Henry stood and hugged them both. “Me too. I never thought I wanted to be a dad. Now I can’t wait.”
“You’re both okay with this?” Delilah questioned.
“Why wouldn’t we be?”
Delilah looked at Henry. “Show him what you showed me.”
Henry slipped the jewelry box out of his pocket. He opened it and showed it to Samuel. “I guessed on your size,” Henry admitted.
“You weren’t kidding about getting married,” Samuel replied.
“I would never kid about eternity with you, Sam.”
Samuel grinned. “Should we go show our little mama how happy we are?”
Henry laid a trail of kisses from her cheek until he lingered on her lips. “Until she’s glowing in pleasure and relaxed. Of course.”
There was a knock on the door. Samuel shook his head. “Ignore them. All I want is to snuggle you both and celebrate.”
“Sam,” a voice called from outside.
Sam huffed, exasperated. “What the fuck do you want, Joe? Don’t you have a new mate to appease?”
The door opened, and Josiah stepped inside. He didn’t seemed fazed by their embrace. “Leroy’s dead.”
Samuel pulled away from his mates. “What the fuck do you mean he’s dead?”
“Rock and Cort weren’t so obvious this time. There was hardly a drop of blood in his body. But that’s not the bad part. The bad part is that the Blood Brothers want to meet with their fighters now that they own the entire promotion.”
“How did they get away with it? No blood has to raise a red flag or two,” Delilah questioned.
“Human detectives aren’t thinking vampires. As far as they’re concerned, vampires are a fairy tale. That’s how the bastards are slowly taking control.”
Henry sighed as he let go of Samuel and Delilah. “It’s me. He said he would start killing those Sam cared about unless I joined them. I fucked up. I’m sorry.”
Josiah gave him a comforting smile. “Well, they made a fatal error, then. They don’t know us as well as they think they do, and that can work to our advantage. Leroy wasn’t close to us. He cheated us on a regular basis. We fought for him. He cashed in on our ability. No loss on our part.”
“But now they own us,” Samuel continued. “Cay and Mike hold the belts for that promotion. The more belts we win, the deeper we get.”
Josiah stared at Samuel. “Maybe it’s time to decide what’s more important to us. Being champions or our lives and the lives of those we love.”
“Fighting is all we’ve ever known.”
“Being alphas are all we’ve ever known. How we dominate is where fighting comes in. But we’ve got bigger things to deal with now. Get ready to go. We have to head out to Duluth soon.” Josiah looked at Delilah and Henry. “Just us. Mates stay at home. We need to keep what we love, what we hold dear, where it’s safe. You both are safe here.”
“And your mate?” Samuel countered.
“They don’t know about her yet. But trust me. As soon as Sarah stops freaking out, she’ll be here in my arms and not in Bemidji where I can’t protect her. Twenty minutes, Sam.” Josiah stepped out, closing the door behind him.
Samuel pulled them into his arms. “Stay put. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He looked at Henry. “Please be the voice of reason. I love my sisters-in-law, but they’ve gone off on their own before instead of staying put. And I’m certain they can coerce this one.” He kissed Delilah on the forehead.
She scowled. “Hey now.”
Henry laughed and pulled Samuel to him. He kissed him hard and deep. “I’ll keep an eye out for all of them.”
“Thank you.” Samuel paused and then held out his hand. “Could I have my ring?”
“I’m not sure we’ll ever have our wedding,” Henry replied.
“Ask if I give a shit. You are my husband. Delilah is my wife. Nothing, not the law, will change that for me. I’m a werewolf, Henry. It’s hard for laws to apply to me. And I’m not ashamed of us.”
Henry smiled as he slipped the ring out. Instead of handing it to Samuel, he slid it on his finger. Delilah wrapped her fingers around his to help him.
Samuel grabbed her left hand and held it up to Henry. “The diamond.”
“No,” Delilah insisted. “I agree with Sam. I think I know of a couple cultures where our situation applies. I might be able to talk to someone. Until then, as far as I’m concerned, you both are my mates, and you are my husbands. I want to wear my band and my diamond, please.”
