I stepped into the little private room that the hotel had set up for family so that we could all enter the main ballroom together. We were a bit early, but Sawyer was already inside because he’d texted me as much on my new phone, which he’d had delivered to my hair salon.
After unwrapping it, I’d promptly taken a selfie and posted it on my Insta.
“I need a doctor!” Sawyer clutched his heart in mock agony as I walked into the room in my new dress, hair spun up in a cascade of glossy curls. “I’m marrying the most beautiful girl in the world and I can’t breathe.”
I grinned. “You’re a charmer, you know that?”
He straightened, pulling his hand away from his chest, and pulled me into his arms, my body pressed flat against him. “You bring it out of me.”
Sage made a mock retching noise behind us and I spun around to flip her off, only to catch Walsh totally checking out her ass. His eyes snapped up to mine when he caught me looking, cheeks going red, and I grinned.
When I spun back around, Sawyer released me and pulled two boxes from a nearby table, handing them to me. “Engagement gift.”
My eyes widened. Shit, was that a thing? “I… didn’t get you anything.”
He waved me off. “You’re my gift. You even wore a bow.” He fingered the bow under the bust of my dress.
I grinned and then tore into the first present. I hated surprises but I loved presents. Who didn’t? When my gaze landed on the pair of white Converse sneakers encrusted with thousands of tiny rhinestones, I squealed.
“Oh my God, you are so not wearing those.” Sage peeked over my shoulder and Sawyer flicked the top of her head, lightly pushing her back.
I laughed as she flipped him off, and then I kicked off my flip-flops and slipped on the little thin socks he’d provided and the shoes.
“They’re my most cherished possession,” I told him, and looked up to see him grinning, dimple and chin butt on full display.
“Second gift now.” He cleared his throat, suddenly looking nervous. He met Sage’s gaze and she nodded, walking to the other side of the room with Walsh to give us privacy.
My stomach churned with excitement, ripping off the wrapping paper. I pulled away the lid of the box.
When my eyes fell on the pair of metal cuffs, my heart sank into my stomach.
“No.” Not again. He wouldn’t…
Panic seized me, and Sawyer grasped the sides of my face lightly. “This isn’t what you think. Well, it is, but these are cuffs you can take on and off at will. No magic or fey blade needed, and they do not shock you. They only shut off your magic and hide your scent.”
I released the breath I’d been holding. “How?” I stroked the cuff, inhaling and smelling the magic on them.
“I commissioned them months ago, before the witches turned on us. Now if you want to hide your powers, you can, and if you need your wolf, you just slip them off. Like jewelry.”
They were metal inside, but black leather outside with braided detailing, fashionable.
Tears filled my eyes. The gift was so thoughtful. After everything we’d been through together, and everything I’d been through… he gave me a choice, a choice in my life and how I wanted to live it.
“Thank you.” A tear slipped down my cheek.
“Stop crying! Make-up,” Sage piped up from the corner of the room and I laughed.
Sawyer leaned down to brush his lips against mine. “I just want you to be safe on your own terms.”
I growled, throatily. “That’s the sexiest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
He then moved to my ear. “Tonight I’m going to rip this five thousand dollar dress off of you before we even reach the kitchen,” he whispered.
A warmth pulsed inside of me as a smirk pulled at my lips. “Promise?” I whispered back, and he moaned, low and seductive.
“Parents incoming,” Sage warned, and we both broke apart smiling. The doors opened and my mom and dad entered wearing the loveliest clothes I’d ever seen them in.
“Holy crap.” My jaw unhinged at the sight of my mother in a deep blue dress, and then my father in a black suit and blue tie.
My mom did a full spin and my dad catcall-whistled her.
I gave them a hug, and we’d made small talk for a few moments when Sawyer’s dad and mom entered the room. True to his word, the alpha had delivered thousands of pounds of dry food and extra blankets to the meeting space I told him about, and Astra was on hand with Arrow and a bunch of others to receive the shipment. Sawyer texted me a picture to show me while I was getting my hair done. They’d loaded the stuff into wheelbarrows and carts pulled by donkeys, while some just carried huge sacks of rice on their backs.
Curt cleared his throat, and the intensity of the moment my mom and him would see each other was palpable. Sawyer’s mom had a tight smile, clearly uncomfortable while his dad was just completely void of emotion, his face a blank slate.
“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Calloway, glad to have you here,” Curt said and shook my father’s hand. He might have included my mother in that greeting, but didn’t even look at her. I knew now that it was because it would hurt too much, not that he was being rude.
