Chapter 11

Elijah - Chapter 11

Scott wasn't sure what was wrong with the couple in front of him, but he was positive that he'd missed something. Every time he had to tell the man, the Dom for them, that he was to order his sub to do what he wanted, not just hit her, he would get more upset with him. Finally, when he'd had enough, Scott stood in front of him.

"What do you think you're doing? Get out of my way. This is what she likes."

Scott had no idea why, but he had a feeling the man was using sexual play for a license to beat the woman with him.

"I don't think she's enjoying this as much as you think she is." He turned to look at the woman curled into a tight ball. "You're not supposed to simply hurt her, but to bring her pleasure with this. All you're doing is causing her a great deal of pain."

"She likes pain." Scott thought it was more like she was used to it rather than any kind of enjoyment. "Get on back over there and watch us. That way when I take her, you know that she's doing it right."

He'd said that before, wanting Scott to watch him while he fucked the woman. There wasn't supposed to be any kind of sexual contact in here. And even if there was, Scott wasn't going to watch this man. Yes, there were times when one or both of the partners would have a climax, a powerful one too. But there wasn't any intercourse. His business wasn't a brothel, but a place to come for guidance on how to give both partners pleasure. The man picked up the whip Scott had taken from him twice already, and Scott decided that enough was enough.

"The session is over. I think that it's time that you left."

The man stared at him, and Scott knew that he was going to be trouble. Touching his hand to the button that would bring him help, he was knocked back when the man hit him in the face with a chair. Scott hit the floor and was up again before the man could do more harm to him.

As the doors exploded open, Scott moved out of the way of the man as he came at him again. He never knew their names, only that he called them Dom or Sub. Today he wished he'd had something more than that, as this was about to get ugly.

The Dom took out three of Scott's employees, knocking them against the wall and heavy equipment before he grabbed the sub by the hair and started to drag her to the bars. Blood was making it hard for him to see, but he hit the man twice before he finally let her go. This time when he turned on Scott, he was ready for him. Two punches—one from him, the other from Elijah, who just seemed to appear in the room—and the Dom finally went down. Scott fell to the floor, feeling every one of the hits now that it was over.

The police arrived ten minutes later. He knew both of them, but it was no less stressful for him. This was the third time in less than a month that someone had called in the police for a customer who had the wrong idea as to what he was there for. When Elijah handed him an ice pack, he looked around.

"I'm too fucking old for this shit." Elijah just laughed. "I'm sick of people too. I think I'm going to take the land that Mom and Dad gave me next to where Trent has the cabin and live there for the rest of my life."

"Nah, you'd miss me. But I'm just glad I was close enough to come and help you. He was out to kill you, I think." Scott wasn't even sure what his problem had been. "The woman that he was with, she's pressing charges too. Not against you, but the man. Apparently, he's had her in his basement for a couple of weeks doing all sorts of things to her. The police are headed there now."

"Christ." As he was helped up, he walked around the damage and thought he really was going to close his doors after this. "Two of my guys are going to the hospital. Lucy, who runs the desk, said she's done, and I'm pretty sure that my insurance company is going to laugh at me when I asked them again to replace some of this shit. I'm done too."

"Good." He had expected something more from his brother, but was glad that he'd not had to justify himself to him. Elijah had always been the most supportive of his brothers. "Do you want to come and work for me?"

"Doing what? I have no idea how to tell if a business is going to make it. And I'm way too jaded right now to hear a sob story about why someone's business is failing." Elijah told him of the plans he had concerning his house. "Seriously? I can do that. I loved working with the builders when I had some things done to my house. Trent did a great job, but I wanted something else in the bedrooms."

"I'm sure I don't want to know." Scott said nothing. They knew that he liked it rough. You didn't live in a small town without everyone knowing your business. But his bedroom was normal. There was a bed, two dressers, as well as a couple of chairs. The only thing he'd wanted different was the closet. It had been made for someone who wore a lot of nicer clothing than he owned. "Anyway, I'd like to start as soon as we can manage it. I have a lot of work on my plate right now with Trent being gone on that retreat with some of the pack members. But if you can give me a few hours a week, I would love it."

"All right. I'd love that too." As he was leading the police around the room where everything had happened, he also offered them the tapes of the day. After they left, he was sitting in his own office when Elijah came in the room with him. "I'm really going to do it. I just got off the phone with my lawyer, and she's going to put this place on the market for me."

