“Cas said you’re a newbie, but that can’t be right? You seem to have a good handle on your bloodlust.” I could hear the question in Tyler’s statement.
“I was wondering the same thing. I’ve seen plenty of new vampires feed in my lifetime and not many of them are as neat at it as you were just then,” Elspeth adds.
“She’s sired by Dominick,” Cas answers. As he pricks a fingertip on his fang, before leaning forward and pulling Tyler’s wrist to him. “Here,” he says as he rubs the droplet of blood over Tyler’s still bleeding puncture marks.
I watch as the wounds close before our eyes.
Holy shit! How did I not know Vampire blood had healing properties for humans? Not wanting to look like an idiot I won’t comment on it.
“Dominick doesn’t sire people. The last time he did, it was centuries ago. You must be special to get him to break his own rules like that,” Elspeth explains.
“My brother is the alpha of the Mount Roxby Pack, that probably has something to do with it,” I admit.
“That explains it. He wouldn’t have wanted a war between us and the pack, not now we’ve been working together. Theo and Dominick have been on the brink of war for years. It’s only since the alpha’s female came to town that peace looked somewhat possible.”
“For the time being!” Dominick interjects as he enters the room.
Twenty-Five
HOT-TEMPERED PUP
DOMINICK
“Master Dominick?” I only rose a matter of minutes before Elspeth’s words accompany a gentle knock on the door.
Elspeth would not disturb me at this time of the day unless it were important. I dart to open the door not caring that I’m only wearing my underwear. “What’s wrong?” I ask, the concern for my people bleeding out of me.
“I’m sorry to disturb you so early, but there’s someone at the front door. He’s furious. I’m not sure how much longer the door will hold against his strength.” The door she’s talking about is a reinforced door; it should hold up to almost anything.
I pat her arm to reassure her I’m not mad at her. “You did the right thing. I’ll get dressed and go and see who it is. Go back to the human quarters. Make sure you lock the doors and don’t let anyone in or out until I come and tell you it’s all clear.”
“Okay, I’ll round everyone up,” she says, before turning and leaving to fulfil her mission.
I throw some clothes on and materialise behind the closed door. I would like to keep this outside, but it’s still early and the sun won’t allow me to keep my people safe that way.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
“You better open this fucking door right now, bloodsucker, or I’ll knock the fucker down.” The person on the other side threatens. If he’s going to throw threats he better be willing to stand up to me when he’s before me.
I open the door as requested and find myself pinned to the wall behind it. The door quickly slams shut, not giving the remnants of the sun a chance to touch me. At least he doesn’t want me dead. Not yet, at least. The hands pinning me to the wall don’t ease up on their grip.
“What the fuck have you done to my little sister?” the werewolf demands.
Sister? Is it really Cain? He always did have a hot temper; he killed his father after all. ”I do believe it’s in your best interest to unhand me immediately, pup.”
Cain growls at the nickname but doesn’t loosen his hold. “One of your bloodsuckers killed my sister. They need to pay, Dominick.”
I glare at him, in silence, giving him time to think about what he’s doing. Coming to his senses, Cain releases his hold. He’s the polar opposite of his brother and sister, with jet black hair and deep cobalt eyes. He’s the double of his father, leaving me to the assumption that Theo and Ruby take after their mother.
“Thank you,” I say, straightening my shirt. “The vampire that attacked your sister was not one of my men. You should be grateful that I found her in time to turn her.”
“You did what?” Cain growls, with a look of terror on his face.
“Cain?” Ruby’s voice questions from down the corridor. We both turn to look in her direction as she races down the hall and into her brother’s open arms. Her nostrils flare as she glances at her brother’s pulse racing in his neck.
Seeing the look on her face, I rip her out of her brother’s arms before she can sink her teeth in. “No!”
“What the fuck?” Cain questions, not having seen the look on his sister’s face.
Tears roll down her cheeks. “You smell so good. I’m sorry.”
Cain stares at me, helpless. I can tell he wants to pull her into his arms and comfort her. Easing my hold on her, I allow him to pull her to his side, making sure to stay in reach in case she loses control again.
