Chapter 34

Chapter Thirty-Four

We didn’t arrive quietly but on the loudest motorcycle we could find. They knew we were arriving miles before Kicks stopped the bike in front of the estate. He gave the engine a last couple revs to make sure there wasn’t a single shifter left who hadn’t heard us.

It didn’t take long for Varic to walk out, followed by the rest of the pack piling out from every different direction. Aunt Elara was among them, and I wasn’t sure if she was happy or terrified to see us. Or both.

“What do you want?” Varic said, staring hard at the both of us. If there had been any confusion over why we left, how I’d disappeared, it was erased by our re-entrance.

“I’m here to take the pack. I’m officially challenging you for alpha,” Kicks said.

“You sneak out to go find your freak and then come back and demand alpha?”

“Yes. That’s exactly what I’m doing. Unless you’re afraid to fight me and want to step down willingly?” Kicks taunted him.

“How do I know she’s not going to get involved? Using her dirty magic? Her devil’s magic. After all, she told me she was in cahoots with the Grim Reaper. That’s how she killed our father,” Varic said.

A gasp ran through the pack, and he smirked. Even if he died here, he wanted to make sure no one else would accept me in this place.

I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to lie. Bottom line, there was no way I was letting Varic kill Kicks, honest fight or not.

“She won’t do anything. She, unlike you, has more honor than that,” Kicks said.

Did I? Not where Varic was concerned, I didn’t. In my book, he could die the same way he’d lived.

“Fine. Let’s go,” he said.

Kicks pulled off his shirt. Varic was on the other side of the space, stripping off his clothes as well. That was when I realized they’d be fighting in their beast forms. Kicks’ beast was scary as hell, but Varic’s was unknown to me. It might be even worse. There was really no predicting what they’d shift into.

My pulse ratcheted up as I watched them both shift. Varic’s beast was nearly as frightening as Kicks’. They approached each other, squaring off.

I was so intent on them, I nearly jumped when I heard the booming footsteps of Death approaching.

I’d never heard them when I was the vehicle of Death, only when someone died for another reason. Kicks wouldn’t outright kill Varic. He would banish him. So either someone else was going to die, or…

That was all the warning I had before a flurry of bullets started flying. I didn’t know where they’d landed until I saw blood dripping from Kicks. He turned toward me, but before he took a step, he crumpled to the ground.

The world around me went silent. Time slowed, each second stretching into an eternity as I watched him go down.

“No!” I screamed.

I was at his side in an instant, my hands trembling as I touched him. He was back in his human form and covered in blood. But he was still alive. I could feel the faintest pulse.

I covered his body as much as I could to shelter him in case whoever shot tried again.

I saw some people approaching out of the corner of my eye. “Get away from him,” I screamed, and they immediately backed off.

“Kicks.” My voice broke as I pressed my hands against the many wounds, feeling the warmth of his blood seeping through my fingers. “Please, please, Kicks. You can’t die.”

There was no response as he lay lifeless in my arms. I couldn’t lose him. I wouldn’t.

And then Death was in front of me.

“You’re not taking him. He’s mine! We had a deal!”

We had a deal and I saved him in the pit, not from this, she said as she eyed him up.

If she wanted his soul, she’d have to go through me. No one was taking him, not a god, not a human, not a shifter. No one.

“You were supposed to protect him,” I yelled.

The crowd around us moved a little farther back, not knowing who I was yelling at and clearly not knowing what to do.

She took a step forward.

“ No! ” I screamed.

Something inside me snapped. It was like an old, crumbling dam finally breaking from the last offense and unleashing a wave of energy burning inside of me.

I bent over Kicks, hugging him to me, willing everything I had to flow into him, to heal him, to save him. For a moment, nothing happened. Then my wolf was beside me. We’d left it back at the cottage, but that apparently didn’t mean anything, because somehow it was here. It began to lick Kicks’ wounds. As my wolf licked, Kicks’ wounds began to spit out the bullets and close, one by one. My wolf seemed to be healing him.

There were gasps around us, but I ignored everything but Kicks. His other wounds began to expel the bullets and then heal closed.

I watched, unable to breathe as his eyes opened.

“Pips?” His voice was weak, but he was alive.

A sob broke from me as I pulled him closer, feeling his heartbeat growing stronger. He was alive.

I stared back up at Death. “He’s mine,” I said.

She didn’t move for a minute, as if trying to compute what had just happened. She finally said, So he is.

She nodded at me and then backed away.

With my arms still around Kicks, I turned my attention on Varic. He was watching on with a gaping mouth.

“You had him shot. You claim foul play from me while you’re plotting and scheming? You’re dead. The only reason you’re still standing is that I want to see you beg before I kill you.”

He stood there for a second before pointing to me as he addressed the pack. “She’s a witch! She’s evil and deals in dark magic! You see what she just did!” He circled around as even his men were backing away from him.

Aunt Elara stepped forward. “Varic, you have dishonored this pack with your actions.” There were many nods of agreement.

“ I didn’t have him shot,” Varic said.

More of the pack shifted to come stand behind Aunt Elara. “Samson is missing. Someone go find him,” she said. Several of the pack took off, presumably to do her bidding. It was looking as if the pack had found its new alpha.

“ I didn’t shoot him, ” Varic yelled.

The men who’d been loyal to him stepped back, distancing themselves.

“Throw him in a cell until we decide what to do with him,” Aunt Elara said before turning to us.

The pack wasn’t looking at me in any way even close to accepting. There was no doubt we were no longer welcome here.

Aunt Elara walked over to us. “I love you both, but I do think it’s best you go for now. We’ll handle business from here.”

“Varic?” I asked.

“He’ll be handled tonight.” Her expression was solemn enough to make me trust he’d be dead before sunrise.

“You’re sure you’ll be okay?” I asked.

“Yes. I think enough shifters have hit their breaking point with him that there is no going back. We’ll be fine. I’ll get you the keys to one of the ATVs, but it’s probably best if you get out of here tonight.”

“Can you travel?” I asked Kicks, who was already up on his feet and getting dressed.

“Yes. I’m fine. I’ll be a hundred percent soon.”

Aunt Elara gave Kicks a hug and then turned and did the same with me. “Safe travels.”

We’d done what we had to for them, and now all I wanted was to go home.

“Where’s the closest dock? Maybe we can find a boat and search the coast for a bigger ship. I think we learned enough on Rod’s to get around the island.”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Kicks said, stretching as his body continued to heal.

We pulled up to the nearest dock a couple hours later, and in the distance there was a large yacht.

“Is that…” No way. Could we be that lucky? Although we were due to catch a break, and it felt like the universe was about to shift in our favor.

We walked down the length of the pier, and there, on a small skiff, was Captain Rod.

“I can’t believe you’re here,” I said.

“Came back. Heard there might be some trouble.” He had a knowing smile.

“You did? From who?” Kicks asked.

“I’ve got my sources, especially along the coast. I hear whispers.” Rod winked at me before his gaze shifted to the wolf. “New friend?”

“Yes. It needs a lift back too, if that’s okay?” I asked. Could my wolf make it to Arkansas on his own? Maybe, but I wasn’t taking the chance.

“Wouldn’t dream of leaving it behind. Come aboard,” he said.