Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-Five

We rambled down a long dirt road, slowing the bike down as we approached our destination. The last rays of the sun gave just enough light over the landscape to make out an old warehouse looming about fifty feet away, surrounded by a couple of sheds and smaller buildings scattered around. The place didn't have much sense of life, and it looked like its better times had been long before Death Day.

I'd barely gotten off the bike when a man walked out of one of the smaller buildings. He was old, with a rounded belly and a long white beard. He could've been a mall Santa if he didn't have a rifle clutched in his hands.

"Kicks? That you?" he yelled from the distance.

"Dirkin," Kicks said. He walked forward, giving the old guy a hug.

"I can't believe you're here. I wasn't sure who was left, if anyone," Dirkin said, his voice steeped in emotion, which was at odds with his rugged appearance.

"It's so good to see you, Dirkin. I was afraid you were dead." Kicks gave Dirkin another pat on the back while reaching for me with his other hand. "This is Piper. She's my mate and also a guide." He wrapped an arm around my waist.

Dirkin's eyes narrowed, his nostrils flaring slightly. "She's…"

"Human," Kicks stated firmly.

Dirkin raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Not looking for a fight. Just surprised, is all. I didn't know humans could be guides."

"This one can," Kicks said, scanning the area. "Where is everyone?"

"Come on inside. I'll fill you in," Dirkin replied, motioning us toward the smaller building he'd come out of.

It was a small, one-room affair with a bed squeezed into one corner, a couch, and a small table with a couple of chairs taking up the rest of the space. Dirkin turned up an oil lamp that had been burning on low, casting a warm glow over the space. He waved us toward the sofa.

"I'll put some coffee on for us," he said, moving to a wood stove that looked like a recent addition to the place. "I've got some smoked jerky if you're hungry, too, but that's about it. The rest of us, the ones left, anyway, are out hunting."

"How many are left?" Kicks asked, settling onto the sofa.

Dirkin sighed, his shoulders sagging. "We lost about half the pack on Death Day, which was a helluva lot better than the human packs around here." He glanced at me and nodded. "Sorry about that."

"We all are," I said quietly.

"How's it been since?" Kicks asked.

"So, like I said, we lost half the pack. It was a tough hit. Not to say it was easy on anyone, but we were never a big pack, only thirty or so," he explained, looking at me. "With so few of us left, it hasn't been easy. Groza sent an invite to come join her pack not long ago, and a couple of our people were grumbling about how it might be the right move. I'm not overly fond of her, but it might come to that." He shuddered and made a face like he'd stepped in horseshit. "I think I'd rather be left here alone."

"Groza isn't an option for us," Kicks said. "You could say that territory is scorched earth." He gave Dirkin the broad strokes of the situation, leaving out how many bodies I'd left behind.

"I'm sure glad to see you, though. Been wishing every day that I'd taken you up on that satellite phone offer," Dirkin said, handing us coffees.

"I'll get someone from the pack to run you one out after I get back," Kicks said. "I've been wanting to come check in on you, but there's another reason we came. I know you have connections with the others around here. I need to speak to one of them."

Others ? What the hell did that mean? I'd had enough of any kind of other .

Dirkin whistled low. "You sure? We've got a lot of problems without looking for any."

"Yes. They might have information about some of the issues we're having."

"If you're sure, I'll give you a map. It'll lead you to their territory. As soon as you set foot beyond their boundary, there'll be no problem getting one to talk to you. Tell them I sent you. It will hopefully buy you a little grace, but not much."

What else was said seemed to fade from my numbing mind as the mention of others lingered. Did I really need more problems? More unworldly creatures to contend with?

Dirkin pulled out some jerky. I didn't do much talking, still feeling numb, and I wasn't sure when that was going to wear off.

After a little more catching up, Dirkin showed us to one of the other small buildings. It had another retrofitted wood stove, which Kicks started loading up with wood, and a small cot in the corner we wouldn't be sharing. I couldn't even get nervous about that when I had too many other things to worry about.

"What are we supposed to be meeting, exactly?" I asked.

"It's sort of like a vampire—"

"What? You want me to meet a vampire ?"

"Not the way you're thinking. They aren't pleasant, but they aren't what the movies would have you think. They don't go around feeding on people's blood until they die. They leech energy from humans, a little here and there, and people don't even know it's happening. A brush too close is all they need. They're integrated into the populace, living among humans, only taking the energy they need. You ever feel like you were dragging after a great sleep? It might've been them. I've never been a fan, but they don't bother shifters and we leave them be." He shrugged. "If there's someone who might have an answer, they're a good place to start, considering she's using your energy, in a sense."

I didn't want to meet these creatures. Like Dirkin said, didn't I have enough issues? But Kicks had a point. It was worth at least investigating when there were no other options on the table.

I sat down on the small cot, wondering how I was possibly going to sleep tonight, whilehe got the fire roaring.

Then he walked over, pulling off his shirt.

"We're not sleeping in this cot together," I said.

"Why not? Death isn't killing me. You said she likes me." He smirked, his eyes burning with heat. His stare alone was enough to send a surge of want through me. Sometimes when he looked at me, I felt like I was the only woman in the world.

"You think it's good that Death likes you?" I tried to keep my voice from betraying the heat building up inside of me.

"It's better than her disliking me, right? I think it's safe." He stood beside the cot, brushing my hair back from my face.

"She didn't say she liked you. She said she liked what you did," I said, leaning away from his touch.

"I'll take it." His voice was rough as he knelt on the cot. He shifted me backward until he was lying half on top of me.

I loved the weight of him on top of me, the smell of his skin and the feel of it under my palms, so warm and smooth.

"You know, it was easier to not do this when I thought you weren't ready. Now that I know it's because you think you're going to kill me, it's much harder to keep my hands off you." He smiled again, as if that had been good news.

"What if she changes her mind and kills you?" I whispered. It would be so easy to lose myself in him for the moment, but not when she wanted it.

"She won't." Even his voice, so low and gruff, seemed to heighten my arousal. He dipped his head, brushing his lips against my ear. "I'm very likable."

His hand ran up from my waist to cover my breast as his leg nudged mine apart and his thigh pressed against my core. I arched into him, knowing that it would take almost nothing for me to absolutely fall apart in his arms. I'd never had this kind of connection to anyone, ever. The simplest touch from him and I was on the verge of losing myself.

Then that dark piece of me inside began to pulse to life, responding to his touch as well. I pulled away abruptly, scrambling off the cot and nearly falling in my urgency.

"I can't. I just can't." My voice broke, and I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to hold on to my resolve. "You don't understand. When you touch me, I can feel that piece of her coming to life. What if I lose control? What if what's in me hurts you?"

He stayed on the cot, concern smothering the fire that had been in his eyes a second ago.

"It's all right, Pips." He reached out, grabbing my hand and tugging me back toward the cot. "Just lie here with me. We don't have to do anything."

I lay down on the cot, settling in against his chest. True to his word, he didn't do anything else.