Sword of Justice (La Patron's Sword Book 3)

by Sydney Addae

  Still, he couldn’t help but wonder if he and Hawke would get along better if it were just the two of them. And then there was Sarita to consider. He smiled thinking of her. Although he had only spoken with her once, the small tyke captivated him. He looked forward to meeting and spending time with her when they returned to the states.

  Damian hadn’t given much thought to his future, at least not while he was with Master Gordon. Someone else took care of those details, making sure he was in the right place at the right time. Things changed when his Master told him to remain with his sire before he died.

  The freedom to come or go frightened him at first. Perhaps that’s why he’d bonded with Angus. As an older wolf, he’d spent time explaining the new world Damian stepped into.

  When La Patron pulled his wolf and Damian stood on all fours…he closed his eyes to recapture the magic of that moment. In his mind he came alive that day. Being one with his wolf surpassed anything he had ever experienced and completed him on a level he had been unaware existed before now.

  When La Patron spoke to him earlier that day, well to all of them actually, but singled him out, Damian sensed a kinship with the Alpha. Working for La Patron seemed an honor, but he’d need to prove himself to both Timber and his sire. As La Patron’s litter-mate, Angus’ opinion of him carried weight, and he wasn’t sure of Damian’s loyalty. Hawke spoke plainly on that matter.

  There were times he wished for the simple days with the Liege. Although he remained busy with training, he always knew what was expected and how he’d be graded. With his sire, lines blurred, directions changed, and independent thought was critical. At times he wasn’t sure his actions were correct. But the satisfaction from doing a good job made all the difference.

  Could he return to the Liege? Even as the question flitted across his mind, he discarded it. First off, Timber would kill him to prevent him and Hawke from crossing paths in the future. Although he never said those words, Damian knew with bone chilling certainty they were true.

  Second, he liked his sire and enjoyed working with him. Initially he didn’t think he would, but the past few days they’d gotten to know each other better and he could see hanging around a bit longer. The old man had a whacky sense of humor. Since they had both surfed through each other memories he understood laughter was indeed the best medicine.

  Since he intended to remain with Hawke and Sarita, he would put more effort in knowing his sire’s mate, La Patron and his mate, and the Goddess. These individuals were the core of his sire’s world.

  Sounds of revelry from a neighboring house drew his attention. Sleep eluded him. His wolf wanted to run. Seeing the homes so close together, he realized that wouldn’t happen and decided on the next best thing. Going downstairs, he took a set of keys for the red motor bike, and a few seconds later took off down the road.

  “Damian?” Hawke said through their link.

  “Just going for a ride to clear my head. Can’t sleep.”

  “Okay, keep the link open. If you need us, we’ll be there.”

  At one point in his life he would’ve been offended if anyone offered assistance as if he couldn’t protect himself. Now he knew better. Pack mentality meant you were never alone. “Thanks, I should be back in a bit, just taking in the view.”

  Wind whipped across his face, rejuvenating him and calming his beast. The last time he’d rode a bike, he’d sat on the side of the road checking out Hawke and Timber demolish a rival pack. He chuckled at the memory. Two of them against at least ten full-bloods had been impressive.

  Pretty soon he entered a more congested area and slowed down. People flowed from one place to another, eating, drinking, and sitting outside at tables enjoying the nice weather. He parked and locked his bike before walking through the square and soaking in the local culture.

  In his studies, he’d learned of the rich history of this city and hoped he would have time to explore the acropolis and some other historical sites before they left. A buzz of excitement filled the air, infecting him. Inexplicably drawn to a small bar, he ordered a beer and looked around. That’s when it hit him.

  Full-bloods.

  After paying for his beer he took a long pull and opened his senses. Most were curious. He relaxed a bit without lowering his guard.

  “Where are you from?” a pretty brunette asked, taking the seat next to him.

  “Here and there,” he said before taking another pull from the bottle.

  She laughed. “Good answer, for me at least. Might not be good enough for some of the others.”

