Though I loved spending time with my girlfriends, I could not handle all the loud sex that seemed to occur on a regular basis at Donna’s. There was some things I didn’t need to know about my bestie and the fact that she was a screamer was one of them. I really didn’t want to know that, much less experience it.
I saw Shannon standing at the bar, deep in conversation with a tall, handsome vampire with jet black hair and Native American features. He was dressed in black and had an earbud in one ear. I realized he was one of the vamps on security duty. Since Shannon worked in administration for a personal security company, I figured they were talking business.
She glanced at me as I slid by and I winked at her. Shannon didn’t even pause, merely gave me a finger wave, and continued to talk to the vampire who seemed to be completely enthralled with her. It seemed even vampires weren’t immune to her good looks and general badassery.
Shaking my head, I sipped my drink and watched a group of handsome men diversely dressed in everything from sharp suits to ragged jeans and I decided that I should introduce myself. Ignoring the echo of Donna’s overprotective spiel in my mind, I squared my shoulders and moved toward them. As I strolled across the room, I felt as though I were being watched. Surreptitiously, I glanced around.
At first, I didn’t see anyone openly staring, but, on my second sweep of the crowd, my eyes were caught by two brilliant green gems shimmering in the shadows. I blinked several times, wondering how I hadn’t noticed a jeweled statue in the ballroom before. The crowd between us shifted, parting slightly, and I realized I wasn’t staring at a statue, but at a flesh and blood man with the most incredible eyes I had ever seen. That was saying something, considering Conner had a pair of blue eyes that seemed to see straight into your soul and his friend Finn’s eyes were such a deep purple you could barely stand to meet his gaze. Was it vampire law that they could only change gorgeous men with unearthly eyes? If so, I definitely approved.
I sucked in a shaky breath as my eyes ran down the man’s taut, athletic frame. He wasn’t as tall as most of the men in the party, but his very presence seemed to expand, making him seem larger than he truly was. He wore a pair of dark, ragged jeans and a black oxford shirt, sleeves rolled up to the elbows. While he didn’t seem bulky, I could see the definition in his forearms from twenty feet away.
I swallowed hard and realized my throat was dry as dust. I managed to tear my eyes away from the beautiful man and lift my drink with a shaky hand. After a quick sip, I forced myself not to look back to that corner and continued on my way to the group of gorgeous vampires that were now watching me with blatant appreciation.
I was here for some fun and maybe a little flirting. One look into those intense green eyes and I knew that anything I might have with that beautiful man wouldn’t be fun or light. It would be intense, overwhelming, and likely rough. Those things sounded very appealing, except for the fact that he was almost certainly not human and I knew I wasn’t ready for a ride that wild.
Unable to stop myself, I quickly glanced back toward where I’d seen the man. When I saw the corner was empty, I forced my body to relax and told myself I wasn’t disappointed in the least that he was gone. I figured I’d believe it by midnight if I kept repeating it to myself.
Chapter Two- Calder
I inhaled deeply as I watched her continue across the room. Even from twenty feet away, I could smell her. When our eyes met moments ago, I knew she didn’t know who I was. Seeing as we’d never actually met, it was unrealistic for me to expect her recognition. After the pack helped Conner and Lex rescue Ricki and her friends from the Faction months ago, I would remember her scent until the day I died.
A low growl emerged from my throat and I quickly swallowed it as the wolves around me began to step away. Shit. Even in human form, the wolf within me saw her and he staked his claim. When the animal inside wanted something, he was difficult to control.
I clenched my fist and shifted further back into the shadows, struggling to control the urge to charge across the ballroom and drag Ricki back to my room.
Mine.
I breathed slowly as the wolf snarled inside me. Usually, we got along fine. I rarely denied the animal half of myself, but, in this instance, I had to. Conner and Lex had both warned me to stay away from Donna’s friends. At first, I thought that promise would be easy to keep, until I saw her, smelled her, and realized what she was to me.
MINE.
I backed into the wall, pressing the base of my skull hard into the unforgiving surface. Over all the chatter, I heard the rich, sensual sound of her laughter and the internal war I waged ended abruptly. Warnings and promises be damned. That was my woman. I inhaled again, relishing her scent, knowing I would be able to pick her out of a crowd of thousands of people.
The people around me shifted out of the way as I surged forward. I strode toward the group of vampires Ricki had been speaking to, only one thought in my mind.
Mine.
I paused when I realized she was no longer there. From the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of wild brown waves and I turned just as she vanished. Closing my eyes, I let my nose tell me which way to go. As the beta for my pack, I was one of the best trackers.
I moved slowly through the crowd, using both my vision and sense of smell to tell me which way Ricki had gone. Now that I was following his wishes, the wolf inside me was once again calm and patient. We would find her together and make her ours.
Twenty minutes later, I was no longer as calm or patient as my wolf. My skin felt hot and tight as I continued to track Ricki through the large house. I decided I would kick Conner’s ass the next time I saw him. If he didn’t have such a monstrosity of a home, I would have cornered my prey by now.
I’d weaved my way throughout the entire ballroom, into the kitchen, upstairs to a bathroom, and back down to the hallway that led to the library. In each room, I smelled her, but had yet to lay eyes on Ricki.
I kept my footsteps silent as I walked down the hall toward the library. A small sound caught my ear and I paused, listening. I heard the click of heels and smelled both woman and leather. It was her. After another quick sniff to determine whether or not she was alone, I smiled wickedly. My prey was within reach and she was by herself.
Keeping my feet light and quiet, I entered the library and paused in the doorway, appreciating the view. I leaned my shoulder against the door jam and watched as Ricki bent over, reaching into the back of the small liquor cabinet.
“Freaking picky ass vampires. Scotch aged 12 years isn’t good enough, huh? Well maybe these fucking knee high boots jammed up your ass will change your mind.”
I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing at the low diatribe flowing from within the cabinet.
“Gotcha, you little bastard!” she said, backing out of the cabinet and straightening, a bottle of very old and very expensive Scotch in her hand. She turned and shrieked when she saw me, hugging the bottle to her chest. “Sweet Jesus!”
I wanted to laugh, but all the blood drained from my skull straight into the crotch of my jeans. In the ballroom, I’d been too distracted by her scent and the sound of her voice to realize exactly how sexy she looked in the tight brown leather corset and pants. Now I couldn’t take my eyes off her incredible tits.