by JoAnna Grace
"Say it, bitch!" Trace backhanded her and she tasted her own blood.
"Go to hell!"
"Right after you, my precious whore, right after you." Trace clamped his fangs over her breast, the sharp canines piercing her skin. It took every ounce of control she had not to scream. For a moment she feared he would bite it right off.
The pain was too much and she gave in. "I love you," she said through grinding jaws.
"What was that, whore?"
Vivian let her cat come out to play. She looked Trace right in his eyes and said it again, "I love you." He knew damn well the sound coming from her lips meant nothing. But he laughed that she had given in. Trace raped her over and over again while she was in heat. But he took care not to impregnate her. She wasn't good enough to carry his child. He wanted to save that for Melissa...
"Shh, baby. It's alright." Kasey ran his hand over her back. "He will never hurt you again."
Vivian realized she was crying. For the first time, she was comfortable enough around another person to let her emotions show. With Kasey, her cat knew she didn't have to hide the weakness of tears. Her mate would never harm her or take advantage of her momentary lapse of control. Instead, he held her close and flooded their mating bond with support and strength.
I love you, kitten, he thought to her. With all my heart. Unconditionally. And you don't have to say anything. I can sense your devotion and it's more than enough for me.
Knowing Kasey wasn't going to force her into anything—not even their relationship—made Vivian burrow closer into his embrace. This was her man. This was her mate. And she might not be able to say three words to him, but she could open her heart and her mind to show him how she felt.
* * * * *
Amilynn stood under the glorious spray of several shower jets in her new bathroom. For at least ten minutes she remained still with her eyes closed. Heading out to face the others was not so appealing given the events that had taken place last night. The party had died down and Martin had offered for her to stay at his place. They were walking hand in hand to his car when Amilynn sensed someone watching her. She casually scanned the area, expecting to find Ezekiel, but they were alone.
Martin lived in an apartment complex for soldiers and singles. It was a nice place, much nicer than anything she ever lived in. The bachelor pad was what she expected out of a guy like Martin. Futon in the living area, empty pizza boxes in the trash. But as with any well-trained soldier, his apartment was over all clean and orderly.
Amilynn looked around while he fixed her a drink. She was going to need it. Though she was in Martin's apartment and the human side of her all too willing to sleep with him, the cat was pacing within, angry to be in the lair of the male.
Even that next morning as she washed away the scent of their night together, the cat was flustered. It was one thing to perform and strip for lousy human men, but the cat was beyond unnerved that Amilynn had sex with a wolf.
Not just a wolf, sneered the cat. The wrong wolf! Ami cringed. If the cat acknowledged the claim, there would be no ignoring it. Which made what Amilynn and Martin did last night the equivalent of adultery.
* * * * *
Vivian noticed on the drive home that Ami was more reserved than usual. No jokes, no prying into who did what after the party. She stared out the window and played with a lock of her blonde hair. Vivian made a mental note to talk to her later. For now, the Pride was going to box up their things and settle into Kasey's house before they headed to practice for that night's show. Behind them in the van were Ezekiel and the twins. Kasey had offered more help, but it wasn't necessary.
Vivian was only half paying attention as they started up the stairs to the rat hole they lived in. When the scent hit her, she instinctively reached for Melissa. Ty caught his mate and put himself between her and the threat. Vivian glanced at the others in the hall. Conall had a warning hand on Ezekiel's shoulder, and Amilynn had pinned both the teenagers to the wall with her arm. Vivian put a finger to her lip.
Ty went up the stairs slowly, not making a sound. He'd pulled a gun and had it ready. Vivian reached for the knife she'd stashed in her boots the night before. One stair at a time, the group went upward and the stench grew. It was decay and blood.
Ty opened the door with a soft click of the key turning the deadbolt. He slipped in and closed the door. If anyone was still in the apartment, Ty would kill them.
