Chapter 13: Alpha’s Secret: Chapter 13

Jordy

“What is it? What’s happening?” I tug on Declan’s leg. When the fighting started, it was so fast, so glorious and brutal, I couldn’t watch without my eyes watering. I got down from my stool to give Laurie a turn. But now, hearing the crowd screaming for blood, and the grim expressions on the two Stooges’ faces, I know something’s wrong.

“Grizz.” I turn back to the cage. My bear is there, prowling around the perimeter, turning his head back and forth from one opponent to another.

Two on one?

“Feck,” Declan mutters.

“Grizz,” I breathe in horror. I’ve seen him fight more than one opponent before, but everything about this is worse. The stakes are higher. The shifters around the cage laugh and shout.

I gotta get closer.

Cupping my hands around my mouth, I shout this to Declan and his eyes widen. “Kit, no—”

I’m already racing towards the cage, weaving in and out of the groups waiting at the bar. The shifters don’t part for me and for once I’m glad I’m small. I fight through the crowd, squeezing between bodies and slipping away before anyone can grab me.

I end up near one of the bleachers. If I’m lucky, no one will notice me.

Grizz waves to the second fighter, and he orders a timeout.

Calmly, my big bear walks to the side of the cage and hooks his fingers in the links.

“Parker,” he growls. “Juice.”

Parker fumbles the leather jacket and holds up a flask. He lifts it to the cage, pushing the neck through the links. Grizz takes a pull, pressing his face to the cage wall. His throat works for a long second before he pulls back and nods to Parker to put the flask away. A red drop clings to Grizz’s lips before he dashes a hand over his mouth and turns back to meet his two opponents.

“Let’s do this,” he says to everyone and no one.

“Round two,” the big wolf shouts and blows on a whistle. “Fight!”

Grizz

I pace the perimeter of the fight cage, keeping both my opponents in my peripheral vision. I gotta work to keep from giving either of them my back.

Two against one? Not great odds, but I’ve had worse.

The vampire blood sizzles in my veins. Frangelico didn’t skimp on this dose. This is heart blood—the most potent. The hangover’s gonna be a bitch, but it’ll give me enough energy to last a few hours.

Time to get this fight started.

I move first, tackling the gorilla. He leaps onto the cage wall, practically levitating. I tear him down and give him a taste of my fist.

Behind me, the crazy bear paces. Good, he’s not feral enough to be comfortable fighting these uneven odds. He’ll wait his turn, which gives me time to teach this monkey a lesson.

The gorilla fights with kicks and punches, which I block easily. I catch his thigh with a kick of my own. Close to his crotch. Yeah, it’s a cheap shot, but I’m not fighting fair.

“Still hiding behind better shifters, I see,” I taunt him. A scream of rage and the gorilla hurtles through the air towards me. I dodge and let him crash to the ground, following it with a kick to the head.

“K/O,” Parker shouts. The crowd forgets its animosity towards me, and chants my name as I straighten with satisfaction.

One down. One to go.

“Feel free to forfeit,” I tell the bear.

“You don’t fucking scare me,” Caleb growls back. He licks the gorilla’s blood off his arm, tongue running over his lips as if he likes the taste. Fuck, he really smells broken.

We wait as the wolves enter the cage and pull the gorilla out by his feet. The first fighter leaves a long smear of blood on the floor.

Jordy

The two remaining fighters circle, staring at each other. Grizz stands tall while his opponent remains hunched, prowling almost, on all fours. The hulking fighter looks more animal than human. Grizz jogs in place, rotating his shoulders and stretching his neck. At last he stops pretending to warm up. He hits his chest and holds out his hands. “We gonna do this? Or just dance all night?”

The opposing fighter backs up into the cage, leaning against the chain links. Pushing back further and further until the links strain. The metal creaks as the posts start to bend. The crowd quiets.

“You break the cage you buy it,” Grizz warns. A few hecklers start shouting.

The fighter raises his head and roars. Chills run up and down my spine and every shifter in the place stills.

A laugh rings out. Grizz stretches his arms open and bares his teeth in a savage grin. “Bring it.”

The bear snaps forward and lumbers toward Grizz, practically on all fours. At the last second, Grizz ducks out of the way, pivots, and leaps onto the creature’s back. His tattooed arms tighten around the bear’s neck.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” someone shouts. Declan. He’s closer to my hiding spot, probably looking for me. Right now he’s paused, mesmerized by the fight.

The fighter staggers under Grizz’s weight. His head goes back and for a moment it looks like the fight is over.

Then the fighter’s skin ripples.

“That’s right,” someone chuckles. One of the wolf pack, watching with an evil look on his face. “Fight that, traitor.”

“What’s happening?” I whisper.

“No,” Declan shouts in horror.

“Yes,” the wolves correct. “He’s changing.”

“That’s against the rules!” Parker is banging on the cage.

