Sanibel Alpha Vampire Werewolf Menage (Fanged Romance Series Book 5.5) (4 page)

Jayce felt his canines tingle the very way they had when he first met Tatum.  
“
You can
’
t possibly think she
’
s your one and only.
”

“What else could it  be? Answer this, Jayce? Have you ever experienced this?  Considering all of the females you
’
ve  taken, how many times did you feel this way?
”

Precisely two weeks ago and just now, Jayce thought, only with Tatum.  But Bren didn
’
t need to know that.  
“
Don
’
t ask me.
”
He held up both hands.
“
You know I don
’
t pay attention to details on most days.
”

Bren aimed for the next roof, swinging out on another branch. This one covered in moss.
“
Tatum is under my skin, and somehow I have to get under hers.
”

 Jayce didn
’
t follow him.  
“
I
’
ve got to run.
”
He had the scent of Tatum in his head, knew where she lived. And like Bren, he couldn
’
t keep telling himself that what he felt meant nothing.  
“
Sparring first period tomorrow, I
’
ll be ready for you.
”

Bren
’
s eyes darkened.
 “
If you don
’
t make it in by curfew tonight, Headmaster
’
s calling your father, and he does not enjoy dealing with the Alpha.
”

Jayce shrugged.  
“
Who does?  I sure as hell don
’
t like dealing with Dad when he
’
s pissed.
”

 Swearing loud and long, Bren pleaded,
“
Come on, Jayce.  Don
’
t screw up, again.  They
’
ll drop you from football permanently.
”

“
Cover for me.
”
When the clouds parted, revealing the full moon once more, Jayce lifted his face to the night sky. Celestial power charged his body, surging through his veins, thick and electrifying.   
“
I won
’
t be long.
”  
Jumping high, he swung out on a Royal Palm and gained momentum.  Bren was shouting something after him, but nothing mattered. Jayce had to try again.

As the next street rose ahead of him, he turned left towards her house and that
’
s when it happened.  
“
Ah!
”  H
e grabbed his temples with his hands and pressed inward.  Pain fogged his brain, muffling all sounds.  With a resounding whack, he landed on a soft patch of sand right when a growling voice raged inside his head,
‘
Take her!
’
.  

Lifting himself on his elbows, Jayce shook the sand from his hair and took a look around. No.  No.  No.  He was too young for his Alpha Beast to raise his head and he still bore his be-spelled tattoos, ones that also prevented him from misting.  With a deep inhale, he couldn
’
t scent anyone but he also knew some vampires were conveniently scentless.

“Who
’
s there?
”
He wiggled his legs.  No broken bones but he would be bruised for the night.  
“
Show yourself.
”  
A fine mist appeared at his left but it was natural, not even a phantom.  

“All right, then.
”  
He stood up, rolling his shoulders. Tatum
’
s house was halfway down the street, and he spotted her car pulling into the driveway.  
“
Let
’
s try this again.
”  
He jumped over the sand, landing in a narrow berm filled with Coconut Palms and ficus.  With a weary sigh, he started walking. Swinging on Coconut Palms sent the fruit to the ground like random missiles.  They
’
d land on houses, cars, and heads.  

 When he was close enough to scent her that voice thundered through his head again, the pain nearly splitting his skull apart.  

‘Take her.
’   

Well, hell, he couldn't deny it this time. What luck!  His Alpha Beast had picked this very night to emerge for the first time.  Sucking in a large breath, he blew it back out slowly and steadily. And when he did, he pushed back against the pain and worked at corralling his werewolf. He and his Alpha father had gone over this a million and one times during the past three years.  His father instructed him to find that glowing ball inside and push it back unless his life was in danger, or he was old enough to run with the Pack males.  

His eyes snapped open, the glow brighter than normal, reflecting off the black asphalt of the street.   And when he focused on Tatum
’
s driveway, he saw something he really shouldn
’
t.  

“Hey, baby.
”
Troy Hillman wrapped his arms around Tatum, squeezing her hips with his roaming hands.
“
Tell me your grandmother has your sisters before I get too excited.
”

“Yeah,
”
Tatum answered with a nervous laugh, entwining her fingers around the back of Troy
’
s neck.
“
Granny wants me back at her house, too, but I talked my way out of it.
”

Troy
’
s grin widened.  
“
To be with me.
”

“Slow,
”
she said shakily.
“
Just
…
go slow and we
’
ll see, okay?
”

“Anything you want, I swear.
”
He lifted her off her feet, kissing her lustily. When they came up for air, Troy breathed,
“
I just want to touch you however and wherever you are comfortable.
”

Tatum raised her brows, shaking her head.
“
I don
’
t believe that for a minute.
”

“Okay, I want to touch you however and wherever I want,
”
Troy amended with a devilish laugh,
“
but I won
’
t go past your limitations.
”  
Taking the keys from her hand, he tossed her over his shoulder and marched to the front porch.  

