Love Bites (Bitten Book 4) (6 page)

I
came awake,
gasping for breath. I felt as though the darkness was pressing down on my face, filling my nose and throat. Abruptly, I realized that Pepper was wrapped around my head and that the thickness that seemed to be filling my airways was actually her fur.

Turning my head, I shoved her off my face, sputtering and brushing away stray cat hairs from my lips and nose. She groaned irritably and remained sprawled on the pillow next to me. Though I wiped my face several times, I still felt as though I had hair everywhere, so I rolled out of bed and stumbled into the bathroom.

By the time I splashed cool water on my face to remove the remnants of cat fur, I was wide awake and my head was pounding. I winced when I saw my reflection in the mirror. My eyes were bloodshot, the red more pronounced due to my pallor.

After leaving Calder standing on the sidewalk yesterday evening, I’d come straight home and found the lone bottle of tequila in my cabinet. I kept it on hand for when my girlfriends came over for Margarita Madness. Four shots later, the sharp ache had been washed away by numbness. I lost count after that.

As rough as I felt this morning, I knew I’d consumed quite a bit more than I thought. I bundled my hair on the back of my head, securing it in a messy knot with a rubber band, before shuffling into the kitchen to make myself a cup of coffee.

While I waited on my Keurig to brew, I took two ibuprofen and washed them down with water. I hated feeling like this. Somehow a hangover from a fun night out with my friends didn’t feel as nasty as one caused by overindulging on tequila while sitting alone on my kitchen floor.

When my coffee was ready, I carried the cup into the bathroom and took a quick, almost scalding hot shower. Half an hour later, I was clean, dressed, and finishing up my second mug of coffee. The headache that had gripped my skull when I awoke had faded to a dull, manageable throb.

My stomach was still twisted in knots, but I no longer felt like something scraped off the bottom of a shoe. I sat down on a barstool at my kitchen counter with a glass of ice water. I really wanted more caffeine, but I knew rehydrating would help more than anything.

As I forced myself to drink, I grabbed a notebook and began making a list of boutiques, managers, and store owners I’d met over the years of working for Candy. I needed to find another job, fast. I had enough money put away to last a couple of months, but I didn’t want to go through my savings before I found work.

Ten minutes later, I had a game plan. First, I would call Shane Hearn. His family owned a chain of consignment stores throughout Texas. They specialized in vintage and designer clothing. Shane had offered me a job several times in the last year, and I’d been considering it for a while, but the cut in pay made me nervous. Now, it was better than no pay at all.

I jumped and barely resisted the urge to scream when a sudden pounding rocked my front door. Hesitantly, I walked through the living room and put my eye to the peephole. The door shook under the force of another blow, but I breathed a sigh of relief when I realized that it wasn’t the Gestapo attempting to gain entry but Shannon.

At five foot two with long blonde hair and wire-rimmed glasses, she looked petite, sweet, and almost a decade younger than her real age of twenty-nine. She smiled and laughed readily, and moved with the grace of someone deeply in tune with her body. However, I’d seen her verbally tear grown men a new asshole and they took it without complaint. She was like Godzilla, only shorter and prettier. At the moment, she was hitting my door with enough force to rattle the hinges.

I unlocked the deadbolt and threw the door open. “Woman, you scared the shit outta me!”

Shannon stormed inside. “Why the hell didn’t you answer your phone?” she demanded.

I stared at her in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

She walked over to the counter and picked up my phone. Then she turned the screen toward me and held it out. “Look, four missed calls. Why didn’t you pick up, dammit? I thought you were dead!”

Even more lost, I gaped at her. “What?”

“Look, shit went down last night. We have to go out to Kerry’s place in Farmersville today. I’ve been trying to call you all morning. When I couldn’t reach you, I called Conner and he told me you were fine and still in your apartment. Do not ever, EVER scare me like that again! Do you understand?”

I nodded, still processing all the words that she just spat out.

“Now, get your purse and stuff. We gotta go.”

“What happened?” I asked as I headed into the bedroom to grab some shoes and socks.

“The Faction sent some vamps after Kerry last night.”

