Desert Heat (Complete)

{Arie’s P.O.V.}

“Oh my god,” Cianna says

“What the f**k!?” I shout. “That’s Maya!!”

“And that’s Heather!” Deacon and Cianna shout.

“Heather!? As in Lacie’s sister!?” I asked. They both nod at me. “Are you telling me that my ex, and my mate’s sister, are behind this?!”

“f**k!!” Deacon shouts.

“Deacon? What’s wrong?” Evelyn asked.

“Heather is the one that marked me. She’s my ex-mate,” he tells her.

“Why would Heather want to poison her own sister?!” Cianna asked.

“She wouldn’t,” Mikey said. “Remember, those drinks were intended for us guys, not the girls,”

“How would Heather and Maya even know each other!?” Cianna asked. That was a good question.

“What would be their reasoning to try and kill our mates?!” Sin exclaimed.

“What the hell does Chris have to do with any of this!?” Evelyn asked.

“Revenge,” Andre replied. We all look at him.

“Andre, what do you mean?” Dani asked.

“Maya, wants to get back at Aries for leaving her for Lacie, and it is possible that Heather wants to get back at Deacon for flirting with another woman, and the bartender may have been jealous because the two women he wants, chose to be with werewolves instead of him,”

“Good theory, but Heather wants Deacon for herself, she doesn’t want him dead,” Apollo said.

“No, but Heather hates Allie,” Cianna started to say. “Heather has always blamed Allie for Deacon rejecting her. She always said that she would make Allie pay for taking away her mate,”

“And what better way to do that take away her mate,” Brandon said.

“So, Heather’s goal was to poison Dorian, Maya’s goal was to poison Aries, and the bartender Chris was to poison Deacon and Apollo,” Mikey said.

“That still doesn’t make sense on Heather’s part. She’s in love with my brother, why would she allow Deacon to be killed?” Lucian asked.

“Who knows and who cares? That’s not important right now!” Sin exclaimed. “Why would our mates be targeted!?”

“Collateral damage,” Mikey said. “There’s no way they differentiate which drinks would go to who, so they just spiked all of them,”

“THOSE f*****g LITTLE PIECES OF s**t! I SWEAR TO EVERY HIGHER POWER THERE IS I AM GOING TO RIP THEIR THROATS OUT!!” Sin screamed.

“But how would Heather or Maya even have known we were going to be at the club?” Dani asked.

“I can answer that one,” Brandon said. “So, I had Todd send me the entire guestlist of patrons who prepaid to get into the club that night. With it being New Year’s Eve, more people tend to pay in advance. Guess whose names are on the list,”

“Heather and Maya?” we all say in unison.

“Yup! And I found out from Stefan that Heather was the one trying to book the VIP lounge that one day. So, it’s possible that she was able to put two and two together,” I looked at Dorian and his eyes were black as night. He was beyond outraged. I loved Lacie more than anything, but the love Dorian had for Allie was unmatched.

“I WANT A BOUNTY ON ALL OF THEM NOW!!” Dorian roared.

“Open or closed?” Mikey asked.

“Closed,”

“Who are we going to use?”

“Warlord, Fury, Poseidon, and Carter,”

“How much?”

“Five million for the bartender, I want him dead on sight,”

“Heather and Maya?”

“15 million for Heather and I want her alive!” Dorian replied, and then looked at me. “You choose Maya’s bounty, and I will pay it on your behalf,” he said to me. I think about it for a minute.

“Same, 15 million for Maya, and I want her alive as well. I want her brought back here so I can kill her myself,” I reply. “Also, Mikey, contact Sinbad and Persephone, they both owe me favors,”

“Oh s**t,” Mikey said.

“Honey, are you okay?” Sin asked him.

“Yeah, it’s just that those two are retired, but… for the right price, they will come out of retirement,”

“What’s the problem then?”

“They’re not bounty hunters, they’re hitters,” Mikey replies.

“What are hitters?” Leah asked.

“Assassins,” Andre answered.

“But I thought you guys wanted them alive?” Dani said.

“Sinbad and Persephone may be assassins, but they don’t deviate from a contract. If you tell them to bring the target back alive, they will. I just can’t guarantee how alive they will be if those two find them,” I tell everyone.

