Bass shrugged. “It appears you won’t be getting what you want then, because I came alone. Not everyone is willing to walk into a bloodbath with a grin on their lips.”
“You’re lying, Sebastian, and might I say not as well as you once did. It seems the time without your father has softened you. Katalina holds power over more than just yourself.”
“Or maybe you aren’t as clever as you’d first thought?” Bass smiled as he turned in a circle, meeting the faces of every man, woman, and wolf in the barn with him. “You’re just as blind as my father, Castor, ruling through force and fear instead of trust and loyalty.”
“If you’re alone, it appears trust and loyalty are useless,” Castor spat, his face twisting as his temper got the better of him.
“You’ve turned humans into shifters for your army and forced parents to fight by taking their children, what will you do when they find out I’ve set their children free, and they turn against you?”
An audible gasp rocketed around the building.
“They’re alone, unguarded. I can still get to them,” Castor shot back, his hands fisting.
Shaking his head, Bass laughed softly, his nonchalant exterior all pretend. Inside he was screaming. Inside, the furious snarls of his wolf drowned out the frantic beat of his heart. To have Katalina so close but out of reach was the worst kind of torture. To smell her blood, to see her hanging slack, covered in wounds…. When Bass got his hands on Castor, he was going to do more than kill him. He was going to make the man beg for mercy. Beg for his death. “You’ve underestimated me, Castor. I didn’t just set them free. I welcomed them with open arms and gave them safety.”
Feet shuffled, murmurs broke out, but Bass didn’t take his eyes off Castor. This was it, the one and only chance to get the upper hand. “Tilly, Mathew, Neo, Kiah, Kit, Theo, Oriana, Willa, Gemma, Josie…. Tell me, Castor, do you know their names and faces as well as me? Would you lay down your lives for your pack as I would my own?”
Shouts erupted from behind him and above—the Indiana wolves revolting—and as the creak of the large barn door joined the commotion, Dark Shadow and River Run pouring into the fray, Bass shot forward on light, nimble feet, like lightning cutting through the night. Castor wouldn’t see another dawn, of that Bass was certain.
Chapter 43
Katalina
The first slap across her face didn’t really register. The second, however, vibrated through her head, rousing Katalina into a consciousness she wasn’t sure she wanted to be present for. Pain rushed over her first—the sharp sting from the slap on her cheek and the burn of what felt like a hundred cuts covering her skin. Then came sound—the cry of battle, the moans of death, and the growls of revenge. Scents filled her lungs as she dragged in a breath—blood, coppery rich, and the smell of home.
Bass, Dad, Nico, Toby, Cage, Tyler, Regan, Mia, Logan… and so many more. The familiar scents of all those she’d come to love over the last year. Her friends. Her family. Her pack. They’d come for her, and now they’d die for her if she didn’t figure out how to get out of the cage and decipher a vision that so far had been nothing but useless.
“I said, wake up!” Raven hissed. Katalina caught the whistle of her hand cutting through the air at the last moment and snapped her head upright before Raven’s third hit caught her cheek. “Ah, good, you’re awake. You were missing all the fun.”
Katalina blinked open her eyes, first finding Raven’s sadistic grin, but it held her concentration for all of two seconds, because the scene behind her was straight out of her nightmares. Shifters in both forms clashed together—claws, teeth, and fists. Bullets rained down from above, promising death. There were so many people that Katalina struggled to make out who was friend or foe. Castor had moved in an army while she’d been unconscious, and his wolves attacked with a savageness she’d seen only once before. In her father’s barn, week after week as she’d tried to bring Zackary back from the tome inside of his own mind. Lost to the wild, a primal wolf taking up residence in his body, Zackary had been nothing human and far more dangerous than a simple animal. He’d been a mindless creature consumed with bloodlust, and Castor had created a horde of the feral beasts to end Dark Shadow and River Run for good.
Dad!
Jackson’s gaze met hers across the building. Fending off attackers, he changed direction, fighting his way toward her. His eyes widened, and then Raven was in Katalina’s face, the edge of her blade glinting in the light as she hovered it in front of her.
