Chapter Sixteen
The next evening, Brynley hurried to the basement of Romatech, a warm bottle of synthetic blood in her hand. Phineas would be waking soon, and no doubt, he would be hungry.
She’d spent a restful day at Romatech, hanging around the security office, cafeteria, or a bedroom she’d been given in the basement. Phineas was in the bedroom next to her, and she’d checked on him earlier in the day. He lay still in his death-sleep, a sheet pulled up to his waist, his gorgeous chest bare.
He looked so peaceful, nothing like the angry Vamp who had punched a tree till his hands bled. She touched his hands, running her fingers over his. They were cold, but healed. Tears came to her eyes as she recalled how upset he’d been when he’d heard her story. He’d shared the pain and outrage with her. He did love her. She didn’t doubt it. She just didn’t know how their relationship could work.
Phil seemed very happy with his vampire spouse, Vanda, but he’d given up so much. He’d been disowned by their father, his inheritance stripped and given to their younger brother, Howell. And worst of all, Phil had given up the chance to have children.
She’d always hoped that somehow, someday, she’d find a werewolf husband who didn’t care that her father was rich and powerful. He’d love her for herself, and they’d have little werewolf babies. They could make their own little Lycan world somewhere in the country.
Phineas did love her for herself. And like the other Vamp men, he could probably father children. Half-Vamp, half-werewolf children? Was that even possible? Could the genes coexist? Could she be happy living in the Vamp world? Phil had lived with the Vamps for nine years before marrying Vanda. He’d had plenty of time to adjust and put the Lycan world behind him.
He’d managed to make a clean break, but Brynley wasn’t sure she could. She’d spent too many years at home with their younger siblings, so she was attached to them in a way that Phil wasn’t. Especially her younger sister. Glynis had been only eleven years old when Mom had died and so distraught that Brynley had sheltered her from the ugly truth about their father’s unfaithfulness and their mother’s hopeless despair. Maybe that had been wrong, but Brynley hadn’t wanted to burden her younger sister with more pain.
Brynley winced. If she chose to stay with Phineas, her father would probably banish her. She could end up separated from her sister for centuries. Glynis had grown up so trusting and eager to please that it would be akin to leaving an innocent lamb among wolves.
And what about her inner wolf? It was overjoyed about going back to Wyoming tonight for the full moon, but it would object to being banished. Hell, it would tear her up inside if she could never go back. With a groan, she realized she didn’t know what to do. But she did know one thing for certain.
She’d fallen in love with Phineas.
That morning, she’d gathered up the pile of clothes he’d left on the floor and washed them in the basement laundry room along with hers. Lara had loaned her a bathrobe to wear, and after putting the clothes in the dryer, she’d gone to her bedroom for a long nap.
After waking up, she’d showered, put on her freshly laundered clothes, and stacked Phineas’s clothes in his bedroom. He was still dead.
With a sigh, she headed to the cafeteria. Freemont was there, so she joined him for an early supper.
Now, with the sun due to set in three minutes, she was hurrying to the basement. The full moon was rising, and she could already feel her inner wolf growing impatient to shift.
She wondered briefly if Kyle would be shifting at his brother’s ranch and perhaps mutilating more cows. Maybe he drained all the blood to give to Corky. Maybe she was hiding out at the Haggerty ranch with Rhett Bleddyn. Why would her ex-fiancé buy a ranch in Wyoming when he had so much land in Alaska? And why would he ally himself with an evil vampire? So many questions, but she knew Phineas and his friends could be counted on to find the answers.
Meanwhile, she was eager to shift and roam the Bighorn National Forest that backed onto Phil’s land.
She let herself into Phineas’s bedroom and set the warm bottle of blood on the bedside table. He was still dead, but soon that would change. She paced across the room. Any minute now.
She halted at the foot of his bed when his body jerked. His chest expanded and lifted off the bed, causing his back to arch. She winced. It looked painful.
“Phineas.” She rushed to his side. “Are you all right?”
His eyes opened and immediately focused on her.
She smiled. “Welcome back. I brought you a bottle—”
His eyes flashed red, and with vampire speed he grabbed her arms and tossed her over him and onto the bed.
“Phineas!” Her heart thundered in her ears. Good Lord, he’d lifted her like she weighed nothing. Her eyes widened as he leaned over her.
He touched her cheek, then ran his fingers down her neck. The fingertips pressed against her throbbing artery, and his nostrils flared. “So hungry.”
She had a strange urge to let him bite her. A part of her was appalled, but a larger, more insistent part found his desire exciting and the act compelling. Intimate. His fangs would be inside her. Her blood inside him.
The wolf inside her stirred, drawn by the thought of blood. It growled softly. Good Lord, if she shifted now, she might lose control and bite Phineas, and that would be disastrous.
She motioned to the bedside table. “I brought you some blood.”
He glanced at the bottle, then back at her. His eyes still glowed red.
