“Where am I?”
“Drake Security. Police were notified of the gunfire, but we got out of there before they arrived. All the weapons used have been smelted back into raw metal, and I wasn’t home so I don’t know why these people had a firefight on my property. Your name wasn’t brought up at all, so you’re in the clear as far as the police go.”
“But not with Randall or Frank, because I killed a Pack wolf.”
He sighed. “We’re working on it. If you’d shot him, it’d be a helluva lot easier to clear you.”
I felt my energy signature and cringed. “How much of him did I eat?” Shit, if Randall came in right now, he’d own me. I consumed someone under Randall’s domain. Fuck.
“Enough to cause problems, which is why you aren’t going to like what I’m about to do, but I don’t really give a shit.”
When he’d helped me change in the past, it was with this hot, soothing, comforting energy. He coaxes my wolf out, or back in. It’s the energy of the protector, almost a father figure as he takes care of those weaker than him.
That wasn’t what he did this time. It was as if he reached into my wolf’s soul and ripped her forward, and I couldn’t tell if it was me screaming and pleading, or my wolf. I was in her head more than I’ve ever been, though. We were both completely there, so I felt every bit of the pain when he reached into my soul and yanked me forward into my now-human body.
But this time, he somehow merged his wolf into me, so there were three of us in one body instead of two, but all I could do was lie on the cold concrete and gasp for air. There wasn’t enough energy to cry, beg, or plead. I’ve never hurt so badly in my life.
The cell door opened and closed, and Patrick lifted me in his arms. “We aren’t finished yet, Hot Lips. Stay with me.”
There was so much more pain, it’s a wonder my soul didn’t shatter. He and his wolf were there with me making sure I didn’t feel alone, but he couldn’t do anything about the pain of being ripped back and forth from wolf to human and back, over and over. I’ve seen this done when people are punished and I understood it wasn’t the same thing. He was in my head with me to make sure I wasn’t separated from my wolf. He held my soul in his embrace as he ripped it back and forth from body to body. He wasn’t doing it to hurt me, but to cleanse me — but there was nothing he could do about the pain.
When he finally stopped, I no longer tasted another wolf in my energy field, though to be honest, I was barely conscious.
Chapter 16
Patrick
When you go to work for Drake Security, you become part of the family. When you prove yourself to them, when you protect the ones they love, when you have their back — they’ll do just about anything for you when the shit hits the fan.
So while Randall tried to get to Briana so he could force her to choose between oathing to him or dying, the Amakhosi and the Dragon King held him at bay until I could alter my love’s energy field enough Randall no longer legally had to force her into the choice.
It took me four hours to bring her back to consciousness enough to eat, and I had to be the bastard who made her keep eating even though she kept throwing it up.
However, she was finally in good enough shape to face Randall by two in the afternoon, and I’m pretty sure the only reason he agreed to let her live without oathing to him was because I promised him she’d be oathed to me in the near future.
Frank hadn’t come to the firefight last night, so I still had to fight him at eight tonight. I had to win, then I had to establish my dominance in what was left of this Pack, convince those who’d gone to the Chattanooga Pack it was safe to join their local Pack again, and then convince Briana to oath to me and become Pack.
Meanwhile, the cops had four dead bodies on my property, with no explanation of how they’d died. If they checked ballistics they’d find out the men didn’t shoot each other, but the Ringgold police department isn’t set up for that kind of thing and it was possible they wouldn’t want to spend the money to send everything off to the state lab. I was hoping they’d just decide a nighttime hunting party went bad and be done with it.
We’d killed one man as a wolf and brought the body with us, and there hadn’t been much left of the man Briana had killed, but we’d brought him with us as well. Aaron Drake took the bodies and I trust him to dispose of them, so we should be good.
One of the men had fled, and no one knew where he was. Randall had someone tracking him, but I figured he’d be long gone by now. Trying to kill someone with guns the night before they fight your Alpha for position is frowned upon under the best of circumstances, and Randall was out for blood.
