by Jenny May
“Vampire?” He laughed. Although the man before her looked like an older version of the sibling she remembered, he didn’t sound anything like Derek. “No. Not yet.” His eyes narrowed and he got right in her face. “Look deep inside of my eyes, Lynna, and listen.” His voice was hypnotic. “Sleep.” She was so suddenly tired that her lids lowered. She could tell he was still talking to her, but she had no idea what he was saying.
Images took over her mind. Lynna felt like she was flying as she soared over the lands of Hidden Hills. She smiled and looked down at the brush and houses in the distance. She wished her mates could see this. It was the ultimate freedom. The large hills began to get thicker as she headed in a direction she’d never been before.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
Lynna turned to see her brother. An uncomfortable feeling settled into her bones, but she tried to act normal. It was Derek. True they hadn’t seen each other in years, but he still had to be the same person deep down.
“I love it. Where are we?”
He pointed off into the distance. “That’s the backside of Dark Days territory. It’s sad they don’t use this area for more. The possibilities are endless. If only they were smarter, they would hold up here.”
“Dark Days?” Lynna looked at him confused.
“Think about it, sister. You love your wolves, right?”
“Of course.” She wasn’t sure she liked the direction Derek was going. Although his face was loving, his voice held nothing but malice. The way he said Dark Days was like it disgusted him.
He laced his fingers with hers. “I’m happy you found mates. I am. But don’t you want to make them happy? I mean, being a part of some weak pack, living in a small house on the edge of town isn’t going to keep them with you.”
Offended, she ripped her hand away. “My mates and I are very happy. You don’t know them. Or me for that matter.”
“I know what you long for, Lynna. You want a big house. Control.” He opened his mouth to say more, but she shook her head.
“You couldn’t be more wrong, Derek.”
“No. I’m right. Pair up with me, sister. Become like me and take over Dark Days. We’ll rule this area. You and me…and your mates. Don’t you want what’s best for them?”
Lynna tried to stop from moving. She wanted out of this dream, and away from this power hungry monster. This man was not her brother. Gravity suddenly took over and Lynna could feel her body being sucked to the ground. She screamed and began thrashing her arms and legs around. Just as she was about to connect with the ground Lynna jerked up to a sitting position. She was back in the bed and completely alone.
“I got to get out of here.” She stood and felt her legs buckle. The blood obviously hadn’t done that good of a job if she couldn’t even walk. Lynna looked over at her arm. It had been broken, hadn’t it? She moved it around and felt tightness, but other than that she was fine now. Slowly, she forced her legs to go forward and made her way over to a dresser. The reflection in the mirror was startling.
Lynna’s long hair flowed over a long, white nightgown. Deep bruises littered her cheek and made their way down her neck. She lifted her hair away from her head. A dark red line ran from above her eyebrow, down into her hair line. “Amazing.” The quickness she had healed was shocking. She couldn’t have been out for long. An hour at the most.
“We still have time to make the scar on her head go away.” Derek walked through the door. “Once I complete the change, your body will become stronger than you could ever believe. It’ll heal the gravest wounds, age you at an incredibly slow pace, and the power you’ll hold will be deadly. You’re going to love it, Lynna.”
She opened her mouth, but words wouldn’t come out.
“I’ve never given this gift to anyone, sister. Accept it and join me.” Derek wrapped his arm around her shoulders and looked at their reflection. “Most vampires are very greedy when it comes to sharing their power. They fear they will create someone more powerful than them, but I trust you. Join me, Lynna. Say you’ll become like me.”
God, what had she done? She should have listened to her mates. This was a mistake. The man before her was not Derek. He was Dag. “I’m sorry. I mean.” She swallowed hard. “Can I have time to think about it? I’d like to go home now. My mates are worried about me.”
The arm left her shoulders and a look came over Dag’s face that she couldn’t read. “You are home. At least for the moment.”
She took a step back from him. “What do you mean?”
He laughed. “You aren’t leaving. At least not until I’ve turned you, and you agree to my proposal.”
The dream came back to her. “You want me to take over Dark Days.”
Dag pressed his lips together. “I should have known my mission would be revealed to you through my blood. You see, that was a first for me, too. I see now why vampires are so cautious to help anyone out.”
“I can’t do it.” Lynna tried to ease her way to the door. “I don’t want to be changed. I saw what happened when I bit my mate at our bonding. If you turn me I could end up killing him by accident.”
A laugh poured from Dag as he came closer. “My dear.” He shook his head. “Once I change you there will be no more mates. Your bond will be broken.”
