The Alpha's Read online

  “Nice to meet you. I’m Noelle, and this may sound funny, but see that group of ladies making moon eyes at us?” She gestured toward the table where her friends were indeed pulling faces. “Well, believe it or not, we all write, so if you’re looking for a group, then why not join us?”

  Octavia shrieked in delight and hugged Noelle. “Really, that would be great! And oh, call me Tavvy. I can just tell we’ll be great friends.”

  Noelle had to smile at Tavvy’s enthusiasm.

  “But are you sure your friends won’t mind?”

  A gale of merriment rose from the table just then, and Noelle once again returned the enthusiastic waves aimed her way. “Does that crazy bunch look as though they’d mind?”

  Tavvy giggled. “No, I guess they don’t. Ohh, who’s he? Does he belong to the group?”

  Noelle’s eyes narrowed, seeing the male sidling up to her group of friends. Very easy on the eye and far too sure of himself.

  “Um, no, he doesn’t. I have no idea who he—”

  Stay away. Run.

  The words came through loud and clear. Noelle knew Tavvy was looking at her strangely, but her feet heeded the warning in her head on their own accord, backing away from the scene in front of her until a cool presence at her back stopped her.

  “Easy, belle, the exit is that way.” The slightly accented, deep voice wrapped itself around her spine, leaving a tingle of awareness in its wake. That voice, she knew that voice, but it couldn’t be. After all these years, and in this place? Her heart beat faster, and her breath stilled as memories assaulted her. Memories of a night long ago when that voice had whispered sweet nothings in her ear in the height of passion. The man himself was gone in the morning. The aftermath of that night left her to stare in disbelief at the plastic stick in her hand six weeks later, her life changed forever.

  And now he was here, the smile on his face fading when she spun around, ready to do him some damage. Recognition dawned in his midnight blue eyes, so similar to Hope’s that her heart stuttered, and the slap aimed at his face never happened. Instead warmth infused her whole being. She stared into the deep pool of his eyes, her body leaning into his hard frame, the coolness of his skin a welcome contrast to the blood heating her veins.

  “Noelle, over here.” The chorus of her friends shook her out of the magnetic pull of the man towering over her, and in the blink of an eye, he was gone. “Noelle, come on, we’re here!”

  “Are you okay?” Tavvy’s voice sounded right next to her.

  Slowly the bar came back into focus and Noelle blinked again. The uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach increased tenfold and she choked back the bile at the base of her throat. What on earth had just happened? She was going mad!

  “I’m fine, Tavvy. Let’s introduce you to the girls.”

  She fixed an uncertain smile on her face and steered her new friend toward the girls.

  “Finally! It’s Dizzy who’s supposed to be late, Noelle!”

  “Who is your new friend?”

  Noelle somehow got her voice to work. “Hi, everyone. Meet Tavvy. She writes, and I thought she could join us.”

  “Yeah, sure. The more, the merrier.”

  The laughing jibes of her friends relaxed Noelle marginally as she slid in next to them and listened to the introductions being made. As predicted, the girls welcomed Tavvy with open arms. Noelle downed her drink in one swallow, ignoring the alarm bells in her head.

  ***

  Henri stood rooted to the spot, watching her from the shadows. What on earth was she doing in Edinburgh? And who had put those shadows in her eyes? The fresh-faced, sassy student he’d picked up in a bar in London, not dissimilar to this one, almost seven years ago had changed into a beautiful woman, who seemed to carry a heavy burden. His gut had clenched and his conscience churned, seeing the storm of recognition in the depths of her blue-gray eyes earlier. Eyes he knew changed color with her mood, azure when she was happy, sparkling with laughter, the color of a summer’s sky when she was deep in thought and the dark, soulful blue of the darkest ocean in the throes of passion.

  Merde, thinking like that was going to get him into trouble all over again. She was human and he had no business mixing with humans, no matter how connected he felt. Walking away from her bed after the incredible night they’d shared had been the most difficult thing he’d ever had to do. He had wiped her mind completely and in his two- thousand-year existence, the only women he couldn’t influence had been non-human. But Noelle was human, wasn’t she?