I hadn’t expected Gonzo, Dozer, and Bash to show up at Drake Security demanding to see her, but I took them into a soundproof room for our conversation.
“She hasn’t agreed to be mine, but I have to tell you it’s what I’m working toward.”
“Is she on board with this?” Dozer asked.
Aaron stepped into the room, closed the door, and leaned against the wall. I was good with him acting as mediator, so I turned back to the bikers to tell them, “Our last conversation about it, we agreed we like each other but it’s too early to be making serious long-term commitments. We’ve grown close in a few days and my wolf wants her. Now the man just has to figure out how to convince her.”
“She’s ours,” Bash said, his body relaxed and his tone conversational, but I knew better than to think he wouldn’t back up his words with actions. “She doesn’t belong to any one of us, but the MC as a whole will protect her if we think she needs it.”
“I need to talk to her,” said Gonzo. “If she tells me she’s good with you protecting her then I’m good with leaving her in your care. If she wants to come with us, though, we’ll have a problem.”
“She’s sleeping.”
“Then we’ll wake her,” said Dozer, his arms crossed and his eyes hard.
Aaron finally spoke. “You all know me, but if we need to bring Duke and Brain in, I’m good with that. Still, you should know me well enough to realize I wouldn’t let her be held here as a prisoner, knowing she has your protection.”
“Not arguing any of that,” Gonzo said, “but I’d still like to talk to her.”
“She went into half-form and consumed too much of a Ringgold Pack member for anyone to ignore,” Aaron told them.
I gave him a sharp look and he shrugged. “They need to know.”
“Fuck.” The emotion in the single word told me Gonzo understood the ramifications and was worried for her.
“We’ll have a fight on our hands with Randall if we take her to the compound,” Bash added.
“He’s already pissed at me,” Aaron told them. “No need in having the MC on his bad side, too.”
“Same goes, though,” said Dozer. “If she wants us instead of Patrick, we’ll have someone stay here with her until the situation’s resolved.”
Bash met my gaze. “No offense, but you’re Pack and we’d like to talk to her alone.”
My wolf didn’t like this at all, but I pushed him down and centered my human self. “She’ll make her decision and we’ll respect it, but for now my wolf considers her mine. I’ll wait for you at the end of the hallway only because I know you’re doing this to protect her.”
Aaron went in with the MC, and I was surprised to see Nathan waiting to stand with me in the hallway.
“I’m sure it isn’t the first time she’s been awakened by them. It’ll be fine.”
I glared at him and he grinned. “You love her?”
“It’s too soon to use that word, but I’m afraid you might be right. She’s under my skin and it’s killing me to let them in without me there, but I understand why they need to.”
“You’re one of the few we trust with Kirsten, and you’ve managed to make her comfortable enough she’s good with you being her guard when she visits her Master James. Putting Briana under my protection might cause more problems than it would fix, but I’ll take her to
the challenge fight tonight if you’d like, and I’ll stand with my arm around her and keep her safe for the evening, at least.”
I played all of the political ramifications back and forth in my head before nodding. “That’ll be a huge help and a load off my shoulders. Thank you.”
Chapter 17
Briana
“I don’t know what’s happening between Patrick and me, but I need to follow it through and see what’s there. I didn’t think I was ready for a relationship, but he’s…” I shrugged. “I haven’t worked it through in my head enough to talk about it, but I have to see where it goes.”
“We’re going to have to ask you to stay out of the clubhouse until you figure it out,” said Bash. “You’re welcome at the bar, but you’ll need a sit-down with Duke or Brain before you come back.”
My heart fell into my stomach, but I’d expected as much. “I understand, and I’m sorry.”
Dozer reached through the cell bars and stroked my cheek. “You’re a new wolf, and he can use his energy in ways we can’t. We all understand the pull, but we have to exercise caution to protect ourselves. We aren’t turning our backs on you. Aaron will keep Randall from you for the time being, and we’ll do what we can to help smooth this over.”
