Joseph and Demetri were surrounded by a sudden burst of swirling black smoke. There were flames that slowly sucked in on themselves, and then taking the demons along with them they disappeared. She knew it was Joseph’s doing. He was taking the fight away from the hospital to give her a chance to safely get away with Kara.
~Five~
AFTER LEAVING THE tunnels Eli was distracted by an abnormally strong desire to return to his birthplace near Multnomah Falls in Oregon’s Columbia River Gorge. He knew it was a compulsion. He could’ve simply pushed it out of his mind, but he needed a small diversion to occupy his time while waiting for Samuel to get brave enough to make his move. Besides, he had a gut feeling Kara was behind it. He tried to avoid thinking about her, but she was always on his mind. She haunted his dreams during the night.
A younger wolf, Cain, had been closely following him. It wasn’t until Eli had made his way to the top of the falls that Cain finally approached him. He hoped the younger wolf wasn’t looking for a fight. He didn’t want to kill Cain but, regardless of how young and foolish he was, he would kill him if he refused to submit to him. “What do you want?” Rather than show respect by turning to face him, Eli kept his back to him.
“I came to warn you.” The low tone of Cain’s voice revealed apprehension. Apprehension was good.
“About?” Eli studied the colorful foliage before him and the leaves in the trees above him. It was beautiful. Nature was truly, magnificently stunning.
Normally, he might’ve failed to notice the vibrant fall scenery surrounding him. For some reason learning that Mia didn’t belong to him, had changed him in a way he hadn’t expected. Rather than dealing with any form of depression, the loss had been a weight lifted off of his shoulders.
He was free for first time in a long time. It felt strange, yet pleasant. He was more at peace than ever before. He’d been liberated from the constant driving need to hunt down a destiny that always seemed to be just right out of his reach.
“The pack is following close behind.” He heard Cain take a few steps toward him. “They’re hunting you. Samuel plans to kill you.”
Once he was within reach, Eli turned around to face him. “Why would you come to warn me? You’ve made your loyalty to Samuel clear. Do you expect me to believe you have my back now?” He smiled. They didn’t know it, but thanks to Samuel’s obsession with killing him and proving his ability to be their leader, the pack was still following his lead.
“I was wrong. The pack was wrong. So were you. But the pack hasn’t turned on you. Not really. You abandoned us.”
Eli understood why Cain thought he was wrong. He didn’t have a problem with any of his pack members questioning him so long as they remained completely faithful to him. The problem he had was that his pack betrayed him, because they believed he made a mistake. For the good of the pack’s future, he had to teach them a lesson. He had to make sure it never happened again.
“She was pure blooded. You know how rare it is. We need her.”
“Bad enough to take her against her will?” The truth was that Eli had been wrong, but not for the reason Cain believed. He’d been wrong by allowing Samuel to remain in the pack. Eli knew he was trouble. He should’ve driven Samuel off long before he’d had the opportunity to turn the pack against him. Now, it was too late to simply drive the rival wolf off.
The only way to properly resolve his mistake was to make an example out of Samuel. He needed to show his pack what would happen to them if they ever tried to take over. He had to kill Samuel. Eli hoped it would end there. He didn’t want to kill any of the other pack members, especially the younger less knowledgeable males like Cain, but that was exactly what he would do if push came to shove.
“She would have come to her senses in time.”
“She is with her true mate.”
“I refuse to believe she belongs to a demon, but I’m willing to agree to disagree. At the moment we have a bigger problem. Samuel is destroying the pack.”
Eli shrugged. “It’s not my problem.”
“You are our true leader.”
“I would rather not lead a pack with so little loyalty.”
“You’re planning to go it alone?” Cain asked.
“The thought has crossed my mind,” Eli lied. Normally, a Lycan leader would never have tolerated such brazen acts of betrayal, but he felt a degree of responsibility for his pack turning on him. He’d created confusion. He’d taken Mia back to Joseph after he’d ordered them to take possession of her against her will. They didn’t understand why he’d given up. They viewed it as weakness. They couldn’t except that it was for any other reason. A strong pack would never follow a weak leader.
