Pack Master (Undeadly Secrets Book 4)

by Aaron L Speer

  Chapter Forty-One

  Two Little Girls In Blue

  Later that night, Alicia prepped for bed, reflecting on all that had happened in the last few hours. Deacon had been put to bed; Nick and Nicole and had been sleeping soundly for over an hour. She anticipated the baby would wake soon for a feed, but Nicole had been through so much, Alicia would let mum and dad sleep. Nicole had pumped a bottle of breast milk and Alicia stored it in her own fridge just in case.

  This was life now. A grandmother. An Alpha. She had been asked to take on a tremendous responsibility, one she never truly wanted or asked for, but she was ready. This was her chance to make a fresh start. To make this pack her own. She would start by weeding out those who couldn’t be trusted. Tynan’s men, were all too quick to surrender. While their numbers meant her pack was of a considerable size, their eagerness to join her was alarming. So much for loyalty.

  Alicia turned to her wall, as if peering through it, hearing Deacon wake. “I got it,” she said as if to herself.

  “You sure?” came the whisper back. She heard it as if from right next to her, but in fact, it had come through the wall from Nick.

  She warmed the bottle as she replied just as evenly as before. “You’ll both have plenty of sleepless nights. Lemme take this one…”

  She had headed out of her room and into the corridor, bottle in hand, when the baby quieted. She paused, wondering whether to go back inside, thinking the boy had settled himself. But no, from his room came a sound she hadn’t expected. Singing. Alicia walked forward and peered into the room, finding her grandson in Nightingale’s arms. Her first instinct was to run and snatch him away, but the vampire held him with such gentle strength it stunned her. Shirtless, illuminated only by moonlight, his blonde hair swept to cascade down the side of his face not seen. The red eyes that chilled Alicia gazed down into Deacon’s who looked back at the vampire with no hint of fear or concern. In fact, the baby looked quite at peace, listening to Nightingale’s voice, being rocked and sung to.

  She couldn’t believe the same person that annihilated soldier after soldier, butchered them without a second thought, would be singing Two Little Girls in Blue to her grandson. The very same song Alicia had sung to Nick as a baby. It wasn’t just the song choice or his nurturing manner. It was the ease with which his voice glided over the words. The control, and the quiet, bold power. She watched him place Deacon back into the bassinet, continuing to soothe the baby for another minute.

  She waited until the tall figure walked calmly out of the room. “Were you always good with kids?” she whispered.

  “I’ve always liked ‘em. Would’ve killed for a daughter. Spoiled her rotten…”

  “I find that hard to believe. Someone that loves death and destruction so much.”

  “Ya might’ve had as much blood on your hands yesterday if you could keep up…”

  Alicia took a step forward and slowly crossed her arms, bottle still in hand. She was only in eye line with his chest and had to look up at him. “Oh really, is that so…Big Dog?”

  Nightingale looked down at her and wore a smirk. “Yeah, that’s so…granny.”

  “Watch it. I haven’t had a good one on one in ages.”

  Nightingale looked at her up and down slowly. “I can tell. You’re wound like a top. Ya need a release.”

  “If by release, you mean tearing off your head and burying it somewhere it won’t get reattached, I agree.”

  His red eyes sparkled. “Actually, I meant by fuckin’ you so well not even your fancy wolf healing will let that body forget the Scarlet Fiend.” The way he groaned ‘that body’, with more than a hint of longing as he tongue pressed into the roof of his mouth, touched Alicia. Which was absurd. Even she knew that. She was a widow. A grandmother as he so easily spat out like it was an insult. “But if ya wanna bury me head somewhere instead, that’s cool…I got one idea to start with…”

  Nightingale reached out and traced her chin with his fingers. Alicia didn’t move as his gentleness was a surprise.

  “What are you even doing here…Why did you come?” Alicia asked softly, letting him continue.

  Nightingale answered in the same tone, “I felt like it.”

  “You flew all this way, to face a warzone? Fighting alongside people you don’t know…because you felt like it? Are you insane?”

