Faerie Godmother: Mythic Series, Book 1 (4 page)

With any luck, he didn’t even remember her. Casey Martin hadn’t all those years ago. Even as Ana was seizing before her in the grips of some hateful childhood wish, the other girl had no recollection of biting her. And Ana had healed so fast, the bite marks had all but disappeared within a day or two. Unfortunately, it had brought unwanted attention her way and she’d been forced to slip away in the middle of the night before anyone got close enough to learn her secrets.

“Where would you like these?” Matt asked, breaking Ana away from her morning perusal. She peeked at him over the rim of her massive “I love big mutts and I cannot lie” coffee mug (a gift from Dani) to find him grinning at her with several boxes stacked in his arms.

“Over there would be great,” she said, pointing near the desk with the computer. Everything would have to be inventoried before she could restock the shelves. She got up immediately to help him, but staggered backward under the weight of just one box.

“Careful, Ana,” he said in his deep, growly voice. “These are heavy.”

“Yeah, got that,” she said with a rueful smile. He made it look so easy. Then again, Weres were incredibly strong, as she’d discovered. And good-looking. Dani’s older brother had the same amber/golden hair and eyes, but he was a good head taller and at least twice as wide. Ana had never seen him shift, but she had seen Dani in her wolf form and she was stunning.

“Thanks for bringing those in,” Ana said. “It would have taken me a lot longer.”

Samson, the massive Newfie that had just appeared one day, padded over to Matt for an obligatory scratch, while Mr. Whiskers, the black and white mixed-breed feline missing half of one ear, gave him a look of disdain and curled up in the sill of the sunny window.

“Anything for you, Ana,” Matt said with a devastating grin. “You know that.”

Heat rushed into her face, but she told herself he meant absolutely nothing by it. Weres, by nature, were as affectionate as they were fierce. He would have been just as kind, just as helpful, to anyone.

“Want some coffee? I just made a fresh pot.”

His boyish grin hinted at dimples and showed some very white, very sharp teeth. “I’d love some, thanks.” Another thing she’d learned about Weres — they thrived on caffeine.

Matt followed Ana back into her personal quarters.  

“So, to what do I owe the honor?” she asked, pulling another mug from one of the hooks beneath the oak cabinets and filling it with her favorite — a rich, hazelnut cream blend.

Matt accepted the cup with a look far too innocent. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, why am I getting a personal visit from the pack Alpha this morning?”

“Can’t I just stop by my favorite doc’s for a friendly visit?”

“Of course. It’s your place, remember?” She paused, taking a sip of her coffee, not believing his presence was as simple as that for one second. And while Matt was a friendly sort, she was sure he had more important things to do than haul boxes or chit-chat over coffee, even if it was darn good coffee.

“Dani asked you to come over, didn’t she?”

A slight shrug of those broad shoulders told her she’d hit that one right on the nose. “She’s worried about you. Says you’ve been acting a little weird since the masquerade ball.”

Ana dropped her eyes immediately and turned to add more soy milk to her coffee. The gesture was not lost on Matt, who was used to similar behaviors whenever younger members of the pack were trying to hide something from him. “Weird how?”

“She said you’re spooked, nervous, like you’re waiting for something to go down. Did something happen at the ball, Ana? Or, more likely, at the after party?”

Ana stirred her coffee without looking up. “Dani has an overactive imagination,” she said after several long heartbeats.

“No argument there. But she’s also incredibly perceptive. And I can scent your anxiety.”

Self-consciously, Ana lowered her head and sniffed discreetly. She had remembered to put on deodorant this morning, hadn’t she?

“Is that a nice way of telling me I stink?” she asked.

His full lips quirked. “No. You smell just as exceedingly tasty as you always do, but even more so. A person’s natural scent intensifies with their emotions. The more powerfully you feel about something, the more potent your scent — whether it’s fear, joy, anger, or...something else.”

He emphasized his point by leaning toward her and inhaling deeply. He stilled, closing his eyes as he analyzed the scent. When they opened, they were glittering and...hungry. “And right now, I’d say you’re feeling pretty strongly about...something.”

