She closed her eyes and smoothly transformed. The others did the same. The large golden Were in front of Layla leaned over her, and her fangs gleamed. “It’s a pity, your mother isn’t here to see this. But then again,” she shrugged, “When you’re dead, you’re dead.”
Layla could feel the rage build in her throat. She took a deep calming breath. She knew Suzette was only taunting her and if she jumped the gun, it would ruin their plan and Suzette might get her wish after all.
Suzette walked behind the desk and slid open a drawer. She pulled out a shiny black gun and held it in front of her.
“I know,” she said dramatically, “Bringing a gun to a fang fight.” She paused. “But to make it a really fun, we need some blood.” She released the safety and aimed at Layla, then Brett and finally Martin.
Layla closed her eyes. It would be a miracle if they survived this.
Suddenly there was a loud crash and the front door shattered. A large black Were with a vicious looking scar on his face, flanked by eight equally large Weres, stood in the doorway.
“Hello, Suzette.” He said to the golden Were before inclining his head to Layla, Martin and Brett. “Thank you for doing my dirty work.”
*
Chapter 10
“Kuruk.” Suzette said his name venomously.
He arched an eyebrow as she walked towards him. He spread his arms wide. “It’s good that you know who I am,” he said, walking confidently into the room. “It makes things a lot easier.”
Suzette stood a few feet from him and stared him down as he entered. She pointed the gun in his direction, her finger on the trigger. Her Weres growled at him, bolstered by their leader’s confidence.
Kuruk laughed. “From you Suzette? How rude.” He seemed to take one step and suddenly he was at Suzette’s side, the gun resting in the palm of his hand. He looked at the gun and smiled as he emptied the bullets into his palm and laid the gun on the desk. Layla could see none of the mirth in his eyes as they met hers and she quickly looked away, as he pocketed the bullets. “I see you have all three, which is great work. Like I said earlier, makes my job a bit easier.”
“What do you want, Kuruk?” Suzette asked impatiently.
Kuruk cocked his head at her in puzzlement. “Perhaps you do not understand me.” He pointed at Layla, Brett and Martin. “I came for them. I thought that was obvious at this point.”
Suzette threw back her head and laughed harshly. “You must be joking,” she scoffed. Kuruk looked at her silently. “You come into my home and demand my prize? You are out of your mind!” She stalked to the door. “Get out before I rip your throat out!”
Kuruk walked over to her desk lazily. He picked up the cup Suzette had abandoned and stuck a finger in it. He licked the remnants of blood and nodded. “I thought so.” He looked back at her. “You believe that because you drank from someone with Mai-coh’s blood that you are stronger than me?”
Suzette flushed and for the first time Layla could see her losing her cool. Her Weres looked at each other, uncertain of what was happening.
Suzette walked over to slap him, surprised when her hand was easily caught.
Kuruk smiled a slow malevolent smile that made Layla queasy. “I told you, you will never be stronger than me.” He threw her hand away and Suzette stumbled against the doorway. “Now get out of my way and give me my prize.” He smiled and looked her up and down lasciviously. “Before I tell your master what a bad girl you’ve been.”
Suzette’s face flamed at Layla’s gasp. She whirled on Layla, her fists tight balls. “You!” She spat bitterly. “This is all your fault, you fucking bitch!” She raised a hand to strike.
“Stop.” Kuruk’s firm command halted Suzette’s hand and Layla felt a pang of relief. He walked back to the door. “Suzette?” She looked up as he pointed to the desk. “Sit. Stay. Good girl.” Suzette’s yellow orbs flashed angrily.
Kuruk snapped his fingers and his goons moved into the room. Wordlessly they formed a semi-circle around him and the group tied to the chairs and moved outward, forcing the other Weres to back up into the corners of the room. That spoke volumes. In a room where most of the Weres held allegiance to Suzette, he had managed to enter it alone and control the situation. Layla almost felt sorry as she saw Suzette’s normally unflappable face arranged in an angry sneer as she sat perched on the desk. He chuckled as if he could read her thoughts and Layla felt the hair on the back of her neck rise. She realized that Suzette was probably the lesser of the two evils. At least she had an idea of what Suzette was capable of. Kuruk was another matter entirely.
