Love Bite - 9. Chapter 9

Tyler’s POV

I was excited Jon wanted to travel back with Damon and me. I had missed my big brother and wanted some time with him. Not that I didn’t also miss my dad and the twins, but Jon held a special place in my heart. I wanted him to get to know Damon and for the two of them to like each other. They’re both extremely important to me.

“Lil’ Man, when were you going to tell us he changed you?” Jon asked from the backseat.

I turned in my seat to look at him and said, “I wasn’t hiding it. I figured you guys would be observant enough to spot the changes.”

“When did it happen?”

“It happened right before the attack at their house in Seattle. If we’d had time I would have let you all know before we left, but Mom was being such a bitch about him being a vampire and didn’t realize that I was now one myself.”

“Typical Mom. If it’s not the gender of the mate it’s the species she has a problem with.”

“Bubba, don’t think badly of her. Yes, I’m not happy with how she reacted to my mate, but I was prepared for it after what she did to you and Tim two years ago. It’s never easy to have your parents dislike your mate. You saw the reception Dad gave Damon.”

“It isn’t that dad doesn’t like him. We don’t really know him yet. Dad’s just concerned for your safety, like he would be if it were any of us in the same position.”

“I know he loves me. I just want him and all of you to like Damon. I think once this is all over and we have a chance to get together and relax, you guys will get to know him better. Right now if he seems cold, it’s only because he’s worried about all of us.”

“Cariad, it’ll be ok. When things calm down, we will go spend time with them.” Damon grabbed my hand and glanced at me quickly, before he looked back at the road.

“Thank you, Liebling.” I looked back at Jon and said, “Just so you know, there is one other person who has a problem with us being mates, but he also hates that I'm a bear. He wasn’t thrilled when he found out more bears and even wolves were coming to help either.”

“He’ll have to deal with it, because we aren’t about to let you guys fight on your own,” *snarled Jon.

“I know you wouldn’t leave us hanging, Jon, and I never expected any less. We appreciate you guys coming on such short notice.”

“Think nothing of it, Lil' Man; you’re family and we will always be there for each other.”

We pulled into the driveway and I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. I glanced at Damon and could tell he felt it too.

“Jon, link the guys and tell them to be on guard; something’s wrong,” I cautioned. I looked at Damon and asked, “Do you know what’s going on?”

“Cariad, I don’t know what it is, but I can tell we’re not alone. It’s not any of my guys. I think Spencer’s found us. I will get a hold of my friends and get them here as quickly as possible, but I need you inside fast.” He looked at Jon in the mirror, “Jon, tell them to get in the house as rapidly as possible; forget about the luggage.”

“Already done, Damon.”

“I’m not leaving you outside by yourself, Damon,” I told him, fearing for his safety.

“Cariad, we must all get in the house quickly.”

“I can’t lose you like I did Nique the last time we dealt with Spencer. Why don’t we head to Harris or Leon’s house, so we aren’t walking into a trap?”

“Cariad, we’re already here. I’m done running.” He put the SUV in park and we all jumped out and ran for the front door. Right before the door closed behind the last of the wolves, I heard a sinister laugh from somewhere in the dark.

I looked at Damon as he clicked the lock into place and set the alarm. I knew Spencer and his men got in the other house even with the alarm set, so I worried it would happen again.

“Cariad, try not to worry so. I know they’re out there; I could smell them. Follow me to my armory.”

He led the way down to his finished basement that had a solid steel door. I was shocked when he opened it and I saw the small armory that he had housed in his basement. There were weapons everywhere I looked. I never would’ve thought this was here had he not shown us.

The house on the outside appeared to be a standard Welsh domicile, windows, door, and thick masonry construction. However, the inside defenses were what really made the house special. The stairs leading up to the second floor were made of black pine, so if and when Spencer’s forces attacked, the stairs could be dismantled and broken down into stakes to be used against the enemy. In addition to those defenses, the doors had been braced with chains coated in the purest of silver. When the vampires broke through the heavy doors they would be pinned by the silver, which would burn them until dead.

