Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Sammy practically glued herself to Wheeler, despite his warning about wanting to fuck her, as a deep voice boomed through the area behind her. She considered scaling Wheeler but resisted. It was difficult because she was both scared of what was in the warehouse and turned on by Wheeler's body. Not to mention, he smelled really good for a guy who had been a statue not long ago.

Someone shouted, and it sounded strangely like Russian to her. She wasn't exactly well-versed in foreign languages so she might have been wrong. Whoever it was sounded upset.

"Och, did the Russian get a widdy-biddy nail in his foot?" asked another man, this one with a heavy Scottish accent.

"If the two of you could refrain from arguing for five minutes, it would be appreciated," added another who sounded French.

Sammy wondered if it was the same nail that had gotten her. If so, it was turning out to be quite the lethal weapon.

"It would be a shame if I ate one of the matching idiots," came the same Russian-accented voice, though this time he spoke in English.

Who in the heck was coming for them now, the United Nations?

She pressed tighter to Wheeler.

Wheeler took hold of her shoulders and at first she thought he might push her away. Instead, he jerked her against his powerful frame, his arms wrapping around her in a protective manner. "Shh, darlin'. It's the good guys."

"It is?" she asked, unsure who the good guys even were anymore.

"Holy fucknuts!" shouted someone from the warehouse area, making her glance over her shoulder at the door leading to it. "I ain't seen a massacre like this since the sex club I was in with Thor-Not-Thor-Lance and that gorilla-shifting asshole named Bane."

"Spend a lot of time in houses of ill repute?" asked someone, sounding Swedish or darn close to it.

"As much as I can, Viking," answered the man.

"Same," said the Scottish male.

"Aye, same," said a tall man who was covered in tattoos and piercings as he entered the office area through the door directly behind Sammy.

He was wearing a kilt of all things, and a T-shirt that read "Sexy and I know it." His long black hair hung past his shoulders and he had a full, thick beard.

Then, right behind him was a carbon copy of the man, but this one was wearing jeans.

The men looked toward Wheeler and smiled wide.

"Looks as if Gus was right. There was a Dead-Wheel at the end of the call to come here and help." The one in the jeans rubbed his beard. "We've spent three days tryin' to find you, and you've been here, with Ezra's mate's friend?"

Sammy twisted partially in Wheeler's embrace. "You know Ezra?"

"Aye, lass," said the man in a kilt. "He phoned and said you were in trouble. From the looks of all the dead bodies out there, I'd say we missed one hell of a fight. Guid thing Wheeler was here."

"Aye," added his twin. He then leaned back, put a hand near his mouth, and proceeded to shout. "Found the Dead-Wheel! Cancel the search party. He's here and looks as alive as he's ever gonna be, just like Silent Gus dinnae actually say but said! And let the record state, Mac and I dinnae lose him in the post after all."

Sammy wasn't sure what was going on or what, exactly, the man had said. Very little of it made sense. She glanced up at Wheeler. "Is he saying they mailed you?"

Wheeler's jaw tightened. "Yes. I think that is what he's saying. Car, is she right? Did you and Mac ship me?"

Car?

Did all the men's mothers hate them?

Car pursed his lips. "About that. Wait, Mac can tell you."

His twin waggled his dark brows. "Aye, we mailed you. You weigh a fuckin' ton when yer stone. We werenae about to carry you to PSI. So we decided to ship you. PSI's system was down so we improvised. Sounded like a guid idea at the time."

Car frowned. "Landros wasnae pleased when he found out."

"Aye. And he was less pleased when you dinnae show up at PSI," said Mac with a puzzled look on his face. "The ugliest metal sculpture thing I've ever seen came in yer place. Had some card with it claimin' it was a representation of the plight of women, but I frankly do nae see it."

Sammy gasped. "You got my package?"

"Were you expectin' an ugly metal thing about yay big?" he asked, lifting his arms out.

She nodded. "Yes. I got Wheeler instead."

