by Helen Harper
There was a squeal of tyres as four separate vehicles revved their engines and started to pull away. There was yet another shot that caught him in his leg. He yelled in pain and then Scarlett’s hands were behind him, pulling him back to the relative safety of the warehouse.
Devereau could hear more shots being fired on the other side of the building. There were screams and car horns and a lot of shouting. He blinked as the initial agony of the bullet wounds faded into numbness as his adrenalin took over.
Scarlett yanked his jacket down from his shoulder. ‘You’re in luck,’ she said darkly. ‘It’s a normal bullet. If you’d transformed into a wolf, you might not have been so lucky. They might have taken the time to find some more appropriate ammunition.’ She moved down to his leg and grunted in approval. ‘If these bullets had been silver, you wouldn’t be doing so well, even though both wounds are clean and the bullets have exited.’
‘I … don’t … feel,’ he managed, ‘that … I’m … doing … well.’
She rolled her eyes. ‘Devereau Webb, you are still a moany bastard.’ Her mouth twisted and she raised her head and listened for a moment. ‘They’ve gone,’ she muttered. ‘They’ve escaped.’
Devereau struggled up. ‘Then let’s go after them.’
‘You can barely walk,’ she pointed out, stepping back from his wounded leg. ‘And even if you could, by the time we get to our car they’ll be miles away. By the sounds of things, there’s a riot going on out there.’
‘That was you,’ he whispered. ‘If you hadn’t shouted out when you did and stirred everyone else up…’ His voice faltered. ‘Dom and his goons, whoever they are, aren’t running from us. They’re running from all those rich bastards who are upset that their evening was ruined.’
Scarlett met his eyes. ‘Never underestimate the feelings of entitlement that rich bastards possess.’
‘Noted.’ He gazed at her. ‘Thank you.’
‘For what?’
‘All of it.’
She leaned down and brushed her mouth against his cheek. ‘You’re welcome. But you might still die from your wounds.’
Devereau managed a smile. ‘Unlikely.’
Scarlett smiled back. ‘Fortunately I’ve got something that might help with the bleeding.’ Her head dipped down and she licked him delicately.
Devereau shuddered.
‘Does it hurt?’ she asked, glancing up.
‘No,’ he answered honestly. It tingled. It made his blood sing and his stomach churn. It definitely didn’t hurt.
She returned her tongue to his wound. ‘Don’t worry,’ she murmured, her breath hot against his skin. ‘Next time I’ll use whipped cream instead.’
It didn’t take her long to complete her ministrations. By the time she was done, there were no longer screams or shouts or shots. No doubt everyone had skedaddled back to the safety of their own homes.
Devereau checked his wounds. He shouldn’t have been surprised to see how quickly they were healing but he was.
‘Combination of werewolf immunities and vampire saliva,’ Scarlett said. ‘Sometimes it’s good to be a supe.’
Devereau grunted. ‘Not always.’ He looked towards the depths of the warehouse. ‘We should do a search. There’s bound to be something that will lead us back to this Dom prick. If we can find him, we can find the wolf and vampire and help them. They shouldn’t spend a second longer in shackles.’
To his surprise, Scarlett shook her head. ‘No. This has gone beyond our capabilities. It was beyond us the moment we saw what was really going on here. We’ll head straight back to Heart and inform Lord Horvath. He can contact the clan alphas then we can form an army of our own.’ Her voice hardened to steel. ‘We won’t let these bastards get away a second time. We’ll force that fucker back at your place to talk as well. He must know all about these … auctions.’ She almost spat the last word, her disgust palpable.
Devereau was silent for a moment. ‘There’s still Martina to consider,’ he said finally.
Scarlett sighed. ‘Realistically, you were never going to keep her existence hidden for long. I’m sorry for her, truly I am, but every clan werewolf out there will tell you that she’s too dangerous to have around. And all of this is too big for the two of us to deal with alone.’
He looked into her eyes. ‘Alright. Drop me at Lisson Grove and I’ll approach the clan alphas myself. You can go onto Soho and speak to your Lord.’ His tone was shorter than he intended. ‘Then we can meet up back at my place and get that gunman to talk. Maybe Martina will open up as well and tell us what she knows before anyone decides she’s too much of a liability to exist.’
