Alpha Vampire Romance: Vampire’s Mate (Paranormal Shapeshifter Alpha Demon Vampire Romance) (Coming of Age Werewolf BBW Shifter Women’s Fiction Short Stories) (85 page)

*****

Terry was watching the sunrise an hour after the feds had left with the Dragons. She still was not sure what all had gone on. She turned to Ajax on the bench next to her.

“I know I have not slept in twenty-four hours, so maybe I am just slow. Can you explain things to me again?” she asked her lover, or one of them anyway. Red was not there right then. Ajax laughed softly and hugged her.

“Nope you’re not slow. I just didn’t have time to explain. I asked you and Charlene to change clothes as a sort of confusion to the enemy. I wanted Killgood to think you were just straights, clean and modest civilians. I wanted to make him wonder why we were here. Anything to make him wonder about something other than what we were actually doing,” he explained.

“Then I had my people spotted throughout the hills. They took out the Dragons as they tried to sneak up on us. That way we would have the upper hand. They really are not that organized of a club. Killgood is a more bulldoze ahead kind of guy. No subtlety at all. Anyway, I found out about the arms dealers this afternoon and sent someone to talk to them. Once I learned their relationship with Killgood and Jackson it was easy. Those two dealers were on the terrorist watch list. Normally I would not make deals with cops, even for an ass like Killgood. This though is a different situation, so I had someone put in a call and…ta da. It was a done deal. I just wanted Killgood to give me enough time to kick his ass before the feds got him. He did and I am happy. How about you?” he asked with a grin. Terry smiled for him, and then ruined it with a yawn.

“I am great. Just tired. So things should be back to normal then right?” she asked.

“Yep, well as normal as it gets with Daggers around. You know you are going to have more of us around now. Yellow Girl and Kay really like you, and Mockingbird is stuck on that little bird Charlene. Too bad about her sister. That part I did not know about,” he said softer. Terry sighed.

Cheryl had been talking too, and secretly dating Killgood for several weeks and knew all about the deal he wanted to make with the arms guys. It made her an accessory so she was going to do some time in prison. Charlene was a little upset about it, but Mockingbird was helping her stay positive.

“She will be alright. She is tough,” Terry told him.

He nodded.

“So are you Tumble Darlin’. I can’t wait to see how you handle whatever is next,” he said humorously.

“What do you mean? What’s next?” she asked startled.

“We are the Daggers Tumble. There is always something next.”

THE END

Bonus Story 22 of 25

The cool summer breeze was gently blowing on her face as she stood in front of the newly renovated lakefront house. With its lovely rustic-themed design in white and sky blue and a wide porch surrounded by colorful flowers dancing in the wind, plus the breathtaking backdrop of Willow Stone’s shimmering waters and stately mountain range, the place was absolutely perfect.

27-year-old Erin Bradley smiled, her dark brown eyes finally lighting up after a long time. She had a feeling this remote countryside area of Idaho could be her knight in shining armor.

With her shiny black hair pulled up in a ponytail and her heart leaping with eagerness at the peaceful summer vacation she had been longing for, she actually looked about ten years younger.

At that very moment, she heard her phone ringing. She rummaged through her tote bag and fished it out. “Hi, Mom!” she greeted cheerfully when she saw who was calling.

“Hey, honey…” she heard her mom’s perky voice say. “Are you there yet?”

“Yup, standing right in front of it,” she replied. “It’s beautiful. Tell Winston thanks for letting me use it while you guys are on your honeymoon.”

“Oh, that’s no big deal.”

“Where are you guys?” Erin wondered as she slowly climbed up the front steps and sat down on the cushioned sofa on the porch.

“Right in front of the Eiffel Tower!” her mom exclaimed. “By the way…” The signal seemed to suddenly fluctuate, masking her mom’s voice with static and cutting her off abruptly.

“Hello? Hello!” Erin said.

There was no answer, so she tapped on the End Call button and put her phone back inside her bag. She took out the keys to the lake house and was about to open the front door, when she heard some noise coming from inside- as if somebody had accidentally dropped something heavy.

Her heart began to pound madly. Just her luck that a thief had decided to break in right when she arrived!

Instinctively, she turned the door knob and was astonished to find that it wasn’t locked. She slowly crept inside, looking around with wide eyes and a fast beating heart.

I should call 911,
she thought, taking out her phone again. But when she looked at it, there was no signal anymore. She was about to head back outside, when a male voice made her stop in her tracks.

“Who are you?” a low, husky voice demanded.

