by A. E. Via
“Yes, sir,” Jerry answered with firm conviction. He wasn’t as tall as Wick, but he was at least six feet with a broad chest and striking green eyes. His blond hair, which would fill out and become more radiant once he was changed, stopped just above his shoulders.
“You’ll make a gorgeous immortal, Jerry. I’ll be sure to let my officers know that once you’ve completed all your tutorials and requirements, your petition for a sire be granted.” Wick kept stroking the light-colored tresses. “You’re so warm and handsome. I wouldn’t mind you on my personal escort.”
“Really?!” Jerry bubbled enthusiastically.
“That takes years though, love. I’m sure you’ll still be around. And I’m sure we’ll meet again.”
“Thank you. I already consider you my King.” Jerry nodded proudly. “Because the leaders of my world aren’t worth a hill of beans.”
“Well then, your King is starved. Feed me.” Wick was already leaning closer to the throbbing vein running along Jerry’s long neck. He smelled fresh, his skin golden and healthy like he took good care of himself and ate a balanced diet. It was clear Jerry’d been handpicked by his captain just for him tonight. The rest of his escort was being well tended to by the staff members.
Jerry pulled his collar down until it was at the tip of his sternum and tilted his head back.
Wick slid one hand around Jerry’s neck – not to keep him from moving – adding his touch to his bite would only make it feel that much better. He pushed his nose against Jerry’s throat and inhaled him. “You smell so sweet, with a hint of nuttiness. You have a lot of Polish blood in you.”
“I-I didn’t know that.” Jerry swallowed roughly. His arousal was mixing with his scent, adding a hint of spice to the fragrances already flooding Wick’s nose. All the touching and Jerry’s panting in anticipation of Wick’s bite still didn’t put him in a sexual mood. Instead of dwelling on it, Wick carefully pierced Jerry’s skin, going for the carotid artery instead of his jugular vein.
“Ohhh,” Jerry moaned immediately. Wick hadn’t even begun to suck yet.
Most vampires didn’t attempt drinking from the neck’s arteries, since it was so dangerous, but Wick could do it with ease and make it quite pleasurable for the donor. It’s a potent bite that took incomparable skill to heal and close properly to not cause permanent damage. Blame it on his upbringing, but Wick preferred the better-tasting, nutrient-rich blood that flowed through the arteries instead of used-up blood from the heart.
“I need to come so bad, please,” Jerry cried to him.
Wick kept drinking while Jerry ground his thick erection against Wick’s thigh. “Then come.” Wick pushed into Jerry’s mind.
Jerry bucked hard in Wick’s hold, shooting his robust semen inside his dark jeans, saturating the room with his unique scent. Neither one of them cared, Wick would sleep well tonight. He was ultra-mindful of how much he consumed while he drank down the warm blood, the thick, rich contents coating his empty belly. With precision and expertise, Wick pulled his long fangs from Jerry’s throat and held him steady while the man came down from the most amazing high he’d ever feel. Wick helped him to the sectional along the far wall of his quarters.
“Rest, pretty one.” Wick stroked Jerry’s hair while he lay down on the sofa to recover. While Wick never over-indulged from a human, drinking so much to risk harming them, his bite wasn’t one you could casually walk away from. He’d not only pushed pheromones into Jerry but Wick also projected strength and health into him, as well. If Jerry had anything from a runny nose to cancer… it’d be completely gone when he woke from a deep sleep. There weren’t many human illnesses the elixir in Wick’s fangs couldn’t cure.
Wick washed his hands and readied himself for sleep. He checked on Jerry one more time then proceeded to turn out all the lights in his suite, wanting to surround himself with darkness. His eyes didn’t need adjusting because the illuminant starry Nevada sky provided ample lighting. Enough to disturb his much-wanted sleep.
Wick was about to climb into bed when he felt that summoning feeling down inside him. He went to the crystal clean, windows and peered out at the landscape. It was almost two in the morning. He could still see for miles, even through the thick trees. There was forest as far as the land continued. Wick reached out and unlocked one patio door, slinging the heavy, double-paned glass to the side with ease.