I came dashing out of my room, my boots and socks in one hand. “Oh my God, is she okay?”

Shannon nodded. “She’s fine. In fact, she took almost all of them out by herself, though one escaped.” She didn’t look happy when she said it.

“I’m glad she’s okay, but what does this have to do with you and me?” I asked.

Her expression became fierce. “Donna didn’t know, but she did say that Kerry found something that will affect all five of us.” She scowled at me. “Hurry up.”

Not being in the loop made Shannon surly as hell. I rolled my eyes and quickly put on my boots before grabbing my phone, jacket, and purse. “I’m ready.”

“Good. Let’s go.”

I followed her downstairs and hopped in the car with her. As a distraction during the hour long drive to Kerry’s, I told her what happened with Calder yesterday. She knew about what he said to me at Donna’s party two days ago because she had given me a ride home that night and listened to me cry then.

When I finished the story, Shannon was silent for several minutes.

Unable to take it any longer, I asked, “Well? Don’t you think that is completely fucked up?”

She gave me a sidelong glance. “Okay, do you really want my honest opinion? Unfiltered?”

“Yes,” I answered, completely certain.

Shannon took a deep breath. “I think you need to talk to him about….everything.”

I stared at her with my mouth hanging open. “What?!” My voice was loud. “Did you not hear about him sucking face with a girl that couldn’t have been older than sixteen or seventeen? He’s fucking forty-seven! That’s just gross! Plus he’s a liar.”

“I heard you.” Shannon paused and I could tell she was choosing her words carefully, so I braced myself. She rarely pulled her punches and she
always
said exactly what she meant, even if it hurt. “Look, Kerry explained to you that shifters aren’t like humans, didn’t she?”

I nodded.

“Until you talk to him without freaking out and running away, you don’t really know what he’s thinking or feeling. And I don’t think werewolves are like human males after they mate.”

I stared at her in confusion, shocked that she was basically suggesting I give Calder another chance. “What?”

She shifted in her seat. “In the wild, wolves will form long-term bonds with a single female. They don’t always mate for life, but it’s pretty damn close. Usually they only take another mate if their female dies, but, in general, they are monogamous. I think that werewolves may be like that as well.”

I shrugged. “So?”

Shannon sighed heavily. “Ricki, I realize that your dad was a complete asshole who couldn’t keep his dick in his pants and that Craig was a first-rate liar and cheat. I know that has to skew your thinking when it comes to men but in this situation, I think you need to try to keep an open mind.”

Crossing my arms over my middle, I leaned my head back against the seat. “I don’t know if I can. It’s just that…well, I feel like he’s
way
out of my league. After years of watching women flirt with my dad right in front of me and my mom, I don’t know if I can deal with that with Calder. That’s why I dated Craig. I mean, he wasn’t ugly or anything, but he was sorta, I don’t know, average. Nice looking, but not drop dead sexy.”

Once again, Shannon gave me another sidelong look. “And how did that turn out?”

She had a point. Craig had a girlfriend when he met me. One he neglected to mention until she happened to answer his phone one night when I called. Even a couple of months later, I still felt dirty and guilty for being the “other” woman, though I never would have touched him if I’d known he was seeing someone else. Exclusivity was non-negotiable as far as I was concerned.

“Shit,” I groaned. “Fine, I’ll think about it.” The idea of letting down my guard with Calder was frightening.

Sensing my mood, Shannon didn’t say another word about it. Instead she turned on the radio and the car was filled with the sounds of classic rock.

*     *     *

As soon as
we walked into Kerry’s house and I saw Calder, my resolve to confront him vanished. When Shannon and I came through the front door, it seemed as though my eyes were drawn directly to him. The expression on his face told me everything I needed to know. Whether I wanted to speak to him or not, Calder had things to say to me.

My stomach dropped and I tried to regulate my breathing and calm the crazy thumping of my heart. Finally, I regained control enough to focus on what was happening around me.

As the meeting began, I tried to forget that Calder was even in the room, but his mere presence was distracting as hell. It wasn’t until one of the vampires from the Council, a female named Johanna, started ranting about how pathetic humans were that I snapped to attention.

