Wen - VLG – Book Six
By Laurann Dohner
There was no mistaking that the tall biker-looking dude in the leather jacket had to be Wen. His hair was shorter these days though, no longer flowing down to the middle of his back. It was dark brown, a bit shaggy, and fell to his broad shoulders. His father towered above other men at six feet seven, and his son inherited more than just his height. He had the same bodybuilder frame, with broad shoulders and thick biceps that stretched out the material covering them. The graceful, predatory way he stalked down the sidewalk in the opposite direction also assured her she had the right guy. Men moved out of his way, giving a wide berth, but women turned their heads, taking second looks.
Gerri sighed, stepping out of the shadows of the building across the street. Her blonde curly hair, falling almost to her waist, might as well have been a flag waving to say hello. The strong breeze whipped it into her face from behind now that she’d left the shelter of the doorway. She’d tried keeping it short but the tight curls drove her insane after a few weeks. The weight of having it long left it wavy instead. There was also the drawback of resembling a blonde version of a famous fictional orphan after she cut it off—and the jokes that went along with that. So she just let it grow, usually kept in a single braid down her back, but she hadn’t had time to do that earlier. She’d hit snooze on her alarm clock too many times.
It had been hard to fall asleep the night before, knowing she’d see him again.
The wind blew down the street in his direction and he spun around, now striding her way, eyes hidden by the dark sunglasses he wore. She resisted cursing in case his hearing was as good as she imagined. It was a hot day, and she’d begun to sweat. He’d clearly picked up her scent. She could have gone bald or had facial surgery and Wen would still be able to locate her with his eyes closed…something she should have remembered. They’d grown up together. It didn’t matter what hair products or laundry detergent she used. It had been a game to try to fool him when they were kids. Wen could always track her.
He made a beeline toward her, crossing the street.
The urge to run struck but she held still. He’d catch her before she made it half a block, and the results could get messy. They were no longer kids. A game of chase could easily turn deadly if she triggered him to go into hunt mode. She wasn’t willing to risk it. They weren’t friends anymore.
He stopped two feet away, and she hated having to lift her chin to stare up. The size difference between them had always been drastic but now it seemed ridiculous. He was well over a foot taller than her five-foot-five frame, and he had to have about a hundred and fifty pounds on her.
“You didn’t grow much.”
His deep baritone voice was just a reminder of what he really was. It gave her chills down her spine. He appeared to be human, a large one, but he wasn’t. “You reached out to me and I came.” She loathed the reality she called her life at that moment. He’d have hunted her down if she’d have refused a meeting. Seeing him again was painful and something she’d wanted to avoid. “As if you really gave me a choice. Your message on my voicemail was a bit threatening. I didn’t appreciate that.”
He tilted his head, and she was grateful that the sunglasses resting on the bridge of his nose were too dark to glimpse his eyes. She had a feeling they probably weren’t as human-looking as his face at that moment. The soft growl that rumbled from him hinted that she’d pissed him off.
“Sorry.” She lowered her gaze to his immense chest. “You have to admit this is a bad idea. We said our goodbyes and they should have stuck.” She refused to step back and bow a little at the waist to show regret. The verbal apology would have to be enough. His customs weren’t hers anymore. “It’s too dangerous for me to be anywhere near you. It was rude to make threats toward me if I didn’t text you back and meet with you today.” She didn’t add the part about how she realized he wouldn’t be concerned if he got her killed by association. “What do you need?”
“We have to talk. Why did you pick this place? It’s too public. What are we doing here?”
She wasn’t surprised that he knew where she lived, since he’d somehow gotten her cell number. “I rented a room upstairs. I figured you’d want privacy.” She backed up, turned, and prayed he wouldn’t do something to get even for her rudeness. The boy he used to be wouldn’t be so easily offended but he’d grown into a man she didn’t know. “Follow me.”
He didn’t snarl a warning that she was being too pushy, so she breathed easier as she entered the cheap motel. The desk clerk wasn’t there, probably in the back watching porn. Two drug addicts hung out in the corner of the small lobby and she guessed they were waiting for their dealer to show. The place was a hive of undesirable criminals but it didn’t have any security cameras. They also accepted cash, rented rooms by the hour, and never asked questions.
“You don’t trust me inside your den?”
She waited to answer until they reached the elevator and the doors closed them inside. “It’s called an apartment out here in the real world, and it wasn’t about trust. I figured that it was best if I could just say I’m a hooker doing a john if we’re seen together. I have no idea why you’re in Reno or who you’re hunting.”
