Fur, Fangs and All (The Elementals Book 2)

by Meredith Allen Conner

  Livie and Sela shared a glance.

  “Rea,” Livie tried again.

  “Back. Up. Now”

  Damn, they’d known this wouldn’t be easy.

  “We came to get you, Rea.” Sela said simply. “Those men in front are with us.” Rea’s back arched as if they’d stabbed her. “They won’t hurt us.” Sela promised.

  Couldn’t she see the evidence for herself? Roc and Mac had cut the bastards down in short order. Bloodied chests heaving, ignoring the dying cries from the last man as he gasped on the ground, they paced toward the sisters.

  Rea snorted. “Claws and fangs? And these are the good guys?”

  All right, so Roc didn’t exactly look like the guy who would wear the white hat. Livie tilted her head, more like the one who’d eat the guy with the white hat, however he and Mac had defended them. Surely, that had to count for something in Rea’s eyes?

  “Stay back.” Rea directed the order to the men, adjusting her stance.

  So much for that.

  Roc and Mac didn’t pause.

  Twirling the short blades, Rea re-sheathed them in the straps slung over her back. Livie sighed, well that hadn’t been too . . . two smaller knives glinted in the sunlight as they arched in the air.

  Mac side-stepped the one aimed at him, but Roc didn’t move. The blade slid hilt deep in his left pectoral, right above his nipple.

  Rea didn’t mess around these days. That would have been a kill shot to a human.

  Roc scowled down at the knife, ripped it free and snapped his fangs at Rea.

  Rea flicked her wrists. Livie heard the subtle click and realized she’d just re-loaded. She jumped in front of her sister, arms outstretched, “Just give me a minute to explain. Rea, please.”

  Powerful hands lifted her out of the way. Livie latched onto one arm like a leech before he could move away. Rea rolled her arm, the sharp tip of a blade edged out of her sleeve. Twisting around Roc’s arm, Livie ended up in front of Roc, back plastered to his chest, clutching Rea’s arm in her other hand.

  Luckily neither one of them wanted to hurt her.

  “Livie.” Roc growled in warning.

  “Back up, buster.” Rea snapped.

  Pushing hard against both of them, Livie searched for Sela. Engulfed in Mac’s embrace, Sela looked torn between outright laughter and an equal desire to sit down and cry.

  “A little help here, Seals.” Livie said.

  Sela nodded, but Mac held her back. He stared pointedly at the tip of the knife pressed up to Livie’s shoulder and shook his head. Sela waffled.

  Fed up, Livie snapped. “Damn it all, knock it off.”

  Rea blinked then slowly took a step back. Roc twisted his hand so it rested against her lower stomach keeping her tight to him and out of reach of any sharp objects.

  Some family reunion.

  Livie’s job when they were younger had been as thief for the girls, stealing whatever they needed to eat or wear. No wonder Rea appeared impressed. Although Livie could have done without the not-so-subtle sneer every time she glanced at Roc.

  The last echoes of her yell faded in the alley.

  Holding tight to what little patience she had left, Livie stared Rea straight in the eyes. Damn, but I’ve missed her. “Rea, we’ve been searching for you. The Order knows you’re here.” Obviously. Rea didn’t even blink. “We want you to come with us. We’ve found a place where we can be safe.”

  Safe. A place to live.

  Dear god, she’d been so busy trying to figure out how to get away, she hadn’t paid any attention to the fact that she didn’t want to.

  She wasn’t afraid of the werewolves. She wanted to live with them. With one in particular.

  Roc.

  She could have it all. Her sisters, a home and a mate.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  And Alice tumbled headfirst down the rabbit hole.

  It was part of a fairytale. She’d heard about it and it hadn’t made sense – why would anyone want to read a story about a little girl who was so clumsy she fell down animal holes? Their mother never read them fairytales.

  Right now, Alice’s hand held hers so tightly, they could have been fused together.

  “Livie, have you lost it?”

  Yep. Pretty darn certain.

  “This,” Rea gestured with her hand. “You expect me to believe this?”

