Scorned by Venom (Argentium Vampire Hunters Trilogy #2)

30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Winnie

There was an odd scent coming from Luka when we found him that worried me, and when he went to sleep before the sun had risen, my concern intensified. I took on the responsibility of staying awake all day, closely monitoring him and guarding against potential attacks.

In the bigger room, Marcus and Zeke shared a bed, and Lynx got the other one to herself while Erik slept on the pullout couch.

Sage fell asleep, but woke up constantly, making sure Luka remained by her side. Lyric slept on and off, and since we didn’t have a couch, Carmen slept next to her. Ravage diligently checked on us every thirty minutes.

I swear the dude doesn’t sleep.

He had called Peach to let her know we’d found Luka, everyone who’d gone on the mission was safe, and he’d explain the rest of the details when we arrived back home. He also detected the peculiar odor radiating off Luka and suggested we return to the camp immediately for Drag to examine the scent.

The next evening when the sun was still high in the sky, I had already packed everyone’s bags and helped Lyric clean up the room. Knowing Luka always awoke when the sun set, I’d patiently waited at the foot of his bed.

When darkness came, and he didn’t even stir, my concern turned into panic, and I immediately grabbed Ravage, dragging him into the room.

“Why is he still sleeping?” I asked, stopping at the foot of the bed next to Sage, and pointing to Luka.

Ravage’s eyes were uneasy as he went to his side. His gaze raked across Luka’s body before he reached down, placing his hand on his chest. Then he sniffed the air and turned his head toward us. “He’s gone through a tremendous amount of torture and needs time to heal.”

“I can feed him again if it’ll help,” Sage suggested, her arms crossed and her face somber.

I glanced back at Ravage as he headed toward us, and judging by the look on his face, a feeding wasn’t the answer.

“I don’t think blood is going to fix him, Sage Stick.”

She turned toward me, her brows pinched. “What do you mean? I thought you guys needed blood to regenerate or whatever.”

Ravage slid between us and clasped a hand on each of our shoulders, his sad eyes staring at Luka. “Unfortunately, being a vampire doesn’t change who you are as a person or how emotions work. His body has healed. It’s his heart and soul that haven’t.”

My chest tightened, and I bit back my feelings.

Even though Luka was an arrogant, strong dude, they’d tortured him until he broke. His soul was exhausted and needed time to decide if it wanted to live or not. And even though I’d just dealt with a similar issue with Sage and her depression, I felt helpless.

“I wasn’t in there nearly as long as he was,” Carmen said, pulling at the front of the pink crop top Lyric gave her. “But the things I had to endure while I was . . .”

Sage shook her head. “Nobody should have to go through that.”

Ravage dropped his hands from us and turned toward Carmen. “You don't seem as bad as Luka. How long were you in there?”

“Only two weeks. They gave me just enough blood to keep me alive, but not too much, so I’d stay weak. I was hungry when we got back, but I only drank half the blood bag Lynx gave me, so I wasn’t really starving like Luka. He told me I was lucky not to be bonded to anyone, that the blood they gave him was disgusting. The blood tasted good to me and I devoured every drop they offered.”

“He starved because of our bond?” Sage whimpered, taking a deep breath and blowing it out through pursed lips.

“Not entirely,” Carmen answered. “Dr. Ishman didn’t focus nearly as much on me as she did Luka. She was constantly putting him to the test, experimenting with things she never did to me. It was like she was searching for something specific in him. I couldn’t see what she was doing to him, but I could hear it. Hear his screams.”

Carmen shook her head, tears brimming her lids. “The more she tested, the more he refused the blood they gave him, and the weaker he got. He was to the point where he just kept spitting it out at them and I could hear them complaining about it.”

Sage dropped her head, tightly shutting her eyes, and I knew she’d had her fill of the conversation, so I stepped in. “We can just load him up and go home. Maybe he’ll heal better the further we get away from this place.”

