E.A. Price - Valentine's Wolf (Grey Wolf Pack #11) Read online

  She got to the door and managed to shoulder it open. A thick smell of fresh paint assaulted her delicate nose, and she winced. A heightened sense of smell was not her favorite thing about being a shifter.

  Her heart lurched as a clammy hand snaked around her ankle.

  “No…” Lester breathed, faintly, “you’re not going anywhere.”

  He could barely spit out the words, and Val was no better.

  “Oh yes, I am,” she panted, exhausted from the effort of moving.

  Val pushed her way out of the door and was relieved as his fingers slipped away. Painstakingly slowly, she belly crawled out of the room. She was in a hospital corridor. Maybe she never even left the hospital!

  At the end of the corridor, she spied an elevator. Yes, all she had to do was get there. It seemed like a monumental undertaking at that moment in time, but she was determined. She began slithering along the ground for all she was worth.

  “No… stop…” rasped a voice behind her.

  She looked back to see a bloodied Lester pulling himself along the ground, trying to get to her.

  “Not happening,” she slurred and wriggled toward the elevator.

  They were engaged in the strangest, slowest chase imaginable. He kept moaning at her to stop and she flat out refused.

  Eventually, after what felt like hours, Val made it to the elevator. She clutched at the wall and managed to haul herself up to press the button.

  “C’mon, c’mon!” she muttered, as she slumped against the wall.

  She gasped and looked down as once again Lester gripped her ankle.

  “I have you know, bitch!”

  He was breathing heavily as if he’d just run a marathon; his face was pale but his nose was one big bloody mess.

  “The hell you do!”

  She tried shaking her foot, but in spite of his weakened state, he was determined. She could feel the darkness creeping up on her. Whatever he had given her was certainly taking its toll. Unconsciousness gnawed at her. She couldn’t stand up for much longer; her jelly-like limbs wouldn’t support her.

  Oh, well, only one thing for it. She did want a soft landing, after all.

  Val went completely limp and dropped to the ground. Or rather, she dropped all of her not quite feather-like weight directly onto Lester.

  It was hardly graceful. It definitely wasn’t badass. It was more Coco the clown than Xena, but hey, it worked. He groaned in surprise, and it took the fight right out of him.

  “Bitch…” he wheezed.

  “Shut-up.” She had heard more than enough from him for one day. “I’m not that heavy.”

  He may have whispered the word elephant, but she was just too darn tired to give a rat’s behind at that moment in time. Her leopard practically cocked her head on one side in amusement at Val’s interesting choice of fighting style.

  The elevator dinged. Oh great, now it chooses to arrive.

  “Valentine!”

  Relief poured through her, and she let her body go even limper as Jake dashed out of the elevator. He scooped her up into his arms, kissing and stroking her all over. His wide eyes darted between her and the softly sobbing man on the ground.

  “Sweetheart, what the fuck happened?”

  She hiccupped and giggled. “I bit him on the nose; it was so gross…”

  Then, darkness.

  Chapter Nineteen

  5th March

  Val stretched out over the bed and patted the space next to her.

  “Room for two,” she purred.

  Jake frowned at her disapprovingly. “You should be resting.”

  She let out a huff and her leopard sulked. “I’ve been resting all day long, I’m very rested, so rested I don’t think I’ll need to sleep again for the next week.”

  She bit her tongue between her teeth as her eyes devoured the sight of him stripping out of his shirt.

  “Maybe I should change in the bathroom,” he said musingly as she let out a lusty growl.

  “Don’t you dare, you just stay right where you are.”

  His lips twitched. “That all I am to you? A piece of meat?”

  “Yes, but you’re a very sexy piece of meat, now drop your pants and tell me what happened to Lester.”

  He gave an exaggerated sigh and then did as he was told. He knew better than to argue.

  After Valentine had collapsed, Jake had her checked out by a doctor. It turned out that after Lester had abducted her, he took her to a floor of the hospital that was closed for renovation. She was fine; the potion he gave her just made her more docile… to a certain extent anyway. They kept her in overnight; she slept right through. It was probably the best nights sleep she ever got.

