Enemy Mine (8 page)

This morning his kisses were slow, sensual, unlike the fast and frantic ones last night. Eventually, she pulled back, a lazy smile on her lips. “You taste like coffee. I didn’t think vampires needed anything other than blood.”

“Sweetheart, no one
needs
coffee, I just like the taste. Almost as much as I like the way you taste.”

It didn’t matter how intimate they’d been, his words made her cheeks heat up. She peered over his shoulder, sighing in happiness at the sight of the full pot on the counter. Looking back up at him, she grinned. “Are we alone?” A quickie before breakfast—even before coffee—sounded perfect.

His eyes seemed to get even darker as he nodded. But the moment his lips touched hers, the side door to the kitchen flung open. Kiernan immediately set her on her feet and tried to block her body with his, but she held on to his waist and peered around him.

Ronan strode in with the redheaded vampire she’d seen at that restaurant with Kiernan. Remembering the way the woman had touched Kiernan’s chest made Melina’s claws come out.

Letting out a sharp hiss, Kiernan encircled her wrists and gently lifted them off his hips. Maybe she should be embarrassed by her reaction but she didn’t care. She was making a claim on Kiernan as much as he’d made it clear he was making one on her. “Sorry.” At least she hadn’t broken his skin. Not that it would have really mattered. She’d seen how fast he could heal, and it was impressive.

“What the hell is she doing here?” Kiernan asked his brother, completely ignoring the other woman as Melina moved out from behind him to get a better view.

His brother’s expression darkened, and Melina realized he had a tight grip on the woman’s upper arm. “Tell them what you told me,” he ordered the female.

The redhead gritted her teeth for a moment and her eyes looked bizarre. Really dilated, almost as if she was on drugs. “I called . . . Uberto Mazzoni . . . told him the female shifter was leaving the restaurant alone.” Her weird eyes flicked to Melina. “It’s how he knew where you were.”

“Why is she talking like that?” Melina asked, frowning at the woman as she digested her admission. Her words were stilted, as if she didn’t want to be talking but couldn’t stop herself.

“Ronan can compel other vampires to speak the truth. It’s one of his gifts,” Kiernan said.

Wow.
Melina was silent as Ronan dragged the woman forward another few feet. Immediately Kieran stepped half in front of Melina, blocking her. She didn’t bother biting back a smile at his over-protectiveness. “So the other night she called the Mazzonis to tell them I’d be leaving?” It had alarmed her how they’d known so quickly, but she’d assumed they’d just been following her.

Ronan nodded at her, then focused on his brother. “I thought it was weird that she called me out of the blue, so I did some checking up on her phone records and found she’s been in frequent contact with Uberto Mazzoni very recently. She’s been watching your woman for a couple weeks, but hasn’t been able to get close because of you or her pack. It’s why Tisha was at the restaurant in the first place. She followed you there and wanted to stir up trouble between you two, hoping to get Melina alone.” Ronan’s voice had a biting edge to it that made Melina shiver.

Melina hated that someone had been watching her and she hadn’t even been aware of it. But she was also thankful that Kiernan had been in her life these past few months, his presence alone a protection.

“Tell them what else you told me,” Ronan ordered the female, his voice a deep, almost inhuman growl.

“Uberto’s Alpha, Abel, was poisoned with silver. . . . Got into his blood stream and he’s dying.” Her shoulders slumped and it was as if she’d decided to stop fighting the compulsion. She sighed and her words came out much smoother. “They wanted you to heal him but knew it would likely kill you to expend so much energy to save him. They’d also planned to take one of your cousins to ensure you’d help. Or if that hadn’t worked, they were going to threaten some innocents.”

“Tell them why you did it,” Ronan growled again, his fingers tightening around her arm.

She gritted her teeth as she said, “Money.”

Before Melina could blink, a syringe appeared in Ronan’s hand and he’d shoved it into the woman’s neck. The redhead’s eyes widened for a split second before she slumped against him.

Melina stepped forward. “Oh, my—”

“She’s not dead, just unconscious,” Ronan bit out, answering Melina’s question before she could voice it.

