by Maggie Walsh
“Yeah and I don’t feel like dragging more bodies out into the forest and watching until the wild animals eat them. That shit is disgusting.”
“No, this conversation is disgusting. I want to rip their fucking heads of, now,” Lexi said with a growl.
“Just hold on a few more minutes, Lex,” Micah said.
“So when is Unger coming back with some new meat?” Redhead asked.
Goatee shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. I figured he would be back by now. He’s been gone longer than the usual four hours.”
“Shit,” Micah cursed under his breath.
“Maybe something happened?” Redhead asked.
“I doubt it. No one gets the jump on Unger. The man’s too damn big and ugly,” Goatee answered with a laugh.
“Yeah, and once he works his magic on the shifters and sticks that needle into their asses, they melt like butter.” Redhead laughed in agreement.
“Shelby, I’m liking your plan a lot more now,” Micah stated.
“What? No, Micah!” Xander hissed in a whisper. “I don’t want my mate in there alone with those sick pricks.”
“We need to get someone inside to get the lay of the place and check on the prisoners, then see if there is a way to get them out. We also need to know how many are in there and where Sage is being held. I can use Jesse’s power and get us in there so Shelby won’t be alone, but I don’t think it’s a good idea for all of us to go in just yet.”
“Micah, I can shift into a small bug and land on one of them, like I did to get away from my father, and they won’t have a clue that I’m there,” Shelby offered. “Even though you can get us in, I think you would still stick out like a sore thumb.”
“I could always use your power and change into a bug as well, but I think you’re right. I think if we go in we need to do it together and take all these fucks out at the same time. I wish Gabe was here. He could stop time and go in invisible,” Micah added.
“What if we get Gabe here and he cloaks us all? Once we get inside if anything goes wonky he can freeze time and we can get the prisoners out of there through one of my portals,” Valor said.
“That’s a great idea,” Micah said. “Let me call Jesse through the mate link and get Gabe here.”
“Will it work so far away? I mean we’re in Colorado and they’re in New Orleans,” Lexi asked. Micah gave him a bright smile and closed his eyes.
Slade watched as the two guards turned and started to head back toward the false tree. “They’re going.”
“Okay, so what’s the plan?” Gabe asked as he suddenly appeared next to Lexi.”
Chapter 6
Sage lay there staring at the wall, trying to figure out how to get out of this mess, when movement outside the window caught his attention. He raised his head and turned toward the window, then gasped from what he saw. He couldn’t believe what his eyes were seeing. The gorgeous vamp from Micah’s kitchen was floating outside his window. But how? Sure he was a vampire, but they couldn’t fly like the myths said.
Sage sat up and jumped from the bed, the nails from his four paws clicking on the wood. Slowly he made his way over to the window, cautious that this was some type of trap. Just as he made it to the window seat and placed his two front paws on its surface he froze. Francis had first come to him in the form of this man. What if it were him again, trying to trick Sage once more? Sage’s lip curled up as he growled. His gaze met the Adonis’s and something inside him told him he could trust this man. That he would be safe in his arms.
Sage jumped up fully onto the seat and pressed his front paws against the glass, as he stared at the man, silently begging him for help. The man’s lips moved, but Sage couldn’t make out what he was saying. He shook his head, hoping Mr. Gorgeous understood. Then the man drifted closer to the glass and flattened his palm against it right where Sage’s paws were. Even through the glass Sage could feel a connection to this man. It was as if an invisible force was drawing him to the vamp. Sage’s breath caught in his throat as the why came to him. Was this man, this vamp, his mate?
Sage barked and whined as he started to claw the window, hoping to break the glass and get closer to the man. The vampire held up his hands, stopping him and Sage concentrated on his lips. He had no idea of everything the man was saying, but he understood, help was here and they were coming for him. Then the man said hold on, and gave Sage a look of longing. He knew instantly from that one look that he had guessed right and this man was his mate. Did the vamp know they were mates? Is that why he had been chasing Sage?