  When she finally woke, Jake was right by her side. He wanted her to stay in bed, but she absolutely insisted that she had to go and see Hilary. Besides, she still had a fear of doctors and didn’t want to give them a chance to decide she needed any surgeries or drugs. Val ignored Jake’s objections and his grumbles and only agreed to let him take her in a wheelchair because otherwise he threatened to carry her.

  Hilary, thankfully, wasn’t nearly as hurt as her mom led Val to believe. She was a little dazed and had a broken arm and leg, but otherwise she was okay. The doctors didn’t anticipate that there would be any lasting damage.

  When they saw each other, they wept and hugged. Val apologized and blamed herself for putting Hilary in danger. Hilary told her not to be silly. They went round and round in circles for a while saying the same things over and over until Jake coughed in interruption. At this point, Hilary became much more interested in getting details and making sly innuendo. Val tried to blame it on the pain medication she was taking. Hilary was absolutely amazed to learn that her best friend was actually half-witch and half-shifter, but she took it in her stride and was fascinated to hear about what it was like to shift.

  After a couple of hours, Jake put his foot down and said that Valentine needed to rest. She didn’t want to go, but Hilary, with waggling eyebrows, insisted that she do so.

  Jake checked them into a hotel room; she wasn’t keen to go back to her apartment after finding out that Lester had been the one to trash it. He arranged for a SEA agent to guard the hotel room door - mostly to make sure Valentine didn’t leave – and he went back to the SEA offices to help wrap up the case.

  After Lester had been taken into custody, it didn’t take long before he confessed to the two murders. He was Morgan’s son but was always a bit of a black sheep due to his lack of magical prowess. And the fact that he used his real name on the dating website showed he wasn’t exactly a mastermind.

  Robyn was pleased that she could go on TV and tell everyone that she had caught the murderer. Her glory-hogging attitude irked her team, but Jake could care less. He just wanted to get back to Valentine.

  “I saw that woman…”

  “Robyn,” supplied Jake in amusement.

  “Yes, her. I saw her on TV telling everyone how brilliant she is. Pah. What will happen to Lester now?”

  Jake slipped into bed next to her. “A psych evaluation. They don’t think he’s fit to stand trial. By the sound of it, his dad used to torture him. Hopefully, he’ll spend the rest of his life locked in a mental hospital.”

  Val snuggled into his arms and kissed his chest. “I’m just glad it’s over and Hilary’s going to be okay.”

  He wrapped his arms around her. “For a second I thought… I thought I’d lost you. Worst moment of my life.”

  “Well, I’m not going anywhere.”

  “You better not,” he growled.

  “Just try and get rid of me.”

  Val ran her hands up and down his back; her nails lightly scraped his skin.

  Jake groaned. “Valentine, I don’t think…”

  “Don’t think,” she murmured and nipped his collar bone.

  “You’ve been through a lot…”

  “So I deserve a treat.” Her cat agreed with that wholeheartedly.

  She smothered
kisses and soft bites over his skin. The proof of his desire swelled against her thigh, and she rubbed her leg against him.

  “I could get you a candy bar.”

  “I don’t want a candy bar.”

  “How about a banana?” he offered generously.

  “Mmmm, is that a euphemism?”

  She reached between them and ran her knuckles up and down his manhood.

  “Ice-cream?”

  Val pulled back and gave him her most angelic smile. “Do I get to lick it off you?”

  “Fuck, Valentine, you’re killing me here.”

  She giggled. “I know.”

  Jake cupped her head and rubbed his thumb over her flushed cheek. “Seriously, I don’t know what I would have done if something had happened. I love you, Valentine.”

  Her leopard purred in pleasure as happiness fluttered through her heart. “I love you, too.” Probably since the first moment the insufferable wolf first arrested her.

  He rested his forehead against hers and smiled. “Mine.”