“What makes you think I’m looking for someone?”
She sighed as the elevator doors opened, then dug out the plastic key and strode forward. The room was between the stairs and elevator. She unlocked it and pushed open the door, waiting for him to pass. He took a few steps inside, sniffed, and frowned.
“Hooker would be correct. This place reeks of sex.”
She closed the door and locked it. “Sorry. I did a visual and it appeared okay. I even sprayed some scented stuff around.”
“So I smell. Flowers and unwashed bodies don’t mix.”
Gerri leaned against the door and lifted her gaze, peering at his sunglasses. “What’s up, Wen? I figure it has to be pretty dire for you to go to the trouble to reach out to me. I’m not easy to find.”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“You’re hunting for someone. You wouldn’t leave Alaska otherwise. It’s what you guys do. Is he a bloodsucker, a Were, or a combo?”
He paused. “It's complicated.”
“A fur bat? Shit.”
His generous mouth curved upward. “You know they find that term offensive.”
“I learned it from you. I’ll make sure I share that fact if you tattle and a GarLycan comes after me to extract a little payback.” The past blurred with the present for a second. It was a teasing conversation they may have had as kids. “Why call me? I don’t know shit. I avoid anything that I think isn’t what it appears to be.”
“The city is full of bloodsuckers. How do you avoid them?”
“I don’t go out after dark.” She forced a smile and clasped her hands together over her stomach. “It’s pretty simple. There are bars over my windows on my brick-exterior apartment. They would have to make a lot of racket, waste too much time and energy to break in. There’s easier prey to go after. I keep the curtains closed, don’t display myself as a snack, and I own a few poison-tipped crossbows bolts, just in case.” She paused, a memory flashing. “Plus a really sharp ax. I’ve only ever had one come after me.”
“I take it he won’t do it again?”
“Nope. It was before I learned to live behind bars and thicker walls. I shot him full of arrows, kind of pinned him to a wall so I had time to take his head off, and used my ax to do it.”
“His nest didn’t come after you?”
“He was rogue. You should have smelled him. He probably hadn’t bathed in months or changed his clothes. No master would ever allow one of his to stink that bad.” She cleared her throat. “I also moved the next day without a forwarding address, just in case he had banded together with a few others. I’m good at getting lost.”
“What did you do about the blood? It sounds as if it was messy. Humans have police and crime techs, if you left what they would have viewed as a murder scene.”
“UV lamp, and I opened the curtains to let in a lot of sun. Vamp blood just goes away when you expose it to both. I remembered that. I had to patch the walls though. Good thing hardware stores open so early.”
“How is your mother?”
It hurt to think about her, even after four years. “I have no clue. She hooked up with a Were, so I split. I know you don’t like that term but I live in the human world, and they called themselves Werewolves. Some of his pack began sniffing after me. Becoming a human version of a bitch in a pack isn’t in my life plans.”
“None of them interested you as a mate?”
She hesitated, glanced around before staring at his dark glasses. “They weren’t traditional. I’m not one to judge but that sickened even me. Let’s leave it at that.”
He leaned in, one hand flattening on the door near her face. “Let’s not. Explain.”
Anger stirred but she wasn’t going to test his patience. He’d never had much as a kid, and she figured he’d have none at all now, since he’d become an adult. “They had a sharing-is-caring motto, okay? They don’t believe in mates. I wouldn’t bend over and take it from any guy who wanted me, even if huge sums of money were involved, so I sure as hell wasn’t going to do it for free just because my mother was with their alpha. Any woman was viewed as community property by the men. Not my thing.”
“The alpha allowed anyone in his pack to fuck your mother?”
“Didn’t I just tell you their pack motto?”
“I don’t understand. How many men shared your mother?”
“I really didn’t want to know who Mom was getting it on with or how many it involved. She ordered me to stay but that wasn’t going to happen.”
“Damn. I liked Carol.”
“Then join their pack and you can nail her too, since they’re into that.”
He growled low, sounding his irritation. “I didn’t mean it that way and you know it. I assumed she avoided all the other races after her mate died.”
“I think she missed the type, you know? Domineering, total control freak, with a bonus side of worship-me mentality.” She ducked under his arm and quickly got past him, not comfortable feeling pinned in. “She’s different now.”
“Obviously. What changed her?”
“The whole slower-aging thing finally wore off and she kind of flipped when she got her first gray hair. I think it made her feel human and she didn’t want that.”
