Big Game (The V V Inn, Book 3) (12 page)

I check out the other occupants surrounding the table and see mostly vampire men. I can’t help but notice the event seems like an undead sausage party, regarding the ratio of male to female vampires. Why has this escaped my attention before?

Dria tosses the die while I mentally ask,
How many female vampires are there?

The cubes roll to a stop at the end of the table. A two and a five show face up. The group cheers and Dria is handed the dice again while bets are placed.
I don’t have an exact number for you, but I’d say as a norm there are two to three times as many males who survive past fledgling status than females.

Why?

Most of the women are killed by other women, proving we’re far more power hungry than the males.

I place my hands on her hips when she offers the dice again for me to blow. Cora pushes her way through the gathering and looks at the two of us with a snarl of hatred on her face. “How about we make the stakes more interesting on this hand?” No telling what that nasty bitch has in mind. “Or can you not throw dice well under pressure, Alexandria the Great?”

The excited tension surrounding the gambling table pauses as attention shifts to Coraline. I have no doubt the oldest bloodsuckers know exactly who my wife was when an enforcer, but I still don’t understand why it bothers Coraline so much. A man of Asian descent with long black hair responds to her question, “What did you have in mind?”

Cora glances around the table, her gaze lingering on the human companions standing behind the betting vampires. “Why not a blood bet? Highest winner on a losing roll gets to taste the dice thrower’s date?”

All eyes swivel to me and I suddenly feel like a bachelor auctioned as an escort at a charity event. I never would have thought this many male vampires preferred men, but they’re looking at me like they might want a piece of me. Then again, she did say blood, not sex. I resist the self-preserving urge to shrink from a group of hungry predators and hold my ground, gripping my wife’s hips more firmly to convey my displeasure at the suggestion.

I never needed to worry. Anger leaks from Dria and pushes out to encompass the entire table in one fell swoop of power. A buzzing tingle coats my skin, feeling like the blood rushing through a limb that fell asleep. The energy shuts down almost as quick as it occurred, but those standing near us cannot doubt its origins.

A few gasps sound as Cora’s smile grows larger at Dria’s slip. Bitch orchestrated the whole thing.

My wife’s voice comes in a rough whisper, expressing great control, “I do not share what is mine.” She crushes the dice in her hand and sprinkles the dust on the felt. A dark-skinned vampire of Arabic descent standing near Coraline studies Dria with a calculated eye.

My wife pushes from the edge of table and stalks off to collect herself. Cora watches her leave then shifts her attention back to me. Gaming has stopped while the others absorb what they felt and what just happened. Cora’s eyes narrow on me. “I wonder what makes you so special?”

“It’s called love.” I reply before turning away. “You should try it sometime.”

Asa

Jerry settles onto
the couch in Vivian and Rafe’s small office. The gray light of early evening shines through the window as I flick on a desk lamp. Grabbing an armchair, I drag it to the resident electrician’s side. I take a seat and stare into the old engineer’s hazel eyes, mentally preparing myself that this man I admire could actually be our shooter.

Pushing out my will, I lay a mind compulsion in my words. “You will answer all of my questions truthfully.”

He nods and sits forward, running a hand through his gray hair and messing it up. “Let’s get this over already. I’ve got plans with Margery later. Assuming she’s not patching up more guests, that is.”

“Did you shoot any wolves yesterday or today?”

“No.”

“Do you know of anyone employed here who hates Jon’s wolf-dogs enough to go after them?”

A snort comes from Jerry as he looks away and then back to me. “No one would harm those dogs after what they did to protect the children when Ivan was loose last fall.”

Good point. I wondered at the validity of that question when Jon presented it. “Does anyone besides you have silver bullets?”

He shrugs and settles back on the couch. “Not that I know of. Only Margery and you bloodsuckers know I have them and make my own.”

Jerry is one of the few on the resort who doesn’t donate blood and knows what we are. I have no idea why Vivian allows it, but I’m sure she has her reasons. Seems odd that he’d tell the aging doctor about his silver bullets. “Why does the doctor know?”

“Because I love her, you fool.” He grumps and gets to his feet, looming over me in his indignation. “A man shouldn’t keep secrets from the woman he loves.”

Knowing my vamp whammy is still in place whether I stare at him or not, I continue my questions. “Have you seen any new faces recently on the property?”

“No.” He paces to the door.

“Where did you go on leave?”

Jerry spins back around, a spark of anger lighting his face. “I went to Fairbanks. Are we almost through here?”

I rise from the chair and walk to the older man. I stare into his hazel eyes and say, “You will forget this conversation and think we discussed an upcoming change to the generators.”

