Page 8 of Blood and Embers
“Whiskey, thank you.” He said without preamble. Pike gave him a rakish grin and went for the whiskey.
“Be right back.” He watched Pike head into the kitchen. The man was gorgeous, even after doing battle with beasts; he still looked as handsome as ever. Scott wondered briefly if he was losing his grip on reality, but this was not a delusion: the fire, the men who suddenly shifted into animals, and the ease with which Pike and the others fought. It was real; there was no doubt in his mind.
Scott knew his own mind, and he wasn’t prone to flights of fancy. The scene that night, although bizarre, was reality —maybe not the reality he was used to, but it was a glimpse of something more. If he were completely honest with himself, this was not the first time he encountered such an incident.Shifters, they'd called themselves when Scott saw something he was probably not supposed to see, much like the young man this evening.
They did not wipe his memory, but they laid down a threat that had Scott keeping his mouth shut about it for the past five years. It happened during a house fire, and it was a father saving his children. The man was standing there one minute, and the next, a wolf charged into the burning building. It stayed with him, and now tonight he saw it again, the same transformation from man to beast.
The idea of vampires was something completely new to him. He understood what a coven was, and as he watched the group of men work and fight together, he could see the supernatural at work. Their speed alone was definitely otherworldly. Seeing Pike overtake that man before he could so much as turn and leave was astonishing. It was not hard to believe that they were more than just men, especially as they fought off supernatural beasts.
Scott once again ran his fingers roughly through his hair and wondered just what it was that he’d gotten himself into. Would he be welcomed or would he be threatened like before?
Pike returned with the whiskey and handed one of the glasses to him, and then took a seat next to him on the couch. They were seated very close, and it should have been uncomfortable, but it wasn’t. Scott was comforted by his nearness, and he didn’t understand that at all.
“I hadn’t planned on bringing you into the secret quite so fast and so blunt. I was hoping to get to know you better and for you to get to know me. Unfortunately, the Bagwell Pack changed that.” He took a sip of his drink, and Scott did likewise. "I could have lied to you and left you behind, but somewhere in my mind,I thought it would be better for you to come and to see and for us to get these very specific and life-altering revelations out of the way."
"Wow, that was a lot," Scott said and took another drink. “Why did you want me to know?”
“I’m a vampire and you’re my beloved. I scented you at the club and knew you were important to me. I was going to ask you out, but you beat me to it.” Pike’s response was cryptic.
“I don’t know what that is or what this means.” Scott also kept it short. Pike explained Fated matches and the importance of a beloved, the sacred standing of such a match, and the fact that every supernatural being is blessed with a perfect match. “Fate brought us together, and the longer we are together, the clearer this world will become for you.
“Are you telling me that I’m your soul mate?”
“Yes, but more than that. A beloved is a bond that is eternal once it's set in place; the couple is bound together for all time. Fate brings people together who support and enrich one another. It's a perfect coupling." Pike seemed to be having trouble getting the words he wanted, but Scott was getting the gist of the situation.
“The men who turned into animals, who were they?" He thought that if he had a better understanding of the others, he would gain a better grasp of who Pike and his friends were.
“They were part of a shifter pack that had been trying to expand their territory. You were right that the three fires were connected. The Bagwell Pack set them all.” Pike settled back onto the couch, but Scott noticed he kept the back of his hand against Scott's thigh. Without thinking, Scott took that hand and held it. The discussion went smoothly when they were touching each other. Again, he didn't understand it.
“Bagwell is an Alpha Wolf who thinks he can take what he wants, but Master Rose is showing him otherwise." Scott saw the familiar half-grin for a second, and then it was gone. “His Pack is made up of not just wolves but also jackals and cougars. Neither of those species is really pack material; they tend to be more solitary beasts, but they both will do anything for money. Jackals and cougars possess no loyalty and can't be trusted; they are the dregs of the shifter society.”
“Why does he have them in his pack if they aren’t loyal or trustworthy?"
“They fight for him. He uses them as cannon fodder, so to speak. He has a core group of wolves that are loyal, but the rest are just hired muscle. We've eliminated a good portion of his hired army so far, and we intend to finish the job. Bagwell is no threat to us. The Rose Coven has defended itself against much larger and much better-organized enemies, and we've been doing it for centuries." Pike said the most unbelievable things, and he said them with such casual air.
“You do know that you are overwhelming me here." Scott beseeched. He'd tried to remain calm and cool and take in everything that Pike had to share, but with each sentence, the picture became more and more outrageous. Scott told him about the wolf that he’d witnessed five years ago and about how he’d been threatened to keep quiet.
"I'm not completely unfamiliar with this, but over the years I'd managed to convince myself that I had been mistaken, even though I knew I hadn't. There was never another sighting until tonight, so it was easy to dismiss. Now I have to accept that it is all real, and I'm taking a minute to process that fact.
"I get it, this is a lot to hear, especially from someone you just met yesterday. The bond we have, which Fate has givenus, will help you understand. She provides us with the ability to trust and lean on one another. I am no threat to you, and you are no threat to me. I know that it is true without having to test it. That is Fate's gift.” Pike was making sense even as Scott struggled to understand.
"I don't know," Scott said with frustration. “I have to believe my eyes, and for having only met you yesterday, I can admit that I trust you. My gut is telling me to trust, and my gut has saved me countless times in my life." Scott turned his head to the side, staring out into nothing, and gave a long and tired sigh.
“What you’re saying would normally be viewed as crazy, but I know that it is not, and what I know now answers many questions I've had over the years regarding things I've seen while performing my job here in Chicago.” He turned back to look at Pike. “I’ve seen people at their lowest and most vulnerable times when they weren’t taking the precautions that they probably typically do. Now everything makes sense.”
Scott reached over and placed his palm on Pike's cheek, caressing it lightly. "I knew there was more to you than met the eye."
Pike turned his head and kissed the palm while still holding his gaze. “I knew you were a smart man.”
“How many were killed?” Tank barked at one of the wolves that had managed to escape the carnage.
“All that went except for us three.” He answered. The three of them were seriously wounded and in tough shape, but Tank saw them as nothing but failures. He punched the wall,leaving a deep indentation, and then turned back to the young wolf standing there.
“Get out of my sight before I kill you myself.” The wolves turned to leave, but Tank stopped them. "Not you two, just him. He's too injured to be of any use, but you two can stand another attack. You'll be going out again in the morning, so be ready." He paused and then added. "And if you dare run away again, I will hunt you down and rip out your throats. Do I make myself clear?"
“Yes.” They walked away not with fear or any sense of concern regarding what he threatened, but rather with a contemptuous disregard. Either Tank didn’t notice or he didn’t care. The new recruits were nothing to him; they were there to fight and die and nothing else. Even their scorn meant nothing to him.
No one was watching them, so the three of them walked out the back door and kept going. This battle was turning into a death wish for the soldiers while Bagwell sat back safe and protected, watching the mayhem. He was paying them to fight and die, and fighting the Rose Coven was reckless, yet he continued to send them in, thinking that at some point he would win.
