by J. C. Diem
According to him, Reece and I were able to think and communicate while we were transformed. I guessed it was possible for another shifter to do so as well. “I still don’t get why you chose to take the squad under your protection.”
“They were little more than babies when they were captured,” he said simply. “They weren’t given a choice about becoming shifters. They were injected with the virus and I knew it would take years before it would transform them. They’d been stolen from their families, all of whom were probably killed by the rival organization. I believed I could raise them to be caring and compassionate human beings.”
“You hoped that if you brought them up properly, they wouldn’t turn into evil monsters,” I concluded.
“Exactly.”
We shared a smile, then something he said came back to me. “How did you know the shifter was an alpha?”
He looked down at the floor then up at me again. “At the next full moon, his pack hunted me down and tried to take their revenge on me.”
“He had a pack?” I knew wolves were pack animals, but I didn’t know that werewolves were as well. I always imagined they were solitary creatures who hunted alone. I should have known better after he’d told me that I’d demanded to be let into Reece’s cage. That reminded me of my possible pregnancy, which was something I was desperately trying to avoid thinking about at all.
“He had a mate and four pack members.” Mark winced at the memory. “They had my scent and tracked me to my home. The alpha female almost killed me.” He pulled his shirt out of his pants and lifted it to show me long faded claw marks on his stomach.
“Ouch!” I grimaced in sympathy.
“I’d loaded my gun with silver bullets after I’d learned that werewolves were real. You don’t need a kill shot to cause severe damage.”
“Did you kill them all?”
“No,” he shook his head. “I took two of them down, but the alpha female and two remaining pack members ran off. I tracked them back to their den, but they were gone.” His expression was haunted and I dropped the subject before I could cause him more pain.
Now that I’d been reminded of my status as a potential mother, I couldn’t get the idea out of my head. It was too soon to take a pregnancy test. I was pretty sure I’d have to wait for a couple of weeks before anything would show. Entering my room, I put my hand on my stomach and imagined it swollen and distended with multiple babies.
Some girls grew up wanting to be moms, but I’d never been one of them. Children were years away for me, if I had any at all. I’d been planning on joining the army and had intended to serve for as long as they’d wanted me. That dream was dead now. It had been torn away from me on the night that Lust had bamboozled Reece into having sex with me.
Lying down on my bed, I stared up at the ceiling and brooded about my uncertain future.
₪₪₪
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Kala knocked on my door to fetch me for lunch, waking me from a light doze. I felt bad for slacking off, so agreed to train with her when we were finished eating. Not only was she faster, stronger and far more skilled than me, she also outweighed me. She pinned me down for the fifth time in a row and I was thoroughly sick of being beaten by then.
“Getting angry won’t help,” she said, easily holding me down with her knees on my shoulders. I took a swipe at her, but she saw it coming and leaned back before my fist could connect with her chin. “Nice try,” she grinned.
Annoyed almost beyond reason, I looked her dead in the eye. Reece had taught me to control my anger, but it was about to spill out again. I didn’t want to hurt her, I just wanted to move her. “Get off me,” I ordered in the same tone that my father used the few times that I’d been stupid enough to push him to the edge.
She reacted instantly. Letting go of my shoulders, she rolled off me and crouched on the floor, cringing away as if expecting a blow. Realizing what she’d done, her mouth dropped open. Reece and Flynn were sparring in the boxing ring. Both stopped to stare at me.
“What?” I asked, climbing to my feet and brushing my clothes off.
“Kala just obeyed you as if you were her alpha,” Flynn said in astonishment.
“Cats have alphas?” I asked in surprise.
“All shifters have alphas, even if they refer to them as something else,” Reece replied. “There’s always either an alpha male or female whenever there is a pack. They sometimes have both, if they’re mated.”
“But we’re not a pack,” I said, thoroughly confused as to why my command had worked.
“Aren’t you?” Mark asked. He’d been sitting at the dining table, but had approached when he’d sensed trouble brewing.
“We’re not even from the same species,” I pointed out.
Kala was just as disturbed as I was about her reaction. “Maybe we don’t have to be the same species to think of each other as pack.” In her place, it would be a pride rather than a pack, but it was the same concept. I had no idea what Flynn’s kin would be called. As far as I knew, snakes didn’t run together in groups.
“You know what this means,” Flynn said. A smile was trying to appear, but he kept it under control and spoke solemnly. “You two really are an alpha couple,” he said when no one else spoke.
It was fairly obvious that Reece was an alpha. He tended to take charge whenever Mark let him. While Mark was our boss, Reece was the real leader of the squad.
“If Lexi really is an alpha, then she’ll be able to ignore your direct order,” Kala said to Reece. Her golden brown eyes were excited by the idea. Like me, she wasn’t fond of being told what to do. She’d get a kick out of it if I could remain independent of Reece’s superior power.
Reece had been the one to turn me and we were living in the same building. I guessed that meant we were a pack. It had never occurred to me that I should think of him as my alpha. Maybe because I was apparently one myself. The thought that I might be his equal instead of his subordinate didn’t displease me at all.
