Chapter Six

Delilah’s knuckles were literally white as she sped down the highway back to Duluth. Her concentration was gone. The mystic pull that bound her to her mates stole every thought, including the ones that comprehended the laws of the road. If she made it back to town in one piece, it would be a miracle.

She couldn’t shake the guilt she felt from leaving Samuel the way she did. The magic that possessed her couldn’t stop its claws from tearing at her soul. Part of her missed him so much it hurt. It didn’t prevent her from burying the gas pedal of the truck into the floorboard.

She breathed a sigh of relief as she pulled to a stop in front of Henry’s house. Flipping the ignition off, she hopped out of the cab and nearly sprinted to the door. Her body burned with a need she couldn’t describe. She felt it when she saw Samuel change back to his beautiful naked human form. Now, standing at Henry’s front door, she felt it for him.

She didn’t have to knock. Henry yanked the door open before a knuckle touched the painted aluminum.

By the glare in his gaze, she couldn’t tell if he was angry with her or if he wanted to fuck her right there on the porch. He stood there, his teeth clenched, dressed in a white ribbed tank top and a pair of jeans. It was possibly the least dressed up she had seen him since high school. The image of him made her blood boil with lust.

“Finally came back, huh?” he remarked.

“Henry, I…”

He cut her words off with a deep, vicious kiss. She clung to him as she returned it as hard. Pulling her into his arms, he dragged her into the house and slammed the door behind them. His fingers skimmed the waistband of her shorts. He popped the fly open, unzipped them, and shoved them to the floor.

The foyer and living room were a blur until her ass was planted on the sofa. Henry kneeled at her feet. With a growl, he grasped her knees and parted her legs. Nudging her panties to one side with his finger, he buried his mouth between her legs, nipping and sucking on her already swollen flesh.

Delilah clung to the back of the couch as she whimpered. She didn’t understand how she could need this much sex from these two men. She was certain she would die without it. She felt his tongue dip inside her. Then she heard him moan. “Oh, bella.”

She couldn’t answer. She could only gurgle a sound to answer him.

“You. Him. Fuck. The people I love the most in this world.” He dove in again, lapping and kissing frantically. She let go of the couch to hold him close as he pleasured her. She cried as she peaked violently. But he didn’t stop. He feasted on her like a starving man. She orgasmed at least two more times before he slowed down.

She gazed up as he stood, his thick erection pressing hard against the zipper of his jeans. She reached to unzip him and tugged his cock free from his briefs. She enveloped him with her lips before he could protest. He tenderly brushed her hair from her face as she sucked. She knew he followed her every move. He liked to watch when she blew him.

He pulled her free from him and slumped on the couch next to her. Before he could say anything, she swung on top of his lap and straddled him. Wrapping her fingers around him to guide him, she rose up until his tip nudged her folds. She dropped down on him, impaling herself. It took a moment to adjust. Like Samuel, he seemed longer and thicker than before. He stretched her in ways no one had before. No one except Samuel. Each movement sent a tremor through her. It was blissful madness as she rode him.

Henry caressed her breasts through her shirt for a few moments. He tugged it off and then unfastened and discarded her bra. He drew a nipple into his mouth and sucked as he pinched the other nub between his fingers. The near constant quake that buzzed through her exploded in a fiery rush as she clenched tight around him.

She cradled his head to her breast as unintelligible words tumbled from her lips. He gripped tight to her hips as he took over, arching his hips as he drove upward into her. His fingers bruised her when he grunted his release.

He cupped a hand behind her neck to bring her mouth to his. The taste of his kiss made her heart stampede. She ground down on him. He was still hard inside her.

“You’re still?”

“I don’t understand it. Right now, I’m not going to question it. I know I’m not sated. I need more of you. I need to hear you call out my name. I need to taste you. It’ll be a long time until I’m done with you.”

She kissed him and then spoke, “Take me to bed.”

He growled as he lifted her to pull her free. Setting her on her feet, he stood with her. She squeaked in protest when he dropped his shoulder into her belly and lifted her up over his shoulder. He wrapped a secure arm around her legs as he stalked to the bedroom.

He dropped her on her ass onto the mattress. It bounced her up at impact. He made quick work of what clothes they had left before he descended on her and dug deep inside her. She groaned as she arched her hips to meet his strokes. His mouth feasted on her neck, her shoulders, and her breasts. She wove her fingers in his hair to cradle him closer. Absentmindedly, she slipped his glasses from his face. She thought she managed to get them to the end table. They slipped from her fingers when another earth-shattering orgasm tore through her. He groaned as she felt his release throb inside her.