“Deacon, I understand you need to head home, but I think you and I need to take a trip to Florida first,” Dorian says to him.

“I think you’re right,” Deacon replies.

“Aries, you’re coming too,” Dorian says to me.

“But Lacie,” I protest.

“I’m going to stay with her,” Cianna says. “Luci, I’m sorry, but I’m going to stay here, just until Aries comes back,”

“I understand Cici,” Lucian says.

“Thank you Cianna, thank you, Lucian,” I say to them, and Cianna hugs me. Lucian just nods and puts his hand on my shoulder.

“Sin, Leah, and Dani, the three of you take turns with Sam to watch over Allie and Lacie as well, understand?”

“Yes, Alpha,” they all replied.

“Aries, go pack a bag,” Dorian tells me, and I leave the conference room.

{Deacon’s P.O.V.}

After Aries left the conference room, I turned to my brothers and our mates,

“Cianna, I know this is hard for you, knowing that you were once friends with Heather, but this has to be done. She crossed the line, and there is no turning back for her,” I tell her.

“I understand Deacon, I really do. I just don’t know how her parents are going to handle the fact that she has a death sentence on her head and that she is responsible for Lacie and Allie,”

“Even though Dorian is putting out a bounty, my understanding is that it can’t be signed until the Elders of both states agree, which is why we’re going to Florida. Not only does Dorian want to confront Heather’s and Lacie’s parents, but also to speak with the Elder,”

“Archie,” she replies, and I nod.

“Apollo, Lucian, I need you guys to take the jet and go back home. Harvey and Tommy need to be relieved for a little bit. I know nothing much has happened, but we still need an Alpha at the house,”

“Don’t worry brother, we will take care of the house,” Apollo replied.

“What about us?” Evelyn asked. I take her hand in mine and look at her beautiful pink eyes.

“Eileen will go back with Apollo, they need to be together, but you, you can choose what you want to do. You can either go back with them and be with your sister and get to know everyone there, or you can wait here for me to get back from Florida. I should be back by tomorrow. It’s up to you baby girl,” I see her blink a few times and make a thinking face.

“I’ll stay here and wait for you,”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I think I will feel awkward staying in your packhouse without you there, even though my sister would be there, it wouldn’t feel right without you Deacon. I’ll wait for you to come back,” she said replied squeezing my hand. The sparks that made my hand tingle were giving me life. “Plus, I can help watch over Allie and Lacie,” her answer was so heartfelt, I just had to hug her. I pulled her close and took in her watermelon jolly rancher scent. This was why Dorian was constantly smelling Allie. The scent of your mate is not only intoxicating beyond words, but it just helps calm your nerves and feel relaxed. I felt her put her arms around my waist too, and I just smiled and inhaled again.

“Deacon, Aries is ready for us,” Dorian said, and I nodded.

“You guys travel safe and text me when you land. Apollo, be good to Eileen and make sure Chelsea and Melissa treat her the same way they treat Cianna,” I tell them. I give them fist bumps, and I hug all the girls. I turn to leave, but something is telling me to turn back. I grunt and go back to Evelyn. I pull her into a k**s and hold her tight. She k****s me back and wraps her arms around my neck. After a few seconds, I pull away gently,

“Wow, what was that for?” she asked breathlessly and her legs wobbly.

“Just giving you a sample,” I reply and leave. I meet Dorian and Aries in the garage, and we take one of Dorian’s larger sedans. This flight to Heather’s pack was going to be interesting, to say the least.

{Evelyn’s P.O.V.}

When Deacon kissed me, every nerve in my body was freaking out. The sparks that went off as his tongue wrestled with mine, just sent waves of pleasure through me that I didn’t even know was possible. When he pulled away, I was about to cry from the loss of contact. I was shocked and surprisingly turned on. I wanted to take things slow, like really slow, but that k**s was anything but slow. Yet, I wasn’t at mad at it one bit. I could barely stand after that k**s, and all I could say was,

“Wow, what was that for?”

“Just giving you a sample,” he replied and walked away. A sample? That was a sample? Then what the hell would the full meal be like? All thoughts of going slow were completely out the window and I didn’t want them to come back after that k**s. I wanted Deacon to come back and k**s me some more.

