Alpha's Desire Read online

  Her laugh is full of surprise and it does something crazy to my body. A flush of warmth floods my limbs.

  The club is closed, but I knock at the back door and it opens after a few moments. Fox—ever youthful, never changing—stands there. He’s got spiky blond hair and a faint British accent, even though he’s lived in the U.S. for over a hundred years.

  He extends a cool palm and I shake it, even though my skin crawls. “Jared.”

  “Fox.” I clear my throat. “This is my… friend Angelina.” Dammit, if I don’t want to say she’s my girl, not my friend. Friend sounds all wrong in a way that makes me want to punch a wall or throw a table.

  “Hi.” Angelina’s still picking up the weird vibe, I’m sure, because her look is attentive. Not quite wary—that would kill me—but watchful. She’s trying to figure out what’s off here.

  Fox extends his hand to take Angelina’s and when she meets his gaze, her focus goes soft, her expression blank.

  Son of a bitch.

  Seeing her under his power makes me want to hurl.

  “What am I erasing?” he murmurs, not looking away from her.

  White hot anger burns through me. Toward Fox. Toward Garrett, for making me do this. I can scarcely make myself speak, but I manage to snap, “She saw me regenerate.”

  But then my hand snaps out of its own accord and I cover her eyes.

  The moment I do, she starts to struggle—probably frightened. “Hey! What’s going on?”

  “Nothing. Go wait outside.” I release her and put my body between her and Fox.

  “What the fuck?” he grits.

  I can’t find words because I don’t know what the hell I’m doing.

  I blink and Fox is gone. Fucking vampires! I whirl around just as Angelina screams. Actually, she starts to, but it dies on her lips as Fox takes her under his power again.

  “No.” My fist swings and connects with the side of Fox’s neck, sending him flying against the wall. If he were mortal, it would’ve snapped his neck. But he’s not.

  Angelina screams for real this time and it echoes off the walls of the club.

  Fox traces so fast I can’t see him before he punches me right in the mouth. With vampire strength. I end up on my ass on the floor, Fox standing over me.

  I don’t make eye contact. Vampire tricks shouldn’t work on shifters, but you never know. I’m not taking any chances. I surge up and lunge for his waist, but he’s already traced to the door—the one Angelina opened. He slams it shut on her and she shrieks again.

  The terror in her voice makes me see red. I pick up one of the round tables that line the wall and swing it at Fox. He traces away.

  “What the fuck is wrong with you?” His voice comes from behind me. He’s leaning up against the wall with his arms folded over his chest like he’s been there for long time. Fucking tricksy leech. “If she didn’t need to be wiped before, she sure as hell does now.” He traces again when I hurl the table. It smacks the wall and makes a hole in the plaster.

  “You fucking look at her again, and I’ll run a stake right through your heart, vampire,” I growl.

  “Vampire,” Angelina whispers on a gasp and shoves the back door open. “Vampires don’t exist.” She’s running before her feet hit the pavement.

  Smart girl.

  I whirl around, certain Fox will be gone, tracing after her, but he’s in the same spot.

  “She saw me. She knows.”

  “I know,” I choke. I don’t want to start a vampire-shifter war here. Fox was doing me the favor and I just fucked with him, big time, not to mention the damage to the club. I must look as pole-axed as I feel, because Fox’s ancient blue eyes hold compassion.

  “You have twenty-four hours to figure your shit out. You know the laws. No loose ends.”

  I don’t stay to argue. Angelina’s out there, terrified. I take off after her. “Angelina.”

  She doesn’t stop. I catch up right before she makes it to her car and I catch her around the waist. “Wait, baby.”

  She slams her heel back into my shin, then stomps down on the top of my foot, cracking the bones. At some point, my little dancer had self-defense training. For some reason, it makes me grin like a maniac to have her attack me.

  But I remove my hands from her and hold them up. “Easy, easy. Take it easy, Angelina. I’m sorry.”

  She goes still, but remains facing the car.

  “I know you’re scared. I know you’re confused. I fucked up. Big time. But I’m not going to hurt you. I promise. And I won’t let anyone else hurt you, either.”

