Daedalus straightened his shirt. “Why not? Ask her first, I’m not telling you to do it against her will.”
“I-I…” Eric stared out the windshield at the buildings. “How do you tell someone you’re a werewolf?” Sure, the law considered them legal citizens, just like vampires, but people didn’t accept them. Where was the romance in turning into a hairy monster? He quirked an eyebrow at his companion. Or a bloodsucker. “This isn’t about me, is it? You must have asked Sugar to become a vampire.”
For a moment, Eric didn’t think Daedalus would answer him but it made sense. The vampire sat still, like stone, as only the dead could.
“I did.”
“And?” He couldn’t guess Sugar’s decision. A year ago she’d run from all of them, too freaked out by their differences. Now, they lived happily under one roof. She’d even joined them a few times on full moon celebrations in the forest to watch them change. Maybe Spice could accept him.
“She’s thinking about it. To be honest, I thought she’d turn me down, so I’m happy she’s at least giving the idea a chance.” He shrugged. “If she says ‘no’ I’ll be forced to watch her age and die, and I don’t want to. Is it selfish of me?”
“Is it selfish of me to want to be with the woman I love and not take some stranger as a mate?” He gave a silent prayer of thanks for getting this opportunity to make his point to his thickheaded mentor. Daedalus was a true friend and had a lot of experience for them to fall back on, but he thought and lived like a warrior.
Eric was a lover.
“No, it’s not. Point made, but I’m not the one you truly have to convince. There’s a warehouse full of female werewolves duking it out as we speak. What are you going to do, Alpha?”
“Shit if I know. Let’s go before someone gets seriously hurt.”
Daedalus shifted the car back into motion and drove to the warehouse where Eric had killed Michael, the old Ayumu alpha. Forest surrounded the building as it tried to reclaim this abandoned area. It was ideal for the pack to use.
Eric hated the place. Not just because it held bad memories but it symbolized the way the pack lived their lives. Hidden and abandoned by humanity. Things needed to change and as alpha it became his responsibility.
Ten cars sat in the parking lot by the entrance. A low growl rumbled in his throat. Daedalus heard through the grapevine some of the females were forming challenge rounds tonight, but Eric hoped the rumor to be false. When he took control of the pack, he’d asked them for a year before he picked a mate. His one year anniversary passed a month ago. Since then, the women with ambition to lead next to him had been challenging each other to obtain dominance. The one who wins gets the prize. Him.
They parked next to the cars. “What next, Alpha?”
“If I break this challenge up, they’ll start another one tomorrow. I’m getting tired of these games.”
Daedalus leaned his seat back and placed his hands behind his head. “If you need me, holler. I’ll come running.”
To add to Eric’s stress, over the last few weeks Daedalus had stopped being a physical presence at his side. Time to cut the apron strings, he’d said.
“Sure you will.”
The vampire grinned and flashed his fangs.
Eric opened the car door and climbed out. He stretched since his six-foot frame felt cramped after being folded into the sports car. A faint cry of cheering came from the warehouse. He rolled his eyes. How was he going to deal with this?
He walked to the door and entered the building. Two werewolves fought inside a cacophonous ring of crazed women and snarling beasts. The larger of the fighters smashed her opponent to the ground, then pinned her with a clawed foot. She howled her win.
At least these fights weren’t to the death.
After she gloated, the female beast looked in his direction. From her scent, he recognized her as Clair, the most dominant of the challengers so far. She changed back to her female form, her fur melted to smooth skin and her bones slid into place without a single pop. Her long brown hair fell to her hips but instead of using it to cover her nudity, she flung it over her shoulders. The others turned to stare at him.
Show no fear. I’m bigger and stronger than them. He swallowed. “Time to go home everyone. Fun’s over.” With a gesture of his arms to scatter, he approached the group. A few whimpered and crawled away but most stood their ground. They were competing to be the alpha female after all. “I said it’s time to leave.” He glared at each one.
