“Speaking of women, where’s your mate?”
Donavon took a deep breath. He wasn’t really ready to tell them that Marcella was the woman he was speaking of. “She’s safe. That’s all you need to know. Now back to what I was saying.” Looking around at the crowd, he noticed how they appeared uncomfortable. Their constant fidgeting didn’t look good.
“Tell me if anyone here has heard of the myths on soul collectors?”
“I have.” One man stepped forward from the back.
“What’s your name?”
“Gabe.”
“Okay, Gabe. It’s nice to meet you. Now, tell me what you’ve heard.”
“They’re gods and goddesses or something, aren’t they? I mean, they had people worship them.”
Donavon nodded. “They have followers. What else do you know about them?”
“Not much. Just that they had something to do with harboring souls or something. My mother told me the story when I was little. More like a bedtime story, I guess. But soul collectors are just fairytales.”
Samael grabbed Donavon’s arm, pulling him back. He cleared his throat, and Donavon turned toward him to hear what he had to say.
“I assure you they are not just fairytales. At least, not anymore. There are only two who live at the present moment. I know this because I’m the one who brought the queen back.”
“And who the hell are you?” Danny snapped.
Samael smiled, and Donavon knew it wasn’t because he was happy. The smell of pure evil radiated off of him.
“I’m your worst nightmare. Let me tell you something, Danny-boy. It is Danny-boy, isn’t it? That’s what your piece of shit father used to call you? He called you that right before you shoved the barrel of your gun down his throat.”
Danny’s brown eyes grew big as he took a step back, but Samael continued. “You’re thinking right now that he deserved it. I’m here to tell you that’s irrelevant. You do know that, right? You’re not religious, and to me, you’re prime meat. I may not get you when you’re dead, but now, alive, I could make your life a living hell.”
“You’re a…a—”
“I’m a lot of things,” Samael said, cutting him off. “I’m foremost a dark angel. But a demon master is another title I carry.”
Not a single man in the crowd wasn’t fingering his gun. Donavon raised his hand, trying to assure them. “He’s not here to hurt you. Not unless you do something really stupid.”
Samael laughed. “Unfortunately, he’s telling the truth. I’m here to play the good guy today. I promised my queen I would watch over her mate, and that’s what I plan to do, so a word of warning to any of you who decided to fuck with Donavon. Don’t.” Samael shrugged. “Or do. Whatever. Just know that if you touch him, your ass is mine.”
“Wait. Donavon?” Danny’s eyes shot to him. “That’s Arizona’s real name? And Marcella? She’s the queen? The soul collector?”
Groaning, Donavon nodded. “Yes. To all those questions.”
“I knew her scent was off! Son of a bitch. And she picked you? Not shocking, I guess. You are the toughest one here. But why not go after, I don’t know, the New York alpha or something? I bet he’s tough as shit.”
“Not as tough as you think.” Donavon felt the sweat start to collect over his skin. Fuck. Even though the sun was down, it was still humid as shit.
“How do you know? You’ve met him?”
“On more than one occasion. Now, enough. I need to know, if I win this fight, who is willing to come with me and who wants out?”
“Why is she here?”
Donavon looked back at Gabe. Once again, Samael made it clear he wanted to talk. “The duty of a soul collector varies. Not only can she hold human souls, but she’s special. Marcella has the ability to carry the souls of the supernatural. No one else can. When you all die, you’ll stay bound.
“Your souls have been severed by your change. There is no heaven or hell for you, just a permanent tie to the exact spot where you passed. I’m seriously talking maybe ten feet of moving distance, if you’re lucky. But, anyway, you have the opportunity to change that. You’ll have to decide whether to give your soul to the queen or Jason. They’re the only soul collectors that exist. If you don’t, you’re fucked, eternally.”
The silence from the men was so thick the sound of crickets was nearly deafening. Gabe was the first to open his mouth. “I want to go.”
“Whoa, whoa.” Donavon started shaking his head. “My beef is with Luis.”
“I grew up in a religious family. I didn’t ask for this change. I want to go, too.” A man Donavon had never seen before stepped forward, followed by countless others. The sound of pleas had him jerking his gaze to Samael and Aaron.
“Well, we can’t deny them. Right?” Aaron walked forward. “Donavon, dude, talk to me. We’re not going to let them stay. Are we? We can’t.”
Shit. He’d come to fight Luis, but now this had turned into an alpha double-decker. Well, if he was going to lead the shifter community, this was the way to go. Looking around at all the eyes focused on him, he felt a sense of duty to each and every one of them. “If they want to go, they go.”
“Good boy. Glad you found your nuts. Let’s get this party started. Your rival is coming down the road.”
Donavon glared at Samael but turned his attention to the men who were still staring at him. Somehow, more wolves had come out during all of this, and he was glad for his height. Scanning the heads, Donavon thought there had to be close to seventy-five people. And the majority of them were the pack he’d once been a part of. Where was everyone else? “Those of you who want to go, please raise your hands. I need to see what we’re working with here.”
So many hands rose, he couldn’t tell if any weren’t standing or not. “Okay, never mind. Let’s try this. Those of you who don’t want to go, raise your hands.” Two. Two fucking people and that was it. “Where is the rest of the Houston pack?”
