Authors: Brittany White
I couldn’t help but laugh a little. “Thanks.”
A few weeks passed and I didn’t hadn’t gotten any word from the outside. Jack would come by to check on Isabell and inform me that he hadn’t dug anything up then go back home for what I presume was more scheming. There wasn’t a day that went by that Isabell or me weren’t pawing at each other—sometimes right after Jack had left.
“I just feel so naughty!”
she told me on more than one occasion.
On that occasion, of course, I’d reply with, “
I know you do, but sometimes naughty feels just so damned good.
Because of all of our spontaneous outbursts, we ended up talking more than ever before. I started to learn more about how the internet worked, so I allowed her to go online again, which was much to her pleasure. It’d be impossible to name all of the times I’d come home only to see her giving a guy a show in the living room. By that point, of course, I’d join her if only to show the guy she was talking to who was
really
in control of things around here.
The first time I had alone in the longest time was when Jack came by to go with Isabell to do something with their mother. I didn’t look into it any further because I didn’t need Jack getting any more suspicious than he already was. Isabell asked if I wanted to go with them, but I figured it was something for the family to enjoy, so I declined. Jack didn’t seem too broken up about it, but I could tell Isabell really wanted me to go along.
A minute after she left with Jack, I remembered that I hadn’t checked the mail on that day. Living in an apartment, I had to go into the main office to get my mail. On the walk there, I couldn’t shake the creeping feeling that I was being watched, but shrugged it off. My wolf always felt things around me, but they weren’t always dangerous. A few years of getting caught chasing shopping carts disproved that my senses were always right.
I stepped into the main office, waved to the attendant, and pulled the mail key out of my pocket. After fiddling with the lock, I opened my box up and started to sift through the envelopes. One in particular caught my eye. Upon closer inspection, the envelope’s color was mint green and was formatted like a bill. Normally, I’d see the corporation’s name written somewhere on the front, but there didn’t seem to be one on this one—anywhere.
My curiosity offsetting my caution, I opened the letter with a claw. “What’s this…?” I asked myself as I scanned the document. The entire thing looked as though it’d been typed up on a typewriter, and the only thing that resembled a handwritten font was the signature at the bottom. I raised an eyebrow at several of the lines, but the most disturbing part of the letter was the disclosure that they knew about Isabella.
Holy shit.
My mind raced.
How could they know? Jesus Christ. How the fuck?
I acted on impulse and slammed my mailbox’s door shut. I nearly tore the lock off since I had to fiddle with my key a little to get it out.
Shit. Shit!
I stuffed the envelopes into my pockets, feeling my wolf growling and starling inside of me. I didn’t know whether or not to tell Jack, but what I did know was that Isabell was in danger. The one job I had was to protect her and if I could do that, then, I knew I’d be able to have another shot at happiness with her.
I whisked myself away back into the apartment. As soon as I was inside, I slammed the door shut behind me and threw the envelopes down onto the kitchen table. With a sigh, I put the normal bills together in a pile to the right, but pulled he distinct, mint envelope closer to me. As if I feared the paper itself was poisonous, I pulled it out and looked it over gingerly. It was obvious to me that the person who sent me the letter, regardless of the fact I didn’t know them, knew me
very
well.
Line after line they presented me with various facts. Where I lived, who I lived with, even when and where I ate every day. It was strange to me, at first, to think that someone would go to such lengths to learn about me solely to get at Isabell. I threw my hand behind my head, scratching my scalp as I searched for answers. “There’s got to be something that I’m missing here…” I said to myself as I looked through the lines again.
I started at the signature for what felt like hours, but nothing came to mind. I thought back to everyone I’d been in the army with or people I just happened to know.
Would it be him? Nah, too pretty to be his…
Left with little choices, I knew I could call Jack, but that could make things worse for the both of us. I decided to grab my phone, but instead of dialing his number, I dialed another friend’s. It rang a few times, but once I got the answering machine, I cleared my throat. “Hey, Mike? I need a favor…”
“So… It was you, huh?” I asked the house standing before me.
The tiny home was almost entirely in shambles, but light pink outlined every wooden panel and inch of it. I sneered at the color.
Someone who wants to threaten two veterans lives in a place like this? I bet this is his mom’s house and he lives in the basement.
I took one step onto the creaky old wood, making it cry out.
Damn, this thing could break any second,
I thought as I made my way up the steps and to the door.
I knocked twice and waited for a while. Using my enhanced hearing, I put my ear to the door to listen for footsteps on the other side. There didn’t seem to be anyone approaching, so I knocked again, but just once this time. My knocks made someone on the other side get up, as I heard through the thin, wooden door. “Hello…?” I asked as the person approaching stopped just short of reaching the door.
Slowly, the door started to open, revealing the dim light in side. I tried to see more of what was behind the person answering, but I couldn’t see past her impressive bosom blocking the way. It was apparent, at that point, that my eyes were wholly focused on her chest, so I cleared my throat to excuse myself. My gesture seemed to amuse the large, woman with snowy complexion enough to make her giggle. “Looks like someone hasn’t changed a bit…”
I tilted my head to the side asking, “Excuse me?” Oddly, she grinned a little, but didn’t respond. “Do we know each other…?” The woman nodded once. “From where…?”
