by K.N. Lee
His father once told him that he and his brothers were born with a purpose. Could this be Victor’s purpose? Damn. Who would be next? Rodolf? Ty? What about me?
“What now?” Bruce asked.
“We need to bring my brother and Addy here. ASAP. If my gut is right, there’ll be a big fight tonight.” No sooner than he said the word fight when his cellphone beeped. He read the message. Son of a bitch. “Leon is on the move. Watt, make sure Ty stays put. We’re going to war.”
Chapter 9
Victor didn’t have to see who it was at the door.
A fucking asshole holding a SIG SG 552-2 with permanent ACOG scope stood in the middle of the living room. AHeckler & Koch HK45 were strapped on his thighs and he wore a belt with magazines. He looked like a pugilist, too. “Evening Midnight Howl.”
Victor faced the Blood Robber. Another fucking Oregon Stumptown. Damn it. It didn’t take long for the bastards to find us. “Mind telling me why you’re here?”
“Ahh. The pretense. Well, you asked a question and to be polite, I’ll answer. Heard that you and your woman were here. I was in the area so I thought to stop by for a visit.”
“Pretty loaded for a visitor.” Victor put his hands in his pockets.
“You know how it is for us shifters. Gotta be ready all the time.”
Victor listened for any sound that would tell him the Blood Robber had company.
“I’m alone, Howler. For now.”
Victor wanted to punch this arrogant son of a bitch. He could shift and fight this asshole, but he didn’t trust his guns. If he started firing, bullets would go through the ancient walls. “Well, it’s rude of you to stop by at this time of night. Not to mention you didn’t wait until I opened the door.”
“I rang though. That should count for something. Come on, now. Enough with the chitchat. You know why I’m here. Hand over the woman and I’ll leave this place in pristine condition.”
“You know that’ll never happen.”
“Well, seeing that you’re unarmed, how about we fight for the woman, eh?”
“I say no.”
“Her scent is all over you, shifter. Is it love or lust?”
“What do you know about love, Blood Robber? You were born to kill, not spread love. Leave now, or I’ll skewer you.” Victor’s heart thumped against his chest when he heard Addy’s voice, but he didn’t turn to look at her. He kept his gaze on the shifter in front of him whose mouth went slack. “Never seen a woman before?”
“Not as fine as this one. No wonder you didn’t want to give her up. Good taste, Howler. And she has the spear, too, huh? Are you fighting for her because of the spear or she’s really a good fuck?”
Victor knew not to get baited with words. He shrugged when all he wanted to do was smash the wolf’s face. “Her father named her Tuesday.”
“And I should worry about that, why?”
“She’s not afraid to kill.”
As soon as he said the word kill, Addy threw her spear. It happened so fast, the Blood Robber didn’t even get a chance to shift or use his guns.
He watched the shifter trying to pull the spear from his stomach without success. Victor ran toward the armory in an instant and came back with a Japanese sword. With one swift motion, he severed the shifter’s head. Within minutes, the only thing left of him was his ashes. He picked up the spear then ran to Addy. “You all right?”
“Yes.”
He took her hand then urged her to follow him upstairs. “I want you to stay in the bedroom. Forget about the spear. If a shifter asks for it, just let it go. Maybe some of them don’t know that it’s useless without you.”
“Why? I can fight.”
“Yes, love. But there’ll be more than a dozen of them coming here.” He peered out through the window. “Shit.” Shape-shifters were everywhere. He saw his brothers still in their human form right away. Watt and Bruce standing beside them. All of them armed.
And so were the other group. The Oregon Stumptown.
“They’re here.”
“What?”
“Look down.”
Addy went toward the window then peered down. “Oh, my god. So many. They look ready to fight. How did they get here so fast?”
“Later, I’ll explain. For now, I want you to stay out of sight.”
“I could at least kill one or two, Victor. We have guns. And the spear. I’m getting the hang of using it.”
He pointed. “Look there. That’s Leon, leading the Oregon Stumptown.”
“They all must have gone to the same barber. A bad one.”
Despite the situation they were in, Victor grinned. “And that there is my brother—”
“Zambro.”
“Yes.”
“My word. He is magnificent.”
“He’s impotent.”
“What?”
Victor squelched his jealousy at her remark about his brother’s looks and gave Addy a quick kiss on the lips. “They are here to fight for you. If you go down there, it’ll only make the work harder for us. We want you unharmed. So, stay.”
Addy couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Wolves practically covered the ground below. Two groups facing one another. It was amazing there were this many shape-shifters in Washington State. Mingling with us humans and we didn’t even know it. The wolves were huge and those who were still in their human form were armed as if they were in a battle zone. There were females, too.
If the Midnight Howlers were into black boots and trench coats, the Oregon Stumptown dressed in cutoff shirts and ripped jeans. Despite their weird haircuts, they were built and with faces that could rival the hottest Hollywood stars.
Addy took out her cellphone from her back pocket. She thought about taking a picture when Zambro looked up and stared at her. When their gazes met, Addy felt his power. Her arm hairs rose up on end. Suddenly, she felt bad for anyone who made an enemy with him. Pocketing her cellphone again, she nodded at Zambro.
