Give You A Kid? No Way!

Chapter 6

Poppie

About an hour later, Aria was fast asleep while Poppie sat there, so wide awake and antsy, she wanted to scream. Adrenaline was coursing through her like mad and she needed to get rid of some of her pent-up energy before she went crazy. She just wasn't sure if she wanted to turn into a wolf and run off into the nearby woods, or find some hot stud at the bar and f**k his brains out. Either way, she knew she couldn't sit still in the motel any longer.

She took another swig of wine and screwed the cap back on.

Fuck it.

She'd try the bar first and hopefully... wouldn't be recognised. The last thing she needed was to run into a shifter from Dante's pack.

Or worse, her own.

If her brother found out she was disobeying him, he'd lose his damn mind.

Well, she was tired of taking orders from him. Even more so, she was tired of babysitting Aria. Although, she had to admit, Poppie had warmed up to her over the past several months. The girl was quiet and gave her space, which made things easier. Still, she couldn't wait until this was all over. The only reason Poppie had applied for college in River Falls was because of Aria. Mick was obsessed with her and wouldn't tell her why. Whenever she tried to question him, he shut her down.

"It's on a need-to-know basis, Poppie. Until then, just do as I say and you'll be rewarded very, very well. I promise you that."

Of course she'd agreed. No one ever said no to Mick. Not even her. At least not to his face.

Pleased that she'd been willing to help him with Aria, he'd persuaded her to fill out an application for River Falls and promised her a small fortune when it was all over. She was stunned when he told her how much.

"It's a big commitment. When it's over, you'll probably wish I'd offered you more."

Poppie happily accepted and he pulled a few strings; not only did she get into the college rapidly but she was assigned Aria as a dorm roommate. Now here they were, two years later, and Poppie would soon be getting her life back. Not that it had been a total waste of time, however. She'd partied her ass off and hadn't had Mick breathing down her neck all the time. As for the course work and grades, Poppie actually applied herself and managed to do quite well. Her pride kept her from slacking off too badly. She'd also wanted to show her brother that he wasn't the only intellectual in the family. She was well on her way toward a Bachelor's Degree in Fashion Design, although she wasn't sure where she'd finish now that she was wrapping things up with Aria.

Maybe someplace in New York?

Poppie loved the idea of living in a big city where she could really stretch her wings. The only problem was that her pack was prohibited from living in any territory outside of Montana. If she wanted to move to New York, L.A., or even Vegas, she'd have to do it secretly. With the money she was about to receive from Mick, however, she would have the freedom to do what she wanted, with or without his approval.

She grabbed her purse and slipped out of the motel room, careful not to wake Aria. As she crossed the street, she looked up at the moon and felt a warm glow of pleasure. Soon it would be full and she would feel more alive than ever. The connection between a Lycan and the moon was something so powerful it was beyond words or understanding. She'd stopped questioning the whys and hows as a child before her Ascension - when Poppie was able to actually shift for the first time. It was during this process that she realised the only thing that really mattered was that she'd reached a higher level of herself and what a sacred gift that was. One that had changed her life in ways she couldn't have imagined.

The power. The strength. The agility.

It was indescribable.

She knew what it was like to run through the woods with nothing to stop her. She knew what it felt like to "own" the forest, to be the most badass creature there ever was. And screw the vampires, who lurked and hunted in Shore Lake, thinking they were the alpha of the territory. The damn troublemakers. When it came down to it, she knew she could take one down if she got the chance. Unfortunately, they could fly and were freaky fast, so it was much harder to catch one. But she knew that Lycans had the strength to overpower any of the bloodsuckers if the circumstances were right.

The door opened and the music blasted out of the bar as a drunk couple stumbled out, singing and laughing with each other. Ignoring them, she approached the door and made her way inside. The atmosphere was electric; drinks were spilling and laughter filled every corner of the room. Poppie couldn't help but smile - this felt like exactly what she needed.

She made a beeline for the bar and ordered a tall rum and coke. The bartender was hot and gave her a flirty smile when he handed her the drink.

Poppie smiled, handed him a twenty, and told him to keep the change.

"Thanks, Gorgeous."

"My pleasure." She turned and stared at the band. They were playing a song from the 90's and immediately Poppie was glad she'd decided to break out.

She quickly downed her drink and then moved to the dance floor as a song she liked began to play. Poppie felt a few eyes on her and noticed that one man in particular at the bar was watching her with interest. He grinned as their eyes met and held out his beer as if to toast her. She smiled back and continued to dance, her hips swaying to the beat.

