I woke up in the middle of a puppy pile with an actual wolf at the foot of my bed and a cat at my head.
I knew that there was something important that I was supposed to remember, but right now, the world seemed absolutely perfect. But even I knew that it wouldn't last.
"Are you awake, Butterfly?" came the deep growl beside me. There was only one person who ever called me Butterfly.
"Nicholas?" I asked, turning my head to the side so that I could see him. "Am I still dreaming?"
"No, princess," he assured me, his voice still hoarse from sleep. "It isn't a dream. I am really here."
I let out a sigh of relief as something inside of me clicked into place. It still felt like I was missing something, but for now, I was happy and content.
"What's on the docket for today?" asked Mathew, shifting from wolf to man. He lay naked across the foot of the bed, not at all caring about his nudity. I was beginning to miss how he was in the office because I never saw his goofy side coming.
"Deal with the vampires," I said, the words coming out of my mouth almost instinctively.
"Are you going to purge them?" asked Mathew, raising up on one elbow to look at me. "Or are we just going to let them live?"
"There is no point in cutting off the head of the Hydra just to let more grow in its place," said Greyson, his rumbling voice vibrating underneath me. He must have gotten the short end of the straw if he had to act as my mattress for the night.
"They will be judged," I shrugged. I was winging all of this since I first allowed my monster to become one with me. Now, it was just second nature.
Nicholas narrowed his eyes at my words, something about them clearly setting him off. "Who will judge them?" he asked softly, tilting his head to look at me.
"Me," I answered, a slight grin on my face. "I will be the one to judge them."
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We all got out of bed, and after getting dressed and eating breakfast, I called the old man from the LA wolf pack.
He was happy to hear from me and quickly invited me and the guys over to the pack house to meet up. I needed his advice on the vampire problem in his city. I didn't feel right about killing every last vampire simply because they were vampires. If there was someone we could put in charge of the local House Vampyre who could also get along with the wolves, then that would be ideal.
There had to be at least one half-decent vampire that could step into the position of Head of House.
Right?
It took us a while to get to the pack house. Nicholas decided to take our car, leaving me sitting on his lap in the back seat. This went against almost all of the traffic violations that I could think of, but at this particular moment, I really didn't care.
His men drove their blacked-out SUVs all around our rental, caging us in in a layer of protection. I didn't think it was necessary, but Nicholas did, and that was what mattered. I would do almost anything to keep him here beside me. If that meant extra security, well, I would put up with it at the moment.
I made no promises after that… or when I was tired… or bitchy… or happy.
Yeah, that extra security wasn't going to last long.
Once again, the old man and the Alpha were waiting for us at the door as we drove down the driveway. They stiffened as Nicholas' men got out of their cars first. They might not have their guns out, but they were definitely intimidating enough without them.
"It's their scent," explained Mathew as he got out of the driver's seat and helped me out of the car. "They don't smell right."
I blinked a few times at that idea. I thought things just smelled…
"They smell like fire and ash," said Nicholas as he slid out of the SUV behind me. "It's the default scent of all demons."
I leaned back into his chest and took in a deep breath. To me, it smelled like comfort.
"Little Hope! You are back!" said the elder as he strolled toward my group. I could see the wolves behind him tense and on edge, but they didn't make a move.
"I am!" I answered with a smile. "I told you you would see me again."
"You did," smiled the old man as he moved around Mathew and gently pulled me in for a hug. He smelled like the earth after a rainstorm. I can't say I didn't like it. "And what brings you here? Are you in trouble?"
"Hardly," I assured him, tilting my head toward Nicholas. "My brother apparently came back from the dead and brought some of his men with him."
The elder stared at Nicholas for a few minutes, causing my brother to stiffen under the other man's gaze. "The long-lost prince," muttered the old man before letting out a cute sneeze. "Welcome."
"Thank you," replied Nicholas, bowing his head toward the other man. The guards behind Nicholas repeated the gesture, and all of a sudden, the tension was cut, and everyone relaxed.
"So, Hope, I can't help but notice that you haven't told me what you are doing here," smiled the old man, taking my arm in his and leading me toward the Alpha and the inside of the house.
"That is a long story," I chuckled. "And not for everyone to hear."
"Go for a run," yelled the Alpha. "I will let you know when you can come back."
There were a few yelps of agreement, and a whole pack of wolves shot off from the house and into the woods.
"Now that that is done, tell me. What did you do?"
"I killed Vlad."