Eternal Pleasure (17 page)

While she ate, she watched the men on the stage. After a few minutes her imagination replaced them with Ty’s image. The fantasy felt way too good. So she turned to Jude. “You’re a pirate tonight.”

“Tonight’s the three hundred eleventh anniversary of my turning. I lived and died a pirate.”

While she was trying to wrap her mind around his age, Ty got down to business. “You wanted to talk to us.”

“My people are turning rogue or getting killed in record numbers. I’ve checked in other parts of the country, and they report the same thing. When I talked to Fin, I didn’t know the full scope of the problem. Now I do.”

Ty nodded.

“Last night I found a friend I’d known for two hundred years dead in his home. His body was on the bed, his head under it. I tracked down his killer. He was a Houston vampire who’d disappeared off the radar a few months ago.” His face became all harsh lines and angles. “Before he died, the killer confessed to working for a Mr. Wyatt in exchange for being granted his own hunting territory.” Jude’s lips peeled back in a snarl. “Hunting license revoked.”

“Hunting territory?” Kelly put down her fork. Somehow she knew this wouldn’t be an appetizing disclosure.

“This Wyatt guy gave him a small area in Houston where he could kill and feed from humans. He said Wyatt guaranteed his protection as long as he stayed in his own territory. In exchange, he murdered for Wyatt.”

Kelly stared down at her lamb. Ugh. After listening to Jude, she was feeling seriously lamblike herself. Couldn’t eat a relative.

Q wasn’t having that problem. He only paused in his eating long enough to throw a question at Jude. “What’s your plan?”

“You got lucky when you found that vampire at the club. It won’t happen again. They’ve been warned. You won’t find any of the ones you’re looking for at clubs where humans go.”

“Makes sense.” Ty’s appetite wasn’t suffering either.

“You don’t know the secret clubs in the city that cater to nonhumans. I do.”

“And?”

Kelly didn’t think she’d ever seen anyone enjoy a meal as much as Ty was enjoying his.

“I thought I could handle this by myself, but it’s too big
for me. Especially when I don’t know which of my people I can trust.”

She knew what was coming.

“I want to hunt with you.” Jude’s smile was beautiful and totally deadly.

“Is this it?” If not, Ty decided, he’d get out of the SUV and walk the rest of the way. He wasn’t used to sitting in small enclosed spaces. And he was tired of the lamb smell from the meals Spin and Neva had eaten in the car. Besides, being close to other predators ramped up his aggression. It wasn’t uncontrollable, but he had to work at keeping it to a low growl.

“Yep. There’s the Museum of Natural Science on the other side of Hermann Circle Drive. And this is Hermann Park.” She pulled into a parking space and stopped. “If it wasn’t close to midnight we could visit the museum and you could say hi to the skeletons of your peers.”

Just what he needed. A bunch of skeletons to remind him of what a dinosaur he really was. Dinosaur as in out of date and obsolete. He’d spent most of the time they’d been at Eternal Pleasure concentrating on his food so his other hunger wouldn’t embarrass all of them. Kelly’s silky pants and sexy top had made him want to drag her onto the floor and…

She looked over at him, eyes wide and startled.

Damn, he was broadcasting again. With a grunt of disgust, he climbed from the SUV, stretched, and tried to focus on the wolf they’d be meeting.

Kelly glanced back at Neva. “Stay here and keep your head down. No one will be able to see you in the dark. If this guy’s willing to help, we’ll come get you.”

Neva gave a wolfy sigh and put her head on her paws. She filled most of the back of the SUV.

Ty scanned the area. No other cars. “Looks like we got here first.”

Q joined him. He lifted his head and sniffed. “Yeah, we’re alone.”

“So we just hang in the woods in case you need some muscle?” Spin looked like he was hoping for an all-out werewolf attack.

Ty sympathized. None of them was used to sitting around. Sometimes he thought if he didn’t get more action, he’d explode. “You got it. Probably just showing yourself will work. Fin’s still pissed about what happened in Memorial Park.”

He watched Kelly get out of the SUV. Those shoes didn’t look like they’d take her far.

She closed the door. “I’m not locking it. Cars with werewolves inside rarely get stolen.”

Ty grinned before turning to the two men. “We got here early and lucked out. No one else has arrived. Get into the woods and just stay close enough to hear what’s going on.”

With their enhanced hearing, Q and Spin wouldn’t have to risk discovery by getting too close. And they were hunters. They knew enough to stay downwind of the pack leader. Ty didn’t have a clue whether werewolves retained their keen sense of smell when they were in human form. He hoped not.

Ty watched the men fade into the darkness. Then he turned to Kelly. “Let’s stand a short distance away from the SUV. When whoever is coming shows up, we don’t want them even thinking about looking inside.”

She nodded, and they walked away from the car in
silence. Once they stopped, the silence continued. The memory of last night filled Ty with a ton of conflict. He wanted to talk about it, but he wasn’t sure what Kelly’s expectations were. Maybe going into graphic detail about how she’d blown him away would make her uncomfortable. Fin had dumped a lifetime of knowledge into his head, but he’d missed the finer points of human emotions. Probably because emotions weren’t important to Fin.

