Sweet-Delight[ Brac Village 1] (2 page)

Kenway was frustrated as hell by midafternoon. No one was hiring. How in the hell was he supposed to live here if he couldn’t find work? Exhaling his irritation, Kenway hopped into his truck and headed toward Maverick’s. He would pick his friends up once he was finished talking with the alpha.

There was no way he was bringing Styles along with him. The coyote would have them kicked out of town quicker than Kenway could say boo.

Kenway decided that once he pulled into the drive and was shown in to Maverick’s office, he was going to ask the alpha if he knew where Kenway could find some work. There had to be something around this town he could do.

It didn’t matter how many times he saw the Den, Kenway was always impressed. The red brick home was freaking huge. Parking his truck, Kenway pocketed his keys and headed toward the front door. He could see a shadow behind the glass even before he knocked. He really didn’t want to come here asking for a job, but the town wasn’t big. If Kenway wanted to say, he needed a job. Kenway also needed to let the alpha know that none of the men in his group wanted to move out of the Manchester place. They had sunk a lot of their money into fixing it up.

The door swung open to show Maverick standing there. “Nice to see you again,” Maverick said as he waved Kenway in and then walked to his office. He took a seat behind his desk, kicking his booted feet up and lacing his fingers together, resting his hands on his stomach. “Now, what can I do for you?”
Kenway took a seat in the leather chair in front of Maverick’s mahogany desk, trying to stretch out and seem just as relaxed as the alpha—even if he was a bundle of nerves.
“My small pack wants to stay in the Manchester house, if that’s all right by you.”
Maverick pulled at the patch of hair under his lip, his expression thoughtful. “But isn’t that place a bit on the small side for such large shifters?”
“It isn’t as large as your home, but for us, it’s a perfect size.” Okay, maybe it was a bit small, but they didn’t need much. They had lost so much in their last town that Kenway knew no one in his group would object.
“If that’s what you want. I was looking into building additional houses out that way to accommodate your group, but if you want to stay where you are at, that’s fine by me.”
Kenway was glad. Some of the shifters—hell, all of them— couldn’t afford a mortgage on a new home. Living together, they could split the rent, which was a hell of a lot better on everyone’s wallet. He liked the fact that the alpha was so easygoing. Kenway knew better than to piss the man off, but as far as the small stuff, Maverick was pretty cool about it.
“Anything else?” Maverick asked.
Kenway hated to ask, he really did. But he had to set aside his pride if he was going to have any hopes of finding a job. He sat up and leaned a bit toward the alpha. “Do you know of anywhere I can find work? I’ve been all over town, but no one seems to be hiring.”
Maverick pulled his feet down from his desk and sat forward, cocking his head to the side as he studied Kenway for a moment. Kenway was a buffalo shifter and not much scared him, so why did he feel like squirming under Maverick’s intense gaze?
“How would you like to have your own business?” he asked as he twined his fingers together and rested them on his desk.
“I would love to, but I don’t have the startup money,” Kenway confessed.
“I had a dream about you last night.”
