Dexter and Porter were already pissed enough. If they saw how worked up Marcus was from her touch… That was a situation he wanted to avoid. On many levels.
Tessa leaned forward to make better eye contact with Vaughn. “What’s the range?”
“A hundred yards.”
“You’re freaking kidding me.” She beamed at Vaughn. “That’s fantastic.”
Vaughn shrugged, smiling back at her. “Well—”
Before he could go on, Dexter interrupted. “That’ll take care of the Redcaps, but not the remaining queens. Tessa, do you have any recommendations for taking them out?”
“Do you guys have any missile launchers?”
“Those would be too loud,” Vaughn said “We’re trying to keep this low-key.”
Tessa stared at him. “Seriously? You guys have missile launchers?”
“Well, prototypes…” Vaughn looked back and forth between Dexter and Porter, as if looking for help.
“Fire is best for Redcap queens,” Tessa said. “Their bodies are too big to make most other weapons effective. You can waste a lot of time and ammo trying to find their vital organs.”
“Flamethrowers it is.” Dexter was smiling.
She shook her head. “We’re going to need a lot of fuel for this barbeque.”
“I think Vaughn’s tanks are up to the task.” Dexter stood.
Vaughn let out a brief chuckle. When everyone looked at him, he coughed, then said, “My tanks… Nevermind.”
“Must be nice having that alien technology to build on right underneath your feet,” Tessa said.
The room went still. Porter glanced away as even Dexter glared at him.
Vaughn was the one to break the silence. “You told her about my ship?”
Porter hesitated a moment. “Yes.”
“He was asking me to be a Blade,” Tessa said. “I thought it was part of the recruitment package. ‘Join the team. We have a spaceship.’”
“None of the other Blades know.” Marcus kept his voice calm, though he could practically feel the rage rolling off of Vaughn.
“Seriously?” Tessa cast a look at Porter and shook her head.
“You had no right.” Vaughn’s hands clenched into fists on the table.
“Vaughn—” Porter said.
“You had no right.” This time, Vaughn shouted the words.
Tessa’s voice was a gentle counterpoint. “Hey, there’s no way I’m going to tell anybody about it. Even if I thought people might believe me, I wouldn’t do that to you.”
“That’s so reassuring from the woman I’ve known for less than a day.” Vaughn snorted. “What is it about you, anyway? Why is everybody making such a big deal out of you?”
She let out a similar sound. “I wish I knew. I don’t want to be a big deal. I wanted to live a quiet, normal life. I was in the fucking chess club when I was a kid. I had boy band posters on my walls.”
“My heart bleeds for you,” Vaughn said.
“I don’t know what happened to any of it.” The light glinted off her eyes. “We had to leave in the middle of the night. We couldn’t even go back for the cat. I’ve been fighting dwellers on the run since I was twelve years old. I wish no one had noticed me. I wish they had just…”
She clenched her eyes shut tight for a few seconds, shaking her head. When she spoke again, her voice was calmer. It was low and level. “I don’t give a fuck about your ship or your tech or your stupid Blade protocols. I just want to kill dwellers.”
Despite her words, she kept a tight hold on Marcus’s hand.
“Let’s get back to it, then,” Dexter said.
“We’ll need to lure them into the open.” Tessa’s attention was fixed on the monitor. “There’s that big open space with nothing but packed earth. The stacks of cars will obscure the view from the road. All we need is a choice piece of bait.”
“I can do it,” Marcus said.
Tessa shook her head. “No, you can’t.”
He sucked in a breath and turned to her, ready to argue. He was more than capable in a fight.
“Don’t get your alpha-britches in a bunch.” She headed off his argument, giving his hand a squeeze.
It was so different from what he expected after their “heart-to-heart” in the junkyard. Even their exchange in the kitchen. What had changed her mind?
“Dwellers don’t usually go after each other,” she said. “They’ll ignore you. Which leaves me and your fearless leaders here.”
