Throne of Oak (Maggie's Grove)

by Dana Marie Bell

  “Excuse me.” A young vampire he barely knew raised her hand. “How have they managed to live right under our noses? Under the government’s noses? We know they have weapons in there. You’d think Uncle Sam would have come by now to check them out.”

  “That’s part of what we’re hoping to find out from their files. But remember, this is mostly a search and rescue mission. Emphasis on the rescue. If any of our people are alive in there, we get them out. That’s our top priority.”

  Noah stepped forward. “While Dragos leads the rescue team, my beta, my brother Allan, will be dealing with the soldiers and the housing complex.” He held up his hands as some of the white witches in the crowd protested. “I swear, my people will not harm any of the children. Allan is himself a father, which is one of the reasons I asked him to do this.” Allan, with his dark hair and eyes, had an uncanny resemblance to Noah. But where Noah was all hard edges, there was a softness to Allan that welcomed all who approached him. It was obvious he did not have the level of power his brother did. “He’s mated to a naiad, and their children are currently safe in their beds. Which they won’t be if we don’t do this.” That quieted them down. “I give you my word, if their parents resist and are killed, we’ll take the kids in here. Dragos’s Renfield, Eddy, has already volunteered to help integrate them into our society.”

  “Blake has agreed to remain and possibly take Renfield training. He’s also offered to help integrate any children that get taken in by us. His friends will be joining him, at least for now.” Dragos pointed toward the largest building. “This is the scientific facility. We’ve got proof they have some of our people there. If so, that’s where they’ll be holding Iva Yamauchi and Selena Giannone.”

  “That’s also where security will be the tightest, and where they’ll have the greatest defenses, which is why Dragos and I are going in there personally.” The wolves seemed unsurprised by their alpha’s decision, but some of the townsfolk called out again. Noah held up his hand. “Some of the town’s ghosts have volunteered to go in first. If they can mess up the Van Helsing’s electronic protections in all three locations, we should be able to get in and out with minimal damage.”

  “If they can’t?” a voice called out.

  He exchanged a worried look with Dominic. “Then we fight.”

  Dom clicked through to the next picture. They’d made a list of the defenses they’d have to break through in order to take the compound—pouring through the data Kate had and the reconnaissance Greg had provided until they’d been exhausted.

  Dragos went through his notes briefly, assigning tasks to each of the supernaturals according to their talents. “The ghosts will mess with the electronics, as stated, and warn us of any unexpected surprises. The vampires will mist over the magical wards, disrupting them. Wolves will deal with any UV lights. Night fliers will soar overhead, taking turns to report in on any pockets of resistance—you’ll be our signal that all three teams are on the move. The psychics will coordinate over long distance. We don’t think the Van Helsings have any electronic way to monitor that, and if they have any psychics on their side at least ours will know how to fight it.”

  “Understood.” Trajan folded his arms across his chest, a cocky grin on his face. The flying shifters had agreed to follow Trajan’s lead, as he had the most combat experience and had led others into battle before. Noah had given him permission after speaking at length with Eddy. He’d even gone so far as to welcome him to Maggie’s Grove—granting him de facto pack status, and lifting the ban on Trajan’s access to Dragos’s home.

  Not that Trajan had ever obeyed that order.

  “The elementals will deal with any explosives.” Rock—Amara’s boss and head of the Big Savage Mountain Ranger Station—took his place at Mollie’s side, edging out Carter, who was forced down to one of the stage steps.

  “My dryads will deal with tearing down buildings and getting inside. If Terri taught us nothing else, it reminded us of the power of Mother Nature.” Mina’s vicious grin was echoed by every single dryad in the room. “No matter what they think they’ve killed off around their compound, they have not yet created a desert. There will be seeds there, seeds the water elementals will help us to grow.”

