Rescuing His Heart [Wolves of Desire 13] (The Lynn Hagen ManLove Collection) Page 9

  Light footsteps headed toward them. Joe backed up, aiming his gun at the doorway, wondering if the killer had come back.

  He was relieved, stunned, and downright pissed when Lucinda entered the bedroom. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  Her gaze fell on the dead man before she gave Joe a withering glare. “Did you do that?”

  “Who are you?” Enrique asked as he holstered his gun.

  “Go wait in the living room,” Joe barked at his partner.

  When Enrique left the bedroom, Joe slammed the door closed. “Have you lost your mind? You can’t just show up when I have my men with me.”

  “Answer my question.” Lucinda moved past him to stand at the side of the bed. “Did you do this?”

  “I don’t kill humans.” Joe tucked his gun away and moved to the opposite side of the bed, keeping distance between them.

  “Then why are you here?” she asked.

  “I could ask you the same question.” Joe crossed his arms over his chest. “How did you find me?”

  She slanted a steely gaze at him. “Our heartbeats are tied together. It might take me time, but I can locate you.”

  Joe balled his hands into fists. He didn’t need the reminder. She’d been a persistent presence in his life for almost a hundred years. They were connected on the deepest level, and he hated the fact he was bound to her.

  He was a Hunter. She was a witch and a fairy. That was one of the reasons he was so angry that she’d shown up with Enrique here. Joe didn’t need to lose any more followers.

  “That still doesn’t tell me why you’re here.” He braced himself when she rounded the bed to stand in front of him. He knew she’d never hurt him, never cast a spell over him, but her presence always made his heartbeat kick up a notch.

  She tapped a dainty finger against his chest. “I felt you were in trouble.”

  As much as he hated to show any sign of weakness, Joe took a step back, putting a foot of distance between them. “I’m fine.” His voice had grown softer. “I’m just trying to figure out who is killing Hunters.”

  Her head swiveled around to the bed and she studied the corpse. He had to give her credit. She didn’t bat an eye at the dead body. “This guy is a Hunter?”

  “He makes number eight,” Joe said with a sigh. “I know the killer isn’t human. Look at the wound. It’s as if someone seared a hole in his chest. No human can do that.”

  “With the right weapon they could,” she countered. “You’re so quick to blame my kind. Humans are just as evil, Joe.”

  He hated when she said his name. That single syllable was light and breezy, making his loins ache. “I know that.” He moved closer to the door. “But I’m not about to get into that tiring debate with you.”

  “What, that you hunt people who have no control over what they are born as? That you judge those who aren’t human as abominations that need to be exterminated?” She shoved her fists against her hips as she glared at him. She was diminutive, but had a steel spine. “When are you going to stop making others pay for what happened to your wife? When is enough going to be enough?”

  He looked away. “When humans are safe again.”

  “Safe?” She said the word incredulously. “Have you not been listening to me? Humans are equally evil.”

  “But none of them can turn into animals and tear someone apart!”

  “No, but they can tear someone apart with a semiautomatic gun, with grenades, rocket launchers. Shall I go on? I’ve seen human wars, Joseph Hephner. I’ve seen the carnage and destruction they leave behind. How dare you stand there and judge a species because they’re different, because one of them killed your wife.”

  “Didn’t I just say I wasn’t going to have this debate with you?” Joe rested his hand on the doorknob. He had no reason to feel guilty for what he’d done, yet he did. He always felt as though she was judging him when he was near her, like he wasn’t good enough in her eyes. Maybe he wasn’t, but it didn’t matter. “Stop following me before you get me killed.”

  She moved with quiet grace across the room and rested her slender hand on his arm. Joe tensed at her soft touch.

  “Just come home with me, Joe.” She waved a hand at the dead body. “I can have this taken care of. You need a place to heal. I can help you.”

  Joe curled his lip. “I don’t need any help from an abomination. Don’t locate me again.”

  He stormed from the room, his heart heavy as he headed toward the front door. It killed him to see the pain in her beautiful eyes when he’d called her an abomination, but Joe had to keep the line drawn in the sand.

