Out of the Shadows

by Bethany Shaw

  “So you’re both alphas?” Lark asked entwining her fingers together, he was talking to her and she didn’t want to upset him.

  “Sort of, Rick guided Gene and taught him the politics and ins and outs. Emmett chose Daniel to be his successor and has been training him.”

  “Maybe, but I don’t think he is completely on board with whatever Emmett’s plan is. He stopped Vincent and warned him. They have orders to kill both of you.” Lark shuddered realizing how close they’d come to succeeding. If Devon and herself hadn’t of intervened, Vincent would be dead.

  “He might not be, but Daniel won’t defy Emmett. He’s too afraid. He’s seen what happens when people don’t do what Emmett wants.” Devon reached over to the center console and turned down the radio.

  “You did.” She glanced up at him and met his hazel eyes.

  Devon gave her a wry smile. “I also have a kill order on my head.”

  Lark nodded and cautiously put her hand on top of his.

  “Regardless, you stood up for what you believed in and knew was right, knowing the consequences. That takes a lot of courage.”

  “Yeah, well, because of my actions, Rick is dead.”

  Lark looked down at her lap. She grasped his hand in hers tighter, causing him to look at her.

  “Rick knew what he was getting into. He might not have known Emily until a week or so ago, but I know him and he would have taken anyone in under those circumstances. It was the right thing to do and he knew it. Part of being a good leader is standing up for those that can’t do it themselves.”

  ***

  Devon stared at the open highway. Lark was nice - too nice. She reminded him of Rick with the pep talk she’d given. He felt his stomach churn. Guilt still consumed him. He’d heard what Lark had said, but didn’t entirely believe it.

  She had a way of getting him to open up. It unnerved him as much as it intrigued him. It had been a long time since he’d really openly talked to anyone. So long in fact, he couldn’t remember the last time it had happened.

  Lark was different then most everybody he’d ever met. She was kind, but strong. Fierce, but loyal. It was easy to talk to her. Lark listened but didn’t judge. She said what needed to be said without pushing it. Devon admired that.

  His cell phone rang disrupting the silence. Devon pulled it from the center console and checked the caller ID.

  “Preston,” he answered.

  “They still haven’t left the hotel room yet. I don’t think we can take all of them on,” Preston shouted into the phone.

  Devon could hear the hysteria in the younger wolf’s voice. They would be grossly outnumbered if some of them didn’t leave. He shifted his eyes to the clock on the dash.

  “We’re still about an hour or so away. Just sit tight, don’t do anything rash.”

  “What if they hurt her?” Preston questioned.

  Lark’s head swiveled to look at Devon, she swallowed. The thin shred of sanity she was holding onto was slipping away. Devon met her worried gaze as he spoke to Preston.

  “It’s a public place. Hotel walls are paper thin. They aren’t going to do anything to draw attention to themselves. Do you know what room they’re in?” Devon asked keeping his voice even and calm. If they intended to hurt her, she would already be dead.

  “Yes, room 208.”

  “Good, just keep an eye out and let me know if anything changes.” Devon hung up the phone and let out a long breath.

  “Did you mean what you said?” Lark asked quietly.

  Devon looked at her, worry creased her brow. “Yes, they won’t do anything to cause a disturbance.”

  Lark nodded and looked back out the window.

  Devon picked up his phone again and tapped it against the steering wheel.

  “Will you look through my contacts for me…” he paused and cleared his throat. “ For Daniel McKinley. I want you to text him a message. Make sure you choose the one that’s labeled private, Emmett monitors all of the cell phones he gives his men.”

  Fortunately, Devon hadn’t had to seek out a new phone like Vincent had when they’d arrived in Abilene. Vincent had one of Emmett’s special issue phones that were constantly monitored. Devon had gotten his own personal phone and plan several years ago.

  Lark’s fingers brushed against his as she took the phone. Warmth flooded him at the simple touch, her hands were unbelievably soft.

  “Your brother?”

