A steady stream of curse words was heard in multiple languages.
“Did he act euphoric, almost manic one moment and then aggressive the next? Bloodshot eyes, lack of coordination?” Gabriel demanded.
“Yes. Exactly that,” Bran explained. Gabriel exploded.
“They have gone too far! That process was banned centuries ago. When I find these parasites, I will destroy every last one of them!”
“What is going on, Gabriel?” Ashby asked, his voice soft.
“The group of vampires that has started harvesting shifter blood has moved on to more dangerous diversions. What you saw was the effects of Shifted Death on a shifter.” They heard him sigh.
“Shifted Death was first created nearly a millennia ago by a group of deranged vampires. It’s the cyclical ingestion of blood directly from the shifter. After approximately fifteen minutes, the shifter then bites and ingests the blood of the vampire while the vampire is feeling the effects of shifter blood. This throws the shifter into a manic high. That is one cycle. This process can be repeated many times before eventually the shifter’s heart gives out.
“There is a danger to the vampire as well. The more cycles they perform, the more they need shifter blood to survive. They can no longer be sustained by human blood. This is why it was forbidden to be done upon la douleur de l’éternité. Up until tonight I believed that no one who knew of the process survived the cleansing we performed a thousand years ago. I need to find out how this has come to light again. This could destroy both our races.”
When Gabriel finished, even Kate could hear the exhaustion in his voice. Ashby shifted from foot to foot, as she felt his anxiety level rising.
“What is la douleur de l’éternité?” Aleks asked in a perfect French accent. Rebecca stared up at him, looking shocked. He winked.
“For vampires, the idea of death isn’t all that scary. The older we become, the more death seems like a peaceful sleep, where we can finally rest. To keep our people in line, we have other ways to ensure that our laws are followed. One of them is la douleur de l’éternité or the Pain of Eternity. It is one of our most severe punishments. It is where we take the offending vampire, drain him to the point of death and inject him with liquid silver. We then place him in a coffin, which is then completely sealed with molten silver and then buried deep within the earth. They remain there trapped for all eternity.” Gabriel sighed.
“Holy crap!” Rebecca exclaimed.
They heard a soft chuckle from the phone. “Indeed, little one. Mon ange, you have brought to my attention a problem I didn’t know existed. You may have saved many vampires by alerting me. Has my assistance possibly put me in a more favorable light with you?” he asked, his voice deepening.
Ashby shivered. “Yes,” was the whispered response.
“Good. Until you call again, my angel, I will be doing what I can to minimize the devastation this drug can cause,” Gabriel said and hung up.
“Lord have mercy, I bet that man can fuck!” Rebecca said, the words exploding from her. Aleks snarled.
“Language,” Ma said, trying to hide her smile.
Rebecca grinned at Ashby, who was still blushing. He passed his phone to Dr. Claybourne so he could get him the specifications he needed from Ashby’s email.
“There is a risk, but with what he provided, it’s minimal. Ethan is young and a shifter. I’m confident I can do this,” Doc said, looking at the room, especially Beverly.
“I want to do this. It’s my fault they can come in. I want to fix it,” Ethan said with determination.
“You’re very brave, son. I’m proud to have you in my pack,” Bran said, clapping Ethan on the shoulder.
Ethan tried to stand even straighter. Kate could see that the boy idolized Bran.
“Doc, it’s in your hands,” Beverly said, kissing Ethan on the top of the head.
Ethan blushed. “Aunt Bev! The Alpha is right there,” Ethan complained.
Bran’s mouth twitched. “A good man knows when to accept the love of the women around him.” Bran winked at Ethan.
Ethan seemed to think about it for a second then winked back.
Caleb stepped forward, ruffling the boy’s hair. “Pretty soon this pup will be out running patrols.”
Kate could tell he was trying to boost the boy’s confidence. Ethan puffed out his chest.
“Ethan, if you would head back here with me, it’s time for me to kill you.” Doc grinned and gave a mad scientist laugh. He looked around the room. Everyone was staring at him.