Scarlett sucked in a breath. ‘Devereau,’ she said, ‘if there was any other way…’
He glanced away. ‘I know.’ He checked his watch. ‘Come on. Let’s get going. We’ve wasted enough time here already.’
***
Scarlett dropped him directly outside Lady Sullivan’s mansion. ‘Are you sure you want to do this yourself?’ she asked. ‘I’ll understand if you don’t want to speak to the alphas personally. Lord Horvath will be happy do it for you.’
‘Are you suggesting that I’m scared?’
‘No – although it wouldn’t do you any harm to be cautious. The alphas are leaders of their clans for a reason, Devereau. They didn’t get that status by smiling prettily and remembering people’s birthdays.’
‘They didn’t intimidate me before I was a wolf and they certainly don’t intimidate me now. Besides, I’m part of this community whether anyone likes it or not. It’s time I stepped up to the plate and proved it.’
‘Good.’ Without smiling, she reached across and put her hand over his. ‘This is the right thing to do. It’s not just about Martina any more. There might be others who are being held captive – and we certainly can’t allow a group of humans to control us. Any of us.’
He managed a nod. ‘I know.’ He unclipped his seatbelt and climbed out of the car. ‘Let’s talk soon.’
Scarlett acknowledged him with a wave of her hand. She didn’t, however, make any move to drive off. Devereau shoved his hands into pockets, ignoring the dull throb of pain in his shoulder and his leg. His bullet wounds hadn’t been serious but, even so, they were healing extraordinarily quickly. When he walked up the stone steps to the Sullivan front door, he didn’t even limp. Impressive, indeed. Although it was only when the door opened and a man in his fifties peered out that Devereau heard Scarlett drive away.
‘Yes?’ the man asked, his expression cold.
‘I’m Devereau Webb.’
‘I know that.’ He sniffed. Then with heavy reluctance he added, ‘My name is Robert.’
Devereau glanced at the Robert’s attire, noting the tag on his arm that indicated he was a beta wolf and therefore one of Lady Sullivan’s right-hand werewolves. ‘I came to apologise to Lady Sullivan.’
Robert glowered at him. ‘Regardless of your lifestyle and the dubious company you keep, it is almost midnight. Lady Sullivan does not take visitors at this hour.’
‘I understand that. She’s getting on a bit and probably needs a good night’s sleep.’
Sparks of fury lit Robert’s face. ‘Why you little upstart…! And what is this we’ve been hearing about a shoot-out at your house? If you think that you can waltz into our part of town and bring your nasty criminal element with you then…’
‘Then what?’ Devereau enquired mildly.
‘Then you can fuck right off.’
‘Huh.’ He shrugged. ‘Alright then.’ He turned on his heel and descended to the pavement. He smiled to himself. And then he started to run.
Chapter Seventeen
There were more of his old crew hanging around on his new street than he’d expected. He might have been touched had he not known they were there out of fear of, rather than respect for, him. They were clearly wary of the supes who were still dotted around at Scarlett’s behest. None of his people were anywhere near them, and vice-versa.
H
e was tempted to let them off the hook and tell them all to go home, but their presence served a purpose. He considered the angles, made a decision then strode up to Gloria, a platinum blonde who took no shit from anyone. She was watching him very carefully.
‘Hi, Glory,’ Devereau said softly. ‘Thank you for doing this.’
‘I’m only here because of who you were, not what you are now. I don’t hold no truck with supes. It ain’t natural.’ She paused to glare at a gremlin who was perched on the roof of a van nearby before looking back at Devereau. ‘No offence, like.’
He didn’t have time to take offence and neither was he a delicate flower. He’d heard far worse. ‘Is Gaz still here?’
‘He’s having a kip in a car at the end of the street. Shall I wake him up?’
‘Yeah. Tell him to come to the house as soon as he can.’
‘You gonna eat him?’ she asked.
He gave her a long look. ‘No.’
Her expression didn’t change. ‘I was making a joke.’
‘Oh.’ He shrugged. ‘Okay.’
Gloria folded her arms and tapped her foot until Devereau forced a laugh. She finally nodded, satisfied that he’d acknowledged her attempt at humour. ‘Five minutes,’ she promised.