Dexter smirked as she nodded toward him. “Vaughn, you’ll need to fit Tessa for a flamethrower and teach her how to work the controls you’ve designed. She and I will wait in the clearing for the queens.”
Now Dexter was doing it, too. Using “I” instead of “we”. Marcus took a deep breath, trying to notice if anything else was off about them. Aside from the usual musty scent being a bit stronger, he didn’t notice anything.
The challenge in Dexter’s dark gaze was unmistakable. “If we keep our backs to each other, we should be able to roast anything that gets too close. Right, Marcus?”
There was a definite threat there, and Marcus was well aware of how flammable he was. He was also aware of the silver worked into Dexter’s swords, and how deadly the man was with them.
He was also sure of something else.
“He’s not your alpha,” the voice of his dweller said.
“I know.”
Marcus couldn’t believe he was making that admission, even to himself. Thinking of Dexter as the alpha had helped Marcus hold himself together over and over again.
Now, he had something else to hold him together. He looked back to Tessa and then to Vaughn.
“Sounds like a good plan,” Marcus said.
“Then let’s get moving.” Tessa gave his hand one more squeeze before letting it go and pushing herself away from the table. “The queens will be more vulnerable while the sun’s out. We have about two hours of daylight left.” She stood and grabbed her dishes.
“Leave those for me,” Vaughn said.
“Actually, I’ll take care of cleaning up.” Porter nodded at Tessa. “Take Tessa to the armory. I want her fully prepared for the fight.”
“Sure.” Vaughn stood and headed for the door. When Tessa joined him, he said, “You coming, Marcus?”
“I’ll catch up.” Marcus and Dexter had locked gazes again. Marcus wasn’t about to look away.
“Let’s go.” Vaughn could clearly see that trouble was brewing. He hurried Tessa from the room.
Flat black eyes. Why had Marcus ever had trouble meeting them before? He felt his own eyes start to tingle, a surge of adrenaline flowing over his skin not unlike a change. Just without the fur.
Dexter let out a chuckle. “I wondered when this moment would come. I thought it would be sooner.”
“You can’t keep me from her.”
“I noticed.” For the first time, Dexter broke eye contact first. He shifted his gaze to Porter.
Another rush flooded Marcus’s system. It didn’t matter that there was nothing submissive in Dexter’s expression or body language. There was also nothing dominant about it.
“You’re not my alpha,” Marcus said.
“Of course not.” Dexter actually laughed. “That was your assumption.”
Marcus was reeling. His dweller wasn’t so much talking to him as feeding images of Marcus ripping Dexter’s head off and doing unsavory things to it.
“Why would you let me think that?”
“Because you needed to,” Dexter said. “You needed someone to tell you what to do. You needed to be able to tell yourself that you weren’t alone, that you had someone to help you fight the urges that plagued you after being turned.”
The world felt like it was shifting on its axis, the room tilting around Marcus as he tried to get his bearings in this new reality.
He thought back over his time with the Blades and knew Dexter was right. His influence had been critical in those first few months. Years even. But not any
more. Marcus could control himself.
Dexter stood and crossed the room to stand behind his twin. “It doesn’t matter that you don’t have an alpha. You still have a boss. And if you want to remain a Blade, you’ll follow my orders.”
“You mean, if I want to keep my head.”
Dexter’s eyes became colder. Marcus didn’t know they could. An eerie feeling crept down his spine as they held each other’s gaze, sizing each other up anew.
Dexter wasn’t afraid of Marcus. Not a single bit. Marcus knew how ruthless and skilled Dexter was in battle and had a healthy respect for his “boss”. And yeah, Marcus was a little bit afraid of Dexter. He was self-aware enough to admit it.
But Dexter had also seen Marcus in action. He knew what Marcus was capable of.
Why wasn’t Dexter scared?
The werewolves he’d taken out were cocky and arrogant. They weren’t expecting an attack. And even after seeing Dexter wielding his swords, they hadn’t taken him seriously until it was too late.
