by Maia Dylan
Kieran kept his expression blank. “Well, I do have that effect on criminal assholes who decide to turn the streets of my hometown into their own private playground. This man have a name?”
The twins shared a look before answering, and Kieran couldn’t help but wonder if they might have some type of telepathic ability. It was not entirely unheard of in shifters, especially twins.
“His name is Vincent Caruso.”
A spark of recognition ignited within him for a brief moment then slipped away. “Not sure I know him, but I have heard the name before.”
“Well, he certainly has a hard-on for you,” Rune said.
Liam laughed. “Looks like you might have an admirer.”
“Who?” Josie asked from where she stood at the front door, currently trying to dodge her way around Tomas, one of the pride he’d assigned as her guard. As soon as the alarm was sounded, he would have ensured she stayed upstairs and out of harm’s way.
“Tomas,” Kieran snarled, “what the hell is my mate doing downstairs?”
“She’s sneaky, Alpha,” Tomas called back, the embarrassment clear in his tone. “She lulled me into a false sense of security, acting all calm and reasonable one minute then leaping down the stairs like a gazelle the next. I was scared if I grabbed her I might have hurt her, so I kinda just moved to stay in front of her.”
Kieran saw Josie cross her arms over her chest. “Sue me. I heard all the fuss and wanted to see what was going on. And hearing that one of my mates has a secret admirer makes me mad. I don’t share. He and Liam are mine.”
Kieran grinned at the fact she’d just laid claim to him in front of everyone, and given the fact he was all about being hers, he was glad she’d managed to slip past her protection. “The asshole responsible for the likes of Santiago and Rossi wants to get his hands on me, sweetness, that’s all.”
“Is that all? Well, that makes sense, especially since you ate Santiago. And not in a good way either.”
Liam laughed. “Bet that caustic prick gave you indigestion. If it’s just Rossi and this Caruso bastard we have to deal with, then I say bring it on.”
Kieran turned as Kamon stepped closer, the serious expression on his face making him frown.
“There’s a shit load more you need to know, Alpha.” Kamon glanced to Liam. “Hell, both of you do, if you’re throwing your lot in with them, Liam. This isn’t just about the drugs and people Caruso and his lackeys move through this city. Our sources tell us that he’s developing a weapon against shifters.”
Kieran nodded. “We’ve seen that in action. Santiago used it against one of my pride a few months ago. They coat a bullet with that shit and shoot you with it. It holds us in human form and inhibits our ability to heal, making it easier to kill us. But we neutralized that with a little something Violet came up with.”
“We heard about that,” Rune said. “Impressed the hell out of the geeks at ESE who deal with all that science shit. But that’s not what we’re facing now. That was simply one of the earlier experiments Caruso’s team developed. Now it appears they’ve created something a whole lot worse.”
“Created what?” Liam asked.
“That we’re not sure of,” Kamon answered. “But whatever the fuck it is, it’s killed shifters and humans alike up and down the eastern seaboard. We think it’s not just a team of assholes, but Caruso himself, and he’s heading in this direction.”
Chapter Twelve
Josie sat quietly between her mates as they listened to more of what Kamon and Rune had to say. It was difficult to remain quiet, especially when her stomach clenched and rolled with horror at some of the mental images their story painted. Whatever it was that Caruso’s team had developed, it stripped shifters of their animals in the most horrific way, literally tearing them apart from the inside out, leaving their internal organs practically liquefied.
It also had a terrible effect on humans that came into contact with it as well, making them bleed from their ears, eyes, nose, and mouth. The bleeding could not be stopped, and the victim eventually bled out, the effect coming on so fast that those affected were unable to even make it to help, not that there was anything medical professionals could do for them.
“What’s the delivery system?” Violet asked from the other couch where she was surrounded by her mates. Despite looking a little pale, she didn’t seem any the worse for wear from being attacked that morning. Josie was once again amazed at how strong and badass her friend was.
“The original chemical cocktail Santiago’s men used was coated on bullets and fired into the victim,” Violet continued, when both Kamon and Rune looked at her blankly. “How is this one delivered? Were autopsies performed on the victims?”