“You can’t just quit and turn your back on us.”
“Why not? You turned your back on me.” Catching Eli’s attention, a dark shadow moved over them. He looked up and saw a dragon soaring, circling above the treetops. It obviously wanted to be seen or else it he wouldn’t have seen it.
“It wouldn’t have happened if you’d kept the woman.” the younger wolf clenched his jaw and growled. “You snuck off with her in the middle of the night. You didn’t have any right to hand her over to the demon. She belonged to us.”
“She never belonged to us. She made her choice and that will forever be her right.”
“It was never her choice. Females make decisions based on emotions. We have to take charge and lead them. She would’ve learned to be content with you.”
“Like or not she was always Joseph’s true mate. Not mine, not yours and not any other member of the pack.” Eli watched the dragon descend. He didn’t want Cain getting himself killed to prove his loyalty. He believed the younger wolf was remorseful, but being regretful wasn’t enough. He wasn’t about to let him off easy. He was still questioning his leadership. He would have to put Cain’s loyalty to the test. He wasn’t sure how he would know when it was time to end the test, but he believed he would know when the moment arrived. “Leave.”
Cain looked up at the dragon. “What does he want?”
“It doesn’t matter to you. You’re leaving.”
“I’m not leaving you alone to deal with the demon.”
“I don’t want or need your help. Get your ass back to Samuel before I kill you.”
Cain shook his head. “I’ll be close if you…”
“I won’t.” Eli watched Cain walk away. He hoped the younger wolf wouldn’t return to Samuel. He also hoped he wouldn’t remain too close. The moment the huge creature landed Eli recognized him, Demetri Demidov. And that was bad. Really bad. Sending Cain away was definitely the right decision.
After taking his human form, Demetri glanced in the direction Cain had walked away. “I see you managed to snag one of your little pups from Samuel.”
Out of all the demons it could’ve been, he was shocked it was Demetri, but he knew better than to show it. Leaning his back against a tree trunk, he crossed his arms over his chest. “What do want?”
“How long are you going to keep playing hide and seek with the rest of your pack?” The demon asked as he continued to look in the direction Cain had walked.
Hoping to take his attention away from the younger wolf, Eli pushed away from the tree and took a step toward the demon. “I’m not playing games. I’m done with the pack.”
“Are you?” Demetri turned toward him. “If you’re attempting to flee from them you’re not doing a very good job at it.” He pointed. “They’re on the other side of the ridge.”
“I know where they are.”
“Ah, yes. I’m sure you do. Knowing your enemies and keeping them close is an old but good strategy. It’s what I would do in your situation. We are a lot alike. Only you’re weaker.” The smile that slowly parted Demetri’s lips to bare his teeth was the furthest thing from pleasant. It was definitely a silent snarl, meant to intimidate. “I can’t help but notice that you don’t seem pleased to see me.”
“We’re nothing alike. And I am not happy to see you.
” Eli saw no reason to deny it.
“You’re right. We’re as different as night and day. I’m still intact.”
“What?”
“I haven’t been snipped. I have a pair of balls.”
“I don’t ever remember you being so funny.”
“I’m only trying to cheer you up. Perhaps, it would be more effective to simply remind you, that if you stick around, you’re certain to see Mia suffer a painful, untimely death. It’s no secret that she has talent for getting into perilous situations. It’s only a matter of time before Joseph fails to protect her. Did you know it happened many years ago to his father? His mother walked right into a trap and his father couldn’t get to her in time. His mother was a feisty little thing just like Mia. Joseph is doing the same thing. His father abandoned his good sense by allowing her to fight by his side. Surely the realization that history is already repeating itself should give you some measure of delight. Revenge is always such a sweet, intoxicating elixir to a scorned soul.”
