“You do now. Luka failed. This will gain Carbarone’s interest.”
“He’ll definitely want her now. He’ll find out she’s special, then he’ll do to her what he did to Margo,” Quinn stated and Angus now looked about ready to hit something.
“Special?” she asked.
“Sal, just bear with us for a bit. There’s a lot to explain.”
“Obviously, and to tell you the truth, you lost me during the entire ‘ability to shift and vampires existing’ part. Just tell me how to defend myself against these things. Do I need a special magic potion, some special bullets, or do I have to stab them in the heart with a wooden stake? Or is steel better so it doesn’t break?”
She couldn’t believe this, but maybe watching all those Syfy movies would pay off.
“Sal!” Reggie yelled her name and she stopped talking and started at his angry expression.
“This is not the fucking movies. This is the real deal. Forget about all the bullshit you heard about or read about in books or saw in the movies. Just focus on what I tell you and what Angus and Quinn tell you. We’re going to have to leave here. You need constant protection and I can’t provide it for you accordingly while also investigating Carbarone,” Reggie told her.
“I don’t need bodyguards. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself. Just give me the tools to counter their attacks. I’ll handle the rest.”
Quinn chuckled.
“What? You think I can’t?” She challenged him and his smirk changed to an angry expression as he looked her body over.
“A tiny thing like you needs men like us and our abilities to protect you.”
She stood up. “You know, at first I was kind of liking you, and thinking for a pretty big guy you’re agile and attractive, but now I see the real you.”
“The real me?”
“Yeah, a chauvinistic asshole who thinks all women are weak and incapable of being warriors.”
He eyed her over and she hated her damn body’s reaction.
“You talk tough but you can’t handle these monsters. They’ll eat you alive.”
“Should I be worried about you, too, considering you’re like one of those monsters?”
He eyed her over and Angus spoke up. “Cool it. We’re not the bad guys. We’re going to protect you from these men.”
She walked across the room, arms crossed, and mind going in a thousand directions. “And if I don’t want your help?”
“Then you die,” Angus stated firmly, his gray-blue eyes holding hers intently.
She looked toward Reggie.
“They’re my cousins. We will need their protection. Look at what could have happened today,” he added.
She was going to say more but then her own cell phone started ringing. She looked at the caller ID and saw that it was her father.
“Hi, Dad.”
He immediately carried on about what happened and about trusting the Fennigan brothers. He also asked that she come to his house tonight to go over some things.
“I’ll be there,” she whispered as Angus and Quinn stared at her.
* * * *
Angus was in shock. He couldn’t understand how this happened. How could Sal be their mate when Margo was? He was certain that a chance like this was rare. To find another mate when their first one had been taken and murdered. He couldn’t help but wonder if Sal was meant for his other brothers as well. They’d find out soon enough. They were headed to them now.
Angus was filled with a lot of emotions. Being an Alpha wolf and leader, he didn’t analyze his emotions. In fact, when Margo was murdered, taken from him and his brothers, his heart had shattered. They hadn’t even gotten the opportunity to pursue their mate and consummate the relationship. It happened so quickly. One day Margo was there and the next she was gone.
He felt the anger, the need for revenge fill what was left of his heart. He watched Sal, uncertain if he even had it in him to be her mate. Perhaps he would leave it up to his brothers. After all, he failed one mate. Maybe he would fail Sal, too.
But her scent, her beauty was so enticing. He had difficulty admitting to himself that this connection felt deep, and instantly strong. As much as he wanted to claim her, he feared doing so for the simple fact that she could die and be taken from him just as Margo was.
“She’ll need us to attend a dinner with her father tonight,” Reggie stated.
“We have to meet up with Van Fagan and Vanderlan, too,” Angus replied.
“You meet up with them while Reggie and I head to Sal’s father’s,” Quinn said.
Angus thought about that a moment. Truth was, as much as he didn’t want to leave her side, he knew Quinn could handle her protection. Angus needed to discuss things with Van and Vanderlan so they could make a plan to destroy Carbarone together.
Chapter 4
“Just lie still, my dear. This is only going to hurt a little bit,” Vargon Carbarone whispered as he straddled the female’s body. She was a wolf with Skylar pack, and someone of importance to their bloodline. If he could force a mating upon her and get her to side with him, then he would have another in to the pack and taking it over. He needed to expand and if he had to birth a shitload of cubs then he would.
“I don’t think that the spell is quite strong enough. I need something more. She’s going to die just like the others.” Torque, the wizard, told Vargon Carbarone.
“Please don’t hurt me. Please, I have children and a mate,” she whispered, sounding so weak and fragile. Vargon had bitten her multiple times. It was all she kept saying over and over again. She had a mate. She had children. Who gave a shit? If this didn’t work, then she was dead and he would get another to replace her.
Torque chanted some sort of phrase with his eyes closed and his hands palms forward toward Vargon and the woman. She was quite lovely. Long brown hair, big brown eyes, and a fairly decent body. Easy prey. But it seemed she was lacking something, too.
“It’s not working. Her bloodline is not strong enough to force the mating past her other mate’s binding.”
