Omegas (Vanguards Book 1) Read online

  Sam fuming alone wouldn’t help the Omegas situation. They needed to band together even tighter than before. “Set up the board, I’ll get Sam.” She walked down the hall to their apartment and knocked on the door.

  This meant the others could get on with their personal lives. Robert and Eric worked out of their apartment on whatever computer project their company gave them, the others had taken time off, but Sam had lost his job.

  No one answered the door, so she knocked again. “Sam, it’s Sugar. I know you’re in there, open up.”

  The door cracked open and Sam peeked out with his pale gray, red-rimmed eyes.

  “We’re going to play Scrabble. Tyler has the dictionary memorized, and I need you to help me beat him.” She smiled, but he stepped back.

  “I’m not in the mood.”

  “Sam, what’s wrong?” The sound of heavy footsteps echoed up the stair well. She could hear Daedalus chuckle at something Eric said.

  “Ask Mr. Pal Robi.” He closed the door in her face.

  Hands on hips, she swiveled on her lover and best friend as they arrived in the hall.

  “Uh, oh.” Eric turned around as if to descend.

  “Stay where you are, ninja wolf. The three of us need to have words.”

  “Words?” Daedalus glanced at Eric behind him. “Is that a modern way to say ménage?”

  Sugar approached him and slapped his hard abs with the back of her hand. She thought it probably hurt her more than him.

  His eyes flared. “Hey.”

  “Words, means she’s pissed.” Eric peered over Daedalus’s shoulder.

  “If Sam still wants to train, he should be allowed to.”

  “This is why you’re angry? They don’t all have to fight, just one. I need to be able to focus on Eric, and you need to mind your own business.”

  A flash of red blinded her for a moment. She ground her teeth and attempted to form a coherent response. “My business?”

  Daedalus stepped back as she came forward with her finger pointed in his face.

  “You demon loving, zombie breeder. They signed a contract and paid for training. Sam lost his job because they only wanted him to work nights. The others are happy to be off the hook, but Sam still wants in. You need to keep your end of the deal.” His bright blue eyes bored into hers, and she remembered who she was confronting—a very strong and deadly vampire. She swallowed, then retreated a step.

  “Eric, get your sparring partner,” Daedalus said.

  Eric grinned while he brushed past Sugar and went to his apartment to get Sam. As soon as the door closed, Daedalus picked her up and pressed her to the wall. His mouth found hers in a savage kiss.

  She shoved at his shoulders, but she may as well have tried to push a mountain. One of his hands found her breast and pinched her nipple until it pebbled at the attention.

  Her struggles didn’t last long before she surrendered to him and traced her fingertips over his delicate, pointed ears. All her anger evaporated, its heat turned to passion.

  He kissed along her jaw until his fangs rested on her jugular, firm enough to prick.

  Her heart raced, and her blood went cold. Trapped in his arms, she thrashed to escape. A scream built in her throat, but before it came out, he let her go.

  “I didn’t mean to scare you. I assumed you wouldn’t mind.”

  She steadied herself with a hand on the wall. “You thought wrong.”

  “Next time, I’ll ask first.”

  “Yes, please do.” She went up on tiptoe and kissed his cheek to take the sting out of her reaction. A door opened and closed behind her.

  Eric and Sam walked down the hall. Daedalus nodded at them and went down the stairs followed by Sam. No words were exchanged.

  Sugar rolled her eyes. Men.

  Eric stopped beside her before descending. “You okay, sugar bear? You’re pale.”

  “Yeah, fine.” He hadn’t called her that since high school.

  “Looks like Daedalus is helping you grow a backbone too.” He leaned down and kissed her forehead. “He’s good for you.” Then he left to catch up to the others.

  She returned to her apartment with new determination to beat Tyler at Scrabble.

  * * * *

  The next morning Sugar basked in the pale morning light among her cherished plants on the patio. She noticed Katrina peeking around the patio door and she patted the space next to her on the bench while twirling a single red rose under her nose.

  Katrina sat by her and pointed to the flower. “Is it from Daedalus?”

