Shifters of Shadow Falls Collection (Books 1-3) (16 page)

Part III

Broken Heart

Chapter 1: Devin

              This is exactly why I left that shit pack.  “What are you on?”  The stupid fucker just grins at my question and lets out an uneven laugh, the blood on his teeth and blood-shot eyes makes him look even more deranged.  I grimace as his foul breath lingers in front of my face.  He’s bound to the chair in the middle of the shed with silver rope.  His left arm is hanging out of the socket.  That’s going to take a while to heal up right, but the rest of him is covered in only faint, light blue bruises and blood from wounds that have already healed.  I hear Dom crack his knuckles preparing for another round.  The one shit part about being shifters is that this could go on for fucking ever since we heal so damn fast.  I don’t have time for this shit.  I need to get back to my mate. 

              “Fine, I don’t really give a fuck anyway.”  I suck my teeth and step back as Dom steps in front of the mangy shifter and takes his anger out on the his already fucked up face.  I let him destroy the poor fucker.  It’s not doing a damn thing, but Dom can’t get past the, “the blonde looks like she’d be more fun” comment.  We’ve got the blood and IVs in the back of the shed and that’s what we really need to get answers. 

              “Did you know Dom’s an expert in torture?”  I ask casually as Dom lands a fist square on the shifter’s jaw.  Blood and spit fly out of his mouth onto the ground as his jaw cracks and hangs deformed off of his face.  “Didn’t want to be, but you could say it came with the territory he grew up in.”  Pain flashes in Dom’s eyes and I immediately regret my comment.  That was a poor judgement call, but I continue and apologize internally.  He slightly nods his head in acknowledgement before continuing to land punch after punch on his victim’s face.  The force behind the blows has the chair that’s bolted to the floor jumping. 

              I head to the back of the shed and wheel out the IVs and O-negative blood.  I have to go to the other side to get the key ingredient. 

I hold the bag in front of the stupid bastard’s face.  “Liquid silver.”  I toss the bag between my hands as my words register on his face.  A hint of worry passes through his eyes.  Yeah, this is gonna burn like a bitch.  It’ll scorch every inch of this bastard’s flesh from the inside out.  Constantly.  No relief will be given as his heart continues to pump the tainted blood throughout his system.  “We’ll start off with a low dose, just to give you some pain.  You’ll be able to answer our questions easily.  But if you don’t talk, we’ll up it until all you can do is scream.  We’ll let you go for a few hours.  Maybe a day.  Then give you some of this.”  I grab the IV stand.  “Fresh blood.  Then we’ll ask you again.  If you don’t answer, well… rinse and repeat.” 

I kick the IV stand back and grab a syringe.  I stab the bag in front of him and let him watch the silver flood into the syringe before expertly injected it into his blood stream.  The fucker immediately screams in pain and thrashes in his restraints.  I can practically see the silver flowing in his blood as each part of his body trembles in agony. 

“Are you gonna talk or should I give you some more and let you think about it?” 

He snarls at me and grits through his clenched teeth, “Fuck you, Asshole!”

              “Have it your way.”  I stab the bag again as he writhes in the silver rope in a shit effort to get away from me.  I merely laugh at his pathetic attempt.  I’m definitely going to kill this fucker.  The sooner I get information out of him, the better. 

              “Wait, wait, wait!” he yells as I stick him with the syringe.  I leave it there, dangling out of his arm as he seethes staring at the injection site like it’s on fire. 

              “Are you ready to talk?”  I keep my face expressionless and voice even.

              “I’ll tell you everything if you let me go.”  I smirk at him and grunt a humorless laugh as I push the needle down.  His screams hardly register as I think about how he may have taken my sweet mate away from me.

              I speak slowly as the silver leaves the syringe, disappearing into his arm.  “You’ll die after you give me answers.  Whether that’s now, in hours, in days.  That choice is up to you.  I can promise you that I will make sure you are in pain every second that you continue to breath.”  I stare at him until his dark, terror-filled eyes stare back.  “Unless you’re ready to talk.”

