Page 23 of Blood Pack Beginning (Pack #5)

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Cyrus was driving when Thaddeus called to update them on the fact he’d heard from Sasha and Amir. Pierrot played the conversation over the SUV’s speaker so they could all hear the recap of what the pair had gone through. The duo lived, but the rest of the news proved grim. An entire pack stolen with some forced to shift and kill in front of witnesses. While they’d recovered one of the trucks with victims, two more were apparently missing. Hopefully they’d find them at the address recovered from Monty’s phone. Amir and Sasha were en route, and now so were Cyrus and the gang.

The invasion of Wooly Pillars made Cyrus glad his parents had chosen to retire in Florida, thus avoiding this clusterfuck. As for Diego, he did all he could to avoid his dad since his mom died. He wouldn’t shed any tears if his dad didn’t return.

Thaddeus finished the call with a warning. “Be very cautious investigating this warehouse. If you suspect this master is at all in the vicinity, keep away and wait for me.”

Their new alpha hung up, and Pierrot stated, “In a stroke of luck, we’re only about five minutes from the warehouse. Keep going straight and keep your eyes peeled for a large moving truck.”

Hardly luck. Cyrus had been following the tether between him and Sasha ever since she regained consciousness. Sasha was close. Very close. Cyrus eased up on the gas before suddenly veering.

“Where are you going?” Pierrot yelled as the tires screamed. “The warehouse isn’t that way.”

“But Sasha is,” Diego replied as Cyrus focused on the feeling filling him. Similar to the time he’d felt Sasha’s nightmare, he now sensed fear, a thread of panic, anger, and danger. Those emotions pulsed and had him doing two more sharp turns before Diego leaned forward to exclaim, “I see a truck. Oh, shit.”

Oh shit, indeed. A mob of bodies milled at the rear of it, with one distinctive head standing above the others.

“That’s Amir,” Diego stated unnecessarily. “And I do believe those are folks from the Woolly Pillars Pack, but why are they attacking them?”

“Because they’ve become ghouls,” Anabel flatly stated.

Cyrus gunned the truck.

“What are you doing?” exclaimed Pierrot.

“Taking a few out on the edges,” a grim Cyrus replied. He kept the gas hammered until just before impact, plowing into four ghouls on the edge of the swarm. They hit the grill and hood, the impact sending them flying. He’d barely screeched to a stop when they were piling out, Cyrus pulling the gun he’d kept handy. He quickly aimed at the first set of red eyes he saw, having a moment of shocked recognition before the bullet fired.

Bang .

He missed the head but hit Kyle—no, not Kyle anymore, but a monster—in the shoulder to no effect. As If uninjured, the ghoul slammed into Cyrus with clacking teeth before he could fire again. Cyrus dropped the gun to grab it by the head and grunted as the ghoul violently shook to try and free itself. Cyrus hung tight to the frenzied monstrosity’s head and dropped to the ground.

Snap .

Ghoul-Kyle didn’t die, but the broken neck kept him down, leaving Cyrus to move on to the next target.

And the next.

The changed folks of Woolly Pillars were unrelenting in their attack, paying no heed to their injuries, the group of them tougher to beat than the ones in the sewer, most likely because of their fresh state.

Cyrus and the others fought their way to Sasha and Amir, the pair bloodied and yet miraculously still standing. They formed a square around the injured duo and handled the remaining ghouls, the familiar visages forcing Cyrus to shut off his mind, yet his heart still ached as he was forced to kill.

Lorette Pettigrew, a mother of four, who could often be seen in the compound park playing Frisbee with her kids, now red-eyed and trying to rake her nails across his face. David Watson, a guy he went to school with, throwing himself at Diego’s leg in an attempt to gnaw. People he knew caught up in something beyond their ken. An evil plot that used innocents with no regard.

Each life Cyrus took hammered at his conscience, and yet there was no choice. Ghouls couldn’t be cured. Nor could they be left to roam and embark on a murderous spree.

