Saving His Mate (A vampire-werewolf romance) (3 page)

On another burst of speed, Rex rounded the house and raced after the vampire dashing across the land behind the house. The nearly full moon and stars above gave him plenty of guidance, though he didn’t need it with his night vision. Charmaine owned this pecan orchard but it wouldn’t give enough cover for the rogue vamp to hide for long.

As Stanley neared a big pecan tree he looked over his shoulder and brought something up in his hand.

A gun.

The sight of it enraged Rex, his vision going red. How pathetic, using a modern weapon. He dodged to the right as a bullet whizzed past his head. It made a soft sound as it embedded in a tree trunk. Using the trees as cover, he followed the obnoxiously loud—clearly untrained vamp—by sound alone.

“I don’t want to hurt you, man!” Stanley shouted.

Rex measured the distance using his senses. Maybe fifty yards to his right. He flew past three giant trees spread out evenly in the orchard, closing in. Only twenty five yards to go now.

“Listen, I’m sorry. We can work this out. I’ll cut you in on what I took.” Stanley’s voice was whiny and shaky now.

Even more pathetic.
First he actually shoots at me, then tries to bribe me.
Whoever had turned Stanley should be staked. Vampires used to be more discerning when they turned a human.

Rex headed in the direction Stanley had called out from, slowing when he neared a huge pecan tree on the very edge of the orchard. He knew Stanley thought he had the upper hand, but Rex could scent him.

Feigning that he was looking around, he used all the strength in his legs and jumped high into the air in a fluid movement. Stanley’s eyes widened as Rex landed on the branch next to him. The rogue started to raise his weapon-wielding hand but Rex grabbed his wrist and squeezed, breaking Stanley’s bones. The gun fell from his fingers as he screamed, tumbling to the grassy earth below.

“Didn’t anyone ever teach you that stealing was wrong?” Rex asked as he wrapped his fingers around Stanley’s neck. He squeezed tight, making his point clear;
try to run and I’ll rip your head off
. He didn’t need to say the words for the dumbass to understand. “We’re going to jump down then head back to my SUV. Then you’re going to come with me and pay back all the money you stole.” And likely be tortured for a while, but that wasn’t Rex’s business.

Stanley’s eyes glowed a bright amber as he shook his head. Taking Rex by surprise, he punched out at the branch with his non-broken arm.

Rex went for one of his blades as the branch cracked and broke. Stanley slashed out with his claws, slicing into Rex’s forearm as the branch gave way beneath him. So amped up on adrenaline, Rex barely felt the dig into his flesh, but he let the guy go and jumped down as Stanley fell. The vamp’s arms flailed as he fell backward.

Rex’s feet hit the ground a second before Stanley did, his boots thudding softly. Stanley landed on his back and started to roll over when his eyes suddenly widened, going bright amber before he turned to ash.

What the hell?

Spine tingling, Rex crouched low, backing up toward the tree as he scanned the area for more threats. Using all his senses it took less than ten seconds for him to realize he was alone. A couple cows made groaning sounds about a hundred yards away but there were no people—human or supernatural—in the direct vicinity.

He waited another thirty seconds before moving from the tree and crouching next to the pile of ash. Three sharp branches stuck straight up in the air like blades. One of them must have punctured Stanley’s heart.

Talk about an unlucky fall. Shaking his head at the irony of Stanley basically killing himself by trying to escape, he gathered the male’s clothes and weapons. He’d send them back to the vamp who’d hired him and receive eighty percent of his payment. Normally he’d be pissed when one of his hunted died because he didn’t receive the full payment. Now…he didn’t need to leave anytime soon. Which meant he could spend all his time courting Margery.

Chapter 3

Rex tried to appear casual as he sat on Grant’s couch, waiting for the alpha to get off the phone with whatever packmate he was talking to. All he wanted to do was go see Margery, but knew he needed to speak with Grant first. There always seemed to be a crisis, which was pretty normal for shifter packs or vampire covens. If he agreed to join Grant’s pack—and he couldn’t believe that he was actually contemplating it—he figured that was something he’d have to get used to.

