by Roxy Mews
“You will not eat her. She is a pure witch. She knows damn well that anything she puts out into the universe comes back to her times three. We happen to be the good guys. Of course she’s on our side.”
“Since when do good guys beat up pregnant chicks, Mary?” Amber rubbed her arm, and gave her best friend on the planet a look that she used to give me when I told her to eat vegetables.
Mary flinched. “Yeah, sorry. It’s the whole strength increase thing. Still dealing with that. Anyway, we will need to keep silent once we get past this point. I will stay back and keep watch. Y’all have more experience than me in the grace and able to keep quiet department.”
Mary reiterated a plan I barely heard. I still couldn’t wrap my mind around the fact that Amber was pregnant. Eyeing Jake, my wolf decided that we could take him out if we wanted to.
But I wasn’t about to stand in the way of love. The man who mated my little girl had a protective hand on her back, and I watched the small circles he worked to relieve the tension from the extra weight of the baby. I could smell the difference in Amber’s scent. A baby. I couldn’t look anywhere other than at my daughter’s belly. Born from two hybrids. It was unheard of. Focused on my unborn grandbaby, I missed it when Jake moved in front of me. He ducked down to catch my gaze.
“Not how we meant to tell you sir, but yes, you will be a grandpa.” Jake held my hand to shake it, and put his other to my shoulder. It had the appearance of a masculine hug, but it was more to hold me up in case I was likely to waver.
The fact that he wasn’t drawn to exploit my weakness at that moment emphasized Amber’s power. He should have wanted to exploit my weakness. His wolf would call for him to do so and take over my Pack. Amber wouldn’t. This respect and humanity were exactly what I hoped we were bringing into our species. It was what I hoped for in my own Pack, and it was exactly why we had to finish what we had started and destroy whatever was left of this harvesting ring.
I heard another slap. Damn, my daughter liked to hit people too.
“Don’t do that again,” she said.
Amber wasn’t a wilting flower. I couldn’t wait to see the little girl or boy that would wrap her around a pudgy little finger.
Before my musings could continue, she was in front of me. “I am okay, Daddy. We are going to go into this overpriced slaughterhouse and break out a certain witch who keeps interrupting my beauty sleep. She zapped at me when I was awake today too. I would much rather the chick be able to call me on a phone. Once we get her back, then we can get all huggy and stuff.” Her brash comments were contrast to the quick squeeze she gave me. I felt Lily’s leather satchel press between us for a moment and realized we had to fight to give Amber’s child a chance to grow up with a mother.
Chapter Fifteen
Shelly
Rounding up this group was easier than anybody realized. I snagged a couple of coeds on my way home and compelled them into being party snacks. Grabbing them from a frat house gathering was completely intentional. I’d traded clothes with a woman while I was there. Werewolf blood would have been a bit more battle cry than distraction. I needed my Family to care less about the wolves, not more. The people whose veins I was borrowing had a fun start to their night, and I planned on taking full advantage.
My appetizers had ingested some hits of ecstasy. Vampires are not prone to drunkenness through the consumption of alcohol, but give us a donor who is on drugs and we can get a little loopy. My Family was well on the way to rowdy after the first round of bites. I turned up the music and encouraged the young lady to dance with me. The volume increased as others joined in. This all worked to the benefit of our little break in, which should be occurring right about now.
“You haven’t brought live dinner home in a long time, Shelly. I must say, it is a bit unusual.” The Matheo brought his brows together as two of my Family members fell over laughing. The house shook as they hit one of the main support walls. “And a bit tainted, as it seems,” he added as he curled his lip at the intoxicated crowd.
“I thought the Family could use a chemical uplift. It’s why I brought the bodies instead of bags. We all know this doesn’t keep.” I brought the female’s wrist up to my mouth and sunk my fangs in.
