Pure Blooded

by Amanda Carlson

  “Well done, Daniel.” My father strode toward us from the other sleeping area. I knew the entire camp had heard our conversation. He turned to me. “Daniel Walker is unfaltering in his loyalty to you, and that’s the best kind of ally you can have. As we move forward, my dream is to have an army of wolves who are loyal to you, and who will swear an oath to protect you at all costs.”

  Tyler walked up, his hair tousled from sleep. “I’m keeping my allegiance to you, too, Jess, and any wolf who doesn’t like it can answer to me.”

  My father nodded his agreement. I glanced between my brother and my father and smiled, feeling proud to call them family. Danny still had my hand. He gave it a small tug. “Shall we get on with it, then?” he asked. The look on his face was so serene and content, it made me smile. It was hard to believe we’d almost lost him.

  I nodded and Rourke handed me a knife, which I gave to Danny. “You’ll have to go first. I heal too quickly, so this might be a challenge,” I said.

  “Happily,” he answered as Naomi moved to stand behind him. She looked as joyful as I’d ever seen her. Her loyalty to me was absolute and I knew she and Danny were going to make perfect partners.

  I remembered the words for the troth and had no need for a prompt this time. I projected my voice as I started, “Of my mind and body, I ask thee, Daniel Walker. Do you pledge of me freely?”

  Danny slashed his palm, handing me the knife, and answered, “I pledge to you freely with body and soul.”

  I sliced my own hand in a long, deep gash, bringing it to his as fast as I could. “With the blood that mixes, it binds us together. You are my Pack and I am your Alpha.” I barely had the words out when Danny was tossed backward violently, narrowly missing taking his mate with him. He smashed into a cypress tree, tangling in its roots. “Are you okay?” I gasped as I rushed over.

  “Good gods, woman.” Danny lay faceup, unmoving. “That was a killer dose. Your blood is much more potent than before.” He lifted a fist and pumped it in the air. “I feel like I could rule a small country or quite possibly bench press a metric ton at the moment.”

  “Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Rourke muttered. “Let’s start with obeying your Alpha first.” I moved toward my mate and wrapped an arm around his waist, tugging him close. Our mate bond trumped all others, but me being tied to other wolves wasn’t the best scenario for him. I reached up and gave him a kiss on the cheek and he growled his reply, a small grin on his lips. He knew he had me, heart and soul, but it was nice to show it to the world occasionally.

  Tyler helped Danny off the ground by grabbing his wrist and hoisting him up. “That was pretty sweet,” Tyler said, thumping him on the back once he was up. “No wolf is going to challenge you now.”

  “Why would they?” Danny answered gleefully as he moved over to Naomi and slung his arm around her shoulders. They already looked comfortable, like they’d always been a couple. “I’ve just become Jessica’s second. That would be silly.”

  My eyebrows shot up my forehead. He was right. “You are my second,” I said. “I can feel it. This time our connection is more powerful.” James was my father’s second in command—his most trusted wolf and the second most powerful in the Pack. James and Marcy were at the other camp for the night, or they’d be standing here with us. “How did that happen?”

  “The oath this time was given freely by Daniel,” my father answered. “And you weren’t in extenuating circumstances like before. You are not his temporary Alpha—you are his permanent one. The bond is strong. I can sense it. The link of second comes automatically to the strongest wolf in the Pack. If you were to rebond with Tyler, I’m not sure—”

  “No need for us to explore that option,” Danny asserted, waving a hand in dismissal. “I like where I am just fine.”

  Tyler chuckled. “No need to worry, Danny. Jessica and I are bound in a totally different way. By blood and genetics first, Pack status second. If you remember, when we were in those mountains, I never gave Jessica an oath. We did exchange blood—and something definitely changed between us—but even if we swapped blood again and I actually swore my fealty to her, I don’t think I’d be her second. I would be something completely separate. If that’s something you want to explore”—he nodded his head at me—“we should think long and hard about the impact before we do it. But having Danny as your second is perfect. I couldn’t choose a better wolf for the task.” Tyler grinned.