  Sugar smiled and continued admiring the Chicago skyline. The sweet scent of the rose filled her senses. “Yes, I found it by my pillow when I woke up. It came with this poem.” She offered the handwritten note for Katrina to read.

  Her soft giggle, a rare precious thing, shook their shared bench. “It is nice.”

  Sugar took the note. She folded it carefully and placed in her robe pocket. “Who knew he could rhyme?” Their laughter sweetened the morning air. What a romantic gesture. A fire-breathing dragon sleeping in her bed wouldn’t have surprised her as much as Daedalus’s tender gift. She wished he’d woken her up, though.

  “Things are serious between you?” Katrina’s question broke her reverie.

  “I would’ve said ‘no’ until I read the poem.” Sugar sighed, leaned her chin on her hand, and stared back at Chicago. It seemed he might want a relationship after all. The poem said he thought of her through the nights when they were apart and couldn’t wait to get back to her. Maybe she read too much in his words and he meant only the sex.

  She turned to Katrina. “How can I be in a relationship with someone who can’t grow old with me?”

  Katrina blinked, then chuckled. “You are asking the wrong person. Tyler is the romantic.”

  “Speaking of twisted relationships, you snuggled up close to him last night while playing Scrabble. Are you his mate?”

  Katrina lowered her gaze.

  Sugar could almost see her friend physically shrinking back inside herself. She reached out to touch her knee. “You’re my friend, Katrina. Whatever happened in the past is over? Don’t build walls between yourself and those who care about you. Build them between yourself and the past.”

  Katrina let out a shaky breath. “I know. I am lucky to have such good friends. It will take time. Tyler will wait, he says.” She looked back at Sugar with a fragile smile. “You take some of your own advice.”

  “What?”

  “You need to build a wall to your past. Daedalus is a strong vampire but he has a gentle heart.” She tapped her chest with this proclamation.

  “Gentle heart?”

  “See?” She craned her neck around, then showed her wrists. “No bites, he’s never touched me or fed from me. He has not even asked, but somehow knows my pain. Gentle heart. He is a good person.”

  Sugar caressed the folded piece of paper in her pocket with new insight. A tough exterior and a soft heart. It didn’t change the fact she was human and he a vampire.

  Katrina touched her knee. “Daedalus is good for you. I see the change in you.”

  “What change?”

  “You walk different.”

  “Well...he’s kind of big, and I did get sore…”

  “Eww! Not that!” Katrina giggled while slapping playfully at Sugar. “You have a swing in your steps.”

  Sugar lifted an eyebrow and tilted her head. She loved Katrina with all her heart, sometimes the language barrier made things difficult though.

  Katrina sighed with frustration and got up. “I…” She pointed at herself. “I am you.” She pointed at Sugar, then started walking around the patio, swinging her hips as she took great strides with her short legs.

  Sugar’s mouth dropped open. “I do not walk like Betty Boop.” She laughed at Katrina. Tyler’s sense of humor had rubbed off on her. Sugar would do anything to have things work out for them.

  Laughing, Katrina came to sit by her again. They watched as the clouds floated by the city and the planes made trails marring the sky.

  “I noticed all of you leaving together last night. Where did you go?”

  Katrina bounced sitting on the bench. “Daedalus took us out to the woods. No tame city park, but far into the wild.” She said ‘wild’ with awe and wonder. “You know the Nosferatu clan and wolf shifters shared the hunt in old times?”

  “No. What clan?”

  “Daedalus’s clan, Nosferatu. He is upset we know nothing of it. He’s angry the packs lost their way with the old law. He’s teaching us more than fighting.” Pride rang in Katrina’s voice. Something Sugar hadn’t heard before. Daedalus must have inspired it. Her vampire warrior with the soft heart.

  Chapter 6

  The window stuck as Daedalus tried to slide it open. Silence was of the essence on his mission, so he couldn’t force it with his strength. Footsteps echoed in the alley below. He froze and became one with the brick building as he hung upside down, held by his fingertips and toes.

  A human male strolled by while whistling Dixie under his breath. The man rummaged through the trash cans as if shopping at the market.

