Chapter Eleven
For the past week, Santiago had been shuttling his mate back and forth to the hospital to visit his mom. On the first day, he asked Miguel and Tomas, two pack members, to clean the blood from Macey's living room, not wanting Percy to return to such a grim reminder.
By the second day, Percy was blaming himself for not being there for his mother.
Preoccupied with his mate returning to the tavern, Santiago had forgotten to arrange for someone to watch over her. If anyone was at fault, it was Jacob. So far, no one could locate him, which was strange considering wolves were excellent trackers.
Santiago lifted his gaze and observed his mate, who sat at his mother’s bedside, the rhythmic hum of machines accompanying their soft conversation. Macey had no memory of the attack or even calling Percy for help. The swelling had subsided, but her face was a canvas of bruises, each one a different hue in the harsh hospital light.
The door swung open, and Diablo poked his head inside. “Do you mind if I steal my boy over there?”
he asked, smiling at Macey with warmth and sympathy in his eyes.
“Should I let him kidnap you, or should we call security?”
Macey asked, a hint of mischief in her voice.
“I say let Santiago make a run for it and see if Diablo can catch him,”
Percy added with a playful tone.
“Wow, thanks a lot,”
Santiago grumbled, a smirk tugging at his lips. “I see how it is, carino .”
He then left the room, stretching his limbs with a soft groan after sitting for so long and asked, “What’s up?”
They moved a little farther down the hallway, their footsteps echoing softly in the corridor, before Diablo spoke. “Found out why Jacob vanished like a ghost.”
He had Santiago’s full attention. “If you make me ask, I’ll be the one who’s after you.”
“Touchy,”
Diablo muttered, a frown creasing his brow. “Miguel is the one who tracked his scent back to...”
Diablo’s jaw tightened.
“That warehouse,”
Santiago concluded. That was the only place that could evoke such a reaction from Diablo. The doctor still hadn’t figured out what was in that tranquilizer dart, leaving them uncertain if the effects were permanent. The uncertainty didn’t sit well with Diablo, who feared he might never be able to shift again.
“For a factory we knew nothing about, we’ve been dealing with it an awful lot lately,”
Santiago remarked.
“Yeah.”
Diablo’s nostrils flared. “Anyway, Miguel saw Jacob with a couple of hyenas. As soon as he called it in, Matias ordered him to fall back.”
Because Matias didn’t want Miguel out there without backup, risking being tranquilized himself.
“He’s sending Suero, Cesar, and Lucio out there to install cameras and sensors. Something’s happening at that location, and he wants to find out what it is.”
As badly as Santiago wanted to get his hands on Jacob, Matias was making the right decision. The only way to eliminate those pesky hyenas for good was to gather as much information as possible.
“I was thinking we could—”
“Absolutely not,”
Santiago interrupted sharply. “Get that asinine idea out of your head right now. The last time we ‘investigated’ the place, we were ambushed. My ass is still sore from our alpha chewing on it.”
Diablo pressed his lips together, his eyes darting around.
Santiago exhaled heavily. “Look, I understand you want answers, but—”
“You don’t understand shit,”
Diablo retorted. “Your beasts respond when called. You can’t begin to comprehend what it’s like to have them imprisoned inside you. It’s a helplessness you never want to endure. So, spare me your speech, Santiago.”
Diablo was determined to go, whether Santiago accompanied him or not. He either went with Diablo or…shit, Santiago wasn’t a snitch. “Don’t put me in this tight spot.”
Diablo dismissed him with a wave, pacing a step away. “If roles were reversed, I would be down for whatever you needed to unlock your fucking beasts, and you know it.”
He jabbed a finger at Santiago. “Join me or stay put. Whatever. But I need to figure out what those cabróns did to me.”
“I can’t just leave Percy,”
Santiago growled. “You’re asking me to choose between you and my mate.”
“You’re right.”
Diablo admitted, raising his hands and sighing. “We’ll handle this Matias’s way.”
Santiago studied him. “You know it’s hard to pull one over on me.”