She watched Victor exchange a subtle acknowledgement with his brother. Just like the others, Victor carried a sword on his back. Guns were strapped on his thighs too.
The whole scene below looked like one of her dreams—except, it wasn’t. Someone would die. There would be blood everywhere. Addy felt panic setting in, her breathing becoming fast.
They will die because of me.
In reality though, those clans below were going to fight because of the stupid spear.
Zambro caught Addy’s attention when he broke the silence, “Leon, we can save time and energy if you just go back and take your wolves with you.”
“Not going to happen. It was us who found the boy and woman with Lugh’s spear. We want what belongs to us.” Leon spat on the ground.
Interestingly, Addy noticed the others did the same thing. What, monkey see monkey do?
“Oh, that’s why you tried to kidnap the boy, huh? So you could use him to get to the sister and then force the sister to use the spear against humans and us. If she refuses to listen, the boy would’ve suffered. Did I get it right?”
Because of the full moon, Addy could see Leon’s face. He looked beyond angry. “Mind your own business, Zambro.”
“Humans are my business.”
“Well, fuck you then.” Leon made an odd sound that echoed in the quiet night.
Just like that—the battle ensued.
Addy couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
The two groups charged at each other. Their bodies slamming, weapons clashing. Shifting into human and wolf form happened left and right. Two shifters from Oregon Stumptown were beheaded as they tried to get close to the house.
Addy felt like sitting in a movie theater watching a gory scene. “Oh, god. Is this really happening?” She searched for Victor. It took a while before she spotted him.
He was fighting, using a sword.
Why? She didn’t like it at all. With guns, he didn’t have to get close to his opponent. Maybe he ran out of bullets.
Addy sh
rieked when a shifter appeared behind Victor then raised a sword. But Victor turned in time to block the hit. Sparks flew, metal hit against metal. She watched the battle. As heart-stopping and bloody as it was, she couldn’t look away. The fight was actually—breathtaking. Everyone showed their skills in combat. What do they do during their downtime? Stage fights?
Both sides suffered losses. And it was all because of her spear. She heard what Zambro said. Leon wanted her, so he could use the spear. No one else could command it but her. Command it to do what though? Make it fly like a broomstick? Before Addy could come up with an answer, she saw a Midnight Howl go down. Two head-shaved shifters were coming after him. Without thinking, she pulled her gun out of its holster, aimed and fired consecutively. Victor reiterated that if she wanted to kill a shape-shifter, he or she must be decapitated or wounded so severely that no amount of healing could save him from dying.
With the two shape-shifters falling back, the young blond howler managed to get back on his feet, grabbed a wicked axe off the ground and killed his attackers.
Even when her heart seemed to have stopped beating, she could still help from where she stood. However, the fact that so many lives were lost because of her stilled her hands. This must stop. But how?
She looked over at the spear leaning against the wall. Her father had collected a good number of spears, but this one had been different. Whenever she held it, it felt warm in her hands. She didn’t have to aim at her target, but it always hit her mark.
A chosen bearer.
Addy looked back at the fight down below. It was her that caused it. Only she could stop it. She grabbed the spear. Lugh. Meaning light. Her father once told her that she would be able to bring bright lights and fire when she needed to. She would destroy and save lives. She would separate the bad and the good.
Addy stared at the spear. “You chose me for a reason. Show me the way. Give me the strength to do what’s right.” Holding the spear, she ran downstairs.
Chapter 10
Victor didn’t like it when Addy disappeared from the window. Fuck! He needed to get back to her. He took a quick glance at Zambro.
His brother, it seemed, knew what he’d already thinking. “Stay put, brother. She’ll be okay,” Zambro said in a hard tone.
“I need to see her.”
“You will. But we still have a long night ahead of us.”
“Fuck!” For the first time in his life, Victor hated the winter solstice. He gave a shifter with piercings all over his face a swift kick in the gut. He parried with him until the bastard changed form. Victor grinned. The ugly shit was big, but Victor was swift with his sword. He made a quick kill then ignored his brother’s warning. He started running when a bright blue light formed above their heads like a blanket.
Almost instantly, everyone stopped.
Like one entity, they all looked in the direction where the light came from.
Victor felt shocked to see Addy standing with her legs apart holding the spear at arm’s length. Light came out from the tip of her spear.
It was unbelievable.
An invisible force coming from her direction made the ground vibrate. She was a sight to see. Almost ethereal.
“Enough!” Addy yelled.
Everyone quieted. Except for the soft breeze, nothing and no one moved.
“I understand the principle behind your war, but I will not just stand and watch you all die because of me. Leon, your heart is so blinded with greed that you can’t even see you already have the most precious thing in the world.”
“What do you know about what I have?”
“I’ve seen her, your mate. Happy with your big family. But I could easily destroy your future. Tell me, do you want to continue fighting, so you could have me and the spear or walk away from here and live your life with the beautiful she-wolf that you love. Just so you know, having me will not help you win a war. I will destroy your clan.”
