by Lynn Hagen
Before Victor could say another word, Pierce grabbed his hand and led him across the street. They were cutting through the park that was located in the center of town, and Victor loved taking occasional strolls there, mostly to escape Riley, but the peacefulness and greenery always set his mind at ease.
“Do you feel that?” Victor whispered as they passed the large oak tree that sat smack-dab in the middle of the park.
“I feel it,” Pierce whispered back. “Just act natural.”
Someone was following them. The hairs on Victor’s nape stood on end as he forced himself not to look around. There were still residents strolling down the street, walking in and out of stores, enjoying their evening as cars passed on the street and the gusty wind died down.
It was hard not to peer at every shadow or to turn his head and look for whoever was following them, but Victor kept his attention straight ahead as they kept walking toward the edge of town where the tavern was located.
Clearly Pierce was waiting until they were far enough away from downtown Mercury before he tried to confront the culprit. Victor was ready to pounce, and his body vibrated with the need to go after whoever was following them. He was becoming a straight-up excitement junkie, and he blamed his mate for that. Before Pierce, Victor would’ve run all the way back to the club to avoid the confrontation. Now he could hardly contain the need to rush into the face of danger.
Why couldn’t he be like this when Riley picked on him? Why did Victor turn into a quivering coward whenever he spotted the guy? His bravado always seemed to drain away when Riley confronted him, and Victor couldn’t understand the reasoning behind that.
Pierce let go of Victor’s hand when they reached the dirt parking lot. Victor’s nerves were wound tight, and he was ready to fight.
“Now can I turn around?” he whispered.
“By all means.” Pierce winked. “Unleash your craziness, mouse.”
Victor narrowed his eyes. “For the record, I’m not crazy. I’m just very high-strung in these situations.”
Taking a deep breath, Victor squared his shoulders as he spun around.
* * * *
“What the hell?” Pierce growled as he stared at Colton. “What’s with the spy shit? You nearly gave my mate a heart attack.”
“No he didn’t,” Victor quickly said. “I nearly picked up Bo and threw him at you.”
That was a lie considering the resident alligator wasn’t even in his usual spot, but Pierce didn’t contradict his mate since Victor was clearly trying to act brave in front of Colton.
“So it’s true,” Colton said as he looked Victor over. “Reggie said you were acting protective of mouse.”
Why did it grate Pierce’s nerves to hear Colton call him that? “You still didn’t answer me.”
“I’ve been looking for Victor.” Colton took a step toward the vampire, and Pierce immediately moved in the way, blocking his mate.
“What do you need with him?” Pierce didn’t care that he’d snarled the words. Victor kept talking about being punished, and Colton was mated to the Veneto brothers. If he came here to do their dirty work, Pierce was gonna beat Colton’s ass.
Colton’s brows shot up. “What do you think I’m gonna do to him?”
The door to the tavern opened. Pierce looked over his shoulder and saw Matt and Jason heading their way, their son, Gabriel, tucked in Matt’s arms. The little bugger was sound asleep.
“I’ll go start the Hummer.” Jason scooped Gabriel from Matt’s arms and carried him away as Matt turned to look at them with a touch of curiosity and a whole lot of suspicion in his gray eyes.
“Is there a problem?” their alpha asked.
Pierce turned to gaze at Colton. “Is there?”
Colton looked exasperated. “I just came to check on Victor. Why the hell do you keep looking like I’m gonna kidnap him?”
“Why did you follow us all the way here?” Pierce countered. “You could’ve hollered at any time that you wanted to talk to him, but you chose to hide in the shadows instead.”
“What’s going on?” Matt moved closer to them as the sound of Jason starting the Hummer could be heard in the background.
There was something going on that Colton wasn’t telling him, and Pierce was gonna get to the bottom of this, even if Colton kept dodging his questions.
“Somebody better start talking,” Matt growled. “I got a sleeping pup and a tired mate, and I’ve already had a long day. So cut to the chase already.”
