Desert Heat (Complete)

{Jedediah’s P.O.V.}

I couldn’t believe it took thirty f*****g minutes to reach Vivienne through the mind link, but I had no doubt in my mind that our love, our bond would overcome any obstacles. Once she knew what to do, it didn’t take long for Adrian to sense her shimmer. He said that it was weak, which meant that she had shimmered in place, but it was still strong enough to trace. Sure enough, less than a minute after he shimmered away to rescue her, they appeared in the front yard of the townhouse together. Everyone was expecting to see just the two of them, but what caught us all off guard was the third party they had in tow.

“MARCO!?” Louis was stunned after he recognized the unknown stowaway. I figured this guy was the cellmate that Vivienne mentioned to me earlier. I could honestly care less about him, I just wanted to get to Vivienne. I broke away from the crowd and ran straight to her.

“Mon Coeur!”

“Mon Loup!” she cried out, pulling away from Adrian and practically jumping into my arms when I finally reached her. I felt some relief when I was able to mind link her, but this was different. The moment I had her securely in my arms, it was like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. Gunner was finally at peace and so was I. Immediately, I felt that her once flat stomach now had a very noticeable baby bump. “Are you okay?” I asked her, never once letting go of her. I knew we weren’t exactly out of the woods just yet.

“I am now,” she whispered. I felt her body relax into mine.

“And the baby?” I asked. No response. “Vivienne?” I pulled back a little, and her head lulled to the side as her arms dropped from my neck and shoulders. “VIVIENNE!?” I shouted, realizing that she had fainted.

“Dani, get her to the hospital!” Andre instructed her. Dani sprinted over, but someone got to her first and threw her backward before she could reach us.

“DANI!”

“DANIELLA!” Andre and her father exclaimed in unison. I looked to see who had intercepted Dani, but it was someone I’ve never seen before. Apparently, Andre and everyone else knew exactly who he was because the amount of hissing and loud snarls coming from all directions gave away that he was the enemy.

“YOU DARE TAKE WHAT IS MINE!?” he screamed at me as I protected Vivienne’s unconscious body, holding her close.

“YOURS!?” I snarled at him. Gunner was two seconds away from taking over. “VIVIENNE IS MY MATE! AND MY LUNA! YOU MUST HAVE A f*****g DEATH WISH TAKING HER FROM ME!”

“CLAUDE BUNTAINE!!!” Andre shouted at the top of his lungs. Vivienne’s entire family was in full-on attack mode, and the members of their coven who had offered us support were right behind them—icy blue eyes, fangs out, and saliva dripping. Giselle shifted in half a second, her wolf was dark auburn with golden highlights and her eyes were bright orange. I had never seen anything like it. I wondered what Tempest would look like if Vivienne was able to shift completely.

Giselle looked like she was about to charge, but the guy Louis ID’d as Marco stepped forward. The coven members started to mumble, asking about who he was. I studied him carefully and noticed that his eyes weren’t icy blue like the other vampires. His eyes were almost an icy silver color, and his pupils were black.

“Claude Buntaine, you have committed a grave mistake,” he announced.

“Mistake? What mistake? Taking the woman who rightfully belongs to me!?”

“Well, taking her was a mistake, yes. But that is not what I am speaking of, your mistake was taking me and believing you would get away with it.”

“You!? You’re nobody! You’re nothing but an elderly vampire of the coven who provides nightshade to those in need of it!” Claude mocked him. Some of the coven members gasped, and Adrian and Louis smirked knowingly.

“That is what you and other coven members are led to believe. I am not an ordinary vampire within the coven, Claude. My name is Marco, and I am the founder of this coven.” More gasps came out; this time, there was an uproar.

“IMPOSSIBLE!” Claude shouted. “The founder is dead!”

“Again, that is precisely what I wanted you and the others to believe. When I gave the crown to Louis’s father, I made sure that only a handful of executive members of the coven knew my true identity.”

