Beast Within (Loup-Garou Series Book 3)

by Sheritta Bitikofer

  Another figure stepped out into the night, and Katey froze beside the motorcycle. In the dim light, she couldn’t be sure, but she knew that she had seen that face before once in the halls at the convention center in Alaska and once again the bowels of a vampire dungeon. Of course, in the dungeon he was clad in only a loincloth to hide his nakedness.

  Now, he wore a white button-down shirt that gleamed in the moonlight, tucked into a pair of faded jeans. His thick beard that covered the lower half of his face was tinged with silver, similar to Darren’s, but his eyes were more the color of black coffee.

  Gregory was a tall man, towering at least a foot over Michael and broad like a linebacker. He was intimidating, as any member of the rougarous would be, and she could see the uncanny resemblance to his son, Erik, in the way he lifted his chin and smirked down at them with arrogant smugness.

  He stood beside Michael with his hands clasped behind his back, watching the new arrivals. Logan’s posture stiffened with his stance wide, as if he were ready to charge up the porch and attack Gregory at the first ill-spoken word.

  Lily and Forrest hopped out of their truck. Lily joined Katey, but Forrest stood with his chest out and brows knitted over his nose. The loups-garous present all knew one another, and the relations were far from amicable.

  Through her own riotous feelings and persistent agony, Katey felt suffocated by their shared contempt for the alpha. Gregory had personally done nothing to them. It was Erik who deserved the death sentence in their eyes for the murder of their close friends in Chicago during the Prohibition. His father didn’t help matters in any way, but neither did he encourage the butchery.

  Gregory only represented a small percentage of loups-garous who were scattered across the country in various packs that held no regard for the life of the humans they had to coexist with. When Darren once explained it to her, she learned that the rougarous took the law into their own hands and did away with murderers, rapists, and child molesters. They killed them when the government couldn’t find them or didn’t dish out the justice they thought was appropriate.

  Although Katey didn’t believe in vigilante tactics, she couldn’t hate a man for trying to get rid of the scum of the earth. It was his disregard for human life that made him such an enemy to Logan and the Devians and other loups-garous of the world.

  They were the monsters told in storybooks, back before they changed their targets from the innocent to the criminals. It was loups-garous like them that made their kind feared by the masses and the stars of sensational horror films. It was they who inspired the hunt against loups-garous.

  “I’m sure you have all met Gregory Jennings,” Michael formally introduced, gesturing to the alpha of the rougarous beside him.

  The alpha gave a short nod to the group but said nothing.

  “You said this was a safe place, Michael,” Logan grumbled.

  Michael frowned. “And it is. Gregory is aware of the consequences if he misbehaves and I’m sure I don’t have to tell you the same.”

  Logan didn’t move.

  Gregory took a step forward and sighed. “I’ve come to speak with Michael about the peace gathering. I have elected to come as a representative of my pack.”

  Forrest guffawed. “You? Peace? What do you know about that?”

  Gregory sneered. “I’ve lived twice as long as you, boy. I know the difference between peace and war. My pack doesn’t like the feud between the vampires and our kind any more than you do. This past December should have proven that enough.”

  They all knew what the vampires were capable of. They didn’t discriminate against the good and bad loups-garous. They were all dogs, just the same, and Gregory had every right to wish for peace too. She couldn’t forget how they all fought side-by-side in the castle foyer and that was what made Katey respect him more than anything else.

  To lead by example, Katey moved away from her friends and stepped on the porch to stand in front of Gregory.

  After a tense moment, he blinked and gave a short bow to Katey, recognizing her as the one who held the spirit of peace. Through the constant pain she felt in every drop of blood in her body, she reached out and offered her hand to him.

  A grin curled his mouth, and he shook it in return. For a loup-garou who was supposed to represent the worst of their kind, Katey did not sense any evil in him. Beneath his cold exterior, she could see that he meant well. That was plain to her when he ordered Erik off her that day at the charity luncheon and when he thanked her for her assistance at the castle. It made her wonder if, just like the vampires, they had all misjudged one another.

