Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Unwanted Visitor

Psycho

It had been a week since Nera had contacted her family. Her mom had sent the wallet and now Nera was at an interview in New Orleans for a nursing position at a medical spa. I didn't care if she worked or not, I was prepared to take care of her financially, but she wanted to work and I would support anything she wanted. I'd already pretty much given her the Audi to use as her own and instructed Trigger to go find us another grocery getter. That one was too girly anyway. I told him another blacked-out full size SUV would be better. He was more than happy to take the handful of cash I'd plunked into his hand to go purchase it. He'd come back with a black Chevy Suburban and had gotten the windows tinted darker than what was legal.

I had plans to move Nera out of that room and into my house, if that was what she wanted. She spent more time there than in the room anyway. I was thinking of proposing because I had obviously already marked her, but it was a bit soon for something big and official, and she was still dealing with traumas. I'd convinced her to call a therapist to go talk to someone about what had happened to her. Charlie had recommended a female near here who specialized in trauma, and Nera had an appointment to go see her on Friday.

There was a knock on my office door.

"Come in," I called.

"The new SUV is gassed and ready to go for tonight," Trigger said, poking his head in.

"Sounds good." I felt twitchy, ready for the shift tonight. "Can't wait to see how smooth it rides."

"You're gonna love it." He grinned.

"Any leads on the vamps?" I asked.

He shook his head. "No, nothing. Face and Wizard are working together to try to track down every Deon, with every spelling, that matches the description. It could be a nickname or a middle name, or shit, even a last name. I think we'll find 'em though. They'll fuck up and slip up somewhere."

"Nera really needs closure," I commented, shutting my computer down.

Trigger furrowed his brow and looked at me with concerned blue eyes. "She may not get it, cuz. Just keepin' it real."

"I know, Jake. I just want to shield her from the world."

"You are. She's lucky to have you." He tapped twice on the doorframe. "We're leaving in an hour. See you down there."

With that, he left and I thought about what he said. I wouldn't accept anything less than vengeance for my girl, even if I had to tear the world apart to find this asshole.

In the meantime, I had a business to run and a shift to get to.

In our wolf forms, we ran through the trees of the bayou and stopped to drink at streams or swamps. We were much less selective in our animal forms. We hunted for small game but rarely spoke to each other.

All my guys were here except Cutter, obviously, and I was glad he was holding down the fort with the other human members and prospects of the Bayou Wolves.

I was chewing the last of a squirrel I'd caught when Strife's voice sounded in my head. "Vampire!"

I froze, dropped the squirrel, and ran to where I'd last seen him. The rest followed me.

There, at the top of a large cypress tree was a pale motherfucker literally hissing at us, as we snarled and howled at him. He looked frightened though.

"What the hell is it doing here?"

"How did it get here?"

"One of us should jump up and try to snag its ankle and pull it down."

The comments were coming in rapid-fire succession in my brain and I couldn't discern who was who.

I wished I knew what time it was and how long we had before dawn, when we could transform and take care of this asshole. I feared if we tried to get at him, he'd use his super strength and speed to harm us.

But, we were more powerful in this state. How many times had I wished I could use teeth and claws on one of these leeches?

Trigger and I were the biggest wolves out of the pack, so I said, "Trigger, watch my back. I'm gonna go for it. The rest of you, back up."

"Okay, boss," and other grumbles sounded inside my head.

I slowly and lethally approached the vamp. I had to walk through stomach-deep swamp, but the tree was on a little mound of dirt, and once I reached him, he stared down at me.

"Get the fuck away from me," he snarled, his eyes turning black.

I looked up at the sky and thought I saw the horizon beginning to turn pink. I couldn't physically smile, but I did on the inside.

"Trigger, come here, I have a better idea."

He splashed through the swamp water and then shook it off as he came to stand next to me.

"I say we have less than two hours 'til sunup. Let's post up and give him a choice. Burn in the sun or hop down and fight us."

The rest of the wolves howled and jeered.

"Great idea."

"I say jump up and tear its ass a new one now!"

"I can't wait to watch it burst into flames!"