  Val pouted prettily. “No, mine.”

  He chuckled and sighed. “Must you argue about everything?”

  She clucked her tongue. “I don’t argue about everything, I…”

  Jake cut her off with a kiss, and she gladly melted into his embrace. His mouth traced over her jaw, and he nuzzled her hair.

  “Mmmm, I didn’t think you wanted to do this.”

  “I always want to do this,” came his muffled mumble.

  “Good,” she breathed.

  Val edged onto her back, and with gentle persuasion, she pulled Jake over her. He covered her with his large body, and she felt the pleasant pressure as he pressed her into the mattress.

  “I never want to lose you, Valentine.”

  “I never want to be lost,” she teased.

  Amber seeped into his eyes and Venus let out a whimpering growl.

  “I mean it, Valentine, I want you to be mine forever.”

  Her breath caught in her throat. “I want that, too.”

  Jake’s eyes searched her face for a few moments; looking for what, she didn’t know.

  “Will you bond with me?” he asked almost hesitantly.

  “Yes, of course, I will,” she gushed and then frowned. “What does that mean?”

  He pressed his lips together to stop himself from laughing. “To bond, we would need to bite one another and drink one another’s blood while making love. It would mean that we would be connected emotionally, forever. If you wanted, we could…”

  Venus roared ecstatically. “Yes, I want to bond with you. Now?”

  Jake chuckled in surprise. “Now? You’re very keen.”

  “Just don’t see any point in waiting.”

  “You’re sure?”

  Yes, what the heck were they waiting for?! “Yes, Jake, I love you, and I want to be with you.”

  Val wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling his sex to hers. She was ready – more than ready for this. Venus was going crazy in anticipation.

  Jake leaned down and brushed a tender kiss over her lips. “Thank you, mate.”

  He snaked an arm under her shoulders, holding her tightly as he pushed against her sex. Her body rippled, and she let out a shuddering sigh as he eased inside her. At first he took her with long, slow thrusts while he peppered her face and neck with kisses.

  She squeezed her body around his and enjoyed the slow, passionate way he made love to her. His other hand cupped her ass, kneading the flesh, and he rocked in and out of her. A part of her wanted it to be this way forever, but she could feel the tingles in her body and she knew she needed more.

  Gradually, he started to drive in and out of her with more force. His chest heaved as his caresses and kisses become hungrier and needier. Eventually, she was clutching onto his wide shoulders as he pounded into her. Their sweet lovemaking had turned into ardent mating, and she loved it.

  Val moaned, squealed and whimpered every time he powerfully filled her. She pushed her hips up to him, desperately trying to meet his thrusts, desperately trying to take more and more of him inside her as she throbbed and quivered around him. The searing hot pleasure grew and grew, and she felt Venus impatiently prowling, awaiting the bonding.

  She was alarmed as she saw her claws push out of her fingers and press right into his shoulders. Jake snarled and sped up even more. He filled her so beautifully, hitting every sweet spot inside her and relentlessly rubbing her clit.

  She couldn’t take it anymore. Her fangs pushed forward and with a roar she sank them into his neck. She stilled right before her body exploded in release and the hot, ambrosial liquid of his blood flowed down her throat.

  Jake roared as he reached his own climax, and his fangs found her throat. She felt no pain, only relief, love, and ecstasy pour through her. Venus howled at their joining and vaguely she was aware of another beast joining her – Jake’s wolf.

  Finally releasing her neck, he whispered the words, ‘mate’ and ‘mine.’

  They spent the night making love until finally exhausted they fell asleep in one another’s arms.

  Chapter Twenty

  8th March

  “Grandma, is there something you want to tell me?”

  Vera Daniels narrowed her eyes as she surveyed her granddaughter. She took a long drag on her cigarette and considered her options when answering that question.

  “Is there something you know that you think I already do?”

  Valentine’s jaw ticked slightly, and Vera almost snickered. It was a trait that she seemed to have picked up from her wolf shifter.

