Played

The next two weeks for me went on without incident, although the increased security presence was a pain. The Bodyglove appearances in Virginia Beach and Myrtle Beach were packed, but it was nothing like our joint appearance at the Navy base. The two of us signed autographs and took photos with Sailors and Marines for over five hours. Amy often had Noelani in the pictures, with the photogenic wolf hybrid wearing her Service Dog harness. The store finally cut off the line, and we finished ten minutes after it was closed.

Mercedes ensured the press was invited and sent a few boxes of swag along to give out as prizes. The Navy Times even did a feature on us.

Hammer volunteered to work security for the event and stayed busy, preventing any aggressive young men from causing a scene. He’d brought a few of his buddies along, their dress uniforms with ribbons and SEAL Tridents an unspoken signal to stay behaved.

Hammer let them know he was going to take Amy and her dog home to have a late dinner with her family. “Why don’t you come out with us for dinner,” Petty Officer James McFadden said. He had curly red hair, stood just taller than me, and had that SEAL body that was fit as hell without being bulky. I loved his smile and his easy laugh. Amazingly enough, all of Hammer’s buddies that volunteered today were in their twenties and single. I’d politely turned down fifty or so dating requests and three marriage proposals already today, so James had adjusted his tactics. “Have you ever been to McP’s Irish Pub? Best Reuben in town.”

“I went for lunch once,” I said. “I need to change, can I meet you there?”

“Sure thing, we’ll get a table outside,” he said with a smile.

With the threats still active, I wasn’t allowed to go alone. Colleen would trail me in her car and watch from the parking lot, while Makani shifted before I put her collar and leash on. McP’s was dog-friendly if you stayed outside.

I walked into the restaurant an hour later, my hair tied back in a ponytail, and wearing khaki shorts and a Bodyglove wave-print silk blouse. The place was still busy with the dinner crowd morphing into the bar crowd on the weeknight. James waved me over; he was wearing boat shoes, cargo shorts, and a bright Tommy Bahama shirt. I hung my purse on the back of the chair he pulled out, then sat at the small table. Makani curled up under the table where she could watch the entrances. “Where are the other guys?”

“They couldn’t make it,” he said with a grin.

I raised an eyebrow as he sat down. “How much did that cost you?” I couldn’t imagine the others turning down this time willingly.

“It was a price I gladly paid,” he said. He was smooth; he was out on a date with me even though I would have turned it down an hour ago. I had to respect his tactics. “I wanted a chance to get to know you, Vicki.”

“You know I’m eighteen, right? That I haven’t started college yet?”

He nodded. “I do. I’ve read the stories about you on the web, and I’ve talked to Hammer and others about you. I know you are selfless, driven, and kind. I know you are wary of those you think might want you for more than you can give. And, I know how much you love the water.”

“What did Hammer say when he found out your plan to go out with me?”

James winced at that. “He said if I hurt you, I’d be lucky if the sharks got me before he did.”

“Yeah, he’s like that. You know he’s dating Amy’s Mom, right?” He nodded. They were a serious couple, and Hammer had already asked her to move in with him. “She’s my best friend, and we both work out in his dojo. He’s wrong, though.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I’m the one you have to worry about.”

He raised his glass to me. “I know. You’re tough and strong, Vicki, and I find that attractive in a woman.”

“What, you don’t like meek, submissive blondes with tits for brains? There are plenty to be found in a SEAL bar like this.”

“Nope. The spirited fillies are the most fun to ride.” That had me laughing.

“I hope you can handle it when I can outswim, outrun, and out-fight you.”

“If they let women become SEALs, I could see you in the class. We will see how good you are another day,” he said with a grin.

Conversation flowed as the food came and went, and I barely noticed the time as the night moved on. We listened to the band, danced, and talked about our busy lives. James was from Chicago and had joined the Navy at eighteen, becoming a SEAL at twenty. He’d deployed twice to Afghanistan before receiving orders to Coronado. Now twenty-seven and a First Class Petty Officer, James was taking a SEAL Advanced Combat Skills course at the base. He loved his job because he got to “blow shit up and kill bad guys.”

I could respect that. We bonded over food and our shared love of diving. I told him about my adventure on the Ocean Explorer, while he had me rolling with stories about his experiences as a combat diver and Special Forces operator.

It was well past midnight when we finally walked out, holding hands as he walked me to my car. “I had a great time tonight, Vicki. Thank you.”

I turned after unlocking my car, my hands moving up around his shoulders. I looked up into his eyes, my lips parting slightly as my tongue flicked out to wet them. He wrapped those strong arms around my waist, pulling me close as his mouth moved down to mine.

He wasn’t my mate, but he was a damn good male, and I liked him a lot. The tentative kiss I gave him wasn’t enough. My mouth opened slightly, and I let out a low moan as he deepened the kiss. His hands moved up my back then back to the curve of my ass, making my skin tingle. I ran my fingers through his short hair as his mouth possessed mine. My nipples were hard as rocks, scraping against his hard chest by the time the kiss ended. “Call me,” I said as I caught my breath.

“I don’t have your number,” he said.

