He was standing in the common room watching us talk among ourselves. How long had he been there? Long enough to hear me lie about turning, that was for sure.
“Chaser,” I said, nodding. Bland, indifferent, frosty. Hopefully convincing.
He narrowed his eyes and turned his back, crossing the room. The colour had returned to his skin; the greyish desiccation that had made him look so sickly was gone. When he disappeared, the maw that’d opened in his absence split open again. We’d been apart for less than a day, and I was already floundering without him.
“You really spent all that time alone with him?” Kelly asked, flicking her blonde tresses. “The vampire?”
“Gossip in this place is out of control,” I muttered, my gaze still on the door Chaser had disappeared through.
“There’s a lot about you,” Emily declared. “Care to let us know what’s true?”
“I’m not sure I could help you,” I told her. “I seem to be in the dark as much as anyone.”
“Why did you go with Chaser, then?” Kelly asked. “Start there.”
“I went with him because it was that or wind up dead in a gutter someplace,” I shot back.
“What do you mean?”
“The vampires are out to get Fortitude,” I said, the half-truth rolling off my tongue so smoothly, it surprised even me. “I don’t have a lot of love for Marini—that gossip is true—and we have a lot to work out, but I’m not into sitting back while innocent people get killed. Especially when I can do something about it.” The women looked at one another, trying to decide what to do. “I don’t know why I’m important. I’m just a human. Maybe it’s just because I’m the alpha’s daughter. If this is going to be my lot in life, then I’m going to make the most of it. Protect it. Make it a home.”
They didn’t look entirely convinced, but I knew it would take time. I had to play their game.
“I trust the men,” Emily declared. “Wolves know how to protect what’s theirs. Pack rules.”
“I’m sure they do,” I replied. “But so do I.”
“Did you really kill a vampire?” Sam asked, her voice barely a decibel above a whisper. “At breakfast, you said…”
All eyes were on me.
“There were two of them,” I began slowly. “Chaser got one, but the other… I shot him in the heart.”
“He owes you,” Kelly murmured like it was a special privilege.
“Kel, if he owed you, you’d use it to make him sleep with you,” Raquel said, rolling her eyes.
“Duh,” the blonde drawled.
“What about Stewie?”
She batted her eyelashes. “What about him?”
“We don’t owe each other anything,” I said, curling my lip. “As far as I’m concerned, we’re even.”
“Your loss.”
“So, what do you do around here?” I asked, changing the subject now that things had started to thaw between us. Too much Chaser talk had made me uneasy…and a little jealous. “For fun and stuff?”
“Drink, go shopping, get our nails done.” Kelly looked me up and down. “But you don’t like those things, am I right?”
“I wouldn’t mind a set of claws, but unfortunately, Marini has asked me to stay in the compound for the time being.” I held up my hand and inspected my fingernails. “I’ve never had them done before. It could be cool.”
“What colour?” Sierra asked.
I smirked. “Black.”
“Was there any doubt?” Shondra snorted.
“I definitely have a style,” I retorted.
“Tough rock chic,” Emily quipped. “I like it. It’s dangerous.”
“She fits right in, then,” Raquel declared.
“I can do your nails for you,” Sierra went on. “I used to be a nail technician before the pack took me in. I have a kit, so I can do them right here.”
“She doesn’t do nails for just anyone,” Sam whispered in my ear. “Just so you know.”
“Cool,” I said to Sierra. “I’m game.”
“I can do all kinds of patterns. I’ve got some diamantés.”
“Not the bloody diamantés,” Shondra exclaimed.
“Shut up,” Sierra shot back. “They’re cool.”
“Let’s just start me off with plain black,” I said. “Where do you want me?”
Sierra stood and held out her hand, wiggling her fingers to show off her handiwork. “Girl, come with me. I’ll hook you up.”
By the time the sun went down and the compound hummed with the sound of men returning, I was sporting a new set of fake nails, black and sharp, and had developed a tentative friendship with the female wolves. It was a start, but when Ratchet walked into the common room, his gaze found mine instantly.
He was looking for me.
I hadn’t forgotten his offer and my subsequent acceptance, but now that he was here, the gravity of what I was about to do hit me. I was about to get marked by the pack. Something no ‘human’ had ever done. Marini was going to flip.
I rose to my feet, aware of the eyes watching me. Apart from the women I’d hung with that day, no one else had approached me. To many, I was still an unknown quantity, and I would remain that way until I proved myself. Words meant nothing if I didn’t have the courage to back them up.
I followed Ratchet from the common room, through the compound, and to his rooms. To my surprise, Sam came with me, not wanting to leave me alone with the big bad wolf. It seemed she took her duty of keeping an eye on me very seriously.
Ratchet’s room was cleaner than I had expected to be. He had a little tattoo station set up in one corner. There was a set of drawers where he kept all his inks and tattoo guns, a seat with a wide armrest, an old office chair, and a floor lamp that bent in all kinds of directions.
“What’ll it be?” Ratchet asked. “A butterfly?”
I laughed and shook my head. “Do I look like a butterfly to you?”
Ratchet smirked and sat in the office chair, eyeing Sam. “You sure you want to be here?”
