by Cara Wylde
“I see,” said Amber.
She thought hard for a couple of minutes. This couldn’t be all. Something was missing. They didn’t have all the pieces of this enormous puzzle called the Arte di Calimala. She just had to focus and ask the right questions. The three shape-shifters in front of her knew the answers, but they still had to learn to work as a team.
“What do they do with the venom?” asked Rebecca. She had been following the conversation carefully and patiently. She could see how enthusiastic Emil was that Tyler and Tristan were sharing so easily what they knew. His Order was on the right path. The path to victory.
“Well, they don’t care about the venom,” said Tristan. “At least, that’s what we think. Tyler?”
The bear-shifter rubbed his chin in deep thought. He tried to remember everything he had found out about the Calimala.
“The venom can kill humans. Basically, if a human is bitten by a shifter and the shifter venom enters their bloodstream, they die in a matter of minutes if the shifter doesn’t also administer the victim his blood, either by making the victim drink it, or by injecting it. So, the venom can be used as a sort of weapon, but against humans. I don’t see why the Calimala would keep it. Maybe they’re just getting rid of it…?”
“What does your witch do with the venom?”
Amber’s voice hit Camille like a hammer. She threw Tristan a quick glance, but the lion-shifter didn’t even care to acknowledge her. She inhaled sharply and kept the air in her lungs until Tristan answered Amber’s question.
“I’ve asked Camille to throw it away. It’s a matter of principle. Yes, we could use it as a weapon against the Calimala, but we don’t play that way. We don’t play dirty. If an assassin attacks us, we take him down using our natural skills alone. As much as possible, we don’t bite, and we certainly don’t turn anyone.”
Amber nodded. She liked his answer, although she would have loved to ask Camille to give her a syringe filled with shifter venom so that she could stick it into Stephan’s throat on the first occasion. That bastard didn’t deserve to live, and he definitely didn’t deserve to be treated with such noble fairness.
“Well, in this case,” said Rebecca. “The Order of the Severins can certainly take down the guild.”
Emil smiled at her. He loved her so much when she showed such passion and enthusiasm for his cause. He looked at Tyler, then at Tristan.
“So, what do you guys say? Are you in?”
Tyler stood up and closed the distance between him and Emil. He placed a big hand on the wolf-shifter shoulder.
“You already know I’m with you.”
Tristan was silent for a moment, but it was all for show. He had already made his decision.
“I’m in.”
Amber drank the last drop of tea and jumped to her feet.
“Awesome! Now, how about a first mission for the Order of the Severins?” She fixed them with her intense gaze, letting them know she wasn’t kidding. “Catch Stephan Castell and bring him to me. I want to give him a taste of his own medicine.”
Emil cocked an eyebrow, and Tristan smiled at Amber’s daring words. Tyler couldn’t hide how proud he was of his mate. She was no longer the fragile, vulnerable woman who needed his protection. She had come a long way, and the awful marriage she had had to endure had made her stronger. He left Emil’s side and went to take her into his arms and squeeze her to his chest.
“I think we can do that,” said Tristan. “Emil? What do you say? Wanna kidnap a member of the Calimala?”
Emil took a deep breath and released it slowly. “Yeah. We have to start somewhere, don’t we?”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Amber wrapped the coat tighter around her body. This part of Central Park was, indeed, really creepy. She knew Tyler and Emil were nearby, watching her and waiting for Stephan to make his appearance, but her surroundings still frightened her a bit. She smiled remembering how angry Rebecca had been at her. She didn’t want to let Amber act as bait to lure Stephan out and give the boys the perfect chance to pounce on him. But it had been Amber’s idea, and even Tyler had to admit it was a good one. He hadn’t been comfortable with it either, but he was going to be there to make sure Stephan didn’t lay a finger on her. When they had finally agreed to do things Amber’s way, she called Stephan, started crying into the phone, and told him she wanted to go back to him. She was feeling worse and worse, she didn’t know what to do, she just wanted to go home. Stephan believed her, of course. But she had one condition: they had to meet and have a talk before she took Ava and went back to Chicago. When she proposed Central Park, he accepted.