“But … But … Th-tha-that would make you a—”

“A Grand Elder. And you, Claude Buntaine, not only kidnapped me but also my wife, who is also a Grand Elder. Your actions are punishable by death!” I looked over at Andre and his family and nodded my head. He nudged Adrian and Giselle, who was still in wolf form. She shook her head, indicating that she didn’t want to keep her end of the bargain. Andre rolled his eyes. The three of us kept our promise, and we quickly played a round of rock, paper, scissors. Low and behold, I won fair and square, which made perfect sense since Vivienne was my mate.

“Claude!” I shouted his name, and he turned to face me. “If you want Vivienne, you’ll have to challenge me for her!”

“Me? Challenge you? A mere child!?” he cackled like a hyena before addressing me. “I am more of a man than you will ever be, you mangy mutt!”

“Prove it then.”

“Very well. I, Claude Buntaine, challenge you, whatever the hell your name is, for the right to court Vivienne Dubois from here until the end of time!” I smirked and nodded at Andre to come get Vivienne. After I handed her off, Dani shimmered to Andre’s side and took Vivienne’s hand. She glared at Claude for a brief moment before shimmering Vivienne to the pack hospital to be treated.

“WHERE DID YOU TAKE HER!?” Claude whined like a petulant child.

“To the pack hospital. Because of you and your f****d up ways, she passed out from lack of nutrition and the constant beatings she suffered while in your hands. The fact that you claim to love her is beyond me. How the f**k does a man hurt the woman he claims to love!?”

“A woman needs to know her place! When a woman belongs to a man, she must serve him and him only! She belongs to me! Her lack of submission is the reason she was beaten!” he answered. His response had me and everyone else of the male species growling, hissing, and snarling at him.

“You’re the furthest thing from a man! You act like an adolescent child who’s never been told ‘no’ a day in his life! A woman does not belong to a man. She is his equal. Women will always be the stronger gender in this world. Why? Because women are the ones who carry life in their bodies and then bring it into this world. The only species where the roles are reversed is a damn seahorse! Women don’t belong to men. As men, we are naturally the weaker s*x, and we should worship women! You don’t deserve Vivienne, and she sure as f**k doesn’t belong to you.”

“I WILL HAVE HER!” he screamed at me and shimmered away. I thought that he may have followed Dani to the hospital, but I was mistaken. He caught me off guard by landing on top of me and forcing me to eat the ground. I rolled over and threw him off me and quickly gave control to Gunner, allowing him to shift.

Claude shimmered away again. Gunner stayed on his toes, and I knew he was sniffing the air for a slight change in scent. If there was one thing Gunner picked up on after playing hide and seek with Vivienne a few times, it was the change in the surrounding air when they were about to appear. That was how he was able to beat her in her own game. When Gunner sensed the change from above us, he quickly ducked, and Claude missed his mark. He rolled like a tumbleweed in the desert. Gunner got to his feet quickly and charged towards him, but he was too fast. The bastard shimmered away again.

Grr!!

Calm down, Gunner. We need to think before we attack. He can shimmer, which means he has the upper hand in defense. But, if we can get a hold of him, we will have the advantage.

I want to rip him apart!

And we will. Let’s be smart about this. We’ve trained for months now with this pack. And Dorian gave us some pointers when it came to fighting vampires. Let’s use our training.

Gunner listened to what I said and calmed down. His breathing normalized, and he once again concentrated on our surroundings. When he sensed Claude was about to appear, instead of ducking, he turned just in time and was able to get a solid bite into Claude’s shoulder. He chomped down as hard as he could and shook Claude vigorously like he was a chew toy. By doing so, he was able to snap off his arm. Claude screamed in agony as he held the wound with his other hand, but it was no use. Gunner had severed it completely from his body, and b***d was spilling out.

“KILL HIM!”

“KILL THE TRAITOR!”

“NO MERCY FOR THE TRAITOR!”

“TUE-LE!” People from the coven shouted left and right. I noticed that the pack members had also shifted into their wolves during the fight. They, along with Giselle, howled at the night sky. Bandit looked at Gunner and nodded his head once, giving him the green light to kill Claude. Gunner looked to Adrian and Louis, and they too gave their blessing.