“That’s a good idea, boy,” Ravage said, moving toward the door, stopping with his hand on the knob. “You help Sage get him to stand. I’ll get Zeke and Erik to help me load the vehicles.”

Ravage left and I kicked the bed Luka slept in. “Hey, asshole. We’re going home with or without you.”

Luka didn’t move and my forehead creased, concern filling me.

Sage punched me in the arm and I completely lost my train of thought. “What the hell.”

“Stop being an asshole, Winnie. You’re only doing it so you can hide your feelings.”

I stared at Sage, my mouth agape. “That’s the pot calling the kettle black.”

“You two are mirror images of each other. Both guarded as fuck, ” Lynx said, before turning her attention to Carmen. They’d been chatting since we woke up. “So, where are you from?”

“Bullshit. I’m not guarded,” I said to no one in particular, but mainly to myself.

Deciding to show the love I actually felt for Luka, I drowned out the sounds of their chatter and stepped up to the side of the bed, placing my hand on his shoulder, shaking him lightly.

“Hey, bro. If you don’t get up, we’re leaving your ass here.”

“Geezus, Winnie.” Sage snickered, heading to the other side of the bed. She laid her hand on his arm and whispered, “Um, Luka, we have to go home now.”

He didn’t move and I tilted my head at Sage. “We can just carry his ass out the back entrance.”

She nodded, straightening her spine. “Good idea.”

“What is wrong with you two?” Lyric asked, pushing me aside. “All you have to do is let him know he’s safe and be kind with him.”

Lyric laid her hand on Luka’s chest, and leaned into his ear, her voice low. “Hey, it’s Lyric. You’re safe now, but you have to wake up so you can go home and sleep in your own bed. It’s nice and warm and quiet. You’ll be safe there. No one will ever hurt you again.”

She stood, and I scoffed. “I kicked the bed and that didn’t even wake him up, and you think . . .”

Luka squirmed, his eyelids drifting open before he whispered, “What?”

“Told you,” Lyric said, smiling proudly. “We’re taking you home, Luka, so you have to get up and get in the car. Okay?”

There was a distant look in Luka’s eyes when he nodded, then slowly crawled out of bed, heading into the bathroom.

Twenty minutes later, we managed to get him in Sage’s Jeep. She drove and I sat in the back with Lyric. We stayed mostly quiet the entire ride home because Luka fell back asleep and none of us wanted to disturb him.

Ravage had the rest of our crew and Carmen with him and said they were stopping to get food at a drive thru. Since none of us were hungry, we continued on and arrived at the cabin first.

The moment Sage parked and got out, Kimber came running up. “Is he okay?”

“He just needs some rest,” Sage said, helping Luka out of the car and leading him toward her cabin.

Kimber sniffed the air, her expression suspicious. “Luka smells different?”

“Yeah. I noticed that when I first saw him. I talked to Ravage about it last night. He also said he smelled off. He was waiting for Drag so they could discuss it. Where is he?”

“We just got back from helping Lane and so much shit happened, and Drag was upset so he took off through the woods in a panic. Heston and Demi are with him. I stopped by my cabin to throw some clothes on.”

My brows pinched. “What happened?”

Kimber let out a puff, anger taking over her expression. “Right as the sun was setting, Lane called, requesting backup because he and only a few others were up against Galen and the entire Ironclad pack. Well, when we got there, my stupid ass brother—”

“Where’s Strike?” Vivi screamed, cutting Kimber off, running toward me. “I can’t smell him. Why isn’t he with you?”

The panic coming from her was heartbreaking, and I was afraid to tell her the truth. I forced my tightened throat to relax, my eyes softening.

“He wasn’t there, sis.”

“You’re lying!” She shoved me hard enough to make me stumble backwards, her face contorting with anger. “You left him.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Go back and get him!” She shoved me again before baring her teeth and letting out a large hiss.

“I swear to you, Viviana, he wasn’t there.”

