by Aline Hunter
Poor creature.
Leigh starved herself because the thought of ingesting blood disgusted her. Sadie remembered when they’d first brought her into their home. Leigh was desperate to eat normal things, even though it provided her no sustenance. After a couple weeks, when the hunger didn’t abate, she learned the truth. Discovering she’d have to take blood nearly broke her, and it had taken the power of the coven to make her hunt to survive.
Inspiration struck. Leigh would feed if she had a job to do and leaving the house might seem like an escape to the girl. “Not if you’re going to help me.”
As she expected, Leigh perked up. “Really? You want me to help you?”
“That I do.”
Sadie strode to her wardrobe and removed something she never should have taken. Months ago, when Emory and Trey had fought each other, Trey had forgotten to retrieve his jacket. She hadn’t been able to help herself and had swooped in to take it when no one was looking. Afterward she’d brought it home so she could wrap the material around her and pretend it was Trey’s arms instead. On a few nights, when the need for the man was unbearable, she’d retrieve the coat and bring it to her bed. There she would cuddle against the garment, imagining it was his body next to her instead of buttery leather.
“We’re going to have to locate the wearer,” Sadie said. “I need you to use it to take me to him.”
“It belongs to your werewolf, doesn’t it?” When Sadie nodded Leigh frowned. “I’m not sure I can.”
“Because you’ll have to feed?”
A spark of temper lightened Leigh’s eyes. “Because I’ll have to drink someone else’s blood? Yes.”
“I’d owe you a debt,” Sadie offered, trying to appeal to the woman and not the girl who continued to resent her circumstances. “He’s in danger. Help me find him.”
“I thought you didn’t want to have anything to do with him.”
“More gossip?” Sadie asked, cringing at how bitter the question came out.
“No, not gossip.” Leigh’s cheeks finally took on color as she blushed. “Everyone in the coven knows vampires don’t mate with shifters. It’s taboo.”
“They’re feeding you bullshit,” Sadie snapped, her patience paper thin. “It’s not taboo, it’s just dangerous. Putting a label on things makes it easier but the coven is trying to deceive you. Once you feed on a shifter you can’t feed on any other. You become bound to their blood—only their blood. If you don’t have it, you’ll starve.”
Leigh’s eyes sparkled at the information, as though she’d been given an enormous gift. “So that’s why they avoid shifters?”
“Yes, that’s exactly why. They’d have to put their lives into another’s hands, something vampires refuse to do. It’s not a pairing to be taken lightly. Once you take their blood, it’s a done deal. There is no turning back or changing your mind. You’re in it for eternity.”
“You run from it as they would,” Leigh whispered. “You’ve known about your mate for months yet you continue to fight what’s between you.”
Sadie fought a smile. Apparently Leigh was finally growing a backbone. Months ago she never would have come out of her shell. She might have thought something, but she never would have said it. Not aloud.
“It’s complicated.”
“All of this is complicated.” Leigh sighed, bowed her head and sat on the bed. “Since I was converted, the entire world has changed. It’s not easy.”
“Then I figure it’s time for you to use the powers you inherited. You have a special gift, Leigh. One that none of us were granted. With it you can help me find Trey. That’s what I’m asking you for. Help me find him. I think he’s in trouble.”
“Trey?” Leigh lifted her head. “That’s his name?”
It was the first time Sadie had mentioned Trey’s name, having grown accustomed to her sisters referring to his kind as wolf-men, werewolves and mutts. With Leigh it wasn’t as hard to be open and honest. The girl wore her heart on her sleeve.
“That’s his name.”
“I’ve never seen a shifter before.” She fiddled with the comforter, picking nervously at small nothings on the surface. “It might be exciting to see one in person.”
“Then you need to get dressed and we need to feed.” Sadie saw the panic in Leigh’s eyes when she looked up, the fear. “I’ll help you. You don’t have to do it alone. One bite won’t change someone. If you control your fangs like we’ve taught you, your donor won’t get any of your essence. It’s safe to eat when you need to, Leigh. I swear.”
