by Kate Wendley
He and Dag sat across from Vic in an obnoxiously cluttered basement. Anthony’s features were masked to look like a man he’d seen in an article online. Short blond hair and no scar, nothing remarkable or distracting about him.
Vic was the loner vampire that found and cared for the humans, then charged others for feedings and other uses of his pets. Anthony had met the man twenty years ago when he first came to town. It was common courtesy for a vampire to greet the Master of a territory, and Vic reluctantly did his duty back then, along with a few others who were seeking asylum in Atlanta. He hadn’t had any problems with Vic since he’d been here, but apparently he hadn’t been watching him closely enough.
Anthony tried to curb his anger as he sat in the dimly lit basement. Dark, melodic music played in the background, and more than one vampire was openly feeding from a human pet. He found that more than a little obscene. He’d been alive a long time, had seen many things, but a feeding was a private thing. It was too intertwined with feelings, emotions, and overwhelming sensations. It was disrespectful to treat it as an exhibition.
Dag tossed a woman’s shirt and bra off the arm of the sofa and onto the floor near where she lay face down, bare from the waist up, with multiple bloody bites on her shoulders.
Vic playfully winced, aware that his possible new client found this display distasteful, though he tried to play it off like it was all in good fun.
He sounded congenial enough when he said, “Well, Dag, you brought me a new customer? How very kind of you. Didn’t think you actually liked us all that much, though you keep coming back.”
Dag shrugged noncommittally, which came across as an over exaggerated gesture because of his size.
Anthony didn’t say anything. Vic would recognize his voice once he spoke, and he wasn’t in the mood to waste energy on masking that as well.
Luckily Vic was an overeager salesman and didn’t need any encouragement to keep digging himself a hole.
“So what are you looking for tonight, blondey? Need some blood? Sick of dealing with the families and all their rules about feedings? And don’t get me started on Doyle and his bullshit racket with the loner shifters.”
That caught Anthony’s attention. Doyle was another loner vampire, and Anthony was aware that he spent time with both vampire and shifter loners, but that was all he knew about the man. Anthony didn’t go out of his way to keep close tabs on everyone, not unless their personal business rose to the level of endangering the family. Perhaps he should pay a visit to him soon, though.
Vic leaned closer as if they were sharing secrets. “Or maybe you want a little something else. Huh? I’ve got some lovely ladies here. Men, too, if that’s your preference. Have a go with one of them, a little bite, a little blood, and I clean them up afterwards, no harm done.”
He’d heard enough. He locked eyes with Vic and slowly let his disguise fade.
**
Anthony and Dag drove to the ranch with two unconscious vampires in the trunk. He was livid that Vic’s group had so blatantly gone against his rules, but it seemed the vampire sisters Maura and Eliza had actually been the ones persuading Vic to disobey Anthony. He was willing to give Vic and the others a second chance, but not as loners. They would answer directly to him from now on, and they’d send the humans back to regular society with their minds clouded about their time with vampires.
Maura and Eliza were a different story. Perhaps if they hadn’t so boldly tried to kill him tonight they wouldn’t now be in the trunk, heading for their final resting places at the ranch.
He glared at the road as Dag drove. He felt cold and vicious. He was going to kill these two women and had even entertained the idea of killing Vic. He thought he should feel some remorse for what he was about to do, but he truthfully didn’t. If anything, he wished he’d already killed the women because then it would be over and done with and all that would be left was to dispose of the bodies. Instead he had about forty minutes to think over what he was about to do, and he didn’t like dwelling on unpleasant tasks.
“Do you know these two well?” Anthony’s own words sounded harsh in the silence.
Dag looked at him, but Anthony kept glaring at the road.
He said in his quiet bass rumble, “I tried not to. They’re not the nicest girls, as you’ve seen.”
“I’m going to kill them.”
Trees sped by for a time before Dag said, “Yeah, I know.”
