Nora and Jared #11-13
The lights in her house were on. Nora had turned every one of them off before she drove to Nashville that morning. It wasnât unusual for pack mates to stop by. This was a secluded area, surrounded by trees, the perfect place to stop after letting their wolves run wild. She had a trunk full of extra clothes for them to change into near the door, but it wasn't just a normal pack mate inside. She felt her fatherâs dominating presence before she stepped inside.
She found him in her study, sitting in her chair.
He placed stapled papers on a stack of manila folders. âHow was your trip?â
If he was simply her alpha, she wouldnât have cared that heâd gone through her things without permission. She was a werewolf, and instinct drove her to serve and support the head of the pack.
âShort,â she snapped.
He stared, and the air in the room became heavy.
Nora clenched her jaw. Lowered her gaze. Dealing with her father was always so damn complicated.
She reached into her shoulder bag, took out a fat envelope, and dropped it on the table. âTwenty thousand. I told Tim youâll send Blake if it happens again.â
He didnât touch the money. âYou canât handle it?â
âIf you want him dead, yes.â Acid leaked into her voice, but her father had taken a swipe at her pride. Tim wouldnât test Blake like he did her. Because she was a naturally born werewolf, some idiots wanted to see if she was as lethal as they were. They learned the hard way that she was.
âItâs unusual for him to be late,â Lehr said. âDid you sense anything?â
âIrritation. He doesnât want to pay the tithe.â
Her father shrugged. âItâs his choice.â
Right. He could choose not to pay, and her father would choose not to let Tim or his wolves into his territory. They wouldnât get access to The Rain, so if one of Timâs wolves became moonsick, he would be shit out of luck.
Lehr picked up the envelope and slid out the stack of money. âDeposit this into the Brandt account. Then I want you to contact Defense Security and make an offer.â
She raised an eyebrow. âDefenSec is for sale?â
âThey finally cracked.â
âDo the vampires know?â she asked.
He studied her and then sniffed. It wasnât unusual, a werewolf scenting for something, but had he been triggered by her question? Surely not. It had been two weeks since sheâd been with Jared on the roadside. Her father wouldnât smell the vampire. If she wasnât careful, though, if let down her walls, he might glimpse his image in her mind.
She held his gaze and kept her mental walls up.
âYouâve been unhappy,â he finally said.
She wanted to bite out an of course. Instead, she said nothing. He knew exactly what was bothering her.
He stood. âSpend more time with the pack.â
Anger scaled her veins. âThatâs not a solution.â
âYouâre separating yourself from us.â
He said it like she was at fault, like she was the one creating her own unhappiness. âI have a separate life.â
âI expect you at the next gathering,â he said as if she hadnât spoken. âYouâll run with us afterward. It will help.â
âNo,â she grated out.
He stared, and the air constricted againâthe alpha warning her to rethink her words.
Nora waited another few seconds then, seething, she lowered her gaze.
âTake care of the DefenSec matter. Itâs important.â He left the study. The back door shut.
Nora didnât release the breath she was holding until she felt the flare of magic that signaled he had shifted to sprint through the woods. She grabbed the envelope of money and launched it at the wall. It hit with a thud but landed innocuously on the floor. Not even a single bill slid out of place.
So she shoved her desk hard, sending it toppling to the ground. That didnât help either. She had too much frustration in her blood. She needed to fight, to destroy, to break out of this monotonous life.
An image of Jared clothed in nothing but moonlight entered her mind. Heat pulsed between her legs. He could take this edge off. He could make her forget that she was trapped. And it just so happened to be Thursday. If she left now, she could make it to Swirl by midnight.
***
It was not Jaredâs custom to pursue a woman. They maneuvered their way into his life. They vied for his attention. But two weeks had passed, and Nora had not stepped foot into Swirl.
âYour foul mood isnât helping,â Deagan said. The vampire sat on the adjacent couch, an elbow resting on its arm and a finger curled under his chin. Deagan was focused on Laila, who had entered the room a few minutes prior and now sat at the desk going over Swirlâs finances. She had not looked up since she entered, and her jaw was locked tight, not because she was angry but because she was fatigued. Suppressing oneâs bloodlust was exhausting.
âYou are not helping her either,â Jared pointed out.
Deagan played with the edge of the lampshade beside him. âTragically, my appeal pales compared to yours.â
âYou would suffice.â
âI can hear you,â Laila said, still not looking at either of them. âAnd I am fine.â
âAnd how many nights have you drank from humans this week? Somewhere around seven?â Deagan asked.
She did not respond.
Seven wasâŚmore than Jared had expected. Normally, a vampire fed once or twice a week. It increased if they were injured or under stress. Laila was the latter. He still had not seen to her needs, and proximity to a vampire as Aged as he was tested a young vampireâs self control.
