A Pack of Two

by Jacky Russell

  “Why?” Josef demanded.

  “Because the Malandanti are here,” Breanna answered impatiently.

  “My wolves will fight. We will not hide.”

  “Your wolves will get slammed by their black magic and Bravo will have to fight twice as hard. Get your asses inside and let us do our job.”

  Josef’s eyes flickered to silver. “You forget your place, witch.”

  A little fire broke out around my father’s feet as Breanna glared at him.

  We returned to the soldiers, all the way Breanna muttering something about my father being the world’s biggest shithead.

  “All right, what’s the plan?” Breanna barked as we neared the group.

  Simon motioned toward the trees. “They are less than a mile away. What kind of magic do you feel, Breanna?”

  She crinkled her forehead. “I don’t know numbers. The magic is strong.”

  “Can you shield us?”

  “If you stay together. If the group splits, I’m not sure I’ll have enough juice to go around.”

  Simon launched into military speak and I didn’t have a clue what he was saying.

  “What can I do?” I asked Breanna when Simon had finished.

  “Stay with me, watch my back,” she answered. “It will take a load off my guys and let me focus on my magic.”

  I nodded. “Done.”

  She planted a kiss on my cheek and the hint of strawberries teased my nose. Would this day ever end?

  A few minutes later Breanna and I had climbed to the roof of my father’s house. She felt it would give her the best view and make it harder for the Malandanti to get to us.

  “The Malandanti aren’t fighters,” she explained. “They’ve got some potent binding spells and the silver poisoning cast like they hit you with earlier. Get through their magic, they ain’t got shit. I have to hold off the magic and Bravo will take care of the rest.”

  “Why did they just go after to me?” I asked, rubbing my lower back.

  She took a deep breath. “That was a teaser from a forward scout group. They knew I’d protect you. It was a ploy to see if I was here yet. The wolves were under orders from Nicolli to determine the strength of your father.”

  “Do you think my brother is with them?” I believed Breanna’s account of what happened with Nicolli, but there was a small part of me hoping somehow all of this was a big mistake.

  “Yes. He’s the leader. He’ll be there somewhere. The bigger question is how many of the wolves inside your father’s house are going to be loyal and how many will follow Nicolli?” Breanna wrapped her arms around me and I welcomed her warmth. “Once Bravo has a fix on the Malandanti, we’ll leave the roof and get to your father,” she said softly. “I give my word I’ll do what I can to protect him.”

  After all she had been through, after the way my father had treated her, she was willing to try to keep him safe. I didn’t have a clue what to say so I hugged her.

  Chapter 39

  Breanna

  The tendrils of black magic seeped into the estate. I was ready. With Lucas at my back, I didn’t have to worry about any of Nicolli’s wolves sneaking up the trellis and interrupting my chants.

  I dropped to my knees and asked the Great Mother for her blessing. I would need her help to pull this off. As I began my chants, my magic swirled like a great wind. My mind cleared and the power of Mother Nature filled me.

  The cloak-clad Malandanti topped the hill. Gun-toting werewolves surrounded them. I didn’t see Nicolli yet.

  “Here they come,” I yelled to the Bravo guys. I glanced over my shoulder and saw Lucas scanning the area immediately around the house. Everyone’s lives depended on me being able to stop the Malandanti.

  I chanted my shielding spell and a blue-green light glowed above the Benelli house. I repeated the ancient words over and over, louder and louder, until the radiance encompassed the entire courtyard. Everyone within that glow would be safe from the spells of the Malandanti. Now I just had to hang on and hope Bravo got it done before I hit empty on my magic tanks.

  The sounds of fighting erupted behind me, but I couldn’t lose focus. Lucas would take care of whatever came onto the roof and Bravo was depending on me. The black magic pushed against my shield. I held onto my faith. I’d chanted this shielding spell hundreds of times. This time I surrendered my body completely to my magic and allowed Mother Nature to flow with all her might.