  Silently, he banged his forehead against the brick. His sweet, juicy target slept on the other side of the glass. Close enough that her scent made his mouth water.

  Lavender mixed with clean cotton.

  On any other night he would have had the patience to wait out the homeless man. Not tonight. He built a low growl in his chest and let it vibrate through the alley.

  The man’s lid crashed to the ground followed by the pitter-patter of running feet.

  He grinned. About time. With a little applied pressure to the frame, the window opened enough to slip inside.

  Sugar slept soundly, cocooned in her soft, thick blanke
ts. Probably tired after an evening spent in laughter with her friends. Quiet snores escaped her blissful rest. Unaware of the shadow that slid into her room and stalked around her bed. Ignorant of the monster who wished to feed on her sweet, yielding body.

  Delicious.

  He removed his underwear, one of only two things he wore, and tossed it in a corner. With preternatural quiet he untucked the covers from the mattress. The blanket flowed off her in a smooth slow motion, lest she be woken too early. She laid spread across the white cotton sheets. An undersized, blue t-shirt barely covered her generous round bosom, her midriff exposed above a pair of white panties clinging to her hips.

  A beautiful midnight snack.

  * * * *

  The bed quivered as someone crawled over her. Sugar woke, startled, and tried to sit up, but something heavy kept her pinned and held her hands to the bed. Her heart raced. She struggled against the solid mass and kicked out. A scream tore from her throat and she smacked her forehead against a stone wall. She flopped back, rubbing the bump forming. “Ow.”

  “Oh babe.” Strong fingers pulled her hand away, replacing it with a pair of lips.

  “Daedalus?” She blinked her eyes open. “Did I hurt you?” She sensed his smile against her skin.

  “It takes more than a head butt to dent my skull.” He leaned away. “Hey, sweet thing.” A husky male voice cut through her confusion. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

  Relief swept through Sugar.

  The weight of his delicious body pressed her to the bed. He gave her a moist, deep kiss while laughter rumbled in his chest.

  Her irritation dissolved instantly. Still pinned, she kissed him, yearning for him, and joined in with her giggles.

  Their embrace grew longer and deeper, the laughter forgotten.

  She explored his mouth, touching both delicate, sharp fangs with the tip of her tongue, careful not to prick herself. His lips were soft, such a contrast to the rest of him. This time he tasted of…mint.

  He released her hands and tangled his fingers in her curls. He kissed her like he was drowning and could only find breath in her mouth. She would have let him inhale her.

  She ran her palms down his powerful, sturdy shoulders, along his bare, solid back, to his round, hard ass. The taut skin covering his well-defined muscles registered in her consciousness. She pulled from his kiss. “You’re naked.”

  “And you’re not.” Amusement filled his voice. Sitting up, he straddled her hips, and efficiently tugged off her shirt. He wrapped her panties in fingers and with a quick snap of his wrist, tore them from her hips.

  She gasped at the rough treatment but didn’t care. Her attention was focused on Daedalus. The nightlight on her wall gave enough illumination for her to finally see him nude. Every sculpted muscle moved visibly under his pale skin as he undressed her, his gestures fluid and precise.

  The black snake eating its tail tattoo over his heart was the symbol of eternal life. She had googled it at work. It fit him. Her gaze trailed down to what she had only felt but not seen. His cock stood huge and erect against his hard abdomen.

  When he saw the object of her curiosity, he gave her a crooked smile then stroked his cock while his gaze traveled along her body. “You’re so luscious, Sugar.”

  She wanted to taste him. Make him beg for mercy. Control all the power with only her mouth. Something silky hanging around his neck distracted her. “Are you wearing a white scarf?”

  “I’m in the mood to play.” He pulled it off, and then snapped it between his hands.

  She jumped at the sharp pop. “What do you have in mind?” She licked her dry lips.

  A wicked grin exposed a little fang while he tied her wrists to the headboard.

  She tugged futilely at her bonds out of reflex, not fear. The silk, smooth and cool, held tight. Scandalous delight coursed through her. She’d never done anything like this before. Yet the efficient way he’d bound her meant he had.

