Fierce Awakenings Read online

  Tristan grinned. “I’ve had plenty of time to fight. Been there, done that, as humans would say. I’m more interested in you right now.” And of course, that which she struggled to hide from him. “Are you mated?” There, he popped the question. Sure, it was none of his business, but damn if he didn’t want to know.

  “No.”

  Tristan somehow understood that a mate was going to be chosen for her if it had not been done already. Her pack probably had several prospects lined up; hoping one would be a good match for her.

  “Pack policies.” He waved one hand in the air dismissively. “I never understood what they’re all about.”

  “Then you have never known true pleasure.” The sarcasm behind her statement forced the corners of his mouth to curve upward. She wasn’t lying when she mention not being fond of her pack. It was written all over her face.

  “Oh, I’m all up for pleasure. However, my definition of pleasure might not coincide with yours.”

  The hints of scarlet on her cheeks emboldened him. It wasn’t long before his fingers followed an imaginary path to her hip by dancing up her thigh. They gripped the lower portion of her shorts slightly before his hand slipped in between skin and cloth in a bold move. He watched as her eyes widened and her breathing increased. However, she didn’t move away nor did she order him to stop and he took this as a sign to continue with his explorations.

  Chapter Eleven

  Victoria was lost in the feel of his fingers slipping into her pants and softly caressing the side of her hip. It was too much, but at the same time it was not enough and she wanted more. More of him. More of what he was doing. More of everything.

  If he continued fondling her she wouldn’t be able to stop him. It was the first time she’d been taken advantage of like this and had it been a member of the pack, she would’ve beaten the fur out of them but with Tristan, she couldn’t seem to tell him to stop. His touch was intoxicating, and in spite of how intimate it was, she wanted him to continue.

  Though she wasn’t sure she did so unconsciously or not, she scooted down the bed until she was lying flat on her back and by doing so; his hand was less constricted by the tightness of the shorts. When his big hand continued moving up and down in a circular motion just below her waist, she had to bite down on her lip to keep from crying out. He was so achingly close to her crotch it was all she could do not to scream at him to touch her there. And God help her, she wanted him to touch her there. She ached for it.

  As he moved his skilled fingers to the left, almost grazing the top of her pelvic area, she nearly jumped off the bed. He chuckled softly at her reaction and then continued to move his fingers up and down her thigh again.

  “You seem a little distracted.” He flicked his tongue over his sparkling fangs, grinning when he caught her staring at his shiny incisors.

  “I’m fine.”

  The look on his face ignited the rapidly growing fire inside of her.

  “Such a liar you are,” he teased.

  Victoria finally filled up with enough courage to swat his hand away, regretting it the instant his big fingers no longer caressed her delicate skin. Aroused and disturbed by that fact, she brought the sheet up to her chin, hoping the thin material would keep him at bay.

  He appeared completely unaffected by her late reaction and merely sneered as she asked, “What would your pack say about the liberties I just took with you?”

  The question startled her. What would they say? Nothing, they would just kill him.

  “They wouldn’t like it,” she admitted. “But they’re not here.”

  “Hmm, I can imagine they wouldn’t.” The mischievous grin on his face forced her to swallow the lump forming in her throat. “Did you?”

  “No!” She was too quick to reply and her answer only amused him further.

  “You’re turning into an expert liar,” he mocked, knowing his touch had indeed aroused her to some degree. Well, at least he could easily accept that he hadn’t lost his touch after all.

  “I’m not lying,” she snapped. “Is there any particular reason why you show up in my house wearing just a pair of pants and your shoes?”

  Tristan came up onto his hands and knees on the bed, straddling her as he stared down into her beautiful green eyes.

  “I’m pretty sure this isn’t your home since this cabin belonged to a pair of humans.” Her eyes widened. “I know that because I was the one who scared them away.” He leaned down enough so his nose skimmed the sides of her cheek, the coolness of his breath caressing the sides of her face. “And the reason for my state of undress is simply this; I narrowly escaped a hungry female who had other things on her mind besides a nice conversation with me.”

  She lifted her chin, meeting his pale green eyes as he grinned and stared down at her.

  “But I fled before she had a chance to throw me down on the ground and have her way with me. Unfortunately, my favorite cloak and my shirt were both abandoned as I retreated.”

  Tristan gently ground his lower body into hers, making sure that his engorged manhood brushed lightly against her mound. She exhaled sharply but stared at him directly, refusing to turn away in embarrassment. He couldn’t read what he saw in her eyes but he did enjoy her discomfort.

  “Funny…” She stared up into his eyes without blinking. “I don’t picture you as the running away type.”

  “I don’t intentionally service someone I’m not interested in.” He decided to make that clear to her. “And I don’t run.” Tristan leaned closer, pushing his pelvis into hers. Without thinking about how she would react, he flicked his tongue over the side of her face then smiled when she groaned. “I fade out.” With that, he vanished.

  It was a good thing he did because had he stayed much longer, she would have reached out for him and the rest would have been history. A sudden tightness in her chest caused Victoria to wince and sit back up in bed. He had so intimately pushed his very male form into her, and God help her, she enjoyed it a little too much. So much so, she was positively overwhelmed with the effects he had on her body. The center of her desire throbbed mercilessly with unfulfilled passion and she had to squeeze her legs shut in order to diminish some of the aching.

