Alpha Mine (The Alpha Council Chronicles) (2 page)

The distraction caused Dana to forget what she was doing. The cards went up like firecrackers on the Fourth of July, flying over the table and onto the floor.

“Looks like the game just changed to Fifty-Two Pick Up,” joked Marcus.

“Mind if I join the game?” the stranger asked, his deep voice bouncing off the walls of the kitchen. Marcus whipped his head around and looked over his shoulder at the voice.

“Stephan,” he exclaimed, surprise evident in his voice. “I didn’t know you were in town.”

“I can see you weren’t expecting me.” Stephan surveyed the scene with his steely gaze, nodding toward the group, a look of disdain on his face. “Good evening…ladies.”

Kat watched the large male pin Marcus with a poignant stare while he crossed the kitchen in three large strides. Her gaze flicked between the two handsome men, watching as they seemed to be communicating silently to each other. Having reached their table, Stephan stooped down to help Dana pick up the cards from the floor.

“Here you go, my dear.” Stephan handed the cards to Dana who was dressed in only her white silky bra and matching panties. She blushed as she took them.

“Well, Marcus.” Stephan straightened to his full height. “Are you going to sit there with that brassiere on your head all night, or are you going to introduce me to your friends?”

Marcus yanked the lace bra from his head. “Yes, of course. Ladies, this is Stephan von Haas. He is my…friend. He owns this place.”

A look of comprehension crossed Kat’s face. She knew all about Stephan, had heard many stories from Marcus when alcohol loosened his tongue—stories about battles, feeding and sexual exploits with his sire. She finally had a face to put with the name, and boy what a face, with his strong jaw and deep blue eyes framed by two stray wisps of hair that had escaped the thong. Just looking at his strong handsome face made Kat think of long nights under silk sheets. And his voice—his voice dripped sexuality, sending a surge of heat through her blood.

As if hearing her thoughts, Stephan leaned down to whisper in her ear, “And just who might you be?” She turned her face toward his. Their mouths were mere centimeters from each other, so close they breathed the same air. “I’m...”
What’s my name again? Oh yeah.
Her brain kicked back into gear. “Kat.”

Stephan smiled—the smile every bit as sexy as the rest of him. “You look more like a kitten to me, young one.”

Stephan held Kat’s gaze. It felt as if she’d fallen into his eyes.

“I’m Cathy and this is my, um…friend, Dana,” chimed in Cathy, as she gestured her thumb between herself and Dana.

Stephan held Kat’s eyes fast. Without breaking their connection, he said formally, “It’s nice to meet you ladies.”

Marcus broke in, clearly growing uncomfortable with the situation. “I think we’re gonna have to call it a night. Cathy and Dana, thanks for coming over, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

Kat blinked, pulling her gaze away from Stephan’s intense stare to watch Marcus stand. He ushered the two women toward the door while they hastily donned the clothing they’d lost in the game. The women’s breathy protests could be heard as they made their way down the hall.

Stephan slid into the empty chair beside Kat with a gracefulness she could appreciate from such a large body. “So tell me young one, is Kat short for something or did your parents just have a fascination with felines?”

“It’s short for Katrina. But everyone calls me Kat.” Nervously she began to gather the playing cards from the table, but Stephan stilled her shaking hands by covering them with his own. Something akin to an electric current passed between them. The sensation crept from her hands up her arms to course throughout her body. Katrina gazed at Stephan, drinking him in. If a jaguar could wear leather, he might be mistaken for Stephan’s brother. Dangerous, magnificent, and so very beautiful.

“Where are my manners?” she asked, her voice quivering. “Would you like a drink?”

“You read my mind,” he replied as he rose, pulling her toward him. “I am a little parched, actually. “

Their eyes locked and Kat once again fell into his dark gaze. Her mind detached as if she watched herself from above, like an out of body experience. She watched him lean into her. Their lips touched and she allowed the sensation to take her.

The feel of his mouth registered on her lips, while the masculine smell of sandalwood engulfed her. His lips feathered kisses down her jaw, coming to a rest where her shoulder met her throat. She swooned in his arms. They closed around her like a set of steel bands, pulling her against his firm body. Kat moaned when his tongue flicked out to taste her sensitive skin. He inhaled deeply against her neck causing goose bumps to pimple her skin.