“I want to help you. I just don’t…I don’t want to…”
“I know,” Sadie said softly. “And you won’t. You won’t change anyone.”
Leigh nodded and sat upright, collecting her courage. “When do we need to leave?”
“Before the rest of the coven rises.” She glanced around the room, making sure she had everything she needed. “You’ll need to dress in the clothing we gave you, so you can move undetected.” Guilt hit, a solid punch to the solar plexus, and Sadie knew she had to be completely honest. “Do you remember what we told you about Shepherds?”
“They have him?” Leigh’s eyes went wide. “That’s where we’re going?”
Sadie nodded. “I’m pretty sure that’s what we’re dealing with. It could get nasty. You need to know that up front. I need your help but I’m not going to lie to you.”
“Why now?” The conflict on Leigh’s face made Sadie’s guilt increase. “Why would you trust me with something so important?”
“Because you’re family,” Sadie said bluntly. “And it’s time you start getting comfortable with what you are and what you can do. I can’t give you back what was taken from you but I can show you life goes on.”
“When you find him, what will you do? From what everyone has told me shifters don’t exist without their mates. He won’t let you go.”
The smile Sadie plastered to her face was fake but she hoped Leigh didn’t see through the façade. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” She glanced at the hall. “You need to hurry. We don’t have a lot of time.”
Sadie didn’t release the breath she was holding until Leigh rose from the bed and rushed from the room. What an enormous mess. Trey knew what she was to him now—his mate. If she went into Shepherd territory he’d be able to identify her. She shivered at the remembrance of his arms around her, the touch of his lips against hers. That part had been glorious. What stung came afterward, when he’d treated her like nothing more than a whore with his words, putting her in her proper place and reminding her why they couldn’t be together.
Despite herself, she brought his jacket to her nose and inhaled. As always, the scent that came to her was fascinating and debilitating. She allowed herself to take in one final lungful, imagining things were different, knowing they couldn’t be.
Lowering the coat, she accepted that no matter what she’d save Trey. Afterward she’d leave him alone. He didn’t owe her anything. Theirs was a mating that was doomed from the start. Starvation wasn’t something she was keen on experiencing and with Trey that precise thing would happen. Unlike Leigh, she had to feed at least once a week, sometimes twice. Hunger varied for all vampires. Some needed more, some needed less. In her case going without nourishment for a month would likely kill her—a death that was sure to be slow and agonizing.
That was why she had to keep her head on straight and do what needed to be done before moving on. Regardless of if it hurt and despite her feelings, she couldn’t have Trey Veznor.
The price was too steep.
Chapter Twelve
Ava woke with a throbbing head and a dry mouth. She shifted her body, finding that doing so only intensified the pounding in her temples. A musky smell invaded her nose, the mattress beneath her lumpy and obviously old. She coughed when she got a full-on inhalation of the bedding, choking on the scents. If there was a downside to being bloodbonded, it was sensitivity to foul smells.
“Ava mine?” Dis
kant’s voice was loud in her head, his fear bleeding into the words.
She managed to direct a thought back to him despite her disorientation. “I’m here.”
“Where is here?” He was on the verge of a breakdown and she knew it. She remembered being snatched from the store, taken although she fought. Sadly, she had no idea where “here” was. After they’d put the cloth over her mouth the world had faded to black.
“I’m not sure. Give me a sec.”
“Ava…” He growled the word, no less threatening when using telepathy than he would be face-to-face.
“Don’t try to scare me, Neanderthal. I can’t tell you where I am until I know.”
A string of curses ran through her mind but she ignored them. If she wanted to get out of her predicament, she had to think smart. Since her hands were tied behind her back, she had to shimmy from the mattress. She remained as quiet as she could when her feet hit the ground. Anyone could be nearby, and she wanted to make it to the window a few feet away. Lights were shining, indicating she wasn’t far from civilization. She glided across the floor, keeping her footsteps light. When she made it to the window she shoved aside the curtains using her face and teeth, until she could see.
