by Sydney Addae
Tyrese placed his phone to his ear in case anyone was watching. “What do you see?”
“Nothing, it’s just a feeling that they’re not human.”
“They?” Tyrese searched the area for people. “I’m human-deep and blind. Where are they?”
“Near the car. I’m thinking there’s two females, maybe three, or at least there was.”
"The human breeder? The one with the twins?” Tyrese asked as he made his way down to the wreck.
“Don’t know, but that’d be a clusterfuck if it is. It’d mean they’ve been out there waiting for you since they left the hospital.”
“And that my human-deep didn’t work.” That left a sour taste in his mouth. “I’m shutting down for a while.” The sense of wrongness increased with each step.
“And I’m on my way.”
Damn, he’d forgotten. “Never mind. I’m open. Coming up to the car now.” He slipped his phone into his pocket. “Hello? Anyone here?” He slapped the hood a few times before climbing up the side to look through the window.
It was empty. A feeling of dread crawled up his back.
“Somebody’s coming. Shift as a last resort. No need to advertise who we are after all Silas has done to keep a low profile on mom,” Tyrone said.
Tyrese flexed and then relaxed his fist, wishing he could call his wolf to determine the identity of the threat. Being human-deep hampered his abilities and Tyrone couldn’t read the situation as well being so far away. Mentally, he prepared himself for an attack.
Relaxing his hand, his fingertips brushed against his pant pocket reassuring himself that both his knife and pistol were in place. When he reached the road, three men leaned against his truck.
Tyrone chuckled. “Full-bloods and they are mad at you.”
Tyrese smiled and headed across the street. “Search the area, they’re not the reason I stopped. Something else pulled me here,” he said to Tyrone.
“Will do.”
“Gentlemen.” Tyrese nodded to the men while he held his arms loosely at his side. “You’re blocking my truck.” He flicked his eyes over each man, determining how he’d dispose of each one. Two were followers; he’d take them out fast.
“It’s my truck now.” The tall blond wolf growled, leaning negligently against the truck.
Tyrese’ brow rose at the arrogant prick and decided he’d take him last, but wouldn’t kill him. “And you are?”
“Midas.”
“Ah… Midas.” Tyrese crossed his arms over his chest and tipped his chin a few times. “Do you always take things from people? If you’d asked to borrow my truck I might’ve allowed you to use it.”
Midas stiffened and then laughed, his incisors glistening. “Yes, I always take what I want.” His friends chuckled.
Tyrese glanced at them. “Who are you guys? Is that your car down there?”
“No. We stopped that car, needed the contents, that’s all. Why’d you stop?” Midas asked.
Tyrese rubbed his chin. “That’s a good question, hell if I know. Looks like I should’ve kept driving.”
“Yeah,” one of the men said, moving forward while slapping his balled fist into his other hand.
“Not smart to help women in distress these days. You never know what’s going to happen,” the other said.
Tyrese glanced at the speaker and then gazed at Midas. These men were toying with him as though he was a brainless idiot. “Women? What women?”
Midas crossed his arms and ankles as he chuckled. “Oh, oh. Now we’ve roused your protective instincts haven’t we? Don’t worry, they’re not your kind.”
Tyrese frowned even as his mind raced. “My kind?”
“Enough talk, give me the keys and then you can walk to wherever you need to go.” Midas pushed away from the truck and waved his finger at him. The other men started moving in Tyrese’ direction.
“They have a half-breed woman. I think they killed the woman from the hospital. You cannot leave the breeds. I don’t know why, but my wolf wants me to come get them,” Tyrone said.
“Sorry guys, I can’t do that,” Tyrese said, wondering why he actually meant that.
For a second, the men stared at him, and then they ran forward.
Tyrese jumped up and slammed one of the men in the back of the neck with his heel as he came down. An audible snap filled the air as the man fell into a heap on the ground in front of his friends who’d missed Tyrese when he jumped. Midas and his cohort glanced down at their comrade and then back up at Tyrese with startled expressions. Tyrese removed his sunglasses, tossed them aside and released the power and speed of his wolf.
