United (The Ushers)

by Vanessa North

  “I know, Annie,” she snarled. “Sorry. But I can’t make love to him right now. Not with this anger between us.”

  “Mmmm. I remember having a knock-down drag-out with my mate once.” Ellen snickered. “The make-up sex might just have been the best we ever had.”

  “I’m not having make-up sex with that big oaf,” Monica grumbled.

  The door pushed open, and Bianca strolled inside.

  “Hiya, Mon.” She grinned at her former Alpha. Bianca had always enjoyed a laughing camaraderie with Monica, and they’d grown even closer since Sara’s death. Bianca’s early years had been consumed with being “the Chosen One” but now, she was just Bee.

  “Hi, Bee.” She couldn’t help but smile just a little at her friend, who lay down with the rest of them on the bed.

  “Bed’s a little crowded.” Annie laughed. “I’m going to go chat with Be—Gerard.”

  “He’s right outside the door.” Bianca gestured with her chin, rolling her eyes. She patted her belly. “He wasn’t kidding about being Sarita’s protector. He’s been up my ass since we left the compound.”

  They heard a distinctly ungentlemanly snort coming from the hallway, and Bianca started giggling, then called out loudly, “Seems no one told him where the baby comes out. He’s looking in the wrong place.”

  Unable to help themselves, the other women started laughing, too, as Annie slipped out into the hallway. Monica laughed until tears were pouring from her eyes, and then she felt the tears turn to tears of grief, and she sobbed into Bianca’s shoulder.

  “Shhhhh, Mon,” Bianca whispered. “It’s okay. You’re both okay. He still loves you so much. And you still love him, even if you’re tempted to tie him down and pluck all the hairs off his ballsack with a pair of tweezers.”

  Monica half-sobbed, half-laughed at that imagery. Sitting up, she met Bianca’s eyes. “I’m blubbering like an idiot.” She sniffed, wiping her face.

  “It’s okay. You’re entitled. You’re under a lot of pressure. Jack can tell you firsthand, it sucks being an Usher, but being an Usher’s mate is just as bad. All of the pain, none of the glory.”

  “Mo.” They heard Fionn’s voice from the hallway.

  She sighed, tossed Ellen’s robe back over its hook, and threw open the door.

  “What do you want?” she asked.

  Fionn sucked in a deep breath at the sight of her. She was beautiful, standing naked in the doorway, her face streaked with tears, her body still humming with her anger.

  “Mo. Please come talk to me,” he said in a tiny voice. “I need you.” He touched the faint line on her skin where a tear had slipped down her face, watching her eyes tighten as he did. “Please?”

  She looked over her shoulder at Ellen and Bianca, who nodded encouragingly. With a wave of her fingers, she slipped into the hallway beside her mate.

  “I’m not sure I can do this now,” she whispered as he took her hand and led her back to their room.

  “Just talk. I just need to hear your voice.” He picked her up and lay her on the bed, pulling a blanket over her and sliding in beside her. Propping himself up on one arm, he looked at her.

  “I didn’t realize what I was doing,” he said.

  “I know. But it still hurt me.”

  “I made you cry.”

  She felt his grief through their link as she nodded.

  “Dammit, Mo. I can’t lie here with you and not touch you.”

  He tugged her into his arms, tucking her head under his chin as he wrapped her in a tight hug. She felt his strength and his love, and she let herself be soothed. Tears flowing again, she pressed her face closer to his chest.

  “You have to let people help you, lover,” she mumbled into his chest.

  He pressed a kiss into her hair. “I know. I’m sorry. I was hurt that you were talking to Jack about me. I wasn’t thinking about why.” He had reacted purely out of pain, something he did when depression sunk its claws into him. And she’d come back to him, even though he’d hurt her. “Mo, I need you. I need you every minute. I promise I will never touch our bond like that.”

  “You’d better not. Bianca gave me a good idea of how to punish you next time, and it involves tweezers.” She sent him a visual and giggled as he winced. “Jack and Bianca are family. They can help. They are helping. Our plan is a solid one. We’ll get Devon back.”

