Alpha's Secret

by Renee Rose

The opposing fighter backs up into the cage, leaning against the chain links. Pushing back further and further until the links strain. The metal creaks as the posts start to bend. The crowd quiets.

  “You break the cage you buy it,” Grizz warns. A few hecklers start shouting.

  The fighter raises his head and roars. Chills run up and down my spine and every shifter in the place stills.

  A laugh rings out. Grizz stretches his arms open and bares his teeth in a savage grin. “Bring it.”

  The bear snaps forward and lumbers toward Grizz, practically on all fours. At the last second, Grizz ducks out of the way, pivots, and leaps onto the creature’s back. His tattooed arms tighten around the bear’s neck.

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” someone shouts. Declan. He’s closer to my hiding spot, probably looking for me. Right now he’s paused, mesmerized by the fight.

  The fighter staggers under Grizz’s weight. His head goes back and for a moment it looks like the fight is over.

  Then the fighter’s skin ripples.

  “That’s right,” someone chuckles. One of the wolf pack, watching with an evil look on his face. “Fight that, traitor.”

  “What’s happening?” I whisper.

  “No,” Declan shouts in horror.

  “Yes,” the wolves correct. “He’s changing.”

  “That’s against the rules!” Parker is banging on the cage.

  “This isn’t San Diego. No rules here.”

  I remember Grizz telling me some fights shifters have to keep human forms, or be disqualified. Looks like that isn’t the case here.

  “Rule one of Shifter Fight Club?” a wolf shouts, and the pack roars back, “There are no rules!”

  “Oh no,” I breathe. In the cage, Grizz struggles to hold on to the bear’s neck.

  “You can do it,” I shout, my voice thin in the heavy silence. I cup my hands around my mouth. “Grizz, you got this!”

  One second I’m inching closer to the cage. The next my arm is almost yanked from my socket. I spin around and stare into the eyes of a vampire.

  “Got ya,” he hisses through his fangs. Benedict.

  “No,” I gasp, the noise of the crowd swallowing up the small sound.

  “Augustine can’t wait to get his hands on you,” Benedict snickers.

  I remember too late I shouldn’t look into his eyes, and everything goes black.

  Grizz

  Fucking insane black bear fucker. I loosen my grip as fur sprouts under my arms. The bear’s on hind legs now, swaying even as his bones pop and resize. Sinking my teeth into the matted fur, I tighten my hold. He might be tripling his size, but I’m not gonna make it easy for him. After a second, I stop biting him and spit out black fur. Fates, when was the last time this idiot bathed?

  The shift complete, the giant black bear lands on all fours, shaking the floor. I must look like an ant clinging to his back. I wait for my opening and kick away from him, leaping back to a far corner. I have to get out of here. Get to Jordy. That’s when the juice kicks in, and I blur. I know I’ve moved faster than anyone thinks possible when the crowd gasps. The wolves howl, and the sound falters as I whiz around the cage.

  “Traitor! Vampire pet!” The wolves start booing, and the rest of the crowd takes up the chant.

  I rush my opponent, dance out of the way of giant fangs, and get two body blows in, knocking the bear back. Soon as I finish this fight, I’m challenging some wolves. I’ll teach them to call me a vampire pet.

  Something niggles at the back of my mind. I take a moment to scan the crowd. Where the fuck is Jordy? There, by the bleachers. Or at least, she was there.

  A flash of red and my blood turns to lead. She’s there, slumped over someone’s shoulder. I catch the vampire’s pale face before he blurs out the door.

  Fuck, Jordy, no!

  My bear’s right there, ready to break free. I fight it back. If I shift now, I won’t have the wits to hunt.

  I race to the cage door but it’s locked. I grab the poles and yank. Teeth sink into the back of my neck and I snarl, but don’t turn. I rip away, letting blood spray, and blur to the other side of the cage where I climb the links and drop to the other side.

  Gotta get Jordy. Gotta move!

  Shifters scramble out of my way. Those who don’t get tossed aside.

  “Grizz,” someone calls desperately. Declan.

  “Follow me,” I order him and he, Laurie, and Parker race into my wake. I’m almost outside. Almost free.

