Wolf Hills Read online

  She laughed outright at one of the cutest of the nicknames for police officers. She’d always liked that one.

  “Good thing you didn’t say I was a pig. I’ve shot men for less.” She was proud of her attempt at flirting. She didn’t often get a chance to try out her rusty interpersonal skills.

  “Pigs are prey. That nickname would never work for you.” His words were oddly serious, his gaze intense, but the smile that hovered around his gorgeous lips made her heart beat faster.

  “Glad you understand that.” She felt like she was playing with fire, verbally sparring with this man. She’d never wanted more to feel the burn. “Of course, I’ve never really understood where ‘fuzz’ came from. It makes me sound like dryer lint.”

  He laughed at her small attempt at humor and she was glad she’d made the effort. His masculine chuckle sent shivers down her spine.

  “Fuzz sounds furry and cute. Like a puppy. Small, but armed with sharp teeth and wild instincts.”

  “Small?” She raised one eyebrow.

  “I suppose you’re tall for a woman, but you’re definitely small compared to me.” He looked her up and down with a gaze that felt like a caress.

  “Okay, I’ll give you that.” She glanced around the room, only just noticing that everyone was giving them a wide berth. There was an electricity in the air that hadn’t been there before Jason had arrived. Of course, it could just be her perception. It wasn’t often she was chatted up by an amazingly attractive man. And she still couldn’t figure out why everyone she’d met here was so fit and good looking.

  “The same could be said for all the men in this room,” she observed. “Even the young, pimply ones. Are there steroids in the water here or something?”

  “Or something.” He took the hand he was still holding and turned it over so that her hand rested on top of his. Tugging lightly, he pulled her toward a padded barstool that stood only a few feet away.

  She sat at his urging, still holding his hand. The space was a little awkward. He hadn’t moved the stool far enough away from the bar’s edge and she had to move her knees apart a bit to catch her balance. The next thing she knew, he had moved to stand a bit closer, his muscular thighs touching the inside of her knee. It wasn’t completely improper. Not really. But he was a little too close for comfort. At least in a room full of strangers.

  Make that a room full of strangers except for one close friend. Who was on her way over with a worried look on her face.

  “Don’t look now, but the cavalry is on its way,” she whispered as she turned her gaze back to Jason. Man. He took her breath away every time she looked at him. She couldn’t ever remember having such an extreme reaction to a guy.

  Surprisingly, Jason straightened and moved a few millimeters away, apparently waiting for Carly to arrive. The smile on his face was polite but the set of his jaw was predatory. An interesting, enticing combination.

  “Mistress Belakov,” he began politely as Carly reached them. “It was good of you to invite us to your party.”

  “I wasn’t sure you’d come, Alpha. Thanks for taking the time. It’s always nice to see you.”

  Carly’s words were strange but polite. Still, there was an edge to her voice and a look in her eyes as she shot a glance toward Sally. Something was up. Then again, Sally had felt something was a little off from the moment she arrived. Carly was too much on edge.

  “Okay, you two.” Sally tugged her hand free from Jason’s, hoping to clear her head a bit. He backed off, thankfully. “What’s going on here? You’ve been acting strange since the moment I got here, Carl. And why do you call him Alpha? What is that, a title or something? And why are people calling you Mistress? Has your new hubby gotten you into a BDSM community or something? What gives?”

  “And what exactly do you know about BDSM, Sally?” Jason posed the question with a definite devilish gleam in his eye.

  “I’m a cop, Jason. Not a nun.” She tapped him on the shoulder, pushing him another few millimeters away. She needed the space if she was going to think clearly. “Nice attempt at distraction, by the way, but I’m not giving up. I want answers.”

  “And I have a lot to tell you,” Carly inserted, drawing her attention. “This isn’t the best time for it, however. A lot has happened since I last saw you. Some of it, you’re going to have a hard time accepting.”

  “Dude! You can’t say something like that and then tell me I have to wait to hear your big, mysterious explanation.”

