DarkHunger Read online

  “I know, Logan, you don’t have to say it again.”

  “Oh, yes I do, because you don’t understand when you are being used. I’ll drill this into your sorry ass until you understand there are other women out there who would kiss the ground you walk on. You think she’s having more fun fucking those humans? I doubt that, unless you are not as full blooded as I thought you were. She does it because she gets away with it with humans. Other vampires could smell you on her and wouldn’t sleep with her. If not for that reason, she would probably be fucking our kind also.”

  Logan had told him this hundreds, maybe even thousands, of times and he hadn’t listened, knowing that his brother spoke the truth.

  “I know, and in time I’ll make my own decision to move on and not a moment before.”

  “Whatever you say, Ian,” Logan spat. “I hope it’s sooner than later. I love you, brother, and I hate to see anyone hurt you. I’ll see you when you arrive.”

  Before Ian could get another word in, the line went dead. He knew that Logan didn’t like the situation he allowed himself to be put into. Matter of fact, a lot of his kind didn’t approve of the situation, but none of them had the last say so in what happened in his relationship. He did.

  Ian picked his iPad up, determined to finish the news before he had to drag himself out for a dinner with Meagan. He would rather stay home and do absolutely nothing.

  Chapter Two

  Kayla Louis halted the puppy on the scale. Even though she was a puppy, she still felt like she weighed a ton. Well, not a ton, but she was heavy. Mr. Anderson loved his Great Danes and so did she, but this puppy was going to give her a hernia.

  The dog barked loudly, her tail wagging playfully as she tried to jump off the scale to Kayla.

  “Be still, Princess,” she instructed softly.

  Princess barked playfully at her, trying to get into her arms. There was no way she would be able to get the animal’s weight with her moving so much. Kayla had been Princess’ vet since she was two months old. Now, at six months, the dog had become playful and always wanted Kayla to carry her.

  “Tyler!” Kayla yelled for her friend. “Come help me get Princess to sit still.”

  For some reason Princess didn’t like Tyler. Funny thing, it wasn’t only Princess who had a problem, as most of the animals didn’t seem to enjoy his presence lately. When Tyler started working here a year ago, the pets loved him. They would flock to the end of the cages when he came around, and some would nearly knock him down to get his attention. Now, they seemed to be afraid of Tyler. They would run to the far end of the cages, some shaking in fear when Tyler walked into the room to feed them. Dogs would bark at him. Cats would hiss loudly. The birds would fly around in the cages, almost knocking themselves out by running into the cage walls.

  After seeing that the animals were hurting themselves, Kayla decided to use Tyler as more of a cleanup person after they did the examinations, and to assist her when she had to perform surgeries on sedated animals. She did what she could to keep Tyler away from the animals until she needed him. Like now.

  Tyler walked into the room and Princess started barking and baring her teeth.

  Kayla watched as Tyler ran his large hands through his blond hair. His blue eyes shone intensely under the bright examination lights. Looking into his eyes was like looking into deep pools of lust. No other words could explain how his eyes looked but lust.

  God, in only a year, Tyler went from being small and petite to what stood before her today. He had started working out as far as she could tell. His arms were twice the size they used to be. His blond hair matched his tanned skin tone. He had let his hair grow longer, giving him that rowdy guy look. He seemed to have changed in front of her eyes, and she liked what she saw in him. Sadly, she would never date anyone she worked with. Tyler’s father had been her custodian since she opened the Paws Pet Rescue. Soon after he started, he begged her to hire Tyler, telling her that his son needed to learn responsibility and learn what he needed to know become a vet, not that she ever remembered Tyler speaking to her about wanting to become a vet. Anyhow, Tyler had been a great helper, and soon her business had grown to a point where she had to hire her best friend, Julia.

