LeRoy and his men are quick to join us. Getting in was way too easy. Something’s not right. I can hear the brothers sharp intakes of breath. This isn’t good. Guns and knives are drawn, even the select few who brought swords have drawn them. With everyone circling each other, watching each other’s six, no one seems to notice the familiar sound of high heels tapping the ground. Sierra. She’s not supposed to be here. I stand straight circling myself to see if I can pinpoint where she’s coming from, but the acoustics in the place suck ass.
“As the Alpha of the Hellfire Dogs of Louisiana, I demand to speak to your Alpha.” Sierra yells. What the fuck is she doing? She’s gonna get us all killed.
“Little lady, we have no alpha. We don’t answer to you or anyone for that matter.” The voice of a man echos through the building. “Now run along home, I’m sure you have pups to take care of.”
“You’re going to wish you never called me a little lady. Stop being a coward and show yourself.” Through my orange eyes, I see someone come from the back of the warehouse. Only he’s not human. He’s full blown lycan.
“CHANGE!” I yell. Fighting a lycan in human form can be deadly. Our bodies aren’t meant to stand the force that a fulling shifted lycan can bring. Within seconds, I hear not only my bones shifting to accommodate my natural form but everyone else's.
“Sierra, shift.” No response. She should have been able to hear me. “Lucias, LeRoy guard Sierra! Don’t let her out of your sight.” I order. This woman, I swear. She’s pregnant with my child and trying to act like a hero. She needs to get ahold of herself.
More screams come from the back. Fuck. “Trigger, Trip, Seg. Get Nico and get him the fuck out of here.”
“Yes, sir.” Growls bounce off the walls of the building as my men fight to get their brother back. As I turn back to where Sierra was, I see a pair of orange eyes. Claws come around my throat as I’m picked up in the air and thrown with a force that knocks the wind out of me before I even hit the wall.
I struggle to get up, pain searing through my back. “Malik, you good?” I hear Jimmy in my head.
“Yeah, I’m good.” I finally say as I stand up. I’m pretty sure there are some broken bones but that’s the last thing on my mind. I let out a howl and charge the first set of eyes that I see, hoping like hell I’m not attacking anyone on our side.
“Enough!” A voice, a human voice, yells. “Tell them to shift back!” A slight whimper comes from Sierra. “Tell them to shift now or I drop you dead right here!” He continues.
“Shift to your human form.” Sierra’s voice is weak. I can barely hear it. I look around me to see if the fighting had stopped. It did. But why was Sierra taking orders from him?
“Turn the backups on!” The unknown male says in a raised voice. One by one the industrial lights turn on. I see her. I see Nico. Both chained from the ceiling. Lucias and LeRoy are no where to be seen. “You have five seconds to change back, or your little bitch here will be put down.” Two guys are standing next to Nico and Sierra. One has a knife to her throat and the other gun to Nico’s head, what choice do we have? I give a nod, telling my men to shift back to human form. The process doesn’t take more than a few minutes, all of us standing there naked.
“Wonderful!” The man laughs. He couldn’t be no more than six feet tall and maybe two hundred pounds. “Let’s talk. But first, how about you put that away?” He points his gun to my cock. I give a nod to the guys to get dressed.
“Let them go!” I order.
“Uh, uh, uh! I give the orders around here.” He points the knife at me. “You’ll listen.” He circles around Sierra to stand behind her. His fucking filthy fingers are drug up and down her neck as she stands there and grimaces at his touch. My instincts start to kick in.
“Get your fucking hands off of her!” I yell loud enough that I’m pretty sure the whole damn city heard me. I start to charge this asshole when I feel arms grab onto either side of me. I fight back, trying to get to my woman. Next thing I know, a punch lands right on my face. I can feel the blood start to trickle down my eye, making it hard to see. “Let her go!” I growl.
“Now see, I just wanted to talk,” The man begins. He walks away from Sierra by a couple feet. “And what do you do, you resort to violence. And for what?” He turns back to her and lifts her face to meet his. “For this piece of ass? I will say you have some good taste.” He looks her up and down while he whistles.
