When Three Points Collide: Ra's Story, page 3
“Which makes questioning them more difficult.” Cass dumped the last two bodies in a heap with the others. “I think this was all of them.”
“Except the alpha.” Wes was leaning casually on a wall, a gun pointed at the pile of bodies. “I did tell you these guys are not his pack. If they were, he’d be here, and I doubt they’d be this pissed. They had to have gotten some heavy-duty booze to be affected this badly. Can you read anything off them, babe?”
“What have I said about calling me babe when we’re on a mission, sweetheart?”
Ra thought the endearment was rather cute given Cass was in his demon form, and babe wouldn’t have been the first word to come to Ra’s mind to describe him. More like, satanic devil from the depths of the underworld, or at least Ra thought that was what one of the inebriated wolf shifters called him, when they had surprised the men drinking in an alley.
There hadn’t even been a fight. Wes had approached them first, and simply said he wanted to ask the men a few questions about why they were hanging around that particular area. One of the wolf shifters waved a booze bottle covered in a brown paper bag in Wes’s direction and said he was pretty enough to fuck, and that enraged Cass, who lumbered into the alley in full demon form. The drunken wolf shifters basically fell over themselves trying to get away.
Cass picked one of the bodies up and looked him up and down. Frowning, he dropped him, and hooked another one into the air by his leg. Ra wondered what the demon could see, beyond dirty jeans and jackets that had seen better days. None of the men were overly clean, but their jean/jacket combo was almost like a uniform. After the third one was scanned and dropped by the demon, Cass said, “these bastards are rogue shifters.”
He picked up the fourth and glared at him. The man’s head was lolling at an impossible angle and Ra was sure he’d have one hell of a headache when he woke up. “Yep. Rogues. What the hell are they doing working together? I thought they usually worked alone.”
“More to the point, who set them onto the alpha?” Ra pondered as one of the dropped men stirred.
“Vamp juice.” The scruff waved his hand weakly at one of the bag-covered bottles that had been dropped in their rush to get away from Cass. “Hey, you. Pretty boy.” He was looking up at Ra. “Gimme the vamp juice.”
“I can assure you, I’m a lot older than I look.” Ra glided over and picked up the discarded bottle. Removing the bottle from the bag, he frowned as he considered the label. It looked like a typical brand one could buy from a liquor store. The top was off, and Ra sniffed it, and then, loathe to actually stick his fingers near where anyone had been drinking, he flicked his finger up causing the fluid in the bottle to rise into the air.
“I’m not smelling anything unusual about that booze.” Wes had come closer, his gun still in his hand, his nostrils flared. “So how the hell did these guys get so drunk? They’re shifters. It shouldn’t be possible unless they’ve drunk a barrel of the stuff.”
“And yet, there they are lying about like beached whales.” Ra swiped his finger through the levitated liquid and stuck it in his mouth. He wrinkled his nose. “Ugh. Cheap. Nothing but typically low-priced booze that tastes like cat piss. I’d say there’s some other reason these guys are in such a state.”
“And yet, them calling it vamp juice strikes me as more than coincidental.” Cass strode over and picked up the only guy capable of making a sound, although he was still reaching for the bottle Ra was holding with grabby hands. “Oi, pay attention to me, not them.” He gave the guy a shake hard enough to rattle teeth.
“You ain’t pretty.” The man peered at him as though he couldn’t make out Cass’s features.
“I’ll be your worse fucking nightmare if you don’t start answering my questions. What do you know about the vampires in this area?”
“They pay real good.” The shifter twisted his head around so he could see the bottle. “Gimme the juice.”
“I told you, pay attention to me.” Cass shook the man again. “What did the vamps pay you to do?”
“Will you give me the juice?”
Cass nodded, his upper lip curled.
“Okay, for the juice.” The rogue looked around, but his friends were still unconscious. “We have to keep the alpha away from the bloodsucker’s coven.”
“Why?”
