On AO3 http://archiveofourown.org/works/12186849
Never mess with a mother's son, especially when that mother is a Shifter and you kidnap the son and his friends.
Manfred groaned, his head was pounding and the blood roared in his ears as a cold laugh echoed through the room, though it didn’t make him feel the fear they were no doubt intending as they slowly walked into the light.
The man looked rough, as if he’d been living on the streets, his clothes and hair a mess and a foul odour that was a mix of stale sweat and death, his eyes glowing gold, looking crazed. The Gypsy knew instantly why he was here, this wasn’t anything to do with Midnight and it’s bad habit of attracting supernaturals, this was to do with the Crescent City Clan and he was the weak point.
The foul man’s hand wrapped around his throat and he did everything to keep calm as he was choked until he was seeing dark spots, making the bastard growl as the psychic stayed completely stone faced, hearing muffled sounds of people around him. He nearly swore, because he could hear Olivia and she sounded pissed, and gagged.
The memory came back to him, they’d all been gathered at the church, not including Lemuel thanks to the sun being up, just talking for a change, enjoying the quiet they would never again take for granted. The moment had been broken by the shattering of glass and the next thing he knew his world had gone dark. He had to rein in the fury at knowing how many people he cared about were tied up.
“Not bad for a Were’s bitch.” Manfred just shrugged.
“What can I say he’s good in bed and trained me well.” The brunette felt the burn after the smack, and his vision danced again, he heard something from Creek but ignored it, not that she had any right to comment after she broke up with him.
“Careful, or I’ll send you to your mother in pieces, I’m sure she’d love to see you again.” The deranged asshole smirked, gripping the Gypsy’s chin with a bruising force.
“She will tear you apart.” Manfred told him with a smile. “No matter what you do to me you’ve already signed your death warrant and all that you’re doing now is deciding how painfully your going to die.”
“Luckily for you I’m fast.” The bastard spun around and all Manfred heard was the tear of flesh and when it collapsed he felt a wave of pure relief as he saw Erzsebet stood there. He watched as the bastard had his own intestines wrapped around his neck and was dragged across the room to be hung from a pipe, every limb twisted to a compound fracture so he couldn’t save himself.
Erzsebet wiped her hands clean and snapped the chains holding the Gypsy in place.
“Hello my Little Wolf.” He wasn’t proud of it but he dissolved into sobs looking into those warm gold eyes and was more then happy to be drawn into his mother’s hold, feeling her brown curls brush against his skin and knowing heaven and earth couldn’t take her away if he didn’t want to let go.
“Manfred!” His mother growled at Creek, it rumbling from where he was tucked under her chin, smelling leather and patchouli along with the wild of the bayou and swamps.
Slowly the Gypsy pulled himself together and met his mother’s warm smile.
“Come on Little Wolf, we can explain to your friends when we return to Midnight, the vampire will be waking soon.” Her voice was soothing and calm, a light southern belle drawl that reminded him of nights at the plantation house, looking at the stars from the porch swing.
He followed her without question, not at all surprised to see the trail of broken bodies as they walked through the compound and soon reached the dessert, the setting sun casting the sky in hues of burning orange and hazy pinks.
Olivia and Bobo took the keys to the two SUVs the shifters had brought with them. Manfred only just noticed Damon was at his back, which probably meant Elias was inside with the dying creature, ready to rip his jaw off if he survived choking.
While Olivia drove with Fiji besides her the psychic had an angel on his left and a demon on his right, leaning into Chuy when a strong arm was wrapped around his shoulders, Joe resting one on the small of his back, him drawing comfort from the pair as if it were tangible.
“You okay?” Chuy asked softly, concern lacing his voice.
“Yeah, just, I know what shifters are capable of.” The couple tensed, understanding.
“What do you mean?” Fiji spoke up, he opened his eyes to see Fiji looking around her chair and Olivia was shooting him looks in the rearview mirror.
“When I was six a coven of witches attacked the clan. I saw them butcher half of them and I heard what they did to the rest.” Manfred shivered. “The clan drew on our roots and impaled them alive and lit pyers beneath them, the bodies from earlier were strung up like holiday decorations.” He let out a bitter laugh. “We’re the descendent of war lord and warriors and while the world changed, us, not so much. Grandma Madeline use to say that a shifter was all the predatory instinct of an animal combined with sadistic and malevolent capability of a human.”
Chuy pulled the psychic closer, using his other had to gently sooth over the bruises that were forming over the other’s neck, not at all minding that Manfred was dozing on his shoulder all the way to Midnight.
Climbing out of the SUV he was tackled by Creek who was thankfully pulled away, literally, by Bobo as she bombarded the psychic with questions as if she was more entitled then the others and when she kept trying a low growl ripped through the air, cutting her off as they were all lead into the Midnighters’ Room, being met by Lemuel who demanded an explanation and got what little the others knew before the Gypsy spoke up.