“It’s okay, Ruby, he understands,” I say, hoping my words comfort her, if only slightly.
“But he’s my brother, and I can’t even hug him without wanting to drain him,” she says miserably, pulling away from him.
“In time, you’ll have the control you need. Trust me.”
Looking up at me, she stretches on her tiptoes and kisses me on the cheek before walking away, leaving me standing with her brother in the corridor.
Cain sighs and leans casually with his back against the wall. “Theo didn’t tell me you’d turned her. Why?”
“When I spoke to him, we were still uncertain whether she would transition or get through the bloodlust. He was adamant that she wasn’t going to make it. I don’t know what was going through his head.” I pace back and forth, unable to relax with the wolf so close to my people.
“They won’t hurt her will they, to get to us?” he asks, as he looks in the direction she’d gone a few moments ago; obviously referring to the rest of my vampires.
“No, I sired her myself. No one will dare touch her. She’s one of the safest vampires in the town. You may not believe it, but we are a family here. A lot like your packs. Ruby is a vampire, she’s one of us. A rogue may try to harm her, but she’s stronger now, she isn’t the weak human you once knew,” I say, reminding him of her newly acquired vampire abilities.
He accepts my word with a nod and goes to open the door, pausing with his hand on the knob. “She may be a vampire, but she will always be my sister,” Cain says adamantly, before leaving.
I stand, staring at the closed door for a moment. It looks like the Wilson pup that left town a lost little boy has come back a man.
Twenty-Six
CALMING THE STORM
CAIN
While I was living the life of a lone wolf, I managed to find another wolf’s missing mate. Frankie Rossi from the Rossi Pack in Western Australia. She’d been kidnapped and well hidden. My problem once finding Frankie, was convincing her to go back to her mate. We lived on the run for nine months, and then it was her mate’s impatience that caused the reunion in the end.
As much as I had aimed to punish myself by living as a lone wolf for the rest of my life, after leaving Theo’s life and marriage in a complete mess, I ended up finding myself a little pack of my own. I hadn’t even realised it until I had to hand them over to their original pack. It hurt, so much more than it hurt to leave Theo and the Mount Roxby Pack over a year ago. Living together on the run gives you a connection like no other. When Theo called to tell me about Ruby, Frankie insisted on coming with me. Her mate and alpha somehow allowed her to leave his sight again, and I promised I would protect her as though she was mine.
When I went to see Dominick, my protective instincts kicked in, and I felt the need to keep Frankie well away from the vampire and his lair. Making my way back to where I’d left her at Misty’s with Billy, one of Theo’s wolves, I couldn’t calm my temper down. Theo had made it sound like Ruby was dead, well and truly dead, when he gave me that nightmare of a phone call. To say I want to knock my brother’s lights out is putting it lightly.
Storming into the bar, I let my eyes roam around the room looking for Frankie and Billy, ignoring the w
olves that obviously recognise me with shock written all over their faces. Spotting Frankie’s short spiky hair, I head over to the booth.
Sensing me, she turns before I even get halfway there. “Everything okay?” she asks. The worried look on her face says she already knows the answer to that question.
“Theo made it out as though she was dead! I’m gonna kill him,” I snap as I pace beside the table; the energy flowing through me is too wild for me to sit.
“She’s not dead?” Billy asks, apparently confused.
“Dominick managed to save her by turning her. She’s a vampire,” I state. “Why the fuck wouldn’t he tell us there was a chance? Dominick said Theo knew she’d been turned, making it through the transition wasn’t guaranteed, but there was hope. Hell, the King himself turned her.”
“I need to tell Jared. He’s been trying to talk some sense into Ed and Paddy; they both blame themselves. Bel is just as bad. She was the one that left her to walk to the car alone. The tension throughout the pack has doubled since last night’s hunt for ‘the Rogue’ was a bust,” Billy says as he stands, pulling his phone out of his pocket. He has the phone to his ear as he heads for the exit.
“You need to calm down before you see your brother,” Frankie insists, tugging on my arm trying to force me to sit next to her.