Shocked that he had the gall to be the one to ask that question, she turned around with an angry retort in mind. But when she saw the towering, brawny man staring at her crossly, his muscular arms peeking out of his plain black shirt, fear immediately gripped her.

He strode toward her in quickly, before she could turn around and run. She found herself frozen on the spot, her mouth hanging open.

“Who are you?” he repeated the question, this time in a less threatening tone. “How did you get in here?”

“The door was open,” Erin answered mechanically. Then realizing he was supposed to be the intruder, she narrowed her eyes and said, “I should ask you that.”

His deep green eyes which had been looking at her suspiciously a moment ago seemed to relax. “You must be Jillian’s daughter,” he muttered irritably.

Erin was dumbfounded. How did he know her mother’s name? “And you are?” she asked, eyeing him oddly.

“Kale,” he said in a brusque manner. “Kale Thompson.”

“Oh,” was all she could say when she heard his family name. He must be related to her mom’s new husband. “There must be some mistake. I was supposed to have this place all to myself for the summer.”

He simply grunted and turned away, leaving her annoyed. He disappeared into the room on the right, but did not close the door. She followed him cautiously and saw that he had been doing some carpentry work inside. There were a few boxes on the floor. One which was filled with books seemed to have toppled over because some of the books were now scattered on the wooden planks. That must have been the reason for the noise she’d heard from outside.

She drank in the scene before her. Obviously, this guy was not going anywhere anytime soon.

“Are you Winston’s nephew or something?” she inquired, trying to control her mood.

“Or something,” he said without looking at her.

Despite his huge physique and ruggedly handsome looks, she wasn’t impressed at all. She was more concerned about the fact that he may actually stay longer than one day.

“Seriously, what’s your relation to him?” she asked exasperatedly, placing both hands on her hips as she stood at the doorway.

He was pounding on what looked like a half-made wooden bed with a hammer. “I’m his son,” he muttered almost unintelligibly.

Erin was still able to decipher his reply, but she had a hard time believing it. She’d met Winston only once when he and her mom had visited her apartment in the city. He had never mentioned anything about having a son or even about a previous family. Even her mother had seemed to have skipped that detail about him during the many chats they’ve had over the past year. She had been seeing him for a year before they had settled down. She would have known, right?

“How long before you finish up and leave?” she asked bluntly. She was probably not being too polite especially since it was his dad who’d actually bought the house. But at that moment, she didn’t care much. She was intent on making this her recovery summer break so she could pick up the pieces of her broken heart and start over.

Kale stopped hammering then. He stood up and faced her squarely with a look of nuisance and disbelief. “I’m staying for the entire summer,
stepsister
,” he said in his low voice.

Erin gasped when she heard what he’d called her. He’s right!

“Don’t worry,” he assured her. “I’ll stay out of your way. You can use the master bedroom. I’m sleeping on the sofa until this other room is fixed.”

Erin could only nod her head as he returned to his work. So much for a serene, rejuvenating, and heart-healing escape by the lake.

*****

As Erin strolled along the lakeside, she contemplated just going back to the city and taking up her best friend Courtney’s offer to hook up with her husband’s foreign friend. Just thinking about it was already stressing her out. She did not want to plunge into another romantic involvement after a disastrous one that had left her so broken.

Sighing, she paused and sat down on a patch of grass in the shade of a huge tree. She gazed at the exquisite natural scenery in front of her. This was something she wouldn’t be able to enjoy in the city. Just sitting still and admiring the beauty of nature already seemed to be making her feel better.

She shook her head. “Nah, I can’t go back,” she whispered aloud.
Besides, I don’t want to run into my ex and his other woman.”

Suddenly, his hurtful words came back to her along with images of betrayal that she wanted to erase from her memory forever. She closed her eyes and tried to push them away. “He’s a jerk and an asshole. I deserve better,” she declared with determination.

A ping from her phone made her open her eyes again. It was a Facebook message from her dear mom who was apologizing because she and Winston had mistakenly given her and Kale permission to use the lake house during the summer. They’d been so caught up with their impromptu wedding and travel plans that they had forgotten to fix the schedule for the use of the house.

Erin sighed, telling her mother that it was okay even if it really wasn’t. Her mom hadn’t been that happy for so many years; not since her dad had passed away in an accident. She didn’t want to rain on her mom’s parade, especially after seeing her newly posted photos in Paris.

No worries. I’ll deal with it. Have fun there with Winston!
That’s what Erin typed before saying goodbye.

