Xan's Feisty Mate (17 page)

The other wolf’s lips seemed to quirk into a sneer. His haunches bunched, preparing to attack again. Powerful jaws chomped down on his side and he howled in pain, but he shrugged him off, striking out with a vicious twist and the need to get to his mate.

He broke away from the wolf, clamped down on the exposed neck, and with one bite, ended the battle. Dark blood, thick like a river poured out of the wound. Xan kept hold until the last bit of life reflected back at him, seeing the hate that had been bred in the other being go out like a lightbulb. As he released him, Xan wanted to wash his mouth out. He’d never relished the taste of killing another wolf, however he wouldn’t regret this one.

“
I’m coming, Breezy.”

The silence that met his announcement ate at him. The minutes he’d spent fighting seemed like an eternity, and he wondered if Breezy’s mother had caught up with her. Their link was still there. He knew in his heart she was alive, now he needed to reach her, before the woman who birthed her, changed that fact.

Chapter Twelve

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“F
uck a duck. Sorry, Kellen. I’ll fix it, or make Xan.” She grabbed an empty flower pot and broke one of the little square windows next to the front door, reaching her hand inside the small opening and quickly unlocking and raising the window, she climbed inside. Kellen hadn’t been lying about fixing up the place she noticed. He’d had new furniture installed, along with a door that had a deadbolt.

She heard the sound of claws scraping over the wood porch. A loud crash near the back had her spinning in a circle, and her heart pounding. Standing naked in the middle of Kellen’s cabin was not where she wanted to be found by strangers.

“Ah, so the little bitch is finally alone.”

Breezy turned to see a woman she wished to never have seen again. Wished with all her might she’d never have laid eyes on. “Well, if it isn’t mommy dearest.” Breezy looked the older woman up and down. “My, time has not been good to you. Or is it that when you’re bad, it makes you ugly?” She tapped her finger on her lips pretending to think.

Sandy’s eyes flared. “You think you’re so cute. Always did with your hair in pigtails, and your big eyes. You had your father and brothers falling at your feet. I should have killed you when you were born. My mistake. I am here to correct that error. You can make it easy and give me your throat, or we can do it the hard way. We both know you’re a submissive wolf.”

The woman she’d known as her mother. The person who should have loved and cared for her sneered, truly thinking Breezy should show her throat and allow the woman to snuff her life out.

“You are certifiable aren’t you?” Of course, they were two grown women standing around in the buff talking about killing. Crazy is as crazy does. Breezy was thinking she may need therapy after this was over.

A grating laugh was her answer, followed by her mother beginning to shift. Kellen wasn’t going to be happy if they destroyed his new fuck palace. Breezy decided she wouldn’t face a wolf in human form, and shifted faster than her mother, obviously surprising the other wolf. The enclosed space of the cabin would hinder them, so she turned on her hind legs, and launched through the same window she’d broken, silently apologizing to Kellen again.

Glass cut her sides as she flew out, hitting the wooden deck, she shook her fur to rid it of debris.

In the small front yard, Breezy turned and waited for the woman who birthed her. The larger she-wolf jumped out of the window, glass also cutting her as she too made it onto the decking. Shock had the wolf stopping to stare.

Breezy dove out of the way, her mother’s growl of fury echoing in her ears when she missed. For the last twenty years, the Mattice men had made sure she could protect herself in all situations, even an attack from a crazed wolf. Her world narrowed to the wolf baring down on her. She felt the hot breath, and what would happen if she allowed her to get the upper fang. The memories of being a helpless child and all the anger from those years welled up, giving her strength.

As Sandy jumped, Breezy met her in the air. They clashed, two wolves snarling, plummeting back to the hard ground. She didn’t register the hard hit on the dirt floor, rolling to stay on top. Her wolf demanded she make the other pay with blood.

The maw of the wolf came at her, conjuring up nightmares from her past. She let it feed her, let it bubble through her veins and charged the wolf. Breezy took her mom’s wolf form down, giving no quarter, her teeth locked down tight on the exposed throat, while she dug her legs with their sharp claws into any available body part she came into contact with. The metallic taste had her gagging, but she shook her wolven head back and forth, feeling the claws of her mom’s own digging into her flanks. Searing pain cut through her. Her body jerked as she felt the claws penetrate through fur and tissue, ribs cracking. And still she hung on. The body below relaxed, ceased to fight. Eyes so like her own stared up at her. Breezy jumped back as she felt her mother begin to shift.

