by A. D. Ryan
“Yeah. That’s kind of where I’m at.”
“Well, then we’ll wait for the results. Give me a minute, and I’ll be right back.”
While Miranda gathered the supplies she’d need, I sat on the edge of my bed, fidgeting and cracking my knuckles nervously. I started out hoping that this wasn’t really happening—that stress was the cause of my ailments—but then I found myself sad about that possibility.
It was more confusing than my early days as a werewolf.
Miranda returned and sat next to me again. She tied a tourniquet around my arm, just above my elbow, instructed me to make a fist, and then wiped the crook of my elbow with an alcohol-soaked cotton ball. It was cold against my feverish skin, but that didn’t matter, because I broke out in a cold sweat when she opened the package containing the needle she would inject into the bulging vein in my elbow.
I had to look away as she pierced my skin and removed the tourniquet, and I appreciated Miranda’s attempt to keep my mind off of the needle in my arm, filling two vials with my blood.
“It might help to pinpoint how far along you might be if you could tell me a little about your sex drive.”
My face burned with embarrassment.
“As you already know, we’re only fertile once a year—twice if we’re lucky. During this time, our sex drive is heightened and, should you be mated, your mate won’t be able to keep himself off of you.”
I laughed, tucking my hair behind my ear as Miranda removed the needle and taped a dry cotton ball to my elbow. “Since being bitten, everything is heightened. My sex drive is through the roof all the time, especially around the full moon.”
“That’s true of all of us,” Miranda assured me. “Anything strange about Nick’s behavior? Has he ever been more intense than other times?”
Before I could answer, there was a light knock at the bedroom door, and Nick opened it a crack, poking his head in. Reflexively, I gripped my elbow with my other hand and bent my arm to conceal the cotton ball.
I decided not to tell him until I knew one way or the other. There was no need to freak him out or distract him while we were still waiting for Jackson to call.
Miranda cleared her throat before putting the vials in her bag discretely. “I’ll leave the two of you. Brooke, let me know if you’re feeling dizzy again. Otherwise, I’ll come find you later this evening.”
Shocked, my eyes snapped to hers as she turned in the doorway. “So soon?”
“I’m nothing if not efficient.” She winked and then left us alone.
When I flipped my gaze back to Nick, I saw him staring at my bent arm, eyes curious, nostrils flared. “You’re bleeding.”
Forcing a smile, I pulled the cotton swab from my elbow and showed him the already closed red puncture wound. “Yeah. Miranda wanted to run a blood panel to figure out why I’ve been dizzy and out of it lately.”
“You weren’t going to tell me?” The hurt in his voice wasn’t missed.
“Nick, I didn’t want to worry you. It’s probably nothing.” I pressed my palms against his chest. “We’ve got so much to prepare for, and we can’t afford distractions.”
Nick rested his hands on my hips, staring deep into my eyes. “You’re okay, though?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I feel fine. Sorry for worrying you.”
“Don’t apologize. I just worry about you more now after everything that’s happened. It wasn’t that long ago that Karl…”
I sucked in a sharp breath, not wanting to think about how Karl had attacked me. As the Pack’s newest female addition, Karl had seen me as free game, regardless of Nick and me insisting otherwise. Eventually, Karl had taken things too far, attacking us after we’d offered him his ultimatum: leave the Pack of his own volition, or kill himself. He’d had us almost beat until Nick regained just enough strength to break his neck. It was that turn of events that finally put me in tune with the wolf’s desires. For the first time since I’d learned what I’d become, I understood how everything worked, and I accepted it.
“That seems like a lifetime ago now,” I murmured. “So much has happened since then.”
Nick appeared crestfallen, and I knew he must have been thinking about how the truth of his involvement in my being turned lead to my being captured by Bobby. In light of all that, my recent health situation didn’t seem worth keeping secret. It wasn’t fair to keep it from Nick; keeping secrets from one another always came back to bite us in the ass.
Steeling my resolve, I took his hands in mine and looked up into his blue eyes. “Nick,” I started. “I need to tell you something.”
