Theft of the Heart Ch. 04

Stepping into the shower, Alek's thoughts drifted to the girl currently cuffed to his bed. He had no valid explanation for anything he's done when it comes to her. Why did he make that challenge? He should have dragged her sexy ass back to Nicholas, not cheat his way into making her stay the weekend. It was only Friday evening, what the hell was he planning to do with her for the rest of the weekend? How the hell was he planning on resisting the urge to sink his already aching cock into the warm depths of her cunt, with her lying right beside him in his bed, tempting him to hell and back with that sweet scent of strawberries? And what the hell possessed him to reveal that not only is he a vampire but so is Nicholas? He knew that would not going to go over very well with the other vampire.

That knowledge had the potential to cost her life. He didn't like the idea of her dying, hell he didn't like the idea of her being hurt at all. He would fix this though, he was old enough to have mastered the art of compulsion. Once he was done having his fun with her he would simply compel her to forget everything about him and whatever would be discussed over the next few days. He would wipe clean her memory and make sure she doesn't come back to his house again, then he would find her sister and do the same. They could all move forward with their lives and pretend that this whole weekend never happened, and even Nicholas would never have to find out.

With his situation finally figured out, Aleks turned his focus to his throbbing manhood. It had been hard ever since he saw Verochelle in his basement the first time. Not even the twenty minutes it took to drive that annoying little blonde back to town was enough to settle it.

He took the thick stalk of his cock into his soapy hands and began stroking it slowly while thinking of the little temptress on his bed. Her hands were so small he wondered if she would be able to wrap them around his entire cock. What would those full lips feel like wrapped around him? In his mind's eye he pictured her on her knees with those big doe eyes staring up at him as her little pink tongue snaked out to lick the tip of his throbbing member. He growled at the image and his hand began to stoke his swollen shaft in earnest. As the head of his cock appeared and disappeared around his fist he made up his mind to know not only how her mouth would feel around his cock, but also to know what it would feel like to be submerged inside her warm core. With a low groan, he came harder than he had in months.

*****

Verochelle knew this alleyway, she knew exactly what was going to happen in it. She knew this dream well. She'd had it every night for the past eight years. And try as she might, she could never change the way it ended. No matter what she did, or how loud she would scream, it always ended the same way, she always woke up with a broken heart.

She watched helplessly as her brother dragged the pretty brunette behind the dumpsters by her hair.

"I'm sorry I have to do this," he would say to her. "He wants you to know you did this to yourself, I'm so sorry." Then he would beat her for what seemed like forever to Chella; until the girl's screams dulled down to nothing but pathetic little whimpers. Then he would start ripping her flimsy little blouse off.

And this is the part where the younger more naive Chella would step out from the shadows she was hiding behind. The fourteen year old who believed her brother could do no wrong; the one who practically idolised the man who had so viciously brutalised the pretty girl.

She had silently followed her brother when he left their apartment late that night. Unlike her sister, Chella was a light sleeper. She always followed him when he left the house, when he thought they were asleep. She wanted to know everything she could about him, she wanted to be just like him. Chella had watched him meet with a shady looking man dressed in a well-made suit. She thought that maybe it was someone who had a job for them to do, but something about him didn't seem right; and neither did Andre when he left their short encounter. She then followed him to a pretty shady part of town and watched as he stalked the girl who was presently bleeding beneath him.

Chella didn't understand what she was seeing. How could he be doing this? Her brother was a good man. This wasn't the same man who had raised her and her sister when both their parents died five years ago.

"We may be thieves, little Bunny, but we are good people at heart. We wouldn't be doing this if we didn't have to."

She had believed him when he said that. But this wasn't what good people did. This wasn't part of their game of survival.

"Andre? What are you doing?" she would ask him.

"What I have to do, little Bunny. I'm so sorry. I have to do it, it's all my fault."

His voice would be filled with remorse and shame, but his eyes were cold. Not the same vibrant hazel brown eyes that all three of them shared as siblings, but dead cold eyes that sent a shiver down Chella's spine.