He wagged a finger at Diablo. “I can tell from your expression you’re lying your ass off.”
“Stop analyzing me,”
Diablo snapped. “That’s creepy. Leave my microexpressions alone.”
“Just promise me one thing. Don’t go out there by yourself,”
Santiago urged, concerned the wolf might. “You need someone watching your back.”
“Yeah, because that went so well last time.”
He smirked. “We lasted what, ten minutes before we were surrounded?”
Santiago chuckled, then a thought struck him. “You remember those biting flies?”
Diablo nodded. “They bit the hell out of me.”
He frowned. “Flies are usually drawn to something decaying.”
While not always the case, something in that abandoned factory was attracting them. Santiago was already uneasy about Diablo going out there, and now he detested the idea. “Something’s off,”
he said. “Do us all a favor and let Matias take care of this.”
Diablo appeared lost in thought, his brow furrowed as he absentmindedly chewed the side of his lip.
The intercom crackled as it paged some doctor just as an elderly couple shuffled into the elevator, the doors closing with a gentle thud behind them.
“If I go, I swear to you I’ll take someone with me,”
Diablo said.
The words did little to ease Santiago’s growing unease, but he knew any attempt to stop Diablo would be pointless “Swear on your parents,”
Santiago insisted.
Diablo’s jaw tightened, just as he’d anticipated.
“Fine,”
Diablo conceded, his voice edged with defiance. “I swear on my parents I’ll take someone with me.”
“Backup,”
Santiago clarified, his tone leaving no room for interpretation.
“Who else would I take, the girl I saw on my way up here passing out magazines to patients?”
Diablo frowned, his eyebrows knitting together in frustration. “You really have so little faith in me?”
Ordinarily, Santiago held unwavering confidence in his pack. However, Tito’s betrayal had sown seeds of doubt, and a man desperate for answers might be willing to take dangerous steps.
“I need a favor,”
Macey was on the mend. She mentioned she didn’t remember the attack, but Santiago was curious if that was just for Percy’s benefit or if she genuinely had no memory.
If Jacob was spotted with hyenas, Santiago was eager to find out if Jacob had been alone when he’d attacked Macey.
Heck, she might know something without realizing it, but Santiago couldn’t talk with her while Percy was around.
His mate would have a fit. Right now Percy was in protective mode, and Santiago couldn’t blame him.
Diablo looked at him in disbelief. “A favor?”
He’d just turned the guy down when he asked for help, and now Santiago wanted something from him. If Diablo had asked him for anything else, Santiago would’ve done it, no problem.
He wasn’t stepping foot near that warehouse again.
“I need you to come up with a reason to get Percy out of the room for at least ten minutes.”
He glared at Diablo. “Make sure you keep an eye on him at all times and don’t leave the hospital grounds.”
Diablo chuckled, a mischievous glint dancing in his eyes. “Oh, I got this.”
He strode confidently toward Macey’s door, his footsteps echoing lightly on the polished linoleum floor. With a swift motion, he opened it and leaned casually against the frame. “Yo, squirt. I was in the gift shop and saw these crazy-ass glitter pens.”
Percy appeared at the door in seconds, eyes wide with curiosity. “Just how crazy are we talking?”
Diablo grinned, flashing a mischievous smile that revealed a row of gleaming white teeth. “You'll just have to come with me and see for yourself.”
Santiago realized his mistake too late. Percy took a step back, looking around until his eyes settled on Santiago, his hand gripping the door tightly.
“Diablo, back off,”
Santiago said slowly, his voice steady but firm.
With a curse, Diablo quickly retreated. “I swear, all I wanted was to go to the gift shop, Percy. I’ve got nothing but mad respect for you.”
His tone was earnest now, stripped of its earlier playfulness, and the sincerity in his eyes as clear as day.
Santiago was at Percy’s side in seconds, enveloping his mate in his arms. “ Cabra morada , carino .”
Purple goat, sweetheart.
“ Cabra morada ,”
Percy echoed, his voice trembling.
