Splintered Nights

by Veronica Del Rosa

  Her instincts demanded she offer me comfort in the way of the pack. Touch was important to them. Whenever a member showed up at the house, everyone hugged. I liked to hang back and make sure they got it out of their system. Hugging wasn’t high on my list, especially with creatures who could crush my bones.

  “I do. You’re the only one I trust.” I grasped her hand and gave it a tight squeeze before letting go, uncomfortable with exposing my softer side, even to her.

  We rounded the side of the house, drawing even with the decorative hedges that adorned one side of the property. So much patience and effort had gone into creating such beauty. A horse, an elephant—and my favourite—a dragon. Immaculately groomed, yet not once had I seen anyone tending to them. Maybe the gardener showed up once a week?

  I recognized my absorption for what it was, a way to distance myself from my reality. If I didn’t give it any attention, then it didn’t exist, right? I could carry on my merry way without a worry. Yeah, right.

  “My parents are dead, too,” Jacy said, sorrow and pain lingering in her voice. “Our old alpha killed them for disagreeing with him.”

  “What? That’s horrible.” I grabbed her hand again. “Why?”

  Her gaze dropped to the ground. “My parents and I were cast out from our old pack. We wandered for months looking for a new one. Isaac said we were welcome and for a few years, everything was fine. Then he decided he wanted me as his mistress. He was already mated but felt I would be a good addition to his bed. My parents objected. As you’ve noticed, I have a hard time standing up for myself.”

  I couldn’t help myself. I wrapped my arms around her, unable to find the words to convey my horror.

  “What happened?” I whispered.

  Jacy’s breath stirred at the crook of my neck. “Cole challenged him and won. He assumed leadership to save me.”

  And now I understood why Jacy loved Cole. Did he know? I pulled back, searching for some indication that she hated me. I doubted I’d be so serene about the man I loved marrying—mating—someone else. Tears shimmered on her eyelashes, which she quickly wiped away. How could she not hate me? Yet I sensed no malice from her.

  She stiffened and stepped out of my grasp. Pasting a smile on her face, a hint of strain showing through, she turned. Holy hell, I hadn’t even realized another werewolf was almost upon us. I needed their hearing.

  “Hey, Omega, trying to get in good already with your alpha’s mate?”

  What was it about werewolf males? So far I wasn’t impressed with the lot. I eyed Lex, his features already committed to memory from the fancy ball. Shaved on the sides and long on top, his brown hair was slick with product, more styled than even Michelle’s fussy locks. The wide, mocking grin showed off perfect white teeth, not a hint of crookedness, and his light brown skin, smooth and flawless, made me wonder what lotion he used because I was a teensy bit jealous.

  “Lex,” Jacy said with a touch of shortness. It was the most rudeness I’d heard from her. “Cole’s in his office. He’s waiting for you and the other alphas.”

  “Alpha’s Mate.” Lex dipped his chin in greeting, as if I had no other identity than as Cole’s future partner.

  A car pulled into the driveway, and four men and one woman exited from it. If the men introduced themselves, I was likely to forget their names, but I’d remember the woman’s—Michelle. Fantastic, because my day wasn’t horrible enough.

  None of them glanced our way.

  “Name’s Pearle,” I replied to Lex with a huge smile. No way in hell would I let an obnoxious jerk upset me. “Not Alpha’s Mate, not Werewolf Barbie, not sweetheart or darling. Pearle.”

  Ugh, I hoped I wouldn’t see more of Lex or any of the other werewolves. Cole’s promise to train me and share intel was the only reason I’d stuck around this long. Once I learned everything I could about vampires and werewolves, I was out of here, my wallet fatter for the extended free room and board.

  And if part of me balked at the thought of leaving Cole’s house, leaving people who understood what really stalked the night, leaving the first place I’d found where I could stop pretending monsters didn’t exist . . . Well, that was just about losing a safe place to crash. I’m sure it was the hot showers I’d miss the most.

  “Leave the ladies alone, Lex. You’re being a dick.” One of the men had veered our way, an easy smile curving his mouth. Unlike the other werewolf, he didn’t have the sleek and groomed look. A scruffy blond beard covered his cheeks and chin, and his short dark-blond hair was tousled from lack of grooming, not as a conscious styling choice. Both men were lean, a by-product of their inhuman genetics.