She swallowed hard.
“You want one, too? A little flower or somethin’?”
“I, ah… Harley will be looking for me,” she muttered before scurrying out the door.
Ratchet frowned but didn’t comment on her behaviour. He’d deliberately scared her off. How Harley treated her must be a well-known fact around here. And they let it happen… But something told me Ratchet was in a preventative mood, and knowing that made me look at him from a slightly different angle.
“Marini know you’re doing this?” he asked.
I sat in the chair. “Of course not.”
He shook his head, then began setting up for the tattoo. He pulled on some latex gloves and sprayed down the armrest with a bottle of disinfectant, wrapping it in plastic wrap when he was done. He got out a tattoo gun from one drawer and hooked it up, sliding a fresh needle into the barrel.
I sat in the chair and set my hand on the plastic wrap as he turned on the lamp, angling it over us.
“What, no flash book to flip through?” I asked.
Ratchet shook his head. “I’ve got a little something I prepared earlier.”
I eyed the wolf and sighed. “This morning wasn’t a happy accident, was it? He told you to tattoo me.”
“This marks you as part of the pack,” he warned. “I don’t know what he’s got going on with the vampires, but he wants to make sure they know who you belong to.”
“I don’t belong to anyone,” I snapped.
“You might not be a werewolf, Sloane, but you are the daughter of the alpha. It’s not just the vampires who need to understand that. It’s rival packs, too.”
I gritted my teeth as he placed the preprepared stencil and pressed it down. Inspecting the crossed swords, I felt like throwing up, knowing I’d been played. I was the one supposed to be doing the playing, but here I am, getting the same brand as Chaser… I might not be subject to the spell that bound him, but it was a brand marking me as property all the
same.
“Just do it,” I snarled, leaning back.
Ratchet snorted, but he didn’t stop what he was doing. He filled a little red cap full of black ink and smeared some clear ointment on my finger. Reaching for the tattoo gun, he hooked it up to the power supply and pressed his boot on the pedal. The room filled with a buzzing sound as he adjusted the speed the needles were flying at.
The needle moved across my skin and the vibration shot through the bone. As soon as it started, Ratchet lifted the gun and wiped at the line, removing the excess ink from my thumb. Then he went again, following the purple lines of the stencil until he’d completed the whole design. He cleaned it off one last time, then moved away.
“There,” he said, rolling the chair back and dipping the tip of the gun into a cup of water. The machine buzzed as he cleaned the ink from the barrel.
Lifting my hand, I wiggled my thumb. It was a little red and angry, but it felt all right.
“Not so bad,” I said, delivering my verdict.
He laughed and shook his head. “You want it to heal properly, so put some of this on it.” He tossed me a little tube of cream. “It doesn’t matter how it looks, it just matters that it’s there. Don’t pick at the scab.”
“It scabs? Gross.” I made a face and hoped no one noticed when my supernatural blood healed it before it was due.
“Welcome to the pack, Sloane,” he said. “Strength in adversity.”
Chapter 6
Chaser
I leaned against the wall and blew out a sharp breath.
My returning humanity was overloading my senses, making my head spin, and the sight of Sloane had long forgotten feelings assaulting me from every angle. It’d only been a day since she’d had driven into the garage, and we’d been separated. A single day.
I downed another mouthful of liquor from the bottle in my hand, the alcohol soothing the burn in my throat, and continued down the hall.
Sloane’s room was down here.
Leaning around the corner, I saw the hallway was empty. No one was watching, but I knew it was a test. Marini was waiting to see what she would do before deciding her fate. The Hollow Men had thrown a spanner into the works, but the only person he believed had the right to harm her was him.
The game would end before I allowed that to happen. If Sloane was going to lose, then I would be there to get her out, despite the brand keeping me tied to the pack. No hesitation.
Her door was locked. Taking out the key I’d lifted from Rick, I slipped it into the lock and turned. When the mechanism clicked, I twisted the knob and slipped into the room beyond.
The lamp beside the bed was on, casting a warm glow on the plain white walls, and I leaned back against the door as Sloane’s gaze met mine. My heart twisted, reminding me of the first time I’d seen Loretta. I’d loved her before I lost her, and now Sloane…
“What are you doing here?” she asked, rising to her feet. “You can’t—”
“No one’s watching,” I replied, turning the lock on the door. “I wouldn’t be here if they were.”
“Chaser, there are security cameras in the hall.”
“There was.”
She bit her bottom lip and my gaze dropped. I’d spent so much time fighting my returning humanity, and now I had to pretend I didn’t care. I’d never had a lot of patience, and this was a high-stakes game I did not want to be playing right now. Sloane’s pull was too strong, and all she was doing was standing there.
I closed my eyes, and the world went dark. Across the room, I heard her sharp exhale.
“There’s an endgame to all this,” she murmured.
“What were you doing today?” I asked, opening my eyes. The sight of her knocked me sideways for the second time.
“Making friends.”
“Making friends with the women won’t get you anywhere,” I said. “They can’t give you Fortitude.”
“Of course, they can’t,” she replied. “But women know things. Women see and hear things men think they’re too stupid to understand.”
