Chapter Two
The human women were housed in a special wing of the palace dedicated to their needs, although many had already moved in with their new shifter and vampire mates.
Audrey knew that a lot of people thought the whole thing, vampires picking out women as their mates, was sexist. From what she observed, however, there was as much of women picking out their vampires and shifters as it was the another way around. Maybe more so.
She stared at the screen of her laptop. If the king of the freaking vampires hadn't kissed her, she would have been fine. But she had been here less than twenty-four hours, and already she had a king telling her he wanted more than just kissing…
Was he serious, or was he just messing with her? What would she do if he really did want her as his mate?
The reporter shoved thoughts about Dimitri aside. She didn't have room for romance right now, or to let some hot guy distract her. She was on the fast track to becoming the greatest reporter in the world. After her article about the festival was published, she hoped to go live among shifters for a time, to tell their stories from their perspectives, instead of the hyper-sexualized ways they were often portrayed.
Sanjay floated into her mind. Maybe she'd ask him for an introduction to his way of life… But would he expect more, too?
I always get what I want. She shivered as she remembered the raw lust in Dimitri's eyes. Worse was the way she had wanted to succumb to that lust. Audrey pushed herself away from her desk, realizing she had been staring at the blank page for an hour.
And then she remembered Sanjay's glare as the vampire put his hands on her and her desire for the massive shifter as well. Her gut twisted. This was crazy. She was used to getting hit on, but not having this strong of a reaction to men. Certainly not men she just met.
A sudden roar from out in the hall made Audrey jump. She ran to the door and yanked it open. All along the hallway, doors were opening and women peering out. Audrey's jaw dropped when she saw the cause of the commotion. Three vampires were blocking the hallway while another two were attempting to pull Sanjay's hands behind his back. The massive shifter caught sight of her and winked before putting one of the vampires in a headlock.
"Let me pass," he demanded, easily catching the second vampire in a headlock as well. They both yanked at his arms but did as much good as if they were kittens fighting against a bear. "My female is waiting for me."
The three vampires blocking the corridor pulled silver blades from their belts. If they hadn't, and Audrey's heart hadn't leaped to her throat at the thought of this getting even worse than it was, she might actually have felt jealous that Sanjay had found himself another woman–which was ridiculous because she wasn't here for men. And even if she was, Dimitri was ready to go whenever she was, so there really wasn't any reason to be jealous of Sanjay's lady friend.
"Turn back, shifter, before we are forced to hurt you," one of the vampires blocking his way said.
Sanjay's eyes gleamed. "Do you really think you can take me on? I'm sure you've heard of me. I defeated an entire pack of Bears by myself. There's a reason they all know my name and draw back in awe when I walk by."
Full of himself much?
Audrey started forward before she knew what she was going to do. While she thought Sanjay could handle himself against these vampires, she had no desire to be nearby for a full-on battle. If they were left to their own devices, it was certainly going to end with blood.
And she didn't want to see Sanjay get hurt.
"What is going on down here?" she demanded, putting her hands on her hips.
One of the vampires turned to her. He wore an apologetic expression. "Pardon the noise, Miss. This shifter is trying to gain access to the female's quarters uninvited."
"I was invited, you just won't believe me," Sanjay replied. "You're talking to the female that is waiting for my company."
At that, all the vampires jolted, as though they had just been hit by lightning. Even the two that Sanjay had in headlocks stared at her. She could feel heat creeping into her face, but tried not to let her own surprise show. Sanjay was wanting to see her? After the way she had brushed him off the previous night? It was… intriguing.
"That is the king's female," one of the vampires snarled. "Why would a woman who has the favor of our mighty leader invite a filthy animal like you to her quarters?"
"For one thing, he's not a filthy animal," Audrey said, hot anger flaring in her chest. "For another thing, just because your king kissed me, it doesn't mean that he owns me. I can invite as many men as I want back to my quarters. And third, you're a disgusting racist. Let him go."
The vampire looked shocked for a moment. He looked at her and Sanjay, who smirked. Finally, the vampire shrugged. He muttered something in a language that Audrey didn't know, and gestured to his men. They put their knives away. Sanjay dropped the two vampires he was holding and strode past them. In a single motion, he picked Audrey up and slung her over his shoulder.
She yelped, but when the vampires stepped forward she glared at them. She'd have private words with Sanjay about this. "My room is—"
"No need," the shifter turned into her room and shut the door. "I can smell you in here."
Audrey wiggled on his shoulder. "Put me down."
Sanjay placed her on the floor but kept his hands on her hips. He grinned down at her, eyes still gleaming. There was a peculiar scent coming off of him, something spicy and sweet that made Audrey's mouth water. She suddenly thought of the notes strewn over her desk and pushed at the shifter's strong arms.
"Will you let me go already?"
"No." His arm snaked around her waist and pulled her closer. "I think I'd like to hold you for a long, long time. Everywhere. In a bed, in the forest, under the full moon, on the rooftop…"
Audrey's jaw dropped even as heat pulsed through her. "Do you non-humans have any sense of modesty?"
Sanjay rose a brow.
"I know that this whole Harvest Moon thing is about finding a mate, but aren't there dating stuff that you do before going directly to the sex? You don't even know who I am! I certainly don't know who you are."
The shifter's nostrils flared. "And yet I can smell that you want me as much as I want you."
Holy batman. He could smell that?
"I… uh…" She didn't know what to say.
"You have a delicious scent," Sanjay continued. One of his huge hands traced the curve of her hip. "When I smelled you for the first time, I wondered why you weren't already swamped under a dozen men. And then when I finally saw you, my confusion was doubled. You are a most singular woman."
Audrey's throat was dry, but she had enough experience to know that when a man was this smooth around her, he was too smooth, and she couldn't trust a word coming out of his mouth. Not that she didn't want to believe him.
She hit him firmly in the center of his chest with her fist. "Let go of me now."
Sanjay dropped his hands, smirking. "Don't like being out of control?"
She smoothed her hair, aware of her pulse frantically beating in her throat. "I don't like it when men come into my room and start feeling me up without telling me why they're here in the first place."
"I haven't been clear enough? I want you."
"That's not what I mean. I mean you have given me no reason to believe you're not looking for a quickie before you move onto the next woman. And I told you, I'm not looking for just any mate, I'm here for the vampire king."
Sanjay adopted a too-serious expression. "And the vampire king apparently has already claimed you, but you're rejecting that claim by letting me into your quarters."
Audrey rolled her eyes. "So he kissed me. That's not a claim. It's not like he proposed or anything. If he wants me, he'll have to do more than just give me a quick snog."
"So you are open to other men."
This was straying into dangerous territory. She swallowed hard. Maybe she should just fess up and tell him exactly what she was doing here, and that she wasn't looking for a mate at all. But then it would put her work in jeopardy. She opened her mouth to tell him to leave, but her brain had other ideas.
"I guess so."
Triumph flared in Sanjay's eyes. He wrapped his arms around her again, pulling her tight against his body, and kissed her.