A tall broad-shouldered man wearing a flannel shirt moved closer to her, his smile inviting as he moved with the music. He was handsome, although she normally liked them younger - he was probably a good twenty-years older than her. But there was something about him that she found interesting, so Poppie began dancing with him. Soon they were moving together, his hands on her hips and his warm whiskey breath on her face. She inhaled and caught his scent, which consisted of Irish spring soap with a dash of m*******a. There was also a trace of cologne and salty skin, which immediately woke up her wolf. She grabbed him by his collar and pulled his face to hers. He groaned in approval as she kissed him hungrily. When he kissed her back, she started dragging him off of the dance floor.

"I want you so badly," he whispered a few minutes later, when they were standing in the shadows near the Exit, their hands all over each other.

"Do you live around here?" she asked breathlessly.

"I'm staying at the motel with some buddies tonight. We won't have any privacy there. What about you?"

"I don't have anywhere we can go either." She noticed a trail leading toward the woods. It was dark; they'd have more than enough privacy. "How about the woods?"

He looked hesitent.

Poppie reached down and rubbed his bulging zipper. "Come on. It'll be fun."

His eyes sparkled in the moonlight. He grinned and nodded. "Sure."

A short time later, her legs were around his waist and he had her pressed up against a tree. His hands moved under her shirt, squeezing and fondling her breasts as they kissed each other hungrily. Poppie moaned, aching to feel him inside of her as he ground his pelvis between her legs. She reached down to unzip his jeans and that's when things turned a dark corner - he was ripped away from her, screaming in terror. She tumbled to the ground and quickly shot up to her feet, her eyes glowing in the darkness as she searched for the reason.

"What do we have here?" an amused voice taunted. "Someone playing in the wrong yard?"

Vampire.

Poppie quickly shifted into a Lycan, pushing her torn clothing away. She could smell his essence, which was sweet. Almost like candy.

Suddenly, two of them dropped down from the trees, both males and smiling like Cheshire cats.

This was not good. She was in danger. Real danger. One would have been a challenge enough, but there were two and they looked pretty big. It didn't help that they were both looking at her like they'd won the lottery. It probably meant that they knew her blood would give them both mad adrenaline rushes.

"Haven't seen you around here, Doll," one of them said, his eyes glowing red. He began circling her slowly. "And I don't think you belong to the pack in the area. I'd have remembered someone like you before."

The other one looked disgusted. "God, Tristan, don't tell me you think she's hot? She's a Lycan. The only thing hot about her is her breath, which probably also smells like garbage."

Poppie growled at the insult.

He leaned against a tree and smiled at his buddy. "That's cold even for you, Dusty."

Dusty smiled in amusement. "Sorry, did I touch a nerve?"

She returned to her human form and began insulting him back. "You want to talk about bad breath, Dusty? Yours smells like roadkill smothered in cabbage, with a touch of lutefisk. I can smell it all the way over here."

Tristan smirked. "She has a point, you probably should have used toothpaste this morning."

Dusty gave him a dirty look and started cursing at him.

"Settle down. Why don't you go and see what's happening with her little chew toy," Tristan told him. "While I continue questioning our guest."

Dusty looked at Poppie as if he was going to say something else but then seemed to change his mind. He turned around and shot away from them so fast, even Poppie was impressed.

Tristan stared at her naked body with interest. "I didn't know Lycan bumped ugliest with humans. I thought you stuck to your own kind?"

Poppie put an arm over her breast, feeling a little vulnerable. "I do what I want."

"Is he your boyfriend?"

"I don't even know his name."

He laughed. "I've heard your kind has quite the s*x drive. It's quite intriguing."

What was going on here?

Was he actually flirting with her?

The way he was looking at her gave Poppie warm shivers. She had to admit, he was hell-a-good-looking too with his long dark hair and chiseled face. He looked like he was Native American and she found him incredibly interesting. But they were enemies. Vampires and Lycan didn't mix together. But she had to admit, the guy was damn sexy and Poppie had always wondered about them as well.

Were they even capable of s*x, or was blood truly their only pleasure in life?

Poppie decided to test the waters. She knew it was risky but his danger excited her. She smiled slowly. "And I've heard your kind is too afraid to find out."

His eyes began to smolder. "Is that a challenge?"

She removed her arm and and stared at him boldly. "What do you think?"

