As soon as I got down the ladder, I heard the chanting. Well, at least that made things easier. I'd been worried I would end up getting lost somehow.
Christ, it smells bad down here.
I took a sip of the potion, and it reminded me of cough medicine—sweet and thick. Then I followed the sound. I ran my hand against the wall, helping guide myself, despite the slight glow of lights that had been placed on the wall. Probably to make it easier for workers in the tunnel. A thick, glopping sound echoed around me, but I didn’t study the liquid too closely. It might have been a water at some point but it certainly hadn’t been it in a while.
I didn’t know how much I trusted the potion Rose had given me, so I kept to the shadows almost instinctively. As I headed deeper into the tunnel, I saw a light. The chanting grew louder. I stopped at the opening, not sure where it led. As I peered around the corner, I saw the boys. A lot of them—so many I couldn’t count them all. And I was pretty sure they were all wolves. God, I hoped Michael wasn’t in there it would be impossible to pick him out in the crowd. None of them had spotted me yet, and thanks to the potion, they wouldn't. Some of them wore cloaks. Others were dressed in sweatshirts with the hoods pulled up.
There were too many of them. When Arturo arrived, he'd be walking into a trap. I didn’t think it would make much difference if he came down there with an army. The whole space was packed with bodies. A growl rumbled around the room. Followed by another, and another. I peeked down the hallway at another room that was hidden mostly by dark shadows. I darted into the opening, keeping on the tips of my toes. I saw the bars before I spied the heavy black shape lying on the floor.
"Michael?" My heart took a one-way trip to the soles of my feet. My brother had been gone for such a long time that, for a second, I couldn’t say more than his name.
The shape moved, and a dim light caught the near black strands of fur that covered it. A black wolf, with eerily familiar blue eyes framed by ragged fur, stared out at me. I knew those eyes, and the part of me that had wondered, had doubted, relaxed in relief. He nudged his snout forward between the bars. Reaching out, I stroked the fur. It was softer than I thought it would be.
"Can you understand me?"
He nuzzled against my hand and nodded.
"I'm going to get you out of here. Can you shift?"
A shake of his head was my only answer. Well, that wasn’t going to make things any easier. How was I going to get him back up the ladder?
“What are you doing here?” A voice echoed in my head, and it sounded a lot like Michael.
I stopped mid-stroke. "Michael, please tell me that was you. I really can't afford to be going insane. Though I wouldn’t put it past me. It’s been a crazy couple of days."
He nudged his muzzle against my hand again. You've got to get out of here.
"I can't. I'm not leaving you." I paused for a split second. "Wait a minute, why can I hear you in my head?" I fought against the urge to check my body for bites because I was sure I would have remembered that.
“We're family. That's a bond that goes deeper than the wolf. It's a trap, Rachel. You've got to get out of here.”
"I told you we would meet again."
I turned around so fast that I ended up on my bum. Jonas stood in the doorway, and just behind him, I spied Rose and Colin. The two barely looked at me.
This isn't good. "What's going on? Rose, why are you here?"
For someone who was about to start a war, Jonas resembled a banker or a lawyer. than an Alpha wolf—mostly because of the greying hair at his temples. Michael growled at the people behind me, and I reached my hand through the bars, stopping when I touched his head. It made me feel better, to feel him. Not safer, but definitely better.
Rose walked farther into the room. "I told you about Tomas, the wolf I fell in love with. He’s Jonas's father, not Colin's."
"So you're on their side?"
“It isn’t about sides, Rachel. Do you remember the first thing we told you? This world is complicated. It isn’t black and white.”
Jonas didn’t look happy, and neither was I. Everything I'd heard had been said to make me trust them. The false concern in Rose’s voice when she’d told Colin she couldn't leave a girl to walk the streets because it wasn't safe after dark. They’d planned all of it. It must have annoyed her when Henry had wanted to wipe my memories. They wouldn’t have been able to use me if I’d left.