Frowning, Ana set her mug down and proceeded to open the windows, wishing the breeze was just a bit more brisk. Yes, she was anxious, half-expecting a pissed-off vampire to show up any minute.

But it was more than that. She’d been unable to get a decent night’s rest lately, and the occasional periods of sleep she did manage had been plagued with erotic and frightening dreams. Her natural defenses were wearing thin.

It was impossible to be around someone as innately powerful and masculine as Matt and remain wholly unaffected, especially after last week’s bizarre encounter. She’d been feeling sexually frustrated all week, as if the vampire had started something and her body was still looking for completion.

Matt’s innate animal magnetism was strong enough to realign her poles on the best of days, but now, in her weakened state, she had to be especially vigilant. She knew it had more to do with nature in general than her specifically; the Alpha would, of course, be the most attractive to the females in his pack, but Ana wasn’t a wolf, and should have some measure of immunity to such things.

Matt remained still as she scooted around the tiny kitchen, but his eyes never left her. She could feel them burning into her back, and lower, before settling somewhere around the base of her skull.

“What’s going on, Ana?” Was it her imagination, or had his voice deepened?

Being alone with a very large, very strong alpha male in such close proximity was an experience, especially when authority and power radiated from him. Matt and his entire pack had been nothing but wonderful since she’d found Dani broken and bleeding along the highway and tended to her, but she would be a fool not to respect that much power.

They had since become rather protective of her and seemed to like hanging out in the open, airy spaces of the Sanctuary and helping with the animals. Dani said it was because Ana always stocked their favorite snacks and spoiled them rotten, but Ana knew it was as much because of her gift as anything else. Subconsciously, they were drawn to her without knowing why.

Just being around her made them feel good, and she liked having them around. Enjoyed their banter, their teasing. But this week, she had been especially glad for their presence. Every passing moment, she feared Vlane Masterson would show up at her door. Each night, she expected to wake up and find him looming over her like something out of an old Bela Lugosi movie.

Subconsciously, her hand went to the side of her neck. The marks had long since healed, nothing but small discolorations by the time she made it back that night, but the area still tingled whenever she thought about what Vlane had done.

“Something wrong with your neck?” Matt asked, too perceptive for his own good. Clearly, Ana had zoned out again for a few moments. Matt was far closer than she thought he was only a minute before. He stood behind her, his large, looming form completely shadowing her, the heat from his body warming her back.

“I’m fine,” she said, and it was technically true. Outside of two small puncture wounds and the loss of a bit of blood, she had suffered no ill effects. Not physical ones, anyway. Erotic dreams involving a certain dark vampire and the awakening of various and sundry female body parts didn’t really count as injuries, she rationalized.

She made a move to step away from him, but he stepped forward, positioning his body at an angle so one of his large, muscular legs blocked any further progress. “Let me take a look.”

“It’s nothing, really,” she said rather breathlessly. She hadn’t realized exactly how big Matt was until they were only inches apart. Even at a foot and a half away — the accepted standard limit of personal space — he hadn’t seemed quite so large. All he had to do was put his arms around her and she felt like she would literally disappear.

But he didn’t put his arms around her. More gently than she would have believed possible, Matt pushed the hair away from her neck and tugged her hand away. Ana remained perfectly still, afraid to move, twitch...breathe.

“I won’t hurt you,” Matt growled softly in that husky voice of his.

“I know,” she whispered. But when Matt lowered his face, she began to tremble anyway. Everything about him screamed predator. At that moment, Ana knew exactly what a mouse felt like when a big cat had it pinned.

Matt’s face was so close to her skin, she could feel the heat rolling off him in waves, feel the soft caress of his hair against her cheek. He didn’t make contact, but he came awfully close, taking a slow, deep inhale.

His eyes closed for a moment and he stepped back, taking another breath. When he opened them again, they were no longer a soft golden brown. They were
glowing
.

“Something you want to tell me, Ana?” he murmured. Now Matt was the one who had gone unnaturally still.

“N-no,” she stammered. That was the God’s honest truth. She didn’t want to tell him. She didn’t want to tell anyone. Not about the vampire, or the hot and cold feeling she got from an Alpha being so close.

“Was it given freely?”