The blood tempted my tongue, but I pressed against the flow instead of sipping. The pressure partially healed her wounds. No way was I drinking this crap. I was sexually on edge enough as it was. The way the vampire to my left was rubbing his cheek on the sofa and moaning over the texture of the micro suede on his skin left me no illusion that drinking would be giving my libido too much power, and that libido would go in search of a certain furry power duo.
I pushed the arm away and wiped off the blood with a napkin. “Although I have had tastier.”
“It is good that you are spending some time at home with those you are in charge of.” He leaned toward me. “A Protector is the glue that holds a Family together. You have been distant as of late. It would be a shame if our glue…dissolved.”
“I know where my loyalty should side, Father. I am here.” I was careful not to say my loyalty was with my Family anymore. I had free will. Despite his power, he couldn’t compel me. Still, lying to my Matheo wasn’t easy. So I changed the subject. “Are we expecting any company for the weekend? If so, we may need to up the supply. Your project has been absorbing more than estimated.”
He seemed to think about that for a minute.
Steven and Matthew made their entrance while my intentions were being evaluated by the man who’d threatened to melt me. The miasma gave me all the chemical compounds that could make it happen.
The couple enjoyed being fashionably late to any party. I was glad they arrived earlier than usual tonight. With them in the room, the entire Family was contained near the front of the house. They began to share the neck of the young man I brought home.
“Ooh, Shelly. What a fun night you have brought us.” Steven’s eyes popped open and glittered as the tainted blood hit his lips. He licked the human’s neck and worked his way over to the other side. I really hoped he was just planning on using the blood and not trying to sexually assault the human on the couch in front of us all.
Turns out he wanted someone he could get a little rough with. Only a few gulps in and he and Matthew were making a hasty exit. Damn those two. That was not in the plan. I wanted everyone in here. They weren’t the only couple among the Family tonight, but they did have the least amount of control when it comes to keeping their damn hands to themselves.
The Matheo started talking about supply and blood demand again and I had to turn back to him. I could only hope the happy couple got lost in each other and completely ignored their surroundings. I heard Steven giggle, and I figured it would be okay. At least I hoped.
Chapter Sixteen
Rick
The house was quiet. There was some noise in a very distant part of another wing, but where we were was dead silent. Not even heartbeats. We might be too late.
Mary and Amber had assured me that their witch was alive. I was starting to doubt them, but I put one foot in front of the other anyway. We made it around the back of the mansion in silence.
The gardens were lush, aside from a patch that someone had taken a weed whacker to. I caught a scent when we made our way past a bench, and decided it was best if I held my breath until we got where we were going. Thankfully, my blood didn’t lose all oxygen before we hit a very overgrown patch of ivy attached firmly to the house.
Craig pointed and Amber nodded. Have you ever seen a pregnant woman whip out a switchblade and use surgical precision to cut a perfect door in over grown weeds? It was mildly disturbing. Below was a storm cellar, or that was what it looked like when we entered. Worn weathered boards with wrought iron handles eased when Craig pulled a mini can of WD-40 from his pocket and sprayed the hinges.
A few steps under the earth and it was obvious this
was not the only entrance. Removing a vent brought us into a hallway that looked more like it should have been part of the main house rather than hidden underground. Wall sconces lit the way with modern LED bulbs.
We hit a fork in the path, but instead of turning left or right, Amber led us straight forward. The wall was covered with an elaborate tapestry. Images of knights and fair maidens in towers dripped down in a fairy tale landscape. Amber pulled it aside and the sensation smacked me.
There is a saying that speaks of the smell of fear. There is no such thing. But the smell of sweat, urine, vomit, and blood is something that is very real. The smells that hit my nose right then…put together, they should terrify anyone who took another step. There was life in there. A horrible life. Stepping over that threshold had my wolf wanting to howl and take down the whole house immediately. But it wasn’t my mission. So instead, I followed my daughter and tightened the leash on the wild animal battling to break free.
