by Raven Steele
"Son of a bitch!" I blurted, sweat breaking on my brow.
Luke placed his hands on my cheeks, making me focus solely on him. “It only takes about fifteen minutes per bag. We’ll take breaks in between if you need them.” He reached down and pulled something from his pocket. The picture of my mom. “I’ll stay right here with you, for every single second. And I’ll hold this picture for you to see, for as long as you need me to.”
I stared into his eyes, the dark ocean blue sucking me beneath its strong current. We didn’t speak for a long time and my mind churned. Could I really do this? What if I wasn’t strong enough? What if I couldn’t live without the drug?
Luke waited, giving me one final choice. He wouldn’t force me to do this. And for that reason, I would do it. I would be strong. For him.
My eyes fell to the picture of my mom; she was tough as hell. And I could be that for her, too.
I nodded and Luke bent over to kiss my forehead, his hands gripping the sides of my hair. “You sure?”
“Just do it, before I change my mind.”
My uncle pierced my skin, plugging me up to a bag of holy water. Luke talked to me, trying to distract me from my uncle, who finished wrapping the chain around me. But as soon as the IV started, liquid fire ignited in my veins and spread through my body. I screamed and tugged at the restraints. I lashed out, trying to pull the needle from my skin, but the chains held me tight. So instead, I gripped the armrest and ground my teeth together to prevent myself from screaming any more.
A low moan escaped my clasped lips as sharp, gut-wrenching stabs cut through me like knives. I sucked in a breath, and then another.
Luke stroked my hand, holding my picture, just as he promised. I stared at it, and it gave me strength to bear the pain.
After three hours of pure torture, I was finally finished. Luke unchained me and I fell into his arms, completely exhausted and drenched in sweat.
"You made it," Luke pulled me into his arms, cradling me to his chest.
"Did you expect something different?" My teeth began to chatter. I was suddenly freezing.
He glanced over at my uncle. "Grab a blanket."
My uncle handed it over, and Luke wrapped me up like a burrito. Then he stood up, hauling me in his arms.
"You need to sleep for a really long time. There's a chance you may feel even worse than you do right now."
"What about Dominic? He'll be expecting me."
He carried me out of the room and up the stairs. "You're just going to have to pretend for a while. But I promise it will get easier."
I called goodbye to my uncle and thanked him, but I'm not sure he could hear my soft voice. I barely had the strength to speak. Luke placed me on my bed and I feebly grasped his wrist.
“Stay with me?”
He paused a moment, searching my eyes. “Of course.” He climbed under the covers and I fell asleep on his chest, my hand twisted in his hair.
The only good thing about enduring that infusion, was that it helped me fall into a deep, dreamless sleep … dreamless being the keyword.
The next day, I dreaded going to work, but I put on a brave face and returned to the bar. I’d already taken off work too much and Lynx had been floating me cash, but I needed to get back in the game. I kept it easy and relied on Peeper and Danny to keep the drinks going. That also meant they got a lot of the tips, but at least I was getting something.
Fire Ridge was mostly quiet since the Greybacks had joined us. I had to push through working with Dominic, who wanted us in the house as much as possible to make sure the Greybacks got along. But there were rarely any fights, so I was able to rest while no one was watching. I’d play it off by watching TV or hanging out by the fire. I got to know the rest of the security team better, mostly by joining in whatever crap they said, just to get along. I needed to blend in to gain their trust.
Which meant I had to actually pretend to like Dominic.
Terrence was actually pretty cool, but Heather and Leroy were obsessed with Dominic. They had the whole hero worship thing going on, and it was annoying as hell. It didn't take them long to joke with me once I actively tried to fit in. Even Heather, who was usually openly hostile toward me, could at least carry on a normal conversation without insulting me now.
I never saw Samira after she walked out of our living room. She had texted Lynx saying she had to go somewhere for a few days to find out what she could about Trianus. I had never seen her so worked up about anything before. Maybe this thing was far bigger than we initially believed.
