Pack Mistress #3 (Quick 'n' Dirty Erotic Paranormal Romance) (3 page)

I stumbled closer and looked at the painting
he was staring at. “What do you mean?”

He pointed at the canvas, “You see how in
this part of the work it seems as though the viewer is looking at
something through your eyes? That’s good, but then, right below
that, you’ve thrown in part of your head, which takes the viewer
out. It’s jarring and unpleasant. I want to know that I’m getting a
glimpse of your point of view—which is the most powerful thing an
artist has to share.”

I thought for a moment and realized he might
be right.

“It’s too intimate,” I said, quietly.

He stood and faced me. “What do you
mean?”

I looked up at him, then looked away. I
wanted to share my thoughts with him, but it was making me so raw,
I didn’t want to look in his eyes as I did. “It’s too intimate a
thing to share completely. I think I … don’t want to give the
viewer that much power over me.”

He grabbed my shoulders. I looked up, waiting
to see laughter in his eyes, but instead, I saw tears. “That is
exactly where you
get
your power. By giving freely of
everything you have. When you give it, you have nothing to protect,
nothing to steal. When you give of yourself freely, you become
powerful and no one can own you anymore.”

I stared at him. My lip started to tremble,
my cheeks already wet. I pushed myself forward against his lean,
long body and kissed him. He threaded his arms around me,
underneath mine, and rested his hands on top of my own, making no
moves to release me from the handcuffs. He turned his body, lips
never losing contact with mine, and pushed me toward the
bedroom.

Breaking from our kiss, I asked, “Can you
uncuff me?”

“You don’t need to be uncuffed.”

“It would be better if I were.”

“Would it?” He lifted me and carried me the
final foot to the bed, laying me down gently and resting his own
body atop mine, our combined weight crushing my hands and arms.

“What are you doing?” I said, asking the
obvious, since he’d begun kissing my chin and running his hands
down my body.

He lifted his head up and stared down at me.
“What does it feel like I’m doing?”

“So, this is time to get laid for you? You
break into my studio, offer a helpful—but unsolicited—critique of
my work and then we fuck?”

He rolled off me and lay on his side looking
down. “What would you rather do?”

I was annoyed at how my body wanted me to
answer that, and for once ignored my wanton sexuality and went with
my brain. “I want to know more about you. I’ve never met a consort
before. How is it that you can be out here, on my pack’s land,
making out with me, without worrying that you’ll get caught when
you return home to your pack?”

He rolled over onto his back and disappeared
from sight. I wanted to watch his face while he answered, but with
my hands still handcuffed behind me, I couldn’t get momentum to
turn onto my side.

“I don’t have a pack.”

“But that’s impossible. How do you not have a
pack?”

“I bought my freedom.”

“Your freedom? That doesn’t make any sense.
You were a member of a pack—not a slave. Why would you want to be
free of that?”

The bed started shaking, and I wasn’t sure
why until I heard R. W. laughing. “You’re free? Is that what you
think? So, you fuck everyone in the pack, at their will, because
it’s something you want to do?”

“Of course. It’s my body—it responds a
certain way because that’s the role I’m meant to play in the pack.”
Even I could hear the doubt creeping into my voice. Doubt that
might not have been there before yesterday.

“You really believe that bullshit?”

“What else would I believe?”

“You could start by trying to discover the
truth.”

“What truth?” I practically shouted it, my
frustration climbing.

“The truth about you, Lorena. About how you
came to be a mistress. About how you ended up with this pack. About
what happened to your parents. About everything you never even
bothered asking about. You can’t simply accept what everyone tells
you about yourself, who you are and who you’re meant to be.”

I started shaking, from head to toe. It began
as a gentle tremor and quickly grew into something close to a
seizure. “But I don’t know if I want to. How will I know if I’m
ready?”

R. W.’s sardonic laugh preceded his
statement. “I don’t know, but whenever you decide you’re ready,
remember this—once you know, you can’t go back.”

A loud baying outside interrupted our
conversation. R. W. jumped up, leaned over, planted a light kiss on
my lips, and started toward my open window, which happened to be
facing away from the source of the baying.

“Wait—the cuffs!” I stage whispered.

He looked back and winked. “It’ll be better
for you if you keep them on.” Then he was gone, the only evidence
of his presence in the gentle swaying of the drapes.

***

Within just a few minutes I had managed to
fall on the floor and before I could right myself, my door was
busted in as Rage, Bruno, Jack, and four shifted pack members came
in.

“Where the fuck is he? Your studio and the
east swamp stinks of a northern pack—so don’t try to hide him, you
slut.” Bruno shouted as he grabbed my hair by the root and lifted
my head from the ground.

“Bruno—stand down! We do not talk to our pack
mates that way. Let her be. Can’t you see that she’s handcuffed?
She’s not hiding anyone.” After he said it, Jack’s hand went around
my arms and helped me up into a sitting position. “Do you know
where the keys are?”

“No—I don’t even know if there are any.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll get you out.” Jack
motioned to Rage and when he bent down, whispered something in
Rage’s ear that made Rage and the four wolves who had been sniffing
my rooms run out.

