by Lynn Hagen
This would be a battle Mercury hadn’t seen before, although Matt prayed like hell it didn’t come down to that. But he was sick and tired of chasing the escapees down, sick of hunting for Kingsley, and so over the amount of warrants they executed that, after this, he just might take his mate and son on a vacation.
Matt still believed Kingsley had something to do with the unusual amount of warrants. Was he making the preternatural go crazy? Was that his doing? He thought of Casey, the female panther shifter. She’d seemed so sweet and nice, but she had fooled them all.
But at the moment, none of that mattered. They had to take Kingsley down, and arresting him wasn’t an option. The bastard needed to be killed in order to ensure he didn’t get free and flee to the veil.
After Matt made numerous phone calls, he turned to Tap and Rio. “Let’s do this.”
“We got reinforcements coming?” Rio asked.
“No.” Matt shook his head. “We have an army coming.”
Chapter Nine
Time seemed to crawl by as Victor lay there bleeding. He knew what the lion shifter was waiting for, and he couldn’t let him get his hands on Pierce. Unfortunately Victor was too weak to do anything, and the lion shifter smelled ancient, which meant he was powerful. Even if Victor had been at his full strength, he was pretty darn sure he couldn’t have taken him down.
So far, the only good thing to come out of this was the fact Riley sat on the kitchen floor with his back pressed against the lower cupboards, glaring at the stranger. As long as Victor wasn’t strapped to that cross, he’d lay here for however long he had to.
“You used me.” Riley wiped at the few drops of blood clinging to his lower lip. “We had a deal, Kingsley.”
Victor’s heart kicked up a notch at the mention of the stranger’s name. Every preternatural knew it. This was the guy with a million-dollar bounty on his head, the most wanted man in their world.
Kingsley curled his lip as he glared at Riley. “I don’t make deals with blood-sucking vampires. Be lucky you’re still alive.”
Victor watched as Riley pushed to his feet. He had that same look in his eyes that he wore when he’d threatened to put Victor on the cross. It was dark, menacing, and gave Victor chills.
“And I’m not gonna let some past-his-due-date lion shifter who should’ve kept hiding in the veil take this show from me.” Riley took a step toward Kingsley. “You can have your stupid revenge, but I’m taking Victor upstairs.”
“So you two can run away and ruin this for me?” Kingsley jabbed a finger toward the floor. “Sit down and shut up before you seriously piss me off.”
Victor pushed himself to a sitting position, unsure what was about to happen but praying for a distraction so he could get away. He couldn’t defeat either man, so them tearing each other apart was his only hope.
Victor frowned when Riley smirked and looked toward the kitchen archway. “I’ll let someone else decide who runs this show.”
What was Riley talking about? Victor’s gaze followed Riley’s, and his heart nearly gave out when Zeeshan walked into the kitchen. Victor couldn’t move, let alone breathe, as he stared at the man who had stolen his entire life from him, the man who had tortured Victor, had savagely bitten him over and over again as he’d done unspeakable things.
Bile rose to the back of his throat as he stared at his worst nightmare. Victor never thought he’d see the bastard again, yet there he stood, looking as mean and dark as ever.
Kingsley glared at Zeeshan. “Just because I freed you from the veil doesn’t mean you have a say in anything that happens. You’re here to help me fight the wolves.”
Riley snorted when he laughed. “What did you say to me?” he asked. “Oh yeah, sit down and shut up before you seriously piss me off.”
When Kingsley went for Riley, Zeeshan threw the lion shifter across the room. Victor scooted closer to the door while everyone had their backs to him.
Riley strode to where Kingsley lay, pulling himself up straight and shaking his head. “You see, you’re not the big, bad boy on the block anymore.” Riley spit on Kingsley and kicked him. Victor used the wall to push himself up from the floor. He reached for the door handle when Riley waved a hand at Zeeshan. “Kingsley, meet my father. He’s the guy who’ll be barking orders from here on out.”
