VEX: Valley Enforcers, #1 (9 page)

Acacia nodded. “The Sheriff visited me at the hospital.”

“The inside was definitely a deliberate cut. Whoever messed with your engine bay has no real knowledge of cars… just sort of looks haphazard. Fuel regulator will need changed. Your alternator is messed up. And your inverter was destroyed. I can get those parts for under eight hundred. I can discount the labor a little for you to save on the cost.”

“Bill me whatever,” I said. “Go ahead and order all new tires, too.”

“I can pay for it myself, Vex,” Acacia protested.

“And I told you I’m taking care of it,” I countered. I offered a hand to Parker. I didn’t want to be within twenty feet of him, let alone shake his hand, but he was doing me a solid and we were family. “Thanks again, man. I hope Callie feels better.”

“Me too. She hogs the bed when she’s sick. Anyway, I won’t be able to send someone to haul the RV back to the shop until tomorrow. Will you be here, Acacia, or do you want me to take the keys now?”

“I’ll be here. Thank you, though.”

After a rushed and tense goodbye we were left alone. I didn’t want Acacia to stay in her broken down RV on the side of the road with blood staining the carpet inside. It was so hot in there it was almost suffocating, and she’d be without electricity. I couldn’t promise her that she’d be allowed at my place, though, and it seemed tacky and rude to offer to put her up in the motel just outside of town.

“Are you going to go talk to your Alpha?”

“It can wait,” I said quickly. Deacon didn’t scare me, but I was afraid of losing Acacia. I felt like I was heading for a death sentence. “Are you hungry? Do you want to go to town? You don’t have to stay here tonight, Acacia. There’s a motel –”

“We just ate, and I don’t want to go to a motel. I’m fine.” She gave a reassuring nod. “It’ll be fine. I’ll open my vents and keep cleaning. If I get bored I’ll hitchhike because that
always
works out in the movies.”

I stretched out my hand and wiggled my open fingers. “Give me your phone. I’ll put my number in.” She handed me her beat up looking smartphone. Her wallpaper was the actor from
The X-Files
, and when I raised my eyebrows at her she shrugged. I typed my information in and called myself so I’d have her number. “There. Don’t hitchhike. I’d be really upset if you got murdered.”

“That’s the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me. Keep showering me with your sweet words. I insist.”

“Stitches have never looked sexier,” I teased, stepping closer to her. I closed my fingers around her wrist and tugged her against me. Lowering my already deep baritone, my voice sounded husky as I continued my playful flirtation. “And when you talk nerdy to me? Shit. It almost makes me believe that Ewoks are cute teddy bears and not the vicious carnivores they actually are.”

Her laughter was the stuff forever was made of. She swatted at my arm as an uncontrollable bout of giggles worked their way through her system. “You’re a dork, and again for the record, Ewoks are teddy bears. I thought you of all people would understand that.”

I liked hearing my own laugh. It had been a while since I’d heard it. “Uh-huh because the bear inside me is definitely cute and cuddly.”

“Can I see it? Him?”

That sobered me up. Acacia noticed the change in my demeanor because her face fell, too. “No. Someday. I should go. I don’t like the idea of you staying here by yourself, so promise me if you need anything you’ll call me. I don’t know what’s going to happen with my Alpha.”

“Why does this feel like you’re leaving and never coming back?”

“It’s not,” I sighed and looked up at the sky. “I’m sorry. I’m just anxious and nervous. I don’t know how to do this. You just… you’re special to me, Acacia. I don’t want our time together to end.”

“I don’t either. Kiss for the road, Romeo?”

When I kissed her this time it wasn’t rushed or in the heat of the moment. It was slow and savoring. I wanted to remember how soft her lips were and how her body fit so well against mine. I wanted to imprint my scent on her and have her fruity cocktail embed itself in the fiber of my clothing. It wasn’t goodbye, but I had lost too much in my life and I was terrified she was next. Our tongues danced gracefully as we prolonged the inevitable.

I wasn’t sure how my life went from a boring sub-plot in a no genre film to an action flick, a horror movie, and a romance within the span of just over a week. As I drove towards the reserve I felt the same acidic bubble in my chest that I did when Hakeem left for Canada.
I miss him.
He was my partner in crime. My best friend. My brother. And he was gone. Not permanently, but I couldn’t even call him for advice or to make sure he was okay.