  Opening his senses again, he placed the bottle on the counter and looked at her. He picked up hostility from the back of the bar. Their anger buffeted him. Time to go. He smiled, nodded, and left the bar.

  Damian stopped to listen to live music, bought another beer, grabbed a gyro, and continued his impromptu tour. The music, food and beer put him in a better frame of mind even though someone followed him from the first bar.

  A beautiful hand-crafted porcelain doll caught his eye from the window of a store. Right away he thought of Sarita and, after a little haggling with the owner, purchased it. Pleased with his evening, he headed toward his bike and mentally prepared for the drive.

  As he pulled out onto the road, he noticed two other bikes pulled out at the same time. When he made it to the road leading toward Rafina and they continued to follow him, he contacted Hawke.

  “So am I being paranoid? Should I continue to the house or lead them somewhere else and deal with them?” he asked after explaining what happened that night.

  “Drive to the mouth of the neighborhood and stop. If they stop, find out what they want. We’ll be there.”

  Damian continued the drive and it wasn’t much longer before he saw the neighborhood marker where the rental was located. He pulled to the side and waved the bikes over.

  When they reached his side, he took off his helmet and met their gazes. “Did I do something to get on your bad side? Or are you just looking for a hook-up?” He grinned.

  The blond full-blood pushed forward on his bike, rolling it closer to Damian. “No. Nothing like that. You’re here without an invitation or without paying our Alpha the courtesy of an introduction. That’s rude and not tolerated.”

  Damian’s brow rose. “Really? I didn’t know that.” He placed the helmet beneath his arm and extended his hand. “How are you? I’m Damian.”

  The blond looked at his hand and sneered. “Don’t be an asshole. I’m not the Alpha.” The other rider removed his helmet and laughed.

  Damian looked around. “Where’s your Alpha? I didn’t mean to offend anyone.”

  “He wouldn’t come to you, but some of our pack is on the way,” the blond said with a look of confidence.

  “They are coming here? To meet me?” Damian asked, deliberately sounding dense. He sensed Hawke and his mate nearby, even if these two didn’t.

  “More like coming to teach you a lesson in manners.” Lights and the roar from oncoming bikes pierced the dark road before driving onto the nearby shoulder. Damian locked the doll inside the baggage case and waited. His wolf growled at the delay.

  A tall blondish guy with blue eyes and a muscular build hopped off his bike and strode to where Damian stood. The small brunette from the bar had been on the back of his bike and followed.

  “Is this the one, love?” he asked her while watching Damian.

  “Yes. Mr. Here and There in the flesh,” she said, smiling at him.

  “Says his name’s Damian and he didn’t mean to offend anyone,” the first blond on the scene said, causing the others to snicker.

  Damian counted five full-bloods including the bitch. “It wasn’t my intention to break any rules, if you tell me how to rectify this, I’d be happy to do so.” He heard Hawke’s laughter through their link and bit back a smile.

  “Get off your bike,” the blonde said.

  “Of course.” Damian got off the bike, placed his helmet on the seat, and moved aside.

&nbs
p; “Such a good little bitch,” one of the pack members said. Damian looked at the dark headed male who’d spoken and decided that one would limp home.

  “The one talking to you is Raoul, Barticus’ son,” Hawke said. “Ask him who their Alpha is. I bet its Barticus. We may have an opportunity to meet the man after all, without breaking into his home.”

  “May I ask who your Alpha is?”

  “Too late,” Raoul said with his arms crossed. “You’ve already offended him and will pay the price for that.” Two of the men rushed him. Damian wondered if they thought they were fast as he side-stepped one, allowing him to hit the ground. Damian slammed his fist into the chin of the other one, lifting him high off the ground and sending him backward, crashing into his bike.

  Maybe within their pack this brawling type of fighting worked, but Damian had been trained by bigger and better. He looked at the brunette and smiled as he hammered his fist into the back of the wolf trying to rise from the ground. Damian gave Raoul a look that clearly said, “Next.”

