CHAPTER NINE

 

 

Since the meeting was being held in the barn, I'd expected the place to be packed, but there were only ten people there, two of them Axel and Clarissa.

Axel smiled when I walked in, that same happy-to-see-you smile that simultaneously made me want to leap into his arms and run screaming. I took a seat at a farmhouse-style table four seats away from him and next to Clarissa. It was the only available seat left, it's not like I was purposely avoiding sitting near him.

“Welcome, Julie, this is our pack senate,” Axel said. “We make decisions for the pack and discuss problems. You are not an elected member, but you are the starburst. You may offer input, but you may not vote.” Axel's formal tone stung a bit, but I smiled and waved hello to everyone.

Axel had everyone introduce themselves and tell me their roles in the pack. There was Paulie, the peacemaker who looked like an ad for protein powder, Rodney, the hospitality chair, Lisa, the party planner, Richelle, the treasurer, Lloyd, the business coordinator, Gayle, the recreation director, and Horace, the events coordinator. It seemed more like the staff for a country club. Clearly emphasis was placed on having a good time and getting along. Not that there was anything wrong with that, but who would step in when real problems arose?

I knew better than to ask that question. I kept my mouth shut and listened. At the moment, I was gathering information, coming up with a plan. It wasn't too different from the way I watched fight tapes and studied my opponents, finding their weaknesses and making a plan of attack. It wasn't too different from how Shelly and I had survived on the streets, by studying people, identifying the dangerous ones and the ones who might be willing to help.

I listened to them chat about upcoming events and parties, about how to keep Esther from killing herself diving off waterfalls, about new food options at the diner, and about who was fighting with whom within the pack and what was being done to prevent violence. They even discussed the dates for the next pack runs. I listened to them talk about all that stuff, becoming more and more amazed, until I just couldn't take it anymore. “What about the Aspens Whiten pack?” I asked. “What are we doing about that?” I'd left the spirit stick with Lucinda. I wanted to give it to Axel when we were alone, because I was pretty sure he'd be less than thrilled about me sneaking into Alpha's house to get it.

Axel's frown couldn't be more severe unless he surgically lowered it to his chest. “The council is handling that.”

What? The? Hell? Hadn't he asked me to this meeting specifically to discuss the threat of the Aspens Whiten pack? “Maybe we should have a back-up plan?” I asked, my eyes wide in mock innocence. I was pushing him, but I was pissed. “You know, just in case the council doesn't actually give a shit about us?”

Axel's whole body tensed, but Clarissa nodded slightly.

“That's what I've been saying boss,” Paulie said.

The rest of the group had gone preternaturally still like they were anticipating violence and were preparing to run. It was clear who the more dominant members of the group were.

“We aren't fighting them,” Axel said. “So, there's no discussion.”

“I'm not suggesting we mobilize and attack them in their dens,” I said. “I'm suggesting we have a plan. A defense system in place in the event that they attack us.”

Axel got to his feet. “Everyone out.”

Everyone left as fast as their legs could carry them. Everyone except me, Clarissa, and Paulie. Axel waited until the door had closed behind the others and then he glared at Clarissa and Paulie. “I said everyone.”

Both Clarissa and Paulie paled and grimaced like they were in pain, but they didn't leave their seats. “You need to tell her,” Clarissa said, at the same time Paulie said, “Chick's right, we need to discuss this.”

Axel glared at me, like this was all my fault.

“Fuck you,” I said, thoroughly pissed. “You invited me to this meeting because you said we were going to talk about the Aspens Whiten pack. You can't get pissed at me for bringing it up.”

“He's not pissed at you,” Clarissa said. “He's fucking terrified.”

“Lissa,” Axel said, his voice all rough, angry growl that made me think about sex even though I was furious at him. “Shut the fuck up.”

Clarissa bowed her head and sucked in a deep breath. When she lifted her head, it was like she was fighting something, every muscle straining to open her mouth against that alpha command.

“This about Darius calling this morning?” Paulie asked.

Axel spun his glare to Paulie. “How the fuck do you know about that?”

Paulie shrugged, but his face was tense, his body ready for action, even though he leaned back in his seat like he was at ease. “Raphael was in the gym when you got the call, man. You know he can't keep a secret to save his life.”

