11. Sebastian

CHAPTER 11

Sebastian

I can't believe she just yelled shotgun and took off like that. She's taking this hunting for her mates thing better than the rest of us. Mostly I'm concerned about her safety, especially after the first attack of the Strigoi. Mother has trained me well for the last two hundred years to be ready for what was ahead of us. Underneath it all, I believe that mom has an ulterior motive behind all this.

I know Aurora's guardians have trained her well because she's fucking lethal. Like scary brutal, like I'm concerned for the rest of the world deadly. So far, I've witnessed her kill my suitor and the Alpha without breaking a sweat. Not to mention the one-night stand Dimitri had that she killed. Yup... better make sure I keep my mate super happy, so she doesn't go all homicidal on us.

My mother stops me halfway to the truck. "My boy, here's all the information I have on the pack you're looking for." She hands me a thick envelope. Inside it has a map, a family tree, and a breakdown of all the key players in the pack. The Alpha has four sons, three mates, and a love of barbaric gladiator games. Mom grabs my jaw to make me face her. "Don't let the bear and bird enter the den. They don't trust anyone other than other wolves," she says, concerned with trying to educate me. "There's a rumor the Alpha may have Aurora's father and a Wendigo. The Wendigo will lose its magic if its antlers are broken off. Remember what I tell you." She grips my jaw tighter to make sure her point was heard.

I nod slowly. "I hear you, Mom. I will tell Aurora about the Wendigo, but I'm not sure saying anything about her dad possibly being there will help keep the peace."

Mother releases me and kisses my cheek. "I will see you soon, my boy. By the time Aurora summons us, the pack will be whole again and the exiled returned." Mom smiles at me and walks back towards the village.

She's up to something; I can feel it. The question is, what did she do? Changing my focus, I make my way to the truck. Aurora apparently is playing DJ for this road trip because I can hear the music from here. What does she have in her hand? Hmm... it looks like books. Oh, shit, what did mother give her? Looking closer, I can make out a a couple in a heated embrace. She seems the most excited about that one. Just the cover art has me concerned. Just what Aurora needs: more inspiration to rip people's heads off. I climb into the back seat, sliding mother's care package out of the way and get comfortable. "What are you reading, Aurora?" My interest is piqued. She is so engrossed in the book, it takes her several moments before she answers.

"I'm reading a new female powered mafia book. According to the back, it's full of sex, blood, hot guys, and a mob war." She smirks and then winks at me. "It sounds right up my alley. I'm at war, I have a hot mate, and about to collect others." She shrugs her shoulders. "So far, there's been plenty of bloodshed with more to come. I wonder if she rips someone's heart out like I did." Aurora smiles sweetly at me and grips my hand. "I love you, Bash. And I'll kill anyone who stands against you." As comforting as her declaration is, it's just as scary.

She looks at me so innocently. Deep down, I know she's dead fucking serious when she said she would kill for me. She's already done it twice. I can feel through the mate bond she's calm and at peace, so her words are from the heart.

I squeeze her hand back and smile at her. Ever so slowly, I raise her hand to my lips and kiss her knuckles gently. "I would burn the world to ash for you. I love you so fucking much." My words please her, I can tell. Deep down, something does and doesn't sit well with me making that declaration. Brushing that confusing feeling aside, I refocus on my beautiful mate before me.

Slowly she nods her head and lays her head against the headrest to watch me. At the moment, I have her full and undivided attention; her book temporarily forgotten. "Mom gave me directions to the Dire's lair and instructions on how to gain passage." Both guardians have climbed into the truck and made themselves comfortable. Dimitri gives me a nod, so I proceed.

"Andre, the ascent is vertical, so Aurora and I need you to scout it out before we start our climb. Once you determine it's safe, we'll shift and use our talons to make the climb." Shifting my gaze left, I look at Dimitri, "Dimitri, you need to make sure we have our packs secure and keep the getaway vehicle ready to go." This is the exact moment his bear makes itself known, and a soft rumble escapes his lips.

