Slate's Mistake Read online

  “Hey, man, Pierce Dupery. Happy to help.”

  “Thank you all for coming.” Slate started to feel weak from standing, so they all quickly loaded up and taxied onto the runway.

  During takeoff, Slate silently observed the two shifters assigned to Tyler’s guard. They kept quiet and to themselves. Even though they had been around the territory while Tyler stayed with Betty, nothing much had been learned about them except their names, Zane and Zander. Slate didn’t even recognize their species from their scent. If he had to guess, he would say they were brothers. The curved jawlines on their smooth skinned faces matched. Their hair was very a deep red, but he could never see their eyes. Even at night, they were hidden by dark glasses. All Tyler would say was they had to stay anonymous for now.

  Slate wasn’t comfortable enough to completely open up about something this personal without knowing the others a bit further. Normally he would have had background checks done on them already, but since they didn’t have that resource, it looked like he would have to get it the old fashioned way.

  “So, guys, what is it you do when you’re not off saving damsels in distress?”

  Fabian went first. He was bold and confident. “I teech French and French history. Suprizing, no?” Everyone chuckled, putting a calmer feel to the atmosphere.

  “Dex, what about you?”

  “I’m a certified horticulturist. Mainly landscape and garden design, construction, and maintenance.”

  “Ha. They sent us a flower child,” Kace teased.

  “Do not let the flowerz fool you. ‘e eez perhaps the most deadly of us,” said Fabian.

  “Really? Dex?”

  Dex shrugged and looked down at his hands. “I do mercenary work on occasion.”

  “Mercenary?” Katie’s unease was heard in her tone. Dex looked at her. For a brief moment, Slate swore he saw hurt flash over his face. But before the blink of an eye, Dex had schooled his features and looked aloof, shrugging again.

  Slate almost laughed at the look on Kace’s face, and he could clearly hear the unease in his voice as Kace said, “Uh, man, you know I was just teasing, right?”

  “Don’t worry about it none.” Pierce gave Katie a reassuring smile. “Dex is one of the good ones. He wouldn’t hurt anyone that doesn’t deserve it.” Pierce looked at Kace as he said the last sentence. Kace’s eyes darted between Pierce and Dex.

  Even Zane and Zander joined in as everyone laughed, loudly, at Kace.

  Slate look at the colorful vampire. “What is it you do, Pierce?”

  “I own a bike shop.”

  “I love motorcycles,” said Slate. “I hated having to sell my Harley last year. What kind do you sell? Street, dirt or, cruisers?” The feel of the wind flowing over his body on a warm day was irresistible to him.

  “Uh, mountains mostly.”

  “Mountain?” Slate gave him a puzzled look, but Kace was the one laughing this time. “Bicycle shop, Slate. He sells the peddling kind.”

  Slate felt his cheeks warm. Pierce ran a bike shop … as in bicycles? Yeah, it was stereotyping, but sometimes you just couldn’t help but be surprised.

  “I do sell some dirt bikes and cruisers, but most of the store is dedicated all kinds of different bicycles and the gear.” Slate warmed at the excited look on Pierce’s face as he talked a little bit about them. He clearly had a real passion for bicycles.

  Finally, he turned to Vin. Dex may be the deadliest, but Vin was the scariest looking, with his cold reserve and sharp eyes. “Vin, what is it you do?”

  “I have my own law office in Toronto.” It was all he said.

  Slate nodded, and when it was clear the vampire wasn’t going to say anything more, Slate decided to finally tell everyone the whole story of what happened. He started with revealing his banishment. Alphy was the only person he had told up until that point. It was difficult to admit, but these people were offering aid without question, so they deserved to know everything they could about what they were walking in to.

  They touched down around six that evening. Slate wasn’t sure how long they were staying, but he had the pilot stand by and ready the plane for an emergency takeoff if need be. Tyler had a limo and two SUVs to meet them.

  Before they got off the plane, Tyler briefed everyone of his plans. “I’m going to head to the alpha’s house and question him on his policies. Hopefully, using the full heat of the shifter council will make him more compliant.”

