Kiss Of The Alpha : A YA Paranormal Romance

Chapter 179: Chapter 179

Heather

"If you can handle Johnson, we’ll take care of the compound," Mr. Langdon said. "I have my contacts at the coroner’s office make the four bodies in custody disappear." Shit. I’d totally forgotten about the others. He sighed. "And Kelly. I’ll have to notify his family."

I swallowed as I took in the lone wolf lying still, his fur matted with dark blood. We’d already lost one fighter, and that was just one minor demon.

I hadn’t even known the Were’s name.

"I’m sorry for your loss. You take care of yours, and I’ll get baby cop to take me to the station so I can tie up the rest of our loose ends." Cosette sighed.

I winced at the sound. She was really putting herself on the line for us. "How much trouble are you in?"

"I’ll spin it somehow." Then she smirked. "Why are werewolves so much trouble?"

I shrugged. "Don’t ask me. I’m still new here."

She laughed. "For being so new to the supernatural world, you’re handling it well."

That was high praise coming from her. "Th—" I caught myself before I thanked her. "I mean, that’s nice to hear?" My manners were too ingrained. It felt wrong not to say thanks when she was putting herself out there for us.

"See? You’re used to it already."

A wolf head-butted my hand, and I glanced down at Brent’s light gray coat. "Did you get any of its blood on you?" He gave a small whimper and licked my palm. I couldn’t sense much pain from him, but I could’ve sworn some of the blood got on his fur.

"Gross." I wiped my hand on my jeans, and squatted down, pressing my forehead to his.

His love came pouring through the bond, and I reveled in it for a moment. He was here. Safe. We were both alive. I could breathe easier for a second, before the tension built right back up.

I hadn’t thought a demon would be able to latch on just from a wound, but after what happened to Raphael...

"Let me see where the blood hit you. Was it your back?" I leaned over him and sniffed.

The charred patch of fur smelled like sulfur. No way did I want him to end up like Raphael. I had to do something before any demonic energy took hold. I didn’t have any holy water. Nothing that could cleanse it. Except...

I reached into my bag and grabbed one of the vials. The potion looked like dark gray sludge but it was brewed with holy water and bits of the relic.

I slowly unscrewed the cap. "I’m going to put this your back."

"Is that a good idea?" Serena asked. "Don’t those explode when they hit the demons?"

"Brent isn’t a demon." I was pretty sure it wouldn’t

damage him, but the potion should be strong enough to burn off the demon’s blood. It would be worth a little sting to make sure there was no chance of him getting possessed. "Guess we’ll find out." This might burn a little, okay?

Brent yipped, and I poured out the vial, quickly muttering the words to invoke it.

He snarled as the potion hit his skin. The vial slipped to the ground and I grabbed him, holding him still. "Give it a second. The burning should stop." I muttered my prayer activating the potion, hoping I wasn’t lying.

There was a flash of white light, and then Brent quit struggling.

Donovan squatted down next to us, back to human and sporting a pair of generic, black sweatpants. "Shift back."

Brent shifted, and suddenly I was staring at his naked back. A small burn—a little bigger than the size of a quarter—marred his otherwise smooth skin. It was raw and read, weeping a little bit of blood. "It isn’t healing?"

"No." Donovan shook his head. "That’s a supernatural hurt. Those heal slowly." He leaned in and sniffed Brent’s burn. "But it smells fine now. No infection."

I let out a breath of relief, but wondered—if I’d acted faster—if I’d known what was going on with Raphael, could I have stopped it before the demon took hold?

Donovan patted Brent’s shoulder. "You should be okay. You’ve got quite the mate."

Brent laughed. "I agree."

He looked back at me, and I couldn’t help running my fingers through his hair. "You’re okay."

He nodded.

I took him in, and my eyes widened. "You need some clothes. Like now."

"I guess I do. Be right back." Brent headed for the SUV, and I tried not to steal a peek. Much. The rest of the wolves followed. I saw Mr. Langdon’s brown wolf dart past, and knew the coast was clear of naked bits I didn’t want to see.

I stared at Luciana’s house. We had a small victory—one not without cost—but Luciana was out there. Somewhere. "I’m going to have to go in there, aren’t I?"

"Probably. I’d help but I have to deal with our cop friend." Cosette tilted her head toward the car. "He looks like he’s about to pee himself. If he hasn’t already."

I grunted my agreement, but stayed there, staring up at Luciana’s place. It was white, with forest green shutters, and a matching door. The white porch seemed almost homey. It might be, if not for the blood dripping down the steps. Not to mention Luciana’s craft room...

Shuddering, I turned away.

How Daniel had lived there, I had no idea.

Thinking of him brought up a host of emotions I couldn’t deal with yet. I shoved them down, but I couldn’t ignore the question that keep coming back to me. "How could Luciana do this to her people? To her son?" I asked Dad.

He sat by me. "I don’t know." He put his arm around me, and I leaned into him. "I’d do anything to make sure you were okay."

I motioned to the red plastic containers. "Clearly."

He pressed a kiss to my forehead. "You’re mine. No matter what’s happened. I’ll do everything I can to protect you."

I closed my eyes and breathed in his scent. He smelled like home. I could even smell Mom’s lavender lotion. "I know. Love you, Dad."

"Love you, too, kiddo."

I patted Dad’s leg and then stood, brushing myself off. There was no time to waste. Not when Luciana was out there, doing God only knew what. If I wanted to live through the next fight, I needed to be ready and the potions I had weren’t going to cut it. If there were any books on demons hiding in the compound, they’d be inside.

As I started toward the house, my hands shook.

You can do this, Heather. I told myself. You can do this. You’re strong. You got out of there once. She’s not even here. Keep your head on straight, and it’ll be fine.

I snorted. No way was everything going to be fine, but I made myself move forward anyway.

At this point, I was the only one who could sort through whatever was left of Luciana’s magic. It wasn’t going to be fun and it wasn’t going to be pretty, but I didn’t have a choice in the matter. At every turn, Luciana did something more and more horrific. Someone had to stop her.

Maybe I wasn’t the best person for the job, but I had to try.

Even if it meant coming face to face with my worst nightmares.