Rouen Chronicles Box Set

by Raven Steele

  Jackson stepped into the light for the first time, his hands balled tight like he wanted to take his turn at the Ryder-punching bag. "Look her in the eyes when she speaks to you."

  Ryder attempted to lift his head, but it flopped back to his chest. Jackson stormed over to him and grabbed a fistful of Ryder's hair and jerked his head up. "I said look. This is because of you. You did this!”

  He threw Ryder’s head forward, disgust overwhelming his face. “You belong over there, you filthy Silver Claw. I should've given you to them when you were a pup. Useless from day one."

  The girl punched him again. "When will I get to kill him?"

  Her brutality shocked me. This is what Ryder meant when he said his pack wasn’t any better.

  “Not yet. He needs to suffer for a few more days."

  “No!” In a sudden fit of rage, the girl punched and clawed at his face over and over. Because she couldn't see, she missed half of the blows, but the ones that connected were enough.

  It was some time before she grew tired. It took everything I had to hold myself back from jumping down and stopping her. By the time she was finished, Ryder was unconscious.

  Jackson placed his large hand on her shoulder. "Let's go for the night. The smell in here is terrible. You can come back in the morning when he's awake."

  She sniffed, wiping her nose with the back of her hand, and let Jackson guide her out of the barn, taking the lantern with them. As soon as they closed the door, I quietly made my way to the back of the barn where I had spotted a ladder. It creaked when I placed my weight on it so I decided to skip it altogether and jumped to the ground.

  The odd smell was stronger here. It reminded me of the time my whole teenage group home had come down with the flu. Everyone but me, of course. The humans had gotten it bad, making the small house smell like the plague with their waste and vomit. But why would it smell like that here?

  I crept through the darkness, passing several stalls on my way to the other side. The smell grew stronger, until I had to press my palm over my nose and mouth. Deciding to investigate, I smelled the air until I was next to the stall door where the smell was the strongest. Listening closely, there was breathing, ragged and soft. I tried the handle, but the door was locked.

  I slid the bolt across the top of the door and opened it just enough to peek inside. What the holy hell? I opened the door wider.

  Inside, laying in their own waste were three naked humans, two females and one male. Open sores littered their bodies, oozing puss and blood. The smell was horrific. I swallowed the growing bile in my throat.

  This complicated things. Saving Ryder, who looked near death, was going to be challenging enough, but adding three injured humans? Near impossible, especially with two shifters guarding the barn outside. It didn't help that my car was parked a mile away.

  Maybe I couldn’t save them all. The thought squeezed at my chest, but I ignored the sensation.

  Ryder first.

  I stepped out of the stall and stood hidden in the darkness feeling its cool pressure build around me. My wolf shivered, then growled.

  She didn’t like to fail.

  Neither did I.

  Chapter 28

  Withdrawing a blade from my boot, I approached Ryder from behind. With a quick leap into the air, I slashed at the rope, cutting it clean through. His body fell, but I caught him before it could hit the ground and gently laid him down. Moonlight just barely filtering in through the barn’s wooden slats, illuminated his bruised face.

  He moaned and opened his eyes. He blinked, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “Briar?”

  "I'm going to get you out of here. Just stay quiet for a couple of minutes."

  He nodded, and I lowered his head carefully to the ground and straightened. As far as I knew, there were only two guards standing out front. If there were more, then my plan might not work.

  I quietly approached the barn door and peeked through the wooden boards. One of the guards held a cigarette between his fingers as he puffed clouds of smoke into the cool air. The other guard was on the ground, leaning against the barn door. The light of his phone brightened his face. Not the most attentive guards. Hopefully not the brightest either.

  Scratching the side of the barn, I made a strange mewling sound. The guard with the cigarette lowered it and tilted his head, listening. I cooed again, trying to sound like a wounded animal.

  "You hear that?"

  The shifter on the ground raised his head. "Should we get Jackson?"

