Gryphon jerked as he got a clear look at Raze. The vampire's eyes widened, but he didn't say anything. Nick clasped Gryphon's hand and dragged him down the hall after Raze. Bandit and Allen glanced at each other.
"Come with me. You can clean up before we debrief Max and the others."
Allen led the way to their room, where Bandit quickly washed up and changed his clothes. None of his injuries were serious enough for him to need to see a doctor, though he knew he would eventually have to stop and get checked out.
Before they left their room, Bandit pulled Allen close and crashed their lips together. Allen buried his fingers in Bandit's hair, opening to him with a sigh. Their tongues dueled and stroked, building a burning fire inside. Bandit wanted nothing more than to throw Allen on the bed, strip him naked, and fuck him until Allen cried out his name.
"All right, you two. I know what you're doing, even without seeing it. You can fuck later. Right now, we need to talk to Max about what happened." Roman's voice came through the door.
With a reluctant grunt, Bandit stepped away from Allen. "He's right. We need to get the debriefing done and then we can say hello the right way."
Allen wrinkled his nose in protest, but didn't say anything as they left their room and joined Roman in the hallway. Luckily, Roman didn't open his mouth, though the smirk he wore said he got a kick out of cock blocking them.
Bandit leaned over and whispered in Allen's ear, "You're going to have to think up some kind of punishment for Roman. He's enjoying our discomfort a little too much."
"I'll think on it." Allen smiled.
They went to the conference room and squeezed into the crowed space. There were a lot more people there than two days ago when they planned the first step of their mission. Max waved them to empty chairs in the front. Allen and Bandit sat, while Roman stood against the wall with Gianni.
"All right, everyone. First, I want to say good job. You executed the mission plans perfectly, and aside from a few minor injuries, no one was hurt. We rescued the captives and destroyed one of Grime's facilities. Plus one of our operatives was able to download information from their computers before erasing them." Max paced in front of them, hands clasped behind his back.
"After glancing over the files, I'm afraid to say Grime is torturing our fellow preternaturals. He's doing everything he can to figure out how to kill us. He's not interested in the usual ways, though those are the most effective. He wants mass destruction of us."
"But why?" Rhonda spoke up from where she stood to the side.
Allen stood. "I think I can answer that. After I killed Kinsey, the alpha of the Dow pack, I was able to obtain information from his beta, who also happened to be my father. Years ago, Kinsey started a gambling ring. He pitted lycan against humans and forced them to fight to the death in his cages. Grime and his brother were two of the humans Kinsey grabbed."
"God damn," Bandit muttered under his breath.
"Even though he was severely injured, Grime managed to survive his fight and escaped. Unfortunately, Grime's brother didn't and, from what we could figure out, died in Grime's arms. Grime vowed to get revenge on lycans and other preternaturals. He didn't seem interested in only going after the ones who hurt him. He wants to wipe all of us off the face of the earth. He believes we are abominations in the eyes of his God."
Max nodded.
"From what we've gathered before this, we knew Grime had a personal axe to grind with lycans especially, but he didn't discriminate against any of us. He wants us gone, and somehow he has obtained the means of doing so."
"Not yet." Bandit stood. "The book was stolen, but we're not sure if Grime has gotten his hands on it yet or not. If he has, he doesn't have the ability to cast the spell, which is why we're still here. The other possibility is whoever took the book isn't interested in giving it to Grime either."
Max stopped pacing and turned to look at Allen. "You're now the new alpha of the Dow pack. What are you going to do?"
"We're abandoning our territory and going to join the Canis pack. I've already talked to Savannah, and she's willing to accept our fealty in exchange for a safe place for us to live. There are only about twenty of the Dow pack left, and none of them ever supported Kinsey or my father."
"You said you talked to Savannah and she was fine with this?" Max studied Allen.
"Yes. Also, she wants to meet with you. She's not entirely happy with the way you disappeared. I think if you talk to her about what your true mission is, she'll be able to help you. The vampire, Gryphon, has connections with several covens that have offered to help in any way. Nick is a new avatar, and while he's still learning his powers, he is a sign the gods will support us in our quest to survive." Allen looked at Bandit.
After sharing a glance with Allen, Bandit faced the people behind him. He did his best to meet each individual's gaze. He tried to project calm and strength. Bandit wanted to take Allen's hand in his because some instinct deep in his soul told him there were preters in the room who wouldn't survive the upcoming battle, and he was afraid Allen might be one of them.
"Listen to me. What the elders of the High Council don't seem to understand--or maybe they don't care about--is this is a battle for our very existence. Grime isn't going to be happy with just killing some of us. He wants to exterminate us, wipe us from this world." Bandit took a deep breath. "I plan on fighting with everything in me to live. I won't let him and his crazy followers destroy me without taking out as many of them as I can."
Allen slid his hand into Bandit's and squeezed. Bandit met his lover's clear gaze with his heart in his own. Allen's smile held understanding and his eyes showed his love for Bandit. He looked back at the others, seeing Roman and Gianni holding hands as well. Raze and Ba'el stood in the shadows, and the demon acknowledged Bandit's silent question with a quick nod. Gryphon had joined them at some point. He moved to stand beside Bandit.
"There are a great many preternaturals who will stand and fight, who won't go 'gently into that good night,' as the poet said. My partner Nick and I are throwing our hat in with Bandit and his pack." Gryphon clapped a hand to Bandit's shoulder.
Bandit swept the room, and while there was fear in everyone's eyes, there was also determination. Max moved to stand next to them as well.
