VampireMine (22 page)

“We’re about to leave.” He continued speaking quietly, not
wanting to upset her further. “I’ve come to take you downstairs.”

“Leave?” Contempt turned to suspicion. “Leave for where?”

“A special place.” It was the truth. He’d always loved the
island. “Somewhere safe.”

“It’s not your right,” she hissed, her beautiful brown and
blue eyes furious. “This is my life.” Pounding a fist to her chest, she
snarled, “My. Life.” She lowered her arm, glaring at him. “You don’t have any
say in it.”

Not your life. Your death. If allowed such a thing.

Never.

“That’s where you’re wrong, little one.” Sliding a hand into
his pocket, he carefully removed the plastic shield from the needle and crossed
the distance to her. “When it comes to you I have more of a say than you
think.”

She tried to get away but there was nowhere to go. When he
cornered her, she gazed up at him with terror in her mismatched eyes. “I’ll
scream. I swear I will. I’ll bring the house down.”

“I won’t hurt you,
Mo chride
,” he promised, edging
nearer to her. “Easy, lass.”

“You take it easy!” If she could have vanished into the wall
he was certain she would have. “Stay back. Don’t come any closer.”

He admired her attempt to fight, although she didn’t stand
any real chance. As a human she’d never match his speed or strength. He pinned
her to the wall, preventing her from seeing the syringe. Before she could break
into a full-fledged fight he slid the needle into her arm and pushed the
plunger.

As she’d warned him earlier, she screamed. “No! You said you
wouldn’t hurt me!”

“And I will no’. I’ll never harm you.”

He hated the way her anguish and obvious feelings of
betrayal corroded his insides, eating away at him like battery acid. The
sedative was strong and he only had to hold her for a couple of minutes before
she rocked unsteadily on her feet. For the first time since he’d brought her to
his home he was able to sweep her into his arms.

Christ, she felt so right.

Nothing was more perfect.

“Put…me…down.” Her words were slurred, almost impossible to
make out.

“But I like having you like this. So close and warm,” he
murmured against the shell of her ear. “You’re a sweet little armful. If I
could I’d keep you this close all the time.”

The panther within loved the nearness, urging him to swipe
his tongue along his female’s throat. It ached for the taste of her, wanting to
lap at her skin. His cock went instantly hard, his fangs dropping of their own
accord. She wasn’t aroused but he knew the first time he smelled a hint of her
cream the beast would want to lick at her slit, discover exactly how sweet she
tasted. Thankfully the panther also felt her pain and wanted to take it away.
It knew she needed more than it could give her so it took a backseat. As long
as he was able, he’d make sure the man and not the animal stayed in charge.

“Sleep for me, wee little creature.” With care he swept
heavy strands of hair from her face. Like this, with her peaceful and resting
in his arms, he never wanted to let her go. A surge of protectiveness and
longing spiked through him. He’d attend to her. Give her good memories. Love
her beyond measure. “When you wake up you’ll find a whole new world waiting for
you.”

He strode from the room, carrying her with ease. She settled
against him, her deep breaths telling him she’d fallen asleep. The guards stood
aside but followed him as he carried his female down the stairs. He turned in
the foyer and made the trek to the back of the house. The car would be waiting.
Soon they’d travel to the airport and be on their way to paradise. It was
beautiful at the island. The water was so clear you could see the sand. She
could frolic and play or spend her days gazing up at heaven.

Whatever she wanted would be hers.

If it took everything he had, he’d make her happy. No matter
how long it took. No matter if she hated him and would never give him her heart
and soul. He’d gotten everything in order for the packs and the prides in the
area. Diskant was going to have to hold his own for a while. This was his
moment and he wasn’t letting anything else get in the way.

He’d finally found his female, the most important thing in
his world.

God knows he’d done enough for everyone else.

Finally. Her injuries were healing.

Thank God.

Trey brushed the back of his hand across Sadie’s cheek.

At first the horrible gashes in her chest had kept filling
and spilling over, covering the sheets in stains of vibrant red. He’d opened
his mate’s pale lips, slashed his arm and dripped his blood into her mouth.
She’d swallowed despite being out for the count. Certain she’d had enough, he’d
taken a seat beside her.

