Reclaiming Angelica (7 page)

Raul flinched, reminded of Angel’s earlier accusations and
his denials.

“No woman will accept being lied to her face, and so she
left.”

“Why didn’t she take me if it was Poppa she was mad at?”

“I asked that same question. When she first left, she had no
idea where she was going or how she would live. She left you with your father
because at least with him you’d have a roof over your head and food on the
table. Something she wasn’t sure she could provide. She was just getting on her
feet when I brought her news of Paul’s death and well, you know the rest.”

“But you said Poppa wrote to her. That means she had a
home.”

“No, son. When your momma first left, she spent some time at
a women’s shelter before a good friend agreed to take her in. But that friend
had children, a husband, and they were barely getting by. There wasn’t room for
the both of you,” Uncle Joey explained.

For the first time, a hint of anger flickered to life inside
Raul. “She should have just come on home and worked things out with Poppa like
he asked.”

Uncle Joey sighed again. “Believe me, son, that she didn’t,
that she chose instead to hold on to pride and anger, was a source of guilt and
regret to her for the rest of her life. Between your father’s deception and
your mother’s pride, they managed to mess up three lives.”

Raul pushed all that to the side to deal with later. “Your
mate, did you reveal to her what we are?”

“Lily was as much a part of me as my wolf. Of course I told
her the truth.”

In Raul’s mind, there was no of course about it. “How did
she react?”

“With disbelief, initially. Then shock with a bit of fear
once I proved it to her. I won’t say things didn’t get a little tense, but she
loved me. In the end, that’s all that really mattered.

“This woman of yours, you say you love her and that she’s
your mate. Is that the man or the wolf talking?” his uncle asked.

“Both.”

“Then you have to tell her. You won’t have peace unless you
do. Mark my words, son. Don’t make the mistake your father did. Tell your woman
the truth. Now go on, get outta here.” He made a shooing motion with his hands
before rising to stand. “These bones aren’t as young as they used to be. I need
my rest.”

Raul rose obediently and went to the door. His hand was on
the doorknob when his uncle said, “Bring your woman around here to meet the
family. Tell her we won’t bite.” He chuckled a little at his joke.

Solemnly, Raul asked, “Uncle Joey, why didn’t you tell me
about your mate?”

Uncle Joey’s expression lost all humor. “How long you been
with your woman, son?”

Raul felt the flush rise on his face and neck. His gaze
dropped to the floor as he admitted, “Over a year.”

When he glanced up again, his uncle gave him a knowing
smile. “I met her while you were in the service. She took me totally by
surprise.” He shook his head. “Some things hit so deep there just aren’t words
to describe.” In an abrupt change of subject, his uncle asked, “You two living
together?”

“Yes, sir.” It wasn’t a lie. They had been and would be
again if Raul had anything to say about it.

“Remember those tells, son. Your wolf, he won’t like being
hidden away, not from his mate. Given a chance, he’ll force your hand. You tell
her the truth and let the cards fall where they may. If she’s really your mate,
she’ll accept you—fur and all. Now get on with you so this old man can get some
rest.”

That got a smile out of Raul. “You’re not old, Uncle Joey.
You’re barely fifty.”

“Well, I feel old dealing with you young pups. Bring your
woman. Don’t make me come looking for you, and tell that pack of yours it’s
been too long since their last visit.”

“Yes, sir. I will.” Raul shed the sweat pants and tossed
them to his uncle before exiting the house.

Once on the porch, he breathed in deep, taking in the scents
of the night air. This far out there was no traffic. Just the sounds of nature
and all her creatures. When he was sure he was alone, he shifted to wolf and
ran to where he’d left his car, stopping once to hunt down and eat a rabbit
that had the misfortune to cross his hungry path.

As the wolf ran, the man pondered the advice—order,
really—his uncle had given him.
Tell
Angel
. A day ago, even an hour ago, the thought would have been
inconceivable. But now…?

Raul could acknowledge, if only to himself, he’d spent most
of his adult life afraid of loving and losing the way he’d lost his parents. It
wasn’t just the words of warning spoken to him by his father about guarding
their secret from humans. His mother may have stopped loving him because of what
he was, but in the end it was his father’s desertion that hurt the most. Why
hadn’t his poppa loved him enough to stay with him?

