Dark Assassin

by Dena Christy

  NICK JOHNSON knocked on his brother Rowan's front door with a bouquet of flowers clutched in his hand. Eric and Samara had taken up residence there until they could find a place that suited them, and Nick hadn’t been over since they moved in. The flowers were for her, something to brighten up the place. Rowan lived there too, but spent most of his time in his room since getting out of the Order’s hospital. Rowan had been injected with the Dark Wolf formula. His body had recovered nicely from the coma he’d been in, but his mind still had a long way to go to get back to normal.

  The front door opened, and Samara stood on the other side smiling. Nick smiled back and handed over the flowers.

  “Nick, how nice.” She scooped up the bouquet and held them up to her nose. “Come on in.”

  She turned and Nick followed her into the house. She took the flowers into the kitchen, and he walked into the living room where his brother Eric watched hockey on the big screen TV.

  “Sucking up to my woman? Nice flowers Nick. Did you pick them out yourself?” Eric took his eyes away from the game to grin at his brother. A few months ago Eric wouldn't have been able to joke about another man, even his brother, bringing his woman flowers. He'd come a long way to relaxing in his relationship. They'd gone through some rough times together when they first met, most of it due to Eric's trust issues. They’d weathered the early turbulence and now had a baby on the way.

  “I'm not sucking up to her. I'm just showing her what a considerate man can give her. You should try it once in a while.” Nick set down beside his brother as warmth settled in his belly. Eric’s relationship with Samara wasn’t the only one showing signs of improvement. After six years, he and Eric were finally acting like brother’s again.

  “I give her something better than flowers.” Eric wiggled his eyebrows. Nick rolled his eyes and gave his brother a light shove.

  “Yeah, and I'm sure she loves getting a piece of your hairy ass.”

  “Well she hasn't complained about my ass so far, hairy or otherwise. You're just jealous that I'm getting some.”

  Nick stuck up his middle finger and rubbed his nose with it.

  His brother laughed and turned back to the hockey game. “Why don't you make your move on Hadria? Pining isn’t your style,” Eric said with his eyes glued to the TV.

  “Why do you insist on sticking your nose into my love-life? Matchmaking isn't your style.” Nick focused his attention on the game. He didn't want to talk about Hadria, who he’d been in love with for years. She'd been in a relationship for most of that time, so he kept quite about his fondness for her. Then Alex had betrayed her, betrayed them all and still he kept quiet about his growing affection for her. She insisted on maintaining the status quo. So he'd wait till things between them changed enough to enable him to tell her how he felt.

  “Don’t give him a hard time about Hadria, baby. He’ll let her know how he feels when he's ready.” Samara came into the living room and sat down on Eric’s lap. Eric pulled her close against him, his hand resting on the curve of her stomach, which did not yet show evidence of their child.

  “I’m not giving him a hard time. I just think he should get in the game before someone else does.”

  The idea of Hadria with someone else sent a growl rumbling through Nick’s chest as his hands curled into fists. His jaw ached as he clenched his teeth. His knuckles showed white, and he forced himself to uncurl his fingers.

  “Calm down, Nick. Hadria isn't interested in someone else. She's closer to you then she has ever been to anyone.” Samara touched his arm, and he concentrated on breathing as he counted to ten silently in his head. “Just give it a little more time. Alex's betrayal did a number on her. And considering she believes she is under a curse, it will take some time for her to get over it”.

  “I doubt she will ever get over it. Face it, if she thinks every wolf she has a relationship with will betray her, then I don't have a chance.” Nick’s shoulders slumped and he let out a heavy sigh. Samara shook his arm and he looked over at her.

  “You have to try,” she said as she squeezed his arm, hard. “Would you be happy with anyone else? Or would you regret, for the rest of your life, not telling her what’s in your heart?”

  Nick was silent for a moment. He tried dating other women, but nothing had panned out. He spent most of his time talking about Hadria, and his dates found it a big turn off. He didn't give many second dates. Hadria consumed him, and while he wasn’t ready to profess his love, he knew he would have to sooner rather than later.

  “How's Rowan doing?”

  Nick looked at Eric, and his brother smirked at him. Eric mouthed the word “loser” and Samara saw it and gave him a light smack on the back of the head. Eric straightened up, and his grin faded.