“But she is.”
“Tell her that and see how much she rants. Been there and done that.” She walked to the other side of the room and turned. “I think she joined up with that pack hoping they’d turn her. They aren’t into claiming a mate, so it could only happen with a shitload of biting, bleeding, and hoping she survived long enough to become one. I wasn’t going to stick around to watch. You know the success rate is so low because it’s too brutal. While I was there, she was just drinking some of the blood they shared with her. That’s dangerous too, when you’re not mated, but she was willing to risk her body rejecting the blood. I hear that’s a horrible way to go. I didn’t want to be there to see if that nightmare happened.
“Now let’s stop playing catch-up and just get to the point. What do you need from me, Wen? I don’t know the right people if you’re looking for contacts. I have a human-only policy on friends now.”
“Okay.” He stalked closer, invading her personal space again. “I need a human, and you fit the bill.”
“Why me?”
“You know what I really am.”
“Just pick someone else and tell them, then.”
“They might not handle the truth well, and I couldn’t trust a stranger.”
“You can’t trust me. It’s been fifteen years since I left.”
“You’re still alive. You never told anyone about your life in Alaska.”
“I know better. I don’t need a big target on my back with everyone nonhuman tracking me to make sure I can’t blab. Plus, even if no one in your world considered me a real threat, humans shove people ranting about Vampires, Werewolves, and Gargoyles into straitjackets. I hear the meds are excellent in mental hospitals but that’s not my thing. I don’t do drugs.” She backed up. “Why are you so close?”
“I don’t smell a man on you.”
“And you won’t. I’m not dating anyone right now. It ended poorly with the last boyfriend.”
“Why?”
“I dump guys who cheat and play head games.” She stared up at him. “Are there any boundaries you won’t cross? I’m not asking about your sex life.”
“I’m single.”
“This week. I know too much about your kind. You obviously haven’t found your mate, or you wouldn’t be tracking someone without her on your heels.”
“I wouldn’t have left Alaska. Mated males don’t hunt this far from home.”
She nodded, hating the tiny bit of relief she felt. There had been a time when she’d daydreamed about becoming his other half. I was just a stupid kid.
Yeah, keep thinking that, and maybe I’ll even buy that excuse one day.
She chewed on her bottom lip. “What do you need me to do? Is this going to take more than a day? I have a job.”
“Not anymore.”
“Damn it, Wen! What does that mean? I can’t afford to lose my paycheck. It keeps me fed and a roof over my head. You have to pay for those things out here in the human world.”
He said nothing, but she could feel him staring at her.
“What? Your leader deals with shit like taxes, paying any human bills the clan incurs and all that. I’m on my own.”
He reached inside his front jacket pocket and withdrew a thick wade of cash. “For your time. I’m not sure how many days it will take, but you aren’t to leave my side until the bastard is dealt with.”
“What is he and why do you need me?” A sinking feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. She refused to take the money, despite the fact it was probably more than she made in six months working her job. “Shit. I’m bait, aren’t I?”
“No.”
She still didn’t reach for the money. “Then what do you need me to do? Just cut the crap. Don’t sugarcoat it.”
“Fine. Sit.”
She studied the bed. “No way. Do you know how many germs and tiny bugs are probably crawling all over that thing?” She glanced at him. “I’m not the weak-kneed type.”
He grinned as he returned the bills to his pocket. “That’s why I want you. You’ve always been tough, Gerri. You’re the strongest human I’ve ever met.”
“Knock off the false flattery. Just spit it out.”
“I’m tracking a ghoul maker.”
“Those don’t exist.”
His dark eyebrow lifted above the sunglasses. “Are you sure?”
“Shit. What are they exactly? Give me the highlights.”
“It’s what we call a master Vampire who’s creating an army of soldiers.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
He reached for his sunglasses, removing them. The sight of those beautiful blue eyes made her feel like an idiot for believing she’d be impervious to him after all the years they’d been apart. She’d never forgotten they were mesmerizing, but the memory of their sheer magnificence had faded over the years. He had the kind of eyes that someone could get lost in. A brilliant blue that reminded her of sapphires. Her gaze dropped to his mouth, avoiding looking directly into his eyes again.