Four others walked away, which left three facing him. Clair crossed her arms under her bare breasts. “If you won’t choose a mate then the Accords state we’re entitled to fight for it.”
She used the Accords against him. The very thing he’d done to get Michael into the challenge ring. Most paranormal races still followed the general laws set down centuries ago. Vampires, merpeople, selkies, and other Were races, but the werewolf population had forgotten them. Eric suspected on purpose but couldn’t figure out why. He brought the Accords back to the Ayumu—the Omegas, he needed to stop thinking of them as separate.
“I’m very aware of your rights, Clair, but I’ve found a potential mate. These challenges are over until I’ve courted her.”
“You can’t do that now! We gave you a year.” Clair howled and changed back to beast form. It took strength and stamina to transform twice in a short period of time. Eric had no doubt who would win those challenges and didn’t care for Clair one bit.
She and the other two females stalked toward him.
His beast roared and tore from his body. He was going to kick their disobedient, mangy asses.
Clair crouched low to the ground and stalked on all fours while her two companions circled him on either side. The woman on his right started to change into her beast form but couldn’t complete the act. She crumpled to the ground in an exhausted heap.
He sighed at the sight. It was irresponsible of Clair to encourage acts of stupidity from her pack mates. A Were could die if caught in such a state. What kind of leader would she be? His pack would wither and die if she became their heart.
Without further contemplation, Eric pounced on the woman to his left, who remained in her human form. He threw her against the wall. Her head banged against the hard surface, and she fell to her knees. She was lucky he restrained his beast. It wanted her unconscious.
A snarl warned him of Clair’s attack. He spun and caught her neck in his grip mid-leap. Her confident demeanor evaporated into a whine.
“Did you really think the three of you could take me on?”He sent his thought to her mind but could sense her beast had more control over her than it should. Disgusted, he tossed her toward the exit, then changed back to his human form. Naked, he faced her beast, crossed his arms over his chest, and glared at her. “Get out.”
If she didn’t fear him, she would have followed suit and changed back as well, but she stayed in her beast form. When she started to crawl away, he turned his back on her.
Big mistake.
The treacherous bitch lashed out and gouged his back with her claws. Not a fatal wound but it hurt him.
If he’d called for Daedalus’s help it would make him look weak. With a growl born of frustration, he spun around to watch Clair run out the exit with her tail between her legs, abandoning her accomplices.
He turned to the woman slumped against the wall who rubbed the back of her head. “This is what you want in a leader?”
She didn’t respond or meet his gaze, merely laid herself prone on the ground.
When Eric stumbled out of the warehouse, naked and injured, the vampire jumped out of the car and offered a shoulder to lean on. “You sure have a way with women. Remind me to never take any of your advice.”
Eric chuckled.
Daedalus pulled a gym bag from the trunk of the car, opened it, and offered Eric his workout clothes.
“They stink.”
“Don’t be a wuss. Dawn’s approaching, hurry and dress.” He got into the driv
er’s side and started the vehicle.
On the trip back, an overturned vehicle caused a traffic jam on the interstate. Daedalus shouted at the windshield. “Eleven hundred years old and I’m going to fry in the sun because humans can’t drive.”
“Leave the car with me and find a hiding spot until nightfall.” Eric grimaced as he turned in his seat. He could feel the blood trickling down his back from Clair’s claw marks.
Daedalus’s pupils dilated as he stared at him. “You’re bleeding quite a bit.” He ran his tongue over a fang.
“Snap out of it, buddy. The cars are moving again.”
His friend blinked and turned his attention back to the road.
They raced against time to get home and lost as they pulled up to the house.
Daedalus’s exposed head burst into flames as he stepped out of the car and the first rays of sunlight peeked over the horizon. Shrill shrieks accompanied it.
Eric scooped his friend into his arms, not thinking of burns, and ran for the house. Kicking in the door, he found Sugar inside, the source of those screeches as she watched her lover burn from the living room window.
