by Sky Winters
I can’t do that to him.
No, he couldn’t. He also couldn’t stand the idea of Angelina going back to Joaquin. Or being without her.
He should leave it alone. On her own, she stood a chance.
She could get somewhere she could blend in and not be noticed. He knew there were smaller cities, like Austin, with crazy good music scenes. Angelina belonged somewhere like that, in a place where she could have a life that was solely hers and nobody else’s. If she went alone, a lone shifter with no allegiances and posing no threat, she’d be accepted if not tolerated.
His phone rang. He didn’t recognize the number, and he was tempted to ignore it. He decided at the last minute to answer and as soon as he did, his heart swelled with both joy and worry.
“Drake?” Angelina said softly.
“I’m here.” He stopped and stood there, his eyes closing and his heart filling. “No matter what, I’m here.”
CHAPTER 11:
Drake ditched the bike in a parking garage on the fringes of Hollywood. Angelina parked in a space not far from his and they stood there, looking at each other. Her face was wan and pale, and dirty, too. He had hugged her earlier but he did again. Her whole body shook as she leaned into him and whispered, “Drake, I’m scared.”
“I know.” Me, too. I’m scared I’m going to get you killed. “We have to move and fast. There’s muties around, and… and we need to avoid them as long as possible.”
“Why?”
He didn’t want to tell her just yet. She was shocked and scared and at the end of her strength, too. Being alone in the mountains had hit her hard, and he had a feeling there was more to it than even that.
“I just don’t want anyone who might think to tell Joaquin where you are to spot us.” He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile and took her hand. The only thing she took out of the car was the guitar, which he carried, and a small bag of clothes.
She tucked the keys into her pocket and they set off, walking down the sidewalk hastily. There was a sprawling motel not far and Drake said, “That’s where we are headed. It’s not fancy, but I think it might be clean. No promises, though.”
She chuckled. “I don’t really care right now. I just want some food, a shower and a bed.”
He wanted a bed, too, with her in it. His steps quickened, and they stepped into a musty and faded lobby where he paid cash and didn’t have to tender an ID, a good thing, but not a good sign.
The room was equally musty. The curtains had moth holes and the comforter and carpet smelled like stale cigarette smoke. The bathroom was reasonably clean however and as much as he wanted to join her in there, Drake had a feeling Angelina needed a minute alone. He called for pizza and sat down on the bed, his teeth worrying his bottom lip.
He’d left his phone on his bike, in a saddlebag. Safer that way. It also cut him off from any communication with anyone who might be able to help them.
Not that he had any idea of who might be willing to aid him in running away with a wolf shifter, and one promised to the Alpha of the pack.
Angelina came out of the bathroom and all of his thoughts vanished like dust. She held a towel, thin and threadbare, up over her breasts, but it did nothing to hide her lush and gorgeous body.
Her thick black hair hung in a wet sheet. Little beads of water ran off the strands, forming little wet trails that slid down the pert slope of her breasts and fired up his lust to an unimaginable height.
“Come here,” he said, and she came, dropping the towel as she did so. The sight of her tits, with the nipples already hardened and thrusting upward, the gleam of her skin, and the smile on her face as she sauntered into the bed, nearly did him in.
He undressed so fast he nearly tore his shirt and then he moved on top of her. His hands roamed her body and his tongue followed. He needed her too much to be slow or subtle. It had taken a toll on him, being separated from her, and he wanted her so badly he could scarcely breathe.
Her skin was smooth and tight, and he let his mouth find the flesh between her legs, his tongue going into her body to taste the fluids gathered there at the entrance to her snug sheath. Her fingers grabbed at his hair, and he let her hold on as he licked her clit, not bothering to go slow, driving her to an orgasm as fast as he could, because he knew the minute he started to fuck her he was going to erupt. His cock, swollen and throbbing, was ready and he wanted to be inside her tight depths more than he had ever wanted anything in his entire life.