  His crimes were too great to allow someone like Lucinda into his dark and cold heart. He’d killed too many of her kind. There was no hope for them, and he would do well to remember that.

  “Everything all right?” Enrique asked.

  “Just get fucking moving,” he barked as he snatched the front door open. “Make that damn call and have Tim disposed of.”

  When they exited the apartment, Joe slammed the door so hard the frame rattled.

  Xander threw Sylvester behind him as he glared at the two men getting out of their truck. He scented the air, then growled. “Hellhounds.”

  The driver gave a bark of laughter as held his arms out. “You got me.”

  “Hell what?” Sylvester asked from behind him. “What did you just call Duke?”

  How in the fuck had a hellhound mated? Sario had said that Leo had called his wife his mate. Did hellhounds have mates? The thought disturbed Xander on the deepest level.

  “Just hand my little brother over and we won’t tear you apart,” Duke said as Riley moved to the other side of Xander, boxing him and Sylvester in.

  “I’m not your little brother!” Sylvester shouted.

  “Oh, but you are,” Riley said. “When my dad mated your mom, you became one of us.”

  “Useless, but still family.” Duke nodded. “We were ordered not to hurt you, but no one said we couldn’t hurt your boyfriend.”

  People were still in the diner and walking the streets. The last thing Xander wanted was to give the humans a frightening show, but he would if he had to. Neither man would take Sylvester away from him.

  Riley snickered. “Leo’s gonna make you pay when he gets his hands on you, Sylvester.”

  A gleeful gleam entered Duke’s dark eyes. “I can’t wait. I love torturing humans.”

  “Get in the fucking truck, now,” Riley said to Sylvester before narrowing his eyes at Xander. “You better not get in our way.”

  Sylvester’s hands curled into Xander’s shirt as he trembled behind him. Hellhounds weren’t easy to defeat, but Xander would go down fighting to protect his mate.

  He released some of his power. The air between them crackled as the energy flowed from his body.

  Duke’s brows shot up as a malicious smile formed. “Oh, this is gonna be fun.”

  Xander grabbed Sylvester’s hand and shot across the street, heading for the park. He was relieved to see that no one was there, but still anxious since Sylvester was with him.

  When he stopped and spun around, he snatched his phone from his pocket and handed it to Sylvester. “Call Sebastian. He’s in my contacts.”

  Duke and Riley caught up to them, and Riley shifted into an oversized rottweiler. Saliva dripped from his sharp teeth as he spread his front legs and pinned his ears back.

  Xander’s phone clattered to the ground as Sylvester backpedaled, falling on his ass as he screamed. Riley leaped toward Sylvester, but Xander shifted and plowed into the beast, knocking him sideways and away from Sylvester.

  Riley backed up, lowering his head as he snarled.

  “You really don’t want to piss him off,” Duke said. “His bite really is worse than his bark.”

  Keeping his eyes on both men, Xander moved until he was standing in front of Sylvester, blocking him from being easily snatched.

  He was momentarily stunned when Sylvester curled his fingers into Xander’s fur. From the corner of his eye, he saw Sylvester pick the phone up and dial.

  “Get off the fucking phone,” Duke snapped. “Don’t make me come after you.”

  “Hellhounds have us pinned down at the park,” Sylvester said in a rush before he tossed the phone aside.

  “You bastard,” Duke snapped before he advanced toward them.

  Xander snarled, baring his canines in warning. He knew the only way to kill a hellhound was to stab them in the black mark behind their ear. He also knew if one bit him, he would suffer immense agony from their toxic saliva, but he would survive. Sylvester wouldn’t be that lucky if one bit him. He was human, and would die an agonizing death.

  “Do you think I’m gonna stand here and let you hurt me?” Sylvester argued. “I never liked either of you from the moment I laid eyes on you.”

  Duke narrowed his eyes. “Ditto.”

  “And I know about you trying to sneak into Sario’s bedroom,” Sylvester snapped. “I should kick you in your balls for that.”

  Duke’s laughter sent a chill down Xander’s spine. The sound was just this side of madness. “If I really wanted Sario, I would’ve had him. A locked door wouldn’t have stopped me.” He shrugged. “For a human, he really is stunning.”

