They came into a narrow hallway that led them to what appeared to be a triage area. It was surprising that people wouldn’t find others out of place when they acted like they belonged there. Ethan checked from room to room looking for the young wolf. She noticed that Ethan seemed to track him by smell. He scented the air before he moved.
Ethan paused at one open examination room. There was a nurse in scrubs sitting next to the bed, busy typing on a portable computer. The nurse raised her head from the monitor.
“Can I help you?” she asked.
“My nephew has just been admitted here, where is he?” Ethan asked in a worried voice. “He had a motorcycle accident I was told.”
“Oh. He was taken to get a CT scan. He’ll be back shortly.”
“Which floor is the CT scan?”
“Radiology department is on the fourth floor, but you can’t go there.”
“I know. I just want to let my family know. We’ll just wait in the waiting area. Thanks.”
As if, Sookie thought. That’s soooo not going to happen. Ethan motioned Sookie to follow. They went back to the closed hallway where they originally came from to find an elevator. Two minutes later they found what they were looking for.
An elderly woman was standing near the elevator door. She gave Ethan a wary look when he pushed the elevator button up.
“Wait here for a second. Keep the door open,” he said to Sookie.
Sookie nodded.
Ethan disappeared for a minute.
Then she heard a loud alarm blaring all over the place. The fire alarm. Jesus Christ. What is he doing now? Sookie was bewildered. Ethan returned, striding fast. His face betrayed nothing. The elevator door opened. The car was empty. He and Sookie entered after the elderly lady. Ethan pushed the fourth floor button. The lady seventh floor.
For what seemed an eternity, the elevator door closed. The lady fussed with her hearing aid battery. She smiled nervously.
“Did you hear the alarm?” Her voice was a tad louder than normal.
Ethan pretended he couldn’t hear her properly until the bell dinged for the fourth floor. The door opened and people anxiously wanted to jump in to get off the floor. Ethan grabbed Sookie’s arm and elbowed his way out of the crowding, impatient people. Some hospital staff could be heard yelling in the background, “It’s not a drill, people. We have to get out of the building, like, now!”
Ugh! Sookie could add public nuisance to her list of criminal offenses. Would public nuisance count as criminal misdemeanor, perhaps? She hoped Ethan had a really good lawyer on retainer. She stole a glance at him. The guy was still cool as cucumber. Damn, does anything faze him? He still looked calm, calculated, and to be honest, a bit scary because she knew how unpredictable he was. Ethan was the type of guy who sneaked up on a monster and said, “Boo!”
After walking for a good five minutes, Ethan found what was he looking for: the radiology department. He scented the air again and followed it. The corridor was filled with anxious people striding fast. The air was still filled with chatters and ear-deafening blares. Someone exclaimed that there was a fire on the ground floor and this was not a drill. Sookie turned to Ethan sharply. Did he really start a fire? Ethan only smirked.
They passed some doors and arrived at the CT lab. Before Ethan could open it, the door burst open and the young wolf rider they were hunting materialized before them. He looked like someone who had woken up in the middle of nightmare. Eyes wild, hair stuck out in all different direction. His hospital gown was askew with dark stains of blood seeping through the chest area. He yelped like a little pup when he saw Ethan.
Ethan’s smile widened to almost creepy. “Oh hello there, little whelp. I thought you’d be running to your master by now.”
The young wolf sputtered.
Ethan grabbed the front of his gown and shoved him backward, back to the room. The young wolf stumbled on the floor. Sookie closed the door behind her before anybody could notice what happened. She gasped when she saw a sprawling form in white lab coat. It must be the radiology technician. Then, there was a man in scrubs that must be the nurse. Both of them slumped in pools of their own blood, their throats were cut open. The smell of metallic tang was so strong in the air, it was perverse. She looked away. Bile crawled to the back of her mouth. Don’t puke, don’t puke. You don’t want your DNA tied up to these grisly murders. She watched enough CSI to know how forensic stuff works. She turned around and wiped the door handle from her fingerprint.
