by T. A. Grey
Gavin held up his hand for silence. “Calm down, everyone. Calm down.” He waited until they had themselves under control. “I owe Marcus for a personal slight against me. I plan to rectify that tonight. Whatever’s left of him though… You can have.”
Gavin didn’t attack first. He and Marcus squared off like two predators, each calculating the other for weak points and strengths. They’d each been in this position before, four months ago. Since they’d fought each other before, they each remembered what the other fought like. Marcus was slender and his lean body gave him speed that Gavin couldn’t replicate. But where Marcus might be fast, Gavin was strong. He’d ended up beating Marcus into the ground last time until someone pulled him off Marcus’ squirming body.
“You each know the rules,” Hart said. “Fight to the death. Fight with honor and may the best man win.”
Gavin brought his lykaen to the surface. It felt like seeing an old friend again. His muscles stretched as adrenaline surged inside him, blood rushing through his veins making them thicker. His hands curled into fists, tightening his fingers and cracking his knuckles. Marcus did the same. They took heavy breaths like two monsters about to battle, sucking in as much oxygen to fuel the body as possible.
Then Marcus struck. An impulsive move and Gavin was ready for it.
Marcus charged forward like a battering ram, his shoulder cocked to hit. Gavin leaped to the side and kicked his foot out at the last second sending Marcus tripping over it. Marcus slammed to the ground and the pack cheered like their home team just scored a point. Gavin supposed he kind of had.
Marcus stood up and growled, the sound feral and that’s when Gavin struck. Marcus was lost in his anger now, no longer tightly controlled as he had been. That’s just what he wanted.
Gavin ran straight for Marcus. The action took his foe completely by surprise. That second delay in Marcus’ reaction was just what he needed and Gavin didn’t hold back. He landed a hook across Marcus’ eye, jerking his face to the side. Marcus shoved him back and Gavin swung his leg out in a vicious kick that connected at Marcus’ ribs. Bones crunched under the pressure, popped.
Marcus howled in pain and dropped to his knees. And then the unexpected happened. From across the distance, he heard a voice he recognized. A young man’s voice, his brother. He and almost everyone else looked in the direction of that voice and saw Will being dragged up the main road by pack lieutenants. He mumbled incoherently, crying out.
Gavin couldn’t believe it. His heart skipped a beat. Will was here and alive. Elation and anger were nasty emotions churning in his gut. And he nearly vomited up his meal when Marcus suddenly struck, taking him by surprise in a series of hard, teeth-clenching blows that landed in his gut. His muscles tightened to take the impact but it still hurt like a mother.
Grimacing through the pain, Gavin snapped his head forward and broke the bastard’s nose. The sight of blood made the lykaen inside him howl in victory.
“Gavin! Gavin! Gavin!” cheered the pack.
He fought harder. They exchanged a series of bruising blows. Fleshing hammering against flesh. He was hit—staggeringly hard. A tooth came lose and he spit it out. No problem, he thought, he’d grow another one. And then Marcus flipped him down to the ground and landed a knee in his spine, the pain exploding up to his brain and making him growl.
It was as if they’d both been holding back before. Not really fighting for blood. Now they were. They started using harder parts of the body, biting, foreheads, elbows and knees. They didn’t throw a fist to hurt but to make the other bleed. It worked. Blood splattered from the both of them. Their ragged breaths beat against each other as they grappled along the ground with sweat-slicked skin.
Gavin had to push everything out of his mind. The fact that Will had come home. The fact that he’d forced his mate to leave. All of that had to go away into a place he couldn’t think about.
Marcus gained the advantage and curled his thumbs into Gavin’s eye sockets. He pushed hard, trying to tear his eyes out. Gavin squinted and slammed his fist up into Marcus’ nose. Again. Then again. The bones in his nose collapsed under the force, blood drenching Gavin’s fist and Marcus screamed in agony. Marcus fell off Gavin and he didn’t bother trying to get up again.
Marcus was done. He squirmed restlessly in a pool of his own blood.
