Spell of the Werewolf, page 9
“You’re tickling me.”
Vincent rocked his hips, digging his stiff cock into the crease of Justin’s backside. “Is that tickling you?”
Justin moaned and arched against him. He reached behind him to grab onto Vincent’s rock hard thigh and turned his head to lick tenderly at Vincent’s mouth. Vincent caught his tongue with his lips and sucked it hungrily into his mouth while one firm hand caressed along Justin’s side until he reached the one place they both wanted Vincent to be. A tremble shook Justin’s body when Vincent breached his hole with two saliva-slick fingers. “Even after the last two days, you’re still tight as hell,” Vincent growled and nipped the shell of Justin’s ear.
When Vincent thrust those two fingers deep into him, Justin groaned in pleasure. But Vincent, who was as desperate as Justin for more, quickly spat into his hand and slathered his length before replacing his fingers with the blunt head of his cock. “Let me in, baby,” Vincent murmured, pushing forward and sinking into Justin.
They let out a collective moan when Vincent bottomed out. Justin dug his nails into the thigh beneath his hand as Vincent began thrusting, surging in and pulling almost entirely free of Justin. Vincent added to the sensations bombarding Justin’s senses by wrapping his hand around Justin’s prick and milking him in rhythm of his strokes. “Oh, God,” Justin moaned, unable to stop from pushing back and silently begging for more.
Vincent moved faster and harder, moaning Justin’s name along with several other epithets. Justin dug his nails further into Vincent’s thigh the closer he got to the edge of his orgasm. Both of their moans and cries got louder, no doubt echoing through the trees around them. It only took a few more of Vincent’s hard lunges to send him flying. “Vincent!” he screamed as he fell over into the abyss.
He barely registered the growl of his own name when Vincent followed him, but he did pull Vincent tighter to him, ensuring every drop of spend remained inside of him. Finally, they both stilled. Vincent kissed the nape of his neck in a gentle brush of his lips and pulled free of Justin’s body. He carefully turned Justin to face him and cupped his cheek, stroking his thumb over the high cheekbone.
Justin moved the scant inches between them to kiss Vincent, closing his eyes to hide the tears threatening to fall. In two hundred years, he’d never had a reason to want to continue living, but he knew he couldn’t be selfish. Vincent deserved more, deserved better. He needed someone who didn’t turn into an uncontrollable monster three nights a month, someone he could be proud to be with him, someone stronger than Justin could ever hope to be. But he wanted these memories to take away and greedily clung to Vincent, burying his face against Vincent’s chest.
When Vincent stirred, Justin reluctantly released his hold on him and sat up. He ran a hand through his hair to straighten it a bit and then looked around for what remained of his clothes after he’d shifted. Vincent handed him the shredded jeans, the only remaining article of his. “Should probably think about buying stock in a clothing company because it’s always being ripped off of you,” Vincent joked.
“After tonight, it won’t matter because I’ll either be human or dead.” Justin didn’t look at him as he returned the way they’d come from.
Chapter 13
Vincent stared after Justin and sighed. The other hunters hadn’t understood why he didn’t want to just kill Justin, but everything had changed. He knew, despite the beast beneath the surface, Justin had a kind heart and wanted nothing more than to help. His feelings for Justin had changed as well. He couldn’t imagine taking his sword to Justin now. He regretted the agreement, and he hoped by the time the battle tonight was over Jake would be dead and Justin would be human.
Trailing after Justin, he sifted through the last couple of weeks since Justin had entered his life; the day they’d met, the way Justin’s scent called to him, Justin’s fierce protectiveness of Kara, their stolen moments in the dark, and the earrings Justin had gifted him. He touched the one in his right earlobe. His emotions went haywire the second his finger grazed the purple stone. Vincent froze where he was when a thought he’d never expected in his life struck him right in the chest.