  A wolf steps in front of me before I can reach the door.

  “You leave and you forfeit,” Trey yells. I keep coming and he steps out of the way. With a warehouse shaking roar, I hit the door and send it flying. The door frame groans as I smash through it, leaving the crowd staring at a Grizz shaped hole.

  Fuck everything. I gotta get Jordy.

  Gravel flies out from under my feet as I race in the direction the vampire took her.

  Fucker hasn’t gotten far, even with blurring. I can track him. I pick up speed and catch up just as Benny reaches the arroyo.

  The skinny vampire turns, his eyes widening. He looses that oily smoothness and stumbles as he watches me blur towards him.

  I see it all in slow motion: the pale face, Jordy’s limp form, Benny’s lips moving. “Impossible—” he says. I’m almost on him when he slings Jordy down.

  I roar and he blurs away. Fuck, gotta catch him.

  Frantic footsteps make me whirl. Parker and Declan, racing my way. They slow, gasping for air, clutching their chest.

  “Juice,” I order before they can speak.

  Parker digs in his jacket and offers me the flask. I drain it. I’ll feel it later, but now I need all I can get to get Benny. He took my girl. He’s working for Augustine. I don’t care who’s behind the shifter slavers, they tried to kidnap Jordy, so they’re all going down. This ends now.

  Jordy lies in a huddle at my feet. I tip her back and check her pulse. It’s strong and steady, but her eyes flutter and she doesn’t wake. Totally under the dark. Fucking vampires. I grab her and thrust her at Declan and Parker. “Get her outta here.”

  “Where?” Declan asks, even as Parker and Laurie start walking her back to the club.

  “Somewhere safe.” I give them my address.

  “Wait,” Parker shouts as I straighten. “Where are you goin’?”

  I snarl my answer to the moon before taking off after Benny. “Hunting vampire.”

  I catch up to Benny in Marana, a dead zone near the tattoo parlor I took Jordy to. Fucker’s probably headed back to the theater. I pause long enough to rip up a palo verde tree, snapping and peeling a section of the trunk into a nice stake.

  I’ve got enough juice in me to run down a flock of vampires, but not fight them all. Darkness lurks in the edges of my sight, threatening to bring me down. Can’t succumb yet. Gotta get Benny, make sure Jordy’s safe. Then I can go back to her.

  Benny pauses in an alleyway. We’re somewhere near the theater, I’m not sure how close. He leans against the wall. At his feet are steps leading down somewhere, probably to a basement door. Makes sense, that’s where the vampires congregate. Benny just led me right to their secret lair.

  He’s stopped there, just waiting. I prowl in the shadows as he lights a cigarette. He doesn’t smoke it, just holds it between shaking fingers. Vampires love fire. Something about playing with what could cause their ultimate doom.

  Benny won’t get such a quick death. Not when I half-stake him, tie him up, and drag him to Frangelico. We’ll question him, and the king will squeeze answers outta him. We can get to the bottom of all this. Jordy will be safe and I can get back to my ultimate mission.

  The thought of returning to my search for revenge doesn’t feel as good as it should, though. Wish there was a way I could keep Jordy while I continue the hunt. At first she was just a distraction, but having her at my side trumps anything else. I need her in my life. Such a small person, to weight the balance like she does.

  Shadow
s flicker around Benny’s hands. He’s holding the cigarette steady. Any moment he’ll decide he’s calm enough to keep on. Time to make my move.

  Again, I blur so fast Benny has no time to react. I slam him against the building. It’s so satisfying, I do it again.

  “Caught ya,” I say.

  The cigarette falls to the ground. “That’s—”

  “Impossible? Nope.” I set the sharper end of my makeshift stake at his heart. “Say goodnight, Benny.”

  Unconscious, vampires weigh more than you’d think. Even skinny guys like Benny are like fuckin’ concrete slabs. By the time I get back to Fight Club, dawn’s about to break. If Augustine thought he’d get his fangs into Jordy tonight, he’s fresh outta luck. I just have to store this body before light clears the mountains.

  A contingent of wolves hang around the dumpster out back. A few snarl when they see me, but they back away when I drag Benny right up to the side of the building.

