Apocalyptic Moon (After the Bane) (31 page)

“I need you.” She dug her nails into his bulging shoulder muscles, urging him. Instead, he paused to sniff. Normally that would have been rude, but after all the danger they’d been in and his keen senses being their warning, she feared something terrible was wrong. “What is it? Zombies or more werewolves?”

He gave her a sheepish smile and gently pulled out. “I don’t suppose your brother has a stash of condoms lying around?”

She propped herself up on her elbows. “Do you think I’m ovulating?” Why had she not thought about protection?

“Not think, Doc, know.” Wolfish ears sprung. He flared his nostrils and inhaled as if smelling a batch of fresh out of the oven cookies. His face darkened, bestial and savage. Would he succumb to her mating pheromones? He growled. “Fertile as a spring flower.”

“Oh.” She pulled the sheet to her breasts. Disappointed and aching for his touch, she nodded, doing her best to put on a brave face and not look hurt. “That’s okay, we need sleep anyway.” She wanted to add she understood he didn’t want to impregnate a witch and have a wizard-dragon lord wolf pup.
Imagine the vet bills.
He had to find the right mate and she was definitely not it. He’d made that obvious.

His voice was half-beast. “Babe, you’re in heat and sleep is the last thing on my mind.”

She slid off the bed, dragging the sheet to cover her body. “Maybe I should find another room, lover boy.”

Dirk grabbed her about the waist and flung the sheets away, leaving her standing there before him naked and vulnerable to his animalistic nature. His fangs seemed to have grown in a “
better to eat you, Red Riding Hood, way
.” His nails curved into claws for a few seconds but then receded. His breathing slowed and he pressed his lips together, fighting the shift. “No. On your knees!” His voice husky, unrelenting.

She obeyed, enjoying his command a tad too much. Wait, she’d never taken… She twisted. He was just too big. “You’re not going to?”

“Trust me babe. That would kill you.” Dirk brushed her long hair from her neck. He reached down into her wet channel, and then stroked her swollen mound. She moaned in sweet surrender, arching like a cat in heat. He rubbed her juices on her rump.

She gasped. Her body shuddered as he pleasured her. Pliant to his every touch, she suppressed a scream and rasped, “Dirk, yes.” He splayed a hand on her hip as he pressed his cock on her moistened butt cheeks.

He rubbed against her and called her name. Actually, several names. “Dora. Babe. Doc. Witch.” His breath rapid as he rubbed faster, harder, and he uttered, “Mine!”

Squirming in ecstasy, she moaned as he released his explosive climax with a loud groan. The warmth of his semen bathed the aftershocks of her erotic sensations. “Oh, Dirk.”

He collapsed on the floor and drew her into him. “Babe, you rocked my world.” Hastily, he wiped her wet bottom with the bed sheet then turned her chin and tenderly kissed her lips. They lay in each other’s arms in sweet contentment. Nonetheless, it was cold.

“Come on big bad wolf, time to sleep.” She got up and though her legs wobbled, she managed to return to the bed.

He chuckled. “Agreed.” He stood and joined her.

She rested her head on his shoulder. Would he really make her, a witch, his mate? He loved her but… Not a chance. He was going wolf on her, that’s all. Tomorrow they would return to his pack and tonight would be a fond memory. Sometimes it sucked being a witch.

Chapter 19

Fog obscured the sunrise, adding a pink hue above the forest as the mist slowly burned off. Dirk stood on the balcony, his senses attuned to every sound and smell. Birdcalls and the rich aroma of moist earth signaled a normal morning. Free of danger. No zombies, and for now, no Benandanti. His mate was safe. He tilted his head and picked up the distant rumble of a helicopter. Falco’s chopper? At least he hoped it was. Rave was a flake but reliable when it came to getting help for the pack, especially when the reunion promised reality TV drama.

Dora and the others still slept, and being human, were oblivious to the approaching rumble. Soon, they’d hear the chopping sound of its approaching rotors. He smiled. Maybe not Dora, he’d exhausted her.

His thoughts darkened. He had taken not only a human as a mate but a witch. All hell was about to break loose. His chest tightened. Worse, he hadn’t even told Dora he had claimed her. Talk about forced marriage, something he never wanted coerced on him, let alone the love of his life. Nonetheless, she’d never have that choice. Yet, telling her he loved her was
human
for claiming her. Wasn’t it? He clasped his clawed hands tight around the rail.

