Redson (VLG Book 10) Read online

  He said nothing for a long time and exhaustion tugged at her. She was finally warm and comfortable, the stress of traveling behind her. She did feel safe with Redson. He growled a lot but he’d taken her into his den. It might be a box in the ground but it would take a hell of a lot for someone or something to reach them. He owned a buried fortress.

  “Why would he send you here now? Was it only because he couldn’t flee with you?”

  She hated how tight her chest felt. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “Emma.” His tone implied he wasn’t about to let it drop.

  “We had a safe house near the one we lived in, but he said ‘last resort’ to me. That was our code for me to come here. I had a lot of time to think while I was traveling to Alaska, and I’m sure he didn’t want me to go to our safe house in case he couldn’t get away from all those Vampires. They could have tortured my location out of him. But even Eduardo would hesitate to come after me in VampLycan territory.”

  “How many?” He growled the question.

  “How many what? Vampires that showed up?”

  “How many lovers had you had?”

  The abrupt change of topic shocked her. “What?”

  “How many lovers have you accepted into your bed?”

  “I’m not answering that unless you do.”

  She smirked, figuring that would end the conversation…and she was right as the silence stretched. She closed her eyes and began to drift to sleep.

  “Twelve.”

  The number surprised her. She figured Lycans, even half-breed ones, would chase a lot of tail. The fact that he was half Vampire also should have meant a string of lovers left behind. Vamps loved sex while feeding. She knew way too much about her grandfather’s habits after growing up with him. He’d had a lot of women spend the night to keep himself fed.

  “How many?”

  She bit her lip, opened her eyes to the darkness, and sighed. “Two.”

  The silence stretched again, and she relaxed.

  “Why only two?”

  Her teeth clenched. “Why only twelve? You’re older than I am, and a guy.”

  “I’m picky about who I touch, and I don’t travel far from home.”

  “Small town, slim pickings,” she guessed aloud.

  He softly growled. “Wrong. I don’t touch the ones in my clan. One day I may find my mate, and I don’t want to make the mistake of causing her pain.”

  Interest sparked. “How would that hurt a potential mate?”

  “Would you enjoy living in a town where a bunch of the women had slept with your mate?”

  Put that way, she could understand. It was quite sweet that Redson would consider the feelings of someone he’d never met before. The big guy was full of surprises. “So you only slept with ones who didn’t live in town?”

  “Yes. I was never attracted to any unmated women in my clan.”

  “That woman in the store was beautiful.”

  “It’s not a matter of beauty. My clan is a close-knit one. The women feel more like family to me than potential mates. We don’t get many females who travel to Howl who aren’t already mated, but the ones who do are potential mates I’ve tested compatibility with.”

  “What about this girlfriend of yours?” She was curious about the woman.

  “She’s not my girlfriend by human definition. She travels this way to see family who are a part of my clan, and we enjoy sex together. We’re both lonely and have been discussing sharing a home.”

  “How do you know when you find your mate? My grandfather didn’t tell me that much about Werewolves. I know Vampires fall in lust, usually it results in obsession, and they often take companions.”

  “Lycans, not Werewolves,” he corrected. “You avoided answering my question. Why only two?”

  She hesitated. “I have shitty taste in men. Two big mistakes were more than enough. I’ve learned my lesson.”

  The mattress moved as he shifted his position on the bed again. His hot breath fanned her neck and his leg rubbed against hers. She guessed he’d turned fully on his side to face her and was proven right when he spoke.

  “Explain. I answered your questions. I’m curious, and you did wake me. I don’t fall asleep easily.”