Nick remained silent, his eyes reflecting his curiosity, but before I could say anything, Marcus started calling for everyone from downstairs. At first, Nick didn’t move, looking at me expectantly.
My nerves suddenly got the best of me, and I forced a smile. “We can talk later,” I told him. “I promise.”
“You’re sure? The tone of your voice indicated it might be important.”
Nodding, I took his hand and led him toward the door. “Yeah. It’s really just a hunch, so until I know anything more, it can wait.”
He still seemed reluctant to leave the room without talking, but when Marcus called us a little more urgently, he dropped it. Soon, the entire pack was gathered in the main foyer, Marcus in the center while Miranda stood behind him, off to the right with her arm around Cordelia. Glancing around the room, I sensed the urgency as it rolled off Marcus and infused the air, affecting each and every one of us. Cordelia seemed to be the only one not picking up on the intensity between us, but I could only assume that was because she hadn’t been around for so long. Maybe because of this, she had a hard time empathizing or sensing what the rest of us could.
“Jackson has reached out,” Marcus announced. “He’s informed us that they’ve been recruiting—bringing humans to the compound. He hasn’t been able to get too close, but he’s seen them take humans into custody.”
I took a deep breath, part of me wanting to bolt out the front door to aide Jackson, but the other part of me worried about what Miranda and I talked about earlier. While it wasn’t something I planned, she successfully convinced me it was a possibility, and I worried that throwing myself into the fray like this might be too big a risk.
Marcus started handing out orders while organizing our plan of attack. The plan was for Miranda to stay with Cordelia while he would lead the rest of us into battle. That was when Cordelia broke free of her mother’s arms and approached her father.
“Daddy, do you have to go too?” she asked, her voice quiet, meek, and scared.
“Sweetheart,” he said, his tone shifting from authoritative to soothing. “I have to make sure these monsters can’t hurt anyone else the way they hurt you and Brooke.”
Tears fell from her eyes, and I pinpointed the exact minute Marcus’s focus shifted from the mission to his family. Confident—but still a little nervous—I stepped forward. “You should stay with them,” I said. “I’d be happy to step up and offer whatever guidance I can.” Pausing, I glanced around the room to find the Pack watching me. Instead of being met with confusion and the resentment I’d been scared of since Marcus approached me, I was met with acceptance.
Smiling, Marcus walked toward me, pulling me into a hug. “I’m confident in your ability to lead this pack,” he whispered into my ear. “Nick will be there the whole time. Everyone knows their role in a mission like this. Find your comfort zone and, more importantly, trust your gut. If you feel like something isn’t right, pull back. Don’t go in unless you know it’s right.” He stepped back, our eyes locking. “Just like that night we hunted the moose as a pack.”
Nervous butterflies fluttered wildly in my belly, and soon Miranda was pulling me aside. I had almost forgotten about my possible situation, and I wondered if she was going to choose now to tell me the results. I hoped not; whatever they were, I knew it would only distract me.
“I don’t have confirmation yet,” she said softly. “
But a common concern is hunting and shifting.”
Truthfully, I hadn’t even thought of that, but you’d better believe it was catapulted to the top of my list of worries the second she mentioned it.
“Our bodies are far more resilient than human bodies. Shifting needs to happen. It’s dangerous to keep the wolf under lock and key, as you probably already know.” I nodded along. “Obviously, I want you to proceed with caution, but know that our limits far surpass a human’s.”
“So, I shouldn’t worry about…something bad happening?”
She shook her head. “Nope. I took down three nests when I was pregnant with Cordelia.”
This set my mind at ease a little, and I hugged her tightly.
“I should have a conclusive answer by the time you all return,” she told me. “Be safe, and watch each other’s backs.”
Nodding, I pulled back and turned toward the Pack. “Okay,” I said, my voice surprisingly steady. “You’ve been given your orders. Let’s go find Jackson and bring this operation down. You see a vampire, kill it. We’re taking no prisoners.” I turned to Marcus, and he nodded. “Not even Bobby. I don’t want any of you to think that I have some deep desire to end his life myself. Letting him go if you have the chance to end him might result in him getting away. Take no chances. I only ask you make it as painful as possible.”
