Page 9 of Blood Pack Beginning (Pack #5)
CHAPTER EIGHT
Amir and Diego moved at a quick pace as they followed the trail of the ghoul responsible for the death in the alley. Their steps echoed loudly in the tunnel, but no point in worrying about it. A ghoul would scent them even if they managed to move in ninja-like silence.
While neither said a thing, it became quickly obvious they both wanted the prize for killing the monster.
Thinking of it led to Amir huffing, “Has Sasha spoken to you at all?”
“About?”
“The fact she’s not bothered by Pack Law.”
“Which one?”
“The one where the females are expected to take multiple mates.”
“You mean the one that’s been repealed. Nathan lifted that requirement so women can have the choice.”
“He might have, but we both know there’s some alphas that won’t listen.” A long-engrained rule like that would take time to adjust to. “And some woman might want to choose to have more than one mate. Sasha does.”
Diego stumbled and stopped. “She said that?”
“Yeah. After she kissed me.”
“She kissed you!” Diego’s high pitch made Amir wince.
“Just the one time. She told me that she’d totally be into sharing us.”
“What did you say?”
“Nothing.” Amir shrugged. “It took me by surprise.”
“And now that you’ve had time to think about it?”
“I don’t know how I feel about it. Once I left the Pack and started living in Moon Dew, I kind of figured I’d end up settling down with a human and didn’t figure I’d have to deal with the Pack Law.”
“The Pack Laws wouldn’t apply to Sasha anyhow, as a non-Lycan.”
“I know. I’m just bad at trying to explain why I didn’t think I’d ever have to share but guess I have to now consider it since Sasha seems to want it.”
“Would that be a problem? Because I’m telling you right now, even if you bed her first, I’m still gonna make a play.”
Amir’s lips twisted. “I’m aware, and if you were anyone else, I’d probably knock out a few teeth. But…” His shoulders rolled. “We’ve been friends a long time, and honestly, if I gotta share, you’d be one of the people I could handle.”
“And Cyrus?”
“You think he’s interested in Sasha? He’s always busting her balls.”
“Because he likes her,” Diego offered with a chuckle. “He might deny and fight it, but I’ve seen how he watches her. The bigger question is Omar.”
“Even if Omar were straight, Sasha ain’t into him.” Amir had seen her disdain when she looked at his brother. Understandable. Omar wasn’t what one expected from a Lycan. More than once, his sibling had done things that made it difficult for even Amir to like him.
“That they’ll never become lovers is kind of obvious. I’m talking about his lack of respect for her as well as all his whining about leaving.”
A sigh left Amir. “Yeah. He’s been a dick about the whole situation.”
“What are you gonna do if he asks you to go with him?”
A tough question because he’d been taking care of Omar since their parents died and Omar left the pack. At times, babysitting his sibling grated. Amir loved his brother but also resented him. Amir never got to do anything on his own. He chose a career as a trucker, which led to Omar insisting on being his driving partner. Not a big deal, except Omar left the bulk of the work to Amir. He didn’t help out much around the house, not even with the bills. If Amir went to hang with his friends, Omar always tagged along—and usually started trouble while expecting Amir to finish it. Amir knew his brother needed some separation, some time apart from the others to grow into the man he could be, but he worried Omar might not make it on his own, and he didn’t want to make Lorelei face one more family loss. They’d already been through so much.
“He can do what he wants. I’m not planning to go anywhere anytime soon,” Amir stated.
“Even if Omar throws a fit?”
“He’s a grown-ass adult. If he wants to find somewhere else to live, then he’s free to go.”
“I’ll be damned,” Diego murmured. “You really do like her if you’re willing to finally tell Omar to cut the fucking apron strings.”
Amir wanted to state that Sasha had nothing to do with it, but quite honestly, that might not be entirely true. Since Amir met her, his worldview had shifted, from a focus on taking care of his family and surviving to wanting to be a part of something more. Of belonging somewhere. Of having someone in his life who challenged him, not just in training but mentally and sexually as well.
“We should be hunting the ghoul, not yapping like women,” Amir’s gruff reply rather than spilling his innermost thoughts. Amir wasn’t usually a guy who shared his feelings.
“I don’t think it’s far.” Diego began to jog down the track, only to yell, quite unnecessarily, “Train coming.” As if the rumble filling the tunnel didn’t give it away.
They flattened against the wall as the subway roared past, the noise and wind of it turning their heads.
Once it sped out of sight, Diego chuckled. “Remember that time we surfed the subway in that spot where it comes up above ground?”
He did. They’d both been much younger, late teens, and full of brashness and the boasting that came with new friendship. Amir met Diego and Cyrus in Moon Dew after he moved in with Lorelei, with Diego usually accompanying Cyrus when he visited his aunt.
They continued to follow the ghoul scent until it abruptly ceased.
