Savage Sacrifice: A Dire Wolves Mission (The Devil's Dires Book 5)

by Ellis Leigh

  “What it is he talking about?” Phego asked, still clinging to Michaela. She didn’t mind a bit, nor did she pull away. Not yet.

  “Who the fuck knows?” Deus blanched and shot Michaela a shallow smile. “Sorry for the language.”

  “I’ve heard and said fuck before,” she said, shrugging. “I’m sure I’ll do it again.”

  Deus raised his eyebrows and looked to Phego. “She’s cool. Keep her. I’ll get a tracking phone in her hands as soon as we’re done here.”

  Phego growled, pulling her tighter and nuzzling back into her neck. Ignoring his packmate. “Go to bed. Get some rest. It’s going to be a long day.”

  Michaela nodded into his chest, still clutching him. Still needing his touch. Still worried about where they were in their mating even though Deus’ words and Phego’s closeness had soothed the worst of her fears. “When this is done, when the baby is born, will you and I—”

  “One thing at a time, little mate.” Phego pulled back, arms still on her shoulders, ducking to look her square in the eye even as her heart jumped at his use of the word mate. “Let's get through the next couple of days, the baby coming, and the threat in the woods. Then we'll talk. I promise.”

  Michaela nodded. “I'll hold you to that.”

  Phego gave her a quick kiss, barely more than a brush of his lips against hers before he let her go. “I’m learning how. It’s hard, but I’m trying.”

  Her smile was unavoidable. “That’s all I can ask for.”

  “Oh, no,” he said as he headed down the steps leading off the porch. “You can ask for more. I’m an asshole and a bit stunted in this area, but you can ask me for anything. Everything. I have a feeling I’d give it to you.”

  And then he was gone.

  15

  Phego woke with a start, a sense of dread yanking him from his nap in a harsh blow to his being. He recognized that feeling, had battled its cold clutch around his heart more than once in his life. The time his brother had come to call for him, to bring him home. The time Mammon had sent him and Levi to crawl into an old, abandoned mine with unsteady walls. The time Bez had gone off to fight a vampire clan alone. All moments of tragedy barely averted, of battles impossible to win falling on his pack’s side in a twist of fate that always brought them closer together. Death was coming. The specter had infiltrated the woods, standing close and ready, hungry for the souls long denied him. Someone would be fighting for their life today, and he could only hope it wasn't Ariel or the baby.

  Or Michaela…

  He jumped out of his makeshift bed in the hallway at the thought of his mate and padded out into the living room. Deus was already up, staring at computer screens just as Phego expected. The shifter would never shirk his guard duty responsibility, but he would definitely use the time to his advantage. Multitasking was an understatement for what Deus could do.

  The shifter barely even glanced up as his fingers flew over the keyboard. “Luc is already on mission site as far as I can tell. How that creepy psychic knew we needed him before we called, I have no clue. I really should stop questioning him, though.”

  “You think he’ll send Thaus back here?”

  Deus raised an eyebrow and glanced at the entrance to the kitchen before whispering, “I think he already did. Thaus’ GPS ping is moving closer.”

  Phego nodded, cautiously optimistic. If Thaus made it back, they’d have another Dire to fight with. Three against one—no matter how big that one was—were far better odds. He just needed to have patience and hope the man made it in time.

  For more than just the coming hunt.

  Ariel shuffled out of the kitchen looking positively haggard and exhausted. And bigger. How her stomach could have grown in the few hours they’d all been resting, he had no idea. But it had. She seemed almost ready to topple over at the weight of it pulling her forward. Michaela followed the pregnant shewolf, a hand on Ariel’s back. A concerned expression on her beautiful face.

  “C’mere, sis,” Deus called, holding up a hand for Ariel. She trudged across the room, settling in beside Deus in a move Phego hadn’t expected. Deus wasn’t exactly known for his social skills, and Ariel was usually too uncomfortable around new people to interact with them. Though he guessed Deus wasn’t really new. They’d met…once.

  “What are you doing?” Ariel asked as Deus typed away one-handed.

