Tessa, Vampire/Werewolf Romance, (Standalone) (Shadow Creek Shifters Book 3) (9 page)

CHAPTER ONE

Raphael dozed off for a moment and then Earth came crashing down on him. He had forgotten why he came to Tessa’s cabin in the first place. She smiled up at him, snuggled into the crook of his arm.

“Why the frown?” she asked.

“Promise you won’t be mad.”

Tessa sat up. “You have a mate? You’re really a werebear in disguise as a wolf?” Tessa frowned. “That can’t be it. I’ve seen you shift.”

“You’re cute, but no. Something very important happened today.”

Tessa didn’t like the sound of this already. Not only was Raphael not smiling, but a dark look came over his face.

“I knew I should have told you when I came here, but once I found you naked in the tub, all I could think about was you in my arms.”

“And you had to join me in the tub?”

Raphael stroked Tessa’s face. “Melody and Maxwell found Carrie in quite the state.”

“What?”

“Someone hurt her bad.”

“Jason beat her up?” Tessa shouted. “I should have known.” She tried to calm down, but all she could think about was killing whoever did this. “Was it Jason?”

“We’re not sure. She hasn’t woken up yet.”

Tessa slipped out of bed and dressed while Raphael did the same. After she had tugged on her boots over her jeans and slipped on a white tee, she was racing for the door. She whirled back around right before she opened it and asked, “Where is Carrie, the hospital?”

“No, Shadow Creek. Paige is attending to her.”

“Oh, right. I should have known.”

When Tessa opened the door, staring up at the full moon, casts of orange were on the horizon. Wolf howls echoed in the distance and Raphael stiffened. “Go ahead and take the ATV to Shadow Creek. I have something to take care of.”

Tessa watched as Raphael shucked his clothing, placed them on a chair on the porch of her cabin, and then shifted into wolf form. She was amazed at the majestic creature that circled her, rubbing his thick fur against her legs. “Behave, Raphael. This is beginning to feel weird.” She laughed.

He raced away and it took a minute before she was able to still her own heart as it throbbed against her chest. She was shocked that Raphael hadn’t told her about what happened and she didn’t want to overreact, but all she was consumed with were thoughts of paying Jason back for what he did to Carrie. She hopped on, firing up the ATV, and driving off. All she wanted to do was to see Carrie and just how badly she was injured.

Tessa wound through the trails with ease, missing the deer that glided past her. Soon she was on the main road, heading to Shadow Creek, which was only a few miles ahead. She squinted her eyes as the traffic was heavy going into Creeksboro. That part of Wyoming wasn’t populated with ranchers for the most part, and it was strange that so many cars would be headed to town.

She turned at the Shadow Creek Ranch sign overhead and skidded up the drive, which led to the main house. Tessa hopped off and silenced the engine just as Angus strode up.

“Shouldn’t you be guarding the cattle tonight? It’s a full moon; can’t you see?” She smiled.

“I was just heading that way. If you’re here to see Seth, he already left, but Melody is upstairs with her mother. That’s why you’re here, right, to see Carrie?”

“Yes, but where did Seth go?”

“He wouldn’t say, but he was in a hurry. Kept muttering about he had to go before it got dark.”

Tessa thought that strange. Why would he leave Melody with her abused mother? It didn’t make any sense to her, but she didn’t know what she’d encounter inside. She imagined that Melody would be upset even though she hadn’t seen her mother in some time. She
was
still her mother, after all.

She hadn’t quite made it to the door when Brendan came barreling out. “Whoa, where’s the fire?”

“At home if I don’t get there to take my turn with watching the twins. Katlyn is really exhausted and Chase and I have been taking turns.”

“Can’t blame her. She’s nursing two babies and that can’t be a treat.”

Brendan nodded and strode toward his cabin while Tessa knocked and the maid opened the door. She didn’t say a word, just quickly backed up. Paige was sitting near the fireplace.

