22. Sebastian

CHAPTER 22

Sebastian

What a night! Two out of three complete matings are done with the guys. At some point today, I have to catch up with Jayce and finish my mating with him. I'm not looking forward to letting the omega fuck me. Still, I'll do anything for Aurora—especially to secure her safety and my place in the pack. I lay here in my bed, staring at the ceiling.

We've made progress on all fronts. Under the threat of a painful death at the hand of the dragon king, I was ordered to leave Jayce alone if he's near Aurora. We need him to complete his bond with her for so many reasons. The main one is the strength of the pack bond. The second one, I honestly think my dick may fall off eventually. Aurora has a sex drive strong enough to handle three virile mates.

Unfortunately, there are only two of us in the game while the third tries to dislodge his head from his ass. I'm guessing Aurora spent the night with Dom since she's not in bed with me. Reluctantly I get out of bed and dress for the day. Slow steps carry me down the hallway past Dom's door. A few moments later, Dom steps out and silently attempts to close his door. "What's up, Dom?" I motion towards his door.

Quickly he moves towards me and drags me down the hallway. "Shh, Aurora, and Jayce are still sleeping. I'm hoping they fuck when they wake up." Decent idea, letting nature take its course without interruption.

"Brilliant idea, hopefully her pheromones override his reluctance." I give him a brotherly slap on his shoulder as we move downstairs for breakfast. From the smell of it, Nina, my mother's friend, is already making breakfast for us. I honestly don't think I'll ever get used to others doing things for me. But here we are... we have servants now all because Aurora is the lost princess.

Nico is sitting at the head of the table, drawing on parchment. This can't be a good way to start the day. Coffee and battle plans are apparently how he rolls, though. "Sit, boys, we have much to discuss." He motions to the chairs near him. It isn't a request; it's an order. We take our seats next to the king and fill our cups with coffee. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I have reports of Strigoi attacking not far from here. I believe they will attack tonight." On the parchment before him, he has the town drawn out. He's even got individual buildings marked.

"What are the x's on the map for?" Dom beats me to it, damn it. He already seems to be more in favor than I am because of his prior relationship with Nico.

"The x's are buildings with bomb shelters in the basements. If we send the females, children, and the mated males down there, it will be safer. The five of us, as well as Dimitri, will take a stand in the center of town." I lean over to get a better look at his map.

"Where will Andre be?" I assume he will be the early warning device, but I can't swear to it. "Are we using him as an advanced warning system?"

Nico finally smiles at me and pats my shoulder. "Exactly my thoughts, son. Eagles have the best eyesight of all the shifters. He can watch for the attack and call out when he spots them. We all nod in acknowledgment of the plan. Several hours are spent with some of the pack elders going over evacuation routes to the buildings. Once the courses are planned, a pack meeting is called in the great hall.

Aurora and I stand before the masses, getting ready to address them. The twins are off to the side but up here with us. Aurora winks at me, then closes her eyes, and her voice booms in my mind, calling the pack to order.

Damn, now that's an impressive alpha power to have. I spot Nico and her guardians at the back of the hall. Nico, the proud father, gives her an approving nod. I guess she tapped into his ability for the force she used.

My people! We are about to be attacked by the Strigoi! Everyone here has a copy of the piece of the plan which they are a part of. Please initiate the plan the moment you hear Andre's screech from above. That will be our only warning. Run, hide, follow the plan. We need everyone to survive this attack. I have a team set up for defense. Do not come out until you hear Sebastian or me in your head. She moves to the edge of the platform and looks out over the crowd.

I have to admit, my mate is powerful and commanding. I'm sure her mother would be proud. Nico wipes a stray tear from his cheek. Aww, a proud daddy moment, indeed. Andre's eyes keep darting out the door, watching the sun. His head turns to Dimitri, and in a blink, Andre shifts to his eagle and is resting on the glove on Dimitri's right hand.

Aurora catches Andre's shift and draws in a deep breath. Her eyes lock with mine, then the twins.

Her command echoes in our minds for us alone. A single, short nod is given to Dimitri and Andre, and out the door they go. I remain at Aurora's side for a moment longer. "It's time; go get ready, the sun is starting to set. We don't want to be caught unprepared." She looks at Nicodeamus. "Father, the town square is yours. Four of the five safe houses are there. I will join you shortly. After all, they are coming for me." Aurora fucking smirks; she's actually enjoying the idea of the impending battle. Wow, do we have our hands full with this one. I step outside with the twins. We're heading towards the one building set back and away from the town center. Our theory is because Aurora is staying in the center of town, the Strigoi will focus their attack there. As the plan stands now, I'm supposed to be on top of the building between the center of town and the twins.

