Mandy woke alone but she heard murmured male voices she identified downstairs. The sun hung low in the sky, judging by her instincts. She climbed out of bed, made a stop in the bathroom to freshen up, and walked down the stairs. The voices became silent.
Glacier and his brother were seated on the floor eating sandwiches and bags of chips. Both flashed her smiles but they didn’t reach their eyes.
“How did it go with the nest? Are they extinguished?”
“Not all of them. Come here.” Glacier patted the floor next to him. “You met the nest, right?”
“Briefly.” She carefully sat, tugging at the shirt to keep her modesty since she wasn’t wearing pants. It was one of Glacier’s though, fitting her more like an oversized dress.
Glacier withdrew his phone and handed it to her. “See if you can identify any of these faces as being nest members.”
She stared at the first one. “Yes.”
He reached over, their hands touching as he flipped to another pic. She studied it.
“Yeah. Mr. Ugly Shoes. They were orange with green marker on the sides. Not something I’d forget.”
“Tell me if any of these are the master.” Glacier flipped to another, and then another pic, five in all. She had seen them with Marco the night she’d met him. All of them were slumbering in the pictures.
She turned her head, staring up at him. “Marco isn’t one of them. What’s going on?”
“I suspected that but wanted confirmation. Marco and one other nest member weren’t sleeping under the restaurant this morning, but he’d left them behind.”
She frowned. “How many day guards?”
“None.”
She thought about it. “He sacrificed them to switch up the game. Damn. Call your alpha friend and tell him to expect an attack tonight.”
Glacier took his phone back and pocketed it. “You think the hunted will become the hunters?”
“Old tactic, unfortunately, right out of the shitty-master playbook. He left them there to die, probably even put word out on the street where they were located to make sure the Werewolves found them, and now he’ll go after the alpha tonight. Cut off the head of a pack and chaos results. Marco knows the enforcers will challenge each other to take leadership. At best, a few will die, or they’ll be severely injured if it’s not death matches. It will make it easier for him to kill them all.”
“Maybe he just ran.”
She looked over at Pest, shaking her head. “Marco is a conceited jackass. He’d never live it down if a pack chased him out of his own town. He’s also got connections to someone on the council. It would be an unforgivable embarrassment if he fled his territory. Nothing would make him lose face faster than that. It might even earn him a spot on an assassin’s hit list. No. He kept Pedro alive, since he’s not one of the Vampires in the photos. That’s his second. I’d bet money Marco has been feeding him his blood to make him stronger. The two of them will go after the alpha first. Then, while the enforcers are distracted by deciding who leads the pack, he’ll attack. Marco and his second won’t stop until every Were they consider a threat is dead. I’ve seen it happen before.”
Glacier stood. “Fuck. I better get my ass to pack headquarters.”
“You’d better hurry. I can sense that the sun is down enough that I could go outside as long as I stick to the shadows. It’s why I’m not worried about the dirty windows down here. Who knows how close Marco and his second got to pack territory, to be able to strike fast? Marco will know the Werewolves will have their guard down, assuming they’ve been victorious.”
Glacier rushed toward the back door. “Stay together.”
She jumped up, moving in case some sunlight streamed in. “Be careful!”
He was gone and she heard a motorcycle engine rev, then take off fast. Pest locked the door and retook his seat on the floor. “It almost seems as if you want to help the pack instead of your own kind. Curious.”
“Marco targeted pups. He’s not worthy of my protection. I hope Glacier kills him.”
“Sit down. Are you hungry? I’m not offering my blood, but I could escort you outside to grab a bite. It’s a shit neighborhood. You probably wouldn’t even have to leave the alley.”
“I’m fine. I fed last night when that Werewolf attacked me. I’m good for a few days.”
“So not a newbie.”
“I keep telling you that. I’m highly trained, and ancient bloodlines have been introduced to my body. I only suffer from hunger after about three days of going without blood.”
