All the blood in his body seemed to settle at his feet, making his head spin. “It’s really you.” He dropped his arms to his sides.
“Yep.” Luke patted him on the back and plopped onto the couch next to Macey.
“Do you believe it now?” she asked.
He sank into the chair. “I suppose I have no choice.” He’d always been a seeing is believing guy, but what he just saw he couldn’t explain. Focusing on how a giant wolf had waltzed into Macey’s living room and transformed into her husband made his head spin. The important thing was that it had happened. He’d deal with the how later. “Can Alexis…?”
Macey nodded. “She’s first-born, so she can shift.”
How could his sweet, soft woman turn into a massive beast? “I never would’ve guessed it.” He shook his head, trying to get the spinning thoughts to form into some sort of coherence. The woman he loved was a werewolf. His partner of the last seven years was a supernatural being. Her husband too. “James?”
“He’s a werewolf,” Macey said. “So is Chase. Michael is safe with them watching him, but Alexis is in trouble.” Her expression softened. The mask of supernatural secrets she’d been keeping dissolved, allowing her true concern for her sister to finally show through, and his doubts about Macey dissolved right along with it.
Her words focused his thoughts into pinpoint precision. His world may have been turned upside down, but having the woman he loved safe and back in his arms was all that mattered. “I assume you’re telling me all this because Eric is a werewolf too?”
Macey’s expression turned grim. “I haven’t been ignoring the autopsy reports on those bodies. I’ve been trying to cover them up. Those people were killed by werewolves.”
“One werewolf in particular,” Luke said.
“Eric.” He fisted his hands on the arms of the chair. “Why would Alexis go back to him?”
Macey straightened. “We think she wants to stop him. He’s trying to turn humans into werewolves, and those bodies we found in the river were his failed experiments.”
Bryce rubbed his forehead in an attempt to slow the merry-go-round of thoughts whirling though his mind. “How do you know all this?”
“Michael didn’t run away.” She cringed. “One of Eric’s men kidnapped him.”
He slammed his fist on the arm of the chair. “The bastard hurt my dog too.”
“Alexis helped Michael escape, and she sent him to me. I think she’s safe for now, but we don’t know how long he’ll keep using her.”
His stomach soured. “What’s he using her for?”
“If she can heal other people like you say.” She took a deep breath and looked at Luke. “He must be attacking the humans and having Alexis heal them in hopes that they’ll turn into werewolves.”
“Is that possible?” He cut his gaze between Luke and Macey. “Can someone be turned into a werewolf?”
“It’s possible,” Luke said. “But extremely unlikely to happen. The human would have to lose a considerable amount of blood and put up enough of a fight to cause some damage to the wolf attacking him. Get enough werewolf blood into your system, and it’s going to wreak havoc on your DNA.”
Bryce scrubbed a hand down his face. “Why attack people then? If he’s kidnapping people and knocking them out, why not give them a blood transfusion and avoid the hassle?”
“He probably doesn’t realize it’s blood his victims need.” Thor, Macey’s brown tabby cat, jumped into Luke’s lap, and he stroked its back. “Werewolves are taught two basic laws from the time we’re old enough to understand them. One: never attack a human while in wolf form, unless it’s a fight to the death. Two: our blood is sacred and can never be shared.” He passed the cat to Macey. “Breaking those laws is punishable by death.”
Macey set the cat on the floor. “He probably thinks the first law exists because people will turn into werewolves if they’re attacked. Most people think that.”
“The chance of survival after losing the amount of blood required for the change is slim,” Luke said. “I know of four cases in our history of it actually happening, and they were hundreds of years ago, before the laws were in place.”
Bryce’s mind spun. It was all too much to process. More than his brain was ready or willing to comprehend. He focused on the one thing he did understand…his own heart. “I have to get Alexis out of there.”
Macey swallowed. “Yes, you do.”
“That guy is inhumanly strong. Tell me he’s not bulletproof.”