"Let my brother go."
Jonas’s lip twisted in a scary version of a smile. "I don't think so. I need your brother. His death is going to help me win the war."
Colin pushed passed his mother, walked toward me, and grabbed my arm. There wasn’t any way out of there.
I'm so sorry. I've failed you all.
Chapter Fourteen
I couldn’t find the energy to fight anymore. I could have kicked and screamed until my throat was raw, but what would be the point? I’d lost. In the end, it hadn’t mattered what I’d done. I’d trusted the wrong person, and I was going to pay the price. I’d found myself outnumbered and boxed in by three impossibly scary people.
The next room was filled with werewolves. I knew they’d prefer if I ran because it would only take one bite, a small nick, and the thing that made me a genetic wolf would be triggered.
Do I run and risk it or wait until Jonas turns me? Either option sucked.
The howls followed us as we left my brother in his cage. I’d done a lot to find him, the brother everyone had thought was dead. Now, it looked as if it was over. Close, but not close enough.
Colin threw me into a cage. I landed on my hands, scrapping the palms against the hard concrete under me. They all watched me. Well, Rose wasn't anymore. The older woman couldn’t meet my glare. She looked as if she felt guilty as hell, but obviously, she wasn’t feeling too guilty since she was on the other side of the bars.
The urge to fight had drained out of me, and I crawled to the back of the cage. Resting my back on the stone wall, I pulled up my legs until they touched my chest, and I closed my eyes.
"Where did the strong girl who’d fought so hard to find her brother disappear to?"
You beat her.
He tsked. "I thought you were different, but you’re a child."
I thought that’s what you liked. The reason why I haven’t see anyone over the age of sixteen? I opened my eyes and peered at him over the top of my knees. I'd never hated anyone before. My parents drove me insane sometimes, but I didn’t hate them. In the space of an hour, I’d come to hate two people. Well, three, counting Colin.
Jonas gestured at me. " It's that look that saves her, it could so easily be her who dies tonight, but that hatred behind her eyes? Her brother has given up, not worthy of life anymore. She’s stronger than Michael. Also younger and easier to mold. A perfect addition to the pack. At least after you’ve finished with her."
Rose nodded in silent agreement, Colin took h her by the elbow and led her out of the room. He hadn’t really spoken since they’d caught me with Michael, and he gave me one more glance, and the way he looked at me made my stomach flip unpleasantly.
Then, I'm forgotten.
I'm not scared of the dark, but the sound of the constant howling makes the hair on the back on my neck stand on end. There were a few lights dotted around and a chain of multi-colored lightbulbs that reminded me of Christmas lights had been attached to the ceiling, creating long shadows. I waited for a few minutes before getting back to my feet.
The broken concrete was damp; and there was a coppery smell in the air. I really didn’t want to linger on the reason why or how many people had been in that cage. It didn’t make sense that it had just been made for me.
I searched the front of the cage and checked the bars. Isn't there always a loose bar in the movies? After a few minutes of checking each one carefully, I noticed none of them moved. My eyes burnt with tears because I didn’t know what to do. I kicked the bars, angry because Rose and Colin had fooled me completely. I hadn’t tru
sted him, but her? That hurt.
Should have waited. But I let Rose talk me into believing this was a good plan, which is what she wanted. She wanted me to not trust Henry, so nobody would know I’m here. He probably won’t realize I’m missing until tomorrow. Hell, it might take longer if he doesn’t come back then. Would Rose manipulated the situation and tell him I’d gone home? Would he believe I gave up?
Does Henry know me well enough to know I wouldn't?
.
They were going to murder Michael. Jonas wanted the power that made my brother an Alpha wolf so he could transfer my brother’s power to the makeshift clan—enough power to take control of the city.
I brushed the tears away.
"Damn it," I screamed at the top of my lungs, punctuating each word with a kick to the bars. "This is some twisted payback for breaking into the Mother Superior's office, isn't it? All I want to do is rescue my brother. Is that too much to ask?"