“Is it true that Carrie was hurt by that bastard, Jason?”

Paige sighed. “We don’t know for sure. Brendan and Seth have agreed to wait it out until Carrie is conscious to tell them who the guilty party is. If she ever wakes up.”

Tessa’s brows drew together. “What do you mean
if
?”

“You’ll see when you go upstairs, but it’s not pretty. I’ve never seen a woman beaten so badly and recover fully.”

Tessa began to pace. “And they want to wait? We all know who did this. Of course it was Jason. He was just over to Silver Creek asking Melody where her mother was. It all adds up. I can’t believe Brendan is just waiting for her to wake up.”

Paige stood and finished the last of her wine. “Would you like a swig before you go upstairs? You look a little pale.”

“No…sure, I’m starved, but I’ll take care of that later.”

“And by that, I hope you don’t mean you plan to hunt tonight.”

Tessa frowned. There was no way Paige would cut her some slack on her hunting animals. “That’s the furthest thing from my mind at the moment.”

Paige led the way up the stairs instead of answering, and Tessa was glad for that. She had no plans to hunt anyway since the woods would be alive with shifters. Surely even Raphael had a hard time stopping himself from shifting on the full moon.

She followed Paige up the long hallway, which was dark except for a red night light every ten feet. It made for an eerie stroll up the hall if one was not a vampire. Luckily, Paige and Tessa were the only ones she knew of. The possibility of more didn’t sit well with Tessa. Food was already hard to come by since the blood bank on occasion didn’t have the supplies, like that one time when she was sent a blood substitute. If it hadn’t been for Paige, she wouldn’t still be here to even walk these halls. Tessa had been in need of a blood transfusion on that occasion.

Paige stopped at the door. “I don’t want you to be too shocked. Carrie’s really in bad shape.”

Tessa nodded as she entered, stopping as Melody was reading a book to her. The girl looked up as the floor creaked and raced toward her, wrapping her small arms around Tessa’s waist. As she buried her head in Tessa’s arm, she felt a warmness she couldn’t quite explain.
Is this how it would feel to be a mother?

Melody pulled away, tears dripping from her large eyes. “It was just awful. We found Mama staggering in the forest and she just collapsed. She said my name once, but that’s when she closed her eyes. She hasn’t opened them since.”

“I’m so sorry, Melody. How awful to see your mother like that.”

Tessa moved toward the bed as Melody hugged her arm. She gulped back a breath as she stared at the prone Carrie. Both her eyes were purple, black, and swollen shut. She began to shake her head. “This is really awful. You shouldn’t be here, Melody.”

Melody pulled away and pouted. “That’s what everyone keeps telling me, but I’m not about to leave her side. What if she wakes up and I’m not here?”

“I’m sure Paige would call you right away and tell you when she wakes up. There’s no sense in getting yourself sick.”

Paige walked over to the bed. “See, even Tessa thinks you should go home, or at least get some sleep. We have plenty of bedrooms for you to sleep in, you know.”

Melody yawned. “I’m not even tired.”

Tessa took her hand. “You sure look plenty tired to me. Let’s go, young lady. I won’t take no for an answer.”

“Fine, but only if you lay down with me. At least until I fall asleep.”

Tessa smiled as they walked into a bedroom next to the one Carrie was in. She pulled back the covers as Paige brought out a nightgown and handed it to Melody. “I had Angus pick this up for you. I hope it fits.”

Melody took it into the bathroom and appeared five minutes later in the pink nightgown, slipping between the sheets. Tessa laid down on top of the cover, and it wasn’t long before Melody was breathing evenly and snoring slightly. Only then did she carefully slip out of the bed and join Paige in the hallway.

“That didn’t take long, but I didn’t expect it would. That poor child has had a vigil by her mother’s bed since Carrie was brought here.”

Tessa walked back into Carrie’s room. “Where did Seth go?”

“I don’t know, but he was in a hurry. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him acting so strange, insisting he had to leave before nightfall.”

