Fanged Fury (The Adventures of Sydney Sedrick Book 3) (12 page)

A blur sailed just past the front door. A
whoomph
erupted from the rogue as he landed somewhere on the porch beyond my line of sight. Fear loosened its grip on me. I was finally able to move. I grabbed for the front door to close it when footsteps sounded on the wooden planks of the porch.

The footsteps became louder as someone came closer to the open door.

The uncomfortable buzz from the rogue’s presence slowly dissolved into nothing as a form darkened the doorway. Taking a few steps back, my heart thumped in my chest at the new threat.

The form stepped over the threshold of the house. He came into the light issuing from the lamp on the far end table.

“Matt? What are you doing here?” As far as I was concerned, the Mobile wolf wasn’t any more trustworthy than the rogue.

The golden-haired, sexy-as-sin wolf sauntered farther into the living room, assessing his surroundings as he moved. “Selected, I make my rounds.”

I raised a questioning brow and he laughed. “The look on your face proves to me the local pack isn’t doing their job. You should be used to wolves watching over you.”

I didn’t like the gruff tone in his voice but couldn’t help notice how nicely the white T-shirt he wore hugged his biceps.

Crossing my arms in front of me, I said sternly, “I am, and that doesn’t explain your presence on my property.”

Matt crossed the distance between us and stood so close his warmth enveloped me. To my dismay, my body reacted sweetly, and traitorously, to his nearness.

The wolf smiled a lazy half-smile and licked his lips sensuously. My body shuddered with tantalizing thoughts of how he could use that glorious tongue of his on my flesh.

“Sydney, I was in the neighborhood so I thought I’d check in on you. Lucky for you I happened by. You shouldn’t be left alone out here.” He swung his arms up in the air and the manly scent of the forest and something more spicy and wild met my nose and my body clenched with need. What the heck was wrong with me?

“Thank you for taking care of that rogue, but I had it covered. He couldn’t come in so I was plenty safe. You should probably go wherever you were headed now that the threat is gone.” I stepped to the side while lifting my arm to the door.

Matt let out a growl, making my nipples perk up to attention. “No.” His deep voice filled the room. “I will not be leaving until I’m sure the rogue was working alone.”

Now it was my turn to throw my hands into the air. Letting them fall in exasperation, they landed with simultaneous slaps on my thighs. “Yes, you will be going. I have to get ready for work.”

Matt’s movements were quick. I barely saw him as he approached. The next thing I knew, the deliciously sexy wolf stood before me. His warm breath blew against the skin on my face, putting my body into an involuntary shudder of excitement. Dang it, I was going to have to hole up somewhere until I figured out why I was reacting so strongly to every gorgeous man I ran into.

Matt firmly placed his hands on my hips, bringing our midsections together. His fingers dug into my skin through the jeans. His touch was a mix of pleasure and pain. To my surprise, I liked how he touched me.

“You misunderstand the purpose of my coming to this dreadful city. The North American Selected is the one who can fulfill the prophecy foretold by the Moon Goddess. I’m here to make sure that happens, no matter what it takes.” His grip tightened, becoming more painful.

“You’re hurting me, wolf.” I didn’t want to admit it, but I’d rather have had the rogue back at my doorway instead of Matt inside of my home.

Matt’s green eyes turned a deep emerald hue with a gold ring around the irises. If his inner wolf was anything like Blake’s, Matt was either becoming aroused or angry. “Selected, you are to be cherished and looked after. The wolves in this area are selfish. They don’t care for you or your safety as they should. Come back with me, to Alabama.”

I threw my head back, laughing at him, and no longer feeling Matt was so much of a threat, more like another egotistical male trying to tell me what to do. “Now you’re just being ludicrous. I’ll never leave Kenosha.” I shrugged my shoulder while putting my foot to the side, planning on sliding out from his grasp. Matt didn’t let go, spiking my anger. Good, anger was better than having lustful thoughts of his naked body while we stood talking.

He shook his head. “Then you leave me no choice, Selected. My father sent me here to ensure your safety.”

I put my hands on his chest and pushed, hard.

Matt didn’t budge.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but you need to leave. If you don’t, I’ll call Blake. You know he won’t be happy you were anywhere near me.”

“Like I said, I’m doing this for your own good.” He smiled, showing me his teeth in a sneer. They were no longer the straight row of pearly whites, but jagged, overgrown, pointed chompers.

