The Beta Read online

  Robert finished his snack in wolf-sized bites. “Shit.” He ran his fingers through his hair. All his emotions were tangled. “My head is saying she’s playing me, but my heart—beast is jerking me around. Did you see anything in her mind about me?”

  “I didn’t take the grand tour. You were dying at my feet.” Daedalus held up the meat. “Another?”

  Robert’s stomach flipped and the acid rose. “No, thanks.” Crossing the kitchen, he opened a cabinet and pulled out the antacids.

  “You’re popping a lot of those lately.”

  He snorted and almost choked on a damn tablet. “I wonder why?”

  Tyler shuffled into the kitchen, his red curly hair sticking out at all angles. He and Katrina shared a bedroom in the basement next to Daedalus’s man-cave. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “What are you guys doing?”

  “Nothing.” Robert and the vampire echoed each other like the twins, Sugar and Spice, did at times. Sugar was Daedalus’s human lover, and Spice the pack’s female alpha.

  “I thought we’re not supposed to keep secrets from each other. Isn’t that some kind of unspoken law after all the crap we’ve been through?” They’d fought side by side as pack to protect each other. “You’re both sneaking around the house like a bomb might go off. Spill it.”

  Tyler was right. They couldn’t hide Esther in the bathroom forever, and he couldn’t just let her go.

  “A vampire slayer tried to kill Daedalus tonight.”

  The remains of sleep vanished from Tyler’s eyes. “Wow. What did you do with the body?”

  Shaking his head, Daedalus gestured to Robert. “He has a crush on her, so he won’t let me finish the deed.”

  “The slayer’s a woman?” He glanced at Robert. “That’s kind of hot.”

  Robert couldn’t help but chuckle. Tyler had that effect on everyone.

  “I think she likes him as well. She seemed pretty distraught when she accidently shot him.” Daedalus glanced at Robert. “Instead of escaping she stayed to help you.”

  “She shot you?” Tyler’s voice rose.

  “Shush, you’ll wake everyone. He’s all right now.” Daedalus stood between both werewolves, glancing back and forth like at a tennis match.

  Robert turned all his attention on the cornered vampire. “Which brings me to the question of how did you know I’d heal if I shifted?”

  “You didn’t know?” Daedalus tilted his head to the side as if surprised.

  “No.” Really, how would they? One didn’t receive an instruction manual when they became a werewolf. Most packs, present day, believed in trial and error, something his alpha was trying to change. New recruits needed a mentor. “Never been shot before tonight. Makes me wonder what else we don’t know.”

  Daedalus rubbed his bald head. “Me too.”

  “You shifted and your injuries healed?” Tyler’s eyes grew wide.

  “It was the coolest thing.” Robert stepped forward. “I fell from four stories with an arrow in my chest. When I woke up Daedalus told me to shift and my beast took control.”

  “An arrow? Like in Robin Hood?” They tripped over each other’s sentences.

  “She used a crossbow. The bolt is like a wooden stake, and she could kill vampires without having to get close, like an assassin.”

  “So she’s smart as well as deadly.”

  “Excuse me.” The Nosferatu cleared his throat. “Let me interrupt your excitement from almost dying. She’s a killer. Nothing romantic about that.”

  “You’re a killer.” Robert’s retort hung in the air. “What’s the difference? You kill those you think are evil, so does she.”

  “I don’t get paid, and I do it to survive.” His gaze narrowed. “And I’m not evil.”

  “Anyway.” Tyler dragged out the word. “What do we do now?”

  “Keep her until Eric and Spice get home, then we can decide.”

  Daedalus rolled his eyes. “She’ll escape by then.”

  “Afraid she’ll get you?” Robert shot back.

  “A little, especially with you mooning over her. I didn’t get this old by being careless. You’re going to get me killed or worse, she’ll get to one of the others in the house.” He plucked her phone from his pocket and scrolled through the messages.

  “What are you looking for?” Tyler leaned in.

  “I want to know how much I’m worth.” He stopped and hit a button.