After he left, I could feel all the eyes in the conference room were staring at me. I felt a little more than uncomfortable at that point,

“So, is anyone going to address the pink elephant in the room?” one the guys from Desert Moon said, I believed his name was Mikey.

“It’s a long story, but short version, Evelyn is Deacon’s second chance mate,” Lucian said.

“WHAT!?” Everyone exclaimed.

“Wait, wait, wait, how? Deacon is marked by Heather. How can he have a second chance mate?”

“Well, Leah, it’s complicated and we really are not at liberty to discuss the details,” Apollo answered. Everyone seemed disappointed, and honestly, I was too. I wanted to know what the deal was with this Heather chick. Other than the fact that she’s crazy, and marked Deacon without his consent, and tried to kill all the guys, I don’t know much.

“Okay, forget it, it’s not important right now anyway,” Brandon said. “Leah, sweetcheeks, will you go relieve Sam and Lucas?”

“Okay,” she got up and left the room.

“We need to get going too,” Apollo says. “We honestly should have been up in the air by now,”

“Bye, Evie, you take care okay?” Eileen hugs me.

“You too, Eileen. I will see you soon,” I pull away. Lucian and Apollo hug me as well, and they leave too.

“Okay, so Evelyn, please take a seat, and we can work on a schedule on who will watch over Lacie and Allie until the guys come back,” the non-wolf said to me.

“I’m sorry, but I can get everyone’s names?” I ask them nicely. “Other than Cianna and Mr. Kane, I don’t really know anyone’s names,”

“Oh s**t, our bad. I guess we can go in ranking order,”

“I’m Brandon, your ex-boss. I’m also the Beta of the pack. Leah is my fiancée, she’s the one that just left,”

“I’m Mikey, and I’m the Gamma. This is my wife Cynthia,”

“Please, call me Sin,”

“My name Alexandre, but you may call me Andre. I am the Delta and I am a wolf-vampire hybrid, this is my mate, Daniella,”

“I like to go buy Dani, and I’m a vampire-warlock hybrid, hence why the poison had no affect me,”

“I’ve never heard of a pack having a Delta before,” I say to Andre.

“It’s not common, but Andre’s father is a high ranking vampire in France, so Dorian gave him a rank,” Brandon answered.

“Also, in a few minutes, two more people will be joining us, and that will be Lucas and his wife Sam. They are the highest level Omegas in the pack, and our head trainers,” Mikey said. I nodded my head and smiled. Sure enough, two other people came in, and their names were Lucas and Sam.

“So, Evelyn, we can all sense that you and your sister are part wolf, but what’s the other part of you?” Sin asked.

“I’m half-fairy,” I reply, and all of them stare at me like I’m some kind of extra-terrestrial being.

“Did you say fairy?” Sam asked. I nodded.

“You have to be joking, fairies actually exist?” Sin asked.

“I thought you guys were extinct?” Dani said.

“No, just in hiding. We don’t really show ourselves anymore,” I reply. “I’m not just any fairy, my sister and I are fairy princesses. Our dad is the Fairy King here in the U.S. Our mom is a werewolf,” I explain.

“That’s totally badass!” Cianna says and gives me a high-five.

“Hold up, is your fairy side the reason why you and your sister have pink and purple eyes?” Brandon asked, and I nodded.

“So, what kind of abilities do you have then?” Mikey asked.

“Well, we have all the senses of a wolf, hearing, smell, speed, and sight. I can feel the mate bond upon touch, but I can’t shift, because I don’t have a wolf; however, I can shift into my fairy form,”

“Wait, so fairies are shifters?” Lucas asked, and I nodded.

“Prove it!” Sin shouted. I looked and she had an excited look on her face.

“Well, if I turn into a fairy, you won’t be able to see me all that well. I’m going to look like a gnat to you,”

“Hold on, let me a magnifying glass,” Brandon said and ran over to the desk. He came back with a handheld magnifying glass and gave me the okay.