  Gideon spoke up for the first time. The new coven leader was an attractive fellow in his late twenties, an unusual choice. Usually the coven was led by a woman. “The white witches, under Dominic, will deal with injuries off the battlefield. I’ll be leading the black into battle personally. We should be able to shield the injured long enough to get them back to Dominic’s group while dealing with any soldiers dumb enough to chase after us.”

  None of the gray had volunteered, a fact that their new coven leader seemed disturbed by. But Gideon stood tall and proud, his gaze raking across his people before giving a nod of approval. “The witches of Maggie’s Grove stand ready, Mayor.”

  “The wolves stand ready, Mayor.”

  Dragos cocked an eyebrow at Noah’s respectful tone, but Noah ignored him.

  “The psychics are ready, Mayor.” Lore crossed his arms over his chest. Dragos could make out the outline of a gun beneath his denim jacket.

  Mollie grinned, and Greer took a step closer to her. “The elementals stand ready, Mayor.”

  “My dryads stand ready, Dragos.”

  “The fliers stand ready, my brother.”

  Brian nodded respectfully. “The ghosts are ready, Mayor.”

  Each of the supernatural species who had volunteers present called out. There was nothing more to say.

  It was time to go.

  Dragos floated off the stage. “We have no way of knowing what exactly their protections entail, which is why we’re taking cars instead of flying in. Remember, if you find yourself in over your head, you shouldn’t be afraid to call out for help. The psychics are listening. Someone will come.”

  Mina stepped forward, every inch his sotiei. “Find your team leaders and get ready to roll out.” Her sword flashed into her hands, startling him. “Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time to kick some ass.”

  The doors to the ballroom opened and the people streamed out, each following their leader to waiting vans. They’d made a deal with the local car rental places, and gotten as many passenger vans as they could, with the understanding that the city would pay for any damages to the vehicles.

  Dragos flew overhead, keeping an eye on the van Ash drove. Mina was in there with Parker, Brian, Amara and Greg. Greer drove the van Mollie was in.

  The first set of vans veered off, heading toward a spot on the perimeter where the first team would breach the defenses, aiming for the living quarters. Dragos wished them luck.

  Mina and the rescue team veered off next, and Dragos followed them. The van pulled to a stop just outside the range the ghosts and shifters had said the cameras would begin tracking them. Dragos landed next to the van as Parker, Brian, Amara and Mina emerged. “Greg?”

  Parker’s gaze went blank. “Yes.” He tilted his head. “I understand.” His expression grimly determined, Parker gestured toward the compound. “The ghosts are on the move.”

  “Good.” The ghosts on their team would return once they’d accomplished their mission, taking out the cameras on the perimeter and messing with any electrical alarms.

  Until then, it was a waiting game.

  Noah and his wolves joined them, staring off toward the science facility. Half of them had already shifted, their noses lifted to the air. Were they keeping watch for Van Helsings, or could they smell their spectral allies? Dragos wasn’t certain.

  Parker placed his arm around Brian’s shoulders, comforting his obviously upset Renfield. “It shouldn’t take too long, Brian.”

  The Renfield was staring into the dark night, his expression filled with fear. “What if we’re wrong? What if they’ve got something that could harm ghosts?”

  “Use your abilities. Feel him. If he’s in danger, I swear, I’ll swoop in and save him. Again.” Parker winked at Brian. “Trust me.
”

  Judging by the look Brian shot Parker, the Renfield knew a load of bull when he heard it. He closed his eyes and a frown of concentration appeared on his brow. “I can barely hear him.”

  “Something about Maggie’s Grove amplifies your abilities. I have a theory about that, actually.”

  “Gods, Parker, not now.” Dragos kept his attention on the Van Helsing compound.

  “They’re in.” Brian tensed further. “He says there is something that’s interfering with his energies. They might have detected his presence when he scouted the place last and implemented measures to keep him out.”

  “Meaning the other Van Helsings will begin ghost hunting.” Parker’s cheerful tone completely disappeared. The man did not take well to threats against his own, and Greg and Brian had both been declared his. “We need to make sure they don’t get too much information on our less-visible residents.”