Ethan took one look and tsked as if he chided a misbehaving child. “That is not nice, whelp. These men were only doing their jobs and you slaughter them like that.”
The young wolf scuttled backward, his face a pained terror. The alpha scared the shit out of him.
Well, he should be, Sookie thought indignantly. What did the men ever do to you that you have to kill them so senselessly? You could just knock them out or something.
Ethan advanced. He grabbed the young wolf by the hair and lifted him up off his feet. “Where’s Cain?”
“I don’t know.”
“Wrong answer.”
“I don’t fucking know! It’s not like they tell me everything. I’m only following orders!”
Ethan tsked again in disgust. “You know who else was just following their orders and didn’t take any responsibility for what they did? The Nazis.”
Ethan’s cell phone rang. He released the young wolf with a shake. Ethan answered the call.
Sookie tried to eavesdrop on the conversation but couldn’t make out most of it.
Ethan ended the call with a grunt. He gestured with the tip of his chin as he pocketed his phone. “Grayson found him.”
“Cain?” Sookie asked.
“The one and only.” Ethan turned back to the young wolf. “Guess I don’t need you anymore.”
The young wolf looked relieved.
“Still, you’re pissing me off. No one shoots at me and my mate and gets away with it.”
“I’m sorry—”
Ethan grabbed the youngling by his neck and threw him against the big pane window. He used such a brute force that the impact was hard enough to shatter the thick glass, sending the young wolf flailing through the air before hitting the ground with a horrible crash. People screamed below and a car’s alarm blared, adding to the cacophony.
Sookie hid her face behind her palms. She was numb. Body counts piled higher. She wasn’t going to add anything more to her criminal offense list. No. It was too much.
“Come on, babe,” said Ethan, clasping a hand on her shoulder. His voice was surprisingly tender. Gone was his coldness, the scary wrath he reserved for his enemies. His eyes were warm. Caring.
This was the man Sookie fell in love with. The man who swore to protect her until the end of time. The other part of her heart. Her mate.
Sookie snatched his hand and held it tight. Her mate wouldn’t let anything bad happen to her. He would rescue Jesse and help him back to normal. And everything would be all right.
Ethan steered her out of the CT room and closed the door quietly. The fire alarm had quieted down. A hospital staffer passed by them in the corridor, grumbling on the phone.
“It’s a false alarm. I know, I know. There’s no fucking fire. Get back to work. This shit ain’t funny, if you ask me.”
Somehow, Sookie felt relieve. She could scratch arson from the list.
Ethan tugged her to follow him. They walked unhurried along the maze-like corridors. He pushed a door that led them to the stairs and descended to the basement parking lot.
They exited to the first level of the parking garage. Ethan surveyed the rows of cars and hummed, “Eeny, meeny, miny, moe.” He picked another older-model sedan and hotwired it. Ethan drove it casually before they had to exit the parking booth. He sped up and hit the gate like it was nothing because they didn’t have the parking ticket. The sedan belonged to a hospital visitor instead of a hospital worker.
By now, Sookie didn’t really care that they h
ad broken so many laws today. Yeah, whatever. We are totally bad ass.
She caught Ethan’s eyes. He winked.
Yeah, totally.
Chapter Seven
Ethan didn’t plan to drive the stolen vehicle all the way to Cain’s secret headquarters. Firstly, the sedan probably had been reported as stolen since they left without paying the parking ticket at the hospital. Secondly, his mate looked unbearably tense riding in a stolen car. She seemed half-expecting a cop car would loom out of nowhere and stop them. Ethan didn’t want her more miserable than she already was. Cute, though. Susan was so bad at being bad. Adorable, even.
So, he set a rendezvous point with Grayson. They met at a strip mall on Ashland Avenue and Greener. His men had just pulled into the parking lot when he arrived.
The switch was brief.
Susan was surprised when they had to switch cars. She seemed relieved. Ethan and she got into a black Land Rover with dark tinted windows. Grayson sat shotgun. Samuel drove. He and Susan relaxed in the back. The rest of his men followed in two Escalades behind.