  Vera eyed him critically. He had walked over to the other side of the veranda and was staring out over the city view. Ostensibly he moved away because he didn’t like the smell of smoke, but she knew he was trying to be diplomatic and give them some privacy.

  He was a good looking young wolf, although a little clean for her taste. His exaggerated coughs at her smoking were certainly not in his favor. He looked as if he liked nothing more than to roll out of bed in a morning and take a ten-mile run. She’d been married three times and thankfully, she’d never been married to one of those types. She wondered how her granddaughter was going to fare with that kind of attitude staring her in the face every morning. Valentine, as she recalled from the dreaded teenage years, would sleep until noon unless faced with the threat of losing her allowance. Although, Vera doubted that was much of a threat anymore. A better one would be to get the hose on her.

  Valentine had been bubbling to talk to her since they collected her from the bus station. Vera insisted on traveling by bus. In her opinion, it was the safest way to travel. You would never catch her in an airplane – flying coffins, thank you very much.

  Valentine folded her arms. “Is there something you know that perhaps I ought to know that you haven’t told me?”

  They’d had these arguments again and again when Valentine was a teenager. Usually, the roles were reversed, though. Usually, Valentine had done something she shouldn’t have, and Vera was trying to get her to confess. It took ages to resolve as they were both so stubborn.

  After Vera had found out that Valentine had been attacked, she hopped the first bus to Ursa that she could. It was an enormous relief to find that Valentine was fine, but apparently, it was truth-telling time.

  Vera stubbed out her cigarette. “I take it you were checked out by a doctor after you were attacked?” she asked uneasily.

  “Yes, he said I was perfectly healthy… for a shifter.”

  Valentine narrowed her eyes, and Vera sucked in a breath. This was it, the moment she’d been dreading.

  “Have you… uh… have you managed to shift?”

  “Oh yes, it came as quite a surprise I can tell you. I take it you knew?”

  Vera sighed. “Yes I knew.”

  “How could you not tell me?!” cried Valentine as her eyes swam with yellow.

  “Keep your voice down,” admonished Vera. She looked around and gave the evil eye to a f
ew other hotel guests who were staring at them.

  “A leopard, Grandma, how could you not have possibly mentioned that I was a freaking leopard?!”

  Vera fidgeted in her seat. “It wasn’t an easy decision.”

  “Easy? Easy?! Do you think it was easy for me to start suddenly growing fur and claws? I thought I was dying!”

  “It was for your own good,” she blurted.

  Valentine slumped back into her seat and scowled. “Really?” she sneered.

  “Don’t get snippy with me young lady, raising you was hardly easy at my age, but I did my best. Your mother told me what your dim-witted father was so I always knew there was a possibility you’d be a shifter, I just didn’t realize that you might be both. And when you turned 13, and you started shifting…”

  Vera fought back tears at the memory and Valentine stirred uneasily.

  “What happened?”

  “You were in agony; your body couldn’t handle trying to change into an animal and controlling the magic within you. You don’t remember this, but for days, you would black out, and when you were awake you were screaming because of the pain. You couldn’t function properly, and I worried that you wouldn’t live through it.”

  Vera dabbed at her eyes. Those few weeks ranked as the worst time in her life. She’d lost a daughter in a car accident, and that was horrific, but she had been determined that she wouldn’t lose her granddaughter too.

  “I did the only thing I could think of; I took you to my Circle and together, we enchanted your mother’s ring so that it would suppress all your powers. I thought you could wear it until you were strong enough to handle the changes.”

  “Why didn’t you ever tell me? It’s been seventeen years.”

  “I kept putting it off; in high school you were already different because you lived with your grandmother, so I decided to wait until after. Then you went off to college in a different state, and I didn’t think it was a good idea to ruin that. Then you got a job and your apartment… It just never seemed like a good time. But after you turned 30, I decided I needed to tell you.”

  “That’s why you wanted me to visit,” said Valentine, quietly.