Her heart raced, echoing in her ears. She wasn’t far from home, only a few miles. She could see the sign from Becker’s glowing across the distance.
“You’re not going to believe this,” she thought, having a hard time believing it herself.
“Then make me a believer.”
“I’m near Becker’s. I can see the sign.”
Diskant didn’t respond for several seconds. Then he asked, “Are you facing the front or the back of the store?”
“The front.”
“What about Trey?”
She took a deep breath, steeling herself for a multitude of odors that would hit her nose. Hope quickly turned to despair when she didn’t find the smell she was searching for. Trey wasn’t in the room, and she couldn’t detect anything that indicated he was nearby.
“I don’t think he’s here.”
“I’m coming for you. Hold tight, baby. Hold tight.”
How could Shepherds be so stupid? Why would they bring her here? It didn’t make any sense. Fright gained hold of her senses and she inhaled again. Shepherds had used a bomb before. Would they do the same thing twice? She couldn’t detect anything out of the normal, which didn’t surprise her. Her sense of smell was still new and foreign. Even if there were components to make a bomb, she probably couldn’t identify them.
She tried to block her thoughts, to shield Diskant from her fear. The Omega had to be crawling the walls, furious and angry that his mate had been taken. He’d warned her to stay at home but she hadn’t listened, determined to live a normal life. Talk about something coming back to bite a person in the ass. She’d seen how he could be, how possessive he was. Losing her wasn’t something he’d survive. He’d rather die.
The thought brought her up short. She wouldn’t allow Diskant to sacrifice himself. Even if he was bossy, crude and arrogant, she loved him. So much that it hurt sometimes. They’d only started their lives together, and there was something important she had to tell him, something she’d hoped to share with him as soon as he arrived home from Kinsley’s.
Certainly things wouldn’t end like this?
Just as the thought formed, the bedroom door flew open and a man entered. He was young—in his twenties—and dressed like a normal New Yorker…aside from his cowboy boots and Stetson hat. He held a gun in his hand. When he lifted it, Ava froze. Panic consumed her, taking over rational thought.
“Diskant, there’s a man here with a gun. He’s pointing it at me.”
“Do whatever he tells you. We’re not far. It won’t take long to locate and track your scent. I will find you, Ava mine.” Diskant’s thought was a steady growl and she knew he’d tapped into her feelings. “When I do, they’re dead.”
“What do you want?’ she asked, her throat so dry her voice was a crackling rasp.
The man didn’t answer, advancing one step at a time. A dart hit her in the shoulder, followed by a sharp bite of pain. Her knees buckled and she dropped to the floor, thudding against the ground since she couldn’t brace herself. The man who’d shot her slid the gun into a holster at his side, walked over and picked her up. She struggled to stay awake as he carried her back to the bed and placed her on top of it.
“Sedating me,” she managed to think. “He’s putting me back to sleep. I have to tell you something. You need to know…”
“Sleep, Pinkie. When you open those beautiful blue eyes, I’ll be there. I promise.”
Despite the determination she felt in his statement, she also felt his worry, his fear. Yes, she was close by. But Shepherds could move her while she was unconscious and take her somewhere Diskant couldn’t find her. She blinked, trying to shake off the effects of the drug, and managed to get out one final thought before her eyes slid closed.
“Hurry.”
* * * * *
“Son of a bitch!”
Diskant’s outburst caught Emory and the rest of the pack members assembled in the Omega’s kitchen by surprise. He was gripping the counter, knuckles white, arm shaking. They’d all been waiting for his orders, aware that he’d finally established contact with his female.
“She’s close, somewhere near Becker’s. She was able to see the front of the building. She doesn’t think Trey is with her.” He let go of the counter and stomped to the kitchen table. “I want each of you to reacquaint yourself with Ava’s scent.” Diskant lifted random articles of clothing from the surface of the wood—all Ava’s—and tossed them around. “We have to hurry. I don’t know how long they’ll keep her in one place.”
