Welcome to the Neighborhood (36 page)

“You might want to try and cover that,” she said, staring at his hard and very lively erection.

Greg kept his attention focused straight ahead. “Two people are coming toward your door.”

Alexi turned her gaze to the front. Just when she’d thought everything was going to work out, she’d retrieved her stolen property and agreed to make Greg an immortal mate, something else popped up to interrupt her happiness. And whomever the two people were that had stepped onto her front porch, they could’ve chosen a different time to make an appearance.

* * * *

Greg headed for the door as the knock came. Alexi followed close behind him.

“Let me answer,” she said.

He made sure he stayed a step ahead of her and when he felt her try to move in front of him, he stepped to the side and bumped her.

“Greg,” she all but snapped. She pointed at his groin.

Oh yeah. Too concerned with protecting his mate, he’d forgotten about his erection. He pressed his hand on the outside of his jeans and tried to shift it to make it less noticeable, but it didn’t work and shrinkage was taking too long.

Another knock sounded from the door.

“I’ll answer and you stand behind me,” she said softly.

He didn’t argue with her, not that he had a chance. She’d already slipped in front of him and reached for the handle. Slowly, she opened the door.

“Ms. Cartwright, may we have a moment of your time?”

The voice sounded familiar to Greg. He moved closer to Alexi to see around her. Detectives James Rice and Larry Smead from the Nightwatch Team stood side by side.

“Is it important?” Alexi asked. “It’s late.”

“This won’t take long,” the werewolf replied, then lifted his eyes to Greg. “Mr. Holmes, I’m sure you and your client will want to hear what we have regarding our murder investigation.”

Greg’s balled his hands as his anxiety level shot through the roof and quickly gave rise to another emotion. Anger. What could they want now? There was no way possible Alexi was involved with the murder they were investigating. If the detectives thought they could arrest her, there was no way he’d let them.

He placed his hand on Alexi’s hip. The two detectives couldn’t see it since she held the door partially open. Gently, he tapped his fingers on her, signaling his approval.

“All right,” she said, and Greg stepped back, out of the way. “Come in.”

The tall werewolf entered first and Larry followed behind. They headed straight for the sofa.

Alexi glanced over her shoulder at Greg. She looked down, then up and smiled.

“After you.” He extended his arm.

He walked at her side, heading for the two detectives sitting on the sofa. They stopped near the coffee table, facing James and Larry. The werewolf gave Alexi a curious once over.

“Is that a hospital shirt?” James asked.

“Don’t answer that,” Greg all but snapped. They’d come to inform them about their investigation, not question Alexi.

She folded her arms in front of her chest. “It’s late, detectives. What is it you have to share with us?”

“There was another murder this evening,” Larry, the shorter man said.

“Last evening,” James corrected as he looked at his partner.

“Right, within the last twelve hours.” Larry nodded.

“I’ve been with Ms. Cartwright for the last twelve hours. Therefore she cannot be the murderer.”

James lifted his palm to Greg. “Calm down, Mr. Holmes. We already know she isn’t.”

A shot of relief surged through Greg. He was glad they’d ruled Alexi out of their investigation. The news seemed almost too good to be true. “How do you know?”

“For one thing, DNA samples didn’t match. As for another, we have an eyewitness to the recent murder.”

“Someone saw the vampire feed and…” Alexi raised her hand to her mouth.

James nodded. “Yes, she was bitten, but managed to escape and get to safety. Her friend wasn’t so lucky.”

Greg shook his head in disgust.

“I’m so sorry for the victim,” Alexi said. “And the family of the one who has passed on.”

“Both will need counseling. When crimes like this occur, it gives us all a very negative appearance.”

Alexi lowered her arms. “I agree. I hope you catch the vampire responsible.”

“Do you have any leads where to find him, assuming it is a him?” Greg asked.

“It is, and we believe he is staying in the city. The survivor mentioned seeing him once before at a club in Indianapolis. We’ve called in some extra help to look for him.”

“Was this latest attack in Westport?” Greg asked.

“Yes,” Larry answered.

Alexi twisted to face Greg. “It’s a typical vampire move, to feed outside one’s home territory so he or she can’t be tracked. The vampire will then alter the victim’s memories for additional security.”