I was sitting on the floor, my back against
the bed with Jack crouched in front of me and Bruno looming over us
when I heard growling and shouting in the swamp outside my window.
The window R. W. had jumped out of. I sat up straighter, my head
craning to see what was going on out the window, my heart hoping
that R. W. was already long gone.

Jack reached out with a gentle hand and
pulled my face back to look at him. “Do you know the person who did
this?” Jack’s eyes roamed my face and he pushed back a lock of hair
that had invaded my forehead.

“No, I’ve never seen him before.” I felt bad
lying to Jack, but I knew I’d feel worse if I didn’t.

“What did he look like?”

“It all happened so fast. He … he had me
turned away from him right when he came in so I couldn’t really
tell anything about him, but he was wearing a ski mask.”

“Did he say what he wanted, or did he …” Jack
didn’t finish his sentence, but his eyes wandered to my bed.

“No, he didn’t. I don’t know what he wanted.
He said, ‘shut up, bitch’ a couple of times and pushed me to the
bed. He wasn’t here that long.”

Bruno piped up. “What was he doing in front
of your paintings with you?”

At that moment, Rage came back in and handed
Jack a small leather case. Jack took a metal stick out of it and
sat on the bed, his legs on either side of me. I could feel and
hear him fiddling with my cuffs, and then I was free. My arms were
numb. I rubbed my wrists stalling for time.

“Answer the question,” Bruno said.

I started to sweat but tried to calm myself
so they wouldn’t smell a sudden spike of fear—although if they did,
I suppose I could blame it on being forced to think about the
supposedly traumatic break-in I’d just experienced. “He was talking
to me. Yelling and stuff. Jack, do we need to do this right now? I
was attacked in my own home by some stranger and now I’m getting
the third degree—I feel like I’ve done something wrong, but I was
the victim here.”

Jack leaned forward and kissed my forehead
and then stood. “She’s right. Bruno, Rage, let’s go. Lorena, get
some sleep. Rage will stay posted outside to make sure you don’t
get any visitors. Take the night off.”

Jack left and I thought Bruno and Rage had
both gone, too, but when I stood up and walked from my bedroom to
the studio to lock the door, Bruno was standing in front of my
canvas, staring at me.

“Something’s going on here and you’d better
not be involved, because I don’t play favorites when people fuck
with my pack.”

I sighed, close to tears and ready to put
this heartbreaking weekend behind me. “Bruno, I didn’t do anything.
Don’t forget, this is my home and my pack, too—whether you want me
or not.”

“Yeah, well, don’t shit where you eat,
Lorena.”

####

Author Note

Why Write a Serial Novel?

Have you ever read a standalone novel and,
once at the end, wished it could go on and on forever as a series?
I have. That’s why I often choose to read series instead of
standalone novels. But another thing I enjoy about reading a
current series is the anticipation. You’re heartbroken when you
finish the latest book in the series, but so excited when you’re
about a month away from release of the new book.

As an author, when I get an idea for an
awesome stand alone book—a story that needs to be told in a single
volume—I get a little sad. Especially when I know the characters
are going to resonate and the plot is going to draw you in like a
trail made from pieces of your favorite candy.

That’s why I decided to release the Pack
Mistress story as a series of shorts. I’m capturing all that is
awesome about a series without dragging out this story needlessly
in multiple volumes. Not only am I ensuring that you get an entire
year with these characters, but I’m also giving you that ‘New
Release’ excitement every other month.

Best of all, the first book in the series
will be given free to all Hussy List members new and old. Each
additional volume will be priced at $0.99, so if you buy them all,
you aren’t going to pay more than you would for a single, stand
alone new release.

Pack Mistress Release Schedule

Book 1: December 15th, 2011

Book 2: December 20th, 2011

Book 3: February 20th, 2012

Book 4: April 20th, 2012

Book 5: June 20th, 2012

Book 6: August 20th, 2012

Book 7: October 20th, 2012

Book 8: December 20th, 2012

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to my beta readers Stephanie,
Jenn, Princess and Stephany. Thanks to Hubby who really enjoys the
job of being my Wolverine and designing covers for my smut.

South Florida, thank you for loaning me The
Everglades and allowing me to take some liberties with it.

Hussy listers: You. Rock.

About the Author

Evelyn Lafont is a freelance writer and
author living in Tampa Bay, Florida. Originally from New England,
she likes that none of her shoes or body parts freeze during the
short Florida winter. She is the married mother of two catlike
furballs and hates doing housework of any kind.

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/AuthorEvelynLafont

Website: http://www.evelynlafont.com

Twitter: @Keyboardhussy

Books by Evelyn Lafont

Vampire Relationship Guide, Volume 1: Meeting &
Mating

Vampire Relationship Guide, Volume 2: Secrets &
Trust

Pack Mistress #1 (Quick ‘n’ Dirty Erotic Paranormal
Romance)

Pack Mistress #2 (Quick ‘n’ Dirty Erotic Paranormal
Romance)

Pack Mistress #3 (Quick ‘n’ Dirty Erotic Paranormal
Romance)