âItâs not her fault you couldnât ensnare the wolf,â Deagan said.
âI am only here because of that wolf.â
âAs is she."
If Jared had been the scowling type, he would have done so then. Instead, his expression remained stone still. Deagan had a point. He would not have summoned Laila if he had not purchased Swirl, and he would not have purchased Swirl if it had not been for Noraâs presence there.
Deagan stopped toying with the lamp shade and gave him a jovial smile. âI shall be out stalking if you should need me.â
Jared watched his friend leave the office. Deagan tended to see subtleties that others did not, the small details that could change a mood or situation. Jared valued that quality in him. Deagan kept him from becoming as soulless as Arcuro.
For the most part.
âLaila.â
Her gaze jerked away from the computer screen. Her eyes were already dilated, her aura pulsing with need.
âI am fine,â she said.
âNow.â
She rose and crossed the room. He motioned for her to kneel. She did so, pulling her hair to the side to reveal her slender throat.
He did not want her blood, and he did not want the intimacy of the neck. He held out his wrist, a rejection of her offer.
She tried to hide her disappointment. It was brief anyway because she wantedâneededâthe power running through his veins. She took his arm and bit. The pain was barely noticeable, and his blood flowed freely, passing Lailaâs lips, nourishing the magic in her body.
The bond between them strengthened. He had not changed Laila into a vampire, but a year ago, he had destroyed the connection between her and her previous master. She was part of his clan now, and he should have cemented their bond long ago. He smoothed back her hair and watched her face flush with life. He was so focused on her pleasure, her need, that he did not feel Nora's presence until the office door slammed open.
Laila spun and started to rise. Jared locked a hand on her shoulder and kept her on her knees.
Noraâs entry slowed. Stopped. She took in the vampire at Jaredâs feet and something flared in her aura. Was it jealousy? Or curiosity?
He held Noraâs gaze and offered his arm to Laila again. She licked at the blood trickling toward his elbow then fastened her mouth over the wound again, pulling hard to keep it open.
Noraâs nostrils flared. Gold rimmed her irises. She took a half step forward, stopped, then, with more confidence, she strode forward.
âGet out,â Nora ordered.
Laila stopped feeding, but made no mood to follow Noraâs command. Jaredâs blood strengthened her now. She could resist Noraâs dominance.
âYou are interrupting,â he said smoothly.
Noraâs chest rose and fell with her breaths, a sign she was struggling to contain a storm of violence.
He focused on her aura again. It was not a visible thing; rather, it was a feeling that saturated the air around her, a feeling that clearly signaled she was furious and had been for quite some time.
Interesting.
He released Lailaâs shoulder and gave her a mental nudge to go. He felt her reluctance, but she rose before Nora reached them and met the werewolfâs gaze.
That could have been a mistake. A wolf with less control would have attacked. Nora looked on the edge of it. Even when Laila finally exited the room, that edge did not dull.
âYour invitation is revoked.â
âWhat?â Nora snapped.
He stood. âI no longer permit you to enter my territory.â
Her aura steadied. Her focus zeroed in on him. âI didnât ask for permission.â
âYou need it.â
âYouâŚâ She drew in a deep breath, released it. âYouâre upset I didnât come here sooner.â
âI do not get upset.â
âYouâre not used to women refusing you. Youâre used to them kneeling at your feet.â She made a gesture toward the door Laila had exited.
He stepped forward. âI am not opposed to women at my feet.â
She took him in, studying him, assessing him, judging him. He wanted her scrutiny. He wanted her hands on him, her mouth, her teeth.
âYour eyes are dilating, vampire.â
âAnd yours are edged in gold.â
A corner of her mouth twitched into a smile. It disappeared as she moved past him. He watched her walk to his desk.
âDo you regularly hook up with young vampires?â She moved the mouse, lighting up the screen that had gone black.
âHook up?â
âSleep with.â
âI have not slept with Laila.â
âSheâs too young for you to drink from,â she said.
âIs she?â
Nora opened a desk drawer. âYes.â
âShe is older than you.â
âYou arenât drinking from me.â
Yet, he thought. Not yet. âAre you here to evaluate my relationships with my vampires?â
She opened another drawer. âYou didnât drink from her.â
He let silence hang between them.
âYou donât smell like her,â Nora continued. âAnd vampires donât separate blood and sex.â
âWe do not separate sex and blood.â
Her eyebrows raised as she opened a third drawer.
He approached. âWe exchange blood with our lovers, but we do not always make love when we exchange blood.â He opened the last drawer before she did, took out the bottle of Bliss, and uncorked it. The feyâs libation perfumed the air. He reached for a glass, but she swiped the bottle from his hand, tilted it back, and drank.
