Gut Deep: Torn Worlds Book One

by Augustine, Donna

  My hand shook at Ricky’s veiled warning. He’d never send anything incriminating on phone lines that were always monitored. I had to try three times before I could get my hands steady enough to reply.

  Me: Thanks. I’ll make sure I’m there.

  I turned around, scanning the neighborhood for a safe place. Maybe I could hide at Lorna’s? Her and my father were probably passed out anyway. They wouldn’t even notice me sneaking into her cellar. One thing was for sure: I couldn’t go home. Thank God Sassy wouldn’t be home yet. Whenever she went to work on “the fence,” she was gone until after curfew.

  I hadn’t made it two houses when a car pulled up beside me, a sleek black sedan that was too fancy for this neighborhood. Two men got out, penning me in from either side. I froze, trying to figure out the best path of escape if needed. From the size of them, I guessed they were shifters. Shifters weren’t as fast as vampires, but they were still faster than humans. Even human men their size would probably outpace me.

  “We need you to get in the car. Larissa Tessa needs you at work tonight.”

  If I could get home, I might be able to climb out a window and lose them. I pointed in the direction of my house behind me. “I need to go get my work clothes.”

  They stepped closer. “New ones will be provided for you.”

  I did the only thing I could. I got in the car.

  * * *

  Ricky dropped the glass in his hand as I stepped inside the kitchen with the two guards behind me. He tried to smile. It came across like the look of people give you when you greet them at a funeral, this one happening to be mine.

  “She needs a new uniform,” the guard on my right said.

  They waited with me while Ricky got me a new one. They followed and waited outside the windowless room I changed in. They stationed themselves by the exits as I went about my work in the kitchen.

  The only place they didn’t follow me was into the study area where Larissa and her company were having drinks. They waited a few steps back in the hall instead.

  The gathering was smaller this time, but that wasn’t what I cared about. I scanned the room for Mallard. I found Donovan instead, sipping an amber liquid while he stared at me.

  I walked about the room, handing out refreshments, trying to figure out how to get out of there. I’d nearly lapped the room when I passed Donovan and his dark-haired companion.

  “Why are you here?” Donovan asked, as if my presence were a personal affront to him.

  My life might end tonight and all he cared about was how I smelled. I found myself doing a Sassy sigh, mine edged with far more irritation. “Because I was summoned. I’m sorry if it’s going to affect your appetite.”

  He leaned closer. “Who summoned you?”

  “Your mother.”

  He scoffed. “My mother doesn’t give a fuck which humans show up.”

  “Apparently she does tonight.” I was about to continue back to the kitchen when Donovan walked across the room to the lady in question. I followed, tray in hand, not wanting to miss the opportunity of being sent home. Maybe my unappetizing smell had just saved my life?

  Donovan stepped up to his mother. The vampire she’d been talking to took one look at his face and left to join another group across the room.

  “Why would you request her to serve tonight?” he asked, pointing toward me. “I specially instructed for her not to come back until I was gone.”

  Larissa’s eyes barely grazed me. “Mallard requested her. I wasn’t going to disappoint him. He’s a very important guest.”

  “Then I will.” Donovan turned his head toward the door. “Fuck.”

  Fuck? Why fuck? Why did that word sound like he’d said “I quit”? Why wasn’t he fighting the good fight? I was smelly, remember? Get me kicked out of this fucking hell already. I turned to see what had stopped his argument and saw Mallard walk in. Mallard smiled at me, and every detail of the other night invaded my brain. My body froze as surely as if he’d regained control over me. My tray crashed to the ground.

  There was a muttering around the room about clumsy humans as Larissa stood and pointed at me.

  “You, you—” She stammered as if there were no words adequate to express how awful a human I was for dropping her drinks. I didn’t care. I could barely move.

  Nine

  Donovan

  Pen stood there, frozen as my mother went on a tirade.

  Don’t get involved. This is none of your concern.