“Thank you, sir. Glad to be here and very happy for the children.” My dad looked at Sawyer with his arm wrapped around me.
Sawyer’s mom came over and gave us each a cheek kiss, stopping to admire my hair. “It’s a miracle,” she said with a wink and I grinned. I was starting to get used to their personalities. Sawyer’s mom cared about appearances and things looking pretty and I could respect that. She was also a bit of a joker.
“Thank you for inviting me, Curt.” My mom’s voice was small, apologetic.
Me. Not us. She was, in her own way, trying to make amends.
He finally looked at her then, and my heart broke when I saw the regret in his eyes. He didn’t say anything, he just cleared his throat and nodded once.
“Shall we?” He gestured to the small door that led to the open ballroom beyond. We nodded, slipping our arms into the crook of our dates’ elbows.
My poor mom. Poor Curt. Hopefully, time would heal the wounds between them. Eugene spoke into his cufflink with some CIA type move and opened the door.
The roar of the crowd was deafening, and pulled me from my thoughts about my mom and Curt. I could hear the party guests before I saw them, which made nerves shoot up my spine. How many were there? Would they all be staring at me? Could any of them smell the Paladin on me? Maybe I should have slid on the cuffs rather than leave them in the box back there in the room.
Before I could obsess about it too much, Sawyer pulled me out into the crowd, which had parted, and I threw a smile on my face.
‘Holy shit, they’re all here for us,’ I told Sawyer using our mental link, scanning the giant crowd.
He chuckled.
‘It’s weird,’ I told him.
‘It’s normal. You just don’t like being the center of attention,’ he said.
True. ‘I need a t-shirt for that. Don’t look at me, act cool. I’m only here for the food.’
Sawyer chuckled again and I scanned the faces of everyone here. I recognized exactly five people. Two teachers and two students and—
‘Why the fuck is Meredith’s mom here!’ I shouted so loud in Sawyer’s head that he winced.
Darth Vader’s mom was aptly wearing a blood-red dress, glaring at me from near the champagne fountain.
Sawyer looked confused as to why I would ask that and then he nodded. ‘Oh, Meredith confessed to the whole thing. The necklace with the love spell in it, hiring the guy to drink the potion and look like me. It was all Meredith.’
I stopped walking and turned to stare at him. ‘No, I saw Meredith’s face when that guy turned back into his normal self. She looked shocked. Maybe the necklace was from her, but not the guy and not the vampire ambush.’
He frowned. ‘You think her mom actually sent the vampires to kidnap you?’ He stopped, something coming over his face as if it just dawned on him. ‘She knew you were going to run after I chose her daughter, she knew where your dorm was, which is where the vampires took you from. She—’
A shrill scream tore through the space and we both turned to the sound.
Oh no.
Over a hundred blurs of black-clothed figures dropped from the ceiling and into the room. The scent hit my nose then, like a shield had been lifted that once masked it and was now removed.
Copper.
Blood.
Death.
Vampire.
Chaos erupted in the room as the entire security team at the perimeter of the building started to move to the center where the alpha was and surround him. Sawyer ripped his tuxedo jacket off and then his shirt started to split. I blinked and his giant gray wolf was now standing before me, hackles raised. I’d never seen him shift so quickly.
‘My mom!’ I looked around the room, trying to find my mom and dad. Everything was happening so fast. They had only just started shifting again, they weren’t fighters. I wasn’t sure they’d be able to protect themselves. I spotted them, and Sawyer and I moved as one. If I moved to the left, he moved with me. When I ran through a throng of screaming and scared partygoers, his fur was pressed into my leg.
I reached my mom in record time, which happened to be behind the wall of security that had formed around Curt Hudson. They stood in front of us like sentinels while the vampires slowly worked their way to the back of the room where we were clustered. They tossed a few wolves out of the way but hadn’t engaged in full-on fighting yet.
“Get behind me,” I told my parents.
“Honey—”
“Get behind me!” I growled again, my eyes going yellow as my wolf pounded my chest like a drum. She wanted to be free, she wanted to wipe the floor with these motherfuckers, but I was trying to keep her calm.
Outing myself as not only a Paladin wolf, but also a split shifter, would put me in danger, right? But what if someone got hurt and I could prevent it?
‘Just stay human for now. Let’s see how this goes,’ Sawyer said, reading my emotions, and I sighed in relief to have another opinion.
