Release

by C. M. Steele

  “Yes, sir,” Gideon answered, getting into position in front of the controls.

  “Hunter messaged back. He’s prepared. They’re moving their family to a residence that the vampires shouldn’t be aware of. Now I need to call Dante,” Falcon said, stepping to the side.

  He dialed Dante who picked up on the second ring. He must be on the night shift tonight. “Falcon, what’s up?” The panic was in his voice. I could hear it from where I was standing next to Gideon.

  “Get the men ready for action. We’re under attack here, but we’ll manage,” Falcon informed him succinctly.

  “I’ll prepare just in case. Did Charlotte see anything?” he asked. It would have been easier if she had, but of course why have it easy?

  “No, but the new security is up and running. I have it on my phone. I’ll be there in a flash should it go off.”

  “Take care of your family. I’ve got it, Falcon. The men are anxious for retribution.” Dante proved that he’d grown up to lead men into battle. I was sure that Falcon couldn’t be prouder of his nephew.

  “Stay ready.” Falcon ended the call, focusing on the large monitor with the bastards landing on the shore. They’d never learn. Even with the dark of night, we could see their infrared night-vision gear on.

  Gideon set off the first round of IEDs, dropping the rows of bodies. “Turn on the spotlights,” I ordered. The flash of light stunned them for a moment before we lit up the night with our machine guns blazing.

  “Destroy the boats.” He did as Falcon demanded, sending missiles to the two ships. The screams echoed through the cameras. I stared at the screen as if the rest of the soldiers could see me. They looked scared as they watched their ships explode.

  “End the rest.” He struck again, dropping the rest. Nothing else beeped on our radars. “Let’s go clean up the beach and set the rest up before we go to Washington.”

  “Yes, sir.” All of us men went out on the beach.

  That was when we noticed a few humans still kicking. In mere seconds they were all dispatched and the ocean just received more chum. We were starting to look like Seal Island in South Africa with all the sharks finding their next feast.

  Once we finished, we all came inside and rinsed up. “Men, you did well as always. Gideon, you are becoming a true battle master. I didn’t need to tell you anything, did I?”

  “No, but I still should wait for your command if you’re here. Am I staying while you all leave?”

  “Yes. I think you can manage. Since William is a mixed breed, I want to see if I can learn anything from the wolf shifters while we’re there.”

  “Now, let’s check on the women so they know we’re safe.” We all teleported to the library where they were waiting and informed them of the victory. Charlotte looked pleased, but something about her gaze bothered me. Her mind was occupied, too occupied. I wondered if she was mentally castigating herself for not being aware of the attack. At least she knew of the impending attack on the wolves. They were a lot less prepared to take on the Lamian soldiers.

  Chapter 19

  Falcon

  We prepared my family to go. I had another safe haven for my family in a hotel just in the town over near Redding. None of Stavros’s men could teleport, so they wouldn’t be able to find my family. I knew that they must have had a tail on the wolves because our whereabouts weren’t the ones being followed.

  “Falcon, we’re going to be okay. I have a feeling the attacks aren’t over, but Stavros isn’t going to attack us. Let’s all meet with the wolves and we can take the women and children to the hotel with us. You and Draco can teleport us to safety,” Charlotte said.

  “Yes, I think it’s the smart thing to do.”

  Mary decided to stay with Gideon to make sure he was well fed and if he needed any help. I felt like there was an unspoken bond between the two of them. They were close like Gideon was her son.

  We said our goodbyes and left, arriving outside of Hunter’s home. They opened the door quickly, looking confused. “How did you get here so soon?” He asked.

  “Fuck, we didn’t even smell you,” Gage added. That scared them and rightfully so. A great sense of smell alerts them to danger. If the Lamia found anyone like us no one would be safe. Even us. Fuck, I hoped they never did.

  “That’s because Draco and I can teleport.” The wolves sat still in shock at the revelation. “We have a plan to protect the women and children,” I told them.

