by M. A. Church
But until Mark got control over the hybrid, they weren’t going anywhere.
BY THE time January rolled around, Mark seemed to have his forms under control. Finally. Since the holiday season was done, they agreed to take a road trip to Florida. Zane appointed his mate to take over Hunter’s duties. As an Alpha-mate, she was more than capable.
The goodbyes got a little emotional. Hunter couldn’t shake the feeling something major was going to change with this trip, and it worried him.
Once they were on the other side of Las Vegas, Mark glanced down at Hunter’s cell phone, looking at the route. “We’re taking the long way, huh?”
“It’ll take about forty hours to get there driving this route, but I thought we could do some sightseeing on the way. Maybe spend a night or two at certain places. Or we could just stop long enough to catch some sleep and get there as fast as possible. Up to you.”
Mark got comfortable in his seat. “Stopping sounds good. Just not too long at any one place, okay? I really want to see my brother.”
“Are you sure you’re okay with not giving him a heads up you’re about to appear on his doorstep?”
“Like you said, he’s going to have questions, and some of them I can’t answer over the phone.” Mark cut the heat down on his side a little. He loved how hot werewolves ran. He was never cold. “He’ll probably drop dead in shock when he sees me, but I really don’t see how to avoid that. Now it’s my turn to ask a question. Are you sure it’s okay for me to tell him what I am?”
“It is. He’s your brother. You’ve said the two of you are close, so eventually he’s going to question why you aren’t aging. So yes, he needs to know, but we’ll impress on him how important it is not to repeat what he’s been told.”
“Which is another reason not to call. I damn sure am not going to try to convince him I’m a werewolf over the phone. He’ll think I’ve lost my mind.”
“Most likely. You might want to ease into that one. It’s going to be a big enough shock seeing you. Let him adjust to that before springing on him you can change into an animal. That may be more than he can handle right off the bat.”
Mark snickered. “I can’t wait to see the look on his face.”
IT TOOK four days to reach Mystic Bay because each place they stopped, Hunter made a point to find some out-of-the-way place where Mark could shift and let his wolf stretch his legs, so to speak.
Mark’s wolf needed a chance to be out as much as possible since he didn’t know when either of them would have a chance to let their wolves run free once they got to Mystic Bay.
They spent the night in El Paso, Texas, and did a little sightseeing. The next stop was San Antonio, which was still in Texas. Just how big was this state? Hunter booked them a hotel on the city’s Riverwalk. Next stop was Mobile, Alabama. While Mark was exploring the beach, Brax called.
“Hey, I have some interesting news.”
“Yeah?”
“Oh, yeah. It’s seems my investigation has stirred the waters. I got a few phone calls from some Alphas who are over mid-range packs. Get this. They told me that they’ve been robbed too. The MO is the same in all instances. These packs are bedroom communities of large cities like Atlanta, Chicago, and so on. Kind of like us.”
“Okay.”
“I sent the partial of that wolf we managed to get, and guess what? Two different Alphas managed to get partials also. The description matches what we have. It’s the same damn werewolves.”
“Hot damn.”
“Well, hold on. It’s still just partials. But word is getting out. Then I got a phone call from a couple of Alphas close to Mystic Bay. The only reason that name caught my attention is because that’s where Mark’s brother, Michael, is now living.”
“Son of a bitch. What are the odds?”
“I know, right? Before Mark it wouldn’t have meant anything to me. Anyway, they told me about a pack called Marked Tree. Word is they’re troublemakers, the Alpha and Betas in particular.”
“That’s all well and good, but it’s nothing more than hearsay.”
“Wait for it. One Alpha went so far as to call them ‘a bunch of damn thieves,’ and that’s a quote. It’s a small pack who are all for gun use, I’m told.”
“Again, that’s not enough.”
“Again, wait for it. That in and of itself may not be enough, but the Alpha’s name is Alpha Bennett. Alpha Donald Bennett. The same name Mark remembered. How’s that?”
“Fuck yeah, now that I can use!”
