Devil's Property

by Fel Fern

  “Sorry to wake you. I think Sylvia crept into your room.” Daryl wore an apologetic look on his face, then stared.

  Zack wondered if he had something on his face, then Daryl gripped his arm, narrowing his eyes.

  “Zack, who hurt you?” Daryl demanded.

  He glanced down at his body and blushed. “These aren’t—” he faltered.

  Color crept to Daryl’s cheeks and neck. “Ah. Santino did seem to be in a good mood this morning.”

  Sylvia finally padded next to him and Daryl scooped her up.

  “Is that a rare thing, to see him in a good mood, I mean?” he asked.

  Daryl hesitated. “Santino’s been in a black mood lately, after Sabine fell into a coma.”

  Guilt hit him like a sledgehammer, but remembering Daryl could read emotions, he reined himself. Dangerous, Zack thought. He had to be careful around Daryl Rush. Damn it. He hoped he’d be able to catch Santino and explain the situation. The last thing he wanted was for the werewolf enforcer to hear the truth from someone else.

  “Are you all right? Your emotions suddenly spiked,” Daryl commented, the shot him an apologetic look afterward. “I’m sorry, I can’t turn off my ability. It’s kind of natural.”

  “I’m fine. It’s just, I was hoping to talk to him this morning,” he murmured. That was part of the truth, at least. He tried to change the topic, hoping that would distract the Esper. “The Beta told me something yesterday—wait. Do you mind if I take a quick shower?”

  “Of course. Sylvia and I will be downstairs. Oh, don’t take too long, okay? Trouble usually follows this little one, and Agnes already threw me a dirty look when Sylvia ate one of her pies.”

  “Oh,” he said, recalling what Agnes mentioned yesterday, then giggled.

  “Are you going to share that joke?” Daryl asked him.

  “It’s just, Agnes warned Santino to keep his hands off her pies yesterday.”

  Daryl lit up, looking amused. “She did? I’m going to pester her in the kitchen. Santino refuses to share funny stories with me, although Deacon did tell me some. He swore me to secrecy, though, seeing as Santino can be all growly sometimes.”

  He smiled at that. Zack decided he liked Daryl. Sylvia wiggled in Daryl’s arms and nipped lightly at his forearm.

  “Okay then, I think she wants breakfast,” Daryl said.

  Once the pair left, he quickly showered and put on a plain green tee and faded jeans. As he slipped his feet into his worn out white sneakers, he mentally steeled himself for the day ahead. Zack didn’t plan on backing out. The moment he found Santino alone, he’d tell the enforcer the truth. He exited his room only to bump into Adam on his way downstairs.

  “Zack,” Adam said, “Wait.”

  Remembering Adam saw them yesterday, he had a feeling Adam had questions for him.

  “Adam, I’m an adult,” Zack reminded Adam of that fact.

  Adam gently took his elbow and guided him to the far corner of the corridor. “Zack, you have no idea who you’re toying with.”

  He stiffened, glared at Adam. “You think I can’t handle myself? Adam, I brought us here.”

  Adam sucked in a breath. “Last night, I met some of the werewolves, talked to them.”

  “Did they,” Zack hesitated. “Do or say anything to you or the others?”

  “They meant no harm,” Adam said quickly. “I think they just wanted to get a feel for us. Even some paranormal residents spoke to us. They’ve been really nice, Zack, I swear, but—”

  “I know,” Zack said. Adam knew he’d lied to the wolves, and he also knew the raven shifter would keep the secret to himself. “It’s my problem. I’m going to try my best, too, Adam. I swear to you, I’ll figure this out.”

  “Don’t carry this burden alone, Zack. You’re not alone, we all owe you our lives,” Adam said. “And because I’m your friend, I need to warn you that even among the wolves in the Devil Hills pack, the ones I’ve spoken to tell me Santino is dangerous.”

  Zack crossed his arms and let Adam have his piece.

  “I think,” Adam wavered. “They’re afraid of Santino for a good reason. Even the Beta warned you, didn’t he? I’ve also spoken with one of his ex-lovers, and he said Santino could be incredibly cold afterwards, a bastard.”