He shoved his sunglasses into his shirt pocket. “Think slowly rotting corpse with the Vamp hunger, but they go insane within a few months, tops. Faster if the Vamp abandons them and doesn’t feed them his or her blood to help them survive that long. Soldiers are brutal killers, harder to take out than a regular Vamp, since they heal faster. They tend to cannibalize their own bodies doing it, hence the rotting corpse. We just found out they can turn their victims into the same thing. This asshole Vamp dropped off one of them on the edge of VampLycan territory and it made more. Five soldiers wiped out a small town. There were dozens of deaths.”
“For real? How did that go over with the clan? I bet Trayis is fit to be tied that this happened on his doorstep.”
“It wasn’t outside of our clan, but another.”
“So why are you here? It sounds like it should be that clan’s problem, not yours.”
“It’s a long story, but Decker isn’t in charge there anymore. The new leader, Lorn, asked other clans to help solve this mess because he has his hands full with a few internal problems. I volunteered to track and kill this bastard. He left a mess behind and it could have exposed our kind. It’s a problem for all VampLycans.”
She let all that sink in. “Someone challenged Decker?” That surprised her.
“Forget that part. Focus on why I’m here.”
It was none of her business. That's what he should have said. She wasn't offended that Wen didn't want to share news from her old home. They liked to keep clan business private and she wasn't a part of that world anymore. “Fine. So you're tracking some jerk making amped-up Vampire zombies on speed.”
“He needs to be stopped.”
She decided Wen's chin was good to look at, safe. “The master is endangering everyone by leaving behind big enough messes that it could draw attention to your kind and others. An entire town being wiped out had to be a nightmare to hide.”
“Exactly.”
“So you've become Wen, the Vampire hunter.”
He grinned, flashing perfect white teeth, minus the noticeably sharper points. “I think you’ve watched too many movies.”
“You got the reference, so I’m not the only one.”
“Guilty.”
She still liked Wen. That wasn’t good. They were no longer friends and he had become an adult. Those were the most dangerous of his kind and he’d had years to grow out of the sweet person he used to be. With maturity came responsibility. She knew what that meant to a VampLycan. The males were trained to fight, to effectively take out threats and do anything to protect the clan. They wouldn't kill innocent people for the hell of it but anyone who knew too much was considered expendable.
“What do you need me for, specifically? Am I tasty enough to catch his eye? Or maybe you think he'd want to turn me into an amped-up zombie Vamp? Am I his type or something?”
“We got Intel that he hangs with a group of rogue Lycans and Vamps who’ve joined forces. They’re working together for once. This ghoul maker wants to start a war.”
“Is this ghoul maker trying to breed? Is he a moron? It’s against the law for a Vampire to create more VampLyans. That was in the treaty.”
“I’m surprised you remember our laws.”
Whoops. It would be smarter to pretend she’d forgotten all about her childhood. It was out of the bag though. “That one just kind of stuck with me. You don’t want Vampires breeding more VampLycans unless it’s a love match. You protect all of your race, even if someone isn’t born into your clan.”
“He’s not attempting to breed with any of the Lycans that we know about. He’s trying to convince them that we want to wipe out all Vampires and Lycans.”
“That doesn’t even make sense.”
“Obviously. This asshole is stirring fear in hopes they’ll join forces to wipe us out first.”
“Why? I mean, it’s not as though he wants to take your territory. It’s too remote. There aren’t enough blood sources up there, and they sure don’t want to feed off animals.”
“His master was killed after they invaded clan territory and kidnapped a VampLycan. It’s a long story. Bottom line, he fucked up and pissed us off. It’s a given that we'd retaliate. He fled Alaska, joined with those rogues, and now is trying to make it seem as though we’re going to start a war with the packs and nests.”
She considered that. “Every nest and pack would attack you guys if they saw a large group of VampLycans enter a city. They’d believe him, and think you've declared war on them.”
He inclined his head, growing somber. “Exactly. He’s manipulating the situation to make it seem as if we’re the aggressors. I'm here to end that.”
“I’m still not clear on why you called me.”
Wen reached out and wrapped his warm palm under her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes. “He left this mess on our doorstep so I was sent to end him. It will raise a little suspicion when they discover I'm here, but I plan to give them the impression I've gone against the clans. As for you, what’s more rogue than someone like me choosing to be with a human over my own people? I need them to believe I’ve fled my clan because I refused to give you up. I can track, get the information I need, and then kill this son of a bitch without anyone being the wiser until it's done.”
Her mouth parted. “What?” She ignored the implied insult that he was too good for her. “But Trayis has allowed some of his clan to mate with humans.”
