by Lynn Hagen
“And you’re a pushy bastard,” Victor shot back. “I’ve never told anyone before that I loved them, and you yell at me about throwing those words out there, and now you want me to say them again? How fucked up do you think I am to repeat myself?”
Pierce released Victor’s hand and cupped his face. “Okay, let’s start over. Neither of us has said those words, and I was shocked to hear you say them.”
“You’re an ass.”
Pierce growled. “Those aren’t the words I want to hear.”
Victor chuckled. He’d just been messing with his mate because Pierce looked so flustered. The guy was too easy to screw with. Of course his heart was doing somersaults because Pierce had said he loved him. Victor wanted to shout to the world, to do a happy dance, and have some celebration sex.
But first, they had to make it home, and somewhere close by were Riley and Zeeshan. Just the thought of his maker and tormentor killed Victor’s mood.
“Ready to be a team?” Victor asked as he took a step back.
Pierce nodded. “Let’s destroy them so we can go home and I can fuck your brains out while you tell me you love me.”
Victor shivered. “I love it when you talk about revenge and sex in the same sentence.”
Pierce cocked his head to the side as he stared incredulously at Victor. “You aren’t right in the head.”
“That’s beside the point,” Victor said. “But I need a weapon. You don’t have a shovel or frying pan in your pocket, do you?”
“No, but I texted Matt, and hopefully, backup will be here soon.”
They looked around, but Victor didn’t see a soul in sight. Not even a car passed them by as they started walking again. There was nowhere to hide, either. There were residential houses on either side of them, and up ahead was the park.
If things got hairy, they were screwed. “If anything happens to me, I want—”
“Don’t even go there,” Pierce snarled. “We’re gonna be fine.”
That was easy to say when you were a big, bad wolf and not a wussy vampire. He wasn’t even sure why Zeeshan had decided to make him one considering Victor wasn’t the least bit scary. Most vampires instilled fear in the hearts of those they approached, but all Victor seemed to instill in anyone was annoyance.
When they made it to the park, two shadowy figures could be seen beside the large oak. Victor swallowed his whimper as he stared at Zeeshan. His heart thundered, his knees grew weak, and he wanted to turn and run away.
But Pierce held firmly to his hand as he kept walking. Was Pierce on a suicide mission? Was he seriously gonna take these two on? Would there be anything left of him or his mate to identify?
And now that Victor knew why Riley hated him so much, facing his adversary made him want to throw up. But it hadn’t been Victor’s fault that Zeeshan had been captured and imprisoned. If his father hadn’t been so evil, it wouldn’t have ever happened.
Riley made a clicking noise with his mouth, as though he sucked on his tongue. “Let’s end this.”
Pierce released Victor’s hand. “It’ll be my pleasure.”
Riley shook his head. “I got Victor. My father is gonna end you, wolf.”
Victor slowly raised his hand. “Do I get a vote in this?”
“Like my father had a vote?” Riley snapped.
Victor was sick of Riley’s ass-backward views. He was acting as though his father had done no wrong and had spent twenty years in prison as an innocent man. “Yeah, he had a vote not to kidnap, torture, and kill those boys. He had a vote not to kidnap and turn me into a vampire.”
Among the other vile things Zeeshan had done to him.
“He had a vote not to be a dick,” Pierce said. “But he’s not going to prison this time. A kill order has been placed against him.”
“Order?” Riley scowled. “Don’t you mean a kill warrant?”
“Nope,” Pierce said. “The owner of Mercury Rising has sanctioned his death.”
Zeeshan threw his head back and laughed before he raked Victor with his gaze. “When I kill your wolf, I’m gonna have fun with you, boy.”
Icicles froze Victor’s heart.
Pierce snarled before he attacked, taking Zeeshan down as he wailed into him. The vampire threw Pierce off him, Victor’s mate slamming into the oak tree. But Pierce didn’t stay down. He shifted and attacked as Riley raced forward and threw his weight into Victor, making him fly backward.