  When she finally turns, tears shimmer in her eyes.

  It tears my chest wide open.

  Then, without warning, she dives for the door of her car.

  I’m the biggest asshole in the world, because I slam my hand down on it to hold it closed. “Don’t run. Please don’t run from me. The only way I can make this work is if we trust each other.”

  I don’t even know what I’m saying, but I guess on some level, it’s true. If Angelina bolts out of here, I will have no choice but to send Fox after her immediately.

  And if she doesn’t?

  That part I don’t know. I still should bring her in to Fox. My alpha gave me an order. Fox gave me a deadline. But I’ll be damned if I can do it.

  Angelina

  Vampires don’t exist. Vampires don’t exist. Vampires don’t exist. Oh my God, do vampires exist?

  I’m shaking all over.

  If she didn’t need to be wiped before, she sure as hell does now.

  I’m not sure what just happened in there, but I think Jared brought me here to have my memory wiped. Or my brain wiped. And then he changed his mind. Either way, I’m not sticking around to find out.

  There’s a vampire in there who would probably be perfectly happy to suck me dry, and now I don’t trust Jared.

  That’s the part that hurts. And I don’t want to stand here and let him see how badly, either. When he slams his big paw across my car door, I duck under his arm and try to run for it.

  Stupid move. He catches me before I’ve taken two steps. He hooks an arm around my waist and lifts my feet from the ground. I thrash and kick, trying to get my heels high enough to nail him where it will count.

  “Angelina. Angelina. Oof.”

  Yep, I kneed him in the nuts.

  He reacts, but isn’t as disabled as I’d hoped. I go for his eyes, like they taught us in self-defense. My fingernail scrapes the skin of his cheek, but he catches both my wrists and pulls them behind my back. “Okay, okay.” And then it’s like he’s trying not to laugh, which sends my temper through the roof. “Baby, please stop fighting.” I definitely hear laughter in his voice.

  “It’s not funny,” I snarl, kicking with my heels against his shins again.

  He jumps back, still holding me by my pinned wrists. “I know it’s not. I know.” We continue to wrestle—me kicking, him dodging. “You’re just so damn adorable and it turns me on when you fight. I’m sorry—I’m sorry. Please, Angelina.” He picks me up and sits me on the hood of my car, crowding up between my legs. He still has my wrists pinned, but instead of wrestling, he’s going for an embrace. At least, I think he is. He drops his face down into my hair and breathes deeply.

  And stays there.

  I’m frozen. I don’t know what the hell to do.

  He nuzzles my neck, the scruff of his five o’clock shadow brushing my cheek. Our breaths mingle in short pants. I swear I can hear both our hearts hammering as one.

  He eases his hold on my wrists and slowly pulls away, like he’s testing to see if I’ll run again.

  I draw my hand back and slap his face, as hard as I can.

  He doesn’t look surprised. It’s as if he saw it coming and decided to let it fall.

  My eyes water and I slap him a second time.

  Again, he lets me.

  And he has the grace to look sorry now, instead of laughing.

  The tears track down my face. “Tell me what
happened in there,” I demand, swiping at them with the back of one hand. “You brought me to a v-vampire? Why?”

  “Fox has superpowers too. He can wipe someone’s memory.”

  “But why…” Things are so surreal, my mind is whirring. I can practically hear things clicking into place. “The accident. Your superpowers. You don’t want me to remember. You brought me to a vampire to erase my memory.”

  He closes his eyes and leans his forehead against mine. “Yeah.”

  “What are you, Jared?” My voice cracks. “Not a vampire.”

  If I’m perfectly honest with myself, I’d realize I’m terrified to hear his answer.

  His large hand cups the back of my neck. Not threatening—soothing. His thumb rubs tiny circles on my skin. “Shifter—werewolf.”

  “Werewolf? That’s… that’s impossible.”

  He blinks and his eyes light with an inner fire. Like, seriously, they’re glowing.

  “No,” I half gasp, half moan. “I’m losing my mind.”

  “No, you’re not. You’re perfect. I’m the freak.”

