I Kissed a Dog (16 page)

A snarl tore from her throat as our enemy stalked from the brush. So much for no danger
in the make-believe jungle.

“Just give the human to me and I’ll let you live,” the hulk-of-a-man growled. “You
hardly know her. She’s just a pitiful little girl.” Flashing a knife, he grinned menacingly,
taunting us.

Seeing the crazed look on his face had the opposite effect on me than it should have.
Instead of scaring me, he’d managed to piss me off.

I stepped forward. “I’m not some little girl, you stupid freak.” To demonstrate just
how furious his threats had made me, I targeted his mind with a barrage of humiliating
thoughts aimed to castrate his masculinity.

Startled by my mental ambush, he grabbed his head and shook it crazily, attempting
to disengage from the scorching visions.

The blade clattered on the paved pathway near his feet. I pressed harder, tightening
my focus and shooting daggers of disgust in deeper. It was obvious by his tormented
expression the daggers were hitting their intended targets.
Bull’s-eye!

Seeing her opportunity, Misty sprang at the man. Her front paws plowed into his chest,
knocking him backward. Arms flailed as he struggled to keep his balance. A second
later, his throat was a bloody gash. I turned away as she finished the job. Zane’s
arms were around me in the same instant.

“I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner. Although it looks like you two make a pretty
good team,” he said; his voice a mixture of worry and pride.

“I thought you might need this.” Logan handed over a hotel robe to his sister. She
covered herself, after a brief glance at her tattered clothes.

“Thank you, Misty,” I whispered; fear had caught up with me and was squeezing the
air from my lungs.

I was uncertain how we’d managed to defeat the huge man without any help from our
male protectors. His massive bulk had been beyond threatening. The idea of meeting
him in mutant form under a full moon sent shivers scurrying down my spine.

“You saved my life.” My respect for my lupine friend had increased ten-fold in the
last ten minutes.

“No. Thank
you
,” she said grinning, brushing off my compliments. “Without your very effective mind
games, we would’ve been doomed.”

Trying to ignore the splashes of crimson on her face, I turned back to Zane, accepting
his offer of support. His arm around me was the one thing holding me together.

All I wanted now was to go home. The intrigue of Vegas had died right along with
my mutant attacker.

The next chapter starts without telling the reader anything about the board meeting
or letting us and Chloe in on what she is about to do for the pack.

Chapter
18
10

Our return trip to Oregon was uneventful. I was able to unwind on the plane and enjoy
the superb service.

Our current attendant was an energetic young man. Despite his enthusiasm, I was more
pleased with the empty First Class section; giving us some much-needed privacy. Zane
seemed relieved that no one was kicking at the back of his seat.

“Where do we go from here?” I asked, curious how we would present ourselves at work.
I’d decided to stay focused on facts and push my erratic feelings aside.

Back at the hotel, Zane had insisted we make every effort to demonstrate our commitment
to each other by being candid about our elopement. I still wasn’t convinced that everyone
in Plum Beach needed to know about our marital status.

Wife. Mate. Neither title suited me. I doubted that I’d ever accept either label with
good grace.

Zane gave me a pointed look. “I thought we already went through this. We couldn’t
ignore the whole love-at-first-sight-thing, and we followed through on those loving
feelings. It happens all the time.”

“Except there’s a slight problem — everyone knows my practical personality. They know
I’m not a person prone to impulsive decisions.” At least I hadn’t been impulsive prior
to meeting my alleged mate.

Instead of answering, he let his gaze wander over my face and down my neck, leaving
a trail of scorching desire in its wake. I trembled, imagining what our first night
together must have been like. I could only imagine the pleasure he’d inflicted on
my body.

Just contemplating our wedding night provoked a renewed storm of anger, slamming the
door on any amorous feelings.

“You love the fact that I’m putty in your presence. It’s the power over me that excites
you,” I taunted.

His lustful expression evaporated into a mask of consternation. If I wasn’t aware
of his misshapen motives, I might have believed my words had wounded him. More likely,
they’d stung his pride.

He shook his head and looked away.

I didn’t understand why, but I felt an overwhelming need to apologize. My emotions
were more uncontrollable around Zane than they’d ever been. Taking Alcuin’s prior
advice to chill out wasn’t possible, not now, maybe never.

Hoping I sounded more contrite than I felt, I forced an apology, “I’m sorry. I just
can’t get over missing such an intimate experience.”

