Chapter Forty-Two
Carl
“L et’s go!”
I was roaring the words, ready to storm down the hall to our bikes, before Gwyn’s gasp reminded me she was there. I couldn’t take the lead when I had an omega to protect.
Sebastian’s dark eyes met mine, the same torn loyalties shining back at me. We couldn’t leave our men on their own, but we also couldn’t drag our omegas into danger.
The others had already started racing for the door, the thud of their boots echoing in the sanctuary. I wanted to be with them, but I also wanted to be with Gwyn to be sure she was safe.
“What happened?”
The quiet question pulled my focus back to the woman who had risen to stand beside me, worry flowing through our bond. There was guilt in there too, and I knew she was blaming herself despite the fact that we’d had issues with the Purists before she ever showed up.
“They came back in force. They’ve trapped one of our patrols.”
Just the few heartbeats it had taken to answer felt like too long to wait when other Knights were in danger, but how could I leave?
A flash of white tore my gaze to the line of men squeezing through the doorway into the hall beyond, and I spoke before I could doubt myself.
“Blake!”
I jerked my gaze around at who else was left, relief loosening the noose around my neck when I spotted Patch. He had never been one to rush into a fight, no matter the provocation. His first duty was to be ready for the aftermath.
Blake had turned back when I’d called him, his cheeks already red and his breath coming in puffs from the excitement and the short run across the room.
“I need you here, with my mate.”
He opened his mouth, his expression telling me he was going to argue, but his age and the fact he had an omega and children waiting for him at home made him the better choice to sit this one out.
“Blake, I need someone I can trust to keep her safe. I can’t be here and there at the same time.”
I didn’t miss the low growl rumbling from his chest, his bear likely fighting with him the same as mine. He let out a long breath before nodding, his focus turning to the women gathered close.
I glanced at Sebastian before looking down at my beautiful mate, fear written all over her face. I didn’t need the bond to know she was scared and didn’t want me to go, but I was determined to put an end to the Purists invading our community.
“I have to go. I have to stop this. If Adam is there, I’ll do my best to make sure he survives it.”
Her chin trembled and the tears she’d been holding back ran down her cheeks. I wanted to reach out and wipe them away, comfort her and assure her all would be okay, but I knew doing so would make it twice as hard for me to leave.
“You better survive, too. I won’t live through another bond being ripped from me.”
“I’ll do my best.”
My hands itched to hold her, my arms already rising to reach for her, but I forced myself to turn away. Sebastian had Brooke in his arms, giving her a kiss before stepping back and turning to Patch.
“Stay with them. I’ll call if we need you.”
Patch’s stoic expression never changed as he nodded, his icy gaze following us as we walked toward the door. Danger fell in behind us, closing the door to the sanctuary as we passed into the hallway beyond. It was silent, the others having already made it to their motorcycles and taken off to help our brothers, and there was no need to fill it. The three of us had so recently found our mates, and Sebastian had a baby on the way, but being one of Hell’s Knights meant making hard choices. We had promised to protect the community, and there was no way we’d ever let the Purists get away with invading our territory, no matter their purpose.
The sun had already set when we stepped outside, the cold night breeze bringing the usual stench of exhaust, garbage, and asphalt. The last of the others pulled out of the lot behind the church, leaving us to bring up the tail and hope we weren’t too late.
David had said the Purists had The Hangout surrounded, having connected us with the bar during their last incursion. No Knights had been there when they’d arrived, but it hadn’t taken long for Knox and Jason to show up, putting themselves between the speciest group and the innocent patrons trapped inside. There was no way to know what we’d be walking into when we got there, and we poured on the speed as soon as we were on open pavement.
The roar of my bike matched the fury inside me, but for once it wasn’t all-encompassing. Fear beat right alongside it, the emotion not just coming from the bond anchored in my heart. My sleep might have been plagued by fighting, but that had never meant I’d ever shirked away from it, but now I had something to lose if I failed. Someone who would care if I wasn’t strong enough to win.
We tore through the streets, taking corners faster than was safe, but none of us cared. The Hangout wasn’t far, and we were right on the tail of the others when they pulled into the parking lot already packed with cars.
