“Thank you,” I breathed out. “I can’t think of him going to, well, I’m not even sure where animal bodies go but I don’t want him to leave. It hurts me so much, Max, he would’ve been terrified and they didn’t need to do what they did. They tortured the poor animal and I’m so angry I feel as if I’m going to combust.”
“I know, baby.” Max’s arms tightened around me, giving me some comfort from the anger and sorrow coursing through me.
That’s how Graham found us, me still in Max’s arms and trying to get hold of myself.
“We’re ready,” Graham said, his sad eyes gazing at me.
“Flora,” Max said as he pulled away. “Can you stay here and keep an eye on things while I make sure they get away okay?”
I honestly didn’t think they were in danger and I also didn’t fancy keeping up with a car for an hour. Max could move so much faster than me so I didn’t put up any argument. “Sure, I’ll unpack and shower and wait for you.”
“When I get back we’ll get started, all right?”
“Absolutely.” I nodded, eager to start the hunt for those damn wolves.
I followed them outside, Agnes and Isa already in a sleek Range Rover. Graham patted my shoulder. “I’m sorry again, lass.”
“Thank you, me too,” I replied softly.
“You shouldn’t be away long, a few days at most,” Max said just before Graham got in the car.
“Whatever you think’s best,” he said through the open door. “Just make sure they pay for what they’ve done.”
“You don’t need to worry about that,” Max said coldly. “They’ll suffer and wish they’d never set foot or paw on this land.”
Graham nodded, Isa gave me a quick wave as she held her daughter in her arms. It looked as if Agnes was weeping again and who the hell could blame her. She’d lost the most important person in her life and she was drowning in a sea of grief.
“Fuck,” I spat out, tearing my eyes away. I couldn’t witness her sorrow any longer. If I did I’d be rushing off into the darkness to hunt those responsible for her utter devastation.
Even I knew that was a dumb move. I was a vampire, strong and fast, but if I was going up against more than one or two wolves, then I needed Max by my side.
Yes. Together we would mete out our own punishment for the crimes committed here. I couldn’t bloody well wait!
~ Chapter 4 ~
I wandered through the bedroom, running my hand over the antique dresser before stopping at the foot of the bed. Thoughts of the time Max and I had spent in that huge four-poster came flooding back to me, causing my breathing to hitch and my thighs to clench tightly.
I was newly turned and I’d had a voracious appetite, both for his blood and for his body. My face heated as my mind filled with everything we’d done those first few days and weeks after I’d joined him in being a vampire. I loved him with every cell in my being and I couldn’t even contemplate not having him by my side.
Poor Agnes. I hoped her children would help her through this devastating time.
“She’ll be okay,” Max whispered against my ear causing me to jump with fright.
“I didn’t hear you!” I squealed as his arms circled my waist, pulling me against his hard, lean and damn sexy body.
“Stop that,” he admonished, his lips tugging up in a smile. “If you keep thinking those thoughts I’m afraid I’ll have to take advantage of you.”
“Take advantage all you want,” I retorted as I pushed my hips toward him.
“We have business to attend to but I’ll take a rain check,” Max said before snatching a quick kiss. “I’ve already moved Patrick to the hall and I’ve covered up Mallen, for now. Once we’ve dealt with this threat I’ll get a big enough grave dug for him and we can lay him to rest.”
My carnal thoughts fled and I felt as if I’d been drenched in cold water. “Thank you. Now, where do we start?”
“We go and try and sort through the scents around the stables,” Max replied all business-like. “Then we try and track them to find those responsible for this violation.”
“Sounds good to me,” I shrugged off the thick robe I’d put on after my shower, hunting for jeans, sweatshirt and a pair of sturdy boots.
“Jesus,” Max groaned, lifting a hand to cover his eyes. “Hurry up or I’m going to throw you down on that bed.”
I dressed quickly, giggling. “What was it you said to me earlier? Oh yeah, later.”
