Blood Legacy: Adult Urban Fantasy (The V V Inn Book 5) (11 page)

All conversation stops as people turn to openly stare at me. The bartender tenses. “And where did you say you’re from, mister?”

I smile and rest my palms on the bar, relaxing my limbs and trying my damnedest to look like I’m not a threat. For some reason, my asking about their leader has made the energy in the bar fly off the charts with agitation. “I didn’t.” I extend my hand in greeting. “I’m Jon Winchester, visiting from Alaska.”

My casual approach and openness has done the trick. The Were behind the counter grasps my hand, giving it a solid pump up and down, and with his acceptance the tension around us lowers. “I’m
Emmanuel
. Manny for short. Welcome to San Telmo.” He waves to the rest of the patrons with a slow smile. “I promise they won’t bite—for now.” He drops my hand and reaches for a pint glass. “Can I get you a beer?”

I look over the draft pulls on tap. “I’ll take a
Dos Equis
. So, Manny, are you the guy in charge? I stopped by as a courtesy, to let the local pack know I was here on an extended business trip and not a loner you need to worry about.”

“I’m not the alpha,” his gaze drifts behind me, over my right shoulder. “But I—”

A sultry female voice rumbles behind me. “Thanks, Manny.”
 

I turn, coming face to face with the sexiest female werewolf I’ve ever laid eyes on. She’s tight and toned, close to my height, but still carrying an impressive set of womanly curves. Short black hair done in a messy, carefree style, frames a pair of sexy, dark-as-sin eyes, set in a face with full lips. “I’m Magdelena. Hector’s former wife and the new reigning alpha.”

Sexual pheromones fill the air between us, and I can’t tell if it’s from her or me. My breath freezes in my chest, ensuring I don’t fall prey to my baser instincts and mount her like a horny dog. It’s got to be her. Sure, she’s hot, but what the hell? I do have a girlfriend I like a lot. It isn’t like me to feel this way about someone I just met.
 

How is she their leader? Did she defeat the former alpha with her pussy?

My thoughts must be broadcast on my face because her expression turns surly when I don’t immediately respond.
 

“Uh… hi. I’m Jon,” I say, rushing in to erase the damage. She still doesn’t look very happy with me as I stumble on. “I apologize for my reaction. You’re the first female leader I’ve met who rules on her own—without a mate.”

She shrugs one shoulder and cocks a hip against the chair next to me. “Not all of us are created equal.”

My gaze travels up and down her body, noting the truth in her statement in a way she more than likely didn’t intend. “So… er, uh… Hector? What happened to him?”

The sexy werewolf turns away, facing the rest of the Weres in the bar. “He didn’t agree with me, so he had to go.” She takes a moment to watch the reactions of the people around her, nodding once or twice at something she sees in the others. “And yes, I killed him—by myself.” She returns her attention to me and holds up a delicate hand. Before my eyes it shifts and sprouts claws, the fingers lengthening and growing into a strong, weapon-like hand and paw mixture.
 

My cock lurches in my pants, surprising me with the immediate stimulus response that triggered arousal and not fear. She’s the first female Were I’ve seen who can change into a combination of a wolf and a human, at will. I’ve only witnessed one guy who could do it—and that was at a yearly regional pack rally with other Weres up in Canada. He was a bit of a dick, too. Flaunting his skill to intimidate us. Romeo, my former pack leader, ignored him and the rest of us followed suit.

A full-body transformation would leave a human/wolf hybrid creature—a true “wolfman.” One that could kick serious ass over a Were in human form or one in full werewolf form. It’s a powerful skill I’ve heard is usually confined to only a handful of male alphas.

Her nostrils flare, picking up my interest. I try and lock down the unwanted reaction, unwilling to send her the wrong message. I’m taken. No matter how fucking hot she is. I’m starting to fall in love with Candy, right? The attraction to another person—even if it is to a magnificent female alpha any werewolf would give his left nut to possess—feels disloyal.

Quick as a wink, she senses my emotional reaction, shutting down her onslaught of sexual hormones.
 

Her head tilts to the side as she examines me with curiosity. “Tell me what you didn’t tell Manny.”

“And what would that be?”

“Why are you here?”