“Too soon?” he asked.
Ethan started giggling, which made the adults smile. Doc took his hand and led him down the hall to the last room on the right. He closed the door behind him.
* * * *
It seemed like it took forever when, in actuality, the entire procedure took about two and half hours. Doc emerged from the room, wiping his forehead.
“He’s doing fine. Came through like a champ. I kept his heart stopped for three minutes before reviving him. Anything over five minutes and there are risks for brain damage,” Doc explained.
“Can I see him?” Beverly asked.
Doc nodded. “He’s asleep now but should be waking up soon and from what I know about shifter physiology and twelve-year-old boys, he’ll be starving when he wakes up,” Doc said smiling tiredly.
Ma smiled. “You don’t have to tell me about that. I had seven of them. For the longest time I thought it would easier to feed them if they just stayed bears and hunted.” She grimaced and shook her head at the memory. “I’ll head to the diner and whip something up.” She and Pa left to head to the diner.
Aleks looked around the room. “We did hunt. Poor Ma could barely keep up with us. Pa took us out hunting after our second dinners.”
“I’m going to call Riley and tell him to meet us at the Wade house to start patrols. We need to find out if this worked and the perimeter is sealed.” Bran took out his cell phone and walked outside.
Kate turned and walked to Caleb, sliding her arms around his waist and laying her head on his chest.
“I wish this was over. I wish we were snuggled in bed with the boys watching cartoons and eating Ma’s breakfast take-out,” Kate whispered.
Caleb’s arms tightened around her. “I miss them so much. I feel like I haven’t seen them in weeks. But I’d rather miss them and have them be safe than have them with us right now. But can I say how scary it is that breakfast take-out figures into your fantasy?” Caleb rubbed Kate’s back.
“No one at the Pack house can cook, so we all take turns driving to town for trays.” She shrugged.
“You guys can’t even make an omelet?” Caleb asked, incredulous.
“That requires more than two ingredients and you have to do the flip thing,” Kate said, looking up at him.
“Good grief, you’re serious,” Caleb said staring down at his mate.
“I always thought we had trays because, with all the problems we were having, no one had the time to shop or cook. That is every day?”
Kate nodded.
“Then I’ll be taking over the kitchen. I like being able to cook for the twins,” Caleb said.
“You can cook?” Kate asked. He nodded. “You can really cook?” Caleb nodded, again confused.
“Fate really did give us everything we needed!” Kate said excitedly.
Caleb smiled and shook his head. “After this is over, we’ll go to the grocery store and stock up.” He played with her necklace.
“That will be so neat! Though we may need to go into Brighton to get pots and pans and utensils and spices and wow, we need everything,” Kate said.
Caleb chuckled. “We’ll take the boys and make a day of it.”
Kate eyed him suspiciously. “You like to cook, don’t you?” she asked. He blushed.
“Caalleeebbb,” she said,
“I may have taken a course or two,” he mumbled.
“Where Caleb?”
“Le Cordon Bleu.”
> Kate threw her hands up. “Okay, we really need to discuss our communication. As soon as this hyena threat is over, we are so going shopping. You owe me like…” She counted in her head. “Like at least fifteen meals.” She put her hands on her hips.
“What do I get as payment?” He tugged her necklace to bring her closer.
“Don’t play. I will totally whore myself out for gourmet food,” she said and he burst into laughter.
“Did I hear gourmet food?” Rebecca asked and walked over.
“Seems Caleb here took classes at Le Cordon Bleu and we’ve been eating take-out at the Pack house,” Kate explained.
“Ohhh, I want to try some.” Rebecca clapped her hands and turned to face Caleb.
“I could make us dinner after I get the kitchen stocked,” Caleb said. Rebecca and Kate high-fived each other.
“What did they talk you into?” Bran asked, walking back in.
“Caleb can cook, like really cook, and after the hyenas are gone, he’s going to make us a dinner,” Rebecca explained.
Bran raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t know you could cook.”