"Will you miss it?" Scott shook his head. "I love going to work every day. I mean really love it, but lately, with having Noelle at the house with me, it's getting harder and harder. I don't want to sell out, but I think I'm going to find some people to work for me that can take some of the load off. I want to be with her all the time, and I find that to be more fun as well."

"I thought of that too. Getting more people to come in and do what I do. Be the boss and not be working. But I really have had enough. It's hard to maintain a life when you're trying to help people with theirs. I just need to cut ties and move on." Scott leaned back in his chair, feeling pretty good after saying it aloud. "I think this has been a long time in coming. For both of us."

"Yes, I think you're right." Elijah told him what Noelle was doing today with Sterl. "She'll bring him out of his shell. Not that I don't think he will come out anyway, but this will help him. Joe is wonderful, but she knows too much about him. Noelle is sort of the girl next door type, and he might say things to her that he'd not to us."

"He's going to open a studio over her shop. I think he'll do well at that. I'm not sure that teaching kids is something that he's going to go back to. He's seen too much." Scott nodded. "Randal, however, was born to be a teacher. Christ, how many years has it been that he's been teacher of the year? Ten?"

"About that. Yes, I agree, Randal is suited to being a teacher more than most I know. And he cares. Mom told me that he's set up a food pantry in his room for kids that might not have lunch. They have to pay for it by bettering themselves in some way. Two days ago a child wanted one of those pudding things and to pay for it. He had to make a good grade on his test. I guess he did so well on it that Randal had a party for the entire class. And the single moms just think he's the best thing since sliced bread."

"Mom told me that his last parent teacher conference ended early because a bunch of the women, both married and single, had cornered him. I almost feel sorry for him." Scott did as well. And was envious too. "Do you date much, big brother?"

"Not really. I mean I go out, but only when I have no choice in the matter. Pack functions mostly. Occasionally Mom will set me up with a date for something. But I don't socialize all that much anymore. I'm must be really getting old." Elijah asked him about a mate. "Do you really think that we all have one out there? I mean, someone for all of us, and she's just waiting to come here and change our lives?"

"I do. I might not have a month ago, but I do believe that now." Scott wasn't so sure. "Will you welcome her should she find you?"

"Welcome? I'd probably fall down at her feet just for the chance to get laid on a regular basis." He realized how crude that sounded. "I'm sorry. I'm just a little stressed out. I think I'm going to go home, shift, and run until I fall asleep in the woods. I've not been doing that as much as I should either. My wolf hates me."

"I doubt that he hates you, but I'm betting he wants to get laid once in a while as well."

Scott thought he might be right. As they gathered up the few things that he didn't want to leave in an empty building, Elijah said he'd come back and help him load up the rest tomorrow. Scott was feeling better and better about this.

As the two of them made their way to his truck, Scott looked around, feeling tense all of a sudden. Something was off. He wasn't sure what it was, but he felt it. Looking at Elijah, he was sure that he did as well. The air even tasted a little off.

Do you see anything? Elijah told him that he didn't, but to act normal. And what is that exactly, this normal you speak of?

When the man came out of the shadows, neither of them moved. Scott could feel his wolf ready for whatever came their way, but Elijah put his hand on his arm when he moved toward the man. As he curled back in the shadows, a term that Scott thought was perfect, he had to fight with his wolf to not go and hunt him down.

I don't think he wants anyone to see us talking to him. Or maybe just one person not to know. Scott asked Elijah how he knew that. I have no idea. But I think he wants us to go to him, but make it look like we're doing this on our own.

And you got all that because of some guy poking his head out of the darkness? And so you know, if you think you're going in that dark building by yourself, then you're fucking nuts. Elijah told him he wasn't. Good.

You're going with me. When he started to protest that wasn't what he meant, Elijah moved toward where the man had been. Vampire, his mind screamed at him, and he hesitated just a little.

You're going to be safe. Nothing will hurt you. Noah laughed when Scott started cursing. Does your mom know you talk like that?

Yes. I don't do it in front of her, but I'm pretty sure she knows. Where the fuck are you, and how do you know that it's safe to follow this man? He told him he was there as well. Why didn't you come out instead of letting a stranger do this?