“What about contacting the packs and working out a strategy of attack on the compounds?” Kinsley asked, his dark hair unkempt, his eyes a glowing grass green.
Emory might have thought Kinsley’s increased awareness was due to being the only feline shifter in the room but he knew better. Kinsley would remove the head of any shifter—cat or wolf—who crossed his path. His age and strength were not something anyone wanted to fuck with.
“If you’re going to make your move, it has to be now,” Kinsley cautioned. “Once Shepherds get wind of the map’s existence, they’ll pack up and move.”
Emory stepped forward. “I’ll do it.”
He’d already told the pack he wasn’t leaving his mate. It was too dangerous with Shepherds roaming around and he didn’t want to jeopardize their newly formed bond. As it was Mary would need to be around him, to take his body into hers. Their connection was growing stronger, so much so that soon he’d have to leave the pack and return to their room. He could hear her footsteps upstairs, knew she was growing anxious and eager. Unfortunately she couldn’t understand why. He hadn’t exactly had the opportunity to warn her that her libido was about to shoot through the roof.
“Nathan,” Diskant said, rising to his full six-foot-plus height. “I want you to stay with Emory. Get the list on my desk and help him spread the word. The sooner we make contact, the faster the packs can synchronize a plan of attack.”
The pack Beta nodded. “How long do we have?”
“If they’re going to eliminate the threat, they need to make their move tonight if possible. The longer they take the more likely the plan will fail.”
“I’ll start making calls,” Nathan said and left the kitchen.
“So what’s the plan, Omega?” Kinsley rose from his seat at the table. “What would you have us do?”
“We’re going to spread out and find her.” Diskant took one of the two-way radios and handed Kinsley the other. “I’ll take the east side, you can take the west.” He lifted his head, looking at the pack. “Those of you on the left side of the room will come with me. Those on the right go with Kinsley. He’s in charge. Follow his orders as you would mine.”
Some of the pack didn’t like it, shifting their feet and growling, but otherwise the
y wisely kept their mouths shut. Kinsley’s response to their behavior was an arrogant and threatening grin. Oh yeah, the panther shifter definitely wasn’t one to fuck with. Even on a good day.
“For those of you who aren’t prepared, hit the basement and gear up,” Diskant ordered and patted the guns tucked under his arms. Then he checked the knives attached to the belt at his waist. “We leave in one minute.”
The few pack members who weren’t equipped hurried from the room to get ready. Everyone stepped aside, giving them room.
“Make sure you wear jackets,” Diskant called after them. “We need to appear inconspicuous.” He turned his head and looked at Kinsley. “You need to warn your contacts at the police department something is about to go down. If a call goes out they need to be the first on the scene.”
“Done,” Kinsley said and pulled his cell from his jacket.
“I want them dead but it can’t look like an animal attack,” Diskant warned. “If you have to break a neck or two, be my guest. Otherwise use the weapons at your disposal. We don’t want anything traced back to us.”
“What about the buildings?” Emory asked, taking on his brother’s role, something that reminded him there was more at stake here than just Ava’s life. “Do you want to keep them intact? Or are you going to erase all the evidence police might find?”
“Shit, I hadn’t thought of that.” Diskant frowned. “If there’s anything that can endanger the pack, use whatever means necessary to destroy it.”
“And if there are families in the buildings?” Kinsley chimed in. “What then?”
“Make a call to authorities about an apartment fire. Then make damn sure you engage the fire alarm. I don’t want innocent people harmed.”
Diskant retrieved his jacket from the hook near the entrance of the kitchen. He slid into the leather, taking deep breaths. Emory knew how much he had to be hurting. The fear had to be suffocating.
If the positions were reversed and Mary was in trouble…
He didn’t want to think about what he’d do.
The pack members returned carrying guns and holsters. They quickly strapped them on, checked their weapons and slid into their jackets. No more waiting. Every second counted.