A Vampire's Battle

by Raven Steele

  She turned her attention on me, nostrils flaring. “And where would I find the Silver Claws’ Alpha?”

  I stared at her in surprise, and all eyes turned to Luke, who shifted uncomfortably. Even Briar looked at him, her jaw muscles bulging. When he didn’t explain why he’d never told his mother that his girlfriend was also the Alpha of the pack, I turned back to her. “Go to Fire Ridge. You can have a conversation with her there.”

  “Her?” She narrowed her eyes at me. It probably seemed strange to have a vampire tell her about shifter rules. Hell, it felt strange to give it, but she bowed her head. “We’ll do that.” She glanced at Luke. “Are you coming?”

  “I think I’ll stay here.”

  “No, Luke. You’ll come with us. You’re our Alpha. You should be there when we meet the Silver Claws Alpha.”

  At this, Briar burst out laughing. “Yeah, Luke, go talk to the Alpha. I hear she’s super nice and understanding and all that shit. I’m sure she’ll be fine with all of this. I’ll let her know you’ll be arriving soon.” Briar turned on her heel and walked away, saying to me and the others, “Come on guys. Let’s get out of here.”

  “Briar, wait!” Luke called but she didn’t turn around.

  Mateo and I walked after her, following in step next to Aris and Lynx. Angel walked side by side with her, not saying a word. Smart. I could feel her anger trailing behind, smothering us in her wake.

  With two cars between us, Aris and Lynx decided to ride with me and Mateo, leaving Angel and Briar alone to talk. Instead of returning to Lynx’s home, we opted to head for Fire Ridge to make sure something bad didn’t happen.

  We had just driven away from the cemetery, when Lynx jumped suddenly and slid away from the back window. “Did you guys see that?”

  Aris leaned past her, lines of worry etching his face. “See what?”

  “There was a de—” she stopped herself and shook her head. “Never mind. It was nothing.”

  I watched for a moment from the front passenger seat, noting her trembling hands. She quickly slid them behind her back. Aris also noticed and scooted closer to her until their shoulders touched. She sighed at the contact.

  “Are you sure you’re okay, Lynx?” Aris asked.

  “Other than a pretty nasty headache, I think I’ll be fine.”

  Mateo and I shared a glance. After the kind of magic she used, I didn’t know how she could be fine. She’d opened a sliver of Hell and tapped into its power. That didn’t come without consequences.

  My cell phone buzzed within the center console. I quickly answered it when I saw that it was Teddy. Putting the phone on speaker mode, I said, “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.” His voice was quiet.

  “Where are you?”

  “Standing at the forest edge just outside Winter’s Cove. I think I managed to convince Korin that it was the Ministry who freed those prisoners.”

  “What about Oz?” Aris interjected.

  There was a long pause. “He’s here. In a room off Korin’s private quarters. I was only allowed access once. Several others are with him.”

  “Is he okay?” I asked.

  “He’s better than the others, but only because Korin has him making weapons.”

  “That’s good.” My eyes met Aris’s. “That means he needs something from Oz. He won’t hurt him as long as that’s true. Oz is smart. He’ll be okay.”

  The side of Aris’s jaw muscles bulged, but he nodded and asked Teddy, “Can you get him out?”

  “I can’t. I already tried. Korin has some kind of magical spell protecting it.”

  I picked up the phone. “When will we see you next? I want to speak to you about this further.”

  “Maybe tomorrow night. Things are tense here.”

  “Ok,” I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me. “See you soon, Teddy.”

  He said goodbye and I hung up the phone. Aris lifted his head, glancing at Lynx. “If Lynx broke Korin’s magic to the Phoenix, would that break any active magical spells he might be using?”

  “You’re talking about the spell guarding Oz?” I asked.

  “Yes.”

  Lynx answered. “In theory, it should, but only if it was Korin who performed the spell.”

  “I’m going to find out.”

  Lynx was shaking her head before the words were out of his mouth. “You can’t go to Winter’s Cove. You heard what Teddy said. Korin thinks the Ministry is behind the attack on the cathedral. He’ll kill you!”

