To Win a Hybrid

by Marisa Chenery

  “Speaking of wolf. Why don’t you show me yours? I’ve been dying to stroke all that fur. Then you can take on your human form and I’ll stroke you even more.”

  Kaisa reached for her wolf side and shifted to her animal form. Devin could pet her all day if he wanted. Her wolf eyes just about rolled to the back of her head as he did just that.

  * * * *

  Kaisa came awake, not sure what had awoken her. She lay on her side, close to the edge of the bed. She turned her head to find Devin asleep. He was on his back, stretched out to take up more than half the king-sized mattress. He quietly snored. She rolled to her other side with a smile. The man was a bed hog. She’d have to have a little chat with him about that in the morning. If she slept over, she wanted to be comfortable.

  She realized in which direction her thoughts had headed. Kaisa had already planned to sleep over at Devin’s house a lot. It was after the third time they’d made love that she’d made the decision. He was an unselfish lover, and the way he touched her, he made her feel cared for. It’d been too long since she’d let a man into her life, other than to scratch an itch.

  Devin didn’t know it yet, but he’d won her over. He’d done a thorough job of taking away all her memories of sleeping with Thad and replacing them with better ones. She could now say she’d put her first love behind her. No more would she let him and what he’d done to her have any bearing over her life. Devin would give her the fresh start she hadn’t known she so badly needed.

  Kaisa closed her eyes to try to go back to sleep. It was at least three hours before dawn, and Devin would be getting up early. Her eyes snapped open at a sound of something or someone moving around near the back entrance to the house. That was what must have awakened her.

  She quietly slipped out of the bed. Devin slept on. He wouldn’t have heard the sounds coming from outside. They weren’t loud enough for a human’s range of hearing. Kaisa gathered up her clothes from the floor and then hurriedly dressed. She wasn’t going to investigate the noise naked.

  Walking silently, she left the bedroom and then headed to the back entrance. It was a regular wood door in the kitchen that led out to the backyard. It had a window in the center with a curtain covering it. She pushed the material to the side and peered out. There was a man on the patio, pacing back and forth. She didn’t recognize him, and the way he stumbled every once in a while, it was obvious he had a hard time seeing in the dark, which meant he wasn’t a vampire.

  Not sure why he was there or what he wanted, Kaisa unlocked the door to step outside. Now that she’d decided to let Devin into her life, it was her responsibility to watch over him until she turned him. As a human he was vulnerable. And having a strange human male at his back door in the middle of the night made her extremely uncomfortable.

  She silently slipped out the door and then closed it behind her. “Why are you here?” she softly asked as she closed some of the distance between her and the man.

  He didn’t acknowledge that he saw her or even heard her. He kept pacing the patio, seemingly lost in his own world.

  “Hey. I asked you a question.” She grabbed him by the arm and pulled him to a stop.

  He jerked his head in her direction. “It worked.”

  She scowled. He didn’t react like a normal person would. “What?”

  Three male vampires rushed her before she even sensed they were there. Kaisa tried to fight them, but there were too many of them. She growled in frustration as they subdued her.

  One smacked her across the face. “You’ll stop that animalistic sound. We don’t need to be reminded of your disgusting hybrid heritage.”

  Kaisa bared her fangs and hissed. That earned her a punch to the jaw. Stunned from the blow, the three easily bound her hands behind her back with heavy chain she’d have no chance of breaking. They did the same to her ankles. Lastly, they gagged her.

  The human male quietly laughed as one of the vampires picked her up and slung her over his shoulder. As she was carried away, the human once more took up his pacing.

  * * * *

  Devin’s alarm went off, dragging him from a deep sleep. He turned onto his side and reached over to the bedside table where the digital clock sat. Without opening his eyes, he silenced the annoying noise. Seven o’clock in the morning seemed too early, especially since he’d been up way later than he’d normally be on a Sunday night.

  He smiled as he remembered the reason for staying up past his bedtime. Devin rolled to his back and turned his head to the spot next to him. His smile drifted away at the empty side of the bed.

