SCOTTISH ROMANCE: My Sinful Surrender to a Highlander Werewolf (Scottish Werewolf Pregnancy Romance) (Historical Medieval Shape Shifter Paranormal Science Fiction Short Stories) (83 page)

Melonius flipped him off, but walked out of the room thinking about how to handle the next step.

Chapter 2

Melonius watched the girl, Valerie, walk into the building from the parking lot. He had planned the situation out, and just needed to convince her to come with him far enough away from everyone that they wouldn't see him take her.

Jesse was waiting for him with a get-away car in the back part of the college, and he was communicating with him via an ear piece and a tiny mic pinned to his chest pocket on his shirt.

"All systems are fine on my end, just acquire the target so we can get back." Jesse told him. "Sitting here is making me nervous Mel. I can't defend myself if the werewolves find me."

"Working on it." Melonius muttered. The sun hurt his eyes and made him sleepy. While vampires didn't suddenly combust in the sun, they were by nature predatory and night creatures, and he had on thick sunglasses to protect his eyes. Their eyes saw better at night, and the bright lights gave him a headache.

He was going to try to coax her out of the building, but he realized that the odds of her cooperating  willingly were slim, so instead, he had chloroform.  He followed her down the hallway.

He waited until the hall was empty and she was alone, she stopped to tie her shoes, her thick brown hair was pulled into a casual pony tail.  Muttering an apology, he slipped up behind her, and put the cloth over her face and waited for her to pass out. He picked her up and carried her out the back side of the hall, and hauled her into the van that Jesse was waiting for him in.

"You got her?" Jesse asked, sounding slightly surprised. "That was fast."

Melonius nodded. "Let's go."

"The wolves are going to be pissed when they realize she's gone." Jesse commented. "Me being a human in the middle of a war isn't great for me."

"Probably, but I'll let my dad worry about that, and if I have too, I'll turn you myself." Mel replied.

Jesse drove the van off, and made sure they weren't being followed before heading back to the house.

"Your dad is really gonna owe you big time for this one." Jesse muttered, when the girl started to wake up. "You need to use it again, and keep her out until we can get here there."

Mel nodded, and knocked her out again, keeping her sedated until they arrived at their destination. There was no point in having a fight in the middle of the van.

Chapter 3

Valerie woke up, and felt sick to her stomach. She looked up at the ceiling and realized she was in a bed.

No, she was on a bed. She looked down and her back pack and books were laying on the bed next to her, and she sat up and put a hand to her head, realizing her head hurt too. She opened her bag up, looking for her cell phone, but it was gone.

Okay, so they'd taken it.  She remembered reaching down to tie her shoes, and then something weird going over her face, and that was it. There was nothing else, and now she was here, in a strange room.

Valerie couldn't decide if she was angry that someone kidnapped her, or frightened because they were apparently strong enough to get her away from the wolves. That meant they were most likely her enemies too, and her life might hang in the balance.

She wonder if she shifted, if she'd be able to escape without being seen, then realized she needed to figure out who her captors were, and what they wanted. If she went back to the wolves empty handed, not knowing anything, it could happen again, and next time, she might be killed instead of just kidnapped.

She wasn't defenseless, she was a wolf. She could fight if she had too, but getting information would be valuable.

Valerie heard voices, and paused, straining to hear what they were saying. She still wasn't used to using her wolf senses in human form. She snuck up to the door and put her ear to it, and then jumped back when she realized the person was opening the door.

"You're awake." The man in front of her said. "Good."

"What am I doing here?" Valerie asked, eyes narrowing suspiciously.  The man in front of her didn't seem threatening, and he wasn't acting aggressive or mean towards her.

"That's complicated." The man told her. "Let's start with something simple. Like names. I'm John. You're Valerie."

"I know my own name." She told him, giving him a funny look.

She gave the man a better look, he was tall, handsome, and if she wasn't supposed to be marrying the werewolf leader, she might have found this man incredibly attractive.  He had broad shoulders, and large hands that looked like they'd be good for playing the piano.  Or touching things besides a piano.

"I'm sure you do know your own name, I was just letting you know I knew your name." John told her.

"So, who... or what are you?" Valerie asked him, she had a feeling she knew, but she wanted to confirm.

"How much do you actually know?" John asked her, and shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

"You mean about the vampires and werewolves?"

"Exactly." John nodded.

"Enough."

"Do you know why we'd try to stop your wedding?" John asked her.