We walked past old fashioned jail cells. The women inside were compelled, or in shock. They weren’t moving. Glazed eyes stared at the ceiling. I watched a fly land directly on the open eyeball of a small redhead. She didn’t blink. We could not carry them all out, but gods I wanted to. I pushed that feeling down and reminded myself that we were here for a strategic strike, not to take over and end the war. And this would be war. My wolf battled with the chains I had him wrapped in. He wanted to take them all. Now. He argued with me.
This was how the Matheo was turning wolves into hybrids. My wolf and I were at odds. I wouldn’t let him save all these women, so his next instinct was to kill them. If we killed them, we would stop the Matheo’s supply. I shook that thought off as quickly as it filtered through.
There was always more supply. The harvesters would bring it. This was our version of the war on drugs. It would never really go away, and the Matheo had an army that would fight for their food source. Two hybrids and two wolves didn’t stand much of a chance if that army happened to be close. And if we were discovered, would Shelly be able to make it out? I looked up toward the higher floors and imagined her up there somewhere. She said she didn’t know where the containment chambers were. The rug had protected the scents and sounds from them. Hidden. Magic. But why would a witch help enslave her own kind? He must have another compelled, like the witch he’d gifted to the Alakin Pack. Or maybe this was a remnant of Annabelle’s work before we saved her. It did have a familiar scent.
Another tapestry was in front of us now. This was not a display piece. This was a warning. An artful warning, but a warning nonetheless. Whoever created this had a knack for the terrifying. There were images of sacrifices, torture chambers, animal bloodletting, and dancing before the devil himself. The Matheo’s image stood in the center. His hands were raised, but the eyes stitched in were facing forward. He was daring us to enter.
Amber went to grab the drape, but I stopped her.
Her eyes glared at me and she mouthed the words, “She’s right in there.”
We had agreed to silence before we entered the first door, so I had to show her. I knew something bad would happen if the drapery was moved. I reached out and touched the fabric with the back of my hand, and it took all I had not to let forth a scream at the pain that seared my skin.
The only reason I was able to hold it together and keep my wolf from taking over was the thought of protecting the people who needed me to lead. We all looked at my hand. Blood trickled down my arm and when I held it upright, the path raced toward my elbow. The blood stopped flowing an instant later, but a mark remained on my skin. There was some kind of magic embedded in the fabric. I felt the boost of power carried through my whole body. The skin on my hand rippled, but whatever it had done went internal. I shoved my hand in my pocket before anyone else saw. We needed to focus on the mission here, and a distraction was not welcome.
Everyone was looking around for a way to move the blasted thing. As I wiped the remaining blood off my arm and onto my shirt, I turned to avoid showing off the stain. My eyes caught on a pair of gloves hanging from the wall. I put one on to cover the damage to my hand, and the other on to match. Once they were in place, I saw it. A silver scythe hung in a macabre lilt next to the tapestry. I pointed to the solid silver decorator’s piece. Craig held my shoulders and made horrible falling over dead dramatics.
After he was done, I wiggled my gloved hands, and everyone stepped back as I proceeded. The sucker was heavy. But it allowed me to move the fabric aside, and around a waiting hook to the left of the revealed entrance. The noises and smells barreled through to us without the blocking magic.
Unlike the house above, there was no fancy door here. No door at all. Just a lengthy hallway that stretched on until it faded to black.
Something told me this was where we’d see the worst of it. I glanced to my right and watched Amber lead the way. We were moving lower into the ground. Even without stairs, the tunnel was at an obvious slope. Into the earth, the air cooled. The shuffling sounds from the near comatose women behind us faded. Our own soft steps and an echoed drip were the only noises to dampen the ferocity of my racing heartbeat.
Craig and I had soft breaths moving the air around us. Amber and Jake held theirs and were as silent as the mausoleum I worried we were entering.
The drip got louder, and then another noise joined in. A weak heartbeat, a reek of body odor, and that drip pulled me along faster. Instead of another doorway to welcome us, the walls simply eased outward. Gradually, we made our way toward a table that sat smack dab in the middle of what looked to be a teardrop shaped space.
