Bound By The Night

  Figured, water would be needed for a holding spell.

  The werewolf and his damn witch. She’d find them both. Make them bleed and beg.

  But first, she had to deal with this werewolf. “Good-bye, Jamie O’Connell,” Iona said, without bothering to look back at him. Then she slammed her hand through the glass. The window shattered and broken glass rained down on the floor—and fell outside of the window.

  Jamie called out her name, but she didn’t stop. In an instant, she’d leapt through that window, and she was rushing for her freedom. She was an old vampire, one gifted with powers that few others could ever hope to possess.

  She’d been born as a vampire. Born to a father who wanted the power of the gods.

  He’d gotten her instead.

  She leapt over the rocky terrain. Stared at the water that seemed to howl and snarl below her.

  “Stop!”

  The dark werewolf, giving chase. She paused at the edge of the cliff.

  “What are you doing?” He demanded as he rushed after her. “Do you want to die?”

  She laughed then, and the sound was as brittle as her voice. Iona glanced over her shoulder at him. “I’ve been dead for too long.” And she wanted to wash away the rot and stench of the hell that had trapped her. “It’s time for me to live again.”

  And when the Blood Queen lived, everyone else should fear.

  Lifting her hands high above her, Iona turned back to the crashing waves. Then she stepped off the edge of the cliff and plummeted into the dark water below her.

  ***

  Footsteps pounded behind Jamie as he peered over the edge of the cliff. Hell, that was at least a thirty foot drop. Forty?

  The water roared below him.

  “Are you going after her?” Sean asked as the younger wolf huffed to a stop beside him.

  Her head had just broken through the foaming waves. While Jamie watched, the vampire called Iona began to swim through the churning tide, taking her sweet time as she moved easily through the water.

  Amazing.

  In-freaking-sane.

  Jaw clenching, he gritted, “No.” Because, unlike the vamp, he wasn’t ready to risk having his body savaged by the rocks and the waves and whatever the hell else waited below.

  “She’s getting away,” Sean said, pointing out the obvious. He had an annoying tendency to do that.

  Jamie slanted the guy a hard glance. Sean should be glad the lady was swimming away. Especially considering that the vampire in question had been close to ending Sean’s life just minutes before.

  Then Sean gave a slow shake of his head and met Jamie’s gaze. “That didn’t go quite as we planned, did it?”

  He re-assessed his grand plan. Iona was a strong swimmer. Correction, she was just plain strong. Ten minutes after waking, and the woman was cutting through the water like an Olympic swimmer. Very interesting. Very promising. Jamie smiled and let his anger wash away. “It went even better than I’d planned.” The Blood Queen…Iona…she’d definitely lived up to the stories that he’d heard.

  Iona. Her name whispered through his mind. Beautiful. Seductive. A perfect name for his vampire. Before, he hadn’t been able to match that name with a face. Now he knew just what she looked like. It would be impossible to ever forget a woman like her.

  He glanced down at the water once more. Then, because he knew where the vampire would go, Jamie turned away from the cliff. Iona thought she was safe. That she was still the paranormal bad-ass that others had to fear.

  Once she got to town, she’d see that the rules of the game had changed. She wouldn’t be getting away from him.

  Not now.

  Not ever.

  The bond he’d forged with her could never be broken. At least, not if the vampire wanted to keep living.

  Chapter Two

  As far as hunting prospects were concerned, the small coastal town of Shade, Oregon, wasn’t exactly ripe with possibilities. Two bars—both rundown as all hell and faded from time—blasted music into the night.

  Just two.

  When Iona turned up, Jamie knew she’d head to one of those bars. He just had to make sure he chose the right hunting spot in order to catch her.

  The music kept playing. Some young band danced across the stage while girls in low-cut tops swayed in their seats. The alcohol was pouring, laughter floated in the air, and as the darkness deepened outside, not one of the humans there seemed to realize the danger that stalked them.

  Humans. They could be so oblivious. Maybe that was why they still thought vampires and werewolves existed only in movies and nightmares.