Kamon nodded. “Yes, and there were no signs of any type of entry wound on the human victims. The ESE practically had their medical teams crawling over every viable inch of the shifter victims, and they didn’t find anything either. Nor was there anything in their stomach contents to suggest that they ate or drank whatever the hell you call this thing.”
There was only one name Josie could think of. “It’s a biochemical weapon.” Josie felt heat creep into her face when the seven others in the room all turned to look at her. “It’s something that has been created to kill shifters and humans indiscriminately. However it is transferred, whether it be airborne or by touch or whatever, it’s a horrific weapon created by a madman. If that’s not a biological weapon then I don’t know what is.”
Kieran tugged her closer and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Yeah, sweetness, that’s exactly what it sounds like to me, too.”
Josie sighed, snuggling into her men, and caught Violet staring at her intensely.
“What?”
Violet grinned. “I knew you were intelligent, I mean you’re my best friend and you have amazing taste in friends, but I had no clue you were a freakin’ genius.” Josie frowned with no clue as to what the hell Violet was talking about. “Come on, mates o’mine, let’s head back to my bat cave. Mama’s got a madman to catch, and she needs her toys.” Mason stood up from the couch and pulled his mate up into his arms.
“You onto something there, bat girl?” Kamon asked, his gaze sharp.
“Not yet, Kamon my friend, but as soon as I do, you’ll be the second to know,” Violet answered with a cheeky grin. “Actually, you’ll probably be more like fourth or fifth to know, but definitely in the top ten.”
Kamon stood up from the chair he’d been sitting in so fast he was almost a blur. “Wait just a damn minute there. The ESE is leading this investigation. If you have a lead that you think is worth exploring then I must insist that you share it with Rune and me. We can’t have a member of the public getting involved with this and making themselves a target no matter how skilled she is with a couple of sticks.”
Kamon followed Mason as he carried a grinning Violet, who was currently flipping the ESE agent the bird as she was carried out of the room, but stopped when Jacob moved to stand in front of him.
“You watch your tone when you talk to my mate,” Jacob said in a voice so cold Josie felt as if the temperature had dropped in the room itself. “Mason and I owe you both a debt of thanks for being there for our mate today, but you raise your voice to her like that again and all bets are off. And if we don’t teach you that lesson, then she’ll think nothing of ripping you a new asshole to shit from with those batons of hers.”
Kamon’s eyes changed in a heartbeat, and Josie caught a glimpse of his tiger. She thought she might have even seen a slight shadowing of stripes appear on his olive skin, but that might have simply been a trick of the light in the room.
“We’ve been after Vincent Caruso for five years,” Kamon spoke, his tiger a clear growl in his tone. “This is personal for us.”
Jacob stepped a little closer to stand toe to toe with the man, not intimidated in the least. “Our mate had to deal with her asshole father from birth, and you’re tripping if you think it ain’t personal for all of us, too. Violet
’s been fighting against Caruso for more years than you can possibly imagine, and she has tools and resources at her fingertips you’ve never even fucking heard of.”
“My advice to you, Kamon?” Kieran spoke from beside her. “Let Violet do her thing. If she’s onto something and it pans out, then she’ll let us know. The woman is scary intelligent, and you, the ESE, and hell, anyone but her mates will only get in the way.”
“Sit down, K, before you overstay our welcome and both our asses end up on the outer,” Rune said dryly. He’d stayed sprawled in the armchair beside his brother, simply watching the scene before them, a wry smile on his face. “Violet took those fuckers out with a lethal calm and skill I have never seen in a non-shifter. If she’s as intelligent as she is badass and beautiful, then I say let her do her thing, and we’ll continue to follow up from our end.”
Kamon was still for a moment and then nodded before holding a hand out toward Jacob. “I apologize. I meant no offense. I just want Caruso and his entire organization wiped from the face of the earth.”