“Father’s not here now. Maybe it’s time I destroy the face that captured so many hearts.”
Katalina hated the hitch of her breath and icy slither of fear crawling over her skin. She was stronger than that, braver, yet as her blood slowly dripped from her body, it took her strength and resolve with it. It broke down her walls and fractured her psyche. Katalina was afraid, and Raven knew it.
“He’s a little busy with Bass, you see.” At the mention of his name, Katalina searched the crowd but couldn’t see him. “Oh, he chased my father out of the barn. Maybe he’s lying half-dead somewhere, calling your name.” Raven laughed.
Hatred burned through Katalina’s fear. “It will be Castor who dies today, Raven.” Bass wasn’t dead. He was close, and strong. She could feel the strength of his will pulsing through the mating bond.
“Maybe,” Raven cooed as she stroked her knife over Katalina’s throat. “But so will most of the wolves from the packs you love so much.”
The blade whipped up, sliced into her cheek, spilling hot blood into her mouth as Katalina cried out. Howls of fury answered her cry, but no one was getting into the cage. She was alone, tied up, and at the mercy of a woman as twisted as Castor.
“I think you can scream louder than that,” Raven said mildly. “Call for your daddy, Katalina. Call for your mate. Maybe if you yell loud enough, they’ll rescue you.”
The next cut ran between her breasts, tearing at the fabric of her dress and traveling down to her navel. Raven smiled through every slice, found joy in each drop of blood, and as much as Katalina tried, she couldn’t silence her pain.
Her blood ran scarlet, her screams filling the air, and as Raven carried on with her fun, Katalina wished for death. Castor had been right; his plan brilliant because as she was broken, piece by small piece, her anguish rippled through the packs she loved, driving them insane and distracting them from the threat firing down from above.
Tears rolled down her face as the people she loved fought desperately to reach her and fell at the hands of their enemy. She was their weakness, the ultimate weapon to be wielded, and as Raven’s delight echoed through Katalina’s head, she let her desperation and horror erupt skywards in a keening howl. The sound echoed by all those as desperate and horrified as her.
Katalina was coming apart at the seams, her hope nothing but a dying flicker. And as the first tear slid down her face, she knew she was too late. The prophecy would come true. She’d led Dark Shadow and River Run to their doom.
Chapter 44
Eva
It was late, but Eva was too anxious to sleep. Leaning against the wall, her knees tucked to her chest, Eva watched as Mathew slept soundly in front of her, his innocent face showing none of the horrors he’d already seen in his short life.
The door of the large cabin opened, a rush of frigid air blowing in before it was cut off, and near-silent footsteps came her way. Looking up, Eva managed a smile as her brother hovered above her.
“You should be asleep,” he whispered.
She shrugged. “I don’t think I’ll be sleeping until this is over.”
Bending down, he shuffled over and sat beside her. “Try not to worry, sis.” Resting her head on his shoulder, Eva closed her eyes, and Zackary slid his hand into hers. “I won’t let anyone hurt you,” he whispered. “Or Matty.”
A tear slipped free, rolling slowly over her cheek. “It’s supposed to be my job to look after you,” she murmured.
Her brother had grown up w
ithout her even realizing it. Become strong and resilient while she floundered and struggled to stay upright.
He laughed silently, his vibrating body softly the only evidence. “I grew claws and sharp teeth, Ev. I think I’m more equipped to do the protecting.”
“What do you think Mom would say if she saw us now? Do you think she’d have left with Dad?” It haunted her to think her mom was looking down on her as disappointed and angry as her father was.
“I think she’d have kicked Dad’s ass for being such an idiot. If her death has taught me anything, Eva, it’s that life is never how we picture it will be, and the only way to cope is to find happiness where it is present. And if that’s with John and Matty, then there is nothing wrong with that. Don’t let Dad’s choices make you doubt yourself. You never have before.”
“I’ve never found myself a boyfriend and kid before though, Zac.”