Sebastian was half beast as he jumped from his bike, fur showing along his arms, his clothing stretched tight on a body trying to shift. Danger was more collected, moving with stealthy purpose, but still passing through the others to reach the front of our group.
“Frank, Tim, stay on your bikes and head down to the corners. Keep watch for backup.”
I didn’t know if this was Adam and the others he’d brought with him before, or if more Purists were involved and it was no longer about Gwyn, so we had to be cautious. We didn’t need more Purists, or the cops, showing up.
The two I’d named peeled out, speeding off to find a place to keep watch, while I stomped through the others, barely keeping control of my bear. He was so close to the surface my nails had grown into claws, my vision shifting back and forth between his and a human’s.
Three cars were spaced out across the front of The Hangout, parked sideways to act as a barrier. As I closed the distance to them, I spotted what was on the other side, and for a moment my bear faltered.
Knox was on his knees, three human alphas standing over him. A metal collar encircled his throat, the chain attached to it held tight in the grip of the man directly behind him who had a knife in the other hand.
David was on his feet in front of the door, held between two other men, blood covering the lower half of his face and his shirt, but luckily he wasn’t being threatened with a weapon. His nose still dripped, the angle telling me it was broken, but his glare showed he was okay enough otherwise.
It was the sight of Jason that made my breath catch. His golden fur shone in the lights outside the bar, except for the crimson streaks matting it. There was so much I couldn’t tell how many wounds it came from, but his chest still rose and fell in an even rhythm, even if his head hung. Two more men struggled to hold him upright, his weight significant in his were-form, and if the situation hadn’t been so serious, their straining faces would have been funny.
“This is your one chance to leave and never return.”
Sebastian had made his way to the front of our group, standing between two of the cars with the rest of us at his back. A few of our guys had already shifted into their animals and were poised in the shadows at the ends of the vehicles, but the knives held to Knox’s throat kept them from leaping forward.
“We don’t take orders from animals,” the one holding the chain spat, sneering at Sebastian.
Growls rose all around me, but my focus was on the man beside the speaker. I hadn’t seen Gwyn’s son before, but the similarities between them were easy to see since I’d been looking for them.
“We’re here to take what’s ours and get a little payback for what happened last time we came.”
The speaker jerked on the chain, making Knox snarl along with the rest of the Knights gathered around.
“Nothing here belongs to you.”
The man laughed at Sebastian’s response, but it was Adam who spoke next.
“My mother and that building next door belong to me, along with that rundown piece of shit a block away. You had no right to interfere, and you’re going to pay for denting my father’s car once I find that useless cunt and put her in her place!”
It was the wrong thing to say.
My bear surged, driving a grunt from me as I swayed on legs trying to change shape. He wanted out, wanted to maul this so-called alpha who said such things about our mate, but I fought him for her sake, barely holding onto my human-form.
“That woman is my mate, and you’ll never say such things about her again. She’s already consulted a lawyer, and you had no right to the money, or the buildings she purchased with it. You’re going to let our men go and leave. Now!”
The last was said with a snarl, my vision switching and telling me my eyes would be glowing orange. I’d stepped forward beside Sebastian, and there was no way Adam could have missed it.
Adam’s jaw dropped in shock before his face screwed up with fury.
“You lie! She’d never betray us by letting an animal claim her! Where is she?”
I saw the way two of the older alphas with him glanced at each other, their expressions grim. One of them must have been who he’d planned to give her to, and my bear struggled even harder to get out. Only the steady throb of worry from the bond helped me stay in control.
“You’re too late, Adam. She went into heat, and I’ve claimed her. With her permission. My marks cover the scars left by your father. There’s nothing left for you here, so take your buddies and go.”
Something must have convinced him I was telling the truth, because his shoulders slumped and his grip on Knox’s arm loosened. If it had only been him he might have given up, but the one beside him who’d spoken first wasn’t as willing to use his brain.
“None of that matters. You fuckers broke my brother’s arm and destroyed my truck. You’re going to pay, and I’m just as happy to take it in blood.”
His arm tensed in what felt like slow motion, red blooming around the blade at Knox’s neck. Adam’s distracted state allowed Knox to pull his arm free as he surged to his feet, moving in the direction of the Purists’ stab so the knife didn’t sink too far into his throat, and a roar went up around me.
