Chapter 10

The Chief Hunt

Damon wasn't happy about any of this. He had had to leave his very pregnant mate at home to come here and try to figure out this mess. Originally, it had seemed Conrad was the villain of this story, but while he was spoiled and selfish in the past, he had never seemed to be bad. The plane was waiting for him, he planned to get on it and finish this question and answer session in the hopes of finding a way to catch Chief. How Chief and Conrad had run into each other was another question. Chief seemed to be everywhere, and he seemed to find everyone he needed. Damon's guards, he had them these days as did every council member, at least when on official council business, moved ahead of him. They opened the plane door and Damon went in. Conrad's father, Hugo Viener Huegler, the pack alpha for northern New Mexico, stood in front of his son in a protective way. The message was clear- help my son or leave him be because I will protect him.

"I'm sure this will work out, for Conrad, anyway." Hugo visibly relaxed.

"My son means everything to me," Hugo said.

"I am sorry to cause all this trouble, but I think Chief would have planned something like this anyway," Conrad said apologetically.

"Why don't we all sit down?" Hugo motioned to the table and had refreshments served.

Damon suspected this was going to be a long discussion. "I need you, Conrad, to tell me exactly what happened with Joey starting at the beginning. Keep in mind the council has already told you they won't take action on your early attempts to mate her. I just want to understand the circumstances before Chief was drawn in. I'm not sure how he found you or why he felt he could take advantage of the situation."

Conrad explained his desire to mate a white wolf and left his father's instructions out of the discussion. He explained things up to the point where he'd pursued her in Alaska. "At that point I was concerned that Naqi would take her away from me. I was pretty depressed, and I flew to Chicago. I knew it would be dumb to go straight to St. Louis, but I intended to fly back there. I was at the airport bar, waiting for the flight from Chicago to St. Louis when a wolf approached me. I didn't know him, hadn't ever seen him before."

"So, you didn't contact anyone personally?" Damon asked.

"No, I was planning on doing things myself."

"What did he say to draw your interest?"

"He told me that he had ways to help me, and the council was hoarding white wolves for the pack alphas they favored. Then he said a handsome charming alpha with a bright future like mine would draw her in if given the opportunity. He promised me the chance to try. I know now that he's insane, but his representative seemed so reasonable. I'm not used to being rejected by females, so it was easy to believe she was influenced by another. The wolf took me to Chief, his boss, and Chief told me things in the same vein as the wolf had."

"So, he simply appealed to your inflated sense of self-worth?"

Conrad ducked his head and nodded. "I hope you catch him."

"Tell me about where he took you."

Conrad described the old farm style house that was falling down and the property it sat on. He knew the highway they had turned on and how many miles they drove. But he wasn't sure how many blood wolves or other wolves were there since he didn't have a count of how many he had seen. Damon thanked him, even though none of them felt he deserved it before he left. Damon watched the small private jet takeoff in the direction of New Mexico. He hoped the young alpha had learned a thing or two out of that experience. At least he was sure he saw some regret in the youngling's eyes.

He got on his phone after deciding who to send. Laurel's rejects, the group of young rogues she had, were too inexperienced to take on blood wolves so he called Will, she worked with experienced military supernaturals, and told her he would get her extra help.

"Will, here," a strong, but feminine voice said.

"This is Damon. I've got a job for you." There was silence on the line, so Damon just started telling her about the blood wolves, Joey, and Conrad.

"I heard a little about the situation before the blood wolves came into it. How'd that come about?"

"Chief," Damon said. It set off a round of cussing that would make a sailor blush. Damon waited until it slowed down a little. "You can see why I think you're particularly qualified to take him on."

"I only have a five man crew including me. Will that be enough?"

"We have a tranq that knocks them for a loop. It will be a great equalizer. I'll review things and if I think you need help, I'll send someone to meet you in the field."

"I hope I find that bastard." Chief had gone after Will's sister attempting to force mate her. Will was the vengeful kind.

"I hope so too. Be careful, we aren't sure what he can do."

"Okay, you know me."

"That's why I'm saying be careful!" He hung up and let his subconscious go to work to decide who to send to Will because he was sure a little help would be in order.

