A Mate to Howl For Ch. 14

"Yuri," Micah called out as he entered the cell. "Two escaped. We have to go." In a blink, Micah was gone.

It only took Yuri a few seconds to unchain and uncollar Amber. Carrying her bridal style he sped up the steps and into the garage where all hell was breaking loose. Mangadoom men and women were firing upon all the various team members. Wolves, Panthers, vampires, and a tiger were engaged in hand-to-hand combat. Two druids were behind an SUV chanting. A few moments later several of the gun barrels exploded.

The battle lasted less than five minutes before all the altered humans were defeated. Most lay dead and those not were in various stages of dying. Colin and his team entered. He was carrying Bonnie over his shoulder and two of the vampires were carrying dead bodies.

Cullen was the first to speak. "Load all of the bodies in the cargo van. We can't leave them behind. We don't need the government to find this mess." Within ten minutes the building was restored, leaving questions unanswered. The cargo van heavy with the dead and dying was already in the abandoned warehouse.

~~~

Colin Andrews Compound

Smith Lake Arley, Alabama

"What are you going to do with all the dead bodies?" Cullen asked Colin. "We can't have the locals or the government involved. One or two deaths is a local crime, but seventeen bodies is a task force."

Colin pinched the bridge of his nose before washing his face with his hand. "I think we will distribute some of the dead to other locations, in a week a few car accidents involving fires might help get rid of a few more. I believe between you and me we can make this go undetected by the police, but it's going to be Mangadoom we need to prepare for."

Cullen slumped into the chair. "Hope said the two that got away are going to be trouble. They are going to come after her hard and fast."

Colin opened the bottom drawer and pulled out two glasses and a bottle of whiskey. "Do you have someplace off the radar to send her until we clean this up?"

Cullen waited until his glass was filled before sipping it. He sat in silence thinking about what to do and where to best protect her. "I think I know a place. Paradise Falls, Texas. Recently we discovered the survivors of the former pack there. No one knows about it outside of the Alpha Council. I can send her and her mate there to rebuild the pack with the kids. I was planning to offer the land to the kids, but this will work out for all involved."

It was Colin's turn to sit in silence. He sipped the alcohol and closed his eyes as if watching future events in his mind. "I think I will send some protection with them." Colin swirled his glass. "Gorge and Freya are back in the US and are looking for a place to settle in without the Vampire Council poking their noses. I know Freya doesn't do well with wolves, but I'm sure Gorge can handle her for now."

"Fuck," Cullen groaned. It looked into his glass, remembering the last time he saw Freya. It was during the Were War. Alpha Handcock was held up in New Mexico and they needed help breaching the encampment. Anthony had sent two trackers to the north of the Anasazi cliff cities to find a backdoor. They returned defeated but brought a message from a local vampire about a meeting.

Cullen and Marcus attended the meeting with Giovanni, the leader of the local coven. Giovanni proposed a plan of mutual aid. He would send a vampire to help and the Weres would leave his territory in peace when all was said and done. Cullen reluctantly agreed. What he didn't know was Giovanni was working with Alpha Handcock and setting Cullen and the others up.

The packs had met up at the meeting point when Alpha Handcock and Giovanni's vampires attacked. The ambush came fast and hard. During the battle Gorge and Freya showed up. They had been called in by Giovanni but realized they had been lied to. Giovanni said that they had come to overthrow the vampire's claim to the lands. In the middle of the battle, Gorge saw the mind of a weaker vampire and the truth. Unfortunately, Freya was waist-deep in dead and dying wolves.

Needless to say by the end of the battle, Freya was tagged as an enemy of the wolves. It wasn't until years later when Cedric, the leader of the Washington Coven reached out to Anthony Rossi and did an olive branch get extended. The peace was still fragile but in place.

Cullen knew it wouldn't take much to start a new round of fighting. But he also knew Valic was level-headed and would want to stay off the radar to protect his mate. "I accept," he finally sighed. "I guess having an angry vampire willing to throttle errant humans won't be so bad."

Colin downed his glass not sure if he should laugh or drink more. Freya was a handful.

~~~

Twelve hours after returning to Alabama, Amber woke up with a fright. She sat up rigid and in shock. Yuri was beside her and quickly wrapped his arms around her. "Shush," he coaxed. "You are safe."

Amber didn't feel safe at first, but slowly her racing heart slowed as Yuri's scent flooded her mind. Amber pulled away long enough to look him in the eyes before wrapping her arms around him. "You bastard!" Amber muttered in a whisper.

Yuri didn't know why he was a bastard this time. Amber had referred to him as one quite often. She never forgave him for hitting her and hadn't fully accepted him in her life though Liajyre had. "I will never let anything harm you again," Yuri finally said, trying to offer Amber comfort.

Amber held close to Yuri for a good five minutes before she could process her thoughts. "He," she sniffled. "He took my finger." Amber's voice was distant as though she wasn't fully there in her mind. "I took his nose and ear," she laughed lightly.

Yuri kissed her forehead. "No, baby. I stopped him from taking your pinky. But," Yuri gripped her hair on the sides of her head and held her in place. "He shot you when you took his ear. I was one second too late to stop him. Look baby," he moved her bandaged hand letting her see all five digits.

"You found me? How?" Amber was still distant.

"Hope Howard, a Were. She was undercover and recognized my name. When you were drugged you called out to me, and she broke cover to get you help." Yuri wanted to explain everything to Amber, but she wasn't in the right frame of mind.

Amber withdrew from Yuri and punched his chest in frustration. She looked at her side and then at him. "I was shot? Why don't I feel like I was shot?" Amber raised her shirt.

"I helped you to heal, baby." Yuri looked sheepish. "My blood has healing properties." He confessed.

Amber was reminded of the blood sample from the lab. While she didn't understand the process, she was thankful for Yuri. Closing her eyes, Amber settled back on Yuri's chest. "The assholes who kidnapped me, did you kill them all?"

Yuri shook his head. "No. Two got away," he moved his hand along her back feeling her stiffen.

"At least tell me you got Salem," Amber asked with a tremble in her voice.

Yuri was not going to lie to her. "No. Do you want to talk about it?"

Amber breathed in and out several times to settle her nerves. "Salem almost broke me," Amber admitted. "I feel stupid and weak. He was getting in my head, sort of. I was in so much pain and so thirsty. He gave me water and I think I would have given him information if he offered me more. I'm not strong, not like Liajyre." Amber wiped a few fat years from her eyes.

"Liajyre helped me, but she retreated each time he chained me. She couldn't come forward without risking exposing what we are. And I feel ashamed of almost giving up." Amber continued. "I am sorry I failed you."

Yuri was angry. He was having a hard time keeping his fury under control. Yuri wanted to rip Salem into small pieces. "Baby, you were gone a good while and held strong. You are one of the strongest if not the strongest woman I know." He tried to support her with his comforting words. To reassure her that she had done nothing wrong.

Amber didn't believe him and didn't know if she ever would. But she was tired and wanted to go back to sleep, so she changed the subject. "You are a great liar and you rescued me. But I am still pissed off at you for hitting me."

Yuri could only laugh. "I love you too, now rest, wife."