A low chuckle moved through the ranks before we all turned and walked out the door, leaving our Alphas and their youngest child alone in the manor.
The eight of us walked around the back of the house before we started to shed our clothes. We’d be faster as wolves, and far less conspicuous as we raced toward the mountains. Every time I shifted, I found it came easier to me. I could sense Nick’s pride as he watched me adjust my wolf body, and soon we all headed for the frozen lake.
It took me a minute to notice how the Pack was evenly dispersed around me, always a little behind me and never overtaking my lead. It was an oddly empowering feeling, and I embraced it—let it make me stronger.
The sun started to set as we raced on. I knew this might pose a threat once the coven could step outside, but Jackson wouldn’t have called on us if he thought it was impossible.
Jackson’s scent hung in the air of a clearing, forcing me to stop. We all sniffed around before realizing the scent wasn’t fresh; he’d been here days ago. It was strong enough to follow, though. Marcus had instructed us to stay in wolf form until we’d met up with Jackson again, because shifting might draw unwanted attention to us and put us in a vulnerable position.
We stayed hidden in the shadows, remaining vigilant in case we came across any of Bobby’s minions. The closer we got to the mountain, the stronger Jackson’s scent became. Yet we hadn’t found him. Ahead of us, about sixty feet from the cover of trees we were hiding in, was the compound door, left ajar. It was the first time I’d seen it from this angle, and I realized how it had been missed all this time; it had been built right into the side of the mountain, and the door was perfectly camouflaged. Had we not followed Jackson’s scent here, and had my scent not still been lingering, we never could have identified this entry point.
Beside me, Nick nudged my shoulder, and when I looked at him, he tilted his head, urging me forward. I wasn’t so sure that was a good idea. We hadn’t found Jackson yet, and I didn’t want to go in there without the Pack reunited.
Or maybe I didn’t want to go in there at all.
My heart was racing, my legs trembling, and my tail started to sink between my legs. I was terrified of being caught and caged again. It didn’t matter that my Pack was at my side, willing to fight for me, all I could think of was being back in that cage with that collar around my neck while the man I once recognized as my brother and best friend had me tortured.
I was so lost in thought, I didn’t notice when Nick stepped ahead of me. He looked back, his eyes telling me it was what we had to do. Paralyzed in place, I shook my head. Something felt off.
Nick lifted his nose and inhaled, inviting me to do the same, and when I did, I picked up Jackson’s scent, only stronger…and coming from the open door. If he was already inside, then we had no choice but to go in.
Aside from going into a lair of vampires, there was the issue of us not having hands to get through the internal doors. We’d have to shift before going in.
Nick clued in to this and was the first to begin his transformation. Soon, the sound of the others shifting registered with me as well, and I had to take a minute to calm down enough to begin the process of shifting back. Within minutes, the eight of us stood, naked, on two legs, planning out our next move.
“His scent is coming from inside, which means he jumped the gun,” Nick said, looking somewhat annoyed. “Not that this surprises me. He often has trouble following orders and waiting for backup.”
“Or,” I interjected, coming to Jackson’s defense, “he was taken. It’s a very real possibility. Trust me.”
I could tell Nick felt bad for not considering this, especially given how I had been taken, and he quieted, letting me take the lead as I explained the layout of the compound once more. Once through the door, we’d split into two groups and look for Jackson, taking out any vampires that got in our way.
Everyone was on board, so we moved through the cold quietly, carefully making our way to the entrance. We waited just outside for a minute while I listened for Jackson and inhaled deeply, looking for traces of the vampires. Their scent was light, but Jackson’s was quite potent. I couldn’t figure out why that might be. There was only one of him, and a small army of them. It didn’t make sense.
