“Stay where you are, don’t take another step or I will shoot her.”
“No, you won’t, Rob, you need Summer for your heinous plans. Imogen and the baby are no use to you without Summer’s powers. I don’t think you will shoot her at all,” Kandis said as she walked toward him, her beautiful face a mask of calm.
“That's true, I do need her, but I don’t need you, do I.” he lifted his arm and leveled the gun at Kandis who was only a few feet in front of him now. “What’s it to be dear brother, tell me where I can find the lovely Imogen and her daughter or I will blow your mates brains out.”
Kandis threw Liam a warning look and he reigned in his fury as she faced down his brother. She glanced at Summer who was still kneeling on the floor with Danvers clutching her by the hair. Summer nodded and a smile spread across Kandis’ beautiful face.
“You want Imogen … she was right here beside you the whole time,” Kandis grinned.
Summer chanted an incantation and the air in the room got heavy as Imogen shimmered into view beside him. He swiveled around but not fast enough for Bree who shifted in a heartbeat and clamped her jaws onto his arm as Kandis twisted his other arm behind his back to stop him from shifting. His gun slid across the floor to land at Imogen’s feet.
She picked it up and pointed it at his head, her eyes cold as she contemplated how many different ways she could kill the man who threatened her family.
Nate could see that he was desperately trying to shift as his claws lengthened and then retracted but he was unable to complete the change.
“What the fuck have you done to me, witch!” he screamed and Nate watched as Summer held Rob Danvers in Limbo.
“Tie him up,” Seann ordered and Jay and Liam secured him to a chair and gagged him as Summer’s spell kept him in his human form.
Bree shifted back quickly and Nate stripped off his t-shirt to cover her as the clothes she was wearing were shredded in the shift. She ran upstairs to find some more clothes.
“Liam, tell Garrett to go in and bring Hope and Rylee home. He can dispose of the others how he sees fit,” Seann said and Nate saw a sliver of fear appear on Rob Danvers face as he realized how much he had miscalculated.
Summer stood in front of him and bent down until her face was level with his.
“I taught myself everything there was to know about shifters in the last two years since I escaped from you. I always knew you would find me again someday and I wanted to be prepared. Hiding Imogen from you was easy, I picked up on her magical signature before we even entered the house and cloaked her. She is also very receptive to telepathy, but I wasn’t sure how effective my magic would be on you. I am happy to report that it works just fine.” she grinned as he tried to curse and scream at her through his gag.
Seann reached for the gun and Imogen handed it over to him. She wanted to pull the trigger and kill the bastard right now but she also knew Liam, Finn and Lukas would want to question him too. She leaned against her mate and watched Rob Danvers turning purple with rage as Summer Blackwood waved her hand and silenced him for the moment.
“That’s much better,” she smiled. “Now what are we going to do with him?”
“Garrett and India have Hope and Rylee unharmed and they are on their way home. Finn and Lukas caught the guards by surprise and are transporting two of Danvers men to the cells in our basement until Jacob’s pack can collect them and lock them up more securely,” Jay said and went outside to relay the news to everyone gathered outside.
Bree came back into the room and Nate knew she had heard as a smile lit her lovely face. He was so glad that Hope and Rylee were safe but Seann hadn’t yet decided what to do with Danvers. Nate knew he could never let him go free as a man like him would never reform, even his own brother had said he was rotten to the core.
He could see Rafe on the porch and went outside to talk to him. As it had turned out, he wasn’t Hope’s mate after all but he knew the man still cared about her and must be relieved that she was out of danger. As a doctor, he had promised to ‘do no harm’ and he would also be struggling with the pack’s decisions regarding Rob Danvers, but as a shifter, he knew that sometimes it was necessary to take a life. Nate was glad that he didn’t have this internal war, he believed in swift justice for evildoers and Danvers certainly fit the category.
Rafe left to go to the clinic and asked Nate to call them if anyone needed medical assistance but Jay had said the women were unharmed so he thought it fair to let Rafe disappear and side with his conscience.
The pack members were starting to arrive back in droves from town and Faye stopped her car in front of the Den and Kandis reached in and took her little daughter from her, holding her tightly in her arms as the baby slept on oblivious.
Faye got out and unclipped the child from the car seat and Seann looked on in confusion as Imogen reached out her arms for her daughter.
“Why is my daughter dressed like a boy?” Seann said and Faye smiled.
“The first thing they would have looked for was a little girl.” she pulled the hat from her head and Everly’s dark curls sprang free as she snuggled happily into her mother’s arms.
“Do you mind keeping her for another little while until we get Danvers out of the house?” Imogen asked her and Faye readily agreed.
“No problem, I knew you would all be anxious to see your children. Bethany has little Ethan, I will have her bring him to my house and I can give them dinner.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Kandis said as she handed the sleeping baby back to her Mom and stood on the porch with Imogen as they watched Faye’s car disappear around the corner of the trees.
“Roisin has a table full of snacks and drinks in the kitchen, I suggest we eat something before the others arrive, it could be a very long night,” Nate said wrapping his arms around Bree and kissing the top of her head.
