Denying the Watcher Read online

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean I can get it up, but I can’t finish, so Sariel can’t feed.”

  A chuckle escapes the bastard Irishman, and I want to punch him in the throat. But, if I do that, I’ll kill him. Vampire strength versus mere mortal always equals death or serious injury. “I’m sorry, bloody hell, I’m so sorry. Do you know why you can’t … uh…” He gestures toward my waist.

  “She has to be meant for him.”

  Galen frowns and cocks an eyebrow. “Reese wasn’t meant for him.”

  “You know what I mean. It doesn’t work on just anyone. Believe me, I’ve tried.”

  “Fucking hell, that’s … very unfortunate.”

  I roll my eyes. He has no fucking clue. When he’d had the Watcher, his dick homed in on Reese and they’d screwed like bunnies. It was disgusting. And I was so jealous, I thought my head might explode. But me? I took the stupid angel willingly and just got an aching dick in return. “Unfortunate” isn’t strong enough a word.

  “So, Feathers said something about your boy having some of Sariel’s grace. I thought the kid was yours?”

  Galen’s eyes darken. “He is mine.”

  “Okay, okay. Still testy, I see.”

  “It’s been five years. Why are they after him now?”

  “How the fuck should I know? I’m as surprised as you are. All I know is I’ve been trapped in a seemingly endless war against these fuckers, and I can’t even reap the benefits of having a working cock. If it weren’t for you being alive and happy and all that bullshit, I’d have offed myself and let Sariel find a new body years ago.”

  Galen smirks. “Is it really that bad?”

  “Oh yes. You don’t know. You were able to keep your dick wet from the moment it came to life. I’m dying over here.”

  “And Sariel? What’s he been doing in all this?”

  “Staying out of the way for the most part. He’s holding up his end of the bargain. I live my life without interference from him, and he only pops in when we’ve got a Watcher to dispose of. But, in about six months, he’ll take over and I’m done.”

  Crossing his arms over his chest, Galen tries to appear domineering. When he’d been a vampire, it might have worked. Oh, who am I kidding? Galen has never been able to out-alpha me. Not on his best day. I’m older, stronger, faster, and much better looking.

  “I know I can’t change your mind, Devin, but I think you’re being a complete fool by agreeing to that.”

  I wave my hand and walk away. There’s no convincing him he’s wrong. Stubborn bastard.

  I wake with my heart hammering, breaths coming in sharp pants, and my clit throbbing with arousal. Shit. It’s been a long time, but I don’t remember ever feeling this needy. I need to get off in the worst way, and I blame it all on Devin. His ice-blue eyes haunted my dreams all night. Glancing at the clock on my side table, I groan. It’s two in the morning. I’ve been fighting with sleep all night, and I still have hours to go until sunrise. Running my hand down my naked belly, I close my eyes and let Devin’s face take over my fantasy as I relive our encounter hours earlier. Only this time, things play out a little differently as my fingers glide between my legs.

  In my fantasy, he grins at me from the pavement as I hover over him. His amused smile turns heated when, instead of stepping away, I move closer as he stands.

  “Where do you live?” His rough voice sends chills over me, straight to my core.

  “Just around the corner. Do you want to come up?”

  He continues moving forward, pushing me back until my shoulders hit the wall behind me. “I do. But first I want to taste your lips.” Breath hitching, I let his mouth brush mine, that spark between us igniting a fierce lust.

  As my fingers fly across my clit, I let my imagination take me further, bringing us to my bed, where he spreads my legs and pulls my panties to the side before pressing two thick fingers deep inside me. Then he rips the thin cotton to shreds, baring me. His cool breath ghosts over my swollen, wet pussy as his fingers continue to pump in and out with delicious slow strokes. I tremble in anticipation as he lowers his mouth to my center, and the moment his tongue makes contact with the rise of my clit, he rolls those piercing eyes up to stare at me.

  Crying out in my quiet apartment, I come so hard, my knees shake and a rush of wetness coats my hand. The pleasure crests over and over as I moan Devin’s name until finally I fall asleep.