“I do not want revenge. Leave her alone,” Eli growled as he took a threatening step forward.
“Sit down and pay attention, Fido. First, I totally lack the desire to waste any time or energy killing her.” He shrugged. “She’ll take care of it with Joseph’s help. Second, I find it amusing…no. Not that. I find it pathetic, in a gut busting laugh sort of way, that you’re still concerned about Mia’s welfare, considering she dumped your ass for a demon.” Demetri paused for a few seconds. “Don’t you have rules about allowing your women to run off and breed with other species?”
It was true. His willingness to fight a demon over threatening the woman who didn’t give a shit about him was pathetic. Even so, after all he’d put her through, he would do his best to protect her. “Rules are bent and broken every day.”
“Is that why you’ve failed to discipline your pack for turning on you and abandoning you to follow Samuel’s lead?”
“My motives make no difference to you.”
“They’ve already banned together with some of the locals. They’re an unsavory bunch. They’re rumored to be responsible for numerous acts of violence in the city. Did you know they killed their previous leader because he didn’t condone their decision to eradicate humans?”
“I’m shocked to hear that you’re so current with the local gossip. I thought it would be beneath your almighty greatness.” This was the first Eli had heard anything about the local pack attempting to wipeout humans. He knew there was a reason for Demetri to be discussing any of it with him. Though the demon’s reason was more than likely self-serving, he believed that if he continued the conversation, he would likely gain bits of valuable information.
“Yes,” Demetri said. “I know. But it’s something to do. If you hadn’t been distracted by Mia, it is possible you might have paid closer attention to Samuel. You might have even learned that he had been sharing fleas with the local pack for several months before you arrived to take Mia away from Joseph. From what I have heard, Samuel also has an aversion for weak minded leaders that refuse to join the war to eliminate the human population from the world.”
“Raping and murdering defenseless women does not make men strong. They will never succeed. They would be pitting themselves against the demons still willing to protect humans. But again, I am shocked that you have chosen to spend your time entertaining yourself with gossip. I would think that turning against your fellow demons and waging war against them would’ve kept you better occupied.”
“It has its moments. But in all honesty, I’ve yet to find an opponent able to offer me any real challenge. And I’m surprised that you view the slaughter of humans as murder. Your kind has never viewed them as an equal species since they decided to eradicate yours for religious cleanliness.”
“It was a long time ago. And it wasn’t all humans.”
“There were enough involved to cause a significant decline in your population. And it isn’t a thing of the past. Mia was a victim of their cleansing practices. It still happens to this day.”
“She survived,” Eli said. “I haven’t seen any proof of it happening at this time.”
“She would be dead now, had fate not intervened and given her a demon as a mate. It’s kind of funny how things work out, isn’t it? You wouldn’t have had a hope in hell of healing her. That said, wasn’t it your inadequacies that caused your kind to decree the law that your women weren’t allowed to fraternize with my kind? Why is it acceptable to you now? To be perfectly honest, you make no sense whatsoever. You were born to be a leader. And yet, you do not enforce the laws designed so many years ago by your elders to protect your kind. Perhaps, that is why Samuel has become misguided to the point that he has joined up with the locals and Mary.”
“Mary? What do you mean?”
“The locals are working closely with Mary.”
“How close?”
“Side by side. You haven’t figured it out yet?”
“You know I haven’t. If you plan to enlighten me, do it. If not, let’s end this now.”
“I suppose you’re right. We should speed things up. Your pack is only getting closer. Mary was the original leader’s mate. She is a Lycan. I know it’s shocking. She hides her doggy lineage very well. Anyways, on her behalf, the new leader to the local pups happens to be Jeremy Lang, Mary’s special little chew toy.”
“Jeremy is vampire.”
“I know. It’s all very odd, right?” Demetri asked.
“Odd? I think not. It’s bullshit. A Lycan pack would never submit to a vampire’s rule.”
