To Live and To Love (Black Wolf Agency Book 1) (4 page)

The loneliness was slowly creeping its way back into the dark place it held both of them. As they touched each other and made their connection come alive again, they felt like they were both finally coming home.

As they made love, time seemed to no longer exist. They had no idea how late it had gotten, but the longer time had passed them by, the further they lost themselves in each other, bringing them closer to that final breaking point. They reached their climax together, both reaffirming, their love for each to her. James kissed her once again slowly before he lay down beside her, holding her close. As they gazed into each other’s eyes, they smiled. Nothing felt so right.

James drifted off to sleep first, and as Kate watched him sleep, she couldn’t help but think about her life and what had happened in her past leading up to this point.

Early in Kate’s life, she met her first love, Andre; the only love she ever thought she would have. When she looked back on that now, she knew that finding James was like finding her soul mate. The love she had with Andre when she was a young human was just that; youthful love.

Kate met Andre at a ball, one lovely summer night. They spent just a little over a week together before they rushed off and got married. They were happy with each other, but never had the chance to continue enjoying that happiness.

Only a month after they were married, she was kidnapped from her home and bitten by a vicious and vindictive vampire named Alexander, whose ultimate goal was to convert as many humans as possible, so he could grow his coven and become the most powerful vampire in the world. He told her he wished for her to become his mate, but he was so cruel; there were times when she thought she would take her own life instead of trying to make her new life work. With all the physical and emotional abuse, how could she ever learn to love someone like that? At last, after months of living in agony in his captivity, she stood up to him and said, “I will never love someone like you, whose eyes are dark and heart is as cold as ice.”

After finally giving up and accepting the fact that he would never have her, he rejected her, throwing her out into the woods to fend for herself. She hated her life as a vampire, but it was far better after Alexander wasn’t a part of it anymore. She even managed to find ways of fulfilling her thirst, other than by killing people.

Concerned about Andre, Kate found her way back to the city to check on him. She arrived at their house around midnight and peeked in the window to see if he was there. She spotted him in the living room, kissing another woman. At first, Kate was angry, but then she realized it was better this way. Andre deserved someone like him; a human. Kate would never again be the person she was to him. No matter how hard it was for her to accept that, it was still the truth. She was glad to see he was happy, at least. As she disappeared into the night, she knew that would be the last she would ever see her husband.

After Kate’s last bit of hope of getting back together with Andre had vanished, she was determined to seek revenge on the man who had ruined her life. With help from some vampires from a nearby coven, Kate was able to kill Alexander and his closest followers. As he took his last breath, he told her he knew the way out of the cursed life of a vampire. For three centuries, she had wished Alexander had lived long enough to share the secret to escaping this wretched life.

In the early 1900’s, she moved from France to Montreal, hoping she could find happiness there. Then, when she had heard about
Black Wolf Agency
through whispers from other vampires, she decided to visit New York City to investigate, bringing with her the urn that contained the dust from Alexander’s body.

Shortly after arriving in New York City, she met James in a nightclub near his apartment. She knew who he was; she knew that he worked for
Black Wolf Agency
and possessed the Resurrection Amulet, the one thing that could bring Alexander back to life, so she could finally learn the secret to becoming human again.

Her plan had been to seduce James and take the amulet from him. The plan had been a success. She just hadn’t expected to develop feelings for him so quickly, and she knew he was starting to feel the same way. She should have known that he already knew what she was; it was his job after all. James was smart….too smart.

James confronted her about it, knowing in his heart that she wouldn’t hurt him. She told him the truth, told him everything. Instead of running away, he stayed with her and helped her through it all.

After they performed the Resurrection Ritual, they successfully brought Alexander back to life. At first, they had him tied down so he couldn’t escape and hurt anyone, but he quickly tore away the bonds that held him and attacked Kate. She fought back, and he almost killed her… almost.

James was the one who had saved her life. Like the smart man he was, he came prepared that night. He swiftly pulled out a wooden stake and plunged it through Alexander’s heart.

As Alexander fell to the floor, Kate demanded that he tell the secret to becoming human again. Near death and with blood seeping from his mouth, he laughed. His evil eyes locked onto hers as he said, “You’ll never be human again. Other than a wooden stake to the heart, the only way to escape this life is through sunlight.”

That’s what led her to her decision to die; the worst decision she had ever made, for the only thing worse than the life of a vampire was the death of one. Now, because of James, she was alive and by his side once again.

Yes, she had felt love once before in her life, but it was nothing compared to this. She couldn’t believe she was willing to give this up, to be alone forever, thinking it was going to bring her peace. Nothing she could ever say to James would let him know exactly how thankful she was to him for bringing her back.

With that thought in mind, she happily drifted off to sleep, wrapped in her lover’s embrace.

What Lurks in the Darkness

James woke in the morning to the delicious smell of sweet pea and vanilla, along with a hard-on to rival the density of steel. Hmm, lucky for him, he knew what the smell was and that the person that wielded that pleasant smell could help with his other problem. He was lying behind her and still had his arms wrapped around her. He was glad he could spend time with her in the morning like this. After all, most other vampires would be awake at this time of the night, prowling the streets for their next victim. Kate was certainly unique.

