Cole’s Redemption (13 page)

His daughter wasn’t his only problem, either. He’d been on the phone all morning,
dealing with the proverbial shit that hit the fan, and he had to call a meeting with
the Pack, pronto.

Getting on the intercom, he paged the team to the conference room and then sent a
group text just to be sure they’d all get the message. Then he walked down there to
gather his thoughts and wait for their arrival. They started filing in right away,
and within fifteen minutes, they were all assembled, even Kalen.

He addressed the Sorcerer. “You don’t have to be here. In fact, we have to go wheels
up, but you’re on leave with your mate and new baby. That’s an order.”

“Understood, sir. But I do want to hear the briefing so I’ll know what’s going on,
if that’s okay.”

“That’s fine.” As the group quieted, he got right to the point. “You’re all here for
two reasons. The first item of business is we’ve had another rogue attack. This one
is bad, so be prepared for what you’ll see when we arrive. It happened last night
at a private residence outside of Branson, Missouri. There was some sort of family
reunion going on, and the rogues killed more than twenty innocent people.”

“Jesus Christ,” Zan said, appalled. “No survivors?”

“I’m told there was a young man of nineteen who survived by crawling under the porch
steps to hide after he was attacked. The Feds suspect he saw everything because he’s
in shock. Hasn’t spoken a word since. As if there isn’t enough bad news, the boy was
turned vampire.”

He let the team’s exclamations over that die down before he went on.

“So, we’re going there to see what, if anything, we can find at the scene. Then we’re
taking the young man to the coven of Prince Tarron Romanoff, where we’re scheduled
to have a meeting with him and his top soldiers about the rogues and how to stop them.
Any questions?”

“When do we leave?” Jax asked.

He looked at his watch. “One hour. We’ll take the Hueys since I’m told there’s a place
to land near the house. I’d like to wrap up at the murder scene and be en route to
the prince’s stronghold in the Smoky Mountains by early this afternoon.”

“Will we be able to land the copters at the stronghold?” Aric asked. He was one of
the pilots and needed to know.

“No, it’s too rocky. We’ll put down a few miles out, and then the prince will have
an escort drive us the rest of the way. Any more questions?”

Nobody voiced any, so Nick let them go to take care of any last-minute business. No
doubt a few of them would use that hour to spend with their mates, then return rumpled
and happy.

What he wouldn’t give to have someone to fill that void in his soul. To care whether
he came home or not.

But then again, fate had blessed him with Tonia, and he’d killed her. He’d blown his
one chance at happiness. The image of the mystery woman from his vision flitted through
his head. But there was nothing solid to grasp on to there. He would have to focus
on what he did have.

It was the only way to get through tomorrow. And all the days after.

•   •   •

“Oh my God! Isn’t Kai cute?” Kira gushed, holding up her cell phone. Immediately,
cell phones were whipped out and more
ooh
s and
ahh
s followed.

Selene was sitting with Kira at breakfast in the dining room, where she’d been since
Zan dropped her off on his way to the team meeting. Something was up, and she was
afraid it meant he’d be sent into danger. She had to deal with that reality sooner
or later, but she’d rather it be later.

Thankfully, fawning over pictures of the new baby had everyone suitably distracted.
At least until her mate and several others came in to find their women. She knew her
fears were confirmed when Zan and Jax headed straight toward them, expressions grim.

“What’s wrong?” Kira asked, putting down her cell phone. Her mate gave her a kiss.

“We have to leave in an hour. There’s been another rogue attack, this one outside
Branson, Missouri.”

Zan sighed, then bent to give Selene a hug. “They slaughtered an entire family at
a reunion, and there was only one survivor. A nineteen-year-old boy, and he was turned
vampire during the attack.”

“That’s awful,” Kira said, shuddering.

Zan sat beside his mate, but made no move to grab breakfast. “More than awful. This
is getting really bad. Nick has set up a meeting with Romanoff, the vampire prince
of North America, so we’ll head there as soon as we’re done at the crime scene.”

“What will become of the boy?” Selene asked in concern.

Zan answered. “We’re taking him to the prince. He’ll help the kid adjust to his new
life, with any luck.”

“That’s something, at least,” Selene said.

Zan looked at his mate, a small smile curving his lips. “On a lighter note, we have
an hour before we leave. I’m thinking it would be a terrible thing to send your mate
off all stressed and everything.”

