The black Mercedes rolled to a halt along the driveway as two men in black suits emerged from the front yard. Once more, the driver opened Kate’s door for her. Beyond the gray, iron, gate a massive lawn, with a few, small trees in it, spread out before her. A narrow, stone pathway led to a big, arch-shaped door. The house itself was located on the highest spot of the plot, featuring wide, aluminum cased windows.
“Follow us, ma’am,” One of the men urged as she closed in on the gate.
“Kate…” Julia’s voice rang in her ear, but, this time, it had lost all her usual playfulness. For some reason she couldn’t fathom, it sounded bass-deep. “Please, don’t panic sweetheart, but those two aren’t human. They’re vampires. Stay cool. Help is underway.”
A wave of utter shock washed over her, at the new information. All of a sudden, this location, as well as her friends’ reservations made absolute sense. No one had paid her for her talent. This was part of a scheme; a scheme not yet fully clear to her. Kate’s initial thought was flight. However, she quickly came to reject that notion. These men would catch her, in the blink of an eye.
She felt her stomach churn as she spotted Ryan Alstead in his living room, standing beside a small table, pouring champagne into a tall glass. He was involved in this, but she still couldn’t figure out his role. He was human. If he wasn’t, Julia would have smelled him, back in his office.
“Ms. Brooks, how nice to see you again,” he greeted her in his deep voice, flashing a smile down at her as she walked into his mansion. “How was your little road trip? I would have sent out my helicopter, but my pilot is down with the flu.”
“It was fine, thanks,” she claimed, barely able to return the smile.
“Please, have a seat,” Ryan politely requested, pointing down at the chair across from him as she swept the hall. Silverware sparkled under the ample light, on another, larger table, in the upper right corner of the living room. “Dinner will be served shortly. Let’s have a drink first,” he suggested, setting the glass into her open hand. “Here’s to your success,” Ryan proposed a toast, tapping his own glass against hers. Kate raised it to her lips, but, after what Julia had just disclosed to her, there was no chance that she would drink. She merely wet her lips, locking her gaze on him as the two vampires halted just a few feet behind her.
“So…” he drew in a sharp breath as he lowered his glass. “I’m guessing you haven’t cashed that check.”
“No, I haven’t been to the bank,” she responded in a calm tone. “How did you know?”
“If you had, you’d have called me to complain about it,” He explained as the smirk that formed on his face sent waves of anger, coursing through her. “You see, its serial number has been blocked. And that block can only be lifted, if you decide to cooperate.”
“Why has it been blocked?” Kate put some force in her voice as she cast a nasty glare up at him. “What do you mean by ‘cooperate’? I’ve already signed the contract, haven’t I? What else should I do?”
“Well…” Ryan snorted in amusement as he shook his head sideways, once. “Here’s the thing, Kate. My boss knows who you are. He also knows who your mother was, and how she died. Your choice of husband appalls him, but it’s nothing that can’t be fixed.”
“Your boss?” she squinted up at him. “What does my husband have to do with this? What are you talking about? Aren’t you the boss?”
“Not quite,” He rebutted as his smile vanished. “He and his fellow freaks have everything to do with this. My boss’s name is Leonard Bethels. You might have heard of him. He’s a very powerful wizard, just like your mother was, before you had her killed. Now, he’s willing to unblock that check, and add a couple of zeros to that amount, if you decide to play ball.”
“I’m listening,” Kate murmured, her chest starting to heave as she put her glass down on the table.
“Leonard believes a lot in you. According to him, you could prove very valuable in disposing of those animals. He wants you to join him. In return, you’ll get what you’ve always wanted: money, fame, and millions of fans around the world,” Ryan explained, intensifying the churning in her stomach. By the time he had finished his last sentence, she thought she was going to throw up.
“And if I refuse?” she wondered, unable to keep the tension out of her voice anymore.