A loud scream came from somewhere in the house and Sage twisted quickly to look in the direction it had come from, but then remembered there was no door to his room. How were they going to get in?
Sage turned back toward the window and his mate was no longer there. He looked down and got a little dizzy from the height he was at, but he couldn’t see the vamp anywhere. Had he given up? Surely he wouldn’t have just left him here? He did say help was on the way, but would they be too late? A small whooshing sound came from the wall where the door had been and Francis appeared.
Sage tilted his head as a thought struck him, giving him an idea. He smiled to himself and thought about kicking his own ass for not thinking of it before. Sage jumped from the bench, shifted back to his human form, and faced Francis.
“So have you finally decided that it’s useless to fight me?” Francis asked.
“No. I will never stop fighting you, asswipe. I finally remembered that there is no way for you to keep me prisoner anymore,” Sage replied in glee.
“I told you your powers don’t work here, witch. You can’t break the glass and there is no door. There is no way out.”
“I don’t need my powers to get away from you, Francis, and I don’t need a window or a door, just a wall. And someone with powers that far outweigh yours. Laylen!” Sage screamed.
Suddenly the big, strong warrior walked through the wall a few feet from Sage. Laylen’s eyes went wide as his gaze landed on him. “Sage? We have been looking for you everywhere.”
“Can we talk about that later, big guy?” Sage said and pointed toward Francis.
Laylen turned his head and saw Francis, and his eyes turned pitch-black and filled with rage. Laylen turned to face Francis and took a step in his direction, but Sage grabbed his arm, stopping him. “He holds great power. Be careful, Lay, he can cast spells.”
An evil grin crossed Laylen’s lips as he wrapped an arm around Sage’s waist and pulled him close, then backed them up to the wall. With his free hand he touched the wall. “Go,” he instructed and released Sage. Sage walked through the wall and turned back to watch.
“How is this possible?” Francis asked in disbelief.
“You messed with the wrong family and now you’re a dead man,” Laylen seethed and held out his free hand. Sage watched as a fireball appeared in Laylen’s palm. He raised his arm and threw it toward Francis. As the ball came toward him, Francis held up his hands and began to chant, but the fireball didn’t even slow down. It hit Francis’s outstretched hands and exploded around him, a shower of flames engulfing him. Francis was thrown back against the wall and his lifeless body slid to the floor. Laylen turned back to Sage and they disappeared through the wall.
* * * *
Slade was slowly lowered back to the ground, then turned to face Micah as the alpha lowered his arms. “Thanks. It’s definitely Sage up there, but there is no door in the room that I could see.”
“That’s not a problem,” Ryx stated with an evil smile as he cracked his knuckles.
“Did Sage see you?” Shelby asked.
“Yes. He couldn’t hear me through the glass, but I think he understood when I told him to hold on, that help was on the way.”
“So are we ready to go in?” Valor asked.
“Here comes Lexi and Gabe now,” Xander said and nodded in their direction.
Two large brown wolves came padding through the trees and stopped before them, th
en shifted. “All the guards moved inside,” Lexi informed them.
“All of them?” Shelby asked in surprise. “That sounds kind of stupid.”
Just then the air moved and Harley appeared. “Lexi be right. All them blokes have gone inside. I circled around six times, each time goin’ out farther than before. There be no one around.”
“Damn I love your accent,” Shelby said.
Xander growled and pulled Shelby close again. “Mine.”
“Yes, sunshine. I am yours and everyone here knows that. But I can appreciate a nice accent when I hear one.”
“Brogue,” Xander said.
“What?” Shelby looked at him in confusion.
“Irish and Scottish speak with a brogue, not an accent,” Xander explained.
“Are we done with the language lesson? Can we get to saving my mate and those others now?” Slade asked in frustration.
Shelby turned red and bit his lip. “Sorry.”
“Okay, so does everyone know what to do?” Micah asked and everyone nodded. “Good, let’s head in.”
