by Walters, Abi
My spit dribbled down his cheek. His face was taut and an angry flush bloomed up his neck. He wiped his face with the back of his hand and stood up. “You fucking bitch!” He produced a pocket knife from his jeans. I grew lightheaded at the sight of the dull blade. Slug gauged my reaction and let out a sick chuckle. All the life in his eyes was gone. “Get comfortable, Acacia. We have a long night ahead of us.”
Chapter Nineteen
Vex
Blood trickled from the mouth of the worm strapped down to the chair. Dressed in a simple brown shirt and a pair of camo shorts, the man had to weigh less than a hundred pounds soaking wet. I wanted to break him in half, but there was a twisting feeling in my gut that something bigger was going on. I felt sick almost to the point where I wanted to vomit, and it wasn’t from the gore that was unfolding in front of me. I was enjoying that part. My fist delivered a few rapid blows to the fucker’s face before he could even stammer out a weak cry and piss his pants.
“I’m really close to telling my friends here to stop playing nice, so if you don’t start talking you’re going to find yourself in a world of hurt.” Deacon cracked his fingers as he spoke and squatted to meet the gaze of the frightened man. “Do you understand that? Give me something before we start cutting your fingertips off… or don’t. I think I’d really enjoy watching that.”
“I told you – I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m not spying on anyone!” The man stammered, speaking the most he had since we woke him up from his concussion induced slumber with a cold tub of water to the head. “I was setting up the cameras for a project I’m working on. I’m a production assistant!”
“See, I have a few problems with his story. Don’t you think?” Deacon turned to his brother with a raised eyebrow. “There seem to be some inconsistencies.”
“You’re saying you haven’t looked at the footage, you just set them up and leave them?” Dean questioned warily. He flexed his hand, each of his long fingers wiggling in the process.
“The cameras never sent any footage! They were compromised. That’s why I put up so many,” The man squeaked out. His face was bruised. Lip split and eyes swollen tight, he looked damaged beyond belief and we hadn’t even gone full Monty on him. “I swear.”
George slammed his fist on the back of the chair and growled, “I’m getting tired of this bullshit. We caught him on property with the materials and he reeks. He’s the guy. Signed, sealed, and delivered. If he isn’t going to talk, let me cut his tongue out.”
I was irritated and my insides were raw. The quicker the man admitted to setting up the cameras with malicious intent, the quicker I could return to Acacia. The cat and mouse game we were playing with the measly pygmy wasn’t as satisfying as I hoped. The more he sat in his own mess and prayed for forgiveness, the more I began to question what we were doing. I blindly killed for my clan and I would continue to do whatever I could to protect them, but there was a piece missing from the puzzle.
“Oh my God, no! Please no!” His weeps were high pitched and whiney. “I swear to you – I was hired by the Discovery Channel to work on a project. I’m just trying to gather footage!”
“What did you just say?” My voice was ice as I pushed George aside. His bear snarled, but mine snapped back louder. I didn’t even look at the older Enforcer. My focus was on the man strapped down in the chair. I grabbed a fistful of his hair and jerked him backwards to look at me. “Who do you work for?”
“The Discovery Channel! I’m here scouting for a ghost hunting show –”
“Fuck!” I let go of his hair and pushed him so hard the chair fell to the ground. The man let out a shriek and began to sob. “Do you work for Slug? Simon something. Do you work for him?” I stomped down on his fingers. “Answer me, you fucking maggot!”
“Yes!” He gurgled between his heaves. A few seconds later chunky, blood laced vomit squirted from his mouth.
“What the hell is going on, Vex?” Deacon demanded. “Who is Simon?”
“He has Acacia.” My heart beat against my chest as loudly as my bear. I knew, deep down, that the nauseous feeling I had was because something was wrong with my mate. I had all the pieces to the story. “Why didn’t I fucking see it before?”
“Answer me. That’s an order. Who is Simon, Vex?”