              Sam and Justin waved me through at the check post, and I passed a burst of volunteers led by Dean as I drove up the winding path that led to the center of the reserve. I noticed Deacon’s car in the clearing inching forward slowly and then stopping abruptly. I approached cautiously. Elizabeth sat behind the wheel with a panicked look on her face. I couldn’t see Deacon, but he probably looked cool and collected. I whipped my Tahoe into park in front of their lodge and climbed out, waving them down.

The truck moved at a glacial pace as it approached me. The passenger side window rolled down and Deacon peered out. “Everything okay, Vex?”

“I need to talk to you.”

He looked over at Elizabeth. “Let’s take a little break. You’re doing great, angel, but I think your knuckles need a break.”

She grumbled something that I couldn’t make out, but a smile cracked Deacon’s steely exterior. A few seconds later the loud rumble of the truck’s idle stopped and my Alpha stepped down from the lifted Ford. Any other day we would meet in the designated hall, but it was flooded with slow cookers and straggling volunteers so he started walking for his house and motioned for me to follow.

“Do we need to bury a body or owe anyone a large lump of money?” He asked as we climbed the stairs.

“Nothing like that.” Maybe better, maybe worse. It was impossible to judge when it came to Deacon. Elizabeth had softened him, but at the same time he was almost even more protective of the clan now that he had a mate. I tried to make myself comfortable in the stiff sitting room in the front of the lodge. “I don’t know where to start.”

“The beginning. Why are you here?”

“Because Parker said he’d tell you if I didn’t.”

The last bit of Deacon’s friendliness was gone and he was in full Alpha mode. “Explain.”

I bounced my legs like a nervous teenager about to meet his prom date’s father. After a few seconds I let out an exasperated sigh and lodged directly into my story. I did my best to portray Acacia in a positive light. There was no way I could leave out the flyers. I
hated
lying to my Alpha, but I needed to protect my mate. So instead of telling him she approached me and asked if I was a werebear I told him I saw her with the flyers, recognized that she was my mate, and approached her.

I knew she wouldn’t appreciate me telling her story – about her encounter as a child, her passion for animals, her stay at Waseca. I told him that she came to the Valley because she saw a story about how he changed along the side of the road. I told him about the attack on her RV the night before. I admitted to breaking clan rules. And I confessed my love a dozen times. He remained silent through the entire speech. I wasn’t sure if it was a positive or negative sign, but it kept me steamrolling like a blabbering mess.

“I love her. I know it was wrong of me to bring her on clan property. I know it was wrong to tell her about us, but she already knew. I never mentioned any names. I was just giving her the basics. And I know that she seems like a suspect for the cameras, but I swear to you that she isn’t. I have been with her every night. She doesn’t want to expose shifters. She doesn’t want to hurt us. She just wants the truth. She wants to feel like she isn’t crazy. I’m owning up to the mistakes I made, Deacon. You know this clan is my family, but she’s my world now. I don’t know if I can sit idly by and let her be crucified because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I can’t.”

He was quiet for so long that it made me uncomfortable. I could feel his anger and the Alpha vibes being thrown at me, but I kept my head high. I knew I couldn’t take him in a fight. I was strong, and my bear was an agile fighter. I had years of extra training and was the leader of the clan enforcer team. But Deacon’s bear was massive, and fighting him also meant I’d be fighting the Beta. They were a pair. They would destroy me, but if he wanted to hurt Acacia fighting them would be my only option. My bear recognized a potential fight and was riled up, swelling and pressing against my skin.

“You put the entire clan at risk, Vex.” Deacon uncurled his arms slowly and pinned his nearly black eyes on me. “You’re right. If you would have come to me at the beginning I would have banned you from seeing her until her name was clear. You know I have nothing against humans, but I absolutely hate the people who plaster lies in newspapers and exploit our history and the history of other supernatural creatures for their gain with these fake ass TV shows. Maybe your mate didn’t intend to tell our secrets. Human mates are trusted with the history and secrets of the clan. But I have never dealt with a human who wasn’t born into or invited into the world come to my clan with knowledge of us. How do I know she won’t take a picture of one of us and post it online? We can try to pass it off as a doctored image, but these things spread, Vex. The next thing you know she has a contract with some bogus station and there are helicopters above the reserve.

