“You’re right, Ty. Wrong time to be sappy right now; it’s a perfect time to kill, destroy, and fuck the brains and black hearts out of these dirty bastards.”
“That’s why I’m here.”
Callum smiled at his younger brother. “I’ll give you my case of 1992 Screaming Eagle if you kill more beasts than I do.”
“You’re on, brother.”
Zambro stood on his other side. His eyes narrowed as he directed them toward the Blood Robbers, slowly getting closer to where they stood. “Make sure you keep your head attached and we’ll all share a bottle.”
“I say, take care of your fifth life if you don’t want the beautiful woman sitting in your apartment to wait in vain.” Rodolf smacked his hand on his shoulder.
Callum nodded at Rodolf without turning around. Marisol was probably looking for him now. He hoped to God that Victor was cunning enough to keep his baby in the den.
Shuffling footsteps muffled by the soft ground came from behind them. Power sizzled in the air. Callum straightened his spine; his hand moved to grip the handle of his sword.
“Take it easy, brother. Seattle’s Best is here.” Callum looked at Zambro. His brother just grinned. “Salazar’s here?”
“We need all the help that we can get, bro, but that doesn’t mean you’re off the hook.”
“Callum, we meet again. Your bitch helped you live, huh? Oh look. You brought your brothers with you. I see the punks from Seattle decided to join in, too. Nice. The more the merrier.” Atos smiled, but malice was there, written all over his face.
“Got that right, kitten. You know us Seattleites. We enjoy skewering pussies.”
“Fuck you, Salazar. Hmm...do I smell fear?” Atos laughed maniacally.
“From you, cocksucker? Go back to your den full of matted hair.”
“Not until my business with Callum is over.”
“You gave your word, Atos. When I win, Blood Robbers will leave Marisol alone.”
“When?” Atos laughed. “Arrogant prick. I will leave your puta who killed my brother alone, if you win. When you lose, I’ll have your head and my men will have her.”
“You just try, you son of a bitch.” Ty took a step forward, his Heckler & Koch MP5K at the ready.
“Ah, the runt in the family. I heard about your temper, runt. We’ll see if you are as bad as they say you are.”
“Oh, I am. By the way, your brother must be a pussy to get beat by a human.”
“You’ll die, motherfucker!” Atos screamed.
Before Callum could react, bullets rained on them. He should have known. Atos had planted shooters up in the trees. He heard Ty grunt before he returned fire.
All hell broke loose.
***
Marisol couldn’t believe it. Callum had challenged Atos, placed his life in danger all because of her. His brothers, including the Seattle leader, Salazar, supported his decision. All except for Ty.
Beautiful. Are you worth my brother’s life?
Ty’s question echoed in her head. Now she knew what was behind his question, his hostility toward her. My God. Callum gave her his ring and didn’t tell her that he loved her because he thought he might not come back alive. What a knucklehead!
“Marisol, are you okay?”
“Victor, okay is not the right word to define how I feel right now.”
“How do you feel?” Watt asked.
“I feel like choking Callum.”
“Marisol, he’s fighting Atos because he wants you to have a free, quiet, and peaceful life. You can go back to your house without Atos sniffing around you.”
“He’s nuts if he believes that I can have the kind of life I want if he’s not around. Without him, my life would be miserable and dull. Imprisoned inside my loneliness. Do you understand?”
The three men looked at each other then nodded.
“He could be hurt right now. Bleeding like a stuck pig. Like when he came to me.” She practically yelled the words. “Gad! Take me to him, Victor.”
Victor shook his head. “I promised Callum that I’d keep you here.”
“You can’t keep me here. It’s either you come with me or I leave alone.”
“Marisol, my brothers are with Callum. They’ll protect him. Have faith in him. He can protect himself. But if Callum sees you, you’ll only distract him.”
“We’ll hide and intervene only if necessary. If he needs us, you know what I mean? I just want to make sure he’s safe, Victor. Isn’t that what you want, too? To be there with him, Watt, Bruce? Would you rather stay here patrolling or be up there where you’re needed?”