My family and the wolves were armed with bolt-action rifles, complete with silver plated armor piercing rounds, and silver-bladed knives. They took up defensive positions around the house and found locations with good lines of sight against the enemy.

While the guys took up their posts, Damon called his friends to let them know they needed to get there quickly.

Damon’s POV

I got off the phone with Kevin and Harris with a sigh. I had a bad feeling something was coming that I wasn’t going to like. I steeled my facial expression before I walked over to where Tyler stood with his brother, Jon.

“Everything ok?” Tyler asked.

“Yeah, Kevin and Harris will have everyone here in about fifteen minutes.” I wrapped my arms around Tyler and rested my chin on his head.

“But there’s something bothering you, isn’t there?” He leaned into my embrace and rested his hands on my arms.

I sighed and said, “Yeah, something feels off and I don’t know what it is.”

“Liebling, everything will be fine. We need to end this before more innocent people die.”

I could hear the passion behind his words and it helped push my worries aside. I had the men I trusted most, other than my mate, on their way to join us. It was then that I knew Spencer would die tonight and I prayed it was by my own hand.

“Cariad -” I was interrupted when the motion detectors around my property went off. I went to the window beside the door, and while I couldn’t see well because of the dark, I knew it was Spencer’s men.

“Alright, everyone to your places!” I yelled as I pushed Tyler behind me. If I could have forced him to stay out of the fight I would, but I knew it wouldn’t happen. I turned to him and ran my hand along the side of his face. “Cariad, please stay safe. Stick close to Jon”

“Liebling, I promise to stay as safe as I can, but I want him dead like you do. I didn’t know Nique for very long, but she was still my mate and there is a void now that will never be filled. I need you to be safe as well, because I don’t want to lose another piece of myself. I have only just found you. I know you’re passionate about taking care of Spencer but you need to stay safe as well. Don’t be careless.” He had a pained look on his face and tears that threatened to fall.

I brushed away the tears. It nearly broke my heart and it made my desire to kill Spencer stronger, because I now had someone to come home to and spend my life with.

“I know and I will try; that’s all I can say.”

Jon grabbed my shoulder as I reached for the door handle. “Anyone who threatens my family asks for a butt-kicking. You are now a part of our family.” Jon’s voice was gruff: he had a tight rein on his emotions.

“Thanks, Jon. All I ask is that you leave Spencer for me and protect Tyler with your life.”

“You have my word.” He gave my shoulder a quick squeeze before he dropped his hand.

I opened the door and saw what looked like an army standing in my front yard. I prayed reinforcements got here in a hurry. I glanced at Tyler before I stepped out the door. There were many emotions flitting across his face. The ones that really jumped out at me were fear and pride.

I turned to the group of vampires on my lawn and yelled, “Get out of here, Spencer!”

“Give up, Rhys! There’s no need for bloodshed,” Spencer called out as he stepped between two of his men to stand in the front line.

I felt my phone buzz in my jeans’ pocket; our backup was nearly here. I glanced at Tyler and gave a slight nod. Hopefully, he was the only one to see the signal.

“Spencer, I’m giving you one last warning to leave. I will never join your army and I will never let you kill me without a battle. You want me so bad, then be a man and come deal with me face to face.”

When I heard a snarl, I knew I had gotten his attention and smirked. The next minute, his army came running out of the trees headed in my direction. Tyler and I ran out of the house when my phone buzzed again, so I knew Kevin, Leon, Harris, and Ryan had finally made it.

Kevin, along with the rest of my friends, came running from the right side of my house and immediately joined in the attack. I tried to make my way straight to Spencer, but his men seemed to protect him. Every time I made it past one group of his vampires, I was met by another group.