  “Sorry, but we’re not leaving our men,” Catherine exclaimed, holding their child in her arms.

  “The hell you’re not,” Hunter roared, pulling her into his embrace.

  “Are we going to do this again? We can help,” she continued to protest.

  “Not against vampires,” Kane added. “They are tougher than other wolves and you barely left unscathed with one wolf on a mission.”

  “Fine,” she grumbled.

  “There’s something else. William here,” I said, pointing to him. “He’s a hybrid. He was the dog I mentioned to you. My daughter apparently is very special. She released him from his trapped form.”

  “So are you a wolf as well?” Arabella asked Charlotte out of the blue.

  All our heads snapped towards Charlotte whose face was a dead giveaway. “Um…that’s what I needed to say before the alarms sounded on the island. I am one too. I didn’t know it until my last dream. I’m sorry Draco. I swear I would never help Stavros or anything. I swear to all of you that I’m not evil like that,” she sobbed.

  “Charlotte, give the baby to Falcon for a minute,” he growled. I opened my arms and took the heavy Marco. Draco trusted me to guard his son like he would do for Speranza. “We’ll be back. We have a while before that battle, right?”

  “We still have three hours,” I told him.

  “Okay.” And they were gone.

  Chapter 20

  Draco

  We were in the middle of our bedroom on the island. “Why are we back here?” she asked, looking around our bedroom. What did she think we were doing here? The woman had the gift of sight but missed what was in front of her.

  “This, this has been what’s bothering you?” I asked, running my hands through my hair. My wife has been playing cold as ice with me because of a secret.

  “Yes,” she sobbed. Fuck, that was my breaking point. I hated when she’d cry. I was mad as fuck for the hiding, but I could never stop loving her. God, I couldn’t exist without her. She should know that. I don’t know what those fucking visions told her, but they were wrong. They were skewed or some shit.

  “Don’t cry. I’ve waited over a week for you because I thought it was the baby and the pain of labor that pushed you away from me,” I said, cupping her face with my hands. Her hot tears reached the edges of my thumbs and it destroyed me inside.

  She turned her head to the side, trying to hide her pain. “God no. I was afraid you wouldn’t love me once you knew,” she admitted lifting her gaze to mine. I saw the fear in them.

  I brushed away the tears, then kissed her eyes, her cheeks, and finally her lips. My thoughts still fucking with my brain were too much. Halting the kiss, I questioned, “I’ll never stop loving you. Did you see something crazy like that?”

  “Sort of. But…I don’t want you to hate me.”

  “I’d never hate you. I live and breathe for you. Everything in me belongs to you, Charlotte. I need to show you how much you belong to me.” I undressed her so fast she could barely let out a gasp. Then I laid her on the bed, parting her thighs because I had craved my mate for so damn long that I couldn’t even breathe. I drank in her scent, rubbing my nose down her wet lips. The cravings were more than I could bear. My mouth claimed her pussy, kissing and licking her folds, sucking on her clit until her back arched off the bed. I rose up and tossed my clothes off in a flash before climbing onto the bed, stalking my mate, my soul, and demanding entrance to her.

  “Don’t ever shut me out like that again, Charlotte.” I grabbed her leg and tugged it aro
und my waist then drove into her depths with one thrust, making us one again. The overwhelming relief shot down my spine, sending my orgasm soaring through me.

  “Sorry,” I grunted, pumping into her. She clenched around my cock, every inch being massaged by her walls.

  “I’m coming,” she cried out, clawing at biceps. I roared, holding her tight while we both rode out our first coupling since Marco was born.

  “That was fast,” I panted out, chuckling to myself. It wasn’t my best moment, but my mate, my wife, and my reason for being needed reminding

  She ran her hands through my hair and down to my cheeks, kissing me feverishly. “Yes, well it’s been a long time coming. I missed you, Draco.”

  “I missed you more, my love.” I brushed her hair out of her face and bent down kissing her mouth. “I love you so much, Charlotte.”