It felt as if Victor had just been punched in the gut by the revelation. Zeeshan was Riley’s father? That would explain why Riley hated him so much. He blamed Victor for his father’s imprisonment.
Clearly the apple didn’t fall far from the tree, either. Riley was just as sick and twisted as his dad. Victor needed to get out of there before they remembered he was in the kitchen with them.
Victor unlocked the door, slung it open, and raced into the backyard, desperate to get away from all three men. But his escape attempt was stopped as he ran into a hard wall of flesh.
He hit the ground so hard he swore he broke his tailbone. Victor cried out and looked up to see the yard filling with men—and not the friendly type.
A deep, malicious laugh filled the air. Victor looked over his shoulder and saw Zeeshan standing in the doorway. He spread his arms as he said, “Gather everyone. The battle should soon be underway.”
Were these the men who had been released from the veil? Were they gathering to fight the wolves? Some looked as if they’d happily rip the wolves in half while others looked as if they didn’t want to be there.
Riley moved around his father and came outside, glaring at Victor. “You’re not getting away. I have twenty years of payback to take out on you.”
Victor scrambled to his feet, hissing at the deep cuts on his arms and wrists. Some spots were still bleeding while others had stopped, but they all were painful as he wrapped his arms around his midsection.
Riley still planned on strapping him to that cross. Victor looked around, wondering if Pierce would save him from this nightmare. He’d rather die than let Riley drag him back inside. Victor prayed it didn’t come down to that.
Where are you, Pierce?
If he was gonna die, Victor at least wanted to see his mate’s face one last time, to stare into his gorgeous green eyes, to hear his deep laughter, and to feel his gentle touch as he looked at Victor as though Victor were his entire world.
He ached so badly to be in his wolf’s arms that hot tears sprang to his eyes. He no longer cared about being the brave warrior Pierce thought him to be or the crazy little vampire his mate had once called him. Victor didn’t want to be brave. He wanted his wolf.
Howls and growls rent the air. Victor snapped his head around and looked for the source of the noise. The men in the backyard looked around, too.
“I see the party is about to start.” Zeeshan laughed. “Men, destroy those wolves so that you’ll never have to be imprisoned again.”
Victor raced toward the trees but was knocked down just before he could reach them. Riley pounced on him, straddling Victor’s waist. With a vicious cry, he plunged his hand toward Victor’s chest.
* * * *
While most of his pack had shifted into their wolf forms, Pierce had stayed human, charging into the fray to find his mate. His heart nearly gave out when he spotted Victor by the tree line, Riley on top of him, looking as though he was ready to plunge his hand into Victor’s chest and rip his heart out.
With a deep snarl, Pierce raced toward this mate and yanked Riley off him, throwing the bastard before kneeling next to his little vampire. His arms were badly cut, and some wounds still bled.
Pierce licked the wounds to close them as Victor shouted, “Behind you!”
Pierce spun a little too late. He was tackled and had no idea who the guy was, but the son of a bitch was strong. Pierce had no choice but to shift and fight to save his life, but as the two went at it, he saw Riley getting up and going after Victor.
With a hard lunge, he got the guy off him and then went for his throat, ripping it out before he rushed toward Victor. Just as Riley reached for Victor, Pierce th
rew the full weight of his body into him, once again knocking Riley backward.
“You just don’t give up, do you?” Riley snapped as he got to his feet.
Pierce moved to stand over Victor as he snarled at the bastard. In the meanwhile, the fighting in the backyard was getting worse. The LaSalle bears had shown up and joined in on the battle, as well as the leopard leap, the den of lions, and the coven of vampires.
If Pierce wasn’t currently fighting to keep Riley away from Victor, he would have stood there in awe of what he was seeing. The house where they were was set apart from the others, the backyard protected heavily by woods, but the fighting wouldn’t go unnoticed for long.
Not when some of the fighting was spilling into the side yard. And who the fuck had set fire to the house? From the corner of his eye, Pierce saw the flames in the kitchen, the black smoke pouring out of the broken window on the back door.