  Time had no meaning as the light grew brighter. The more intense the light, the more powerful the shield would be. I heard shouting, screaming, groans of pain, and gunfire all around, but it was the voice of my mate that gave me hope.

  “Hold on, Bre, they’ve almost got them all.”

  The magic tank was depleting quickly. I leaned against a massive brick chimney and willed the light to continue burning. The last vapors of my magic emptied into the shield.

  “It’s over, baby. They got ’em,” Lucas called to me from across the shingled roof.

  The blue-green light flickered before disappearing with a pop. I’d never worked so hard to maintain a shield and my body was exhausted. I rocked back and plopped my butt onto the roof. Damn, I was tired.

  Lucas knelt in front of me. “You okay?”

  I nodded and my brain slopped back and forth in my head. “I just need to sit a couple of minutes and recharge. Why don’t you go on with the guys and check on your father?”

  His jaw clenched. “I’m not leaving you.”

  I wasn’t about to argue with him and it felt good leaning my head against his chest. A few of the Bravo guys yelled up to make sure we were okay and Simon waved from across the clearing. After about ten minutes, Lucas and I climbed carefully down the trellis and headed toward the captured werewolves and the pile of dead Malandanti.

  “Gonna burn them?” I asked Simon.

  He nodded suavely. “Yes, as soon as the Divine Council confirms my request.”

  It was customary to burn the bodies of witches to ensure no other magical beings could use the bodies for rituals.

  Lucas helped me sit on the remnants of a cracked cement picnic table on the far side of the courtyard.

  “Give me a couple more minutes and I’ll provide the spark for that fire.”

  Simon relaxed enough to smile. “As you wish, my dear,” he said as he returned to the business of securing the captured werewolves.

  Lucas was resting his chin on his hand and staring at me. He had fresh bruises on his face and his knuckles were bloody but he was smiling.

  “Just when I think I know you, you do something absolutely amazing,” he said.

  My grin ended up a grimace as my split lip protested my smile. “So how many wolves did you kick the shit out of?”

  He chuckled and took my hand. “Lost count after twelve.”

  I was going to kid him about his lack of counting ability when a strangling sense of black magic grabbed my lungs. Panic flashed in Lucas’s eyes before he glanced down at the guardian stone I had given him.

  “Get Simon and tell him more are coming.”

  Lucas nodded and dashed across the clearing toward Bravo. He reached Simon, who looked over his shoulder in alarm.

  I choked on another blast of black magic and grabbed the edge of the broken table to keep from falling over. I’d used all my magic to shield Bravo from the first wave and now a second wave was on its way. Shit. Not good.

  The spells descended like a curtain from the sky. I called up a few vapors of magic and kept the evil at bay. I didn’t have enough to shield everyone. The Malandanti stood at the top of the clearing with a second, larger force of werewolves surrounding them. The first wave had depleted me and the Malandanti knew it.

  “Lucas? Bring our father to me and I will let you live.”

  Lucas tried to run toward me but a Malandanti energy bolt slammed into him and dropped him in his tracks. I lurched to my feet and ran to my wolf.

  A hideous laugh filled the air. Lucas was writhing in pain when Josef Benelli
stepped from his home.

  “Nicolli?” the Alpha called. “What are you doing?”

  A second bolt flew toward Bravo. The guys scattered, ducking behind whatever they could find to use as protection.

  Nicolli Benelli brazenly marched forward. Without the Malandanti he wouldn’t stand a chance, but with their magic backing him, there wasn’t much we could do.

  Josef Benelli’s face turned purple as he stumbled toward us. A Malandanti binding spell, like a boa constrictor, slowly squeezed the life from his body. Lucas reached out for his fallen father and the two grasped hands.

  “Lucas, I’m sorry,” Josef murmured.

  The wolves of Bravo shouted. The Bravo vampires were bursting into flames, another damn Malandanti spell. Simon was strong enough to resist. The others couldn’t. The wolves were helping put out the flames when they clutched their throats and stumbled to their knees.

  All around me, the ones I cared about were dying. The tendrils of magic made my chest hurt but I wasn’t the target. The Malandanti wanted me to watch.