  Logan, Forrest, Lily, and Anton moved onto the porch. Unlike her, the other loups-garous did not show their esteem in the same way. Forrest averted his eyes while Logan let a short, but hostile growl at the alpha before guiding Katey away.

  They all made their way through the front door upon Michael’s invitation. Katey almost expected the inside to be as dingy as the outside and in want of serious cleaning.

  The foyer was brightly lit but bare in the way of furnishings. A few oil paintings hung upon both walls with candle sconces separating them. Ahead was a stunning staircase, the polished wood gleaming in the candlelight and treads lined with red carpet. At the top of the stairs was a corridor that stretched across the second floor.

  The door to the right was closed, and Michael led them into the parlor on the right.

  Katey gasped at the traditional beauty that they had stepped into. The parlor was crowded with ornate, antique furniture styled with complex wood veneer designs in the tabletops and red velvet upholstery on the chairs and sofas around the room. The freshly polished floor was covered in Persian rugs with hand-woven designs. An immense fireplace gave the room adequate warmth and heat while a chandelier hanging from the ceiling over twelve feet above them glittered with crystals and candles.

  Above the fireplace was a mirror that reached to the ceiling with an intricately detailed golden edge around it. Candelabras perched upon the mahogany mantle and dark emerald, velvet curtains trimmed in gold fringe framed the windows along the front of the house.

  A few vases and other knick-knacks sat upon the mantle and table tops. Michael’s decorators had kept the spirit of the plantation alive with their attention to detail and admiration for finery that the previous owners of the mansion must have enjoyed.

  Logan stood by Katey in the doorway as others made their way into the parlor. Michael finally picked up on the fact that a human was in their midst and turned to Lily.

  “I don’t believe we have met, miss. My name is Michael Gennari. Welcome to my home.” The old vamp took her hand and kissed the back of it with all the gentlemanly poise that Katey came to expect out of her grandfather.

  Lily blushed. “Lily Rangan. I’ve heard a lot about you,” she replied.

  Michael grinned. “I hope you will not judge me from of the opinions of others, but on what you find me to be.”

  Forrest moved in and wrapped his arm protectively around Lily. “We’re engaged to be married,” he stated with a challenging smile. Katey snorted, knowing that Michael would have picked up on Forrest’s territorial airs. Apparently, Logan wasn’t the only one who didn’t appreciate other men flirting with their women.

  Michael nodded and grinned. “You have my congratulations. Do send me an invitation.”

  The couple took a loveseat by the fireplace, and Lily gave Forrest a questioning look as if she didn’t understand the one-sided power struggle that just took place.

  The vampire looked to Katey and Logan. “You must have had a long journey, but I am thrilled to see you safe at last.” He gestured toward one of the unoccupied sofas after giving Katey a tight hug. “Come, you’re weary. Take a rest, and I’ll have someone fetch you a meal.”

  At the mention of food, her stomach joined in to torture her body further. She opened her mouth to protest and say that she wanted to go to bed, but Logan gave her a light nudge, and she obeyed.

  The sofa wa
s not nearly as hard as she anticipated it to be. Then again, anything would have been comfortable compared to the hard seat on Logan’s motorcycle. No number of comfy sofas or plush mattresses would ease the bombarding pain. Every muscle ached, every bone felt as if it were splintered, her flesh raw to the touch and even her senses dulled every now and again, making her believe she was going to faint.

  She looked around at the faces in the room, but they blurred in the firelight. When she blinked, they came back into focus for only a few seconds. Their voices were little more than a garbled roar at times. When a servant vamp came into the room and presented the loups-garous with a plate of meaty hors d'oeuvres, she couldn’t even smell it.

  After a few seconds of stillness, Katey reached out and picked up a slice of meat and nibbled as if she weren’t hungry at all. The roiling and seizing of her inner organs made her wonder if she could even keep anything down. All she wanted to do was sleep.

