Venice Heat (14 page)

“Oh yeah?”

He came closer, and for no reason at all, she laid a hand on his chest. To her utter horror, her pussy clenched in longing for this bastard. She fought with everything inside, to the point that beads of sweat broke out on her top lip and rivulets of moisture ran down from her temples. Darryl nipped at her chin with his teeth, a playful move as if they were lovers, teasing each other.

“You shouldn’t challenge me, baby girl. You’ll always lose.”

“I hate your guts.”

“I can even make you say you love me.”

Panic stirred in her stomach. “If that’s how you get your rocks off. Maybe no woman has ever been willing. You must be proud.”

“Bitch,” he growled.

He grabbed her chin and squeezed so hard she cried out. She tried doing to him what she’d attempted with Eiji, but this time she couldn’t even raise her leg, let alone connect her knee with his balls. Darryl ground his mouth over hers, pressing hard until she tasted blood. She cried out and fought to get free from his hold. All she managed was to dig her nails into his arms, but she did all she could to cut into his flesh. He grunted in pain and shoved her back. She lost her footing and fell hard on the ground. Not even waiting for him to take control again, she flipped over to squat on her hands and feet and kicked out. Her foot connected with his leg, and the big bad wolf went down.

Darryl snarled his rage. He was on her in seconds and flattened her in the sand. If the soft grains hadn’t provided a cushion, she would be dead or unconscious. Even so, her neck and shoulders ached with the strain of protecting herself. Darryl knotted fingers in her hair and yanked. She cried out.

“Hey!” someone called, but Darryl ignored the person.

He ran a hand up her thigh, raising her dress. He paused at the mound of her pussy, and she almost threw up in her mouth. Gathering a bunch of sand in her hand, she prepared to rub it in his eyes, but he anticipated her move and squeezed her wrist until she lost all feeling in her fingers.

“Miss, are you okay?” Hairy, pale legs stopped in her peripheral vision. Shae opened her mouth to say she wasn’t okay, but Darryl’s face made her pause.

His eyes shifted to the wolf’s, and his canine teeth lengthened and sharpened while his muzzle protruded just enough to freak out any human who had the misfortune of seeing it. She didn’t have to guess what he had in mind.

“You protect the humans, right? Wonder what this one will taste like.” His laugh was low and throaty. “I vote it will taste like chicken.”

“You wouldn’t do that. You’d risk exposing your kind, and none of the shifters want that.”

“Ma’am?” the man called out again.

Darryl leaned down and licked her neck. She just managed not to gag. “You mean
our
kind. What you gonna do, Shae?”

“I’m fine,” she called out. “We just got a little frisky. It’s all good.”

Darryl’s growl rumbled against her skin. Hatred choked her and curled her fingers in his shirt when she wished it was his throat. He’d manipulated her without using his power, showing just how low he could sink.

“You heard her,” Darryl snapped, his face normal again as he glared up at the human. “Get lost and let me enjoy my girl.”

The man stumbled backward and frowned. “You two should get a room. No one wants to see that.”

“Not my fault you can’t get laid,” was Darryl’s smart-ass reply. The man stomped away, leaving her trapped with no idea how she would escape. Darryl tugged at her panty line and snapped it against her ass. He laughed when she jumped. “Where was I?”

He lay on top of her with one leg between hers, the weight of the other crushing her into the sand. She switched their positions. He howled when she thumped his balls as she flipped him to his back. Not even looking for her flip-flops, she kicked off to get away, but he caught her hair and snatched her down. Sand filled her mouth, mixed with more blood.

“Where you going, bitch?” He moved above her again.

“No!” Something icy cold and then scorching hot zipped through her entire body. She didn’t know where the strength came from, but the next instant, she threw Darryl into the water.

Somewhere nearby, a woman gasped. “Wait, did she just throw him?”

“We must be imagining it,” her companion answered. “I knew people were crazy out here on the West Coast. It’s too early for this, and I was drinking all night.”

“Yeah,” the first woman agreed. “We must be still hungover. Let’s go back to our room.”

Shae heard all of this conversation while keeping her eyes on Darryl. She crouched and bared her teeth. Adrenaline pumped through her veins, and the most insane longing to sink her teeth and claws into Darryl came over her. She took a slow step in his direction.