He was right. They hadn’t attacked yet, they might just be here to send a message. Although a hundred vampires sent to the alpha’s son’s engagement party was quite the message in and of itself.
The lead vampire was one I recognized, a female who worked directly under the queen. I’d seen her that first night when they’d attacked Sawyer, Eugene, and I at his apartment, and then again when I was kidnapped. She was a bad-looking bitch with an upturned lip, and constantly wore a scowl.
“The Queen has a message for you,” she said to Curt, who stood behind a barricade of guards as we stood just beyond them with the wall at our backs.
She grinned. “An eye for an eye.”
I frowned, trying to figure out what that meant, when Curt turned, panic in his gaze. He looked at Sawyer’s wolf and screamed.
Everything happened in slow motion then. Curt started to run toward Sawyer’s gray wolf, as I slowly turned down to look at my man. When I saw the red laser sniper dot on his wolf’s chest, my whole body seized up. I moved to fall forward and throw myself in front of him, but it was too late. The sound of a high-powered rifle cut through the space, echoing off of all four walls with a sharp snap.
Blood marred the floor and my legs went weak as I fell forward and caught the alpha.
Curt lurched into my arms, blood dribbling out of his mouth as we both collapsed onto the floor.
They shot the alpha…
They’d been trying to kill Sawyer, but his dad… a sob formed in my throat. War broke out in the ballroom, the sounds of fighting and snarling and screams filled the hall, but all I could do was look into the deep blue eyes of my future father-in-law as he smiled up at me. A thin trail of blood exited his mouth and trickled down his cheek.
“No!” Sawyer shifted to human form and collapsed beside me onto his knees. “Dad!”
“Get a doctor!” Eugene yelled.
A doctor couldn’t save this, nor could shifter healing. I knew by the amount of wet warmth pooling onto my thighs as his body lay draped over my lap that it was too late. He’d taken a bullet for his son, and for that I would be forever grateful.
Sawyer’s mom’s shrill and horrific screams filled the ballroom as she fell to the floor at her husband’s side. He reached out to her, lungs gurgling with each shallow breath. “I… didn’t love you, at… first,” he admitted, and we all held our breath. “But I grew to love you… very… deeply, my sweet love.”
She sobbed, clutching his hand and rocking back and forth. Tears rolled down my cheeks and I wished we could get Astra here, but there was no time… we were out of time.
Curt then looked at his son. Sawyer’s mouth was turned into a frown, but his face was void of all emotion. He was stuck in shock, I could feel it through our bond, he couldn’t believe this was happening.
“My son…” His chest rattled and Sawyer let out a strangled moan. “I’m… so proud of you.” Curt took in a deep wet breath. “You’ll make ten times the… alpha I was. Especially with Demi… at your…side.” He looked to me and I squeezed his other outstretched hand.
His eyes grew glassy as they began to look around the room. I thought he might just be dying, but then his gaze snapped to my mother’s teary face.
“Cora,” he whispered.
My mom fell to her knees, squeezing into the space between me and Sawyer, and took Curt’s face in her hands. “I’m so sorry for how I treated you,” she told him, looking him right in the eyes. “I should have been honest from the start and never entered the mating year.”
He nodded, pulling his hand from mine and stroking her pale cheek. “Forgiven.” He drew a long rattling breath then… and never exhaled. His chest just froze in place and Sawyer’s mom’s scream turned into a wolf’s howl halfway through as she shifted mid-yell.
Holy fuck. He was dead. Sawyer’s dad… our alpha. Dead.
“Sniper has been taken out. They’ve locked us in the room though.” Eugene’s voice came from above us and I realized he was talking to Sawyer. “What do we do, sir?”
He was avoiding looking at Curt’s dead body, which now lay in my lap, cutting off the circulation to my legs.
Sir. He just called Sawyer “sir” because he was now the alpha…
Sawyer shook himself, taking one last look at his father. “How many guards do we have and how many of them are there?”
“Thirty of us that are trained, eighty or so of the blood suckers. Two hundred guests made it in before the door got sealed. The rest are on the balcony having refreshments, I presume.”
Sawyer rubbed his temples as the sound of screams filled the space. Our fucking wedding guests were being slaughtered alive.
“Get the women and children and elderly in a corner and put twelve men to protect them. Send the rest with me to kill these blood suckers.”
Anger surged inside of me so hot and fast that I knew I wasn’t going to be able to sit this one out. “No. Take all of the guards with you and I’ll protect the women and children,” I told Sawyer as I slid his father’s body off my legs and ripped the bottom half of my mermaid dress off in one jerking motion. The bloody fabric fell to the floor so that I was now wearing a minidress with my bedazzled Converse sneakers.