  After a few bites, Katey finally registered that the group had been carrying on some conversation without her and she hadn’t a clue what they were talking about. She looked in the direction of her grandfather. Sure, that she was cutting off someone who was speaking, she asked, “Can I be shown to whatever room I’m staying in? I don’t feel well.”

  Logan turned to her, his comforting arm slipping around her hips. “What’s wrong, Katey?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “I’m just tired,” she replied and lowered her eyes, knowing that every gaze in the room was on her.

  Michael’s voice broke the breathless silence. “Of course,” he said. “Anton, please take Katey to her room upstairs.”

  Katey wanted to cringe at the mention of the stairs, unsure if she would be able to climb them or not. Anton helped her to her feet and escorted her out of the parlor, leaving Logan alone on the sofa.

  When they came to the foot of the stairs, Katey tried to lift her feet high enough to reach the first tread, but her joints protested.

  “Anton, I might need you to carry me,” she whispered, hoping that Logan wouldn’t hear. He didn’t need to worry about her any more than he already did. They were all concerned, she could sense that instantly. Whatever this was, Katey was sure that it would pass after a good night’s rest.

  When Anton lifted her into his arms and carried her upstairs, Katey marveled that she didn’t feel jarred or uncomfortable in the vampire’s care. It was as if he took no steps at all, just glided upwards like he was mist or fog.

  Somewhere between the corridor and her bed, Katey fell unconscious.

  “If there are hunters in the bayou, then why did you ask all of us to come here from Crestucky?” Logan hollered at Michael.

  It had been an hour since Katey went up to bed and through the haze of fretfulness about what ailed her, Logan was still able to contribute to the conversations.

  After Forrest had told Michael all about their staying with Will and the other loups-garous in the swamps, the vampire ordered him to call his great-uncle and have them come up to the mansion. He claimed the bayou was not safe, but wouldn’t say why until now.

  Up until that point in the discussion, they conversed about the details of what happened in Alabama with the safe-house. Through the vampire grapevine, the coven leader had learned of the dire straits that the Devians were in and under Michael’s direction, set up a sentry around their compound but far enough out of range that the Devians wouldn’t know they were there.

  When the hunters came, they tried to fight them off but with the lack of experience regarding loup-garou hunters, the vampires faltered, and a few leaked through their blockade. The Devians were well armed, however, and with the vampires trapping the hunters in and the loups-garous fighting back from the inside, they didn’t stand a chance.

  Forrest’s life had been saved by a vamp who sacrificed himself for the Devians. Logan had never seen a more grateful man. Lily, on the other hand, stared blankly at the floor, her heart racing as they talked of the body count. These were things that the loups-garous and vampires were accustomed to. Death and massacres were part of their lives when dealing with one another and the hunters who hated them. For a human, the destruction must have been difficult to grasp.

  Another thing that Forrest could confirm was that Jacob, his alpha, was alive and well. He and many of the others went to their alternative safe house in Georgia. With the detachment of hunters taken care of, they were safe for a little longer. The alpha’s phone was destroyed in the raid, hence why he was unable to contact Darren or the others about what happened.

  Logan especially watched Gregory’s expression during the debriefing. The rougarou alpha stayed perfectly neutral the entire time. Although Katey seemed to be willing to set aside differences and trust Gregory, Logan was not. They had betrayed their pack once before, and he could do it again just as easily.

  If Katey were there, he would have asked what she empathetically read off the alpha.

  If Gregory had sent the hunters to Alabama or Crestucky, it would explain his pack’s sudden departure even before Darren and Jacob had been aware of the threat. Now, with him in Louisiana, there was no telling what he might have been up to.

  Anton stood behind Michael’s wingback chair, silently observing the group with severe eyes. Logan didn’t trust him either. It was too convenient the way he swooped in and interceded in the fight at the bar on Bourbon Street. Not to mention that he had heard too many stories about Anton for Logan to simply give up any entrenched cynicism he carried for the vampire.

  They were nothing but ghost stories and legends to many, but now Logan knew there was a flesh and blood vampire behind the tales. The fearless, ruthless assassin of the vampire horde was in the same room with them, idly standing by and waiting for orders from Katey’s grandfather. It seemed too unbelievable. Logan always pictured Anton to be hulking and monstrous, but besides his silent intensity, no one would have suspected him to be the villain of so many horror stories.