“Everyone may I introduce my Mom Erzsebet, the leader of the Crescent City Shifter Clan and one of her enforcers Damon.” Manfred kept himself near Chuy and Joe, he didn’t like the way Creek kept glaring at him, and introduced everyone there.
“Perfect, now, marked by a Weretiger.” Erzsebet smiled at him but there was something dark there threatened death.
“An idiot let him out, he’s normally chained up for the full moon.” Manfred gently rubbed his ribs where the scars lay causing her to nod once.
“And the person that let him out?” She queried.
“Already dead, luckily for them.” Everyone shot him a look. “Better mauled by a tiger then facing a wrathful mother who is also a shifter.” Most of the room shivered, looking vaguely sick.
“What the hell is going on?!” Creek finally erupted, quickly recoiling under Erzsebet’s glare, and the looks from the other Midnighters.
“Ever speak to me or my son like that again and I will rip your tongue out before shoving it down your throat.” The Clan leader spoke calmly but no one doubted she could and would do it. “Now for those of you who don’t know shifters are much like weres only we can chose when we shift and our animal is that of our personality, as such some of us have more then one animal form, and silver doesn’t affect us like it does weres.” She gave Creek a condescending smile and Manfred held in a laugh, he felt a little guilty but his mom was awesome. “I also have an apology to give.”
Here she turned to the room as a whole.
“Craig Revon was the leader of a Clan just outside of our territory and they decided that they wanted to take over the Crescent City Clan. Unfortunately we didn’t manage to kill him or all of his clan members and they are the ones that took you. For that I apologize.” She spoke calmly, holding the whole room with just the tone of her voice, never mind her gaze.
Manfred almost jumped as Elias appeared behind him, a firm hand resting on his shoulder.
“Why did he want to take your clan? And why take us?” Olivia spoke, assessing and he knew that already she had Erzsebet’s approval.
“My clan is the second largest and most powerful clan in existence, the other resides in Europe and what makes us so powerful is what some close minded idiots think of as an abomination. Elias is a vampire.” She nodded her head to the refined man who stepped a little further forward, close to the Gypsy’s side, hand resting firmly on the small of his back. “We give them blood, feed them and in turn they follow the Clan rules.”
Elias chuckled, getting a few curious looks from around the room.
“It is a little more then that.” The English accent flowed through the room making them all shiver for one reason or another. “We have a home, somewhere we are accepted and we don’t have to kill to survive.”
Most of the Midnighters nodded, understanding completely.
“And then there are the weres, our dysfunctional cousins that we help on the full moon. Some clans like Revon’s thought that was an abomination and the way of shifters is defeat the leader, take the clan. When they failed in a direct fight, they went after the weak link, my son, taking all of you was collateral I suppose.” Erzsebet finished.
“Will other’s try?” Joe stepped forward, arms folded across his chest.
“I doubt it, most fear us to much to begin with but even more so, they know all attacking Manny is good for is making the end more painful.” The simple way she said it gave everyone chills. Even with everything they’d faced not one of them had ever been as scared of something as they were of this woman.
The night became calmer though as they began to relax, the Clan leader buying them all drinks before everyone drifted away.
“Your leaving tomorrow.” The Gypsy stated it from where he sat besides the shifter on the porch of the small blue home.
“I’d stay if I could.” He snuggled into her shoulder, slumped down so he could lean into her side. “Giving you away was the hardest moment of my life, but it was the only way you could be safe and remember I love you and if you need me I’m there for you.”
That night he heard the stories of the stars he’d grown up with and the sweet lullabies in languages of old Europe and treasured the moment more then all the diamonds and jewels in the world.
The next night saw Manfred, Olivia and Chuy stumbling out of Home Cookin’ after Madonna had chucked them out, laughing at their drunken antics.
The three stumbled slowly down main street, slowly making their way to the small blue house further down by a unanimous decision and soon enough were stumbling into bedroom and collapsing onto the mattress, Chuy in the middle and Olivia happily half climbed over the demon to use the psychic’s chest as a pillow.
“Your Mom is awesome, you’re really lucky to have her.” Olivia mumbled, making a please sound as Chuy absently worked some of the knots out of her back.
“I know, just wish things were easier.” Manfred sighed and buried his face into the Demon’s shoulder, smelling lavender and nail polish first then the layer of paint that came from Joe and finally the layers of brimstone, blood and fire.
“So what’s with Creek?” Chuy sounded concerned, even through the slight drunken haze. Manfred just groaned in annoyance making the others laugh.
In the morning all of them groaned and grumbled until Joe appeared with food and was kissed by all three of them, much to Chuy’s amusement and Creek showed more of her true colours and was royally getting on everyone’s nerves, the little brat was two seconds from making Olivia snap and no one would stop the blond, though just to be on the safe side no one was going to tell the annoying girl about a certain weretiger kissing the psychic.
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