Looking back, Santiago noticed Diablo gazing at Percy with remorse. “Go get those damn pens for him.”
Diablo’s eyes met his. “Every last one.”
It seemed like he had more to say but instead turned and walked toward the stairwell.
“You good?”
He brushed his fingers through his mate’s hair.
“Getting there.”
Percy nestled closer. “Just a flashback.”
“I know.”
Santiago placed a kiss on his temple. “Tito’s gone. Diablo may have his issues, but he comes from good people.”
That was irrelevant to Percy. Tito had been part of their pack and seemed trustworthy, but he had a dark secret that nearly cost Percy his life. Tito had broken that trust, and Santiago despised him for the harm he’d caused.
Not only for hurting Percy but for also damaging the bonds of their brotherhood.
* * * *
Diablo placed the entire box of glitter pens on the counter, glancing around for whatever else he could buy to cheer up Percy. The human was an insane amount of quirky, but he was also family.
“You didn’t need to bring the whole box up here,”
the cashier remarked, biting his lip while looking Diablo over. “Each pen has its own barcode.”
He blushed and placed his hands on the counter. “No worries. I’ll put the others back for you.”
“That’s really kind of you,”
Diablo replied with a raised eyebrow and a smile. “Does that offer come with a name, good-looking?”
His grin faded a bit when the cashier’s cheeks turned a deep red. Diablo had never seen anyone blush so fiercely. He thought about getting the guy a bottle of water.
“Brett,”
the male said, but for some unknown reason, he gestured toward Diablo when he’d said it.
Were humans always this peculiar?
He took Brett’s hand in his, kissing the back of it. “I am Diablo.”
“The devil,”
Brett breathed and swallowed. “Did you need anything else, Diablo ?”
Diablo leaned in, positioning his hands just an inch away from Brett’s, towering over him. “Your phone number, hermoso .”
Brett seemed on the verge of fainting. He just bet that if he were to touch Brett’s skin, it would be burning with heat.
“What does hermoso mean?”
Brett asked.
“ Déjame entrar en tu cama y te ensenaré muchas palabras sucias, carino .”
Let me into your bed, and I’ll teach you many dirty words, sweetheart.
Brett simply blinked, as if his brain had momentarily stalled. “I-I don’t understand.”
Diablo chuckled and gave the redhead a wink. “I actually need every one of these pens, carino .”
“All of them?”
The man’s eyes widened in surprise. “There are like thirty in the box!”
he exclaimed.
Oh, Diablo could have so much fun with the little pelirrojo . Redhead . He was eager to see if that fiery blush spread across his whole body. “ Sí .”
“That means yes!”
Brett pressed his lips together as his blush intensified. Diablo was waiting for him to spontaneously combust.
He grinned. “ Muy bueno, rojo . Yes, I need all of them.”
Though Diablo couldn’t quite remember why as he became lost in eyes the color of summer leaves. The cashier’s lips moved, and Diablo realized he was attempting to repeat the Spanish phrase.
“ Muy bueno, rojo ,”
he repeated slowly, giving Brett a chance to grasp them. “It means very good, red.”
“ Muy bueno ,”
Brett echoed. “I enjoy learning new things.”
Aw, hell. Why had he said that? The male was practically begging to get fucked. “I could teach you many things, carino .”
Nothing that could be done legally in public.
Brett snatched a scrap of paper and scribbled something on it before passing it over. His phone number.
“I’d really like to learn a new language.”
His cheeks were turning an even deeper shade of red.
Diablo slipped the paper into his pocket. “ Bolígrafos . Pens.”
Brett echoed the word, making Diablo chuckle. “I actually meant, could you ring them up?”
“Oh!”
As Brett counted them out, Diablo studied the male, betting he would be fire in bed. He was definitely going to find out.
After making his purchase, he beckoned with a finger. Brett inhaled sharply and leaned in closer. An eager little fox.
“ Te ensenaré tantas cosas traviesas, hermoso, ”
he murmured. I’ll teach you so many naughty things, beautiful.
“What does that mean?”
Brett asked softly.
