Beta (Vanguards Book 3)

  Beta

  By

  Annie Nicholas

  Chapter One

  The weight of responsibility sat on Robert’s chest like an elephant. If he was human, he would have thought it a heart attack. The alphas of the Vasi werewolf pack had left Chicago on their honeymoon, which left Robert in charge.

  His only goal? Keep the pack intact for one week. Three days remained of that week. Seventy-two hours. He could do this. What could go wrong?

  He folded his eyeglasses and placed them in their protective case, tucking it in his back pocket. If they broke it wasn’t a big deal. They weren’t prescription anymore since his vision improved when he became a werewolf. He patted his pocket. They were a reminder of what he had lost.

  The apartment on the other side of the door in front of him sounded quiet. Too quiet. The shifter who lived here was known for being loud and talking before thinking. Robert took a deep breath and prayed it wouldn’t be his last. Burgundy paint cracked and flaked when his knuckles rapped the door.

  “What?” a deep voice barked from the other side.

  This part of his duties to the pack blowed. Glaring at the door, he restrained his beast who didn’t like being pushed into this situation any more than he did. “Let me in, Talon.” How was he supposed to take this wolf seriously with a name like that?

  The door cracked open, and a set of dark brown eyes challenged him through a veil of unwashed hair. Talon’s beast had too much control over him. Shifters like him gave their race a bad name. “What’s the problem, Bob?”

  A growl rumbled in Robert’s chest at the jibe. “It’s Robert, or do you want me to start addressing you by your given name, Timothy?”

  Pulling the door open, Talon loomed over him. “You can address me any way you want, asshole, but I ain’t responsible for my actions.”

  “Actually, that’s why I’m here.” This type of macho posturing was why Robert left his old pack. He didn’t have time to waste on pieces of shit like Talon and could care less about werewolf hierarchy. It’s why Robert was a natural omega. His new pack was sick though, which forced him to take on roles that didn’t fit right and do things that he’d normally avoid.

  Like now.

  Robert’s teeth elongated, just a small shift, then he jumped the idiot. They landed on the apartment’s carpeted floor hard enough to rattle the windows. He bit the flesh over Talon’s carotid, not piercing the skin. Not yet.

  Talon’s pulse pounded against his teeth. Rapid. Strong.

  Robert shuddered as the urge to tear into the shifters throat grew unbearable. The scent of stale cigarette smoke permeated his senses, making Robert want to gag, distracting his baser instincts, and giving him the chance he needed for control.

  Preferring to remain mostly in his human form, Robert had learned, with a ton of painful practice, to shift certain body parts instead of all at once. Now he could grow his claws or teeth at will. It took concentration and exquisite control to accomplish it. As far as he knew, no other Vasi had this ability.

  “So.” He let the word roll in his chest as he spoke around a mouthful of Talon’s flesh.

  His prey didn’t struggle, which surprised the hell out of him. He expected…some kind of retaliation. Despite the lack of resistance, Talon still smelled of fury. He wasn’t fooling Robert.

  Placing a knee on the other wolf shifter’s sternum, Robert pressed his one-hundred-and-eighty-pound frame on him. Claws grew from Robert’s fingertips and he rested them under Talon’s eye. He released his grip on the idiot’s throat. “Rumors are racing through the pack. I thought I’d get the truth from the source.”

  Three more days, he only had to keep things together for three more freaking days before Eric and Spice returned home.

  When Eric won the alpha’s challenge two years ago, Robert thought their problems were over, but they’d just begun. The pack they had inherited was full of depravity. Eric, Daedalus, and Robert had chased off most of the troublemakers, but a few issues remained, like Talon.

  “Some concerned pack mates called me.” Sweat trickled down Robert’s spine from the strain of refusing to shift completely and kill the other male. “They’re worried you’re going to try something stupid.”

  “Like what? Kick your ass?”

  “That’s exactly what I heard. That you want to challenge me for my position.” If Talon was a better person, Robert would hand him the job. Alas, Talon was a muscle factory with no brains and didn’t qualify.