Could he possibly… love Justin? His mind rebelled at the idea of caring for one of the monsters he’d made it his life’s mission to destroy, but his heart beat fierce and wild with the knowledge of his true feelings. Justin had Vincent’s heart in his hands irrevocably. There could be no way for him to carry out his end of the bargain they’d made, no matter the outcome of the upcoming fight.
Vincent resumed walking, still lost in his internal war over his emotions. When he exited the tree line, it took a few breaths to register the scene in front of him. Yasmine was on Justin’s back, raining blows wherever she could reach. Rage poured through Vincent, and he rushed forward, grabbed Yasmine, and threw her to the ground. He stood over her, chest heaving in his fury. “What the fuck is wrong with you, Yasmine?”
“I can smell you on him and him on you. You’re disgusting. Rutting with a werewolf? How could you?” Yasmine screamed, tears filling her eyes.
Pity for her set in, and Vincent crouched beside her. “My feelings for you have never been anything more than friends, Yas. Even if I was rutting, as you so elegantly put it, you have no right to me or a say in what I do. Justin has done nothing wrong, and you need to understand your actions are pushing me away.” Vincent straightened and stared down at her, shaking his head. “I think you need to grow up a little more and realize it’s a harsh world. You can’t always get what you want.”
With those words, he turned, grabbed Justin by the arm, and led him away, leaving Yasmine sitting on the ground.
The hunters continued to gather at the rest stop. The sheer volume of them made Justin’s head spin. He’d never known there were so many. He wasn’t sure how he’d gone as many years as he had without running into more of them.
One of the hunters went ahead to scout the area to see if the werewolves were still there. When the report came back that they were, Justin knew tonight would decide the rest of his life.
“I’m surprised they didn’t try to leave,” Vincent murmured.
“I’m not. Jake’s arrogance wouldn’t allow them to run. He believes he can’t be hurt.”
Vincent growled low. “That arrogance will be his downfall tonight.”
Justin hoped so because the selfish part of him wanted to stay at Vincent’s side. The plan would be to wait for nightfall, for the city to sleep, then slip in under the cover of darkness. Justin knew Jake would be ready for them, no matter when they went, but the late hour would prevent human casualties caught in the crossfire.
Groups were formed while they waited, and food was passed among them to fortify everyone’s strength. Justin rested beside Vincent, leaning against a tree. They didn’t talk, just sat in silence, their hands tangled together out of sight of the others. Nervous energy built faster the quicker the hours passed. The sun hung low in the horizon when everyone began to move. They left at separate times, wanting to prevent drawing as much attention to themselves as they could. When it was their turn to go, Vincent gave a small squeeze of Justin’s hand in reassurance and then released him to stand up.
The ride to the little town was also made without talking. By the time darkness had fallen completely, the groups of hunters had reached their destination. The street the bakery resided on appeared deserted. No lights shone from any window, and the entire area seemed shrouded in darkness. An eerie feeling trickled down Justin’s spine, and he frowned, surprised not a single building appeared to have anyone still in it. It wasn’t exactly a Tokyo-sized city, but the businesses definitely didn’t close their doors before nine. “Something’s not right,” Justin murmured when they passed the little store he’d purchased the earrings and necklace in. “Where is everyone?”
“The scroll Jake has isn’t the only one, Justin,” Vincent replied. “The hunters have come into possession of a number of magical artifacts as well, including spells that urge humans to stay away from an area and to turn their attention from our actions. We use them when we have to clean up after preternatural attacks. The moment we entered the city, one of these spells was triggered. I guess you could say everyone found it impossible to remain in a two block radius of the bakery.”
Justin raised his brows at Vincent. He’d had no idea about such things, though he had known there were other malevolent creatures besides werewolves. He’d killed a few warlocks and vampires over the years, mostly because they had gotten in his way while hunting.
Most of the hunters abandoned their vehicles a few blocks over, choosing to approach on foot. Vincent left the Charger at the end of the street where the bakery resided, and they joined with a small group of hunters already waiting nearby.