Hart and Hanna came over and helped Gavin to stand. He couldn’t really tell why right away but he knew he couldn’t have stood on his own. The pack applauded wildly. As Gavin was led away from the fight, he looked back down at Marcus. His chest still rose and fell as he squirmed to try to get up.
That is until the pack swarmed over him like vultures to a carcass. They finished Marcus off. He died screaming while his brothers screamed after him.
Gavin hated that this had to happen but Marcus and Harry chose to kill two innocent kids because of Marcus’ ambitions.
After several minutes, feeling began returning to his legs and he let his family go so he could walk on his own. It wasn’t his usual walk because his right knee slumped each time he put pressure on it and his left leg felt like someone had taken a baseball bat to it.
Will was cuffed sitting on his knees between a handful of guards. They wouldn’t even look at him. Will wouldn’t look at them. He couldn’t keep his own head up. Shame ate at him. Tears coursed down his dirty face. He smelled of piss and worse things. His hair was filthy and he was wearing the same clothes he’d been last seen in more than two weeks ago.
This was the man who’d hurt Alicia, not once, but many times. This was the man who’d tried to kill her. Who’d poisoned him. Who gave his enemy the knife that destroyed Gavin’s face.
And yet, when he looked down at his pathetic form he realized he only wanted to cry along with him.
“I’m so sorry, Will.”
Will’s face crumpled and he sobbed. Gavin did what all good older brothers are supposed to do and he wrapped his younger brother in his arms and let him cry.
“I love you. I’ll always love you, baby brother.”
“I’m so sorry,” Will said, his voice thick.
He held his weeping brother until Hart announced that Dmetri and Brayden were here to take Will away.
It was hard to let his brother go, but he did it, feeling like a piece of his heart had been cut off. Each of his sisters hugged Will too, told him she loved him. The rest of the family still couldn’t look at him for what he’d done. Will couldn’t look them in the eyes. Gavin understood it. He hoped that eventually they’d come around as he had.
Dmetri Demidov was a blond man wearing the nicest suit Gavin had ever seen. It looked ridiculous out here in the mountains. Dmetri looked like a Russian playboy who should be out in Vegas, not Oregon.
Dmetri shook his hand. “Dmetri, and this here is Brayden.”
Brayden had shorter, darker hair with intense eyes and a no-bullshit attitude. He looked like a man who could command an army. Gavin appreciated it. They shook on the introduction.
“After everyone says their goodbyes, we’ll be taking him from here,” Brayden said.
“Where will you take him?” Gavin asked.
“We’ll drive him to Justicar’s Headquarters in Chicago for processing. From there, he’ll be tried officially and sent to one of the prisons. If you want him close to Oregon we can petition for that,” Dmetri said.
Gavin looked at his brother. He hadn’t thought of that. Did he want to see his brother again or was this goodbye? He didn’t know if he could see him again but he might want to…someday.
“Yeah, do that.”
Will continued to sob apologies as Brayden grabbed hold of the cuffs and lugged him off toward a dark SUV.
“We’ll take everything from here then, Alpha MacKellen. You’ll be hearing from us with updates. From here it looks pretty cut and dried though,” Dmetri said.
Suddenly, a girly voice started singing Lick me like a lollypop and Brayden flushed as he quickly reached into his pocket to answer his phone.
“What is it?” he growled as he marched several feet away. “Vanessa, listen, I’m working. Yes…yes…yes… You know I do.” A pause and then he cursed. “Fine, I will. I’m not doing it while on the phone with you.” Another pause. “Hell, hold on.” He spun around and faced Gavin. “Vanessa, previously known as Vanessa Kategan, then Vanessa Harrington, wishes to say hello to all of you. She misses some of you. Especially Hanna, Kaity, Elliot, and Jo.” Turning back around he said into the phone, “There, are you happy? Fine, you too, bye.”