Okay, that wasn’t in the least bit weird. Kenway inched back, wondering if that was a come-on. He was flattered, but not interested in the big biker-looking alpha. “About?” he ventured carefully.
Maverick chuckled. “Definitely not about your hairy ass.”
Kenway relaxed.
“I dreamt you ran your own bakery. But there was…never mind.”
Okay, there was no way Kenway was going to let the alpha stop now. His curiosity was piqued and he wanted to know. “There was what?” he asked as he sat forward once more.
“Are you sure you want to know?” Maverick asked. The playful gleam in his light-grey eyes was gone, replaced by grimness. That was not reassuring, but he really wanted to know.
“You’ve got my interest,” he admitted honestly.
“There was someone there with you. A vampire. But he wasn’t working there, he was hiding there.”
Kenway shot to his feet. “Ross.”
“Who?” Maverick asked as he furrowed his dark brows.
“Ross is my mate. He lives at the Northern coven. He said he would come back to me, but he hasn’t returned yet. Do you think something is wrong?”
Maverick grabbed the phone on the desk and began to dial. Kenway had no idea who Maverick was calling, but he hoped the alpha found out where Ross was. Kenway missed the man terribly.
“Dante, this is Alpha Maverick over in Brac Village. I’m calling about someone in your coven name Ross.”
Kenway felt the urge to pace Maverick’s office as the wolf shifter talked on the phone. He wasn’t sure why, but his gut instinct was screaming that something was wrong. He should have heard from Ross by now. The vampire could have popped in, literally, and let Kenway know that he was all right. Since Ross hadn’t done that thus far, Kenway was worried.
Maverick looked grim as he hung up the phone, his fingers lingering as he glanced over at Kenway.
“Kenway, Ross hasn’t been seen at the coven in a while.”
Kenway mentally stumbled back as he wondered where in the hell his mate was. “What did Dante say?”
“He said that the last time he saw Ross, the vampire had said he had found his mate and was leaving the coven. Dante gave him his best wishes. He hasn’t seen him since. He thought Ross was with you.”
Kenway could feel his buffalo trying to burst free. Worry and anger filled him to overflowing. Something had happened to Ross, and he planned on finding out what that something was.
“Where do I start looking?” He didn’t know this area very well. Kenway hadn’t a clue where to start his search.
“I’ll send Hawk with you. He’s a damn good tracker. Cody is our best, but he runs the diner. Hawk has more free time.”
Kenway nodded. “I just gave him a ride into town. His truck was broken down on the side of the road. He’s at the diner.”
If Kenway had let Styles stop him from helping Hawk, then he knew for damn sure that Maverick wouldn’t be helping him. Things were different in this town. These wolves actually cared about their residents.
If Styles didn’t let go of his hate for the wolves, he was going to miss out on making good friends and damn good allies.
Maverick reached for the phone. “I’ll call him. Meet him at the diner and he’ll help you out from there.”
Kenway started for the door.
“Kenway,” Maverick called out.
He turned.
“About the bakery. I’ll loan you the startup money. We’ll work out a loan repayment later, when you find your mate.”
Kenway nodded his appreciation as he walked out of Maverick’s office. He would be happy as hell right now about starting his own business, if he wasn’t so damn worried about his mate.