He began to kiss her neck and run his hand softly along her hip. Only a moment went by, and she began to stir a little, on the verge of waking up. He carefully brushed her hair away from her neck and continued to place soft kisses on her cool skin.

“Mmm,” she moaned lightly, and even though he couldn’t see her face, he knew she was smiling. He continued his assault on her senses. Slowly, moving his hand down to her thigh, he took hold and gently lifted it onto his hip. Then, running his hand between her thighs, he found her sweet spot and began to make slow circles with his thumb. Softly reaching around with his other hand, he ran his fingers across her breast softly, teasing her a little. She responded by arching her back into his open hand. James grinned against her skin. He took her breast in his hand and teased her until she was writhing against him.

Kate’s moans were growing louder, and as she pushed forward to reach his touch, he slid inside her softly. He moved with gentle easy strokes as the tingling began to move down his spine; he knew he wouldn’t last. But last night had been so explosive, but they had not savored the feeling of being together. James wanted her to be begging for it, so she would never again think of ending her life. He increased his pressure moving inside her, making sure he was hitting the one place that would drive her crazy.

Slowly he made love to Kate, his excitement grew as he heard her crying out with pleasure, it made him more determined to make this something that would be branded in her brain, in her thoughts. James moved his hands over her body, claiming each part he touched. His hands were masterful and knew where he could get the most response.

James played her body like a fiddle and would bring her to the brink of her climax and then pull back, each time making her beg for more. He could feel her body drumming with desire, and she was frantically trying to get her release, but he was in control. He was the one who was the master of her body and her passion. Something he wanted to make sure she would remember.

Finally, he sank deeper into her body and claimed what was his. Her heart, her soul; she was his everything, and it was time for her to realize it. No more talk of leaving. James would train harder and more often. He would be the one to protect her.

Feeling his possessiveness, he whispered what he was thinking in her ear and she responded by nodding and agreeing. He smiled and felt the triumph in her words. And finally he allowed her to fall over the edge. Kate started to constrict around him, and he knew then that he was a goner. They both erupted together. They lay there for a moment to catch their breaths. When he slowly moved from inside her, he whispered in her ear, “Good morning, baby.”

“Good morning to you, too, handsome,” she whispered back, still a little breathless. “You may have noticed before, that I’m not much of a morning person. However, after that, it wouldn’t be hard to change.”

“I’ve noticed, and I would be more than happy to oblige you every morning,” he laughed and kissed her softly. James wanted to make sure she was happy now; he would not lose her again.

She lifted her head and glanced around the room, noticing that all the curtains and blinds were closed tight in preparation for the sunrise. It never failed to amaze her how thoughtful James truly was, in regard to her.

“Nothing gets by you, does it?” she asked, grinning at him mischievously. He glanced at the clock, realizing he didn’t have to be at work for another hour and a half. He was happy just to lay with Kate in his arms for a little while longer.

“No, absolutely nothing.” He grinned back and kissed her cheek.

An hour passed by and James reluctantly got up to get ready for work. He quickly headed for the shower, not wanting to be late to work. As he came out with a towel wrapped around his waist, Kate passed him and headed to the bathroom to shower as well. It wasn’t long before they were both dressed and ready for the day to begin.

“Getting up before the sun every day is starting to get old,” he said with a sigh, holding the curtain out of the way as he stared out the window into the darkness. Sometimes he thought, what he wouldn’t give to go back to his boring 9 to 5 job. Then no, because how cool is it to be able to get rid of freaky creatures on a daily basis?

Just then, Kate had an idea. “That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, though. If you’d like, I could go with you to work,” she said, walking up and wrapping her arms around him. He looked happy about her proposed idea at first, but sighed after thinking about it for a moment.

“I’d love for you to come with me, but I don’t know if it’ll be alright with my co-workers,” he hesitated, thinking about it some more. “But they trust me, and considering how old you are,” Kate shot a warning glance, which had him back tracking himself, “I mean, considering how much knowledge you’ve collected over the years, I’m sure, if anything, you could be a big help. I may have to tell them a small fib about you, though, if necessary.”

“Perhaps that’s better than telling them the truth,” she said, cringing at the idea of telling anyone her secret, even people with knowledge of paranormal beings. For all she knew, they might want to lock her up in a cage and do tests on her if they found she was a vampire. Considering all the paranormal beings that were out there, vampires were probably despised the most.

“Oh, yes, definitely. Just make sure you avoid skin contact with them, and whatever you do, don’t let them check your pulse,” he laughed. He recalled the memory of his first night with her. His co-workers would be able to tell as quickly as he had that she was a vampire, if they got a close enough look at her. She would probably be able to make up an excuse as to why her skin was so cool, and they would have to physically check her pulse to discover that she was lacking a heartbeat. Fortunately, it wouldn’t be likely for any of them to get the chance to get that close to her, as he had when he first made love to her.

“Alright, sounds good.”

