Rouen Chronicles Box Set

by Raven Steele

  But not today. Luke would be here soon to take me back to Fire Ridge. I had to do this with a clear mind, even if that mind was broken.

  Luke.

  He’d visited me several times. His presence calmed my soul, much the same way my wolf did. It wasn’t what Luke said to me that eased my mind, but more of his mannerisms, and strong and silent demeanor. He was like a navy destroyer amidst a raging storm. Unbreakable. Steadfast. Had it not been for him, I probably would’ve succumbed to the drug’s sweet song by now.

  After tying up my hair in a ponytail, I trotted down the stairs to find Ryder and Lynx sitting together at the dining room table. Lynx was leaning into him, giggling about something he’d just said. As soon as I entered the room, Ryder jerked away from her and sat up straight, folding his hands at the table.

  Interesting.

  “Good afternoon.” I ignored Lynx’s reddened face. “What are you doing here, Ryder?”

  He pushed away from the table. “I wanted to see how you were doing.”

  “Oh yeah?” I poured myself a cup of stale coffee, adding a shot of whiskey for added confidence. I needed all the help I could get today. I turned back around and leaned against the counter, smirking. “Is that what you were doing?”

  “Um.” He scratched the back of his neck. “We were just …”

  I laughed. “I don’t care if you’re hitting on my roommate. As long as she likes it, which by that giggle I heard a minute ago, she is totally digging you.” I waved my fingers. “So tickle away.”

  Lynx cleared her throat. “No one was tickling—”

  “Not yet.”

  She jumped to her feet. “I better get going. I need to help my mom with inventory.” She flashed me the evil eye. I winked in return.

  Ryder jerked to his feet. “I’ll go, too.”

  “Give her a ride,” I said. “She looks flustered.”

  “Enough!” Lynx’s face was really flushed now, but she batted her eyes at Ryder. “I could use a ride, though.”

  I considered calling her out on her lie; her car sat unused in the garage. Instead, I laughed, easing the tension in my chest.

  “Bye, Briar.” Rolling his eyes at me, Ryder hurried by to walk Lynx out, and I smacked his ass as he passed.

  As soon as the door shut behind them, my laughter slowly subsided as I realized I was alone. Darkness crept up on me again.

  The sharp contrast made me realize how important friends were. I should hang around them more.

  “You look better.”

  I looked up. Samira stood in the doorway dressed in a dark pantsuit, her long black hair down and spilling around her shoulders. Though her frame was small, she filled the room with power and strength.

  “Today is the day, correct?”

  I nodded and lowered the cup from my lips. “Luke should be here any second.”

  “Do you still remember what you need to do?” She walked past me to the fridge and removed her silver thermal. The one she kept blood in.

  “Of course. Make Dominic like me so I can discover the identity of Mr. Big Evil. Easy.”

  “This is not a time for jokes.”

  “Oh, thank you.”

  She raised a lone eyebrow. “For what?”

  “I didn’t realize I was being funny.”

  “Dominic will know if you are not sincere. You must stay focused.”

  “I know what’s at stake, more than you could ever know. Believe me, I’m focused.”

  “You must also be leery of Maera Morgan. If she suspects you of anything, she may try to read your mind again. We can’t have her attempting that in your current state.”

  “What state is that?”

  “You’re fractured. You have been ever since Silas’ death. I wish you would tell me why. I might be able to help.”

  I was tired of these conversations with Samira. I swear every time she saw me, she brought up how I needed to stay focused, how I needed to deal with what happened, blah, blah, blah. I gulped down the last of my whiskey coffee, even though it burned my throat.

  My specialty was dealing with traumatic events. Box them up and lock away the key. Besides, I could see through her. What she cared about most was trying to figure out why I’d killed Silas, but the only way she’d get me to confess was if she had me nailed to a board and used compulsion.

  “What do you think?”

  “Huh?” Apparently, she’d asked me a question.