  “I do what I want, when I want,” he answered, trailing his thumb down her neck.

  “And…what do you feel like doing now…” Alicia breathed, closing her eyes as his hand slipped under her pyjama bottoms, gripped her bare arse and lifted her into his arms, pressing her against the cold stone wall.

  “One guess…” he said just before his lips mashed into hers. His body pinned her as his mouth tenderised her lips. She held the back of his skull, biting his jawline as the tips of his fingers entered her under her bum. The tips of his fingers eased into her, strumming her entrance as they became wetter and wetter. Alicia gripped his dick with her free hand and it was here he paused. Her claws were out, digging into the leather pants he wore and the flesh underneath.

  “I don’t care what kind of chicks you’re used to…” she heaved, “or that you feel like fucking me. Take this as a thanks for helping us and for putting him to sleep; I won’t rip your dick off. Put. Me. Down.”

  Nightingale slowly released himself from her. His fingers eased out and she slowly slid down to her feet, slightly unsteady. She cleared her throat, trying to forget her juices trickling down from her groin. He gave a shrug and raised his hands as if surrendering. “My mistake. I coulda sworn you were up for it. Meantime, I gotta say…” He gave a slight inhale and placed the three fingers he had used in her in his mouth. Sucking the tips one by one, making sure to look at her straight in the eye. “I got ya taste now baby…fuckin’ yum.”

  “And I’ve got yours, vampire,” she replied, dipping the blood-stained nails onto her tongue.

  “I ain’t afraid of the big bad wolf. I just wanna flip the story around.”

  “What story?”

  “When big red eats the wolf. Slowly. For hours.”

  “You are without doubt-”

  “The spunkiest thing walking around on two and a half legs? Ya don’t have ta tell me, babe. I was there.”

  “Try the vilest piece of shit I’ve ever seen.”

  “Sticks and stones, love,” he replied, slowly licking his lips.

  Alicia scoffed and walked away, saying with her back to him, “Touch me again; I’ll bury your head between my legs. But first in concrete.”

  “Ya sweet talked me. Me room is two doors down…”

  “Not interested. Will never happen.”

  “Your dewy lady garden says otherwise.”

  “Fuck off,” Alicia slammed the door on her way inside. Despite the feeling of wanting to scratch his eyes out, Alicia ran through some of his replies. That damn cocky grin. Who the hell did he think he was?

  She touched her tender lips, making a scowling face. But to be honest, despite the pain that was quickly subsiding, she had never had a kiss affect her like that. Blinding, white hot lust. Wilson had been a decent lover when sober, but even in his most aggressive passion, he never wanted her that badly. Not that she remembered anyway. She looked at her fingers and they were tinged pink with small droplets of blood mixed with saliva. He had taken a bite from her lips and mixed it with the fingers he had removed from under her bum.

  “Fucking sneaky prick…” she whispered to herself. She saw in the mirror the damage had healed, and despite herself, she couldn’t help but smile.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  A Choice Is Made

  Dante stood looking out on the moonlit water, finding little to no appreciation for the subtle lights of the bay. Only a day or so ago they couldn’t be seen. This exact spot had been like looking into an abyss.

  Now, even with the cloud lifted, he couldn’t rid himself of the greatest darkness, that which resided in himself. He had always considered his options
, made the best choice for everyone.

  He looked down at his hands, at the two very different items he held, and wondered how things had gone so far. How had they had come to this? The item in his left hand was from Sovereign. A gift or payment. He wasn’t sure. What he did know was, despite them not liking the way things lead up to it, the cloud was gone. Sovereign considered themselves the only power in Sydney. In their eyes the Messengers did not exist. Dante had agreed to help Sovereign on the proviso they agreed to help him locate Julian. And they did.

  Against all odds, he and Julian came to an agreement. In exchange for the life of Lee Nightingale, Julian would forfeit all further attempts to hurt Alex and or Michelle, and he would free Melina of her blood oath. Sure, why not. Nightingale meant nothing to him. The city would be better off without such a menace.