Their plan was very well thought out. Amber had no doubt it would work. Even if Stephan turned up with a bunch of assassins, Emil and Tyler would take them down in a matter of minutes and kidnap Stephan. Tristan was waiting for them in the van. The lion-shifter had a warehouse somewhere isolated, and they would take Stephan there. Amber still wanted to kill him with her own hands, but deep down she knew she couldn’t do it. She didn’t have it in her. She wasn’t a Castell, after all, and that was a good thing. But she couldn’t wait to tie Stephan to a chair and get some well-deserved answers from him.
She kicked a rock to keep herself busy, then another one, then she started counting to one hundred in her mind. She had to keep the panic at bay. Everything would be just fine. She simply had to relax and wait there until Stephan showed up. Then, she could laugh in his face as Tyler and Emil surrounded him. She looked around her, trying to spot the two shape-shifters, but it was too dark to see. Maybe, if she caught a glimpse of Tyler’s brown eyes and Emil’s green eyes, she’d feel better. She focused all her senses on them, thinking that the shifter blood should have given her some of that incredible power bear-shifters had. For a moment, she thought she had caught Tyler’s scent, but she couldn’t be sure. She couldn’t differentiate between the scents around her, anyway. “Hmm… I probably need to be on shifter blood for more than six months to turn superhuman,” she thought. She should have asked the witch about that. They had all told her Stephan hadn’t been giving it to her for long, otherwise she would have been long dead without her regular dose.
Amber heard footsteps approaching, and all the muscles in her body tensed. She kept her back straight and her chin up, determined to show Stephan just how strong and confident she was. She was no longer the poor wife he had cheated on. Her nose caught his signature cologne, and she struggled not to gag. She once loved the smell of his clothes and skin. Now it made her sick.
Stephan Castell appeared from the shadows. Two men were walking close behind him. They stopped when he stepped closer to Amber and placed his hands on her shoulders.
“Amber, my lovely wife! You look wonderful!”
Amber smiled. She stared into his black eyes for a long moment. She took in his smooth, olive skin, his thin lips, and sharp nose. Stephan was a handsome man, no doubt. He was tall and well-built, he worked out almost every day, and always wore tailored suits. That was what she had liked about him ten years ago: he looked impeccable. Clean, perfectly shaved everywhere, his black hair combed with care; not even when he was at home did he wear more comfortable clothes. Now she knew it was all fake. His obsession with cleanliness only showed how filthy his soul was, how twisted his mind.
“Take your hands off me,” she whispered in a calm, even voice. She felt strong and in control. For the first time in her life, this man had no power over her, and it was all because she refused to give it to him.
For a split second, Stephan was taken aback by her words. He smiled reluctantly.
“You don’t mean that.”
Amber pushed his hands off her shoulders and took a step back.
“Oh, but I do.”
“Amber, cut the crap. I came here because you wanted to talk. I could have sent someone for you, but I actually care, you know? That’s why I came.”
“Send someone for me,” she huffed. “Last time you send someone for me, the two idiots came back empty hande
d, didn’t they?”
Stephan furrowed his brows. Something wasn’t right, but it wasn’t as if he hadn’t expected that. The two assassins he had brought with him were studying their surroundings, sniffing the air, trying to use all their senses to detect any possible danger. Stephan himself closed his eyes for a second and focused on his own senses and instinct. He had taken a dose of shifter blood just before coming here, and he felt good. Strong. Invincible.
“Sir…”
Stephan turned to the man who had called him. Both assassins had their hands on their guns, ready to pull them out and aim.
“You know what you have to do,” he said, then he turned back to Amber. “Your boyfriend is about to make a terrible mistake.”