Stepping in as close as she could, veins rippling across her face, she shoved me against the Jeep, and I grabbed her shoulders to hold her back.

“He has to be. Go back and get him.”

“Stop. Leave him alone.” Lyric pulled on Vivi’s arm, attempting to “save me” and my sister turned on her.

Vivi forcefully shoved Lyric onto the gravel parking lot, causing herself to fall on top of her, then let out another large hiss. She was less than a second away from sinking her fangs into Lyric when I yanked her off.

Vivi went flying backwards, landing on her ass before swiftly getting to her feet and approaching me again. “Go back, Winston!”

Kimber jumped in front of Vivi and got shoved away, but shifted into a wolf mid-fall and landed on all four paws, going right back into the fight, growling and snarling.

Vivi lunged for me again and Kimber latched her jaws onto her arm, slinging her to the ground.

My sister jumped right back to her feet, not stopping.

I didn’t want to, but I bared my fangs, warning Vivi she was crossing a line. “He wasn’t there and nothing will change that!”

“You have to go back,” she whimpered, tears welling in her eyes, shattering my heart.

Peach ran up to us, then gently grabbed Vivi’s arm, getting her attention. “He wasn’t there, sweetie. There’s nothing more we can do right now.”

“Not true. Not true.” Vivi stepped in close to me, her hands secured tightly on her chest. “Please, Winston,” she begged. “Please go get him.”

“I’m sorry,” I croaked out, attempting to contain my own emotions. “He wasn’t there, Viviana. I swear to you.”

Crying was something I’d rarely seen my sister do, and never in front of anyone else. It surprised me when she let out a loud wail, tears streaming down her reddened cheeks.

Attempting to calm her, I pulled her into a hug. She punched and squirmed, fighting me off. “Stop. Leave me alone.”

I ignored her requests and held on until her body eased into mine, small sobs vibrating her chest against me.

“Why is this happening to me? I just want him back.”

“I know, sis. We would have saved him if he were there.”

I loosened my hug slightly and she took the opportunity to yank herself from my arms before storming off and screaming, “Ahhhhh,” the haunting sound echoing through the woods as she disappeared.

I took a breath and wiped away the dampness on my cheeks, glancing at Peach. “I can’t deal with her right now. Not this time. I got too much shit on my plate.”

“I’ll take care of her. You guys get some rest.” Peach disappeared in a flash and I turned to check on Lyric.

“Are you okay, mama?”

“Yeah. It’s not my first time getting knocked down by an angry vampire.” She pulled on her left shoulder before massaging it. “Is she going to be okay?”

I shook my head, memories of the night Venom captured Strike flooding through me. Vivi had lost her shit then, but somehow, this felt even more severe. “I really don’t know.”

Kimber shifted back into a human, crossing her arms in front of her now naked body, a scowl on her face. “Here comes the asshole.”

My focus went to Drag, who was completely naked as he approached, with Heston and Demi’s bare asses following closely behind him.

“This is fucking crazy,” Drag spat, stopping in front of me with a panicked expression. “I don’t know what to do. Why now? And why her? It’s like the universe hates me.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked, making sure to only make eye contact. My gaze tended to drift to naked people, even the unattractive ones.

Drag put his hands on his thighs, leaning forward, and heavy pants left him as he completely ignored me.

I glanced at Heston, hoping to get some kind of hint to the situation.

“He found his fated mate,” he muttered, and my eyes bulged, my mouth falling open.

Even though my emotions were stuck on my sister and Luka, it was nice having some good news for a change, so I forced a smile. “It’s about time, bro. Congrats.”

“Congrats? Congrats?” Drag flung his body back into a standing position, his face angering as he flung his arms out. “I can’t even be with her. She’s barely an adult!”

I cocked a brow. “Who the hell are we talking about?”

“Aluna,” Kimber said, glaring, seemingly pissed. “She’s from Galen’s pack. And for the record, she’s twenty-four and super sweet. He’s lucky to even have her.”