Cain’s werewolf factory was located an hour-and-a-half drive from where they were. Grayson briefed him immediately.
“You left Lunar Manor just in time, Alpha,” began Grayson. “Cain’s force stormed the manor about five minutes after we’d gone. House McAllister conspired with Cain and attacked our guests. They were after you and your mate, as well, and left when they learned neither of you were there.”
“How many houses conspired with Cain?” asked Ethan.
“Two. McAllister and Kronin. We immediately dealt with them when they tried to exit the perimeter. Mr. Cain promised them the new and improved Alpha Strain. It appeared that Mr. Cain had made a claim he had perfected it.”
“Well, did he?”
“No. It was a false claim. If he had, we all would have already been killed.”
“You have a point. Where is Cain right now? Is he holing up in the factory we’re going to right now?”
“Mr. Weber confirmed it. After the attack at the manor, Mr. Cain sent his men to obliterate the houses that had spurned his proposal. Last night was werewolves night. Many died, civilians and werewolves alike. Mr. Sheridan is having a hard time doing damage control right now.”
“I can imagine that.”
“It can’t be helped, unfortunately. The rest of our force and wolves of the loyal houses had been deployed to Cain’s stronghold.”
“Are you positive that Cain is hiding in there? For all I know he could be anywhere by now.”
“He made a deal with Faye Farrow to loan him a yacht. I suppose it was part of his contingency escape plan. However, it didn’t work as he planned it. Farrow double-crossed him at last moment. Apparently, Farrow’s sister held a grudge toward Cain. Though I don’t have the exact details on how everything went down, suffice it to say the confrontation was so severe that Cain was forced to retreat to the factory.”
A grin lurked around Ethan’s face, so he put that one on. “Karma’s a bitch indeed.”
Grayson glanced over his shoulder. “Ah, so you know what happened between Cain and the Farrows?”
“Of course.”
“Tragic.”
“Again, karma’s a bitch.” Several years ago, Ethan heard that Cain defiled the precious flower of House Farrow, being the playboy he was with the right pedigree, deep pockets and powerful connections. Cain was out of control. Mia was a sweet, shy, convent-girl type and quite religious. Mia was set up to be a nun once she graduated from high school. It was unfortunate that Mia caught Cain’s attention. Cain brazenly courted her. Lavished her with shiny baubles, plied her with great promises and a shiny future. He asked for her hand in marriage. Ethan guessed the Farrows must have thought a marriage alliance with the Hunters would elevate their family into the upper social standing.
Like the slimeball he was, Cain broke the courtship once he bedded Mia and took her virginity. The poor girl was devastated. The family was deeply shamed. It caused such a scandal that Ethan was compelled to settle with the Farrows so they wouldn’t break from the pack. He even promised that Cain would be severely reprimanded.
He forbade Cain from entering the pack territory for two years and cut his allowances from the Hunter’s treasury. Two years gone by and Cain hadn’t learned anything.
He should have killed his cousin back then.
If he did, though, he wouldn’t have met his mate, Susan.
“Uhm, Mr. Grayson,” Susan asked in a quiet voice. “Do you happen to know about my brother, Jesse? Is he okay? Cain locked him in the dungeon in the factory.”
Ethan reached for her hand and squeezed it gently. He doubted Grayson had that kind of information considering Susan only confessed to him this morning.
“Your brother was imprisoned by Mr. Cain?” Grayson sounded surprised. Ethan hadn’t shared this info with his beta either.
“He was infected by the Alpha Strain. I worry if he’s all right.”
Grayson traded glances with Ethan. “I can find that out once we arrive at the location. The factory is under siege as it is now, the skirmish fights are still going on. Once I have the latest update, you’ll be the first one to know.”
His mate hung her head in disappointment.
“Don’t worry,” Ethan reassured. “Everything is going to be all right.”
“I hope so.” Susan forced a smile. She tried to look brave, but Ethan could see in her eyes. She was at the end of her wits.
Ethan couldn’t resist pulling her into his arms, giving her the comfort she desperately needed. He hadn’t told her that once a person was infected with the Alpha Strain, there was no antidote or cure. He dearly hoped that Cain might have come up with a breakthrough. Or Jesse was as good as dead.