Vivian checked her family. Melissa had shifted, feeling safer in animal form. So had the boys. Amilynn had her hand buried in the neck of one, a gun in her other hand. Vivian was touched that the other young wolf had come to stand beside Melissa protectively. It was in a dominant's nature to protect the submissive. Ezekiel and Conall were poised, ready to shift or fight. Vivian noticed how Ezekiel's body was turned slightly towards Amilynn, ready to guard her if needed.
This was what they had feared all along. Trace and his men had caught up with them and now they were going to bring their troubles to Kasey's Pack. Already his nephews were in danger. If anything happened to those boys, Vivian would never forgive herself.
She sighed as Ty opened the door and stepped out. "Place is clear. They did some damage. The boys don't need to see this."
"Nate, Tom, stay in the hall," Ezekiel commanded. Vivian noted the change in his timbre, the way his eyes were more alert and his stance was taller. Yes, she thought, this was a young alpha indeed.
The stench in the apartment made Vivian want to retch. Hung from the exposed air ducts along the ceiling were three domestic cats. Their guts were ripped open and blood had been used to write vulgarities on the walls and furniture. Tables were turned over, lamps broken, holes in the wall, dishes broken, and pictures smashed.
Melissa bolted into the room she and Ty shared and came back human. She was crying, holding one of the only possessions she dared to keep. It was a picture of the five of them dressed up and smiling at the wedding they held for her and Ty. Vivian had presided. As alpha, she had that power. Conall and Amilynn were the witnesses. Melissa had searched through wedding magazines for a month to find the right dress. Amilynn and Vivian had spent a week's worth of pay to buy her new make-up, new shoes, and spent hours working on her hair. Conall went with Ty to hunt. Feline tradition dictates that the male bring his bride meat to prove he can provide for her. Getting a decent kill around Vegas was beyond impossible. They'd traveled miles to find prey Ty deemed worthy of his mate.
It had been a simple wedding, nothing fancy. But that had been the day their Pride bonded as a family and celebrated something sacred.
It broke Vivian's heart to see Melissa holding the ripped picture, one hand over her mouth, her eyes full of tears. She looked up at her big sister and the levy broke. Melissa began to sob and Ty raced to her side.
"V," Conall called out to her. Vivian tore her gaze away from Melissa and Ty to look at what Conall was holding.
The piece of paper read, "Get lost, you harlots and murderers. We don't want you here."
Conall, aware that there were three within hearing distance, whispered, "I smelled wolf right off the bat."
"And bear," Vivian agreed. "I smelled enough of them last night to know the difference."
"No cats, though. This wasn't Trace's doing. This came from the Pack."
Vivian turned to Ezekiel, who was watching Ami as she stood at the doorway of her room.
"Ami?" The young man said softly.
Amilynn turned to look at Vivian. Her eyes were all cat, ringed in red and full of tears that would never spill. Amilynn didn't cry; she beat the shit out of things. And she never stood paralyzed in the face of a threat. Vivian walked to her and found what had stopped the woman in her tracks.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Ezekiel had never seen anything like this. None of his trainers or fellow soldiers had even mentioned this kind of situation. The Pride's apartment was painted in blood. The house cats hanging from the ceiling were nauseating. His first instinct was to call his father or Kasey,
but he didn't think Vivian would appreciate him going behind her back.
What worried him were the familiar scents he'd smelled as he walked through the rooms. This was done by some of his people. And that was a big fucking problem.
He approached Amilynn, who had stopped in the doorway of a bedroom, and lifted his hand to touch her shoulder.
"Don't."
He pulled the hand back and peered over her head to see the message scrawled on the wall, surrounded by synonyms of the word slut.
Leave our males alone!
"I knew someone was watching me last night," Amilynn whispered, her cat close to the surface. She rounded on Ezekiel. "I thought it was you, but you were... occupied."
Ezekiel began to apologize. "Amilynn—"
"Save it." She looked at Vivian. "I think their message is clear. We don't belong here. These fucking people are insane." She turned a hate-filled glare to Ezekiel again. "We should have stuck to our own kind." She wouldn't cry. But the tears were in her eyes.