It was subtle, but she noticed the way Kiernan relaxed then. There was a slight loosening in his shoulders as he stepped back and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. “Thank you for doing that,” Kiernan said quietly.

His brother nodded. “I’m taking her to New York for Father to deal with.”

Melina was equally grateful but still curious. “Thank you, but . . . why did you bring her here? You could have just told your brother.”

Kiernan squeezed her shoulders so she looked up at him. “He did it so you’d hear firsthand and relay it to your Alpha. Even though she was involved, we’ll be punishing her. She’s not a member of any coven so technically she doesn’t fall under our jurisdiction. But she plotted against a healer,
my
healer. She’ll be held accountable.” Now Kiernan growled, the sound low and deadly.

Melina’s eyes widened at that tone, glad it wasn’t directed at her, though she was touched by the protective vibe he was putting off. By the time she looked back at Ronan, he was already carrying the woman from the house.

Once they were alone, Kiernan lifted her up and placed her on the counter. Immediately she spread her legs and wrapped around him. He bent to her neck, raking his teeth against her skin. But she pressed a hand against his chest, stilling him.

“We need to call my family, let them know what’s going on.” She also wanted to make it perfectly clear that this thing with Kiernan wasn’t casual, and that her pack was just going to have to deal with it.

Kiernan nipped her earlobe between his teeth. “We can call later. Your father called this morning. He wasn’t happy you were with me, but I could hear your mother in the background controlling him.” He chuckled, the sound warming her insides. “They remind me of my parents.”

Melina smiled and leaned back so she could see his face. “What did he say?”

“Turns out Abel Mazzoni
is
dying—which we just had confirmed—and your father has already dispatched a few soldiers to eliminate him and everyone else involved. He threatened my life, promised to do all sorts of violent things if I ever hurt you. The important thing is you’re no longer facing any threats. Well, not from anyone but me.” He playfully pulled her bottom lip between his teeth.

A shiver curled through her, reaching all her nerve endings. Yeah, food and coffee could wait. There might be a lot they didn’t know about each other, but she knew that Kiernan would do anything to protect her. That he was a different species than her didn’t matter. His actions did. So far he’d protected her, even defied his family to be with her. Whatever the future held, she figured they were off to a damn good start.

Epilogue

Three months later

Melina slid her hand into Kiernan’s as they walked up the driveway to her parents’ house. She’d moved in with him two and a half months ago—something her pack was still trying to deal with—but today would be an even bigger leap in their relationship.

As they reached the front door, it flew open. Her cousin Alexis’s eyes were wide as she looked at them. She opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, a crash and then shouting sounded from somewhere in the house.

Melina and Kiernan had received a few wry looks from some of the soldiers they’d passed on the way up the driveway, and she knew why. Kiernan’s parents were already here, meeting her pack and hopefully making lasting peace between their families.

From the sounds inside, they were off to a
great
start.

“Your fathers are insane,” Alexis whispered, skirting past them.

Melina looked up at Kiernan and raised her eyebrows. “We can leave.”

Shaking his head, he clasped her hand tighter and dragged her inside. The house was surprisingly empty until they got to the kitchen. Their parents, her three brothers, and Kiernan’s two brothers were all in the kitchen. The two women sat primly next to each other on high-backed stools at the center island. Most of the males leaned against counters, though they were anything but casual in their guarded stances. Ronan stood between their two fathers, his arms crossed over his chest. He glanced their way as they entered, his expression one of frustration.

Melina quickly took in the situation. Bits of glass littered the tiled floor, but other than that there didn’t seem to have been any bloodshed between the two leaders. Kiernan released her hand only to wrap his arm around her shoulders and pull her tight against him.

“There is way too much testosterone in this room,” she muttered.

Both mothers laughed, the amused sound immediately cutting through the tension in the room.

Carlos, one of her brothers, immediately strode toward them. He shook Kiernan’s hand before pulling Melina into a tight hug. Her family was very affectionate, and surprisingly, she’d come to find Kiernan and his brothers were the same. It wasn’t common among vampires, a species known for their coldness, but she was glad they were different.

