by Donya Lynne
Tires squealed as she backed up and hurried to catch up with Sev before she lost him. This was her best chance. She couldn’t lose him. Not now when she was so close.
She looked in her rearview mirror to see Lakota rush out of the house with two drinks in his hands.
"Sorry, Kota. I’ve got places to be right now." She turned onto the road and sped after Sev’s disappearing taillights.
* * *
Ari dragged himself up off the floor and collapsed into a chair.
"What the fuck is your problem?" Micah stormed over and laid into him.
"Not now, Micah. Okay? Not now." His whole world had just rushed out the door and his body felt like it was under a steamroller. His muscles tightened until he couldn’t hold himself up, anymore.
"I think now is the perfect time." Micah's voice held a dangerous edge, and he pointed in the direction Severin had gone. "He's your mate. Your mate, goddamn it! Why the fuck did you let him leave?"
The pain was killing him, diving into his stomach. Ari groaned and clutched his abdomen.
"Sam!" Micah snapped his fingers at her.
She grabbed the waste can and rushed over. Ari grabbed the can and emptied the contents of his stomach then flopped back and looked up at Micah, tears streaming his face. "You were the one who let him leave, asshole! Not me!"
"You’d better check that shit right now." Micah reared back and glared a warning at him.
"Fuck you!"
"Fuck you!" Micah slapped him.
"Micah!" Sam grabbed his hand. "Don’t. No."
Micah growled at him. "You idiot. Always in my face about my life, but look at the fucked up mess you've made of yours." He paced away then turned and marched back. "I let him go because you had to be the one to stop him, not me. YOU! But you’re so goddamned worried about your daddy and what everyone will think when they learn you’re gay that you can’t even show the man you love how you feel about him. You’re pathetic."
"You don’t know shit, Micah!"
"Oh, yeah?"
"Yeah, so fuck off!"
"Well, how about you explain it to me, Ari? How about that? Explain to me how you can let your mate walk away without trying to stop him. Explain to me why he means so little to you that you can get engaged to some woman you don’t even love, because I know you don’t love Persephone. It’s impossible when you’re mated to someone else. So explain it to me, Ari! EXPLAIN IT!" Micah's eyes narrowed and he drew in his breath, as if he suddenly knew the reason. All the reasons. And he probably did. He could probably see them blinking like a neon sign on the frontal lobe of his brain.
"I didn’t have a choice, okay!" Ari’s voice broke as he yelled at Micah. "My father arranged the marriage."
"So? Unarrange it."
"I can’t." Ari's voice lowered painfully.
"Why not?!"
"Because he’ll cut me off!"
The room went dead silent and Ari looked up into Micah’s midnight blue eyes.
"My father will cut me off," he said again. "He’ll take away everything I have." Ari hesitated and looked away shamefully. "But then something tells me you already knew that. Am I right?"
Micah gave a subtle nod and knelt down beside Ari. "Not everything," Micah's voice was uncharacteristically soft. "Your dad can't take everything you have. Only what you let him take."
Ari frowned at him. "What do you mean?"
"He can’t take away how you feel about Severin. And he can’t take Severin away from you unless you let him, and right now, you’re letting him, Ari. You’re letting your father take away the one thing in your life that’s real. Please don’t tell me this is about money, because you don’t need money to live. But so help me God, I know from experience that you can’t live without your mate."
Ari stared at Micah. Who was this soft-spoken, wise male in front of him? Where had he come from? Because just a second ago, he had been yelling and giving Ari the third degree.
Micah reached for Sam and she took his hand and knelt beside him. "Ari, Sam is my life, and in no way could I survive without her. If anyone told me I had to choose between all my worldly possessions and her, I would choose her in a heartbeat."
Trace shifted his weight and glanced down at the floor by the door.
Ari let out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding. "What are you saying, Micah?" But he already knew.
"You need your mate, Ari. You can't live without him. Sev has become the most important part of your life now. More important than anything your father can take from you."
Ari looked down. "I've fucked up too bad this time."
"He'll take you back. He has no choice."
"Why? Why should he? I'm not worthy of him, Micah. I'm not worthy of someone like Sev."
Micah shook his head. "Don’t you know anything? Oh, that's right. I'm the resident expert on mating since I'm on my third." He said it almost to himself. "Ari, he'll take you back because you are his mate. That's why. He can't live without you the same way you can't live without him. You should know that."
Micah was right. And how hard was that to admit to himself? That Micah would be right about something.
Ari clutched his stomach and rocked. He hurt. He needed Sev to ease this awful pain. And he knew if he was feeling like this, Sev was, too. There was only one way for the pain to stop for both of them.
"Go get your mate, Ari," Micah said, as if reading his mind. And who knew? Maybe he was. "I’ll help you get on your feet if your dad really does cut you off."
"Why? I thought you hated me."
"I never hated you, Ari. I hated the lie you lived, but I never hated you. Now, come on." Micah helped Ari up then turned to Trace. "Trace, track him, find him. Use that Superman shit of yours if he doesn’t come quietly. Sam and I will go with Ari to AKM."
Trace took off without another word.
