Page 3 of Blood Pack Beginning (Pack #5)

CHAPTER TWO

“Fuck off. Vampires aren’t real,” exclaimed Amir, eyeing the beautiful and petite woman standing in front of them.

“Neither are werewolves, according to humans, yet here we both are,” she quipped.

“I call bullshit,” Diego exclaimed. “Everyone knows vampires can’t enter churches.”

That caused the group of self-proclaimed bloodsuckers to burst into laughter with one of the vampire dudes chortling as he stated, “Boy oh boy did Hollywood ever get their facts wrong. Then again, guess we have Stoker to blame for that. That work of fiction he wrote was the greatest gift to our kind. Full of misinformation.”

“So holy water…” Diego queried.

“Would you like to see me gargle it?” offered the vamp with a fang-filled smile.

The petite lady canted her head. “Are you saying you’ve never encountered our kind before?”

“No, because vampires don’t exist,” Amir insisted stubbornly, doing his best to ignore the pointed teeth, their strength as they’d taken the four of them down with ease, and their speed. The woman who’d stayed out of the fray would have caught them if they’d not entered the church and barricaded the door.

“Would you like Pierrot to give you a closer look at his fangs?”

“Big teeth don’t mean shit,” Amir argued, even as he struggled with their scent. Or should he say, lack of one. Humans oozed pheromones. Lycans also had a specific, and annoying to admit, canine scene. But the vampires literally only smelled like the soap used on their skin and clothes. The lack of anything to uniquely identify was unlike anything he’d ever encountered.

“How about I feed on you to prove it? I could use a bit of a snack,” the petite female offered, which led to snickering from her companions.

“Bite me and it will be the last thing you do,” snapped Amir.

“Ooh, I’m so scared,” she mocked while rolling her eyes.

“I don’t think these are the rogues we’ve been tracking,” the other female commented. “They don’t have that putrid stench we encountered lingering in the houses.”

“And they’re clean,” reported the dude with the sharp teeth. “Not to mention, able to hold a conversation.”

“Meaning they’re either innocent bystanders or plants. Either way, they’re coming with us,” the petite lady stated.

“Since when do vampires kidnap their dinner?” Amir couldn’t help the sarcasm.

“Since you called the cops. Given I don’t know how long it will take to break you for answers, best we relocate somewhere a little more secure.”

Amir bit his tongue lest he admit they lied. They’d not called anyone. Certainly not human authorities. “We don’t know anything.”

The woman smiled. “Guess we’ll soon see if that’s true. Let’s get them back to the SUVs.”

“I ain’t going anywhere with you.”

“Oh yes, you are,” the woman sang. And then he’d have sworn he heard her inside his head, whispering, Move your tight ass, pretty boy. Surely his imagination, but his blood chilled because he suddenly wondered if it was true that vampires could hypnotize people into doing whatever they wanted.

The dude with fangs bumped into him from behind, barking, “Let’s go, canine.”

He’d rather fight. However, he couldn’t help but recall how easily they’d been overcome in the scuffle, their opponents moving with uncanny speed. Four against four and they’d handily lost. He doubted they’d fare any better with a second attempt and an extra vamp on the opponent’s side.

With the odds stacked against them, Amir kept walking but chose to dig for information. “Did you help the pack that attacked the town?”

“We don’t align ourselves with psychos,” replied the petite woman.

“Then what makes you think we would?” he hotly retorted.

“Since there is no sanctioned pack for this town, it seems much too coincidental that you somehow escaped the purge unless you are aligned with those attacking.”

“I have no pack,” Amir muttered. He’d been outcast the moment he chose to leave his Pack to support his dormant sister. When she’d not shifted by the time she turned eighteen, she’d been banished as if she suddenly didn’t matter. His own parents hadn’t fought their alpha over it, but Amir had. Despite knowing he’d be named rogue, he’d left with Lorelei and stumbled across Moon Dew, a small town that somehow ended up with a fair number of dormants. Lycan-born folk who couldn’t call their wolf.

