Glenn, Stormy - Love Sexy [True Blood Mate 3] (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove) (23 page)

“Nice.”

Love stepped forward and grabbed the side of the fridge. Along with Darren, they slowly pulled the heavy fridge out of the way, revealing a hidden doorway. Love was panting by the time they stopped.

“There’s not keys for this thing, is there?”

“God, I hope not.”

Love chuckled. “Where does this lead?”

Darren tilted his head slightly. “You know, I don’t have a clue. Ash just told me to use it if we got into trouble while in the bunker. I never asked where it came out.”

Love pushed his hand through his hair, stopping when he started to push his ears off his head. He quickly righted them and then glanced around the room. He was hesitant to use the escape route if they didn’t know where it came out, but he also didn’t want to have everyone in the bunker in danger if someone broke through the door.

“Ideas?”

Darren pressed his lips together and shook his head. “We can’t leave these people in here unprotected. If someone breaks through that door, everyone’s life is in danger. Ash and Logan left us here to care for them.”

“Don’t fool yourself.” Love snickered. “They left us here to keep us out of trouble.”

“True.” Darren chuckled. “But that doesn’t mean we don’t have a responsibility to care for the clan.”

“No, I get that.” Love rested his hands on his hips and glanced around the room as he tried to figure out what the best thing to do was. If they left the bunker, they could run into trouble. If they stayed, they could run into trouble. Either way, they could be screwed.

“You’ve been here longer than me,” Love finally said to Darren. “What do you think we should do?”

“Fight.”

Love blinked. That was the last response he expected from a human in the middle of a shifter fight. “You want us to fight? We don’t have any weapons.”

A chill spiraled down Love’s spine when Darren grinned and waved his hand around the room. “We have an entire kitchen full of weapons.”

Love glanced around the industrial kitchen and slowly began to see what Darren saw. While it was a kitchen, it was full of sharp knives, pots and pans, utensils, and other items that could be used to protect one’s self.

“Okay, I see what you’re getting at.”

Darren laughed. “Remind me to tell you what I did with a set shish kabob sticks when this is all over. I actually made a wolf shifter pee his pants, and I barely touched him.”

Love arched an eyebrow. “That had to be interesting.”

“You have no idea. I think that shifters tend to forget that we have a brain because we’re human. They look at us and just see someone that is physically weaker than them. They forget we can be just as devious.”

Love crossed his arms over his chest. “I like the way you think, doc.”

Darren chuckled. “Yeah, well, it tends to get me into trouble on occasion, but Ash seems to like it. Well, after he gets over his initial shock, that is.”

“Right.” Love moved toward the knife rack. “So, how do you want to do this?”

“We need to get everyone unable to wield a weapon into a safe zone and then set up a series of obstacles and armed people between them and whatever is outside the door.”

“What if we put the children and elderly in the escape tunnel and close it up, put the fridge back into place?” Love asked. “We could arm everyone else. In the worst case scenario, if the bad guys get through, hopefully they won’t find those we need to protect.”

Darren clapped his hands together. “That’s a fabulous idea. Let’s go get everyone and bring them in here. We can have Matt stay and watch the door, let us know if the coyotes are starting to break through.”

Love nodded. Together, they ran back through the dorm and into the other room. Love stopped at the entrance to the room and wondered if people would listen to him and Darren. It wasn’t like they were full-blooded wolf shifters, after all.

“Listen up, everyone,” Love called out. “Darren and I have come up with a plan. We need you all to move into the main dorm room.”

Love grimaced when people just sat there, looking from him to each other. He clapped his hands together. “Move, people!”

No one moved. Love rolled his eyes.

“Move!”
he shouted mentally.

Several people grabbed their heads and groaned. Babies and small children cried out. A few others looked at Love in fear. He suspected no one had experienced someone like him before.

“I am the beta-mate, and I have told you to move,” Love said, trying to look as fierce as he could. “Do as you were told or I will inform the alpha and beta. We’re trying to save your lives here, folks.”

One by one, people began to stand and shuffle past Love into the dorm room. Many looked at Love as if he had two heads. Still others scooted by him, making sure they didn’t touch.

When the last person moved into the dorm, Love glanced over at Darren. “Well, that went well.”

“While they may recognize you and know you are the beta-mate,” Matt said, “Logan hasn’t formally presented you to the alpha and the clan. Until that happens, they will be hesitant to follow your orders.”

“That’s stupid. They know who I am.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Darren said. “Until Logan presents you before Ash and the clan, they won’t accept your mating. Believe me, I know. I went through the same thing myself.”

“Yeah, this looks like another one of those laws Asher needs to change because this is ridiculous. It’s not always possible to be presented before the clan right away. That doesn’t mean I’m not mated.” Love rubbed the back of his neck. “I have the damn teeth marks to prove it.”