With a shake of my head, I pull my hand out of hers. “If his mate is blaming herself, I need to go now.”
After considering my words for a second, Frankie stands and follows me out of the bar.
“It was nice to meet ya, Frankie. Maybe ya could bring ya mate with ya next time ya’re in town,” Misty yells from where she’s serving behind the bar.
The short drive to Theo’s is a silent one. I use the time to calm my wolf down; he’s pissed at Theo for not telling us the full story, but he’s willing to hold back and allow me to take control of the situation. As much as I’d love to give Theo a beating, he probably has a valid reason for his actions. I fucking hope he has a valid reason. I park next to a blue Ford XR6 Ute and take the keys out of the ignition.
I don’t make a move to exit the car.
Frankie reaches a hand out to stroke my forearm. Her wolf’s omega energy does the trick at helping my wolf relax. Omega’s are a special kind of wolf; there aren’t many around and it can be dangerous for them to show what they are. “You shouldn’t be doing that around a pack you don’t know!” I remind her.
“He needed it,” she observes matter-of-factly. She was right. My wolf needed it.
I give her hand a little squeeze in thanks. “Thank you. Are you ready to meet my brother?”
She nods in response and we both exit the hire car. We reach the door and I stare at it not sure what to do, this was my home at one point. I’ve never knocked on this door, but with the way things were when I left I contemplate knocking for a second until I remember why I’m here. I turn the handle and walk straight in. I’m immediately flooded with an onslaught of memories, I push them back. I’m not here to deal with the past, I’m here for what’s happening in the present. Hearing raised voices Frankie and I glance at each other, and with a shrug, we follow the voices into the lounge.
“He’s pissed and rightly so. Now fucking stand down, Theo,” a beautiful brunette says, as she stands between Theo and Ed with a hand on each of their chests.
“That was a challenge, Bel! I can’t just let it slide,” Theo says, glaring at Ed over the brunette’s shoulder. Bel. So that is my brother’s true mate. She has to be made for him if she can stand between him and another dominant wolf like she is.
“He isn’t going to be the only one challenging you before the day’s end,” I state, catching their attention like I’d intended; all three heads turn our way. “What are you going to do, duel the whole pack? I know how much they love our sister. Ed here isn’t alone in that.”
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Theo asks, as he moves out from under Bel’s hand and strides my way. His intent apparent by his fists tight at his sides and the baring of his teeth.
“Do you really think you could drop a bombshell like that and I wouldn’t turn up?” I growl, as we stand toe to toe. “Do you really want to do this? Our sister is alive. Do you want to duel and make sure one of us won’t get to see her again? You didn’t duel me when I slept with your wife because you worried about whether you’d make it out alive. Well, I haven’t gotten any weaker since I’ve been away,” I threaten.
Frankie pulls on my arm trying to pull me back from Theo. The feel of her Omega energy rolling over me, attempting to placate my wolf doesn’t make me step back. No, it’s the fact that my actions caused her to reveal what she is in front of a group of dominant wolves, that’s what makes me back down.
I see the wonder on Theo’s face for a second before it’s replaced with recognition as his eyes fall on Frankie. “Oh fuck, Cain, what have you done? That’s Frankie Rossi. I need to call O’Keefe.” He pats his pockets no doubt looking for his phone.
“I assure you, my mate knows where I am and who I’m with,” Frankie says, speaking for the first time.
“I sense the truth in your words. But...” I could tell he was torn, he wanted to call Jesse, but he didn’t want to call Frankie a liar.
I pull out my phone and hit Jesse’s number on my recent calls list making sure to hit speaker so he can hear me clearly. He answers almost immediately.
“Is Frankie okay?”
Frankie jumps at the worried tone of his voice. “I’m fine, Jesse. Theo just needed some confirmation that you know where I am.”
“Good. Good. I’ll be sure to send out a mass email, so it doesn’t happen with anyone else,” he says, sounding much more at ease. “Take care of her Cain.”
“Always!” I reply, before ending the call and placing my phone back in my pocket.