“Told you. But the strangeness doesn’t end there. Yesterday someone tried hacking me. I managed to trace it, but I lost the trail. The closest I could get was that it originated from the southern part of Florida. Which, as luck would have it, is where the Marked Tree pack is located and so is Mystic Bay. Am I great or am I great?”
“You are the greatest ever!” Hunter hooted. “Thank you, Brax. You’ve made my day. Now I’m going to make Mark’s.”
“Keep your sex life to yourself!” Laughing, Brax disconnected.
That night he and Mark celebrated the news against the wall of their room and on the balcony. Then it was on to Orlando, Florida. They spent the night and were up bright and early the next morning to go to Disney World. They ended up spending another night but got a late start the next day on the last leg of their journey.
And of course they ran into road construction, which delayed them. Then they got lost. It was dark by the time Hunter realized he hadn’t stopped to get gas before leaving Orlando, and his truck was edging uncomfortably close to empty.
“Shit.”
“What’s wrong?”
“We’re going to have to get gas. I forgot when we left Orlando, so be on the lookout for someplace. We might only be thirty minutes from Mystic Bay, but I’m not sure we can make it without stopping.”
“There.” Mark pointed at a sign. “That says the next town has a gas station.”
“Thank the goddess.” A few minutes later the exit came up, and Hunter took it.
They ended up having to drive another two miles before they finally found some little podunk gas station out in the middle of nowhere. There was nothing but woods, woods, and more woods surrounding it. Hunter didn’t like the looks of the place—it was run down and pretty desolate—but they were literally running on fumes when he pulled in.
Mark frowned as they parked next to a pump. “You’d think they’d have the place lit up better. It reminds me of something out of a horror movie.”
“Good thing we’re werewolves, huh?” Hunter joked as he got out. Privately he agreed. This place was shady as hell.
Mark opened the passenger side and got out also. “Seriously, I don’t like this place. Something feels off.”
“I agree.” There was something making the hair on the back of Hunter’s neck stand up, and Mark was picking up on it too. Hunter checked the pump. The card reader on it was broken. “I have to pay inside first. Why don’t you stay here so you can start pumping as soon as I pay?”
“Sounds like a plan. The sooner we get done here, the better.”
“Keep your eyes open, just in case.”
“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that.” Mark lifted the nozzle and plugged it into Hunter’s truck. As he waited, he scanned the surrounding area.
Satisfied, Hunter started walking across the lot. Usually gas pumps were situated much closer to the store, but not these. There was a van parked partly behind the building, so someone was here, at least.
He scanned the building but didn’t see any cameras. Did this place have no security at all? In this day and age? After a nice little hike, he opened the door and froze as the scent of blood assaulted his senses. His wolf went on high alert.
No one was at the cash register, so Hunter cleared his throat. When that didn’t work, he lightly tapped on the counter. “Hello? Anyone around?” Hunter asked loudly. Where the fuck was that smell coming from? Was someone hurt?
Behind the counter, and kind of off
to the left, was a door. Was there an office back there? Maybe someone was in it and didn’t hear him come in? Could they be hurt? Just as he was getting ready to go behind the counter, a middle-aged man came rushing from the back of the store.
“Sorry! I didn’t hear you come in. I was about to close.” He stopped by the register, facing Hunter.
“Oh, you were?” At this time of night? It was dark, yes, but still early in the evening. Closing this early seemed odd.
“Yes.”
“I see. Would you let me get gas? I’m on empty. I don’t think I can make it to the next gas station.”
The man scowled. “I guess.”
What fabulous customer service. “I need thirty on pump—ah, I don’t know the number, but I’m the only truck out there.” Hunter held out his credit card.
“Our card reader is broken. It’ll have to be cash. Sorry.”
His wolf paced in his mind, uneasy. “Sure. No problem.” Luckily, he had cash. Looking down, Hunter slid his credit card back into his wallet.
There was a whisper of sound as the clerk reached under the counter. His wolf snarled in his mind, and Hunter stiffened. As he dropped his wallet, he snapped his gaze up and lunged across the counter.
