Kellen's Tempting Mate (22 page)

“We need you to open your garage so I can borrow a couple four-wheelers.”
Kellen barely kept from laughing as Rowan cursed up a blue streak.

“
Kellen, that was so mean. You know he has issues,” Lyric said.

“Yeah, control issues. It’s too easy to fuck with him. Tell him we are scratching at his door, and if he don’t let us in we are gonna knock the fucker in.”

The sound of several deadbolts disengaging kept him from messing with the ex-Navy SEAL.

“
Thank you, Lyric.”

“Hey, I let you in,” Rowan growled.

“Yeah, but we like Lyric better.”

Kellen and the others hopped on the two all-terrain vehicles Rowan had in the garage, and hurried back to where they’d left Damien. Rowan really did like his toys to have all kinds of bells and whistles. With the log chain and wench attached Kellen hoped they could get the net off without damaging the wolf anymore.

Coming over the rise of the hill, he was glad to see no surprises waited for them, but the wolf looked even worse than before they’d left.

“Damien, will he be able to shift once we get the net off of him?”

Even though the other man wasn’t anywhere to be seen, Kellen recognized the signature of his scent was still strong. Meaning he was there.

“How did you know?” Damien materialized.

Kellen looked over his shoulder, seeing the hybrid. “I’m a fast learner. Now answer the question. We are losing daylight.”

“Depends. If he can it will be human, not air.”

“Let’s do this boys. Lucas, this is gonna hurt, cause we gotta drag it off you. I didn’t have time or resources to bring in a crane to pull it from the top.”

The wolf raised his head as much as he could.

“Lucas is aware and wants it done.” Damien said between his teeth.

Looking between the two brothers, Kellen wondered if they shared the pain, but shrugged it off.

He hooked the wench up to the net, the silver stinging his palms. Jumping back onto the four-wheeler, Kellen grit his teeth and began driving forward. The net came off easily as they hadn’t anchored it down, knowing the silver alone would hold them in place. Once he had it completely off, Damien dropped to his knees next to his brother, sweat dripping off his forehead.

“Can you shift?” Damien asked.

A painful whimper came from Lucas.

“Load him onto the back of here. Wyck will drive the other one while Coti runs next to us. Are you okay to disappear and fly back or do you want to ride with Wyck?”

Kellen didn’t think the man was going to answer, but then he stood. “I’ll ride with Wyck. Thank you.”

“Let’s roll out boys. Coti, don’t stray too far from us. Stay on the same trail we came in on.” Coti nodded then became his wolf again.

Kellen ripped the silver off the wench, tossing it aside. He and Wyck looked at Lucas, then lifted him together, laying him on the back of Kellen’s borrowed four-wheeler. The big animal didn’t make a sound, which worried him.

Wyck climbed back on his, with Damien on the back. They made tracks back to the club, but his worry for the injured wolf had him sending a call out to Jennaveve.

“
Jennaveve. I hate to bother you again, but I have an injured um, wolf that could use some attention. I don’t think he’s going to last much longer.”
He sent her the image of the silver net lying over the wolf.

“
I will be there shortly. Give me a bit. I see you are on the move. Where shall I come?”

He wondered at the weak tone, but brushed it off as a matter of distance. “
The club. Thank you Jennaveve.”

“You are most welcome, Alpha.”

He was never so happy as he was when the large gates at the back of the club came into view. He loved the stylized image of the four claws. The Parker brothers stood by the gates, waiting to open them. Their eyes widened at the sight of the two men on the back, but they nodded then shut the gates.

Damn! How they hell did they go from one battle to the next?

He drove to the clinic doors. His mate’s scent hit him hard. She clearly knew he was coming and with an injured person. His beast rose up, wanting to dump the man off. Kellen pushed back, knowing Laikyn loved him and only him.

“Come on. Let’s get him inside.” Kellen helped lift Lucas while Damien struggled to stand. “Did the silver affect you as well?”

Damien shook his head. “I’ll be fine. I need to feed as does Lucas. And before you protest, no, I’m not asking. We will be fine until we can get donors.”

Kellen walked into the clinic, turning sideways to enter with the large wolf. “What the hell does that mean?”