The thought was crippling. No more Knox or Lewis. It was enough to stop her heart completely. “No.” Lynna turned and ran. Her hand wrapped around the door handle, but Dag’s arm jerked her back into his body.
“Oh yes, Lynna. You will be changed. But I want you to want it. I’m going to make you beg for it. I’ll be your master, and then you’re going to have to do what I say regardless of what you want.”
“No!” She fought against his hold, but it was unbreakable.
Dag shouted something in Spanish and two men ran into the room. They left just as quickly. He wrapped his arms around her, locking her from making a movement with her upper body.
“This is going to be so much fun, sister. Think of it as a game we never got to play, growing up.”
“Derek, please. I know you’re not who you’re pretending to be. We were best friends. Why would you want to hurt me?”
He looked at their reflection. “Lynna, I hardly even remember you. Do you seriously think I could have held on to such a meaningless life when I have all of this now? Until you wrote me, I didn’t even have a single thought that you even existed.”
Tears stung her eyes. “Do you have any idea how long we’ve searched for you? We love you, Derek. It killed me when you went missing. Please, don’t do this. Search inside of yourself for what you used to share with all of us. Think of Chase. God, he talks about you all the time. He looked up to you so much.”
“Who?” A look of annoyance filled his face.
“Our brother. Chase.”
Dag rolled his eyes. “Oh, the kid with the braces. That’s right.”
The tears spilled over. “That kid mourns for you to this day. And he’s not like you remember. He’s grown up now.”
The men rolled something in that Lynna had never seen before. It was a tall wooden board with leather buckles for a person’s wrists and feet. She almost couldn’t believe her eyes. It looked downright medieval.
“Perfect. We’re about to have so much fun.” He motioned at the men to move it in front of the mirror. “I want you to see what I’m capable of when I don’t get my way.” He pulled her to the board and Lynna fought the men as they strapped her in.
Dag walked back and forth in front of her and studied the view of her in the glass, from her point of view. “Nice.” He walked to the dresser and pulled out a box. Lynna jerked against her hands as she watched him pull out knives, scalpels, and scissors of different sizes.
“Don’t do this, Derek. Please. Just let me go. I won’t tell anyone about your plan. I’ll just say you helped me.”
He turned to her and smiled evilly. “No. You won’t tell anyone anything. When I get done with you you’re going to answer to m
e. And we’re going to rule.” Scissors rose in the air and he inspected them. “I can’t wait to hear you beg for me to change you.”
Lynna jerked against the bonds. “Never!”
“We’ll see about that.” He came up to her and gathered her hair into a pigtail right at the nape of her neck. Lynna gasped as her curls floated to the floor.
Dag laughed. “Better. All that damn hair makes you look weak. A leader shouldn’t appear so feminine. She needs to be rough, and tough looking. Dark Days’s newest Alpha will be heartless. She’ll rule with an iron fist, and kill anyone who disobeys her orders.”
“Keep trying to convince yourself that your plan will work, Dag. You got another thing coming if you think I’ll betray Dark Days,” Lynna spat at him. “You can do whatever you want to my body. My mind will not change. Ever.”
Dag traced the edge of the scissors down her chest. The sharp point scratched against her skin. “You say that now. This is only the beginning, sister. When I get done with you, you’ll be unrecognizable and ready to bow to me.”
* * * *
The bulletproof vest felt like home. This is where Knox shined. He’d always known he was capable of great things, but only in the revenge market. With what his Alpha was proposing it was clear others thought he was made for more than bringing pain to their enemies. Now he wanted Knox to rule them. He just wasn’t sure if he was cut out for the job. This wasn’t a typical Alpha fight. He’d have to take out a vampire, whose men were willing to die for him. They played with guns. Not with teeth.
Knox shook his head. He didn’t have a choice. Lynna needed to be saved, and these wolves needed authority. He slid the clip into his gun. This was war of the worst kind. A blood battle that would go down in the history books of all packs. He knew this down into his soul. He kneeled on one knee and placed his forehead on the Glock. A ritual he’d done a million times. Now, it was different. He wasn’t asking a divine power above to merely keep him alive. He wanted their blessing for all things to come. For Lynna. Lewis. And everyone involved. Was he worthy enough to make it out of this alive? He wasn’t so sure. The odds were definitely not in his favor.
Footsteps sounded behind him and Knox rose. He turned around to see Myles staring at him.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt you. I just wanted to apologize about your mate. I always knew Hidden Hills was bad news, but…” She took a ragged breath. “Any brother that would set his sister up for this is not family. He deserves what’s coming to him. I would have never went against your wishes had I foreseen this.”