“I know she has an alibi and the scent at the scenes was male but I’m still suspicious. I have a mate. I know how this must feel. I was willing to die for Elizabeth after a day of knowing her. I know that I wouldn’t put up with these kinds of accusations, but you have to understand that what you did could endanger us all. That’s the most upsetting part of this. If I didn’t need the manpower I would suspend you from the team.

“You’ll bleed tonight and twice tomorrow for your actions against the clan. I’m not sending you to exile, and I’m not taking this to the council. I told you, we are doing this in house. You have my permission to take your mate to your home. I think that is more than generous. Tomorrow you and your mate need to meet me at my office in town. We’ll discuss the rest of this then with Dean and Alexis. Now go before I change my mind about this shit storm, and be ready for your punishment at five o’clock sharp.”

I didn’t need to be told twice. I was ashamed that I lied to my clan and possibly put them in harm’s way. I was embarrassed and guilty. I knew Deacon wouldn’t be light with my punishment. It was a price I’d pay time and time again if I had to. Because under all the feelings of inadequacy and doubt was hope.

Acacia

Nine PM is a lot darker when you don’t have electricity. I didn’t keep many candles on board because moving vehicles and open flames are never a good match, but the handful of soy scents I did have were strategically placed throughout my now tidy living spacy. I also had the soft glow of a battery operated dome night light that projected the night sky onto the ceiling for an ambient source of light. I otherwise sat in the dark in my sauna like metal shell of a home. Alone. I was all but  twiddling my thumbs from boredom. I was too wired and frankly, afraid, to go to sleep but my pride kept me from calling Vex. That and the desire to save my battery.

After he kissed me with a fire reserved for romance novels and jetted off down the desolate mountainside road I touched my lips a thousand times and resisted the urge to squeal like a pre-pubescent girl at a boy band concert. Once I settled down I stuck my phone in my portable docking station and went into overdrive as I cleaned the inside if Big Betty. Even with the vents open and the windows cranked it was stuffy and unbearably warm. Summer was rearing its ugly head and I was not prepared for her or her horde of pesky mosquitos.

I stuffed away my notes and articles and organized my books and movies back in the shelves. I hung the strands of lights that had fallen and carefully placed my hand stitched curtains back in place. I even fluffed my throw pillows like I was on an HGTV show. I gave my Han Solo cardboard cutout a proper road side burial complete with the Imperial March and a poorly lip synced version of
Good Riddance
by Greenday. I scrubbed the bloodstains on the floor for what seemed like hours, and when my hands were finally raw and wrinkled I threw a blanket on the floor and made a mental note to buy a rug. I worked my way through my stash of veggie sticks and granola bars while I did everything I possibly could to entertain myself as the sun dipped down. I even almost called Jade to tell her about Vex. But she hurt my feelings when she sided with our mom and I wasn’t ready to rebuild that bridge.

I felt safest in the living room area of the RV, so I settled down on the bench and let my mind wander to Vex. Sweet, handsome Vex. The first time I met him there was an instant attraction, but he was a jerk. I felt shallow for wanting to spend time around him, but there was part of me that knew there was more to him than what he was projecting. When he finally started smiling and stopped the whole ‘angry protector’ thing it was like the clouds parted. And there was the whole werebear thing.

I wanted the truth but I want Vex more. I would never stop loving the creepy side of life or exploring the supernatural world, but I would give up my pursuit for proof that shifters existed. I
had
proof. It was in my head. I never planned on going public with anything, but I wanted something concrete to show my family. Now I wanted to keep it a secret and admit to them that I was wrong. It would make them happy, and having Vex would make me happy.

There you go again assuming there is a future between the two of you
. He had said as much though, hadn’t he? Vex made me feel like I was constantly free falling. My heart was in my throat and thumping like a mad rabbit and my face hurt from smiling. He was becoming my new favorite obsession. Part of me knew that everything was happening quickly. I didn’t exactly have a moral compass when it came to guys. I was used to meaninglessness and three month relationships that happened way too quickly. But Vex wasn’t like everyone else. I would never grow tired of him. My feelings for him were already bone deep. I felt raw and exposed, and it was exhilarating. It felt like love.

I thought I was in love with my first boyfriend. Lane Peters. He was a senior when I was a sophomore. He would put me on the back of his motorcycle and take me out in the fields at night. We’d smoke pot and talk about aliens. He didn’t make fun of me for the stuff that most kids did. He took my virginity on Halloween with his Jason Voorhees mask lying next to us. Two weeks later he broke up with me at a gas station and left me without a ride.

