Mating Bite by Cynthia Eden (10)

“Are you sure you know how to pilot this thing?” Lauren asked. She tried to keep the nervousness out of her voice, but she absolutely failed. They were at a small airfield. She had no idea exactly where the airfield was located. Georgia? Alabama? But Carter had worked out a deal with the guy at the strip, and they were about to take off in a small plane. In a death trap.

“Absolutely. I’ve got this.” He flashed her a wide, wolfish smile.

His smile made her chest feel…warm.

“I can fly any plane, baby. Not something you have to worry about. Benjamin over there—” He pointed to the man heading toward the hangar. “He’s going to make sure the, uh, right paperwork and flight plans are listed for us.”

She knew what Carter was saying, and what he wasn’t. “You bribed him.”

“Yeah.” He shrugged, obviously not the least bit sorry. “It’s the way these things are done.”

She glanced back at the plane. “It’s really…small.”

He caught her hands in his. “You’re a vamp. You could jump out of that plane from ten thousand feet and still live.” He cocked his head as a faint smile played at the corners of his mouth. “Well, provided that you didn’t lose your head in the fall.”

She jerked her hands back. “Not funny.”

His smile vanished. “You don’t have to worry. I will always take care of you.”

Yes, he’d said that. They’d had phenomenal sex. They’d not spoken about that phenomenal sex. And now they were about to fly—“Where? Where are we going?”

“Vegas. To my pack. I told you, that’s the safest place. And going by air is the quickest way for us to get there.” The back of his hand slid over her cheek. “The US Air Force trained me. I swear, you’re safer with me in the air than you are with anyone else.”

“Air Force?” Now she was surprised. “A werewolf was a fly boy?”

He laughed. “Sweetness, that’s just the start of my secrets.”

She blinked. Wait, what did that mean?

His laughter faded. “Get in the plane, okay? I won’t feel better until we’re out of here. In the air, at least I don’t have to worry about an attack coming at any moment.”

She nodded. She moved toward the plane, but Carter’s sudden curse stopped her cold. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Carter put his body between hers—and whatever threat she knew had to be coming. His body had gone tense, and the guy’s razor-sharp claws were already out. “Carter…”

“It’s Riley. I caught the bastard’s scent on the wind.”

Now she was the one tensing. “I thought he was leaving us alone.”

“Guess he changed his mind…”

And sure enough, she saw Riley striding toward them—the guy had a backpack slung over his left shoulder. He was taking his time, strolling along as if he didn’t have a care in the world. His claws weren’t out, but Lauren didn’t fool herself into believing he wasn’t a threat.

“What in the hell do you want?” Carter called out.

Riley shrugged. “Seriously, man, I’ve been tailing your ass since the safe house.”

“Yeah, I know. But you kept your ass back, so I didn’t take you out. You’re crossing the line now.”

Riley stopped about five feet away from Carter. “You saved my life once.”

“Did I?” Carter’s claws seemed to lengthen even more. “By my count, I saved your hide twice. And you repaid me by trying to attack my mate.”

“Yes, well, I’m here to make things up to you.” He pointed toward the plane. “Just like our cadet days, huh? I’ll be your co-pilot, and I’ll be at your side when you face the vamps who will be coming for you.”

Lauren glanced between the two men. Tension was thick in the air.

“Then my debt is done.” Riley’s face was expressionless.

I don’t trust him.

Carter peered back at Lauren. “I could use another wolf on my side.”

She mouthed, “No!” And then decided, hell, why not just yell it? “No! This is the same guy who attacked us!”

But Carter didn’t appear to be jumping on her No-Riley bandwagon. “And he’s the guy who was watching our backs all the way here,” Carter told her. “I knew he was out there, and I have no doubt that if we’d been attacked, Riley would have stepped in.”

He might not have doubts, but she did. And Lauren still didn’t want the other werewolf coming near her.

“Lauren.”

Her gaze jerked to Riley. She didn’t like the way he’d just said her name. Like they were friendly. Buddies. Not mortal enemies.

Riley inclined his head toward her. “We didn’t get off on the right foot. But, hey, I’m not holding a grudge about you hitting me with the truck, so maybe we should both move on?”

Was he crazy?

“I could use another wolf on my side,” Carter repeated calmly. Or at least, he sounded calm. “Until we get back to the Vegas pack, it would be nice to have more strength with us.”