  “Yeah, find him and send him a text. Just tell him we need to talk.”

  “Do you think he will help?” Lark’s voice shook. The phone beeped while she searched through the list of names.

  “I’m not Vincent, he might not even call or text back.” There was no love between the two of them. Daniel loathed him as much as Emmett did.

  “I couldn’t imagine having a strained relationship with Sarah.” Lark shook her head her fingers rapidly typing in the message. “It must be hard,” she said sympathetically.

  “It’s always been like this, we don’t know another way,” Devon remarked.

  “You seem close to Vincent and Emily.”

  Devon smiled. “Em and I have always been close. She has one of those personalities.” Kind of like Lark did, he thought. Emily was a friend to everyone. “Vincent and I became close when he started middle school. We realized we had more in common than we thought.”

  Devon’s phone whistled as a new text came in.

  “It’s Daniel.” Lark held the phone out to him.

  “What did he say?” Devon asked. His hand gripped the wheel tighter. Lark’s fingers tapped the phone opening the text.

  “That he’d call in a few minutes. Do you think he will?” Lark asked chewing on her lip.

  Devon sucked in a deep breath and let it out.

  “I don’t know. Daniel and I, we… I don’t know.”

  “He can’t want Emily to do this either. He’s her brother to.”

  “Her father is the one who put her in this position,” Devon pointed out. If her own father could condemn her to this life so could her brother.

  Lark sighed and looked away. “He has to help us. Sarah is the only family I have left. I can’t lose her. She’s my baby sister. It’s been just the two of us the past three years. I was supposed to take care of her, watch out for her,” her voice got thicker with emotion as tears brimmed in her azure irises.

  “We’ll get her back.” Devon lifted his hand wanting to comfort her as she had him, but questioned the action. He put his hand back on the steering wheel.

  “I hope so,” Lark whispered, her bottom lip trembling.

  Devon’s phone rang and Lark handed it to him. The phone clammy from her sweat. Devon looked at the caller ID.

  “Daniel.”

  ***

  Lark looked at Devon nervously as he touched the speaker button and set the phone down on the center console. She let out a relieved breath, thankful he was letting her hear the conversation too. It touched her that he was being so thoughtful.

  “What do you want, Devon?” Daniel grumbled into the phone.

  Lark frowned eyes darting to Devon. He seemed un-fazed by his brother’s harsh greeting.

  “Is that something you really need to ask? What are you doing with Em and Sarah?” Devon replied sharply.

  “You know what.”

  Devon ground his teeth, causing Lark to cringe.

  “Sarah is a human. You can’t do this to her. It’s wrong and you know it.”

  “Do what?” Lark asked. What are they going to do to Sarah? Her breath caught in her throat, and tears burned in her eyes. They couldn’t hurt Sarah.

  “This is Lark, Sarah’s sister, the high school girl you kidnapped,” Devon snapped. “Their parents died, and she’s all Lark has left. How would you like me to tell her that you took her sister with Em, to be a breeder for the Gulf Packs?”

  “What?” Lark cried out exasperated, her lip trembled as tears started to fall uncontrollably. “I thought you said werewolves and humans d
idn’t conceive.”

  “I said it was rare, that doesn’t mean they won’t try,” Devon said quietly. His hand rested on top of her trembling hand. What he said was the truth, he just hated telling her like this. “Can you do that, Daniel, send her off to the Gulf Packs. Can you?” Devon yelled into the phone. “Then what about Emily, she’s mated to Marcus, you know. Can you do that to your own sister?”

  “Devon-”

  “Let me guess, it’s easier when you don’t think about it. It’s not too late, Daniel. You don’t have to do this.” Devon interrupted, his voice icy, but even. “Do you really want that on your conscious the rest of your life. Knowing you sent a young innocent woman into that. That your baby sister, the one you vowed to protect-”

  “Stop.” Daniel yelled. He huffed into the phone causing it to crackle.

