by Evans, Bryce
“We will give them more blood, sister.” River just sat and stared at Star who had woken up offering her blood again.
“Who are you people?” River asked confused. “You say you’re my sister and brother. How is that possible? I grew up in an orphanage and I don’t even know who my parents are?”
“We also grew up in an orphanage. Before my father died he told me that I had an older sister and a younger brother,” Star explained.
“You knew our father?” Shaking her head, Star explained further.
“No he was our father’s best friend. He was a father in every way. He found me in the orphanage and got me out, but he had liver cancer and I had no idea I could heal him. He told me about you and Sky. I found Sky and for some reason I felt the need to move here. We got a job with Rod Tracy making furniture and the day you came in the store to look at the table, I just knew you were my sister. I could feel it and when I looked at you, I could see we looked alike in some ways. We are healers too and that is very rare from what I hear. I can also do some magic, but Sky hasn’t found out what else he can do.”
“I have a sister and brother? How could I not know?” River asked surprised.
“Don’t know and don’t care anymore. I can’t live in the past to find out why. All I know is that we found each other and we finally are a family,” Star added.
“Don’t ask why, River. Just accept that sometimes life throws you curve balls, but now is the time to hit one. Enjoy this. Apparently your parents split you up for a reason, probably because all of you can heal and knew that you would need to be protected. All the packs and clans are looking for healers, especially the ones with blood that can make one stronger. So separating you and putting you in the human world gave you a chance they didn’t think they had. Bad shifters and vampires would have hunted you down, River, if all of you had been together. Somebody knew something to scare them enough to do that for you,” Ash offered.
Smiling for the first time, River blew out her breath and accepted that she finally had a family who needed her just as much as she needed them. No matter the reason, they were together now.
“Okay,” River croaked out then reached down and hugged Sky. He had held it in as long as he could and broke down and cried. Nobody knew what Sky had been through in his young life. He showed signs of being abused. Everyone in the room sighed as they felt the love of a family who had been separated at birth and brought back during a tragic event. River rocked him as she hugged him tightly to her body. She could tell that Sky had been hurting when he continued to cry. Hugging him tighter then kissing his head, River treated him like he was her child instead of her brother.
“Thank you for all your help and for helping my mates,” River whispered to Sky as she continued to rock him until his tears went away. Sky was easy to love. His big blue eyes that watched you like a hawk. She could see some of the sadness leave his eyes as she whispered how glad she was to have him in her life now.
*****
Jansen watched the family from the door. He knew that they needed to get set up. They needed to get near the location so they would have time to complete the spell and kill the rogue vampires. He didn’t want Paddock getting a chance to get to the lodge. It would be total chaos if he did. “I don’t want to ruin this moment but if we are going to activate this plan then we need to get out there so we will be close to the house.”
River looked up at her mates. “No you can’t,” River said as she pulled away from her brother and got up and went to stand in front of her mates. Her facial expressions said it all. She was scared that they would die out there.
“River, we must and we will finish this. I won't have this hanging over us all the time. Looking behind my back all the time. You won’t be able to go out without being scared. We have to.”
“You can take our blood,” Star suggested.
“Then you will take mine too. With all three in you should make you unstoppable.” River closed her eyes sending up a silent prayer.
The pack doctor was listening and came up with a solution for Star and Sky. He would get a pack of blood from each of them and then allow Reece and Jonas to drink it. Jonas would half-shift allowing the beast to come out and drink the blood fast. Reece being a vampire had no problem with it, but River would let them bite her. She wouldn’t have it any other way.
Reece and Jonas carried River into another room for some privacy. River instructed Jonas to sit down first. Before Jonas knew how she was going to do this, River got into Jonas’s lap and straddled him. Cupping his face, River stared deep into his eyes. Immediately she could feel his erection popping up from his pants. Then she placed her mouth over his, kissing him. River felt the growl coming from deep within him. She could feel the love from him as he passionately kissed him. Stretching her arm out behind her, Reece took it allowing River to pull him closer to her back. Jonas pulled her shirt off, throwing it on the floor then dipping down taking one of her nipples in his mouth. He didn’t know if she was sore so he licked them making her moan and wiggle in his lap.
Reece pulled up a chair and sat directly behind River. He started leaving little kisses up her spine making her groan out loud from the erotic feeling. Reece kissed his way up her back until he got to her neck. She could feel his fangs as they scraped over her pulse point. Knowing they didn’t have time to complete anything further, River whispered, “Mark me now.”
Reece licked over her pulse as River shuddered, tiny shivers going down her body. Jonas licked the other side then both bit into each side of her neck as the orgasm tore through her body. She couldn’t control the emotions as she cried out. Drinking her blood, both her mates continued to rub her body until the orgasm stopped. They had marked her for everyone to know that she belonged to them and nobody else. They only took a little from River since she had been through so much. She needed to rest and heal more from the abuse she took from Paddock and Rick.
