Shapes of Autumn (Boxed set, books 1 - 5)

by Veronica Blade

  “Tranquilizers?” The she-wolf threw her head back and laughed. “We’re too strong for that now. None of you can stop us.”

  “Bring it on.” A muscular guy in a tank top winked at me. “Don’t worry, honey, I’ll save you for last.”

  I shuddered and took another step back. My mom emitted a low guttural sound, moving in front of me. Between my mom and dad both shielding me, way to point out the weak link.

  Keeping their bodies at an angle, alert and ready, the werewolves inched forward. My mom dipped down, her gaze trained on the newcomers, as she retrieved a dagger from her boot.

  “Now!” my dad shouted.

  I aimed a knife and it stuck in the muscular guy’s shoulder. He flinched, his eyes flaring, and I threw another one that landed in his side. He gritted his teeth, yanked on the blade and pulled his arm back to throw it at me. Before he got a chance, I morphed into a bear, my jaws going straight for his arm holding the weapon.

  He snarled and brandished another dagger, plunging it into my abdomen. Fire burned through me as I tore off his wrist, leaving a bloody stub. He howled and I went for his neck. I had no plans of letting this guy go. At least with him out of the fight, my parents and Renzo could handle the other three.

  Shots fired, followed by shouts. I couldn’t see what was happening behind me; I only knew I had to slow this guy down, no matter what. Then his movements became sluggish and I peered up. A dart protruded from his neck. I released him and he stumbled back.

  Zack flashed me a grin and closed the distance.

  As if the werewolf’s body had already metabolized the tranquilizer, he straightened his spine and raised the bloody dagger he’d sank into my belly. “You have no idea what you’re dealing with.”

  Zack shoved me out of the way, but I doubled back. The werewolf stalled mid-lunge, grunted, then his eyes rolled back. My dad came easily into view when the werewolf toppled to the floor. “Step aside and let us take care of this.”

  Yeah, right. If I stood around doing nothing, and we all died, it would be my own damn fault. But my dad was gone before I could argue. I glanced over to Zack who was already redirecting the huge rifle at the werewolf fighting my mother. But they were too fast for Zack to get a bead on the guy.

  My mom’s dagger lay a few feet away. I’ll help her. You get that guy who’s all over Renzo. I raced to the dagger, seized it and sank it into the werewolf’s ribs hoping to hit his heart. He went limp and my mom knocked him away.

  A head flew toward me and I veered to the side but the blood-soaked hair fanned out and brushed my arm as it passed. A shudder escaped me.

  The she-wolf charged my dad, and my mom and Renzo lunged at her. She spun, gained purchase and sped off. I threw a knife and the blade landed in her back but it didn’t slow her down. My mom and dad took off after her.

  The air whirred once again and Dathan landed in front of us.

  Renzo sent him a dark look. “Thanks for your help getting rid of the amped up werewolves.”

  “Four of them to five of you.” Dathan’s nostrils flared. “There’s an emergency hatch up there which I closed over the broken skylight. Or else Ulric’s men would’ve become an even bigger problem.”

  I grimaced. “Not like your petty bickering isn’t important but, you know, we’re at war. We’re supposed to be sticking together. Shouldn’t we be helping my parents catch that werewolf?”

  “I’ll find Olivia and Quentin. You guys figure out why Havers didn’t alert us to the intruders. He’s in there.” Dathan jabbed a thumb toward a door all the way on the other side of the training area marked Security, then he vanished in a blur.

  Zack and I raced to the security door with Renzo directly behind us. Renzo pounded a fist against the metal door. “Havers. Open up.” After a moment of silence, he snarled. “No one is monitoring the damn cameras.”

  Mom, you guys okay? I asked them. Did you catch that woman?

  We’re fine, sweetheart. And, yes, we got her, she answered. We’re on our way back. True to her word, they returned moments later with the woman draped across my dad’s shoulders, Dathan right behind them. My dad let her slide off and her head thumped against the solid floor.

  “Paralyzed?” Zack asked.

