The Hunted (Sleeping With Monsters Book 2) Read online

  “How many people have you done it with before?”

  “No one.”

  “Not even Vincent?”

  “I couldn’t. My wolf didn’t work like that.”

  “How do you know what it’s like, if you’re a virgin?”

  I groaned. “I know what I know, all right? If I mate with you, there’s no going back. It’ll be like challenging Syd directly. He’ll do anything he can after that to kill me – and you.”

  “They’re already hunting me,” she said, making everything sound logical. “Besides, how do you even know it’ll work, since I’m not a werewolf too?”

  “I just do.” My wolf knew he would take her – and that it would take.

  “Why’re you so scared of it then?” she asked.

  “Because,” I said, unwilling to admit the truth.

  She pushed herself up on one arm. “Tell me how you want it to go.”

  “What?”

  “You must have thought about it before,” she said. She rolled over so that her whole body was facing me, her curves a wave my hands wanted to ride. “So why not tell me what I’m in for?”

  I swallowed and closed my eyes. If I told her everything, honestly, maybe I’d manage to scare her away.

  “It has to be under the moonlight,” I began. “I’d want you naked in the woods by the time the moon rose over the trees. You’d go into the forest, until you found a glade – and I would follow you there on all fours, finding you by your scent, until I saw you there in the near dark.”

  I’d imagined what it would be like, before, back when I’d been young enough to still have foolish dreams.

  “Go on,” she quietly urged me.

  “I’d want to rub against you, feel your fingers stroke my fur, breathe all of you in – before I changed into a man.”

  Her hand on her hip carelessly bunched up my sweater, exposing more of her thigh as I talked. Did she know that I could see her? Did she care? “I’d want you on all fours, just as I had been earlier. I’d want you to turn and suck on me. But what you won’t realize is how hard I will be trying not to gag you with it, how much I’ll want to make you take it deep for me, to feel my balls slap against your chin with every thrust. I’ll want to take you, Sammy. And when the mating comes on me, I won’t want to hear no.”

  I paused, worried I’d gone too far, but I could hear her breathing, soft and warm, and smell her, oh god, smell her – everything about her was intoxicating, and my wolf whined. Mount her now, my wolf begged, our erection growing hard.

  And that was the problem.

  “But it won’t be just be me. It’ll be my wolf, too. We’ll be sharing my body – and I may not be able to control everything that he’ll do.”

  “Like what?” she asked, her voice low.

  Like what I wanted to do to her right now? The same as my wolf wanted earlier? L.i.c.k.

  “He just – he’s rough. He used to come out more – when I was in fights. He hasn’t gotten to come out in a long while.”

  “But I thought with the moon –“

  “I mean come out inside me. Under the surface. Like he was when I woke up – he’s an animal, Sam. It’s not safe for you.”

  “Tell me how to make it safe then.”

  “There is no way to make it safe.” When my wolf took over – when it was hungry, when its cock was hard -- “Do whatever I say. Try to stay calm. Don’t run. If you get scared, show your neck and belly – submit.”

  She nodded. “Then what’s next?” she pressed. I saw her hand drop lower, fingers sliding in between her thighs and she had to know that I could see her, smell her. She made a breathless sound. “We don’t have to pretend, do we?” she asked, lifting her top leg slightly up.

  My hand reached for my cock, and hesitated.

  “Max – if this is what you need – what we need –“ she said, her words hanging. I watched her hand rub herself in lazy circles and listened to her moan before she spoke again. “Then you can take me. I’ll do whatever you say. I’ll be good.”

  The scent of her wetness hung in the air like some rare perfume – and I took hold of myself, the coat finally falling away.

  “I know you want me. And I know I want you. That’s all we need to know,” she said, pushing her fingers inside herself and rocking forward to ride on them, watching me.

  “You don’t get it,” I said, starting to stroke myself. “I’ll have to fuck you so hard, Sam – you don’t even know,” I panted.

  “So tell me,” she whispered, going back to rubbing her clit. Her fingers were working faster now, and I wanted to kiss her there, to push my tongue inside of her and taste her beauty.

