Blood of the Maple

Ew. Parker shuddered. “No, you don’t.”

“Uh-oh.”

“Uh-oh?” Parker wagged his finger at Brian. “No uh-ohs. There should be yahoos or yippees, maybe even a yee-haw or two. No uh-ohs.” He slapped Brian’s shoulder. “Come on, man! It’s over. Ding-dong, the witch is dead and all that.”

“Are you sure?”

A shiver of apprehension work its way up his spine. “Dragos ripped her head off and tossed it like a beach ball. That usually means dead, even in our world.”

“But does it mean dead in Terri’s?”

“What are you trying to say?” Please let him not be saying what I think he’s saying.

“How do you kill a weed?”

“You rip it out of the ground by its roots.” Parker’s gaze drifted back toward the mountains surrounding the town, and his blood ran cold. “You think taking her head wasn’t enough.”

“You’re still under the curse, as near as I can tell.”

“Or it could be my sotiei is a dryad, and my body is permanently adjusted to drink only from her.” Please let that be the answer.

“True. But to be safe, we should check it out.”

The vampire and the Renfield locked eyes. Parker didn’t want to think even for a second that Terri could be alive somehow, but… “Get Selena.”

Brian pulled out his cell phone and dialed. “Selena? We have a problem.”

Parker barely heard Brian explaining why they needed her and where they were. If his heart could have pounded, it would have. Terri had to be dead. She had to be. Nothing could survive having its head ripped off.

Could it?

“Excuse me. Are you Dr. Parker Hollis?”

Parker whirled to face the speaker. His sunny blond hair was full of soot and his bright blue eyes were rimmed with red. He wore one of the town’s firefighter uniforms and was a full six inches taller than Parker.

And he smelled of were.

Parker snarled, his eyes burning, his claws unleashed. The wolves were not his favorite people right now. He had no intention of allowing them to think they could get away with attacking his wife without suffering the consequences, no matter what Amara said.

The wolf threw his hands up. “Whoa! Hey. Down, boy. I’m not the one whose ass you want to kick, trust me.”

Parker misted, turning invisible to all the were’s senses. He solidified behind him before he could react, one arm around the were’s throat, his fangs inches from the were’s jugular, an easy thing to do with someone taller when you could fly. “Give me one good reason why I should let you live.”

The man swallowed. “Okay. I gather the rumors that you’ve taken Amara as your mate are true?” At Parker’s slight nod, the man’s frame went rigid. “I’m not the alpha. I didn’t order the hunt on your mate.”

“But you participated. You went after her, you and your entire pack, and tried to kill her.”

“We thought we were protecting the people of Maggie’s Grove, our young, our mates. We were wrong.” The man’s arms fell to his sides. He bared his throat, leaving himself at the mercy of Parker’s teeth. “If by my death we redress the wrong done your mate, so be it. But if you must avenge her further, I beg you leave our cubs be.”

Parker closed his eyes. The anger was close to the surface, but damn it, the man had made a sacrifice of himself. He could have tried to hand Parker the name of the pack’s alpha, but instead he’d taken the blame on his own shoulders.

If Amara had been killed or even badly wounded, Parker would have taken him up on his offer and considered it done. But she hadn’t been. She’d shown them mercy. Parker could do no less.

Shit. And he couldn’t even say he had a yen for blood.

But the wolves needed to learn Amara was his. “I’m not the one you owe a debt to.” He scratched the were’s neck hard enough to draw blood. “Your pack needs to apologize to Amara.”

“I will speak with my alpha.”

“You do that.”

“And I’ll apologize for my part in it, whether he approves or not. It’s the right thing to do.”

“The right thing would have been to not go after her in the first place.”

“You’re right.”

“Who is your alpha?” Because Parker had a strong desire to reach out and touch someone. Preferably with his fangs.

“Noah Wulfenbach.”

“Is he the one with the naiad mate?”

The were shook his head. “He’s currently unmated. His brother, our beta, has the naiad mate.”

He’d need to visit Noah Wulfenbach and have a nice chat with him. “Thank you.” He released the wolf, certain the man would bolt.

He was wrong. The wolf turned and held out his hand. “Carter Hayes.” He stood there, waiting for Parker to make a move.

Parker took a deep breath and pulled his beast back. Carter wasn’t the one he wanted to punish. He knew how wolf packs were supposed to work. The true apology had to come from the alpha, or it didn’t mean a thing. He shook Carter’s hand. “Hello, Carter. A pleasure to meet you.”

Carter winced. “Yeah. I’m sure.” He rubbed a hand across the back of his neck, his weariness bleeding through now that he wasn’t so tense. “Amara wanted you to know she’s heading home. The situation at The Greenhouse is pretty bad, but she’s done what she can. The rest is up to you and Mollie.”

“I’d better head that way, then, see how bad it is.”

“You might want to call Amara, let her know you’re all right and where you’re headed. She was worried when she realized you weren’t there.”

“Thank you for passing her message along.” He hadn’t quite gotten over his problems with the wolves, but this wolf wasn’t so bad.

“You’re welcome.” Carter strode away, rubbing at the mark Parker had left on his neck. Little did the were know that the mark wouldn’t fade until he’d paid his debt. Only when Parker was satisfied or the wolf died would the mark disappear, as if it had never been.

Brian tapped him on the shoulder. “Hey. Selena’s on her way to The Greenhouse.”

Parker shot Brian a grin. “I could get used to having a Renfield around.”

Brian grinned back. “Good, because you’re stuck with me.”

“Ah, but my month isn’t up yet.” Parker teased, knowing full well he had no intention of replacing Brian. Even if Brian had been a complete flop as a Renfield, he wouldn’t have broken Greg’s heart that way.

Brian blew a raspberry at him.

“Save that for Greg.”

Brian rolled his eyes. “C’mon, I parked over here. I’ll take you to The Greenhouse, then check on Amara for you. The thing the wicked witch put inside her took a lot out of her, and the fight in town took a toll. She’s beat.”

Beat? “She’s all right?”

“Oh yeah. Just tired. I’ll cook her up a light meal when I get back, make sure she’s hydrated. She’ll be fine.”

The Renfield was settling into his life nicely. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” Brian slid behind the driver’s seat.

“So. Have you completed the ritual?”

Parker’s smile was wicked. “She’s mine.”

“Then why ask me how she’s doing? You can tell how she’s doing by thinking about her.”

Parker grinned. “You know, I’d forgotten all about that.” He focused his thoughts on Amara. His grin softened to a smile when he realized she was half-asleep, as Brian had said. “Sweet.”