Lisa Renee Jones

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All characters in this book are fiction and figments of the author’s imagination.
www.lisareneejones.com
. Cover by Croco Designs.

Fourteen months ago…

Alternative music thrummed loudly, radiating off the glass and neon walls of the Reno hotspot. The crowd was mixed – both humans and other races - the kind of ‘other races’ known as fairy tales to the same humans. Werewolves and vampires, oh my – that kind of thing.

The bar Cassie Moore sat at was U shaped. The dress she wore was siren red and ridiculously short. Her dark brown hair was styled long and sleek. She was a werewolf on the prowl, and while she might look dressed to kill, to the common observer she didn’t seem dangerous.

The silver stars taped to her back said differently. One of those badge sized, well planted stars was all a warrior like herself, in the werewolf society’s Royal Guard, needed to kill one of the rebel wolf’s trying to overthrow her government. Or even one of the ‘rogue’ vampires, who gorged on blood until they were nothing but monsters.

With that thought, Cassie’s gaze lifted from the white Russian she was nursing to the vampire warden watching her from across the bar, a fellow member of ‘Blood Sport’, a task force put together in a rare alliance of their governments six months before. His long, raven hair touched his shoulders, his deeper than midnight black eyes fixed on her with an intensely possessive look that said he still wasn’t happy about her role in tonight’s mission. And for just a moment, she thought he was going to stand up and attempt to drag her out of the bar. She narrowed her gaze, silently warning him to stay where he was.

His power rushed over her, tossing the warning in her face, telling her how close he was to calling this off. Oh yeah, she wanted to kill this particular vampire, preferably with pleasure. But since she didn’t believe he’d ever trust a wolf again, not after the one that had betrayed him, and she wasn’t into pain, she’d just have to find another non-lethal way to deal with his attitude tonight. They’d just have to suffer through the sexual tension making them both crazy.

Cassie forced her eyes away from the tall, dark, and brooding vampire she wanted and would never have, to fix her attention on the wolfish male at the table to her right, that she’d been pretending to want. He was one of a good half dozen wolves in the bar, all part of the rebel movement trying to overthrow her king. Like it hadn’t been enough for their race to deal with the vicious killers, the ‘Reds’, humans infected by a wolf virus, and named because the wolf yellow of their eyes glowed red with anger. No. Now, they had to deal with the Reds and a full out civil war within their natural born race.

Cassie batted her lashes at the wolf, willing to endure an unsavory encounter with him to finally get to one of the newest local pack members, Sarah Gaylord. Sarah being the she wolf bitch, and former member of the Royal Guard, who’d been key to a foiled plot to take down the Society and Vampire Nation with one fatal attack. She’d also been Troy’s fiancée, and like Troy, a member of the two teams that had participated in the three months of negotiations between their races that had resulted in Blood Sport. Cassie might not ever earn Troy’s trust, but she was damn sure going to help her king, and her vampire, get their wolf.

Cassie turned away from the rebel bastard, baiting him to approach, her gaze seeking out Troy to find he’d moved, fighting the urge to scan for him. Afraid he’d appear any minute and blow what was about to go down. We’re too close to screw this up, she silently whispered in her mind, wishing he could hear her.

“Can I buy you a drink?” came the deep, gravely male voice not more than sixty seconds later. Proof that it didn’t take long for a male wolf to find a female wolf in a crowd and stake his claim, and this one was apparently extra eager.

Cassie wet her lips and cut him a sideways glance. “I already have one.” Wolves liked the chase.

“I’ll buy you another.”

Cassie hesitated and then turned her body towards his, her legs between them, her skirt riding high, his eyes tracing the hem. Good thing she wasn’t shy, but then, being the only female left in the guard, her assets had come in handy, and her team wasn’t beyond using them to their advantage. 

“I don’t accept drinks from men I don’t know.”

His gaze raked over her ample cleavage. He had long light brown hair, and his green eyes lifted to hers. Finally, the wolf got above her neck. “Then perhaps we should get to know each other better.”

She considered him a moment. “Perhaps.”

He leaned on the bar, his body inches from hers. “What’s your name, sweetheart?”

“For starters,” she said. “It’s not sweetheart,” she lowered her voice and added, “Wolf. Or do you have a name?”

His lips twitched. “Jack.”

Bingo. Just who she thought he was. The leader of the local rebel operation. Her informant was getting the bonus she had promised him. Cassie laughed. “Jack.”

“Something funny?” he half growled in irritation. “Wolf.” That was meant to put her in his place, as a female beneath him.

He could kiss her ass, Cassie thought, and smiled. “Jack Nicholson played the wolf in the movie ‘Wolf’.”

He seemed to relax. “Never saw it.”

“You should.”

“Maybe we’ll watch it together.”

“Maybe,” she agreed.

“You haven’t told me your name.” His gaze traveled to her cleavage again.

Cassie shifted slightly so that her leg now touched his, just right of his zipper. “Ann,” she said, giving him her middle name.

“Ann,” he repeated, settling his hand on her knee. “What brings you to Reno, Ann?”

“Looking for work.”

“Why here?”

“I heard there was a local… operation.” Translation – pack.