Midas’ eyes widened as Tyrese moved in a flash and slammed into him, knocking him a few feet back. Then Tyrese spun with a roundhouse kick to the face of the other man, snapping his head back before he'd dropped to the ground. Midas shifted and charged. Tyrese pulled out his gun, but couldn’t pull the trigger fast enough. Midas knocked him back. Tyrese rolled to the ground, losing his weapon. Growling, Midas leapt at him.
Tyrese’ hand touched the hilt of his blade, he cleared it and was inches away from plunging it into Midas’ neck when a blur of fur slammed into Midas, knocking him from Tyrese. The momentum sent the blade flying.
Rising slowly, he retrieved and replaced his knife as he watched two strange wolves battle Midas. The level of aggression surprised him. He picked up his gun, waited for a clean shot and took it. Midas dropped to the ground and changed. The two wolves heaved and growled menacingly as he rolled in pain beneath them.
“Fuck, fuck man, you shot me.” The larger wolf snarled close to Midas’ neck as though telling him to shut up.
“It’s not a killing shot, but you can’t change.” Tyrese nodded, thinking of the special bullets Silas had given him. They’d work on humans or wolves. The difference being, the wolves lost their ability to shift as long as the shell was inside them.
“Thanks,” he said to the two wolves who stood above Midas snarling.
Tyrese moved to the truck to get something to bind Midas for the trip. Silas may have terminated the rebels at the hospital, but he hadn’t given him or Tyrone permission to do so. The smaller wolf sat on his haunches, and then lay with his head on his paws watching Tyrese. The larger wolf paced back and forth behind Midas, yapping and snarling. Tyrese picked up the first of the two dead wolves and placed them in the back of the SUV. He returned, picked up the second man and threw him in the back as well, before turning his attention to Midas.
Tyrese glanced at the wolves. “I’m not permitted to kill him unless it’s self defense, so you can stop asking.”
The larger wolf barked twice and then ran off, leaving the smaller wolf behind. Tyrese watched, and then turned to the resting wolf. “I hope she’s coming back for you. I don’t have room in my truck to take you anywhere.” He slipped the silver cuffs on Midas, and then lifted him into the back of the SUV, placing him on top of the others. The hair rose on the back of his neck.
“They attacked my mother.”
Tyrese spun and came face to face with one of the twins from the hospital. Opening his senses, he took a deep breath and froze. She smelled like cinnamon and vanilla. Something about her drew him, calmed him. She met his gaze with a confidence that reminded him of his mom and aunt. Somehow he didn’t think she’d appreciate him equating her to his mom. But then again, she’d never met his mom.
“When? When did they attack her?” he asked to keep her talking. He liked the sound of her voice and her lips…well, they were damn distracting. He forced himself to pay attention to her concerns.
“Right before you came up. They’d stopped our car and then snatched her before we could react. My sister took her to the hospital, but I don’t think she’ll make it.” She strode to the wolf on the ground and stuck out her hand. He changed and took the clothes. Tyrese was surprised to see the teenage boy. He was taller than the female, but it was obvious she was older.
“You are?” Tyrese asked, opening the car door
for them. When had he decided to take them with him? He wasn’t sure. But he knew he couldn’t leave her. Her scent touched places in him that he had no idea existed. Her presence warmed his insides, and he had no idea who she was.
“I’m Rose.” She pointed to the teen. “This is my brother Thorn.” Thorn nodded but remained near his sister. Neither stepped closer to the car.
“Tyrese.” He nodded. “You need a ride or you got transport?”
“We need a ride. But I won’t ride in a car with my mother’s murderer. I’d probably kill him,” she said.
Tyrese stared down at the short fireball. She had pulled her jet black hair up into a messy ponytail with tendrils flying around her face. Light brown eyes combined with all that dark hair created an exotic look that he wanted to spend hours exploring.