“How does that work? You having abilities that only older Vampires should have?”
She sat back down on the floor. “You want the official Vamp bullshit, or my take on it?”
“Yours.”
“I view Vampirism like a virus. I got upgraded to better, stronger strains of it.”
He chuckled.
“It’s kind of true. Just never repeat that I called it that. Vamps get bent out of shape being called a virus. They like to think it’s more of a gift from the gods or some such shit. Only the blessed are turned, according to the council. Yeah, right. I’ve taken out plenty of jerks who were probably psychopaths as humans and grew ten times worse after being turned. Anyway, the older a Vamp gets, the more strength they acquire. The virus grows stronger. Sharing their blood with weaker Vamps makes the weak ones stronger. But masters won’t offer their wrists to just anyone in a nest after they’ve been turned, unless that master absolutely trusts them. Enough feedings and they’d become equal in strength. Not a good idea, since most masters are dicks who’d end up being killed by their own nests. It’s against council laws, but they might get away with it if they all stuck to the same story and blamed someone else. That’s what I’d do if I thought I could get away with taking out a few of the council members.”
He laughed deeper. “I like you, short stack.”
“Mandy.”
His humor faded and something weird happened with his eyes. They seemed to darken from blue to near black. “My brother is protective of you. That’s a problem.”
She eyed him warily. “Are you going to try to kill me? It would be nice to have a warning of your intent.”
“No. Glacier wouldn’t forgive me for that unless I was given no choice. But I will chain your ass to that bench downstairs if you attempt to leave or bite me.”
“Fair enough. I gave Glacier my word that I would stay here. I don’t make promises unless I plan to keep them. I also don’t bite for the hell of it. I told you, I’m not hungry.”
“How do you see this ending?”
She shrugged. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“With Glacier. This assignment will end as soon as that master is dealt with. He’ll be sent somewhere else. Do you expect him to just let you go? Send you on your way?”
“Truthfully? I don’t know why I’m still alive. I’ve given him opportunities to kill me. I even stepped into the shower to make it easier for him to cut off my head. No mess, no hassle. He didn’t do it.” She sighed. “As for going free? The council has all their property—that would include me—embedded with trackers. We go off grid and they put death orders out on us. There’s no escaping them. Glacier removed my tracker, but that doesn’t mean the council necessarily believes I’m the ashes Olivia would have found when she was sent to find out what happened to me. Even if they do, someone will see me at some point if he lets me go. Nowhere would be safe for me to hide. As I’ve told your brother, I’m already dead, Pest. I figure I’ll meet the sun when your brother leaves, if he doesn’t have the heart to kill me himself.”
He looked a bit stunned.
“Any more questions?”
“You want me to believe you’d ash yourself?”
“It would be better than being captured and taken before the council. Those bastards can think up a thousand ways to make me scream in agony, heal me, and do it all over again before they finally allow me die. I know exactly how vicious Vampires can be. They’d set an example by me and probably force all the other assassins to watch it go down. To see a sunrise one last time doesn’t sound so bad in comparison, does it?”
“It would hurt.”
“I’ve been thrown out into the sun more than once during training. Believe me, I know. But it would be quicker than being tortured.”
“You could try to kill my brother and take your council his head. They’d forgive you if you admit he captured you and stole your tracker.”
She felt sadness at his words. “Wow, either your opinion of women in general sucks or you’ve met some seriously shitty Vampires in your lifetime. Glacier is a protector. He’s a good man. My life already ended when I was turned into this. I’ve tried to do my best to survive since. Never has that included murdering someone who I knew didn’t deserve it. This Vampire has lines she won’t cross. I’d never hurt Glacier. Ever.” She got up. “Enough of this topic. It’s depressing. I’m going to go take a shower. Is that alright?”
“Are you going to try to run?”
She shook her head. “What part of ‘I keep my promises’ did you not understand? But go ahead and stay on alert. Just do it from outside the bathroom, please. I wouldn’t fit through that tiny window and you’d hear if I tried to break through a wall.”