"Any of my operatives who don't want to participate in this battle, you can leave without any hard feelings. We all understand the enormity of what we're facing, but we can't roll over and die. No matter what your species is, none of us is submissive enough to let Grime have what he wants without a fight. I'm going to travel with Bandit and Allen to the Canis pack territory. I'm leaving Rhonda and Malik in charge here."
"Savannah is waiting, along with the heads of several covens. As we get farther along in our plans, we'll start including other preters and keep trying to convince the High Council of the danger." Allen glanced over at Bandit. "We'll be heading out tomorrow morning. We all need to rest after tonight's operation."
"Right. You're dismissed, and we'll talk more after the meeting with Savannah."
Everyone filtered out, until only the original group remained. Gryphon took a step back when he noticed Ba'el for the first time. Bandit grinned.
"Don't worry, Gryphon. Raze has the demon pretty tamed."
Ba'el snarled and took a swing at him. Bandit dodged out of the way with a laugh. The others watched with indulgent smiles.
"I've never had the pleasure of meeting an angel or a demon. I didn't think your kind deigned to have anything to do with us or non-preters." Gryphon eyed the couple with curiosity.
"Most of our kinds don't, but as you can see, neither Ba'el nor I are particularly normal examples of our species." Raze nudged Ba'el with his shoulder.
"True, because I've never seen an angel hang out with a demon." Gryphon chuckled.
"Oh, we do more than hang out," Ba'el commented.
Before the conversation could get worse, Bandit spoke up. "Okay. Are you coming with us?"
He couldn't help the hopeful feeling he had at the thought of the pair joining in their fight. Ba'el brought Raze close to his side and nodded.
"Yes, we are. Nothing Grime does will destroy us because we were made by the non-preter God, but that doesn't mean we'll sit by and watch you leave this earth. We all have a place here and a reason for being. Grime has allowed his pain and rage to corrupt his mind." Ba'el frowned. "His judgment will be harsh in the end."
Bandit looked around at the men who had become his friends, and even more than that, they were family. He would die for each one, and he knew they felt the same way about him.
"All right. We'll plan on leaving tomorrow morning around eight. Rest up and relax because I think the storm is about to break, and there won't be much rest for us for a while."
They split up, heading to their rooms, Bandit and Allen strolling to theirs together. As soon as the door shut behind them, they removed their clothes and fell on the bed. Bandit ran his hands over all of Allen's body, reassuring his heart the man he loved wasn't injured worse than Allen had said. Allen did the same with him.
When he couldn't take it anymore, he dug out the lube and handed it to Allen.
"I want you to fuck me," he said.
Allen leaned back on his heels and stared down at Bandit. His lover didn't say anything while he slicked up his fingers and started stretching him. Bandit closed his eyes, relaxing as the slight burn became pleasure. Each slide in had Allen nailing Bandit's gland with his knuckles.
Soon Bandit whimpered, needing more than Allen's fingers in his ass. He opened his eyes and saw Allen watching him with a lustful expression on his face.
"Please," he pleaded.
His lover removed his fingers from Bandit and settled between his thighs. Lifting his legs with his hands, Bandit offered himself up to Allen without doubt or fear. Allen pushed in, and Bandit sighed with joy as their bodies joined as close together as two people could get.
They rocked, finding a rhythm to bring them ultimate happiness. They locked gazes, never breaking away while they made love. The pressure built in Bandit and his nerves tingled at the base of his spine. He embraced Allen, mingling their breath and heartbeats.
"Come with me," he whispered as his climax exploded over him.
Allen came as well, and they trembled and shook with each breath. Bandit wasn't interested in letting go of his lover. The shadows around them eased the feeling of danger. Tonight was the last night they would feel safe, but they would be together through the fight about to come. Whether they lived or died, at least they would have loved each other with all their hearts and souls.
He stood in the shadows of the trees surrounding the bar. He watched as vehicle after vehicle pulled in. The people climbing out of the trucks and cars weren't the normal customers who frequented the Wolf Pack bar. It was a war council. He might have been away from the world for several hundreds of years, but he still knew one when he saw it.
The burning desire to join them flared through him, yet it wasn't just his life that would be forfeit if he did so. There were others who depended on him, and one was so very precious to him. Could he risk losing her and all she meant? Still, wouldn't it be better to have people he could trust help him with his problems?
He ran his hand over the cracked leather cover of the book he held. Should he give it to the man who'd forced him to take it? Or should he return it to the people in the building in front of him? Indecision rocked him, and he shuddered with the pain of not knowing what to do.
The low roar of a motorcycle caught his attention, and he straightened as one pulled into the parking lot. The lycan climbing off the machine stretched and removed his helmet. The watcher drew in a sudden breath as the parking lot lights gleamed over dark hair and broad shoulders.
The lycan shot a glance over to where the watcher hid, like he knew he stood there. The rider even took a step toward him, and the watcher shrank closer to the tree he stood by.
"Rover, are you coming in or not?" Someone yelled from the door of the bar.
Rover shook his head and hung his helmet on the handle bar of his motorcycle. He stalked to the entrance of the bar, but before he entered, he turned back to glare at the watcher.
It was time to go, but the watcher wanted to linger. He wanted to see Rover again, for the big lycan created a stir in his soul that hadn't been there for centuries. He dissolved into the darkness, taking the book with him.
T. A. Chase lives a life without boundaries. Being fascinated by life and how different we all are, she writes about the things that make us unique. She finds beauty in all kinds of love and enjoys sharing those insights. She lives in the Midwest with his partner of fourteen years. When she isn't writing, she's watching movies, reading and living life to the fullest.
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