By the time they returned to the conference room, the pack doctor had already finished filling the bags with blood. Handing the bags over to Reece and Jonas, Reece drank it straight out of the bag, but Jonas had to partially shift so he could drink that much raw blood. He watched River’s emotions as he shifted. River’s smile never wavered from her mouth as he drank the blood down then took the other bag and drank it all. Jonas shifted back and everyone watched as their bodies grew larger. More muscles appeared as their bodies stretched, accommodating the new growth.
“Now I know why they separated you three. Look at them grow. If people knew this, they would kill to get to you. How did Paddock know this?” Ash asked.
“Probably my dad. He kept files on new shifters and other supernatural people. He must have heard about it and started the search. He probably told Paddock to be on the lookout. Who knows but we have to keep this information to ourselves,” said Reece.
“If this information gets out we know it only came from the people in this room,” Larken said sternly. Jansen was on the unit with Ash and Jonas. Reece was her mate so he wouldn’t tell. Every eye fell on the pack doctor.
“I will vouch for Doc Barnes,” Larken advised.
“No worries from me. I fall under doctor-patient privileges and I wouldn’t put these people in jeopardy. I have made no notes and will not tell anyone anything.” No one would go against Larken who had vouched for his pack doctor.
“It’s time. We have a lot of ground to cover if we want to beat them there,” Jansen suggested.
“Go now while the blood is flowing through your veins.” River grabbed each of her mate’s hands. “But remember this. If you don’t come back, I will haunt your ass for the rest of eternity.” Reece and Jonas laughed then passionately kissed River. They walked out of the room with Jansen.
Jonas looked back and watched as Larken kissed Ash then walked out with him.
*****
Ash glanced over at Star and Sky. They didn’t look good. They had given too much blood and needed to eat then rest so their bodies could heal.
She didn’t know if anybody would get hurt and need healing. “Star, you and Sky come lay down. You eat then sleep. We may need you in a little while so you need to be healthy. Can you do that?”
River turned back around and noticed how pale they were. She rushed to their side and helped them to the beds.
“Yes we can. Just need something to eat and then take a nap,” Star advised as River helped her to the bed.
Ash helped Sky who never spoke but allowed Ash to help him. Ash had a soft spot for Sky. She could tell the young man had the world on his shoulders and tried to carry it for all of them. Ash carried the food cart over to them and started fixing them a plate. She handed it to River and she sat down and fed it to her. Ash did the same for Sky. Little by little their color started returning to normal.
With their bellies full, River covered them up and dimmed the lights so they could sleep for a while. River prayed that they wouldn’t need them but she knew they probably would and three healers were better than one.
*****
Jonas briefed all the guards and Protectors. He explained that whatever happened, the two men Reece and he would be fighting couldn’t escape or everyone at the lodge and clan would be killed.
Emotions were high as they drove to the abandoned farmhouse. Jansen kept in contact with Ash to see if anybody had arrived at the house yet. “Nobody yet,” River advised them. The sky was starting to get lighter and Jansen knew Paddock would be back to feed from River. They had an advantage if they could get to the farmhouse before Paddock and his clan.
*****
Ash and River waited for their men to arrive at the farmhouse. Ash could feel River staring at her, when she turned her head toward River. “Why are you staring at me?”
“It has been bugging me why I feel like I know you from somewhere and it finally hit me.”
Ash’s eyes widened as River spoke.
“Where? Where do you know me from?” Ash asked excited.
“From the orphanage. You were the girl.”
Narrowing her eyes, Ash didn’t understand what she was saying. “What girl?”
“You were the one who put the nails behind the Director’s car when she drove down the driveway. All four of her tires blew out. You would take up for all of us. It was you.”
Ash smiled as the realization hit her. “You were there? That woman was evil,” Ash advised.
“Yes, she was. After you left, it got worse for the rest of us. I ran away shortly after you did and got caught. Then they shipped me to an orphanage in New Mexico. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that I knew you. Now I know.”
Ash reached over and hugged River. “We need to stick together then,” Ash responded as she hugged River tighter.
River felt that finally she had friends that cared about her.
*****
Nash drove the van down the deserted road that belonged to the property adjacent to the old farmhouse. They would walk through the woods to get to the house. Everyone exited the vehicles as the air thickened with anticipation of retribution. It had already been decided that some of the guards would carry weapons that could take down the vampires until they could be beheaded. Some of the guards had silver bullets in their guns. It wouldn’t kill a vampire but it would slow them down. Jonas took off his shirt and boots knowing he would shift to fight.
Jansen spoke to Ash one last time before putting an earpiece in his ear. She reported that no movement had been detected at the house. Quietly, the guys started walking through the woods toward the house to wait for Paddock. As they walked, Jansen thought it was funny that no sound could be heard from everyone. It should sound like a herd of elephants to vampires, but these were not ordinary vampires and werewolves. These men were trained to kill and had training on how to do it quietly. Jansen needed to surround the house with salt so he could complete the spell. He went around the house trying not to miss an area, which would allow someone to escape the house. Pouring the last of it, Jansen went back to his hiding place and waited. They had to change locations several times as they waited so their scent would not be picked up when Paddock got to the house.
