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  “How do you know my father?” she asked. Rocco’s head snapped back up as he leaned against the doorframe.

  “We go way back.”

  “He’s never mentioned you before.” Jessie saw the tick in his jaw.

  “We haven’t spoken in a while. So you’re here alone? Not like Rickon to leave his family unguarded.”

  “I’m more than capable of handling myself.”

  “I’m sure.” This time he took off his sunglasses and blatantly glanced to the hem of her jean shorts. Jessie wished she had put some pants on, tugging at her shirt as if it would hide her.

  “I’ll tell my father you stopped by.” Jessie went to shut the door, but Rocco stopped it with his boot, pushing it back open.

  “As much as I would enjoy seeing your father again, I’m not here for him.” He stepped into the living room and Jessie took three steps back. He was even taller than she had thought as he stood in front of her. His eyes danced around the room, the light reflecting off his pupils. There was something off about him. The way he moved. The way he sniffed the air. He was more beast than man.

  He was feral.

  Jessie watched him look around the room, sniffing the air, scrutinizing every detail of her house like a thief plotting his attack.

  “I want you to leave,” Jessie said. His eyes locked back on her.

  “That’s just rude.”

  Jessie glanced around the room. Where were her brothers when she actually needed them? She glanced to the back door. If she could get past the barn, she could lose him in the bayou. She took her chances and ran for the screen door. She didn’t make it far when her head was yanked back and she fell to the kitchen floor. The man grabbed her by the hair and yanked her to her feet.

  “Let go of me!” Jessie tried to hit him, but he was just out of her reach.

  “Rickon will now know my pain,” he whispered in her ear. He shoved her forward and her face slammed against the kitchen table. Pain shot through her jaw as he held her head down. She tried to push up, but he was too strong.

  “Help!” Jessie shouted. “Somebody help me!”

  She felt his hands on her thighs and she kicked her heel up. Her foot hit square between his legs and he fell to the floor holding his crotch.

  “You stupid bitch!”

  Jessie leapt over him and ran for the front door. She felt her left foot get yanked from under her and her face hit the floor, hard. Blood seeped on her tongue as her right cheek burned. Rocco was on top of her and flipped her to her back.

  “Get off of me!” she screamed. She reached up and dug her nails into his cheek, ripping the flesh down to his neck. He yelled in pain as blood sprung from the torn skin. He sat up and back handed her. The slap was loud, but the pain that followed was even louder as it echoed through her face. She could feel the blood dripping from her split lip as he hit her again. Her head flew back bouncing off the floor. Spots clouded her vision as she tried to refocus her eyes. Why did Agnes have to put the binding spell on her so tightly? If she could just free her witch powers, she could push him off of her.

  And then his weight was gone. She watched Rocco go flying into the living room wall. He hit it hard and fell to the floor unconscious. She looked down to her hands, but she could still feel the binding spell on her.

  “Are you all right?” Jessie looked up, and for a second, she couldn’t breathe. Daniel crouched beside her and brushed her hair back. The relief that flooded through her was pure bliss. She wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging to him.

  “It’s okay,” Daniel whispered to her. “It’s okay.”

  “He…he…” But Jessie couldn’t get the words out.

  “Sshh,” Daniel said. “Where’s your father?”

  “I-I-I don’t know. Nobody was here when I woke up.” Jessie could feel the tears falling down her face.

  “Okay,” Daniel said, pulling her back to him. “We need to go now. Rocco came by the bar earlier with three other wolves. I don’t know where they are so we need to go. Can you ride?”

  Jessie nodded her head. “Okay. Come on.”

  He helped her to her feet and took her hand in his. She looked one more time at Rocco as he slumped over against the wall. Jessie followed Daniel out the front door to his bike. The night air was cold as she ran behind him. She jumped on his bike after him and he took off away from the house.

  ***

  Rocco sat up, shaking his head. He heard the sound of the motorcycle taking off. He shot to his feet and ran to the front door just as the tail light faded off in the distance. Shit.

