by Julia Mills
“Dad?”
No answer, only his continual pleas for her to answer and prayers that she’d be okay.
“Dad!” She screamed over and over with no response, the terror in both their voices growing with every heartbeat.
Racing towards home, her father’s voice blaring her head, Star ran headlong into the side of Mac, still in wolf form, blocking her way… refusing to move.
Stunned and climbing back to her paws, Star yipped and tried to go around, only to have him once again block her way. “Let me pass,” she demanded, using the mental connection shared amongst all wolves as she scooted to the left and once again had her path blocked.
Angry, scared and growing more impatient by the second, Star growled, “Move, Mac, my father needs me.”
The black wolf remained still, unmoving, barring her from moving forward in any way.
“What’s wrong with you? Just move. I won’t tell anyone about you, but I have to get to my father.”
“No.”
Confusion combined with the fear for her father and her pack mates made Star challenge, “No?”
“No.” He repeated, his voice growing lower, more ominous, resonating with a power she hadn’t felt before.
Baring her teeth, fury running hot in her veins, Star snarled, “Move your ass, you piece of shit! My family needs me!”
Slowly moving backward, sure to keep her eyes on the friend turned enemy before her, Star lowered her head, summoned all her strength and charged headlong towards Mac’s exposed hindquarter. Racing at full speed, the Princess stumbled over her own paws as the black wolf’s eyes turned a glowing red and a split second later he morphed into a creature resembling the Wolfman from the old black and white movies her father’s Betas were always laughing at. Mac almost looked like the Warrior Wolf, a form only True Alphas could take, but with an evil and ugly twist. Standing nearly nine feet tall, with huge muscles, massive paws and claws and enormous fangs jutting from his snarling snout Mac was no True Alpha. His aura was black, he stunk of sulfur and his red eyes danced with the fires of Hell.
The word ‘demon’ burned through her mind as she poured every ounce of strength and magic she had into her stride. There was no turning back. It was all or nothing. She had to get through the stupid son of a bitch and get to her father.
Using her momentum and the powers given to her by the Goddess, Star pushed off with her back legs, catapulting into the air. Aiming at the demon wolf’s massive chest, the Princess was so focused on taking him down that she missed the swing of his enormous paw.
Pain, agonizing and white hot, tore through her side as the demon wolf’s razor-sharp claws slashed through fur, muscle and tendon, scraping the bone as the helpless Star flew through the air landing with a bone-shattering thud on the hard, unforgiving ground. Refusing to give up, the Princess struggled to her feet, gritted her teeth so hard she heard the crack of her jaw as the earth shook beneath her feet from the demon wolf’s pounding footsteps.
Ignoring the excruciating pain wracking her body, Star ran as hard and as fast as she could towards home with the demon wolf hot on her trail. She could feel him gaining on her with every agonizing step she took.
Focusing on the bond she shared with her father, Star could feel rage and fury. Gone was the panic she’d felt before, Edward was no longer a fearful father but now a powerful Alpha fighting for his Pack, his land, and his very existence.
Praying for strength, Star reached deep into her soul, pushing both herself and her wolf to their very breaking point in an effort to get to her father, to save those she held most dear. Bounding over the creek that served as the border between the Mac Tíre Liath Pack and the Cattanach Pride, the Princess was snatched out of the air by one of the demon wolf’s gigantic paws at the precise moment that she glimpsed flames lighting the sky and heard the sounds of a battle.
“And now you die” the demon wolf snarled, throwing Star high into the air before batting her away like a shuttlecock in a game of badminton as she fell. Flying across the swamp, praying to the Goddess for the strength to go on and for the safety of her father and her Pack, the Princess smacked broadside into the hard, thick trunk of an ancient water tupelo. Crashing to the ground, the world instantly went black as the small gray wolf’s blood created a macabre mosaic in the dark waters of the swamp.
“What about the Dragon Guard, will they be any help?” Ellie’s question pulled Star from her memories.