  Trey steps out of the door, eyes flashing. “What the—”

  “Need a favor,” I say. “Gotta store this one somewhere for questioning.” I give Benny a kick. He may as well be a bag of blood for all the fight he gave me.

  The wolves back away and eye me nervously. I grin at them. Never seen a shifter take down a vampire before?

  Trey doesn’t even blink. We may have our differences, but he’s a solid guy.

  “Here,” Trey says and flips open the lid of the dumpster. If closed properly, no light will get in and fry the sucker before questioning.

  “Perfect.”

  After barking to his pack to clear the club out, Trey helps me load the vampire into his smelly coffin.

  “Thanks.” I dust off my hands. “I owe you,” I say to him.

  He shrugs. “We won a bunch of money betting against you on the fight. You taking that vampire to Frangelico?”

  “Yep. Caught him snooping around a shifter slaver site. Gonna bust that ring wide open.”

  “Good.” Trey’s eyes flare. “Then we’re even.”

  I turn, take two steps, and stumble. My hands hit the gravel.

  “Whoa, easy.” Trey’s at my side. He helps me up. “What the fuck, man? You drunk?”

  “Nope,” I slur.

  Trey’s eyes narrow. “You’re on something.”

  My tongue fills my mouth. “Gotta go,” I mumble.

  “Sorry, buddy. You’re not going anywhere in this condition.” He slings my arm around his shoulder and kicks open the Fight Club door. The back of the place is empty, so no one sees my walk of shame. My bear cringes at showing such weakness. Next thing I know I’m in a cool, dark cube of a room—the back office—and Trey is leaning over me. “Here,” he offers me a drink of water. “Just take it easy.”

  “Gotta go. Gotta get to Jordy—” At least that’s what I try to say. My voice is too garbled to come out in real words. I clutch his shoulder and he puts his tattooed hand over my scarred one.

  “No one’s coming in here,” he assures me, misunderstanding. “No one has to know. I don’t kick a bear when he’s down.”

  “Jordy—” I try again, but Trey still doesn’t understand. My grip on his shoulder loosens as I fall backwards, sliding into the dark.

  Grizz

  Jordy! I have to get to Jordy. My female’s gotta be terrified. I suck in a breath and try to orient myself. The memory of Trey bringing me into Fight Club seeps back as I get up.

  True to his word, Trey locked the place up. I sneak out, only pausing on the doorstep when light hits me in the face.

  What the—

  It’s daytime. Judging by the sun, well past noon. Fuck. That means I was unconscious for over twelve hours. And I still feel like I’ve been hit by a Mack truck.

  I have to get to Jordy and make sure she’s okay. I pray the three stooges got her safely to my place.

  Fuck, I pray she was able to come out of that vamp-induced sleep Benny put her in.

  I rally my clumsy limbs and trudge to my bike. It takes me a few tries, but once I’m on and balanced, my body remembers itself and I break every speed limit zooming home.

  Chapter 14

  Grizz

  The second I walk into my home, my bear calms.

  Jordy’s waiting at the table, dressed for the day in a skirt and button-down shirt that hugs the curve of her breasts. She rises, her face composed.

  “Kit.”

  “Grizz.” She’s still standing by the chair, looking me over. “You’re all right?”

  “I am now.” I open my arms. Emotions scroll over her face—worry, relief, delight—and then she stops thinking and rushes to me. And as soon as her weight hits my body, her scent rushes over me, and I’m home.

  I lift her in my arms, squeezing her tight.

  I wasn’t rushing home because Jordy might be upset. I was rushing because I needed to see her. I needed to know she was all right.

  I need her.

  The realization doesn’t rock my world. It spins it right round and settles it firmly on its axis where it belonged.

  “I was so worried,” she whispers.

  “It’s okay, baby. I’m here. I’m here now.”

  We hug a long time, and while I’m rock hard and aching against her, I can’t put her down to kiss her. I need her to know how much I need her, and until she does, I can’t let her go.

  Finally, she raises her head. Her sweet smile is more potent than a punch. “I cooked for you.”

  I let her wriggle out of my arms, gritting my teeth against the new surge of arousal. She takes my hand and tugs me to the chair. The kitchen smells lemony fresh and the counters almost sparkle. She waited for me. She cooked. She cleaned.

