Alpha Vampire Romance: Vampire’s Mate (Paranormal Shapeshifter Alpha Demon Vampire Romance) (Coming of Age Werewolf BBW Shifter Women’s Fiction Short Stories) (89 page)

“Let me explain, Erin,” he started.

But she exploded right then and there. “All this time, you’d been lying to me! What’s the meaning of all this? Are you some crazed stalker?”

“No, Erin, listen…” He tried to reach out to her but she stepped back quickly.

“I can’t believe it, Kale! I trusted you!” she cried, her heart breaking terribly. She knew she was becoming hysterical but she didn’t really care at that moment. “Did you and Winston plan all this?!”

Suddenly, her mom was standing behind Kale. She’d probably awoken because of all the commotion. Beside her, Winston simply looked apologetic and worried.

“Mom, did you know about these?” Erin demanded, throwing the photos and other items onto the bed.

Jillian looked down on them and then looked up again with a remorseful face. “I’m so sorry, Erin. I think we all have to sit down and explain to you the truth about Winston and Kale. You two were so close when we got here, I assumed he’d told you…”

“Told me what?” Erin almost screamed, looking from her mother to Kale. “What’s going on??”

Her mother led her out to the living room where they all sat together and waited for her to calm down. Winston prepared tea as they gathered round the table.

Jillian took a deep breath then plunged into the story. “I met Winston online because he was working for the government. He and Kale are… helping the space research department.” She paused, looking at the two men who were giving her encouraging looks. “We fell in love even before we had seen each other face to face. But when we finally got to spend time together, I noticed some strange things happening. He could heal fast, he could vanish and reappear whenever he wanted to…”

Erin gasped. “Kale too…” she murmured with dread.

“Yes, Erin,” Jillian said, nodding and holding her daughter’s hands. “You see, they’re not like us. They are from… far away…”

“From where?” Erin wanted to know.

Kale spoke up then. “I’ve been meaning to tell you for a long time, Erin. Winston and I are from a community of guardians or what some also call protectors. Each one of us is assigned to a human being on Earth, sort of like a ‘guardian angel’…”

Erin was shaking her head in disbelief. Her mom did not seem shocked by the story at all. Did she really buy this?

“Erin, I have pictures of you because… I… I’m your protector,” Kale finally finished. He was breathing heavily, obviously worried about her reaction.

Erin’s eyes widened, but she could not think of anything to say at that moment.

“It’s true, Erin,” her mom said, sitting beside her and placing a comforting arm around her shoulders. “Kale is the one who saved your life during the accident.”

“But… but… what about Dad?” Erin asked, her voice barely a whisper. Tears began forming in her eyes as she recalled the traumatic accident. “If this is all true, why wasn’t Dad saved like me?”

“It was my fault, Erin,” Winston said in a grieving tone. All eyes were on him now. “Your father’s protector was my… former wife… We’d had an argument right before the accident. She was very distracted and was not alert enough. It was too late… And because of that…” He paused, trying to speak clearly despite beginning to choke on his words. “She… she… she had felt so guilty and so bad that she went away and never showed herself again. Many believe that she’d banished herself from our community because of her great shame.”

Tears began to fall down Jillian’s cheeks. Erin too could not help crying. She felt his sincerity and his deep remorse. But more than that, the memory of her father was making her heart constrict. These revelations were also making her feel so lost and confused.

“I vowed to protect your mother, Jillian, with all my life for the rest of my life,” Winston continued. “I left my post as senior trainer of the guardians because I knew it was the right thing to do.”

“So… what are you guys, really?” Erin whispered, dreading the answer but needing to hear it once and for all.

Kale was the one who faced her and said it. “We’re aliens.”

*****

It was one thing to fall in love with her stepbrother. It was an entirely different ballgame to love a stepbrother from outer space.

Yes, that was how it turned out to be for Erin as her summer vacation came to an end. She’d wanted to run away after that night of revelation. She’d wanted to hide in the city and never be part of that family again. But she couldn’t. She just couldn’t turn her back on her mother and on the man who had made her feel loved again.

As a favor to her mother, she stuck it out. Anyway, there was only a week left of summer before she had to get back to her reality.

At times, they were like any other blended family trying to adjust to one another and to the new situation. But more often than not, it was plain awkward for her to mingle with these aliens whom she must now learn to accept.

At least she and her mom did not have to worry about being in danger ever again. They had protectors to make sure they were always safe and secure.

And on the brighter side, at least she did not have to worry about having an actual relationship with her stepbrother. As far as she was concerned, their summer affair was long over. It was good while it lasted, and she was thankful for that.

