Bad to the Bone
by Vivi Anna
Copyright 2011 Vivi Anna This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portion thereof, is any form. This ebook may not be resold or uploaded for distribution to others.
Smashwords Edition
*previously published by Loose ID
Olivia Jordan looked into the McDonald’s bag again and swore under her breath. She was hoping if she looked twice, the large fries she ordered would magically appear. Damn it! Why did this always happen to her?
“Rog, they forgot my fries again.”
Roger turned in his seat and grinned. “I’ll go get them, Liv.”
“McDonald’s hates me.”
“Oh, yeah, it’s a conspiracy against you.” He chuckled as he pulled out of the drive-through and parked the ambulance in the empty parking lot. It was past midnight and the restaurant was soon closing.
“I shouldn’t be eating this crap anyway. I’ll just have to run longer tomorrow.” Olivia unwrapped her hamburger and took a healthy bite.
Roger snickered again and opened his door. “Liv, I see you eat it, but I have no idea where you put it.” The radio on the dashboard crackled, giving pause to his movement.
Possible gunshot at 1st and 12th Avenue SE. PD on scene.
He shut his door and started the ambulance. “You didn’t need them anyway. I can almost see your butt in those pants.”
Olivia punched him hard in the arm. “Har har.”
“Ow, you have bony knuckles.” He rubbed his arm.
She wolfed down the rest of her burger and crumbled up the garbage. She rolled down the window as they exited the lot and tossed it into the provided trash bin. “Two points.”
There were three cruisers on scene when they arrived. Two officers were trying to keep back the small group of onlookers that consisted of three hookers and some drunk bar patrons. Olivia got their gear ready as Roger parked the ambulance in the middle of the street. She jumped out of the back on the run.
This was not their first visit down to this area of town. Olivia figured she’d been down here at least five times in the past two years as an EMT. Stabbings and beatings mostly. This was her first gunshot wound. She wasn’t looking forward to it.
Two officers were bent over the victim who was lying on the sidewalk in front of a skuzzy blues club. They were pressing down on her wounds to stem the flow of blood, but were also restraining her.
“What are you doing?”
One officer looked up. She knew him. Had dated him briefly.
“She’s trying to get up.”
Olivia pushed the other officer out of the way and crouched next to the victim. She was young and pretty, and had three bullet holes in her ample chest. The woman turned her head and stared up at Olivia, blood congealed on her lips.
“I want to go home,” she croaked.
“Ma’am, you’ve been shot three times. We need to take you to the hospital.” Olivia took out the small oxygen mask and put it over the woman’s mouth. She struggled against it, trying to swipe it off.
“Grab her hands, Tom.” The officer gently stilled the woman’s arms. “You need to take some deep breaths, ma’am.”
While the woman still struggled, Olivia applied fresh trauma dressings to the wounds. Three shots to the chest. It was unbelievable that the woman was still alive and let alone talking.
Roger hunkered down on the other side, nudging Tom out of the way. He grabbed the woman’s arm and tried to get an IV line in.
“How is this woman conscious?”
“I don’t know.” Olivia took out the trauma collar and put it around the woman’s neck. “Let’s get her on a board and get her out of here.”
Roger set the injury board next the woman’s form. They gently lifted her and set her on top. Then they hefted the board onto the stretcher. Roger raised the stretcher and they wheeled her to the back of the ambulance.
“Hey, Liv?” Tom stepped around the ambulance. “Nice to see you, too.”
Olivia turned around and flipped him the bird.
“What an asshole,” Roger said as he jumped into the back of the ambulance and helped slide the victim in.
Olivia jumped in after and shut the back doors. She settled next to the patient while Roger went to the driver’s seat.
“The man has no couth. Now you know why I dumped him.”
Olivia settled in beside the victim, and hooked her up to the EKG. Amazingly, the woman’s vitals were still strong. She glanced down again at the woman and saw that she watched Olivia with intensity, her eyes wide and very aware. Olivia fought the urge to look away from her intense stare. A shiver rushed up her spine.
“You’re going to be okay. We’re almost at the hospital.” Olivia looked up at Roger. “Punch it.”
“I am.” He picked up the radio and called into the emergency.
The woman raised her hand and placed it on Olivia’s arm. She jumped and looked down at it. The woman squeezed her hard. Wincing in pain, Olivia dug at her hand trying to remove it before her arm snapped in two. The woman’s strength was incredible, especially considering the circumstances.
“No one can help me.”
Suddenly, the woman released her hold on Olivia and bowed her back. The EKG went crazy. Olivia pushed the woman back onto the board to start CPR. As she touched the woman’s abdomen, Olivia felt something warm and liquid through the rubber on her hand. She glanced down at the woman’s dressings. They were soaked through, but not with blood.
Olivia lifted up the gauze pressed just underneath the woman’s right breast. A gray fluid oozed out. She touched it with her gloved hand and brought it up to her face to identify. It glistened in the light, like liquefied silver. All three wounds leaked the same strange substance.
“Rog, we have a major problem here.”
“What?” Roger quickly glanced over his shoulder.
“There’s a possible contaminant here. Radio in to emerge. Have them ready for a possible quarantine.”
“Fuck! Are you sure?”
“No, I’m not sure of anything right now.”
“Arghhh!” The woman screamed.
Olivia jumped back as the woman bowed again, her muscles in her arms and neck straining to capacity, as she pulled against the restraint over her stomach. The woman’s face contorted in intense pain. Then she opened her mouth and growled like an animal.
Bang! The ambulance hit something solid. Olivia was tossed across the back of the vehicle and hit the side where the equipment was welded to the metal. She cracked her head on the EKG.
“Hang on!” Roger yelled as he struggled to control the ambulance. “We’re gonna hit!”
