Enemy Mine (11 page)

treating him like this?

Sticking to the shadows, she sprinted

down the driveway and out onto the road.

Careful to stay hidden, she hurried down

her street, only stopping to hide in the

bushes in her neighbor’s front yard.

When she saw the lights from the SUV

swing out of her parents’ driveway, she

ran into the street, blocking it.

Immediately the vehicle jerked to a halt.

Kiernan was out and pulling her to him

before she could tell him she’d heard what

he’d done for her. Scooping her up, he

hurried back to the SUV and slid into the

backseat, keeping her on his lap.

He was covered in blood, and his dark

hair was a mess. Reaching up, she gently

cupped his cheek. “Are you okay?”

“This isn’t my blood,” he said in a

rough voice, his eyes unreadable.

The vampire from the driver’s seat

snorted. Dark hair, dark eyes, similar

muscular build to Kiernan. She’d tried

looking up pictures of the Doyle coven

online and it had been damn near

impossible to find any, but she had no

doubt this was one of his brothers.

The other vampire gave her a cursory

look, one filled with mistrust and dislike.

Kiernan growled at him. “Drive and don’t

look at her like that.”

Despite the situation, she nuzzled her

face against his neck. “Is he your older

brother?” she whispered even though the

other vampire could hear her.

“Yes.” Kiernan’s grip around her waist

tightened. “Ronan, this is Melina,” he said

to his brother.

A grunt was all the response she got.

Well, that and another dark glare from him

in the rearview mirror.

“I think older siblings must have that

protective death stare down pat,” she

murmured, just as quietly as before.

A small, muted rumble came from

Kiernan’s chest.

Carefully she stroked her fingers down

one of his arms. His leather jacket had

been shredded by what she guessed were

claws, but his skin was unblemished.

“This
is
your blood,” she said accusingly.

“It doesn’t matter,” he said soothingly,

stroking his hands down her back and

arms, touching her everywhere he could.

It did matter but he had a stubborn, pure

male expression she didn’t feel like

battling. She just wanted to savor his

embrace. Leaning against him, she laid her

head on his shoulder. Her family was

going to be so pissed once they

discovered she was gone but she didn’t

care. Kiernan had protected her when

every instinct he possessed must have told

him to do the opposite. “So, the Mazzoni

pack wanted to kidnap me and paid you to

do it?”

“Yep. And I have a feeling Uberto

Mazzoni will be dead within the hour.”

She shivered, knowing it was true.

“Thank you for what you did.”

He grunted and she figured that was the

only response she’d get. His fingers

lightly strummed on her spine, up and

down in a soothing rhythm. The vehicle hit

a pothole, but she barely felt it. She had no

idea where they were going, and she

didn’t care. Being in Kiernan’s protective

arms was all that mattered.

Finally he spoke, his quiet words

cutting through the quiet of the vehicle. “I

tried calling you today.”

“I know. My brothers took my phone.”

She hadn’t memorized his number, so

she’d had no way to contact him. “Where

are we going?”

“We can’t go back to the condo, but I

have a place we can hide out,” his brother

said after a glance in the rearview mirror.

He took a sharp turn into a residential

neighborhood she recognized.

Without either of them telling her, she

understood he was making sure they didn’t

have a tail. “I need to call my pack and let

them know I’m okay.” She hadn’t wanted

to take the time to leave a note in case

anyone found it before she’d escaped.

Kiernan slipped his cell out of his beat

up, ripped jacket pocket. “Here.”

Hesitantly, she took it. “They might be

able to track me with this.”

Both Kiernan and his brother chuckled,

the sounds so similar it startled her.

Kiernan shook his head. “All our phones

are encrypted. The number will show up,

but they won’t be able to trace you.”

The certainty in his tone put her at ease

as she dialed her mother’s cell. She

picked up on the first ring. “Hello?”

“Hey, Mom.”

Her mother sighed. “Are you safe?”

“I’m with Kiernan.”

“Your father and brothers are very

angry.” At least her mom didn’t sound

mad, probably because she understood.

Her mother’s parents—Melina’s long-

deceased grandparents—hadn’t approved

of Nevada in the least. Times had been

very different back then, when males

actually fought to the death for the right to

claim a female. From the stories Melina

had heard, her father had fought tooth and

nail for her mother. Despite his victory,

her grandparents had still disapproved but

her mother hadn’t cared.

“I figured.” She could just imagine the

state they were all in at the moment.

Her mother sighed again. “Are you sure

he’s worth it?”

Kiernan was looking straight ahead but

she knew he could hear her mother. She

answered without hesitation. “I think his

actions tonight speak louder than anything

I could ever say.”

Underneath her, Kiernan relaxed a

fraction. If she hadn’t been wrapped up in

his arms she wouldn’t have noticed it.

“Can I contact you on this phone?” her

mom finally asked after a long beat of

silence.

When Kiernan nodded, she said yes

then quickly wrapped up the conversation.

She shoved away her guilt at leaving her

pack’s house when she knew they only

wanted to protect her. While she loved

and appreciated them, she couldn’t stay

away from Kiernan. He needed to know

that she was on his side and hadn’t been

intentionally avoiding him today. Settling

against Kiernan’s chest, she traced over

his muscles with her fingers. “Am I still in

danger?” He might have killed those

shifters earlier, but there might be more

after her. The thought terrified her.