A few times Kale had tried to reach out to her, but she had simply brushed him off. Soon he stopped trying. Perhaps she wasn’t that important to him, after all. And it was all for the best, anyway.

After saying goodbye to the beautiful lake house she would never, ever forget for the rest of her life, Erin forced herself to drive away and go back to the city where her life was waiting. But as she was heading down a steep road, she somehow lost control, causing the car to skid fast towards a huge tree on the side of the road.

Erin screamed, hitting the brakes just in time before she hit the tree. She sat there, breathing heavily, scared out of her wits.

“Glad to know you saved yourself,” somebody said from the passenger’s seat.

Kale had suddenly appeared inside the car. He was gazing at her so intensely that she felt like she was going to melt. Despite her resolve to forget about him, she could not keep her heart from soaring into high heavens upon seeing his ruggedly handsome face and deep, beautiful green eyes.

“As I’ve told you, I don’t need any saving,” Erin responded, trying to keep calm. “You can go find someone else to protect. I’m not a damsel in distress.”

“I know,” Kale said, his lips turning up in a slight smile. “You’re very strong, Erin. You’re the knight in shining armor, and I’m the damsel in distress.”

“Are you playing with me?” Erin said irritably.

“Oh, no, no…” he quickly replied. “I’m serious, Erin. I need saving. You see, there’s this woman who captured my heart and no matter how hard I try, I just can’t seem to get her out of my mind.” He paused, leaning closer and making Erin’s heart race wildly. “I’ve fallen hard,” he whispered sincerely.

Erin’s heart seemed to skip a beat. “But Kale…”

“My dad and Jillian have already approved,” he quickly said.

“You told them?!” Erin exclaimed incredulously.

“I told them that I’ve fallen hard for my stepsister, but that I’m not sure if she’s willing to pick me up and face the future with me…Will you help your stepbrother?” he asked hopefully.

“How?” she whispered. “How can I help you when I’ve fallen hard too?”

Kale gazed into her brown eyes, smiling and lifting his hand to caress her cheek. “Tell me you love me, Erin. Save me… because I am so damn in love with you.”

Tears welled up in Erin’s eyes. “Oh, Kale… I do love you!”

He leaned down to kiss her on the lips. She kissed him back eagerly, her heart overflowing with joy and relief.

She understood then that what they had for each other was more than just a momentary affair. It was something worth fighting for, something worth saving. It was love, for sure, for real.

THE END

Bonus Story 23 of 25

Marceline

I sighed deeply, trying to prepare myself for the night that lay ahead. This wasn’t going to be one of my typical waitressing shifts, this was going to be working with
extremely
rich men and women – people that had more money than sense – and I had to be top notch if I wanted the party to go well.

After all, it was the tips that kept me going, and this party held endless possibilities for that. I’d made sure in advance that I was looking my best for that exact reason. I’d pulled back my long dark hair into a French braid, I’d scrubbed and exfoliated my body to give me added confidence, and I’d even bothered to apply a cute red lipstick, which contrasted well white my pale, milky skin.

It wasn’t that I particularly got off on using my looks to get me places, but in waitressing, looking smart and presentable always equaled more respect and bigger tips. Every single time. 

“You okay?” Nikki, one of my closest friends asked me. “You seem a little nervous.”

I couldn’t help but notice that she seemed completely at ease with all of this – as if hosting this sort of event was something that she did all the time. Why did I seem to be the only one that was finding this difficult?

“Yeah.” I huffed once more. “Just a little tired.”

Juggling my studies with this job – which I needed to do to fund my dream to become a lawyer – was difficult, but I didn’t have any choice. My family was too poor to be able to help me, and I was unselfish enough never to ask them. I’d been independent from a very young age, and was proud of that quality about myself.

“Come on,” she tugged on my arm, smiling. “Dominic needs to prep us.”

As our manager Dominic droned on about
proper behavior,
the billionaires filtered onto the yacht. This party was to celebrate some business merger or another and I was certain that it was going to get nuts. I’d never seen rich people party, but I was sure that they went wild when they really got into it. Seeing all of that was one thing that I was really excited about!

Finally, we were set lose among them, holding platters of various pretentious food items. Some people were rude, and others dismissed us entirely as if we were dirt to be trampled on. That really annoyed me.

Well, it would have done under normal circumstances, but tonight I was focused on something else. There was one businessman that kept distracting me by sending me secret smiles. At first I decided that I was imagining it, but then it kept on happening, and finally I got a wink – proving to me that there was something going on here.

