A Cold Winter's Day 25 (6 page)

“Are you Sloane?” Raven asked as he pulled D from the top step.

D yelped, trying his best to get back on the front porch. As crazy as it was, he felt safer with Pa than he did with his own flesh and blood.

“No, but if you don’t let him go, I’m going to come down there and get him.”

“Try it, shifter,” Raven challenged as he bared his fangs.

D covered his face when he saw the entire Lakeland clan walk out onto the porch. What a fucking circus this was turning into. He didn’t want this. The family had been too nice to him for this to happen. And he didn’t want his brothers hurt either.

This was one big clusterfuck that he wished he could sweep under the rug and forget about. All D wanted right now was to crawl under a rock somewhere. He had caused this. He was the one to call his brothers and tell them he was destined to be mated to a psycho shifter who wanted him dead.

Gah, how had he screwed this up so badly? His anger mounted toward his father for raising him with such prejudice against anyone who wasn’t a vampire. It was his father’s poison gathering here right now.

He felt Raven’s fingers slowly uncurl from his arm. D looked at his brother to see the concern swimming in the dark depths of his eyes. “Are you safe here, Dudley?”

D nodded as he walked back up the steps. “I’m safe. They’re bear shifters. They’ve been very good to me.”

“But they’re shifters, Dudley. You know what Father said about shifters,” Remus reminded him incredulously.

Yeah, Dudley knew exactly what their father thought of the filthy beasts. He had reminded them on a regular basis to steer clear of the savages. But D had a different opinion of them, and he wasn’t going to allow his brothers to cause any trouble.

“Dad lied.”

“Take that back!” Raven shouted angrily.

“No, I won’t. It’s true. They aren’t raving maniacs that kill indiscriminately. They’re kind people that took me in when they didn’t have to.”

“We’ll see about that. I’ll find Sloane, and when I do, he’ll learn that vampires and shifters don’t mate,” Remus threatened.

D laid a hand over his mouth as his brothers walked away. He knew there was no stopping them. He had to warn Sloane.

What an effing mess.

Sloane was going to hate him for this.

* * * *

Luke watched from the front window with Cole tucked securely in his arms. He hadn’t a clue what was going on, but he was grateful that it wasn’t his tribe out there. His heart had stopped beating when Chance had come in the room announcing visitors.

Luke had been prepared to take Cole and run, but Chance had stopped him, telling him it was vampires at the door. He could see the questioning in Chance’s eyes, but Luke had only given him a nod as he followed the bear down the creaking steps.

He was afraid to confess that his tribe was after him. Luke didn’t want to be kicked out in the cold with nowhere to go. Cole was warm and safe, and he planned on keeping it that way. But the guilt of putting this nice family in harm’s way ate at him.

As he watched the vampires turn and leave, Luke knew he couldn’t stay here. Seeing how the bears had defended D tore at his conscience. This only drove home the fact that he needed to get out of here. Shanta wouldn’t have left so easily. No, Shanta would be out there right now fighting the bears for a chance to get at Cole.

The elder leader had turned cold and cruel. What was once a great man was now broken from battle, only caring for himself. He claimed he needed Cole to save their race, but Luke knew there was more to it than that.

There had to be for Shanta to demand Cole. No man should be separated from his child, and only a sadistic person would demand such a thing.

The calculating way Shanta had stared at Cole had made his blood run cold. Shanta wanted his son for far worse. Luke just knew it. The man could burn in the pits of hell for all he cared. No one was getting his son. He didn’t care if his entire race died out. His son was that important to him.

Luke kissed his son’s forehead and then rested his cheek on Cole’s bouncing black curls. He would die to protect his son, and he had a feeling that was exactly what was going to happen. If only he could get the bracelet off, he could shimmer out of here and take his son as far away from Shanta as possible.

But that would mean leaving his mate behind. As much as Luke wanted his mate, he wanted his son even more. His eyes followed Malcolm’s every move as he walked back into the house with D.

“I need to call Maverick,” Malcolm said wearily as he left Luke standing there. It was a solemn sight to see such a strong man look so defeated. Luke wanted to go after those vampires and beat them bloody for making his mate look that way.

“Give him here,” Chance said as he reached for Cole. “Go see to my pa.”

Luke hesitated for a moment, not wanting to leave Cole’s sight for a second.

“He’ll be safe. Go.”

Luke reluctantly released his son into Chance’s care as he hurried to the kitchen. He saw Malcolm on the phone, his voice low as he leaned his back against the wall. Luke wasn’t sure what he should do, so he walked over to his mate and leaned into him.

Malcolm wrapped one strong arm around him as he continued to talk on the phone. Luke wasn’t sure if he was helping Malcolm at all, but the big, burly man wouldn’t release him.

“He was scared, Maverick. He made a moronic move, but it wasn’t done intentionally.”

Luke pushed closer when he saw Malcolm wince. “I know he called his brothers to take care of Sloane, but—”

Malcolm stopped talking and just listened, nodding his head here and there. Luke couldn’t hear what Maverick was saying, but by Malcolm’s expression, it wasn’t an invitation to tea.