Sebastian beat me to the man, his claws making short work of soft, human flesh. Crunches and screams surrounded me, Jason’s feline hiss assuring me he was okay as I went for one of the men beside David. There was no need to release my bear, I could handle a human alpha without his extra strength any day of the week, but I let him loose anyway.
The stench of piss assaulted my nostrils as the man on David’s right backed against the wall of The Hangout. A red haze filled my vision, my bear standing on his hind feet to free the front for a swing that would rip the man wide open, but Adam’s voice crying out behind me made me spin away before completing the action.
Sebastian had his hand wrapped around Adam’s throat, the boy’s feet dangling above the ground as Sebastian snarled in his face. My bear was feeling bloodthirsty, excited by the way the human scrabbled at Sebastian’s claws, his feeble kicks too weak to hurt the massive werewolf, but another burst of fear through the bond brought me back to my senses.
I wrestled for control, but my bear refused to give it up, ambling over to the pair. Everything else around me had faded away, my focus wholly on the pale face growing more purple by the second.
Sebastian’s head turned, his golden eyes meeting mine. His lips were still pulled back in a snarl, but when my bear rose onto his back feet again, he released his hold on Adam.
Whimpering, Gwyn’s son used his heels to push himself backwards until he hit the wall behind him. I kept pace, looming over him as he cowered.
Only the knowledge that it would hurt Gwyn to hurt her son kept my bear from coming down on him with all his weight. The scent of blood swirled around us, other moans filling my ears as I struggled to convince my bear to pull back.
Adam’s eyes were still scrunched shut, his hands up in a weak attempt to protect his face, when I crouched in front of him.
“You’re lucky your mother loves you despite what you’ve done.”
His hands trembled as he blinked his eyes open, his breaths a rough rasp.
“I promised her I’d do my best to make sure you survived your stupidity, so this is your chance to leave, but if I ever see you again, or even hear of you in this part of the city—”
“You won’t! I’m done. I’ll leave her alone.”
My heart still thundered in my chest, anger seething beneath the careful restraint. The kid was an idiot and didn’t deserve Gwyn’s care, but I wasn’t going to break my promise, or my mate’s heart.
“Take your wounded and go.”
I stood, stepping back so he had the space to squeeze around me. My focus stayed on him as he rushed over to one of the two older alphas, helping the man to his feet while the other got himself upright despite the bloody arm he clutched to his chest. There were still snarls and growls all around me, but the fight had ended while I struggled with my bear, and the other two who’d held Jason limped their way to a separate car.
Staring after the receding taillights, I sucked in a deep breath, trying to push reassurance through my bond with Gwyn. It was hard to shake off the anger, but I didn’t want her to suffer under it any longer.
“You okay?”
Sebastian’s hand landed on my shoulder. We’d all learned to carry extra clothing with us, so he was already redressed and held a pair of sweats in the hand not gripping me.
“I’m hoping I don’t end up regretting this.”
Sebastian grunted an agreement as I accepted the sweats and pulled them on.
“I regret every interaction with them. Their type would be bad enough on their own, but having the Purists to band them together makes things worse. We’ve been lucky so far, but I have a feeling adding another to the body count between us is going to cause problems.”
There was still a crowd of Knights around us, as well as some of the patrons from the bar who’d come out, so I couldn’t see how bad the mess was. I had no doubt the one who’d tried to cut Knox’s throat was dead, but I wasn’t sure if I’d seen all of the others leave.
“Should I call Tucker?”
Tucker was our cleaner when we couldn’t leave the bodies where they fell. I doubted David would appreciate having to deal with the blood on his doorstep himself, especially since some of it was his. None of us wanted the cops coming to The Hangout and possibly getting nosy, so the body and the car still sitting at the end of the building had to go.
“Already done. Patch is on his way to fix up Knox and Jason, so you should go to your mate.”
A weight lifted from my chest knowing I wouldn’t have to wait any longer to reassure Gwyn and soothe the anxiety I could feel from her.
“And what about yours?”
Sebastian’s lips ticked up as he huffed.
“Danger and I are right behind you.”