He had a wicked thought and he called Dare, he was sure Dare was Will's soul mate, but she fought the pull. Those two needed a hard push, it seemed to Damon he had become a cupid. It was his mate's match making tendencies that were influencing him. Laurel, Will's sister and the hybrid Chief had gone after, couldn't go, she was preggers as Marissa called it. He smiled as he thought of his mate who was big enough to pop any day now with the twins she carried.

He pushed speed dial for Dare. "Good afternoon, Illinois State Trooper Dare Jennings speaking," Dare said.

"Hello, State Trooper, this is council member, Damon McDougal. We have another situation. This one is around St. Louis, and it involves the blood, but in a different way. We aren't calling in the police, we are using the military instead."

There was a long pause. Dare knew what that meant, and he was thinking it over. "Chief is involved?"

"Yes."

"I'll discuss it with Rain and Hunter. I'm not sure they will both be able to come with me, one might stay with Laurel. She's been having some odd morning sickness for lack of a better term. How much help do you need?"

"A witch might be a good thing to have with you."

"Any reason for that or just a feeling?"

"Just a feeling, for whatever that's worth."

"I can think of a witch that might go. She's tough as nails, but a little bitchy."

"I don't mind if you don't." He could think of who would mind, but Will needed stirred up a bit. His only disappointment was that he wouldn't be there to see it. On second thought, he was glad he wouldn't be in the middle of it, because he had a feeling the witch was pretty.

"I'll make some calls and get back with you," Dare said as he hung up.

He would be so glad to have this mess cleared up and be home for his mate. Damon was tired. It had been one emergency after the other and he still needed to get things ready for his wife's cousin and his brother who would be staying with them until Marissa gave birth and a few weeks after that. It seemed like more trouble getting ready for them than having them there would help, but it was what Marissa wanted and he would do anything for her. Unfortunately, she knew it and she would insist if he tried to get out of it.

For now, he would go home, but he wouldn't be able to stay for long. His phone would have to be practically glued to his ear until he knew how the raid had fared. Chief had had all the time he needed to empty the old house, anyone left behind would be left on purpose. Hopefully, something important was left by accident. As he got in the car, his driver and guard drove him home where they dropped him off. Quickly, he went in the house where he wrapped his arms around his beautiful mate. He kissed her softly, her belly stuck out so far it was the first thing he noticed until he felt the babies kick and he smiled. It only made him want her more and he knew they would soon be in his arms too.

The phone rang just as he was prepared to take his mate to bed. It had better be important, for the sake of the caller or he might have them killed. "Damon."

"Hello," Joey said her soft voice almost intimidated. He had sounded fierce when he answered.

"Sorry, having a bad day. What's going on?"

"I wasn't sure how up to speed you were, but three blood wolves attacked us, and Tyne's hauled them off. Naqi and I are going to Dallas, I have a business meeting. Any updates I need to know before I go?"

"Yes, actually there are," Damon said. "Conrad didn't send the blood wolves after you. He's out of this and back in New Mexico. A vamp named Chief is after you now. He was the one that attacked your cousin Laurel."

"The one that turned her?"

"No, the one that chased her and wanted to mate her after she was turned. He wanted Rain too."

"It's a little confusing."

"I have to agree with you. Chief is the one that was selling the drugs with vamp blood at his club."

"I thought that was Hunter's club?"

"No, Chief is his twin brother and he compelled Hunter to manage the place for him."

"Okay, I think I understand things now. He sold blood drugs and now he has blood wolves. How do we take him out?"

"I don't know, but Will is coming down to St. Louis to try to clean up the blood wolves that might be left down there."

"Will's pretty tough. She can handle things."

"I thought so too. Be careful in Dallas and let me know if anything else happens." Damon got off the phone as fast as he could. Marissa was rubbing on him like a cat in heat. He'd never felt so needy or, as he looked at her burgeoning belly, so scared.

It was his hope Will didn't have any troubles and that this thing would soon be resolved. It was his intent to take care of the situation without further delay. He had his mate pushed backwards on the table because they simply couldn't make it one more step. The heat radiated off her body and he ached for her. Frustrated at the clothing between them he slid against her. He slid her shirt up and her pants down. That was so much better, he pressed in closer. Kissing her, he felt enveloped in her warm love. Now he leaned back to slide his shirt up over his head and toss it to the ground.

