Wolfen Secrets (The Western Werewolf Legend #3) (7 page)

Ty nodded. “Agreed.” Glancing at Smitty, who
stood guard inside the doorway, Ty missed the first one swoop down
almost at the same moment the vampire struck a blow to his
neck.

Jeb lunged at the vampire, his fangs exposed.
The momentum sent them both tumbling over the rail.

Ty had time to draw his gun as the second one
attacked. The werewolf turned Ty’s features grim as fur and claws
emerged. Ty’s wolf completed the shift. The gun fell from his hand.
Strong paws fit with talons reminiscent of his ancestors took the
gun’s place as he defended against the vermin. “Don’t let them in!”
he growled at Smitty, who held the balcony door.

The vampire reached out gripping Ty about the
neck.

With fangs bared, Ty’s wolf used his superior
strength to shove forward, ramming the vampire into the railing.
Landing atop the bloodsucker, he wrapped hairy paws around its
neck. “I’ll have the satisfaction of killing you,” he growled. The
vampire was strong. Using all his wiles, he fought back. Ty could
sense the attempt to hypnotize him. He threw his wolfen guard up as
the lecherous bastard attempted again. “Ha! You must think me an
idiot, vampire. I know all about your magic tricks.” Levering the
vampire sideways, Ty managed a roll. Soon the vampire found himself
pinned under the dark, hairy wolf. “How does it feel to be
bested?”

Spit shot from the fowl vermin’s mouth,
hitting Ty’s wolf mid-snout. “That’ll get you a fine room at the
inn here, you sick bastard. I’ll make sure we find you the cream of
the crop in accommodations during your stay.” Ty hauled the vampire
up by his collar, holding the vermin tight.

Suddenly, Sonja came rushing out. “Let him
go, Ty!”

Disbelief actually formed on his wolf’s face.
“You want me to let him go? This is one less we’ll have to worry
about.”

She shifted almost as smoothly as he dropped
his pants before getting into bed. “Yes, I’ll take it from here.”
With the statement, she wheeled, sending out a ferocious kick to
the vampire’s head. His senses lost, the creature fell to the
balcony floor with such force as to go tumbling through. Jeb was
ready for him.

“I had this under control,” Ty growled. His
nostrils flaring, he pawed the wood, leaving claw marks in his
wake.

Fire shot from her eyes as she shifted back
into a woman, clutching her arms across her privates. “Yes, they
came because of me, though! They’re my responsibility to end.”
Shivering, she glanced about. “Where’s Smitty?”

“How the hell should I know?” Ty’s next words
weren’t ones he wanted to share aloud. He concentrated on shifting,
instead. With one last snarl in her direction, he left Sonja to
join Jeb on the street. “Thank you, general.”

“My pleasure, Lieutenant.”

Ty’s brow wrinkled in a study of perplexed
scrutiny of the major general.

“What, you wondering how it is I would end
one of my own?” Jeb’s laugh was like broken glass. “It’s easy,
actually. I still care. They’ve lost the last of their humanity,
Lieutenant.”

Jeb’s rational was good enough for Ty. Giving
the major general a pat on the back, he lifted his eyes to gaze
into Sonja’s hypnotic gold ones glowering at him from the balcony.
“All’s well. Go back to bed. I’ll be there soon.”

She didn’t utter a sound, simply turned,
disappearing from view.

Jeb followed Ty’s gaze with narrowed eyes.
“Your woman is upset with you. Why?”

Ty’s laugh contained shards of glass. “I took
matters into my own hands.” He flicked a glance at his companion.
“Apparently, it wasn’t something she wanted me to do.”

“Well, apparently, you’ve got some explaining
to do. Win her over to your way of thinking, Lieutenant. I wager
you’re up to the task.” Jeb grinned into the moon light, his teeth
gleaming against the darkness.

“You wager, eh?” Ty rolled his eyes. “I may
be a fool, but I’m going to take your bet.” With an easier grin on
his face, he offered Jeb his hand. “Meet me down at the docks
tomorrow before the sun rises.”

“I’ll be there after the sun rises. You
forget I have wolf blood in me, as well.” The general smile was
wry.

Ty nodded, his smile accepting of the
general’s words. “When the rooster crows, I’ll meet you to explain
the rest of my plan, General.” Turning to leave, he called over his
shoulder, “I appreciate your help tonight.”

The general had lit another smoke. With the
cheroot between his fingers, he examined the smoke rising idly from
the tobacco. “Think nothing of it, Lieutenant. We’re all in this
damn war together.”