Diego frowned as he glanced around. “Where the fuck did it go?”
Smooth walls. No exits. It had to be somewhere.
Amir strode a few paces farther up the tunnel, only to whirl. “It’s like it disappeared into thin air.”
As the tracks began to rattle again, Diego’s eyes widened. “Or it hitched a ride after leaving a false trail.”
Meaning they’d chosen the wrong direction. “We’d better catch up to Cyrus and Sasha.” Because they’d be facing at least two ghouls, maybe more if the monsters had been riding atop subways, which acted kind of like running water, disrupting trackable scent.
First, though, they had to flatten again lest the subway splat them like bugs on a windshield. Once it passed, they began to run, sprinting back in the direction they’d come from, whipping by the empty subway platform that saw little traffic this time of night.
As they followed Cyrus’ scent, because Sasha’s remained enigmatic, Diego huffed, “I’m smelling more than two ghouls.”
At least four had walked these tracks, but how many more rode in?
At least they didn’t have to contend with any more trains, the late hour seeing them run less often, if at all. It meant they could hear the thud of their steps as they ran, but of more concern was the distant strange shrieks of some creatures, and the snarl of a wolf.
By the sound of it, Cyrus fought the ghouls, and it appeared he’d shifted, not a bad idea. Amir began tearing at his shirt as they neared the battle. Diego instead palmed some daggers and dove through a jagged hole in the wall. Amir grunted as he yanked down his pants and then cursed as he kicked off his shoes. He began shifting even as he moved for the entrance to the cave where the skirmish was in full swing.
He entered to find a chaotic mess that included flying bodies—ghoul bodies, he should clarify. Sasha and Cyrus stood hind to back, the latter snarling and snapping at the ghouls darting for them, while Sasha efficiently wielded a dagger, slashing and hacking at limbs. Another ghoul went soaring when Cyrus grabbed hold and shook it like a rag doll before letting it go, the momentum sending it across the cave. Sasha also sent one airborne, her empty hand flashing out in a closed fist, the impact to a ghoul’s face enough to lift it off its feet.
Hot damn, that woman could handle herself in a fight.
Diego worked his way to them, blades flashing as he rotated them, trying to clear a path. Amir took advantage of his bulk to charge, head down, using his body—and hard skull—to ram, bowling ghouls out of his way until he reached Sasha, who crooned, “Is my good Puppy Chow gonna fetch me some ghoul heads?”
Fuck yeah, he was. Amir might have never fought ghouls or anything fiercer than a racked buck who didn’t want to be dinner, but that didn’t stop him from attacking. He tore into the monsters, quite literally; his teeth snagging and crunching, his claws tearing at rubbery flesh. Pouncing a ghoul and taking it to the ground to ravage its throat.
“Fucker!” Sasha exclaimed, causing Amir’s head to swivel. While she’d been busy dispatching a monster, one had managed to latch itself to her arm and chomped at the flesh. Cyrus snarled as he launched himself at the ghoul, ripping it free before crunching its head.
A fleeting smile hit Sasha’s lips as she crooned, “What a good boy.”
In reply, Cyrus flicked his tongue against her bloodied arm, cleaning the ragged edge of her injury, a common practice among Lycans. Something about the saliva in the wolf shape quickened the healing process and prevented infection. Doubtful Sasha needed it but interesting, as it showed Cyrus cared about her wellbeing.
Movement had Amir once more fighting as a fresh ghoul came at him.
And died.
There might have been more than a dozen foul creatures in that room, but they were no match for three Lycans and a kick-ass vampire.
By the time the craziness ended, they were the only ones standing, bearing only scratches and gore. So much gross gore. As the adrenaline of battle faded, Amir found himself trying to spit the acrid taste from his mouth.
Ugh. He’d be gargling a bottle of mouthwash as soon as possible.
A grimacing Sasha eyed her gummed blades and spattered body. “Pierrot is going to kill me for ruining the leather seats in the SUV.”
Cyrus chuffed in amusement.
Sasha glanced at him. “Keep laughing. You and the other furball will be riding in the trunk.”
“Not going to let them shift back and dress?” Diego asked, kicking at a twitching body before dropping down to stab it.
“Why bother? They won’t be any cleaner, as the blood and guts in their fur will stick to their body. Ever try and dress in jeans while soaked in blood? I have. Not recommended, and we don’t have time to find somewhere to rinse off before the fire crew arrives.”
“Where’s the fire?”
Sasha pulled a Zippo from her pocket. “Here, once I get it going, which will be difficult considering everything in this cave is moist. I should have brought a can of gasoline.”
“You need fuel, I’ll get you some. There’s a variety store by the ticket booth. They carry lighters and other flammable shit we can use.”
“First, we’ll have to handle the security guard and cameras watching the area,” she stated. “Puppies, you stay here and kill anything that moves. Me and Don Suavio will go get some shit that will burn the evidence.”