  Movement in the window across the room caught Robert’s attention.

  Daedalus stood outside on the ledge of the third-story apartment. The ancient vampire gave Robert a thumbs-up then leaned against the frame and just watched.

  Great, that’s just what Robert wanted. A judgmental audience.

  Talon suddenly shifted under his weight and threw him off balance. Landing on his side, Robert rolled with the momentum and rose to his feet. Years of training with Daedalus kicked in.

  Talon’s hands reached for his neck, but he twisted out of his way, grabbed his opponent’s head and slammed it into the wall.

  The plaster cracked and dented inward. Sliding to the floor, Talon lay still.

  Robert stumbled back, waiting, but Talon didn’t move. He flipped the shifter over, but his eyes remained rolled back in his head. Robert blinked. He’d won that easily? No bruises or broken bones. Nice.

  He pumped his arm. All those antacids he’d popped this afternoon were for nothing.

  A tap at the window reminded him of his audience. Robert hid his cringe before he dragged his gaze to his vampire trainer.

  Daedalus gestured to open the window, so he complied.

  “Did you kill him?”

  “No.” Robert glanced at Talon.

  “You’re within your rights. Your pack mates were approached to help him attack you.” Daedalus squeezed his six-foot frame through the opening into the apartment. “What a dump.”

  “Killing won’t solve my problems. I need to earn the pack’s respect so no one will think to challenge me again. Talon’s death will leave a vacancy for some other jerk to fill. Let everyone see the bruises I left him with instead.” He glanced over his shoulder at the vampire. “Not to mention, killing is wrong.” The idea of murder appealed to his inner beast. Good thing he always maintained strict control over his baser instincts and not the other way around. Too bad he couldn’t say the same for Talon.

  Some pack members held poor dominance over their inner beast, losing too much of their humanity as the animal nature took more and more control of their personality. Some poor souls lost it all and became nothing but animals needing to be put down. The old alpha allowed terrible things like this to happen, which had left the pack a mess.

  “In some instances, killing is necessary.” Daedalus crossed the room, baring his fangs as he crouched next to Talon.

  “Don’t.”

  The vampire warrior paused and raised his eyebrow. “I need to feed.”

  Talon was an asshole and probably deserved losing a little blood to Daedalus, but he belonged to Robert, was his responsibility. He was also helpless. “You don’t know where he’s been. He probably tastes like he smells.” The vampire thought tossing Robert around the practice mat taught good fighting skills. After the way Robert just defeated Talon maybe the vampire really knew what he was doing. Didn’t mean Robert could defeat him in a fight, defending someone who’d been planning his murder.

  Daedalus paused. “He’ll come after you again. Creatures like Talon always do.”

  Hanging his head, Robert shook it. Only three more days, then these kinds of decisions went back on his alpha’s shoulders. “Let him be. I’ll deal with it if he didn’t learn his lesson tonight.” Ever
ybody deserved a second chance.

  Disappointment passed over Daedalus’s face. It better be over his missed meal and not Robert’s decision. He and the vampire were far from being friends, but he did respect the bastard’s opinion.

  “Let’s go,” Robert said. “I’m sure there’s still time to find another juicy evil-doer before sunrise for you to snack on.” He left the apartment and heard Daedalus close the door as he followed.

  “You did well tonight.” Daedalus slapped his back so hard it rattled his molars. “There’s a warrior in you. I knew it. We’ll schedule more sparing time together. Hone your reflexes and increase the speed of your attacks.” The Nosferatu eyed Robert’s shoulders and arms. “Maybe add some bulk with more weight training.”

  “I don’t think—”

  Daedalus waved and ran ahead. “I’ll see you tomorrow night, buddy.”

  “—that’s necessary.” God, they were buddies now? He sighed. Crap and a truckload of it. He had no desire in being a warrior and more sparring time meant more bruises.

  Fuck.