Blood streaked and dirty, Sandy Mattice lay on the ground. Each breath a raspy inhale and exhale. “Breezy. Help...me.” One hand lifted.

She allowed her own body to shift back to human, shaking in the aftermath. “Mama?” She covered her lips with her fingers.

A cackle came from Sandy. “Such a stupid girl.” Sandy rolled onto her knees.

Breezy narrowed her eyes. “You know what. I’m not the stupid one, you old bitch. Look at you. On all fours like a dog. Broken and bleeding, begging me to help you.” Breezy stalked to where her mother was crawling away. She inhaled, the fresh scent of fear hit her. “You hate me so fucking much. Want me dead so badly. Well let’s end it here. Come on, mama. Get up and let’s end it.” Breezy grabbed Sandy by the back of the hair, pulling the taller woman up to her feet. Already their shifter abilities were helping her to heal, but the large gash in her mother’s throat was almost a killing wound. She should’ve listened to Xan. Don’t let the enemy up until they were dead.

Sandy swiped out with a partially shifted fist, aiming for her belly, but she’d anticipated the move and jumped back. She punched with her left arm making the other woman stumble, following with a swift kick to her stomach. No longer would she refer to her as mom, or mother. The other woman was Sandy. Her mother was dead to her.

The nurse in her looked at the torn and bloody body before her, and went on the attack. Circling wasn’t going to be the best defense, so she went on the offense even though she was outweighed by about fifty pounds.

Clearly she’d surprised Sandy again, taking aim at the ribs with the deepest gouges, her own partially shifted hands raked through the torn flesh.

The sound of something coming at them had her attention turning toward the woods, costing her precious moments and giving Sandy an opening. Breezy cried out, her body jerked back as she fell to the ground with the woman on top of her.

Spittle falling from her mouth, Sandy glared down at her. “You thought you could defeat me?”

Breezy tried to wiggle out from under, her arms trapped beneath Sandy’s knees had her screaming in frustration. “You’re a fucking psycho. You may kill me. But my mate will hunt you down and make you pay. I will watch from the heavens and cackle with glee,” she spat.

Growling, Sandy reared back, preparing to swipe her black claws over Breezy’s human throat, when two things happened. A familiar blond wolf growled so loud and menacing, had she not known who it was, she’d have peed right there and then. And two, the familiar scents of her father and brothers hit her and the bitch on top of her, stilling the final blow.

Sandy’s hand stopped in mid-strike. “Brien? What are you doing here?” Her voice shook.

“I should have chosen you, my love. All those years ago. I should have chosen you.” Brien Mattice’s voice came out a whisper.

Breezy closed her eyes, not letting Sandy see the way the words affected her. She’d been with her father longer than the woman had, and knew every nuance of his voice. He was trying to save his daughter. The crazy bitch above her had no clue.

“I have always loved you, Bri. You and the twins. I want you to be part of my pack. We can rule together.”

The sound of leaves crunching under feet could be heard over the pounding of her heart. “That’s what we want. What we’ve wanted all these years. We couldn’t find you to tell you that. Come with us.”

“She has to die. Once she’s gone we can live like a family again.” Her voice rose.

Crazy. The tone of a madwoman was what she was. There was no fixing what was broke in Sandy Mattice.

****

X
an watched and waited for the right time to strike. He knew what the elder Mattice was doing, and hoped his mate did as well. The woman who was poised and ready to slash at Breezy’s throat wavered, lifted that few inches he needed in order to make his move. He glanced at Shaw and Parker, saw their resolve and understanding. It didn’t matter to him if they would hate him for killing their mother, for she’d signed her own death warrant the day she’d tried to take Breezy.

Silent as a ghost, he launched himself, shifting into human, and snapped Sandy Mattice’s neck. A swift death was more than she deserved, but he didn’t want to be considered bloodthirsty, although his wolf whined a little.

He let the bitch’s body drop to the ground, and rushed to his mate’s side, gathering her into his arms. “You scared the life out of me. Didn’t I tell you not to release the enemy until the light goes out of their eyes?”

