Half in Love [Willie Krenshaw] (Siren Publishing Classic) (16 page)

“This way, please.” The butler shuffled around them and headed off to the right. He waved them into another large room before turning and executing a perfect bow. “They will call for you shortly. Please remain in this room. If you need anything, please knock on the door and I’ll be right with you.”

The little human man straightened, turned, and walked quickly through the door. He pulled it shut behind him with a quiet snick. Willie spun around, checking out the room. Three couches, a handful of chairs, tables with flowers, artwork, and security cameras. At least they didn’t hide the fact that visitors were being watched. She walked the perimeter of the room, noting the locations of all seven cameras, four of which were hidden. There were numerous large windows, and all were sealed shut and barred. No additional escape routes were evident unless she could shrink and crawl up the chimney. Her anxiety ramped up a notch when she realized that they were well and truly captives. The smell of vampire was so thick she could almost see it in the air. Her cougar prowled, both scared and pissed that she was in this situation. At the moment, Willie shared the same concerns as her kitty. Would she make it out alive, or was this the end of the line for her and her vampy half existence?

“You will not die tonight at the hands of the Council.” Alex’s comment pulled her from her thoughts. He sat, relaxed and smirking, on one of the couches. His long legs were stretched out in front of him and crossed at the ankles.

“That’s what you say, but you can’t promise me that, can you?”

“No, no promises. I will do what I can to keep you safe, though.”

“Why? That’s what I want to know, Alex. Why do you care what happens to me? What do you want with all of this?”

“I want nothing other than to protect something so dear to Nickola. It’s an easy thing for me to offer to him.” He shrugged as if the gift of her life was so small a thing. Maybe to him it was a small, insignificant offer. Either way, if he was willing to help her then she really needed to keep her attitude in check.

“Thanks. For what it’s worth, I really do appreciate your help.” She cleared her throat, almost choking on the words. They tasted foreign on her tongue, but she needed to explain her gratitude even if she didn’t want to.

She would have said more, but the door swung open and an absolutely gorgeous female vampire strolled into the room. Tall, blonde, and leggy. She was dressed in a navy blue skirt suit with matching heels and an aura even Willie could see. She was powerful, and from the smile on her face she was happy to see the males. Hips swayed as the female swept into the room. Willie’s cougar growled as the female approached Nick with a sexy swagger.

“Nickola, how nice to see you again. How have you been?” The female had gotten way too close to Nick for Willie’s comfort. Her kitty was yowling. He was theirs. When the vamp bitch leaned in to kiss Nick, Willie snapped.

“Back off,” Willie growled. Her voice had deepened and had a touch of feral-kitty to it. She could feel her canines elongating, and she knew her eyes would be changing to amber. Her cougar side was too close to her skin, and having another female so close to her mate was too much. The image of ripping the head off the vamp was so powerful she fought to keep control of her kitty. Shifting would be a bad idea, but she was lost in the anger and territorial possessiveness. Nick was hers. No one would live after touching him. She peeled her upper lip back and thrilled in the slight fear that crossed the female’s face. Willie was scary, but possessive Willie was terrifying.

A strong hand grasped her upper arm. The contact broke into her thoughts enough that she could cage her cat. A growl still rumbled in her chest, but she had a better hold on her feline side. She was dragged across the room and blocked from seeing what transpired between the female and Nick by a broad chest.

“Enough.” Alex’s hand still rested on her arm, but it was the single word that he uttered that almost brought her to her knees. His voice was smooth as silk and just above a whisper, but the power behind it was enough to cripple her. “You will not attack anyone in this building, no matter what you see. He is not interested in any other females. Nod if you understand.”

Her head flopped on a weak neck. Yes, she understood. Stupid vampires and their stupid “no kill” promises. A deep breath in and out of her lungs helped clear the rage from her thoughts. She had heard stories about the possessiveness associated with mates but hadn’t really believed any of it. Now she understood. She could almost taste the death of that female on her tongue. Willie wanted to take her down, and show the world that Nick was hers. Her own death would be a fine payment for proving that he was hers. She shook her head to clear the remainder of the anger and instinctual impulses throbbing through her body. She leaned her head back and found a relaxed Alex grinning at her.