  So Dante crafted a plan, rigging his home with C4 to make sure he was ready when Nightingale came to collect his bounty. Trouble was he never imagined Nicholas to be alive. It was easy to place a bounty on someone the city had not forgotten about but was supposed to be dead. There were hundreds of bounties placed on the vampire network. Nightingale could’ve come for anything else and it would’ve been fine. The C4 was ready. As was Dante. The type of rig needed was one that necessitated a close by triggering device. No one would attempt this move and think of surviving. He knew full well he would die but that didn’t matter. His girls. His friends. The women he loved would be safe from Julian as long as Nightingale died. Dante was prepared for anything. Anything but Nightingale dragging in Nicholas with him.

  On one hand, it was only one more life and the girls would be safe which was paramount. But on the other hand what sort of man would he be to flick that switch and murder Alex’s cousin? Even though she never would remember Dante and would be safe from Julian. It would’ve robbed her of the chance to see Nicholas again. It would’ve robbed Nicholas of the second chance at life he had been given. And so, with a heavy heart, he abandoned his plan at the last minute and gave Melina the task of freeing Nicholas.

  While Nicholas was making his getaway, he received a surprise. A surprise that now sat in his right hand. Orders from the Messengers. The same mystery group that Sovereign didn’t believe existed. The orders? Cease all interaction with Sovereign. Or face death. How they knew what his movements were? He had no idea. Why they felt threatened was the real curiosity for him.

  Once the cloud had been lifted, Dante approached Sovereign against his new orders. He needed to know. What was it they had that made the Messengers nervous and should he, as King, be aware of it? Which led back to what he held in his left hand.

  So here he was. Two options in his hands. The threat of Sovereign, very real, yet very useful at times. The threat of the Messengers, which if they made good on their threat against him, was much more powerful. To side with the Messengers, to do their bidding, ensured his girls were still at Julian’s mercy. But it would save his own life. If he sided with Sovereign, he had the means to save all of their lives bar his own.

  A pop sound indicated Julian had arrived. Surprisingly, Dante didn’t feel the need to guard himself. It wasn’t long ago the two of them would’ve beaten the living hell out of each other.

  “If you have asked me here to inform me you failed in your task, I already know. Amazing the hero of the story can fail when it suits him. For a vampire that enjoys killing other vampires, you really are incredibly flaccid.”

  “That’s not why,” Dante replied.

  “Well, what then?”

  He was careful with his wording as the barest hint of doubt crept into his mind. Or was it hope? Did he have to do this? “Alexandra. Michelle. Melina. You’re never going to stop hunting them now, are you…?”

  The reply was rather melancholy yet direct. “No. You had one task: kill Nightingale. You failed.”

  Dante looked down at his hands. Julian had been fully restored, and he would set plans in motion to come after them again. The time had come to decide. Would Dante side with Sovereign or the Messengers? Who held the key to Dante’s fate mattered on his next sentence. He focused on his left hand. Come what may, this is what he chose: Sovereign.

  “Do you know what this is?” he asked, tossing the blue and gold cylinder to Julian.

  “The symbols look Egyptian. They look like something from the Messengers of Osiris. I have no idea other than that connection. Why?”

  “I was given that by Sovereign despite being told to have no further contact with them by the Messengers. The fact I was told not to associate with them means they are a threat of some sort. They must have or know something of great importance. This, I believe, is one of those things.”

  Julian looked as confused as he sounded. “So, who are you disobeying this time and why do I care?”

  “If you know something about that, we can bring Sovereign down. This is what they gave me when I asked them why the Messengers would see them as a threat. Sovereign didn’t develop it. They said they found it.”

  “Why do I care?” Julian repeated.

  “Because this affects all vampires.”

  “Rubbish. If it was truly something of importance, why would they give it to you?” Julian asked after swatting away a beetle.

  “Because in order to gain my unyielding loyalty, I wanted a way to kill you. This was it.”

