by E A Price
“We better go,” she murmured.
*
Sabrina appeared to be treating the occasion as a tea party. She was sipping daintily at a cup of tea and nibbling on a cucumber sandwich, while Aleck paced and howled at her.
He looked like he wanted to inflict an enormous amount of violence on her, but he dare not even try. As big as he was and as vicious as he could be, he was no match for Sabrina, whose eyes sparkled with maliciousness.
Aleck’s goons awkwardly stood around, unsure and uncomfortable to find themselves at an impromptu tea party, while Simpkins gently rocked the wrinkly, pink baby.
They didn’t bother knocking, just walked into the house. They were expected after all.
Aleck stopped and glared at them, and the goons perked up. Finally, a few candidates they could pound. Holt and Sean rippled as if about to shift.
“You can’t stop me,” Aleck snarled before narrowing his eyes and then smiling horribly.
Sabrina would have told him by now what was going on, and even Aleck could do the math. He saw they hadn’t found a man called DeFontaine. Which was true – they hadn’t found a man with that name.
Sabrina sparkled expectantly before her face fell.
“You failed,” she said coldly, yet somehow filled with heated fury.
She put her teacup down and rapped her fingers against the arm of her chair.
“She didn’t,” crooned Sebastian before letting out a huge yawn.
Sabrina blinked at him. “You’re not serious?” she asked slowly.
Zara nodded and took a tiny step forward. Sebastian stirred a little in her arms; his eyes were trained on Sabrina.
“He’s a cat while he’s on parole,” explained Zara, trying to fill the stunned silence.
Sabrina looked uncertain. “How can I be sure it’s him?”
“You look lovelier than I remember, my little turtle dove,” purred Sebastian.
Sabrina flinched and knocked her teacup to the floor, eliciting a tut-tut from Simpkins. Sebastian wriggled and gracefully leaped out of Zara’s arms, sauntering over to Sabrina.
In spite of her gaping expression, he jumped onto her lap and boldly rubbed his head against her breasts, purring obscenely. Apparently, that was enough proof.
“Dear lord it is you!” she exclaimed.
“I have missed you, turtle dove,” he crooned, laying it on a little thick in Zara’s opinion.
“You have some nerve you mangy, old…”
“Ahem,” interrupted Zara.
They both looked up as if they had forgotten anyone else in the universe existed, never mind the bunch of gorillas, witch, and vampire surrounding them.
“You have him, now about the baby…” prompted Zara.
Aleck roared. “You cannot do this,” he snarled at Sabrina. “You made me a deal!”
Sabrina stood up, shooing Sebastian off her lap. He harrumphed and settled on standing between her legs, covertly peering up her skirt. Zara tried not to roll her eyes. It was one of the many reasons she had never worn skirts around him.
“One that you’ve had ample time to honor,” said Sabrina before snapping her fingers. “The spell is lifted, Simpkins, give Ms. Benoit the child.”
“No!” screamed Aleck.
He lunged for the baby. Holt tackled him and the room burst full of shifted gorillas.
Zara grabbed the baby, and Simpkins nodded his thanks regally before jumping into the fray of fighting gorillas.
“Really,” grumbled Sabrina. “The carpets in here are brand new.” She reached down and picked up Sebastian. “Show them out, Simpkins.”
“Very good, madam,” he called in between throwing punches.
Sabrina marched away, and while Zara tried to throw Sebastian a sympathetic look, she was more concerned with the gorilla bearing down on her. She was quite proficient at throwing a punch, but trying to stop a rampaging gorilla? She might as well challenge the freaking sun to a fight.
Zara backed away, glaring at the black furry beast as he tossed aside a couch to get to her. Any hopes of a stern look getting him to back down were quickly extinguished as he charged at her.
Just as a huge fist was about to hit, another, larger gorilla smacked him out of the way. The square jaw was unmistakable. Holt. He grunted and nodded at the door. She understood and made a break for it, knowing that the gorillas currently in the way would soon be history.
