Fighting for her Mate: Shape Shifter Paranormal Romance (Sassy Mates Book 5) (14 page)

TWENTY-SEVEN

Pure fury rolled through Caleb. His mate had been threatened with the worst thing imaginable—mental and physical abuse. Not in this fucking lifetime. Caleb would die fighting for her.

Gashes flowed freely with his blood. Kudos to Rocco for keeping up his fighting skills, but Caleb was younger with more stamina, and more of a reason to win. He noted how close they were getting to the top of the perimeter. He didn’t want Rocco taking a cheap shot to get him to step over the line.

With a quick twist move, Caleb had Rocco pinned to the ground, jaws clamped around the bastard’s throat. Their mental tie opened. “Surrender, Rocco, or I will crush your neck. This fight is to the death, but I don’t want to kill you and lose another family member. Step down from alpha and I will let you leave alive.”

Again, laughter transferred from one to the other. “You’re such a pussy. A coward, just like your father.”

“Rocco, that was the dumbest thing you’ve ever sai—”

Caleb’s wolf form flew back from his grounded opponent. A pain shot through his body that almost knocked him unconscious. The answer to his curious affliction came to him on the wind: the sound of a gunshot.

Everyone looked at the trees on the Rahound side of the field except Ellie. She darted toward Caleb who was lying on his side, panting. She slid to her knees, taking her mate’s furry head into her lap.

“Oh my god, Caleb.” Her hands raised, completely covered in blood. Ellie focused on Rocco. “You son of a bitch. You shot him. You cheated!”

The alpha of the Rahound pack returned to his human body. “
I
didn’t shoot him. Now get out of the way so I can rip out his throat.”

Adrenalin shot through Ellie’s body. She couldn’t allow this. “He’s injured. You can’t attack him.”

Rocco’s brow drew up. “The fight continues, my soon to be sex slave, until only one lives or he leaves the circle. You can drag him out, but he forfeits and you belong to me.” His tongue slid between his lips. Caleb whined and moved in her lap.

She whispered to him, “No, Caleb. Do your best to heal yourself.” Ellie laid his head on the ground and stood. “I invoke the universal rule to fight in place of my mate.”

Caleb whined again and shouts came from the Wolfe side of the field, mainly from her brothers and their mates. She held up a hand to quiet them.

Rocco smiled. “Nice try, my pet, but you two are not fully mated.”

Ellie smiled back. “We’re legally married in the human world, which wolf law considers fully mated. And as the offended party, I choose we fight in human form.” More angry shouts filled the air.

A scowl consumed her enemy’s face. “Either way is fine with me. I think I’ll take you down and fuck you right here for everyone to see our mating.”

Ellie smiled. “Let’s tango, shall we?” She stepped away from Caleb, to the middle of the fighting circle, and held her hand out to Rocco.

His head tilted. “What’s this? You truly wish to tango, perhaps?” She remained quietly standing with a pleasant smile. As soon as he placed his hand in hers, she twirled into his arms, putting her back against his front. Ellie promptly stomped on his toes with the heel of her hiking boot, jabbed her elbow into his solar plexus, grabbed his arm around her, and flipped him over her back.

Rocco landed flat, face up, to laughter from both sides. Taunts of “you’re letting a girl beat you” and “the girl’s whipping your ass” enraged him. He sprang to his feet and came at her. Again, he ended up on his back. Mike’s training was worth his weight in gold.

A phone ringing barely registered with her. Shortly thereafter, a hushed whisper spread through the group on her side. Whatever was going on, she’d find out later. Ellie flipped Rocco again.

This time she took him down, his face against the ground, her arm locked around his neck. She knew what he’d experience next. As she applied pressure, his vision would narrow on his way to unconsciousness. “Listen up, Rocco. I don’t want to kill you. I’m not like the dirt you are. So you can walk away and forfeit right now, or I’ll drag your knocked out ass over the line. Which is it?”

One of Ellie’s brothers yelled from the Rahound side. “Hey, everyone. Look what I found.” The crowd divided, allowing Aric to stride forward. He held a rifle in one hand with the other wrapped around a male’s neck. “Seems this guy thinks it’s hunting season. Since there is no hunting wolves, I’m not sure what he was aiming at.”

Aric shook the man by the collar then looked at Rocco in Ellie’s hold. “I’d ask you if you know this guy, but I see you’re busy.” He laughed and headed toward the other side of the field.

The dark-haired vampire stood with his hands on his hips on the sideline in front of Rocco. “If I’d known you were such a pantywaist, Rocco, I’d never have agreed to fight with you.”

From the crowd came Aria’s voice. “Filip, you truly are a piece of shit. This ends now.” As Aria with Julian, Penelope, and Zane made their way through the crowd, Rocco took the distracted opportunity to shift to his animal. He whipped out of Ellie’s hold and dove for her neck with his razor teeth flashing.