Mac glanced at them and smirked slightly. "Looks to me as if you have each other pretty tightly . Somethin' happenin' between the two of you?"

She jerked back from Wheeler. "We just met. Well, I did hit my head on his rock-hard groin, so I guess you can say we know each other intimately now."

"She had her head in yer lap?" asked Car, appearing proud of Wheeler. "Nice. Dead-Wheel has got game."

Wheeler eased Sammy's hair over one shoulder. The act should have been off-putting. It wasn't. She nearly sank back against the man.

"How is it you know Ezra?" he asked.

She couldn't tear her gaze from his. "You know him too?"

"I do, but how do you ?"

"He's my best friend's husband," she replied.

"Why did you nae phone to tell us where you were?" asked Mac, his brogue thickening as he spoke. "Landros has had us runnin' around for three days straight lookin' for you. We paid extra to track you, but that service is apparently shite because you were nae at any of the locations it claimed you'd be. Service sent us on a wild-duck chase."

She'd need subtitles if his accent got much thicker. "Erm, I think you mean wild-goose chase."

His brother grinned in a sexy manner at her. "He means whatever you tell him that he means, lass. Say, if you've nae got somethin' goin' with Wheeler, would you be interested in startin' somethin' up with me?"

Wheeler snarled, and the next Sammy knew he was between her and the twins, puffing out his chest like a peacock.

The twins each leaned to the side, in opposite directions, looking around Wheeler with wide eyes at her. They then stared at one another.

Mac shook his head. "Another alpha bites the dust."

"Aye," added Car. "‘Tis a damn epidemic. Like the plague, but worse. You do nae die. You catch…monogamy."

Mac feigned horror. "Aye. Worse than death."

Sammy couldn't help but laugh at them. Not only were they hot, but they were oddly funny. And they didn't feel like a threat. The urge to keep Wheeler from doing anything to harm them came over her. She eased around Wheeler, leaving him behind her once more.

Another man pushed in behind the twins. He too was good-looking. He had long dark brown hair and was of equal size and shape as the rest.

Sammy felt very small in comparison to them all.

"You found Wheeler? He was here all along? Americans," he spat, a Russian accent evident. He must have been the man who'd stepped on the nail. "Cannot even stop to bother to report in. We wasted how much time?"

"Aye, Rurik, we found him," said Car to the Russian.

"Did someone mention finding Wheeler?" asked a man with a French accent as he entered the hallway (which felt incredibly small all of a sudden, despite it being large). The newcomer—who had long brown hair and a five o'clock shadow—was just as attractive as the rest of the men, but he was dressed in nicer clothing, like he cared about his appearance. He spotted her and lifted a brow. "You've had him all this time?"

She shook her head. "I just got him like an hour or so ago. I think. It's been a long night so I'm not sure."

His gaze slid down her body and then back to her face. "Did he harm you?"

Wheeler took hold of her shoulders and eased up behind her more. "No! I'd never hurt her, Auberi."

"I see," returned Auberi, but something was off in his voice. He nodded to Rurik. "Call for a cleanup crew. Tell them this is a priority one. Give them my clearance if need be."

Rurik mumbled something about vampires and the French before exiting to the warehouse portion of the gallery once more.

Mac hurried behind him. "I'm goin' to go see if I can jump high enough to get the head off the sprinkler. Bet I do it on the first try."

Car's eyes widened slightly. "I'll take that bet."

The twins were gone in seconds, and Sammy couldn't help but stare at Auberi.

"Were they serious?" she asked.

"Yes," said Auberi and Wheeler.

The Frenchman continued to stare at her oddly, as if he wasn't sure he believed Wheeler when he'd said he'd not harmed her.

Sammy took a deep breath. "He protected me."

"So, he is not how you came to be covered in so much blood?" asked Auberi.

"No," she said in a harsh whisper. "I staked him, and then I electrocuted him. But he never hurt me. He just kept the others from hurting me more. Why would you think he's what caused all this blood?"

