Sanibel Sizzle - Vampire Werewolf Menage (18 page)

Her eyes watered, before she droned, “I’m Renee….”

Ciaran
tightened his palms on her legs
, eyes flashing the beast.
  His werewolf
growled, “You
do not
want to say Renee Shirley to me
once more
!
”
  The beast inhaled
her heat, her
feminine aroma
, owning it.  Ragged breaths left his body, breaking Ciaran’s
own
rules.  “You do
n’t fear me as you should,” he cautioned
, shaking
off
mid-trans
the best he could. 
“I
n the beginning, i
t took me a couple of days to figure out why.  You were scared,” he laughed without humor, “
yes
, you were
truly
scared.  But I wasn’
t your
real
Alpha,
the one you answer to: 
Jayce Jordan -
the murderer.”

“
The male
who
sacrificed much of his youth
to
raise me,” she spat before thinking it through.

Now, he was getting somewhere.
“
Jordan is barely out of nappies
, though
he has a good ten years on you.  Certainly,
he’s resided as
Alpha
for
at least half your life.”
His thumbs
inch
ed up, stroking the softest inner thighs
he’
d ever touched
. 
“
Indeed,
Alphas direct all parentless younglings
to
be reared by pack members
of the nearest
kin
,
but Alphas
never actually participate
.
” 
Who are you?
  “
Jordan
has no siblings,” he deduced. “Still, you’re
very
close
to him
.
  Close
enough that no one speaks of your disappearance
within your pack, yet all males hold an attack stance of those
exe
cuting battles, breaching
my property and
breaking
the
written and timeless
laws of pack.
  How
close
would you be
to an Alpha that would risk many
,
as well as
his
position as the leader of the
North American tribe, to retrieve one solitary female?”

“He cares for every single member of his pack.  He’s someone
who’s better than you,” she wanted to kill him with words. 
In that moment, she nearly had.

Running a finger und
er the hem of her skirt
, he lingered and pressed
his forehead to hers.  “I said I wouldn’t kill your mate, and I won’
t. 
Even so,
I can make
Blade
hurt.”

She sma
cked the back of her head on her
chair
.

“That’s right, I have his name.
  For the last time,” he demanded
, roaming under her skirt and squeezing her lush hips with his hands, “who are you?”

Swallowing hard, she lifted her shoulders proudly when she answered, “Rebecca Walker.”

“Your brother
,” he whispered, staggering
.

“Killed Jody to save his mate,
it was his right.”

Ciaran’s eyes widened at the revelation,
and then
he yelled for his Beta,
“Afanas!”

Afanas misted forward, surveying the room. 
“Alpha?”

“Bren Walker’s sister sits in my chair,” he
thundered
, pointing to a swea
ting fe
male suffering in
the throes of
heat. “Meet
sweet Rebecca.”

“We’re well acquainted,
especially after rights to mate,
” Afanas half-joked, then cleared his throat
ruefully
after
Rebecca’s
face fell
. 
“I
apologize; Rebecca is it?
”

“Yep
.”

“T
he
males are circling.” Afanas nearly swallowed his own tongue. “They all scented
a full blood in heat
nearby
.”

“That she is.”  Ciaran r
olled his shoulders fighting his own
beast.

“You’re circling her
yourself
,” Afanas said
,
struggling
with his
Beta.
 

The heat would come and go until the cycle peaked, and Rebecca seemed as close to a peak as Ciaran had ever seen.
“
Circling? 
I’m most certainly not.
I’ve alread
y placed her as my mistress and everyone is quite aware of that little fact
.”  Ciaran looked indignant.  “I’ve no
compulsion
to
circle
.” 
I won’t charge the Beta
.
I
.  Will. Not.
Charge.
The.
Beta.
  His hands
clutched
his
thighs,
as
he bent forward.
Searching
for pe
ace to silence the beast, why?  Because his Alpha knew his Beta tasted the
female,
and the
damned werewolf
wanted Afanas to die.
 

“I think you want to kill me for
nearing her while she’s in need
.” Afanas looked as stunned as Ciaran
felt
.

“I wish you
both would shut up and bring
me Blade!” Rebecca yelled.  She was dripping
on the chair seat, literally.  Her arousal flowed heavily,
drenching
her thighs
,
and
in return
,
inviting
the monster
. 
I will drink you.
 