As he leaned back against the leather couch, Talia walked into the room smelling like sand and salt. Her hair was damp and her black bathing suit straps were visible. “Hey, Rex. How long have you been here?”

“Just a few minutes.”

“He shouldn’t be too long.” She stood there watching him curiously but didn’t say anything.

He shifted against the seat. “Are you working tonight?”

She shook her head. “No. I’m not at the bar anymore anyway.”

“Right.” He knew that. She’d been in school for marine sciences or something before. She must have finished her Master’s degree by now. “What do you do now?”

“Aquarium curator,” she said almost absently before continuing. “So, what’s up with you and Margery?”

He wasn’t taking the bait. “An aquarium curator? That sounds interesting.”

She crossed her arms over her chest and flopped down on the couch across from him. “Come on. Sarah said you two were hot for each other. I want details. We haven’t had anything exciting happen around here for almost three months.”

“I’m surprised Sarah can remember any of last night.”

“Oh, she does and she said you two stunk with an overdose of hormones. She also—”

“Talia.” Grant sounded mildly annoyed as he strode into the room, phone-free. “I need to talk to Rex. You can stay, but no pack gossip talk.”

She let out an over-exaggerated sigh as she stood and brushed her lips over Grant’s. “See ya later, Rex,” she tossed over her shoulder as she left the room.

Once she was upstairs and Rex could hear the shower running, Grant finally sat across from him. The room was definitely masculine, with furniture made of leather and sturdy wood. Some of it Rex recognized as being antique and worth a fortune. He could also see Talia’s feminine touches. And not just in the décor. He could see it in his friend. The alpha was still tough as hell but he didn’t seem as edgy. Or lonely.

“She’s good for you,” Rex murmured, glad for his friend.

Grant’s eyebrows rose a fraction in clear surprise. He nodded, but didn’t comment. “Have you given my offer any thought?”

Rex liked that he didn’t have to bullshit with the alpha. The male always got straight to the point. “What exactly are you offering, because I’m not a beta.” And he never would be. It just wasn’t his personality.

Grant snorted. “You think Max and Asher have beta personalities?”

The corners of Rex’s mouth lifted. Grant’s second-in-command and cousin were definitely not beta males. “No, but…yeah, okay. I get what you’re saying.” He’d never say it, but Rex believed Asher was strong enough to have his own pack. But from what he knew of the male, he didn’t think Asher wanted the responsibility. “So why me? Why a vampire? And…why now?”

Grant leaned forward a fraction, his expression unreadable. “First, I trust you. And the fact that you’re a vampire is a plus. As far as the timing…” He paused and Rex could tell he was searching for the right words. The alpha wasn’t known for being delicate so he wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing. Finally he let out a small sigh. “Times are changing. Over the last year we’ve seen more rogue vampires entering our territory. Their stay is short-lived.” He gave a dark smile, his wolf clear in his gaze for a moment. “But sooner or later the shit will hit the fan and the wrong vamp will end up getting killed in my territory. Whether it’s a justified kill or not, you know as well as I do that if a coven leader is looking for a war, anything could set it off. But if you’re part of my pack and either mete out the kill or support us…” He trailed off, shrugging, letting Rex fill in the rest.

The male’s foresight was what made him a good alpha. Rex had never wanted to settle down until recently. About a year ago to be exact. He felt as if he’d been roaming around aimlessly for so damn long, never fitting in anywhere. Certainly not with his own kind. When he’d run into Grant a year ago, it’d been good to see the alpha—even when the male had punched him in the face for taking Talia out. “The thought is surprisingly appealing.”

Grant’s mouth quirked up in that obnoxious alpha way of his.

“I will not be submissive.”

Grant snorted. “I don’t want that. You’re powerful and a good ally and you’ll never be a threat to take over the pack since you’re not a shifter. We’ll never have a power struggle in the sense that matters to my wolf.”

Rex nodded, understanding. He could literally never be alpha of a shifter pack because he was a vampire. No wolves would ever follow him—and it wasn’t in his temperament to be a leader of a group anyway. “Would I live within the compound?” He was still trying to wrap his head around the possibility.