  “Goddess, I hope you’re right, Mo.” He pulled her tight to him, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. They didn’t make love that night, but they held each other tightly until both slept.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “HEY, BOSS.” MONICA HEARD and felt Kathy in her thoughts before she turned around. Kathy’s touch felt like bubbles bursting across the senses. When Monica turned, she met Kathy’s grin with a smile of her own. Kathy sat with her on the front steps of the Murphy house. The Amazon wolves had been in Maryland for a week now, and other Alphas were starting to arrive. The vast front lawns had become a colorful campground, with Roisin and Cormac Murphy’s blessing. Little Rose, Fionn’s eight-year-old daughter, was visiting, and Monica watched as Rose and Fionn charmed the visiting wolves.

  Monica had been nervous when she met Rose but found herself completely enchanted with the child from the start and was thankful Rose seemed to like her, too. She had asked if she could call her “Mo,” like Daddy did, and Monica had agreed that that would be fine. Then, the little bit of a human had put her hand in Monica’s and whispered that the tooth fairy had visited the night before. Monica smiled as the memory tugged at her heart.

  Kathy sat beside her and followed Monica’s eyes.

  “He’s a good dad,” Kathy noted.

  Monica smiled and nodded. “Yes.” She watched Fionn lift his daughter onto his shoulders so she could see something off in the distance. Rose let go of his hair and clapped her hands, secure in her father’s protection and love.

  “Are you two going to…?” Kathy nudged.

  “I don’t know.” Monica shrugged. “I hope so. I would like a child of my own. I’ve been mother hen to a lot of wandering ghosts over the years, but something tells me a baby of my own would be different. It’s in the Goddess’s hands now.”

  “It would be different.” Kathy nodded, a faraway look crossing her face.

  Monica reached tentatively at Kathy’s mind, but it was closed to her. Kathy was extraordinarily talented at hiding her thoughts from others, to the point where her thoughts weren’t accessible, even to her Alphas, unless she actively made them so.

  “I felt that.” Kathy raised one red eyebrow.

  “Sorry, I was just curious. You looked so sad for a moment, I didn’t want to ask, though.”

  “I had a baby. She died.” Kathy’s voice was flat, her calm gaze unemotional.

  “I didn’t know, Kath. I’m sorry.” Monica took her friend’s hand. “You weren’t mated, though?”

  “No. I was just a teenager—I hadn’t even had my first shift yet. I was seventeen and thought it would be just awesome to get it on with a guy I went to high school with. A human. And I got pregnant.”

  “Oh, Kath.” Monica’s voice broke in sympathy as she imagined this younger, more innocent Kathy. She’d always thought of Kathy as happy-go-lucky, but this was a different side of her. She wondered what other secrets the bubbly little redhead concealed behind her cheery facade. “What happened?”

  “She was born premature. I didn’t get decent prenatal care because my family didn’t trust doctors to care for wolves. She was born at twenty-four weeks. She was the tiniest pup I’ve ever seen. She lived for a few hours. I was able to hold her, but—” Kathy shrugged “—not until after they realized there was nothing that they could do. So I held her as long as I could.”

  “I’m so sorry, Kathy. I had no idea.” Monica wrapped an arm around her petite friend.

  Kathy leaned into her shoulder, putting an arm around her waist. “It only hurts when I think about it.” Kathy offered a tiny smile.

  “How often do
you think about it?”

  “Always.”

  “Goddess, honey, I had no idea.” Monica was floored by the discovery that sweet, silly Kathy carried such suffering under the surface.

  “We all have our burdens, Mon. Some of us are just better at keeping our appearances light when our hearts grow heavy.”

  Little Rose came running up to them then, a gap-toothed grin spread wide on her eight-year-old face.

  “Aunt Kathy, can we be pirates?” She swooped into Kathy’s arms with a breathless hug.

  “Arrrrr!” Kathy grinned back at Rose. “Let’s make your daddy walk the plank!” She took the child’s hand and let her lead the way to the old boat that Cormac had made into a play structure for Rose and Devon. Kathy tossed a wistful smile over her shoulder to Monica as they grabbed Fionn along the way.

  Chapter Sixteen

  THE NEXT MORNING, the first corpse showed up outside the front gates.

  Cormac, the patriarch of the Murphy family, knocked on Fionn and Monica’s door early. Fionn followed him into the hall, and Monica listened to their whispered conversation, half asleep. She roused herself quickly when she’d heard enough to know what was going on.

  “Cormac?” she asked, coming to stand next to her mate.