“Don’t fucking touch her!” I grit through my teeth.
“No. I think I will! I’ve always wanted to know what’s she’s carrying under that leather!” He slowly moves his fingers down her body.
“I carry your death warrant.” Sierra manages to say. Her breathing is ragged as she struggles to get her words out. With the back of his hand, he knocks Sierra out cold.
“I told you not to talk, bitch.” He says as he grabs her hair. “Let the big boys talk now.” I’m seeing red. All I want is this man’s head rolling to my fucking feet! “Now, Malik.” He starts to pace then turns to me, “It’s Malik, right?” The lycan inside me wants to come the fuck out! This fucking moron has no idea what he’s up against. He starts pacing again. “I’ll take that as a yes. Well, just in case you were curious, I’m James. You remember me, don’t you?”
I try to think back. How the fuck do I know this guy? I don’t remember any James coming in or out of the clubhouse.
“I figured you wouldn’t remember. I mean, look at you. Too busy to even notice one of your former prospects or should I say your dads. Come on now, Malik. You gotta remember now, don’t you?” I think back to when my dad was Pres. I do remember someone my dad didn’t like but I never got into his business. He always told my mom that this guy rubbed him the wrong way.
“I remember you, but why? What does all this prove?”
“You see, Malik, your time is up. The Hellfire Dogs are done. You will die, one by one. Starting with your little techy over here.” He’s calm, too calm. He’s had this planned out. But where does Nico fit into all this? I mean, I can understand Sierra but Nico. He’s not a violent man. “I know what your thinking, allow me to explain. You see when your,” he stops in front of Nico, “techy found out what I created I knew then I had to make my move. Planting guys into your little club was easy. Speaking of that, where are they?”
“Dead.” I hissed.
“I figured that much. Well, a life for a life.” He says as he draws his gun from his holster and points it at Nico’s head.
“WAIT!” I yell. He looks at me with the gun still pointed. “You don’t want him. I told him to research it, I gave the order. You want me.”
“So, your life instead of your friend. How noble!” He smiles as he lowers his weapon.
“Just let them go!” I plead.
“Oh see, I just can’t do that.” He hooks an arm around my neck. “You wanna know why?” He asks as he slaps my back. “Great! I’ll tell you! You see he carries the antidote and she, well she’s going to die in a couple hours. You should really watch the show.” He points the gun at my chest. I watch, rage filling my eyes as one of this coward’s cronies take a needle to stick it in her shoulder. I start shifting. The sounds of the bones cracking through the warehouse. This fucker just injected my ol’ lady with that fucking serum and I’ll be damned if he lives to see me save her life!
I can see him backing up, the fear in his eyes present. Once fully shifted, I let my mind go to the lycan. Jumping on top of James, knocking the wind out of him, letting him try to fight me; it only pissed me off more. With one swipe of my claws, I rip his fucking throat out. Blood and tissue everywhere. His neck, well, it’s dangling by a piece of skin. How’s that for a show, asshole.
My brothers join me. Turning at their own will. Ripping the ones who threatened our own to shreds. But there’s a new lycan in here. One with a different scent then all the others. One more blood thirsty. A newborn. Eve. Watching her in action, she took five of the Los Hombres Lobos out in one strike. Trigger was right! This was her
calling. She was meant to fight by our side.
As soon as I’m sure the enemy is taken out, I shift back. “Sierra!” I yell. She’s still unconscious. I check her pulse. It’s faint but she’s alive. “Trip! Help me get her down!” We break the chains, laying her carefully on the floor. “Baby, wake up!” I gently tap her face. “Come on, baby. Come back to me!” Tears start forming in my eyes. I can’t lose her. Her brown hair is matted from the blood cakes in it. Her face is fucked up from that asshole. I start shaking her. “Wake up!” I raise my voice.
Everyone is gathered around me. Eve let’s out a whimper as Trigger hold her. I bring Sierra to my chest, cradling her like a child who’s been hurt. “Jimmy, get Doc over here now!”
“But,” Jimmy starts to say in a quiet voice.