Summer had rendered Danvers unconscious but they posted three young guards to watch him anyway as they sat down at the table to replenish their energy with Roisin’s sandwiches and Imogen's cakes and pastries. Nate could have eaten a huge steak or a couple of hamburgers, but this would have to do for now.
Hope came barreling through the door and Bree jumped up to hug her tightly. Nate knew he would never fully understand the bond these women had, they were more than sisters. They had shared the warmth of their mother’s womb for months before they were even born, two halves of the same egg. He already thought of Hope as a sister and despite their identical looks, he could still see many differences between them.
Hope sat down to eat, she was famished and didn’t look too traumatized by her kidnapping. Rylee was quieter and Nate could see the shadows under her eyes and he remembered something Bree had told him about her being imprisoned by her own father and used as bait to lure Garrett back to their pack. Twice in a lifetime was enough for anyone.
Garrett sat beside India with his sister on his other side and the normal noisy chaos that surrounded mealtimes was missing as no one mentioned the red elephant in the other room. Rob Danvers would be questioned of course but Nate knew that the pack could see no other recourse than to end his life. The food suddenly tasted sour in his mouth and he pushed his plate away from him and refilled his coffee. Ending a life, even one as deserving as Danvers was never an easy decision to make.
Bree insisted that Hope and Rylee went upstairs to shower and rest after their ordeal and they followed her upstairs without too much protest.
Nate waited until he heard Liam say that Finn and Lukas had just arrived before he joined the other men in the living room to meet them. Summer snapped her fingers to wake their prisoner up before retreating upstairs to find Bree. She had her fill of Danvers a long time ago and had nothing more she needed to say to him. She was desperate to see her brother but she wanted to do that in private and not in front of an audience, she knew he would be hurt that she had disappeared from his life but she was trying to keep him safe.
“Finn, you’re not going to let them harm your b
rother, are you?” Danvers smiled but Finn’s face was impassive.
“I’m going to treat you as well as you treated our mother and our sister,” he said and Nate could once again sense the wolf’s fear as he realized he had overplayed his hand.
“Liam, we never even got to know each other.” he tried again.
“I’ve seen enough to know that I have been extremely fortunate in that regard.”
Nate thought how alike Liam and Finn were as they stood together and watched their brother squirming for his life.
“Seann, Jacob’s men have arrived for the prisoners.” One of the young guards stuck his head in the door.
“I’ll go, Seann. I’m finished here anyway,” Liam said and turned his back on his brother and followed the young guard outside.
“I’ll help Finn.” Lukas added and followed him without another glance at Danvers. He trusted Seann to deal with him in his own way.
Seann walked slowly toward him and Danvers yelled.
“Stop, please. Let me talk to Imogen and India.”
“You have nothing to say that would interest either of them. I cannot think of a single reason not to put you and us out of our misery once and for all.”
“Please, they will want to hear this, I promise you.”
Against Seann’s better judgment he called for them to come and hear what he had to say.
The door to the kitchen slowly opened and the sisters came into the room. They stood directly in front of him as they waited for him to speak.
“What could you possibly have to say to us, Danvers, that you think we would be remotely interested in?” India said her arms folded defiantly.
He lifted his head and looked at Imogen, then back to India and smiled.
“I think you will be very interested, Red,” he said with a smirk, “Because I know where your mother is.”
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
Bree
Bree gasped as she heard what Danvers said and came into the living room to stand beside Imogen and India, they were her brother's mates and her best friends and knew Danvers had to be lying to them to save his own skin. What a sick bastard!
“Our mother died several years ago in a car wreck that our father barely survived,” Imogen said as she walked closer to him, her fists clenched to stop her from lashing out, the pain in her voice still raw.
“No, she didn’t. I staged the accident so that it would look like she died, the woman they buried was a stranger and your father wasn’t supposed to make it, but the damn wolves got to him first and changed him. However, he believed the story of her demise easily enough so we had no need to follow up on that one and we let him go.”
“You’re lying, you piece of shit.” India lashed out and Garrett had to hold her back as she tried to attack the man tied to the chair. “What could you possibly want with our mother, she was only human?”
Danvers smiled, knowing he had their undivided attention.
“No, she’s not, she’s a witch. Ask your beloved father if you don’t believe me. She ran away and married him against her coven’s wishes. Turned her back on her sister and her friends. Of course, she’s not quite as powerful as Serena is yet as she didn’t practice for such a long time, but with both of them together…”
“We have an aunt?” Imogen picked up on that part.
“Yes, and she has a daughter too but they never leave the protection of the coven, I tried everything to lure them out but they stayed put,” he added.
“I still think he’s lying.” India insisted.
Imogen gave her a pointed look. India could smell a lie a mile away but she was too emotional and this was too close to home for her. She needed to clear her mind to detect if he was lying or not.
“No, he’s not lying!” Summer stood in the doorway, her face ashen. “I knew you looked familiar, India, but I never made the connection until now. I only saw her a couple of times, he kept us separated for the most part, but you look so like her it couldn’t be anyone else.”
Summer buckled at the knees and Kandis caught her.
