Dwayne was going to wear a dress and Granny was going to give me away.
Break the neck. My weeping sounded distant to my own ears.
Gushing blood and tears blurred my vision. Twist…break.
“Essie, stop.” Hanks voice was harsh, but he didn’t understand. The Dragon was going to kill us. I just needed to twist one more time.
“Look at me,” Hank demanded. “Now.”
I stopped and stared. He was alive and I was too. Had I broken the Dragon’s neck? Was he restrained? I glanced down at my hands and screamed. In a death grip I held the head of a Dragon. His body lay on the other side of the room. Dead eyes stared at me and I dropped the head in horror.
“How did I do that?” I gasped and my body shook like a leaf. “I didn’t know I did that. How did I not know?”
“Essie, it’s okay. You’re okay. The Vampyre took over and you decapitated the Dragon.”
“Decapitation means to cut a head off. I yanked it off of his body,” I said in a shrill voice I didn’t recognize. Curling into a ball, I rocked back and forth and tried to get a handle on myself. “I don’t want to be a Vampyre. It’s dark and wrong.”
“You’re not a Vampyre. You’re a wolf. Dwayne gave you—gave us—a gift. We’re alive because of what you did.”
“I tore his head off,” I said flatly and then started to laugh. I knew I was probably in shock, but all of a sudden I was crazy happy about the fact I’d just torn the head off of a Dragon. This wasn’t much different than other jobs I’d been on…actually it was. I’d used weapons and I’d been detached from the situation. I didn’t know the victims personally and I hadn’t torn their heads off with my bare hands. No amount of psychotherapy—or even a lobotomy—was going to dull the memory of this one.
“Would it have made a difference if you’d used a sword?” he asked as he gathered me in his arms.
“I don’t know. I’m bleeding on you,” I muttered.
“Yes, and I’m bleeding on you. You saved our lives. I was on fire, for god’s sake. We should be dead.” He held me close and his body shuddered. “You do realize we’ll have to name our first child Dwayne.”
That gave me pause. As much as I loved Dwayne, I wasn’t crazy about his name. “Do we have to?” I asked.
“Yep.” Hank grinned and pulled me to my feet. “Come on, Essie the Ripper. We need to check on the others.”
“I think I would have felt bad even if I’d used a sword.”
“Why? You did what you had to do.”
“Honestly, I don’t feel bad about killing him. It was him or us. I feel bad about my loss of control, and the small but significant fact, that I had no clue I’d torn his noggin off of his body.”
“I can see how it might seem a little odd,” Hank agreed. “But it was sort of hot in a female Rambo kind of way.”
“Oh, hell no. You did not get turned on by watching me rip a dude’s head from his shoulders?”
“No. That part was actually fairly gross. It was watching you fight and own it. You were a machine.” He held me tight to his body and I drank in his strength and calm.
“You know, this Vampyre thing will wear off and I won’t be such a machine anymore,” I said as I snuggled closer.
“I’m good with that.” He laughed and pulled me from the carnage. “I’ll take you any way I can get you.”
“Ditto,” I said and never looked back once. “And if you ever call me Essie the Ripper again, I’ll rip something off you to prove I’m a woman of my word.”
“Duly noted.”
Chapter 14
The Tinas were bound in silver chains and hung upside down. Appropriately, the evil she-wolves hung from the very same rusted out pipes the girls had been attached to. They were missing teeth, and from the smell, they’d clearly had a little upchuck session. Junior was in the corner staring at Sandy Moongie like a love struck puppy. Hmmmmm.
“You look like hell,” Sandy said as she looked me up and down, not looking much better herself. “I sure hope the other guy looks worse.”
“He does.”
“Is he dead?” Junior asked.
“Quite,” Hank told him.
I was relieved Hank didn’t go into details. I wasn’t sure it was a story I wanted told. Ever.
“We didn’t kill them,” Debbie said, referring to the strangely subdued Tinas. “We would be no better than them if we did.”
