Blood Rights [Wicked River 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (18 page)

“Excuse me?”

“If we can cut the numbers down to just the four in charge, we stand a better chance of winning.”

“True.” Brock’s eyebrows drew together, and he took a couple of steps into the room. “How do you suppose we do that?”

“If I can wrap everyone up in a warm blanket of coziness, they won’t be so eager to fight for the cause.”

“No.” Shaking his head firmly, Brock eased down on the edge of the bed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “It’s a good idea. Don’t get me wrong. None of our enemies recognize me as their alpha. With the amount of energy it would take to influence all of them, it would be like pumping them all full of tequila and Viagra.”

“Good.” If Brock didn’t stop shaking his head, Koba was going to smack him. “Let them want me. If I can lead them away, that will give the rest of you a chance to get to the alphas.”

“It’s too dangerous.”

“I’m fast. You know I am. Besides, love, lust, and loyalty aren’t the only things I can make them feel. Once I get them far enough away, I can make them confused and afraid, which will give me an opportunity to get away.”

“I don’t like it.”

“You don’t have to like it. It will work, and everyone will be safe. You know I like myself way too much to do something stupid that would get my ass killed.”

Brock laughed quietly, just as Koba had hoped he would. If his lover wasn’t ranting, raving, and ready to throttle him, that meant he knew Koba had a valid point. It was certainly the best plan they’d come up with so far. “Moira’s not going to like it, either.”

“I’ll deal with Moira.” It didn’t exactly top his list of favorite things to do on a Friday night, but he’d do it.

“We need to have a meeting, let everyone know what’s going on. Just because I’m agreeing with you doesn’t mean that I’m not worried. I’m sending Casey and Joss with you in case you get yourself into trouble.”

“Not a good idea. With that many people, I can’t control who I influence.”

“We’ll spell out all the risks and then let everyone decide for themselves what they’re comfortable with and how much they think they can handle.”

“Mmm, I like it when you’re all rational.” Sauntering closer, he straddled Brock’s thighs and pushed him back to the mattress. “It’s very sexy when you agree with me.”

“Knock it off,” Moira grumped, slamming the door and diving on to the bed beside them. “Why is it okay for Koba to walk into the fire? I’m a demon, for crying out loud. I wrote the book on fire and brimstone and all that junk.”

“Really? Was it a bestseller?”

Moira huffed and punched him playfully in the arm. “You know what I meant. I’m going to help.”

“Yes, you are,” Brock announced, surprising Koba. Judging by the look on Moira’s face, the news was just as unexpected to her as well. “Get everyone together. I have a
real
plan.”

“Everyone knows what they’re supposed to do, right?”

A chorus of agreement went around the group of men and women gathered in the barn. Joss had come through, convincing half a dozen of their own pack to rise up to the challenge, increasing their numbers to fifty-three.

Brock knew his father had been busy creating Walkers, but there was no way to know exactly how many they were facing. They’d gone over and over the plan until he thought his brain would bleed. Now, he just had to believe that it would work.

“Then let’s go.” They’d all decided that it made the most sense to present a united front. Steven Lancaster and his band of merry delinquents would already know their numbers, so trying to hide the fact that they had backup would be a pointless waste of time.

The other thing they agreed on was for the meeting to take place on their terms, which meant they chose the location. Leading their faction through the dense trees, the irony of their chosen meeting place wasn’t lost on him.

He’d never seen or heard of anything to lend credence to the local’s claims that the Wicked River was haunted or cursed. There was a very real possibility that the waters of the creek would run red with blood under this full moon, though.

Spilling even the blood of the wicked had never appealed to him, and he hoped it didn’t come to that. Given no choice, however, he was prepared to defend himself and the people who depended on him.

“Brock, I’m nervous.”

Winding one arm around Moira’s waist and taking Koba’s hand on his other side, Brock squeezed them both in reassurance. “I know, baby. This will work, though.”