  “I’ll pull my cock out of your mouth and walk behind you, and push you onto your legs again. And then I’ll sheath myself in you, hilt deep.” Images flashed in my mind. Teeth and claws – I imagined myself pushing her into the ground, and fucking her madly – and –

  “More,” she whispered.

  “I –“ stroked my cock desperately, losing concentration –

  “More –“ she demanded, for herself.

  I imagined her taking it, pushing back against me, my knot stretching her wide. “And I’ll fuck you,” I promised her. “Like you were made to be fucked, like you were a were. I’ll fill you with my cock, taking all of your pussy, fucking you, stretching you wide until you howl out to the world that you’re mine.”

  I came, hard, cum raining down on my belly, my knot flaring as I gasped.

  “Sam – come here.”

  She made a strangled noise. She hadn’t come yet, and she needed to -- but she needed to see me more.

  “Now,” I demanded. She straightened instantly, and pushed the sweater down like she’d been caught.

  She crossed the room to me, and the smell of her sex, god – I kept stroking my fat cock, cum still dripping out of it. She eyed my hands – jealous of them? – and then gasped.

  “I know. It’s why I’m afraid I’ll hurt you. When I mate you – you’ll be locked to me, for a while.”

  She pursed her lips. “I can handle that.”

  “You won’t be able to get away from me. No matter what happens. No matter who I am – or what I do. You understand, right?” I needed her to fill in the blanks with her imagination. It was one thing for a were to bite another were, but to bite a human with were-strength --

  “Yeah,” she said with a curt nod. “I’ll be fine.”

  I swallowed. It was what I and my wolf wanted to hear – but I knew she was lying.

  Without her pussy wrapped around it, my knot was already subsiding. But if she let me, on that night – it was such a bad idea. I’d been strong enough to leave Vincent – why wasn’t I strong enough to leave her?

  “So, um,” she started, taking a step back.

  I looked up quickly. “Do you –“ I said, hesitant. I didn’t want to leave her unsatisfied, but I didn’t know what to do next.

  “No.” She quickly shook her head. “It’s late, and –“

  “Yeah.” I pulled the coat up to cover myself again.

  She danced over the traps back to the other side of the room and tucked herself back onto my mattress. After a few moments of silence she said, “Goodnight, Max.”

  I hitched the coat higher so that it hit more of me. “Goodnight, Samantha.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  What was I doing here?

  Vincent had sent me to Max to be safe and instead – whatever we were doing here was the opposite.

  I turned on the mattress to show him my back, tucking my arm underneath my head for a pillow.

  I couldn’t get revenge without him. I needed him.

  But I wasn’t prepared for him to need me.

  Which was unfair, perhaps. I’d drained a lot of things out of a lot of men in my time – and most of them had never required anything back, just a warm welcoming hole. Vincent was the only man who’d broken the mold, who’d wanted more than just my body, who wanted to know me.

  And
now…this.

  A werewolf. It sounded completely absurd. I should’ve asked him to change to prove it. But I knew what I’d seen on Vincent’s chest – he’d had that paw-print tattoo since before he met me. No wonder Vincent had given me my necklace if silver did that to them.

  Syd, JD, Georgie, Karl -- the names on the dog-earred pages of the book haunted me. I knew them. I’d hung out with their girlfriends, drinking cocktails late into the night. And they’d all betrayed Vincent, to a man. To a wolf.

  All of them had to pay. No matter what.

  I’d bought plenty of things with my body before.

  Vincent’s revenge would just come with a higher price.

  I woke up after dawn the next day and found Max still asleep. Maybe he was healing? I didn’t know. I quietly rummaged in his closet until I found a clean pair of jeans and pulled them on. They hung low on me, my hips barely wide enough to keep them up. Then I went over to the pile of cash to count it. Ten grand. It’d be enough – I’d make sure of it.