              “I’ll tell you everything,” his scream fills the shed as he writhes in crushing agony. 

              “Talk.”  I look down at him with my arms crossed.

              “Make it stop!   Make it stop!”  His eyes plead with me, but I don’t give a fuck.  I know what they were planning to do to Liz and Ariana.  He has no sympathy from me. 

              “Talk.”  I repeat my hard command devoid of emotion.

              “It’s the vampires.  They want the blood bank.”  His hurried words rush past his cracked lips.  “Stop it!  Stop it, please!”  I keep my expression calm, but his words make my blood pump faster and fists clench harder.  I grab the IV and let fresh blood flow through him. 

              “Vampires?”  Dom’s question fills my head, although the fucked shifter in the room can’t hear.  He’s not a pack member.  He won’t be able to hear our silent conversation.

              “I have no fucking idea what he’s talking about.  They never dealt with vampires when I was a part of the pack.”  I slowly drain the tainted blood into a bucket.

              “Remind me to keep some blood to test.  I want to know what the hell they’re on.”

              “Yes, Alpha.”

              The shifter slowly stops shaking as the silver leaves his system.  “Talk.”  Tears fill his eyes at my simple command.  “They’re going to kill me.”  He swallows looking between Dom and myself.  “They’ll kill me if I talk.”

              “You don’t have to worry about that.”  I crouch down in front of him to level our eyes.  “I’m going to kill you first.  I can make it painless and fast.  It’s up to you.”  His eyes fall and sobs wrack through his body.  “I don’t have time to listen to you cry.”  I grab the bag of silver and pierce it with the syringe.

              “No!  No!”  He tries to back away from me while screaming.  “I’ll talk!  I’ll talk.”

              “Then talk!”  I let my irritation show.  I want him to think I’m ready to pump him with silver and leave him in unrelenting, burning pain.

              “They want to taint the blood.  They’re testing different drugs.”

              “Taint it with what?”

              “I don’t know.  I swear!”  His fear is evident as he pisses himself.  I nearly gag on the smell.

              “Why?”

              “So they can be the only ones.  The drug ends their immortality.  They’ll be the only ones.” 

              “Who is ‘they?’”  I growl out the words.

              “I don’t know. We never saw her.  She leaves the drugs.  All we have to do is get the territory and make the deal with the coven.  That’s it man.  That’s the deal.  I swear!”  Rage bristles through me.  It must be vampires in the authority.  That explains why they made drinking from the vein illegal.  It ensures the others use the blood banks.  This is fucked.  My thoughts fly to Veronica and what she knows about all this.  She did come on behalf of her coven to make a deal with the pack.  I shake my head at the thought of her betrayal.  There’s no way she could’ve known.  I wonder how eager her rulers are to build the bank.  And whether they still drink from the vein.

I’m vaguely aware that the fucker in front of me is now silent apart from his pathetic sobs.

              “Nothing else?  Is that all you have to say?”  He shakes his low-hung head as his body shakes with the fear of his imminent death.  I turn to Dom.  “You want the honors.”  He nods his head once as he picks up a crow bar that’s hanging on the wall.  I walk out, leaving the screeching sound of the shifter’s panic to ring in my ears as I close the door behind me. 

Chapter 2: Ari

I wait impatiently in the bedroom for Devin.  We need to talk.  I’m still coping with everything that’s happened and I’m sure as fuck not ready to be a mother. 
Pups?
  Do I give birth to a wolf?  I’m on the edge of a nervous breakdown as I pace the length of Devin’s massive bed.  My only identity is his mate.  That’s who I am.  He’s taken control of everything and left me with only his plans for our future.  I feel backed into a corner.  I know deep down that I can trust him and I’m very aware that I love him with every part of my being.  But the idea of submitting and not knowing what his plans are, well it puts me on edge.  I don’t want to be a baby factory and that seems to be exactly what Devin’s plan entails. 

