Page 27 of Frenzy
The girl smiled. “Well, obviously. I’m Raine, Convocation member for Endangered Species.” She sat down in the chair opposite me, and honestly, she was about as scary as a fluffy bunny. But the guys surrounding her? The coiled violence that clung to them was making my Beast rage.
“Oh my god. Do you have a baby?” she squealed, and I realized she’d only just seen that the lump across my chest wasn’t a gun, but a tiny infant.
I bared my teeth, and the vampires all moved slightly. “Yes.” I looked at Radic. “Come and take Two.”
The Beta was across the room in a flash, ignoring the menace of the vampires. I unstrapped the baby quickly and passed him over. With my eyes, I told Radic to move the children and Pryce to a safe place. But I didn’t have that kind of history with Radic, so I could only hope he understood my meaning. When he hurried out of the room, I thought he might have.
Raine pouted. “You didn’t have to do that. I promise you we are no threat to your Pack, Alpha.”
I didn’t comment, and the Convocation member sighed. “I have kids too, you know? They are teenagers now, of course—or well, adults, I guess. Same age as I was when I died. So we all just look like friends. Being undead is fucking weird sometimes.”
I blinked, and the big tattooed one walked over and stroked her back. She smiled up at him lovingly. Oh. Her mate then.
As if she could read my mind, she looked back at me. “So rude of me. These are my consorts, X, Judge and Lucius.”
When she pointed at Lucius, a chill ran down my spine. I had heard of Lucius of the Vampires. God, I hoped it wasn’t the same guy, but judging by the Pictish swirl tattoos, I wasn’t getting my hopes up. I nodded at her consorts, and worked at keeping my face neutral.
“So, you’re probably wondering why we are here?” Raine said, and I raised an eyebrow. “Not a big talker? Well, we got a call from the Alpha General, who told us that an army came into town and deposed him of his role as Alpha, and was holding the town hostage.” I opened my mouth to protest, but she waved her hand at me again. “Don’t worry, I stopped by his house first, and then the bakery, and then your house, which is filled with what seems to be a variety of shifters and teenagers alike. Not much like a battle-hardened army.”
I frowned. “You stopped at the bakery first?”
The one called Judge laughed. “Professional curiosity, isn’t that right, Sugar?” He had a slight Southern accent, and eyes that were dead. “Raine owns a bakery in Dark River, up in Canada.”
I just continued to blink, and that was when Dominic barrelled into the room, guns raised. He was beside me in an instant, then took in the possible enemies in the room. Frowning, he looked at the girl.
“There's a bunch of armed supes outside, Court. No one is taking shots, but what the fuck is happening right now?” he growled under his breath.
Raine grimaced. “Apologies. Just my Enforcer contingent. Sorry.”
I met and held Dom’s eyes. “I believe they are checking we aren’t a hostile takeover. This is Raine, Convocation member for Endangered Species, and her mates. This is my second-in-command and my Beta, Dominic.”
Dominic’s mouth fell open. “Is that the motherfucking Executioner?”
My eyes reappraised the giant tattooed vampire. I only vaguely knew of him, but Dominic was a bit of a killer aficionado.
The tattooed vamp gave us a grin that chilled me to my core. “Aw, you’ve heard of me?”
Dominic looked at the other vampire. “And Judge! Holy shit.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Are you fangirling over vampire assassins while we are surrounded, Beta?”
That snapped him out of it. He tilted his head to the side in submission. “Sorry, Alpha.”
Raine stood, and her mates closed in around her. “Look, despite what the Alpha General of this town says, it seems everyone is operating within the law. But if it’s okay with you, I will stick around and ensure that the Alpha challenge is above board?”
It was phrased as a question, but it was clear that we had no choice. I nodded, and she gave me a smile that transformed her from curvy, tiny human to something more.
“What are you?” I asked before I could stop myself. Fuck. Straightening my shoulders, I leaned into my outburst. “To be a Convocation member, I mean. Vampires aren’t exactly rare—no offense.”
Lucius’ unblinking eyes felt like bugs crawling across my skin, but Raine rested a hand on his arm. “I’m a succubus,” she purred, and the power in it slid over my awareness like a caress.
I looked around at her mates, three of the most insane and feared vampires in supernatural society. “Makes sense now.”
Raine laughed. “Right? Someone had to save you all from an ancient vampire-induced massacre.” She waved, and then they were all gone.
I slumped back in my chair, because surprisingly, that was as close as I’d ever come to a being that could kill me. The Manix were killing machines, but we could only kill what we could see. Maybe I could take a younger vampire in a fight, but against those three? I’d stand no chance.
“We should check on the Pack,” I suggested, getting to my feet. “Rosa!” I yelled as I left my office.