Breezy’s laugh turned into a sob. “Oh, god. I think I’m going to be sick.”

Xan held his mate while she threw up, then gratefully accepted a washcloth one of the Mattice brothers had fetched from the cabin. Gods, he didn’t think he was going to be able to walk yet. His own body still shook at the sight he’d come upon, the woman poised over his mate, huge claws ready to slit Breezy’s vulnerable pale throat...he had to close his eyes to wipe the vision away.

“I’m going to be having nightmares for the next ten years or so I believe.” He kissed the top of Breezy’s head. He sat on the dirt ground, uncaring of his naked ass getting dirty, holding his equally naked mate, her family stared at the body lying on the ground. Xan wasn’t sure if they’d be hurt, or have mixed feelings. Sandy hadn’t abused or targeted them the way she had his mate.

Brien Mattice stepped forward. “We will get rid of her body along with the one you killed back there. I saw a fire pit in the back.” His eyes held no recriminations.

Shaw kicked dirt near where his mother lay. “I had a feeling. We both did, damn it. We parked our asses outside her room planning to sit there until you returned. They literally dropped from the ceiling with no warning. The next thing we knew, there were three fuckers pointing automatic weapons at us, and then she was jabbing something into our necks.”

Parker rubbed his own neck. “We failed, and for that we are sorry. Can you forgive us, Breezy?”

His mate lifted her head, a sob escaping. “You are not to blame. None of us are. She,” Breezy pointed at the lifeless form of the woman they wouldn’t call their mother. “That crazy ass bitch is the one to lay the blame on. When I was confronted with her, and her insane talk, it finally came out why she hated me.” Taking a deep breath, Breezy told them how Sandy was jealous of the attention the Mattice men gave the little girl Breezy had been.

“I thought it was that condition humans got, postpartum depression or whatever.” He shook his head.

Breezy got off Xan’s lap. “I want to go home.”

“You sure you want to handle this? I can have some of the other wolves take care of it.” Xan offered, knowing it would be hard for anyone to dispense of a member of their family, even one as vile as Sandy.

Brien met his eyes. “I should have done this twenty years ago.” With those words he bent and lifted Sandy into his arms, tossing her over his arms without a bit of care. Xan understood why the man felt the way he did. He didn’t feel any remorse for snapping Breezy’s mother’s neck, he only wished he’d been there sooner.

“Let’s shift and head back to my rig. It’ll help heal your wounds faster.” Her easy acceptance of his order, soothed his beast that was itching to take command.

“Don’t think this means you’re in charge.”

“Oh, I’m so going to love showing you just how in charge I am, my feisty mate,” he laughed at the blush that rushed up her naked torso.

They both swiftly changed into their wolves, similar in color, but his more than double her size, he led the way. One day he wanted to run through the woods surrounding their property, and see how much fun it would be to play chase. She gave a little yip and took off, making him shake his head. Gods, but he loved her.

****

B
reezy was exhausted by the time they returned to the Iron Wolves’ club. Xan’s XV was where he’d crashed it into the side of the van, but Kellen and the others had taken care of the cleanup. She was extremely grateful for all the members of the MC. They’d gathered around her, and made sure she was safe, not once blaming her for the mess she’d brought due to the woman who’d birthed her. They’d dressed in a spare set of clothing Xan had in the back. He in a pair of jeans and T, while she’d been limited to an extra T-shirt he had, which hit her mid-thigh.

“You’re thinking too hard. Let’s get some rest here, and then tomorrow we’ll go home to our place,” Xan murmured in her ear.

She shivered as his warm breath washed over her. “Do you know what I thought of when I was running for my life? She asked, turning to walk backwards. “I kept thinking you’d save me.”

Xan nodded. “I’ll always come for you. No matter what or where you go, I’ll come for you.”

“Oh, I just had the dirtiest thought at your words. You know I can always turn any word or words into something dirty.” She licked her lips.

“Care to share your dirty minded thoughts?” His eyes brightened to blue.

“How about I show you instead.” They’d reached the rooms where they were staying. A quick entry and she was dragging him inside.

Xan kicked the door shut, pulling her to a hard stop. “Let me check things out before we go any further.”