  Livie shrugged. She hadn’t realized rabbit holes were such dens of insanity either.

  “Trust?” Rea’s upper lip curled.

  Queasy now, Livie shut her mouth. Cheeze-its. That was part of it. She didn’t know much about them, but she knew that trust was an integral part of a relationship.

  She clutched Roc’s arm, close to hyperventilating.

  “Ain’t gonna happen.” Sliding one foot back, Rea tilted her head to indicate both Roc and Mac. “They’re somehow in with the Order.”

  Huh?

  Oh hell, not again. She didn’t have time for this meltdown crap. She’d deal with the major, life-altering personal revelations later. Right now she had to cope with her sister.

  “I’ll make this simple,” Roc stated firmly. “You are coming with us.”

  Livie winced. She may not have seen her sister in years, or spent much of the last decade in her company, but she knew Rea. They didn’t have time for an explosion.

  Movement behind Rea told her they were out of time period.

  “I’ve got these guys. You get the others,” Mac said, pushing Sela behind him as he spun them around. Livie turned to look just as Roc twisted, peering around his back, she counted fifteen. The bastards had them surrounded.

  Rea swiveled back and forth, fingering her blades. Not the least bit put out by the number of the Order surrounding them. She flicked a glance up, Livie followed her gaze. At least half a dozen windows were open, guns trained on them.

  They were completely outnumbered. The werewolves needed help. Livie pressed a hand over her Elemental mark. She couldn’t do it. She’d almost hurt Sela with her Element. She had hurt Roc. She didn’t have any control over it. She could kill Rea.

  “Liv?” Sela whispered urgently. She stood about ten feet away. Roc and Mac had put them in between, their bodies planted firmly, barriers against the Order.

  A deep howl punctuated by a series of sharp barks rang out through the alley.

  “Cam says more are on their way. He’s drawing a large group away. He’ll meet us back home.” Roc informed her.

  Livie looked at Sela again. She had a look of overwhelming panic on her face as she twisted her arms. Her throat tightened. Despite the moisture in the air here, Sela couldn’t call on her Element. She couldn’t help.

  That left Livie and wind.

  They were completely outnumbered. If she didn’t use her Element, do anything to help, they could be caught.

  She had to let go of her fear.

  Livie stepped away from Roc, concentrating on her power. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her mark begin to glow.

  “Hate you.”

  Livie closed her eyes, blocking out everything, including her mother’s voice.

  “She’s using her power. Tranq her!” The shout came from one of the windows.

  Her eyes flew open,Rea’s wide eyes and pale face stared at the radiant tattoo on her right arm.

  Livie didn’t know what her newly acquired healing abilities would do against tranquilizers. She didn’t plan to find out.

  Soft pops echoed around them as multiple weapons fired. Arms out, palms up, Livie pushed out slowly with her Element. The image of the gaping hole in Mac’s ceiling flickered in her mind.

  A gentle breeze ruffled Rea’s hair, Livie added a touch more power, moving her arms back and forth, re-directing the darts away from them.

  Immediately the number of pops doubled. The bastards were learning.

  Moving her arms faster, Livie listened intently for the direction of the soft buzzing. The majority of the darts were aimed at Rea, then her, then Sela. An f-
ing pecking order.

  The ass-holes were communicating with each other. Radios?

  Shit.

  The number of darts increased. Louder booms rang out. They’d just added bullets to their attack. She needed more power to stop the bullets.

  Dust and insulation raining down on the chunk of ceiling laying where Sela stood bare seconds before.

  Mac turned, pulled Sela in front of him and tucked her into his chest as he hunched around her. He leapt forward, landing just out of reach of Livie’s arms.

  His dark eyes sparked, boring into her. He was counting on Livie to spare Sela any harm.

  Windows shattered, destruction everywhere.

  Roc flinched. He didn’t make a sound. He didn’t have to, she saw the blood seeping down his side. He’d been shot. Again.

  Her arms began to tremble.

  Rea cursed, yanking a needle out of her stomach.

  No!

  Roc shoved her forward, she fell against Sela, grabbing her shirt to keep from falling to the ground. Mac widened his stance, his arm curving to include her in his protective shield.

