Heartsblood (Dark Hollow Wolf Pack 10)

“Gabe, go upstairs,” Zack said quietly. “I’ll be back soon.”

Gabe stood up and practically ran from the room. Marco, who had also noticed the exchange with Gabe, reached down and hauled Nicky to his feet. He reached into his pocket for the pill that Dr. Cornsilk had given him earlier. “Put this under your tongue to dissolve,” he said. “It’s the medicine we talked about earlier. It’s time to confront that thing inside you once and for all.

Chapte

r Five

The big, yellow moon leered at them over a smoky cloud as they walked the wide trail that wound around the mountain to Cade and Jax’s lodge. Cade and Jax led the way, with Casey and Zack behind them. Bringing up the rear were Marco and Nicky.

Marco hated this. He knew that despite Nicky’s bravado, he was scared, and he couldn’t help feeling that he was betraying him in some fundamental way that had everything to do with Marco’s admittedly old-fashioned ideas about protecting his mate. He knew Nicky’s wolf had to be confronted again and had to be brought into line if he were ever to become a functioning member of the pack. He knew it, but the thing that was tearing him up inside, the thing that kept repeating in his brain over and over was that he was about to stand by while four other alpha males bullied his mate. It was damn near intolerable, and he wasn’t sure he’d be able to do it.

Nicky needed firmness and understanding, not this. Why the fuck had he agreed to it in the first place? Nicky walked by his side, his face set in determined lines, not hesitating to face whatever was coming. He’d always admired Nicky’s stubborn courage. Sometimes that headstrong nature of his had driven Marco crazy, but underneath it all, he’d been proud that Nicky refused to back down when he thought he was right. Because of Nicky, so much had changed in his pack. Marco had been highly resistant to the changes at first, but Nicky had simply worn him down, and the whole pack was better and stronger for it.

He would never have believed when he first met Nicky that he would end up loving him so much. He’d lusted after him at first, of course. Nicky was beautiful and sweet, in a way, though maddening right from the beginning. Marco had known Nicky was too young, and he’d tried to wait before claiming him, but Nicky’s reckless nature had gotten in the way of his own safety and he’d had to be turned to save his life. At first, he’d fought Marco on pretty much everything. Except for the sex. They’d never had problems in that department. No matter what issues they’d faced over the past few years, they’d always connected in bed. It was only out of it that they had difficulties.

Marco knew Nicky hadn’t been happy since they lost their bloodmatch. He’d tried everything he could to convince him it didn’t matter, but whatever he tried, it never really worked. Nicky continued to believe that one day someone else would come along with a bloodmatch and Marco would leave him. So when the bloodlust had been forced on them, they both welcomed it in a way—Marco, because he hoped it would put an end to Nicky’s doubts, because Marco had no such doubts. Not where Nicky was concerned. Bloodlust or none, he couldn’t live without him. It was as simple as that.

He reached out and touched Nicky’s hand and Nicky glanced over at him and gave him a little smirk. His hurt-filled, stormy eyes told a different story, though. Marco wondered what was going on inside that complicated, beautiful head. He wished for the thousandth time that he had the old connection back, so he could get a read on what he was thinking, though certainly, Nicky didn’t exactly have a poker face.

Marco leaned toward him and murmured softly to him. “No matter what happens, I won’t leave you. I’ll fight with you, if I have to. If it comes to that.”

A flicker of surprise passed across those sapphire blue eyes and he nodded, just once, a jerk of his head. But he allowed his body to brush against Marco’s again as they climbed steadily up the gradual incline.

Ahead of them, Cade stopped and said something in a low voice to the others. He nodded at Marco and stepped forward to stand in front of Nicky, a little too close, trying to menace him with his physical presence.

“Shift, Nicky, and bring out your wolf. It’s time we met him.”

When Nicky didn’t respond right away, Zack came closer and shoved him back against Marco’s chest. “What are you waiting for? You were talking pretty big at dinner. Let’s see what you got.”