  “She’s got you there, Mistress.” Jason tipped his drink to Carly with a saucy grin.

  “You’re not helping, Jason,” Carly shot back.

  “Perhaps I can assist.” Dmitri had arrived soundlessly, putting one brawny arm around his wife’s shoulders from behind, pulling her back to his front lovingly.

  Carly rolled her eyes. “I wanted to talk to her alone. You know that.”

  “I know, my love.” He bent his head to place a kiss on the crown of Carly’s head. “But the more I think about it, the more I believe it would be better if she were presented with proof of your claims right away rather than spend unnecessary time thinking you had lost your mind.”

  “It’s like pulling off a Band-Aid. All at once is better than a little at a time,” Jason agreed.

  “Figures you men would stick together,” Carly sighed. “How do you want to do this?”

  “I could always strip and shift for her.” Jason’s hands went to his belt buckle as his smile went up another notch.

  “Don’t you dare.” Carly stopped him with her tone.

  “Just trying to be helpful.” Jason held up his hands, palms outward. His innocent act was almost humorous. Sally would have laughed if she wasn’t so ticked by the idea that Carly and this new crowd of hers were hiding things from her.

  “The Alpha is right about one thing. Quick is better,” Dmitri agreed. “Sally, I am a vampire, as is Carly, now. I had to change her in order to save her life, but I knew she was my mate from the moment we made love. It is our way.” He shrugged his elegant shoulders. “I can see you don’t believe me, but you will.” He closed his mouth then opened it again. Where before he’d had normal teeth, he now had fangs. Sharp, dangerous looking fangs.

  “Holy shit,” Sally whispered into the sudden silence around them.

  Chapter Two

  “It’s all right, Sal,” Carly lisped through a set of fangs of her own. Sally did a double take. No shit, they both had fangs. Ohmigod. Was this some kind of joke? “You’re safe with us. We are mates and that means we only like to bite each other now.” Carly actually giggled, gazing up at her husband mischievously. Damn.

  Sally looked around at the rest of the partygoers. None of them had sprouted fangs yet. Thank goodness.

  “What about them?” Sally motioned to the room in general.

  “Members of my Pack,” Jason added, drawing her attention. He tipped his imaginary hat to her. “I’m the Alpha wolf of this Pack. When Carly moved her computer business here, she was good enough to employ a few of our more educated youngsters.”

  “Wolf Pack? Is that like a club or something?”

  Dmitri tried and failed to stifle his laughter.

  “Perhaps I should clarify. I’m the leader of the local werewolf Pack.” He emphasized the word.

  “You’ve got to be kidding. Vampires and werewolves? Nice practical joke, Carl. Now knock it off.” She said it with a smile, mostly because she didn’t know what to think. Could they really be telling the truth?

  “It’s not a joke, Sal.” Carly’s whispered words and worried look made Sally’s stomach clench. She wasn’t kidding around. Before her eyes, Carly’s fangs shrank back to normal teeth. “Dmitri is the Master Vampire of this area and since we mated, I’ve become the Mistress. That’s why the kids who work for me keep calling me that. They still haven’t broken the habit, even though I keep telling them not to stand on formality with me.”

  “Formality helps keep frisky young wolves in order, Mistress,” Jason
cut in. “The hierarchy of the Pack is important. Isn’t it just as important among your kind, Dmitri?”

  Dmitri bowed his head but didn’t lower his eyes. “You are correct, Alpha. Without the hierarchy, there is chaos. I have been Master here for a long time. There have been challenges through the years, but I have always prevailed to maintain the order.”

  “I’ve been Alpha long enough to face a few challenges of my own,” Jason agreed. “Someday the challenger will win and I will either die or accept my new role as elder in the Pack.” Jason shrugged as if he weren’t discussing his own death with such a casual air. “It’s the way of things. The way it needs to be among predatory races like ours.”

  “You really believe you turn into a werewolf at the full moon?” Sally asked. Her analytical mind needed proof.

