“It’s what you asked, and this is important.”
He sucks on his teeth. “U-huh. Yeah, you mentioned that on the phone.”
And he could have heard me out over the phone, but he’d insisted on this meeting.
“So?” He jerks his chin up. “What is it?”
“Ulrich has taken the Rising pack.”
His expression remains neutral, not even a flinch or a twitch.
Fuck. “You know.”
He shrugs. “I may not have the swanky territories, but I have the best scouts.”
“Then you know this isn’t good for either of our packs.”
“Really? And how’s that?” He tips his head to the side.
Alarm bells go off in my head. Mitchum isn’t stupid. He’s an asshole, but he’s a smart asshole who made the best of the shittiest territory his lack of influence could net him. He knows how Ulrich taking over could affect his business operations. How Ulrich will muscle in, and the fact he’s so nonchalant can only mean only one thing.
“You made a deal with him, didn’t you?”
He gives me a closed lipped smile. “Like I said, I have my scouts. I knew this was coming so I got cut into the action.” He takes another swig of his beer. “And when you called, I gave old Ulrich a buzz and he agreed to sweeten the pot if I deliver you to him.”
Shit. Not good. “Mitchum, you’re making a mistake. Ulrich can’t be trusted.”
He sits up now, nonchalance gone, eyes chips of glass. “I know Ulrich. He and I, we’re cut from the same cloth. But you… You’re a moralistic do-gooder who thinks he’s better than everyone else. Yeah, we know about your alpha bitch and the miasma having her in your pack provides.”
My hackles rise. “You don’t get to talk about her like that.”
“Oh, I’ll do more than talk about her. When we’re through with you, I’ll show her what a real alpha cock feels like. Well, before Ulrich claims your pack and your bitch of course. He gave me first dibs on her cu—"
I lose my shit.
I’m across the room, claws almost at his throat when pain lances through my side knocking me off trajectory.
My hand goes to my torso and comes away wet with blood.
They shot me.
“Don’t worry,” Mitchum says. “The bullets aren’t laced with silver, just a not-too-mild sedative.”
My legs give out.
“You’ll heal before you wake up.”
Shit. Fee.
Oh god. Fee, I need to….
Darkness claims me.
* * *
Hunter
I’m almost at the taxi rank down the street. I can see the winking light of several cabs waiting to start their evening shift when the celestial appears and falls into step beside me.
Seriously? “Go back, Uri. This isn’t your concern.”
“Fee is my concern, and she doesn’t want you hurt.”
I round on him. “You can tell Fee that I’m a big boy and perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”
Uri gives me a funny look. “You can tell her yourself once we make sure Grayson’s okay.”
Wait a second. “We?”
“I’m coming with you.” He says it like it should be obvious.
But I don’t know this guy, and I can’t trust someone I don’t know to have my back. “I don’t need your help.”
“Fine,” he says. “Then I’ll just do what I do best. Watch.”
Is he fucking serious? “Listen, Wings, this isn’t some show.”
“No,” Uri says, his ember eyes bright in the growing gloom. “It’s not a show. It’s not a joke. It’s not a time to be a stubborn ass. Grayson’s life could be in danger. You may not know me or trust me, but Fee and Grayson do, and that should be enough for you.”
Fuck. He’s right. I hope I won’t regret this… I look at the taxi rank then back at the celestial. “Can you do that teleport thing with me in tow?”
He grins at me. “Perks of the job.” He holds out his hand. “You’re going to have to hold on tight.”
I take it.
“Where to?” he asks.
I rattle off the address of Mitchum’s skank-hole. The world fractures then rematerializes, and I’m violently sick all over the flagstones.
I peripherally register that we’re across the street from Mitchum’s apartments, but my stomach is too busy cramping. The roar of an engine and the peel of tires provide a backdrop to my puking.
Uri stands to one side, out of spray reach.
Finally, the nausea ebbs and I stand, one hand on my abdomen. We’re under an awning, hidden in shadows and the streets are silent.
