Twisted

by Rebecca Zanetti

  “Good luck. I’m glad I’ll miss that moment.” Terrent glanced at his watch. “I’ve been away from work too long and plan to leave soon. We’ll be back in time to take the cheerleaders to nationals, I promise. But we have an outbreak of werewolves in Denver, and I need to meet Lock and Ace as soon as possible.”

  Maggie swallowed. What about her? His timetable only gave her a short period to discover who was messing with the inoculations. “Werewolves from the virus?”

  Terrent started. “No. These are everyday humans-turned-werewolves.”

  Unfortunately, the werewolf gene was a dormant one in humans. Nobody knew why or how it went live with certain humans, who then turned and either bit or clawed other vic-tims. There would always be werewolves for the Bane’s Council to hunt and kill. Maggie kicked a pebble. “Have a great trip.”

  Terrent lifted an eyebrow, glancing down. “I figured we’d come up with a plan before I left. Whether you want to live here, with the vampires, or anywhere else. I’d like you to live with people I trust.”

  “I’m not your responsibility.” Apparently she never would be. Maneuvering around the large wolf, she hooked her arm through Gerald’s. “I’d love a tour of your headquarters.”

  The Alpha smiled, looking years younger. “I’d be delighted.”

  They both ignored Terrent, moving off the porch toward the outcropping of buildings.

  Gerald pointed to three log cabins set back in the forest.

  “Those are guest cabins for visiting dignitaries—not as fancy as the mansion you first stayed in, but nice enough.

  You’ve already seen the main lodge.” He grinned and patted her hand while leading her toward the entrance to the rock.

  “Inside the mountain we keep the cool stuff.”

  She’d spent plenty of time in the king’s underground headquarters. “Don’t tell me. Hidden weapons caches, com-puter banks, and storage facilities. As well as living quarters in case everyone needs to take refuge underground during war.”

  Gerald threw back his head and laughed. “Yes. Just like the king’s. But our people are wolves who don’t live underground unless we’re being bombed. We’ve spread out over the mountain, and some folks even live in town. We’ve found that’s the best situation for the kids—to make friends with humans. The world is becoming closer, and we’re trying to adapt.”

  Roger would probably try to change that. Maggie sighed.

  “Your packmates seem like good people.”

  “We’re great.” Gerald grinned. “You should join the pack.

  As soon as our soldiers return, we’ll be invincible again. Or . . .

  really strong.”

  “What about my weird brain ability?” She could be a danger to everyone around her.

  He shrugged. “If you end up developing a demon-fighting ability, how could that be anything but beneficial to your pack?”

  “You’re a wise man, Gerald the Alpha.”

  “No. I’m just old, sweetheart.” He led her into the cool rock, small pebbles crunching under his feet. “Old and tired.” He gestured to a quiet conference room to the right.

  “That’s where the cheerleaders planned their strategy for the last competition. Very exciting.” His lip quirked. “We used to raid other villages, used to rob from humans. Now we compete for fun. Life could be so good if the war ended.” His eyes softened. “Though we’ve lost so many people. Healing takes time.”

  Maggie stumbled and quickly righted herself. The tour continued, Gerald pointing out the weapons room, several training rooms, and small apartments. Finally, they reached a wide, double metal door manned by a scowling guard at least seven feet tall and wider than a Volvo.

  “Here’s our newest addition to the underground fortress.”

  Squinting, Gerald punched in several numbers on a keypad.

  The locks disengaged with loud clicks.

  Maggie’s heartbeat increased in speed. “What’s behind the doors?”

  Gerald yanked open the left door. “Come and see.” He gestured her inside.

  Cash and safety deposit boxes lined the north wall. Impressive weapons lined the south. Straight ahead, behind a bulletproof glass door, stood several metal containers. A large garage-type door made up the far wall.

  “That’s the serum for the inoculations?” Maggie asked.

  “Yes. We improved our security after the last mishap.

  You’ve heard about the faulty vials, right?” Gerald stepped closer to the glass.

  “The king may have mentioned something about that.”

  “Yes. It’s a mystery. We didn’t have any security in place.