  No one spoke. Instead they stared wide-eyed at Damian, who stood facing them with his arms at his side.

  “Well, it seems he wants to play,” Raoul said as the bitch and dark haired man rushed toward Damian.

  Spinning he leapt into the air and kicked the dark-haired male in the face so hard the sound of breaking bones filled the air. The man spun mid-air and hit the ground. He didn’t move. Three down, two to go.

  The bitch’s high pitch growl raised the hair on his neck. He ducked just in time, missing her outstretched claws. She landed on her feet behind him. Raoul charged at the same time as the bitch. Damian waited until the last moment and leapt up and flipped over them. Stunned after slamming into each other, she fell to the ground. Raoul shook his head and turned toward him. Damian grabbed him by his shirt and pummeled his face with his fist several times, rearranging the bone structure of his face. Blood poured from Raoul’s nose and mouth.

  Damian arched his back as fire raced through his blood. The bitch had come from behind and attacked. Roaring, he threw Raoul on top of his pack-mates, turned and back-handed her, breaking her hold. She flew backward, hitting her back on the motor bike, and then slid to the ground.

  “You shouldn’t have done that,” she hissed, wiping the blood from her lip. “You have no idea what you’ve done.”

  Damian opened and closed his hand, willing the fire to cease burning in his veins. He picked up his helmet. “I defended myself against an attack from…” He counted the men lying on the ground. “Five full-bloods. Just because I don’t know the culture or rules, doesn’t mean I’m a pussy or your bitch.”

  She stood slowly, her face healing as she did. “No, but you should’ve asked before you came to our land. That was on you. Packs are everywhere in the world, even a dumbass like you should know that.”

  “Perhaps you’re right. I should’ve checked and will from now on. But this dumbass whipped you and your pack-mates’ asses. You should remember that. Not everyone who comes along will allow you to treat them without courtesy.”

  She stumbled a few times before making it to the fallen men and then kneeled, checking them out. “This is so fucked up, how are we going to explain this,” she murmured without looking at him.

  “Need help getting them on their bikes?” he offered cheerfully after checking his bike.

  She eyed him for a moment, released a stream of air and shook her head. “They’ll come around in a bit, and if it weren’t for the bikes I’d have someone come pick them up.”

  He smelled the lie in her statement. “You mean if it weren’t so obvious they’d lost a fight to a stranger, an unknown, you’d allow other pack members to see them in this condition?”

  She glared at him.

  He smiled and pulled out his cell. “Tell me who’s your Alpha and I promise not to upload these pictures to the internet,” he said while snapping photos.

  Standing, she tried to take it from him. He stared at her for a moment and allowed his beast to respond with a low, menacing growl.

  Her face whitened and she backed off.

  “You don’t plan to tell me? Is it some big secret? Do I send him an email saying I am in Athens and I apologize for not telling him sooner? How does all of this work?”

  “You cannot post those pictures,” she said, shaking her head and backing away.

  Staring at the panicked look in her eyes, he shrugged. “It’s on you. Either tell me what I asked or I upload these with captions. Maybe I’ll do a Google image search to find out who these guys are…” He stopped when her eyes widened.

  Her mouth opened and then closed. She stuffed her hands in her back pocket and looked away.

  “No? You can’t share?” He slid the phone into his bag, picked up his bike and slid on.

  He heard the sound of flesh colliding with flesh. “Oww,” the brunette moaned, lying on the ground a few feet from him with a long blade in her hand.

  Timber stood above her and then slammed the woman’s head onto the ground repeatedly with such force she passed out. Blood stained the asphalt.

  “Can’t stand bitches who fight with no honor,” Timber said, walking off toward the embankment where he and Hawke stood watching.

  “Damian, are you done playing around?” Hawke asked with humor and pride in his voice. Damian started the bike, turned it around, and drove to the house.