  “Agreed.” Brian shivered hard. “I just got him, Parker.”

  Parker put his arm around Brian, hugging him close. “He literally waited his whole life for you. I think only the gods themselves could keep him from you.”

  “Do you want to call him back?” Dragos wouldn’t force either Brian or Greg to suffer, and Brian was doing just that.

  “No. I can’t. None of the other mediums have a connection the way Greg and I do.” He was rubbing his arms, his eyes glazed over. “They’ve disabled the alarm system. The cameras are off-line.” Brian relaxed—a huge, relieved grin covering his face. “He’s on his way back.”

  “Let’s go get Iva back.” Mina’s voice echoed through his mind, her fear and her courage both filling him to the brim.

  He covered Mina’s eyes as Noah took off his clothes, the alpha ignoring the twin growls coming from both Dragos and Parker.

  And then something extraordinary happened. The alpha wolf changed, but instead of the normal wolf form he normally took, he became something far larger and massive. Something no one would mess twice with except another equally strong alpha wolf.

  And since Noah was the strongest wolf in the country...

  He was easily six feet at the shoulder, towering over all the other wolves that capered around him like pups. Except these pups were full-grown men and women—warriors in their own right, some of Noah’s most trusted people. They greeted their alpha’s new form with sniffs and gruffs of approval.

  Dragos had seen this transformation before, in other alpha wolves who had lived in Maggie’s Grove over the years, but none had been quite so large or so formidable. He was literally double the size of all the other wolves around him, dwarfing them all.

  Noah was a force to be reckoned with, and his alpha form proved it.

  Trajan whistled low. “No wonder he could command me.”

  Dragos had felt Noah’s pull once or twice himself.

  Mina nodded once and gestured toward the compound. Her dryads fanned out, moving across the empty dirt that surrounded the compound at incredible speed, dodging here and there at unseen obstacles. “We have explosives in the ground. We can’t mess with them without setting them off.”

  “Let me deal with that.” Rock cracked his knuckles. He spread his feet and set his stance, taking a deep, meditative breath. Within moments, muffled explosions—barely audible even to Dragos’s vampiric hearing—sounded off. When the last muffled sound died away, he opened his eyes and relaxed. “Done.”

  Mina took off, sword in hand, following her dryads. Ash and Amara were slightly ahead of her, Amara taking on her weretree form as she went.

  “Guess it’s time.” Parker saluted and took off after his sotiei.

  Noah charged after them, his wolves streaming behind him. Overhead, the flyers, led by Trajan, swarmed over the compound, confusing both sight and sound with their calls and their aerial acrobatics. It was the signal they’d all been watching for, the one that told him that all three prongs of the attack were on the move.

  Dragos shifted, joining his brother in the sky. He caught up to his sotiei and, keeping an eye on her, began to use his flame on the security guards that raced out of the building to confront them.

  Gideon zoomed by on his broom. He raised his hand and chanted something low and angry sounding.

  Every window in the building blew inward, and Dragos understood how the man had become the coven leader. He was strong, probably stronger than most of the local witches, but what he’d done had the possibility of harming someone inside the building. He would pay for that display of power at some point.

  But it wouldn’t be now. The witch swooped down and leveled a man who’d had his rifle pointed right at Rock. A bolt of blue—white energy, the likes of which Dragos had rarely seen before, sent the man flying. Rock saluted Gideon in thanks before both men continued the fight.

  They’d need to make sure Gideon made it back to the vans, even if they had to carry him. He’d be exhausted by the energy he was expending.

  In fact, Dragos made a mental note to fly over the entire compound and pick up anyone left behind. Better to risk bringing in a Van Helsing than leaving behind an exhausted, passed-out witch.

  Parker, Amara and some of the dryads climbed into one of the first-floor windows. Mina and Ash clambered through another. Dragos landed, shifted back to human and followed his sotiei.

  The rest of the dryads stayed outside. He watched for a moment as they all looked up.