  Something wakes me before the sky even begins to brighten. It’s kind of like a tugging at my brain, telling me something isn’t right. Pulse racing, I stand, shuffling across my small bedroom to stare out my window at the empty street below.

  Except, it isn’t empty.

  Devin stands outside, his handsome face illuminated in the streetlight, gazing up toward my room. I should be freaked the fuck out, but as I take in his mussed blond hair, leather jacket, and that lit cigarette in his hand, my belly clenches with need. His eyes meet mine, and a zing of electric arousal courses through me. Closing my eyes for a beat, I take a breath and unlock my window, ready to shove it open and invite him inside. I’m not afraid. I’m turned on as hell. But, when I peer down at the sidewalk, he’s gone. All that’s left to greet me is a cigarette butt in the spot he’d been standing.

  Fuck. I must be seeing things. I’m so sex starved that I’m hallucinating. Pulling myself together, I pad through my quiet apartment, knowing there’s no way in hell I’ll be able to get back to sleep. With a sigh, I turn on the coffeepot and the television, grateful for the noise. As the morning news anchors blather on about nothing important, I slip into my running clothes. As tired as I am, I also am painfully aware that I need to exercise. If I don’t stay fit, I won’t be able to run when I need to.

  If I need to.

  Who am I kidding? I always need to run.

  I can feel the sun rising even now as I pull my bike into the garage. I don’t know what possessed me to go to Willow, but I spent the better part of the night watching her window. Knowing she was sleeping just beyond the wall as I stood outside somehow made me feel … like a fucking obsessed freak. What the hell is wrong with me? I should just move on, find someone to feed on, get her off my mind. But damn it, when I heard her moaning, heard my name fall from her lips as I’m sure she was pleasuring herself, I thought I’d come in my pants. I couldn’t leave after that, so I waited. Then I saw her.

  The need to be near her claws at me, and I don’t fucking like it. “Sariel! Come on, you freeloader. It’s time to get some shit done.”

  I shout the words aloud, not caring if Galen or Reese hear me. They’ve been through this Watcher stuff before. They’ll understand.

  Growling in frustration at the Watcher’s silence, I shout his name again. This time an annoying buzzing takes hold in my brain, and I know he’s coming. Sometimes he charges forward, head-splitting pain and blackouts in his wake. Other times he’s more conscious of me.

  I’m trying to let you be, Devin. That was our agreement.

  “Well, it’s time to come help me out. I’m acting like Galen, and I don’t fucking like it, so come claim your soul mate and make this feeling stop.”

  What are you talking about? I haven’t felt her anywhere near me.

  “Have you been living with your head in a hole in the ground? She’s all I can fucking think about.”

  His laugh rolls through my mind, and I wish, not for the first time, that I could punch him in the junk.

  Just feed from her and be done with it. She’s not my soul mate. That I can tell you.

  Thinking back to Galen and Reese, I let out a snort. “Really? You expect me to believe that? You were certain Reese was yours until you realized you’d made a mistake.”

  Anger flares from him, sending heat through my brain. I’d been dormant for one hundred years. Galen’s reaction to her woke me. Of course I thought she was meant for me. I thought that was the only way to wake me. I know better now.

  I run my hand through my hair. What I would
n’t give to have Willow’s fingers tangle in the shoulder-length strands. Fuck me, I’m hard just thinking about her. I’d let her tug and pull until it hurt if that was what she wanted. Maybe she’d get off on having the control, or maybe she’d want me to dominate her. Either way, I’d be fucking fine with it. As long as her legs were wrapped around my hips.

  Even as I make my way to the lightproof bedroom in Galen’s house, the sun begins heating the blood in my veins. Closing the door behind me, I let out a resigned sigh when I fall to the bed. My cock throbs, but I know there’s nothing to be done about it. Damn it. If I could just feed, I’d get at least a little relief. But it’s too late now. I’ll have to settle for a cold shower.

  Standing under the icy spray of water, I try not to think of her. But every time I close my eyes she’s there. Her auburn hair, the slight spray of freckles across her nose, the fucking amazing curve of her ass.

  “Fuck.” I draw the word out on a long groan as I fail to force her from my thoughts. Everything south of my hips is rigid and needy.