“You can count on me,” Riley told him. He even gave Carter a little salute.

“That’s wonderful,” Lauren fired. She was so glad they were chums. Not. Her eyes narrowed on Riley. “But can I count on you? Can I count on you not to attack me?”

Riley stared straight at her. “A wolf’s mating is sacred. You’re mated to Carter. I would never hurt his mate.”

She gazed back at him, trying to see if he was telling the truth.

“We need to get in the air,” Carter murmured. “Lauren, are you good?”

No, but… “Fine,” she snapped. “But if you come at me with your claws, wolf,” Lauren bared her teeth at Riley, “then I’ll come at you with everything I’ve got.”

He nodded. “I’ll consider myself warned.”

“Good. You do that.” She spun on her heel. And she tried not to think about how incredibly small the plane was…

Death trap.

***

“Your vampire doesn’t like me,” Riley said in a bemused tone. He was up in the front of the plane with Carter. They were soaring through the sky, heading for the safety of the Vegas pack. Or, at least, Carter hoped they’d be safe in Vegas.

“You didn’t make a great first impression on her.” Carter tossed the guy a wry smile. “Better work hard to get back in her good graces.”

“Is that where you are? In the vamp’s good graces?”

He glanced toward the rear of the plane. “Working on that.”

Riley grunted. “What’s it like?”

Carter wasn’t sure—

“Being mated. Is it the way they say? Do you feel the connection, deep inside?”

He felt it soul fucking deep. “I knew Lauren was meant to be mine when she took my blood. I knew before I’d ever bitten her. The…connection was there.” He swallowed and checked the instruments. “It started as an awareness. A hunger. Lust.”

Riley laughed. “Isn’t that always the way it starts? Lust first…”

Lust. The wolf’s way of recognizing a genetic match.

“Then…” Riley paused. “More.”

He didn’t exactly want to have a soul-sharing moment with Riley right then. “I thought you were going to look for your more, buddy. Weren’t you supposed to be heading after your human? Why are you chasing after us instead?”

Riley’s hold on the controls tightened. “Because I need to know why your vamp is different. I need to know what made her a mate for you. If your Lauren hadn’t been bitten, if she’d stayed human, what the hell is it about her that would have made her call to your beast?”

Tension snaked through his body. “Lauren isn’t a science experiment.”

“No, but she’s special, and you damn well know it. I want to talk to her, I want to learn as much as I can. I need this. I need to know. Before I go back after—”

After the human he wanted. “Maybe you should just screw the mating bond. So what if you feel the connection or not with your human? If you want her badly enough—”

“Wanting was never an issue,” Riley threw back at him. “The issue is…can she handle me? You know werewolves get too rough during sex. I don’t want to hurt her. Not ever. Hell, if your Lauren hadn’t been a vamp, what would you have done? Would you have risked letting your beast hurt her?”

“I never want to hurt Lauren.”

Riley exhaled on a long sigh. “Then I think you understand exactly where I’m coming from, man.”

***

I never want to hurt Lauren.

Lauren fiddled with her seat belt. She could hear their voices easily, and what she’d just overheard…it made her feel…

I don’t know what it makes me feel.

Mostly because she didn’t know what Carter made her feel. He was flying her away—he’d bribed the guy at the hangar, gotten her in the air to relative safety, and now he was vowing to never hurt her.

A girl could get used to a guy like that. Especially considering that her previous lover had turned out to be a literal monster.

“You okay?”

At the soft question, her gaze jerked away from the window. Carter stood there, frowning at her.

Say something. “Shouldn’t you be flying the plane?”

He smiled at her. “Riley has it covered. I just wanted to check on you. Make sure you were okay back here. You seemed a little…nervous about the plane.”

Once she’d gotten inside, Lauren had realized the plane wasn’t nearly as small as she’d originally thought. Actually, she figured it was a pretty damn high-end ride. But… “Heights aren’t exactly my thing.”

He came closer to her and lowered his body into the seat right across from her. “I got that.”

Her fingers twisted. “Where did you get the money for the bribe? For this plane? For—”

His gaze dropped. “I recently came into some money. Got paid for a job I—a job I didn’t want.” Carter raked a hand through his hair. “Figured this would be the best use of that cash.” A mocking smile curved his lips. “Fitting.”

He’d lost her but… “Are we going to talk about it?”

His eyes met hers once more. “It?”

Yes, it. “You and Riley—werewolves…mating. I heard what you said to him—”

Carter just waited.

