The Beta (3 page)

Standing with her legs braced apart, she aimed. “Don’t try it, fucker. This ain’t no pop toy.”

It didn’t listen, just kept pacing forward. Her breaths became ragged. Stupid idiot probably lost control of his beast and now she’d have to wound him. She squeezed off a warning shot next to his clawed foot. She didn’t kill for free.

The werewolf leaped from the ricochet of cement, rebounding off the building next to him with his feet, and sprung forward with incredible agility. This wasn’t the run-of-the-mill shifter out of control, he was a trained warrior.

Shit!

She twisted and ran, knees pumping to her chest with every ounce of speed she could gather while wearing heels. People would be amazed at how fast a terrified woman could move on stilettos. She’d had enough practice to be a gold medalist. Killing werewolves was easy, it was the not getting scratched or bitten part that made her run like a coward. She didn’t stand a chance at hand-to-hand combat with the thing, let alone outracing it. Her only chance lay with her car and her gun.

If that monster scratched her, then she’d be joining the pack. She didn’t play well with others. The irony of a slayer turned monster wasn’t lost on her. Actually, it happened more often than not, but she owned a special bullet to take care of herself if that ever occurred, and she’d take her destroyer on that last journey as well.

Heavy panting drew nearer as it closed the distance between them. She should have shot it dead when she had him in her sights. Jumping onto the hood of her silver gray sedan, Esther slid across it and landed on her feet. She swung around, aiming her thirty-eight special at her assailant’s chest, but nothing followed her.

She choked on her fear. Where’d it go? Crouching low behind the car, she kept the gun ready, scanning the area. Nothing. How could something that big vanish?

The thumping of her heart drowned out her hearing. She tried to take a deep breath, to find the calm void she escaped to while hunting monsters, but damn it, she was the prey this time. A chill ran down her spine.

Taking one hand off her weapon, she reached in her pocket for her car keys. She tugged at them, but they snagged on something. She yanked and yanked, but it wouldn’t budge. Her stomach cramped as the street remained quiet, almost as if it held its breath.

She glanced at the tangle of loose threads wrapped around the key ring and gave it another yank, but it only tightened the knot.

Hot breath blew on the back of her neck. She jumped in a lithe motion, landing on her feet, and spun around with her gun ready.

The creature plucked the thirty-eight special from her hands before she could pull the trigger. He discarded it over his shoulder like it was a toy. Towering two feet above her head, he glared with his iridescent amber eyes. His shoulders spanned at least twice her width.

“You are one big mother fucker,” she whispered, awe apparent in her voice.

He bared his teeth and lunged.

She pressed against the car as her body froze, then pried her eyes open when the end didn’t come.

The werewolf melted before her eyes as it transformed back to his human form. His fur shrank into pale white skin covering wiry muscles that slid back into place. The color of his irises darkened until she gazed into a set of sharp green eyes.

“You!” She placed her hands on Rob’s bare chest and tried to shove.

He didn’t budge an inch.

Rob was a werewolf? It took a moment for her thoughts to collect into something coherent, then she realized he was naked. Her prior imagination didn’t do his body justice. Fine sculpted muscles covered his torso, arms, and legs. She stared—no, she might as well be honest—she gawked.

His cock swelled under her observation.

She swallowed around a hard lump in her throat.

“You have something I want.” Rob placed a finger under her chin and dragged her gaze back to his face. He had something she wanted too.

With his hands, he patted her body. He yanked her car keys out of her pocket, tearing the tangle of threads, and dropped them to the ground. A growl rumbled deep in his chest. He spun her around, pressing her to the car.

Wetness pooled between her thighs. She wanted him to take her. Now. She didn’t care if the whole neighborhood watched.

He used his hip against her lower back to pin her as he continued to search for his wallet.

Pickpocketing the thing was the best decision she’d ever made. She squirmed under his hips until she felt his erect cock against her ass and leaned into it. Hearing his sharp intake of breath drove her devilish side crazy. She rubbed against him, inviting more than a little pat and tickle.

Rob propped his forehead against her hair. “Esther, what are you doing?”

“What do you think?” She rested her body along his. “I never would have guessed in a million years that you were a shifter.”

