Half in Love [Willie Krenshaw] (Siren Publishing Classic) Read online

  Willie stared at the vampire who was spilling his proverbial guts. He was weak. She hoped that Nick would let her kill it. She snorted a very un-feline noise as she pondered that thought. In her cat form, though, she really would gladly dispatch the irritation for him. That way he didn’t get this maggot’s blood on his already bloody hands.

  “So, what were you supposed to do when you found me tonight? You and your friends here weren’t out to capture me. Did he tell you to kill me off? Is that it?”

  “All I know is that he wanted you gone. Something about the investigation and not wanting to be dragged in front of the Council.” The whining increased. “Can I go now? I’ve told you everything I know.”

  “Not yet. Where is Stephen now? Where were you supposed to take me after drugging me?” Nick continued to pace around the male. Power and control oozed from him. He was beautiful like this, Willie thought.

  “There’s an abandoned warehouse not far from here that he uses if he has to meet us. I don’t know where he stays otherwise. He don’t let any of us know where he stays. Guess he’s afraid we might rat him out.” The male was seriously getting on her nerves. Her skin twitched with inaction. She really wanted to crush his throat to shut him up. “Our meeting times are set up and sent via text messages. Please let me go. I’m sorry we attacked you.”

  “Nope, not yet. This is all food for thought,” Nick said. He stopped in front of the male and a cold, harsh light entered his eyes. “I’ll give you a choice. Go before the Council and have them deal with you, or I’ll end it now. I promise you I’ll be extremely quick and clean with it. I don’t know how long you’ll remain under the Council’s control before they kill you.”

  The male tried to get to his feet and was slammed back down by a palm on the shoulder. He whimpered under Nick’s hand. Willie had enough. She was tired and done listening to the male with his weak voice. She sprang at him, sank her teeth into his throat, and ripped out a dripping chunk of flesh. Before Nick could stop her, she sank her muzzle into the gaping hole she’d created and broke his neck. She held down the torso with her paws and finished pulling the head from the body with a few chomps of her powerful jaws.

  “Well, damn, Willie. I was hoping to hand him to the Council.” Nick’s voice was laced with laughter as Willie licked her lips and sat, licking a paw to clean her face off. He bent down and caught her heavy head under the chin. His eyes caught hers and held her suspended for a long moment in the heat of his gaze. “You are absolutely beautiful in this form. But, I think you are still more beautiful in your human form.”

  Willie ducked her head and continued her cleaning. She couldn’t answer him, and it probably was a good thing. She enjoyed the contented feeling she had in this form and purred her happiness. She didn’t feel torn between wanting Nick and not wanting to mate. In this form it was an inevitable conclusion that he would be their mate. Her human and animal sides weren’t divided in this form, so thought was very straight forward. She knew Nick was her mate, therefore eventually he would be.

  “Come on, I think I have an extra shirt in the truck. I don’t think it’s a good idea to drive around with you in the back of my truck, especially in that form.” Nick walked off toward the Hummer, and she followed at a sedate pace. Her eyes were at the perfect ass-viewing level, and she was enjoying the sway of his narrow hips. He had the most perfect ass of any man she’d ever seen. She looked up to find him silently laughing at her. “Even in cat form you are very forward, aren’t you? Stop ogling my ass so we can get out of here.”

  She chuffed at him and strolled to the Hummer. He silently opened the back door and placed a shirt on the seat. He motioned her into the truck with a bow, and she hopped onto the seat with an easy leap.

  “Let me know when you’re ready. I’m going to call the Council while you are shifting. Take your time, okay. I know that two shifts close to each other are draining.” Nick quietly shut the vehicle door and wandered away from the truck. A shiver of apprehension skated down Willie’s spine at the mention of the Council. She shook her head and closed her eyes. Nothing she could do about that right now. With a controlled breath, she beckoned to her human side, drawing her forward and bringing on the shift again.

