by Jessica Snow
But, the light was gone from his eyes. His quick sense of humor, which had been one of the things that his Lindsey loved about him, was gone. He didn't have little jokes for everyone any longer and rarely laughed if something funny happened. Instead, he just walked his rounds, his feet dragging and shuffling as if he were carrying a heavy burden, if not on his shoulders than on his soul.
When the news of the war, and the reasons behind it, reached Clan Mac Tire, Franklin suddenly became more animated than he had been in two years. His middle age paunch, which had gone from slight softness to outright pudginess, reversed itself, and he was seen using the Clan gym for the first time in as long as anyone could remember.
When Clan Mac Tire learned that there was a silberjagger supply depot south of Seattle in Olympia, Frank had quietly gone to Connor Mac Tire and had a deep conversation. Nobody knew what it was about, but when Frank came out, he was pale faced and sweating, but determined. He left the Mac Tire estate and got into his Jeep, the same Jeep Lindsey had been driving when she had been killed and drove off. Connor Mac Tire would not say anything about his conversation with Frank, stating that it was family business. Nobody would question the word of the Alpha Male, and the matter was dropped.
Two days later, a mysterious explosion ripped through Argentum Chemicals, which wasn't all that unexpected. The company was one of the largest fertilizer dealers in Washington, and when you have hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate and other chemicals around, things can happen.
Fifteen people, all men, died in the explosion, which destroyed three-quarters of the Argentum facility. While the fire department stated that the cause of the blaze was unknown, nobody commented on the body that was so torn apart that even identification by dental records was impossible. Without a reason to suspect foul play, no DNA analysis was done on the remains, and the incident was labeled as an accident, at least by those in the news media.
Only among Clan Mac Tire, where a small headstone was erected within the area normally reserved for members of the Alpha's family, was the truth known at first. They didn't tell the other Clans the details of Franklin Richards' life, just that he was a hero who struck the first blow.
* * *
"It's beginning," Keith said as he came into a huge, dimly lit cavernous space that Edward used as his gym, and had picked up a bit of infamy within Clan Lockwood. It was the place where Lycans went to be humbled. For Melanie, who didn't even have Lycan abilities, to use the facility was seen by many as a sign of either hardcore dedication to getting herself back in shape or absolute insanity. The jury was still out.
Melanie's body dripped with sweat as she circled the punching bag, six feet of surface which had been made out of bolted together car tires to resist the power of Lycan and Aklark punches and kicks. She had pushed herself for eight punishing rounds today after donning thick gloves and shin guards. She'd seen similar bags before in poor gyms or on Youtube, but it was a lot different punching two hundred plus pounds of reinforced rubber. Even Lycans walked out with swollen and sore knuckles after using the punishing training device.
Ignoring Keith until the bell went off, she turned and pulled off her gloves. "What's beginning?"
"The first attack," Keith said. "Connor Mac Tire just contacted me. A member of his Clan blew up a Hunter supply depot. The war is on."
Melanie nodded and knelt down, unstrapping the shin pads from her legs. Kimberly's promise of quickly 'bouncing back' from pregnancy was correct, and she'd already lost most of the weight she'd gained. Her hips were wider, the bones and muscles permanently adjusted from carrying Jay inside her, but to Keith, she was just as beautiful as ever. Standing up, she wiped her hands on the fabric of her shorts then looked at Keith. "What?"
Keith looked around the gym and saw that there was only one other person in it, a single Lycan male who was currently working hard with a set of dumbbells. Keith didn't have the heart to tell the kid that he was busting his ass with weights that Edward handled as a warmup. Finding himself ignored, he closed in quickly with his Mate before lifting her like a feather in his arms and kissing her. Within seconds, their lips were mashed together passionately, a growl rumbling in Keith's chest as the wolf inside him howled in triumph at the news of the successful attack. Lifting her up, the smell of her honest sweat and warmth of her body left him massively aroused as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He knew that Kimberly and Edward were watching Jay, and it had been so long since his Mate, his Melanie, had been like this in his arms. Eyes glowing, he glared across the gym. "You. Out. Now."