It was a slim possibility.
Susan didn’t need to know this now. She would need his support more than ever.
He hoped Cain could give him the answer they needed.
Then after that, Ethan would kill him with his bare hands.
The convoy approached the abandoned warehouse location one hour and twenty minutes later. Others had dubbed the place “the factory.” She had eavesdropped bits and pieces of conversations from people around her during her detainment in Cain’s lair. Cain was raising a private army with manmade werewolves to seize power in the Underworld and used her as a pawn. It didn’t end well on Cain’s part, judging from how the events unfolded.
Their ride passed a roadblock set by the local sheriff’s deputies. Sookie craned her neck watching the exchange between Grayson and barrel-chested man in uniform that seemed to be the sheriff. The sheriff acted like it was no big deal and let their convoys pass. When Sookie caught the sheriff’s gaze she instantly understood. The sheriff was also a werewolf. He had an unnatural glow in his eyes when he conversed with Grayson and he didn’t even bother to hide his large canine fangs. Sookie was sure the sheriff wouldn’t reveal such details when he interacted with regular humans.
Sookie wondered how deeply the weres infiltrated human society? The Underworld Ethan had talked about was bigger and more far-reaching than she had ever thought.
As soon as they drove past the gate of the warehouse complex, it was evident that fierce bloodshed had broken out recently and they were catching the aftermath. There were dead bodies on the ground—humans, wolves, and somewhere in between—piled and tagged for identification by people dressed in hazmat suits. A lot of overgrown wolves ran amok here and there. Men in military fatigues carried heavy-duty rifles. There were also injured wolves and people being tended to in makeshift triages.
The Land Rover passed a blonde, svelte woman with wild eyes, shambling by the road. She snarled at them while clutching her arm. The lower half of her arm was nothing but a protruding bone surrounded by hanging sinews and torn flesh.
Sookie gasped and instinctively snuggled closer to Ethan. That had to be painful, but that woman acted like it was no big deal.
The driver stopped their vehicle un
der the portico of the main building. Dozens of men armed to the teeth greeted their alpha in reverence. Rapid exchanges of information was relayed between Ethan, Grayson and the unit leader of those scary werewolf militias.
Sookie decided to get out of the vehicle and stuck herself near her mate so she wouldn’t be left out.
A newcomer strode toward them, hefting a big-ass rifle that could blast a hole in the moon. The man himself looked like he was constructed from several corpses and animated by lightning in the dungeon of Dr. Frankenstein. Sookie found herself creeping closer to Ethan.
“Greeting, Alpha,” said the Frankenstein creature, inclining his head in veneration. “We have successfully detained all the traitors.”
“It seems I’ve missed the party,” said Ethan.
“You didn’t miss much. They barely put up a decent fight. For a while we thought we were up against a bunch of little girls playing guns.” The Frankenstein creature attempted to smile but any normal human would be creeped out by it. Sookie wouldn’t wish to meet him in a dark alley on any given day.
She remembered dead bodies littering the ground surrounding the factory. If that was called fighting with a bunch of little girls, she certainly didn’t want to know what his version of a real fight was.
Ethan turned to her. “Wait here, Susan. I need to wrap up some loose ends with my cousin. Max here will guard you until I return.”
So this Frankenstein creature had a name? Sookie glowered at her mate. If Ethan thought she’d wait here with Max then Ethan certainly had another one coming.
“Oh, hell no,” Sookie protested. “You said it yourself ‘stay close to me, always’ and I intend to do just about that. Sending me away is not part of the bargain.”
Now Ethan glared at her. Maybe no one had ever opposed him openly like this before but fuck it. She learned the hierarchy of a werewolf pack. If Ethan was the alpha then she was automatically the female alpha of the pack, which practically put her above these grunts. So, she stood her ground despite being pinned with the scary stares of these scary men. Too bad, bitches! Don’t like it? Go complain to the internet.
Soul of the Wolves Page 9
