Mandy wore another baggy long-sleeve shirt and a pair of boxer briefs Glacier had given her. He’d led her into the bedroom. It was small, cracks marred the walls, and the only thing decent as far as furniture went was the queen-size bed. The sheets on it looked new, despite how it was unmade. He pointed at it and she took a seat. He crouched in front of her.
“Here’s the deal. I need to get to the pack and plot going after the nest at first light. I’d let them handle this situation on their own but they’ve proven I can’t trust them. Lycan kids are in danger if that nest remains functional. I refuse to let children pay for having a stupid alpha who doesn’t vet his enforcers better.”
She nodded.
“I’m not going to chain you up again to leave you defenseless. Ted might have equally stupid friends who could show up here.”
She was surprised he’d trust her.
“I think you still have a heart in that bosom of yours, Mandy. Whatever you do, from this moment forward, my ass is on the line. I’m accountable. You fuck me over, my ass is going to be handed to me. Do you understand? I’m vouching for you.”
Her mouth hung open but she closed it quickly. “Why would you do that?”
“Maybe I’m stupid, too.” He glanced away but then back at her. “I’m willing to take the risk. Just be straight with me. Are you going to run? Leave the shop while I’m gone?”
She shook her head. “I’ll stay.”
“No luring anyone in, either. Fangs to yourself. You just fed.”
“I promise. I won’t need blood for days.”
He put his hands on each side of her but keep inches of space from her hips. “You’re allowed to defend yourself. Any Lycans come in, hand them their ass. Try to keep them alive though. Kill only if you must.” He hesitated. “Fuck. Don’t screw me over, Mandy.”
“I won’t.” She peered into his eyes. “I swear, Glacier. I want you to take out that nest and keep them from hurting other children. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be right here when you get back.”
“Okay. I have to go and find dickhead’s SUV to tote his body in. Come downstairs with me and guard the door. I can’t lock it since it’s broken. Once I take his body out, use something to block it that a human would have a tough time pushing against. I want you to cover the windows up here while I’m gone, too. That will keep you safe at dawn. There’s some plywood in a closet on the first floor. The basement is safer but it’s too bloody. I know you don’t do well scenting that. You’ll stay up here tomorrow.”
He rose up and held out his hand. She placed her smaller one in his and he pulled her to her feet. He let go and turned, giving her his back. It was a sign of trust.
She followed him down the short hallway and to the first floor, where he jerked open the back door and walked into the alley. The sun had gone down, and she felt at full strength thanks to the darkness and the blood she’d drank. Minutes passed, and then she heard an engine. A big white SUV pulled up in the alley and Glacier got out of the driver’s seat. He entered, nodded at her, and then lifted Ted’s body.
“Block it after me. I’ll return well after the sun is up. Sleep in the bed but leave room for me. I’m going to be tired. Tomorrow night, we’ll discuss what we do next.”
“Be careful,” she whispered.
He met her gaze and grinned. “This is what I do…and I’m damned good at it.”
He left and she went to the door, watching as he shoved the body into the backseat, paying more attention to the street at the end of the alley than her. She was ready to take over any human minds if they saw anything. No one came down the alley though.
Glacier got in the driver’s seat and drove off. Mandy closed the door and shoved hard to seal it.
She examined the busted doorframe and figured she could do her best to fix it if she could find some tools. It didn’t take long to locate the closet with the plywood. A small toolbox rested on a shelf. Memories hit of her childhood but she pushed them back. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d patched a door. Her father and brothers had been hell on a house with their short tempers.
An hour later, she entered the basement and began to clean up all the blood. It made her fangs come out but hunger didn’t gnaw at her. The worst part about it was the strong chemical smells of bleach in the contained space with no window or fan. It was good to be a Vamp though, as she held her breath for minutes at a time, only taking in small amounts of air when her lungs burned for it.
She finished, then went back upstairs to wait.
* * * * *
Glacier slammed what remained of Ted down on Kevin’s war table, scattering papers. The alpha and four of his enforcers appeared shocked at the body-shaped canvas.
“Ted decided to break into my lair to go after my prisoner.”
Kevin gawked at him and then snarled.
“Don’t.” Glacier allowed his skin to partially shell in case the stupid bastard tried to attack him. “That prick tore her up and tortured her. I walked in while he was about to rape her. Do you really want to die for a piece of shit who didn’t deserve his title?”
Kevin dropped his gaze to the tarp. “He wouldn’t have done that.”
“I brought you the body as proof. Unwrap his ass. His dick is still hanging out. I didn’t close his pants, and you sure as hell won’t find my scent on his crotch. Check his claws, too. You’ll smell Vamp blood. I had her strung out flat on a counter with her legs together and her arms above her head. She didn’t have a chance of fighting him off.”