I knew I didn’t need to explain to which experience I was referring. He had what I
assumed were very fresh and detailed memories of our post-wedding intimacy.

Zane straightened and faced me. “I can’t erase my mistake. You must realize, had I
known the extent of your inebriation, I would never have made love to you. Maybe someday
you’ll give me another opportunity, but from this point forward, I’ll wait for you.”
He closed his eyes and leaned back.

His words left me speechless. I couldn’t deny the sincerity behind them. When he spoke
with such tender frankness, I found myself questioning how I would survive without
his tantalizing glances and heart-stopping kisses.

But this was what
I
wanted, right? To be left alone. And he was leaving me alone, allowing me to choose
the time and place for any future encounters, and according to Misty, he was utterly,
without any recourse, bonded to me.

Without my surrender, he was destined to remain alone — untouched, unloved.

Maybe it served him right.

I knew better. He couldn’t stop the mating mark from appearing any more than he could
help what he’d been born to become. All I had to do was accept his love and protection,
and we could have many more nights together that I would remember.

What was holding me back from what seemed inevitable?

I doubted any so-called
normal
man could handle my post-coma talents with Zane’s grace and admiration. My former
relationship had been proof enough that my animal reading gift caused major relationship
discomfort.

I’d discovered Jordon’s infidelity one evening while feeding his cat like a good girlfriend.
He was away on a business trip … the infamous meet-the-other-woman-trip.

When we ended our relationship, a week later, in a storm of harsh words and accusations,
Jordon made sure to let me know I was a psychotic weirdo, as well as boring because
I refused to sleep with him. He was, after all, a man with needs.

When he kicked his helpless cat for tattling, I kicked him in the shin — hard.

Jordon hopping around on his uninjured leg screaming obscenities was my last memory
of him.

And I’d thought he was my Knight in Shining Armor? Talk about a major misjudgment
of character.

I spent the remainder of the flight plagued by one question. What would be so horrible
about a man like Zane loving and protecting me?

Considering my unpleasant history with the
human
male, it was difficult to establish what exactly was keeping me from embracing the
werewolf resting beside me.

Two hours later, we waited vigilantly with our fellow passengers at the luggage carrousel.
Suitcase after suitcase rolled by, the majority of them black. Zane spotted his bags
first and separated them from the sea of similar baggage. I followed suit, recognizing
my old beat-up case and travel bag. Prepared to snatch mine from the circling belt,
I was startled when a pale hand beat me to them.

Alcuin! I never thought I’d be so pleased to see a vampire.

“I thought you two might want to avoid six hours in a rental car,” Alcuin said, setting
my bags on the floor.

Zane relaxed, smiling his approval.

His response caused my heart to do little somersaults. I hated to admit how much I
disliked seeing him unhappy. I was spending so much time worried about him exerting
his power over me that I’d failed to acknowledge the extent of my influence over him.

“You’re such a mind reader,” Zane joked, still grinning at his friend.

Alcuin stopped.

Standing stiffly; he looked over the rims of his dark sunglasses and focused his piercing
gaze on my neck. Self-consciously, I started to reach up, and just as quickly dropped
my hand, fighting not to fidget under his sudden scrutiny.

Ignoring my discomfort, he walked a slow circle around me, sniffing like a dog. “Something
is different about you,” he stated without emotion.

“I’m mated to Zane now,” I said trying to sound pleasant; certain he had used his
supernatural senses to detect a lingering trace of Valamir.

I glanced at Zane who appeared puzzled by his friend’s actions.

“We’re married, and I’m marked. That’s what you’re feeling,” Zane clarified, allowing
his amber eyes to rake over me, sending the usual trails of heat down my spine.

Feigning indifference, I shrugged, turning my attention to my purse that I pretended
to search. It was hard not to feel ruffled with the two of them intently staring.

“Where are we going when we get back in town?” I decided to change the subject while
applying the lip gloss I’d managed to retrieve. We hadn’t talked about our future
plans other than publicly announcing our marriage.

At last, after another endless moment of examination, Alcuin turned away. “She has
a good question.”

I allowed relief to wash over me as we returned to a more normal line of conversation.
I couldn’t help feeling as if I’d escaped the lion’s den without a scratch — this
time, anyway.

Miraculously, Zane took the bait too. “We need to go to Chloe’s place first. We’ll
figure out the next step from there.”