“She’s twenty-four?” Drag put his hands on the side of his head. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

I tsked, furrowing my brows. “That sounds like an adult to me.”

Drag smacked his hairy chest. “I’m thirty-three! I can’t entertain a child when I have responsibilities to this pack.”

“She’s not a child!” Kimber yelled, clenching her fists. “And you won’t have to worry about that after what you did to her. The poor girl probably has a broken heart, thanks to you.”

“What did he do?” I asked, ready for some tea. Shit, I was ready for some popcorn so I could sit back and watch the show. It was nice being on the sidelines of the drama for a minute.

“He rejected her!” Kimber shouted, throwing her hands out, her boobs separating. “Who rejects their fated mate? My brother, that’s who. And you should have seen Aluna’s face, Winnie. She just stood there, all teary-eyed, and he didn’t say a damn thing.”

“I didn’t reject her. I just walked away so I can think about things.”

“We have traditions, Dragos. Ones you completely neglected to do. So, call it walking away or thinking about it all you damn want, but you rejected her, you asshole!”

Kimber stomped off and I glanced at Drag.

“Shut up, Winnie!”

I threw my hands out. “I didn’t even say anything.”

Drag stared at me because, although I didn’t state it, he knew exactly what I was thinking. He shook his head and trudged off toward his cabin.

For years now, I’d followed him to every witch festival or party he wanted to attend in hopes of finding a fated mate, or at least a luna to help him lead his pack, each of them ending with him being sad. And now that he had a fated mate, I couldn’t understand why he didn’t feel relieved, other than the obvious age gap. But nine years wasn’t a lot. Shit, I was twenty-five when I turned, but had been on this earth for fifty-two years, and was dating Lyric who was twenty-six.

I tilted my head, wondering if I was technically dating an older woman.

“How’s Luka and Vivi?” Heston asked, bringing my attention to him. “We heard the screaming.”

Not knowing what to say, I shrugged. “I don’t know, bro.”

“They’ll be fine, I’m sure,” Lyric said with a fake smile that didn’t back her words. “We just have to be patient and kind.”

“Keep your eyes above their waistline,” I teased and she smacked my arm.

“Winston, stop.” She blushed, tilting her head toward her feet, and I couldn’t help but stare at the side profile of her beautiful face.

The only thought occupying my mind was the overwhelming concern I had for her while we were infiltrating VRC. I could finally imagine the pain Sage went through when they took Luka.

I loved her so much, I would have totally lost my shit without her.

Oh fuck. My lips parted, my mind stalling as if it was running on Windows 98 and attempting to use dial-up.

I love her?

The beating of my heart against my chest was so intense, I thought I was going to die. I quickly closed my mouth when Peach strolled up, her face unreadable.

“Unfortunately, I was unable to locate Vivi this time. She’s becoming a pro at covering up her scent. I’m sure she’ll show back up in a couple days.”

“She always does,” I agreed with a deep sigh that encapsulated the magnitude of shit I’d been piling on my plate.

“The others are back,” Heston said, sniffing the air. “And they got a new person with them.”

“That’s gonna be too many damn people seeing my willie today,” Demi said, putting his hand over his crotch. “We’re gonna get our knickers on.”

I laughed as Demi and Heston beelined toward their cabins.

A minute later, Ravage pulled into the parking lot and Peach turned her attention in that direction. “Why does Marcus smell like . . .” Her mouth fell open. “Oh my god!” She bolted toward the vehicle, and Lyric and I followed.

The van door slid open and Marcus stepped out. I hadn’t talked to him since he turned and I wondered if he felt our sentinel bond like I did.

“What . . .” Peach choked on tears, placing her hand on his chest. “What happened? Are you okay?”

Marcus grabbed her cheeks, yanked her closer, and smashed his lips onto hers.

It was so hot and passionate, after a while I felt like we needed to leave them alone.

“Where’s April and Scarlet?” Zeke asked when he exited the van.

