Devil's Property

by Fel Fern

  Lance asked Zack more questions, and Santino decided to leave the Beta to what he did best, wield his PR magic. He didn’t miss the way Zack’s gaze slid back to him. When Lance brushed a hand over Zack’s shoulder, his wolf got a little pissed. It was a harmless gesture, but possessiveness flared inside him. Claws nearly slid out of his hands but he managed to get his body under his control again.

  Zack and the other Silver Thunder survivors were subject to the same rules as all the refugees seeking shelter in their community. They were allowed to stay a month in Devil Hills. Whether or not they proved to be useful to the community for those thirty days would determine if their stay could be extended.

  Some part of Santino hoped that once Zack fulfilled his end of the bargain and helped his sister, Zack would leave after the thirty day grace period. The other half of him, however, felt the exact opposite. It had been a long time since he sensed the savage beast contained within his skin fighting him. The wolf wanted to keep Zack forever, except Zack wasn’t theirs to keep.

  Chapter Five

  “Will I be seeing Santino soon?” The question slipped out of Zack’s mouth before he could stop himself.

  Seated in the driver’s seat, Lance gave him a contemplative look he couldn’t quite read. Behind them, someone let out a choking noise. Adam or Jerry, the other werewolf soldier?

  Did he say something strange?

  “You know,” Lance drawled. “Santino’s called the Devil for a reason.”

  “Why’s that?” he demanded, crossing his arms.

  “Let’s just say its better if you stay away from him, for your own good,” Lance said.

  Was that a friendly warning? It was hard to tell with the Beta. Lance seemed good-natured enough, but he didn’t like how Milo and the others easily fell for his charm. Adam even whispered to him before they got inside Lance’s truck that he’d been relieved it was Lance they were dealing with now, not that scary silver-eyed Devil.

  “I can’t do that. I promised I’d help his sister.” Shit. Why did he blurt that out loud? Zack just reminded Lance of the reason why the Devil Hills wolves allowed them entry into their land, despite not knowing a thing about that kind of healing.

  “You have a point.” Lance expelled a breath. “But I strongly suggest you be professional.”

  “Professional? What the hell are you implying?”

  Lance chuckled. “Little healer, I saw the way you look at him. Only the truly brave or foolish werewolves and other paranormals think they can tame Santino.”

  “How can you say that when you’re the pack Beta? Both you and he are members of the Alpha’s inner circle,” he pointed out.

  “I’m just giving you a warning. You seem like a nice guy, Zack. You kept your group together despite being a healer and made it this far. That’s admirable, but is a fling with him really worth messing everything up?”

  “A fling?” Shit.

  He blushed, remembering Santino’s intense look. Those silver eyes looked hungry, ready to devour him, and some part of him kept hoping Santino would pull him close for a rough and bruising kiss. It was ridiculous, thinking about erotic thoughts when he should prize survival first, but he couldn’t help himself.

  Zack was no virgin, and as a healer, he was mate-material for the bobcat shifters in the pack. Too bad none of the men he’d been with ever interested him, not the way Santino sparked fire in his inner cat. God. What would it be like, to have the full attention of a lethal, powerful dominant male like Santino on him? Even Lance, the Beta, seemed to consider Santino dangerous.

  “Well, you decide for yourself,” Lance said, ending that particular conversation.

  The Beta asked him more questions about the Squad, about what happened to their community. Zack was only happy to provide the information, because it diverted the conversation from his apparent desire for Santino.

  “How bad is it?” he finally asked once Lance exhausted all his questions. “Santino’s sister, I mean.”

  “Sabine took a bullet to the head to save the Alpha’s mate. It was silver, but our healer Elaine managed to extract the bullet. The wound eventually closed, but she hasn’t woken up,” Lance told him.

  Zack didn’t manage to get much information from Deacon, since he’d been focused on bargaining safe passage for the other survivors. Even if he lacked the experience or knowledge about this kind of healing, that didn’t mean he’d just give up.

  It was in his blood to help those in need, and he and the others owed Santino and his team their lives. Trying to help his sister was a small repayment. He only hoped Santino wouldn’t kick him out of Devil Hills immediately after learning he lied.