I jumped when Kerry roared, “I SAID, THAT IS ENOUGH!”

My eyes were opened so wide I probably resembled a bug. I watched my friend, who always seemed the epitome of sweet and mellow, begin to shimmer slightly. Her hair fanned out over her shoulders as though there were a wind blowing through the room, but it wasn’t one I could feel. My skin tingled and itched as though I had been rolling around in sand without washing it off.

My mouth fell open as the vampire, who looked so menacing just moments before, collapsed to the floor and curled into a ball, all but whimpering. Holy shit, Kerry was a badass!

I didn’t really understand what was happening, but I definitely planned to interrogate Kerry later. Too many things in my life were changing too quickly. I hated being in the dark and most of my personal problems of late were due to my ignorance of the supes and their culture.

Shannon and I looked at each other, confused and shocked by what we were seeing. We watched as Finn and Kerry stood over the prone figure of Johanna and I felt a pang in my heart. For so many years, it had been the five of us. Boyfriends had come and gone, but we were always there for each other. In the past few months, Donna moved in with her hot vampire mate and had become a vampire herself when on the brink of death. Ivie was deeply in love with Lex and they were preparing for a Claiming ceremony. Now it seemed Kerry and Finn were at the start of something serious.

Kerry’s voice pulled me out of my musings and I forced myself to think about what she was saying. From what I heard earlier, things were getting scary in regards to the Faction, a group of vampires led by a supe named Cornelius. Apparently, he was unhappy with the status quo and having to stay hidden among humans. From her behavior, I’d say Johanna was one of his devotees. I thought it sounded like a clichéd plot from a B movie, but clichés came into being for a reason, mainly because they kept happening. It seemed power-hungry individuals weren’t confined to humanity.

I watched as Conner pulled his phone out of his pocket and called someone. “I need you. Johanna’s been compromised and we need to have her taken in for interrogation.” He paused. “No, you need to come now.” Again he listened to the person on the other end. “You won’t be seen, now get your bloody arse over here.”

I grinned as Shannon fanned herself when his Scottish brogue intensified.

In her usual smart ass way, Donna cracked, “I know, right? Every time he’s pissed off, I get turned on.”

I heard Kerry snort, as though she were trying to hold back a laugh. Shannon, Ivie, and I weren’t as controlled. We dissolved into laughter. It was either laugh or cry, because the situation appeared as if it were headed straight to hell in a hand basket.

After that, Kerry and Belinda continued the meeting and I soon realized that it was much worse than I anticipated. Kerry started talking about a prophecy, one that applied to the five of us. Somehow, even though Ivie, Shannon, and I were human, we were important to the future of the supernatural community.

When she began to read it aloud, Shannon whipped a notepad and pen out of her purse and began to write it down. I looked over her shoulder.

One will live

Two will die

Three will return the Fourth to life

Together the Five will right the past,

Create the future and hold it fast

All hold keys to power untold

And will find their Fate as evil grows bold

Five may live

Five may die

Five may love

Five may fall

Should this come to pass

Then ten will save Creation

Or lose that which they have found at last

“Shit, is someone going to die?” I whispered to Shannon. “Is that what that means?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know.”

I wanted to ask a million questions, but I sensed this wasn’t the time. The tension in the room was almost stifling. I glanced at Shannon’s notepad and noticed she had written down several questions at the bottom, most of which were the same as mine.

The conversation moved on and it was decided that Shannon and I would go into a safe house together as a precaution. No one was sure what the Faction might know about the prophecy. Hell, even Kerry and Belinda were unsure what it meant since it had only been discovered that morning.

Though it was a pain in the ass, I agreed that it was better to be safe than sorry. As the meeting came to a close, Shannon and I decided to discuss the prophecy with Kerry later. She explained that she would need to do more research before she could interpret the meaning of the words thoroughly. I hated how I felt, useless and weak. Even more, I despised having to rely on others to take care of me. For more years than I could count, I had been independent. In fact, I took care of myself and my mother during the times she was barely functioning because of my father’s prolonged absences due to his affairs.