  “Wake-up, sleepy-head,” I said, and Max stirred. I realized watching him that he was acting for my sake – he’d wanted me to feel ‘alone’ in the cabin. Probably for long enough to run away, if I was going to.

  He didn’t know me.

  “Bath time,” I announced, and walked down to the creek.

  The cold water had no problem taking away the blood I’d gotten on me the night before. It was bracing, and the water was moving more quickly today, some new spot of snow had thawed miles away – I could feel it surging against me, running across my nipples and playing in between my legs like hands. I stood there and let it buffet me, making me stronger, taking away things that were human and soft and freezing what was left of me so that I could follow through on my plan.

  I returned to the cabin and put clothes back on and scrunched waves into my hair by the heat of the stove, as Max left to do his own ablutions. My hair was almost all the way dry by the time he got back – another of his attempts to let me go.

  “You’re sure about this?” he asked as he came back. I looked at him and saw all the worry he had for me in his face. Was it about today – or what was planned for tonight?

  “Absolutely,” I said, and stalked out the door.

  The first place we went to was the most dangerous – it was in town, and it involved silver. There were a chain of Silver Stores in the area, and I needed to buy as many small sharp and pointy bits as I could, for us to load into shotgun shells later. The more penetrative power the better. I was the only one who could do this part – I got the feeling that just stepping into the store would make Max break out in hives.

  I put my wig back on for it, so I’d look different than when the family’d seen me last, and spent a thousand dollars cash on an assortment of jagged bits and pieces, necklaces that we could break down, earrings that were projectiles all on their own, and yards and yards of silver chain, thick and thin. The women in there thought I was the second coming by the end of my shopping spree, and I hoped for their sake they worked on commission.

  I hopped into the car carrying three non-descript bags.

  “You get it?” he asked, not looking me in the eyes.

  I nodded. “Yep. Onward.”

  He shook his head and looked out the truck’s driver side window.

  The upholstery in Max’s truck was already so grungy, none of the bloodstains he’d left showed. I took the wig off once we got outside of town and I flipped the sunvisor down on the passenger side to inspect myself in its cracked mirror. I tied up my hair, half-up, half-down, like I was indecisively innocent, and smiled charmingly at myself. What I was about to do would be easier with makeup on, but maybe more authentic without.

  He put the car in park outside the first gun shop. “And you’re sure this’ll work?”

  “Trust me,” I told him, opening up the door. I gave him a look, one of the ones I used to use on stage, dangerous and challenging, with just enough vulnerability to encourage men to try their luck. Then I waved and walked toward the door.

  The first of my fake IDs was in my pocket. I was Sarah, and her birthday was only a month off from my own – Vincent, again, thinking ahead for me.

  The gunshop was on the rural side of town, we’d chosen it to start with, it seemed the most likely place for my gambit to work – and it was away from the family. Since most of them had rap sheets, they had to buy their guns out of other family member’s trunks anyhow, whereas me, with my cash and my ID, could be legit-ish.

  “Can I help you with anything, Miss?” A thin man stepped out from behind a row of camouflaged jackets. His ‘Howdy, I’m Jim!’ badge was pinned to his shirt, slightly skew. I smiled at him, full-bore. He didn’t stand a chance.

  “Hi, Jim,” I said with a smile. “I’m looking for a Remington 870 Express.” Max wanted me to get one slug-gun, and the rest shot guns. I figured I should try to get the most important one out here in the boonies, first.

  His eyebrows rose as he took me in – both my request, and my body. “Can do. What for, if you don’t mind me asking?”

  “Home protection – land protection, really. I’ve seen a wild boar out, and I think it’s time for a little bar-be-que.”

  He frowned and shook his head at the silliness of me. “Miss, wild boars are crazy sons of bitches – you shouldn’t go after it alone.”

  “Oh I won’t,” I said, a little breathless, pleading my case. “I just want to be ready, in case it riles my dogs. My ex always took his Remington with him when he walked the land – then when he left, he took it, too. Left me Riley though. Great big german shepard. If only she were a little smarter – I’m worried she’ll get into trouble, and I won’t be able to help her.”

