Call of the Wylde Read online

  “Niam, I’m okay. What the hell was the idea on sending this woman with the torc?” Owain growled in Gaelic. “Do you know the heart attack I had seeing it tonight?”

  Niam snorted. “We’ve not heard from you since your surprise one line phone call before it went dead. What’s going on, brother?”

  “Does Miach know that the torc was being born by a woman?”

  “One of Morrigu’s daughters, Owain. At first I thought she was meant for me.”

  Owain stopped dead. His brother thought his woman was meant for him? Obviously something had happened. “Why would you think that?”

  “I met her when I met Kirstie, my beloved. It’s a long story and you don’t have the time to deal with it. What’s going on with you? I can feel a dissonance in you.”

  “Vampire blood. Tainted.” Owain’s voice tightened as the aroma of Colette assailed his nostrils. He wanted her and he could sense her arousal. She wanted him badly. “Control is a bit difficult right now with this woman near me.”

  “Her name is Colette. I like her, deartháir.”

  Owain grunted in response as Colette placed her hand on his shoulder. “We need to talk,” she whispered.

  Her touch triggered sensations down his body. The woman was death to any man who had abstained for as long as he had. Worse, he was fighting the need within him to take her. But there were also the vials of blood that needed testing. What’s a man to do when his body warred with his head?

  Saying goodbye to his brother, he hung up the phone. With a swift moment, he grabbed Colette and pulled her against him. Growling, he tilted back her head and looked into her eyes. “I don’t have time for this right now, Colette. I just don’t, but you make me want to make the time.”

  With those words, he dipped his head and claimed her lips. She noticed his lips were warm, not cold like the flesh of most vampires even when they fed. Could it be true? Could he not be of the undead? Colette couldn’t think when his tongue traced the outline of her lips. His arms pinned her against his hard body and she discovered just how much she affected this vampire. A slight whimper escaped her lips as she opened to him.

  She tasted of honey and citrus. Somehow he couldn’t get enough of her mouth. Devouring her, he knew that she made him feel as alive as he had the night before he had been cursed. This woman was the embodiment of a true Celtic warrior woman. He had to have her, but not here, not yet.

  He slowly pulled back from her, nipping at her lips playfully. Looking into her eyes, he could see the desire she possessed for him. It was humbling in a way, but he couldn’t let her postpone his need to test the blood he had collected. Every second counted, even the ones he didn’t have.

  “Come with me. I need to run tests on the blood I collected from the vampire. There’s a laboratory I own that’s ten minutes from here.” He looked deep into her eyes while trying to keep his compulsion skill under check. “Come with me, Colette. Let me please you after I get the tests running.”

  Colette blinked at the tall man in front of her. There was something about him that called to her and she wasn’t sure why. She promised herself that she’d never tolerate a vampire ever again, but somehow Owain was different. His brother, Niam said that they hadn’t been dead when they were made into vampires thus they had souls as well as were still being among the living. Could she believe him? Would she take this chance?

  The torc seemed to warm in her hand causing them both to look at it. The animal faces seemed to gravitate to each of their wrists. Owain grabbed the torc and twisting it slightly placed it around Colette’s neck. As it slid around her neck, the animal heads seemed to grin at him.

  “You’re coming with me and that’s final,” he declared. “Get some stuff together and let’s go.”

  Colette stepped back in surprise. “I believe it’s my choice whether or not to go with you.”

  “Not anymore. The torc has decided for us both. Let’s go.” Owain helped her gather her things and tossed them haphazardly into her duffle bag. Once she was packed, he took her downstairs and checked her out of the hotel.

  Colette was curious what it was about the torc that made Owain take these measures. When he pulled her to the car, she asked him.

  “You’re in danger. The vampire’s friends have discovered his remains and they’ll be able to track you with time. We need to get you to a safe place and my place is the safest in Egypt.” Owain looked at the torc against her skin. “The torc -- that bears explaining later, if it’s right. I have my doubts.”

