by Raven Steele
"Should we split up?" my uncle asked.
"We’re going to have to." Samantha also bent down and shoved several leaves into her pocket. She smiled at me.
Luke stared ahead. “We just need to get close enough to see if there's any hint of Dominic. If we think there is, we call the rest of the pack here immediately. I don't want anyone engaging." He looked pointedly at me.
"We’ll go this way.” Jerry grabbed Samantha. They disappeared into the darkness, circling the marijuana field.
My uncle motioned to Gerald. "We'll go the opposite direction. Text me if you find anything."
I glanced at Luke sideways. "Looks like it's just me and you.”
Chapter 26
"Stay low," Luke whispered as he crept towards the main house, staying close to my side. Many of the smaller cabins had been repaired from the fires I’d caused several weeks back, but at least two of the outer sheds remained in ruins.
We crouched low to the ground to avoid detection, stopping every thirty seconds or so to assess our position. Only when he felt it was safe again, would we continue forward. I took advantage of these breaks and shoved more plants into my pocket.
When we came close to what was left of the barn where Ryder had been tortured, Luke paused. I had a hard time looking at its charred remains without feeling sick. Had I not been high right now, the thought of what he'd been through would've crippled me. My phone vibrated, and I pulled it out. It was from Samantha.
“Quiet here. I don't know if this is right."
I typed back: "Keep looking."
The place did look dead, but that in and of itself was super strange. It was almost midnight. Usually this was when a pack was most active. And it wasn’t like they had a lot to do, not overseeing the city anymore. So where were they?
Luke seemed to come to the same conclusion. "Since you are the one that was so sure he was here, where do we look?”
I straightened slightly and forged ahead of Luke. "Follow me."
“By the way, we are going to have a long talk when we're finished here."
"Oh goody." I led him to a large shed at the corner of the property, but Gerald and my uncle stopped us halfway.
“Not much going on,” Gerald whispered. "I think the place is clean."
My phone buzzed again. I looked down at it. A message from Samantha read: “Front lights on in the main house. Third floor.”
I nodded my head to the large home. "Something is happening in there."
Luke led the way around to the back of the house and as we drew closer, we could hear muffled voices. No one said a word as we circled the house, looking for a good view into the inside, but all curtains had been drawn. Many of the windows had been repaired after Dominic ordered our pack to destroy the inside of the house, but there were still a couple of them boarded up. We met up near the front porch.
“I have a question.” Jerry looked all around, scratching his head. “Where’s the rest of the pack? I mean, a pack their size can’t all fit on the third floor. I’ve been in there once, and it isn’t big enough.”
"Good question," Samantha said.
I trailed my gaze up to the top of the home. “Maybe they were sent away. It would make sense. If Jackson really has Dominic, he would want to keep it as quiet as possible to prevent us from finding out. We may be on to something, folks."
Luke was staring at the front door. "We’re going to have to go inside."
“I’ll be the lookout," my uncle said in his quietest voice. When we all looked at him, he added, "Do you really want my old ass in there fighting?"
Samantha narrowed her eyes. "Can you even fight? I don't think I've ever seen it."
"Quiet," Luke ordered. “Vincent will stay out here while the rest of us go inside. No one makes a sound, got it?"
We all nodded.
The door wasn't locked, and we slipped inside. The only sounds drifted down from the upstairs. From what I could tell, there were at least a dozen voices. A few of them sounded drunk, and they all laughed at something. Then we heard a grunt, and everyone froze. It was definitely Dominic’s voice.
Luke motioned to Jerry and mouthed the words, “Call the pack."
Jerry nodded his head and tiptoed outside.
Luke turned back towards us and whispered. “We wait for the rest of the pack to get here and then we go up together. We don't need any heroes right now."
I didn’t need to look at him to know that the comment was directed at me. Honestly, if Dominic had cared for his pack like an Alpha should, we would’ve rushed up there immediately, regardless of the danger. But our loyalty was to our own safety first.
While the others settled in to wait for the rest of the pack to arrive, I began to pace soundlessly. There was no way I was waiting for everyone else to get here. It would take them at least thirty minutes, and in that time, Dominic could die. Also, if I went in with the others, the likelihood of me saving Dominic and killing Jackson was slim. But I had to get to both. Killing Jackson and saving Dominic would get me a hair width away from my ultimate goal.
And I was determined. Screw Luke’s careful planning.
Ten minutes passed. Ten agonizing minutes as we listened to their fists pummel Dominic’s body, heard his deep moans. We stood quietly beneath it all and waited. I flipped through a book I had found, all the while trying to find a way to escape, but damn Luke and his watchful eye.
Whatever happened, I just needed to be up those stairs faster than the rest of them. I needed to engage Jackson first.
Luke glanced down at his phone and must not have liked what he read because his face contorted into anger. Quietly, he left and headed outside. Samantha looked at me, but I just shrugged my shoulders.
This was it. This was my chance to get down before anyone else.
I stretched my arms high and cocked my head side-to-side. I puffed a couple of breaths, concentrating on my wolf, willing her strength into me. The Scorpion’s Breath racing through my veins made the power inside so much stronger.