  Frustrated over his sudden departure, Victoria tossed her shaky legs over the side of the bed and rose. He was gone. She felt his presence move farther and farther away even as she stood there, wishing he would return. She knew where he was going but what would be the use of following him? If he wanted anything to do with her he would have stayed, but he chose to depart.

  Unfortunately, there was no way in hell she could get any sleep now that he had practically dry humped her right then and there. For the first time in her life she knew what passion felt like and she was nearly intoxicated with the aftermath of it. How could she get rid of the sensations? Her mound ached for a touch she desired but had not gotten.

  Victoria marched into the bathroom, undressed, and jumped into the bathtub. She turned on the faucet and allowed the ice cold water to wash over her and cool her body from Tristan’s burning touch.

  The water wasn’t necessarily a reliever but it helped enough. Moments later, she stepped out of the tub, wrapped a towel around her wet body, and walked back into the bedroom. She dressed quickly and hopped into bed, closed her eyes, and willed the image of her vampire master of sensual torture away. Unfortunately for her, it took a long time for her to fall back asleep. When she did, she had dark, sensual dreams about a certain white-haired, blue-eyed man built like an Adonis statue.

  Chapter Twelve

  Danero finished removing the last of his armor, hanging it on the wall of the armory room before turning to face a solemn Tyrone. It had been several days since Victoria left and ever since she disappeared, both the alpha and the other Trackers had been watching him like a pair of hungry hawks. Although he knew the sudden tension toward him was well deserved, considering he played some part in Victoria’s disappearance, even if it was a very small part, to Danero, Tyrone
was acting unreasonable.

  He wasn’t keen on lying. In fact, he was well known for his honesty. However, he wasn’t about to admit what he’d said to Victoria the night before she disappeared or that he even suspected she wasn’t as far away as her father believed. When it came to her behavior, he simply had nothing to say. She was gone and that was the end of that.

  Facing the other Tracker, Danero realized Tyrone wasn’t as angry as he was concerned for her well-being. “Is there a problem?” he questioned.

  “Yes, there is, but unfortunately, there’s nothing I can do to fix it.” Tyrone shook his head. “What were you thinking?”

  Danero wasn’t sure, but he thought Tyrone’s tone of voice was almost accusatory. “Whatever do you mean?”

  “Do you know that by helping Victoria escape, you have betrayed the alpha?”

  Sighing heavily, Danero rolled his eyes as he walked past the other Tracker on his way to the exit. “I haven’t helped anyone escape,” he barked in irritation.

  “Who are you trying to kid?” Tyrone hurried to block Danero’s path before he could flee out the open door. “Victor suspects that you had something to do with Victoria’s disappearance, but he has no way to prove it. He’s been questioning me about it and I’m stuck in the middle.”

  “Then say you don’t know anything about it,” Danero said.

  “I don’t know anything about it,” Tyrone countered.

  Taking a step back, Danero eyed the Tracker with interest. “Then what’s the problem?”

  “The problem is Victoria disappeared and you were seen going into her room the night before she left.”

  Shrugging, Danero arched an eyebrow and cracked a smile. “That’s hardly a reason to think I’m involved in any way with her mysterious disappearance.”

  “You think not?” Tyrone asked. “I think it’s highly suspicious and so does Victor.”

  Letting out an exasperated sigh, Danero ran a hand down his long black hair and glared at Tyrone. “It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve gone up to her room.”

  Allowing his shoulders to drop, Tyrone shook his head and sighed. His eyes reflected everything from concern and anxiety to defeat and exasperation. “I know that.”

  Though there was reason for Tyrone to suspect him, it still irked him that the man would try to pry information out of him. “I don’t know where she is,” Danero added after a while, hoping that would make it clear enough.

  Tyrone bobbed his head up and down. “You might not know where she is, but you knew she planned to leave,” he accused.

  Irritated, Danero placed one hand on his hip and glowered. “Why does that surprise you? It’s not the first time she’s done something like this.”

  “Yes, but it’s the first time she’s left with the intention of staying away,” the man insisted.

  “And that’s my fault?” Danero argued, pointless though it was.

  “No, but—”

  “You know how Victoria is. When she gets something stuck in her head there’s no one on earth that can stop her from doing what she wants to do,” Danero quickly added. “Besides, I think she’s better off.”

  “Watch your mouth,” Tyrone warned, his eyes wide. “Walls around here have ears.”

  Danero dismissed the man’s warning with a shrug of his shoulder. “Tyrone, you love Victoria as much as I do. Deep down, I know you’re as glad of her departure as I am.”

  The older Tracker opened his mouth to deny it, but must have thought better of it because he chose to hold his peace instead.

  “That’s what I thought.” Danero dipped his head in amusement.

  “You should be more careful of what you do. Eyes are on you,” the man warned.

  “You and I both know I owe no loyalty to Victor. I wasn’t born within the pack. I’m only a lone wolf that took temporary refuge here. The second I get the chance to leave, I will. The only reason I’ve been here in the first place was because of Victoria.”