“As you wish.” Henry slipped the two rings from the box and handed the band to Samuel. Her heart pounded as she watched Sam slip the band on her finger. Henry pushed the diamond on after it. “You belong to us forever.”
“That’s everything I want,” she murmured.
Henry looked at the door. “Sam, you have to go.” He popped the last ring and held it up. “But I want this too. I promise you both I will be there in sickness and health, rich or poor. Eternity will not tear me away from you.”
“Me too,” Delilah agreed.
“Me three.” Samuel took the ring from Henry. Samuel waited for Delilah to get an awkward hold on it. Together they slipped it onto Henry’s finger.
Samuel gave them each a long slow kiss. “Be back soon.”
Delilah caught his hand. “Be safe. I don’t trust them.”
“I will. Love you both.”
Henry and Delilah echoed “I love you” in unison. Samuel pulled from Delilah’s grasp and disappeared out the door. Henry led Delilah to the couch and sat down on it. He tugged her down beside him and gathered her in his arms. She hugged him tightly.
“He’ll be all right,” Henry assured.
“I’m not so sure,” Delilah replied. “Those vampires are bad news.”
“He’s Sam. He’s pretty invincible. He only has one weakness.”
“And that is?”
Henry paused. “Us.”
Delilah buried herself deeper in his arms. Henry continued. “Do you think we could actually get married?”
“I know there are some parts of Nepal that practice polyandry. I did some extensive work with the Department of Archeology in Nepal. I can send some emails and see what we need to do.”
“Polyandry?”
“We’re not talking a man and a bunch of wives. It’s a woman and a couple of husbands.”
“Got it.”
Things went quiet as they held each other. She felt safe in Henry’s arms. She sighed. She would feel a whole lot more secure if her other mate wasn’t heading into the vampires’ lair. She couldn’t wait until this fight was over. Maybe then they could escape Rock and Cort.
Chapter Twelve
The back room of the club was lit by only a handful of light bulbs, each hanging from the ceiling by a wire. It was a room far too small for the dozen fighters that were summoned. It was clearly not the entire card. Only one woman fighter was there, surrounded by her coaches. Her opponent must not have been able to make it. Leroy had also said they had attracted some big names to fight. They probably couldn’t make it, either.
Sam sighed as he slumped against the wall. It didn’t matter. The meeting wasn’t for everyone else. It was for him, to demonstrate the hold Rock and Cort felt they had on him. Surprise, motherfuckers. You don’t have squat on me.
He took a deep breath to try to calm his quaking stomach. Micah and Caleb weren’t shitting him. This was the night nearly all the women he had messed around with were at the club. They all took the liberty to fondle him, caress him, attempt to kiss him. Halfway through the crowd, he felt his stomach lurch up its contents. He barely got to the hallway leading to the restrooms before he vomited. When he had Henry and Delilah in his arms, mating was certainly a blessing. At the moment, it was a curse.
He glanced at Josiah, Micah, and Caleb. All of them were pale. They didn’t fare much better through the mob. Ezekiel, Joshua, and Abraham did their best to protect them. But the mated managed to finally outnumber those not m
ated.
Samuel growled as Cort and Rock strode into the room. “Ladies and gentlemen,” Cort announced, “thank you for your time. We won’t keep you long. In light of recent events, we wanted to assure you that your event will go on as planned. We regret Leroy’s untimely passing. It is unfortunate.” He looked directly at Sam. “Our deepest sympathy to those who were closest to him.”
“You dragged us all down here to offer us your sympathy?” Samuel questioned. “Who is running this dog and pony show?”
Rock’s evil grin spread across his face. “We are, Mister Hallow. Not only do we own this promotion, we own this club. We look forward to working with each and every one of you to make you all world champions. Are there any other questions?”
His question raised a dull roar of murmurs, but no one spoke up to ask a question. Rock nodded to the group. “We will see you at weigh-ins in two weeks.” He smirked at the Hallows. “Or sooner.”
Slowly the crowd of fighters and their teams filed out of the room into the chaos of the club. Samuel never took his eyes off Cort and Rock. He wasn’t about to let his guard down. Someone else would end up like his aunts and Leroy. He felt his stomach twist in a knot and bile burn in the back of his throat.