Jayce watched them disappear into the darkened house, the lights never coming on.  However, the sounds of cloth brushing against cloth and then skin rubbing against skin met his sensitive ears. Then the musk of human, male arousal bloomed in the air.

The Beast raised his head.  This time, his power was too strong to fight back.  He snarled as twin pains met his gums, releasing the full length of adult canines. Jayce stared through his red haze, opening his clenched fists to find them sliced by his newly emerging claws.  He gasped, holding them out before his face.  He
’
d seen his father behead vampires with these things. Now he had them, too.

“God
…
it
’
s too soon,
”
he groaned, falling to his knees in a mixture of fascination and terror.  He wondered how he would bridge the gap between being a seventeen-year-old Youngling with this inner creature far too powerful for him to understand completely.

Or control.  

‘Take her!
’

“It
’
s too late,
”
he snapped back, staring at Tatum
’
s still darkened house.  
“
If I go in there now, you
’
ll take over and-
”

‘Kill!
’

Shit. Shit. Shit.  
“
No!
”  
He tried again, corralling that glowing ball but it was no use.  The seams of his jeans started popping. His T-shirt became so tight that he tore it away with his claws.  With everything he had, he started walking away from her, fighting the werewolf within.  All the while his muscles were punching out everywhere, his frame growing a head taller.  

Three breaths in.

One long exhale out.

Three breaths in.

One long exhale out.

He somehow made it to the end of the street without killing Troy Hillman, but he was still thinking about it.  Now, he couldn't tell the difference in what his Beast wanted and what he wanted.  They were one and the same.  Then, his mind flashed to Bren, and how his best friend
’
s desire for Tatum overwhelmed him.  Jayce understood Bren
’
s predicament completely.
“
Oh, God, what can I do?
”

Run.

Run.

Run.

He was free, going so fast the air beneath his feet displaced sand and broken foliage.  The drive to mate wasn
’
t the only thing hitting him head-on, but his will to rule.  He glanced around the sights of the island, his home, realizing he would rule from here just as his father before him.

When Jayce took another leap, nearing the Academy, he hadn
’
t a clue how to call his werewolf back. A panic hit him, causing him to slow his run. With his next breath, he found a familiar power swirling around him before his father
’
s hand gripped his shoulder.

“Dad,
”
he roared in a strangely distorted voice.

His father flashed his canines, his body in mid-transformation as he ran alongside Jayce.
“
What have you done, son?
”

“Instead of committing an act of murder on an innocent,
”
he growled back, trying to quiet his Beast but he still couldn
’
t find his way,
“
I took to the marsh.
”

To his surprise his father grinned.  
“
Better to run than kill and run, right?
”

Suddenly, Jayce
’
s red haze popped like a soap bubble, releasing his rage over Tatum and Troy.  He hadn
’
t a clue whether it was his doing or his father
’
s will.  Wondering how much trouble he was in, especially if Bren couldn
’
t find a way to cover for him at the dormitory, he stopped to think of possible excuses for the Headmaster to accept. Unfortunately, there weren
’
t many left to try he hadn
’
t used.
“
Ah,
”
he sighed when that inner, glowing ball finally simmered to a faint flame.

Ardan demanded,
“
Tell me you weren
’
t after that mixed blood again.
”

What didn
’
t his dad know?  
“
Okay, I won
’
t.
”  
A straight fence made of limestone came into view, its wall a good twenty-five feet high, but Jayce had jumped it before his Alpha Beast reared.  Therefore, tonight shouldn
’
t be a problem.  Except his dad was still watching.  
“
Listen, you have enough to do so why keep tabs on me?
”  
Bending his knees, he jumped high, landing perfectly atop the fence.  He ducked when a roving spotlight nearly caught him.
“
Damn perimeter lights,
”
he hissed low.

“My Mate and my Younglings are everything to me,
”
Ardan said, misting next to him in his most human form, making Jayce wonder if he, too, would start misting soon.
“
Pack comes second to you, always.  Remember that when your time comes, Jayce.
”  
He lifted the sleeves to Jayce
’
s shirt, checking the be-spelled markings.  
“
I wondered how long they would hold, but I don
’
t think they did anything at all. Like me, you
’
re far too strong to hold back.  For now, keep this to yourself.
”