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  A werewolf who can’t stand Valentine’s Day and a vampire who is trying to remember what it is to be normal find each other on one chilly February night.

  Delano thinks Valentine’s Day is just an excuse to eat candy and buy things, but he’s also lonely, and wants more than just a hookup. While all the werewolves in Puck’s pack seem to be finding each other, he’s left to read his books and wish it was him out there finding love.

  Zachary is trying to be a good vampire and not eat the werewolves that he shares a pack with, but it’s hard. When Armand, Puck’s vampire mate, tells Zachary to walk Delano home, hinting that they could both use more friends, Zachary isn’t interested. But he always does what Armand tells him to.

  When everyone seems interested in quick pleasure for the night, these two are looking for more, but more is hard to find for two introverts who want nothing to do with the holiday.

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  The Werewolf’s Valentine

  Copyright © 2020 Caitlin Ricci

  ISBN: 978-1-4874-2843-3

  Cover art by Martine Jardin

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

  Published by eXtasy Books Inc or

  Devine Destinies, an imprint of eXtasy Books Inc

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  The Werewolf’s Valentine

  Puck’s Pack

  By

  Caitlin Ricci

  The Werewolf’s Valentine

  Delano knew Valentine’s Day was coming. Everyone in Puck’s pack did. It was unavoidable. The children had cut little heart shapes out of paper and taped them to every surface possible. After a warm winter, there were flowers coming up prematurely, and everywhere he looked people were in love. He wished them well, but he wasn’t going to be one of them. Falling in love on Valentine’s Day was overrated. As for those people not looking for love but just for someone to pass the night with, he was happy to be free of them, too.

  He stopped by Puck’s house to visit the pack library, the largest one in the pack and the main gathering place for the werewolves when it was too cold out for them all to simply sit out on the grass with blankets. Delano was finished with his last book and ready to start another. He had plenty of ebooks, but big reference books, those ones that no one ever read, those were the ones he got from the house.

  Children were baking cookies in the kitchen as he looked through the disorganized shelves. Someone had messed up his system. He huffed and tried his best to ignore the chaos of a cookbook being next to one on Buddhism simply because the authors’ names were in alphabetical order. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for, but he was sure that something would catch his eye. The pack was constantly getting new books. They were big fans of the end-of-year sales that libraries had, and Delano was always in line to be one of those people with bags full of books on the last day. On those days he grabbed everything from early reader books to obscure horror novels. The pack was growing a little more each year, it seemed, and there would always be someone interested in reading something new.

  Delano found a book on World War II that he hadn’t seen before and pulled it down. After a few pages he looked up, realizing that he was no longer alone in the library. As a werewolf, he should have been more aware, but within the pack he felt safe. It was Armand who had joined him, and Delano gave his alpha’s mate a nod. Armand was a vampire, one of the few in the pack, and Delano was comfortable with him and the others like him being there. They didn’t bother him or the children, and they certainly hadn’t been the ones to mess up his book system.

  “I’m sorry, I’m terrible with names and I don’t see you all that often,” Armand said as he picked out a book to read as well.

  Delano didn’t mind. He liked being low on the pack totem pole. He didn’t want to be noticed or remembered. Where he had come from, those kinds of things could get a wolf into trouble. “Delano,” he quietly reminded him. He knew Armand only as Puck’s mate. He’d never spoken to him before and had only seen him a few times.

  “Did you get a cookie already? The children promise that they’re delicious. You might actually be able to taste the cookie, too, if you scrape off the inch-thick layer of icing.”

  Delano smiled and shook his head. “I haven’t been in there yet. I’ll get dinner in a bit, when they’re done and I don’t have to sidestep children while trying to make a sandwich. And...it’s all a lot of celebration I’m not really into.”

  Armand’s expression softened. “That’s all right. There’s a singles thing happening by the fire tomorrow, if you’re interested. It’s on the pack calendar.”

  Delano knew all about it, and he’d be staying home that night. “I went last year. It’s just an excuse to hook up.”

  Armand chuckled, probably because he knew that as well.

  “It’s just...I’m not really into Valentine’s Day. I think it’s dumb. All the sweets, and the trying to fall in love, and the buying stuff just because you’re supposed to and the other person or people expect it out of you. Maybe if I was a teenager I’d care about it, but I’m not. I’m thirty-five, and yes, I’m single, but I’m not desperate enough to go hook up on Valentine’s Day.”

  Armand opened his book. “Make sure you grab a cookie on your way home tonight anyway.”

  Delano wasn’t sure when Armand had decided to start caring whether the werewolves ate cookies or found happiness or whatever else, or if he was just trying to make small talk, but Delano appreciated it. “I will.”

  Someone came and lit a fire in the small fireplace a few hours later. Delano didn’t pay them much attention. He had curled up in a big chair with his book across his lap. His back would hurt later, but for now he was comfortable.