Silently, we made our way inside. Vince led the second group, heading right. Layla stayed by his side while Colby and Corbin followed them. They were going up the stairs to the vampires’ quarters while Nick, Roxanne, Zach, and me headed toward the cells.
I led the way, but Nick wasn’t too far behind, his nervousness infusing the air as we made our way down the narrow corridor and toward the large iron door. We walked carefully past the doors to the observation rooms, just in case the vampires were hidden in there. Strangely, the doors were wide open, the rooms either ransacked or completely empty.
As we neared the heavy door that would lead to the prison area, Jackson’s scent grew even more potent, but there was something else behind it. It took me a fraction of a second to recognize it as fear and blood…Jackson’s blood.
I pushed the iron door open so hard it banged against the stone wall behind it as I bolted through it. Nick called after me, but I ignored him, instead, picking up Jackson’s labored breathing. I was in the corridor between the cells in about five strides, and the scene that greeted me left my blood cold.
Jackson was alone and naked, lying in the fetal position in the center of my old cell. The door was pulled shut, likely locked, and a collar was fastened around his neck. It was so tight, I could see the blood seeping around the spikes that were puncturing his flesh.
“Jackson!” I shouted, grabbing the bars. I instantly pulled my hands back and hissed when the door didn’t budge, but the silver burned my skin.
“Holy shit,” Nick declared, coming to a stop beside me. He, too, reached for the door, yanking his hands back after also being burned.
“We need a key,” I said, anxiously pacing in front of the cell door. I’d spent so much time pacing on the other side of the bars, worrying about never getting out, that I never would have imagined wanting to get back in this badly.
“Where can I find one?” Zach asked.
Jackson groaned, his ribs barely expanding with every breath. The silver wasn’t just weakening him; it was killing him.
Frustrated and feeling helpless again, I slammed my hands against the bars in anger. “Check the observation rooms. Have the others help. We need to get him out soon.”
Roxanne and Zach took off, leaving Nick and me with Jackson. I knelt to the cold ground, shivering as the chill seeped into my bare legs and up my body. I pushed it aside, letting my concern take cente
r stage.
“Jax,” I said softly. “We’re here. Can you hear me?” There was no response except for a shallow intake of breath. Scared, I looked up at Nick, who was busy inspecting the door. Occasionally, he’d reach for the hinges and try to work the iron pins free. He could only hold on for a short time before the silver forced him to pull away, so he wasn’t getting as far as we needed to be.
“He’s not doing well,” I confessed, and Nick froze, his eyes reflecting his own fear.
“I know,” he replied. “You stay with him. I’m going to go and help find something to bust this door open.”
Nick took off in the same direction as the others, and I stayed with an unresponsive Jackson. Time seemed to move slowly as I counted each of Jackson’s breaths. I was about to go see what was taking so long, when the entire Pack returned. I stood up, taking a step back when Nick and Vince blew past, carrying the operating table I’d been strapped to several times. They started bashing it against the cell door, the metal on metal sound echoing in the stone dungeon and making me cringe.
With every slam against the bars, stone broke away, falling to the ground, and the iron cage door leaned inward. It didn’t take much longer before the door flew open, and I threw myself inside, rushing to Jackson’s side. I fell to my knees, scraping them on the rock floor as I carefully lifted Jackson’s head. His face screwed up in pain as the spikes pinched his skin, so I stopped moving him. “I need something to get this thing off.”
“I think I saw an overturned toolbox in one of the back rooms,” Corbin announced helpfully. It only took one look from me before he ran out of the dungeon, returning a couple minutes later with a rattling toolbox.
Four screwdrivers and fifteen minutes later, the collar snapped open, and Roxanne and I each grabbed a side, carefully peeling it away from Jackson’s neck so as not to puncture his carotid artery.
I looked up to find everyone else watching anxiously, and they all breathed a sigh of relief in unison as the collar fell to the ground. We waited for Jackson’s breathing to return to normal, and after a few minutes, I checked his neck to find the wounds were slowly healing. Having been dosed with silver, I knew it would take more time, but it was a relief to see even a sliver of improvement.
