The last place anyone would look for Pallas was Sheriff Lee’s home. A quaint cabin in the woods outside of town, opposite his property.
Spacious rooms with minimal furniture. Neat, clean lines in her choices of decor. It smelled of her. He could picture the Sheriff on the deck, reading in her Adirondack chair and sipping a beer.
Not at this precise minute. She held a gun pointed at his head. She must have studied fighting vampires since their first altercation. A headshot would incapacitate him longer than the chest wound.
“You!” Her fury was a violent heat. Trigger finger tightening. “What are you doing in my house?”
“I needed a place to hide.” He shrugged. “And I—”
She holstered her gun.
Pallas relaxed his stance, lowering his arms. “And I—”
She twisted her upper body with incredible speed, punching him solidly in the jaw.
His head flung back and he bit his tongue. “Ow.”
“Fuck.” She clasped her hand to her chest. “Are you made of stone?”
He caught her by the injured wrist. “Let me see.” He examined her hand though she resisted. “It’s not broken, luckily. That wasn’t smart. I’m immortal.” He picked her up like a child and carried her to the kitchen.
“Put me down!” She kicked her legs.
He set her on the granite counter. “I’m made of stuff stronger than stone.” Inside her freezer, he found an ice pack and cradled her injured hand around it. “The punch was angled badly.”
“I know.” She winced. “You’re taller than my regular sparring partners and I’m tired.” Dark circles surrounded her weary eyes.
“You were looking for me all night.” He frowned, feeling bad about the escape. He’d promised to follow her lead in this process. “I apologize for breaking your cell wall. I’ll pay for the damages once I clear my name.”
She deflated right before his eyes. “Fine.” Her face twisted as if she fought with herself. “I’m sorry Joe tried to fry you with sunlight.”
“Joe.” He growled.
“You’re not going to kill him are you?” She sat up straighter, feet dangling over her linoleum floor. Strands of hair had escaped her tight bun, which sagged to the right.
Obviously, nobody believed he could restrain his killing urges. After centuries of experience, he had control, just no reason to implement it until now. Not to mention, the last time he’d walked the earth, people had been more bloodthirsty. “No.”
A blush crept over her cheeks. “Have you been here all night?”
“No, I tried to find my pack.” He tucked the loose strands of hair behind her ears. “Dodged state troopers most of the night, then realized I would only bring more danger to my wolves.”
“So you came here?”
Shame was a stranger to him but it slithered in his gut. “I need your help.”
She rubbed her temples. “I thought you’d be in Canada by now.” She sounded wistful.
“The thought crossed my mind.”
“Why did you stay?” She lowered her hands and tilted her head.
He busied himself with her ice pack by wrapping a dish towel around her injured hand to protect her skin from the cold. “We should elevate this to prevent swelling.”
“Pallas?” She ducked her head so he couldn’t avoid her gaze. He ran his fingertips over her smooth cheeks and she didn’t retreat. So pink and warm. He’d always been attracted to warrior women. Sheriff Lee…
“Will you ever tell me your first name?”
She blinked and smiled. It was shy and endearing. “Are you ever going to answer my question?”
In answer, he stepped closer, forcing her thighs apart and brushing his lips over hers. He was never one to mince words and he tired of playing games with her. Either she liked him or not, but he would have his kiss.
Her mouth parted as she pulled away. She rested her hand on his chest. “Me?”
He jerked his chin down a brief nod unable to trust his next words. He had expected a second punch to his face. Not the wonder in her voice. He could use the pack, his home and lands as an excuse, but deep down inside he knew the truth. He had lived without shifters or a roof and survived, but without her, he wasn’t so sure he could. He wasn’t suave or charming and his next words mattered.
“Leona,” she whispered into the pregnant silence.
“Leona Lee, pleased to meet you.” He circled her waist with his hands and bent for a second kiss.
She met him halfway, hands caressing his shoulders, mouth crushed to his.
Fair enough. He slipped his tongue against hers and devoured her moans as their kiss grew deeper. He loved how her hand caressed the back of his neck, the accidental scrape of their teeth as they grew too enthusiastic. He needed this—he needed her.
