35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Pike

There wasn’t a part of his body that didn’t hurt, but the pain was nothing compared to his terror at losing Cora. He was ready to keep fighting, push every wolf into the bedroom so Cora could escape. He was ready to die, but once one of the wolves got a hand around her throat, he didn’t know what to do.

Dying seemed inevitable, but he didn’t want Cora going with him, and the addition of Mrs. J meant another innocent life would be lost.

“Please, Mrs. J, you need to leave!” He begged even as the elderly woman brought her cane down with a thump on the floor. Muggsie barked again and pulled on his leash.

“I heard you the first time,” Mrs. J said as she slowly leaned down to pet Muggsie. “But I think you need me here, Pike. This is too many wolves for one bear to handle and poor Cora is over there bleeding.”

When she straightened up, Pike could see Muggsie’s leash wasn’t attached to the dog anymore. What was Mrs. J thinking? She’d never seemed confused or suffering from dementia before. Why wasn’t she running, or rather hobbling, for her life?

“Fucking old bitch,” the alpha grumbled. “You should’ve minded your own business. ”

Mrs. J tilted her head as she looked at him, her deep brown eyes curious. “That wasn’t very kind of you. Are you the alpha of this pack?”

Nodding his head, the man pushed a limping pack member out of the way so he could loom over the old woman. “I’m the alpha. Why? You think I’ll give you time to call for help? Who would come help you anyway? More humans?”

He laughed at his own joke and the wolves that were still conscious laughed with him. The ones in wolf form yipped and howled mockingly.

Pike was puzzled. These guys might not realize it, but this was odd behavior for an elderly human. By the time they reached Mrs. J’s age, they were usually far more cautious around strangers and quick to leave at any hint of violence. Why was Mrs. J acting like a pack of violent wolf shifters wasn’t a big deal?

Mrs. J looked sad for a moment. “You’re correct. I have no one to call for help. They all died long ago, but I’m still here in the same place. Perhaps it’s time to start living again instead of hiding. When my sweet Harry died, I fell into a deep mourning. That was a long time ago. I’ve mourned enough.”

“Ain't that the saddest damn story,” the alpha mocked. “But if you want to keep living, you’re going to have to give me something.” He turned to another wolf. “Take her to her place and clean out anything of value.”

When the wolf jumped to do the alpha’s bidding, Mrs. J put up her cane to ward off the wolf. “Stay right there, pup. Before any of you try anything, I’d like to give you a chance to leave.”

The wolves laughed again and the one slapped Mrs. J’s cane out of the way and reached for her arm. “Don’t make me hurt you, lady. All I want is money and jewelry, yah?”

“You’ve made your decision then,” Mrs. J said with a sad little shake of her head. “I warned you.”

Pike blinked rapidly and hoped he hadn't sustained brain damage because Mrs. J seemed to be shrinking!

“What the hell?” the alpha cursed. “Is she a vole shifter or something?”

The wolves laughed again, but their humor was cut off when the shrinking reversed and she seemed to explode out into a brand-new body .

This new Mrs. J was far taller than her earlier diminutive shape, with a round, voluptuous build. The clothes that had been oversized and baggy before were tight and barely holding in her generous breasts. Thick tendrils of long black hair flowed around her shoulders and head as if she was in water.

No, that wasn’t hair, those were snakes!

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” the alpha screamed as he staggered back. “It’s a gorgon!”

“Those don't exist,” the wolf holding Cora captive said, his voice high with fear. “Right? It’s got to be an illusion!”

Mrs. J pursed her full lips at the wolves. “You think I’m an illusion? How amusing!”

Pike couldn’t see auras like vampires and druids could, but Mrs. J was glowing with enough power to light up her tan skin. She was so powerful he could feel her magic even though he was half a room away.

This wasn’t an illusion.

“She can’t be a gorgon. We’re all still breathing and talking,” another wolf said. “None of us are turned to stone or nothing.”

Mrs. J’s hair moved and writhed around her head as she turned her neck to look at the wolf who spoke. “Oh, silly pup, that’s not how my power works. If everyone I saw turned to stone, I’d never be able to go grocery shopping or get another manicure.”

The wolf who’d spoken so confidently shied away from her until his back hit a wall. “Please don’t hurt me.”

“I’m afraid you didn’t give me a choice,” she answered. Her eyes flashed a bright amber for a moment, and the wolf shrieked and then froze in place. Pike watched his skin change color starting with his face and then going down the rest of him until he was a uniform gray with the texture of rough stone.

“You bitch!’ the alpha screamed, then shifted and lunged at Mrs. J. He was close to her, but she didn’t flinch. Color flashed from her eyes again, and he fell mid-leap, his stone body breaking into dozens of pieces when it hit the floor.

When she looked away from the alpha’s body, the rest of the men in the room flinched and all but one started begging for their lives.

She ignored all of them and focused on the one still holding Cora hostage. “Let the human go. ”

The wolf hesitated. “You’re going to kill me if I do.”

