2. Bexley

2

BEXLEY

“Bexley, no!” Dom exclaimed.

“I’ve got her!” Ronyn growled.

The trumpeting of vampire cackles rose up from the woods all around us as I lunged at the woman. I felt an arm wrap around my waist, but I clapped my hands above my head and shoved myself downward. The force alone slipped me out of the grasp, and I tumbled against the dirt to get away from everyone’s touch.

“You get over here and say that to my fucking face, you useless bitch,” I hissed as I stormed toward Delilah.

Pairs of hands fell upon me, trying to hold me back as Delilah laughed in my fucking face. I struggled against the callused grasps as I twisted and turned my body, finding every avenue I could to slip away. There she stood, my former boss. The woman chasing me down. The woman trying to turn me into whatever the fuck she thought she was. The woman I held responsible for my partner’s death. She was the one heading up that operation. She was the one calling the shots. And the shots she called got Jacob killed. The shots she called got him left behind. His body, riddled with bullets and bleeding into the sand beneath that harsh desert sky…

I’d make her pay for forcing me to leave him behind.

“Come here, you cowardly murderer!” I exclaimed as someone lifted me off my feet.

“You’re going to get us all killed if you don’t cut it out,” Ronyn growled against the shell of my ear.

I jammed my elbow back into his Adam’s apple and he gagged. His hands fell away from me, and I scurried against the ground, charging toward my former boss in that bullshit, stereotypical red fucking dress. Did she ever wear any other color, for crying out loud? I swear to hell on high, that was the only color in her goddamn wardrobe.

“Get over here, Deliliah, and face me like a fucking woman,” I growled as I marched toward her.

You know, before I was tackled to the ground.

“Oh! Dinner and a show!” Delilah chirped. “How lovely!”

I rolled around with someone that felt like Voss. A hand wrapped itself in my hair and it felt so much like Dom’s hand. I fought with every fiber of my being just to get away from the restraint. Just to get back onto my own two feet so I could end this cunt once and for all and get back to my fucking life.

Or, at the very least, stop running for my fucking life.

“No, you have to stop,” Voss commanded against the shell of my ear.

I barely got away from Voss’s tight grasp as Dom’s hand fell away from my hair. But, Ronyn stood in front of me, cloaking me in his shadow as he pivoted with my every move. Preventing me from moving closer to her. Preventing me from clawing that woman’s eyes out.

“Move,” I demanded hotly.

Ronyn shook his head. “She’s not worth it, Bexley. Not right now. Not when we’ve been caught off-guard.”

I felt an arm scoop around my waist. “Get off me! All of you! Now!”

Then, a voice bellowed over all of our heads.

“Enooooooooooough!”

The female voice caught me off-guard, and it caused everyone to pause. Even Delilah stopped her fucking cackling as the woods filled with seemingly invisible vampires came to a halt. I shoved the men away from me. I shrugged off their touches. And as I turned to face Delilah, I saw a very familiar redhead step in front of me.

Merida, the pack’s most talented healer.

“Bexley, stop,” she said as she came around to face me. She placed her hands on my shoulders, standing in front of me while she blocked my view of Delilah. “We don’t have the capacity to fight the number of vampires that have us surrounded. We’re lucky they haven’t charged us yet.”

I watched Delilah lean her head off to the side, peeking her way around Merida. “You really should listen to her. She’s got some good advice.”

I took a few steps off to the side, ready to claw Delilah’s voice box out with my own fingers. But, Merida stepped with me, keeping the woman’s deadly features blocked from my view.

“Merida,” I warned.

She tilted her head. “Just turn around.”

“What?”

“She said, turn around!” Delilah called out from behind her.

I pointed over Merida’s shoulder. “You watch your fucking mouth, you loose-walled whore.”

“What the hell did you just call me?” Delilah hissed.

“You heard me!” I bellowed.

Merida grabbed my shoulders and whipped me around. “Look, Bexley. Just look.”

She spun me away from Delilah and I watched as the pack parted. Parents cradled their sniveling children whose faces were buried into the crooks of their parents’ necks. I saw little Annabelle holding tightly to her grandfather while Little Billy hugged his mother’s neck tightly. The children of our packs clung to their parent’s legs, shivering in the cool breeze that kicked up. A few gags worked their way through the crowd. I heard their little noses sniffling up a storm as soft cries echoed from the back of the pack. I scanned the compound, finding even more weary and fearful children peering through the windows of their bedrooms. Children that were all tucked in and ready for bed before we were ambushed.

Merida was right.

We were lucky they hadn’t charged us yet.

“What do you want, Delilah?” I barked as I navigated my way around Merida.

I took up a position beside the talented healer as I stared my former boss down.

“Interesting,” Delilah said as she snaked her stare down my body, “I’ve never seen you do that before.”