“Demi, I—”
“Sawyer, fuck hiding what I am. People are going to die!” I growled. And I was capable of catching bullets, yet I wasn’t able to for his father, something I had to live with for the rest of my life now. He knew how powerful I was, he knew I was an asset, he just needed to get over his urge to treat me like glass.
“Alright,” Sawyer breathed. “But be safe.” Then he shook himself, shifting into a gray wolf in seconds.
He looked up at me. ‘I can’t live without you too.’
‘I got this,’ I told him, my heart breaking for his loss as I finally released my wolf. It had never been so easy. She’d been waiting just at the surface.
As the spectral wolf climbed out of my body, I heard a dozen gasps. My mother, my father, Mrs. Hudson, and anyone else who was looking at me. When my wolf solidified next to me, she looked up at me and I nodded once.
“Demon,” someone from the crowd hissed.
“Paladin,” another said.
I ignored them both and started to grab women and young ones and herd them to the corner of the room where the alpha had died. My mom and dad dragged Curt’s body to the back of the corner of the room, where my dad laid his jacket over his face.
“Women, children, and elderly, get to that corner of the room.” Eugene pointed to where I stood, and I felt electricity dance on my skin as the vampires moved toward the corner.
Not on your fucking life, blood suckers.
I needed to protect this corner so that all of our guards were freed up to help Sawyer. Something cold and hard slipped into my hand and I looked up to see Sage. Her face was tracked with tears, red hair pulled from its tight bun. Her uncle had just died, and I knew she was sad, but she looked pissed as all holy hell too.
“These blood suckers messed with the wrong family,” she growled.
I looked into my hand and grinned at the silver stake she’d placed in it. Women, children, and hobbling elders ran to our corner of the room as a bloody battle unfolded before us. My wolf held the front of the line, hackles raised.
“Honey…” My dad’s worried voice came from behind me. “Do you need my help?”
I shook my head. “Keep mom safe. We got this.”
The first wave of vampires came. Five at a time, and for a split second I was scared to fully give into my powers, scared to know what I was capable of and scared to show them off in front of everyone. But that moment passed and then I just wanted revenge.
Our alpha was dead, and they would pay dearly.
My wolf acted first, running out to meet the first blood sucker. She leapt into the air blindingly fast and attached herself to his shoulder, biting into it. My human half gripped the stake in my fingers and then fully let go of all of my powers. I let go of fear, my shame. Bolting forward so fast that everything blurred around me, I stabbed one of the vampires in the chest, killing him instantly before he could even track my movements. Then I moved to the next. Stab. Stab. I was a maniac, beating them at their game, using my speed against them. I took two more down when I heard Sage scream.
Spinning around, I realized I’d gotten too far away from the ones I was supposed to be protecting. A dozen vampires were descending on Sage and my father, who’d stepped out to help hold them back. My wolf was halfway to running back to be with them, but she wouldn’t make it in time. A dozen vampires against Sage and my dad were not odds I wanted.
Panic welled inside of me and I screamed, thrusting my hands out and unleashing wild unrestrained magic in the direction of the vampires’ backs.
A force shot out of me and they went down like bowling pins, like an unseen wave had completely knocked them forward. They tripped and fumbled, pinned to the floor by an unseen force.
My magic.
Holy mother. I did that…
Without overthinking it or worrying too much about the shocks and gasps around me and my freaky power, I lurched forward with my wolf and leapt in tandem over their bodies writhing on the floor, pulling against the power that held them down. When I hit the ground on the other side, I spun and held my staked fist out, as if this alone would keep them at bay.
My gaze flicked to the rest of the room, quickly taking in the scene. Sawyer and his guards were doing okay, but they had their hands full. This was all on me and Sage.
I wasn’t sure how to use my powers yet, so I didn’t even know how to replicate what I’d just done. I needed practice. So much more practice.
I also needed to get these people out of the room so they were out of harm’s way and I would be free to help Sawyer and his men fight. But they’d barred the doors…
Think. Think. Think.
It came to me in a vision.
Fire.
Flames flickered in my mind’s eye and I looked at Sage. “I need fire,” I told her.
She didn’t question it, just took off running to another corner of the room.
The vampires were starting to stand now. Whatever effects my magic had, that pinned them to the floor, was wearing off.
I took a second to glance behind me. There was a window, a beautiful window with stained glass.
