When he explained the situation, the first thing he did was call for the others to account for their whereabouts the past week—he needed to know if any of them had dropped the ball.
None of the men had been into town for the last month, except for Tyler and Max. When he got to them, Tyler ducked his head and Max looked sullen.
“Of course we knew there was a new girl moving into town,” Max snarled, lifting his chin defiantly. “We’re the only morticians in town and people are constantly trying to talk to us. But we didn’t know she was a vampire and we’ve certainly never heard of any Chloe Bennet before. You’ve got no right to be mad at us for not running up here with every little bit of gossip there is in town.”
At that, Tyler lifted his head again, smirking. “Unless you want to make it a regular tea party. We can tell you who Josie MacDonald got crabs from.”
Sly glowered at him, hoping to bring him to silence, but Tyler only laughed. That aggravated him enough that he nearly leapt from the porch to beat Tyler’s face in. In fact, if it hadn’t been for Devon’s retort, he might have.
“Not interested, Ty, unless you’re saying that you’ve been stupid enough to pick up an STD and then pass it on.”
All the men burst into laughter while the grin disappeared from Tyler’s face. He ducked his head again, blushing furiously while his jaw worked. Sly smiled, nodding at Devon as thanks, then let out a sharp whistle to make all of them calm down and let him continue.
“From now on, I want to know about every major instance that happens in Deville. New people coming in, people disappearing under any circumstance, abrupt departures and any incidences of violence. Ian.”
The black-haired man straightened, nodding to show he was listening.
“You were offered a job at the police station as a deputy, correct?”
Ian scowled but nodded.
“Take it. You’ll be my eyes and ears in the police force. Tyler, Max, people trust you. I want you to start cultivating more relationships in the community. Roman, Shawn, and Lucas, start working with local farmers. And I want us all to start taking shifts going into the diner more regularly.”
This was met with groans and protests.
Sly held up a hand, silencing them. “I will be taking my part, too. There are twelve of us, that means we’ll be going in two or three times a month. You don’t have to make small talk; all you have to do is sit and listen. We have done far worse missions than this.”
There were still a few muttered grumbles but for the most part, everybody nodded. A few faces were sullen, but when Sly met their gazes challengingly, they glanced away and nodded their support.
“We might not be military anymore and we might not have jurisdiction here,” Sly continued, throwing back his shoulders, “but we still have a duty to protect this town. The last thing any of us wants is for vampires to decide to overrun us, or worse... Convert everybody here to their vampiric ways because it’s a small town and few people would notice anything weird about it.”
This was met by grim expressions. They all knew what vampires were capable of.
It was Theron who asked the question they were all thinking. “So what do we do about Chloe Bennet?”
Sly took a deep breath. Killing her was off the table because people would figure out she was dead and then shit would really hit the fan. However, it would be easy enough for her to suddenly leave Deville—family emergencies were always popping up. And her sister didn’t need to know if she’d left Deville. One phone call a week was enough, wasn’t it?
“We’re going to convert my basement into a holding cell fit for a vampire,” Sly said, a wicked grin spreading over his face. “She’s a relatively new vampire, so I can’t see them sending her here alone.”
“Fuck,” Ian growled. “You’re saying that there are other vampires around and we’ve missed them?”
Sly nodded once. “That is exactly what I’m saying. We’ve had vampires around here for a while. So I want to know every person who has moved to Deville in the last ten years. And Ian, you go through old police records and bring anything that looks suspicious to me, understood?”
He growled and flexed his muscles. “These damn bloodsuckers won’t know what hit them.”
A feral grin lit Sly’s face. That was exactly what he wanted to hear. With the threat that vampires posed toward them, the citizens of Deville and the world at large, sitting back and doing nothing wasn’t an option. He’d learned some dangerous skills while working undercover. And while he never thought he’d have cause to use those skills again, he wasn’t about to shy away from the necessity of the situation.