Damon leaned in for another soul shattering kiss, but his chest felt wet. Marissa was leaking milk, he didn't let that bother him. Though he'd never tell her, she looked like a primitive fertility goddess with her huge milk swollen breasts and her stomach ready to explode with the two pups inside. She would think it was a bad thing, but to him she was the most beautiful female he had ever seen, and he wanted her more than he ever had.

"I can't wait until it's time for these two to come. My breasts hurt and leak, my ankles are swollen, and the middle of my back, well, let's not even go there."

As he kissed her softly then helped her up off the table setting her clothes back in place for now, he'd help her get more comfortable before he made love to her. He knew he was a selfish beast, but he wanted her too much to put it off for too long.

"No, Damon, I didn't mean for you to stop." Her eyes filled with tears as he pulled away. His very hormonal mate would now worry that he wanted her.

"I'm going to get you back to our bedroom, strip you bare, rub your back and your ankles, and fuck you until you're so tired you sleep through the night in my arms." So, he led her back to the bedroom and to their bed.

Marissa flushed and he looked at her almost disbelieving the pink color that had come to her cheeks. "You know I never sleep through the night anymore." She didn't now that she was close to term and twins jumped on her bladder like it was a trampoline.

"It won't stop me from working toward that goal." He started taking off her shirt and then freeing her girls from her bra. Wow, just wow. Softly he stroked her breasts, visualizing their babes nursing. His eyes dropped to her huge, distended belly and he moved his hands there feeling the babes move.

He pulled down her pants and underwear then he helped her sit on the bed. Dropping to his knees in front of her to pull off her house shoes and slide her pants off her feet, he tossed them away and he picked up one foot rubbing it gently from her toes to her ankle. She made little contented noises while he rubbed as he watched her face, her eyes were closed as she moaned. So beautiful, he could watch her all day while he moved to the other foot repeating the process. He stood up, stripped himself naked then he had her lay on her side while he rubbed her lower back.

"How does that feel, Baby?"

"Mm, so good. Oh!" Not long ago, she would never have imagined the tough wolf being so soft and gentle. He had changed so much. Some of his friends told him his mate had tamed him, but he could still be quite ferocious, just not with her. She stilled at a sudden pain.

"What's wrong? What's that mean?"

"I just had a sharp shooting pain."

It terrified him which was something that just didn't happen. Since he had discovered his mate, he had found many new emotions and a level of love he had never before known. He took a deep breath and calmed himself. She needed him at his best if something was wrong.

"Never mind, it's just false labor," she said a few minutes later.

"You've been getting these pains? You haven't said anything."

"You weren't home when it happened before, and I didn't want to worry you."

Damon put his hand on her cheek softly stroking it. "Even worrying about you feels better than anything I can do with anyone else. Don't you know how much I love you?"

Tears came to her eyes. She tried to blink them away, but it didn't work. A tear escaped and ran down her cheek. He kissed it away and continued to rub her back. His mate was finally relaxed, and he moved around to her other side. Marissa lay there with her eyes closed breathing in and out evenly, she was asleep. She looked like an angel, there was a surreal glow around her that was Madonna like. It took him a moment to realize there were tears in his eyes that gave her that glow. He had to laugh, out of all the alpha wolves everywhere, he would have been the last anyone would have expected to be so devoted to his mate. Right now, he would lie, steal, and even kill to protect and safeguard her. Even though he was known to be a vicious enemy anyway, now that he had a family to protect, he was ten times ten more ruthless when needed.

She must be tired to fall asleep like that with his hands on her. Marissa usually craved him above all things, even sleep. Before he satisfied her other needs, he would let her take a nap to satisfy her need for rest. A blanket would get too hot, so he put a sheet over her because she liked to sleep covered up. Too restless to sleep with her, he went out to the living room. He pulled out his computer and kept abreast of the goings on. Something was up in Kansas City, and he would bet it was Chief's latest hangout. There was a breakout of a supernatural flu, yeah right. More like blood fever which was an overdose of vamp blood added to whatever the latest drug was.