“Jude gave his club an interesting name. Eternal Pleasure. What a great concept.” Kelly didn’t look at him as she spoke.

“Yeah. Great concept.” Eternal sex with Kelly. He couldn’t even begin to…Ty stopped. No, last night hadn’t just been about having sex, at least not the version he was used to.

“What’re you thinking?”

Ty wished she hadn’t asked that question. “I was thinking that last night was the first time I’d made love. Yeah, I mated back then, but it was one dimensional. A physical release. The end. But that was okay, because my animal mind was one dimensional too. Tired—rest. Hungry—kill. Last night had layers. All my senses got into it. And I never had that kind of…reaction before.” Must be something in his male DNA that wouldn’t let him say the word “emotional” out loud.

She looked puzzled. “Well, yeah, me too. But you were bound to have an intense experience. I mean, sixty-five million years is a long time.”

Should he mention that time wasn’t a factor in a T. rex’s mating urge? A minute or a month apart, his enjoyment of sex was always the same. But last night had been different.

He never got a chance to say anything because a pickup pulled into the parking lot and stopped next to them. A man got out. Looked pretty ordinary to Ty.

The guy stopped in front of Kelly. “I still don’t know your name, but I’m Travis.”

“Kelly. And this is Ty.”

Travis smiled, but his eyes looked wary. “I’ll take you to the meeting place.” He turned and started walking toward the woods.

“Where’s your leader?” Ty didn’t like surprises.

Travis glanced back. “He’ll be along in a few minutes. He’s not too trusting. Wants to make sure you followed the rules.”

Ty understood that. He’d take the same precaution. His gaze slid to Travis’s hand. The one he had shoved into his jacket pocket. “Got something in your pocket you want to keep your fingers on?”

“Panic button. Anything goes wrong and I press it.”

“And then?” Ty figured there might be a gun in one of those pockets too. He glanced at Kelly. Did she have Q’s gun in the coat she’d slipped on? He had to start thinking like a human. Bringing a weapon had never occurred to him. He
was
a weapon.

Travis shrugged. “Help comes.”

“Smart idea. So you’re like the canary in the coal mine. If you go down, your leader knows there’s danger.”

“Yeah. Something like that.” Travis didn’t look too happy about Ty’s comparison.

Travis didn’t know that he had a panic button too. It was in his head and it was called Fin. Ty hated keeping his mental link open, but he understood why Fin had demanded he do it. If things ever got out of hand—read Memorial Park—Fin could channel some of his power to Ty. And Fin didn’t give a damn that he was trampling all over Ty’s pride by hinting that there might be a situation he couldn’t handle by himself.

Travis turned away and continued walking.

Kelly elbowed him in the ribs. “Did you have to antagonize him?” Her voice was a whispered hiss.

“Yes. People say things when they get mad. Things they wouldn’t say if they were thinking straight.”

She stared at him as though she’d discovered something new about him. Not something good either. “You approach every stranger you meet as a potential enemy, not a friend.”

“It’s kept me alive. With what’s happening in Houston, you’d be smart to cultivate a healthy dose of suspicion too.”

Kelly looked troubled. “I hope I never get that cynical.”

Ouch. More proof that they came from different worlds. She took everyone at face value. He never would. A good example was this Travis guy. She’d given him a chance to talk to her back in Memorial Park. Ty would’ve killed him before he got his mouth open.

They fell silent as they followed the werewolf. This wasn’t real woods, just a stand of trees. Travis stopped at the first clear space they reached.

Then they waited.

Ty sensed his coming. And he wasn’t alone. Ty hadn’t expected him to be. Wolves were pack animals. Their leader wouldn’t hold an important meeting without the pack. Ty didn’t see any reason to object. He hadn’t come alone either.

A man strode from the shadows a few moments later. Dressed in worn jeans and a sleeveless black T-shirt, he was big, muscular, and walked with the confidence all predators had. His tangled mane of dark hair lifted in the light breeze.

He stopped in front of them. Travis backed away, giving his leader lots of room.

Ty did a quick scan for obvious weapons and found none.

The man met his gaze. “Macario. And you are?”

“Ty.” He met Macario’s stare and held it.

Kelly coughed. “When you guys are finished with your stare down, maybe we can get on with things? And aren’t you cold with just that T-shirt?”

The pack leader shifted his attention to Kelly and simultaneously slid into a different persona. “Werewolf blood runs hot.” His voice was a husky murmur, suggesting things that no one could mistake. “Travis said you were beautiful.”

Ty’s inner beast woke up and paid attention.

“I’ve been looking forward to meeting the woman who wasn’t afraid to battle the red wolves.” Macario leaned closer to Kelly.

Ty’s inner beast contemplated the fun of tearing this guy’s head off.

“I love a woman who’s willing to fight beside her mate. Tell me your name.”