  Roc swung Rea into his arms just as she fell, her body limp. Blood spurted on his shoulder and leg as more bullets found their mark.

  No more.

  Wrenching free of Mac, Livie stepped towards Roc. He shouted something as the first bullet hit her. The pain sucked the breath right out of her. Somehow it was worse than she remembered. Her knees buckled.

  Roc roared her name.

  The second and third bullet hit her in her upper thigh and side. One knee hit the pavement. Livie reached out with her good arm, bracing herself. She refused to kneel completely before the bastards.

  Agony radiated through her entire body, throbbing in every inch of her being. It pounded with each beat of her heart like a terminal illness sucking the life-force from her. Blackness threatened.

  “We’ve got two down. Concentrate your fire on the men. Let’s take them down and wrap this up.”

  Wavering back and forth, hanging on to consciousness with everything she had, the words made no sense at first. It took a moment to process.

  The bastards were going to take her and Sela and Rea. They didn’t have any use Roc or Mac.

  Rea’s arms and legs flopped loosely in Roc’s hold as he moved almost sluggishly toward her, like a movie in slow motion.

  Tears poured down Sela’s face. Mac’s body jolted with each hit.

  The Order had won.

  “Hate you. Hate the power.”

  NO!

  She could do something. She controlled the wind and she had the strength of a werewolf. She was not a helpless little girl.

  Livie tensed her legs and pushed upright.

  The next bullet smashed into her lower leg. Livie shifted her weight, balancing on her good one.

  She stared at Roc. “Down.” The moment he was clear she unleashed her power. She didn’t try to contain it this time. Bodies and bullets went flying. Windows broke.

  Livie shifted towards Mac and Sela, barely registering that they were already on the ground as she focused more of her Element.

  Several bodies tumbled down the alley, disappearing behind the huge dumpsters that crashed after them. Two men slammed into the side of a building, their mangled bodies pinned by the force of the wind.

  Another bullet hit her side. Livie spun, arms out, wind whipping with every direction she turned.

  Whether it was the speed with which she moved or her power simply growing, she didn’t know. She took out everything.

  Windows imploded, walls caved in and everything in the alley was swept away in a matter of seconds.

  Breathing harshly, Livie searched for any signs of the Order. Nothing.

  She lowered her arms.

  Roc stood up, Rea unconscious, cradled in his arms. His dark eyes swirled and sparkled as they raked her from head to toe. Something dark glittered there. Something she couldn’t quite decipher.

  Sela whimpered. Livie turned to watch her sister lightly touch each wound on Mac. There were a lot of them. Mac caught Sela’s hand. “I’m all right, Lupa. Don’t worry, I,” he broke off, gently spinning Sela to the side. “Goddamn it. You’ve been shot!”

  Sela hadn’t been so lucky this time. Two holes marred the top of Sela’s shoulder. One in the front and one in the back.

  Livie’s stomach twisted. She hadn’t used her Element in time. She could have prevented a single scratch from happening.

  Sela cupped Mac’s cheek. “I’m fine.” She turned to Livie, her lips twisted in an attempt at a smile. “I’m fine.” She said again, but she wouldn’t meet Livie’s eyes.

  An ominous rumble filled the air.

  Mac swept Sela up, “We need to move,” he said to Roc. He didn’t offer to take Rea, just lowered his head over Sela’s as he headed down the alley without a backward glance.

  Livie began to shake.

  Roc slung Rea over a shoulder. He wrapped a hand around Livie’s arm. “Can you walk?”

  He could have been talking to a stranger.

  Livie bit her lip and nodded, not trusting her voice. Roc pulled her along as he followed Mac. Livie choked back a scream when her bad leg took her weight. She didn’t have time to adjust as Roc kept moving.

  After the first few steps, it didn’t feel like a hot iron had been stabbed into her leg. Her body had begun to heal.

  She wished she could say the same for the rest of her.

  The building didn’t collapse until they reached the mouth of the alley.

  People began screaming, the wobbling shriek of a siren growing louder. Someone had probably objected to the sound of gunfire in the middle of the city.