Gavin found himself fighting a grin. He remembered Vanessa Kategan well. She’d been mated to the previous alpha, Joseph Harrington. Joseph had been a dick, a misogynist, and an opportunist. When he’d been given the chance to expand their land in exchange for mating with Vanessa, he’d taken it. No matter that he’d been about fifty and she eighteen when it happened. Her father forced her into it, but luckily at the encouraging of Gavin’s sisters and some of the packmates, she’d run away several months ago. She’d petitioned the Justicars for a divorce—not something easily given to lykaens—and that’s when she met the vampire, Brayden. Though not for the first time. And the rest, as they say, was history.
“Where’s this Harry Graham who’s wanted for homicide of two children?” Dmetri asked.
Gavin looked back at the bonfire. Marcus had been thrown on top of it, body burning to ash. His two brothers knelt by the fires, holding each other.
“They are both banished from this pack. Harry, we believe helped Marcus to carry the kids’ dead bodies. We have no concrete proof, but Marcus didn’t trust anyone else like he does his brothers. They’re both banished from here on out. I won’t worry myself and my pack over their bad blood.”
Dmetri nodded. “We’ll see them out for you.”
Nodding, Gavin made the announcement public. “From this day forth, the Graham brothers known as Harry and David cannot be trusted. They are henceforth banished from the MacKellen pack so long as MacKellen blood rules it.”
The two brothers were escorted away. They didn’t fight it, but there was vengeance in their eyes. One day they’d want retribution for what Gavin did to their brother. But they’d never have that satisfaction. He’d make sure of it.
The SUV took off down the lane and Hanna came up, tears streaming down her face. “I can’t believe any of this.”
“I know.” He wrapped her in his arms.
Now that the fight was over, lethargy was starting to get to him. He needed to crash. But first he had something important to do.
“Hart,” he called. His brother came over looking worse for the wear. “I need a ride. Think you can help?”
Hart cocked a brow. “Where to? Home?”
Gavin would have grinned but it hurt too bad to smile. “No, Arizona. I’m going to get my woman.”
CHAPTER 28
“I’m gonna step out for a while,” Jo said.
Alicia popped her head into the living room. “Why?”
He sighed. “Because I need some damn space, woman. Your apartment’s the size of my living room.”
She checked the time. “Okay, good, I need to try this piece on and I don’t want you here for that. Also, if Gavin calls again…come back because I’m ready to take it.” She tapped the wall with her finger, biting her lip.
“Really? What made you change your mind, sis?”
She smiled. “I think it was finishing this piece I’ve been working on. Feels like I’ve been working on it forever, you know? Even though I know I haven’t. I’m just so happy. I guess I want to share that with him and get over all the crap between us.”
“Smart plan.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. Now lock the door behind yourself and knock before you come in. I don’t want you catching me in my under things.”
He shivered. “Yeah, me neither.”
“Hey,” she threw a ball of yarn at him. “I’m not that bad to look at.”
“Just not my kind of woman. I’m gettin’ out of here before you take my head off.”
“Good idea,” she said.
She heard him throw the locks after he left. Alicia spun around and couldn’t stop from smiling. It was done. Really, finally done.
For the second time.
And, if she did say so herself, it looked even better than it did the first time. The matching black feather bra and panty set was complete. She even had the perfect black nylon stockings picked out with garters that clipped on to them, and a matching feather garter. It was in the makings to be the sexiest lingerie ever.
With too much excitement to contain, Alicia started pulling off her clothes in wild movements. She toed off her socks as she unhooked her bra and tugged it off. Her underwear flew away next.
She pulled on the feathered bra first. She took her time and enjoyed the feel of the material against her skin. She’d worn the pieces several times during the fitting process. But this was the final stage. This was it. It was complete. No loose threads or hanging feathers. Everything was in place.
Breath catching as she caught a glimpse of herself in the full-body mirror, she quickly turned away. She couldn’t look too soon. She had to see it once it was all finished. She pulled the panties on first one leg, then the other before she moved them up over her rump. The satin inside warmed against her skin. The feathers made her feel like a goddess, like something to be worshipped.