A small amount added to begin with, would ramp the effects of the drug and build the addiction. Too much added would give symptoms like the flu or even a bad case of food poisoning up to and including the death of the victim. Humans never knew what hit them and even supernaturals weren't sure unless they investigated the cause. He called his brother, Cage, and his mate Candi. Investigating things of this nature was their job and they were good at it. Candi would be doing the office work and because this was such a priority, Damon would have Cage call in another warden to do the field work with him. Chief was too dangerous to take any chances.

"Cage here."

"Cage, this is Damon. We have a situation in Kansas City. I think Chief has surfaced and I need you two down there right away. Candi can work out of the hotel room and you can call in an extra from wherever you want to. This is a priority, we have to stop him. He's leaving a trail of bodies, human and supernatural."

"Okay, I'll call in someone from St. Louis."

"No, they're cleaning up a mess right now. Blood wolves and goddess only knows what else, which reminds me, watch out for some pretty messed up blood wolves."

"Okay," Cage said cautiously. "What about Teague, he's in Arkansas. He kind of rotates some anyway when he isn't busy." The packs in Arkansas usually took care of their own most of the time so they only had one warden in each of the five offices and he was one of the least busy, so he rotated out helping in more populated states. Danny would soon have his pack under control and Cage's office wouldn't be nearly as busy either. This problem with Chief was unusual and once they took care of him, things would get back to normal.

"Teague would be great for this if he's not busy. Even if he is, you'll have to decide how urgent his matter is and if he should put it to the side or not. Probably put it to the side.

"I'll take care of it. Don't worry about a thing, but that mate and those kids. You have capable people in the field, and we all know to call you if it hits the fan."

"Thanks, bro. I needed the pep talk. Marissa's having false labor pains, but it won't be much longer."

"You can return the favor in a few months."

"Don't you worry, I will." After they hung up, Damon just sat looking at the phone like it was going to come alive. It seemed like Chief had hot beds of activity all over the state. This would be one restless night while he waited to hear from everyone that was working in one place or another.

Joey popped into his mind. Would Chief still go after her even if she left the state? What the hell did he want with her anyway? He had to know those blood wolves might kill her and Conrad had even told him that, but he hadn't cared. Was he just trying to get even with Laurel? The vamp was a total nutcase and Damon didn't want to be stuck dealing with him.

He dialed the number and waited for him to answer. "Hello," a sweet female voice said.

"Well, if it isn't one of my favorite cousins," he replied with a chuckle.

"You say that to all of us cousins," she replied with warmth and humor in her voice. "Are you calling to tell us we have our two new cousins?" she asked with a hopeful tone.

"Sorry."

"I was afraid of that. What's gone wrong now?"

"Chief is acting up again. I think he might have tried to kill Joey," he said before quickly adding, "She's fine, but Tyne was there for her."

"We need to get him in the family. What's taking so long?"

"You got me. They're together all the time."

"I need to give that girl a call."

"Meanwhile, I think I had better speak to Simon if he's around."

"Going over my head, huh? I see how it is with you guys."

"I just don't want to lay this problem on your shoulders, what with you being a new mom and all. How's that little boy doing, anyway?"

"Spoiled rotten by everyone around here. That's what happens when you're the only baby in a family group in a hundred years. Here's Simon, don't be too hard on him."

"Hello," Simon said.

"Hey, this is Damon and Chief is on the loose again." He continued to tell Simon what he needed to know.

"Roc and I are in New Orleans right now, but I'll see if I have anyone in the area to assist you. You said St. Louis and Kansas City?"

"Those are the two main spots but let them know I have people already at work on the problem and to play nice."

Simon chuckled. "Have you told your people the same?"

"I'll see that I do."

Finally, after calling all his people to alert them that vampires might be enroute to assist, he was off the phone. It was later now, but still seemed too early to go to sleep for the night. He went to the kitchen and started supper. Since he was starved, he was sure Marissa would be hungry too. All those years as a bachelor he had learned to cook a couple fancy meals and a handful of simple ones. Marissa loved his Chicken Parmigiana and even though it was a more complicated dish than he felt like doing, he knew she would appreciate it.