  I mean, who would mess with the inoculations?” Gerald shook his head. “So now, there’s no way to get in here without permission.”

  “What about the far door?” Maggie asked.

  “The garage door is booby-trapped.” Gerald swept out an arm. “We need the loading area to get the boxes onto trucks for dissemination. Nobody is coming in that way. Besides, the trucks arrive early tomorrow morning. Then I won’t have to worry about the serum any longer.”

  Everything seemed secure. Maggie relaxed. “Who do you think tampered with the drugs?”

  “I don’t know. Either somebody from my pack or the Bane’s Council. At least one of them was here all three times. They’d have to be working together with a plan, and I don’t understand why the Bane’s Council would tamper with the vials.” Gerald huffed out a breath. “So one of my people is guilty. But why?”

  “I don’t know. But at least nobody was harmed.”

  “My people aren’t good saboteurs. I’m not sure if I should be grateful or embarrassed by that.” Gerald turned back toward the steel door. “We’re missing the party, my dear. Let’s go get some pasta salad.”

  “Sounds good.” Maggie eyed the guard on the way out.

  The guy looked like he could take down a bear. “So, you don’t have any idea who could’ve damaged the drugs?” she asked Gerald.

  “Anybody could’ve gotten to the drugs before we put security measures into place.” He led her back into the dusky evening. The band was softly playing, while people milled around with full plates. The cheerleaders from the other day sat over on a grassy clearing with a bunch of teenage boys.

  Their laughter filled the air with mirth.

  The woman from the protest, Bobbi, hustled up. “Gerald, there’s an issue with the band. Something about not enough plug-ins.” She rolled her eyes.

  Gerald patted Maggie’s hand. “I’ll catch up with you later.” He took off toward the band.

  Bobbi held out a hand and smiled. She’d pulled her dark brown hair into a clip, emphasizing high cheekbones and green eyes. “I’m Bobbi—Shannon’s mother.”

  “Maggie.” They shook hands.

  Maggie eyed the area, her shoulders relaxing when she spotted Terrent across the clearing. The wolf leaned against a tree, his gaze on the crowd. Alone and thoughtful.

  Bobbi followed her gaze. “Terrent’s a sexy one, isn’t he?”

  “Uh, yeah.” Maggie started.

  Laughter erupted from Bobbi. “I’m making small talk.

  No interest here—happily mated to a soldier. Who hopefully will be home soon.”

  Maggie smiled. “Ah. Well, I have no claim on Terrent, so no worries.”

  “Right.” Bobbi snorted. “It’s nice to see him happy. Almost at peace.”

  Warmth flooded into Maggie’s face. “He’s happy?”

  “Yes.”

  Several people approached the man to talk, but he remained off to the side. Separate from the party. Maggie sighed. “He’s not very friendly.”

  “Sure, he is. He’s just not comfortable with people.”

  Bobbi waved at an older couple zipping onto the dance floor.

  The woman’s defense of Terrent lightened Maggie’s shoulders. He had friends, whether he wanted them or not. Being alone in life hurt. She knew. But this Raze pack seemed like a good place to make a new life, t
o belong.

  Bobbi elbowed her. “Let’s get some food. You can take a plate to the guy you have no claim on.” Her laughter increased the intensity of Maggie’s blush.

  Terrent’s gaze landed on her. Heated and possessive.

  She swallowed. “I could eat.”

  Chapter Eight

  The party went on for hours, and the band played the entire time. Maggie danced with Terrent, with Gerald, and with several other wolves. Being among her own people filled her with a lightness she hadn’t realized she’d missed. Sure, she loved the vampires. But this pack might be home.

  She and Terrent stood to the side, drinking cider after a rather ambitious two-step. Her toes might never recover from his huge boot landing on them. Of course, she’d tripped the poor guy several times. “I told you that klutzes shouldn’t dance.”

  He surveyed the area, always on alert. “I had fun.”

  Throughout the night, he’d loosened up and had even par-ticipated in several discussions with folks about the war.

  With the kids, he’d seemed comfortable from the beginning.

  Little Toby had hung around him for quite a while until his mother had taken him to bed.

  Terrent took a deep breath. “Did you enjoy your tour earlier?”

