“Pinche puta— you’re going to pay for this,” Angel snarled but held his ground.
“No she’s not. She’s going to become the pack’s official bruja and my mate . Just as soon as you turn over leadership of the Locas to me.” Chulo squeezed Paul’s throat harder, his elbow cutting off Paul’s air for a long moment.
“Give you the leadership?” Angel laughed angrily. “Now why the fuck would I do that?”
Mercedes answered for him. “Because if you don’t Chulo and I are going to tell the rest of the pack how you and Skulls have been sucking each other’s pingas for years.”
Angel’s eyes darkened. “That’s a fucking lie.”
Mercedes shrugged. “It might be. But it’s close enough to the truth that the pack will believe it. And you’re not going to have your second wolf around anymore to back you up. I’m going to make sure of that right now.” Grinning evilly, she reached for Paul. “How about a little love scratch, papi? Something you can remember me by. And this time you don’t have any fucking pet vampire around to suck out the poison.”
“Get away from me, witch!” Paul managed to rasp out. But though he struggled, he couldn’t break Chulo’s iron grip on his throat. He was too weak, too hurt. Mercedes small hand came toward him, the poisoned nails filed to talons and there was no way he could get away…
“Step back from him right now, you bitch!” A new voice made all their heads turn, even Paul’s—as much as he was able. He was startled to see his stepmother standing on the bottom step of the sagging front porch with a gun in her hand.
It was his dad’s twenty-gauge double-barreled shotgun—the one he took on his infrequent hunting trips to the Everglades—and Lucia handled it like she knew how to use it.
“What the fuck?” Angel demanded. “Uh, what are you doing here, Mrs.
Kraskowski?”
“I’m here for Paul.” She climbed the steps slowly and her aim never wavered. “I’m taking him home and none of the rest of you cabrons is ever going to bother him again.
Are we clear on that?”
“You’re fucking with the wrong pack, lady,” Mercedes sneered at her. “Stop bluffing and leave before you get hurt.”
“Oh I’m not bluffing, little girl. This gun is loaded with silver slugs.” Lucia waved the gun in Mercedes’ direction. “Now let him go.” “No!” Mercedes shouted when Chulo started to loosen his grip. She turned to face Lucia. “I don’t believe you and anyway, I’m not afraid of silver. I’m not a wolf.”
“But I am.” Lucia’s eyes suddenly went wolf-gold and she growled, deep in her throat. “You know what they say about animals in the wild? How you should never fuck with a bear cub or a wolf pup because the mother is probably around somewhere waiting to tear you up? Well that’s how I feel about Paul. He might be my stepson but he is still mine. So step away right now, you little puta, unless you want me to blow a hole the size of a doorway through your skinny ass.”
Mercedes went suddenly pale. “Well fuck, Skulls never said he had a crazy-ass bitch for a stepmom.” She looked at Chulo. “Let him go. We’ll finish this later.”
“Fuck!” Chulo sounded pissed but even he wasn’t stupid enough to argue with Lucia’s gun. He let Paul go and vaulted over the porch rail in one swift movement.
“Hey, wait for me!” Not having a were’s grace, Mercedes had to sidle down the steps, keeping a wary eye on Lucia as she went. Paul wasn’t sure if she was more frightened of his stepmother or the gun. He would have laughed if he didn’t still ache so badly inside.
“Whoa, that was fucking close, ’mano. Didn’t know your mom was so crazy.” Angel grinned and stepped forward—only to be stopped by the muzzle of the shotgun poking him in the chest. “Hey!” He looked down at the gun and then up at Lucia. “What’s going on?”
“Back off.” Lucia prodded him with the gun. “I don’t trust you any more than the other two.”
“But Mrs. Kraskowski—”
“Back…off…now.” Lucia glared at him fiercely, her eyes still gold. “I’m not kidding you, Angel, anymore than I was kidding that skinny little puta who poisoned Paul in the first place. Leave now or I will shoot you.”
“But Paul and I are best friends!”
“Not anymore.” She cocked the gun. “Leave.”
Muttering something under his breath, Angel walked stiffly down the steps and headed for his car. Paul watched him go with a mixture of sorrow and relief. For so many years Angel and the Lunas Locas pack had been his life but now that was over. He was free. He knew he would have been feeling completely elated if only he still had his bond with Laurent. But as it was, he didn’t even know where the vampire was or if he was okay. At least now I can find out, though.