Bile burned Cassie’s throat. Her stomach soured, and she backed off. “That valve held for two days with the brew kettles at full pressure. There’s no reason for it to blow now. I don’t understand what’s happened here.”
Alpha Simon ignored her as he carried Elena to the castle’s infirmary. Even the people Cassie had thought were her friends backed off and blanked her. She’d never felt so alone or so abandoned.
Back when the vampires had taken her, Cassie had felt responsible for her sisters’ safety. For them, she’d given up her home and her family. When Dane and Eli rescued her, she’d given them her trust and her heart. Now she was alone again, dependent on a werewolf pack who blamed her for the injuries to the alpha’s daughter.
She trudged back in her in her new quarters and tried to think. Her head ached, and although she kept yawning, she felt too antsy to go back to bed. Bored and restless, she tried to read. The only books were dry-as-dust medical journals. With all that was going on, she couldn’t concentrate on them.
At midday, someone hammered on her door. Hoping for news of Elena, she flung open the door, but the two marshals who’d guarded Sable at the hearing stood there. Usually, unattached males greeted her with a good humor. This pair looked like their faces would crack if they smiled.
The taller one looked down his nose at her. “Alpha Simon sent us. He wants to see you. Now.”
The other grabbed her arm and pulled her into the corridor. Tall, dark, and sneering grasped her other arm and they frog-marched her to the alpha’s office.
Alpha Simon finished reading a document before he acknowledged her. “After this morning’s escapade, you’re lucky I don’t have you stripped and beaten in the market square.”
Cassie’s throat felt so dry it could have been sandpapered. “It wasn’t my fault, but how’s Elena?”
“None of your business,” Alpha Simon snapped. “Be thankful our delegation to the Black Cardinal pack arrived home mid-morning. They brought a trade delegation, headed up by Eli’s true love, Nyssa. In fact, she offered to mate my boys as long we handed you over to the Black Cardinal pack. Her timing couldn’t have been better, and after last night, I accepted immediately.”
So much for free will and her right to choose her first lover. Shock and anger set in as she realized he was swapping her for Nyssa. The Lycans had fed her a pack of lies from the start. Worse, she’d fallen for twin werewolves who’d already bonded with another. Her heart crumbled when she thought how Dane and Eli had used and betrayed her.
Alpha Simon smirked, his eyes cruel and calculating. “The Cardinals refused my first offer for Nyssa. Everything changed when they learned my boys had captured a breeder. They agreed to the exchange but they insist you’re under their jurisdiction. Since I agreed to the exchange, they denied the Dark Moon Prowlers the right to punish you. Dane and Eli will mate Nyssa once their mission’s complete. You leave in an hour.”
Cassie couldn’t have moved if he’d set fire to her seat. Her muscles locked, and she sniffed back tears. Nyssa, the woman of Eli’s dreams had arrived this morning, but what did mean for Dane? Would he mate this Nyssa to please his brother, or was she his soulmate too?
That one word, captured, hung like thick smog in the air, choking the life out of her. They’d taken her from the vampire castle by force then tricked her into compliance. She’d been a fool to stay with them, but she’d dreamed of a future, of a family, and of acceptance. Losing the two men she adored felt like they’d ripped her heart from her chest and tore it to pieces.
Determined to shatter her ties to his pack and his sons, Alpha Simon kept his face stern as he lied. “My boys hated the way you clung to them and they jumped at the chance of a mission. I could have sent someone else. We do have other troubleshooters, you know.”
Cassie turned white at his words. Her hands trembled and tears threatened. Like the vampires, Alpha Simon thought her a commodity he could buy and sell. Shivers ran through her body. Determined not to weep before this cold-hearted alpha, she sniffed back her tears. Part of her wanted to rage and call him a liar, but his words made a sick sort of sense. She forced herself to stand, and despite the lead weighing down her limbs, she left without a word.
She returned to her apartment on autopilot. Dane and Eli had betrayed her, broken her heart, and shattered her dreams. The pack she’d thought accepted her had turned their backs on her, too. She should be furious or vengeful. Instead, she felt defeated and drained.