“This isn’t San Diego. No rules here.”

I remember Grizz telling me some fights shifters have to keep human forms, or be disqualified. Looks like that isn’t the case here.

“Rule one of Shifter Fight Club?” a wolf shouts, and the pack roars back, “There are no rules!”

“Oh no,” I breathe. In the cage, Grizz struggles to hold on to the bear’s neck.

“You can do it,” I shout, my voice thin in the heavy silence. I cup my hands around my mouth. “Grizz, you got this!”

One second I’m inching closer to the cage. The next my arm is almost yanked from my socket. I spin around and stare into the eyes of a vampire.

“Got ya,” he hisses through his fangs. Benedict.

“No,” I gasp, the noise of the crowd swallowing up the small sound.

“Augustine can’t wait to get his hands on you,” Benedict snickers.

I remember too late I shouldn’t look into his eyes, and everything goes black.

Grizz

Fucking insane black bear fucker. I loosen my grip as fur sprouts under my arms. The bear’s on hind legs now, swaying even as his bones pop and resize. Sinking my teeth into the matted fur, I tighten my hold. He might be tripling his size, but I’m not gonna make it easy for him. After a second, I stop biting him and spit out black fur. Fates, when was the last time this idiot bathed?

The shift complete, the giant black bear lands on all fours, shaking the floor. I must look like an ant clinging to his back. I wait for my opening and kick away from him, leaping back to a far corner. I have to get out of here. Get to Jordy. That’s when the juice kicks in, and I blur. I know I’ve moved faster than anyone thinks possible when the crowd gasps. The wolves howl, and the sound falters as I whiz around the cage.

“Traitor! Vampire pet!” The wolves start booing, and the rest of the crowd takes up the chant.

I rush my opponent, dance out of the way of giant fangs, and get two body blows in, knocking the bear back. Soon as I finish this fight, I’m challenging some wolves. I’ll teach them to call me a vampire pet.

Something niggles at the back of my mind. I take a moment to scan the crowd. Where the fuck is Jordy? There, by the bleachers. Or at least, she was there.

A flash of red and my blood turns to lead. She’s there, slumped over someone’s shoulder. I catch the vampire’s pale face before he blurs out the door.

Fuck, Jordy, no!

My bear’s right there, ready to break free. I fight it back. If I shift now, I won’t have the wits to hunt.

I race to the cage door but it’s locked. I grab the poles and yank. Teeth sink into the back of my neck and I snarl, but don’t turn. I rip away, letting blood spray, and blur to the other side of the cage where I climb the links and drop to the other side.

Gotta get Jordy. Gotta move!

Shifters scramble out of my way. Those who don’t get tossed aside.

“Grizz,” someone calls desperately. Declan.

“Follow me,” I order him and he, Laurie, and Parker race into my wake. I’m almost outside. Almost free.

A wolf steps in front of me before I can reach the door.

“You leave and you forfeit,” Trey yells. I keep coming and he steps out of the way. With a warehouse shaking roar, I hit the door and send it flying. The door frame groans as I smash through it, leaving the crowd staring at a Grizz shaped hole.

Fuck everything. I gotta get Jordy.

Gravel flies out from under my feet as I race in the direction the vampire took her.

Fucker hasn’t gotten far, even with blurring. I can track him. I pick up speed and catch up just as Benny reaches the arroyo.

The skinny vampire turns, his eyes widening. He looses that oily smoothness and stumbles as he watches me blur towards him.

I see it all in slow motion: the pale face, Jordy’s limp form, Benny’s lips moving. “Impossible—” he says. I’m almost on him when he slings Jordy down.

I roar and he blurs away. Fuck, gotta catch him.

Frantic footsteps make me whirl. Parker and Declan, racing my way. They slow, gasping for air, clutching their chest.

“Juice,” I order before they can speak.

Parker digs in his jacket and offers me the flask. I drain it. I’ll feel it later, but now I need all I can get to get Benny. He took my girl. He’s working for Augustine. I don’t care who’s behind the shifter slavers, they tried to kidnap Jordy, so they’re all going down. This ends now.

Jordy lies in a huddle at my feet. I tip her back and check her pulse. It’s strong and steady, but her eyes flutter and she doesn’t wake. Totally under the dark. Fucking vampires. I grab her and thrust her at Declan and Parker. “Get her outta here.”

“Where?” Declan asks, even as Parker and Laurie start walking her back to the club.

“Somewhere safe.” I give them my address.

“Wait,” Parker shouts as I straighten. “Where are you goin’?”

I snarl my answer to the moon before taking off after Benny. “Hunting vampire.”

I catch up to Benny in Marana, a dead zone near the tattoo parlor I took Jordy to. Fucker’s probably headed back to the theater. I pause long enough to rip up a palo verde tree, snapping and peeling a section of the trunk into a nice stake.