  A knock at the door couldn’t have come at a better time. I literally ran to the door and threw it open. I expected Luke to come in, but he remained on the porch, standing with his hands stuffed in jean pockets. A slight drizzle wet his dark hair and made his skin glisten. All the chills raced across my skin.

  “Are you ready?” Lines etched his forehead. Brooding again. Something had pissed him off.

  “Do you want something to eat first? I could—”

  “No. We need to get going. A few of the pack members are already talking trash about you.”

  “Oh yeah? What are they saying?” I grabbed my leather jacket; it would keep my shirt from soaking in the rain.

  “That you aren’t going to return because you’re guilty. And that you’re a coward.”

  “Well, let’s change that then.” I patted him on his massive chest, something I wanted to do since I opened the door. He caught my hand in his and pulled me out the door, making me go tingly all over like a pre-teen fawning over her crush on YouTube.

  “Be careful,” Samira called after me.

  I flashed her the peace sign. She sighed and turned back into the kitchen.

  I ran ahead of Luke, pulling him with me, “I’m going to need names of who’s talking shit. I think it’s time I remind them how I earned my place in the pack.”

  Good thing I drank that whiskey. It burned warm in my stomach. I had earned my spot, just like I’d earn it on Dominic’s private security team. I just had to remind myself and others that I was more than capable of kicking ass and taking names.

  “I’m sure I won’t need to tell you who it is.” He grabbed his helmet while I straddled his bike.

  “You sure you want to ride in this rain?” The tone of his voice was playful, as if he was daring me to be a wussy.

  I shrugged. “It feels good, actually.”

  He smiled and leaned close to brush his lips across my cheek.

  One thing we’d avoided talking about since I was released was the current status of our relationship. The truth was, though I would never admit to him, the thought of Luke while I was in my cell had kept me going. Sometimes when I had felt discouraged, I remembered his hands on my hips, the way he had pressed me to the car, kissing me.

  He stood, smirking at me like he knew what I was thinking, and tossed me a helmet. “Get ready to ride my steel rod.”

  I laughed and pulled the helmet over my face. Getting close to Dominic would be the most dangerous thing I’ve ever done, and I’d done a lot of stupid shit, but knowing Luke was on my side? I could take on anything.

  Chapter 6

  The rain was light, just enough to sting my arms, but the cold wind whipping at my hair as Luke sped down the road made me feel alive. I grinned, feeling happy again. Being with Luke did that to me.

  He didn’t speak as we rode, which was normal, but something about the way he held himself was off. He didn’t lean back into me, his back rigid. Something was on his mind.

  Just as we approached a bridge, he pulled over beneath it and parked on the side of the road. He jerked his helmet off and hopped off the bike, his face pale. “Don’t do this, Briar.”

  I removed my helmet too and brushed the strands of hair away from my face, sighing. “I have to, Luke, and you can’t treat me like some damsel in distress. I’m strong enough to handle this.”

  “I just wish you didn’t feel like you had to go back to Fire Ridge. There are other ways.”

  My gaze dropped, and I frowned, just noticing the many scratches and bruises on his knuckles. He must’ve just c
ome from collecting for Dominic. I lifted his hand to show it to him. “I don’t have to do this?”

  He jerked it free. “That’s different.”

  I pulled his hand back and pressed it to my lips, kissing his wounded knuckles. “Someone has to get close to Dominic, and that person has to be me.”

  “Why, Briar?” He palmed my cheek, staring intently into my eyes.

  I opened my mouth to speak, but no words escaped. How do you tell someone that your whole family was slaughtered by that person’s Alpha?

  “Talk to me, Briar.”

  I glanced away, biting my bottom lip harshly. “I just need to find out who he’s working with, then I’m going to kill him.”

  “He’ll never tell you.”

  “I have to try.”

  He stood and set our helmets on the ground. Then he sat back down, facing me. He pulled me up to straddle him, and he leaned his forehead against mine. He wrapped his fingers in my hair at my side and closed his eyes. He inhaled a hitched breath as if he was struggling to find the right words.

  “Look, I know you want to kill Dominic, but you can’t. Not yet.”