After last night, she could have Eli’s baby growing in her belly. How would the Black Cardinals feel about that? Praying she hadn’t conceived, she rammed her few possessions into Elena’s old suitcase. Not that she had much to take with her.
An hour later, the marshals came for her. They flanked her as she lugged her suitcase down to the harbor but didn’t offer to help. A small group of Lycans—all dark haired and more wiry than the Dark Moon Prowlers’ males—smiled as she approached. One hurried forward and took her bag. Another helped her onboard their small yacht. “Lady Cassie, we are to escort you to the Black Cardinals’ homeland, formally known as Cornwall. Although we will all miss Nyssa, we’re delighted to welcome a breeder to our pack.”
Cassie choked up, stunned by how fast this played out. Another stranger handed her aboard the single-masted boat. “This is a traditional Cornish crabber. Let me show you around.”
He led her inside and gave her a two-minute tour of the galley, the head, and her bedroom. “The cabin is your sole domain. The rest of us will sleep on deck.”
Another sailor gave her a welcoming smile. “After today’s unpleasantness, it’s best we sail immediately. The harbormaster’s son warned us of the deadly double tides in the Solent. We’ll drop anchor down the coast and wait until after the moon cycle has passed.”
The Dark Moon Prowlers had traded her the way schoolboys did marbles. If Dane and Eli cared so little for her, then she was better off with the Black Cardinal pack. Rather than stay on deck and watch New Dover disappear into the distance, she retired to her cabin. Throwing herself face down on the bed, she wept until her eyes hurt. Finally, she cried herself to sleep.
Almost ten hours later, she woke in darkness. When she glanced outside, sleeping Lycans—all in their monstrous wolf form—dotted the deck. Before they’d bedded down, they’d anchored off a deserted town. Now was her chance to slip away.
Once ashore, she’d work her way north and join the human colony at the far tip of Scotland. It would be a long, dangerous journey, but staying in werewolf territory would destroy her. With any luck, her parents and sisters had made it there already.
Ghostlike, she slipped outside and lowered herself into the water. No one woke, the gentle rocking of their boat lulling the Black Cardinal wolves into a deep sleep. She hadn’t expected escaping to be this easy, but it was. The swim to shore didn’t bother her, despite the way her dungarees took on water.
A river ran into the harbor, and she followed it inland. Abandoned craft rotted in their moorings, but a nearby rowboat looked sturdy enough. She untethered it and pushed it into the middle of the river. Clambering onboard wasn’t easy, but soon she was rowing upstream. Best of all, there’d be no scent trail for the werewolves to follow.
The incoming tide propelled her inland, but her arms soon ached from rowing. An hour later, a town loomed on the riverbank, but she continued up river.
What felt like hours later she reached a village—Tenterden, the sign said—and she hid her rowboat among some bushes. Some of the nearby houses had broken windows. Others had broken doors hanging off rusted hinges. She needed to dry off and collect whatever tinned provisions she could find.
Slipping inside a random dwelling, she felt more like a thief than a survivor. Inside, she found everything she needed along with a bicycle. After checking the brakes and adjusting the saddle, she pumped up its tires. Next, she headed upstairs in search of dry clothes.
The stench hit her first, almost turning her back. Her need for clothes had he
r holding her breath and rushing into the master bedroom. She froze, bile souring her throat. There, cuddled up in the bed, lay four decomposed bodies—skeletons with their arms around each other. This family had died huddled together for comfort. That could so easily have been her parents and sisters. Tears pouring down her cheeks, she ran down the stairs and pedaled into the night.
Chapter Eighteen
Dane and Eli demanded directions from Amelia. Once they knew where to find their scavenger team, they freed their monstrous wolves and ran ahead. Snipers had their pack mates in an out-of-town shopping center. Eager to get their mission over and done, they reached it within hours.
A gang of painted humans cavorted in what was once the parking lot, drunk from a raid on the liquor store. They weren’t the problem. The small vampire contingent behind the drunken humans meant trouble. Their presence broke the demon-monitored peace treaty. That risked a second interspecies war.
The salvage team should have sneaked their wounded pack mates out the back. The fact they hadn’t meant they could have severe casualties. That or a larger vampire force mustered behind the buildings. It was up to Dane and Eli to take out the vampire-led assault team—starting with the snipers.