“Believe what you will. I really don’t care.” Eli expected Demetri to end the conversation, but after a short pause he continued, “Before having her mate killed, Mary had acquired a lot of knowledge from journals lost by the religious group that nearly wiped out your kind. In them she believes that she has found the key to achieving perfect immortality.”
“What is the key?”
“Sorry. I can’t tell you that. It’s a secret. If you want to know, you’ll have to sniff it out and dig it up.”
“You don’t know.”
“Nice try.” Demetri laughed out loud. “But I feel no need to prove anything to you. If you want the details you’d better get sniffing.”
“Then why tell me anything?”
“Why not?” Demetri asked.
“You’ve chosen Mary to be your mate. Doesn’t that mean you owe her some degree of loyalty?”
Demetri smiled. “Loyalty is not my greatest strength, unless it’s to me. Why not share a few insignificant secrets with a friend?”
“I am not your friend. If what you’ve told me is true, you know it’s not insignificant.”
“There’s no need to be hurtful. I just figured sharing a little knowledge with you might make the game we are all playing more entertaining. Whether or not you become a problem because of what you learn from me or anyone else, matters little to me. If you become a threat to what is mine, I’ll destroy you. It’s that simple.”
“I’m starting to believe the rumor that you’ve lost your mind.”
“I’ve considered it. I suppose it’s possible. Stranger things have happened. Here’s another secret. Mary plans to kill Mia.”
“That is not a secret. And I’m certain she is safe with Joseph.”
“You admit he’s the right man for her?”
“How can I argue it? She received his immortal breath. Isn’t it impossible for any other than a true demon’s mate to receive it?” He paused. “Well, unless the demon kills his true mate. Isn’t that what you’ve done to Sara for Mary?” The ground shifted beneath Eli’s feet. It was the first and only sign of Demetri being angry since they had begun their conversation.
Clearly, the mention of Sara had done the impossible. It had caused Demetri, a demon with absolute control over his emotions, to display true anger and frustration.
“You have a point.” Eli felt Demetri’s inner struggle to regain control. That was more interesting than
the reason for the demon to tell him about the locals and Mary working together. “But I doubt Joseph has what it takes to do such a terrible thing.”
“Mary is attempting to gain immortality? Why haven’t you just…?” Eli knew he’d just discovered something huge. He knew better than to think Demetri had given him the information by accident. A ten thousand year old demon didn’t have slips of the tongue. “Sara is alive. You didn’t kill your mate.” He wanted Eli to know. But why?
“I wonder after all the time you’ve spent searching for Mia if you’ve missed something.”
“And I wonder why it would matter to you.” Eli said.
“Your mate doesn’t matter to me, but she matters to Mary. Mary plans to have her killed. It won’t be personal. It’ll be part of a lucrative business arrangement she will make with your mate’s father to ensure funding for her pursuit of eternal life.”
“Mia’s father was killed by vampires several years ago, and she’s not my mate.”
“Perhaps you should check the nutritional value of your kibble. If it’s lacking proper nutrients, you should take supplements. I’ve heard doing so will not only improve your mental productivity, but it will also give you a nice shiny coat to sport around. Until then, as hard as it will be, try to keep up with me. We’ve already agreed that Mia never truly belonged to you. For that reason, here’s a shocker, I was not referring to Mia.”
“I don’t have a mate.”
“For some reason Joseph and Mia took a liking to Kara. But why would you care? If she does not belong to you I’ve wasted my time. Time is precious. Clearly, if she is not your mate, there’s no reason for you to be bothered with her problems.”
Eli felt a strange, overwhelming sense of panic. “What problems?”
“It doesn’t matter, does it?”
“Tell me.”
“You shouldn’t bother yourself with her. She isn’t yours. Besides, she is with Nikolas now. He took her to recover in the privacy and security of his home. I am certain he will do a better job looking out for her than you ever could.”
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