Marcus knew not to make that mistake. Which meant that Dexter didn’t have the advantage of surprise.
Every time he turned his back on Marcus—hell, every time Dexter went to sleep—he had to be thinking that there was a seriously pissed off werewolf close enough to strike.
But Dexter had never put off the faintest hint of unease in Marcus’s presence. Or ever, really.
The only shift Marcus had ever detected in Dexter’s scent was that weird musty smell getting stronger around Tessa, just like Porter’s did. There was something going on between all three of them—and that didn’t sit well with Marcus.
As if reading his thoughts, Porter said, “Tessa can be headstrong and stubborn. It’s obvious she’s taken an interest in you—an interest that you will discourage.”
“No, I won’t. Tessa is…” Marcus stopped himself, conditioning taking hold where fear no longer existed. He shook his head.
Just because Dexter wasn’t the alpha of Marcus’s pack, that didn’t mean there wasn’t one. Marcus was the alpha. It was time to start acting like it.
He stood, and said, “Tessa is pack.”
“She’s family.” Porter slammed his fist on the table.
What the hell?
“More and more interesting,” his dweller thought.
Dexter put his hand on Porter’s shoulder. Porter closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. Dexter held Marcus’s gaze, challenging him openly. Their scent intensified again—old earth and stale leaves. The energy in the room crackled with the threat of violence.
The problem was, if a fight started, Marcus wasn’t sure who or even what he’d be dealing with. Not his alpha. Not his boss. In that moment, he wasn’t even sure… He wasn’t sure they were human.
He thought about what Tessa had said about her family. About how she’d mistaken Porter for her brother, Brock.
“What is he?” The voice in Marcus’s head almost sounded frustrated.
Marcus wasn’t as concerned with the “what” as the “who”. And how that might impact Tessa.
“We’re all a family,” Dexter said. “All the Blades. And Tessa is one of us now, whether she’s ready to admit it or not.”
Marcus snorted. “Yeah. That’s what Porter meant.”
“The world is full of mysteries,” Porter said. “And monsters. Some of which need to be taken care of. Are you going to follow orders, or will Dexter and Tessa be heading to the junkyard on their own?”
“I’ll handle your orders in the field,” Marcus said. “But outside of that… That’s between Tessa and me. It’s none of your business.”
Porter grimaced, but didn’t say anything. Skin prickling, Marcus turned his back on the pair, even though he wasn’t entirely sure they wouldn’t use the opportunity to launch an attack. His muscles rippled with the urge to change.
At the door, Dexter called out to him. “One more thing, Marcus.”
Marcus paused and looked back over his shoulder.
With the same casual smirk on his face, Dexter said, “If you hurt Tessa in any way, I won’t just kill you. I’ll peel you. Understood?”
He wasn’t trying to order Marcus away from her anymore. That was progress. And it was as close as Marcus was going to get to having their blessing.
He nodded. “Understood.”
Chapter Sixteen
Not much had changed at the junkyard. Tire tracks furrowed the dirt heading into the place, little puddles forming in them from the bit of rain that had managed to fall during the day. Heavy gray clouds hung low and menacing over their heads. Tessa wondered how Vaughn’s flamethrowers would hold up in a thunderstorm. She hoped they wouldn’t have to find out.
She slid off the back of Marcus’s bike and walked to the thickest cluster of tracks. “Looks like they sent in a lot of emergency response vehicles. Those people have no idea how lucky they are. Walking into a space with so many Redcaps…” She shook her head.
“Hey, resident Redcap expert. Maybe you can answer a question that’s been bothering me.”
Tessa jumped as Vaughn’s voice spoke directly into her ear. It was unusual enough having partners in a hunt. Having backup right in her ear was just plain weird.
She looked at Marcus and he nodded. Feeling a little self-conscious, she spoke as if Vaughn was there, thinking how strange it would seem from outside that she was talking to herself. Then again, everyone who was there was on the same frequency and could hear everything being said. She’d have to watch out for that.