  Chapter 7

  Willie finished buttoning the shirt that Nick had given her. She felt very self-conscious without pants or underwear, but she would just have to make do with the shirt. She’d been watching him through the windshield for the last couple of minutes as she rested from the shift. He seemed agitated and kept pushing his fingers through his hair. Obviously his call to the Council wasn’t going as he expected. With a deep breath, she opened the door and stepped into the night with nothing but the dress shirt on.

  “Alex, damn it. I don’t want to drag her into this. I need you to give the Council the information and be done with it.” His voice floated on the breeze, and was tight with controlled anger. “No, I’m not going to bring her to the Council. She isn’t involved in this. No, you don’t need to come anywhere. If they want a full report from me, they’ll wait until tomorrow night and I’ll be coming alone.”

  Willie felt the urge to reach out and touch him, sooth his anger. She watched his body stiffen in response to whatever this Alex was saying to him. He growled and snapped a quick, “Because I don’t trust you. Fine, see you in an hour,” into the phone before flipping it closed and shoving it into his pocket. Anger rolled off him in waves. He sighed and turned to face her. His eyes swept up and down her body with a slow caress. The tension seemed to drain from his body as his eyes took on a hooded, needy light. She would never get used to being looked at with that level of lust.

  “I take it the Council is pissed about me?” She blushed under his scrutiny, fidgeting with the edge of the shirt. It rested against the middle of her thigh, but the knowledge that nothing covered her under the shirt had her nervous. Once she was back in her human skin, the tension and warring emotions had slid heavily to her shoulders again. It was so much easier to think in her cougar form.

  “Not pissed, interested. Which could be just as detrimental. I called Alex, a longtime friend, in hopes of talking him into giving my report to the Council. It seems they’ve found out about you and are interested in meeting with you. For tonight, though, we don’t need to respond to their summons. I’ve given my report to Alex, which is what I’m required to do.” He sighed and walked slowly to Willie. He reached out and stroked a finger down her cheek. He leaned in close to her, crowding her body with his. Heat infused his gaze. “It’ll take them a few hours to decide if they’ll require your attention, so until then you are safe. He’s meeting us at your house in an hour to discuss the Council’s thoughts.”

  She could read the intention in his face this time and didn’t fight it. She closed her eyes as he leaned into her space, breathing him in and tilting her head back in invitation. She was done fighting with herself over this. A soft sound escaped when his lips lightly stroked over hers. She smoothed her hands up his chest and over his shoulders, wrapping them around his neck. His muscles were hard and smooth under her hands. She melted against his chest and reveled in the feel of his hard body against hers. Shivers raced down her spine, and goose bumps erupted on her arms as he teased her lips with his, silently asking for her permission. She parted her lips and tasted his. She pulled his head down to hers, making her invitation blatant. His tongue slicked across her in a sensual slide. With a growl, he wrapped his arms around her back, pulling her against his chest. He took control of the kiss, delving into her mouth. He nibbled along her lips, sucking them into his hot mouth. He moved along her jaw, nipping and kissing until he reached her earlobe. He sucked the lobe into his mouth and bit lightly. She groaned and molded her body to his, slowly moving her pelvis against his groin. The feel of his hot mouth on her neck made her legs weak. She offered her throat to him in true submission. He obliged by kissing and sucking against the skin at the base of her neck. He growled softly against her neck before he pulled back and stare
d into her face.

  She opened her eyes and gasped at the raw desire in his. With their bodies touching, she could feel his heat wrap around her. Her body was flushed and achy. Her breasts were pressed between their bodies, rubbing enticingly against the shirt she wore. She could feel tingles shooting down to her pussy, making her hot and wet. So far her mountain lion hadn’t come out to force the union, but Willie was sure it wouldn’t be long before her purring counterpart was trying to participate. Her heat started to cool without his lips on her body. Her confusion in his hesitation increased when he put a few inches between their bodies with a gentle tug.