"Rachel Valentine. I should have known you wouldn’t follow orders." A whispering voice came out of nowhere.
I hadn’t expected a reply, and I had to bite back a scream.
Great, I'm actually going insane. I looked around for the owner of the voice, but there isn’t anyone else in there.
After a heavy sigh, it says, "Didn't I tell you to wait?"
Bending over, I rested my hands on my knees and tried to breathe. A little shocked by the disembodied voice, I still answered his question. "I've never taken orders very well. Where are you?"
"I'm up here."
I glanced up. I hadn’t noticed the large pipes lining the ceiling until then. The one directly above me had a grate, and through it, a pair of dark eyes stared down at me.
Hope surged through me. "Oh, God! Henry?" I’d never been so happy to see anyone in my entire. "I could kiss you."
He laughed, the sound slightly muted by being inside the pipe. "Well, I'm pretty sure I don't smell very good at the moment, so you might want to hold off on the victory kiss."
"We're running out of time. I've seen Michael. Jonas is going to kill him." I couldn’t keep the panic out of my voice. Nobody was listening in, as far as I was aware, but I kept my voice low anyway. It could have already been too late, though I didn't believe that. I’d know if Michael was dead. I hadn't believed it last time, and I'd been right.
Then again, I knew that I might be clutching at straws.
Henry lifted the grate, and it groaned under the strain. It probably hadn’t been removed for a few hundred years. The sound was loud as the grill broke from the piping. Henry's head appeared upside down, his face smudged with coal, while his legs remained in the pipe.
"How do you know?"
"Rose told me."
I didn’t know what else to say. How else could I even go about telling a person someone they’d trusted their entire life was a liar? He must have caught the conflict on my face because he frowned.
"What is it? Is she all right?"
A laugh escaped me. "She's fine. I don’t think Jonas will hurt his mum. She's been working with him since the beginning."
Disbelief passed over his face. He’d called her auntie, they weren't actually family, but it seemed as if Rose respected by the whole supernatural community in London. Her motel was considered a sanctuary. I knew her betrayal had hurt me, but Henry had known her longer. It would devastate him.
He reached out a hand toward me. "We don't have time to worry about her. We're going to have to travel through the pipes to get to Michael. Where is he? A few rooms over?"
I nodded, reached up, and grabbed his hand. I wasn’t light, but he pulled me up as if I weighed as little as air. As soon as I was high enough up, I grabbed the corner of the grate and pulled myself up the rest of the way as Henry scooted farther back into the pipe.
The smell of stale water and stagnant air hit me and I gagged. There wasn't any space up there, and my heart started to race. Henry's warm body was the only thing stopping me from panicking. It was comforting having him close. He headed off, and I followed him into the darker depths of the pipe.
"Thanks for coming after me."
"Thanks for not paying attention. If you had, Michael would be dead by now. You coming here by yourself forced Arturo's hand. He's getting reinforcements together, but he let me go ahead."
I might have been confused about how I felt about him, but I never would have forgiven him if Michael had died because I’d followed his instructions.
I’d come too far to let my brother die.
A faint glow came from the section of grate in front of Henry. He crawled over it, stopped, and turned around on the spot. The pipe wasn’t that big, but Henry managed it. We both peeked through the bars. Glancing down, I saw my brother. The opening was right above the cage just as it had been in my room. Michael's dark form lay on the cage floor. He rested his head on top of his paws, resembling a sleeping dog—a very large sleeping dog, but a dog.
"Michael?" I whispered. The sound was so quiet that, if he'd been pure human, he probably wouldn't have heard me.
He raised his head, glancing from side to side, then finally looked up at me. How did you get free?
"Henry came for me. We've got to get you out of here. We're running out of time." I turned my attention back to Henry, waiting for him to say something. I really needed him to take charge. He had to have more experience in doing things like that.