A growl left Ciaran
’s chest, a deadly promise
.

“Bloody hell!
”
  Afanas backed up.  “You called me, remember?”

“I do.  I just don’t know…
.
” Ciaran was never a
t a
loss for words.

“Something’s strange about this.”

Ciaran could barely roll his eyes.  “What is not strange around here?”

“Rebecca, what’s your
lineage?”
His
Beta spoke to the
sweltering lass.

“Walker…I can’t think
right now.” Her neck lolled
on her shoulder.

“Okay, okay I’ll think
for you
,” Afanas
reasoned, taking another step back
.  “Paternal is Walker and maternal is what?”

“Milligan,” she murmured.

“And next?”

“Callahan.
  Please, untie me.”

No longer wa
tching Rebecca, Afanas faced
Ciaran.  “
Rebecca, do
you
recall the name of a distant
grandmoth
er perhaps
it was
Helene….”

“Helene Callahan,” she finished sadly,
“My
ancestral grandmother died under your fathe
r’s protection
, Ciaran.
  She’d
transferred to the
Scotland
pack
and was murdered days later
.
”  Emerald eyes blinked slowly, as lids became heavy.
“
Blade found the headsto
ne
when h
e arrived here
, told me
so
himself
….
”

“Rebecca?”

“
Rebecca!
”

“Fuc
king hell,” low rumbles slid up
his throat,
as
Afanas confronted Ciaran.  “We have to get her upstairs, before someone sees what you’ve done
.”

10

“
W
hat
I’ve
done?”

“You didn’t use one of your spells?” Afanas misted to Rebecca. 

“NO!” Ciaran shouted.

“She’s going up in flames, Alpha.  The heat must’ve triggered high fever.” Afanas started removing her boots.

“You want me to kill you?”  Ciaran panted, “Is that it?  Life’s too hard and you want an easy out?” Fists secured at his sides, he stared pointedly at the Beta’s hands and gave him a final warning growl.

A quick yank removed the second boot and Afanas misted to the table.  Immediately soaking linen napkins with ice water, his was the voice of reason, “You should douse the fireplace, sire.”  The flames were extinguished before his sentence finished.  “I’m staying away from her, but know this.”

Ciaran put his body between Rebecca and Afanas.  Only then did he calm. “Go on.”

“You’re in denial.  Any fool could see what she is to you.  Even I can feel it!  She’s yours.”

“It’s the lineage, Afanas, the pull … the blood ties.”

“Let’s wade a bit longer in your bullshit, shall we?
” Afanas stopped short of rolling his eyes and handed him the wetted linens.  “Bathe her skin, she’ll cool.” 

Ciaran worked quickly, wiping her sweat-soaked face, arms and legs.
I’ve never bathed a
female.
A fraction of guilt kept Ciaran from striking the Beta for his insolence.
“I’ve treated her badly, no?  Such disrespect to Helene’s clan, though I was unaware.  Still, I could never
bring myself to
kill her.  Not once could I lift my hand to her in true spite or anger.” 
Take her to my bed? I
seem to
have no problem with that.

Afanas spoke softly, “You have to take her or give her to her mate.  She’ll have seizures if you don’t.  Years ago, they befell one of my sisters.” His eyes were haunted.  “I was a pup, then.   My father and uncles kept the males away from her heat.  I heard her screams through the night followed by my mother’s pleas.  Josie almost died.  And to this day, never found her mate.  She’s in misery, the same as you.”

“We’ll, if there’s anything I’ve
learned over the centuries,” Ciaran
sneered, “it’s how to bed a lass.  Be gone.” In the next bre
ath, Afanas misted away
.  The ropes dissolved under Ciaran’s mental order, and he reached large hands around her.  Gripping Rebecca’s waist, he brought her to the dining table.  “Finally, we’re alone.” His tone reasonable, his body strummed with tensio
n. In its own zone, the beast was crouched
low, predatory still.  Waiting out his time to pounce, Ciaran would have his hands full if the werewolf happened.  Shaking off that chilling thought, he carefully placed Rebecca on the table and pulled up a chair.  “Dinner is served.”