He flipped her over on top of him effortlessly. If she didn’t know her geeky best friend, she would have sworn he was a player. He reached up to caress her auburn curls as he drove his cock deeper. “Can’t stop.”

She took hold of his hands and pinned them to the bed. She took control, rocking him in and out as she rode him. Instinct took over. Her mind lost all semblance of thought as another rush knotted in her belly, threatening to explode. She bounced harder, faster as she muttered out the only coherent words she had, “Don’t stop.”

»»•««

The library was eerily quiet for a weeknight. It didn’t surprise Henry in the least. It was the last night of finals. Instead of studying, most students were out partying one last time before they went home. He nodded to Jenny, his assistant, a perky little blonde who had graduated two years previous. He couldn’t deny it. She was cute. But so was the hunky ex-football kicker who held the position before her. Henry was too shy and too in love with his job as the head librarian of the university’s library system to ask either of them out and ruin his career.

He unlocked the door and pushed it open, slipping into the cold confines of the ancient text section. He locked the door behind him and smiled as he glanced around the shelves of old manuscripts. It was his favorite place in the whole library. He personally maintained each of them. There were first editions of many great classics from Bronte to Twain. There were also texts on loan, many from Egypt, Europe, and the Middle East. He had Delilah to thank for that. Being best friends and occasional lover with one of the world's greatest archaeologists had its perks.

He held his breath to bite back a guttural moan. He and Delilah had been screwing non-stop since she came back from seeing Samuel. They had gone well past friends with benefits. He called in sick two days in a row to stay in bed with her. It was the first time he had called in sick since he started at the university. He didn’t want to. It was as if some sort of black magic directed him to pick up the phone and call the university president. He wasn’t sure what illness it was that mysteriously popped into his head. The president bought it.

Whatever possessed him seemed to let up enough to let him go to work. It was hard to concentrate on his tasks, though. All he could think about was Delilah beneath him as he drove into her, her sweet voice calling out his name in pleasure. He also thought about Samuel. Despite the bullshit lie he concocted about being a werewolf, he needed the man’s cock in his mouth. He needed to trace the color on Sam’s skin as he made his lover come hard.

Henry shook his head to get himself refocused. He needed to get a grip. This nearly constant lust was driving him insane. Not to mention that always being hard made daily life extremely difficult. He sighed as he tucked the gloves he held in his hand away in a drawer. He needed his wits about him to work with such priceless texts. He heaved a heavy sigh. The room was set at such a low temperature he was surprised he didn’t see his own breath. He reached for the doorknob. Unlocking the door, he pulled it open a crack.

He stopped when he heard a male voice. “Where can we find Mister Hakimi?”

Henry watched out of the slit of the partially opened door. Jenny sat up tall, attempting to look authoritative. They had many talks about telling visitors he was gone. He didn’t have the time to renew library cards or teach someone to use the electronic book search system. They had staff for that.

“Mister Hakimi isn’t available at the moment,” she informed them. “Could I help you?”

Henry took a good look at the men as they took a step closer. They were both dressed in tailored, fitted suits with diamond cufflinks. One had short black hair and the other slicked-back blond hair. They both wore evil smiles as they leered at her.

Like lightning, the black-haired man was at Jenny’s side. A split second later he had her out of her chair and laid across her desk. Rage filled Henry as he gripped the knob tighter so he could throw the door open to help her. When the man dug his mouth into the side of her neck, he froze in his place. Her body convulsed violently as he latched himself to her. He palmed her belly to shove her against the surface of the desk to keep her still. His friend glanced down the hallway to watch for anyone coming.

“Rock, let up, you dumbass. What if someone finds you?” the blond protested.

Rock stood straight and licked his lips. Jenny’s head lulled to the side. She stared at Henry with lifeless eyes. He bit his tongue to stop from gasping, even though he felt like throwing up.

“Sorry, Cort,” Rock replied. “She tasted so sweet. Those whores at the club are bitter.”

“You drained her too far. How do expect to hide this?”

“I’ll throw the body in the trash compactor. By the time the other humans find it, they won’t be concerned with blood loss. Maybe I’ll find a way to pin it on Hallow’s gay lover.”

“Don’t even consider it. We need Hakimi as bait. He’ll lure Hallow to us, and then we’ll torture him until Hallow turns the amulet over to us. Then we’ll kill them both. Go before we’re discovered. I’ll look for Hakimi.”