Ezekiel vowed to find the bastards who did this. No one hurt his mate.
* * * * *
Amilynn went in the room and picked up a picture album. It'd had been riffled through, but not damaged. With the grace of her cat, she jumped from the floor to the bed to the top of an armoire and to the rafters of the ceiling. Twisting, she retrieved a small box and came back to the floor in one single leap. She opened the box full of bills.
"I've got enough to get across country, if we leave now,"
"What!?" Ezekiel and Vivian said at once.
Ami's next words were yelled from an animal's throat. "V, these people murdered kittens and left us bloody hate mail. What part of 'get the fuck out of Dodge' are you missing?"
"You can't leave!" Ezekiel said, taking a step towards Ami. She crouched and hissed, fangs growing and hands morphing into claws. Her aggression took him by surprise.
"You have no say in this, wolf. This place reeks of your people!" Ami growled.
"I'm just as pissed as you are, damn it!"
Vivian stepped in before the pup got himself killed. "Enough. Ezekiel, shift and see if you can pick out the individuals. Ty, do the same. I want Conall and Ami to start packing anything left whole." Vivian took her cell phone out and headed for the door.
"Where are you going?" Melissa's eyes were full of fear.
Vivian let out a heavy breath. "To call Kasey."
Within minutes the cavalry showed up. Kasey was still ten minutes out, but he'd made a call to all the men he had close. One of whom was Martin. Vivian rolled her eyes when he walked in and went straight to Amilynn to console her. Didn't he know better? It was bad enough she'd slept with him, now he was here trying to be her hero. All the while she had to keep Ezekiel busy so he wouldn't start shit.
Sometimes being alpha was for the freaking birds.
"Vivian!"
Her whole body relaxed when she heard Kasey call her name. As she turned to greet him, he swept her in his arms and began apologizing, asking if she was ok, telling her he would kill whoever did this. Then he kissed her with such passion and love that she thought she would faint.
And for the first time in her life, she asked for help. "Ami's threatening to leave," she whispered. "Martin is trying to coddle her because they slept together and now he thinks he has to protect her. Melissa is about to have a mental breakdown and doesn't want to bring shame to your house by moving in. Kasey, I don't know how to fix this. If these intruders wanted to cause a wedge and tear us apart, they are succeeding."
"Trust me. Okay? Just trust me." Vivian nodded and Kasey took charge.
The first thing he did was make Amilynn and Melissa take the boys down to the restaurant and get them something to eat. Kasey knew that the boys would have a positive effect on them both. Then he put Martin to work monitoring the forensics people he'd called in. That would keep him busy. Ezekiel was to take the van to a home improvement store and get supplies to clean up the mess. Ty and Conall were meshed in with the security people and put to work tracking scents outside the building. He handed Vivian his smart phone and told her to begin snapping pictures for evidence.
It took hours of sifting through all the broken items to find anything salvageable, but they managed to find one lone box worth of the family's belongings. Martin, much to his chagrin, was left in charge of clean up.
Kasey gathered up the Pride to have a chat. "I know this is a horrible way to start off this relationship—"
"Ya think?" Amilynn smarted off.
"But," Kasey continued, shushing her, "you have my word that I will find out who did this and punish them severely. This was not just an attack on your family, but on mine as well."
"That sounds fine and dandy, but I don't think this is about your family. It has nothing to do with your house. No one wants us here!" Amilynn nearly yelled.
"That's not true!" Nate and Tom, who were supposed to be inside, came running up to Amilynn and nearly knocked her down.
"We want you here."
"You can't leave, Ami."
None of the Pride could help smiling, and even Kasey smiled despite himself. Melissa tucked her body closer to Ty and winked at Vivian.
"Why don't we all go back to the house, have some lunch and talk?" Kasey squeezed her shoulders and Vivian nodded. She looked at each member of her Pride to see if anyone objected. Only Amilynn wanted to speak out, but her hands were being held by two teenagers who had adopted her—whether she wanted to be or not. In that moment, Vivian was never happier for the infatuation of Nate and Tom. They were the only things keeping Ami from running.
