Take Me (17 page)

A tanned arm reached out from within the tent and pulled back the folds as Zeke strode out. He had sandy hair cut raggedly about his face and ears and worn longer in the back to his neck. The haircut made him look menacing with how it slung across his eyes to hide them. Not that he needed the haircut to get that wild look. His light blue always looked on edge like an animal that might strike out at any moment. You never knew what the alpha might do.

Water slid in rivulets down the
weres
torso wetting the khaki shorts he wore. The man didn’t look like he’d just gotten out of the shower so much as if he’d tossed a bucket of water tossed over himself.

Zeke stepped in front of his guards and they tensed. He should always stay behind them. They were there for his protection after all, and they couldn’t do their job if he placed himself between them and Dom.

Dom smiled. He appreciated Zeke’s confidence. It showed that he didn’t think of Dom as a threat. Good, he wanted the alpha relaxed for when Grayson and his team made their attack. Zeke stopped close then shook his head like a dog. Water flung from his body and slapped across Dom’s suit like the spray from a sprinkler.

Slowly, Dom gazed down at the specks of water over his thousand-dollar suit and bit his tongue. He didn’t miss the gleam in Zeke’s eye. He’d done it on purpose.

“Good to see you still have the animals of a rabid mutt, Zeke.”

The alpha grinned, his wild eyes beginning to glow blue. The glowing eyes were another reason the alpha was so strange.
Weres
could control the urges to shift, to fuck, and to fight with age. An alpha could especially do this. Except for Zeke...the man’s beast always seemed to lurk at the edge as if he might shift and start biting off heads at any moment.

“You know why I came,” Dom said.

Zeke’s eyes grew unfocused and faraway. This lasted for more than two minutes before he blinked fast, twice. He shook his head again sending more water flying around him. “What’d you say?”

Dom prided himself on keeping his anger in check. When you dealt in politics, you couldn’t let emotions get the best of you. “A
were
attacked me. A
were
you sent and endangered an innocent in the process, not to mention killing my driver.”

Zeke didn’t fidget. “Yeah.”

Dom’s fangs elongated in his mouth, an old sign even he couldn’t always hide when anger gripped him. With effort, he forced them back because he wouldn’t be fighting tonight. “Did you call the attack on me?”

“Yeah,” Zeke said. He ran a hand through his shaggy hair pulling it back from his face but it only fell forward again.

“You admit to making an attempt on my life?”

Zeke rolled his neck in a circle as a growl rumbled out of his throat, like an animal. “
I
didn’t attempt anything. I don’t
attempt
anything. When I want something done I do it. If I’d have been there then you wouldn’t be standing here right now.”

Dom’s fangs knifed down so hard his gums throbbed. Old, buried instincts rushed forth taunting him to fight the
were
, to see who’d come out, and to drink the alpha dry. He couldn’t do any of those things though. So he took a deep breath and let it out, and made sure his hands weren’t balled. Show no emotion and give nothing away. He learned that about politics from his father many years ago.

“There was a woman with me when the attempt was made. I’ll not have her drawn into this.”

Zeke’s head twitched like a dog that had something in his ear. He started pacing in agitated steps back and forth. “The woman...what was her name?”

Dom only lifted a brow. He wasn’t giving him anything on Felicity, not even the color of her hair.

Zeke waved his hand impatiently at his guards then one of them spoke up. “Felicity Shaw. A vampire hired by the Blackmoores to plan the mating ceremony that’s taking place in one month’s time between Dominic Blackmoore and one Julianna Greenwich.”

Zeke pulled his arms above his head as he walked, arching in a stretch. “Ah, yes. Well there you have it, Dom.”

Dom growled low under his breath. Too late did he realize what a mistake he just made. Zeke froze at the sound, turned to watch Dom with shrewd eyes.

“She means something to you.”

Fuck.
Zeke might be mad but he wasn’t stupid.

“I want her. That’s all, and I won’t be able to do that if your idiot flunkies kill her when they’re trying to kill me.”

Zeke’s bright, glowing eyes met his. They wobbled as if his eyes couldn’t quite lock on anything steadily for longer than a second. “Liar,” he said softly.

“Leave the assassination attempts out of this, Zeke. Let’s run our campaigns the old-fashioned way, shall we? Let’s let the people decide.”

