Pack Bonds, page 1
part #4 of Amarok Series
Copyright © 2019 by BF Worlds. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
PACK BONDS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 1
The sound of police sirens filled the night as a contingent of squad cars sped toward a raging flame, followed by a fire truck and an ambulance. A news helicopter flew over them, cameras bringing vivid footage of a residential fire that had already engulfed three properties to viewers all over the city.
Amid the chaos, no one noticed the old moving truck heading in the opposite direction, despite the strangeness of the hour. It pulled into the driveway of a large house fallen into disrepair, set back from the road and neighboring an abandoned residence in worse condition.
It drove over the weed-infested lawn, coming to a stop at the bottom of the porch. The back door was drawn up from the inside and two people; a young woman carrying a teenage boy on her shoulder and a dark hair girl who shouted directions to others inside.
Dean shrugged her burden to a more comfortable position before marching up the steps of the porch. The front door was thrown open by a woman with bright red hair tied back in a loose ponytail and tired hazel eyes. Rosa stared at Dean’s captive. “Is that a halfling?”
“Yeah.” Dean shouldered her way into the house. She tromped down a long hall, sticking her head through every doorway she came across, guided by the smell fresh linen. She stopped when she came across what she assumed was the living room.
It was devoid of any furniture. Dozens of futons were lined up on the wooden floor, seven across. Rachel rested on one, her previously pinched features relaxed in peaceful rest. The hulking form of Rudolph sat hunched by the side of her bed, William sitting on the other side with the collar of his lab coat turned up.
“Oi, doctor. Get over here!”
William jumped at her shout, quickly getting to his feet when she waved him over. She grabbed him by the shoulder once he was in range and guided him to the opposite end of the room where she laid down her burden on one of the futons. “This is Izekiel. He’s in pretty bad shape so he needs your attention first.”
“Hey, Dean!” Rosa huffed, hands on her waist. “That’s a halfling. And if he is with you, he must have been at Franklin’s house. As in, he was fighting for the Council. We aren’t treating an enemy.”
“He’s not an enemy. He’s one of mine.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
Dean turned to the older woman, taking a menacing step forward as she snapped her teeth. “It means that he is with me. That boy has importance so he is not allowed to die. If anything threatens him, I will personally step in to intercede it.”
“Gods, girl.” Rosa met her gaze. Before, Dean would have turned away to keep the peace, but she was excited from the recent battle and itching for another fight. She held the stare, her lips curling up in imitation of a snarl. The tension grew between them as Rosa refused to look away, unwilling to surrender.
Just before the two could come to violence, they were interrupted by a stampede of changers entering the house. Viktoriya entered the room, supporting Dugen. “He’s suffering from silver poisoning. From the smell, it hasn’t spread far but we need to cut it out now.”
“I’ll handle that,” Rosa said, waving for Viktoriya to set him down. “Will, you can work on the boy. Dean, I need you to hold him down. Is that alright with you?”
“Fine.”
Dean walked toward the futon Dugen had been laid down on. Viktoriya caught her arm, beckoning for her to lean down as she stood up to whisper to her. “I didn’t ask questions at Franklin’s and this isn’t the time for them either. It’s also not the time for you to start fights with allies.”
“I don’t start fights. I end them.”
“How about you avoid them,” Viktoriya hissed. “At least for tonight. We’ve got injured wolves to stabilize. Do this alpha crap after we know everyone’s going to live.”
Dean huffed, sucking down a deep breath as she told herself to relax. “For now.”
“Would you look at that? She can be reasoned with.” Rosa smacked Dean on the shoulder. “Get it in gear, daughter-in-law. We’ve got a patient to see too. Vikky, Jerome is out getting food, but he should have set up the other rooms. There’s water and extra bandages in my car around back.”
“Got it.” She scampered off, dodging between the crowd of changers laying down the injured.
Dean focused her attention on Dugen, kneeling beside him. His transformation left him naked and she could see the gray of silver poisoning spreading out from a wound in his shoulder, sweat beading down the side of his face as his body struggled to fight it off.
Rosa turned him over so he laid on his front, giving her access to the gash in his shoulder where the silver-tipped spear had pierced him. She leaned down, sniffing loudly. “Only traces. I don’t think the blade chipped off, thank the gods. This should be quick and painful. Dean, hold him down by the arms.”
“Obviously.” Dean threw a leg over his waist, straddling his back as she pulled his arms tight against his side. “How long is this going to take?”