Rock scooped up the body in his arms. Reaching out to the closest light switch, he pressed his hand to it. The lights above flickered a couple of times and then went dark. The compressor that pumped the air conditioning into the ancient texts room stopped humming. The dull commotion from the floors below filtered upstairs. Rock disappeared into the darkness.

Henry swallowed hard as he watched Cort open the door across the hall and step inside. He blinked back sudden tears but failed. He stomach lurched violently as he wiped his damp cheeks. His whole body vibrated in terror. He couldn’t risk sneaking out of the room, not with how fast Rock moved in on his assistant. What the fuck were they?

He glanced at the room behind him and then silently shut and locked the door. Whipping his cell phone from the back pocket of his khaki pants, he tapped the flashlight app and shone the light around the room to get his bearings. He wasn’t as trapped as he thought. Although the secured room was windowless, there was another way out, especially with the air conditioning cut off. He remembered back to last summer when the compressor broke down. The building engineer showed him how to open the air vent. At the time it seemed like a pointless, tedious piece of information. Now it was going to save his life.

He raced across the room to the metal grate embedded in the wall. Using a long, silver letter opener he kept stashed away in the drawer he kept his gloves in, he pried at the brackets holding it to the wall until they broke apart. Carefully he pulled it free and set it against the nearest table. Then he climbed inside.

His heartbeat hammered in his ears as he crawled on his belly through the duct system, his cell phone light flickering ahead of him to guide the way. He just had to make his way to the administrative offices on the same floor. There was a stairwell leading to ground floor right outside his office. Knowing his luck, Cort and Rock would be waiting for him there. He had a bowel-shaking feeling he was going to end up as dead as Jenny was.

He was shocked when he found the offices and the stairwell empty. Not that he took any chances. It took a small eternity for him to creep down the steps and out the door at the base of the stairs.

He sprinted to his car and jumped inside, locking the doors behind him. In the pure light of the full moon overhead, it was easy to find. His breath caught in his throat. He would be seen running to the vehicle too. He’d be easy prey if he didn’t get the hell out of there. He flipped the ignition as he tapped the speed dial on his phone.

Delilah’s voice was a silky soft purr as she answered. “Miss me? I miss you. Come home. I need you.”

“Get out,” he demanded.

“Excuse me?”

Henry’s voice shook as he forced the words out. “Dee, I just watched two guys murder my assistant. He did something to her neck with his mouth. I don’t know. I know she’s dead. They’re after me. They want to use me to get to Sam. Something about an amulet. If they can’t find me at work, they’ll go home. If they do to you what they did to her…” His voice died. He choked back a whimper as he imagined her lifeless body like Jenny’s.

“Come get me.”

Henry looked up out of his windshield. The phone slipped out of his hand as his mouth gaped open in horror. His stare locked with Rock’s. Cort sneered as he stood beside his friend.

“Mister Hakimi,” Rock greeted with an evil smile.

Henry gripped the shifter in his hand and threw it in reverse. He shoved the gas pedal to the floor, sending the sedan flying backward. He shifted into drive just as fast and sped away.

Henry forced air in and out of his lungs. It kept him from screaming. He picked up on Delilah’s voice softly shouting his name. Flustered, he picked up his phone. “Sorry.”

“What happened?” she asked.

“They found me.” Henry slowed to a stop at the light. He glanced out the rearview mirror. Rock grinned at him from the car behind him. “Shit, now they’re following me. Shit.”

“I’ll go to my parents.”

“No. They can’t protect you. You need to go somewhere someone can protect you.”

“Like where?”

Henry paused as he glanced out the rearview mirror again. When the light turned green, he slammed on the gas. “I have no idea.”

“I do. Keep in touch with me. I’m not ready to lose you.”

“Where are you going?”

“I have Sam’s sister-in-law’s cell number. I’ll find out where they are and go there. Where are you going?”

Henry let out a small gasp. The magnetic pull, the one that demanded he have hot, insatiable sex with Delilah the past few days, the one that left the mark on his back, dragged at him. This time it wasn’t for sex. It was leading him to safety. “I don’t know. I’m going to drive. I’ll talk to you soon. Bye.”

“Bye.”

Henry tossed the cell on the passenger seat and gunned it. He quietly cursed at his responsible, gas efficient, earth-friendly sedan. He suddenly longed for the irresponsible sports car he almost bought. If he had, he would have left these guys in the dust a long time ago. Instead, they were on his bumper as they raced up the highway heading north out of Duluth.

