Warrior Fae Trapped (Warrior Fae #1)(105)

“What’s the story with the kid alpha, anyway?” Dale asked as Barbara noticed the condoms not far from her boot. She didn’t bother shifting away, just looked on, scouting the area. Nerves of steel, definitely. “Roger didn’t give us too much to go on.”

“He’s an up-and-comer,” Steve answered, checking the time on his phone. No word on what was keeping Devon. They must’ve been close. “He was the head of a pack in charge of extinguishing newbies. Did well there. I hear he took out a couple mid-level vamps on his own, and had a go at Vlad.”

“Got his ass handed to him,” Barbara said, eyes scanning. “Rookie move, going for Vlad.”

“He did it to save the fae,” Cole boomed, incapable of volume control. He’d be great at the hiding game, surely. Good call, Roger. “I was there. I saw it.”

“Still,” Barbara said.

Dale spat out a stream of brown liquid. “Vlad is of particular interest to the elves, lately. I got stopped by one of their grunts as I was running through the Realm. A sprite. She asked what had prompted Roger to try and take Vlad down.”

“What’d you say?” Cole boomed.

“He’s only a few feet away from you, bro,” Steve said, putting some distance between himself and the were-yeti. “You don’t need to yell.

Dale shrugged at Cole. “A load of bollocks. That they had a grudge match because Roger got all his newbies…”

“If an elf had stopped you, they would’ve known you were lying,” Barbara said. “They would’ve hauled you in.”

“No, shit,” Dale said, exasperated. “I would’ve run like hell from an elf. What do you think I am, stupid?”

“At times,” Barbara replied.

Dale scowled—and then scowled harder when he saw Steve’s smirk.

“What’s the story with Vlad, anyway?” Dale asked. “I heard he hasn’t been seen in a while.”

“Went underground when Charity barbecued him,” Steve said.

“Underground, but not dormant,” Barbara replied. “Only a fool would think he wasn’t watching that fae from the shadows. He’s planning. That’s what elders do. They strategize.”

“Very insightful.” Steve winked at Barbara. “You have a real knack for stating the well-known.”

“Asshole.” Barbara went back to scanning.

“It is true,” Cole said. “Both the repeating of information we already know, and that Vlad is still active. I’ve heard how much interest he showed that girl. I was there when he tried to take her. He showed his determination. He won’t let her go easily. He’s just waiting for the right moment to strike again.”

“Which brings us to why you’re here,” Steve said.

Cole nodded, his chest puffed out. Where an elder vampire would give most creatures pause, Cole just readied for battle.

“Where’s the Rogue Natural, by the way?” he asked, giving Steve some suspicious side-eye. “He was supposed to be here.”

He’ll meet us on the other side.”

“That right?” Dale continued his sideways stare. “I also heard you wasn’t a pack man.”

Steve’s smile grew at the soft threat. “Au contraire—that’s French, by the way—I love Pac-man. I spent a great deal of time playing it as a kid. Oops, here we are now.”

Two vans, white and beige, pulled up alongside the crumbling curb, stopping near a pile of trash in front of a sign that said “no dumping.” The doors of the vans slid open, ejecting four guys and three gals. Devon, the black-haired lady killer, glanced Steve’s way as Charity stepped up next to him. Her delicate features belied her obvious power. She didn’t touch Devon, but Steve knew a lot about body language, and he noticed the way the young alpha leaned into her just a bit, sharing personal space with her. He dropped his head to her, whispering something.

“That’s them, huh?” Dale asked before spitting.

“Nailed it,” Steve told him.

“He’s younger than I remember,” Cole boomed.

Steve turned back to glance at the grim-faced snow-giant. “You embarrass yourself a lot, I take it. No wonder Reagan picked on you.”

Cole’s face crumpled into anger and his hands curled into fists. He’d been the only one brave enough to rise to Reagan’s taunting one night in New Orleans. She’d had her hands full with him. He would’ve ripped her head off if she hadn’t set his fur on fire.

“Oops. Sore subject?” Steve grinned.

Devon stalked toward them, power and authority brimming from his athletic frame. In his lesser twenties, he was still filling out, gaining a man’s muscle and honing his strength. That didn’t diminish the dominance and power that wafted from him like it was his birthright.

He stopped in front of the new pack members, his confidence not the only thing carrying his mantle. Steve’s eyes widened as a thick wave of magic rolled over him, suffocating. It was the feeling he got whenever Roger stepped into a room, though not as potent. Not yet, anyway. In just a few months, Devon’s power had obviously grown. It was heads and tails more intense than Steve had remembered. That was some fast maturing for this young buck.

“Steve.” Devon stuck out his hand.