I stepped closer to the bars and let him hold me through them. “I fucked up, but I don’t even remember most of it.”
“You shouldn’t have a half-form yet,” Bash said. “It isn’t surprising you don’t remember.”
* * *
They hadn’t been gone thirty seconds when Aaron Drake walked back in with Patrick, and someone with so much power it almost hurt to be in the room with him. My wolf tried to hide as far inside me as she could as I backed against the concrete wall, as far from the bars as I could get, and Patrick said, “Dude. What the fuck?”
The energy barrage faded and the man said, “Introduce us.”
“Nathan, this is Briana. Briana, this is His Majesty, The Amakhosi, Nathan Pierce.”
I didn’t have to bow, though it would be polite to do so. Self-conscious, I gave a tiny curtsy as I said, “It’s nice to meet you?”
I had no idea why he was here, or why he’d come in throwing power around, but Patrick was being casual with him so I hoped he wasn’t here to take me to Randall over The Dragon King’s orders I stay here.
“I needed to see how you’d hold up with energy being thrown around. If you go to the challenge fight tonight, it’s imperative you hold it together.”
“Nathan’s offered to take you,” Patrick explained. “You won’t be under his official protection, but he’ll keep you safe for the evening — no matter the outcome of the fight.”
“If Patrick loses then I’ll hand you over to either the MC or Randall the next day — your choice. If Patrick wins then I’ll hand you over to him once he’s back in human form.” He pulled a metal ring from his pocket. “Your wolf won’t like it, but while you’re wearing this, you won’t be able to change. Since you weren’t at risk of losing it when I walked in, I’ll let you and Patrick discuss the pros and cons of wearing it. I’ll have to lock it on and then take it off. You won’t be able to just slide it off at will.”
* * *
I rode to the fight in a funny looking SUV with Nathan and Ranger — one of the wolves I’d met the night before.
“The fight was moved to Randall’s house, instead of Frank’s,” Nathan told me on the way. “If he ends up dead, everyone at his house will be questioned by the police. Randall’s fixed things so it looks like both Randall and Patrick are out of town, so whichever ends up missing won’t be as likely to be part of a local investigation.”
My heart skipped a few beats. “I can’t go to Randall’s.”
“You’re going as my guest and you’ll leave as my guest. I called Randall when I was notified of the change and told him I didn’t expect there to be a problem. He said he’ll deal with you at a later date.” He sighed. “You can’t make any decisions until you see what happens with Patrick’s fight tonight, and I have a feeling he’s going to wait to see if everything works itself out before he steps in.”
“Meaning, if Patrick wins and I join his Pack, then Randall will still own me through Patrick.”
“And if Patrick loses then Randall will have to decide whether to force the issue. He has the right to demand you oath to him or die, though given the circumstances I hope he’ll give you another chance.”
“It totally bites. Non-Pack wolves are so restricted in the ways we can defend ourselves against Pack wolves. They can treat us like shit, but we get in trouble if we retaliate.”
“The people in power write the rules, and they’ll always benefit the people in power. It sucks, but the Pack wolves wrote the rules.” He was quiet a second before adding, “But you’re given the choice. Lions don’t have a choice. I’m Alpha to every lion on the planet whether they agree to it or not.”
I nodded. “Thanks for watching over me tonight.” I looked at Ranger. “You said you’re part of a Texas Pack?”
He nodded. “I can use energy, though I have to think politically when I do so. Randall’s given me permission to live here, knowing I go home for my three obligatory full moon runs a year with my old Pack instead of joining the one here.”
“You work with Patrick?”
“Yeah, he’s one of the good guys and I can see how much he cares for you. I’ll do what I can to keep you safe, but Nathan’s the one with all the weight to throw around, should things get tense.”
“Let’s just hope Patrick wins,” said Nathan.