“I already told him we needed to work on our communication.” Kate twisted her necklace around her finger. Bran bent down and kissed her necklace charms.
“I miss the boys. I can’t wait to get them home where they belong,” Bran said, sighing.
“Us too,” Kate said.
Bran smiled down at Kate. “Riley is on his way with whatever pack members can function on little to no sleep. We’re meeting them at the Wade house to start perimeter patrols. Hyenas are as dumb as a bag of hammers so I bet they use the same entry points.”
Rebecca started giggling. “Bag of hammers.” She continued to giggle.
Bran smiled and continued. “I also called Liam. He’s doing the same on pride lands. Connor and Benedict are splitting the Arkadion boys and patrolling the southern borders. Ma and Pa are checking the town. With any luck, this could be over today.”
“Let’s get started then,” Caleb said, yawning.
“I need to find my little bag. I hate shifting back and being naked all the time. Why can’t they make clothes like they do my necklace?” Kate grumbled to no one in particular.
“Hurry back,” Rebecca said as Aleks wrapped his arms around her.
Caleb, Bran, and Kate said they would and then left the clinic to head toward their pack lands.
Chapter 12
It was well into the afternoon and they had been running the perimeter line for hours when Kate finally stopped and planted her paws, dropping her pink bag to the snow-covered ground. She was beyond tired and starving. She lay down and rested her head on her front paws. She watched the two giant male wolves stop and look back. The larger of the two barked and the entire pack slowed down and cantered back to where Kate lay. Many of the other wolves collapsed to the ground as well, breathing hard. Her mates came up beside her and began to lick her face. Bran’s wolf nudged his muzzle under her paws until she got the idea and brought them up for him to inspect. He knew her paws ached terribly after long runs. His warm tongue bathed her sore pads. She closed her eyes and gave a happy yip. Caleb’s wolf rubbed his head over hers. After a few moments she stood and shifted back. Both of her men and the pack followed suit.
“Bran, let’s watch this point just a bit longer and then get everyone back to town to warm up and get some food. We’re all exhausted.” She picked up the knit bag that held her clothes. Cecelia was a damn genius.
“I agree. Do you think Cecelia would make me one of those bags?” Bran asked.
Kate shrugged. “Ask her. From what she told me, they are easy to make and she has a ton of them.”
“I’d take one too,” Riley said, walking over. “I’m freezing my balls off.” He rubbed his hands up and down his arms. “What’s the plan, boss?”
Just Kate caught the scent of hyena.
“Bran, where is the perimeter line?” Kate asked in a whisper.
“About two hundred yards in front of us,” he replied.
Suddenly the air was filled with the sounds of cackling laughter as a large group of hyenas came barreling toward them. Everyone except Bran, Caleb, Kate and Riley shifted back to wolf. They ran closer and closer. Four hundred yards, three hundred yards and then two hundred yards.
“Bran,” Kate said urgently, watching them pass the two hundred yard mark.
“Sir?” Riley asked, turning to Bran.
Just then the sounds of painful howls erupted as hyena after hyena slammed into an invisible barrier.
Riley’s head swung back around. “Oh God, please do that again, I missed it the first time!” He threw back his head, laughing.
Hyena after hyena tried running through the perimeter, only to be stopped short. They were bouncing off the perimeter, sometimes breaking bones in the process. By the third hyena, the entire pack had shifted back to human and were watching in fascination as the hyenas tried without success to get any closer.
“Keep trying, you useless pieces of shit! There is no way they sealed the perimeter!” The hyena in the back of the group yelled. He stood naked in human form looking disheveled and unwashed. Kate shuddered.
“The definition of insanity,” Caleb said simply as he watched yet another hyena run toward the perimeter.
This one hit hard enough that Kate heard was a loud crack. The hyena went down and didn’t get back up. It had snapped its own neck.
“Doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results,” Kate said, laughing out loud.
The hyena leader was now screaming incoherently and pointing to the wolf pack.
“You might as well give up. The perimeter is back in place,” Caleb yelled out.