“Fuck it. Callum will kill me if I let you leave.”
“Listen buddy, I will whip your ass with my sword until you’re raw if you stand in my way.”
Victor’s deep sea blue eyes were as round as saucers. He looked incredulously surprised at her implied threat. “You would whip me?”
“Try me. Victor, I love your brother so much I will tear this whole place down if I have to just to get to him. Take me to Callum. Please.”
“She’s right, Victor. We could watch from afar and be ready.” Bruce nodded. “I want to decapitate at least a dozen of them and watch each one turn into dust.”
“Same here,” Watt agreed.
“What are we waiting for, gentlemen? Let’s go up and watch our men kick Atos and his members’ bloody asses.”
Chapter Eighteen
It was a horrible sight.
From the top of the hill where Victor had instructed her to hide, she looked down at the old, grass-overgrown cemetery. Men and wolves were fighting. Blood permeated the air. The sound of clanging swords, powerful guns, and chilling growls cut the air, mingling with the moans, grunts, and cries of pain.
Unaccustomed to seeing fights like this, the scene seemed unreal, staged. So Hollywood. But nothing about the fight was fake. The screams were real, the blood fresh, and the smell of bodies turning into ashes—surreal.
Marisol spotted Callum. Her heart screamed at the sight of him swinging his sword. He was on the offense, but as soon as he felled his opponent, another would come charging. God, why did he have to be so big? Like his brothers, he towered above the other fighters. And they were all bloody. She hoped the blood covering his shirt and pants wasn’t his. Her heart sank when she saw gashes on his arms and chest.
Ty, Zambro, and Rodolf weren’t too far away from Callum. The brothers were watching each other’s backs. She glanced at Victor. His face was hard. For sure, he wanted to be in the thick of the fight to help protect his brothers too.
Marisol turned to look for Callum again. When she spotted him, she screamed when a sword nearly missed Callum’s back, but Victor’s hand clamped hard on her mouth muffled her voice.
“Marisol, screaming from here will not help Callum or any of the Midnight Howl. Got it?”
She nodded before Victor removed his hand. “This is horrible, Victor. They all look hurt.” She spotted Xavier. He, too, was covered in blood. He was hacking away as if clearing the land of trees. She saw him wince when a sword sliced his arm. “Oh God. I forgot to bring my backpack. I don’t have the poultice with me.”
“Hopefully we won’t need it. We’ll only help, if necessary. See the man in black boots and motorcycle chaps?”
“I see a lot of men in boots.”
“Well, anyway, that’s Salazar. Head of the Seattle’s Best, just as Zambro is the head of Turtle Bluff. He’s as good as Zambro. Right now, it looks like they’re handling the fight well.”
Victor had spoken too soon. A man in black with a shiny metal arm protector holding an equally shiny sword made his way toward Callum. Atos.
“Oh my God,” she whispered.
“Son of a bitch. Victor, Atos is swinging Valdo’s sword like death itself. “ Bruce spat the words as if they were vile.
Atos was the same height as Callum. The moon provided Marisol a glimpse of his profile. He was a handsome man; no one would suspect he had an evil soul. Th
e way he chopped and sliced the men in his path, one would think he possessed none at all.
One man blocked Atos. The man lasted a few seconds before his head landed on the bloody, soggy ground. He turned into ashes a minute later.
Marisol noticed a woman carrying a high-powered gun kept close to Atos. The way she looked at Atos told Marisol that she wasn’t just another member of Atos’s clan.
“Victor, is Atos married?”
“No, but that woman is his lover. Why?”
Marisol shook her head. She’d found a weapon against Atos. In time, she’d use it. Right now, she’d have to remain hidden. It didn’t take long for Atos to reach Callum. Both men, panting and covered in blood, faced each other. Marisol kept her gaze on Callum.
Please, please be careful.
Marisol held her breath when Atos lunged his sword at Callum in three quick thrusts. Callum blocked him. Atos laughed. Bastard. Atos knew the power of his sword. Marisol heard Victor cursed beside her when two more men swaggered toward Callum. Heart thudding against her chest, she scanned the area for Ty or Zambro or Rodolf. She saw them, but they were all engaged in battles. Callum’s back was unprotected.