***

She rolled to face him as he entered the
room. “How dare you plan an attack without me.”

“You were listening. How convenient.” Sarcasm
dripped from his statement. Ty moved around the bed to sit on her
side. He reached out, giving the cover a tug. She held fast. He
pulled harder. “Since you’re so good at listening, hear this. I
won’t be put in a position like tonight’s again. Do I make myself
clear?” His eyes narrowed on her as she glared back. “I want what’s
best for you, Sonja.” She turned away. He reached out, yanking her
chin back. “Look at me when I’m speaking to you.” Pausing, Ty tried
again. “I’m a full grown man with enough sense to take care of
what’s mine.” He took her face in his hands. She resisted. He
merely tightened his hold. “Don’t. Don’t fight me on this. You’ll
only lose. I want you to understand something. I’m grateful to you
for saving me. I’ll always be in your debt. Without you to save me,
without your blood to heal me, I would have surely died.” He
gentled his grip, tracing her cheek with the tip of one slim
finger. “As a man and a former lieutenant in the Confederate Army,
I am quite capable, no, able, to take care of myself
and
what’s mine.” He pointed a finger at her right under her pert nose.
“
You
, my dear, are mine. I had the situation under control.
The next time you interfere, I’ll take you over my knee.” With the
last words, her eyes grew big as he lowered his mouth to capture
hers. She beat against his chest, pushing, groaning when he
wouldn’t release her. Ty held firm. Crushing his mouth to hers, he
captured her lips in an unrelenting assault. The kiss began as
possession as he forced his demand on her with his lips and tongue.
Soon, the moist heat of her mouth against his, led Ty to gentle the
kiss. He sucked her bottom lip and groaned when she shuttered.
Growling soft and low in his throat, he dragged his mouth away. The
heat of her soft breath coaxed him to return as his tongue entwined
with hers. Her fingers urgently racing through his hair set his
nerve endings on fire. She wrapped her arms around him as another
soft moan left her lips. He explored her breasts, her stomach,
finally finding the spot he sought in her tight, hot heat. “So much
woman. I can’t stop thinking about sliding between your legs to
feel you wrap around me.” He eased back, drinking in her beauty.
The need surged up, catapulting him higher. “Nymph, you understand
me well. You know a kill stirs my juices, makes me crave what’s
mine.” He growled, a low feral sound, as he buried his head in her
soft woman’s flesh.

“Me too,” she whispered. “Will you make love
to me, Ty?” She arched with his touch. “I need you so badly.”

Running his tongue along the inside of her
silken thigh, Ty moaned deep in his throat. Her skin was as
baby-soft as he remembered. The scent of her called to him. He
leaned in, stirring her arousal. The tender stroke of his tongue
sent shivers rippling through her flesh. She moaned as she reached
for him. Lacing fingers with hers, he rose up, gazing into her
face. A sweet yearning showed in her eyes, his woman, his heart.
“You’re beautiful like this.” The need to speak the words rose
unbidden. “I love you, Nymph. I always will. You’re the one. The
one I’ve searched for.” He shook his head only inches form her
face. “Don’t shut me out.”

She furrowed her brow. “I’d never do
that.”

“You have. You don’t realize the fact, but
you’re trying to do that. I’m your mate, your equal. Yet, you try
to protect me as if I were unable to stand for myself. A man can’t
deal with such a situation. Let me be a man.”

She searched his face. Her eyes soon filled
with tears. “I’m sorry. I had no idea.” Brushing at the moisture,
Sonja blinked, before shaking her head in denial. ‘I only wanted to
protect you.”

“I know and appreciate your concern. I can
take care of myself.” He dipped his head to touch her lips with
his.

“Um, Nymph, I dream of nothing else except
being with you. You’re my partner, my soul mate, my heart.”

“Shh, come here and love me.” Her fingers
threaded in his hair as she tugged him closer. A soft nip of his
lip before her tongue plunged deep into his mouth. Tracing a path
of abandonment, Sonja suckled his tongue in unison with the arch of
her hips to meet his. Each thrust, each tug of her teeth, was sweet
torture to his arousal. Her kiss spilled through his soul. In
cadence with hers, his hips moved of their own volition. So taken
by her touch, her sweet coaxing, Ty couldn’t contain the need to
fill her. As he did, the first thrust brought such pleasure he was
afraid he might come. Bearing down on the release, he focused on
her pleasure. His reward, her eyes glazed with the first quiver of
ecstasy. He followed where she lead, falling heedlessly over the
edge. In the aftermath, he buried his face in the soft skin at her
nape, sucking deeply of her flesh, marking her as his. No other had
a right to calm her except him. The wolf rested sedately in the
arms of his lover. He was hers.