‘Thank you.’ He gave a brisk nod then strode over to two mean-looking pixies who were watching his every move. ‘You’re doing a good job, fellas,’ he said. ‘I appreciate it. I’m heading inside to get cleaned up. More vamps are probably on their way. I have a feeling this night is far from over.’
They frowned at him, mirror images of each other. ‘You Devereau Webb?’ one of them asked.
‘Yeah.’
‘Were you really bitten four times before you turned?’
‘Yeah.’
They exchanged glances. ‘It’s been a long while since the clans had someone with that much strength,’ the first speaker said.
‘It’s about time though,’ said the other. ‘Those furry bastards have been fucking up a lot lately.’
His buddy snorted and gestured towards Devereau. ‘This one’s house was shot up the day he moved in. I don’t think he’s going to be anyone’s hero any time soon.’
Unfortunately, Devereau thought, the little pixie was right, especially given what had just occurred in that hellhole of a warehouse and what was going to happen over the next few hours. ‘Well anyway,’ he murmured, ‘thanks for keeping an eye out. I owe you for this. If you ever need a favour, just let me know.’
The pixies nudged each other. ‘Hear that? Maybe he is a hero after all.’
‘I’m not,’ Devereau said hastily. ‘But I know how to pay my debts.’ He moved off to his battered house before they could say anything else.
Everything was very quiet and very still. Devereau paused, genuinely appreciating a moment of peace, then he turned the doorknob and walked in. Inside there was the same aura of serenity. Unfortunately, he was certain it was only the calm before the storm.
First he checked on the man chained to the radiator. He’d regained consciousness and, from the marks around his wrists, had been making futile attempts to free himself. Devereau wagged a warning finger at him and he cowered in response. The bravado he’d displayed earlier had all but disappeared.
‘Now, now,’ Devereau chided. ‘You wouldn’t want to do anything to make me more angry than I already am. You were lucky that the worst you received last time was a punch – I am a werewolf, after all. When my animal takes over, anything is possible. You’ve seen what the girl upstairs is capable of. Imagine what I can do.’
The man flinched. Devereau shrugged; he didn’t feel a jot of sympathy for the bastard.
He found Dr Yara and Martina upstairs, curled up together on a narrow single bed. Martina’s arm was tightly bandaged. Devereau hoped that meant what he thought it did.
Yara opened her eyes as soon as he entered the room, extricated herself from Martina and sat up. ‘She has nightmares,’ she explained. She tilted her head up at Devereau. ‘Is problem?’
‘Yes. Did you manage to remove the tracker?’
She nodded. ‘Yes. Was not so difficult.’
He had the feeling that meant it had been very difficult indeed. ‘Thank you,’ he said. ‘That’s a huge help because now we need to leave without anyone noticing.’
Concern lit her face. ‘Is dangerous?’
‘For Martina it is. You should go back home. I’ll keep her safe. You’ve done more than enough.’
Dr Yara’s eyes darkened. ‘I stay with you.’
‘I don’t want you to get hurt.’
‘I stay.’
Devereau sighed. ‘Okay.’ He glanced down at Martina’s small body. Her eyes remained closed but he knew from her breathing that she was awake and listening to every word. That was good. She might be a child but she deserved to know the truth about what was going on. ‘People are going to come here. Strong people. They are going to try and take Martina away. Probably even kill her. They will think that she’s too dangerous and that she can’t control the werewolf inside her. The only way we can protect her is by getting out of here and hiding somewhere else.’
Dr Yara’s eyes were saucer wide. ‘Where?’
Devereau grimaced. ‘I haven’t worked that part out yet. I will, though.’ He ran a hand through his hair. ‘Has she said anything about what happened to her? About who hurt her or who she really is?’
Mutely, Dr Yara shook her head. Damn it.
‘Okay. Gather up anything you think you might need. Especially the tranquilisers. I don’t want to use them but I’m finding it difficult to control my wolf so for Martina, it must be excruciating. Meet me back downstairs as soon as you can.’