  Palming my shaft, I squeeze. The fucking tightness in my balls is bordering on pain. As Willow’s scent invades my memories, I begin to stroke my length, rubbing over the head and all the way to the base. I can picture her as she must’ve been only hours earlier, back arched as she gave herself an orgasm with my name on her lips.

  “Jesus fucking Christ,” I hiss as pleasure begins to build along my cock. Am I going to come? Oh, holy fuck, I am.

  Rolling my hips, I fuck my own hand as I continue thinking of the way she must’ve looked. She wanted me inside her, that much was obvious. Did her breath catch in her chest as the waves of euphoria washed over her? Did her nipples harden? Oh, fuck. Did she bite her lip and buck her hips before she called my name? As I relive the sound of her moans, it hits me. My balls tighten even further, and my knees buckle as my body is flooded with unreal levels of pleasure.

  “Fuck, Willow. Oh God.” My words are forced through the groan I can’t control as I pulse in my hand, spilling my seed for the first time in over two hundred years.

  Knees shaking, I turn off the water and just stand, one hand braced on the tile wall, as I breathe deeply and try to figure out how the fuck this just happened. Sariel has been wrong before. Maybe Willow is his soul mate. Either way, if she can make me come this hard in a fantasy, I can’t wait to have her under me for real. I’ve only got a few months left before I have to honor my deal and let Sariel take control forever. Until then, I’m going to make every night end with Willow screaming my name.

  I haven’t seen Devin again since our first encounter. It’s been weeks, and I want to kick myself every time I hear the rumble of a Harley, because my body tingles with arousal at the thought of him. Tonight is a costume bar crawl. It’s one of my favorite events because I get to pretend to be someone else without feeling like a liar. The streets are busy, bustling with life as college kids fill the sidewalks dressed in costumes, drinking, and partying without a care in the world. I envy them.

  As I step foot out of my apartment, I lock the door behind me and shiver as the chilly air runs down my spine. I mean, I guess I’m asking for a permanent case of nips in this getup. Tonight, I’m dressed as an angel. My thin white dress hits me midthigh, the fabric hanging loose and hiding the wooden stake I keep strapped to my body at all times. My phone rings from its hiding place in my cleavage, making me roll my eyes.

  “Bitch, I’m not even late.”

  “Come on, Will, you probably haven’t left your place yet.” Alanna is laughing, the sound of heavy bass and maybe Justin Bieber filtering through the phone.

  “Where are you? I thought we were meeting up before we hit the clubs?”

  “I’m just around the corner. I knew you’d be late, so I stopped in for a prefunk cocktail. I found us a couple of hot guys.” Her tone is playful, but I can sense the anxiety in her words. Hot guys is her code for creeps.

  “Okay, I’ll be there in a second. Don’t go anywhere with them.”

  She hangs up without saying anything else, and I shove my phone back in my bra before booking it down the stairs. In minutes, I’m walking into the club, the same song is playing, just finishing up, and I catch sight of her. She’s dressed as a devil, her bountiful breasts almost falling out of the fitted crimson dress. Smirking, I shake my head as I approach and snatch the plastic pitchfork out of her hand.

  “Hey! Don’t steal my torture device. I might need that later.” She’s smiling, but I don’t miss the way her eyes flit to the men next to her.

  They’re both handsome, one blond and the other a graying brown, a little old for us maybe, but something about them doesn’t feel right. I’m glad she called me to give me a heads-up. “Sorry, boys. This one’s taken.” I wrap my arm around her possessively.

  “That’s all right. We don’t mind sharing.” The blond leans in and leers. My skin crawls when I realize what it is about him that I don’t like. He’s a vampire.

  Taking her hand, I pull Alanna with me until we’re safely out of sight. “How is it that you attract the worst kind of men?”

  She shrugs and hooks her arm with mine. “It’s probably the boobs. God blessed me with them, but He knew they’d be a cross to bear as well.”

  Stopping at a Starbucks on the corner, I take a deep breath. “Hey, I left something back at the bar. Can you wait here for me? Grab a coffee, and then we can get our dance on?” I have to go back to that club. I can’t leave other unsuspecting women vulnerable to the blond guy. Vampires are the worst sort of stain on humanity. I’ve spent the last six years tracking down every last one I could find and putting them down.