  He stared out the window. “I have a plan.”

  I looked at him in disbelief. It would be suicide to go see Korin right now. “Will you share it with us?”

  “I will when I have it all worked out.”

  Mateo and I shared a worried glance, but neither of us said anything.

  Mateo parked the car in front of Fire Ridge next to Briar’s. It didn’t surprise me she’d beaten us back. I bet she had broken a dozen driving laws to get here.

  I glanced around for any sign of the Wild Dogs pack, but didn’t see them yet. I feared their encounter could be explosive, but I hoped Briar would remain calm. Trick could possibly be a good ally, one we needed right now.

  When we exited the car, Mateo pulled Aris aside. “I want to help get Oz back. What are your plans?”

  I looked between them and the house, torn between going to Briar or staying and helping them.

  Mateo could feel my indecision between our bond. “We’ll be fine, Samira. You go help your friend, and we’ll help ours.”

  “Oz is also my friend, and if you’re going to do anything that hurts Korin, I want to be involved.”

  “For now, we’re only planning,” Aris assured me. “We won’t leave without you.”

  I nodded, grateful. “Thank you.”

  I turned towards the house, taking in a deep breath. “Now, I’m going to make sure Briar doesn’t tear apart the place.”

  Lynx moved next to me and smiled. “I’ll join you. You might need my magic.”

  Together we walked into Fire Ridge. It wasn’t as crowded as the night before with only a handful of shifters sitting on the couch, talking quietly. Samantha, who had also gotten back before us, was one of them. She didn’t look sad over Gerald’s death like the others. She looked pissed and cast her angry look in our direction. I avoided her gaze, not liking how she’d been acting lately.

  “Where is everyone?” Lynx asked, her voice quiet.

  As we walked to Briar’s office, I said, “Usually the night after a funeral, shifters do their own kind of private mourning. They’re probably still here, but out running the woods.”

  “I feel bad some of them had to come to the cemetery with us. That’s the last thing they should be doing after Gerald.”

  “It keeps them busy.” I stopped at Briar’s closed door and knocked.

  Angel opened it a moment later and ushered us inside. Briar was behind her desk, slowly rotating her chair in a steady circle, staring at the wall as if she could put a hole through it with her fiery gaze.

  “Are you okay?” Lynx asked.

  Briar didn’t answer, just continued to spin round and round.

  Angel lowered into the sofa. “She’s been like that ever since we left the cemetery. She won’t talk.”

  I dropped next to Angel. “She’s pissed.”

  Briar’s burning gaze flickered to me.

  “For good reason,” I added. “Luke lied to her.”

  Briar’s lips tightened.

  “But she needs to get over it and quick. Before they get here. We may need them.”

  Her chair stopped moving and she slowly turned her head my direction. “Need them?”

  “Yes. Maybe they will help us.”

  She scoffed, then laughed. ”You heard that lady.”

  “Luke’s mother,” Lynx clarified. Lynx had walked to the window and was parting the blinds to stare into the darkness. If she felt Briar’s glare on her back, she didn’t show it.

  “Luke’s mother
,” Briar emphasized, “made it very clear they are returning to the hole they crawled out of and taking Luke with them.”

  “Luke’s a big boy and can make his own decisions,” I reminded her. “And he loves you. He won’t leave.”

  She leaned forward aggressively, resting her arms on the desk. “You’ve seen Luke lately. He’s been so distracted. I think she has a stronger pull on him than you think. Besides, if he’s their Alpha, if that’s even true, then he has a duty to return.”

  “You’re jumping to a lot of conclusions. You need to speak to him.”

  Briar glanced at Angel. “You’ve been awfully quiet. What’s your take on this?”

  Angel leaned forward, challenging her. “You really want to know?” She stared at him, waiting for him to continue. “I think you need to hear Luke out, then make the best decision for you.”

  Briar frowned. “You want Luke to stay?”

  “Hell no. I want the bastard as far away from here as possible. Is that what you want to hear?”

  Briar sighed. “I don’t know what I want to hear.”

  “They’re here,” Lynx said and backed away from the window.