  “I’m gonna be sick,” Sylvester said. “You’re a sadistic pervert.”

  “I’ll show you how perverted when I drag your brother home.” Duke advanced toward them. Xander gave a warning growl, but that didn’t stop him. He reached for Sylvester, but Xander bit his hand.

  Duke shouted as he snatched his hand back and cradled it against his chest. “You’re gonna pay for that, mutt.”

  Riley attacked, forcing Xander to move away from Sylvester as he tried to stop the rottweiler from biting him. Xander spun
when Sylvester screamed.

  Riley pounced, sinking his teeth deep into Xander’s hindquarter. Xander yelped as he jerked around, dislodging the hound’s teeth. Duke grabbed Sylvester and ran, and Xander raced after them with Riley on his tail.

  A black Lexus and two trucks screeched to a stop in the middle of the street, blocking Duke’s escape. Sebastian jumped out and shifted, followed by Zeke and Aldrich.

  Xander shifted back into human form as he staggered toward the sidewalk, agonizing pain ripping through his right side. Sweat gathered over his naked body as he collapsed on the grass.

  “Xander!” Sylvester raced toward him when Sebastian attacked and Duke had no other choice than to let him go so he could shift into his rottweiler form.

  Sylvester dropped to his knees with tears in his eyes. His hands hovered over Xander’s hip. “What can I do?”

  “Stay back,” Xander warned. He flipped to his hands and knees and crawled away. Every movement was agonizing as he vomited black ooze. Never in his life had he felt such pain. “Don’t get any of this shit on you.”

  Sylvester moved closer, careful of the ooze on the grass. “Tell me what to do.”

  Xander dropped, but rolled clear of the black goop before hitting the ground. Sylvester shook him, screaming his name as darkness swallowed Xander.

  Sylvester pushed to his feet and raced toward the street brawl, ready to tear Riley apart. He’d never been so afraid in his life, or so angry, and his rage drove him closer to the wolf and rottweiler trying to rip each other’s throat out.

  Only, Sylvester had no idea which dog was Riley. And in truth, their sheer size scared the bejesus out of him. The wolves weren’t small, either, but seeing Xander so hurt and so helpless made Sylvester see red.

  The closest wolf shifted into his human form. It was Aldrich. “Whoa.” He grabbed Sylvester by his waist and hauled him off his feet.

  “Let me go!” Sylvester fought to get free so he could exact his vengeance on Riley. “I’m going to kill him!”

  Aldrich carried Sylvester to the sidewalk and set him on his feet. “What you’re going to do is stay with Xander. You’ll only make things more complicated by getting yourself killed.”

  Sylvester had started to dodge around Aldrich when he heard a yelp. He looked toward the fight to see one of the rottweilers explode and turn into a falling pile of ash.

  Sylvester’s jaw dropped. Moments later, the other dog did the same thing. He became light-headed as he took a step back, trying to wrap his mind around what he’d just witnessed.

  Aldrich moved past Sylvester and gently picked Xander up from the grass and carried him toward one of the trucks.

  Sylvester hurried alongside him. “What happened to Xander? What was the black crap he vomited?” He lowered the tailgate so Aldrich could settle Xander in the bed of his truck.

  Aldrich turned to Sylvester. “A hellhound bite is lethal.”

  Sylvester’s heart kicked up a notch and his world spun sideways as he looked at Xander. “Does that mean he’s going to die?”

  “No.” Aldrich shook his head as he closed the tailgate. “He’s not human, so he has a fighting chance.”

  “A fighting chance,” Sylvester repeated. “Which means it’s possible.”

  Aldrich gripped Sylvester’s arm and guided him to the passenger side of the truck, where he helped him in. “We need to get him home. Sebastian will call Nazaryth. The winged beasts have a salve that will help Xander.”

  Winged beasts? Sylvester had no clue what that meant, but he refused to freak out right now. He needed to keep a level head so he could help Xander.

  On their way back to the pack house, Aldrich gave him more details. “A hellhound is exactly what it sounds like. A hound from Hell. Their bite is lethal to humans, but, as I said, a nonhuman has a fighting chance.”