  “Could you really help her?” Lance asked, the concern in his voice surprising Zack.

  “I’ll do my best,” was all he could say, and it seemed that was all the Beta wanted to hear.

  They drove past plenty of tall pine and oaks trees, the road seemingly endless, but after passing a strip with nothing but warning signs telling visitors they’d soon enter Devil Hills Wolves territory, Lance turned into a small dirt road.

  More woods greeted them, but he was taken aback as Lance drove into what looked like the main town area, complete with a grocery store, cafés, and diners.

  “I didn’t realize there was a real town here,” Adam whispered in the back with wonder in his voice.

  “Silver Thunder didn’t have a town like this?” Lance asked.

  He shook his head. “There was a town near our area, an hour’s drive from Silver Thunder land, but most of the groups in our community kept to themselves.”

  They got out of the car and Zack spotted Milo parking the car behind them. Lance had taken them to what looked like a comfy-looking inn with the sign ‘Honey Bee’ by the door. Adam stood next to him and gently touched his hand.

  “They’re all looking at us,” Adam whispered.

  Lance must have overheard, because the Beta gave them a cocky grin. “You’re outsiders, of course the townsfolk would be curious about you.”

  And suspicious, Lance didn’t need to tell them. Zack helped Natasha with one of the still-sleeping pups, and Lance led them inside, past the check-in counter, and into what looked like a sitting room. There was no one there save for a single man.

  A black-haired and black-eyed man rose from the armchair in front of the fireplace. He sucked in a breath. Like Santino, this shifter was a titan, lined with hard muscle and old scars. The aura surrounding this man, though, felt staggering. He took deep breaths, aware of the other submissive shifters looking uncertain, scared.

  There was no denying who this was. Adam flashed him a worried look, but he didn’t dare show any sign of weakness. Zack had gotten their group this far. Tyler and Sammy could sleep peacefully tonight in a warm bed. The other shifters would feel safer, too.

  “Deacon, these are the survivors of the Silver Thunder community,” Lance said, standing next to the Alpha.

  Deacon regarded each of them. Zack stepped forward and made the introductions. “Thank you for having us,” he finally said.

  “You made one hell of a bargain, Zack. I like gusty people,” Deacon said with a toothy smile. This Alpha still scared him shitless, despite the friendly reception. “I’ll let you all settle in. The proprietress, Agnes, will show you all to the kitchen. Eat up. Zack, later I want you to come with me so you can see Sabine.”

  He swallowed, slamming his rising fear back. Deacon would smell that fear and know something was up, so he only nodded.

  * * * *

  “Relax, cat. I’m not going to eat you,” Deacon said as they walked past the town and started on a dirt path that led to the woods.

  Zack tried to walk more naturally but it was hard to be at ease around the Alpha of the Devil Hills pack. He did as Deacon asked and stopped acting so jerky and stiff. The last thing he wanted was to arouse Deacon’s suspicions.

  “You know, you could have asked one of your wolves to escort me. I’m pretty sure you’re busy,” he said
.

  Deacon let out a soft snarl, which raised the hairs on his arms. “I always have time for my family.”

  Zack had a feeling Deacon wasn’t talking about the pack. “Are you related to Santino and his sister?” he asked, surprised.

  “Not by blood. Both Santino and Sabine are special to me,” Deacon said, tilting his head to the left side of them.

  Zack followed his gaze and sucked in a breath, seeing a pair of silver eyes looking back at him. His inner cat grew interested inside him, eager to play with the wolf stalking them. Where did that line of thought come from?

  “Rumors say…” He hesitated.

  “Go on. I’m curious.”

  “That you don’t go anywhere without either your Devil or your Ghost,” he said, using the nicknames for the siblings.

  “I can’t believe rumors actually travel that far.” Deacon regarded him with those pure-black irises of his. Most shifters changed eye color to yellow when provoked or when intense emotions rode them, but it didn’t look like this Alpha would be easily fazed. “Are you fishing for information, healer?”