“Dad, break the window and get them out,” I told him.
He gave me a quick nod, and without even protesting he walked over to the window and kicked it until it shattered. A little girl started to weep, clinging to her mother, and I gripped the stake in my hand, wishing I had another, or Marmal’s shotgun. I vowed in that moment to never leave the house without two stakes on me at all times from now on.
The vampires popped up to their feet one by one and I rushed forward, slamming the stake into the chest of the one nearest me. The network of veins in his face immediately turned black, and I was just about to pull the stake out and kill another one when I felt two hands wrap around my throat from behind, then another set wrapped around my upper arms. Two very strong blood suckers pinned me to the spot as I bucked in their arms and struggled to breathe.
“Demi!” My mom’s bloodcurdling scream ripped through the sounds of fighting.
‘Why is your mom screaming? I can’t see you.’ Sawyer’s panicked voice broke through my muddled mind as I thrashed in the vampires’ arms like a fish out of water.
‘Nothing. I’m fine,’ I lied. I didn’t want him worrying about me when I knew he had his own issues to focus on.
Okay, being choked out by two vampires. Don’t panic, just think…
Air.
I need fucking air! The only thing I could think of was just to go limp and play dead. I went fully relaxed in their grip, letting go as my legs and everything went weak so that they had to hold me up. It worked. The pressure on my neck eased.
“The queen wants her alive,” one of the vampires hissed.
That’s when I exploded. Whipping my head back, I cracked my skull into the vampire behind me and internally shrieked in joy at the sound of breaking bones. Gulping deep lungfuls of air, I spun out of the other dude’s grip just in time to see Sage holding a manmade torch made from a ripped curtain and a bottle of liquor. My wolf was at her side.
Thank God.
We all burst into action. My wolf leapt to rip out one of the vamp’s throats, while Sage threw the bottle of liquor at the nearest vampire’s chest with a battle cry.
It exploded, sending liquid and bits of glass raining down around him.
“Torch him!” I yelled. This was war, you didn’t stop, you didn’t think, you just reacted.
She tipped the flaming curtain torch forward and he tried to back up, but I was behind him, and lifting my bejeweled sneaker into the middle of his back, I kicked him forward and into the flames.
His body ignited and started smoking a black thick inky plume as he fell to the ground. I pointed to the right side of the room. “Burn that table. The ceiling sprinklers will kick on before the entire building goes up, but we can chuck blood suckers in the flames and even the score.”
Sage grinned. “I like how you think.”
We had no weapons, this was a freaking engagement party, not a war zone; we’d been ill equipped for such an attack. Sage pulled a small bottle of liquor from her belt and grinned at me. “Cheers.”
She chucked the bottle at the most beautiful table décor I’d ever seen and then tossed the torch.
The table burst into flames four feet high, and just in time.
“Demi!” my dad yelled.
I spun to the window to see he was trying to get Mrs. Hudson outside. She looked like she’d fainted and had completely lost consciousness. She was in her human form, naked and limp in my father’s arms. I followed his gaze to see that a vampire had shown up and backed my mom into a corner. She was in wolf form, hunched over the alpha’s dead body, hackles raised.
I’d never seen my mom’s wolf in person. Only in pictures. She was stunning, strong and absolutely feral in this moment. I knew she would protect Curt’s remains so that he could have a proper burial. And she would probably die for it.
My dad looked like he was about to drop Mrs. Hudson halfway out the window and run to my mom.
“Got it!” I yelled to him and burst forward. One second I was standing with Sage near the flaming table and the next I was on the vampire’s back, squeezing the blood sucker around the middle until I heard his ribs snap.
I didn’t know what came over me, but I was strong, really strong. I heaved him up into the air as he kicked and hissed like a toddler having a fit.
“Mom, go!” I growled at her, unsure how long I could hold him.
My mom’s wolf just looked up at me in shock, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. That’s when my wolf appeared. She nipped my mom on the neck like a mother would to a cub, and dragged her to the window where my dad was waiting.
Plumes of gray smoke swirled in the air and I spun. The entire hall had filled with smoke now. Oops. Didn’t think this through, but maybe it would force them to open the damn doors.
Screams rang throughout the space and I couldn’t tell if it was their people or ours. The dude in my arms was bucking with so much force that it rocked me backward. I started to run with him in my arms, wobbly and off balance, when I looked ahead of me and saw Sawyer and Walsh. They were tossing vampires into the bonfire like they were skipping rocks on a lake.