The town had been leery of Amir at first, given his choice to go rogue. They knew the laws didn’t favor loners. However, once they realized he wouldn’t start trouble, they accepted him. Omar, his younger brother, joined his siblings a few months later after their parents died in a car crash. As for Diego and Cyrus, they technically still belonged to their Pack, but Cyrus had family in Moon Dew—a dormant aunt, now dead. Amir winced, recalling the atrocities they’d discovered upon returning to town. He was thankful that Lorelei was out of the country on a European cruise. Otherwise…

He couldn’t think about it.

The few houses they’d checked had left them all horrified. Poor Cyrus had collapsed at the sight of his beloved aunt with her throat torn open. Amir understood, since he struggled to grasp the depravity that had decimated the small town. Their elderly neighbor, Violet, who used to make the kids Rice Krispies treats, had her throat slashed. The Johnsons, who’d just welcomed a new daughter, were killed as they tried to protect the baby in the crib. Even the super-sweet schoolteacher, Mrs. Livingston, had been murdered. Not just killed, but shredded to pieces.

It devastated Amir to know they’d not been around to fight off the attackers. Then again, how could he, his brother, and friends Cyrus and Diego, have known that their jaunt into the city to blow off some steam would leave the peaceful town vulnerable to a massacre?

When they’d emerged from Cyrus’ aunt’s home and spotted the group conversing in the middle of the road, Amir’s first instinct had been to confront, but given the violence—and the fact they were outnumbered—it seemed better to hide.

The lie about having called the cops should have sent the perps fleeing. Instead, they’d easily captured them.

For all Amir might be a big and muscled Lycan, he wasn’t usually one to use his fists. Wouldn’t have mattered if he had the practice; those who ambushed them in the church had been abnormally strong and fast.

Because they were fucking vampires.

Like, what the ever-loving fuck? Bloodsuckers only existed in movies and books. Tell that to the crew claiming they were the real deal. He still had his doubts, pointed teeth or not, but that damn lack of scent had him wondering.

But did they have anything to do with the murder of the folks in town? He doubted it. Otherwise, why were they taking them captive instead of continuing the slaughter?

Then who had done it? Was it Amir and Omar’s fault for living in Moon Dew as rogues? Had the Lycan Council sent a hit squad to make an example of those choosing to abet a pair of loners? That made more sense than rogues banding together to go on a murder spree, but where did the vampires fit in all this? Why did their leader—a petite dark-haired beauty who smiled prettily as she threatened to eat them—insist on removing them for questioning?

As they approached two dark SUVs, both with heavily tinted windows, Amir’s brother tucked close.

“Where are they taking us?” Omar whispered, quivering with fear. He’d always been less than brave, despite his wolfish heritage.

“To their lair, most likely,” quipped Diego. “Probably some windowless basement somewhere.”

A snort from one of their captors was followed with, “What’s the point of being a vampire if we don’t live in luxury?”

“Shh.” One of the other guys nudged the talker. “Next thing you know, you’ll be telling them we don’t sleep in coffins.” To which all the vamps burst out into laughter.

“Did the stories get anything right?” grumbled Diego.

“Some parts, yes, but I’m not about to reveal our secrets, dog,” taunted the fanged guy.

As they neared the vehicles, the woman held out her hand and demanded, “Phones.”

“I don’t have one,” Omar lied.

The one in charge sighed. Said nothing, and yet the fanged dude suddenly had Omar in a headlock while the other female plucked his phone from his pocket.

The leader kept her hand outstretched, and a reluctant Amir dropped his cell in it, as did Diego and Cyrus. No point in starting a losing fight.

The Lycans were split between the vehicles. Diego and Cyrus rode in the SUV with one of the dudes and the other chick, while Amir and Omar rode with the hot one in charge and the fang flasher. One guy was left behind with orders to clean up. Good luck. That many bodies wouldn’t be easy to clear.

As they clambered into the luxurious SUV, Omar huddled in a corner looking miserable, leading the dude in the passenger seat to say, “Relax, little guy.”

Omar took offense. “Relax how? We’re being kidnapped by vampires.”

