Shattered Pack

by Erin, Aileen;

  Donovan put a hand on my shoulder, holding me in place. “You were out maybe a minute. Not long enough to even catch your breath.” He paused for a second as if to be certain I was paying attention. His fear was there, pounding at me. “Meredith. You’re bleeding. The wounds aren’t healing. We need the medic. You can’t go anywhere like this. You’ll die.”

  I’d noticed. Every inch of me hurt, but fear and adrenaline helped me push past the pain. I swung my legs over the edge of the bed. “I’ll live. I’m too stubborn to die. Not now. We have to find Saoirse.”

  “I can do that. You stay here—”

  “Did you not hear me? What part of Bhrunyz is coming aren’t you getting? The only reason I’m alive right now is because of Cosette’s stupid coin.” I took a shaky breath. “If you can’t track Saoirse through the pack bond, then we need a car so I can get gone. Then you can get the brooch and I’ll come back when that fucking monster is out of the picture.”

  Then the beast’s cry reverberated through the air.

  Donovan tore off his clothes as he shifted and raced out the door on four paws.

  If he was going after Bhrunyz, then I had one thing to do. Find Saoirse before Donovan got himself killed.

  My limbs burned as I forced them to move. I limped, but I was moving. If I survived this, I was going to treat myself to the longest spa day ever. Spa month. Yes. That would make this worth it. Maybe.

  I moved through the hallways, away from the snarling of the wolves and Bhrunyz’s cries as he froze them.

  Where is she? I asked Donovan. As Alpha, he was tied to each Were in the pack. If he concentrated, he should be able to tell me exactly where Saoirse was. I didn’t have forever to search through this stupid place. If he didn’t answer me, we were both dead.

  He shot me a mental picture of the receiving room.

  Thanks. I wasn’t sure how to get there exactly, but I had a vague idea. And if I lived through this, someone was going to make me a goddamned map.

  Limping, I moved through the halls as fast as my legs could carry me. My broken arm hung practically useless at my side. I tried to make a fist, but my fingers wouldn’t close all the way.

  Bitch was going to pay for that, too.

  Each step took too much time. I could feel Donovan fighting. Pain lanced through his side. He was hurt. I wanted to reach out to him, but I couldn’t—wouldn’t distract him again.

  Saoirse’s scent grew stronger, and I knew I’d almost found her. Then I heard her voice. She was pleading for backup.

  “—done, I’ll hand Bhrunyz back over. But only if I have your support as Alpha.”

  “The Lunar court cannot and will not back you as Alpha.” Helen’s voice rang clear. “You’ve committed a crime against our court, stealing a fey artifact and risking our peace with the Council of Seven. If you become Alpha of the Irish pack through deceit, your rule cannot last. I’ll gladly support any Were who rises against you.”

  “Cousin, please—”

  “Ah, yes. Please do play the family card. Let’s see where that gets you. The fact that your second cousin once slept with my great grandaunt and produced a single offspring does not amount to us being family. Let us be quite clear. You’re no relation of mine. If your blood didn’t prove that, your actions have.”

  “Please, Helen—” Saoirse whined and Helen didn’t respond.

  She’d hung up, however that was done on mirrors. Saoirse was pissed.

  I grinned. Ah, karma.

  I stepped into the room. “I’ll take that brooch now, Saoirse.”

  Fur broke over Saoirse’s body before she could fight it back. “No.” The word was little more than a horrified whisper, but I heard it just the same. “You should be dead.” She was genuinely confused, but I wasn’t sure that anyone had ever made it out of Bhrunyz’s lair alive, so that wasn’t a surprise.

  “Oh, I’m a lot tougher to kill than that. Worse people than you have tried and failed.” As annoying and conniving as Saoirse was, she wasn’t the same level of evil that Luciana had been.

  She clasped the silver rose. “Bhrunyz. To me.”

  Right. Get the brooch first, then antagonize her. Dumb mistake.

  I braced to dodge, but nothing happened. We waited, silent and still, but Bhrunyz didn’t show up.

  “To me!” Her voice grew a little more frantic.

