by Lynn Hagen
He’d once heard Riley refer to Nick as a jacked-in-the-head monster. If Nick made Riley afraid, he had to be the equivalent of the bogeyman.
Pierce snapped his fingers in front of Victor’s face to gain his attention. “Why are you following me?”
Victor twisted his hands in front of him as he looked everywhere except at his mate. He didn’t want to see disappointment in his eyes. “Because I wanted another kiss?”
“Victor,” Pierce said in warning.
“Fine.” Victor waved his hands around. “I know I can help. You just have to let me prove it. But you think I’m some baby who needs protection. Well, I don’t. I can handle myself!”
He curled his lips in and glanced away, staring at the quiet neighborhood. A few trees rustled with a passing breeze, and that dog on the other side of the fence gave a deep, hearty bark before he fell silent. A car paused at the stop sign on the corner close to where they stood then rolled through and kept going until all Victor saw were fading taillights.
Pierce was a little too quiet for Victor’s comfort. His mate would order him home and probably call Colton to make sure he stayed put. Victor didn’t like feeling as though he was being relegated to the kids’ table. Taking that lion shifter down had built up his confidence, and god knew he needed the self-confidence when it came to dealing with Riley.
Maybe if word spread of Victor’s successful captures, Riley would leave him alone.
And maybe Pierce would stop treating him like a wuss who couldn’t have his mate’s back.
Pierce cupped Victor’s cheek in a gentle hold, making Victor look at his mate’s face. “You don’t have to prove anything to me, mouse. I already know how brave you are.”
“Then why won’t you let me help you?” Victor argued. “I’m super-fast and I can—” Victor looked around when he heard a weird slithering sound. The noise was barely perceptible. A human wouldn’t have heard it, but he wasn’t human, and Pierce furrowed his brows as he looked around, too.
The dog behind them yelped and then started scratching, as if trying to get into the house.
“Stay here,” Pierce growled as he hopped the fence.
Victor stayed still all of five seconds before he scrambled over the fence, landing on his feet this time. He gasped and threw his back against the fence when he saw the biggest snake ever. It was coiled around the dog, and Victor’s anger shot through the roof. The poor thing had only been defending his territory and looked defenseless as he lay on the ground, whimpering.
Victor shoved his sleeves back and glared at the menacing monster. “Let him go! That doggie didn’t do anything to you.”
The snake had to be a shifter—though Victor had never heard of that kind of shifter species before—because he was way too big to be anything else.
The snake’s tongue flicked out before he transformed into a human. “I heard you were looking for me.”
God, even his voice sounded creepy. Victor had never been fond of snakes, not even when he’d been human. In fact, they had been his greatest fear, but he couldn’t run screaming when he was trying to prove to Pierce that he could hunt with his mate.
The dog got up and ran toward the door then curled into a tight ball under one of the porch chairs. Victor wanted to go and pet him to let him know he was safe, but he was too afraid to move.
“You’re one of the men who attacked Colton,” Pierce said with a growl.
“The wolf lived?” The guy’s eyes narrowed, and damn if they didn’t look like snake eyes. “I’ll have to rectify that, just as soon as I kill you.”
The guy shifted back into a humongous snake as Pierce shifted into his wolf. Victor was terrified of those long, sharp fangs as the snake opened his mouth, as if ready to swallow Pierce whole.
Victor looked around the backyard for a weapon, anything he could use to kill the beast. There was nothing but freaking kids’ toys scattered around. He highly doubted a plastic slide would do any damage.
Pierce snarled as he stepped closer. The snake hissed as it slithered to match the wolf’s steps. Victor spotted a shovel leaning against the house, dirt covering the sharp edge as if it had been used early to dig a hole.
Should he grab it or let Pierce handle the situation? And what exactly was he going to do with the shovel, bury the guy? Victor bit his lip and debated as the wolf and the snake moved closer toward each other.
Victor couldn’t take his eyes off them. A battle was seconds away from happening, and he wasn’t sure he could watch his mate tackle the monster. The snake was big enough that he could coil around Pierce and squeeze the life out of him.