“Wait.” Devon, as usual, was the voice that called for another view. “Are you sure that’s necessary? If there is another vampire or vampires around here, it means they’ve lived without causing any massacres for at least five years. We haven’t had any suspicious deaths or disappearances since we came here, and I can’t remember hearing about anything of the ilk from before, either. I know we all have our opinions on vampires, but are we sure we won’t just be kicking a hornet’s nest? And Chloe Bennet… we know her.”
Sly ground his teeth together.
“I’m concerned that we’re taking this too personally,” Devon continued. “Or that some of us have developed a taste for blood and are using any excuse to slake that lust.”
Sly growled under his breath. “She’s a vampire, goddammit! It’s not like I’m suggesting we kidnap and torture school girls.”
“The kidnapping I’m fine with,” Devon retorted. “Keeping her away from potential victims, looking for answers about who else is a vampire around her. All good. In fact, I’d agree that it’s our duty. But we know she has been living with non-vampires for a while and that she has spent plenty of time around her sister’s kids without hurting anybody. So I don’t agree with the extreme measures of getting information.”
Theron crossed his arms and leaned against the side of the house. “I’m gonna have to agree with the first mate, Captain. Vampire or not, we can’t start turning ourselves into the people we fought so hard to defeat.”
Sly glared at them. What was wrong in their heads? Vampires didn’t deserve the benefit of the doubt. But he saw that others were nodding now, a few of them looking relieved—as though glad that someone else had been the one who’d said it so they didn’t have to.
He exhaled loudly. “Fine. But we have to get her tonight. She saw my face, and I will not be having her going on the lamb.”
Here, Devon gave that devilish grin that Sly always loved to see. “Of course. Do you have a plan in mind?”
“What do you take me for?” Sly purred in return. “Of course I have a plan.”
Chapter Three
Devon padded up to the little house, nodding in appreciation of its architecture. It must have been built in the early 1900s. A little boxy for sure but solid. The owners had kept it in good shape, too. The siding looked fairly new, although the roofing could use an upgrade. Chloe had gotten lucky getting such a house.
Heavy blinds hung in all the windows and when he picked the lock and slipped inside with Sly, it was near pitch-black. The only light came from a warm glow beneath the bedroom door at the end of the hallway. Devon would have liked to have explored a little bit, but Sly was already growling and Devon knew that meant he was in a hurry.
Not that Devon blamed him. The others were waiting around in the forest, out of sight so as not to implicate themselves if someone saw but close enough to help if something went wrong.
Sly would have preferred to mob her house and burn it to the ground as they dragged her away, but Devon had managed to convince him that was a little too dramatic for their needs. Chloe knew the two of them. There was a chance they’d be able to convince her to come with them quietly. It would be better than getting ripped apart by the town for kidnapping—not to mention revealing the existence of vampires would land them all in a whole heap of trouble.
“Should we knock?” Devon
asked Sly with a grin when they came to the bedroom door.
Sly glared at him and merely kicked the door open.
A shriek met their entrance. Chloe sat on her bed, a waxing paper in her hand while her nightgown was riding up to her thigh. On seeing them, she shrieked again and leapt to her feet. Her hands trembled as she yanked a knife out from under her pillow.
“Stay away!” Her chest heaved and her eyes were wide.
Devon couldn’t help it. He laughed. The knife she had wasn’t even a good one. Oh, it’d cut vegetables, but meat was another story. Besides which…
“You have no idea how to use that thing, do you?” he asked, seeing how her feet were nearly touching, the knife held out full length from her body. He smirked as he went to the left while Sly went to the right. Chloe backed up, hitting the bed and nearly toppling herself. “We’re not here to hurt you, Chloe. You’re more likely to hurt yourself with that knife.”
“You hate vampires,” she returned, still shivering like a leaf. “I know you do. But I didn’t want to become a vampire, it’s not my fault! And I haven’t hurt anybody!”
Devon held out his hands soothingly. “I never said you did. But you have to understand our concern, Chloe. Now put down the knife.”