Pierce gave Matt the condensed version, keeping to the facts instead of interjecting his opinions. When he was done talking, he turned his glare back on Colton. “So are you here to punish him?”
Matt turned to Colton, as well.
Colton bared his canines. “Are you fucking kidding me? I heard Riley had Victor hemmed up by the bathroom and wanted to make sure he was okay. I didn’t know anything about a beer bottle being involved.”
“He didn’t tell you that part?” Victor asked. “Why wouldn’t Riley jump at the chance to get me into trouble?”
That was a damn good question, and Pierce wanted to know, too. “Maybe he has bigger plans for you,” he said.
Victor paled, which was saying a lot since he was already pallid. “Like what?”
Pierce shrugged. “He seems more of the revenge type than a tattletale.” Not that Pierce knew Riley, but from the few moments he’d seen the bastard, he could tell his personality was pure evil. He wouldn’t put it past Riley to get even, and that was what worried Pierce.
“That little shit has been giving me problems since I’ve been there,” Colton said. “A lot of the vampires have.”
“That’s because you’re a wolf and an outsider, but mostly because you’re a wolf,” Victor said with a blush. “I’m just saying.”
“This sounds like a coven problem to me,” Matt said as he turned, but he looked back at Pierce. “But you’re still part of my pack, so if shit gets hinky, let me know.”
Pierce gave his alpha a nod before Matt strode away.
“That still hurt,” Colton grumbled. “He didn’t have to put it that way.”
“Dude, you run a coven. You know he still thinks of you as one of us, but don’t stand there and tell me your allegiance hasn’t changed.” Pierce loved Colton like a brother, but he wasn’t going to coddle his hurt feelings.
“What I did was inherit a disaster,” Colton groused. “My mates might be the Masters, but don’t think for a fucking second that shit doesn’t trickle downhill. I never knew just how dysfunctional Magnus’s coven was until I had to deal with them on a daily basis. The triplets are ready to wipe them all out and start over.”
Victor’s hand slowly rose in the air. “Except me, right?”
Colton chuckled. Pierce liked that the brother laughed now instead of scowling all the time. “Except you, mouse. And Reggie.”
“What’re you gonna do about Riley?” Pierce asked, ignoring the endearment that he wanted solely for himself, but if he had to share it, Colton would be the man he’d share it with. “I’m giving you fair warning that if he comes anywhere near Victor, I’m ending him.”
“You’ll get a warrant sworn out on you,” Colton warned. “That’s the last thing I want. If he goes near Victor, bring him to me.” There was a hard glint in his blue eyes. “Trust me when I say I’ll deal with him appropriately.”
“But my rank is lower than his,” Victor argued. “Everyone will believe Riley over me.”
Colton winked at Victor. “A lot of things are about to change in the coven, and that kind of rank is one of them. If you’re not Master or mated to one, your rank will be equal.”
Pierce snorted. “Like that’s ever going to happen. You might be able to change vampire law—which I highly doubt you can—but you’re not changing everyone’s mind. They’ve lived like this since forever, Colton. We might be a progressive society, but there are those out there who refuse to change with the times.”
“It’s true,” V
ictor said. “Vampires are stubborn and traditionalists. They’d rather die sticking to the old ways than broaden their horizons.”
“Thanks for making me feel like I can make a difference,” Colton grumbled. “Still, if Riley tries anything with Victor, bring that little shit to me.”
Pierce watched Colton walk away.
“He still didn’t answer your question,” Victor pointed out.
Pierce looked at his mate.
“Of why he was stalking us.”
Goddamn it. He’d let Colton sidetrack him. Pierce started to go after Colton, but his stomach chose that moment to growl. He grabbed Victor’s hand and led him inside the tavern but not before looking around. He still had the sense that someone was watching them. It could be paranoia, but he doubted it.
Especially since the veil creatures were still on the loose.