  Gentle rain began to fall. The water elementals had arrived, and were giving the dryads what they needed to grow the plants surrounding the building.

  “We need to move.” Mina was watching as well. “Once the ground is saturated enough my people have orders to begin.”

  Dragos nodded once and raced down the corridor. “Watch for traps.”

  His sotiei raced at his side, her sword strapped to her hip. “And no dying.”

  He would do everything in his power to keep that promise.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Well. Other than the gods’ awful smell and the cages lining the walls, this didn’t look like a den of pure evil. It sort of looked like a badly run animal shelter.

  If the animals weren’t her friends and neighbors, that was.

  Mina raced through the building, growling as fiercely as Dragos when she saw the devastation the Van Helsings had wrought on the supernaturals. They were in cages barely fit for dogs—men and women who couldn’t shift were forced to huddle until their ankles were swollen and their knees locked. There were no bottoms to the cages, and from the reek they weren’t allowed out for basic needs. Which meant that, when the poor person couldn’t hold it any longer, whatever was let loose rained down on the person below them, fouling not only their own cage but others as well.

  She felt most sorry for the ones on the bottom.

  Her dryads were quickly opening the cages, their rage at what had been done giving them strength. They pulled power from their trees—even this far away—allowing them to do feats they would not normally be capable of. A lot of dryads would be communing in the next couple of weeks, dealing with the unusual strength they were being forced to call upon as well as the trauma of seeing people they knew caged like beasts.

  Mina would fight anyone who sought to reprimand them for it.

  The wolves and witches who’d come in behind them began assisting her dryads, and soon the clanging of doors and cries of either relief or horror filled the room. But it wasn’t over, not by a long shot. The Van Helsings had to know they were here by now. It was only a matter of time before they—

  A gunshot rang out, and one of the dryads went down, the back of his head completely gone. Mina felt the death deep in her bones, her connection to one of her people permanently severed. She stumbled, nearly falling against one of the cages.

  A low growl sounded off to her left and one of the wolves raced off. Before she could track where he’d gone a scream of terror was suddenly cut off. More wolves raced through the building, tracking the Van Helsings to where they’d managed to hole up.

&nb
sp; A Van Helsing stepped right out in front of her, his gun in her face. He pulled the trigger before Mina could dodge.

  It failed to fire.

  The confusion on the man’s face didn’t last very long, as Dragos drove his claws through the man’s back and out the front. He dropped the very dead guard at her feet. “Are you all right?”

  “Yes.” Mina drew her sword.

  They fought the Van Helsings that began pouring into the corridor, each one falling to a different supernatural. Even her normally peaceful dryads were reacting, using tricks taught them by Amara to dodge and weave. Silver daggers, similar to her sword, flashed in their hands as they defended themselves, keeping alive long enough for one of the stronger warriors to lend them aid.

  She couldn’t have been prouder of her people. They weren’t fighters, but they stood side by side with the wolves and held their own.

  Noah was bashing in doors, barely acknowledging they existed as he went from room to room, pointing out captives or dispatching Van Helsings with savage, efficient brutality. His wolves streamed into the rooms behind him, freeing the prisoners held there and handing them off to her dryads, who would get them out of the building to the waiting witches and safety.

  Mina closed her eyes. Iva could be missed in all the chaos, and that wouldn’t do. She couldn’t allow that, couldn’t lose her to the madness surrounding them.

  There. The pull of a ruling dryad for their queen was there, but faint. Mina began to follow it, heedless of where it led or who was with her.

  All that mattered was getting to Iva.

  Taking stairs down, Mina headed into the basement...

  ...And into something out of a horror film.

  Bodies littered the floor, some chained to walls and tables, some dropped like garbage. Their skins stretched over skeletal forms, old bruises melding with new. Some even had needles in their arms, bags of...something slowly pumping into them.

  The stench was so sickening, one of the wolves actually vomited in a corner, his sensitive nose unable to bear it.