Once he got out the ingredients, he pounded the chicken breast, breaded it and deep fried it. He layered on the tomatoes, but he used fresh sliced ones with some sauce over them because his mate loved that. Making sure he put on extra cheese he baked it. While he was waiting, he made her favorite cheesecake. It was chocolate with gooseberries, and he had been a doubter the first time she requested it, but he loved it too now. Marissa was a good cook, most white wolves were, but she loved it when he cooked for her. She said nothing made her feel more special to him than when he made her a meal. It made him think she was pretty smart, since it made him wish he could cook for her all the time.

He heard her before he saw her, not that she was trying to sneak up on him. "It'll be about thirty minutes before we can eat, Babe. Why don't you sit here and talk to me while I make us a garden salad?"

"What do you want to talk about?" she asked.

"How bout my favorite subjects?"

"Well, you already know how me, and the little ones are doing."

The phone rang and they looked at each other. She always worried and he usually knew it would be bad news. Moving out of the room so she couldn't hear even though he knew she would fear the news he answered.

"Damon."

"You sorry bastard."

Relief hit him hard. "Nice to speak to you too, Will. I see you got the help you needed."

"Chief is gone, but we already suspected that. He left his blood wolves behind, they were a poor lot. We took them down and sent them off to the council for whatever shadowy experiments they have going. What now?"

"We have something going on at Kansas City. I'll send you the coordinates. Bring all your little helpers, I fear you may need them. Simon will have a vamp or two there working with us so try not to stake them."

"I'll try, but if I get pissed off enough, all bets are off. I got the location. We'll be there in a couple."

She got off the call without so much as a by your leave. Typical Willow, she was good at what she did if you didn't need political tact. He was sure that if a stranger came across the house Chief had used, they would never know it. Now all their attention would be turned to the KC location. Cage had to be there by now. What the hell was going on? He pulled out the dish in the oven then went back to fixing the salad. Ten minutes later, they were eating a meal with sparkling juice in wine glasses and candles on the table. He even had some fall flowers from the yard in a vase. Why couldn't that damn rogue wait until his pups were born and safe at home before he tried to have another uprising? The asshole wouldn't win, but he was going to force them to beat that into his thick skull.

They had finished eating and Damon was doing the dishes or at least he was loading the dishwasher. Same thing, wasn't it? His phone vibrated and he slipped out the door to catch the call. "Damon."

"This is Cage. I think you're right from what I've seen Chief opened a club here right before you closed him down in Springfield. That's why you didn't find anything new, he was planning to open a chain of clubs, first across Missouri then neighboring states. If he hadn't mixed a batch of blood drugs too strong, it might have been years before we found him. This club is set up like the other one, but it's called Chief Hangout. He has a wooden Indian at the door, tepee style booths in the corners for privacy, and the staff are dressed in what looks like Indian style clothing, the little they wear. The house specials are Red Cloud, which looks like blood, Geronimo, which seems to have some kind of sedative in it, and Crazy Horse which I would bet has a psychedelic drug in it. The amounts are small, but addictive in the long term."

"Good job, Cage. Will and her squad will be meeting you. We'll try to take it down in the afternoon tomorrow. Same as before, but hopefully we'll catch Chief this time."

"I'll look for Will. Is she still as crazy as she used to be?"

"Worse and Dare is with her."

"What the hell are you doing to me, Damon?"

Damon chuckled as Cage hung up. Wolves were crazy and even though Will wasn't a wolf yet, she sure acted like one. Tomorrow should see the end to this, if Chief didn't know they were on to him and if he didn't have conspirators set up elsewhere. That was a lot of ifs.

He went back inside not feeling better, but at least he didn't feel worse. Things could still work out and at least he was home with his mate. Marissa looked up and their eyes caught and held. When he gave her a smile, it was that half smile she said was so sexy she went crazy for him over it. Yeah, her look heated up. It was working for him again, so he moved to her quickly and picked her up in his arms. He carried her back to their bed, and he had no intention of letting her out of it anytime soon.