Jacob looked down at his hand for a moment before he returned the gesture. “We all want that, so no worries. We’ll be in touch.” He turned to leave, but stopped to look back at Kieran. “Mason or I will check in with you tomorrow, Alpha.” When his gaze locked with hers he grinned. “Good night, Alpha mate. I’m sure my mate will call you later.”
Josie stared at the door Jacob had just walked out of. “Alpha mate?”
“Yeah, you and Liam are now part of Black Ridge as Alpha Mate and Beta,” Kieran said with a grin.
“Feck off!” Josie flinched at Liam’s loud denial, her jaw dropping at the anger in his expression as he pushed up from the couch and glared down at Kieran. “I am not now, nor will I ever be, the fecking Black Ridge Beta.”
With that, her larger than life, and usually the more placid of her two mates, stormed out of the room, slamming the door so hard it caused the house to shake.
“Perhaps my assumption that Liam’s thrown his lot in with you was a little premature?” Kamon said with a wince.
“Like hell,” Kieran growled, rising to stand up from the couch and reaching a hand out toward her. “Come on, sweetness. Let’s go find out what’s crawled up that man’s ass and died.”
****
Liam prowled along the tree line at the back of the pride house in the fading light of the evening, fighting the urge to shift into his animal and racing into the forest. He knew he’d overreacted when Kieran referred to him as Beta, but Christ, how the hell was it he ended up being in the same pride and the same position his asshole father had coveted all those years. He should be pleased as hell to have achieved something his father never had a chance of getting, but the thought of it had his stomach churning.
If he was to stay here in Chicago with Josie and Kieran, then it would be expected that he would stand at Kieran’s side. Hell, they were family by blood and fairly equal in strength so they would present a formidable force to other factions, and anyone mad enough to want to mess with them or the pride. But it would mean he would have to pledge fealty to an Alpha and a pride, and that was something he had sworn he would never do.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Liam looked up at Kieran’s words, watching as the man stalked toward him, dominance in every step he took, their mate trotting along behind him to keep up. “I thought you knew what it would mean to partner with me. Beside the connection we have because we’re the lucky sons of bitches the Fates deemed worthy of the same amazing woman, you are family. Black Ridge is where you fucking belong.”
Liam ran a frustrated hand through his hair, refusing to look at Josie for fear of what he might see in her beautiful blue eyes. “I didn’t think that part through. Christ, Kieran, I never wanted to be Beta. Hell, I never wanted to belong to a fecking pride, family or otherwise. I’m a loner, a rogue. I’m not meant to have a damn home. I have done things in my past that I’m not proud of, and neither of you two would be either. There’s a reason Rossi hired me to kill you, Kieran. It’s what I fecking do. I’m a rogue lion shifter with no ties or connections to anyone, and if I’d opted to fill that contract I would have killed you before you even knew I was there.”
Kieran growled and took a step forward in aggression, a wave of dominance rolling from him that had Liam’s own lion leaping for supremacy. This he could deal with. He’d never been someone who could use words to get his point across. His fists, however, never failed to make their point. He growled and tensed, ready to embrace the pain and ecstasy that came with a shift when Josie stepped forward, pressing a hand against Kieran’s chest, effectively stepping between the two of them, and his lion surprised the hell out of him and acquiesced immediately.
“Were you meant to have a mate, Liam?” Josie’s voice was soft, and Liam hated to hear the hesitation in her tone. “You say you never wanted to be a Beta, and I have to admit I don’t know what that is, or why you would be so adamant that it wasn’t something you wanted, so I can’t really speak to that. And if you say that you never wanted a pride or to belong to a family and you want to walk away from that then I will listen to your reasons why. I have to admit, as someone who lost their family young, the thought of belonging to a familial group like the pride who will be there for me and for each other is something I yearn for, but I will listen to you and try to understand. But can you tell me, did you see yourself having a mate?”
“Josie.” Liam whispered her name like a benediction.
Sadness flooded his mate’s eyes, and she blinked rapidly as if to clear tears and Liam was nearly dropped to his knees knowing that he was the reason why. “I guess that answers my question. So, you weren’t expecting a mate, yet here you are stuck with one. With me. Or am I something you can walk away from as well?”