  In the confusion, Mac calmly jabbed his elbow into a car window. He opened the door, pushed Sela inside then unlocked the other doors.

  Roc placed Rea in the middle of the backseat.

  Livie closed her door as Mac hot-wired the car and started the engine. The first flashing lights appeared in the back window.

  No one spoke.

  Livie clenched her hands together in her lap to hide their shaking. A soft ping startled her. Looking down she saw a mangled bullet rolling on the floor of the car. Another casing landed next to the first one.

  She followed the path back up Roc’s leg, two more slugs emerged from his lower stomach to join the others on the floor mat.

  A large pool of blood soaked the seat under him and the back of the upholstery. He stared out the window, one big fist tapping restlessly against his leg.

  Blinking rapidly, Livie turned to face the front. Resting on the console between the two front seats, Mac held Sela’s hand in his. His thumb rubbing over and over along her knuckles, creating red smears with each pass.

  She’d failed again.

  She’d waited too long to use her power, afraid of who she might harm and ended up hurting everyone.

  At least Rea had only been hit with a tranquilizer.

  Small favor.

  Livie folded her arms around her waist, resting her cheek on the window.

  She’d finally overcome her fear of the werewolves only to find out they didn’t seem to want her anymore. She refused to look at Roc.

  God, Sela wouldn’t even look at her. Her own sister ashamed.

  Hate the power. Hate you.

  Numb, Livie closed her eyes.

  ****

  Roc clenched his fist so tight, a bone snapped. He welcomed the pain.

  He’d failed her again.

  He’d waited fucking centuries to find Livie and he couldn’t even protect her from being injured.

  What kind of a mate was he?

  Not much of one at all.

  Before he met her, he’d failed. He’d turned tail and ran.

  Little wonder she wouldn’t meet his gaze.

  She’d been hurt by damn near everyone in her life and now he could add himself to that list. She’d fallen — bullets and darts puncturing her entire body and he hadn’t been able to save her.

>   He had not been able to protect his mate.

  Livie had saved them. She’d used her Element and decimated their enemy. She didn’t want to use her power, they’d each witnessed her fear. She used it only when forced.

  Damn it, he hadn’t been able to save her from her own fear.

  Look at her.

  He turned slightly. Livie huddled in a tight ball as far away from him as she could possibly get in the small confines of the car. Red streaks lined her clothing, some thicker than others. Eyes squeezed shut, face as pale as when he’d first met her. Recovering from a gunshot wound then too.

  Because he had run.

  Maybe he hadn’t run this time, but he hadn’t done what he had been born to do. What good were all those articles he read? All that time searching? The home he’d built with her in mind? If he couldn’t do something basic, like keep her safe?

  Christ, she’d spent more time injured and bloodied since she’d met him than not.

  A werewolf’s strength was a source of pride. They were the top dogs. To suddenly doubt that . . . Roc swallowed.

  The scenery passed in a blur. Mac made two stops – one to grab clothing for everyone and the other to steal a wheelchair.

  Mac pulled into a gas station several miles outside the airport. He hustled Sela into the bathroom, leaving Roc and Livie in the car.

  Inhaling softly, Livie’s fear and physical pain still lingered, but what burned his sensitive nose was her emotional agony. It hovered over her like a dark cloud of depression.

  He didn’t know what to do. Admitting his shortcomings wouldn’t help.

  Rea’s body slumped forward suddenly. His hand gripped hers as they both grabbed Rea. Rea didn’t even grunt as they settled her back against the seat. Roc tightened the seat belt.

  When Livie would have pulled away, he stopped her. She sucked in air sharply. He turned her hand over to see four deep gashes on the inside of her palm.

  Fresh and the exact same size and spacing as her fingernails.

  He growled, brought her hand up to his mouth and licked the tender cuts. “Damn it, Livie! You can hate me all you want, but I won’t allow you to hurt yourself. Hit me if you need to.”

  Her stormy gray eyes blinked slowly as if it took a huge effort of will to understand him. She frowned in confusion then tugged her hand free.