  Colette closed her mouth and sat in the passenger seat. “You know I don’t get this, right? All Niam said was that you’d understand why you were getting the torc and I was to give it to you.”

  Owain nodded as he took them down the road to a brief turnoff. They drove past the Avenue of the Sphinxes as he phrased his answer carefully as not to frighten her. “It has family significance and well, there’s a legend around it. Something I can’t really go into without permission from the head of our family.”

  “I see.” She didn’t, but what else could she say. She wanted this man more than she wanted anything. The only thing was, she wasn’t quite sure she was really safe from her enemies, or him.

  Chapter Two

  >The drive to Owain’s place took them about twenty minutes with the covert driving he did to make sure they weren’t being followed. Colette didn’t say much during their journey, because she tried Owain glared at her. Not wanting him to be irritated, she sat back in her seat and tried to piece together a few things.

  “Niam, what do you mean you need me to deliver this necklace to your brother?” Colette asked, her eyes filled with confusion as Niam removed the torc from his wife’s neck.

  Turning towards her, Niam placed the torc in her hands. “Listen to me, Colette. I’m entrusting you with this. My brother will recognize it and will know what it means. This torc is sacred to my family, so by giving this to your care, I’m handing you part of our life and heritage.”

  Colette nodded. She placed the torc in a small black bag she had hanging off of her belt. The torc still had the heat from both Niam and Kirstie. Yet, there was something more to it. There was something almost alive to it, but that had to be the dim light by which the two were married.

  Niam clasped Colette’s hand and held it to his lips. Kissing the palm of her hand, he whispered some words she didn’t understand, but then felt a run of heat zip through her body. “Stay safe, Colette. You’ll find my brother, I know you will. He’s in Egypt hunting for the same people you are.”

  Colette shook her head at the memory, one she had forgotten until she found a lead to her sister’s killer, and then nothing else had mattered. Her fingers caressed the curve of the twisted bands of silver and then the animal faces. There was a warmth to the animals that seemed to belie the heat of her skin. She wasn’t sure what it meant, but it was something that needed an explanation. Perhaps he had one for her. He best have a reason for it.

  His home was small and blended in well with the neighborhood. It wasn’t too rich, nor too poor looking. There was a dim light on inside which seemed welcoming to Colette. Owain unlocked the door and entered before her, making sure to disarm the security system. “Stay upstairs and look around. I’m going downstairs. I’ll be back in about an hour. There’s food in the refrigerator.”

  Colette watched him walk off down a set of stairs. The closing of the door woke her out of her reverie. Yeah, that man was so going to be bad for her health, she decided. A wicked grin lit her features. But what a great way to ruin it.

  The house was definitely male oriented. There were journals scattered everywhere and the lack of housekeeping was not a complete surprise, though now that she looked at it, there was an order to the mess. A casual observer wouldn’t have noticed that point but she did as it echoed her own home. Scanning the living room from the front door to the hallway that led to the bedrooms, Colette recognized the organizational pattern of the mess. The flow of the piles led one away f
rom the cellar door and into the back area of the house, thus allowing Owain time to come upstairs if he was needed. Genius. I’d have done the same.

  Colette decided to go with the flow, making her way to the back. She peeked into the guest bedroom, which was done in deep blues and was very restful. Then she entered Owain’s room. The moment she crossed the threshold, the power reverberated through her body. It was as if Owain’s hands ran up and down her body trying to discern what weapons were hidden upon her body. Arching into the surge of power, she allowed herself to absorb part of it so she could identify this man in a crowd of people. Clenched teeth and fists, she took what was given to her and stopped fighting the urge to give into unknown pleasure.