Before the vehicle smashed into the guardrail, Olivia had time to grab onto something solid. She bolted forward as the vehicle began to tip. She cursed herself for not sitting in the side seat and putting on her seat belt.
She quickly glanced around the back searching for anything that she could nestle herself into. Letting go of the machine, she jumped across to the side seat, fumbling with the seat belt. It was too late. The ambulance overturned.
It seemed like slow motion to her, just like in a John Woo action thriller, as the vehicle flipped over and over down the embankment. She smashed her head on the roof then back on the floor as they rolled like a huge square Lego block down the hill. It was so surreal, Olivia was hardly aware of the groaning woman still straining against her restraints.
Finally, the vehicle came to a rest on its wheels at the bottom of the ravine. Olivia lay in a crumbled heap beside the monitors. Slowly, she opened her eyes. The world spun around in vicious circles, and she brought a hand up to her head, touched the crown and winced. Her fingers came away wet and sticky with blood. She definitely had an open gash on her skull. She tried to move her limbs. Pain radiated from everywhere and she was unsure if anything was broken. She grunted and finally moved her legs. Not broken. She turned her head. Not broken either, thank God.
“Roger?”
No answer.
She pushed herself to a sit. Her back and stomach ached but she didn’t think she’d suffered any broken ribs. She peered into the dark of the ambulance toward the cab. A form slumped forward over the steering wheel.
“Roger?”
A low growl came from in front of her. The woman was still strapped to the stretcher. Olivia gasped as her shadowed form sat up, snapping the leather restraint in two. She growled again.
Olivia jumped, as the back doors were ripped open. A wave of nausea rolled over her and she clamped her eyes shut against it. She took in some deep breaths and opened her eyes again, staring at the open back doors into the surrounding night. Trees were barely outlined in shadow.
“He comes.” The woman wailed. Olivia thought her voice sounded muffled, like someone talking with his or her mouth full.
“He who?”
“The Keeper. He comes!” she howled.
Olivia covered her ears as the ear-piercing wail resonated around her, vibrating off the ambulance walls then off her skin. She turned back toward the open doors.
A dark shape loomed in the door frame, its head touching the top. As a hand, long-nailed and not quite human, reached for her, she screamed. It touched her, gripping her tightly around the neck. Her screams stuck in her burning throat as she tumbled into the darkness, but not before she saw a flash…a flash of two glowing eyes.
A cool breeze rustled the hair at the nape of her neck. Olivia raised a hand and pushed the tendrils away. She rolled onto her back and blinked open her eyes, to stare at the gray cement ceiling.
She was alive.
Olivia glanced around the pitiful room. If one could call it that. She thought it looked more like a cell. It was bare except for a worn wooden chair and the mattress that she lay on. The walls were drab gray cement and were unadorned. A thin, tiny window was above her and provided the gentle breeze that swept over her. She tried to sit up.
It was then, that she noticed with absolute horror, that her left arm and leg were chained to the walls with thick metal cuffs encompassing both. She pulled at them, but knew it was no use. Even if she’d been a man, ten times the size and strength, she would not be able to break free of the chains.
She laid still, her breath coming in panicked waves. She was a prisoner. Someone or something held her against her will. She closed her eyes and shook her head. No not something. It had to be someone. But as she saw flashes of long razor-sharp teeth, and black shaggy hair in her mind, she wasn’t so certain.
The door to the room opened. Olivia gasped as a large powerfully built man marched in. He carried a tray of steaming food and a cup. He grabbed the wooden chair slid it over to the mattress and set the tray down on it. He put his hands on his hips and loomed over her, an unhappy look on his tanned chiseled face.
“What did you see?” his voice was low and rough and made Olivia shiver.
“Where am I? Why am I a prisoner?”
His expression remained stoic. “What did you see?”
“I don’t understand.” Tears ran down her cheeks. She felt weak and overpowered; emotions she didn’t often feel.
Having grown up with three older brothers, she had made certain that she never allowed herself to feel like that, especially not to show it. But under the powerful gaze of the man’s light blue eyes, and the waves of energy she felt surge over her, she could not help but feel anything but.
He frowned, then picked up the tray. He sat down on the chair, balancing it on his lap. “Are you hungry?”
Olivia nodded, as her stomach involuntarily growled. The heavenly smells of homey stew wafted to her nose.
“I will unlock your arm so you can eat.” He leaned forward, grabbing her wrist. “Don’t even think about hitting me or anything stupid like that. I don’t want to hurt you…” He stopped.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Yet? That’s what you were going to say, wasn’t it? I don’t want to hurt you yet.”
He unlocked her wrist and sat back in the chair, staring at her. Olivia sat up and rubbed at her wrist. It ached. Actually, her whole body still ached. She had forgotten about the accident. She feared the worse.
“Where’s Roger? Where’s the woman?”
Without answering, he set the tray down on her lap and handed her a plastic spoon. She took it and glared up at him. Fear and weakness slowly leaked out of her as anger for her situation replaced them.
“You’re going to kill me, aren’t you?”
“Shut up and eat.” He turned and strode to the open door.
“I won’t go quietly, you know. I’ll rip out your eyes before the end.”
He went through the door and turned to close it behind him. She could plainly see the grin on his face.
Olivia stared down at the food and water. She didn’t want to eat. She wanted to toss the tray across the room in protest, but knew that would be a foolish thing to do. If she wanted to fight, she’d need the energy the food would provide. And fight she would. He had picked the wrong woman, if he thought she would be a meek plaything for him to taunt and torture. Her death may come at the end, but she would make him work for it.
Digging her spoon into the stew, she thought about why she was here, and whom the giant man was that held her prisoner. She had never seen him before. She would definitely remember a man his size, and unfortunately, with his looks.
He had longish black hair that flirted over the collar of his T-shirt. Eyes the color of robin’s eggs and a face chiseled from granite. Under his tight shirt and jeans, she could plainly see a body that matched his face, hard and unyielding. He was a formidable and stunning presence. Why were the good-looking men in her life all psychopaths?