For the first time in a while, I was pleasant to my friends. I wanted to show them my appreciation for what they’d done for me.
I would leave Fire Ridge around four in the morning, have a good long healthy dose of holy water, then sleep all day and repeat the process. Luke was with me for every infusion; I don't know if I could've survived it without him. He would hold my hand, distract me, even read to me when the pain was the worst.
He wasn't the only one to help me. Lynx and my uncle were there either before or after the treatment to feed me or just to talk to me to take my mind off of how horrible I felt.
I didn't tell them, but I still thought about the Scorpion's Breath a lot. I dreamed about it at night, I thought about it when I woke. My hands itched to text Angel, or to stop by his place. My body felt much better, but it was my mind that had been affected the most. It was like a poisonous tick had embedded itself into me and all the infusion had done was cut off the beast's body, leaving fragments of it still inside me.
The others began to comment on how much better I looked, but I didn’t feel it. Scorpion’s Breath had rooted itself deep inside me, and I feared its claws would never let me go.
Chapter 33
I woke up late in the afternoon, still feeling weak from my infusion. Although he was always gone when I woke, Luke was in the habit of sleeping with me through the rest of the night, and some of his clothes were folded in a neat pile in the corner of the room. He had a dirty pile next to it. I decided to officially let him have space even though it felt a little weird since we weren’t actually doing anything. If I was going to give him some space in my closet, the least I could get out of it was a little hand job. But every night I was too exhausted to do anything but pass out, cold and weak, as soon as we hit the bed.
I slowly pulled myself out of bed and surveyed the rest of the room. Clothes lay scattered all over the floor and a pile of dishes cluttered my night stand. Two weeks ago, the mess wouldn’t have bothered me, but now I couldn’t stand the sight of it.
Time to clean house. I threw back the curtains and opened the window, letting in fresh air. I breathed it in and set to the task.
It took me a while, since I was still feeling weak, but I made sure every corner of the room felt my hand. When I was done, I looked over it with satisfaction, then noticed that the notification light on my phone was blinking. I felt a trickle of hope, wishing it was Luke sending me a dick pic or something. I grabbed it, grinning at the thought. I doubt he’d ever do something like that, but a woman could hope.
It was from Heather. My shoulders slumped.
Actually, there were several from her that all started with her general snarkiness about Dominic needing us tonight. The messages grew more and more insulting as I scrolled down.
I sent her a simple message in return: “Be there in thirty.” Then I threw my phone on the bed, shrugging. She could wait. I put my, erm, our clothes in the dryer, dressed, and grabbed a bunch of snacks while waiting for Roma to pick me up. She brought me cookies. God, I loved this woman.
Roma dropped me off in front of the mansion, where both Heather and Terrence were already outside. Heather leaned against the front column, twirling her hair around her finger. As soon as she saw me, she jumped up. “Took you long enough.”
I ignored her jab. “Where we going?”
“Dominic wants us with him. Some meeting with the Nocturnas.” Terrence held his keys up. "We can take my car. It
's just over here."
Oh shit. I hadn’t seen Angel since I started the infusions, and there was a reason for it. Sweat pooled under my arms and my hands grew clammy. I wiped my hands on my jeans. It was actually a bit cold today, and the frigid wind whipped at my hair. I pulled a strand out of my mouth. "Where's Dominic?"
"He left with his accountant a few minutes ago," Terrence said, stopping at his car and unlocking it with the remote.
"He's with Samira?" I didn’t even know she was around.
Heather glanced at me sideways. "Isn't she your roommate?"
I tried not to act surprised. I had told very few about my living arrangements, but I bet Dominic had her look into my life when I first joined the pack. I considered asking her if she knew what toilet paper I wiped my butt with, too.
"The strangest roommate I've ever had," I said instead as I jumped into the back of Terrence’s car.