“Hell no, kitten.” Liam’s guttural answer was immediate. “I could no sooner walk away from you than I could stop breathing. If anyone can help me find redemption for who and what I was in the past, it’s you.”
Josie smiled, some of the sadness lifting from her expression. “I’m not sure I can achieve that for you, but I am willing to try, because I love you, Liam, and I don’t want to lose you. And in all honesty, if you decided to leave I would simply have Violet track you down. Can you tell me what you thought would happen from here? Did you think that we would all leave together? That Kieran would abandon his pride and leave them without their Alpha?”
Liam’s gaze shot to his cousin, and from the way the muscles in his jaw moved, he could tell the thought of leaving was abhorrent to him, and in that moment Liam realized that although they were related by blood, Kieran was nothing like his father. Clarity came with that realization, and Liam cursed.
“You are not my father,” Liam said, almost laughing out loud at Kieran’s confused and horrified expression.
“I sure as shit am not,” Kieran growled. “Is that what all this shit is about? You’ve been comparing me to your asshole of a father?”
Liam shrugged with a grimace. “Kinda, yeah. But not intentionally, and completely unaware that I was. My father was an asshole, Kieran, and everything you aren’t. He treated me and my mum like shite, and no one, not even her pride ever stepped in to help. I decided that I was better off on my own, and that all prides were the same.”
“Liam,” Kieran said with a sigh, “I’m sorry for whatever went on between your dad and the pride. I don’t know what it was, and my father never once spoke of having a brother, but I do know that his mother took off when her mate, our grandfather, died. Dad would tell me stories about his mother, and from what I can gather, she wasn’t strong. She relied on her mate, and when he was taken from her, she felt abandoned. My dad never knew about your father, and I can tell you with absolute certainty, that had he known he had a brother he would have come looking for him. If he found him abusing his mate and his kid, then he would have done what had to be done, and you would have been raised here. With me. You would have been Beta from the moment I took the rein
s.”
Liam swallowed the lump of emotion that had formed in his throat. “Then I will take my place at your side now, brother. I pledge my fealty to you, Alpha.” A bond that had already been formed between the two of them swelled with strength and power, and both men jerked in unison.
“What was that?” Josie asked, eyes wide as she looked between him and Kieran.
Kieran grinned as he wrapped an arm around their mate, and tugged her closer so that she stood between them, where she belonged. “That was the bond between Alpha and pride strengthening between us. Liam has accepted his role as Beta, and even though he might have acted like a dumbass earlier claiming that he wasn’t Black Ridge, the bond that linked us in the moment we recognized you as ours says otherwise.”
Josie smiled, a feminine, knowing smile that had Liam and Kieran grinning wickedly back. Liam had no idea what his mate was thinking, but if her thoughts were as suggestive as her expression then he was all for it.
Just as he was about to say as much, he was struck with a sharp white-hot pain in his chest. The intensity of it was so high he actually looked down to see if he was on fire. He flinched when he heard Josie cry out in pain and looked around wildly, searching for whatever it was that was causing her pain. Then it hit him. The mating bond was snapping into place in truth. Josie was accepting him and Kieran as her mates.
He looked up at Kieran and saw the shock and wonder that was no doubt mirrored in his own expression, and when they both turned in unison toward their mate, her expression had his heart swelling in his chest. Her face shone with a mixture of love, wonder, and joy, and he would remember how she looked in this moment for the rest of his life.
“It’s true then,” she whispered with a tremor in her voice. “You are my mates, and I am yours.”
He and Kieran stepped forward at the same time, drawing their now-crying mate even closer between them. Kieran pressed into her front, while Liam curved himself against her back, both of them murmuring words of love and promises for their future. For the first time in his life, Liam was actually looking forward to what came next. He wanted every single tomorrow that he had left on this earth with this woman in his arms, and to be standing beside this man he now called Alpha, and partner. And even that might not be enough.