  “I now have a first and a second.” I rested my head against Rourke’s shoulder. No one could take the top spot away from Rourke. He was my protector in all things.

  Naomi moved forward. “We will head out now, if it’s still all right. But we will be in contact and will rendezvous with you when you arrive home.”

  “Yep,” Danny added, taking her hand. “My bachelor pad could use a little pick-me-up. It’ll be nice to be home.”

  “Safe travels to you both,” I said. “After we try and connect with Juanita, the next order of business is finding Tally. It’s a growing possibility that Ceres has her in Europe, and if that’s the case, we’re headed there immediately.” The moonlight filtered into our small area, giving it a surreal effect, like we were all standing in the middle of a painting frozen in time. It was the early hours of the morning and my family surrounded me in the dark. I’d never felt safer.

  “I will have a long talk with Julian when we get home,” my father said. “He should know what’s going on in his backyard, and once we’re apprised and have support from him, we take action. Although I haven’t always been in favor of an alliance with the witches, I cannot deny the role they play in your safety, Jessica. We will ally with them, and if that means finding Tallulah and making sure things are set to right, so be it.”

  I nodded, agreeing with him. “We owe Tally,” I said. “Without her, Tyler wouldn’t be here.” I didn’t have to mention that James was now mated to Tally’s niece, which made them blood kin.

  “That’s the best plan we’ve got, but let’s not forget, our first priority is to get off this makeshift island,” Tyler said. He turned to address Danny. “Are you going to just fly on out of here? Or take a boat?”

  “Fly,” Danny answered. “I enjoy flying, really. The wind in my hair, a beautiful woman with her arms wrapped tightly around me, gripping me in all the right places. It’s quickly become my favorite method of transportation.”

  “You’ve only done it once that I know of,” I said, chuckling. Naomi had flown him one time at the vamp headquarters. “And this is going to be a much longer journey. You might not love it as much as you think you do at the end.”

  “Oh, we’re not flying straight through.” He waggled his eyebrows at me. “I’m certain there will be plenty of pitstops, and I plan to thoroughly enjoy our flight time together as well.” He turned toward Naomi. “Can you snog while you’re flying, love?”

  She elbowed him in the stomach, and then wrapped her arms around his middle, a slight grin playing on her lips. I’d bet money that she was going to be doing her fair share of snogging during the flight to make up for lost time. She turned to me. “Thank you, Ma Reine. We will see you soon.” As they shot upward, Danny’s shouts echoed on the air.

  I snickered. “She’s going to teach the boy a lesson or two he won’t forget, guaranteed. I think they are a perfect pairing.”

  “I agree,” Tyler said. “Never in a million years did I think I would, but seeing them together makes sense.”

  My father grunted as he turned to go. “We leave at first light, which is only in a few hours from now. I’m going to get the wolves started on packing the boats now.” I could tell he respected Naomi and loved Danny like a son, but that’s all we were going to get from him. A wolf-vampire pairing was unprecedented.

  Like everything else in my life. That’s why it made perfect sense.

  Tyler trailed after him, adding, “Get some sleep, why don’t you? And no more talking. You can hear a pin drop in this godforsaken place.”

  “Al
l I hear are the frogs. So many frogs,” I joked as Rourke folded me into his arms. I turned into his chest and murmured, “Home will feel nice for us too. I can’t wait.” My apartment was still pretty bare, but I did have a bed.

  “Waiting is not my strong suit,” Rourke whispered, “but it looks like we have no other choice.”

  “Well, there might be a few other choices,” I said as I leaned up and kissed him.

  20

  “You brang it back?” The shorter guide scratched his head like the concept was too much to process. “And you don’t want no money for it?”

  The airboat we’d purchased was already parked on top of the dock, and Rourke, Ray, Tyler, Nick, Marcy, James, and I stood there waiting for the guides to get over their shock. My father and the rest of his wolves had gone back to the place they’d purchased theirs from and were heading back home by plane. No one thought getting on an airplane with me was a wise plan, so we were going to rent a vehicle and drive home. We figured it would be safer that way.