His hand slid over her abdomen. “Where’s my wallet?”

“In my bra.”

“Of course it is.” He sighed and held out his hand. “Can you give it to me?”

Still a gentleman. She knew he wanted her, and she offered herself on a freaking silver platter. The men she knew would have torn off her panties and been balls deep inside of her by now. “Come and get it.”

His grip on her tightened as he ground his cock against her. Slowly, he slipped his hand down her V-neck shirt. “Which side?”

She laughed, it sounded deep and sultry. “Guess.”

Going deeper, he cupped her left breast inside her bra, taking his time to search.

Her nipples hardened at the brush of his hand. She arched her back, craving more.

“Nothing here.” He switched hands and searched her right cup. “A-ha.” He pulled out his belonging then quickly returned his hand inside her bra. He pinched her nipple and rolled it between his fingers until she cried out. Then he retreated from her. “You’re beautiful, Esther, but I don’t bed women I can’t trust.”

She clung to the car and caught her breath.

As Rob strolled away from her he changed back to his beast form. She’d never watched the transformation before. The fluid way he changed and grew must have hurt like hell, but he didn’t utter a sound, just kept walking with his wallet in hand.

“Rob?”

The werewolf glanced over his shoulder.

“I’d let you tie me up if that would make you feel safer.”

Esther dozed with one eye open. All afternoon she sat in her car, parked a few houses from Rob’s, and watched nothing happen. As the place stayed quiet her thoughts drifted to neutral ground.

Or at least, they tried to. Rob left her in a bad way last night. Her vibrator finished the job, but she didn’t get the kind of satisfaction he could have provided. What the hell was going on? A man never drew this kind of attention from her, she didn’t believe in lust at first sight, but Rob proved her wrong. He wasn’t a man though, but a full-blown werewolf, a warrior werewolf.

Fanning herself with her hand, she cracked open the car window. She should have dragged him into the alley when she’d kissed him. They would both be happier, and maybe she would have had a dinner date tonight instead of being crammed in her sedan with the remains of Taco Hell on her passenger seat.

She sat in front of his beautiful brownstone with a lovely granite staircase, hoping to follow Rob to Daedalus’s lair. That’s how she explained this stakeout slash stalker thing to herself for the hundredth time.
Focus on the Nosferatu, not the hottie werewolf.

A pretty blonde walked by her car, wavy hair hung past her shoulders, heels clicking on the pavement as she hurried in the evening’s fading light. If Esther had curves like that Rob would never have walked away.

The blonde climbed the steps to Rob’s home.

No fucking way. Esther’s heart took a nosedive as she sat up in her seat, clutching the steering wheel as if it were the edge of a cliff. Double-crossing bastard made a pass at her when he already had a nice piece of ass at home. The door to the house opened, and a gorgeous Asian woman with silky black hair past her waist stepped out. They exchanged a few words before continuing in opposite directions.

Esther checked her GPS. The address was correct. Could she have saved it wrong? She watched the Asian woman climb into a car, imaging Rob caressing her slim body as he’d done to her last night. She had the right place. Rob had a harem, and he’d played her like a finely tuned instrument with his geeky, innocent act. She knew he’d been too good to be true.

Her mind raced over all the painful things she would inflict on him once she caught his mangy werewolf ass. Contract or not, this trip just became personal.

* * * *

Twisting in his bed, Robert tossed the sheet off. He dragged his fingers through his hair and didn’t need to look to know his cock tented his boxers. All afternoon he’d tried to sleep, but Esther kept intruding on his dreams.

Glaring at the bulge, he palmed it as he recalled the way her soft breast fit in his hand. Stroking his cock, he pictured her arching her back at his touch and releasing a little moan. She’d offered to be tied as he deserted her last night. A drop of dew spilled from his tip. He imagined her strapped to his bed, oiled, and really pissed off. His breaths quickened as he watched her writhe in his mind. He curled onto his side, pumping hard as he pictured climbing between her thighs and thrusting deep inside her wet pussy. In hot jets, he came into his sheets and moaned her name.