She finished the stew and her water, just as the door opened again. He strode to the bed, picked up the tray, and set it on the floor. He then, sat back down in the wooden chair.
“I’m going to ask you some questions, and you’re going to answer them. If you answer them, and I think they are the truth, then I will leave the chain off your wrist. If I think you’re lying, I will chain you up again, and that will be the end of any chance you have of salvaging your life.” He bent forward resting his elbows on his thighs, his eyes flashing in the low light. “Do you understand, Olivia?”
Olivia swallowed and took a deep breath, but did not look away from his intense stare. His voice had power to it. She could feel it vibrate across her skin. Shivers erupted over her body. The way he said her name gave a whole new meaning to the word threatening.
“Yes, I understand,” she managed through chattering teeth. “How did you know my name?”
He reached behind him and came away with her wallet. He opened it up and looked down at her driver’s license.
“Olivia Annabelle Jordan, born August 28, 1965, #203, 2525 17th Ave. SW.” He glanced up at her. “Blood type O, which is good to know if something should happen to you. You have a Visa, Mastercard, and a Victoria Secret’s credit card.” He glanced down briefly at her chest. “Which is also nice to know.”
Olivia crossed her arms over her chest. His one small glance made her feel very exposed and vulnerable. Her nipples hardened despite her mental protests.
He sneered. “Don’t worry I’m not interested in your underwear. I just want some answers to some simple questions.”
“Fine,” she said, but could not stop the quivers in her thighs that his gaze coaxed from her.
“What did the injured woman say to you?”
“What? Is that what this is about? That woman?”
“Did she tell you anything?”
“No. She could hardly speak. She was shot three times.” Olivia narrowed her eyes. “You shot her, didn’t you?”
“No, I didn’t. But I’m asking the questions here. If you ask me one more, I will chain you up again.”
She pursed her lips to stop the slew of retorts she had formulated in her mind. He didn’t want questions, and he probably didn’t want to hear the litany of insults she had waiting either.
“Did you see anything?”
“Like what?” Olivia put her hand up in defense before he could lean forward and grab her arm. “That is a logical question. I mean, I saw lots of things…I saw a woman lying bleeding in the street, I saw three bullet wounds in her chest, I saw…” She stopped and stared at him.
He perked up. “Yeah, go on.”
“I saw a weird grayish liquid in her wounds.”
“Did you tell your partner? Did you radio it in?”
Olivia thought for a moment. Did she tell Roger what she saw? She couldn’t remember.
“No, I told him that we might have a contaminant and to call ahead to warn them about a possible quarantine.”
“Did he radio it in?”
She shook her head. “I don’t think so. We hit something and went over the embankment before he could.” She raised her hand to her head and fingered the stitched up wound.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
He sat back in the chair and nodded. “That’s good. Leaves me with only one thing to take care of.”
Olivia’s eyes went wide. “You mean me, don’t you?”
He leaned forward to grab her. She struck out at his arm, pushing it away then jumped up to her feet on the mattress. She ran down the bed to where her leg chain was imbedded in the wall. She’d have better maneuverability here.
He rubbed at the spot where she hit him and stood up. “Nice move. But what’s the point, you can’t get away.”
“I don’t have to get away. All I have to do is kick your ass. It would be worth anything you do to me afterwards.”
He smiled. Damn! How could a psychopath like him, have such a sexy and disarming smile.
“Girl, I don’t have time for this bullshit.” He stepped up onto the mattress and moved toward her.
Olivia took up a karate stance. She’d been taking lessons for three years. She never thought she’d have the focus to ever use it outside the dojo. She kicked out with her leg as he stepped closer.
She connected solidly with his knee, but he didn’t flinch, or even blink. It was like kicking a tree stump. He stood in front of her and smiled again. She brought her arm back and punched him solidly in the face. His lip split and blood trickled down his chin. He poked out his tongue and licked it away.
“There, now that you’ve kicked my ass, be a good girl and behave.” He grabbed her arm and pulled her across the bed. “I really don’t want to hurt you.”
Olivia struggled against his strong hold. She brought her other hand up to strike him again, but stilled when he glared down at her.
“Don’t.”
“But you’re going to kill me, what do I care?”
“I never said I was going to kill you. You just assumed I would.”
“Well, you’re a homicidal psychopath. What do you suppose I think?”
“Lady, you don’t know the half of it.”
When they reached the tether on her leg chain, he nipped her at the waist and picked her up dropping her on the bed. He quickly knelt down beside her and grabbed the heavy metal cuff, opened it and brought it around her wrist.
“Please don’t. I’ll behave. I will. I promise.”
He glanced down at her face. Tears welled in her eyes.
“I’ll do anything you want. Anything.” She brought her other hand over to his leg. She placed it on his thigh and rubbed it back and forth.
His leg felt like steel under her hand. She choked back the sobs as she moved her hand upwards. She felt sick to her stomach, but forced herself to continue. Maybe she could convince him to let her go. Maybe deep down in his brilliant blue eyes was a man with a soul, with a conscience.
She moved her hand over the crotch of his jeans. She could feel him underneath. Felt his flesh twitch as she caressed him through the denim.
He brought his hand on top of hers and stilled it. He grabbed it and tossed it away. “Girl, don’t debase yourself. The feisty stuff I believe. This, I don’t.”
He snapped the cuff closed around her wrist and jumped back before she could strike out at him again.
“You bastard! I would never let you fuck me. I was going to put your cock in my mouth and bite it off!”
He chuckled. “Now, that I believe.” He walked to the door and went through shutting it behind him.
Olivia screamed. She couldn’t believe his nerve. He was laughing at her. Laughing at her survival instincts. He knew and anticipated her every move. It was like he sensed her thoughts.