A woman was lay prone on a stainless steel operating table. Leather bound her wrists and ankles. The skin beneath the buckles was raw, and infected. The smell of her wounds rapped against my nostrils and I had to fight not to gag.
Drip. Drip.
She was the drip. Cuts covered her arms. The blood flowed slowly along a series of channels in the table she rested on. The plasma covered bucket was the cleanest thing in this room. We instinctively surrounded her.
When she gasped and opened her eyes, it sent Amber into motion. She removed the bindings and looked around to find something to stem the blood flow. Amber ripped strips of her own shirt and went to bandaging the woman. Looking at some of the discarded rags around the room, I could see her shirt was one of the only sanitary options.
Amber’s skin flashed between the shortened hem and elastic-waisted pants. There wasn’t time to think on it. With the rescue in motion, we all undid the witch’s final restraints. Craig picked her up as gently as possible. The pain from the easy movement showed how long it had been since she was even able to bend a knee. It was a blessing for us all when she passed out mere seconds later.
Mission accomplished. We rushed from the bowels of the mansion, and I made sure to drop the tapestry back into place and leave the gloves on our way out. Mary gasped when we emerged. She tried to move to her friend, but Amber turned her around and said, “Later, Mary. Right now we need to get out of here. She’ll survive the trip.”
“She needs medical attention.”
My little girl’s voice turned Alpha female. There was command in it. “She needs her rescuers to not get caught and killed in the process of rescuing her. Move.”
Her friend eyed daggers, but complied.
We had reached near the exit when I heard it. Footsteps.
“Ummm…excuse me. But I believe you have a bleeding witch in your arms.” A male voice sang out at us. “From the scent of the blood, it appears to be one of our donors. Put her down, or we will eat you.”
Great.
We all did a slow, “We aren’t stupid enough to move fast” turn. The thinner of the two men dropped his jaw in shock.
“That is not as appetizing now that I look at her.” The man’s hand covered his chest and his lip retracted in disgust. “Eww.”
“Mathew, quiet. I know you recognize t
hat scent. Her blood is the purple-heart stickered bag. That was the one we had all been fighting over.” The vampire’s fangs lengthened and he licked his lips. “The magic in her system was brilliant.”
“I’m glad we drank her from a bag, now she could use a bath…or a carwash.” Matthew put his arm around the thicker framed brunet he called Steven. “I want to continue what we were doing before we were interrupted.” Matthew licked the other man’s ear, and they both began to paw each other.
“Oh hell. They’re high.” Amber walked up to them and snapped her fingers.
“Amber…they are distracted, but no less dangerous, why not let me…” Jake moved to the front and made sure Craig and his unconscious cargo were behind him.
“Jake? Holy hell. Jake, what are you doing here? You know the Matheo is ready to kill you. And this was the reason you left?” He curled his lip at my daughter. The cocky little shit waved off a growl from both Jake and myself. “I get it. But it’s not like you can keep your little visit a secret. Or at least, we can’t.”
Jake moved to try and reason with them, but Amber waved him back.
Amber didn’t bother to cover her belly as she addressed the little prick. “Got this one, babe. So you think I’m not good-looking enough to risk death for?”
Matthew began licking Steven’s neck. Steven jumped when the other man nipped, and groaned.
“You look attractive for sure, but just not my type.” He grabbed Matthew’s crotch. “If you get my drift.”
“They are high on something and distracted, but they will remember this. We need to take them out.” I put my power behind my voice. I schooled my face, but my eyebrows twitched. Amber watched the slight stretch of hair over my eyes move, but turned her attention back to them anyway.
“I have another idea.”
Amber rubbed her stomach as she walked. A breeze picked up around us. Amber spoke in low tones and the two obvious lovers separated as if caught by a nun at a Catholic school dance. Their pupils dilated and they nodded to whatever she was saying.