  “That’s what I just finished telling you,” Marcy answered. “The boat is yours, but on one condition.”

  “And what’s that?” the taller guide asked, his voice indicating that he knew there was going to be a hitch.

  “We need a vehicle. One that will carry all of us. And once we’re gone, you saw nothing, you remember nothing.” A little magic shot out of Marcy’s fingertips as she said the last part and I knew she was insuring us with a spell.

  Once we left, we’d fade from their memories altogether.

  The taller guide sized her up for a second before he answered, glancing around our group, trying to read our inscrutable faces. He was clearly the more intelligent of the two. He saw his opportunity to gain back what he lost, and then some. “Deal.” He drew a cell phone out of his overalls pocket. “My nephew Teddy might have what you need. He’s got a few of them big old vans he takes gator tours in. I’ll dial him up.”

  The shorter guide assessed us. “Well, the least we can do is get you some more of that moonshine fer your troubles. I don’t see the jug in the boat, nor the guy who had it, so I’m ’ssuming that he enjoyed his drink.”

  I couldn’t tell him we’d lost his precious hooch in a scuffle with a bunch of possessed snakes. “That’d be… nice of you,” I said. Nothing like a jug or two of moonshine for the road. “And one more thing—if you hear any gossip in this area, or if any of the other guides start talking, we’d like you to assure them that everything is back to normal. No one is going to bother anyone here anymore. No more mysterious disappearances.”

  “Good to know,” the taller guide said as he clicked off his phone. “The lot of you are welcome in these parts anytime. Free airboat rides for the family for life. Anythin’ we can do, consider it done.”

  “Thanks, but we’re not planning on coming back,” my brother said. Then he whispered too low for him to hear, “At least not in your lifetime.”

  “Well, then, moonshine whenever you need it.” He fished something out of his front pocket. “Just gimme a call. We ship anywhere in the world.” Tyler took the card and grinned as he passed it to me.

  It read:

  JIMMY’S MOONSHINE

  Better than yo’ mama’s moonshine.

  We ship anywhere in the world.

  www.jimmyshooch.com

  “Thanks,” I said, tucking the card away. “If we find a need for it, we’ll be sure to get in touch with you.”

  We began to walk up the banks to a dirt road. Right as we got there a brightly colored van turned into the drive. The vehicle was orange with lime-green accents—which appeared to be hand-painted drawings of tall swamp grass with a few alligator heads poking out. The side was crudely printed with EVERGLADES TOURS. SEE DEM GATORS UP CLOSE.

  “Good criminy,” Ray muttered. “These people are beyond backwoods. They’re so far back, they’re only a step or two up from cavemen.”

  “They are quite… uncivilized, aren’t they,” Nick added. He had joined us this morning, and insisted on accompanying us home. He’d been relegated to watching over the camps during the takedown of Marinette and the priestess, which I knew had been my father’s way of making sure he stayed safe. Nick was a fox, and if he’d been taken by the bokor, it would’ve ended very badly. My father loved him like a son, and even though I knew Nick was unhappy with my father’s decision to keep him back, he didn’t complain. That wasn’t his style. “But they do have a certain charm.”

  “This must be what happens when you’re born and raised in a swamp,” I said. “But they deliver. We asked for a vehicle, and we got one within three minutes. Beggars can’t be choosers.”

  “That thing looks like it’s made of Legos, constructed in some kid’s garage,” Ray grumbled. “These guys don’t have two brain cells to rub together.”

  “They’re harmless,” Rourke said. “And now they owe us. We brought their boat back, and that buys us considerable loyalty.”

  Ray shrugged. “It might, but what are they really going to do for us?”

  I gestured toward the van. “That.”

  The driver got out of the car and Marcy reached in the window and honked the horn. “We’re ready to go,” she called. She’d been negotiating with Teddy since he’d arrived. He was supposed to be the tall guide’s nephew, but he appeared to be older—considerably older. We walked toward the van. Marcy came around the front. “James is driving and I’m riding shotgun. Anyone complains, I don’t give two hoots. I have to make a quick phone call before we head out so I can wire Teddy here some money for his beautiful van.” She nodded toward Teddy, who with his long, grizzly beard had a ZZ Top vibe going.