The hand in my pocket closes over the house keys Rafe gave me, a very solid reminder of why I’m here and what I can’t reveal. “Work, mostly.”

She smiles. “Your words sound true, for the most part. I get the feeling there’s more you aren’t telling me. Care to expand?”

“I really can’t, sorry. But you can rest assured I’m not a lone wolf looking to hone in on your territory. I don’t know how long I’ll be here, but I don’t think I’ll be here by the end of the season.”

Her changed hand comes to rest on the bar next to one of mine, tapping out a deadly staccato, making dents in the wood surface with her long sturdy claws. “That’s good, because we don’t deal well with loners. Especially after what hit the news earlier tonight.”

“Hold on a sec. You thought I might have been the animal in the attack that killed someone?” I sink onto the high stool by the bar. “Of all the strangest things I’ve been accused of, that has to take the cake. But seriously, you think it might be a werewolf?”

She looks around the room once more, then settles her smoldering gaze back on me. “More importantly, the medical examiner thinks it’s a wild animal who’s bigger than any domestic dog or native predator.”

“How did you hear that? I haven’t seen it in the news.”

“Friends in high places. Let’s go to my office in the rear and we’ll talk.” Without a backward glance, she walks away through the throng of Weres, weaving a path toward a hallway in the back.
 

I follow, passing close through the tables, sensing every eye on me. I can’t tell yet if these wolves are happy with their new leader, or plotting her demise. It’s the oddest feeling.

We stride into a small office and she closes the door behind us. The thick wood mutes the noise from the bar, cocooning us in a pocket of relative quiet. “I miss Hector,” she says in a soft voice, regret tingeing her tone.

“Then why did you kill him?” I ask, leaning against the wall, admiring her tight curves.

“I didn’t have a choice.”

“We all have a choice when it comes to killing, honey.”

She lunges forward, her clawed hand digging into the wood paneling beside my head. “Don’t ‘honey’ me, you cocky son of a bitch. You weren’t here. You don’t know the choices I had to make or why.” Bitterness creeps across her face, dimming her beauty. “All you should concern yourself with is the fact I dealt with the issue on my own, when no other man in the pack was strong enough to do so.”

I raise my hands to reinforce I’m harmless. “Take it easy, lady. I’m sure you had your reasons.” I motion my head toward the door. “How did the rest of them take it?”

“At first, there was a lot dissension among the men. But once I kicked a few asses they settled into line.” She retracts her claws, transforming back to fully human, her slim hand looking perfectly normal again, and wanders to her desk to take a seat. “But then the first murder happened two days ago and all eyes turned to me.”

“You mean the woman beaten to death? I read about that on my flight over. Why would they think you were responsible?”

“I knew her. She was a member of a small coven of witches in the barrio.” She gazes toward a high window in the stucco wall, set near the ceiling. A sliver of moonlight leaks in, illuminating the delicate lines of her face and shining on her short hair. “She was quiet, nice, stuck to herself—not a flashy witch—yet.”

“Okay, well, that doesn’t sound like a reason you’d kill her.”

“I didn’t. But the pack knew I didn’t like her.”

“Why?”

“Because she’d had an affair with Hector two years ago.” A phone vibrates on the desk in front of her. She picks it up and reads an incoming text, not sharing the message or elaborating further. Not that I expected her to either.

“No offense, but that’s a long time to hold a grudge, especially if you already killed the man.”

She looks to me and nods. “Yes, I think most of them felt that way. Knew I wouldn’t take action so long after the incident.”

“Meaning if you were going to kill her, you would have done it two years ago when you found out?”

“Yes. But this second death—that’s the real problem.”

“Well spill it lady because I’m jet-lagged and the obvious isn’t really happening for me right now.”

“Whatever animal killed the second victim is bigger than a werewolf.”

“Okay, so? Doesn’t that mean you guys are off the hook?”

“Not when your whole pack knows you can transform into something much bigger than an average werewolf—and inflict damage none of them could emulate.”

“You’re saying your whole pack thinks
you’re
the killer?”

She nods, pain filling her eyes. “Not the whole pack, I don’t think, but definitely the majority. And most of them are avoiding the bar altogether.” She straightens in her chair, smoothing her hands over the pristine desk blotter. “That’s why I called you back here.”