“Do what?” Voss snarled from behind me.

Delilah grinned devilishly. “Back down.”

My jaw pulsed as Merida peeked over at me. “I won’t ask the question again.”

Delilah giggled as she clasped her hands behind her back. “Maybe if you backed down when I asked you to on that mission, Jacob wouldn’t have felt the need to take a bullet for you.”

My hands balled up into fists at my sides before Dom slipped in front of me effortlessly. “Well, what a lovely conversation we’re having this evening.”

Delilah turned her focus to him. “You can move now. I have no use for you.”

Dom held his hands out before he tilted his head. “No can do, Vampgirl. You see, we’ve got precious cargo in this pack right now. And right now, all we’re thinking about is getting to sleep.”

Delilah giggled. “Vampires don’t need sleep.”

Dom chuckled softly. “Doesn’t mean we don’t. So, why don’t you tell us why you’ve sought us out, and then we can all get back to our regularly scheduled programming. Yes?”

“We can,” she said, “right after you hand over Bexley.”

“Over my dead body,” Ronyn growled.

Delilah shrugged. “She’s the only one I’m here for. Hand her over, and we leave and never come back.”

“Deal,” I said without hesitation.

“Oh, no you don’t,” Voss said as he grabbed the back of my neck and yanked me behind him.

“Hey!” I exclaimed.

“Hah-HAH!” Delilah barked as she clapped her hands. “I’m going to have to use that move with her. I never could wrangle her in sometimes.”

“Get out of here before you regret it,” Voss warned.

“Or what?” Delilah asked as she lifted her head high with pride.

“Or,” Ronyn said as he took a step toward the woman. I scrambled to my feet as I watched him cloak my former boss in his shadow. “I start with you and take my chances on the other side.”

Delilah’s gaze searched his before a wild smile crept across her face. “I see why you like him, Special Agent.”

I froze at her words as Delilah’s ice-cold stare came back to mine. “But make no mistake, Bexley, I always get what I want in the end. After all, it’s how I got my promotion.”

My entire body vibrated with fury as her smile grew positively hellish.

“You guys should ask her about that story, by the way. It’s a thrilling one,” Delilah said breathlessly.

“Leave. Now,” I commanded.

If anyone could have curtsied sarcastically, that would have been how I described Delilah’s next move. With her prim and proper little self, she bowed her head and gave us a curtsy that said, ‘you haven’t seen the last of me yet.’ I drew in slow, steady breaths, forcing my feet to stay rooted to the ground even though every single skill I had at my disposal itched to be freed. Her ear-piercing whistle pierced the deadly night, and all of a sudden, a thunderous whoosh was met with a visual blur. Delilah disappeared at the drop of a hat as the wind kicked up, damn near knocking me off my feet. And as blurs rushed across the compound, I felt myself stumble into someone before the cacophony died down.

“Jesus Christ,” I said breathlessly as the whooshing blurs finally disappeared.

“I gotcha,” Merida said, setting me back onto my feet.

Voss wasted no time turning toward the pack. I watched as he held his hand into the air as a look of stoic cynicism crossed his face. I gazed out among the pack, watching their eyes as they all watched him. Even Merida’s gaze gravitated to him, and I wondered what he told them. It was clear to me that they were talking in groupthink, and I would have given anything to hear his words.

Then, Ronyn pointed to various spots all along the compound before his troops broke away from us to take up their spots.

“What’s going on?” I asked Merida.

I no longer cared how it looked. I needed to know what the hell was happening.

She looked at me with a curious glance before nodding her head. “Voss gave the order for Ronyn to fill the woods with his troops. They’re about to start back running their 24-hour patrol schedule. He doesn’t like that we were caught off-guard tonight.”

“Him and I both,” I muttered. “But why are we still standing out here? Shouldn’t we all head back into our homes? You know, help calm down the kids?”

Merida simply shook her head. “Ronyn’s commanded all of us to stay put until him and his troops clear the woods for ten or so miles. He wants to make sure none of them are lingering around to watch us through the night.”

I sigh softly as we all stood there, waiting for a command I’ll never be able to hear. “Thanks.”

She rubbed my back. “Anytime.”

We didn’t stand there for long, though. Maybe half an hour. And then, as if Ronyn bellowed across the entire fucking world, everyone took off. The wind kicked up once more as mothers and fathers alike scooped any child into their arms that they could find. They bolted back toward their homes, moving as quickly and as quietly as possible.

Merida wrapped her arm around my waist.

“Come, into the bath house we go,” she said as she led me toward the other side of the compound.

“Wait, the bath house? At a time like this?” I asked.

“Alpha’s orders,” is all she said as she led me toward the beautiful wooden building.

I knew better than to mess with shit when Voss was at the helm.

Sometimes, at least.