“Hey, Sam.”
He looked down to find a blonde at his side, her long slender fingers running up his stomach toward his chest. Each stroke brought him closer to retching.
He took a double take at her. She was one of the girls he bent over and had sex with in the middle of the dance floor. Of course she knew his name.
Wait. Had sex with? Shit. Was he really that domesticated now?
She traced a circle across his chest. He caught her hand before he threw up again. She pouted. “Come on, Sammy. Fuck me. You know you want to. I’ll tell Derek to put some of that clear shit the new owners got into your beer. The sex has been amazing since they brought it in. Mind-blowing. Blow my mind, lover.”
Samuel glanced over to the bar. The bartender tilted an ancient looking glass decanter over the row of cocktails on the bar. He could barely see the drizzle of clear liquid he poured from it. He studied the crowd around him. He thought the shit that went down in the club before was bad. It had nothing on the orgies happening around him now. There were at least five couples naked and having sex near him, and that was just what he could see. He saw the flicker of a toothy grin from one man plowing into his lover from behind. Samuel swallowed back the fear that filled him. The dude was sporting a nice set of fangs.
He shook himself to his senses and held up his other hand. “I’m married.”
“So? She won’t ever know.”
“I’ll know. I’ll care. Not in a million years would I have sex with you again. Excuse me.” He didn’t wait to see her reaction. He shoved his way roughly through the crowd after his brothers.
“Where the fuck have you been?” Caleb demanded before he popped a couple of antacids in his mouth.
“Little young for an ulcer, bro,” Joshua commented.
“It helps a little. So, Sam? What took so long?” Caleb questioned.
“There’s more than Rock and Cort. I saw another one balls deep in a woman. And we need to keep Henry and the girls away from this place. They’re slipping some clear liquid in all the drinks, and it’s causing,” he motioned toward the club, “that.”
“So I wasn’t the only one who saw it,” Ezekiel replied. “Abe shouldn’t have been in there. Momma would kill us if she knew.”
Abraham frowned. “I’ve had sex.”
Ezekiel pointed at the building. “That wasn’t sex. It wasn’t even an orgy. That was light years past an orgy.”
“You’re caught up in the sex,” Micah interjected. “Let’s not ignore the fact that they are currently brainwashing an entire club into obeying them. I don’t know if a vampire can turn a human into one of them. But let’s face it, boys. That clear liquid Sam saw is building them an army. Against us.”
“How do you figure?”
“Get the humans hooked on the pleasure. Then, once they’re addicted, take it away. They’ll do anything to get it back. They’ll lie, they’ll steal.” Micah paused. “They’ll kill.”
Josiah cleared his throat. “Everyone, in the cars. We’ll discuss this when we get home.”
The car ride back was quiet and tense. No one said a word. Samuel glanced around at the riders in Micah’s Jeep. Micah kept his gaze on the road. Josiah kept his on his cell, most likely texting his new mate. Caleb stared out the window and occasionally cursed. Samuel, for the first time in his life, felt helpless.
As they broke through the tree line, Josiah spoke. “Sam, I’m behind you one hundred percent in this fight. But you need to forfeit your number one contender spot.”
“Excuse me?” Samuel demanded. “No fucking way. I have busted my ass for this.”
Josiah turned in his seat to face him, the light from his cell the only thing illuminating him. “Think about it. You get your championship fight against Felix Ross. Who still controls your career? Who can still manipulate you? We need to cut ties with these sons of bitches as soon as possible.” He looked at Micah and Caleb. “That means you two need to drop your belts too.”
Micah cursed under his breath. Caleb sneered. “No fucking way.”
“Cay, think about it.”
“No, Joe. You think about it. I told you all. I am not content to fight in these little promotions. I will be world champion. I don’t care what it takes for me to get there.”
“How much are you willing to sacrifice for your championship, hot shot? Your mate? Your daughter? They will own you. And they will kill them. So what do you really love?”
“Fuck you.”