Glacier tore off his shirt and threw it at the alpha. Kevin caught it.
“Smell the blood on it. That’s hers. Compare it to what’s on him. My prisoner, in my lair, and that’s your enforcer who went after her.”
Glacier spun away and walked to a marked cabinet in the corner, yanked it open, and found a spare shirt in his size. All Lycans kept clothing in their war rooms since sometimes anger made them shift. He put it on and returned to the table. “Now, are we going to fight over an enforcer you couldn’t control, or are we going to take out this nest who murdered some of your children?”
Kevin lifted Ted and carried him to the floor, unwrapped the canvas, and examined the body. He finally got to his feet, strode to the table, and began to sort the papers. He shoved one at Glacier. “You were right. There are some old sewer tunnels under that building. Two ways for them to escape. The water pipes were also upgraded in the seventies but they aren’t big enough for anyone to crawl through.”
Glacier relaxed and focused on the job at hand. “You’re going to need to send two-person Lycan teams into the sewers to block off the openings here and here.” He pointed at the blueprints. “I don’t see gas lines in these plans. I’d go with automatic weapons. Go for brain shots if they enter the tunnels and take their heads after they’re down. We don’t know how many can day move. They won’t be at full strength, but I’d rather be safe than have your Lycans overpowered.”
“Weapons aren’t honorable,” Kevin rumbled.
“Neither is a nest stealing children and tormenting them to the point of pain-induced insanity to get them to fight each other to the death. They should have stuck to the rules if they expect us to. No offense, but the master is going to be coming through those tunnels when we breach the basement door. Shoot first and remove the head when they’re down. I’d be the one going into the tunnel if there was only one. But there’s two.”
“It’s only seven Vamps. I’m sure we can handle them without guns.”
Glacier stared at Kevin and shook his head. “You’re assuming the master hasn’t made more, and that he hasn’t mind-fucked armed humans into helping defend his nest. They will have guns. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve done this shit. I know what I’m doing. Your Lycans will be armed, Kevin. That’s not up for debate. I’m sure they’re excellent fighters, but they won’t be if they’re shot to shit by humans before the Vamps rush them.”
Kevin paled.
“Been there, seen that happen. This asshole will have day guards, and they’ll be armed. We’re hitting them while they’re trying to sleep. Do you want your Lycans shot full of holes, or able to defend themselves when the Vamps come rushing into those tunnels after sending in humans first?” Glacier arched an eyebrow.
“Fuck.” Kevin turned to a blond enforcer. “Arm our men.” He faced Glacier. “It will be loud though if there’s gunfire. Humans will be drawn.”
“That’s why we’re going to clear out all the humans in the restaurant above and blow the basement when we’re done. We go out the sewer tunnels. Have vehicles waiting here.” He pointed at the map of the tunnels. “The cops will arrive where the gunfire originates. We’ll be long gone.”
“Blow? We don’t have any explosives.”
Glacier grinned. “I do. This is not my first nest, as I’ve said many times before.”
“How do we clear the humans?”
“We’re going to dress up before we go into the restaurant as employees of the local gas company. Someone reported a gas leak and they need to exit the building fast. We hit hard at that point. I’ve already paid someone to steal the uniforms and two vans.”
“Who?” Kevin frowned. “You trust a human not to screw us over?”
Glacier smiled again. “It’s Graves.”
Kevin paled. “The Graves?”
“Is there more than one?”
“Who the fuck is Graves?” Teenie had come in.
Kevin shifted his stance but kept quiet.
Glacier didn’t hesitate. “He’s the one packs normally call in when someone needs to die and for whatever reason, the alpha can’t do it. His body count is so high, he’s earned the name. He’s also a friend. I called in a favor since he’s between jobs.”
“You brought a killer into my territory without my permission?” Kevin glared.
“You’re never happy, are you? You complained because I wasn’t a team player. I get in line and use a partner, yet here you are, doing it again.”
“I wanted you to work with my pack.”
Glacier jerked his head toward the body on the floor. “Yeah. Because you have your enforcers totally under your control.” He snorted. “I trusted Ted to be smart enough to stay away from my prisoner. He wasn’t. She works for the damn Vampire Council. Do you know much about how the council works, Kevin?”
The alpha shook his head.
“She does. Ted tried to kill our best source of information. I told Kelzeb.” He glanced around at the other enforcers. “He’s going to report what happened to Lord Aveoth.”
Kevin looked visibly ill.
“Are we on the same page now? The Vampire prisoner in my lair is off limits to your damn pack. She’s not a part of the nest who took your children. Lord Aveoth is very interested in learning about the Vampire Council. Am I clear?”
