His Untamed Desire (3 page)

The drive was a hell of a lot quicker than he'd anticipated. As he parked in front of the two-story brick townhome, his entire body was already mourning the loss of having to leave her. His reaction to her was so primal it terrified him. He'd only been in her presence for a few hours, but he felt as if he'd been sucker-punched and the effect just kept going.

“Thanks for the ride.” Daphne was breathless as she got off the bike. “I can't wait until I get to drive it all by myself.” Her grin was wicked.

It made him think of all the ways he wanted to pleasure her with his mouth. He started to respond when his jaguar senses went on full alert. Getting off the bike, he stood in front of Daphne and surveyed the street. There were cars and trucks parked along the curb, Mardi Gras beads hanging from trees that had been there for a hundred years, but he didn't see anyone. That didn't mean someone wasn't there, lurking in the shadows.

“You sense it too?” Daphne asked, her voice so low he almost didn't hear her.

He nodded and took a step back so that he was next to her. Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, he walked with her up the set of short stairs to the front door and stood guard while she unlocked it. She didn't argue with him when he came inside and did a full sweep of her place, which told him a lot. As an alpha shifter, Daphne knew how to take care of herself, but if she was letting him scan her home, she was nervous.

“Have you had problems with anyone lately?” he asked after checking all her rooms.

She paused for a moment, but shook her head. “No.”

“What were you thinking of just then?”

She wrapped her arms around herself. “It's nothing tangible. Just a feeling I've been getting lately. Ever since I moved back, actually. Like I'm being watched. No one's approached me, though.”

Someone or something was out there watching her right now. Hector could feel it to his core. After a brief hug and instructions to set her alarm, he let himself out. But he didn't go far.

Hell no.

He didn't tell her he planned to stick around just in case anyone with oversensitive hearing was listening. If someone was watching her, he was going to find out who they were and what their intentions were. And if they planned to hurt Daphne in any way, they were in for a surprise.

After parking a few streets over from Daphne's, Hector raced through streets and yards until he reached the shotgun style house located directly behind her townhome. He couldn't scent anyone inside the home, but he was still careful as he crept along the side of the wood-paneled house and into the stranger's backyard. Using the shadows as cover, he was as silent in human form as he would have been as a jaguar.

He grasped the top of the high privacy fence and pulled himself up and over. He barely made a sound as he landed on the soft grass. Daphne's backyard was small, with a patio that held a table, chairs, and a charcoal grill. One live oak stood near the back fence and neatly trimmed bushes lined her home.

Pausing by the fence, Hector inhaled deeply. He never doubted his animal senses and right now they told him something wasn't right. A light in the top left window went on. He knew it was Daphne's bedroom from when he'd done a quick scan of the place. Her blinds were shut and he'd seen curtains pulled over those, so there was no way he'd get a glimpse of her.

Not that he should be thinking about that. He wanted to figure out what the hell he'd sensed earlier and keep her safe. Using lightning speed, he darted to the back patio then crept along the edge of her house until he rounded the corner. Crouching low, he didn't stop until he reached the front west side of her house. She didn't have any floodlights because she wouldn't need them with her extrasensory abilities. He was grateful for the extra cover of darkness.

He could hear her moving around inside, though the sounds were muted. It was as if she'd had extra insulation put in place, which wouldn't be out of the ordinary for her to have done in a semi-populated place like this. It was probably more for her hearing comfort than worrying about outsiders hearing her.

Hector tensed as a man with his hands shoved in his pockets and a hoodie pulled up over his head appeared from behind a wide oak tree across the street. Hector hadn't seen anyone walking or running from either direction, so either the guy had been waiting behind it for a while or he'd dropped from the branches. From his angle, Hector couldn't see the guy's face clearly, but when he strode across the street with purposeful, quick intent toward Daphne's place, Hector readied himself.

Letting his claws unsheathe, Hector waited until the male had reached the bottom of Daphne's stairs before he sprinted at him with full force.

The man cried out as Hector tackled and slammed him onto the ground. The hood fell back from the blond man's face and amber eyes glowed up at him. Vampire.

Hector pumped a fist into the guy's ribs and he cried out again. He struggled against him, trying to claw at Hector's face and sides, but his movements were erratic and clearly untrained. Ignoring the pain from a slash that ran along his upper arm, Hector wrapped a fist around the vamp's throat and dug his claws into his skin.

Using all his strength, he jumped up to his feet and dragged the vampire with him. He held him up in the air in a display of dominance and strength, wanting to make it clear that he was stronger than the other male. The vampire grabbed at his wrists and tried to free himself.