  I palmed his chest, feeling his heart thundering within its strong cage. His brown hair was slick with the rain, making it shiny. I ran my fingers through it. “Tell me why.” My voice sounded harsher than I intended. I cleared my throat and tried again. “I need to understand before I make any changes to my plan.”

  He pulled back to study my face. “Are you ever going to tell me why you want Dominic dead?”

  I groaned. “I like you, Luke. Really, I do. You’ve done more for me than anyone else since my parents died.”

  His eyebrows furrowed. “I didn’t know your parents were dead.”

  I rubbed at the back of my neck, my gaze dropping. “Yeah. They died when I was young.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  I looked up at him. “Don’t say that. You didn’t do anything.”

  I wanted to tell him that Dominic was the one who did it, but I couldn’t force the words from my lips. Instead, I returned the focus back to him. “What does Dominic have over you?”

  His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. “I have a brother. His name is Jake. And he’s …” He sighed. “He’s an idiot. He got in deep with Dominic, owed him too much money. I was with him when Dominic came to collect. This was before the Silver Claws had taken over the city. They held me back while they messed him up pretty good. They were going to kill him, but I was able to talk them out of it.”

  “By agreeing to work for Dominic.” Everything clicked into place. The way he obeyed Dominic unquestioningly, or how he took care of Dominic’s dirty work, no matter the toll it took on him.

  He nodded, his tortured eyes staring into the distance. “They took him as collateral. Samira has been helping me look for him, but I haven’t seen him in four years. And Dominic won’t tell me where he is until I fulfill the contract, which won’t be for another six years. I can’t wait that long. I need to know Jake is okay.”

  I caught his face in my hands. “You’ll find him and I’ll help.”

  His gaze lifted to mine. A storm raged in his eyes. “If you kill Dominic, I’ll never know where he sent Jake.”

  My shoulders sagged. “I won’t, I swear it, not until we find him.”

  This was what I needed, a way to repay him. I swallowed my promise, clutching it protectively to my heart.

  He wrapped his fingers across the nape of my neck and pulled me close, teasing my lips with his. “It could be dangerous. You might need a big strong wolf to protect you.”

  “I’ll call Ryder then,” I teased. “Oh, and I’ve been meaning to ask you—” I pecked him lightly on the mouth. “Is Dominic your dad?”

  He reared back. “What? Of course not. Why would you say that?”

  “You know, because … Luke, I am your father.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Like I haven’t heard that one before.”

  “I thought it was funny.” I snaked my tongue out to touch his upper lip.

  “It wasn’t.”

  He caught my lips with his and kissed me deeply. My body smoldered, and I grasped his shoulders, giving in to his demanding mouth. His hands clasped my hips, squeezing them tight. A line of heat traveled to my chest and spread throughout my body, consuming me with his every touch. His head lowered to my neck, his mouth leaving a trail of fire across my flesh.

  “I have to tell you something,” I breathed in his ear.

  He tugged me to him, kissing me again. “Yes? What does Ms. I-do-it-myself need to tell me?”

  “So,” I pulled on his lips, nibbling them softly. “Remember that hidden room Silas had?”

  He frowned, pulling back. “Yeah.”

  “There was a box in there filled with papers.”

  His eyes lit up. “I need to see it.”

  “It’s all yours. I already looked through it and didn’t see any mention of someone named Jake, but maybe I missed something.”

  “Thank you.”

  “That’s not all.” I played with my fingers, hesitating. I knew that what I was about to tell him was going to make him feel bad again and I hated that.

  “Out with it, Briar.”

  I inhaled a deep breath and rushed my words. “Silas had a bunch of jars in there filled with body parts. Ears, eyes, noses. I got rid of them, but they were pretty disgusting.”

  He grimaced. “Sounds terrible.”

  “The thing is, before Silas died, he told me those things belonged to Dominic. Some sort of sick hobby.”