She gestured at the bottle once again. “It’s nice and warm. And fresh.”
His mouth curled up. “Not as fresh as you.” He traced her collarbone. “Or as warm.”
She winced. This was a hitch in her schedule she hadn’t counted on. “Phineas, don’t vamp out on me. Get a grip. The full moon is rising, and I need to—” She stopped when his finger touched her lips.
He traced the curve of her upper lip, then the lower one. “Do you know how much I want you?”
Her body responded with a surge of lust and desire, but she tried to ignore it. “You’re hungry. I understand that.” She pointed at the bottle. “Hurry up and drink.”
“I wasn’t talking about food.” He sat up and reached for the bottle.
She started to sit up.
With vampire speed, he pushed her back down. “Stay.”
He lifted the bottle to his mouth with one hand, his other hand on her shoulder, keeping her pinned to the bed.
Her inner wolf hissed, annoyed at being restrained and anxious to shift. “Phineas.” She attempted to sit up once again.
He didn’t let her budge. “Stay.”
“I’m not a dog.”
“That’s for sure.” His hand slid down to cover her breast.
Her breath caught. Her nipple hardened beneath his palm, and she fought the urge to arch against him. This was not the time to succumb to desire, but my God, she wanted him.
He lifted the bottle back to his lips and drank. His Adam’s apple moved with each swallow. Such a strong, manly neck. His hand gently squeezed her breast in time with each swallow of blood. And with each squeeze, her desire grew stronger.
Was he nude beneath that bedsheet? What she could see of him was beautiful. Smooth velvet skin over rock-hard muscle. She ran a hand up the corded muscles of his arm, over the bulge of his biceps, and up to his broad shoulders. When she stroked his chest, a deep groan rumbled in his throat.
Oh God, she wanted him something fierce. She squeezed her thighs together. If he didn’t rip her clothes off soon, she’d do it herself.
No! her inner wolf objected. Tonight is my night.
She groaned with frustration. Phineas finished the bottle, set it down, and leaned over her once again.
“Your eyes are still red,” she whispered.
“I want you.” He brushed her hair away from her brow. “I’ve wanted you for so long.”
“Then why did you turn me down the other night?”
“You wanted a short affair based on lust. I want more than that.”
She skimmed her fingers over the prickly whiskers along his jaw. “I want more, too. But I don’t see how—”
“If we want it bad enough, we’ll make it work.”
She gazed into his red, glowing eyes and dared to believe that somehow their love would survive.
His gaze lowered to her mouth. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he inched closer.
“Yes,” she breathed, letting her eyes drift shut.
His lips touched hers, gently at first, although there was nothing gentle about her reaction. Her fingers dug into his shoulders. Her heart beat wildly.
Her wolf objected, threatening to shift.
Phineas deepened the kiss, molding his lips to hers, and she opened her mouth to let him in. She swirled her tongue with his. He tasted of blood, but she’d tasted blood many times as a wolf, and it only made her hungrier for him.
A surge of wolf power shot through her, and she broke the kiss with a gasp. “Phineas, I have to shift! I can’t wait much longer.”
He sat back, grimacing. “Damn.”
“I can’t help it. We have to hurry!”
With vampire speed, he zipped out of bed and into the bathroom, so fast she barely had a glimpse of his naked body. But what she saw was enough to make her collapse on the bed with groan of frustration. A few seconds later, he was back and throwing on the clothes she’d washed.
She scrambled out of bed as he pulled on his cowboy boots, and noticed a surveillance camera close to the ceiling. It was blinking red. “Is that thing on?”
He glanced at it, his eyes back to their normal dark brown. “Damn.”
“That’s a yes?”
“Yeah.” He set his cowboy hat on his head and tossed her his jacket. “Let’s go.”
She strode alongside him. “So we showed up on a monitor in the security office?”
“Maybe.” He headed down the hall, snapping his plaid shirt together as he went. “I should have thought about it, but I was . . . distracted.” He punched the button for the elevator. “I owe you an apology.”
“Why?” She watched him stuff his shirttails into his jeans and considered offering some help.
“I manhandled you.” He buttoned the top of his jeans and buckled his belt. “I wasn’t thinking clearly.”
“Phineas, I’m okay. I . . . enjoyed it.”
He glanced at her. “Really?” When she nodded, his mouth curled up and his gaze drifted to her chest. “You were right about the B-cup.”
She smiled. “It’s good to know the Three-Step rule is still in effect. I was worried after you turned me down the other night.”
He waited for her to enter the elevator, then punched the button for the ground floor. “What is this Three-Step rule?”
“In my experience, men tend to be rather simple.” She paused when he arched a brow at her. “Well, it basically means that at any given moment, a man’s brain is only three steps away from thinking about sex.”
He frowned, considering, as he took his jacket from her and put it on. “I disagree.”
“You don’t think about sex that often?” She scoffed. “I find that hard to believe.”
He gave her a wry look. “I don’t need three steps. Hell, I just look at you and want sex.”
