Haulcon's Revenge Page 5

  Pulling her car keys from the side zip pocket of her backpack she pressed the unlock button as she moved closer to it. There was a small beep sound and the lights flashed.

  Slipping her bag off, she pulled open the driver-side door and allowed herself one final glance toward the way she’d come. She didn’t expect to see Haulcon standing there at the cusp of the forest, but she couldn’t deny that her heart dropped a little in her chest that he hadn’t followed her.

  Shaking that off, she tossed her pack to the passenger side and got in. It was probably best for her to take another assignment. Take pictures of wildlife somewhere else. She knew that she’d never be able to return to this area without thinking of Haulcon and looking for him to appear behind every tree or bush.

  “Time to go home.” She started the engine, shifted into drive and pulled away.

  Chapter Four

  “Fuck, fuck, fuck!” No matter how many times Haulcon cursed and berated himself for his actions it still didn’t make him feel any better. Passing inside a hidden cave behind the waterfall he tried not to calculate how many errors he had made with both trusting Jacin, his deceased Alpha’s son, or with Adair.

  Of all the mistakes of the day he had made with the human female, mating with her was at the top of the list. He should have allowed her to continue to walk away once he’d gotten her to the bluff. However, watching her create more distance between them with each step had been just as agonizing as it had been when she left the cave, maybe even more.

  He wasn’t entirely sure why they were connected, but it had been there. That’s why he’d gone to her. He’d convinced himself that he needed to give her a parting kiss. Something traditionally was only given between mates. She wasn’t his mate. Regardless of that fact he’d buried himself to the hilt inside of her tight, wet, warm pussy. That had been biological.

  However, when he touched her, the urgency to sample her essence one more time on his tongue greeted him.

  After she’d climaxed so freely and gloriously, her scent of spicy hibiscus had been so potent that he couldn’t fight his desire for her any longer. He had to have her, had to be inside of her. He should have pulled away then. Hell, he hadn’t needed to bite her and drink of the rich, sweet blood that flowed through her veins. It was the reason he drank very little. But, once he’d passed the point of no return he knew he needed to mark her as his. Even though it would be the last time he saw her, it had to be done.

  Without some greater connection to her, he wouldn’t feel whole for the rest of his life.

  “Damn it!” Foolishness. Never before had he been one to recite such ridiculous musings. What kind of Alpha was he if he couldn’t control his own base need and not break a clan rule. Shit, a species rule, ‘never fuck a human’. With a vicious growl, he raced through the rapid curtain and dove into the river. He needed to cool himself, cool his mind. He couldn’t go far because the sun would be up soon.

  Being inside her had been like finding a missing piece of himself. He’d finally kissed her and set her free. Their connection would still be there, but as long as neither of them tapped into it, all would be fine. Back to normal.

  Flipping beneath the water before he broke surface for a breath to ease the burn in his lungs from lack of oxygen, he headed back toward the cascading water and hidden cave.

  Stroke after stroke he pushed his mind toward Jacin’s betrayal. Ridok, the former Alpha, had never wanted his son to succeed him. Jacin was a vicious and conniving bastard. His actions after their Alpha’s death proved it.

  Ridok hadn’t been dead more than an hour when Jacin and his followers misled Haulcon into leaving the clan compound.

  Haulcon pulled himself up onto the ledge and entered the damp cave. It’s cool air felt good on his skin. Valfs were extremely warm blooded, only dropping in temperature during sleep or the final chill, death. At the hands of another valf or sunlight.

  Now, it was time for him to rest and plan. He claimed a spot in the middle of the cave and stared up at the damp ceiling. Sleeping on hard rock didn’t bother him, but he missed his bed in his room at the compound.

  He listened to the loud echo of the waterfall off the stone walls around him as he calmed his wolf. His wolf wanted nothing more than to head into the clan territory and start ripping heads off. But, using logic over animal instinct he understood that wasn’t rational. He needed to discover what was going on with his people first and who all were in alliance with Jacin.