"No," Ari said, clutching his gut as he winced. "I should look for him."
Micah grabbed his arm before he could run after Trace. "You're in no shape to go after him, Ari. Trace can get to him faster and then you two can be together at the facility where we can figure out how to get you two through this."
Ari's face screwed up painfully and Micah wrapped his arms around him, pulling him close before reaching up to massage his pulse point in his neck. The ache in his chest eased. Damn, but Micah knew how to take care of a guy whose world was falling apart.
"Is that better?" Micah said.
Ari nodded and pulled back, amazed over how Micah had changed. "I never thought I’d be saying this to you, Micah, but thank you."
"Well, there’s a shock." Micah chuffed then led him out and wrangled him through the main hall to the exit as Sam brought up the rear. A tall, broad-shouldered man with blond hair was standing on the steps, staring down the road.
Even from the back, he looked familiar. Shit, the guy reminded him of Sev.
"Excuse me, sir?" Ari said.
When the male turned around, Ari and Sam both gasped.
Micah whistled. "Holy shit, no way."
"Do I know you?" the man said, frowning.
Ari remembered what Sev had told him about his dad. "You’re Sev’s father, aren’t you?"
"Yes, why? Who are you?"
He exchanged glances with Micah then looked back at Lakota and sighed. "I’m Sev’s mate," he said. "Arion. I’m Arion, and I’m mated to your son."
Well, admitting the truth to Severin’s father was a start. Now if he could just admit it to his own parents.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Go! Go! GO!
Sev flew through the streets, reckless, but he didn’t care. He wanted to hurt himself. He wanted to destroy something. Suddenly he understood what Micah had gone through in the weeks after Jackson left him and before he'd found Sam. The report about Micah had said he'd actually gone out in search of pain and for someone to kill him. Sev definitely saw how that would be possible, because right now, either would work just fine for him. Pain, death. It was all good.
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With just the barest pressure on the brakes, his car jumped the curb as he turned into the parking lot at AKM. With a whip of the wheel, he barely missed crashing into one of the company vehicles as he gunned the engine and flew into the underground parking garage.
Once parked, he stormed inside, using the stairs because the thought of riding up in the elevator made him feel like a caged animal. He shoved open the doors to the main hall, not caring if anyone was on the other side. If anyone else got hurt during his rampage, so much the better, as long as they hurt him back.
He made a quick stop at his prep locker, where he at least had a change of clothes to get out of the monkey suit he had worn to the party. After strapping on his weapons, he shoved the suit into the trash can on his way out then practically ran to Dispatch.
"What’s available?" he said as he threw open the door.
Adam spun around in his chair. All the dispatchers were taking calls. "Sev? I thought you were off tonight."
"Change of plans. So, what’s hot? Send me out on something."
Adam eyed him suspiciously, obviously noting his new and improved kiss my ass and fuck off attitude. "Um, I just got a call about a potential cobalt dealer on the South Side. I was about to assign it to—"
"I’ll take it." Sev turned for the key rack by the door.
"Are you sure? You don’t look good, Sev."
"I’m sure, and keep your opinions to yourself."
"Suit yourself. I’ll forward the details to your phone."
Sev snagged a set of keys and showed them to Adam so he could note the tag number.
"You’re set," Adam said. "I’ll radio any developments if and when I get them."
Sev flipped the keys back into his palm and closed his fist around them then marched out of the room, down the hall, and out the door. After he got into the Suburban whose bumper number matched the one on his keys, he felt his phone vibrate and pulled it out. He had three missed calls from Ari, but fuck if he was going to call him back right now. He was too intent on laying a trail of mass destruction to bother with talking to his mate who was too ashamed of him and their relationship to tell anyone about it. The text from Adam flashed on the screen with the details of the call.
Pulling the Suburban out of the parking space, he tore out of the lot and hit the streets. He would probably lose his job for disobeying and going out on his own like this, but he didn’t care. At least if he lost his job he wouldn’t have to see Ari every day. That would make his shit all better. Not!
* * *
Gina had tailed Sev to AKM and parked across the street. While he was inside, she put together her rifle, loaded the bullets, checked her Glock and loaded it, then tucked the extra clip inside the pocket of her black, leather jacket. Snatching a skull cap from the glove box, she tucked her short hair inside then got out and slung the rifle’s strap over her body and dematerialized to the roof of a nearby building.
As soon as Sev barged out of the compound a minute later, she dematerialized to another building, and then another as she followed his Suburban south.
* * *
Fifteen minutes later, Sev entered the general vicinity where the suspected cobalt dealer was doing business.
The computerized com system in the Suburban buzzed to life. "Unit Victor one four seven, be advised, a second party is on the scene."
Sev pressed his transmitter. "Copy. Do you have more information?"
"Two females are with the subject and were seen entering an alley behind Bosco Electric."
"Witnesses?" Sev said.
"Negative. The one who called it in split. Said he wasn't sticking around."
Which meant the report had probably come from a vampire who didn’t want to be anywhere near the shit that was about to go down, because he knew the players and knew peripheral damage could occur to bystanders.
"Copy. I’m on the scene." Sev parked the Suburban at the entrance to the alley and shut off the engine.