The gurgling sound filled the room. Vargon sat up and stared at the dying woman as she took her last breath.
He climbed off her body and then pulled on the robe. “Get her out of my sight.” He looked at Torque. “You need to figure out a way to make this work. I must have something that can help me take possession of Skylar Pack.”
“You may be forced to do this the old-fashioned way, by challenging the Alpha.”
“Ha! Like I would do that.”
“You could have one of your sons or even nephews do it. They are loyal to you, and they can stand in position of Alpha, challenge McCarthy, and kill him. Then they can relinquish control to you behind the scenes.”
Vargon stared at the lifeless body on the bed and thought about Torque’s words.
“We’ll give it a little more time. Let’s get the money in order, continue to rip off the unknowing Were packs so I have financial backing before I strike. Then maybe one of my Alphas can challenge Skylar Pack. I’ll have to wait and see.”
* * * *
“Thank goodness you’re okay,” Pierce Santos stated as Sal hugged her father.
“I’m fine, Daddy. In fact I feel a hundred percent already and can’t wait to get back to work. I think Reggie is going to call Lieutenant McCallister for me and get things moving faster.” She eyed Reggie, who crossed his arms in front of his chest and shook his head.
“The lieutenant wants you safe and fully recovered. He cares a lot about your daughter, too, Pierce,” Reggie said as he walked over and shook Pierce’s hand. Sal gave Reggie a light punch in his shoulder.
She walked over toward the living room and sat down on the couch.
“Pierce, meet Quinn Fennigan, my cousin.”
Her father shook Quinn’s hand and seemed impressed with Quinn’s size and height. She was pretty impressed, too. The man was very big. But she had to remind herself that he turned into a huge, vicious dog in the snap
of a finger. That was not something she was swallowing too well.
“I recall Reggie speaking of you and your brothers. You reside in Ireland, don’t you?” he asked.
“Well, the brogue kind of gives that away,” Reggie said and then plopped down onto the couch next to Sal.
Quinn gave Reggie a dirty look and then sat in the recliner.
She had a feeling Quinn wanted to sit next to her, too.
She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. He and his brother were intimidating to say the least, but their brogues were so sexy. Every time they spoke, she stared and listened intently.
“We’re all over the world, working wherever we’re needed,” Quinn told her father.
“All over the world? I thought you were part of some police force in Ireland,” Sal asked.
He turned to look at her. His eyes roamed over her body. It seemed habitual for him and it made her feel both attractive and on the defensive. It was as if he gave her his full, undivided attention. What man did that when talking to a woman?
“My brothers and I are part of a task force. We assist in various aspects of criminal justice.”
“Well, are you part of the investigation to help take down these men who are now after my daughter?” Pierce asked.
Reggie leaned forward.
“Pierce, we’re trying to bring your daughter up to speed about what we’re dealing with.”
“Up to speed?”
“Yes, we started explaining about the supernatural beings that walk this earth and live among the humans. She saw with her own eyes the reality of werewolves shifting, thanks to Quinn here.” Reggie gave him a wink and Quinn glared at his cousin.
Pierce leaned forward. “Have you spoken about her mother?”
“No. No there’s no need to get into that right now. I think it’s better that we stick to keeping her safe and surrounded by her mates,” Reggie stated.
“Mates?” Pierce asked, raising his voice.
“My mother? What would Mom have to do with this? She’s been dead for years. And what’s with the mate crap?” Sal asked, feeling her insides tingle at the use of the word mate. Especially with Quinn in the room.
“She’ll need to know. It may be time, Reggie,” Pierce told them.
“Time for what?” Quinn asked.
At least he looked just as perplexed as Sal felt.
“Yeah, time for what?” Sal asked.
Reggie ran his fingers through his hair.
“First off, Pierce, Quinn and Angus are Sal’s mates.”
“What?” Pierce asked.
“How can that be? What about Margo, the healer?” Pierce asked.
“Who is Margo?” Sal questioned.
Quinn looked angry. “Angus and I are just as confused. You know about our other mate?”
“Wait a minute. Hold on one second. Can we backstep a little here? What is a mate? What happened to their other mate, Margo, you said her name was.”
“Sal, wolves mate to secure their bloodline, to procreate, and to bind families’ bloodlines for generations. When a wolf finds their mate and bonds, they bond for life. It’s a lot like marriage,” Reggie explained.
“Hold on one second. First, I am not a wolf. I’m human. Second, I can’t be part of something like that. I don’t even date. I’m a workaholic. I live for locking up shithead criminals and fighting on the streets against the bad guys. I can’t be a mate to anyone.”
It was odd, but even as she said the words, she felt this strange sensation inside and she looked at Quinn. He held her gaze and his eyes slightly glowed. She swallowed hard.
“It is true, Sal. Angus and I, and perhaps our other brothers, are your mates. We’ll know soon enough when they arrive.”
She shook her head. “How can one woman be the mate to more than one man? You don’t mean like—”
She gasped as she realized it meant mating sexually, binding them all together. A woman mated to multiple men meant she would be a sex slave, stuck in bed for the rest of her life probably bearing children for them to expand their wolf packs.
