by M F Adele
Grim was looking worried. For me? For her? Or for the betting? Probably for me. Did I mention this is stupid? I may be an alpha by nature, but it wasn’t my smartest move to show even the slightest signs of a challenge to her. I should’ve known better the moment I found out who she was.
“So, what’ll it be mutt?” She taunted me. The dig was just what I needed to accept, and damn if she didn’t know it. She really is a brat.
“Alright, she-wolf. What form are we fighting in?” I’d leave that up to her.
“Whatever you want,” she snapped her fingers and was back in those amazing booty shorts she was wearing when we walked up the path to the back patio. Damn it. Why was she so distracting?
“You won’t get mad when I win, right?” I questioned myself as much as her. Would I be mad if she won? I wanted to think about that, but mostly I stared at her for longer than necessary. I didn’t think about strategy at all. I thought about throwing her over my shoulder and trotting off into the trees surrounding her house. Finding a nice wide trunk to fuck her against until she was so hoarse from screaming she couldn’t talk back. Fuck me. It would be difficult to fight her with my dick hard. Head in the game, Briggs. Head in the game.
“My Dad may have trained you, but my wolf is one of a kind.” She jeered at me and shrugged a bare shoulder. I bit my cheek so hard I tasted blood. My wolf wanted to bite her, mark her as his own. His feelings of lust were fueling my own. What should I do? Stop thinking about sex for starters, you fucking horndog.
“Both,” I drawled confidently. “We’ll fight as both.” I grabbed the back of my t-shirt and jerked it over my head in one smooth motion. I unbuttoned my jeans but left them hanging on my hips. I kept an extra pair in everyone’s vehicles, just in case. So, when I shredded these it wouldn’t be a big deal.
“Okay,” she conceded. “Whatever you want.”
Wait, what? Why did she agree to that?
Fuck.
Shit.
That was when I knew I’d clearly fucked up. Stand tall and take your beating, Briggs. There was a first time for everything.
In a split second flash of bright light, she shifted and stood across the yard as a wolf. She was the same height as my wolf but thinner, all lean muscle to my bulk. It was the difference between an MMA fighter and a bodybuilder. It was also crystal clear at that moment that I was going to lose before we even began. A smart wolf would have submitted before they got injured. I wasn’t a smart wolf though. I was stubborn. She gave me the wolf equivalent of a grin. She charged me at a speed I had never seen any wolf move in before. Her attack gave me no more time to look her over.
I rushed forward to meet her and shifted mid-jump. We both lunged for the other and slammed together in the air. The momentum pushed us back, allowing me distance once again. She snarled at me, and I returned the favor with a low, warning growl. We were all teeth, claws, and tangled limbs on display for the watching audience seated safely on the patio.
Her shiny silver-blue coat reflected the sunlight. I took a second to notice that her fur was the same color as her hair. She almost looked like a powdery-blue wolf. Her body was hard and her muscles are long, lean, and coiled for her next attack. She was ready to pounce on me, but she played cat and mouse as she circled my bulky body. I’ve never been a mouse in this game before. I had to twist to keep her in my line of vision. I did not want her at my back.
Jack was right. Her wolf was beautiful, terrifying, and deadly. She stalked me gracefully on her paws as she continued to move counterclockwise. It was a sight I wanted to memorize, but she didn’t give me another second. She dove for me. I barely missed her as I adjusted to my left, out of her circle. Her claws tore up the grass when she came to a stop where I was just standing. She glared down at the grass with her large, cold eyes and huffed her distaste. She didn’t like messing up her yard. That’s kind of adorable. I didn’t wait for her undivided attention though, I took the distraction as a chance to attack.
I charged full speed at her and she looked at me keenly but didn't move. I opened my jaws to grab her by the throat, but when I snapped them shut there was nothing but air.
She was gone.
No. Not gone.
