Chapter 26 Jinxed
JINXED
Ottis’ stomach clenched. “More attackers?”
“There will not be any probing,” Doc said firmly.
“Aww,” Hijinks’ voice said. “Not even you?”
Doc scowled. “Especially not me.”
The butler finally burst out of the mansion, propped on Hotcart’s handle.
“Aren’t you worried?” Ottis asked Hijinks.
Suddenly, Hijinks looked sly. “Doc can handle himself.” He glanced at Doc though. “I could send a message, if you’d like backup.”
“Please do,” Doc said. “Just a couple of friends. I don’t need the whole gang coming down.”
But what if those jerks are more powerful than you expect? Ottis thought but didn’t say. He didn’t want to jinx them all. What if Sevrian is here?
Actually, if Sevrian was here, things could get really bad.
His heart thumping, Ottis reached out with his hearing.
Seven pairs of heavy feet shuffled on the other side of Doc’s hedge, next to the road. Then came a voice that made ice shoot down Ottis’ veins.
“Get the omega,” Sevrian’s terrible oily voice said. “Bring him to me alive. Kill everyone else.”
“He’s here,” Ottis whispered, paling. “Doc, he’s dangerous.”
Doc hooked the lace mask back over his face, his mouth pressing into a thin line. “Get into the mansion. Hijinks will guard you and Marcie.”
“But there’s so many of them!”
And more were joining the people out front.
Next to Ottis, Hijinks vibrated. “Oh, oh! May I pull out the secret weapon?”
Doc grimaced. “Only you call it a secret weapon.”
“They won’t expect it,” Hijinks said, unruffled. “They will think it’s a joke.”
“It is a joke,” Doc muttered.
“A joke with firepower.” Hijinks smirked. “It will erupt. Everywhere. Wetly.”
Doc sighed heavily. “Fine. But don’t get in my way.”
Whatever this secret weapon was, Ottis hoped that it would help.
“I’ll have it lubed up in a second,” Hijinks said, and disappeared.
Ottis scooped Marcie off the ground, turning to Doc. “Is it a gun?”
Doc winced. “You’ll see.”
He strode around the mansion to the driveway, gazing across the front yard. Ottis followed him. There were more heartbeats now, more voices. Doc couldn’t possibly deal with that many enemies... could he?
“Are you waiting for your friends to arrive?” Ottis asked.
“That’s Plan A,” Doc said.
“Help request sent,” Hijinks announced from somewhere in the mansion. “The Full-Size Pounder is coming online.”
“Full-Size Pounder?” Ottis almost didn’t want to know.
“Instead of the Quarter Pounder, yeah,” Doc said. “We don’t half-ass these things.”
“Go deep or go home,” Hijinks agreed.
Ottis’ brain broke a little. Why were they making jokes about this when Sevrian was right outside? “What’s, uh. What’s Plan B?”
Doc opened his mouth.
The front hedge exploded in a ball of flames.
Several men ran through the hole in the hedge, dressed in fireproof coats and holding weapons.
Doc snarled. “Get in the mansion. We’re on Plan B.”
“Unlike the other Plan B, you can’t buy this over the counter,” Hijinks said.
Ottis wasn’t listening. He dashed for the mansion’s side door; no way was he running up the front steps and making himself a target.
Outside, Doc growled, “Stay in the mansion, sweetheart. I want you and the pups safe.”
The command went straight to Ottis’ instincts. “O-okay.”
As he hurried up the stairs to the second floor, he caught a low, mechanical whirring—in the windowless wing where Doc’s hoard was, but the sound was closer to the front of the mansion.
Ottis scrambled to an upstairs window that overlooked the lawn, his heart in his throat.
Doc was already stalking toward the invaders, holding a huge sword that he’d pulled out of somewhere.
“Doc,” Ottis yelped.
“Shh! Don’t yell unless you’re in trouble,” Hijinks said. “Don’t distract him.”
Ottis clamped his mouth shut and cradled Marcie against his chest, his stomach dropping when more invaders poured through the hole in Doc’s hedge.
There had to be twenty of them now, facing down Doc who only had a sword.
Oh gods, oh gods, Ottis chanted inwardly. He wanted to help. But Doc was right—Ottis was safer in the mansion, protecting his pups. What use was his fighting experience, anyway? He’d only ever practiced with his brothers.
Sevrian was standing behind his army of hired thugs, sending Doc a mocking smile. “Just you? Just one alpha? You can’t possibly think you’re enough for Ottis.”
“I’m sure Ottis doesn’t appreciate being attacked and kidnapped,” Doc said flatly. “You didn’t even offer him a contract.”
Sevrian twisted his face in disgust. “A contract?”
“Yes. He came with me willingly when I offered him a kidnap contract,” Doc said with a stiff shrug. “In case you wanted to know how to do things legally.”
“He’s an omega. He doesn’t deserve a say,” Sevrian said. “The only place he belongs is under my heel—”
Doc snarled. With a flash of his blade, he cut down a few men.
“Take him down!” Sevrian yelled, jabbing his finger at Doc.
The invaders swarmed around Doc like a terrible donut with lots of spiky weapons. Ottis held his breath as Doc blocked their strikes and took them out a few at a time, each sweep of his sword severing muscle and tendon.
But there were still so many enemies. What if one of them got in a lucky strike?
What if one of them injured Doc fatally?
Ottis swayed on his feet, horrified by the possibilities.
Sevrian’s voice rang out again, like Ottis’ worst nightmares come to life.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” the terrible alpha crooned. “Don’t tell me you’ve already forgotten me, Ottis.”
Ottis tried to shake off that nasty feeling.
“That’s fucking creepy,” Doc growled.
“Ottis is mine,” Sevrian said. “He’s just lost without me guiding him.”
Ottis gagged. “That’s disgusting.”
Doc tilted his head. “He says you’re disgusting.”
“He was mine first,” Sevrian sneered. “He doesn’t know what’s good for him.”
“Is that how you treat all omegas?” Doc snarled. He took down more enemies with a whirl of his sword. Even from a distance, Ottis could see the way Doc was tensing up, fury in every limb.
A third wave of people came in through the hole in the hedge. It was too much for one man.
“Hijinks,” Ottis whispered. “What do we do?”
“I’m coming in,” Hijinks said, with a few sound effects like he was doing some kung fu strikes. “Watch out, you jerks!”
Something heavy rolled, like a set of gates sliding open. When Ottis peered through the window, he found a blunt pink tip pushing out from the front of the mansion.
It wasn’t an ordinary pink tip.
It was huge. It was as wide as Ottis was tall.
And it keep pushing out like there was more and more of it—a cylindrical, flesh-colored thing with veins all over it.
“Is that...” Ottis choked. “Is that a cock?”