by Jess Haines
“Don’t worry about Ethan.”
The way he said it made me quiet for a moment, biting my lower lip. The silence stretched uncomfortably, punctuated by the crackling of twigs underfoot.
“That was really something,” I ventured, hesitant. He didn’t look terribly upset, but his eyes were still glowing with agitation. “I didn’t know you could beat up a shifted Were like that.”
“If he’d stayed human, or if I’d shifted too, it might have gotten ugly. He was vulnerable because of forcing the shift so fast, and I took advantage of it.” Chaz shrugged, grimacing as he held up his free arm to look over the deep scratches. “I’m just glad he didn’t hurt you. I might have had to do some real damage if he had.”
Nick laughed, and some of the tension eased from Chaz’s too-tight muscles. “You are such a show-off.”
“Part of what makes him a good pack leader,” Sean said, clapping Chaz lightly on the shoulder as he came up beside us. “You had me worried for a second. I wasn’t sure what you were waiting for when Seth started to change.”
“Timing is everything,” Chaz said, rubbing his hand up and down my arm as I shivered and leaned into his warmth. It was dark between the trees, and I didn’t like the idea of having a bunch of unfriendly werewolves behind us, possibly planning revenge. “I hope he learned enough of a lesson not to push his luck and try me again for a while.”
“He didn’t,” Sean said flatly, ducking a low-hanging branch. “He’ll lick his wounds for a bit, and then figure out some other way to try to get you out of the way. He won’t accept that he lost so badly with grace.”
Simon snorted. Dillon shook his head and rolled his eyes. Chaz remained thoughtful.
“I don’t know. He barely scratched Chaz, and he’s not stupid. He’s got to know that means he’s lost some face, and that no one will follow him now,” I said, glancing at Sean.
“That’s true. Curtis, Gabe, and Richard have to know they aren’t going to be welcome back into the pack without making some amends for snubbing Chaz.” Nick rubbed his jaw thoughtfully, looking back over his shoulder. “Not that they were very welcome to begin with, but they’ll either take the fall back to the lowest of the low with Seth, or they’ll try to save face by ignoring him now.”
“There’s nothing saving them from the fall they’re about to take,” Chaz said, fingers tightening briefly on my shoulder as I stiffened at the mix of anger and fierce satisfaction in his voice. “I was giving this some thought earlier. Alec Royce offered to pay a pretty hefty sum to have a couple of the pack work for him as bodyguards and to possibly act as the occasional donor. It’ll help out the rest of the pack overall, improve relations with the leech, and teach them a lesson in one fell swoop.”
My jaw dropped in shock. It took a second for me to realize I wasn’t the only one shocked speechless. Relations between vamps and Weres just didn’t account for something like this. It just wasn’t done. Chaz would be making inroads to a place that didn’t bode well for anybody; it would either make his pack respected and feared as much as the Moonwalkers, or backfire and result in the Sunstrikers being social pariahs to the other packs.
“That’s pretty harsh,” Dillon muttered, the first to find his voice.
“Yes, but it will be worth it. They’ll be out of my hair, and learn a lesson in the process of doing the whole pack some good.”
“I didn’t take you for a player in politics,” I said, hiding the tremor in my voice with bravado. The fact that he was talking to Royce without my knowledge worried me a great deal, even more so now that he was planning on farming out some of his wayward pack members to the vampires. I knew Chaz could be cold, but I hadn’t thought he could be this ruthless. It bothered me more than I would’ve thought, especially considering what those boys had done. Yes, I wanted them to pay for it, but not necessarily like that. The rest of the pack would be scared shitless that the same might happen to them, I was sure. Not to mention that Royce often had other reasons behind why he did things, reasons you wouldn’t find out about until it was too late and you were in too deep to pull yourself out again.
“Don’t worry,” Chaz said, eyes bright as he looked down to me. “Think of it this way. They’ll never bother you again, and anybody else who might have thought to try something will have to think twice. If they even consider doing anything, they know it’ll mean going back to the vamps. That should be enough to stop anyone in the pack from messing with either of us.”