“Same here.” Jax gave Kira a brilliant smile. “Got stress. Lots and lots of stress.”

“Good grief.” She rolled her eyes, but stood and took his hand. “Come on, big guy.
Let’s go do something about your blood pressure.”

The couple headed out together, and Zan gave her a cute pout. “What about me?”

“I think I can help you out there, mate,” she murmured, leaning in to kiss his sexy
lips.

“Did I mention that you’re the best mate in the world?”

“Glad you think so, since I’m the only one you’re getting.”

“You’re the only one I want or need.”

The heavy-lidded desire in his eyes was her undoing. One important thing she’d discovered
was that besides him being a good man, he was a skilled lover. He never failed to
fulfill her every pleasure. She couldn’t wait to make love with him again.

He pulled her to her feet. “I believe we have a date, baby.”

When they returned to their apartment, Zan paused only long enough to close and lock
the door, then hurried through the living room, pulling her along behind him.

In his bedroom, he urged her gently onto his king-sized bed, then straightened. Quickly,
he took off his shirt and slid off his jeans, kicking them aside. Selene drank in
the sight of his naked body like a flower dying of thirst. Clothed, he was the sexiest
man she’d ever seen. Wearing nothing except a grin, the man was perfection.

She studied the soft brown eyes set in his handsome, angular face. Thick hair the
color of the night sky framing his wonderful face, brushing his neck. She let her
gaze drift leisurely to his broad shoulders and strong arms and the wolf tattoo on
his chest.

He wasn’t ripped, but perfectly formed of lean muscle and raw bone. Graceful as a
jungle cat. A very light sprinkling of hair covered his chest, trailing downward past
flat, hard male nipples. Finally, she allowed her attention to roam to his impressive
erection, savoring the sight. Heat flamed low in her belly, between her legs. His
engorged penis jutted proudly from a nest of dark curls, arching toward his washboard
stomach.

“Like what you see?” His smile told her he knew the answer.

“I always do. I want to touch you.”

His eyes went dark, feral. “Please.”

Hands shaking with desire, Selene shed her clothes.

He climbed onto the bed to sit next to her. “God, you’re beautiful.”

“Thank you.” Selene’s face heated. She couldn’t help it, despite the fact that wolves
weren’t typically shy about their bodies. Selene reached out to touch the broad head
of his penis, swirling it with one finger as a drop of pre-cum beaded the tip. Encouraged
by his moan of pleasure, she wrapped her hand around his cock and began to stroke.

“
Yes
.” He leaned back and closed his eyes, spread his long legs.

She pumped him slowly, enjoying the texture of silky, baby-soft skin over his rod.
Next, she moved her hand to cradle his balls, enjoying the feel of his heavy sex.
Marveling that such a powerful man could be reduced to jelly with a caress.

“Baby,” he gasped, removing her hand. “I’m not going to last. But I promise I’ll make
it up to you next time.”

Zan lowered her onto the pillows and stretched his big body over hers, settling between
her legs. His erection pulsed against her belly as he captured her lips in a sizzling
kiss, tongue licking into the seam of her mouth. Teasing, tasting.

He broke the kiss, moved lower, repeating his attentions on her breasts. “You’re so
perfect.”

His teeth grazed one nipple, tongue doing wonderful things to the hardened little
pebble. Sending delightful shocks to every nerve ending. When he suckled the other
nipple, she came undone, pulling at his shoulders.

“My mate, I need you inside me.”

Moving up to cover Selene, his gaze locked with hers. The raw, male heat, the
possessiveness
, on his face made her quiver in anticipation.

He slid a hand between her thighs, fingers brushing the pale curls there. Pushing
one finger inside, he stroked in and out, spreading the dewy wetness to prepare her.
Lengthening the strokes, he rubbed her clit, setting her on fire.

“Zan, please!”

He pushed in by inches, letting her adjust to him. He was always so gentle, and it
brought a rush of tears to her eyes. The slight discomfort became a flame burning
brighter. Pleasure unfurled, a joy she’d never known with anyone but her mate. She
wrapped her arms around him, skimming her hands over the muscles in his back as he
seated himself as deeply as possible.

“Feel me?” he whispered into her hair.

“Yes.”

He began to move, slow, tantalizing strokes. “You’re
mine
.”

“Oh, Zan, yes!”

He held her against his chest, made sweet, beautiful love to her. Sheltered in the
safety of his arms, his body covering her like a warm blanket, she’d come home. This
wasn’t just sex with a handsome man.