“Do you feed outside your local area?” James asked with an eyebrow raised.

“My feeding habits are different from most. I prefer to…snack instead of filling up. I don’t want to endanger the life of anyone. Human life is precious. I would never take it without consent and without the person knowing what being a vampire entailed.”

“That’s good to know. I wish others of your kind had the same opinion on the matter. It would make my job easier,” James said.

“I’d feel safer,” Larry mumbled.

Greg breathed in a calming breath. With Alexi no longer in question of committing a crime, he hoped the detectives would finally stop showing up at her home, especially when he was in the middle of making love to her. He’d very much like to return to the matter, especially since his cock still had life in it.

“Now that you have a suspect and DNA evidence that proves Ms. Cartwright is not your murderer, is she cleared to go about as normal?” Greg asked, hoping the men would leave soon, very soon and stop bothering them.

“Yes,” James answered. “And we wanted to thank you in person for your cooperation.” He rose and stepped around the table. The short detective mimicked James and came to stand next to the tall werewolf.

“Thank you for stopping by to let me know,” Alexi said. “I hope you catch the vampire responsible.”

“We have over a dozen officers searching the city for him as we speak. We were on our way to join them, but I suggested we stop here first and see if you were awake. I thought you might be,” James said with a small smile.

Not wasting another second, Greg strode to the door and opened it. The news was good and delivered. Time to move on to what Greg yearned to do, such as banging the hell out of his mate. All the excitement from the turnout of events fired up his sex drive. “Thank you, detectives.”

“Yes, thank you,” Alexi said as the two men proceeded to exit.

James stopped off to the side while Larry passed him. The werewolf twisted to face Greg and Alexi. “I hope you enjoy the rest of your morning,” he said with a smile and nod that suggested he knew something.

Alexi froze and looked to Greg. He almost chuckled. The werewolf must have scented their raging hormones. If Greg could, James could too.

“Good luck, detective,” Greg said with a wave of his hand. He closed the door promptly, then twisted the lock into place.

“He knew, didn’t he?” Alexi asked.

“Our desire is potent right now.”

She closed the distance between them, pressed her body to his, then buried her fingers in his hair. “Alone again, at last.”

Greg held her in a tight embrace. He brushed his nose and lips along her cheek. “Mm…now, we can finally start to enjoy our time together.”

Epilogue

September 9–Paranormal Day

“The demon always over cooks the food when we have these celebrations,” Charley said, standing next to Alexi. She held a blue plastic cup filled with beer.

The two women stared at Justin as he flipped the hamburgers. Grease sizzled loudly while a large flame shot up. Justin didn’t flinch or seem the slightest concerned about the fire.

“Has anyone told him not to char grill the food?” Alexi asked, wriggling her nose. Scents of barbecue and burning meat thickened the air.

The African American witch snickered. “I think most people are too afraid, especially after they see how he handles the fire. The demon doesn’t scare me one bit.”

Alexi glanced around the crowded lot in front of the clubhouse. Tall streetlights lit most of the area. Far from the building, neighbors stood in front of at least ten grills. Smoke rose from some, lids were shut on others, a few appeared calm and one or two like Justin’s spit bright flames up. White tablecloths covered the rectangular tables lined up in a row, closer to the meeting facility. People gathered around them and selected food items from the abundance of dishes. Round tables were sporadically set near the center of the lot, between the grills and the food. Decorative lamps and candles added additional lighting on each table. Smiles occupied faces as neighbors mingled with each other. The atmosphere was certainly a joyous one.

Alexi’s gazed lowered to Charley’s hand. Unlike most in the neighborhood, she didn’t have a plate filled with food. “Are you going to eat?”

She gave a light shrug from one shoulder. “I’m a vegetarian.”

“But there’s other food…”

“I’ll get something later.”

A deep, feminine laugh gathered their attention. A tall woman with a huge grin on her face towered over a man sitting at one of the tables. Her auburn hair and arrogant laugh defined her.

“Looks like Sylvia’s flirting with Mark again,” Charley said.