Amber bit her lower lip, but didn’t say anything. So, they had come prepared. She knew Tyler hadn’t killed the two men who had tried to kidnap her, but had only injured them badly. She loved him for that. No matter how much they had frightened her, those poor fellows had only been following Stephan’s orders. And, yes, she knew they had probably captured and killed many shape-shifters, but neither she, nor Tyler could decide their fate. They were suffering the consequences now, as the kidnappers had obviously told Stephan that Tyler was a bear-shifter.
The brown bear was the first one to come out of the shadows. He growled at the two assassins, then launched himself at the nearest one. The man, who was clearly on shifter blood, avoided the big, heavy bear and pulled out his gun. He aimed and missed. Tyler was just as fast as the assassin was. He attacked again, and this time managed to leave a long, bleeding scratch along the man’s left arm. The other assassin had pulled his own gun out, but Tyler knew Emil had his back. All he had to do was focus on the guy in front of him, then go for Stephan Castell.
The brown werewolf pounced on the second assassin before he got to shoot Tyler. The man fell on his back and screamed when the wolf snarled in his face. He fumbled with the gun, unsure of what to do. Emil was slightly taken aback by his reaction, as the man could have easily shot him. It was weird that he wasn’t even trying, although he was still clutching the weapon. Instead, he was trying to reach his belt while staring into Emil’s green eyes. Emil stopped wondering what was happening and went for the guy’s throat. The assassin’s body went limp and his screams died down.
Meanwhile, Tyler had managed to knock the gun out of his opponent’s hand and was slowly cornering him. Just as he was getting ready to launch his final attack, he felt something penetrate his ribs. It wasn’t a bullet. It felt more like… a needle. He ignored the unpleasant sting and jumped on the man, crushing him under his weight, then turned to take care of Stephan. He knew he had been the one who shot him, and he wasn’t going to let him do it again. He growled menacingly and took a couple of steps towards Stephan. He saw Amber was behind him, her eyes filled with worry. He wanted to let her know everything was fine, but when he tried to stand on his hind legs so he could knock Stephan down without hurting him much, his head started spinning. He fell back on all fours, and struggled to clear his mind, but it was almost useless. Suddenly, all his muscles felt mushy, his body was heavy, and his vision was going blurry. What could be wrong? If the thing between his ribs wasn’t a bullet, then what was it?
The wolf made sure his opponent would never rise back to his feet, and turned to see what the bear was doing. When he saw Tyler was about to lose his balance while Stephan was aiming his gun again, Emil ran at full shifter speed and jumped Stephan before the guy even had time to process what had hit him. He knocked the gun out of his hand and pinned him down, snarling at him and snapping his fangs a mere inch away from his nose. Eventually, Stephan closed his eyes and stopped struggling, but not once did he scream. Emil could appreciate that.
Amber covered her mouth and nose with both hands. Her enhanced senses had proved themselves useless some minutes ago, but now they seemed to be working perfectly. She tried not to vomit at the intense smell of blood. She was pretty sure one of the assassins had peed his pants. The sharp, unforgiving smell had gone straight to her stomach. She swallowed heavily and forced her legs to move. The huge, brown wolf was keeping Stephan pinned under him, but Tyler didn’t look so well. She ran to his side and hugged the thick neck of her beloved bear.
“Tyler! Tyler, baby, what’s wrong?”
The brown bear moaned and fought to stay on his feet. He felt better now that Amber’s arms were around his neck. She was fine and she wasn’t afraid of him anymore. His bear didn’t scare her. But these thoughts were flashing through his head without exactly sticking. The moment he became aware of them, they vanished.
Amber rubbed the soft fur on his shoulder, kissed him behind the ear, then started to inspect his body. She knew Stephan had shot him, but she hadn’t expected Tyler to actually be hurt. He had taken a few bullets when he had saved her from the kidnappers, and he had barely blinked then. This was different. Why was it different? She found the needle lodged deep into his fur and skin and pulled it out in a swift motion. The bear moaned again and collapsed to the ground.
“What the hell?”