I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. I knew it had something to do with Tyler and it worried me, because we had gotten separated in the battle. Once I swung my sword and cut the head off one of Spencer’s vampires, I looked around to see if I could find my beloved. At the edge of the trees, I saw Spencer with his arm around Tyler’s neck and Kevin standing next to them. I couldn’t understand why Kevin simply stood there and didn't try to get Tyler out of Spencer’s grasp. I knew Kevin didn’t like Tyler, but he was here to help me, so why wouldn’t he help? I cut through Spencer’s men who tried to stop me as I ran to Tyler’s side and it was then that I saw the silver knife held against Tyler’s neck.

“What the hell, Kev? Have you lost your mind? Do something!” I demanded.

“Rhys, you are my best friend, but I’m doing what’s best for my family.”

“Siding with this maniac is best for your family? Does Ursula know you’ve joined the man who killed her entire family?”

“She will understand this is for the best,” Kevin smirked.

“She will skin you alive and you know it.” I heard the crack of my front door splitting, but knew better than to turn and look. I had to trust that Tyler’s family could handle themselves, because I would be damned if I lost focus now when Tyler needed me the most.

“Liebling, don’t worry about me. I lost my focus and trusted Kevin to have my back. Stay calm and we’ll get out of this.” I heard Tyler say in my mind. I gave a short nod to show I heard him.

I took a step towards Spencer, who tightened his hold against Tyler. I stopped when I saw Tyler grimace and a thin dribble of blood slide down his smooth throat.

“Alright, Spencer, what do you want?”

“I want you to join my army.”

“If I agree to join your army will you let him go?”

“No, Damon!” Tyler cried out, but whimpered when the knife was pressed closer to his throat.

“Cariad, I know what I’m doing,” I pleaded.

“Spencer, even if he agrees to join you, he will never be a faithful follower,” Kevin sneered.

“I hold the key to his faithfulness,” Spencer replied with a smirk. His tone of voice sent shivers down my spine.

“You can’t possibly think to let this abomination live!” The look on Kevin’s face would have been priceless, if it had been a different occasion.

“Do not question me!” snarled Spencer.

“I’ll do whatever you want, Spencer, just let him go,” I pleaded.

“Kevin, what are you doing?” demanded Ursula. “Why aren’t you helping?”

I had been so focused on Tyler and Spencer that I hadn’t heard anyone come up behind me. I looked and saw several of my friends, along with Tyler’s brother, Jon.

“Ah, my dear Ursula. It’s been too long.” Spencer turned to Jon and sneered, “You must be related to this youngling here.”

“Let my brother go, you psycho!” exclaimed Jon. I grabbed his arm as he tried to get past me. He snatched his arm away and turned to me. “Why are you just standing there?”

“Jon, calm down.”

“Don’t tell me to calm down. You’re his mate! You’re supposed to protect him.” He looked down at me and whispered, “I was supposed to protect you.”

“Yeah, Rhys; you’re supposed to protect your beloved and his family, not let them get involved in a battle that has nothing to do with them. I told you what to do when I killed that bitch you called a sister. If you had listened to me he wouldn’t be in this position now. But you’re a selfish person, so I’m not surprised.”

“Who the hell is Rhys?” Jon demanded.

“I’m Rhys. That is the name I was given by my parents,” I told him.

“What did he tell you to do before?”

I sighed; he wasn’t going to like my answer. “He told me to kill Tyler if he survived the transition.” I turned to Spencer and glared. “Let him go and I will fight you man to man.”

“Why would I do that when I can hold on to him and make you do what I want?” he chuckled.

“I want this over and the only way to do that is if one of us dies. It needs to end tonight.”

“You want to fight me then let’s fight.” I let out a breath when he released Tyler, but the relief didn’t last long because he thrust him to Kevin, before Spencer charged me.

I moved quickly to avoid the knife he held in his hand. I drew my sword and hurriedly turned to face Spencer, ready for his next move. He was ready for me though and had pulled a sword from under his overcoat.

