Ember's Curse (Prime Wolf) (8 page)

I would turn into a little white mouse if it meant being able to kiss your lips,
he said, doing just that.
I would rend the flesh from a million men if it meant keeping you safe.
He followed the kiss up with a slow lick of my earlobe.
And I will grow fangs if it means that I get to keep nibbling on you.
And yes, you guessed it, he began nibbling my neck. I giggled...did I just giggle? And then I playfully pushed him off me. "There's no time for this, Collin."

I sat up and straightened my clothes. I looked at everyone in the room and waved them over to sit with us around the coffee table. Harper took a seat directly across from me on the other couch. Nathan sat next to her. Milo pulled a barstool over and, instead of sitting on it, he rested his boot on the stool’s base. It was finally time to figure out a game plan.

"I guess I will start," Harper said. "I was able to remember a couple more things about the attack." She rubbed her neck. The nasty wound that was once there was now completely healed, but she touched it as if she could still feel it. "I decided to stop by the apartment before I went to see my blood guy. I had gotten him something for his birthday but forgotten to grab it." Her face went slack and she blankly went on. "I noticed something wrong right away. I rushed up the stairs to find out what was happening and was overwhelmed by the smell of freshly spilled blood." Harper looked at me. "I knew that I had just left you at the café, but I had to be sure you were okay. The blood and the bodies lying on the floor disoriented me."

I leaned over the coffee table and gave her hand a little squeeze. I wasn't used to seeing her frazzled. I didn't like it. Those bastards would pay for this.

"It's okay. What happened next?"

She nodded her head at me and continued. "I ran into our apartment. I could hear footsteps and someone rummaging through our things. The smell of wolf was everywhere. I was just about to go check your room-that’s where the noise was coming from-when I was jumped from behind."

"Did you see who it was…the person that attacked you?" Nathan gently asked her.

"No, I didn't see him, but I could smell him, both of them. A vampire stabbed me from behind. I was able to fight him off of me, but as soon as I began to gain the advantage over the blood sucker, the wolf joined in." Harper leaned back against the couch and threw up her hands.

"That's about it. I got some good hits in but I figured it was lights out for me."

"What did you find at the crime scene?" Collin asked Milo.

Milo pulled his phone out of his pocket and began to press buttons. He turned it towards us so we could have a good view of the bright screen.

"I took several pictures of the top floor," he said, scrolling through them. "From what I could gather, it was supposed to be a quick get in, get out. Their major objective? Snatch as many wolves as possible. Harper had been just an obstacle in the way of that goal."

He pulled a Ziploc bag out of the same pocket and tossed it on the table in front of us.

"This was on the floor in apartment 4."

"That's our apartment," I interrupted Milo. I picked up the plastic baggy and inspected its contents. Reddish brown liquid coated the inside of the bag. A black tuft of fur was also sealed inside of it. "Is it werewolf?" I asked, handing it over to Collin.

"We believe so. It's also the only hard evidence that we were able to retrieve from the crime scene."

After a brief look at the hair, Collin handed it over to Harper. "Does this belong to the wolf that attacked you?"

Harper grabbed the plastic bag and opened it. The smell of blood and wolf immediately filled the air. "Yup, that belongs to the fleabag that jumped me. I will never forget his stench." She handed it back to Milo. He zipped it closed and pocketed it.

"We have some werewolves missing," Milo said, showing us a picture of an empty apartment. There were small streaks of blood on the walls and floor. The furniture was knocked over. All signs of a bloody battle. "This picture was taken from apartment 2." He then brought up a picture of an average looking man with brown hair and eyes. I recognized him immediately as my neighbor. "This is Jesse Long. It’s his apartment in that picture. I made a couple calls to his family and no one has seen or heard from him since yesterday."

My thoughts strayed for a moment to Jesse. He usually kept to himself, never caused any problems. The last time I talked to him was almost a week ago. He had brought over some junk mail of mine that accidentally found its way into his mailbox. He told me about a new girl he was dating. It was sad to think about.

"So, we have a missing werewolf and a wrecked apartment. Did you uncover anything else?" I asked him.

"There were two missing werewolves actually. Donna Vance from apartment 3 is missing as well. Neither wolf went easily, from the state of their apartments.

Milo flipped through a few more pictures and stopped on a gruesome image. Long, black hair fanned out on the hardwood floor. It soaked up the surrounding blood that it laid in, like a mop. Blank eyes stared blindly out from a stark white face. A decapitated body lay a couple feet away from the severed head.

"This is the occupant from apartment 1, Brandon Parker." Milo scrolled through a couple more images of the victim’s body and his apartment before shutting off his phone to put it away. He then spoke to Collin. "After everything I've seen and going over the minimal evidence I was able to uncover, it's looking like the Gatherers are most likely to blame for this."

Milo sat down on the stool now finished with his report, and stuck his hand into his jacket. Little Mojo practically jumped into his arms. I'd never seen a big burly werewolf so overcome by a tiny puffball. It was really cute. The dog licked his master in the face excitedly before settling down comfortably in his lap.

"It's official then," Collin announced, "this case has just become the responsibility of the Adelphi."

Does that mean what I think it means?
I privately asked Collin.

It sure does, Kitten.

I smiled inwardly at the good news.
I'm not obligated to report this to Tommy
, I sent to him.

Nope...and as the leader of the Adelphi and head of this investigation, I formally request your help in finding the ones who attacked Harper and your pack.

I love it when you talk dirty to me,
I replied back to him.

Collin had just given me the license to seek revenge on my enemies, and Tommy or Sylvia couldn't do anything about it. Life was good.