  “None of those wolves know what they’re talking about,” he said with an edge in his voice. Even Adam looked taken aback, but he didn’t understand why Santino’s packmates would say that about him. Of course an ex-lover would say shit about Santino, too. Adam didn’t deserve to be yelled at, though. They’d been through plenty together.

  Taking deep breaths, Zack said, “I’m sorry. It’s just, he’s treated me so well. I know what I’m doing, Adam.”

  “If you say so, Zack. I trust your judgement.” Adam said that with a hint of dubiousness, but Zack would prove that Santino wasn’t like the man his packmate perceived him to be. They were strangers, but last night, Santino let his guard down. He was sure of it.

  “Let’s head downstairs. Daryl’s waiting for me,” he said.

  They headed to the main dining hall. Zack checked on the others before joining Daryl and Sylvia at a table near the window. He noticed a scarred, big werewolf watching them out of the corner of his eye, probably Daryl’s bodyguard. Daryl was the Alpha’s mate, after all, he reminded himself, although he kind of wished it had been Santino instead. Seeing the spread on the table, his stomach rumbled.

  “Hey Sylvia,” he greeted the girl. Her hair was still wild, her feet still barefoot, but Daryl had, by some miracle, managed to get her in a dress.

  “Do you have something to say to Zack, pup?” Daryl asked, giving the little girl an encouraging nudge.

  “Sylvia sorry for this morning,” she told him, hanging her head.

  Amused she referred to herself in third person, Zack reached out, about to pat her head but pausing at the bodyguard’s growl.

  “Ignore Hunter,” Daryl said with a dismissive wave of his hand. Then he looked at the werewolf. “Hunter, Zack’s okay.”

  Hunter crossed his arms, frown on his face.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Daryl told him. “He’s one of Santino’s wolves, so it’s natural he’s protective of Santino’s niece, too.”

  “Well, that’s fine.” Zack ruffled Sylvia’s hair. She gave him a toothy smile. Children were always amazing in his estimation, and he loved working with them.

  “So, what’s the itinerary for today?” Zack asked while they ate. He tried to keep his tone casual, hoping he’d give nothing away.

  “You might have more questions, so I volunteered to bring you to Elaine.”

  The wolf pack healer, he mused. Sweat dripped down his back. Would she be the one to find out that he knew nothing about healing mental scars?

  “But before business, I’ll show you around town first,” Daryl finished. “Is that fine with you?”

  “It is.” Before Daryl asked him more questions about this type of healing he had no answers to, he used a cheap tactic and asked, “Will Santino be around?”

  Daryl grinned. “Why? Miss the Devil so soon?”

  He blushed, but it was genuine. Zack really did miss the brown-haired, silver-eyed dominant werewolf, even though Santino only left that morning.

  “Are you still mad he left this morning?” Daryl sipped his coffee. “Don’t worry about it. Santino’s team has an early morning shift, and he’s accompanying Deacon to a meeting later. He’ll definitely see you after lunch.”

  “I’m not usually this needy,” he blurted. “I can’t quite explain it.”

  “You know—” Daryl began, looking thoughtful.

  Whatever it was Daryl was about to say, Zack cut him off. “Are you going to warn me to stay away from him, too?”

  Daryl blinked. “Not at all. I was about to say I’ve never seen him act this way with anyone. I think he’s genuinely interested in you.”

  “Really?” Shit. Did Zack sound too hopeful?

  “Uncle ‘Tino likes Za
ck very much,” Sylvia said, making Zack choke on his coffee.

  “Is that so?” Daryl asked her.

  She nodded, stealing a piece of strawberry from Daryl’s plate so fast only a shifter could have caught the moment. He gave the wolf pup an exasperated look, but her grin was so cute, he decided not to tell Daryl instead. They spoke about other lighter topics for the rest of breakfast, but Zack’s mind was elsewhere.

  Sooner or later, the wolves would find out he lied. Santino would know he was a fraud. His heart beat rapidly. What was Zack going to do?

  Chapter Eleven

  “Will we be expecting an influx of visitors in Devil Hills, Alpha?” asked the cultured voice of Ezekiel, the king of the local vampire coven.