  Together, they were keeping this place in shape. If they kept growing, she would have to hire more people. She had a business she loved, and it grew every day. Too bad her parents didn’t see it her way. Why would the great Louis and Louis law team want their only child to be a veterinarian? No, having their daughter watch over filthy animals wasn’t in the Louis’ big book of life. They wanted her to become a lawyer like them, and they wanted her to take over the family business.

  Too bad, Mom and Dad! I’m happy with my life. I am able to pay my bills. And one day, whenever I decide to have sex, I’m going to give you grandchildren. I’m not in need of any money, so why not be happy for me?

  Kayla knew that would never happen. They would never be happy for her until she dropped the animal business and went into law school.

  “What’s wrong, princess?” Tyler’s deep voice spoke softly, bringing Kayla back to reality. “You’re frisky today, girl.”

  Tyler raised his hand to touch Princess, making her growl under her breath. She took a step back on the scale and sat down. She kept growling softly as Tyler walked closer to her. Kayla knew that the dog would move away from Tyler, but she just wanted to know why.

  “I don’t know why the animals hate me so much when I have nothing but love for them,” Tyler said sadly.

  Kayla looked at the numbers on the scale, writing it down in the chart.

  Princess had stopped growling, but she kept her eyes on Tyler, watching to see if he would move closer.

  “I don’t know, Tyler, maybe they will stop sooner or later. Thanks for the help, by the way. I know that me using whatever it is the animals hate about you against them is wrong, but it helps in situations like this.”

  “It’s okay. I’m used to it by now. And you can use me anytime,” Tyler said, a wide grin on his face. “I’m here for your use.”

  Kayla’s eyes widened at that comment as he walked away. She knew it was an innocent comment, but she had a feeling that he meant it as more of a personal use over any other expression. She knew Tyler had a crush on her. Julia had told her a couple of months ago how Tyler confessed his undying love for her as they cleaned up the cages. At first, Kayla was thrilled and actually thought of moving forward with a romantic relationship with him. Hell, she was a twenty-three year old virgin. It’s not like she was getting any younger. She needed to move forward with her life, and Tyler seemed like the perfect piece to her puzzle.

  Tyler, on the other hand, was a twenty-six-year-old handsome guy who had the women who came in to bring their pets drooling over him. She believed that half of them brought their pets back in for an early exam just to see Tyler. It puzzled her that Tyler never took any of the women up on their offers. She didn’t understand until Julia told her of his love for her.

  She felt so bad that she wouldn’t accept his love for her by returning it to him. She would love to get rid of this annoying virginity thing, but it wouldn’t be with Tyler. She considered Tyler forbidden fruit.

  Julia’s unexpected voice brought her out of her Tyler daydream. “Earth to Doctor Louis.”

  “Good girl,” Kayla said as Princess jumped off the scale, running to Julia.

  “She’s really attached to me,” Julia said.

  “No, she just knows you carry the treats.”

  Julia laughed and reached into her pocket, giving Princess the treat she was scratching at her pocket to get.

  “Told you,” Kayla said as the dog sat beside Julia, devouring her treat.

  “What are we going to do tomorrow?”

  Kayla frowned, staring into Julia’s green eyes. “What do you mean what are we going to do tomorrow?”

  Julia sighed and rubbed Princess on the head. “Tomorrow is Saturday. We have not been out in months. I need to make sure my sh
aker still works. How about we go to that new club, Diamond? I heard that it’s awesome inside. It’s not just some old run of the mill place. The manager put some money into fixing it up.”

  Kayla groaned. She didn’t want to go to a club. She was happy getting up tomorrow and helping Jack with cleaning up the place. She enjoyed coming in on the weekends, checking on her animals.

  “I don’t wanna,” Kayla pouted.

  “Please, Kay, for me? I promise not to keep you out too late, and there may be hope yet of getting rid of that pesky virginity thing of yours.”

  “You’re a brat sometimes.”

  “I know, but will you, please?” Julia sung. “I can tell the others to reserve one of the blue rooms.”

  “The blue room? What’s that?”