This was so much more. She wanted to put a name to it, but didn’t dare.

His tempo quickened, his thrusts filling her harder. Deeper. Faster. But even as he
drove into her, taking them to the edge, he was careful not to hurt her, while entering
her with powerful strokes. Hurtling them higher, higher—

His release erupted, his big body shaking. She followed, the orgasm shattering her
control, the waves pounding her senses. He shuddered again and again, until he lowered
his forehead to hers, spent and breathing hard.

She lay unmoving, loving his weight on top of her, his musky, male scent teasing her
nose. Loving . . .
him
.

Did
she love him?

Selene wanted to say the words freely and longed to hear them returned. But she couldn’t.
Not yet. Their mating was new, and she had to be sure. She didn’t know how to express
what she was feeling, much less process it.

You’re mine
.

Those words had come from the depths of his soul, and she cherished them.

For now, it was enough.

Z
an
hated
leaving his mate.

The pang of separation was much more difficult than he’d imagined it would be. He
noted that the other mated Pack brothers weren’t faring much better as they said good-bye
in the huge hangar, holding on to their better halves.

It might have been petty of him, but he took heart that Selene didn’t seem any happier
at his leaving than he was to go. That had to mean she was attached to him, liked
him at least a little. He longed to tell her how he felt about her—that he was falling
hard, and it had nothing to do with wolf biology.

He admired her strength and courage. Her conviction. And her fairness. He admired
her ability to put aside her vendetta against Nick and take a second look. That meant
she was interested in justice, not vengeance.

And she had a soft spot for babies and for wanting to be accepted by her peers. She
loved to make love and held nothing back.

Whether she believed it or not, there was a hell of a lot to love about Selene.

But he wouldn’t tell her. Not yet, when it might scare her away.

“Be careful,” she said, her voice shaking a bit. “Come back safe.”

“I’ll do my best.” He tucked a finger under her chin and gave her a slow kiss, with
tongue. And kept right on kissing until someone cleared his throat nearby, signaling
for him to wrap it up.

“Newly mated guys,” Aric drawled. “Sheesh.”

“Like you can talk,” Zan retorted. “Besides, your mate is on the team, so she gets
to go with you. How unfair is that?”

“Very. She can kick anyone’s ass from here to the East Coast, including mine.”

The man had a point. Zan hurried along his good-byes, and then he was forced to let
her go and walk away. They loaded onto three copters and then waited while the top
of the building slid open to let them lift off.

Aric powered up their Huey, with hired pilots taking the others, as usual. The redhead
could fly anything with wings, and he flatly refused to let anyone else pilot his
craft. Nick took the front with him.

Zan rode with Jax, Micah, and Nix in the back. The big copter was a flying tank, really
loud, but the ride was uneventful as they streaked toward Missouri.

For Zan, lost in his thoughts, the trip seemed to pass quickly, and soon they were
landing in a field not far from the house where the murders occurred. From there they
were escorted to the scene by federal agents, and Zan recognized some of them from
the ranch killing. This time, they received no lip from the Feds, though they got
plenty of sour looks.

Horror couldn’t begin to describe the scene at the house. The carnage was unlike anything
Zan had ever laid eyes on in his life, and that was saying a lot. Part of the horror
factor was the cheerful backdrop of the family gathering that had been interrupted.

There were checkered tables laden with food. Burgers, dogs, brisket, potato salad,
chips and dips, beer. All going bad in the morning sun, providing a macabre accompaniment
to the main course.

Bodies were literally everywhere. Young and old and in between. Lying by the picnic
tables, under the festive canopy among folding chairs. One older man was sprawled
across the threshold of the front door, another on the porch.

“There’s more inside,” an agent said, looking like he might lose his coffee any second.
“This beats fuck-all I’ve ever seen.”

“I’ve seen something similar, back in oh-four,” another one put in. “Seven people
all murdered in their beds, all drained of blood like these folks.”

“Where was that?” Nick asked, looking at him sharply.

“Let me think. Tulsa, Oklahoma, that’s where it was. Never caught those bastards,
either. Could be the same ones, though ten years is a long spread of time.”

Not to a vampire
, Zan thought. But he wisely kept that tidbit to himself.