Horrifying and genius. I was so going to need therapy for this.
The fire alarm finally sounded, shrill and loud, and I winced, unable to hold the vampire much longer as my arms burned with fatigue.
“You’ll die for this, bitch! She’ll drain you, she’ll—” The vamp’s words were cut off when Sawyer appeared out of nowhere and throat punched the guy, collapsing his trachea. Sawyer grabbed his legs and I relaxed my hold on his ribs, letting him sink into my arms as I hooked my hands under his armpits.
‘Chuck him,’ Sawyer growled as the vamp thrashed and coughed in our grip.
With one swing, we arced him back and then let him loose to fly through the air and land right on the flaming inferno. He hit the table and it cracked in half as he was consumed by the flames. His screams would haunt my dreams forever, but somehow I turned off that emotional part of me and stayed in battle mode as I scanned the crowd. Most of the guests were exiting through the window my dad had bashed out, but there were still a good hundred people to get out.
“How many more vamps are there? I need to carry more stakes. I need a gun, or a sword. We need…” I couldn’t think straight as the trauma of the night hit me dead on. My fists balled as I scanned dead body after dead body. Most were them. Some were us.
Oh God, Sawyer’s dad. A sob ripped through my throat, which turned to a cough as the smoke hit my face.
Sawyer was wearing torn pants and no shirt. He stepped forward then and took my cheeks into his palms, pressing his forehead to mine. “It’s over, Demi. That was the last one. We’re safe now.”
The sprinklers finally kicked on then and everything was drenched with a downpour of water that felt like someone had turned a garden hose on us. It pelted my skin in cold hard droplets that caused me to suck in a breath in shock.
“It’s over?” I whimpered, unable to meet his eyes.
His body shuddered and he pulled me into him, holding me as I cried. “Your dad, Sawyer. I’m so sorry.”
His chest shook as he tried to breathe, but it turned into a cough as more smoke wrapped around us.
Walsh appeared beside us suddenly. “Let’s get out of here.” He yanked us toward the window. Sage appeared by my side with my wolf and I nodded to them both.
When I looked to the corner where Sawyer’s dad’s body should have been, I saw that it was gone. I knew that my mom and dad had taken it; they wouldn’t leave him behind. I stood numbly at the back of the line while our guests crawled out a broken window of a multi-million-dollar hotel with a fire alarm blaring in the background. This wasn’t how this day was supposed to go. Holy shit, this was the worst engagement party in the history of parties.
“Why won’t the doors open? Can’t our people on the other side open them?” Sawyer growled as it was finally our turn to exit the building.
Eugene was here now, covered in black goopy blood and sporting a nasty gash on his arm. “They welded them shut with steel, sir. In a manner of seconds. This was highly coordinated. Looks like they had a tipoff.”
Sawyer frowned. “You think it was an inside job?”
Eugene nodded. “They knew the time, the place, the room.”
Sawyer and my eyes met at the same time. “I want you to detain Mrs. Pepper for questioning,” he growled.
Eugene nodded and leapt through the open window, scanning the crowd for Meredith’s mom.
When we finally got through the window and stepped onto the grass lawn, one by one our guests clapped. Not a joyous exuberant clap, just a slow, weird, I’m glad you’re not dead clap.
Walsh elbowed Sawyer who looked back at his best friend, confused.
Walsh puffed his chest up. “Your new alpha, Sawyer Hudson,” he said as if presenting him to a royal court or something.
Oh shit.
Sawyer was the alpha now. How did that work? One died and the other just…
It seemed to dawn on Sawyer at the same time it dawned on me.
‘You’re alpha. Say something,’ I told him.
He swallowed hard, his eyes flicking to a tree where his father lay at the base covered in a jacket, while his mother wept over his body wearing some random dude’s shirt. My mom rubbed small circles in her back.
This was so wrong. How had this gone so wrong?
Sawyer closed his eyes for a moment, seemingly regaining composure, and when they opened they were bright yellow and pissed as all hell. “My father’s death will be avenged.” His voice was deep and raspy, heavy with his wolf. “The vampires have waged war, and it’s a war I intend to win.”
The clapping resumed and some of the men even cried out in agreement, but the children just clung to their mothers. How long had it been since they’d seen war? A hundred years? No one alive here surely. Certainly not my generation.
The mothers with children started taking their little ones around the side of the building for home. It was horrible to hear their screams. I knew this day would be imprinted on all of us forever.
We’re all in shock, I thought. My father-in-law is dead under a tree and I’m in shock.
