Tessa, Vampire/Werewolf Romance, (Standalone) (Shadow Creek Shifters Book 3) (10 page)

“No, he must have shifted already.”

“You should pay a visit to Katlyn while you’re here. She’d love that.”

“With no medication for the cravings, I don’t think that’s wise. I haven’t even eaten yet.”

“I could spare you a glass.”

What would it take to get out of there? “No, thanks, but I should check on Maxwell. He’s upset about Melody being gone,” Tessa lied since she had no idea what Maxwell really thought.

Paige looked at Tessa like she could see right through her lies. “You should keep the phone just in case. You know—if you need help.”

Tessa stuffed the phone in her pocket and nodded as she left. Once she was outside, she breathed in deeply. She wasn’t sure how much longer she’d be able to lie to Paige like that. Or did she already know what she was about to do: hunt down Jason Traxler and end his pathetic life. There was no way she’d wait around for Carrie to wake up. From the looks of it, it didn’t seem like she’d wake up at all. Tessa wasn’t about to give Jason another chance to finish Carrie off or ever go near Melody again. She was fully capable of handling both Jason and Earl if he got in the way, but she knew in her heart that she’d be killing the both of them. She couldn’t have Earl live to tell a tale about what Tessa did to Jason. She most certainly would follow through and do what she should have done before: killed that rat bastard. He’d left a trail of abuse and suffering, and it was past time for it to stop, forever.

Tessa fired up the ATV and after revving it, she scattered stones and dust in her wake as she left Shadow Creek behind. She drove to the north, cutting through a trail, which crossed over the barren fields, and ranch where Brendan and Seth’s neighbor Jonathan once lived before he tried to frame Shadow Creek for being responsible for his missing sheep. He had planned to take over Shadow Creek, but in the process of his deception, Maxwell’s father Nate was killed. Paige helped to exact revenge, but ultimately, it was the werewolves who put an end to Jonathan’s life. Of course, the humans in town didn’t know that, not even Clayton who had romanced Paige for a time. They simply thought Jonathan disappeared. There was speculation, of course, but with Jonathan simply missing like they thought instead of dead, his ranch was simply wasting away. Since he had no kin to speak of, his property would be owned by the state of Wyoming at some point.

There was something about crossing the property, which had Tessa shuddering. The owner met a violent end there and Tessa was thinking about doing something that would change her life forever. If she was actually able to kill Jason and Earl, she’d take it to her grave. Well, make that a secret she’d not share with anyone. Tessa knew if it went too much to the south that she could count on Paige, but she certainly hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

On the other side of the property was Mill Creek Road, named for a dried-up creek since Wyoming was in a dry spell. She whizzed onto the road heading north and even the sounds of the engine didn’t drown out the wolves howling. How many werewolves were there in Creekboro anyway? She couldn’t help but be nervous. She was planning to kill two men if they were together. Hopefully, they weren’t.

The more north Tessa drove, the more remote it was. She had passed some ranches noted by the signs that most had, but she was quickly enveloped by the wilderness except for a small store with one pump for gasoline. Tessa pulled over and hoped to ask for directions.

When she walked inside, the bell rang overhead and an older man with a gray beard and deep frown nodded at her. Tessa went over to the cooler and scanned the soda selections, choosing a grape soda, which she took to the counter.

She was rung up and the man said, “That will be $1.50.”

Tessa pulled out two dollars and handed them to the man. “Is it true there’s good hunting and fishing hereabouts?”

His eyes brightened as he gave her the change back. “Sure is. Best in the state.”

Tessa figured that wasn’t totally true since Wyoming was home to many state and federal parks known for game and fishing.

“I read a blog about a Milford Traxler. Seems he claimed that his property had the best hunting and fishing around.”

He narrowed his eyes. “It’s not hunting season right now, but he has a stream on his property, lucky bastard.”

“Could you point me in the direction of his property?”

The man stared her down. “I don’t think a pretty gal like you should go there by yourself. That grandson of his was through here yesterday and I think heading to the cabin. He’s not the sort a woman would want to encounter at night, or even in the daylight hours. My granddaughter dated him in her teens and he treated her real bad.”

This certainly wasn’t helping Jason’s cause. It made Tessa very angry.

“I don’t think he’s still there. I saw him in Creeksboro not even an hour ago.”

“Really? Okay then, go up the road a spell until you see a closed-up store. There’s a trail that will lead you right there, but I recommend you waiting until daylight hours. There’s a full moon tonight.”

“I know, but why does that worry you?”

“It doesn’t, but I have sense enough to know to stay indoors. Ever since the government gave those shifters rights, I just don’t feel safe outside at night. Certainly I’d never go out during a full moon.”

“I thought shifters could shift all of the time, not just on the full moon.”

“You’re right, but I can’t help how I feel. It’s not right, you know, shifters being my neighbors.”