Waving my hand, I got Samantha's attention and motioned to her like I was going to go outside after Luke, but as soon as I was out of her view, I turned the other way. As quietly as possible, I turned the doorknob and peered up the long set of stairs. There was another closed door at the top. Careful where I stepped, I slowly ascended the steps and listened closely. I could hear much better up here.
Jackson was in there. I could hear him talking to someone who wasn't talking back. Probably Dominic. Every once in a while, someone else—the voice was different every time—would chuckle or add in their own sarcastic comment. There was no way to tell for sure how many might be in the room, but I had to take the chance. The second I came in, Luke would know it.
A sudden pang of guilt broke through my dulled emotions. I was going directly against Luke, who was only looking out for everyone’s safety. My teeth ground together. I could only go forward to accomplish my goal.
I decided against a grand entrance, in case I could get closer without being noticed, but as soon as I opened the door it groaned in protest.
Several gazes turned toward me.
Let the killing begin.
Chapter 27
I stepped into the room and took in the scene. We were in a large room, decorated with old couches and a large TV. It probably looked nicer before our pack destroyed their stuff. Everything looked relatively normal except for the Alpha chained from the ceiling.
They had stripped him of all his clothes and not only beat him, but whipped him too. I couldn't help feeling some satisfaction in seeing those lashings across his bloodied skin. His toes were barely touching the ground, and from the looks of his unnaturally bent arm, one was broken. His head hung low, his eyes hooded, barely conscious.
A shifter faced me, his whole body tense. "Who the hell are you?"
Jackson swiveled around, and his eyes narrowed into slits when he saw me. He glanced toward the door and tilted his head as if listening for other sounds. "Tommy, Be
n. Go downstairs and grab anyone there, Greybacks or not.”
Oops. Hopefully my friends would hear them, but I wasn’t too worried. They could handle two crappy shifters.
Jackson moved between Dominic and me. "Do you really think you can save your Alpha?"
I grinned like a crazy person. "I'm not here to save him. I'm here to kill you."
There was a loud crashing sound downstairs. They had discovered my friends.
"Go!" Jackson ordered the remaining seven people in the room, leaving us alone. Exactly what I needed.
"So you think you can beat me in a fight? An Alpha against a little she-wolf?"
"I think I can destroy you." I sprinted for him.
He met me halfway and our bodies collided in a flurry of fists and kicks. I ducked blow after blow and returned just as many. He did the same. It was the fastest I had ever fought before.
Fearing he was memorizing the pattern of my movements, I changed it up and kicked at his stomach over and over before he caught my foot and twisted. My body rotated with the motion and I fell to the ground, barely missing the edge of an end table.
I shook my head, feeling a little dizzy. Jackson rushed towards me and I rolled, nearly avoiding his boot crashing down upon my face. He continued to stomp toward me, but I rolled away until I could jump to my feet. Just as I did, he slammed his foot into my stomach with his massive boot. My body exploded backwards into the wall behind me. I slumped to the floor, gasping for breath.
Jackson bent over and grabbed my foot. With the strength of a damn bear, he flipped my body through the air. This time I crashed into the same table I'd missed moments before. I could hear the same sort of destruction happening on the floor below me.
"I'll have you know,” he said through his teeth, “Ryder fought valiantly. In a strange way, I was proud of him in those last moments. But it didn't take away from what I had to do. He had betrayed the pack too many times."
I sucked in a hitched breath. "So you did kill him. How could you?"
"He didn't give me a choice." He stomped on my leg.
I screamed loud and long. The sound surprised even me. I attempted to kick at him, but was way too slow and he swatted my foot away like it was nothing more than a fly buzzing in the summer heat. I concentrated hard, trying to see past the haze of drugs clouding my mind, but it was about impossible with the pain numbing every part of me.
"I hate you," I spat. "Ryder was my friend."
He looked down at me curiously, removing something from behind his back. "It's good to hear that he had at least one friend. Especially one as loyal and stupid as you. Any good pack member would have known to wait for backup before fighting an Alpha."
I grimaced and laughed at the same time. "I've never been a good pack member."
I pushed against the floor, attempting to come to my feet but he shoved me back down. That’s when I caught the glint of silver in his hand.
I glanced back to Dominic, whose eyes were barely open. If he could see through his swollen eyelids, he would see me cowering before an Alpha in an attempt to free him. Little good that would do if I didn't survive this.
Jackson kicked me again, not as hard as before, but still enough to break a rib or two. I had to keep him talking to give me time to seek out that dormant power within me.
"Ryder was your son," I gasped. "What would his mother think of what you did?"
He froze momentarily, considering my words. "Ryder was her only child. For that reason alone, I think she would be unhappy with me.” He paused., “But … she would understand. She always appreciated strength in the pack. “
His words made me wonder if she was as sadistic as Jackson. I had a hard time believing that, considering how Ryder had turned out. His goodness had to come from somewhere.
“She died, you know, in the war with those vamps, ten years ago.” His voice was bitter, and I wondered if he was talking about Angel and Mateo.