Victor shot to his feet and braced himself for the next attack, but Riley chose to taunt him instead. “I’m gonna bathe in your blood, you pussy. But not before I torture you for weeks.”
Victor’s attention was divided. He kept an eye on Riley, trying to anticipate his next move, while trying to watch the fight between Pierce and Zeeshan.
Zeeshan picked the wolf up and power-drove him into the ground. The wolf yelped as he struggled to get back up, but Zeeshan was strong, pinning the wolf down.
Victor had to help his mate. He had to get to Pierce and help him defeat Zeeshan.
But first he had to deal with Riley.
With a battle cry that came from deep within him, Victor rushed Riley, grabbing him around his waist and taking him down to the ground. Anger the likes of which he’d never felt before unfurled inside him as he clawed and bit at Riley, trying desperately to rip the bastard apart.
Distant howls erupted, but Victor didn’t let up, not even when Riley held up his arms trying to block Victor’s blows. Anger at years of torture and being bullied by Riley finally erupted. Victor reared his arm back and plunged his hand into Riley’s chest, yanking out his heart.
For a moment, Victor sat at Riley’s waist, stunned at what he’d done. He stared at the bloody heart in his hand and gagged before dropping it.
Another yelp from the wolf caught Victor’s attention. He raced from Riley’s dead body and helped his mate fight Zeeshan.
“You should’ve never created me,” Victor snarled. As Pierce went for Zeeshan’s throat, Victor went for the prick’s balls. That might not be cool, but he fought the best way he could.
Victor twisted his injured arm and yanked as Zeeshan screamed. Pierce latched onto the vampire’s throat, and Victor looked away, too squeamish to watch his mate kill Zeeshan, although Victor had just torn out a heart.
He dropped to his knees and retched as he shook while trying to wipe the blood from his hand.
“I’ve got you.” Pierce lifted Victor from the ground and cradled him to his chest. “Just breathe, mouse.”
“I…I did it.” Victor looked over his shoulder at Riley’s corpse. “I actually defeated him.”
Pierce nuzzled Victor’s neck. “My crazy little vampire.” He kissed his cheek. “I told you that you were my little warrior. You took Zeeshan down by twisting his nuts off.” Victor’s mate grimaced. “Remind me to never piss you off.”
Victor should’ve felt bad for taking a life, but he knew if he hadn’t, Riley would’ve taken his. And as for Zeeshan, the bastard had gotten off too easily. He should’ve been buried in a cross-wrapped coffin for all eternity, starving but not able to die.
The wolves converged on them, but there wasn’t anything they could do. Riley and Zeeshan were dead.
Victor curled tighter into Pierce’s arms. “I wanna go home.”
His mate kissed his head. “Whatever my little warrior wants.”
* * * *
Matt hadn’t made it official, and he never gave a warrant to Victor to execute, but he never stopped Victor from hunting with Pierce, either.
But to Pierce, they were an official team. “Don’t quote any damn movies when we get inside,” Pierce warned.
“I do that one time and I can’t live it down,” Victor complained.
“And don’t twist his nuts off, either,” Pierce said. “This is a capture warrant, and we don’t want him filing charges against us.”
“Are you serious?” Victor scowled. “Criminals don’t have rights. If Rashad comes after me, I’m doing whatever I h
ave to in order to defend myself.”
Victor was right. In the preternatural world, criminals didn’t have any rights, but he wasn’t sure he could watch his mate do that again. Even though Victor had twisted Zeeshan’s balls off, Pierce’s nuts felt the pain as would any guy.
And when the bounty hunters had found out what he’d done, they’d named him Ball Crusher, which always made Victor grin.
Pierce gave his mate the hand signal, and together they entered the house through the back door, taking the leopard shifter down without much of a fight.
They made an exceptional team, and Victor seemed happier lately, his confidence soaring with every executed warrant.
After they threw the shifter into the back of Pierce’s car, Pierce cupped Victor’s face and gave his mate a soul-stirring kiss.