Salty-sweet fluids spilled over his tongue, coated his chin. Drake moved upward and entered her all in one long smooth motion. His ass clenched as he plunged into her and withdrew, too eager to wait. The feel of her pussy pulsing around him as she rode the aftershocks of her orgasm was a pleasurable thing all in itself and he stayed inside her for a moment, grinding his hips hard before pulling out and entering her again.
Her legs wrapped around his waist, holding him there as his hips jerked and bucked and his breath got faster and faster still. His cock pounded, and he could feel his balls tightening and creeping upward as he got closer to coming.
His eyes closed. Her body writhed under his. His cock filled her wet and slippery passage and he withdrew, knowing that the next thrust would be the last one, the one that would send him over the edge.
It was. He came so hard his body shuddered and jerked. His hands gripped her shoulders tightly and she whimpered, a quick exclamation of pain that made him loosen that hold as his seed, thick and hot, poured out of his cock and splashed into her walls.
Angelina murmured, “Did you hear something?”
He did then. A tap on the door. He groaned out, “I think it’s the pizza. Fuck it. I’m staying right here.”
Angelina rolled him off her body and said, “Uh uh. Go get the food!”
CHAPTER 12:
Still glowing from the lovemaking, Angelina reclined on the pillows, a slice of sausage and mushroom pizza in one hand. The gooey melted cheese and thick crust was delicious, much better than the rough meals she had been making do with.
Drake was also eating, but in between bites, he was strumming chords on her guitar and singing snatches of songs to her.
Angelina finished her slice and asked, “Drake, what happens next?”
He set the guitar down. His eyes were troubled. “I don’t know. Honestly, I should let you go. I mean, you deserve a chance to be the great singer you are, but if you stay with me…”
He let the sentence dwindle off. He didn’t have to say the rest.
“I made up my mind, up there in the hills. I want you, Drake, and well…” She paused. “You know shifters have babies faster?”
He nodded. “Yeah, biologically speaking, sure. Why?”
“Because we’re having one.”
His mouth dropped open. “What?”
Well, at least he didn’t run as soon as the words were out. “I’m pregnant.”
Drake dropped the pizza. It hit the sheets, leaving a stain. Not that she figured that would matter that much. The sheets were pretty dingy anyway.
“You… you… I thought two different species… I… you see, I couldn’t… You know, that is why I was not named Alpha.”
“I know. I don’t know what happened.” Oh no. Was he doubting he was the father? It was possible. How could she blame him if he did? They were different and there had never been a child born of two species of shifter, as far as she knew. It was supposed to be genetically impossible and he had been denied the Alpha spot for his inability to produce kids.
“Wait. How did they know you couldn’t?” she asked.
He gave her a wary glance. “It’s not like I was a virgin when I met you.”
“I know that. But did you try to have kids?”
He shrugged. “Well, in my pack, monogamy isn’t exactly a thing. I mean, I had a few who were in heat and they never got pregnant so, well, it was just assumed.”
“But Morgan could have kids?”
Drake’s face darkened. “He ha
d a mate he wanted to be with for life, but she died.”
“Oh.” There was something there, and she did not want to know what it was. It was personal and it was none of her business until he decided, if he decided, to make it her business.
Drake burst into laughter. “I guess I proved them all wrong, didn’t I?”
I’m going to have a heart attack. I am. Does this mean he’s okay with this?
Am I okay with this?
Drake paused. “Angelina, you do know we can’t… I mean, how will we know what it will shift as?”
She lifted her shoulders and dropped them. “I don’t know,” she admitted. Her chest gave off a powerful ache. “What if it’s something that is both wolf and bear? Is that even possible?”
“I guess we’ll see.”
“That sounds pretty nonchalant.”
He shrugged. “I guess. I just don’t know what to say to that one. I’ve never heard of it happening. If it has, nobody’s talking about it.”
