Page 37 of Bane of Hate and Silver (Primordial Inheritance #1)
“The most popular cheer captain in the last decade knows my name?” Tasha said, but it sounded like a joke.
“Hey,” Monica chided. “What about me?”
“I’m actually very nice,” Hayley said, ignoring Monica and motioning for Tasha to walk over and join them on the sand.
Tasha dropped to the beach with a thunk and a laugh.
“Let’s take a walk.” Luca stood, motioning for Ricky and Kyle to follow him down toward the water.
“Ricky?” Tasha asked, skeptically.
“It’s cool Tash,” he said over his shoulder. “I know them.”
When he met her eyes and nodded, she relaxed and turned back to her conversation with Hayley.
Ricky heard footsteps approaching from the direction of Jules’s house. “Whoa, what’s going on here?” Senior, Tai Yang asked.
The voices near the fire began to fade as Ricky walked away with the pack’s Beta.
“What about Carson?” Luca asked when they were out of human earshot.
“He’s pissed that she got away, that’s what,” Ricky told them. “He’s not too pleased with you either,” he said, pointing at Luca.
Nick’s eyes fluttered. “Nick wake up.” The voice that spoke was one of honey and home. One that wasn’t really there. “You have to wake up.”
“Rrr…” Nick mumbled. Behind his eyelids he saw the face of the only one that mattered. Blond curls like a halo. Eyes like melted gold. Silver torque neck band gleaming in the glowing light. Thousands of miles away. Safe.
Nick swallowed. He could sense Chad hovering over him. Hear his blood pumping in his veins. He could feel the gun pressed to his temple. Chad was speaking. Gloating maybe. “She says to keep you alive. But I say, even dead you’ll still work as bait. Your love is the key to the end she desires.”
“Nick!” The beloved, distant, voice in his head shouted. “Wake up or we die.”
“You make me sick. Evil serial killing demon. If she didn’t want you alive I’d end you right now.
I don’t know how anyone could love you enough to fall into her trap…
” Nick’s eyes shot open at the same time his hand wrapped around the wrist holding the gun.
He snapped bones without much effort at all. Chad cried out as he dropped the gun.
Chad scrambled back, clutching his arm to his chest.
Nick was on his feet, then on Chad in the blink of an eye.
He gripped the man’s throat, choking off all air supply.
“I’d ask who you’re working for.” Chad clawed at Nick’s grip with his unbroken hand.
Blood from Nick’s bullet wounds dripped onto Chad’s face and torso.
Nick licked it off his mouth. No way this mother fucker was becoming a vampire.
Chad kicked desperately, but with no purchase and little strength left, he had no hope of dislodging Nick.
“But your blood has all the answers I need.” Nick bent and plunged his fangs into Chad’s neck.
He sifted through childhood memories, family drama.
To parents being murdered suspiciously, drained of blood.
He saw the face of a woman with long black hair.
Saw rooms of soldiers training. Saw a gleaming platinum building.
And then the visions went black. Chad had lost consciousness, which meant his stream of information was cut off at the head.
Oh well , Nick thought to himself. He continued to drink, going until every last drop was gone.
Taking his undead life back from the one who would have ended it.
He sat up, still straddling Chad’s limp and lifeless body. “So, not in tech security then.”
Jules felt the salty air drift over her body in a soft breeze.
She lay on her bed, french doors open to the ocean.
The moon had risen high in the sky. Their friends had all gone home and there she was, satiated and snuggled up to the werewolf next to her.
Her body feeling limp from his attentions.
Her mind at ease. Her heart at peace. Luca played with a lock of her hair while she listened to the heart beating in his chest. “I want to see the wolf,” she told him.
“Okay. Someday.”
“No. Now. Tonight.” Jules propped herself up on her elbow, the other hand on his chest while she looked down at him.
He raised one eyebrow at her.
“Please.” A goofy grin spread across her face.
Luca sighed, relenting. “Stay here,” Luca said as he stood. “And maybe put some clothes on.” He kissed her on the forehead and walked out her back door fully nude.
She laughed but did as suggested. Slipping on his large t-shirt and some small shorts.
She saw the edges of a flash of light, the one she knew would take Luca from man to wolf.
Stepping out her back door she saw him. A brilliant silver wolf trotting up the sand, back toward her house.
Luca wasn’t the largest wolf she’d ever seen, but he was the most beautiful.
He stopped, still paces away, and lifting his nose toward the moon, he howled.
Her breath caught as she listened. His human face flashed through her mind.
“Magnificent,” she said in a quiet tone.
He bowed his head towards the sand, but she knew he’d be smirking if the wolf could do so.
Jules approached him, kneeling on the sand.
His eyes had gone from green to moon yellow, as all wolves’ did.
Reaching one hand out she stroked his soft fur.
Luca leaned into the touch. “Hi,” she said, smiling.
He bumped her hand with his shoulder and made to move toward the ocean.
Turning after a few paces to see if she followed.
She would.
The pair raced toward the water, a barefoot vampire with flaming auburn hair pacing a handsome silver wolf.
In wolf form, Luca had little trouble keeping up with her.
Jules felt the sand give way under her tread as she ran, felt the cold water splashing over her feet and up her legs, felt the wolf beside her losing himself in the adrenaline of the run.
They ran at full speed until she noticed his energy starting to wane.
She saw that they were near the cove and came to a stop once they reached the top of the rocks and caves.
Jules sat down on the top rock where they’d shared their first kiss, and the wolf joined her there.
Luca lay his nose on her legs and looked up at the moon.
She stroked his ears and stared up at the peaceful stars as well.
They were two creatures bound to the night.
Two beings, whose existence was hidden from the world. Two beings with one heartbeat.
Carson jerked. Something had awoken him.
A sound. He didn’t register what the sound was and rolled over, throwing an arm and leg over Demetria’s body, trapping her with his heavy limbs.
She mumbled incoherently, but did not wake.
Just as Carson was debating thrusting his hardening cock inside her, the soft tapping sound came again.
This time Carson registered that someone was knocking tentatively on his bedroom door.
He growled and ignored it, positioning himself to take his pleasure from the sleeping woman.
The sound came once more. “Someone better be dead.” Carson growled aloud as he threw the blankets off himself and Demetria to stand and answer the knock.
“What?” he nearly shouted as he pulled the door open.
Standing fully naked and looking into the startled face of the stuttering Jed.
Jed’s eyes wandered into the room. Carson could see the moment the man took in the naked form of the sleeping woman. Her round ass on full display.
“Keep staring and I may choose to kill you,” he said, but made no move to close the door or cover his paramour.
“Alpha I… I’m…m… s…sorry… to,” Jed began.
Carson raised his eyebrows to insinuate that the man had better pull it together and say what he had to say.
“I…it’s your Beta,” Jed finally said.
“Luca?” Carson asked, intrigued enough to step from his bedroom and into the hall.
“You ordered me to…. to keep t-tabs on him.”
Carson didn’t validate this entirely unnecessary statement with a response but impatiently waited for the man to come to his point.
“He’s betrayed you, my Alpha. He’s a traitor and I have proof.
” Jed held his phone toward Carson with a shaking hand.
Carson snatched it away from the man so he could see what the tracker was here to show him.
What he saw on the little screen shocked and angered him.
The proof, captured on the phone screen, was irrefutable.
There he was, his Beta, sitting on the top of a rock cliff in wolf form, muzzle laying on the legs of one very alive and, likely back to full strength, vampire temptress.