“The warlock?” Alexi tilted her head, trying to get a better look at him. From where she stood, she could only see his long, white hair flowing over his shoulders and his legs crossed.

“Yeah, I see her flirting with him a lot. I think she’s after his money.”

The demon reached down and ran her fingers through the older man’s white hair. She was undoubtedly thirty years younger than the warlock was, at least, and acting like a cat in heat with her seductive eyes and words. Alexi’s heightened sense of hearing picked up the conversation between the two. Sylvia overcomplimented Mark’s hair in detail. Alexi shook her head in disgust.

“Ladies, are you enjoying the celebration?”

The young female werewolf with straight, brown hair reaching her elbows came to stop next to them. Alexi could never forget this woman’s face. She’d stepped in the bathroom during the Welcoming party and interrupted Greg while he was pleasuring Alexi with his tongue. Alexi’s cheeks warmed, still feeling slightly embarrassed by the event. Gritting her teeth, she tried to ignore the awkward feeling crawling within her.

“Vickie, how are you?” Charley asked with a wide grin.

“I’m well. Still fighting morning sickness.” She rubbed her belly.

Charley’s excitement dwindled. “Oh, I’m sorry.”

“The doctor said it could last up to my second trimester. I hate it. I’ll binge all day long, then wake up and toss the half that didn’t digest back in the toilet.”

“Thank you for giving me another reason not to have kids,” Charley said.

Vickie grinned. “You would make a good mother, Charley. I just know it.”

“Hell no. I can’t have kids. I barely can support myself these days.”

Vickie’s expression turned serious as her brows drew together. “Still looking for a full-time job?”

“Yeah, but I’m getting by with my one at the Fashions-To-Go and my tips at the bar. If the damn economy would improve, maybe I could get back to a normal day job.”

“What bar do you work at?” Alexi asked.

“The Full Moon. It’s an underground club for paranormals located in Indianapolis. At lot of people assume it’s for werewolves only, but it’s not.”

“Greg took me to a really nice club in downtown Indy. I’ll have to ask him to take me to your bar.”

“I work every night except Mondays and Tuesdays. Make sure you come to see me when you visit and I’ll fix you and Greg special drinks.” Charley gave her a mischievous grin.

Alexi stared at the green-eyed witch, wondering what special concoction she’d create. She was about to slip into Charley’s mind to find out until Vickie interrupted her.

“How are you fairing, Ms. Cartwright? Have you settled into your new home yet?”

“I’m well, thank you. The house is slowly feeling homey.”

“Corey told me about the movers who had broke into your house. That’s horrible.”

Charley twisted to face Alexi. “I didn’t know someone broke into your house.” She sounded surprised. “When did this happen?”

“It was the night of the Welcoming party.”

“Oh, what a perfect time for a robbery. We were all at the party.”

Alexi nodded. “I think they heard me when Mr. Hadley came to visit the nigh I moved in. He asked me if I planned to attend, and I said yes.”

“I heard Greg was helping you track down your belongings,” Vickie said.

“Yes, he did. He’s been very kind and helpful.”

“Did?” Charley asked.

“He got help from within the pack and found where the thieves were staying. We managed to collect my property back without too much trouble.”

Charley shot her hand out to Alexi’s arm. “You confronted the thieves?” Her tone reflected a hint of excitement.

“Some of them.”

“I bet you taught them not to steal from a vampire again.” The corner of Charley’s mouth curled slightly.

“Actually, Greg gave them the warning. I didn’t have to.”

Charley lightly chuckled and slipped her hand off Alexi’s arm. “Wow. I’m impressed.”

“I’m not,” Vickie said with a slight grin. “Werewolves are very loyal and protective of the ones they care about.”

Her gaze veered past Alexi. Not even two seconds later, strong arms curled around Alexi from behind and warm breath tickled her ear.

“Miss me?” Greg asked, then kissed her cheek.

Greg’s heat surrounded her like a cozy blanket. Every time he touched or kissed her, every part of her body awakened with new life.

She tilted her head back and leaned against his body. “Mm…you know I did.”

“You two make the cutest couple,” Charley said. “And without the beard, Greg, you look at least five years younger. What do you think, Vickie?”