  Tyler let out a low whistle. “For that much, I’d kill you.”

  The vampire elbowed his skinny friend. “This means trouble. Esther is the first to try, but others might come.” He scratched his chin while examining the email. “I can’t tell who sent this.” Tossing the phone to Robert, he stood and stretched. “Can you do something with it on your computers?”

  Fumbling the phone, Robert finally got a grip on it. “I’ll try. It might help to know who you’ve pissed off.”

  “The list is endless.”

  “What about all those security people you used to have at Pal Robi Inc.? Can’t they help?” Tyler suggested. Daedalus used to run the security company when they hired him to teach them how to fight. It felt like ages ago. He’d quit when he moved in with Sugar.

  “They report to my clan. If word gets out I’m being hunted they may call me home.”

  “Aren’t you some kind of boss? Uh—the Prime?” Robert never wanted to pry in Daedalus’s past. He’d rather be ignorant of the things the Nosferatu had done.

  “Prime does not translate into King. There are many Primes. We’re more like police. Chicago is in my jurisdiction, but eventually the council will question my absence.” Daedalus shrugged. “I’m running out of excuses to remain here.”

  Now Robert understood another reason to Daedalus’s desperation to turn Sugar. He’d have to go home one day and she might not follow as a human. His stomach clenched at the thought of gentle Sugar surrounded by vampires. He crunched another antacid and met Daedalus’s stare.

  “Yeah, you got it.” The vampire stood and crossed the kitchen. “I’ll be in the bedroom until dawn if you get any more information out of that message.”

  Nodding, Robert walked Tyler to the stairs. He went to the second floor and his friend to the basement. Once inside his bedroom he paused by the bathroom door with a chair jammed under the knob. He pressed his ear to the wood and listened. “Esther?”

  After a moment of silence, she answered. “Yeah.”

  “You need anything?”

  “No. Have you decided my fate?” Her voice sounded amused, but he could smell her fear. He didn’t like it and leaned his head against the doorjamb.

  “No.” He sighed. “But I’ll make sure nothing bad happens to you, okay?”

  The sound of shuffling came through the wood as if she drew closer. “Why? I’ve been nothing but terrible to you.”

  He laughed, but there was no mirth to it. “I know. I guess I can’t help being a schmuck.”

  “Are you going to let me out?”

  “Not yet. I’ve got something to do first.”

  Chapter 8

  Stars blanketed the night sky outside of Rob’s bathroom window. Esther kept the light off so she’d see them better. There were worse places to be imprisoned. She had water, a toilet, and if she got bored she’d take a hot bath.

  Cool air blew against her face through the open window, hinting that fall was on the way. The chill soothed the ache around her neck where Daedalus had tried to strangle her. It wouldn’t take much effort to pop the screen out and climb the rainspout to the ground. Not much effort at all.

  She tapped her fingernail on the sill as she considered the possibility. If she left that meant never seeing Rob again and never was a really long time. The thought left an empty pit in her stomach. Since when did she let her heart rule her life?

  Her turning point was the moment Rob melted from his beast form to human as he pinned her to the car. Hunting her down and outthinking her had changed her perspective of him from some cute geek to som
eone she respected. And wanted. Bad.

  Damn, he could have taken her against the car or in the alley at the club, but he always needed to be a gentleman and be dutiful to his pack. Let’s not forget the fucking vampire.

  How did Rob get mixed up with the Nosferatu? He said she only saw the surface of things. Maybe she did, but she couldn’t learn to see more from in here. What was Daedalus telling him? He probably wanted to kill her. That’s how things rolled between their kinds.

  She should have run the moment the arrow struck Rob. Just the memory made her nauseous. He’d come so close to dying. The world would have been worse off without Rob in it. God, she loved everything about him.

  Leaning her forehead on the window, she closed her eyes. She recalled the first time they’d met and how shy he’d been, acting as her protector. Silent and strong, he bore his responsibilities with such seriousness.

  She banged her head on the glass and listened to the rattle. Now or never. Choose a life filled with what-ifs or take a fucking leap of faith on a werewolf who should hate her.