“Bad timing on your part, wolf.”
There was a flash of black metal, and it seemed as if everything slowed down. Time dragged as he grabbed the hand of the clerk. His claws erupted from his fingers and sank into bare skin. Blood spurted. The clerk shouted, his other hand scrabbling at Hunter’s claws.
Hunter’s vision dramatically increased as his wolf took over, and his eyes flashed yellow. The clerk’s finger tightened on the trigger, and a sliver of fear danced down his spine. Hunter tightened his grip, forcing the muzzle of the gun upward.
The gun went off, and the bullet embedded itself in the ceiling. The stench of gun powder exploded around them. The stench coated his throat, threatening to trigger a gag reflex. Broken tiles fell from the ceiling, raining down around them.
Outside, Mark yelled.
Hunter’s heart stopped.
Movement snapped back to normal as the man shimmered as he changed forms. His wolf wanted blood. Hunter’s fangs dropped, and he bent the shape-shifter’s hand back until his wrist broke with a satisfying pop. More agonized yelling.
That pleased him, but unfortunately, he didn’t have time to play with his prey. The gun hit the floor, clattering harshly. With his free hand, Hunter punched the other paranormal in his chest, his fist going through skin, muscle, and bones.
Blood spurted. Gore splattered. More screaming. Hunter’s claws sank into the shape-shifter’s heart and he grinned, showing off his fangs. He watched in delight as horrified pain crossed the other man’s face.
“No, bad timing on your part.” Hunter yanked the beating heart out then shoved it into the other paranormal’s gaping mouth.
He dropped the body and called to his hybrid form.
Chapter Nineteen – Mark
MARK SCANNED the surrounding area once more. He couldn’t see anything wrong, but the itch between his shoulder blades said differently. If there was a threat, he couldn’t find it. All he had was a feeling. His wolf insisted there was danger.
The sound of the gunshot rooted Mark to the ground. For a second, he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He snapped his head up, looking toward the store. Inside he saw Hunter fighting with someone over control of a gun.
He dropped the handle of the gas pump and started toward the convenience store. Just as he cleared the truck, something crashed into him. In a tangle of arms and legs, they hit the concrete several feet away from the truck.
Mark landed on his back, and his head bounced off the pavement. His chest locked up, and he couldn’t do anything but gasp for air. His vision blurred. Whatever attacked was sitting on top of him.
He caught a quick glimpse of eyes that were completely black, skin as pale as milk, and two gleaming fangs descending toward his neck. Vampire! He thrust his arm up to protect his throat, and the fucker’s fangs sank deeply into the skin. Agonizing pain shot through him, and he yelled.
The vampire jerked back, his eyes wide. “That’s not possible.” Slowly he licked his lips, taking his time to taste Mark’s blood. “What unbelievable luck. Tell me, do you believe in fate?”
Mark blinked slowly. The pain radiating through his arm stole his thoughts.
“The brother,” he hissed, almost as if he was speaking to himself. “And a newly turned werewolf, at that. How absolutely delightful.”
The word ‘brother’ froze Mark. He stared into the vampire’s pitch-black eyes.
“Your blood tastes nearly as good as Michael’s. So tell me, Mark, do you scream as sweetly?” he whispered. “Let’s find out.”
The vampire slashed his claws across Mark’s chest. Mark screamed again, but this time the sound was nothing but unadulterated rage that ended as a howl. The change swept through him with terrifying speed as the fiend’s words echoed in Mark’s head. He gladly gave himself over to the hybrid side. The vampire hissed in surprise.
An answering howl came from the convenience store.
Madness, unlike anything he had yet experienced in the hybrid form, swept through him. He sank his long deadly claws into the vampire’s sides, and the other man shrieked in pain.
Mark wanted to hear that sound again. Surging up, he tried to reverse their position, and they ended up in a deadly embrace as they rolled across the parking lot, snarling and snapping at each other. Fangs tore at skin. The pain of the bite only drove his anger higher even as he bled freely.