  The slow, easy way he stroked her skin sent a chill down her spine.

  “Let’s discuss the rules.”

  She dragged her eyes from those magical hands touching her. “Rules?”

  His grin returned. “Can I feed?”

  Sugar blinked and glanced at her bonds. What had she gotten herself into?

  “You said I didn’t frighten you.” He lay next to her and brushed his fingertips along the edges of her belly button.

  She watched him admiring her breasts. “I lied.” She hated the quiver in her voice. “It’s not you. I’m worried about what you are. Won’t I become a vampire if you bite me?”

  His gaze didn’t leave her breasts. “No, the world would be over populated with us if it were so simple.”

  “Will it hurt?”

  “I’d never hurt you, Sugar,” he whispered. She could hear the ache of disappointment in his voice.

  The light breath he blew across her nipples made them pebble, sending a potent snap of sensual awareness to her core. No one had ever made her feel so wanted.

  He continued examining her body with heated interest. “No biting, then.” He glanced up at her and grinned. “No kneeing.”

  She nodded. “No kneeing.”

  “If I do something you don’t like, you shout…touchdown.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding. I’m not saying that.”

  He chuckled. “If you don’t, I won’t stop.”

  She tugged at the scarf again and sighed. “Touchdown.”

  With a vicious growl, his lush mouth claimed her over-stimulated nipple and made her spine arch, stretching her body along the length of his. His hand slid up to fondle her other nipple. He rolled it. Pinched it. Pulled at it.

  She couldn’t help but cry out. Over the past days, she’d craved his touch.

  He licked, tasted, and nibbled her skin. Waves of delight made her shudder as he paused at her navel to lap around it. She hoped he would do this to her clit, and just the idea made her writhe.

  His hand brushed the curly, pale hair covering her sex. He stroked down between her thighs and then slipped a finger deep inside her core. Sliding it in and out, his finger petted her.

  A moan escaped her at the torturous slow rhythm.

  “More?” His voice sounded husky with need.

  “Yes…”

  He wedged his broad shoulders between her thighs and spread them wide to display her like a banquet.

  Still wrapped in the silk bonds, she remained vulnerable to his every desire.

  She lifted her head to gaze at him, only to meet his half-lidded, intense stare. He held her attention as his head lowered. She squirmed helplessly, gasping when he lapped, then flicked his marvelous tongue. He did devious things with his mouth, and her arousal intensified, blowing any coherent thoughts from her mind.

  “Daedalus!”

  He raised his face to lean his chin on her lower hip. “Do you need me to stop?” She could hear the amusement in his voice. One day there would be payback.

  “No, please, no!”

  Her pleas elicited a crooked smile from him before he dipped down to plunge his tongue inside of her. He tasted her with a satisfied rumble.

  It was all she could do to catch her breath. The pleasure built and filled her core, overwhelming her consciousness. She lifted her hips as bliss assaulted her senses. It blazed through her like wildfire. She bucked and Daedalus held her to him so he could suck harder to increase her orgasm. Only when her voice became hoarse did she hear her own cries, fading with her climax.

  As she lay dazed from her near out-of-body experience, he crawled up her sweat-soaked body. Pressed against her, he kept her pinned, then slid his firm cock to the entrance of her core.

  “Do you want this?” His voice had deepened.

  She searched his face, looking for something familiar and found nothing but need. It went beyond lust. He allowed her a glimpse of his loneliness. The question wasn’t about sex. It was about him. “Yes.”

  He thrust himself inside her, even with her wetness, he needed to work himself in. A gasp at the tormenting ecstasy fled her lips when he filled her. The feel of him, stiff and hard, pushing inside, made her thrash and pull at her restraints. The tips of her breasts rubbed against the firm flesh of his chest, eliciting another gasp from her.

  “Let...let me go.” She wanted to touch him. No, who was she kidding? She wanted to grab him and ride him.

  He ignored her plea while he pushed back in. Thrusting gently at first, he built a rhythm that grew deeper and harder with each stroke. Out of control, she needed to feel the solidness of him to ground herself. “Please...please... I need...” She couldn’t remember the word he’d told her to shout.