  He nodded, willing to grant that a shotgun might be useful if you were defending a dog from a boar. “You’d have to be a good shot. Shoot your dog with a slug-gun, and it’s game over,” he said, taking another stealthy look at my breasts.

  I grinned at him earnestly, twisting my head to one side. “I’ll practice. I don’t have much else to do nowadays.”

  He snorted, and pulled out a ledger from behind his countertop. “Well, sign right here, and then three days from now you can pick this baby up.”

  “Three days?” I said, my voice rising with disappointment.

  “This is your first gun purchase I take it?” I could see myself through his eyes – I was a simple woman, just as he had suspected, the second I walked through the door. I nodded, wide-eyed and innocent, to encourage his beliefs. “Well, that’s how it goes, Miss.”

  I frowned. “I live past the interstate. I came here because I was driving through. There’s stores way closer to my place – and they’ll be easier for me to get back to, three days from now,” I explained and then sighed in elaborate disappointment – not at him, but at myself, for being just so foolish. “I feel awful for wasting your time – I did want to buy it from here. You’ve been so helpful.”

  “It happens, Miss,” he said. He shrugged his shoulders. I caught him looking again – and he knew I’d caught him, I saw his face start to redden.

  “Sarah,” I confessed to him, like I hadn’t minded. I stretched one hand out and drummed my nails on the counter in thought, and then looked at him, eyes full of promise. “You’re sure there’s no way you can change it…Jim?”

  I saw his mouth part to deny me out of habit, and then him stop himself in hope, just as I came forward.

  “If you’re wondering what I think you’re wondering,” I said, as I planted both arms on the countertop, leaning over deeply. The sweater I was wearing had a low V, and from here I knew he could see that I wasn’t wearing a bra. “The answer is yes. It’s…been awhile.” I let my eyes take on a fevered urgency.

  I could see the outline of his erection growing underneath his sensible khaki pants. Then he took two big steps to the side and flipped a part of the countertop back. “Follow me.”

  We went down a short hallway into an office. I could’ve turned back
at any time – he was the kind of man I could say no to, even halfway through, and he’d stop, I could tell, but he opened a door and I followed him inside.

  We were in a small room with one wide desk, ten black and white TVs stacked on top of it. All the security camera feeds led here. I could even see Max, outside, sitting patiently inside his truck.

  “We’ve gotta be fast, before my boss gets back –“

  “Fast is how I like it,” I said, giving him another look before I walked past him to put my hands on the front of the desk and tilt my ass towards him. He reached for Max’s jeans on me and they practically fell down. I heard him gasped at the sight of so much skin -- and then I heard a zipper.

  Seconds later there was a condom wrapper on the table by my hands, and Jim was pounding wildly away at my pussy. I was once again selling myself -- but this time for a cause.

  “You like that?” he asked from behind.

  I thought about the people that’d gotten Vincent killed, getting filled with silver buckshot.

  “Yeah, Jim,” I arched back into him and purred. “Yeah, I do.”

  Max’s eyebrows rose as I came out of the gunshop, with the Remington in a case and fifty rounds of ammo under one arm. “Told you.”

  “Yeah,” he said, as I tossed it in back, and we went to the next one on our map.

  We canvassed the state. Not everyone fell for me – some of the stores had too much staff, or some of the men were so unused to getting hit on that they were completely oblivious, or they had happy wives – or maybe boyfriends! – at home, but fifteen stores later, we had eight guns. Three blow-jobs, three fucks, two handies, and Max’s mood darkened with every stop. I’d even gotten one of the guns for free.

  “Are men always this easy?”

  “If they’re lonely enough, yes. And I’ll tell you a trade secret – almost all men are lonely.” I slouched into the passenger seat, and we drove to the hardware store in silence.

  “Was Vincent?” he asked me.

  I glanced at him. “No. I made sure of that.”

  He inhaled, and wisely exhaled without saying anything else.

  “I was a prostitute, Max.” If he was going to mate me, he probably deserved to know.