The young Lycan turned to see who was addressing him, his anger at his workout being interrupted evaporating as he saw who was giving the command. Nodding quickly, he practically sprinted out of the room, leaving his weights and water bottle behind. Keith watched the door close and carried Melanie over to the door to lock the door. Turning his eyes back to Mel, he saw the perfect understanding in her eyes, and the hunger that flared within.
"I want you," Melanie whispered in her ear. Her muscles trembled with exhaustion but she didn't care, as desire gave her newfound energy. "It's been too bloody long."
Finding a corner of the space underneath gymnastic rings that had been padded, Keith laid his Mate down on her back, his eyes staring a hole through her tank top and shorts. "Do you have a change of clothes?" he asked, his voice still containing a hint of growl to it.
"Yes," Melanie replied simply, lifting her hips. "Take me."
Keith's hands flashed forward, parting the fabric of her tank top and shorts so quickly that her nerves didn't even have a chance to register the pressure of the cloth being yanked off of her. Instead, the first sensation was the chill of the air against her suddenly naked body, goosebumps breaking out almost instantly. Keith buried his head in between her breasts, his lips devouring her skin and licking the sweat from her skin, the chill bumps being replaced by passion bumps as his warm tongue tasted her salty essence. Melanie pulled at Keith's t-shirt, yanking it up and over his head to run her hands through the silky soft hair that covered his body and the defined, powerful muscles of his upper back.
Keith wrapped his lips around her left nipple and sucked strongly. Releasing he reached down to push his jeans down his hips, freeing his cock. He was already raging hard, the normal light pink already an angry purplish-red, and Melanie knew that neither of them would last long.
"Mate me," she groaned, turning over and presenting herself to him. She needed him so badly, foreplay was forgotten. "Take me, Keith."
Keith's fingers dug into her hips, and she lowered her face to the mat, not caring if she got rug burn or not, she'd bear it with pride. No other man in the world could do to her what Keith did, the way with a subtle glance or even a simple kiss he could melt her with desire. At the same time, he respected her, treasured her, and even, she could admit, spoiled her slightly even as he let her be as independent as she wanted.
The first feeling of Keith's cock inside her felt like he was nearly splitting her open, driving her to the edge of pain and pleasure. It was nothing like they'd ever had before, and she loved it. Pushing back, they quickly fell into a rhythm, his cock hammering into her while Melanie pushed back, desperate for more and more. His fingers tightened, his need was so great, adding to the waves of pleasure that crashed over her over and over as his cock pounded her into submission.
Too soon, Melanie found herself quivering, her pussy clenching and squeezing his cock as she was on the edge of orgasm, her body racked with spasms. Keith's hips smacked against hers, the sharp strikes giving a steely edge to the warm waves of pleasure cascading through her body. The waves built, higher and higher, until they finally crashed and broke into trembling orgasm that left her moaning her pleasure into the mat while Keith howled, his cock filling her with his beautiful essence.
Keith pulled her to him, the two of them rolling to the side and lying on the mat, Melanie's fresh sweat cooling in the air of the gym. "I think this is against the rules of the gym," Melanie gigg
led as she pressed back against her. "I'm going to have to talk to the owner."
"The owner notes your comment, and dismisses the complaint," Keith laughed and kissed his Mate again. "I just, after the news and seeing you there, so strong and determined, I had to.”
"I know what you mean,” Melanie replied. "Remember, our Link is eternal. Once I focused on you, I felt everything, and I agree with you. We shouldn’t just be somber, nor celebrate the death of our enemies, but celebrate the life we have, and take joy in it."
Keith smiled and pulled Melanie against him. They lay there for a minute until he gathered her into his arms even tighter, rolling and lifting her as he stood up. "Speaking of knowing each other through our Link, I can tell you're getting cold. How about a quick warm shower and change before we let everyone back in? Hope there isn't too much of a crowd outside."