  He descended the stairs out of Talon’s apartment building and exited onto the sidewalk. At this time of the night, traffic trickled one car at a time. The neighborhood left much to be desired, and he had parked his car blocks from here to avoid any theft. Muggers were welcomed to try him though. If he had to, he’d bust out his beast in an emergency.

  Supernatural races were legal citizens, after all, but they still needed to be discreet. Occasionally, a pitchfork-and-torch-wielding mob formed, so the Vasi stayed low-key. They didn’t need bad publicity.

  Esther Longfellow had watched her mark climb through the third-story window of the red brick apartment building across the street. The vampire had used his fingertips placed in the mortar joints to scale the wall. He did it with such ease, her stomach went queasy. After standing on the sill for a few minutes, Daedalus had crawled inside through the window.

  His friend had entered by the fucking door fifteen minutes earlier. What were they doing? A vampire of Daedalus’ strength didn’t need assistance entering a building.

  She’d hunted vampires for years, but never one from the Nosferatu clan. She liked living too much to try, but the contract on Daedalus’ life had a lot of zeros. Before signing anything, she wanted to assess the situation. The dead couldn’t spend money.

  Her heart had seized in her chest earlier, when out of nowhere the vampire had passed her on the street. He wasn’t difficult to recognize. The Nosferatu didn’t even try to disguise his species. Bald head, exposed pointed ears curling on each side, and a flash of fang as he’d spoken to the handsome young man next to him. It had to be Daedalus. His presence sucked the oxygen out of the air. She doubted Chicago could house more than one Nosferatu vampire. They were very territorial.

  What a lucky break. She’d followed him and his friend from a distance to a bad neighborhood and a decrepit apartment building. She then ducked into the alley across the street and watched. With the right preparation, she could kill anything.

  Crouching in the alley across from the apartments, she aimed her digital camera and zoomed the night vision on the vampire as he now exited through the front door. No doubt about it, he matched the pictures in her file. Why did he go in through a window and out the door? What evil was he up to?

  She took a calming breath. Now wasn’t the time to attack. Her bag of tricks sat in the trunk of her car and she wouldn’t fall prey to him by being stupid. She respected what she hunted. The ultimate predator. Even regular vampires feared Nosferatu.

  This takedown would need a lot of preparation, two of them being a quick getaway and a comfortable hole to hide in for the rest of her life. The Nosferatu clan was a vengeful lot.

  If she succeeded in slaying a Prime like Daedalus, they’d write her name in the slayer’s history book. She grinned. Legally, what she did for a living was considered murder but, in her book, she served on the side of justice. Someone had to police the blood suckers and keep them in check.

  Watching him disappear down the block, she leaned against the alley wall. She couldn’t chance following him anymore and risk discovery. There was too much to lose. First, she needed to collect more information such as what he did at night, who worked for him, and best of all, where he rested during the day. She hadn’t become successful by being spontaneous.

  The vampire’s friend, the one who had walked him here, exited the building now. He wore a rumpled button-down, short-sleeved shirt tucked into loose jeans. His mouse brown hair cried for a cut and a comb.

  He pushed his glasses up his nose and bent to tie his running shoes.

  Esther heard opportunity knocking. He didn’t appear like a threat. More like an adorable lost puppy. She crossed the street and approached him from behind. “Excuse me. Do you have the time?”

  Glancing over his shoulder, his gaze traveled along her bare legs, to her knee length loose skirt, and finally met her stare. Her breath caught in her throat. The irises of his eyes reflected a non-existent light and shone pale amber. He blinked and it vanished, must have been the glasses that gave such a strange effect.

  He rose in a single fluid motion that set her predator alarm off. Checking his cellphone, he gave her a shy smile. “It’s ten after two.” He scanned the area around them. “This is a dangerous part of town, ma’am. You shouldn’t walk around alone.”

  Or maybe find him. Did he just ma’am her? She eyed his bare arms and changed her assessment. Lean, tight muscles slid under his skin as he moved. He wasn’t a puppy, even though the glasses made him a appear harmless, she wasn’t fooled.