People stared at us and I wondered if we looked as horrible as we felt when I heard a whisper.
“Cursed one,” someone said, and that’s when I realized that my wolf was right beside me.
Shit. Everyone had seen me split shift. As if she wanted to throw it in their faces again, my wolf went semi-transparent and leapt into my chest, causing people to fall backward in shock, and gasp.
Well, there was no hiding what I was, and I didn’t want to anymore.
“Yes, Demi is a split shifter. She’s also my future wife so… get over it,” Sawyer snarled, and alpha power leaked out of him and slammed into the people, causing a few to stagger backward. Some of the onlookers bowed their heads, looking to the ground in submission, but a few still stared.
“You’re marrying a Paladin! Split shifters can only be Paladin wolves,” a man growled.
Everyone gasped at that, and I was guessing not a lot of people knew that little tidbit of info. This was going to go off the rails really quickly if we didn’t rein it in.
Sawyer opened his mouth to speak, when my mother stepped into the center of the crowd. “I met Demi’s Paladin biological father when I was a young girl. He lived on the border to my gran’s farm, and we were best friends since childhood.”
People fell silent, looking at my mom with curiosity.
“Then he grew into a young man and I fell in love with him,” she declared boldly.
Every single woman gasped as if my mom had just admitted to a murder or something equally shocking. I didn’t like the way they looked at my mom, like she was a slut, so I decided to top her story with one of my own.
“Then at fifteen I was gang raped by four vampires,” I said, and everyone fell silent, mouths popping open in shock. “I was banished, so I had my cuffs on. Couldn’t shift and protect myself.”
Hands went to mouths, people openly cried out, and it was the most uncomfortable moment of my life, but I pressed on, swallowing hard as Sawyer’s hand slipped in mine. “And I blacked out, but my wolf was able to split off from my body and save me.”
Grown men had tears in their eyes, and women wept openly, causing me to squirm under their gaze.
“So I am who I am. Demon. Cursed one. Split shifter. Whatever you want to call me is fine, just leave my family and loved ones out of it.”
Sawyer nodded. “Alright, you’ve heard your gossip for the night. Go on home now.”
He raised his arms to shoo our wedding party away, but then the women started to drag their husbands and line up single file in front of us.
What were they doing?
The first one was a woman I didn’t know, about thirty years old. Her hair was drenched from the sprinklers and her mascara ran down her face in two thin black streaks.
“I’m sorry that happened to you. Thank you for protecting us tonight.” She reached out and grasped my hand, giving me a small bow before leaving.
My throat tightened as the next woman stepped up. “Oh, honey, we shouldn’t have judged you. I had no idea.” Her voice broke as she stepped forward and pulled me into a tight hug. “Happy engagement, dear,” she whispered before pulling away.
Then another and another. These women formed a line, and one by one apologized for their treatment of me, or simply said they were sorry for what happened to me, or some said nothing at all, just a hand squeeze or a hug, or a thanks for inviting them.
I chewed the inside of my cheek raw to keep from bursting into tears until the very last woman, an old lady about eighty, came up to me hobbling on a cane. Sawyer stood firm at my side, shaking the men’s hands as I waited for whatever the woman was going to say. She stepped up and kissed my cheek, then leaned in to whisper in my ear. “Did you know you can rip a man’s scrotum off with the same force you’d throw a punch?” She then pulled back and winked at me before hobbling away.
Okay… that lady was a bit unhinged.
“Bless you both. I wish you a long and happy life together,” a couple said, and bowed their heads to us.
The world had gone to shit around us, but people were still paying their respects. It was weird and sweet and… strange. When the last person had left, Sawyer sagged against my side. We stood in the grass, covered in water and blood, and he’d finally let go.
‘Dad,’ he croaked in my head, and my heart tore in two as I reached for him.
My mom and dad sat patiently with Mrs. Hudson at the base of the tree while she wept over Curt’s body.
“Why don’t you take your mom back home and have her lie down. I’ll handle… this.” I gestured to the body.
He nodded. “Are you sure?”
There were times in a relationship when one person was hurting more than the other; this was one of those times. Sawyer needed me to step up and I was going to be there for him.
“Yes.”
Sawyer walked over to the tree and my mom and dad backed up to give him space. His mother looked up into her son’s eyes, swimming with tears, and burst into uncontrollable sobs.
“He’s gone,” she wailed.
My chest physically ached to watch Sawyer bend down and place one hand on his mother’s back and another on his father’s chest. Curt’s face was covered with my dad’s jacket, but you could make out where his chest would be.