The man raised a shaky finger to his lips. “Shush. Big secret. The stupid wolf was seen by the head of the coven. Fang boy think’s the alpha is his beloved.” The shifter chuckled madly. “They locked him up. The coven master’s locked in the basement until we get rid of the alpha. But no killing. Just get rid of him. Can’t kill the alpha or the coven master might die. They kept saying hurry, hurry.” The man cackled again. “Why should we hurry this sweet gig? We’ve never had it so good. Now gimme that booze.”
“I’ll give you a piece of advice instead. Never trust a demon.” Cass punched the guy in the jaw and dropped him in with the heap of his friends.
“So, that’s why Paulie wanted you two to get the alpha and the head of the coven together.” Ra clicked the bottle and it’s booze out of existence and started pacing. “Paulie can see connections. He must have known somehow the alpha and the coven leader were fated mates.”
“And in the meantime, someone at the coven doesn’t want the alpha wolf to know about his mate, so they’ve locked him up in the coven basement until they can get rid of the wolf.” Wes shook his head. “No wonder the guys we saw at the coven stone-walled us, and the leader of the coven wasn’t taking our calls. He can’t. That vampire we spoke to said his leader was tied up. Sounds like he meant that literally.”
“And as that asshole wasn’t lying when he said it, we didn’t pick up anything was wrong.” Cass cursed. “How the hell are we going to break into a coven…?”
All three men looked towards the other end of the alley as a loud shout was heard.
“I think that’s our alpha,” Wes said breaking into a run. “He’s in trouble.”
“It just never stops down here, does it,” Ra said as he followed the wolf and the demon into the darker side of the alley. At least, it was supposed to be darker – huge concrete walls on either side blocked out any light from the streetlamps. But Ra could make out the scene clearly – a gorgeous man with dark hair shot with gold highlights, fighting for his life against three brutes dressed in black. But why Ra could see the scene so clearly was because the man with the amazing hair was lit up, as though he carried his own personal streetlight… which could only mean one thing to Ra.
Oh, Fates, no. How could I be given a mate when he already has a beloved? Without thinking, Ra shoved out his power, freezing the fight scene as he slowed to walking pace. Is it possible the coven master is my mate too?
Chapter Four
Arvyn looked around in astonishment, unsure what had just happened. One minute he was in the fight for his life against three shifters who set on him from out of nowhere, the next, the men were frozen like statues, and three other men were coming from the other end of the alley. Well, two were running and a smaller one was hanging back, walking slowly. And ‘men’ was a relative term as well because one of the runners was in demon form, and the musk of wolf came from the second running man. If it wasn’t for the fact, he recognized the wolf as one of the men who’d questioned him a few days before, Arvyn would have sent thanks to the Fates for his good fortune and done a runner.
“Oops.” The one Arvyn remembered was named Wesley slid to a stop, clearly as shocked about the killer statues as Arvyn was. “My Lord,” he called over his shoulder. “Is there something you need to tell us?”
“Nothing relevant to your case. Just making this whole situation easier. Carry on.” The one known as ‘Lord’ stayed back, his face half hidden by the shadows.
Arvyn dismissed him and focused on Wesley. “Why didn’t you tell me my mate was at the coven?”
“Ah.” The demon, Cass, looked around and then reverted to his human form, which wasn’t much smaller than his demon size. “You overheard us talking just before?”
Flicking the hair back from his face, Arvyn raised his chin. “I heard sounds of fighting. I scented wolf. I came to see what I could do to help, but when I saw you weren’t hurting the wolves, I hung back. Those guys have been half-heartedly trailing me for days, and I couldn’t work out why. Now I know. I appreciate your help here, but I have to go. Apparently, I have a mate to save.”
“This mob are out of towners.” Wesley was rummaging through the pockets of the statues. Flipping open a wallet, he glanced through the contents. “Family name of Dearne. Three brothers by the looks of things. I’ll make some calls to Cloverleah and see what I can find out about these guys. I’m guessing the coven hired them to take you out too.”
“Yeah, well so much for the no kill rule. They were trying to kill me, despite what the drunk wolf said.” Arvyn wasn’t going to let on how close to death he came. His ribs hurt with every inhale and just standing upright was a mission. A quick shift would heal him but doing that even on the edge of town was asking for trouble, even if there was no one around. “I need to get into that coven basement and see if the other part of that drunken confession is true. So, thanks for your help, but… you know, possible mate to save.” Arvyn started backing away, but Cass shook his head.
