“Great. Vamps have a rebel website now?” Pest grunted.
Mandy nodded. “They did. Olivia and I were sent out with Danti. He’s an assassin we live with. We—”
“You have a companion?” Pest growled. “My brother is putting his ass on the line for you and you’re fucking someone?”
She stared at him. “No. I live with nine other assassins. I’m not having sex with any of them. Can I finish now?”
Pest nodded, looking chagrined as he shoved fries into his mouth.
“Danti pretended to be Zander, the master who’d been invited to the website. We were under orders to find out if they were plotting against the council and how many nests were involved. As soon as Danti paid the money and got the password, we logged on. They had some videos of illegal activities on the site. Mild propaganda. Kind of like, ‘we could do this to anyone we wanted if the council wasn’t around anymore; watch and get motivated’ type of crap. It was sick.”
Glacier stopped eating and got up, approaching her. “What kinds of videos? Lycan kids fighting?”
She shook her head. “Not kids, but there were a few videos of adult Werewolves fighting each other. They were collared and looked abused, half starved, as if they’d been in captivity for a while. Werewolves go into heat. And the prize to the winning male was a human female.” She hesitated. “For sex. They had videos of that on there, too. They threw those women in with the mindless men after they’d fought. The council wanted to shut that shit down fast. I told you they don’t want to draw the attention of the VampLycans. That would have done it. Missing Werewolves and human women combined? Big red flag.”
“Fuck.” Pest stopped eating, too.
“Mostly though, it was abuse of other Vampires.”
“I didn’t think the council would give a shit about that.”
Mandy stared into Glacier’s eyes. “They do when masters are creating new Vamps at an alarming rate just so they can pit them against soldiers they’ve made for the sole purpose of fighting, and making bets on how long the Vamps survive. The answer, from what I saw, is less than five minutes, by the way. Lots of videos of that shit going down were loaded. There are laws about soldiers. Strict ones.”
“Like what?” Glacier took her hand and led her to the closest counter, lifted her, and sat her on it. He took a seat next to her.
“Have you ever seen a soldier? Know what one is?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
She hated them; a shiver ran down her spine. “They’re very unstable, and the longer they’re alive, the more dangerous they become. Especially if they’re hurt. They don’t heal the way I do. They become more unbalanced every time they’re injured. The council demands any master seek permission to create soldiers first. I’ve been sent to monitor those situations twice. The first time, it was a master of a large nest who’d survived an uprising by his own. It’s against the law for a nest to kill its master. The master didn’t just want his Vamps exterminated, but to go out in a grisly way. The council agreed. Five soldiers were made. Myself and six other assassins were sent to make sure none of the soldiers survived after their task had been completed. We also trapped the nest inside the building where they slept to avoid any escaping.”
“Why not just have other Vamps kill them and be vicious about it?”
She looked down at Pest. “Soldiers are more brutal than your average Vampire. As in, they literally bite into you and take out chunks. Think gory, blood-spraying kind of nightmare shit where they’re soaked in blood. They don’t remove the heads of their Vampire targets. They just keep biting, tearing their prey apart, until not enough is left to survive. They are insane. It’s like the vilest way possible for our kind to die. It’s a form of punishment for the worst crimes. The master destroyed the soldiers after they killed everyone in his nest.”
“You said there were two situations.” Glacier reached out and took her hand, as if he knew remembering wasn’t easy on her.
She gripped his hand back, holding on. “The second time, a master had created three of them without permission. He was just a shithead who was curious to see if he could make them and what they could do. Problem was, he left them alive for too long after running his tests. They degraded enough to stop taking orders, attacked all four members of his nest and killed them. The master fought them off but he got trapped when part of his basement hideout collapsed, pinning him under a beam. Fortunately, he had his cell phone and got a signal. He had to call for help. We came. But seven humans died as a result before we were able to kill the soldiers. It was hell…”
Glacier slid closer, released her hand, and put his arm around her shoulders. She liked that he tried to comfort her. “You don’t have to say anything else.”
“No. It’s fine… It was the smell of death that drew us. Their soldier bodies had rotted that much, plus the sickos had dragged their victims into the storm drain, where they were hiding. I’d been trained how to deal with soldiers and warned about what they were like to battle. Nothing prepared me for the real thing, though. They just don’t go down, or react to pain the way someone else would. It just drives them into more of a frenzy. I never want to have to take them on again. I had nightmares for months after that.”
“Were you hurt?”
“I wore protective gear that kept them from biting me but I suffered broken bones. Those fuckers are strong.”
“You have protective gear against biters? Damn. That’s kind of cool.”
She smiled at Pest. “Yes. We do. Vampires love to swarm. Being repeatedly bitten and bleeding from multiple wounds will weaken anyone. Think metal mesh sewn between the soft inner material and the tougher exterior of a uniform. We just have to watch our joints, where there’s no mesh.” She raised one arm and bent her elbow. “Plus, a throat plate around our necks and a helmet that locks to it. It protects my throat from bites and my head from being removed. Part of an assassin’s job at times is extinguishing a nest.”