  “I heard that if you have a group of three to five people, you can reserve the blue room where you get your own personal server. When you get tired of dancing, you don’t have to sit around the bar where people are running into you all the time. You can go upstairs and relax in the blue room area.”

  “That sounds like fun. Okay, I’m in, but I’m not staying long.”

  “Great. I’ll get the others to meet us there around six. Is that a good time for you?”

  Kayla shrugged. “Fine. I’m only doing this for you.”

  Julia ran up to Kayla, hugging her. “I know, I know. That’s why I love you.”

  Princess broke them up by trying to squeeze between them.

  “Jealous girl,” Julia said. “Come on. Let’s get you ready for your s-h-o-t-s before Mr. Anderson returns to pick you up.” Julia grabbed her collar. “You have everything for her?”

  Kayla nodded. “Yea, I had Tyler help me make her be still on the scale. I took her vitals and she is ready for her immunizations.”

  “I don’t know why the animals don’t like Tyler much these days. You think they pick up some bad vibes with him?”

  “I doubt that. Sometimes animals are not friendly.”

  “Kayla, they are friendly to us then hate him. Does that make sense to you in any way? I don’t know what is going on. I like Tyler, but if he keeps freaking out the animals, we will have to find someone else. Which brings up another thing, I love working for you, dear friend, but I am getting tired of the double duties.”

  “I know, Julia, and I’m working on that right now. I promise to hire someone soon. I’m going to have to put Tyler on night clean up all the time if that’s the case.”

  “He wouldn’t be upset. Anyhow, he doesn’t have to stay on night watch. Just until whatever is going on with him stops.”

  Kayla nodded.

  “Well, let me go get Princess ready. You have a client in room two. She believes that her cat has worms. I told her a stool sample has to be done to confirm this.”

  Kayla sighed. “My work is never done.” She set the chart down on the table and walked out of the room.

  * * * *

  Tyler tossed the garbage bag into the bin, and it landed inside with a loud thump. He growled and kicked the side of the garbage bin, his foot leaving a large boot impression there.

  “Calm down there, pup,” Jack McDaniels, his father, said as he walked around the corner.

  Tyler took a deep breath, trying to calm the rage running through him. He growled, wanting to yell to the heavens, needing to release the beast that he had grown to know over the past year.

  At the age of twenty-five, werewolves came of age, and his time clock had his body in overdrive. He had picked his mate already, and he wanted her by his side. The problem was, the pack he wanted to join didn’t allow him to just drag her off and make her his, as he wanted to do. She had to pick him. She had to make her own decision to want to love him and become a werewolf. If not, then the transformation wouldn’t work.

  Kayla was his and he wanted her!

  She was pure.

  Untouched.

  This was just as he wanted to keep her. If she didn’t pick him soon, he would violate every law of his pack, go out, and claim her as his own. She would accept him eventually. He knew from the look in her eyes she wanted him. Earlier, he could smell a small hint of arousal on her after she called him into the room to help her. His plan of telling Julia about his love for Kayla seemed to be working for him. He knew that Julia would run back to Kayla, and tell her everything.

  If not for the animals, he probably would have made a move and asked her out on a date a few moments ago. Fucking animals! Spoiling everything! They knew what he was, and that’s why they kept running away from him. His father told him that eventually he would be able to control animals, and they wouldn’t fear him. It just took time. Every fucking thing took time! He wanted…no, needed, a release, and soon.

  Having sex with the sluts around this town did nothing for him. They were heated tramps who wanted a cock in their pussy for their own pleasure. He gave them pleasure. For some women, he gave so much pleasure that they walked bowlegged for a week. The moment they got a taste of his cock, they wanted it all the time.

  At first, it was fun, fucking every night for a release, but now, he craved satisfaction, and knew only one person who could give him that satisfaction. Kayla. Just her name made his cock hard with desire. He wanted to sink deep into her virgin pussy and make her cum so many times she would not think of ever being with another man. She would crave him and only him.