Because he's not yet aware that I'm here. He has information for Sterling, and he's passing it on. I'm here to make sure that he gets to tell you before Helenia figures it out. I'm watching him.

Scott moved into the building behind his brother. The vampire wasn't anyone that they knew, but he stayed back in the corner like he was afraid of them. Noah assured them that he was.

"I know where that monster is. She's hiding out in the cemetery where she don't belong." Elijah asked him who he was talking about. "That white thing. The one that is making one of the tombs that we been using her own. Killed two of my friends by throwing them out in the sun before I managed to get on her better side. I don't trust her, but she needed me and I came to do her bidding."

"And how did you know to come talk to one of us?" Scott nearly told Elijah, but was told to wait by Noah. "You just happened to stick your head out when we were in the lot and just happened to have information about this woman that you think we might need? I don't believe you."

"She cut me." Scott felt fear roll over him and his wolf. "If I show you, will you hurt me? It can't heal until she gets what she wants. And that is to tell you where she's at."

"Show us." Scott turned on his phone using the flashlight app to see the man. When he cringed away from it, Scott moved it to his body and not his face. The man lifted his shirt up, and Scott staggered back a little.

"She said that once I gave you the message that I knew where she was, then she'd help me." Scott asked him if he thought she'd do that. "No. I don't. But I have a way of taking care of it myself. I've seen what she's done to others that disobey her."

"You weren't to show us what she did, were you?" The man shook his head. "Is she really there? At the cemetery?"

"She is, but not in the tomb of Flowers. You'll have to figure out the rest. If I say it, she'll know what I'm about." He looked behind him, and Scott wondered if there were more like him here. "The walls here, they sure could use a nice coat of paint, don't you think? But I'd have a look at them with the light thing you have and not the sun. The sun can take things away."

Just as Scott was going to ask him what he meant, he moved by them. The speed at which he did so made Scott think that he'd gone into the sunlight quickly so that he'd not be able to change his mind. The screams from the man were cut off abruptly, and Scott looked at his brother.

"He killed himself rather than go back and tell her that he'd done it." Elijah said he had. Pulling out his phone, he asked him what he'd meant by the walls. "I think there might be a message. I have no idea why I think that, but I'm completely weirded out, and that's the first thing that popped into my head."

Using his own phone, he looked at the walls behind where the man had been. When he found it, he realized why the man had said to do it with their phones and not the sunlight they could have used. The vampire had used his own blood to help them.

"Did you know about this?" Noah said that he hadn't when he joined them. "Do you think this is the tomb that she's using, or a trap?"

"I think the man gave his life to rid the area of her, and this would be his way of helping." Scott nodded at Noah. "I've never been to the cemetery, but do you suppose there are many of the tombs with the name Jefferson on them?"

Scott didn't know either, but they were one step closer to taking this bitch out. "We'll do this the easy way first. Find someone that works there and get a list of the tombs and names. That way we have a general idea of where we're headed."

"I have an idea." Scott looked at his brother and decided that while he'd help him, he didn't think this was an idea that was going to bode well for someone. He was glad it wasn't going to be him too. "I have to talk to Trent and Sterl, but this might be a way to end this shit without us walking into a trap that might get one of us hurt. Yeah, this will be good."

Making their way out of the building, he opened the door wide and watched as the words there burned off and turned to ash. Scott wondered at the fear one would have to rather die than to face her. He hoped that this thing went as well as Myra and the others were telling them it would.

~*~

Helenia was feeling stronger every day. She'd forgotten that she could do nicely with some anger to power her. And here in this nest there was a great deal of it. Its power would feed her slowly, but at the rate these vampires were going, she would be up and going in no time. This might be the reason, she thought, that Noah had never lived in a den of vampires. They were worse than some children she'd seen playing. Christ, she hated children almost as much as she did Noah.

The man that she'd sent to find the alpha was going to be dead as soon as he got back here. He was going to be anyway, but she'd planned to just slice him up and watch him turn to dust. Now he was going to suffer for making her wait for so fucking long. And Helenia had been at this long enough. She knew just how to make a vampire last a good long time before he was no more.

"Mistress." She looked at the young vampire when he spoke behind her. "I have a connection with Darrell."

"What the hell is a Darrell, and why do you think I'd care?" He told her that he was the one he'd sent out yesterday. "And why is he contacting you and not me? I do hope he knows that I'm not going to be happy with him when he returns."