  I grinned. Bhrunyz was all tied up. I wasn’t sure how Donovan was managing it, but I was grateful. It probably wasn’t going to last long. The pack weren’t the best fighters, but even if they threw chairs and tables at him, that could be enough. It had worked before.

  “To me!” She yelled again.

  “I think Bhrunyz might be a little busy right now,” I said as I limped toward her.

  “I can smell your blood.”

  I was hurt. I couldn’t hide it, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t give her one hell of a fight. “I’m bleeding and my arm is shit, but you what? I’m at my worst right now, and I’ll still beat you.”

  I took a few steps toward her and she sprung into action.

  This time, Saoirse was fast. Or maybe I was slow. Her fist hit my side before I could block it and hot blood gushed from my already torn skin.

  I didn’t have use of one arm and one of my legs was seriously injured, but I blocked her hits as fast as they came. It took me a second, but I managed to nail her in the stomach with my good hand. She ran for the back of the room as she gasped for air.

  Where the hell was she going?

  Saoirse threw one of the side chairs at me and I ducked. It shattered against the wall behind me.

  She reached behind her for a book and threw that at me, too. I swatted it away with my bad arm and kept going to her. She threw another book at me, and I was done.

  “Jesus. Stop throwing shit.” I picked up a floor lamp and swung it at her with everything I had. It caught her in the stomach, and she slammed into the wall. Her head bounced back against one of the portraits. The modern piece was framed with glass, and as it crashed on her head, glass rained down on her. The scent of her blood filled the room.

  I quickly limped over to her. I didn’t need to hurt or even kill her. I just needed the stupid brooch.

  My hand closed around cool metal, and I ripped the chain from her neck. Fey magic tingled along my skin like a million ants were walking on me. “Bhrunyz. Go back to your lair.”

  Everyone okay? I held my breath as I waited for him to answer.

  Yes. He said after a moment. We’re fine. He left.

  Holy shit. I needed a second. All the air whooshed out of me, and my side…

  I’m coming to you now. I’m bringing the pack medic.

  That’s good. Because I’m not doing so hot. I sagged down on the floor, finally feeling every bump, scrape, and slash. The hours of running and terror. It was over.

  But my fucking arm. I swallowed. Getting that fixed was going to be a total bitch. My brothers had told horror stories about Weres who’d healed broken limbs and lost motor function.

  I closed my eyes. I’d deal with that later.

  “You.”

  My eyes flew open. Blood ran down Saoirse’s head. She stood above me, looking a bit too much like Carrie for my liking.

  I tried to lift my arms, but they weren’t listening to me. I couldn’t even roll over. All the adrenaline was gone. I didn’t have anything left.

  “You’ve lost,” Saoirse said.

  “Maybe. But so have you.”

  She tore off her clothes and shifted. In wolf form, she bared her fangs at me.

  I knew what was coming. If I couldn’t make myself get up, then it was lights out. I tried to move again, but there wasn’t anything I could do. If you could hurry, that’d be good.

  Almost there.

  Now would be better.

  Saoirse jumped at me with fangs ready to rip open my throat.

  Donovan crashed into her in mid-air. I smiled. He hadn’t wasted any time. A crack echoed through the room as Donovan grabbed
her head and viciously twisted it. Saoirse’s limp body bounced as it hit the ground. Her head lolled to the side at an unnatural angle.

  I melted into the floor. “Shit. You have some timing.” My words were slurred, and I hoped it was just from the exhaustion.

  Donovan knelt by my side. He hadn’t bothered with clothes in his quick shift, but he didn’t seem bothered by that. His focus was on me. He started to say something, but his voice cracked and he stopped.

  “I’m sure it looks much worse than it is.”

  “Meredith…” His hands shook as he brushed a piece of hair from my face. Even if his fear hadn’t been slamming into me, I would’ve known he was afraid from his scent. It was all I could smell.

  “Don’t worry so much. I’m going to be fine.” I’d faced down Bhrunyz twice and hadn’t died yet. I wasn’t giving up now.

  A tear rolled down his cheek. “I’m going to order you to sleep, okay? I won’t wake you up until you’re healed.”

