Spider Demon’s Kiss (Mafia Alpha Shifters #1)

Chapter 1

Dante

I swear, and God knows I love him, but if Matteo’s hairy wolf ass turned up dead in a ditch, my life would be so much easier. Don’t get me wrong, the streets of New York would run red with the blood I spill getting revenge. No one touches one of my pack, much less my brother. But even that would be easier than cleaning up his messes.

“You don’t know what happened,” Matteo claimed, his newly acquired nose ring becoming the only thing I can see.

“I don’t care what happened. You’re a goddamn Ricci. The man your wolf killed and then you dragged through the streets was a Yakuza made man.”

“Dante…”

“I don’t want to hear it!” I said hearing enough.

Standing with my fist on my desk was the only thing that prevented me from shifting and ripping out his throat. Knowing him, he’d probably be fine with it as long as I didn’t touch his annoyingly perfect nose. The man protected his face in a fight like it was his goddamn money-maker.

“Look, our familial ties are the only thing stopping me from feeding you to those goddamn cursed spooks myself.”

“You didn’t hear what he did to the girl,” Matteo claimed not backing down.

“I don’t care if he dismembered her limb from limb.”

“You don’t mean that.”

“I’m saying it, ain’t I?”

“You say a lot of things. But you’re a lighter touch than I am.”

“I swear to God, Matteo!”

“It was Vincente’s little sister!” Matteo yelled stopping me in my tracks.

“What?”

“Yeah. You remember her, right? It was the little girl whose wolf would run with our pack when she barely knew what shifting was. Seems that someone spread word around that she liked it rough. Then that figlio di puttana corners her high out of his mind and messed her up. She’s got scars that her shifting won’t heal.”

I could feel my wolf fighting its way out just hearing about it. The truth is I remember that girl. Back when I knew her, she had pigtails and hero worship for anyone in a pack. Anyone who would take advantage of her like that had to die.

Matteo wasn’t wrong for ridding the planet of scum like that. Hell, if I heard about it first, I would have done it myself. But there were ways of doing it that didn’t lead to an all-out turf war.

Nobody likes it, but the Yakuza are a reality in New York and there’s no getting rid of them. Any opium that hits the streets is their doing. Global trade is beyond the reach of any wolf pack not named Lyon or Clément.

But with the head of the Lyon family gone and no one willing to take over, that just leaves the Cléments. They would have been the most likely to take control if not for two things. Armand has no male heirs, and word is that he now has a rat problem.

That void is an opportunity. Someone will step up. Who better than the Ricci pack? Thanks to Papa releasing his grip on dealings, I’ve managed to extend our reach. Construction, lending, we’ve even made strides into diamonds. But one thing we can’t do is heroin.

First off, it’s nasty shit that leaves a city worse than you found it. That’s something my father would have done. But now we’re in the growth industry. We build things. We lend the money that makes the city better.

Those foreign spooks are using our city as their toilet. We can’t let that happen. But Matteo’s hot head just gave them the excuse they’ve been looking for to declare war. That’s not good for Ricci business.

“Look, Matteo, there are ways of doing things,” I said calming down.

“Yeah. The way I did it makes sure that no one will think twice about doing it again.”

Heat rushed through me calling my wolf. In sudden blind rage my fist nearly shattered the desk.

“No! He was a fuckin’ made man! Do you know what a fuckin’ made man is?”

Matteo wilted seeing I had lost it.

“I know what a made man is, Dante.”

“What is a fuckin’ made man?”

“It means he’s untouchable.”

“No! It means that if you touch him, someone’s head has to roll. Someone has to die. That’s it. No negotiation. Your action killed one of our men. Some goddamn kid is going to grow up without a father because of you. Did you take one second to consider that?”

“You didn’t see what he did to Vincente’s sister,” he said losing his asshole bravado.

“There are ways of doing it,” I said feeling the anger threatening to bubble up again.

“Alright, alright. I made a mistake. I screwed up. You could work your magic and get us out of this, can’t you?”

Seeing humility on Matteo was a new look. It caught me off guard pushing me back into my seat. Was this what would finally sink in for the man who couldn’t learn a lesson that didn’t involve hair gel?