  “Oh shut up, Omar. Not everyone’s a suck-up like you.” Lex marched past us and I wasn’t sorry to see him go. I almost gave in to the urge to flip him the bird, then decided it wasn’t becoming behaviour of the alpha’s future mate. While I didn’t care, I didn’t want to upset Jacy.

  Omar gave us an apologetic look and jogged to catch up to the rest of his group.

  A large SUV pulled alongside the low-slung car, dwarfing it, and the vehicle rocked when the driver stepped out. No wonder, he was huge. And familiar.

  “Halvar, what are you doing here?” I asked, stunned to see the behemoth from the abandoned house.

  He grinned at me, his eyebrow piercing winking in the bright sunlight. Striding towards the house, his long legs eating up the distance, he tossed over his shoulder, “Gonna finally convince the werewolves to work with us vampire hunters.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Whoa, whoa, wait. You can’t drop something like that on me and walk away. There’s actual vampire hunters? Like an organization or something?” I ran to catch up with Halvar. Jacy remained right by my side. Somehow, I doubted this was news to her. Why did this all feel like a play where I kept blundering along without a script? It’d be nice if someone was straight with me for once.

  Halvar stopped and crossed his massive arms over his chest. I half expected his shirt to rip from the strain. “Yeah, exactly like that. We’re not government official or anything, but we help each other, trade in information, and all that fun stuff. Some of us stick together to create stronger thresholds when we’re in a town with a nest.”

  I slowly nodded. It made sense. And I wished I’d known this ages ago. An organization devoted to killing vampires? Sign me up! Would they let me join after I extricated myself from Cole’s tender care?

  “How does one go about . . . ?” My voice trailed off at the nervous expression on Jacy’s face. Oh right, the alpha’s mate would have no need to join a vampire-hunting organization. I’d have to find a way to sneak out and speak to Halvar without any pack members around. “Ah, never mind. Well, don’t want to make Cole wait any longer.”

  I marched through the open door, since the previous group hadn’t bothered closing it. Halvar chuckled as he followed me, his footsteps making no sound, and his presence loomed over me. If I asked, could I join his team? He’d be handy to have at my back.

  “We can’t join the meeting,” Jacy hissed in my ear, her chest bumping my shoulder. “Cole and the other alphas will make the decision. We have no business there.”

  “Didn’t you hear?” I muttered, unwilling to back down. “I’m the alpha’s mate.”

  We reached Cole’s office and I gestured for Halvar to enter first. With luck, no one else would notice me—eh-hem, us, since Jacy gripped my hand and refused to let go. I sidled to the left while the others’ attention was on the giant in their midst and leaned against the wall. My werewolf shadow remained glued to my side, a fierce expression on her face. Well, how about that? She thought to protect me if I needed it. I honestly had no idea what to make of her newfound courage. One minute she was ready to scamper away if the wind blew the wrong way, and the next minute she was willing to face the displeasure of the alphas.

  “Everyone, please have a seat,” Cole said. His gaze flicked towards me and Jacy, and his mouth tightened. Not a word of reprimand passed his lips. Did
n’t want to lose face in front of the other alphas? Omar settled on the couch in front of me with Michelle and one of the men while Halvar, Lex, and another werewolf took the opposite couch. An older alpha sank into the chair facing Cole. “As I’m sure you’ve all heard, at the summer’s solstice, I’m taking a mate. She’s asked to sit in on this meeting.”

  The werewolves shifted in their seats to nod our way, all of them looking equally unimpressed, and Halvar’s eyebrows rose at the news. Guess no one had filled him in. He shifted his intense gaze back to Cole.

  “We’ve seen increased vampire activity in this city. Already three nests have been destroyed in the past year and there are rumours of a new one.” Halvar’s voice rumbled through the room.

  “Another one? That’s impossible. They don’t regroup so quickly,” Lex scoffed, tossing a perfectly etched scowl at Halvar. “He’s exaggerating to increase his organization’s importance. We can do just fine without them and they know it.”