  “Are you offering to walk me home?” Flashing him her most flirtatious smile, she toyed with a piece of her hair.

  He visibly swallowed. “Sure.” He fell in next to her, eyes darting around them.

  Men were so easy to manipulate, but this one actually wanted to protect her. So cute, she could have pinched him. Trying to be discreet, she took quick peeks at him. Nice strong chin and straight nose. Maybe a hint of freckles? It was difficult to tell in the dark.

  “I’m Esther.” She held out her hand. What the hell prompted her to use her real name? Maybe she wasn’t as unaffected by his boy-next-door looks.

  Wrapping a firm hand around hers, he shook it. “I’m Robert.”

  His touch sent tingles over her skin. The name seemed too mature for him. “What are you doing out so late, Rob?” How was he connected with the Nosferatu? She checked his neck for bites and didn’t see anything, but there were more places on the body to feed from besides the neck. She’d helped blood slaves escape their vampire masters before.

  “Robert is fine. I was checking on a…friend.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “And you, Esther?”

  She laughed. “I’m up to no good.” And she winked at him.

  A blush surfaced on his cheeks. Oh dear, she was a goner.

  Nice guys didn’t exist in her field of work and she didn’t cross paths with them. After a while she decided they just didn’t exist. She entangled her arm around his and leaned against him. The strength hidden under the exterior sent a shiver through her body. Not all things were as they appeared apparently. She hated surprises but not this one. Glancing at him, she was pleased to find she needed to arch her neck back slightly to meet his sharp green gaze.

  God, what was she doing? She assessed him like a potential lover instead of a possible avenue to kill her mark. Focus. Once Daedalus was out of the picture, then she’d have the time for someone like Rob. If she still wanted him. Until then… after a couple of blocks, she stopped in front of a duplex. “This is my place.” She lied with the ease of an expert.

  “All right.” He sounded unsure as if he didn’t believe her. So maybe she wasn’t such an expert. “It was nice meeting you, Esther.” His gaze flickered to hers, and he cleared his throat. “Would you like to have coffee sometime?”

  She melted to the spot, unable to pull her gaze away from his. Coffee? “I’d like that.” The an
swer came out before she knew it, and it rung with honesty. Something she didn’t hear often enough, even from her own mouth. That was…different. In a good way.

  He grinned, relief awash on his expression. It changed his face from merely handsome to drop dead gorgeous. That smile stole her ability to speak. He took out his cellphone. “Give me your number and I’ll call you to make plans.”

  Torn, her heart fluttered in a small flight of frenzy. She wanted to see him, but knew she could never give him what he wanted. Not with his connection to Daedalus. She would only hurt him and she wasn’t in the business of breaking hearts. Only staking them.

  Smiling, she took his cell and input a fake number. Better for him if she kept him at arm’s length, but she wanted one more thing before they parted. She stepped closer. “Won’t you kiss me goodbye?”

  Returning his phone to his pocket, Rob ran his hands along her arms as he bent forward. The light, chaste brush of lips on hers sparked a craving far hungrier than she’d ever experienced.

  As he withdrew, she followed and threw her arms around his neck, closing the distance between their bodies.

  His shoulders tensed, but she didn’t release him as she licked his bottom lip, asking to enter. He opened his mouth, getting braver when she moaned and pressed harder against him. Strong arms engulfed her, fingers threading through her hair, as Rob bent into her body.

  She wished she could say she didn’t enjoy it, but the fire behind his kiss almost had her ready to forget the contract. Running her hands down his back, she took slow pleasure in the lean power under his clothes. Every defined muscle traced a delicious image in her mind. She continued down until she grabbed his ass.

  This time the moan that tore from her throat came involuntarily. Damn, she wanted him bad, but she did what she had to and finished the kiss by softly nipping his bottom lip.

  His eyes widened, and he touched the spot where she’d bitten him.

  “Too much?”

  He raised an eyebrow. “I liked it. I’m just surprised that I did.”