I shrugged. “I haven’t seen them since I got back.” Zeke took off and I turned back to the free live make-out show and wondered if I should be selling tickets. “Okay, dude. Let the woman breathe.”

Marcus pulled back, flashing me a pearly white smile. “Sorry, daddy.”

I put my hands up, waving them. “Whoa, bro. Since I’m your origin, you can call me dad, but never daddy. That’s Lyric’s job.”

“Eww,” Erik said, making a gagging sound. “I don’t need to know what my sister calls you.”

“Winston! Stop telling people stuff like that or they’re going to believe it.”

I cocked a brow at Lyric because she had called me daddy on multiple occasions.

She pulled on one of her braids, her cheeks reddening. “I’m going to go check on Sage.”

“I’m going with her,” Erik added.

They left and I eyed Marcus. “Are you mad at me or are we good, bro?”

“I’m not going to lie. I was pissed at you last night because I told you how I felt before the mission. But after the shock wore off, I was really glad to be alive. Then the more I thought about it, the more I realized Peaches and Cream wouldn’t be able to block my love anymore since I’ll be around for a long time.”

Peach smiled. “You’re the only one allowed to call me that.”

“Don’t I know it.” Marcus gave Peach another long kiss before he pulled away, his face confused. “What’s that delicious scent? It smells like fresh peaches mixed with a hint of coconut.”

I sniffed the air and didn’t smell anything. Then my mouth fell open as I gaped, pointing at Peach. “Your essence smells like peaches! That’s how you got the nickname.”

“Shut up, smartass.”

“What’s an essence?” Marcus asked, her brows straining.

“It’s like the human’s lure and your amore combined, but only for vamps and wolves,” I said, grinning from ear to ear. “Once two supernaturals bond, no one but their mate can smell their scents.”

“Oh, my,” Marcus growled, pulling Peach into him. “I want to taste your essence.”

“If you’ll excuse us.” Peach took Marcus’s hand, yanking him toward her cabin.

I let out a whistle. “Get it, boy!”

Lynx and Carmen were the only ones standing with me and faced each other, still chatting.

“Haven’t you run out of things to talk about yet?”

Carmen laughed. “It’s nice having someone who cares. Everyone seems nice, so far.”

“Ha,” I scoffed. “If you would have been here five minutes earlier, you could have watched my sister try and kill me.”

Carmen’s eyes widened.

“Vivi knows?” Lynx asked with a frown.

I nodded. “She took off into the woods again.”

Lynx let out a hard breath before asking Carmen, “Anything you need? A drink or something?”

Carmen pulled on her shirt, like she’d been doing since Lyric gave it to her. “Coverage would be nice. Crop tops aren’t really my thing.”

Lynx pushed an errant strand of purple hair behind her ear, her smile flirtatious. “If you want, I can get you some better clothes to wear and show you around.”

Carmen leaned into Lynx with the same exact expression. “I would love that.”

I cocked a brow then made myself a bet they’d be getting it on soon.

They walked away, still chatting.

With everyone gone, I finally had a second to ponder my thoughts on my current relationship situation.

My heart had deceived me, leading me to fall in love with a woman who was truly flawless. A normal man couldn’t ask for anything more, so what the hell was wrong with me?

The longer I contemplated my fears, the clearer the answer became and I realized I was never afraid of Lyric breaking my heart. Although it would hurt, I was strong enough to handle it.

Protecting my heart wasn’t the problem. Protecting hers was.

Since the day I met her, I’d mentally and emotionally stuck her in a box in my head. I referred to her as perfect or an angel on numerous occasions. It was hard not to do when she had a tender, sweet, and honest soul. She was also a woman I couldn’t give kids to. The thought of me causing any damage to her or causing her to miss out on what her life could have been with a human, terrified me to the core.

A familiar scent creeped into my lungs, interrupting my moment.

Fuck.

I whipped around and there stood Shayla, hands clasped in front of her.

“Take me to Sagelynn, please.”