“Victor, Callum should at least use a gun to keep the others away from him.”
“This is a battle, Marisol. If your opponent drops his sword, you give him a chance to pick it up. That’s just how it goes.”
“That’s insane. A fight is a fight. Use whatever you need to win.”
One man, built like a gym rat, took a swing at Callum. He nearly hit him straight in the back; if Callum hadn’t turned around in time to block the sword, he would have. It didn’t take long before Callum killed the man. He was still panting when Atos rounded on him. He was about to charge Callum when the woman protecting his back screamed. Atos changed direction. He immediately killed the man that hurt the woman then shoved her out of harm’s way.
It didn’t take long before Atos faced Callum once more. The two circled each other. It was a sight Marisol would never forget. She was overwhelmed and astonished. Both men were equal in strength and skill. The only advantage Atos had against Callum was his sword.
She could clearly see Callum, his brothers, and Atos now that most fighters were on the ground. Some were still alive—in pain, unable to move, waiting for their bodies to heal. The others quickly turned into wolf form and continued fighting.
Somewhere near where Atos’s woman stood, Marisol noticed movement. Judging by the sound of Victor’s curse, he saw it too.
“Atos brought more men.” They were right. Armed men swarmed the cemetery. “We need to help.”
“We? You stay here, Marisol. We have more than one life. You can’t—”
“Callum’s not the only one who can give his life for love. I’ll die for Callum, Victor. And I’m sure you’ll give everything for your brothers as well.”
“You are one crazy woman.”
Marisol wrapped an arm around Victor and gave him a kiss on his temple. “Follow my plan and we might live to face Callum’s wrath later.”
“What’s the plan?”
“Cover me.”
“That’s the plan?”
Chapter Nineteen
Through his peripheral view, Callum saw more Blood Robbers coming. Fuck! His brothers were all standing, still fighting for him, with him. But for how long? They were outnumbered.
“You’re one fucking dead wolf, Callum.”
“Don’t start counting your chicks before they’re hatched, pighead.”
“Oh, believe me. I’ve already counted you when you killed my sister.”
“You’re a fucking lunatic to believe I killed her. If you’d only ceased to believe in your ancestor’s crooked ways of killing humans, Alisha might still be alive today. Your stupidity was what drove her out of your den. So don’t you fucking blame me or others for her death.”
“Alisha knew and understood what we stood for.”
“Wrong, bastard. She knew all right, but she didn’t understand at all. You, Atos, are the only one responsible for her death. You killed your sister.”
“No!” Atos charged.
The force of Atos’s sword meeting Callum’s made his knee buckle. His own blade cut his forehead when he blocked Atos’s blow. Sparks from the metal flew, forcing him to look away. It was what Atos had been waiting for. He kicked Callum, sending him sprawling on the wet grass. He tried to regroup, but the slippery ground made it impossible. Atos took advantage. Callum couldn’t do anything but defend himself. Warm blood trickled down his face.
“Die, you fucking bastard!” Atos’s scream sounded maniacal.
Callum saw Atos’s sword come down. He rolled a couple times then quickly stood up. He didn’t have to block Atos’s attacks. His brother Ty had.
“The runt wants to fight me.”
“Fuck you.” Ty held his double-straight swords in front of him in a crisscrossed position.
Atos laughed.
Callum gnashed his teeth. His brother still had three lives, but it wouldn’t matter when Atos’s sword cut him. He wiped the blood off his face. From where he stood, he watched for sneaky attackers. He didn’t dare take Ty’s attention from Atos. One false move and it could cost his brother his precious life.
“Ready to die, runt?”
“Of course. I’m always ready to die for what I believe in, which is getting rid of dirty asses like you.”
Callum intercepted one Blood Robber running toward Ty.
Ty and Atos measured each other. Atos, a couple inches taller than Ty, had the advantage. Ty surprised him with his skill in using the double sword. His brother attacked, twirling the swords like a baton. When he stopped, Atos’s chest was bleeding.