"I'm going with you. I'm Aurora's guardian! No pup will keep me from my duty." He is deadly serious, but Aurora's growl—because he raised his voice—silences the entire truck. Her liquid mercury eyes are locked on him; he is now the target of her budding rage. "Aurora, you must understand, it's dangerous. You are the only family that Andre and I have left in this world. It would kill me if anything happened to you on our watch." I look between Dimitri and Andre; the poor bird has tears in his eyes. Dimitri's words struck a chord with him.

Aurora takes a deep breath and her beast retreats. Her eyes move between Dimitri and Andre, trying to gauge their emotional state. "I love you both. You are the only family I ever got to have, the only ones I've ever known." She reaches out and gently touches them both. "We are preparing to enter a den of wolves that with one bite can be lethal. There's a very good chance that Bash and I are immune because of our bloodlines," Aurora says, tilting her head.

"There is little to no chance that you and Andre are immune, Dimitri. I couldn't live with myself if you two died because I couldn't protect you. My heart would break into a thousand pieces if I lost the two of you." She sighs softly, trying to keep it together. "I'm treating this like we're walking into an ambush. I'd rather be over-prepared than not prepared at all." Aurora speaks with a wisdom far beyond her years. None of us can argue with her logic; it is solid.

To break away from the heavy emotional topic, I start again with my mom's information. "I have intel on the den and the ruling family. Apparently there are four heirs involved, two single births and a set of twins." Aurora's eyebrows shoot up at the mention of the twins. Oh, dear Gods, what did my mother tell my mate? If she were shifted, her freaking tail would be wagging right now. I know that look—mental note, give her plenty of dick before we storm the castle. "Okay, so back to the important stuff. The Alpha holds gladiator type fights between prisoners. It wouldn't shock me that one of us will have to battle to prove our intentions to him." That thought makes the boys feel uneasy. Aurora looks bored; I know she loves to battle, so the idea of a fight is like second nature to her.

"Okay, let's get this show on the road. There's blood to spill and naughty books to read!" Aurora ends the meeting quickly. "Come on, D, fire up that diesel, and let's get rolling. Twelve hundred miles isn't getting any shorter just sitting here." She nudges the grumpy bear, and he turns the key—bringing Aurora's beast she had named Black Betty—to life. I never thought I'd see the day a female would give her truck a female's name. Aurora fiddles with the radio until she finds a station she likes, and it's a bit odd when she puts on a pop radio station. Dimitri visibly cringes when some female pop singer begins to sing about a dark horse. The smirk that plays on my mate's lips makes me want to kiss it off her face. She's so damn adorable it almost makes you forget the beast within. I continue to flip through the papers my mother gave me, learning all that I can on the long drive to Nowhere, Colorado.

Twelve hundred miles is going to take forever with as slow as Dimitri drives. I know bears are slow, but damn, at least go five miles over the limit. We're going to die because he's over-cautious. "Hey, Dimitri, I know this diesel is quick; I can see the tuner head from here. Can we bump the speed up a bit?"

Dimitri's eyes dart to mine, then down at the dash. "What's a tuner head, and where is it?"

Aurora's head whips around to give me a death glare. I just fucked up big time. "Sebastian is seeing things, D, just use the gas pedal more; it's the long vertical one on the right side. It makes the truck go Vroom Vroom." Aurora is in a wise-ass mood, as well as pissed off—longest road trip ever. Her eyes lock on me again. Yup, I'm in trouble. "So, Sebastian. As the first Lycan to need glasses, how the hell are you?" She's used my full first name twice now. Definitely in the doghouse. Dimitri and Andre both laugh at me.

"Well, love, since your beauty is so blinding, it's not shocking that I need glasses. To look at you for a long period of time is like staring at the sun. All I can see is you, and nothing else matters." Aurora narrows her eyes again at me; I just can't win. Then she shakes her head and turns back around to read her book. I may be safe.