"I'm sure to offend the wolves." Valerie said, sighing.

"You're prettier than I expected, and smarter." John told her, changing the subject. "Your picture doesn't really do you justice."

Valerie blinked at him, unsure how to respond. He was giving her compliments, yet seemed to delight in the idea of pestering the wolves, assuming he wasn't just pretending to try to get her to relax, she'd never been kidnapped before, she didn't know what she was doing when it came to playing along to gather information.

John intrigued her though. He seemed full of life and passion, and he talked with his hands, in an animated style. His gaze was intense, and when he stared at her, she felt more naked in front of him, than if all her clothes were off.

It was unnerving. Yet, exciting. She blushed and looked at the ground, not wanting him to realize she was attracted to him. This entire situation was stupid as far as she was concerned, and finding a man attractive didn't mean you had to act on it.

"How long do you plan on keeping me here?" She asked him. She assumed if he wanted to hurt her, he already would have, so whatever they had planned, it probably involved something else.

"Depends." John told her. "We won't hurt you as long as you don't try to leave, but otherwise, consider yourself a guest here."

"Yeah, that story sounds vaguely familiar.... Beauty and the Beast ring a bell?" Valerie asked him, snorting.

Granted, it had been her favorite movie growing up, but the man in front of her didn't look like any beast. If anything, she was the beast.

"The kids movie?" John asked her, looking surprised for a second.

"Yes, the kids movie." She nodded.

John shook his head. "Heard of it, never seen it."

"You should, it's cute."

"Maybe we'll watch it together then, and you can explain why you like it." John told her, leaning closer, smiling when her heart started beating faster.

"Am I allowed to shift, or will I be shot on sight?" Valerie asked him, knowing that her ability to control her shifting was still up for debate. She changed the subject, not wanting to let him know that his nearness excited her. She felt confused. This wasn't supposed to happen.

"They already bit you?" John said, suddenly looking shocked.

"Yes." Valerie told him.

"Well damn." John said. "There goes that plan."

"What plan?" Valerie said, and then realized the reason she was here. "You were going to turn me, weren't you? Take me away from the wolves by making me a vampire."

"That was the theory, yes. But they ruined those plans by turning you before the wedding. Normally they wait until the wedding night to do it." John said, rubbing his hand to his chin, looking disappointed.

"Special circumstances." Valerie muttered. "They couldn't wait until the wedding."

"What were those?" He asked.

Valerie hesitated, wondering if the truth here was the right thing to say, but since he already knew she was a wolf, she shrugged, deciding it didn't really matter, if he was going to kill her, she probably wouldn't be able to stop him.

"I was dying."

"Excuse me?" John said, looking shocked. She looked so healthy, and fit, though if they'd turned her, it would fix any health issues she had.

"I had a brain tumor, cancer. I had weeks to live, I was in pain, suffering, he turned me so I could be healthy. We hadn't told anyone yet that I'd already been turned, and I was so miserable and in pain and couldn't think straight from where the tumor was pressing, he was worried I wouldn't be able to make a coherent decision at the time of the wedding. While I was healthy enough to think straight, he turned me so he knew I wanted to be turned." Valerie gave him a pointed look. "He saved my life, and I am forever grateful to him."

"Do you love him?" John asked her.

"No, but he saved my life." Valerie said. "I'm indebted to him, and if  being his mate is all he wants in return for a lifetime of experiences and avoiding a horrible, painful, and embarrassing death, than that doesn't seem like the worst thing to ask for in return."

He looked relieved by her answer, but she wasn't sure why it would matter to him.

"How long were you sick for?" He asked her.

"The symptoms started when I was a about thirteen or so. They just wrote the pain in my head off as migraine headaches, we found out for sure when I was eighteen, and by twenty, they knew there was nothing they could do, and I'd be dead in six months. That was four months ago, I had weeks to live, and the symptoms were getting worse." Valerie told him, looking slightly haunted when recalling what happened.

John took a step closer to her, almost looking like he was going to offer a comforting pat on the shoulder, but then stopped and just stared at her.

"Why did they pick you?" John asked, confused.

Valerie shrugged. "He thought I was pretty, then when he heard my story, he wanted to give me a chance at a real life. His father was pressuring him to pick a mate, and neither he, nor I really had any intention of going through with it, except on paper. I wanted to finish college, he wanted to do his thing. It would have worked out, I think."