“Honeysuckle,” he murmured, his lips brushing against her flesh.

His fangs lengthened, scraping the skin where her pulse beat, sending her heart racing. He cupped her round bottom in one hand and tightened his arm around her waist. Her body stiffened only a little as he pulled her tighter against him, lifting her off her feet. Her bare breasts pressed against his chest, the material of his sweater rasping against her tender flesh.

This will not hurt, young one. You will feel nothing,
 he whispered to her mind placing her fully under his enthrallment. Kat’s momentary anxiety suddenly left, replaced by absolute acquiescence.

Chapter 2

As he walked the dancers to the door, Marcus replayed the recent events in his mind. Stephan’s intense stare, wholly focused on Katrina, was unsettling. He reminded Marcus of a lion stalking its prey.

He had known Stephan a long time, since Stephan converted him over two hundred and fifty years ago. They’d spent centuries together, become close friends. But there were times, like tonight, when Stephan seemed distant. More aloof mentor than pal.

Marcus hoped it was simply because they’d not seen one another in decades. Hopefully, they would quickly fall back into a familiar ease, because Stephan was a powerful vampire and Marcus greatly preferred the at-ease version of his sire. When Stephan became disapproving and sullen, as he seemed to be this night, he could be difficult to deal with.

His appearance at the penthouse had been a complete surprise. Marcus hadn’t sensed Stephan’s presence when he arrived, and that could only mean one thing—Stephan had purposely blocked him.

Being sired by Stephan created a special connection. They could always sense each other. They shared a mindlink, a kind of mental telepathy that allowed the two of them to communicate without saying a word out loud. In spite of all that, Marcus had not realized Stephan had come to town, let alone was in the penthouse.

Marcus tested the mindlink as he approached the door with his escorts.
So what have you been up to lately, Stephan? 
His thought sounded weak, even in his head.

Stephan’s irritation at the interruption came across their link. 
I’d ask you the same thing, Marcus, but I think I already know the answer to that. I allowed you the use of my penthouse, and you turn it into a house of ill repute? I know this town has changed much since I’ve been gone. It has quite a reputation now, but I would have expected better from you.

Marcus flinched as his sire snapped a mental barrier down, blocking any further communication. Stephan’s contempt regarding what he had walked in on this evening was obvious through their link. Marcus knew he did not wholly approve of modern human women. To him, modern woman wore too little and cursed too much. They did have their purpose though, especially when Stephan had a hunger that needed to be sated.

The thought made his heart clench. Marcus fought to remain calm; though his insides felt like they were twisting so hard they would shoot from his mouth at any minute.

“You’ll have to come back soon so we can finish our game,” Marcus said, forcing a friendly grin, after he opened the door for the two women.

“Maybe your friend could play next time. I wouldn’t mind seeing him lose a hand or two.” Cathy winked at her boss.

“Hey what about me?” complained Dana, placing her fisted hands on her hips in feigned pique.

Cathy threw a friendly arm around Dana’s shoulders. “Perhaps we could make a Stephan sandwich.”

“Um…yummy. You always have the best ideas, Cathy.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Marcus said, forcing the lighthearted comment as he ushered them out the door. “I’ll see you at the club tomorrow night. Goodnight, ladies.”

Not waiting for their reply, he closed the door and locked it with his mind, then headed toward the kitchen. A sense of foreboding overtook him, and he put on a burst of preternatural speed. He got to the kitchen in time to see his sire lift Kat off the ground.

“Stop!” he commanded, with wide, panic-stricken eyes.

Stephan raised his head slightly, pinned Marcus with his intense stare. “Go away,” he muttered. His lips peeled back over his fangs before he lowered his mouth back to Kat’s throat, ready to pierce her creamy skin.

“No, stop! I beg you, please.”

Stephan raised his head fully, but retained his grip upon Katrina. “Why? Is she yours?”

“No. Not exactly. Look, I’ll explain. Please release her and we’ll talk…in private.”

Stephan took a deep breath. His fangs receded before he gently placed Kat on the ground and released her from his enthrall.