  Mallard made a move toward Pen.

  “I’ll handle this,” I said. I grabbed her arm, making a show of disciplining a bad servant. I pulled her after me out of the room, walking right past Mallard whose smile faded fast.

  I shot Huddy a look, silently telling him to run interference if Mallard followed.

  He nodded.

  “I don’t need a chaperone,” I said as the guards fell in after us. They stopped immediately.

  With Pen in tow, it became obvious I had no idea what the fuck to do with her. If I made her leave, Mallard would snatch her up two minutes later. With no other option, I walked toward my bedroom suite.

  We walked in silence. She didn’t ask where we were going, and I didn’t share. Once we got to my suite, I pointed at the couch in my sitting room. She sat, not making a sound, knowing I was the only thing standing between her and Mallard right now. She was absolutely correct in that assumption, but what did I do with her now?

  The clock continued to tick as we sat there in silence.

  There was a rap at the door, and then Huddy said, “Donovan.”

  I walked to the door, letting Huddy in.

  Huddy’s attention immediately shot to the current issue, sitting silently on the couch, eyes big and wary.

  “What’s the plan?” Huddy asked, having picked up enough clues already to piece some of the situation together.

  I crossed my arms. I knew what I should say: that I’d pulled her aside to buy her a few minutes’ lead before I kicked her out the door.

  “I don’t have one yet,” I replied.

  “Plan for what?” Pen asked, still sitting on the couch.

  I shook my head, not answering her, knowing I needed to kick her out. Why couldn’t I?

  Huddy looked my way and then turned to her. “My friend and I have a strong dislike of Mallard. Mallard seems to want you. For that reason, we think it best he doesn’t have you.”

  “I thought you didn’t like the way I smelled,” she said, her forehead wrinkling.

  I ignored her.

  “You don’t have many options here,” Huddy said to me.

  “Can you can stop him from taking me?” Pen asked, looking at me with hope.

  “I can’t. He can,” Huddy said.

  I shook my head. “No. I don’t know if I can.” Was I really going to take on this battle? There was no good reason I should.

  The flush of relief on her face faded into a well of misery.

  “I know you’re not fond of humans, but my stomach turns at anyone being handed over to him.” Huddy walked over to the corner, sat in the chair, and leaned back. “You know there’s one way to stop him.”

  I knew as well as Huddy what that one way was. But every time I looked at Pen sitting on the couch, this gut feeling kept coming over me: taking this one step farther could obliterate my way of life. I didn’t need any more headaches because of a human female that kept throwing herself in the way of trouble.

  “Why did you come here to work? You knew that this was a possibility. Were you that stupid?” I asked her, anger flowing out in every direction because her problems were becoming mine. I had an entire pack with problems. I didn’t need a damned human on top.

  She flushed again. “I’m sorry if you don’t like the work detail I have, but there’s that annoying little issue of eating.”

  “Get another job,” I barked.

  “I. Tried. You people won’t let me.” She sucked in her lower lip, looking the other way.

  “Yes, us peo
ple. We’re the scourge of the earth. You humans did nothing to provoke it.”

  She didn’t say anything else, and I fell silent as well. This was getting us nowhere.

  “The way I see it, you only have two options. You let him have her or you mark her,” Huddy said.

  “Mark me? What is that?” she asked.

  “I’m not marking her,” I said. Things were bad enough.

  “Then hand her over,” Huddy said.

  If only I could, but I wasn’t letting Mallard have her. “No. That’s not an option.”

  “Then what is there to do?” Huddy said.

  “Can someone tell me what mark means?” Penelope asked.

  When I said nothing, Huddy walked over to her, taking a seat on the couch.

