“No, he won’t,” Esmerelda rebuts. “Many visions have foretold of this day. You have a choice. Either leave or die.” I feel fear emanating from the vampires at her words, but Desmond stands there, resolute and unmoving.
The sneer on his face lets me know that he’s not going to see reason. He’s ready to kill me, take my mate and Charisma, and decimate my friends just because he can. I run in his direction; as I go to reach out for him, he does something with his hands and a hole opens up in front of me. The ground that was once level is now a gaping hole, and I can see the layers of soil and rock below.
I hear Connelly scream out the word no telepathically as birds of prey unite as one then begin to circle around atop of me.
“Stop!” Esmerelda yells and I feel something pull me back from the edge. Before I can do anything, I’m flying, caught in the talons of the biggest eagle I’ve ever seen. Despite my size as a wolf, he has no problem and I find myself lowered back to the ground next to my mate. I hear Connelly speak to the eagle and watch in utter amazement as he dips down in front of her before spreading his wings and returning to the sky to circle above us all.
“Leave, Desmond. There is no other choice,” Charisma states.
“Not without you and the she-wolf,” he replies, glaring at her and then my mate.
We must kill him, my vamp states. Until he is gone, we will never be safe.
He’s very powerful, Esmerelda says through our link.
With all of us, we’ve got him, Paxton replies.
It’s okay to be confident, but let’s not get cocky, Esmerelda gently rebukes.
Connelly
There’s no way Desmond is going to leave here easily. I can see death in his eyes, his heart is black and his eyes are void. It’s a shame someone with such unique gifts will no longer be alive. But, I can’t live in a world where neither my mate nor myself are safe. There’s no choice, he must die, I share with the others.
Agreed, none of us will ever be safe from his wrath if we allow him to leave. He’ll do nothing more than garner some troops to come at us again, Charisma states.
How many allies do the Blood and Bone Coven have? Landy inquires.
When it comes to eliminating a threat against the vampire kind, they’ll all unite. Every coven, it’s why we went to such great lengths to hide Maverick the way we did, Charisma explains.
Then let’s kill them all, Paxton growls. We all join him; our battle cries are loud and ominous.
No one threatens my mate, I state in a deadly tone. I will personally kill them all.
No need, love. We’re all in this together, Maverick informs me. We will never have to fight alone again.
Let’s stop talking already and fuck some blood sucking, thieving, vampire fuckers up, Paxton irritatedly barks.
As if we were trained as one united front to battle together, we all turn and charge. Landry goes after one of the dumb fucks on the ground and Paxton goes after the other. Maverick and I go after Desmond as I hear Esmerelda chanting something, ensuring that Desmond has a hard time using his elemental gifts against us.
Maverick
I’ll take his front and distract him; Connelly says in my mind. You go in from behind and take his head.
Be careful, love. Don’t let him get close to your throat, his fangs and venom can be deadly.
But you haven’t poisoned me while feeding, Maverick.
Two different scenarios, love. I’ll explain it all to you later. Right now, concentrate on the task at hand. I keep my eyes on her temporarily as she crouches down low and lets out a menacing howl. Desmond’s eyes stay glued to her as she makes it known that he’s her intended target.
“You don’t want to do this, she-wolf,” Desmond says on a hiss. “You will be coming with me whether you’re alive or dead. Either way, you will be mine for the taking.”
The growl that emanates from my throat at his words momentarily stills him, allowing her to leap onto him. With her teeth bared, she initiates the distraction plan. While he’s busy playing his mind games with her, I sneak up behind him then grasp his neck with my jaws. I lock them on the back of his neck which distracts him from her. She comes at him from the front, clamping her razor-sharp teeth on his jugular. I hear his scream of pain as she begins moving her head back and forth in an attempt to rip his throat out. The need to end this quickly consumes me, I end up using my considerable size to hold him down and with a few well-placed bites, break his arms so he’s unable to use them to call to the elements again.