***

The cock was crowing when Ty stepped onto the
gangplank connecting the higher bluff with the river landing
below.

Iron clanged against iron, whoops went up,
hollers surged upward as men put their backs into their work.
Orders and voices exchanging information flowed freely up and down
the dockside. Gossip, banter and conversation already filled the
air as men unloaded the latest boat to dock at the St. Louis
harbor.

Jeb was waiting on him in the shadows of yet
another great paddle wheeler, the Mississippi Star. “Lieutenant, I
presume yours is a good reason for getting a man to postpone his
rest.”

Ty grinned wolfishly at the undead general’s
wry humor. “Your presumption is accurate, general.” He strode up,
planting his boots wide. Sinking his hands into vest pockets, he
nodded in greeting. The cheroot’s tip glowed red as he cast a
glance around him. “It would appear you’re not the only vampire
who’s missing his shut-eye.” With a keen eye for the undead, Ty
referred to those lurking in the shadows of the wharf. “They should
be abed, yet they watch for us to make a move, I’d wager.”

“I’d wager my dead life on that, Lieutenant.”
Jeb shifted to keep a close eye on the shadow walkers. “The stench
contains more than fish today. What’s this about, Ty? I’ve been
instructed to share all you tell me with Briann. She would be here
if it weren’t for all the people. Hampers her concentration.”

His reference to Sonja’s sister reminded Ty
he had more to consider than only their plight. Sonja’s family, as
well as the lives of his men, were at stake. Nodding, he flicked
the ashes from his smoke. The tug he gave his Stetson set the tone
for his next words. “Remind Briann I have a great deal to lose as
well…” He cut his sentence short. “That wasn’t fair.” He paused to
regroup. “Let Briann know, I’m aware of the danger. Reassure her
I’m dedicated to eliminating the cause.”

Jeb’s darkly whiskered chin dipped as he
absorbed the information. He cut a dry grin at Ty before answering.
“I will pass that along.” As if his train of thought shifted, Jeb
sobered, peering out over the water with a serious gleam to his
eye. “You can rest assured nothing will happen to Sonja or her
sister and boys as long as I walk still.”

Noting, the general hadn’t finished the
acronym with “as long as he was alive”, a subdued fact to be sure.
Still having a hard time getting used to the idea that Jeb Stewart,
Major General in the Confederate Army was a vampire, he managed to
lay a grateful hand on Jeb’s shoulder. Glad Briann wasn’t there to
read his mind, he shoved his questions into a dark corner. Steering
Jeb toward the shade of the great paddle wheeler, Ty explained. “I
have a plan which should see us safely to the other side, far from
the claws of those who’d love to get their hands on Sonja’s
blood.”

“All right, I’m listening.” Jeb’s brow
knitted as Ty explained the details. His face filled with a guarded
uneasiness as Ty finished. “You’re sure this is safe? You’ve seen
this done before? You’re talking about bringing someone near death
and then yanking them back again, Lieutenant.”

“I understand your incredulous tone, General.
I had the same tendency when the witch explained the stunt to me.
Timing will be imperative. No one can know except the few in on the
ploy.”

Jeb grew even quieter than his normal stoic
self. Peering out at the sun-dappled water, he pursed his mouth
over what Ty’d shared with him. “I know it works on my kind, but a
werewolf? I’ve no clue.” With a heavy sigh, he faced his companion.
“I’ll do my part. No need to worry about that. What if something
goes wrong? Do you have a backup plan?” His tense features gleamed
with hard angles in the meager light.

“No, I don’t, so nothing goes wrong,
understood? It’s as simple as that.” He glanced out at the water
where diamonds danced off the gentle ripples in the river. “How
much you share with Briann is up to you, but if this gets back to
the person involved, our plans are ruined. Do you understand?”

Jeb nodded. His eyes squinted as they
followed Ty’s gaze to the glimmering river. The water did a
mesmerizing dance as it swirled along in the current. “If she finds
out, you’ll be ruined, Lieutenant.” Cutting a hard eye at Ty, the
general blew out a deep breath when Ty only nodded. “Things are
about to get interesting, I’d wager.”