Last Wolf Standing (#7, The Mystic Wolves) Read online

  His over-exaggeration made me laugh. “I wouldn’t have gone that far. Although, I did consider changing him to a soprano.”

  Vlad tipped his head back, enjoying my brutal honesty. “I can just see it now. ‘Hey, Zane. You’re going to need a clean-up crew at Club Suck. No, everything’s fine. Some guy pissed Darcy off so she ate him’.”

  “He would’ve deserved it,” I mumbled, taking another small sip through my straw.

  “Here, drink this.” Violet placed a shot glass filled with dark colored liquid before me. “Trust me. It’ll help.” When Vlad nodded, I downed it in one gulp—instantly recognizing the delicious flavor of blood.

  “But?” I gasped, looking around to make sure no one had noticed.

  “They’re too oblivious. I keep some behind the bar for moments just like this. While humans think being a vampire is a thrill, their lack of seduction and manners leave a lot to be desired. I learned quickly. If I didn’t want to kill clueless fools every shift, I needed to be prepared for the idiots who trigger my anger.”

  Eyeing the young vampire, I could see how that might be a problem. She was gorgeous with high cheekbones and startling blue eyes. The purple tank top she wore revealed her toned, muscular arms and I was pretty sure her boobs were real.

  “Do you see the person who approached you?” Vlad, asked, changing the subject back to the reason we were here. “While it’s fun to be out and about, if this is a bust, I need to get Darcy home.”

  Rolling my eyes, I slapped him. “Awww, can’t we stay a little longer, Dad? Please?”

  Violet’s laughter was rich and throaty. “You need to come back and see me again, Darcy, once all this drama is over. I think we could be awesome friends.”

  “If you girls are done swapping bra sizes, I’m being serious. It’s not safe to linger longer than needed. If you don’t believe me, maybe I should call the detective over.” Vlad pointed toward the back of the club, and sure enough, Karl Manning stood within the darkness, against the back wall, his eyes trained on us. He had officers scattered throughout the large crowd, as well. Zane hadn’t been joking when he said we’d be well protected.

  I didn’t want to admit it, but he was right. For someone who’d been so eager to arrange this meeting, the mystery woman was surprisingly elusive. “What do you think, Violet?”

  She chewed on her bottom lip, scouring the club one more time. “I don’t see her. If they show up later, I’ll give you a call. Sometimes people lose their courage at the last minute.”

  “Yeah,” I agreed, disappointed. I’d wanted to have good news when we returned to the mansion—something more concrete than the false leads the Enforcers had been chasing. “Okay, let me go pee, and then we’ll go. Tell Detective Manning what our plans are and I’ll meet you back here in a few.” When Vlad shook his head, moving as if he was going to come with me, I raised my hand. “I’m a big girl. I do know how to go to the bathroom by myself.”

  Vlad’s mouth thinned into an uncanny grimace that mirrored one I’d seen Devlin make. “Fine. But I’m timing you. If you’re even a second late, I’m coming in there after you.”

  He really did have a heart of gold. “Okay. I promise. I’ll be in and out. Start counting.” Sliding off the barstool where I’d been perched, I headed toward the red neon sign near the exit, hoping that there wasn’t a line. As fabulous as I felt in my outfit, it was so tight that I’d been afraid to use the bathroom until it was absolutely necessary.

  “Excuse me.”

  “Sorry.”

  “Oops.”

  After bravely forging through the jostling crowd, I all but sighed with relief when I was finally locked inside a stall.

  How’s it going? Mason’s voice floated through our connection, the feel of it coating my insides, warming me instantly.

  She was a no show. Vlad graciously gave me a few moments to myself before we head home. You? Sharp longing filled me. I missed him so much.

  We’re on our way to Thorne’s now. He brings a new meaning to the word recluse.

  That bad, huh? I chuckled inwardly.

  Think alligators, critters, and never ending swamp. I’m pretty sure we left civilization behind an hour ago. When he said he wanted to live off the grid and away from prying eyes, Thorne wasn’t kidding.