“What?” Before I could struggle against his hold, Matt’s elongated fingernails dug into my side through my jeans. Searing pain shot from the gashes he created with his claws. I felt warm liquid dripping down the outer edge of my thigh.

“What the hell did you do to me?” My brain struggled to process the white-hot pain coursing through me with every beat of my heart.

He withdrew his grip on my hips to help me over to the couch. If Matt hadn’t held me up, I would have fallen to the floor. I was sure I was going to lose consciousness from the pain.

I was wrong.

My head swam as nausea swirled from the pit of my stomach traveling up to my throat. Both waves of discomfort began to recede almost as quickly as they’d come.

“What have you done to me?”

I could tell something in my body was changing, but I didn’t know what.

Matt tenderly put his warm palm over my forehead. His contact gave me instant relief from feeling ill, but the weakness plaguing my muscles remained.

“I did what Blake should have done to you the first day you set foot in this city. Sydney, you are the Selected. I am bound by the Moon Goddess to protect you.” The wolf stayed hovered over me while I slouched against the cushions of the couch.

I shook my head then instantly regretted the motion when my head began to swoon again. “That doesn’t answer my question. What did you do to me?”

Matt’s face brightened suspiciously with glee.

“I marked you.”

Chapter 9

I shot up from the couch but Matt moved his arm faster than I could avoid. He pulled me back down with an unceremonious yank. Because of my weakened state, I wasn’t capable of fighting him off. I screamed, “Let go of me!”

Pounding his chest with my hands, I could think of nothing but the cuts on my hip that blazed with fire.

Matt leaned his weight on my body, forcing me further into the cushions. His maneuver made it even more difficult to fight him off. Not that any of my efforts were working.

“Knock it off, Selected.” Matt gritted the words through his teeth as he kept me pinned in place.

My head pounded with blood rushing to my temples. “You don’t know what you just did.”

He smiled a toothy grin. “Oh, believe me, Sydney. I’m more than aware of what my mark on you will do to Blake. Keep in mind I’ve only done what the local pack has failed to do.”

The Mobile wolf’s malevolent disposition toward Blake’s pack shot fear into my heart. Matt didn’t care about Blake’s pack. For some reason, Matt acted as if Morris and his wolves were less significant. Matt thought Morris incapable of handling rogue, pack, and Selected issues.

My breathing regulated itself despite Matt’s heavy weight crushing me. “Matt, Blake will kill you. I’ve heard of wolves marking their mates. You’ve crossed a line with what you’ve done.”

The burn of the claw marks began to fade as the tension between us rescinded. Blake was going to flip.

What was done couldn’t be undone.

Matt shrugged his muscular shoulder with arrogance. My body, once the rage inside of me had left, began to react to his masculinity and the contact of our bodies as he held me in place. The scent of his maleness filled my nostrils. I peered up at Matt’s eyes to see if he noticed.

Dang.

His eyes were back to deep emerald green with a vibrant gold ring accentuating the irises.

I needed to put some distance between us.

“Please let me up, I need some air.” After a few minutes, his weight began to shift from centering over my midsection to the cushion next to the one I occupied on the couch.

Leaning against the farthest armrest away from him, I turned my head to focus on breathing without inhaling the erotic smell of him.

Matt startled me when he gently placed the tip of his finger underneath my jaw. I hadn’t felt him move. With an unusual show of kindness, he brought my eyes up to meet his.

“I find your wolf lacking, Sydney.” The gruff sexual undertone of his voice tugged at the very base of my womanhood.

Pushing his hand away from my face, I stood up. Walking to the front door, I said, “I appreciate your candor where the pack is concerned, but I think your visit was a big waste of time. The local pack is more than capable of handling the problems at hand. You’ve now just made the situation worse by placing your mark on me.”

Matt put his arms up to stretch. The brat was goading me on. He clearly detected the scent of my desire and had caused his shirt to lift from the movement, exposing muscular abs. The rotten wolf was shoving his glorious body into my face.

“Fine, suit yourself, Selected. I’ll be around.” He strolled over to where I stood by the door. Matt stood so close our noses almost touched.

“You don’t scare me, just so you know.” I placed a hand on my hip for emphasis. I hoped he didn’t see me wincing when I put pressure on the wounds he’d inflicted.

“I think I know what I do to you.” He laughed as his heated stare eyed me from head to toe.

I jiggled the doorknob. “Go now. Thanks for stopping by. I do appreciate you taking care of that rogue for me.”