The sun is slowly setting on the horizon—the sky burning bright with shades of yellow-orange fading to a pinkish-purple. The wind has shifted, blowing in from the southwest. The faint hint of death lingers in the air. If I were a betting man, I would bet the Strigoi are holed up in the caverns about two miles from here. I text the group about what I'm scenting, and they agree with me that it is more than likely where they are hiding.

Andre starts his lazy circles in that direction, trying not to look conspicuous. Aurora climbs up to stand on the rooftop with me as she keeps her eyes locked on Andre. "He sees movement in the cave. You're right, Bash. They are in there. Odds are they have a second hiding place we aren't aware of."

I move back a bit and update the others and watch the horizon. "Aurora, tell Andre to check out the knoll over there to the east where that one lone cedar is. I think I saw movement over there, I'm just not positive." Aurora gives me a nod and looks back to Andre, and he changes course quickly as it's getting way too close to full sunset for him to delay. Andre's screech fills the air as he raises the alarm. Aurora shifts almost immediately and howls, sending all the wolves into action. Her father's dragon takes up most of the town square as he starts coating the ground with ice to slow the invasion.

Aurora takes a running leap as the last person enters the building the twins are guarding. Her talons grip the wood as she starts to freeze the building. Nico sees what his daughter is doing and starts coating his safe houses in a thick layer of ice as well. In the distance, the mob can be spotted moving steadily towards the town. My eyes narrow as I search in both directions. The dead heads have planned a smart two-front attack. Aurora finishes icing her building and looks towards where her father is. Two quick, well-timed leaps, and she's on the ground again, pacing by her father's side, waiting for the fight to begin. She's not fun to be around when she's made to wait for too long. I watch her flexing her taloned fingers, already itching to rip something apart.

It doesn't take too long for the first wave of the assault to blow past the twins and head right for Aurora, as we predicted. Now that we are one hundred percent sure they are only after her, we all convene in the center of town. Aurora and Nico's fighting prowess is on full display as they weave in and out, dancing around each other. You would think they have fought together for the last hundred years. The fluid movements executed by the two of them are almost hypnotizing. Then you remember you're in the middle of a battle, and there's Strigoi to kill. I'd love to say we made short work of them, but that would be a lie.

Each wave seems to be followed by another and yet another after that one. Nico and Aurora show no signs of stopping, but the twins are starting to fatigue. Three hours straight we have been fighting, ripping off heads and limbs as we go. Aurora, I've just noticed, has a pile of fucking skulls again! What is her obsession with collecting heads? One of the twins falters and falls before Aurora. She lets loose such a deathly bellow it's frightening. Nico sees the Dire Wolf down and unmoving, his taloned hand reaches out, scoops him up, and tucks him under his wing. Aurora nods to her father and begins again, ripping heads off.

Out of what seems to be thin air, an arrow shoots Aurora in the shoulder. She growls and falls to one knee while Nico starts covering everything with ice. I've never seen him this angry before. I rush over to Aurora and sniff the arrow. A wolf shifter shot her... what the actual fuck?

She's starting to lose consciousness. Whatever is on this arrow is either killing her or sedating her. I grip the shaft as close to her skin as I can and rip it out quickly. It's now as I hold my mate in her human form that I wonder why the attack stopped. I look up to find Dimitri and the remaining twin standing in front of us. Nico turned the town into a winter wonderland.

Sliding down one of the ice walls comes my cousin, Michael. Oddly, he's here. I haven't seen him in years, and yet on the night of the attack, he decides to show up? Something doesn't add up. I see my mother stepping out of her home, and I give her a quick shake of my head to stop her. Thankfully she obeys and remains on the porch. I shift back to my human form, so do Dimitri and Jayce. One mystery solved, Dom is the wolf under Nico's wing. I hand Aurora over to Jayce and motion to my mother. He and Dimitri move quickly with her away from us. "Long time no see, Mike. What brings you back?"