She wrapped her very naked human body around my fucking neck like she was some sort of sloth along for a ride. I couldn’t see her, but I felt her slight weight. I noticed as each of her fingers slid into my fur. Then, she grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and slammed me to the ground harder than any male alpha ever had. I wiggled, trying to dislodge her grip and get out from under her, but her strength was… insurmountable. I can’t believe this. She was what? Maybe 130 pounds. She held me down in wolf form like I was a rag doll.
She snatched me by my scruff again, gaining my full attention. Jerking my head over, she exposed my throat. I kicked with all my strength, feeling my claws dig into her flesh. I could smell the blood. I knew she was injured, and it was all my doing. Trying to make her move away seemed to fuel her rage more than the blood did though.
I felt her jaw open up and clamp around my neck, the slightest pressure of her very human teeth set with her wolf’s canines. She pulled up and looked into my right eye. “Submit,” she demanded, but I wouldn’t. Not yet. I wiggled again to get free. She loosened her hold on me and let me up. I did not like that.
I snarled as I shifted back to my skin. She launched at me the moment I got my human legs underneath me. I was on my back in the grass, and I had no idea how it happened so fast. I was standing one second and then flat on my back the next. I never felt her impact, but I felt the slam knock the breath right from my lungs. She landed on my chest, straddling me, with her left hand wound tightly in my hair. She jerked my head far to the left, leaving the full length of my throat exposed a second time. “Submit,” she demanded impatiently. I still wasn’t ready to admit defeat.
I flipped us over, throwing her back onto the unforgiving ground. My thighs caged her arms in and my dick rested wholly against her perky tits. I wanted to enjoy the view, but when I glanced down at her she was wearing a smug grin. I had a brief moment to furrow my brows and wonder what she was thinking before she slung her legs up. Her heel hit me in the throat while she used her legs to slam me backwards. All the air whooshed from my lungs painfully fast. She followed me to the ground and sunk her teeth into the left side of my throat, piercing the vulnerable flesh.
I felt the warmth trail down my neck into the grass beneath us, and my dick woke from the violence. She had her body stretched out between my legs. Her knees were jammed into the soft spots on either side of my groin, cutting some of the circulation off as she put more of her weight on me. She had me beat. If I moved my head she could rip my throat out. If I wiggled my body I’d take a knee or two to the balls, and there was still the throat thing. I had no doubts that she was holding back too. That was a bigger turn on than the position we ended up in. Her power is intoxicating.
“I submit,” I blurted in a gravely tone. She pulled her teeth out of my skin and licked the wound her bite left. She ran her tongue all the way up my jaw, to the corner of my lips where she hovered over me in the sexiest fucking way. Her long bluish hair curtained around us, making it seem like we were the only people there as she stared straight through to my soul. She didn’t kiss me, but her lips were so close that I felt her smile down at me.
Her lips brushed mine in the most delectable way as she uttered, “You taste delicious.” She peeled herself off of me and began to dust the grass and dirt from her naked body. “That took longer than I thought it would,” she acknowledged as I laid in the grass staring at her while I waited for the bite to heal. When she looked down at me she had the most sinful smile I’d ever seen on her face. Her lips were stained with my blood and I have this primal feeling of satisfaction knowing that my mate thought I tasted good. I might have lost the fight, but I’d never received a compliment quite like that before. I gave her a self-satisfied grin and she cocked her hip at me before she added, “Well, come on. We h
ave shit to do today.”
She offered her hand, and when I took it she pulled me upright. She didn’t let me go immediately. She kept my large hand held tightly in her small one while she looked up at me, studying my face and, oh. Is she checking me for injuries or checking me out while I’m naked? The tattoos that covered my body left little skin unmarked, but the glint in her eyes showed me she was intrigued by what she was viewing. She saw me watching her and snapped her fingers. Cold magic brushed against my skin, making all the bruises and pain fade away. When I looked down to examine my body, I noticed that we were both dressed. Damn. I can’t check her injuries now. Lame excuse, right?
“Thanks, Doll,” I marveled after her as we took our time getting back to the patio. I didn’t know if I was thanking her for dressing me, healing me, or kicking my ass. Probably all three.
“I’ll be taking that,” Novak declared as he took Jack’s money from the table. “A pleasure doing business with you, Jack.”