He had a point. That didn’t halt the worry growing in her being. “I’m afraid that something will… that our child will be something they try to kill. They exile muties, you know. They send mutie kids away as soon as they know for sure they can’t shift at will, and I don’t know where they’d send a child like ours, but I know one thing.” Her hand curled protectively around her belly. Her fingertips grazed the still flat flesh there and her eyes lifted to his. “They’ll take my child over my dead body.”
Drake’s eyes glowed. His face wore an intent expression. “Our dead bodies,” he corrected her. “No way am I letting them take our child.”
Her breath caught and held. He meant it. They were in this together, and he would stand with her and for their baby. Her voice was husky as she said, “Maybe we better run. I don’t know where. There has to be somewhere we could go.”
“I thought that, too, at first, but we can’t now. You have to know that, Angelina. We can’t run forever, and we can’t hide forever.”
No, they couldn’t. Their child would be something so different he or she would be bound to draw attention unless they hid that baby away from everyone and even if they succeeded in hiding the child from shifters, humans would sense the difference, just like some humans sensed the difference in her, and Drake.
“Then what do we do?”
His teeth gnawed at his bottom lip. “I didn’t want to talk about this tonight, but we have to. Joaquin’s started a war with the muties. He claims you are with a bear mutie and now the muties, outraged and being accused and having the wolf pack riding through their territory, are rebelling.”
Oh, my God! Her mouth hung open. Stunned and infuriated, and very frightened now, she said, “He thought you were a mutie?”
Drake shook his head. “No. I don’t believe that he did. Patel…”
“The tiger?”
“The same. He came into bear territory. He thinks Joaquin is deliberately stirring the pot so we have to fight the muties. Then, when the smoke clears, all the territory belonging to the tigers would be up for grabs.”
“The tigers were the ones who created mutie laws.” Angelina’s brow furrowed. “And they have the smallest pack. Their numbers have dwindled over the years—from what I hear, they barely have four or five dozen shifters in their ranks now.”
“That’s about right. Wolves, on the other hand, number in the hundreds in your pack alone and there’s wolf packs all over LA. There’s been peace for the most part, and all that, and if they had to band together for a common enemy, that would only reinforce their one-ness.”
“Joaquin has the biggest and strongest pack. The other packs are small, a dozen or so here and there. If they all banded together under Joaquin, he’d run the largest shifter pack in the city.” A vertical slash appeared between her eyes. “What about the bears?”
“We number in the hundreds, and we have an army of humans—criminals and psychopaths, for the most part. If they don’t know about the shifter thing, they will, and what’s more, they won’t care. Not if there’s blood, money, and territory up for grabs.”
“The tigers’ territory.”
“Exactly. It’s the one territory that’s run on legit money, and Magda wants it so she can launder the very large amounts of money we bring in. She’s using Joaquin, grooming him for this, if you want the truth.”
Her breath hissed in and out of her lungs. “She’ll kill him.”
“I’m sure.” Drake laid a hand on her shoulder. “She’s likely already got a replacement for him all lined up, too. Probably a wolf with ambition and not a lot of power, one she can manipulate.”
She had to tell him about Mario. She took a deep breath yet again. “My brother, Mario…”
“The non-shifter.”
A small laugh escaped her mouth. “That’s what we always thought. He can shift. He did shift when he came to see me up there. He told me that Sam’s working with the muties.”
“Then he’s Magda’s pigeon. She’s playing on both sides. She’s likely sent him in there to make a deal of some kind.”
Confusion surfaced. She leaned closer to him. The point of one of her shoulders met his, bringing warmth to her body, but it was not enough to dispel the chill creeping across her. “Why would she do that?”
“Because the muties are an army. If she controls them, she could control everything. The entire city.”
Her shoulder slumped. “She’s going to get Sam killed.”
“I know.”
“Why?” She got out of bed. “What is it about power that some have to have it? Would do anything for it?”
