Corrupt Cravings (40 page)

“Holy fuck!” Dominic yelled, coming upon the clearing in the back of the main house. Wolves were going at it from all angles. It looked like a damn free for all.

“Where’s Donavon?”

“I have no idea, but I see Samael, and I’m guessing he’s not far away from my brother. I’m vanishing to get closer. Are you going to be okay?”

Ambrose laughed as he pushed himself faster. “Don’t worry about me. I thrive for blood. Now, go.”

The demon disappeared in mid-step. Letting his fangs lower, Ambrose inhaled the air deeply. Blood. Yes, it thickened with every step he took. Reaching for his link to his servants, he let his mind do the speaking.

Use your instincts. If you feel threatened or you’re attacked, kill.

Multiple wolves paused in the middle of their fights and slowly turned in the vampire’s direction as they approached. This is what Marcella wanted, distraction from the main attraction. It was no secret that vampires and werewolves didn’t get along, and the fact that they’d quit fighting amongst themselves just to come after different blood proved just how deep their hate went.

Get ready!

The ground started to shake as a stampede of wolves sprung in their direction. As they fought to gain distance, Ambrose watched them snap and bite at each other. A loud howl went through the air as a tanned wolf faced them from the distance. For a moment, Ambrose felt like his and the wolf’s eyes locked, and he instantly knew it was Donavon. More than half the wolves stopped, but the others continued at full speed. Just as he was about to look away from Donavon, a large black and white wolf lunged for Donavon’s throat. With lightning speed, he watched the blond wolf sink his teeth into the other wolf’s neck and rip out his throat. That had to have been Luis, his old alpha. Ambrose wasn’t sure how he knew, but he just did.

The wolves continued to get closer, but seeing a large black wolf jump on Donavon, Ambrose was distracted. If it wasn’t for the electric shock jolting his body to awareness, he probably wouldn’t have had time to prepare for the leaping beast that’d already marked him as a target. He’d have to remember to thank Samael for the reminder.

Hissing, Ambrose reached out, grabbing the wolf by the throat. The impact of the weight didn’t so much as budge his hand. Sinking his teeth into the wolf’s neck, he let the poison seep from his fangs. Paralysis and death came before he let the wolf drop to the ground.

Using his other hand, Ambrose grabbed the muzzle that was coming for his thigh. With crushing pressure, he heard the wolf yelp while he continued to squeeze his fingers. Ripping the animal off the ground, he sunk his fangs home and felt the blood pour down his chest. Bloodlust took over, and he let the poison do the job just as he was already trying to grab for another.

* * * *

Chills had covered Samael’s skin the moment Donavon had unleashed what he held inside of him. The pure power the man had was something he could have never guessed. This man was no wolf. Well, he was, but Samael had no doubt that it wasn’t the only animal he could turn into. What had Marcella done? She had said she was going to make Donavon the leader of the shifters. Somehow, she’d known. Even if unconsciously, she’d already made the decision. At first, Samael had thought it was the stupidest thing ever, but who was he to say anything. Jason would have been so much better, given he could change into anything, but no, Marcella had picked a wolf, Donavon, who just happened to be a true shifter.

A million thoughts kept going through his head. It was true Samael had brought her back, but in the process, his queen had somehow outsmarted them all. The coincidences of how her men made it to live before he’d even considered her return made him feel as though he was missing the big picture. If he wouldn’t have made her return, would she have figured out a way to do it herself, or had she somehow manipulated even him? Fuck. He’d never know the entire truth until Marcella could gain back her memory, which only would lead to more problems. Either way, he was screwed.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Samael turned to Dominic. “So, you wanna go help out your boy over there, or you just gonna sit here and watch your brother kick all these alphas’ asses?”

Dominic looked in Ambrose’s direction and shrugged. “If you ask me, I think he’s having way too much fun. There are barely any more wolves standing by him. He should be fine.”

“Yeah, you better hope so.”

Samael turned his attention back to the fight and watched Donavon sink his teeth into the back leg of the brown-furred alpha. It seemed both of the leaders had said to hell with the tradition and decided to gang up on him. If Samael had to guess, it was that they didn’t like their wolves reacting to the howl Donavon had let out. As soon as it hit the air, wolves from the newly arrived Austin pack went apeshit crazy to join the side of his other followers. There weren’t that many, maybe seven, but it didn’t change the fact that they’d betrayed their leader at the drop of a dime.

Dominic turned back to him. “I’m guessing this isn’t how things usually go? I mean the fighting for alpha thing.”

“Nope. They’re really intent on taking him out. Why, you thinking of offering a hand?”

“Not at all. I’ll chill here with you. Seems like we weren’t really needed here after all. Damn, I was really wanting a challenge.”

“You could always fight me.” Samael looked over at him and smiled.

“Yeah, I bet you would like that. But you see, if I hurt you, I have no doubt you’ll hold a grudge and cart my ass back off to hell. Nope. Not going to happen.”

“Pity. I was kind of feeling restless, myself. You’re probably smart, though, not to fight me. Not that I’m worried about you inflicting any pain. You might, but that would only fuel my anger. That, you don’t want to do. I might forget who you are, and, well, we both know it won’t end well.”

A yelp had Samael’s eyes shooting back to the fight. One more down, one to go. It looked from the gaping wound in the Houston leader’s neck that he wasn’t going to be leading a pack any time in the future. The guy was deader than a doorknob.

