Stolen by the Alpha Wolf: Shifter Romance (Accidental Theft Book 1) (6 page)

The
vampire burst out laughing. It took her several long seconds to get herself
back under control. He couldn’t help but to smile even though he knew she was
laughing at him.

“Full
of it much?” She shook her head. “You males are all the same. Alpha wolf,
vampire kings…all the same…”

“I
am nothing like them.”

Her
eyebrows lifted. “You are exactly like them.”

He
felt his brow crease. “How would you know? Who are you?”

“I
told you…nobody. My coven is a close knit unit though. We all know our king and
know of King Zane. My initial statement was that you males are all the same. I should’ve
left it at that.”

The
tension in him eased.

“I
still don’t understand why you would take the human. I thought that you and…that
wolf female…are supposed to mate.”

It
was probably his imagination but she seemed to watch him closely now. Leaning slightly
forward in her seat, her hands clasped over her lap. Her eyes tracked his every
move. If he didn’t know better, he would think that she cared. “Luna is my best
option for a mate. I have not made any commitment to take her though. If I had,
I would never have gone after the human.”

“It
sounds like Luna has made her decision.” Stephany pulled her knees up, hugging
her legs to her body.

Part
of him wanted to groan his frustration of not being able to see her glorious
breasts beneath the thin shirt. Another part of him was relieved, his eyeballs
actually hurt from trying to keep them averted.

“I’m
sure I will end up mating Luna. I must do what is best for my pack. What we
need is a strong male heir and some females to secure our future. Luna will
give them to me.”

A
flash of pain crossed her face. How could he be so insensitive? Chances were
good, like many of her kind, that Stephany was infertile. “What if you only
have females?” she asked once her expression turned neutral.

He
shook his head. “We’ll keep trying”—he paused—“until there is an heir. Females
are just as important if not more so.”

She
smiled, almost sadly. “Again back to my original comment. You males are all the
same.
I can choose any female and she will eventually beg me to take her…
”
She imitated a male voice,
“My seed is so strong, it will sire an army of
heirs and my enemies will shiver in fear.”

An
icy fist clenched around his heart. “Is that what those bastard vampires are
saying?”

She
cocked her head. Her expression cool. “It’s what
you
are saying.” Stephany
laughed. “It is what you have been saying ever since I got here.”

He
felt his brow furrow. “It doesn’t sound like me at all.” His lips pulled into a
self-satisfied grin. “Besides, the female you talk of would immediately beg me
to take her. It wouldn’t take much convincing.”

He
winked at her.

What
a cheek!
“Cocky much?” She shook her head. Okay,
maybe she had thrown herself at him and begged him to take her, but that was
because she was in hunt mode and well…because his blood had tasted so damned
good.

Ward
threw her a lopsided grin. “Cocky? Actually yeah, I am, literally.” He adjusted
himself in his pants and she felt her eyes widen. “That whole blood drinking
thing…” He looked pained for a few beats. “How long does it take to wear off?”

How
could she tell him that it should’ve worn off ages ago, like immediately? Yet,
there was still a definite bulge in his pants. Her eyes snapped up to meet his.
That feral gleam was back.

She
swallowed hard, then shrugged. “No idea.”

“At
this rate, I might need to take a cold shower. It’s not like I can take care of
it”—his eyes flashed to hers—“myself…or anything. Not with you here.” He smiled
at her in a way that looked like a dare.

“You
had better not,” she said, with as much force as she could muster. Even though
heat ignited at the thought of his strong hands palming his cock. Those long
fingers wrapped around steel. How his mouth would tighten, his hips would
undulate. Would he growl or hold his breath as he found release?

It
had clearly been too long for her. Why the hell did her libido choose such an
unfortunate time to come rushing back?

Ward
clenched his jaw, his nostrils flared. Shit, he could probably scent her
renewed arousal. He turned and made for the closet where he rustled around for
a few beats. The big wolf pulled a washed out grey shirt over his head. It had
probably been black once upon a time.

By
now the fire was raging, the room was almost too warm. Was he really so worried
that she was going to attack him that he felt the need to cover up now? It
wasn’t like she had noticed his acres of bronzed skin which covered muscles of
steel. Or the line of hair that disappeared beneath the snap on his jeans. A
vision that might just become an obsession if she wasn’t careful. Maybe the
shirt wasn’t such a bad idea after all. She shut her eyes, trying to banish the
image of his naked torso.

When
she looked again, he was at the stove stirring the pot. The scent of gamey meat
intensified. Not altogether bad. She would eat. Hopefully it would stave off
the need to drink again. Maybe, just maybe it would buy her the time she needed.