  His eyes narrowed, watching her with her group of friends. He knew he wasn’t the only supe quietly observing the group.

  Hmm, I’d love to taste that body.

  Henri didn’t need to turn around to know that one of his oldest friends had just arrived. David was a time-traveler and was usually to be found right in the midst of any trouble, especially when beautiful women were involved. And that thought was aimed right at Noelle, damn him.

  “Just when I was relieved to see you, mon ami.” The stab of possessiveness had him snarling the words.

  David just smiled at him, amusement twinkling in his eyes. “Good evening, friend.”

  “And you’re here because…?” At least his attention appeared to have shifted from Noelle to one of the other women if his breathy, “Damn, she’s fucking gorgeous,” was anything to go by. The petite, dark-haired girl had enough on show to be noticed, that’s for sure.

  “Hmmm.” He knew his reply was noncommittal at best, but something was up. The tall, broad-shouldered male who just spilled his drink all over the harassed looking woman Noelle was talking to set his teeth on edge. He couldn’t be sure what he was, but he was definitely bad news.

  Henri swore softly under his breath. Keeping an eye on Noelle had just become imperative. His hands clenched by his side, his hearing picking up another whispered conversation, and the tension in the room increased.

  “Who the fuck’s he?” David asked, noticing the man at the same time.

  “I don’t know, mon ami, but something isn’t right. There are too many supes in here tonight.”

  “You’re telling me.”

  Every last one of them seemed to hone in on the booth in the corner. David elbowed him at the same time he sensed the new threat. “What about him?” David gestured to a blond man at the entrance who focused all of his attention on the little group of humans.

  Fils de pute. Here? Now? He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d encountered one, and that hadn’t ended well. His fangs dropped in response.

  “He’s—” Before he could fill his old friend in on what exactly they were dealing with, the women’s response to the call of the newcomer confirmed they were out of time. All hell was about to break loose and there was no fucking way Noelle was going to moan like that for anyone but him. Her orgasm was his, damn it!

  His mind made up, he barely stopped to growl, “We need to get them out of here,” to David, before he let his fangs grow fully and moved at vampire speed toward the table and his destiny.

  Chapter Two

  Noelle shook her head and immediately wished she hadn’t as the vague ache turned into a full brass band in her head. Her temples throbbed, her stomach churned, and the cold air whispering up her skirt did little to cool down her heated core. She seemed surrounded by coldness—hard bricks dug into her back, the fine spray of rain carried on the breeze made her shiver. Great. Rain. Now this dump has sprung a leak in the roof. No, wait. I’m outside. How did I get outside?

  Strong arms pulled her tightly into a hard, male frame, and her body responded instantly with a surge of liquid between her thighs. The only just dampened down arousal flared anew at the murmured words in her ear.

  “Easy, belle, I’ve got you.”

  The deep, accented voice shot straight to her pussy, and she bit her lip to stop herself from moaning out loud. Jeez, what was in that drink? She wriggled closer to the powerful body that held her up against the wall, her hips seemingly having a
mind of their own as her body scrambled to finish what it had started. God, she was so close, if only…

  “Snap out of it, baby. As much as I would love to oblige, I want you in my bed when you come apart.” The whisper skittered across the sensitive skin of her neck, and she whimpered her frustration into the broad shoulder of the man holding her up. Damn him, why couldn’t he just…

  The insistent, vibrating hum of her phone in the pocket of her denim skirt finally got through the fog in her brain. Still nestled against the man, she blindly tried to grope for it, but he had her pinned so effectively that she couldn’t move.

  His chest shook in silent laughter at her exasperated groan.

  “What’s so damn funny about this? If you’re not going to help me to…to—” She stopped herself just in time. Good God, had it been that long that she would all but beg a perfect stranger to get her off, and in public no less? Her cheeks flamed in mortal embarrassment. He must think her a right floozy, and what the hell was she doing out here with him anyway?