“Have they ever bothered you?”

“Well, no. I can’t say they have, but still, I miss the old days when shifters kept to themselves and we didn’t know our neighbors were a werewolf or mountain lion.”

“I’m sure you don’t have anything to worry about. From what I’ve experienced, shifters are not that much different than us humans. They just want to live in peace to raise their families.”

Tessa opened her soda and thanked the man for the information before she went out the door. It would seem that many humans still didn’t like shifters integrating in Wyoming. Hopefully in time that would get better and not worse. Perhaps in a way, it would be much better for them to have remained in secret like vampires were. It more than told Tessa how very important it was to keep her true nature hidden. There’s no way humans were ready to deal with the reality that vampires also lived amongst them.

* * *

Seth stumbled through the forest until he was nearing a cabin far from both Shadow Creek and Silver Creek. He couldn’t afford to be discovered or hurt anyone he knew and loved. The simple truth was that he had become someone he neither trusted nor knew. After running, he was sure nobody he knew would be harmed by him.

Seth thought about Tessa and how he had planned to be with her with Raphael, but even that was lost to him. His mind raced enough thinking about how badly Carrie was injured and how horrible he felt about not helping her in her hour of need. If she died, he didn’t think he’d be able to handle how he’d really feel about it or if he’d be able to help Melody over her loss. It was one thing for Melody to lose her mother as to parental custody and quite another to have her gone from this Earth to never return.
That’s the kind of loss that doesn’t go away. It haunts you a lifetime.

* * *

Tessa’s eyes adjusted to the darkness as she merged onto the trail next to the boarded-up store, just like the man back at the store said. She braked hard when a large log came across the trail and she cut off the engine, making way on foot. So far, this was working out better than she’d planned. On foot, Jason wouldn’t be alerted she was coming up on him, or so she hoped.

Her senses became further accustomed to the area, and she was able to hear every sound—the crickets, the water rushing in a stream close by—and the smell of smoke from a fireplace. She was closing in on Jason and he had no idea what he was in for. His history of abuse would end that night. She wasn’t only saving Carrie but every other woman he would come into contact with if she allowed him to live.

How women got themselves into situations with men like Jason baffled Tessa. What had happened to Carrie for her to decide to hook up with the likes of him of all people? Tessa would have thought that after she gave up custody of Melody that she would have straightened up her life. What was it about Carrie that led her so far astray? There were worse things than being a single parent, surely.

Tessa hunched down as she approached a cabin, which appeared out of the darkness. Smoke trickled from the chimney and the one window was illuminated. She heard someone pacing the clapboard porch of the cabin and as viewable by the full moon overhead, it was Earl. He hurled a goober into the bushes as he spat, lighting up a cigarette from the fragrance, which wafted her way. She could sense his heart was beating at a steady pace, the blood racing through his veins. A wolf howled in the distance and he inhaled sharply, squashing his cigarette on the ground.
Should I have taken him out when he was outside? No, I need to be sure who else is in that cabin before I take action.
Earl wasn’t her prime target, Jason was.

She crept closer to the cabin silently. The sound of a mountain lion’s roar took her out of her deep thought, but Tessa willed herself to remain calm. It couldn’t be Brendan and Chase, she knew it couldn’t. Not even the wolf howls that drew much closer swayed her from her target. She peeked through the window where Jason was tipping back a whisky bottle, but she didn’t see Earl anymore. Tessa stiffened when she heard a door open and close.
They must have a backdoor to the cabin!

Within seconds she made the decision to throw open the door and strode inside, slamming the door behind her.

“What the hell?” Jason said as he scrambled to his feet.

“I’m here to rid the world of your abusive ass. I won’t allow you to harm another woman.”

“Bitch, what are you talking about?”

Tessa’s fangs extended as she was ready to pounce on Jason, but before she was able to move much closer, she felt a sharp pain in the back of her head as a bottle smashed against it. The last thing she remembered before going out was the sound of the men’s laughter and the smell of whiskey tantalizing her senses.

* * *

Tessa was swinging just as high as she could, her ears hurting from the sound of Katlyn’s shrill cry. She put her feet down, digging them into the dirt as she saw Bobby Martin kicking sand in her eyes. Tessa raced over and socked him in the mouth, watching in fascination as blood specked the ground. She was transported to her parents’ house and told they didn’t have enough money to send her to college, that she’d have to find her own way. It wasn’t the words she focused on but the emotionless expressions on their faces. That house wasn’t full of love, only indifference.

Tessa stiffened as she felt her clothing tugged from her body, the hands of a man touching her in places she didn’t want to be touched by Earl or Jason. She struck out yet was restrained by the chains around her wrists. Her eyes snapped open and Earl was unbuttoning his shirt. “When I’m through with you, I’m going to turn you into the sheriff. I’m sure he’ll be interested to know a vampire lives in Creeksboro.”