“Okay, so let me see,” I closed the laptop, and got on top of the table. “I’m going to shift, and I’m going to stand right in the middle of the laptop, so look for me there,” Brandon nodded. I closed my eyes, and shifted into my fairy form, and flew over to the middle of his laptop. I waited a minute, and then I saw Brandon look at me through the magnifying glass. Because I was so small, they wouldn’t be able to hear me, even with wolf hearing. So, I just waved when I saw his giant eyeball staring at me.

“Holy f*****g hell, this is the coolest s**t I’ve seen in a long time,” Brandon said.

“I want to see!” Sin said and looked also. “Oh my gosh, hi Evelyn,” I just waved at her too. One by one everyone took a look at my tiny self. When they were all done, I flew over to the open floor and shifted back to my normal size.

“Damn, that was like the movie ‘Honey I Shrunk the Kids’,” Mikey said. I couldn’t help but laugh at that. Once we got all of that out of the way, we made the schedule to watch over Allie and Lacie. Cianna and I offered to do the overnight shift since everyone else seemed to have children and morning training. Because of this, Cianna and I decided to take an afternoon nap, so that we could be energized for the evening.

{Dorian’s P.O.V.}

When we landed in Tampa, Deacon paid for the rental, but I drove to the Snell Island Packhouse. Our hope that was that Heather would be there and we could take her in ourselves, then I wouldn’t have to pay out the fifteen million dollar bounty. As much as I hated Heather, I was not looking forward to having to tell Bernie that his other daughter was being sentenced to death for the attempted murder of multiple ranked members of two different packs.

When we pulled up to the house, the gate was closed, so I buzzed the house.

“Hamilton residents,”

“Camden?”

“Uncle Dorian?”

“Kiddo, open the gate, and tell your mom and the other ranked members that I’m here,”

“Okay,” Cam opened the gate and I drove in. As soon I pulled up to the roundabout in front of the house, everyone was running out.

“Dorian!? What are you doing here?” My sister asked. “Why are Deacon and Aries here?”

“Dorian, does this have to do with Lacie?” Bernie asked.

“It does, and we need to talk in private,” I tell him with a stern voice. I was not going to sugar coat this in any way, shape, or form.

Once we got into Bernie’s office, we all settled, and I took a deep breath. I had to gather myself and make sure I didn’t lose my temper.

“Bernie, there is no easy way to say this, so I am just going to flat out say it,” I start, and look at him. He stares and waits for me to continue. “I’m putting out fifteen million dollar bounty for Heather’s capture,”

“WHAT!?” everyone exclaimed.

“Dorian, why!?” Amber asked.

“Heather and Maya are wanted for the attempted murder of eight ranked wolves from my pack and Deacon’s,” I reply.

“Who is Maya?”

“Aries’ ex,”

“There has to be some kind of mistake,” Henry interjected.

“There is no mistake Henry,” Deacon answered. “There is surveillance footage of them tampering with the drinks that were meant to kill us at the club on New Year’s Eve, which Allie and Lacie were inadvertently exposed to,”

“Wait, are you saying that Heather is responsible for what has happened to Lacie and Allie!?” Bernie asked, and the three of us nodded our heads.

“I need to speak with Archie while I am here,” I say to Bernie.

“Why?” he asks

“Because I need an Elder from this state to sign for the bounty and for Heather’s death warrant,”

“YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!” Bernie growls and Corinne is holding her chest crying. “I understand that what Heather has done is unforgivable, but she is my daughter! I cannot allow you to do this!”

“You can’t stop me! The laws are clear! Heather conspired with a wanted fugitive of my pack, someone who already made an attempt on Lacie’s life once already, and attempted to murder eight ranked wolves! Two of which are Alphas!”

“WHAT!?” the entire room was in shock.

“Maya, my ex-lover was jealous of Lacie. So, to get back at us, she burned down our townhouse, but luckily we were not home at the time. We were actually in the pack hospital because an hour before that, Maya and Lacie got into a fistfight,” Aries explained.

“Why was I not told about this!?” Bernie asked.

“Because Lacie didn’t want you to worry. The wounds she sustained were superficial, and we ended up moving into the packhouse anyway,”

“Bernie, Heather sealed her fate the moment she joined forces with Maya. Now, summon your Elder!” I commanded, which was somewhat pointless since I couldn’t command another Alpha.