"Don't you think you deserve something better?" John asked her, taking a step closer. "You realize that they'd have expected you to sire pups, and if you didn't breed, it could cause problems, you can't mate to their leader and think you'll stay separated."

"I knew what he was asking of me, but there was no big rush to perform right away." Valerie said, blushing.

The wolf was a handsome man, but he seemed like a young boy to her in a lot of ways. She had never found boys her own age attractive, which made this man standing in front of her seem all that more attractive. She sighed to herself, feeling stupid, needing to put these thoughts out of her head.

"But, you realize they wouldn't have just let it be right? Things can be better than that, you don't have to be a bitch to the wolves just to sire pups, you can have freedom, a life-" John started to tell her.

"Like what, being a vampire instead of a werewolf?" Valerie snorted and raised a brow, looking at him like he was dense.

"No, being happy, and having a mate that actually wants you, that would love you." He told her. "Don't you think you deserve to be loved?"

"I'm just happy to be alive."

"There's more to life than just being alive." John told her, his expression going thoughtful. "Are you hungry?"

Valerie felt like her head was spinning without fast he was changing subjects. She realized her stomach was rumbling, and she was indeed hungry. He must have heard her stomach growling.

"Do you have meat?" Valerie asked, "I was a vegetarian, but I can't live on that diet anymore, the need to eat meat is too overwhelming, I end up trying to bite people if I don't eat meat on a regular basis, it's embarrassing."

"I think I could rustle up a couple of steaks. What size are you? I will get you some clothes, we have a pool out back too, do you prefer one piece, or two piece?" John asked her, pulling out his phone and started tapping buttons on his screen.

"Size six, and I don't care, a bathing suit is a bathing suit. I'm not picky." Valerie told him.

"Alright, my son is going to escort you to get some food." John told her.

"You have a son?" She looked surprised.

"Yes, his name is Melonius." He told her. "He'll be by soon to get you settled in the dining hall. I have some errands to run, I'll be back."

Chapter 4

"She's not at all what I was expecting." John said to his son, Melonius when they were finally alone. John lit a cigar and puffed on it for a few moments, before putting it down on the glass outdoor table on the ashtray holder. He paced on the patio near his pool.

"Well, you wanted her here, what are you going to do with her?" Melonius asked.

"I don't know yet, I find her fascinating, and they already turned her, so I can't turn her myself." John said, looking a little disappointed.

"It's more than that father, she doesn't know you're the King does she?" Normally his father bragged about that, so Melonius was surprised when his father had told them about his conversation and it hadn't included all those details.

"She's different. She wasn't turned because of some prestigious reason, or because of her blood lines, she was simply turned to save her life and give her a chance at a future. I could have done that if I had known she existed before they turned her." John muttered.

"You like her." Melonius said, shocked. His father never cared about humans, and he really only thought about getting ahead of the wolves to prove he was the alpha male, yet, this girl had him all tied up in knots.

"I don't know her well enough to like her." John said.

"Didn't you tell her you'd watch a movie with her tonight?" Mel asked, blinking.

"She shouldn't have to be locked up in the room the whole time she's here, and I'm not going to force you to watch some silly kids movie when it was my idea that she be brought here." John said, looking slightly embarrassed.

Melonius slapped his leg and started to laugh. "Well, who'd have thought it."

"Shut up Mel." John growled at him. "Just because your grown now doesn't mean I can't take a switch to your backside for impertinence."

Melonius laughed harder.

"Oh, get out of here." John said, waving him away, glaring at him.

He waited for his son to leave, then started pacing, thinking to himself.

He'd been watching her since she got here, and everything about her tore him up inside. He'd heard her story, and understood why she'd been turned, and it tugged at his non-existent heart strings.

She had so much vitality, so much to look forward too, and she seemed actually grateful for the chance to experience life, it was hard to see her as being oppressed under the thumbs of the wolves. Once she was married to them, her life would change. They'd suck her in with promises, but once a male claimed her, she'd be his property and have no freedom. She'd have no life.

John decided he need to save her from herself. He'd show her what life could really be like, make her want to stay with him instead of the wolves. That would chap their asses good. Plus, he wondered what it would feel like to kiss her. Something about her just made him want to protect him.

He'd started off wanting to steal her away from the wolves, but having met her in person, he realized she was something special. He just wasn't sure what she would be to him, but he knew he couldn't let the wolves have her back.

He smiled, now that he decided on a plan. John looked down at his watch and realized he was going to be late for the movie he promised he'd watch with her.