»»•««

Henry’s thoughts were scrambled as he drove down the dark highway. He had no idea where he was going. Rock and Cort were on his ass. The fields that spread out on either side of him glowed eerily in the moonlight. Signs indicated the highway was about to tee off east and west. A small, antique service station appeared in the dark. The unlit windows told the world they were closed even though an amber light appeared from behind it. The whole area seemed vaguely familiar.

Henry squinted his eyes. There was a beaten-down dirt trail barely visible in the heavy tree line that spread as far as the eye could see. Rock and Cort wouldn’t follow him in there. Would they?

The tug that possessed him pulled him forward. He was about to be saved or caught. He buried the gas pedal to the floor as his car was swallowed by the forest.

The narrow dirt road was déjà vu to him. He had been bumped and jostled like this before in recent memory. He felt totally lost along with terrified out of his skin. Cort’s headlights bounced off the massive tree trunks with his. No matter what he did, he couldn’t shake them.

He didn’t know whether to be relieved or panicked as he reached a clearing. The nine log buildings didn’t allow him to go any further. He stopped in the center of the camp and threw open the door. He’d have to flee on foot. He was as good as dead.

Henry only took two steps before he was face to face with something more horrifying than the murderers trailing him. He stood tall at six-foot-four. This thing hovered over him. It resembled a wolf but taller, stronger, and deadlier. Fangs dripping in blood jutted out from its lower and upper snout. Claws ripped up the earth beneath its paws. It was covered in coarse black fur. It growled and snorted angrily as it tossed its massive head.

Henry couldn’t breathe as he heard more beastly sounds. Craning his neck, he could see six more creatures like this one in various shades of browns, grays, and blacks. Each was equally as terrifying as the one he was face to face with. The scene was enough to make him forget Rock and Cort. Maybe they were scared as shitless as he was and ran.

The lightest gray of the wolves stalked to Henry and the first of the monsters. It had an odd trail of tufted fur on its head, almost like a Mohawk. It grunted to the first almost though it was talking. The black werewolf huffed in return and sauntered off. As the gray monster brushed against Henry, the most delicious jolt of lust ripped through him. It left him breathless. Not that he was breathing much. He was terrified beyond comprehension.

“The Hallows.”

Henry spun around to find Rock and Cort out of their car. The smiles on their faces nearly made Henry pass out. The light gray wolf used its snout to nudge Henry behind him. Another shiver burned through him. He stared at the beast as what Cort said sank in. The Hallows. He remembered what Delilah had told him, that she saw Samuel, and that everything he said was true.

Sam was really a werewolf.

He shook his head violently and then touched the wolf. He shook as the same rush hit him. He swallowed hard then spoke, “Sam?”

The werewolf stared back with yellow feral eyes. Then it tossed its head as if it was nodding. All Henry could mutter was “holy shit.”

“I hate to break up the reunion,” Cort continued, “but we’re here for the amulet. We will search every building until we find it.”

The seven werewolves flanked out across the camp, snarling at the two men. Sam left Henry’s side to take his place with his brothers. Henry stumbled back a couple of steps as he took in the showdown. Then he pinched himself hard. This couldn’t be happening. He flinched at the sharp pain.

He caught the bolt of lightning that hit the wood and metal tower out of the corner of his eye. He didn’t get a chance to turn before something fiery hot pierced through him. Thousands of electric volts shook him violently. He struggled to meet Sam’s wide-eyed stare as the werewolf turned to him. Then he looked up to the star-splattered sky. There wasn’t one cloud in the vast, black expanse.

The pain that consumed him was too much to take. His vision faded in and out as his gaze dropped to the ground. He frowned, puzzled, at his hand. The metal wristband of his watch was there. Then it was gone. His bare arm was covered in a gauzy, spectral linen robe. A scepter was in his hand. He studied the markings engraved on it. He wasn’t in so much agony that he couldn’t make them out. They were hieroglyphics.

As soon as the agony started, it stopped. His mind filled with thoughts not his own, thoughts of power, of domination, of hate. He studied the new garment covering his arms, his body, his legs. He looked up to find all eyes on him.

“The Heka,” Cort said with his voice breaking. He seemed to be fanboying. Henry had no idea of what, but the new personality taking him over was impressed.

“The what?” Henry struggled past his new self to question.

Rock and Cort took slow steps back to their car. “This is an exciting development. We’ll be back for the amulet, Hallows. Be certain of it.”