“Why, you got somewhere to be? Ah, damn. I forgot to—oh.” She held out her hands as William appeared with a tray of surgical instruments, a pair of gloves, and a bowl of water. “Will, you’re the best.”
“I’m just about dead on my feet. After Tobias, there was the police thing. Then Pruella came knocking. Maybe you’ve forgotten but I took two lightning bolts to the chest—”
“AAGGHH!!”
Dean grunted, her arms straining as she forced Dugen to remain still while Rosa cut away pieces of his flesh. The guard commander continued to scream for a full minute before he blacked out.
“Huh? Were you saying something?” Rosa dropped the gray tinged flesh she’d cut away onto a cloth and put her bloody instruments into the water. “Raise his arm so I can bandage the wound.”
She complied and the older woman slapped some gauze on the wound, expertly tying the bandages over it before slapping his shoulder. “Good as new.”
Like magic, Rudolph appeared at her side with a trash can. Rosa dumped the diseased flesh she’d cut away and slipped off her gloves. Then she briskly washed her tools in the water before placing them back on the tray. “Alright. Who’s next?”
Rudolph took the bowl full of dirty water, handing her a new one. Then he pointed across the room where a man was groaning in pain before disappearing. “Right then. Nurse, shall we see to our next patient?”
Dean sighed as she got to her feet. Exhaustion weighed on her eyes, but she forced them to stay open. She’d sleep when the work was done. “Can I at least do the cutting this time?”
-
Dean finally sat down as the sun began to rise, leaning against the wall closest to Rachel’s futon. The worse of the injuries had been taken care of. Luckily, no one would die of their injuries, though a quarter of them wouldn’t be moving anytime soon.
“Good job.” She looked up as Viktoriya slid down the wall beside her. “Looks like everybody is going to live.”
“Great.” Dean leaned over, resting her head on Viktoriya’s shoulder. She felt the surface she was lying on stiffen and sighed. “I know you’re still mad at me, but can you forget that for a moment? It’s been a long night.”
Viktoriya relaxed. Her hand found Dean’s and she twined their fingers together. “You did do a lot today.”
“I’ve barely slept eight hours in three days. And I was hit by two bolts of lightning.”
“Three. You’re forgetting the one she hit you with when you were down.”
“Four. Remember, I took the one meant for Dugen, but I was trying not to sound miserable.”
“Poor you.” Viktoriya’s tone was sarcastic but she slipped her hand free of Dean’s to reach into her hair, pulling her closer.
“I also got burned, knocked on my ass by a shockwave, interrogated by the police, nearly kidnapped—”
“You’re pushing it.”
“Don’t I deserve a little sympathy?”
“I thought you blood wolves were tough.”
Dean growled softly. “Next time, you can fight the centuries-old vampire throwing around the elements like a child throwing stones. See how tough you are.”
“Oh yeah? You think you could stand aside with someone hurling that kind of power at me?”
“You’d live.”
“Uh-huh. I’m calling bull on that. I know like you know that you’d be after the threat in a heartbeat. Which is why I hate to do this to you, but you can’t go to sleep.”
“Yes, I can. See, I just close my eyes like this…”
Dean’s eyes snapped open as Viktoriya’s clawed hand closed around her throat, stopping short of drawing blood. She sat up with a curse, rubbing her neck while her mate shook out her hand. “Gods damn it, you and the claws! Don’t laugh. It’s not funny.”
“Sorry. You’re right, it’s not. It is a quick way to get you alert.”
“Alert for…” Dean’s words trailed off as she took in the room. She could only blame exhaustion for missing the obvious tension in the air. The Freewood wolves were agitated.
It wasn’t hard to imagine why. They were injured in what had been, just yesterday, enemy territory. Their alpha was killed in a duel against their guard commander, who lay recovering from severe silver poisoning. The men and women had to be feeling vulnerable and changers never reacted favorably when threatened.
“And what exactly am I supposed to do about this?” Dean groused.
“Alphas aren’t all about knocking heads. They need a strong presence to reassure them. Go reassure.”
“Wouldn’t that be better received from you?”
“You’re forgetting. Franklin exiled me. According to traditions, they should all want to kill me.”
That thought banished Dean’s exhaustion. She flexed her hands as she eyed the crowd. “It sounds like I should be chasing them off.”
“Relax. They aren’t going to do anything.”