She shivered again and this time he wondered if it was more fear or a chill. The AC was blasting, making it cold inside despite being a fairly warm day outside. And the nightgown she wore… well, he thought it had ridden up on her thighs before but now he saw that the skirt only fell to mid-thigh. The neckline plunged, revealing deep, creamy cleavage. With her dark hair falling around her in curls and even that knife pointed at him, it was a very pretty picture. How had he not noticed how curvy she was before now?
Devon chuckled as he shook his head. Seems I might have a fetish.
But no time for that right now.
Chloe whipped around, pointing the knife at Sly as he inched forward. “I told Erica!” she blurted. “I told her that I saw you here. So if you hurt me, everyone will know!”
Sly snarled, every muscle in his body bunching.
Devon saw the signs of a rapidly devolving temper and quickly brought Chloe’s attention back to him. “And you will be able to call her again tomorrow and tell her that we stopped by to have a little chat. I’m telling you, Chloe. We aren’t here to hurt you.”
But the look on her face clearly said she didn’t believe them. Devon snorted, starting to get irritated. If she was that convinced they were here to hurt her, then she should stop being such a trembling little leaf and actually go for them. She couldn’t be so stupid as to think she could frighten them off with her little knife.
He lifted his lip in a sneer, unable to stop himself. “Let’s stop this silly game. Put down the knife now and pack a bag before we decide we will hurt you.”
“Pack?”
“Yes, pack. You’re going to come with us now, vampire.” He made his voice firmer as the knife started to lower. “And you’re going to do everything we tell you.”
She shivered again but… there was something different. Her dark eyes darkened further and when she licked her lips it was such a becoming image that Devon was tempted to tell her to bend over where she stood. His sneer changed back into a smirk and she gulped.
“But what are you—”
She shrieked once more as Sly lunged. He grabbed her wrist, twisting it sharply as he swung her around. Her feet tangled and she fell with a thud on the carpet and cringed before him, her eyes wide as she stared up at him. Devon had to roll his eyes as he reached to help her to her feet. Back when he’d known Chloe before, she was introverted and shy and spent a lot of time folding in on herself, but this was ridiculous.
The freeze instinct is powerful, he mused as he pulled her up and pulled her out of Sly’s way as he moved around the room, stuffing clothing into a grocery bag. He didn’t bother with any of the toiletries, but seeing the waxing papers made Devon frown.
“Do vampires get periods?”
Her eyes widened and jaw dropped as her face turned brilliantly red. “What?” she squeaked.
“Do we need to get tampons for you?”
But instead of answering, she asked, “What do you plan on doing with me?”
“Don’t worry about it, vampire,” Sly snarled back, the anger still clear in his voice. “If you really don’t want to hurt anybody, you’ll be perfectly fine. And no, Devon, vampires don’t get their periods. Because they’re dead and don’t have beating hearts.”
“But—” Chloe cut off.
Sly glared at her. “Unless you’re saying I’m wrong?”
Devon hummed as he pressed his fingers to Chloe’s neck. “She’s got a pulse.”
“There are certain herbs and stuff,” Chloe mumbled. “It mimics the human body before the change… but I don’t know about periods. I haven’t been on them long enough. They’re in my nightstand.”
Sly grunted but retrieved the bags from the nightstand. “Alright, let’s get her back to the cabin.”
“Cabin?” Chloe squeaked. She glanced down at herself and her shoulders hunched. “Can’t I have some clothes? The sunlight…”
“Will help us control you better.”
Tears flooded her eyes. That was unexpected. Devon frowned, wondering if it was a trick. Sly only looked angrier. He ripped the comforter off the bed and flung it at her. “Fine, wrap up in this. I don’t want to see your disgusting body anyway.”
Her head bowed.
“I wouldn’t call it disgusting,” Devon muttered.
“It’s a dead vampire body, therefore, it’s disgusting. She could be Marilyn Monroe and she’d still be disgusting.”