Chapter 50
Kim crept slowly over the rooftops of the War Zone, thinking back to the last time she had been in the corrupt, crime-ridden neighborhood. It had been the night, soon after Keith and Melanie had Mated for the first time, when she had watched from the rooftops as Melanie had first broken the kneecap of a pimp before knocking him out, then giving over five hundred dollars to an underage prostitute in an attempt to give the girl a chance at a fresh start. She had tracked the girl to at least the shelter that Melanie had suggested, but had lost track of her there, hopeful at least.
Now, she was back on the very same rooftops in pursuit of her target for the night. After the death of Lieutenant Yankowitz, the silberjagger had been forced to transfer in another member of their Order into the area. The need to keep eyes and ears on Clan Lockwood was too great, especially after the attack on Lockwood Manor and then the rescue of Melanie from the Mexican facility. In fact, according to the information that House Melior had passed along, the Order had transferred in five silberjagger, which by most accounts was a very large force. Thankfully, none of them had been placed within the police or other public service departments, which meant that Kimberly could strike them more openly than otherwise. Okay, I'm approaching their safe house.
All right. Our drone is currently reading four heat signatures inside the tenement, Edward replied back. He had shown a remarkable adeptness at piloting the tiny remote control craft, which was barely a foot wide from rotor tip to rotor tip. He was Kimberly's backup, the muscle if it was needed. His approach was from the opposite direction, cutting west from the warehouse district before entering the War Zone again hopping rooftop to rooftop. He was three blocks away, ready to aid if needed. How are you feeling?
Ready. Are you sure that the tenement only has the four signatures? They’re supposed to have five.
I know, but I've circled around continually. There's only four signatures. If you want, maybe you can get on the roof and do some verification?
I'll see what I can do from the rooftop across the street first, Kimberly replied. I don't want to give them any hint I might be coming until they feel my teeth on their throats.
You're still sure that you want to do this in wolf form? You won't be able to use any firearms.
Kimberly nodded her head. Yes. It's a small tenement, tooth and claw will be just as deadly as firearms. If I can use surprise effectively, I have the advantage.
If you don't, even if you think you haven't, you tell me. Two on four is a lot better than one on four.
Okay.
Kimberly leapt the final alleyway to her target building and crept towards the edge. She knew she had to be careful, the building didn’t have any sort of wall masking the pipes or air conditioners on top, but was instead a sharp-edged cubical structure. She was pretty sure that such construction was against the building code but doubted the city inspectors who were responsible for the War Zone did much more than collect their kickbacks, issue out warnings that were never followed up, and went on their way.
Getting down on her stomach, Kimberly crawled towards the edge of the building, glad that she was wearing old jeans and a brown shirt. She hadn't expected the roof to be clean, but the level of filth was slightly nauseating. Twice she had to detour around gigantic piles of pigeon droppings, most likely the remnants of some tenant's attempt at a coop, and once she had to stop when she realized the smell she was catching was the rotted corpse of what looked like it had maybe been a poor house cat at some point. Reaching the edge of the building, she looked over and across the street.
She was thankful that due to the rush the Order had to go through to get their new team into town, they hadn't had a chance to fully integrate them yet. As such, while the team lived in individual apartments, they still met here, in a place where clandestine meetings between heavily armed men with foul intent were routine, and not worthy of curiosity by the local populace.
The building, however, had been long abandoned, and was technically still owned by a charity that stated they had ties to various "faith-based activities." It had stood empty for nearly a decade, other than the occasional homeless tramp who would sleep within the musty walls. The Hunters, soon after their coming to the city, had cleaned the building of that at least. Kimberly had been tempted to just firebomb the building, but with overcrowded apartment buildings on both sides, she was afraid that she would start a conflagration that would kill innocents. A more direct method was needed.