She stood up with fists by her side and glared at Quinn.
“I’m not your mate. I don’t have sex with multiple men at once. I will not be a baby machine so you can expand your packs or whatever. I’m a human female with rights. Besides, what happened to your last mate? You and your brothers get bored with her and tossed her out?” She raised her voice.
“Sal!” Both Reggie and Pierce reprimanded her.
She felt the ache to her heart the moment the words left her lips. She sensed something, yet her mind was clouded by odd images. She was definitely headed toward the loony bin.
“She was murdered, taken from us before we could mate and bond. Not all wolves find their mates. When they do, it’s powerful and they instantly become possessive and protective. But we hadn’t protected her. We allowed her out of our sight because she was a healer. She was helping the Goddesses of the Circle, who are the legal authority on all Were law and supernatural law, when she was killed.”
“Sal, it’s rare, practically unheard of, for wolves to get a second chance and find another mate. But the gods and goddesses have spoken. They’ve brought you together with your men and you must embrace it. You need their protection.”
She looked at Reggie and then her father. She paced the room, and could feel all their eyes upon her but especially Quinn’s. It was surreal how she felt his stare more deeply than the others. Or was she imagining it? She could in fact be losing her mind.
Then she thought about the situation today near her home. Quinn and Angus were there. Were they watching over her or was it the man who attacked her? Why were they there unless it was the men they wanted. Quinn and Angus came here from Ireland. Fucking Ireland. Something didn’t add up. Then it hit her.
“The man who came after me, was he the one responsible for killing your mate?” she asked Quinn.
He appeared as if he were biting the inside of his cheek.
“Vargon Carbarone, Luka’s father, had a hand in her death.”
“So this is why these men are after me? They know that I’m your mate, they killed your last one, and so they want to kill me now?” she asked.
“They don’t know that we are mates. But they will find out,” Quinn stated.
“Honey, they want to kill you because you put bullets to their heads. You need Quinn and Angus’s protection,” Reggie said.
She stared at Quinn. “Seems to me these guys want to kill me, whatever they are, because you and Angus say I’m your mate. You’re the ones who put me in danger and now you feel obligated to protect me.”
Quinn stood up, towering over her. She wouldn’t take a retreating step back. The man was definitely used to giving orders and being respected. He had to be six feet four inches tall, and muscles on top of muscles. She swallowed hard.
“You don’t know these men, these monsters, or what they’re capable of. My brothers and I do, and being that you are our mate we’re going to do everything in our power to protect you. That includes keeping you by our side and teaching you what your position as our mate exactly is.”
“I am not your mate or whatever. I will not be ‘taught’ how to open my thighs, bare children, and take orders from a bunch of barbaric men I don’t even know.” She turned away from him.
She heard a low growl and before she could turn toward Quinn, her father grabbed her arm and pulled her along with him.
“Let me talk to her, Quinn. Explain a few things,” Pierce said. She glanced at Quinn, who looked ready to tear her apart. So much for caring for his mate and protecting her. It seemed he wanted to do her harm.
* * * *
“You have always been strong willed. Despite the spell that the fairies placed on you as a child, your true personality has shown through.” Her father walked with her to the family library. He led her to the couch and she immediately took a seat and stared at him with that inquisitive expression he adored about his daughter.
&nb
sp; He pulled the picture frame of her mother down from the mantle.
He thought about his beautiful wife, Athlena, and about the day they met.
“Your mother was the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on. She captured my heart immediately.” He handed her the picture. Salina gently ran her finger along the picture.
“I wish I had gotten more time with her. I only remember little things about her. The smell of her perfume, light, floral, and the softness of her skin against my cheek when she hugged me,” Salina said.
“She adored you. She, too, had a special gift, just as you do.”
Her eyes scrunched together as she looked at him inquisitively. “Gift?”
“Yes, Salina. Without wasting too much time or getting too deeply into it, your mother was a Magi, a woman of mystical, magic abilities. She could speak to every type of creature and knew every language of all living things. She could see things, sense things about people. Being so powerful, she was sought after by many types of mystical creatures. Her parents had to place a spell on her, too, in order to ensure she wasn’t taken by someone of evil mind and soul. We actually met, fell in love, and realized that we were mates.”
“Are you a Magi, as you called it, too?” she asked, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth.
“No. My bloodline consists of wizards and warlocks. Unfortunately I was one of the weaker ones. Or so I thought until I met your mother. As mates we joined, and when that happened, her protective field was raised, and her identity revealed. I wasn’t with her when they attacked, when these men, these monsters working for some rogue Alpha wolf attacked and took her from me. Somehow she called for help in protecting you and a spell was placed over you as well.”
“What happened to her? They killed her?”
“They took her away. He tried to force her to mate with him and to protect his packs and build his empire so he could take over as ruler. She sacrificed her life for yours. She was killed once she ensured that you were safe and not identified as a Magi.”
Task Force Two: Fennigan Pack's Earth Angel [The Men of Five-O #9] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever) Page 4