“You have to hit him in the head or the heart,” Luke said. “Anywhere else, and he’ll heal easily.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. Murder wasn’t on his radar, but it sounded like having a civilized conversation with this guy was off the table. He might have to shoot him in self-defense, but the ramifications of what he was about to do could end his career and land his ass in jail.
“Don’t worry about the police.” Macey seemed to have read his mind. “Werewolves have been covering up our less-than-humanly-legal activity for hundreds of years. Get Alexis out. We’ll take care of you.”
He looked from Macey to Luke, and they both met his gaze with sincerity in their eyes. Bryce trusted them to his core, and it didn’t matter what happened to him. Eric was a murderer who needed to be stopped, and Alexis needed saving.
“Got it.” Bryce shot to his feet. “We’ll stop by my place first to get my personal firearm. You’ve got your own, right, Mace?”
Macey glanced at Luke. “We…can’t help you.”
He cocked his head. “Why not? She’s your sister.”
“I know, but…” She sighed. “Eric belongs to the Biloxi pack. If New Orleans werewolves attack, it will start a war between the packs. He’s not on our territory.”
“War? We’re talking about stopping a murderer, not assassinating a political figure.”
“It is political. His father is second in command of Biloxi.” Luke rose to his feet and paced in front of the couch. “We’ve contacted the Biloxi alpha and put a call in to the national congress. Our hands are tied until one of them acts.”
“But he’s killing people.”
Macey stood next to Luke. “We don’t have any proof.”
“We have bodies.”
Luke ran a hand through his hair. “And the connection to Eric is based on the word of a human who shouldn’t know we exist.”
“What about Alexis? She knows what’s happening.”
“She’s…a rogue.” Macey lowered her gaze to the floor.
Luke put his arm around her. “The word of a rogue is as useful as wet toilet paper, no matter who she’s related to.”
“I don’t believe this.” Because Alexis wasn’t a card-carrying member of their group, they refused to help her? Were they insane? Didn’t they even care? He crossed his arms. “You called the Biloxi alpha. I want to talk to the man in charge of New Orleans.”
“You are talking to him,” Macey said. “Luke is the alpha.”
“Damn it, Mace. Why didn’t you tell me any of this before?”
“You were on a need-to-know basis.”
“And I didn’t need to know until now. I get it.” It sucked that she’d kept so many secrets from him…but he got it. He reached for the doorknob. “James gave me his number.”
Macey drew in a breath. “That’s great. You should call him and go have a beer sometime.”
“He said—”
She opened the door and pushed him through it. “I’m sure whatever reason he had for giving it to you is between you and him.” Widening her eyes, she gave Bryce a pointed look before glancing at Luke and closing the door.
“Right.” Luke couldn’t know because he was the alpha and sending in pack members would start a war. James was offering his help outside the pack.
“I know it seems like I don’t care about her, but this is a complicated situation. When a werewolf decides to go rogue, they understand that they’re giving up all support from the pack. Alexis has
had an open invitation to join us since the moment she came back into my life, but she’s chosen to remain rogue.”
He shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. She’s your blood.”
“I know. That’s why you have to help her. For seven years, I’ve trusted you with my own life. Now, I’m trusting you with my sister’s.”
“I’ll get her out of there.” Or he’d die trying.
Macey pulled him into a tight hug. “Be careful. You’re living outside the law now.”
“She’s worth it.” He patted her shoulder and stepped away. “I won’t let her down.”
Chapter Nineteen
Bryce climbed into the passenger seat of James’s truck and slammed the door. He’d torn his bedroom apart looking for his Smith and Wesson when it wasn’t in its drawer. His personal firearm was gone, and he hadn’t misplaced it. He chewed the inside of his cheek. “If Alexis can turn into a wolf, why would she need a gun?”
James arched an eyebrow. “Good question. A werewolf using a gun is like cheating. Our teeth and claws are our weapons. My guess is that she knows she can’t beat him in a fair fight.”