“You should know better, Jack.” Sloane chastised him while shaking her head. “You’re not a gambler, that’s why I always make the bets, babe.”
She picked up a peach from the basket of fruit in the middle of the table and took a big bite as the oldest vampire I’d ever seen strolled onto the patio and addressed her. “Madam, I’ve set up the rooms, and given the Mage a room with access to the library. I put weapons and a change of clothes in the back of the Audi for you. It’s parked out front with keys in the ignition. I informed Simon that Jack will be accompanied by a friend to search the bar, but may I suggest you lose the robe, Sir.” He turned his attention to Grim for a moment before continuing, “The hounds are patrolling the grounds and Atlas will be inside tonight. I have news that Taylor Caplin is out of holding as well.”
Another bite had the juice dribbling over her full bottom lip. I had to wrestle myself under control before I lunged to catch the drop that was rolling down her chin. Another bite. I turned my back to her and popped the cork on a new bottle of bourbon sitting on the black cart she rolled out earlier. Another bite. I didn’t see that one but I heard it. I poured myself a glass before I turned around to face her again.
“Thank you, Franklin,” she politely replied with a nod of her head while that peach juice rolled from her chin to her chest, “We’ll let you know if we need anything else.”
“Thank you, Madam.” He bowed his head before walking off.
She grabbed a napkin and ran her fingers under the neck of her shirt, between her tits, to catch the juice that was on my favorite kind of trail. We were all watching her. The reaper shook his head at her as he started to remove his robe. Jack was rolling his eyes with an amused grin on his face. They were used to her antics, but we were not. We’re all feeling the bond pretty fucking hard right now. I bet every single one of us was thinking about the sticky path that peach juice left. I knew all five of us would end up discreetly adjusting our pants too.
“Okay,” Sloane tossed the peach pit into the trees behind her and clapped her hands together, “We should get moving. We’ve got shit to do, yeah?”
And that... was that. I met my mate. I got my ass kicked by said mate. I had blue balls because of that mate. And I was going to hunt some rogues with Stone and my mate.
My mate. It still feels weird to say.
Sloane
Saturday Midday
I have mates. I. Have. Mates.
Focus. We’re going hunting.
The thoughts kept circling my mind as Stone drove my Audi SUV due south so we could cut off the rogue pack. They had been given the injection that we were all actively trying to stop. They were a danger to themselves, each other, and everyone else. There was no antidote and no way to save them. Our only option was to destroy them as quickly and as painlessly as possible. How much longer until they started hunting humans? How much longer until they exposed us to the rest of the world?
Holy fucking shit balls. I have mates. I couldn’t believe Father told me that in a letter. I couldn’t believe Papi, Dad, and Jack all knew and didn’t tell me. I kept reading his letter over and over. I knew the ink would disappear soon and I’d have nothing but a blank sheet of parchment. I read it again and again to see what I could decipher from it. The conversation I had with my father when I went inside played on repeat in my head between the bouts of “oh gods, I have mates,” and “fuck, I need a drink.”
“Hello,” Father answered his phone in an unusually clipped tone.
“Hi,” I responded shyly, thinking maybe I caught him at a bad time.
“Did you not read the obituaries?”
“No, I haven’t yet.”
“Read them and then we can talk. I’ll be sailing for a couple weeks.”
He hung up on me after that. He was oddly short, but I recognized the code. I searched for my purse, remembering that was the last place I put the letter. I found it in the kitchen and opened it up to seize the envelope while making myself comfortable on the kitchen island. Kicking my feet like a small child, I nervously stared at my name scrawled on the front.
I loved Father’s handwriting. It was a beautiful calligraphy style cursive that I knew he picked up hundreds of years ago. The S was large and the ends looped around to make a twisting design that connected to the L. The O in my name was a bleeding heart. He only did that when he wrote letters to me. The ANE connected together perfectly and the end of the E trailed off into a small series of loops that mimicked the beginning of my name. I’d recognize his handwriting anywhere. It was uniquely Nathaniel in all his renaissance flair. I gently broke the wax seal with the elaborate K and tugged the thick cream colored parchment out. Laying the envelope to the side, I unfolded the letter and started reading.