"Andre, take the file from Sebastian and tell me about the four sons. I'm curious," Aurora says with a playful tone to her voice. I fold the sheets up and stick them between my thighs, thinking they were safe. Nope! Andre reaches down, brushing the back of his hand against my cock and balls, and grabs the papers. The look on my face has to be priceless. I mean, I am more in shock that he had the stones to go near my balls. Aurora snorts as she watches Andre's antics. My mate just let another male touch my balls! What the fuck! I look from my crotch to Andre.

The bird just smirks. "I can see why baby girl is smiling. You, my boy, are stacked!" He smiles sweetly at me, then looks back to Aurora. "Hmm, looks like the firstborn is named Johan. He's four hundred and thirty-five years old, six foot six, and about two-hundred and thirty pounds. He's a politician in the pack serving as beta to his father. Johan is unmated but does have an arranged mating coming up this winter." Andre twirls his finger in the air as if to say whoop de doo . I can tell he's not impressed by the pack's beta. "The second eldest son is Alexander. Hmm, he's on my team, so that's a no go for you, sweetie." Andre pauses to read the next part and grins at Aurora before reading the next line.

"Now, the twins are interesting. Jayceon and Dominik are two hundred and eighty-seven years old. Dominik is the pack enforcer, standing at six feet three and two hundred and fifty pounds." Andre waggles an eyebrow at Aurora before continuing. "He has served this country as a ghost, whatever that means. Jayceon, or Jayce, as he prefers to be called, is a historian and organizer. He's currently dating a pack mate, Sinclair, and was previously involved with a Chrystina. I'm guessing he doesn't care what gender he dates." Dramatically, Andre pauses and raises both eyebrows looking at Aurora, watching for her reaction. Aurora purses her ruby red lips listening to Andre, carefully waiting for him to continue. "Jayce is six foot one and two hundred and ten pounds, more brains than brawn from what it says here. Elena has footnotes that she believes the twins will be the best match for Aurora." Andre passes the papers forward to Aurora, and she starts looking at the pictures and bios, weighing the pros and cons of all the males listed.

Aurora turns around and looks right at me. Her eyes flicker between her's and her Lycan's; they appear to be formulating a question. "What's your opinion of the males listed, love? You are my first mate and I value your opinion. Because if none of them is a true mate like you are, who do you think would be the best fit for the political alliance?" Slowly she turns to be able to look at me, studying my facial expressions.

I'm glad to see that my gift of strategy is serving her well already. She isn't just looking at the pretty faces and all the muscles... she is being tactical. That line of thought will serve her well with all we have to do before us. "The beta wouldn't be bad, but I'm not sure having another potential Alpha in the pack would be a great idea. There would be fights for dominance and possession constantly. The second born being gay wouldn't help at all there; the bond at best would be weak." I draw in a deep breath. As much as I hate admitting it, the twins look to be her best option. She's smiling, looking at me; she knows her assessment is solid and is just looking for confirmation. "The twins look to be the front runners for this pack. Sadly, there are very few Dire Wolf packs left, so the selection is meager." Aurora nods slowly before turning back around.

"Fucking Strigoi," she mutters before picking her book back up.

I look over the remaining sheets in the file my mother had given us. Surprisingly she had a geographical survey of the Nankoweap Ruins. There must be hidden tunnels leading into the den from the ruins that humans haven't found yet. Andre has scoots closely, looking over my shoulder at the diagrams.

"If I fly up here," he points to the eastern edge of the ruins, "I can catch and ride the thermals across the face of the site to get a look inside. With it carved into the cliff face, I won't be able to glide silently in and out. I'd have to fly around, which means they'll hear my wings." Andre is thinking like a military man. It makes me start to question what they had done before I came to know them.

"I have a question for you, two guardians. I remember the night you arrived. It was dark and storming. Both of you were wearing armor with crests on them. What was your position before becoming bound to Aurora?" I needed to know who was with us and what they can do to help in the final battle.