“I don’t understand mating.”

His jaw hardened.

“I mean, how can a vampire mate with a werewolf? Won’t you…” Say it, Lauren. Just get the words out! “Won’t you die long before I do?” She rubbed her palm over her suddenly aching heart.

He caught her hand in his. Brought it to his mouth. Pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “There haven’t exactly been a lot of our pairings around lately, but Griffin learned as much as he could about vamps and werewolves. After he met Isabella, he made that his mission in life. From what he learned, it seems as long as we stay together, as long as we exchange blood, there are benefits for us both.”

“B-benefits?”

He turned her hand over. Kissed her palm. Since when was her palm so sensitive? Because when he kissed her, when his tongue slid out to lick her skin, she shivered.

“I’ll live as long as you do. And you, sweetness, the longer you take my blood, the stronger you’ll become. Soon, the daylight won’t make you weak. Soon, you’ll be able to go out in the sunlight again.”

She surged up in her seat. “Don’t lie to me.”

He still held her hand. “I’m not lying about this. You stay with me, and I can give you the day back. We’ll make each other stronger. Vamps and werewolves can be perfect mates.” His eyes gleamed. “Or they can be deadly enemies.” He let her hand go.

She didn’t move. “I don’t want to be your enemy.”

Carter rose. “I should get back up front.”

This time, she caught his hand. She held it tight. “I’d rather be your lover than your enemy.”

“Lauren…”

“It’s never been that way for me before. The sex, I mean.” She needed him to understand. “I never had that much pleasure with a lover. I never wanted anyone so much.” That need still scared her. “Something has changed inside of me. I don’t even want anyone else’s blood. Only yours. I only want you.”

He bent over her. Their mouths were so close.

His voice rumbling, Carter said, “You are the only fucking thing I want in this world. You matter to me more than anything else.” He kissed her. The deep, toe-curling, ice-melting kiss that only Carter seemed capable of giving her. “Never forget that.”

She wouldn’t. Somehow, in the middle of her nightmare, she’d found something good.

She’d found him.

***

The sun filled the sky. Carter squinted as he stared out below the plane. They were close now. They’d stopped to refuel, but he’d be back home soon. Home. Strange, he hadn’t realized he’d begun to think of Vegas that way—

“Your vamp is out cold.” Riley made his way back to his seat. “It’s kind of intense to see, isn’t it? The way they go out like that.” He exhaled on a rough sigh. “Easy pickings during the day, provided you can get close enough for the kill.”

Carter’s hand flew out and locked around Riley’s wrist. “No one is killing her.”

“No?” Riley lifted a brow. “Now that sleeping beauty is out, let’s be real. No bullshit. I know that you were hired to track her—”

“Shut the fuck up.” Carter glanced over his shoulder. “During the day, she hears a whole lot more than you think.” He’d learned that lesson the hard way. His attention turned back to Riley, and he saw the surprise on the wolf’s face. “Watch yourself,” Carter warned him.

Riley nodded, showing he understood.

Silence reigned but Carter stayed tense.

“Would you be able to let her go?” Riley’s voice was soft, barely above a whisper. Easy enough for a werewolf to hear, though. Could a vamp hear it, too? “If she wanted to leave you, could you let her go?”

Carter didn’t answer the other wolf. Maybe because…he was afraid to answer.

I won’t be like Antoine. I’ll never be like him.

***

Carter carried Lauren off the plane. He made sure to keep her covered, not wanting her skin to burn in the sunlight. He hadn’t called ahead and made contact with his pack yet. He’d ditched his phone, not wanting Antoine to track it in any way, and then he’d worried that Antoine might be keeping tabs on the Vegas pack, so Carter had just decided to keep playing things safe.

No phone contact.

Riley took care of getting a car ready for him. The wolf scored a big, black SUV with tinted windows. Carter eased Lauren into the back of the vehicle, and he kept the cover over her body.

“Got your lady?” Riley asked from the front.

Carter held her tighter. “Always.”

Riley took off. Carter gave him directions as they traveled. They weren’t heading for the bright lights of Vegas, not this time, and they hadn’t flown in to the major airport there. Carter had a few tricks up his sleeve, and he had plenty of connections, too. He’d used some of those connections with his flight—and the landing. He’d made sure the landing was a quiet one, far away from prying eyes.