“Are you sure?” he answered her question with a question of his own. “Ten million dollars is a lot of money. And that’s only the beginning. I told you I’d make you swim in money, Kate. Here’s your chance.”
“No, Alstead,” Kate grumbled, pressing her lips together. “You can tell your boss to kiss my ass. I’ll be damned if I help that prick take my family out.”
Ryan’s quick nod served as a signal to his vampires. Immediately, one of them took a large step towards Kate. Bending his knees, he circled his arm around her neck, and pulled her up. Her brows popped up as she felt her head getting trapped in the crook of his arm and his elbow. The top of his hand brushed her cheek, making her feel the coldness of his skin. But, before he could take her away, the sound of multiple, heavy footsteps on the lawn grabbed their attention. Kate whipped her head to the right, only to discover that Dean, Raul, and Ray’s wolves were loping across the yard, running parallel to one another as they charged towards the mansion. The grip around her neck loosened, just before the vampire pushed her away from him. The three wolves jumped towards the glass façade, almost simultaneously as Ryan spun around. Their sheer weight shattered the glass, sending thousands of shards of glass across the room as the young CEO sprinted to his left, toward a staircase down from his living room. Snarls and growls echoed back at the walls of the mansion as Raul’s and Ray’s wolves leapt onto the vampires. Dean’s gray beast galloped towards Ryan, leaving Kate and his brothers behind. Moving around the table, she ran after him, feeling her heart pounding against her chest. But, it wasn’t long before she realized the hopelessness of her move. She couldn’t do anything else, other than just watch the man who had lied to her, over and over again, suffer a horrific death, in the jaws of her mate. Slowing her strides, Kate chose to head for the far wall as the painful reality cut her like a blazing-hot knife.
Upon reaching her destination, she turned around, and peered ceiling-ward as the wolf’s growls reverberated through her skull. Sliding her back down the cold wall, she lifted both hands up to her face, feeling her heart sink in a sea of frustration and despair. Her dream had gone up in flames. The people she had put her trust in had betrayed her. They weren’t at all interested in her vocal skills; they simply meant to use her as a weapon against her own family. Submerged in her sorrow, she bit her lower lip as tears sparkled in the corners of her eyes. Kate sat down on the floor, and brought her knees up to her chest as Ryan’s cries of terror filled the air. Tipping her head down, she slid both of her hands up her face as her tears streamed down her cheeks. A peer through splayed fingers gave her a good idea about what transpired. Two vampires’ arms had been scattered across the floor. Their heads lay a few inches away from their bodies. The wolves had triumphed over their natural enemies, and were standing across from her, next to one another, staring at her. All the same, the – rather predictable – outcome of this fight was the last thing on her mind. All this betrayal had scorched her heart, turning it into a smoldering ruin.
“Kate!” Not even Julia’s panicky voice was enough to draw her attention. She dropped her head into her hands, crying in sobs over the loss of yet another opportunity. Falling to her knees in front of her, her friend wrapped her arms around her shoulders, and held her close as she breathed in pants. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine,” Kate sniffled, slightly moving her legs apart.
“The boys were right behind me the whole way,” Julia explained, planting a short kiss on the top of her head.
“God, I’ve been such a fool,” Kate whispered, opening her eyes to slits. “I thought they gave me all that money, because I was so special. I’m sorry, Jules. I’m s
o sorry for everything.”
“Shhh…” Julia hissed as she tightened her embrace. “It’s over. It’s all over now.”
Too overwhelmed by emotion, and also drowning in guilt, Kate would not utter another word. Not only had she lost her dream for the second time, but she had also been something she despised in other people: arrogant; self-centered. In her excitement about the contract she had been offered, she had stopped thinking altogether. Now, Dean’s mate had to pick up her pieces, in the hope that her loved ones would someday forgive this mistake, a mistake that could have cost her and everyone else dearly.
Chapter Sixteen
Right after their attack, the shifters of Paxton had to cover their tracks. Shifting back into human form, Dean broke the gas line, and tossed a lighter into the mansion. Within moments, the luxurious home was engulfed in flames.