  “Why?” It was the only question that really meant anything to her at the moment. She finally admitted to herself that she wanted Nick. She was ready and willing to let him have his way with her, or better yet she’d have her way with him. Her body craved his with a single-minded compulsion. She watched the lust cool in his face and felt the first twinges of rejection tickle through her heart. She looked down and tried to turn from him, dropping her arms and pushing against his chest.

  “No, Willie, don’t. It has nothing to do with me not wanting you. This is about you not wanting this. I don’t want you kissing me because of the adrenaline coursing through your body, or the reaction of your kitty to me. I want you, Willie, to want me.” He gently tipped her head back so she was forced to look at him. His eyes held nothing but truth, and she sighed. Fine. If he wanted to play that way.

  “Okay, look. I can’t say that I’m ready to take you as a mate, but I really, really want to fuck you. Me. Not my cougar, not the adrenaline.” A sigh escaped her lips. With a shaky step away from his body, reality crept in. A soft breeze reminded her that she was mostly naked and standing in a parking lot dotted with dead vampires. “But, now that I’m more aware that I’ve got nothing but a shirt on and we are surrounded by dead vamps, perhaps we should go back to my place and get cleaned up. Thanks for thinking of me in this situation, but next time you stop me while I am mauling you, I will hurt you.” She grinned and turned, sauntering barefooted to the Hummer, and climbed into the passenger seat. She giggled as she flashed him a look at her naked ass and pussy as she stepped up into the truck. The growl he let loose made her shiver. It was going to be a long drive back to her place, she thought.

  * * * *

  She was going to be the death of him. The flash of flesh and dark curls that peeked from under the shirt as she got in his truck just about made his brain explode. Between her reaction to their kiss and that perfect ass, he was barely holding onto his control. He jabbed his nails into his palm, letting the pain bleed some of his desire out. He would have her, if not tonight then very soon, but taking her in a parking lot surrounded by decaying corpses wasn’t how he would allow their first time to be. He’d been honest with her earlier. He wanted Willie to want him and respond to him, not the reaction to a fight or the cat inside.

  With a few quick strides, he made it to the driver’s side. With a silent prayer for control, he opened his door and climbed in. Her arousal perfumed the air inside, making his cock harden again. He hadn’t been completely soft all night. He sighed and shut his door.

  “So, explain to me who Alex is, and why he is coming to my house.” Willie turned in her seat to look at him. She still smelled faintly of arousal, but it had cooled. That allowed him to think as he put together his answer.

  “Alex is ancient. He’s far older than anyone I know, and I’m not sure anyone really knows his age. He and I have been friends for a long time, and usually he is the one vampire I can turn to for help.”

  “Okay, so again, why is he coming to my house? We could meet him at a coffee shop or a vacant lot. I don’t like the idea of more vampires knowing where I live.”

  Nick sighed. “Alex is above the Council. I don’t know how that is, or what he has over the members of the Council, but when he is involved in decisions they always go his way. We want him on your side. If anyone can save you, he can.”

  “Huh. So, I probably should be nice to him?” She grinned at him and he couldn’t help chuckling at the impish smile.

  “Yes. Be nice to him. I do have to warn you, though. He is quite pompous at times. He’s seen more in his lifetime than fifty vampires put together. Most things are entertaining to him. Just try to not let him get to you.”

  He watched her ponder the information, and saw the instant she was going to fight. He rolled his eyes. It couldn’t be easy, could it? She was head strong and easily riled. Alex, being Alex, was irritating and loved to push people’s buttons. This wasn’t going to go well. He could feel it in his bones.

  To stem her argument, he started talking again. “Look. I know you don’t like taking orders, but in this please listen to me. Alex is powerful. Not just in age and control over others. He can read minds, delve into your inner thoughts. I’ve seen him reduce others to piles of blubbering idiots. Don’t cross him. You don’t want him angry.”

  She sat in silence for a moment before nodding. He let out the breath he’d been holding.

  “Fine. But I can’t promise to like him.”

  “Fair enough. There are few alive that can actually say that they do like him. You either get him or you don’t.”

  “And you do?” She grinned.