  “That sounds like a fantastic idea.”

  “Sleep, a ghrá.” He said, shoving as much power as I could stand down my throat.

  The world went blissfully black as the pain melted from my body.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  I woke with a gasp. My heart was going a mile a minute. I tried to sit up, but Donovan brushed a hand over my forehead. “Shhh. Everything is fine. You’re safe.”

  “What…” I didn’t even know what to ask. Last time I was awake, everything had hurt. The pain was gone now, but it was replaced with confusion. “What happened?”

  “You’ve been asleep for the past ten days. It took a while to get you healed up, and I didn’t want you in pain.”

  I relaxed back into the pillow and took a deep breath. There wasn’t anything to fight right now. That part was over. The bed under me was soft. The sheets and duvet were so comfy, I wanted to sink in for another year or so. I stretched, taking stock of everything. My arm had healed, correctly this time, and I was thankful not to have been awake for the whole re-breaking experience. Because that must have been terrible.

  I wiggled my fingers, and they moved just how they were supposed to. My sides didn’t burn. I couldn’t smell even a hint of blood.

  Donovan sat down beside me. He looked like a dream. His dark gray sweater made his light blue eyes stand out even more. “How are you feeling?”

  “Surprisingly good. Hungry. But good. What happened with the pack?”

  “It’s been busy. We did end up having the meeting, and a number of wolves are out on their asses. There may be more in the coming days, but Saoirse’s supporters are all gone.”

  “What happened with Bhrunyz?”

  Donovan reached for a small porcelain box on the bedside table. “It’s yours now.”

  I lifted the lid. Inside was the brooch. Shaking my head, I pushed the box back at Donovan. “Nope. I want nothing to do with that thing.”

  “Better you have it than someone else.”

  That was true, but… I wanted to know Bhrunyz was locked away or dead and I didn’t want to think about him again. Not for a very, very, very long time. “The fey didn’t want it?”

  “Ah. This is where we get to the fun bit,” Donovan grinned. “Not only is the brooch—and Bhrunyz—yours to use or not as you see fit, but the Lunar Queen herself owes you a debt.”

  I sat up. “What?” That was a huge deal. People were usually indebted to the fey, not the other way around. And not with one of the most powerful fey queens. “Why on earth would she owe me a debt?”

  “It appears that she was in violation of her promise to Lucas. Bhrunyz was meant to be locked away forever. She offered the debt to Lucas, but he passed it along to you. Since you were directly affected by the violation, he felt it was only right that you hold the debt. You can collect at any time.”

  “But aren’t they going into hiding?” How could I call in a debt if they weren’t going to be around?

  “The courts will disappear in the next week. We’ll have limited contact through designated meeting spots and mirrors, including my direct mirror to Helen. You’ll be able to contact her at any time.”

  I had no idea what I’d ever need the Lunar Queen’s help for, but maybe I could use the debt to free Cosette? I’d have to text her. But either way, I was kind of shocked. “That’s pretty intense.”

  “It is.” Donovan’s eyes flashed blue as he gripped my hand. “I thought you’d died.”

  I swallowed. It had been pretty scary. For a moment down in Bhrunyz’s lair, I really thought I was going to die. It’d been really close. Much closer than I wanted to admit to Donovan. I don’t think he’d get over that. “It was pretty fucking scary.” I had a feeling Donovan wasn’t going to be the only one with nightmares now. “Thank you for what you did. I know killing Saoirse—”

  “Don’t. It had to be done, and I blame myself. I haven’t been here. If I had…” He shook his head. “Maybe it was coming either way, but I bear a lot of the responsibility for this.”

  “How’s Ian handling it?”

  “Not well.” He looked away, and the sharp sting of betrayal he felt from his cousin ran through the bond. “He says that he didn’t know what she was up to, but he doesn’t believe my reasons for killing her were just.”

  Pissed, I sat straight up. “What the hell? Is he for real?”

  “Apparently.” Donovan got up and started pacing the room. “It’s as if the world went topsy-turvy. I didn’t know… I feel a right git. My negligence nearly got you killed. I’ll never forgive myself.”