His mind flashed back to the scuffle in the parking lot, and he cringed. One punch had landed Bryce on his ass. “How does werewolf justice work? Since this guy’s part of another pack, if they don’t want to stop him, he can keep on killing people?”
James started the engine and backed out of the driveway. “Unless another pack can prove he’s breaking our laws, attacking him would be equivalent to attacking his pack. That’s why I’m going rogue tonight.” He shifted into drive and headed for Pearl River.
“What will happen to you if Luke finds out you’re helping me?”
Resting his left elbow on the window frame, James rubbed at the scruff on his face. “Depending on how far south this all goes, I could serve time in the pit.”
“The pit?”
“Werewolf prison. A human cell won’t hold a supernatural being.” He cast a sideways glance toward him before focusing on the road.
Bryce stared out the window as they exited the residential area of the city and entered the highway. “You’re risking jail time to help me. Why?”
His brow furrowed as if the question confused him. “It’s what friends do.”
Friends. “Thanks, man.” He’d have to buy him a beer when this was through.
The corner of James’s mouth twitched. “Jail time is better than execution. That’s a possibility too.”
He balked. Firm laws and harsh punishments served their purpose, but execution for trying to save someone from a murderer? What kind of man was Macey married to? “Luke would kill you for this?”
“Our laws are strict to keep our existence a secret. They’ve worked for hundreds of years.” He chuckled. “Our alpha is bound by the national congress to enforce them, but he knows when to look the other way. Sometimes laws have to be broken.”
“Yeah, I guess they do.” He’d spent his entire life playing by the rules, doing what everyone expected of him. Human laws had served him well, but the world as he knew it ceased to exist a few hours ago. Where did he fit in now?
He was in love with a werewolf. How could he compete with a supernatural being? What could he offer a woman who came from a magical world he’d had no idea existed? A sinking sensation formed in the pit of his stomach. “What if she doesn’t want to be saved?” He looked at James. “What if she went back to Eric because she really does want to be with him?”
“She doesn’t want to be with that asshole. Believe me.”
He wanted to believe him. To believe he hadn’t imagined the connection he’d felt with Alexis. But the rug of life had been yanked out from under him, and he didn’t have a clue what was real and what wasn’t anymore. “How do you know?”
“I know Alexis. She’s got a good thing with you.”
He rested his arm on the edge of the window and watched the trees zooming by in a blur. “Is it even allowed? If she were in a pack and followed the rules, would she be allowed to date me?”
“We can date anyone we want. We can’t reveal our true selves unless we plan to take the person as a mate, but since you’re already in on the secret, you’re good to go.”
A weight lifted from his shoulders, but his stomach tensed as they exited the highway and turned onto Eric’s street. James tightened his grip on the steering wheel, and Bryce glanced at his four-fingered hand. “Mind if I ask what happened to you?”
James loosened his grip and flexed his fingers. “Construction accident.”
“I thought werewolves were fast healers.”
“We are, but we can’t regrow limbs.” He cut the wheel to the right and stopped in a grocery store parking lot. “We’ll walk from here.”
Bryce tucked his service weapon into the waistband of his jeans, and they trekked into the field behind the store. He’d left his badge and holster at home. His cuffs too. He’d lose his job if he got caught in an act of vigilante justice. Hell, he might even lose his life.
The nearly-full moon hung high in the night sky, casting a silver glow on the damp grass. Shadows danced around his peripheral vision, and his pulse thrummed in his ears. If werewolves existed, what other kinds of monsters lurked in the darkness? A shudder ran down his spine. He didn’t want to know.
A rustle sounded in the grass, and he jerked his head toward the noise, his hand instinctively reaching for his firearm. Adrenaline coursed through his veins, setting him on edge.
“It’s a fox.” James stopped walking and pointed. “Look closely and you’ll see the light reflect in its eyes.”