  “N-no. It’s not like that at all. Forget I asked.” The last thing he wanted to explain to Deacon was the fact he wanted to know more about Santino. What was he doing? Deacon was probably assessing if he might be a potential threat to his pack.

  Deacon was dangerous, he knew that. The Alpha reminded him so much of a military leader, and the organized way Santino and his team took those humans down also spoke of military efficiency.

  If Silver Thunder had a leader like Deacon, he was certain the humans wouldn’t have been able to massacre most of their members.

  Just like that, grief threatened to rise up again. He gripped the strap of the bag containing his medical supplies tightly. Zack didn’t need them, not for a coma patient, but he wanted to show the Alpha he was serious.

  “To answer your question, yes. I do need them. It feels strange not having Sabine around.”

  He blinked. “Why are you telling me this? Don’t you think I might be a threat?”

  “You’re a healer,” Deacon said, as if that explained everything. “Healers would rather kill themselves first than harm another living soul. Your kind are also dangerously heedless of your own safety.”

  “How do you know so much about us?” he asked.

  “Sabine’s mate was our pack healer before Elaine. Like Santino and Sabine, Alex was part of the pack as long as I can remember.”

  “Was, past tense?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  “I’m sorry to bring up an old wound, but—” Zack halted, unsure of how to continue.

  “How is she alive when her mate is dead?” Deacon finished for him.

  He nodded.

  “Sabine has a daughter. She promised me and her brother she’d live until Sylvia is grown. I’m telling you this because Santino and I are aware it will probably be hard to wake her, especially given her state.” Deacon looked distracted, deep in thought. He finally spotted what looked like a cozy looking cabin in the distance with a porch. Deacon continued, “She barely looked alive on some days, distant. So, if you cannot heal her, then we have to consider the fact it might be her wish for us to let her go.”

  Chapter Six

  After the corpse disposal, Santino left Ariel and his other teammates to find Deacon. Instinct made him return to town.

  I’m heading back to the house with Zack, Deacon told him mind-to-mind.

  Being in wolf form, he quickly located Deacon, and he tailed the Alpha and Zack at a distance. It seemed Deacon purposely slowed down his pace so Zack could get his bearings, especially knowing it was the healer’s first time in these woods. Hearing Deacon say those words about Sabine to Zack gutted Santino, but he had to accept them. In the end, if Zack couldn’t help her, they might need to consider the possibility of letting her go.

  Refusing to think about when that time would come, Santino tried focusing on the positive, on the healer he couldn’t stop thinking about. Santino started to believe fate sent Zack here for a reason. Maybe Zack could achieve what Elaine could not, and there was that undeniable attraction between them Santino wouldn’t be able to ignore.

  Fuck, seeing the little healer again only intensified his need, especially when Zack showed Deacon the same fearlessness he displayed earlier. The healer was clearly a man who wasn’t afraid to speak his mind. Santino liked that, and he was sure Deacon appreciated it. The Alpha might not show it, but it saddened him that some of the weaker pack members were still afraid of approaching him directly.

  They finally reached the house. With no longer any need for stealth, Santino went ahead of the talking pair and toward the back of the house. A hawk shifter in charge of watching Daryl greeted him with a screech. He nodded to the guard, who flew away now that he was home. Once he entered, the scent of freshly baked cookies hit his nose.

  Daryl and Sylvia were in the kitchen, both wearing cute matching aprons. Seeing him, Sylvia beamed up at him.

  “Chocolate cookies, Uncle ‘Tino?” she asked him.

  Santino put on a pair of jeans from the cabinet by the back door before ruffling her hair.

  “Later. Deacon and I have some stuff to do.” Santino didn’t tell her about Zack, because he didn’t want to get her hopes up in case Zack failed.

  “How did it go?” Daryl asked.

  “Good. Deacon’s bringing the healer by the front.”

  “We’ll be here,” Daryl said. “By the time Deacon brings him here, the cookies will be ready.”

  Santino walked to the front of the house, opened the door, and leaned against the frame. He was amused Zack stopped in his tracks to stare at him. The little healer swallowed and looked him up and down again. Deacon flashed him a curious look but he didn’t have an answer for Deacon yet.