“I don’t know, but I only see one way for this to play out, Angelina. I want a life with you. I want our child safe, if not totally accepted. There’s only one way to do that.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I can’t kill Morgan. I can’t. First of all, he may be the strongest ally that we have, not just against the muties either, but against Magda.”
Okay. I get that. I just don’t get the rest of what he is trying to say here. “You’re going to have to break it down to me, Drake.”
He’d set the guitar aside earlier and now he clambered out of the bed carefully so as not to harm the delicate instrument. “There’s only one way to put an end to this that I can see. We have to take over Joaquin’s pack.”
Shock rippled through her. She swayed on her feet. “You can’t kill him, Drake. That would mean war.”
His eyes were steady. “I know I can’t.”
Her! He meant she had to kill Joaquin! Distrust raised its ugly head. How did she know that this, any of this, was not some elaborate plot cooked up by the bear pack? How did she know she could trust Drake?
Her heart spoke then. She did trust him. She did. She trusted him and she loved him and the child growing in her belly would need the protection only an Alpha could give. Morgan, as Alpha of the bear pack, could give that on Drake’s side, which was why Drake could not kill him—that and the pack would never accept Drake, even if their theory that he could not bear children had just been proven wrong.
I just said I would kill for my child. I meant that. Now I have to actually do it. There are no other options. She nodded her head. “That won’t solve the issue with the muties though. If they’re already spoiling for a fight, they will come anyway.”
“Magda has them whipped up with this. I don’t have any doubt she told Joaquin to say it was a mutie. I also have no doubt that she might have an idea, a damn good one, that it was me.”
Pain lanced through her. Drake was a pawn in a game his mother was playing, and he knew it. He was a powerful man and a powerful shifter and… and maybe Magda had deliberately set him aside for just that reason. Morgan was likely easier for her to control, and it would have been easy enough to level an accusation of sterility onto Drake and displace him.
She asked, “When?”
“I’d say tomorrow. We both need rest, and we need a plan. We need help, too.”
“I
s there anyone we can trust?”
His face showed how conflicted he was. There were shadows in his eyes and his lips compressed into flat lines. “I want to say yes, but I think the best thing to say is that there might be a few who want the same things we want, and hope they are willing to work with us on that goal.”
“I’m with you,” she said softly. “No matter how this pans out.”
Drake swept her back into his arms. The steady thud of his heartbeat rang out in her ear. “And I’m with you.”
CHAPTER 13:
Morgan gawked at the two of them and at Patel and the woman with him. Drake studied Morgan’s face; seeing the strain on it caused an ache in his gut but there was not much he could do about it just then.
“You want our approval to battle your Alpha?” the woman asked.
Angelina nodded. “You know it’s an old law. It was redacted because of the infighting in the packs but… but we need to use it now.”
The woman, a beautiful creature with honey-colored skin and dark eyes and hair, leaned forward. Her scarlet dress floated around her slender body, giving her the impression of fragility but Angelina was not fooled. Aya was one of the most powerful shifters in LA, and maybe even the country. She was tiger, and it showed in the lithe and supple way she moved and her restlessness as she prowled along the room. “We’d be putting ourselves at risk for that. We will already bear the brunt of the muties wrath, and now you want us to bear the brunt of the wolf pack’s wrath as well.”
“My daughter is correct in that. We’d be opening ourselves to more retribution. You,” Patel pointed a finger at Morgan, “can afford it. Magda may even forgive you for it, since she can always deny she had any part in any of this, but us? We’d be overridden, and we have no guarantees that either pack, wolf or bear, would stand with us.”
Morgan shook his head. “I don’t want to believe that Magda had any part of this but… I can see it. I know what she is, and I also know she can’t be allowed to continue. That’s a matter for another day. You have my word there will be no retribution from my pack.”
Drake held his breath. The meaning of those words was clear enough. Morgan would have to either kill or depose their mother. There was no other way and the tension in Morgan’s face and body told Drake just how seriously he took what he had just said—and how much it hurt him to say so.