  Instinct raised the hair on her arms. “Yes. Very interesting place.”

  “Did you find any clues, Sherlock?”

  Maggie jerked her head to meet his gaze. “Clues?”

  “Please.” He brushed her forehead with warm lips, his focus on a group of men arguing about football scores. “Any clues on who messed with the drugs?”

  She swallowed. “You knew? I mean, you knew the king sent me to investigate?”

  A dimple flashed in Terrent’s cheek. “Yeah. I knew. Find anything?”

  Her shoulders slumped. “No. You?”

  “Nope. The entire situation is a mystery. An odd one.”

  Gerald hustled up. “We have a problem. The Ausgel Alpha just contacted me with another offer to buy the mountain. If we don’t sell, he’s going to attack.”

  Terrent straightened. “When will your soldiers be home?”

  “End of the week.” Gerald rubbed his chin. “We should be fine, but this time of transition is over. I’m turning over leadership to Roger tonight.”

  Terrent shook his head. “You should wait until your soldiers get home.”

  “No. We need stability.” Gerald sighed. “I put together a defense plan in the lodge. Will you take a quick look at the diagram? I’d like to implement what we can starting tomorrow morning.”

  “Sure.” Terrent handed his glass to Maggie. “You okay here?”

  “Yes.” She waved at Bobbi, who was doing the cha-cha with a lumbering wolf.

  Terrent left with Gerald. Maggie wandered around and grabbed a cookie from the table. The sound of the festivities rose in the air, the feeling light and happy. The entrance to the rock stood quiet and dark. How easy would it be to get inside and poke around? This was the last night anybody had to mess with the drugs—so if it was going to happen, it would be soon. Maybe she should set up inside and wait out of sight. Then she could report back to Terrent without even having to confront anybody. Now that was a plan.

  Smoothly angling around the table, her foot only catching once, she maneuvered to the cave entrance. Nobody seemed to notice.

  Her breath heated. Goose bumps rose on her arms. She could investigate like the best of them. Moving backward, she allowed the cave to consume her.

  Winding through the quiet hallways, she paused before making the final turn where the guard was stationed. Darn.

  She should’ve brought him some punch or a cookie. Oh well.

  Too late. Plastering on a fake smile, she breezed around the corner.

  And stopped short.

  Her entire body stiffened. Adrenaline flooded her system.

  The guard was down.

  Passed out, his head at an odd angle. Maggie crept toward him, dropping to one knee in order to feel his neck. She sighed in relief at the strong, steady heartbeat. Thank God.

  Shoving his neckline to the side, she revealed twin burn marks. A stun gun? An injection site swelled an inch away.

  So the poor guy had been stunned and then injected with what had to be a rather powerful sedative.

  She gulped in air, her gaze going to the metal door, which stood partially ajar.

  Getting help seemed like the best idea, but she couldn’t let whoever was inside mess with the inoculations. Or get away.

  The gun in the guard’s holster fit easily into her grip, and she stood on shaking legs. Toeing open the door, she slid inside like a cat burglar. A smooth, graceful cat burglar.

  Sweeping the area with the gun as the vampires had taught her, she inched closer to the glass door, which was also open. Some sort of cover hung over the top of it, hiding the interior.

  Her hand shook. She edged her elbow inside the door and tugged, quickly slipping inside. “Freeze.”

  A startled “Ack” echoed through the space.

  She started. The world froze. Cloudiness filled her mind.

  “Andrea? Shannon?” She began to lower the gun.

  The girls stood over one box of serum with syringes in their hands. Andrea finished injecting yellow liquid into one vial and tugged free the needle. “Well, crap.”

  Maggie lifted the gun. Though they were teenagers, both girls were taller than she and probably more fit. Plus, they were wolf-shifters and undoubtedly trained. “This is treason.”

  “Well, duh,” Shannon muttered. She tugged her Egerton cheerleading sweatshirt down.

  Maggie shook her head. “Terrorist cheerleaders? Are you freakin’ kidding me?”

  Andrea snorted. With her dark hair in pigtails, she looked like an everyday teenage girl. “Terrorists. Right. If we were terrorists, somebody would’ve been harmed.”