  “No, I won’t stop. I’m right and you know it. If you’re going to do it, then I damn well will make sure you know what you’re doing to them.” Devon slammed his hand against the steering wheel.

  “Howard and Mitch are leaving from here to take, the girl, Sarah, to Hope, New Mexico. We’ll be taking Emily home for a short bit before she goes to Santa Fe.” Daniel said into the phone.

  “Just the two of them are taking Sarah?”

  Lark looked at Devon hopefully. They could help Sarah.

  “Yeah, we already have our orders,” Daniel sighed. “Emily will come home for a few weeks. The mating mark will need to be removed and father explained to them that mother needed some more time to prepare her.”

  “Thank you, Daniel.” Devon reached for the phone.

  “Devon,” Daniel hesitated for a long moment. “Vincent and Marcus, are they okay?”

  Lark swallowed and closed her eyes remembering all the blood and death. She shivered, it was a memory that would haunt her forever.

  “Marcus is pretty messed up, but he’s alive. Vincent has a broken arm and needed quite a few stitches,” Devon answered evenly.

  “I’m glad they’re okay.”

  Devon rolled his eyes, while his hand hovered over the phone.

  “Devon, you should get in contact with Derek Stiles, the alpha from Amarillo. I, uh, I have to go.” Daniel hung up the phone with a sharp click.

  Lark sniffled and wiped at her eyes with the backs of her hands.

  “Is he really taking Sarah to some breeder in New Mexico?”

  “We’re going to stop him.”

  “What about Emily?” Lark looked out the window. She wanted to save Sarah, but couldn’t forget about Emily either. She doubted Devon would choose her sister over his own.

  “We’ll figure something out. At the moment, getting Sarah back is the priority. She is in more danger, but less guarded.” Devon ran a hand through his tousled sand colored hair. “Gene will need to speak with Derek Stiles and find out what is going on there. Emmett is going to hold tight to Emily, we need to be careful how we go about it. I’m going to call Preston and Gene.”

  Lark closed her eyes resting her head against the headrest. Everything was spiraling out of control, she just hoped they found their footing. Rick was gone, and she couldn’t lose anyone else she cared about.

  Chapter 14

  “I can’t just sit around here!” Preston yelled as he paced the hotel room. “They killed my dad, and they’re holding Sarah and Emily hostage.” Preston’s voice shook, his red eyes flicked wildly between Devon and Lark. He pointed to the window, stomping his foot on the carpet. “She’s right there across the street.”

  “They aren’t going to hurt Sarah,” Devon said, leaning against the door to make sure Preston didn’t do anything rash. The boy was on the verge of losing it. The hysteria and rage radiated off him in waves. The stench of sweat and anger mingled in the room like soured milk. “We wait for tomorrow.”

  “How do you know he was telling the truth?” Preston bellowed, arms flailing out wildly knocking a chair over.

  Lark jumped in her seat. Eyes wide, arms wrapped tightly around her knees.

  “Preston,” she said softly. “We should wait until tomorrow. I spoke to Daniel too. I don’t think he was lying. We all want Sarah back. We’re only going to get one chance at this. We need to make it count. We can see the door to their room from here. If anyone leaves, we’ll know.”

  Preston stopped his frantic movements and looked at Lark, resignation in his eyes.

  “I’m going to get some air.” He stomped toward the door, jaw set, and fists balled.

  Devon continued his lazy stance in front of the door.

  “You’re not going to do anything stupid, Preston.” He met Preston’s eyes and glared into them. Preston stared back for a long moment before looking away. “Leave it be till the morning,” he warned.

  Devon stepped out of the way so Preston could leave. The door slammed shut behind him.

  “You don’t think he will do anything crazy, do you?” Lark asked.

  “No, he wants Sarah back, and he’ll follow orders. Even if he doesn’t like them.”

  Devon looked out the window. Preston was sitting on the cement tucked inside the tiny nook of the wall – out of sight. The kid probably just needed a minute to digest everything. It had been a long day for all of them.

