Chapter 6
I could’ve easily slept on the couch instead of being stuck in a cellar near the Earth’s godsdamned core, but my intuition gnawed at me.
I stared at the ladder, prepared to test my theory, even if for my sanity.
After punching my knee several times and a final glance at Aurora, I forced myself to the steps.
I made it to the top when a mental tether carved into my spine.
The inability to see her, to smell her, would incite a frenzy.
I was sure of it now. My feet were back on the concrete floor within seconds.
The sight of Aurora, her perfume enveloping the space, instantly calmed me. She was safe.
This much was clear. The alpha bind didn’t give two shits about your animosity toward your boundee. It didn’t care if you accidentally protected the other person to get yourself here.
I sat on the floor with my forearms on my knees, my head against the rough stone wall.
That scar on my back suddenly itched, and I used the rough concrete to scratch it.
Aurora rested on her side, head supported by her hand as if it were a pillow.
She looked so normal. Peaceful even. I’d have made a quip about being surprised she didn’t sleep on her back with her hands crossed over her chest when she woke up, but something didn’t feel right.
That look she’d given me when she asked if I intended on killing her in her vampiric sleep, well, it damn near gutted me.
What reason did she have to trust me? I’m a wolf.
She’s a vamp. She lay there, unaware of anything I might do.
Shit. She was incredibly vulnerable. She slept every night like that?
It’s a wonder how she survived before using the cellar behind a locked door.
If she ever slept in a coffin. The idea of daily tight quarters in such cramped spaces sent a shiver through me.
I wasn’t claustrophobic, but being an animal of the open woods, even this cellar’s dimensions had me on edge.
Sighing, I beat my head against the wall several times, willing sleep to find me.
To make the day drift faster. When thirty minutes had passed, and my eyes didn’t feel so much as heavy, I slid my phone from my pocket to check for texts from Phelan.
Zero bars. Why would there be reception this far down?
Flicking through my screens, I tossed my phone aside.
All I ever used that damn thing for was pack affairs anyhow.
I’d use the time to research the vamps Aurora mentioned that might be the threats, but it wasn’t as if I could simply Google a first name plus vampire and get anywhere.
The wolf’s head tattoo on my right forearm shimmered, sparking an idea.
I sprang out a thumb claw and turned to face the wall.
With a wicked grin, I spent the next hour carving a wolf’s head into the stone.
Visualizing the vampire’s face, forced to see it every night, was incredibly satisfying.
My eyes kept panning to the said vamp. It was strange to watch someone sleep and not panic when you couldn’t hear their heartbeat.
Searching for a pulse would do nothing. I couldn’t help constantly checking on her.
While others shifted positions throughout the night, she stayed put, exactly where she had fallen asleep.
I paused my carving, remembering the way Aurora had looked at me before she fell asleep. Something seemed to intrigue her.
I forced my focus on the carving instead of the way Aurora’s tits pressed together in that shirt. Eventually, I fell asleep.
The following night, a subtle bumping against my cheek stirred me awake. I cracked my eyes open. A shadow hovered directly over me. Standing up quickly, I seized them by the throat, spun them around and forced their back against the wall.
“Harkin, what the fuck?” Aurora said, her fangs out, nails digging into my arm.
I let go and retracted my claws. “Sorry. Ain’t you ever heard not to wake a sleeping wolf?”
“Excuse me for getting annoyed with your snoring the past hour.” Aurora dragged her nails over the spot on her throat I’d been holding. Her eyes drifted to my carving on the wall. “What the hells is that?”
“Got bored.”
“Bored?” She marched to the wall, pointing at it. “This is permanent, Harkin.”
I bent forward and squinted at it as if this were news to me. “Huh. How ‘bout that?”
The vampire fluttered her eyelashes. “I’m going to be late for work.”
Her gaze drifted between my chest and face as if she couldn’t decide where she wanted to focus.
That intense aroma of hers grew denser. My nostrils flared.
It did nothing for my already hard as stone cock.
After discreetly adjusting my pants, I asked, “You actually think you’re goin’ back to work despite everything, don’t you? ”
Aurora scoffed and shoved past me, her arm brushing mine.
We both tensed, we both noticed, and we both completely ignored it.
“Like hells I’m not.” She climbed the ladder. “I have responsibilities, Fido. You need to let me sort things out with Ash. He’s going to manage the place while I’m away.”
The vampire’s bountiful ass cheeks poked out from her barely there panties. I waited until she was at the cellar door before ascending. “So do I, Dracula. Alpha of a very large pack ring any bells?”