  When it got dark out, Armand stood up and brought him a blanket. Delano could have taken the book home, and he probably should have, but he simply took the blanket Armand offered him and wrapped it around himself. “Thank you.”

  “I’ll have someone walk you back home. If I remember correctly, you live at the edge of the pack’s houses, right? In one of the newer ones?”

  Delano nodded, though he didn’t know why Armand would know that. He didn’t interact with anyone much at all, certainly not enough for the vampire to know where he lived. “You don’t have to do that. I’ll be fine.”

  “I’ll have someone come anyway. It’ll be good for you to meet more people in the pack. If I don’t know your name right away, there’s a chance the others don’t either.”

  Delano was pretty sure that Armand was talking about other vampires and not other werewolves, because he knew the other werewolves for the most part, but he didn’t know even a handful of the vampires. There weren’t many of them. He should have been able to remember their names. But the only vampire he could definitely name was
Armand. He tried to think of something to say to reassure Armand that he didn’t actually need help getting home, but all that came out was a yawn. “I’ll go in a bit,” he promised.

  Armand nodded. “I’ll have Zachary come walk you. He’s your age.”

  “You mean he was my age, right?” Delano was never sure with the vampires.

  “No, he was turned younger than I would have liked. As a vampire, he’s twenty-two. In actual years, he’s thirty-seven. Like you, he’s also avoiding the whole Valentine’s Day escapade. Maybe you two can avoid the holiday together.”

  Delano pursed his lips. He hadn’t expected Armand to try to hook him up with someone, especially not one of his vampires, but Delano didn’t see any point in arguing. He didn’t think it would have done much good.

  * * *

  Zachary wasn’t sure what Armand wanted, but a text from his alpha that told him to be at the house had him there, no matter what. Armand had given him a chance at a more peaceful life, one with security and all the human blood he could want. He was new to the pack and desperate to prove that he belonged. Being around werewolves all the time was hard for him. He’d been told that they were food to be freely enjoyed for the first eight years of his vampire life, after all. But he was doing better and getting accustomed to the taste of regular humans.

  Armand met him outside of the house, under a too-bright motion light.

  Zachary blinked and shielded his eyes. “Hello.”

  “There’s a werewolf inside named Delano. I want you to make sure that he gets back to his house safely tonight.”

  Zachary pursed his lips. “There’s nothing to be afraid of in this pack. You told me so yourself. They’re not in danger from us, and we’re not in danger from them. Everyone is safe here. You said so.”

  Armand chuckled. “I did. I know that sometimes you still struggle with your hunger. Their blood is rich and lovely. I remember it too, sometimes. The real reason you’re here is Delano doesn’t have many friends in the pack. I believe he prefers it that way. You don’t have many friends either, not vampires or werewolves. So what you’re going to do is walk him home and talk to him. It’ll help you remind yourself why they’re our friends, not our food.”

  Zachary had never given Armand any reason not to trust him around the werewolves. Sure, sometimes he thought they looked especially tasty, but he wasn’t going around fantasizing about biting them or anything drastic like that. “I haven’t bitten any of them. Why are you thinking that I would?”

  Armand put a steady hand on Zachary’s shoulder. “I know you haven’t. I know you don’t want to, either. But I also know that sometimes it’s hard to control that part of ourselves. So walk him home, get to know him, and then tonight after Puck goes to bed, you and I can share the new prisoner that just arrived. I know the guards don’t like him very much, and he’s in for a life sentence anyway.”

  Zachary didn’t like feeding from the prisoners. They were an easy meal, but he didn’t want that kind of evil touching him or getting into his body. “What did he do?”

  “You don’t want the answer to that. Now, go on, Delano is in the library. I’ll see you near the prison at two. Okay?”

  Zachary nodded. “See you later.” Armand released him and headed off into the night, Zachary assumed to go find his mate, Puck. Zachary let himself inside the house and instantly wished he could still eat cookies. From the smell that engulfed him as soon as he was inside, he was sure that they would be delicious.

  Instead of going into the library right away, Zachary went into the kitchen. There on the counter were dozens of adorably decorated giant sugar cookies, most of which were as big as his palm. He crouched down and simply stared at them, letting their smells waft over him and remind him of when he was human.

  “You can have one, if you want. Or three. I think they’re for everyone in the pack.”

  Zachary glanced behind himself at the man standing in the doorway. He had a large blanket wrapped around himself and a heavy book in his hands. “I’d get sick if I ate any, but I like their smell. It reminds me of when I was human.”

  The man nodded. “I’m sorry. I just assumed....”

  Zachary shrugged. He didn’t mind being mistaken for a werewolf sometimes. “Are you Delano?”

  He nodded. “And you must be Zachary. I don’t actually need you to take me home.”

  “My alpha told me to walk you there, so I will.”