Axel rolled his shoulders like he was trying to calm down. I'd never seen him so angry. I'd never seen him angry period. And I didn't like it. I should have been afraid of him. I'd always hated anger in men because it reminded me of my father's anger. But I wasn't afraid of Axel. I knew how gentle he could be. I knew he would never hurt me. Okay, fine, a part of me was scared and wanted to run away, but the bigger part of me, the part of me that knew I wasn't that helpless little girl anymore, knew I had to stay. For the first time in my life, I trusted the man I was sleeping with implicitly.

I got to my feet and walked over to Axel. His glare intensified, but the closer I got to him, the more clearly I could see that Clarissa was right. Axel wasn't angry, he was scared of something. I sat on Axel's lap and I wrapped my arms around his neck.

He froze for just a moment, but then his arms came up around me, one hand at the nape of my neck, and he squeezed me so hard I had to struggle to breathe. I didn't move out of his embrace or ask him to release me, I just took careful breaths and let him hold on. After several long moments, I felt his body relax, felt some of the tension drain out of him.

He moved his hands to my waist, picked me up and put me on the chair next to him. He held my hand, his fingers entwined with mine. He looked over my shoulder at Clarissa, but I didn't turn to look at her, I watched his face. I didn't want to look away from his face. I'd missed him. I'd just plain missed his face in the hours since I'd left his side. I was in way too deep and I knew I should look for a way out, but I didn't want to.

Finally, Axel met my eyes again. “Darius called today. A photographer followed us here. They got pictures of you and me together, of the town.”

“Us shifting,” I asked, my chest tight.

“No. But it won't be long. They're curious about why you're here, about this town, and more reporters will be coming here. It's only a matter of time.”

“What does that mean?”

Axel swallowed hard and dropped his eyes to the ground.

“It means,” Clarissa said. “That Darius wants you to leave our pack. If you move back to LA and lay low, they'll lose interest.”

“And if I don't want to leave?” Because I didn't want to leave. There was nothing for me in LA and…I'd miss Axel.

“Then he's going to give our territory to the Aspens Whiten wolves and force the pack apart.”

I looked at the side of Axel's face. “Can he do that?”

Axel turned to me, agony on every line of his face. “Yeah, he can do that,” he said, his voice rough. There was more than just worry and anger in his expression, there was hurt. Axel had trusted Darius, and Darius had let him down.

“And if I go?” I asked. “Will he make sure you keep your territory?”

“You're not going,” Axel said, his jaw tense.

I tightened my grip on his hand, but I spun to look at Clarissa. She shook her head. “Darius says he'll do what he can to help us keep the territory, but he won't be actively doing anything to ensure we keep it.”

I got it. Darius had the power to split the pack, to kick them out of their territory. If he really wanted to make the Aspens Whiten pack stay away, he'd be able to make them do it. Which didn't make any sense. Surely he wanted to avoid a war, so why wouldn't he just tell the Aspens Whiten pack to back off? Unless…“He never wanted you to keep this territory in the first place, did he?” I asked.

Axel met my gaze. “Darius helped me when I was a young, newly turned wolf. He's always been a good friend to me, to the pack, and I trusted him, but I should have seen it sooner.” He looked over my shoulder at Clarissa, back at Paulie. “I'm sorry I was so blind.”

“The confrontations between the vampires and the Aspens Whiten pack have been ramping up,” Clarissa said. “It's just a matter of time before something happens and they expose us all. Darius knows we'll be more discrete. He can give the Aspens Whiten pack our territory and we can move on somewhere else. Somewhere just as isolated, because that's the way we like it.”

“Why not just order the Aspens Whiten pack to move on, to find their own place?”

“They lack the resources we do,” Axel said. “They don't have pack members who can build houses and start businesses. They're more labor-oriented.”

“So, if I stay, the pack is split up and scattered,” I said. “But if I go, the pack will likely have to move anyway?”

Axel nodded.

“If I stay,” I said. “It'll be worse. I'll go if that's what you want.”

“Fuck no,” Paulie said. “Axel was a miserable fuck with you out of his bed for one night. I don't want to deal with him if you leave for good.”

I looked to Axel, waiting for what he'd say. He tightened his grip on my hand, but I could see it in his eyes. He would always do what was best for the pack over what was best for him. He would always do the right thing. I needed to go and, maybe someday, things would change and we could be together. I pulled my fingers from his and stood. “I'll be gone before the sun sets.”