Then he’d waited.

Each second had felt like minutes, the minutes in turn like
hours. When the bleeding had stopped he’d put her in a button-down shirt Ava
had provided, so he could inspect Sadie’s chest without shifting her body. She
hadn’t healed as fast as she should have and it terrified him.

He never wanted to see her like this again.

If he had his way he wouldn’t.

“They’re asking about her,” Diskant said quietly. “We should
tell them something.”

“How about fuck off,” Trey growled, not turning to look at
the man. “Do you think that’ll do?”

“Trey, please,” Ava said, imploring him to listen. “You’ve
gotten their attention. Do this right and we can work things out. They want to
understand. Go to them and explain. You wanted to plead your case. Now’s your
chance.”

“They can kiss my ass.” Whipping his head around, he
narrowed his eyes and growled at Diskant. “And don’t even think about using
your mind juju shit on me. You can wear me down but you can’t change my
decision. We’re not staying. Fuck it. As soon as she’s well we’re leaving.”

Over the years Trey had been careful with his money. He
wasn’t the richest man in the world but he had enough saved to find a place
Sadie would love—a place they’d call home. Perhaps they’d venture to a distant
location where no one would find them. There he’d keep her safe. He didn’t need
anything else.

At least that’s what he told himself.

Grief kept rearing its ugly head. He didn’t understand it.
The pack had hurt the woman meant for him. The only female he’d ever be given.
But knowing he’d soon leave everything behind—no longer be able to turn to
other wolves that understood and embraced him, a part of something much larger
than himself—created an enormous divide in his soul.

Are you fucking serious? Think about what they’ve done.

Remember how they treated her.

The wolf tried to make him think logically. No one in the
pack had behaved in a manner he wouldn’t have. If someone had brought a vampire
to him and asked for his blessing on the mating he probably would’ve turned him
or her away.

Right?

He shook his head. He didn’t know what he’d have done.
Circumstances had changed. His opinion had drastically shifted when it came to
mating and vampires. And it all made sense, didn’t it? After all he was mated
to a vampire. That was enough to make the most arrogant and disagreeable
bastard see the light.

Shifting emotions confused him, making him see things both
ways.

His growl deepened as he stared Diskant in the eye. “Don’t
mess with my head.”

“I’m not,” Diskant snapped in return, eyes going from green
to gold. “If you want to go it’s not my place to stop you. I can’t say I blame
you for being pissed. I’d want to rattle a few heads if I were in your shoes.
But I won’t let you look back on this and blame me for making you leave. If you
go it’s on your conscience.”

“I wouldn’t.” No way. Diskant had done everything he could
to help. “I can’t blame you.”

“Then you have to understand something.” With a step to the
side, Diskant placed an arm around Ava’s shoulders. She leaned into him,
wrapping both arms around his hips. “What I told the pack applies to you as
well. Leave this city and you’d better not ever try to come back. If you do I’m
not reaching out to help you. The mess you leave won’t be easy to clean. You’re
on your own.”

“
S’okay.
”

The heavy weight of dread lifted and Trey tuned Diskant out,
placing all of his concentration on Sadie. She’d finally woken up. He wasn’t
sure how hurt she was since she’d communicated with him telepathically. Perhaps
the wounds were deeper than he’d thought. A few had scored through her flesh
down to the bone but he hadn’t noticed more than that.

He gazed down at her face, begging her silently to open her
eyes and look at him.

Her lashes fluttered, thick wisps beautiful against her fair
skin. She blinked a couple of times, like she was fighting sleep, then he was
peering into her beautiful blue eyes, the color so magnificent it challenged
the bright colors of the ocean.

Someone nudged him and he almost lashed out.

His gaze drifted to Ava who had one had on her stomach and
another covering her mouth. The teensy female had tears in her eyes—eyes that
were shifting colors. The trait of a human mated to an Omega. She’d never
change forms but slivers of Diskant’s beasts resided in the fragile female.
Usually Ava didn’t give off emotion. She’d always been strong when it came to
such things, keeping herself apart in a small way from the pack. Now he could
feel how grateful she was to Sadie, how much she wanted to repay the favor.