“Yeah, they do like that biting thing, don’t they?” Darren laughed.

Love wiggled his eyebrows. “I might, too.”

Matt inhaled sharply. “Love, we don’t mark the alpha or beta.”

“Why not?”

“It’s just not done. The alpha and beta are the ones that do the marking.”

Love sorted. “Yeah, Logan and I already discussed the whole ownership thing. It doesn’t work for me. If he gets to bite me, I get to bite him.”

Darren laughed.

Matt gasped.

Love rolled his eyes.

“Come on, let’s go arm these people before they rebel.” Love waved his hand at the door. “Matt, stay here and watch the door. The moment you think they might be getting through, come let us know. We need as much time as we can to hide everyone.”

Matt nodded and walked over to stand by the doorway to the dorm, leaning back against the wall. Love pointed at him as he and Darren walked through the doorway.

“Do not engage the enemy. I just want you to watch the door, not fight whoever comes through it. Darren and I are going to need you in the other room to help us protect the clan.”

Matt nodded. Without another word, Love walked through the doorway and into the large dorm room. He found those of the clan that were in the room standing around looking confused.

“I know you’re all afraid,” Love said when they looked at him. “But we have a plan. Darren and I need those of you that cannot fight to move into the kitchen. We’re going to hide all of you in a secret passage.”

“And the rest of us, beta-mate?” one woman asked.

“Go into the kitchen and find something to fight with,” Darren said as he stepped up beside Love. “A frying pan, a knife, hell, use a cookie sheet if you have to, whatever you can find to defend yourself.”

The next few moments were filled with chaos as people ran around and prepared for the fight. Love and Darren helped get people into the secret passage then closed the door and pushed the fridge back in front of it. After that, they made sure everyone had a good weapon to use.

“Anyone that feels the need to shift, you can do so. Otherwise, use whatever weapons you can get your hands on.” Love waved his hands around the large room. “And spread out. We need to protect those in the passageway until others can get here.”

Love turned when he heard Darren suddenly inhale. “What?”

Darren stepped closer and leaned forward, whispering. “Did you let Logan know we’re hiding most everyone in the secret passage? If something happens, they’ll need to know where to look for people.”

“No, I told Logan about someone banging on the bunker door but nothing else. I thought you contacted Asher.”

Darren face paled as he shook his head.

Love rolled his eyes. “Well, hell!”

Chapter 16

Logan grunted as he took another coyote to the ground, landing on top of him. He dug his claws into the shifter’s side as deep as he could go then pulled them out, ripping away a good chunk of the man’s side. The man gasped then his eyes drifted closed.

Logan jumped to his feet and started toward the next coyote shifter. He’d lost track of how many he’d fought or killed. He just knew there were more coyotes racing toward him.

“Logan.”

Logan paused for just a moment when he heard Love’s voice in his head then jumped on the next coyote.
“Busy, baby,”
he growled mentally as he gutted the man.

“We’re in trouble here.”

“What?”

Logan cried out when his momentary pause allowed the shifter underneath him to get in a good shot. He felt blood start to trickle down from the new open wound in his shoulder. Pain racked his body.

Logan pushed the pain and fear aside and tore his claws down the front of the man’s chest. He knew it was a fatal wound even as he jumped to his feet and looked around, trying to find Asher.

“Someone is still trying to break through the door to the bunker,”
Love said through their bond.
“Darren and I put all the young and old into the secret passage in the kitchen and we’ve armed ourselves, but I’d feel a lot better if you got your ass down here.”

“I’m on my way, baby.”

Logan started running toward the bunker, striking out at any coyote he passed. He knew he took a few down but he missed even more. Whoever was attacking the compound had brought an entire army with them. Logan knew if they didn’t get the upper hand pretty soon, they would lose the battle.

“Ash,” Logan yelled out when he saw the alpha off to one side fighting another shifter, “Darren and Love need us. They’re being attacked.”

Logan kept running toward the bunker, not in the least bit surprised when Asher took down the coyote he was fighting almost instantly. Asher caught up with him within seconds.

“You and I need to have a little discussion with our mates about appropriate behavior when this is all over,” Asher said as ran up beside Logan. “I have serious issue with Dary and Love putting their lives in danger.”

“Yeah, you do that.” Logan laughed as he ran. “I’ll get the popcorn and watch the show. It’s sure to be a doozy.”

“I’m the alpha.”

“And?”

Asher sputtered for a moment then burst out laughing. “Yeah, I don’t seem to have much luck being the top wolf around my mate either. That doesn’t mean I’m not going to tan Darren’s hide for putting himself in danger.”

Logan thought that was a grand idea.

They ran into the main compound building and made their way down the stairs to the basement. The closer they got, the slower they went. As they neared the bottom floor that led to the bunker, they could hear a loud pounding noise.