“Being hybrids we don’t need blood to survive, unless we are injured. Lucas will need some because he’s in bad shape. I took some of his pain or he would have died.” Damien shrugged.

Laikyn gasped. “Oh my gawd. Put him down here. Breezy, get me as much blood as we have.”

“What the hell.” Damien looked around the room.

“This is a clinic of sorts for our kind. I’m still going to be practicing at the hospital, but we have everything that I’d need in emergencies here.”

He watched his mate hook the wolf up with an IV, bag blood flowing into the animal while she cleaned his surface wounds. Then she turned to the other hybrid, pointing to a chair. He smiled as she ordered Damien to sit and then proceeded to give him his own pint of blood.

“Now, how long does it normally take before he can shift?”

Color began returning to Damien. The wolf on the table hadn’t moved since they’d brought him in. All his wounds had been cleaned, and Laikyn had given him more blood.

The smell of honey and mint proceeded Jennaveve. “Oh, my word. What happened?”

Kellen watched Damien sit up straight, his dark eyes turned red. The wolf on the bed stirred, his eyes suddenly opened.

Jennaveve patted his head. “Don’t you worry big guy. Jennaveve will get you right as rain.” She placed her hand on his body, a silver and gold glow encompassed her and the wolf, streaks of color shot out, knocking Kellen and the others on their asses, and bringing Damien to his feet.

Kellen growled, tried to shift and reach Laikyn.

He saw her head shake, then begin to crawl to him on all fours.

“What the hell is going on?” He asked.

“I don’t know. That is not what happened when she healed Jared,” Laikyn whispered.

Kellen pulled Laikyn onto his lap, the light from the trio getting brighter, then like a bulb bursting, it was gone.

“Who are you?” Jennaveve said, then collapsed into Damien’s arms.

A very human and naked Lucas lay on the table. “Ours,” he said with wonder.

Getting to his feet, Kellen put Laikyn behind him. “What did you do to her?”

The tiny Fey held close to his chest, Damien looked stunned. “We didn’t do anything. She did it. I’ve never,” he stopped and swallowed. “What is she?”

He walked over to Jennaveve, ignoring the growling pair. “She is Fey and part of my pack.”

L
aikyn knew she had to diffuse the situation and fast. Jennaveve was to the Cordells what she was to Kellen. Her stubborn mate had to see that.

“Listen, guys. I think you should let me check on her.”

Damien held her closer. “We will see to her well-being.”

A deep rumble shook the building. “They have come.” Lucas said.

Fear hit her. Hard. “What can we do?”

Lucas closed his eyes. “My father is coming. Be prepared. He is kind of an arrogant...”

“I wouldn’t finish that if I was you. Is this your mate?” The extremely tall man sized Laikyn up and down.

Holy shit! Her knees threatened to buckle. “Um, no sir. I’m not.”

“Did I say you could talk to me, woman?”

Laikyn’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t believe I asked you if I could, thank you very much.”

“Father, this is our mate. Her name is Jennaveve. She healed Lucas from silver poisoning and now, we don’t know what is wrong with her.” Damien stepped in front of Laikyn.

Kellen growled and pulled her away from the vampire.

“Is she human?” His disdain was clear.

Another rumble shook the foundation.

“What the hell is going on?”

Silence filled the room while she assumed the twins gave their father the run down. Kellen began easing her toward the door to the inner hall.

“So, you brought this wolf to the attention of a vampire. A vampire who has now tried to kill you. And you are just telling me.” Eyes as dark as night turned red.

Laikyn was glad she wasn’t Damien or Lucas in that moment.

“
Mon Chaton, I need you to go to the club and stay with Rowan. I’m going to make sure this fight doesn’t come inside this time
.” His voice brooked no argument.

“Come with me. Let them handle one of their own,”
she pleaded.

Kellen’s growl was her answer. Even in her head she could tell she’d disappointed him. She sent him a feeling of love, which he returned.

“I know you’re scared. I promise I’ll live long enough to give you a proper punishment.”

They reached the doorway, the trio of arguing males were focused on each other. Laikyn leaned up and kissed her mate.
“Stay safe.”
Then she left before she made a fool of herself.

****

“V
ery smart to send the woman away. I will take the Fey to my mate and return.”