Whatever their fathers had been arguing about was quickly forgotten—or at least put on hold for the moment—as Morgan, Kiernan’s father, pulled her into a loose embrace, kissing her on both cheeks. “It’s good to see you again.”

And he actually meant it. He hadn’t wanted anything to do with her when they’d first met a couple months ago. He’d come down to Miami to confront her, convinced she’d put some sort of spell on his youngest son. “You too,” she said.

This was the first time the two families had come together since she and Kiernan had started seeing each other, and when they’d announced their decision to mate a week ago, Kiernan had thought it would be a good idea for all of them to get together. She’d thought it was a terrible idea—and still kind of did—but he’d been adamant they officially put their differences aside.

“See, it’s not so bad,” he murmured against her hair as he pulled her close.

She snorted. “That remains to be seen.”

As more of her pack slowly filtered in and people started mingling, some of her tension abated. In the end, she had a feeling they’d never truly be friends. All she could hope for was that they learned to be civil and deal with each other.

Surprising her, Kiernan dropped his arm from embracing her and strode toward Miguel. “Good to see you.” He held out a hand, pumping it once in a firm handshake.

They’d already spoken before tonight—though her brothers hadn’t gone out of their way to see him, which really bugged Melina—and Kiernan had made it clear he didn’t hold any ill will because of what Miguel had done.

It pleased her that he was publicly doing this, showing their fathers that they’d buried the past.

Oriana, Kiernan’s mother, stood and spoke, directing her statement to the two leaders. “If they can be adults, you two better get it together.” The tall woman was ridiculously elegant and more than a little intimidating with flawless pale skin and shiny black hair. Despite being well over three hundred years old, she looked about thirty-five by human standards. And she’d never tried to make Melina feel anything but welcome.

When some of her packmates slowly began to trickle into the kitchen, Melina felt the weight on her chest lift at seeing their families mingling and acting civil. But the fact that they were sort of getting along was just a bonus. As long as she had Kiernan, the man she loved by her side, she could deal with anything.

A
BOUT THE
A
UTHOR

Katie Reus
fell in love with romance at a young age thanks to books she’d pilfered from her mom’s stash. After changing majors too many times to count, she finally graduated with a degree in psychology. She now spends her days writing dark paranormal romance. She lives near Biloxi, Mississippi, with her family. When she’s not creating stories she can usually be found spending time with her family or one of the many animals they’ve adopted over the years.

PRAISE FOR

ALPHA INSTINCT

“Reus has an instinct for what wows in this perfect blend of shifter, suspense, and sexiness. Sexy alphas, kick-ass heroines, and twisted villains will keep you turning the pages in this new shifter series.
Alpha Instinct
is a winner.”

—Caridad Piñeiro,
New York Times
bestselling author of
The Lost

“
Alpha Instinct
is a wild, hot ride for readers. The story grabs you and doesn’t let go.”

—Cynthia Eden, author of
Deadly Heat

“Reus shows great promise, and you’ll look forward to visiting this world again soon!”

—
RT Book Reviews
(4 stars)

“Reus crafts a fast-paced action story. . . .
Alpha Instinct
is awesome, an engrossing page-turner that I enjoyed in one sitting. Reus offers all the ingredients I love in a paranormal romance.”

—Book Lovers Inc.

“Prepare yourself for the start of a great new series! . . . I’m excited about reading more about this great group of characters.”

—Fresh Fiction

“A well-plotted, excellently delivered emotional and sensual ride that grabs hold and doesn’t let go! . . . Ms. Reus delivers mystery, suspense, and a romance nothing short of heart-pounding!”

—Night Owl Reviews

“If you’re looking for a new shifter romance to sink your teeth in, then look no further.
Alpha Instinct
is action-packed with a solid romance that will keep the reader on the edge of [her] toes! . . . Highly recommended for fans of Rachel Vincent’s Werecat series.”

—Nocturne Romance Reads

“
Alpha Instinct
is a strong book full of mystery, intrigue, and a new world to explore. . . . I thoroughly enjoyed this one, as I suspect lovers of the paranormal romance genres will do as well!”

—Ramblings from a Chaotic Mind