  He sat up. “Kaisa?” he called. There was no reply. He listened to see if he could hear her moving around, thinking she could have gone to use the bathroom. Nothing. “Kaisa?” he called again more loudly.

  Damn. Had she run off again while he’d slept? Considering how the night had gone, he’d figured she was done with that. She’d said she’d stay until the morning.

  Devin slid out of bed and then tugged on some pajama bottoms. He left the bedroom and went to the living room. He pulled back the curtain to look outside. He scowled as his gaze landed on Kaisa’s car, which was still parked in the driveway. Where was she?

  “Kaisa?” he called as he headed to the kitchen.

  She wasn’t there, but the first thing Devin noticed was that the deadbolt on the back door was unlocked. He always kept it locked unless he planned to sit on the patio or use the barbeque out there.

  Devin crossed over to the door and opened it. He stepped onto the patio and stopped short when he noticed the man pacing it. A quick search of the backyard showed Kaisa wasn’t there either. What the hell was going on?

  He went and stepped into the path of the stranger. “Who are you and what are you doing on my property?”

  The man came to a sudden halt and gave Devin a smile that made him look a little crazy. “I have a message for you.”

  “From whom?”

  “My master.”

  The man seemed to pull a knife from out of nowhere and lunged at Devin. He quickly caught the man’s wrist before the blade could come in contact with the left side of his chest. With his free hand, he balled it into a fist and slammed it into the man’s face. The stranger staggered, but didn’t stop the pressure he held on the knife.

  Devin hit him again. The man was shorter and not very muscular, but that didn’t stop him from doing his damnedest to push the knife home. Devin punched him in the head again and again. After the fifth hit, the man finally went down.

  He kicked the knife out of his hand, then stared down at the unconscious stranger. His presence there and Kaisa’s disappearance couldn’t be a coincidence. Considering the man had used the word “master,” it had Devin strongly believing a vampire was behind the two occurrences.

  A sense of panic rose within him, but Devin pushed it back. Kaisa was a hybrid. She was a true immortal. Nothing could kill her, but she could still feel pain. If a vampire did have her, there was no telling what he would do to her.

  Devin dragged the man into the kitchen by his heels, not caring that his head banged against the ground. Once inside, he grabbed two zip ties that he had in his junk drawer. He rolled the man onto his stomach, then tied his hands behind his back and his ankles together.

  His captive secured, Devin rushed to the bedroom to get his cell phone. He called Torger, hoping like hell he’d pick up, even though it was so early in the morning. After the sixth ring Torger answered.

  “Hello?” he asked groggily.

  “Torger, it’s Devin. Kaisa is missing.”

  “What? How would you know she’s missing? Did Cameron call you?”

  “No, he didn’t. Kaisa spent the night at my place. I woke up, and she was gone.”

  “About time you two hooked up. Maybe she just got up before you and went home.”

  “No. Her car is parked in my driveway. She’s nowhere inside or outside the house. I looked. Plus, there’s the fact a man I’ve never seen before was in my backyard. He p
ulled a knife on me, saying he had a message for me from his master. He tried to stab me in the heart. I knocked him out and now have him tied up in my kitchen.”

  “Don’t go anywhere,” Torger said. “I’ll call Brolach and Cameron. We’ll be there as soon as we can. What’s your address?”

  “Okay. Just hurry up. I have no idea when Kaisa went missing. My alarm woke me, and she was already gone.” He quickly gave Torger his address.

  Devin ended the call, then hurried to get dressed. He pulled on the first pair of jeans and t-shirt he touched. He returned to the kitchen. The man was still out cold. He left the room and went to the front door to unlock it for the others’ arrival.

  While he waited, Devin paced to the kitchen to keep his eye on his captive, then to the living room to look out the window to see if Torger, Brolach and Cameron had arrived. As the minutes ticked by, his nerves stretched taut. He could only imagine what Kaisa could be going through right this very minute. He hated that he couldn’t do anything to help her. He’d never be any match to a vampire, not as a human. He ceased pacing as two cars came to a hurried stop on the street in front of his house.