Matt grabbed the back of my head. Roughly he brought his lips crashing down on mine. Heat flared through me straight down to my center. My flesh ached to be touched by the wolf. Because of his wolf’s sense of smell, he’d know exactly what his kiss did to me. A battle of wills ensued inside of me. I somehow knew having sex with Matt would be rough. I also knew I would enjoy every second.

I wanted him.

I hated him.

Normally, the touch of his lips would have repulsed me.

It should have, but didn’t.

Something was wrong.

Raising my hand to slap the sneer off his face, Matt roughly grabbed my wrist. He crushed our bodies together in a vise hold, maneuvering my arm, which he locked behind my back.

I shoved one-handed at his chest with all my might. “You are not wanted here, so leave.”

“All right, I’ll let Blake know I stopped by. Don’t be too surprised if the wolf is upset the next time he sees you.” Matt winked with wicked amusement as he touched the tender area on my hip, now seared with his mark.

Warmth spread over my flesh where his mark was forever branded upon me. No, Blake was not going to be happy when he saw me.

The sounds of the door chimes jangling soothed my nerves upon entering the store. After turning all the lights on, I started a fire. Then I put a call in to Kieran once the store was ready for business.

On the third ring, a human blood addict picked up. “Hello, Kieran’s residence.”

“This is Sydney. I want to leave a message for Kieran.” I waited for the nitwit to write down my name.

“Is Sydney with a ‘y’, or an ‘i’?”

Everyone in the coven knew who I was. The human on the other line annoyed the heck out of me with whatever game she was playing.

“Just tell him I called, will you?” Irritation laced my voice, but I had to admit the humans who associated with the vampires were not normal. Stories of adult women giving up their children to the vampires for just a few drops of vampire blood disgusted me.

“Yes, I will. He will also hear about your little attitude problem. The Master won’t be pleased to hear how you have treated me. I’m his new favorite,” she hissed into the phone.

“Yeah, from the sounds of it I’d wonder why anyone wouldn’t want to be around you all the time.” I emphasized the ‘you’ in my statement for good measure.

She let out a shrill laugh. “You know, Selected, he even talks about your grandmother when we’re together. He tells me she deserved what she got.”

My face flushed with heat as my temper quickly boiled over the brim of my control. The bitch had struck a nerve. “Let me tell you something about my grandmother, you blood whore. If you utter one more word about her or anyone else in my family, I’ll make Kieran kill you. Do you understand?”

My breath heaved in my chest. How dare Kieran’s latest blood slave mention my grandmother? Grandma Maria’s memory was to be honored, cherished, not soiled and tainted from the likes of the woman on the other end of the phone.

Good, she knew I meant business. She also knew as the Selected I was more important to the coven leader than any blood addict. Addicts lasted in the coven houses until the virgin bite sites ran out, then the vampires tended not to want to partake anymore. Sort of similar to having sloppy seconds. Gross.

“Apologies, Miss Sydney. I went too far. I beg your mercy.” Her words wavered as she spoke.

I needed to set an example with the woman so maybe she’d tell her other blood-addict buddies not to mess with me. “Yes, you did go too far. I’ll make sure you’ll regret it if you do it again. Understand?”

“I do, I understand. Please don’t tell the Master. I beg your pardon, from one woman to another, please.” She remained silent, waiting for my response.

Making her quake in the reality that I could have such an impact on her fate, I finally said, “I’ll think about it. You make one derogatory remark toward me or mine again, you’ll seal your own destiny.”

“I understand completely, forgive my insolence.” The woman took a deep breath then blew air into the phone.

I couldn’t help but smile. Making her afraid of me was an unfortunate necessity, but it had to be done.

Who was I becoming?

“Whatever,” I said, sharply. “Tell Kieran I called.”

Not waiting for her to respond, I clicked my phone shut to end the call.

I leaned against the counter with my back toward the front door. I didn’t enjoy being cruel to that woman, no matter what my opinion was of her. Being the Selected for the few short months since moving to Kenosha, I’ve treated people less than kindly. I’ve said terrible, hurtful things to those I cared about. I wasn’t too proud of myself in that moment.

Facing the front door of the store, I shifted my weight to sit on the stool to go over the sales of the previous night. Tapping a pen on the splintered glass top, I jumped when my cell phone vibrated and the blue neon screen lit up.

I laughed at myself for being so tense as I picked up the phone. Blake sent me a text message.

Just play along
.