My Dearest Little Lo,
I have a few important things to tell you, but you mustn’t call me unless it’s of life or death importance. I know you’ll understand. My phone has been bugged and I am using it to feed whomever it is false information. We can’t trace it yet, and we don’t want to tip them off. Please send all correspondences through Samuel. He will get them to me. Ask Charles and him if they have any bugs before you speak freely though. You know the code.
First, you should know that I'm following a tip that mentioned your mother. I’m in Oxford, staying in a hotel near the Fae realm right now, but I haven’t been successful in crossing over. I think My Dear Amelia is in the Summer Fae Kingdom. I suspect a mage and a summer fae are working together. The research you sent me looks to be magically manipulated, but it would take more than a single mage to collect that much power. They would need a vessel of sorts to store it in as well. I haven’t found proof of this yet. Call it instincts, if you will.
Second, keep up your appearances. You’re being followed. I’ve asked Simon to help you run the darker side of the family businesses. He is at your disposal. You will receive all jobs through him that revolve around the other side of club matters as well. I have informed Jack of the issues. He will remain close by until your mates arrive. You should have met another today, and some of the others tomorrow, if not the rest of them.
Third, yes, My Dearest Little Lo, I said mates. Plural. Charles, Samuel, and I have been training a few of them for quite some time now. They are interesting fellows, though I’ve only met the Winter Prince once. Don’t be mad at us for keeping it from you. It wasn’t time to tell you. Your mother left us strict instructions. I’ll show them to you when I arrive home in a couple weeks. You met your Druid Prince before it was time. When you find him, you’ll have to work hard to move past your heartbreak. He didn’t leave because he wanted to. I fear he was taken. We haven’t been able to find him. With your mates help though, I believe you’ll find him soon.
Trust them, Little Lo. Trust your instincts. Keep those hellhounds near you when you’re alone. They will be useful in the coming months. Figure out how to change their appearances to other animals that you can keep with you. You’ll need them, Lo. You’ll need your mates. You’ll need Jack and Grim. You’ll ne
ed Franklin and Simon too. Always keep someone near you, but don’t always make it obvious. Stay aware. Stay observant. Use more than your eyes, ears, and nose.
A blood bath is on the horizon and you will need all the alliances you can get. It’s time to build an army. Only you can do that.
I love you, My Dearest Little Lo, with all the blood in my body.
Your Devoted Father.
Back in the present, I read it over and over and over, trying to pick up any subtle clues. I wondered briefly if he had known this whole time that the Druid was missing, if Papi’s phone was also bugged, and what my mother's instructions were. I would call Papi to find out. It was the blood bath, alliances, and army parts that really confused me though. What kind of blood bath? Alliances with whom? An army for a war? I had too many questions and zero logical answers. Time to call Papi.
I slid my cell phone from my pocket and hit the side button. “Call Papi,” I requested. Stone and Briggs both looked at me but kept quiet. Stone knew Papi, but I didn’t know if Briggs did. The ringing came through on the speakers while I pondered on who knew whom. I cut the settings off and opted for the speaker phone function instead. I didn’t want to have a conversation that could be heard outside of the car. That was what happened when you talked through your speakers. Just FYI people. We can hear it all. Stone and Briggs were my mates and my instincts said I could trust them. I was just waiting for my brain to play catch up. It’s a little slow to match sometimes.
“Hello?” Papi answered on the third ring. I heard him shuffling papers and people speaking in the background. He must be busy, but I was on the fence about whether or not I could wait.
“Papi? Are you busy?” I reluctantly asked. I did need to speak with him. It couldn’t wait for tomorrow’s dinner. My mind was made up. I didn’t really want to say anything if he had an office full of demons.
“For you, My Sweet Little Devil? I’m never too busy to talk to you, but I will unfortunately be missing dinner tomorrow.” He disclosed with a sigh. He hated canceling dinner, but with everything going on it was probably best.