Page 29 of Flesh and Fury
“Aye,querida, you make my choices so difficult. I don’t want you to leave either,hermanita.”
“Then don’t make me,hermano.”
Juan looked torn.
“Let her stay, Alpha,” Edward said, walking over and addressing his lover with a sweet smile. “I will be joining your pack, so it’s only right that you grant me a wedding present. Let your sister stay and forgive Tyler. This should be a happy announcement.” He turned and looked at his own grandfather. “You’re okay with us now, aren’t you, Alpha?”
“You mean this relationship between you and Juan Garcia? Another man?”
Edward nodded. “Yes, Grandfather. You saw how my beloved saved my life. He showed you that being gay isn’t a weakness. Juan Garcia is strong. He will always be able to protect me and being mated to an Alpha of the Hawthorne pack is a good thing for the Bishop pack. Combined, we will rule Northern California and Nevada and you know it.”
Alvin walked over to his grandson and squeezed him around the shoulders. “I never said being gay is weak, my boy.” He looked at Juan before turning back to Edward. “I saw the way the Alpha protected you when you were injured. I think he saved your life. I just don’t know if he’s good enough for someone of your stature, Grandson.”
“He’s the Alpha of his pack and when we are mated, he will watch over the Bishop pack anytime you need him.”
“Yes, Alpha,” Juan said. “Anytime your pack requires our help, we’ll be there.”
“And children? You cannot give my grandson children,” Alvin said.
Juan nodded. “That’s true but even if I could, they would not inherit my position as Alpha. Anyone in the pack or even an outsider from another pack, can challenge me as Alpha. You know this is the case.” He turned from Alvin and looked at Edward, smiling at him. “And our love is the real thing. When he’s ready for a family, we’ll adopt an unwanted pup and raise them as our own.” Edward beamed at him and he turned back to Alvin, holding out his hand. “Are we in agreement, Alpha?”
When Alvin took his hand and shook it, Eoghan blew out a long breath. He glanced over at Ari to find him looking back at him. He hadn’t even realized how much he’d worried about Alvin’s capitulation until now. If he hadn’t agreed, then this would have been a whole new thing. Ari looked just as pleased as he did.
He glanced over at the chief. Washington nodded, clearly as relieved at the outcome as his agents. Chastain still looked very green around the gills, and Rusch just appeared happy they wouldn’t have to fight.
Frankly, Eoghan hadn’t been looking forward to that either. He relaxed as he watched Ari slip the can of werewolf deterrent back into his tac pants.
“Well, I guess that means we’re done here for the night,” the chief drawled. He walked over to the two Alphas who were standing side by side. “If you two don’t mind, we have a favor to ask y’all now.” He turned to the werewolves. “Would everyone leave your Alphas be now? We have some business with ‘em.”
“Come along, boys,” Carmen said, taking Edward’s elbow and Tyler’s arm in the other. “Let’s leave the marshals to talk to our Alpha. I suggest you cover up first, though. I know Juan carries spare clothes and boots and I suspect you do too, Alvin.” To Eoghan’s surprise, she turned and winked in their direction. “And before you ask, you want to know how I realized you have business with the Alphas.” At Eoghan’s nod, she smiled. “You didn’t come all the way from Los Angeles for no reason.”
“No, ma’am. Thank you, Ms. Garcia,” Eoghan said. He glanced at Ari and canted his head toward Washington who was leading the two Alphas and the other marshals back over to their vehicles where they could retrieve spare clothing.
Afterward, they sat down at the picnic tables out of the way of Tyler and his minion who were loading the bodies of the dead human werewolves into the back of Juan’s flatbed with the assistance of Edward. He assumed they’d be taken back to the Hawthorne reservation where they’d be burned on ceremonial funeral pyres. That’s how most paranormals honored the dead since they couldn’t be buried for fear of humans digging them up and learning of their secret world.
“What can we help you with?” Alvin asked once they were seated.
Eoghan and Ari did their best to explain the situation with John Townsend’s vampire reservation down in Flagstaff and all the reasons why it would be a good thing if the werewolves would agree to help. At the look of clenched jaws, he really hoped they’d be allowed to get through the whole explanation before they objected. But the weres were extremely polite, letting Eoghan make the point that Severin and Invictus had already agreed to help, and also that the Tahoe shifter reservation would send several of their predators to the fight to bolster their numbers.
“Our chief—Arizona Priest—is working to get other tribes, packs, and reservations to join with us so that we can put Tillis Bradshaw permanently out of business and accomplish our goals here,” Ari said. “We only want to do this once.”
“I understand and even sympathize with this undead king, if what you say is to be believed,” Alvin said. “But I’ve been an Alpha for a long time and I have never met a vampire I didn’t despise. Tell me why this should be any different.”
“Because all of you will be in danger eventually,” Eoghan explained. “We know that Tillis Bradshaw is taking over a third artificial blood factory as we speak. This one is in Santa Fe. For all we know, he may already be in the process of taking over another right here under our noses. There’s one in Eugene, Oregon not that far from where we are. We need to stop or soon, he’ll have them all which means he’ll be able to control every vampire in the country.
“You must understand how problematic this is. If he has the entirety of the synthetic blood supply, and decides to starve vampire reservations until they capitulate to his will, they will burst out of their borders and begin draining humans left and right. That means the entire balance of the shifter world and this great experiment started by Teddy Roosevelt will have to come to an end. The Agency will be forced to move against all paranormals so that they can deny they even exist. You know how that works. If the experiment gets out of the lab, the government usually overreacts. No one wants to see a great purging of the paranormal world or even war between creatures and reservations. Please take this to heart and understand how important it is for you to help us.”
The Alphas exchanged a glance with each other and then Alvin looked back at them, nodding. “I agree and I see how that could become a problem. The U.S. government really does like to interfere with everything.” He looked at Juan. “What doyou think, Alpha? What can it harm? It might be fun to band together and kill some undead who are on the wrong side.”
“I agree,” Juan Garcia said, letting a slow smile cross his handsome face.
“As long as you’re killing Tillis Bradshaw’s bad vamps, that’s fine,” Eoghan said, “but there are no doubt some good ones who’ve been recently turned—innocents—forced to serve an evil king.”
“I’m afraid I can’t determine an evil bloodsucker from one who’s been newly turned, operating out of self-preservation, and I don’t think we’re going to get time to figure that out before they attempt to rip our throats out,” Alvin said.
“Alpha, common sense dictates if a vamp is trying to rip your throat out or actively engaged in a fight with you, they’re a target and you should attack without reservations,” Eoghan said. “Now, what do you say? Will you please join us?”
“Send me in your place, Grandfather.”