“Something tells me you both have a long story to tell us. Who wants coffee?” Bel asks, as she makes her way into the kitchen.
Theo follows her into the kitchen and pulls out the mugs, as she fills the kettle. “Sweetheart, I know how much you believe coffee fixes everything, I just don’t think it will even make a dent in this problem.”
We all stand around the kitchen bench while Bel pours everyone a coffee.
“So, you’re an Omega? I guess that explains the motive behind your kidnapping?” Theo says to Frankie, breaking the silence.
Frankie glances at me nervously and I stroke my hand down her back in a soothing gesture, before she has the courage to answer, “Yes.”
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you two were mated,” Theo says, with a sharp laugh. “Looks like you have a thing for taken women. I wonder if Jesse knows that?”
With his last sentence, I pounce over the bench top and knock Theo to the floor.
“For fuck’s sake, when did this turn to the Theo and Cain show? Did you all forget about Ruby?” Ed yells, anger pouring off his body.
I feel Frankie’s Omega energy fill the room and notice how it not only affects me as I release Theo and allow him to get up, but Ed calmly takes a cup off Bel and sits on the couch and relaxes into it, closing his eyes. “Darlin’ I don’t know what the hell you’re doing to me, but please don’t stop. It feels so fucking good.”
He’s right, when the Omega energy hits you hard like it obviously has Ed, it gives you a high. Very close to what a human would feel after smoking some good weed.
“What is all this noise? You guys know I haven’t been sleeping well and I need to nap when I can.” I turn at the sound of Selena’s voice and feel my heart almost leap out my chest, as I find myself face to face with her and her obviously pregnant stomach.
“C...Cain? What...I...” Selena sounds just as tongue-tied as I feel. I left with the intention of never seeing her again. I’d heard she left not long after I did. I would never have come back if I knew she was here.
“Selena...” There’s too much I want to say to her. I don’t know where to start or even if I should. What the hell am I thinki
ng? No. I shouldn’t say any of it. I can’t.
Frankie, obviously seeing something on my face saves me. “Selena, it’s great to meet you at last. Cain has told me so much about you. Would you mind showing me where the bathroom is while Bel sorts these three out?”
Looking slightly stunned Selena allows Frankie to guide her through the house without argument.
I look to Theo, with no idea what to ask or even whether I want to know the answer to any of the questions running through my head right now.
He answers my unspoken questions regardless. “She arrived a few months ago. Her boyfriend had left her homeless and pregnant. Bel let her stay and as you can see, she’s still freeloading.”
Bel slaps his arm playfully. “Don’t be mean. I don’t personally like the woman but she’s pregnant. She can’t exactly get a job and earn the money to rent somewhere. Anyway, your mum has taken her under her wing. She’d kick up a fuss if you threw her out.”
“Mum’s here too?” I ask. Last I heard, Mum was a drug addict. I had planned to get Ruby away from her, but I stumbled upon Frankie and my plans changed. Being reminded of Ruby, I get back to the real reason we’re all here. I shake my head to dismiss my last question. “Forget about that, Ed is right. We need to get back to Ruby. Why didn’t you tell anyone Dominick had turned her?”
Theo sighs and picks up his mug.
Bel picks up her own mug. “I’d like to hear the answer to that question, too.”
“I suggest we all take a seat,” Theo says, pointing to the couches where Ed is snoring quietly. The three of us join him and Theo explains, “You both know how much I detest those bloodsuckers.”
“Our sister is one of them,” I growl in her defence.
“Are you going to listen, or not?” Theo snaps. I flick my hand in a gesture for him to carry on so he does. “When Dominick called me, his words made me believe she was dead, at first. When I finally understood what had happened, all I could think was that if she survives the transition, she’ll be a blood-thirsty monster, craving our blood the minute she scents us. She’ll be lost to us. I’d be lying if I didn’t say part of me hoped she wouldn’t make it. And I hate myself for thinking that way.” I could see the anguish in his face and hear it in his voice. Bel squeezes his thigh gently, in a show of comfort.
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