His mate’s emotional state became clear to him as soon as he laid his eyes on her. Kate was shivering, crying hard in her friend’s arms. He would love to offer his support right there in the driveway; but, even though the mansion was more than a mile west of the rest of North Haven, he had no doubt that the fire department would get there soon. None of them could be seen on the premises. So, he led Kate to his truck, and drove off with his brothers.
Still, even an hour into the trip back home, Kate would not open her mouth. She either gazed at her surroundings outside of her window and sighed, or stared into the void. Every few minutes, her pondering sessions were interrupted by a sob or a sniffle. At first, Dean would not address her, understanding that her shock was much too fresh. However, as minutes went by, her terrible sight became too much for him to bear. He had to do what he had promised to her, since the first night they spent together: bring the happy girl back. Of course, it would be no easy task. Once again, Kate was mourning her career as a singer, a career that had stopped before it even began. More than that, as hard as he would try, he knew that she could not come back overnight. It would take weeks of effort, and mainly, tons of patience. Nevertheless, he had to take the first step in that direction, and fast.
“I can’t imagine what you’re going through right now,” his baritone ripped through the silence as he scraped his fingers along his jaw. “Look on the bright side, though. You’re still alive.”
“Yeah, because Julia had a hunch,” Kate groaned, running her hand through her hair. “My God…” she heaved a long, heavy sigh. “How could I have been so stupid? I mean, why did I think I deserved that bonus? Who am I, the next Adele?”
“You wanted to believe it was natural. And you did,” Dean voiced his opinion, casting an appraising glance down at her. “You can’t blame yourself for believing in a dream.”
“I should have suspected something was wrong,” she retorted, shaking her head in disapproval. “A hundred thousand was just too much.”
“It was,” he agreed with a nod. “Look, you have to stop beating yourself up over it, okay? You made a mistake. It happens. We should focus on paying those bastards back.”
“Did you hear who Alstead was working for?” Kate asked, turning her head to the left to face him.
“As a matter of fact, I did,” Dean’s voice went down an octave as he remembered the wizard’s disappearance from her dressing room. “Julia told us everything when we arrived. We were all shocked, but…” he paused; “we’ll deal with it.”
“I’m a little confused,” Kate confessed, reaching her hand towards his forearm. “She was able to smell them, and they failed to smell her? Or you?”
“Helena may have been down on her luck, but she’s got a hundred bottles of different scents we can choose from,” he replied as a smile of contentment burst upon his lips. “They worked like a charm, didn’t they?”
“Yeah,” she muttered, running her gaze down his chest. “Listen, about the other night, I, um…” she faltered. “I’m sorry. It’s just that I thought I couldn’t be much help.”
“The first person you should apologize to is yourself,” Dean stated in a stiff tone of voice as he shifted his attention to her. “All this time, you’ve been refusing to believe that you’re capable of much more than just moving boxes with your mind. You think magic is some kind of game. I’m not saying you should give up everything and focus on only magic, like Helena did; just take it more seriously.”
“Oh, I will,” Kate gave a quick nod as she stroked his wrist. “Trust me, I will. Helena and I had a little chat this morning about that. She helped me see my mistakes. Starting tomorrow, I’ll do everything I can to rectify them,”
“Now that’s what I like to hear,” Dean said, his voice overflowing with admiration as he smiled down at her.
“The first thing I’m going to do is help her get her sight back,” she announced, leaning closer to him. “I don’t care if I have to go through my mother’s entire book. I don’t care if I have to read a hundred books that size. I’m not leaving her like that.”
“And if you don’t find anything?” he inquired, slightly raising his tone; “then what?”
“I’m not going to stop,” Kate declared, her tone firm as she looked into his eyes. “Those sons of bitches have to pay for what they did to us. If reading all of her books is what it takes, that’s what I’ll do.”