“I spoke to the Leader of the Blue Dragons, Rian, but I only thought we were dealing with a rogue and wizard problem. I had no idea demons were involved. He’s sending over a Guardsman or two. They should be here in the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours,” Marrok answered, giving Star a look that said ‘I was gonna tell you, but didn’t have the time’ before adding, “I hadn’t approached Angus and his brother yet? I was letting them finish their vacation since being reunited after so many years.” Star watched as the Alpha looked at his sister who was tapping holes in the oak table top with her nails and shook his head, “But since his mate is here, I have a feeling he already knows.”
A single nod accompanied by a glare that promised Marrok hadn’t heard the last of leaving his little sister, her mate and her new extended family out of their latest predicament almost had Star smiling…almost. She tried to shake off the feeling of impending doom, the feeling that Fate was stepping in and taking control, the feeling that the other shoe was about to drop, but she couldn’t.
The Dragon Guard had been called. They were on their way. There was no doubt that that damnable gray dragon with his sparkling blue eyes and dazzling smile would soon be back in the swamp. Star’s day had just gone from bad to worse in an inescapable, life-altering way.
Chapter Five
“My brother?” Grey was once again on his feet but this time to pace across Kayne’s kitchen. “How do you even know what he looks like? How can you know for sure it was him?”
Spinning towards Alicia when no answer was immediately forthcoming, the Guardsman stopped midstride and stared at the picture before him. It was like a snapshot, but he could tell it had been pulled from the mind of Thanatos by the ashy, out of focus appearance. Worse yet, there was absolutely no denying that it was Garrett.
“But how?” He stepped forward. “Where?” He looked at Alicia while pointing to the picture of his brother hanging from a stone wall, shackles around his neck, wrists, waist and ankles, the look of hate burning deep in his eyes. Garrett was little more than skin and bones, scars covering his bare torso and what Grey could see of his legs through the tatters of jeans that hung low on his emaciated waist.
Moving forward still, he took in every blemish and every scratch down to the tiniest mark, cataloging all of them, promising retribution to the demon who dared to touch his kin. Clenching his fists, the gray dragon again asked, this time through gritted teeth, “Where? Do we know where?”
Shaking her head, Alicia sadly replied, “Only that he is topside, not in Hell. My magic won’t breach the confines of the Underworld without a conduit who’s already down there.” She let her eyes drop. “I’m so sorry to say that’s the best I can do right now.”
“No, no, I understand,” Grey murmured, his eyes still glued to the picture of his brother. “So, you think Thanatos has him?” He looked at the witch. “That he’s had him all this time? He stopped and thought for a second, then hurriedly asked, “If he had Garrett, then why possess your sister? Why not just possess my brother? He is, well was, bigger, stronger, with the soul of a Dragon King merged with his own.”
“That’s exactly why he didn’t, or better yet cannot possess Garrett,” Calysta answered as the picture of his brother disappeared and Alicia’s image got smaller. “It takes a load of magic and more strength than a demon the likes of Thanatos has to possess a dragon shifter, especially a Dragon Guardsman. He would have to be one of the seven Lords of Hell, if not Satan himself. Thank the Goddess he’s not, the bastard’s a big enough pain in the backside without all
that power under his belt.”
The Priestess stood and made her way around the table. “I believe he’s holding Garrett and using him for the dragon blood that flows through his veins. The longer I think about this, the more I believe that Thanatos was not the person who kidnapped your brother all those years ago. Unless,” she paused, furrowed her brow and bit her bottom lip as she thought. Long, tense seconds ticked until Calysta finally began again, this time more animated and nearly rambling. “That’s it! That’s the piece I’ve been missing all along.”
She closed the distance between them and patted Grey on the arm. “While I was being held by Cleland and they were trying to summon Thanatos, that stupid old coot kept talking about bringing Death to his new home.” She turned and continued, looking around the room. “I admit to being out of my mind a good bit of the time, but I thought they meant the demon’s new home on Earth, like a house or a hole in the ground.” The Priestess spun back around, a gleam in her eye and vengeance in her tone. “But that’s not what they meant at all. They were trying to summon Thanatos then use their collective power along with some deal they’d made with only the Goddess knows how many demons to force the bastard’s black soul into Garrett’s body.”