  The cigarette guard glanced at the main house. “Nah. He just left here. If we go get him, he’ll be pissed if it’s nothing. Go check it out. It's probably just one of the humans.”

  “Aw, man. I hate dealing with them. They’re all used up. You go.”

  These guys were lazy and idiots. Two things I could work with.

  Cigarette man sighed. “Fine. But if one of them jumps on me and gives me fleas, I’m sleeping in your bed tonight.”

  Phone guy laughed. “Man, you’ve already got fleas. That’s what Sally told me anyway.”

  The wide door opened and cigarette man stepped into the shadows of the barn. I yanked him into the darkness with me, snapping his neck before he could utter a word. I dropped his body to the ground, only making enough noise to sound suspicious. He should be out for hours until his body healed.

  “Mark?” Phone man took a tentative step toward the open door. He was within arm’s reach.

  I risked the exposure to snatch him too. He was bigger than I expected, but after a slight scuffle, I managed to bring him down before he could sound an alarm.

  I searched the area. Cypress and gum trees lined the property, and there was a swampy area further back. That would explain the mosquitos still around, despite the cool air.

  What I needed was a vehicle, one I could jump-start. Several cars polluted the compound, but I doubted a lot of them would start by their dumpy, outward appearance. I settled on an old Ford pickup and hoped their slogan: Built Ford Tough proved true.

  Keeping it in mind, I slipped back into the barn and carried Ryder to the door.

  "You're going to get yourself killed,” Ryder whispered, with barely enough energy to hold his arms around my neck.

  I gently laid him down in the opening of the barn. “Tonight is not my night, son.”

  I dashed back to where they were keeping the humans and broke their chains free. Two of them moaned but didn't speak. Either they were too malnourished or possibly drugged up. I was careful when I lifted their bodies one by one; even the man felt as if he were a child, small and fragile. I set them next to Ryder.

  One of them, a woman with stringy brown hair, reached up and gently touched my cheek. “My angel."

  "I'm no one's angel, lady.” I stood and listened. Everything remained quiet.

  Returning to the barn one last time, I searched the barn for lighter fluid and matches. It took a little longer than I wanted but eventually I found them. I crept outside and kept to the shadows while I formulated a plan.

  The tricky part would be getting several outbuildings to burn at the same time. I would need to be fast and create as much chaos as possible. I chose a shed closest to the house and three other of the smaller shacks at the rear of the property.

  I started with the furthest building on the property, using only a little bit of the gas. I needed to ration it out among the cabins, and besides, I only wanted enough to capture their attention. Just as I was dumping the flammable liquid on the third one, a door opened to one of the small cabins. I ducked in time before being spotted, then peeked around.

  A tall and extremely large shifter man stretched his arms to the sky, wearing only his boxer shorts. He grumbled something about a skunk and walked back inside, closing the door behind him. I breathed a sigh of relief and dropped my shoulders. I didn’t want to have to fight that one. The commotion would wake the others.

  Using the last of the gas, I created a torch out of sticks and dried leaves. Hu
rrying so the fire didn’t reach my fingers, I pressed it to the ground. Flames ignited. I sprinted as fast as I could to the next one and lit it on fire as well.

  By the time I was to the shed near the house, people had already begun to shout about the fire. And just like I wanted, chaos ensued. Several people ran from the main house when they saw what was happening. Someone drug a watering hose and began to spray down the cabins. Other people filled buckets of water from a spout behind the house.

  Just like I wanted, everyone’s attention was focused on the flames.

  I sprinted across the gravel driveway until I reached the old pickup truck. It would only be a matter of minutes or less before Jackson realized this was a trap to get Ryder. I slipped inside and fumbled with the wires, trying to remember how to start it from the criminal past of my youth. I finally found the ones I needed and yanked them free. Pressing them together, the engine came to life. There was so much shouting I doubted anyone heard the engine, despite it being loud.