I thought I was in love with Nate McHeen. We met at a protest. His hair was fire engine red and curly. His friends called him ‘Annie’. He lived on a combine with a dozen other activists. They raised their own cows and chickens. I moved in with him after a few weeks and drove forty-five minutes to Billings every day for work. We had a threesome with his best friend, Colin, one night. A week later he kicked me out because he couldn’t look at me without seeing Colin fucking me. It was his idea for the three way. I broke his favorite coffee cup, told him his dick was small, and left with my head held high.

But what I felt for Lane and Nate was nothing in comparison to how I felt about Vex. He made me believe in fate. He made me believe in forever.

He kissed me with so much force I thought my legs were going to give out. And the way he looked at me? I shivered at the memory. It was still fresh in my mind, but I was certain even on my deathbed I’d never forget the sea of emotion in his eyes. The already dark pools turned jet black, but I could see speckles of glimmering passion like stars in the night sky. I noticed the exact moment the bear side of his soul came forward.

How would it feel to have those eyes devour my body? I had fantasized an embarrassing number of times about erotic encounters with Vex. Warmth spread through my body like a forest fire as images of his bedroom eyes and rippling muscles bombarded my mind. I squeezed my breasts over my tank top and pretended his long fingers were teasing my pebbled nipples through the thin material of my shirt. The temperature in the RV rose ten degrees as I slid beneath the band of my underwear. My breaths were ragged as I wiggled my fingers through my pubic curls and started sensually circling my aching clit. After a few torturous moments I stopped.

Why settle for fingers when my battery operated friend was a few feet away?  I stripped out of my tank and underwear as I raced towards my bedroom. I grabbed my purple friend from my bedside drawer and returned to the dimly lit living room.
Am I really going to do this? Here? Now?
Hell yes. I kicked the throw pillows I spent so long positioning off the sofa and threw my leg over the back padding. The hum of the toy made my sex ache even more than it had been. I threw my head back and lowered my hands.

The sheen of sweat that clung to my body only added to the thrill of my fantasy. I could hear the cicadas outside, but in my mind I was in a villa on the water in Hawai’i. Vex cloaked my body with his and left a scorching trail of kisses down my body. I moved my fingers down my chest in pretending they were his lips. He reached the apex of my thighs and looked up at me with that feral look in his yes before his mouth –

There was a loud knock on the door of the RV. “Acacia?”

Vex. Of course it would be Vex. I hadn’t heard from him in hours and he shows up in the middle of a masturbatory session in his honor. I turned the toy off and tried to steady my voice. “Y-yeah?”

My clothes were all the way in the back of the RV, and the throw blanket I usually kept on the couch was covering the blood stains on the floor. I was frozen with indecision and panic.

“Everything okay? I need to talk to you.” The door jiggled and opened. I hadn’t realized the lock was broken until night fell and I tried sealing up for the evening.

I shrieked and pulled a pillow up in an attempt to cover myself. “Wait a second! Vex! Don’t come in yet!”

It was too late. Vex stood on the steps with his mouth open slightly. The concern in his eyes turned to burning lust when his eyes zeroed in on my partially covered body. I was mortified and turned on and completely flabbergasted. My vibrator slid off the cushion next to me and landed on the ground with a hard thud. Vex’s eyes dropped for a second, and I swear when he looked back up at me he wasn’t human.

“I, uh, I was just –”

He held up a finger to silence me. When he spoke, a new wave of arousal shot through my nervous system. His voice was husky and drenched with sex. “What were you thinking about, Acacia?” He walked up the steps and came closer to me. He smelled like pure man. I wasn’t a shifter, but in that moment there was a kitten inside of me that wanted to rub against his body and mark him as mine. “Were you thinking about me while you touched yourself?”

“Yes,” I breathed.

He bent slowly and I found myself staring into the eyes of the beast. The light from the candles danced across his face.  My heart was jackhammering in my chest as I anticipated his next move. With steady control, he leaned forward and pulled the pillow from my hands. I didn’t put up much of a fight. I knew I was at an awkward angle, but I didn’t feel self-conscious under his hungry gaze. No, Vex made me feel like a vixen. His tongue wetted his lips.

