Sins of the Father

by JJ King

  It took effort to smile through the pain of her fractured jawbone, but she managed it without flinching. Her only reward was the flare of raw anger that turned his eyes dark as obsidian. Rose hoped that if she could keep him angry enough, he’d ignore Daphne altogether and just focus his frustration on her.

  The keypad scanned Faolin’s palm, beeping loudly before swinging the large door open slowly and, despite all her bravado, Rose felt her heart seize. She glanced at Daphne, whose eyes were clouded with terror, and offered a small smile. It was a lie, of course, but it was something.

  They’d imagined a laboratory where Raphael’s scientists could prepare the scent eraser serum, but the room Rose walked into was as far away from imagination as another planet. It was huge, spread out over what looked like close to a thousand square feet of brightly lit, state of the art equipment in a pristine environment. Rose blinked and scanned the room, shocked at what she saw.

  Her eyes skimmed over the lab coats and beakers, searching for someone she recognized. She stopped dead when her gaze landed squarely on Raphael.

  He was looking away from her, reading over a document while a lab coat waited patiently. He looked completely normal, she realized, surrounded by normal people, but she knew all too well what lurked under the veneer. One crack to that surface and she would see the real wolf inside.

  Faolin growled under his breath to “Stay put,” while he stalked across the lab and waited with his arms behind his back, ever the dutiful soldier, for Raphael to notice him. Without lifting his gaze, Raphael held up a finger and continued to read. Rose watched the interchange and saw how Faolin’s muscles bunched in his neck, straining under his frustration. His jaw clenched and she could practically hear his teeth grinding together, but still Raphael made him wait and the small, petty part of her that hated Faolin more than Hell itself felt a moment of smug happiness.

  Her happiness disintegrated the moment Raphael raised his head and swung his gaze to meet hers. The madness she’d last seen in his eyes was gone, replaced by a sharp focus that sent chills down her spine. This wasn’t the Raphael who’d ranted and raved, destroying half the castle before disappearing for weeks at a time. The last time she’d seen him he’d still had a feral look about him and a smell she wouldn’t soon forget. She almost didn’t recognize him.

  He crossed the room to stand before her and stopped, just feet shy, to stare at her. His gaze traced her face, then moved down her body. “You look just like your mother,” he murmured, raising his head to meet her eyes again.

  Rose shuddered, recalling the memory Quinn had dredged up from the depths of her mind. She knew he’d claimed to love her mother once, but what kind of man walked away from the body of the woman he’d claimed to love, taking a crying infant with him and leaving behind a broken young girl?

  She felt the touch of his gaze now and it made her want to vomit. Love or obsession, she didn’t care, but she wasn’t going to let him fucking touch her, ever. She’d die before letting him do that.

  Still, the logical part of her mind considered, he’d treated her mother differently than the others, bringing her flowers, entreating her to accept him. Maybe that history could help her, help Daphne. Maybe…

  Another guy, one she didn’t recognize, came through the door and strode up to Raphael. This one, like Faolin, was wearing a holstered gun and dressed like a soldier. He leaned into Raphael and whispered something. The blood rushed from Rose’s face when she heard Katherine’s name.

  Rose opened her mouth to distract Raphael, to do something for her friends even though she knew nothing she did would matter. But it was too late, he turned away, his eyes lighted from within with what she recognized as the zealous fire she’d seen too often, and waved a hand toward Faolin, dismissing them.

  They’d gotten a reprieve, however short lived, because Raphael was focused more on getting his prize, his Mia, than on punishment or revenge. Faolin turned on his heel, his entire body drawn up and stiff like a rod, and pushed them toward the door.

  Rose stayed silent, watching every inch of the tunnels they passed through, memorizing every turn. Beside her, Daphne’s gaze flickered and Rose hoped she was doing the same. Two sets of eyes were better than one after all. That is, if they ever got free.

  She could feel Faolin’s anger pouring from his very cells and debated drawing more of his ire to distract him from Daphne. She’d taken his beatings many times over the years and knew she could take more. It was her fault Daphne was in this situation anyway, so it was the very least she could do.

  They arrived at another door after walking for at least five minutes. Faolin barked orders to another man she didn’t recognize who unlocked a metal door then turned and left with a curt nod.

  They were alone now. Like so many other times during her life, there was no one around who could or would stop his strong hands from hurting her. Rose stepped up to him, refusing to look away, and walked into the cell. A moment later Daphne joined her, sitting next to her on the bench without a single word.

  For a long moment Faolin said nothing. Then he turned his gaze to Daphne and raked his gaze over her, licking his lips suggestively. “Your little friend here looks good enough to eat.” He shifted his gaze to Rose and narrowed his eyes, “But where are my manners? Are you hungry little wolf? Thirsty? I do so love giving you what you deserve.” His face contorted with sadistic humor, making Rose cringe. “Which reminds me dear Rosey, did you like my parting gift?”

  Confused but not willing to play his games, Rose stared at him without blinking, calling his bluff. His eyes twinkled and she felt her stomach turn to lead. He was pleased with himself and that was never a good thing.