  I sped to the barn doors and, one by one, I placed the humans into the back of the truck, reminding them to keep their heads down and to stay quiet. I added a couple of blankets from the barn hoping they had the sense enough to use them. They were fading in and out of consciousness.

  Ryder’s turn. I returned for him, finally feeling like I might actually pull this off, but when I entered the barn, Ryder was sitting up and staring into the darkness.

  “Let’s go,” I bent down to pick him up, but he shook his head.

  "It's too late."

  "No it's not. The truck’s just outside."

  His gaze lifted above my shoulder to something beyond. I clenched my jaw shut and lowered my head. We weren’t alone.

  "I'm surprised anyone came for him.” Jackson stepped out from the shadows.

  Chapter 29

  I stretched tall to face him, all six feet seven. My head only came to the top of his shoulders. I swallowed the cannonball in my throat.

  “Ryder is a Silver Claw,” I said. “I’m taking him home.”

  He glanced around as if he could see through the barn’s walls. "I only sense one of you. So either Dominic wants you as dead as my bastard son here, or, you're doing this all on your own. Brave, but stupid.”

  "Well, no one’s ever called me smart before.”

  “I can see why.”

  “Yeah, well, I'm getting Ryder out of here, and you’re not going to stop me." I forced myself not to look toward the stalls in the back, in case he hadn’t seen me take the humans. I wouldn’t be able to explain that one.

  "You can't beat me, little she-wolf. I’m an Alpha, but because of your bravery, I'd like to offer you a deal." He paused for dramatic effect. "Join our pack, and I'll let you live."

  I glanced back at Ryder. Blood dripped from a wound on his head. "And what about him?"

  "There is no him. He is already dead."

  "Then no deal. Pack members stick together.”

  He cracked his knuckles and cocked his head side to side. "I'm going to enjoy this."

  “Don’t do it,” Ryder coughed. “Just go.”

  “Shut up,” I snapped, hoping Ryder was out of it enough that he wouldn’t remember what was about to happen.

  Time for my wolf to take over, mostly. She had been itching for it for days.

  “Let’s get this over with.” My fangs grew long, and I snapped my hands forward, extracting claws as sharp as razor blades. I grinned. This was the fun part.

  I didn't entirely shift, because I needed this to end quickly. My wolf would tear him to shreds, resulting in a lot of noise that would attract attention. As a human, I was able to control precise movements compared to my wolf's brutality. She didn’t care how loud her victims screeched.

  Jackson lunged at me, slashing across my face, but I ducked just in time. I kicked him in the side, sending him flying into the wall across from him. The sound was louder than I wanted. He spun around, growling and spitting from his mouth. He attacked me again, but I was much faster. He was all brute strength. I was speed, agility, and strength.

  I kicked at his thigh, almost snapping his femur, but he absorbed the blow and stumbled back. We punched at each other, both of us getting in good hits.

  "You are extremely powerful for a shifter." He narrowed his eyes as we circled each other. "There's something about the way you fight. Does Dominic know how strong you are?" He laughed. “Probably not. Otherwise he’d have killed you by now.”

  I growled, frustrated I couldn't end this quicker than I’d wanted. Time to put this asshole down. I ran at him again, grabbing a discarded pitchfork. Just as we met each other, he swung high, and I ducked beneath his massive fist while also jamming the pitchfork up through his chin and out his prominent cheekbones.

  His eyes widened in surprise, and he stumbled back. The blow wouldn't kill him, but it had sealed his mouth shut. He yanked at the wooden handle of the fork, but it didn’t budge.

  With him preoccupied, I hurried to Ryder and helped him to his feet. It only took us a few seconds, and he was in the passenger seat. I jumped behind the wheel and slammed my foot onto the gas pedal just as several shifters came running after me.

  Fog, trapped within the darkness, parted for us as we drove ninety miles an hour down an old country road. I had to get out of here before they caught up with me. I turned a few random lefts and rights in case I was being followed, but after a few miles, I realized I was alone. The Greybacks probably assumed I was heading back to Fire Ridge and thought to cut me off, but that was not my destination.