  “Yeah, and hope he doesn’t question which shifter council you’re from.” Kace obviously tried to sound teasing, but he looked edgy.

  “It shouldn’t matter. All councilmembers in every council can reach across borders. Now, the rest of you go with Slate. If anything goes wrong, let me know. We’ll handle what we’re faced with when it happens. Good luck.”

  They pulled up to the white two-story ranch-style home he grew up in. From the outside, with its little white fence and well-kept yard, nothing looked wrong, but Slate felt the prickles of the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Something was terribly wrong. Nausea rolled over him, fed by his worry and nerves as he slowly approached the door. His hip burned pain through his side from the physical effort combined with the tight tension he couldn’t shake. Kace stood on his right, and Vin on his left. Dex and Pierce were right behind him, and Fabian brought up the rear guarding Katie.

  Slate steeled his nerves and focused himself, then reached out and pressed the doorbell. The electric chimes could be heard behind the door while they waited for a response. Heavy footsteps were heard approaching before the knob twisted and the door swung open. The scents of blood and pain could be smelt escaping.

  A strong, blond man with a form that didn’t quite, but almost, equaled Slate’s, answered the door. His eyes grew wide in surprise at first, then narrowed followed by the heavy scent of rage and loathing.

  Before he could snarl something verbally abusive, Vin cut him off. “Are you Carl Payton?”

  “Yes, b—”

  “We are here on orders from the shifter council to inspect your home and question any other occupants in the domicile.” The cold edge that crept through Vin’s voice sent a chill down Slate’s spine.

  “You’re n—”

  Vin continued, ignoring Carl’s attempts to rant. “I am also here as a representative for the vampire council. If you resist, I would have to report the offense to the vampire council.” Slate knew that wasn’t a small matter as the vampire and shifter councils’ alliance was often strained. Watching Vin work was intimidating. “You can call your alpha if you wish. However, he is with a member of the shifter council as we speak. I’m sure the interruption would be … forgiven.”

  Psh, not likely, Slate thought as Vin continued.

  “Now step aside and let us conduct our search.”

  To Slate’s relief, although red faced and sputtering in his ire, his father stepped aside. Vin remained with him while the rest filed into the house. The entry was right next to the living room. Slate could see a few pillows askew, but nothing more out of place.

  The group followed the smell of blood down a hallway, which opened up into a small dining room connected to a kitchen that was divided by a counter.

  The walls had holes in the shapes of heads and bodies, and the table had blood on it. The blood stained trails that had dried on it indicated that it was put there when the table was on its side. Debris peppered the floor with bits of wall and glass. Cupboards in the kitchen were open, and one was cracked and hanging on one hinge at an angle.

  The scraping sound of a brush on a tile surface drew his eyes in that direction. On the other side of the counter, in the kitchen, on her hands and knees, was his mother. Her posture didn’t seem right to him, and she was scrubbing the floor slowly. A rusty red colored the trail of soap bubbles, and the strong odor of blood in the area left him no doubts to what she was cleaning up.

  Slate closed his eyes and gathered in his emotions. He would see to her, and his sister, before he gutted his father.
“Mother?” His voice sounded a bit rusty to his ears, but he lost it completely when she turned to look at him.

  Her body moved as if pain, and he had no doubt she was. Her face was swollen and discolored by bruising. Her right eye was swollen shut, her left one nearly the same. Her lips were swollen and split, and her nose had to be broken. Slate’s stomach dropped hard in his gut, nearly causing him to retch. No one should have to go through that, let alone his loving mother. Guilt slammed into him then. If he would have told his mother what his father did to him, and come back sooner, he could have prevented this. Right now he was thankful she was alive.

  Glass and ceramic crunched under his footing as he hurried over to help her stand when he saw her trying to make the effort. She was clearly in a lot of pain, perhaps even had broken ribs. His concern about possible internal bleeding was interrupted when she lightly wrapped her arms around his waist and sobbed. She sobbed so hard that he had to hold her up. His eyes prickled with tears that he couldn’t stop from spilling down his flaming cheeks. He ignored his own pain to keep his arms wrapped protectively around her. He hadn’t been able to see her, let alone hug her, since he left, and it filled a broken part in him to be able to hold her now.