She sighed heavily, her posture dipping for a moment. “You don’t remember? Well, then again, I suppose it was a pretty long time, but…” The woman pinned up her long, flowing hair with her fist for a moment, giving me enough time to fixate on her face.
Wait… No, it can’t be!
“R-Rose…?” The woman nodded a few times.
“Yeah, it’s me. Surprised?”
I took a step back, swallowing dry air. Words couldn’t form in my mouth anymore—she shocked me to the core. “Y-you’re…”
“Alive?” she asked with a toothy grin. “Don’t worry, I was surprised to be alive as well. You see, after your little raid everyone died except me.”
“What…?” I tried to make sense of the situation in my head, but everything kept coming up blank. “I mean we…so…you know. They couldn’t get you where we were.”
Rose nodded slowly. “That’s right. And when I say ‘everyone’ I mean
everyone
. Even my brother. Trevor.”
I sighed deeply, remembering the night a little more clearly. I could see Rose in the moonlight, lost in bliss as my brothers slaughtered the unlucky bloodsuckers at the base. A part of me always held fondness for Rose despite her alliance, but the conflicting feelings made my fist curl up into a tightly wound ball.
“I… I’m sorry, Rose…” I looked away from her, feeling unworthy to look into her blue eyes.
“You don’t have to be. You’re not the one who drove a stake through his heart.” Rose crossed her arms, leaning on the doorframe.
“Drove a… Wait… Jack never did that.” Thinking back to the vampire hunts, Jack was the one who led the attack, but he never got his hands dirty. The one most notorious on our team for killing the vampires was…
Jesse.
“What are you talking about?”
My mind racing and heart pounding I hastily asked, “Rose, who did you ask killed your brother?”
“I…I can’t really remember what
his
name was…” She looked off to the side, lost in thought as she tried to remember.
I took a deep breath and then asked, “Was his name Jesse, by chance?”
“Yes!” she exclaimed excitedly as she jumped in the air. “That was his name! Jesse. Why do you ask?”
“I… I don’t know how to tell you this Rose, but Jack wasn’t the one to kill your brother…”
“What are you talking about, Ross?” she asked with a confused look on her face.
“Jack never actually killed any of the vampires. The guy you probably want is Jesse. He’s the one who went crazy with the stakes…not Jack.”
The two of us were silent for a little while. Rose was lost in thought and I didn’t know what to say to help. “So,” I started to say, “Are you going to be all right…?”
Rose nodded a few times before saying, “Thank you, Ross.”
Before I could say anything else, she started closing the door. Just as it shut I managed to squeeze in, “I hope everything turns out all right.”
Rose paused for a moment to add, “You know, we could always go for coffee or something if you’d like…”
I shrugged, but smiled. Seeing Rose in the doorway helped me remember why I was here in the first place. The woman that’d been enchanting my life ever since she walked through the door. As much as I liked Rose, there was no denying that I’d moved on. “Nah, I’m all right. But thanks for the offer anyway. Take care, Rose.”
“You too,” she said as the door finally shut, locking as I went down the steps.
I let out a sigh of relief once my apartment came into view. A car in the lot beside it was a familiar face: Isabell.
Damn, you’ve got great timing, huh?
I wondered as she stepped out of the car. I couldn’t help rushing over to her and wrapping my arms around her. Jack growled at me, but I smiled widely at him.
He took a few steps out of the car and walked over to me only for me to hug him as well. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” he growled.
I smiled and said, “Things are fixed now.”
“What?”
“I found out who was sending the threats and, long story short, they’re not going to be an issue anymore.”
“Wow, really?” asked Isabell excitedly.
“Yeah. You can go home!”
Jack smiled, but it faded as Isabell turned to me and said, “Actually, I wouldn’t mind staying with you…”
“Really?”
Isabell glanced over at Jack, and then pressed her lips to mine, making him claw at his clothes while I closed my eyes to deepen the kiss.
--
Chapter 1
“Kayla, I know that this is scary and I wish that I could be here with you, but that’s not possible. Your father and I still have the farm to run and we need to find a strong capable man to carry some of the weight. This is your path and you always wanted to be a lawyer. Treat this as an adventure. To be honest, I’m a little envious that you have the courage to take that walk out of your comfort zone.” Meredith looked at her daughter and felt a pain of loss and knowing that she would not see her for several months. They had driven across a few states from their hometown of Iowa. It was a culture shock to see how the other half lived.
“Mother, you have always taught me to stand up on my own and that’s not going to change just because I’m away from home. You’ve given me morals and values and I take those things very seriously. I am nervous, but that’s not going to stop me. I’ve always been interested in the law. Getting this scholarship to the best school was unheard of. You and father did your best and now you need to let me fly from the nest.” “
I didn’t want to tell her that I was scared out of my mind. If I had showed any kind of weakness, they would’ve seen that as an excuse to grab me and take me back to a stagnant lifestyle that would have me marrying some local boy and having kids. This was where I was supposed to be.”