I put my fist through the drywall in Hakeem’s garage and glowered at the men who crowded around me in the space. “He was part of Acacia’s supernatural society. We ran into him at the hospital and I almost kicked the shit out of him because he was a complete prick – said he has this big show for the Discovery Channel.” My voice was thick and I felt myself growing with a shift. I couldn’t hold back – I wouldn’t hold back. It had been well over an hour since I left my cabin. Was it all a diversion to get to Acacia? “Cover him up. We’ll figure out what to do with him later.”
Tucker smacked the button that lifted the garage door. “Backup, boss?”
“Stay here,” Deacon demanded. My Alpha was throwing out so many dominant vibes that his strength nearly manifested as a completely separate person in the room. With the man on the ground covered up with a dirty piece of blue tarp, I turned myself completely over to my bear. Deacon’s voice was barely audible, but he shouted a terse. “Don’t fucking leave like that, Vex!”
It was too late. It would take too long to drive to my cabin, and when I got there, there was no way I’d be able to keep the beast inside anyway. No, I was going to rip Slug apart limb by limb. The Earth quaked beneath me as I ran. Protect your mate. Protect your mate. Protect your mate. I was having a hard time keeping control of my grizzly. Part of me wanted to give in to the bloodlust completely. If something happened to Acacia there was no saying that I wouldn’t.
I didn’t want to think about Acacia dying. I pushed harder – dug my claws into the ground deeper. Whatever was happening to her was physically destroying me. I didn’t want her last thoughts to be about my accusations or that I didn’t want her.
If I found her in one piece I wasn’t going to ever let her go. Fuck, if I found her in five pieces I wouldn’t let her go. I’d die right there with her.
I couldn’t keep the fearful panic away as I ran. My emotions were a fine lubricant on the reigns that kept me conscious of what my grizzly was doing. Each step hurt more than the last, and when I approached the house and saw Barrel’s body on the ground, I let out a thunderous roar. I smelled the potent mix of iron and fear as I drew closer.
The sound of splintering wood and cracking drywall was the background music to the main event. My massive grizzly barely fit inside my house, and he felt claustrophobic and caged in. But none of that mattered. Acacia was strapped down to a chair. Her skin was purple and blue, and half of her face was swollen. A visible knot had formed on her forehead. Her shirt was ripped open, exposing more bruised skin covered in red. There was so much red. Despite all of this, she was conscious. Weak, but still alive.
Our eyes met. She’d never seen my bear, and I knew I looked murderous… but Acacia’s eyes held nothing but pure fucking love.
The piercing noise of a bullet slicing through the air assaulted me just before I felt a warmth in my body. It felt like a swarm of bees had attacked me in one spot, but my skin was as thick as my fur and the tingling sensation barely registered. It did, however, bring the gunman to my attention. My grizzly was overwhelmed with hatred for the prick standing in front of me with a trembling hand and big eyes. His arms were splattered with blood. My senses were overwhelmed as I lunged forward.
He shot at me again, twice. One thudded in my skin but his shaky hand caused the other bullet to whiz past me. It was undoubtedly embedded in a piece of furniture or my splintered wall. It didn’t matter. I was going to have to rebuild and refurnish a bulk of the house, and even then I didn’t know if I was going to be comfortable with the memories that would linger like unwanted ghosts.
With a swipe I had the gun out of Slug’s hands. I wanted Acacia to watch him die. I wanted her to have the satisfact
ion of knowing he was dead. But at the same time I was fearful that she would be haunted by the gore and graphic display of violence. The horror on her face when she saw my body after my bleedings and the way she reacted in Deacon and Dean’s conference room flashed in my head like strobe lights. She hated violence, but would she need the reassurance of seeing him die? She was so damn strong, but everyone had a breaking point. I looked at her and tried to convey what I was thinking but she was busy struggling with the restraints.
While Slug scrambled to retrieve his gun, I took the opportunity to snatch him. I dug my claws into his back and lifted him. Red immediately began to stain his clothing and drip onto my floor. I didn’t risk looking at Acacia. I fumbled through the opening in my house and out into the darkness. I sensed Deacon’s nearness and knew my time with Slug would be brief.