“Yeah,” I said, not quite meeting his eyes. Yes, it would be an effective deterrent. But at what cost?
Chapter 12
When we got back, Chaz made me swear up and down that I wouldn’t go anywhere without an escort—not even back and forth from our cabin to the lodge. Nobody thought Seth would try anything again so soon, particularly as he didn’t know yet exactly how much trouble he was in, but Chaz wasn’t willing to take any chances.
Considering what I’d just gone through, I didn’t argue too much. While I wasn’t sure a babysitter was necessary just to head up to the lodge, I did have to admit I was worried that Gabe or Richard might seek revenge on me. Despite my showing off back there, like Chaz, I’d used guile and the element of surprise to do what little damage I had done. If they had been shifted, my strength wouldn’t have been enough to do much more than ruffle their hair. Not to mention the fact that I could’ve been at risk of being turned furry, too. While I didn’t mind it happening to someone else, the idea of howling at the moon a few days out of the month myself was not a pleasant prospect.
The other guys hung around our cabin, ostensibly to stick with Chaz until moonrise. I was pretty sure they were really there to deter anyone else who might have been thinking about having a go at him. Since Seth had obviously been defeated, I didn’t think any other Were would go after him now, but their caution and show of loyalty pleased me.
While they sat around the table and on the bed, making the tiny space incredibly cramped, I found fresh clothes to change into. I didn’t pay much attention while they talked, though it was amusing that they were still hyped up and excited from the scuffle. They were so busy talking over each other, I don’t think they noticed when I slipped into the bathroom to change.
When I stepped out of the bathroom to find that Kimberly and Paula had joined the impromptu party, I had to make an effort to clamp down on my irritation. Kimberly I didn’t mind so much; she smiled and gave me a wave of greeting. Paula was another matter. The look on her face was one of thinly disguised dislike. God, you’d think I’d gone and kicked her favorite puppy or something.
Both of them were sitting on the bed and watching me as I headed to the kitchenette to prep hot water and towels to clean up Chaz’s wounds. Since they’d been caused by the claws of another Were, they would heal slowly. For most Weres, that would mean days instead of weeks to heal up the damage. For Chaz, that meant hours instead of minutes, thanks to his status as an alpha. He wouldn’t get an infection from the wounds, but I didn’t like looking at the gouges or the idea of him forgetting and getting blood on more of his clothes or the bed or something.
Nick vacated a chair for me, and I scooted over to pull Chaz’s arm into my lap. The girls didn’t say anything while the guys talked and joked about Seth’s getting his ass handed to him, and how much he was going to enjoy being the vampire’s little pet plaything.
Sean was snickering at something Dillon had muttered that I really wasn’t interested in hearing. “You beat him up pretty bad. He’s going to have a hell of a time with the hunt missing those teeth.”
“He deserved it,” Simon said. “He’s lucky he didn’t get branded rogue and kicked out of the pack for all the trouble he’s caused.”
“It’s a life lesson they’ve all got to learn sometime. I was almost as much of a disrespectful cur as he’s being now,” Chaz said, wincing as I scrubbed a bit harder than was strictly necessary at the dried blood on his arm. “You can’t piss on the pack leader’s parade and expect to get away with
it. He’s lucky he’s Ricky and Armina’s kid, or I might have done some permanent damage to teach him a lesson. I’m still ticked about my clothes. The bane in Ethan’s tea, too; that was low, even for Seth.”
“You will cause permanent damage once he figures out you’re not kidding about sending him to Royce. Though, really,” Dillon stopped himself and laughed, shaking his head before continuing, “I have to say, I’d pay good money to see him playing cabana boy to a leech.”
“I can’t believe you, Chaz,” Paula said, the disgust as thick in her voice as it was in her expression, deepening when she turned a hateful glare on me. “Are you doing this for her?”
Chaz’s hand had been limp in my lap until Paula spoke; it abruptly turned into a tight fist, sending bright rivulets of blood spilling from the cuts. As he tensed in preparation to stand, I quickly wrapped a towel around his arm, then put a restraining hand on his shoulder as I stood instead.