“I know.” Moira bumped their hips together and smiled. “I mean I was nervous about seeing my dad for the first time. I already know he’s a homicidal bastard, but…”

She trailed off without finishing, but Brock understood. Whatever her father had done, he was still her father. Sure, she’d never met him, knew nothing about him, but in some ways, that only made it worse. Without seeing it with her own eyes, Moira could spin all kind kinds of fantasies about why her father had abandoned her and what he was like.

In a few minutes, all of those fantasies were going to come crumbling down around her. Brock would have been worried if she wasn’t nervous about it. He didn’t look forward to seeing his father for the first time in almost a year, especially under the circumstances. They’d never really seen eye to eye on…well, anything, but it was a hard thing to realize that his father was capable of such evil and cruelty.

“Well, I’m about to whore myself out to about a hundred people who want to eat me. I’m cool as a cucumber, though.” Stopping just before they reached the edge of the trees that would open up to the banks of Wicked River, Koba released Brock’s hand and began removing his clothing. “Here goes nothing, I guess.”

Those in the group capable of shifting followed suit, removing their clothes and transforming into their animal counterparts. Those who couldn’t shift, like the vampires, looked no less prepared for battle with their fangs and claws gleaming in the moonlight.

Since someone needed to do the talking, Brock remained in his human skin along with the vampires. Moira stripped down to her bra and panties in preparation of her part of the plan, but remained unchanged at his side.

“This will work,” she whispered, staring straight ahead through the tree branches. A visible shiver went through her, but she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then she turned her head, looked right into his eyes, and smiled. “I’ve got this.”

* * * *

Their unwelcome guests were already waiting for them on the other side of the stream, proving they were right to think that the foursome were watching them, anticipating their moves.

Koba’s muscles quivered, and his heart thundered inside his furry chest, but he was ready. Though only four men stood on the banks, he could scent many more hiding in the forest. Whining softly, he pawed at the ground, ready to get things rolling.

“Easy,” Brock whispered, scratching gently behind his ear. “Wait until they show themselves.” He’d barely gotten the words through his lips when at least thirty wolves slinked out from behind the tree trunks, moving at a slow gait but watchful and ready. “Now.”

Gathering his energy, concentrating his power and letting it build, Koba sent blast after blast of it across the water, barking loudly with each wave. By the third cycle, he definitely had the wolves’ attention. The four alphas focused on him as well, but they were older and stronger, able to resist his allure.

That’s what they’d been hoping for, though, so he could only be pleased that it was working. Sending out one more burst of power, Koba began trotting down the muddy shore, checking over his shoulder to make sure the opposing wolves were following him.

“Stay!” Brock’s father commanded, but it was too late. Not even the orders of their alpha were going to deter the pack from getting what they wanted.

Koba had them hook, line, and sinker. It was time to reel them in. Keeping up a constant flow of energy, he increased his speed, barking in a taunting manner, goading his enemies into pursuit. Loud splashing had him checking over his shoulder again, just in time to see the swarm of lupines dive into the tributary, paddling frantically to get to him.

Still moving at a leisurely pace, Koba waited for the first of them to reach dry land, making sure they could still see and smell him. Barks, howls, and snarls ripped through the night, bouncing off the trees and echoing through the forest. Apparently playtime was over.

Ducking his head and keeping as low to the ground as possible, Koba turned on the speed, flying over the muddy earth as he led his followers away from the rest of the group. After almost a mile, he cut sharply to the right, darting into the woods in hopes of confusing his pursuers. He didn’t want to lose them, not yet, but he needed time to execute phase two of the plan.

Unfortunately, he hadn’t realized that more than just lycans were following him. He’d barely entered the tree line when a large body slammed into him from the side. Strong arms wrapped around his chest, crushing him until he could barely breathe as they rolled across the forest floor.

The vampire’s sharp fangs penetrated the skin on his shoulder, but that didn’t concern Koba nearly as much as the sound of paws thundering over the dirt, growing loud—coming closer.

* * * *

“Hello, Brock.”

Brock didn’t respond, not that Moira blamed him. She, however, wasn’t quite so stoic. “Hello, Daddy.”

“Moira.” His voice was deep and smooth, almost hypnotizing. Callan hadn’t lied, either. Moira definitely looked like him from his blond curls to his feet that look too small for his body.