Dimitri's eyes find mine in the rearview mirror. "I was the queen's sword, her personal guard, and her enforcer. I had my room right off her chambers when she became pregnant with Aurora." He looks down briefly. "We lived in a time that King Vlad had caused a lot of civil unrest because of his treatment of the Strigoi. Lycans were originally their daytime guardians. Pets, if you will." He shakes his head slowly. "The Lycan's began to rise in power as they discovered the females took on their mates' powers. It's why Aurora now thinks strategically... it's because of you." He motions to me. "That was one of the gifts you've given her. Nothing else new has manifested yet, but who knows what other gifts she'll gain from you as the bond grows." He shrugs slightly.

"Andre, back there was the spymaster of the castle. Since Golden Eagle shifters are so rare, he could sit in his shifted form anywhere in the castle and no one gave him a second thought, thinking he was just a trained pet." Andre smirks at Dimitri's comment. "Shortly after Anca started taking mates, she had Andre and me bonded. It's similar to a mate bond, but its purpose is more strategic than anything else." He waves his hand slightly. "It's why when I was bound to Aurora, Andre's life was also extended. I've been teaching Aurora different fighting styles since she was able to run." He smiles fondly.

"As new forms became available, I'd join the classes, learn new skills, then come back and train Aurora. It's not that I didn't think she could handle the outside world; I didn't think the outside world could handle her." Dimitri's eyes remain on the road. I watch his face morph throughout the conversation. He's taken his job very seriously over the last two hundred years. Something deep down tells me at some point, it stopped being a job for him and it became a passion. Through all of his hard work and effort, Aurora is as efficient and lethal as they come.

Out of nowhere, Aurora starts laughing hysterically. Like out of control, belly laughing, to the point the noise stops, but the open mouth laughter continues. "What's so funny, love?" The look she gives me makes me think I'm going to regret the answer.

"Well, the main character... she's betrothed to a mafia prince." Aurora does the air quotes when she says prince. "She goes to visit him and he's caught in what looks like a compromising position." Her eyes drop to the page, then looks back up again. "So, he's standing there, this chick has him backed into a corner, her hands sliding down his body. So, she pulls out her gun and aims it at the female's head." Aurora makes a gun with her fingers. "Soon as the girl turns and sees her, Luci shoots her in the head. Blood and brain matter everywhere, the guy is left in a state of shock. Totally something I would do." She nods. "Then again, I prefer my talons. I'm more of an up-close and personal kind of girl." She just fucking smiles! Smiles and laughs about a chick getting her brains blown all over the place.

I'm concerned. Dimitri clears his throat. "Aurora, your Lycan bit the head off of my one-night stand just because I forgot to shower before seeing you." He glances at her, and she is still smiling and nodding before he looks at me in the rearview. "Good luck!" He fucking smirks at me. What in the nine hells have I gotten myself into? Poor Andre is fucking pale, and Aurora is still laughing when she holds her hand up.

"Remember how we had to play manhunt for the missing body parts after we found the severed head in my bed? My Lycan must've been really pissed at you, Dimitri!" She's still laughing. I would almost think my mate has become unhinged, but unmated she-wolves can be quite unpredictable at times.

"How is finding a severed head in your bed funny, Aurora?" I had to ask, though I think I should have kept that question to myself.

"Okay, so Andre and I have a movie night at least once to twice a week. I think it was the week before that we had a Godfather movie marathon." Aurora turns to sit sideways with her back against the door so she could look at me. "In one movie, the boss wakes up with a horse head in his bed. I guess my Lycan decided to bring her prize to bed with us." Aurora exaggeratedly shrugs her shoulders after explaining, then goes back to reading her book like nothing fucking happened.

We continue to drive through the night, switching off every six hours so we can sleep in shifts of two. I honestly don't think anyone slept when Aurora was driving. She has a lead foot and a love of that tuner mod that makes that diesel of hers fly like a bat out of hell. At this rate, we should reach our destination in two days tops. Perhaps not sane, maybe not in one piece... but we'll get there sooner rather than later.