Ross had no idea where he was. He had tried numerous times to disperse his molecules, but with the bracelet around his wrist, it wasn’t happening. He had no idea that there were handcuffs made specifically for vampires. That was news to him. He wondered if Dante knew about them. And if the coven leader had, why in the fuck hadn’t Ross been informed?

He had tried over and over again to get the damn thing off, but it wasn’t budging. It was as if there was some sort of spell or something on it. Every time Ross tried to work it free, it slipped right back onto his wrist.

If he didn’t get out of here soon, Ross was seriously contemplating cutting his own damn wrists off. Okay, not really, but he was frustrated as hell.

Ross stopped outside a building, hearing a lot of cheering and loud music. He glanced up to see the name of the place.
Diablo’s.
Just where in the hell was he? There was a large, beefy man standing at the doorway, eyeing Ross suspiciously. He could smell shifter on the man, but wasn’t sure what
kind
of shifter. He was starting to wonder if he should go in there for help. The place didn’t look too respectable.
“You here to audition?” the man asked, leaning back against the brick wall in the small alcove of the doorway, looking as if he hadn’t a care in the world.
“Audition?”
For what
? From the looks of the place, it wasn’t going to be anything he wanted to do.
“Go on inside and talk to Diablo. He’s behind the bar,” the man said as he waved Ross in.
Having nothing to lose at this point, Ross ventured inside. There was a throng of patrons sitting by the stage as a drag queen strutted across large platform. And that was definitely a drag queen. The guy…er…girl sashayed back and forth, giving the men a show as he…er…she began to undress.
Holy shit!
He was in a strip club!
Just where in the hell was he?
Ross quickly turned around, making a beeline for the door. He wasn’t a stripper and had no desire to become one either. He had no idea why the bouncer had sent him in, but Ross was getting the hell out of here.
Audition my ass!
There was no way in fuck he was dressing up like a woman and…no way!
“Where you going, hon?”
Ross yelped when he was grabbed by the wrist and hauled back into the club by some drunken man. The guy’s breath stunk to high heaven, and he wasn’t easy on the eyes. Ross fought to get free, but the man was too strong, his grip made of steel.
“Let me go!” He smacked at the man’s hands as he twisted back and forth. He was going to kill his brother for slapping the bracelet on his wrist and leaving him here…wherever here was. That little shit was meaner than hell, but strong as crap, too. They had never gotten along, but he hadn’t ever thought the vampire would stoop this low. There was mean, and then there was downright evil. And Virgil belonged to the latter. Ross wasn’t even sure why Dante didn’t do the world a favor and kill the vampire. Brother or not, the man was going to kill someone one of these days.
It wasn’t that he didn’t love Virgil. Ross honestly did. Virgil was his brother, after all. But the vampire had been nothing but torturous to Ross since he could remember.
As Ross fought to get free, he thought about Kenway. All Ross wanted was his mate. He missed the buffalo shifter desperately. They had only met once, but Ross felt a deep connection to the man and wanted to be back in his presence. Hell, who was he kidding? He wanted to be back in the man’s arms, getting fucked like nobody’s business and being claimed.
“There are tables in the back that we can sit at and play, or we could go to a back room.”
“Not on your life!” Ross shouted, feeling the tears well up in his eyes.
Damn it.
He didn’t want to cry in a place like this, but he was feeling trapped with no way out. He saw half-naked men strutting around the place, as if they were on the prowl for sex, and Ross felt his stomach roll.
“Let the man go.”
Ross snapped his head around when he heard the deep rumbling growl behind him. His eyes widened, wondering if he had just gone from the frying pan to the fire. The man was huge!
“Sorry, Wayland. I didn’t know he was yours.”
Wait, what?
“I’m not—”
“He’s with me. So let everyone know that he’s off-limits.” Wayland took a step toward the drunken man, his lip pulled back into a snarl. The guy swallowed hard as he backed up, releasing Ross.
“I’ll do that.” The man spun on his heel and took off deeper into the club.
Ross glanced up at the large man. “Thank you.”
Wayland raked his eyes over Ross with a sharp and assessing look. “You’re new here.”
“I–I’m not technically here,” Ross stammered. He could see the faint eager look in Wayland’s eyes, and he had to make it clear that this was all a big mistake.
“You look like you’re standing here to me.”
Oh, hell.
“I’m lost,” Ross said as he began to back toward the door. “I stumbled in here on accident.”
“Wait,” Wayland said, but Ross was heading for the door as if his life depended on getting out of there. He wasn’t waiting around for anyone. Not in this place. He didn’t want to