  Everything about the lone wolf intrigued me. Mason was one of the fortunate few who’d ever met him. When Zane revealed who had the hidden artifact, everyone in the room had been surprised before realizing the genius behind it. Thorne made no excuses for his antisocial behavior—his deep hatred for Pack stemmed from his horrifying past.

  I didn’t blame him for wanting to keep to himself, either. If the Pack I belonged to massacred my entire family, leaving me for dead, I’d vow vengeance, too. They’d called him an abomination—the result of his wolf mother and a mystery bear shifter coupling. Very few approached the bitter Thorne—especially to ask for a favor of this magnitude.

  Be careful, I whispered, suddenly feeling a chill.

  Always, sweetheart.

  Loud, thudding techno music erupted in the semi-quiet peace of the bathroom, signaling someone had entered. Holding my breath, I almost expected to hear Vlad yelling at me to hurry.

  I miss you.

  Me, too. I’m glad you’re heading home. I don’t think I could take much more of those human males trying to pick you up. There was no mistaking the possessive tone.

  Noticed that, did you?

  I wasn’t paying attention until that last asshole. I’m going to need to thank Vlad for taking care of him.

  I was handling it. I snorted.

  It’s a guy thing, sweetheart. Trust me.

  Shaking my head at my macho mate, I finished up, exiting the stall to find a twenty-something female fixing her lipstick at the granite counter.

  Gotta go. Love you. Come home soon.

  Love you, too. And I felt him fade away in my mind, our link dropped.

  “Hey,” I greeted, turning on the faucet and pumping a healthy squirt of soap into my palms. “Enjoying your night?”

  The pretty woman flashed me a smile, puckering her lips before dropping her lipstick into her purse. “I have; but I have a feeling it’s about to get much better.”

  Her image flickered, causing me to blink my eyes in case it was a trick of lighting or something. When it happened again, panic hit me with all the force of a rush-hour train.

  Helena.

  She’d camouflaged her appearance using magic, the illusion slipping long enough to let me know exactly who she was.

  “I must say I’ve missed seeing you, Darcy. I was hoping it would be you who answered my request to meet.” Slipping her sequined clutch under her arm, Helena acted as though we were best friends catching up. “I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.”

  Readying myself to fight or run, whichever proved more necessary, I growled in response. “You made a mistake coming here, Helena. I didn’t come alone.”

  Her condescending laugh infuriated me. “Oh, yes, that sweet, delusional cousin of yours and a handful of human police officers. While I think it’s charming that you’d consider them protection, I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to come with me.”

  “And if I don’t?” My wolf stirred just below the surface of my skin at the sudden prickle of magic tainting the warm bathroom air. Public or not, I would shift. There would be no hesitating.

  “You have no choice.” A new presence came from the far stall as the door swung open and Michael, Helena’s son, the one who’d given me the Celtic knot tattoo, walked out.

  “Chunk?” I asked, confused at his appearance and calling him by his nickname.

  “Ahhh, yes. I forgot. It’s hard to keep track of what body I’m using.” He peered into the mirror, using his fingers to quickly brush over his hair. “While Helena’s son lacks the strength and prowess of your Daniel, I find my reflection still pleases me.”

  This couldn’t be possible. He was supposed to be in Louisiana, retrieving th
e artifact, not here in some vampire-themed nightclub.

  “Julian.”

  “It’s good to see you again, my dear.”

  My wolf surged forward, the shifting process starting in the brief time it took to blink, the awareness of just how much danger I was in hitting me.

  “And here I thought she would come willingly,” Julian murmured, disappointment heavy in his voice as he clicked his fingers.

  Indescribable pain brought my shifting wolf to a screeching halt. Dropping to the hard tiled floor, my muscles and limbs convulsed from the magic now coursing through my body. I barely had time to send Mason a warning.

  Julian.

  Here at Club Suck.

  I . . .