“No,” Clarissa said, her tone so vehement it made me jump. “Axel, don't be an idiot. Julie is part of the pack now and we love her. I know I can go to the diner and ask ten people if we should fight to keep Julie here and they'll all say yes.”

Her praise warmed me. “If the paps get a shot of us shifting,” I said. “Darius will have Axel killed. It's too much of a risk. I can't stay.”

Clarissa slumped in her seat, unable to argue with my logic.

I looked back at Axel, hoping he'd at least walk me out, kiss me one last time, but he wasn't even looking at me, he was staring at the floor.

I turned and I walked out of the barn alone.

 

***

 

“How'd it go?” Lucinda asked from her seat at the kitchen table. She had her laptop in front of her, her fingers poised over the keys like I'd caught her mid-sentence.

“I have to leave.”

She smirked. “Moving in with Axel?”

My throat closed and my eyes burned with unshed tears. Shit. I needed to get it together. “No. I have to go back to LA. I'm bringing too much attention to the pack.”

Her eyes widened. “Was it Axel's idea for you to leave?”

Damn, she was nosy. “It was Darius's idea. He didn't give Axel much choice.”

A growl rumbled from her chest. “I hate the council.”

“It doesn't matter,” I said. “I have to leave. Can I borrow your car? I'll get it back to you as soon as the paps are off my tail.”

She waved a hand in the air. “Yeah, sure. I hardly ever use it anyway. If you dent it or wreck it, you're going to pay for it.”

“I'd expect no less. I'm sorry I won't be able to train you.”

She stood and wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug. “You're not a very good teacher anyway.”

I pushed out of her arms and stared at her. I'd worked damn hard teaching her and her friends some moves. “Maybe the problem is that you weren't paying attention when I told you to lead with your dominant hand.”

She tilted her head to the side. “No. It's your teaching style. You're all punishment, no reward.”

“I'm not there to make you feel better, I'm trying to teach you how to defend yourself.”

She sat back down and faced her computer screen. “Confidence has a lot to do with how you comport yourself in a threatening situation. You should always build your students up, not tear them down.”

It annoyed me more than a little that she might be right. I considered arguing some more, but she was already typing away at the keys, in her own world. I huffed, went back to my room, and packed my meager belongings.

I rolled my suitcase onto the front porch and carried it down the stairs. Lucinda didn't even say goodbye. After I'd locked my suitcase in the trunk, I headed over to Krista's.

The sounds of laughter and chatting carried from Krista's house to the front walk, but she answered the door right away. “Julie,” she said. “You're just in time.”

“Actually,” I said. “I came to say goodbye.”

“You're leaving?”

“I'm heading back to LA. My presence here is drawing too much attention to the pack.”

Her eyes widened in surprise, but she didn't seem too terribly upset about me leaving. “You can't leave tonight. Stay for my party.”

“Party? Aren't you under house arrest?”

“I'm not leaving my house, and it's a small party. Just a few close friends.”

Tempting, but the longer I stayed, the harder it would be to leave. And I needed to leave, needed to get the hell away and draw the paparazzi with me. “I'll visit in a few months,” I said. “After things settle down.”

Krista waved her hand. “Just stay for an hour then. Come on, I've barely gotten to see you.”

I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and hugged her tight. “Thanks for being my refuge,” I said. “Even if it was just for a little while.”

“Any time, sweetie. Have a safe trip and call me when you get back to the city.”

I released her and stepped back. “Take care of yourself.”

I hurried to Lucinda's car and took off before I changed my mind. Bumping along the muddy lane away from the small town, I told myself the bumps were the cause of my tight chest and the lump in my throat. I barely knew Axel, barely knew the pack, I'd be fine without them.

I leaned to the right to pull my cell phone from my purse, but it was caught on something. I almost let it go, I could call Shelly when I got back to LA, but I needed to hear her voice, needed to feel I was going toward something instead of leaving behind everything that mattered.

Leaning a bit farther over, I glanced at my purse for just a moment to see what my phone was snagging on. It was caught on a hair band, but I couldn't see what the hair band was caught on. I shot a quick glance at the road and then back to my purse, trying to work the phone free as I bounced over potholes and ruts.

It finally came free so fast I almost fell into the driver's side door. I glanced at the road, already pressing buttons on my phone, only the road wasn't clear. There were four wolves blocking my path.