“Your
eyes are glowing.”

“I
guess I’m still hungry.” She pursed her lips.
Shouldn’t have said that.

Ward
hooked his thumbs into his jeans, his eyes narrowed on her. “Let me know if you
need to drink again.”

“A
sucker for punishment I see.” She shook her head.

He
smiled. Too darned good looking for his own good…or was it…for her own good? “I
will admit that foreplay without a happy ending is something akin to torture,
but I’ll deal.”

She
pursed her lips.

Ward’s
brow creased, he walked over and dropped to his haunches in front of her. “I
promise I won’t hurt you. I wouldn’t let you do anything you’d regret while
under the blood influence either.”

Her
shame must’ve shown on her face because he leaned forward and clasped her chin.
Altogether too close for her liking. “I mean it, Stephany. Don’t leave it so
long. If you need blood then tell me.”

She
nodded, not trusting her voice.

“Good.”
He released her and moved out of her personal space.
By blood!
He
scented far too good.  Since when did wolf smell so enticing? Wild, untethered,
musky animal, fresh earth like the forest after a rainstorm. Her fangs ached as
they lengthened. She swallowed down her need.

Luckily
it wasn’t much longer before the stew was ready. They had sat in a comfortable
silence as they waited, and then they were too busy eating to talk. Trying to
make the period before she would need to drink again last longer, Stephany ate
as much as her stomach would allow. Although, because of her mainly liquid diet
it wasn’t much. It was a myth that vampires didn’t eat, they just didn’t eat nearly
as much as humans.

“It
was really good. Thank you.”

He
nodded and smiled. “Thank you for your help.”

Ward
had wolfed down three helpings and most of the bread before taking the dishes
to the kitchen.

When
she made to stand, he motioned for her to sit. “I’ve got this.”

Thank
the gods. She didn’t know the first thing about doing dishes. Ward moved around
the small space with ease, washing the dishes and cleaning the surfaces while
putting away loose items as he went along. This was where he differed greatly
from the vampire kings, Zane and Brant would never perform such mundane duties.
They wouldn’t be seen dead with a dishcloth in their hands. The big alpha
picked it up and began drying dishes like it was the most normal thing in the
world. He looked relaxed and content. Stephany rested her head on the side arm
of the sofa, using her forearm as a makeshift pillow. She thought it was
probably a bad idea since her eyes felt droopy, but she figured she would just
rest for a minute. It was the last coherent thought she had before drifting off
to sleep.

****

Pure
Torture.

The
vampire pushed herself more firmly against his side. Her hand was splayed on
his chest and one of her long legs was slung across him, her knee in the
vicinity of his groin. If he moved then he would wake her, if he didn’t and she
woke up, she would feel how much he desired her. Her face was buried in the
crook of his neck.

Stephany
sighed, hot air caressed his skin. Her breasts were flattened against his side.
Her delicious scent enveloped him, he had to suppress a groan. Surely after this
much time, he should’ve grown more used to her presence.

This
was the second night that they had spent together. The second time she had
clung to him possessively. Wrapping herself around him from the moment he’d
carried her to bed until the sun rose. During the day, they had talked
non-stop. He liked the way her eyes flashed with panic whenever he made a
flirtatious innuendo. Maybe it was wrong, but he actually enjoyed her company.
Enjoyed it far too much. The feeling of her in his arms was heaven, he had to
stop himself from tightening his hold on her.  

He
kept reminding himself that she was a vampire.
His enemy
. It didn’t
help. All he saw was a beautiful female who could be shy at times, and yet she
was also someone who could be bold and stand up for what she believed in. Always
in control, except when she was in the throes of taking blood and when she
slept. Although maybe she would be more controlled if she wasn’t in…hunt mode
as she had called it. The sadist in him secretly hoped that she waited too long
again the next time around. He knew that he would have to fight much harder to
maintain his willpower if she did.

The
hand on his chest rubbed absently, sliding across his pecs and then down to his
abs. He sucked in a breath as her fingers dipped lower almost reaching the tie
on his sweats. He let out a sigh of relief as it slid back up. For a second he
thought she might wake up, but her hold on him tightened before she relaxed
again, her breathing picking up a slow easy rhythm.

Hopefully
she would wake up soon, and put an end to this torture. It was more than a male
should be allowed to endure. Yet, he recognized that as the lie that it was and
that he was possibly a major sadist because he enjoyed the feel of her. Her
weight against him felt right somehow.

Maybe
it was time to settle. To take a mate. Yet the thought of taking Luna to his
bed left him cold. There were other options, he should explore those. The
sooner the better.