He’d never wanted to admit it, but deep in his heart Raul
knew the truth. His poppa had been weak, just as Uncle Max had said. He loved
Angel with everything that was within him, but when he’d found out she’d left,
his first thought hadn’t been to sit and weep. It had been to hunt her down and
drag her back where she belonged, by her hair if need be, like some damned
caveman. Maybe if his poppa had grown a set of balls and done the same with his
momma, none of the rest of this would ever have happened.

I don’t see you
running to tell our mate about us!

His wolf spoke the truth. He
had
been a chickenshit, too afraid to tell his woman the truth
about himself. Too scared to claim her the way he and his wolf demanded.

No more! It stopped tonight. Raul was going home to his
mate, and before the night was over, she’d know exactly to what she was mated.
No more hiding. No more lying, and by God, no more holding back.

* * * *

Raul arrived back at his SUV, dressed, and cursed when he
noted the time. Well after midnight. No wonder his uncle had shown him the
door. He picked up his cell phone to call and check in when he noticed ten
missed calls, all from Mercer. Not good.

He speed-dialed Mercer.

Mercer answered with a blast of music in the background.
“Where the hell have you been? I’ve been trying to reach you for the last
hour.”

“I’m sorry. I ended up at Uncle Joey’s,” Raul said loudly into
the receiver.

“Well, get your ass down here quick. Your girl flew the coop
about an hour after you left. We’re at the Warehouse.”

Raul’s claws sliced out. The Warehouse was a well-known
vampire feeding ground. “You let her go in there? Alone?” he bellowed.

“Hell no, you know me better than that, but I couldn’t stop
her from going inside, not without explaining why I’d been following her in the
first place. I didn’t think you wanted her knowing you’d stuck a tail on her,”
Mercer explained.

Raul let out a string of curses and ran an agitated hand
through his hair. “Okay, let me think. Can you get inside?”

“Already am,” Mercer confirmed. “I latched on to a couple of
beauties near the front of the line. They let me join their party. I ditched
them once inside.”

“Did the guards give you any trouble?” he asked as he shoved
the vehicle in gear, backed out of the brush, and eased onto the pavement.

“No, you know shifter blood is a delicacy. They watched me
with hungry eyes, but no one made a move to stop me,” Mercer said.

“Nobody touches her. You hear me?”

“So far, it’s not the vampires you need to be concerned
with. It’s the humans. I’ll drag her off the dance floor if I have to, but the
way she’s dressed, it will start a riot.”

Raul growled, and his gums hurt. “I’ll be there in ten.”

“Make it five,” Mercer said and disconnected the line.

Six minutes later Raul strode to the double entrance doors
of the Warehouse like he owned the place. He was tired, smelled of earth and
sweat, and probably looked wild. The line of people he bypassed waiting to get
in hissed and booed at him. Some hurled insults while others shouted out
complaints.

He ignored them all, his attention on the two male vampires
flanking the doors.

One held out a black-nailed hand, his long black hair pulled
back in a queue, his body encased in head-to-toe black. “Get to the back of the
line.”

Raul flashed canines and allowed his eyes to go wolf. “My
mate’s inside.”

The younger-looking vamp, a blond appearing barely out of
his teens, which meant he was probably old as fuck, nudged the larger one. “I
didn’t see no bitch come through the line. Did you?”

Raul had the vamp dangling by the throat in an instant.
“Watch how you speak about my woman,” he snarled.

The crowd, those close enough to see the confrontation, fell
into an uneasy silence broken by a few muttered whispers. Some broke line and
left, clearly not wanting to be involved in whatever trouble Raul was bringing.

The black-haired vampire made to move, and Raul’s head
snapped around to pin him with a glare. “Don’t. I’ll rip his throat out before
you can blink. I’m not here to cause a scene. I just want my woman, and then
we’ll be leaving.”

The vampire met his gaze for a long moment, glanced at the
claws currently embedded in his fellow security guard’s neck, then looked over
his shoulder to the crowd that was growing more agitated by the moment. “Noel’s
right. No she-wolf has come through the line.”