  Devin opened the front door as the three men ran up to it. He waved them inside. “I have the man in the kitchen.”

  They all went to the room where Devin’s captive lay. Torger squatted beside the man and sniffed. He looked at Brolach and Cameron, who then did the same.

  “He’s definitely a servant to a vampire. I can’t tell which one, though. He has the scent of three of them on him,” Torger said.

  Brolach nodded. “I recognize them. I’ll never forget their scents. They’re the three vamps who killed our parents.” He snarled his upper lip and growled. “Now that all of them are in the area, we’re going to end this.”

  Torger straightened, along with Cameron and Brolach, and looked at Devin. “Show us where you found the servant.”

  Devin led them out through the back door to the patio. “He was here, pacing.”

  Cameron did a circle of the patio. “I can slightly pick up Kaisa’s scent. It’s been hours since she was out here. Same with the three vamps. The human servant’s and Devin’s scents are the strongest.”

  Brolach let out a growl as he walked toward the back of the property. “They took her.” He stopped at the fence. “I lose the scent trail here. It’s too old.”

  “Well, let’s wake up the servant. He might have been compelled to not give away the location where the vampires are holed up, but there’s a chance the assholes are so sure of themselves they didn’t bother,” Torger said as he turned to head back to the house.

  Inside the kitchen, the servant was still unconscious. Devin crossed to the sink, took out a glass, filled it with cold water, then threw the liquid onto the servant. He came awake, sputtering.

  Brolach grabbed the servant by the back of his shirt and hauled him to his feet. He turned the man to face him. “Where is your master, and where did they take my sister?”

  The man laughed. “My master is here, there and everywhere.” He laughed again, sounding a bit maniacal.

  “Ah, I don’t think he’s all there in the head, if you catch my meaning,” Devin said.

  Torger sighed. “That happens sometimes when the master vampire compels his or her servant too many times. I have a feeling this one hasn’t been compelled to keep the vamps location a secret. I doubt he’ll be much use to us. That’s why he was left behind to try to take out Devin. They must know he and Kaisa are close.”

  Devin grabbed the servant from Brolach and gave the man a hard shake. “Tell us where Kaisa is.”

  “I have a message from my master.”

  He shook him again. “You already tried that and failed.”

  The servant looked at Brolach and Torger. “This message is for them. The twin and older brother. My master said you are to meet with him and his cousins tonight at midnight by the grain elevator.”

  Devin shook him for a third time. “That’s it?”

  “That’s all my master said.”

  He let the man go. “I guess that’s all we’ll get. What are we going to do with him now?”

  “Lock him up somewhere,” Cameron said. “Once his master is dead, he’ll no longer be a servant. I don’t want to kill him for something he had no control over.”

  “I agree,” Torger said with a nod. “Cameron, you’ll be responsible for him when Brolach and I go the grain elevator tonight.”

  “I’m going with you,” Devin cut in.

  Brolach shook his head. “No, you aren’t. Waverly would be extremely mad at me if something happened to you. I don’t want her to get a dog house and put me in it in the backyard.”

  Cameron snorted. “Dude, she wouldn’t physically put you in a dog house. It’s a figure of speech to mean you’d be on her bad side.”

  Brolach was still learning modern-day sayings, and took them literally, which ended up being funny. Devin wasn’t in the mood for laughing right then.

  “I’m going with you,” he firmly stated.

  Torger sighed. “Devin, you’re human. You wouldn’t last two seconds up against a vampire, especially ones as old as these.”

  Devin leveled his gaze at Torger. “Then turn me. Make me a day walker. Kaisa and I have already done the first blood exchange. You can do the second. It’s what I want. I’ve fallen for your sister. I don’t care if we’re not mates, but I want the chance to have forever with her. Turn me.”

  Torger looked at Brolach. “What do you think?”