“Earl, this might not be a good idea. She looks really pissed,” Jason remarked.

“What the hell, Jason? Since when are you going soft? This is the only way to teach a woman how to act. Hold her down for me.”

Jason backed away as Tessa stood. “I want no part of this.”

Earl moved closer and Tessa watched him, hissing when he drew too near. He moved to a table and took out a stun gun. “Have it your way then.” He zapped her in the stomach and Tessa fell to the ground. She didn’t hear or see anything, only blackness. Her only thought was that she’d be violated by Earl and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it.

Tessa moaned in pain, but it wasn’t radiating from between her legs, thank God. It was her stomach where she was hit with the stun gun and her wrists from the chains, which held her, but that wasn’t what really awakened her. It was the smell of the blood of a human, and plenty of it.

She slowly opened her eyes and what she saw shattered her mind. Both Earl and Jason were dead; at least she thought it was them. It was hard to tell by the shape of their mutilated bodies. She stared at the ceiling and bits and pieces of them were there, too.

Tessa moved to her feet and made her way over to a wall where a key ring was. She unlocked the heavy chains from her wrists and they fell to the floor. She stared over to where they were attached to the wall, but they were loose.
What happened?
The last thing she remembered, Earl had hit her with the stun gun. She couldn’t recall anything after that. Tessa felt her head and mouth, coming back with blood. It was in her hair, too, as she further investigated. It also covered her breasts, stomach, and thighs.

She sat down on the floor, rocking herself for a moment, but she knew it wasn’t wise to stay there. But how would she be able to leave in her state? She was covered in blood. She’d be arrested for sure.

Tessa went through the cabin and found her clothing in the corner. It had been cut from her body, but her cell phone dropped out of the pocket of her jeans. She hastily picked it up and called the one person who would be able to help her: Paige.

When Paige picked up, she asked, “Tessa, where on Earth are you? Raphael came over not long ago looking for you.”

“I’m in trouble, Paige. I need you to help me, please. I also need you to bring me clothing.”

“Where are you?”

“I’m at a cabin that was Jason Traxler’s grandfathers.”

“I should have known. I know exactly where that is. I’ve been staking it out myself. I’ll be there in half an hour.”

When the phone cut off, Tessa noticed it was almost daylight.
Paige had better get here before daybreak.
She stepped over the remains and it took all of her willpower not to feed on any of it. No, she refused to do that. Jason had left the cabin, so why was he back in here? At least, Tessa thought it was him. She found an arm with a watch that looked like the one he wore. There was no running water in the cabin and no way to clean up, so she sat back on the floor. Her mind reeled. Did she do this, and if she did, why couldn’t she remember?

* * *

With dark sunglasses, pants and shirt on, with a large floppy hat firmly pulled low over her face, Paige made it up Mill Creek Road. She wasn’t sure what shape she’d find Tessa in, but it couldn’t be good. Her tone alone was one she’d never heard before. She should have known Tessa would go after Jason, but she sure snowed her on that one. Tessa was acting a little too agreeable, actually. She didn’t want Paige to know what she was about to do, but why did she feel it necessary to do it herself? Brendan would have taken action against Jason eventually.

She took the turn toward the woods and found the ATV parked in front of a fallen log.
This must be where she had gone in and she must have gone the rest of the way on foot.
Paige brought a bag from the passenger’s seat of the truck and made way for the cabin. Luckily, it was supposed to be quite cloudy, although the sun hadn’t risen yet. However, Paige had found a way to go out during the day if she had to. It took a lot out of her, but sometimes it was just necessary, and it seemed like she was about to have one of those ‘necessary’ days. She’d not let Tessa go it alone. If she had done something to Jason, Paige would just help Tessa cover her tracks. It was as simple as that.

Paige pushed open the door to the cabin and the stench of fresh blood floored her. She pressed a hand over her nose as her fangs instinctively grew in her mouth. She searched the carnage of the room before finding Tessa huddled on the floor, hugging her knees. Not only was she quite naked, but covered in blood!

* * *

“Tessa,” Paige said.

Tessa looked up at Paige like she was her savior. “Thanks for coming.”

Paige helped Tessa to her feet. “What happened?”

“I came her planning to kill Jason, and Earl if he got in the way, but things got out of hand.”

“I see. It looks like Jason, or I think that’s Jason and Earl. Kinda hard to tell since they’re missing their heads.” Paige walked over to the wood pile in the corner, thrusting a piece of small kindling through their hearts. “Just in case,” she said. “But if you killed them, why are you naked?”

“Actually, I don’t know if I killed them or not. I mean, I
did
come here to kill them, but Earl hit me on the back of the head. He’d cut my clothes off by the time I woke up and I was chained to that wall. He was planning to rape me. I didn’t really even get a chance to defend myself because he used a stun gun on me.”