Finding a secluded spot away from the airport crowds, we team-teleported back to my
beach house in Florence. It appeared I’d conquered all disagreeable reactions to my
latest mode of traveling. On the down side, I hated to admit that I was getting quite
comfortable going wherever I wanted with the blink of an eye. This was no
I Dream of Genie,
though. All the blinking was courtesy of my new fanged friend.

Glancing again at Alcuin, I concluded that in addition to my newfound acceptance of
teleportation, I had indeed misplaced some essential memories back in Vegas.

Although different in appearance, Alcuin reminded me of the regal vampire — Valamir.
I could still recall his haunting face. My neck tingled just thinking about our short
time together in the bar. I wished I could confide in Alcuin, but I didn’t dare. Not
now. I had no idea how he would respond, and I wanted, at all cost, to avoid the negative
impact that discussing the ancient vampire would have on Zane.

Seeing Zane’s bulky form in my living room yanked me back to the moment.

To begin with, Luke would be shocked to see us strolling into work hand in hand. Just
imagining the expression on his face when he heard the “good news” was enough to send
me to bed for a month. Yet as anxious as I was about my boss’ reaction to my shotgun
wedding, I was more concerned about Jazmine and the mutants. Considering how they’d
tracked me all the way to Sin City, preparing to combat future attacks on the home
front seemed prudent.

“Your bags are on your bed,” Zane said from behind.

Just the silky sound of his voice was like liquid honey to my ears, calming my jumbled
thoughts. I wished he’d forget his vow and take me in his arms. Somehow, though, I
understood as difficult as it was for him to resist, he meant business this time.
I’d have to make the first move.

“Thanks,” I half-whispered, looking for Alcuin. “Where’d our transporter disappear
to?” I was beginning to understand that vampires were prone to popping in and out
at will. They didn’t seem too inclined to explain their whereabouts, and I wasn’t
sure if knowing was such a good idea.

“Even though he can survive the daylight, he prefers the dark. I suspect he’s taking
a vampire rest.” Zane shrugged.

I almost asked what a vampire rest entailed, but decided against it. We had more important
things to deal with.

The blinking light on my archaic answering machine caught my attention. Curious, I
darted around Zane’s bulky mass and hit the button.

“You have three new messages …”

“Hi, Chloe. It’s me, Luke. I know you’re out of town, but I wanted you to know it’s
been real quiet since you left. No new murders. So far, no new leads either. At least,
we’ve had some peace.

Zane’s friends have done a great job. They installed new security cameras, and, the
even better news — they’ve agreed to stay on as additional security until we get a
handle on our animal attacker. Well, I miss you.”

Before I could ponder his words, the second message was retrieved. “You little whore.
So you can talk to animals. How quaint. Have they told you how you’re going to die
like a slaughtered cow? You should ask around, clues can be found in the oddest places.”

Hitting the pause button, I faced Zane, surprised by my detached observation. “That
voice … it’s familiar, but I can’t place it. It sounded like he was trying to disguise
himself.”

“Another reason why we’ll be staying at my place until this is resolved. The M’s can
remain here.” Seeing my narrowed eyes he added, “My promise of chastity extends to
my bedroom. Besides, living together makes more sense in light of our recent matrimony.
We are man and wife.”

More like wolf and woman, I almost said, but stopped myself. He was trying to be kind
and protective.

The final message belonged to my always-anxious mother. “Honey, it’s me. Where are
you? Are you in some kind of trouble? Two men stopped by yesterday asking for you.
I told them you didn’t live here. They were very nice-looking, but a little on the
grouchy side. Do you owe money? If you do, please don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Your father and I understand how hard these economic times are. Your machine’s cutting
me off …”

I sighed, dreading the next conversation with my parents. I wondered if they’d called
work looking for me. If so, they’d blown my cover with Luke to smithereens. Why I
still cared was a mystery. He’d know my marital status within the hour, if he didn’t
already.

“I told you that not telling your folks was best,” Zane said carefully, watching for
my reaction to the latest message.

Instead of snapping back at his I-told-you-so comment, I lifted the phone.

Before it was halfway to my ear, Zane took it from me. “Not now, Chloe. You can call
them later. Let’s get your stuff and get out of here. We need to connect with Mack
and Michael, not to mention, our boss.”

I had to agree. Home no longer felt safe. I wondered what returning to work would
feel like.

I’d know soon enough.