  My mind feels sluggish. “So your superpowers…”

  “Speed. Strength. Super healing. And sometimes… I get hairy.”

  “Hairy?”

  “I turn into a wolf.”

  “Oh my God.” We’re standing here discussing the impossible—vampires and werewolves—but it all makes sense. I should want to run screaming but, his honesty calms me down.

  “But you can’t know any of this, Angelina.” I hear frustration in his voice. The memory of him hurling a table at the vampire flashes back. The level of violence in there sickened me. But despite the fact that he was the one who brought me there, he’d also been my protector.

  I’m still trembling, and it only gets worse with his admission. “Please… just let me go.” I mean it when I say it, but the thought of him releasing me, of me getting in my car and driving away, actually frightens me more. I don’t want to be alone right now. Even though he’s the one who scared me, there’s a solidity to having him here. A certain comfort. And I definitely deserve more explanation.

  “I… can’t do that, Angelina.” His voice is heavy.

  “Then what are you going to do with me?” It’s barely more than a whisper.

  “I don’t know.” He scoops his forearm under my ass and lifts me so I straddle his waist.

  My arms automatically loop around his neck for balance. Even though I want to reject him—reject this, it feels sort of nice. “Take me home.” I do my best to keep the wobble out of my voice. To sound demanding, rather than needy. Because despite the trembling, my body has come alive against his, heat building everywhere we’re in contact.

  “Yeah, baby. I’ll take you home.” He walks around to the driver’s side, but instead of opening the door, he traps my body against the car, his hard cock nesting right between my legs, his lips melding to mine.

  I should push him away—punish him for what he’s done to me, but my lips have their own idea. I kiss him back, then assert myself by nipping one of his lips.

  He laughs against my mouth and goes right back to kissing me.

  Damn. Despite my resistance, every twist of his lips, every nudge of his hips fuels me. Power ebbs back into my limbs, builds with the heat in my core.

  His hands turn rough, fingers kneading my thighs, squeezing the parts of my ass that are accessible. His tongue sweeps inside my mouth and he consumes me, licking, sucking, nipping, kissing. When he breaks the kiss, I’m panting.

  I slap him a third time.

  There’s no downside to it, really. It satisfies me and only amuses him.

  He smiles and captures my hand, bringing it to his lips. “I’ll take you home, baby, on one condition.”

  “What’s that?” I shove my hair out of my eyes, trying to stop the world from spinning.

  “You invite me in.”

  I don’t know why that makes my nose burn again. His recent betrayal still cuts me, I guess.

  “Hey.” I don’t know how he sees my emotions so clearly, but he does. “I’m not making any presumptions here. I’m not asking to come to your bed. I lost your trust and I’m going to have to earn it back. I know that. I just think we need to talk. I owe you an explanation at least.”

  I blink rapidly and bob my head, not trusting my voice for speech.

  Regret washes over Jared’s face and he kisses my forehead, then eases me to my feet and settles me in the passenger seat of the car.

  When he gets in, he scrubs his face with his hand before starting up my car. I fold my arms across my chest and stare straight ahead. Neither of us speaks for the short ride home.

  At my place, he opens the door with my keys and lets us both in.

  Why did he want to come in? For a moment, a hundred frightening scenarios run through my head and I take a few steps back.

  He holds up his hands, palms out. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

  “Why are you here, then?” Something about his request doesn’t add up.

  “I’m here to… monitor you, I guess. I can’t have you calling anyone telling them what happened. I need you to understand what’s at stake.”

  I give a single nod. Okay, that makes sense. I wrap my arms around my waist and perch on the arm of the couch. “So talk.”

  He sits on the ottoman and waves a hand toward the couch. “Please, sit down.”

  “Fine.” I sit down and he immediately scoots the ottoman forward, until he’s sitting right across from me.

  “Angelina. I just want to say I’m sorry.”

  I give a single nod. “Thank you.”

  “And you should know you were never in any danger. Okay? I took you to get the memory of seeing me heal wiped, that was it.”

  I purse my lips. “Then why did you stop him?”

  Guilt flickers over Jared’s face and he rubs his forehead. “It didn’t feel right. I didn’t like seeing you under his spell.” He sounds reluctant to admit it.