Contemplating the notion, Reece’s curiosity had him dropping his gloves and climbing out of the ring. Sweat dripped down his torso and it was all I could do not to follow the trail of moisture down to his abs. I almost backed up a step at his intent stare. Only pride made me stay in place.
Standing over me, he looked into my eyes. “Make me a cup of coffee,” he ordered.
His tone was imperious and my hackles immediately rose. “Make it yourself!” I said in outrage. “I’m not your servant!”
Kala sniggered and Flynn choked on a laugh. Reece raised an eyebrow in sardonic amusement then looked into my eyes again. His became melting golden pools that I wanted to drown in. “Please?” he entreated.
His tone was seductive and something clenched in my stomach. My mind went hazy and when it cleared, I was halfway to the kitchen. Whirling around, I pointed my finger at him accusingly. “Don’t try your Jedi mind tricks on me, Agent Garrett!”
Flynn slapped his thigh and laughed. “You almost had her,” he chortled.
Kala was laughing as well. She seemed to have forgiven me for ordering her around. I was still new to being both a shifter and a member of their squad. It was going to take time for me to fit in and to find my place.
We showered, changed and headed back to New Orleans well before dark. The same two police officers who had questioned us showed up while we were cruising the streets. They watched our SUV suspiciously and followed us at a distance.
“I don’t think we’re going to be able to shake them, boss,” Reece said after keeping track of them in the rearview mirror for several blocks.
“I’m hungry,” Kala complained, unconcerned that we had a tail.
I was hungry, too. My stomach had been rumbling for the past hour, making Flynn grin every time it sounded. Being a were-constrictor, he didn’t get quite as ravenous as the rest of us, but even he had to eat regularly.
“We’ll stop at the next restaurant we see,” Mark said. “The officers will probab
ly question us again and I want everyone to stay in control of their tempers.” His warning was directed at Reece.
“I’ll control myself if they keep their eyes to themselves,” he replied moodily. I knew his feelings of ownership and protectiveness stemmed from our bond, but I still wasn’t a fan of his overbearing attitude.
Kala smothered a grin with her hand when I rolled my eyes dramatically. “Alphas,” I complained in a whisper.
“You should know,” she whispered back. “You have quite the temper yourself.” She winked to show she had no hard feelings about my ability to boss her around. I suspected it was a once off that wouldn’t happen again anytime soon. She wasn’t exactly meek herself and she was strong enough to resist orders from a wolf.
We found a large restaurant that was half filled with patrons. We drew curious stares when we entered and were seated at a table for six. I ended up sitting across from Reece as usual with my back to the door. I trusted the team to make sure no one attacked me. Still, I glanced backwards every now and then anyway. Flynn was sitting to my right and he was just as unhappy with our seating arrangement. Knowing the cops were following us had us all jumpy. We were the good guys and we were being stalked as if we were responsible for the desecrations and robberies.
Reece’s shoulders went stiff when the two plain clothes cops entered. Sitting beside him, Kala’s upper lip lifted in a silent snarl. Mark sat at the head of the table as usual. His pointed glance had them both relaxing again. We’d just finished ordering and the waitress had brought our drinks. I closed my hands around my mug of coffee to keep them occupied. I tended to fidget when I was nervous and these two cops made me very fidgety. Especially the younger one.
Two sets of footsteps approached and I felt one of the men right behind me. I refused to turn around and acknowledge them. The young blond cop stood close enough for me to feel the warmth of his body against my back. Reece stared at him coldly until he backed away a step.
“Fancy seeing you all here,” the older cop said in a falsely jovial tone. “Officer Mallory and I were hoping we’d run into you again.”
“We’ve just ordered dinner. You’re welcome to join us,” Mark said politely.
“We can’t stay,” Mallory replied. I didn’t like him being so close and my whole body was tense. I wasn’t sure what I’d do if he touched me even accidentally. Either punch him in the face or pull my gun and blast a few holes in him. Neither impulse would be a good idea. “We just wanted to ask if you’ve made any progress in your case,” he added.
“Not yet,” Agent Steel replied. His posture was far more relaxed than mine or Reece’s. Kala chewed on a breadstick and eyed the two cops almost insolently. Flynn had half turned to keep them in his line of sight.
“You’ll let us know as soon as you learn anything?” the older cop said. It was a mystery how they knew we were here in relation to the desecrations. Instinct maybe. Either that or nothing else of interest was happening in the city.
“Of course,” Mark replied.
I cringed when I felt Mallory lean in close. “I’ll see you again soon,” he whispered in my ear.
Kala and Mark automatically reached for Reece when he tensed. Flynn’s hand was on my wrist, keeping me in my seat. I’d swiveled around to watch the cops leave and was startled to realize I was growling low in my throat.
“Down, girl,” Flynn said quietly.
Kala giggled and the tension broke. We’d been feeding off each other’s anger. I hadn’t felt physically threatened by Mallory, but I didn’t like him being behind me. His intentions were fairly obvious. He wanted to get me naked. He couldn’t have been clearer about that if he’d shouted it to the entire room.
