“I understand some, yes.”
“I ain’t buying this. Come with me. We’re going to go get this straightened out with the head of staff.”
That was my cue. As fast as I could, I threw open the door and grabbed the guard on the other side, slapping my hand overhis mouth and yanking him backward into the room with me. He struggled, but only for a moment, because then America was on him, leaping onto his front and head-butting him about as hard as I’ve ever seen anyone crack skulls together.
Was that a coyote thing I wasn’t aware of?
Whether it was or not, he slumped in my arms, unconscious. America jumped back on her feet, the bruise on the middle of her forehead already beginning to heal.
“Thanks for that,” she said with a grin. “Was worried I’d have to get up to some very noisy shenanigans.” She was speaking in a low whisper—one I wasn’t sure non-shifters could even perceive considering it partially used the subharmonics our animal sides often communicated in. Maybe I would test it out with Ven one day if we weren’t too busy.
Thinking about having an idle day with my love reminded me that we were a breath away from truly having peace. I still had to find the rest of my pack, sure, but that would be a whole lot easier if I could get information out of the remaining brothers.
I had a feeling I could be very convincing.
“Wouldn’t want that, now, would we?” I asked, ripping off the sleeve of the man’s standard black suit and tying it around his head as a gag. Then his other suit sleeve went to tying his wrists together, then a shirt sleeve to tying his feet together. Would it hold him long? Not likely. Even though I could smell that he wasn’t a shifter, there was a hint of magic about him that told me it was better not to assume he was fully human.
It only took about two minutes to get him tucked away in the corner of the room, but once we did, America and I both stood there for a moment. I wasn’t quite sure what was on her mind, but I was contemplating the reality that the brothers who had been tormenting us for so long were likely a couple of rooms away.
“We’re so close,” she murmured. “It’s hard to believe it.”
“Let’s see it through, then,” I said, giving her a grave nod. I knew there was merit to not counting our chickens before they were hatched, but it was hard not to let my mind drift to all the way our lives would change by ending the bloodline that had hurt so many of us. I wanted all the stupid things that separated us to be forgotten so we could be a loose-knit community no one would take advantage of again. I wanted to wake up every morning to Ven’s sleepy face and never have to worry about powerful magic users going after her. Iwantedto spend my days catching up with pack members, helping my love in her garden, and learning more about everything. Ven had mentioned there were schools on the internet now. Maybe I could go to college? I’d never really considered it to be a possibility for myself, but if the brothers were truly gone, and if I managed to reunite my pack, then why not? Being with Ven had taught me that no person had to be just one thing. I could still be an incredible alpha while taking night classes. They were not mutually exclusive. Ven, with her gentle words, her fierce determination, and the way she loved on her cats, had opened up worlds and experiences I thought were forever locked away.
“All right, then.”
I headed to the door first, holding it open for America. She gave me a silent tip of her head. Although the brothers didn’t have enhanced senses like we did, it was best to be cautious.
At least that was what I told myself as my heart pounded in my chest while we walked down the hallway. As we drew closer to the doors of the main sitting room, I couldn’t help but think that even a human would be able to hear thethump-thump-thumpemanating from my chest. If they had any shifters in their security detail, we were cooked.
Perhaps it was all in my mind, but I had noticed a solid decline in their luck ever since we’d killed Chadwicke. Even when we’d gotten the drop on the first two before everythingwent to shit, it hadn’t been so easy. Not that it was particularly easynow,but things did seem to work in our favor more often than not. It seemed like the universe was correcting itself after a warlock had abused his powers for far too long. Who knew, maybe his patron thought it a fair comeuppance.
Whether balance was restoring itself or not, after a few minutes, America and I reached the door of the sitting room. Sure enough, I could hear two sets of heartbeats and smell that familiar scent of their family’s villainous blood. My inner wolf responded instantly, baring its teeth. Bloodlust surged up in me, but I tamped it down. Not because the brothers didn’t deserve it or because I planned to go easy on them, but because I couldn’t afford to lose my cool right now. There were too many things in motion, and I was sure as soon as we attacked, guards would come running from everywhere. Sure, we had our threefold plan to help us, but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t be a hard-fought battle.
America and I exchanged one last look, then I opened the door.
I probably shouldn’t have been, but I was a bit surprised when I was greeted by a large, well-decorated landing rather than an actualliving room.Was their sitting area really two floors tall? Why would that ever be necessary?
Leaning in, I looked one way, then the other. There was indeed stairs on either side. I couldn’t see all the way down the stairs, but I could make out the tops of a couple of heads that had to be more security. Well, I hadn’t exactly expected to find the brothers completely on their own, but it would have been a lovely surprise if that had been the case. I hadn’t sensed or heard their heartbeats, so they had to be on some sort of magical suppressant. Or perhaps they were creatures that didn’t have an audible biological rhythm. Granted, I had never heard of any like that, but I’d also never heard of lovely gardenersspontaneously gaining the ability to control plants, and that had already happened.
Crouching, I crept closer to the banister at the end of the landing, peeking over it. One of the brothers were in the room, but where was the other one? The heartbeat I had picked up close to him was actually one of his security, meaning we’d have to fight different species, and I would have to figure out on the fly what they were. Not exactly surprising as that was how it had been at the gala, but it would have been nice to be able to scent most of them like I could with other shifters. But with only one of them present, did we strike now, or wait for the other brother to arrive?
America and I exchanged yet another look, and I could tell she was wondering the same thing. She had a very expressive face. Or perhaps I’d gotten to know her well enough in the time we’d spent together.
Before either of us could decide, the brother spoke. It took me a few seconds to identify him from my position, but I realized it was Millicent, the one who insisted on being called William.
“Fuck! I’m out of wine. Where is that serving girl?”
“Most of your personal staff has been split up amongst your residences to make sure they couldn’t all be freed en masse in case there was an attack,” the security guard with the heartbeat murmured next to him. “That’s the same reason we’ve taken most of the enthralled shifters down to holding cells and only have loyal ones currently active on staff.”
“Fuck, you’re right,” the whining warlock groaned, dropping his head back onto the couch like he was truly put out. It struck me as such an odd thing to do for a grown man who was anywhere between fifty and a hundred-and-forty years old. I could never remember the order of the brothers or their ages. Especially since they all looked like they were in their late twenties. I was well aware that in addition to their boons they’dgotten from their patrons, they all had an unnaturally long life similar to that of shifters. Granted, it was nothing like their mother, who had been alive multiple centuries, but it was far more enhanced than it should have been for simple warlocks.
“It’s fucking disgusting that my siblings’ incompetence means I have to live like a barbarian in this cesspool!”
Cesspool? That was rich.
Literally, actually, as it turned out.
“Open the door and tell the first staff member you see to get me some fucking wine! If I’m going to live like a peasant, I at least want to be drunk for it!”