“If you want to kill me, you’ll have to find me!” Claude shouted and shimmered away. Gunner and I were caught off guard by his sudden disappearance. Gunner sniffed the air, but there was nothing. Claude ran away from the fight even though he had accepted my challenge. Gunner snarled in anger at the loss of his mark.

Gunner, he’s gone. That p***y ran away. Rather than face death head-on, he ran like the coward he is. Let’s take the win. Let’s get to our mate.

Mate.

Gunner didn’t even wait for anyone else before he took off towards the packhouse to get to Vivienne. Wherever Claude went, he would never heal properly. He was now an amputee and a wanted fugitive. As much as I wanted him dead, I needed to make sure that Vivienne and our pup would live. Having been starved and assaulted for weeks on end, there was no telling what kind of damage had been done.

{Dorian’s P.O.V.}

After that fucker Claude shimmered away and didn’t come back, we knew that Jed had lost the chance to kill him. I hated that he had to wait for the blessing of me, his Alpha, and Adrian and Louis, which allowed Claude the chance to scamper away like the cockroach he is. The only good thing was that he was officially a dead man. Even if he was able to heal, he wouldn’t be able to hide. There was no one out there who would help him.

“Don’t worry about Claude,” Louis reassured me. “We will spread the word about him. With his injury, he will not be able to get far on his own. A vampire can only shimmer as far as their body will allow them. The injury sustained and the loss of b***d will hinder his chances of getting too far. Vampires around the world will be on the lookout for him.”

“Louis, his death rightfully belongs to Jed. If he is found alive, he is to be turned over to us,” I told him.

“Alpha Shaw, you have my word. If Claude is found alive, he will be returned to you, or Jed.”

“Since you guys are unable to search during the day, I will be sending my trackers and bounty hunters to search for him as well.”

“Yes, that sounds like the best course of action. We should have a member of my coven and a member of your pack work as partners.”

“I like the sound of that,” I replied, and we shook on it. I guess having a vampire coven as an ally would come in handy one day.

With the exception of Aries, I gave instructions to the bounty hunters and Amos’ team to work with coven members to track down and find Claude. I had Aries contact Persephone and Sinbad as well since they were effective in tracking down Maya the last time we needed their help. Half of Amos’ team stayed local within the U.S. while the other half grabbed a coven member and immediately left to track down Claude. He could run, but he could no longer hide.

Before anyone could do anything else, Louis turned to the individual that had come back with Adrian and Vivienne and addressed him with a 90-degree bow,

“Marco, how may I be of service to you?” Louis asked.

“Bring me his b***d so I can find my family. Now that Claude is a dead man walking, I need to find my beloved and bring her home as well.”

“My Lord, we had no idea that you or your wife had been taken. You always disappear for weeks on end going on vacations, that is where we thought you were.”

“Do not fret, Louis, everything will be alright. Mademoiselle Vivienne and her pup will survive just fine.”

“My Liege?”

“In order for her to sustain her thirst, I allowed her to feed off of me once every few days.”

“YOU WHAT!?” Adrian and Louis both exclaimed.

“But, that is against coven law!” Adrian shouted. “Vivienne will be punished by the other elders!”

“No, she will not, Adrian. Do not worry. As a Grand Elder, I have granted her immunity.” Adrian and Louis looked at Marco questionably but nodded their heads anyway. That was an odd conversation, to overhear, but I guess it was normal for vampires. I watched as Louis got a sample of b***d from the ground, and then witnessed Marco suck on Louis’s finger. I wanted to gag after seeing that, but again, I safely assumed it was normal. Marco didn’t even wait to say his farewells before he shimmered away with a smile on his face. I looked at Andre and he just shook his head at me, telling me to let it go and not dwell on it.

When it was time to go our separate ways, Andre, his family, and Dani’s father stayed behind, and we said our goodbyes to Louis and everyone else before heading back to the packhouse to find the girls. They were still hiding out in the bunker where we had left them and the pups. When I entered the key code and scanned my retina, the door opened, and I saw my life flash before my eyes as a bat swung right at me.

