Chapter 91

Art POV

Moonglow Pack - Outside Modesty Cabin

Blood smelled of salt and copper; the scent hit my senses with the force of a crowbar. Saliva filled my mouth as I instantly became ravenous for a taste, just a taste, one single drop wouldn't hurt, would it?

I had to fight back the beast I'd been cursed with by calling forward the beast I'd been born. My wolfen senses told me the Flores woman was in trouble before my ears picked up her screams and the sounds of Nathan Lewis losing his grip on humanity.

Speeding fast enough to blur, I was out of my cabin in a breath. Rachel wiggled her fingers outside the window with a desperation I could practically feel. I wanted to knock the window out, but I knew it would be safer, easier, if I just got it open. She cleared the window with a swiftness which surprised us both. I dragged her out to send her to my cabin for safety.

Lewis crawled out the window after her -a hellhound on the hunt- but I was no stranger to fighting Lycans.

"Lewis! You can't do this. She's not yours. This is not our territory. Get it together!"

Words seemed beyond him as he roared his fury at me. I knew I wouldn't be able to hold him off with words any longer so I settled for brute force.

Thrusting the heel of my hand into the center of his inhuman chest, I struck Nathan Lewis hard enough to cause his Lycan form to crash against the Modesty Cabin with a sickening sound of finality.

The cabin exterior was sturdy enough to hold up under the weight of his body. I spared a second to appreciate the craftsmanship of the Moonglow builders. If the cabin hadn't been so well-constructed, I was sure the force of my blow would have sent Nathan Lewis through the building wall.

I couldn't use magic to move myself out of Moonglow territory, but I could flash myself to the edge of the property. My movement was stopped right at the iron line; I lost my breath at the sudden force of my stop.

Pushing myself, I jumped the boundary fence and summoned Justice. She appeared before me with concern twisting her features where I normally saw scorn. I didn't have time to explain, grabbed her wrist to pull her forward, threw her over my shoulder and leapt the fence again before flashing us back to the Modesty Cabin.

Lewis was back on his feet already. His Lycan form could take a beating his human one -or even his wolfen one- wouldn't have been able to withstand.

"Rachel!" he called, howling for the female he wanted more than even the promise of the female the Moon Goddess meant for him.

"Lycan!" Justice cried, as if I couldn't see for myself, and sent a freezing spell at him which encased his legs in ice up to his thick thighs.

"Nathan Lewis," I told her, "You aren't here to deal with him. Take care of the damage to the cabin then go into my cabin with Rachel. Make sure the woman is safe."

Justice didn't need any more coaxing. She was capable in a way I'd never seen in any single witch before or since; the Alpha Council put their trust in her for a reason. Her scent was all she left behind as she flashed from my side to begin handling the situation I'd called her into.

"You need to get yourself under control, Lewis. I really don't want to have to put you down myself, but I will even if neither of us will like it."

Lewis broke the ice holding him in place with a sudden shudder of muscles. Lycan bodies were resilient, but I could smell the tangy scent of his blood where he'd been scratched and scraped during his rampage.

"Rachel!" he cried again, head thrown back to show his throat working to send his howl up, up, up into the sky.

I ran out of options as I realized he was completely beyond logic or even basic understanding. Moonglow Pack would have heard the racket he was causing. I'd only be able to explain away so much before suspicion overtook the urge to accept an Alpha Inspector's word over reasoning.

Letting Lewis rush me, I waited until his chest touched my own before I fisted my hand in the fur at the base of his skull. I didn't give either of us time to think before I struck him in the throat with my fangs, biting deep as I clamped onto him for a few sweet drags of his blood as my curse pushed vampiric venom into his bloodstream.

Thirst overwhelmed my own logic center for a few precious seconds; I drank deeper and deeper of the Lycan blood until my head was spinning from the power.

Nathan Lewis was an angry echo in the corner of my mind as I detached from his throat.

Pushing my will over him, I used the gift of thrall to control him, "Sleep."

Lewis sagged against me as his body went limp at my command. I lowered him to the ground with more gentility than he needed or deserved. His blood made my own strength double once then once more; I swayed on my feet under the influence of the rich Lycan liquor.

"Pull yourself together!" Justice snapped as she used her magic to fix the window I'd broken, "I'm going to need to get the woman out of your cabin without you going for her throat."

"Whose fault would it be if I went for her?"

We both knew why blood was one of my many problems. I certainly hadn't craved it before Justice took her anger out on me.

"Get Lewis back into his own room. Use the thrall to put him to rights."

"How long will this last?"

Justice shrugged before vanishing, choosing the ease of flashing over the effort of walking from one cabin to the other. I'd never figured out if she was lazy or just completely reliant on her magic. It could go either way with Justice.

I only hoped Moognlow Pack didn't have any kind of magic-sensing monitors on their territory. Knowing they relied on iron borders gave me some relief as it was a good indication they'd not invested in anything more sensitive for the property itself.

Hell, they hadn't even allowed electric lines to be put in for their residences. It was a little far-fetched to think they'd have taken serious precautions towards tracking the movement of magic users once inside their borders.

Grabbing Lewis by the arm, I slung his body over my shoulders in a fireman carry. He was heavy, but his form had reverted to human once he was fully unconscious. I could get him the short distance without strain.

His body bounced on the bed when I let it down; the scent of his blood rose up to greet my nose once more making me thirsty for another taste of him. I resisted by relying on tolerance built up from long years of practice under my curse.

I would have to get him cleaned up before anyone came around the cabin. Blood streaked his body in places where he'd fought and clawed to get at his desired mate. Rachel must have been terrified to call for me the way she had.

I almost pitied the woman again for her involvement with so many crazed Alphas, but I knew Rachel Flores was her own set of complications. She was not entirely innocent herself.

Transforming into mist, I floated back out of the cabin through the open door and made my way on the air to the nearest bathing facility.

Communal baths were not on my list of enjoyable pastimes. I was glad to see buckets were available outside the bathhouse. I reformed and grabbed one. I sensed no one inside which made me feel lucky for the first time in hours. Once the bucket was full of warm water, I flashed myself back to the Modesty Cabin where I left the bucket on the porch.

I wasn't going to bathe Lewis. He could rely on the mercy of some other soul.

Justice had managed to get Rachel to open the door or she'd used magic to do it herself. She hadn't managed to get farther than the entrance though.

Holding her hands up in an effort to placate the distraught female, Justice said, "I'm not trying to hurt you, honey! I just want to help. You have to calm down."

"She's not going to calm down for you."

"So you think she'll calm down for you instead? Why is that? Your amazing bedside manner?" Justice snapped.

I shook my head, "Rachel? Rachel, what can we do for you? How can we help?"

Rachel was crouched beside the bed I was meant to use in the cabin. Her muscles were tight enough to make my own ache in sympathy. I could see her teeth had elongated into fangs in her mouth and worried about the baby she carried: if she forced her body to shift while pregnant, she'd lose the child.

"Rachel, no one is going to hurt you. You need to calm down before your body shifts any more than it already has. Tell me how we can help."

Her teeth chattered as she stammered, "Ty-tyler. Get Tyler. I want my mate!"

I nodded at her and told Justice, "Run back to the border, cross and flash to Wright. Bring him to the boundary and lead him back here. I'll cloak our scents."

Justice muttered something about how I'd owe her for this before going to do as I asked.

I was fine with owing her a favor as I figured she owed me a lot more thanks to her curse.