Wick breathed deeply. He’d needed this after leaving the scenic countryside of London. He needed to see something beautiful in the United States. The night winds spoke to him. Wick closed his eyes and stepped out onto the private balcony. His skin prickled and a fierce shiver wracked his body, his chest making a dark, distinct rumbling noise. Wick hurried to shield his nervousness, he didn’t want his captain or other officers picking up on it. Wick clutched his hand over his chest when the rumbling got louder.
He could feel something… it… stirring down deep, deep inside him. He’d never seen it, only knew it lurked there below his many facades. Wick looked back out into the forest, feeling like something was there watching him. He scented the air. Again, nothing but shifters far off in the distance. Then he picked up on one particular scent. So faint but so wonderful. What is that? His chest rumbled again, this time bolder, fiercer. Wick dropped down to one knee, digging into the flesh over his pecs so hard his nails left angry marks on his pale skin that instantly faded away. Wick’s eyes widened. What is here? What had his beast in a frenzy? He knew nothing else to call it. Are you ready to come out now?
“Alpha Zenith, it’s an honor to receive you and your pack. A few of the pups have planned a little skit for you to show how much your presence here means to us.” When the Humboldt pack’s first beta finished his speech, many of the pack members stood and applauded as the younger members of the pack began to set up.
Justice stood from the long table where he sat with the Humboldt pack Alpha, his betas, and Justice’s brothers. After a long afternoon run, his belly was full of grilled meat and fresh-grown vegetables, his wolf happy and satisfied. They’d only been there one day after the long road trip and Justice and his pack were being treated very well. There were hundreds of packs spread across the country, but this was where Justice always felt the most welcome. The forest was lush and called to his wolf every second he was there. He kept looking to the west, far up into the mountains like there was something there. A force calling to him. The hills and mountains stretched on for miles and it was all regulated by the exceptionally large Humboldt pack.
“Thank you, Markus, for the welcome. My pack and I are here for a very important reason. Though these are serious times for all of us, we are looking forward to being here with you. We lo—” The wind shifted directions and Justice stopped in the middle of his words, his breath catching on his next syllable. A faint smell, the most enticing scent he’d ever encountered, drifted by him, and Justice fought to keep his face neutral and shield his responding arousal. It made no sense. Maybe there was a unique flower or something in these woods that he’d never smelled. Yeah, that must be it. He’d find out more when he ran. He absolutely had to find the source of that smell. Justice blinked when he felt his brother Alek nudge his elbow. The entire pack’s curious eyes were still on him. Justice cleared his throat. “Um, like I said. Thank you so much for having us. Young pups, we can’t wait to see what you’ve put together.”
There was a small lapse into silence and Justice pushed a little positive energy towards the pack to ease their worry over seeing their AZ having trouble. The members began to smile and turn their attention towards the entertainment. When Justice sat back down his brother Alek gave him a cautious look. Alek spoke through his link with Justice.
“Brother? What’s going on? You can shield your emotions from everyone else, but not me. You keep looking away like you’re distracted. I know something just affected you… I could feel it. But I can’t see what it was.”
“It was nothing. I’m fine, Alek.” Justice stared straight ahead. He and his bro
ther were the closest of the five siblings. Not because they were only one year apart but because Alek was his best friend. Instead of turning towards Alek’s questioning look, he tried to concentrate on the young ones and the skit they were hilariously trying to get through, between their fits of laughter. It was a mocking skit of the Alpha and his betas. Before long, they were all enjoying the kids teasing the adults.
The evening wrapped up early, most of the families had returned to their homes spread about the pack’s vast land. After a short power meeting, Justice’s pack finally retired for the night too, leaving him in peace. Allowing him time to contemplate what the hell happened to him tonight. The restless feeling he’d been fighting since he stepped onto the Humboldt pack’s land was only getting more intense.