“Stop, Shae, you can’t turn now.” He seemed genuinely worried, but she didn’t care.

“Run,” she begged and was surprised at the deepness of her tone. Another step closer.

“Listen to me, damn it!”

“Run!” She leaped at him, but from nowhere Eiji was there between them. She screeched and tried to bite him. When that didn’t work, she dug her fingernails into his arms, surprised and pleased at how long they extended.

“Not here, Shae.” Eiji held on to her, but she had eyes only for Darryl and him alone. To kill him.

“Shae, calm down.”

Heat flooded her body until she thought the world had turned red. “Why are you stopping me, Eiji? You hate him too. I want him dead now!”

“Look at me.”

She pulled away from his hands as they framed her face.

“Shae, if you turn before the full moon, you will lose yourself.”

“Lies!” She smacked at his face, but he caught her hand and folded her arm across her body. He enfolded her in his embrace, and all she could do was kick out at the air. She wriggled in his hold and stared at her enemy, so close and yet so far.

“Go,” Eiji commanded Darryl.

“Who you think—”

“Go! You know what will happen if she changes now. She won’t be able to be anyone’s mate.”

“She’s mine. If anyone’s going to make her calm down, it’s me.” Darryl took a step toward them, and Shae’s teeth sliced into her bottom lip. Darryl froze and then fell back. He landed on his ass, and the shallow waves buffeted him. “I’ll be back in six days.”

Eiji turned from him as if he hadn’t spoken. He spun Shae in his arms and trapped her face once again between his hands. “Shae,
kiku
. Listen. You must calm down.”

She scratched at him and shook her head. Blind rage and hate dominated her thoughts. All she wanted was to kill, and since Darryl’s scent faded with each passing moment, maybe she should focus on Eiji. Then again, hunting Darryl might give her satisfaction. From a great distance, Eiji called out to her, his tone insistent, but she swatted at the sound, waving her hand.

“Why are you here? Let me go!” She managed to break from his embrace only to have him pounce on her to flatten her in the sand.

“People are watching. Do you really want to talk here?” he demanded.

“They can witness me kick your ass.” She snapped her teeth together in a sneer, but he appeared unimpressed.

“
Gomen
.”

“What do you mean you’re sor—”

He grasped a small one-inch area on her wrist like he was checking for a pulse. A flash of feeling, as if cold water rushed up her arm, came over her. Before she could react, Eiji moved his hand to a point near her elbow and then ended with a swift, light tap to her temple. A burst of white light hit behind her eyes, and all went dark. His name exploded in her mind as she lost consciousness.

* * * *

When Shae came to, Eiji kneeled over her patting the area at her nape. She rested her forehead on his chest, and the memory of what he’d done came back, except without the rage.

“Just breathe,” Eiji instructed.

“W-What did you do to me, you bastard?” Her words held no heat. She managed to push his hand away and look up at him. The red tint over her eyes had gone, and while she didn’t run her tongue over her teeth, she was pretty sure they were normal.

“Come. I’ll take you back to the house.”

“How long was I out?”

He didn’t answer, but raised her to her feet. Shae resisted him carrying her, but he held a firm arm around her waist. Within a short time, they arrived at the house, and she sighed in the cool interior. She shoved him away, and he let her.

“Answer me, Eiji. What did you do?”

“I helped you to calm down.”

“Yeah, because I wouldn’t obey you. Is that it?” She put a hand on her hip.

“I did what was necessary. I’m sorry.”

“You keep saying that, but somehow I don’t think you even give a fuck. About me or anybody. Certainly not since you found out I’m a Keith. I’m surprised you even showed up at the beach.” She spun on her heel and walked toward the bedroom, and he followed. “But don’t even worry about it. I’m over this mess. I’m doing things the way we always do them, the way I should have from the beginning. I always have someone watching my back and making sure I’m not hurt.”

She caught the jump in his jaw muscle and the narrowing of his eyes, but that didn’t stop her from punching in the number on her cell phone. When the voice on the other end came on the line, she frowned. “Joe, where’s Ace? I need him.”

“He’s indisposed. I’m at this number right now. What do you need, Shae?”

She hesitated. “Indisposed” usually meant one of their members was either injured or dead. Ace was her protector, and they’d been lovers for a time. “He’s not…?”

