Lady of the Night (Downworlder Series, #3)

Chapter Ten: Mama Wolf

I tucked my hands into my jacket pockets as I looked down the vacant streets. Everything was quiet and it didn't surprise me. This half of the slums only came alive around dusk. I hurried my pace regardless. I wanted to see the kids and Mama had gave me another day off. I was a bit thankful for that. I wasn't quite sure how to feel about the thoughts of going back to work after meeting Miles and my beast was not happy with the idea at all. She snapped her teeth together, rumbling in agitation when I even thought of returning to work.

I was half afraid she would take a client's throat. I hadn't expected her to become so attached to Miles but I also knew that I didn't have a choice. I had no clue how to talk to Mama about it. She had literally bought and paid for me. I was her property and I didn't know how she would handle me telling her I couldn't do it anymore. My stomach churned with my anxiousness about the situation but I ignored it as best as I could. I was going to see the kids and I needed to focus on that for now.

The front of the rundown house I paid rent on came into view and I narrowed my eyes slightly at the absence of childish noises. If my mother had allowed the kids to wander off without permission I was going to be pissed. I stormed up the dilapidated steps and shoved into the house. I inhaled deeply and could smell old blood, cigarettes, the harsh stench of cheap whiskey, and no kids.

I bared my teeth as I stormed into the living room. My mother was on her knees, her head bobbing in her pimp's lap as he held her hair in a fist and groaned his pleasure. I gave a heavy growl as I stalked over and grabbed my mother's shoulder and yanked her away. She yelped and her pimp shouted in anger as I interrupted his... treat. The thought disgusted me but I was too busy shoving my finger into my mother's face to care that his paltry cock was hanging out.

"Where the fuck are they?" My tone was low and deadly and I tried to make contact with her, tried to reach across the drugged haze that was her brain to my mother but as usual she wasn't there. A heavy hand grabbed my arm and I snarled, snapping my teeth at the offending appendage. "Back off." The male abruptly let me go as I twisted my head, my neck popping with my beast's agitation as she pushed forward. "Where are they?" I felt an incredible urge to slap her as she blinked slowly, looking completely and utterly out of it because of whatever fucking drugs she had pumped herself full of.

I tightened my grip on her shoulder, giving her a small shake as I held my thumb and finger close together as a heavy growl rumbled out of me. "I am this close to taking your throat. Where are my babies?" If she did something to them, anything to them, I knew I wouldn't be able to hold my beast back from killing her. It didn't matter that she was our mother, the kids were my family and my beast's pups. We did what we had to to make sure they were safe.

"That's what this shit is about?" Her pimp scoffed from behind me and I shoved my mother away as I whirled around on him. He sneered at me as he gestured to where my mother was half sprawled out on the floor. "This bitch crawls to me in the middle of the night. Some clean up crew came in and popped off the john she was with mid fuck. From what I could get out of the drugged bitch was he took the brats." My heart dropped to the floor and I nearly staggered at his words. "Now I suggest you leave... unless you are going to give me my payment for helping her clean up..." His voice trailed off as he leered at me, his gaze lingering long enough to have me snapping my teeth in agitation.

I spun around, resisting the urge to kick my mother as she slowly crawled across the floor towards her pimp. "If they have done anything to the kids. I will kill you." Tears of worried anger filled my eyes at the thought of some psycho having his hands on my siblings but my mother didn't even notice as she was once again between her pimp's legs and reaching for his pants.