  As usual, the vampires scheduled the meeting during daylight hours. Santino had the distinct feeling Ezekiel and his vampires did this all the time as a reminder to the wolves that they were a force to be reckoned with. Ezekiel was old and powerful enough to be able to hold the meeting during daytime, a period where most vampires slept. True, they were allies, but that didn’t mean they trusted each other.

  “We’ll monitor who enters our territory, but Zack and the survivors of Silver Thunder are a special case,” Deacon answered.

  Standing to the right of where Ezekiel was seated in an elaborately carved wooden chair, just as Santino took position next to Deacon, Madeline flashed him a smile, which he ignored.

  “Deacon, if you had asked us, we might have helped,” Ezekiel said. Santino clenched his jaw. Everyone in the paranormal world knew vampires demanded a high price for their aid.

  “Help in what way?” Deacon asked in a dangerous voice. The Alpha, Santino noticed, was subtlety showing off aggressive energy.

  Deacon, we both know he’s just baiting us because he can. Ezekiel’s always been that way, he said in Deacon’s mind.

  Even Lance, seated to Deacon’s right, had tensed up, expecting a fight. Santino might dislike and disagree with Lance plenty of times, but he acknowledged the strengths the Beta brought to the table. Lance could always be counted upon when a crisis arose.

  “You know as well as I that vampires have some unique mental abilities similar to Espers, but we have centuries of practice and experience,” Ezekiel said. “We might be able to help your sleeping Ghost.”

  “Thank you, we appreciate the offer, but no,” Deacon said, rising to his feet. “If we have nothing further to discuss, I have a meeting with Mal and his hawks after this.”

  “What if she never wakes up because you’re both so stubborn?” The surprising outburst came from Madeline. Ezekiel’s second had always been in command of her emotions, so it took them by surprise. Even Ezekiel wore a look of open displeasure on his face.

  “Madeline, contain yourself.” Ezekiel didn’t shout, but his voice held a note of warning.

  “My apologies, my king. It won’t happen again,” she said with a graceful bow, pale face emotionless once more, but Santino could tell she was still pissed.

  Deacon and Ezekiel shook hands. They didn’t speak until they exited the vampires’ extensive mansion and property.

  “Well, that was rather interesting, don’t you think?” Lance drawled once they got inside his truck.

  “What is?” Santino snapped, not in the mood for conversation.

  He’d never tell Deacon this, but for a moment, he considered Ezekiel’s offer seriously but remembered that vampires always had a hidden agenda. Ezekiel and his coven never hid the fact they were interested in Sabine and him for their interesting genetics and abilities.

  “You two, no fighting,” Deacon warned. “Not now.”

  “We haven’t even begun arguing,” Lance pointed out, steering the truck away from the vampires’ property and on the road back to the pack house. Was the Beta an idiot? Santino wisely stared out the window. Deacon’s mood, like his, was black.

  “You two always find reasons to snipe at each other,” Deacon said dryly.

  “Only because Santino and I love a good debate.”

  Santino snorted. He knew Lance was only trying to lighten the mood. Thankfully, they went back to discussing pack-related topics all the way to the wolf compound. His thoughts went back to Zack, pliant and eager under him the night before. Fuck, he wanted to see his healer, to put his mouth and hands to work and hear Zack scream out his name again.

  Then there was another small matter. When Zack pulled away from his bite last night, it occurred to him it might be for reasons other than being afraid of him. At first, he thought Zack had second thoughts about being with him. Santino would understand if Zack changed his mind. He wasn’t exactly the easiest man to be with, but now, he grew certain Zack hid something from him.

  It didn’t matter. Santino planned on finding out soon enough.

  He and his team still had to do a sweep of the western area of their territory. Since Sabine’s accident, he’d been neglecting his duties, something Lance would no doubt point out if Santino made an excuse to go to town to see how Zack was doing. By now, Daryl would have taken Zack to see Elaine. Zack would also want to check on the rest of his friends.

  Did the healer miss him, too?

  “Santino? You there?”

  Santino blinked, realizing they reached their destination and Lance parked the truck in the lot behind the main pack house. This four-story building housed the pack’s main dining and meeting halls, as well as numerous rooms for single shifters.