  “He doesn't come out of his room much. Eric's been trying to engage him, to get him out doing things, but so far it hasn't worked. He paces around in there at night.”

  A pained look came over Eric and he scrubbed his hand over his face.

  Nick knew he blamed himself for not being able to pull Rowan out of his funk. Nick shared the blame. Eric hadn't even been around for the aftermath of the death of Rowan’s wife and baby. Nick had. He'd ignored the signs of his brother's downward spiral until it was too late. By the time he woke up to his brother's state, Rowan had been injected with Dark Wolf. He attacked a woman and had fallen under the Order’s radar. They sent Samara in to assassinate him, but she'd seen something in Rowan deserving of mercy and had spared his life.

  “I'll go see him,” Nick said as he prepared to stand.

  “He's not here.” Eric held up his hand and Nick settled back onto the couch. “When he goes out, he goes to McDonald Park and just sits there for hours.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I followed him once when he first came home, and I doubt his habits have changed at all.”

  McDonald Park. Nick closed his eyes for a moment as his stomach tightened.

  “The park,” Samara said softly as she looked at Nick. She knew as well as he did the significance of the park.

  “What’s going on?” Eric couldn’t have failed to notice the look that passed between them. They hadn’t told him why the Order targeted Rowan, only about Rowan being injected with the formula. “You both know I don’t like you keeping secrets from me.”

  “Rowan attacked a woman in McDonald Park.” Samara turned to Eric and pressed her lips to his forehead when he swore under his breath.

  “He didn’t kill her, did he?” Eric asked as his face paled. He shook his head as if to answer his own question. “Of course he didn’t, the Order wouldn’t have let him live if he had.”

  “She’s disappeared. The Order is trying to find all the women who’ve been attacked, but so far we haven’t had any luck.”

  “That can’t be good for him. Going back there and reliving it all the time,” Eric said.

  “He hasn’t said how much of it he remembers. Maybe he doesn’t know why he goes to the park, and some instinct is compelling him.”

  The phone rang and Samara eased off Eric’s lap to go answer it.

  “Is there anything we can do to help him get through this?”

  “I don’t know. This may be something he has to work out for himself. Until he’s ready to talk about it, I don’t think there is much we can do.”

  Samara came back into the room, her face bone white. Nick sat up straighter, a shiver running down his spine when he saw tears swimming in her eyes. His body moved as if through molasses as he eased to the edge of his seat.

  “Baby, what’s wrong?” Eric stood and walked over to her, putting his arm around her shoulder.

  “It’s Hadria.” Her voice came out in a shocked whisper.

  Nick exploded off the couch. Bile rose up in his throat as he took one step toward her “What about Hadria? What’s happened to her?” His words came out in rapid, machine gun like fire. He stood in front of her, his hand coming up to grab her arms. He had to know what happened to Ha
dria, and he had to know now. Eric put his large body between them, getting his face so close to Nick’s that their noses came close to touching. His brother’s brows were drawn into a scowl, and Nick clenched his jaw as Eric forced him back a step.

  “She doesn’t need you crowding her. She’ll tell us what’s going on, so back off.” Eric gave him a shove. Nick growled and took a step closer to Eric.

  “You two, just stop it,” Samara yelled, and Nick could hear every note of anguish in her voice. It was like a bucket of water on both him and his brother. Nick moved back and held up his hands. Eric moved to Samara’s side, and she rested her head on his chest when his arms came around her.

  “She was on a mission. She’s been shot and has lost a lot of blood. They just brought her into the hospital and they’re not sure if she will make it.” Samara turned her head, and sobbed quietly into his brother’s chest.

  Nick didn’t need to hear any more. His heart slammed in his chest as he took off out of the house at a dead run. As soon as he jumped into his truck, he took off on squealing, smoking tires. He didn’t check to see if his brother and Samara followed. He needed to get to headquarters. Hadria needed him.

  The trip took less time than normal, and Nick raced through the tunnels running beneath the old building. The Order’s headquarters was in the old Rockwood Asylum, an abandoned psychiatric hospital in Kingston. The only way into the building was by tunnel, which started at the Tower House and led into the old hospital. It took longer to get in than if he’d been able to use the front door. For a moment Nick cursed the fact that they had to keep their presence in the building a secret.