  Nicolli laughed as Lucas tried to shield his father. It was a laugh I would never forget and never forgive.

  I knelt and took a handful of dirt, a connection to the one who gave me strength. Tears spilled down my face as I watched the struggles of the wolves and listened to the screams of the vampires. Lucas cradled his father, pain coursing through their bodies.

  “Bring it,” I said before dropping the last of my defenses. The magic rushed toward me like I was a vacuum. For a few seconds I could hear the Bravo guys yelling to one another. They would know to attack the Malandanti and kill them where they stood. Hopefully the Italian Pack would rush in and help with Nicolli’s wolves. I would handle the magic. It was up to them to do the rest.

  Chapter 40

  Lucas

  My father drew in a huge breath, the color of his face looking less purple by the second. On the hilltop, the soldiers of Bravo Company hacked away at the dark witches, who were no longer very effective.

  Nicolli ran toward us, his wolves flanking and attacking the rushing pack wolves spilling from the house. My father was weak, both from the Malandanti spell and the fight with me. Nicolli headed straight for us.

  Breanna was literally glowing. She was on her knees looking up at the sky. I couldn’t get close to her–whatever spell she was using putting off enough heat to scorch the dirt around her.

  My brother’s scent grew stronger and I stood to meet him.

  Nic stopped a few feet in front of us and eyed Breanna. “Hmm, guess I underestimated her.” He tipped his head and smiled at me. “Oh, Mother, why don’t you come out?”

  My father growled and tried to stand. Nic smirked at my father’s efforts as my mother burst out of the house and rushed to Josef’s side.

  “Nicolli, what are you doing? You were only supposed to take Lucas and the witch. You didn’t say anything about harming your father.” Tears streamed down my mom’s face as she knelt beside my father.

  Josef jerked his head toward Gemma. “What do you mean, take Lucas? What is going on here, Gemma?”

  She sobbed uncontrollably, her words coming out as senseless babble.

  Nic shook his head. “You can leave now, Lucas. You don’t want any part of the pack and that’s all I want. Hell, you can even take your witch and go in peace.”

  I glanced over at Breanna, now completely consumed by a blue-black light. At my feet my father held my mother, who seemed inconsolable.

  “No, Nic. I will not allow you to kill my father.”

  My brother half chuckled. “I expected as much. You always were the trooper, trying to make Father like you even when he couldn’t stand the sight of you.”

  I don’t know where the sudden surge of strength came from, but I seized the opportunity and decked my brother. Blood burst from his face and I went after him. Nicolli was no match for me and he knew it. He tried to scramble away. I grabbed him by the feet and dragged him back in front of my father.

  I let loose the fury I had held in for over twenty years. Nic tried to fight back. I hit him harder. I beat him to a bloody pulp and pulled him up by his scruff. I should have killed him for what he had put us through, for what he had done to Breanna, but ultimately his fate was the Alpha’s decision.

  “Lucas?” Breanna called softly.

  She was falling to the side, her face covered in blood. I threw my brother into the dirt and ran to catch her before she hit the ground. I cradled her in my arms as tremors shook her body. Her eyes were barely open and her breathing labored.

  “Bre, baby, I’m right here.”

  She coughed and blood seeped from her lips. The guardian stone she had given me was blazing hot. I yelled for Simon and he was there in seconds.

  “She absorbed the magic of the Malandanti. We must get her to the hospital now,” he said.

  Breanna gagged on more blood and went limp in my arms.

  “Bre? Breanna?” I cried, shaking her. “Baby, wake up, you gotta stay with me.”

  A single long breath escaped her lips and I felt her soul pulling away.

  “No, no, no,” I bellowed. I snatched a knife from Simon’s belt and slashed my palm and then Breanna’s. With our palms pressed together, our blood mixed, allowing the mate bond to take hold.

  The air rushed from my lungs as Breanna’s soul returned to her body. Bonded. Our lives intertwined. She could use my energy to heal herself. She could use my energy to live.