  When the surge suddenly ended, Colette whimpered. It had triggered part of her sensual nature. Part of her wanted to feel that touch again, but in person. Her lips twitched with a smile over their kiss and how he had forced her to come with him. Now she was here and he was busy playing mad scientist. Guess if he meant what he said about wanting her, the least she could do was oblige him. An idea took shape and within moments, she was setting everything up for when Owain emerged from the basement. This will be so much fun, well, at least for me.

  * * *

  Owain tramped up the steps one at a time, his mind partially on the experiments that were being run. Hopefully, this vampire’s blood would give him more information on the one genetic factor that he thought might be the reasoning for the blood craving. The other part of his mind wondered what Colette was doing. After feeling her go into his bedroom and her reaction to his Druid magick, part of him had wanted to leave the testing behind and indulge her sensual needs. However, he couldn’t leave the experiment at that stage, as much as he wanted to.

  Now he would let her feel exactly what she did to him. Carefully readjusting himself, as just the thought of possessing her made him hard, Owain opened the door and noticed that something had changed in the living room. Finding the newly added item, his left brow lifted with amusement as the scent of challenge filtered into his brain. The lacy bra had been on top of a journal dealing with human sexuality. He got the hint. His grin became more feral, his canines lengthening as lust filled his body.

  As he stepped towards the hallway, he saw a pile of her clothing and something he hadn’t thought to see -- one of her earrings. It was wet to the touch and he knew it wasn’t from water or her tears. He smelled the wetness and growled recognizing the scent and knowing where it came from.

  “Mine, you’re mine. You hear me, Colette?”

  “Come and get me, if you can,” she whispered from everywhere. She too possessed the ability of magick, though not to his level. As Star Trek’s Spock would say, “Fascinating.”

  Owain said nothing, letting his vampire senses enhance her words so he could triangulate where she was. She was no longer in his bedroom or he would’ve known. His fingers caressed her earring, letting her smell be engraved in his soul. This woman was something more than she seemed. According to his brother, she was meant for him. Nevertheless, Morrigu is a capricious goddess at times and could play games. He wouldn’t just accept this without more proof.

  Then he heard it, the telltale noise of her moving in a room. He quickly and silently opened the door and stepped into the darkened room. “Mine. And to think you’re already naked for me, Colette.”

  His voice came out a hungry growl. He could sense her warmth, her heat. His hand shot out, grabbing something warm and soft. His other arm snaked around, capturing Colette in his embrace. His fingers kneaded her breast as her nipple peaked under his touch. She let out a slight whimper as he teased the tip without relieving the building pressure.

  His mouth captured hers; his tongue questing the source of the sweet taste he knew was hers alone. His hands cupped her breasts and fondled them. It had been so long since he allowed himself this pleasure. Yet, there was something different and deep inside them both and they both knew it. It would be damn difficult going back after this night, if it was even possible.

  He guided his tongue down her jaw, her neck to the tops of her breast. Inhaling her scent, he rubbed his hips against her causing her to gasp at the heat of his touch. He was still alive, still human, unlike other vampires. His lips gently flicked over her nipples causing them to pucker tightly. Her body arched against his.

  His mouth captured one nipple and tugged it. Colette whimpered with passion as her fingers undid his trousers. Tugging at his shirt, Owain removed it as she divested him of everything else. As her fingers brushed his erection, Owain nipped her. “Owain,” she whispered as the slight pain turned into a pleasure that she had never felt before.

  “Colette, this isn’t going to be slow. I need you now,” Owain groaned as his hands slid between her thighs feeling her damp curls. “I want you badly, woman.”

  “Take me.”

  That was the last thing he heard as he let loose of the passion he normally tamped down for everyone else. Her words released the last ounce of control he possessed. His fingers slid into her wet sheath causing her to moan with pleasure as her hand stroked his hard cock. He walked her against the bathroom wall and slid his hands around to her rounded ass. He lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist.

  He positioned her over him and with one hard, deep thrust, he entered her wetness, surprising them both with the intense sensations that filled them.

  “Owain-“ Colette moaned as his lips claimed hers.