Wheeler sighed loudly as he stayed pressed against her. "Because he's kind of like me, and he can sense what the twins and Rurik couldn't. That I've not fed in some time. Three days, is that how long they said I was missing?"

Auberi nodded. "It is."

Sammy couldn't help but tip her head way back to stare up at Wheeler, who was still behind her. "Dude, you had a buffet of bad guys out there. Why didn't you get a straw and go to town? Like all-you-can-suck kind of deal."

A dimple formed on one cheek as his lips drew into a smile. "Plastic straws are bad for the environment. Plus, the men out there smell like death to me."

"They are breaking down," said Auberi matter-of-factly. "Had you not killed them, they'd have died on their own within a year's time. I'm sure of it. Tell me, what is the other scent I picked up out there? Like you but not, Wheeler. It reeked of death and evil though."

Sammy raised her hand, and then lowered it, realizing how stupid she looked. "I'm going to guess Abel, but I'm kind of new to this whole supernatural thing so I could be wrong. Plus, my sniffer is nowhere near what you guys are working with."

"You're not wrong," said Wheeler, rubbing her shoulders lightly. "There was another male here. He's not dead. Auberi, he's got gargoyle in him too. I think he's a hybrid."

"Gargoyle? Shut the front door!" shouted Sammy before spinning fast to fully face Wheeler. "You! You have it in you too! That's why you were stone!"

He inclined his head somewhat.

"I'm torn between being really excited and really freaked out. Plus, I have to pee, and this dried blood is starting to itch," she spat before wanting most of it back.

Wheeler grinned. "Where are the restrooms?"

She pointed to the end of the hallway. "There."

He eyed it and tensed, easing closer to her in a protective manner.

She sighed. "I'm not taking you to the bathroom with me while I pee. So if that's what you're thinking, the answer is no."

Auberi laughed. "Wheeler, there is no one in the building besides us. She's safe."

"What if she's not?" asked Wheeler, his voice sounding off. "Didn't we just see a guy with Fae in him attack one of our mates through a fucking bathroom mirror?"

Things could attack through mirrors?

The sit-down with Ezra was long overdue. She'd need to take a notebook to write down all the threats in the world.

"We did," said Auberi before clearing his throat. "Tell me this, Wheeler."

"What?"

"Why are you so overprotective of this woman?" asked Auberi. "Could it be she's your mate?"

Wheeler snaked an arm around her waist and jerked her back against him so hard that a grunt fell free from her. "I just don't want her hurt, okay?"

Sammy pushed at his arm, which felt like it was made of stone once more, even though it wasn't. "Can't. Breathe."

He released her fast. "Sorry."

"Way to nearly squeeze the pee out of me," she said, rolling her eyes and pushing around him to head to the restroom. When she felt him right behind her still, she came to a fast stop and he bumped into her. She didn't look back. "You. Are. Not. Peeing. With. Me."

"Fine. I'm waiting right here though," he said sternly.

"Auberi, do you have a wooden stake handy? I'd like to try again," she said, before crossing her arms under her chest.

Wheeler bent and put his lips near her ear. "Stake me all you want, Buffy. I'm not leaving the area. I want you safe. Abel is still out there. He has your scent, and you heard the other asshat. He knows Abel will come for you."

The nearness of his body, combined with the timbre of his voice sliding over her ear, made her nearly shiver in delight. She somehow managed to keep her hormones in check. It was hard. "Your friends are all here. If he came back now, his head would be the next thing the twins are trying to jump for."

"Maybe, but maybe he doesn't care how many of us he has to take on. Maybe he'll risk it just to get to you," said Wheeler, staying close to her.

She sighed. "Okay, I won't stake you—again. But you're still not peeing with me."

"Peeing with her? That's yer kink?" asked one of the twins from the other end of the hall. "Oh, and I got the head. Took two tries though. Car threw it back up on another sprinkler head. We're goin' to try the best two out of three. Want a turn? Bill is keepin' score."

"I'm going to vomit," said Sammy, hurrying toward the restroom.

Auberi chuckled as she walked away—alone.