Jansen was starting to worry that Paddock had left the area when he heard vehicles coming down the dirt road. Hand signals were given to everyone as they waited for them to exit the vehicles. A black SUV pulled up first as five people exited the vehicle. Stretching, the man driving tilted his nose in the air but continued on. Jansen noticed the driver was a big vampire. He could tell that this was Paddock’s number two man, Rick. He appeared very arrogant as he exited the vehicle. There was no mistaking who Paddock was. When he exited the car, he was massive from drinking almost all of River’s blood. The smile on his face said it all. He knew the blood made him stronger and more powerful. The four men and Paddock waited while three other vehicles pulled up.
Jansen hoped that Paddock would see the white towel he left with River’s blood on it laying off to the side of the house. The plan was for him to smell it then investigate while the others went in the house. He thought the plan had failed when the other big man informed everyone that there was food in the house. All the men started to walk in but as Paddock looked back to tell the driver something he noticed the white towel lying on the ground. He stopped then looked around the area. Apparently the one River called Rick stopped with him. Paddock jumped off the porch and walked toward the towel. Three other vampires stopped and watched as Paddock walked toward the woods. Paddock bent down and looked at the rag then jerked up scanning the area. His eyes turned red as he crouched down in a predator’s stance. The other men followed suit as they started scanning the woods.
Jansen was already chanting as Reece and Jonas stepped out of the woods. Paddock smiled, thinking he had the advantage with all his men there and only Reece and the shifter. Before Jansen could complete the spell one other man ran out the door. Paddock smiled further at Reece.
“I think you are out-numbered,” Paddock said as he laughed. “It’s been a long time and I’ve waited for the one chance where I would get to kill you. I want you to suffer like your woman did. First, I will kill you then I’m going to sink deep into her sweet body then drain every last drop or I may keep her around as my little pet. I turned her. I sucked every last drop of her blood then I gave her mine. She actually died and I loved the fact that she is now mine. All mine.”
Reece never said a word but listened as Paddock taunted him. The other men laughed along with Paddock trying to make Reece show some type of emotion. Reece continued to count in his head. He wanted to stay cool until the time was right to kill Paddock and his men. He could feel his body trembling as Paddock spoke about making River his pet to do what he wanted to with.
Thinking about what he was saying, Reece knew he was lying because she wasn’t a vampire. Did he think he killed her? Reece and Jonas would need to speak to River when they got back and see if she remembered any of that. Then again he was probably lying trying to get Reece to lose control.
Nash, Larken, Larsen, Paddock, Banks, and the guards and Protectors stepped out of the woods surrounding Paddock and his men. They couldn’t stay hidden any longer as Paddock spoke about raping and killing River. The smile left Paddock’s face as the men stepped out. Paddock called out to his clan who was still in the house.
The men could be heard as they ran to the front door. Suddenly, they could hear someone hitting the door hard. Jansen stepped out of the woods, making eye contact with Paddock. The rest of the clan couldn’t get out of the house. They started yelling that they couldn’t get out of the house. Paddock glared at Jansen. He could see Jansen moving his hands around in a ball. It dawned on Paddock that Jansen was a wizard and he had put a spell on the house.
Paddock yelled at his men inside the house. “Kill the girl in the basement.” Smiling back at Reece, he waited for the men to find River.
Reece couldn’t help it when he smiled then laughed out loud as they listened as the vampires franticly searched the basement.
Tilting
his head sideways, Reece glared at Paddock. “I’ve waited a long time for you too. Your ignorance has cost you this time, Paddock. Really, you didn’t think I would leave my mate in the house. I knew you were stupid but I didn’t know you were that stupid,” Reece yelled out, knowing his taunting would antagonize Paddock. He wanted Paddock raging. He needed him riled so he couldn’t think properly.
Paddock’s smile fell from his face knowing now that they had already gotten River out of the house. Losing control, Paddock yelled, “I’m going to drain every drop from her, but before I do, I plan on killing you. You always thought you were better than me. Your father hated you. He wanted me as his second in command. Not you!” Paddock spit out. He tried to provoke Reece but it wasn’t working and Reece continued to smile at Paddock, which infuriated him even more.
Jonas wanted to kill. He wanted to rip that smile right off Paddock’s face. He would pay for what he did to River and to all those defenseless women he killed. Not able to stop the shift and uttering a growl, Jonas shifted as his pants ripped from his body.
Paddock had fought wolves before, but he had never seen one this big. Paddock looked back over at Reece who was still smiling.
“River is our mate. The Wolf and mine. We want your head on a stick and we plan on getting it.” Reece and Jonas circled Paddock. Jonas heard the other vampire as he charged him from the other direction. Waiting until the vampire was closer, Jonas rolled as the vampire dove for him. His momentum slung him as his body missed Jonas and hit the bottom of the tree hard. Jumping to his feet, Jonas waited as the vampire jumped back up quickly.
“Yeah, I had your mate too. She was nice and juicy when I ripped her shirt open—” Before Rick could finish, Jonas was already charging him. Knowing this was a ploy, Rick dodged Jonas who slipped on the ground giving Rick enough time to grab him and try to squeeze him to death. Jonas felt some of his ribs break as the vampire slammed him to the ground.