Page 31 of Blood Lust
I shot Zac a look. “Really? You’re my parent now?”
“A natural response,” Jon smiled at me. “Vamps don’t trust wolves, and I didn’t merge with them. I didn’t suspect they’d be okay with you taking a walk with me.”
“No, we’re not fucking okay with it Jon. How the hell is Zane feeling about this random walk of kindness?”
“Jesus, Braden,” I said, eying all the vamps. “Jon was like a dad to me. I trust he’s not going to kidnap or put me under a spell. I haven’t had two seconds to talk to him, and if my so-called best friend is going to act like a jealous psycho, I’d rather catch up with Jon instead of her.”
“Trust me on this,” Cole said, eyes darting between Jon and me. “You’re not her dad. You’re a wolf shifter. Don’t play games with her fucking mind or the games we play with you if you mess with her won’t be fun for you. Got me?”
Jon sighed, and for the first time being with him, I saw the sorrow behind his formerly vibrant and caring eyes. “We’ll be back in an hour, guys, and if not, you and the wolves can determine how to send out the search parties.”
“Oh,” Jon spun around to the vampires, “the remainder of the pack started arriving about an hour ago. Zane’s been filling them in and they’re all in agreement with what their alpha decided on. They look forward to meeting you.”
“These pack members looking forward to meeting their wolves biggest weakness?” Logan asked in his dick voice.
“What’s that?” Jon looked confused.
“Elle, dumbass,” Logan shot off. “The pack’s queen alpha?”
Jon’s face fell, and I felt anger bubbling up in my veins. “The guys talking shit already about this—about me?”
“It’s unnatural to have a female alpha in a pack, that’s all,” Jon said.
“Well, tell them it’s the new way. Vamps, wolves, and our fucking queen who nobody screws with.”
“Okay, Zac,” I smiled at the vampire who, if looks could kill, we’d be burying Jon in the backyard right now. “Got it. Why don’t you guys go down and see if having these pack members around is going to help or not? Make sure Zane is getting them under control.”
“Awesome.” Braden slipped off the bed, “Can’t wait to sit in a room filled with wolf shifters.” He looked at Cole, “let’s go test the waters with the dogs.”
I rolled my eyes at the vamps who were acting just as bitchy as Jen had been earlier. I guess if I were part of this supernatural life for the amount of time my vampires had been, I would probably understand why the only shifters my vampires could tolerate were the ones they were magically merged with. I honestly had no idea how difficult this lifestyle change had to be for any of them. The wolves and my guys.For the greater good.I chanted to myself.Killing the witch and taking out good ole psychopath dad. Then this shit is over.
I heard the laughing and loud voices coming from the front yard and from out of the living room. I was sort of glad that Jon wanted the private walk. I needed to know what happened to Marsha, and I wanted to know why he was okay to abandon me and leave me with my guys, thinking I would simply just adjust to all this shit. There were so many questions flooding my mind that I didn’t know where to start. Shit. It was just my damn luck, knowing my vampires were watching the freaking clock more than they were trying to get a feel for the pack we’d be working with to take out the witch and then Enzo.
I needed those guys on board. I needed everyone on board.
Chapter Seventeen
Jon and I were out of view of the stately house and surrounded by the centuries’ old weeping willows in no time. A soft breeze kicked up and kissed my face, letting the last of my frazzled nerves calm completely.
“Please tell me what happened to Marsha,” I pleaded with him.
Jon’s face seemed to age in thought. “Marsha,” he exhaled. “She should have shifted.” He glanced up at the sky as to be reminding her of this fact. He shoved his hands into his pockets, “We were attacked by hunters after leaving a council meeting with the elders. Marsha tried to reason with them, being that one of them was the husband of a friend in the town. I don’t know what got into her, but she knows the vows the hunters take. Part of me wondered in the beginning if it was Marsha who gave us away.”
“Elders?” I questioned this newest supernatural term. “And why would you think she’d give you away? Jen and I told each other everything, but she’d never so much as mentioned liking dogs much less wolves.”
Jon’s lips quirked up, “Jen was raised well in that regard. Marsha had difficulty accepting her supernatural life, always had until we were mated. After that, she seemed to fall in with our shifting lifestyle, but moving her back to her hometown might have been a mistake. I thought of everything as to why we were ambushed, and all of us were almost killed that night.” He glanced back toward the house that was just out of sight. “Zane’s instincts picked up on our trouble that night, and that’s when he, Nakia, and Bren came to check on us. If Marsha would have just shifted she would’ve been able to defend herself from that hunter. Instead, she ignored her instincts and tried to reason with the hunters. She paid the ultimate price for that.”
“Is that why Zane is the alpha?”
He nodded. “Zane was prophesied to become my pack’s alpha already. I was in the process of grooming him for the task. I didn’t want to fight him to the death for what I already knew would happen. Instead, I worked with him.” A smile touched his lips, “Crazy kid. I remember when that orphan shifter was adopted into our pack with his buddies too. He was so careless and fearless. I saw the alpha in him that day.”
“Why didn’t he just take another pack or is that how shifters work?”
“Wolf shifters, yes.” Jon glanced at me. “Eventually, a younger, stronger wolf will join this particular pack, and Zane will either fight him to maintain his status as alpha, or he will die trying.”
The thought of the burly shifter dying hit me hard in my chest. The stabbing jolt of energy almost brought me to my knees. “What the hell?” I said to myself.
“That’s your merge. Sorry, I need to be careful with my words. You’re merged with Zane, and anything that is spoken against him or the others can affect you to the point of agony.”
