"Are they always like this?" Dima asked as she pilfered a few of Hank's tacos he'd left unguarded during the smackdown with his brother.
"Pretty much," I told her as I picked off the last three and ate them.
"I can't believe you split my lip over tacos," Hank grumbled as he took another swat at his also bleeding brother.
"Dude, you beat my ass for a hot dog last Fourth of July," Junior accused as he nursed his bloody nose.
"Forgot about that one." Hank grinned and tossed Junior a wad of napkins.
Junior promptly shoved some up his nose and mopped up the excess blood with the rest.
"Good thing this place belongs to a Vamp," Dima quipped as she looked around at all the random blood dripping off the walls and furniture.
"No. Dwayne will have their butts in a sling for this. Hopefully, he won't see it for a while." I rummaged through the kitchen cabinets looking for cleaning supplies to remove bloodstains.
"You're going to clean up after them?" Dima asked, surprised.
"Hell to the no." I laughed and dumped a bunch of rags and cleaners into a bucket. "Those dumbasses are going to clean up after themselves."
"Right, but don't forget Junior has to leave town very soon," Dima reminded me.
"Why?" I asked as I plopped the bucket down and marched back into the living room. "Why do you have to leave town?" I asked my soon to be brother-in-law.
"Not real sure," Junior admitted. "They had me sign some papers and then told me to basically haul ass back to Georgia or I'd be held in contempt."
"Contempt for what?" Hank asked as he shook his head in frustration. "That makes no sense."
"Agreed," Junior said. "However, I'm sure as hell not staying around to find out what some bogus trumped up definition of contempt means. I have a Pack to lead and a mate to boff."
"Sweet Jesus Hesus," I shouted. "Do not under any circumstances let Sandy hear you say you're gonna boff her."
"Is it not hot?" Junior asked with raised eyebrows and an honestly confused shrug.
"NO," Dima and I hissed in unison.
"It's not hot," I told him. "Stick to things like, um… "
I wracked my brain for something he could say that wouldn't get him into trouble. Nothing. I could think of nothing.
"Just don't say much. Be strong and silent where Sandy is concerned. Got it?"
"Yep. Strong and silent. Like throw her over my shoulder and take her home with me?" he asked with a hopeful smile.
"You can try that one after the tenth date," I explained and thought about warning Sandy.
Nope. Sandy liked Junior no matter how much she denied it. She had it as bad as he did. She was just gonna make him work for it—and rightly so.
"Anyway… something is off with our illustrious Council. Three or four of them slept right through my introduction. And half of them are apparently on their way to Michigan," Junior said.
"Are you serious?" I demanded as I felt a skitter of dread crawl up my spine. I quickly glanced at Hank who did not seem happy with this information either. Crap. "Michigan? You're sure those old bastards are going Michigan?"
"Yep, they said Michigan. I mean, what the hell is in Michigan?" Junior laughed and then froze. "Oh shit… "
"How bizarre," Dima commented as she sharpened her knives in a rhythm that made me uncomfortable and bizarrely happy at the same time. "I searched Angela's office while you were getting dissed by the Council. There was an open map of Michigan on her desk."
"Was she in there?" I asked, still worried that she might be dead.
"No, but she had been. There was fresh blood on the map. It was hers and I picked up the scent of several other wolf shifters who were more than likely with her."
"Could you tell by scent what kind of shape she was in?" I asked, wondering how far Dragon sniffing powers went.
"Not exactly," Dima said slowly. "But the scent of blood was heavy. Meant she was clearly bleeding a lot."
"Damn it," I muttered and began to pace.
The sound of the doorbell made me jump and pull my Glock. Why in hell was everyone headed to Michigan? There was no way they knew about Granny's potential half-wolf slash half-Vampyre status. Or at least I hoped not…
"Stand down," Hank instructed firmly as I re-holstered my gun. "It's the taco dude and I'm still hungry. Do not terrify the kid."
"Affirmative," I said as I snapped my gun in tight. Killing the innocent human delivery boy would put a real kink in the plans. Plus I was still hungry too.
"Alright," Dima said, all business. "Get the door and tip the taco dude well. You're still bleeding and you look kind of scary," she told Hank. "We divide the tacos evenly or I will bloody some of you myself and then we eat. Fast. Junior then goes back to Georgia and we leave for Michigan."
"Sounds like a plan." I nodded and got ready to fight for my tacos if needed. "We can drive to Michigan in about two hours. Dwayne's place is a little inland from Harbor Country."
"It's beautiful there," Dima said.
"Where'd you hear it was beautiful?" I asked as I grabbed the bag of tacos from Hank and divided them evenly so we could avoid bloodshed.
"It's where I was raised. My father's compound is also in the area."