She noticed she stood a little taller, felt a little braver, and definitely a whole lot sexier. Things every woman wanted to feel when she pulled on the perfect lingerie.
The stockings and garters came on next and she held her breath as she stepped into a pair of tall heels. The feathers on the garters caressed her thighs in a teasing touch. It almost tickled. Black feathers against creamy skin. Oh my, but this creation was perfect. She knew it in every fiber of her being and she was going to start making matching sets in every size and selling them to women across the world.
Slowly, she turned and caught herself in the mirror. She stole her own breath. Not out of vanity but because her work managed to do exactly what she’d wanted it to do—make her feel incredible.
The feathers cupped her breasts and hips and ass and thighs. With the heels on, all she’d need was some smoky makeup and sexy hair and she’d be able to seduce the most chaste of men.
She spun around in a circle, laughing like a little girl, when she heard it. Snick. The sound of the front door opening.
Cold sweat hit her in an instant as terrible memories rushed back to the surface. She ran for the door to her work room and slammed it closed, throwing the lock. She backed away from it with her eyes trained on the door knob. Her heart tried to break out of her ribcage. He was back. Will had come for her. He was going to kill her and neither Jo nor Gavin were here to help her.
Her back hit her workbench and sent her work scattering to the ground. The door handle jiggled and she cried out, hands locking around the table for support.
“Alicia?” an alert voice asked. A familiar voice. A voice so achingly dear to her, she sobbed. “Fuck,” she heard him curse and then her door flew open with the force of his kick. Gavin MacKellen charged in, his face so familiar, the sight of him stirring an ache in her heart that panged.
His eyes ran over her from head to toe, then again, and again before looking around the room. “What’s wrong? I heard you scream and you shut the door.”
“You,” she said, a whisper.
He stiffened. “Of course, you don’t want me here. Listen, I’m sorry. I arranged it with Jo to give us a few minutes. I wanted to surprise you. Hell, all I did was scare you shitless. I’m so fuckin’ stupid. Dammit, I’m sorry.” He looked like he’d say more but then he just shook his head and turned to leave.
That’s when she finally found her voice. “Gavin!” she called out. Tears, not of pain, but of happiness swam in her eyes. “Baby, you came for me.”
He looked back at her, his scarred face more handsome than ever. “Damn right I did. I love you, I miss you and y
ou haven’t been taking my phone calls.” This he sounded pissed about.
Those were all words to her. They didn’t really matter to her fuzzy mind, but they must have on some subconscious level because she ran to him and he caught. Those warm, strong arms came around her, wrapping her up in that familiar scent and heat. She was home. This was home.
“I love you. I love you,” she kept saying. And he kept saying it back until their mouths fused together and didn’t separate.
“Holy hell, I have to get inside you,” he said against her lips.
Arousal throbbed between her legs in agreement. “Yes,” she moaned and kissed him harder.
He pushed her away and pulled his shirt over his head like it was a race. Her blood cooled in an instant at bruises that covered his ribs and stomach. She touched them gently. “Oh, baby, what happened to you?”
He cupped her face, looking at her like he hadn’t seen her in forever. She felt much the same way. She kept looking over the shape of his mouth, at his beautiful eyes and the shaggy hair that looked slightly smashed like he’d been wearing his hat.
“A lot has happened since you’ve been gone, but I don’t wanna talk about that right now. I just want my mate, naked, in my arms.”
He leaned down to kiss her and she pressed a finger against his lips. He arched a brow at her and sucked her finger into the wet cavern of her mouth, licking the tip.
“Ooh,” she said, breathless. “Wait.” She shook her head to clear. “What do you think of my lingerie?”
His hungry gaze swept over her, blasting her with its heat. “I wanna fuck you in it. How ‘bout that?”
Her stomach dipped. “O-kay, but you can’t rip it in any way. I’ve worked really, really hard on this.”
He cupped her breasts with both hands as if sizing them up. And then he trailed his hands down her stomach to her hips and cupped them, rocking her on her feet. Reaching back, he squeezed her ass. “Aside from you, it’s the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.”