Page 6

chapter Five

Enzo

“ You should’ve been there, Zyion. It was perfect.”

I laugh as Titus, one of our unmated male wolves, fills Zyion in on the stunt they pulled last night.

When the vamps showed up two weeks ago, I was so sure they wouldn’t last long. I expected them to reveal their true natures and be dealt with by now, but I was wrong.

They don’t do much. They remain locked inside the cabin most of the time. Luna has gone to see them every day. They hang out for a few hours and then she leaves. Poor Miko doesn’t leave her side the entire time she’s there.

Despite how little they have done to get kicked out, my pack has been giving them hell ever since they showed up. Last night was no different. I did not know their plans. When I heard the pounding on the Vamp’s doors at midnight this morning, I rushed to the door to see where the commotion was coming from. A handful of our packs unmated males had set up camp outside of the vampire’s borrowed cabin. They spent the entire night taking turns pounding on the leeches’ doors and windows.

“Every time I thought they were done, they’d start up again. They did it all night long.” I chuckle at the reminder of them banging so hard against the windows the glass rattled.

Zyion tosses his head back and laughs as he places the last log onto the truck for the day.

“I bet the vamps were pissed,” Zyion jokes.

“Hell yeah they were,” Titus says. “The older one ran out on the porch the first three times. She was livid.”

She was more than livid. I noticed her face when she came out the door. The first time she stepped on that porch, she looked afraid. Which I thought made sense. She should’ve been afraid that a bunch of wolves were surrounding her home and knocking. However, the moment she realized it was us, her features went from scared to annoyed.

Her reaction caught me off guard a little. I expected her fear; I just didn’t think it would turn to annoyance so fast. It’s almost like she thought someone else was at her door. Like maybe the leech her sister is running from had found her. I don’t know why she believed we would allow a bloodsucker to get that far onto our pack lands. Her reaction made me realize she’s terrified of whoever is after her sister.

“That’s good,” Zyion says, dusting his hands off.

I go around to the side of the truck to secure the chains and straps that hold the logs on the back of the huge lumber truck.

“Maybe, if we make them miserable enough, they will leave,” Zyion says, following me.

“Let’s hope,” Titus adds before going over to the driver to let him know his load was secure and ready to go.

Zyion and I head back over to the shed, where we keep our extra supply of lumber. I do a quick inventory count to see how much work needed to be done tomorrow. This was the last thing we had to do before calling it a day.

“Want to head over to the dining hall with me?” Zyion asks as he place his work gloves back in their spot.

“I can’t,” I grumble as I remember the promise I made Chayton. “Luna invited the bloodsuckers to dinner at her home. I promised Alpha I’d come over to help keep an eye on them.”

Zyion grimaces. “Eww, he invited them into his home?”

“No, unfortunately our Luna did. But you know he’s not going to tell her no.”

Zyion nods in understanding. “Poor Luna has no idea how disgusting it is to have those monsters in your home.”

He was right about that. To me, it shows how much Chayton loves Elizabeth. Just the thought of having those leeches in my house makes my flesh crawl.

After finishing up at the lumber site, Zyion and I make our way back toward town.

“How’s Phaedra?” Zyion asks out of the blue. “I haven’t seen her much lately.”

“She’s keeping her distance. This isn’t easy for her. So far, the parasites have had no contact with her. I’ve made sure of it.”

Every day, I check in on Phaedra. She reminds me constantly how unhappy she is about this arrangement.

“I can’t imagine how hard this is for her,” Zyion says. “Many of us know of someone that knows someone that lost a loved one to a bloodsucker. But Phaedra is the only one among us that has lost someone to those monsters.”

I tamped down on the sadness that sweeps through me.

“My sweet, Zo,” the memory of the soft female voice whispers in my head.

I chase it away, shutting my eyes to tap down on the pain.

“Yeah, she’s the only one.”

Zyion and I separate after a while. Him heading to the cafeteria and me going toward Chayton and Elizabeth’s borrowed cabin.

“Well hello, stranger,” the familiar female voice calls out to me.

I stop in my tracks and turn around to meet Nadia. She came here a few months ago from a pack down south. She moved out here with her grandparents and brother. The moment I laid eyes on the she wolf, I knew I had to have her.

She’s curvy, just the way I like my women. Her golden tan skin is flawless, and her full lips are enticing. And when she wraps them around my cock, they feel even more magical.