“The nest who invaded VampLycan territory is more familiar with Decker’s laws. He would have killed for that offense.”
“Shit.” If that was the case, she could understand how some crazy Vamp would buy into the ruse. Decker hated humans. That was no secret.
He grinned and his eyes glowed brighter bluer.
She squeezed her eyes closed. “Don’t pull that Vampy thing. Don’t manipulate me.”
“I wasn’t going to.”
“Liar.”
He growled.
She peeked up at him. “Your irises are glowing. That only happens when you’re about to pull that mind-control shit, Wen. I got older, but I’m not senile. I remember.”
He smiled. “They also glow when I think about sex.”
“Is the smell in here is getting to you? Breathe through your mouth.”
“You wish, golden locks.” He wrapped his arm around her waist, hooking her, and she gasped when he tugged her against the hard, long length of his body. “I’m going to have to convince them we’re lovers…and you know what that means. They aren’t clueless humans.”
Her knees buckled from the shock of what he was implying. He held her up though as she softly cursed, recovering. Her gaze locked with his.
“They need to smell me all over you. Inside you.” His voice turned raspy and way too sexy. “It’s a good thing you turned out so pretty, Gerri. It won’t be a hardship fucking you.”
“No!” Her hands flattened on his chest. “No, Wen.”
His eyes narrowed and his low snarl was a warning.
“That means let me go, because it’s not happening. Did you hear me about not wanting a big target put on my back?”
“There will be no consequences.”
“Bullshit. My mom had a lot of flaws once she lost her mate, but being dishonest wasn’t one of them. I know about the birds and bees when it comes to humans and nons. She never went anywhere without at least one member of the pack to guard her ass. Anything with a hyper-acute sense of smell knew it, because she was carrying their scent from getting it on with them. It's one thing for me to come here willing to say I was a hooker if anyone saw me with you. What you're talking about is something totally different; you want to flaunt that you're fucking me. I'd have to carry your scent but without the protection the pack gave my mom. That's like telling every Werewolf and Vamp that I’m available for whatever they want. I'll be a walking advertisement that I'm already tainted by your world and open season could commence. No!”
“Tainted?” he snarled.
“Knock it off. Maybe that was a poor choice of a word, but you know what I mean. Your scent will draw attention and they'll be much more likely to go after me because humans and others don't cross lines by getting intimately involved in a relationship. The ones who don’t want to kill me outright will think it’s fine to take sex or blood from me. I’ll be considered a stray pet they can just grab and keep.” She paused. “Abuse at will? No way.”
He blew out a breath and seemed to calm. “I’ll protect you.”
“What happens when you catch this ghoul maker guy and split town? How long will the scent of you linger? I’m not a whore; you can take your money and shove it where the sun doesn’t shine. And others don’t know the meaning of the word no, either. I don’t want to be passed around to anyone who decides to attack me because I smell like a doggy sex treat or a willing blood donor. Don’t do this to me, Wen! Please. For old time’s sake. We used to be close.”
“I promise that won’t happen.”
“Bullshit. You won’t be around to stop any hybrid dogs or Vamps from taking what they want from me. It will get me killed because I’ll fight.”
“You have my word that I won’t leave your side until my scent is gone.”
“What is your word worth to a mere human? Come on. I know the rules VampLycans live by. You’d die before breaking a promise to your own kind but to someone like me? We’re here to step on if the need arises. It’s what’s best for the clan, always.”
“You’re not just any human, Gerri. You used to be part of my clan.”
“I was the kid everyone put up with because my mother was mated to one of you. It wasn’t all roses and pretty words. Some of the clan detested me. At least a dozen of them viewed me as an idiot who would betray them one day. The only reason I survived was because you protected me from having any so-called ‘accidents’. Trayis would have punished them but only after he was shown my dead body.”
“I will still protect you.”
She dropped her chin, resting her forehead against his chest. “Please, Wen. Find another woman. Brainwash her with your eyes and force her to heed your commands. Anytime she starts to get curious about you, just wipe her memory.”
“They’d know I was inside her head. No one would believe I’d abandon my clan for a woman I had to hold by force. They’re hollow shells if you repeatedly mess with their minds.” He pressed against her, effectively pinning her to the wall. “Pretty but brainless isn’t my type. I need you.”
The sexy way he growled those last words did things to Gerri. She tried hard to ignore it. Her nipples still reacted by aching and her stomach clenched. She'd fallen for Wen as strongly as any young, clueless girl could. The L word came to mind but it just brought back the pain. Part of her had wished he'd stopped her from leaving when her stepfather had died and her mother had packed them up.