Justice showered, taking a long time to let the pulsating jets soothe his tense muscles. He ignored his dick that was still half erect and had been since that smell drifted to him. It had to be something in those woods and Justice was going to find it. He’d have to do it alone, though. He couldn’t tell his brother that something out there in the wild was making him inexplicably horny. He thought of requesting company tonight but his wolf quickly dissuaded him. Justice frowned. The dramatic way his body reacted to the amazing scent, coupled with the repugnant thought of touching another were feelings that came when mates found each other. And Justice was sure his true mate was not out there.
“Justice, wake up. There’s been another disturbance.” Justice sat straight up in his bed at the stern sound of Alek’s voice. He sounded pissed, which of course, meant that Justice would soon be pissed too. He picked up his cell off the nightstand, squinting at the illuminated hands. Damnit. It was only two in the morning. It felt like he’d just dozed off into a fitful sleep. Justice stood and stretched. He could hear his pack readying to move.
“Alek, what the hell is going on?” Justice asked while he threw on his jeans and a blue, sleeveless flannel shirt.
Alek growled. “I don’t know for sure. There was another fight tonight in the city between three shifters and seven vampires.”
“Shit. Seven vampires. Are the shifters hurt?”
“Yes. But… eyewitnesses say the wolves were the aggressors and they attacked the vampires when they came out of one of their clubs.”
Justice clenched his fists. Why couldn’t his life just be simple and easy? Gone were the days where all the AZ had to do was make ceremonial visits and ensure he had a productive, working pack to help him with his duties. It seemed Justice stayed on the road, correcting problems that his enforcers or pack leaders couldn’t. They all knew – even the council – that their way of life would change, evolve, once humans discovered their existence, but none of them thought it would get as bad as the government was threatening. They were talking of not only registering all shifters, but also asking for volunteers so they could research shifter anatomy in labs.
So far, all of Justice’s meetings with various pack alphas had come to the same conclusion. Punish the offenders and make an example so the others will fall in line. If order’s restored, then the government might pull back. Justice didn’t like the idea of ruling with an iron fist. However, desperate times called for desperate measures. Why were his wolves out of control? More importantly, why were they so adamant about fighting vampires in public? Justice knew if he didn’t get the violence contained, then the government would be back to pushing for a national shifter registry. One that wouldn’t be monitored by shifters anymore. Justice would stripped of his title and banished if he allowed the federal government to take the packs.
Justice got on the spacious RV and graciously took the large mug of coffee his sister made for him. His pack looked tired and worn. Hell, so did he, but this wasn’t anything he couldn’t push through. It was in his nature, in his bloodline, to never break. He loved his shifters too much not to give them his all. Despite his lack of rest over the last few days and the fatigue doing its damnedest to settle into his spirit, Justice walked tall, with his shoulders back and his eyes focused. His heart ached for his weary team. They’d probably just settled into good sleep themselves before having to get back up. At least his whole pack didn’t have to come, only Justice’s betas and two enforcers. As he walked by, he reached out and touched them before he took his seat.
Justice was an amazing man. Strong and solid. His wolf an unstoppable force, more powerful than anything he’d encountered… or so he believed. He prayed he’d be strong enough to defend against a rebellion. Because that’s where this all might be headed. This new feud he was rushing off to handle had happened right here in Carson City – where anyone in a one hundred mile radius could feel the presence of the Alpha Zenith. Yet, the shifters still created a disruption. Were they trying to get Justice’s attention, or were they actually trying to start a war with the vampires again, after all these years of relative peace? He couldn’t let that happen. Then, out of nowhere, Justice had an idea.
“Hey. What do you guys think of this?” Justice turned from the comfortable position on the couch that he’d taken for the twenty-minute drive downtown to the police headquarters. “None of us really know what’s going on with the shifters and vampires in the city, but there’s a consensus on both sides by superiors to quickly quiet all this noise down. The vampire council can’t be pleased with all this negative publicity, either.”
“So, what are you suggesting, Justice?” Mac asked.
“I’m proposing that the authority figures of both shifters and vampires show a united front and rule by example. We keep saying we should make an example out of them, punish the offenders severely, but have we given our adolescent pups a good example to follow? Have any of us shown them how they’re to interact with vampires? No. Instead we stay away and put up this species barrier, then expect our kids to know how to behave when they encounter others not like them.”
