Illene shook her head, quickly. “You can’t bite me.”

“I died once over this,” Thane said. “No more.”

Illene’s clothes were in rags about her body and she struggled against Thane’s iron-clad grip. His fangs doubled in length as he held her several feet off the ground. She gasped right before Thane sunk his fangs deep into her shoulder.

Illene’s feet kicked defiantly about as Thane drank her blood. He had searched for the truth about why his brother had done what he’d done for so long. His expression looked sour through the feeding, taking putrid memories he didn’t want. But they were memories that would bring closure. When Thane pulled his fangs from Illene’s neck, he dropped her to the ground where she landed like a boneless waif at his feet.

“Get her out of my sight before I kill her,” he threatened.

Luxar, who must have teleported into the room sometime during the ordeal, stepped up to the woman. “Illene Northman, you’re under arrest. Until your punishment has been decided, you’ll spend your time in a vault.”

Four vampires lifted Illene up off the floor and shackled her with iron cuffs. As they carried her away, it appeared that she had no strength left to fuss or struggle.

Kalena rushed toward Thane and he instantly embraced her.

“I don’t know what I’d do if I ever lost you,” he said.

“You would live on and take care of our children.”

Thane lifted his head. “Are they upstairs?”

“No, they’re with David. He got them out of the house in time. I couldn’t risk it. I didn’t recognize her at all.”

“Good. You did the right thing.” He kissed her lips. “I’m so sorry this happened.

“It wasn’t your fault,” she replied. “Now we have some closure.”

“Yes, we do.” Thane nodded.

Luxar who had stood off to the side patiently, moved in to stand near them. “What did you see?”

“Illene was Gavril’s main supporter. It had been her idea to introduce inner fighting in the prison rings. Collecting the dead bodies after the killings was their solution to overpopulation and suddenly they had unlimited access to shifter DNA without the threat of rumors being spread.”

Luxar rubbed his chin. “Makes sense. If the shifters were dead, they couldn’t ask why their blood was needed.”

“After Gavril created a successful formula, he used his abilities against innocents and murdered dozens in both human and beast form. Illene kept herself in check before she found out Gavril was dead, and then she just went berserk. The vampire we found slaughtered in the field is one of many she killed. It gave her a thrill to take down a creature she would never have been able to take down before if it weren’t for Gavril’s formula.”

“Are there any other beasts like Gavril and Illene?” Luxar asked.

“None that I could see. But Gavril was good at hiding things, even from those close to him.” Thane exchanged knowing glances with Luxar. He was certain this incident would result in lengthy discussions at a future meeting.

Luxar stepped back and excused himself. “I’ll leave for now while you comfort your family,” he said. “I’ll be back in a few nights, of course.”

“Thane?” Kalena lifted her gaze to meet his. “You forgot to tell me that we were expecting guests.”

His expression softened. “It was supposed to be a surprise.”

“A surprise of what exactly?”

“You’ll see.” He slid his fingers through hers and squeezed her hand gently. “Let’s give David a call and make sure our babies haven’t run him raggedy.”

Kalena smiled. “That sounds like something he would say.”