“Don Suavio?” Diego could be heard querying as they exited the cave.
“Would you have preferred I call you El Slicko?”
The reply caused Amir to snort. It entertained him to no end to see Sasha not falling for Diego’s usual panty-dropping lines and smiles.
A bristling Cyrus prowled the cave, nudging bodies, seeking out any living ones they might have missed. Nothing twitched, and so Amir began trying to count the corpses who’d fallen victim to the monsters. He stopped at the sight of a young child still clutching her stuffed bear.
He barreled out of the cave and dry heaved on the tracks. Cyrus joined him, shifting despite Sasha’s comments. His friend put a hand on his furred shoulder.
“At least we put a stop to them,” his soft murmur.
Amir also changed shape, his skin, as predicted, retaining the gore from the battle. “Did we? What if there are more out there still hunting?”
“If there are, then we’ll come back and keep killing them until there’s none left.” Cyrus’ fierce reply.
“Sounds like you’ve decided to stick around.”
“Where else would I go?” Cyrus asked.
“You and Diego have a pack to go home to.”
A disparaging noise escaped Cyrus. “I wouldn’t call that place home, and it’s barely a pack. Forty people, give or take, and that includes all of five women—of which only one doesn’t have four mates. Not to mention, I can’t see Xander doing shit to stop what’s happening.”
“Kind of like our Lycan Council leaders,” Amir pointed out. “I don’t understand why Nathan and those who know what’s happening aren’t doing more. Why aren’t they warning the Packs and the dormants for that matter?”
“Maybe they are and we just aren’t in the loop. When was the last time you talked to anyone in your old Pack? I know it’s been weeks for me.”
Amir’s lips pursed. “Have you thought about calling Xander?”
“Yeah, but I doubt he’d listen. Here I am, almost thirty years old and he still calls me and Diego the young pups, even though he’s only like ten years older than us.”
“Sasha also calls us puppies,” he reminded.
“In her case, I get the impression she is old enough to get away with it, not to mention she does it to see if she’ll get a rise out of us.” Cyrus grinned. “If you ask me, she needs her own nickname to give her a taste of her own medicine.”
“Any suggestions because I’m pretty sure ‘hot ass’ won’t do the trick.”
“She does have a sweet butt, and perfect tits and lips.” Cyrus stated, “And she’s no dummy either.”
“Blood Breath?” Amir suggested.
“Not her fault she’s on a forced meat diet.” Cyrus rubbed his chin, dislodging a hunk of goo. “Probably the only thing about her that isn’t ideal is her height. And I get the impression she’s sensitive about it. I called her Shorty once during training ,and she flipped me onto my back.”
An apt nickname since she didn’t even come up to their chin. “Shorty! Ha. I like it.”
“I think I hear them coming back. Guess we should get dressed?”
Amir glanced at his smeared body and sighed. As Sasha predicted, tugging jeans over slimy legs led to some ignoble hopping and yanking just as Sasha and Diego came within sight, each of them holding a bag in each hand.
Diego pulled out a bottle of whiskey and shook it. “Turns out the shopkeeper had a bootleg stash under the counter. Who’s ready to set some shit on fire?”
The bottles of booze got cracked and poured all around the cave, minus a few stolen sips. Amir used the first mouthful to rinse his tongue before guzzling some to create a warm fire in his belly.
Once they’d drained the bottles, they exited the cave and Sasha held out her lighter. “Get ready to run because once the smoke hits the detection systems, it will only be minutes until the fire crew arrives. Given there might be witnesses outside when we exit, be sure to duck your heads to hide your faces. Also, we should split off and lose any watching eyes before heading to the truck.”
With the order given, she clicked her Zippo and held the bright flame to the only bottle left, which had a rag sticking out of the top. She ignited her Molotov cocktail and tossed it into the cave before sprinting down the tracks.
Fuck she could move fast.
Amir and the others raced after her, their adrenaline rousing quickly to give them more strength. When Diego uttered a howl of excitement, Amir and Cyrus couldn’t help themselves and joined in. His first real battle had been more exhilarating than expected.
They emerged from the subway station one at a time, Diego the cleanest of them, exiting at a slow walk before uttering a whistle to indicate the coast appeared clear. They still followed Sasha’s instructions, veering off in different directions before circling back to meet at the SUV.
Before the first fire truck’s sirens could be heard, they were on the road, heading back to Thaddeus’ version of a compound, giddy with victory.
Their actions tonight would preserve countless lives. While it might not yet make up for the deaths in Moon Dew, it was a start.
Amir leaned forward to pop his head between the front seats to ask, “So, how’d we do? Did we pass your test?”
An approving Sasha purred, “Indeed, you all acquitted yourselves quite well, and since you all can claim you killed a ghoul, I guess that means we have three winners. The question being, who gets to spend the night with me first?”