They walked directly to the tree, leaving Lexi behind. Once there, Ryx touched the surface and smiled, then motioned with his head for everyone to enter. Micah went first to make sure the coast was clear, then stuck his head out and waved for them all to follow. One by one they stepped through the wall and entered a large room with six beds set up all around. Each bed and its immediate surrounding was a different theme, and each had a ton of camera equipment directed at the bed.
“This must be where they film,” Shelby surmised.
“Seeing as no one is here right now that means they are all on the upper floors. Gabe, do your thing and cloak us,” Micah said.
Gabe took a deep breath and then nodded. Micah held out his hand for Gabe to take the lead in case his other gift was needed. They made their way up a flight of stairs and opened the door, stepping into another large room, but this one looked like a bondage dungeon. They each looked around as they made their way to the next flight of stairs and began to climb. Once at the top, muffled voices could be heard from the other side of the door. Gabe carefully opened it a crack and peered out, then quietly closed the door. He turned and raised four fingers.
Ryx climbed past everyone to stand next to Gabriel and touched the door. He looked at Gabe and nodded. Gabe walked through the door and everyone followed, with Ryx taking up the rear. They entered what looked like a living room and saw the four well-dressed men sitting around the room drinking some kind of amber liquid from tumblers. Micah met Gabe’s gaze and raised his hand, twirling his finger around, motioning if they could spread out. Gabe nodded and they all separated.
Another man walked into the room and they all froze. “I apologize for the Genesis’s delay. He is with one of the boys right now administering a punishment and commanded me to lead you into the dining room for something to eat while you wait,” the man announced. The four men who were seated chuckled from his words and stood, then followed him from the room.
They all waited until the room was empty before Micah spoke. “Shelby, were these men some of the ones you saw earlier?” Micah whispered.
“Yes, they were some of them who were in with those young men.”
“These men all need to die. Let’s head into the dining room, and when they are all seated, we make our move,” Micah instructed and everyone agreed. “Keep an eye out for this Genesis. Slade, seeing as you know what he looks like, maybe you should take the lead.”
Slade turned and moved in the direction the other men had gone. They made their way down a long hall until they heard laughter. Slade stopped at the open doorway and peeked inside. The four men sat to one end of a large table. The door at the far side of the room opened and three men walked in carrying plates of food. After placing them down on the table in front of each man, they turned and exited back out the door they had come from. As the door was closing Slade saw that it was a kitchen and besides the three men that went in he could see another two. He turned to face the others. “Four just got served. Three men through the back door into the kitchen, another two in there,” he whispered.
Slade and Harley moved around to the right and stopped behind the two men sitting on that side of the table. At the same time Valor and Micah moved to stand behind the two that sat on the left. Gabe, Xander, Ryx, and Shelby went to the door that led into the kitchen and slipped inside.
As Gabe left the room, Micah, Valor, Slade, and Harley became visible again. The four men sitting were taken by surprise by their sudden appearance, but before they could react, each of their necks were snapped simultaneously. Then their heads were ripped from their bodies, and placed facing toward each other on their plates.
The four moved quickly to the door and carefully entered the kitchen. Shelby stood to the side of the door they just entered, and Gabe, Xander, and Ryx stood behind the three men sitting on stools at the counter. Slade immediately went to another of the men who was standing at another counter cutting fruit, his back to the room. Harley went to the last man who was cooking something. Once they were all in position, they reached up and grabbed the men’s heads between their hands and snapped their necks.
“Put them in the walk-in freezer,” Micah ordered as he stepped farther into the room. Valor went to the freezer and opened the door as the others dragged the lifeless bodies inside. Valor stepped in behind them. A few seconds after they all disappeared from sight, Shelby squealed in surprise.
Micah spun in his direction to see three men had entered the kitchen. They stopped short and stared at Micah. One of them reached out and grabbed Shelby by the arm and held him tight as the other two stood firm in front of Shelby and faced off against Micah.