  The giant didn’t respond, disdain written across his face. His fingers, however, caressed the metallic necklace resting against his throat. Lex flinched. I straightened, peering closer at the necklace. Was it silver? Did silver actually harm werewolves? If so, I’d keep it in mind in case I needed a way to take out a werewolf.

  “Diplomacy is not your strong suit, is it?” Omar’s face was hidden from me. My position at the wall gave me a view of Cole, Lex, and Halvar. Omar, Michelle, and the other man had their backs to me. The older alpha in the chair kept his gaze on Cole, his sharp profile revealing nothing.

  Lex curled his lip, amber glinting in his eyes. “Go fuck yourself, Infected. You’re a mongrel who’s not fit to run a pack. You should’ve been put down like a stray dog.”

  I slumped against the wall, fascinated with the fucked-up dynamics. So Omar had been turned into a werewolf, an Infected, not born like Lex. Somehow that made him a lesser being. Ah, who was I kidding? Of course it made him inferior in the eyes of those born a monster. Ironically, they were still human enough to enjoy lording their superiority over others. Every society needed the haves and have-nots. Not everyone could rule.

  Except it seemed one of the peasants had made it into the ruling class. How’d Omar become an alpha?

  And what would it mean for me if Cole turned me? None of the werewolves would accept me as his mate if I was an Infected. This stupid, arrogant plan of his would garner me a whole new set of enemies.

  “Enough,” Cole said, his voice soft.

  Omar and Lex immediately obeyed, utter silence from them as they focused on Cole. Wow, guess it wasn’t just Jacy who found him intimidating. His interactions with me made even less sense now. The man I’d seen for the past five years was a macho flirt, not this person who made other monsters sit up and take notice.

  Questions swirled around in my mind and maybe soon I’d have some answers.

  Halvar leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. He still towered over the werewolves. “There’s another nest forming outside of the city. If the wolves are unable to handle a fight so soon after the last one, then say so and we’ll take care of it ourselves.”

  His tone held nothing but respect, which caused the wolves to erupt. If he’d been dismissive of their abilities, they could’ve disregarded his words as bravado. Instead, he’d slyly implied that he thought they were weak and ineffective. I wanted to slow clap.

  “I’ll investigate. If I find a cause for concern, we’ll make plans.” Cole leaned back in his chair, a half grin mocking Halvar’s attempt to rile him. “Do you have the address?”

  “Of course.” Halvar pulled a piece of paper from his front pants pocket. He nudged the crumpled sheet across Cole’s desk. “And we have another matter to discuss. My people and I have shown good faith time and again. We feel a partnership would be beneficial to all of us.”

  “You mean you want us to do all the work?” Lex sneered. “Humans are no match against vampires.”

  Halvar gave Lex a sidelong glance, and if I hadn’t had the wall against my back, I would’ve edged away from the annoyed giant. The werewolf didn’t share my sense of self-preservation, though. Instead, he turned his attention to Cole, an eyebrow raised in question.

  “Pearle, what’s your kill count?” Cole asked, his gaze on Lex and not me.

  I debated not answering, since my response would put me in the firm territory of a threat. The monsters thought I was soft and squishy, and I enjoyed them underestimating me. However, Cole had asked the question for a reason and at this point, it was better to follow his lead.

  “I lost count after the second year. Somewhere around a hundred kills. If I go with fifty kills a year, give or take, then I’m at two hundred and fifty.”

  Halvar’s head snapped up, his eyes round. “By yourself or with the werewolves’ help?”

  Omar slumped in his seat while he ran his fingers through his messy hair. I couldn’t judge his reaction since his back was to me, but the other werewolves all stared at me, respect warring with suspicion on their features. Cole seemed amused.

  “I didn’t know werewolves existed until two weeks ago.” I didn’t bother clarifying the statement. Halvar understood. Bet he wished he hadn’t chased me off now, eh? “If I could be so indelicate, what’s the average with the vampire hunters?”

  “A nest usually has ten, maybe fifteen vampires, although that’s pushing it,” Cole answered, his tone thoughtful and oh-so false. Humour lurked in his eyes. “I doubt the hunters go in with only one or two people. It’s probably closer to five, yes? Let’s assume two kills per nest with one nest per year, then we add in the random strays and I’d say hunters hit around twenty in their lifetimes. Werewolves are a little higher at around fifty.”