“What happened after that? He didn’t—did he?”

“I don’t feel like he raped me, but I don’t remember killing them either. I was chained to that wall, but when I woke up they weren’t connected to the wall and they were loose. I was only secured around my wrists. I found the key and took them off. Earl found out I was a vampire and planned to turn me in to the sheriff. Jason actually left when Earl was planning to…you know. Anyway, Jason went outside. I’m not sure how or when he came back inside, or what happened to either of them. I wish I could remember more, but I can’t.”

Paige nodded. “We need to get you cleaned up.”

“There’s no running water. I already checked.”

“There’s a stream not far away. Just clean yourself up and come back here. I’ll take care of the remains.”

Tessa nodded and did what Paige told her to. She waded into the ice-cold water and rubbed her body briskly until it was nearly raw, working her fingers through her hair until she hoped the blood was washed free.

When she finally surfaced, she stared down a white wolf. His jaws snapped and he howled before racing off into the forest. Paige appeared at the door. “Was that a wolf I heard?”

“Yes, but he left. That’s the last thing I want to deal with.”

“Was it Raphael?”

“No, this one was a white wolf. Raphael is gray.”

Paige handed Tessa her clothing and she donned the jeans and tee-shirt quickly. “Did you get rid of the bodies yet?”

“Yes, so don’t worry about that anymore. I’m afraid we need to set fire to this cabin.”

“But won’t that bring the sheriff out here? They’ll assume somebody killed Jason,” Tessa said.

“And what if someone comes out here to check on Jason and sees all that blood in the cabin? There simply is no choice. There are no nearby trees, so it shouldn’t cause too much trouble.”

That was the last thing Tessa needed to worry about, starting a forest fire. “I don’t think that’s a good idea at all. One spark is all it would take. I’d hate to ruin the entire forest just because we’re trying to destroy evidence.”

“Not to worry. I'll send out Angus to do it. I won't tell him you were ever here. Nobody will ever know except for me. I recommend you do the same and keep this between us. There are ramifications for killing a human, even ones such as Earl and Jason.”

Paige led the way back to her truck. “Follow me. I know of a place that has a hot shower where you can get some sleep and get yourself together. You can go home tonight.”

Tessa nodded. “But what if Raphael comes looking for me?”

“You'll just have to come up with a good story about that one. You can't expect me to come up with a lie that would be believable to him. I'll simply tell him I haven't seen you since last night after you checked on Carrie.”

“What about Seth? Did he ever come back to Shadow Creek?”

“No, and I can't help but wonder about that. I thought he'd remain glued to Carrie's side. I sure hope he's not feeling responsible for what happened to her.”

Tessa fired up the ATV and followed Paige back toward Shadow Creek, taking a turn into the abandoned ranch of her neighbor. When Tessa hopped off the ATV, she asked Paige, “Why are we here?”

“Look, it has running water and power. It's like a home away from home. Nobody ever comes here so it's safe.”

“How does it still have power?”

“Seems like he was stealing it from Shadow Creek. I just never bothered to have the connection severed. It's good to have a place to hide out in.”

Tessa followed Paige to the door and walked in when it was unlocked, but Paige didn't come in. “I'll park the ATV in the barn. I better get back to Shadow Creek before anyone starts asking questions.”

“Thanks, Paige. I owe you one.”

“No, this is the least I can do. I'll always be there whenever you need me.”

Paige left, first taking the ATV into the barn before driving the truck back to Shadow Creek. It felt strange for Tessa to be there, so close yet far away from Shadow Creek. How would she ever be able to pull herself together when she felt shattered by the events of the night?

Tessa stumbled her way up the stairs and into the bathroom. She adjusted the water to as hot as possible and crawled inside. There was soap and shampoo, and Tessa wondered if Paige had been entertaining over there with someone. Since she hadn't been seeing Clayton of late, Tessa wondered just who it might be. Tessa scrubbed her body until it hurt, just as she had in the river. Every time she thought of Earl putting his hands on her, she washed all the harder. Her wrists still hurt, as did the back of her head where she was hit with a bottle, as well as her stomach where she got quite the electrical current. That was why her wrists were injured, since the metal conducted with the jolt of that blasted stun gun. What happened after Earl hit her with that stun gun? Her body didn't feel like it was violated. Was she actually able to yank the chains from the wall and attack Earl? Did Jason race to his aid, killed by her, too?

After her shower, Tessa found her way into a bedroom, crawling under the blankets. She drew up her knees and hugged them. What happened might just scar her for life, but she couldn't allow it to. How on Earth would she ever be able to lie to Raphael about what happened at the cabin? Where would she say she had been all night? She then thought about Seth. Where had he gone? Back to Silver Creek, or into town to stay at the boarding house? It would seem that more than just Seth had a secret they couldn't share.