She watched as he taunted Suzette who willingly obeyed knowing the cost of arrogance was her life. She wondered who Suzette’s master was. It was amazing that someone as domineering as Suzette had someone else pulling the puppet strings, and Layla wondered what kind of wolf wielded that kind of power.
Martin made a small sound and Layla turned her head to him. He jerked his head slightly towards Wattan who was stealthily making his way toward a cabinet in the corner. He moved silently, his dark, slender form blending in with the shadows and the night. Layla watched as he indicated to another Were across the room. The Were nodded slightly and cleared his throat. Kuruk turned to face him, eyebrow raised again, this time in question.
“Are you going to kill all of us or can we switch sides?” The other Weres in the room nodded and cast furtive glances around the room, careful to avoid the corner where Wattan lurked. They looked like cornered dogs and Layla knew that cornered dogs were the most dangerous.
She felt the tension in the room and knew that something was up. She saw Brett move and she turned to him. He gave her a small smile before he looked away, guilt in his eyes. Her heart started pounding as she stared back at him and the sound of Kuruk’s voice forced her to look away.
“Many of you are too small or ignorant of your ancestry or anything of use to be a part of my organization. Suzette has rarely run a tight ship and I expect obedience at all times. In fact, I demand it. Obey me or die.” He looked at Suzette pointedly who stared back at him with contempt. He chuckled again and looked over at the Were who had asked the question.
“Most of you will die tonight.” The Weres looked at each other in shocked silence and Layla saw Wattan grit his teeth.
“But embrace death. I don’t have time to make you suffer. At least not tonight.” He smiled cruelly.
Suddenly Wattan opened a cabinet and pulled out a weapon, without hesitation he fired at Kuruk. At the last possible second, the black Were stepped out of the way and the bullet lodged into the wall. In a flash, Kuruk’s men threw themselves at Wattan and the other Weres jumped in to defend their brothers. In seconds the room exploded into a flurry of snapping and slashing Weres. Layla didn’t think that Suzette’s Weres would have a chance under normal situations, but tonight they were fighting for their lives and they had a little bit of help from the blood they had consumed. Brett’s blood. Mai-coh’s blood. Layla felt sick as a thought occurred to her. Surely Brett was not Mai-coh. No, she thought. She remembered him telling her that Mai-coh had saved his life by giving him some sort of blood transfusion. So it wasn’t like she had fallen in love with her father.
She felt a presence and looked up to see Martin already transformed and crouched at her side. His claws slid through the ropes binding her as if they were made of butter. She closed her eyes for a second and smoothly transformed, allowing her animal to flare at the surface. She turned to help Brett, and her mouth dropped in surprise as he simply shook them off his body. She focused on the ends of the broken rope. They weren’t smoothly cut like the rope fragments that had bound her and Martin; these were frayed as if they had literally been broken. She stared at Brett again until a body thrown across the room slammed into the floor next to her, and jolted her out of her trance.
She looked around her. The Weres were at a standstill as Kuruk’s Weres were more skilled, but Suzette’s Weres were fighting for their lives and they outnumbered K
uruk. She looked around for Suzette and saw the blonde Were snap at Kuruk. He towered over her and was much stronger, but Suzette was more agile and lithe on her feet. Layla headed towards them when her arm was grabbed. She looked into the eyes of Wattan and swallowed a trickle of fear. He laughed, and opened his mouth to reveal the fangs that had frightened her not too long ago.
“Going somewhere?” He tightened his grip on her arms considerably.
Layla cried out, as he cruelly dug his claws into her flesh. She raised her hand to push him away, surprised when she saw Brett standing there.
“Pick on someone your own size,” he snarled at Wattan, blood in his eyes.
Wattan laughed, “Like you?” he taunted, and lunged for Brett. His eyes widened as his hands closed around empty space. He whirled and Brett’s arm connected solidly with his stomach. His mouth hung open for a second and he straightened up slowly.