“Fine.” Not missing a beat, he opens the door then turns back at me. “Get me those plans for approval before you order anything, got it?”

I smile and nod my head. “Yes, sir. You have my word.”

He storms through the kitchen, passing Romeo and Elsa seated with Jon at a round table. The back door slams on his way out, and the three alphas look to me. “He wasn’t involved. Doesn’t know of anyone who could be doing the shooting, and no one else has silver ammo—as far as he knows.”

Before questioning Jerry, Romeo came in with another male Were from his pack. Each man carried the bleeding form of an injured werewolf in his arms. The patients are now downstairs receiving medical attention from Dr. Cook. Jerry’s plans with the doctor will have to wait a little while, but damned if I was going to be the one to tell him.

Jon’s shoulders ease from hearing the shooter wasn’t Jerry, but tension still pinches his face and rolls off him in waves. A wail of despair comes from the direction of the basement.

“Has Kotsana been properly confined?” Romeo asks.

“He’s been drugged and placed in a vampire safe room down below. Should hold him.”

Elsa’s delicate features and short pixie haircut look out of place on the sad alpha. “Jon, does anyone hate you enough to be doing this?”

Jon sits up a bit and looks to his former leader. “What makes you so sure it’s because of me? The lot of you could have led an enemy here from Manitoba.”

Romeo shakes his head. “It’s too thought out, boy. Can’t you see that? Scouting and setting traps takes more than a few hours. Whoever is doing this was here first.”

I pull up a chair and sip bloodcoffee in a travel mug, not willing to let myself lose control of my cravings with this many injured bodies occupying the inn. “So, you’re both suggesting this hunter, or hunters, was here before your plane arrived yesterday, right?” They both nod. “Who knew of your plans to come up here?”

The couple’s faces cloud over. “Pretty much everyone in our entire pack,” Elsa answers. Jon swears under his breath.

I set my mug down on the table. “And exactly how big is your pack?”

Romeo says, “Fifty. But they are spread out over the province. And no, they don’t all get along.”

“Are some married outside of the pack? Like to non-Weres?” Jon asks.

“Yes, one or two are even mated to vampires.”

I wonder if those vampires get addicted to their mates’ potent werewolf blood. But then again, Vivian never has with Jon’s, so maybe it’s not an immediate addiction with every pairing. “You can rule out the vampires, too much sunlight up here with no place to hide. It’s not like there’s a hotel near by.”

Jon stares off with a speculative expression. “We do have all those empty cabins.”

Romeo dismisses it with a wave of his hand. “We’d have smelled any vampires near the cabins.”

Jon runs a hand over his face, for a moment looking much older than his normal mid-twenties appearance. “Essentially all of your pack’s human mates could know as well?”

A little sound of distress comes from Elsa. “And not all of them have relatives who like werewolves.”

Jon stands up and crosses to the fridge for a bottled water. “Weren’t the mates sworn to silence?” He whirls back, anger evident on his face. “How could you let this many people be aware we exist?”

Romeo stands, his own frustration spilling out when he stands nose to nose with Jon. “Lots of people know about our species. We’ve been living amongst humans for millennia. You can’t blame my wolves—”

“Calm down, you two. And sit!” Elsa barks out. The two men jump at her sharp tone and take a step away from one another. Romeo leans against a counter, deliberately not sitting, and Jon stands near the fridge. If it weren’t so dangerous having two alphas ready to throw down in a cramped kitchen, I’d have laughed at how they both refused to obey the request. But the truth is, we need them working together right now.

“Do you think lots of people know about werewolves, vampires, magic, and all this supernatural crap?” I ask, completely unaware of what the answer might be.

Romeo answers, while Jon stares out the window. “There are always a few who have known.” He shrugs. “How many exactly? I’m not sure. Thankfully, they sound crazy if they tell anyone, so we’ve gone undiscovered for the most part.”

I take a sip from my travel mug and place it on the table. “Isn’t it also possible then that someone who knows of our existence might not accept us?”

“You mean those who’ve tried to eradicate us in the past?” Elsa asks. “Like supernatural hunters?”

I nod. “Makes sense. Hell, if I found out there was a pack of werewolves vacationing in the woods of my old home town I’d probably have been out there with a rifle.”

“He’s right.” Jon says, letting out a deep sigh. “Ignorance breeds hatred and fear of the unknown. Not acceptance and tolerance.”

The phone attached to the kitchen wall rings, and I scramble to answer it, wondering why whoever it is didn’t call one of our cells. “Yeah?”

One of the airplane mechanic’s frantic voices comes over the line. “All of the planes have been vandalized.”

