Her Brother, Her Mate

The chalky tattered face of the rogue vampire looks bruised around its menacing red eyes and b***d is covering and dripping from its mouth. It has no hair, and I think it’s a man solely based on the small bump on its neck, hinting of an adam’s apple.

He pounced on the young fairy, bringing her down to the ground and tearing into her neck before she had a chance to react.

I’m on the move before I even think about my actions. I ran towards the vamp, shifting as I leaped in the air. I can feel Parker running behind me, shifting at the same time as I do.

“Everyone, gather on the beach. Warriors who are not yet adults, shift and protect those who can’t fight.” I send out a mass mind link to everyone, including my dad and Elena, before I cut everyone else out and just talk to them. “Dad, Elena, rogue vamp at Oleta River State Park.”

“Be careful! We’re on our way,” My dad linked back, and I could hear the panic in his tone.

I lunge for the vamp, but he senses me before I can land and rolls to the right. I saw the movement and changed my project in the air to come down on the side of a tree behind him, then push off with my back paws to backflip and land on his back. Parker snarls, and tries to lunge for his neck, but the vampire is faster than him and snaps his b***d-soaked fangs just inches from Parker’s snout.

That pisses me off. I pushed into a pressure point on his side with my front paw, and when he arches his back, I bring my canines down on the back of his neck so I have total control of his head movements.

“Get off me you filthy mutt,” it hissed venomously. Not a chance.

He tries to overpower me, and almost does, but Parker took advantage of his distraction and caught the vampire’s left leg in his snout, ripping it off in a quick jerk and throwing it off to the side. The vampire howls and screams out in agonizing pain, but Parker continues to rip his limbs off so he is nothing but a torso and head. Inky and rotten b***d is pouring out of him, but he still tries to break free from the hold I have on his neck.

I’m about to tear his head off when another rogue vampire comes barreling out of the trees, knocking Parker to the ground. Parker pushes against its hold with his paws, but he’s at a disadvantage being on his back underneath the rogue leech.

I quickly rip the head off the vampire in my hold, then go to save Parker when Casey and Daryl come from either side of Parker and overpower the vampire from their sides.

I shift back, then snap a tree branch off from a nearby oak. I strut straight for the vampire in Daryl and Casey’s hold. They are in wolf form, and have him by the arms, stretching him out wide so he can’t reach either one of them with his teeth.

“Why are you here?” I sneered menacingly at the vampire.

When the vampire speaks, it’s the high pitched voice of a woman, and not a man like a thought. Her sunken red eyes, hairless head and sickly appearance look exactly like the other one, but I can now see this one is smaller.

“YOU MONGREL!” she screeches, “YOU ARE KILLING HIM!”

“He killed one of ours first. Why are you here? Where did you come from?” I asked again.

She just hisses at me then screams. Parker got up and shifted back. He has scratches down his bare chest and arms, but no bites, thank the goddess. He is plunging a split palm branch into the other rogue vampire’s chest, right through his heart. The woman is now hysterical seeing her friend dead and in pieces around us.

“Where did you come from?” I asked her one last time, barely 6 inches from her face. She snaps at me at lightning speed, but I’m barely faster, stepping out of the way and plunging the oak branch into her mouth and through the back of her head.

This isn’t enough to kill her. She splutters out rotten b***d, trying to scream from the pain.

“We need to keep her restrained,” I tell Daryl and Casey. “We need her alive for now to find her coven. Parker, we need to do a sweep of the area before anyone leaves the beach. There could be more. My parents are on their way, but it takes a while to get here from the pack house. Go organize a group of 6 to run the island for now. The triplets are over 18 and capable, and I saw Brad and Steven. Laura Moore should be there too. Have Hillary take charge of the warriors under 18 and have them guard the beach. Do two patrols of 3 for the sweep, but make sure Mitch and Mark aren’t in charge of the groups. I’d put Matt and Laura as the heads, then I’d put Mitch and Steven under Laura and Mark and Brad under Matt. Mitch doesn’t listen to his brother and works better under a woman.

“In the back of Casey’s Jeep, there should be a duffle bag with medical supplies. Send Simone and Courtney to get it and help anyone injured. This girl,” I said, crouching down and checking the fairy’s pulse, “is gone but Melody and her friends might need medical attention.”

