Corbin walked around the table, getting a better look at her. “She can’t get out of these. I understand that she is your friend, and you’re upset, but we must be cautious. She is a vampire. Now wake her up.”
Jonathon leaned over her with a long prod. He held it next to her rib and turned it on, shocking her.
“Dude! Should I even ask why you have that?” I lunged toward him. Marcus grabbed me around the waist, holding me back.
Jonathon shocked her one more time. She jerked, opening her eyes and scrambling to get up. She couldn’t go anywhere, due to being shackled. I yanked away from my uncle, and he let me go. I placed my hand on Veronica’s stomach.
“It’s okay, Vonny. I’m sorry, this is the only way to make everyone comfortable.”
“Everyone but me,” she hissed.
I leaned over her and whispered. “Easy now, we all just want to get Lyla back and this is the only way. When did they take her?”
She leaned back, sighing. “They came about fifteen minutes after you left.”
Corbin ran his hand through his hair. “You were at Lyla’s house? I told you to stay away from her!”
I tossed my hands. “Yes, and now they have her. Veronica, did they say how they found you?”
“Two were the guys we dated a couple of times. They were the ones with us tonight. They said they’d do an exchange of Lyla for you. The wolves beat me, then made me come tell you.”
Corbin pointed at me. “You will stay here. We aren’t exchanging you.”
Marcus nodded. “I second that.”
“Just give him over. His selfish ass got us into this, anyway. We can take Charles after we make the exchange,” Jonathon said.
Veronica tried to sit up but couldn’t. “I’m coming, too. Let me go.”
Jonathon shook his head. “We’re not letting a vampire come, sorry.”
I crossed my arms. “The hell we aren’t. She would protect Lyla with her life!”
“A lot of good that did. Look at her. And no, Jack, you aren’t going either,” Corbin said.
“I’m right here. You can talk to me. They used magick and caught me off guard. That is the only reason they bested me,” Veronica said.
Marcus put his hand on his neck. “I think you should allow it. What is one extra person on our side? She is obviously loyal to the girl taken, and vampires are strong.”
“I need to feed first.” Veronica licked her lips.
Jonathon shook his head. “You were bleeding. You’ve already fed.”
“That was one cup full. I’m going into a fight. I need to be strong.”
Jonathon shifted uncomfortably. “Don’t look at me.”
Corbin nodded. “Fine, we need you strong.”
“I’ll give her some.” I pulled up my sleeve. “Uncuff her.”
Jonathon shook his head. “A hungry vampire? I don’t think so. We’ll each give her a little.” He snarled but rolled up his sleeve.
“Don’t think this pleases me. Your blood isn’t exactly appetizing. It tastes too metallic to me.”
Corbin arched his brow. “But it will work, yes?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
Corbin looked from Marcus to Jonathon and nodded his head. “Release her.”
Jonathon rolled his eyes. “Fine but I’m not taking responsibility when this goes badly.” He reached into his pocket, and pulling out an orange stone, he pressed it to the shackles. A lock pop rang out, releasing her.
Veronica sat up grabbing hold of my arm. She was extremely quick, catching me off-guard. Vonny extended her teeth, biting into my wrist. I winced at the sting, but it was quick. After a moment, it turned pleasurable.
“Enough.” Jonathon shoved me out of the way, Veronica released my wrist and quickly grabbed his.
I looked over to Corbin and my uncle. “Do you know where Charles has Lyla and Tallulah?”
Veronica lifted her head. “They said the convention center, where the fight was.” She dropped Jonathan’s arm.
Jonathan yanked his arm away, shaking his head.
“Come on, she could have killed you when she drank from you, yet she didn’t.”
I pushed off the wall. “I’m coming with you as well.”
Marcus shook his head. “No, you aren’t.”
“You all know that you will not stop him.” Odecir laughed.
The room was silent until Corbin sighed. “Fine. We need to come up with a plan.”
Chapter Seventeen
“This is ridiculous,” Odecir scoffed.
“Corbin knows what he’s doing. Now shut up. You’re giving me a headache,” Jonathan hissed.