*
Sean was a proficient fighter. So was Holt. Better than their uncle’s hired goons. Though Simpkins certainly helped. Vampires, no matter how poor their fighting skills, were always helpful in any fight, and Simpkins was actually pretty darn good. The goons were soon a pile of black, living rugs, messing up the floor.
Aleck slumped and shifted, clutching at his chest.
“You’ve killed me,” he wheezed as old wounds started opening up on his chest. Magic was no longer keeping him alive; he was dying. They bled profusely as his skin turned chalk white, and life ebbed away from him.
Simpkins adjusted his tie and evaporated out of the room, perhaps out of kindness though Holt doubted it. Holt and Sean shifted too, panting slightly.
“No, you’ve been dead for years now,” said Holt quietly. “You’ve just been living on borrowed time.”
“I could have lived,” hissed Aleck. “Rachel’s young - she could have more kids. Giving one away wouldn’t hurt.”
Sean looked away in disgust.
“That’s your grandson,” rumbled Holt as his gorilla bellowed.
“I’m Rachel’s father,” he croaked. “You would think she would want to make this sacrifice for me.”
Holt couldn’t bear to be around him for one second longer, but he wouldn’t leave him. Wouldn’t make it easier on himself. Leaving would be too cowardly. The last few moments of Aleck’s life were going to be uncomfortable and miserable, and the very least Holt could do was stay.
He didn’t doubt this was the right decision. The baby should live. There was no other way. Holt didn’t have any second thoughts about it, but watching another person in pain was still difficult.
Aleck cursed them, howling at them until he could no longer speak. Both he and Sean waited until it was over, until Aleck’s last breath was gone.
Simpkins appeared instantly, making Sean jump and mutter something about damn vampires.
“The body…” started Holt tonelessly.
The vampire smiled coldly. “Will be dealt with.”
Holt looked around at the passed out gorillas.
“What about them?”
“They will be reeducated and set free.”
“Into the wilds of Africa will be fine with us.”
“Most amusing,” commented the vampire without any indication that he believed that to be true.
“Yeah.”
Holt took one last look at his uncle and left.
Chapter Nineteen
Holt and his brother found Rachel with tears streaming down her face as she cradled the baby. Eric gave Holt another thump, but he was too exhausted to mind, and it wasn’t nearly as forceful as the last one. Eric looked too happy to put much force behind it.
“Look, Harry, meet your uncles, Sean and Angus,” cooed Rachel tearfully.
“Harry?” queried Holt. As someone who had suffered a childhood as Angus, he felt for the little blighter.
“After my father,” said Eric as he looked at Rachel and Harry and tried to hide the tear in his eye. “He can’t wait to meet this little guy.”
“Well, he’s already spent more than enough time with my dad – time to give yours a shot,” muttered Rachel. She looked at Holt slightly fearfully. “Is he…”
“Gone.”
She nodded, a flare of emotion crossing her features before she focused on little Harry again.
Holt looked around as his gorilla pushed at him to ask. “Where’s Zara?”
“She dropped him off and left,” said Eric, stroking Harry’s head.
Rachel nodded. “I as
ked her to stay, but she said she thought it was best if it was just family.”
Holt grunted, disappointment racing through him as his gorilla howled in exasperation. He could not catch a damn break!
*
“Long few days,” rumbled Holt, yawning widely.
Sean nodded.
Holt just wanted to see Zara. Damnit, that was all he ever wanted. He had managed to soothe his beast into backing down. The beast had been all for shifting, going on a rampage until he found her, grabbing her and climbing the highest building he could find. But no, he would not be hasty. He would get Sean, and Rachel sorted – get his siblings out the way, and then he would really concentrate on making everything up to his mate, and by King Kong’s balls did he have a lot of ground to cover.
Plus, a nap, a change of clothes and a shower really couldn’t help before he saw her again. He was more than a little fragrant and currently wearing some sweats given to him by Simpkins - they had apparently been left at Sabrina’s house by someone who was unlikely to ever come back for them. Simpkins had given him a significant look when he handed them over; Holt shuddered at the possibilities of what that could mean. The guy was probably turned into a rat and locked in a cage in her basement for all he knew.