“But we fought, Essie. We defended ourselves like you said.” Frankie grinned bashfully and wiped the blood from an ugly gash she sported.
“They were something to be reckoned with,” Junior said with pride, eyes still glued to Sandy. “These gals had it covered. I just stood back and watched.”
I caught a quick exchange of sexually charged glances between Sandy and Junior and I bit back a grin.
“I have their teeth if you want them.” Jenny tried to hand me a collection of bloodstained pearly whites.
“Um, no. While I’m honored and proud of you and um…no.”
Jenny grinned and shoved the teeth in her pocket as the gals fist bumped each other in victory. As we contemplated what to do with the traitors, a shrill hiss and a gust of icy wind ripped through the room. Everyone gasped in terror and ducked for cover. Could a Dragon live with no head?
“I was amazing,” Dwayne squealed triumphantly as he landed gracefully in the middle of the room. “I did the meld and they bubbled and turned a lovely bluish-orange-green and then BOOM! The sound was incredible. Absolutely fabulous—like fornicating cats and Madonna.”
“Holy hell, did you fly here?” I asked as I got shakily back to my feet and decided not to broach the cat/Madonna thing.
“You had the car keys. What was I supposed to do? This place is a disaster. Of course, it’s not quite as bad as downtown,” Dwayne announced as he took in the room.
“Understatement,” Hank muttered and Dwayne grinned evilly.
“It is a mess,” Junior agreed. “Who’s gonna clean this up?”
“The Council is cleaning up the debacle,” Dwayne informed us victoriously. “I called up your boss, Angela, and read her the riot act. I got her up to speed and then I tore her a new one. I forbid her to send you into anything so dangerous again. I have been worried sick and that is not good for my digestion. I told her to send down a crew because there are Dragon innards covering half the town and I assumed there would be more to take care of out here. Do you want me to mind meld the Tinas?” He cocked his head toward the hanging traitors.
“No!” everyone yelled in unison.
“Just a suggestion,” Dwayne huffed, completely offended.
“Well, I don’t know about you, but I want to get out of here,” Frankie said.
“What time is it?” Dwayne asked frantically. “I have a show tonight and I’m doing all three Charlie’s Angels.”
The girls looked confused. “Don’t ask,” I said. “Let it be a surprise.”
“Do we just leave them?” Sandy asked.
“For the moment, yes,” Hank said as the Tinas hissed and swore. “Enough,” he bellowed.
The Tinas whimpered and everyone else flinched. I might be the alpha’s mate, but Hank was definitely the alpha.
“You have disgraced yourselves and this Pack,” he went on coldly. “Your behavior merits death, but that is far too good for you. You will be shunned. I will leave you in your final hours of belonging to a Pack and let you think about what you have done. After tomorrow I never want to lay eyes on you again.”
We filed out and left the Tinas hanging upside down in the holding cell. We heard their sobs as we formed a circle outside.
“We’ll shift and run back. It’s the fastest way and everyone needs to heal,” Hank instructed. “I want everyone at the sheriff’s office. We’ll notify your families and tonight we celebrate.”
No one cheered. We were too tired and still in shock, but heartfelt smiles were shared.
“Essie, can I ride you back to town?” Dwayne asked.
“No, you can’t.”
“Fine. It can’t hurt to ask.” He grinned and levitated into the air.
Everyone shifted except Hank and me. We watched as our Pack made their way home. The beauty of the wolves always left me breathless. Knowing I was also one of the magical creatures awed me.
“Can you shift yet?” Hank asked.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. My wolf felt lethargic inside me, but she was pleased. “You do realize you have some explaining to do, Mr. Dragon Slayer.”
“I didn’t slay the Dragon, pretty girl. You did.”
“You know what I mean.”
He stared at me for a long minute with a sexy half grin on his face. “It might piss you off.”
“It would take a whole hell of a lot to piss me off at the moment, so unless you’re married with ten kids, in which case I’d kill you…now might be a good time to confess,” I told him as my body tensed.