He needed to die, and that was all that drove me. I no longer cared how long it took or if I spent time playing with my meal before I ate it. It would be satisfying – the teasing back and forth game – but I knew that Acacia was close and hurt. My mate. My forever. She was what mattered.
His bones cracked. A symphony of pain and an overwhelming assault of different emotional vibes and scents bathed me. Arm. Leg. Arm. Leg. My grizzly demanded blood. It would be Slug’s crimson sea running on the ground or my own spilling out from my insides if my bear wasn’t sated. I gambled and went halfway. In the distance I could see my Alpha. I only had seconds. Slug didn’t deserve a quick death. It was far from painless, but I could’ve done so much more to put him in excruciating pain. Instead I lowered my snout to his neck and ripped his throat out. Blood matted my fur and settled my bear, even if just a little, keeping him from going feral.
Deacon shifted midair from bear to human. He shouted in my direction. His words didn’t register, but I understood them. I was trying to contain myself. Trying to shrink back down and cage the beast. His gaze drifted behind me and I smelled the citrusy blend I loved so much. It was hidden behind everything else, but it was there.
Acacia. I turned and saw her standing in the yard. Her shoulders were slumped, but she was standing. She was alive. And that was all the motivation I needed to find my skin.
I didn’t care about my Alpha or the body that stained the soil in my yard. I didn’t care about Barrel or the mess that was my house. I cared about getting to Acacia. The ache from the bullets hurt more as a human, but they worked their way out in my shift and were already healing. I was covered in blood and mud, but I scooped Acacia up anyway.
“Baby, say something,” I rushed as I cradled her to my chest. “Please say something. I’m going to get you to the healer, okay.” I shouted over my shoulder to Deacon. “Have Orsa set up the medical room. Acacia is hurt.”
Her chest rose and fell with a slight wheeze. Though her voice was weak when she spoke, it held a light air about it. “It’s just a flesh wound. I’m okay.” She reached up and touched my face. “Don’t cry over me.”
Was I crying? I hadn’t even realized. Her fingers shook and were painted with a dirty red, but she thumbed away the tears that streamed down my face. The tacky mixture from her fingers transferred to my face like war paint.
“I love you, Acacia. I love you, and I’m sorry I ever doubted you.” There were too many things I wanted to say and not enough time. I wanted to write a book and fill it with all my misgivings. “I’m not letting you go, baby. I’m going to fight for you. I’m going to prove to you that you are my world –”
“I’m not going anywhere, Vex. I was stupid and afraid.” Her voice wobbled and she looked up at me with glossy eyes. “I didn’t want to die without you knowing that everything I said was a lie – you’re what matters to me, and that is enough. It will always be enough.”
“Vex,” Deacon interrupted as he approached from the side. I had forgotten he was even there. “You’re both injured. Shift and head to the reserve, and I’ll take Acacia in your car. George and Tucker are coming for Barrel, and to uh, dispose of the waste.”
“She stays with me,” I growled, tightening my hold on Acacia.
My mate’s head tilted to the side and she looked at Deacon with complete sincerity. “I didn’t say anything to Slug. I was prepared to die with your secrets – I swear. I told him nothing.” She spoke with vehemence. She nearly died, but she cared about strangers more than herself. And though she was weak and pale, her lips quirked with faint amusement. “You both are really, really naked. Is that normal?”
The absurdity made me chuckle. Deacon didn’t even hide his smile. I tilted my head down at her. “Totally normal. Baby, do you think you’re comfortable enough to ride me?”
“Seriously, Vex?” She looked at me with shock. “I know you just saved me, but your boss dude is right there so can you not propose sex? I mean, give me a few hours before you start propositioning me.”
This time it was Deacon who laughed. I slowly lowered her to the ground and when I was certain she was able to stand on her own, I gave her a sly smile. “I meant ride on my back to the reserve. I need to shift again to heal, but I’m not letting you out of my sight. Ever again. Get used to having a bathroom buddy until you’re a hundred.” I reached out and touched her shoulder again, needing to feel her to know that she was alive and not a figment of my imagination.
“Oh, right,” She let out a tiny laugh, but it died on her lips and she cringed. Her hands went to her stomach. I followed the trail, my blood boiling as I took in each inch of her bruised, purple skin. “I think I have a bruised rib.”