“Fuck.” I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand. “You could have warned me.”
“Yeah.” He winces. “I probably should have.”
I give him the stink eye and catch the slight twitch of his lips. The bastard is enjoying this.
He pats my back. “Try not to be so defensive with Fee in the future.”
Oh, right. It was like that was it? A punishment for being cool toward her?
“In case you didn’t know, I tried the other approach, it didn’t work.”
“Oh?” He raises both brows. “You mean the heavy come-ons and the kidnapping?”
Fuck. When he puts it that way, it makes me sound like a dick.
He sighs. “There’s a place in between that works best,” he says. “She’s not a possession, she’s not the enemy, but she can be a friend. Maybe more if you just relax.”
Is he giving me a pep talk? My instinct is to verbally smack him down, but for some reason, I check myself.
He holds out his hand. “Hi, I’m Uriel. Nice to meet you.”
Fucking weirdo, but I take his hand and shake it anyway.
The grin he gives me is almost disarming, and for some reason I feel all warm and tingly. What the actual fuck? I let go of his hand pretty quick and resist the urge to give him a hug.
I’m going insane.
“Is that the place?” Uri looks across the street at the shit hole Crimson pack calls HQ.
It looks even worse at night—the kind of place a serial killer would hang out.
My head clears a little. “Yes. Mitchum holds court on the second floor.”
“How do you want to do this?” Uri asks.
“There’s a balcony access with a view onto the floor behind the building. We scope it out.”
Uri holds out his hand again, but I shake my head. Yeah, I’m not touching him again. “Let’s do this part on foot.”
Is that a glint of humor in his eyes?
But he’s already crossing the street, stride easy and relaxed as if he belongs. I almost believe it.
“Hey!”
He stops and looks back.
“Wrong way. But I like your enthusiasm.”
We cut through an alley to avoid the scouts I know Mitchum will have posted around the building. I’ve been here before, scouting for Eldrick, but Grayson has no idea. He has no idea that I know this territory just as well as I know his and my own. It’s been my job to keep eyes on the streets. All the fucking streets.
Necro is my home, and I won’t have Ulrich sully it with crime and corruption.
The metal grilled steps rock as we climb and then we’re on the balcony adjacent to the huge windows that look into Mitchum’s domain. Several are open, and I catch the rumble of conversation.
“On his way to you. Yeah, remember our deal, Ulrich.”
Mitchum’s talking to Ulrich? Fuck.
“Yeah, he didn’t know what hit him.” Mitchum chuckles.
Uri curses softly under his breath. I inhale and catch a whiff of blood. Rage courses through my veins. I’m going to kill him. I’m going to—
Uri grabs my shoulder, and the world fractures. We materialize outside the safe house and this time, although my stomach rolls, I’m not sick.
“What the fuck, Uri?”
He arches a brow while I take deep breaths. I have no idea why I’m
so incensed. I hate Grayson. He got everything I ever wanted. He has her love. He has her. She chose him, and yet, knowing that Ulrich has him, that he might hurt him, has flipped a switch in my head.
He’s mine to be pissed at. Mine to hurt. Not theirs.
“Better?” Uri asks.
I nod. “Thank you.”
What the fuck is wrong with me? I’m known for my cool head. For my ability to compartmentalize my shit, but ever since mating with Fee my emotions have been in overdrive.
“Ulrich has him,” Uri says calmly.
“He’ll use him as a bargaining chip to get to Fee.”
“We don’t have the numbers to fight him, do we?” Uri asks.
“No…” My mind races. “But we may not need them.”
“I can get Grayson out,” Uri says. “You focus on the coup.”
The door to the house opens, and Fee steps out. She comes up short at the sight of us and hope blooms across her face. Her gaze slips over us. She’s looking for him, for Grayson.
My heart aches.
“Hunter?” She scans my face, and her hand goes to her mouth. “Oh god.”
