*****
Max wanted to reach for her. To put his arms around her and hold her, he wanted to drive back to her house and kill every one of those rat-bastards who’d put her in danger and caused her this hurt.
“The house was attacked, I have Josette and we’re headed for grandmother’s,” Max said.
“And the Nonakris?”
“I don’t know,” Max answered, the fact that Janet had not called was bad news. They should have reached their truck and already called to check in. He didn’t say this now. “She’s with Janet.”
“If anyone can get her out its Janet,” his father said without hesitation.
“Get your grandmother and come home,” his father instructed. “All hell is breaking loss. There are reports of attacks in all the major packs.”
“Yes sir,” Max answered. He wanted to ask about the Lycaon but not with Josette in the car. He’d wait until they were someplace safe and then call him back to have the private conversation,
“What about my mom,” Josette said between sobs. “We can’t just leave her.”
“Lupa, Janet is highly trained and one of the best skilled fighters in your father’s army. She’ll keep your mother safe and know what to do,” the man said to Josette. “Let’s worry about getting you safe and I’m sure it won’t be long before you’re with your mother again.”
“Okay,” Josette said before the line went dead.
The Hummer cleared the trees about ten miles from the house and onto the freeway. Max drove the speed limit to his grandmother’s house with the soft sounds of Josette crying next to him. There were no words of comfort for her so he didn’t try. Josette had most likely lost both her parents, he let her mourn the lost.
Ten minutes later he pulled the truck over on the neighboring street behind his grandmother’s house. He didn’t turn off the engine, just turned in his seat.
“Josette.”
She didn’t answer. Her hands were in her lap, her head was down and her shoulders shook as she cried.
“Tehila, please,” he said damn close to tears himself. It was hard to have to control his emotions when hers were so strong.
“Josette, I’m going to my grandmother’s house.” Max continued hoping that she was at least listening to him. “You need to stay in the car until I come back. If I’m not back in five minutes I need you to call my dad back and he’ll tell you were to meet him.” He grabbed her head and kissed her roughly.
“Oh God, Tehila, please. I can’t leave you if you won’t at least try to protect yourself,” he begged.
“Okay,” she said at last.
Max looked at a face full of uncertainty. There was no one to call for help. It was just the two of them until they got to his father’s house. He got out of the truck and disappeared into the night.
Max knew it was all bad the minute he stepped out of the truck. The smell of something burning and the sound of fire engines coming from the direction of his grandmother’s house told the story. He navigated the short wooded area until he came into the backyard of her home. It was dark and quiet. Picking up the hide-a-key fake rock next to the wood storage shed, he walked to the back door. He opened the door quietly and the smell of blood brought him to his knees. He didn’t want to go in the house everything he needed to know was in the smell that greeted him.
He walked through the house with lead covered feet until he came to his grandmother’s room. He dropped to his knees again in the doorway of her bedroom. She’d been shot, once in the head and once in the chest. Who in the hell broke into old women houses and shot them in their sleep? What monster could do such a thing?
Max crawled to the side of her bed and took her hand and cried like a baby. Great soul rocking sobs. He kissed her hand before laying it over her chest, just below the bullet hole. Standing above her he threw his head back and howled. His grandmother wasn’t a werewolf. She didn’t pose a threat, but here she was, dead anyway. He couldn’t go home. He had to bury his grandmother, but he had to get Josette someplace safe. He walked out of the front instead of the back and looked down the street. Josette’s house was on fire and a lost cause. The firemen were just trying to contain it, keep it from spreading to the houses next to it and out of the wooded area behind it. He turned to go back to Josette. If the current Nonakris, had anything to do with this, he personally was going to rip her throat out and bath in her blood.
He startled Josette when he knocked on the window of the truck. She didn’t scream but she left the seat when she jumped. She hit the locks on the car and he climbed in. She didn’t say anything just climbed across the seat and threw her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face in her hair and breathed in the smell of the only thing he found comfort in.
“Oh Max,” she whispered.
He could feel her tears on his neck. He could have sat there forever but they were too out in the open. He took a deep breath and another before loosening the bear hug he had on her. They drove in silence to Luke’s house. Josette had stopped crying and sat looking out into the night. He hadn’t told her about her house, all considered, what difference did it make? No one had been in it.
He turned off the paved street onto the dirt road of the Southfork Clan pack’s property and turned off the headlights to the truck. He pulled off the road about a mile before he reached the clearing. He didn’t think Luke’s pack was involved, but better safe than sorry. After driving a distance where the Hummer wasn’t seen from the road he turned off the engine.
“We’ll walk from here,” Max handed Josette the keys, “Same instructions as before. If we get into any trouble run back to the car, call my father and go to him,” he said. “Don’t try to help me fight, don’t wait for me once you reach the truck.”
Max got out of the truck and held his hand out to Josette as she climbed out on his side. Max didn’t hear anything in the surrounding woods that shouldn’t have been there. They walked hand in hand and stopped when they spotted Luke’s trailer. The lights were on. Max struggled with his next decision; leave Josette in the safe cover of the trees or take her with him. He didn’t know the land, and he didn’t want to waste time to find her a place to hide so he squeezed her hand a little and stepped out into the clearing praying that they were on friendly ground. Luke opened the door when they were halfway across his yard.
“Thank God,” he said and ran down the stairs. “I didn’t want to believe, it but if you’re here things must be as bad as they say.”
“They who,” Max asked.
“Everyone,” Luke said turning to lead them to his home. “There are reports of all the wealthiest pack beta’s homes being raided, whole families slaughtered.” he said. Josette cringed in Max’s arms but didn’t say anything.
“The Nonakris is dead.” Max stopped mid-step, his foot hovering.
“What!” Luke nodded. “What happened,” Max asked taking the last steps into the trailer.
“No one knows exactly, but word is the Grey Wolf Clan turned on the Nonakris. She’d grown over confident. It seems that the Grey Wolf clan had no idea that the Lycaon had been held against his will all this time. They thought he was just being stubborn. When word got out that he’d been released and went back to his true love it added salt to the wound. That and the queen’s insane idea of splitting her supporters from the main pack gave the clan the idea to take over.” Luke finished.
Max and Josette sat across from Luke letting the story sink in.
“That crazy bitch,” Josette said.
Luke raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment on her words. “Where’s the Lycaon?”
“Dead.”
The one word dropped like a stone from Josette’s lips. Luke gave a surprised gasp and looked like someone had gut-punched him. Max saw the light bulb go off in Luke’s head a second before his own thoughts came to the same conclusion.
“That means you’re the Nonakris,” he said and the man actually fell out of his cha
ir on one knee, bowed his head and put a fisted hand on his chest over his heart.
Chapter Fourteen
Lupa (Second Edition) Page 23