  Jamie tapped the counter and the bartender slid him another beer.

  Not just in movies, kids. We’re right in front of you. He drained the beer in two gulps.

  Now, to just find Iona…

  Jamie put his back to the bar and propped his elbows on the countertop behind him. His gaze swept the crowd once more and…

  She walked in.

  Not still clad in her blood-stained gown, but wearing jeans that curled around her legs, high hells that clicked across the floor, and a tight, black t-shirt that pushed her breasts forward and had three men scrambling eagerly toward her.

  Hell.

  Iona smiled, and Jamie saw that she was careful not to flash any fang. For the moment.

  But then she took the hand of one of the fools who had rushed toward her, and she began to lead the guy back outside. Talk about your easy prey. Jamie was almost tempted to let the dumb kid die.

  Almost. Stupidity shouldn’t be a crime punishable by death.

  He tossed some cash down on the bar and stalked after his Blood Queen.

  Bodies jostled into him as he made his way through the bar, but he just shoved those bodies the hell out of his way. In moments, he was outside and the bar’s main door slammed closed behind him. The scent of the ocean teased his nose as the wind blew lightly against him. Wind that carried not just the salt of the ocean, but the coppery odor of blood.

  His claws wanted to break free. The beast inside roared, but Jamie yanked back on his wolf’s chain. Holding tight to his control, Jamie followed the scent of blood, rounded the building and saw—

  The kid—some college-aged guy with sun-streaked blond hair—was pressed up against the side of the building. Iona had her hands on his chest. The jerk was moaning and her fangs were in his throat. Jamie’s teeth ground together as he rushed toward them.

  But before he could grab Iona, she fell away from the guy and hit the ground, hard. Her body began to shake as she wiped her hand over her mouth. “Poi…son…”

  The blond wasn’t moving. He lifted a hand to his throat and touched the faint wound on his neck. “Wh—”

  Jamie lunged forward and grabbed the blond by the shoulder. “Get the hell out of here.”

  The guy’s eyes widened, but, despite the fear Jamie could smell, the fellow shook his head and glanced over at Iona. “She’s hurt. I-I should help…”

  The dumbass didn’t seem to get that Iona had just tried to eat him. And now he wanted to play Galahad. Figured. Hero complexes. Jamie sure didn’t suffer from them. “Get out of here, or I’ll just knock your ass out.” Jamie lifted his fist. One punch, and Galahad wouldn’t be waking up for hours.

  Galahad swallowed. “I-I—”

  Iona was back on her feet. “You burned me!” She yelled, then she leapt at her would-be-snack.

  Jamie caught her before she could do any permanent damage to Galahad. “Go,” he bit off to the fool. “Now.”

  Finally, Galahad left. Iona twisted and bucked in Jamie’s arms, and he was sure that she didn’t mean to turn him on. The woman seemed far too furious, but, damn, her curves were fine and when she kept rubbing that ass right over his groin…

  His eyes squeezed closed. Fucking her hadn’t been part of his plan. This hard lust? No, not the plan. He wasn’t supposed to want her so badly. Use her to hunt his enemy? Yes, that was definitely on his agenda. Wanting to strip her and exp
lore that silken body for hours? No, not the plan.

  His plans just kept changing.

  But then she stopped struggling. Iona just seemed to go limp in his arms. Her head sagged forward.

  Uh, oh. He wasn’t sure just what kind of damage the guy’s blood might have done to her. Jamie knew that he probably should have warned her about that little, ah, issue, but she’d run before he could break the news to her.

  “Iona?” He turned her in his arms, moving her so that Iona’s chest pressed against his. Her eyes were closed. He bent over her, wondering what to do next.

  Her eyes flew open. Too aware. Too…hungry. And rather pissed. In a flash, she’d bolted up and her teeth were on his throat. No, in his throat.

  His breath hissed out, but it wasn’t pain that he felt. Her fangs sliced through the skin in an instant, and the only sensation he felt was a burst of pleasure so intense that his whole body shuddered. More of that. Oh, yeah. More.