I didn’t know what to think about that, what I was supposed to do, but I couldn’t stop myself from grinning back on more than one occasion. He was absolutely stunning – talk, dark and very handsome – so of course I was incredibly flattered.

But it was more than that. He was sending butterflies flying all over my body. I liked him, a lot. I found him incredibly sexy.

But out of my league… obviously. 

“What are you doing?” Nikki hissed at me when she caught me sending him another smile. I tried to shrug it off, but she was having none of it. “Just don’t let Brad catch you. You’ll get fired.” She wasn’t judging me, she was warning me. We’d seen more than one staff member lose their jobs for stepping over professional boundaries.

Much as I knew that she was right, I didn’t seem to be able to help myself.

Finally, as the night started to darken, the yacht turned around to go back home, and the party started to wind up, he approached me.

“You’re a pretty young thing, aren’t you?” he smirked, sending a bolt of desire racing right through me. If anyone else had said this, I would have found it sexiest and offensive, but somehow coming from him, it felt like a compliment.

“Th… thank you.” I stuttered, glancing around hoping that I wasn’t about to get caught. Talking to the clients was fine, but if anyone heard what was being said… that would be another story!

“So, are you going to tell me your name?” He moved closer to me, giving me the chance to inhale his musky scent. The way he smelt was so sexy that it actually made it hard for me to think.

“M… Marceline,” I stammered, feeling a blush fill my cheeks. “Yours?” As soon as I said this, I realized that it was probably rude. Asking the name of a billionaire was probably not the done thing. I’m sure it had been mentioned in the
proper behavior
speech.

“Guy.” He completely brushed over my blunder. “Now, what’s a stunning girl like you doing waitressing? Shouldn’t you be a model or something?”

“Oh, I… I don’t think so.” I grew in embarrassment, not sure how to react to such blatant flirting. I knew how I
wanted
to react, especially with him so close to me, but I also knew that wouldn’t be appropriate. I could not afford to lose my job over this bit of fun!

“Anyway,” I smiled weakly, already feeling sad that I had to leave. “I’d better get back to work.”

“Oh of course.” He touched my shoulder, causing me to suck in a shocked breath. “But here’s my phone number, in case you want to reconvene after the boat has docked. I’d like to see you again.”

And then he left in a breeze of expensive cologne, leaving me confused and incredibly turned on, with a business card between my fingers.

I stuffed it into my pocket, racing off to find Nikki. I needed to tell her what had just happened!

“So text him,” she hissed, as soon as I’d finished my story. “Men like him don’t come around every day.”

“I know, but… what if he’s a dick?”

She sighed deeply, knowing that I was referring to my past. My ex-boyfriend, Dylan, had been a real shit – cheating, lying, and manipulative. It had taken me a long time to walk away from him, and even longer to recover from it all.

“Not every guy is like that,” she murmured quietly. “You can’t allow your past to define you. You’ve spent too long avoiding men because of Dylan. And anyway,” she smiled at me, landing her final argument, “no one is asking you to marry him. Just have a bit of fun for crying out loud!”

As she left the bathroom, she’d given me a ton to think about. My body was gagging for that hunk, but my brain was trying to be smart.

I wondered which one was going to win…

*****

Hugh

I spotted the gorgeous, dark-haired waitress from the very first second that the party started. I immediately knew that I wanted to take her home, and I knew that I would end up doing so because I
always
got what I wanted.

But then I had to do the rounds chatting to the other guests, and she had to work, and I completely lost track of her.

It was only when I went looking for her once more, to ask her out, that I’d spotted her talking to and laughing with Guy, my friend and business rival. I knew in that moment that all was lost. He was handsome in the muscular rugged type of way, and extremely charismatic. The opposite of me. I was good looking too, but in a more understated, preppy way, and I was quieter than him too. Sure, I was just as determined and successful, and I did always get my way, but I didn’t go about it in the over-the-top fashion that Guy did.

I wouldn’t be able to compete now that he’d stuck his claws in.

As soon as I saw my mystery woman talking to him, I knew that she’d never be mine – not that night anyway. I would have to come up with another method if I wanted her too. It wouldn’t be tonight, but I was sure that I could have her at another time.

And as I watched her blush at something he said, a steely determination took over me that I absolutely
would
have her. I would do everything within my power to make her desire me, to make her crave me.

I stalked away and quickly found my personal assistant to send him on a mission. I adored my PA; he was great at this sort of unexpected task. He never asked questions, or judged me; he would always just do as I asked. I knew he’d get this job done, and I trusted him implicitly.