“Would you rather be dead?” The woman’s blunt reply.

“No,” huffed Omar. “But I don’t know why you need to take us. We had nothing to do with it.”

“Then you have nothing to fear.” The passenger used a soothing tone.

“Stop mollycoddling them. They’re werewolves, not children.” The woman glanced back at them. “The drive will be about two hours. You will behave, or else.”

“Or else what?” Amir couldn’t help but riposte.

Her lips curved. “Or else I might decide I need a snack after all.”

The SUV jolted into motion, and Amir slumped in the seat. How to extricate him and his brother? He already knew he couldn’t outrun the woman. Couldn’t fight them. Look at how quickly they’d been outmatched. He had to wonder if perhaps they’d get a chance once the sun rose because surely the vamps would hide from sunlight. Or would they? Did the stories have the whole burning-in-daylight thing wrong too?

The dude half turned in his seat. “I don’t see why we can’t start the questioning now. What do you say, boys? Let’s start with names. I’m Pierrot. The lady I don’t recommend messing with is Sasha. And you are?”

“None of your fucking business,” Amir uttered in a low growl.

“I’m Omar.” His younger brother didn’t hesitate to give out that information and got elbowed in the ribs for it.

“And you are from that town?”

Omar chose to ignore Amir’s warning nudge. “Not originally. Our parents emigrated to the US with the Lycan Council’s permission when I was seven and Amir was ten. We started out living in the city until the council found a pack that would accept us.”

“Moon Dew is not a sanctioned Pack town, so how did you end up there?” Pierrot questioned.

“Lorelei, our sister, was kicked out of our Pack town for not being a wolf.” Omar just couldn’t shut his fucking trap. “She was a dormant.”

“As in born of Lycans but never shifted?” Sasha’s sharp question.

“Yeah. Amir left with her, and I joined them when our parents died not long after. Moon Dew was kind of like a sanctuary for latents.”

Amir leaned his head back and closed his eyes as Omar blithely spilled everything.

“How many dormants are in the town?” Sasha asked.

“Didn’t you count them before ordering their deaths?” Amir snapped.

“I told you we had nothing to do with that.”

“Yet you were there, going through the houses.”

“Looking for the rogues responsible,” the woman huffed.

“What makes you think it was rogues? And why the fuck would you care?”

“Because these rogues are likely following a vampire’s orders,” Pierrot revealed and got in shit for it.

“What the fuck? Don’t be spilling our intel,” Sasha chided.

“Why do we need to hide what we know? It’s obvious they’re not the rogues Thaddeus has us looking for.”

“Don’t be so sure,” muttered Sasha. “Roderick’s influence can be buried deep, hidden from the casual observer, a ticking murderous bomb.”

“My brother Amir and I aren’t the killers,” Omar hastened to reassure. “We were in the city having some drinks with our buddies when Cyrus’ aunt called to tell us something was wrong. We rushed back, but we got to Moon Dew too late to do anything.”

“Why don’t you just tell them everything?” Amir groaned.

“If they’re hunting those responsible, then that makes them our allies,” Omar insisted.

“Did you forget the part where they claim to be vampires? That makes them our enemy, not our friends.”

“Why would vampires automatically be our enemy?” Omar retorted. “We didn’t even suspect they existed until tonight, so maybe?—”

“They drink blood,” Amir snapped. “And weren’t you listening? They said a vampire ordered the rogues to massacre the town.”

“Like Lycans, my kind can have bad seeds,” Sasha interjected. “Given what happened here, I’d say we have a common purpose.”

“Common purpose to do what?” he snapped.

“Hunt and execute those responsible, from the Lycan thralls to the vampire controlling them.”

“Controlling? Bullshit,” Amir exclaimed. “A vampire might have hired them, but he’s not controlling them. Only an Alpha can command.”

“Or a Lycan Alpha turned vampire.”

The claim froze Amir. “That’s not possible.” He refused to believe it.

“We thought the same until recently.” Her gaze met his in the rearview. “An alpha named Roderick somehow also became vampire, a hybrid the likes of which should not have been possible. While he is now dead, the dogs under Roderick’s sway lost their usual immunity to vampire mind control, making them vulnerable to mental manipulation.”