“It won't take much for me to kill you, little vamp,” Hector growled, barely leashing his jaguar. “I'm going to ask this once. Why were you watching Daphne's house?”

When the man tried to answer, he only coughed and sputtered. Hector realized he needed to loosen his grip.

“Hector!” Daphne's footsteps pounding down the stairs behind him ricocheted into the cold night air. He didn't turn, not wanting to take his gaze off the threat in front of him.

Daphne placed a gentle hand on his forearm. “Let him go. I know him.”

Instead of releasing his grip, Hector turned to face her. He knew his jaguar was likely showing in his eyes, but he couldn't help that. “You were expecting him at this hour?”

Jaw clenched, she shook her head and glared at him. “No. Not that it's any of your business if I
had
been expecting him. I could have been expecting a dozen guys—”

He snarled, the vicious noise cutting off her words and killing all sound around them. The thought of any male touching her, much less a dozen, had his inner cat going crazy. Looking away from her surprised face, he glared at the vampire still dangling in the air. “I'm letting you go. If you make a move toward her, I'll end your life.”

With wide eyes, the blond nodded. The male sucked in a deep breath and stumbled as Hector dropped him. He looked back and forth between Hector and Daphne, fear rolling off him in waves. He shoved his hands in his jeans pockets and didn't take a step toward either of them.

Before Hector could speak, Daphne asked, “What the hell is going on, Troy? Why are you here? And when did you become a vampire?”

He shrugged, and for the first time since Hector had noticed the guy, he realized that he looked young. Maybe eighteen or nineteen. “I followed you from the shifter bar. I wanted to talk to you earlier, but you haven't been returning my phone calls. I didn't know if you'd want to see me.”

“So you thought showing up at my house unannounced was the way to go?” Daphne's voice was scolding, but soft.

Way too soft for how she should be responding to this guy. Hector didn't understand why she was basically letting him off the hook.

Troy flicked a quick glance at Hector then looked back at Daphne. “Is this your new boyfriend? Is that why you're not returning my calls?” There was no hiding the disgust in his voice.

What the hell? Did she actually date this guy?

Daphne sighed. “My personal life is none of your business—something we have discussed. You need to leave. It's early and I'm sure you need to get back to wherever you're staying before sunrise. I'll call you tomorrow night and we'll talk, but you can't do this again. If you show up at my home or my school or do anything like this again, I'll file a restraining order against you and have my Alpha call whoever made you. My Alpha is
not
the forgiving type. You know the kind of consequences you'll be dealing with, don't you?”

When Troy nodded and sprinted away without another word, Hector let out a frustrated breath. “What the hell, Daphne?”

She sighed and nodded toward her house. “Have time for a cup of coffee?”

Yeah, like he was leaving. After scanning the neighborhood again, he followed her inside. Her natural jasmine scent was stronger here and it enveloped him as he strode toward her kitchen. Though he'd seen the inside of her home earlier, he'd been focused on finding a threat. Now he could appreciate all the small touches that showed Daphne's influence. Even though the kitchen was sleek and modern, there were fresh flowers on the kitchen table and four little plants on the windowsill that overlooked the backyard.

“Forget the coffee. Who the hell is that guy and why did you let him go?” Hector leaned against the counter by the sink as she collapsed onto one of the stools by the marble-topped island.

Daphne scrubbed a hand over her face. She wasn't wearing her boots anymore, just pink bunny slippers that gave her an adorable, almost innocent quality. “My senior year I did some tutoring and he was one of my students. He's not a bad kid, just really confused and messed up. Troy comes from a broken home with no mother and he developed this . . . obsession with me. At first it was just phone calls. He started calling me with clearly made up issues about his homework. But then he started calling at all hours of the night wanting to know who I was with and what I was doing.

“He thought I wouldn't date him because I was his tutor, so he found another one. Then he somehow came to the conclusion that it was because I was a shifter and he was human and our life spans were too different. I was fine to let him think that. I finally stopped returning his calls because I realized nothing I said would make a difference. Then he started showing up outside my classes or waiting for me in the school parking lot by my car. When I graduated and moved I thought it would be the end of it. He's just a human so I wasn't really worried about him, but . . .” She trailed off and looked down at her clasped hands which were clenched tightly in her lap. “I can't believe he followed me here. What if he turned vampire because of me?”

“You need to tell Angus,” Hector said quietly.

Her head snapped up and her dark eyes were conflicted. “If I do, you know what will happen.”