“Axel?” I slammed on the brakes. Funny thing about dirt roads, though, they can be really damn slippery and the brakes weren't slowing me down fast enough to avoid hitting the wolves.

I swerved, the wolves just inches from my front bumper, unmoving. I was close enough to see that I didn't recognize any of them. I was close enough to realize none of them was Axel.

And then my vision was filled with a tree trunk, approaching way too fast. The crash of metal, an instant to wonder why the airbags hadn't inflated, and my world went black.

 

***

 

It was dark, my head was pounding, and my bladder was screaming. Beneath me, was something soft and, I felt around me, wide. I was alone in a bed that smelled stale and dirty.

Something was very wrong. The room didn't smell or sound like a hospital and, unless I'd been blinded in the crash, it was way too dark. With my new vision, I ought to have been able to see if there was any light at all. I shuffled off the sheet and kicked my legs over the side of the bed, but dizziness overwhelmed me as soon as I sat up.

My skin itched with the urge to shift, to let my more powerful wolf out. It was probably my body's way of trying to heal and wolf-Julie's way to protect us. I lay back down, nervous about the dizziness and my inability to see, and slipped my clothes off. I rolled onto all fours, my head swimming, and shifted to wolf.

My wolf, who had been so itchy to get out of my skin, curled up on the bed, content to rest and heal, but I was still present enough to make her get up and sniff around for a way out. My wolf was tired, but healthy, no headache or dizziness troubled her.

It seemed we were in a room with no windows and only one door, a door my wolf couldn't test. I shifted back to human and tried the door only to find it firmly locked.

Now that I'd shifted twice, I felt good, but I was starving. I put my clothes back on and pounded on the door, yelling until my voice was hoarse.

By the time I heard the click of the lock and the creak of the hinges, I was close to giving up on anyone coming to the door.

A small woman stood in the doorway, the light behind her so bright it burned my eyes. “Julie Jacobs,” she said. “Are you feeling better?”

I stared at her for a minute, confused by her gentle tone. “I was in a car accident and you locked me in a dark room with no medical treatment.”

She sighed. “That wasn't me. That was Alpha and his guys. They just treated you the way they would any of the pack who got hurt.”

I might have questioned that treatment of pack members, but I had a feeling it would be a waste of time. “I'm assuming I'm a captive of the Aspens Whiten pack.”

She grinned. “You stole back the spirit stick and we needed to send a bold message to Axel. We figured kidnapping his girlfriend would get his attention.”

“I'm not his girlfriend.”

She shrugged. “Doesn't really matter, as long as he comes running.”

My stomach grumbled with hunger, but I sensed this woman might be a good source of information. “And what will you do if he does come running?”

She smiled. “We'll make sure he understands why he should leave his territory. He's wasted it and it should belong to us.”

“Yeah,” I said. “I can see that. Why should a bunch of pacifist wolves have such a prime piece of real estate?”

“We don't care so much about that,” she said. “We just—”

“Ray-Anne,” a male voice said. “You aren't supposed to be talking to the prisoner.”

Ray-Anne stepped out of the doorway to see who was talking to her and I followed her onto the green lawn behind the brick pack house I'd visited with Lucinda earlier. Standing a short distance away was Alpha, shirt-less again. I considered my options. I could use my alpha voice and probably get away pretty easily. Or I could stay, pretend to be their friend, and find out what was really going on. “Hey there, Alpha,” I said. “It's good to see you again.”

He stalked forward, chest out, big belly bouncing. “Thought you'd be pissed at me for kidnapping you and wrecking your car.”

I shrugged, pretending nonchalance. He knew I was more dominant than him, there was no way he didn't have a plan B. “It's not my car. It's Lucinda's.”

He put a hand behind his back and grinned. “Nice.” He pulled out a gun and aimed it at my face. “I appreciate you being friendly, but you say one word in that alpha voice of yours and I'll put a bullet in your skull.”

My stomach roiled. I'd never had a gun pointed at my head before. Certainly, never had a cowardly, lazy, jackass point a gun at my head. My wolf was roaring to get out and lay him flat. I forced a smile. “I ought to thank you,” I said. “Axel had gotten the idea I belonged to him, and I was having a hard time getting away. I'm in the market for a new pack and I thought yours might do.”

He narrowed his eyes, confusion dominant. “I don't believe you.”

I shrugged. “I guess I'll just have to find a different pack.”