“Shut the fuck up, wolf. There’s no way you could get the perimeter back and when we get through, I will personally drain those two brats of yours for the death of my brother!” the man screamed, pointing to the hyena who had snapped his neck.
Caleb shook as his entire body shifted, his wolf breaking free. Kate dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to keep him from running to the man. Caleb snapped and snarled at the hyena who had threatened their sons.
“Why don’t you try taking my blood, you fucking cowards!” Bran yelled, his eyes and hands having shifted.
“Because your blood isn’t as yummy as that of two baby leopards. We know someone who wants to suck them dry,” the hyena leader said, laughing.
Kate lost her grip on Caleb as Bran shifted fully. Both ran toward the group of hyenas as the pack followed. She shifted and ran away from the fight, circling around to the east to be able to come up behind where the leader stood. She heard the fighting and prayed that her men were safe. Coming up on the east road, she saw their vehicles. She shifted to human and looked inside. She smiled. Jackpot. She grabbed the semi-automatic and ran toward the fight. They weren’t going to get any answers out of the leader if Caleb and Bran mauled him to death.
She eased her way forward until she saw the leader, who had his hand held behind him, holding another gun. She was about to make her move when she saw him bring the gun forward and aim, his sights locked on Bran. Without thought, she brought her gun up and fired.
The single shot echoed off the trees. The leader fell to one knee, gripping his shoulder. He looked back, saw Kate with her gun trained on him, and snarled. He shifted and took off into the woods. The hyenas, seeing that the fight was over, ran after him.
“Dammit!” Kate yelled.
They needed answers more than they needed dead enemies. Bran and Caleb shifted and stormed up to her.
“What in the hell were you thinking? You could have been killed. Why didn’t you stay with the pack?” Bran demanded, then grabbed her upper arms and slammed his mouth down on hers. When he released her, Caleb simply cupped the back of her head with his hand and devoured her lips before releasing her.
“We needed answers, Bran. The leader said he knew of someone specifically who wanted
the boys. If we could find out who that is, if we kill him, maybe the attacks will stop altogether. And, I saved your ass by the way. You’re welcome,” she yelled back.
Bran opened his mouth to answer, but Caleb shook his head.
“She’s right and she did save your life. That guy had you in his sights.” Kate watched Caleb shuddered. They had both almost lost their Alpha. Their wolves were spooked. The feeling seemed to be mutual as the wolf pack shifted back to human and seemed to want to stay as close to Bran as possible.
“Well, I guess the perimeter works,” Riley said, so deadpan that Kate turned to stare at him.
“I guess so,” she said, laughing.
“All right, guys, drag the bodies over and start throwing them in the ravine. Then let’s head home,” Bran said as everyone erupted into groans.
It was another hour before the bodies were taken care of and everyone slowly made their way back home.
When they arrived at the Pack house, Bran immediately got on the phone to let Ma know that the perimeter had been sealed. She said she would spread the word and let everyone know. He hung up the phone and went to look for Kate and Caleb. He found them curled up on the den floor with the entire pack cuddled up close to them. Smiling, he made his way through the obstacle course of people’s arms, legs, hands and feet. When he finally made it to Kate, he lay down on the floor and snuggled up to her back, wrapping his arm around her waist as she curled around Caleb’s body and wrapped her arm around his waist. He sighed. For the first time in nearly a week, he went to sleep with his heart at peace.
Chapter 13
Bran looked over the invoice for the kitchen remodel that Kate had insisted on. Duncan and his crew had done a wonderful job and was able to fit them in almost immediately. The kitchen had been updated with industrial stoves and refrigerators. Caleb had also insisted on two deep freezers since he had taken on feeding those who lived in the Pack house. The other invoice was for one of three shopping trips that he had participated in when Kate insisted on buying everything new for the new kitchen. He had to admit he liked knowing that she picked out the amber-toned coffee mugs to match his eyes. Or that Caleb had chosen the green accents since he knew it was Kate’s favorite color. The kitchen really felt like their own now, not just leftover decor from his parents.