“I’ll tell you when we meet again,”
Diablo replied with a wink, then left the gift shop, casting a glance back to see Brett admiring his ass.
Oh yeah, he was going to have so much fun with the human.
* * * *
On the way home, Percy and Santiago stopped at the local Chinese takeout. Noodles and shrimp rolls sounded perfect. Two of Percy’s favorite things to eat.
As Santiago drove his pickup, Percy glanced at the huge box of glitter pens on the floor between his feet. He had no clue what he was going to do with thirty freaking pens. Admittedly, they were pretty, but thirty ? His supply would outlast him .
At least he had stocking stuffers and party favors. Now all he had to do was throw his first party. Glitter-themed, of course.
It was the only way to get rid of all those damn pens. Maybe he could shove half of them in Elijah’s pocket.
They pulled into the shopping center parking lot in front of the strip mall and parked. As soon as they walked in, Percy inhaled deeply. He didn’t come here often, or else he’d end up eating nothing but noodles and shrimp rolls all the time.
“I gotta hit the head,”
Santiago said. Then he studied Percy. “Don’t wanna leave you out here alone.”
Percy snorted. “And I’m not gonna stand by a urinal while you empty your bladder.”
He waved his hand around. “No one is in here. I’ll be fine.”
And he could munch on some shrimp chips without looking like a pig in front of his mate.
Santiago headed toward the restroom, leaving Percy alone in the small lobby. He grabbed a handful of shrimp chips from the bowl on the counter and popped one in his mouth, savoring the salty crunch. The restaurant was unusually quiet, with only the distant sizzle of cooking oil and the occasional clatter of pots and pans breaking the silence.
Percy wandered over to the menu board, studying the various combo options even though he always ordered the same thing.
Suddenly, the lights flickered and dimmed. Percy glanced up, frowning. The fluorescent bulbs made a weird buzzing sound before plunging the restaurant into complete darkness.
“Hello?”
Percy called out, his voice barely cutting through the dark. “Santiago?”
No response. Just an eerie, unnatural stillness. Even the kitchen had grown quiet.
Percy fumbled for his phone, hands shaking as he turned on the flashlight.
The narrow beam illuminated the empty lobby, casting long, creeping shadows on the walls. A soft skittering sound came from behind the counter, like something with claws was moving around on the tiles.
Percy’s heart thundered as he slowly directed the light toward the noise. Two glowing eyes stared at him from the darkness—eyes that were definitely not human.
A low, guttural growl rumbled through the air. Percy stumbled backward, pulse racing. He needed to get out of there, fast. But as he turned to run toward the bathroom, he found himself face to face with the silhouette of a tall, looming figure blocking the hallway, features obscured by shadow.
The creature behind the counter let out a shrill, inhuman shriek and began to emerge from its hiding place.
Percy was trapped, with nowhere to run and no sign of Santiago. As the dark forms closed in on him from both sides, he knew this was not going to end well.
A low, menacing snarl echoed from somewhere in the shadows. The silhouetted man spun around as the noise drew closer. A monstrous creature with glowing amber eyes emerged from the darkness, towering over Percy at over eight feet tall. Percy’s heart nearly failed. “Please be Santiago’s lycanthrope,”
Percy whispered to himself. Thick, slate-gray fur covered tightly over stretched muscles. Its elongated snout opened just enough to display sharp, lethal teeth.
Oh, god. Oh, god. Oh, god. Percy stepped back, his limbs trembling as the beast growled at the stranger.
“Santiago?”
Percy’s voice was barely audible. “Is that you?”
The amber eyes locked onto him. “Yes.”
Oh fuck! It could talk!
The sound of clicking claws intensified, and then—three of them? Were those hyenas? Shit! They emerged from the hallway, charging straight at Santiago.
Percy quickly turned around, frantically searching for something to defend himself with. He grabbed the back of a chair, ready to become a lion tamer if one of those creatures came at him.
The lycanthrope twisted sideways, flinging one hyena away, while the other two sank their sharp teeth into Santiago’s limbs. Percy struggled with his phone, quickly sending an SOS message to Elijah and sharing his location right before his phone was knocked from his hands.