“I don’t want to hear how dangerous your job was.” Glacier released her shoulder and slid off the counter before he turned, holding her gaze. “Why did you bring up that website? Is that the only video connection you could think of? Do you think Marco had opened something like that?”
“Here’s the thing. We investigated for weeks. Danti had to make friends since the other online members had bogus names. He used Olivia and I as bait to get other Vampires to meet with him.”
Glacier looked wary. “What the hell does that mean?”
“Danti said he owned two well-trained lovers he had grown tired of after twenty years. Whatever fetishes they had, he swore we were into. We needed face-to-face meetings to identify who the players were.”
Pest whistled. “You had to fuck masters?”
“No.” She sighed. “Danti introduced us to the men though, and made promises to gift us to each new friend soon. After we had identified ten of them, the council had all of them arrested for questioning. They gave up Barkley Brimstone. He was arrested and imprisoned, since he refused to give up the true names of other masters who had joined his website. Rumor had it that he admitted to making alliances with over fifty masters in the U.S., and even more in other countries.”
Glacier leaned against the counter. “So?”
“Yeah, so?” Pest started eating again.
“Danti had to pay half a million dollars to join that website. Think about the kind of money Barkley made on membership fees. He also bragged about how close he’d been to locating all the council members.”
“Don’t all Vamps know who they are?”
She met Glacier’s eyes. “Definitely not. It’s to protect them from the Vampires they piss off. I don’t even know all their real names or locations. I’m guessing they’re like Corski, and must be masters in the cities of assassin houses, but it’s just an assumption.”
“Who the fuck is Corski?”
Glacier answered Pest. “He’s the master of New York City, where Mandy is stationed, and also the coun
cil member in charge of her team.”
“I’m thinking someone on the council might have seen what Barkley accomplished and stolen the idea. Perhaps not to destroy the council, but the money that website made? It was like sick Vampire porn. Maybe the price of membership includes some council favors, like avoiding being arrested if they load videos. It would make sense why Marco almost got away with the shit he did. Standard procedure is to send an investigator in, who checks out the details, and then findings are presented to the council. Olivia and I were sent to kill a Werewolf allegedly taking out that nest. But I honestly don’t believe the council voted to send us based on real facts. My guess? Someone fudged that report and lied to them.”
“Who’s in charge of sending out investigators and presenting the gathered facts to the council?”
“I don’t know. It’s not like we’re invited to council meetings. Corski hands us our orders after they’ve decided we need to be sent somewhere.”
“Maybe they don’t really give a shit what Marco was doing and just wanted to kill Lycans,” Pest stated.
Glacier explained, “But they fear VampLycans. It motivates the council to police their own, to keep VampLycans from being called in. They don’t want to start a war.” Glacier glanced at his brother and smiled. “Did you know Vampires believe GarLycans never leave Alaska?”
Pest’s eyebrows rose. “I see.”
Glacier nodded.
Mandy saw the amusement on both brothers’ faces. “What am I missing? What’s the undercurrent here?”
Glacier turned to her, grinning. “My brother and I have discussed it at length all our lives. We think GarLycans are way scarier than VampLycans. We just find it amusing that Vamps see it differently. Maybe it’s because VampLycans are half Vampire? What do you think, Pest?”
“Not to mention, GarLycans do leave Alaska sometimes.” Pest chuckled. “I’ve met a few. Scary fuckers. I ran into one in Texas just a few weeks ago. I watched him take out four rogue Lycans in under a minute flat. They were slaughtering cows, and humans were becoming alarmed. It made the news. I was sent to investigate what was going on. He got there right as I did.”
Her eyes widened. “What does one look like?”
“Big. Formidable. They have wings. He flew in from the sky while the Lycans were fleeing after attacking the herd, and did this spinning thing like a fucking blender as he landed in front of them. His wings were stone-hard, and they just sliced through the bodies like butter. Lycan parts were flung everywhere. The bastard made me help him clean up his mess.”
Glacier chuckled. “He kind of sounds amazing.”
Pest rolled his eyes. “Whatever. I’m going to go take a shower now that you’re back.” He threw his trash in the fast food bag and hurried up the stairs.
Mandy bit her lip. “Have you ever met a GarLycan or a VampLycan?”
He nodded. “I’m sent on a lot of jobs to investigate anything humans report that might be attributed to Lycans or Vampires. They have the same job as I do. Take care of it and clean up the mess to keep humans from discovering what they’re really dealing with. I will say one thing I do like better about VampLycans, though. They have the ability to slip into human minds and erase memories. I’d love to be able to do that. It would be damn useful.”
She understood. She had the same ability to implant and remove memories from humans, as long as they weren’t immune. She nodded, her mind already elsewhere.
Glacier’s job was over, now that Marco wasn’t alive anymore. What did that mean for her? She wanted to ask but was afraid to. Would he kill her? Let her go? What would she do if he did give her freedom? Nowhere would be safe. It would only be a matter of time before the council found out she remained alive, if they had even fallen for the ruse of her tracker being found with Dusty’s ashes. For all she knew, a bounty had already been placed on her head.
First thing, she’d have to let Olivia know she was alive. She trusted her. Then again, she was getting ahead of herself by implying Glacier would let her live. Shit.