What was Blake talking about? Just play along? The last time I’d seen or spoken with Blake, we weren’t exactly getting along. We did have amazing, steamy sex, but then we got into an argument

Beads of sweat dripped down my back. I let out a loud groan. The entire store became sweltering hot. A werewolf was near, or two. The front door opened. Blake and Matt strolled in. Tension was thick in the store the instant they shut the door behind them. Their presence filled the entire room despite its fair size.

Blake came to where I stood behind the counter. He flinched the moment he took a breath to smell the air around me. Eyes widening in disbelief, they began to turn an amber-bronzed hue. Blake whipped his head back around toward Matt, teeth elongated.

Matt smiled. The Alabama wolf hunkered down into a fighting stance, opening his arms wide. “Come and get me, Blake.” Matt spit the words out as his eyes turned deep, emerald green.

I screamed at the men about to brawl in my store, “Don’t you two dare. This is my store. You will not fight each other.”

Blake gaped over his shoulder. My heart sank as I realized he thought I’d been disloyal. But it wasn’t my fault. Really it wasn’t.

Matt took a step forward while keeping his legs apart to maintain a lower center of balance. Blake once told me wolves position themselves in such a way when readying to fight.

“Sydney, I told you Blake would not be happy I marked you, but
I
did what needed to be done.”

The superior inflection to Matt’s tone made me cringe. Blake would not take kindly to being told he hadn’t done his job as the heir to the wolf pack, or as a man.

Swooping in-between them, which I was well aware wasn’t my smartest action of the day, I put my hands up. The air was hottest between the two wolves ready to engage in a brutal battle.

“I said enough. Both of you need to leave, now.” Realizing the men may not hear my words due to their wolves taking over their conscious thoughts, I spoke louder. “I said leave, now.”

Blake stepped close, his black boots scraping against the wood floor until my outstretched hand lay flat against his chest muscles. The moment we physically connected, Blake’s shoulders lowered, although only by a fraction of an inch.

“Sydney, did you allow this wolf to mark you as his?” Betrayal and despair reflected in his wolf eyes.

Shaking my head, I said, “No, Blake. Earlier this morning, Matt came to the house. He turned his fingernails into claws then he cut me. I am not his, Blake, I never will be.”

I turned to gaze into Matt’s eyes. I lifted my chin, daring him to say otherwise.

Matt opened his mouth emphasizing his lengthened jaw. When his chest muscles rippled under his T-shirt, my body broke into a fresh layer of sweat. My breath quickened. I licked the moisture forming on my lips.

Matt continued to speak with an air laced in self-justification “It is no concern to me what she believes, wolf. You know how the mark works. The Moon Goddess did not make it necessary for the marked to consent. What is done cannot be undone.”

That wolf really pissed me off.

Stepping toward him, I pushed against his chest, hard. The infuriating wolf didn’t budge an inch or take his eyes off of Blake.

“What are you talking about?” I pointed my finger into Matt’s chest. “This mark better not make us connected in any way, you hear me?”

Blake cleared his throat, drawing my attention. “Sydney, this scoundrel has marked you with the essence of his wolf. He will always be able to locate you as long as you are outdoors. Other wolves will sense his mark upon your flesh.”

Whipping my head around, I glared at Matt with fury. “You know what, Matt? You are not welcome in my store, ever. I don’t want you anywhere near me. How dare you do this? I don’t want your mark. You being able to find me whenever you want is something I despise. It’s a breach of my privacy.”

Matt’s expression didn’t change as he stepped away from my hand. “Selected, I’ll leave you with this wolf who has proven time and again that he is not capable of providing the protection your station requires. I won’t be far.”

“Don’t come back, Matt. I don’t want you here.” I couldn’t help but appreciate the span of his chest and wide shoulders as Matt callously bowed, then strolled to the front of the store.

“Sydney, like I said before, it doesn’t matter what you want. I’m here. I’ll be watching you as well as Blake’s pack. I don’t plan on leaving until one has been chosen to share their blood to fulfill the prophecy. That is my goal, Selected. Unlike Blake, I don’t let a woman make decisions for me when it comes to doing my duty as a wolf, or as a man.” The door banged shut against the frame upon his departure.

Blake quietly sank into the cushions on the couch. He leaned his head back. “I can’t believe that bastard marked you, Sydney. He knows how I feel about you. He knows you are my life-mate.”

Sitting next to him, I placed my hand on his knee, patting it in reassurance. “Blake, he did it because he knew you’d get mad. That wolf has come to Kenosha to make trouble. That’s exactly what he’s doing. He knew marking me would grate on your nerves. He was probably hoping you’d attack him, which would cause some serious strife between the two packs.”