Filed To Story: Claimed by the Alpha I Hate Book Read Free
She and Bridgette must’ve had some sort of standing with one another, because the auburn-haired
Vampire didn’t stop Dina or seem threatened by her in the slightest. She stood back and let Deacon handle things, even though her expression was a tad pinched.
“Don’t tell me you f*****g left him there.” Dina spat, her eyes dark as unlit coal, burning with a fire void of light. “I swear on everything that you love”
“Of course, I didn’t leave him there. F**k, Dina. You know I care about Spence more than that.” Deacon grunted, staring the ferocious Vampire down with equal parts anger and understanding. “He was the only one that was hurt. Surprisingly, everyone else made it out alive. There were no casualties. I think he’s been waiting for you, fighting off d***h until you got here.”
I heard what Deacon said, that part about no one d***g, but it quickly slid into the background when he led Dina to the small staircase beside the fireplace. It was the first door at the top of the stairs that he took her to, still visible from where I stood. The moment the door cracked open, I heard her ragged gasp hit the air, followed by the scent of charred flesh.
It twisted my stomach, flipped it inside out and embedded itself onto every inch of my memory so that
I’d never forget.
While Deacon and the others went over evacuation routes, perimeter checks, and the works, I tried and failed not to focus on the sound of Dina’s voice slipping through the crack in the door. Her whispered promises were answered by a groan or rasp, one that sounded like it was filled with such excruciating pain that I had to bite my tongue several times to keep the tears at bay.
When all of our stomachs were growling, starved from both the long trip and spending the night without a hint of sleep, we took our meeting into the small kitchen while we ate. The little retro refrigerator was only stocked with blood and various types of alcohol, making me even more grateful Mason had thought to pack a cooler full of food.
“Always being hungry comes in handy, doesn’t it?” He said smugly, smirking at both Clara and I.
She swatted his shoulder but grinned around bites of her sandwich.
“H**l yeah, it does.” Sean said through a mouthful of sour cream and onion chips.
“Protection magic isn’t my strong suit, but if there’s any sage lying around, I can try a spell that helps deter unwanted visitors.” Clara suggested, flicking her curls over her shoulder when all eyes turned on her. “I’d need someone to run me around the perimeter though.”
Mason swallowed a bite of his sandwich to chime in. “I can handle that part.”
“I’m sure you can.” Breyona murmured, sharing a smirk with Clara.
Deacon nodded, clearly deep in thought as he stroked the stubble coating his jaw. “Hm, it certainly wouldn’t hurt.”
“Unless the witches did follow you and are close by. Won’t they come running if they smell another witch’s magic around the place?” Bridgette countered, her legs swaying from where she sat on a clear part of the countertop.
“If they did follow, they’re going to come running either way.” Clara retorted, her lips thinning.
Bridgette hummed softly. “True. She’s right, then. I don’t see what it could hurt either.”
“Chase and Stefan, think you can find some dried sage for Clara here?” Deacon asked the two
Vampire’s hovering along the outskirts of the room, leaning against the doorway as far from the rest of us as they could get.
“No problem, boss.” The one with hair pale as snow nodded, his eyes roaming over my face before he and his curly-haired friend, left the house.
The front door closed with a soft bang. There were enough curious looks being thrown around for
Deacon to explain who the h**l those two were. Apparently, there were plenty of Vampire’s here that wanted to help, they just didn’t know how.
Shortly after getting to the safe-haven, Deacon sprung into action and had gotten a list of volunteers who would be willing to help with perimeter checks and act as guards that watched the main road from the forest. At the top of that list were Chase and Stefan, two Vampire’s from low-born families that wanted a chance at a life where they weren’t seen as scum.
The two were still wary about seeing me as their Queen, but I didn’t mind. Expecting blind loyalty was foolish. If I wanted it, I’d have to earn it. Which is exactly what I planned to do; I just wasn’t quite sure how.