Then Chella would spot the shinny little revolver sticking out the girl's purse. She watched as the younger version of herself reached for the gun and pointed it at her brother. She could still remember the feel of the cold steel behind her fingers; as well as the weight of the pistol.

Some nights she would scream at herself, try to convince her young self to not pull the trigger, to find another way to stop what Andre was doing. But no matter how much she pleads, the same thing happens every night.

Two bullets to Andre's back. Then there would be blood everywhere. So much blood; and everything would go quiet.

That was not how it had happened in real life though. After the shots there were police and ambulance sirens, they were so loud. And the lights, they were everywhere on that night.

But not in her dream. In her dream she found herself in a white sterile room, with no other sounds except for the beeping machines keeping her brother alive, despite the two bullets she had lodged firmly in his back. They told her he would never wake up, that he was brain dead.

He looked like the Andre she knew when he slept like this. So peaceful, but all she wanted was to scream at him until he woke up, just like Zan did to him every morning at home. Chella knew her screaming wouldn't wake him though. His eyes would never open.

But just as she was about to walk away, differently from all her other dreams she'd had, Andre's eyes begin to flutter, so did Chella's heart. Her brother was waking up, she was finally going to be able to look into her brother's eyes, after eight years. She could finally tell him how sorry she was.

"Andre?"

Though as he opened his eyes something else was different. In the place of his hazels eyes were pools of black, so dark they almost seemed hallow.

"Oh God!" Chella woke with a jump. She would have jumped clear of the bed if one of her wrist were not cuffed to post of a large unfamiliar bed. Instead she hung precariously on the side of bed. Just as she lost her handle on the post and was about to make contact with the hard wood floor, strong arms gently enveloped her small frame.

She allowed herself only a moment of contentment as she stared into the brilliant green eyes of a man she knew was the reason for the drastic change in her dreams. It felt so safe being in his arms that she almost let herself enjoy the feeling.

But this man was not safe at all. He was a dangerous predator. Undeniably beautiful, but a predator nonetheless.

"You," she said accusingly. "You're a vampire."

Aleks shifted his little temptress back on to the bed and adjusted the towel that now hung insecurely around his waist.He enjoyed the look of discomfort he saw on her face when she finally realised he was naked beneath the towel.

"I am," he said arrogantly as though it were something to be proud of. If only his 'arrogant face' didn't look so much like his 'sexy as hell face'.

Chella moved as far from the side of the bed as her cuffed wrist would allow.

"You cheated, you bastard!"

"In what way did I cheat?"

"You're," she said searching her mind for the correct words. "Superhuman or something, that wasn't a fair game."

She was trying so hard not to be distracted by the way his naked chest glistened from his recent shower. She was failing spectacularly.

"Actually I'm not human at all Verochelle. And how is it my fault that you allowed your arrogance to lead you to your own downfall?"

"My arrogance?" she asked, affronted.

"Yes, your arrogance. You couldn't wait to get the opportunity to beat me on that court. You were so overconfident in your own skill that you didn't even spare a thought as to my own skill. Tell me, why do you think I would have a full court if I couldn't even beat a little 5'1" woman?"

She hated to admit it, but he was right. She was so used to being underestimated that she didn't stop to think that maybe he could have been better than her. Her confidence in her own skills bordered on arrogance sometimes. She would never say that out loud though.

"I'm 5'2"" she said, biting the inside of her mouth. God she looked adorable when she lied. "And I would have beaten you if you were human."

"And we will never know that for sure, now will we, Chella?"

It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him not to call her that, but is sounded so intimate coming from his mouth that she just couldn't get herself to do it.

Aleks turned his back to her and walked to what she assumed was a walk-in closet. She couldn't help but notice how incredible his back looked. His shoulders glistened with little droplets of water from his wet hair. She couldn't help it, but looking at a half-naked Aleksander caused similar moisture to gather at the apex of her core. The man's body was so sinful, it made perfect sense that he wasn't human. She hated that her body was responding to him like this. Why couldn't her hormones understand that this man, this creature was dangerous?

