FOURTEEN
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Dinner in the hotel's empty dining room that night was subdued, a perfect accompaniment to the mood that reigned at the table. Carson stole a look at her brother who sat dejectedly pushing his food around his plate. Even the normally mouthy Rachel was quiet.
“We waited for hours, but never saw Zandria, Simon or those two that Marshall described. I don't know, Jeff, maybe she's not here.” Chase took a drink of his water and pushed his plate back. “He may have taken her somewhere else.”
“I doubt it,” Jeff replied. “That man is much too arrogant. He would want her close by and under his thumb.” He raked his fingers through his hair then asked, “Did you two see anything strange about their compound?”
Cay looked at his father. “Strange?”
The alpha nodded. “Yes, as in weird or unusual.”
“It was quiet, we barely saw anyone and the ones we did see were in a hurry. They kept their heads down,” Chase declared.
“Exactly,” Jeff tossed his napkin on his plate. “Now, maybe it's the heat, but I don't think so. According to the census provided to the council last year, they have 83 adults and 22 children. We saw maybe ten adults and no children. They have a park area and a wading pool, so where were the children? Even in the midst of that heat wave we had last summer, most of our pups were outside.” He leaned back and hooked his thumbs in his jean pockets. “This whole thing stinks. I'll be glad when the council gets here tomorrow afternoon.”
Carson picked at her food, her gaze on the plate before her. Taking a deep breath she blurted out, “I want to try again.”
The table became deathly silent. “Try what again?” Chase narrowed his eyes at her. “Because I know you aren't talking about dreaming her. Not after what happened last time.”
She shrank into the chair, the weight and heat of his gaze making her palms sweat. She dropped her fork into her plate and wiped her hands on the napkin. Looking up at him she nodded slowly. “That's exactly what I'm talking about.”
“No way,” Chase shook his head.
“Not going to happen,” Jeff growled. “We almost lost you last time.”
“Exactly what your father said. You are not going to dream her again.” Chase nodded in agreement.
Cayson listened to them argue back and forth. Drawing in a deep breath, he let it out slowly. He was torn between worry about his sister and the almost unbearable pain of not knowing where his mate was and if she was all right. He knew she was alive, he could feel that in his heart, but he didn't know her condition. 'Alive' covered a wide range of things and not all of them were pleasant. A hand touched his and he looked up into his twin's face. She smiled at him reassuringly.
“Zandria is my friend too. Chase, what would have happened to me had she not pointed out where I was when Micah had me? I would be mated to him instead of you.” She pointed a finger at him. “I would have been imprinted on him.” She looked at her father next. “And had she not saved me, and had I imprinted on Micah, you were his next target. You would have been challenged and possibly dead by now. Micah may not have been the biggest wolf, but he was a rogue with no scruples. Had he managed to find a way to beat you, our whole pack would now be under his thumb. We could be the ones walking around with our heads down, under the thumb of a tyrant.” She stood up and glared at them. “That girl is your son's mate, Father, his true life mate. That in itself should be enough. She would give her life to any and all of us. Don't you think she deserves the same?” Carson pleaded with them. “I think she deserves it.”
“You are my mate!” Chase snarled. “I'm not about to sit idly by and watch you get snared again. What about our baby? If you don't care enough about yourself or me, what about our child?”
She put a hand on his and squeezed gently. “Can you look our child in the eyes and tell him or her that I had a chance to save the person that saved their mother but you wouldn't let me? Besides, I know what I'm doing now, I know what to do and besides, Zandria won't let me get stuck.”
Jeff shook his head. “It's too dangerous. What if you're wrong and you can't get back? What if she is hurt and unconscious. What if she can't help you?”
“I'm willing to take that chance.”
The silverware rattled as Chase slammed his fist into the table. “Well, I'm not. This discussion is over.” He jumped up and snatched Carson by her arm. "Come on, we're going to the room where I can keep an eye on you before you do something else stupid."
“Chase,” Rachel canted her head to the side. He whirled around and glared at her. “What?”
“If you and Carson are going to our room, where am I going to sleep? I mean I'm close to the Hennison family, but not close enough to sleep with them... I mean sleep in the same bed or room.. I mean, I would share a room, if I had to, there's nothing wrong with them. Crap, you know what I mean,” her face flushed bright red. If the situation wasn't so serious it would be comical to see Rachel stumble over herself.
Jeff chuckled. “You can have my room, Rachel. I'll take the extra bed in Cayson's room.”
“Thank you, Alpha,” she mumbled.
Carson committed that moment to memory – Rachel embarrassed doesn't happen very often and she intended to enjoy it while she could. She huffed in exasperation when Chase pulled her out of the dining room and into the elevator.
Jeff signed the bill, putting their dinner on his room tab. “Come on, son, let's go get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a long day. The council should be here just after lunch and I'd like to go look around one more time before they get here.”
He nodded, got up from the table and pulled the chair back for Rachel. Together, the three left the dining room and made their way to the elevator. When the car arrived, they got into it and rode up to their rooms, each lost in their own thoughts. The bell sounded and the doors opened. Jeff and Rachel stepped out, waiting on Cayson. He stood still a glazed look in his eyes and a faint smile on his face.