  Early evening would give him the opportunity he needed to start his plot to avenge himself.

  ~YH~

  “Adair, darling…how are you?”

  Adair pulled the cell phone away from her ear as Princess Smith’s loud, false cheer, came through the phone.

  “Princess, I’m not sure what could be the cause of such an early call,” Adair grumbled. Her eyes were still closed. When her cell phone went off, she’d blindly reached out and fumbled along her nightstand until her finger came in contact with the vibrating slim case. Adair hoped she could get the magazine owner off the phone and go back to sleep.

  She felt as if she’d just closed her eyes. Arriving home in the middle of the night, she’d stripped down to her panties and bra and climbed into bed. Normally after spending hours in the woods she would have showered first, but hadn’t wanted to last night. For reasons she didn’t allow herself to ponder as she closed her eyes and immediately gave in to sleep.

  “The day is practically over. It is one in the afternoon.”

  “What?” she mumbled and slowly opened her eyes and angled the cell phone down so she could check the time in the top right corner. Where had the time gone?

  “Are you still sleeping? Adair…Adair?”

  Sighing hard, Adair sat up. “Not now I’m not.”

  “Good, darling. So, I want to know if you have considered my proposal. I’m willing to go up by ten percent on my original offer.”

  Shifting her hips, Adair swung her feet off the bed to the floor. “I don’t think I’m the person for the job. You need to look somewhere else, as I told you before.”

  “But, you’re the city’s best. Why would I settle for less?” There was a tapping sound that came through Princesses side of the phone.

  Adair could picture the older black lady striking a tablet with the tip of her pen.

  “I’m sure that’s not true… Maybe I can help you find someone else.” She doubted it. All the photographers she associated with were reputable. Adair learned years ago to steer clear of sleazy paparazzi. They didn’t take pictures for the pleasure of immortalizing moments in time. Instead, they did it strictly for the payoff to tabloids like Exposure Press, Princess Smith’s company.

  “Fine! You drive a hard bargain. Fifty percent more. I’ll give you a couple weeks to think about it. You’re always up in those woods anyway…getting those monsters on film wouldn’t take you far out of your way.”

  “There no—”

  “Call you soon. Ciao!” Princess hung up.

  Adair realized she had vaulted up on the side of the bed. Both her feet were planted wide in the carpet and the fist of her free hand was balled tightly and resting on her hip. The magazine owner’s words had caused a burning to shoot up her spine and around her neck. She could almost feel the side of her neck where Haulcon had fed from her the night before burning with indignation.

  She had to remind herself that Princess was speaking out of ignorance. Until more than twenty-four hours ago, Adair also had thought of them as some kind of beast, woodland monsters that devoured humans. But, none of the fables or gossip that went around the city was true. Not based on her interaction with Haulcon.

  Haulcon.

  His name caused a humming throughout her body. She whimpered with need recalling their last few moments together. What he felt like inside of her. Their coupling had been quick, brief but powerful.

  Looking down at herself she understood why she’d crawled into bed without washing, she’d wanted his scent around her
. The woodsy cinnamon scent had covered her like a cloak while she slept. However, now it was time for her to get back to her life. She needed to develop some film from a few weeks ago and get the pictures turned into National Geo Archives in the morning.

  Taking hold of her sheets, she did what she always did when a relationship with a man ended, cleaned and rid her house of him. True she and Haulcon really didn’t have a relationship, per se. He’d never even been to her home, but she would still wash the few remnants of him from her life.

  She dragged the sheets from her bed and shook the pillows from their cases, dropping them into a pile on the floor. Next she scooped up her shirt, shorts and socks beside her bed and added them to the top of the rose-colored sheets. Standing there she pulled off her panties and bra and deposited them with the other dirty things. She headed into the bathroom and turned on the tub faucet so the water could warm up.

  Moving before the wide mirror with its Hollywood lights, she assessed her body, something she rarely gave herself time to do. When she did do it, all she saw was every extra pound of flesh that she wanted gone, how her thighs kissed each other and the heft of her big breasts.