Claws raked across his muzzle in a fiery slash of pain, but Mark managed to catch the vampire’s wrist in his jaws. Shaking his massive head, he did his dead level best to rip the bastard’s arm off. He’d fucking beat the undead thing to death with it if he got the chance. His wolf howled in agreement.
Blood dripped down his throat. The taste was horrible, but he refused to let go. The vampire screamed again. After several hard punches to his snout, he released the limb. They rolled again, and the vampire ended back on top of Mark. For a brief minute he saw a flicker of fear in the vampire’s eyes.
There was an explosion of glass, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw a tall, white-furred werewolf hybrid racing across the lot toward him. The vampire jerked his head in that direction, and Mark took advantage of his distraction by sinking his claws into the vampire’s stomach.
The vampire shouted, but then he glanced down, grinning. Blood coated its fangs. “Wrong place if you want to kill me, but that’s okay. We’ll meet again. Until then, tell Michael I’m coming for him. He and I are not through.” Laughing, the vampire turned to mist just as Hunter launched himself. He sailed over Mark’s head, hit the ground, then rolled to his feet. Crouching, he swung back around.
Mark sprawled on the ground, chest heaving as he stared at the night sky, trying to catch his breath. The words of the vampire screamed in his head. Agony washed over him in waves, but that was nothing compared to the fear in Mark’s heart. That son of a bitch knew Michael.
Suddenly, his vision was filled by a huge white muzzle and yellow eyes that radiated concern.
Fucking hell, Hunter, that vampire knows Michael! He called Michael by name! Said to tell Michael that he was coming for him. That they were not through. We’ve got to get to him! Now!
Easy, babe. We will. But first we’ve got to take care of you. The werewolf gently licked at Mark’s throat then sat back. As he watched, Hunter shifted back into his human form.
“Fuck, Mark. Fuck. Dear goddess, you’re a mess.”
Mark whined. Every-fucking-thing hurts.
“I know. I know you hurt.” Hunter ran his hands over Mark’s body, carefully checking the worst of the injuries. “But none of the wounds are life-threatening. I need you to shift into your wolf. Don’t go to your human form yet. Just stay a wolf for now. It’ll help with the healing. Can you do that for me, babe? Please?”
Mark bl
inked blearily. Well, since his mate asked so nicely. He closed his eyes and concentrated on being a wolf. When he opened his eyes next, everything looked slightly different than it did in the hybrid form. His tail thumped on the ground.
“Good. Good. Holy fucking goddess, what did we walk into?” Hunter thrust his hands through his hair. “And how the hell is your brother tied into this? Fuck. We’ve got to get the hell out of here, but first I’m going to get you into the truck. Just relax and let me pick you up.”
Okay. Tired too. Don’t take too long, though. That vampire knew Michael. We need to get to him as soon as possible. He’s in danger. Please.
“I promise I won’t take any longer than necessary. I’ve got some cleanup to do before we can leave, but I’ll be as fast as I can. In the meantime, you’ve lost blood and expended a lot of energy fighting. I need you to rest so—”
Are you kidding me?
“—so you’ll be in top form if we run into that vampire again. No, I’m not kidding.” Hunter carried Mark to the truck. It took some fancy maneuvering on his part, but he managed to get the door open and Mark inside.
Mark raised his head. Is this really necessary?
“It is. Look, I had to kill the clerk. Well, it was someone acting as the clerk. A shape-shifter. I need to see if the real clerk is alive. I can’t leave that body here for the humans to find. I tore his heart out.”
Mark lowered his head again, huffed, and closed his eyes. Overkill much?
“I know. It probably was, but I heard you scream and lost my shit.” Hunter leaned his head against the truck door. “And fuck, when you shift back to human, you’re going to be bloody. Fuck. You’ll draw attention, and we don’t need that. Let me check out the situation in the convenience store, then we’ll go from there.”
Hunter shut the truck door and strolled naked back to the store. Lord, he hoped no one showed up right now, or things could get really messy. Messier than they already were.
Mark, the human clerk is dead. Drained by that fucking vampire you were fighting.