  Now it was my turn to be stunned. Talk about rotten luck. I never went out of my way to find vampires; in fact, I hid from them as best I could, and yet I was the mass murderer.

  Jacy’s hand grazed the back of mine as she stepped closer to me, like she wanted to protect me from the men—or maybe from myself. I almost laughed at the thought. Killing wasn’t a fun pastime for me and I didn’t relish taking another’s life. I would gladly live the rest of my life without staking another vampire if they left me alone, except they never would. The sire’s mark made sure of that.

  Omar glanced over his shoulder at me, a speculative look on his face. I decided to ignore everyone staring at me and focused on Cole with what I hoped was a bored expression. Let them think whatever they wanted about me.

  “Maybe we don’t need to join forces. We’ll just let the alpha’s mate clean them out.” Lex, for once, didn’t have a sneer on his golden face. His voice held grudging respect.

  “I have a name, remember?” I said without any real heat. His disrespect didn’t matter to me since he didn’t matter to me. “And wouldn’t it look bad if you guys relied on a weak human to fight your war?”

  Cole’s chin dipped as he covered his mouth with his hand. Again I’d amused him, though no one else noticed, their attention squarely on me. Lips pursed, I shook my head in reprimand at Cole for putting me in this position and pushed off the wall. If the werewolves agreed to an alliance, I wanted a part of it.

  The man seated in the chair eyed me. Whip lean with wispy grey hair, leathery brown skin, and an abundance of wrinkles, he’d clearly never heard of sunblock. I’d assumed werewolf regeneration would make them all youthful until death. He proved me wrong.

  “Name’s Nyle, alpha for the Rattlesnake pack.” A twinkle appeared in his brown eyes. “We named ourselves back when rattlesnakes were feared and treated with a healthy respect. I appreciate your efforts against the vampires.” He faced Cole. “I vote we make an alliance.”

  Omar turned to Cole and nodded. “I agree with Nyle. An alliance.”

  The other man seated next to Omar quickly agreed, making me wonder if Omar pulled his strings.

  “I agree as well,” Michelle said.

  Lex sighed, dramatic and overdone. “Fine, my pack is in,
too. If this goes south, I’m calling for your resignation as head alpha, Cole.”

  “Fair enough.” Cole turned his attention to the remaining werewolf. “What say you, Baris? Are you agreeable or no?”

  The holdout leaned back against the couch, his narrowed eyes assessing everyone in the room before lingering on me. “How do we know she’s not exaggerating? I could say I’ve killed five hundred vampires, and without proof, it’s as true as Pearle’s claim.”

  His doubt didn’t faze me. In his position, I’d wonder the same thing. Taking someone’s word at face value, especially when I didn’t know them, wasn’t easy. I’d want proof, too, which I couldn’t give. All the bodies had vanished at death, turned into black ash that blew away in the wind. Maybe next time I could take a picture with the dying vampire? A part of me shuddered at the morbid thought. Nah, I’ll just accept disbelief.

  Cole turned one of his monitors around and clicked his mouse. “I had a feeling someone would ask. This was taken a few nights ago when my pack cleaned out the nest on Oakwood Lane.”

  I recognized the sinister house behind me and Cole. My expression oozed annoyance and boredom, two emotions I hadn’t felt at the time. Go me and my poker face!

  Onscreen, Cole whispered, “Here they come.”

  And chaos erupted. Shadows boiled around us, attacking anyone who stood in their path. Several vampires were on a collision course with me, mindless bloodlust shining in their creepy eyes. Even though I knew the outcome of the battle, I still cringed each time one of the monsters came close to onscreen-me. My puny swipes seemed childish and ineffective when compared to the destruction reigning around me.

  The werewolves in the room were unimpressed.

  Until onscreen-me dropped the helpless act and brutally stabbed her way through several enemies. Five, six, seven of them slain by my hand. I didn’t remember killing so many of them. I’d slipped into autopilot. Watching myself slaughter was a surreal experience, and at times, I couldn’t keep track of my movements. It was like I’d gone into hyperspeed, another thing I didn’t recall doing.