Hector nodded. As she'd suggested, Angus was definitely not the forgiving type. He meted out punishment with the kind of harsh brutality one would expect from a three-hundred-year-old Alpha who'd managed to maintain control of the New Orleans territory for as long as he had. And Daphne was a favorite among her pack. Angus and his mate, Iris, were close to Daphne's parents. This would not go over well at all. “This guy is
stalking
you, Daphne. You get that, don't you?”

“Of course I get it. I just don't want him to get hurt. I feel bad for him.” Unshed tears glistened in her eyes as she looked away from him.

Oh, hell. Covering the distance between them, Hector pulled her off the stool and gathered her in his arms. Without her boots she was a little shorter and her face fit right against his chest.

She sniffled a little and wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight. “You probably think I'm being stupid for being worried about what happens to him,” she muttered.

He sighed. “No, I think you have a big heart.” That didn't mean Hector had to be magnanimous toward the guy. He planned to find out everything he could about the human-turned-vampire and make sure he stayed the hell away from Daphne.

After a few minutes she pulled away from him and wiped at her eyes. “Thanks for listening. I'm sorry you even have—”

He shook his head. “Stop. I'm not sorry. You clearly needed to tell someone about this. It doesn't matter that you're a shifter and he's a human—well, a vamp, now. Being stalked isn't something anyone should have to deal with, let alone deal with by themselves. And you haven't told anyone, have you?”

Flushing guiltily, she shook her head.

He was pissed she'd been keeping this to herself, but scolding her wouldn't get him anywhere. She'd just been trying to handle it in her own way. “Come on. I'm sleeping in the guest room and I know you must be beat.” He didn't bother asking if he could stay over because leaving wasn't an option.

For a brief moment it looked as if she might argue, but she just sighed and turned toward the entryway. “All right. I'll get you some extra towels in case you want to take a shower.”

•   •   •

Daphne lifted her face up to the pulsing jets of her shower, savoring the feel of the heat cascading over her body. She was beyond stunned that Troy had shown up at her townhome. Even more so that he was now a vampire. The last couple months at school she'd almost felt like a prisoner, trying to hide from him all the time. She'd been so sure that when she returned home she'd be leaving that problem behind her. Maybe she should have done things differently.

Deep down she was terrified that she'd somehow led him on or given him a mixed signal in some way. She'd always kept things professional but maybe . . . Oh, hell, who knew? After turning off the shower, she wrung the water from her hair before wrapping herself in a big fluffy towel. The shower had helped somewhat and now all she wanted to do was sleep and forget about Troy.

She really hated that Hector was even aware of any of this. It was so embarrassing. She could take care of herself and didn't want him to view her as some kid. She'd just never thought she'd have to deal with a stalker. That was something that happened to celebrities. Once she'd brushed her teeth and twisted her wet hair up into a clip, she eased the door open and stepped into her bedroom.

Hector was sleeping in the next room, but shifter hearing was keen and she didn't want to disturb him. It was sweet that he was staying over even if it did make her feel like he was trying to take responsibility for her. She didn't want a babysitter or bodyguard. She wanted him as a lover.

And she didn't want him to think of her as his sister's friend or someone he needed to look out for, but as a woman. She wanted to feel his body over hers and—she let out a yelp as she ran into the trunk she'd pulled down earlier from her walk-in closet.

Her bedroom door flew open. Hector stepped into her room, claws unsheathed, his jaguar clear in his gaze. Blinking, he scanned the room then focused on her. His eyes quickly turned full human as he retracted his claws. “Are you okay?” he rasped out.

“Yeah, I just . . . why aren't you in bed?” He might be fast, but there was no way he'd made it from the guestroom to hers that quickly.

He shrugged and a spicy, pure masculine scent rolled off him as he stared at her.

She realized he'd likely been sitting or lying outside her room. She narrowed her gaze. “You don't need to stand guard outside the whole night. I'm a shifter too and completely capable of taking care of myself.”

“I know. But that doesn't change the fact that I want to take care of you too,” he said quietly.

Oh.
Daphne struggled to find the right words, any words, but he continued.

“I think it's time for that kiss.” His gaze traveled over her body in a lazy path of unabashed admiration.

She was wearing a towel, but the way his gaze was blazing a trail from her head down to her pink toenails made her feel completely bared to him. If she was braver, she'd drop the towel, but there was no way she could do that. As a shifter, she was comfortable with her body and nudity, but Hector had never seen her naked and it would definitely change things between them if he did. Especially if she dropped her towel and he wasn't interested. That thought doused some of her lust.

Hector frowned at her as he stepped farther into the room. “What are you thinking?”