  She was drinking from him, and every soft move of her lips had his body tensing even more. Growing harder. His cock was swollen, fully aroused, and hot pulses of pleasure lit his blood as her mouth worked on his neck.

  Keeping his hands on her hips, he maneuvered her back, then she was the one pinned against the side of the building. He tilted his head, trying to give her better access because, hell, yes, he was loving this rough ride of pleasure. And the blood that she took…

  It links us more.

  His fingers slid around to the front of her jeans. Found the snap and jerked it free. Her zipper hissed down.

  Her tongue licked over him.

  He wanted to touch her skin. Wanted to touch her everywhere so he could discover just how soft she’d be.

  Her body trembled against him. “You…you taste so good.” Her soft words were whispered against his neck.

  He was betting that she’d taste like paradise.

  “He tasted like acid, but you…” Now her voice wasn’t so whispered. It was snapping. Angry as awareness grew within her. Her fingers curled over his shoulders, and she pushed him back, just far enough that she could see up into his eyes. “You taste like dessert.”

  Her little pink tongue slid over her bottom lip. As if she were savoring his taste.

  Dangerous. The woman was lethal in more ways than he’d realized.

  Her eyes—he could see them perfectly in the dark, a werewolf perk—narrowed on him. “Why do you taste like dessert?” Iona wanted to know.

  He deliberately let his eyes widen. “Because I’m awesome?”

  Her eyes had become golden slits. “What have you done?”

  Aw, their hot moment was about to be over. Pity. His hand was still just inside of her jeans. So close to the flesh he wanted to touch.

  She seemed to realize exactly how close his fingers were to her sex because she gave a little growl and pushed him back a good five feet.

  Not inside her jeans anymore.

  Iona yanked up the zipper and fixed the snap in an instant. “You thought to fuck me?”

  Hoped, not thought, but he lifted his hands and shrugged. “You thought to drain me?” Jamie tossed back.

  She growled again. Sexy. “Wolf,” she snarled, “I gave you a chance to live. You should have just stayed away from me.”

  “Can’t do that.” Time for her to realize just how much her life had changed. “If I do, you die.”

  She laughed at that. “What? Are you some sort of protector?”

  Not hardly.

  “Are you going to keep me safe from all the other big, bad wolves out there?”

  “No.” Flat.

  She blinked at that. A faint furrow appeared between her brows.

  Jamie rubbed his chin. Time for some fast facts. “The human tasted like crap to you because you can’t handle his blood—”

  “I’m a vampire,” said with a long sigh, as if speaking to a clueless child, “I can handle anyone’s blood.”

  He risked a step toward her. His boots crunched on the gravel beneath him. “Not anymore you can’t.” Okay, she’d flip over this, but he figured it was best to just get it out there. “You see, your body’s tuned now. It’s only gonna want one thing. Can only accept one thing…”

  Her head tilted as she studied him. “Tuned?” Her lips tightened in distaste. “I don’t know what you’re rambling about.”

  “To survive, you need blood.” It was a simple fact of the undead life for a vampire. To keep existing, a vampire had to take in sustenance. Blood. And, usually, any blood would work to sustain a vamp.

  But not for her. Not anymore.

  “You were put under a spell,” he said this part quietly, with a hint of sympathy, because the spell had been a real bitch for her.

  Her hands fisted. “I was there. I remember. You don’t have to tell me, wolf.”

  The woman had more than a touch of arrogance. Probably because, if the stories were true, she actually had once been a queen.

  “An alpha werewolf’s blood put you under the spell.” Here was the dicey part. But, really, what could she do to him? Without just hurting herself in return? “That meant only the blood of another alpha wolf could wake you.” And break the spell.

  “So you’re an alpha. I’m so impressed,” she murmured, sounding not even the tiniest bit like she cared. A car horn honked in the distance. The wind kept brushing over them. Near the back of the bar, a chime tossed music into the air. Iona shoved back her hair. “It’s not like I haven’t met and killed a dozen of your kind before.”