Ellie yelped and got her forearm up in time to keep the wolf’s jaw from crunching her throat. He morphed into his human. “You’re like your mate, too pussy to kill the enemy. I don’t have that problem. Your pack will be mine like it should’ve been years ago before your father came along and took your mother from me.”

Fire burned in her eyes. “My brothers won’t let that happen.”

“Then, my dearest, you will no longer be an aunt to three little shits under my control.” He signaled to someone on his sideline.

TWENTY-EIGHT

Raymond lay on the tile floor, eyes staring blankly at the ceiling in the destroyed living room, blood from his curtain-rod smashed nose seeping onto the front of his chest. His shirt still had wet devil spawn puke down the back.

The ground was littered with white and cream packing from different pillows. He thought maybe a half-chewed sofa cushion contributed also. The front curtains hung halfway off the brackets. One side was still attached, but the screw holding up the bar had slid partially out of the drywall.

His hands found their way into his own hair and was yanking and pulling. Maybe self-flagellation would save him from insanity. It wasn’t looking good.

He smelled fresh dirt, meaning one of the plants was a goner. At least he didn’t have to change shitty diapers again. That seemed like days ago, but could only have been hours, right? Maybe this was all a dream. A nightmare his girlfriend inflicted on him because he didn’t want to start a family yet. Now, it will be never. He giggled. Never!

He barely felt the sharp little teeth biting into his shoe. The sperm vermin would have the leather eaten in no time. Another of the crotch nuggets simply made laps around and around and around…her barking and howling getting louder with every round. A rough tongue licked a sore spot on his cheek.

Another giggle escaped his throat. This one dark and creepy. He freaked himself out hearing it. Rahound could babysit the frakenspawn if he wanted them. Would he snap soon?

Warm wetness spread along his ankle. He rolled his head to see a short furry leg lifted over his shoe. A creek of yellow liquid flowed over the strings.

Ray stared out the windshield of his truck as a crib lizard chewed and tore open the passenger side seat cover. He didn’t care. He barely noticed. The only thing running through his mind was no more babies, no more floor monsters, no more.

His truck turned onto the same driveway it had fifteen or sixteen hours—maybe days—ago. He wasn’t keeping track of anything except no more babies, no more muff monkeys. He’d never felt so happy in his life as to get rid of the aliens that invaded his life. He should think about locating the mothership. He wouldn’t want more Martians finding him. He giggled as he put the vehicle in park.

He knocked on a familiar front door, chanting his mantra: No more hellions…

A surprised young woman, the mother, answered the door. Before she had a chance to speak, Ray shoved three wide-eyed, tongue-lolling pups into her arms, one soaking wet with a drooping diaper. “No more babies.” He giggled and stepped away. “No more babies.” Taking a side step, he slammed into the house siding, bouncing off with a smile still on his face.

“No more babies!” He tripped down the steps to the front porch, “No more babies!” then stumbled to his truck, “No more babies,” and slammed his head against the window, knocking himself out cold.

TWENTY-NINE

Caleb lay bleeding in his wolf body, listening as Ellie invoked her right to fight in place of him, her mate. What the fuck was she thinking? After he saw her lay Rocco flat on his ass, he closed his wolf eyes and focused on healing the gunshot to his shoulder.

A phone ringing caught his attention and whispers floated. He saw Nate run to his brothers. He wondered what that was about. If it was another trick from Rocco, Caleb would saw off his uncle’s balls with an emery board.

A pissed-off voice called out to someone named Filip.

Caleb’s wolf eyes opened to see Rocco shift and attack Ellie, his teeth shredding her arm on his way to her throat. Her brothers launched into the fighting circle, but they were too far away to get to her before Rocco killed her.

Before his brain could register his reaction, he’d mowed over his uncle, dragging him away from his mate. All hell broke loose around them.

When the brothers and Aria stormed onto the field, Rahound’s side took that to be a free for all. The two groups converged.

Aria saw fear cross Filip’s face, until more vampires stepped to his side. Her focus zoomed in on the gorgeous vamp. “I don’t care how you escaped the fire, cockhead. But now, I will end you.”

Filip straightened and tugged on his pristine white Japanese fighting top. “Why won’t you just go away? I’m so tired of dealing.”

“Well, excuse the fuck out of me, asswipe.” She swiped a clawed hand across his face. “Let me take care of your problem by killing you.”

Filip’s eyes twinkled black and he threw himself at her, mouth gaping, teeth ready to chomp. Aria met him head on, swinging an upper cut and snapping his head back hard enough to flip his body over.

From his prone position on the ground, Filip dove for her legs, taking her to the ground.

Aria rolled with her enemy, coming up straddling him. He bucked his hips, tossing her off. “I’d love to try that move naked with my dick buried inside you. I’d buck until you screamed my name, then drain you as you came around my cock.”

A shudder passed through Aria. “Sounds disgusting, Filip. No wonder you’re single. Females with any taste can’t stand to be in your presence.”