  “What the hell happened?” Rocco turned to Baxter as he ran up to him. “Where is she?”

  “She’s gone with the Gregorian.” Rocco rubbed the back of his head where it had slammed into the wall. He could feel the warm, sticky liquid and when he pulled his hand back, his blood coated his fingers. He stared at his blood. His very red blood.

  “How the hell did that happen?” Baxter said, pulling Rocco from his thoughts.

  “He’s stronger than I anticipated.”

  “Must be to get one up on you. Guess you’re not as strong as you thought.” Rocco’s fist was faster than Baxter’s reflexes and he landed a blow into the mutt’s mouth. Baxter fell back and landed on his ass.

  “I am still your alpha, and unless you want to be a dead wolf, keep your thoughts to yourself.”

  “Sure thing,” Baxter said as he wiped his lip and stood up. “What are your orders?”

  “Keep an eye on the bar. Apparently they know Rickon after all. Let me know if you see him there. Do not attack him. Just report back to me when you see him.”

  Baxter nodded his head before he took off towards the bikes they had parked. Rocco looked back to the house. He looked to his fingers still coated in his blood. He walked back inside and breathed in deep. He could smell Rickon’s scent. But he could also smell something else. It was the girl’s blood.

  He looked to the floor and crouched down where a single drop of blood lay. Black blood. He wiped the drop from the floor and held it to his nose. It wasn’t the scent of a demon. It was something else. This wolfswan was more valuable than his employer had let on.

  He pulled his phone out of his jacket pocket and hit the number one for speed dial.

  “Have you found the girl?” the deep voice said into the receiver.

  “I have, but it’s proven to be more difficult than expected.”

  “Difficult?”

  “She’s guarded by Dark Lords and the Gregorian pack.”

  He heard the man laugh.

  “Did I hire the wrong wolf?”

  “No, but my fee has just gone up. I want double the agreed amount.”

  “You will get what was agreed upon or I will kill you instead. You’re not the only bounty hunter out there.”

  “But I’m the only one with a connection to Rickon’s pack. The pack the girl belongs to.”

  The phone went silent.

  “Very well. Double the price. But I want the girl in the next three days or the deal, and your head, is off.”

  Rocco hung up the phone. He walked outside and took a look around the bayou. A good place to hide a pack. Rocco wouldn’t have looked here if it weren’t for the faint smell he had caught at the bar. His newly possessed powers were showing to be most useful. Rickon thought he was keeping his pack safe here. Rocco would let them be, for now. He heard the sound of motorcycle engines cutting through the trees. He took off in the other direction. Soon he will have his money and his vengeance.

  CHAPTER 6

  “Jessie!” Rickon called through the house. The house was small, but Rickon still went through every room, searching in every closet.

  “She’s not here,” Robb said from the living room.

  “Find her!” Rickon stepped out back. “Jessie!”

  “She’s safe,” Justin said, running up to him. “That was Boyd on the phone. Daniel was here. He took her to safety.”

  Relief flooded through Rickon. If Roc
co had gotten his hands on her…

  When he had gotten Drew’s message, he could barely believe it. After all of these years, Rocco still wanted his blood. And now his pack was in danger…again.

  “Ashley wants us at the bar,” Justin continued. “This Rocco guy stopped over there first with his pack and did a number on Daniel.”

  “Tell Ty, Tasha, Nathan and Sky to get the pack mobile,” Rickon replied. “Get the twins over to Maria’s to help her and her girls. We have to move them deeper into the bayou where Rocco can’t track them.”

  Justin nodded before running off.

  “Who’s Rocco?” Robb asked.

  “An old enemy.” Rickon turned back to the bayou. If Rocco could find him, then so could Asteria.

  “We need to get to the bar,” Robb said, breaking Rickon from his thoughts.

  Rickon looked back to his son and nodded. Rocco was a threat, one he should have dealt with centuries ago. When will he learn that mercy comes at a cost?