  “I merely repositioned the knife Autumn had put in her back.” My mom sidestepped when Zack approached. Always keeping a safe distance from him and Renzo. “Nice shot, by the way.”

  “People, we don’t have time for ego stroking. We should already be cutting off their heads so they don’t wake up.” Renzo grabbed the paralyzed girl by the hair, made a clean slice across her neck, then let the head drop to the floor and roll away.

  I squashed the urge to gag, certain that I’d never get used to beheading. Unfortunately, there was probably more of that to come.

  “If Havers is under Ulric’s control, he might’ve already opened all the other hatches. Let’s move!” Renzo bellowed.

  Dathan dragged the woman’s body out of our path then sprinted to the security door. “Unless Ulric is already inside. In that case, he’ll want the hatches to stay closed in case we call for reinforcements.”

  My chest felt weighted. “We should let Natasha know we’re all okay so she doesn’t come out,” I said, hoping she would be smart and stay in her secure suite.

  “Already done,” my dad answered.

  Dathan hammered on Havers’s door. “Damn it, Havers. Let us in.”

  “We’re not getting through that steel.” My dad laid his ear against the door. “Someone is definitely in there.”

  “All of us together might be able to eventually break it,” I said.

  “We can’t destroy the door because when we leave, the area must be secure so Ulric or his men can’t access the room.” Dathan rubbed his chin as he stared at the door.

  “Someone around here knows how to get in that room or how to override the security. We need to locate everyone anyway, and get them all in one place,” Zack said.

  My dad glared at the panel beside the door. “Natasha, what’s the code to get into the security room?”

  While my mom kept watch to make sure no one snuck up behind us, my dad punched in the access code. When the door swung open, Havers jumped back and clutched his arms around his waist.

  “Olivia, Quentin, guard the door,” Dathan barked, advancing on Havers. “Why have you been telling everyone that the monitors weren’t picking up anything? And why wouldn’t you answer the door and let us in?”

  Monitors filled the room, but the screens were filled with black and white static. Someone had disabled all the cameras outside. Anything could be happening out there. I checked over my shoulder to keep tabs on the entrance, but my dad and mom had it covered.

  “I don’t know.” Havers’s eyes widened, his gaze bouncing around the room, and then he slumped back onto a chair. “I’m doing things I don’t want to do and I can’t stop. And when I want to do something, I can’t.” He was shivering now, cowering from Dathan.

  Renzo rounded on Havers. “Other than this room, where else have you been today?”

  Havers whimpered. “I can’t remember.”

  “Do you know where everyone went?” Zack asked Havers.

  “Yes.” Havers opened his mouth then blinked.

  Dathan’s words erupted in a raspy voice. “Tell us.”

  Havers whined, shrinking lower into the chair.

  Renzo slammed his fist on the table. “Dathan, how do you dehypnotize someone?”

  “That’s the least of our worries,” my dad said. “If Havers hasn’t been out of the compound so Ulric could glamour him, that means Ulric is inside.”

  “Havers, are you able to tell us if you opened any of the hatches?” my mom asked.

  “Uh…” Havers’s eyes glazed over for an instant. When he snapped out of it, he used the back of his hand to wipe sweat off his forehead. “I can tell you that none of the hatches are open at the moment.”

  “How do we know he wasn’t programmed to say that?”
Renzo growled, checking the controls and studying the readouts. “He could’ve opened the hatches earlier.”

  “Obviously, Havers wouldn’t do that of his own volition. Go easy on him,” my dad said. “I’d love to know how long he’s been under Ulric’s control.”

  “Must’ve been recently.” I chewed my bottom lip. “Otherwise Ulric would’ve attacked when he first got here, taken us by surprise. Or while the scouting crew was gone and he had less people to fight.”

  “I think you’re right.” Renzo ground his teeth. “Without control over the monitors, Ulric couldn’t get the rest of his crew inside.”

  “Havers, where is Ulric?” Dathan asked.

  Havers held the sides of his head, squeezing his eyes shut.

  “He can’t answer.” Renzo’s fists clenched. “How do we get him back under his own control?”

  “Ulric is the only one who can undo it,” Dathan hissed. “If not willingly, then by his own death.”