  There wasn’t even a chance to hear his voice before everything went dark.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Mason

  “You’re quiet,” I stated, noticing how little Devlin had talked since arriving in Louisiana. There’d been an intense strategy discussion on the plane, but once we’d landed, the vampire had retreated into his own thoughts.

  We all had.

  The closer we got to Thorne’s, however, the more I needed something—anything—to break up the monotony and silence.

  “Yeah.” That was all he offered.

  “Care to elaborate?” I wasn’t going to push the issue if he was determined to remain tight-lipped.

  At first he didn’t answer. “I just can’t get passed the fact that Julian Blackwell’s responsible for all this. I thought he was gone . . . that we didn’t have to worry about him. That I didn’t have to worry, anymore.”

  “I guess some assholes don’t stay dead,” I answered bluntly.

  Devlin’s jaw muscle twitched. “Like a damn cat with nine lives.”

  “Well, I plan on making it permanent.” It had become a recurring game inside my head—all the different and inventive ways I’d kill him.

  “He wouldn’t even be an issue if I hadn’t hesitated when I had a chance,” Devlin muttered beneath his breath.

  “Is that what you think? That this is your fault?”

  Snorting, he shook his head in disbelief. “You don’t? The guy is from my past. I’ve hunted him most of my life. Of course, I blame myself.”

  “You couldn’t have known, Devlin. Shit happens.”

  “While I appreciate the sentiment, it doesn’t diminish my part in this. I knew what he was capable of . . . I saw the hell he put my sister through. He was determined to possess her then. Clearly he hasn’t lost his thirst for power.”

  I understood the blame game Devlin was playing—it was one I frequently engaged in. We were the first to downplay our accomplishments, but the second we perceived a weakness or error in judgment; we tore ourselves apart with guilt.

  “I’d tell you to quit being so hard on yourself,” I started.

  “But then you’d have to listen to your own advice next time you said the same thing,” Devlin added, laughing. “Thanks, though.”

  “There’s always things we could’ve done differently.”

  Letting out a drawn out sigh, Devlin nodded. “True. Still doesn’t make it any easier to accept. We still need to deal with the consequences.”

  He was right. No matter how hard we tried to always make the right decisions, there was so much we couldn’t control—including things we’d rather stay buried in our past.

  Hell, we all had our demons. Unfortunately, his kept coming back.

  “Stop!” I suddenly roared, slamming my hand down hard on the dashboard. Blood pounded in my ears, the sound deafening. “Stop the damn car, now!”

  “What?” Devlin asked, casting me a startled glance from the driver’s seat. Swerving the vehicle to the side of the graveled makeshift road, I didn’t answer him, instead releasing my seatbelt in one fluid motion and exiting the truck.

  There was no way I could’ve mistaken the frantic scream Darcy had sent through our connection. One moment we’d ended our brief check-in with each other, and the next, broken pieces of words shattered the easy feeling I had.

  Julian.

  The bastard wasn’t just around the bend at Thorne’s place, or even on his way to recover the mystical artifact he’d worked so hard to obtain. Whether we’d beaten him to it or he’d already been and gone, once again, I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

  The dank smell of the nearby water flooded my nostrils; the ground soft beneath my feet as I slammed the door and howled at the sky. My wolf was coming, the threat to my mate triggering the shift. Muscles contorted and fur shot down my arms as my hands transformed into lethal claws.

  Darcy! I yelled, urgently searching for any trace of her through our connection. She’d just been there. She’d been laughing and told me how much she missed me. The signal between us had snapped into razor precision after our wedding and mating became official. The only time she’d gone silent since that day was when Amber had possessed her.

  With Daniel currently out of commission, his essence barely tethered to his body, had Julian come back to reclaim what he believed was his?

  “Mason.” Wade kept his distance, his gaze lowered in submission. “You need to calm down.”

  A feral snarl burst from my lips causing him to take a step backward. With a heaving chest and adrenaline heightening my senses, I held onto my humanity by the tips of my fingers. “Darcy.” It was the only word I could utter.