Tonight however, I would have to settle for growing increasingly jealous and pissed off at the thought of Guy and her together. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to think about anything else, and I decided that the only way I could deal with that was by getting stinking drunk.

“Whiskey,” I growled at the barman, just as I saw Guy walk away from her, having just handed her his card. “Double. On the rocks.”

*****

Guy

As soon as I received a text from little Miss Marceline, I knew that it was game on. I’d known that she would meet me from the boat, that she would agree to a drink, and that we would end up back at my townhouse. I could just tell by the way her eyes had lit up at the sight of me, and by the way she’d shone as I spoke to her. She liked me, a lot, and for that I was glad.

We met up again as planned. But I had no idea how much I would like her! She was
so
much more than all of the usual airhead women that I slept with. We were usually just using one another – me for their bodies, them for the life that I might turn around and offer them – but Marceline was different. She wasn’t just sexy and sweet, she was incredibly intelligent too. She captivated me for her mind and spirit, as well as her rocking body.

We’d just had a long conversation about opera, and now we were discussing classic literature. She challenged me in a way that I hadn’t been challenged for a very long time, and I liked her all the more because of it. I found myself wanting to know everything that there was to know about her – which was weird, because normally I stopped as soon as I knew their names.

I could tell that she was growing to like me more and more too, because she becoming increasingly comfortable and happy with me.

After our third tumbler of champagne, I finally leant in and pressed my lips against hers. I’d wanted to do it for an extremely long time, but this moment just felt
right
. It felt perfect.

She responded shyly at first, as if she wasn’t quite sure what she should be doing, but she soon lost herself – kissing me hungrily and passionately, sparking emotions inside of me that I hadn’t felt for a long time.

I pulled back for a second, just to look at her. She looked raw, exposed, and all I wanted to do was devour her completely.

My brain was telling me that if I
really
liked this girl, then I should take it slowly, but then she groaned in pleasure and my resolve went out the window.

Our clothes shed in a blur, and soon we were both completely naked and entwined on the sofa. I did wonder if Marceline always moved this quickly – she certainly didn’t seem the type – but quickly pushed that thought asid
e
. It didn’t matter, if something was ever going to become of this then it would anyway – regardless if we slept together now or not.

I trailed my fingers up her thighs, feeling her gasp and wiggle beneath me. As I finally found her hot, wet opening, and pushed my fingers in to explore that, her body buckled beneath me, making me feel like the sexiest, most powerful man alive. Her gasping and panting heated up my belly, and I claimed her once more with my mouth while I explored all that she had for me.

“You’re so beautiful,” I whispered. I started to experiment, to see what worked for her. I ran kisses down her body, finding her nipples with my teeth. Clearly, she was becoming overwhelmed with all of the sensations, because she couldn’t grasp her breath for long enough to reply. Her nails digging deeply into my back told me all that I needed to know.

Then, as I flicked my tongue over her breasts, she totally surprised me by reaching out and grabbing onto my thick length, running her fingers up and down it. I lost myself in her touch for a few moments, just closing my eyes and letting her play with me, but it quickly became too much.

“Stop.” I panted, pulling her off me. I wanted to feel all of her before the night was out. “Not yet. Too close.”

I watched her face intently as I teased her entrance. She wanted me, badly, but she didn’t want to ask for it. She was trying to stay composed, but her facial expression occasionally broke, giving her away. She wanted me, desperately.

I gave her a funny little smile, hoping that she was feeling all the raw but pleasant emotions that I was. 

Then, just as I was about to thrust, just as I thought I had her all worked out, and that I had her totally under my control, she shocked me once more by flipping me onto my back, and sliding down onto me in one smooth movement.

As she grinded on top of me, her head tossed back in pleasure, I realized just how truly gorgeous she was. As her dark hair cascaded down her silky white body, it took all that I had not to lose it right away.

It wouldn’t be long, but I wanted to make the most of this woman while she was here…

*****

Marceline

As soon as I woke up the next morning, I wondered what the hell I’d been playing at. I
never
slept with guys like that on the very first date, ever. But there had just been something so attractive about Guy, and I’d found myself unable to resist.

I’d wanted him so damn badly, but now, in the cold sober light of day, I was more than a little embarrassed. I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d made a mistake, so before he even woke up, I grabbed my things, got dressed and called a taxi to pick me up. I probably could have walked, but I didn’t feel like doing the walk of shame. I just wanted to be back at
my
home, where I could shower and sort my head out in peace.