She could hear the light buzz of Edward's drone high above them, and had to give him credit. Even with her hearing, she could barely hear it, and against the cloudy night sky, it was practically invisible. Looking across the street, she could see the third floor room where four men were gathered. All of them had the same sort of hardened look she had come to expect from professional killers, despite the lack of visible weapons. She strained her hearing, trying to listen in to their conversation.
"Where the hell is Andre?" asked the tallest of the men. "He was supposed to be here twenty minutes ago."
"Who knows?" another of them answered. "Most likely he's just making sure that he can get here unnoticed. Those fucking wolves are wily."
"Brothers, we should not be using such foul language," a third admonished, looking around at his compatriots. "We are better than those we hunt, remember?"
"I watch my mouth around the Monsignor and the Bishop," the second man replied. "In the presence of you, I have no such concern. Considering our day jobs, think of it as practice. Or do you not use foul language when you’re selling Ice on the street?"
"Probably less than you did when you were attacking the Manor upstate," the third man retorted. Kimberly bristled but held her temper in check. "Oh, wait, I forgot. You dropped your rifle and ran like a woman while I stayed and fought with honor."
"I killed seven of the fuckers with a rifle while you got to sit inside the goddamn Bradley. Surround me with twenty tons of armor, and I'd be talking shit too."
They both stared at each other, and Kimberly wondered if they were going to fight, perhaps giving her the distraction she needed, when suddenly a blue truck pulled up in front of the tenement, and another man got out. The first Hunter looked out the window and down on the street. "Both of you, shut up. Our brother is here."
I'm moving, Kimberly told Edward over their Link. I'll change on the other side.
Understood. I'm coming closer, I'll be next door if you need me.
Kimberly waited until all four men's attention were turned away from the window before jumping across the street, landing on the roof in a rolling flop that minimized the amount of sound she made as she landed. Standing quickly, she pulled her shoes and clothes off, her skin tingling in the night air before she closed her eyes. For every Lycan, it was different she knew, but inside her, down deep in her mind below her conscious thoughts lay, she felt her wolf side, grinning its deadly smile and ready to come out.
I'm always here, Kimberly. You know that. Without me, there is no you. I am you, the side that is going to enjoy what you're about to do. In Mexico, you flew the helicopter, but I was the one who squeezed the trigger on the machine guns.
We complete each other.
Then come out, and let us do what needs to be done.
Kimberly winced as the pain washed through her body, the tearing of her muscles, bones, and skin as she grew by over a foot and her shoulders widened by nearly as much. Her skin itched like a million insects were crawling over her as her pelt came out, but it was nothing to the internal changes. Still, there was a thrill of it, knowing the power that was now at her fingertips. In her wolf form, she was faster than ever, stronger than ever, with a beautiful purity to her form and her purpose. There was no compromise in the wolf, no need to worry about Clan politics. There was just the snap of the jaw, the flash of the claw, the salt of the blood, and the light of the moon.
Are you ready? Edward asked. It was funny how in her wolf form, even the sound of his thoughts over the Link were different.
Ready. Are they all together in the same room?
Yes. I confirmed it visually and by drone. Five Hunters, nobody else. Same room.
Then time to hunt the Hunters.
Despite her increased size, Kimberly moved silently over the rooftop, dropping to all fours and walking as comfortably as she did on her rear legs alone. Reaching the fire escape, she was faced with her biggest decision. If she crept down the stairs, she might be able to get a view of her prey before she burst in on them. On the other hand, if she leapt and used the metal of the stairs to redirect her fall, she could be halfway across the room and slaughtering them in a blink of an eye.
In the end, she decided that speed was her ally more than visual checking. She could move almost faster than even the Hunter's trained eyes could see, and she wanted to take advantage of it. Resisting the urge, there would be no howl, at least not until her thirst was quenched.
Grabbing the railing of the fire escape, Kimberly jumped, trusting in fate that the fire escape was solid enough that it wouldn't just tear off the side of the building as her weight yanked on the metal. There was a squealing creak, but it held, twisting her through the air to crash through the window, the glass cutting her, but she knew she'd be healed before the fight was over.
