Vampires Never Cry Wolf (13 page)

If
Sadie
hadn't gone to fetch the water, she'd be dead too.

The
pungent
aroma
of
blood
had
been
overwhelming, and the scent of it still clung to her nostrils. It made Sadie's stomach roll as she fought her way through the foggy mist of the early morning. Terrified, knowing they were right behind her, Sadie kept running as fast as she could. Her heavy skirts tangled between her legs and she stumbled. Her heart thundered in her chest and she struggled to catch her breath. She couldn't stop. She could hear them behind her, their feet scraping against the rocky earth and their legs whispering through the grass as they stalked her.

If
they
caught
her, they would kill her.

They
would
kill
her
the
same
way
they
had
slaughtered
her
parents
and
her
sisters. A sob choked her when the image of her father's bloody face and lifeless eyes came roaring to the forefront. The only people she had in the entire world were gone and she was left truly alone. When her father had moved the family out to the wilds of the Western Territory, Sadie had often felt lonely but she'd never actually been alone.

Until
now.

Afraid
to
look
back
and
weakened
by
fear, she kept running and almost shouted with relief when she spotted her safe haven through the tree line. In the distance the familiar hill with its rock formations called to her like a beacon. Buried within the rust-colored rocks and nestled behind the overgrown brush was the tiny cave. Before today, it had been a place where Sadie and her sister would come and play for hours—but not today. This time it would be her saving grace and a place to hide from her attackers.

They
were
getting
closer. Faster. She had to run faster. Sadie was only a few feet from the entrance to the cave when the sounds of low growls rumbled around her. Pure unadulterated terror filled her from head to toe, and a split second later, he was on top of her.

Something
slammed
into
her
back, knocking the wind out of her and sending her to the ground with an audible grunt. Dirt and rocks dug into her palms as she hit the earth. Too terrified to move and sure that death was only a moment away, Sadie squeezed her eyes closed and prayed to the Lord that he would take her quickly.

The
weight
of
her
attacker
held
her
to
the
rocky
earth, and his warm breath puffed along her neck. The growling grew louder and scraped at the last shred of sanity she had. The beast was going to toy with her before he tore her throat out.

Just do it,
she
screamed.
Kill me already. Kill me just like you killed them.

With
strength
she
didn't know she had, Sadie flipped onto her back and found herself face-to-face with an enormous brown-and-black wolf with glittering amber eyes. The beast loomed over her, his paws on either side of her body. But he was no longer holding her down, and if she didn't know better, she'd swear the wolf was smiling. Just when that crazy thought entered her mind, the animal blurred, as though vanishing in a flash of light. Then with a blast of heat, it shifted in a split second into a man.

A
handsome, familiar, and very naked man—Killian.

Kill you?
His
deep, familiar voice sliced through to her core. His hands were braced on the ground on either side of her, and he settled his body between her legs.
I can think of far more pleasant activities that we can do in our dreams. Killing you is not on the list.

Killian
. Sadie's memory returned the instant she whispered his name, along with a fair amount of confusion.
Holy shit.

She
wasn't the young, naive girl running from her family's killers in the wilds of the Western Territory. She hadn't been that girl in a long, long time. Nope. Sadie Pemberton was a two-century-old vampire and this…was a dream.

Sadie
was
dreaming
for
the
first
time
in
almost
two
hundred
years, and to top it all off, Killian was in the dream with her. This could only mean one thing, and it confirmed what she'd known deep in her gut all along.

Killian
Bane, the werewolf prince and heir apparent to the Werewolf Society, was her bloodmate.

I'll be honest, if I had my way, chasing you in my dreams would end a lot differently than this.
His
brow
furrowed
and
the
muscles
in
his
chest
twitched
as
he
held
himself
above
her
and
glanced
at
the
old-fashioned outfit she was wearing.
And I would think my subconscious would dress you in something other than that
Little House on the Prairie
getup.

I wasn't running from you.
Sadie
rolled
her
eyes
at
the
ridiculous
situation
they
were
in. She hadn't run from anyone or anything in centuries—not until Killian Bane came into her world. In fact, running from him had become a nasty habit, and it was time to cut that crap out. Trying to ignore the fact that he was naked, she folded her arms over her chest and glared up at him.
Would you mind getting off me, please?

See?
Killian pushed himself to his feet, finally freeing her from the weight of his body.
This is a shitty dream. If I had my way, you'd be asking me to get you off…not get off you.

Well, maybe that's because it's not just your dream
. She pushed herself to her feet, and though Killian offered her a helping hand, she refused. She moved to brush the dust and dirt from her skirts, but she was no longer dressed like the girl from so many years ago. Gone were the prairie skirts and the stiff, high-necked blouse. Instead she found herself clad in the black boy shorts and tank top she'd gone to sleep in that night.
That's much better.