“Well, I guess we’re both going,” he said, grinning. “This will be a great day at work for me.” Even though he still had some apprehension about taking her, he did not want her to feel unwelcome. So yeah, he would put on a happy face. Besides, he had gone hunting with her; it seemed turnabout was fair play.

“I’m looking forward to it. This is going to be so exciting!”

“Plus it’s so much better for you than it would’ve been sitting around here all day. However, we better hurry; the sun will be coming up in about half an hour. You need to be inside long before that happens.”

James grabbed a backpack and put the Resurrection Amulet in it, while Kate took a few gulps from the jug in the fridge. Then she rinsed out her mouth with water and popped a piece of gum in her mouth so no one would smell blood on her breath. Better safe than sorry.

James was waiting for her by the door. When she approached, he reached for her hand, so they could venture out of the apartment together.

James always preferred to walk to work, whether it was raining or not. When he had first moved to the city, he owned a car, but found it irritating to navigate through traffic, so he sold it. That was back when he worked in accounting. Ever since he had started working at
Black Wolf Agency
, he could afford to have several vehicles if he wanted, but never bothered.

The way they walked that morning, it merely took twenty minutes for them to get to
Black Wolf Agency
. James could tell that Kate wasn’t impressed with the outside of the place, for it was simply a small, beat up, old door on the back of an aged brick building. When James had first started working at the agency, he was told that they had chosen this particular shabby looking location so there would be very little chance of their agency being discovered. He briefly explained this to her and she understood their logic.

James got out his key, opened the lock on the door, and they stepped inside. They walked down an old, dark staircase and came upon another door. James lifted a small picture frame off the wall and typed the secret code into the keypad that was hidden underneath. Then he also unlocked the doorknob with a different key. After that, they came to a very short hallway with a black and white checkered tile floor.

“Walk on only the white tiles. If you step on the black tiles, they’ll set off an alarm and they’ll know someone unwelcome is here,” James warned her.

“What is this? Fort Knox? Just the shabby exterior of the building alone is enough to keep intruders away.” They laughed and he lovingly gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before continuing along the obstacle course. Kate made sure to follow his instructions carefully.

When they reached the next door, he unlocked it with the key he had used on the outside door. They walked along another small, dark hallway and came upon yet another door, unlocked this time. When they stepped through that final door, Kate couldn’t believe her eyes. All around them was everything from crystal balls to a malicious-looking, caged troll.

“Wow, this place is amazing!” she said in almost a whisper, as to not attract too much attention. However, she had the feeling that whoever was here already knew they had arrived.

“Yes, it is,” he replied. And he couldn’t wait to show her what he did in action. Well, almost action. He still had training and fieldwork to accomplish before he could be a true hunter.

Just then, a small, red-headed, female fairy wearing a cute little green outfit flew up to them. She stared at Kate, clearly wondering who the stranger was and why she was visiting them.

“Well, hello there,” said Kate with a smile, slowly reaching out to touch the fairy. The little fairy did the same, and as their hands touched, Kate felt a tingly sensation flow through her skin. The fairy giggled and flew away.

“That’s Giselle, a magical fairy from Ireland. She probably just gave you a little ‘zing’ of good luck. She does that to me all the time.”

“Oh, I see,” she said, staring off in the direction where the fairy had disappeared. “What exactly is her job here?”

“She helps with the magical aspect of what we do, does some of the bookkeeping, and cleans hard-to-reach places.”

“Oh, she’s quite handy then. From the looks of your apartment, you could use her help.”

“Yes,” he agreed, looking at her sheepishly. “Well, until recently, I didn’t have much company.”

“Well, hello, James! How are you this morning?” said Yvonne, appearing from behind a book shelf and approaching them.

“I’m doing very well, actually,” he answered, blushing.

“Does the fact that you’re doing well have to do with this beautiful woman standing next to you?”

“Yes, actually, it does. Yvonne, this is Kate, my girlfriend,” he said proudly. Kate smiled at Yvonne’s compliment. “Kate, this is my Aunt Yvonne.”

“Well, hello, Kate, welcome,” she said, smiling brightly. Then Yvonne turned her attention back to James. “I didn’t know you had a girlfriend! Just make sure she doesn’t tell anyone about this place, or I’ll have to use one of my spells on her.”

Yvonne knew something was different about Kate; she just couldn’t place it. However, she felt she had to trust James’s judgment. Would he really put himself in harm’s way on purpose? And if she weren’t human, he would surely know. Kate didn’t seem to be the type to be a killer, though. Maybe Yvonne was reading into this too much.

“She won’t tell,” said James. Kate simply smiled, a little nervous by the woman’s comment. James leaned toward her and whispered in her ear, “Yvonne is a witch. There’s no need to be afraid of her. She’s just kidding around with you. She knows you won’t tell.”

“How does she know?” she whispered back.

“There’s a rule stating that no visitors are allowed, but since she’s my aunt, she trusts me and knows I won’t bring just anyone in here. My mom doesn’t even know about this place. She thinks I’ve been working as an accountant all these years,” he laughed, and she joined in the laughter.