“It’s a fucking water taxi. His guys just need binoculars, or some shit, and they will see us.”
Jonathon looked up from his phone. “The Miami pack is already in position on the south side, and Mike’s old pack is on the east. We are coming in from the west. Tallulah’s pack should be here in the morning. Hopefully we’ll have her back by then because if we don’t, we’ll have to deal with them as well.”
“Did Mike win his fight?” Odecir asked.
“Of course, he did even though he didn’t have his jiu jitsu coach in his corner.” Jonathan smirked.
Odecir crossed his arms and leaned his back on the side of the boat.
“What’s the plan? Charles is expecting us,” Marcus warned.
“Yes, he is, and the alpha of the Miami pack says that the building is wired with magick, so no getting in.”
“What, doesn’t he want us to come?” I threw my hands up.
“Don’t you worry, we have it covered,” Jonathon barked. “Now Jack, you will stay in the back.”
“No, I should be up front. Charles wants me.”
“Which is exactly why you will be in the back.” Corbin looked up from his phone. “Maybe for once, you will listen to me, yes? Odecir, stay with him and this time, don’t let him veer off.”
Odecir saluted. “Of course, boss.”
“We will stay with Jack as well. He is our main concern here,” Marcus said. Henry nodded.
We pulled up to the dock, and several more boats carrying our pack came up beside us. Jonathon jumped out and tied the boat down. The pack gathered at the stairs of the convention center. The area was unusually quiet; Charles was smart and was prepared but so were we.
An elderly man using a cane slowly walked toward us. Corbin held his hand out, greeting him. “Thank you for your help, Ainsley.”
The old man grunted. “A favor for a favor. Do you have the girls’ items?”
I picked up on his accent right away: New Orleans.
Corbin nodded and handed the objects over, a shirt from each.
The man took them from our alpha and held them up inspecting them. “As soon as I get you in, I’m out of here.”
Corbin nodded. “Of course. This isn’t your fight.”
The old man walked up the steps toward the doors.
“Dammit, hurry,” I hissed under my breath. Lyla was in trouble. Tallulah, too.
Odecir poked my side. “Shut up.”
The old man held his hand up over a light glowing field covering the building. “The wards are weak. Hand me the coal.” Jonathon reached into his bag and handed the coal chalk to the old man.
He slowly wrote onto the field, five symbols I’d never seen before. There was a loud popping sound and a pressure change.
Ainsley nodded. “It is done.”
Corbin turned to the old man. “Where are the girls?”
Ainsley held up the items. His eyes flashed silver, then closed for a moment before opening. “They are in the arena area.”
“And Charles?”
“He is on the west side, but moving, quickly. He is headed this way.” The old man pulled out his phone. “I’m ready.” A moment later someone sifted in, grabbed him, and they were both gone in an instant. If I hadn’t known, he was standing there, I never would have missed him, it was so quickly done.
I turned to Corbin. �
��It’s a trap.”
“Of course, it is a trap. Stay here, Jack, I mean it.” He turned to Jonathon. “Tell the other packs it is time. They will meet us in the arena. Veronica, come with me.”
She turned to me patting my arm. “We’ll get her.”
Three hundred wolves and a vampire ascended the stairs, quickly disappearing into the building as we stood at the bottom. The area quickly became silent except for the sound of frogs in the distance.
I looked off into the night, my heart pounding. How could they expect me to do nothing when I was the one that could end it all? “I will not wait here.”
Odecir looked up from his phone then slid it into his back pocket. “I know.” He pulled a necklace out from his shirt and slipped it from his neck to mine.
“What’s this?”
“My papa’s tooth,” Odecir said with a huge smile.
I held it in my hand, confused. It was huge. “I can’t take this. It was your father’s.” Literally.
“Man, my papa would have liked you. Besides, you need it more than me. I’ve got my own teeth, if need be. A Jaguar tooth will suck up any magick being used against you. We know your brother is using it, so we need to be prepared. It may be the difference between your life and death.”