I could see the wheels turning in his brain. I'm sure it would be easier for him to let me go, but I was too good a bargaining chip. He thought he could use me to get that mountain territory.

“I'll handle her.” I heard the voice before I saw him and I smelled him before I heard him. He smelled like blood, cold blood, with a mix of that smell that fills the air right before the first snowflakes fall. He didn't smell like a wolf.

The man stepped around the back of the house and smiled at me. Even from several feet away, I could see his fangs glinting in the sunlight. A vampire. My own blood turned to ice as I realized my mistake. I could control Alpha, he was no threat to me, but a vampire…I should have run when I had the chance.

The man wasn't particularly tall or muscular, but strength and power flowed from him with every decisive step he took. He wasn't attractive, his eyes too close together, his mouth a bit small and pinched, but I had a feeling that every woman, and probably every man, who saw him believed him to be gorgeous, because he exuded confidence and charisma. He smiled, like he knew what I was thinking, like he knew he had me right where he wanted me. He didn't look me up and down like Alpha had, he kept his eyes on my face and yet, somehow, he expressed more sexual interest than Alpha's brazen ogling had.

I could feel myself falling under the man's spell, but I knew it wasn't real, because I'd had real. I'd had Axel. I'd had his warmth and his genuine concern, his blazing lust and his laughter. I didn't fall under the vampire's spell, but I let him think I had. Smiled at him like I didn't understand him as a threat.

“Finally,” I said. “Someone with real power.”

“Fuck you,” Alpha said. He grabbed his crotch. “I'll show you real power.”

I didn't bother to look at Alpha and neither did the vampire. He just kept walking toward me like we were the only two people on that lawn.

My inner wolf and every bit of my good sense was telling me to run. I knew a chief manipulator when I saw one. If I didn't run, I'd never get away from him. But there was nowhere for me to go, I was between armed werewolves and a vampire.

It went against every instinct I had to hold my ground, including those of my wolf, who was growling and pawing to be let free. She wanted to fight and so did I, but I wasn't dumb enough to fight an opponent of whom I knew nothing.

I broke the vampire's gaze for just an instant, looking for an escape, looking for a way out. I wasn't a martyr and I wasn't an idiot. The yard was fenced with a ten-foot tall privacy fence and Alpha still had a gun pointed at me.

“Alpha,” I said in my alpha voice. “Put down the—”

Cold arms wrapped around me and a hand clamped over my mouth. “No, no, no,” the vampire tsked. “I'm going to have to ask you to be quiet.”

Struggling in his grip, I used every move I'd learned in my UFC career, but it was like fighting steel bars, I couldn't get any traction, couldn't break free.

He shoved me back into the dark room and I heard the door close behind us. My heart rate sped until I felt like I was going to choke on it. I'd promised myself I'd never be in this situation again, never be weak and vulnerable, but I couldn't get free, couldn't do anything to stop this.

He shoved me back on the bed and my heart tried to pound its way out of my chest. No, no, no, no. I couldn't let this happen.

“Calm yourself, wolf,” he said. “There's no reason to panic. I'm not going to rape you. I'm just going to have a taste, make sure you're more docile.”

I wasn't interested in becoming a vampire buffet, and I put every bit of superhuman strength I had into fighting him. I twisted and kicked and scraped my teeth against his hand, but he held tight. He did move a bit, like maybe he was getting a better grip. Slamming my right knee up hard, I aimed for his balls, but got him in the thigh.

He roared and loosened his grip enough that I was able to flip him over and pin him to the bed. He struggled against me and I knew I wouldn't be able to hold him long. He was stronger than me and, if vampires in real life were anything like in the movies, I'd be at his mercy if he bit me. Of course, he had walked around outside in daylight, so maybe he couldn't control me. I was sure I didn't want to find out the hard way.

I pressed hard against him and shifted to wolf while he struggled against me. The shift was enough of a distraction, that he got his arms free. He lifted me and tossed me against the wall.

The hit stunned me and he got to his feet and stalked toward me while I lay on the floor, struggling to catch my breath. “You like it rough? I can oblige.” He smiled, a sickly-sweet expression that sent my wolf into a panic. Wolf-Julie and human-Julie were in complete agreement that this vampire was a threat and nothing good could come of letting him bite us. He stalked closer. “I think I may have changed my mind. You and I might be quite compatible in every way. My name is Jeremiah, you're going to be screaming it very soon. I'll be the best you've ever had.”