  “Come in,” he told Zack at the same time his wolf set off a warning signal inside him.

  His skin prickled, and he sniffed, scenting the air, picking up the smell of a woman’s perfume. Narrowing his eyes, Santino walked up to Zack and shoved the healer behind him.

  “Santino—” Zack began, but didn’t continue as he flashed the healer a warning look.

  His gaze slid to Deacon. Even though the Alpha didn’t know what Zack was to Santino yet, Deacon persuaded Zack to enter the house, looking calm. The Alpha must have sensed the vampire, too, but didn’t act, didn’t consider her a threat yet.

  A pale woman with curls the color of blood dropped from one of the trees. Her slitted crimson eyes gave what she was away.

  “Madeline,” he said with a snarl, stepping down the porch steps. “Don’t make me repeat myself. Get off my property.”

  This wasn’t the first time the vampire appeared outside his home and without an invitation to the house, the outside was the extent of her intrusion. Deacon warned him to be careful when dealing with Madeline, because she was Ezekiel, the vampire king’s, second and, also, his sister’s lover in the past.

  “Is that the healer you wolves allowed entry into Devil Hills? My, my. This seems to be becoming a common occurrence,” she said, unfazed by his growl.

  A hand landed on his shoulder. Deacon.

  “I’ve already informed Ezekiel about my decision. There is no reason for you to be here in our pack lands,” Deacon said calmly.

  “If your Devil won’t see reason, will you, Alpha?” she asked.

  Santino shook with rage, claws sliding out of his fists.

  “Why are you really here, Madeline? I’m sure it’s not about our visitors,” Deacon said.

  This time, she hissed, the motion reminding Santino that of a snake. He forgave Sabine for deciding to sleep with a vampire as long as it didn’t affect her duties as a mother and an enforcer for the pack. It still eluded him why she’d pick a damn vampire when she could pick anyone in the pack, even other paranormals who could only rise at night.

  The vampires might form the third of their power base, but Deacon and Santino never fully trusted immortals who�
�d outlived them by several lifetimes.

  “Is it a crime, Alpha, if I want to see her?” Madeline finally asked, composing herself once more, her features becoming smooth again.

  “I won’t let a bloodsucker near my sister,” Santino said with a growl.

  Deacon gripped his shoulder hard. A warning. The door swung open. Still keeping an eye on the vampire, he shifted his gaze, about to yell at Zack, but it wasn’t his healer. His healer? Since when did that happen?

  “Uncle ‘Tino? Uncle Deacon?” Sylvia asked.

  “Get back inside the house, sweetheart,” he said in a harsh voice.

  She blinked her huge blue eyes at him. When she’d been born, Santino had been relieved she’d inherited her father’s eyes and not the strange silver color he and Sabine had. It was stupid, but at the very least, the other children in the pack never treated her with caution, never looked at Sylvia like she was different.

  Deacon immediately stood next to her, using his body to block her.

  “Hello, Maddy,” Sylvia said with a smile.

  “How are you this evening, wolf pup?” Madeline asked, flashing a smile with a hint of a fang.

  Maddy?

  Oh, Santino was seriously going to have words with his sister if she ever woke up. Then again, unlike most of the wolf pups in the pack, Sylvia had always been a little wild, fearless in situations where other pups would be afraid. Sometimes, he imagined Sylvia growing up and all the male attention she’d get. Well, those bastards had to go through him first. If Santino ever had children, he’d definitely prefer boys.

  “Join Daryl and Zack inside, Sylvia.” Deacon used his Alpha voice, the one which expected obedience from a packmate. She sighed.

  “Bye, Maddy,” Sylvia said, before heading back inside.

  “You care about Sabine,” Deacon told the vampire carefully.

  “Isn’t that obvious?” the vampire replied drily. “That’s what I’ve been trying to convince this stubborn-headed wolf of yours.”

  “Then you understand why we can’t allow you inside the house, not yet. Like Santino, I do not trust you, not around the woman I consider my sister as well as one of my trusted enforcers,” Deacon finally said. “Ask again some other night, vampire, but not this one.”