  When I reached my street, I drove behind the house and parked on the back lawn in case anyone tried to come by. It would take a while for them to figure out where I lived, if they even decided to retaliate. Taking Ryder was one thing, but I didn’t think they’d dare attack another Silver Claw.

  I turned off the ignition and checked on the humans. They were still alive but sleeping fitfully, huddled together under the barn blankets. Ryder stirred from the front; he’d fallen asleep on the way home. Then, seeing we’d stopped and I wasn’t in the cab, he jerked up and looked around.

  I walked around to his door and pointed to the bed of the truck. ”Keep an eye on them.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “I’ll be right back.” I walked inside the house and knocked on Lynx’s bedroom door. “Lynx? Sorry to wake you, but I need help.”

  She opened her bedroom door and tied a string around her robe. She yawned and smoothed her hair down. "What's going on?"

  "Is Samira here, too?"

  "I'm here."

  I turned around. Samira wore a long, black jacket with her twin blades crossed on her back. She looked like she was going to war.

  I frowned. “Where are you going?”

  “Luke called and told me to check on you. If you weren’t at home, I was going to Jackson’s place. I’m glad to see you’re here. I hate fighting those wolves.”

  “You were going to help me?”

  “You seem surprised.”

  “Understatement.” She was the last person I thought would come to help me.

  “What’s this about?” Worry filled her eyes.

  I tore my gaze away from Samira. I thought I would have to beg for help, especially from her, but maybe not. “The Greybacks took a friend of mine, another pack member. Ryder. Dominic refused to send anyone after him, so I went myself.”

  “Where is he?” Lynx asked. She moved back into her room to peer out the window.

  “He’s in the car watching over three barely-alive humans.”

  “Humans?” Samira’s eyes narrowed. She walked toward the back door.

  I followed behind her. “I found them naked and chained up. I think they’ve been drugged. I don’t know what to do with them.”

  “I’ll grab some clothes,” Lynx called to us and hurried back into her room.

  I followed Samira outside.

  “That was dangerous to go there by yourself.” She peeked in the front window at
Ryder. Ryder glanced back at her nervously. “You took Jackson’s son?”

  “They took him first. Besides, he’s one of the good ones.”

  She shook her head as she stepped on top of the rear tire looking into the bed of the truck. “You shouldn’t get involved in family business.”

  “And what about the humans?” I countered. “Should I have left them?”

  She dropped to the ground next to me. “No. They are innocent and should be saved.”

  “I’m so not following your logic, but whatever. What do I do with them now?”

  “Ryder should return to Fire Ridge, but I’ll take the humans. Depending upon what drugs or abuse they’ve been subjected to, they may require special rehabilitation. There’s a place in Wildemoor created just for situations like this—humans who have been harmed by supernaturals. They can heal there and be taught that not all supernaturals are bad.”

  “And what if that doesn’t work? It’s not like we can have a bunch of pissed off humans roaming the lands hell-bent on revenge. They could expose us all.”

  She hesitated. “There are other ways. Compulsion if necessary.”

  My eyebrows lifted. “Can vampires do that? Can you do it?”

  “It is a rare gift, mostly older vampires or vampires with unpolluted bloodlines. But just because they can, doesn’t mean they do. It’s a violation frowned upon by certain influential groups. In some cases, it could even mean death.”

  I noticed she didn’t answer my question as to whether or not she could compel. She probably could. I’d have to be mindful around her.

  “What groups are you talking about?” I asked. The only organized group of supernaturals I knew about were the Principes Noctis. They didn’t have the best reputation and believed supernaturals should rule over humans. Twenty years ago, they were mostly ignored among our kind, but I’d heard rumors lately they were growing.

  She remained silent, as if she didn’t hear me, but I knew she still didn’t trust me enough to tell me the truth. It was a rare person who can use silence like words.