The fight finished with everyone panting, covered head to toe in gore and gashes but alive. By Cyrus’ count, they’d taken out around a dozen ghouls, two of them in wolf form. While all of them were dead—according to Pierrot who listened for heartbeats—a creepy few still had limbs twitching.

Cyrus wanted to find a dark corner for an unmanly cry, but instead grabbed for the swaying Sasha. He held her close and murmured, “How bad?”

“I’ll live,” her flat reply. “How’s Amir?”

“Wounded, but not dying,” Amir’s gruff response.

A glance at his friends showed mostly shallow wounds with the exception of a deep bite on Amir’s arm. As for Sasha, harder to tell given the blood covering her.

“That was awful,” Diego grumbled as he scrubbed a hand over his face, only to smear the mess, making it worse.

“It was indeed nasty and leaves us with a pressing problem,” Pierrot agreed. “We need to get rid of these bodies, and fast. Despite the fact this commercial area appears empty of inhabitants, it’s still possible the altercation drew attention, and I have to wonder if any cameras filmed the fight.”

Anabel, the least wrecked of them all, planted her hands on her hips as she glanced around. “Okay, folks, let’s get to work. Cyrus, you tend to Amir’s and Sasha’s injuries. Diego, you and I will gather the bodies and any severed parts and put them in the truck. Pierrot, you check the area for cameras and figure out how to get rid of any footage.”

“On it.” Pierrot headed for the SUV to grab his laptop.

As the others went to work, Cyrus pursed his lips. “Any idea where I can find water for cleansing and bandages to bind?”

“There’s water right there.” Sasha pointed to a hydrant. “It will also help wash the blood from the road. As for bandaging, once I feed, I should heal quickly, so worry more about Amir.”

The big man offered Cyrus a droll grin as he blurted out, “Lick me.”

Cyrus sighed because, of course, Lycan saliva would be the best thing. “Give me a second to find something to open the valve on the hydrant, and then I’ll strip to wolf out.”

A proper wrench to open the valve couldn’t be found, no surprise, and with no time to waste, Cyrus used what they did have at hand, namely one large truck. He rammed the grill on the front end into the hydrant, knocking it free and sending up a spray of water.

He emerged from the truck to find Sasha and Amir standing under the fountaining spray, the filth of the fight sluicing from their skin. Cyrus joined them for a moment to clean his face and hands before he stripped his clothes and tossed them in the back of the truck. He wouldn’t be putting them back on. Why would he when they’d each tossed a small bag of gear in the back before leaving the compound? Not his idea. Pierrot had been the one to suggest they might want a change of clothes in case things got messy.

Cyrus shifted, letting the wolf come forth in a euphoric pain that made him want to howl. Instead, he shook out his fur before trotting for Amir, who stepped out of the man-made rain and stood still while Cyrus tongued the stripes and furrows. He made sure to get the most saliva in the bite, the nastiest of the wounds.

Then, despite Sasha’s claim she would be fine, he gave her the same treatment, the strokes of his tongue slower and more languorous. Unlike with Amir, licking her was a joy, not a chore.

When he was done, he headed for the SUV and shifted, standing naked as he rummaged through his bag for clothes.

“Got any spares?” Amir asked, eyeing his drenched and stained garb.

“Actually, I’ve got a bag for you both.” Cyrus waved at the pile of knapsacks.

As they dressed, the others in the group converged, also taking a moment to get changed. Hopefully, not too long. They had yet to investigate the warehouse.

“Good news, only one camera,” Pierrot exclaimed as he approached with his laptop under his arm. He kept well out of the reach of the spraying water. “And it didn’t have the right angle to see anything.”

“Only one? Surprising,” Diego exclaimed as he headed for his own shower, having finished tossing the bodies into the truck.

“The area is mostly abandoned,” Pierrot pointed out. “Probably explains why Monty and his master chose a warehouse in this vicinity.”

“Speaking of which we still need to check it out,” Sasha stated, wringing out her hair.

“I think the first order of business is getting rid of the truck and bodies before anyone shows up,” Anabel countered.