Mrs. J put her hands on her hips and smiled at him. “You’re dying either way but turning to stone will be a lot less painful than what Muggsie will do to you.”

Everyone looked down at the little dog, and the wolf holding Cora barked out a high pitched, nervous laugh. “Your rat doesn’t scare me, gorgon. I’ll kill it with a stomp.”

“This pack contains some of the stupidest wolves I’ve ever met,” Mrs. J murmured. Looking down at her dog, she gestured to the pet. “Make sure the human doesn't get hurt. She’s Pike’s mate and remember, you like Pike. Well, you like him most days.”

Muggsie gave a single yip and trotted across the room. As he moved, he got bigger and bigger until he was the size of one of the shifted wolves.

He wasn’t a wolf though, or a dog. He was something Pike had never seen or heard of. The closest Pike could think of was that this thing looked like an alligator with long legs and fur!

As Muggsie opened his giant mouth, Pike wasn’t surprised to see row after row of teeth, but he was very shocked when tendrils shot out and wrapped around the wolf holding Cora.

The wolf screamed and let go of Cora to fight the tentacles. As he was drawn closer, Muggsie’s mouth seemed to get even bigger!

Worried about Cora, Pike jumped over Muggsie and got his arms around her as her legs gave out. He lowered both of them to the ground and watched Muggsie pull the fighting and screaming wolf down his throat whole.

They could still hear the man’s muffled cries even after Muggsie’s jaw slammed shut.

“I think I can see him moving inside,” Cora whispered hoarsely. Pike shifted his gaze and noticed that there was faint movement rippling on Muggsie’s sides.

Mrs. J gave a cheerful, airy laugh. “I wish you’d at least bit him in two before swallowing.”

Muggsie turned to Mrs. J and made a whistling sound that reminded Pike of a bird. Mrs. J answered his whistle with another laugh. “I know, I know. You like the way they thrash around while you digest them.” She looked around at the rest of the stunned and pale pack and shrugged. “I warned him turning to stone would be less painful. ”

The remaining wolves went back to begging her for mercy. Holding Cora tightly to his chest, Pike watched as Mrs. J surveyed them with a considering expression. Finally she pointed to one and spoke.

“You aren’t truly corrupted yet,” she announced. “Your soul is salvageable. I’ll let you serve me as penance. It won’t be easy, do you accept?”

“Yes, ma’am!” the wolf said and rushed to kneel in front of her.

One of the other wolves tried to join him. “I want to serve—”

Mrs. J’s eyes flashed, and the wolf fell over mid-step, the pieces of his stone body scattering among his alpha’s.

“None of the rest of you can be saved,” she declared and between one breath and the next, Pike watched all of them turn to stone. Most fell over and shattered but two remained on their knees, faces frozen in expressions of fear and horror.

When she turned to face them, Pike flinched. Pushing to his feet, he rushed to use his body to shield Cora. “Please don’t hurt the human!”

Mrs. J rolled her eyes and laughed. “I let Muggsie eat the wolf holding her, remember?”

Pike relaxed a little, realizing they probably weren’t in danger from the gorgon. “Thank you for saving us.”

Cora moved to his side and stumbled. Looking down, he saw blood dripping from her mouth and nose, and her complexion was pale. She had to be in pain.

They were quite the pair. With the danger gone, Pike noticed there wasn't a part of his body that hadn’t been bit, slashed, or hit. He hurt everywhere.

As damaged as they both were, he’d hate to think how much worse it would’ve been without Kimble’s bond making them stronger and tougher.

“You two look like you’ve been in a car wreck,” Mrs. J murmured. Muggsie made one of his bird sounds, and she looked down at him. “Do you think I should?”

He whistled again, then looked at the remaining wolf. Moving in close, he nosed the young man. The wolf was still on his hands and knees in front of Mrs. J and when Muggsie touched him, the wolf curled into himself and whimpered .

“He’s not going to eat you,” Mrs. J assured the wolf as she stepped around him and made her way to Pike and Cora. “He’s still digesting your friend.”

It took all of Pike’s willpower to remain still as Mrs. J got close. She gave him an approving grin before reaching out and cupping his cheek. Her touch felt warm, and he could smell strong magic wafting off her.

“You’ve got one of the purest souls I’ve ever seen,” she told him. Her hand got warmer, and his entire body started to heat up like he had a fever. “After my sweet Harry died, I almost wanted to join him. It’s hard for us to die, but we can do it. I let myself grow old to make it easier, and then you moved into the building. You made me realize that there’s still kindness and joy in the world, even if Harry wasn’t here. I’d been thinking of resurrecting myself when you brought Kimble home. I was so worried for you. Soul bonds are strong, and Kimble wouldn’t mean to hurt you, but feral vampires are unpredictable. I decided to stay in my elder form, in case you needed me. No one can sense us when we don’t want to be known, not even ancient vampires.”

Pike had a hard time paying attention to Mrs. J’s words because he was distracted by the pain fading. Where her warmth spread through his body, the early discomfort eased and then disappeared. Her gentle grip on his face kept him from looking down, but he’d bet anything his wounds were rapidly healing.