“You are indeed going to be a joy to watch. Now, you must be in control before I release you. If you harm Anna, I won’t be able to keep them from killing you. She is important to the Council, like a prized pet of sorts.” He smoothed a hand down her back like he was petting a cornered animal. “Will you behave so that I may release you?”

“Yeah, I’m good.”

Alex released her arm and stepped away from her, watching with predatory eyes. She knew she wouldn’t get one step away from him if he thought she would disobey the order. Shoulders rolled, arms flexed, and eyes closed. An internal chant started in her head as she tried to get a grip on herself and her kitty.
You won’t attack the bitch.
She opened her eyes and looked around Alex. The female was still standing there, watching the spectacle. Nick had taken a few steps away from her and was looking concerned and perhaps a little amused. Chagrin finally edged into Willie’s thoughts. She was completely and totally out of control and had staked a claim against Nick. Good thing they had spent thirty minutes explaining why doing that exact thing was so bad for her. Now she knew that the Council would use it against her, and she just couldn’t scrape up enough concern to stop the growling in her chest. Fucking mating instincts.

“Well, wasn’t that fun?” The bitch turned and smiled coyly at Nick. “They are ready to see you now, although you might want to muzzle your shifter before she gets herself killed.”

Before Willie could comment, or go through with the plan of decapitating the wench, she watched Alex move through the room. He towered over the female, said something that must have been quite interesting. The female actually blanched and took a step back from him before turning and evacuating the room. Willie gave him a questioning raised eyebrow, but he declined with a shake of his head.

“Come. They won’t wait long before getting angry.” Alex turned and moved like smoke through the door. He was putting on a show for the Council, she was sure of it. He hadn’t moved like that before. She could feel his power prickling over her skin, and she was glad again that he was on her side.

She followed Alex and could feel Nick a few paces behind her. She nervously chewed on her bottom lip. The scent of hundreds of vampires coated the air. Her cougar yowled and paced her mind but understood it couldn’t push too hard. They were in accord that staying alive was more important than pretty much anything else at the moment. Her kitty gave her encouragement and then settled in to wait.

They walked down a few white corridors that had the same black marble flooring and expensive artwork perfectly spaced along the walls. Wall sconces and track lighting gave soft white light off. The feel was beautiful, and if she wasn’t marching to her probable death, she might have been more impressed. Large double doors stopped their forward momentum. Alex gave her one more look that told her loads.
Keep it together and don’t piss them off.
Right. She nodded her understanding. A message passed between him and Nick before he opened the doors and walked into the room beyond.

The room was white, go figure. Black and white marble tiles made intricate patterns on the floor. Long tables had been set up in what she assumed was the ballroom. Five vamps sat along the tables, all wearing matching robes, sitting on chairs more like thrones than a normal dining room chair. All of them sat still as statues, staring at her with blank expressions. Great, the welcoming committee wasn’t all that welcoming.

She could feel the power ebbing and flowing across her skin. This group of bloodsuckers had enough power to destroy her where she stood. Three of the group were males, all similar in looks and builds. Brown hair, dark eyes, pale skin. The other two members were golden goddesses. Blonde hair, light eyes, skin like cream. The robes put the whole thing over the edge. It was like sitting down to watch a D&D competition. Everyone dressed to play a role. She snickered before she could catch herself. Alex turned to her and winked before turning to face the Council.

The male sitting in the middle turned his gaze to Alex and gave a nod in greeting. He didn’t even acknowledge Willie or Nick, who stood to her other side. Just another indication of Alex’s standing in the vampy community.

“We will discuss Stephen first before moving our talks to the hybrid.” The male’s voice was low, just above a whisper, and smooth as silk. A slight accent gave an exotic twist to the words.