Layla’s mouth hung open as well. She watched Brett duck a well-aimed kick, as he danced around Wattan, forcing the Were to work to try to hit him. He ducked and blocked and threw a couple fast punches that Wattan could not shield from. She looked longingly over at Kuruk and Suzette. The blonde was gone and Martin was now encircling the large black Were. She knew that even though Kuruk was younger, Martin was more skilled. She looked back at Brett and he caught her eye.
“Go after her!”
She hesitated and he ducked another blow from Wattan before he hit the Were in the mouth. Blood flew from Brett’s hand as the Were lost a few teeth. Wattan howled in pain and Brett grinned. “I can handle this. Go.”
She nodded and turned to look for Suzette, and finally spotted her walking out the doors. She cast furtive glances behind her and her eyes collided with Layla’s. Layla sucked in a breath as Suzette threw her a wink, and ran before disappearing around the corner. Layla squared her shoulders, remembering her aunt’s words. Let’s get this bitch.
Layla ran down the corridor, the claws on her toes instinctively raised to avoid gouging the floor and slowing her down too much. She could see the scent trail left by Suzette and could sense the other woman was close. She ran up the stairs and into the room Suzette used as her office, and stopped cold as pain billowed through her shoulder. She grabbed her arm, and looked at her bloodstained hand. She whirled to find Suzette watching her coldly, her eyes yellow a block of ice.
“You want to challenge me?” she asked haughtily. “I am the Alpha of this pack and you…a mere fledgling, want to challenge me?” She reached over and raked her nails over Layla’s arm again. “Huh! You can even mount a proper defense! Pathetic!” She roared and Layla watched her with narrowed eyes.
Fighting Suzette was not an easy feat but it wasn’t impossible. Suzette was inherently arrogant and now that the Were who had taken her down a few pegs was not in the room, she was back to her old ways. Layla bided her time. She knew that Suzette would make a mistake and when she did, she would use that to launch her attack. Suzette was too experienced for her to attack outright. She needed Suzette to fuck up.
She bit back a scream as one of Suzette’s claws raked down her face and white hot pain shot through her. She darted out of the way and ran behind the desk.
Suzette stood on the other side and chuckled. “A cornered rabbit.” She feigned to the right and at the last moment lunged to left.
Layla spun out of reach.
“Just like your mother.” Suzette laughed. “Cornered, scared rabbits. Her blood was delicious.” Layla’s face darkened and she saw Suzette smile. “Too bad I couldn’t get more. She would have made such a tasty snack.”
Layla felt the rage build in her. She struck out at Suzette and the other woman grabbed her outstretched arm, slinging her across the room. Layla landed with a thud against the door, her golden fur tinged red with blood. She scrambled to her feet and shook her dazed head. Suzette pounced on her and with a vicious backhand, slapped her across the face. Layla’s head snapped back and spots started to cloud her vision. She forced herself to calm down. She knew that Suzette was baiting her and she knew that Suzette would kill her if she couldn’t keep her head about her.
She decided to fight fire with fire. Perhaps if Suzette was enraged enough, she would drop her guard. She wiped the line of blood from her mouth with her good hand. Her shoulder was still bleeding and Layla knew she had to deal with Suzette quickly before she lost too much blood and became weak.
“So the great Suzette has a master,” she said mockingly as the other woman’s eyes narrowed.
“Shut up!” Suzette thundered.
Layla stood slowly; deliberately shaking to fool Suzette into thinking she was weaker than she actually was. “No.” she laughed. “Wait, you’re supposed to be the alpha. Can I actually defy you? Watch this.” She slowly walked toward Suzette. “No.”
Suzette’s hands curled into fists and the hair on her nape stood, bristling around her head like a golden halo. “You dare talk to me like you are worth something?” She laughed at Layla angrily.
“You have every Were in Florida waiting for you to step into the shadows and slip up and you know what?” Her hands started to shake with rage as she whispered. “They could care less about you. At least I tried to give you a chance. Stupid girl,” she spat. “They will as soon slit your throat and drink your blood to have your father’s powers.”