"Okay, enough." I turned and looked at them. "Everyone, stay put. Sit and stand guard."

"Get out of my way," the vampire snarled.

I shook my head no in a very human way, and his eyes widened, like he hadn't been expecting that.

He looked toward the east, licked his lips, and looked back down at me, as if he could sense that I was the one in charge. "Just let me down, I won't hurt you. I'll be on my way."

I studied him and something about him was familiar. Greasy black hair that he kept having to push out of his face. Light-colored eyes because I couldn't see color but I assumed they were blue when they weren't black. He was dressed like a 1950s greaser with a white tee, dark leather jacket, and jeans that were rolled at the ankle. His dark boots held him perched on that branch. He fit the description of the vamp who'd gotten away with Deon. I certainly couldn't let him out of my sight.

"Look, I have info for you. Just let me go and I'll be back here in the morning to meet you when we can talk like civilized people," the vamp said, now sounding desperate.

The wolves laughed. As if we believed that.

He moved through the tree to the back side that was furthest from the east and had more shade from the leaves. As if that would save him. One strong sunbeam and he was toast. I'd seen one die in the sun once; it was gnarly, they literally burst into flames and then crumbled to ash.

I heard a noise in the water and a gator popped its head up out of the swamp. It was close enough to come up and start trouble so Trigger and I literally snarled at it until it sank its head beneath the water and went to swim off.

That distraction was all the vamp needed. He hopped like a fucking monkey to another tree and then to another. This went on for way too long, jumping from tree to tree, occasionally checking the horizon. It was turning pinker by the minute, so I'd been wrong on my estimate. Dawn was coming very soon. Then, he used his super speed to jump down once he was tired of tree-hopping, and ran through the bayou. All of us howled in delight and gave chase, keeping up with him, but just barely, he was so fast. The ground was soft and marshy, so that was hindering him somewhat. It didn't affect us.

Trigger must have gotten a rush of adrenaline because he pushed forward ahead of us, and miraculously was able to tackle him. He put his teeth to the vamp's neck and bit hard, intent on taking its head off.

"No! Don't kill it! I think that's one of Nera's kidnappers!" I yelled.

Trigger turned and looked at me with blood dribbling down his brown fur. "Seriously?"

"Everyone, pin down its arms and legs!"

They quickly did, and the vampire did not resist much, as he was weak from the blood loss and injury of Trigger nearly ripping his throat out.

I felt the sun before I saw it, the magic inside me tingling and turning my body back into a human. The transformation back was not painful like the one when we became a wolf. Now, this guy—this vamp—had six naked men sitting on him. I was sure we were quite the sight. I stood and put my hands on my hips with zero shame.

"Who the fuck are you and what are you doing in my bayou?"

He said nothing, he just narrowed his eyes and spit blood out of his mouth. "Fuck you."

I didn't want him to know who I suspected him of being. I told the guys, "Get him into the SUV and take turns guarding while the rest of us get dressed."

Trigger yanked him up and dragged him through the swamp, and then tossed him in the back of the Suburban.

"Blood all over our new ride," Trigger said, cringing.

"Least of our problems," I growled. "To keep him down, we're going to have to keep him bleeding." I handed him my shirt. "Use that under his neck, but keep an artery open to keep him weak, and tie him up."

Menace and Trigger, still completely naked, used rope and bungee cords to keep him tied while the rest of us got dressed. Once were all dressed, they stayed in the back with him, punching him in the mouth any time he made a noise or protested once he'd start to heal. With a wool blanket covering him in case any sun got through the heavy tint, Menace would nick his carotid with his switchblade and make him bleed a little to shut him up.

Once we arrived at the compound, I backed the SUV up to the front door of Rumble as close as I could get it, and with the blanket around his head, we quickly dragged him inside. Aside from the blood loss, I knew the sun was keeping him weak as well.

I looked at Wizard. "Go find Nera and ask her to come in here. And Cutter."

"You got it," he replied, running out of Rumble.

"Go get a cage from the clubhouse and bring it in here," I told Menace.

He nodded and left.

All of us were desperate for showers and food, but this was more important.