For so long she’d dreamed of the day she would meet him, what she would say, how she would act. Staring at him now, she felt absolutely nothing. The man was a total stranger to her, and for the first time in her life, she was okay with that. Hell, she preferred it.

“Nice stunt with the omega,” the other lycan said and clapped his hands together. “You do know they’ll catch him, though. You’ve accomplished nothing.” Placing his thumb and middle finger together and holding the digits to his lips, he whistled loudly before giving them a malicious grin.

Shadow Walkers and vampires of all shapes and sizes appeared behind him, almost as if they’d been created out of thin air. All clumped together the way they were, Moira couldn’t get an exact count, but her palms started to sweat when she estimated there to be at least another fifty—not even counting those who had gone chasing after Koba.

“Give us the girl,” the vampire leader demanded. “No one has to get hurt.”

An enormous white wolf rubbed against her leg, a low, rumbling growl vibrating through her chest. Without taking her eyes away from her father, Moira reached down and rested her hand lightly on the top of Ryah’s hand, telling the woman without words how grateful she was for her presence. They might not be related by blood, but they were still family.

“Give her to us,” the demon demanded, “or we’ll take her.”

“Why me?”

It had been the one question on her mind since the entire thing started. They’d already gone through plenty of other demons. What made her so special? Why had they gone through so much to get their hands on her?

“You’re my daughter.”

Oh, that was a good one. The asshole had waited over forty years, made her a prisoner in her own home, and threatened the lives of everyone she cared about just to have some kind of father-daughter reunion. Did she really look that stupid?

“Only one demon omega is born every hundred years. We’ve been waiting a long time for you.”

“How could you have possibly known I would be an omega?” Moira pressed her lips together and berated herself internally for engaging in a dialogue with the sadistic prick.

A very nude, very beautiful woman emerged into the narrow clearing, walking toward Moira’s father as though she was working a fashion runway in Paris. “Oh, you really don’t know anything do you, sweetheart?” Her tone, though pleasant, suggested she was talking to a child. “You, my dear, are royalty.”

“Only the royal family can produce omegas,” her father explained with a smile that lacked any kind of warmth. “Please, allow me to introduce your mother, Queen Serena Zasio.”

“And your father,” Serena purred, curling herself into her mate’s side, “King Xavier Zasio.”

Moira didn’t give a rat’s ass about their royal status. The situation was much harder emotionally than she thought it would be, however. No matter how many times she’d gone over the scenario in her head, no matter how much she’d prepared herself for it, seeing her birth parents for the first time created a strange ache in the pit of her stomach.

They’d given her up, and now the only reason they wanted her back was to use her. It definitely drove home the fact that until she’d met Brock, not a single person in her life had ever cared about her. “What do you want with Ryah?” There had to be a reason she’d been delegated the task of keeping the woman safe.

Even though Ryah wasn’t her sister by blood, Moira had watched her grow from a girl into a woman. Her role had been a distant one, regulated to the shadows, but she’d never begrudged the job she’d been given. Finding out that Ryah wasn’t actually her sister didn’t change anything. After twenty-three years of longing to have a relationship with the girl, she finally had that. In her heart, Ryah Hardaway would always be her family.

“My daughter is no longer your concern,” the Tennessee alpha snapped at her.

The wolf beside her went stiff against her leg. After having her own parents shoved in her face, she didn’t have to guess at how Ryah was feeling. “None of it matters,” she whispered. “These people are not our family. We are
not
defined by our pasts.”

Though she’d said it to calm Ryah, she realized how true the words were. Until their mates had stepped in to save them, both her and Ryah had been used, their value defined only by what they could offer to people they’d never even met.

No one was ever going to use them again.

“What Mr. Hardaway is trying to say, is that you are no longer obligated to care for Ryah.” Xavier smiled again, though his eyes cut sharply to the lycan in reprimand. “Since her mother was a Keeper, we had hoped she would be born an omega. Though only a Keeper can give birth to an omega, not every child born of a Keeper is an omega.”