“It’s possible, but I’m sure your pack

will get all the information they need from

Uberto,” he murmured against the top of

her head.

Considering Kiernan had hand-

delivered the treacherous shifter, Melina

felt perfectly safe with him. More than

that, she wanted to be with him, not locked

down with her pack when she had no

doubt Kiernan would keep her safe. A

little self-conscious that his brother could

hear them, but not caring enough to stop,

she reached up for Kiernan again, cupping

his cheek so that he looked at her. “Thank

you for . . .” She struggled to continue,

how to voice what she wanted to say.

Somehow she found the words. “You

risked a lot by going after those shifters

and coming into my father’s territory.”

His eyes practically smoldered with

lust and need as his hand tightened on her

hip. The grip was territorial, possessive.

“I’d do it again.”

She swallowed hard, unable to tear her

gaze away from his. “I know I left before,

but it was only to protect you. I didn’t

want my brothers to hurt you.” And she

wasn’t leaving him again. She desperately

wanted to explore what was between

them.

His hard lips curved up into a half-

smile. “The only reason I let you go is

because they were your family. If it had

been anyone else, they wouldn’t have

walked out of that condo alive.” There

was a dark truth to his words that made

her shiver.

“What about the feud between our

families?”

“Fuck it. I’m not walking away from

you for
anyone
.” Before she could

respond he covered her mouth with his,

pushing, teasing, taking. The man lit her

body on fire and the only thing stopping

her from ripping off his clothes and

straddling him right there was his

brother’s presence. Soon enough though,

he was going to be all hers. And she

wasn’t letting go or walking away this

time.

Chapter 7

Kiernan wasn’t surprised his brother had

a place their coven didn’t know about. It

was just the way Ronan operated. He kept

secrets from everyone, including their

father. Kiernan didn’t mind, especially

now that he had Melina all to himself.

Ronan had left them ten minutes ago,

telling Kiernan not so subtly that he could

have a few hours alone with Melina

before he’d be back. Kiernan planned to

make use of all that time as soon as he

finished showering the blood and grime

off.

The jets pummeled against his

shoulders, the hot water streaming over

his body. Thanks to his age and strength,

he’d already healed. Even if he hadn’t, he

wouldn’t have cared. Tonight, he was

finally going to sink himself inside Melina

again. To taste what he’d been missing,

fantasizing about for too long. He hadn’t

been lying when he’d told her he wasn’t

walking away from her for anyone. Not

his brothers, his father, no one.

She’d awakened a primal urge to

possess and protect in him he hadn’t

known had existed. For someone who

lived as long as he had, a year wasn’t that

long, but it seemed like an eternity not to

have made love to her.

When she’d left her pack tonight,

coming to him of her own free will

despite the issues it would cause with her

family, it had stirred those territorial

feelings he was just starting to get a grasp

on and made them go haywire. Before

Melina he’d never felt such a possessive

need about anyone. Sure, he looked after

the members of his coven, especially his

female cousins. But the desire to watch

out for her was a different kind of need. It

was a hunger. She was so sweet and

giving, and even though he’d been

annoyed she’d gone to the homeless

shelter to help that kid when she’d been in

danger, he’d found himself proud of her.

As he started to twist the shower knob

off, he heard the quiet snick of the

bathroom door opening. Then he scented

her. That sweet honeysuckle scent that

was so distinctive, he knew it had to be

Melina.

Silently, he waited as he heard a rustle

of movement—hopefully Melina getting

undressed—then the jingle of the shower

curtain being drawn back.

Delicate fingers lightly raked down his

back before her hands slid around to his

front to rest on his abdomen. His muscles

clenched as she pulled him back against

her naked body in a tight hug.

The feel of those soft breasts pressing

against his back was almost enough to

make his brain short circuit, but her next

words stopped him from turning around

and taking her up against the wall fast and

hard like his body wanted.

“What happened between our families?

Why did my brother . . . kill yours?” Her

voice was soft.

Kiernan closed his eyes for a moment,

letting in memories he’d long since

banished. His parents had been enraged at

the Rodriguez pack, but what Miguel had

done had been justified. And there was no

way to sugarcoat it. “My brother Corey

went mad. He started killing humans—

young couples—after the woman he loved

left him for someone else. She’d decided

she didn’t want to be turned into a

vampire after all, that she’d rather be with

a human and live a short, mortal life.”

To say his brother hadn’t handled it

well would be an understatement. Unable

to understand why the woman he claimed

to love would choose another over

relative immortality with him had been

beyond Corey. He’d gone on a bloody

rampage. The members of Kiernan’s

family were bloodborns—born vampires,

not made—which was why their coven

was so powerful. But every decade they

changed a few humans into vampires.

Births among vampires were rare, and to

keep their species strong they changed

those who were willing.

“And my pack got involved?” She laid

her cheek against his back, her grip around

him tightening.

He laced his fingers through hers,

savoring the feel of her body pressed

along the length of his. It comforted him

that she wasn’t pulling away in horror.

“Yeah.” Back before the leaps in

technology and before civilization had

spread, shifters, vamps, and fae had all

guarded their territories with a vengeance.

That meant anyone living in those areas

fell under their protection. “My brother