What in the world could he tell me? He was half Dragon? Impossible. His new hobby was offing Dragons? Unlikely. I waited impatiently.
“I’m WTF.”
Not what I expected. At all. “Right.” I laughed and waited for the punch line. It didn’t come. “What do you mean you’re WTF?”
“When I discovered where you were and what you were doing I watched you.”
“You mean stalked me?”
“Some might define it as stalking.” He grinned. “You were beautiful, amazing, confident and strong. I didn’t think you were ever coming back to me, so I joined.”
I was speechless. He was going to give up everything he loved for me?
“Why?” I whispered. “You’re the alpha. You have a Pack and a career and a life…”
“Because none of it means anything without you.”
My knees buckled and I crumpled to the ground. How could I ever have been so stupid to have left this man? No one in my long life would ever love me like he did. No one.
“The Pack. What about the Pack, Hank?”
“The Pack was never supposed to be mine in the first place. It just so happens my amazing mother gave birth to two alphas. I was more prepared than Junior was to take over at the time of my father’s retirement.”
“Junior?”
“Yep.” He grinned and shook his head. “It’s time for my big brother to step up and lead our Pack. He’s been ready for a while, but he would have never challenged me for the position. We’re far more than just two alphas—we’re brothers.”
“So, we’re not staying in Hung?” I asked, unsure what I really wanted.
“Right now I want to leave that decision up to you. But I think Junior will have an easier transition to Pack leader if I go away for at least a little while.”
I mulled over everything I had just learned and realized I felt lighter than I had in years. Could I really love the man of my dreams and still do what I’d become passionate about? Stuff like this never happened for me…
“Hank, my parents…” I couldn’t get it out. It hurt. Why after so long did their death cause physical pain? Maybe because they didn’t have to die.
“I already know,” he said as he wrapped me in his arms. “Granny told me.”
She’d certainly been busy, but I was grateful I didn’t have to speak the horrible story out loud. My Granny loved me fierce, even if she couldn’t keep her damned mouth shut.
“We’ll go,” I said firmly. “We’ll go back to Chicago and let Junior find his place. I have to find out what happened to my parents and…”
“We. We have to find out what happened to your parents and then we will figure out what’s next.”
I laid my head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat—so strong, sure and mine. No matter what else life handed me, I knew my first priority would be to take care of the alpha who loved me.
“I feel very attached to you right now,” I whispered as I breathed in his scent.
“I can work with that.” He chuckled and held me tighter.
“I’m also feeling the need to jump your bones.”
“As much as it pains me to take a rain check, and let me be very clear…it pains me,” he said, referring to the impressive bulge in his jeans. “But I think we should get back to town and make sure our people are okay.”
Reluctantly, I slid from his arms and stood up. “I agree, but I will take a rain check.”
“That’s good because it’s definitely going to rain tonight. All night.”
“You sure about that, Big Boy?” I giggled.
“Never been more sure about anything in my life. Can you shift?" he asked as he gently tucked my wildly messy hair behind my ear.
I closed my eyes and drew on the power of my inner wolf. She was there and she was ready. "Yes. I can."
We quickly removed our torn and bloody clothing as the magic engulfed us. A magic so wondrous and rare it always humbled me. My skin changed to fur, my bones shifted painlessly, and my body became what it was meant to be. My wolf—my strong and beautiful wolf.
Hank's wolf was breath taking. His shiny chocolate coat glistened in the sun. He was much larger than me in his Lycan form, but his eyes were the same mesmerizing green. He nipped at my nose as I mooned at his beauty.
"You gonna just stare at me or are you gonna to race me back to town?" His amused voiced bounced through my head and I giggled.
"I'm gonna kick your Wolfy ass," I challenged as I took off leaving him in the dust.
The wind in my fur and the sun beginning to dip on the horizon into the ocean made this day one I would not soon forget. Of course, ripping the head off of a Dragon did figure in, but running with wild abandon next to my mate made me complete. No matter where we went, Hank would always be my home. That's the part that would stay with me. Always.