Too bad Nick hadn’t stuck around. Two wolves could’ve defeated the thing.
The snake struck.
The wolf leapt and went for the head but missed and landed on his feet on the opposite side, farther away from Victor. Now the snake stood between them. Victor went for the shovel as the snake tried to wrap himself around Pierce. He couldn’t let that happen. Victor would die before he let his mate get hurt or even killed.
With his inhuman speed, Victor went for the shovel and then raced to the snake, slamming the metal part into his body. The snake hissed and spun, baring his long fangs.
Oh crap. Victor raised the shovel again. When he did, Pierce attacked, clamping down on the body just below the head. Victor continually whapped the snake as Pierce tore it apart.
“That’s for messing with the dog!” Victor shouted.
The porch light came on. Victor stared wide-eyed at it before he hurried over and helped Pierce toss the carcass over the fence. And there were a few pieces to toss.
“Why’re you making such a fuss?” someone asked just as Victor’s feet landed on the ground on the other side of the fence. The dog whimpered.
“Come on, girl. Get inside.”
Girl? Well, Victor had gotten that all wrong. Then again, he hadn’t looked between the dog’s legs to clarify its gender.
Nick pulled to the curb. He got out and looked Pierce and Victor over. “Just had to party without me, didn’t you?”
They loaded the pieces into the trunk, Victor beaming the entire time. He had another fight under his belt. At this rate, he’d be a pro in no time.
Chapter Three
Pierce didn’t want to admit it—because that would remind him of the danger Victor had been in—but they had made a good team. Victor’s fighting was a bit unorthodox. A shovel, really? And before that, a frying pan. They’d gotten the jobs done, though.
Nick dropped them off at the club. From the expression on Victor’s face, this was the last place he wanted to be. His mate headed to a door off to the right, but Pierce had other plans. He grabbed Victor’s hand and steered him toward the bar. After the night they’d had, Pierce needed a damn drink.
Since when were there snake shifters? Pierce had never heard of one, let alone come up against such a huge monster. If it hadn’t been for Victor, that snake would’ve squeezed the life out of him. Come to think of it, if it hadn’t been for his mate, that lion might’ve gotten away.
Either Pierce was losing his touch or his mate was invaluable as a partner. Since he refused to believe he could’ve been bested by a goddamn lion, Pierce was positive Victor was his good luck charm.
Victor looked around as he bounced from foot to foot. Pierce didn’t like how agitated he seemed. “Are you sure you want to hang out in the club?”
He still recalled Victor saying not too many people wanted to be bothered with him. Who says stuff like that? And Pierce was still troubled by the fact that he was almost positive that his mate had been pushed into the street earlier.
“Just for a drink or two.” Pierce looked around the club as he waited on the bartender. The place was packed. The vampires had to be making a killing just from the watered-down drinks alone. Pierce had also noticed the sign over the window that entrance required a cover charge.
There was also merchandise for sale, glow sticks, T-shirts, fake fangs, and other odds and ends
. Seriously? Fake fangs? He wanted to roll his eyes, but damn if he didn’t see a lot of humans with them in their mouths. Pierce guessed that helped the vampires blend in when they showed their real ones.
If you asked him, that was a smart move. Ingenious even.
“There’s Reggie.” Victor nodded at something behind Pierce. When he turned, there was a tall, lithe vampire smiling at him.
“You must be one of Colton’s friends,” Reggie said.
Pierce didn’t like the way the guy eyed him. He wasn’t sure if the vampire wanted to attack him or if that was lust in his red eyes. “I am,” Pierce said. “I’ll have a shot of whiskey and a Corona.”
“It’s on the house.” Reggie winked at him.
“Thanks, but I’ll pay for my drinks if it’s all the same to you.” He didn’t want Reggie to get the wrong idea. In fact, Pierce slid his arm around Victor’s shoulders just to prove without words that he wasn’t alone.
Reggie looked Victor over. “My bad.”
“He’s one of the nice ones,” Victor whispered. “So be nice.”