“Calm down. Tell me what happened.” The wolves with their sharp hearing sit up and listen to both sides of the conversation.

“Someone who knows planes systematically removed the starters and shredded all the electrical wiring to the panels.”

My mind whirs, searching for possible ways we could still escape. “How long will it take to fix?”

“Days, and that’s if I can find everything I need in storage.”

“Get on it. Keep us posted.”

The call ends and I look to the wolves one by one around the kitchen. “I’m sure none of our people did this. I would have heard a hint in the probing I did in their minds last night.”

“It’s time we face what we don’t want to admit,” Jon says, coming back to the table and lowering into a seat. “We’ve got supernatural hunters gunning for werewolves—and they aren’t going about it half assed.”

“These aren’t just guys with guns,” Elsa adds. “They’re armed with silver and are systematically eliminating any chance we have of going for help.”

“What about the roads?” Romeo asks. “Can’t we drive away?”

Jon runs a hand over his hair, mussing it up. “No. This time of year the roads are un-navigable. Only one leads to Coldfoot and it’s almost as dangerous right now as in a snowstorm. The planes were the only way out.”

“And they knew that,” I say. “Which means they arrived here by air, as well.”

“Rather than discuss how they got here,” Elsa says, “we need to make sure our people are safe. Let’s pull everyone to the inn and regroup. Brainstorming together may help determine who is hunting us and why, but we still need to figure a way out of this mess.”

I finally dig out my cell phone, remembering the mechanic didn’t call that number first. The screen is blank, showing no reception. “Crap.”

“What is it now?” Jon asks.

“My cell is out. That’s why the guy called on the resort number—landlines are buried underground.”

“What does that mean?” Romeo pushes off the counter and pulls his own cell phone from his pocket. “Why are our cells out?”

“It means whoever is after us has sabotaged our satellite dishes as well,” I answer. “We’re not going to have any Internet access. The regular phones could be next.”

Jon shakes his head. “The phone wires might be underground, but if the hunters cut them at the pole that leads into Coldfoot we’ll only be able to reach local business extensions to the main buildings and services on the resort.”

“We need to call all the cabins while we still can,” I say, reaching for the phone.

“Get the wolves based here at the inn.” He moves down the hall, heading toward the office with the multiline phone. “I’ll start calling the apartments and confining staff inside their homes.”

“Do you really think they’ll shoot the employees?”

“I’m not willing to find out. Anyone who helps us could be a target.”

Drew

It’s well past two a.m.
and my latest call to Jon has gone to voicemail, just like the one to Asa did a half hour ago. If things are going well there the wolves may still be out running the property. The spring melt conjures images of really filthy wolves shaking all over our pristine inn. Ugh. If the damn beasts didn’t taste so good, I wouldn’t see the need to keep the species around.

Rafe informed me of Pat’s close call in the woods before he and Viv left for Buenos Aires. I’m sure the young Were is fine; wolves heal almost as fast as we do. I wonder if the Alaskan crew has figured out which employee may have been hunting sooner than the season allows.

I pace back and forth in our suite, debating on calling Rafe since I haven’t heard from them recently, either. They should have landed hours ago and, while I would normally wait until I’d heard from Jon or Asa, a nagging apprehension trickles through my connection to Vivian.

Calling her direct could rile her up and piss her off more, one thing I’m loath to do—or it might settle the discomfort niggling in the back of my brain. I snatch up my cell, grateful Chelly went downstairs to watch a movie with Tommy and Bob, giving me privacy to call. She really does have a good head on her shoulders, that one.

Decision made, I dial Rafe’s number, knowing he’s the more even keeled of the two. Managing a volatile master is nothing new in a seethe, no matter where you are. They don’t become the masters of a seethe because they’re pushovers.

After a few rings, the calm tones of the human radiate across the line. “Yes, Drew?” The sound of tango music grows fainter as if he’s distancing himself from the source of the music.

“I hadn’t heard from you and wanted to check in.” I continue my pacing, unsure where the nervousness is originating.

“We landed a while ago and are currently holding our own at the event.”

“Is Vivian okay? I think I’m getting a lot of hazy impressions coming through our connection. Like she’s anxious.”

“You ‘think’?” he asks, puzzlement in his tone. “Wouldn’t you be sure of your connection with her by now?”

I shake my head, trying to piece together what I mean. “I know I sound a bit like Paul right now—unsure and slightly out of sorts. But I’ve never felt such agitation through the link before. That’s why I’m not sure if it’s coming from her or not.”

Rafe sighs, and I hear a door shut, muting the music. “It’s a safe bet the agitation is coming from her, and that she just hasn’t been shielding as well as she normally does. There are a lot of people here who dislike my wife.”