I hold out my hand for her. She takes it and I pull her into me. She tucks her plush body up against mine. I drop my lips to hers, loving the way they feel.

“What are you doing out here?” I ask, staring down into her green eyes.

She grins. “I was looking for my brother. But I think he’s at the dining hall. What are you doing out this way?”

It took me a week after Nadia showed up to have her buck naked, pressed up against a tree, taking my cock. The way I wanted her, you would’ve thought she was my mate, but my wolf wasn’t interested.

“Still not interested,” he grumbles.

I ignore him.

“I’m having dinner at Chayton’s tonight. The vamps are coming over.”

She gasps, taking a step back. “Is he friends with them now?” The disgust on her face is common.

“No, Luna invited them over.”

She shakes her head. “That’s the problem when you have a human as a mate.”

I take a step back from her. I understand Luna is human, and she sees things differently, but I won’t stand for anyone slandering Elizabeth Elom.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Nadia's eyes widen. “Nothing, I was just pointing out that she doesn’t know any better.”

I wasn’t really feeling her excuse, but I let it slide.

“I have to go,” I say, letting her go.

“Enzo,” she calls out for me, stopping my retreat. “I really meant nothing by that comment. Elizabeth is an incredible Luna.” She touches my face, turning me toward her. “Can I see you tonight?” Her voice drops, causing my dick to harden.

It’s hard to say no to that invitation. I’d never pass up a chance to bury my cock between her thick thighs.

“Yeah, I’m in the northeastern cabin now. I’ll come get you after this dinner.” I tell her.

Her smile is everything. I watch her ass shake as she walks off.

“Fuck,” I growl. “I don’t understand why you aren’t into that woman. She’d make a perfect mate.” I say out loud to my wolf.

“Don’t like her,” he grumbles. “Not my mate.”

Shaking my head, I refuse to get into a discussion with him about mates. Instead, I continue my trek to Chayton’s home.

I spot my Alpha pacing the porch when I walk up. His head swings in my direction.

“What took you so long?” he snaps when he sees me.

I chuckle. “Don’t tell me two female leeches have you afraid to go into your own home, Alpha.”

Chayton growls. “Of course not. I just can’t stand to be around them.”

Stepping up on the porch, I laugh. “Imagine having to live across from them.”

He shakes his head. “Despite how hard it is for me, I’ve never seen Elizabeth so happy. And after all the hell Vilkas and Kamyra gave her, she deserves her happiness.”

Chayton still feels a little guilty about Liz losing her home and being almost burned alive. If he can give her this little false sense of happiness, he will do it. Even though he has plans to ruin this illusion for her. The faster we can show Luna what vampires are really like, the better.

“Come on,” Chayton says, turning to head inside. “ is almost ready.”

I follow my Alpha inside his home. As soon as I walk in, Luna’s laughter greets me. I’ve heard her laugh many times, but I must admit, this one has a little more lightness to it. The laughter that follows hers causes me to stop in my tracks. My wolf stands at attention in my head. I wouldn’t say the laughter was anything special. It wasn’t nearly as light as Luna’s, but it was different. It had a bit of raspiness to it. I guess it caught me off guard.

“Oh, babe, I was just coming to get you,” Liz says walking out of the kitchen with a large serving tray in her hands. She’d taken the braids out a few days ago and went to get it done. Now, her hair is straight and hangs to her shoulders.

Standing behind her was the oldest leech. Today, she pulled her wild curls back into a low ponytail, accentuating her sharp features. The moment she sees me, the small smile on her face falls.

Good.

“Oh, Enzo. I didn’t know you were stopping by,” Luna says with a smile. “Do you want to stay for dinner? I made a big spread.”

If I thought the sight of the leech seeing me made her smile fall, hearing Luna ask me to stay causes her plump lips to turn down.

With a huge grin and a wink, I answer. “Luna, I’d love to stay.”

Just knowing my presence causes the parasite to be unhappy makes this dinner worth it.

“Liz, the rolls are done,” the youngest vamp says coming out of the kitchen. The youngest has an almost reddish-brown complexion. Her rounded eyes and soft features belay her youth.

Her brown eyes land on me and then quickly swing over to her older sister. She clears her throat. If I weren’t paying such close attention, I would have missed how the gesture immediately changes the oldest. Her face slides to neutral. It’s almost as if she’d taken everything she was feeling and tossed it away. Looking at her now, you’d never know how annoyed she was seconds ago. Interesting.