“He doesn’t have to,” Amber said. “I already did,”

“Amber!” Bernie shouted.

“Bernie, Heather has gone too far. She made an attempt on my brother’s life, and instead of him, it’s my sister-in-law and your baby who are fighting for their lives! They may die, Bernie! Don’t you get that!? Lacie and Allie may die any day now because of Heather!”

“Where is Heather!?” Deacon asked.

“We don’t know, Heather hasn’t been home for over a week,” Henry replied.

“Why am I not surprised? It appears that Heather wasn’t planning on coming home any time soon,” Deacon replied directly to Bernie.

“If Allie dies, I want nothing to do with this pack!” Amber shouts with tears streaming down her face. “Bernie, do you hear me!? If Allie dies, you will release me, and my family and we will go back to Desert Moon!”

“Amber, if we leave, Cam won’t become Alpha,” Ronnie tells her.

“Is that more important to you than Allie’s life!? I don’t want our son to be the Alpha of a pack that is toxic and corrupt!” Amber was furious. “You know what! I’m just going to lay it all out on the floor right now! Bernie! You are the shittiest Alpha I have ever had the displeasure of knowing! You raised Heather to be this self-centered, self-entitled, spoiled rotten little b***h! Because you never taught her right from wrong, she slept with mated males within this pack and ruined over a dozen mate bonds!”

“Amber, what are you talking about!?” Henry asked.

“Cianna told Dorian and Deacon, and a few others that Heather has been sleeping with mated wolves since she was underage. So, it went unreported, and it didn’t even stop there. She kept doing it well after she gained her wolf! Heather is an impure wolf, which is why Deacon was not attracted to her. Now guess what, Deacon has a chance to find a second chance mate even though Heather marked him because her mark holds no value!”

“He already found her,” Aries interjected.

“Oh, well there you go,” Amber spat in Bernie’s and Corinne’s face. Corrinne was mortified and Bernie was furious. “Another thing, I did some investigating on the pack doctor, turns out he’s profiting off of the Omegas!”

“What are you talking about?” Bernie asked.

“He’s been forcing the Omegas to pay for medical services while still getting money from you every year! Dr. Kirkpatrick and the nurses have been embezzling from the pack for over a decade, and none of us had any idea because you haven’t audited the clinic!” Bernie was speechless. I knew Bernie was a weak Alpha, but I didn’t think he was this weak of an Alpha or this incompetent.

“Amber please, take breather…”

“f**k OFF HANK!!” Amber screamed. “I won’t say it again! If Allie dies, I am done with this pack!”

“I am too,”

“Ronnie!” Bernie exclaimed. “You’re the Beta!”

“My family comes before my duties. I will give up my rank if it means protecting Amber and my pups,” Bernie was about to say something when there was a knock on the door.

“Come in!” Amber shouted.

“Beta, you summoned me?” Archie came in.

“Yes, my brother needs your assistance,”

“ARCHIE GET OUT!” Bernie shouted.

“No! Listen to my brother! This has to do with life and death, and our laws having been broken!”

“If our laws have been broken, I need to hear them,” Archie replied. “Alpha Shaw, how can I assist you?” Archie asked. I explained to him everything that was currently going on.

“I see, well, this is quite the serious matter,” Archie replied. “Alpha Hamilton, after hearing the crimes that Heather has committed against not one, but two other packs, and its ranked members, I am hereby mandated by wolf law to sign her death warrant and grant permission to execute the bounty for her capture,”

“ARCHIE! YOU CAN’T! SHE IS MY DAUGHTER!”

“And what about Lacie? Is she not your daughter as well? You would save the one that killed the other?” Archie said, hitting a sensitive spot. “I will be honest with you now Alpha Hamilton, the other Elders of Florida and I have been speaking and trying to determine what to do with you,”

“What are you talking about?”

“We are discussing on whether or not we will strip you of your title, and promote Beta Dearing to Alpha,” when Archie said this, there was an eerie silence that took over the office and no one knew what to say. I just came to get a death warrant signed and to execute a bounty, I didn’t think it would turn into Bernie losing his title.

I wondered why the Elders of Florida were discussing this.