Her cheeks warmed with a blush, and she smiled slowly. “You know, after I’ve been a wolf for a few hours, I could shift back, and we could have a date. I tend to have a lot of excess energy I need to work off.”
He moved toward her. “I could help you with that.”
“Goodness. You are faster than three steps.”
“You bet.” He planted a hand on the elevator wall, close to her head. “I’ve got a fast mind, but slow hands.”
She licked her lips. “Sounds perfect.”
He tilted his hat back and leaned in for a kiss.
A thrill shot through her, and her toes curled inside her cowboy boots. What a sexy kisser. Making love to him was going to knock her boots off for sure. “Phin?”
“Mmm.” He nuzzled her neck.
“The elevator door has opened.”
He glanced back. “Damn.”
They hurried to the MacKay security office. Zoltan was selecting a sword and pistol from the caged weapons area. Freemont was focusing on a computer screen, but his eyes were twinkling and his mouth twitching.
Brynley glanced at the wall of monitors and spotted Phineas’s bedroom on the bottom row. Damn was right.
Phineas put on his shoulder holster and checked his sidearm. “Where are Jack and Lara? We need to go.”
“They just left,” Freemont replied. “Jack teleported her to the school. The were-panther lady went into labor, and Lara insisted on going there. Jack said he’d catch up with you guys later.”
“Caitlyn’s having the babies?” Brynley asked. Damn, but she hated to miss that. She couldn’t help it, though. She had to shift. “Oh my gosh, what if Caitlyn has to shift?”
Freemont shrugged. “I don’t know. Some Vamp doctor from Houston is with her.”
“Robby has been teleporting Carlos back,” Zoltan added. “Now that it’s dark here, they should be arriving soon.”
Phineas touched her arm. “I can take you to the school if you want.”
She winced. “I have to shift.” The wolf didn’t care about her new friends. It growled inside her. Let’s go now! “I need to go back to the cabin. Now.” Hopefully, after a few hours, she could return to see how Caitlyn was doing.
“Okay.” Phineas slipped knives into his boots, then turned to Zoltan. “Ready to go?”
Zoltan sheathed his sword. “Yes.”
Phineas grabbed Brynley, and within a few seconds, they were materializing at the cabin in Wyoming.
Zoltan glanced around quickly. “It looks the same. No one came during the day.”
For a second, Brynley’s form shimmered as she fought to keep the wolf from breaking free.
“Whoa!” Phineas jumped back.
She regained control. “That was close.”
“You’re telling me!” Phineas yanked off his hat and ran a hand over his hair. “For a second, I thought I was hugging a wolf!”
“You almost did.” She sat and yanked off her cowboy boots. “I hate shifting with clothes on. It rips them all up.” She pulled off her socks.
“You’re stripping now?” Phineas shot a warning look at Zoltan.
“I think I’ll check on the horses in the stable.” He strode to the front door, then glanced back at Phineas, his eyes twinkling. “You’re not joining me?”
Phineas dropped his hat on the kitchen table. “In a minute.”
Zoltan snorted and left, closing the door behind him.
“Does he know how to feed the horses?” Brynley stood to unbuckle her belt and unzip her jeans.
“Sure. He’s used to horses. He’s a medieval dude.” Phineas moved to block the front window. “You need blinds in this place.”
“Afraid a deer might see me?” She dropped her jeans to the floor and kicked them aside. Her hands trembled as she unbuttoned her shirt. “I’m so excited. I can hardly control myself.”
“I’m getting a little excited, too.”
Her cheeks grew warm. “We always strip before shifting. It’s no big deal.” She’d done it in front of others for years, but she suddenly felt self-conscious with Phineas watching her so closely. She removed her shirt and dropped it on the chair. “You want to come with me? There are a whole bunch of trees out there you could punch.”
“Very funny. I have some investigating to do, but I’ll come back for you in, what—two hours?”
She reached behind her back to unhook her bra. “I don’t know how long I’ll be gone. I won’t be wearing a watch, you know.” She slipped the bra off and dropped it on top of her shirt.
He sucked in a breath of air.
She blushed.
“Hello, ladies.”
She laughed, thankful her shyness was short-lived, and strode toward the door. “I’ll see you later, big boy.”
He glanced down at his jeans. “It is that obvious?”
She grinned as she stepped outside onto the porch. The cool air chilled her skin, but soon she’d be warm in a thick fur coat.
“Didn’t you forget something?” Phineas said from the doorway.
She wiggled out of her panties, then tossed them back at him over her shoulder. “Keep those for me, will you?”
He caught them, his eyes gleaming red.
She ran down the steps and into the grassy meadow. At last! The full moon shone down on her, and she lifted her arms, surrendering to the inner wolf.
The surge of power was orgasmic, so strong and overwhelming she didn’t feel the pain of bones shifting or fur sprouting. Within seconds, she was the wolf.
She was free.