  They pulled up to the bar half an hour later. Rickon parked his Harley along the street. Justin and Robb parked on either side of him. He walked up to the bar and let himself in, his sons following behind him. Ashley sat at the bar with Darion, Bender and Aria. Boyd and Torrick weren’t far from them as they stood against the wall near the stairs. Helena came down the stairs and sat down at the bar near her mate, Colt.

  “Is Jessie here?” Rickon asked.

  “No. Daniel took her somewhere safe,” Boyd said.

  “Tell him to bring her here. We’re leaving.”

  “You can’t just leave,” Ashley said. “We need to deal with this Rocco problem.”

  “Rocco is my problem, and he will leave when I do.”

  “Who is he?” Bender asked.

  “He’s no one,” Rickon said.

  “Well, ‘no one’ has a strength I’ve never seen in a werewolf,” Bender replied. “I felt him fight against my hold. He didn’t break it, but he was still stronger than any wolf I have come across.”

  Rickon took a deep breath. He looked to his sons. Maybe they did deserve some answers.

  “He’s my brother. At least, he used to be,” Rickon said.

  “Used to be?” Boyd asked.

  “We aren’t blood. He was adopted by my father when we were just pups.”

  “What happened?” Ashley asked.

  “He killed my father,” Rickon said. “In my pack, the alpha goes to the oldest born son unless challenged. Rocco wanted the power, so he killed my father.”

  “Then how are you alpha and not him?” Aria asked. Rickon looked to the newest Dark Lord.

  “I challenged him and won. I spared his life and banished him. I see now that was a mistake.”

  “Blood or not, you should have dealt with him a long time ago,” Torrick said.

  “I couldn’t kill my brother, then.” Rickon glared at him. “Even after what he did, he was still the only brother I ever knew. Could you have killed one of your siblings?”

  Torrick looked away.

  “Either way,” Ashley said, walking in between them. “Rocco needs to leave the city.”

  “I agree,” Rickon said.

  “Then how can we help you?” Ashley asked.

  “You can do nothing. I told you, Rocco will leave when I do.”

  “Running isn’t the answer,” Helena said. “We can help you.”

  “I told you this is my problem.”

  “You still haven’t explained how he is so strong,” Bender said.

  “I don’t know. He must have acquired some power somewhere. If he has his own pack, that would give him strength. All the more reason for me to get my pack out of here.”

  “Father,” Robb said to his left. “Can I speak with you for a moment?”

  Rickon nodded.

  “We’ll be right back,” Rickon said, turning to Ashley. “Tell Daniel to get Jessie here.”

  Rickon followed Robb and Justin outside. When they got to the sidewalk, Robb looked to him, his brows creased.

  “What’s on your mind son?” Rickon said.

  “We can’t leave,” Robb said.

  Rickon arched his brow.

  “Like hell we can’t,” Justin said. “I say we go and we go now. The pack is already mobile. We should leave before Rocco can catch our scent again.”

  “If we leave,” Robb said. “Then we’ve already signed Jessie’s death certificate. Without Agnes, she won’t have her powers bound.”

  “We can find another witch,” Justin said. “We’ve found plenty to help us before.”

  “And how did that end?” Robb asked. “Every time Jessie’s powers grow, the witches get scared. Last time it cost us two lives.”

  “They died protecting your sister,” Rickon said.

  “They didn’t have to!” Robb shouted. He walked over to the side of the curb and looked down the street. Rickon saw Robb take a deep breath as he tried to compose himself. A moment passed before he turned back around and Rickon saw the pain on his son’s face. Robb had always been the strongest of his sons, but death takes a toll on even the mightiest.

  “They didn’t have to,” Robb said gently. “I can still see Maria’s face when I told her that her husband was dead. I can still feel the pain she felt. If we leave, then we’re putting the pack at risk again.”

  “And if we stay, we’re putting them at risk,” Rickon said. “Rocco will not stop until everyone in my entire bloodline is dead. And he won’t stop there. He will kill the pack.”

  “Then we get Agnes to put protective spells over the pack,” Robb said. “We hide them deep in the bayou and cover them with magic until we can get rid of Rocco.”