  “Yes, smart ass, I do. He’s saved my life more times than I can count. That means something to me. I just ignore his insults and overlook his attitude. Once you get to know him you realize that he just doesn’t feel the same way we do about life. It’s all just amusement to him.”

  She sat back against the seat and he could almost hear the wheels turning in her mind. He hoped that she could keep it together around Alex. That vampire really could drive people to drink, or commit murder. At the moment, though, there wasn’t another person Nick wanted around. If anyone could save Willie it was Alex. He just needed to make sure his friend saw the same benefit in having her alive as Nick did.

  * * * *

  “Who is Stephen?” Willie had seen the recognition on his face when the whiny vamp was talking. She’d chewed on the information about Alex long enough. Now she wanted more answers.

  “Stephen was an enforcer for the Council about fifty years ago. He went a little crazy when the Council killed one of his spawn after a lengthy investigation. The female had taken it in her head that she wanted a baby, so started changing children and then releasing them on the populous. She was taken down, and he was forced to witness her execution. He walked out on the Council that day and swore vengeance.” Nick turned to study her. “He is old, crazy, and powerful. He holds grudges like no one else I know.”

  “What happened to the children? Were they executed, too?”

  “Yes. It was horrible, but had to be done. Children are impossible to control and so easily tip to the berserker side.”

  “So, why does this dude think you’re the one that will take him down? Are you assigned to bring him in or something?” Pieces of the puzzle were finally falling into place for her. The wrecked house, the pursuit this night. All of it made more sense, and added a new fold to her worries.

  “My duties do indeed require me to find and investigate issues with the vampire world. Stephen is rumored to have created some new vampires without bringing them to the Council. For this he needs to be investigated and perhaps brought in for punishment.” He sighed. “Knowing now what we know causes some issues, though. The Council will assign a few enforcers and perhaps an assassin to assist me. They will need to be in constant contact with me, and will undoubtedly be in contact with you.”

  “Now you lost me. Why would they be around me? I mean, I get that we have to go in front of the Council tomorrow, and as long as they don’t require my head on a platter, I figured I’d go back to my job and life like nothing happened.” A niggling concern tickled her mind. Did she really want to walk away from Nick? Could she? Her cougar was pretty insistent that they would be a mated pair. After only a couple of days, could she place her life in the hands of this handsome vam
pire? God, she wanted to. She wanted to give in and just surrender to the pull of her shifter side. The consuming need to have someone else in her life that was tied to her was so great it almost drew a gasp from her. She had been so lonely, living life as a specter haunting the spaces she filled. Never was she able to trust someone completely other than Robert. No one knew her, really knew her and her sides. Not a single other being on the Earth understood her or accepted her for her real self.

  “Willie. I won’t let you walk away from me. Even if everything goes fine tomorrow night, I’m not leaving. You and I’ve got unfinished business, and at some point we’re going to deal with the mating thing. I have your scent engrained in my system, so even if you try to run, I’ll track you down.” He cleared his throat and turned to look at her. “You and I are fated to be together, and we both know it. As soon as you can get that through your thick skull, we can move on to the fun stuff.”

  Her heart beat a little faster as the thrill of those words worked through her system. He wanted her as his mate. It wasn’t a question anymore. Tears tried to spill as the thought of never being alone again burned through her. She huffed in response so he couldn’t hear her feelings. She turned to stare out the window and contemplate her possible future with the man sitting next to her. Her cougar did what equated to the happy dance in her mind. Yep, fate was a freaking irritating bitch, but she knew what she was doing.

  Chapter 8

  Warm water streamed down Willie’s face, washing away the dirt and blood from their fight. It did more than that for her thoughts. The pain, anger, and fear from the past dripped off her body and swirled down the drain. She felt lighter and almost healed from her battle with her maker. He couldn’t hurt her, or anyone else, ever again. A toothy grin played across her lips as she replayed the fight. The look of surprise in his eyes as the blade separated his head from his body would warm her for years to come.