“Impressive display, but I’m still standing, runt,” Atos taunted.
“Not for long,” Ty replied with heavy malice.
Callum didn’t get a chance to watch his brother. He was busy defending himself from the swarming Blood Robbers. He’d just skewered a wolf’s heart when he heard Ty’s grunt.
Zambro called Ty’s name.
Callum turned in time to see Atos stab Ty deep in the stomach.
Ty’s body bucked from the force. “Ty!” Callum roared. Blinded by anger and fear, he charged Atos.
Marisol saw it happen. She couldn’t get to Ty without fighting a Blood Robber blocking her path. While Victor kept her back protected, Watt and Bruce remained on her side as she made her way toward the woman.
She must end this fight right now. Before it was too late. There were so many that Atos had wounded. Why hadn’t she thought about carrying the poultice with her?
As soon as Marisol came close to the woman, she stopped. The woman looked at her and then touched her belly. She was carrying a child. Fear registered on her face, but it was gone a heartbeat later.
“Well, well. What do we have here? A human. I know your kind is stupid, but not stupid enough to join in a fight like this—with or without a powerful sword.”
The woman’s voice was steady; Marisol mentally commended her. “I’m here to end this fight.”
“You’re giving yourself to Atos?”
“No. By letting you and your baby live.” She didn’t give the woman a chance to absorb what she’d just said. Marisol had the tip of her sword on the woman’s neck even before she could lift her sword. With Watt, Victor, and Bruce standing guard, Marisol looked at Atos and bellowed his name. She called him twice before her voice penetrated his hearing.
Miracle of all miracles, men and wolves stopped fighting. “Lower your sword or I’ll kill your woman.”
“Marisol?” Callum growled her name.
“Don’t you fucking touch her or I’ll kill you, bitch.”
“Not before she dies. I swear to God, Atos. She’ll die, and the baby she carries, if you don’t lower your sword.” To prove she wasn’t bluffing, she pressed the tip of her sword against the woman’s neck, drawing blood. The woman gasped.
Atos lowered his sword.
&nb
sp; Marisol let out a shaky breath. Good God.
“Let Zenaida go.”
Marisol looked at the woman. “After what you’ve done to my parents, I shouldn’t let her live, Atos. But I’m not a beast like you. Next time though, I’ll not show mercy.”
“You didn’t show my brother mercy. Why is this situation different?”
“Your brother came to my home and threatened my life and Callum’s. It was only right to defend ourselves.”
Atos looked at the man to his left; he looked ready to bolt. Marisol wondered if he was the wolf who’d dared come in her home and escaped through the window.
“I should kill Zenaida, but I don’t kill love, Atos. You love her. I can see it in your eyes. And she’s here because she loves you. So much, in fact, that she put her and your baby’s life in danger. I’m giving you a chance, Atos. Leave, take your men with you, before I change my mind.”
Atos didn’t move fast enough to her liking. She pushed her sword deeper into Zenaida’s neck. The woman cried out. Blood stained her sword and the woman’s neck and chest.
Atos looked around before nodding to his men. Like ghosts in the dark, the Blood Robbers disappeared one by one. Some helped carry the wounded.
“You’re free to go anywhere you want and we’ll not harm you.” To Callum, Atos said, “This hasn’t changed anything between us, Midnight Howl. I gave you my word. We’ll not attack the humans, but we will continue hunting the tainted souls. And when we meet again, Callum, I will kill you.” Atos spat, and then walked toward Zenaida.
Within minutes, only the Midnight Howl members were left standing in the cemetery. Just like that the fight was over.
Marisol met Callum’s gaze. He looked ready to kill her. She mentally prepared her explanation to save her from his ire when Zambro’s anguished voice pierced the air. He looked where Zambro and the others were gathered.
“Ty…brother.” Zambro held one paw on his lap.
Marisol rushed to Ty’s side. He was one beautiful wolf. “Ty, darling. Look at me,” she cupped his face and choked on her sob when she saw how badly cut he was.
Beyond The Veil: A Paranormal & Magical Romance Boxed Set Page 312