A slow smile spread across my lips.
“Little birds know when to stick together,” she murmured. “A flock of sparrows is more powerful than a single hawk.”
“Your father is watching,” I said. “We’re walking a fine line.”
“He gave you the attitude speech as well, huh?” She snorted and shook her head. “After all this time… Coming face to face with him…” She plucked at a strand of her long, chestnut hair and twirled it between her fingers.
I watched the movement, my hand tightening around the liquor bottle. That was when I saw the mark on her thumb—the same mark that was on mine.
“What the hell is this?” I hissed and grabbed her wrist. “You let them brand you?”
Sloane wrenched her arm away and glared at me. “It was Marini,” she spat. “He manipulated me into it. I couldn’t refuse, not if I want to keep playing the game. My association with him is the only chance I’ve got.”
She was right, but I didn’t like it. A woman would never lead the pack, but a Marini could—a Marini who could turn at will.
“You’re not having second thoughts, are you?” she asked.
I shook my head. “I can’t. Not if I want my freedom. If I’m forced to remain, then I will turn off my humanity again…and I… I can’t go through this again.”
She took a step towards me. “Does it hurt?”
I grimaced and downed some more alcohol. “I don’t like them hurting you.”
“We’re not going to come out of this unscathed. You know that.” She stepped forwards, closing the distance between us. If we were caught together, Marini would put a bullet in me on the spot, and when I woke, he’d do it again.
“Sloane…”
She threw herself into my arms and caught my lips with hers. A rush of desperate need overcame me, and I kissed her, claiming her mouth and fisting my hands into her hair. Twisting my fingers, I tilted her head to the side and deepened my hold, plunging my tongue against hers.
There was something else happening between us.
Something…
Something forgotten.
I tore myself away and cursed under my breath. Damn humanity.
“We can’t,” I said, even though I wanted nothing more than to hold onto her.
“I need you,” she whispered. “I’m not afraid of it anymore.”
It was a rare thing for her to admit, much like it was for me. Had I told her that? Probably not. I never told anyone anything.
It was a long moment before the air cooled between us.
“Marini didn’t tell you what he plans to do with me, did he?” Sloane asked.
“No.”
She sighed and lifted her hand, tilting her thumb back and forth. “It’s healed already.”
I frowned. “Keep it hidden for a few days.”
Her gaze met mine and I knew I’d lingered too long.
“I’ll be watching,” I murmured, reaching for the lock on the door.
“Chaser?”
I hesitated, glancing over my shoulder. I wished we were still on the road and this was another motel room. I wished I wasn’t bound to the pack.
She smiled. “Don’t do anything stupid, okay?”
“No,” I whispered, “I won’t.”
Chapter 7
Sloane
My first kiss with Chaser wasn’t how I’d envisioned it going down. Honestly, I wasn’t sure it’d ever happen. For one thing, I’d had a hard time admitting ‘caring’ meant something closer to ‘loving,’ not since I saw the photograph of Loretta—the woman he’d loved a hundred years ago.
The woman he’d married.
Three whole days of testing the Fortitude boundaries had passed, and I was still no closer to finding out what Marini planned to do with me, or made any headway with the pack, but at least I was still breathing and vampire sightings had been down to a single, fleeting, clandestine meeting.
Sam had taken her responsib
ility of looking after me a little too seriously. I hadn’t had another run-in with Harley, my father had seemed to have forgotten all about me, and Chaser had disappeared.
They were all absent, apart from Sam, but I wasn’t naïve enough to think I wasn’t being watched. I wanted to give the timid blonde the benefit of the doubt, but I knew she was easily manipulated. The poor woman was squashed under Harley’s thumb so hard, she was borderline broken. The only eyes I could trust belonged to Chaser.
I was marked now, but it wasn’t a one-way ticket into the pack. It was a mark that branded me as Fortitude property, not that I belonged.
I hated to say it but I was getting lonely, and it’d only been three days. What did that say about me, I didn’t know. But I knew I missed Yvette’s fashion advice. I even missed Bobby the bald bouncer’s unquestioned protection and the fisticuffs from the Sailor’s Arms upstanding clientele.
Most of the wolves had kept a wide berth, probably at Marini’s order, but when I walked towards the exit that led to the garage, no one stopped me. Not like they had when I’d tested the doors elsewhere in the compound, when I’d been greeted with a wall of wolf and shoved back inside every single time. The garage seemed to be an okay place to go…and that worried me.
The scent of grease and exhaust fumes filled my nostrils as I entered the workshop.
It was a hive of activity. Music blared from speakers set into the roof, a car was hoisted up into the air while another was on the ground next to it, and a row of motorcycles sat against the wall beside me. On the far side was a large room that looked like it was used for spraying paint and detail, and an office sat at the front by the double roller doors.
The entire place was painted with a tattoo-inspired mural, which had me thinking of Ratchet. Fortitude Customs was written in script while colourful flames, a skull, and a not-so-subtle wolf made up the bulk of it.
I recognised Spike, glimpsing him before he rolled underneath the chassis of the car he was working on. Glancing around at the other faces, I jerked to a halt when I saw a familiar face.
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