“That’s great, Marley. I’ll grab them. You guys can sit down.”

“No,” the oldest vamp says, grabbing Liz’s arm before she could walk away. Two growls echo through the home. I look over to a tense Chayton, who is mirroring my stance.

Looking back at the vamp, I catch her rolling her eyes. Yet, she releases Liz’s arm.

“I’ll grab the rolls. You sit. You’ve done enough.”

“Oh, thank you,” Liz says.

The oldest vamp walks back into the kitchen, along with the youngest. Luna turns to us and frowns.

“Seriously, you two?” she scolds, placing her hands on her hips.

I shrug. Chayton runs his hands through his hair.

“Sorry, baby. It’s a habit.” He pulls out Elizabeth’s chair at one end of the rectangular table.

“I really want you to get to know Michaela. That’s why I wanted this dinner. Could you please try?” She takes a seat as Chayton pushes her chair up to the table.

“I will for you,” he lies so smoothly I almost didn’t detect it.

Chayton takes his spot at the other end of the table. I sit on the side of the table facing the kitchen. I refuse to have my back to those leeches.

Both vampires walk in. The oldest is carrying a basket of rolls, while the youngest has a pitcher of lemonade.

She places the drink down on the table.

“Hope you guys like the lemonade. I made it myself.”

I grimace at the pitcher. When I look up, I catch the oldest vamp watching me. I can’t read her expression.

She takes her seat across from me while the youngest is across from the empty chair.

“It might be too sweet,” the oldest says. “Wolves rarely drink sweetened drinks.”

She was lying. She knew me nor Chayton would drink that fucking juice. However, I don’t know if she was giving us an out or just trying to protect her sister’s feelings.

“Uh yeah,” Chayton says, glancing at me. “Not fond of sweet drinks.”

“Yeah.” I cosign the lie.

I glance over at Luna and catch her rolling her eyes at the both of us.

“Dang, I didn’t know,” the younger vamp says. “I could’ve made something else.”

“Don’t worry, Marley. I love lemonade,” Luna says, grabbing the pitcher from the middle of the table and pouring herself a glass.

I watch in absolute horror as she drinks the juice. It takes everything in me not to snatch that cup from her and toss it to the floor. Glancing over at Chayton, I can almost read the same thoughts in his head.

“Mmmmhh, delicious,” Luna says.

The young vamp smiles before grabbing the juice and filling her cup up.

“So, ummm, what all did you cook, dear?” Chayton asks looking around at the baked chicken, green beans, rice and gravy, rolls and baked macaroni. Good question. I didn’t want to eat anything the bloodsuckers made.

“I cooked everything. Although Michaela is a way better cook than I am. She makes the best food.” Luna gushes.

“Yeah, my sister can throw down in the kitchen.” The youngest adds as she reaches for the baked macaroni and fills her plate.

I grab the chicken before either of them can touch it and place four pieces on my plate.

“Where’s Miko?” I ask putting the chicken down and going for the gravy.

“He’s with Phaedra. He wanted to spend time with Torak tonight.” Liz looks down as she speaks. She’s lying.

“What happened?” I ask Chayton through our link.

“Miko isn’t a fan of the vamps. He won’t be in human form around them and growls whenever they get too close to his mother. It’s upsetting Liz. I sent him to Phaedra’s tonight to keep the peace.”

“Good call.”

“So, Elizabeth,” the youngest one says placing the macaroni back down on the table. “How’s the pregnancy going so far?”

Luna beams with happiness at the question. On the other side of the table, I can feel Chayton’s concern. It’s coming off him in waves. He’s worried about this pregnancy. Not so much if the cub will be born a wolf or human, but if his human mate can survive the pregnancy.

“So far, so good. Phaedra says that the heartbeat is strong, and everything is looking good. I only wish my husband would believe that I’m fine.”

“I have a reason for my concern, Elizabeth.”

“I’ll be fine, Chayton.”

“Not only is this your first child, but it’s also a shifter. You are human. Anything could go wrong. You can’t be mad at me for wanting you to take it easy.”

I agree with Chayton a hundred percent. Luna needs her rest. She definitely didn’t need to be worried about feeding her vampire friend or stressing over who accepts them or not.

“You’ll be fine, Liz. You and the baby,” the oldest bloodsucker says.

“Thank you, Michaela.”

Chayton’s ire clashes with mine.