“Any leads on who could be working with Coraline?”

Rafe is silent a moment, perhaps checking to make sure he’s not overheard or weighing how much he should tell me, I’m not sure. “One named Lucas has motive to hate her, plus some guy named Jonah – possibly for the same reason. And three or four others who hide their hate and dislike rather poorly, but I don’t know their names. They are avoiding us and watching from the sidelines.”

I’ve never understood the grudges some of these older vamps hold onto. The hardest part in vampire politics is in not knowing whom you’ve slighted enough to make them want to bury a stake in your back when you aren’t looking.

“That seems like an awful lot in so little time—you’ve been there only four hours, right?”

Rafe barks out a short laugh. “My lovely wife has had more than four centuries to make enemies of these bastards—even I don’t know all her exploits.”

I stop my pacing and slump into one of the club chairs in the sitting area. “What do you plan to do?”

A heavy sigh comes over the line. “Nothing tonight, as far as I can tell. I’m not sure how many of these guests will remain past morning. A few may stay for entreaties to the Tribunal.”

Vivian briefed us that some seethe masters come to these events to play “court”, similar to Europeans with the reigning monarchy centuries ago. Hobnobbing and mingling with peers to gain something for their family, arrange for a seethe transfer of a lower vampire, angle a marriage match among powerful undead, or for something as simple as securing a business loan from the Tribunal.

“Do you know when you’ll be back?”

“We’re still not sure, but the animosity swirling around is making this much harder than I thought to narrow the suspect pool.”

“Getting Coraline
alone
might be what you really need,” I say, hinting that Vivian could use her mind powers to force the information out of the blond vamp.

“We’ve discussed that, too. But she may have some protective magic around her like before—and triggering it so close to where the wielder might be is a big mistake.”

“So effectively Vivian is flying blind? And you two are winging it?”

An edge creeps into Rafe’s voice, “My wife and I have other strengths to get a job done, Drew.”

“Right. I’m sure.” I backpedal as best I can, realizing I’m close to insubordination and thankfully not messing up this call with Vivian right now.

“Have you connected with Asa or Jon yet?” Rafe asks, clearly willing to change the topic as well.

“No, both calls went to their voicemail.”

A grunt sounds at the end of the line. “Give them an hour, and if you don’t hear from them, call Cy.”

“Sir?”

“Jon and Asa are both responsible. It’s not normal for neither to pick up the phone, and Asa’s training would ensure he’d call back asap, if he could.”

A cold coils through my hand and I grip the phone tighter as I sit up straight. “Do you think something happened to them?”

“I’m not sure of anything, but we have protocols in place for a reason. If you don’t hear from them, assume the worst and call in backup.”

“Cy is pretty far away.”

“He’s less than twelve hours by plane, we’re much further, and Vivian trusts him. That’s the best we’ve got.”

The realization this is not some getaway love-tryst with Chelly hits me hard. Tension tightens in my gut, and for the first time since we left Alaska I’m experiencing real worries. I’m next in line for making decisions with Jon unreachable and so far away. With less than six months in the seethe, I can’t begin to guess the exact path my master might take in an emergency.

“Do you really think something might be happening up there?”

“Like I said, I have no idea. Vivian will take no chances when it comes to her vampire servant’s safety.”

“Yes, sir.” I stand and turn to the balcony, gazing out at the sparkling lights of the tiny port town on the distant shore. “I’ll call Cy when it hits two hours, okay?”

“Make it an hour. Asa is awake and there is no excuse for him, he’s too good.”

I glance at my watch and realize ten minutes will be an hour since I first called him. The music in the background grows, indicating Rafe has opened a door toward the noise and is perhaps about to end the call. “Rafe, wait!”

“Yes?”

“When should I check in with you again?”

“As soon as you hear from the boys on the resort. And if you don’t, we check in every twelve hours. I don’t trust this pack of bloodsucking fiends as far as I can throw them.”

“Yes, sir.”

We end the call and I run a nervous hand through my rumpled hair. The agitation doesn’t end, and in my selfish mind, one thing stands above all others: I’ve not bound Chelly to me. She’s not protected from other vampires.

I don’t truly think we’re in danger here in the couple’s safe house on their remote island, but with the Seat of Darkness only a few hours away…. It’s never good to let loved ones travel close to that danger without every protection you can provide.

Have I been a fool to drag out our union? Should I just follow her urging and get it over with? My gut clenches at the thought of rushing her seduction and our relationship. If I wanted a
slam bam thank you ma’am
encounter, I wouldn’t have chosen Chelly. I hope for her to be my next wife, and that kind of intention deserves more than how you’d treat a quick blood snack.