“Get rid of it how?” Amir countered. “It’s not like there’s a river nearby we can drive it into.”

“Abandoning it also isn’t an option,” Pierrot added. “Who knows what the authorities would assume when they found it.”

“Gang violence, if we’re lucky,” Diego quipped.

“We can’t have the bodies examined by humans, meaning we need a way to make them disappear. Any ideas?” Sasha glanced around at them.

Cyrus glanced at the spewing hydrant before his gaze went to the buildings, more specifically the gas meter he could see outside of one, protected by a single cement pylon to ensure no one accidentally smoked it with a vehicle. “I have a suggestion,” Cyrus ventured. “But we’ll have to move quickly once we set it in motion.”

“I think we’re already aware of a need for speed,” quipped Anabel. “I, for one, am not keen on being put in a jail cell.”

“It’s not cops we gotta worry about.” Cyrus indicated the pipe coming out of the ground. “That’s a natural gas line. Ignite it and anything in the vicinity will burn. Question is, who wants to drive the truck into it and risk getting caught in the explosion?”

“Why crash and burn when you can light it up from afar?” Anabel suggested. “All we need is one properly aimed bullet. Who’s the best shot here?”

“Me.” Diego raised his hand. “I used to do sharp-shooting competitions as a teen.”

Sasha shook her head. “Once the gas ignites, the whole area is gonna blow.”

“No shit,” Diego drawled.

“You’re fast, but not fast enough to outrun the blast,” Sasha pointed out. “I’ll stay behind to ignite the gas while you and everyone else stay in the SUV at a safe distance.”

When Diego opened his mouth to argue, she shook her head. “This is non-negotiable, and we don’t have time to argue. I need someone to park the truck with the bodies by the gas line. Keep the back open to make sure the fire gets inside. We want the bodies to burn to a crisp to hide what happened here.”

Anabel cleared her throat. “Um, what about Monty? We incinerating him too?” She pointed to the tailgate of the truck holding pieces of a body.

Sasha grimaced. “We should keep him for ashing. Thaddeus will want to see what he can learn from his remains. I don’t suppose anyone brought garbage bags.”

They ended up using some of the emptied backpacks, a stony-faced Anabel shoving hunks of meat inside before she zipped them up. They were then loaded into the back of the SUV, and Cyrus wanted to gag at the stench of death that wafted.

Sasha grabbed a gun from the stash hidden in the trunk before she shooed them. “Move your asses, puppies. Dawn is coming, so unless you like your lovers crispy fried, we gotta get going.”

“Be careful,” Cyrus murmured, giving her a squeeze. Diego and Amir both also had words of encouragement and warning.

Sasha sighed. “Stop acting like I’m about to die. I’ll be with you in less than a minute. Now, git.”

A reluctant Cyrus, Diego, and Amir piled into the vehicle. Pierrot parked them up the road, and they all craned to watch in tense silence as Sasha jumped into the truck and eased it forward. She nudged the fuel line with the front end, and Cyrus probably imagined he could hear the hiss of releasing gas.

She hopped out of the driver’s seat and walked several paces—not enough for Cyrus’ liking—before pivoting and taking aim.

One tiny woman with too much fucking courage.

They all heard the pop of the bullet and saw the bright flash as it connected with the gas. The bright flash of the explosion had him blinking, and the vehicle rocked despite the distance. When Cyrus could see without spots again, he strained for a glimpse of Sasha but could only see billowing smoke and flame.

Amir, who’d chosen to ride in the trunk, yelled, “I see her.” He slammed the button to release the hatch and rolled out before it finished opening. He loped for Sasha and scooped her limping frame into his arms before running back.

Boom .

A second explosion shook the ground. Amir stumbled but kept his footing, reaching the SUV and clambering into the back with her. “We’re in. Go,” he shouted as the hatch beeped the entire time it closed.

Tires spun, spitting gravel, as Pierrot took off, racing away from the inferno they’d started.

“Whew. Almost lost my eyebrows.” Sasha joked.