The sky cleared and he made out Falco’s blue and gold helicopter.

Speaking of the witch, Dora approached. She wore a borrowed black robe and her tousled hair was down, with that
I just had hot sex
look. “Everything okay?”

He drew her in and kissed her forehead. “Now that you’re by my side, more than okay.” He tipped his chin to the overcast sky. “A helicopter is on its way.”

She stiffened. “The Benandanti?”

“Nah. This one is ours. No need for you to fly off on a broom, my sexy witch.”

She shivered in his arms. “At least until I can fly with all of you on board. Air Dora.”

He laughed. “Air Dora, I like the sound of it, but I think you’ll need a bigger broom.”

She quirked a brow and sighed. “Damn it Dirk,
I’m a doctor, not a pilot, but I suppose I can get used to it.”

The rolling thump-thump-thump of the helicopter approached. His smile broadened. “It’s Falco’s chopper.”

Dora shaded her eyes with her parted fingers. “It’s large. There should be plenty of room.”

“It’s a corporate helicopter, seats five passengers. Time to dress and pack. I’ll go below and guide their landing.”

“What about the big cats?”

“They’re at least three miles away.” Dirk leapt down from the raised walkway and landed on the field that once housed the Siberian tigers. Counting on Falco’s hawk eyes to see distant objects, he waved his arms. The copter honed in on him, and turned. It soon hovered above him. The thunderous sound of the blades beating back the air made his lupine sensitive ears throb and he stepped back. It landed, blowing grass and loose dirt away.

Dirk released a deep breath. Falco was not alone, Rave waved from the co-pilot’s seat. Why is the royal pain in the ass raven here? He turned toward the house. Dora had dressed and buttoned Melanie’s jacket, while Marti and Josh brought out several suitcases.

Falco sat inside checking his instruments. Rave disembarked, wearing plain jeans, a bomber jacket and matching boots. Ever the fashionable raven princess.

“I hope we were quick enough,” said Rave.

“Quicker would have been better. Yesterday we barely escaped Theo and his goons.”

She arched a brow. “Is your lady love okay?”

“Theo kidnapped her; actually, she volunteered, and came too damn close to being bled out to create another bloodstone.”

“Volunteered?”

“Only because they threatened to kill her niece.” Falco stepped down and approached. “I’ll tell you more later. For now, mind your tongue, bird.”

“Mum’s the word.”

Dirk threw her a pointed stare and left to embrace Falco. His younger cousin looked like he’d grown since the last time he saw him. More man than boy. Dirk laughed and messed his hair like he always did. He considered him more of a little brother than cousin. “You filled out.”

“You missed my nineteenth birthday a couple weeks ago.”

“Sorry, I was unable to make it. I was too busy rescuing a damsel in distress. I’ll buy you a beer.”

“Not buy, barter a beer.”

Rave shot Dora a hard smile. “Looks like your doc is wondering why we’re taking so long.”

Dirk’s face flushed and he rubbed his neck. “Yeah, come on, I’ll introduce you to our new human pack members.”

****

Dora smiled, pretending not to be jealous of Rave. After all, the hot-looking raven shifter had brought help in the form of a young pilot. Falco, the hawk/wolf shifter reminded her of a fresh faced intern.
As long as he flies better than I do.
But like Dirk, he looked human.

Dirk introduced Marti first since she was below filling the water troughs with water in case the cats came back. They also had a swimming pool that reverted to a mucky pond after all her sanctuary volunteers had either left or turned. Her cats took care of the ghoulish undead, killing them and then burying the bodies. According to Marti, the tigers figured out how to stop the undead from moving. The big cats finally learned to slash the head but the first trials were a gruesome task of trial and error. Even the animals were smart enough not to approach a decaying drooling zombie. Predators and scavengers considered zombie meat unappetizing.

While they made small talk with Marti, Dirk leapt onto the balcony and stepped off the rail. He drew Dora in and adjusted her biker jacket and shirt beneath as if to cover her bite. Was he embarrassed or was it her imagination? Had to be her imagination, she doubted the werewolf was on the prudish side. Love or not, he must have a long line of shifters hoping to claim him.

Dirk smiled. “There, I don’t want you to get cold.” He turned serious. “Don’t say a word about your
witchmacallit
, not until I talk to my uncle.” Glancing at Josh and Melanie, Dirk said, “That goes for you, too.” He knelt down to Mel’s eye level. “We need to keep Auntie Dora’s flying a secret for now.”