“Damn straight,” Max whined dramatically.
“Hey, Mister, get your head in the game,” I joked as I tied my boots. “I’ve a feeling we’ll both have to be at the top of our game tonight.”
“Yes.” Max lowered his hand, scowling. “Remember, Flora, no going off on your own. Stay nearby so I can help if required and yes, I am aware that you want to punish these assholes, but that will depend on the numbers we’re up against.”
“I know,” I sighed. “I can’t wait to meet these fecking eejits. I mean, come on, they know how powerful you are. Right?”
“I have no idea what they know about me,” Max shrugged. “They may have no idea of my strength. In fact, I hope that’s the case because it gives us the upper hand. They probably aren’t aware that you are also stronger than most vampire’s your age, being sired by me does have some advantages, and that includes your own power.”
“Let’s go,” I said eagerly. “I’d rather we got this over and done with as quickly as we can so that Graham and his family can return home to mourn properly.”
“I agree,” Max said coldly as we left the Manor house.
It was cold outside, and misty, something I was used to and I hoped that the weather would help and not hinder our hunt. Make no mistake we were determined hunters and when I got close enough to anyone involved in the murder of Patrick and the slaughter of Mallen, I planned on ripping them apart.
As we drew nearer the stables I faltered, not wanting to see my beautiful horse the way they’d left him. Max put my mind at ease.
“I told you, baby, he’s covered up, we don’t need to see him again. All we need to do is sort through their scents.”
“Thank you for doing that,” I replied truthfully. “I am so angry that I feel it burning under my skin. Is that normal?”
I’d been feeling it increasingly the closer we got to the stables and I’d started scratching at my arms to try and ease the weird feeling.
“It’s your bloodlust that’s risen to the surface,” Max informed. “It can happen when you’re particularly upset or angry. You need to focus, Flora, total and determined focus.”
“Oh, I’m focused all right,” I snarled as the first scent of a wolf invaded my senses.
It was dark and woody, with an undertone of what I can only describe as evil. How I knew that I had no idea, but I did. I knew it as surely as I knew I adored Max. Other scents started to filter through and I had to concentrate hard to separate them into individuals. I lowered my head, inhaling sharply to embed their separate scents into my brain.
“Four,” Max said, his tone as cold as ice. “I can scent four different wolves.”
He wandered away from the stable door, back again, and then away again before he turned to face me. “Each one arrived with no blood on them. All four left with Mallen’s but just one has Mallen’s and Patrick’s.”
“That’s the one that’s dark and evil,” I ground out through gritted teeth.
“Very perceptive, Flora, you are accurate in your analysis,” Max said, looking impressed.
I had a brief second of feeling proud of myself then the anger overtook again. “And I’m certain it’s Donald, his scent is in the back of my memory from all the times he’d push me down and humiliate me. I’m not mistaken, Max, the one that killed Patrick is Donald.”
“We’ll find out soon enough,” Max snarled.
“I want him.”
“I’m sure you do.” Max strode over, stopping in front of me an
d lifting my chin with his finger. “But he is also the strongest of these wolves so do not take any unnecessary risks. Is that clear?”
I stared into his eyes, refusing to answer.
“If you force my hand on this I will order you to remain here and I will hunt alone.”
My eyes shot wide as my head shook furiously. “Not on your nelly! I am not staying here.”
“You will heed my warnings and do as I say,” Max reiterated. “This is a hunt for wolves who have already committed murder. They have no qualms about killing and you will not do anything that could put you in danger. I will not allow that.”
“Pfft,” I blew out between clenched teeth. “As you say, this is a hunt, I kinda think that means there’s going to be danger. Don’t you?”
“Don’t be a smart ass, you know fine well what I mean.” Max scowled at me.
“I’ll be careful,” I relented as the thought of being left behind caused my stomach to cramp painfully. My complete and utter need to get my claws and fangs into these fucks was so all encompassing that I swear I thought I’d combust if I were refused that pleasure.