Casey grinned at him. “Other than a big mouth. We all know you have that.”

Marco noticed Jax circling around the others, looking nervous. He came to stand beside Marco.

Nicky folded his arms and glared at the three alphas crowding in front of him. “Cue the West Side Story music. Now let’s see, am I a Shark or a Jet in this one? I forget.” He turned toward Marco. “That’s a Broadway show reference by the way, babe. I know how challenged you are when it comes to pop culture.” He leaned around Zack. “You too, Casey.”

Casey growled at him and Marco could see that his incisors had already dropped down from his gums. Casey smirked at Nicky. “Funny boy. You always have a smart remark to make, don’t you? To show everybody how superior you are. How witty. Let’s see how funny you are after you meet my wolf.”

This kind of open antagonism Marco might have expected from Zack. Marco knew he was still smarting over Nicky’s taunting at dinner. But what was with Casey? When Casey first came to the pack, Nicky had been one of his few supporters, urging Marco to take it easy on him, even though he and Casey had a history. In the last few years, however, Casey had been less and less tolerant of Nicky’s interruptions at council meetings and what he termed Marco’s indulgent behavior with his mate. In short, he thought Nicky was spoiled rotten, but now was not the time or the place for him to work out his issues with Nicky. Marco would kill him first.

Surprised at the violence of his own thoughts, he realized he was already beginning to transform. From beside him, he heard a soft whine and saw that Jax was changing too, probably responding to all the testosterone and posturing in the group around him.

“Back off, Casey,” Jax said, his voice garbled with a mouth full of extra teeth. “You too, Zack. It wasn’t supposed to be this way.” He looked directly at his alpha partner, Cade. “Stop this now, Cade. It’s not going to work. I have a bad feeling about it.”

Cade shook his head. “We’ve come this far. Nicky, no one wants to hurt you or your wolf. Transform so we can see him. He needs to learn to be a member of this pack.”

The air around Cade shimmered a little as his body elongated, bony protuberances morphing his form into the shape of a wolf. Cade fell down on all fours, and thick, brown hair sprang up over his body. His face melted and pushed out, reforming itself. His big wolf looked around and focused on its mate as Jax also fell to the ground, fully shifted. The others followed suit until only Marco and Nicky were left standing together, the only ones who hadn’t yet transformed.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Nicky said, backing away from Marco while keeping his eyes on the wolves standing silently in front of him.

“We’re in this together, baby. I’ll shift when you do.”

Nicky laughed shortly and snarled down at Casey’s wolf, who had stepped aggressively forward, growling at him. Nicky was beginning to transform, his eyes turning yellow, glowing slightly. With a suddenness that surprised Marco, he shifted fully and fell down in front of Casey, nipping at Casey’s flanks, immediately on the attack.

Casey’s wolf, who hadn’t been expecting it, fell back, but then turned and came charging forward again. By this time, Marco’s wolf was in front of Nicky and met Casey’s charge head on, leaping on top of him and forcing him onto his back. Marco’s eyes were full of blood, a haze so thick he could barely see. The sight of Casey attacking his mate had sent him over the edge, and he might have killed him had Zack not ripped into his flank with sharp claws, then pushed him off Casey with his body when his attention was distracted.

Marco leaped back to Nicky’s side, aware that Jax was there too, and the three of them faced off against the others, heads lowered and ears laid back on their heads, saliva dripping from their mouths. Cade’s wolf immediately backed away, its ears back, unable and unwilling to attack its own mate. Zack’s wolf slunk toward Nicky, its eyes filled with hatred, but backed off when Marco and Nicky both lowered their heads and came forward to meet him, Finally, he leaped off the trail and into the bushes. They could hear him scrambling through the thicket as he ran into the woods. Casey followed with one poisonous glare and a growl aimed in their direction, and as quickly as tha

t, it was over.