“You fucked with the wrong man, friend,” one man said to Micah and he recognized him from outside. It was the one with the goatee.
“No, I’m certain I fuck the right man,” Micah said calmly, showing he was unaffected by what the man had said, and by the fact that he was facing off against three men.
“You will pay dearly for invading one of the Genesis’s domains. He will flay the skin from your bones.”
“That is if he doesn’t add you to his collection, mutt,” another said.
Micah smirked and turned to his left, slowly walking to the counter where the unfinished fruit lay. He picked up a cube of cantaloupe and popped it in his mouth, then chewed.
“Are you crazy, man?” one of the men asked.
“No,” Micah answered simply, then grabbed a grape and tossed that in his mouth. “You may want to inform Francis that the cantaloupe hasn’t ripened yet before he serves it to his guests. Oh wait, I don’t think they’ll be eating much anymore considering they lost their heads.”
“We have your guy here and you’re talking about fruit? You must be crazy, dude.”
Micah’s gaze drifted to Shelby and their eyes met. “Now, Shelby,” Micah said through the pack link. Micah looked at the man holding Shelby and smiled. “You’re not holding one of my men,” he stated evenly.
The three oafs looked at him in confusion. Then the one holding Shelby cried out in pain as a porcupine appeared in his hand. He loosened his grip and the animal fell to the floor. The moment Shelby landed, he shifted again, but this time a very large lion stood there. He turned toward the three and let out a fierce roar. The three each took a step back as their eyes widened.
“See, you don’t have any of my men,” Micah stated.
Just then two large brown wolves raced out of the freezer and across the room. Sharp teeth sunk into flesh and screams of terror filled the room. Goatee Man stood with his back pressed against the wall behind him, his eyes wide open, showing his fear, as he watched his two friends being ripped apart. He took a step to the side, sliding against the wall, but stopped when the lion roared again, and moved closer to sit at his feet. The lion bared its sharp teeth and growled low.
The screams were silenced and Xander dropped the leg he held in his jaws. He shifted to his human fo
rm and his angry gaze zeroed in on Goatee Man. “You touched my mate,” Xander growled and jumped toward the man, shifting in the air, and landing on the man. His screams filled the room, but were soon gone as his lifeless body dropped to the floor.
Xander stepped back and shifted, his naked body covered in blood. He went to Shelby’s side and gently ran his fingers through the lion’s thick mane and kissed the top of its head.
Shelby shifted back and grabbed Xander’s chin, stopping him as he tried to kiss Shelby. “Um, no, big guy. You just had body parts in that mouth and I hate the taste of assholes,” Shelby admonished.
Xander chuckled and pulled his mate closer. “Oh really?” he asked with a raised brow.
“Oh, you know what I mean,” Shelby said and slapped Xander’s chest as a pink blush covered his cheeks.
“Slade, Harley, Valor, and Ryx?” Micah questioned.
“Disseminated as we shifted,” Gabe shifted back and answered.
“Good, let’s go.”
* * * *
Slade disseminated into the room where Sage had been, but the room was empty. He ran to the bed, which was the only thing in the room, and dropped to his knees beside it. He bent low and looked underneath, but that was empty, too. Pulling back, he straightened and got to his feet. Slade thrust his fingers through his hair and screamed out his anger. “Aaaaaah!”
He closed his eyes against the pain in his chest. His mate had just been here, but he was too late. Slade opened his eyes and turned. That’s when he spotted the scorch marks on the wall. “What the hell?” He walked to the wall and reached out, feathering his fingers over the black marks. “Where are you, mate?”
* * * *
Valor and Harley disseminated into a cold, dank room. The walls were painted dark gray and the floor was a black tile. Ten beds, five on each side, ran down the length of the room. Each bed was a cheap metal frame, with a thin mattress. There were no sheets or pillows on the beds, and each only contained a thin blanket. On six of the beds lay small men cuddled into balls under the blankets.