I hear the door open and stiffly turn to see Devin.  I take a sharp inhale when I take the sight of him in; his shirt is stretched tight across his bulky shoulders and it’s thin enough to make out every line of his massive muscles, but a splatter of blood across his chest has chills of fear running through me.  His stern expression softens as I run to him with concern. 

“Don’t touch sweetheart.”  He gives me a small smile, seemingly pleased with my worried expression. 

“What happened.”  I clasp my hands together in front of me to prevent myself from rubbing my hands over his body in search of the wound.

“It’s not mine.”  I take a hesitant step back.

“Don’t worry.  Everything’s taken care of.”  He walks casually past me to go to the bathroom.  Stripping down as he goes.  I stand speechless at the door. 

This is exactly what I’m talking about.  I need to know what the hell’s going on and Devin doesn’t tell me a damn thing.  I grind my teeth as I stalk after him and shove the already cracked door open.  It bangs against the wall which get’s Devin’s attention as he steps into the shower.  He glances back and raises his brows in curiosity, but continues to walk into the stall. 

“Why don’t you tell me anything?”  Tears brim at my eyes and I wish they didn’t.  It’s not fair that I get so damn emotional and he seems completely unaffected. 

“Why are you so upset, sweetheart?”  He motions for me to join him after he lets the spray flow down his hard, tight body.  My eyes glance down involuntarily to his thick cock and I close my eyes tightly wishing this fucking heat would leave me.  The sight of his naked, wet body makes my core heat and dampen.  I stifle the moan threatening to rise up my throat. 

“You don’t play fair.”  I mumble with my eyes closed.  I hear his low chuckle and the sound of him walking towards me.  His large, wet hands gently tug my shirt up and I help him accomplish his task by raising my arms.  I sigh and open my eyes to find a small smile playing at his lips.  His silver eyes are full of devotion as he leans down to kiss me chastely.  I part my lips and lean into his touch, but he nips my lower lip, causing me to yelp as he pulls back. 

“What did I do to upset you?”  After a moment of letting his words sink in, I shake the lustful haze away and square my shoulders. 

“You don’t tell me anything.”  As I hear the words, I realize I sound like a petulant child and I wish I could take them back and start over.

“That’s not true.  I answer every question you ask.”  He truly looks confused by my statement.

“Then who’s blood is on your shirt?”  I keep myself from yelling my words in an effort to have a civilized, adult conversation.

“You don’t need to know that.”

Well, fuck the adult conversation.  I yell as I step closer to him, “this is what I’m talking about Devin!”

“If I don’t want you to worry about things, then I’m not going to tell you.  That’s final.”  His voice is even and full of authority.  Power radiate around him, but I ignore it as my heart clenches in denial.

“I can’t do this.  I can’t be in the dark and just stay shut away pumping out babies for you.”

His forehead pinches together, “is this about having my pups?  Do you not think I’m a good enough mate?  That I won’t be a decent father to our children.”  His eyes betray the emotionless mask he wears.  They’re full of pain and doubt.

“I never said that Devin.”  I try to ease some of his hurt before I realize that he’s changed subjects.  “And that’s not what I’m talking about!”  I pant in exasperation.  “You don’t tell me about anything.  I know nothing about all this.”  My hands wave chaotically in the air and I huff in frustration.  “Why the fuck is there blood on your shirt?”

“Why don’t you trust me?”  He steps closer to me and I instinctively take a large step back.  My back hits the wall, making me jump at the sudden contact.  “Are you afraid of me?” 

I shake my head and answer evenly and immediately, “You intimidate me, but I know you won’t hurt me.” 

He steps closer and gently lifts my chin to kiss me.  His forehead rests on mine as he closes his eyes and whispers.  “Never.  I’ll never hurt you.” 

“I really don’t like being kept in the dark.”  His eyes open and stare into my own.  He seems to be searching for something and I don’t know what. 