  His possible rejection kept her at the edge of escaping. Her fingers traced the screen. Ah shit, if he broke her heart she’d just gut him.

  The sound of a chair scraping against wood outside the bathroom drew her from her debate. As the door swung open, Rob stood in a halo of light cast from his bedroom lamp. “I need your help.”

  “And if I don’t give it?” She turned from the window and faced him. The desire to help and the fear of being vulnerable twisted her stomach to the point she thought she might vomit right there in front of him.

  He shrugged. “Then I close the door.”

  A shiver ran down her spine. The step she took toward him appeared normal but, in her reality, it was the hardest thing she’d ever done. After all her lies she needed to prove her sincerity somehow. “I’ll help.” Her voice sounded strained even to her own ears.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I…I…” Want to tell you how sorry I am. “I’m fine. What do you need?” She’d apologized enough.

  He gestured for her to follow him. They left his sparsely decorated bedroom and crossed the hall to an office. A long table-like desk lined the wall with two computers side by side with wires running along the edges. On the closest screen was her email sign-in.

  “Your account is pretty secure.” Rob sat at the desk and offered her the chair next to him. “I could break in, but that would take time. I want you to sign-in.”

  “Why?”

  He quirked an eyebrow. “Don’t play coy. It doesn’t suit you.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest. His comment stung. “You won’t be able to trace the emails from this account. They come from a third party.”

  “Let me try.”

  She sighed. It was a test and one she needed to pass. Not for Rob but for herself. If she was going to give herself to him, she would go all the way.

  “Fine.” After typing her ID and password what remained of her resolve faded. She’d been bribed and hunted in the past for information about her contacts and never gave anything over. Apparently, kindness and trust were her Achilles heels. Not like she was giving him her contacts or anything. All he could do was read the emails, even replying didn’t work.

  Rob opened the email offering her twice the usual fee to kill Daedalus. He switched programs and began transferring codes. The computer ran through numbers with a counter at the bottom.

  He twisted in his chair to face her. “I designed this myself. It’s not your run-of-the-mill tracer.” He grinned at her pointed stare. “I like computers. The numbers and codes make sense to me. Everything is black and white, there’s no gray area like people seem to have.” His direct stare bothered her.

  Not knowing where to look, she glanced at a collection of encased Star Trek figures on a shelf. She smiled. “My mother was a Whovian.”

  “What?”

  “Dr. Who. When I was young I was allowed to stay up until one AM on Saturday nights to watch it with her on PBS.” She cleared her throat. “I still like to watch it. You?”

  “I’ve seen it, but I’m not much of a fan.”

  “Really? Are his concepts too advanced for you?” She leaned forward and grinned as his eyes narrowed at her challenge.

  “The show jumps through time, rotates characters and actors, and they interact with historical figures. You have a ship disguised as a phone box, a sonic screwdriver, and a hero who can’t die. The rules of reality don’t apply to Dr. Who. Where Star Trek is a known quantity. It’s set in the future. You have the laws of physics, the crew, and Star Fleet. They visit planets and solve problems in an hour. It’s linear. There really is no comparison.” A satisfied smile crossed his face. “Most of the technology and gadgets we enjoy today were first seen in some form on those early Trek episodes. Cellphones, iTouch, PDAs. Not so much for Dr. Who. The technology of the TARDIS falls into ‘science so advanced it is indistinguishable from magic’ area.” He chuckled and a blush covered his cheeks. “Is my geek showing?”

  She laughed and threw back her head, wincing at the sharp pain from the bruises around her neck.

  Leaning toward her, he tilted her chin to the ceiling. “Let me take a look at that in better lighting.” He took her hand and guided her to his bedroom.

  For a lack of a chair, she sat on the edge of his bed while he went into the bathroom.

  He returned with a cool wet cloth and knelt in front of her.

  The cold soothed the ache of her ligation marks. “Of course, the only real sci-fi show worth watching is Babylon Five.” Her comment brought him up short.