She walked upstairs and entered the bathroom, firmly closing the door behind her. She turned on the water, waiting while it heated before finally stripping off the oversized shirt she wore. Her thoughts were centered on Glacier, worried about him.
* * * * *
Glacier felt utter disgust. Kevin, his enforcers, and a large part of the pack weren’t in lockdown anymore. Instead they were outside, most of them drunk, throwing a party. Graves had been right about the pack being led by an idiot.
He approached the alpha. “What the hell?”
Kevin faced him, grinning. “We didn’t need you after all. Why are you still here?”
“The master and his second are still on the loose. You know this.”
Kevin snorted. “Who cares? He’s probably in another state. We scared the shit out of them and they’re running for their lives. Have a drink, GarLycan. Chill out. We won!”
“Marco is going to come after you with his second, kill you, and then pick off your pack while they’re in turmoil without an alpha.”
“Let the fuckers try,” Kevin snarled. He took a step toward Glacier and staggered.
Glacier grabbed him by his wrists. “You’re drunk and can’t even walk straight. Do you honestly think you could fight a master Vamp and win in this condition? Sober up!” He shook him hard and released him.
Kevin began to shift, his claws and fur sprouting.
Glacier wasn’t in the damn mood for a pathetic fight.
He decked him in the face, knocking him out cold. The alpha’s body hit the ground and everyone at the party became absolutely silent. Shock showed on their features as Glacier glanced around. He shelled his skin until it became a light gray.
“The party is over. Your alpha is too damn drunk to be rational right now. You called me here to deal with this Vamp situation. Everyone seek shelter immediately and return into lockdown mode. Spread the word if anyone left the area. They are in danger. All of you are. There’s a master Vamp and his second on their way here.” He pointed to an enforcer. “Pick Kevin up and carry him to the war room. Take at least six fighters with you to guard his ass. You hear me?”
Teenie rushed forward. “You’re taking over the pack?”
“For tonight, yes, I am. Follow my orders.” He stripped his upper body and let his wings come out. “I’m going to be patrolling the air. Everyone in lockdown. I’ll handle this mess. You just stay alive.”
He launched himself into the air. Kelzeb wasn’t going to be happy about what he’d done to Kevin or how he’d taken control of the situation, but he’d deal with it later. He’d become a guardian to protect packs from threats, even idiot alphas. He’d be damned before he allowed them to be slaughtered.
He flew high, scanning the woods at the edge of the city. He didn’t spot two Vampires but they could already be inside the territory, hiding in one of the Lycan homes abandoned after the pack had gone into lockdown. He turned, flying toward the pack house where the majority of Lycans had been staying. That would be the target.
He landed on the roof of the pack house and crouched, alert. It might be a long night but come morning, he and Kevin would have issues. The alpha would probably want to challenge him. It wasn’t as if he’d had a choice to pull rank the way he had. He just didn’t plan to become their new alpha.
A short time passed, and finally he spotted movement near the trees.
Four dark-clad figures darted closer, keeping out of the open.
He lifted to his feet, spread his wings, and coasted to the ground. His boots made a thumping sound as he landed. He shelled his skin into battle mode. It would slow him down a little but also deflect bullets if the bastards were armed. He strode forward, right toward them.
“Marco.”
All four of them hid behind thick tree trunks. Glacier sighed. “I saw you. Stop dicking around. I am in no mood to play hide-and-seek. I’m Glacier, the GarLycan. You went after Lycan kids. Big fucking no. Step out here and speak to me.”
None of them moved. He inhaled. “I smell you, Vamps. See the wings? I fly. You can’t outrun me. Talk, or I’m just going to rip you apart. Your call. Make it.”
One of the men stepped out from behind a tree but stayed next to it. “This is none of your concern, GarLycan.”
“Are you Marco?”
The man inclined his head slightly.
“You made two more Vamps? I counted four of you.”