“Want me to call a cab? Because I have to take him with me.” He pointed to the truck as he pulled out his phone.
Thorne laughed. “I thought mom said he was your –”
“Thorne,” she yelled stopping him from finishing his sentence. “We need to get back to the hospital to check on mom and Lilly.”
“Lilly?” Tyrese asked, wondering what the human breeder had told Rose.
“My sister,” Thorne said, gazing longingly at the SUV.
“Oh. Okay. Just so you know, I called the police and they should be showing up soon.” He pointed to the turned over car on the other side of the road. “They’ll probably have some questions about the accident.” He moved to the driver’s side, opened the door and slid inside.
“Wait,” Rose called out.
Tyrese twisted around in his seat to get a better look at her. “Yeah?”
Her brows furrowed deep in her forehead. “I guess she was wrong.” She shrugged. “Can you give us a ride?”
“Where to?” he asked, knowing he planned to take her back to the compound, where she’d be safe.
“The hospital.” She said it as though he should know her destination.
“Okay.” He nodded and tilted his head to the rear. “But I have to drop him off before he wakes. That shouldn’t take long.”
Thorne had slid into the back seat before Tyrese finished talking. Rose took her time walking around the front of the truck, and then jumped up in the passenger side. Once they were buckled in, he took off toward the compound. Two miles down the road, they saw a police car driving in the direction of the accident.
“I guess you were right, the cops were coming,” Thorne said, breaking the silence.
Tyrese sent a message to Silas since Tyrone already knew what was happening. “I’ve got incoming.”
“Who?” Silas asked through their link.
“One wounded full-blood and his two dead partners. They attacked the car with the human female, the twins and their brother. I also have a breed female and her teenaged brother.”
“This the human from the hospital?” Silas asked.
“Yes. Rose thinks she died. Lilly took her to the hospital.”
“Rose? Lilly?”
“That’s the names of the twins.”
“Ah…You’re bringing strangers into my compound where your pregnant mom is under my protection. And I should allow this, why?”
Tyrese’ jaw tightened as he asked himself the same question. “Honestly, I don’t know. I only know I couldn’t drive past the accident and I couldn’t leave her behind. I can’t explain why, just that I couldn’t physically do it.” His jaw tightened as he wondered why he couldn’t leave Rose, a stranger, behind. If she did anything to hurt his mom or brothers or sisters, he’d…he had no idea how he’d live with himself. He prayed she wasn’t an enemy.
“Okay. Take her to the north wing. Neither she nor her brother comes near Jasmine. Have Tyrone help you put the rebel in a cell. And leave the bodies in the truck. I’ll have someone dispose of them later.”
Chapter Sixteen
Jayden and Theron left the compound three days later. Silas had been touched by the support from his Alphas. After all the Alphas had an opportunity to research their territory, they were all surprised by the numbers of half-breeds. Many full-bloods were willing to die for their breeds and the humans who'd birthed them. Some sort of compromise had to be reached before their nation turned into a bloody battleground. Silas wanted avoid a civil war at all costs.
Jasmine walked into the living area and handed him a cool drink. The tension between the twins had been off the charts, with skirmishes breaking out repeatedly. More than once, Jasmine had slapped one of the twins upside the head to calm them down.
Rose’s wolf was uncertain which twin was her mate, which made matters worse. Silas had sent Thorn to work with Stefan in the training center, the teenager needed to be taught basic survival skills, and Stefan needed the company since he’d lost his trainees. For now, Rose resided in the north wing, alone, although Tyrone and Tyrese were never far from her.
Silas leaned back and patted the sofa beside him. Jasmine sat and leaned into his shoulder as he sipped his drink. It was peaceful moments like these that kept him here, living in her wing. She’d become the balm to his battered soul, and he had no idea if she realized how important she was to him. Every day since he'd allowed her inside his dark spaces, he'd asked himself the same questions over and over, Will she leave me? Will she stay?
“I want to meet Rose.”