“You will die tonight. Maybe I’ll keep the abomination alive and make use of him, since you’ll no longer be here to mate with him.” I snarled at the smirk on his face and swung my sword as I rushed towards him.

“You’ll never touch him again,” I growled.

He ducked my swing and moved to the side. I turned and received an elbow to my face. My head snapped back and felt like it was going to snap off my neck. It caused me to stumble backward, but I regained my footing quickly

I heard Tyler whimper in the background and my gut clenched, but it renewed my focus on Spencer. He swung his sword towards my head, but it clashed with my sword in a spark. I felt the pressure in my arms, as I pushed upwards and threw his sword off mine.

Tyler’s POV

My heart was in my throat as I watched my mate fight with Spencer. Kevin kept a strong grip on my arms as I struggled against him. Ursula took Kevin’s distraction to advantage and walked over to us.

“Kevin, you know the right thing to do is to let Tyler go.”

“Ursula, it’s not that simple. Rhys’s beloved is not a man. You know him, he’s not gay and he likes women.”

“Kevin, you know our beloveds are predestined, we have no choice in them. If Rhys says Tyler is his beloved, then we are not to question it.”

“What about the fact that he’s a bear?”

“It’s still the same. It is not up to us to question fate.” She glared at him. “What if I rejected you as my beloved? What would you do?”

“It’s not the same thing. I’m a man and you’re a woman. If you had rejected me, I would follow you wherever you went and do my damnedest to win you over. However, you didn’t reject me, so it doesn’t matter.”

“Kevin, if you do not let him go, I swear I will leave you and go where you will never find me.”

“You don’t mean that, honey,” he said with a plea.

“Yes, I do. I will not follow Spencer, and if either of you hurt Tyler, I will never forgive you.” You could hear the steel resolve in her voice. I almost felt sorry for him, but then I remembered he sold Damon out to Spencer and the fury built inside of me.

Right as I felt Kevin’s hands loosen on my arms, I saw Damon’s sword arc and slice down across the back of Spencer’s neck effectively beheading him. I had been so wrapped up in the conversation between Kevin and Ursula that I missed the fight.

I looked around to see that our forces had Spencer’s army surrounded and most had surrendered when they saw their leader cut down. I pulled out of Kevin’s hands and ran to Damon. He had dropped to his knees and hung his head. I got to him and dropped down beside him. I wrapped my arms around his chest and simply hugged him. I don’t know how long we stayed like that, but it didn’t seem like a very long time before he stirred and pushed himself up to his feet. I rose with him and grabbed his arm when he went to make his way toward Kevin and Ursula.

“Liebling, wait,” when he turned to look at me I continued. “Kevin has let me go. I’m fine.”

“Tyler, he turned his back on us when he decided to help Spencer. He stood by while Spencer held a knife to your throat. He held you while Spencer and I fought.”

I put my hand to his face and said, “But he made the choice to let me go. I’m not saying you should trust him. He betrayed your trust when he turned to Spencer. I am just saying you should let him go for Ursula’s sake, she’s done nothing to us.”

He glared at Kevin and said, “Cariad, I can’t let his actions go. Ursula understands what must happen. It is our way.”

“He’s right, Tyler. Kevin’s actions need to have consequences, otherwise others will feel like they can do the same. Trust is important in our culture and he broke Rhys’s trust, and mine also. I will abide by whatever Rhys deems appropriate.”

Damon walked over to where they stood. Ursula came and stood beside me, behind Damon. He pulled out a weapon that looked like it was made of wood before he looked at Kevin.

“You deserve death for your betrayal and it is only because Tyler is alive and it would hurt Ursula that I don’t kill you where you stand.” He lifted the weapon and Kevin’s eyes looked like they had become giant saucers, they went so wide. “You know what kind of wood this is and you know what it will do to you.” Kevin nodded and I swore I could see him swallow hard. It was when Damon spun the weapon in his hand that I realized it looked like a spike.