He sighs heavily before turning his back to me and stepping back in the shower.  He lets the water run down his gorgeous naked body as he says, “I’d prefer for you to trust my judgement, but if you insist,” he sighs again and catches my eyes roaming his body.  I can’t help it.  He gives me a knowing smirk which makes me blush.  “The blood is from a shifter who came to the offering.”  His words wash away my lustful gaze and ground me.

“What kind of shifter?” 

“A wolf.  From my old pack.”  I stare at him, willing him to explain.  My nostrils flare with anger as I realize he has no intention of telling me anymore.  It’s like fucking pulling teeth with him.

“Why was he at the offering?”  He stops shampooing his hair to look at me.  His eyes travel down my body and back to meet my eyes. 

“Strip and get in.”  He steps under the hot stream of water to rinse.  I purse my lips at his short command, but obey.  Only because I was going to anyway.  At least that’s how I justify it.

His hands travel down to my hips as soon as I enter and he pulls my body close to his, resting his chin on my shoulder.  “They were there to take you and Lizie.  Or at least that’s what they decided when they got there.”  My body stills in fear.  A million questions threaten to burst from my lips, but he continues to talk as he reaches for the body washes.  “They want their territory back.”  He lathers the soap and then starts massaging my body.  His hands feel so good.  He kneads my muscles and I lean into his warm, expert touch.  “Apparently they had a deal with some vampires.”

“Veronica’s coven?”  I’m barely able to make the words coherent as a blissful moan takes over my body. 

He chuckles at my effort.  “No, sweetheart.”  He kisses my cheek before adding, “I’m not sure who yet.”  He turns me in his arms and I rest my forearms on his chest.  “Have I told you enough?”  I look up at him through my thick lashes and try my best to think.  His touch is so soothing and comforting that it’s hard to remember why I’m angry. 

“You were upset that I keep you in the dark.  Are you still mad at me?”  How does he do that?  My brows furrow.

“Are you sure you can’t read my mind?”  He laughs and leans down to kiss me, which I more than welcome. 

“I’m sure.  But that doesn’t answer my question.”

“I’m not mad.  But I don’t like having to pull information from you.  I wish you’d just tell me.”

“And I wish you’d trust me and when I say you don’t need to worry, I wish you’d believe me and stop pushing me.”  I step out of his hold, not liking his words, and reach for my conditioner.  I lather my hair and step away farther away to gather my thoughts. 

“It makes me feel weak when I do that.”  I nod my head, agreeing with my own words.  That’s really what it comes down to. 

“When you do what?  Trust me?”  I shake my head and try to think of a way to explain it to him.

“When I put all my faith in you and submit to whatever you want.”  I lean my head back to rinse my hair but maintain eye contact, “it makes me feel weak.”

“Do you think our pack is weak?”  His question catches me off guard.

“Of course not.”

“They all submit to me.  But you don’t think they’re weak?”

“That’s not the same.”  I shake my head and step out of the shower. 

He follows behind me, but reaches for the towel before me and wraps it around my small body, pulling me into his hard, wet chest.  Our naked bodies touching make me arch my neck, wanting him to kiss, lick, and bite the exposed skin. 

“It is the same.  They trust my judgement, knowing that what I decide is what’s best for everyone.  They’re each strong and worthy of being alphas themselves.  But they choose to let me lead and have faith that I’ll ensure their safety and happiness above all else.  Yet you,” he rubs the towel along my body, drying me off, “you don’t have the same faith.  And you’re my mate.”  The last words are full of depressed emotion.  “When I met Caleb and Dom, I didn’t say a word.  I just kept walking past them and they followed.  They never questioned my authority or judgement.  Never.  Yet you’ve consistently questioned me.”

“Really?” 

“Yes, at every point you seem to
enjoy
fighting with me.”

“No,” I shake my head and let out a small laugh.  “I don’t
enjoy
fighting with you.  I was asking about Caleb and Dom.  I don’t understand why they would just follow.”

