Page 7 of Hunting Savage
Scepter pinched the bridge of his nose with one hand while flipping him the bird with the other.Savage allowed his body to transform into smoke, then into a fine mist, before completely disappearing.His change happened faster than a human could track.Before Scepter’s arm dropped, Savage materialized into the darkened alcove behind his friend, striding forward with a smirk.
“Hello, ladies.Is my associate bothering you with his issues?”Savage clamped his hand down on Scepter’s shoulder, giving the other man a firm squeeze.
The women were stunning, with heavily made-up faces and barely there clothing.Nothing he hadn’t seen or done before.He pretended to be interested as they spoke, nodding as if he were listening to their endless chatter.
“Boss, you have a phone call,” Scepter reminded him.
“Ah, pardon me, ladies.I need to take this.Scepter, their next round is on me.”He winked as he turned, taking the small device from the other man.
“You’re such a player, Savage,” Scepter muttered.
“What’s the saying?Don’t hate the player, hate the game or some shit?”Savage moved back into the darkness, allowing the shadows to hide him as he and the small technological device dematerialized and then rematerialized inside his office on the upper floor.He placed the phone on his desk and pressed the speaker button, so he didn’t have to pretend to hold the damn thing to his ear in order to hear.
“Speak,” he ordered.
“Ah, this is Alpha Garrison Wolfheart.I believe I have something that will make up for what was stolen from you by one of ours.”
“Hmm, I’m listening.What makes you think anything a wolf could have would be as valuable as one of our feeders?”Vampires needed blood to survive.They could obtain sustenance from any living thing, of course.Yet, a willing source provided a richer, longer-lasting source.But there were even more cherished donors, ones that all vampires coveted.Those were the bonded mates from other species, such as shifters, witches, and even humans.The stronger the species, the longer the vampire could go between feedings.
There were rumors of vampires who could walk in the sun after bonding with shifters, but Savage didn’t believe in bullshit fairytales.He knew all about them since his bloodlines traced back to the very beginnings, and one of the oldest of his kind had taken a shifter as his truemate.Besides, he liked the nights and all the things that went bump and grind when things went dark.He also had the ability to do things others of his kind couldn’t, like walk in the sunlight without the need to bond with a shifter.There were limitations he encountered when exposed to the sun for long periods.The biggest was that it drained him, and he needed to feed more frequently.
The male on the other end of the line began speaking, interrupting his inner thoughts.
“The young wolves who took out your blood donor will not be able to do so again.I’ve seen to their punishment myself.Not that I would assume that would satisfy your need for balance.As repayment, we’ve found a half-breed who appears compatible with all of us.Now, before you jump in, I want to assure you that no one in my pack has sampled any part of her.If my senses are correct, she’s untouched and truly a beauty.”
“And why do you think I would want this female?”Savage asked.
The shifter’s intake of air was audible through the phone.If he could’ve seen the slight grin on Savage’s face, he’d have realized Savage was toying with him, much like a cat batting a ball on a string.The analogy had another smile tipping Savage’s lips.He didn’t think the wolf would appreciate him drawing a comparison between a cat and someone like him.
“It was by chance that we caught her scent, and it appears it’s her first heat, which means she hasn’t—”
Savage sat up, his feet thumping onto the floor with a thud.The girl, obviously a young human with shifter genes, totally out of her element, kidnapped by a pack of wolves, had to be frightened out of her damn mind.“Enough.I know all about shifters and what happens when they come of age.So, let me get this straight.You’re offering me this young woman in exchange for the three willing females that your foolish packmates killed?”Savage sat down, kicked his feet back up onto his desk, and waited.He could hear the wolf clack his teeth together while whoever sat next to him punched a fist into what he assumed was his other hand.Good, let them be pissed.
“As one alpha to another, I understand the magnitude of what they did.Rest assured.I’ve handled the matter according to wolf law.This female would be considered a prize among our kind.She would make a fine mate for one or several of my males.Not to mention her blood would sustain you much more richly than a human’s.Now, I understand the loss of three females’ lives was devastating to you and your people, but if you accept the half-breed, I assure you, you’ll find through her blood, the debt owed to you would be repaid.”
Savage looked across the room at the monitors, watching several of his clan who would gladly sample the female.They’d also love to decapitate the male shifters on sight, but he couldn’t blame them.Of course, if he allowed that, there’d be a war between vampires and wolves.Although Savage loved a blood bath on most nights, he didn’t feel like battling such a monumental thing during the All Hallows Eve season.
“What is your eta?”he asked, holding back from saying something the wolf would take as disrespect.
Outside his office, colorful strobes lit up the club.Arcs of colorful lighting danced across the beams, making it appear as though phantom arms reached down from the artificial branches stretched throughout the ceiling.To the naked eye, the illusion would seem insignificant.Still, to vampires, it created a natural smoke and mirrors for their kind to use when they wanted or needed to escape or move without being seen.
“Ten, eleven hours, give or take.”
Fuck, the dumbass should’ve called him when he was actually close to the club, not a goddamn day away.
In the background, Savage heard them arguing about stopping at some hot dog-shaped stand called Hillbilly Hot Dogs or some shit.Fucking wolves and their ability to consume gross-ass meat.The thought of eating the leftover animal parts that dropped onto the floor at a meat factory, which were then scooped up and shoved into the form of a wiener.It made his stomach turn.Of course, he came from a time long before the era of hot dogs and packaged meat.He’d much prefer to tap his dinner straight from the vein, and if the female happened to be sexy as fuck, Savage enjoyed sipping from several veins.The neck, the chest, the inner thigh.He really wasn’t all that picky.
“You realize that in ten hours or so, the sun will still be up here in New York?Not to mention, my club will not be open until after seven, which means you and your crew will have to hole up until nightfall tomorrow.Do you think you can keep your boys from sampling the female for an entire twenty-four hours?”Savage honestly couldn’t care less if the female was untouched or not.Hell, most of the females who pledged their loyalty to his clan were far from virgins.
Another flash of lights outside his windows caught his attention, reminding him of times before they’d lived among humans.They were the stuff of nightmares.Legends that went bump in the night.For over five hundred years, he’d lived according to vampire law—hiding in the shadows, keeping what they were secret from everyone except others of their kind.Until a group of righteous hunters killed his family during the day, when he’d returned home, there was nothing but ashes and the lingering stench of human fear, and dust for him to find.It took him several weeks to track them all down, but when he did, he wasted no time in teaching them why they called him Savage.
“Shit, I didn’t account for that...issue.We can stop and rest for a few hours before coming to your club after sunset tomorrow night.If that works for you?”
Savage didn’t miss the sound of the male grinding his teeth, as if asking Savage went against his very nature.As an alpha wolf, it was his job to call the shots, and he obviously didn’t like asking for permission from others.
“That will be fine.Oh, and be sure to tell the male at the door I’m expecting you.If you have any weapons on you, you won’t be allowed inside.It’s a formality, but one my men won’t bend on, even for shifters.”
The wolf made a scoffing noise.“We don’t need weapons.We are weapons.”