“How are you going to get into the coven, bright spark? Just go up to the front door and knock? Pizza delivery perhaps? Do you even know where the coven is? Let go of your pride for a minute, alpha, and accept you need some help here. We do have contacts. With a bit of higher power intervention, there might be a way…”
“You mean someone like your mysterious ‘Lord’?” Arvyn pointed to the shadows that were now empty. “He’s left you in the shit, whoever he is. And I can’t ask you for help. I don’t know you. For all I know you want to kill me too, although I admit you haven’t done it so far.”
“Why do people always look at me and immediately think they’re going to die?” Cass rubbed his chin. “We were sent to help you. You came to the notice of someone far bigger and more powerful than you or me, blah blah… Oh, shit, look. Wes is the one who usually gives this spiel. I’m more useful for getting people to shit their pants and I can throw a mean punch. Can you wait five minutes until my mate gets off the phone? We do have friends. Powerful friends who could make all this a lot easier if you just give us five minutes.”
Considering Arvyn was having trouble staying upright it wasn’t an unreasonable request. “Wolf and a demon, true mate, huh? How did that happen?” He shuffled closer to the concrete wall, leaning his shoulder on it, hoping his casual pose covered his injuries.
“A totally romantic, but very long story.” Cass mimicked his pose. Wes was still on the phone and the three frozen men hadn’t even blinked. “Short answer is I saved Wesley from the Underworld and now we roam the country, or the world really, helping out shifters in trouble. Like you. Do you want to tell me now, how you ended up in this place and felt like you couldn’t leave?”
“What I told you the other day was true – I have no clue. I’m a drifter.” Arvyn shrugged. “Typical story. Too many alphas in my home pack. Situation got uncomfortable. I left. I get by, playing gigs where I can, picking up work all over. I breezed by here about a week or so ago, but for some reason, every time I felt like moving on, I got like a huge lump in my chest. Those drunk wolves have given me the first clue I’ve had in a week of why this is happening to me. Although how this vamp person knows I’m his beloved, when I haven’t picked up a hint of a mate scent since I got here, is a mystery.”
At least Cass wasn’t laughing at him. Arvyn wasn’t keen on feeling so confused, and even to his ears, his story sounded weird. Instead the demon seemed intrigued. “Have you been cut? Lose any of your blood lately? Vamps get a tug towards a specific person, but they are only sure a person is their beloved through blood. They have super keen noses for the red stuff, so you’d only have to have lost a drop.”
Arvyn had to think about that one. It seemed Wes was having a hushed argument with someone on the phone, but he couldn’t hear what was being said.
“There was something… a stupid accident, or so I thought. I stepped off the pavement, wasn’t really paying attention to where I was going. Some idiot in a flash car came speeding around the corner and clipped my leg. I fell towards the pavement, thank goodness, but managed to get up fairly quick. Once the driver saw me standing, he zoomed past and flicked me the fingers like it was my fault.”
“I know a lot of drivers like that,” Cass said with a grimace. “Damn nuisance of it is, Wes usually doesn’t like me giving chase and frightening the shit out of the driver.”
Arvyn chuckled, although he was still thinking about his accident. “There was a lady, a lady from a nearby shop. She saw what happened and gave me a seat and a glass of water. There was blood pouring down my leg, and she was fussing about it. I told the good Samaritan I would go to the free clinic, so she’d leave me alone. My leg was healing already, so I knew I had to get away before that was noticed. But now I think about it…”
“Yes?” Cass prompted.
“The car. I thought I caught a flash of red eyes coming from the back seat…” Arvyn thought back. “It was just a glimpse, barely anything at all, and then, when I was hobbling down the street, still pretending to be hurt, I thought I saw that same car coming back again. I didn’t want any trouble, so I disappeared into the nearest shop.” He shook his head. “Honestly, at the time, I just figured I’d lost more blood than I originally thought and went looking for somewhere to get something to eat. Fuck, that was a week or so ago now. Could he have been locked up all that time? The coven master, I mean?”