“Can you guys handle that one?” he asks, glaring at the rogue vamp still pulled tight between Daryl and Casey.

“Oh, we got this,” I said confidently, “Go. There may be more, or there may be others injured in the trees.”

“Yes ma’am,” he called back, running for the beach a*s naked.

I walked back to the oak tree, and broke off 4 more smaller branches, then walked back to the woman thrashing between my friends. Her eyes tighten, and her lack of eyebrows makes them look haunted and hollow. The icky black, rancid b***d is still gurgling from her mouth and I can tell the presence of living wood in her body is weakening her substantially.

I tear each piece of wood in my hands so they all have a point, then jam a branch into each of her limbs. She cries out, her screams piercing our ears, but by the time I get the last branch in her right thigh, all her strength is gone. She will not be able to overpower a toddler now. Not with the wood lodged in her. Casey and Daryl shift back, and Daryl leaves to go help his mate organize the people left on the beach. There were about 40 beings there, and not all of them were wolves. Melody and her friends are arguing with Hillary, hysterical to come back here and check on their fallen friend.

Casey has a firm grip on the vampire in his human form, and she doesn’t seem to be fighting him at all.

“f**k, Carli. That was sick. You almost gave me a heart attack when she snapped at you. What were you doing in her face like that?”

I shrug, “She pissed me off. If it wasn’t for you and Daryl she would have killed Parker.”

“That doesn’t mean you can get in her face like that,” he scoffs in disbelief.

“She almost killed him,” I told Casey, “I couldn’t punch her, so I did the next best thing.”

“How the f**k is shoving a tree branch through her skull the next best thing to punching someone?” he laughs.

I crouched back down next to the fallen fairy girl. She looks young. Most fairies do, so there is no telling how old this girl is. The dead vampire tore out her throat completely. Cherry red b***d is pooling around her and I suddenly realize I’m standing in it.

“Do you have blankets or towels in the back of your car? I don’t want her friends to see all this gruesomeness when they break free and come over here,” I asked Casey.

“There’s a stack in the backseat,” he tells me.

I walked over and grabbed the stack, then laid 3 down over her, hiding the worst of the damage.

“Is it clear?” I mind linked Parker.

“The island is. I’m taking Laura’s group to do one more sweep while Matt’s group guards the bridge. I had Simone call the guys working the gates and they have their people coming to sweep the mainland while we wait for reinforcements.”

“Okay thanks.” I told him, cutting off the link.

“I’m going to have Hillary let her friends over now. Parker said the island’s clear and he’s double checking now,” I told Casey. He nods.

Melody and her friends cry hysterically over their friend. Her name was Emily, and she was just a year younger than me. Melody has already notified her queen, and the fae are sending their guard to help in finding the source of the rogue vampires.

Casey and I move the vampire to the far end of the parking lot, waiting for my dad to arrive. After Parker and Laura’s group finish the final sweep of the island, he runs over to join us, an oversized t-shirt in hand.Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

“I hope you’re not thinking about asking me to put that on when you’re still running around butt naked yourself,” I raised an eyebrow at him. Casey laughs softly behind the subdued vampire.

“Carli, come on. I don’t like my mate running around naked for everyone to see,” he whines at me.

“Fine, you find some shorts to wear, I’ll put on the shirt,” I smiled sweetly at him, making him growl in frustration.

“Backpack in my back seat,” Casey calls over to Parker, “I keep several in there.”

I glare at the traitor and Parker smiles thankfully at him. “Thanks, man,” he says before jogging off in the direction of Casey’s Jeep.

“So,” Casey smirks at me, “Wanna talk about how your brother is your mate?”

“Don’t start,” I laughed, “Wanna talk about how my cousin is your mate?”

“I’d love to,” he smiled brightly, “That was the best present you have ever brought me.”

We get a mind link letting us know that a convoy from our pack is here and coming down the bridge, and 2 seconds later headlights are blinding us as they pass. Parker runs back over, throwing the t-shirt at me and a pair of shorts to Casey. I quickly pull it on, then wait for my parents to exit their SUV and come over.

When the doors open on the last vehicle, I take a step forward, ready to brief my dad, but it’s not my dad that gets out of the car. It’s Parker’s, pulling Luna Mary about behind him.