  Another set of arms wrapped around them, and the scent of his mate surrounded him and helped soothe his shattered emotions. He regained control of himself and pulled her back.

  “Mother, this is my mate, Katie. Baby-Kate, this is my mother, Beverly.”

  He watched Katie send his mother a warm smile. “Hi, Beverly, you raised my perfect soul-mate, and I must say you did a super perfect job. I’m also a registered nurse. How about you let me take care of you while these guys do their own thing?”

  Slate kissed his mate on the temple, and did the same to his mother. “Mom, where’s Elise?”

  Beverly’s face crumbled and began to cry again, “S-she locked herself—” Beverly had to take a few quick breaths before she continued. “She locked herself in her room when she was able to get away from him. I blacked out after that, and when I came to, the door was broken apart and she was gone. I don’t know if she got free or not.”

  Dex stepped forward, and he looked agitated. “Which room was hers?”

  “Top of the stairs, last room on the right.” Dex hurried out of the room before she could finish, with Pierce and Kace following. He knew they heard her though because vampires had the same hearing as shifters.

  While Slate and Katie helped Beverly to a chair, Fabian was busy on his cell. “I zent a text to Tyler. ‘e’s on ‘eez way with ze alpha.”

  Katie had left the two huge medical duffle bags on the table when she joined him, and now she was rummaging through it with familiarity, getting what she needed to help his mother. She asked her questions as she looked into her eyes, and examined her facial injuries. Slate hid his cringe when Katie pulled back the swollen lid and viewed Beverly’s eye. The white of her eye was red with blood.

  Kace came back down with a weird look on his face. It looked like he was shocked and afraid, and he was most definitely anxious. “Dex thinks Elise is his beloved.”

  “Beloved?” Katie questioned, only glancing up at him before she returned to her task.

  Slate answered. “That is what vampires call their mate. He won’t be able to confirm it unless he tastes her blood, but in the meantime, there are other hints.”

  “Like going crazy, doing irrational things like you did when we met?” This time when Katie looked up slightly she gave him a silly grin.

  Slate returned her smile. “Yeah, something like that.”

  Kace continued, “He thinks she escaped out the window. They’re following her trail, but I’m not a hundred percent yet and I wouldn’t have been able to keep up with them. .Even if I could … dayumn, Dex is going a bit nuts. I’m not ashamed to say that I think I’ll keep my distance from him right now. I don’t know if it was the scent of blood that made him lose control or if it was just the scent of his beloved, but you would think he was more a hired killer then a man who plays with flowers all day.”

  “Zut!” Fabian cursed. “It iz probably both. What wude you do if you zmelt your mate’s blood? Ezpecially after zeeing thees?”

  “Elise? Mate to a vampire? Oh no.” Beverly went pale and looked around. Slate shared a look of concern with Fabian. Was his mother as prejudiced?

  “We’ve gotten to know him on the flight down here, and he is a really great guy,” Katie said. Slate admired his mate for defending the vampire.

  “I am sure he is.” Beverly lowered her voice to a whisper. “But don’t let Carl know. I’m afraid of what he would do if he found out.” She placed her hands on her cheeks.

  Katie gently lowered them and squatted down to look his mother in the eyes. “You need to listen to me very carefully, Beverly. I need you to not let yourself get carried away with fear. Slate is here to protect you, and he has a long list of people backing him up. This fear you are living with needs to be shed. I want you to start adjusting your thinking to doing the right thing, and that is to leave this place. You and Elise can join us in our pack. You’ll be safe, protected, cared for. That is the right thing to do, and now is the right time to do it. Don’t let this stop you from making that leap because you may never get a better chance.”

