4
Blood dripped from his claws as he stepped out of the old house that stood in a little glade in the forest. Every night was filled with blood now. Life was nothing but the death of others.
He searched and he killed.
He was the bringer of death to those who threatened those he loved and with each night that passed he grew closer to being able to go home and claim the woman he loved.
Only one person eluded him.
There was a whimper from the crumpled form that lay on the porch and he reached down and lifted the boy with his claws.
“Where is the woman?”
Tears and snot ran down the kid’s face. “I... I don’t know...I swear…Why are you doing this? I’m just a kid, I’ve never hurt anybody.”
“Your name is Douglas Brant. Your father was Don Brant. You helped torture a woman named Harmony Lowell. I am avenging her.”
Line saw the hatred in the boy’s eyes. “Harmony was a bitch and a whore. I’m not surprised she ended up with monsters like you. Damn her and damn you too. I hope you rip out her throat. I hope her demon babies eat her alive...I... hope...”
“Those words are your last.” Line ran his claws over the kid’s throat with such force that his head rolled across the porch.
He stepped off the porch and into the darkness.
“Find what you were looking for?” Pie’s voice came to him from the shadows of a shack on the edge of the property.
“Fuck no.” Line wasn’t overly shocked to see him.
The Howlers were tight and when one went rogue, another would come looking. He wouldn’t be shocked to see one or two others hanging around.
“Guess you’ll be glad to see me then.” Pie said, and Line knew he was grinning even without seeing his face.
“What do you have?”
“Well a certain stripy psychopath gave me a tip to pass along to you if I found you, like I would have any trouble finding you.” Pie sounded offended that Lucian would have any doubt in him.
“How did you know how to find me?” Line grumbled.
“Not too hard. Follow the bloody trail of death and destruction.”
Line heard a rattling of paper and held out his hand. There was an address printed in Lucian’s distinct scrawl.
“Is the woman here?”
“That’s what I was told, but you can’t kill her.”
Line cursed. “Why not? I haven’t been spreading sunshine to find her and not kill her.”
“Well, you can kill her, I don’t give a shit and neither does stripes, but someone might.” Pie shrugged.
“Harmony.” Line breathed.
“Stripes says she won’t appreciate you slaughtering her mom. Fuck if I know.”
“He will kill you for calling him that.” Line breathed and figured that was probably the idea.
His head pounded. He had been so focused on killing that he hadn’t thought of how she would feel about any of it. It made sense somehow. Harmony loved her mother enough to suffer to keep her alive. She wouldn’t want her dead.
“What then? I can’t let her get away.” Line gritted out. His wolf wouldn’t let that happen. The woman needed to pay.
“There is a hospital. They have a bed waiting for psycho mama. Get her there and the good doctor will see that she gets care.” Pie said simply.
“Why the fuck did River send you to find me?”
“I volunteered.” Pie said and there was an edge to his voice.
“I don’t need a fucking babysitter, especially not one crazier than I am.” Line spat.
“I’m not here to babysit fuck you very much. I’m just here.” Pie said in a tired voice.
“Don’t you fucking get killed, I don’t need that shit right now.” Clothesline spat. Pie was dangerous lately. He wanted a mate and he couldn’t find one and it was making him crazy. Men like them did that. They needed someone to anchor them to sanity. The job was too brutal and too hard without someone holding that line and Pie was suffering.
“You smell like pussy.” Pie sniffed loudly. “And not the good kind. What the fuck is up with that?”
Line cursed under his breath. He had been on his own for a month and hadn’t been careful.
“Your nose is as crazy as you are.” He spat, but Pie’s eyes were gleaming in the darkness. “You don’t think of anything but pussy.”
“Is it?” His blonde head tilted, and he studied Clothesline until his skin crawled. “Maybe I’m the only one that has any idea what is really going on.”
“Back off brother.” He snarled.
Pie only nodded, and they walked to their bikes.
Line was tired, and he wanted to go home, but he had one more stop to make first… well two if he had to take the old woman to a damned hospital. That would be harder than just bleeding her. Like he needed this headache.
As if Pie read his mind. “Yeah, it’s hard being a real person instead of a bloodthirsty monster. It’s tough, but that’s what happens when you take a mate. Expectations soar.”
Clothesline would probably kill his brother too before all this was over. He could do it and burry him in a shallow grave, no one would blame him.
He really didn’t need this shit.
“Yeah, but a certain blonde sure is mooning over some damned body and if it’s you I may shoot myself so don’t worry over that.” Pie put in helpfully. “Don’t do me any favors.”
The thought of Harmony snapped things back into perspective. He was trying to make her safe. He wanted to be a good man for her.
He looked down at the blood that was drying on his hands.
He’d never be good enough.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck.” He cursed.
“Now you’re talking. I can do that. Where do you want to go?” Pie grinned but there was an edge to his voice.
“Sent a fucking psycho to find me, great.”
Pie grinned.
“Stop grinning at me like that. It’s creepy.”
Pie ignored him and started humming a bawdy tune.
This was a nightmare.
But it was also nice to have someone there with him. Pie was his brother, a reminder that he had a family, a home.
Would he still have it when they found out who he really was?