Chapter 7

I helped pile the last of the three dead bodies against the wall in the corner of the garage. For some reason, I didn't feel bad for numbly tossing them aside like rubble. I guess it's tough not to harden your heart against anyone trying to harm you or the ones you love. Those men were nothing but the enemy to me. A case of kill or be killed. It was a simple choice really.

We had emptied their pockets before moving them, but only found a gum wrapper foil and a pack of cigarettes between them. They weren't carrying any identification, not even a set of car keys. The assassins were either dropped off or came in on foot. We also discovered that all three of them were human with traces of vamp blood in their system. Further proof, Milo said, that we were dealing with the Gatherers. They were known for keeping human minions. The blood in their system was a way for vampires to control them. Going by all the scars on the dead men's bodies, they were used a whole hell of a lot.

"That’s the last of them," I said, wiping the sweat from my forehead. “What’s next?"

Collin covered the corpses with a tarp and sat down. He sat on the bench next to the potting soil and fertilizer that was stacked neatly on utility shelves. "We wait."

"We wait…for what?" I asked.

"We wait to see if they turn. If they have enough vamp tainted blood in their system, there's a good chance that they will."

I walked over to the metal shelves and started rifling through the odds and ends. After only a few seconds, I found what I was looking for. Two long wooden stakes used for gardening. They were kind of on the flimsy side for stabbing with, but with enough strength and accuracy behind the swing, it would do the trick. I tossed one of the stakes to Collin.

"Here…just in case you’re right."

Collin caught the impromptu weapon and tested his grip on it. He looked at me with a silly grin and nodded his head.

"Looks like my woman has been watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer," he said with approval.

I sprinted across the room and ran up the side of the wall. Before I reached the ceiling, I tossed myself back into a flip. I landed in a kneel with one hand on the ground and the other, stake clad hand, behind my back. I gave Collin a wicked smile and arched my brow.

"Buffy rides the bench when it's my turn up at bat," I said. It felt good to play around a little but my fun was soon interrupted by the garage door lifting open. I pushed myself up and went over next to Collin who had also stood at the sound of the squeaky noise.

"Are you expecting someone?" I asked him.

Yes. The head of clean up and disposal, Tegan Knox. She'll manage the crime scene at your apartment building.

A green van pulled into the now cramped garage. Tegan turned off the engine and hopped out of the vehicle. "Hi boss."

"Hi Sport. How was class tonight?"

"You know how I do. Kicked the shit out of all the boys, just waiting for the instructors to get a clue and switch me to a higher level," she said as a cocky grin spread across her heavily made up face. The diamond studs pierced into her deep dimples gleamed when they caught the light, making her smile sparkle even more.

"There's more to learn in that class than just ass kicking, Tegan. How are your test scores?"

Tegan stuffed her hands into the pockets of her pink and black skull hoodie. She sheepishly looked down at her black commando boots.

"Ummm...getting better?" she said. The cockiness instantly evaporated and she looked like a teenager about to be grounded by her father. Wait a minute.

Who exactly is this young girl to you?
I asked nervously.

He must have read my mind because he chuckled before he replied.
She is my niece,
he sent back.
And don't let the innocent act fool ya. She is very bright and knows exactly what she's doing. You don't get a position with the Adelphi, at such a young age without being smart and a little bit devious.

I took a better look at Collin’s niece. She looked like she was twenty years old at the most. Her hair was dark blue and spiked up with tons of hair product. Her eyes were still down cast but I watched as she every so often peeked up at Collin to see if her little act was working on him. Those steel blue eyes held a wealth of intelligence. Well I'll be damned, he was right. She was a little bit of a manipulator. I liked her immediately.

"We have an apartment building full of blood and a dead body to take care of," he said, walking over to Tegan and giving her a hello hug. "We will discuss your grades later with your parents."

She hugged her uncle back and looked over his shoulder at me. "Who’s the babe?" she asked as she stepped away from him.

Collin walked back over to me and took my hand. "This is my girlfriend, Ember. Be nice to her."

"Hi Ember," she said with a little wave. "Don't listen to the old guy. I'm always nice."

"I'm sure you are," I chuckled. "Nice to meet you."

The family meet and greet was wonderful but unfortunately it was cut short all too soon. Tegan’s welcoming smile turned into a scary grimace. She tore the stake out of Collin’s hand and in one graceful leap, jumped over the hood of the van. She disappeared behind it in the direction of the dead bodies. They weren't piled up nice and neat like before. They were up and moving, and they were completely consumed by thirst.

A vampire’s first thought upon awakening is always one of blood and sex, both at the same time was usual. The older the vamp, the easier it was for them to control the overwhelming urges of their kind. The victims never lived through it if they were human and the vamp was newly turned. They were also stronger as newborns. This wasn't going to be pleasant.

I grabbed my own stake and threw it at Collin. He looked at me confused but took it. "I work better with my claws anyways," I said, running toward the action. "Just try to keep up."

Those kinds of comments could emasculate a man.

It's a good thing my man knows how badass he is then.

By the time I reached the brawl, Tegan had already gained the attention of the newly turned vampires. Well, all of them except for one. A lone shivering newborn was curled up tight into himself, rocking back and forth in the corner away from the others.

The goth princess moved around the flailing kicks and lightening quick jabs of the other two, like a ballerina executing the dance of her career. She was lethal and darkly exquisite.

I watched patiently on for an opening so I could try to insert myself seamlessly into the battle, but my help wasn't needed. No one’s was. She could handle this fight perfectly fine on her own.