“Maybe, you should stay in a vampire’s place,” I say through clenched teeth. “You know nothing about shifter births.”

The vamp’s eyes stare back at me with so much fire in them I’m surprised they don’t melt. She blinks and when she opens her eyes again, the fire has died, and indifference greets me.

She turns to Liz without acknowledging me. “I’ve lived a very long time. I’ve met my fair share of half human and half shifter babies. Your situation isn’t uncommon. The worst you will experience will be in your last trimester. They get a little shifty toward the end.”

I look at Chayton, who looks confused but hopeful.

“No casualties?” he asks the leech.

Why would he even trust anything this creature says?

“No more than a regular human birth,” the leech says, glancing at Chayton. “With all pregnancies there are risks, but she is no more in danger than any other woman giving birth.”

“See, babe. You can relax.”

“But you need to listen to your body,” the leech continues. “No stressing.”

“See, babe,” Chayton taunts, using Luna’s words against her.

Elizabeth sticks out her tongue at her mate. Their playful banter makes me wish for a connection like theirs. At the thought, anger boils up in me.

“Liz, maybe you can convince my sister that she needs to give me a niece or nephew,” the youngest says.

The oldest chokes on the lemonade she just drank. My wolf growls in my head.

“What the fuck are you growling about?” I ask him.

“I don’t know,” he admits. His confusion is obvious.

What the hell about what was just said would make him growl? When I turn to my right, I spot Chayton looking at me, just as confused as I am.

“Please,” Liz jokes. “I’ve been trying to get this girl to settle down for years. She is allergic to commitment.”

The youngest laughs as she slips her fork of beans in her mouth. “She’s been single for way too long, ever since the divorce she’s…Ow,” she looks over at her sister, who is giving her a pointed look.

“Divorce?” Luna questions.

For some reason, my wolf is highly interested in this conversation.

“Wait, you were married?”

I wait to hear the answer to this question. I guess, unlike wolves, vampires don’t mate for life. Just another reason that shows they have no loyalty to anybody, not even people they consider their mates.

“How’s the lumber business going?” the oldest gives her attention to Chayton.

He looks startled but answers her question.

“Uh, great. Business is good.”

“Don’t think I didn’t notice your subject change,” Liz chuckles. “We will talk about this later.”

The oldest cuts her eyes to Luna, but doesn’t reply. The conversation flows to other topics. Mostly, Luna and the bloodsucker reminisce about their youth. Or rather, Luna’s youth, since the vamp wasn’t actually a child.

Hearing all the things they got into and all the laughs they shared, I can understand why Luna thinks the leech is her friend. The bloodsucker has been running the long game on her. Making her think she’s the doting and protective best friend. However, I know that it’s all a charade. Not sure what game she’s running, but I’m sure it will soon come to light.

After I had filled my stomach and eaten all the food, I tossed my fork onto my plate.

“Luna, that food was delicious. And to think, I wouldn’t have gotten this had I not stopped by.”

The oldest vamp snorts across from me. I glare at her.

“Is something funny?” I ask, leaning forward on the table.

“No. Nothing at all,” she leans back in her chair.

Silence floats around us. A slow smile lifts my lips.

“I have to say, vamp. You look tired. Did you sleep well last night?”

“Like a baby,” she replies with a straight face.

“I didn’t,” the youngest says. “With all of that…ow.” She cries out again, glaring at her sister.

The way they look at each other makes me believe they are communicating silently. But vampires do not have the link through a pack bond like wolves.

“I slept well,” the youngest says turning back to the table.

“What the hell is that about?” Chayton asks.

I quickly fill him in on what happened last night. His laughter rumbles through my head.

“Damn, that’s brilliant. I wonder if they can do it again tonight. Maybe if they lack sleep long enough, they’ll leave.”

“I’ll let the guys know.”

“I guess I need to get these dishes cleaned up.” Luna stands to her feet.

“You have a seat,” the oldest vamp says. “I’ll wash the dishes. You did all the cooking.”

“Thank you.”

The vamp stands and piles the dirty dishes in her hand and takes them into the kitchen.

“Liz, you have to tell me the story of you and my sister getting out of that traffic ticket in high school.” Luna laughs as she goes into a story about speeding and an angry cop.

I take the time to go check on the other leech. I didn’t trust her alone in the house. Grabbing the remaining dishes off the table, I take them into the kitchen. She stiffens as soon as I walk in, even though her back is to me. I take pride in making her uncomfortable. Walking over to the sink, I dump all the dishes down in the water, causing soapy water to splash up on her.