  Moses and Devlin watched from inside the vehicle, wisely keeping out of the way until I somehow managed to convince my wolf to submit. He was furious, demanding we return to Arizona at once. He didn’t care about the artifact or that we’d travelled so quickly to get it.

  All that mattered was our mate was gone.

  He would bathe the world with blood until he found the one responsible.

  “Shit,” Wade whispered, still careful not to act aggressive. “How?”

  Dragging in deep breaths, forcing the damp air into my lungs, I shook my head. I needed to be able to think clearer. “Julian. She was with Vlad at Club Suck. She was ambushed in the bathroom.”

  Devlin lowered the truck’s window. “How the hell did that happen?” His fingers tightly gripped the steering wheel. “You going to be okay to keep going to Thorne’s?”

  Everything in me wanted to rip his betraying throat out for suggesting we ignore rushing back to save my mate—his niece. Thankfully, I was in control; and as much as it pained me, we were only minutes away from our destination.

  I growled, struggling to say the words. Pacing back and forth, my hands shook with excess emotion. “We continue. We take the artifact. We leave. Anyone who wastes time, I’ll feed them to the damn alligators.”

  “We’ll find her, boss,” Wade encouraged, relieved to see the immediate danger had passed. I wasn’t sure what he thought he would do if I’d completely shifted, but it was good to know that he hadn’t shrunk from his responsibilities.

  He didn’t just protect the Pack; he protected me—even when it was from myself.

  Devlin peeled out the second I closed the door, driving like we were being chased by something that had crawled its way out of the marsh.

  “In and out.”

  I grunted, my steely gaze focused on the headlights illuminating our path. Usually this kind of environment intrigued me. It posed a great challenge to run through, escaping larger predators while leaping over the tangled vegetation that thrived in these conditions. Blinking, it all passed by in a blur. All I could think about was the task ahead. “We’re too late.”

  “You can’t say that. Zane’s there and he’ll do everything in his power to hunt Julian down.”

  “No, I mean the artifact was long gone, before we even left the mansion. Julian’s constantly been one step ahead of us this whole time. Why would this be any different?” I pulled my phone out of my pocket. “Mark my words. This was a waste of time.”

  No one added their own opinion—pretty much accepting mine. I hated how defeated that made me sound; but I couldn’t afford
to ignore the truth, no matter how painful reality was.

  Zane’s name flashed on my screen. Perfecting timing. “She’s been taken,” I answered, brusquely. “What’s being done to find her?” It was a credit to Zane that he didn’t squander precious moments offering his apologies. I appreciated his no-nonsense attitude, explaining that once Vlad had called him from the club, he’d recalled all his Enforcers and reassigned them the mission of locating where my mate was being held.

  “We’re almost at Thorne’s, but I don’t think we’re going to find anything there—except more death,” I continued, letting him in on our plans. “Once we’re certain the artifact is gone, we’ll be returning immediately. You can expect us there early tomorrow morning . . . sooner if possible.”

  With the promise to keep me posted on any new developments, Zane ended the call and I let out another heavy sigh. My hatred for Julian had just escalated from the bastard I planned on killing, to the one who would beg for mercy while I slowly carved my vengeance out on his skin.

  Headlights from the cars following behind us flashed in the side mirrors, temporarily blinding me. “You might want to let your Enforcers know the situation, as well,” I prompted Devlin, wondering how Thorne would react to discovering strangers on his doorstep. While I’d tried to reach out and warn him during our flight, it had clicked over to his messaging service—his gruff voice stressing he was under no obligation to return the person’s call.

  It wasn’t unusual for him to screen incoming calls. Hopefully he’d heard me alerting him to our future arrival and would be prepared. My gut told me that he wouldn’t be sitting on his porch, shotgun in hand, waiting to grudgingly greet us. Julian had proved, on countless occasions, he wasn’t a respecter of life. If Thorne was waiting, he wouldn’t be breathing.

  “Okay, it’s show time, everyone,” Devlin announced, the opening to the pathway leading up to Thorne’s home appearing in the approaching break between trees. He passed the information on to the others by pointing with his hand out the window and they sounded their horn in response.