“But when we saved you and killed Cleland, no one knew where the old bastard had stashed Grey’s brother,” Pearce jumped into the conversation. “Has he been alone since then?”
“I have no idea, but I promise I won’t rest until he’s found,” Calysta once again patted his arm.
Letting out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, Grey nodded, “Thank you, I appreciate that. But don’t we also need to know who took him in the first place. Don’t know if Thanatos has him or is looking for him. I mean, I want him back, healthy and whole, if that’s possible, and I want every single asshole responsible for what he’s suffered over the last eighty years to pay with their very lives, but we don’t have a lot to go on.”
“I understand,” Kayne stepped up beside Pearce. “And we’ll find out and make it all happen.”
“Thank you,” the gray dragon reiterated, then remembering something Alicia had earlier said, asked, “You said you also saw Star. How is she involved? She didn’t know Garrett. Hell, she barely knows me.”
“No, that’s not what I meant.” Alicia’s eyes met his as she went on, “From the little bit I could see, your mate has had dealings with Thanatos in the past.”
“Now, wait one fucking minute,” Grey roared, pushing past Calysta and pointing his finger at the magical image floating in midair. “Stop that shit right there. Star is not…”
“Shut the hell up and sit your ass down,” Drago, Alicia’s mate and the ancient Guardsman, Leader of the Enforcers, known as the Assassin appeared out of nowhere and bellowed. “I have no problem kicking your wet-behind-the-ears ass as soon as you land, whelp. I will not have you disrespecting my mate.”
Knowing he would react the same way if the tables were turned and Drago was yelling at Star, Grey stepped back, lowered his voice and quickly apologized, “I’m sorry. You’re right. I have no excuse for my actions.”
“Accepted, but watch your tone. I do not make threats I do not intend to backup.”
“Yes, sir,” Grey responded, waiting as patiently as possible for Alicia to return. Before he could apologize to her, the young witch was asking him for his forgiveness. “I’m so sorry. Drago tends to be a bit overprotective.” She laid her hand over his on her shoulder. “The misunderstanding was my fault. I should have said that I believe Star was one of Thanatos’ victims and more than likely he believes he killed her.”
Grey couldn’t believe his ears. How would a wolf with the powerful magic he felt running through Star’s veins not recognize a demon at first sight. It was then that the picture Alicia had pulled from Thanatos’ mind flashed before the Guardsman. He saw how young his beautiful mate was. How carefree she seemed. The easy way she smiled, holding nothing back, letting everyone know everything she was feeling. In the blink of an eye, the image changed. Gone was the beautiful blond with sparkling hazel eyes, replaced by a mere shadow of that happy child, covered in cuts and bruises.
“What was that?” Grey whispered, as the image faded and Alicia’s face was once again front and center.
“That was a picture Olivia showed me of the day after her dad and Marrok brought Star to their Pack. The day after her own Pack was completely destroyed and her father killed by what at the time they thought was hunters.”
Unable to speak, the picture of his precious Star, beaten and battered by the very demon he’d let escape only a week before made both man and dragon physically ill. He had not only failed Mara and the McKennons but also, unknowingly his mate. Finding out his brother was alive and had been a prisoner of only the Heavens knew who for nearly eighty years was shocking enough, but now this. Grey’s world seemed to be turning on its axis. Another pat on his arm had the Guardsman looking down at Calysta with raised eyebrows.
“From what Alicia has told me, that picture of Star was taken almost eighty years ago.” She paused, giving him an expectant look.
At a complete loss, he shrugged, “And?”
“And, that was the same time Garrett went missing.”
Again he waited, but with so many thoughts whirling around his brain, Grey once again had to ask, “And?”
Swatting his arm while giving him a motherly look, Calysta sighed, “And that means Thanatos was on Earth when Garrett was taken.” She squished his arm. “These are not two unrelated events like we originally thought. I now believe that the massacre of Star’s Pack was the blood sacrifice needed to push Thanatos into Garrett’s body, but something went wrong, and the nasty bugger was sent back to Hell instead and in his anger, he thought he killed Star.”