Quit fucking around and rip his throat out, Connelly, Landry yells, coming up to us and taking a defensive stance.
I’ll do it, love, I tell her. Move aside.
No! I’ve got this, she states.
Children, stop fighting and end this, Esmerelda scolds.
“This is not the end, more will come!” Desmond shouts the last words he’ll ever speak before his eyes take on a blank stare. Dead eyes, ones that I’ve seen many times throughout the battles I’ve been involved in.
“Do you think he was talking shit?” Paxton asks as he transforms back into his human skin. We all transform into our own, all of us as naked as the day we were born. I rush over to Connelly and pull her behind me. I recognize that Paxton is a mated male, but I can’t help the feeling of needing to protect my mate from another man’s eyes.
“If you’ll explain what talking shit is, I may be able to answer,” I firmly state much to my mate’s amusement.
“Talking shit is a pun statement, Maverick,” Connelly snickers, but I don’t feel as if I’m being made fun of. “It means talking out his ass… which also means he’s stirring the pot.”
“Not any better, love,” I playfully growl.
“Okay, on a more serious note, mate. He’s saying things that would rattle our cages,” she snickers again. I see my mate is in a playful mood.
“Connelly,” I say her name through gritted teeth, finally having had enough of their verbiage.
“Fine, you’re no fun. It means he’s saying things that would keep us on guard at all times, looking over our shoulders the rest of our lives, with no reason for it. He may or may not have lied in other words. He wants us to be scared, he wanted to get that last jab in before he croaked.”
“Maverick, what your mate is trying to say is that he wanted to keep us on our toes,” Landry cackles. It’s good to see I’m everyone's entertainment for the day.
“Y’all are wicked,” Esmerelda laughs out. “Don’t worry, Maverick, I’ll school you on all things pun intended.” I roll my eyes, there’s no way in hell I wanna be her student.
“I’ll go back to the library,” I insist as I walk away from the group.
Connelly
Two weeks later
It’s a sad day as we say goodbye to our friends. Landry and I have cried until our noses are sore and our eyes are swollen from our tears. Esmerelda and Charisma have re-warded our property, and my mate worked alongside Paxton to ensure we have even better security than we had before. Despite all of that, and the battle that brought them here, I hate seeing her go. I sense my mate as his arms wrap around me. “It’s not like you’ll never see her again, love,” he whispers in my ear.
“I know, Maverick, but I’ve never really had a female friend as close as her before,” I reply, sniffling. I’ve had friends, of course. Being in a coven the size of the one I belonged to meant there was always someone around, but it’s not the same. I always kept my abilities to myself, afraid of the danger that could end my life if it got out. I can just be with Landry and not worry that she’s plotting my demise.
“We’ll see them soon,” he promises, leading me away from their vehicle. I give one last wave as he picks me up and carries me into our house. “Now, I need some time alone with my mate. You interested?”
“Hell yeah,” I state as I practically drag him into our bedroom.
Maverick
As we’re lying in bed after an intense round of lovemaking, Connelly leans over a
nd places her head on my pecs. She then proceeds to play with my chest hair. “Maverick?”
“Yes, my love.” I’m winding a lock of her hair around my finger, remembering how it was flying all around just a short time ago. Despite never even thinking about the possibility of having a mate, I now can’t imagine life without her.
“Tell me how you became involved in the Rogue Enforcers.” Her hot breath on my skin as she asks this causes shivers to run up and down my entire being. My cock jumps in anticipation, and I have to still her hand so that I don’t take her again. This is something I’ve been wanting to share with her for a while, and don’t want anything interrupting my train of thought.