  “Not just on the night of the full moon. We become wolves, not just the half form you’re thinking of from bad, old movies. Our combat form is something only the strongest of us can maintain for any length of time.” Jason snapped his fingers and her temporary bartender stepped forward. “Show her, Seth. Drop your jeans behind the couch. She wasn’t raised among wolves.”

  The phrase took on a whole new meaning if what Jason was saying was true, Sally realized. The young man took off his shirt and dropped his pants. The high back of the couch hid his private parts from view, but he had an amazingly muscular chest and equally bulky arms.

  “Combat form,” Jason ordered succinctly.

  Before her disbelieving eyes, the young man’s body began to morph and change. He went from a relatively clean-cut, six-foot tall dude with a shock of blonde hair to a seven-and-a-half-foot hairy beast. He was trembling as he came out from behind the couch. A quick look downward told her that he was hairy enough that the more sensitive bits were mostly hidden. The way his newly formed legs crouched hid the rest.

  “Holy Moses…” Sally breathed the words, in shock at what she was seeing. Seth walked closer on legs that were jointed oddly and ended in huge, sharp claws. His hands were clawed too, but his eyes were the same innocent blue she’d seen when they’d been introduced. His limbs trembled. “Does it hurt?”

  “Seth is young. He is still growing into his true strength. The more he practices the battle form, the easier it will become, but to answer your question, yes, it can be quite painful to hold the shift at this point.” Jason turned his attention back to Seth, who now stood a few feet in front of her. “Take it to completion, Seth. Show her your wolf.”

  The transformation began again. Or perhaps it was more accurate to say it continued. Muscles shifted under the skin, bones realigned and changed shape. Still, the eyes remained that clear, sweet blue. A moment later, the young man who’d become the scary creature had turned into a fluffy blond wolf.

  Bigger than any natural wolf had a right to be, of course, but he definitely looked like a wolf. Seth walked right up to her and bowed his head, as if awaiting further instruction. Then she remembered Jason. He was in charge of these wolves, if all this was real. Seth was waiting for Jason’s instructions.

  “You can touch him, if it will help you believe.” Jason’s words sounded in her ear. He’d moved closer without her realizing it. The heat of his breath on her skin made those shivers return.

  To get some space, Sally hopped off the stool, careful to move away from Jason, though she had to move closer to get away, the way he’d positioned her. Standing on her own two feet, she faced the light-colored wolf, considering him.

  “You really are Seth?” she asked the wolf directly. His head tilted sideways, then nodded. “I guess that answers that question. Wow.” She walked closer, moving around the wolf, who sat patiently while she inspected him.

  She came back around to face him, marveling at the change. If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, she never would have believed it. The men were right in that respect.

  “Go ahead and scratch his ears. We have at least that much in common with dogs. Not much else, but in this form, our paws kind of limit our reach.” Jason had once again moved silently closer to her. The man had an uncanny knack for sneaking into her personal space.

  “I guess I can understand that,” she agreed wryly as she bent to touch the wolf’s head. Seth arched into her touch when she did as Jason had suggested and she couldn’t help but be charmed by the way Seth’s tongue hung out of his mouth as he panted in happiness.

  “Don’t spoil him,” Jason said. She could hear the humor in his dark velvet voice and she drew back her hand, standing from her crouch. He was at her side, but she didn’t mind. She was moving rapidly from disbelief to fascination.

  “You can do this too?” she asked Jason. “You all can?” She glanced around the room. Everyone was watching her and the small group by the bar. They all, no doubt, realized that something special was happening.

  “Indeed I can, and I’ll show you at the first opportunity.” He moved closer. “But since I get naked when I shift, I thought I’d save the demonstration until we know each other a little better.”

  She felt the blush rising to her cheeks at the thought of him stripping for her. Hoo boy, now that would be a show worth watching.

  “Is that why everyone here is so tall and good-looking? Is that a side effect of being a werewolf?”

  “Good genetics,” Jason agreed.