play
at a table or be taken into a back room. He just wanted to get the hell out of the strip club and go home.
Where are you, Kenway?
When the bouncer held his hand up, stopping Ross from leaving, Ross nearly screamed in frustration. He wanted out of this fucking place!
“Wayland wants to talk to you,” the bouncer said lazily, jerking his chin back toward the bar.
“So?” he said exasperatedly.
“So,” the bouncer said. “When a Demon Warrior wants to talk, you listen.”
Demon Warrior?
Ross had never heard of a Demon Warrior. Were they the good guys? He wasn’t sure who to trust, but he knew he had to trust someone if he was going to get out of this place. He had been wandering around for too damn long. He had already run from so many different creatures that his head was spinning. He was tired of running. All he wanted to do was go home.
No, he wanted Kenway.
Ross waited by the door, praying he wasn’t going to make a mistake by trusting this guy. If Wayland proved to be a lecherous character, Ross was going to lose it. He had been propositioned so many times since he’d been here that he never wanted to hear about sex again.
“This way,” Wayland said as he nodded outside.
Ross walked past the bouncer, giving him the evil eye. The man gave a low chuckle and shrugged.
“Leave Diesel alone,” Wayland said from behind Ross. “He was only doing his job.”
“Does his job include holding someone against their will when they want to leave?” Ross snapped. He was tired, hungry, and sick of this place.
Wayland gave a low growl as the two stepped out into the night. That was another thing about this strange place. It was always nighttime. The sun never came up…ever. Being a vampire, that was a relief, but it was still weird.
“He does what he has to do.”
Ross tossed his hands into the air. “What kind of an answer is that?” The man made no damn sense to him, but neither did this place.
“Just follow me.” Wayland began to walk down the street, leaving Ross behind. Ross stood there for a moment, wondering if he should follow when he heard a loud scream coming from Diablo’s. He wasn’t stupid. He took off after Wayland just as fast as his legs would carry him.
“Where are you from?” Wayland asked when Ross caught up to him.
“Earth,” Ross replied. It seemed like the logical thing to say since Ross knew for a fact this place wasn’t on any map.
Wayland chuckled. “No shit. I mean, where about?”
“Have you heard of Dante’s coven?”
Wayland shook his head.
“Christian’s coven?”
Wayland chuckled and nodded. The smile lightened the man’s face and made him seem almost docile. No, not really. But the man looked a hell of a lot friendlier when he smiled. “I know Christian.”
“Good, can you take me to him?” Ross asked as he panted, trying his best to keep up with Wayland’s long strides. The man sure as hell walked fast. Ross was a vampire, born with preternatural speed, but Wayland was putting him to shame.
“I can do that,” Wayland said. “Follow me.” The man walked down an alley between some restaurant called Malcor’s Melting Pot and a coffeehouse called Jake’s Java. Ross raised a brow.
“You want me to follow you down an alley?” he asked suspiciously. “And why am I supposed to trust you?”
“Because, babe, I’m your only way out of the demon realm,” Wayland answered as he continued to walk down the dark alleyway. Oh, this was not good. Ross had a choice to make. Either he could keep wandering around this demon realm—which, now that he knew where he was, it didn’t make him feel one ounce better—or he could pray Wayland was on the up-and-up and follow him.
Ross worried his lower lip as he glanced around. There was no way he was staying stuck in this place. He was starving and so freaking tired that he could lie on the damn ground and sleep for a week.
“Are you coming?” Wayland called.
Was he?
Fuck.
“Yes,” Ross shouted as he hurried down the alleyway. He saw Wayland standing off to the side, leaning against a wall. Ross eased closer, wondering what was going to happen now.
“Come here.”
“Uh-uh.” Ross shook his head. “This is close enough.” He wasn’t stupid.
“How am I going to transport you to the human realm if I don’t touch you?” Wayland asked, a shitty-ass grin on his face.
Ross began to back up. “Touch me how?”
Wayland straightened, his face losing its teasing look to be replaced by pure anger. His eyes began to glow red as he stared at Ross. “Don’t. Move.”
Ross froze. He wasn’t sure what in the hell was going on, but Wayland looked scary as the devil. He swallowed hard, his throat drying out as a large lump formed. “What—”
Wayland pressed a finger to his lips, silencing Ross. This wasn’t good. Not good at all. Ross slowly turned his head and gasped.
“Move closer to me, slowly,” Wayland said so low that Ross almost didn’t hear him. He took a step back, and then another, watching the scene in front of him. There was a man slumped on the ground and another sucking at the slumped man’s mouth. Not kissing him. No, because the man leaning over the other had his lips inches away.
“He’s a soul-sucker.”