Wolves and magick didn’t mix, not usually, unless the magick was specially formulated for us, like the warlock had done for me. I wondered who Charles was working with.
Odecir had done so much for me. He’d risked his life, his place in the pack, and now he was giving me a family heirloom. I wasn’t sure why he stuck his neck out so much for me, but I was glad to have a friend like him.
Marcus walked up to me, his finger in my face. “Yes. Yes, you will wait here. For once in your goddamn life, boy, you will do as your mother wishes and what is best for your pack.”
I stepped back shaking my head. “I can’t let him hurt her.”
“She’s probably already hurt. He’s a sadistic fuck,” Henry said.
Marcus turned to his son. “You aren’t helping.” Henry shrugged, then he turned back to me. “Jack, she is a human, and you are a fucking alpha. It is time you owned up to it. You and a human are a no-go.”
My uncle was wrong. I wasn’t an alpha, and I already knew that I wasn’t good for Lyla. But that had nothing to do with her being human.
Henry scoffed, “He’s not an alpha.”
I stepped around them. “Listen, I’m going, and you can’t stop me.”
“The fuck I can’t.” Marcus reached up, grabbing my arm. I grasped his wrist, breaking his grip, tossing his arm away. Odecir stepped between us. Marcus pushed him.
Odecir growled then took Marcus to the ground. I looked up to the building. I needed to make my move. Henry came at me, but Odecir was up and between us, blocking him. My uncle scrambled to his feet and headed toward Odecir. I jumped on his back, putting him into a choke until he dropped.
Henry stopped and looked at his father on the ground. “What the fuck did you do, mate?”
I let go and stood. “He’s fine.” I reached down, pulling Marcus to his feet.
“Listen, I’m going, and you can’t stop me. You can stay here, or you can come with me.” I crossed my arms.
Marcus brushed off his pants. “Jack, you will get me in trouble.”
“What’s new? He’s been getting me in trouble since we were nippers.” Henry sighed. “Dad, we should go. Help him put an end to Charles once and for all.”
Marcus shook his head. “Fine. We’re in.”
Odecir smiled. “You know I’m in.”
I turned, running up the stairs, the others on my heels. The doors were open, and I pushed inside, the doors quickly shut behind us. The lobby was silent but for a soft buzz that sounded like florescent lights.
A man shook the door, “You need to leave!” It was Captain.Odecir backed up toward the door. “Dude, let’s get out of here.” My wolf agreed, and we weren’t one to retreat.
Henry pushed on the doors, rattling them. “We’re too late. They’re locked from the inside too.”
I ran my hand through my hair. “I bet all the other doors are as well.”
My brother appeared in front of me out of nowhere. Three shifters were behind him. One held an unconscious Lyla in his arms. These were the only ones with him? Four people total? Maybe the pack was dealing with the rest of his crew.
I tossed up my hands. “I’m here, so you can let her go now.”
Willis, a childhood friend of mine, now stood beside my brother. I sucked in, in shock. If anyone knew the viciousness of my brother, it was Willis. He’d been my brother’s favorite object of abuse during our childhood. Now he stood with him, what a slap to the face. He turned to the wolf holding Lyla. I didn’t recognize him. “Drop her.”
He dropped her where he stood. Her body crumbled, hitting the floor with a hard thud.
I lunged toward them, but my uncle grabbed hold of me, shaking his head. Odecir stepped in front of me, blocking my view of Lyla.
“Who would have thought your weak spot would be a pathetic human? I would have thought it would have been Tallulah. She has so much fire, but then again, too much for a pussy like you.”
Charles was bigger than me, stronger, and debatably smarter. He was a master manipulator and had been vying to take over the pack for a while. I’d heard rumors as I was sure my parents had, but I never thought he’d pull it off. Now here we were.
I growled. “You didn’t hurt Tallulah, did you?”
My brother shrugged, “Nothing she won’t recover from, although I’m thinking that I might keep her. She’d be an amazing asset to the pack, and then we’d have an alliance with her pack. See, Jack. That is the difference between us. I think about the pack. You think about your feelings.”