“And what happened to the one you were with before now?”

“Slaughtered.” She turned away. “My husband too.”

He slid a finger beneath her chin, and turned her face to his. “By who?”

“The Royal Guard.”

His eyes narrowed. “Which rebel unit were you with?”

It was a test, one she would pass. “Gillan’s,” she said, which was the Rebel pack she and Troy had taken down with their team.

Acceptance registered in his eyes. “You’re a rebel without protection.”

“I don’t need protection,” she said quickly. Her plan was to draw him in, but not too fast.

“Yes,” he said. “You do.” He slid his hand up her waist, grazing her breast. She’d just told him she was up for grabs and now he intended to make her his – at least, until he was tired of her. He was known for sharing his females with his wolves once he’d had his fill. He pressed his lips to her ear. “Consider yourself under my protection. And sweetheart, I’m going to take damn good care of you.”

She pressed on his chest, pushing him back. “I’ve already talked to Joseph in Vegas. He’s willing to take me in.” It was a lie, but she’d learned that she could sneak one past a sexed up male wolf and this one qualified.

“Yet you’re here.”

“Only because the Werewolf Society, and the Guard, is headquartered in Vegas. That makes me nervous.”

“It should,” he said. “And Joseph has a wife. I don’t.”

“Are you offering me your personal protection?”

His lips twitched. “I’m offering you an audition for my personal protection.” The bastard kissed her, covering her mouth with his, sliding his tongue possessively against hers. It was all she could do not to bite him. His hand boldly covered her breast. Power rushed over Cassie and it wasn’t that of the wolf. It was Troy. He was watching, and he wasn’t happy. Cassie had to do something to get control before he snapped. Their team was outside the building, unable to do anything to affect Troy’s actions.

Jack tore his mouth from hers and stroked her cheek. “Come with me, little pet,” he growled, and there was something menacing in his tone she didn’t like, not to mention the ‘pet’ remark. That’s what the Rebels called humans, which was only slightly better than the ‘snack’ bloodthirsty rogue vamps named them.

“I’m not a pet,” she said, trying to push away from him.

He grabbed her hand and yanked her off the stool, and it was all she could do to keep her skirt from going to her waist. He all but dragged her towards the back of the bar, which was at least part of the plan. There were private rooms that were rented by the bar owner, and that was where pretty much anything kinky and illegal took place. Troy would be waiting and she would do anything, including enduring whatever pain was necessary, to ensure Jack unknowingly helped them to bring down his operation, and Sarah. Only he didn’t go to the private rooms. He detoured to the right, down a hallway that led to an exit. Damn, damn, damn. This was trouble. Every instinct she owned told her to be ready for a fight. She had no idea how many more pack members might be outside. Cassie reminded herself that even if Troy was still inside, her team was outside, and Troy’s two brothers Evan and Aiden combined with her brother Nico, were one hell of a lethal team. 

Jack shoved the back door open to the alley and pulled her with him, anger and lust rolling off of him. Anger. She had a bad feeling he knew who she was but she clung to the certainty that he wouldn’t shift, which would make him harder to beat, stronger and more agile. None of the wolves, not even the Rebels, wanted the exposure to humans.

The instant they cleared the exit, he slammed her against the wall, which put her blades against concrete, out of her reach. A dim bulb above spotlighted them while his hand ripped the front of her dress. A second later, that same hand was on her throat and her feet were dangling off the ground. Apparently, his idea of foreplay was choking her. 

“I know who you are, bitch,” he said, confirming her guess. “You think Sarah wouldn’t warn me about you?”

Cassie grabbed his hands, trying to loosen his grip, and she would have rammed her knee in his crotch but he grunted and his eyes rolled back in his head. He dropped her and slumped forward, blood gushing from his mouth, his hand going to the wall.

Another grunt followed and then he was flung on the ground with Troy shoving his knife back under his jacket. “I knew I should have yanked that son-of-a-bitch out of the bar and killed him the minute he touched you.” 

“We needed him alive,” Cass rasped through a raw throat. “We needed him - ”

“Dead. We needed him dead.” He surprised her by pulling her into his arms, pressing his head to hers and running his hand down her hair. It was the first time he’d ever touched her like this. “I should never have agreed to this, Cass. You aren’t bait.”

“I’m fine. I’m a member of the Royal--”

“I know what you are,” he said shortly, pulling back to stare at her. “And I don’t care. He could have killed you before I got to you.”

But he did care. “A wolf,” she whispered. “That’s what I am. A wolf.” They stared at each other, the implications of her words in the air. She was a wolf, and he would never get over that, never really trust her.

“Cass,” he started, before he stiffened, his gaze lifting to the door.

“What is it?” she asked, knowing his many vampire gifts well enough to know that he sensed things before they happened. Knowing that’s how he’d managed to get to her in time.

“Trouble,” he announced, shoving away from her and reaching for his weapons. A second later, the back door burst open, and everything slid into fast motion.

Troy shoved a knife into her hand and with her dress gaping open, she did what she was born to do, what the Royal Guard lived for. And Troy did what a Vampire Warden did, which was the same. They fought.