“Baby.” Max stepped closer, dipped his head to give me a whisper of a kiss, his lips soft and sexy as hell against mine. “The thought of you being hurt is a pain I could not withstand, please, be on alert and careful.”
My anger subsided a little at the look of adulation in his eyes. “I’m sorry, I promise I’ll do as you say. I won’t do anything stupid . . . well, if I don’t absolutely have to that is.”
“Flora.” Max straightened, a steely glint in his eyes. “I swear you’ll be the death of me.”
“Sorry.” I smirked, not feeling sorry one jot.
“All right, let’s go.” Max turned and looked out into the darkness. “I’ll take point and you stay right behind me.”
“At your side.” I rolled my eyes. “I’ll be at your side, Max, where I should be.”
“For goodness sakes, all right,” he said curtly. “I have a feeling we’ll end up spending the night arguing if we don’t get moving. So, come on, let’s go find these damn wolves.”
“What are you waiting for?” I said and as soon as the words left my lips, Max took off, fast.
I cursed under my breath as I sped after him. Shoot, he was quick, a blur as I fought to keep up with him. “Not fair,” I flung after him as I upped my speed still trying to catch up.
Max ran all out, his feet making no sound whatsoever on the hard cold ground as my legs pumped faster in a vain attempt to keep up. I knew what he was doing, he was hoping to keep me back and away from danger. Dang! He might be able to do that if I couldn’t keep up.
With his back slowly growing smaller I focused every inch of my power and powered on, my speed increasing until he was no longer a speck in the distance. Thank goodness. The last thing I wanted was for him to leave me behind, even if he was doing it to keep me safe.
I didn’t need to be kept safe. What I needed was to rip something apart. My fury slowly boiling beneath the surface as I had a fleeting sight of Patrick and Mallen’s bodies. I had to push that away. Absolutely had to, or I wouldn’t be able to focus and I wasn’t stupid enough to know that would not be good.
Wolves were strong, dangerous and downright lethal. Nobody knew that better than I did, so I focused on Max and my battle to catch up with him because, although he was determined to keep me from harm, I was just as determined to face the wolves responsible for the carnage at the Manor.
As the Scottish countryside flew past me I reveled in my new-found strength. If I’d even attempted to sprint for half a mile before being turned, I’d have collapsed in a sweaty heap. Now? Now it was exhilarating as I raced across the fields, heading toward the woods in the distance.
It was as I saw the trees that I realized I’d been focused on catching Max, and not on tracking the Wolves’ scents. I kept up my speed, but engaged my other senses until I could separate the smells around me. There was the fresh smell of the frosty grass that had an amazingly crisp bouquet, then there were the odors of the wild animals that had crossed over the ground. Nothing so grand as what Max had told me were in the US, no, we had rabbits, foxes, and not a hell of a lot else. We were too far from the Highlands to have the wild Stags, although I’d seen them before and they were truly magnificent.
I briefly wondered if Max would be able to get his hands on some of the proud beasts and transport them here. Hmm, probably not.
Refocusing on the aromas around me I latched onto those from the wolves. All four were distinct and easy to follow. Three had followed behind one and that lead wolf was responsible for Patrick’s death: Donald. I hoped Max didn’t get to him first because I had my own plans for the scammy twally-washer. I almost laughed aloud thinking about explaining what one of those was to Max. I thought it described this asshole very well indeed: a dirty cocksucker.
My bloodlust seemed to surge inside me, right along with my anger. I was so preoccupied that I almost bumped into Max who had slowed to little more than a jog. I also noticed that we were approaching the forest, realizing we’d covered so many miles causing me to smirk at how fast we’d ran.
Max’s head swiveled around, his finger at his lips as he barely whispered, “I can sense a wolf just up ahead but it’s not one of the four that were at the Manor.”
I sniffed the air, immediately finding another wolf scent, different than the others and with no hint of blood: either Patrick’s or Mallen’s.