Zeke grinned, a knowing little smile. “You know a
were
has never won presidency of the council.”

“And?”

“This year is a year for change.” Zeke stepped forward, stopping a foot away from Dom. Dom’s entire body tightened with the urge to push back, to fight. “Your father’s dead. You’ve left your mate. You’re mating to another, and in the meantime you have a young vampire keeping your bed warm and your dick wet.”

Dom froze for only a quarter of a second before Zeke’s words registered. If he’d said such a thing about Julianna he wouldn’t have given a shit. If he’d said anything like that about Helena he would have laughed for even when they were together, she’d stopped doing either of those things. But Felicity...he spoke those crass, vulgar words about his woman like that. The woman he planned to make his. Dom couldn’t let that happen.

Dom attacked.

Zeke welcomed it as if he’d been waiting for it.

Asshole probably had too.

Dom landed a punch to the stomach, taking Zeke
to the ground in a spine-cracking blow. He didn’t waste any time. He buried his fangs in the
weres
throat gulping down mouthfuls of blood like it poured out of a spout. Blood loss was the best way to fight a
were
. They were strong and fast, but couldn’t function so well without their blood. Of course, the same could be said about him.

Zeke laughed. A fist curled into Dom’s hair and jerked. Pain flair as his hair pulled, strands snapped. He soared back from the throw, flying through the air. His back cracked against a fully-grown Catalpa tree. It groaned as he hit it, shuddered. Wood cracked as it doubled in half and fell to the earth with a heavy sigh.

Zeke took off on a sprint, transforming in the process. Muscle contorted, hair thickened, lengthened, and grew into fur. His heavy animal body nearly plowed into him, but Dom flashed behind the
were
at the last second. He jumped on the mighty
were
and sent them both rolling to the ground. Rocks jabbed into his back. Mud splattered across his clothes and face. The wolf growled low in his throat.

Dom reached up, grabbed the snarling wolf by the side of its head, and held on. Thick, coarse fur filled his hands. It became a power of wills and strength as Zeke pushed forward. His muzzle had elongated into a snout, sharp, big teeth snapped in Dom’s face trying to reach his throat. The damn
were
would tear it out if given the chance. Dom’s arm shook as all of his concentration went to keeping the beast’s head from his throat. The alpha was renowned for his kills. He’d literally bitten off both vampire and
weres
heads before, effectively ending their lives.

They might have stayed like that for hours until one finally bested the other, if not for Grayson.

Grayson stepped forward looking even more haggard than usual. “We get it; you both have big fucking dicks. Now put them away so I can get home to my
bruid
.”

Slowly, the heavy-ass
were
on top of him transformed back into a man. A naked man who’s hand and legs pinned Dom’s. Dom still held Zeke’s head in his hands. The man’s short beard chafed his palms.

Zeke bent his head, getting in Dom’s face then growled. “Back up, vampire, before I eat you.”

Dom understood it. The man was an alpha and Dom was in his territory at his home. No way would Zeke back away, but Dom wouldn’t let the man slide on his slight against Felicity.

Dom tightened his grip on the
weres
face, letting him know he could snap his neck if he wanted to. “Don’t talk about Felicity Shaw if you want to keep living.”

Zeke’s eyes wobbled left and right unsteadily, and then he snapped his teeth in Dom’s face, his hot breath panting on his cheek. “Move!”

Dom rolled out from underneath the
were
then stood in a smooth move. “No more attempts on my life or you’re going to find out just how many people I know, some who think
weres
are little more than big dogs. You leave me alone and you and yours won’t get to meet them.”

“Don’t threaten me, Dominic. You’d never get passed my people. We’re better than you.” The
were
paced naked and agitated, his fists curling then uncurling. His athletic body was coated in a sheen of sweat and splattered with mud and grass stains.

“I will win the presidency, Zeke. You would do well to remember that. It’d bode well for you to have me as a friend on the council; not as an enemy.”

Zeke snapped his teeth at Dom. “
If
you win.” He flashed a smile. “I have a feeling you won’t.”

Zeke’s smile made Dom tense. That was a knowing smile.

Fuck. Zeke had done something or he knew something. Something that Dom didn’t know.