“Oops,” I say mockingly.

I turn to walk back out of the kitchen, but stop when she chuckles.

Spinning around, I stare at her back.

“What the fuck is so funny?”

“You,” she says, turning off the water and turning to face me. She wipes her hands on the dish rag before placing it down behind her.

“Me?” I growl, stepping toward her. “You wouldn’t think I was so funny if my wolf was ripping out your throat, leech.”

Her response is to only laugh harder. Before I can think, I am standing in front of her. My towering height causing her to look up at me. My wolf is on the surface, causing my eyes to glow. In her defense, she does not back down, but she stops laughing.

“I don’t like you, vamp.”

“So you’ve said, wolf.”

Being this close to her, I can see so much more of her face. Her skin is flawless. There is not a spot on her face. She has a light brown complexion. Her slanted eyes are the color of honey in the sunlight. A nose that is narrow and buttons at the end. Her face has a more feline-like structure with lips full and bow shaped. She’s tall for a woman, but not nearly as tall as me. But something I wasn’t expecting was her scent. Vampires will always have a bit of a metallic smell to me. That’s a universal scent. However, hidden underneath the metal smell is a soft scent of vanilla. It is such a slight scent that I’m sure most won’t catch it, but I do.

I shake my thoughts out of my head.

“Until you leave my pack, I’ll make your time here hell. Leave it to me. You’ll never get another night’s rest.”

Her brow raises. “I’m a nearly 500-year-old black woman. I’ve lived long enough to experience and see more hate and torture than you’ll ever know. These little parlor tricks you and your friends are pulling are nothing to me. Your slave owning founding fathers were much more brutal.”

Being placed in the same category as slave owners rubs me wrong. Her using those racist pricks to compare our hatred toward vampires is misleading. We have reason to hate their asses.

“I’m nothing like those bastards.”

She smirks. “You think?”

A growl swells up in me and rumbles out. The urge to kill her and just apologize to Luna later takes a hold of me.

“Enzo,” Chayton’s voice cuts through the room like a whip, causing me to tamp down on my anger. “Come join me in the dining room.”

It takes all my strength to get my wolf to take a step away from the leech. Even when I do, my gaze stays on her. The calm look on her face only pisses me off further.

“Nice talking to you, Beta.”

It’s something about the way she says Beta that boils my blood. She uses it as if it’s an insult. As if I should be ashamed to be a beta.

Turning away from the vamp, I march over to Chayton.

“What the hell?” he whispers. “I thought you were going to kill her.”

I glance over my shoulder at the leech. Her back is to us as she goes back to washing dishes.

“Trust me, I wanted to.”

“What did she say?”

“Your slave owning founding fathers were much more brutal.”

My wolf nearly snarls at those words. That comparison forms rocks in my stomach. We are nothing like those people.

“Nothing special,” I say, answering Chayton.

Just then, the youngest vampire rushes into the kitchen, followed by Luna.

“Michaela, Liz just told me they have a cafeteria here that serves food. We don’t have to go grocery shopping now.”

I turn to Chayton, and he and I both share the same expression. Concern.

“Yeah, you guys are welcome to visit the cafeteria. They have plenty of food. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner.”

The youngest vamp rushes over to her sister.

“I love you, but I need to get out of that cabin. Can we go tomorrow? Please?”

The oldest vamp looks at Chayton. I think she’s waiting to see what he says.

“Shit,” Chayton snarls in my head. “ What the fuck do I say? Liz will kill me if I tell her no. But the pack with freak if they show up.”

I think about his dilemma. What the vamp said really bothered me, but she’s wrong. We have reason to treat her the way we are. They are not innocent slaves or people just trying to win their rights. No, these are monsters.

“Let them,” I say to Chayton . “It’ll be okay. I have it under control.”

There is hesitation before he finally speaks.

“Yeah,” Chayton replies out loud. “You should try the cafeteria.”

“Alright,” the oldest vamp nods.

“Yay! What’s on the menu tomorrow?” the youngest sister asks Luna.

“Lasagna,” Luna explains.

“I love lasagna,” the youngest sings.

However, I don’t pay attention to her. I’m still watching the oldest who seems to still be watching us.

“I really hope you can control this,” Chayton says through our link.

“I got you,” I tell him.

I’d make sure it all went as planned.