  Now, she tried to look with new eyes. See what Haulcon claimed he saw. There did seem to be something different about her, a brighter luster to her brown skin. She checked the side of her neck where he’d bitten her twice but just like her fingers had felt, there was nothing there, no marks whatsoever.

  “How’s that even possible.” If she hadn’t known he’d bitten her for real, felt the prick of his fangs, she would have assumed it had all been a dream.

  But, the soreness still causing her sex to throb from the girth of his cock let her know it had been no dream. Nothing was different about her that she could spot. Not a single telltale sign of her experience with the valf Alpha. She sighed and turned toward the shower, not wanting to waste any more water.

  That’s when something caught her attention in the mirror. She froze and turned to look at her reflection. There was the evidence—dark fingerprint like bruises marred the flesh of her ass. The deep purple coloring on her mahogany skin caused memories to flood her mind, how tight Haulcon had squeezed her ass and held her contracting pussy against his cock as she’d climaxed.

  She shifted so that her entire back was revealed in the mirror. Her other cheek showcased the same markings directly below her birthmark. Reaching behind her, she lightly caressed and felt the tender skin. A pleasant warmth spread through her body. When she glanced up at her face she saw a whisper of a smile on her mouth and the bright glow in her eyes.

  “Haulcon.”

  For a moment she swore she could hear him calling her name in return.

  Exhaling she shook that thought away. Pulling her hair into a ponytail and putting on a shower cap, she crossed to the tub. Getting into the shower she bathed her body, scrubbing off all of the sweat and dirt from her adventures.

  Ten minutes later, she was freshened, shaved and back into her room. After quickly drying off she put on panties and a maxi dress for comfort. She would work from home. Grabbing the laundry, she carried it out of the room.

  Once the washing machine was running, she put a bagel in the toaster and went back to the room to get her phone. It had been over two months since she’d spoken to her dad and she had a need to call him.

  He lived in the city, but rarely was home.

  She didn’t even bother to call his house, doubting she’d find him there. Instead she dialed his office. The phone rang four times before the voicemail picked up.

  Her bagel popped up and she pulled it out and put the halves on a plate. “Hi, dad, it’s me. I’m just calling to check on you. See if maybe you want to have dinner with me this week. Well, I know you’re probably busy in your lab. I love you. Call me.”

  Disconnecting the line, she set the phone on the counter and went to the refrigerator to grab the strawberry preserve.

  She tried not to allow the sadness to settle on her mind. This distance with her father was nothing new to her. They’d been like this since she was seven when her father had stumbled upon a possible cure for cancer, the disease that had taken her mother’s life shortly after Adair was born. Her grandparents told her that her father hadn’t truly been right when his wife passed, but the hope of discovering a cure had sent him clean over the edge. Something in her father had snapped or ceased living. He’d buried himself into his work hunting for answers and had ignored her.

  Thank God for grandparents. It was what she always said when she thought about her father.

  Their distance was more immense since her grandparents had passed. There were so many things after the last day she would have loved to talk to Pap-paw and grandmother.

  Once she got her prints developed, maybe she would call a friend for dinner and a movie. She didn’t want to sit around her house waiting for her father to return her call or think about Haulcon.

  He was out of her life now. The best thing she could do was pray he was able to get his clan back.

  As for her, she’d go on living her life as she’d done before she ever met and rescued him.

  Chapter Five

  “Nyca.” Haulcon stepped around the tree as his ex-lover came to a halt as she chased a rabbit.

  “Haulcon?” Shifting, she stood staring at him as if she wasn’t sure if he was really there. Bare as he was, he took a moment to study her form. She was just as tall as Adair, with skin more pale, closer to his genetics. However, just like the human woman, Nyca’s curves were thick, just more toned from her wolf nature.

