Chapter 54

KYLE

Azazel’s teeth were ripped from my throat, tearing my skin apart. I yelped in pain, blood leaking from the now much larger wound.

“Help him,” a deep voice said from across the room.

The face of a very small girl was suddenly in front of me. She was

obviously not the owner of the deep

voice. She knelt above me. She had short

brown hair and blood–red eyes.

Another vampire. Great.

“Hi there,” her squeaky voice said, “you

can move now.”

My b*dy relaxed as Azazel’s power was released from my mind.

I groaned loudly in relief but regretted it immediately as pain traveled through my

b*dy.

It felt like I had been working out for three days straight, sore and weak from my own commands. Even though I was relieved that I could move again, the small red–eyed vampire girl kneeling above me became my main focus.

Her ability to bend me to her will with just her voice told me she was also a Mortar

F**king fantastic.

My hand immediately went to the wound on my n*eck, and came away covered in blood.

I winced, my world spinning at the sight -or maybe from the blood loss. Either way, it couldn’t be good. I put my hand back over the wound to try and staunch the bleeding.

The vampire girl cringed as she watched

“Oh, that doesn’t look too good,” she said as she touched the hand covering the wound.

“Here, let me help.”

“Don’t touch me, Mortar,” I spat, leaning away from her. “Are you here to aid

Azazel?”

“Dear Lord, no,” she smiled brightly.

“I’m one of the good guys.

“”

I didn’t have time to fully process what that meant. Grunting and yelling could be

heard outside the room in the hall.

Shit, what happened to Azazel? Did he get away? Is he hurting pack members?

I tried to sit up.

“Where’s Azazel?” I asked hoarsely.

The girl gasped as I grunted in pain and tried to stand.

“Oh, no! You shouldn’t do that!” She put her hands to my chest and pushed me down onto my back once again.

I snapped my teeth at her, trying to bite her filthy vampire hands.

“Don’t f**king touch me,” I said.

“Oh, wow, you’re strong,” she said as I struggled against her, “but you’ve got to stop moving.”

And, just like that, I was frozen again. My gaze met hers.

“Stop using your Mortar powers on me,” I grunted. “Fight and injure me if you wish to incapacitate me.”

“Look,” she said, and I could detect

worry in her voice, “I needed you to stop moving so I can heal you. Trust me, I wouldn’t use my powers if I didn’t have

to.”

My vision was starting to blur. I shut my

eyes tightly. My n*eck hurt like a b*tch.

“I can see you’ve been through a lot,” she said, “but you don’t need to worry anymore. At least, not about me.”

I didn’t care what she thought. I needed freaking royal vampires to stop taking control of my b*dy so that I could kick some asses. I watched as she brought her pointer finger to her mouth and pressed it to the tip of one of her fangs, breaking

the skin.

She squeezed the tip until a bead of blood

came out.

Then she stuck her finger into my mouth.

I gasped and struggled as she stuck it far into the back of my mouth.

I tasted vampire blood, the metallic coppery flavor taking over my senses, and gagged.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she repeated, low

and soothing, as she continued to move her finger.

I bit down on her finger.

“Ow! Hey, don’t bite me!”

To my disdain, my jaw released its clamp at her command.

A few seconds more and she finally took her hand away. I coughed. A tingly feeling began to run up my b*dy: it

didn’t hurt, but it was uncomfortable and

invasive.

I didn’t like it. I panicked as I looked at the girl.

“What the f**k did you do to me?”

She winced at my harsh tone.

“Sorry,” she said one more time.

I decided that if she didn’t stop apologizing, I was going to stick my

1

finger in her mouth.

“Give it a second,” she said. Suddenly, the pain stopped.

My muscles loosened, and the sting from the bruise on my cheek dissipated.

I could feel the skin beneath my hand mending together.

I gasped as the skin moved beneath my palm, stretching until it covered the

wound.

My vision cleared. Energy flowed through me. I felt amazing.

The girl smiled widely at my shocked expression, her red eyes twinkling.

“I love watching people get healed for the first time,” she said, smiling.

Could it be? Had she healed me?

I had heard stories of vampires and their

insane abilities, but never anything about magical finger blood. I tried to sit up and move to confirm it, but I still couldn’t

move.

I sighed in frustration.

The girl realized my dilemma.

“How about this: I’ll let you move if you promise not to bite me again?”

She waved her finger, which had my teeth marks on it.

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, sure, I promise.”

Her eyes narrowed warily, but she gave

“Okay. You can move.”

The tension released once again. I sighed in relief, sitting up and rolling my n*eck

and shoulders.

“How did you do that?” I asked.

“How did you do that?” I asked.

The girl put out her hand for me to shake.

“Amelia Mortar. Everyone calls me Minnie. King Zagan’s fourth child and the royal clan healer.”

When I didn’t grab her hand, she took mine.

“You must be Kyle King, the beta of the most powerful werewolf pack in the world. I’m so excited to meet you.”

I was stunned, to say the least. She knew who I was. Was it bad that I had never

heard of her?

“Uh, yeah, same here. You’ve got one thing wrong, though. I’m the gamma, not the beta. Adalee Johnson is the beta.”

Minnie shook her head.

“I’m not wrong. You’re the true beta of this pack. Adalee Aude…”

She emphasized the last name, which I had never heard attached to Adalee before.

“…used her powers to become the beta but doesn’t actually deserve the title. I should know. She’s my second cousin.”

What?

“Wait… Adalee is a Mortar?”

Minnie frowned.

“Well…not really. She’s mostly werewolf because her father is–well, was–Beta Carl Aude, who was half vampire. So she did get the vampire gene from the Mortar bloodline.”

I was trying to wrap my head around all this.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on. Back up. Adalee’s dad is Carl Aude? Like, the Carl Aude?”

Minnie didn’t get to respond.

There was the sound of breaking glass somewhere in the packhouse.

Minnie glanced over her shoulder, and I was on my feet.

Now hissing and screaming. That could only mean one thing.

“More vampires,” I said.

I could feel their presence. And my wolf and I hated it.

“You’re probably right,” said Minnie, following me out toward the noise, “This may not be the best time to talk about the good ol‘ family tree.”

My heart was pounding as we came across a broken window on the third floor of the packhouse. Pack members crowded around in their pajamas, probably woken by the noise.

I growled to get their attention.

“Everyone back to your rooms!” I

commanded.

They had no choice but to obey me, especially when I used my special gamma —well, beta–tone. It was only to be used in emergencies, and I officially deemed this moment an emergency.

I mind–linked the rest of the pack, telling them to stay inside until further notice. I could hear everyone scampering for cover in their rooms. I had probably scared them and even woken some of them up, but I didn’t care as long as they were safe.

“Whoa,” murmured Minnie, “that’s pretty cool. I can never get anyone to listen to me.”

Ignoring the constant commentary, I ran to the window and looked down to the forest floor.

Someone had obviously fallen out of it, breaking it in the process.

In the snow was Grayson’s b*dy–with Azazel inside.

He was fighting another man with the same dark hair, wearing the royal attire of the vampires.

“Oh my God,” I whispered.

Zagan Mortar, king of the vampires, was on my pack land. I could be one of two things right now: Ecstatic that he had obviously received my letter and come to help.

Or terrified that the two most powerful vampires in the world were having it out on my front lawn.