  Delano frowned. “Your alpha? So you all consider Armand to be your alpha, like we all call Puck our alpha?”

  “Yeah, I guess so. He’s the one who makes our decisions for us, gives us our feeding schedule, and tells us which houses are ours, so I guess he’s our alpha. That’s what I call him, anyway. It sounds better than leader or boss.” Zachary looked to the door, then back at Delano. “Are you ready to go, or do you need a few more minutes or...” He’d sort of assumed that most of the werewolves would be asleep by now. He didn’t usually see any of them when he was out at night, unless it was right after sunset. But the sun had been down for hours, and everyone else who was a werewolf had seemed to go to bed a while ago.

  Yawning, Delano turned, and Zachary followed him to the library, where he put the heavy book away. “What was it about?” Zachary asked him.

  “The animals that were used in World War II, mostly the dogs that carried supplies.” Delano yawned again. “I guess I’m more tired than I thought. Do you need anything before we walk? I live ten minutes out, if we go slow.”

  “No, I’m good. Thanks. Did you want to grab a cookie?” Delano made a face that was sour enough it had Zachary laughing. “I guess that’s a no, then.”

  “It’s a big no, but I’m sure they’re good. I’m just not big on that much icing,” Delano said. He folded the blanket and put it back with the pile of others.

  Zachary turned and looked back at the cookies, wishing he could have them all without his body reacting negatively to them the instant he started to digest them. “I used to make cookies like that with my mom. We’d go through multiple tubs of icing for one batch of cookies. We never made our own icing. I don’t know if she knew how or not. Maybe it was just easier for her to buy it. We were a lot to handle, my brothers and me, and she was tired all the time. But I remember those times when she would pull out the roll of cold dough and the tubs of icing and we’d all pick out a cookie cutter in a shape we wanted to eat that day.” He shook his head and turned back to find Delano watching him intently. “What?”

  “I forget sometimes that you all were human once. We’re born, but you’re all changed. Why would you choose it?”

  Zachary thought it was interesting that Delano thought it hadn’t just been forced on him. For so many of them it was. “I was drunk and had a bad car accident. Maybe it was the blood that brought the vampire over to me. The guys with me weren’t able to be saved. I was. He healed me enough to give me that choice, and offered to kill me quickly if I didn’t want to live like this after all. I was in so much pain, I just wanted it to stop.” He shook his head. “I thought I could be normal again. Maybe a little bit of a transition period. Maybe I’d miss about a week of college. I didn’t expect to be like I was. I lay there, slowly changing and dying and hating everything while he drank from my friends. Then he took me into the woods, into a cabin where he chained me up to keep everyone out in the world safe from me.”

  Delano looked horrified, but he clearly didn’t understand.

  “It’s not as bad as you’re thinking,” Zachary quickly told him. “Okay, it’s a bit bad. But it’s not like I was chained and abused or anything. I had no control. I was strong and hungry, and I attacked him at least once, that I can remember. I got sick as soon as I tasted his blood, though.” Zachary sighed. “He took care of me, not like Armand does, but in a sense. He raised me until I could fend for myself and learn to control myself when he wasn’t around. I lived off animals in the woods. Then I moved on to hitchhikers.”

  �
��And werewolves?” Delano quietly asked him.

  Zachary wouldn’t lie about what he’d done before Armand had found him and brought him into the pack for a second chance. “Yes, I did. A few of them.”

  Delano nodded as if he’d expected that answer. “Thank you. For not lying to me, I mean, not thank you for killing some werewolves.”

  “I knew what you meant.” Zachary looked at the clock on the wall. “Should we get going?”

  “Yeah. I guess.” They headed outside, with Delano leading the way. The wind started to pick up, cold weather finally catching up with the season. Delano shivered. “I think I should have held onto that blanket.”

  Zachary didn’t really get cold anymore. He kind of wished he still did.

  “Did you ever go back and see your mom and siblings?” Delano asked as they walked through the paths between the dark homes. This close to Puck’s house, they all belonged to the werewolves.

  Zachary shook his head. “I thought about it. And I did look them up on Facebook for a few years after that the accident. But to them I was dead, and they moved on. I’ve got a few nieces and a nephew, though. They’re freaking adorable. I stopped looking at their pictures when the oldest of them was four. It was hard, but I know it’s for the best. Even if I did go back now, I’m not a saint. If one of them, even the baby girl who’s probably almost in middle school by now, if she ever fell and hurt herself, I know I’d have that impulse. It’s too hard to avoid. And then I’d have to answer their questions and I couldn’t lie to them, so they’d know that there are vampires in the world and that they’ve probably met a few of them over the years. I can’t do that to them. They’re much better thinking that I’m dead and having that be the end of it.”

  “What about the funeral? A body? Dental records and DNA and stuff like that?” Delano asked.