Garrick leaned against the closed door and sighed. The woman was feisty, to be sure. For someone so petite, she sure had quite the wallop. He ran a finger over his swelling lip. Damn fine punch! He grinned.
Too bad they had to meet under such strained circumstances. Garrick thought he would have liked to spar some more with Ms. Olivia Jordan. Sparring that most certainly would lead to more interesting maneuvers. When he had picked her up and tossed her back on the bed, her beautiful auburn hair had spread out on the mattress. As he gazed down at her, he wished she had been looking back with desire in her green eyes and not fear.
Goes with the territory, he supposed. Regret he had been pondering for some time now. He was starting to get too soft for the job.
Garrick went up the long flight of stairs out of the basement. He turned the corner and went into the small but bright kitchen. Picking up the phone, he wandered into the den dialing. His party answered on the second ring.
“The situation is under control,” Garrick said then paused waiting for a response. “Keep your people under control from now on. I’m tired of cleaning up your messes.” He sat down on his leather computer chair and looked out the big bay window at the surrounding woods. “I know I’m the Keeper of Secrets, Corin, but if keeping our secrets means dealing with you personally, I will do what must be done.” He pushed the disconnect button and tossed the phone onto the antique wooden desk.
He swiveled his chair back to the computer. He did an Internet search on the ambulance crash. There were five different stories about the crash, and the mysterious disappearance of the body and of EMT Olivia Jordan. Roger had made it safely to the hospital and only sustained mild head injuries. Garrick was relieved he didn’t have to pay him a visit.
He swiveled again in his chair and stared out the window. He loved the view from this room. Trees and grass, and nature. This was the reason he had bought the house out of town. He hated living in the city among so much concrete. Open space and fresh air was what made him feel at peace. But even that did not do it for him on this assignment.
He rubbed his hands over his face and through his hair. Damn! This one was getting to him. It was time to find a replacement. He was tired. Too tired to do what he knew he had to.
Sonja, the woman who had been shot, was easily disposed off. She had died in his arms, but he felt no remorse. She had it coming. She knew the rules and continually broke them. She had been a troublemaker from day one. Corin was aware of it, but constantly sent her out to do his business anyway. Garrick had bailed her out too many times. He could not keep the peace when members of a pack deliberately went out to disturb it.
He would have to meet with the other pack leaders and decide on a course of action. Corin needed to be dealt with. But Garrick was afraid it would turn into an all out war that no one would be able to hide from the rest of humanity.
He leaned back in the chair and twitched his ears. Finally, the woman had stopped screaming. He could hear her taking in shallow ragged breaths. Probably damaged her windpipe. She was a fighter most definitely. He really didn’t want to deal with her, like the others. She was different.
Spirited, healthy, alive. Not like most humans, he had dealt with in the past.
Actually, he couldn’t remember the last time a human had interested him in this way. His hormones were swirling and his blood pumping. He could feel his desire mounting deep in his loins. It had been too long since he exercised that area. He had been fulfilling his needs in other less inventive and interesting ways. Hair actually did grow on his palm.
He turned the chair toward the doorway and listened intently. He could hear little grunts and groans coming from the room downstairs. What was she doing? He stood up and moved toward the stairs. He would check on her to make sure she was all right. Then he would decide what to do with her.
He moved quickly down the stairs and opened the door to the small room. He was shocked at the scene on the mattress. She had managed to wriggle her hand through the metal cuff and was now working on her ankle. But the show of cunning and bravado had cost her.
Blood spotted the mattress and ran in rivulets down her arm. The pale skin on her hand had been torn off. He noticed she was raw over her thumb and on the back.
“Damn it, girl, what did you do?” He moved swiftly to her side and tried to grab her arm.
She pulled away from him and scrambled across the mattress into the far corner. “Get away from me!”
Garrick stood and looked down at her, concern furrowing his brow. “Let me fix your hand.”
“Why, so you can chain me again?”
“I’m not going to chain you.”
She glared up at him, cradling her hand against her chest. “I don’t believe you. You’re a lying homicidal psychopath.”
“I’m not what you think I am. And if you don’t believe me, then you’re going to have some problems.”
“I already have some problems, asshole! I’m chained to a bed and you’re going to murder me for some fucked-up reason!”
Garrick started to laugh. He couldn’t help it. She was unbelievably adorable as her eyes flashed with fury. She was like a little cute puppy with a deep and furious bark, but all the while they were yapping, all you wanted to do was pick them up and cuddle them close.
He didn’t dare try and pick her up and console her, because he knew that there was a mighty bite behind her barks.
“Why are you laughing? You’re a callous bastard, you know that?”
He put up his hand in defense. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be laughing.” He tried to suck it up. “It’s just that you are the feistiest woman I have ever met.”
“And what’s wrong with that? Oh, you probably like your women docile and passive. So you can have your way with them without a fight.”
Garrick sobered up and stopped laughing. He looked down at her intensely. “No, I like feisty woman. And I have never had my way with any woman without consent.”
She snorted. “Oh, well, thanks for clearing that up. I can rest easy now.”
Garrick grabbed the chair and sat down. He would have to alleviate some of her fears. He wasn’t sure how to, but maybe he could tell her the truth. He had never tried that one before. He didn’t think humanity was ready for the truth. But maybe just maybe this woman with the flashing green eyes and the waves of hearty energy could be the one person that would listen. Listen and believe.
“Look, Olivia. I’m not going to kill you and I’m not going to hurt you. Let me doctor your hand and then I’ll tell you why you’re here.”
She stared at him hard narrowing her eyes. He could tell she was seriously thinking. Trying to see how much she should trust him.
She stuck out her hand toward him. “Fine.”
After getting the medical kit, Garrick sat beside her on the mattress and dressed her hand. He applied some antibiotic ointment, wrapped it up in gauze and then tied it securely in place.