"Sev, you should wait for backup to arrive."
He didn’t answer.
"Sev?"
What he needed was in that alley and he wasn’t going to stand by like an invalid waiting for backup. Ignoring Adam’s repeated transmissions, Sev hopped out and wasted no time chewing up the pavement as he charged into the darkness.
* * *
Gina pulled the night vision glasses out of her jacket and put them on. Her vampire vision was good enough on its own, but this shot was too important to not use the extra visual acuity the night vision glasses gave her. Maneuvering over the rooftops of the surrounding buildings, she followed Sev as she pulled the rifle into her grasp. This was it. She was finally going to avenge her brother. A moment would come, and she would get her shot.
* * *
Sev turned the corner and saw them. One dreck stood to the side while the other knelt down next to – it was the female from a week ago. The one who had called herself Candy who had been driving that swank Jag.
Suddenly, Sev realized how he knew Ari’s new fiancé. Persephone had been the passenger in that car. Sue. Yeah, right. Sue his ass. He knew the names had been fake. What's more, Ari was engaged to an addict. The irony almost made Sev laugh. Ari couldn’t tell his father he was in love with a clean, honest, safe guy like Sev, but his father could hook him up to a junkie in the making. Ah, but she possessed the right parts in her trunk to please good old dad, didn't she? What a fucked up world this was.
Sev turned his attention back to what was doing ten yards in front of him. Candy sat on the ground, her black hair falling over her shoulders and the dreck injecting her with what Sev imagined was cobalt. Her head rolled back, and her friend, another brunette this time since Persephone was busy taking his mate away from him at this very minute, eagerly stood waiting her turn.
Without waiting for an invitation, Sev charged down the alley and tackled the dreck who stood to the side.
Then it was on.
Candy’s friend screamed and took off, leaving Candy to slump in convulsions as the drug entered her system and did its damage. It’s why you took the drug sitting or lying down, so you didn’t hurt yourself by falling.
The dreck who had injected her jumped up and attacked Sev.
Soon fists where flying, legs were kicking, and the satisfying sound of flesh hitting flesh echoed off the walls.
"Hit me!" Sev yelled at one of the drecks, shoving him hard.
The second dreck flew at him, jumping on his back. He laughed as the guy’s blue-black hair swung around his face and his fist smashed into his jaw.
"That’s the spirit!" The pain felt good radiating through his neck and shoulders.
He hardly ever fought with his iron skin down, but that was precisely what he needed tonight. Keeping his biological shield hidden allowed their punches to do the damage he needed – to give him the pain he longed for. But the drecks were no match for his superior strength and before the fight had really even begun, it was over and he was looking down at their unconscious forms lying at his feet.
"Lightweights." Sev growled with disappointment, not even close to the threshold of pain he needed to reach to feel content.
He turned and stalked toward Candy. She had another needle in her arm and was passed out cold. His gaze swept to the ground beside her. The dreck had left his stash, and apparently Candy had helped herself to more.
Fuck! Overdose!
Suddenly, his mind cleared. He was hurting, but he had a victim who could die if he didn't help. He had to do something – help her – get her back to AKM where the medics could do whatever it was they did to drain the shit out of a person who had overdosed.
With his own problems suddenly pushed aside, he scooped her up, rushed her to the Suburban, and tossed her in as carefully as possible even though he needed to hurry. But there was no way he was leaving those assholes and their stash behind. If Candy died, they would pay. He ran back into the alley.
* * *
Gina didn’t care that Sev had just beaten th
e shit out of two drecks. She was of a single-minded purpose that had ruled her every minute for the past year: Kill Severin. Nothing else at this point registered. She was locked into bloodlust, ready to take the opportunity and end the hunt. She had found him, and now she would kill him. Her mind was completely obsessed with the task at hand.
When Sev rushed back into the alley, she had her chance. It was now or never. She only hoped his iron skin wasn’t engaged.
Pht! She fired off a round, and the rifle's silencer whispered the shot.
Sev flew back against the wall as the bullet pierced his shoulder.
Pht! Pht! Two more rapid shots. The first tore into his chest and the other bounced off his skin. Shit! She knew she shouldn’t have fired a test shot. Still, the two that had hit could do the job. She would have to wait and see.
She was about to swoop down to the alley and wait for him to lose consciousness so she could finish the job if the bullet wounds didn't when a tingling sensation prickled her skin. She looked over her shoulder then froze in place. Literally froze. She couldn’t move.
A dark-skinned, bald vampire loomed over her, his hand outstretched and fingers splayed.
"I’d love to kill you right here, bitch, but I need to know why you just tried to kill my buddy. So, get ready to take a little ride. You're coming with me." He picked her up and flung her over his shoulder. "I’ll kill you later, and trust me, it will be very unpleasant."
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Trace felt his power stretching and trying to consume him, and he knew he would need to pay his domme a visit later to help bring him back down, but right now he had more important matters to attend to. Such as Severin and that new hole Queen Sniper had blasted into his chest.
With the bitch tossed over his shoulder, he jumped off the top of the building, glided down eight stories, and landed in a crouch on the pavement.