  “I’d love to stay here in bed with you, but we have another battle to happen.” We got up and I glanced back at the bed. We had been wilder than I imagined. The sheets were a mess.

  “Oh, so you use me for my body, then leave me,” she complained, stopping away to the shower, but turning her head to wink at me before going into the bathroom.

  “Not exactly. You’re coming with and then when we get back, I’m going to use your body some more,” I suggested, following her in there. I wanted her again, but the Lamia had to go and fuck that up.

  “Fine, let’s shower and get back.” She hit the shower jets then climbed in. I helped her wash because well, I loved touching her and before we knew it I lifted her onto my cock and pushed her back against the shower wall. “Please don’t stop.”

  “Love, I’m not stopping until you’re coming on my cock,” I growled as I bit down on her shoulder, not breaking the skin.

  “Bite me, Draco,” she moaned. Fuck yes, just what I needed. I slid my tongue along her pulse and then released my fangs and plunging into her vein. I grunted, thrusting up into her as I took her into me.

  “Ah, I’m coming,” she cried out. Licking her wound closed, I kissed her letting her suck her blood off my tongue. Coming down from our high, we washed up and climbed out.

  As I personally dried her off, I gave her fair warning, “You know you’re not fighting, right?”

  She turned around, so I could see her face, but I was distracted by her breasts. “Of course. You know that one day, you may need me to fight, right?”

  “I hope that day never comes,” I stated, bending down and drying them off before taking a drink of her milk. Fuck, I had work to do.

  “Well, I hope so, too, but you never know.” I pulled away before I took her again, dressing as fast as possible. Then we checked in on Gideon who was sitting with Mary in the kitchen.

  “What are you two doing here?” Mary asked, arching her brow with a smirk.

  “You didn’t feel the compound shaking?” I joked, returning their smile with a wink. “We’ve got to get back before the Lamia make their appearance. We’ll check in if we need you.” We teleported back to their location and waited for their jokes to run their course.

  Chapter 21

  Leonora

  Draco and Charlotte came back completely different twenty minutes later and not a soul said a word. “Let me have my baby.” Charlotte took the baby with a wide grin. We all knew that they made up and Draco asserted his dominance and love for her. I gushed thinking about how much happier Charlotte looked. My sweet friend lived in her own world of fear, refusing to let anyone in. I wished she confided in me, but I understand that this was scary for her to admit. I needed to squish her, so I did with a huge grin. Her face turned completely red, ducking her head in embarrassment.

  “I’m going to do a cursory search of the house for any listening devices. Someone was watching us that day or they wouldn’t be coming after you. They couldn’t have known that Falcon and Leonora teleported to your place, so there’s a snitch at the hotel,” Draco said.

  “Do you have video footage of the day we met?” Falcon asked Hunter.

  “Yes, we had it pulled up when you arrived. We figured the same thing,” Hunter answered, waving his hand for us to follow him. We stepped into his office and they had the video cued to the time of our arrival.

  “Maybe it was the guy who knew you,” he suggested to Falcon. I remembered Henry and nothing about him was malicious. He always her generous thoughts and respected Falcon.

  “No, it wasn’t him.” Falcon shook his head vehemently.

  “How can you be sure?” Kane posed, crossing his arms as to come off more imposing. It was evident that he believed we were hiding something.

  Draco chuckled then added, “Because we can hear the thoughts of any regular human that’s not a mate of a supernatural being.”

  “What!” Catherine gasped, her face open with shock.

  “Yes, we can hear their thoughts. And his thoughts were nothing unkind. He’s always been the one I liked. The rest of my employees were less than trustworthy,” Falcon elaborated about Henry.

  “Wow, super strength and shifting doesn’t sound as cool now,” Arabella bemoaned, but Gage spun her around in his arms and kissed away her disappointment.

  “Sorry, baby. I’ve got something for you to make it up after we’re done with the battle.”