Gabe pointed to the barn. “They’re crashed in the bunk house.”
Three pairs of headlights grew closer by the second. “How many came?”
“Thirty or so. Not many. We only got the call this morning, so it was hard getting everyone together.”
“Go and tell them what’s going on. Let them choose.”
Gabe didn’t hesitate. He took off toward the barn just as the three cars started coming down the drive. Samael stepped closer. “If I tell you something, you obey. No questions asked. Is that clear?”
“I know how to fight, Samael.”
“Don’t be smart with me. I promised Marcella I wouldn’t let anything happen to you. With her, I won’t break my promise. You will obey. Got it?”
“Yeah, yeah. But if it’s fair, don’t you dare interfere. I don’t care how messy it gets. If I’m not good enough to win, I don’t deserve to serve our queen.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
“Good.” Donavon took a step toward his Mercedes SUV. Luis got out of the passenger side and in quick strides, stalked toward him.
“Have you seen the error of your ways and come back to beg for mercy?”
Donavon smiled. “Never. We both know why I’m here. Your reign on this pack is over. Tonight.”
“Is that right?” Luis laughed and pulled out his gun. “Blood in, blood out, motherfucker.”
“Oh, what, no fair fight?” Donavon narrowed his eyes as the barrel of the gun was pointed closer to his face. Damn, he was really getting tired of this shit.
“I don’t have to fight to prove a point to you.”
“Because we both know you won’t win. Isn’t that right, Luis? That’s why you lied to the other alphas. You want them to protect you against me.”
“That’s a lie!”
The cold metal pressed between his eyes and rage made Donavon start shaking. “You’re going to get the gun out of my face and fight me like an alpha is supposed to do, or else I’m going to shove the barrel so far up your ass you’re going to be spitting out lead for a fucking week.”
“Luis. The boy speaks the truth. You fight, or else you offend both of us alphas here.”
Donavon turned to look at the Austin leader. He didn’t know Mylrix that well, but well enough to know you never turned your back to him. Ruthless didn’t even begin to describe the six foot bulldozer. The man was as thick with muscle as Donavon was.
The gun dropped, and Luis glowered angrily. “Of course, what was I thinking? Pack! Get things prepared.”
Other than the two men Luis had taken to pick up Mylrix, only two stepped forward from the crowd. Slowly, the alpha’s gaze came to rest on Donavon. “You turned my own men against me?” He took a step forward, his hot breath brushing against Donavon’s neck as the alpha let out a growl. “For that, you
will
die. I don’t care what kind of scent your wolf lets off. You may reek of an alpha, but I’ve yet to see you actually prove anything.”
“Then today’s your lucky day. Let’s do this.” Donavon pulled his gun out, handing it to Aaron.
“Fuck tradition. We don’t need any circle to stand in.” Luis’s body began to shake as heavy pants came from his mouth. Everyone took a step back, and Donavon didn’t waste any time calling to his own wolf. Fire raced through his limbs while he felt them tremble. Even though he could feel himself physically changing, Donavon tried to keep his attention on his enemy.
Luis’s features contorted as he let out a grunt and sunk to the ground. The massive form of his wolf took shape until the colors blurred and all Donavon could see was the color white. The alpha in him let out its own sound of dominance as he hit the ground on his front two paws, growling. Luis was waiting for him, ready to attack the moment his vision came into focus.
“You fucked up real bad, Arizona. I knew it wouldn’t take you long before you felt the need to prove yourself to your mate.”
Luis even mentioning Marcella had Donavon seeing red.
“Do not mention her again.”
“Or what? Come on. Let’s see what your alpha can do.”
Luis snapped in his direction. Slowly, they started to circle each other. Howls were echoing around them, but Donavon didn’t look to see who they were coming from. One look away could prove fatal, and he had too much to risk by making one stupid mistake.
Samael came into view in his peripheral vision, and he knew they’d almost done a complete circle, which was customary before the first attack. Expecting to make it another step, Donavon was caught off guard by Luis’s powerful form lunging in his direction. The alpha’s sharp teeth sunk into his shoulder, instantly making him jerk away. Flesh tore, nearly crippling him.
“Not so tough, are you? And here I thought you’d give me a run for my money.”
Donavon attacked head on, knocking them both to the ground. Biting the junction between Luis’s neck and shoulder, he felt his adrenaline soar at the first taste of blood. The animal he’d caged all of his life rocked against his insides, and, for the first time, Donavon let him free.
He’d always feared what he was capable of. Only once had he ever tapped into the power he held within. What had happened had scared him so much he had never given in to the urge again. Now, he knew what he needed to do. A deep howl came from Donavon’s throat, vibrating his whole body. The full impact of his alpha identified itself, and with it, his pack answered back. Chaos began to erupt behind him, but all Donavon could see was the man he needed to take out.
Easing back from Luis, he let the alpha get back to his feet. Movement was blurring all around him, and he knew the shit had hit the fan with the other two alphas who’d been hanging out in the background. It was time to end things, and fast.
* * * *
Ambrose ran behind Dominic at a full sprint with all of his servants following closely behind. The electric shock everyone had felt was a clear indication that it was time for them to go. He wasn’t sure what Samael had planned as a sign, but no one had missed feeling like they’d stepped into the world’s largest bug zapper.