Enemy Mine (10 page)

He sensed someone before he heard the

footsteps crunching across the gravel of

the dilapidated parking lot. Leaning

against the trunk, he crossed his arms over

his chest as a tall shifter male approached

him.

With a whipcord lean build, dark curly

hair, and olive complexion, he looked just

like the picture of Uberto Mazzoni that

Kiernan had looked up. It had been hard to

find one—even with technology, shifters

and vamps liked staying out of the

limelight—but not impossible.

The shifter’s dark eyes narrowed as he

stopped about ten feet in front of him. “I

smell blood.”

Kiernan shrugged. “She didn’t come

easy.”

A muscle twitched in the shifter’s jaw.

“If she’s injured, the deal is off.”

Well that was interesting. They didn’t

want her hurt. “Where’s your Alpha? Or

does he send you to do all his dirty

work?” Kiernan wanted to get his fangs

and claws on the Alpha who’d ordered

Melina’s kidnapping. Considering the

amount of money they’d wired him, there

was no way Uberto was working alone.

“He’s not here, not for something so

trivial.” The shifter’s words were

dismissive but considering how much they

were willing to pay for Melina, Kiernan

knew this wasn’t a trivial matter.

She was important for some reason and

considering they didn’t want her hurt, he

had a good idea why they wanted her.

Originally he’d assumed it had been to use

her as a form of leverage against her

father, but now . . . “Did you know she’s a

healer?”

Kiernan felt the air almost jump to life

around him with the pulsing sensation of

others getting closer. His senses told him

four shifters surrounded him. In his

peripheral vision he saw two on either

side so he guessed two more were at the

front of the car, directly behind him.

Not a flicker of surprise in Uberto’s

eyes at his question.

Kiernan had his answer. They knew

exactly what she was, how revered her

kind was, and had decided to go after her

anyway. He tapped on the trunk once.

“She’s in here.”

There was a muffled grunt then a slam

against the inside of the trunk, as if

someone had kicked it.

Uberto growled low in his throat.

“What the hell did you do to her?”

“Knocked her out, but apparently she’s

awake now.” His words were so devoid

of emotion, he knew what a heartless

bastard he sounded like. “I want the rest

of my money.”

“You’ll get it as soon as I see she’s

okay.”

“Your pack members rammed an SUV

into the cab she was in.” Not exactly

concerned behavior.

“That was a mistake.” Uberto stepped

forward so Kiernan moved back.

Kiernan had bought a slightly older

model four-door sedan in cash from a

used car lot earlier in the day for this very

purpose. He didn’t want anything traced

back to him once he filled the trunk with

bodies.

Pressing the key fob, he stepped to the

side and turned to get a better view of the

rest of the Mazzoni pack members. Yep,

four in all. The most primal part of him

smiled in anticipation. This would be no

problem.

As the trunk eased open, Uberto cursed.

“What the fu—”

Kiernan’s brother Ronan flew out, fangs

and claws extended. They’d left Melina’s

bloody dress in the trunk so the shifters

would scent her.

His brother slashed at Uberto’s throat,

taking him off guard. Knowing Ronan

could handle himself, Kiernan turned

toward the two closest shifters.

One growled and immediately shifted to

his animal form. Clothes and shoes

shredded as the beast replaced the human.

The other man didn’t change form. Instead

he withdrew a sharp blade from a sheath

at his waist. It gleamed under the

moonlight as the shifter launched himself

in Kiernan’s direction.

Instinctively, he called upon his power

of fire. It danced around him in a circle

but when he directed it toward the shifter

with the blade, it was deflected.

“They’ve been spelled!” he shouted to

his brother, not surprised.

Since they’d discovered his gift of fire

in their last attack, they’d obviously had a

witch or fae bless them. If he was a

betting man, his money would be on a

witch.

It wouldn’t matter. Nothing would save

them from his wrath. Not when they’d

gone after Melina. Kiernan ducked as the

blade arched toward his head, and , claws

out, slashed through the shifter’s thigh.

Blood spurted everywhere. The man

howled in pain as Kiernan rolled onto his

back, avoiding the giant beast flying

toward him.

He could hear the other howls of pain

and, without looking, knew his brother

was tearing them up.

A deep, animalistic growl sounded

behind him. Leaping to his feet, he dodged

to the side, avoiding another rush from the

animal. As he did, he withdrew one of the

blades he’d strapped to his back earlier.

Slicing out, he barely nicked the

shoulder of the shifter still in human form.

At least he’d made contact. These shifters

were younger, a century old at the most,

and slower. They might be strong, but he

and his brother would be able to bring

them down.

Uberto was the only one with any sort

of power Kiernan had sensed earlier, and

he currently lay on the cement, his neck

open, his head almost all the way off.

Ronan hadn’t completely decapitated him

because they didn’t want him dead. Not

yet.

Kiernan tried to dodge out of the way of

another attack, but sharp teeth sliced into

his arm as the wolf latched on to him.

Agony ripped through him, flaying his

senses like scorching liquid silver.

Pushing through the pain, he twisted

slightly, using his free arm to bring the

blade down across the animal’s neck.

Sharp and deadly, it sliced through it with

lethal accuracy.

Blood poured down his arm, but

Kiernan ignored the pain,

compartmentalizing so he could do what

had to be done. Behind him he heard a

growl, the crunch of bones breaking and

shifting as the other shifter turned to his

animal form.