  His face paled, and his shoulders sagged. “Once, when Heather was sick, Dominic asked me to come along to pay someone a visit. If I’d have known it was going to turn into an execution, I wouldn’t have gone. After his men killed this person who they said had betrayed Dominic, Dominic walked over to the body and carved both eyes out. He placed them inside his pocket like it was candy. The guy is evil. That’s why I don’t want you getting close to him. I know what he’s capable of.”

  “I am fully aware of what he’s capable of, more so than you know. And that’s why I need to finish this.”

  He laced his fingers through mine. “How?”

  “There was another room connected to Silas’, but it was locked. Silas told me something …” I tried to remember. “I think if we can get back in there, it may give us the answers we need.”

  “I don’t think that’s possible. Dominic boarded up Silas’s room. Literally.”

  I pursed my lips. “But I think somehow that room is tied to Dominic’s. Maybe I can get in that way.”

  “That will be tough.”

  “But worth trying if we can get the answers we need.”

  He searched my eyes, probably looking for doubt. “I hope you’re right. Otherwise, you could end up in that cage again, or worse, dead.”

  Luke parked toward the end of the driveway. Fire Ridge loomed over us, threatening and dark. I hated this place with its violence and secrets. But it didn’t have to be that way. Someone just needed to clean house.

  I inhaled a breath, smelling dead leaves in the forest beyond the mansion. The skeleton trees stretched their limbs as if to touch the sky with the bony fingers. A shiver raced up my back, and I shook it out. I forced myself not to think about what had happened the last time I was here.

  “I’ll wait over there,” Luke said and nodded toward a grove of trees.

  I gratefully handed him the helmet and walked reluctantly toward the front door. Even if we had established that we were a couple, which we hadn’t, I didn’t want the pack to know it. Not yet. Luke would come in after me in a few minutes.

  The door opened before I reached it, and Jerry greeted me with a big smile and an even bigger hug. He squeezed me to his massive chest and spun me around. “I knew you’d come back!”

  Not bothering to put me down, he carried me into the house. He was so tall that my tiptoes barely reached the floor. “I can walk, Jerry.”

  “When I say you can.
” He dragged me towards the back where several pack members came to their feet. Others turned their heads. There were more shifters than I expected, at least half the pack.

  “Look what I found wandering around outside like a lost pup!” Jerry crowed.

  He placed me on the ground. I gasped for breath, but it was cut short when Samantha slapped me on the back.

  “I knew you had steel ovaries. That bitch Lauren wouldn’t shut up about you tuckin’ tale and running. I had to give her a black eye just to close that fat pie hole of hers.” She paused and glanced over my shoulder. “Well, speak of the she-devil.”

  I turned around. Lauren walked up to me, running her fingers through her long, dark hair. “I can’t believe you had the nerve to come back to this place after what you did to Silas.”

  I whispered back at Samantha. “Which eye did you blacken?”

  “Her right one.”

  Curling my fingers into a fist, I whirled around and punched Lauren in her left eye. Her head jerked back, and she stumbled several feet.

  I snarled. “No more talking shit. If you do, your ass is mine and not in the way your brother uses it. Do you understand?”

  She growled and lunged for me, but I was ready. I kicked her hard in the chest. She flew backwards until she hit the wall and slid to the ground.

  “I think you exploded one of her fake boobs.” Samantha choked through her laughter.

  “Those were fake?”

  I turned around when I sensed someone sneaking up behind me. Gerald stood there, gawking at Lauren. His gaze slowly lifted to mine, and he grinned. “Glad to see you haven’t changed!”

  He pulled me in for a hug, and the tension in the room fizzled out. He was high up enough in the pack hierarchy to signal my acceptance back into the back. After him, several others I barely knew came to talk to me. A lot of them offered their support. Funny how beating down a strong member of the pack brought instantaneous acceptance. Shifters were notorious for following those who showed strength.

  My uncle walked through the front door. “Briar.”

  His face lit up but it was muted by the worry in his eyes. He had been by to see me almost every day. It had meant a lot to me to have family support again. Plus, he was the only person I could speak freely to about what I’d done to Silas. He didn’t condemn me, but offered congratulations instead. He only wished he would’ve been strong enough to do it himself.