Pierce’s brows shot up. “If I was any nicer, I’d have my dick shoved down his throat. Didn’t you see him flirting with me?”
“He flirts with everyone,” Victor argued. “That’s his job. He gets better tips when he bats his eyes.”
Was his mate really that naïve?
“And who are the mean ones?” Pierce asked. “Particularly the ones who are mean to you.” He felt his wolf snarling at the thought of anyone picking on Victor. His adrenaline was still pumping from the fight he’d had with the snake, and Pierce wouldn’t mind getting rid of his pent-up aggression. He also despised bullies.
“I need to use the bathroom,” Victor said a little too quickly. “I’ll be right back.”
Before Pierce could stop him, Victor made a beeline toward the back of the club. Pierce had a feeling he wasn’t going to get any names out of his mate, so when Reggie returned with his drink, Pierce asked, “Who do you know that isn’t particularly fond of Victor?”
Reggie snorted. “Where do I begin?” He sighed as he set Pierce’s bottle of beer down. “Look, vampires are stuck-up assholes. Pecking order is very important to us, just like it is with wolves.”
Pierce didn’t belong to an ordinary pack. It was unheard of to have so many dominant males in one group, but they made it work because of their jobs. They didn’t always get along, though. Many fights had broken out in the beginning, and there had been a lot of bloodshed.
But once everyone had tested each other, they’d pretty much settled into their pack after that. Most wolf packs were vicious, fights breaking out all the time, and the lower you were on the totem pole, the more you were fucked with. Pierce didn’t agree with that, but it was their way of life. Top males were always asserting their dominance, always proving they deserved their place in the hierarchy.
“So how low is Victor in the pecking order?” Pierce downed his shot and took a drink of his beer. The coldness felt good on his parched throat. It was amazing how a person could work up a thirst when coming up against a snake shifter. Pierce had to remember to tell Matt about it. He wasn’t sure if Colton had told him about them. If snake shifters existed, what else did?
“Victor is at the bottom,” Reggie said.
Pierce clenched his jaw. If that were the case, then Victor would be living with him. There was no way he was gonna leave his mate here if…Pierce looked over his shoulder. Maybe he should go check on Victor.
He grabbed his Corona and headed toward the back, a few hisses thrown his way. Pierce flipped the vampires off as he made his way to the back hallway. He still remembered when the vampires and wolves had had that street brawl over Colton’s brother. There was no love lost between them, and Pierce wasn’t kissing anyone’s ass just because Victor was his mate.
But they could most definitely kiss his.
There was a small crowd blocking the bathroom doors. Pierce pushed his way through to find Victor at the center, hemmed up against the wall as some vampire sneered in his face.
“You’re gonna pay for what you did earlier,” the guy said. “Who’s gonna save you now?”
Victor whimpered. The sound ignited red-hot rage inside Pierce as his wolf tried to force his way out. He looked at the guy standing on his right. “Hold my beer.”
* * * *
Victor had just come out of the bathroom when he was grabbed and thrown against the wall. He squeaked and threw his arms up, unsure what was going on.
“I knew I’d get to you sooner or later.” Riley curled his fist into Victor’s shirt as his eyes flashed with anger and the tips of his fangs showed just below his upper lip.
As Victor squirmed and tried to figure a way out of this, a crowd began to grow. The onlookers seemed more curious than helpful. No one made a move to tear Riley away and to save Victor from an impending ass-kicking.
“What did I do?” Playing dumb seemed the right thing to do instead of admitting the truth that he’d intentionally tried to get him in trouble with Lucian.
“Don’t play dumb with me.” Riley bared his fangs. “You had no proof that I screwed up your doggie’s dinner, yet you told Lucian it was me.”
Victor had faced a lethal lion shifter. He’d distracted that huge snake so Pierce could kill it. His mate had seemed proud of both those facts, although he hadn’t said it out loud.
Letting the victories give him a false sense of bravado, Victor squared his shoulders and glared at Riley. “Because I know you did it. I’m-I’m not afraid of you.”