“Now that you're safe with your vampire and human mates, it seems you don't need me to watch over you any longer.” One of the snakes slid against his face, tasting his skin with a long, forked tongue. “I’m going to take my new pet wolf, and my beast and find a new place to live before this building falls down around us.”

She laughed, the sound of it washing over Pike and making him want to laugh with her. There was no fear any longer and not even the snake touching him felt weird.

“Mrs. J, um Mrs. Gorgon person?” Cora said. “I’m not trying to disrespect you or anything, but I’m going to have to sit down now.”

Pike saw Mrs. J’s eyes go wide at the same time he felt Cora’s grip on him loosen. Mrs. J let go of his face and reached for Cora. She was able to hold his little human up long enough for Pike to shake off the effects of her calming/healing magic and grab Cora up in his arms .

“I don’t feel good,” Cora mumbled. “My head really hurts.”

“Oh, you poor thing,” Mrs. J cooed, moving in close to press both hands to either side of Cora’s face. “I should’ve started with you. Muggsie wanted Pike healed first because Pike gave him bacon a few times. That beast’s affections are easily bought!”

She chuckled at her own joke while several of her snakes moved to taste Cora’s skin. Pike could feel Cora’s body getting hot and while he watched, her swollen nose went back to normal size and the bruising on her face faded. Those were only the visible injuries though. Mrs. J was probably healing a lot of internal damage that might have killed Cora if left much longer.

“There now, aren’t you feeling better?” Mrs. J asked.

“Yeah,” Cora agreed. To Pike’s horror, Cora reached up and touched one of the snakes. “Pretty.”

The snake weaved through Cora’s fingers before retreating back to the rest of the writhing mass. “They are pretty, aren’t they?” Mrs. J said, letting go of Cora’s face to touch her snake hair.

Taking a step back, Mrs. J turned to regard the wolf on the floor. He was sitting back on his knees now, with Muggsie rolled on his back in front of him. The wolf was scratching the creature's belly while Muggsie moaned and shook a paw in the air from pleasure.

Mrs. J snapped her fingers. “To me, wolf,” she ordered.

The young man scrambled to his feet and rushed to her side, head bowed, and arms wrapped around his chest.

“Yes?” he squeaked.

“You’re going to help me pack and then we’re leaving here,” she explained. “Do you have a vehicle?”

He shook his head, then nodded. “I don’t have one, but my alpha’s car is here. We can take that. Except, uh, you might have turned the key to stone.”

Mrs. J examined the pieces of stone that had been the alpha, her eyes flashing as she looked them over. “Here they are,” she said and reached down to one chunk the size of her fist. The moment she touched it, the stone turned into a piece of bloody pant leg.

A moment later, she pulled a key fob free of the cloth, which had been the pocket of the alpha’s pants. She held it out and the young man took the fob with a shaking hand .

“What are you called?” she asked.

“James Dean, but everyone calls me JD,” he whispered.

“Very well,” Mrs. J said. “I’d like to be called Ysabel. It’s such a lovely name, and I haven’t used it before.”

Now that she was healed, Cora was coming out of her gorgon induced daze and looking around the room with a critical eye. “Why does it feel like I dreamed all this?”

“Brain trauma,” Ysabel said airily. “Your brain was swelling a bit, but you're fine now. Off you two go. I’m sure Kimble is eager to set eyes on the two of you after feeling everything through the link. Poor vampires. I’d never trade eternal life for the sun. We gorgons thrive in the light.”

“Thanks for not letting me die,” Cora said.

“I’ll take payment in drinks. I like fruity cocktails the best,” Ysabel said, then turned her attention to JD. She pointed to the apartment’s empty front door frame. “My apartment is the one with the open door. Go in there and find something to eat. I can hear your empty stomach complaining from here. Eat fast. We have a lot to accomplish tonight. I’m impatient to begin my new life after putting it off for so long.”

JD rushed out the door as if she’d screamed at him to move instead of giving her order in a reasonable, even affectionate tone. They heard his feet pound down the hall and then cut off as he got to her apartment.

“That one is going to be an eager disciple,” Ysabel commented.

“Well, you inspire eagerness with that whole turning-people-to-stone thing,” Cora quipped.

Pike stiffened but Ysabel didn’t take offense to Cora’s sass. Instead, she threw back her head and laughed. Wiping a tear from her eye, she headed to the door. “I’ll be in touch, little human. We’ll have a girl’s night. I haven’t been young for a long time. This’ll be fun.”

Then she was gone, and the room seemed to dim a little. Pike remained still, surrounded by bits and pieces of stone wolves, staring at the door and still holding Cora.

“Is any of your stuff that important?” Cora asked after several seconds of silence.

“Not a damn thing,” he agreed and carried her out of the building and to his truck. He was still naked but didn’t care. There were extra clothes in the truck, and he couldn’t stand to be in that place a moment longer. “I’m never leaving the compound again.”