“Jeezus, you moved fast,” Diego exclaimed.

“One of my gifts,” she replied with a wink.

“Where to?” Pierrot asked as he took a sharp turn to get them out of direct line of sight of any first responders who might already be en route.

“I told you we need to check out the warehouse.”

“Is that wise?” he countered.

“We don’t have a choice. We need answers. Not to mention, there’s a chance the other trucks full of people could be saved.”

Diego frowned. “You don’t think they have already been turned?”

“I have no idea, but one way or another, we need to take care of it.” One way being saving the people if they could. The other being making sure the ghouls didn’t go on a bloody rampage.

“Why do this to them at all?” Anabel waved her hands. “I thought this master was trying to expose Lycans, so why turn those people into ghouls?”

“I don’t know. Maybe we’ll find out at the warehouse, but I think we’d better be prepared for more trouble because we’re here.” Pierrot slowed the SUV down as the large, dilapidated building came into view.

“I don’t see any trucks,” Diego remarked.

“They’re most likely inside.” Anabel pointed to the roll-up doors.

“We going in for a sniff around or just blowing it up?” Amir asked.

“I think it’s wiser we have a peek before we decide to do anything.” Sasha leaned over the rear seat back to have a better look.

“Thaddeus told us to stay out if we thought the master might be present,” Pierrot reminded, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel.

“And how are we supposed to know if this master is there without entering?” Sasha countered.

“How far is Thaddeus? Should we call him?” Anabel questioned, holding up her phone.

“His last text said he’d be here shortly.” Pierrot clutched the steering wheel, indecision plain on his face.

“How shortly? Because dawn is coming, and we’ve yet to find a place to hole up for the day,” Anabel replied, which then had Cyrus worrying. “Do we have time to poke?”

“There are enough vacant buildings in the area that I’m sure we can find something dark to hole up for the day. If you’re all too scared, then I’ll check it out by myself,” Sasha declared before popping the trunk and exiting the SUV. Amir joined her. Actually, they all did, with Pierrot emerging last and on a long sigh.

“It’s like you want us to become ash,” he stated.

“More like I’m worried about what might be in that building.”

“You think those other two truckloads of people are going to become ghouls as well?” Cyrus queried. That would suck. More folks he knew getting fucked over in a skirmish that didn’t involve them.

“If they are, then we can handle it. I see another gas line.” Diego pointed to the meter attached to a pipe. “We already know it only takes one bullet to blow up.”

“You can’t just explode the place without being sure of who’s inside,” Cyrus argued. “What if the other two trucks weren’t carrying tainted Lycans? You’d be killing innocent people, children too.” Because the last truck hadn’t held any of the missing young’uns.

“Hence why we need to take a peek inside. Any suggestions on how to do so without being spotted?”

A glance at the warehouse showed it lacked windows on this side. Just a bunch of oversized roll-up doors for the loading docks and a smaller door set by the left corner.

“I don’t think you can do so without being heard.” Pierrot pursed his lips as he stared at the laptop he balanced in one hand. “There’s no signal around here indicating cameras in use. Probably the quickest thing we could do is open a door and have a quick smell. Ghouls tend to leave a stench.”

“Not the fresh ones,” Sasha reminded.

“We’re wasting time. I’ll go,” Amir volunteered. “Run in for a sniff then right back out.”

“Not alone,” Diego said with a shake of his head. “I’ll come with you.”

“We’ll all go,” Sasha firmly stated. “And stick close together. If we’re attacked and the odds are shit, keep a tight formation while we work our way back to the exit.”

Not the best plan, but better than blowing up the place blindly.

Just in case they ran into trouble, though, Cyrus and Diego stripped to save their clothes and shifted. Amir held off since he’d already been through the wringer and would need to recover more fully before attempting to change again. Exhausted people who tried too hard to morph could become caught in a half-state that was very painful—so he’d heard.

The vampires and Amir grabbed weapons. Then the motley group headed silently on foot for the warehouse. Time to discover what hid within.