She glanced up at him when he finished. “Did you sew up my head?”
He nodded. “Yeah, I’m a fixer of sorts.”
She rubbed a hand over her head and fingered the stitches, all the while eyeing him curiously.
He moved farther from her, needing to give her some space. The truth would be very hard for her to swallow. Besides, her feminine scent was driving him mad. She smelled of sweat, musk, and a light, sweet odor of jasmine.
He turned facing her and sat cross-legged. He put his hands on his thighs. He begged them not to move. Although he desperately wanted to reach across the bed and tuck the stray hair behind her ear. It kept falling in her face, hiding her glorious eyes behind it like a dark shade hid the sun.
“What I’m going to tell you will be impossible for you to believe. But it’s the truth and you’ll have to make up your own mind.”
Olivia stared at him. He was up to something. The man she woke up to was not the man sitting in front of her. He had softened somehow. Even his face was not as stern, and his eyes flashed something else rather than fury. And she was not sure she really wanted to know what it was.
“My name is Garrick Blackthorn and I am a peace keeper of sorts. There is a mounting war between two clans and I am stuck in the middle of it trying to keep it from spilling out into your world.”
“My world, huh?” Olivia smirked. “You do realize that this is planet Earth, right?”
“There is more than one world on Earth. There is your world, the world of humans and animals living side by side in somewhat peaceful harmony, and then there is my world. The one where the two have become one.”
She narrowed her eyes and shook her head. “Okay, psycho, whatever you say.” But her stomach began to ache and bile rose in her throat as images of human hands covered with thick black hair, long talons, and razor sharp teeth flashed in her mind.
“I see in your eyes the hesitation. The hesitation not to believe me.”
“What are we talking about here? Spell it out for me clearly, so that I know you’re a raving lunatic.”
“Werewolves.”
Olivia swallowed down the bile that rose in her throat. The man was crazy and dangerous. She needed to get out of here immediately, except she did see something last night, didn’t she?
“As in shifting from human to wolf on the night of a full moon? Running naked through the trees chasing after rabbits, peeing on everything, marking territory…that kind of werewolf? The kind that are only in books and in movies?”
Garrick chuckled. “Yes. Except I’ve only peed on things that were mine. Like the bushes around my house. And I usually go after bigger game…like deer. Rabbit is much too stringy.”
The man was cuckoo. Maybe she should humor him, get him to trust her then she could escape, and sick the police on his sorry ass.
“Okay, let’s say that’s true, what do I have to do with this? Why did you kidnap me? Why are you holding me prisoner?”
“The woman that was shot, her name was Sonja and she belonged to the Blue Bay pack. She was down in the area on business and was shot by a rival pack member. The grayish liquid you saw in her wounds was silver. Silver bullets are the only things that can kill us.”
“This Sonja person was a werewolf? And she was shot with silver bullets?”
Garrick nodded.
“And?”
“I am also known as the Keeper of Secrets for a reason.”
Olivia nodded. She remembered the woman saying something about the keeper coming. She must have meant this man. Olivia also remembered the woman had fear in her voice.
“You keep the knowledge of werewolves hidden?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“By disposing of all evidence of our existence.”
She flinched and pulled back. “Sonja is dead?”
He nodded never taking his piercing blue eyes from her face.
“And I’m evidence.” She stated it, knowing the answer.
He nodded.
“You said you wouldn’t kill me.”
“I won’t.”
“Why?” She searched his face.
“I don’t know.”
“Why are you telling me any of this.”
“I don’t’ know that either.”
They stared at each other across the bed. Olivia could feel the weight of his gaze on her. In spots she wished she didn’t. Lower warm spots that ached painfully as he stared at her. The man radiated a certain energy, energy she would definitely classify as sexual. She’d never reacted to a man like this before, especially one that held her prisoner and had her chained to the wall like an animal.
She cleared her throat and dropped her gaze. “What now?”
“I’m not sure. I’ve never encountered this situation before.”
“Me either.” Olivia smirked. “I guess that makes us even.”
Garrick grinned. “I guess it does.”
Olivia wriggled her chained foot. “Can you unchain me, at least?”
“Do you promise not to kick me?”
“No.”
Garrick laughed. The sound was low and husky and made Olivia shiver with desire. She could feel little quivers in her thighs, and she didn’t think it was from fear. The man was pure hormones. A walking talking pheromone. It seeped into her system and wound its way around her body. Brushing intimately against her thighs. Penetrating her. It took everything she had not to moan.
Staring deep into her eyes, he grabbed her ankle and put it in his lap. He took out a key and unlocked the cuff. As he released her, his fingers brushed against the exposed skin of her foot and ankle. Olivia jolted from the searing touch. It sent delicious shivers up her leg.
“Better?”
“Um, yes, thank you.”
Christ, what was wrong with her? Not too long ago, she thought this guy was a homicidal psycho killer, now all she wanted to do was rip away the cotton of his shirt and the denim of his jeans and suck on his flesh. She had never felt want like this before. It was all encompassing, and terrifying. Like she was not in control of her mind any longer.
Garrick titled his head and narrowed his eyes. “Could you indulge me for a moment?”
She flinched. “What do you mean?”
“I want to smell you. Your scent is strong and I need to make sure.”
“You’re not going to sniff my ass, are you? Like a dog?”
He grinned slyly. “Not unless you want me to.”
Her sex tightened and she nearly groaned. She shook her head quickly. “Uh, no.”
Garrick took hold of her uninjured hand and pulled her forward as he leaned over. He closed his eyes as he neared her neck. Olivia could feel his hot breath on her skin. She closed her eyes in ecstasy. She heard him take in a deep breath through his nose, smelling her. She desperately wanted to turn her head and find his mouth with hers to plunge her tongue in and taste the wild flavor of him.