I'd already had the best and I sure as fuck wasn't going to let him touch me. As he stalked closer, I growled to warn him off, but he was undaunted. He thought he could beat me, even in my wolf form, and I had a feeling he had enough experiences with wolves to back that theory up.

I needed an ace in my pocket, I needed some way to surprise him. To take him off his guard.

Pushing down my panic and my disgust, I pressed my chin and chest to the floor, like I was kneeling in wolf form, like I was begging for mercy.

He laughed. “Oh, my little wolf. I know you aren't the submissive type, so don't try to fool me. I'm going to have far too much fun breaking you.”

I whined, deep in my throat, and backed up until I felt the wall against my hind quarters. He wouldn't believe complete submission, but maybe he'd believe fear. It wasn't hard for me to fake, considering I was terrified. Not that he would hurt me, but that he would control me, that my will would cease to be my own.

He lifted his chin and sniffed the air. “There is nothing quite like that smell. Fear is like the most potent drug, an aphrodisiac with no comparison.” He dropped his gaze back to me. “I've lived an exceedingly long life and my tastes have become more and more difficult to satiate. This pack has been fun, but they are far too easy to manipulate. You. You are exquisite. A fighter.” He stepped back and studied me. “Maybe I'll wait to bite you. Maybe I'll cultivate that fear of yours before I force you into submission.” He stepped forward. “You, Julie Jacobs, are going to be the most fun I've had in a century.” He bent until we were eye-to-eye. “But I'm going to need you to shift back to human. I can force you to do it, but this will all go so much better if you choose to shift. I'll be more willing to be gentle with you, Julie Jacobs.”

Something was happening to me. His eyes were a glassy, marbled gray and I couldn't look away. I could feel myself getting drawn into his gaze, wanting to do what he was asking. He didn't need to bite me, not really, he could exert power over me with his gaze.

I would not allow him to control me. I kept my eyes on his, chanting in my mind that I wouldn't give in, that I wouldn't shift, fighting the compulsion with every bit of strength I had. Despite my fight, I could feel the shift beginning, could feel my fur receding. Jeremiah's smile widened and he leaned back. “That's right, my girl, shift for me. Show me what a strong, beautiful woman you are.”

I wasn't going to get a better moment than that. I lunged, jaws wide, straight for the pulse beating in his neck. I bit down and tore, and the cold, iron-tinged blood filled my mouth. My jaws clamped tight on his neck, and I pulled and yanked until I'd removed his head from his body.

It wasn't until I'd shifted back to human and looked down at the grotesque corpse on the floor that it hit me. I'd just killed a man. A man I knew very little about, a man who hadn't been doing much more than attempting to control me for his own purposes.

I bent over and retched, losing everything I'd eaten over the past twelve hours. I stared at Jeremiah's broken body and the blood coating the floor. I was the monster now. I was a killer. I was also still the captive of a pack of frat-boy werewolves who were working with vampires who could control me with a look and a bite. I needed a plan and I needed one quick. Later, I could freak out and cry, right now, I needed to get out of there alive.

My clothes had been shredded by my shift and I was covered in blood, but it would probably be a pretty good look for my plan.

I straightened my shoulders and opened the door, pretending a confidence I didn't feel.

Jeremiah had been so sure he would subdue me, he'd left the door unlocked. I opened it and walked out into the bright sunshine. Heat beat down on my bare back as I scanned the lawn, looking for vampires or werewolves. No one was there. Damn, they had severely underestimated me.

I marched to the back door of the house, and found it unlocked. There was no one in the mudroom right inside the back door and the kitchen was empty. I heard laughter and music from upstairs, but my stomach grumbled. I needed food, or I wasn't going to last long against anyone.

The kitchen was pretty nice, with granite counter tops and a fancy rack for pots that hung over the center island. No pots hung from it. It was decorated with bras and a dildo someone had painted a face on and hung from the center of the rack.

The counter tops were covered in something brown that would probably be sticky if I dared to touch it. I figured it best to touch as little as possible in that place.

The fridge was filled with beer and dried out, expired condiments. I shut the door and sighed. The freezer was full of frozen dinners, none of which looked remotely appetizing. Unfortunately, I didn't have much choice, I needed to eat.

I ripped open one of the t.v. dinners and stuck it in the microwave.

“Well, well, this is the sort of thing I like to see when I stop by,” a male voice said.