Chapter 7
The sound of the front door being kicked in and Sugar’s distressed high-pitched voice startled Spice from a deep sleep. She jumped out of bed and reached to wake Eric only to find him already gone. Grabbing a dirty t-shirt and jeans from the floor, she got dressed while stumbling down the hall to investigate the noise.
Sugar’s voice came from the basement and Spice ran by the front door, which hung from one hinge. Oh God, someone had broken in and was attacking her twin.
She glimpsed sunlight peaking over the horizon. Thin smoke wafted in the air and made her cough. What the fuck? “Sugar!”
Taking the stairs two at time, she ran past Sam and Tyler’s empty bedrooms to the open door of Daedalus’s man-cave. She saw Sugar ahead as she ran through the doorway following someone. If this was some sort of sex game she’d kick both their asses. Then the time dawned on her half-asleep brain, what was a vampire doing up during the day?
A smoke trail led to Daedalus’s room, and anger boiled in her chest as she heard her little sister’s sob. Someone had hurt her twin. She stomped the rest of the way into the room, then stopped in stunned silence.
Eric placed a limp Daedalus in his coffin and allowed Sugar to give him a quick kiss before closing the lid. “He’ll be all right. We just got the timing wrong.” He chuckled. “Maybe he’ll have a tan after this.”
Sugar smacked his arm. “It’s not funny.”
Crossing her arms over her chest, Spice fumed. “Can someone explain to me what the hell is going on?”
Her sister twisted around, tears stained her cheeks and soot smudged her nose. She wiped it on the sleeve of her housecoat. “The sunlight caught Daedalus on the way in the house. I freaked when I saw his head burst into flames.” She glanced at the coffin. “He’ll heal in his sleep. We just needed to get him inside.”
“That explains the smoke.” A flaming head? Cool. “Is it always this exciting around here?” The adrenaline still coursed in her bloodstream which made her shout the last question. Everything seemed under control. No one had broken in, Sugar appeared physically fine, and Eric was accounted for. She took a few deep breaths, and her heart rate slowed.
Blood drops on the floor led to the shiny black coffin. “Why is he bleeding?” She pointed to the trail.
“What?” Sugar spun around and reached for the lid, but Eric took her hands.
“It’s from me.” He glanced at Spice.
In three steps, she was at his side and examining his body. A large blood stain spread across the back of his shirt. She grabbed the bottom of it. “Off,” she ordered as she pulled it over his head.
He groaned when he lifted his arms. Four deep lacerations crossed his back from the right shoulder to left hip, one next to the other.
“Oh my God, something attacked you!” She leaned in for a closer look. “I can’t see in this light. You might need stitches.”
“I’ll be fine, Spice.”
“My ass, you’ll be fine. You probably got rabies from whatever clawed you. Up to the bathroom where I can see your wounds better.” She smacked him on the bottom. “Now.”
Sugar glanced at the coffin, then back at them.
“I’ll take care of Eric. You can stay here if you want.” Not like her twin could do anything for Daedalus, but if she needed to be close to the coffin for her own sanity, so be it.
Spice followed Eric up the stairs. Blood oozed from the jagged wounds in slow drips and seeped into his gray track pants. Not as much bleeding as she’d expect though.
In the bathroom, he stood in front of the large vanity over the sink and looked at his back. “It will heal, Spice. Don’t worry about me.”
Upon closer examination, she saw that some of the gouges went to muscle. Her stomach rolled over. “You need to see a doctor. We’ll use Daedalus’s car, it probably has blood all over it anyway.”
Eric moaned. “He’s going to kill me when he sees the passenger seat.”
“Screw him.” She opened the cabinets looking for disinfectant and bandages. The least she could do was clean the wounds and prevent infection from setting in. “What kind of dog attacked you anyway? A Rottweiler?”
She heard him shuffle his feet, then sit on the covered toilet. “It was a werewolf.”
The bottle of peroxide slipped from her hands and she blinked while it tumbled to the floor. She heard the words, but it didn’t want to register.
“Spice?”