  “So you breed? You don’t become a werewolf by being bitten, like in the movies?”

  “Well, we can make someone a werewolf in very special circumstances, but mostly we expand our population the old-fashioned way. It’s more fun, don’t you think?” He winked at her and she couldn’t help the little fire that lit in her middle at his roundabout mention of sex. She was fairly certain sex with Jason would be memorable, to say the least.

  “Why are you telling me all this?” Sally got a sinking feeling in her stomach that replaced the heat in a flash. She turned her gaze to Carly. “What are you going to do with me?”

  “Nothing you don’t want, sweetheart,” Jason was quick to reassure her, but she wanted to hear it from Carly. She knew Carly better than anyone in this room. Better than anyone in the state, for that matter.

  “I discussed this with the other girls, and our husbands have talked among themselves. It’s their world and their rules, but considering all of us have proven to be vampire mates, it was likely you were special too. For that reason, and because it would be hard to hide from you forever, we decided you should be let in on the secret that could destroy us all. Normally, you understand, no normal human is allowed to know anything about any of this.”

  “Wait a minute. The other girls?” Sally feared she knew what was coming.

  “It started with Lissa. Her husband is second in command to Marc LaTour, Kelly’s husband. Marc is the Master of his region, like Dmitri is Master here. When Christy was in the hospital that last time, Sebastian turned her to save her life. That’s when Jenna found out about all of this and she had to be watched. Ian is an enforcer of sorts and it was his job to watch over Jenna. One by one, they all discovered they were mates. That means something special among their kind. These men have waited centuries to find the one woman who is their perfect match. Like Dmitri is my perfect match.” Carly reached up to place one palm over her husband’s cheek in an obvious sign of affection.

  “You’re the only one left unmated from the original study group,” Dmitri picked up the thread of the conversation. “We are all wondering if you could be another woman with special traits, able to mate with one of our kind.”

  “Or one of my kind,” Jason interrupted challengingly.

  “What’s this?” Dmitri demanded.

  “Can’t you detect it? In her scent?” Jason spoke to Dmitri alone though everyone could hear.

  Dmitri stepped out from behind Carly and sniffed. He sniffed her!

  Sally pulled back, but Jason was behind her, having outflanked her. She felt suddenly threatened.

  “Subtle,” Dmitri’s eyes scrunched up as he thought aloud. “Magical. Wild.
Predatory. Not like us.” He looked up toward Jason, his eyes widening. “Like you.”

  “What is he talking about?” Sally demanded.

  “Somewhere in your family tree, maybe centuries back, there was a wolf,” Jason said in a low, intimate tone near her ear.

  She stepped out of the space between the two men, needing room to think.

  “You’re saying you can smell something like that?” She was scandalized by the thought. Nobody had ever accused her of hiding a werewolf in her ancestry before. Not that she knew much about where she came from.

  “Haven’t you ever noticed your senses are a bit sharper than other people’s?” Jason prodded.

  Now that he mentioned it, she had noticed. She could hear things others didn’t seem to. She could smell things others didn’t. And she had instincts only a few other cops of her acquaintance had developed over many years on the beat.

  “I see I struck a chord.” Jason was smug about being right.

  “So what if I can hear better than some other guys? That doesn’t mean I howl at the full moon.”

  “No, you wouldn’t. You don’t have quite enough wolf in you for that. Or maybe it just hasn’t been awakened yet.” Jason moved into her personal space again. “Of course, it would be my pleasure to try to help you find your inner bitch.”

  “Call me that again and you won’t have to look far,” she promised with a snap of her teeth.

  The other wolves in the room grew even more silent, holding their collective breath, but Jason only laughed. He looked like he took her words as a challenge, and this man seemed to really enjoy a challenge. Oh, great. As if she didn’t have enough to deal with at the moment.

  Her best friends were all married to vampires. She wondered if…

  “Have all the other girls become vampires too?” Sally shot her question toward Carly, who looked concerned.