Aleks was once again assaulted by the delectable scent of Verochelle's arousal. It took every ounce of self control he had in him to continue walking in the opposite direction, when all he wanted to do is bury his face between her thighs and find out if she tasted as good as she smelled. Although he had just cum as hard a few minutes ago, he was once again hard as steel. This was going to be the longest two nights of his long life.

Even though he was in the habit of sleeping in the nude, tonight would not be one of those nights. He would need every stitch of clothing between himself and his bed guest. He found a pair of silk black silk pyjama pants his sister had bought him a while back. This would be this first time he wore them and he hoped they could contain his throbbing erection. He put the pants on before going back into his bedroom. He walked around to the other side of his bed on got in; much to Chella's dismay.

"Wait, wait a minute now, what do you think you are doing?"

She would never be able to sleep with him next to her. Granted she could function on very little sleep, but this was ridiculous.

"I'm getting into my bed to sleep, it's been a very long day," he said as he switched the bedside lamp off.

"No, no, no, you can't sleep here, I'm not sleeping with you."

"It's my house, my bed Verochelle, I can most certainly sleep here and I will."

"And how am I supposed to sleep with you in the same bed?" she asked nervously.

"With your eyes closed," he said with a finality that pissed Chella off more than anything or anyone ever had before. She had just been dismissed. The man was the most infuriating person/creature she had ever come across. There was no way she would spend the entire weekend with him. He may have cheated his way into this little agreement, but she had a plan. She always did. For now she would just bide her time.

*****

Josh couldn't believe that he had found his mate, or more accurately, that his brother had found his mate for him. She was absolutely beautiful. She had shoulder length curly brown hair and impossibly long lashes. She was petite but had ample breasts, a perfect handful in Josh's estimation and smelled absolutely divine; like wild flowers. Luna had gifted him with a truly stunning mate.

She was dressed in all black and strangely had a pair handcuffs linked to her left wrist. She looked so tiny on the hospital bed and he wanted nothing more than to fill the space around her with his own body. He wanted, more than anything to feel her body pressed against his. But there were more pressing issues at hand. Like why she was there in the first place. She was obviously injured, a fact that his wolf was not happy about. He could smell the dried blood behind the bandage on her head and it agitatedhis wolf, he found himself growling.

"What happened, Liz?" Josh demanded.

"I-I'm not sure alpha. She fell, I think he may have seen me shift, I'm not sure," she responded nervously.

Danny, sensing the distress around his mate, answered the question more accurately, "I took Liz out for a run south of the pack lands," he said, heading toward his mate to offer her some comfort. "She must have been coming from down wind because neither of us managed to catch her scent. To top it off she was smart enough to hide in a tree. If she hadn't fallen from it we probably would have never known she was there in the first place."

Josh turned his attention back to his mate. "Is she ok though?" he asked, hating the bandage wrapped around her head. He couldn't be mad about Liz possibly exposing the pack anymore. There's no question of her not being changed, there was no way he was letting his mate out of his sight now that he had found her. Hopefully she didn't have any family to leave behind and her transition into the pack would be a smooth one. Gods, he couldn't wait to make her his, he thought as he stroked her curly hair.

"She's going to be okay, she hit her head pretty bad from her fall and may have a concussion. But aside from a really bad headache when she wakes up, she should be good," Liz said with a little more confidence now that she had her mate next to her.

"Did she have any identification on her? And why the hell does she have fucking handcuffs on her wrist?" he asked, not liking anything about this situation. So many things didn't add up. The place they found her would have been a few miles away from the highway, it wouldn't make sense for her to have gotten off the main road if she'd had any problems with her car. Also, the only place south of the pack lands is Aleksander Novak's property. And if she did come from Novak's property, why the hell did she have handcuffs? What the hell was the vampire doing with a human; and not just any human, his mate? If he hurt her in any way he was going to have the vampire's head. Wars and territory boundaries be damned!

"No ID or anything else to identify her; as for the handcuffs, your guess is as good as mine. I was going to ask Scott to run her finger prints to see if it would turn anything up, but I guess it doesn't matter much now since she's your mate and all."