“He’s one of mine, Maverick. I can’t do that.” Malcolm nodded again. “I understand.”

Luke clung to Malcolm as his mate hung up the phone. “Is it that bad?”

Malcolm looked like he had aged ten years just from that one phone call. Worry lines formed at his eyes, and his face held a deep scowl. “Maverick isn’t too happy about one of his kin being threatened.”

“But you explained to him that D hadn’t meant to, right?”

Malcolm shook his head, his grey eyes softening as he looked down at Luke. “Some things require more than a
sorry, I didn’t mean to set vampires on your cousin
. He wants me to bring D to him.”

Luke had heard of Maverick, the timber wolf alpha who had granted the wood elves five hundred acres, but Shanta had cursed the alpha as well. The leader of his tribe had described Maverick as barbaric and ruthless. He said the only reason they were given land was because Carter was now the pack’s whore.

Would D face that same fate?

“You can’t take D to him. He doesn’t deserve the punishment Maverick will place upon him for a misunderstanding.” Luke had to convince Malcolm to keep D safe. He had heard horrific things about vampires as well, but from what he had seen in D, Luke was starting to think he had been misled.

What other lies had Shanta told?

Luke starting questioning everything he had ever been taught by the leader. Now that he thought about it, Shanta was the one who had become barbaric and ruthless that last decade or so. Luke had heard stories about how Shanta had killed innocent men, but Luke had refused to believe it.

Now he wasn’t so sure.

“He’s family, Luke. I wouldn’t sooner turn him over than I would one of my own cubs. Maverick agreed on my point, but he said until this is resolved, we’re on our own.”

Luke jumped when the phone rang. After the past few days of fighting to get away from his tribe, of running through countless acres to get away, of finding his mate, Luke was jumpy as hell. He wasn’t sure what to expect anymore.

His nerves felt raw and exposed as he stood there.

“Lakelands,” Malcolm answered the phone. His expression turned tense as he let out a long breath. “Hang on a minute.”

Luke watched Malcolm walk from the kitchen, only to return a few seconds later with D trailing behind him. Malcolm pointed to the phone.

D’s eyes turned misty as he bit his bottom lip, his hand shaking as he picked the phone up. “Hello?”

Luke felt a growl starting in his chest as he watched D wince and then turn even paler than his complexion already boasted. “But I—”

He nodded as he ran his hand over his head, his eyes downcast. “I’m sorry, Sloane. I didn’t know.”

Luke watched as D slammed the phone down and ran from the room, heading up the stairs. Sobs followed in his wake. Luke glanced at Malcolm and then took off after the vampire. He saw him head into the last room, so Luke followed.

D was lying on his bed, curled up with his knees tucked in as his entire body shook. Luke wasn’t sure what to say to the man, but he couldn’t leave him wallowing in despair. It wasn’t right. No being should feel like that.

“D?”

The vampire turned over, bloodred tears running unchecked down his cheeks as he looked at Luke like he was a ghost. Already his eyes were swollen and red. That might be the blood he was crying, though, but Luke doubted that.

“He said he releases me from his claim on me.” D sniffled, wiping his nose along his arm. “H–He said that since I want him dead, then he is, to me.” Fresh tears fell from D’s dark-colored eyes as he turned back over, giving Luke his back.

Damn, that was pretty harsh
.

But how would Luke feel if he found out that Malcolm had called in his relatives to take care of Luke? How would he feel if he had feared the unknown so much that he had tried to have Malcolm dealt with?

There was no easy answer.

Luke patted D’s shoulder before closing the door behind him. He already knew that anything he said wouldn’t hold any comfort for D right now. The man was bathing in a wealth of misery only Sloane could pull him out of.

Luke thought of what the alpha had said. What if his tribe showed up now? They would have no backing. Luke felt as though he had brought a world of trouble to his mate’s doorstep, and Malcolm Lakeland didn’t deserve that.

Luke walked downstairs, seeking out Cole so he could take his son and leave. He would rather be out there on his own than put his mate in harm’s way. He wasn’t going to allow his fight to become Malcolm’s.

He grabbed Cole from Chance and gathered the diaper bag. Chance watched as Luke headed toward the front door, feeling like his entire world was falling down around him.

“Pa!”

Luke heard Chance shout, but he was too busy concentrating on where he could find refuge for him and Cole without putting anyone in danger. The Lakelands had enough on their plate already without him adding to it.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Malcolm’s voice boomed across the yard, sending a chill that rivaled the weather’s down Luke’s spine.

Luke kept walking.

Malcolm’s footsteps could be heard from behind Luke, and then the bear was in his face. “I told you that you were safe here. Get our son back into the house.”

Luke tried to step around Malcolm, but the man was proving to be a force of nature. He stood there unmoving, refusing to allow Luke to pass. “I have an entire tribe after me, Malcolm. As strong as you are, as strong as your sons are, not even the eight of you can fight an entire tribe of elves.”

Although Luke would love to see Shanta fall from power. The man was a rank bastard that deserved to have his title stripped. Luke prayed he was there when Shanta finally fell.