  He couldn’t imagine how Preston and Gene must feel losing their father. His own father had died when he was three. Unfortunately Devon had little recollection of him. Rick was the only father Devon had ever known, and the news devastated him. His stomach churned, clenching tightly. Tears stung in his eyes, but he refused to let them fall.

  “Thank you for helping. I wish there was something more we could do for Emily.” Lark chewed on her lower lip. Her fingers intertwined as she twiddled with the edge of the table.

  Devon nodded as he stared out the window. If he wouldn’t let this happen to Emily, he sure as hell couldn’t stand aside and let it happen to someone else.

  “You should get some rest, Lark. It’s been a long day, and tomorrow will be just as long.”

  He didn’t want to be rude, but he needed some time alone with his thoughts. He still hadn’t processed everything, hadn’t allowed himself to feel. Now that things were quiet for the moment, he wanted to grieve in his own way.

  ***

  Lark opened her eyes, taking in the pitch black hotel room, illuminated only by the moonlight. Sweat beaded around her neck and brow. Hair stuck to the nape of her neck. She sat up and looked around at the barely visible furniture. Movement by the window caught her eye.

  Devon stood at the window arms crossed over his chest. His broad shoulders accented by the bright white of the moon. Lark stared at the fine plains of his bare back. She licked her lips taking him all in. Her body shuddered recalling the way he’d felt pressed against her - the way his lips had caressed hers a day ago.

  Lark blinked the images away. Thankful for the darkness that hid the heat creeping across her face. Her throat parched, she pushed the covers back to get a drink of water from the sink.

  The cool water alleviated some of the heat, and glided down her parched throat. She pushed the wet strands out of her face and walked to the window. Devon hadn’t moved. Preston and the three other guys lay sound asleep on the floor. They’d been kind enough to give her the only bed.

  “Do you not sleep?” Lark joined him at the window. Her eyes glued to the door across the street. To think, her sister was in that room. Lark wondered if Sarah was okay. Was she sleeping? In pain? Would they hurt her? The list went on and on.

  “It’s my turn to keep watch. Daniel said they wouldn’t leave till morning, but I don’t want to risk it.” Devon looked over at her for a moment his eyes slipped down to take in her plaid pants before he turned back to the window.

  She’d gone with Preston to the store earlier to pick up a few things. They’d both needed the distraction. She normally slept in boy-shorts, but after her run in with Devon the other morning, and considering she was sharing a room with five guys, she had thought better.

  “Oh, I d
idn’t realize you guys were keeping watch. I can keep a look out if you want to rest.”

  “It’s okay. Preston will take over in another half hour.” Devon shrugged. “I’m used to the late nights; it’s actually been a little bit of shell shock to get used to days. As an EMT I worked the twelve hour night shift. Most incidents happen at night, you get used to being up all night. My nights off I usually spent out too. Vincent likes to party. I went along for something to do and keep him out of trouble.”

  “I can see that about Vincent. I bet you’ve seen some interesting things on your job?”

  Devon smiled, the moonlight lit his hazel eyes. “People never cease to amaze you. I’ve seen the traumatic to the dramatic.”

  Lark laughed. “I can imagine. You see stories on the news every so often, where someone calls 911 for a cheeseburger, or something ridiculous like that.”

  “Those are the people who don’t understand the absorbent bill they get in the mail for our services either,” Devon chuckled.

  The smile lit his entire face. It gave her a rare glimpse of him. Lark wondered what had happened in his past to make him so distant. Slowly, he seemed to be opening up to her. She hoped he continued to do so.

  “I’m sure you get interesting characters in The Cookie Jar.”

  “Yeah, about half my customers are regulars. It’s kind of nice getting to talk to everyone. You’d be amazed what people tell you though. I’ve heard so many things that I really didn’t want to know.” Lark placed her hands on the windowsill, leaning forward. She peered out the sheer curtains.

  Her thoughts drifted back to Sarah and Emily; at least they had each other.