"No, have him run the prints anyway. I want to know everything about her by the time she wakes up."

"I'll get right to it, but uhm, doubt you'll know everything by the time she wakes up, looks like she's coming to now. You might want to take the growling down a notch brother; you don't want to scare your mate."

"Shit," Josh said quickly getting his wolf in check. His mate was waking up and he didn't want her first impression of him to be one of an angry wolf.

Zan could hear angry voices and growling. Was there a dog in the room? Where was she? And why did her head ache so much?

She slowly opened her eyes and the sight that greeted her all but took her breath away. Maybe she was dead, maybe this was heaven. It would explain the man standing over her. He was simply the most gorgeous man she had ever seen. But why did heaven smell like...like a hospital?

Josh watched as his mate's eyes went from awe to bemusement and then to alarm. His wolf demanded he comfort his mate. "Hello, I'm Joshua Auris. You hit your head when you fell from a tree on my property."

"Am I in hospital?" Zan asked trying to pull herself up, but her head felt like it weighed a ton.

"Uhm, yes. My brother and his mate brought you here when they found you."

Liz stepped up to try to calm the human girl down. "Hey, I'm Liz, I'm a doctor, you knocked your head up a bit. You need to lie back down a bit."

"No, I don't need to lie down, I need to get out of here, I can't be in a hospital, I need to leave," Zan said in rapid succession.

The room reeked of the panic and fear coming from Josh's mate. His wolf demanded that he calm his mate's distress. "You're ok, no one is going to hurt you here," he said, reaching out to comfort her, but before he could lay a hand on her, she rolled over the other side of the bed in an attempt to get away. In her haste to get away she lost her footing and fell, and lost consciousness for the second time that evening.

The three wolves in the room stared at the girl on the floor, confused over what just happened. Josh was the first one to come to his senses. "What the hell just happened?" he asked as he bent down to lift his mate of the floor.

"Nosocomephobia, I think," Liz answered.

"What?" the brothers both asked at the same time.

"It's the excessive fear of hospitals. I think that's what caused her anxiety attack."

'Nelly,' Josh projected to one of the omegas. 'I need you to change all the bedding on my bed and get my quarters ready for my mate immediately.' He heard an affirmative reply from the omega as he made his way out of the hospital room.

"I'm taking my mate back to my rooms, you will have to check on her from there Lizzy. Danny I'm going to need you to send Scott over to my rooms with his kit to take her prints, and for god's sake, find someone to get rid of these damn handcuffs."

"On it," Danny replied, and set off to find Scott, while Liz followed her Alpha to the main house on the compound.

*****

Aleks woke to the feeling of cold steel on his throat. He opened his eyes to see a very angry looking Chella holding the sharp end of his letter opener against his throat.

"It's silver," she said.

"I know, it is mine after all."

"I want the key to these things or I will bury this in your throat."

"I thought you were a woman of your word."

"I am, but you cheated, therefore the agreement we had is null and void. Now give me the damn keys," she said.

Aleks noted the slight tremble in her hand."If you get blood on my sheets I will be very upset, Chella," he said with that arrogant tone that infuriated Chella.

"I'm not fooling around, Novak, I will do it if I have to. Tell me where the fucking key is, dammit!"

"Do it," he said, grabbing the hand that held the letter opener closer to his throat. "Do it or I'll punish you, I swear to god, Verochelle, I'll make you regret it!" he said angrily.

This was not how Chella imagined this would play out, she thought as she watched Aleks' green eyes darken. Aren't vampires supposed to be scared of silver or was it copper? No she was sure it silver and holy water, she didn't have the water so this would have to do. And why the hell couldn't she bring herself to do it anyway? She's done much worse to someone she loved, why the hell couldn't she do this to earn her freedom from this maniac?

Aleks watched as a myriad of thoughts whirled through her expressive eyes. He wanted her to do it. Prove to him that he wasn't what he thought he was to him, that they could cut all ties at the end of this weekend and not be tempted to look back. He wanted her to hurt him to prove to himself that she couldn't be his mate, that concepts like that are for fools and romantics.