“We’re going to get him back.” And I mean it.
Chapter Eight
Fee
Ulrich had Grayson, and the panic was a vise around my lungs, making it difficult to breathe. Uri held me, soothing my hair and whispering words to calm me. I had no idea what he was saying, but his aura and the rumble of his voice were enough to quell the panic and terror until I was able to think clearly.
I nodded against his pecs to let him know I was okay, and he relaxed his grip on me a little
Hunter was standing by the stairs watching us with an unfathomable expression.
I swallowed the lump of terror in my throat. “Will Ulrich kill him?”
“I don’t know,” Hunter said, but his attention was on Uri.
Pain lanced through my heart and I bit back a sob. “We have to get him back. I don’t care what we have to do.”
“I’m going to get him out,” Uri said.
He was going into the Rising pack headquarters. My need to get Grayson back warred with my need to keep Uri safe.
“It’s too dangerous. What if you’re caught?”
“I won’t be.” Uri said.
“He can do it,” Hunter said. “He can get Grayson out, and I have a plan to get you into the alpha seat. But we’re going to need Eldrick to be conscious.”
We had a plan. A way to save Grayson, and a way to stop Ulrich.
I pressed my palm to Uri’s chest. “Okay, but if it’s too risky, you get out, you hear me?”
Uri smiled down at me. “I’ll be fine. I won’t be seen, and if I am, I can jump out of the building.” He lifted my chin with the crook of his finger and brushed his lips across mine. “We’ll bring him back,” he promised.
Then he vanished.
“Uri will be fine,” Hunter said.
I sagged against the wall. Yes, Uri would get out if things got hairy. He wasn’t stupid.
“I can’t lose Grayson, Hunter.”
“I know,” he said, and then in a softer tone so that I almost didn’t catch it, “Neither can I.”
* * *
The plan was simple. We’d use Eldrick’s influence to gain the support of those loyal to him. All we needed was his voice and his face. We needed him to speak to them on video.
Eldrick had regained some color in his cheeks, and his pulse was stronger.
“Do you think he’ll wake up soon?” Hunter asked Petra.
“I don’t think so.”
Hunter’s jaw flexed as if he was wrestling with a decision. “Can you wake him up using the herbs.”
Petra looked up at him sharply. “What? Have you any idea how much pain he’ll be in?”
“I know. But we need him conscious. We need him to speak to the pack and tell them he appoints Fee as his heir, and we need him to implore them to honor his decision.”
He held up his phone. “I just need a few minutes to record it. Just two minutes.”
“I don’t like this,” Petra said. “And in normal circumstances I’d refuse, but I understand why you need it, so I’ll do it.”
I crouched beside Eldrick as Petra set to preparing the herbs. I didn’t like the idea of Eldrick being in pain, but if this was the only way to get the Rising pack’s attention and save Grayson then we had to do it. Eldrick would want to help.
I told myself this over and over as Petra administered the herbs.
“How long will it take to work?” Hunter asked.
Petra pursed her lips. “Not long.” She didn’t look happy about it.
The clock on the mantlepiece ticked, marking the seconds, and then Eldrick’s eyes popped open and he sucked in a huge gasp of air.
He focused on me. “Fee?” His face crumpled in pain and he groaned.
Oh shit. “I’m so sorry.”
“Eldrick, listen to me,” Hunter said. “We need you to tell the pack you appoint Fee as the alpha. I need it on tape. I need your endorsement to bring Ulrich down.”
“Ulrich…” Eldrick’s squeezed his eyes closed. “The traitor.”
“Yes,” Hunter said. “We need you. Can you do this?”
Eldrick took several deep breaths then switched to breathing through his nose. “Turn on the camera.” His tone was steel. “Now.”
* * *
We had the recording and Petra had administered the herbs to put Eldrick back under. I only had a minute or so before he slipped into unconsciousness again.
I held his hand and stroked his forehead. “Please don’t die, okay?” My bottom lip trembled.