“You’re Jacob’s boy.”
The guy smirked at him. Percy noticed a crisscross scar above his left eye, but it was the menacing look in his gaze that was truly terrifying.
Percy opened his mouth to scream, but nothing came out.
The guy laughed. An edge of cruelty coated the sound, slick and heavy, tainted with a disturbing menace Percy couldn’t unhear. “I guess this could be quite frightening for a human.”
He took a step closer, his tone venomous. “It’s the same reaction your father had right before I gutted him.”
The stranger extended a hand toward him, “Santiago and I have unfinished business. Maybe he’ll cooperate if I use you as an incentive.”
Oh, hell no. Percy lifted the chair, wielding it as a barrier while he retreated. The way the stranger’s lips curled as he laughed made it clear he wasn’t hiding his pleasure.He was feeding on Percy’s fear.
He and Santiago had clearly been followed, this lunatic using the back door of the restaurant to sneak inside so they could ambush Santiago.
Suddenly, something inside of Percy snapped. The scream came out like a storm, loud and feral, tumbling over itself as if it couldn’t stop. He swung the chair wildly, hitting other tables, with one leg getting stuck under an edge. Yet, Percy continued to swing, determined not to let his fear fuel someone’s insanity.
The guy shouted and yanked his hand back when Percy struck him, his eyes glowing the same kind of amber.
Percy kept moving, through his terror, and in spite of it. He refused to be a victim ever again! Memories of the shed where he had been trapped and nearly died flooded his mind. His mother was in the hospital, bearing lifelong internal scars, yet she was determined to overcome her ordeal.
If she could rise above her suffering, then Percy could too. He wasn’t magically fearless, but he was done being powerless.
The man yanked the chair away from him and flung it aside, sending it skidding across the room until it struck the wall. Percy whirled around, seizing anything within reach—pans piled on a table, glass bowls—and began throwing them, but they missed the stranger as he continued to move forward.
“You got more fight in you than your father had.”
Each laugh came with a hitch, like he couldn’t believe how much he was enjoying himself.
Beyond him, through the expansive floor-to-ceiling windows, Percy noticed a vast sea of shimmering headlights, and caught the distant rumble of thunder. The cavalry had arrived. He just had to hold out a few more minutes.
A hyena hurtled past them, crashing into a wall with a resounding thud, followed by a deep snort. The lycanthrope loomed behind Percy, its amber eyes glowing threateningly at the stranger. “Rico,”
Santiago growled, his voice rough and gravelly.
Rico’s grin was crooked and sharp, paired with a gaze so steady it felt like a trap snapping shut. He had no way out. The pack began to fill the entrance, wolf shifters who were ready to defend them.
A short, startled cry erupted from Percy when Rico shifted into a hyena, shot around Santiago, and bolted for the hallway. Men went after him, but Percy knew it was no use. Rico was gone.
One of the pack members—Tomas, if Percy remembered correctly—returned, shaking his head. “The hyena escaped out the back door. Owners were knocked out, but they’re alive.”
Strong arms circled Percy from behind, and he knew it was Santiago, in his human form. When he turned, Percy’s brows shot up. His mate was completely naked!
“You fought like a warrior,”
he said with a wide grin. “I couldn’t be prouder of you, carino .”
He kissed Percy like he mattered, drawing cheers and whistles from the men. “I love you.”
“You’re naked,”
Percy murmured, feeling as though he’d regained a part of himself. He cradled Santiago’s handsome face in his hands and smiled. “I love you too.”
Although Jacob was now dead, the loss was bittersweet. While he felt a sense of relief that his mother wouldn’t have to worry about his father showing up anymore, it was still painful to lose the man who had once been a good father. “Get me out of here. I’ve decided I’ll make a sandwich at home. Ahora llévame a cazar queso .”
Now take me cheese hunting.
Santiago nuzzled Percy despite countless eyes watching them. “Whatever my baby desires.”
THE END