  “I don’t know,” Rickon said. He was so used to running, but maybe Robb was right. Maybe it was time to stop running. Rickon looked back to his sons. “What do you think, Justin?”

  “I think we should leave,” Justin said. “But I will do what you tell me to do.”

  “Robb, I’m leaving this up to you,” Rickon said.

  “We stay and fight.”

  Justin shook his head, but he didn’t argue. Rickon knew Justin had no desire to be an alpha. When it came down to it, Justin followed orders. He didn’t want the responsibility or the burden. Rickon looked back at Robb.

  “Then we stay.”

  CHAPTER 7

  “Here,” Daniel said as he led Jessie into the apartment. “Sit down.”

  Jessie obeyed and she sat on the black leather sofa. She glanced around the apartment. Seeing, but not really registering. A leather sofa, surrounded by two matching arm chairs, circled around the large fireplace. The fireplace was made of stark white brick, and a seventy inch plasma T.V. was mounted above it. The floors were white tile, maybe marble, with a large rug in front of the fire place that looked like a cow. A kitchen was off to the left with stainless steel appliances, granite countertops and a large island with lights shining down from above it. It was by far the most luxurious place Jessie had ever been in, but right now, she couldn’t care less.

  Daniel came back from the kitchen with an ice pack in his hand. He pressed it gently against her lip as she stared at the fireplace. She felt numb as she sat there. It was like her senses were still working, but nothing was coming in. She saw, she felt, she heard, but she wasn’t there.

  “Hold this up,” Daniel said. “I’m going to see if there’s a First Aid kit.”

  Jessie obeyed and held the ice to her lip as Daniel disappeared down the hallway to the right. He came back a minute later, holding a white box. He opened it and pulled out some peroxide and cotton balls. Jessie watched him soak the cotton and then lift her knee up to him, laying her leg across his lap. She looked down and saw her black blood staining her leg. She looked back at Daniel, but he didn’t seem to care that her blood was black.

  “Don’t you want to know?” she asked him.

  “Know what?”

  “Why my blood is black.”

  “I don’t care what color your blood is, Jessie. I
care why you’re bleeding in the first place.” He held the cotton ball up to her knee. “This might sting.”

  She nodded and then he began wiping her knee. She winced as the peroxide fizzed on her skin.

  “I’m sorry,” Daniel said, wiping more carefully.

  “It’s okay,” Jessie said.

  “No, it’s not. Do you know him? The man that attacked you?”

  “No. I had never even heard of him, but apparently he knows my father.”

  “He came into the bar earlier, looking for him.”

  Jessie looked at Daniel, this time she really looked at him. He was covered in bruises and his lip was swollen. Blood drops stained his ACDC T-shirt.

  “Did he do that to you?” Jessie asked as she reached out and stroked his brow.

  Daniel nodded. Jessie dropped her hand back to her lap.

  “I just don’t understand,” she said. “I don’t understand what he wants. I don’t understand how he found me. I don’t understand why he attacked me. I just…” Jessie could feel the tears swelling. She tried to push them back, but everything in her was screaming to let go. She swallowed, hoping to push her emotions back down. She couldn’t unleash them. Not here. She looked back to Daniel. “Why me?”

  “Sshh,” Daniel said as he pulled her to him. She let him wrap his arms around her, and finally, she felt safe. Safe enough to cry. She let her tears fall as he held her closer. “This is not your fault, Jessie. I will find out what he wants. I will make him pay for what he did to you. I promise you, he won’t hurt you again.”

  He pulled her back and lifted her chin to meet his gaze. Jessie looked into his warm brown eyes as he scanned her face.

  “He will never touch you again,” he said. And she believed him. If Daniel hadn’t shown up when he did… Jessie cringed at the thought of what could have happened. She laid her head back down on Daniel’s chest as his arms encircled her again. She took a deep breath in, and the scent that was only his surrounded her. She felt her body relax against his and she closed her eyes for just a moment.