“Long ago, I was in a tavern drinking when I had a premonition. In it, I saw Colton, he was in training to become an enforcer at the time. I thought that was a sign, a calling of sorts, so I started researching who they were. In my minds-eye, that’s where I was meant to be. So I packed up a few of my belongings and hit the road. I hit a few shifter hang outs; listening in, gathering intel, until I figured out where they were located. I made my way to them, and they took me in, they were excited about my abilities. Then, it came time to follow directives and I figured out, as did they, that I don’t play well with others. They kicked me out as quickly as they allowed me to enter. I was informed in no uncertain terms that my services were not needed and to not come back. I was on my way home, temper flared, since I knew I was meant to be an enforcer. My visions are never wrong, Connelly, so I was beyond livid.”
She lifts up her head and I see fire dancing behind her eyes. “How dare they! Do they not realize what an excellent addition you would’ve made? I swear… I’m gonna put some damn Nair in their drinking water!”
Um… I have no clue what Nair is, but by the intensity of her words, I have a feeling it’s not something great. “Not necessary, love.” I rub my hand up and down her back to soothe her.
“Their loss, my gain,” she huffs. “Think about it, we may have never met if you had joined their ranks. Colton wouldn’t have sent you to rescue me. How did the two of you eventually meet anyway?”
“I was on my journey home, when a man rode up beside me. He indicated that he wanted me to pull over. The only reason I accommodated him was because I recognized him from my previous vision. It was the man I saw, the one who I fought beside and was to become my strongest ally. He informed me about the Rogue Enforcers and I knew that this was the path I was meant to be on. I accepted, and as the saying goes, the rest was history. Now, I have a question for you,” I say as I pull her chin up with my fingers and look her boldly in the eyes.
“What’s that?” She keeps my stare steady.
“Why is it that you didn’t freak out about my hybrid status? I was going to tell you, but you already seemed to know.”
“Charisma shared a vision of you with me when I was chained up. I saw it all, Maverick. I had time to process before even meeting you. The fates are never wrong when it comes to mates. I decided I didn’t care that you were different, you were mine. That’s all that mattered to me.”
“You are an amazing woman, love. I’m so damn lucky the gods chose you for me. I never thought I’d have a mate, let alone one as special as you. I love you, Connelly. Before you came into my life, I had no idea what that even meant. You have become the greatest life lesson I’ve ever had and experienced.”
“You’re gonna make me cry, Maverick. I love you too.”
Deciding that our conversation is at an end, I pull her under me and proceed to show her just how much she means to me.
Malcom! I jump up in bed. My heart is pounding and I can’t decipher if the vision I just had is a present one, or one to come forth in the future. Malcom is a Rogue Enforcer, he’s a unique white lion who can manipulate people with his mind. His mother was the last crystal dragon who was murdered in front of him by hunters. He blames the enforcers for her death, and gladly joined forces with Colton. Though, he has more nefarious reasons for doing so than the rest of us had. The vision I have of him keeps changing, so I have no idea on what I should and should not be sharing.
As if I summoned him from the thin air, my phone begins to ring and I notice Colton’s name flashing. Getting up stealthily so as to not awaken Connelly, I grab my phone and head into the living room.
“Colton,” I answer.
“Maverick, something was told to me, something I need to share with you. Do you have a quiet place you can go and talk? Preferably without anyone else overhearing.”
“Yeah, I need to do a perimeter check anyway.” I begin to walk my property until he speaks. What he has to say stops me dead in my tracks. “Excuse me, Colton. Could you please repeat that?” Surely my ears are playing tricks on my mind.
“Your parents and sibling are in danger. Your next assignment is to go and protect them. Are you up for this, Maverick?”
“I-ugh, well, fuck I guess I have to be. I have a brother or sister? And my parents, they are together?” I’m stumped and to be honest, a little fucking pissed off. They didn’t want me, yet they have another child… together? “Send me the coordinates, Colton.” I don’t ask even one of the thousands of questions rumbling through my head. Hell, I didn’t even get my much-needed questioned answered. One of the simplest ones, is my sibling a brother or a sister? As I enter the house, Connelly is up and pacing the kitchen.
“What happened? What’s wrong? I felt your anxiety and wanted to go to you, but I noticed you were on the phone and didn’t want to interrupt.”