  Tyrone squeezed his eyes shut for a moment and sighed. “I know. But I would hate for something bad to happen to you, my friend.”

  “Like what?” Danero scoffed. “You worry too much.” But the truth of the matter was that Danero himself was beginning to worry. Not about himself, but about Victoria. He had no idea where she was and because her absence had been noticed right away, Victor wasted no time sending out recruits to search for her. If she happened to be hiding in any human town nearby, it was only a matter of time before one of the Trackers located her. “I’m going out for a run. I’ll be back in a little while.”

  “The DeWitt pack is due to arrive in a few days. If Victoria doesn’t show up on her own, Victor is likely to grow desperate.”

  Danero picked up on the message hidden under Tyrone’s words. If he were to happen upon Victoria, he should warn her to either come back home before the alpha took drastic measures to assure her return, or tell her that she should flee as quickly as possible and go as far as either her paws or car would take her.

  “That won’t happen.” Danero commanded his inner wolf to come forth and within seconds he had shifted from his normal six-foot-two to a much taller version of a cross between beast and animal. With his head held high, he bolted toward the woods, determined to find out whether or not Victoria had made her escape, and if she hadn’t, warn her to leave and never come back.

  Desperate times called for desperate measures and Danero was certain Victor would bring Victoria back even if he had to tie her up and drag her to the mansion himself.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Victoria finished the last of her meal and gulped down what was left of her Pepsi with obvious relish. Because she wanted to find out whether or not she could control herself amongst humans, she opted for eating at a small bar and grill by the side of the road. So far, she had nothing to complain about. The food was good, the company bearable, the atmosphere relaxing. Although a quick bite to eat didn’t exactly qualify as maximum exposure when it came to coexisting with her weaker counterparts, at least she was experiencing things on her own and not having to hear of it from others.

  Comfortably full and feeling at ease, she ignored the two men that had been trying to gain her attention from the very first moment she walked in through the front door. She took a few dollars from her skirt’s pocket to pay for her bill just as the waitress sauntered over to her table and handed her a white piece of paper with the amount she owed written down in clear blue ink.

  “Will you be needing anything else, sweetheart?” The older woman greeted her with a warm smile, a gesture that reminded Victoria of how much she missed her friend and surrogate mother, Sasha.

  “No. I’m fine,” Victoria replied with a smile.

  “Say, I’ve never seen you around these parts before.” The woman eyed her over for a moment, her gaze never lingering on her long enough to cause any form of discomfort.

  Victoria glanced up, gazing at the woman curiously before handing over the correct amount of dollar bills plus a five dollar tip. She deduced it was human nature to inquire about unknown faces. Unlike werewolves, they couldn’t identify each other by scent alone.

  “It’s just that, I’ve never seen you before and I know most of the people from town,” the woman added quickly.

  “Actually, I’m new in town,” she lied, realizing there was no need to provide any kind of information about herself.

  “You sure are a pretty thing.” The compliment was sincere. “You remind me of my daughter when she was your age.” The woman appeared momentarily lost in thought as her gaze assessed Victoria. After a moment however, she shook her head as if to clear it, and smiled.

  Recognizing a motherly instinct from the unknown woman, Victoria returned the smile. “Thank you,” she said for good measure.

  “Well, it was nice meeting you.” The waitress glanced to the side as a male customer began to motion for her to stop by his table, acknowledging him briefly with a nod of the head before turning her attention back to Victoria. “Stop
by anytime. We’re open Monday through Saturday, noon to midnight most nights. Saturdays we’re open till two.”

  “Thank you, you’ve been very helpful.”

  “No problem. Just doing my job,” the woman replied before marching across the room.

  As the waitress sashayed in the direction of another table, the two men who had been leering at her since her arrival finally decided to approach. Victoria didn’t have to read their minds to know they had nothing but trouble on their filthy minds.

  “Well, hello there, beautiful,” a big burly man with short black hair and matching beard said as he grabbed the seat opposite hers. He turned it around to straddle it. “What’s a pretty thing like you doing all alone in a place like this?”

  Victoria could practically smell the lust rolling off the beast of a man in invisible waves and she had to restrain herself before she gave in to the temptation to swat him away with a flick of her paw.

  “I’m alone because I despise company,” she replied, hoping he would take the hint and leave.

  He didn’t. If anything, her early dismissal of him made him more determined to stay. “You don’t look like the kind of girl who likes to be alone too often.” The other guy, a bald- headed man with caramel colored eyes and straight white teeth, seated himself in between his companion and Victoria.

  “What kind of girl do you think I am?” She was seriously considering slamming them both to the hardwood floor but decided against it, too many witnesses around. The thought was rather tempting, though.

  “Oh, I don’t know.” The bald headed man reached out and ran one finger down her naked thigh. “Why don’t you come to our place and show us what kind of girl you are.”

  Victoria watched the man run his finger down her thigh as if he was familiar with her already. Rage started to rapidly build inside her and only the humans dining a few feet away stopped her from shifting and charging the two perverts.