On the other hand, not sharing my blood leaves her vulnerable. Other vampires smell she’s a donor by my taint on her, and yet, without my blood scent coursing through her veins, marking her, she has no protection and retains the status of simply a willing donor among a pack of predators.

A knock on our suite door brings me around, and the beautiful blond head of my love pokes past the door. “Can I come in now? The movie was boring. I heard no voices in here and assumed you’d finished.”

I nod and she enters, dressed in a snug long sleeved t-shirt and yoga pants, showing off her ample curves and robust good health. My eyes linger over the cleavage on display in the deep vee of her shirt and then trail down to the full breadth of her hips. No stick-like women for me. I prefer mine to look like real women—not pre-pubescent children. She’s simply gorgeous, and I can’t wait another moment to mark her as mine.

I hold out a hand to her. She notices the heat in my gaze and a slow seductive smile spreads across her lips. “Have you been thinking about me recently? Your eyes don’t look too innocent.”

My eagerness edges close to hysteria. I fear I’m going to fumble through this like some untried youth. I take a deep breath, and meet her halfway across the room. Wrapping my arms around her, I lean her back and nibble on her throat. “Do you know how much I want you, Chelly?”

“Oh, my. Keep kissing my neck like that and you can have anything you want.”

I trail a hot path down her exposed skin, stopping before I’m tempted to nuzzle the fabric aside and explore the creamy mounds of her full breasts. “I want to make you mine,” I whisper against her throat.

She straightens. “Now, we’re talking.” Her hands tug her shirt up half way. “I can’t say I’ve minded the wait, but damn, I’m more than ready.”

I still her hands and stare into her dark blue eyes. “I want to share blood with you, Chelly. I want you to give blood only to me, to no other vampire. I want them to scent me in you… running through your veins.”

My motives are pure, even if my timing is spurred by anxiety. Chelly stares at me. I see moisture pooling in her eyes. “I’d like that, Drew. Are you sure?”

I kiss her mouth. “More sure than anything I’ve ever done.”

“Will it hurt?”

I smile, with my fangs fully descended, expressing my desire in my eyes and in the natural reaction from a vampire about to feed. “Not at all, my dear.” I sit on the edge of the bed and pull her to straddle my lap.

A nervous giggle escapes my lover. “Drew, I think I’m falling in love with you.” She ducks her head slightly and looks at me through eyelashes. “Does that sound silly when we haven’t even made love yet?”

My cock surges to life in the confines of my trousers, which she can easily sense through the thin material of her yoga pants. Heat boils from her core as she rubs herself back and forth against my hardening length.

“It’s not silly at all.” I place my hands on both sides of her face to tilt her eyes up to look at me full on. “Without love, it’s not making love, is it?”

She gives her head a soft shake and leans in to kiss me. My tongue slices on one sharp canine, allowing blood to trickle into my mouth. Chelly’s lips press to mine and then her tongue tangles with my own. Blood eases gently into her. The cut I inflicted quickly heals, but enough has gone into my lover to mark her as mine and keep her safe from other vampires.

To willingly try and feed off of someone’s servant is asking for a fight. Dueling to the death among our kind is rare and purposeful slights will only escalate if a fight was the intention all along.

We kiss breathlessly, me murmuring heated endearments while Chelly grinds over my cock. The clock on the wall chimes once, reminding me it’s half past two and well beyond the one-hour mark from when I should have heard from Asa. Reality crashes in and my body physically hurts to stop what we so deliciously started with a simple kiss.

I ease away, taking a shuddering breath. Resting my forehead against hers, I run a hand down her back to soothe our raging bodies. “I’m sorry. I have to make one more phone call. It’s important or I wouldn’t bother. Can we pick up in five minutes?”

Chelly swings a leg off my lap and rises, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. “I’m going to go run a bath in that big tub built for two. If you don’t come in and join me soon, I may just have to finish off myself without you.” She pulls her tight shirt off and slowly glides hands up to cup her bra-covered breasts. She thumbs her nipples poking through the lacey covering. “And it will be your loss, trust me.”

She sashays away and shuts the bathroom door behind her. The water starts running and my girlfriend hums a happy little tune. She’s “falling in love.” Hell, I’ve fallen already and can hardly wait to tell her—saving it for the second I finally thrust deep inside her.

I grab my cell and dial Asa and then Jon again in quick succession. Still no answer. I bite the bullet and place a call to Cy. I don’t think anything bad is going on in Alaska, but damned if I can’t follow a few simple instructions from one of my bosses, either.