  Except for Latham. She hadn’t killed him. If she had, then neither of them would be having these problems right then.

  “There was just one little rule about breaking your spell…” Jamie kept his voice flat when his own anger wanted to stir. He had helped the woman. As far as she knew, he was just being a good Samaritan. Had Iona even offered a thank you to him? He cleared his throat. “The wolf that woke you…”

  “I wasn’t asleep!”

  He ignored that, for now. She’d sure looked asleep—no, dead—to him. “You’d only crave the blood of the wolf that freed you from the spell.” He studied her, then said, “‘It will taste like wine to you…’” Now he was doing a direct quote from what a witch-in-the-know had told him during his search for the Blood Queen. Before Iona speak, he finished the last of that witch’s quote, “‘While the blood of others will never satisfy your hunger.’”

  She grabbed him. In all of his years, he’d never seen a vampire move as quickly as she did in that one instant. “You’d better by lying.” Her fists had clenched around his shirt. The material was in danger of ripping at any moment.

  He gave her a big smile, knowing that his dimple would flash. “Baby, would I lie to you? I’m the wolf who saved you.”

  Her fists clenched even harder as she dug her nails into his shirt.

  He kept his eyes on hers. Jamie said, “I’m also the man who’ll keep you alive. My blood. It’s what you need. What you’ll always crave.” He felt like he was driving nails into the vamp’s coffin. In a way, he was. He was also enjoying himself. Iona was about to realize just how much she needed him. “So it’s in your best interest to make sure that I live a very, very long life.”

  The shirt began to tear. “You’ll never live as long as me.”

  Normally, no. But their situation wasn’t exactly normal. “I will live as long as you give me your own sweet blood.” The beast inside had always enjoyed a taste for blood. And hers blood was the most powerful that he’d ever had.

  Her gaze held his. “You want my blood?”

  “I kinda have to get it, in order for us both to keep living.” He kept his face blank. She couldn’t know the real reason why he wanted her blood. That wonderful power boost that he’d get from it. The boost that would make him strong enough to take out Latham.

  Because Latham had also been feeding on vamps.

  The secret was out in the paranormal world. Thanks to the mating of a few werewolves and vampires, folks had realized that i
f you wanted a power surge, you had to get very, very intimate with those who’d once been your sworn enemies.

  Since Iona had been sleeping during that time of revelation, she didn’t realize just how hot of a commodity her blood had become to the werewolves of the world.

  Blood as old as hers, as powerful…and it’s all mine.

  Jamie knew his smile had widened. He couldn’t help it. Everything was falling into perfect place for him.

  “Liar.” Barely a breath from her. A breath that was full of burning fury. “One bad human doesn’t mean I’m stuck with you. He was probably on drugs. I always hated the taste of drugs in a human’s blood.”

  But she wasn’t letting him go, and Jamie wondered if, deep down, she already knew the truth.

  Then he caught the scent of blood. Heard the softest tread of footsteps. His head jerked up. His nostrils flared.

  Five men. Though not actually men. Not human.

  Coming their way.

  The same knowledge was in her eyes.

  “Company,” he told her as he drew in the scents of the night.

  Her head turned to the left, away from the faint lights from the parking lot and toward the darkness of the woods that waited. Her body seemed to tense against his. “Yours?”

  “No.” But it was company he’d expected. Just not quite so soon. “Don’t worry,” he told her, as he pushed her behind his body. She went easily enough, probably more from surprise than anything else. “I won’t let them hurt you.”

  Five against one. He could handle these odds in his sleep.

  Especially since he’d taken some of her blood. Hmmm…maybe he could even consider this as a test run. To see just how much strength her blood would truly give him.

  The others were coming in fast now. Time to change. Time to show Iona just who—what—she was dealing with in this battle.

  The fire of the change swept through his body. It wasn’t some light, easy shift. It was brutal. As savage as the beast he carried. His bones snapped. His muscles tore and reshaped. Fur seemed to explode along his flesh. He hit the ground, but when his palms slapped against the cement, they were already transforming into the powerful paws of a wolf.