“Well, they did something good,” Dean concluded, returning his gaze to the road up ahead.
“What’s that?”
“They woke up your spirit,” he explained, reaching his arm to pull her close. “I hope it’s as powerful as I think it is.”
“I hope so, too,” she whispered, resting her head on his shoulder. Feeling her warm body on his, he decided not to speak any further. He had succeeded in what he had been doing for as long as he knew her. Once more, he had soothed her. The sobbing woman was no more. For the moment, at least, she was relaxing in his embrace. Dean pushed her hair back from her face, and then caressed her skin, at the same time wondering about the effect her ordeal would have on her. In his heart, he hoped and prayed that his Siren would finally show their enemies her true colors. Not the sweet side of the woman he had fallen in love with, but the wrath of the witch that had been hiding inside her.
Chapter Seventeen
The next morning, Dean was in the best mood he had been in for a while. Although he was tired and sleep-deprived from the eight-hour drive to and from North Haven, he had every reason to feel good; much better than he had been, just twenty-four hours earlier. Whatever plan their enemies had devised to destroy the pack, had failed miserably. Their scheme might have broken Kate’s heart, but she was safe and sound. And, now that she had agreed to acknowledge her heritage, the future looked brighter for them. Still, the issue of Helena’s blindness, and the fact that they still had not come up with a strategy to face their rivals, shattered that mood. Yes, there was hope, but there was still much work that needed to be done.
Raul pulled the cover off a red Harley Davidson, and laid it down in the corner. Marveling at the classic motorcycle, Dean picked up a wrench from the toolbox in front of him. But, before the brothers could start working, a familiar, male voice interrupted them. Averting his gaze from the counter, Dean looked up at the door. Cliff had only just walked into their workshop, and he was not alone. Helena was with him, holding on to his shoulder for support.
“Easy…” he uttered, staring down at the floor. “Careful now; there’s a big, box cover to your right. Man, what a mess.”
“Good morning to you, too, officer,” Raul spoke, a hint of sarcasm in his tone as he stepped ahead of his brothers.
“Good morning, boys,” Helena assumed her usual, feathery voice, just when her boyfriend had parted his lips. “I heard you ran into some trouble last night.”
“That’s not entirely accurate,” Raul disagreed as lips curved into a smug smile. “We actually brought trouble to a couple of bloodsuckers and Bethels’ bitch. It wasn’t pretty. Who told you about it?”
“Julia,” Ray interjected. “She couldn’t sleep last night. She went over to her place
, at the crack of dawn.”
“I don’t mind waking up early, but this had to have been the most brutal way to rise in the morning,” Helena complained, her voice picking up volume. “I could barely keep my eyes open, and she kept squeaking about how you guys disposed of the vampires. Thank God it didn’t last long. She then started telling me about how Kate took it.”
“Yeah, that wasn’t pretty, either,” Dean said as he slowly headed towards her.
“Guys…” Helena sniffed the air around her. “Can you smell it?”
“Smell what?” Dean asked, tossing the wrench across the counter on his right.
“The rat, second son!” she responded in an emphatic tone as she furrowed her brow; “the big, fat rat! I mean, Leonard Bethels offered her ten million dollars to partner with him? What for? Kate doesn’t even like magic to begin with. I don’t think he tried to steal her from us for her powers. There’s got to be more; a lot more.”
“Like what?” Dean shrugged his shoulders. “What else could he want from her?”
“Your guess is as good as mine,” Helena sighed. “Seriously, do you really think that a wizard so strong as to somehow be able to shield vampires from sunlight is interested in a fledgling witch like Kate, because he believes in her abilities? Because: I don’t.”
“You’re right. It doesn’t add up,” Raul agreed, a touch of tension in his baritone. “Anyway, I’ve been thinking about a battle plan these days. We know where Damian’s clan lives. We could attack them there, but it’s a little too public. What if we did it late at night, say 4 a.m.? The chances of us being detected are second to none.”
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