She felt him release her hand. She opened her eyes and saw him sitting back and smiling softly.
“You smell of nature.”
She eyed him, trying to find his angle. What was this guy all about? She couldn’t be sure. He acted as if he was really attracted to her.
“Are you sure you don’t have a crazy hairy grandmother in your family?”
She laughed. “No, no hairy relatives. Why?”
“Werewolves give off a certain scent. It’s how we can identify each other, and how we choose a mating partner.” He licked his lips. “You smell very…very intoxicating.”
“Oh.” She could feel her face redden.
“I feel myself very attracted to you, therefore I must leave you for a bit. I need to get my bearings straight.” He unfolded his large frame and stood up.
Olivia shook her head clear. She felt the cobwebs of desire loosen their hold. Enough for her to think again. “Can you let me go? I won’t go to the police. I’ll keep your secret.”
“It’s not the police I’m worried about, and I don’t think you really believe me.”
“I do. I do believe you.”
“No, I think you almost do. I think somewhere deep in that mind of yours you know what I say is true, but you still don’t believe.” He went to the door and turned. “By tonight you will.”
He went out the door and shut it. She could hear the distinctive locking sound. She pounded her fists on the mattress. Damn it! She was freed from her bonds, but was still a prisoner. She looked up at the measly excuse of a window. There was no way she could squeeze through it.
She leaned back on the bed and tucked her legs up to her chest. Her heart thudded hard. She couldn’t get his fierce gaze out of her mind. He was potent, like a drug.
She rolled onto her back and swore. The man had some kind of control on her. Maybe he had doctored the stew or the water. Maybe he had dropped Ecstasy in her drink. That was why she quaked with desire, why she could think of nothing but quieting the insipid ache between her legs.
She knew she should be thinking about escape. About rescuing herself from the crazed man. But she didn’t want to leave. Not before she felt his flesh in her hands, and feel him between her thighs.
The door opened again. She sat up; her face flushed from her intimate thoughts. He came in and tossed a book and pen onto the mattress.
“To pass the time.”
Olivia picked up the small paper book. It was a crossword book. “Oh, thanks.”
He smirked then left the room again, locking the door.
She sighed, then opened to a puzzle. Four letters for roguish man.
Wolf.
Olivia turned onto her side again. She closed her eyes but couldn’t sleep. Her stomach rumbled again. She was hungry and bored. She had spent the afternoon and evening doing crosswords, practicing her karate moves with her uninjured arm, and rolling around restlessly on the mattress.
She glanced up at the window and noticed it was dark. Damn that man! Where was he? She wanted something to eat, and she really had to pee. She went to the door and pounded on it.
“Garrick! Garrick, I need to use the bathroom!”
No answer. She looked down at the doorknob. She put her hand on it and twisted. There was an audible click and the door opened.
She couldn’t believe it. She’d kick her own ass if the door had been unlocked the whole time. Except she did hear the sound of a lock that last time Garrick had closed the door. Maybe he had come and unlocked it while she had a nap. But why?
Once she was free, she’d think on it. For now, she pulled the door open and peeked out. She was in a basement, unpainted and unfurnished. There was a set of steep stairs ahead. She imagined she was in an older house. Something from the sixties. She glanced around the cement space to make sure Garrick wasn’t hiding in some corner, then stepped out, moving up the stairs quickly and as silently as she could.
When she reached the top, sweat popped out on her forehead and trickled down her neck. Fear wrapped itself tightly around her body. Fear of the unknown and fear of what she didn’t want to believe.
She peeked out the doorway and into the kitchen. It was dark and empty. She stepped up into it, spying the phone cradle on the counter, but the phone was missing. She glanced around the kitchen for the phone. Nothing but a cute little kitchenette, appliances, and clean counter space filled the room. At least, the man was neat.
A soft light shined into the kitchen from an open door. Olivia moved silently and cautiously toward it. She peeked into the small room. It was a den, or office. An old desk sat in the corner by a big bay window. On it were a notebook computer, old lamp, and the cordless phone. She ran to it, scooping it up. She pressed the talk button. The phone beeped. Low battery. Shit! She pressed it again.
Something flashed by the window. Olivia jumped back, startled by the sudden dark movement. She peered out the window into the dark night, but saw nothing. She pressed her face against the windowpane and strained to see outside. Her heart pounded and her palms were sweaty. The phone slipped from her hands, and she bent down to pick it up. When she stood, she came face to face with a menacing dark form pressed against the glass.
She screamed and stumbled back, falling on her butt. An unnaturally large black wolf pressed his powerful paws against the window, its pale blue eyes settled hungrily on her.
Olivia scrambled up and ran out of the den. With the phone still cradled in her hands, she ran blindly through the house, frantically pressing buttons. She dashed through the living room but skidded to a stop. The front door was wide open. She froze and glanced fearfully around the room. She was close to hyperventilating.
A low growl came from the dark corner of the room.
“Garrick?” Her voice shook, her teeth chattering.
As if in answer to her query came another low growl.
Olivia took a slow step backward. She would run back to the den, barricade herself in, and email the police. They had a website, didn’t they?
Her eyes trained on the corner, she took another step backward. Two glowing eyes stared back at her. They blinked.
Olivia stifled a scream as the large black wolf stepped out of the dark into a ray of moonlight streaming through the living room window.
She turned to run but barely made it to the short hallway before the wolf jumped on her from behind. His large frame and heavy weight catapulted her to the ground. She landed with a grunt and a thud with the wolf on her back. She closed her eyes and prayed it would be quick, that he would go for her throat efficiently. She squeezed them tightly against the pain that would come.
Except it didn’t come.
His weight pressed against her. The soft hair of his body smoothed against her skin. She could feel the rise and fall of his heavy breathing. But she did not feel the sharp razor pain that she was expecting from the long talons on his paws.