“He’ll be fine. Again, what do you need, Shae?”

She bit her lip. Joe was good at what he did, but he was also her sister’s ex-boyfriend, and in Juneau, he’d made plain that he wouldn’t mind starting something up with her. She’d put the asshat in his place and laid the matter to rest, but did he still have notions? The tone of his voice said business, but that could be a ploy.

“I need a protector, and I need a team. I have…”

Eiji laid a hand on hers. His dark gaze bore into her, cutting her deep despite the harsh way he’d treated her earlier. “Don’t. I will look after you.”

Shae shook his hand off. She had time. Darryl had said it himself. Six days. Her family could swoop in and wipe out Darryl and his pack before anyone was the wiser about her being no longer human. They deserved it, but she would still not tell them about Eiji. Then she could disappear somewhere far away. At the thought, her throat closed, and she had to take a moment to clear it before she spoke again.

“There’s a wolf pack here. They need to be dealt with. I need a protector and a team. How soon can I get help?”

“By sunrise,” Joe snapped. “Are you sure about this? Are you safe? If you need me to, I can drive over tonight. The rest can come behind me. You haven’t been made, have you?”

She licked her lips and glanced at Eiji. No doubt he heard every word Joe spoke. “No, I haven’t. I’m safe for now. The morning is fine. Um, please don’t…uh…Don’t bring Kasen. I want to handle this on my own.”

He chuckled. “I know about doing everything you can to impress the higher-ups, and this would be huge. We’ve never brought down a wolf pack. Okay, in the morning then. Call me if you need me. I’ll be there for you, no problem.”

The warmth in his tone gagged her, but she thanked him all the same and ended the call. Her stomach knotted knowing she had to face Eiji and his possible wrath. She threw her shoulders back and raised her chin. “You don’t agree with this, but it’s the only solution I see.”

“I suggested—”

“Please, that wasn’t a suggestion, and you know it. I’m not going to be forced to be with a man, even if he is a decent guy.” She met his gaze and saw his confusion. Of course he didn’t get it. They were from two different worlds. “You heard everything. I don’t want them to find out you’re one of them and kill you. Even if you and I don’t say anything, there’s no guarantee Darryl or his people won’t. I wouldn’t put it past them to be that spiteful.”

While she spoke, Eiji went about the room gathering clothes. At first she thought he intended to take her word and leave. The vise in her chest and the burning in her eyes were not to be examined. Then he brought out her suitcase from the closet and tossed it without ceremony on the bed. He dumped drawers full of clothing into it without folding them.

“What in the hell are you doing?”

He kept moving until she grabbed his arm and yanked a blouse from him. He dropped his hands on her shoulders. “You do not understand, Shae.”

“Enlighten me!”

“Did you forget what happened on the beach?”

“I didn’t forget how you karate chopped me upside the head.”

Amusement lit his dark gaze, and she smiled. He pulled her close, and she let him lead her to his chest. She hated how much she wanted him, but the fact that he hadn’t walked away meant he didn’t totally reject her, knowing she was a Keith. Still, it didn’t mean they had a future. He would not take her home to his mother.
Why am I even thinking about that? I’m going my own way.

“Shae.”

She looked up at him and felt something stir in her belly—desire and longing. She wanted to kiss him and hear him speak soft words of encouragement in his language even if she didn’t know the meaning. For all her bravado, this situation scared the hell out of her, and she wasn’t sure what the right path was. At any second, Darryl might ignore his promise to wait six days. Why that length of time?

Eiji answered her unspoken question. “The full moon is in six days. You will change for the first time.”

“Well, that’s plenty of chance to get rid of Darryl and his crew. Trust me. You don’t know how good my people are. We can have this mess cleaned up in a jiffy.” She fell silent. After this, there’d be no more involvement. She might even have to change her name to stay alive. The thought of never seeing Shiya and Sakura again, not to mention her dad, broke her heart.

“Shae.” He caressed her cheek, and she turned into his touch, surprised at the tears in her eyes. Blinking them away, she sniffed and moved out of his hold.

“I’m fine.”

“We’re going.”

“I just told you—”

He stopped her from dragging her clothes from the suitcase. For a few minutes, they fought, her trying to unpack while he dumped in more stuff.