  Briar jumped to her feet and cleared her throat. “Where should I greet them that would be super cool and dominating?”

  Lynx quickly ushered her to the door. “We’ll announce you like royalty or something and you stroll down the staircase all badass.”

  “Oh, I like it.”

  They hurried past us. I turned to Angel. “That was rather respectable of you to not, what’s the phrase? Throw Luke under the bus.”

  He raised his eyebrow at me. “I have a feeling Luke’s going to do that all on his own. Besides,” he looked away, “I want her to be happy.”

  I stared at him, wishing that I could split Briar in two so he could be happy, too. Angel had always been a good friend to Mateo, devoted and caring. It had been a long time since Angel had been in a real relationship. I didn’t think he even dated casually anymore since meeting her.

  I stood up along with the others, and we moved into the living room where we took a seat. I shared a sofa with Aris and Mateo, who must’ve come in when we were in Briar’s office.

  Angel dropped into a recliner near us. “This is going to be good.”

  Lynx stood at the bottom of the sweeping staircase, ready to introduce Briar. She called up to her. “Just remember the end goal. If they are a good size pack, it would be great to have them join us.”

  Briar’s head popped over the railing. “We’ll see.”

  Four shifters on the opposite side of us eyed us curiously.

  “What’s going on?” Samantha asked.

  Aris repositioned himself on the sofa, leaning forward over his knees. “Feels like things are about to go nuclear.”

  The doorbell rang. Lynx opened the door and swept an arm forward. “Come in, and welcome to Fire Ridge, the grand estate of the Silver Claws, home to Rouen’s strongest wolf pack.”

  Trick strolled and walked into the entryway, looking at everything with a scrutinizing eye. Luke hung back a bit but finally walked in, rolling his eyes at Lynx. One other man passed through the entryway, much shorter than Luke and thinner, too. He wore a gray business suit that didn’t quite fit his smaller frame.

  Trick’s cool gaze settled on Lynx. “You’re not a shifter.”

  “Mother,” Luke said, “this is Lynx, a powerful witch.”

  Trick wrinkled her nose. “What are shifters doing associating with witches?” Her eyes traveled beyond Lynx until they spotted me, Aris, Angel and Mateo. “And vampires. Where are all the shifters?”

  Lynx cleared her throat. “Let me introduce you to the leader of the Silver Claws, descendent of the great Italian Moretti shifter bloodline, destroyer of evil Alphas, breaker of hearts and Rouen’s best bartender, plus Komira to the southeast quarter of the whole United States, Isabelle Moretti.”

  I snorted at the ridiculousness of Lynx’s introduction.

  A moment later, Briar’s footsteps echoed as she strolled down the stairs with a sly smile and a twinkle in her eye. “Hello, Trick. Welcome to Fire Ridge.”

  Chapter 19

  “You?” Trick looked from Briar to Luke, scowling. “Luke, what is the meaning of this?”

  He stuffed his hands into his pockets. “Briar, my girlfriend, is the pack Alpha.”

  Trick’s eyes widened in shock. “This skinny bitch? And you say she’s a Komira?”

  “Mother,” Luke said, his voice firm.

  Briar closed the distance between them. “This skinny bitch killed three Alphas. A puny beta will be nothing against my claws.”

  I groaned, wishing Briar could keep her cool, but I had to admit, Luke’s mother wasn’t making it easy.

  “Let’s be civil,” Lynx encouraged.

  Trick’s head snapped her direction. “I don’t take orders from witches.”

  “Then take them from me.” Briar moved an inch away from Trick’s face. “You are in my home, in my city. If you can’t follow the rules, get the hell out!”

  Luke pulled Trick back. “We can be civil. We mean no disrespect.”

  Briar glared at him. “Is that so?”

  She searched his eyes, then inhaled a quick breath. “Let’s start over. Please follow me into the living room where we can discuss business.”

  Trick nodded and followed after Briar. “Where is your pack?”

  “They are in mourning. We lost one of our own recently.”

  “And you gave them time off?”

  Briar spun around. “Do you have a problem with that?”