“He’s with Nana and Papa.” Sawyer leaned down and whispered something in his dad’s ear that no one could hear but him, and then he picked his mother up into his arms like she was made of glass. She clung to him, wailing uncontrollably, and I wondered if they would need to medicate her somehow. That kind of grief was fucking soul shattering.
My mom and I wiped at our eyes as we watched them walk away, then I called Eugene over.
I had to clear my throat a few times before I could speak without my voice cracking.
“Did he have a will? A desire to be cremated or buried?” I asked Eugene.
The big brute looked absolutely broken; his eyes were vacant and yet he still stood strong. “Yes. Buried. In his family plot.”
I nodded. “Can you arrange for a funeral home to prepare his body for burial? Have his personal affects sent to Sawyer?”
We’d need to plan the funeral, but that was something we could deal with tomorrow. He nodded. “Right away.”
Then I turned to my parents. “You guys should get home, lock yourselves inside until Sawyer sends word about the next step.”
My mom frowned. “Honey, you need us, we can stay—”
I shook myself. “No, I need to know you are safe at home while I help Sawyer. Please. I’ll call you later.”
They nodded, hugging me, and my mom took one final weepy look at Curt’s body and left with my father. I sat down under the tree with my dead father-in-law as guards ran all around us barking orders and dealing with the shitshow inside. We had dead and wounded, and even though the fire seemed to be out, the building was still being fully evacuated. It was a nightmare.
I reached out, laying one palm on Curt’s chest. “I’m sorry.” My throat tightened as I swallowed back tears. “I’ll take care of him for you.”
Curt loved Sawyer, jumped in front of a bullet to save him, and I knew he would want to make sure someone was always looking out for him. I didn’t know where we went after we died. I wanted to believe in heaven and God and all of that, but blind faith was hard for me. Still, if his soul was lingering somehow, I wanted him to go in peace.
“Can I sit with you?” Sage asked, and I looked up to see her covered in signs of war and holding the present box with my cuffs in them. Blood, soot, and grime marred her beautiful face.
I nodded and she plopped down next to me.
“Thanks for having my back in there,” I told her.
She looked offended. “I always have your back.” Then she looked over at Curt’s body and swallowed hard. “I can’t believe…” She shuddered. “My dad’s been away on business. He’s going to be devastated.”
I reached for her hand. “I’m so sorry.”
We sat there in silence, guarding the alpha’s body from harm until the coroner finally turned up. He looked shaken by the news, eyes wide as he and an assistant unrolled a canvas stretcher. I didn’t want to shake him up more, but I wanted to make sure he was going to treat the body properly, with respect.
“Can I trust you with his remains?” I asked, my voice more growly than normal.
The man gulped. “Yes, ma’am. It’s my honor to serve the Hudson family in this way. Curt gave me a small business loan five years ago during some rough times.”
And now I felt like a dick. “Okay. Thanks. Sorry. I’m—”
I’m in shock and I need therapy.
“It’s fine.” He smiled sweetly as they hoisted Curt into a body bag and began to zip it closed.
“Wait,” I said.
On a whim, I reached out and pulled the silver band from his ring finger and placed it around my thumb, making a mental note to give it to Sawyer’s mother later.
Once they were gone and my promise to Sawyer was complete, I turned to Sage.
“I think we should elope. This did not go well.” I tried for humor, but it felt wrong in my mouth.
She gave a dry chuckle. “I think you’ll—” Sage’s phone buzzed, as did mine and everyone’s around us.
I turned to look down at the alert on my phone. It was an emergency broadcast similar to an amber alert, but this was from Werewolf City.
The vampires have declared war on Werewolf City. Active duty, reserve members and anyone over eighteen willing to fight, please report to Sterling Hill campus at 0600 tomorrow morning. From now on, a curfew is in effect. Do not go out after dark. -Sawyer Hudson, Alpha
My eyes widened. War. Like for real war?
Sage’s spine straightened and Walsh popped out from behind the building, running toward us.
“What does this mean?” I asked.
Were the vampires going to drop bombs on us or something?
“Come on, I’ll drive.” Walsh ignored my question and tipped his head to Sage and I.
I took one last look at the spot Curt had lain; the grass was smooshed, the blades broken and red from where his body had rested. I knew that I would never be able to look at the base of this tree, or any other probably, and not think of him.
Shaking myself, I ran after Walsh and Sage, and prayed it didn’t come to actual war.