I looked past Odecir’s arm to see Lyla move ever so slightly. I looked back to Charles. “You didn’t have to kill Father.”
“No, you killed him, Jack. That is why we’re here now. If you’d let me finish, you’d have your life. I’d have let you continue with your nothingness as long as you stayed out of my way, but alas, now you will die. As for Father, he was old school. Our pack needs to be brought into this millennia. He wasn’t going to do it and he wouldn’t even fucking listen to me.” He was shouting by the time he finished.
My eyes went from Charles to Willis. “You follow this lunatic? My father treated you like family. You were at my house every weekend. He was a fair leader, and now you are beating innocent women! You are better than this, Willis. At least you were.”
He spat toward Lyla. “She is only a human.”
My wolf wanted to tear into him, and I agreed. I growled, “You will pay for that.”
He took a step toward me. “Your brother is going to kill you. You don’t deserve this pack, Jack.”
I stepped toward him, my fists tight. “I don’t want your damn pack, or haven’t your Neanderthal brains figured that out yet?”
Charles was smug. “The only way I get the pack is if you are dead.”
Marcus shook his head. “All he has to do is sign it over to you. You know this.”
I tossed my hands up. “Besides, I already left the pack.”
Charles shrugged. “It doesn’t quite sound as honorable or as fun as if I get to kill you for it.”
Charles lunged at me. Odecir crashed into him, taking him to the ground.
My brother grabbed a pendant around his neck then disappeared. Marcus pointed. “Jack, behind you.”
I turned. Charles’ fist connected with my jaw, then he disappeared again along with his men. I looked over to Lyla.
Odecir frowned. “Not yet. Let’s get through this first. We need to get those pendants off them, especially Charles. We are dealing with some very potent and dangerous magick. Everyone, come here, we need to keep our backs together. That way we can see them when they attack.”
Marcus and Henry jogged over. “What is to keep him from shooting us?” Henry asked.
“No. He won�
�t even let me sign my rights away, so I know he’ll want to fight me to the death. He’s psychotic. He gets off on it,” I said.
Marcus shook his head. “No. You will not, Jack. We’ll figure this out. We can take them.”
Odecir held his chin high. “Yes, he will. Jack can do it.”
Charles appeared in front of us. “Oh, pussy boy is going to fight me? Have you ever even been in a fight, Jack?”
Willis crossed his arms and laughed. “No, he would run and tell your mum, then hide behind her skirts.”
I growled. “I’ll fight you, Charles. If you win, you have the pack.”
Charles smirked. “And if you win?”
I stared into his eyes. “You’ll be dead, brother.”
Charles looked to his friends and laughed. “Well, we know that won't happen. You don’t have it in you.”
I stepped away from my family. “This is what you wanted.”
Charles stepped closer. “It is.”
Odecir stepped between us. “You will take off your pendant. This will be an honorable fight.”
Charles hesitated then bared his teeth. “Fine.” He slid it over his head and handed it to Willis.
Marcus growled, “No interfering from anyone else either. You will make this a fair fight.”
Charles frowned. “You chose the wrong side, uncle.”
Marcus crossed his arms. He'd always been loyal to my father, our family, and to our pack. My uncle would also have made a great alpha had he not been born a second son. “I promise you I didn’t, Charles.”
“What form do you want to fight in?” I asked.
“What form do you wish to die in?” Charles quipped.
I looked to Odecir. He nodded. “Let’s fight in this form.”
“Jack, you are a stupid boy. Not even using your wolf,” Marcus mumbled running his hand through his hair. “Charles, tell your mother that I tried.” My uncle stepped away from us, shaking his head.
Odecir raised his hand. “Come here for a minute.”
I jogged over. We held our heads down together. He whispered, “You have a great ground game. Your stand up is okay, but he has the stance of a boxer.”
I nodded.
“That’s what I thought, you’re going to have to get him down and kill him. You can’t let him up at all. Jack, this isn’t class, this is your life. He will not hesitate, and you can’t, either.”
Submission MMA Shifter Urban Fantasy: (The Unleashed Book 1) Page 8