  Nick shot up to the infirmary on the second floor. He saw their leader Cadric in the waiting room, and he tried to blow past him to go scrub up.

  “Where are you going Nick?” Cadric reached out to halt him, and Nick shook off his arm.

  “I don’t have time for this Cadric. I have to get scrubbed up so I can help her.” Nick’s words came out in a frantic rush as he tried to step around Cadric. His boss stepped in his way and refused to budge.

  “You’re staying here. Lee is with her, and they’re prepping her for surgery. Lee will take care of her, and he’ll do a better job than you will.”

  Nick ran his hands through his hair and his mouth opened and closed. How can Cadric think Lee can do a better job than me?Cadric steered Nick over to the chairs lining one wall of the waiting room, and Nick put up no resistance as his boss shoved him down in to one.

  “I realize you want to help her,” he said. “But you may end up doing more harm than good. Lee is the better choice. You and objectivity, as far as Hadria is concerned, parted company a long time ago. Look at your hands. Are they steady enough to operate on her?”

  Nick looked down at his trembling hands. His hands vibrated so much that he would not even be able to hold a scalpel. He lowered his face into them and concentrated on breathing. Nothing could happen to her. Lee will fix her and she’ll be fine. He concentrated on breathing in and out slowly as he forced the pounding of his heart to slow into a steady rhythm.

  A small female hand slipped into his and squeezed. Nick lifted his heavy head and turned to Samara, who sat in the chair next to his. Eric stood beside her with his hand stroking her hair. Nick clung to her as he swallowed back the lump forming in his throat as the backs of his eyes prickled. He blew his breath out hard. He needed to get his act together. Samara needed both him and Eric to be strong to get her through this. If the thought of Hadria fighting for her life has me tied in knots, it must be killing her.

  “What happened?” Nick turned to Cadric, keeping his hand tightly held to Samara’s.

  “Her and Jaclyn were ambushed at Horn’s compound. Hadria took the brunt of it. Jaclyn said just seconds before the gunmen burst in, Hadria pushed her out of the way.”

  “How bad is she hurt?” Nick kept his voice steady, despite the fear churning in his gut.

  “She’s been shot five times. Three times in the torso and twice in her right leg. She’d lost a lot of blood, and they gave her a transfusion on the plane.”

  “Christ.” Nick closed his eyes as he released Samara’s hand and ran his palms over his face. He heard Samara whimper and turned to see his brother sit in the chair beside her and scoop her onto his lap. Nick reached out with a shaking hand and put it on her shoulder, offering his support. Hadria had lived an extraordinary long life, but she was not immortal. None of them were. She healed faster than a human, but that wouldn’t happen if she bled to death.

  All they could do for Hadria now was wait to hear the outcome of her surgery. Lee was an excellent doctor, and she was in good hands. His mind turned over all the possible things that could go wrong, and he squeezed his eyes shut tight.

  Don’t think about it. Lee’s a good doctor. She’s going to be fine. Eventually he could drown out even the loud ticking of the clock on the other side of the room. He made a vow to himself, that if she survived this, he would tell her how he felt. Anything might happen to either of them, at any moment, especially considering the work they did. He didn’t want to waste any more time.

  Dark Curse, Book 2 of the Dark Wolf Series is available here

  ALSO BY DENA CHRISTY

  Paranormal Romance Series

  Dark Assassin, Dark Wolf Series Book 1

  Dark Curse, Dark Wolf Series Book 2

  Dark Wolf, Dark Wolf Series Book 3

  Dark Vengeance, Dark Wolf Series Book 4

  Dark Gods, Dark Wolf Series Book 5

  * * *

  Andor, The Dragon’s Mate Series Book 1

  Iszak, The Dragon’s Mate Book 2

  Standalone Paranormal Romance

  Going Under

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  As with any project, this book would not be possible without the contribution of a few people. The cover design was created by Kim Killion at The Killion Group Inc, and editing of the manuscript was performed by E J Clarke at Silver Jay Media.

  I'd also like to say thank you to Rebecca Wager and Lisa Wilson for acting as beta readers.