“Come here,” I say, opening my arms wide. She rushes into them and I immediately wrap them around her.
“Your heart is beating so fast, Maverick. Please tell me what’s happening.” I can feel her worry as if it were my own. I comfort her as best as I can, my body is shivering from the angst of mine and Colton’s discussion. “My parents, they’re in trouble, Connelly. I have to go to them; I have to save them.”
“I’ll have us packed within five minutes. Be right back.” She rushes to the bedroom. No further questions asked, she knows that there’s no way I can let her out of my sight long enough to take on this assignment. I need her.
Connelly
I’m not sure if I should be happy or angry for Maverick. His parents abandoned him, yet they need his help now? I’m going to give the two of them a piece of my mind when we meet. Fuck them for throwing him away, leaving him alone with only the animals of the wild for companionship and parental guidance. I have us quickly packed, nearly forgetting our essentials, such as soap, shampoo, razors, well, all of our bathroom needs. I have to run in there and make room in the suitcase for them all. Maverick only has a bike, so this should be fun to store. When I walk out with a wheeled suitcase, Maverick begins laughing. “What?”
“Baby, where are we going to fit all of that?” he questions.
“I don’t know, I have no clue how long we’ll be gone for and didn’t know how much to bring.” I chew on my bottom lip thinking over what we can do without. “But, Maverick, we’ll need clothes and supplies.”
“How much supplies did you pack? Is there anything left in our closet, dresser and bathroom?”
“Yes,” I hiss.
“So, you forgot to add the bathroom sink then?”
“Hardee-har-har.” I’m seething now. “I’ve never packed for anything outside of family vacations before, Maverick. What do we need to discard, and don’t you dare say my clothes!”
“They do make washers and dryers where we’re going, love.”
“So how many outfits are we talking about here, Maverick. Seven, eight?” I have no idea how many days we’ll be away.
“More like two,” he informs me.
“Excuse me! Two! No woman alive can survive on two outfits. You’ve lost your mind.”
“Everything needs to fit into this,” he says, throwing the world's smallest backpack at me.
“Okay, so this is for your things, what about mine?”
“Love, that’s for both of our t
hings.” Oh hell no. This has disaster written all over it. I’m going to give his parents their first impression of me wearing the same two outfits. There’s no way in hell that’s happening. Noticing my internal war, Maverick takes the suitcase from me and begins pulling things from it. I’m stunned when I see my favorite pair of jeans being left out. Those make my ass look fabulous! How dare he not even ask!
I’m stewing on the back of his bike. I refuse to speak with him. He’s tried conversing with me through the Blue toothed helmets we stopped and picked up, yet I still have nothing to say to him.
“Connelly, you can’t not talk to me, I’m your mate,” he states.
“Mate-shmate, you’re still an asshole, Maverick.”
“How am I an asshole? I mean, I do have one, but other than that, I don’t know how my entire being is.”
“Because you left my best jeans at home!”
“Love, I don’t know what we’re getting into and I happen to like how you look in those jeans. I didn’t want them destroyed.” Huh, what he’s saying makes sense but I’m still in a bit of a snit so I can’t let him off too easy.
“That may be all well and good, but I’m meeting your parents, Maverick! I can’t look like some kind of hobo, for fuck’s sake!”
“Seeing as I’ve never met them, I don’t give a fuck if we’re naked when we meet them,” he rumbles. Okay, it’s a sore spot and I get that, but doesn’t he understand that all that aside, women need to look a certain way when they meet their man’s parents?
“I don’t want to be naked, Maverick! But as little as you packed, I might as well be.”
“Love, you’d look fine in a hood covered burlap sack. Quit worrying over nothing because their opinion of you means less than that to me.”
“It won’t matter if they don’t like me?” I know I’m being irrational, I shouldn’t have insecurities, but dammit, they snuck in when I wasn’t looking!
Maverick: Rogue Enforcers Novel Page 9