“Who cares? This is our life now, Ev. We might as well make the most of it.”
Opening her mouth to speak, Eva never had the chance to say her next words. The call of a wolf cut through the stillness of night, stalling her heart as her brother froze beside her.
His hand squeezed hers. “Don’t leave this cabin, Eva.”
He was up on his feet and out of her hold a second later. “Wait.” Eva gasped as others began to stand and wake up around her. “What did it mean?”
She already knew. Deep down, the sound had called to a hidden part of her soul she was too afraid to touch. The enemy was here. The war had begun.
Candles were lit, casting a warm glow over the large cabin as they moved the children into the far corner away from the double doors. Mathew was amazingly still asleep, and Eva hoped he slept through whatever nightmare came next.
Eva, on the other hand, struggled to keep still. Her knee bobbed up and down with nerves and fear as she stared at the door her brother had exited, waiting for the moment he returned.
“How are you holding up?” Olivia asked quietly, passing her a mug of coffee as she took a seat to her left.
“Okay, I guess.” It wasn’t like Eva had anything to compare her state of mind to. She’d never been in a situation like this before. She was numb more than anything and under that afraid.
“I’m sur –”
A yell cut Olivia off, followed by a snarl and the pop of gunfire.
Eva shot to her feet, Olivia following her. The adults in the room crept toward the door and the two large arched windows on either side of them.
“What do you see?” someone whispered.
Eva could see nothing, her human eyes useless at cutting through the dark, but her ears picked up sounds. More gunfire and growls, the odd cry of pain which sent her heart rate rocketing.
Her brother was out there, dodging bullets and fighting off the enemy. He was too young, too inexperienced; neither one of them were equipped for this.
“What am I doing here?” Eva whispered, stumbling back. Her father was right; she didn’t belong in this world. What chance did she have against teeth and claws?
“You’re okay,” Olivia murmured, taking her hands. “Just breathe. We’re safe in here.”
Her heart was pounding, pulsing through her ears, muffling Olivia’s words. Thump. Thump. The fighting grew nearer, louder. Tension was thick in the air. Thump. Thump. Eva couldn’t breathe, a vise strangled her lungs, stopping the oxygen as she gasped for breath after desperate breath.
“Eva? Eva?” Thump. Thump. Bodies moved around her, women grabbing children, others lining up as a shield by the door. “Eva!” Her vision was fading, black spots floating before her eyes. THUMP. THUMP.
She’s having a panic attack. Damn it, we’ve no time for this. They’re here. We need to move.
Their voices filtered through her mind as if from another world. Eva’s world was nothing but a haze of fear and desperation for air.
But as a small hand slipped into hers and tugged, the darkness shifted and morphed, revealing a small boy with ruffled dark hair, his eyes showing nothing but trust.
Matty.
Everything rushed at her at once, overwhelming her senses as her chest expanded, flooding her body with oxygen as Anna’s piercing scream of heartbreak fractured the world.
Chapter 45
Anna
Violence.
Blood.
Death.
Pain.
All things that had haunted her every step. Fate had promised war, craved destruction, and now it was here, an arrow flying straight into the heart of them all.
Chaos reigned around her as her mind flooded with images. The enemy was at their door, beating its hatred against their skin, but Anna’s mind had left her body and traveled miles across the country to the man who owned her heart.
She saw what he saw as her gift dragged her down into its infinite depths. The future and the present played out as one, sickening and all-consuming, and as agony erupted through her chest, Anna wondered if it was real.
Whose pain did she feel? Was it the future or the present?
Bullets tore through muscle, claws shredded flesh, and blood flowed hot and thick forever to stain the earth.
“Cage!” Anna screamed, her voice traveling far and wide as fate delivered its final blow. “Cage!”
Her knees gave out, her voice died, and as blackness descended in her mind, Anna gave one final silent plea to the man she loved.
Chapter 46
Nico
Cage fell beside him. Upright one second and on his knees the next. Stumbling, Nico reached for him as another bullet whistled through the air. They were dropping like flies, broken toys trapped in Castor’s game. They had to take out the gunmen or they’d all be dead.