“Hmm.”  He hesitates, searching my eyes again.  “Come, I’ll tell you more.  Maybe hearing how easy it was for the others will help you.”  I fucking doubt that, but I’m eager to hear any information he’s willing to share with me.

“Can you tell me about your pack too?”

“What do you want to know?”

“Everything.” I want to know
everything
.  I feel like I’m the only one who knows nothing and I’m tired of this inferior feeling.

“Okay, well for starters, I hate my old pack.”  I crawl on the bed and wait for him to sit.  I pat the spot next to me and he side eyes me before laying on the bed.  I smile sweetly at him as I cuddle into his chest.  “My father was alpha.”  His hand runs through my wet hair as he talks.  “I was a pup when he died and I hardly remember anything about him.  I know a little of my mom, but when he died, things changed so quickly and got out of hand so suddenly.”  His hand stills as he takes a deep breath.  “I was too young to take over; it was my right, but I was only about ten or so.  No one fought for the position.  A shifter, they called him Shadow, he took over and started changing things.”  His brows furrow and he stares straight ahead, ignoring me as he continues.  “The pack started dealing drugs.  My mother became addicted.  I remember more of her than my father.  I know I loved her.  I did.  But I was so angry with her.  It felt like she may as well have died with my father the way she ignored us.”  His fingers pinch the bridge of his nose and he heaves a breath before continuing.  “She died a year or two later and that’s when things got worse.” 

I rub his chest in encouragement.  I can tell this is hard for him.  I place small kisses on his shoulder.  “I’m so sorry baby.”  He kisses my hair, acknowledging my words.

“One day, the day I left.  I heard them at the fighting ring.”  He swallows before adding, “they used to make money betting on winners and losers in the ring and taping it to sell on the black market.”  A chill goes through my body.  Suddenly, I don’t know if I want him to continue.  “I heard Lev.  He was crying.  They threw him in with two wolves.  Not shifters.  Just animals.  Starved and angry animals.” 

“Oh my God.”  I gasp as the tears prick my eyes.

“I knew he’d heal, but only if he could fight them off.  I was able to get him out and run before they killed him.  No one stopped us.”  He finally meets my eyes.  “Did you notice the scar on his nose?” 

I nod my head, “I thought he broke it.”  He nods his head.

“It’s scarred from the wolves.  I didn’t realize the bones had to be placed together to heal right.  I’ve offered many times to break it,” he chuckles lightening the mood.  “But he wanted to keep it.  To remember.”  His hand gently places a loose strand of hair behind my ear.  “He may joke and smile, but he’s still hurting.  They would’ve let him die.  All for entertainment and a bit of money.”  I bury my head into his shoulder, wiping my tears on his warm body.

“We left that night and I was determined to start a new pack.  I wouldn’t ever go back.  I was only thirteen or so and just hitting adulthood.  We met Vince first, only a few days after leaving.  He was out hunting in wolf form, alone after his parents died.  A bear had ventured into their den at night.  It was just the three of them.  His dad eventually killed the bear, but his wounds were too deep and he bled out before he was able to heal.”  I noticeably swallow and try to rid the knot in my throat.  I hadn’t expected all of this heavy information.

“He was hurting and in deep need of comfort and companionship.  He was a bit older, but when I led us towards the river, he followed.  We found Dom and Caleb next, a few weeks later.  They were fishing, two rouge wolves who’d fled their shit pack together.  I later found out that Dom had killed his father and one uncle and taken Caleb with him before the rest of the pack went looking for them.  At the time I said nothing.  We saw them and I simply acknowledged their presence and continued to lead my small pack south, to warmer lands before the winter storms would cause us too many problems.  They followed us.  At first they kept a few miles behind.  But that night we set up a fire and they came and sat around the pit as though they belonged.”  He smiles down at me, before shifting to lay on his side and trail his fingers down the curve of my hip.  “And they did belong.  I knew they’d come so I’d cooked extra meat and left it to the side for them.  For whenever they decided that they could trust us.”