  “Skyla always looked good in red, don’t you think?” Then he chuckled, slammed the door shut, and walked away.

  Chapter Twelve

  The lightbulb in their cell flickered once, twice, then died. Rose noticed the darkness as it enveloped her, but it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered.

  She swallowed, finding even the mundane difficult to accomplish, and forced herself to breathe. In and out, in and out…

  Faolin had laughed as he’d walked away, locking her inside the cell without a way to pay him back for his atrocities. The sound of his manic laughter echoed off the walls and vibrated through her bones, setting her teeth on edge, but she hadn’t moved. He’d closed the door behind himself and she’d remained, frozen in place, ever since.

  Rose heard the swish of Daphne’s movement as she slid off the bench and moved to kneel in front of her, taking her hands. Daphne’s skin felt like fire, too hot against the coldness that was seeping out from her core, but she didn’t move to let go of the flames.

  “Rose,” Daphne’s voice sounded sad, a pity, really. From what she’d seen, Daphne was kind and bright, and she’d thought as they’d climbed the mountain together and laughed that they could be good friends. Now she was going to die or be imprisoned for life, whichever Raphael decided was best. Or maybe it wasn’t Raphael who ran this place anymore. She’d seen the way the others had nodded to him when he’d passed, showing difference and respect. It was only Raphael who showed him disdain and impatience.

  She lifted her head and looked through the darkness, broken only by a small shaft of light peeking through under the door, at Daphne, not really seeing her but picturing her dark hair and blue green eyes. Would she end up like Skyla, sightless and broken on a chair like a discarded doll?

  “Rose, listen to me,” Daphne clutched her hands and squeezed hard, drawing enough of her attention to listen. “We need to find a way out of this place. We need to go home. We need…” she trailed off in sobs.

  Rose frowned at her through the darkness, the cold inside her numbing her curiosity. So she stayed silent and, instead, slipped into memories of the past when her best friend was alive and laughing.

  “I’m pregnant.”

  Daphne’s words cut through the ice like a hot knife, severing Rose’s connection to the past. She blinked, wishing n
ow for light of any kind, and stared. “You’re pregnant?” Remembering the change in scent that always accompanied a pregnancy, Rose leaned in and inhaled deeply. “You don’t smell pregnant.”

  “I know,” Daphne murmured, shifting to sit on the floor. “I think it’s this serum, it has to be. I’ve taken six tests and they’re all positive, but my scent hasn’t changed.”

  Rose considered that. She didn’t know how long Raphael had been manufacturing the serum, god knows he could have used some over the last few years as his personal hygiene regime declined, but none of the pregnant women back at Classiebawn had ever had their scent disguised, so he hadn’t experimented on them. She wondered if he was even aware it was a side effect.

  The logical part of her brain analyzed the details, searching them from every angle, while she tucked the part of her that wanted to scream and cry away for the moment. That part of her wanted nothing more than to sink her teeth into Faolin’s neck and feel the hot pulse of his blood as it spilled from his body. She wanted to look into his eyes and know that she’d gotten revenge for Skyla and the others.

  To do that, though, she needed to find a way out of this cell and that meant shoving the pain down deep enough to let her brain do its thing.

  “I’ll try to contact the others,” Rose stood, sidestepping Daphne, and undressed quickly. She didn’t have high hopes that she’d reach anyone. Raphael was too smart to leave that box unchecked. But it was worth a try. She knelt on the floor and closed her eyes, letting instinct and magic sweep through her. Pain surged and she embraced it, letting it wash over her, knowing that fighting it only made it worse. They hadn’t been allowed to change often at Classiebawn, a female human child was weaker than a female cub, so her body was out of sync with her wolf. Still, it came when she called, pushing out so forcefully the entire ordeal was over in under a minute. When it was over, Rose lay on the cool floor and panted, taking a moment to reconcile her thinking to that of her wolf.

  Daphne reached out and touched her, smoothing down her fur in one long stroke. Rose closed her eyes and melted into the touch, then climbed to her feet and looked at the room with new eyes.

  “Can you reach them?” Daphne whispered, her tone hopeful.

  Rose focused her mind, sending it out beyond her. She brushed other minds, wolves, male wolves whose loyalty was only to Raphael and Faolin. Rose cringed back, terrified that they’d sense her and push back. She tried again, testing the limit of her mind, and felt the cave around them like an impenetrable wall. There was no way out, for body or mind. She shook her head regretfully at Daphne.

  Unwilling to give up, Rose turned her attention to their prison. Their cell wasn’t huge, seven by nine feet maybe, with a single bed, a toilet, and sink. The floors were made of hard limestone, chiseled from the mountain like the rest of the compound. She padded over to the door and sniffed the metal, then licked it and grimaced. Steel, too strong to break or even weaken. Her wolf eye adjusted to the dark, compensating and taking in every drop of light until she could see the hinges, which were also made of steel and bigger than normal. This was a real prison cell, then, not just some small room repurposed for their sakes. They really were trapped.