“Yes.” Kevin didn’t look happy though.
Glacier didn’t give a damn as long as it kept anyone else from going after Mandy. “Make sure your pack is aware of that, Kevin. Your enforcers are supposed to follow your orders. Otherwise they can join Ted there on the floor.”
Kevin growled low. “Let’s get back to planning the attack.”
Glacier was ready to let it go. He checked over the weapons they had, made a call to Graves to verify everything was in order, and then took the time to eat.
His mind kept returning to Mandy. He hoped she wouldn’t run. There was no guarantee she wouldn’t flee to her friend, since he hadn’t taken out the other assassin. The pack was on lockdown, which meant they weren’t out there hunting Vamps. Olivia wouldn’t have any targets to kill.
What if the other Vampire assassin was like Mandy? He believed they hadn’t had a choice to work for the council. It might be a lie, but he had become a good judge of character at his age. He sighed and placed another call when he was alone.
“If it isn’t my brother from the same mother.”
He chuckled at Pest’s version of hello. “I need some advice.”
“Shit. What kind of mess are you in now? Did the alpha try to compare dicks with you and you lost? I guess I could show him mine to save our family honor.”
“Fuck you.” He laughed though. Pest definitely earned his nickname. His humor faded. “I captured myself a Vamp.”
“Okay. And that’s like saying it’s Monday.”
“It’s one I used to know when she was human, and the thing is…” He peered around to make certain no one was in earshot. “She kept her humanity.”
“This isn’t sounding good. Were you ordered to kill her? I see the problem already. I’d have a hard time with that too, if it was someone I once knew and they seemed decent. What kind of crime did she commit?”
“It’s not like that. I mean, the alpha ordered me to take her out but you know how that goes. He believes all Vamps are better off dead right now.”
“Who gives a shit what he wants? He’s not our boss. What did Kelzeb say?”
“I can’t bring her to the Cliffs and I’m responsible for her actions. He made it clear he wasn’t going to order me to put her down.”
Pest said nothing.
“You there?”
“Um, yeah. You’re banging her, aren’t you? What the hell are you thinking? I mean, they aren’t fragile like a human but you still have to be damn careful with one in bed. They bite, bro. Huge no on that shit. What do you do? Muzzle her? Just take her from behind and watch her fangs?”
“I haven’t slept with her.”
“I hear a ‘yet’ in there.”
He couldn’t deny he wanted Mandy. “You dated a Vamp once.”
“For like a week, and she kept trying to bite me. It’s why it didn’t last. The sex was hot but it’s like surfing a landslide. It’s just a matter of time before it turns into disaster and you end up burying your own ass. You want my advice? Fuck her until she’s out of your system and then run.”
He closed his eyes and sighed.
“She needs to feed, and you can’t be the meal.” Pest’s voice dropped low, sympathy coming through. “That’s the one law we can’t ever break. Too much is at risk.”
“I know.”
“It’s doomed. Think about it. What happens if you get too possessive of her, or worst case, fall in love? How are you going to feel, watching her feed off others? It would drive you insane. It’s against the law for us to give blood to Vamps. You’ll be signing her death warrant if you ever slip in bed, Glacier. You care about her? Get the hell away.”
“It’s fucking complicated.”
“How do you feel about this Vampire?”
He sighed. “Highly attracted; always was and still am.”
“Then run, bro. For her sake as well as your own. Sometimes caring means saying goodbye. This is a prime example.”
“The Vampire Council will be after her. Hell, according to her, everyone will be. I set her free and she’ll be on her own. She won’t last long. They’ll kill her.”
“That is complicated.” He paused. “I have some days free. I’m coming to you.”
“No need.”
“I’m your brother. You called me. You wouldn’t do that unless you’re in over your head and thinking about doing something stupid. We’ll sit down together, have some beers, and talk all this out. I’m packing a bag now and will hit the air. I should be there by morning. I know where you are.”
“Mandy is at the shop I’m staying in. Don’t scare her.”
“I won’t hurt your Vampire.”
“Mandy.”
“Damn. You have it bad, don’t you?”
“I used to, and she hasn’t changed, besides the Vampire thing.”
“It’s a big fucking thing, bro.”
“See you in the morning, Pest. I’ll be there after the sun is up. Oh, and um, she can move around after dawn. Heads-up. Don’t flip out on her.”
“How old is she? I didn’t know you were into cougars.”
He chuckled. “Long story. I’ll share it with you tomorrow.”
“See you soon.”
Glacier ended the call and sighed, getting up and returning to the war room inside the pack house. The Lycans were too hyped up to sleep. He knew they would be.