She did what needed to be done and then looked at her reflection in the mirror tentatively, wondering if Abel would leap out of it and try to kill her. When nothing happened, she let her guard down and stared at her reflection.

She looked horrible.

Her hair was matted and had dried blood in it. Her face was smeared with blood that she wasn't sure was hers or someone else's. The front of her dress was covered in it and torn slightly.

Basically, it looked as if she were Carrie at the prom.

She washed her hands and then attempted to wash her face as best she could in hopes of getting some of the blood from it. All it did was make a mess in the restroom and leave her smeared with pink all over her face.

She continued to stare at herself and thought harder about her evening. It had started so normal. The more she thought on it, the more worked up she became. She wanted to be tough and avoid breaking down, but it was hard to do with everything that had been thrown at her in such a short period of time.

Sniffling, she pulled some paper towels from the mounted holder on the wall and attempted to blow her nose. Since the brown towels had apparently been made by sadists who didn't believe in softness in paper products, it proved more difficult than it should. When she was all done, she had a red nose, puffy eyes, and pink smeared on her.

And she was still misty-eyed.

A soft rap sounded on the door.

"Sammy?" Wheeler's voice cut through the anxiety like a knife.

She took a deep breath and composed herself before opening the door.

He was there, staring down at her, worry etched on his handsome face. "You okay?"

"I am," she said, barely able to contain the urge to cry more. "I want to go home, take a bath, and burn this dress. Has anyone seen my shoes?"

Wheeler's expression pinched slightly, and she knew he was about to tell her something she wouldn't want to hear. "About that."

She clutched the door with one hand. "What happened to my shoes? They were one of my favorite pairs."

He licked his lower lip. "This isn't about your shoes. It's about you going home."

"What about me going home?" she asked. "Do I have to go to some nonhuman police station and make a report first? Can it wait until morning? I need to get this blood off me and change my clothes."

Auberi walked up behind Wheeler and held up her heels. "Rurik brought me these."

"Thank you," she said, reaching past Wheeler for the shoes.

She took them and then put a hand on Wheeler's arm to steady herself as she slipped them back on. "So, do I have to make a report?"

Auberi offered a warm smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "What Wheeler is having trouble telling you is that you can't return home. From what he and I discussed while you were in the restroom freshening up, you're not safe. The Corporation had a hand in Wheeler being delivered here for a reason. It wasn't to make an easy grab. It would have been far easier to have the truck take him to one of their facilities. That means this was planned. Well-orchestrated."

Sammy wasn't following and looked to Wheeler for clarification.

He lowered his gaze. "Remember how you asked the guy you killed if they thought you were my special person? My mate?"

She didn't like being reminded she'd killed anyone even though she had. She nodded.

"Sammy…"

She held the door tighter. "Say it."

Auberi put a hand on Wheeler's shoulder in a show of support. "Sammy, he tells me that your voice called to him while he was locked in his own mind, stuck in stone. That the scent of your blood awakened something in him."

"Okay," she murmured, not liking where this was leading. "Does that mean he wants to eat me?"

Auberi flashed a sexy grin and wiped it quickly from his face. He then looked upward and appeared to be straining. "I so want to make a sexual joke here."

Wheeler groaned. "Please don't."

Rurik entered the hall once more from the warehouse side. "The cleanup crew should be here any minute. We've searched the bodies for anything that may prove useful. The tips of their fingers have all been burned chemically. They don't want us knowing who they are. And Garth is currently trying to talk Bill out of making a bad guy finger necklace. I make no promises if they'll have fingers when you come out or not."

Auberi got himself under control and removed his hand from Wheeler's shoulder. He then looked directly at Sammy. "You'll need to come with us for now. I can't promise you a time on when you can return home, or if you ever can. I could lie to you and give you false hope, but you should know the truth. Something much bigger is going on here, and if The Corporation is behind it, you aren't safe."

Sammy fought the urge to cry. "I can't ever go home or back to my life?"

Wheeler made a move to reach for her.