  “Jordy.” I tug her back and claim her mouth. I feast, all that sweetness dissolving on my tongue like sugar, but when I grab her hips and set her against my erection, she laughs and tuts. “Not now.”

  “Yes, now,” I growl.

  “No.” She slips away. Damn wriggly fox. I go after her and she races around the table. If it weren’t full of food she made, I’d flip the furniture out of the way, drag her to the ground and claim her. She’s mine. There’s no need to wait any longer.

  “You need to eat.”

  “I will eat. You.”

  Smiling and blushing, she shakes her finger. “No. You need real food. You were gone a long time. I know how much it took out of you.”

  I start to growl and she puts her hands on her hips. “One plate. At least.”

  “I want you now.”

  “You’ll get me,” she soothes. “But first, I need to know you’re okay.” She pulls out my chair. “Sit.”

  I hide a grin. “You giving orders now?”

  “Yes.” She blushes as she says it and ducks her head. Well, hell, now I can’t refuse her.

  “All right, Kit. One plate.”

  “And then we talk,” she announces and starts uncovering dishes.

  “That sounds ominous,” I mutter, but don’t push it. Now that she’s pulled the cover off the crock pot, I want food.

  “Looks good, baby.”

  “It’s cochinita pibil,” she says. “Slow cooked pork. My recipe.”

  I grab her ass as she serves it up. She laughs and dances away when my hand strays between her legs. She didn’t say anything about me not feeling her up. I wait until she’s out of reach, sitting across the table from me, to pick up my fork. One bite and I’m plowing through the meal.

  “Damn, Kit, this is good.”

  She says nothing, but beams.

  “You gonna eat?”

  “I already did.” She puts her elbows on the table, resting her face against her folded hands. Almost like she’s praying, but her eyes are on me. She doesn’t speak. Her hands hide her expression.

  As soon as my plate is clean, I reach for her. I could eat more, but first I need a bite of her. “Come here.”

  She obeys, and doesn’t protest when I guide her to sit on my lap.

  “Grizz—” she starts and I kiss her, drinkin
g more of her sweetness. My fingers fist in her hair, angling her face the way I want it. For a long time she allows it, but then jerks back.

  “Grizz, we need to talk.”

  I nibble a little more at her lips. “Later,” I murmur.

  A few more kisses and she shakes her head, rubbing her face against my stubble. “Now.”

  I sit back with a sigh. Her face is so serious it turns the food in my stomach to concrete.

  She strokes my hair as if soothing me. Cute little fox. “You were gone a long time.”

  I almost close my eyes at the worry in her voice. “Is that why you cooked for me, Kit? Get me softened up so you could give me the third degree?”

  She just looks at me.

  I sigh. “Look, I—”

  “You didn’t come back because you couldn’t. You passed out again, like after the last fight. Right?”

  Fuck. I don’t want to lie to her. I nod.

  She blinks and says to herself, “It has something to do with how you can blur.”

  Alarms go off in my head. “Kit, I can’t tell you. It’s not safe.”

  “It’s the flask, isn’t it? It contains something that helps you fight faster.”

  I weigh the truth against the cost. “Yeah.”

  “What is it?”

  “I can’t tell you that.” Frangelico won’t want any word of this spreading. If I tell her the final secret, her life will be in danger.

  Silence stretches like a chasm between us.

  Her head bows and she mutters something.

  “What’s that?” I raise her chin.

  She meets my eyes unflinchingly. “I said, ‘it’s killing you’.”

  I open my mouth but my protest dies under her direct stare. I can’t look at her, the woman I love, and lie.

  And I love Jordy. I don’t know when I started but I know I’ll never stop.

  So when she takes my hand and leads me to the bathroom, I follow. Big bad bear meek and mild around her. She tugs off my shirt and I stifle a snarl. Fates, that hurts.

  “You’re not healing,” she says, grabbing down the mirror and angling it to show me the nasty bite on my shoulder, where the bear fighter bit me. “It’s slowing you down. And these blackouts? They’re getting worse. I timed them. Last one was — hours. This one was almost fifteen.”