“I don’t answer to you.”
“Wrong. It became my problem when you stole Lycan kids and killed them. I found the warehouse where you held them.” It still sickened him. The bodies had been shoved in the basement, dumped in trash bags as if they were garage. “You put them in cages, tortured them, based on the amount of blood I found in that hellish holding place, and then made them fight against each other in your fucked-up fighting ring. Did you really think you could get away with that?”
“Yes.” Marco flashed his fangs and his eyes glowed bright.
Glacier felt what the bastard was trying to do. “You’re wasting your time, asshole. Gargoyles have thick skulls. You can’t fuck with my head.”
Marco reached back and withdrew a handgun.
“It tickles a little when you try to control me.” Glacier reached up and tapped his temple. “Just a little buzz, like some annoying insect. And you think bullets will take me down? You’re as stupid as the alpha of this pack.” Glacier hardened his shell a little more and pushed out his chest, keeping his hand up, ready to protect his eyes. They were the only soft spots he had.
Marco began to fire.
Glacier threw his arm over his eyes, feeling bullets slam into his chest, one to his hip, and another grazing the top of his head.
He lunged forward, spread his wings wide and jumped high, spinning in the air as he came down.
A scream pierced the night and the gun stopped firing.
Glacier lowered his arm, staring at the Vampire on the ground. His wing had cut the bastard in half near his rib cage. Horror transfixed the master’s features as he realized his entire lower body wasn’t attached anymore, and had already begun to ash.
“NO!”
“Yeah. That’s some fucked-up shit right there,” Glacier admitted. “You bastards are hard to kill without taking your head. You can live like that for a bit. I’ve seen it before. Your heart is still beating. You won’t be able to feed though since you lost your stomach. You’ll just linger as you slowly starve to death. It could take weeks. I hear it’s really painful.” He crouched, ripping the gun from Marco’s hand before he stood again. “Why did you think you could murder Lycan kids and get away with it? Who’s your contact on the Vampire Council? Tell me and I’ll end your suffering.”
Marco clawed at the ground, making agonizing sounds, and managed to roll over onto his chest. He used the dirt and grass to inch away.
Glacier watched him, knowing the master wasn’t going to get far. He glanced at the other trees.
“Three of you are left. I want an answer, since this one isn’t talkative. First one to tell me what I want to know gets a two-hour head start before I begin hunting your ass. It’s the best offer you’re going to get from me.”
Ten feet away, a redheaded Vamp male peeked out from behind a tree. He looked about twenty years old. “He didn’t tell us. Ronnie and I were made two nights ago. I didn’t know about any kids being killed, either.”
“Shut the fuck up!” a male snapped to the left.
Glacier turned that way. “You must be Pedro.”
The guy stepped out from behind another tree, holding a gun. Glacier lifted his arm to keep it close to his eyes and braced his elbow, as if using it to lean against the nearby tree trunk.
“You fucking monster!” Pedro glared at Glacier before shifting his attention to what was left of Marco, his body shaking.
“I don’t kill children, asshole. Look in a mirror if you want to see a villain. Why did Marco think it was okay to kidnap Lycan kids without your own damn council coming after your nest?”
“Tell him nothing!” Marco hissed, now about fifteen feet away, still crawling slowly.
Glacier stared at Pedro. “You see what I did to him. I could cut you in half too. Just to be clear, he’s not getting away. I may let him crawl around for an hour or so first. I want the name of the council member who protected your nest.”
“Fuck you!” Pedro lifted the gun.
“You know those don’t work against me.” Glacier tensed though, prepared in case the bastard wanted to waste bullets.
Pedro darted behind the tree and gunshots rang out—only he wasn’t aiming at Glacier. He shot Marco in the back of the head at least three times before fleeing.
Glacier walked over to the still Master, knowing his brain would heal. Probably real slow, since he was already so damaged. He bent, pulled his blade from his boot, and removed his head. Problem solved. Marco went out too fast, though.