“You’ll forgive me if I want to see for myself.”

The vamp debated the wisdom of allowing Raul access.

“Oh look,” Raul taunted as more people broke away from the
line and left, “more cattle are leaving. Make up your mind quickly before the
rest of tonight’s dinner runs away.”

“Go, wolf,” the vampire snarled. “Find your bitch before
someone makes a meal out of her.” The look in his eye said he hoped someone
drained Angel dry. He pulled on the door and held it open.

Raul didn’t bother to correct his misconception by telling
him Angel was human. He pulled a twenty out of his pocket and gave it to the
larger vamp before turning his wolf gaze on the one still dangling by the neck.
“Be careful who you taunt. It’s been a while since my pack had a good hunt.”
With a casual flick of the wrist, Raul tossed him aside, wiped the blood on his
jeans, then entered the club.

As soon as the door shut behind him, the noise and smell of
the place overwhelmed him. Underneath the sweat, lust, and alcohol was the iron
tinge of blood and the musty scent of sex. His nostrils twitched a protest. The
booming bass and strident screech of electric guitars threatened to blow out
his sensitive eardrums. He needed to find Angel and get the hell out of there
as soon as possible.

He glanced around as he followed the direction most of the
club’s patrons seemed to be headed. He didn’t see Angel or Mercer. There were
too many people. This was the second time today Raul wished he’d completed the
mating bond with Angel. Then he’d know exactly where she was at all times.
After tonight the lack of a bond would no longer be an issue, he reminded himself.

He moved out of the flow of foot traffic, whipped out his
cell phone, and sent Mercer a brief text.
I’m
here. Where is she?

Upstairs.

He automatically glanced up to the dark, glass-enclosed space
above. Then he scrutinized the club until he noted the curving staircase
leading to the upper level.

Upstairs was darker than the lower level. The smell of blood
and sex intensified. Raul’s preternatural vision kicked in, turning the dark
shapes into identifiable beings. This level was a mass of booths along the back
wall, small round high tables that seated two intimately overlooking the dance
floor below, another smaller bar doing brisk business, and dance floor filled
but not overflowing with bodies like the ones below.

Raul glanced over the dance floor twice before he spotted
Angel. She was dressed in a gold metallic halter dress that barely covered the
essentials. Her breasts bounced and jiggled as she danced to the pounding beat.
Angel’s long, curly dark brown hair swirled around her hips, drawing attention
to her rounded ass. She was laughing at something the woman, obviously a
vampire, dancing with her said. He started forward determinedly.

Two willowy arms wrapped around his neck as a skinny blonde
stepped into his path. “Hey, handsome. Buy me a drink?” she slurred, pressing
her body tightly to his.

Raul grasped her by the waist, lifted her bodily, and set
her to the side. “No, thank you, and I believe you’ve had enough.” As he moved
past her, he heard her wail, “Hey, where’d he go?”

He didn’t look back. His gaze was locked onto his target. A
growl rumbled low in his chest when a male eased up behind his woman and ground
his pelvis against her butt in a parody of sex, his hands placed possessively
on her hips. He lowered his face to her neck and languidly drew his tongue from
the base to just below her ear where the pulse beat steadily.

Hell no! No vamp was feeding from his woman. He’d rip the
man from limb to limb. Wolf riding just below the surface of his skin, Raul
shoved his way forward with no consideration for the dancers he dislodged to
reach his goal.

In a quick move, Angel pivoted so that she was behind the
male. To his immediate consternation, she didn’t shove Lover Boy away. Instead
she draped one arm around his neck and wrapped the other his waist, her hand
dangling perilously close to the male’s crotch. Then Angel tipped the male’s
chin up and to the side, baring a long length of throat. Her mouth opened wide,
revealing a dainty pair of fangs, right before she sank them into the male’s
carotid artery.

Raul halted so abruptly it felt like he’d run into an
invisible wall. Even his wolf went preternaturally still inside, analyzing this
new information about the woman they both claimed as mate. He stared fixedly
while she fed, eyes closed, and a rapturous expression on her face. The same
look, in fact, she had when she climaxed with him deep inside her.