She lifted her chin and stared into his brown eyes, then the adrenaline kicked in again. “Jesus H. Christ, Eric. Th-that’s contagious, right? We need to get you to the hospital. Do they have a vaccine or something?” She gasped. “I better call nine-one-one.” She spun around and ran out of the bathroom to the kitchen where a phone hung on the wall.
Things had been going too well. She knew it. A black cloud of bad luck followed her wherever she went, and now she’d passed it on to Eric.
In her frenzy to reach the phone, she didn’t hear him follow her. As she picked up the receiver, he placed a finger on the button to disconnect the line before she dialed.
“Don’t,” he whispered. “I never told you my secret.”
She slowly hung up the receiver. Her heart dropped and rolled with her stomach. Deep down inside she knew what he’d tell her.
“I won’t catch it, Spice. I am already a werewolf.”
Her knees weakened and she sank to the floor. “When did you plan on telling me?” His eyes, she’d seen them change color but let it go. It explained the changes that had occurred since the last time she’d seen him, not only the physical aspects but the more feral edge she glimpsed on occasion.
From the corner of her vision, she saw him wince as he crouched next to her. “Last night, this morning, as soon as I could get the courage.”
Turning her head to stare at him, she noticed how he braced himself as if waiting for a physical blow. His shaggy, long hair fell over his bent head like a veil. The strong line of his muscled shoulders sagged as he balanced himself on the balls of his feet and used one hand on the floor to steady his stance. His fingers lay splayed by her hip.
Did it matter?
Werewolves were considered legal citizens. Hell, Sugar shacked up with a vampire. Eric made her world a brighter, better place. No man had ever done that for her. This week they’d been together gave her more joy than any other time in her life. She brushed her fingers over his hand.
His head lifted, and he met her gaze. The pain etched on his face aged him. It wrung her heart like nothing ever had. She’d caused it, not his wounds, and she never wanted to see this expression again. Reaching out, she touched his chin and came to her knees to draw closer to him. “What you are doesn’t matter, only who you are does.”
Such simple words, yet it carried the heavy weight of how much he meant to her. He rewarded her with a huge smile. The on
e she loved. The one he’d given her when he first realized who she was. Comfort and warmth radiated from that smile.
It lifted her soul.
“You’re not going to leave me?” He sat next to her.
“Never.”
He wrapped her in his arms but grimaced with the fast movement.
“We should treat those wounds.”
“No, trust me. They’ll be healed by nightfall. Injuries don’t last long with werewolves. These haven’t healed yet because I got them in my human form, so they take a little more time. The ones I got as a beast are already gone.”
Beast? She swallowed, not sure if the dryness came from fear or an odd sense of curiosity. “What were you and Daedalus doing?”
“I was stopping a challenge, but they—”
“Challenge?”
“I-they-I.” He blew out a frustrated breath. “Maybe I should start at the beginning.”
She nodded. “Did you volunteer to become one?”
“No! Never. When I was in college I got attacked while walking across the campus. I don’t think whoever did it planned on my surviving. They tore me apart pretty much.”
“Why?”
It looked like he stared at a faraway place. “There’s something about the smell of fear that can be intoxicating. If you don’t restrain your beast, take control of it instead of the other way around, it can lead you down a dark path.” He sat in silence for a moment, then shivered with a deep sigh. “It left me to die. I awoke in the hospital with Sugar at my side. I lived with her as I recovered until the local werewolf pack, the Ayumu, took responsibility of me. I went to live with some of them.” He shook his head. “Some were no better than animals. Dominance is very important to pack hierarchy, and I didn’t understand that concept at the time.”
“How could you? You were dealing with a huge life change.” She stroked his hair as he leaned his head against hers.
“I can’t express how good it feels to tell you.” He kissed her forehead. “But there’s more.”
She snuggled to his chest and listened to the pounding of his heart. What a sight they’d be if someone were to walk in at this moment. Eric half naked with bleeding claw marks across his back with her dressed in dirty laundry sitting on his lap in the middle of the kitchen floor. She snorted.
The Alpha Page 5