“Are you two seriously making out while arresting me?” Rashad shouted from behind the window. “Un-fucking-believable!”
Pierce slapped the glass with the side of his fist. “Shut the hell up before I put you in the trunk.”
“Let’s get this done so we can go home,” Victor said as he pulled away.
Pierce growled while slapping Victor’s ass. “Bet.”
But home had become a whole new meaning to them. Pierce and Victor had purchased their own house in town, with a wide front porch, a spot up front where Victor had planted bushes, and an expansive backyard. Pierce even had UV-resistant windows installed, along with room-darkening panels and curtains.
They dropped Rashad off at the prison, handing him over to Aaron before they drove home. There wasn’t anyone else Pierce would rather have at his side than his mate, and when they got inside, he would prove to Victor that hitting him with his car had been the best thing to ever happen to either of them.
* * * *
A month after moving into his new home, Victor worked up the courage to visit his mother, but to his disappointment and heartbreak, she still refused to see him. She’d said as much when she’d slammed the door in his face.
Victor had walked all the way home, and by the time he stepped through the door, his anger and hurt had dwindled. She hadn’t been in his life for the past twenty years, and he didn’t need her now. Though it would’ve been nice to have a relationship with her, it wasn’t really necessary.
He had Pierce, and the wolf pack, and that was all Victor needed. He also had Colton and even some of the vampires from his coven dropped by from time to time just to visit. Victor’s life was richer than it ever had been before.
“How’d it go?” Pierce asked when Victor dropped onto the couch and rested his head on his mate’s shoulder. “That bad?”
“Yep.” Victor kicked his shoes off and turned, straddling Pierce’s lap. “And I don’t want to talk about it.”
“End of discussion?” Pierce arched a brow while slipping his arms around Victor.
“End of discussion.” He pulled Pierce’s shirt off and tossed it aside then got up and undressed. “I’d rather talk about you fucking me.”
“One of my favorite topics.” Pierce lifted his lower half and slipped his pajama pants off before he patted his thigh.
Victor climbed back on top of his mate and laid his hands on Pierce’s shoulders. He lifted himself up and waited for Pierce to press the head of his cock at his hole.
Their lovemaking wasn’t passionate or frenzied. It was slow, needful, and just what Victor needed. As his buildup stroked him higher, he sank his fangs into Pierce’s neck, deepening their bond, the connection that kept Victor sane and made him love Pierce even more with every passing day.
He’d lived a meaningless life for so long, had been so lonely, but now his life shimmered, with his wolf at his side and a job he thoroughly enjoyed. He wasn't sure how much happier he could get.
“I love you,” he whispered when he pulled his fangs free and licked the wound.
“You can’t just throw that out there and catch me off guard,” Pierce growled.
Victor chuckled. “I can, and I did.”
The laughter died as he came, ribbons of cum spurting onto his mate’s chest as Pierce growled his own release. He would never tire of watching Pierce in the throes of passion or hearing his laughter or getting mad when he became too bossy. Life wasn’t perfect, and Victor didn’t want it to be.
He just wanted his mate and the life they were building together, one beautiful moment at a time.
* * * *
With a cup of coffee in his hand, Matt walked out the front door and stood in the parking lot of Mercury Rising, looking over the town. They’d killed all who had escaped the veil, taking down Kingsley, and the warrants had become fewer as time went on.
He still wasn't sure if Kingsley had anything to do with the increased rates of feral preternatural, but Matt was glad things were getting back to normal.
They still hadn’t found a way to get rid of the Grizzly Bastards and probably never would. The MC was as much an integral part of Mercury as Leopard Lounge or Grizzly’s Tavern. Mercury wasn’t perfect, but it was their home, and it was Matt’s duty to keep it safe.
And it didn’t hurt that he and Nick had cashed in on Kingsley’s bounty. But they’d put the money back into the agency, to ensure the pack’s future and their jobs. It wasn’t cheap keeping a town safe, but Matt couldn’t imagine any other life.
THE END
WWW.LYNNHAGEN.COM
[email protected]

Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