I agree.
Killian's firm lips lifted at the corners, and his caramel-colored eyes glinted in the sun.
I vote for this outfit.

Big surprise.
Sadie
turned
her
back
on
him
and
tilted
her
face
to
the
warmth
of
the
sun, letting out a satisfied sigh.
Now would you do us both a favor and put something on? All you have to do is think about what you want to wear and it'll be there. At least, that's what Maya told me.

Killian
let
out
a
heavy
sigh
of
sexual
frustration
mixed
with
impatience. The sound of it made Sadie's grin widen. The warmth of the sun in the dreamscape felt delicious on her normally chilly skin and brought back far-more-pleasant memories of her human life—of a time long before that fateful morning her family had been slaughtered. The smile fell from her face and Sadie flicked her eyes open to stare at the line of trees that hid her family's home and the scene of their murder.

It worked.
Killian's low, sexy growl slid over her seductively as he sidled up behind her and nuzzled her ear
. I want to go on record that I was not in favor of putting on clothing, especially when all I can think about is taking yours off.

His
arms
slid
around
her
waist
and
he
pulled
her
against
his
rock-solid frame. Her gut instinct was to pull away, to run from the man the universe had chosen for her, and yet she didn't. Sadie lingered there for a moment, letting her hands settle over his where they rested against her belly. She shivered when he leaned down and his warm mouth pressed a kiss to the circular scar on her left shoulder blade.

Are you sure you're a wolf?
A
smile
curved
Sadie's lips, and she elbowed him playfully before stepping away and slipping out of his embrace. She pointed at him, warning him to keep his distance. He'd done as she promised and covered his nakedness with a pair of faded jeans. That sexy, well-muscled chest, however, was still on full display. Sadie tore her gaze from the trail of dark hair that disappeared beneath the waistband of his jeans and turned to face the woods in the distance.
You act more like a horndog.

Only around you.
Based
on
the
tone
of
his
voice, she knew that a wolfish grin covered his face.

I bet you say that to all the girls.
Sadie
rolled
her
eyes
and
glanced
over
her
shoulder
at
him, trying not to smile at his infuriatingly charming ways.
But as you know, I'm not like all the other girls you've met. Your wolfish wiles aren't going to work on me.

Well, now that you've effectively ruined the moment, can you tell me what's going on?
Killian
moved
in
on
her
right
side
and
hooked
his
thumbs
in
the
pockets
of
his
jeans.
I've dreamed before, but it's never been this real. I certainly haven't had this kind of awareness or control in a dream before. This seems impossible.

That's because it's not a regular dream.
Sadie
shifted
her
weight
and
glanced
at
him
before
gathering
her
courage
to
tell
him
what
she
knew
to
be
true. She had to tell him they were bloodmates, but doing it in person would certainly be a better idea.
It's a dreamscape. I've never been here before either. Actually, I haven't dreamed in almost two hundred years.

You said that Maya told you about this dreamscape?
Killian
seemed
genuinely
curious
about
their
unusual
shared
dream
experience
and
not
the
least
bit
bothered
by
it.
So that means she's been here before.

Yes. She and Olivia have both walked in the dreamscape.
Sadie
cleared
her
throat
and
nodded
toward
the
tree
line.
This is actually a memory. Or part of one, anyway. At least, that's what I think it is.

It's your memory, isn't it?
Killian
asked
hesitantly.
Sadie
nodded
silently
and
she
could
feel
his
eyes
on
her.

Yes.
Sadie
struggled
to
keep
her
voice
even.
It's the morning I was turned.

Tell me what happened.
Killian's voice softened at the same moment his hand settled on her lower back.

My family had settled out west in what you would now know as Arizona. It was the early eighteen hundreds.
Staring
at
the
azure
sky, she fought to keep her emotions in check.
It was desolate back then, still a few years before the mining rush.
Her
voice
sounded
faraway, as though someone else were telling the story.
My little sister and I didn't want to go live in such a desolate place, and neither did my mother, but Papa wouldn't listen. He kept saying it was where he would build his fortune. In addition to being one hell of a good tracker, my father was also stubborn. He'd been getting into it with some of the local Apache tribesmen—fights over land and who had the right to hunt on it. Anyway, I guess he got into one fight too many and pissed off the wrong Apache.
Her
voice
shook, and even though tears threatened to come, she managed to keep them at bay
. My family was slaughtered, and if Olivia hadn't shown up, I would have died right along with them.