He grinned a sneer. “I assure you, women won’t be standing while in my presence, but I do care for their taste as it flows over my tongue. My vampires will bleed out every one of you until no trace of the Valderi family exists.”

Aria gave a little giggle. “You think a handful of vamps here could take out the strongest and oldest vampires in the world?”

“I will take you down on my own,” Filip bragged. “My southern empire will do the rest. These men owe Rocco a debt. They are here to make good on it. And get a little wolf blood on the side.” The vamps behind him snickered.

An
empire
? Aria didn’t like the sound of that. After she killed Filip, she’d need to check out what was going on in the South. “I’m sure your empire is the size of your dick. Miniscule.” The men behind Filip tittered, enraging him more. He came at her with a frontal assault.

She positioned herself as she did for the upper cut earlier. Filip adjusted to defend and throw his own punch. Aria squatted under his swing and crashed her head into his groin, her nails dragged down his thighs, digging deeply. He fell to the side, curled in a half ball. His pristine whites were not so white any longer.

Aria strode to him and knelt at his head. “Good riddance, Filip.” With a quick twist of his skull, Aria snapped his neck then ripped his head from the body.

“Let me have it, Aria. He’ll be a perfect addition.” Aria looked up. Wolves fought around her, but all the vamps were lying in puddles of their own blood. Her magnificent trinity stood by, patiently watching her.

Zane looked at Aria with the dead head in her hands. His eyes sparkled. Penelope rolled her eyes. “Zane, you’re insane.”

Julian grunted. “I’ve been saying he’s in
zane
for ages.” He and Zane laughed at the play on spelling. The two women groaned.

A male in human form banged into Aria from behind. She turned and slashed his back, severing his spine. Aric stood in front of her when the man fell. “Thanks, Aria.”

“How’s it looking? All the vamps are taken care of. Do you want us to step in with you? I know you wolves don’t like others interfering in your things.”

Aric sighed. “I appreciate the offer, but you’re right about wolves and others.” He looked around the scene. Even with the four’s help, they were still outnumbered by Rahound’s group. His brothers fought valiantly, but enemy numbers were simply overpowering. Many from both packs either lay on the blood-soaked grass or crawled away to recover. Aric hated this. Countless lives gone because of one man’s greed.

He searched for Rocco, but spoke to Aria. “You’re welcome to hang around. But if you help, our pack will be seen as weak and others will always be challenging. You can keep an eye on Trevan, if you like.”

Aria put her nose to the air. “Why would I want to help him? He’s a rogue, a man without a pack.”

“More like an alpha free from any strings to do whatever he wanted, with whomever he wanted.” Aric smiled. He smelled her interest in the visiting alpha.
Very
strong interest.

“Perhaps I will talk to him later, and make sure he’s not double-teamed here.” She quickly vanished among the melee. Aric tipped his head to the ancient three still there and headed into the brawl to salvage what he could. He glanced at his mate off to the side. She and the other women were triage for those who made it to them. They either patched them up or assisted with shifting for natural healing, then threw them back into the fight.

But the makeshift hospital was taking in more than they were shipping out. As acting alpha, it was his responsibility to decide when enough was enough and call for surrender. Again he looked around for Caleb or Rocco. Their battle results would end this mass beating his limited number pack was taking.

His mate’s voice reached his ears. “Aric, we can’t take anymore. You have to stop this now!” His eyes found Jordan’s. This pack was as much hers as his. These were her people being injured, too. He dropped his look to his feet, then nodded. It was time.

Slamming vehicle doors pulled his attention to the small parking area not far from the fight circle. Jake, Nicole, and a slew of men hurried toward them from two passenger vans.

Aric couldn’t believe it. “What the hell? How did you get here so fast?”

Jake stripped off his shirt. “We’ll talk later. Now we protect the pack.” Jake ran into the center ring, shifting within two steps. The men behind him followed suit. The last man in the group wasn’t a happy camper, but damn he was big. Aric wondered who he was. He bet it was the cousin who challenged for the alpha spot in their pack. Shit. Would this guy take advantage of the situation and kill Nicole or Jake?

Nicole took Aric’s arm as he turned to join his brothers. “Aric, where are the other women?”

He turned to her. “Where did all these guys come from?”

Nicole smiled. “The Vegas pack is well off financially, or was. They own a private jet. That’s how we got here so quickly. After meeting and talking with the pack, the men wanted to help our family. They’d heard about the goodness of the Wolfe pack and wanted to fight to preserve that way of life for other packs. Alphas like their Grady Harris and Rocco Rahound, they want to eliminate.”

Aric glanced over his shoulder. Tides had already started to flow their way. “Nic, your one act of bravery of standing up to Harris may save more than you will ever know.” He nodded to the side. “The mates are nursing the injured. Please join them. Their task is overwhelming.” With that, he jumped into the ring to find Jake.