‘Yes, Mr Webb.’ Dr Yara was already on her feet and moving around the room, grabbing the neatly piled clothes and stuffing them into a bag. Devereau left her to it and headed back to the ground floor just in time to hear a knock from outside.
Gaz was shuffling his feet on the doorstep and yawning. ‘What’s up, boss?’
Devereau smiled slightly at his stifled yawn before he got down to business. ‘I’m going to ask you for one final favour, Gaz,’ he said. ‘And then we’re done.’
Gaz swallowed back his second yawn and stared. ‘Done?’
‘You’ve done more for me than anyone. If you ever need help of any sort you’d better come running or I will hunt you down and rip your arms off with my big wolfy teeth.’
Gaz’s eyes widened.
‘But,’ Devereau continued, more gently this time, ‘we belong in different worlds. It’s taken me a while to see it and for that I’m sorry. Look after everyone at home for me. Remember everything we’ve learned along the way, and don’t allow any of them to be reckless or stupid. We might be criminals but we still have morals. Right?’
Gaz’s head dropped. ‘Right,’ he mumbled.
‘It’s better for all of us if we stay separate. Obviously I’ll still be in touch with Tash and Alice, and I might even drop by to visit from time to time. But that’s it. Everything else is history.’
‘Yes, boss.’
Devereau smiled. ‘I’m not your boss. Not now.’
Gaz straightened up. ‘Okay.’
‘You’ve got this. I believe in you.’
Gaz nodded and Devereau was sure he saw the glint of tears in his eyes, but he knew better than to comment on it.
‘What is it?’ Gaz asked. ‘What’s the last favour?’ He drew in a breath and his next words came out in a rush. ‘Because if it’s anything dangerous, we might not be able to do it. I’m not going put people in danger.’
‘Good for you,’ Devereau said quietly. ‘And no, it shouldn’t be dangerous. All I need is for you and the others to stay here for the next few hours. Make it seem as if I’m holed up inside this house and refusing to come out. Don’t get into a fight with anyone, especially if they rock up and demand to get inside to check on me. Delay them as long as you can, then pull back and head home as fast as your feet will carry you. Th
e longer everyone thinks I’m in here, the better.’
‘Where will you be?’
‘I don’t know yet. And even if I did, it’s safer if you don’t know.’
Gaz bit his lip.
‘If anything does happen to me, get blitzed at my wake and move on. My decisions are my own. Don’t seek revenge. Don’t go antagonising any supes or any humans. Don’t try to find out what happened to me. You have a life to live. Anything that happens to me is on me. Got that?’
‘Yes, boss.’
Devereau stared at him.
‘I mean, yes,’ Gaz amended.
Devereau smiled. ‘You take care.’ There was a thump behind him. He glanced over his shoulder to see Dr Yara at the foot of the stairs, her chin jutting out resolutely. Martina looked anxious and pale but she also had a look of steely-eyed determination.
‘We’re going to sneak out the back. I’ll be seeing you, Gaz.’ Devereau raised a hand in farewell and closed the door before he did anything daft like force his old sidekick into a hug. He turned. ‘Alright, ladies. I’m going to grab our friend who’s tied to the radiator and we’ll be on our way. Follow me.’
***
They escaped through the dark undergrowth of the back garden without too much trouble. Devereau kept a tight hand on the pale-faced gunman but he was now completely cowed and still tied at the wrists, so he wasn’t likely to try to escape. Devereau had also gagged him with one of Dr Yara’s scarves just in case he tried shouting for help and drawing unwanted attention. He’d sing like a canary later though – Devereau would make sure of that.
Martina’s trousers snagged on an old nail as they clambered over the fence and there was a loud ripping sound as she yanked them free, but other than that they managed to get several streets away without any ado. Luckily any werewolves who lived nearby weren’t creatures of the night like the vampires. It made slipping away unnoticed far easier.
Devereau had been telling the truth to Gaz – he didn’t have any particular destination in mind. Part of him thought it might be wise to get out of London altogether; the other part reckoned it would be easier to hide in the anonymity a big city. In the end, he decided that that running away didn’t suit him. He’d never catch up with Dom and the other wankers behind all this if he skittered away like a mouse. All he had to do was find a place where Yara and Martina could stay out of sight and they’d be sorted.