Chloe wrapped herself up tightly in the comforter, sniffing. Devon pulled the blanket up over her head so he wouldn’t have to see her tears, shot a mild glare at Sly and then picked her up. She remained stiff in his arms as he carried her out to the truck.
“Theron,” Sly ordered as he joined Devon, “take her car and hide it away somewhere.”
Devon put Chloe in the backseat of the truck and slid in after her. He put his arms around her, pinning her elbows to her sides.
“No problem,” Theron called back, catching the keys to Chloe’s car. “I’ll hide it in the garage with all my other ones.”
Everything was going so smoothly. Devon was impressed. It’d been quite a while since they’d run a mission together. It helped that Chloe had decided to rent a house that was so far out of town, without any visible neighbors for miles around. She was huddled inside her blanket, just a ball of fabric still quivering. Devon hummed to himself as Sly turned on the truck and headed up Devil Mountain.
“Well, that went well,” Devon mentioned, leaning forward slightly. “Now we just have to have her call in and say a family emergency has taken her out of town. As long as Mitchel Harris gets his monthly rent for the property and we keep her in regular contact with her sister, nobody’ll be the wiser.”
“What would be wisest,” Sly growled, “would be if we had her move somewhere else entirely. Then we wouldn’t have to worry about any of this.”
The rest of the drive to Sly’s cabin was silent. It was built in a picturesque spot, high enough to have a view of the whole valley. Trees shaded it on three sides, giving Sly plenty of privacy. With the gravel road and the fact that the wolves were still not that well known in Deville, it was unlikely anybody was just going to stop by for a cup of tea.
Devon stretched his shoulders as he lifted Chloe from the truck. The cabin wasn’t overly large, but it was big enough. The ground floor had an open concept kitchen and sitting room, with a rather large tub in the bathroom. Upstairs was an art studio where Sly put together a lot of his stuff, while a shed in the back was where he worked on woodcraft and did welding. The basement had been converted into two bedrooms, one of which Sly used as an office.
“So, I guess I’ll set up my air mattress in the hallway downstairs, outside of her room,” Devon said cheerfully as he herded Chloe inside.
Sly frowned at him. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Didn’t I mention?” Devon shrugged casually. “I’m moving in for the time being. To make sure you don’t do anything you’ll regret.”
Sly grabbed his arm, bringing him and Chloe to a hard stop. “I don’t need a fucking babysitter.”
“No, but you do need to sleep. Having someone else around to make sure the vampire doesn’t do anything… rash… will be helpful. ‘Cause just imagine. She tries to escape while you’re in the shower. You go after her and since you’re so embarrassed that you’re naked, you snap her neck. Then all the shit hits the fan.”
Chloe whimpered.
“Do you really think I’m that stupid, Devon? I commanded this team through its darkest hours and I—”
“Yeah, yeah. I know.”
Devon shoved Chloe down the stairs and into the bedroom. The window had been easier to fill with cement, therefore lessening her chances of escape. Sly followed him, a snarl on his lips.
Once in the room, Chloe pulled the comforter off her head and glanced between them, her eyes wide. Sly shoved Devon, spinning him around. Devon snarled in warning. His wolf growled in his chest, sizing Sly up. They’d had their fair share of fights in the past. Devon knew he could take the slightly larger wolf. The tattoos trailing down Sly’s neck bulged as he snarled.
“You don’t get to decide what happens here, Devon. I am still your commander.”
Devon spread his shoulders and rose his lip. “Only because I respect you too much to take the position. But if you’re saying I don’t owe you that respect anymore, we can take this outside. Although what you’re being so grumpy about, I don’t know. Me being here means you have to deal with her less.”
He jerked his head toward Chloe, who gave a startled gulp. Both of them looked at her and she shrank back. The blanket fell open slightly, exposing her creamy chest once more. God, he’d like a taste of that. But how to convince her?
Kidnapped by the Wolves Page 2