Ana’s eyes filled with unwanted tears. She hated what a fraidy-cat she was. “Was what given freely?” Her voice was so small, so weak, trembling right along with the rest of her.

“Your blood.”

Her big green eyes grew huge as they gazed up at him, shimmering with moisture. “How could you possibly know...?”

“Because he marked you.” Ana had never seen Matt truly angry before, but in this moment, he looked downright baneful.

She blinked, several times. Tiny liquid, crystalline prisms adorned her exceptionally long lashes. “Marked me? Marked me how?”

Matt studied her face, as if gaging her sincerity. Finally, his stern expression softened. “You really don’t know, do you?”

She shook her head.

He exhaled. “A vampire’s venom is unique, like a fingerprint. If one wishes to mark you as his, all he has to do is inject a drop or two. It lets everyone else know he’s laid claim, marked you as his territory.”

Mild shock gripped her as she sought to make sense of his words. “Kind of like how a dog pees on a tree?”

“Something like that. But it’s rare for a vamp to lay claim.” He made a noise that sounded like a grunt in the back of his throat. “They’re known for their commitment issues.”

“Commitment?” she managed weakly.

“Ana, focus. This is very important.
Was your blood given freely?
” he repeated.

The question wasn’t so easily answered. She hadn’t offered her blood, nor had she explicitly agreed to let him bite her. He hadn’t really asked.

“I-I didn’t know he would do that,” she said, trying to explain. “I thought he was just going to kiss me...” she spoke slowly, haltingly, feeling kind of stupid now for not realizing what was happening.

“He bit you without your consent?” His eyes were glowing again.

“Maybe he assumed I knew what he was doing.” Ana cast her eyes downward. Maybe she didn’t know, but her ignorance was no reason to make it seem like a vicious attack. She had actually enjoyed it. The brush of his lips. The feel of his cool breath against her overheated skin. Even the penetration of his fangs had felt good, almost like
sex
. Or, what she imagined sex would feel like. His fangs were long and hard, and in her mind, she had imagined him entering her in more places than her neck.

“I-I didn’t try to stop him.”
I didn’t want to.

She expected Matt to look at her with disgust, or at the very least, disappointment, but he didn’t. “Of course you didn’t,” he said, barely containing his fury. “Vampires have power. The older they are, the more they have. They get inside your mind.”

Had Vlane been inside her mind? She had felt something pressing against her consciousness, but it had been curious, probing — definitely not malicious or controlling. And she was quite sure her innate mental shields had kept him out. Maybe that was why he bit her...

“I’m sorry to have to ask you this, but...did he do anything else?”

“Like what?” Ana asked thickly, no doubt sounding every bit like the innocent she was.

Matt raised his eyebrow and Ana’s face flushed a deep, dark red. She was quite glad her mental shields were well developed. There was no way she wanted Matt or anyone else seeing the images that had been a substantial part of her dreams all week.

“Oh, um, no. I barely even realized he’d bitten me before he ... uh, fainted.”

Matt stilled, tilting his head slightly as if to hear better. “Excuse me?”

“He just...stopped. His eyes rolled back in his head and he dropped to the ground. I-I thought I killed him somehow. But then, I felt a heartbeat and saw his chest rising and falling, so I knew he was just knocked out. I probably should have gone for help, but I panicked. I dragged him out of sight and—”

Matt grew larger right before her very eyes, his features turning angry again. Only this time, it was most definitely directed at her. “Don’t lie to me, Ana! Vampires don’t breathe and their hearts sure as hell don’t beat!”

Ana flinched as if struck, cowering against the counter. “I’m not lying!” she insisted, her voice rising as the tears began to flow. “It’s my blood! It does funny things to people...”

Just as quickly as it had come, the anger left his eyes. Matt pulled her gently into his arms, petting her back with oversized hands, as if she were a frightened pup. “Okay, okay. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I would never hurt you, you know that. Come over here, sit down, and tell me what is going on.”

Maybe it was because Matt was a Were and understood what it was like to be “different”. Maybe it was because he made her feel safe; it was impossible to imagine anything bad happening when he was around. Or maybe she had finally reached a critical breaking point and felt the need to unload on whoever was willing to listen.