  “You’re full of surprises. I love that show too, but don’t tell my housemates. They’ll start calling me a traitor.”

  She laughed again, and it made her feel free. Nothing about being with Rob was forced. Being with him made her act like, well, herself. Maybe that’s what attracted her to him the most. He made her real. She’d been acting most of her adult life and almost forgot who Esther was.

  “You have a wonderful laugh.” He smiled at her as he stood and rolled his shoulders as if working out some knots. “The computer program will take a few hours to run. We should get some sleep.”

  Patting his twin-sized bed, she winked at him. “Looks cozy.”

  “You can sleep here. I’ll take the floor.”

  She frowned. “I’m not proposing marriage, Rob, just me to keep you warm. I’m much more comfortable than the hard floor.” Lying across the comforter, she cleared her throat as it went dry.

  Her werewolf stared at her with hungry eyes. The amber color of his beast had returned, and a low growl rumbled in his chest. “I bet you are.” His voice had grown deeper, and she got wetter between her thighs.

  Undoing her jacket, she tossed it to the floor, never taking her gaze off him. The drumming of her heart filled her ears. She scooted farther up the bed as he slowly crawled over her. Ever since they’d met, she’d wanted this. Anticipation was such a bitch.

  With a tug, he hooked his fingers around the waistband of her pants and released the button, then the zipper. From under him, he appeared much bigger, stronger than she’d thought.

  In a frantic move, she tugged her t-shirt over her head.

  “Slow down, let me do this.” He took her eager hands from her pants and placed them over her head. Peeling her leather pants from her legs an inch at a time, he followed their path with a trail of kisses. Each caress dragged her closer to the edge.

  “Rob?” Her voice shook.

  The leathers joined her jacket and t-shirt on the floor. “Hmm?” He ran his canines along her hip as he removed her thong.

  “Oh, shit.” Her breaths became desperate.

  “You like that?”

  “Yes.”

  He placed a light kiss on her bikini line, which sent a tremor down her legs. If he went any slower her bottom half would go numb from need. Rising onto his elbow, he lay on his side and unclasped the front of her bra, setting her breasts free.
His gaze was so intense it almost seemed like he stroked her skin.

  More, she needed a lot more. She arched her back, inviting him to touch her.

  With an unsure slide, his hand traveled from her lower abdomen to her chest, then finally to her breast. The brush of his fingertips over her nipples set them on fire.

  Never one to take the backseat when it came to sex, she wrapped her arms around his neck and yanked him close, pressing a frantic hard kiss to his thin mouth. He tasted of scandalous mischief and forbidden cravings.

  If a rescue had busted down the door and interrupted them to set her free, she’d have found her thirty-eight special and shot them between the eyes. Nothing was taking her out of Rob’s arms.

  He leaned to the side and pulled something out of his back pocket. Maybe a condom? With a strong grip, he gathered her hands from his neck and placed them above her head. He pressed his clothed body on top of hers and kissed along her neck.

  Something cold and metallic snapped around her wrists. She yanked reflexively at the cuffs, which he’d secured to one of the headboard’s wooden slats. “What the fuck? Where did theses come from?”

  “Eric, my alpha, left them in our office. I can’t take any chances with you. Then again, with your history, you could probably strangle me with your thighs.” He set the key on his bedside table. “I’m naive, not stupid. Fool me once...” He let the old saying fade, the meaning very clear to her.

  Too bad he didn’t understand she never wanted to fool him again. When she watched him fall off the roof her heart had chosen to run to him instead of away. She’d made her choice, and she’d stick to it until the end. “Fine, I didn’t have plans on going anywhere.” Relaxing into the bed, she stretched her body along its length. “I’m game, then.” She writhed her body under his, grinding her hip against his hard cock.

  The feral glow returned to Rob’s stare, and the carnal hunger that came with it reminded her of what exactly she taunted. It only made her want him more.

  His tongue flashed as he licked his lips. “I wish I could trust you.” The regret in his voice broke her heart, but then he gave her mischievous grin. “I can at least return your favor.”