Layla watched her, feeling the malice but truth in Suzette’s words. She was not a fool. She knew the Weres wanted her. Suzette and Kuruk were proof. But she knew that some of the Weres, like Martin, wanted to protect her. She swallowed thickly. She would forever have to watch her back. Even after the war was over, she would never be safe from those who wished to use her to either gain her powers or to force her father’s hand.
Suzette growled and walked around Layla. Layla turned slowly, careful to keep Suzette in her sights at all times. The last thing she wanted was to turn her back on Suzette and she somehow knew, if she did, it would be the last thing she did. Ever.
“You’re one to talk,” Layla fired back. “You’re supposed to be this badass, and Kuruk got you by the back of the neck.” She smiled. “He undermined you in front of your pack and instead of fighting him, you ran in here with me.”
Suzette growled again, fury in her voice. “Kuruk is not a problem. As soon as I am done with you, I will slit his black throat.” She chuckled. “No one controls me! The fool who thinks he is my master is nothing more than an old dog about to be put down. Kuruk too.”
Layla smiled and looked over Suzette’s shoulder. “Hear that Kuruk?” She asked. She watched as Suzette’s mouth dropped open in shock and the other woman whirled to face the open door. As soon as her head was turned, Layla jumped, landing squarely in the middle of Suzette’s back. The other woman shrieked as Layla dug her claws into any available flesh. She and Suzette stumbled through the empty doorway into the corridor and Suzette slammed her back against the wall. The force of the blow knocked the breath from Layla’s body but she hung on. She reared her head back and sank her fangs into Suzette’s neck, ripping through flesh, muscle and tendon. She felt Suzette’s hands rake at her back and heard the woman’s painful howl.
Layla clenched her jaws, and then as if possessed, she shook her head from side to side like a rabid dog. She could feel the flesh she held in her teeth detaching from Suzette’s body and the woman’s blood ran like water into Layla’s mouth. The metallic heat was almost tempting, but Layla refused to give in and kept her jaws firmly glued to Suzette’s neck. Suzette whirled around the hallway; Layla still perched on her back. She slid her body along the wall, and then ran towards the window.
Layla raised her head and released Suzette seconds before the wolf jumped. She reached out and grabbed Suzette leg before the woman could clear the window. She landed on the floor of the hallway, Suzette half-in, half-out the window. The floor was red with blood from the wound on Suzette’s neck. A jagged slice of glass, remnants of the window Suzette had almost sailed through held one of Suzette’s arms in place. The
top of the glass protruded through Suzette’s arm and the bottom was awash in blood. Layla felt a familiar dizziness as the bloodlust cleared. She was going to be sick.
Layla stared at Suzette. Although she could faintly hear the other woman’s heartbeat, she was too still, eyes closed and breathing shallow. Layla knew she was close to death. She walked over to Suzette and gagged as she noticed the piece of glass protruding into Suzette’s stomach. She grunted as she rolled the larger Were off the glass and dragged her away from the window. Suzette’s blonde hair was a mass of red blonde strands as her hair soaked up the blood lost by her body.
She dragged the Were into the office and laid her behind the desk. She didn’t want one of Suzette’s Weres finding her body and enshrining it. It was more than she deserved. She was not going to let Suzette become a martyr and worshipped. Not after what she’d done to Layla and the people she knew. She deserved less than Layla was giving her, but as much as she deserved it, Layla could not fathom desecrating the other Were’s body.
A shudder of revulsion as well as relief ran through Layla as she stared at the body. This was the Were responsible for ruining her life but instead of satisfaction, she felt sad. Sorry at the woman who had nothing but a lost bid for power. She transformed back and fell to her knees as the sounds of Weres snapping and snarling assaulted her ears.
She heard the loud retort of a gun and jumped. The silence that followed forced her to transform again. Leaving Suzette in the middle of the study, she raced downstairs. She surveyed the room, noting the few remaining Weres. The others had fled or were in bits and pieces strewn around the room. She spotted Martin lying on the ground, a grimace around his mouth as he writhed in pain. Kuruk stood above him, minus one arm and held the now empty gun. In two steps, Layla was at his throat, attacking from the left as Brett hit him from the right.
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