“Get up,” Nico demanded, dragging Cage to his feet as blood spread like a blossoming flower over his chest.
“I can’t,” he gasped, clutching the wound. “I can’t.”
Nico searched his surroundings, Katalina’s screams like poison in his head. Castor had set his stage to perfection, executed his plans with a finesse that killed. Katalina was his puppet, and he tugged at her strings, draining the life from her drop by drop as her cries drove their wolf hearts insane.
Heaving Cage upright, Nico wrapped his arm around him. “I’m getting you out.”
“Just leave me,” Cage ordered.
“Not today, brother,” Nico murmured.
Slipping a blade into his hand, Nico let it fly as a rabid wolf lunged for them, replacing the throwing knife with another as soon as the first left his palm. They continued to fly, hitting mark after mark. Dragging Cage as he went, Nico got them to the barn doors as Cage grew heavier, his legs collapsing from under him. The fight had spilled out into the snow-covered field, sprays of blood stark against the brilliant white. It was a nightmare. One Nico had seen in Katalina’s eyes as she’d woken screaming night after night.
Putting Cage down with his back against the barn walls, Nico turned at the last second, his arm blocking the blow aimed for his head and returning one of his own. They fell to the ground as they scuffled, his enemy reaching for the gun holstered at his waist. Grasping his wrist, Nico forced it back until he heard the snap of bone and the snarl of pain, with the moment of distraction, Nico pulled free one of his many blades and rammed it into the man’s throat.
Getting to his feet, he freed the knife, wiping it clean on his jeans before bending to pick up the gun. Then turning to Cage, Nico pressed the gun into the man’s hands and squeeze tight.
“Hold on, Cage.”
Straightening, he pulled in a steadying breath before heading once again into battle. The enemy continued to have the upper hand; the men positioned above firing continuously with automatic weapons. Charging forward, Nico launched himself into the air, kicking off the wall and leaped for the platform above. Swinging himself over the railing, the blade he threw cut down the gunman before he’d had the chance to turn. Nico then jumped to the ground, ready to take out the next platform.
Running, he d
odged wolves and men alike, throwing stars, and repeated the task, taking out a second gunman. Landing in a crouch, Nico eyed the last two platforms on the other side of the barn. By now, his opponents knew what he was doing, and they studied him, ready to fire once he came into range.
Smiling, Nico saluted them. His expression ruthless and promising death. But as he made his way forward, it was more than just the gunman who stood in his way, and as three wolves surrounded him, gunfire whistled through the air. The first clipped his shoulder, the second missed his head by millimeters, and the third aimed true, hurtling toward his head.
Time slowed down, his breath rattling in his lungs as death reached out its talons. Yet the bullet never met its target, instead sunk into the chest of Nico’s father as he dived in front of his son and plummeted to the ground.
“Dad!” Nico yelled, his fury and fear exploding in a rain of blades and fists, bruising and tearing flesh, laying his enemy at his feet.
Collapsing to his knees, Nico dragged his father into his lap, his hands covering the wound spurting blood. But as his father’s life pulse through his fingers, Nico didn’t see the present, but the moment he’d gone to say goodbye to his mother and walked in on his supposedly separated parents making out like teenagers.
His parents pulled apart, his mother’s face turning beet red as she covered her face with her hands.
He pointed between the two. “How long has this been going on?” Nico wasn’t sure if he was traumatized or happy for them.
“She is my mate,” his father answered, as if that explained everything.
Nico shook his head, rubbed his face. “I repeat, how long has this been going on? Because mate or not, you’d think you’d tell your only son you were back together.”
“We’re not,” his mother replied, causing his dad to glare at her.
“It kinda looked like you were?” Nico pointed out with a chuckle.
“Well, I mean, not properly. We’ve just been testing the waters. See if living together can work now things are different here,” she explained further.
Wolf Queen (A New Dawn Novel Book 6) Page 24