The two brothers strode out of the hospital. The baby fell asleep, and when Rachel followed, Eric signaled them that maybe they should leave. He did so by telling them to get out and firmly shutting the door in their faces. At least he wasn’t pissed at Rachel; she had been worrying about that.
They stepped into the sunlight and Sean was immediately set upon by a wolf and a fox shifter. Holt’s gorilla bellowed, preparing to haul them away from until he realized he knew them.
“Oh, it’s you!” cried the pretty fox as they wrangled Sean into a pair of handcuffs.
They were very efficient; Holt would give them that. He supposed they had to be when dealing with larger shifters.
Holt grunted a hello. The wolf sneered at him, not quite as thrilled to see him as his mate.
“Angus,” hissed Sean. “Stop these assholes!”
“Now, now,” chastised Carly as she waved a finger in Sean’s face. “There’s no need to be rude. We’re just bounty hunters trying to do our jobs.”
“But, haven’t you seen the news?” asked Sean.
“Cops still want him,” grumbled Jackson, irritated that they were having a conversation at all. “We still have a bounty to collect.”
“That’s right,” nodded Carly. “I have my eye on some new shoes.”
Jackson grimaced. “Foxy, you don’t need new shoes.”
“I so do.”
“Our trailer is too small for new shoes.”
She smiled naughtily. “They’re red and have four-inch heels and match my new underwear to perfection.”
The wolf hesitated for a moment as a predatory gleam entered his amber eyes. “Well, maybe we could stretch to one new pair.”
Holt rubbed his head. He really didn’t have the energy for this. “I’ll follow you to the police station, and we can get this sorted out.”
Then, onto more important matters.
Chapter Twenty
Holt leaned against Zara’s door, impatiently waiting for her to return. Patience, he soothed his beast. They had waited six months; another few minutes would not hurt.
Getting Sean sorted and moving Rachel back to town had taken longer than he wanted, and a phone call just wasn’t going to cut it for Zara. He wanted to see her in person, sniff her hair, crush her against him and delight in the little moans she made as she came… Rawr.
He heard footsteps and sprang to attention, trying to perk up the flowers that were now starting to wilt. His gorilla beat his chest in excitement until he sniffed and realized it wasn’t her.
“Oh, it’s you!” called a surprised voice.
Madeline, Zara’s mother, smiled as she strode towards him. She was a little taller than Zara and slightly more angular, but there was a resemblance. Course, she wasn’t as lovely as Zara, her eyes were colder and her mouth smaller and more pursed than Zara’s kissable lips. Madeline was polite but more rigid than her daughter. While Zara might tell him to bugger off to his face, it was always said with heat and feeling. Her mother was more uptight, and his gorilla got a chilly feeling from her – though, she had been nothing but nice.
He put on his most ingratiating smile. “Mrs. Benoit.”
“It’s Ms,” she said calmly. She looked him up and down in bemusement. “What are you doing here?”
“Here to see Zara,” he said gruffly. Here to mate Zara corrected his beast.
Madeline nodded in understanding. “I thought so. I have a key, come in, and we’ll wait together. I’ll make us some tea.”
Holt grinned and stepped aside for his future mother-in-law. He didn’t know why Zara was always so worried about her mother. She wasn’t a cuddly person, but she was perfectly nice.
*
It had been two days.
Zara had devoured the news looking for something about Aleck’s death. Nothing. She had also watched her phone closely, waiting for the Council to call her and harangue her for losing Sebastian. No calls. No calls from anyone in fact, well, apart from her mother who didn’t count.
No one else called though.
Well, apart from Carly to let her know they had caught Sean and she had already spent a significant proportion of his bounty on new red shoes. She then started trying to tell Zara about the acrobatic-like sex she had in them with Jackson. Zara put the phone down at that point
No one else… okay, Holt hadn’t called, and his was the only call she really wanted to receive. She didn’t blame him really. He couldn’t forgive her.