I opened the door and got in after Makani jumped across to the passenger seat, rolling the window down. “You can beat it out of Hammer,” I said with a grin. I backed out of the spot and drove off. I was leaving him with a smile on his face and a big bulge in his pants, and he left me buzzing and wet with need.

He wasn’t Mr. Right, but he’d make a damn good Mr. Right Now. Waiting for my mate seemed silly when it could be a decade or more before we’d meet.

If Luna even gave me one.

I needed to talk to Hammer and Amy about this.

When I got home, I was shocked to see Unky Leo waiting for me. “Why was your phone off,” he said after he hugged me.

“I was on a date! Why are you here?” Adrienne had joined the hug, but this was a surprise.

“The Council called off the search,” he said.

It had been over a week. “Traci and Timothy never returned to their townhouse in Haverhill?”

“No, and from the stale scents left behind, they were last there shortly after you left on the Ocean Explorer. Traci missed her well-baby appointment the day before you returned, and she has not rescheduled. Plus, we found their phones in their bedroom and their car in the garage. There has been nothing since then,” Adrienne said as we sat down. Amy was already in bed, but Colleen and the twins joined us.

“I’m beginning to think this was a setup from the beginning,” I said.

“Why do you say that,” Leo said.

“Do you remember how confident Alexander was when he told us the deal?” Adrienne nodded. “He made a big deal about his payment being ‘non-negotiable,’ like we’d HAVE to pay it.”

“True. Even when I turned the deal down, Alexander didn’t react like I thought he would.”

“That is what has been bothering me. Alexander didn’t care that hundreds of werewolves were crawling around New England, and he wasn’t worried about our search. Now we know that Timothy and Traci disappeared almost a week before payment for the hit. Why would Alexander not worry about us finding the two first?”

“They’re dead,” Makani said.

“If they were dead, there would be no reason to ask for Council permission to hold them,” Adrienne said.

“He already IS holding them,” Leo concluded. “The whole thing was a setup to ratify his hold on prisoners he already has. Without the deal, holding them risks retaliation from the other Vampires, or war with the werewolves.”

“And the deal would bring me over into his control,” I said. “Even under a Council deal, he would have to turn them over after the baby is born for trial and execution. I’m the long term play.”

“Why would he need you if he has Timothy? He’s mantled Alpha-blood, just like you,” Noelani asked. “His blood should be strong enough to get him through the challenge.”

“By making the second time a ‘special case,’ it makes me more likely to agree. Vampires can live for centuries, so he has more patience than our kind does,” I said. “I’ve let that vampire feed from my neck once already. If let him again, and the third, fourth, and fifth times are even easier,” I said. “It would be that way without the effect of his bite.”

“And in the long term, his bite brings you closer until he takes you as his lover,” Adrienne said. The thought was too much for Leo; he stood and shifted, his clothes ripping apart as he changed into his fur. Adrienne and I had to tackle him before Leo could break down the patio door and escape. After a few minutes, he calmed down and trotted into the bathroom. I grabbed an extra pair of Bodyglove shorts and a T-shirt out of the closet stash and tossed them on the counter before closing the door. He back out wearing them. “He won’t have her,” Adrienne said as she sat in his lap.

“Alexander is vulnerable as long as he holds them in violation of the Treaty,” I said. “The other Vampires will turn on him to protect the peace.”

“And none of them want one Master to have the advantage of a werewolf blood bank,” Adrienne agreed.

“We have no proof,” Leo said. “We don’t even know for sure that he has them. We’re making assumptions that we can’t back up.”

“Then we need to find proof, and our Council can bring it to theirs,” I said. “He’s holding them somewhere in the city limits of Boston, I’m sure. They have to be in his territory, close enough for him to feed periodically without raising attention. We need to find out where.”

“That won’t be easy,” Adrienne said. “Under the Treaty, we can’t enter the town except for innocent reasons.”

“Boston has a lot of history, and our young need to learn it,” I said. “We identify the potentials and wander past them. Maybe we catch a scent.”

We talked for another ten minutes, but no one had a better plan. “I’ll contact my son in the morning,” Adrienne said.

“Security stays tight,” Leo said. “For all we know, there may be someone else out there after our Sharkbait. Alexander may have been twisting the truth to meet his aims.”

“Fine,” I said. “I’m tired, and we have to be up to run in the morning,” I said as I stood.

“We’ll talk about your DATE over breakfast,” Leo said menacingly.

“He’s HOT, and that kiss was worth of a romance novel cover,” Makani teased.

I just rolled my eyes. “It’s good to see you again,” I said as I kissed my Uncle and Aunt goodnight.

“We’ll be over at Hammer’s place, in his guest room,” Adrienne said. “We’ll be here before you leave for your run.”

I laid in bed a half-hour later, thinking about the date and smiling. My fingers drifted down my body as it responded to my daydreams, one cupping a breast, the other moving under my sleep shorts. I kept my eyes closed as I dreamed about a different ending to the night, one where he took me home and ravished me again and again. My fingers moved faster, rubbing my clit and sliding into my slick channel as the fantasy continued. I buried my face in the pillow as I built to a climax. I came hard on my fingers, my core squeezing them like a vice as my body locked up in spasms.

Exhausted and satisfied, I finally fell asleep.