The team spread out and catalogued the bodies, making note of every detail, no matter
how insignificant it appeared. The most telling evidence of a rogue attack was the
raggedness of the teeth marks on each neck. Rogues were vicious and messy when they
fed. They were simply hungry, all the time, and showed none of the neatness and precision
of a typical vampire feed.

Another sign was that none of the bodies showed evidence of sexual activity, unlike
a regular vampire feed. These killings were swift and all business. Almost like a
mission.

“This would have taken a large force of rogues to carry out,” Zan mused aloud. Only
Nick and a few of their team were nearby, so it was okay to speak freely.

“Is it just me, or does this have the hallmarks of a well-executed op?” Nick asked.

Zan nodded. “That’s what I was just thinking.”

They finished the search and were just about to give up on finding anything really
useful when Zan spotted a crimson drag mark on the back porch. Dried rust-colored
blood trailed across the boards, down the set of wooden steps. He followed the trail
across the lawn, and the more distance that was put between him and the house, the
thinner and sparser the blood was. It was just enough to keep him going, though, and
he was determined to locate the source.

He followed a slope down to a creek and across it. Then he looked up to see the trail
had led him to an old wood pile that might have been a storage shed at one time. He
skirted the pile.

And it was there that the rogue was waiting, beside a human body. Zan barely had time
to register his presence before the thing sprang at him, yellowish fangs bared and
ready to kill. There was no time to call forth his wolf, so he morphed his hands into
claws and launched a counterattack.

They met in a clash of bodies, Zan gaining a slight advantage when he knocked the
creature to the ground. He jumped onto the rogue, made a stab at its black heart and
missed, sending his claws between the ribs and into a lung. The thing screeched, and
he cursed, hoping the Feds at the house hadn’t heard.

The rogue did some slashing too, catching Zan across a thigh. It stung like a bitch
but wasn’t life-threatening, and he raked his claws across the creature’s throat,
severing its windpipe. While it was busy frantically grabbing at its throat, Zan delivered
the killing blow to the heart, stilling his enemy instantly. It died, eyes going blank,
and he plunged in his claws and tore out the shriveled heart, then sagged in relief.

“What the fuck
are
you guys?” a voice blurted from behind him. “What was
that
thing?”

Fuck! Turning, he allowed his hands to shift back to normal, but not soon enough.
This Fed, the one who’d mentioned the bodies in Tulsa a decade ago, was staring at
him in complete shock. Nervously, he shifted his gaze from Zan to the vampire’s body,
to the vampire’s kill, and back to Zan.

Zan sighed, wiped his hands in the grass, and stood. “I’m the guy who exterminates
creeps like this one. Just think of me as the Orkin man.”

The Fed failed to see the humor. Imagine that.

“You—you tore out his heart.”

“Only way to keep them from rising again.”

“Rising again?”

His face was white.

“That was a rogue vampire,” Zan informed him. The horse was out of the barn anyway.
“Some vamps are good, and some have gone bad. That one was bad. And there are a lot
more of them where he came from, FYI.”

“What are you?”

Zan let his muzzle elongate, showed his fangs. The claws on his hands. Let them stay
just long enough to convince the man he wasn’t having a nightmare.

“Holy shit!”

“I’m a wolf shifter, and my team is like me. This is what we do—we rid the world of
paranormal bad guys before the general populace has any clue stuff like this really
exists. But secrecy is getting harder to maintain, as you can attest.”

“What do we do now?” The man was regaining some of his composure, the agent in him
returning to the fore to give him some stability.

“I go about my business with my team. You keep your mouth shut about your newfound
reality. If you can do this, we might have an alliance at some point that’s mutually
beneficial to both of our employers.”

Now he had the guy. He was all agent again, thinking on his feet. Assessing. “That
could work. Okay. I’ll keep my mouth shut. May need to call on you guys sometime.
My name is Kyle Garrett.” Fishing in his wallet, he gave Zan his card. “That’s got
my cell phone on it.”

“I’m Zander Cole. I don’t have a card, but here’s my cell number.” He recited that
while Garrett punched the contact into his phone.

As they finished up, Nick and Jax waded through the creek and came jogging over to
them. As soon as Nick took in what was going on, he cursed.

“This is Agent Kyle Garrett, boss. He’s in the know.”

“Goddammit.” He pinned Garrett with a steely look. “You breathe a word about this
to anyone—”

“I won’t. You have my word.”

“Good. Let’s get this shit cleaned up.” His gaze rested on the poor human’s body,
and he cursed again.