“Go ahead,” she said.
“Why don’t the Redcaps attack police? Or EMTs, for that matter. In all my reports, I’ve never heard of an emergency responder going missing.”
“If something shows up with lights and sirens, they know to run and hide. They’re not completely stupid.”
“Hmm.”
She could hear Vaughn typing on the keyboard built into his desk in the ops center and envisioned him staring at the screens, taking in all the data he could. After being trained on the slick flamethrower he’d invented himself, her estimation of the Blades’ “IT guy” was pretty much through the roof.
A small tank was strapped to her back. It conformed to her body well enough that it wouldn’t interfere with her movement, even with the harness attached to it. She barely felt its extra weight. Vaughn had told her its burn time quadrupled what her old one could do. The hose for it was built into her jacket—completely undetectable from the outside.
If she needed to use the flamethrower, she could twist her hand a certain way and the nozzle would spring out from the jacket’s cuff. The controls were on the nozzle itself.
She’d been skeptical about how safe the whole thing was until Vaughn had taken her through a practice run in one of their training rooms. Its accuracy was incredible, as was its range. The fire came out more like a stream than a cloud. Efficient and easier to control.
The whole time, all she could think was, “Damn, Blades have it easy.”
And, “I could get used to this.”
If she let herself. Which she would not. Probably.
She heard a low, sustained note behind her. Marcus’s bike emitting its Redcap repeller.
Marcus walked up next to her. “Are you sure you’re okay with this?”
“What, walking into the middle of Redcap territory that’s home to multiple queens and hoping they’re in the mood for a snack?” She grinned at him. “Pfft. Piece of cake.”
Dexter joined them after parking his bike a few yards away and starting up its repelling note. “Remember the parameters. We need to keep as low a profile as we can. The stacks of cars should obscure line of sight for anyone driving by, which might be unlikely in this section of town this time of day, but we still need to be careful. Vaughn is monitoring police bands and will let us know if anyone gets curious.”
“I’m still not sure these flamethrowers will be enough to take down a queen,” Tessa said. There was a lot of flesh they’d need to roast to take them out.
>
“Who said we’re only using flamethrowers?” Dexter drew one of the short swords strapped to his back.
She shook her head. “You are absolutely insane.”
Dexter smirked. “Welcome to the family.”
He probably meant it as a joke, but with the way he reminded her of Brock, it just pissed her off.
“One thing before we go in,” she said. “If I’m taken out, burn me. Don’t leave anything behind.”
“Tessa—”
She cut off Marcus before he could give away anything about her “unfortunate situation”.
“I’m serious,” she said. “I won’t be a meat puppet.”
“It won’t be an issue.” Dexter spoke with such conviction. So damn cocky—all of these guys.
Tessa snorted. “Is this the part where you tell me you’re not going to let anything happen to me?”
“No. It’s the part where we remind you that Marcus won’t let anything happen to you. But yeah, same here.”
There was that weird “we” again. Porter had been right, though. She was getting used to it.
Dexter nodded at Marcus. “Suit up.”
She looked at Marcus, wondering what Dexter was talking about. Marcus was the only one without a flamethrower. Now that she thought about it, he didn’t have any weapons she could see.
There was probably a stun gun somewhere in his duster. The thought of searching him for it was a pleasant—if dangerous—distraction. Until she looked at his face.
“You can’t be serious.” He’d actually gone pale, his gold eyes wide.
Dexter cocked his head. “What’s the matter, Marcus? Afraid to show Tessa your real moves?”
“Wait…” Tessa’s mind was balking from the obvious meaning of their conversation. “You’re not talking about Marcus changing, are you?”
“He’ll be deadlier in his other form,” Dexter said.
“Yeah. To all of us.” She couldn’t believe Dexter was even suggesting it. It would be easier for Marcus to control himself in his human form. No matter what he was—chupacabra or werewolf—activating his dweller nature right before a fight seemed like a really bad idea. “Now I know you’re nuts.”
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