After going over plans some more, Nolan, having decided the risk was worth it, told Brandon to bring the group of warriors to the safe haven. They would make the perfect patrol team during the daylight hours when the Vampire’s had to retreat indoors.
As the guys were going over that list, divvying up the different shifts, Dina emerged from the bedroom, her face twisted into a look of sheer determination as she stormed downstairs.
She squared up to Deacon without a sliver of fear in her body, her fists clenched like she was seconds away from swinging.
“What are we going to do about this, Deacon? I want that witch d**d.” She snarled, giving him no time to answer as she craned her head in my direction and spat, “You and your messed up magic said everyone would survive. That ain’t surviving. He’sHe’s all b****d up…in so much pain. You’re our f*****g Queen, right? Do something, then! That fire witch hurt one of our own, hurt my mate.”
For a moment, all I could do was stare. Her dark skin was practically glowing from rage, coated in a thin sheen of sweat that reflected off her eyes and b***d teeth. I placed my hand on Nolan’s arm, barely noticing when his deep growl was cut short. I was too fixated on Dina, on the emotion she invoked and how it rattled in my chest. The sight of her struck me deep, bringing an errant thought to the surface of my mind.
Her fearlessness and rage, it was almost awe-inspiring and bordered on animalistic in nature. I’d never met a Vampire that embodied those qualities so effortlessly. Dina reminded me of my own people, of their tenacity and sheer willpower.
Dina would’ve made a good werewolf.
If things had gone differently, I might’ve felt the twitch of magic tickling my nerve endings, but the alarm we’d long ago set up in town began screeching, echoing through the streets in an ominous tone that meant the enemy wasn’t just nearby.
They were here.
Several seconds passed, flitting into the ether as we all stared at one another, shock written clear across our features only in different fonts. Any and all laughter vanished from the room, it’s absence letting silence leak in like a d**g.
Nolan and Deacon were the first to break free of it’s hypnotic gaze, barking out orders that were both awe-inspiring and terrifying.
“We must’ve been followed, but I’m betting it was Daisy’s appearance that made them act so soon. It would’ve been smartest to attack during broad daylight. We’d be sitting ducks that way.” Deacon snarled.
Nolan’s eyes momentarily glazed over, caught in a mind-link that left him biting back a growl.
“Witches are close to the border of town. They’re close to breaking through. I’ve got six wolves stationed here. Four are currently fighting, two are rounding up every child and elderly person in town.”
His grimace deepened, and my blood ran cold from the sheer harshness of it. “There’s a witch setting things on fire. That wouldn’t happen to be the one you want d**d, is it?”
Dina rubbed the palms of her hands together, her teeth gnashed into a line as she smiled savagely.
“That b***h is mine. She’s going to be six feet under for what she did to Spence.”
“Gather as many as you can, anyone willing to fight. With luck, you’ll get your wish, and that witch will be d**d before sunrise.” Deacon said to Dina, clasping her on the shoulder with a firm hand.
During that split second where they looked into each other’s eyes, I thought something might’ve passed between them, an unspoken vow of sorts. Before I could decipher what it might’ve been, Dina was out the front door.
“I’m going to help them. Those witches won’t know what hit them.” Breyona chimed in, a deadly glint to my best friends eyes.
She met Giovanni’s intense stare before searching my face. It took me a moment to realize she was asking for permission. I might’ve been her Luna, but it was likely that these were the witches that had helped m****r her parents. Justice wasn’t something I’d keep from her, no matter how much I wanted her safe. Just like me, Breyona had been given the gift of power, and power demanded to be used.
“Go.” I told her. “Make sure they know exactly who they’ve f****d with.”
When she slipped out of the kitchen, I grabbed onto Giovanni’s arm before he could follow. He turned his impossibly dark eyes on me, and I felt them probing my face, peeling back the layers to every emotion I hid within.
“Keep her safe, Giovanni.” I all but begged him.
“I will.” He promised.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?