“I would prefer you did. There’s an empty place right next to Margery’s.” Grant’s voice was deadpan, but Rex knew the mention of the beautiful wolf was intentional. “Wherever you reside, we can make changes so it’s suitable for your sleeping needs.”

Grant’s pack lived and worked vampire hours so it wouldn’t be that difficult to fit in with their pack life. “Why did you send me with the females last night?”

The alpha frowned, possibly picking up on the edginess in Rex. “I saw the way you looked at Margery.”

Rex gritted his teeth, not liking that he’d been that transparent. But more than that, his presence had distressed Margery and that made him more than edgy. “She was hurt by my kind. You should have told me. If I’d known I’d have never ridden in the backseat. My presence had to have made her feel vulnerable.”

Grant’s expression didn’t change, but his wolf flickered in his gaze. “I didn’t think of it like that. Shit.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “I’m an idiot. I saw the way you both looked at each other and I thought…” He let out another curse and stood. “I owe her an apology. Wait, she
told
you what happened to her?”

Rex nodded, not moving from his position as Grant sat back down. “Yes.” Now the alpha looked truly surprised. Before he could respond, Rex continued. “I’m planning to court her. Is there anyone else in the pack interested in her?” Not that he cared, but he wanted to know if he had competition.

“There are males interested, but none she’s interested in. Damn, court her? You’re serious.”

Rex flicked a gaze upward. “Does your mate eavesdrop?”

“Always, but she won’t repeat anything you say here.”

Rex decided to be blunt, to trust this male in a way he rarely trusted anyone. If he was going to join this pack—and he was pretty certain he would—he had to open himself up to the alpha. “I think she’s my mate. I’ve never responded to a female like that before. My fangs ached, my—” He cut himself off; Grant didn’t need to know everything about his visceral response.

“Her eyes went pure wolf when she saw you. I’ve never seen her do that before.”

Rex hadn’t noticed, but she’d barely glanced at him. The revelation was interesting and welcome. “I plan to pursue her hard.”

“Good.”

One simple word. All Rex needed to hear. He’d be doing it with or without the alpha’s approval but he was glad the male knew of his intention. “I will give you an answer soon.” But first he had to see if there was a possibility of a future with Margery. He couldn’t be in a pack with her if she rejected him. Something primal and raw inside him couldn’t bear it if she did. He couldn’t be faced with seeing her day in and day out if they had no future.

* * *

Margery pounded the dough against the prep station, wishing it was her irresponsible packmate Sapphire. Okay, Sapphire wasn’t actually irresponsible, but she’d promised to help out at the bakery tonight then gotten called back to the Crescent Moon Bar to work. Margery still had Sarah out front assisting the customers, but that meant Margery was stuck in the back baking all night—because there was no way she was letting Sarah take over her kitchen.

That was the one bad thing about being in a pack. Sometimes they got stretched too thin. Max needed the help at the bar and because of his position Sapphire had to help him over Margery.

Margery wanted to fume about that but knew that the truth was, if she’d asked Max, he’d have let Sapphire stay on and he’d have dealt with the mess at the bar. But she was in a mood tonight and felt like mentally berating anyone and everyone.

Sadly, she knew why. Ever since meeting that too-sexy-for-his-own-good vampire she was feeling restless. The kind of restless that made her skin feel too tight for her body and reminded her how long it had been since she’d had sex. Really good, toe-curling sex.

As a two-hundred year old shifter she’d had lovers, but she’d always been careful about picking who she slept with for a multitude of reasons. The main one being that male shifters were so damn territorial. Sometimes they couldn’t just take sex for what it was. Simple sex. No, they had to get all alpha and possessive.

It meant she had to go outside her pack or risk some male going all alpha macho on her and getting protective when she didn’t need or want it. Since she didn’t sleep with humans, finding available male shifters outside her pack had been damn near impossible in the past couple years. She worked too much and what sane shifter would come into Grant’s territory? No one, that’s who.