  “What?” Julian asked, flustered. More beetles were crabbing across his arm. It was obvious now they were coming from the cylinder, which he dropped. “You…”

  “Don’t try and pop away. The first bite takes away your powers. They’ll all die after biting you. Kind of like bees I suppose.”

  Julian twitched and grunted, being bitten and stung repeatedly. He sank to his knees, ran his hand through his long hair and peeled a chunk of strands away. “You knew what it was the whole time.”

  “I knew how to hold it to keep them inside.”

  Julian laughed a touch just before leaning forward and spewing out blood and teeth. “You’ve thrown your lot in with those government fucks…you know what this means…you kill me. Melina comes for you. You betrayed the Messengers. They’ll be coming for you…”

  “Let them,” Dante said. “They can do whatever they want to me, my friends are safe from you. This is for everything you’ve ever done to my girls.” Dante unleashed a kick directly under Julian’s jaw. His skin was so thin Dante’s foot hooked under the bone.

  “Go to hell…” Julian choked.

  “Save me a seat.”

  Dante twisted his body and slammed his foot down, and Julian’s skull crumbled under the pressure.

  Dante watched as the scarabs crawled back into the cylinder, picked it up by the top edge and threw it into the sea.

  *

  Melina sat up and screamed, holding her head. Images rushed at her at a thousand miles an hour. She stumbled to the floor, unable to see from the mad rush inside her brain, until finally the images stopped, focusing on a beach. The scene was viewed sideways, looking up at Dante who walked away with a coldly satisfied expression.

  Suddenly, Melina knew what had happened and screamed again. Her feet moved on their own and her body followed suit. Hurt, anger and confusion erupted within her as she made her way to Dante. The Go Deo she had made with Julian forced her to hunt his killer whoever that may be. And his killer was the only man she had ever loved.

  *

  Dante walked into his house and headed straight to the windows of his bedroom. He opened them and stared out into the night, straight ahead. The night was as it should be. He trusted Michelle to walk alongside Alexandra, just as she had him. The women he loved would help each other through life.

  He dialled a number on his phone, holding it to his ear. Clive answered in two rings.

  “Yah?”

  “Are all my affairs in order?”

  “The papers you wanted me to organise for you? I wanted to ask you about that.”

  “Are they done?”

  “They are prepped, but I need your signatur
e.”

  “There’s no time. I’ve sent you recordings of my voice.”

  “Dante, what’s going on-?”

  “Just do it. Please, Clive…” Dante paused for a moment. “You’ve been good to me and to Lauren. Please look after her and the girls, they’ll need you.”

  Dante hung up, not letting Clive respond. How he wished he could call Alex and Michelle. To explain. To apologise. Hell, he wanted to apologise to Melina but she wouldn’t understand. None of them would. This was always his fate. To make the choice no other would make or should have to. With one gesture, one sacrifice, many lives would be freed. He could’ve had a swat team from Sovereign pump Julian full of bullets, but how to be sure he wouldn’t pop out? He could’ve used the beetles to stop his powers and then captured him, keeping him buried like Maria Drakeman for all time. Ensuring Melina would never have to enact the Go Deo. But even Drakeman managed to have an assassin come after Alexandra.

  No. This was the only way. Dante had used Julian’s perception of Dante’s weakness against him. Julian would never have dreamed Dante would do this and so fell right into his trap. It hurt him so much to use Melina like this, but he truly couldn’t think of another way to save them. If the planner was dead, no more plans would be made.

  He only wished he could’ve seen all three one last time. He closed his eyes and pictured them in his mind, using them as comfort in this moment. Not even the Messengers could take that from him. He crossed his arms continuing to stare out the window. Death was coming for him. Either by the way of a Falcon from the Messengers, or a beautiful redhead. It was only a question of which reached him first.

  *

  Clive tried to dial Dante’s number again, but it rang out for the second time in a row. Lauren walked into the room behind him. “What’s up?”

  Clive stood and slowly paced for a few seconds before replying, “I think you better come with me. Something is up with Dante. He asked me to prep papers for him and he was really weird on the phone. Now he isn’t answering.”