  She sighed. “In high school, I seemed kind of weird to other kids. I couldn’t invite them to sleepovers, since no parent would send their daughter to spend the night with someone being raised by my older brother. That’s the story we told everyone to explain my grandpa looking so young. He couldn’t pretend to be my dad after I hit my teens. He might pass for twenty-six or possibly thirty at most. He needed me with him at night in case we were found. So that meant I couldn’t go stay over at a friend’s home. I didn’t have many friends anyway. I had to be secretive to protect my grandpa. I didn’t exactly encourage anyone to grow curious about my life. My first boyfriend came along while I was in college. I lived in the dorm for a few months before I met the guy. I thought I fell in love. It turned out he was a douchebag.”

  “Excuse me?” Shock sounded in his voice.

  “It’s a derogatory term to call a guy with messed-up morals. I guess I screamed ‘virgin,’ since I was so shy. He made a bet with his friends that he could nail me. I didn’t know he was only pretending to care about me until after I let him take me to bed.” Humiliation still burned inside her chest at the memory. “He told all of his friends, they told other people, and I left that school. I thought he loved me. He really made me believe he did…but I was just a way to earn him a few bucks and pats on the back.”

  “I hear pain in your voice.” His tone deepened into a growl.

  “It wasn’t a breeze being laughed at and snickered over. Some of those girls were flat-out mean. He broke my heart by not being who I thought, and I just went home to Grandpa. He offered to kill the guy but I asked him to leave it alone. I avoided men for a long time.”

  “You said there were two.”

  “I was turning thirty, and that’s rough on some women. I decided to start going out, to meet guys. I found one but he turned out to be a cheating bastard. He probably would have gotten away with it because he was a skilled liar, but I have a heightened sense of smell. I knew he’d been with another woman. He stood there lying to me with her scent all over him. The bastard hadn’t even showered or changed his clothes after he’d banged her.”

  She remembered her question. “How do you know when you find your mate?”

  He hesitated. “It’s part attraction, part feelings, and tasting.”

  That piqued her interest. “Tasting?”

  “Supposedly, when we taste their blood we know for sure, but there’s strong attraction first.”

  Her jaw dropped. “You drink blood? I assumed you were more Lycan than Vampire.”

  “We sometimes bite during sex.”

  “Oh.” She nodded into the darkness. “I got it. You don’t need to explain that one to me. I accidently walked in on my grandpa with a woman once. I heard loud noises coming from his room when I came home from band practice and rushed in, thinking he was hurt.” She chuckled. “I don’t know who was more embarrassed. Probably me. I’m just glad the woman didn’t remember it. That would have been really awkward, since Linda lived next door and I saw her all the time until we moved.”

  “He didn’t kill her?”

  “My grandpa isn’t a murderer. He only takes what he needs to survive.” She was starting to feel offended. “Whatever you’ve heard about Vampires, don’t apply it to him. He’s not some blood-driven fiend who kills his victims. He’s old and powerful. The woman next door kept hitting on him. One night he was really hungry, and his defenses were down. One thing led to another. He fed from her, they had sex, and he made her forget. While he was in her head, he told her that she was no longer attracted to him. He’s good at that hypnotic stuff. She moved on to date the mailman.”

  “What did you see when you walked into the bedroom?”

  She wrinkled her nose, remembering. �
�Grandpa had her bent over in front of him while they were going at it. He was taking blood from her neck.” She paused. “She didn’t seem to mind.” She cleared her throat. “That was a sight I wish I could forget. I know my friends think he’s very attractive since he looks so young, but to me, he’s just…my grandpa.”

  “That’s how VampLycans taste. We bite sometimes during sex but only when the urge strikes. It’s rare though, and we never bite each other at the same time or a mating happens during unprotected sex.”

  She let that sink in. “Why? Do you need the blood?”

  “No. If the sex is really good, it’s an instinctual thing to bite.” He paused. “You must not have many VampLycan traits at all.”

  “I don’t.”

  “I figured that when you said you’d only had two lovers.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “You don’t go into heat, do you? Lycans are also very sexual. They crave sex. Vampires do too when they feel bloodlust.”

  His tone didn’t sit right with her. “You make it sound like a bad thing, me being so human. I don’t want to drink blood or grow a tail. I think I got the best parts. Of course, it has downsides too.”