Bryce repositioned his gun in his pants and squinted into the darkness. A little flash of something glinted in the moonlight, and a shadow darted through the grass. “I suppose you have some kind of enhanced werewolf vision?”
“It’s better in wolf form, but yeah. You’ll never see a shifter needing glasses.”
He huffed and continued his trek toward the house. The eye surgery he’d had a few years back had turned his own night vision to shit. Add that to the list of reasons he couldn’t compete with a werewolf, and he began to wonder exactly what Alexis saw in him.
As the house came into view, James let out a whistle. “Looks like our friend has company.”
Alexis’s car sat behind the Mustang, and an F-150 had parked in the grass by the road. They crept into the yard and scanned the outside of the house. The massive pine trees appeared black against the moonlit sky, and light burned in the living room window. No security cameras hung from the eaves, and no motion-sensor lights turned on as they approached.
“Do you know if he has a security system?” James asked.
“He’s got a video doorbell, the kind you can easily install yourself, but I haven’t noticed anything else.”
James nodded. “Can you pick a lock?”
“If I had the tools.”
He pulled a black bag from his pocket and handed it to Bryce. “I’ll knock on the door and keep them occupied. You go in through the back and get Alexis out. Got your phone on you?”
Bryce patted his pocket.
“Get pictures. Any kind of evidence you can find. Paperwork, blood, bodies, whatever. If we can prove what he’s doing, the pack can move in and end it.”
Bryce took a deep breath, centering himself, and the nervous jitters he’d experienced on the way over dissolved, leaving behind nothing but the calm before the storm. “And if there’s a confrontation…”
“We end him.”
“I’m glad we’re on the same page.”
James darted around to the front door, and Bryce slipped into the backyard. He pulled the tools out of the bag and jimmied them into the lock. The faint sound of voices emanated from the front, and the tool slipped from his sweaty fingers. He cursed under his breath and wiped his palms on his jeans before retrieving the instrument and shoving it back into the lock.
After a few minutes of fumbling, the bolt disengaged and he pushed the door open. An alert
chimed in the darkened hallway, and he held his breath as the voices stopped.
“What the hell’s going on?” Eric’s voice boomed.
“Stop!” Alexis screamed, and the sound of scuffling ensued. Then a growl. Then a snarl, and the scuffle turned into a full-blown brawl.
Holy shit, he was about to witness a werewolf fight.
Instinct to break it up drew him toward the fray, but he stopped as the sound of footsteps thudded toward him. They needed evidence. He leaned into a door on the left and twisted the knob. Locked.
“Bryce!” Alexis whispered as she ran toward him. “What are you doing here? You have to leave. It’s not safe.” She tried to push him down the hall, but he caught her in his arms and held her to his chest.
Relief unfurled in his gut, and he pressed his lips against her hair. “I’m here to bring you home.” The sounds of snarling and jaws snapping echoed from the living room, and he tightened his arms around her.
“I can’t go home. Not until I stop Eric.” She pushed him toward the back door. “Please go.”
He gripped her shoulders. “I know what you are. I know you’re a werewolf.”
She glanced behind her toward the living room. Someone yelped as glass crashed on the floor. “Then you should know how dangerous it is for you to be here. I promise I’ll come home, okay? Let me finish this.”
“What do you need to finish, babe?” Eric stood at the end of the hall and crossed his arms over his barrel of a chest.
Bryce shoved her behind his back and leveled his gun at the bastard’s heart.
Eric smirked and raised his hands. “Aren’t you going to read me my rights first, officer? Your case will never stand in a court of law if you don’t.”
His finger hovered over the trigger. “What you’re doing is so far beyond the law that I’ve appointed myself judge and jury.”
He laughed. “If that’s how you want to play…” Eric’s body shimmered, and in an instant, he transformed into a wolf. Dark-gray fur rolled over his massive body, standing in a ridge along his back. Baring his razor-sharp fangs, he prowled toward them.
Bound by Blood (Crescent City Wolf Pack Book 3) Page 20