  Chapter 13

  The next morning after an early breakfast, which included the root to neutralize the poison the Liege created, the jeep was delivered, and they headed to the first house on the list. The brown stone cottage sat on a fairly large lot in Spata. Asia stepped out of the car a block from the house and walked down the street. Hawke and Damian waited around the corner for her.

  “After seeing that house, I’m not getting the right feel,” Damian said, looking out the car window at the children playing in the street.

  “That happens.” Hawke looked in the rear view mirror and watched Asia walk toward the car. Seeing her as a man and her ability to slip into both roles greatly impressed him. Just last night, his hands had roamed all over her soft skin. His lips followed his hands and he’d feasted on her sweetness.

  “Nasty man,” she whispered through their link while stopping in front of the house to tie her shoe.

  “You make me that way. I love the way you swing your hips when you walk, makes me think of all kinds of things.”

  Her laughter floated through their link, teasing and taunting him. “Yeah, right. I’m not picking up anything here. Maybe the next house.”

  Hawke agreed and waited until she slid in the passenger seat beside him. “Were there any heartbeats?”

  “No. No one was there.” She sat back in the seat and picked up her tablet.

  He typed the next address into the GPS and they drove northeast to Tripoli. Excessive traffic and road construction caused delays. Five hours later, they pulled into the neighborhood of the second house.

  Hawke woke Asia up. “We’re here. The house is down this street.”

  She wiped her face with her palm, straightened her clothes a bit and stepped out of the car. Hawke parked around the corner. Damian reached for the door handle and stopped. A car whizzed past them. He caught the face of the driver.

  “That’s her.”

  “Who?” Hawke asked, looking in the rear view mirror.

  “The bitch from last night, she just turned down this street.” Damian craned his neck to see where she’d gone.

  “Okay, thanks.” Hawke passed the information onto Asia.

  “Small, white car just pulled into the driveway,” Asia said, moving past the house. “At least three others on the inside. Two on one level, a third on the lower level. All full-bloods.” She entered the car and Hawke pulled off.

  “I’ll have Chacal get a complete run down on that house,” Hawke said, pulling onto a main road. His stomach growled. “We’ll grab a bite to eat, let traffic die down, and then head out.”

  He t
urned off and pulled into a restaurant parking lot. After they sat down, an older man came and took their orders. The stench of fear radiated off the guy. Due to his size, many full-bloods reacted that way in his presence. He hoped it sped up the delivery of their food.

  Moments later, the hairs on Hawke’s neck rose. Asia picked up his discomfort and moved her chair to limit anyone from coming at her from behind.

  “Someone’s coming, the old man may have called reinforcements,” Hawke warned Damian.

  “To serve chops? Maybe they killed a pig and are bringing the meat in fresh,” Damian said, grinning as he moved so he could see the door.

  Hawke passed on the pups remarks to Asia, they both laughed.

  “You may be right,” Asia told Damian.

  The roar of several engines in the parking lot filled the air. Hawke moved from the table and stood at the counter. Asia stood and leaned against the wall. Damian remained seated as the door opened. Ten full-bloods piled into the restaurant.

  “Geo, you promised no trouble, take this outside, please.” The older man came from the back and spoke with his hands, pleading.

  A tall, dark haired man with tawny eyes nodded at the man but stared at Hawke. “Ciao, Mino. We’ll take care of you as always.” He slapped the stooped older guy on his back and then stepped toward Hawke. “I’m Geo, beta of the Athens pack. Last night you attacked my pup and his friends.”

  Damian stood and turned to face the men. “No. Last night your pup and his friends attacked me. I fought them.”

  Geo frowned as he looked at Damian. “You fought them, alone?”

  Damian nodded.

  “Why should I believe you? They claimed they were attacked by outsiders. We have been searching for you all morning.” He placed his thumb in his jean pocket and rocked back on the heels of his shoes.

  “I suggest you ask them again and listen for the truth this time. If you listen to me now, you’ll know I am telling the truth, lies smell a particular way,” Damian said. Hawke bit back a smile, but noticed Asia smiled.