“Is it?” I asked in my sweetest voice, still facing the microwave. “I'm so glad.”

His footsteps pounded closer and I could hear his breath pick up speed. He smelled like werewolf, with a side of body odor. Did he really believe he was about to get lucky?

I waited until I knew he was close and then I spun, giving him the smile and crazy eyes I'd used in the UFC cage. He stumbled back a step. “Holy fuck,” he said. “What happened to you?”

“I ripped off Jeremiah's head, because he tried to force me to do something I didn't want to do.”

“Are you serious?” he asked. “Does Alpha know about this?”

Something crashed upstairs and the punk in front of me, a well-muscled guy in khakis, a polo, and boat shoes, jumped at the sound. I paused, wondering if the folks upstairs had figured out there was a problem. The laughter that followed set me at ease.

“I haven't told him, yet,” I said. “I need to eat. Can you be a doll and order me something?”

He looked around like he was expecting help to walk through the door, but it was just me and him. “Are you joking right now?”

“I need you to pick up your little phone and call in an order for pizza, a lot of pizza. Do it and I'll consider not pulling your intestines out of your body through your nose.”

“Dude,” he said with a shudder. “Way too graphic.”

But he pulled out his phone, dialed a number and ordered three large pizzas with the toppings I listed for him. I was feeling preternaturally calm, which I knew wasn't going to last forever. I should be running out of there and heading back to LA, but I'd just killed a man. I was in this now, and I wanted to know what the hell was going on. Plus, I didn't have clothes or a car, so I was a tiny bit stuck.

Speaking of that. “You should give me your shirt now.” I didn't really want to wear the guy's stench of BO, but it was better than naked. Probably.

“What?” he asked. “No fucking way, I—”

“Give me your shirt,” I said, using the alpha voice.

He glared, but he pulled off the neon green polo and handed it over. I yanked it over my head, holding my breath, and it fell to mid-thigh. I smiled at him. “Thank you, kindly.”

The microwave dinged and I pulled out my dinner. I ripped off the plastic and started pulling out drawers, looking for a fork. There was all kinds of junk in the drawers, but no forks. How did these people survive from one day to the next?

“Where are the forks?” I asked the preppy asshole who was still standing there staring at me like I was a zoo exhibit.

“Huh?” he looked a bit dazed and I wondered if he was high.

“Forks,” I said. “Do you have them?”

A loud banging at the door snapped the preppy wolf's head around. “Go answer the door,” I said. “Tell them to go away.”

He nodded and trotted out of the kitchen. The door flung open, there was a roar and a crash, and I figured shit was about to get real. Why couldn't it have waited until I'd eaten? I ducked behind the center island, so I could get an idea of who was barging into the house, not because I was scared.

“She…She's in here,” the preppy wolf said.

“You better not be fucking with me.”

Axel? Was that Axel's growl? I popped up from behind the counter at the same moment a stampede of footsteps pounded down the stairs.

Axel stood on the other side of the counter, preppy wolf in one hand, Clarissa at his back. His eyes widened when he saw me. He rushed around the counter and grabbed me. “Are you hurt?”

“It's not my blood.”

“Well, well, well,” Alpha said, stepping into the kitchen. “Isn't this cozy?”

He spoke with braggadocio, but his expression was worried and the gun he had pointed at us shook in his hand.

“Put down the gun,” I said in my alpha voice, putting all my fear and anger and shame into it.

Alpha dropped the gun onto the counter like it was hot. Axel looked at me, mouth agape.

He turned and faced Alpha. “Have a seat,” he said. “And start talking. I want to know what the hell is going on here.”

“I don't think that would be a good idea.”

I smelled the cold, blood smell, this time mixed with artificial roses, before two women stepped into the kitchen, both vampires. One had short dark hair, dark skin, and piercings. The other looked like she could be the sorority girl to preppy boy's fraternity guy. Both were powerful. Maybe not as powerful as Jeremiah, but powerful enough to be a problem.

The pierced woman sniffed the air and looked at me, her eyes narrowing, her lips pinching with anger. “Jeremiah? What have you done to him.”

Now, there were a couple of different ways to play this and I was considering which would be the least damaging when preppy boy spoke up. “She told me she ripped his head off.”

I glared at him, Axel swore, and both women screamed in fury. I had all of two seconds to figure out that everything was about to go to hell before everything went to hell.