“I could be, and I was, but I’m out now.”
Arvyn turned as a new voice joined the conversation, his eyes widening, his jaw dropping. For some reason, in that moment, he had a flash run through his head of one of those cartoon characters whose eyes were bugging out of their head, and their tongue was hitting the ground – that’s what he felt like doing.
The vampire was an imposing figure despite the mess of his clothes and deep red welts around his wrists. The squared jaw, the high brow and aristocratic nose, combined with long shaggy blond hair, gave Arvyn the impression of how a Viking from the history books might look, although this Viking was wearing a rumpled button up shirt that probably used to be white, and a pair of suit pants. Broad shoulders and thick neck – there’s so much to nibble on.
And then the vampire’s scent hit Arvyn like a punch in the nose. His wolf, already alert from fighting, pushed forward, and Arvyn’s cock went from whoa to go in ten seconds flat. MATE! Arvyn’s feet were moving before his brain registered, and his weren’t the only ones. The vampire was super quick, their chests slamming into each other as they met halfway. Arvyn’s ribs protested and he lost the ability to breathe for a moment, but strong arms wrapped around Arvyn’s back, holding him firmly, not that he had any intention of going anywhere. He was too busy sniffing along the vampire’s neck, tilting his own slightly to give the coven master room to do the same.
With his head swimming from the heady scent, and most of his blood headed south in his body, Arvyn almost missed what the vampire was mumbling into his neck, but when the words registered, they hit harder than the vampire’s scent and Arvyn’s legs wobbled.
“I didn’t mean to say this now. Gods, please don’t think I don’t want you when I do with every cell of my body, every inch of my soul. But you have to know. You have to know because this impacts you too. I think we’re meant to be part of a menage.”
/~/~/~/~/
Kirill could feel the shock running through the wolf’s muscled body and his hold tightened around the man’s back as the wolf swayed in his arms. There was a part of him that wondered if he should’ve said anything at all, but the truth was, Kirill was still processing the information himself.
In all the time he’d spent locked up, if he wasn’t thinking up ways to decimate Yakov, he was dreaming about his beloved. Holding the man close, Kirill knew his brief glimpse and imagination hadn’t done the wolf justice. There was a powerful creature lurking under a tight and well-defined body – a body Kirill couldn’t wait to explore further, but…
Leaning back slightly, after making sure his wolf could stand on his own, Kirill cradled his beloved’s scruff, looking into eyes as dark as his own. “I’d freed myself from the chains. I was… I was trying to remember how to get out of the cell door… I designed the damn thing, and you’d think I’d remember but…”
“Hey.” The wolf’s voice was deep and melodious. “Take a breath. This has been a night for shocks for both of us. Just breathe deep and tell me how you got free? We were just working on a plan to save you. Now breathe.”
A breath. Yes. Kirill blew out softly, then inhaled and did it again. “There was a being in my cell with me. One minute I was alone, trying to remember which screw released the door hinge. I was terrified for you. Yakov had said… he’d hired mercenaries…”
“Which we’re going to have to get rid of pretty smartly,” the demon broke in with a snarl, “so get to the damn point. My mate’s got news too, and you need to hear it.”
Kirill had barely paid attention to the demon and wolf shifter who’d been talking to his beloved when he’d been transported to the mouth of the alley. He barely gave them a glance now, although his protective instincts knew the creature was right.
“There was a being – a power – it filled my cell room. I immediately felt calm, like everything was going to be all right. I couldn’t see anyone though; I just felt this presence. Beloved, I’m not mad. Incarceration made me frustrated and angry, not loopy. But this power was there, it was so strong I felt I could touch it, and then this voice – a voice that called to my very soul.”
“What did the voice say?” At least his beloved believed him. Kirill hadn’t been sure he would.
“He said, he told me that the wolf, you, were safe. That he understood I needed to be with you. That when it was time, he’d find us again…” Kirill broke off, not sure if he could continue.