“And what do you think of that, Dag? What do you think of me killing them?”
He sighed. “I think a ruler does what he has to do to keep his people safe, and sometimes it means getting his hands dirty.”
Anthony turned and looked at him finally. “They’re women.”
Dag scoffed. “Those two are not women, those two are hell on earth. If it weren’t for fear of you or Ethan coming for them, they would’ve gladly wreaked havoc killing people left and right just for the sick joy of it. They’re holy terrors is what they are. Their gender makes no difference.”
Anthony considered his words for a time before turning his attention back to the passing trees. Eventually he pulled his phone out and dialed Sebastian.
He answered Anthony’s call as he always did. “Yeah?”
“I need you and another to meet me at the ranch. I need you to make sure a fire doesn’t spread at sunrise. Bring some equipment, just in case.”
Sebastian flatly asked, “How many will I be watching over?”
“Two.”
“Are they still alive?”
“They won’t be by the time you arrive.”
“We’ll be there soon.”
Sebastian hung up and Anthony slid his phone back in his pocket.
He felt tension in the air from Dag and chose to ignore it. Dag could’ve very easily been the one back in the trunk getting ready to burn at sunrise and they both knew it. His abject honesty about the reasons he turned to the loners and lost himself in the human women in the first place made Anthony feel for the man, though. Regardless, if he ever disobeyed him again, Anthony wouldn’t be so lenient a second time.
Dag asked as quietly as was likely possible for him, “Do you want me to heal your girlfriend?”
Anthony’s mood sobered. Kaia. He’d almost forgotten that was the catalyst for him finding out about all this in the first place. “I haven’t decided yet. I won’t take any chances with her.”
Dag nodded and didn’t say anything else as he turned off the highway towards the ranch.
Chapter 28
Two thirty a.m.
Torin’s phone rang and he blearily answered it.
A man’s voice said, “Get up. We’ve got something to take care of. Meet me by my truck in the parking garage. I’ll bring coffee.”
Torin mumbled and started drifting back to sleep when the talking stopped.
The voice gruffly snapped, “Torin. Did you hear me? Get the fuck up.”
He jerked the phone back to his ear as he rolled over in bed. “What? Who is this?”
“It’s Sebastian. Get the fuck up. Now. We’ve got something to take care of.”
“Shit!” He flung the covers back, the cool air a shock just as much as the fact that Sebastian was actually calling him. “I’m up, I’m up. What’s going on?” He stumbled out of bed and turned on a light. Suzanne cringed and pulled the covers over her head.
“Meet me by my truck. Grab a couple big fire extinguishers from the supply room. An axe and a shovel, too. And wear warm clothes.” He hung up on him and Torin stared dumbly at the bed. Suzanne watched him through squinted eyes.
“What’s that all about?”
“I have no idea.” He scrambled to find his clothes, then put on an extra layer and grabbed a jacket. “See you later. Will you lock up in the morning?”
She groaned at him and he left without looking back.
**
Torin met Sebastian at his beat up truck. He already had the back gate open and reached for the extinguishers in Torin’s hands wit
hout looking at him. There were already two packed inside, along with an axe and a shovel. Torin handed him the tools he’d brought as well.
“Where are we going?”
“For a drive. Want some coffee?”
Torin reached for one of the tall cups Sebastian pointed at. “Thanks.” He carefully sipped it to see how hot it was, then downed the whole thing. He tried to focus his sleep sticky eyes, then startled and jumped into the passenger seat when it looked like Sebastian wasn’t in the mood to wait around for him.
They pulled out of the parking garage and hit the road as Torin finally started to wake up. “So what’s up?”
“Vampire business at the ranch. We’ve got to make sure they don’t start the place on fire at dawn.”
“Start the place on fire? What… Oh shit. You mean a vampire’s going to burn? Who is it?”
Sebastian grumpily said, “I don’t fucking know.”
Torin grouched back, “Sorry.”