I didn’t know exactly what it was though. Ursula must’ve realized this, because she leaned into me and said, “It’s made of black pine. It won’t kill us, but it weakens us and makes it easy for our enemies to kill us.”

“Rhys, please don’t. Spencer threatened Ursula’s life. That is why I joined him,” Kevin pleaded.

“Kevin, you called my beloved an abomination and said I shouldn’t be with him for the simple fact that he’s a man.” It was then that he struck. He jammed the spike into Kevin’s stomach and stepped back as Kevin fell to his knees.

I heard Ursula gasp. I pulled her into my side to try and comfort her, but she refused. She bent to pick up Damon’s sword and walked over to where they were. She lifted it and sliced Kevin’s head off his shoulders.

She began to cry as she dropped the sword to the ground. Damon wrapped her in his arms and held her. I walked over and wrapped both of them in my arms. That was how my dad found us.

“Tyler, are you ok?” he asked.

“I’m fine, Dad.”

“Which one of them is Spencer?” he snarled.

I pointed to the body as I stepped away from Ursula, but I put my hand on her shoulder. He walked to the body and spit on it.

He then came over to us and asked, “Who’s that?”

“That is Kevin; Ursula’s beloved.”

“So, yet another life that’s been destroyed by him.”

“You could say that. Kevin betrayed us.”

“Then he deserved what he got.” He looked at Ursula and said, “I’m sorry. I know that must’ve sounded harsh.”

“It’s okay. If I was in your shoes I would say the same thing. He betrayed not only Rhys and Tyler, but me and our coven as well. I’m sure he wasn’t alone, but I’m not worried about them, because they will get their due as well.”

“Dad, is everyone ok?” I had to know.

“We’re all fine. There are some scrapes and bruises, but none of the wolves died.”

I let out the breath I didn’t realize I had been holding in. I looked at Damon and said, “Let’s go and see what needs to be done.”

He nodded and put his arm around Ursula’s shoulder and pulled me into his other side before we followed my dad back to the house. I could hear her quiet sobs and my heart broke for her. I couldn’t imagine killing Damon no matter what he did so my heart went out to her. I hoped she could find someone to love again and not turn out like Spencer had. I was amazed that she wasn’t more emotional then she was showing, but maybe she would wait until she was in private. I knew I wouldn’t want to break down in front of others.

We walked through a field of bodies, but finally arrived at the house. The door had been busted in and there were bodies littered throughout the foyer. I looked around and saw Jon sitting on the stairs breathing heavily. I ran over to check him out, but he pushed my hands away.

“I’m fine. Lil’ Man, don’t worry so much.” He rose and pulled me into a hug. I pulled away and noticed he was leaning heavily on the banister.

“You sure you’re ok?” I asked.

“I’m fine. It’s nothing that won’t heal.”

“Yeah, but Tim’s gonna kick my ass for letting you get hurt. I’m sorry I let Kevin get to you.”

“No, he won’t! He’ll simply be glad we’re coming home in one piece along with my mate, and that all of us are fine.”

The other wolves made their way into the foyer where the rest of us were. I looked them over and was happy to see everyone stood under their own power and seemed to be ok. I let out a sigh and walked back over to where dad and Damon waited

“I think it would be best for Tyler and me to pack our clothes and go back to Washington with you guys. I will have a moving company come and get my antiques and I have some plywood in the basement that we can use to close off the front door area until the moving company can get here. Ursula if you’re up to it, I would appreciate it if you would be willing to reside in the guest cottage to keep an eye on the property and oversee the cleaning and repairs. It will take a while to get all the blood off of the floors and to repair the parts of the banister that are broken, but I know I can trust you to make sure it’s done right.”

“I appreciate your trust in me and I will try not to give you any reason to doubt it.”

“Ursula, of course I trust you. It was Kevin that betrayed us, not you. You have never given me any reason not to trust you.” He tightened his arm around her and leaned down to give her a kiss on the head, in the way a big brother might do for a little sister.