  Owain growled in response as he withdrew slightly, then slid himself deep inside her body. Heaven, this is what they had been denied, this feeling of heaven. Her body tightened around his as his fingers found her clit and gently flicked it as he slid in and out of her.

  Colette leaned her head back against the cool wall as he continued to thrust himself deeply and slowly into her. Her nails raked his naked back as she shifted her hips against him. The man simply filled her and made her feel something more than she thought possible. It was as if he could touch her very soul.

  As Owain began growling in his native tongue, the torc around her neck began to glow. “Let the light of the match be the light that leads. If the gods bless this, let nothing stop it from coming forth.”

  She didn’t understand the words, but the warmth of the torc was almost too much against her skin. Suddenly she felt the world slide out from under her as Owain leaned forward and bit her neck. The sensation was like none she felt before, heat from his mouth, pain of the bite, and intense pleasure flooded through her. As his cock slammed into her wetness harder and harder, Colette screamed as emotions, sensations, and the need to explode filled her body.

  Her inner muscles clenched his cock tightly as Colette reached orgasm. As she screamed his name, Owain wasn’t far behind her. Tasting her essence, Owain growled something that was completely foreign as he kept increasing the pace. Suddenly he called her name as his body released his climax.

  Chapter Three

  >Colette looked at the man before her and grinned. His matching grin was one of pure pleasure. Her heart fluttered with a feeling she hadn’t felt before. “Am I allowed to come down now?”

  With a chuckle, Owain slid Colette down his body, letting her feet touch the floor, yet somehow keeping her close. “Feeling a need to ground yourself, Col?”

  “Col?” An auburn brow lifted under the slightly damp bangs. “There are only a couple of people who call me that. You’re not one of them.”

  “Yes, I am. What do others call you?”

  Tilting her head to one side, she replied easily. “Dr. Wylde, Colette, or Van Helsinger.”

  “Interesting. Which do you prefer?”

  She shrugged as she retrieved a face cloth from the sink and wet it with cool water, then turning to him and washing him off. “Depends on the person, actually. Only my closest friends call me Col. Your brother calls me Colette.”

  “I prefer Col. It’s strong, yet feminine, just as you are.” His long fingers traced down her neck and shoulder. The scent of t
heir lovemaking still lingered in the air even as she washed him and then herself. Stopping her hands, he took the cloth and knelt before her, his fingers brushing across her mons as the cool cloth touched her hot, slick skin.

  Her fingers gripped his shoulders as he took his time, sliding the cloth between her thighs, washing away the remnants of their time together. “I love your scent. It’s very erotic and heady, Col. I don’t know what it means with you here, or what to do with you, but we’ll figure it out.”

  “Now that my quest is over, I’m heading home. I’ve got my life to get back to.”

  “Do you think that you’ll be able to do that?” Owain asked, as he finished, leaning forward giving her mons an open-mouthed kiss. “More importantly, do you think that the vampires will let you?”

  “What do you mean, Owain?”

  He grabbed a blue towel, wrapping it around her body, then did the same to his with another towel. Leading her into the living room, he sat down on the couch, encouraging her to sit next to him. When she made herself comfortable, Owain let out a sigh. “Did no one tell you that by becoming a Helsinger, that you’d be marked by the vampire community, thus assuring you’d become a target? You don’t wear a mask do you?”

  She shook her head. “No, I don’t wear a mask, nor had anyone said anything about being marked. Does this mean I can’t go back to my old life?”

  Owain ran his fingers through his hair, a sure sign he was trying to figure out something. “Not as you knew it. You could do it, but you’d have to be aware you’d be targeted regularly.”

  “But your brother has a regular job.”

  “He’s a Marauder. It’s not quite the same, and he does get attacked occasionally.” Owain paused. “Explain to me everything. Once I know the whole story, perhaps we can figure out some way for you to go back to your old way of life, or at least a semblance of it.”