“I said now!” I roar. He bolts out the door to get his phone from the van. I lay Sierra back down and start pacing. “How’s Nico?”
“Weak but I think he’ll be alright.” Trip says as he examines a half-conscious Nico.
“Good.” I crouch down in front of him. “Hey brother,” he glances up at me. “I need your help. We need to save our Alpha, but to do that, I need to take some blood.”
“You think that’s wise? I mean look at him.” Trip whispers to me. I just stare at him and then back to Nico.
“Doc will be here soon, but we won’t have much time to work with. Nico, we need your blood. We need to transfuse it with Sierra’s.” Nico doesn’t seem to know what I’m saying to him. He nods his head but a blank stare remains on his face.
“That won’t be necessary.” A voice from the rafters says. Jumping down, he lands on both feet. “I know how to cure Sierra.”
20
Sierra
Where am I? Am I dead? Looking around I see nothing but darkness and fog. It gets thicker the further that I walk into it.
“Hello?” I yell. Nothing. What the ever-loving fuck is going on. I have no idea how long I’m wandering before I hear a voice that I never thought I would hear again.
“Daughter,” the voice calls out to me. “Come to me, daughter.”
“Father?” I question. “Where are you?” I’m walking towards where I think the voice is coming from when I hear something behind me. I turn around to see a tall man, with black hair, and bright blue eyes.
“My daughter,” he says. “Look at how you’ve grown.” I run to him and wrap my arms around my father. “You’re amazingly strong, my little one. Stronger than I have ever been.” He says into my hair, squeezing me tight.
“I’ve missed you so much, father.” I cry.
“I’ve missed you too.” He softly says.
I pull back from our hug and look over the man who had given me so much strength. He still looked the same as he did the day he died.
“Father, where are we?” I ask him.
“We are in what humans would call limbo.” He starts to explain. He must be able to read my face because he continues. “You, my child, must make a choice. I know how tired you are. I watch you everyday. Your time as Alpha is coming to an end. The world knows that.”
“Is that why James tried to kill me tonight?” He nods his head.
“His greed for power was too strong for him to grasp. He didn’t anticipate that the man you have come to love, would be the one who saved you.”
I think back to Malik. His handsome face comes into focus, his searing blue eyes embedding themselves on my mind’s eye. A wave of nauseousness overwhelms me. Then it hits me. Our baby. There’s no chance in hell, I could leave this world and not give my child a chance to live. I glance up at my father, who’s smile overcomes me.
“You need to make a decision, my daughter. Your child will be born into war and blood. But your child is also the key to saving our people. Where one Alpha rises, the other must die. Do you understand what I’m telling you, sweetheart?”
“I understand, father.” War and blood. Do I want my child to be born into this? Will this pain ever end? What of Malik? How would he survive without me? I cannot simply take the easy way out. I fought for four years to have this man by my side, I’m not leaving him that easily.
After several moments of silence, my father finally breaks my thoughts. “What is your decision, my child.”
“I choose to stay by Malik.” I say with no hesitation.
“Is this final? Once you make this decision, there’s no going back.” He questions.
“Would you leave mother, if given the same choice?” I ask.
“I raised you right. You’re beliefs are what I had hoped you would carry with you, even in the face of death.” He leans in and kisses my forehead. “Your mother would be very proud.”
He starts to fade before my eyes with a brighter smile on his face. A tear falls unexpectedly from my eye. “Goodbye, father. I’ll always love you.” Once he disappears, the world around me starts to melt. I’m coming home, baby. I think to myself.
My eyes flutter open. The world before me hazy from my deep sleep. The memory of my father singeing my mind. I take in my surroundings once my vision starts to come into better focus. Am I in a hospital? I hear the faint sound of beeping coming from behind me. An IV, a tray full of uneaten food, and a tv confirm my suspicions. I feel a warm pressure on my hand. I turn my head slightly to see Malik there, holding my hand with his head on my bed. I reach over with my left hand, careful not to rip the IV out and lightly touch his head. I hear him groan as he comes out of his sleep.