He squeezed my hand. “I’m not going anywhere, Fee. I intend to be around for many years to come. We have so much catching up to do.”
“We do.”
His eyes fluttered closed.
“I… I love you…”
But he was already under.
I kissed his forehead and walked out of the room. I stood in the hallway, hands on hips, breathing. Just breathing.
“Are you okay?” Hunter spoke from behind me.
I wasn’t. I wouldn’t be until this was over.
“Fee?” He touched my shoulder, and I turned and wrapped my arms around his waist, burying my face against his taunt chest.
It felt natural, and this time he didn’t tense or flinch at my touch. Instead, he hugged me back, resting his chin on my head.
We didn’t speak. There was no need for words. We were fated mates. We were a Tribus and when push came to shove, we would be there for one another. We were one.
Finally, I pulled away and looked up at him. “Thank you.”
“What for?”
“For going after him. For saving Eldrick. For being here.”
Something indecipherable crossed his face and his throat bobbed. “You’re my mate, Fee. I’ll always be here for you.” He dropped his gaze. “The things I said to you…after we...”
“Mated?”
“Yes. I was hurt.”
“I know.”
“I can’t be that Loup. I won’t be the third wheel in this Tribus. I can’t. For me, it’s all or nothing.”
I could understand that. “I get it. But all takes time, Hunter. It doesn’t happen overnight.”
“I know.”
I searched his beautiful face, so much like Grayson’s, yet completely his own. “Will you give us a chance?”
He blinked slowly. “Will you?”
I licked my lips. “Yes.”
“I won’t touch you,” Hunter said. “Not sexually, not until you come to me.”
My pulse sped up as I reached up to graze his jaw with my fingertips. “I have a feeling it won’t be long until I do.”
He closed his eyes for a long second, and the corner of his mouth turned up. “Promises, promises.”
I pushed up on tip toe and pressed my lips to the corner of his mouth. “Sealed with a kiss.”
I ignored the foreboding threa
tening to rise inside me. If Cora was here, she’d give me a pep talk. She’d say the world may be upside down, but at least things were turning a corner with Hunter. She’d say to hold on to that.
She’d promise me Uri would be back with Grayson soon, that we would find Cain, and that Azazel and Mal would rescue Lilith and stop the war. And I’d believe her. She had that kind of conviction. I needed to channel it now.
Yeah, Cora may not be here in the flesh, but she was with me. In my heart and in my soul.
I just hoped she was okay.
Chapter Nine
Cora
I roll onto my side in the huge four-poster bed and stare at the clock.
What the fuck? I’ve slept all day?
Day two of my seven-day sentence.
Deal.
Whatever.
Jasper is insatiable. My body still tingles from his attentions. I should get up, but what’s the point?
I groan and roll onto my back to stare at the pretty canopy. The hotel is five-star, the staff are attentive, probably because they’re scared shitless of Jasper, and I have no idea where in the world we are.
I want to get back to Fee. I need to be with her right now, not lying naked, tangled in silk sheets
Jasper whisked me here instead of back to the Dominus quarters. I have no idea why, or what he’s playing at, but I have to admit it’s beautiful here… Wherever here is. Snow-capped mountains are visible outside the window. The air is crisp and clean, and despite my best efforts, I’m feeling relaxed.
Guilt grips my throat.
No. I need to stay alert. I need to find a way out of this week-long deal.
Fee could need me.
The door to the room opens and Jasper walks in, naked except for a towel slung low on his hips. His lean muscular torso is beaded with moisture.
Urgh. Show off. “You know, you’re supposed to dry off after a shower.”
His hooded gaze trails over me, and I pull the covers up to hide my nakedness.
“I thought you liked it wet,” he says. “Wet, hot, and throbbing?” He tips his head to the side allowing his tongue to peek out and touch the corner of his luscious mouth. “I know I like it wet.”
Reaper Unleashed: Deadside Reapers: Book 7 Page 5