  “Don’t. You can’t blame yourself for other people’s actions.”

  “Can’t I?” He stood at the foot of the bed, hands on his hips. “I can’t believe I had everything so wrong. I’m too old for this kind of thing to sneak up on me.”

  I threw off the covers and slid to the end of the bed. “You made some mistakes. Sure. But you can’t take the full weight of this on your shoulders.”

  “You didn’t see what I saw. My mate on the floor, half-dead at the hands of my pack. I should’ve stopped it. I should’ve known what was happening. I—”

  “Stop!” I stood up, gripping his arms and giving him a little shake. “Stop it. You can’t know everything. Even you, the great, almighty Donovan. Sometimes people will surprise you, in good ways and bad.”

  “Well consider me thoroughly surprised. I nearly lost everything.” He pulled me to sit on the bed again. “Sebastian was by a few days ago. He was sorry he missed you.”

  Sebastian was his closest friend who was also in the Seven. Was Donovan actually considering leaving the Council? “Was he here because you’re leaving the Seven?”

  “No. For something else, although we did talk of that.” He sighed. “After all this with Saoirse, I wonder if I should keep the pack. If they don’t want me, then why stay?” He grasped my hand, linking our fingers together. “It seems like a lot of work to fix. It’s something we’d have to do together, so we need to decide together.”

  “Me? You want me to help decide?” I shook my head. “It’s really thoughtful that you’re including me, but I don’t know this pack. I don’t know what it could be if it were healthy. I’ve seen one very bad side of it. Honestly, I’d say ditch them, but that might not be fair.”

  “No. It’s fair. So what do we do?”

  He wanted me to decide this, too? “I have no clue.”

  “I’ve an idea.” He turned on the bed, sitting crisscrossed. I mirrored him, and our knees touched. “We haven’t had time for dates or doing anything but racing around hunting witches, dealing with fey drama, and trying to figure out my pack. Let’s take the time now.”

  Take the time? I liked the sound of that. We’d been going a mile a minute for the last couple of months, but take time for what exactly? “What do you mean?”

  He smiled, and it was as if the room brightened. “I talked to the pack before I woke you. The next full moon is eight days away, and I’ve already cleaned house. I’m giving them t
hat time to lick their wounds and talk amongst themselves. I’ve done what I can for now. I honestly don’t want to campaign for them when I don’t even know if I still want the job. So, the rest will be done at the full moon. Which means we have eight whole days. We’re taking a holiday.”

  Warmth filled me as I thought about all the awesomeness of that word. “A holiday?”

  “I nearly lost you. It’s going to take me some time to get over that. I’ve a need to have you all to myself for a bit.”

  “But what about the pack?” I scooted away from him. “Do you think it’s okay to take time away when everything is so fragile here?”

  “You were right. I don’t want to rule a pack from fear. If I stay on as Alpha, then that means leaving the Seven. They have to want me to stay. I’m not going to fight them anymore.” He grabbed my hand. “I’m old enough to know that you have to keep in mind what’s important. I forgot that in the rush to fulfill my job as Alpha and Council member. But things change. And to be honest, I’ve been doing the same thing for a long time. It took me a while to realize how tired of it all I was. This—” He waved a hand between us. “Is what life is about. Love. Family. I thought I had that in the pack.”

  I felt horrible for him. He’d been betrayed not just by one pack member, but by everyone who’d allied with Saoirse and Vivian. They’d all come against him. “I’m sorry.”

  He shook his head. “It’s not your fault.”

  “No, but your pack…” I sighed. “You sure you’re okay leaving? Even if it costs you the pack?”

  “Meredith. I’m not about being Alpha to a pack that hates me. It’s not the life I want. I’d like a family and some fun, which I’ve been sorely lacking. I didn’t realize how much until our chats while you were watching that God-awful American television.”

  “Hey, now. You live with me, you live with my DVR.” I was quiet for a second. “What would you do with all your time if you weren’t the Alpha?”

  “I’d still be with the Seven. So, that’d take up a good bit of time. But we could do whatever you want. I’ve had a bit of time to accumulate investments. We could travel. I know you fancied going to school for psychology. Right?”