  “You can’t keep human friends for long.”

  “Exactly.” She remembered all the ones she’d walked away from over the years. “They start to notice I’m not aging the way they do. Plus, I have a grandpa they try to seduce. He swore not to date any of them and has never broken his word.”

  “He wouldn’t take blood from your friends?”

  “No.”

  “Where did he get his blood supply? All from women he dated?”

  She hesitated. “He’s kind of old fashioned. He hired some house staff to come in a few times a week to clean and run errands. He’d take blood from them. He paid them well, and it wasn’t as if they ever knew or remembered. He’d wipe their minds. But he also dated, because he doesn’t have sex with the staff.”

  “He doesn’t have a companion?”

  “No. I kind of killed that option for him.” More guilt filled her. “It’s always a risk, if he takes a human one, that she’ll betray him. Some would freak out if they realized what he is, or they’d tell someone. He didn’t want a blood slave because, let’s be real. It would be like dating a robot, and he’s not into that. Most Vamps who own blood slaves are egotistical assholes with zero compassion. He values human life. He couldn’t allow a Vampire to live in our house because he couldn’t trust one to keep her fangs out of me. My living with them would have been too tempting. His property would have been considered hers as his companion.”

  “Meaning anyone on the staff or living under the same roof is fair game if she wanted to bite them?”

  “Pretty much. It’s a Vamp thing. They see humans as property if you live in their home. That’s not how Grandpa sees me. But a companion would.”

  Silence stretched between them again, and Emma nearly fell asleep. Until Redson asked, “Have you ever gone into heat?”

  The question shocked her. “Um, no.”

  “Are you certain?” His voice deepened.

  “I think I’d have noticed.”

  “Have you only slept with humans?”

  “Yes. We avoided other Vampires. They would have been more interested in my neck than my personality. And packs hate Vampires being in their territory. We changed towns if any of them even looked twice at me. Since we’re being hunted, we kept away from VampLycans because Grandpa didn’t want to put any of you at risk unless he absolutely had to.”

  “By calling in the blood oath.”

  “Yes. It was a last resort.”

  “Have you ever had to run before from his nest?”

  “We’ve had to move plenty of times. I think Grandpa sent me here alone because the Vamps that came to the door were from the Vampire Council. It means Eduardo got them involved. Also, like I said, he was probably worried about torture and giving up the safe-house location.”

  “The council can contact all nests associated with them to help seek out you and your grandfather.”

  “I know. It means I needed to go where there were no nests. Grandpa didn’t say that, but I figured it out on my own.”

  Redson sighed. “Sleep, Emma.”

  She snuggled further under the covers. The warmth felt wonderful, and she tried forgetting she was sleeping with a naked guy. It had been ten years since she’d done that. It wasn’t exactly the same situation. She’d been romantically involved with that boyfriend.

  The idea of having sex with Redson seemed kind of scary. He looked rough and wasn’t all human. He also had a tendency to be very physical. He just scooped her into his arms whenever he wanted, without permission.

  Would he be that kind of lover? Just grab me and take what he wants, when he wants it?

  The concept was oddly appealing.

  What am I thinking? He’s not my type. I like tame, suit-wearing soft guys who open doors and say pretty words. She sincerely doubted Redson owned much more than faded jeans. He was too down to earth to care about appearances. So far his social skills were lacking too.

  Life with her grandfather had given her high expectations. A lot could be said for being raised by a Vampire over four hundred years old. He opened doors for women, had impeccable manners when he wished, and had raised her to appreciate a gentleman. That certainly wouldn’t be the VampLycan lying in bed next to her.

  Redson has fangs and he growls…he’s too gruff. He also has a girlfriend, she reminded herself. Although, she reasoned, he did say she wasn’t really a girlfriend. They’d considered living together until he found his mate.