“I thought you were going to tear his throat out,” the blonde said.
“So did I for a second there,” I agreed. If Flynn hadn’t restrained me, the cop would probably be lying on the floor spurting blood right now.
“I’m glad you all managed to contain your anger,” Mark said dryly.
I flushed in embarrassment and dropped my eyes. “Sorry,” I mumbled.
“You’re young,” he said, meaning both my actual age and my status as a werewolf. “You’ll learn control eventually.” He switched his attention to Reece. “You, however, should know better and you have no excuse.”
Reece flushed as well, but he didn’t look away. “It’s the bond,” he explained. “It won’t allow me to tolerate someone poaching on my territory.”
Kala turned laughing eyes on me. “Did you hear that, Alexis? You belong to Garrett now.”
My embarrassment instantly tripled and I pushed away from the table. “I’m going to the ladies room,” I announced. I needed to distance myself from everyone, even if it was just for a few minutes.
I took my time in the bathroom then washed my hands and leaned over the sink to splash water on my face.
“You’ve grown into a beautiful woman, Alexis,” a voice said and the light went out.
My gaze darted to the mirror, but no one was there. I whirled around and a woman was standing only inches away from me. We were about the same height, but her face was hidden in a shadow that was so deep that my eyes couldn’t penetrate it. I sensed that the shadow wasn’t real and that she was clouding my mind.
“How do you know me?” I asked. Up this close, she emanated a sense of unnaturalness that had my hackles rising again. Her skin was so pale that it was almost luminous.
She reached out and touched the scar on my right shoulder. “I gave you this mark a very long time ago.”
“You were the one that bit me?” I asked.
“Yes,” she replied.
So much for it being a dog bite. It hurt to discover that my father had been lying to me for my entire life. I had no doubt at all that she was telling me the truth. How else could our minds be linked? “Why did you bite me?”
Her lips parted and my eyes were drawn to her teeth. The shadow receded just enough for me to watch as her incisors grew long and sharp. Her grin became something from a horror movie. “Because that is how my kind feeds,” she said in a guttural, ravenous voice.
She darted forward and her hands clamped down on my shoulders. My mind went fuzzy when she asserted control over me. She easily stripped away my will, leaving me feeling hollowed out inside. She pushed my jacket and shirt aside and bit into the old scar. My mouth opened in a silent scream as pain flooded through me. Her bottom teeth grazed my collar bone, but only her top teeth pierced my flesh.
Slurping noisily, she fed deeply and my heart felt as if it was going to burst out of my chest. I knew she was draining me dangerously dry when white spots appeared before my eyes.
Then the light came on and Kala was standing in front of me. Her expression was concerned. “Are you okay?” she asked. “Who turned the light out?”
Putting a hand to my forehead, I tried to clear away the thick fog that had invaded my mind. “I don’t know. I didn’t see who did it.” Something profound had just happened, but I couldn’t remember what it was.
“Are you finished in here?”
I couldn’t remember whether I’d used the toilet or not, but I didn’t feel a pressing need to go. “Yes,” I said uncertainly and turned to the basin to wash my hands. They were trembling and my heart was beating far too rapidly. I felt dizzy and strange.
Kala disappeared into one of the stalls. Pain flared in my right shoulder when I reached for a paper towel. Dragging my shirt and jacket away, I saw a slowly healing bite mark directly over the old scar that I’d had since I was a baby. The scar had stretched as I’d grown, but I could tell that the new bite was a perfect match for the old one. There were only faint indentations of a bottom set of teeth on my collarbone. The upper teeth had bitten me savagely enough to tear the flesh and to leave deep bruises.
Staring around wildly, I didn’t sense anything dangerous in the restaurant. Something had snuck in, had taken over my mind and had sunken their teeth into me. Somehow, I didn’t think this was going
to end well. “What the hell is happening to me?” I asked my reflection almost silently.
“Did you say something?” Kala asked as she flushed and exited from the stall.
“I was just wondering if our meals are ready,” I said with false brightness.
“I hope they’re ready soon,” she replied as she washed her hands. “I’m starving.”
I smiled in agreement, but my appetite had fled completely. It was hard to think about eating after realizing I’d just been a meal myself for an unknown creature.
₪₪₪
Chapter Twenty-Eight
I’d brought my sniper rifle along again. I intended to gun down the necromancer as soon as I saw him. Mark didn’t think our new target was going to waste any time in trying to raise his kin from their entombment. Two people had been reported missing last night, so there was a good chance that the zombie had fed. According to Mark, the necromancer would become whole again once he consumed enough flesh and human blood. That meant his jaw would heal and he’d be able to perform the ritual again.
“If I were the necromancer,” Flynn said into the silence, “I’d raise enough corpses to overwhelm us and tear us to pieces.” Apparently, I wasn’t the only one trying to work out what we could expect from our new foe. “The Zombie King tried it, but he didn’t have enough minions.”
Mark’s nod was thoughtful. “I agree. Once night falls, I imagine he’ll rise and seek out the closest cemetery. He’s probably already healed well enough to speak by now. We need to track him down asap.”