“Do whatever the fuck you want, Cay. You always do. Remember the rest of us have to protect the family. If we have to cut you out, we will.”
Caleb growled as he turned his attention to the trees flying past. Josiah sighed heavily and stared out the windshield. Samuel slumped in his seat. He didn’t think things could get worse. But he had a feeling they were far from the end.
The four Hallows hopped out of the Jeep as the engine died. Without a word, Josiah slid behind the wheel of his truck, fired it up, and disappeared down the tree-covered lane. Caleb stormed past Meg and Ruby, slamming his cabin door behind him. Micah slowly crossed the camp to his mate and wrapped her in his arms. Samuel stared at Henry and Delilah as he walked to them.
“Sam?” Delilah asked. He could hear the worry in her voice.
He shook his head as he opened the door. “It’s bad.” Before they could ask anything more, he escaped inside the cabin, closing the door behind him.
»»•««
The next two weeks passed quicker than any of them hoped. Delilah spent nearly every day with Eve in either woman’s cabin researching Henry’s birth line. Meg and Ruby joined them nearly all the time they were together. The process was painfully slow at the beginning. It became more terrifying as it picked up steam.
Samuel went to Henry’s appointment with the university president so he could resign from his job. While they were there, the other six Hallows packaged up all of Henry’s belongings and brought them to the camp just like they had with Eve and Meg. Henry moped for a day and a half until Littlefoot offered him a job at the library on the reservation. He was reluctant at first. That was until he realized he got to work with children. By the time the fight arrived, he talked non-stop about his day at work. Samuel and Delilah never saw him so happy.
Samuel spent all his time in the gym training with whatever brother was available. There was too much at stake to lose. When he took the fight, all he cared about was getting his shot at Felix. Now all he wanted was to keep his mates safe and his family intact.
The three of them spent all day apart. But at night, when the moon rose, they were wrapped tightly around each other. When Samuel couldn’t sleep, which seemed to be happening quite a bit lately, he lay silently to hear Henry and Delilah sigh as they slumbered. He didn’t know h
e could love someone this much. Instead of one, he had two to love and a baby on the way. His family was his only reason to be alive. He couldn’t let anyone take them from him.
Samuel coerced Henry to take a run with him at sunrise the morning of weigh-ins. Of course, they didn’t keep on track. A moment to stop for a sip of water led to kissing. Kissing led to touching. Touching led to making love in the lush ferns that lined the forest floor. Samuel had hoped to catch a shower before breakfast. Instead, they jogged into camp long after the breakfast dishes had been put away.
Delilah stood on the porch as they slowed their pace. By the look on her face, she wasn’t happy. She had a pile of papers rolled up in her fist. Did she guess what they had done in the woods? Was she angry she wasn’t included? They had made love the night before while Henry watched. Why would what he and Henry done bother her?
“Hello, beautiful,” he greeted. There was hesitation in his voice.
Delilah lowered her head and stared at the papers. Samuel frowned. “Dee, what’s wrong?”
She looked at Henry. “Eve and I finished our research into your family line, Henry. It went painfully slow until about five BC. Then it broke loose. This guy was so terrifying that over a dozen people kept track of his family line. There has been case after case of his descendants tearing a bloody trail through history, and they were all dressed like an ancient Egyptian. Henry, sweetheart. I’m so, so sorry.” Her eyes glistened as she continued. “There is a reason Sam saw you look like you were from ancient Egypt. There’s a reason those bastards called you the Heka. You came from his direct line. You are his grandson. Henry, he passed his spirit to his son, and it continued from generation to generation. You have the spirit of the Heka in you. You are the Heka.”
“Wait.” Henry clenched his hands to his hips. “So you expect me to turn into this guy again and let him go batshit crazy?”
She shook her head as a tear slipped down her cheek. “I’m sorry.”
He jumped up the steps of the porch and enveloped her in his arms. “Dee, I promise you I won’t flip out. I won’t let him have control. You keep me grounded. As long as I have you, I’ll stay me. Okay?”
Heavyweight: A Paranormal Shifter Romance (Hallow Brothers Book 3) Page 14