  Other smaller homes laid scattered around the compound, reserved for couples and families. Santino used to live in the main house before Sabine’s mate had died. Concerned for her and Sylvia, he moved in with them. She was doing so well, too. Nothing he could do about that now. If their positions were reversed, he would have done the same and taken that bullet for the Alpha’s mate.

  “What?” he grumbled, glancing outside where Deacon had been stopped by two submissive pack members.

  “You need time off today? My team can do the sweep of the western area, as well.”

  Lance’s offer surprised him, and he didn’t sense any resentment or malice from the Beta.

  “I can do my duties just fine.”

  “I never said otherwise,” Lance replied calmly.

  Santino had clashed with the Beta numerous times, but he’d trust Lance and any of the enforcers to have his back. Not as much as Deacon or his sister, maybe, but he knew he could count on them. He owed Lance an apology. The Beta had shouldered his responsibilities, stepped up in surprising ways when Sabine got shot. He knew Deacon, too, had been hobbled with two of his most trusted enforcers down.

  “I’ve been hard to deal with,” Santino said slowly. Fuck. He always had trouble with apologies.

  “That’s an understatement. Most of the pack was afraid to approach you the first week Sabine didn’t wake from her coma,” Lance said.

  They were seriously going to have this conversation now? His wolf itched to get out of his skin, eager to fight the Beta to see who the more dominant wolf was, but he held it back. Santino knew sooner or later they had to have this talk and settle any differences between them.

  “I get it,” Santino said, reeling in his temper. “But I’m back to being myself again. It’s a dangerous time. By letting the Silver Thunder survivors into our land, we’re taking a risk, and Deacon’s only doing it for me.”

  Lance scoffed. “For you? Don’t be so self-centered. I and the other enforcers know that Deacon’s immune to mental attacks from Espers and other paranormals because Sabine and you provide him with that extra protection. Now, I don’t know how strong that shield is now, but Deacon’s more vulnerable than usual. I don’t like that, either.”

  For the longest time, Santino disliked Lance because he had the distinct impression Lance would want to challenge Deacon for the position of Alpha. Lance might not win in a physical fight against Deacon, him, or Sabine, but he had the support of the entire pack.

  Unlike Deacon, both dominant and submissive wolves weren’t afraid to approach Lance.
That was why he saw how critical Daryl Rush was to Deacon’s life, because the empath provided a bridge between Deacon and the weaker members of the pack.

  “You have no ambition to be Alpha, do you?” Santino never minced his words, so he had to ask that one question which had been nagging at him ever since Deacon chose a transfer from a decimated pack as his Beta.

  Lance choked on a laugh. “What? Why would I want to be Alpha?” Lance turned in his seat to look at his glaring face, then blinked. “You really believe that, don’t you? That someday, I’ll challenge Deacon?”

  “Yes,” Santino told the Beta honestly.

  “I won’t. Before I came to Devil Hills five years ago, I was an enforcer to a small wolf pack, under a weak Alpha,” Lance said, looking deep in thought, eyes distant, probably looking at the past.

  This was the first time Lance had opened up to anyone aside from Deacon, so he listened.

  Lance continued, “Garret was the former Alpha’s son of the Black Claws. Everyone knew he’d become the next leader of our pack, but he didn’t possess what it took to truly rule over an entire pack and its territory, or the ruthlessness to survive in times like these.

  “Then on my first day here, I saw Deacon, Sabine, and you decimate an entire werehyena pack that thought they could take your territory.” Lance smiled. “You three acted like a coordinated and deadly team, something I’d never seen before. It terrified me, excited me, because I finally found an Alpha capable of protecting not just his pack, but also the other people living on the land. I’ve always wondered, though—”

  “What?” Santino didn’t know what to do with the new information he learned from Lance. Sabine had always been better with heart-to-heart talks like this.

  “Why you never challenged me for the position. You’re certainly strong enough,” Lance finished.

  It was his turn to be surprised. “Why would I? Deacon chose you and you call him out on his bullshit, rein him in if necessary. You’re vital to the pack,” Santino said.

  “So are you,” Lance said softly.

  “Even if you told Zack to stay away from the Devil?” Santino knew bringing that up might ruin this ground-breaking talk they had, but he asked to understand why Lance warned Zack to keep away from him.