  “Then let’s go kill him.” A vein pulsed at Zack’s neck.

  “Patience, Zack.” Dathan turned to my dad. “Have you checked in with Natasha to make sure she’s okay?”

  “I did a couple minutes ago. She’s not answering.” My dad’s brows furrowed. “I also tried Sean, Yvonne, Persius, Egon, Kieran, Haji… nothing.”

  “She’s probably busy with something else.” My stomach twisted and I hoped that was the explanation for the lack of response. “Maybe you’ll hear from her soon.”

  But it wasn’t like Natasha not to answer. And while she was out there, possibly hurt or dead, we were safe. Although I was grateful to be alive and not in a confrontation with Ulric—yet—guilt pricked at my conscience for dragging Natasha and her people into our fight.

  “Havers, is there anything you can think of that you’re able to tell us?” I asked, searching for a loophole in the glamour. “Can you tell us when you stopped being able to answer our questions?”

  Havers leaped up from his chair. “It was a couple hours ago.”

  “Where is Ulric?” my mom demanded.

  Havers’s mouth fell open as if he wanted words to come out, but instead he squeaked and dropped down to his chair.

  My dad loomed over Havers and glared. “Is there anything you can tell us that will help us save your life?”

  “Dad, it’s not his fault.” I knelt in front of Havers. “Are you expecting anyone to come back for you?”

  Havers stared at his shoes.

  I patted Havers on the knee, then stood. “Mom, Dad, we can beat Ulric. I’m sure of it.”

  “Ulric won’t be alone, sweetheart. Even if he is, we can’t stay here while he’s figuring out how to let in more werewolves. For all we know he’ll have us battling our own people.” My mom shook her head. “We need to find him before he does any more damage.”

  “Agreed,” my dad said. “Unfortunately, Ulric’s been one step ahead of us this whole time.”

  Renzo’s hands fisted. “Between our own people who could be fighting on Ulric’s behalf, and anyone else he may have let inside, we could be screwed.”

  Dathan’s jaw flexed. “That’s assuming our crew is still alive.”

  I didn’t want them hypnotized into coming after us and I didn’t want to have to fight them. But I didn’t want them dead either. The back of my neck prickled. This was so much worse than I’d imagined when I’d first noticed the silence. I’d been naïve to ever believe we had any advantage over Ulric.

  Dathan patted himself for the dagger in his waistband as he moved to the door. “I’m better equipped to deal with Ulric. Which two of you are coming with me?”

  “We agreed to stay together, remember?” I asked, not wanting any of them where I couldn’t help protect them. And vice versa.

  “Someone needs to stay here, make sure Havers doesn’t do anything to make things worse, like open the hatches and let more of Ulric’s men inside.” My mom’s jaw clenched. “We have to split up.”

  Crap, I didn’t care for that prospect at all. “And what if while you’re out looking for Ulric, he ends up here?”

  “Then you contact me telepathically.” Dathan redirected to my dad. “Are you coming or staying?”

  “I’m not leaving you to deal with that psycho on your own.” My dad checked his weapons.

  “I’ll go with you,” my mom volunteered, glancing my way.

  Dathan wagged a finger at Zack and Renzo. “You two should stay here with Autumn. This room controls every door and camera in the building and must be kept secure. Let’s not underestimate Ulric.”

  No matter who stayed, someone I loved would be gone and any of them could be hurt or killed. But my parents were ancient and stood a better chance against Ulric than Renzo or Zack. I nodded numbly, trying not to think about what could happen to anyone who came face-to-face with Ulric.

  I hurled myself at mom, then pulled my dad into the hug. “Be safe.”

  They folded their arms around me, nearly crushing my ribs. “We’ll be back soon.”

  They couldn’t guarantee that, but I had to hope. After the door locked behind them, all I could do was wait…

  Chapter EIGHTEEN

  Autumn

  The De Luca men and I were confined to one room while Dathan and my parents went out and did the dirty work. I hated feeling as useless as the guy we were guarding.

  But what if the security room and equipment didn’t need to be guarded? Maybe Havers could be useful again if I found a loophole in Ulric’s compulsion. I just had to ask the right questions.