  Who was to say that he hadn’t been waiting for them the whole time? Yes, he worked for Michael, but it was too easy the way he was able to convince everyone to come to the mansion. Michael had an alpha and three other loups-garous in the prime spot for holding as hostages if needed. Although, with Katey here, would that truly be Michael’s intention?

  Paranoia had ruled every decision since they left Crestucky and especially since they left the compound. With Michael telling him that the reason he had them all come to Louisiana was that hunters were also in Louisiana, none of it made sense. If he needed to, he was ready to barge upstairs, grab Katey and whisk them far away from hunters and vampires alike.

  “Because, Logan, we have been keeping track of the hunters. What better place to be than in the eye of the storm? They would never suspect it.”

  Logan gripped the edge of the sofa, his nails digging into the old wooden frame. “And what if they do? We thought they wouldn’t know where the safe house was, but they found it anyway. Who’s to say they won’t find us here?”

  “My guards are constantly patrolling these woods. If a human stepped one foot on this property, they would know.”

  Logan sneered. “We were nearly killed back in Crestucky when a hunter snuck up on us on your guard’s watch. To me, your guards mean nothing.”

  Michael neatly folded hands in his lap and his eyes went flinty. “I received the full report from that guard, and we have learned a valuable thing about the hunters. Somehow, they have invented a scent-masking formula that eliminates all body odor. My guards have been informed of this development and are no longer relying on their noses. Instead, we’re focusing on our sense of hearing. No human can mask their heartbeat or breathing from a vampire. It’s what draws us to our prey.” He gave Logan a slightly sinister smile. “And since we have no heartbeat, out in the empty forest they will be easy to catch.”

  Logan was nearly satisfied. “Why have you been watching the hunters? If you know where they are, why not just wipe them out?”

  One of Micha
el’s fingers shot up. “One has already won the war if you know your enemy well enough. We have been watching their movements and listening into conversations. Their headquarters are fortified against other werewolves, but not a vampire. We have been able to sneak in unnoticed and learn what it is they want.”

  Lily looked up. “What do they want?” she asked, a ribbon of nervousness rattling her words.

  Anton finally spoke in his thick Russian tongue, “From what we can gather, they’re after one werewolf. They know approximately where he is at, but they haven’t said a name. Wherever he was, he was in Crestucky. The headquarters are getting reports in every day, and a few days ago, they received a call saying that they might have found him. That’s when they attacked the Devians and those still left in Crestucky.”

  Every vampire and loup-garou in the room froze when they heard an other-worldly halloo come from across the lawn outside. They all turned to look out the window, but Forrest only smiled.

  “What in God’s name was that?” Gregory asked.

  Chapter Seventeen

  He got his answer a moment later when the front door swung open. Along with the stench of swamp and outdoors, came a small band of loups-garous and the vampires who were escorting them. Tracking mud into the foyer, they came to the parlor and stood in the doorway.

  The first three that led the group were dressed in tattered trousers and shirts that looked to belong in another decade. Their hems were sopping with bayou muck and hair disheveled. Darren once called this particular band of loups-garous “swamp wolves” and with good reason.

  They were not uneducated or ignorant but favored the lives of hermits in the swamps where the only visitor may be the occasional frog-gigger or biologist studying the unique ecosystem the swamps had to offer. As a result of their lifestyle, certain things never changed.

  “Bonjour, Teddy!” Forrest greeted from his place on the loveseat.

  The loup-garou in front grinned and gave a sweeping bow. His dark hair had twigs lodged between his locks and bright brown eyes full of laughter and a zeal for life. “Bonjour, mez ami!” he drawled out in traditional Creole French and turned his attention to Michael. “Thank you for the lovely invitation. I haven’t been to this side of New Orleans for quite some time. Last time I was, well, that’s not a story for lady's ears.” He slid a furtive look to Lily.