“You certain your pack will be thrilled with your arrival?” Riley wanted to know. “Sometimes, the packs are more trouble than they’re worth.”

He knew Riley was speaking from personal experience. “Griffin is a good man. He’ll help me.” Carter realized he sounded confident, and that was a good thing. Maybe he’d convince Riley with that confidence. But the truth was that Carter wasn’t sure how Griffin would react to his reappearance.

Riley didn’t speak again. Not until they were near the alpha’s mansion. A real, honest-to-God mansion. Right in the middle of the Nevada desert. The thing was freaking huge and enclosed by a giant fence and a huge ass gate. The place was also very, very well-guarded. As the SUV approached, three men—werewolves—immediately blocked the gate.

“These guys don’t exactly look friendly.” Tension had entered Riley’s voice.

No, they didn’t.

And when those guys got close enough to catch Lauren’s scent…when they realized she was a vamp…

Griffin appeared.

Carter’s breath heaved out in a relieved rush when he saw his friend push past the men at the gate. For a moment, Griffin stood there, his hands on his hips and his dark hair raked back from his face. The guy was glaring right at the SUV.

At me.

“I need to talk with him first,” Carter said as he eased Lauren down in the back seat. “But, just, um, as a precaution…If it looks like he’s going for my head, get Lauren the hell out of here, okay?”

“What?”

“Just as a precaution. I’m sure it won’t be necessary.” Maybe. Carter slammed the door shut. The Nevada sun immediately blazed down on him, and he wished he wasn’t wearing a damn black t-shirt. Squaring his shoulders, he marched toward the guy who was both his friend and the current pack alpha. With every step that he took, Griffin’s face darkened even more.

Shit. So much for a happy reunion scene. Not that Carter’s hopes had been that high, though he’d at least hoped to avoid a battle to the death with the alpha.

Carter stopped when he was a foot in front of Griffin. A muscle jerked in the alpha’s jaw.

Griffin’s eyes were glacial. “You disappear…You vanish without a word.”

“Right. About that…” Carter cleared his throat. “It wasn’t exactly safe to have me around then. I figured it was for the best if I—”

Griffin’s hands flew out and locked around Carter’s shoulders. “You’re addicted to vamp blood.”

Carter didn’t fight, not yet. Griffin was his friend, and, truth be told, he’d screwed the guy over once before. He’d jumped to conclusions about Griffin and the wolf’s vamp mate—and Carter had made a nearly lethal mistake. He was determined not to make more mistakes with the guy. “Isabella’s blood changed me.”

Griffin’s expression became even harder. “You got addicted. Only instead of coming to me for help, you ditched the pack.”

“Yes.” No point denying it. “Because I didn’t want to bring you down into my hell.”

Griffin swore. “Fucking too late. We’re there.” He let go of Carter, and the icy fury in the alpha’s eyes would have frozen a lesser wolf. “I hear you’ve been hunting vamps.”

Again, Carter wasn’t going to lie. Not to Griffin.

“Fuck.” Griffin closed his eyes for a moment. “And I guess the part about you taking the new vamp is true, too? Where in the hell is Lauren McIntosh?”

How did the guy know about her? Carter cleared his throat. “She’s about…ten feet away.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “She’s in the SUV. You know vamps don’t handle the sun that well.”

Griffin’s eyes flew open. “You brought her here?”

Like he would have left her behind. “I need your help. She needs protection.”

Griffin’s claws were out. His teeth snapped together. “Right. Protection from you.”

No.

Griffin motioned with his claw-tipped hand, catching the attention of the nearby guards. “Bring the vamp inside. Make sure she’s secured.”

The guards immediately moved to obey—and Carter immediately moved to put himself in their way. “No one is touching her but me.” They should be clear on that point. His voice had gone low and lethal. “So just stand your asses back down. I’ll bring her inside. The sun can’t touch her skin. I’ve got a…friend driving.” Riley counted as a maybe friend. “He and I will pull the vehicle into the garage, and then I’ll carry the vamp into the house.”

The guards glanced back at Griffin.

Carter turned his attention to the alpha, too.

Sadness flickered on Griffin’s face. “What did you do?”

What I had to do.

“Carter, are you trying to start a war?”

Carter didn’t answer.

“Because that’s exactly what you’ve fucking done.” But Griffin inclined his head. “Get the vamp inside, and then you meet me in the study. You’ll tell me everything that’s happening. Every. Single. Thing.”