Stephany
tensed, her breathing stopped and her heart rate tripled. He had to suppress a
smile. Ward had the ridiculous urge to wrap his arms around her and kiss her
good morning, but only because it would draw a reaction out of her. He
suppressed the desire. Afraid of where a chaste kiss may lead. It had been
months since he’d had a female. There had been opportunities granted to him as
alpha, but most of his males had been without an opportunity to rut for so long
that it seemed wrong to allow himself to partake. Right now he wished that he
had, his dick had been hard for so long that he was sure he might have
permanent damage.

She
didn’t scramble away immediately. Stephany sucked in a breath letting it out in
a soft huff against his skin, causing goose bumps to form. His damned cock
hardened up even more, which he hadn’t thought possible.

“Why
do you insist on grabbing me in my sleep?” She asked while she finally pulled
away, putting a foot or two of space between them.

Ward
pulled the sheet across his middle, trying and failing to cover a major erection.
“Yeah right, it was all my fault.”

“At
least you have the good grace to admit it.”

He
chuckled, the laugh dying as he turned to face her. Her hair was mussed, she
had a crease on her cheek.
Utterly adorable.
“You are just as much to
blame. Admit it…you enjoy being close to me.”

Her
eyes widened. “Full of it much, wolf?”

“I’m
at least honest. While you are here, you can cling to me as much as you want,
vampire. You won’t hear a single complaint from me”

Stephany
made a sound of frustration but dropped it. He sat up, moving to stand, careful
to keep his back to her.

Down
boy.
His cock ignored him
.

“While
I am here”—she muttered to herself—“about that. When are you taking me back?”

“I’ll
hear from the scouts later today, but I expect that Brant and a team of
warriors are still out there. At least, that was yesterday’s report.”

She
gasped. “Really? Brant is looking for me?”

“You
are one of his coven right?” He turned to look at her over his shoulder.

She
nodded, sitting cross legged on the bed.

“Well
then…I would expect him to send out a search party. It baffles me that he chose
to head up the team himself though. Dangerous for a king to be so far from his
own territory.”

Stephany
hissed. “You wouldn’t have him hurt would you?”

Anger
surged, he forgot all about his erection and turned to face her. “What is he to
you?”

She
shook her head. “My king. The future of my species.”

Ward
swallowed hard trying to decide if he believed her. “He’s too well protected.” He
shook his head not liking the emotions coursing through his veins. If he didn’t
know better, Ward would think that he was jealous but that was crazy talk. He
didn’t know this female, not really, she was a vampire dammit. Her gaze drifted
to his cock. Her eyes momentarily widened before dropping to her lap where she
picked at a loose thread on the sheet next to her leg.

Ward
desperately needed to do something about his little situation. Make that his
really big, painful situation. He put his back to her as he walked across the
room needing to put some distance between them.

“I
need to shower.”

She
let out a deep sigh. “Really?”

“Yeah,
really.”

“You’re
going to make me watch again?” By the way she spoke, you would swear he was
asking her to dance on hot coals…naked. He suppressed a groan. Not an image he
needed right now.

“I
did
not
make you watch. You had your eyes closed.”

She
made a noise of frustration and actually rolled her eyes. “What if I promise
not to try anything? I’ll wait right here.”

For
a second he was tempted, it would be best if she wasn’t present when he…took
care of things. “I could tie you to the bed.”

“I
won’t try anything. I don’t like being tied up.”

The
only times he’d tied her up was when he had needed a bathroom break that
required a closed door. He knew she detested being bound, and the last thing he
wanted was to make her uncomfortable. Maybe the cold water would do the trick.

“I’m
sorry, Stephany. I can tie you up and promise to be really quick, otherwise I
need you to come with me. I can’t risk you finding…things out. I would either
have to kill you or mate you. Since both options don’t appeal to either of us,
I recommend we take the path of least resistance.”

“Fine,”
she huffed. “Do you promise to be quick? It’s cold out there.”

“Wrap
a blanket around your shoulders.”

“I
don’t know how you can stand those freezing showers.” She said as she grabbed a
blanket and did as he said.

“Believe
me when I tell you I need them. I’ll heat your water once I’m done though.”

“I
still don’t get it.” She shrugged. “Warm water will clean you better.”

It
was weird. The vampire was innocent in so many ways. The way she reacted to
his…state…sneaking little peeks under her lashes like she had never seen an
aroused man before. Stephany had said that she didn’t ever rut, he was
beginning to suspect that she had been telling the truth. The question was why?