The man Kellen had yet to be introduced to disappeared, taking Jennaveve with him.

“Is he always like that?” Kellen looked at Damien and a now healed Lucas.

Damien nodded. “Actually, he was quite cordial.”

Kellen placed his hands on his hips. “Well, let me explain how this is gonna go down.”

“No, let me tell you how this is going to go down.” The deep voice had Kellen spinning, his claws out.

He heard two identical male voices yelling at him, but his instincts kicked in, unleashing his inner war beast. Shifting to the Direwolf, something only a few of his kind could, his iron claws ripped from his knuckles as he pushed the vampire king onto the table his son had been lying on.

“Don’t ever sneak up on me, motherfucker. You won’t come out the winner.” Kellen allowed the man to see his own death flash before his eyes. It was good to be alpha.

“Holy fuck. What are you?” Lucas asked.

“He’s a true alpha.” The man beneath him blinked. “Allow me to get up.”

It was a show of submission, but enough for Kellen to back off. “Now, are you going to introduce yourself?” Kellen pushed off, getting to his feet, keeping to the form he’d shifted into.

“My name is Damikan Cordell. Vampire King if you will.” He nodded his head.

“Alright. I understand you know more about what we are facing, but these are my people. I don’t want them at any more risk than they are. If we can face these pieces of shit outside, then that is what we do. Feel me?”

Damikan shook his head. “I don’t want to feel you.”

Lucas sighed. “Father, he means...”

The vampire king raised his hand. “They are coming. Let’s go. I have help waiting to arrive when the sun is set. They will keep your people safe and fight this battle with us. You may stay inside as well.”

Kellen flicked his claws open. The metal clang had the three vampires’ eyes widening.

“Well, alright then. If you take the head off, they cannot rise. Rip out their heart, and same thing. Most other wounds will only piss them off,” Damien said as they opened the door.

The sun was setting, it’s pink and orange glow beautiful in the sky. “Why was the ground shaking if they weren’t already here?” Kellen asked. “And how are you here?” Kellen looked at Damikan.

“I am King,” Damikan noted.

Between one second and the next the lot was empty, and then several men dropped to the ground. The members of his pack having been instructed to clear it out of their vehicles, leaving the area open for the fight.

“I’m assuming these are your men since you’re not attacking?”

“What the hell is that?” A red-haired giant of a man asked.

“That would be a direwolf alpha you want to be nice to.” Damikan looked toward the woods. “The difference between good and evil is easy most times, wolf. You’ll smell the difference.” He pointed to his nose.

Kellen remembered the acrid stench from earlier. “Well fuck me.”

“No thank you.”

Blades were drawn from several of the men’s backs, and then they were taking fighting stances.

“
These are my father’s elite guards,” Lucas explained.

“Why did he bring them?”

“My mother would allow none other. Believe me, you want only the best, and these are the best. Besides my brother and me, that is.”

Beings poured out of the woods, cutting off their communication. They were outnumbered six to one, but Kellen noticed the men with the Cordells didn’t back away. His beast rose up to meet the battle as he noticed one trying to slip past the battling vampires. Instant recognition hit him. This was the man who’d taken his mate from her dream state.

Kellen stalked the vampire, effortlessly taking the head off one of the lesser vampires who tried to get in his way. Blood coated him, fueling the beast inside. He ducked a headless body being tossed aside, the smell of rotting flesh no longer affecting him. His only goal lay feet from him, trying to gain entrance into the back of his club. He saw the being’s hand turn red from whatever protection had been applied to all the entrances thanks to the vampires.

“Hello, little man,” Kellen growled from behind Nigel Watson. And he was a small man. Hell, his mate was taller than the male in front of him. Little man syndrome clearly rode this one.

“I’ll show you little man,” Nigel lashed out with his arm, trying to punch through Kellen’s chest.

Laughing Kellen stepped to the side.

Nigel’s eyes narrowed, then he clicked his fingers. Snakes slithered up from the ground. The concrete splitting beneath their feet, allowing the serpents to crawl toward their leader.

“What’re you gonna do now? Hiss and spit like a reptile?” Kellen wasn’t sure how to kill something covered in snakes, but he wasn’t allowing this man anywhere near his people.