  Slate placed a tender hand on his mother’s shoulder to back up his mate’s claim. Everyone turned when they heard footsteps coming from down the hall. Slate could make out Tyler’s scent and the other must be the alpha. Behind them was Carl with Vin tailing him. He could also make out the sounds of others, possibly the alpha’s enforcers, but they sounded like they were staying in the living room. Stepping in front of his mother to shield her from their view, Slate watched the men enter the room. The alpha stood about as tall as Slate with a bodybuilder’s form and cropped shoulder length blond hair. His face was a mixture of confusion and anger.

  “What the hell is going on here?”

  With everyone spilling into the dining room, the space grew even smaller. Instead of lowering his eyes in submission to the higher ranking shifter, he looked the alpha directly in the eyes. Both Slate and his lion had no respect for him. “I’m here to rescue my mother and sister, and I’m filing for restitution against Carl and you.”

  “Me!” The alpha’s voice thundered. He obviously didn’t like the lack of respect Slate showed.

  “Yes! You wasted your time stonewalling us, and your negligence allowed this,” Slate moved aside, “to happen!”

  Everyone who hadn’t seen her yet gasped. Slate let his growl be heard throughout the room when his mother flinched and turned her head and the smell of shame rolled off her.

  “You cannot tell me this was an accident or that it was justifiable in any way! We told you what happened and all you did was fight us.” Slate continued to vent his rage at the now silent alpha.

  “This is nobody’s business!” Carl roared.

  The alpha snapped around. Slate was surprised with the look of anger that crossed over his face at his father. “Oh, this is all my business!” His voice rolled out in a loud threatening voice, challenging Carl to submit and listen. “I am responsible for the wellbeing of my entire pride. I refused to believe what they were telling me was true. I even denied his alpha,” the alpha’s finger pointed in the air at Slate, but he kept his sights on Carl. “…rights to my territory to investigate because I refused to believe that you could ever do this to her.”

  Carl spat his denial out. “Why do you assume I did this to her? All you have is the word of a delinquent outcast!”

  Slate inwardly jumped when his mate beat everyone to a response. “That man you call delinquent is a war vet hero and lead enforcer of a powerful pack! And as for the outcast, he was thrown out and beaten near to death because he wouldn’t choose the whore you tried forcing on him!” Slate’s muscles coiled, ready to defend her from his father as she continued her verbal smack-down. “You, on the other hand, are nothing but a wife-beating pimp who couldn’t keep
the gifts life gave you because you were too content with your head so far up your ass you’ve been no doubt living off the peanuts in your own shit! And you don’t just have his word for it. I’m sure Beverly can attest to what really happened.”

  Tyler stepped forward. “Mrs. Payton, I am Councilmember Tyler Ghost. Did this shifter, Carl, do this to you?”

  Slate was afraid his mother would deny it; most abused spouses did, and he didn’t know how long she had been abused. How long has she had to live like this? When his mother made an effort to stand, Slate and Katie were by her side helping her. Once she was fully standing, she looked into her husband’s eyes, “Yes, he did, and he attacked our daughter Elise as well. I seek restitution.”

  “Thi—” Carl started to yell, but his own alpha backhanded him.

  “Enough!” he roared. “After you comply with whatever restitution she asks, if there is anything left, you will deal with me!”

  Slate silently sighed in relief.

  The alpha continued, “And you had better start to pucker because we haven’t even addressed Elise. You let me down! I stood up for you. I trusted you to be an honorable lion, and you made me look like a weak fool!”

  Tyler turned his attention back to Beverly. “Do you already know what you want for restitution, or would you like some time? I can arrange for forty-eight hours leeway.”

  Slate didn’t want to be accused of coercing his mother, so he stayed still while she answered.

  “I’ve thought about it already. I know what I want.” With everyone’s eyes on her, she raised her chin, but Slate still saw the tremble in her swollen, cracked lips. “I want a divorce, and I want to be the one to choose what he gets in the divorce. I also want him to never come near me, my daughters, and my son, again.”

  “Is that everything?” the pride alpha asked. With a curt nod from Beverly, he grunted. “Slate, you seek restitution as well, from both Carl and my pride. Do you know what it is you want?”