Glacier turned, listening. “You two, out here now.”
The one who’d peeked at him did it again. Glacier saw raw fear in his eyes.
“Your friend, too. I want answers.”
“We were just turned,” the redhead whispered. “Please don’t kill us. We didn’t ask for this. Marco grabbed us coming out of a bar. Ronnie and I have been best friends since we were in diapers.”
“Step out where I can see you, Ronnie. Now.”
A dark-haired guy about twenty years old lifted his head over a bush. He looked ready to faint. It saddened Glacier, reminding him of Mandy. She’d been human, minding her own business, and had been snatched into a nest.
“I’m not going to kill you. I’m going to ask you questions. You’re going to answer them. Then I’m going to send you to somewhere safe.”
Both men seemed leery as hell, not that Glacier blamed them, but they came out of hiding. Both also appeared scared shitless. He focused on the redhead, since he knew he could talk.
“What’s your name?”
“I’m Richie. This is Ronnie.”
“You two a couple?”
They both shook their heads.
“Too bad. That would have been cute on your wedding invitations.” Glacier wanted them to relax but neither broke a smile. Apparently, humor was off the table. “What did Marco tell you about the pack you were going to attack?”
“He said they were rabid animal people who could shift into wolves and had been attacking people in the city. Pedro taught us how to fight a little. Mostly we were here to watch and learn.”
“That was all a lie. Sorry to break it to you both, but I think you were bait. Marco would have let the pack tear you to shreds as a distraction while he went after their alpha. Be happy that didn’t happen. Lycans aren’t rabid, but they are vicious to Vamps. Did Marco talk to any other Vampires around you besides Pedro?”
“He made a phone call.” Ronnie had a voice after all. “I never heard him say a name. Something about how he’d take care of the situation and send more videos as soon as he could make more. I got the impression it was a man, though. He said it gave him wood too, like he was agreeing with the person, and girls don’t get that.”
Glacier let that information stew in his head. Videos? He came up with nothing. “Where did you come from?”
“We both live at home with our parents,” Richie admitted.
“I meant, where were you staying with Marco and Pedro?”
“The basement of a tire store. It closed down a few years ago. The one on Mitch Street right outside the city.” Richie hugged his waist. “You’re really going to let us go?”
“What are you?” Ronnie gawked at him.
“Return there. I’m sending a friend your way. Don’t fucking attack him, got it? His name is Graves. He kills bad guys for a living, so I wouldn’t think of trying something. He’s a Lycan, but he knows some decent Vampires to pass you over to. Oh, and no killing anyone or you die. Clear? No biting kids, old people, and you don’t let humans know what you are. Have you fed tonight?”
Both nodded.
“Excellent. No biting anyone then until Graves comes to you as soon as he can. Run back there now.” He waved a hand at them. “Fast as you can!”
Both fled into the woods.
Glacier reached back, grabbed his cell, and called Graves. The Lycan answered on the first ring. “I need another favor. You still in the area?”
“Yeah. I am. What do you need?”
“I’ve got two newbie Vamps who need a home. Total pity case. Marco made them to use as bait. Both look right out of high school and are two days old. See if they’re salvageable.” He gave him the location. “You got any ideas on any Vamps who’d take them?”
“Yeah. We’re on good terms with a master near our territory. He’s pretty decent, follows the rules, and he’ll take them in if they aren’t crazy. I’ll pick up the newbies and call Parker to let him know I’m driving them to him.”
“Thanks. I have one last asshole to chase after.”
Glacier hung up, returning his phone to his pocket. He walked out of the thick trees and took to the sky, heading in the direction of the abandoned tire store. It was probably where Pedro would go. He flew over the two newbie Vamps he’d just sent fleeing, glad to see they were following his orders.
He blamed Mandy for his decision to give Richie and Ronnie a shot at life. Usually he’d have just ended theirs. Vamps without masters never lasted long on their own without becoming rogue.