He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. How pathetic, he jacked off to a woman he’d turned down. She didn’t react like he’d expected when he found her with his wallet. Most women would have run screaming. She’d gotten intense and pulled out a gun, then shot at him.

What shocked him the most was the desire in her gaze as she assessed his body with a possessive eye. Her fear scent had faded and the smell of her arousal took over. She couldn’t fake that. He turned her on, and that fact set him on fire. Grinning, Robert rose from his bed and pulled the sheets off, tossing them in the laundry basket.

All things considering, he’d had an excellent night. Maybe next time he’d get to keep the girl. Esther was beautiful on the outside, but her deceitful nature left him cold. How could he trust a woman like that? His gaze passed over his wallet. She hadn’t taken anything from it.

Not like she had enough time to spend what little he carried. Still, she gave it back easy enough. He turned on the shower and stepped into the stinging spray.

The beast wanted a mate, or maybe he should say
to mate
. Every day, like clockwork, he woke to a hard-on. The other Vasi males in the house had admitted to similar problems, but they had access to release.

Eric had Spice, Tyler was with Katrina, and Sam took anyone willing to keep his bed warm. Robert needed a female in his life, someone to hang out with and give him direction. The pickings in the pack were slim though. Those who interested him were already taken, and getting involved with a human could be tricky. When did he confess to being a werewolf? On the first date?

After rinsing the soap from his body, he towel dried, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, then put his glasses on. Too bad shifters didn’t have an online dating service. Pack politics would make that difficult though. Alphas were territorial about females, they wouldn’t let anyone stroll into their area and take one. Even Eric, who Robert considered pretty sane for an alpha, wouldn’t let that happen.

Racing down the steps, he almost trampled Katrina as she crossed his path at the bottom of the staircase. She was on her way to the front door. “Oops, sorry.” He smiled at her. “Didn’t see you coming.”

She straightened his glasses and returned his smile. “I heard you did a good job with Talon last night. Have a fun evening.” She wore a black dress and heels with her hair loose down her back. Her outfit accentuated her Asian beauty.

“Date with Tyler tonight?”

“Yes, I am meeting him downtown for dinner.” She paused at the door. “Do you want to come?”

He shook his head. “I’ve got plans.” Lying was better than being a third wheel. He’d almost had a dinner date. Retreating to the kitchen before his pack mate asked any questions, Robert tossed a bagel in the toaster while he listened to the front door open and close. The click of heels in the hallway made him glance out the kitchen entrance. “Sugar, you’re home late.”

The petite blonde set her purse on the counter.

Sugar owned the brownstone they all lived in, the original Omegas pack—Eric, Tyler, Sam, Katrina, and himself—paid her rent. They’d been neighbors at first in an apartment complex. Then they started having troubles with the old pack of Chicago, the Ayumu. That was when they hired Daedalus, a badass Nosferatu vampire, to teach them how to fight. He and Sugar had fallen crazy in love. When Eric defeated the old alpha of the Ayumu, the Omegas absorbed them. Then Eric changed their name to Vasi, which meant Vanguards in the old language.

“I missed my bus. Is Daedalus awake yet?” Sugar straightened her skirt.

“I haven’t seen him, but I’ve only been awake a few minutes myself.”

Her smile turned sad as she examined his face. “You look exhausted. Don’t let him work you so hard, Robert.”

The
him
she referred to was the pack’s Nosferatu vampire warrior and her true love. “He’s only doing what’s best for us. Don’t worry, I can take it.” He slathered the bagel with peanut butter and poured a tall glass of milk.

Once Daedalus was ready they’d go running before hitting the all night gym. Yay.

“He told me you refused to kill Talon.”

Rob nodded while chewing on his meal.

“I’m glad. He wouldn’t agree with me—”

“Damn right, I don’t agree.” Daedalus stormed into the kitchen and blocked the entrance with his six-foot-two frame and crossed his arms over his chest. “Sugar, we discussed you placing ideas in their heads. I can’t have the boys hesitating on the field of battle.”

She confronted him with her five foot nothing, barely a hundred and ten pound body. “Field of battle? This is Chicago in the twenty-first century.”

If Rob had someone to place a bet with he’d put his money on Sugar winning. The little librarian had grown a backbone in the last year.