“If they decide to do something, they outnumber us severely. Right now, they’re tired and hurting. The field won’t be even but—”
Viktoriya growled. “They aren’t going to do anything. Look, everyone’s scared and angry—”
“Speak for yourself.”
“Some of us more angry than scared. Oh, for gods’ sake. Can we say anxious then? You’re like a kid. The point is, this is not the time to make decisions that can’t be taken back. We all need sleep. The rest can be handled later but we won’t make it to later if you don’t talk to them.”
Dean huffed in annoyance but pushed to her feet. “If I do this, will you stop being angry?”
“No. But I’ll mention it to Red.”
“…Good enough.”
Dean moved across the room, dodging between the injured. The Freewood wolves had grouped near the door and they all looked up once she made it halfway to them, their shoulders stiffening.
Again, Dean felt the strange sensation of time slowing down as a presence appeared at her back. She heard the beast growl. KILL THEM.
I still can’t get used to you talking, she thought back. And I see the recent bloodletting hasn’t calmed you down.
THEY ARE A THREAT TO OUR MATE.
She doesn’t want them dead. Besides, we just saved these people. Have you forgotten that they are our soldiers in the upcoming war?
WE DO NOT NEED THOSE STUPID ENOUGH TO CHASE AWAY A GOOD WOLF.
I agree that the Freewood wolves haven’t done much to impress me. But isn’t that also our role as alpha? To guide them. At the very least, we can try for Viktoriya.
The beast retreated and time sped up. Dean stopped in front of the crowd of changers. They sized each other up. She gave them a point when the able members imposed themselves between her and the injured members of the pack closest to them. Dean took a deep breath and raised her voice. “I’m tired. You’re all tired. Don’t start something we’re too tired to finish. We can kill each other tomorrow.”
She walked away before they could respond and retook her place beside Viktoriya. “What? Don’t give me that look. I talked to them.”
“I’m amazed by your eloquence.”
“Well, they’ve calmed down, haven’t they?” Across the room, the other changers had relaxed with the reassurance that the biggest threat in the room didn’t plan to murder them in their sleep. Some stretched out on the ground while others curled up against the less injured to share their bedding. “Now, I’m going to sleep.”
“Hmm, okay. There aren’t any spare beds though. Might be a little more comfortable if you change.”
“Oh, don’t worry. I’ve got a plan for that.”
Viktoriya yelped as she was pushed down. Dean moved between her legs, hugging her around the waist as she laid her head on Viktoriya’s stomach. “Stop squirming, pillow.”
“What the--you can’t just lay on someone!”
“This would be a whole lot more comfortable for both of us if you laid still.”
Viktoriya stopped resisting the hold, covering her eyes with a groan. “I can’t believe you.” She spread her fingers, meeting Dean’s stare with an eye. Dean grinned and pressed closer, unrepentant. “…At least move up. I feel ridiculous.”
“Sure.” She crawled up, laying her head on Viktoriya’s shoulder. “Better?”
“I guess.”
“Good. Then, goodnight.”
-
Dean’s eyes snapped open as something pressed against her cheek. She looked up to see Rachel crouched over her, holding her phone. “Say cheese.”
“Huh?”
“Got it. That is definitely my new wallpaper.”
“You’re better.” She made to sit up, but long arms stopped her. Dean turned her head, taking in her position. Sometime in their sleep, they had turned on their sides and Viktoriya had curled around her, trapping her in place. “Vikky. Wake up.”
“Shh. Don’t wake her. I want a close-up.”
“I need to go to the bathroom.”
“Just a little…” There was a snap of the picture being taken and Rachel sat back on her heels with a satisfied smirk. “Heh. Look, I got the little trail of drool. She’s going to lose it when she sees this.”
“How do you feel?”
“I feel great. Better than great. Like I could bounce off the walls. I hear I have you to thank for that.” Rachel slipped her phone into her pocket. “No fever, no pain. We should bottle you.”
“I’m toxic, remember?”
“…Sorry. Had to stop myself from busting out into song there. Let’s wake her up then.”
Dean grabbed Viktoriya’s arms, forcing them off and rolling away from the girl. Then she pushed to her feet and hurried off in search of somewhere to relieve herself.
“Mm.” Viktoriya’s eyes moved beneath her closed lids as her hands flexed in search of the warm body they’d recently been attached to. She slowly blinked them open, sitting up with a dazed expression while she looked around.
“If you’re looking for Dean, she went looking for a bathroom. Wonder what she’ll think when she figures out we haven’t paid the water bill on this place for months.”