  Sylvester felt queasy. “I lived with those things.” He turned his head toward Aldrich. “My mother married one of them.”

  “That’s kind of a shocker,” Aldrich said. “I had no idea hellhounds could mate, let alone fall in love.”

  Sylvester had no doubt that Leo had loved his mother. In fact, he’d worshipped the ground she’d walked on. Oh God. When Leo found out his sons were dead, he’d go off the deep end. He would blame Sylvester, and there would be no safe place for Sylvester to hide from the man’s wrath.

  “My stepfather is gonna come,” Sylvester said. “When he learns of Duke and Riley’s deaths, he’s going to tear this town apart.”

  Leo was as twisted as they came, but he truly loved his boys. Sylvester looked out the back window, checking on Xander. He was still unconscious, which scared Sylvester.

  When they pulled up in front of the house, Sylvester jumped out, twisting his hands as Aldrich grabbed Xander from the bed of his truck and took him upstairs. Sylvester skittered to a halt when he saw a tall man with short brown hair and dark brown eyes standing in his bedroom.

  Aldrich didn’t flinch at the sight of the stranger, so Sylvester made himself calm down. He stepped to the opposite side of the bed and watched as the stranger smoothed a pasty, white cream over Xander’s bitemark. Sylvester felt as though he would be sick. The puncture holes appeared deep and looked as though they were festering.

  The stranger set the jar on the nightstand and pulled the sheet over Xander, then tucked it around his hips. If Riley hadn’t already burst into dust, Sylvester would’ve killed him ten times over. He hated to see Xander lying there unconscious, his life hanging in the balance.

  “Will he be okay?” Was the salve some kind of miracle cream? Would it draw out the poison and make Xander better? Sylvester desperately needed answers.

  “Just let him rest,” the man said. “And whatever you do, don’t get the black ooze on you.”

  Sylvester bobbed his head, fighting back tears as he sat on the side of the bed and brushed his hand over Xander’ fur. “Thank you.”

  The stranger dipped his head before exiting through the balcony. Curious, Sylvester got up and hurried toward the door just in time to see him fly skyward.

  He grabbed the metal railing, his heart beating wildly as he shook his head. “I should be used to seeing shit like that by now.”

  Sylvester went back inside and crawled onto the bed, where he curled around Xander’s wolf, praying the man he loved would be okay.

  Chapter Ten

  Every inch of his body hurt when Xander opened his eyes. He needed a moment to get his bearings and to see that he was in his bedroom.

  And to feel the weight on his chest.

  Xander looked down and saw Sylvester draped over him, hugging him as he slept. He rested his head back on the pillow and stared up at the ceiling, placing his hand over Sylvester’s slim back.

  That hellhound had bitten him. Xander remembered that much. He also recalled the excruciating pain and how Sebastian and the other men had shown up to fight the beasts.

  How he’d gotten home was a mystery, but he was pretty sure his pack members had brought him here.

  Sylvester whimpered, kicking his legs. Xander hissed when his mate kicked him in the hip where he’d been bitten as he smoothed his hand down Sylvester’s back, trying to settle him into a deep sleep.

  “Where’re you taking me?” Sylvester murmured.

  Every single night since Sylvester had arrived at the pack house, he’d had a fitful dream. His memories were trying to resurface, but so far, during his waking hours, they stayed locked away.

  Maybe that was for the better. Xander wished he could forget his past. It wasn’t always worth remembering.

  “No.” Sylvester shook his head. “Brad, why are you doing this?”

  Xander frowned as he tried to sit up, but pain shot through his side, forcing him to lie back down. Who the hell was Brad? Was he the person who’d kidnapped Sylvester and taken him to that motel?

  Sylvester’s arm shot out, as if he were throwing a punch. Xander grabbed his mate’s wrist and held it to his chest. He would wake Sylvester, but first he wanted to see if Sylvester revealed anything else that would help put the pieces together.

  Before Xander could grab him, Sylvester shot up, screaming, “I’m not a Hunter!”

  “Whoa, easy.” Xander forced himself to sit up. The room swayed and his stomach pitched as he pulled Sylvester to him. “You’re here with me, sweetheart. No one is going to hurt you.”