  “Havers, is there a way to seal this room so we could leave without anyone but us getting in? If we’re not tied to this area, we can be finding the guy who did this to you.”

  Havers’s eyes brightened. “Yes.”

  A few minutes later, Havers showed us how to change the passwords, which we relayed telepathically to Dathan. Since we couldn’t trust Havers, we kept the information to ourselves. We scanned the vicinity as we crept out of the security room and into the training area.

  “Dathan just checked in. They’re about to inspect the park and garage below,” Renzo said, nabbing more weapons.

  Zack handed me four more daggers. “Havers, can we secure the rest of the place like we did with your area, so no one can compromise that section again?”

  “Yes. We have an emergency feature installed on every door.” Havers steered us into the hallway. “After we make sure no one’s there, we’ll leave and seal it.”

  “Other than the security room, is there a master control anywhere else?” I asked, readjusting the extra daggers in my waistband.

  “We always have a fail-safe which can override the system, in case something like this happens,” Havers said. “It’s in the parking structure.”

  That was where Renzo said Dathan and my parents were headed, which would be the most convenient place for them to be, since it would be the last place we would secure. Except that was most likely where Ulric was waiting for us. As empty as this place was, I was betting he had the rest of the shape-shifters with him—also under his control.

  My parents were out there somewhere. Letting them go was a huge mistake. Mom?

  After several moments of silence, I gulped as my breathing quickened and my blood roared in my ears. This sucked. “My mom’s not answering.”

  “We’d better hurry. But even if we seal each door as we go, we’ll likely always have that unknown access open wherever Ulric got in,” Renzo muttered, punching in a code. A sheet of metal slid over, sealing it shut and covering the doorknob.

  “Havers, as head of security you’re the expert on everything about this place, right?” Zack asked as we moved in unison down the corridor. “If there’s a way to get in that you don’t know about, the opening was probably created by Ulric, correct?”

  “Correct. But this place is built of titanium, big solid thick pieces of it.” Havers lead the way to the stairwell. “Even if someone managed to burrow through it using superhuman strength, it would take a
while. I imagine we’d hear the scraping against the shell or feel the vibrations.”

  We reached the stairs and Zack raised one brow. “There are a lot of windows and skylights. If Ulric got in through any of them, you would’ve seen and alerted someone since you wouldn’t have been under Ulric’s control without him making some kind of contact with you first. Which means Ulric got through to someone else who then lured you to wherever Ulric was. And that’s when he hypnotized you, right?”

  When Havers’s mouth opened and his eyes glazed over, I gritted my teeth. Zack nudged Havers, jolting him out of his stupor, and we descended the stairs.

  I rushed the last of the steps and passed everyone. At the landing, the scent of unfamiliar wolf smothered me. My heart pounded against my ribs as I held my arms out and blocked the door. Ulric is down here. Dathan and my parents are probably in trouble. Before we barge in there, we’d better have a plan.

  Three of us against Ulric and everyone else? The plan better be brilliant. Renzo’s jaw tensed as he glared at the door. Because there’s no way Ulric didn’t hear us coming down the stairs. Did you try Dathan?

  Not yet. I’d been so consumed with worry over my parents that I’d momentarily forgotten Dathan had been with them. Dathan, where are you?

  In the garage near the stairwell. Your parents and I split up to cover more ground. I was about to venture into the garage in search of them, but they’re not answering.

  You left them? Are you crazy?

  For a matter of seconds. And when I exited the park, I caught the stench and knew something was wrong. Where are you?

  We’re right next to you on the other side of the door. I hesitated, wondering if it was safe to open it. But Dathan would’ve warned me. I unlocked the door and pulled it open, Dathan slid through, then shut the door and locked it.

  If Ulric already knows we’re here, what are we waiting for? Unless there’s another way to get inside, Zack said. Havers?

  We already sealed the other doors, Havers answered. This is the only way in.

  He’ll know we’re coming no matter how we get there. We have no choice but to go in and face him, I said. The sooner I got to my parents, the better.