“We’ll take the Tahoe.” I looked at Deacon. “Drive, please. I need to be in the back with her or I’ll go crazy.”
He disappeared into the crime scene that was my house, and I peppered Acacia with a thousand small kisses of gratitude and love. I would’ve kissed her even if Deacon was still there. I was beyond feeling uncomfortable about my affection for Acacia. I had put a cap on my emotions around others in the past and it never turned out favorably. I vowed to put a middle finger in the air and only focus on what mattered. Acacia. My family. My clan. In that order. I witnessed the ribbing by others when it came to a man and his mate, but I’d put up with Justin telling me I was whipped because it was just another confirmation that Acacia was mine. It put another marker on her, and everyone would know that that woman was the one for me. I wanted everyone to know that I was fucking crazy for her.
I couldn’t wait to put my mark on her. My saliva would alter her DNA and create a unique scent that let every shifter know that she was taken. Her mark on me wouldn’t be as potent, but I’d wear it just as proudly. Mine. Forever.
When Deacon pulled my Tahoe around I lifted Acacia in and cradled her against me. The roads were bumpy and I knew they’d make for an uncomfortable ride. Her breathing was calm and steady and she stared up at me like I was her fucking hero.
“It’s not as bad as it looks, you know,” She said softly. Her hand snaked up my chest and inched towards the healing bullet wound on my shoulder. “Beat me to hell and back – that hurts. But my head was cut open when he hit me with his gun, and all the blood is either from that or the few nicks he made on my chest and arms. He was too involved in the theatrics to go deep. Like I said, barely a scratch.”
The sound from the front seat was too low for Acacia to hear it, but I was very aware of my Alpha’s growing hate because it swelled inside of me, too. Killing Slug quickly was the wrong thing to do. No, I should’ve torn him apart limb by limb like I wanted to. I should’ve stripped the flesh from his skin and worked it into a noose.
Her palm flattened over my wound. She looked up to make sure I was okay, but the pressure from her hand barely stung. “He shot you. Twice.”
“He could’ve shot me a dozen more times and it wouldn’t have mattered. Nothing will ever stand between me and you, baby.” I pushed a clump of matted hair away from her face. It revealed more angry skin. My jaw clamped shut like a bear trap, and I worked through my strangled emotions. It was easier to stay quiet than to risk brea
king in front of her.
The rest of the drive to the reserve was silent. Acacia’s eyes closed every now and then and I would brush my fingers over her skin to keep her awake. The knot on her head scared me, and if she had a concussion she had to stay awake. I wanted to show her the beauty of the reserve – the way the lights that were strung from the trees glowed like lightning bugs and how the silhouettes of the houses danced as the sun came up – but there would be time for that in the future. The magic of the reserve was beautiful, and I knew she would appreciate it the way that the rest of us did.
Though it was nearly two in the morning, there was a buzz of activity on the reserve. Many of the clans-people were respectful enough to hang back in their homes or only linger on the porches as we pulled up next to the makeshift medical ward attached to Elder Sim’s home. Though Orsa had taken over almost all of the duties as the clan healer, the med ward was an addition to the Elder’s home and her job as a healer was never truly over. Both Orsa and Sims were in the room when, under Deacon’s wide (and naked) cloak, we stumbled inside.
I tried not to growl at Orsa when she pushed me away from Acacia once I placed her on one of the cots in the room. I knew Orsa wouldn’t hurt Acacia, but I was still running on an adrenaline induced high and my bear was pressed against my skin. Though Nate, Orsa’s mate, didn’t totally approve of our friendship at first; I truly valued the woman’s friendship.
Sims attempted to wipe all of the blood and dirt off my body and inspect my wounds, but I hovered over Orsa’s shoulder as she worked on Acacia. Both Orsa and Sims instructed me to at least go outside and shift so that the last stages of healing would work on sealing the angry holes from the bullets – one on my shoulder and the other a few inches from my belly button. But it wasn’t until Acacia’s tired eyes met mine and she told me to leave that I listened.