“You’re awake?” The excitement on his face is truly blissful right now. He stands over me to give me one of the most passionate kisses we have had. “I’ll go get the doc.” He says when we break from our moment.
I lay there, waiting for his return when my hand automatically goes to my stomach. Our baby. Is he okay? Did he survive? Just as my thoughts start racing, Malik returns with an older man with a white coat.
“Miss Thibodeaux, you’ve had quite an exciting week, yeah?” The doctor questions. I nod my head. “Well, if Malik here hadn’t called me when he did I think we would be having an entirely different conversation.” I go back and forth between Malik and the doctor.
“How long have I been here?”
“About a week.” Malik answers.
“What about the baby?” The one question that meant more than life itself needed to be answered.
“The baby is strong and healthy.” The doctor does some tapping on his tablet. “Based off your blood results, you’re about seven weeks pregnant.” Seven weeks? “You’re little one is a fighter Miss Thibodeaux. You needn’t worry about that. Between you and Malik, I would say the lycans are going to have one hell of a leader when he gets older.” I snap my head over to Malik. How does this man know so much about my people? Malik just gives me a nod. He trusts this man. But why? He’s human. “Miss Thibodeaux, I’ve known about your kind for quite some time. I will provide you with the best care possible. You and that little one,” he motions to my stomach, “have nothing to worry about.”
My tensions seem to ease at his words. If Malik trusts him, then there’s a good reason. “When can I go home?” I turn my attention back to the doctor.
“Well, I would like to keep you a couple nights just for observation. After that, as long as you agree to aftercare and monthly appointments to check on the baby, you may go home.” The doctor explains. I nod my head to acknowledge our deal. “Good, I’ll be back here in a bit to check up on you.”
The doctor leave the room just as he entered. This time Malik stays. “How you feelin’?” Concern etched across his face as he takes my hand.
“Nauseous but I’m okay.” Malik’s face tells me he doesn’t believe me. I let out a sigh. “How Nico?” I haven’t seen him since the warehouse.
“He’s good. Still on the mend, but he’s tough.” He winks at me.
“I saw my father.” I say quietly, not making eye contact. This is the first time I have felt this vulnerable.
“You saw your father? Sierra, that’s not possible. The
meds were probably messing with your dreams.”
“I did, Malik. He wasn’t a figment of my imagination. He was real.” I explain. “He gave me a choice to go with him or come back to you.” Malik rubs the top of my hand with his thumb not looking me in the eyes. I lift his chin with my free hand. “Do you know why I came back?” He just stares at me. “Because of you and our baby. I couldn’t leave you and I couldn’t take our child with me knowing I would be taking away his life.” I can see tears forming in his eyes. He tries his best to blink them away but fails, one falls down his cheek. “Our child is destined for greatness, my love. We cannot fail him.”
“And we won’t” Malik takes my face into his hands, gazes into my eyes, and kisses me like this is our last moment together.
Epilogue
Seven Months Later
Sierra
“Sierra, it’s time to push.” I hear the doctor tell me. The pain! Fuck the pain! “Pusshhh, Sierra!” Malik is beside me counting to ten as I push like the doctor told me too.
“I can’t” I cry. “No more.”
“Sierra, listen to me. The baby is almost here. Your son is almost here. Let’s give him a huge homecoming, yeah?” I know the doc is trying to encourage me but I would really love to punch him in the face right now. Fuck this! “Next contraction is coming, Sierra. One more big push.” I squeeze Malik’s hand hoping I’m not breaking it. A couple times I’ve heard him hiss in pain. Sorry baby.
With one final push, I hear the doctor tell us the heads out. Not long after that, the sound of crying fills the room. My baby. My baby is here. I did it. I turn to Malik and start to cry. He kisses my forehead as the nurse place him on my stomach to clean him up. He’s beautiful. He’s got his father’s eyes and judging from the fight he just put up, he’s got my attitude.
“Look at him, baby.” I cry to Malik. “Look at how perfect he is.” I can see tears forming in his eyes as he gazes upon his son.
Malik's Reclamation (Hellfire Dogs MC) Page 9