  “I wrote up a quick algorithm to concoct names from the letters in yours and Thaus’. I mean, I had to use his whole name of Sathanus to get more options, but it’s cool. It’s a badass name. The system then eliminated any options that were too hard to pronounce based on the phonetics of the romance language roots. We should have some stellar options here in a minute.”

  Ariel sighed and closed her eyes, holding her belly as if trying to support the weight. “You are not naming my child.”

  “You have to hear me out on this one…”

  But Deus’ words were lost as Phego’s mate brushed up against his side. Her warm, welcoming scent enveloped him, calmed him, spoke to him on some primal level. He itched to hold her, to wrap her in his arms and take comfort from her flesh against his, but he couldn’t. If he did, he’d be lost to her, and it wasn’t the time. Not yet.

  Soon.

  Still, he gave her a lean and a growl to let her know he liked her closeness. “Something you wanted, Doc?”

  She grinned, humming. “Yes, but that’s not really possible right now.” She grinned up at him as he groaned and moved closer. “When will Thaus get here?”

  Phego leaned down, letting his lips touch the soft skin in front of her ear as he whispered to her. “No idea, but he’s moving this way.”

  Michaela rubbed her cheek against his, a subtle sort of move that had his beast howling for her and his cock hardening. “She won’t make it more than a few hours, if I had to guess.”

  Phego pulled back a step and nodded, seeing the same signs she did. Needing to keep his mind clear and focused on the important issues they were going to have to face. Knowing they were in a race to the end.

  Before he could move too far away, Michaela slid her fingers between his, grabbing hold of his hand as if for added support. Phego had never held hands with another person before. Had never felt the comfort of another's touch in that way. He stared down at where their hands were joined, brown and white stripes woven together to make a picture of them as one. He liked that. Liked the connection to her. Liked the feel of her skin against his. She was winning him over, her quiet patience and easy smile something he couldn't ignore.

  “I have my own cabin,” he said, words tumbling from his mouth, his brain unable to keep up as his mate gave him a confused sort of smile. “This is where Thaus and Ariel live. Mine is…farther out.”

  “I had no idea,” Michaela said. She licked her bottom lip, fascinating him with that little flash of pink. “Maybe you could show me—”

  “Michaela.” Colt appeared at the front door, his eyes finding Michaela. Something in his stance caught Phego’s attention, made him pull his mate in closer. Made him have to fight the urge to protect her. Colt must have noticed the move because he stayed on the opposite side of the screen door, not coming into the cabin at all.

  “Hey, Phego. Morning,” Colt said. An unusual greeting for him. Colt's eyes darted to Ariel, taking in the sight of her leaning against Deus’ shoulder. She looked to be napping again; the exhaustion from earlier still evidenced by the way her lips turned down. Perhaps that was it—Colt had reservations about being near Ariel. He’d probably never been involved with a woman giving birth before. At least, it didn't seem as if he had, judging from the anxious air around him. An air Michaela didn’t appear to recognize.

  “Morning, Colt,” she said. Still holding Phego's hand. Still connected to him. Phego made no move to let her go, either.

  “I need to speak to you. Outside.” He shot a pointed look to Phego. “Alone.”

  Michaela sighed, glancing up in a way that screamed apology. “I’ll be rig
ht back.”

  Phego squeezed her hand once then let her go, knowing he’d have her in his arms again in a few minutes. Certain of it. He watched her walk outside, stared at the way her hips swung under her skirt, catching Deus’ furrowed brow and worried stare once the door shut.

  “What?” Phego asked.

  Deus shrugged. “Odd relationship, that's all.”

  “He's her bodyguard, and she’s an Omega,” Ariel said, sounding irritated. Obviously not napping as Phego had assumed. “You can't blame her Alpha for sending someone to watch over her.”

  Deus sat deeper into the couch, crossing his ankle over his knee and looking down at Ariel in that inquisitive way he had. “I don't blame the Alpha for sending a bodyguard. But I do wonder what the bodyguard’s going to be doing once the baby comes.”