  “And I’m holding you to it, mister,” she demanded, poking her finger into his chest before he lifted her up and carried her over to the large sofa, sitting down with her on his lap.

  “Well, you have your advantages,” I remarked.

  “But that means those like you two have extra abilities,” Gage addressed Charlotte and William.

  “That’s true for me at least. And my cousin thinks that he should rule all because he’s a hybrid. Falcon, he hated your family before. I know that but trust me when I say that he’s no match for you. He was a coward back then and I don’t think he grew a set in all these centuries. He’s led by his mate. She’s the alpha in the relationship.” That surprised me to hear. After all, I couldn’t picture Falcon or Draco being anything less than alpha to the max.

  “I’m curious. I don’t know much about what it is that I am, but how could I’ve have been a human all this time and yet a shifter. I’ve never shifted or anything,” Charlotte said.

  “We don’t know much, but from what we can tell, not all born between the wolf shifter/vampire hybrids have gifts. It’s almost as if it’s an aberration.”

  “Are you serious?” Charlotte questioned, holding onto her baby boy tight.

  “Yes, what we do know is that it’s very rare, but it’s possible they may manifest later. We don’t really have any evidence to go by,” Gage added, frowning while clutching onto a book.

  “What about your parents?” Hunter asked Charlotte.

  My longtime friend shrugged. I knew it was hard for her to discuss them. Losing parents that actually loved you must have been hard. “My parents died in Europe. I grew up in an orphanage.”

  “Wow, I wonder if your parents died during a battle,” Falcon ruminating to himself.

  “I don’t know,” Charlotte sighed. “Everything has been a secret so long and pushed from my thoughts that I never considered looking into it. Or maybe I just never wanted to relive the loss.”

  “Well once we get this all settled, we can look. I’ll do all I can to get you some answers,” Draco promised her. He held her in his arms, rubbing her stomach. I arched my brow at him. It could be a habit or maybe he was thinking about knocking her up again.

  “Okay, but to me, it no longer matters. I just want to go on living a life with my baby and mate,” she answered, turning in his arms and smiling up at him.

  “Hopefully when it’s all said and done you will,” he murmured, bending down and kissing her. A collective “aah” filled the room.

  “We all will. Before the one blitz attack by a traitor in our midst, I only lost one or two soldiers in a battle at any given time. And these soldiers are nothing compared to the ones of the past.”

  “That’s very true
. Their battle skills are lacking compared to those of the past. We had nothing but training to occupy our time. Today, there are things to get lost in and these guys seemed to have forgotten the old ways.”

  “It could explain why they brought in the humans. Many of the soldiers now are dedicated and scrupulous,” Hunter added. We all nodded in agreement.

  “The women will be staying at your hotel because the one thing I know is that they won’t attack in a public place. If there’s a chance that regular humans could get it on the internet, they won’t even try,” Draco said.

  “My sister Chloe is with her husband. They are supposed to meet us at the hotel,” Gage told us.

  “Good, the women will be safe if together. One more wolf will do wonders for the numbers. I don’t know how many men are coming, but there’s going to be a lot. They want to catch you off guard, but they don’t know that we’re here,” Falcon supposed.

  Chapter 22

  Falcon

  We sent the girls to the hotel Since the Wolfe family owned it, they had rooms ready for all of us. The one thing that the dummies wouldn’t do is strike in a public place. They weren’t ready for the world to know of our existence. We didn’t have rules about telling non-vampires about us. We just knew better. Centuries of time hadn’t changed anything but make humans curious and more dangerous. Now it was time for us to meet them in the place in Charlotte’s vision which was just outside the hotel. We went into the woods where the trees dwarfed us. Draco, William, and I armed ourselves with our weapons and armor ready for battle.

  “I can’t believe this. We just had a battle a few months back. But we’re ready for war,” Hunter said.

  I clapped my hand on his shoulder and chuckled. “We had a battle today. It was more of an attempted invasion, but they weren’t too smart. We dispatched them quicker than the last time they came after us.”