Dane scanned the skyline. A movement atop a church tower caught his eye, and he nodded toward it. Eli scanned the other side of the parking lot, clearly wondering where he’d wait if he had to make a kill shot. The branches of a nearby oak would make a great hiding place. He patted Dane’s shoulder and pointed toward it.
Silent understanding passed between them. They separated and circled toward their targets. Dane knew that once Eli reached the edge of the parking lot, he’d await a signal from the bell tower. Then he’d race over the open ground and take out the shooter in the tree.
Dane slipped inside the abandoned church. Unlit and gloomy, it held the lingering scent of incense. Staying close to the walls, he headed toward the bell tower. The stairs curled like a corkscrew inside it. Silent and deadly, Dane climbed them with catlike grace.
As he neared the top, he sniffed the air. The sniper smelled of sweat, gun oil, and something familiar. Damn it, Dane recognized the human’s scent. He’d served with him in the unit. Now a former member of his Special Forces team threatened Dane’s pack.
Below, a shaven-headed gang member dragged a human woman toward the vampires. She kicked and fought, but Baldy punched her stomach and left her gasping. He shoved her toward the blood drinkers. “Dinner is served.”
Dane tensed, ready to take out the sniper, grab the gun, and shoot any vampires who went near that woman. Before he moved, the sniper adjusted his aim and pulled the trigger. The vampire staggered and fell. A second shot from across the parking lot took out the vampire to his left. A third shooter took out the vampire on right. The sniper in the tree put a bullet through the last vampire’s heart.
Dane retreated into the stairway. “Great shot, Bing.”
Former Sergeant ‘Bing’ Crosby spun around, rifle at the ready. From inside, Dane called again. “If I come out, don’t shoot me. Meanwhile, does Eli need covering fire?”
“Norseman? Is that you? Are with us or them? And are you alone?”
Dane smiled at the use of his military nickname. “All on my ownsome, unless you count Bible Boy out there.”
Calling Eli by his unit nickname put the former soldier’s mind at rest. “Then get out here, Norseman, and help lay down covering fire.”
Dane shot to the edge of the bell tower and crouched behind the edging wall. ‘Bing’ Crosby slid a gun over to him and picked up a military radio. “Chalky, Rhett, Pieman, we’ve had friends drop by. Norseman’s with me and Bible Boy’s busy playing the hero. Let’s help him out, as usual.”
Dane fired a shot and took the final vampire when he peered out from a doorway. The painted gang raced inside.
* * *
Eli ‘Bible Boy‘ Silverback sprinted to the sobbing woman. Tossing her over his shoulder, he raced back to the cover of the nearest street. “It’s all right. I’ve got you. You’re safe now.”
She clung to him, sobs shaking her body. “They’ve still got my grandkids and my daughter. That gang offered us to the vampires in exchange for all the liquor they could drink.”
Cursing under his breath, Eli nodded. “We’ll get your family out. Stay here while I take a look.”
Knowing the shooter in the oak tree had taken down a vampire, Eli called, “Great shot, pal. Cover me while I check things out.”
‘Rhett’ Butler laughed. “Is that you, Bible Boy? I had your back in Afghanistan and Iraq and I’ve got it now. Careful though, we’ve trapped some werewolves in the end store by exploding the back door. We’ll take them down when they make a run for it, but we didn’t expect vampires to turn up this morning. We should hold a pow wow before you do your reccy.”
“No can do, Rhett.” Eli sheltered at the foot of the oak. “Good to see you, but I can’t leave anyone, especially kids with that lot.”
Crouching low, he scuttled across the parking lot and flattened against a wall. A moment later he vanished inside. He wasn’t surprised when Dane appeared at his side. “We’ve got some old friends watching our backs. Let’s get these kids out of here then convince our former colleagues that werewolves are the good guys.”
Two gang members slammed a door, sending Dane and Eli scuttling into the shadows. Baldy and a guy with a tattooed face marched toward the exit. “Hey, guys with guns, we’ve no quarrel with you. We’ll take our useless females and their cubs and walk out of here.”