  Alanna nods, and I turn back, adrenaline racing through my body. It never gets easier. I remember so vividly the night I came home to a house filled with the scent of blood and the lifeless bodies of my parents. The fucker had waltzed out the back door as I’d stood over their corpses and cried. He’d flashed his fangs at me and smiled.

  Palming the stake through the skirt of my dress, I step through the doors to the club and scan the crowd for Mister Blondie. He’s gone. Fuck. It’s going to be hard to find him on a night as busy as this. I jump when a cool finger runs up the bare skin of my arm, that not-unwelcome tingle of need starting in my belly.

  Turning, I see the cold blue eyes I’ve been fantasizing about staring back at me.

  “Devin,” I croak.

  His lip twitches. “So you remember me?”

  Instinctively, I take a step toward him. “You’re hard to forget.”

  “So are you … Willow.”

  His tongue darts out to lick his lower lip, and my whole body lights up with desire. I want that tongue on me. Eyes filled with hunger, he looks me over before shaking his head. “You’re an angel.”

  I frown, confused. “What?”

  He flicks at my feathered white angel wings, and I can’t help but laugh. “Oh, right. Bar crawl. Drinks are free when you dress in costume.” Assessing him, I have to fight the urge to moan when I see he’s encased in leather pants, a black fishnet shirt, and his long hair is framing his face. “Who are you supposed to be?”

  That devastating grin turns up his mouth, and I wish I could kiss it off his face. “I’m the vampire Lestat. Rock god, brat prince, sex lord. Take your pick.”

  Hearing him utter the word “sex” makes lust roar through me. “Lestat wasn’t a sex lord.”

  “No? I thought all vampires were. Isn’t that what they’re known for?”

  “Sensuality, maybe. But, just between you and me, I think vampires are actually impotent bastards who get off on killing people because they can’t get it up.”

  His eyes go wide, and he takes a small step backward. “That kind of killed the mood.”

  Laughing, I try to rein in my crazy. “Sorry. I’m just not a vampire fan.”

  He locks eyes with me and runs a hand over my arm. “Would you believe me if I said I’m not so fond of angels?”

  “What? Everyone loves an angel.”


  Shaking his head, he chuckles. “Clearly, you’ve never met one.”

  I don’t know how to respond to that. Opening my mouth to change the subject, I stop when I catch a glimpse of Mister Blondie out of the corner of my eye. He’s walking down the hall with a girl wrapped in his arms as he flirts. As he rounds the corner and heads out of sight, I suck in a breath. Oh no. This is not happening tonight. Placing my hand on Devin’s chest, I push him back.

  “Excuse me for just a minute.”

  He stares at me, shock clear on his fucking beautiful face as I turn away from him and walk toward the vampire asshole.

  The walking corpse looks up from his prey as I approach. He’s got her pinned against the wall, a look of excitement in his dead eyes. I want to shudder with revulsion but put on my best innocent, horny-sorority-girl act.

  “Oh my God. I’m so glad I found you. Listen, I’m sorry I was rude before, but believe me, I saved you from my friend. She’s got a raging case of crazy, and you don’t want that.” His lips spread in a smile, and he releases the girl he’d been talking to as I sidle up to him. “Anyway, I was hoping maybe you’d be interested in hooking up? I give the best blow job on campus, and you look like you’re packing.”

  “Oh, baby, you’ve got no idea what I’m going to do to you.”

  I do. I have every idea. Working to control myself, I let him take my hand and lead me outside. I know I have to time this just right. If I pull out the stake too soon, he’ll snap my neck, but if I wait too long, I’ll be drained and dying in the filth of this back alley.

  Taking the lead, I push him up against the wall and run my fingers over his body. I know he’s not hard. I wasn’t kidding when I’d told Devin vampires were impotent. “Are you ready to see what I can do?” I ask, batting my eyelashes.

  He smiles, and I see a flash of fang. Shit. Hand drifting down my leg, I grip my only weapon and ready myself, but a fucking cat jumps out of nowhere, yowling and startling me.