She was trying to forget about everything, though she wasn’t much of a drinker so had opted to forget Holt through cake – hence the current box full of four slices of cake she had just picked up.
She sighed as she started climbing the stairs to her second-floor apartment. Carrot cake, lemon, devil’s food and red velvet. One a day for four days. Oh, who was she kidding? She was just going to sit and eat them all at once while watching reruns of Buffy.
Then when her pants no longer fit, she was going to go for a long run, and she would run until she couldn’t remember her own name. At least, that was the plan. Or maybe she could run on over to Holt’s place. Sneak into his apartment and surprise him in bed as she had the previous week. Though hopefully, it would have a much better outcome.
“Zara.”
“Aargh!” She squeaked and threw her box of cakes up in the air; they landed with an awful squidgy thud.
She spun to find a man she didn’t know bearing down on her with a smug smile. He was tall, almost hawk-like and looked infinitely dangerous and equally sexy.
“What the…”
He grasped her hand and pressed it to his lips.
“Finally, we meet in the flesh.”
Her jaw dropped open. “Sebastian?!”
“Indeed.” His dark eyes flashed with amusement.
“But how… when…”
“It appears my little turtle dove has connections with the Council, or at least a wonderful ability to blackmail.” His eyes sparkled with malicious glee. “She had my parole cut short and my body restored. She made sure the Council wouldn’t be coming after you either.”
Zara was firmly shocked. Words failed her. Of course, she always knew he was really a guy but… “You… look…”
“Handsome? Debonair?” he drawled.
“I was going to say intact,” she finished, finally pulling herself together. “I was expecting you to be at least a little bruised.” No, she was expecting him to be six feet under given Sabrina’s reputation.
“Sabrina has mellowed and aged like a fine wine. I managed to persuade her not to do me any bodily harm. At least not intentionally, but she has always enjoyed playing with handcuffs.”
Yikes. “You really must be a phenomenal lover.”
“I am,” he said
seriously. “Though, sadly, a monogamous one now.” He placed a hand over his heart. “Otherwise I would give you a demonstration. But Sabrina really would murder me if I touched anyone else. Besides, you do have Dolt.”
Her face must have betrayed her emotions because he chuckled. “Or at least you soon will have him, after you get him out of your mother’s clutches.”
“What?” Her heart stopped.
Sebastian waved an elegant hand unconcernedly. “I saw her leaving with him earlier. I imagine he came here to see you and she found him waiting for you and drugged him.”
“But…”
“She and a few of your family members were carrying him out of here. They were having a hard time of it given how large he is and managed to smack his head a few times. I doubt there’ll be any lasting damage.”
“Why didn’t you stop them?” cried Zara, as her heart kicked in again and started racing.
“And rob you of your chance to save your grinning gorilla? Perish the thought. Much more romantic if you do it. Besides, I’ve already risked life and limb for you once this week and that is my limit.”
“You seem to have both your life and your limbs,” Zara snapped.
“Yes, it worked out swimmingly for me. As for you and Dolt, I suggest you get moving.”
He kissed her hand again and seemed to shimmer away with minimal effort.
“Right. Oh hell, Holt!”
Chapter Twenty-One
Holt awoke, woozy and tied to a table.
“Woss happnin’?” he mumbled with a thick tongue.
Jeez, he hadn’t felt this bad since he was a teenager and started drinking. Hey, if his uncle didn’t want him raiding the liquor cabinet he should have put a lock on it – well, a better lock. But no, this didn’t feel like one of those hangovers. He remembered going into Zara’s apartment, being given some tea and then… nothing.
“Awww crap.”
“Oh, look, he’s awake,” cooed a soft voice.
Zara’s mother, Madeline peered down at him, all amusement had evaporated and was replaced by distaste.
“Where am I?” he asked giving an experimental pull at the ropes around his wrists.