“Mandy? Are you okay?”
She lifted her head and met his gaze. Suck it up, buttercup. Be brave. “You took out the nest. What now? I mean, what’s going to happen to me?”
His mouth parted, something flickered in his eyes, but he didn’t say anything.
“I could help you. You know, with the mind stuff. I could go on your next job. I’m not high maintenance. I mean, find me a dark closet to sleep in during the day and, um, lead me down an alley to find a blood donor every few nights. I don’t kill innocent people. I wasn’t lying about that. You can watch me to make sure. Any humans you need help with, I can slip into their heads for you. If you’d just give me a chance to—”
He suddenly invaded her personal space and put his hand over her mouth. “Shush.”
Her hope died. He didn’t even want to listen to what she had to offer.
He lowered his hand and sighed. “I already decided to take you with me. I’m not going to abandon you for the council to kill.”
Tears filled her eyes. “Thank you!” She didn’t think, just flung her arms around his waist, hugging him.
He wrapped his arms around her and drew her in tight, holding her. He spread his legs a little, lowering his height enough to rest his jaw on the top of her head. “We have things to discuss, though.”
She closed her eyes, listening to his heartbeat. Her fangs throbbed a little but she had control. “No biting. I won’t ever ask you for blood. I know how you feel about that.”
“Yeah. No biting ever. I’m in charge. You follow my orders. I guess you could say, I’ll be considered your new master now. I’m the boss. Is that agreeable to you?”
She nodded against him. “Yes. You already have my loyalty.”
“Um.” He cleared his throat. “You might want to let me go.”
She released him quickly and backed off. “Sorry. I’m just happy. I’m grateful you don’t plan to kill me, aren’t just going to walk out the door and leave me here. I don’t know where to go that I’d be safe. I mean, Olivia and I planned to move to Los Angeles in twelve years when our service time was up, but the master there won’t take me if I’m wanted by the council. It would bring down hell on his nest.”
He stared into her eyes. “We need to sit down and have a serious talk. I have to call Kelzeb though first and give him my report. Why don’t you go upstairs to the bedroom and close the door? I’ll be up in a few minutes.”
She bet he would make a list of rules for her to follow. That was okay. Glacier was a protector. He went after bad guys. She would love working with him. It would change her life in wonderful ways. No more council bullshit. She looked forward to it.
“Okay.” She turned, rushing up the stairs. A smile curved her lips. The happiness faded slightly, though, as she entered the bedroom and closed the door.
She had feelings for him. Always had, since she’d met him. He wasn’t the settling-down kind. Would staying with him mean watching him go off with other women for his one-night stands?
She sat on the bed and closed her eyes. That would be rough on her. Painful too. It would break her heart.
What if staying with him turned into a hellish nightmare of her falling in love with him, but Glacier still refusing to be with her? He’d said to leave room in the bed for him when he came back from taking out the nest. But it would have woken her up if he’d lain with her. He’d avoided it.
She closed her eyes. Shit.
Chapter Nine
“Two words for you, Glacier. Two fucking words. Joint effort. How many times are you going to make me say it? That means working with the pack, not pissing them off.”
Glacier closed his eyes, listening to Kelzeb rant. He deserved it. His boss finally stopped talking.
“In my defense, Kevin is an asshole.”
“He said you sucker punched him while shelled.”
“He’s lying. I didn’t shell until after I decked him in the face, and I only knocked him out
because he was drunk as shit, trying to fight me. He couldn’t even walk straight. I told you the facts. Should I have allowed his drunken ass to attack me and just…what? Bowed down to take it until he wore himself out? The pack could have been attacked while they watched that bullshit. I needed to act fast. Was I wrong?”
Kelzeb growled. “No. But he says his pack has lost all respect for him and he’s received two official challenge requests from his enforcers because of your actions. He’s pissed, and has threatened to reach out to other packs to let them know you tried to overtake his.”
“He needs to be challenged. Those Lycans deserve a better alpha. That’s utter bullshit about me trying to steal his job, though. You know I don’t want to lead a pack. Besides, we both know if I wanted his job, he’d be dead instead of bitching at you on the phone. What else do you want me to say? I’m not sorry. I handled the Vamp situation. This was about saving Lycan kids to me, not soothing that asshole’s pride. End of threat. Job done.”
Kelzeb sighed. “Understood. God knows I’ve wanted to punch a few alphas. Aveoth has sent me to visit packs to cement the agreements when they request a guardian. I have to represent him a few times a year, and I fucking hate it. He says I need to leave the cliffs occasionally. Bullshit. But I get why you didn’t want to dick around with Kevin. I’m not fond of him after listening to him repeatedly whine. You should leave the territory though.”
“I’ll leave first thing tonight. It’s sunrise in less than an hour.”
“Right. Because you have a Vampire to think about. Traveling during the day is too risky. Fuck. I can just imagine getting pulled over by human authorities and them checking your trunk, where you’d have to stash her to keep her alive.”
“I drive a motorcycle.”
Kelzeb chuckled.
Glacier relaxed. He couldn’t be in too much trouble for the stunt he’d pulled with drunk Kevin if his boss had retained his sense of humor.