But his attention was pulled away from everything else when Riley used his inhuman speed to grab Victor and pull him from under Pierce. He rushed toward the house, as if to throw Victor into the flames, as Pierce’s heart gave out.
He raced toward them but was stopped by a big brute who smiled evilly at him. Pierce didn’t have time for this. He had to get to Victor.
He shifted and slammed his fist into the grinning face and then pummeled the man until the brute was lying on the ground, knocked out cold.
To his right he saw the LaSalle triplets fighting Zeeshan. Pierce wanted a piece of that action, but right now, he had to save his mate.
He pushed through the fight. Claws raked his side, an elbow cracked his cheek, and someone slammed into his back as he struggled to get through the raging battle.
Finally, he made it to the back of the house, but he didn’t see Victor or Riley anywhere. Then he heard a loud, ear-piercing scream coming from inside.
No! Not my little mouse. Red-hot rage filled Pierce as he charged inside, immediately surrounded by the thick smoke. “Victor!”
Naked, Pierce didn’t have a stitch of clothing to cover his mouth and nose, yet he pushed forward, the intense heat scorching his skin.
“Pierce!”
The sound came from behind him. Pierce had turned to rush from the house when a large piece of wood crashed in front of him, blocking the exit. He couldn’t go farther into the house to escape some other way because the flames were eating up the archway of the kitchen.
He was trapped.
Pierce shifted into his wolf to see if he could crawl out under the beam, but the wood was too close to the floor, already setting the linoleum on fire. The smoke was becoming too much, trying to overtake him and doing a damn good job, too.
“Pierce!” The voice sounded closer.
Pierce yelped and backed away when embers fell on his fur, burning him. He’d closed his eyes, praying the smoke inhalation got him before the fire did, when something large crashed through the fallen wood.
A bear. And a big one, too.
Devin LaSalle shifted and grabbed Pierce from the floor, rushing him outside and into the cool, sweet air he needed so desperately. Pierce wanted to hug the father of the bear clan for saving him, but he felt too weak and could hardly breathe.
Still, he wiggled in Devin’s arms, needing to find Victor. His mate rushed toward him and slung his arms around Pierce while Pierce was still in Devin’s arms.
“I thought I lost you!” Tears cascaded down Victor’s cheeks as he shoved his face into Pierce’s fur. “Don’t you ever scare me like that again!”
Devin set Pierce on his feet. “Stay out of burning houses,” Devin warned before transforming back into his bear and rejoining the fight, which had dwindled down. So many bodies lay in the backyard, so many still fighting.
A low, deep growl rumbled in Pierce’s chest when he saw Matt and Nick battling Kingsley. He wanted that lion shifter dead for everything he’d done, but especially for releasing these psychopaths.
Victor dropped to his knees and hugged Pierce’s neck, whimpering as his fingers stroked Pierce’s fur.
Staying in his wolf form would’ve helped Pierce heal, but he shifted and pulled Victor into his arms. “What happened? I thought Riley pulled you into the house.”
Victor shook his head. “He and Zeeshan took off. I don’t know where they went.”
Sirens filled the air, and Pierce wasn’t sure if they belonged to the police, the fire department, or both. He grabbed Victor’s hand. “We gotta get out of here.”
Victor looked around. “But the humans will see all these bodies.”
“There’s nothing we can do about that.” With Riley and Zeeshan still on the loose, Pierce wanted to tuck Victor away someplace safe.
He looked over his shoulder and saw Matt drive a long blade into Kingsley’s chest then remove it and use the blade to slice the lion shifter’s throat. Nick moved in and plunged his hand into Kingsley’s chest, ripping his black heart out.
Victor tugged on his hand. Pierce looked down at his little vampire and nodded before they took off, just as three cop cars and the fire engine pulled to the curb in front of the house.
* * * *
Matt cursed as he stared at the devastation around him. When he heard the sirens, he looked at the men standing in the backyard. “Get rid of the bodies, fast!”