The surroundings were so quiet that she silenced her phone and leaned back on the tree to savor the moment. After a long drive and after her encounter with an unexpected “stepbrother”, she realized she was tired and hungry.

She stood up and brushed off the dust and blades of grass from her jeans. That was when a movement on her far left caught her attention. She saw Kale coming out of the boathouse, rowing a small boat toward the center of the glittering lake. He was shirtless, which gave her a good view of his well-built chest and torso even from a distance. She could see the muscles flexing in his arms as he rowed.

Something inside of her seemed to stir just a tiny bit. Now that she thought about it, her stepbrother was actually quite hunky in that craggy sort of way that attracted many women. Her own ex was of the same type, which was probably the only reason her eyes were lingering on Kale.

Get over it, Erin,
she reprimanded herself silently.
Your ex is a big, fat liar and a two-timer badass. And that attractive man you’re staring at is your stepbrother.

At that moment, she saw him look in her direction. He was too far away to see if he had seen her gawking. But nonetheless, she turned around and hurried back to the house.

In a few minutes, she had forgotten about him and was animatedly chatting with Courtney while enjoying a glass of the fresh orange juice she’d brought along. Before going over to the house, she had stopped at the grocery store to buy food, toiletries, and other stuff she thought she might need throughout the month and a half of her self-declared vacation. She was a freelance writer, after all, with no actual boss. However, she’d had to inform her regular clients.

“So how beautiful is it there?” Courtney was asking.

“So damn beautiful and relaxing,” Erin replied.

“Ooh, I sooo envy you!” Courtney exclaimed. “I’m actually pleading with Chad to take me there next weekend. Or maybe the weekend after that.”

“That would be great!” Erin said.

“It depends on his erratic work schedule… and mine too…” Courtney said. “But we’ll definitely visit before the summer’s over. In the meantime, enjoy your quiet, alone time. You deserve it.”

“Thanks, Courtney,” Erin said, grateful to have a wonderful friend like her. She didn’t tell her about Kale, though.

After she put down the phone, she got a paperback novel and a bag of chips before heading out to the porch. She positioned herself lazily on the hammock, relishing the afternoon breeze while she read her book and munched on the chips.

About an hour had passed when she heard loud banging inside the house. At first, she ignored it because she knew Kale was probably back and was working again in the second bedroom. She hadn’t even noticed he was already back.

She tried to pay no attention to the noise, but it was impossible. Frowning, she climbed down from the hammock and went inside.

“Can you please keep it down?” she said from the doorway. His back was turned and thank God he had his shirt back on.

He glanced at her wordlessly, then suddenly put away his tools. He straightened up and walked past her. She followed him with her eyes as he stretched out on the sofa in the living room and closed his eyes. He was longer than the couch, so his feet dangled over one end.

She went back to the porch, but could no longer focus on what she was reading. The sun was already setting, so she put her book down and decided to watch the spectacular play of colors in the sky and on the surface of the water. When it darkened around her, she yawned and closed her eyes, eventually falling asleep on the hammock.

*****

It was nighttime when her eyes fluttered open. She was lying on the hammock on the porch, but was surprised to find that a blanket had been strewn over her body. She did not remember getting up to grab a blanket.

A shadow in front of the house caught her eye. The figure appeared to be Kale, so she did not panic. Besides, the remote area was not frequented by people and the nearest neighbor they had lived miles away. She watched him surreptitiously as he walked toward the lake. Then to her shock, he suddenly vanished into thin air.

She rubbed her eyes and glanced at her watch. It was almost midnight.

With her heart pounding and her curiosity growing, she went inside the house to make sure he really wasn’t there. Perhaps her eyes had been playing tricks on her, or maybe she’d somehow still been dreaming. But he wasn’t in the house.

She went to the lake but did not see him anywhere. It was quite dark, except for the illumination coming from the porch lights. And when that hit her, a shiver ran down her spine. She turned around tersely and almost crashed into the bulky chest of a tall man. Looking up, she found herself standing very close to her stepbrother and gazing into his profound green eyes.

“What are you doing out here at this time?” he asked. “It might not be safe.”

She wanted to ask him where he had been but she did not want to sound like she was interested in his activities. Without any answer, she trudged back to the house. He followed her and she hurriedly locked herself in the bedroom. He was certainly too creepy to hang out with.

The week passed by quickly. So far, Erin and Kale had managed to stay out of each other’s way. They cooked their own food and hardly ate at the same time. If they happened to be in the kitchen or dining room together, they ate with minimal conversation.