  “Hi, Mo. It’s a bad bit of news this morning.” A trace of an Irish accent lingered in his voice. “Silver. Looked like she was shot in the belly and the silver poisoning took over.”

  “Where’s Ted?” Fionn asked.

  “He’s breaking the news to her family. One of our outliers. He doesn’t think she was killed near here. He thinks it’s supposed to be a message. She was pregnant.”

  “Fuck,” Monica swore, her eyes widening as she realized what she’d said. “Sorry, Cormac.”

  “Aye, it’s no worry, Monica. I can hardly scold my daughter-in-law for cussing when she’s as old as I, now can I?” He patted her shoulder. “Garrett is starting a war room in the dining room. He could use your help.”

  “Thanks, Pop.” Fionn nodded at his dad.

  Hurriedly, he and Monica got dressed before joining Ted’s Guardian and his lieutenants in the dining room. Fionn leaned over to speak in Garrett’s ear, clapped him on the shoulder, and took a seat.

  Monica looked around the room and noted Jack’s presence, but not Bianca’s. Annie and Gerard sat behind Jack.

  “Jack? Where’s Bee?” She nudged his mind.

  “Sleeping. I didn’t wake her.”

  “Jack! You can’t keep this a secret!”

  Monica watched as Jack scrubbed his hands over his face. He looked up, meeting her scandalized eyes with his own bloodshot ones.

  “I can until she’s had a good night’s sleep, Monica. She’s pregnant and emotional and needs her rest.”

  Monica had to admit he had a point there. But she wouldn’t want to be Jack when Bianca woke up.

  “Everyone, if you could please take a seat?” Garrett gestured for the visiting Alphas to join them at the table. After some posturing and a few tense moments as the wolves ranked themselves, everyone finally was arranged.

  “Thank you all for coming to help deal with the exposure situation; we truly appreciate it. Mid-A is under siege, and we’re glad of all the help we can get,” Garrett began. “We lost a wolf today—a pregnant female. Her body was dumped at our front gate. We have no doubt that the Kirk cult is responsible.”

  This brought a number of murmurs from the other wolves at the table.

  “We’re planning to ambush their next so-called revival.” Garrett held up a hand for silence. “So I am going to ask, right here, right now, for every Alpha in this room to swear obeisance to Fionn Murphy.”

  At this, the murmuring turned into shouts, and several of the Alphas stood up, baring shifted teeth.

  “Not how I would have handled that, Garrett.” Fionn stood. “Gentleman, please have a seat. Yes, I want your obeisance. But I want it given willingly. I strong-armed Kirk for information, and look where that’s gotten us.”

  “Why should we submit to your lead? You’re barely more than a pup,” one of the Alphas growled. Monica noted it was one of the wolves from out west, the Alpha of the pack to which she was born.

  “Your name is Robert, isn’t it?” she asked.

  “Yeah, so what?” He bristled.

  She shifted her teeth and claws. “So, I was mated to the first Robert to be Alpha of your pack. Which makes me probably the oldest wolf in this room. And I proudly gave my obeisance to my new mate, and he gave his to me. He is the second Usher, and you will respect him as such.”

  Fionn looked at her for a moment, then smiled. As his lips turned up, he started to let loose his control of the compelling magnetism that he kept under wraps most of the time. The other wolves shrank back slightly as the force of it grew. Annie stood behind him, a feline smile on her face. She put her left hand on his shoulder, giving everyone a plain view of her missing fingers—the message clear: She was the Guide and protector of the second Usher.

  “Gentlemen. I would have your obeisance, but I want it willingly given.”

  One by one, the Alphas came forward and presented their throats to Fionn. As he took each one between his teeth, Monica felt his presence grow brighter, stronger. She watched the other wolves as they felt the connections forming to the meta-pack. When Robert, the last holdout, stepped forward, he came to kneel first in front of Monica.

  “Lady, as my aunt, I believe it is you to whom I owe obeisance—and apology—first.” He bared his throat.

  She smiled and took it between her teeth. She felt the connection forming, and then she gestured to her mate, and Robert knelt at Fionn’s feet.

  “I am sorry I doubted, sir,” he said in a reverent tone.

  Fionn smiled and took the man’s throat. Monica felt the connection double in strength as her mate formed a second bond between them and this Robert, a nephew who bore her former mate’s name.