“Even better than I imagined.” His fingertips grazed my skin. My breath hitched and I let out a gasping moan. He trailed across my stomach. A flicker of anger warmed the black orbs of his eyes when he came to the bruise that took up half of my side. He lifted his hand and put it at his side. I wanted to tell him it was okay – I was okay. But before I could speak I felt a cold silicone press against my thigh. “Touch yourself. I want to watch.”

I had never been shy with men, but his demand tinted my cheeks pink. “Vex…”

He stood up and leaned against the counter behind him. “I want to watch you, Acacia.”

I was aching for release, but not from a toy. I couldn’t deny him, though. And the thought of him watching me touch myself was entirely more erotic than the fantasies I’d been conjuring up. I readjusted myself and put a pillow behind my head so I could keep my eyes on Vex. Without breaking eye contact I turned the toy on the lowest setting and put the end to a sensitive nipple.

The sensation jolted me. I sighed, but forced my eyes to remain open as I ran the toy across my chest. My nipples were both hard, but I teased them until the skin puckered almost painfully. I trailed the toy down my stomach and legs. The vibrations rattled my skin, even on the low setting. My sex was swollen and needy. I ran the toy along my slit to lubricate it with my wetness.

Vex moved from rubbing his chest to palming himself through his jeans. The sight excited me even more. I moaned his name softly to draw his gaze from my body to my face and when his fierce eyes met mine, I pushed the toy inside. A low guttural sound came from his slightly parted lips, and the sound of his zipper pierced through the cicada’s song and the muffled vibrations of the toy buried inside of me.

I moved the toy in and out of my pussy slowly. The ears of the rabbit tickled my clit, but my desperation skyrocketed the moment Vex started stroking himself. I lowered my free hand from my chest and started circling my neglected clitoris. My movements quickened as I pretended that the cold, hard silicone member inside me was thick and warm – and most importantly, attached to Vex. 

“What were you thinking about when you were playing with yourself, Acacia? Tell me.” He stopped touching himself for a brief moment to whip his shirt over his head. He bundled it up and threw it across the living room. His jeans were next; he haphazardly pushed them down to his knees before returning to his ministration on his cock. It was the sexiest fuckin thing I had ever seen in my life.

“I think about you all the time,” I admitted throatily. “Every night I dream of you, but tonight I imagined we were in Hawai’i on a private beach. We were in a villa overlooking the water. Your mouth was everywhere; you kissed all the way down my body.” I abandoned my clit and raised my hand to my breasts. I kneaded them roughly, flicking my nipples frantically. “Here. You sucked here.” I trailed slowly, circling my bellybutton. “And kissed me here.” I inched almost glacially to my clit. Moaning, I used two fingers to spread the hooded skin around it. The warm air felt good against my exposed sex. I pulled the toy from my pussy, clicked it on high, and pressed the tip to my clit. “
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
And here. You kissed here. You sucked here. Oh, God, Vex!”

I felt like a goddess. There wasn’t a single part of my body that felt anything but empowered by my brazen display. I was the cause of Vex’s hooded gaze and breathy moans. The temperature in the room had shot up at least ten degrees, and though I was naked, I felt like I wanted to peel my skin off. I focused on the rhythmic noise of skin against skin as Vex pumped his cock. I was going higher and higher; the strong buzz of the vibrator against my clitoris was almost agonizingly pleasurable.

I struggled to keep my eyes open, but when volts shot through my system and curled my toes I had no option but to throw my head back and squeeze my eyes shut as I rode out my orgasm. I didn’t want to come without him but I couldn’t keep it at bay any longer. Vex’s name was on my lips as I quaked with one of the most powerful orgasms of my life.

Before I could even catch my breath, the toy was ripped from my hands. My eyes shot open as it landed with a thud on the ground. It buzzed, still turned on, and rumbled against the tangled blanket. Vex scooped me up and switched our positions. My leg instinctually threw itself over his lap, and I straddled him. Our skin was like a fine layer of glue keeping our bodies together. Vex didn’t notice the sweat – or he didn’t care. His mouth attached to my collarbone and he licked the skin while his hands groped my body.

He moaned, the noise coming out like a primal growl, and pawed at my flesh like he’d never touched a woman before. I braced myself against his broad shoulders and moved my hips in tiny circles against his hard body. His cock pressed hard against my ass. I didn’t see it while he was pumping himself with abandon, but it felt like a branding sear against my skin. Thick and hot, I tried to memorize the way he felt against me.