The two men slipped into their car. Their headlights briefly blinded Henry as they whipped the vehicle in a circle and tore down the lane into the forest. The spirit that filled him slowly faded away. He glanced down to find his khakis, polo shirt, and wristwatch back where they belonged.

A grunt brought him back to the situation at hand. The men might have disappeared, but seven beasts still stared him down. He swallowed hard.

The light-gray one sauntered forward from the group and snarled. Henry backpedaled away but stopped as it collapsed to the ground. It shivered violently as it huddled in a ball. Coarse fur melted away into smooth flesh. Fangs and claws receded. The tufts of fur returned to the Mohawk he knew and loved.

Sam stood on shaky legs and then collapsed to his knees. He wretched into the dirt below him.

Henry rushed to his side, fighting to ignore how gloriously naked the man he loved was. “Sam, sweetheart, are you okay?”

Samuel coughed hard as he wiped his mouth off with the back of his hand. “Turning back during the full moon or resisting the change feels like my stomach is being ripped out. So, no.” He waved his hand around in the general direction Henry had stood. “What the fuck was that?”

“What are you talking about?”

“First you were struck by lightning, which is impossible since there are no fucking clouds anywhere. Then you flickered back and forth between you and some ancient Egyptian dude. Who in the holy fuck is the Heka?”

Henry didn’t miss the six pairs of yellow, feral eyes still watching him. “Sam, I have no idea. This has never happened before.”

“Okay, then answer me this. What possessed you to bring those assholes to my home?”

Henry pointed toward the lane heading into the woods. He tossed his arm erratically. “Those assholes killed my assistant, Jenny. He put his mouth to her neck, and I don’t know what he did, but she’s dead.”

Samuel stared at him with his mouth gaping. “Wait. What?”

“I’m not making it up. Don’t you even think of questioning what I said.”

Samuel shook his head. “I’m not. Shit. I wondered what was different about them. Shit. I can’t believe it.”

Henry clenched his hands to his hips. “Believe what?”

Sam sat back. The terror that filled Henry gave room to lust as he stared at Sam’s swollen cock.

Sam ran his hand through his Mohawk. “Henry, I think they’re vampires.”

Henry choked on his breath. “Vampires?”

“You watched me change from a gigantic wolf into this. If werewolves exist, then vampires could too. And fuck knows what else exists out there.” Samuel glanced around. “Where’s Delilah?”

“I don’t know.”

Samuel scrambled to his feet. “What do you mean you don’t fucking know? They could find her. They’ll kill her.”

“She said she had your sister-in-law’s number. She was going to contact her. From there I don’t know.”

Samuel blew out a low, steady breath. “If she reached Eve, she’s on the reservation with Momma and Littlefoot. She should be fine. They won’t find her there. And if they do, Littlefoot and his people have ways to ward them off. I’m sure we’ll see her tomorrow.”

“And until then? Are you changing back to whatever you were?”

Samuel chuckled. “Do you want to see a huge beast throw up? The change is too much.” He cocked his head at Henry. “You’re white as a ghost.”

“Well, first vampires, then werewolves, then some crazy ass Egyptian guy.” He shrugged. “I’ve had my world turned upside down. So maybe I feel entitled to be a little scared shitless. Frankly, I have no idea when I’ll ever feel okay again.”

Samuel crossed the camp to him and pulled Henry into a deep, crushing kiss. He was certain the Hallow bruised his lips. It was all right as long as he kept doling them out. Henry wrapped his arms around his mate and let his hands wander Samuel’s naked flesh. He stopped when his hands clenched Sam’s ass.

“Let me make you forget this for a while,” Samuel murmured. He nipped at Henry’s earlobe and then down his jugular. Henry went from aroused to rock hard in a split-second. He didn’t miss that Sam was the same way.

“Uh-huh.” It was all Henry could get out.

He had no idea when the other six Hallows left, but they were alone in the middle of the camp. No more gigantic, terrifying beasts. No more murderous vampires. Just him and his lover. And the Heka possibly. He had no idea where the bastard went. Or was he still inside Henry? He shook his head to clear the thought from his head. The Heka scared him the most.

Samuel laced his fingers between Henry’s and smiled. He brushed his mouth against his ear. “I love you, Henry Hakimi. I love you with everything I am. Whatever this means, whatever happens, that will never change. We will figure this out together. Okay?”

His words were enough to drive the demons away for the moment. They would have to wait. This man was the only thing that mattered right now. Henry clung as tight as he could to Samuel as his mate led him across the camp to one of the cabins and closed the door behind them.