The wolves, lions, leopard, bears, and vampires worked quickly, taking the dead through the forest. Matt’s heart tightened when he saw Vane, the leopard alpha, caring one of his own men away. It wasn’t just the bad guys who had died tonight, and some would mourn the loss, but as far as Matt could tell, all his wolves were accounted for.
Sheriff Braxton appeared in the backyard, his deputies’ close behind him. He pulled Matt off to the side. “What the hell happened here? I got a call saying wild animals and men were fighting.”
Matt looked at the deputies who were scanning the yard and scratching their heads. “We killed all the men who escaped the veil. We even took Kingsley down, but one escapee got away.”
Braxton cursed. “I’m so glad Hennessey wasn’t a part of this.”
So was Matt, but most of his pack had pups to go home to, so he was downright relieved they hadn’t been killed, himself included. It had been touch and go for a minute. Kingsley had snuck up on Matt and had nearly killed him with the knife Matt had used to end the bastard.
“At least the bodies are gone,” Matt said. “You don’t have to cover things up with your deputies.”
Braxton grunted. “Small favors. Are things gonna go back to normal once you catch the last one?”
Matt clapped Braxton on his shoulder. “As normal as things get in our world.”
“You could’ve lied to me,” Braxton groused. “At least for tonight.”
“But that’s not how you roll.” Matt walked away, skirting around the firemen working hard to put the flames out. He headed back to the agency, where he found most of his pack.
“We’re not done,” he said to the men in the Pit. “Zeeshan is still out there. We don’t rest until he’s dead.”
He hated to send his men back out there. Most looked battle worn, but the fight wouldn’t end until the last man was caught. Matt was no exception. He wasn’t going home to his mate or son until that twisted bastard was lying dead at his feet.
Chapter Ten
The walk to the agency wasn’t far, so Victor didn’t protest when Pierce grabbed a bag from Matt’s Hummer, got dressed, and then started down the street toward town. Victor’s arms were still aching, but the bleeding had stopped thanks to his mate licking the wounds. He would still need blood, but he could wait until they got home.
As they crossed through the park, Pierce slowed and scented the air, which made Victor do the same, and he didn’t like what he smelled. Besides the crisp breeze that wafted past them—the fragrance of pine, the faint odor of the bakery, and diesel from a pickup that was passing by on Main Street—there was an underlying aroma of vampire, and that smell wasn’t coming from Victor.
“Just stick close to me.” Pierce pulled out his phone and sent a text before shoving it back into his pocket.
Victor didn’t have to guess who was following them. He wanted to look over his shoulder but forced himself to look straight ahead. If they could make it to the agency, they would have help. But the large park sat between them and Mercury Rising, and Victor didn’t think they would have that much time.
The odor was getting stronger.
Although his arms and wrists still hurt, Victor curled his hand into Pierce’s. He needed the comfort and grounding, to know his mate was at his side, needed the solace only Pierce’s touch brought him as they headed toward the park.
“I love you,” Victor blurted out.
Pierce stopped walking and gaped at him.
“What?” Victor worried he’d spoken those words too soon, that Pierce didn’t feel the same way and would go running scared.
“You just can’t throw that out there and catch me off guard,” Pierce said.
“I’m sorry.” Victor tried to pull his hand free, but Pierce’s grip tightened.
“That’s not what I meant.” Pierce sighed. “I just…never expected to hear that from anyone.” His smile was soft and sweet. “Say it again.”
“No way.” Victor scowled. “You just yelled at me for saying it the first time.”
“I wasn’t yelling at you,” Pierce protested. “I just wasn’t ready. Go ahead. I’m ready now.”
“Nope.” Victor turned his head as his bottom lip slid out. “The moment is gone.”
“Say it.”
“Nope.”
“Say it.” Pierce tugged until Victor faced him. “I love you.”
Victor furrowed his brows. “You’re only saying that because I said it.”
“You’re a stubborn asshole,” Pierce snarled. “I meant it when I said I love you.”