  “And we wouldn’t have gotten caught,” Shannon said, slowly closing the lid of the container. Her curly hair was mussed up, probably from stunning the guard. “So, what now?”

  “What did you give the guard?” Maggie kept her gun leveled between the girls.

  “A horse sedative.” Shannon grinned, showing even white teeth. “He was already down from the stun gun.”

  “I stunned him.” Andrea levered up on her toes and back down.

  “This is crazy.” Maggie slipped the safety on the gun.

  She’d hate to accidentally shoot one of them.

  “Not crazy at all.” Wisdom shone in Andrea’s sparkling eyes. “I think our plan worked. Well, maybe.”

  Maggie coughed. “What worked?”

  Shannon sighed. “It’s obvious. We messed with the drugs whenever someone from the Bane’s Council was here. So, they had to investigate.”

  Maggie shook her head. “You wanted to make Terrent come here?” At their nods, she raised her eyebrows. “You, ah, want Terrent?”

  Andrea wrinkled her nose.

  “Ew, no. I mean, he’s like, old,” Shannon said.

  Well, he wasn’t that old. The guy looked thirty, but that was probably old to teenagers. “I don’t understand.” Maggie slipped the gun into her waistband.

  Shannon sighed and rolled her eyes. “Come on. Think.”

  Why would they want Terrent at wolf headquarters? Wait a minute. “Oh.”

  “Yeah. He likes us, we like him . . . and Gerald is leaving.

  Roger sucks.” Shannon moved toward the door to yank down the sweatshirt. She tossed the shirt to Andrea, who quickly put it on.

  As a plan, well, it didn’t suck. Maggie bit her lip. “You have to come clean.” Maybe if Terrent realized what lengths they’d go to in order for him to stay, maybe to be Alpha, then he’d consider the job. And if he stayed . . .

  “No.” Shannon opened the glass door. “Motives aside, this is treason. Any Alpha would have to take responsibility and take care of us.”

  “Yeah. Besides, we have nationals next month.” Andrea followed her friend. “
If you tell, you sign our death war-rants.”

  “You’re being dramatic.” Maggie followed them out.

  “Nobody is going to kill you.”

  Shannon sighed with feminine angst. “Might as well if we’re forced to miss nationals. I mean, really.”

  Maggie paused by the downed guard. “What about him?”

  Shannon shrugged. “Leave him. He’ll be fine in a couple of hours, raise the alarm, and things will get interesting.

  They’ll find the damaged drugs and toss them.”

  The girl was a criminal mastermind. “Good thing you’re on the right side. Well, kind of.” Maggie’s mind spun. What should she do? Terrent and the king needed to know the truth, needed to know a traitor didn’t walk among them.

  “Your hearts are in the right place, but the military leaders are concerned. They don’t have time to worry about a non-threat. You must tell Gerald the truth.”

  They emerged into the night just as Gerald and Roger walked into the clearing.

  “Oh, shit.” Shannon moved into the moonlight. “We’re too late.”

  As ceremonies went, the transfer was short and sweet.

  Roger pledged to protect and lead the pack, and then thanked Gerald for his service. The crowd was quiet, and several people moved to congratulate Roger when the change was over.

  Terrent watched from afar, his face inscrutable.

  With the ceremony finished, Andrea turned toward Maggie. “We can’t tell now, can we?” Tears filled her eyes.

  “Things are gonna change.”

  “This sucks,” Shannon agreed.

  Maggie grabbed another cookie on her way toward Terrent. Reaching him, she finished the chocolate treat. “So, Roger, huh?”

  “Guess so. He’ll learn to lead—the pack is strong enough to teach him.” The moon glinted down to highlight Terrent’s predatory face. “Plus, the guy can fight. So if the Ausgel pack attacks, he’ll come in handy.”

  The band started to play a slow song.

  Terrent took her hand and tugged her around. His palm pressed her lower back, and his head dropped to the top of hers. “Dance with me.”

  She sighed and relaxed against him. So much heat, so much strength. “You would be happy here.”

  “I’m happy wherever you are.” His breath brushed her forehead. “Always have been.”