  “When the alliance was put in place, the powers that be didn’t want domestic squabbles, so they decided on a very clear and concise way to keep things neat. Both vampires and werewolves leave a strong scent signature when they’re intimate with someone. If there is a conflict between a vampire and a werewolf over a human, the higher-ranking person rules. Might sound barbaric to you, but it keeps things simple.” He waved his hand toward me. “He can mark you and Mallard will be forced to back off because Donovan outranks him.”

  She twisted her hands in her lap. Her eyes flickered my way then to Huddy. “But he won’t.”

  She was right. I wouldn’t. I also wouldn’t kick her out. At some point soon, I was going to have to decide one way or another. I walked to the bar and poured myself a bourbon.

  “What about Ricky?” Huddy asked. “You know he is close to this one. Remember the last human he liked that he lost? It killed me to see him that upset.”

  “How could I forget.” The guy had been miserable for months. Fucking sap. Huddy had spent half his time sitting with Ricky, telling him it would be okay.

  “Look, if that’s not enough, you know how you’re always asking me to step up more? Do this for her and I will.”

  I turned, sipping on bourbon while I stared at my friend, who’d just shocked me a bit. Huddy could’ve been an alpha of his own pack but had walked away from the position. Even as a second, he tried to shirk more responsibility than he took. “You’re joking, right?”

  “No,” he said, his face dead serious.

  “You’ll handle the pack, the daily mess, if I do this? Of all the things you could barter, this is what you want?” Fuck, I would’ve probably caved and done it anyway, but this made one choice a lot more palatable.

  “Yes. For a month only. I’m not doing it forever,” he added.

  I looked over at Pen. There was still another issue here. “It’s bad enough that I don’t fuck humans, but I’m not certain she wants to be saved if it means fucking me.” It wasn’t that I didn’t find her attractive. I did. But I couldn’t get past this feeling of a steel trap being sprung, my leg caught firmly in its jagged teeth. I watched her, hoping she’d reject me. Then there’d be nothing left to do but send her on her way.

  Huddy turned to Pen. “Can you be intimate with my friend here if it means you’ll live to see another day?”

  “I mean…” She swallowed so loudly that it echoed in the room.

  And this was what I had to get my dick hard for? I poured another bourbon as Pen’s face ran through every negative emotion you could find on the human spectrum of misery. I normally had women lining up to fuck me, but you wouldn’t know it from the look of dread on her face.

  Huddy held up his hand. “Maybe there’s a compromise.”

  He pulled out his phone and hit a button, then put it on speaker. “Doc, it’s Huddy. I’m with Donovan and another person.”

  “What can I do for you?”

  Pen remained silent, and so did I. This was Huddy’s plan. Let him unfold all the juicy details.

  “When a shifter mates and marks his scent on his partner, how intimate do they need to be? For example, would they be marked by simply rubbing against each other, or would it need to be more of an intensive situation? Has there been any research on this?”

  “Any kind of physical contact might leave a mark, but I’m not sure to what degree without the act taking place, or, at a minimum, a good deal of stimulation.”

  “Thanks, doc.” Huddy hit end and pocketed his phone.

  That hadn’t accomplished much. The room went silent.

  I continued to drink. Pen continued to look like she was walking up to the ax man.

  Huddy looked at me and saw there would be no cajoling on this end.

  He turned to Pen. “He’s going to come for you tonight. Judging by the look I saw on his face, I’m not sure you would’ve made it through dinner if Donovan hadn’t dragged you out. You’ve got one last chance to make this choice. You leave this room without…” He tripped over the last word when she leaned her forehead into her palm. “Point is, you do this or Donovan won’t be able to help you.”

  I downed the rest of my bourbon. “Mallard or me—pick your poison.”

  Her lips parted as her eyes went to the floor. She looked like a person who knew they’d lost the battle, but also just realized they’d lost the war. She had defeat written all over her in the slope of her shoulders.

  Finally, she nodded.

  “Great,” I said, and only because I’d overused the word fuck.

  Huddy stood. “I guess it’s settled, then.”