“We’ve never met this Roderick, which explains why you couldn’t force us to obey at the church and why your friends had to bust in.”

“That is correct,” Sasha grumbled.

“Well at least you can’t control us,” Amir muttered with relief.

“So we’ve been told, but I could give it a try if you’d like.” Pierrot flashed his teeth again as he craned to eye Amir and Omar. “Wonder if I could make your brother cluck like a chicken.”

“Stay out of our heads.” Amir had a childish urge to slap his hands over his ears as if it would stop that kind of assault.

“Oh my, the big bad wolf has spoken. I better obey,” Sasha drawled sarcastically.

“How did you know we were Lycan?” It occurred to him she’d seemingly known instantly.

“Kind of hard to mistake the doggie smell that follows you around.” Her dry reply.

“Is that how you tracked the fuckers who attacked Moon Dew?”

“No. We found a rogue in the city and caught his license plate. We hacked his onboard nav system, which led us here, albeit too late.”

Slick and, not to mention, indicated they had resources. “Why would they have targeted our town?” Amir asked.

“You said Moon Dew was a kind of sanctuary for dormants. I wonder if that was the reason it got hit,” Sasha said thoughtfully, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel. Could be these latents have something to offer that can’t be achieved with a human thrall.”

Amir opened his mouth to scoff, only to frown. The few houses they’d entered, they’d noticed some folks missing but hadn’t thought much of it. Surely some of them escaped or had been out of town, as Lorelei was. “You’re saying they took them?”

“Yes. By our estimations, based on the number of scents we assessed in each residence, they left with fourteen adults and seven children.”

“Thirteen. Our sister, Lorelei, is out of town,” Omar corrected.

“Why?” Amir blurted out. “Why would they want to take people?”

“Because a war is brewing, and the faction my boss opposes is amassing troops. Since the number of vampires is finite, Morpheus has been recruiting from other areas.”

“Wait, you’re telling me my town was slaughtered because some vampires are having a squabble and needed some extra peons to sacrifice?”

Sasha met his gaze in the rearview mirror. “Succinct, but accurate.”

“It’s fucking barbaric.”

“That’s ripe, coming from a Lycan. Last I heard, the packs still used women as breeding heifers.”

He stiffened at the statement and tried to explain the practice, even as he didn’t agree with it. “Low birth rates and an even lower number of Lycan females born would see us extinct without it.” Amir defended the policy even as he struggled with it. All his life, he’d been taught that when he mated, he would have to share his wife with a few men. Probably the reason he’d never gotten serious with anyone.

“There’s something called fertility clinics,” her dry reply.

“You know we can’t see regular medical professionals.”

“You’re telling me the Lycans haven’t yet figured out how to educate their own?” Her sharp retort.

He didn’t admit she made a valid point, nor did he mention the fact his own parents bucked the trend because their love didn’t want to share.

Omar spilled the secret. “Me and Amir only had one dad. Mom refused to take another, and before our first pack could force her, Dad took her to America.”

“I’m surprised your new pack didn’t try to enforce the same rule.”

“They would have tried,” Amir growled. “If my mother hadn’t chosen to have a hysterectomy.”

Pierrot whistled. “Drastic, but I guess it did the trick.”

It had. His mom didn’t have to take another as mate. Amir changed the subject. “Why are bloodsuckers conscripting Lycans for their war?”

“Because you’re stronger than humans, and more expendable than vampires.” Her cold reply.

“What the fuck kind of bullshit answer is that?” Amir exploded.

“The truthful kind.”

“So, let me guess, you’re going to make us part of your army instead and force us to fight for you.”

“As if I’d trust an outsider to protect my back,” she scoffed.

“If you don’t want us as allies, then what will happen to us?”

She rolled her shoulders. “That is for the boss to decide.”

“Your boss being…”

“The vampire you don’t want to meet in a dark alley.”

Sounded like an exaggeration until Amir met Thaddeus face to face.