“Come on, Dante. You can handle this, right? That fuck had it comin’. None of our men need to die for that.”

I stared at him seeing something I never saw in my younger brother before. I had never heard him talk like this. Was that fucker softening? He could use a few rounded edges. My life would be a lot easier if they were.

“You’re gonna be the death of me,” I said relenting.

Matteo beamed that goddamn smile that was usually the last thing his victims saw before his wolf lunged for their throat.

“I knew you could handle things. That’s why you got the tough job. Pa had it right when he put you in charge. You’re exactly who this family needs.”

“You’re a shit kiss-ass,” I told him, my mind swirling in search of a solution.

“I’m gonna leave you to it. If there’s anything you need me to do, you know I’m there for you.”

“You could hand yourself over to them and save me the trouble of knocking you out and taking you.”

Matteo froze not sure if I was joking.

“Don’t kid like that, Dante. One of our men might overhear and think you’re serious.”

“Oh, I am serious,” I said imaging my easier life. “I’d even put a little bow on you so they could open you under a tree.”

“Do those Japanese fucks even celebrate Christmas?”

“You better hope not. I could get my shopping finished real early.”

Matteo stared at me side-eyed.

“Don’t joke like that,” he said flashing signs of the wolf I had no choice but to love.

Any hint of restitution was gone. Instead of learning from this, had he simply become a better actor? Maybe I should give him to the Yakuza. Would anyone blame me? That man had a sadistic streak that no one would miss.

“I’ll take care of it,” I told him, not knowing how, but sure I would.

“Thanks. But, I need to tell you, don’t ever question my judgment like that. It doesn’t feel good.”

I stared at him giving him nothing in response. That was usually the best way to deal with his crazy. It was like there were two people living in his body. One that would rip out a man’s throat for looking at him funny. The other, the scared little boy I protected from Pa. There was no telling when either would come out, especially when he shifted.

Pa had done a number on all of his kids. None of us were affected more by it than Matteo was. There was definitely something wrong with our old man. Whatever it was, he passed on to Matteo. In ways, Matteo was becoming more like him every day. All I was left with was hope.

I was sure I could reach him before Pa’s grip was complete. There was still a good man in there somewhere. Until I found it, he was gonna tie corpses to the back of his car and drag them through Yakuza territory.

The thought of what he had done flowed over me. “Shit! How the fuck am I gonna get us out of this?”

The answer came to me as fast as I asked it.

Two years ago, when I took over the reins for the family, I had a visit from Sato. The Yakuza hadn’t yet gotten their foothold on New York’s heroin trade and the old man was grasping at straws. The word was his bosses were considering recalling him in the permanent sort of way. So Sato was fighting for his life.

The man had vision, I’ll give him that much. He saw the downfall of the Lyon’s coming a mile away and he proposed an alliance. But he didn’t just want our word. Those cursed spooks never did anything half way. He wanted family ties. He offered me his daughter in marriage.

My response was, “Fuck, no!”

I’ll admit, it was not my finest moment. To be fair, I was going through some things at the time. I was under a lot of pressure to take over and I saw marriage as the off switch to my pressure release valve.

Sure, I saw myself marrying someday. But, for my wolf not to murder anyone who looked at me funny, I needed certain outlets. That required the right kind of marriage. She didn’t have to be a wolf, but she did have to be able to turn a blind eye.

It turned out that Yuki was exactly who I needed. I hadn’t met her at that time. I think he said she was still in Japan. But seeing her at a ribbon cutting ceremony as their family’s representative, I knew I had made a mistake in refusing her.

At the ceremony, I didn’t see her look into a man’s eye once. It was all bows and humility. Japanese culture is very different from ours. I see that now. Turns out, she would have been the perfect wife. And now, it looks like she will be.

It didn’t even matter that Sato’s entire lineage was cursed. If they hadn’t already, all of his offspring would become possessed.

That wasn’t necessary a bad thing. There were spirits and there were demons. I’m told that Sato was a crow demon. That explained his ruthlessness and blind ambition. But a woman like Yuki could end up with a house spirit or something. One of those would bring the owner of the household success and good luck.