“Your mother is just worried about you. The world is very different out here than it is at home. If for any reason you feel that you can’t do this, then just give us a call and we’ll come running. I do want to tell you that I’m very proud of you. Maybe I don’t say that enough, but it does my heart good to know that I did something right.” Henry ran his hand through his thinning gray hair, touching his goatee in a nervous manner and looking at his daughter and seeing the little girl that had grown up. “I know that there are going to be boys. You don’t have to give me that look and I know that mother has already given you the talk. This higher place of learning is meant for studies and nothing more. Keep that in mind, when you catch the eye of some pretty boy that has only one thing on his mind.”
Kayla gave them both a hug and then watched, as they drove away in the black pickup that they never did have the courage to let go. The black smoke coming out of it was a good indication that it was on its last legs. Taking a deep breath, she turned and looked at the campus and then down at her own attire to realize that she really didn’t fit in. Her dress was homespun by her mother and had the look of some naïve kid that didn’t know what the hell she was doing.
Kayla was an only child and that made her mother and father very protective from the moment that she was born. It didn’t help that she had a heart condition. It was making it difficult for them to let go. The medication was keeping her stress levels down, so she was able to live a relatively normal life. She had learned the art of meditation, even though her father thought it was all a bunch of nonsense. It helped her to center her mind and her body and become one with nature and everything around her. She worked tirelessly to master several different breathing techniques and had even branched into yoga. She was an avid student and she loved learning more than she had ever thought that she could. Every time that she was in school, she would excel and she was hoping that coming here would give her a purpose. This was her path and she needed to make the most out of this opportunity.
“You look a little lost. Actually, you look like a deer caught in the headlights.” Tammy was a good southern Baptist kind of girl and she saw a young lady in distress. “You don’t have to be scared. You’ve done the hard part by coming here. You just have to jump in feet first. I’ve been here for a year and I think that I have a pretty good idea of how things are run around here. If you stick with me, I’ll show you the ropes.” Tammy looked at the girl and she was the perfect contrast to herself. Where she was blond and blue eyed, this girl was dark haired and brown eyed. There was something refreshing about the way that she looked around with the wonder of a child.
“I think that I would like to get settled in to my dorm.” She passed over the directions and saw the look of recognition in Tammy’s eyes. “I could really use a friend. I hate to be presumptuous, but you seem to be open to the idea of taking me underneath your wing. If that’s too much of an imposition, I’ll understand. It’s not like I can’t take care of myself.” Kayla was a diminutive 5’5, where Tammy was almost 6 feet and had this Amazonian quality to her. They couldn’t have been more different and where Tammy had breasts that defied gravity, Kayla had a couple of nice apples. She’d never had any complaints. The first time that she lost her virginity was an eye opening experience.
“I’ve been exactly where you’re at and I’m happy to give you the lowdown. Stick with me and I should be able to help you navigate the waters around here.” Tammy saw a determination in Kayla’s eyes. They made their introductions, as they walked across campus and stopped every so often, so that Tammy could tell Kayla who certain individuals were.
“This is all a lot to take in and it’s been a long day. You’ve given me a lot to think about and I’m glad that you were around to give me a helping hand.” “
She was being, so kind, but I was leery that she had an ulterior motive. I had heard horror stories and I was hoping that I wasn’t going to get caught in that kind of trap. I was watching for anything that would signify that she was not on the level. I had to admit that there were a lot of men on campus that seemed to know how to take care of themselves.”
Kayla looked around and knew that she was not in Kansas anymore. She was actually from Iowa, but the feeling of being Dorothy in another world seemed fitting.
“I do hope that you have no interest in being initiated into any of these houses. They are, so pretentious and they will say one thing and do another thing behind your back. I’m not trying to tell you what to do. I’m just trying to give you a basic understanding of how people are usually not to be trusted. I’m sure that you are questioning my motives, but I can assure you that they are nothing, but pure.” Tammy had on a pair of tight blue jeans and it wasn’t lost on her that there were many guys ogling her, as she walked by. She’d only had sex three times and the last one had turned out to be the man of her dreams. Anthony was a good man and it took a lot of time to fully trust him with her heart.
“This is all very fascinating. I do feel like I have stepped through the looking glass.” Kayla was following Tammy, when she turned and cocked an eyebrow at a blond Adonis that had a smile that lit up like the 4
th
of July. He was wearing a blue tee shirt that hugged his muscular frame and a pair of shorts that really didn’t hide what he was carrying with pride. His package had a mind of its own, but she did notice that he wasn’t even paying attention to her. It was the cheerleaders that caught his eye and made him look like he was ready to rut like an animal.
Francis stood and admired the many young girls that had come on the campus, as of late. He had been here for two years and his grades had reflected that he was on his way to the fast track. He was undressing these girls with his eyes and then he turned and caught sight of a woman that didn’t seem to belong. She had her hair tied up into a ponytail and was wearing glasses. The way that she held herself told him that she was not exactly accustomed to these surroundings.