The cleanup took longer than expected, so it was well after noon before they were
ready to go. As the Feds prepared to take them back to the copters, Zan posed a question
to Nick.

“Why did that rogue stay behind? What was his goal?”

“You’re assuming he had one. But yeah, that was odd.”

“Was he left behind to watch us from back there? And he was just stupid enough to
leave the blood trail?”

Nick blew out a breath. “I don’t know. Seems more likely he wanted to lure someone
else back there. Maybe he was working on his own, maybe not.”

There was nothing else to be gleaned from the scene. At the copters, another car arrived
bearing a young man. He was dressed in jeans and a hoodie pulled up over his head,
sunglasses on his face. To protect his skin and eyes from the sun, now that he was
a new vampire. Poor kid.

The boy ended up riding with Zan and his group. Zan tried to engage him some, but
between the noise and the young man’s trauma, it was a lost cause. He hoped the vampires
would be able to help the kid start over.

What would it be like to be nineteen for eternity? What a strange thought.

The boy settled in and dozed, so Zan did the same. His thigh throbbed from time to
time, but other than making a mess on the leg of his jeans, it looked worse than it
really was. He could have it tended to at Prince Tarron’s stronghold.

He awoke fully when he felt the descent. They came in for a landing, putting down
in a decent flat area close to the mountains. The sun was starting to dip in the sky,
and the scenery was stunning. It wasn’t unlike where the Pack lived, but the prince
and his coven lived
in
the mountains, not at the base of them, from what he understood.

The copters powered down and everyone got out, stretching. Zan was already tired and
hoped they’d hold off on the meeting until tomorrow, but vamps were night creatures,
so he didn’t count on it.

Within minutes, two stretch limousines appeared around the bend and drove up, rolling
to a stop.

Aric whistled. “Now, that’s what
I’m
fuckin’ talkin’ about! Why can’t we have limos instead of SUVs?”

“Um, because we don’t
want
to attract attention wherever we go?” Nick said, lips quirking.

“Oh. There is that.”

Their banter was interrupted when a tall, impressive figure emerged from the first
limo. If Zan had been expecting a dark cape, he would’ve been disappointed. The man
he assumed could only be Prince Tarron Romanoff was dressed in a stylish dark suit
and light blue shirt with a tie. His dark brown hair was touching his collar, all
one length and tucked behind one ear. He had a youthful but handsome face and vivid
eyes Zan could only describe as purple.

The guy looked like a movie star or a model. He was also wearing a wide smile, and
his expression reflected genuine welcome. He strode forward to shake Nick’s hand.

“Nick Westfall? Tarron Romanoff. It’s a pleasure to meet you in person.”

“Likewise.” Nick smiled. “I’ve heard lots of good things about you from our mutual
friend.”

Zan figured the
mutual friend
was Jarrod Grant.

“Thank you. He speaks highly of you as well. Shall we get going? I know you all must
be tired and hungry. We’ll eat and then let your men rest tonight. There’s time enough
for the meeting tomorrow.”

“That sounds just fine, thank you.”

Thank God!

The team split up, and both limos were more than enough to accommodate them all. Nick
and the prince rode in the first limo, along with the newly turned young vampire,
Aric, Rowan, and Hammer. Zan rode in the second car with Ryon, Jax, Nix, and Micah.
Each car also carried several of the prince’s soldiers, who were not dressed in a
military style at all, but in black jeans and long-sleeved shirts and wearing cool
shades. Zan thought they looked like bouncers at a club, but refrained from saying
so.

The interior of the limo was plush, the ride smooth, even on these roads. Soft music
played through the speakers, making Zan sleepy all over again. He was about worn-out
for the day, and he was getting a slight headache to match the pain in his thigh.

He was sitting with his head resting against the glass, eyes half-closed, when he
saw something that had him sitting upright, suddenly wide-awake. He squinted, trying
to see better—

And spotted the fading sunlight reflect off a long, green barrel that was poking through
the underbrush. Shit!

“Stop the cars!” he shouted, scaring everyone awake. “Ambush ahead! Stop—”

A stream of smoke erupted from the brush, and there was a loud boom that shook the
car they were riding in.
Rocket launcher!
From the side window, Zan watched in horror as the lead car skidded, flipped sideways,
and rolled over into a gulley. His own limo skidded to a halt, and the team poured
out the doors.

Straight into an assault by at least thirty rogues. Maybe more.