* * *
Nathan walked me across a field to what looked like a rough outdoor arena, with a hillside situated so people could look down on a flat piece of land where I assumed the fight would happen. He had his arm around me, and I leaned into him, and people moved out of the way as the three of us made our way to the front of the already assembled crowd. For such a small Pack battle, there were a lot of people here. Of course, many of these people might be considering whether they’d rejoin the Ringgold Pack if Patrick won. Also, some had likely just come to see a fight to the death.
The metal ring was around my ankle, inside my sock so people wouldn’t notice. Nathan had been right about my wolf hating it. I wasn’t very happy with it either, because for the first time since I’d been turned, I couldn’t sense my wolf. Still, I’d agreed this was probably for the best. If I lost control in front of all these people, I didn’t think even the Amakhosi and Dragon King could protect me from Randall.
Speaking of the Alpha of Alphas — Randall was seated on a dais with three of his five top people around him. His gaze met mine across the field and he gave a small nod. I wasn’t sure what to do, so I smiled and hoped he wouldn’t think I was being a smart-ass.
I looked up to Nathan. “Where’s Patrick?”
He took a breath and nodded toward the woods. “That direction.”
I’ve never seen a fight for Alpha, though I understood the rules. They’d come out human, nude, with no weapons. Anyone who interfered with the fight could be killed for doing so.
Could Patrick beat Frank? Could I stay out of it and watch Frank kill him, if not?
My skin crawled as Frank came into view, throwing power everywhere. Nathan pulled me a little closer as ice crawled through my veins. Frank had the power of every person in his Pack, while Patrick only had his own energy.
Patrick stepped out of the forest alone, and took the twenty steps to the edge of the field.
Frank looked a little like a prancing peacock as he strutted across the field mid-change. He stopped in the center of the grass in full warrior form, and if I hadn’t been worried about Patrick, I’d have giggled at the way Frank so obviously flexed his muscles.
Goosebumps once again skated over my skin as he looked to the sky and howled, and I wondered why Patrick was still in human form, so much smaller, not even trying to respond to Frank’s display.
Frank howled several times before Patrick finally step
ped to within ten feet of him, but he was still in human form and I worried for him. Frank’s claws could do a lot of damage, and the warrior form was so much bigger, he nearly dwarfed Patrick.
I shouldn’t have worried. Patrick doesn’t need to posture and prove anything. He waited until Frank took a step towards him to change, and was in warrior form in time to grab his arm, spin in a circle with him, and toss him across the field like an Olympic shot-put champion.
Frank rolled a few times and was barely on his feet again when Patrick was over him, fists punching and claws slicing so fast it was hard to keep up.
Nathan held me tighter when Patrick was on bottom taking some punishing blows and my panic stole my breath. Several long moments later, Patrick was on top and Frank was taking the punishment.
There wasn’t a clear winner for a long time, and ten minutes into the fight my legs were weak. However, I knew the instant Patrick sucked in Frank’s energy, and finally took my first full breath with the hope this meant we were in the clear.
We weren’t, unfortunately. If Frank hadn’t sent some of his strongest men to Patrick’s the night before, and if we hadn’t killed them, I’m not sure Patrick could’ve defeated him both physically and metaphysically. However, with only twelve people in Frank’s Pack instead of eighteen, Patrick finally managed a throat hold that would’ve easily killed a human or wolf, but merely forced Frank to change.
Patrick released his mouth from around Frank’s throat only to squeeze with his hands, so Frank was still being strangled when he shifted to wolf, then human, back to wolf, back to human.
I clearly heard Patrick tell Frank, “If you hadn’t sent those men to burn my house down and kill me last night, I’d have made this part quick.”
Frank came inches from death at least two dozen times before the multiple changes were too much and he couldn’t change again — and finally succumbed to death. He lay there, choking and strangling, for nearly twenty minutes, shifting back and forth from wolf to human, before he was dead. Everyone in the field knew the instant his soul left his body, and you could feel the quiet.
Careful What You Ask For Page 11