She opened her eyes and peripherally glanced over her shoulder.
His muzzle was long and thick. White razor-sharp teeth peeked out between black hairy lips. His hot musky breath blew across her neck. Eyes the color of the moonlight stared back at her.
“Do you believe?” His voice was rough, mumbled and barely recognizable. But she understood the words. Garrick’s words.
“Yes,” she breathed, unable to do anything else.
The wolf pushed off her and backed up into the living room. Olivia raised herself and watched in shock and awe as he lay down in the middle of the carpeted floor. She sat up and moved cautiously toward him.
When she crawled to him, the wolf growled low in his throat, but did not make any aggressive move toward her. She sat next to him and reached out with her hand. It shook considerably as she touched him, smoothing her hand over his furry back. His hair was silky. Not the hard prickles she had expected.
As she moved her hand up and down his back and over his flank, the wolf whined. Olivia glanced up and noticed that he was watching her stroke his body.
She could almost see pain in his pale eyes.
She reached out to his nose, touching him gently as she moved her hand up his muzzle to his ears. She scratched behind them like she used to with her dog.
“You’re magnificent.”
She pulled back and stared down into his eyes. He was magnificent. As a wolf. As a man. She had never felt the sexual pull to another person like this. It was like gravity. Inescapable.
He blinked twice, and she swore she saw a slight twitch to his muzzle, as if he tried to smile.
“Move back,” he growled.
Olivia pushed herself back, but not too far. She watched in rapt amazement as his wolf body began to twitch and spasm. He squeezed his eyes shut when his muzzle began to recede. She could see the thick black hair on his body shrink back into his skin. His bones and muscles moved and shook as they shortened and lengthened, rearranging themselves back into human order. He howled in pain, as teeth receded back into his gums and ears moved and shrunk.
Olivia couldn’t believe what she saw. The wolf that had lain before her was no more. Garrick lay on his side, his legs up curled to his chest, his naked flesh slick with sweat. His breath came in quick, shallow gasps.
“You scared the shit out of me,” she breathed.
“Sorry.”
“Like hell you are.”
He chuckled then grimaced in pain.
“Does it hurt?”
He blinked up at her. His face pale and wet in the moon’s rays. “Every time.”
She glanced down the length of his body. His muscles quivered under her scrutiny. He was powerfully built. Large biceps and forearms, sculpted shoulders and back. Legs roped with tight ligaments and muscles. She even glanced over the exquisite shape of his ass. She imagined it was as hard as rock. Her hands itched with want. She craved to feel his wet skin under her hands. To feel the quiver of his pulsing muscles as she touched and caressed and soothed.
“Are you cold?”
He nodded.
Olivia moved into him. She reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder. He jolted under her brief touch. She knew that she affected him as much as he affected her. The knowledge gave her a sense of power.
Power she desperately wanted to wield.
She slid her hand down his arm, then up again. She moved it down over his side, across his ribs. He took in a ragged breath as she neared his waist. She touched him softly there, and then moved her hand down over the outside of his thigh and the round cheek of his ass. She had been right. He was as hard as steel. She traced the glorious line of his bent leg, then up again. He quaked and moaned under her gentle touch.
Olivia nuzzled in closer to his form. She climbed on top of his side and covered his shaking body with her own. She wrapped her arms around him and set her head down on his shoulder.
“There, are you warm yet?”
His body shook as he chuckled. “Getting there.”
She smoothed her hand over the large muscles of his chest and through the thick coarse hair that lined his sternum. His heart raced under her palm. He moved his hand up and gently covered hers.
“I won’t be gentle. I can’t rein in my lust once it’s set loose.”
Olivia closed her eyes and turned her head to his skin. She pressed a soft kiss to his shoulder, breathing heavily as desire shot through her like Fourth of July fireworks.
“I don’t care. I like it rough.”
Garrick grabbed her arm and rolled over onto his back, bringing Olivia with him so she splayed out on top of him. She could feel his erection, hard and pulsing, pressed rigidly against her belly. She raised herself so she could gaze down at his face. His jaw was clenched and she knew that he struggled with control. She leaned down and pressed her mouth to his.
He brought his hands up and filled them with her silky hair as he deepened the kiss. Their tongues mated in a frenzied dance. She tasted like freshly churned honey. Thick and sweet.
He had not set out to seduce her when he shifted into wolf form. He just wanted her to believe him. And on some small level, he wanted to scare her away. Earlier, he felt her growing desire for him. Could smell it in the air and see it glistening on her face. Their mating was impossible.
He never thought that his wolf form would entice her that watching him shift back to human would quicken her pulse and moisten her panties. But as he skimmed his hands down her slender back and cupped her firm ass, he didn’t care. Her scent drove him to the edge and the way she felt pressed against his quivering flesh catapulted him over.
Garrick broke the kiss and pressed his mouth to her ear. He licked the lobe. A quavering moan escaped her swollen lips.
“Sit back.” He growled. Olivia sat up, straddling his stomach, his erect cock poking against her ass.
He reached up and gripped the collar of her shirt. He pulled down and out ripping it in half. She wore a light blue cotton bra, spotted with little white daisies. Garrick found it sweet and sexy as hell. He reached up and pulled the cups down, revealing small firm breasts tipped with hard rosy nipples. She gasped as he filled his hands with them, squeezing and flicking his thumbs over her pebbled nubs.
He needed more. To see her. All of her. Open and exposed to his hungry lust. He moved his hands down, skimming his fingers over her ribs and down to her flat stomach. She flinched and jolted under his brief touch. He took hold of the band of her trousers and tore down, popping the button and ripping apart the zipper. The seam at her crotch also split.
He gazed down at her, catching a brief glance of light blue panties matching her bra. He wanted more. It wasn’t enough. Garrick took hold of both parts of her open fly and yanked them apart with barely suppressed violence.