Stepping back, he stripped down to bare skin before he helped Marissa take off the big gown that was the only thing she had on. If he'd known she was sans underwear, she'd have never made it through the meal unmolested. Now he leaned in giving her a gentle kiss before he moved lower. Damon restrained his passion because she was so swollen with his children, he feared causing damage, but he wanted her too much not to make love to her when she wanted him too. The doctor had said it was fine, provided she had no discomfort, up to the time labor started.

While he refrained from sucking her delightful nipples because they would spray milk if he did, he still nipped and licked all the way down her. Although he wouldn't mind drinking it, the first milk a mother had was special for the pups and full of nutrients he didn't want to rob them of. Once they drained her milk a time or two, he intended to indulge himself because she had more than even two babes could drink. They both rolled around under his hands acknowledging his presence as he went down her stomach taking the time to say hello to his babies.

Moving down further she moaned and writhed slightly in anticipation of what he would do next. His mouth and tongue worshipped her, and she slid her fingers into his long curly hair refusing to let him move. No way did he mind, he would stay there until she was satisfied and ready to move on. She made little kittenish noises that drove him wild, and he vibrated his tongue because he knew she loved it. He added his fingers to the mix, and she groaned and arched. So close, he knew it wouldn't be long before she found her release, so he sped up, playing her like a finely tuned instrument until she screamed out in bliss.

Damon moved up her body quickly joining them in a smooth thrust sliding in until he could go no further. He paused, enjoying the feeling of them together as one. Every touch, every breath they shared was perfect to him, he loved her so much he ached inside. Seeing her so open to him, so full of love for him, it made him humble. Knowing he didn't deserve this perfect love, he would work at it until he did. He started moving slowly but smoothly. Even though he wanted to drive into her hard until he gained relief, he held onto his control and stroked her gently, but firmly. Thinking he would go crazy with need, he did what she needed holding back until she was ready. As he moved one hand between them so he could press her love button it sent her off like a rocket. He followed right behind her yelling his love and howling his pleasure.

They were exhausted, hell, she was tired most of the time with just days until she gave birth. Damon positioned himself around her, cuddling and loving on her until she fell asleep. He watched her a little while and drifted off too.

A buzzing sound disturbed him, and he realized it was morning and his phone was ringing. As he slid out of the bed as smoothly and carefully as possible so he wouldn't disturb his mate, he moved to the next room before he answered his phone.

"Damon."

"Hey, it's Cage and the rest of this merry crew down at the club closing. We've rounded up everyone here, but no Chief. He has a vampire second, he leaves in charge and the guy has hinted that Chief has other clubs we haven't found. Chief keeps every location separate and insulated from the others, so they have to be taken down one at a time. I know that's not what you want to hear, but it's all I got. This guy thinks Joey is a distraction more than anything. Chief doesn't want her, he just wants to keep you busy protecting her. That doesn't mean he'll stop coming after her as long as she's in the area. If she leaves, it probably won't be worth his time to go after her."

"I was hoping we would take that bastard down. My guess is we'll keep the investigation open, but if he's hiding, we'll not find him until he makes another mistake. Joey might be persuaded to go back to Alaska. I'll see what Naqi wants to do when they get back to St. Louis."

"They're not still there?"

"No, she has business in Dallas, but Tyne set her up with security. They're in the best of care."

"We'll finish cleaning this club up. The loss of that income should hurt his cause. Are you going to let Lauren's misfits run this one too?"

"It's up to Simon, but as well as the other one's doing, he'd be silly not to."

"I'll call you if anything else comes up."

Damon took the time to call Simon but got his voicemail. He left a message giving him the information and told him that he was just calling to keep him informed. Simon wouldn't need to call him back that way. Now he was torn between going back to bed and fixing Marissa breakfast. Since he decided she would be hungry he cooked for her. He checked in on her first, she looked peaceful, so he let her continue to sleep.

Things hadn't gone the way he'd hoped, but they hadn't gone completely bad either. They would issue another updated bulletin for Chief, and he would recommend they offer a reward for his capture. Maybe someone would get lucky and bring him in. Meanwhile, he would spend what time he could with his lovely Marissa and push everything else out of his mind. He wished Joey the best of luck and hoped she was smart enough to head to Alaska once she was through in Dallas.