Epilogue
The shunning of the traitors was anticlimactic compared to everything else that had happened. The vote among the Pack was unanimous. The findings were reported to the Council and approved without contest. The Tinas were gone and would not be missed. No Pack anywhere in the world would accept them. I tried to find it within myself to feel pity, but I couldn’t. Perhaps with time I might, but it was still too raw.
The families of the missing girls were ecstatic to have them home. Hank, Junior and I were the local heroes, but Dwayne…Dwayne was the Second Coming.
All the Weres in our community bowed their heads in reverence when he passed. Even the more conservative Weres caught all of his shows at the drag club. The owner had to make a special dispensation for children because the Weres had insisted the young ones witness the talent of their savior.
Dwayne was in absolute heaven.
The Council had quietly sent down a crew to clean up Hung and the deserted resort on the outskirts of town. No one even knew they were here. Apparently they had come in the middle of the night and were gone by morning. My guess was they had sent Hyenas. Those shifters would eat anything—including Dragon guts. I tried not to dwell on it because thinking about it made me a little nauseous.
To make reparations for their misguided judgment—their words, definitely not mine—the Council purchased the old resort from the city and planned to restore it to a haven which would make people forget about its tragic history. All the proceeds would go to the Pack. It was yet again the Council putting a tiny Band-Aid on a gaping wound, but my fight with the Council would come in good time.
My boss, Angela was a different story. Her visit to Hung Island, Georgia was quick and to the point.
"Those bastard Dragons are being investigated much to their displeasure," Angela grunted as she sat on the plastic slip covered couch in my granny's house. My boss had brought her own bottle of whiskey and was indulging liberally. She was sporting a new and rather large bald spot over her left ear. She really needed to consider a new vocation.
"Yeah, well they should be," I said as I dug into a Juju's Meat-Lovers Pizza. "What they did was horrific and I'd bet Dwayne's Laboutin pumps that more were involved."
"M
y thoughts exactly," she agreed. "Those fire blowers need to be doused."
Hank, Granny and Dwayne had joined the impromptu pizza party. Hank was quiet, Granny was downright mute, but Dwayne was as animated as ever. My boss was formally polite. However, I was waiting for the other shoe to drop...it always did.
"She banged him," Dwayne happily informed Angela. "You owe me money."
"Actually you owe me money," she shot back.
"How do you figure that?" Dwayne asked, confused.
"You bet five hundred she would bang him and I bet a thousand you were right. You owe me five hundred."
"Damn it to hell," Dwayne muttered as he pulled out his wallet and removed five crisp one hundred dollar bills. "I need to listen a little better when I gamble."
"So, little missy, what are your plans?" Angela's eyes narrowed at me, but her voice wavered slightly.
I was different now. I knew it and she knew it. No longer was I the scattered dingbat I had been only weeks ago. Well that might be pushing it, but I had ripped the head off a Dragon. If that didn't change a gal, I didn't know what would.
I grinned and gave her a non-committal shrug that made her reach into her hair and pull hard.
"And you—Mr. Special-Forces-I-Exist-in-No-Data-Base—what are your plans?" she asked Hank getting more nervous with each non answer. "Are you coming back to Chicago?"
"That depends on a few things," Hank said as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs casually. Nothing Hank did was casual. Nothing.
"What things?" Angela asked. I felt kind of sorry for her. I liked her, but she no longer had my trust. I wondered how deeply she was involved with the Council and how much she really knew about my past and my parents.
"Essie goes off the radar too," he said calmly as if he was discussing the weather, but his deadly magic drenched the room. Angela shifted uncomfortably and Dwayne clapped his hands with glee. "We'll take missions, but we will answer to no one. We will report to you and you can keep the Council aware of our movements."
Angela's silence and terse nod shocked me, but Hank’s demands shocked me even more. He was way more than an agent like me. He had some major explaining to do, but now was not the time.
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