I'm already suspicious of him as something seems very off with the way he's watching Jayce walk away with Aurora. "You know, cuz, a little bit of this, a little bit of that." He won't make eye contact with me for long, so I reach back and place a hand on Nico. Can you hear me? I wait, hoping he can; otherwise, this is going to suck.

I can, young prince. Oh, thank the gods…

I think my cousin shot Aurora. Please take Dom and guard my mother's home. I'll handle Michael. Nico's head comes down even with my shoulder, and he snorts frost.

Consider it done. Bring Aurora his head and heart. With that said, he lumbers over to my mother's cabin and wraps his body most of the way around it, watching Michael and me.

"That was freaky. I mean, that Ice Dragon walking around the place." Michael looks nervous, his eyes continuously looking back to see where Nico has gone.

"So, Mike, did you ever get that ink on your arm finished? I see some color poking out of the sleeve." I'm hoping I'm wrong, but Mike was always getting string slapped when he would shoot. I pray that telltale welt isn't on his arm; otherwise, I will have no choice but to take my cousin's head.

"Hell yeah, it's done!" He unbuttons his sleeve and rolls it up. He turns his arm so I can see the back of his forearm, not the soft inside. I grip his forearm and turn his arm over. There, sitting plain as day, is the welt, the mother fucking welt. My eyes lock with his, and he knows that I know what he's done. "I can explain. Honest, I can."

He backs away quickly and bumps into the solid mass of Dimitri's chest. Mike knows he's in deep shit now. Dimitri grabs him by the back of his neck and lifts him off the ground. "What do you want me to do with him, Sebastian? Break his neck? Rip his head off? Or torture him for the next month… slowly." Dimitri's bear is making its presence known. Fur is rippling over his arms and face. He is very unstable and furious.

"I'll handle it, big guy. Go protect our girl." I watch Dimitri come back to his senses, and he drops Mike on his ass. My wolf is demanding blood. This fucker hurt our mate—possibly killed her—he will not walk out of here. "What the fuck were you thinking? What was worth betraying your own kind for!" My words are growled out and barely human as my body starts shifting on its own accord.

"I was paid to kill the white-haired female because she's a threat to our kind. Tomas said he would keep attacking the pack until she's dead. She must die! I can't let my mom and sisters die because of one female," he growls. His wolf isn't an alpha, he isn't even wolf enough to be considered a beta.

My Lycan looms over him as he pisses himself out of fear. His begging for his life falls on deaf ears. Mike makes the fatal mistake of running from me. Oh yeah, my wolf is quite happy he fucked up to that level. We chase him and play wolf and fawn with him. We track him for the better half of an hour. Finally, he shifts and turns to face me. His Lycan isn't even half the size of mine. His hand raises, and his claws flex as he swings for me. I strike. My claws dig deep and rip into his chest and grip his heart. I can feel the rhythmic contractions of the smooth muscle in my grip. I close my clawed hand a little tighter, and his eyes bulge out of his head. The blood vessels in his eyes begin to rupture as my grip increases. His arms drop. He knows death is imminent for him, and I am the angel who will send his ass to hell.

With a quick flick of my wrist, I sever all the arteries that hold his heart in place. I have his quivering, bleeding heart in my hand right in front of his face. Several seconds pass before his body drops like a ton of bricks before me. I now understand the feeling of holding the final moments of someone's life in my hands. I know why my love, my mate, said she needs to feel something other than being a monster. I look at my cousin's heart in my hand and then back to his blood-covered corpse. Nico steps up to me and scares the fuck out of me. I shift back to my human form and stare at him. "Seriously?"

"Yes, you were deep in thought, my child. You did well; I am proud of you." Nico gives me that fatherly smile, and for once, I'm not freaked the fuck out by him.

My eyes fall next to the literal silver platter he is holding. Okay then. I place the heart on the platter then proceed to cut my cousin's head free from his body. Once I finish, I put the head next to the heart and arrange them to be aesthetically pleasing. Gently I take the platter from Nico and begin to head back to the house. My mother is famous for her rose bushes, and thankfully they are in full bloom. Carefully I place the platter on the deck and pick a half dozen roses to decorate my offering. I stare at my handiwork and start questioning my sanity. What the actual fuck am I doing? I'm bringing my injured mate a severed head and a heart on a platter lined with roses. I look from my presentation then back to Nico. The fucking dragon just gives me a single thumbs up with his only hand. Daddy dearest is just as fucked in the head as the rest of us.