I didn’t know any of this when Sato offered me Yuki. And as insulted as he was by my rejection, Sato hadn’t shut the door on his idea. The man’s life was a stake. He couldn’t afford to start a war over honor. So, two years later, here we are.

Number one, Matteo has made us indebted to the Yakuza. Number two, their global trade would cement the Ricci’s hold on the city. And number three, I still didn’t have a wife. It was just the wrong time before. Sato would understand that, right?

Cursed or not, Sato was still Japanese. Wasn’t being patient a Japanese thing? That’s why they made those designs in the sand, right? Shit, I didn’t know. If I was gonna marry Yuki, I was gonna need to know this stuff.

“You cannot marry that curse into our pack,” Pa declared from the head of the table at Sunday dinner.

‘How the fuck did he know about that?’ I wondered looking around at the assembled Ricci boys who filled their plates as if my getting married was old news. There was only one of my brothers I trusted with this, Lorenzo. And like usual, he wasn’t here.

“You marrying a Sato?” Matteo asked with a smirk. “When the fuck did this happen?”

“Ever since my shit for brains brother killed a made man and I had to clean up his mess,” I spit melting his smirk.

“Oh.”

“Yeah. That’s what I thought,” I said looking at my remaining three brothers as they quickly averted their eyes.

“That cursed demon can’t be trusted,” Pa proclaimed like the oracle on the mound.

“Yeah, Pa? Then what do you suppose I do?”

“Go to war. Or will you shame me as son who is afraid to fight?”

“He’s not afraid to fight, Pa,” Matteo said again showing me glimpses of a new man. “Dante would fight the best of them. He’s just fighting them in a different way.”

Was Matteo finally getting it?

“Only a coward runs from war,” Pa declared.

“And only a fool runs into one,” I told him not backing down.

“They will humiliate you. They will humiliate our pack, and we’ll end up exactly where we started.”

My wolf’s fury blinded me. Slamming my fist in front of me, I shattered my plate sending food everywhere.

“Dante!” Ma yelled thinking she could control things like when I was five.

“No, Ma! I’ve had it with this shit,” I said getting up.

“Dante, sit down!” Ma insisted.

“I don’t mean to disrespect you, Ma, but this is ending right now.”

“And what is it that you’re ending?” Pa asked with more calm that he had a right to have.

That told me what he was thinking. Pa was built for confrontation. His wolf lived for it. He made our wolves into the killers they were with the broad side of a bat and the lit end of cigarette butts. While he did, he never flinched, just like he didn’t now.

Staring at him, he reminded me of the stakes. If you come at the king, you best not miss. Pa had us late in life but he wasn’t an old wolf. At least, not old enough to expect him to go off quietly. When he looked in the mirror, he didn’t see the grey hair and relentless wrinkles. He saw himself as a man who could take me.

Calming myself, I took a breath and then brushed speckles of Ma’s marinara from my vest.

“This second-guessing ends now,” I told Pa not needing to look at him. “Your role as the head of this pack is complete. You will always be our father and we give you the respect you deserve for it. But when it comes to running pack business, that job is mine now.”

“I haven’t given you it, son,” he said coldly.

I looked at him assured.

“You don’t have to give it to me, Pa. I’m taking it,” I said whipping off my vest and shirt and shifting before Pa knew what was happening.

I knew what I looked like to human eyes. I was big. I always had been. My wolf took up space, so when I jumped onto the dinner table and locked my eyes on Pa’s challenging him, everyone backed away.

Staring at my father who remained in human form, I crouched approaching him. I wasn’t gonna underestimate him. As fast as I could shift, Pa was faster. I had learned the trick from him. If I looked away for a moment, I could turn back finding his fangs lunging towards me. So instead, I stared, approached, and growled.

Just out of reach of Pa’s knife, I stopped. I was close enough. He, like everyone, knew what I was doing. If he thought he still had it in him, this was his time. If he didn’t at least shift, his hold on the pack was over. To fight and lose was one thing. To not even step into the ring was another.