“I understand what you’re saying, brother, but shifters and vampires don’t have much in common. We’re not meant to be friends. Neither are the hyena and the lion. The shifters and vampires are fighting because it’s natural, Justice. However, I believe this feud is territorial.” Taleb nodded like he was one hundred percent sure.
“Oh hell,” Alek mumbled.
The drama made more sense now, and so did his plan. When Justice spoke, he didn’t pose it as a question. He was letting them know what was about to happen, so be prepared.
“I’m going to meet with the Vampire King.”
“Chief Jonson, I can understand your situation, but keeping my shifters locked up in cages is really not a good idea.” Justice continued to try to reason with the stubborn, overworked, under-paid official, but he wasn’t budging.
“Are you threatening me?” The older man sat forward, his bushy gray and black eyebrows going down in a dramatic frown.
“Of course not. I would never do that,” Justice insisted. He felt his sister place her hand on his shoulder.
“Chief Johnson, what Justice means is that caging shifters makes their wolves nervous and scared. Alone and fearful. After too long, the loneliness becomes too much and the shifter will start to lose its human side.”
“This is all too much.” The chief gripped the few strands of hair still on the sides of his head. “Are you saying that I’m going to have wild beasts in my jails if I don’t turn them over to you?”
“I wouldn’t necessarily put it like that,” Alek growled.
Justice looked hard at his brother, warning him not to lose his temper.
“I didn’t cage anyone. I arrested a gang on my street for breaking the law and I put them in jail, where they belong,” the chief argued from the head of the long table. He was starting to sweat and Justice didn’t know if it was because he was in a small conference room with some very large shifters and only three officers who didn’t look all that confident – even with their firearms. “It’s where they’ll stay until trial.”
Justice leaned forward. “You do not have jurisdiction over my wolves. No stat
e does.”
“As far as my representative informs me, that hasn’t been voted on yet,” the chief said forcefully.
“Which means they are still under my control and I demand their release.” Justice stood to his full height, his brothers following right behind him.
“You freaks of nature don’t scare me. If you try to do anything at all to me, I won’t stop until all of your kind are thrown in goddamn cages. At least the vampire leader guaranteed the vampires that caused the death of one of my officers will pay with their own lives. Each of them. They won’t just get a slap on the wrist… or in your case, paw… and told to be a good boy.”
“You continue to insult my Alpha!” Alek snapped, making the three officers jump back, their hands hovering over their service weapons.
“Calm down, brother,” Mac said, putting his hand on Alek’s shoulder and pushing until he was sitting. Macauley was the one who usually kept a sensible head and insults never ruffled him. Justice was glad he was there to help them because he didn’t like the rude comments or jibes the chief kept throwing at them, as if they were nothing but annoying dogs. “Let’s all sit, please. Nothing will get accomplished this way.”
“Chief Johnson, please sit back down. Tell your officers to relax. It’s okay.” Farica removed the tense aura from the room, her soft blue eyes narrowing in on the chief, who was helpless to look away. The tight lines smoothed around the stocky man’s mouth and eyes, and his jaw wasn’t as stern as before. His sister didn’t have magical powers, it was simply inbred in her to soothe.
The chief finally took his chair with a resigned sigh. “Fine. I’m sorry for saying that. It was unnecessary. But you have to understand my position too, um, Alp... Alpha Ze—”
“You can call me Justice.” Justice stopped the stumbling man.
“Justice. I have terrified citizens afraid to come out of their homes because of your anim—… shifters. I got business owners complaining that their revenue’s declining. I got a grieving widow ringing my phone every hour wanting answers about who’s being held accountable for her husband’s death. If someone took your spouse from you, wouldn’t you want your day in court? How do you expect me to tell this woman that I let her husband’s killers go because they mentally couldn’t handle being behind bars? I’ve heard about your specially designed shifter jail. All the amenities and freedom make the prison completely ineffective.”