  “Go handle the situation back there. Make sure the message is delivered to Mallard and inform my mother I won’t be making dinner.”

  Huddy broke his gaze away from Pen to nod in my direction before he got out of there.

  Ten

  Donovan

  “Drink?” I asked, holding a glass out to her.

  She took it and then threw it back in one gulp. She held it out for a refill.

  Great. After I fucked her she’d probably puke on me right before she tried to cut my dick off.

  I refilled her glass anyway.

  “It’s just sex,” I said. I fucked women all the time. None of them had ever felt the need to drink themselves into oblivion to endure my attentions. I wasn’t sure why she was making such a big deal over the issue. Although she seemed to be the type who could wring the fun out of a room full of puppies.

  “I know.” She downed the second glass. I wasn’t offering a third. This was going to be ugly enough.

  “Are you a virgin or something?” That might explain it, although she looked too old to be that inexperienced. Still, I’d heard some humans waited forever.

  “No.” She narrowed her eyes, as if the question was an intrusion.

  Did she even realize we were about to fuck? If she couldn’t handle a personal question, how was the rest of this going to go?

  I was saving her ass and she was acting like I was killing her. I didn’t ask to fuck her, either. I preferred my women warm and welcoming and with a bit more meat on their bones.

  “Let’s get it over with,” I said. “There’s no reason to drag this out.”

  I walked out of the sitting room and into the adjoining bedroom. She could follow or not. If she wanted to sit on the couch and do nothing, that was fine as well. I’d get her home at some point, and then I was done with this. I didn’t want to have to see her again. The woman was nothing but a fucking headache.

  She followed me as if she were walking toward her grave, one she’d have to dig first. She hovered in the door.

  This was why I didn’t fuck humans. Their prudish sensibilities were exhausting. How the hell was I supposed to get it up? She was pretty enough but stiff as I’d ever seen. It would be like fucking a day-old corpse.

  She was the one who needed this, not me. As far as I was concerned, she could do all the work and maybe I’d lie there counting the minutes until it was over. I certainly wasn’t going to climb on top of her and feel like I was raping her.

  “If you’re going to run and hide in the corner, this isn’t going to work, because I won’t chase you. We’re doing this to save your ass, not mine.” I
unbuttoned my shirt, feeling uncomfortable about only pulling my dick out. She watched me like I was in full predator mode, about to spring on her.

  She took a step in. This was going to be one long fucking night, if there was any fucking to be had at all.

  “Would you prefer I leave my clothes on?” I asked. I’d only been taking them off to not insult her.

  “Do as you like,” she said.

  She might be acting as if she didn’t want anything to do with me, but she didn’t seem to have any trouble checking out the body under the shirt. It was when I stripped off the rest of my clothes and stood before her naked that she got an oh shit, this is really happening look on her face.

  “Are you going to turn into a werewolf while we…” She waved her hand, as if she couldn’t get her mouth to form the word “fuck.”

  “Not unless you want me to.” And not even then. The shit these humans came up with. “You said you weren’t a virgin, so I doubt you’ll see anything new.” And I wasn’t going out of my way to make her feel anything new either. She was lucky enough I was willing to do this.

  I walked around the room, and she plastered herself to the wall. This girl really knew how to get the mood going. I arranged the pillows on the bed and then settled in, waiting for her to do whatever it was she needed in order to mentally prepare herself.

  She didn’t move. I grabbed the tablet I’d left charging on the nightstand and flipped to the latest news.

  Uprising in Southern Virginia. It was quashed quickly, according the article. Resistance Group Taken into Custody in Southern California. I scrolled down to see another five titles, all similar, all with articles describing the heroic work of our men and women in capturing and killing them.

  They were even trying to feed us the bullshit now. They used to keep it to the human propaganda. Even without access to the intelligence reports I had as an alpha, it was hard not to see the truth in the lies. There were too many outbreaks. The numbers were growing. Humans might be weaker, but they still outnumbered us.