“Thank you.” Ava choked out the words, pulling in a soft
breath as she tried not to cry.

Sadie’s eyes flittered to Ava.

She studied the woman for several seconds and then she gave
her a small smile and nod. The motion caused her to wince and Trey inserted
himself in front of Ava, crowding Sadie’s body. She needed time to rest.
Werewolves healed during sleep. More than likely his female would do the same.

“
Talk to me,
” he pleaded, reaching out to her.

“
What do you want me to say?
”

Hell yes. There was humor in the question. That meant she
was going to be fine. “
Tell me what to do.
”

He couldn’t rationalize clearly, worried only for her. The
man in him wanted to get the fuck out of town. The wolf wanted to stay. He was
fighting an inner battle he wasn’t sure he could win. He felt torn right down
the center. As much as he wanted to get into a car, drive away and never look
back the idea haunted him.

“
Don’t run.
” She closed her eyes but kept the line of
communication open. “
I never wanted or expected that from you.
”

“
I don’t want to see you hurt.
” Her well-being was
more important. His pride be damned. “
Not ever again.
”

“
Then be the man I fell in love with. Don’t turn your
back on what you love. Don’t cut and run when things get tough. You found me, didn’t
you? Even when you thought it was impossible you didn’t give up. You kept
going. And you saved me. Without you I wouldn’t be here now.”
Her thoughts
became broken, a messy, convoluted tumble.
“I need to rest. If I were at the
caverns I’d have been ordered to sleep by now.
”

He wanted to ask what the caverns were. Then he knew she’d
picked up on his curiosity. She was too tired to respond so he thought back to
her, suffusing the words with all the feeling inside him. “
Then sleep. I’ll
watch over you. I’ll be here when you open those beautiful blue eyes.
”

“
Don’t you dare run.
” The order was weak. “
Be
fierce.
”

Her chest rose as she drew a deep breath and closed her
eyes. She returned to sleep as quickly as she’d ripped herself away from it.
His skin prickled, frustration eager to find an outlet. She’d told him to stay.
He wasn’t sure if he could. The pack wanted to ask questions but he didn’t know
what answers to give them.

“If you go there’s a chance she won’t find Leigh again,” Ava
said. She hadn’t moved, standing slightly behind him. “Diskant can keep her
informed. She doesn’t have to stay in the dark.”

Damn it. He’d forgotten about Leigh and Nathan.

Sadie would want to know about her friend. She wouldn’t
allow them to push her out of Leigh’s life.

“We’re not going to be able to keep any secrets.” It was
hard to find words. He wasn’t sure how to phrase things. “If you’re going to
give them answers they deserve to know everything. But packs have a tendency to
gossip. We have to make sure they stay quiet.”

“We can weed out the deserters,” Diskant offered, shrugging
his large shoulders. “Sort out who’s going and who’s staying.” His deep,
threatening growl filled the room. The grim upturning of his lips and the
glimpse of his fangs screamed vengeance. “Ava and I can take care of Brandi and
Andrea. If their friends decide they want to leave we’ll make sure they don’t
remember much about what went down.”

Trey had never known how the couple manipulated people’s
thoughts. Honestly, as long as it didn’t involve him, he’d normally never
cared. There was more on the line now. The slightest slip and they’d all be
fucked.

He pondered the future, working out the angles.

Sadie had told him not to run.

If that’s what she wanted he’d stand down hell itself.

“Do it.” A part of him remained with Sadie as he moved from
her side. The connection kept growing, bringing them closer together. “Take
care of the bitches first. Then I’ll talk to the pack. But I need to speak to
Zach first. We have to be up to speed.”

“I figured you would. He’s in the living room.”

The smugness in Diskant’s voice was almost too much to take.
The male had known Trey wouldn’t go. He’d been banking on the Alpha standing
his ground. Trey faced his friend, trying not to lunge at him and unleash the
fucking fury he’d held inside for too fucking long.