  Trick lowered her head. “Of course not. It’s just,” she hesitated, “unusual.”

  Briar’s mouth tightened. “Have a seat, will you? I’ll introduce you.”

  Trick complied, along with her small associate in the loose business suit sitting next to her. Luke remained standing next to them.

  After sitting down, Briar took a quick minute to introduce everyone.

  I watched Trick closely, the way she interacted with the others. Her nostrils flared slightly and eyebrows ticked together. Small movements but big enough to notice if one was looking for it. She hated being here. Hated all of us. By the way her hand was curled into her thigh, nails digging into jeans, she was trying desperately to hide her disdain. But it wasn’t just that. There was something in her eyes, a mixture of deceit and manipulation, that struck me to the core.

  Trick turned to the man in the suit. “This is Richard, my right-hand man.”

  “Do people call you Dick, Richard?” Briar asked him.

  “Sometimes.” His voice was higher than I expected it to be.

  Briar, too, seemed taken aback by the sound and raised her eyebrows. “And what is it you do for Luke’s mother exactly?”

  “I manage the finances and make sure the pack stays in line, under the Alpha’s rule, of course.”

  “I’m glad you brought that up.” Briar leaned back in her chair. “Tell me about your Alpha. You said it’s Luke?”

  “Apparently I’m not the only one Luke is keeping secrets from.” Trick glared at Luke, and he swallowed hard, looking away.

  “Luke’s blood is Alpha blood. For generations, DuPont blood has filled the Wild Dogs pack leadership with Alphas. When my husband grew ill, he was challenged for Alpha by his second in command, David, who killed him. It was Luke’s honor to challenge David, and Luke killed him that same night.” Her eyes shone with pride. “But then Luke’s brother, my youngest son, came up missing. After leaving me in charge, Luke left to find him. Now that Luke’s discovered his brother is dead”—she didn’t bat an eye—“and the Alpha who killed him is dead, it’s time he came home to take his rightful place as pack Alpha.”

  Briar narrowed her eyes. She still hadn’t looked over at Luke. “And how big is this pack?”

  “We have just over two hundred members,” Richard answered.

  My eyes widened, but Briar managed to keep her composure. They weren’t as large as
the Silver Claws, but they could be a force of might against the Phoenix, if we could get them on our side.

  “Those are impressive numbers, Dick,” Briar said. She finally glanced at Luke. “Aren’t those nice numbers?”

  “I’d have to take my place as Alpha,” Luke said, as if he was reading her mind. Which meant he’d have to leave. For how long was the big question. It was a big responsibility to be an Alpha.

  “But you’d have a large pack at your disposal.” Briar’s voice was firm. “We need help.”

  Trick frowned and turned to Luke. “What is she talking about?”

  “There’s a lot we need to discuss, Mother.”

  Briar motioned toward the hall with her head. “You can use my private office.”

  Luke stared at her. “You really want to do this now?”

  “I really do.”

  “Fine. Would you like to join us?”

  “I’ll let you break the end-of-the-world news, but I’ll join you in a little bit.”

  “End of the world?” Trick asked.

  Briar opened her mouth, probably to give a sarcastic retort, but Luke said, “Come on, Mother. Richard.”

  They stood and followed Luke into the hall. As soon as they were out of view, Briar flopped back onto the sofa cushions. “I can’t believe this is happening. I don’t even know how to wrap my mind around it. How come Luke didn’t tell me any of this? He’s a fucking Alpha?”

  “You need to talk to him,” I said.

  She grit her teeth. “Oh, believe me, I will, but there’s just this little apocalypse thing I have to deal with first.”

  Lynx walked over and sat down next to her. “You handled yourself very well.”

  From across the room, Samantha added, “I would’ve bitch-slapped the bitch.”

  “Believe me, I wanted to.” She groaned and dug the palms of her hands into her eyes. “This sucks so bad.”

  Angel remained silently by her side, calm and steady.

  Briar dropped her hands and glanced toward her office. “I should probably go in there.”

  “Big picture,” I reminded her.

  She nodded. “I know.”