  Another thought entered her mind. Who is his mate?

  Don’t even think about him that way, she ordered. It would be a heartbreak waiting to happen if she fell for him. That was a complication she didn’t need. Life had been full of disappointments and pain already.

  Redson wasn’t human. Even if they fell in love, a VampLycan woman could come along and nature would demand he be with her if they were mates.

  Chapter Four

  Red woke with a raging hard-on and Emma’s scent torturing him.

  He didn’t move as he silently evaluated the situation. She’d turned in her sleep to face him and was snug against his side. Only thin material separated her lush breast from his chest. Her head rested on his shoulder and somehow his arm had wound around her back. Each of her breaths teased his throat, her mouth close enough to kiss.

  His cock throbbed, straining against the bedding. One of her thighs rested over the top of his, achingly close to his dick. Her leg stretched down part of the length of his, her heel near his calf. It was a reminder that he was a lot taller and bigger than her.

  The shirt she wore must have ridden up because her soft belly was bare against his side, skin to skin. One of her hands rested on his lower stomach—again, too close to his dick for comfort.

  It would be easy to roll, pin her under him, and fist her underwear. One tug and they’d be gone, with nothing stopping him from taking her. He could be inside her before she even woke.

  His dick throbbed harder, a heartbeat below his waist. Her size made him hesitate—not to mention the fact she was mostly human. She might not welcome him fucking her… but she was in his bed, inside his territory, and snug against him. Sure, he’d put her there, but she was the one who’d curled into him.

  FUCK!

  He snarled and forced her off him. He rolled away. The air was chilly after being under the blankets with shared body heat. He heard her breathing change as he rose to his feet, happy she’d admitted she couldn’t see as well as he could in the dark. Otherwise when he stormed to the bathroom, she’d have seen his dick sticking straight out.

  He closed the door and wished for a lock, not that he thought she’d follow him inside the cramped confines. He didn’t bother with a light; he knew every inch of his den too well. He squeezed the shaft of his dick with one hand to find some relief from the immediate ache,
as he used his other to yank open the mirror and locate lube.

  He kept a tube it for emergencies—and this was a big one. Otherwise his houseguest was going to be fucked, in every sense. On her back, bent over in front of him, against a wall…he wished she were pinned there now so he could take while standing. She’d feel a hell of a lot better than his hand.

  He coated his dick, the cold gel barely easing the hot need, and furiously pumped his hand with his head tilted back. He clenched his teeth to prevent making any sounds and let his imagination go wild.

  Emma naked, spread open for him and in heat. Hell, he could dream. Nothing was hotter than a woman whimpering and clawing at a man to fuck her for hours. Her pussy would be soaking wet, hot, and swollen.

  He imagined trying to work his dick inside her. Passion burned him alive at the thought. He’d have to go slow, maybe coax her into a fever so she wouldn’t be afraid when she saw how much he wanted her. He bet those humans she’d fucked had nothing on him.

  Imagining her thighs spread and his mouth between them was almost too much. She’d taste so damn good. Sweet honey that he could lick until she was begging him to fuck her. He would, too. Slow at first, until she adjusted to his size, and then hard and fast.

  His balls tightened, and he couldn’t hold back the groan as he came in a rush. It might have been embarrassing how fast it happened but the door was closed. She would never know. His body shook from the force of it, his hips jerking with his dick in hand, and he kept coming until he couldn’t take anymore. He released his shaft and grabbed for the shower nozzle.

  Cold water made him curse as it blasted him but a few adjustments turned the water warmer. He took his time shaving his face and washing his hair, even brushing his teeth with the shower still running.

  He didn’t know how he was going to protect a woman when the only current threat to her was him—and the fact he wanted to fuck her.

  He’d known she’d be trouble the second he spotted Emma. It was those damn pretty blue eyes, that full, pouty little mouth, and how damn helpless she looked. Every protective instinct flared to life when he’d understood who she was and why she was there.