  “Noelle, I’m more than willing.” She finally looked up at the use of her name. How the hell did he know? Oh bloody hell, could this day get any worse? She hadn’t imagined him earlier then, and her body still reacted to him on the most primal level. She was so fucked, and not in a good way.

  “Let me go, you, you…what the hell are you anyway? I should have known something would happen with you around. What did you do to me this time?”

  The smile he gave in response didn’t reach his eyes and Noelle cursed her runaway mouth. He didn’t look amused anymore. He looked positively dangerous and why that should turn her on even more was really beyond her. Clearly she had no common sense where this man was concerned. And that voice…

  “Belle, had it been me, you would be screaming my name right now.” The heated look he gave her made her toes curl under, even as he shook his head and pulled away slightly, giving her much needed breathing space. Damn her treacherous hormones to hell and back, but he looked good enough to eat. The breeze ruffled his hair so that it fell over one eye, and her fingers itched to brush it back to better see the expression in his eyes. There wasn’t an ounce of fat on that muscled torso and the arms surrounding her seemed made of steel. The flickering streetlights danced across the perfect angles of his face and drew her attention to the sensuous mouth.

  He noticed, and the ghost of a real smile flickered across his face before his brows drew together in concentration, his whole body tensed. He cocked his head as though to listen to something and the earlier sense of foreboding once again wrapped itself around Noelle, obliterating the last of her arousal. The grip on her arms grew strong enough to hurt until he noticed her sharp intake of breath and released her with a vicious curse.

  “Forgive me, mon coeur. I didn’t mean to. Merde.” A soft click made Noelle blink and Henri whipped his head round so fast, she felt dizzy all over again.

  “Having a slight problem here, my friend?” A tall, impossibly handsome man appeared out of nowhere and before Noelle could even register, Henri snapped, “Take her to mine, now,” everything blurred. When she could breathe again, she was standing in a strange hallway by herself. What the hell now?

  ***

  In the blink of an eye, David was back, his usual smirk wider than normal. “She’s not gonna be too happy with you, bud. I took her quick, so she’s no doubt searching for the nearest bathroom to pray to the porcelain god. So, what exactly are we dealing with here?”

  The unwelcome sight of one of the fleabags this place was always full of stopped Henri from answering. Trust his old shifter nemesis to be involved somehow.

  Xander de Rista growled. “Is this your doing, leech?”

  Henri smiled grimly, showing his fangs as David maneuvered himself between him and the shifter. As if that would stop him. The wolf was lucky he had another supe on his mind and itched to get back to Noelle. She would be spitting feathers by now, but at least she was safe—for the moment.

  He grimaced, thinking about the mess they were in, and both shifter and time-traveler stopped trading insults and looked at him.

  “A merman…” Henri let his voice trail off, watching the predictable reaction of the two men with some amusement.

  “A merman?” David sobered while the wolf stifled a laugh. At least David remembered their previous encounter now.

  The silly wolf on the other hand had no idea what they were dealing with. “It’s no laughing matter. His siren call is incredibly difficult to break.”

  “Josie, she seemed…” David had that smirk back on his face and Henri stifled a groan. Lucky son of a bitch.

  His fangs ran out further, thinking of Noelle waiting for him at home. “Horny?”

  David’s smile said it all. “Well, of course. She was with me.”

  “You didn’t waste any time,” Xander interjected.

  “Pun intended?” David asked.

  “You had sex with her?” Henri asked with a smile, even though he knew the answer.

  “Can you really blame me?” David looked smug, while Xander just rolled his eyes.

  “Did she come?”

  “No, we were interrupted. Why? Looking for material for when you jack off later on?”

  The cheek of the boy. Henri let his fangs descend and David sobered at his warning snarl. “Theories…”

  “Let’s find out for sure.” Xander growled, showing his own fangs as he spoke and for once Henri agreed with the fur ball.

