Aline Hunter - Enemy Mine

“I’m out.” Cade stood, avoiding eye contact with the women as he started walking toward the house.

“Not so fast.” Another woman stepped in front of Cade, this one tramped out in her best slut gear. Her blonde hair was smooth and slick down her back, her face caked with makeup. She placed her hand on his chest, batting her lashes, and gazed up at him. “How about we go somewhere private?”

Sadie was at a perfect vantage to see Cade’s face harden when he wrapped his large fingers around the woman’s wrist, forced her hand away and let her go. He took a step back, eyes hard. His disinterest was apparent when he replied, “How about we don’t?”

“Fuck you,” the shifter female snapped.

“I don’t think so. Why don’t you go inside and find someone else to scratch your itch?”

“You think you’re better than me?”

“I don’t think anything, Andrea. I know.” When she flicked him off, Cade cracked a grin and glanced at Trey. “You coming?”

“I’m not sure yet.” Trey’s gaze traveled up and down the frame of the female who’d stopped in front of him. The gesture was the rudest thing Sadie had even seen and she felt her temper surface when he asked, “Am I coming, sweetcakes?”

“Definitely,” the female whispered, smiling. “More than once if you’re lucky.”

Cade shook his head, muttered, “To hell with this shit,” and stepped around Andrea. He walked away and didn’t look back, his leather coat shifting with each step, displaying the hard muscles beneath. Andrea stared at Cade’s back, her blue eyes shifting to a dazzling aqua color. She fisted her hands, arms trembling, and started to growl.

The female in front of Trey moved closer until they were nearly touching. “Let’s get out of here.”

Trey grinned, staring at the shifter’s breasts. “Lead the way.”

Hell no.

Anger and jealousy colored everyone in a hazy shade of red, removing rational thought. Sadie didn’t realize she had moved until she slapped the drink in the shifter’s hand and sent the contents all over the woman’s corset. Red liquid splashed on tanned skin, spreading down to join the mess dripping down the female’s chest.

Take that, bitch.

The shifter gasped, stunned and outraged as she gawked open-mouthed at Trey. “What do you think you’re doing, asshole?” she snarled, swiping at the stained white lace above the black leather. “This is vintage!”

“It was coming off anyway.” Trey shrugged and combed his fingers through his hair, giving her an unsympathetic grin. “Buy another one.”

“I don’t want another one.” The shifter stopped running her hand over her chest and nailed Trey with a hateful sneer. “On second thought, this isn’t your lucky night. If you want to get lucky, you’re going to have to do the five-knuckle shuffle.” She turned and looked at Andrea. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice.” Andrea glanced at Trey with open disgust. “The males here are all talk and no action.”

Sadie remained where she was beside Trey—watching as Andrea led the women away—deliriously gratified by what she’d done. Jealousy and a bitter sense of victory evaporated when Trey’s scent hit her nose. Despite the whiskey on his breath, the woodsy smell of him was enough to make her knees weak. Goddess, he smelled good. Unlike any male she’d ever encountered. It was hard to remain angry when all she could think about was having one look—one small touch—of the man next to her.

“Fucking tramps. Good riddance,” Trey grumbled and spun on his heel to return to his chair. A gust of wind rolled off him, bringing that luscious fragrance of pine and leather, man and wolf, rushing to her. The fragrance ventured from her head to her toes, surrounding her in a sexual cocoon, making her warm and tingly in all the right places.

Oh Goddess.

He’d taste so good. She knew he would. All the power he possessed would be evident in his life’s blood, something that would transfer to her. Sugary and sweet, spicy and masculine.

Perfection.

She closed her eyes and imagined licking his throat, bathing the area clean with her tongue, creating a winding path along his jugular. He’d grasp her hips and settle his leg between her thighs so that the pressure he placed on her pussy would rev up her sexual hunger. She’d lap at his skin, teasing him, drawing the moment out for as long as possible. When her gums burned from denying herself, she’d let her fangs drop, carefully so that they didn’t pierce his flesh. He’d tell her to drink, to take him into her body, to nourish her life with his. Then she’d give him what he asked for, taking them both to the bliss that only the bite of a vampire could bring. They’d climax together without ever joining their bodies but there would be other times, other opportunities.

Another fantasy replaced the first, a recurring visual that left her breathless, forcing her to greet each day with a reminder of what she had long denied herself.

This time they were nude on the bed with Trey’s hands grasping at the sheets, his muscles flexing beneath her, his skin flushed with desire. Right after she’d sucked his cock dry, taking every last drop, she tapped the vein on his thigh, claiming him entirely as hers. In her dreams she always left a scar behind, a permanent mark so he would always remember who gave it to him—forcing him to think of the woman responsible for the twin punctures. Trey was a male who would ruin her for all others, so it was only fair she returned the favor.

She licked her lips, wondering exactly how he would taste, knowing the discovery would change her entire life. Once she’d sampled the sweetness of his blood, no one else’s would do.

The reminder set her back, ripping through her arousing daydream, bringing her slamming down to reality. A shocking sensation—as though ice water had been dumped over her head—removed any traces of desire as cold, hard reality took its place. What the hell was she thinking? Trey had only been home one night and she was already thinking about biting him, about what their sex life would be like. She’d forgotten why something like that could never happen.

Damn it, you know better than this! Do you want to die slowly? Is one taste worth the risk of slowly starving to death? Would you sacrifice everything you know for a man who won’t want you when he learns what you are?

Damn, it hurt, knowing she could never have what she wanted most. The ache of emptiness was something she’d told herself she’d get used to, but she knew that despite her best efforts she never would. After all, vampires mated too, although it was in a different fashion than shifters. Once they found the one person meant for them, that was it. Deep down, something in them changed. The person a vampire linked with became their entire purpose. They could deny it, turn from it and run from it—but they could never escape it.

I’m so fucked.

She stumbled as she stepped backward, tripping over the shallow brick barrier into the grassy lawn. Gawking at Trey, she held her breath, forcing back panic as she focused on her veil. He lifted his head and his radiant amber-colored eyes stopped on her, despite the fact she was invisible. His nostrils flared and he froze, going eerily still.

“It’s you,” he whispered and rose from his seat, hands gripping the arms of the chair so tightly his knuckles turned white. This was the danger of coming to Trey, of watching him from the shadows. Each time she risked exposure, and tonight she’d taken the game too far.

Shit.

He had to have caught the scent of her fear. The smell was all over the place, swamping the air. She had been so swept up in the moment she had only worried about her physical form, not that Trey would be able to track her with his nose. Movement was impossible. He might figure out exactly where she was. The only thing she could do was phase to a location he couldn’t follow, putting distance between them.