I’ve got enough juice in me to run down a flock of vampires, but not fight them all. Darkness lurks in the edges of my sight, threatening to bring me down. Can’t succumb yet. Gotta get Benny, make sure Jordy’s safe. Then I can go back to her.

Benny pauses in an alleyway. We’re somewhere near the theater, I’m not sure how close. He leans against the wall. At his feet are steps leading down somewhere, probably to a basement door. Makes sense, that’s where the vampires congregate. Benny just led me right to their secret lair.

He’s stopped there, just waiting. I prowl in the shadows as he lights a cigarette. He doesn’t smoke it, just holds it between shaking fingers. Vampires love fire. Something about playing with what could cause their ultimate doom.

Benny won’t get such a quick death. Not when I half-stake him, tie him up, and drag him to Frangelico. We’ll question him, and the king will squeeze answers outta him. We can get to the bottom of all this. Jordy will be safe and I can get back to my ultimate mission.

The thought of returning to my search for revenge doesn’t feel as good as it should, though. Wish there was a way I could keep Jordy while I continue the hunt. At first she was just a distraction, but having her at my side trumps anything else. I need her in my life. Such a small person, to weight the balance like she does.

Shadows flicker around Benny’s hands. He’s holding the cigarette steady. Any moment he’ll decide he’s calm enough to keep on. Time to make my move.

Again, I blur so fast Benny has no time to react. I slam him against the building. It’s so satisfying, I do it again.

“Caught ya,” I say.

The cigarette falls to the ground. “That’s—”

“Impossible? Nope.” I set the sharper end of my makeshift stake at his heart. “Say goodnight, Benny.”

Unconscious, vampires weigh more than you’d think. Even skinny guys like Benny are like fuckin’ concrete slabs. By the time I get back to Fight Club, dawn’s about to break. If Augustine thought he’d get his fangs into Jordy tonight, he’s fresh outta luck. I just have to store this body before light clears the mountains.

A contingent of wolves hang around the dumpster out back. A few snarl when they see me, but they back away when I drag Benny right up to the side of the building.

Trey steps out of the door, eyes flashing. “What the—”

“Need a favor,” I say. “Gotta store this one somewhere for questioning.” I give Benny a kick. He may as well be a bag of blood for all the fight he gave me.

The wolves back away and eye me nervously. I grin at them. Never seen a shifter take down a vampire before?

Trey doesn’t even blink. We may have our differences, but he’s a solid guy.

“Here,” Trey says and flips open the lid of the dumpster. If closed properly, no light will get in and fry the sucker before questioning.

“Perfect.”

After barking to his pack to clear the club out, Trey helps me load the vampire into his smelly coffin.

“Thanks.” I dust off my hands. “I owe you,” I say to him.

He shrugs. “We won a bunch of money betting against you on the fight. You taking that vampire to Frangelico?”

“Yep. Caught him snooping around a shifter slaver site. Gonna bust that ring wide open.”

“Good.” Trey’s eyes flare. “Then we’re even.”

I turn, take two steps, and stumble. My hands hit the gravel.

“Whoa, easy.” Trey’s at my side. He helps me up. “What the fuck, man? You drunk?”

“Nope,” I slur.

Trey’s eyes narrow. “You’re on something.”

My tongue fills my mouth. “Gotta go,” I mumble.

“Sorry, buddy. You’re not going anywhere in this condition.” He slings my arm around his shoulder and kicks open the Fight Club door. The back of the place is empty, so no one sees my walk of shame. My bear cringes at showing such weakness. Next thing I know I’m in a cool, dark cube of a room—the back office—and Trey is leaning over me. “Here,” he offers me a drink of water. “Just take it easy.”

“Gotta go. Gotta get to Jordy—” At least that’s what I try to say. My voice is too garbled to come out in real words. I clutch his shoulder and he puts his tattooed hand over my scarred one.

“No one’s coming in here,” he assures me, misunderstanding. “No one has to know. I don’t kick a bear when he’s down.”

“Jordy—” I try again, but Trey still doesn’t understand. My grip on his shoulder loosens as I fall backwards, sliding into the dark.

Grizz

Jordy! I have to get to Jordy. My female’s gotta be terrified. I suck in a breath and try to orient myself. The memory of Trey bringing me into Fight Club seeps back as I get up.

True to his word, Trey locked the place up. I sneak out, only pausing on the doorstep when light hits me in the face.

What the—

It’s daytime. Judging by the sun, well past noon. Fuck. That means I was unconscious for over twelve hours. And I still feel like I’ve been hit by a Mack truck.

I have to get to Jordy and make sure she’s okay. I pray the three stooges got her safely to my place.

Fuck, I pray she was able to come out of that vamp-induced sleep Benny put her in.

I rally my clumsy limbs and trudge to my bike. It takes me a few tries, but once I’m on and balanced, my body remembers itself and I break every speed limit zooming home.