Ross so didn’t like the sound of that.
“Stay right here,” Wayland growled as he began to move forward. Ross had no problem staying right where he was. He didn’t want that thing coming anywhere near him. He liked his soul exactly where it was, inside of him.
“Having fun?” Wayland called out.
The man…er…thing jumped back and then took off, Wayland giving chase.
“Wait!” Ross called out, but Wayland was gone. He was left in the alley with the slumped-over man. Ross stepped closer, unsure if he should check to see if the guy was dead. He knew he had to. He couldn’t just leave the man there for another soul-sucker to come along.
“Hey, buddy,” Ross said as he used one finger to push at the man’s shoulder. “You okay?”
The man moaned, grabbing his head as he began to blink his eyes open. Ross jumped back. In this place, he wasn’t taking any chances.
“What happened?” the man asked as he glanced around.
“I think you were about to get your brains sucked out,” Ross said as he continued to step backward. Now that he looked at the man, he could see the guy wasn’t a shrimp.
“That bastard!” the man growled as he pushed to his feet, swaying slightly. “I’m going to kill Fisher.”
“Fisher?”
“The fucking dipshit demon that tricked me,” the man replied as he walked away, turning right when he reached the street.
Okay.
Ross glanced around the alley, seeing that he was truly alone. He blew out a long breath and walked back toward the street, wondering what in the hell he was going to do now. It seemed like he was never going to get out of this place. What did he have to do to get some help, commit murder?
He just might do that when he got his hands on that stinking brother of his. He knew the vampire didn’t like him, but this was low. Ross stilled when he saw a man walking down the street with a dog on a leash. The man walking his dog wasn’t what made him pause. It was the two-headed dog that made him think that maybe he should hurry in the other direction.
“You look a little lost,” the man said as he approached Ross. “Do you need some help?”
“I–I’m looking for Wayland. Do you know him?”
The man grinned and Ross breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the fangs. Thank fuck he had finally run into another vampire. “I know Wayland. I know Rainerio as well.”
“Who?” Ross asked, keeping his eye on both dogs, or was it one?
“The Demon Warriors.”
Ross nodded quickly. “That’s what Wayland was called. Can you help me find him?”
“Sure,” the man said and pointed down the street. “I’ll do one better and take you to their apartment building.”
“Thanks,” Ross said. “I’m Ross.”
“Peter.” The man stuck out his hand and Ross shook it. “Now, follow me.”
“Uh, nice dogs?”
Peter chuckled. “Have you never seen a two-headed dog before?”
Ross shook his head, watching the dog, er, dogs yap at him.
“They are Mitzy and Mickey, and they have two separate personalities,” Peter boasted proudly.
Yeah, Ross needed to haul ass out of this strange place. Never in his life had he seen
anything
with two heads, and he wasn’t sure if he ever wanted to see one again. It was just too bizarre.
“Here we are,” Peter said as he pointed toward the large apartment building in front of them.
Ross glanced at the building and then back at Peter. “Where’s the door?”
“There isn’t one.”
Okay, he was getting a massive headache here. All Ross wanted to do was get home! How was that complicated in any way? “Then how do I get in?”
“Oh,” Peter said as if he just remembered he had left out that vital piece of information. “You just yell for one of the Demon Warriors.”
“Really?” Ross asked. “Why not just hit a buzzer?”
“Because,” Peter said, lowering his voice. “They don’t want anyone, including the demons and creatures from hell, just waltzing in the place.”
Yeah, he so needed to get out of here. He didn’t even want to think about creatures from hell. “Who should I call?” He knew Wayland was chasing a soul-sucker down, so he wasn’t an option, and Ross didn’t know any other Demon Warriors.
“Well, you have a dozen men to choose from. You could call Hondo, Kane, Rainerio, Phoenyx, Cadeym, Kobe—”
“Just pick one,” Ross said as he reached up and began to massage his temples. This was unreal. If he didn’t need Peter’s help, he would tell the squirrelly man to go walk his dogs.
“Hondo!”
Ross winced at Peter’s loud voice. He already had a damn headache. The man didn’t need to shout.
Ross blinked a few times when an extremely large man walked from the side of the building. He wasn’t sure if he should wait or run like hell. The only thing that kept him rooted to the spot was the easy smile on the man’s face.
“You rang?” Hondo asked. Ross sure as shit hoped this was Hondo.
“Yeah, Ross needs your help,” Peter said as he waved a hand at Ross. Both men turned and stared at him.
“You work at Diablo’s?” Hondo asked.
Why on earth did everyone think Ross was a stripper? What was with these people? “No,” he said, keeping the biting tone from coming through. “I was tricked into coming into this bizarre place and need to get back to the human realm.”