  Point made, Fionn dampened down his magnetism. The other Alphas stared at each other in wonder. Monica knew they were feeling that strange lightness that came from joining the larger whole. They’d all felt it when they were swept into the meta-pack, and it took some time adjusting to the weightlessness of it.

  “Fellowship under Fionn’s leadership,” Jack murmured.

  She nodded. “Exactly.”

  “We are United, with one exception. Appalachia. Tavis Kirk gave me his neck, but he didn’t give me his obeisance. I’ve learned the hard way that it is not something that can be taken, only given. But we are one pack now. My wolves are your wolves. We are all in this together. Let’s brainstorm. Garrett, as you’re acting in your Alpha’s stead: your territory, your lead.” Fionn returned to his seat and gestured for Garrett to take over the meeting.

  “Well, that was fairly painless,” Monica murmured.

  Fionn caressed her cheek with one hand and looked into her eyes. “Yeah. Thanks for having my back, honey.”

  “Always,” she answered.

  Just then, the dining room door swung open and Bianca marched inside.

  Jack groaned.

  “Eviscerating our enemies without me, mate?” Bianca growled lightly, staring at Jack with one white eyebrow arched.

  “You need your sleep, Bee,” Monica cautioned her.

  Bianca snarled at her former Alpha. “Butt out, Mon.”

  “I’m sorry, love. I was planning to wake you in a little bit.” Jack gestured for her to sit beside him. “I just wanted to make sure you and Sarita got all the rest you need.”

  “I need my second-in-command to wake my pregnant ass up when matters of security are at stake,” Bianca said pointedly as she took a seat.

  “I’m sorry, Alpha,” Jack said out loud before baring his neck and giving her a pointed look.

  Monica could sense that they were communing silently, and her lips quirked up in a smile.

  “You’d best be taking notes, love. Jack is a grade-A groveler.”

  “He’d better be. He works fo
r his wife.” Fionn gave his mate a wolfish grin. “I like it better that we work together, neither one of us in charge of the other.”

  Monica arched an eyebrow.

  “Okay, I like that you like to top me—from the bottom,” he teased, watching the blush steal across her face. “Goddess you make me want to do beautiful, wonderful, wildly nasty things with you.”

  “Later,” She promised silently, and they returned to the task at hand.

  Three more bodies appeared over the next week, all female, all pregnant. The outrage from the congregated wolves became a living weapon, each of them more determined than ever to take Kirk and his crazy cult down for good. As the plans solidified, Fionn’s demeanor had gone from withdrawn and depressed to steely and reserved. He wore his anger like an armored cloak, and the other Alphas began to take their cues from him. All of them excelled in different areas, and together, Monica, Annie, and Fionn watched as they began to work together to form one seamless, ruthless pack.

  Since their mating, Jack and Bianca had proven themselves the strongest, fiercest pair of Guardians alive. Together, they taught the other wolves their fighting style, a sort of hybrid of Jack’s disciplined military tactics and Bianca’s scrappy street-fighting technique. Bianca couldn’t demonstrate many of the moves because she didn’t want any risks to the baby, so Monica and Ellen took turns demonstrating her techniques.

  Graham, who had served in the Vietnam War alongside humans and had treated field wounds, taught the others how to provide appropriate first aid. How to remove silver shot, especially the needle-sharp flechettes that had been used on Annie, and how to tell if the silver poison had progressed too far for the removal to help. He reminded them that there was no point in forcing a friend or loved one to suffer needlessly through the silver removal if the poisoning was too advanced. Several wolves hung their heads at this reminder, hoping they would never have to make that choice.

  Robert, Monica’s nephew, turned out to be something of a scholar of traditional Native medicine and trained in tattooing rituals that had been shared between the wolves and their human Native brethren for centuries. He confessed that he owned a tattoo parlor back in Wyoming, blushing as he realized he’d just confirmed the tattooed-biker-wolf cliché. Using a symbol Monica drew, Robert meticulously tattooed each of the wolves among them to emphasize the joining of all packs into a larger whole. At Monica’s request, he also tattooed a stylized hand closed tightly inside the bite-mark over her heart, to symbolize keeping her mate close. Fionn also took a tattoo within his bite mark, a similarly styled hand open in supplication—a reminder that his mate lent him her strength and wisdom and to keep his heart and spirit open to receive the gifts given in love. It was an acknowledgment of that day on the steps, and it was a promise to never hurt her like that again.