* * * *
Colton turned and watched Pierce and Victor go into the tavern. Matt was gonna have his balls when he found out Colton had let Victor get away. He hadn’t been completely honest back there. Riley had whined about Victor attacking him and the program at the agency had spit out a capture warrant for the little mouse.
Colton hadn’t had the heart to execute the warrant, so he’d lied and gone along with their theory that Riley was planning his revenge, when in truth, the bastard was back at the club hamming it up, like he’d nearly lost his life when Victor attacked him with that beer bottle.
But the fact that Victor had a warrant against him wouldn’t stay secret for long. Since Colton hadn’t executed it, someone else would, and he pitied the idiot that went after Pierce’s mate.
Chapter Five
Pierce didn’t like the strange looks he was receiving when he walked through the door at home. Victor was right behind him and must’ve felt the tension because he took a step back.
A few of the mates stood in the family room doorway, staring between Pierce and Victor.
Nick stood from the chair he was seated in, and his stance wasn’t relaxed. Rhys, who’d been coming down the steps, moved closer, making Pierce nervous.
“What’s going on?” Pierce’s gut twitched as more men filled the living room area. He reached behind him and placed a hand on Victor’s hip, ready to bolt if he had to. The somber looks he was getting didn’t bode well for him.
Matt strode down the hallway and stopped a few feet in front of Pierce. “We have a situation.
“And what’s that?” Pierce’s body became tense as his hand on Victor grew tighter.
“Why don’t we go into my office and talk?” Matt said.
“We can talk right here.” Pierce wasn’t taking another step until he knew what in the hell was going on. He looked around the room and noticed Rhys shaking his head so slightly that Pierce almost missed the move.
Pierce tapped Victor’s hip, praying his mate got the message. Clearly he had because Victor whipped around, slung the door open, and took off. Pierce tried to follow, but when he made it outside, his mate was nowhere in sight.
Then again, what had Pierce expected when the vampire could move with inhuman speed?
He went back inside and glared at Matt. “Tell me what the fuck is going on!”
He couldn’t believe his ears when Matt told him about the warrant. “Are you fucking kidding me?” Pierce was ready to tear everyone apart. “Try and execute that warrant, and pack member or not, I’ll kill you with my bare hands.”
He hadn’t given the threat to anyone in particular, but he was pretty sure they all heard him.
Fuming mad, Pierce stormed from the house, unsure where he should look for his mate. Surely he hadn’t gone back to his coven, not with a warrant hanging over his head, but Victor didn’t know about it.
Pierce pulled his phone out as he hopped into his car. He dialed Colton while driving away from the house. As soon as Colton answered, Pierce snapped, “You knew about that warrant and you couldn’t have dropped a goddamn hint?”
“You knew I couldn’t,” Colton replied with the same snarly tone.
Pierce knew Colton would’ve gotten into trouble if he’d given him warning, but that knowledge did nothing to tamp down his anger. Since Victor wasn’t safe at his coven, and obviously not at the pack house, maybe Pierce should give some serious thought to buying a house in town. Screw living with other people. Pierce wanted his privacy, and Victor needed it, too.
“Is he there?”
“Victor?” Colton sounded shocked. “Why on earth would he come here?”
“Because he doesn’t know he has a warrant against him.” Pierce turned right at the corner of Murray Hill, scanning the street for his mate.
“I’ll keep an eye out for him,” Colton said. “If I find him first, I’ll hide him until you can come get him.”
Pierce wasn’t surprised Colton would do that for him. It seemed Victor had wormed his way into the wolf’s heart. Pierce was willing to bet that Colton looked at Victor as some kind of baby brother. Before Anthony had been killed, Colton had been a die-hard caregiver. And somewhere deep down, he still was.
“Thanks,” Pierce said before he ended the call.
* * * *
“You’re not my son. You’re an abomination! Get out and never come back.” Those words echoed in Victor’s head as he stood on the street staring at his mother’s house. She lived on the opposite side of town, and not once had he run into her since he’d been changed into a vampire.