“Do you hear that?” He whispered softly. The doors of the elevator started to close, touched his hip and opened again. Jeff pulled him out and into the hallway proper. Behind him the doors closed.
“Hear what? I don't hear anything,” Rachel looked around. “I mean other than the couple in 308. At least they are going to get it over with early tonight. I don't mind getting awakened for hot sex, but not for someone else.” The smart-ass was back in action.
Cayson hadn't moved. He had cocked his head to the side as if listening to something only he could hear.
“What do you hear?” Jeff watched him.
“It's her,” he breathed. “I can hear her. She's singing that song again, the one that I hear when we're touching.”
The frown on Jeff's face deepened. “You can't be hearing her, son. The compound is miles from here and we're not even sure she's there.”
“It's her,” he vehemently insisted. “I know her voice.” He paused a moment then he frowned. The normal brilliant green of his eyes darkened. “She's hurt. I can feel the pain. She's hurt really bad.” The last words came out as a strangled whisper.
“Can you talk to her? Does she know where she is?” Rachel took a step forward.
He shook his head. “It's like listening to a radio broadcast. It's just one way. Let me try something.” He closed his eyes and concentrated, making the muscles in his neck bunch. They held their breath a moment then he sighed. “I don't think it worked. I was trying to let her know I was here and that I needed to know where she was. I don't think she heard me.” He stopped a moment then his shoulders fell. “She's gone.”
FIFTEEN
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“I told you, I've never seen that boy before. Please, I just want to go home.” Zandria almost stumbled as the other girl yanked her hard. “I didn’t' mean to. I swear to you. Please just take me home.”
Laura twirled. “I didn't mean to, Laura. I swear to you.” She mocked
her in a whiny voice. “Mean to or not, you made me look like a fool in front of Bryant.” She pushed her, knocking her into a lamppost. “We'll go when I say we go.” She hissed and turned around again. "I'm the alpha's daughter." Her hands curled into fists. "How dare you try to take him from me? You freaking cow! When I tell my father what you did, he'll throw you and your whole stupid weird family out of the pack."
Her voice had gotten louder and louder until people were openly gawking at her. "Laura," Shelby whispered in a pained voice. "People are looking."
"You shut up too," she hissed. "Or your family will be next." Her hand snaked out and she slapped the girl across her face leaving a red hand print. Whirling around, she marched down the sidewalk with her back stiff.
Diana gave Zandria a look then grabbed Shelby's arm. “Come on. You know how she gets when she's pissed.”
Zandria fought back the tears that welled in her eyes. She hated how every emotion was painfully obvious on her face. “I will not cry,” she whispered to herself then squaring her shoulders, she followed behind them. “Just get through the next little while then I'll be home again. I don't care what anyone says, I'm never going anywhere else again.”
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The next time Zandria opened her eyes, it was still pitch black dark. She didn't know if they were still swollen shut or not, but it seemed her aches and pains was much reduced now. She pulled on the ropes and felt the familiar stab of pain racing to her shoulders. Sighing she stopped struggling and lay on the bare concrete floor, contemplating her next move.
She had tried several more times to do whatever it was that she did to teleport herself the last time but it was a bust. She simply did not know how she had done it then. Maybe she could use her abilities to lull them into letting her go. She shook her head. No, she didn't have enough control over herself and besides, Simon so terrified her that she could barely remember to breathe when he was in room. Sighing softly, she winced when she heard the approach of footsteps. Closing her eyes again, she feigned sleep as the door unlocked and opened. The click of the light sounded loud in the room and she fought her desire to curl into a tight ball, opting instead to relax.
“She's asleep or passed out.” The voice belonged to Bobby. “Why don't you just go ahead and kill her and get it over with?”
“She hasn't suffered enough. Bitch murdered my baby and I'm going to kill her, but slowly. She's going to think suffering is a career choice before she dies.” The viscous snarl of the alpha echoed in the room. “Besides, I can't do anything right now. I've been summoned to an inquiry by the council this afternoon. I can't afford to let their Enforcers search the compound.”
“Then why are you here now?”
She heard him move over to her then a rustle. Her mouth was forced open and something dirty shoved inside. She opened her eyes and cringed, shaking her head. He finished tying off the gag then stood up. “The shed is far enough from the rest of the compound I don't think anyone would find this room underneath, but I don't want to take a chance.”
She blinked her eyes and looked up at him from the floor, struggling and pulling on the cords that wrapped her arms so closely together. He snickered, “Go ahead, bitch, struggle and wear yourself out. You're not going anywhere.” He pulled his foot back and swung it towards her, she flinched and pulled her head back causing the blow to glance off her cheek. She tasted blood as her lip split again. She groaned. He looked down at her then growled. Dropping to one knee, he pulled his fist back and hit her in the face, causing pain to explode in her cheek and jaw. She heard the snap as her nose gushed blood. She groaned and fought against the blackness.