  They both turned to look at Phego, Deus’ meaning clear. Once the baby came and Michaela was technically no longer needed… What then? Would she stay? Would they all leave together? Would she go back to her pack with Colt?

  Phego didn’t have an answer. “We’ll get to that when we get to that.”

  Deus laughed and dropped his head back, looking as if he was a cat about to catch a canary. “She’s really got your number, doesn’t she? You are such a—”

  But the sound of growling and snapping drew all their attention before Deus could finish his sentence. The room went silent and still, every person focused on the noise from outside.

  A second later, they exploded into organized chaos.

  Ariel jumped up from where she'd been lounging on the couch and took two steps toward the door, but her body betrayed her. A sudden burst of liquid spread down her legs, and she almost doubled over in pain, both hands going to her round belly.

  “Oh, hell,” she said, groaning out the last word.

  Deus was up without pause, hurrying toward her. Phego beat him there, though. Grabbing her arm and turning her toward the stairs as his brain focused on one thing. One threat. One need to protect beyond the woman he was bound to.

  Michaela.

  “Up.” He led her to the hallway, not letting go until she had a hold of the handrail and started to move. “Get up there and stay put. We’ll come for you when we know everything's okay.”

  Deus appeared at his side and tossed a black bag up to the top landing. A mission bag. One that was probably filled with guns, ammunition, knives, and explosives.

  “Good call,” Phego said as he turned toward the door. He had his mate to worry about.

  “Ain’t my first time.” Deus said just as an attic door clicked closed. Ariel was safe; it was time to fight. Deus must have felt the same because he was on Phego’s heels in a split second. The two raced outside just as a scream ripped through the air. One from outside. One from Michaela. Phego’s heart crashed in his chest as his feet hit the rough wooden planks of the porch, seeking her out, ready to defend her in every way he could. Deus matched Phego growl for growl, step for step, looking ready to fight anything in their path as they crossed the porch.

  Neither of them made it to the steps.

  In the morning glow of the sun rising over the treetops around them, a violent scene played out like something from a nightmare. A wolf—bigger than any Dire Phego had ever seen other than himself—stood at the edge of the tree line. Stood was the wrong word, though. The wolf hunched and jumped, shaking something. Tearing it apart as—

  A body. The wolf had a body between his jaws, shaking it like a rag doll. The body flopped with every jerk, blood dripping and spraying all over the grass. That person was obviously dead, though too badly damaged to recognize. A fact that sent Phego’s stomach to his feet and the name Michaela screaming through his mind.

  The animal stopped when he noticed the two Dires on the porch, practically grinning at them from across the grass. And then he spat out his prey. His pale-skinned prey.

  Colt.

  But Phego couldn’t be bothered with a dead guard. Not when the beast standing before him was something straight out of the hell of his past. The spots along the animal’s neck and back were clearly defined, the pattern obvious, the wolf familiar. Too familiar. But there was no way. After centuries upon centuries, it was not possible that Phego could be seeing that particular nightmare come to life. But he was. As was Deus, whose sharp intake of breath told Phego his assumption was right. That wolf, that Dire, was no stranger to them. Even though he wasn’t pack. At least, not any longer.

  But the worst, beyond the ghost from his past and the dead bodyguard, came when the beast moved closer. When he revealed his final secret.

  Michaela.

  Phego’s mate—his gorgeous, sexy, kind-hearted mate—stood beside the wolf at the edge of the woods. Still as a stone with no expression on her face. Doing nothing as the creature murdered her packmate and bodyguard. As Phego’s heart hardened over and the dark voice inside his mind jeered that he’d been duped. That he’d been sold out. That…

  Why wasn’t she moving?

  16

  Michaela walked outside after Colt with a bit of a spring in her step. Her mate had reached for her, smiled at her. Held her hand. Something so simple and sweet shouldn’t have set her heart to thumping the way it had, but the man in question was Phego. Her reserved, stoic, often silent mate. Every single step, every little move of acceptance and affection, was something to be celebrated, it seemed.