Turning, blade raised, Kiernan sliced

through the air, shoving right into the

animal’s heart. A howl of pain escaped

the shifter, but Kiernan didn’t allow

himself to feel anything. The shifters were

no doubt acting on their Alpha’s orders,

but they were a threat that had to be

eliminated.

Withdrawing the blade, he quickly

arched up and sliced the animal’s head

off. When he looked up he found his

brother kneeling by Uberto’s fallen body.

A pained gurgle erupted from the shifter

as his throat slowly knitted itself back

together.

Since his head hadn’t been completely

removed, he’d heal, but Kiernan knew the

shifter’s days—or more likely hours—

were numbered.

Grabbing the silver chains from the

trunk, he and his brother started trussing

Uberto up before tossing him inside.

Kiernan looked over at the other two

shifters. One was in animal form, the other

human. Both dead.

Flexing his fingers, Kiernan called on

his fire once again. Now that they were

dead, the spell no longer applied.

Ordering his fire to burn, he lit them all,

but left their heads untouched. Bright

orange flames licked into the quiet night

air as their bodies crumbled to ash under

the intense heat. Without having to tell his

brother what to do next, they both gathered

the heads of the dead and dumped them in

the trunk.

Uberto groaned loudly, but they ignored

him.

Everything around them had gone

preternaturally quiet. He couldn’t even

hear the other heartbeats from earlier.

Likely the homeless or whoever had been

in the vicinity had seen or sensed the

danger and run.

Very smart.

Covered in blood and dirt, he looked at

his brother. “Ready?”

“You sure about this?” Ronan asked

quietly.

He nodded. Walking into a den of

wolves wasn’t an idea he relished, but

there was no way around it. Hand-

delivering this piece of shit to the

Rodriguez pack was the only way he knew

how to show them his intentions toward

Melina.

If they still didn’t accept or trust him, so

be it. He wasn’t walking away from her.

* * *

“The evidence is all right here, Melina,”

Carlos said, sympathy in his voice.

She looked at the paperwork her other

two brothers had slapped down on her

parents’ dining room table with relish.

She might love her brothers, but right now

she couldn’t fight the hurt threading

through her. They were convinced Kiernan

had betrayed her and were practically

giddy in their desire to prove it to her.

Well, except Carlos. He just looked like

he felt sorry for her.

Which was just as annoying. “So, he

received a call from Uberto Mazzoni and

the Mazzonis gave his coven some

money?”

“A
lot
of money,” Carlos said.

“And word on the street is the Mazzonis

have been seen around town, asking about

you. No doubt they’re behind the

attempted kidnapping,” Miguel said.

“Then why did he save me the other

night?”

Miguel shrugged and opened his mouth,

but before he could answer there was a

shout of alarm from the front of the house.

“Stay here,” Carlos ordered as her

three brothers strode from the room.

Biting back a growl of frustration she

followed after them, hurrying through the

palatial home—but stopped when she

reached the hallway that led to the foyer

by the front door.

Kiernan’s voice washed over her, deep

and angry, as he and her father exchanged

heated words. After a few minutes of

shouting, she realized Kiernan had brought

Uberto Mazzoni and the heads of four

shifters to her pack as an offering. She

knew she should probably be grossed out,

but she smiled to herself. He’d done it for

her. She’d known her brothers were

wrong, and she hadn’t cared what they’d

believed anyway. All she cared about was

that Kiernan hadn’t betrayed her.

Staying silent, she continued listening

as he spoke with her family.

“Uberto didn’t want her hurt,” Kiernan

said.

“Is that supposed to mean something to

me?” her father asked.

“I know about her healing abilities. My

guess is the Mazzoni Alpha is sick or

injured and needs her.”

Melina knew that if that was true, the

Mazzoni Alpha would have to be close to

death. Otherwise they might have tried

asking her to use her healing abilities. But

if the Alpha was near dying, she wouldn’t

be able to help him without draining all

her own energy and possibly killing

herself in the process. And her father

never would have allowed her to chance

helping him if it put her in any possible

danger.

“Thank you for dropping off this

bastard. I’ll make sure he tells me

everything he knows.”

“I want to see Melina.” Kiernan’s

words were quiet, intense, but thanks to

her extrasensory abilities, she heard him.

Her father said no and as they continued

arguing she hurried back through the

house. She knew where her father’s

soldiers were positioned and though they

were very good at what they did, they

were meant to keep people out, not in.

And no one would expect her to attempt to

leave.

Especially not now.

If her family wasn’t going to let Kiernan

in after what he’d just done, she’d go to

him.

Using her small size and knowledge of

her pack’s home, she sneaked out a side

door and made her way along the side of

the house until she reached the wall

corner. Peeking around, she spotted a

four-door sedan near the stone walkway

directly leading to the front door, and an

SUV farther down the driveway. The trunk

of the sedan was open, and one of her

brothers was pulling a shifter head out of

it.

Okay, it was really gross now that she

actually saw it. Bile rose in her throat and

she had to take a deep breath to steady

herself. Next she spotted her father and

brother escorting Kiernan away. They

weren’t trying to manhandle him, but they

weren’t being gentle either.

A need to protect him jumped inside

her, an angry vicious thing she couldn’t

control. He’d just helped her pack, risked

his life to protect her, and they were