Deal With the Devil Read online

  Apparently satisfied that he’d made his point, Engle turned, flanked by his own alphas, and walked back into the forest.

  Diego frowned. “Go after them and make sure they don’t get any cute ideas,” he told the two alphas who stood on either side of him. Without a word they did as he said, melting back into the darkness as if they were part of it.

  I sagged in relief as I saw them disappear into the dense foliage. God, I was in so much trouble and I knew in a minute it would hit me. But for right now all I could feel was a massive wave of relief that Engle had been stopped from finishing what he had started so many years before.

  I didn’t get to enjoy my relief for long though. Before I knew it, Diego had me by the shoulders and was shaking me. “What the hell is wrong with you, coming here tonight? Didn’t you get my message?”

  “What message?” I asked stupidly.

  Diego frowned. “The one I left on your phone telling you not to fucking come—that it wasn’t safe.”

  The truth was I had stopped checking my messages a while ago because most of them were from Jude and it made me feel guilty to hear his voice. So it was entirely possible that I’d missed the call from Diego, but I wasn’t about to let him make this all my fault.

  “You told me it was safe. You said Engle would be gone,” I accused him.

  Diego shook his head in frustration. “He changed his plans—said he has too many loose ends to tie up to leave right now.”

  I felt myself go cold. I was a loose end—no doubt about it. “I don’t know what his problem is,” I said in a choked voice. “I just…I just wanted to shift like a normal were. I just wanted to run with the pack.”

  “Yeah, and I can see how you did it, too.” Diego pulled my hair out of the way, baring the healing bite marks on my neck. “You swapped more blood with that fucking vamp, didn’t you?” He spat on the ground in disgust. “I can’t believe you— It’d be better to let Engle have you than to see you wind up with that bloodsucker, Jacobson.”

  I felt sick inside. “You don’t mean that.”

  Diego sighed and ran both hands through his hair until it stood up in wild black spikes. “Oh hell, Sis, you know I don’t. But you’re messing in shit you don’t understand. I mean, Jacobson—you don’t even want to know what I found out about him—or what I had to do to get the information. Fucking vamps.” He made a face.

  He was right—I didn’t want to know. Hearing more bad things about Jude on top of the mess I was already in was more than I could take.

  “I’m not seeing him anymore,” I said shortly. “That ought to make you happy.”

  My brother looked slightly mollified. “As happy as I can be under the circumstances. Look, you’re going to have to do something to protect yourself—move away or something.”

  “I can’t do that,” I protested. “I’ve never lived anyplace else but Tampa in my life. Besides, I shouldn’t have to.”

  “Yeah, but Engle isn’t going to take this lying down—he’ll stir the shit with my pack master and then who knows what’ll happen? I might not be able to keep him off you next time. You know he’s the one who hired those two humans to kidnap you the first time?”

  “He did?” A cold chill climbed up my spine like an icy finger. “But-but why? I hadn’t even seen him in fourteen years before tonight.”

  Diego sighed. “Yeah, but I guess he’s been thinking about you that whole time. Don’t you get it, Luz? You’re the one that got away. You ruined his ascension ceremony back when he was first stepping up as pack master and he doesn’t want to step down without making that right—in his mind, at least.”

  The shock of what Diego was telling me made me feel numb. “Why can’t he just leave me alone?”

  My little brother shook his head. “I don’t know, Sis. Maybe because you’re still a…you know.” He blushed.

  “A virgin,” I said numbly. “And as long as I am, I’ll never get rid of Engle.” A plan was beginning to form in my brain. A horrible plan that I hated. But I could see no other way out of my troubles—no other way out from what Engle had planned for me.

  “Look, don’t blame yourself.” Diego patted my arm awkwardly. “It’s not your fault he’s a sick fuck.”

  “Thanks, little brother.” I started to give him a hug and then realized I was still topless. Diego looked away, red-faced, as I turned and quickly pulled on my T-shirt.

  “Luz,” he said, when I turned back to him. “You have to go someplace safe. Maybe back home. I know you don’t want to but if you’re under Dad’s protection, not even Engle can touch you.”

  “Diego,” I said gently. “Who do you think volunteered me to be the ascension sacrifice in the first place? I can’t go back there—it’s not any safer for me than just walking up to Engle and handing myself over.”

  His face went pale. “Aw, come on, Luz—there must have been some kind of misunderstanding. I’m sure Mom and Dad wouldn’t do that to you on purpose.”

  I shrugged. “You said it yourself—they’ll do anything for pack status.”

  “Yeah, but that was then and this is now. They’ve changed,” he insisted.

  I looked down at my bare feet in the dark grass. “I wish I could believe that. I hope you’re right but I can’t take that chance.”

  “Luz, they love you.”

  There was a lump in my throat I couldn’t swallow. “And God help me, I love them too. Even though they did what they did. I love them and hate them both—does that make any sense?”

  He sighed. “No. But I don’t think this kind of thing ever does.”

  “You’re right about that.” I straightened my shoulders. “I have to go.”

  “Go where? Look, Luz—come stay with me.”

  “In a house with a bunch of unmated alpha males? I might as well move into a frat house.” The Lobos generally stuck together, ten or fifteen of them in one house, and I was pretty sure Diego didn’t even have a room all to himself. In an environment like that, the scent of my virginity would be like a putting a steak in front of a starving man and expecting him not to take a bite. “You’d spend all your time defending me,” I pointed out.

  “At least I’d know where you were and that you were safe. Well, as long as you were with me,” Diego amended.

  “Thanks, little brother, but that won’t work and we both know it. Look, don’t worry about me. I’ll find someplace to go. Maybe I’ll rent a hotel room for a couple of days until things die down. Engle will forget about me again if he doesn’t see me for a while.”

  “I don’t think so. He didn’t see you for fourteen years and he still wants you.”

  “Well, he’s not going to get me.” I leaned forward and kissed Diego on the cheek. I would have hugged him but I didn’t think I could stand to be that close to anyone male after my run-in with Engle—not even my brother. “Thanks for defending me tonight,” I said. “I know it sounds melodramatic but you saved me from a fate worse than death.”

  “Aw, Luz…” He blushed again.

  “I mean it—you’re my hero. I just hope you don’t get in trouble for it. I can’t believe Engle invoked the Rite of Blame on you.”

  “Yeah—now I have to hope that stupid hijo de puta doesn’t even stub his toe or he’ll be howling to my pack master for reparations.”

  “I’m so sorry, Diego. I feel horrible about that.”

  “Fuck it.” He frowned. “Stupid outdated pack laws. When I get to be pack master of the Lobos I’m going to do something about them.”

  “You do that.” I gave him another quick kiss and turned to go. “I’ll see you later.”

  “At least let me walk you to your car.”

  Since we were still on Arm Gard territory, I was glad to accept. We were almost to the small dirt road that served as a parking lot when Diego spoke again.

  “Hey, you’re not going to go back to Jacobson, are you?” His voice was suspicious.

  I pulled my keys out of my pocket and unlocked the door. “I told you—I’m n