Suddenly, he was the one pressing her up against a tree. He leaned into her neck and inhaled. "Dustin was wrong about you. You smell quite lovely."

Poppie pressed against his chest firmly. "Bite me and I'll rip your throat out."

He chuckled and touched her stomach, giving her hot butterflies. "What about licking?"

Poppie could barely breathe. There was something so dark and delicious about him. She wondered if he was as excited as she was or if vampires even had erections. Unable to help herself, she reached to find out but he caught her hand swiftly.

"Easy there, Princess." His lips brushed against her neck, making her shiver. His mouth moved to her ear and then she felt his hand on her breast.

Poppie was on fire now. She leaned into his hand, enjoying the way he fondled her breast. She wasn't sure what she'd expected, but his palm was warm and felt good on her skin.

"Have to admit, you're quite beautiful."

She closed her eyes and let out a sigh of pleasure as he nibbled and sucked, his mouth warm and wet. Then his other hand moved down her stomach to her s*x. He slid his fingers between her legs and growled in her ear.

"He didn't get a chance to touch you there did he?"

"No."

"Good."

Tristan suddenly dropped down to his knees and put one leg over his shoulder. Before she knew what was happening, his face was between her legs and his tongue was exploring her folds. Their eyes met and he stared up at her, his eyes glowing a fiery red as she whimpered and moaned. Faster and faster he stroked, all the time watching her as her body writhed and trembled under his control. His tongue was persistent and skilled, driving her over the edge quickly. She cried out in ecstasy as her orgasm exploded, grabbing on to his hair and holding on for dear life as he sucked and licked her warm juices.

Someone began to clap loudly.

Startled, Poppie looked past him and saw Dusty, smirking at them.

Tristan stood up and turned around. "Back so soon?" he asked, wiping his mouth.

"No blood yet? You're losing your touch, brother."

Tristan didn't reply.

Poppie wondered if that had been Tristan's plan all along - get her all hot and bothered and then take what he really wanted - her blood.

From the unspoken words between the two vampires, she knew she was probably right.

She was mortified and felt like such an i***t.

He could have bit her between the legs and she would have let him, he'd gotten her so wound up.

Angry at herself for being such a naive fool, Poppie began gathering her ripped clothing from the ground. Tristan leaned down to help and she growled at him. "Get away from me."

Tristan stood back up, his face unreadable. He turned to Dusty. "Where is the human?"

"Just north of here."

"With Angela?"

"No, she took off."

"Any blood left?"

Dusty shrugged. "Not enough for us."

Poppie stood up. "I want him back."

The two vampires looked at her.

"I left with him and we were seen together. I need to find him."

If he was dead, which it sounded like, she'd have to make sure that he was never seen again. The last thing she needed was for his lifeless body to be found in the woods. With her luck, someone would remember them dancing together and there'd be a warrant for her arrest. If there was one thing her brother taught her, it was to clean up her mess. His death was her fault.

"He's about a mile north of here, near the lake," Dusty said.

Tristan offered to help her.

She glared at him. "You've already done enough."

Dusty threw his head back and laughed. "Whoa, she'd literally 'dogged' you, bro."

Tristan swore at him.

She had enough of the vampires. Poppie dropped her clothing by the tree, shifted, and took off running. A few minutes later, she found his body and it was already cold and a bloody mess. After disposing of it in the lake, she shifted back and returned to her purse and clothing. Noticing that both vampires were gone, she grabbed her things and was about to leave when Dusty dropped in on her.

She gave him a dirty look. "Great. Now what do you want?"

He stared at her, his eyes boring into hers."Come here."

She knew what he was doing - trying to put her into some stupid trance. Well, he was the i***t thinking his "charms", as they liked to call them, worked on Lycan.

Poppie flipped him off.

Suddenly, her world turned upside down as she found herself sprawled on the ground, pinned down by Dusty's menacing presence. A ferocious growl escaped her lips, fueling her determination as they engaged in a fierce struggle. Startled by Dusty's unexpected strength, Poppie swiftly changed tactics, attempting to flee. However, her efforts were met with a sharp, painful bite on the back of her leg, eliciting a yelp of agony. Summoning every ounce of bravery, she retaliated by delivering a forceful kick to Dusty's face before swiftly making her escape. Though he managed to briefly apprehend her once more, their encounter this time was short-lived.

"Stop it!" growled Tristan, slamming Dusty into a tree. "Leave her alone!"

Not wanting to stick around, Poppie took off running and didn't look back.

.