  Ignoring David’s exasperated sigh, Henri led the way back into The Blood Bar. Walking together, he knew they were like two sides of a coin—one dark, one light—and Xander a brooding giant stalking after them. At any other time he would have found the fact the shifter was following his lead like a puppy rather amusing, but his sense of humor had disappeared with Noelle and all his instincts were honed on finding the merman.

  He spotted the blond man, who was staring over at the almost empty table where the ladies had been sitting with a look of forlorn. Not caring whether the other two kept up, he crossed the distance at lightning speed, and before Flipper could even register his presence, Henri had him draped over the bar. His hand closed round the fish’s throat and it took all of his centuries’ worth of control to not just snap his neck right then. Fortunately for Flipper they needed answers only he could provide. He let his fangs, designed to intimidate his prey, extend to their full length.

  “Reverse the siren!”

  Instead of being intimidated, the walking fish merely smiled. “I cannot.”

  The cool voice wrapped itself round Henri’s perception like an ocean wave, much like the man’s smell. How this is a turn-on for females is beyond me, but since when can women be figured out anyhow? His hand tightened further and the nauseating smell increased, turning his stomach.

  “Morceau de merde!” Never had he encountered a bigger dose of bullshit.

  David chose that moment to lean over with a grin on his face. “I would listen to him if I were you. He has a passion for ripping throats out.”

  “I’m not afraid of a vampire.” Fishman actually smirked and Xander’s growl matched his own when Flipper added, “Or a werewolf.”

  “Shifter!” Xander boomed. “If we kill him it will probably reverse. I say we take that chance.”

  Xander snarled and Henri looked at David, who just shrugged. “It worked once before.”

  The reminder stung, and he tightened his grip further still when Flipper remained silent. His patience at an end, he went in for the kill, ready to tear the man apart when someone pushed themselves through, and a small female voice spoke.

  “Stop!” she cried. “The man has done nothing wrong!” Putain de merde, what now? All four men looked at the young woman. She was one of the humans who had been sitting with Noelle. She seemed unaffected by the supposed siren call and she was shaking with anger. “Three against one isn’t fair.”

  “This is none of your business!” Henri hissed, retracting his fangs before she could notic
e.

  David pushed her back lightly and stood in her line of view. “You’re friends with Josie.” She stood on her toes to see past his tall frame, her frustration at her nonachievement evident.

  Henri dismissed the woman and turned his attention back to the man he was still holding down. Damn the fucker, is he breathing through his gills? He ought to be turning blue by now, but instead of submitting, the fish smiled again.

  The smirk was too much. This was getting them nowhere and he could always erase the human’s memory. Letting his fangs fall again, he went in for the kill, dimly aware of the woman’s screeched, “No!” through the bloodlust invading his being. He was about to give it full rein when David lunged for him, knocking him off his prey.

  “Merman isn’t on your diet, dear friend. I was really hoping to avoid saving your ass again,” David warned. Henri’s rage was too strong to respond right now. He forced himself to step back and breathe deeply, triggering the memory of the last time he tackled one of the oceanic kind. It had damn well nearly killed him and it had been David who found him, half starved and sick after ingesting mermaid blood. No wonder the fucker hadn’t been scared. He’d just been waiting for Henri to lose his cool and sink his teeth in. That had been way too close, his fears over Noelle clouding his judgment yet again. What was it about her?

  His vision cleared and the rushing in his ears stopped as he ruthlessly tamped down his awakened need for blood. He would deal with that later.

  In the time it took for Henri to collect himself, the shifter had taken over. Xander dropped the merman to his knees with a vicious kick to the back of his leg. His eyes flashing gold, claws protruding, he demanded an answer. “How do we make it stop?”

  “An orgasm,” the man finally said. “If the affected orgasm, the siren will stop. But only the touch of another being will do it, the one whose heart they belong to.”

  Xander released his grip on the merman and raised a single eyebrow. Well, hot damn. Henri looked toward David and saw his answering smile. Seemed their evening was looking up after all.