Auberi tugged him back some. "Lying to her will give her false hope. Deep down, you have to sense the truth. I sense it on you and her."

"What truth?" asked Sammy.

"The vampire former Outcast wants to breed you," said Rurik without any real show of emotion or concern. "And we can smell that your body is receptive to his."

Auberi grunted. "That could have been put more delicately."

"Yes, but she's American. I find Americans to be simple, crass, and to the point. My way was faster and easier for her to understand," said Rurik.

Sammy eyed Auberi.

He shrugged. "He's very old and very Russian. He's also very right in terms of the scent the two of you are letting off. It's mating energy."

"Hey, Frenchie," said Car as he came in from the warehouse as well. "The cleanup team is pullin' up. And Ezra called my cell. He says yers is going straight to voicemail. His mate wants to talk to the lass directly. She does nae believe me when I say her friend is fine. A bit shaken, but safe now."

"Sammy, I'm sorry," said Wheeler in a hushed tone. "This is my fault. They hurt you because of me. You're swept up in all of this because of me. Had I not ended up being shipped here, you'd have never been put in harm's way."

She slid her hand over his bare forearm in a caressing manner. Her gaze locked on Auberi. She knew he'd be honest but not Russian-level kind of honest. "My friend Holland told me something about testing on children when they were little. And that the kids ended up spread out all over the place. Some went up for adoption. This went on years ago."

Auberi tipped his head. "The Asia Project is what I'm guessing she's talking about. What of it?"

Sammy swallowed hard. "I was adopted when I was little, and Holland and I are the same age. From what my parents hinted at, my adoption wasn't exactly on the level if that makes sense. Plus, well, I can channel electricity and make things float. What I'm saying is, I don't think this is Wheeler's fault. I think it's mine."

Rurik grunted. "Can we blame you both and go now?"

"He's a real ray of sunshine, isn't he?" she asked.

Auberi snorted. "Yes. And I think he may be right in as much that The Corporation may be after you both. Maybe they knew what I think Wheeler suspects."

Sammy stared at the men, waiting for someone to answer.

Wheeler took a deep breath. "Sammy, I think you're my mate."

Her eyes widened, and before she could think to stop herself, she blurted, "My forever someone is a gargoyle-vampire?"

He flinched and drew back from her quickly, before turning and walking past both Auberi and Rurik.

She tried to hurry after him but Auberi lifted a hand, stopping her.

"Give him a moment. He fights the bloodlust, and his emotions are already high since you were harmed and in danger. Let him calm down first. He'll come to you when he's ready. For now, let's get you somewhere safe and put you in touch with your friend. Sound good?"

She nodded. "If somewhere safe involves showering and clean clothes."

He winked. "It does."

"I didn't mean to say what I did," she confessed. She then touched her upper chest and exhaled loudly. "This has all been a lot. I'm sorry I hurt him with my words. And that I staked him and electrocuted him."

Nodding, Auberi put his arm out for her. "I've had relationships with stranger starts. Plus, I would consider that a fun night. Then again, not all are into what I am."

"Good thing." She slipped a hand through his arm, and it was then she realized she was shaking.

He drew her closer. "You're safe now, Samantha."

"I go by Sammy," she said.

"Are you ready? I can see to it you're taken somewhere safe where you can get cleaned up," he offered.

She hesitated slightly before walking with him. "What about Wheeler?"

"What about him?" questioned Auberi.

His tone said he very much knew what she was asking. That she wanted to know if Wheeler would be coming with them, but that he wanted to hear her say it.

"Is someone going to check him to be sure he's okay? He fought a lot of men and I did electrocute him pretty hard. I didn't mean to. I honestly don't know why I did," she said in a hushed tone. "I just sensed something really evil, and he was there. But he doesn't feel that way to me now and he didn't before either. I can't explain it. And I can't control what I can do. It wanted to protect me but zapped him in the process."

"You're worried about him?" asked Auberi.

She gave a curt nod.

"Good," he said. "Let's get you checked over. He'll be fine. I'm sure of it."