Aurora undid all the locks and shoved her shoulder into the door. Sounds of claws frantically scratching on hardwood floors carried through the walls.
Once I reached the main floor, Aurora had Waffles cradled in her arm like a pup. She made googly eyes at him. “Fine. One night and one night only.”
“That’s all I’m asking. Consider it one more night for an alpha break.” Her eyes lingered on my beard this time. “But for tonight, I own you.”
A growl gathered at the back of my throat. It wasn’t defensive. No, it was something much more jarring. I grabbed my shirt. “Not how that works, sugar.”
“No?” Aurora’s challenging tone had me pausing midway to pulling the shirt over my head. “You’re still in my territory, Rin-Tin-Tin.”
With a snarl, I snapped the shirt on and moved to the kitchen sink. I splashed cold water on my face, pretending to wash up. “And what am I supposed to do all night?”
“It’s a bar, Harkin. Play darts, play pool, drink beer, watch football. It sounds horrible. Poor you.”
My face was covered with a paper towel as I dried it and my beard.
When I opened my eyes, my dick twitched.
Aurora wore a bright red blouse that cut off at mid-rib, showing her stomach.
The cut exposed her shoulders. The sleeves, starting at her biceps, fanned out like bells over her hands.
I zeroed in on her collarbones, neck, and that nape, all visible seductions tugging at my wolf.
Damn, she looked good in red.
Balling up the paper towels, I gave a “where’s the trash” look. She pointed to the door under the sink. “All fair points. I’ll keep myself busy.”
“Good. It’s Saturday night, so things are bound to get a little rowdy.” Aurora bent over, shoving her head into the fridge.
Was she doing this on purpose?
“Think you can keep the claws sheathed so I don’t lose customers? One night is a coincidence, but two nights in a row? People are going to assume feral wolves have overtaken my bar.” She stood with bags of blood and raw meat.
My stomach rumbled.
“Food would help.” Saliva collected in my mouth. “Think I could snag some of that meat?”
Aurora held the bag limply in her hand. Her look drifted from the blood-soaked plastic then toward me. I watched it intently. Like a mouth-watering winter solstice ham. “I don’t have time to cook it.”
The wolf shone in my gaze. “How you think I eat in wolf form?”
“Waffles, are you willing to share?” She wiggled the meat bag at the dog.
The pug flopped onto his butt and farted.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” Aurora held the meat out to me, the scent of raw protein making my canines throb.
Given that I could easily consume all of it and still be ravenous, I willed my resolve and plucked only one piece. She dumped the rest into a bowl. I scarfed the meat down in two bites with a light snarl while she distracted herself feeding the rest to Waffles.
“Wow,” Aurora said behind me, moving to the cabinet. “Now I can see why you don’t sneer at me drinking blood from a mug.”
“Why would I?”
Aurora paused with her hand raised to the microwave. She stared at the blood smearing my teeth, a drop falling into my beard. Her head angled to one side before continuing what she’d been doing.
After she’d said her goodbyes to the dog and insisted that I give him a pat on the head, we slid onto my bike.
Aurora’s arms had snugly wound around me this time.
After a day together inside her sanctuary, despite our true feelings toward each other, the air seemed to shift.
The closer we got to the bar, the more I wanted to be back there in the vampire’s lair.
Not in a crowded space with dozens of creatures, any of which could wish to do Aurora harm. My hackles rose.
When we entered, Aurora bumped her hip against my thigh and pointed at a vacant corner spot. It was such a nonchalant action, but still enough to throw me off my damn axis.
“Park yourself there if you want the best view all night.” Aurora ruffled her long raven locks, making the waves bounce and frame her face. “You know where I’ll be.”
Damn right I will, sugar. You won’t be out of my sight.
I nodded, dropped into the chair facing outward, and snapped my jacket collar.
My wolfish eyes instantly went to work. A pair of male elves, a couple of pixies, a witch, a demon, and a shifter.
His scent wasn’t recognizable. He immediately made it to my shit list. I’d stare daggers into the back of his head until he left.
I only had one stogie left in my jacket pocket. I’d taken it out within an hour and now rolled it between two fingers, contemplating puffing it. How would I fill the other five hours?
In the back of the bar, someone queued up karaoke, and a male demon started singing a horribly off-pitch rendition of Poker Face by Lady Gaga. My lighter couldn’t get into my mitts fast enough.
“Fuck it,” I mumbled, lighting up the cigar and taking several long puffs.