For a second, he looked deep in thought. Then, using one hand, he pulled the grate up, and it came up with the barest of squeaks.
"How are we getting out of here? There's not enough space for him to go through the pipes with us."
Henry pulled a small rucksack from his back, reached in, and retrieved something for it. Bolt cutters.
"We need to do this fast. We're going to drop down, cut through the chains on the bars, and make a run for it. We can't fight. There are too many of them."
Plus, I was human, which made me more of a hindrance than a help. "So that's your big plan? running?"
He raised his eyebrow, and even in the rotting, smelly pipe, it was a little unfair how hot he looked. I was sure I didn’t look as good as he did in that moment.
"Rachel, if you've got a better plan, I'd love to hear it."
Good point. "I'll follow your lead."
"Thank you." His tone was a little sarcastic, but his smile made it less harsh.
I angled myself so Henry could lower me into the cage. Michael glanced up and waited patiently until I stood next to him. I went into a crouch, hiding behind my brother’s big, furry form. He turned slightly and licked my face. The giggle that escaped me was small, but I muffled it behind my hand. I gave myself a moment to hug him.
"I've missed you, Michael."
“I missed you too.”
We both moved away from the overhead grate, and Henry did a forward roll out. Where I'd been clumsy, he was more elegant. Despite the six-foot drop, he landed on his feet. Even a cat would have looked as graceful as an elephant next to him. He darted to the door of the cage and used the bolt cutters to cut through the lock. I tried not to dwell on the thought of impending freedom. After all, we still needed to get out of the building.
"Michael, you lead the way. Rachel, you're in the middle, and I'll bring up the rear."
With our orders issued, we headed off into the hallway and to the ladder.
“Rachel, stop.”
It was strange talking to my brother like that—feeling his voice inside my head. As I stopped, Henry bumped me from behind.
“There's someone in front of us. It won't take long for them to sense we are here. You and Henry need to double back. I'll lead him away.”
It wasn’t a great plan, but before I could protest, Henry pushed us, urging us on without him. I might have been able to hear my brother's thoughts, but Henry was still a blank slate to me. Something must have passed between him and Michael because my brother growled, and Henry ran into the darkness away from us.
“Henry, don't be a twat.” M
ichael's voice echoes in my head.
What the hell is he doing?
Michael growled again. “Come on. He said he'd meet us on the surface.” Without giving me a chance to question it, Michael walked behind me and nudged me forward with his head.
"No, we can't leave him." I turned around, but my brother didn’t get out of my way.
“He'll be fine. Rachel. He knows what he’s doing. We just have to make it out of here safe.”
The pang of guilt hits me so hard I nearly fight my brother to go after Henry, which would have been ridiculous. In his wolf form, my brother outweighed me by a couple hundred pounds or so.
I looked down the dark corridor. Why didn’t I want to leave Henry behind? Maybe because in the short amount of time I’d known him, we’d become friends?
I glanced down at Michael. "Do you know another way out of here?"
“Yes.”
There is something about the darkness that makes me feel off balanced. I didn’t like not being able to see where I was going. Why had the lights been switched off? Did it have something to do with the electrical company or the wolves who didn’t need a light to see in the dark? I needed to trust that my brother would keep me safe, considering that, every few steps, he nudged me or whispered out a warning about potholes or cracked concrete.
After a few minutes, I started to move as if I was on autopilot. I wondered where I would be if I hadn't watched the news. If I'd never found out, he was still alive. My life would have been simpler, but it wouldn’t have been complete. I wouldn’t have been able to help him. There would be no Henry. I might have lived out my days not knowing that I was something other than human, a genetic wolf. The real question was if I was happier with the knowledge, which felt like a weight on my shoulders that I couldn’t shift.
“Stop, Rachel. I hear something.”
I skidded to a stop, and my heartbeat pounded loud enough I was sure whoever it was they could hear it. Is it Henry? A sharp pain exploded at the base of my skull, and then the impossible happened.
Moon Page 9