"Strange is a good word," she said sliding into the front seat. "Personally, I don't know how you do it. I can barely stand to be in the same room as a vampire."
"We barely see each other, so it works out.” I leaned forward. “So where are we headed?"
I changed the subject. I was afraid if I didn’t, I might punch that tiny diamond stud in her nose so far into the back of her head, it would kill her.
"We’re meeting at some old warehouse near the petroleum plant."
“That’s not far from where I work.” I could see the smokestacks from the back door of the bar.
“I know.” Terrence glanced at me in the rearview mirror. Well, damn. They probably did know what toilet paper I used. He turned onto a main road and pressed on the accelerator, going much faster than the speed limit, a common bad habit for shifters.
I settled into my seat and stared out the window. I hoped this meeting didn't go like our last one had. We had lost Toby in that fight, and they had lost some of their own men. I hated being part of a species that was used to death. It should never be something we get used to.
The warehouse looked like any other abandoned warehouse. It was mostly made of concrete and cinderblocks, their color having faded over time to a pale gray. It looked to be about three stories high and had several smokestacks. It must've been some kind of food processing factory at one point. By the looks of the rest of the area, this part of town had died out years ago.
Heather led the way around the side of the building and into an alleyway. She opened a metal door and walked inside. The rest of us followed. A narrow hallway led us past a few closed doors, probably offices, and then it opened up into a great space. There were a lot of empty discarded boxes and several conveyor belts spread throughout. One of them led to the second floor.
Terrence began opening doors. "Where are they?"
Heather walked forward. "Dominic said they'd be in the conference room. So let's find it."
While the others walked around, I closed my eyes and focused. There was movement coming from up above us. I could barely detect the sound of feet brushing against carpet. "Upstairs."
Instead of looking for a staircase or an elevator, I just ran up the treaded ramp. Terrence chuckled and followed me up. Heather sighed, rolling her eyes and flipping her hair around her finger again. Then she jumped on it and was up in a flash.
Just up ahead was a conference room with all glass windows. Lights within illuminated Dominic and Samira. Seated across from them were Mateo and Angel. I swallowed at the sight of Angel, suddenly nervous again.
Dominic spotted us and stood up, opening the door. He leaned out and motioned to me. "Briar, I want you in this meeting. The rest of you keep a look out.”
Heather cast me a deadly look, but left without saying a word, which I knew must've been difficult for her.
Dominic put his hand on the small of my back, guiding me into the room. He gave them his entertainer face, the one he’d used with the Greybacks when they came to Fire Ridge for the first time. The one that said, I’m sane and perfectly harmless, trust me. He was definitely putting on a show for Mateo and Angel.
"I believe you know Angel,” Dominic said to me.
Angel was in an incredibly expensive suit, cut to fit his body perfectly. I tried not to stare at him too much but his smell invaded my nose, and I hitched a breath.
"Of course. How do you do?" I held out my hand to shake Angel’s, but he took hold of it and kissed it gently.
"It's good to see you again."
"Uh-huh." I sat in a chair away from him and glanced at Samira, happy to see her. She looked her usual dead self. I couldn’t tell by her expression what she was thinking, but I did notice that she looked at Mateo and blinked.
Hmmm, interesting. She rarely blinked.
"Let's begin," Mateo said. His dark hair had been combed back and he wore a suit similar to Angel’s. He had a mysterious look in his eye, just like before, and everything about him screamed control. I wondered if it was all an act.
"I will be honest with you,” Mateo began. “As you were directly told, we had decided to cut relations with the Silver Claws and work with the Greybacks instead.”
“I’m aware of that,” Dominic said. “And I’m sorry if Briar did anything that harmed our relationship. If you’ve brought her here to punish her, I’m certain she would be more than willing to take it.”
The temperature in the room cooled several degrees. Angel shot Dominic a look that would’ve killed Death, if that were possible.