The werewolves were ready for them as Justin expected. There were a number of the beasts hiding in the shadows, and the hunters spread out around the area. Justin gripped his sword tighter, knowing he couldn’t hesitate tonight or else someone could get hurt or worse, killed. A shout behind the two of them brought Vincent and Justin around to find several of the hunters already engaged in battle. Werewolves leapt from the top of buildings, from the open alley ways, and out of the various buildings around them. Justin cried out a warning to a hunter when they didn’t seem to notice one of the creatures approaching from behind. The hunter sidestepped the attack and spun around to spear it straight through the heart.
The unknown hunter gave him a quick nod of thanks and returned to fighting another werewolf. Seeing the deft, accurate way the hunters were moving and battling the monsters caused Justin to feel a little better about their chances to end this tonight. He resumed following Vincent, eyes trained on the long braid swinging against Vincent’s back while he walked. His heart clenched with fear for Vincent. The idea of him being hurt or dying scared Justin out of his mind. He didn’t want to lose the only other person who meant the world to him besides Kara.
They were halfway to the bakery when they were charged by two werewolves. Standing back to back, they faced off against the beasts. Justin realized mid-fight the only way to finish this was to kill Jake. If Jake was killed, the rest would disband. They needed a leader, an alpha, to follow. Without Jake, the pack would fall apart. “Vincent,” Justin yelled, his sword caught between the claws of the beast he fought.
“What?” Vincent shouted, dodging a claw flying toward his face.
“Jake has to be in the ritual room. If we kill him, the rest will run. I’m going.” Justin plunged his sword straight into the werewolf’s heart, piercing it with the silver blade. He tugged it free and, as the body fell, rushed toward the bakery alley entrance.
“Justin, wait!” He heard Vincent scream behind him but ignored him and kept moving, dodging around multiple werewolves until he burst through the back door. He raced into the kitchen toward the freezer and wrenched it open. Practically flying down the steps, Justin almost lost his footing more than once. His eyes took several precious seconds to adjust to the darkness, and he almost didn’t see the creature running toward him.
Justin swung out, his sword connecting with the monster’s neck, cleanly slicing it free from its body. The werewolf hadn’t even hit the floor when Justin took off running again. When he came to an abrupt halt at the ritual room, his boots fought for purchase on the slick concrete, and he had to grab the doorframe to keep from falling. Jake stood at the pedestal, still in human form, when Justin darted into the room. “Ah, I see my pet has returned to me,” Jake said, smirking.
“It’s over, Jake. You’re going to die tonight, even if I have to die with you!” Justin shouted, rushing toward Jake, sword ready.
Jake sidestepped and swung a fist at Justin, catching him in the face. Justin couldn’t stop himself as he flew through the air, hitting the wall with a loud crash. There was no way Jake should be so strong in human form. The spell must unlock more than their ability to shift.
“Haven’t you learned yet, Justin?” Jake stalked to where Justin lay gasping for air. “Your strength is no match for mine.”
“Maybe not, but mine is,” Vincent snarled, stepping into the chamber.
Jake narrowed his eyes and turned to glare at Vincent. “You again! No matter. Once I’ve killed you, Justin won’t have his protector anymore, and then I’ll show him what true pain is.”
Justin struggled to stand, his back aching from the impact with the wall. When Jake started to shift, Justin stared in horror. The seams on his clothes popped the larger he grew, limbs lengthening and hair sprouting all over his body. Fully transformed, he stood seven and a half feet tall. Jake roared at Vincent, saliva dripping from his huge fangs. Vincent pointed his sword at Jake and said, “I will kill you for what you’ve done to Justin. You’re a foul creature and need to return to the hell you came from.”
Vincent struck at Jake, but Jake caught the sword in one huge claw. Justin couldn’t look away when Jake wrenched the sword from Vincent and flung it away from them. It landed with a clatter across the room, close to the pedestal. Without warning, Jake slammed into Vincent, sending him airborne toward the wall behind him. Justin screamed in terror when Vincent’s head snapped forward from the impact, knocking him unconscious.