Retreat inside. Go into your innermost sanctuary. You don't have to stay here in reality. Come in here with me. She heard the words in her head. Biting on the gag she refused to listen. The voice had been talking to her and it sounded a bit like her mother. Just as she was about to give up and retreat into her mind with the voice, she heard him stand up and looked at him through one eye, the other starting to swell again.
Simon walked out and called out, “Don't horse around, Bobby. You can play with her after they leave.”
Bobby crouched down and leered at her. “You hear that, little cur? I get to play with you after they leave. We'll get really acquainted with each other.” He licked his lips suggestively and traced a finger down her filthy arm. Grabbing on to one of her pinky fingers, he cruelly pulled it back until she heard a snap. She screamed from behind the gag. He stood up and pulled his own foot back, kicking her in the stomach. She screamed again and fought the wave of nausea that threatened, knowing if she vomited with the gag in her mouth, she would probably drown in it. He made his way to the door and flipped off the light before closing and locking it behind him.
She was alone again, the pain in the different parts of her body competing for her attention. She sucked a breath through the filthy rag in her mouth and tried to calm herself. At least she seemed to be healing a bit faster and she could have sworn neither of them were quite as dark and fuzzy as they had been just a few days ago. Last night, she was almost positive she had heard Cay's sweet voice calling for her and now today her eyes were playing tricks on her. Let's not even start on the voices in her head. She laughed bitterly. It was official, the pressure was too much and Zandria was losing her mind.
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Three sets of eyes watched the denizens of Leeco from the ridge overlooking the village. Just as they had seen the day before, there was little to no movement on the hard packed commons. The houses and assorted pack buildings circled it just like most other packs, but unlike theirs, these buildings look old and worn. Even from this distance, Jeff could make out missing boards, broken windows and the uneven patch jobs on the roofs. He growled softly. These poor people lived in poverty while their alpha drove new vehicles and wore expensive clothes. If for no other reason than this, he needed to be brought up before the Council. To ignore your people's most basic needs is the foulest of crimes.
“I don't like it." Chase had shifted back into his human form and was hugging the hillside with his naked body. They had changed at the entrance to the woods surrounding the pack and both he and Cayson had hidden their clothes under a rock. Jeff was the only one who could manifest clothing. Chase couldn't hide his envy.
There was a shimmer then gray fur pulled back into human skin followed by a soft crunch and pops as bones snapped and reformed and muscles realigned. Long fangs regressed into sore gums and claws retreated into fingertips. Cayson nodded in agreement. “There's something off for sure,” he whispered. “I know that was Winstead's car in the lot, but I haven't see him or the other two at all.”
Jeff poked Chase, then pointed towards the tree line to the right. “There he is,” he whispered. Simon strolled out from the covering forest followed by another man. “I want to take a better look at that area behind those trees.” He looked at his wrist and then added, “Thirty minutes then we are out of here. The meeting with the Council is in two hours. We can't be late and I have got to get a shower first. Come on, let's go.”
Quickly the three shifted back into wolves and made their way around the side of the hill, picking carefully through the brush and thorn bushes until they were facing the woods. Looking around, Jeff quickly sprinted across the clearing and disappeared into the trees. Chase and Cayson followed on his heels.
They worked their way through the woods until they found themselves on the back side of the property. They saw a large house sitting in the middle of a small clearing, and unlike the other houses, this one was not in as bad state of repair. It was a two story structure with shutters and a large wrap around porch. The paint was pealing in a couple of places but it was not that noticeable. The yard had once been landscaped with decorative trees, azalea and rose bushes and a small pond surrounded by flowers. Now the trees were drooping, the bushes overgrown and the pond was full of debris and choked with weeds. Behin
d the house, three small sheds sat, two of them in the same sad condition as the house but the third was newer with evidence of recently being erected. The walls weren't painted, but it seemed solidly built. There was a lock on the door.
A snap sounded behind them followed by a low growl. All three whirled around and glared into the shadows. Their hackles rose and lips curled back from their teeth as they spotted two sets of amber eyes staring at them from the dappled shadows. Chase's red wolf crouched low between Jeff's huge black beast and Cayson's gray. Their ears were back and tails tucked between hind legs. Cayson took a step forward and then shifted putting himself between the two sets of wolves.
Jeff was so shocked, he immediately shifted to human form and pulled his son back away from the newcomers. Across from them, the other two also shifted but stayed in the shadows their wolves peering out through their eyes.
“My name is Cayson,” he shook his father off and took another step forward, thrusting his hand behind him to stop the other two from moving. “We're looking for my mate.” He refused to bow or show any submission to them. Instead he looked at them square in the eye as if challenging them to refute him.
“Gabriel,” the one on the left grunted then pointed to his companion. “This is Dakota. Who is your mate and why are you hiding around here?”
“It's a long story”. Chase had shifted and stood just behind Cayson with his arms crossed over his chest. “I'm Chase.”
Jeff stayed where he was, trusting Cayson to know what he was doing. “Jeff,” he stated then added, “Alpha Jeff Hennison”.
“You part of that bunch from Virginia?” Gabriel asked.
Broken Melody (Luna's Children) Page 13