“Would you rather that I kill the humans because you are being a bitch?” he retorted.
“Fuck you, Leon.” Victor took a step forward.
Addy shook her head at him then turned her head to speak to Leon, “Know your history, Leon. You can kill everyone and me, but without my heart deciding to do what is right, the spear is nothing. Right now, I have a heart to send wrath at your door for hurting my brother, but I won’t do that. I don’t destroy for the sake of hatred.”
“Bullshit!” Echo yelled.
Addie swung her spear and fire came out of its tip. She pointed it at Echo. Fire enveloped him. He screamed in pain. Surprisingly, Echo didn’t burn at all. Other shifters tried to help him, but they couldn’t go near Echo.
“Eternal fire. Eternal suffering. Don’t try me, Blood Robber.”
“Stop it!” Leon roared. “I got your message.”
Addie cocked her head. “Stay within your principle,” she said then pounded the spear on the ground. The blue light disappeared and so did the fire around Echo who fell down on his knees, but nonetheless unharmed.
“Don’t trust him, Addy. They cannot be trusted,” Zambro spat the words.
Addy glanced at Zambro. “I stay in the middle. Your war is not mine. Neither one of you will get the spear. It has already seen too many battles to count. My heart is not set on that. Everyone, tonight is your midnight solstice. Think about those who are waiting for you in your dens.”
The shape-shifters all stared at each other, looking unsure about what to do.
Finally, Leon nodded. One by one, his soldiers left. Some on foot the others on all fours. “Human, our war is not your war. We’ll go, but this doesn’t mean you are off my list. Next time we meet, I will kill you and everyone around you.”
Addy nodded.
Victor could see her body shaking. As soon as the Blood Robbers left, he went over to her.
She met him halfway.
Chapter 11
Addy watched her brother. He was talking to Endy and other she-wolves. He looked so happy that she felt like crying. In the past hours, it seemed her brother turned into a man. Morgan spotted her then waved. She waved back.
No human would have guessed that a city of shape-shifters existed just beneath the ground they walked on. Hollywood movies owed them an apology for creating a bad rap about what they were. Not all shape-shifters were bad. They were divided like humans. There was the red and the blue. For shape-shifters, there was the Midnight Howl and the Blood Robbers. Both having principles and a code they swore to uphold and follow. Although, some couldn’t help themselves from breaking them once in a while. And thank goodness for that.
“Enjoying the view?” Victor kissed her nape.
Addy’s heart swelled when he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him.
He’d been true to his words. He didn’t care if his whole clan objected to having her in their den, so long as she was with him.
“It’s wonderful. It’s almost like Christmas down here.”
“I know. So you want to go back to my apartment now?”
Addy laughed. “We just came from your apartment.”
“Yeah, but I want to go back, love. Can’t get enough of you.”
“Three times wasn’t enough for tonight?”
He grinned at her. “So, you’ve met all of my brothers. What do you think of them?”
“Breathtakingly handsome. They try to act fierce, but they’re not really. Zambro blushes whenever I smile at him, Ty kept grinning, Rodolf pretended that I don’t exist, but when I talk, he listens, and Callum…well, he’s too busy texting Marisol.”
Victor laughed. “I’ll tell them that. Now, I have something to tell you.”
“What?”
Heads turned in their direction when Victor led her into the middle of the dance floor. Hand on her hip and the other holding her hand, he then nodded at Morgan.
“What was that about?” she asked.
A familiar song echoed in the air.
Addy raised her brow at Victor.
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“Let’s Be still by The Head and the Heart.” Victor began leading into a slow dance.
“It’s beautiful.”
He nodded. “This song captures a very romantic relationship. It’s about a lover who thinks of his soulmate as the way to forget about anything—woes, fear, sadness, fear, everything. His soulmate is the one that makes him feel normal, protected from the fast pace of the world.”
“Time moves so fast, he fears it,” Addy added. “And so he wants to be in the moment with the one he loves.” She combed Victor’s hair back from his forehead. “Because they had already lost time trying to find his heart. Was that what you were trying to say before the Bloor Robber interrupted us? When you’re on patrol, you always ended up going to the same alley.”
Victor smiled. “It was your dreams, your heart that was calling to me. And meeting Morgan there, led me to you. My mother told me long time ago to follow my heart. When it beats for someone, I’ll know. The moment I saw you sleeping, I knew…I understood what she was saying.”
Addy stared at him as tears pooled in his eyes. “Oh, my god. Please don’t cry.” She wiped his tears away with the pad of her thumbs. How could someone fall in love this fast, this quick was beyond her? But one thing for sure, their hearts beat as one. She kissed his cheeks. “I’ve loved you when you were just a dream. I love you even more now, that you finally found me.”
“When I saw you tonight holding your spear, stopping the fight, I knew then that it was you I’ve been searching for all my life. I love you, Addy.”
“I love you, too.”
While the rest of the shape-shifters sang, danced, and laughed, Victor and Addy held each other on the dance floor. This, too, she had dreamed.
A happy ever after.