He released the pins to her bun and let her glorious long hair flow down her back. It felt like silk between his fingers. Wrapping the strands around his hand, he pinned her against him. Those curves, hidden in that uniform, softly molded to him. It was not enough to claim her mouth. He wanted skin. To lick every inch of her body. To bite and taste her. He moaned, grinding his thickening cock against the apex of her thighs.
They would need her bed, the handcuffs, her belt, and that ice pack for afterwards. He wanted to take things slow with Leona. A hard fuck against the kitchen counter could wait for another night. The first time shouldn’t be rushed. He wanted everything to be perfect.
This time when he moaned, it wasn’t from lust. He pulled away, hard with desire so strong it pulsed through his body. Now was not the time. They were racing against a clock with Homeland closing in.
She clung to his shoulders, leaning in for more, lips swollen and parted.
The noises escaping his throat held an edge of the monster inside him. Her wanting more was the hardest thing he had ever refused. He leaned his forehead against hers, gripping the edge of the granite counter until it creaked. “No,” he whispered.
“Yes.” She wrapped her strong legs around his hips.
He closed his eyes. Willpower fading fast. “I need to fix things first.” He gasped for air. Oh fuck, if she undid one single button of that uniform, he was done for.
Her clutching fists relaxed. She stroked her hand over his chest, down his abs and gave a long disappointed sigh. “You’re right.” She slapped his chest lightly. “Fuck, I hate it when you’re right.”
“For once we agree.”
She laughed and pushed him away. “First things first—how did you know where I live?”
He adjusted the tight crotch of his pants to relieve some pressure on his erection, tempted to shove the ice pack inside his waistband. “I followed you home one night.”
“Any specific reason?”
“Know thy enemy. First rule of war.”
“You always kiss your enemies?” She gave him a crooked smile as she leaned back on her hands. Confidence and intelligence were the most alluring things a woman could wear. Leona flaunted it with style.
He shrugged. “I don’t think of us as enemies anymore.” Not after that kiss. He had expected her to punch him again when he’d first brushed his lips over hers. For once, he had something to truly fight for. His own future with her and his pack in this little town in the mountains. His own slice of heaven. No rogue vampire would take that from him. “You believe I’m innocent?”
“I know you are, or you would already be in handcuffs on your way back to jail.” She slipped off the counter, landing gracefully on her feet. She set the icepack aside and flexed her swollen hand. “I’ll have to aim for something softer next time. The medical examiner discovered the bite was artificially made.”
He furrowed his brow. “Not a real bite? Does that clear me with your laws?”
Her tired eyes grew dark and the lines around her mouth deepened. “With me, it clears your guilt, but Homeland has it bad for you. Gillipsie and Thomas want you. We need more than just the bite to get them off your back.”
“Of course, it can’t be enough. Why would my life get easier now?” The body was dumped on his land with a vampire bite, which meant this was done purposely to make him appear guilty.
“They might find a way to explain the abnormalities in the bite mark. We need more to secure your innocence so no doubts are left in anyone’s minds.”
He crossed his arms. She was wise in the ways of human laws but naïve at the depravity of human nature. What choice did he have but to listen at this point? Did he trust this sheriff? Oddly, he did. She’d had plenty of opportunity to betray him and his pack since their arrival in her territory. She had been nothing but fair.
“If a vampire didn’t kill Bob, then who did?”
“Exactly. That’s what I’m talking about. We need to figure out who else had a motive to kill Bob and the opportunity.” She yawned so wide her jaw cracked.
Exhaustion fogged her bright aura. “You need some sleep first.” The natural defenses that protected her sharp mind were growing thin. He could break through the barriers, get inside her head, but that was not what he wanted from Leona. Love needed to be real, needed to come from her without any push on his part.
“Yes, I really do, but after I get a few hours rest we should check the crime scene again. Now that we know it’s not a vampire, maybe we’ll see something fresh.”
“You have a dark place, secure from daylight, for me to rest that’s not a closet?” He hated confined spaces. Some of his brethren used boxes or holes in the dirt to hide from the sun. He had tried but his wild blood calls for open spaces.
“Sure. The basement should be safe. The windows are narrow and easy to cover.” She grinned. “There’s even a TV.” She guided him down below her cabin.
The room was open with a large couch. A big screen television hung on the wall. She gave him instructions on how to use the remotes.
“Let me shower then I’ll get some blankets.” She returned to the main floor, leaving him alone with his dismal thoughts.