  “Lucas, what have you done?” my father rasped from behind me.

  I would not survive without her. I held her close, begging her to come back, desperate to see her open her eyes.

  “Lucas, we must get her to medical care immediately,” Simon insisted. “Your bonding will only hold her for so long.”

  I scooped Breanna into my arms and followed Simon. She gasped for breath and her face was almost gray. I’d never been so helpless in my life.

  “Bre, baby, can you hear me?” I asked, climbing into the Humvee.

  Several of the Bravo wolves leaped into the backseat. “We’ll watch your back, Lucas.”

  I nodded to them and saw the fear in their eyes, too. None of us could live without her. I smoothed her hair and wiped the blood from her face.

  She lay motionless all the way to the hospital. Simon slid the Humvee into the emergency room entrance and called immediately for the special religions team. Dozens of elf doctors and nurses, some of whom had helped me, surrounded the vehicle. When Simon yanked the door open and the nurses saw I was holding a witch, the motion all stopped.

  “We do not treat witches,” one of the nurses snipped.

  “You will treat her or you will deal with me,” I answered, releasing every ounce of dominance I could summon.

  One of the doctors pushed forward and took Breanna’s vitals. “What happened?”

  Simon laid a hand on Breanna’s forehead. “She absorbed a great deal of black magic in order to save–” He choked on his words. “In order to save us.”

  They wheeled out a stretcher and I laid her onto it as gently as I could. She wasn’t conscious and blood streamed from her nose and mouth. Her body felt cool to the touch, but she was using our bond to stay alive. I stumbled and Aaron put out a hand to help me.

  “She’s pulling energy from you?” he asked quietly.

  I nodded and grabbed the side of her stretcher. She could take everything I had if that was what she needed to survive.

  The nurses wheeled the gurney into the brightly lit hospital and down the hall. I stayed at her side until we reached the big wooden double doors of the operating room. The Elvin doctor who had taken Breanna’s vitals turned to me.

  “We have to take her into surgery to repair whatever internal damage the magic has done,” he said quietly.

  She looked so fragile lying on the crisp white sheets.

  “We’re bonded,” I whispered, pulling her fingers to my lips.

  The doctor nodded sympathetically. “We will do what
we can for her. You should rest, have some food. You will need to keep yourself strong for her.” He took a heavy, deep breath. “Perhaps speak with your Alpha about using the pack bonds to give her more strength.” He bowed his head. “It will take more than the strength of a single wolf to pull her through this.”

  I kissed her softly on the forehead.

  The elf team disappeared with my mate behind the double doors. I stared at the solid doors. I couldn’t move, couldn’t function.

  The wolves and vampires of Bravo Company spread out among the chairs in the tiny waiting area. Their faces were pinched with worry, most of them still covered in blood from the fight with the Malandanti.

  For the first time in my life, I wasn’t upset about werewolves surrounding me. Their hearts were heavy like mine. We were all lost.

  Another yank on my energy forced me to settle into the closest chair. Celeste, Breanna’s little elf friend, moved to sit by me. Her tiny, waiflike hand gripped mine as tears flowed down her cheeks.

  “She loves you so much. She’ll fight for you.”

  I nodded and fought back a rising tide of emotion. Breanna needed me to be strong.

  The power of an Alpha touched the hospital almost an hour after Breanna went into surgery. None of the other wolves acknowledged my father as he came toward me.

  “Lucas? Are you all right?”

  I felt like a paper mache version of myself. “I’m fine.”

  He placed a hand on my shoulder and I flinched. There was no energy left to fight him anymore.

  “She is taking your strength?”

  “Yes, but the doctor says it won’t be enough.” I looked up at him. “He said I should talk to you about using the power of the pack to save her.”

  The shock in his eyes was real. “Use the pack bonds to save a witch? That would mean opening the pack to her. I can’t do that.”

  “Do it for me. Save her for me. I’ll do whatever you want. I’ll be your future Alpha. I’ll submit on my hands and knees in front of the entire pack. I’ll do anything, just please don’t let her die.”