Running his free hand through his hair, Grey sighed, “So, what you’re saying is that all we have to do is find Thanatos and banish him back to Hell to save Star, Garrett and Mara?”
“No, I’m saying all we have to do is destroy Thanatos to save Star, Garrett and Mara.”
Before the Guardsman could ask if the Priestess had lost her mind, Alicia announced, “Well, if that’s all we have to do then I have good news. I think I know where Thanatos is. Or at least where he will be in the next couple of days.”
“Let me guess,” Grey groaned, “The swamp?”
But it was Drago who answered with a grim expression and a growl in his voice, “Give that boy a cookie, he got it in one. Now, get your ass over here.”
Chapter Six
It had been damned near impossible to concentrate on what was being said with the past rearing its ugly head and warring with visions of an incredibly aggravating even sexier dragon within her mind. So, when Marrok finally said they would reconvene the next day, Star jumped out of her chair and ran for the door. Unfortunately, the Alpha’s voice followed her down the hall.
“Hey Star, can you come to my office before you head out, please?”
It was the ‘please’ on the end that made her stop dead, turn left instead of right and wait at the end of the corridor for him. It wasn’t that Marrok wasn’t polite, quite the opposite, he had the best manners of any man she’d ever known in the whole damn state. It was that he never said please in that tone of voice unless he was trying to soften the blow of something really big. The sinking feeling like there was more going on than anyone was saying sat like a rock in her stomach, making it hard to breathe.
Trying to smile at the Alpha as he held out his hand, motioning for her to go ahead of him into his office, Star stopped just over the threshold and grumbled under her breath, “Just once I would like my intuition to be wrong…just one damn time.”
“Sorry for the subterfuge,” Olivia came forward. “But Alicia and the guys,” she glanced over her shoulder, “Have some news that we wanted to share with you before we tell the others, specifically Ellie and Caleb.”
Standing her ground when Marrok grabbed a chair, sat it beside her and gestured for her
to sit down, Star added with a single raised eyebrow, “I think I’ll stand.”
Looking at not only her best friend but also two Dragon Guardsmen, a witch and her Alpha, all of who Star thought of as friends, if not family, the she-wolf nodded, “Then get on with it. I’m somehow sure all this buildup is way worse than whatever you’ve got to say.”
“I wish that was the truth.” Olivia’s eyes shot to Angus’ then back to Star’s. “Look, I get that you’re pissed and feel like we set you up, but that’s not the case, at all. You know me better than that. I don’t play games and I have always, always had your back…and always will. We care about you. I,” she took a step forward. “Care about you. You are the sister I never had.” Slamming her fists to her hips, the auburn she-wolf ordered, “Now sit down, and wipe that I’m-gonna-kick-someone’s-ass look off your face and listen to what we have to say. Got it?”
Staring back at her best friend, the only person she’d ever truly trusted with all her secrets, Star shook her head, and begrudgingly took a seat while warning, “Alright, I’ll sit but I’m not promising I’ll stay that way.”
“Fair enough,” Marrok answered from his seat behind his desk.
“I’m gonna let Alicia tell you what’s happening since she’s the one who discovered all of this,” Olivia advised.
“Sure, whatever,” Star sighed then immediately asked, “Wait. Where’s Isabella? I can’t believe she would agree to being left out of this,” she motioned her hand back and forth. “Intervention or whatever the hell it is.”
“She wanted to be here, but she’s with Ellie and Caleb while they talk to the North Carolina Pack about what’s going on.” Olivia’s tone softened as she added, “Do you want me to get her in here?”
“No, don’t bother. She’ll know soon enough.” Star rolled her eyes. “Let’s just get this over with.”
The young red-headed witch took her cue and quickly began to explain. “Recently, we, my family and I, got word that my sister, Mara, whose been missing for a couple of years, had been seen. It was the first confirmation we had that she was still alive since her disappearance.”