  In the back of his mind he realized that seeing Nyca this way did nothing for his desire. Didn’t even cause it to spark, when before, even though they hadn’t been lovers since she was claimed by another, he’d still ache a little for what they’d had.

  He frowned. “Yes, it’s me. I need your help.”

  Reaching out, she touched his face, still needing to verify that it was him. The urge to move away from her touch shocked him. This was Nyca. True their occasional love affair had been off and on, brief for the most part, but he should not feel like he was sickened by her caress.

  Gritting his teeth he bore her touch.

  “How is this possible? We were informed you were dead.”

  He was sure, Jacin expected him to be. “We can’t speak here. I have a place. Come with me.”

  With a sharp nod, she said, “Lead the way, Alpha.”

  Hearing that struck him in his heart. Everyone in his clan knew that Ridok had announced him as his successor; however, he’d never been confirmed before the clan of the old Alpha’s death. Haulcon had never gotten a chance to hear his new title from his people.

  They both shifted and raced through the woods, Nyca hot on his heels as he headed back to the cave behind the falls. Once they were inside, shifted and dry he began to fill her in.

  “Soon after, Ridok’s death. Jacin had a messenger, a young valf deliver a note to me telling me to meet him at the back gate. The short letter stated a body had been found and he didn’t want to alarm the clan until they were sure what had killed him. I went to the place and the gate was open and unguarded. I continued out, expecting to find men gathered around a corpse on the other side. Instead I was set upon by several men. Dragged deep into the woods, beaten and attacked with all manner of objects. I injured a few of them in my struggle to defend myself, but I was outnumbered. Once I was down, Jacin came from his hiding place laughing.”

  “The weak, evil, deceptive bastard.” Nyca snarled as if she had a mouthful of acid she wanted to spit out, or at Jacin more like it.

  “Yes, he is. They carried my weakened body far away from our territory. Jacin instructed them to bind me to a tree, stretched out in all four directions. Then he approached me and buried a knife, tip dipped in silver, deep in my side. ‘Enjoy the sunrise,’ he whispered to me as he signaled the men away.”

  “A silver-tipped blade.” She shivered. “Haulcon, I have no reason to doubt your words on Jacin’
s action, but how did he believe he could get away with it?” Nyca ran a hand in frustration over her thick ebony hair.

  “He already has, Nyca. You said so yourself that you all took in the story that I was dead.”

  “Yes, some did. But when you came upon me, it was my second day out looking for you. Even now, Marco is traveling the Northside looking for a trail.”

  He wasn’t stunned that Nyca’s mate had stood beside her and searched. Marco was an honorable valf. That’s why Haulcon hadn’t been bothered when Nyca accepted him as a mate. They made a good pair. Since he hadn’t felt deep emotions for Nyca the way a mate should, it was best to allow her to be happy.

  Like you feel for Adair.

  Haulcon ignored his wolf. “What are the others saying?”

  “There is so much division in the compound. A few have left because they have refused to follow Jacin’s leading. Some have asked for an Alpha challenge of those strongest men. However, Jacin refuses them over and over again. Claiming that since the old Alpha’s choice had died before he was declared publicly that automatically as the first born and heir of Ridok the leadership fell to him.”

  “Fuck. Damn Jacin.”

  “Well once you walk back in with me Jacin will have to step down.” Her mouth was stretched wide with a victorious smile that lit up her pale, morning sky blue eyes. Just like all valfs her eyes could become black with passion.

  He’d seen hers change too many times to count. However, he much preferred staring into dark brown eyes—Adair’s.

  Frustration consumed him on so many levels. In order to keep his mind on his goal, he needed to stop thinking about the human woman.

  “I don’t plan to have words with Jacin, Nyca. I’m going to kill him. I need to do it just right. Because of the valfs in our clan that follow him, I need to be sure of their numbers.”

  “I understand. Some things can only be contained by being eradicated, Jacin is one of those.”

  “Yes.”

  “He makes plans to go into the city. He thinks we should feed from humans not animals. Enslave the humans beneath our thumb.”