“I know, Daddy explained. We don’t want the bad men to come back.”

He twisted a smile at her. “Smart girl.”

Dora grabbed his arm. “Dirk, can we talk a minute?”

“Sure, babe.”

As if offended he’d called her babe, she narrowed her eyes. She didn’t want to find out he called all women, babe.

A hurt look flashed across his face. “Sure, Dora.” He followed her toward the house but Falco and Rave literally flew up and jumped in front of them.

In an instant, their winged arms returned to normal arms. Her heart thumped. The world had new rules, no malls, flying horse sticks, zombies, werewolves and shifters of the feathered variety. “Hello, Rave.” The woman with the amazing violet eyes and toned figure smiled. Good teeth, too. Crap.

Rave cocked perfectly plucked eyebrows. “You don’t look any worse for wear.”

Dirk laughed with a hand on Dora’s shoulder. “No, but I am.” He raked back his red hair and turned to the young pilot. “Dora, meet Falco, son of Alpha Talon and Phoenix.”

Falco was tall, but not as tall as Dirk. He had sandy blond hair and deep sky blue eyes. He looked too young to have a pilot’s license but since he knew how to fly what was the harm of learning how to fly a helicopter? Worst-case scenario, if there were engine problems, he could fly away from a crashing plane or copter. So could she, but her ability was too haphazard to depend on. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to get flying lessons. Dora offered her hand. “A pleasure.”

“Rave said you’re a medical doctor.”

“Yep, though I’m running out of patients. At least human ones.”

“Nine humans just joined us and they’ll need a doctor around.”

Dirk turned and introduced Josh and Mel. Her niece stared between both Falco and Rave. Flight seemed to interest her. Tales of Peter Pan and Wendy sprinkled with fairy dust was a child’s story that must now ring true in Mel’s mind. Falco knelt. “Hey, you want to be my co-pilot?”

She nodded but frowned. “I don’t know how to fly.”

“That’s okay. I’ll do the flying. You just sit next to me and keep me company.” He looked at Josh. “If that’s all right with you?”

“Sure. Any room for a nervous dad in the front?”

“Room for three, then.”

They hastily loaded their few suitcases. Marti’s pained expression, evident as she stared into the forest. She loved her cats, but without a supply of meat, she was useless to them. She would need to venture into zombie territory in search of big cat food. Not an option. Dora approached her. “Don’t worry, they’ll survive.”

Dirk assured Marti. “I promise, as soon as we get back, we’ll contact the cat shifters.”

“Do they live near your compound?”

“They prefer the southeastern states, Louisiana and Florida.”

Falco released the steps for boarding. “Time to board the Agusta a109E Power Elite. Smoothest, most luxurious chopper flight.”

Josh gaped. “Wow. To think all it took was a zombie apocalypse to give us the opportunity to sit in a multi-millionaire’s luxury helicopter.” His hand smoothed over the soft white leather seats.

Rave looked pleased. “A gift from our family to Alpha Talon’s pack, in honor of our treaty.”

Over the noise of the helicopter, Falco shouted, “We had several Apache helicopters but they just vanished. All military aircraft ceased to exist.” He glanced back. “Some mysterious force. At least we still have a few twin engine planes but finding fuel is getting more difficult.”

Dirk was the last one to board as Falco prepared for flight. He sat next to Dora as she secured her seatbelt. “Good to go, Falco.” The helicopter lifted and off they went to Halloween Club Central.

Dora looked out the window at their new compound as the helicopter approached for landing. It overlooked a scenic lake and a green valley below. A good place for a wolf den. “Maybe it’s a bad idea to leave.”

Rave pointed at a swarm. “The zombies from nearby communities are beginning to filter in.” The ghouls stood by the fence, not in full agitation, but in what appeared to be patience. Many were in sunbathing stasis state. As the helicopter flew closer, the zombies began to moan. Feeding time.

Dirk leaned in to look. “It wasn’t this bad when I left.”

“The rotting stench is so bad for the werewolves that the compound burns incense twenty-four seven,” said Rave.

Dirk nodded. “The sooner we relocate the better.”

“But will humans get enough food at a national park?” Dora asked referring to Yosemite. The National Park Service had the infrastructure to run the popular tourist destination but no matter how small the population, food needed to be brought into the park. At least for the humans.