Alex nodded his understanding and turned to Nick. This had been discussed on the way. Nick would do as much of the talking as possible to give him added credibility in front of the Council. Willie was to keep her trap shut. She hadn’t done a great job of that so far.

“Stephen sent a couple of males to kidnap me. He had heard from someone that I was assigned to his interrogation. According to one of the males, I was drugged but escaped from them. Since then Stephen or one of his get destroyed my house, attacked me, and left a dead human in my vehicle. The attack was meant to kill me. The body was a warning.”

“If he found out you were assigned to him, then the information must have come from someone close to this Council,” one of the females stated. Her voice was childlike and lilting. “Is that what you are implying, Nickola?”

“I am just reporting the information the male told me. As of yet I have been unable to find Stephen to bring him in as requested.”

“Hmmm. Where is the male that gave you this information?” another male member asked.

“He was dispatched after speaking with me.” Nick turned a fraction of an inch and cocked a brow at Willie.
Oops
.

“We would have liked speaking with him, but no matter. We will assign two assassins to assist you in capturing Stephen. He must be brought in front of us, especially if he is sending others to attack our employees.” The head male leaned back in his throne. “Now, tell me of the female here.”

Nick cleared his voice and took a step forward. In doing so, he placed himself slightly in front of her. She felt a shock run through her. He was protecting her. “This is Willimena Krenshaw. She saved my life after finding me drugged and vulnerable in the streets.”

“Yes, yes. We know who she is. We want to know
how
she is what she is. We have heard for years about a female vampire with shifter abilities. We were unaware of her living in our district. Otherwise we would have sent someone to collect her for questioning long ago.” The female that spoke sneered at Willie as she looked her up and down. “I’m not particularly impressed with her. Perhaps the reports were exaggerated. I would like to see her tested.”

A low rumble of agreement echoed through the chamber as more Council members nodded. Testing didn’t sound so bad to Willie. She could prove that she had both sides if her scent wasn’t enough for them.

“There will be no testing.” Alex’s voice boomed in the room. “She would not survive that. She is weaker than a full vampire although she is stronger than most shifters. She also exists on both blood and human food.”

“I’m sorry, Alex, but you are not part of this Council. We will determine the course of action against this thing without your input,” the sneering female answered.

“Wait. What is this testing?” Confusion and anger warred in Willie’s body. She didn’t like not knowing what was being discussed.

Alex turned to her with something close to exacerbation. “They want to test you against other vampires to see your strength level. The same is done with any vampire that has an unknown creator. You would be tested on all aspects of vampirism. You will not survive.”

“Fuck I won’t.” She glared at Alex and cringed at the inhalations that she heard. Stupid, she thought, you are so stupid. She turned to the Council. “Sorry. I don’t mean any disrespect. If I can be tested and pass, what will happen to me?”

“If you pass, then you are free to go and we will vouch for your vampire nature to anyone who questions it,” one of the males answered.

“You won’t survive it. Willie, listen to me. They will cut off a limb to watch it regenerate. Do you have that property in your vampire arsenal?” Alex asked and nodded grimly when the blood drained from Willie’s face. He turned to the Council again. “She is only partially vampire. Testing her will cause her death, and I won’t allow that. Let me suggest something different. A unique method to deal with this unique creature. In exchange for her agreement to be studied, I offer to be her mentor. I would take her into my fold like a wayward turn and claim her as my get.”

“Hmm. That might suffice. Our collective concern is that she could create more like herself. We don’t want to pollute our species with more of her weaknesses. If you are willing to claim her and watch over her, then we are in agreement that she may live.” The leader turned to stare at Willie. “You will not be allowed to live if you disobey vampire rules from this day forward. Your transgressions will be documented, but we will treat you as if you were left after being turned. The rules you broke prior to today will be forgiven.”

Willie turned to Alex and then Nick. She was surprised by the rage gleaming in Nick’s eyes. A thought skated across her mind. “What does claiming mean? I know what that entails with shifters. How would this mentoring program change my day-to-day existence?”