  But Ariel’s baby was coming soon. Probably within the next day or two at most. Once the tiny bundle arrived, Michaela’s job at the little cabin in the woods would be finished. She would no longer be needed. Would Phego still want her to stay? Would he demand she leave her pack to join him in his quiet existence? Would he even consider following her back to her pack? Not that she’d demand such a thing. While she loved her pack and her family there, Phego was her mate. He was her future. She’d do whatever she needed to that would work for the two of them as a unit. She could compromise. The question was, could he?

  He’d told her about his cabin. Even seemed as if he wanted her to see it. So…maybe? Maybe to everything, but maybe was far better than no.

  Michaela was too far into her thoughts to see what was wrong until she practically stumbled over it. Too focused on the future to see the threat right in front of her. At least, until it was too late.

  “Don’t be afraid,” Colt said, yanking her back to attention. He stood ten yards away, almost to the tree line, with a large, spotted wolf at his side. A Dire Wolf.

  “Is this Thaus? We should tell Phego he’s here.” Michaela let her voice fade, her words growing quieter as a chill of apprehension made her take a step back. Something in the animal’s eyes felt off. Something about the way he took her in set her survival instincts on fire. Danger…he was pure and utter danger.

  Colt shook his head, a slow and deliberate move she’d never seen him make. One that mimicked the heavy head of the wolf beside him. That was the moment she got it, that she knew. Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.

  “What’s happening here?” she asked, swallowing hard and planting her feet wide in case she needed to defend herself.

  Colt didn’t answer, just scowled and stood straight and tall as if unable to move. As if controlled. Michaela took another step back, ready to run, but the wolf’s low growl stopped her in her tracks.

  “Don’t move. You’ll be safe,” Colt said, his voice stressed and quiet. His muscles tight. Definitely under some sort of sick Alpha order. “He just wants Phego.”

  The words were on her lips before her brain could think them through. “Well, he can’t have him.”

  Colt groaned, his head falling back, his muscles trembling as they locked into some sort of hyperextension. He looked as if he was being torn in two, as if he could be ripped into pieces at any second. But even Colt’s twisted position couldn’t hide the destruction happening beside him. The wolf shifted human, the man appearing almost from within the fur in an uneven roll that spoke to something being broken between the two forms. Bo
nes and ligaments tearing through flesh only to be reabsorbed, blood falling to the forest floor as skin and fur split over and over again. The sounds, the sights, the smells…all of it worked together to make her sick stomach roil. She swallowed hard, fighting back the urge to expel her breakfast.

  The man who emerged from within the fur of the wolf didn’t seem fazed, though. Tall and thick, he exuded a type of malice she’d never been forced to endure before. Reeked of evil and age and wrong. But his eyes—those light gray eyes—were the final straw. She bent at the waist, losing her stomach across the grass. Unable not to see those eyes. She recognized them. Saw much more of her mate in the man before her than she cared to admit.

  “Who are you?” she asked as she wiped her mouth, already knowing the answer. Or at least, the direction it would take.

  “What? You don’t see the family resemblance?” He turned his lips up in some sort of bastardization of a smile, half-rotted teeth dark against the paleness of his mouth. Leering at her from under his heavy brow. “The fates gave you to my family when they tied you to Belphegor, whom you know as Phego. That means they gave you to me. Why don’t you come and give me a hug, sis?”

  Phego. This man was related to Phego. This evil was in their lineage, this perversion of nature related to her mate. She fought not to be sick again.

  When Michaela didn’t move, the man shrugged. Feigning disinterest, even as he stalked closer. “No affection for me? Phego’s only kin? That’s hurtful, sister mine. You deserve to be punished for that sort of disobedience.”

  The way he spat punished, the way his eyes practically glittered with a want she didn’t have the wherewithal to think about, chilled Michaela to the bone. She needed to go. Needed to run. She needed to find Phego. He would know what to do with…this.

  “What do you want?” Michaela asked, taking another step backward, looking for any sign of escape.

  The man laughed, his husky chuckle terrifying. “What I’ve always wanted, but we’ll get to that later. How about I take care of our little eavesdropper first?”