“Let me handle this.”
He glanced over at me, the low, ominous rumble in his throat dying into silence as curiosity won out over his anger. At his nod, I quietly moved over to where Paula sat on the bed. Kimberly slid away from us, leaving me to face Paula alone. I stopped a couple feet back from the bed, fists propped on my hips as I met the Were’s baleful glare with a harsh stare of my own. She looked away first.
“I am tired of your shit, Paula. I didn’t do anything to deserve the harsh words, the mean looks, or the petty name-calling. Was I in thrall to Royce at one point? Yes. Am I now? No. So,” I said, taking another step forward, aggressive enough that she pulled away from me. “I don’t know where this animosity is coming from, but how about you knock it the fuck off and try to treat me with a little respect, hmm?”
Her gaze darted to the others, her mouth opening in dismay at seeing that Kimberly had distanced herself from this argument. That was fine and dandy by me. The last thing I needed was more of the pack to turn on me.
“Fine,” she muttered softly, so quiet I could barely hear it.
“If you have a beef with me, make it because of something I did to you, not over a rumor. Got it?”
“Yes,” she said, a little louder now.
“Good,” I said, though now that I’d won, I wasn’t sure what to do. She just sat there, not looking at me, and everyone else was being awfully quiet. After a minute, I sighed and turned away, intending to fix up Chaz’s other arm.
As soon as my back was turned, she was moving. The only reason I managed to duck out of the way in time was because I heard the squeak of bedsprings. Despite my quick reflexes, her nails raked down my arm, catching in the fabric of my sleeve. With her augmented strength, she might have broken the skin even with those blunt, French-manicured nails. Either way, I wasn’t interested in finding out if she could, and I was pissed that she’d stooped to this tactic to deal with me. If I let this slide, the others would see me as a pushover. I’d never have anyone’s respect in the pack, and she’d think she could get away with it time and again until I showed her I could stand up for myself.
She wanted to play hardball? I’d play it her way, then.
The others moved to hold Paula back, but before anyone could come between us, I spun around and decked her across the jaw. She staggered to the side, clutching at her bleeding mouth and staring at me in shock. Kimberly practically leapt off the bed and backed out of the way, giving us room.
Anger glinted in Paula’s eyes, and she bared bloodstained teeth as she lashed out to return the favor. I was prepared for it this time. Despite her incredible speed and reflexes, I managed to avoid the worst of it and was only struck a glancing blow on the shoulder, stumbling back a step or two.
The pain was bad, but I ignored it and aimed a kick at her solar plexus, intending to put her off balance and knock the wind out of her. Thanks to my anger it was a sloppy move, and I had to hop back to regain my balance.
She doubled over, the air going out of her with a pained sound, so I helped her along to the floor by hooking my foot behind hers and sweeping her off her feet. Breath knocked out of her, she stayed down when I put my sock-covered toes on her throat with just enough pressure to constrict her air.
She clearly hadn’t expected me to be trained to fight back and probably hadn’t thought I could hurt her too badly with my measly human strength. Or that superior—in her case, supernatural—strength didn’t always win out in a fight. To keep her from getting any ideas, I put enough pressure on her windpipe to cut her breaths down to wheezing whimpers.
One of the guys reached out to urge me to ease up, but I shrugged the grasping hand from my shoulder and kept my gaze locked on Paula’s. Her fingers scrabbled at my sweats, seeking purchase to pull my leg off her. I leaned down harder and leveled a finger at her face, making sure she knew I wasn’t kidding around.
“Listen up, Paula, and listen good. I may not have your strength or speed. Hell, I may not even be that good a hunter—but I’ve fought bigger, badder Others than you and come out on top before. Don’t test me again. You’ll lose.”