“I know you do, but your sons are treating her like a wishbone, fighting to see who gets the largest part of her. Plus, her mother died and the other twin is missing. I don’t know what her agenda is.”
She turned to him and placed her palm on his cheek. “Come on. You can control her through her wolf. If anything weird is going to happen you’ll know before it does.” She pouted. “I want to meet my future daughter-in-law.”
He noticed the twinkle in her eyes and knew she recognized what she was doing. Truthfully, he wondered how they’d kept the two women apart as long as they had. Jasmine had been on alert the moment Tyrese couldn’t explain why he'd brought Rose to the compound. Tyrone had met Rose and always wound up wherever she was. He suspected Rose was the mate to one of the twins, but wasn’t sure the men recognized her place in their lives.
“After I talk to Jacque, I’ll set it up so you can meet her. But you follow my rules, okay?”
Smiling, she nodded. He patted her thigh and kissed her forehead. The smell of lavender filled his nostrils. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, wishing he could freeze the peace of this fragile moment.
“How is he?”
“Jacque?”
She nodded.
“Physically he’s recovered, but his mind…I think it’s broken. He wants to return to Belgium. Problem is, the Belgium he remembers is no more. I worry about him.” He and Jacque had been through so much together, he couldn’t imagine the compound without him. Yet, he didn’t have the heart to deny his friend’s heartfelt request.
“Can’t you convince him to stay?”
“He refuses to ever be near my pups, at least until they are old enough to defend themselves. What she did…it changed him. He has nightmares of being out of control. Worse, having another person, a person he didn't know, making him do things that go against the fiber of his make-up. It broke him.”
She stroked his arm and snuggled closer. “I’ll miss him. He had plans for the kids, good ideas. I hope he changes his mind.”
After placing a kiss on her forehead, he stood. “I’ll be back in a little while.”
“I want to go see him.” She stood.
“No. It’s too dangerous.”
“I’m going with you to see my friend. How’s that dangerous?” She crossed her arms, glaring at him.
“I have a lot of extra safety stuff in your wing that’s not in other areas. It’s safer for you in here.”
“You’re my extra safety.” She slid her feet into her sandals and looked at him. “And I’m going with you to see Jacque. If nothing else, I want to thank him for all of his help when I first arrived.”
Minutes later, he tapped on a large wooden door and then pushed down on the handle. Before opening the door, Silas spoke. “Jacque, it’s me, and Jasmine wants to see you as well.”
When there was no response, Silas opened the door and entered with Jasmine behind him. Seeing his friend lying unresponsive on the large bed reminded him of life’s uncertainties. He placed his hand on Jacque’s arm and squeezed lightly. “I have talked with the doctor and he feels you can withstand the rigors of such a long flight. Although it pains me to release you from your service, I will.”
Jacque eyes opened slowly, rested on Silas first and then Jasmine. She moved closer, leaned forward and cupped his face between her palms. “Stay with me. I need your help with the children. Every day the women call out to me, insisting I allow them to raise my babies.” She leaned closer. “I’m scared they won’t stop until they take one or all of them.” Her voice broke. Silas rubbed her back while wondering why he hadn’t brought her to see Jacque before. The man was responding to her plea on a visceral level.
“I know…I know I’m being selfish by asking you to put aside how you feel and stay. But I believe if you ask the Goddess, she will give you the strength to stand sentinel for my babies again. Just pray and ask her.”
“Arianna is silly and manipulative,” Jacque wheezed. Silas tried to move Jasmine back, but she wouldn’t budge.
“Yes, she is. But she doesn’t want to rule the wolves, does she?” Jasmine asked. Silas stopped to listen. In the past twenty-four hours since Jacque returned, the man hadn’t discussed the actual events of what'd happened with Arianna.
“No…not at all. She…she wanted La Patron to breed and take care of her.” He swallowed hard. Jasmine picked up his cup and placed the straw into his mouth. Silas stepped closer to offer assistance if needed.