When she swayed slightly, Marcus took control, grasping her gently by the arm. “Kat, excuse us please. You have something to do in the bedroom.” He gave her mind a gentle mental push to emphasize his command.

“I think there is something I need to do in my bedroom,” Kat parroted. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll see you both in the morning.”

She stood on her tip toes and kissed Marcus on his cheek, earning the vampire a questioning look from his sire.

As she exited the kitchen, the leggy blonde grabbed her clothing off the table. She sashayed from the room while Stephan and Marcus were treated to the sight of her walking away clothed only in the boyleg panties that hugged her thin hips.

“That is something a male could really sink his teeth into,” Marcus murmured as he watched her disappear from view. He scrubbed his hand down his face and turned his attention back to Stephan.

“I was thinking that very thing until you came in here demanding I not drink from her. Explain yourself, boy.”

Marcus barely hid the flinch that threatened to hunch his shoulders.
Boy
. That was not a word Stephan usually used when referring to him. This was not going to be a fun night. He better explain. After Marcus gestured toward the table with a sweeping motion of his hand, he drew up a chair and straddled it, nodding for Stephan to sit across from him.

“It’s…complicated,” Marcus started on a sigh. “Kat is a friend. We have an understanding. She doesn’t want to be a donor.”

“Since when did you start giving humans a choice in the matter?” Stephan asked incredulously.

“Since I was able to start getting blood from ways other than the vein. In fact, I have some bagged blood in the refrigerator. Would you like some?”

Stephan waved off the offer. “Not now, finish telling me about this Kat. Why do you care if she doesn’t want to donate? I would have wiped her memory. She wouldn’t have remembered any of it.”

“I realize that, but I promised her I’d keep her safe. She was attacked several years ago. When she recovered, I swore a vow that I would never allow harm to come to her again—that I would protect her from our kind. I keep my promises.”

Stephan’s eyes widened, realization dawned on his face. “You promised her you’d keep her safe from
our kind
? Does that mean she knows about our breed?”

Being an honorable male, Marcus could not help but admit the truth, albeit reluctantly. “Yes, she is aware that vampires exist, and she knows that I am one.”

“How did she take that information?”

“She attacked me.”

Stephan barked out a laugh. “I would have liked to have seen that.”

“It was bad.” Marcus shook his head, trying to keep the memories from settling in. It didn’t work. “I had arranged for a special dinner complete with candles on the table, champagne-soaked caviar, and lobster marinated in the finest Cognac. I made sure everything was perfect. It started off great. Over dessert I grabbed her hands, told her I wanted to take our relationship further, then confessed I was a vampire.”

“Why in the hell would you do that?”

“Because I didn’t want to start our relationship off with a secret between us.” Marcus folded his arms on the back of his chair.

“So you told her you were of the same breed as those who had attacked her?”

Marcus nodded his head. “Kat freaked out and took off for the door. Of course, I couldn’t let her leave, not as upset as she was, so I raced to the door in a blur to block her from leaving. That only made things worse.

“She thought I was going to hold her against her will and feed off her, so she attacked me.” Marcus rubbed his face at the memory. Kat scratched his face, and punched his chest. Her kicks landed hard on his shins. He had allowed Kat’s blows, for he knew she needed to vent her pent up anger toward his kind.

He really couldn’t blame her for her reaction to his confession. He knew all too well that some vampires were monsters, and he had spent his entire vampiric life trying to rid the evil from the world.

“I had to restrain her to keep her from hurting herself, which only made her anxiety and panic increase. I wrapped myself around her body, taking her down onto the couch. I held on to her until she was physically exhausted and unable to struggle any longer.”

Stephan shifted in his chair. “I take it eventually she calmed down enough to listen to you.”

“I reminded her of our friendship and that her feelings ran as deep for me as mine did for her. Ultimately, I calmed her down and made her understand that even the vampire world has good and evil.”

Stephan steepled his fingers, rested his elbows on the table as he gave Marcus an assessing stare. “You care for her, don’t you?”

Marcus could sense his sire riffling through his mind. “I do, but we are just friends.”

“But you have slept together. I can see it in your mind.”