She’d been a loving, doting mother before that night, before she’d discovered what Victor had become. More than once he’d stood in this very spot and stared at his childhood home, longing to walk up to the door and ring the bell, to have his mother forgive him and pull him into her arms.
But Victor had never worked up the courage to face her. Not in twenty long years. He’d never actually seen her when he came by, either, and had no idea what she would look like two decades older.
He’d started to go back to the club when he’d fled the pack house, but something inside him told him to steer clear of the place. The tension at the pack house had been enough to choke Victor, although he wasn’t sure what was going on or why the wolves had looked as though they’d attack at any second.
“Nice night for a stroll.”
Victor jerked at the sound of the deep, low voice. He’d been so lost in thought that he hadn’t heard anyone approach. He looked at the guy standing next to him, and a cold chill raced down his spine.
It was Nick Steele.
Victor tucked his hands into his front pockets. From the rumors floating around Black Dragon, Nick was a monster with a license to kill. He had more kill warrants under his belt than all the bounty hunters combined.
Or so Victor had heard.
“Are you here to kill me?” His voice wasn’t wobbly or filled with terror. Victor just didn’t have it in him to care. He was sick of his coven walking all over him, tired of being in danger, and all he’d ever wanted was a peaceful life with no drama.
Nick looked him over with heavy-lidded eyes, which made Victor uneasy. Okay, so maybe he was a tad frightened. Nick looked like the Grim Reaper as he stood there with his dark looks, wearing all-black clothing. His expression was intense, too.
“If I were here to kill you, you’d already be dead.” Nick looked toward the house. “Anyone you know inside?”
“No.” It was the hard truth. Victor no longer knew his mother—not the loving mother that had raised him. Inside was a complete stranger, yet he still longed to lay eyes on her and hoped she was doing well. Regardless to what had happened that night, he still loved her with all his heart.
“Walk with me.” Nick didn’t wait for a response. He strode down the sidewalk at a leisurely pace, as if he hadn’t a doubt that Victor would follow.
And like a complete idiot, Victor caught up to the dark and dangerous wolf shifter. They walked in silence for two blocks before Nick finally spoke. “Are you aware that you have a capture warrant against you?”
That would exp
lain the odd behavior at the pack house. “No.”
“Do you know why you have one against you?” Nick pulled out a pack of gum from his pocket, unwrapped a stick, and tossed it into his mouth. A reminiscent smell wafted toward Victor, and he remembered the scent from so long ago. Strawberry.
That used to be his favorite flavor.
“How old were you when you were turned?”
The question caught Victor off guard. “Eighteen.”
Nick glanced his way before he looked straight ahead again. “Why were you turned so young?”
Victor didn’t like to think about the night he was attacked. The memory always made him feel sick to his stomach. “It wasn’t something I wanted.”
“Zeeshan Maddox.”
Victor stopped walking, and he nearly passed out. He hadn’t heard that name in so long, yet hearing Nick say it struck terror in his heart. “H-How did you know?”
Nick stopped, as well, but didn’t turn around. “He terrorized Mercury for an entire summer twenty years ago. He had a predilection for young boys. We hunted him to exhaustion but hadn’t caught him until—”
“I was the last one he turned before he disappeared. I never knew what happened to him.” And Victor never asked. He’d been too ashamed of what Zeeshan Maddox had done to him. He’d hidden out at home until the change had taken over, and then he’d tried to attack his mother, but thankfully hadn’t bitten her.
After that, Victor had wandered the streets, feeding when he had no other choice, when the hunger had become too much. Then Magnus had found him and brought him to the coven.
Victor shook the memories loose and slammed the lid on them as he folded his around his midsection.
“Ever since then, your coven has treated you like shit.” Nick finally turned, and the murderous look in his dark eyes made Victor take a step back. “Am I right?”
All Victor could do was nod.
“You can come home. No one is going to take you to prison.” Nick started walking again. “If you ask me, Riley got off lightly.”