Dominic opened his mouth, but Samael lifted his hand for him to be quiet. “Donavon, you want to hurry this up? Queen. Waiting. In a dungeon? Are you remembering any of this? Now quit playing around and finish him off.”

“What makes you think he’s playing?”

Samael turned to look at Dominic, annoyed. “It would seem your brother has kept a major secret from everyone. The guy’s not a wolf. At least. Not a true wolf. He’s a shifter. Why he’s chosen a wolf is beyond me. Hell, he might not even know what he is. I guess if he grew up in a pack, then he’d do what came natural, but the guy is way stronger than any of us thought.”

“No shit. Well, hell. Who would have thought?”

Samael looked over at him. “Our queen, maybe? She is the one who assigned him.”

Dominic’s eyes widened, and his vision shot to where Donavon was finishing off the last alpha. Blood sprayed while his teeth sunk deep into the neck of red fur. “You think Marcella knew?”

“I think it makes sense. She might not even know why she did it, but I think deep down she has something big planned. I just wish I knew it was.” Samael watched Donavon turn into human form. His nude body was covered in blood as he walked forward. Whether it was his or the others’, Samael didn’t have a clue. Donavon was injured, he knew that for sure, but it wasn’t anything the guy couldn’t heal himself.

“Pack!” The blue and golden of his eyes blazed as Donavon looked around. Samael couldn’t stop from staring. The power coming from the shifter made his skin crawl. There was no doubt the blood he’d just ingested was the cause. The more powerful the creature, the more authority he would carry. But the wildness in Donavon’s gaze was what made Samael watch him closely.

“Would you like me to, uh, clean you up a little before I hand you your clothes?” Samael asked.

“Yeah, sure. Whatever.” The dark angel waved his hand at Donavon, making the blood disappear, and watched as he got dressed. The pack, along with Ambrose and the vampires, came forward. Everyone waited in silence for what the new alpha was going to say.

“I just wanted to thank all of you who decided to give this a chance. You won’t regret it. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to get back home. Samael? Dominic? Can we get some more cars? We’re going to need them. As for me, I’m taking my own. Aaron and Gabe, you both ride with me.”

Donavon took off toward the Mercedes SUV without so much as looking at Samael, Dominic, or Ambrose. No one moved for a few seconds. Confused, Samael shook his head. “All right. Everyone load up. We have a good drive ahead of us. Until we have everything worked out between you two groups, vampires and wolves need to be separated.”

“Hey, what’s wrong with him?” Dominic’s hand stopped Samael from heading to his car.

“I’m not sure. I think Donavon’s trying to process everything. Just give him some time. Make more cars appear, and let’s head out.”

Finally, they could go home. Home. Odd, Samael had never felt like he belonged in the middle of all those men, but suddenly, the thought of the fortress being the place he wanted to be the most just felt damn good. Shit. Who was he kidding? He’d always loved the queen, but what he feared the most was happening. Samael was falling in love with her all over again. Great. What were next, roses and chocolates, maybe a serenade or two? Heaven forbid.

* * * *

Marcella had been walking in circles for what felt like hours. Gripping the sheet tighter around her body, she took the small length of the room again. The dragon had left, leaving Jason tired. Listening to the soft hum of his snores was driving her crazy. Other than him, the silence was deafening. Anything would have been better than nothing at all. Hell, right now she’d settle for the sound of water dripping.

So many things kept going through her mind. What was she going to do about Nemmy? Just the look in his eyes when he’d assumed she’d had sex with Jason made her stomach turn. He was unstable, but was he a murderer? Whether Jason died or not was irrelevant. If the angel’s finger pulled the trigger, he’d be intent to kill. She knew that for a fact.

Whatever was going to happen between them wasn’t going to be good. Deep down, in some place Marcella couldn’t reach in her subconscious, she knew Nemmy was going to be her biggest problem. What was she going to do with him? She thought she knew earlier, but Marcella had a feeling that pretending was only going to last so long. The angel wanted something, and she was almost afraid to know what it was. It couldn’t just be the dealing of souls.

“Well, well, don’t you look edible, draped in a sheet. You weren’t thinking too hard now, were you?”

Marcella spun toward the cell bars in time to see her men step through the door. Rushing forward, she threw herself into Donavon’s arms. “Oh, God, I missed you all so much! Is everyone okay?”

“Yes, everyone is fine,” Samael assured her. “I told you I wouldn’t let anything happen to them. Not that they really needed me there to begin with.”

“You did say that. Thank you for watching out for them.” Marcella made her way to Dominic and Ambrose, hugging them tightly. When she got to Samael, she paused. “I owe you.”

“You owe me nothing. But if you insist, you can maybe find me a room. I wish to stay.”

Feeling her eyes grow big, Marcella quickly looked down. The last thing she wanted was for him to see her surprise. “A room? Done. How would you like to have the other tower? It’s connected to my balcony, and I think it would be perfect. You’re right there if I need anything.”

“Sounds great. I needed to find a new place, anyway. The last thing I want is a surprise visit from those pesky angels again.”

“Speaking of which!” Jason flew from the bed, half asleep. “That damn Nemmy almost shot my ass! You wait till I see him again. I won’t have these bars to hold me back, that’s for damn sure. What would have happened if that moron would have missed and the bullet would have ricocheted and hit Marcella? I fucking swear, I don’t know him, but I hate him already.”

“They’ve been here? What the hell happened?”