Sebastian huffed, then more calmly said, “He didn’t say, and I don’t know who all the vampires are anyway. And there’ll be two of them, not one.”
Torin stared wide eyed at the road. His brain was still a little too fuzzy to know what to think of all this.
After getting on the highway, Sebastian said, “If you want to be in on this stuff, Anthony expects whatever goes down to stay quiet. You don’t discuss it with anyone besides myself, Anthony, or Zach, and even then not unless there’s no one else around. Got it?” He turned and looked at him finally, and even though it was dark in the truck, Torin felt the weight of his gaze.
“Got it.”
Sebastian turned the radio on and stopped at a station playing thrash metal. When the song ended and the DJ started talking, he turned the sound down and said with a hint of sarcasm, “You heard anything else through your quiet grapevine about Ethan?”
Torin’s first thought was to be bitchy right back at him, and he almost was, then stopped himself. “Not much, just that they’re still doing it. Ethan’s mood’s been up and down, and I hear he’s having his fits of rage more often.”
“Fits of rage? How bad is it? Is he hurting any of the shifters over there?”
Torin shockingly realized he could feel Sebastian’s mood through their pack connection. Maybe he was finally relaxing and starting to let his wall down, or maybe he was just tired. Tired seemed more likely.
But he was oddly relieved to realize Sebastian was worried. It meant he cared. Most shifters, if not all, started their lives in Anthony’s family, then some went to live with Ethan’s family at Wild Woods, returning years later when they were ready to settle down.
Ethan’s family was mainly for twenty to thirty something year old shifters, where they went to hang out and get a little wild with each other, not having to worry about kids and families hanging around while they did it. Even so, it didn’t matter whose vampire family you were in, you were always part of the pack, and that included protection, too.
“I hear he’s still just doing the solo rage fits. He goes out to the forest behind Wild Woods or else takes off somewhere, beats on the trees and ground, then comes back all bloody and tired. I’ve never heard of him actually hurting anyone over there.”
Sebastian nodded as he kept driving.
“So what’s the deal between Ethan and Anthony, anyway?”
Sebastian glanced at him again. “I don’t know. Anthony doesn’t know, either.”
“It’s not the girl? The human?”
Sebastian shook his head. “No. It started long before she came into the picture.”
**
They got to the ranch and saw another car as they parked.
When they found Anthony and a giant vampire in a clearing, Sebastian inclined his head at Anthony while Torin stared at the bodies on the ground.
“These loners will burn at sunrise. They’re already dead, please just watch over them and make sure they don’t start the place on fire.” Anthony pointedly looked at Torin and said, “I would also appreciate it if you kept this incident between us.”
Torin numbly mumbled, “Sure thing.”
Once Anthony and the giant man left the clearing, Torin blew out a breath. “Shit. He doesn’t fuck around, does he?”
Sebastian was shoveling dirt and gravel around the bloody bodies while he tossed aside any twigs laying near them. “What do you mean?”
Torin ran his hand through his hair in shock. “I’ve never seen, I mean, I know you said there were vampires here, but now that I see them, they just look like dead people to me. Doesn’t this freak you out?”
Sebastian stopped what he was doing and stared at him. “Fucking Christ, Torin. What did you do while you were alpha? Just fuck everyone all day long? Did nothing fucked up happen during those years?”
He snarled and grabbed the other shovel, then started scooping dirt and gravel around the bodies like Sebastian was doing. “Fuck you. I wasn’t close with Anthony like you are. I wasn’t part of everything back then.”
Sebastian huffed and went back to clearing the area of anything that could catch fire. After a while he said, “Yes it freaks me out, but I’ve seen a lot worse things in Anthony’s head. This is nothing compared to that.”
Torin stopped and stared at him. “You’ve read Anthony’s mind?”
Sebastian curled his lip at him. “Of course, asshole. He was letting me drink his blood every night to help me gain control over my power. I touched his skin to drink from him and when he fed from me. I’ve been in his head more times than I can count.” He looked down and stabbed at the ground with his shovel.