“He said if I didn’t help him he would just let them burn in the wreck, he made me cover up the accident so that it looked like she had died and when the wolves from the other pack took her husband, I thought that he would be safe, but there was no mention of them having daughters.” Summer said, her face stricken and her eyes filled with tears.
Danvers gestured toward Imogen.
“She had no real power until she was turned either or I would have taken her sooner, I had no idea the mixed genes produced such gifts, I thought Serena here was an anomaly.”
With a growl, India shut her fist and punched him hard enough to make his nose bleed.
Garrett pulled her hard against him and held her tightly, but he looked at his mate with something close to adoration.
“Red here was no use to me though, the little sister is nothing but ordinary, no special powers.” he threw India a murderous glare and she shook her head at Bree who was going to jump to her defense and tell him about her built-in lie detector and her tracking skills. India didn’t care what he thought of her.
“If what you say is true, where is she?” Imogen asked him.
“First you have to promise you will let me go and not come after me once you have her back. I want the promise from the alpha, his word is unbreakable.”
Seann stepped forward and Nate knew he was going to break something, but probably not his word, but Jay Donovan put a hand on his nephew’s arm to stop him and turned to Danvers.
“Tell us where she is and we promise that we won’t kill you. In fact, you will have a comfortable home, everything you will need and no harm will ever come to you. There will be no retaliation from us, but you will never step foot on pack lands again or interfere with another wolf, human or witch that crosses your path.” Jay said as protests rang out around them.
Seann looked at his uncle for a moment and knew he had to trust him. He lifted his right hand in the air to silence everyone in the room.
“Do you agree to this, Donovan?” Danvers asked as Seann studied him.
After a time, he rubbed the stubble on his face and heaved a sigh.
“I agree on one other condition. I need to know that she is still alive before we let you leave here and you never speak to any member of my pack ever again when you go. Liam has the decision whether or not he wants anything to do with you after this and Lukas and Finn have their own ax to grind with you for your crimes. As far as the pack goes, you have my word that it will be so,” Seann said.
Bree thought that Danvers was trying unsuccessfully to hide his relief as he gave them the address where they were keeping her.
“How many guards?” Garrett asked.
“Four.”
India nodded slightly to let Garrett know he was telling the truth and he, Seann, Liam and Kandis left quickly to see if Imogen and India’s mother was indeed still alive and to bring her home to them.
“I want to go with you to get her,” Imogen said, but Jay said no before either Seann or Garrett could utter a word. Bree knew her uncle was trying to protect them in case she was no longer alive and she agreed with Jay that it would be best if they both stayed where they were until they knew for sure.
Imogen and India walked out to the front porch and watched until the truck was out of sight. Imogen took her sister's arm as they came back inside and she looked as if she was struggling to hold back her tears.
The address Danvers gave them was only thirty minutes from the compound and Bree knew that her friends were torturing themselves that their mother could have been so close and they had no idea this whole time.
Summer snapped her fingers in front of his face and Danvers once again fell into a deep slumber and she went into the kitchen with Bree and Imogen, offering to help them cook dinner to keep them occupied until the others returned.
India looked as though she wanted to throw up but she pulled herself together and helped chop salad vegetable
s as Imogen prepared burgers and hot dogs for the grill.
“We will have to tell Dad,” India said with a gasp as she paced around the kitchen table waving a vegetable knife in the air.
“Let’s wait until she gets here, this will be a shock for him too no matter what,” Imogen replied and Bree knew she would be a hot mess if she suddenly found out her mother was still alive. Imogen and India were taking the news really well under the circumstances.
Summer was busy cutting a large chocolate cake into chunky slices and arranging it on a tray with a caramel tart and some iced lemon cupcakes. Hope and Rylee were upstairs sleeping
Jonathan Rose had believed his wife to be dead for four years and had even a brief relationship with the woman who kidnapped baby Everly, that Danvers had orchestrated in the shadows. Bree knew her friends must be wondering what the future might look like for their parents, but first and foremost they needed to get their mother home. Bree said a silent prayer to the goddess that she was alive, otherwise it would be such a cruel blow to Imogen and India to have hope and then find out she wasn’t coming back after all.
It was the longest hour of Bree’s young life as they fired up the grill and tried to distract themselves by cooking dinner for everyone. By the time they heard the truck pull up in front of the Den just over an hour later, her nerves were frayed. God knows how Imogen and India were keeping it together.
“They’re here!” India grabbed her sister's hand and they ran outside onto the front porch, nervous and eager to see if Danvers had been truthful or if he had managed to fool India’s senses after all.
Seann and Garrett climbed down and came up onto the porch to stand with their mates as Liam opened the back door of the truck and Kandis reached in her hand to support the frail woman inside. She climbed down slowly from her seat and even although she had never met her before, Bree could see that she was indeed an older version of India. Painfully thin, her still beautiful face was gaunt and her once-glorious red hair, dull and dry.
Imogen gasped out loud and ran down the porch steps, her dark hair flying behind her, with her sister hot on her heels.
Children of the Moon: Book Four Page 14