  “Do it. I have a feeling he’ll follow us no matter what we do or say to dissuade him. He’s strong as a human, but he’ll be even stronger as a vampire. Plus, there’s the fact the vamps won’t be expecting him to be turned. It might give us an advantage. And I’m going to say that it’s seems right that you do the second blood exchange with Devin since you’re Kaisa’s twin.”

  “All right. I’ll turn you. Hopefully, Kaisa won’t try to take my head off once we get her back. You and I will have a bond afterward. Not like a mate bond, but there will be a connection since I’ll be your sire.”

  “I’m okay with that. Let’s do this.” Devin turned his head to the side so Torger would have better access to his neck.

  Torger chuckled. “Sorry, but I’m not biting you on the neck. That’s for more intimate feedings. I’ll bite the inside of your wrist. That’s where you’ll drink from me. Just be prepared for it not to feel like it did when you did this with Kaisa. You’re going to feel it.”

  Before Devin could say anything, Torger took hold of his right wrist, turned it over and sank his fangs into it. Devin suck in a sharp breath. That fucking hurt. Torger took two long pulls before he swiped his tongue along Devin’s skin to heal the wound. Torger bit into his wrist, then offered it to Devin. He didn’t hesitate to take it and sucked two mouthfuls down. He released him. Torger licked the bite mark, which disappeared.

  At first, Devin thought nothing was happening until a sensation started to build inside him. It bordered on the edge of pain. His breathing quickened as he looked at the others.

  “It’s okay,” Torger said. “The sensation doesn’t last long.”

  Devin nodded as it grew and his upper gums and eyeteeth felt as if they were on fire. As promised, the very uncomfortable feeling slowly receded. A quick test with his tongue showed he now had fangs. His senses had increased exponentially. He could pick up the individual scents in the room, could tell the difference between human, werewolf, hybrid and vampire. His eyesight was sharper, keener. And his hearing was strong enough he could hear insects moving outside in the grass in the backyard. It seemed to bombard him all at once.

  Torger smiled. “Welcome to the family. You’ll quickly adjust to your new senses. It took Rikki about an hour. It should be the same for you.”

  “How are you feeling?” Brolach asked.

  Devin took a deep breath. “Good. Like really good. I feel stronger, as if I could move mountains.”

  “Excellent. We ha
ve until midnight to teach you how to fight like a vampire. I suggest we call Waverly so she can tell your dad we won’t be in to work today. She always knows what to say to him.”

  “Crap,” Cameron said. “No new donuts today.”

  Devin shook his head. “I think we’ll be a little busy to worry about that. Plus, there will be some. My dad will make them. He’s the one who taught me.”

  As Torger helped Brolach make a call to Waverly on his cell phone, Cameron took charge of the servant and forced him to sit at the kitchen table. Devin squeezed his hand into a fist. He was stronger. He couldn’t wait to test out his new vampire strength.

  Chapter Six

  Kaisa came awake in a closed, dark space that was moving. It didn’t take her long to figure out she’d been stuffed into a trunk of a car. A stake was through her heart. It didn’t leave her immobile as it would vampires, but it left her weak.

  The three vamps had taken Kaisa to their den straight from Devin’s place. It was located outside town at a farm. They’d taken over the large basement of the house. As they’d carried her through, the owners had seemed to look right through them as if they weren’t there. She’d tried to get their attention. One of the vampires had laughed, and had taken great relish in telling her the entire family had been compelled to think nothing out of the ordinary happened around them, that their home hadn’t been taken over by vamps. Nor would they be able to see or hear what went on around their unwanted guests.

  Kaisa had spent the day locked in the darkness of the basement with the three vampires and four of their servants. The vamps had slept while the servants guarded her.

  She’d tried to take on her wolf form and escape the chains that bound her, but had quickly found out that means of getting free had been taken from her. As she’d tried, the metal in the links had heated to a glowing red and had burned her skin. A servant had laughed, saying his master would be pleased to hear the witch’s spell had worked. That the spelled chains would keep her from shifting.