“And no, he doesn’t fuck around. Once you’ve got him pissed off enough to threaten you with something, you better fucking believe he’ll go through with it. And don’t get me started on the warzones I’ve seen in his head. Shit. That dude’s been around and isn’t afraid to do what’s necessary. Don’t ever fucking forget that, no matter how calm he usually seems.”
Torin swallowed hard, remembering how incredibly fast he was when he threatened him over growling at Kaia. “You swear like a motherfucker, you know that?”
“Fuck you.”
Torin chuckled and Sebastian reluctantly did, too.
**
They sat on the ground and ate sandwiches as they waited for the sun to come up. Sebastian tried not to think of these bodies as people and let his mind wander to Jade. He could never bring her here to help him with something like this.
He turned his head towards Torin. It felt like they should be closer than they were, like they should be able to back each other up for anything, but there was a huge wall between them, one Sebastian wasn’t sure he was ready to tear down.
Torin asked, “What’s up?”
“Huh?”
Torin didn’t say anything else and Sebastian finally looked away. He finished his sandwich, then laid down and looked up at the stars. He could never tell Jade about things like this. She’d never understand that he had to be involved in this kind of stuff. He didn’t even like doing it, so how could he expect her to be able to accept this part of him?
It would be like taking her innocence away, and he wasn’t sure he could do that to her. He wasn’t even sure he should be the one to claim her virginity. She was his same age, thirty years old, and still a virgin. It was looking more and more like that was going to go away soon, maybe, but should it be with him? He didn’t feel like he was the right person for that. He was too… awful. She was nice and sweet and innocent, and he was mean and nowhere near innocent anymore.
His heart felt heavy as he had the thought that maybe it was time to let her go, before she got any more ideas about things she wanted to do for him. It shocked him when she said she drank more powerful blood for him. She’d never even talked to him about it, she just did it. But then, maybe it really wasn’t for him. She said she didn’t want her shifts to be so painful anymore, so maybe that was the real reason. Besides, she’d covered the marks he gave her, so maybe it was really onl
y him that was pretending their relationship was serious when in reality it wasn’t going anywhere.
**
Torin could feel an emotional whirlwind going on inside Sebastian. “You got something on your mind?”
“Hmm?”
“You heard me.”
“I’m just laying here. Leave me alone.”
“No you’re not. I’m your second, which means I can feel the wheels spinning in your head. Spill it.”
Sebastian sat bolt upright and it freaked Torin out. “What? What is it?”
“You can feel the wheels spinning in my head? What does that mean?”
“It means I’m your pack and I used to be alpha. I can feel things and I feel you and your guts all turned up. What’s wrong? I mean besides the obvious.” He gestured to the two vampires on the ground.
Sebastian stared at him in shock. “You’ve never had my blood, though. How can you feel anything from me?”
He shrugged. “Don’t ask me how it works, it just does.” He instantly felt frustration from Sebastian.
He popped up and mumbled, “You’re such a fucking dick.”
“Why?”
Sebastian walked aimlessly around the bodies as he mumbled, “Because.” He faced Torin and more emphatically said, “Because when I needed you as pack, you were a fucking dickhead to me, and now that I don’t need you, you decide you want to be around and be all fucking buddy, buddy.”
Torin was slowly getting over feeling stupid for trying to be friends with this asshole that he’d always hated. Now… now he realized Sebastian wasn’t just an asshole, he was just a really fucked up guy.
He soberly said, “I know and I’m sorry. I mean it. I fucked up, man. I really, really fucked up.”
After too long a silence, Sebastian huffed and walked around again.
“What about your parents? Did they bring you to the elders or anything to try to get you help?”
He grumbled, “Fuck you. My parents abandoned me. They moved out and left me alone at the complex because I was an embarrassment and a burden to them once I got this fucked up power.”