I cleared my throat. “I’m sorry if I—”
“Briar most certainly was not the reason,” Mateo interrupted. “We decided to sever ties with the Silver Claws. In fact, she is the very reason we are sitting in this room today.”
The two men, a centuries-old vampire and a powerful Alpha, glared at each other in an epic showdown of control and dominance. Dominic’s rage was practically palpable. He would want retribution later, but he also would do nothing to harm our relationship with the Nocs. Not in the beginning, anyway.
Once again, I found myself owing Angel my life. Annoying.
“What are your terms?” Samira cut through the tension, clearly wanting to get this over with just as bad as I did.
Mateo shared a glance with Angel, then addressed Dominic. “We are well aware of your activities with the Greybacks. You killed their Alpha—”
“Actually, Briar,” Dominic began but Mateo interrupted him.
“You are correct. Briar killed their Alpha in an attempt to rescue you. In fact, from what Angel has told me, she risked her life for you, with grave consequences.” He cleared his throat. “How exactly did the Greybacks manage to capture you?”
I twisted the ring on my finger, wondering if he remembered that it was Angel who delivered him up. Admittedly, a large part of me thrilled in Mateo’s skilled manipulation. I could learn a lot from him.
“Unfortunately, I don’t quite remember how I ended up there. We believe that the Greybacks had a witch that helped them. She possibly erased my memory.”
The unspoken words hung in the air, the fact that vampires could do the same thing.
Mateo ignored the insinuation, but continued as if Dominic hadn’t spoken. “Because you killed any potential Alphas the Greybacks might have created, manipulating us into working with you in the process, we’ve reduced your cut. We will not pay you more than fifteen percent. Everything else in the contract remains as is.”
My jaw nearly dropped. They had slashed the Silver Claws cut in half. Ballsy.
“Unacceptable,” Samira began, but Dominic rested his large hand on her arm to silence her.
“You have a deal,” he said.
Both Samira and I turned to him in shock.
“You must not accept—”
“Quiet, Samira,” he ordered. “I understand you only have the pack’s interest at heart, but I have the final say. We will accept these terms and begin business as soon as possible. When will we receive our first shipment for distribution?”
Samira took off her glasses and quietly placed th
em on the table.
I could tell by Angel’s furrowed brow and the way he was rubbing his thumb and forefinger together that he was concerned by Dominic’s sudden urgency.
“It may be a couple of weeks,” Mateo said. I noticed he was careful not to give a specific date. He was probably giving himself some time to find someone else to work with.
“No good. I want it sooner.”
“Surely you understand that producing Scorpion's Breath takes time,” Mateo said, his voice holding an edge.
“Then give us what you can. I’m sure you have a few gallons stashed away.” He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms. “I’m only trying to help us both. The sooner we get going, the sooner we can both start making a lot of money.”
Angel and Mateo looked at each other, communicating silently.
“Listen, boys,” Dominic said. “There’s no one else within two hundred miles that can give you the network I can, and we both know it. Let’s quit wasting each other’s time and start earning some money.”
“I’d like a moment alone with Angel,” Mateo said.
“Take your time.” Dominic pushed up from the table and walked out, motioning us to do the same.
“I’d like Samira to stay, too,” Mateo said, surprising everyone in the room.
Dominic glanced back at her. “No, she’s my girl. There is no need for you to speak with her.”
Samira rose from her chair and walked past me and Dominic. “I am no one’s girl.”
I went after, following her through a maze of halls to the other side of the warehouse.
When I felt sure we were alone, I said, “Stop, Samira!”
She whirled around so suddenly I practically ran into her.
Her eyes narrowed slightly. “What the hell is Dominic doing? He would never settle for fifteen percent. Something else is driving this and I don’t like it!”
I silently agreed with her. The whole thing felt off. “We can’t let them ship those drugs.”
“I know that.”
“Let’s just kill him. Let someone else become Alpha. They can change all of this.”