"He's not. Returning, I mean. He's met with the sun." As the vampire walked away from her, she was sure she heard him laugh. Letting her temper go, she lashed out at him and the group that seemed to share a very small brain, and killed them all.

Her rage was shifting to something stronger and quicker to ignite, she'd only just realized today. Just this morning she'd gone into the town to find her alpha, and she'd noticed that every shop was closed up and there was not a single person in the area. Small towns did that, she knew, rolled up their sidewalks seemingly at a certain hour in the evening, but it was daylight on a Saturday morning. Smiling, she thought of the damage she'd done anyway.

The two buildings that were closest to her had been set on fire. She had no idea what might have been in them, nor did she care, but the heat coming off her had felt wonderful, the power of it exhilarating. Helenia decided that she loved this new her. And her temper was going to give her a lot of pleasure.

Moving out of the tomb she'd taken for herself, she thought of Noah and him commanding her to come to him. She'd been here for two days now and nothing. Helenia wondered if he'd even called to her, and her mind had only made that up when she'd been hurt. Stranger things were going on with her, and she wasn't going to believe that anyone as weak as Noah would have enough power to pull her here.

The alpha was here too. This was the little town where she'd first noticed him. Smiling, she thought of the things she was going to do with him. First and foremost, she was going to fuck him. After she had enough of that, she was going to cage him and find a lab that she could work with. He'd be weak, of that there was no doubt. Helenia had poisoned not just his mind but his blood as well. But he'd be hers to use and to create all the monsters that she wanted.

Her idea had been born when she'd been watching a battle between men. It had been huge; many lives had been taken. But her thoughts had been, why bother with just killing each other off? Why not make it fun as well? Then a wolf had come onto the scene, his huge body dark with the blood of the fallen, and she'd watched him, excited beyond anything she'd been in a long while as he ate the dying. He'd not bothered with the dead, which made her realize he loved his meat fresh, but had torn at the victims while they fought with him to keep their body. Then when some other animals came for his tasty treat, he'd killed them as well, tearing out their throats and letting them bleed out. Helenia knew then that she had to find her a shifter alpha wolf to do her bidding.

"He'll be mine, and when I have used him up, I'll toss him at Noah's feet, his body nothing but a shell." Smiling, she made her way to the building where she had smelled the wolf.

Today there was something different about it. She walked around it three times before it occurred to her what it was. There was a For Sale sign in front of it. The name of the realtor was there, with a number, and Helenia wondered what had happened. Had her alpha closed it down, this place of slavery? She would have to open it again, order him to do so. Then something else occurred to her.

He would command a legion. He was a pack leader, a wolf who would have others to do his bidding. With her commanding them all, she would not have any use for labs and men in coats.

Following the scent that was a wolf, she found the building where the vampire had met the sun. Stupid bastard had thwarted her fun. But as she looked around, she saw evidence that someone had painted arrows on the floor. Stepping around the markings, not touching whatever magic had put it there, she found herself standing in front of a large map. And it had a picture of a house as well as the drawing of a wolf. There were other pictures too, and it took her a few moments to figure out someone had left her a message.

She thought the drawing of her was quite good. The monster that they'd made of her had her thinking that they understood that she was superior to them by far. Then the feet drawn along a line indicated, she supposed, that she was to go to the house. And the picture of the wolf had to mean that he lived in this house. Smiling, she thought that if her vampire were alive, she might have killed him quickly for doing this for her. Helenia had made a good impression on him, and that satisfied her to no end.

"Do I go or not?" That was a good question, she thought to herself. Was it a trap? Not that it mattered. She was by far stronger than any of them. Even if Noah were there, he was too afraid of her and her power to come out and stand against her. And if he were, it would be his last stand. Deciding to go, she studied the map more and thought she had it. Then she took the drawing of herself.

"Just too good not to take." Smiling, she left the building and went to the one next door. It smelled of sex and wolf. Snapping her fingers, she set a flame to it and frowned when all it did was fizzle out. After trying four more times with no results, Helenia moved on. "Waste of power anyway. I might need the little it would take to destroy it."

Helenia would no longer need the lab, not that she'd figured out how to make that work anyway. But when she took her alpha, and she would, then he would control all wolves, men, and beasts simply because of the power he would have in her. This was much better, much, much better than she'd ever thought of before.