“Leave her out of this. Women have no part in this.”

Zeke’s crazy eyes glowed brighter. “Women have everything to do with this. Now get off my land, vampire.”

Dom licked his lips. “Thanks for the snack.”

The alpha growled deep and loud in his throat. His guards tensed but Dom gave a mock bow and left with his team.

In Grayson’s SUV, they headed for home.

“The bastard’s crazy as they come. Capable of doing anything to win,” Gray said.

“Yeah,” Dom said distractedly. “He’s up to something. I need you to find out what it is. He’s got an ace up his sleeve or something he believes is an ace.”

“That man’s a whack job. I’ll stay on top of it.”

“He made an attempt on my life. Felicity was with me,” Dom said as an afterthought.

Deep lines ran across Grayson’s forehead as he grimaced. “She growing on you?”

“Fast and hard.”

Grayson sighed. “You need to decide, Dom. I already looked into her. She isn’t the type to play mistress to you.”

Dom rubbed the stubble on chin as he gazed out into the dark night. “Do you think it’s possible I could win the election without Julianna?”

Grayson sucked in a deep breath. “You’re seriously considering this?”

“Just considering all my possibilities.”

“It’s never been done,” Grayson said.

“It’s never been tried either,” amended Dom.

“I think it’s possible, but what the fuck do I know. I’m not in to politics, man. As long as she has her own campaign to back on. Something that the women vampires can believe in and go for. Her coming from a poor life might work to make people like her.”

“And if it doesn’t then I lose and Zeke wins.”

Dom hated little else more than losing. He always found a way to win everything he wanted.

“Fuck, I hate this. I want her, Gray. I can’t stop thinking about her.”

Grayson’s dark eyes grew shadowed. Damn, Dom hated seeing that look his eyes. His brother’s mate was a mess. His
bruid
was an alcoholic. She drank as if it was her full-time job. It hurt Dom to see his brother troubled but he knew there was nothing he could do. The struggled rested between Grayson and Anita.

“Take her and get it out of your system,” Grayson said.

Dom winced at the thought. It wasn’t like that. He wanted to know more about her. He wanted to get to know her. What he wanted was more than just feeling her naked body against his, though he wanted that and would get it, soon. She seemed to have as much resistance to him as he did her. With luck on his side, the least he could do would get her in his bed.

“What if I take her and it doesn’t get her out of my system?” he asked softly.

Gray sighed, lit up a cigarette. He rolled down the window so the smoke flew out it in a stream. Dom caught the scent of poppy. Damn, it hurt knowing his brother had to lace his own hand-rolled cigarettes with that shit. It was the only way to help him get relaxed.

“Then you need to figure out what you want more. Her or the presidency.”

Dominic stared out the window lost in the thought. He wanted both. And he’d get both if it was the last thing he did.

“How is Anita doing?” Dom hated to ask.

His brother never wanted to talk about it. Dom hated that his brother had to gruel the burden alone. It’s how Gray preferred it. Said in the past that he didn’t want Dom and the rest of the family tied up in their problems. Dom finally left them to it after a while. Didn’t mean guilt didn’t eat at him over it though. Not when he wanted to help. But what help was there to a drunk who didn’t want to be fixed?

Gray’s frown had become permanent some time during the past ten years. After the second miscarriage, Anita had taken a turn for the worse. Dom couldn’t really blame her, and he didn’t think Gray could either. That’s why he didn’t push her to stop as much as he could. They were both clouded in guilt and pain.

Gray took a long pull on his cigarette. The red glow lit his lined face and stubble jaw making him look like an old cowboy sitting in front of a campfire about to tell a story.

“She’s the same. Or worse. Fuck, I don’t know. It’s one nightmare after the next.” He rubbed a hand across the back of his neck.

“Can I do anything?” Dom already knew the answer but asked anyway.

“No. Not a fuckin’ thing. Yesterday...” he coughed over the smoke, his voice turning raspy, “yesterday I came home to find her butt-ass naked on the living room floor and some vamp fucking her.”

Dom stiffened. Anita’s usual antics were comprised of vomiting, shaking, and falling over, needing to be carried everywhere, slurring, and sometimes hitting those around her if she had the energy. He’d never heard of this. She’d cheat on Grayson after all this time?