Wide-eyed, Olivia looked at him with shock as the seam of her pants split open along the crotch and down both thighs. Garrick pushed away both sides of the fabric to rub his hand over the crotch of her panties. She took in a ragged breath and mewled lowly like an animal.
Her sounds spurned his hunger. With one quick flick of his wrist, her panties were torn away from her body. He tossed the sodden cotton over his head, then stared down at her dark auburn curls and growled. Her scent was strong and enveloped him in its sweet cloying odor. He trailed one finger through the coarse hair and down to her slit.
She was hot and wet as he slid his finger back and forth. Pressing down firmly, he found her swollen nub and rubbed it in slow circles. He looked up and watched her face as he manipulated her. Her mouth gaped open in soft pants as she tilted her head back in pleasure. She looked so sexy with her green eyes glossed over and her face flush with desire. He wanted more from her, wanted to take her over the dangerous edge with him.
Gripping her waist, he lifted her up and back onto his throbbing cock. He’d never been so hard or his balls so tight. He almost exploded as her hot moist center enveloped him. He slid her back and forth, lubricating his member with her sweet juice. She panted hard and fast as he moved her, his swollen head banging into her clit.
“I need more,” he panted.
Olivia reached down between them and gripped his hard length. She pushed herself up and slowly impaled herself on his rigid member. He was big, and he could feel her stretch around him. He watched her face as inch by inch she slipped down on him. Moaning, she bit her lip.
“Oh, God, you’re so big. I can’t take you all in.”
Garrick gripped her waist and lifted her up slowly and back down. Each time, he could feel a little more of his cock go into her. He watched as he slid her up and down. Only half of his cock was going in. Not enough. He wanted to be fully rutted in her. They needed a different position.
He lifted her to set her on his stomach as he sat up. He wrapped his arms around her and took her mouth. He kissed her feverishly as his hands ran up and down her back. She was like a doll in his arms, so petite, but not fragile. He could feel the strain of her muscles in her back and knew she was strong and vibrant. He could sense it in the way she nipped at his lips and gripped his shoulders. There was pent-up animal passion imprisoned inside. And he desperately wanted to help it escape, needed to feel it rub up against his own animal.
“I want to take you from behind,” he groaned into her ear.
She pressed kisses to his cheek, his chin, his neck, and sucked on his earlobe. “Do it any way you want.”
He pushed her back onto the floor, grabbed her legs, and flipped her over all in one skilled move. Olivia gasped at his strength. He was dangerously powerful and that made her heart beat even faster. She had never met a man so blatantly male before. And although he growled low in his throat as he pulled her backside up and toward him, she knew it was due to the man inside and not the wolf.
He gripped her by the hips and nuzzled into her ass. The full length of him nestled between her cheeks. She took in a ragged breath as the swollen head of his cock pushed into her. She spread her legs farther apart and pushed her face down into the hardwood floor giving him complete access to her sex.
He pushed in slowly, then receded. He continued until the entire length of him rutted deeply inside her. She could hardly take in air, her breath hitched as if on the verge of sneezing. She could feel every ridge and vein against her velvet walls. She felt little tremors radiate from within with every deep breath he took.
“Oh, God, woman, you’re so damn tight.”
Olivia closed her eyes as waves of intense rapture surged over her and pulled her under. Every nerve ending in her body flared to life. Just the slight small movements Garrick was making sent new jolts of pleasure searing from those sensitive spots.
He took hold of her hips and slowly moved in and out. She peered over her shoulder and saw he clenched his teeth and closed his eyes against the lust he reined inside. She wanted to see him lose control. She wanted to feel him rut into her like an animal. An animal, whose only thought was of her, was of releasing his raging lust in her.
With every thrust of his cock, she pushed back against him, encouraging him to go faster, pump harder.
He opened his eyes and peered down at her. “Be careful. I can’t hold it in for long.”
“Then don’t, Garrick. You won’t break me,” she panted.
The decision flashed across his rugged face. His eyes almost glowed. He moved his hands up and down her back, gripping the fabric of her shirt and ripping the rest away. He rubbed them up and down her newly exposed skin to the clasp of her bra. He flicked it open with a twist of his hand. He reached around and cupped her breasts, pinching her nipples. As her climax hitched closer to the edge, she shut her eyes, reveling in the turbulent ride.
He started to move faster. She could feel every thrust deep inside. His hands moved down over her belly to her sex. He found her clit and rubbed it hard. Tremors started in her legs. Her fuse was lit; it wouldn’t be long before the explosion followed. She was unsure if she could handle it. Could an orgasm kill you?
Garrick draped over her, one hand manipulating her slick core, the other wrapped around her like a life preserver. He rested his head on her upper back. She could feel him breathe her in deeply. His tongue lathed at her shoulder blades, licking the sweat that beaded on her skin. She felt a sharp prick of pain on her clit where he pinched and pulled, but it quickly turned into pangs of exquisite delight.
Against the jolts of ecstasy that sung through her, Olivia gritted her teeth. Her orgasm exploded deep inside her and radiated out toward her entire body. Flashes of white stung her eyes, as her climax took her under its gripping power. She was helpless as it washed over her. Her breath hitched.
“Hang on, baby. I’m not done with you yet.”
Garrick pushed up and gripped her hips firmly. She could feel the entire length of him pull out of her and then ram back in. She yelped as each thrust sent more fiery pangs searing through her. She shook her head against the clouds that fogged it over. She couldn’t handle it. It was too much.
“I can’t,” she moaned.
He continued to pound into her. The sound of flesh slapping against flesh resounded in the room. The scent of their mingled juices wafted to Garrick’s nose. He’d never smelled anything so sweet and delicious before in his life. Her orgasm continued to contract her muscles around him. It was like being squeezed with a velvet glove. The pressure in his cock intensified.
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(Pages 1-29 show above.)