His gaze fixated on her throat. His fangs throbbed as desire pulsed in his groin. He wanted her body and blood, wanted it badly enough that his plans slipped his mind. The seduction, the attraction, the moment of raw need, was hot and potent and startlingly real.
She lowered the bottle and he blinked. It was the only outward sign that he was off balance, and he quickly regained his composure.
âIn three centuries,â he said, âyou are the only woman I have bedded but not bled.â
Just as he had intended, she let down her guard a little and met his eyes. âWe havenât gone anywhere near a bed.â
Jared smiled. Held out his hand. âLet us remedy that.â
***
Nora didnât take his hand, a fact that must have angered him because he cut her off from the exit. Tall and broad, he dominated the space.
Instinct flared, saying she was trapped and should fight. She grabbed his shirt to fling him out of her way. He didnât budge, and the fabric ripped.
She widened her stance to counter an attack, but his hand gripped her hip and his mouth slanted over hers. The rage and frustration sheâd been holding inside shattered. She returned the kiss, dug her nails into his shoulders, then wrapped her legs around his waist.
He carried her out of the office, down the short hallway, out into the cool, dark night. His arousal was obvious, pressing against her. He kissed her jaw, her neck, jerked down the front of her blouse and bra and kissed her breast.
This was what she neededâfrantic, forceful sex to make her forget reality. She would use him and relish him, then she would walk away quenched. The release and the small rebellion would help her through the next full moon and gathering, then sheâd find a way to make it through the next and the next.
Her back hit something hardâthe door to the furniture store. Jared set her down to break the repaired lock, then they were a blur of hands and mouths and teeth as they stumbled inside.
Hours later, after being quenched more than once, she rested on the bed beside the exquisitely naked vampire. His body was near perfect: strong, trim, defined. Her tongue had traced the ridges of his abs, kissed the sweet v of his hip flexors and tasted where it led below. Sheâd explored all of him and he all of her, and it had been as memorable as their previous encounters.
But this one was over. Dawn was only a short time away and Jared would need to leave for whatever hole he hid in. And sheâd need to leave and prepare the offer for DefenSec.
She sat up, and her gaze went to the camera in the storeâs corner. It had definitely picked up everything they had done in the mock bedroom.
Heat ricocheted through her stomach at the memory. There was something to be said for the experience of Aged vampires. Werewolves were voracious, but she had never been with someone as skilled as Jared. Too bad he had an ulterior motive. She wasnât sure what it was yet, only that the timing was suspicious given the job her father had asked her to do.
âIt will be taken care of.â Jared nodded toward the camera. Nora was familiar with the security services in this area. Most were installed by a company called Ace Security. She was almost certain it was owned by Arcuro or one of his vampires. The cameras werenât live feeds. They were recordings that could be downloaded or deleted.
She wanted to download the recording and then delete it. The playback of this night might just help her through the next few weeks.
She found her clothes and began to dress.
âI will be here next Thursday,â Jared said.
Anticipation pulsed through her. She shut it down. Next week was the gathering, and sheâd been ordered to attend. Besides, this thing couldnât continue.
âGood for you,â she said.
He pushed the blanket off his lower half and stood. Her gaze dipped. They might have time for one more romp.
âTell me you will return on Thursday.â
She sauntered up to him. âIâm not making any promises.â
He grabbed her arm, holding her away. âThen I do not want this.â
A rock dropped through her throat and hit the pit of her stomach. âYou donât want this.â
âNo.â
She was wrong. It wasnât a rock; it was a burning coal. âWhat the hell do you think this is?â
âI do not have a name for it.â He said the words so damn calmly.
âI do.â She shoved him away. âI have several. A fling. An affair. A nice little diversion. Or maybe youâd like the more obvious definition which is a colossal lack of judgment.â
âIt is only a mistake the first time it is committed. After that, it is deliberate. I accept it. Return to me Thursday, and I will be your rebellion.â
The coal burned a little hotter and with a different hue. Ridiculous, the way he could turn her on one second and piss her off the next, all while standing there calm and dignified.
And naked. She couldnât forget that. He stood there very gloriously naked.
âPretty words, vampire. Use them on someone else.â She grabbed her boots and walked bare footed toward the exit.
Jared cut her off. âThursday.â
She lifted her chin. âGet out of my way.â
It might have been a dare the way he stood there unmoving. To shove him aside, she would have to touch him. Even though he had more arrogance than an alpha, if she touched him, they would end up back in that bed.
The silence between them stretched long enough to become a standoff. She couldnât back down, but she couldnât give him the commitment he wanted either. It was his move.
More seconds ticked by. Finally, he said, âI promised you the kitchen counter.â
Hell. He didnât even have to touch her. She dropped her boots and ruthlessly wrapped herself around him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
To read all the Nora and Jared scenes I've written so far, click here.
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