Page 6 of Blood and Embers (The Rose Vampire Coven #7)

“Get out of my sight before I kill you myself.” The wolves turned to leave, but Tank stopped them.

"Not you two, just him. He's too injured to be of any use, but you two can stand another attack.

You'll be going out again in the morning, so be ready.

" He paused and then added. "And if you dare run away again, I will hunt you down and rip out your throats. Do I make myself clear?"

“Yes.” They walked away not with fear or any sense of concern regarding what he threatened, but rather with a contemptuous disregard.

Either Tank didn’t notice or he didn’t care.

The new recruits were nothing to him; they were there to fight and die and nothing else. Even their scorn meant nothing to him.

No one was watching them, so the three of them walked out the back door and kept going.

This battle was turning into a death wish for the soldiers while Bagwell sat back safe and protected, watching the mayhem.

He was paying them to fight and die, and fighting the Rose Coven was reckless, yet he continued to send them in, thinking that at some point he would win.

“What’s your next move?” His Beta asked, taking a seat across from him.

Their pack house was just a makeshift flop house for now, but Tank had grand expectations of a large house downtown once he was able to carve out part of Master Rose’s territory.

“You’re losing a lot of people trying to fight Master Rose. ”

"They're the recruits, they don't matter." He spat.

"Be careful, Tank, you will get a reputation and then no one will join you.

" The Beta had been with Tank since the beginning, and although he followed his orders, he often found the man to be a bit unhinged.

There may come a day when the Beta would step up, but that was not today.

Tank still had enough jackals in his army to handle most conflicts, but not enough to affect the Rose Coven.

“All I want is a piece of Rose’s territory.

I want the Blood Rose and the warehouses in that area.

I won’t stop until I get it.” Tank was sweating even though he hadn’t left his chair in over an hour.

He wanted what he couldn’t have, and he was willing to get everyone killed in this useless endeavor.

"There was a human present at the last attack; he seemed to be important to them." Both Tank and his Beta turned to look at the jackal leaning against the bar, helping himself to a beer.

"You were there?" The Beta asked, and the jackal nodded.

“I left when it became obvious that I would die if I stayed. You’re fine and all, but I won't throw my life away for anyone, least of all a rogue wolf." Tank hated being called rogue, and he jumped to his feet in a show of aggression. The jackal chuckled.

"Settle down, there's nothing wrong with being rogue. Rogues are the backbone of change, as far as I see it. But let us get back to the important matters.” He downed the beer and then cracked another. "The Coven is harboring a human, a man who I believe may be a beloved, and unlike their other beloveds, who they keep hidden away, this one works with the public. He’s a firefighter with the CFD.” Tank’s eyes lit up with dastardly evil plans forming in their depths.

“Yeah, I thought you’d like that.” The jackal chuckled again. “I know the station he works in and his schedule. I think you’d gain a lot with that gentleman as a bargaining chip.”

They finished their drinks, and Pike took their glasses and set them aside.

Scott was handling them better than expected, but that could be deceiving.

Sometimes, the overload of information can cause a person to appear calm and understanding when, in fact, they are not.

They could go from nodding to screaming in a second, so Pike kept his eyes on Scott and kept monitoring his emotions as best he could.

They were connected by Fate, and Pike could already pick up on some of his moods, but it would take a full bond to allow him to know his emotions and attitudes completely.

He was glad that Scott hadn’t questioned him about the battle in too much depth.

He hadn’t seen the worst of it, which was good.

His human was trying, but that battle and the bloody deaths would have been too much at this point in their relationship.

He had made a mistake when bringing Scott, but at the time, he thought it would force him to see the truth and accept what his eyes were telling him.

Pike had forgotten that humans do not live with blood and death in the same way that paranormals do.

Thankfully, Fate had been looking out for him and shielded his beloved from the worst of it.

“I’d like for you to stay here with me tonight." Pike made his request and took Scott's hand.

“I have a shift tomorrow, it's just a partial, I'm filling in for someone. I work eight to eight and then I’m off for two days. I’d love to spend the night with you if you don’t mind me leaving early.

” Pike stood, pulled Scott to his feet, and took him into his arms. Scott went willingly, wrapping his arms around Pike's shoulders.

“I will take whatever time you can give me. I just want to be with you.” Pike then took Scott’s lips in a kiss that was passionate and devastating, searing his intention into his flesh and making it clear how badly he wanted this man.