“Kelly.” She looked impressed. At least she didn’t deny Ty mate status in front of Macario.

“Look, you called Kelly, so I assume you had a reason.” Ty tried to keep the jealousy out of his voice.

Macario looked at him then, all business. “Actually, Kelly told Travis to contact her. But after hearing what you did to the red wolves, I wanted to meet you personally. What are you?”

Now that the pack leader’s attention was off of Kelly, Ty relaxed. “We’re otherkin.”

“I’ve met your kind. But none of them could manifest their souls in a physical way, and their souls weren’t dinosaurs.”

Ty grinned. “We’re different.”

“Different enough to wipe out the red wolves. No big loss there. What brought you to Houston?”

Ty kept it short. And when he was finished, the other man didn’t speak for a moment.

Finally Macario exhaled deeply and nodded. “Three of my pack didn’t return last night. We can’t find them. Two of them left mates behind. There’s no way they’d walk away from their families. And a week ago we found Sara dead. She’d been murdered. If this immortal’s responsible for their deaths, I’ll help you get rid of him.”

“We have something else to talk about.” Kelly looked a little nervous. “The red wolves bit one of our friends at Memorial Park. She was unconscious for a while, but when she woke up, she changed. She’s still in wolf form. How can she take human form again?”

“Where is she?”

Kelly glanced at Ty. He nodded.

“In our SUV.”

“Go get her.”

Ty listened to the small rustles that meant the pack was moving closer. “Will your pack let us through?”

Macario grinned. “Your senses are as good as ours.”

Better. Because you haven’t sensed Q or Spin yet
.

“Pack?” Kelly looked startled.

“They’re all around us. Let’s get Neva.” He turned away from Macario and guided Kelly back toward the car, breathing more easily once he sensed they’d cleared the waiting pack.

Kelly’s gaze darted left and right. “Are they in wolf form?”

“Yeah.” The parking lot was still empty except for Travis’s truck and their SUV. That meant the rest of the pack had parked elsewhere and walked in. He watched
Kelly let Neva out. “Okay, Neva, we’ll see what this guy can do for you. His name is Macario.”

All the way back to the clearing, Kelly imagined malevolent yellow eyes peering at her from the darkness. She was more nervous than afraid. After all, how scared could you be with a werewolf on one side and a T. rex on the other?

Kelly stepped into the clearing and froze. The pack stood facing her, at least twenty gray wolves. And standing in front of them was the biggest of them all, a massive black wolf. His yellow eyes were fixed on Neva.

Kelly put a steadying hand on Neva’s back. “Okay, work your charm, do your thing, and know we’re here for you.”

Neva stepped away from them, but Kelly could feel her fear. Somehow, you just didn’t think of a werewolf being afraid of anything. But then, Neva hadn’t shown any real aggression since her first spurt of panic. Showed what Kelly knew about werewolves.

The black wolf circled Neva, sniffing and studying her. Neva had enough sense to stand still and look unconcerned.

Finally, the black wolf moved away and turned his back to them. Then he changed. It was so fast that the twisting and lengthening of bones and replacing of fur with skin were only a blur. Kelly clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle her amazed gasp.

As Macario walked to where he’d left his clothes, Neva’s gaze followed him. And if her interest seemed a little too intense, hey, Kelly understood. That was one fine male body.

This time when the terror hit Kelly, she understood. She turned to Ty. “What?”

Ty’s eyes were dark with emotion. “I want to tear him apart.”

“Why? Is this a predator thing?”

“This is a jealousy thing.” His voice was almost a snarl.

Startled, Kelly glanced at Neva.

“Over Neva?”

“Over
you
.” He took a deep breath and looked away. “Yeah, I know. Stupid. But when I saw you staring at his body like that, my instincts went into overdrive. Don’t worry, I’ve got control.”

Kelly didn’t smile. She really didn’t. A little jealousy was okay. Too much could destroy a relationship. Not that they had a relationship. But he was jealous over
her
. That counted for something.
She
counted for something with him. So she smiled inside.

“I can help Neva.” Macario walked over to a small first-aid kit that rested beside a pile of clothes belonging to one of the other wolves. Opening it, he took out a bottle and syringe. After filling the syringe, he returned to Neva.

He ignored everyone except her. “When you become one of us through violence, your awakening immediately triggers a change to wolf form. The trauma plus all the stress and fear make it almost impossible for you to return to human form until you relax. And yes, you might relax during sleep, but the change must be willed. You can’t will it while you sleep.” Macario glanced at Ty and Kelly. “Or when you’re dead. That’s why none of the red wolves regained human form after death.”

Kelly frowned. “Relax? You’re kidding. Who could relax after waking up to find that Little Red Riding Hood is now the enemy? Neva probably has the willing part down, though.”

“That’s where this comes in.” He held up the syringe. “We have a pack member who’s a chemist. He came up with a relaxant that works on us.” Turning his attention back to Neva, he moved closer. “It’ll make you a little loopy and free a few inhibitions, but it’ll also relax the hell out of you. Do you trust me to do this?”