She inspected the dart in her hand. It looked like a small vial which ended in a needle. The liquid that had been inside it was now in Tyler’s system. The loud snap of bones coming from the bear’s heavy body made her jump back. She slipped the dart into the pocket of her coat and scrambled to her feet. Tyler was shifting into his human form, and she needed to give him some space. She watched as the brown fur disappeared into his skin pores, while his bones and muscles rearranged themselves. The next thing she knew, Tyler was on all fours before her, completely naked, his skin glistening with sweat. She knelt and grabbed his face between her palms.
“Are you all right?”
He swallowed hard before speaking.
“Yes… Just… just a bit dizzy.”
He didn’t want to worry her, but the truth was he was making a great effort to support his weight on his knees and arms.
“Can you stand?”
“Give me a second.”
Tyler closed his eyes and focused on his own breathing. He couldn’t believe it had been so easy for Stephan to take him down. He had taken bullets in the past, and he had merely shrugged and made a note to himself that he’d have to pull those suckers out later. Now, whatever Stephan had used on him had worked. He could fight it, he was sure of it. When Amber leaned in to kiss his lips, he knew he was capable of anything. He grunted and pushed himself up. Amber immediately offered him her hand, then her shoulder so he could lean on her as he took the first couple of steps.
Emil was still in his wolf form, waiting for either Amber or Tyler to come and tie Stephan up. He would have shifted, but he didn’t want to risk Stephan overpowering him. In his wolf form, he had a greater advantage.
Finally, Amber knelt and took out the cuffs Emil had given her back at the apartment. Tyler was leaning against a tree, still fighting the thick fog in his head and the weakness in his limbs. She could see that he was feeling better, and she hoped he would regain his strength in the next couple of minutes, because there was a fair chance she and Emil wouldn’t be able to hold Stephan by themselves. He seemed oddly compliant for now, but it might have been the huge werewolf sitting on his chest. If they wanted him to rise to his feet and walk to Tristan’s van, then they needed two shifters to watch him. The guy was probably strong enough to break the cuffs.
Tyler ran a hand through his messy, sweaty hair and looked up at the sky. “I’m okay,” he thought. “The dizziness is gone. I’m fine.” He took a deep breath, released it slowly, then walked to Emil and Amber.
“I’ll take care of him,” he said.
“Are you sure?” Amber studied him carefully. God, he had a gorgeous body! But he was so pale…
“Yes. Whatever it was, it passed.”
Amber stepped away, and Tyler grabbed Stephan and pulled him to his feet. Indeed, his strength was back. He waited for Emil to shift and grab the clothes they had hidden behind the trees, then they both flanke
d Stephan and guided him out of the park.
Amber followed them close behind, her eyes fixed on Tyler’s back. Her right hand was squeezing the dart she had hidden in her pocket.
***
The warehouse was huge, but Tristan took Stephan to a small, completely empty room, and left him there, still tied up. He assured everyone there was no way he could get out of there without them noticing. It would have been a stupid idea to try anyway, since there were three shape-shifters outside his door.
Amber took out the dart and gave it to Tristan.
“Any clue what this is?”
The lion-shifter furrowed his brows, but before he could inspect the thing properly, Tyler snatched it from him.
“Whatever was in it almost knocked me unconscious.”
Emil looked at it over Tyler’s shoulder.
“You know what’s strange? The guys didn’t even try to shoot me. They only went for you.”
“My dear husband didn’t expect a werewolf,” concluded Amber. “He only knew about Tyler.”
Tristan rubbed his neatly trimmed beard. “Still, the assassins could have easily adapted.”
“Where’s your witch?” asked Tyler. “Clearly, it was some kind of poison. Maybe she can figure it out.”
Tristan took the dart from Tyler and turned around.
“Follow me.”
He took them to a more comfortable room, which actually had a sofa, some chairs, and a table. One of the walls was covered in screens, and that was when Emil, Tyler, and Amber realized there were surveillance cameras all over the warehouse. Whatever Tristan used this building for, he had cleaned it before bringing them here. The place was empty except for Stephan, who had sat up and was now leaning with his back against the wall. His eyes were closed, and nothing could be read on his face. It was as if the guy had no emotions.