  “Tyler, calm down.”

  Tyler growled when his father’s hand grasped his shoulder.

  “Control the beast. It doesn’t control you.”

  Tyler snatched away from his father’s touch. His fingers ached to let his nails grow. He wanted to tear the head off something, anything. Yet he couldn’t do it. He didn’t get his full strength for another week when he could turn. He hated this curse. Don’t get him wrong, he loved being a werewolf. He hated that they and the vampires had been cursed.

  Many years ago, a witch and a warlock’s only daughter was raped and murdered by a werewolf. It was said that a vampire had ordered the wolf to do it. What wolf took orders from a vampire? He didn’t know who had, but the witch and warlock cast a spell over them all. A powerful spell. Vampires could no longer walk in the daylight, and werewolves could only change one night during the first night of a full moon.

  Tyler heard that if they found a stone, the rarest of bloodstones, along with a witch and warlock to perform the spell, they could break the curse. Good luck with that. No witch or warlock would break the curse for anyone. They were loyal to the dead witch and warlock who cast the spell and would not betray them in any way, shape, or form.

  After the beast finally calmed, Tyler looked into his father’s black eyes.

  “I’m tired of feeling like this, Father. You don’t know how hard it is to act…act human when I don’t know what being a human is like. I should be able to go inside and make Kayla my mate. Instead, I walk around like a puppy dog, hoping to get a chance to hump her leg when she’s not looking.”

  Jack sighed. “I know of your pain, son. I’m surprised that your need to mate is so strong this quickly. I didn’t meet your mother until I was sixty. I didn’t even think about mating when I met her. I enjoyed the freedom to fuck all the women I wanted. I fucked so many, I hoped that some would give me gifts, children, many children. It was not to be. By faith of the Gods, I was blessed with you and loving your mother until we die.” Jack walked up to Tyler, placing his hand on his shoulder again. “Son, you are young, and the need is strong, but you have to wait. You have to give her time to come to you. If you push her too quickly, it will not be good. For now, go out and fuck as many women as you need to satisfy that burning need.”

  Tyler shook his head. What did his father think he’d been doing? He had bedded so many women in the past couple of months that he lost count after fifty. Many of them brought their animals in for a checkup after finding out where he worked. They wanted him to be their boyfriend and some even wanted to marry him after one night of sex with him.

  “I have, fat
her. I have had many, but there are none who pleases me now. Once I have finished with those women, I don’t want to even lay there and rejoice in our lovemaking. My body is not pleased with just them. I need her.”

  “In due time, son. In due time. Tonight, you come in and I’ll teach you how to bend the will of these animals. You will give yourself away if they continue to fear you.”

  “I’ll be here.”

  “Good, my son. Now go back in there and behave like a human. Don’t get too close to her when you are not in control.”

  Tyler wanted to snarl at his father and tell him to go to hell. How could he not get close to her when the only thing he smelled was her when he was working? His father didn’t know how many women he had to take to his bed after work just so he could get his cock down. Each time he took one, he would wish it were Kayla writhing in pleasure under him while he was over some female he wished not to know.

  “I’ll try to control this as much as I can. If she doesn’t agree soon, and, since forcing is not an option, I’ll have to quit this job.”

  “Again, I understand what you are going through, Tyler, and you have to do what you have to do. We are not the beast that books and rumors claim we are. We don’t steal babies at night and kill them. We don’t go on an eating spree of animals during a full moon. We are a family like any other family. We do have a longer life span than humans, but that doesn’t mean we are monsters. We belong just as much as those vampires belong on this earth.”

  “That’s true. I’ll talk to you later tonight.” Tyler walked toward the door.

  “Oh, son…”

  His father’s voice made him turn around to look at him. “Yes?”

  “You wouldn’t have any idea about those killings that’s been happening by that new club?”

  Tyler looked at his father then shrugged. “Best check the Scion’s clan. I have seen some of them around lately. Maybe they have been killing.”