When long enough had passed that Pa would no longer be able to recover his reputation, I next turned to my brothers. If there was someone else who thought they had what it took, this was their time. No one challenged.

I next turned to Matteo. If anyone thought they could take me, it was him. Standing on the opposite side of his overturned chair, he only stared back.

This was it. This was the moment. I was now the unchallenged head of our pack. From this point on, things were gonna be different. There would be no one second guessing my decisions. If they did, it wouldn’t be just me, they would have the whole pack to deal with.

Jumping off the table and shifting, I stared back at my family as I pulled on my pants and got dressed. It was never as intimidating watching someone get dressed as the shift itself so I filled the space with my plan.

“Now, I will be cleaning up our pack’s mess by getting married. You can get on board with it or not. Frankly, I don’t give a shit. This pack needs to be led into the future. And the old ways of doing things are done.

“If any of you would like to come to the wedding, I’ll send you an invitation. If not, who the fuck cares? Either way, you will respect me. And as the new head of the pack, you will do what I say.”

With that, I adjusted my jacket, gave a final look at my stunned family and left.

I took a deep breath making sure to fill my lungs with the sweet smell of the Brooklyn streets as I descended the stairs to the sidewalk. Why? Because I knew the scent could be my last. No one talked to my father the way I just had. At least, no one who lived to talk about it.

My being his son didn’t make a difference. Word was that Pa once tried to kill his own brother. No one could confirm it because his brother disappeared soon after. The thought was that he moved back to Italy.

Every so often we would hear from him. Mostly during the holiday season. It usually came with a request for safe passage back into the country. But the fact that I’ve never met him, speaks to my father’s ability to hold a grudge.

Rounding the sidewalk, I started to believe that I had done it. I had claimed the pack and he had accepted it. In his lack of immediate action, he had declared me the victor. I officially had the reins of the Ricci pack. And my first official act would be marrying the woman who would allow my true life to begin.

“Dante!” I heard yelled as I was about to get into my car.

I braced myself. Would I turn around to the wild eyes of a charging wolf? Whose would it be? Would it be Matteo’s? I should have considered the grip Pa had on him.

With not enough time to shift, I steeled my spine and spun finding a surprise.

“Lorenzo! What’s going on?” I asked, seeing the brother who avoided these dinners as if it were wolfsbane.

“We need to talk,” he said approaching.

“Alright. Not here,” I replied scanning the streets and ushering him into my car.

Quickly pulling away, the brownstones whipped by us.

“What is it?” I said keeping one eye on the rearview mirror.

“There’s a word on the street. It’s about your upcoming marriage.”

“How is my marriage a word on the street? I only finalized that deal six hours ago,” I said not liking where this was going.

“If you think you finalized it, you might need to talk to Sato again.”

“And why is that?” I said feeling my neck warm.

“Don’t kill the messenger, Dante,” Lorenzo warned nervously, his lack of tattoos and lean build striking a strong contrast to Matteo and me.

“Why would I kill the messenger?”

“Because Sato doesn’t plan on offering you Yuki. He’s offering you Kuroi.”

My brother could not have missed how white I turned. My face tingled as I slowly left my body.

“Dante, did you hear me?”

“I heard you.”

“He’s trying to humiliate our pack,” Lorenzo said pointing out the obvious.

It looks like Sato hadn’t gotten over me refusing his first marriage offer. This was how he was getting revenge. His demon wanted war for what Matteo had done to his man. And the only way out of it was for me to marry his son, the spider demon.

“You’re not thinking about doing it, are you, Dante?”

I looked away as Pa’s words echoed in my head. He had been right about Sato. Fuck!

So, what did I do now? If I didn’t go through with it, my father would use it to undermine my still tenuous control over the pack.

If I did marry Sato’s bastard off-spring, the chances of me ending up dead like all of his other lovers were damn near certain.

Maybe I was thinking about this wrong. Maybe all of the bat-shit crazy things I heard about Kuroi wasn’t true. Maybe everything going around about him was an exaggeration.

The street has been known to get things mixed up on occasion. What I heard about Kuroi could be one of those times. Because no one could be as out of their mind as he was supposed to be, could they?