He continued monologuing, but it was too hard to concentrate on his words and to stay connected with my wolf; my only redeeming quality at this point. So his words became background noise as I closed my eyes, groaning in pain at the pulsing in my leg, while I tried to latch on to the ancient strength inside me.
The memory of Ryder, his body swinging from the oak tree, shocked my mind so violently, a tremor shuttered through me. Jackson had killed his only son!
A kick to my injured leg brought my mind into focus, and my wolf snapped to attention. I let out a snarl. This fucker had to die.
I opened my eyes. Jackson was standing directly above me, holding a blade in his hand. "This is the exact knife that killed my wife. Made of the purest silver there is."
He swung the blade downward, stabbing into my side. All eight inches. I screamed and stared at the wound, in shock and horror. All I could think was that this was the first time I didn’t want eight inches in me.
I clawed at my side, trying to remove the knife, but he had really gotten that sucker in there. Already, I could feel the poison of the silver starting to kill everything around it. I lay my head against the wall, exhausted, as the silver poison made its way into my blood and spread throughout my body.
“You've been my best friend ever since you came into the pack.” Ryder’s words echoed in my mind, some of the very last words he ever spoke to me. “You've been the only one to ever give a damn about me, but this? It’s wrong."
I growled, the sound low and threatening. Ryder was right. I had the blood of those dead Greybacks on my hands. And Ryder’s, the only shifter I had promised to protect.
And I’d failed. I couldn’t take back what I’d done, no matter how much I wanted to.
Ryder’s smile filled my vision, and his laughter, my ears.
But I could get revenge on the man who robbed Ryder of his life.
With my focus finally centered, I found and grabbed onto the power inside me that felt as old as time and more powerful than the tides of the sea.
My eyes snapped open. I rose to my feet, as smooth and fluid as a ghost from its grave. My body had become numb, muting the pain.
Jackson's mouth fell open. "How are you doing that?"
I moved toward him, barely feeling my feet beneath me. “You killed my best friend. You tortured him and made him suffer."
He stepped back, the blade faltering in his grip.
I shifted my gaze to Dominic. "And you took our Alpha. For that, you will suffer death."
Just as I jumped at him, he swung a fist, but I caught it and twisted hard. His hand snapped at the wrist and I relished the sound. I punched forward into his sternum, feeling it shatter beneath my knuckles. He doubled over, gasping for breath. I didn’t let him get air in before I rammed my knee into his head.
No rest for the wicked.
While he struggled to stay conscious, I reached to my side and grasped the handle of the knife still firmly embedded into me. This was going to hurt like a dirty whore.
I yanked it out of my flesh, yelping when it was finally free. The smell of my blood mingled with Jackson’s.
He glanced at me through slatted eyes. “How?”
He didn’t deserve an answer.
I slashed the knife at his throat, but he caught it just before it pierced flesh. I pressed harder, the blade inches from his skin. I could smell the sweat on him, smell the fear, as I pushed harder, willing the knife into his throat. The pressure caused my own blood to gush down my side and down my thigh, but I ignored it all, fueled on by how close Jackson was to death.
Jackson twisted my wrist, trying to turn the knife towards me.
“You've been my best friend …”
“You killed him,” I growled.
My rage broke through the last of my mental barriers, specifically the one Scorpion’s Breath had created, and my grunting turned into a furious scream that was full of hellfire and damnation. I used it to drive the tip of the blade directly through the front of his neck. It slid into his throat with a sickening, slurping sound. Color drain
ed from his face, and his mouth dropped open.
I jerked the knife to the side in a rough, uneven cut, nearly decapitating his head. Instead of cutting off smoothly though, his head lobbed to the side, slumping to his shoulder unnaturally, barely clinging to his body by a thick patch of skin.
Blood poured from the wound, running down his chest. He fell to his knees, then landed on his side with a squishy thump. Blood pooled at my feet, and I stared in horror at the nearly decapitated head.
"Briar!” Luke shouted across the room, his voice loud in my ears.
I dropped the blade from my hands and a disgusted shiver rolled over my skin. Luke’s footsteps hurried over, and he stared down in shock at the bloody scene before him.
"One more name to check off the list.” I chuckled even as my vision became a mess of colorful zigs and zags. My legs grew weak.
"How did you do this?"
Pressure squeezed my chest, but I managed to just barely say, "A strong resolve will take you far in life. My mother used to tell me that."
Luke turned his attention to me and spotted the blood running down my side. “Shit, Briar.” He grabbed me just as I began to sway. “What happened?”
I stared at him and frowned, realizing his face had been erased. No eyes. No mouth. No nose. Just space surrounded by full head of luscious hair. “Why do you care?”
I didn’t give him the chance to answer before I was singing into the air, barely conscious of what I was doing, “Where’s Loxley? Oh you-hoo, Loxley! Luke’s over here!”
“Loxley?” He snarled. “I don’t give a fuck about Loxley.”
“Didn’t seem like that to me.” My voice didn’t sound right. It was too distant, like I was talking to him from the bottom of a deep ravine.
He sighed. “Bryan is her abusive ex-boyfriend. I was getting her phone back, which he was holding hostage because it had pictures of her dead mom on it. Okay?”