“Uh… need a little help? Still don’t get it.”

“You’re an outsider. Not connected to me or my pack. I need you to help prove my innocence and catch the real killer.”

My jaw drops open. You could have knocked me over with a feather, I’m so shocked. That sure as hell wasn’t what I expected. “How? I’m here for my own… work. I don’t have time to spare for your issues.”

She stands and comes around the desk, leaning her bottom on the front edge. “Sure you do, Jon. Because if you don’t, I’m going to tell them
you’re
the one who did the killing. And I’ll spread it to all the supes in town.”

“Ha! Like anyone would believe you. Good luck with that. I was still in the air when the animal attack occurred.” I reach for the knob, ready to let myself out and get away from this crazy she-wolf with the Napoleon complex.

“Maybe you’ll change your tune when I tell you I’ve already had someone follow your scent trail back to the home you’re staying in. How would your vampire master feel if she knew you gave away her location within hours of her arrival?”

Anger boils under my skin as I turn back and face Magdelena. That must have been the info she received via text. Could it have been the two Weres who left the bar right after I arrived? “You send anyone after her and you’ll be signing their death warrants. She doesn’t take kindly to unwanted visitors.”

The woman chuckles. “She’s only one vampire, and there are many supernaturals in the city. I doubt very highly she could stop them all. And my trackers reported she smelled very, very old. I bet she has a lot of enemies.” She trails a finger across the smooth surface of her desk, seemingly calm and collected while she issues Vivian’s death threat. She’s one scary lady. “You have a decision to make, don’t you?”

I storm out, the sound of her laughter burning a fiery pathway to my groin. Dammit, I’m aroused even when I’m so pissed I want to throttle the woman.

She shouts behind me as I leave, “You have twenty-four hours to give me your answer.”

If I’d known tonight was going to turn out like this, I’d have stayed home and listened to the two love birds go at it all damn night. Even that would have been preferable to fucking up with the safe house location less than four hours after I arrive.

I resist the temptation to immediately rush home to check on the pair. My head is filled with self-recriminations at my own stupidity in not taking safety precautions with our new home. What the hell was I thinking?

Was I not thinking because checking in with the local pack was a routine task? Was it because my mind has been filled with Candy lately? Jesus, if I’m not careful, I’ll prove to be more of a danger to Viv and Rafe than anyone else in the damn city.
 

I wander around the quiet streets for hours, watching the city slowly wake up. It’s past dawn when I return to the small house, but with the time change from Alaska, it feels like midnight to me. I crawl upstairs and into the bed that doesn’t smell like pack or home. A few hours of sleep is just what I need before I tell Viv and Rafe about what happened. Considering the guilt weighing on me, I’m sure I’ll be up before the two of them.

When I next open my eyes, it’s past two in the afternoon. I scramble out from under the covers and stagger to the bathroom for a shower. I wonder if there’s food downstairs. Ten minutes later, when I stroll into the kitchen, I hear the unmistakable sounds of love-making through the floor.
 

All night long and those two still can’t keep their hands off each other? Geez. I block the images from my mind and think of Candy. Maybe I should call her to see what she’s doing today. I bet she’s up by now. Pulling ingredients from the cabinet and fridge, I begin brewing coffee and prepping a meal. No doubt the two of them will be hungry when they finally make it upstairs.

I am not looking forward to reporting we have to leave this place as soon as possible.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Vivian

Sweat rolls down my back, gathering in the dip of my spine. The sexual energy released during our all-night love session has finally filled me to the point of satiation. I feel more like my old self than I have in weeks. The shadows of doubt and worry no longer grip so tightly to my soul. All thanks to my husband’s tireless stamina.

“Holy hell, that was incredible,” I mumble into the pillow.

Rafe collapses on the bed beside me, a thick arm latching onto my waist to drag me closer. His still-rigid cock presses against my backside as he tucks me tightly to his front. “Incredible? A more inaccurate proclamation has never been uttered. Woman, I just rocked your world. Own it. The experience was way better than a simple ‘incredible.’”

A chuckle spills from me. “Someone has a highly inflated opinion of himself.”