One of Riley’s cronies, Blake, shouldered his way toward them. He had an evil glint in his eyes, as though he was waiting for Riley to start wailing on Victor. Now Victor wasn’t so sure Riley had ruined the lasagna. For all he knew, it could’ve been Blake or any number of Riley’s followers.
This is why you should’ve kept your trap shut.
“You’re gonna pay for what you did earlier.” The murderous glint in Riley’s eyes terrified Victor. “Who’s gonna save you now?”
That was a damn good question. As brave as Victor wanted to be, he knew he couldn’t kick Riley’s ass. Too bad he didn’t have a frying pan or shovel handy.
“Hold my beer.”
Victor saw the guy standing to his right being given a beer bottle. Without thought, he snatched it and bashed the glass over Riley’s head. The vampire howled as blood slid down his scalp. Oh shit! If Victor didn’t get out of there, he was gonna be in a world of pain.
He shoved his way through the crowd, just now noticing that his mate was at his side. Pierce grabbed his hand, and they took off toward the exit. He spotted Corbin when they reached the vestibule, but Victor didn’t stop.
If he did, he’d be in serious trouble for attacking Riley, and Victor wasn’t foolish enough to stop and try to explain what had happened. Sure, Riley had shoved him against a wall, but that wasn’t cause enough for what Victor had done.
And Victor didn’t want to be punished. In the vampire world, Riley outranked him, so the Master would believe Riley over him.
They cleared the exit and stopped a few blocks away. Victor’s heart hadn’t stopped hammering as he held his side while a stitch had him pressing his other hand into his knee.
“Holy fuck,” Pierce said. “And here I thought I was about to save you.” His mate burst out laughing. “You’re one crazy motherfucker.”
Victor didn’t see himself that way. He was just trying to get out of there before Riley put a hurting on him. Cracking that bottle over his head had been nothing more than self-preservation.
Still, he liked the way Pierce was smiling at him. There went that look of pride again, and Victor was eating it up. “I just—”
“Got all fucking wild in there.” Pierce chuckled. “I can’t take you anywhere, can I?”
If his mate wanted to look at him as some kind of badass warrior, who was Victor to argue? What he’d just done only proved further to his mate that he was capable of hunt
ing, though everything up until this point had been done in a panic. It was sheer luck that he hadn’t been killed yet.
Even so, Victor kept his mouth shut, unwilling to contradict his badassery. If he told Pierce the truth, his mate might not look at him as a little warrior anymore.
“Where’re we headed?” Victor asked when Pierce grabbed his hand and headed down the street. Not that he cared about their destination, but he wanted to change the subject.
“The pack house,” Pierce said. “We need to let the heat die down at the club.”
That wasn’t gonna happen. Riley would be out for blood now, ready to remove Victor’s heart the first chance he had.
The adrenaline was fading, and Riley was becoming a distant memory as Victor thought of going into a den of wolves. “Are you sure I’ll be safe at your house?”
“Stephen lives there,” Pierce pointed out, though Victor had no idea who Stephen was. “Besides, you’re my mate, so no one will fuck with you.”
There was a small growl to Pierce’s words that startled Victor. Was his mate being protective, or was that growl for something else? His nerves got the better of him, rendering Victor silent for the rest of the way.
When they made it to the pack house, Victor was in awe of its sheer beauty. When was the last time he’d been in a home? Since being turned, Victor had lived at the club. The underground living area was nice, but he hadn’t been inside an actual home in two decades.
When they walked inside, Victor was taken aback about how gorgeous the place really was. He heard noise to his left and looked to see a family room. The laughter and the sound of a movie playing intrigued him, but he didn’t want to go inside to see who was in there.
As if picking up on his fear, Pierce headed for the steps, pulling Victor along. They didn’t stop until they were inside a bedroom.
This had to be Pierce’s bedroom.
The room was a blend of cream and burgundy, from the carpeting to the drapes and the bedding. Victor stared at the king-sized bed and swallowed.
“I’ll make sure the windows are covered before we go to sleep,” Pierce said as he closed the door. “But in the meantime…”