“Who . . .” I started to ask Max when a dark figure emerged from the trees.
The guy was huge and I mean enormous. He was a good head or so taller than Max and Max was tall, so this guy looked like a giant, plus he was broad. His body looked like some kind of pumped-up on steroids comic book hero. Shoulders wide and thighs as thick as tree trunks. Ferfucksake, he gave me the willies!
I completely forgot about no longer being human and cringed away from him, seeking refuge next to Max. His arm snaked around in front of me, ushering me behind him. For once I didn’t argue.
The being before us raised his hands, palms forward, a deep baritone cutting through the darkness. “I’m not an enemy. I’m from the Council.”
“Who are you?” Max snapped out.
His power was thrumming through him with such ferocity that I could feel it through his clothes. His tone was cold and deadly as he faced this colossal man before us. Me? I was being a great big scaredy-cat.
“I’m an Enforcer for the Wolf Council they rerouted me here because of what’s happened.” He took a step toward us and Max’s body tightened, ready to strike.
“How did you know where to find us?” Max asked, still on high alert. I relaxed, slightly, but the guy still scared me shitless.
The air of danger was all around him and it didn’t take a genius to realize he was deadly in the extreme. I couldn’t stop glancing at his hands, they were large and strong and I was pretty damn sure he could squash a skull easily with them alone.
“I wasn’t looking for you,” the Enforcer said slowly. “I’m tracking a wolf that has the blood of a human on him. I arrived only a short time ago and left my bike up near the road. I know these woods belong to the Pack involved so I started my search on the boundaries. I soon found his trail and I was just about to hunt him down when I heard you arrive. I assume you’re Maxwell Steele?”
Max didn’t relax, still on guard as he stared hard at the wolf before us. “Yes.”
“My name’s Frankie and I’ve been advised you would also be hunting these wolves so I guess we should work together. It makes no sense if we don’t.”
“I plan on killing all of them, not just the leader who killed the human,” Max said firmly, his eyes cold as steel. “They came onto my land and slaughtered my mate’s horse before killing a member of my staff. It’s my right to take care of them, all of them.”
“Hey.” I stepped away from Max, anger coursing through me. “I’m in on this too, boys. Mallen
was mine and I won’t be brushed aside.”
They both turned their eyes to me, Max’s inscrutable, and Frankie’s twinkling with amusement as he asked, “Who’s Mallen?”
“My horse.” I puffed out my chest. “This was done to get to me and I won’t be left behind.”
“My understanding is that this Pack is unaware of your existence, or that’s what I’ve been lead to believe, so why would they do this?” Frankie frowned, his forehead crinkling and making him look even scarier.
“I’ve no idea how they found out, but Mallen is . . . was mine so the message was pretty damn clear.”
My throat closed as I thought of my once proud steed reduced to a bloody mess.
Max’s arm wound around me, giving my shoulders a squeeze. “I concur. This was a despicable act done for one reason only: to torture Flora.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time,” I snarled.
Frankie raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”
So I told him how I was the bastard halfbreed of the previous Alpha and how they’d made my life a living hell. He grew angry as I spoke, the muscles on the side of his face twitching.
“That’s not how a Pack is normally run,” he growled. “Pack is everything and all members should be looked after and cared for. I apologize on behalf of those dirty dogs.”
I didn’t know what to say so I simply nodded. Max seemed impressed, his body relaxing. “We appreciate that.”
“I’ve been ordered to take over the Pack until the Council can sort it out.” Frankie scowled. “It appears to have been mishandled for a long time and they’ve had enough. I assume that the wolf responsible for killing the human is the acting Alpha and the others are his lackeys.”
“I don’t give a shit if they are lackeys,” I spat out. “They are going to die for what they’ve done. But I’m positive the one who killed Patrick is Donald, he was my father’s Beta and I guess he’s now Alpha.”
Freedom: A Vampire Blood Courtesans Romance Page 3