“He’s been acting strange lately, period. First, he acted all interested in me, and then next—he’s changed his tune. He doesn’t act like the same man if you ask me.”

“You didn’t turn him, I hope?”

“No!” Tessa gasped. “Why would you think that?”

“Well, he’s human and his blood might be too much a temptation for you.”

“Raphael is warm-blooded, too. Don’t forget.”

“True, but we don’t know what would really happen if a shifter was bitten by a vampire.”

Tessa looked over to where Carrie was. “So if I bit Carrie, she wouldn’t wake up?”

Paige’s eyes widened. “I don’t think anyone has ever bitten a shifter before, and I wouldn’t recommend it.”

“Just because you don’t know what would happen?”

“Do you really want to play God here?”

“You’ve done that with me, Paige.”

“Yes, but this is a shifter, and not the best of them as is. You’d be risking creating a monster.”

Tessa couldn’t quit thinking about Carrie’s condition, but it seemed that if she
was
turned into a vampire, she might just wake up. “You’re probably right. I guess I was just wanting to hear Carrie tell us who did this, but why wait when we all know who the culprit is?”

“Besides the fact that both Seth and Brendan have agreed to wait? Nobody wants to rush to judgment.”

“And what if by waiting Jason slips through their fingers?”

“Not hardly. Everyone knows Jason is most likely holding up at his grandfather’s cabin ten minutes from the Hazard County line to the north.”

“Hazard County?”

“Yes, that’s where we are.”

“Oh, sorry. I guess I didn’t know that. I probably should get going.”

“Why the rush now?”

“I slept with Raphael,” Tess told Paige.

Paige smiled at that. “And here I was wondering if it would ever happen. How about Seth? Was he there, too?”

“Since it was early today and Seth has been here since Carrie was found, I’d say not. But I sure wish things hadn’t happened the way they did today.”

“You regret being with Raphael?”

“No, I meant about Carrie being hurt. I wish that hadn’t happened. Do you really think someone besides Jason might have done it?”

“I’m not sure. She had scratches, but I can’t say whether they were from an animal or her stumbling through the trees in the forest. We just want to be sure before we take vengeance.”

“Oh, so they
do
plan to take action when they find out who did this?”

“Of course. Brendan takes this seriously. Carrie is part of Shadow Creek regardless of how bad of a mother she’s been.”

Tessa nodded. “Well, it seems that since everyone is in agreement, that’s probably how it should be handled.”

Paige walked Tessa to the door and said, “I really hope you’ll let Brendan handle this.”

Tessa smiled. “But of course. I need to get back home, though; I forgot to take my medication. Could I use your cell phone so I can call Raphael and let him know Carrie hasn’t woken up yet?”

Paige had a strange expression on her face. “Oh, and he’s not shifted yet tonight?”

“Why would you think that?”

“It’s a full moon, is all. You need to be careful out there tonight. The moon has a strange effect on both shifters and humans alike.”

“Actually, Raphael is waiting for my call before he shifts.”

She cocked a brow and watched as Tessa called Raphael. “Would you mind? I’d like a little privacy. I mean, you know Raphael and I just…you know.”

Paige smiled now. “Of course.”

Tessa waited until Paige had left before she walked into the far corner of the room and began surfing Jason Traxler’s name. She also found a Milford Traxler, and after a few minutes found a blog interviewing him about hunting and fishing. It included a description of where his hunting cabin was located. Not an exact location, but it was off Mill Creek Road.
That should be enough to go on for starters.

Paige’s shadow came off the wall and Tessa quickly called Raphael’s number. She knew he wouldn’t answer since he was already on the prowl in wolf form, so she left a message. “Raphael, this is Tessa. I just wanted you to know that Carrie still hasn’t woken up. Melody finally went to bed and hopefully will decide to come home tomorrow.” Tessa hung up the phone just as Paige appeared.

“So, you couldn’t get ahold of him?”