Wen had arrived—but he'd come to say goodbye instead. He'd just let her mother take her away.
“You're fifteen years too late, buddy,” she got out, pushing against him. “Let go and back off.”
“What does that mean?” He refused to move or allow her to wiggle away when she tried.
Gerri warred with herself. It burned to have to admit the truth to him but maybe he'd have a heart. She doubted it, but they'd once been close. The fact that she didn't have to look at him while speaking helped.
“I can't fuck you, Wen. Don't ask me for the impossible. I'm sorry you've been sent on some shit secret-assassin kind of mission, but I can't help out.”
“You admitted you like men.” He pushed her against the wall harder, almost crushing her. He was all around her, his firm body pressed tight against hers. “Tell me you don't find me attractive. I won't believe it and could prove you wrong. You'll enjoy it.”
“Son of a bitch.” She stopped shoving since it was like trying to move a boulder. “You totally grew up to be an asshole, didn't you? I know the shit you guys can do to a woman. Pheromones make you smell so good it turns chicks on. You're also horny as hell and could seduce a tree if you set your mind to it. Just don't do it to me, Wen. Please? I don't want to be hurt.”
He bent his head and backed off a little. She breathed easier—until he pressed his face against her neck. His hot breath fanned the sensitive skin under her ear and he softly growled when he spoke. It was sexy as hell and caused awareness of him to course through her body. She made the mistake of breathing through her nose. The smell of him hit and she barely managed to stifle a groan. He was definitely using his ability to scent like pure sin against her.
“I'll be gentle.”
She pushed at him again but couldn’t budge his body. “You're not hearing me.”
He brushed his lips over her earlobe. “Very gentle.”
She knew he would be, and that he could get her naked on the bed within a few minutes or less. She'd seen a VampLycan or two in action going after women. That scared her enough to be blunt. “I don't want you to break my heart a second time, damn it! Let go and stop, Wen!”
He stiffened and his mouth stopped touching her. She opened her eyes when he jerked his body far enough away to put space between them. His chin was where she should have looked but instead she peered up into his eyes. The surprise she saw there was evident. He hadn't expected her to say that.
“You always thought you were so smart when we were growing up. Guess what? You were an idiot!” She paused but the anger wouldn't be denied. “You have no right to show up and blow apart the life I worked so hard to put together for myself. It was tough forgetting about you.”
He actually paled. That was something, since he was a golden tan from all the time he obviously spent in the sun. “What?”
“I was in love with you.” The words were whispered but it felt good to finally get them off her chest. “It broke my heart when I left the clan because I had to leave you. You didn't have that problem. I'm not going to play the role of your lover because it will mean nothing to you once you're gone. But my life will be a mess again, if I even manage to survive and not let you get me killed. I can't take that kind of heartache again, Wen. No thanks. Find another woman. I'll say the same thing to you that you said to me the last time we parted. Bye. Have a good life!”
She moved fast, darting under one of his arms still pressed against the wall. She rushed toward the door and exited, happy when he didn’t stop her.
The elevator wasn't there, so she had to wait. The sound of heavy footfalls coming down the hallway made her tense and turn. Wen stormed toward her with his sunglasses back on his face and a stern frown twisting his lips.
“You were just a girl at the time. That's bullshit. You didn't love me.”
“Whatever. Keep playing stupid. You were always so good at it.” She turned her back on him. “Find someone else. It won't be me.”
The elevator doors opened and she entered the lift. It was a relief when he didn't join her. The doors closed and she pushed the button, then leaned heavily against the wall. It was for the best that he'd finally been clued in. He'd find someone else to help him. Another woman could be his bed partner, playing the happy couple to catch his ghoul. The idiot who agreed to be Wen’s lover would end up with the broken heart, dealing with smelling like a walking advertisement for “come and get me” to any bloodsucker or Lycan who figured she was a fan of dangerous men—or a threat to be eliminated.
She breathed easier when she left the motel and returned to her car parked two blocks over. One glance behind her assured that he hadn’t followed. In seconds, she was behind the wheel and on her way home.
Wen knew the score. It bothered her pride, but it would be worse to nurse her heartbreak while dodging predators after he returned to Alaska. Her life wasn't the greatest but it beat that. Her dead-end, boring job was welcome. Getting involved in VampLycan politics wasn't.