  Something shifts and rearranges inside my chest.

  “I… I’m protective of you, Angelina.”

  The thing that moved warms.

  “I was obeying orders from my alpha, but I couldn’t follow through with it, and then I overreacted. But I promise you, no matter how it looked in there, no harm would’ve come to you. Fox wasn’t going to hurt you. I’ll never hurt you.”

  I pinch my lips together because it feels like I’m going to cry again. “Okay,” I say on an exhale. “I believe you.”

  Jared’s face transforms, the lines of tension easing, surprise lifting his brows. “You do?”

  I nod. “Yeah.”

  “Come here, baby.” I don’t move, but he plucks me from the couch and pulls me onto his lap. He buries his face in my hair and kisses my shoulder. “Okay.” He sounds relieved. “Good.”

  “So now what?”

  His arms around me tighten and the thread of tension is back. “Now.” He sighs. “I don’t know. Is there any chance you’d willingly go back to get your memories wiped? All of this?”

  I try to lurch off his lap, but he catches me and pulls me back down. “Easy. I’m not going to make you. I’m just exploring possibilities.”

  “No chance,” I say firmly. “No chance in hell.”

  He chuckles. “Smart woman. And I love your fire, baby.”

  “Couldn’t I just promise never to tell anyone? Take your secret to the grave?”

  He’s silent for a moment, then he says, “Yeah. I’ll need that promise from you, baby.”

  I swivel on his hard thighs to look him in the eye. “I swear to God. I’ll never tell.” I cross my heart and hold up three fingers, Girl Scout style.

  His lips twitch and he grabs my fingers and pulls them to his lips. His kiss is soft—so much more tender than I imagined him capable of.

  “Now you swear to me you won’t do it.” I hold his gaze.

  He hesitates and disappointment runs through me thick and cold. But then he nods. “I pr
omise I won’t wipe you, or let anyone else wipe you, unless you consent.”

  His phone rings and I take the opportunity to jump off his lap. Not because I haven’t warmed back up to him. More because I have. This man is dangerously attractive to me.

  He curses and stands up. “Hey.” He speaks into the phone. “No, not exactly.”

  I hear a loud male voice on the other end and Jared sends a quick glance my way.

  “Is it about me?” I ask.

  He holds up his hand, like he’s telling me to wait and walks out my front door. I hear him out on the porch but I can’t hear what he’s saying.

  Jared

  “What in the fuck do you mean not exactly? Were my orders not clear?”

  Not surprisingly, Garrett’s pissed.

  I walk a few paces away from Angelina’s place. “I didn’t feel right about having that leech in her brain.”

  “I don’t give a shit what felt right to you, an order’s an order. This is pack law, and you know it.”

  “I don’t care.” I’m so far out of line I could be banished, but I don’t give a fuck now. I’ve already made my choice. I can’t—won’t—obey my alpha. I’m going to have to face the music now, whatever it is. “Anyone touches her—anyone tries to wipe her—and I’ll fucking kill them. That goes for Fox. That even goes for you.”

  There. I’ve definitely dug my grave. He can banish me if he wants, I’ll take Angelina with me and protect her until the day I die.

  Part of me fucking loves that idea, as awful as it is. An excuse to bind Angelina to me.

  Garrett goes deadly silent.

  My heart thunders in my chest and I have to work to keep from crushing the phone in my fist. If I didn’t hear Garrett’s sharp inhale on the other side, I’d think he’d already crushed his. He goes through phones faster than I can eat a box of Girl Scout cookies.

  “Are you telling me she’s your mate?” Garrett’s voice is low and laced with danger.

  I close my eyes, drawing in a breath, thankful the moon won’t be full for another two weeks. I’m barely keeping my wolf in check with the threat to Angelina.

  “No,” I say at last, even though saying yes would solve this problem.

  I can’t fucking mate Angelina. She’s a sweet little human. The mating bite would probably kill her, and definitely scar her delicate neck. Ballerinas don’t have hideous scars on their necks. Nor do they take beefy tattooed meatheads for mates—boyfriends—whatever.