“WHOA!” I shouted as I caught it.

“Oh s**t! Dorian!” Allie shouted back. I looked down at the hellraiser holding the metal bat and saw my tiny wife.

“Allie!? What the f**k!? Why are you trying to kill me!?”

“I’m so sorry, babe! The door opened suddenly, and I thought that fucker Claude was coming in!”

“Allie, you’re a werewolf! Could you not sense me!?”

“I didn’t have time to use my nose! It was a life or death situation, and two of us are pregnant! I had to think on my feet!”

“Dammit, Allie!” I shouted and yanked the bat away from her.

“Did you guys get Vivienne back?” Sin asked.

“Yes. Jed was able to mind link her after Serenity took down the wall. Adrian rescued her and Claude followed like we suspected he would,” I answered.

“Sweet, so he’s dead?” Sam asked. I looked at her and everyone else and shook my head.

“WHAT!?” they all exclaimed in unison.

“He got away, but not before Jed ripped his arm from his body by the shoulder. He’s officially disabled. With the amount of b***d loss, Louis doesn’t think he will get far on his own. We have trackers, bounty hunters, and vampires partnering up to go find him.”

“Where’s Vivienne!?” Leah asked.

“Dani took her to the pack hospital. She fainted in Jed’s arms. We think it’s due to malnutrition and exhaustion,” I replied.

“Can we go see her?” Allie asked.

“Not tonight, baby. Jed is there now, and Dr. Quinn and Dr. Boyd will need time to treat her. Let’s give them some room and privacy, and you girls can go visit tomorrow.” They all frowned but nodded their heads.

“Come on, let’s get all of the pups and go to bed. We all have catching up to do,” Brandon suggested. The guys grabbed their respective pups who were still asleep, except Monique and Sawyer who were awake and playing together.

“Where are all of the pack members?” Allie asked, looking around.

“Oh, after we got all of you safely in this bunker, we made sure the rest were put in bunkers two and three, and everyone else was sent home for safety. Mikey already sent out a mind link to let everyone know it’s okay to go back to their regularly scheduled programming, and Andre went to open the other bunkers before he and his parents went to go see Vivienne.”

“What? But you said that—”

“Allie, they’re Vivienne’s parents and brother. They have priority over us,” I said, cutting her off.

“Yes, I’m sorry, you’re right. I’m just worried about her,” she said.

“I know, baby. Come on,” I replied and as I held the twins in my arms. Everyone went their separate ways as the packhouse started to get crowded with pack members again as if nothing happened. I was fairly certain that Claude would think twice before ever coming onto our land again. After we got to our room, I put the twins on our bed. Allie looked at me funny because she knew I never let them sleep with us.

“What?”

“Are you going to let them sleep in our bed?” she asked.

“Just for tonight. I missed them. And I want all three of our pups with us tonight,” I replied as I went to put both of my hands on her swollen stomach. “Damn, you’ve gotten bigger since I’ve been gone.”

“WHAT!?”

“Oh s**t, I didn’t mean it that way, Allie! I meant the pup! I meant to say that he’s gotten bigger since I’ve been away!” I felt like kicking myself for even insinuating that Allie was big. She scowled at me before turning towards the nightstand and grabbing her phone. I thought she was going to put her headphones on and ignore me because I called her big, instead, she opened her gallery and pulled up a video. She handed her phone over to me. “What’s this?” I asked her.

“Press play, and you’ll see,” she responded. I turned the phone right side up and pressed play.

“Wuv you, baby,” Demarco said and kissed Allie’s belly.

“I lub you, baby,” Daisy said and rubbed Allie’s stomach with her tiny hand before placing a k**s as well. I saw Allie’s smile in the video and the fact that she had tears in her eyes. I looked over at her when the video ended, and she was all smiles.

“When did you take this?” I asked her.

“A few days after you left. The twins were being extra sweet, and I just had to get it on video for you.” I put the phone down and cupped her cheeks. I placed a gentle yet loving chaste k**s on her lips. I pulled away and rested my forehead against hers. “Oh, by the way, it’s not a boy.”