Fury swarmed Justin as he watched Vincent crash to the ground and lay unmoving. The centuries of bitterness and resentment toward Jake sparked his rage even further. Before he knew it, he started to shift, faster than he ever had in the past. In seconds, he stood fully transformed, his body trembling with emotion. He snarled at Jake, who’d turned around when he’d heard Justin moving behind him. The muscles in Justin’s thick, muscular legs bunched as he propelled himself across the chamber to attack Jake.
Claws slashing at each other, they danced a tango of hatred and wrath. Blood welled up from every cut, every slice, spattering across the floor. Justin took out two centuries of self-loathing, fear, and anger at his life being stolen from him in those moments. He wanted Jake to know the depth of those emotions eating at his soul since that fateful night. The hunters appearing in the doorway barely registered with him, his focus entirely on Jake and ensuring the bastard paid for everything he’d done.
Jake rammed a clawed fist at Justin’s chest, trying to punch through to crush his heart. It caught Justin off guard and, though unsuccessful, the impact knocked him to the ground. Jake whirled and stomped toward Vincent. Justin realized Vincent had come to and now held the scroll in his hands. He struggled to his feet, but not in time to get to them. Vincent bolted out of the ritual room and down the tunnel, Jake hot on his heels.
Justin tried to follow, but a scream from Yasmine stopped him in his tracks. One of the creatures had her by the throat, holding her in the air with one claw poised to make a death strike. A split second was all it took for him to drop the chase and hurry over to help her.
Chapter 14
Vincent’s footsteps echoed through the tunnel, the sound loud and booming with his mad dash out of the ritual room. He flew up the stairs and through the bakery to the street behind the shop. Jake wasn’t far behind him. Vincent spun to face off with Jake, sword at the ready. The doorway was too small, and Jake smashed through the frame, sending debris raining to the ground. Once free of the building, Jake drew himself to his full height, fire snapping from his eyes at Vincent as they circled one another. “Why don’t you change back to your human form, Jake? Or are you too scared to face me in your weaker form?”
Jake growled at him and began to change right there on the street. Once in his human half, he taunted, “You think you can beat me, hybrid?”
“I know I can,” Vincent replied cockily. He’d realized what Justin hadn’t. Jake lusted for Justin, the one thing he couldn’t have, with every fiber of his being. It drove Jake crazy that Justin wouldn’t submit to him. “I mean, after all, I beat you already.”
Feigned amusement caused Jake to smirk at him. “Oh? How is that?”
Pausing, Vincent studied Jake, letting him dangle for a long moment. Then he said, “I won Justin.”
Those three words served their purpose, sending Jake into a furious rage again and forcing his hand. It gave Vincent the opening he’d been waiting for. He didn’t move as Jake rushed him, but at the last possible second, he brought his sword in line with Jake’s heart. Jake couldn’t stop himself in time and impaled himself on the sword. The silver went straight through and out of Jake’s back.
Surprise and pain flooded Jake’s eyes as he staggered a few steps away from Vincent. “Well,” blood started seeping from the corner of Jake’s mouth, “ain’t that a bitch.”
Jake crumpled to the ground, body still. Vincent stood over him for a moment, then extracted his sword and turned to go back into the bakery. Entering the ritual room, his gaze immediately settled on Justin, who’d already returned to human form, and Vincent breathed a sigh of relief Justin hadn’t been hurt. It surprised him though when Yasmine accepted the hand Justin held out to her. She had multiple deep scratches on her arms and legs and another across her cheek. Justin stripped off the fragments of his shirt and helped stem the flow of blood.
“Justin,” Vincent said, stepping to his side.
Justin looked at him, and something in his face must have told Justin what they both wanted. Tears filled Justin’s eyes, and he whispered, “It’s finally over.”
Vincent nodded and placed his hand on Justin’s shoulder, squeezing gently. The two of them flanked Yasmine, helping her out of the ritual room. There were bodies everywhere, werewolves and hunters alike. Vincent could feel the sadness radiating from Justin when they passed a dark-haired hunter holding another and crying.