  Unwilling to give up so soon, Rose wandered the cell, sniffing and inspecting every single inch of the floor and the walls and, once she’d finished those, she’d nudged Daphne until she stood atop her back to trace her hands along the ceiling, in case there was something there.

  Finally, she conceded and dropped to the floor, lying next to Daphne to offer her warmth. After hours of silence, Daphne disrobed, moved onto her hand and knees and changed, too, then settled in next to Rose.

  “Sleep now,” Rose sent to her friend, giving her a gentle nudge. “I’ll keep watch.”

  ♀♀♀

  Katherine cried out as her head connected with the wall, leaving a splatter of blood dripping from the sharp rock. She struck out, hitting her attacker hard enough for him to curse in a savage tone and growl deep in his throat. She grinned, adrenaline pumping through her, urging her to fight back, then she saw Quinn slump to the floor of the cave and she reacted, lunging toward him under her assailant’s arm.

  She touched his neck and listened through the yells and the curses, and heard his heart beating fiercely in his chest. He was alive and that was all that mattered. Katherine narrowed her eyes and glared at the man approaching her again, his body low to the earth for balance and a knife gleaming with her blood clutched in his hand.

  He came at her quickly, moving too fast to keep his balance on the uneven floor of the cave, and she used his momentum against him. Katherine sideswiped him and shoved as hard as she could to slam him head into the rocks that now held his blood as well as hers. She snarled and turned back to Quinn.

  Raphael knelt next to his cousin’s comatose body and tucked a strand of hair behind her mate’s ear. Katherine heard her gasp echo through the cave and clutched at her chest, terror flooding her body until it was hard to stand. Then he lifted his head and smiled at her, and her lungs refused to draw oxygen. Her chest burned in agony, as if the silver he’d so easily slipped beneath her skin over a year ago was still there, sucking the life from her.

  “Don’t worry,” he said with a soft smile as he glanced down at Quinn, “he’ll be fine. He’ll sleep it off in a few hours.” Raphael pushed to his feet and took a step toward her with an outstretched hand as if he expected her to accept his kind offer of a dance. Her body reacted, cringing away from him, moving toward her love as her mind reeled with the twin urges to save and flee.

  “Don’t touch me,” Katherine heard her voice come out strangled and instantly felt ashamed of herself. She’d fallen asleep so many nights after being wretched out of sleep by nightmares of Raphael’s hands touching her immobilized body, telling herself that when the time came, she would be ready, she wouldn’t be afraid of him anymore. It had helped her find sleep again, but now that she was here and he was looking at her with eyes that practically glowed with fervor, she could barely think.

  He looked different, her over stimulated brain recognized that much. He’d been wild when she’d last seen him, stinking of fetid garbage and raving like a lunatic. Now he stood straight and calm, his hands by his side, not shaking like leaves. Somewhere deep inside she was relieved, but then she looked into his eyes again and saw the gleam of cold focus and excitement, and her blood ran cold.

  “Let them go, Raphael,” Katherine forced herself to speak calmly and keep her eyes on him. “You got what you’ve wanted all along. There’s no reason to keep them prisoner anymore.” She said the words with conviction, but in her heart she knew differently. They were witnesses, proof of Raphael’s nefarious plans, and he would never let them go. Still, she had to try. Katherine swallowed down the fear and prayed for strength, then stepped toward her abductor and extended her hand, “If you let them go free, I’ll cooperate.”

  Raphael stared at her for a long time, his gaze shifting from her outstretched hand to her eyes. A slow smile spread across his face as he appraised her, a slick, satisfied smile that made her skin crawl, but still she waited, hand outstretched.

  He stepped closer, close enough that she could feel the heat from his body, and slipped his hand into hers, raising it to his mouth to kiss her palm. “And what if I like them with a bit of fight?” He murmured against her hand, arching his eyebrow up as he nipped at her skin.

  Katherine snatched her hand back and wiped it against her pants, trying desperately to get his scent off her skin. The thought of him touching her, kissing her – she turned away and vomited on the rock floor of the cave.

  Violent shudders coursed through her body, mixing with dread and despair. Katherine tried to shut down her brain, to distance herself from the jumble of images bombarding her, reminding her of the pain Raphael had already inflicted on her. She lifted her head and looked at Quinn’s body, slumped on the rocks, and couldn’t stop the tears that fell from her eyes.

  A sharp pain stabbed her
neck, followed by a hot sensation that spread like wildfire through her veins. Katherine knew she’d been tranquilized, knew it was by Raphael’s hands, but she kept her gaze on Quinn. She didn’t know how long it would be until she saw him again. As the world closed in around her, going from gray to black, she watched her love and prayed.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Daphne opened her eyes as the door to their cell opened. A young man stood there holding two trays of food while another stood behind him pointing a gun at their heads. She closed her eyes and wished she could be asleep again because there she’d been free and with Keme. In her dreams they’d been at their home in Newfoundland. Their daughter and son rough housed on the grass while she reclined back under the brilliant sun and relaxed with one hand over her head and the other laid to rest on top of her burgeoning stomach. The baby had kicked inside her, swimming contentedly, and life had been perfect.