  Tyler made a show of inspecting the vehicle as Marcy borrowed a cell phone from the shorter guide to make the call. “Will it make it eighteen hundred miles?” he asked Teddy, skepticism in his voice.

  “Sure ’nough,” Teddy said as he spit on the ground in front of us. “This here van is sound. My twin brother, Glenn, is a mechanic.” He patted the hood. “She’s been rebuilt more than ten times. Won’t be no issue for you.”

  Ten times? I hoped Marcy wasn’t paying him much.

  “Last rebuilt when?” my brother asked.

  “Oh, about seven years ago,” Teddy answered. “But that ain’t no problem. He tinkers with it a lot.”

  Before my brother could tell him off, I held up my hand. “Thank you for bringing it over so quickly. I’m sure it’ll get us home just fine. If it doesn’t, we’ll cope.” I turned to Tyler. “And here I didn’t think anything could trump the bright yellow Hummer you bought for us. Looks like you and Teddy have similar taste in vehicles, and I’m sure Glenn did a great job on the most recent rebuild.”

  “That Hummer was built to withstand a war. This thing smells like it burns oil and gas every time the tires spin,” Tyler countered, irritated with me. “And that many rebuilds means its engine has parts from fifty different vehicles. It’ll be a miracle if we can limp back home in this piece of sh—”

  “Done.” Marcy clapped her hands as she gave the cell phone back to Shorty and turned to the vehicle owner. “Teddy, the money is in your account. You can go check if you don’t trust me. We’ll take it from here.”

  “Oh, I know you’re good for it, Red,” he said, tossing the keys to James, who was heading for the driver’s side. “Just like my uncle’s boat, feel free to bring it back anytime.” He winked and grinned at his own joke. I think we’d underestimated ol’ Teddy. Wrapping my head around how he was the taller guide’s nephew was too much trouble, so I turned and piled into the back with everyone else.

  “How much did you pay for this thing?” Tyler grumbled as he climbed in behind me.

  “Don’t ask,” Marcy said from the front. “It’s better for everyone that way.”

  James revved it up, and it did the opposite of purr. It sounded more like a junkyard dog scrabbling for his next meal in a bunch of tin cans. Rourke and I were in the last row and I immediately lay down, sprawling out on his
lap. It was a twenty-seven-hour drive in human time. But James would break the speed limit by a good fifty miles an hour and Marcy would make sure no cop stopped us.

  I flew off Rourke’s lap, my body hitting the seat in front of me, before the van skidded to a stop. James’s outraged bellow followed one second later, and we were all instantly wide awake.

  I scrambled back onto my seat, Rourke leaning down to assist me. “What is it, Irish?” Rourke called. He made sure I was fine and then maneuvered himself toward the van’s side door. “Did you hit something? Or is something out there?”

  “I didn’t hit anything,” James said. “The van just died. On its own. It was all I could do to get us to the side of the road. A small tree took pity on us and stopped us.”

  “Did the van die because it’s a complete piece of shit or was it something supernatural?” Tyler asked, getting out of his seat to look out the window.

  “I have no idea,” James said, peering over the steering wheel into the darkness. “It just died.”

  “I don’t feel any spells,” Marcy said. “But that doesn’t mean much. I didn’t on the plane either.”

  “Where are we?” I asked. I’d been asleep the entire time up until this point.

  Marcy turned around. “We crossed into Georgia about an hour ago. We’re on some small country road. Too many cops for me to keep spelling the highways. Since James insists on going over a hundred miles an hour, it’s made it difficult. It’s a miracle this rattletrap can even maintain that speed. It’s possible we just blew out the engine.”

  We’d all discovered quickly that this van shook at high speeds. “Wouldn’t there be smoke or noise if the engine blew?” I said. “I didn’t hear anything, but I was asleep.”