She nodded vehemently, as best she could around my foot crushing her throat. Since she looked more concerned about getting air than getting revenge, I backed up, watching her warily. I about jumped out of my skin when I felt another hand on my uninjured shoulder, but it was just Chaz coming to stand behind me to show support. The others had gotten up and were doing the same, even Kimberly moving gracefully from behind the bed to stand at my back. It was odd, really odd, particularly as they had to cram themselves into a small space in order to be at my back, but exhilarating, too. They supported me, and that was what mattered.
Paula slowly rolled onto her hands and knees, creeping over to take my hand. I withdrew quickly when it looked like she was about to do the same thing Seth had done with Chaz, licking his hand and looking like a kicked dog begging forgiveness from its master.
“Don’t. If you’re sorry, just say so.”
A brief flash of anger burned in her eyes as she glanced up at me before she nodded, sitting back on her heels. Once she found her voice, even through the rasping she sounded almost as petulant as I did whenever I had to apologize to Royce. “I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.”
Chaz nudged my arm. “She’s acknowledging you as her superior. You could accept it with a little grace, you know.”
I looked at him blankly. “What?”
“She’s doing it because you bested her. This is how she publicly admits you’re senior to her in the pack structure.”
I made a face, gesturing at the others. Ouch, that pulled some muscles in my shoulder that really didn’t want to be pulled. Note to self: no more fistfights with Weres. “I’m not part of the pack. You guys know that, right? I’m just the pack leader’s girlfriend.”
Chaz laughed faintly, though it sounded strained. “You became more than that when you saved us from the guy using the Focus. If not for you, there might not even be a Sunstriker pack anymore.”
“I’d rather have you as part of the pack than not, even if you aren’t a Were. You’re strong enough to hold your own if you can best Paula with your bare hands. Or feet. Whatever,” Simon said.
I rubbed a hand over my face, not happy with this. If they were going to look at me as a pack member, did that mean I had to act like one? Was I going to have to defend my stance as a dominant member every time somebody got peeved at me? Granted, it was satisfying knocking Paula on her butt, but I wasn’t so sure I’d be able to do it again without the element of surprise on my side. It was a step up from being “the pack leader’s girlfriend” in their eyes, but it was also dangerous, uncharted territory. It might give them ideas to pressure me into becoming a pack member for real before long. Particularly once they found out I’d brought a contract with me for Chaz to sign. It wouldn’t be legal until filed with the courts, but they might consider it a gesture on my part to really join the pack.
Everyone eased back into his or her seat, acting like nothing had happened, like I hadn’t just had a kn
ock-down-drag-out fight with Paula. Even with the bruise purpling her jaw and the raspy breaths, she was looking more normal and relaxed than I’d seen her since she started going off on me about Royce. Apparently kicking her butt was just the right thing to make her respect me. Who would’ve thought?
Still, the speculative looks the others were giving me now, even if tempered with more respect than before, had me worried. I could almost hear their thoughts, they were so obvious. They might have been hiding it behind shifting the talk to what they’d do for dinner tonight, maybe hitting the town for pizza, but I still caught the twinkle of interest and concern as each of the Weres snuck glances at me now and again.
Tonight definitely wasn’t the night to show the contract to Chaz—but the day’s events did raise some tough questions I wasn’t in any frame of mind to answer.
Would I consider becoming one of them and taking a place in the pack structure for real?
Chapter 13
We went to town for dinner. And by we, I mean the entire freaking pack. We all piled into about twenty cars and converged in a mob on one of the few restaurants scattered along the main street cutting through the town, taking up all the parking spaces for two or three blocks. The few people out and about tonight watched the strange, eclectic mix of people mingling together, a couple of young kids dashing between the adults, discussing whether to get pizza or check out the diner down the street.
Most of the votes swung for pizza, so that’s where we went. There weren’t nearly enough seats inside for so many of us, but we cheerfully harassed the poor kid behind the counter with enough orders to make his head spin. When he asked Dillon to repeat his order for the third time, Billy’s mom got fed up and wrote everything down on a piece of paper for him. The teen was grateful, though when someone mentioned separate tabs he turned an interesting shade of white under the fading summer tan. Obviously they didn’t get this many walk-ins very often or orders this big outside the tourist season. Maybe not even then.