Former Lieutenant Rhett Butler yelled back, “Send out the females. Once we have them safe, come out with your hands up.”
Eli shook his head. These humans preyed on kids and vulnerable adults. Before the apocalypse, they’d have faced a long prison sentence, but times had changed. Pulling the knife from his belt, he nodded toward the room where they could hear children crying. “We need a bad guy headcount, then we take them out and save the kids.”
One gangster returned to the hostages, but Baldy nodded down the corridor. “I gotta take a leak.”
Silent and deadly, Eli followed him. As the guy pulled his dick from his pants, Eli held his knife to his throat. “How many of you are there?”
Baldy froze. “Don’t cut me, man. There are seven of us holed up with the hostages.”
“How many more in the building?” Eli demanded.
Like most bullies, Baldy crumbled when faced with someone stronger and smarter. “That’s it, honest.”
Much as Eli wanted to slit the man’s throat, he was better than that. “Take your belt out of your jeans. Move real slow so as not to make me nervous.”
Baldy obeyed, but when he removed his belt, his jeans dropped around his ankles.
“Shuffle to the downpipe and put your hands around it.”
Eli bound Baldy’s wrists in his belt. Before re-joining his brother, Eli stuffed his handkerchief in Baldy’s mouth.
“Seven scumbags,” he reported, “but one’s a bit tied up.”
Dane nodded then slipped out to liaise with his former colleagues. When he returned, three of the snipers accompanied him.
Bing grinned and passed Eli a gas mask. “We have smoke bombs and tear gas. Pieman’s got the entrance covered, but we’re ready for an all-out attack even if it means the werewolves get away.”
Eli pulled them into what had formerly been the shop’s office. “It’s good to see the lot of you. We’ll catch up later, but those werewolves aren’t a problem. Trust me, they’re the good guys.”
Their former colleagues frowned, ready to argue. With no time for debate, Dane changed into his monstrous wolf form. The soldiers backed off, guns raised. Eli gave them his best smile. “How do you think me and Dane kept your asses safe in Iran?”
Lieutenant Butler lowered his gun. “Don’t you mean we saved your asses in Afghanistan?” He blinked and nodded at Eli. “Can you do that too?”
Eli nodded and stripped. A moment later, he too free
d his inner beast. “Let’s go get those kids.”
The human soldiers lobbed a smoke grenade into the room where the gang had hidden their captives. Dane and Eli raced inside, fists flying. No human had ever got up from a werewolf hit. Their former colleagues grabbed the kids and their mother, dragging them into the fresh air. The action was over in minutes.
Still in monstrous beast form, Dane went to check for survivors. Eli shifted back to human. Once they had the women secure, Sergeant Crosby put his hand over his eyes. “Seeing you naked is enough to give a man nightmares. Put some bloody clothes on.”
Laughing that his human form made hardened soldiers flinch, Eli dressed quickly. The former soldiers soon joined him as he approached the trapped Lycans.
Standing in full view, Eli called, “It’s safe to come out now. Does anyone need medical attention before we head back to New Dover?”
Two team members had silver bullets embedded in their limbs. Dane carried one to the newly arrived bullock cart while Eli brought the other. Introductions took a while, and the sniper team hated that they’d hurt innocent people. Since they hadn’t killed anyone, an uneasy truce broke out. Finally, Dane and Eli invited the assembled humans to join the Dark Moon Prowlers.
Delighted to have somewhere safe to put down roots, the women and children accepted instantly. Wary, the soldiers admitted they liked the idea of having a home base. The freed Lycans smiled when the humans offered them their protection. Then they remembered the silver bullets and sharpshooting. Deciding these humans had special talents, they accepted.
Dane re-joined them, wiping blood from his blade. “No survivors.”
The soldiers agreed to escort the werewolves home and see how things went. At first, tension simmered between them and the Lycans they’d held captive. Gradually, they built bridges, freeing Dane and Eli to transform and run home to claim Cassie.
* * *
Cassie paced herself as she pedaled toward London. Potholes pitted the road, and weeds reclaimed the surface. Her Lycans had called London a neutral area. Only they weren’t her werewolves anymore. She wondered how long before the ache in her chest became bearable. Forever, she supposed.
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