* * * * *
The parking lot by the alpha house was full of cars. Vivian feared that her Pride was about to be protested. She cast a weary glance to Kasey. He shrugged.
When they walked through the side entrance of the alpha house, they were stunned at the people waiting. Vivian was assaulted—by hugs. People she had met and talked to the night before had come back simply to express their outrage at what had been done.
"We will find them."
"We are so sorry."
"Is there anything we can do to help?"
"Are you hungry?"
"Thank God you weren't harmed."
"You're safe here."
"We protect our family."
Paralyzed and utterly speechless, Vivian let the members of Kasey's Pack hug her, kiss her cheek, shake her hand. And every person in her Pride received the same affections. Members of the Pack had brought food and were urging the family to sit down and eat.
Bianca hadn't let Melissa go since the moment they walked in. Their reunion had been especially touching to Vivian. Bianca touched the battered picture Melissa was clinging to. Without a word, Bianca took a beautiful frame off the wall, removed the picture and let Melissa slide hers behind the glass. Then Bianca replaced the frame to its spot on the wall, right in the middle of her family's pictures.
Melissa began to cry softly and Bianca pulled her into her arms. Vivian couldn't hear what Kasey's sister whispered to Mel. But whatever it was had her baby sister nodding and returning the hug.
Even Amilynn and Conall had people they had connected with the night before offering sympathies and vows of vengeance upon the people who had trashed their apartment. Vivian caught Ami's eye and sent her a telepathic message.
What were you saying about no one wants us here?
Whatever. Amilynn shrugged. It's not like you would leave your mate and heaven knows I can't leave you to the mercy of these barbarians.
So you're not going to disappear in the middle of the night?
And make the pups cry over me? Guess not. Ami gave her a smile-less wink before turning her attention to a member of the Pack who had come over to offer food.
* * * * *
Vivian couldn't help but take a good sniff of every member of Kasey's clan. She would never forget the two distinctive aromas she picked up at her apartment. And one was most positively a female who was about to enter into her
heat.
She was tempted to cancel the performance that night, but the last thing she wanted was to let her suspects win. She showered and began to get ready for the show. As Vivian placed her toiletries in Kasey's bathroom, she confided in him about what she had scented in the apartment.
"You're positive?"
"Every female recognizes the scent of heat, Kasey."
"That's good though, we can keep an eye, or nose, out for all the females who disappear for a week. I'll get the cabin schedule from Bianca. If our perpetrator shows up there, it will be easy enough for us to pick her. Anything else you can remember?"
"The male's scent was familiar. But I talked to so many people at the party last night that it doesn't help."
"I didn't smell it in the house today. Which helps narrow our list of suspects down somewhat. Sampson was doing a head count and covertly writing down all the names of people who came over to bring food so we could rule them out."
"Well, the culprits were amateurs, Kasey." Vivian grabbed a tube of hand cream from her bag and squirted some in her palm.
"What makes you say that?"
She rubbed her hands together, thinking about the facts. "It looked desperate to me. Trace was a powerful force. People already feared him so he didn't have to take drastic measures to scare people. A note in his handwriting would make my parents sweat." She leaned up against the counter top and crossed her arms, her mind working. "This was so dramatic. The hanging house cats, the bloody threats, the tossing of furniture. To me it looks like compensation and rushed craziness."
As Kasey analyzed her words, his face drew into a scowl. "So you're saying these people were trying to scare you like this because they would be submissive to you face to face?"
"In a way, yes. Think about it. With the exception of Melissa, every member of our Pride is dominant. The only thing of Mel's that was damaged was a picture frame. Ty's and Conall's things were tossed about but not damaged. Now, Ami's room: stripped to pieces and plastered with threats. Jealousy all around. The place where I slept was covered in the blood of the cats hanging above it."