“I don’t know about you guys, but I think Damon and Tyler need to get packed so we can get the hell out of here,” suggested Dad.

I nodded my head and made my way up the stairs with Damon right behind me. It didn’t take us long to get everything packed and back downstairs, where everyone waited for us.

Damon walked into his study and wrote something on a piece of paper and handed it Ursula. “Here’s the code for the guest house and for the main house. You can come in through the back door to do what needs to be done. There is a room with monitors that show different parts around the grounds. Make a copy of everything that happened here tonight and send it to me. It will also alert you if any of Spencer’s men come back. I would appreciate it if you could finish packing my clothes, but also pack Dominique’s as well before the movers get here. It would also be great if you could oversee them, to make sure nothing else gets broken. There’s room in the guest house for some of your coven to stay just in case some of Spencer’s men come back.”

He looked up something in his Rolodex, wrote the information down and handed it to her. “This is the number for a cleaning company I trust to come in and get everything cleaned up before the movers get here. I will call someone to come replace the front door. When everything is done, the Realtor will have no problem putting the house on the market.”

“Sure, let me get my things from Harris’s place and I’ll be back here quickly. I’m sure he will have some people stay with me so that I’m not alone. I will make sure everything is done when the movers get here. Do you have a storage place for everything to go?”

“I will be having it shipped to Washington and stored there. Take Dominique’s clothes to the local shelter and donate them. If there is anything you'd like, you are welcome to keep them. Also, I will need you to pack up the weapons into discreet boxes, so they can also been shipped without being noticed. I’m sorry about Kevin. If you need someone to talk to I’m a phone call away. Don’t hesitate.”

“Call if you need anything Ursula, even if it’s just to talk,” I said.

“Of course. Consider it done,” she said.

“Alright guys, let’s get out of here, because we need to head to the airstrip. I’ll call and get the jet ready, so we can take off as soon as we arrive. We’ll be back in Washington by tomorrow.”

“We still need to get the plywood for the door,” I reminded him.

“Jon, can you help me bring it up, along with the nails and hammer?”

“Sure thing.” They walked away, well Jon limped.

While they were gone, the rest of us worked on getting all the bodies outside into one big pile and ready to be burned when Damon came back upstairs. They returned with the plywood, along with a hammer and a box of nails. I ran over to Jon and took the plywood from him.

“Here, let me take that.”

“Thanks, Lil’ Man.”

Damon and I set the wood down right outside the door, while the rest of us filed out. Once we were all outside, he slid it into place and quickly nailed it up.

“Alright, let’s get a move on, so we can get out of here,” Damon said as he pounded in the last nail.

Our bags were loaded in the Suburban with the others, since no one else had taken their bags inside the night before. I still couldn’t believe we had fought, at least not until the early hours of the morning and I could see the results clearly. Prior to Damon getting in the Suburban, he lit the funeral pyre of dead vampires on fire.

Before he could shut the door, Ursula put her hand on it and said, “Rhys, I will take care of the others when I get back here. Thank goodness you are out in the country and no one will see them.”

“Thank you, Ursula. I’ll call Harris or Leon to make sure made it out alive and get some of their clan to help you with the clean-up, as well as see if someone can stay with you.”

“I will do that. Please let me know when you are settled. I may decide to come to America and settle down for a time,” she smirked and stepped back out of the way.

I saw the smile on his face and there was a part of me that was jealous of it, even though it was silly. Damon saw her as a friend or sibling, but there was a bit of me that felt like his relationship with me wasn’t real. I was afraid he would try to get rid of me as soon as he could, in favor of a woman. Possibly even Ursula, now that she was single.

Damon nodded and shut the door, as he started the ignition. We reached the airstrip in no time at all and could see the plane waiting for us with the engines running. Damon pulled up next to the hanger, followed by my dad in the borrowed van. In a matter of minutes, we had everything loaded onto the jet and were on our way home.