Son of a bitch
. “You knew I’d stay.”

“Call it a gut feeling.”

Gut feeling my ass.
“How did you know?”

“Ava is my life,” Diskant answered with a heavy dose of
gravity. “I’d die without her. But your life and living are two different
things. You have to choose what’s most important to you and work everything
else out around it. You’ll find your way. For now everything is new.”

“And you want me to lead?” He couldn’t understand how
Diskant could fathom such a thing. “You think I’m capable?”

Diskant didn’t respond. Not right away. After a pause, he
closed the distance between them. The Omega stopped inches away, looking at
Trey, his eyes brimming with respect and admiration. Trey remembered when the
Omega had been born. The moment he’d arrived everyone in the pack had felt the
newborn’s power. They’d known what he’d eventually become. Trey had taken
Diskant Black under his wing, guiding the young man to maturity, much like an
older brother would a sibling.

“I wouldn’t trust anyone else,” Diskant said. “You’re who
they need.”

“Tell me that after I speak to them.” Turning his head
slightly, he gazed at Sadie. “Someone needs to stay with her in case she wakes
up. I don’t want her alone.”

“I’ll stay.” Ava walked to a chair on the other side of the
bed. “I won’t leave until you come back.”

At least he had that small consolation. Ava wouldn’t let
anyone near Sadie. He actually felt sorry for anyone who tried to get into the
bedroom. Ava—even in her condition—would likely throw them out by their ears.
Then they’d have to deal with Diskant.

Anyone with half a brain would know better.

“I’m going to speak with Zach.” Swiveling around, Trey faced
Diskant. “It won’t take long. You’ll need to take care of the females. I want
them gone before I address the pack.”

“Consider it done. Ava mine,” his voice softened as he spoke
to his female, “be ready.”

“I don’t want them near Sadie.”
Hell no.

“Trust me,” Diskant said, a menacing glint in his eye, “they
won’t be.”

It took all of his will to walk out of the room. He detested
the distance, hated each step he took away from his mate. Sadie’s request, “Be
fierce,” kept him going. This was what she’d wanted, for him to be the man she
admired. He could do no less. Not after what she’d sacrificed. He’d be the
Alpha the pack needed, commanding their respect. Trust would be slower to
achieve but eventually it would come as well.

Zach was where Diskant had said he’d be, seated on the
couch. The male had changed drastically since Katie had died. Physically he was
thinner, his frame no longer as wide or muscular. His hair was long and
unkempt, dark blue eyes constantly brooding. Once Zach had been a consummate
joker, easy to laugh and exchange witty barbs. Those days were gone, leaving
behind a shell of Zach’s former self.

How in the hell he’d survived the loss, Trey had no idea.

Perhaps it was his need for revenge.

Maybe Zach couldn’t rest until he’d made the Shepherds pay
for what they’d done.

“I need to be clear,” Trey said, striding into the room. “If
you want the position, you have to be ready for what comes with being a Beta.
It can’t be done half-assed.”

“I don’t do half-assed,” Zach grumbled, rising from the
couch.

“Are you sure you’re up to this?” To keep the pack balanced
Zach would have to cage his grief. It was all about stability and management.
“Can you honestly tell me you won’t buckle under pressure?”

The male’s intense gaze didn’t falter. “I need this,” he
rasped through clenched teeth. “I have to have a reason to wake up each day.
I…” He exhaled through his nose, a tic visible in his jaw. “Katie wouldn’t want
me to follow her to the grave. My existence—her memory—keeps her alive. I won’t
let her be forgotten.”

“Is that how you do it?” Trey didn’t want to be cruel by
asking but he was curious. Most males would have withered and died after the
loss of their mate. “Is that what’s kept you going?”

“I’m not sure.” A bit of the tension left Zach’s face. “I
ask myself the same question. I can’t explain it.”

There has to be another mate for him.

Such a thing was rare but it had been known to happen with
shifters and humans if the third stage of the bloodbond hadn’t been
established. Zach had to know it. The male wasn’t a young cub.