He came forward. “Myles, I don’t blame you for wanting her to see her brother. Truthfully, if Dag would have been the old Derek I would have embraced him as Logan has Jack. But I’ve seen what goes on at Hidden Hills. Any leader that condones the violence these men create isn’t any better than them. They’re murderers. Plain and simple.”
More footsteps approached and Logan came into the room with Ty and Knox’s two brothers, Damien and Rogue. Rogue walked to Knox and threw his arms around him. Damien’s jaw dropped, but he quickly recovered. Knox shut his eyes and embraced his brother. It was so out of character for Rogue that it was a pure indication that things were a lot worse than anyone wanted to admit out loud.
Rogue pulled back and patted his shoulder. “She’s a good mate.” He put distance between them, letting his mask fall into place. “I saw it in her when our eyes connected. She thought I was you. The love she has inside—” Rogue cleared his throat. “It’s deep.”
“Thanks.” Knox could tell Rogue was on the verge of something that made him uncomfortable. His brother looked like he was about to break down. He waved his arm to Rogue and walked to the back room. “Hey, bro. You okay?”
“It was just like mom. She kept calling out for you, Knox. She reached her hand forward and screamed your name. And just like before. I did nothing.” Rogue lowered his head. “I should have taken them out. I could have saved her for you.”
“No.” Knox walked over and lifted his brother’s face. “There were too many of them. They would have killed you.”
Rogue shrugged. “Maybe. But maybe not. Once again I’m put in a situation where I can do something and I freeze. God, I couldn’t take my eyes off of your mate. All I could see was mom. She was hurt and pleading for help. And they took her. Right in front of me, again.”
Knox felt his stomach tighten. “You were eight, Rogue. You can’t believe that you could have done anything more then, than you could have done today.”
His brother licked his lips. “You’re probably right. Listen, forget I even said anything. Let’s go get your mate.” Rogue raced from the room and Knox was left standing there speechless. His poor brother. Hadn’t he been there not that long ago? Damn, what the guy needed were mates. They could heal him. It had worked wonders on him.
Plans were in full swing as Knox made his way back into the room. Everyone was strapped with vests and guns. Even Myles.
“All right.” Logan looked throughout the room. “You all know the territory. Knowles, I want you to take a team down Dark Days’s territory until you hit Mexico. Cut right and head south to Hidden Hills. It’s the long way so you’ll have to leave now. There’s no time to waste. Keep your radio on at all times and call me when you get in position behind the compound.
Knowles nodded and signaled for his men. Logan put his hands on his hips. “Me, Ty, and Myles are taking a team around the back of Desert Sky. We’ll position ourselves by the surveillance camera Rogue set up.” He looked at Knox and his brother. “Lewis will stay in control. He’ll get to see everything that’s going on. Knox, all you have to do is go to station 2 to get ahold of him.”
“Sounds good.” Knox nodded to Damien and Rogue. “What do you want us to do?”
Logan placed his gun at his lower back. “Take the Beamer and pay Dag a house call. Get through the gate, and we’ll take care of as much as we can on the outside. Breach the estate fast. Get in and take Dag out. Once you become Alpha there’s not going to be too many people that will step up to you. Once their leader is gone, they’ll be lost.”
“Got it.” Knox could feel himself start to sweat.
“Good. Wait about an hour before you leave. Let us get good and ready before you move in.” Logan slapped him on the shoulder. “And breathe. It’s going to be okay. We all got your back.”
Knox nodded and watched as they walked into the garage. He turned and headed for control. He needed to find Lewis. To spend some time with him before he left.
The control room was dark as Knox made his way inside. He didn’t need words. Lewis took one look at him and followed to a back bedroom. Knox shut the door and pulled his mate into his arms. Lewis met his lips hungrily.
Fear overwhelmed him and Knox pulled back to look into Lewis’s face. He wasn’t afraid of dying. Death was the easy way out. What scared him the most was failing. What if he didn’t succeed in getting to Lynna in time? What if she died? Or worse, he and Lynna died? Lewis would be left alone. There were too many questions he didn’t have the answers for. And every one that popped into his head was only making him weak.
“Lewis, you have to promise me something.” Knox laced his fingers through Lewis’s blond hair. “If anything happens to me, or to Lynna…or both of us.” Lewis shook his head violently. “No,” Knox said. “Listen to me. I need you to promise me something.”
“Nothing’s going to happen.” Lewis pulled out of his arms. “I’m not saying my good-byes to you Knox. You’re going in there and you’re going to defeat that son of a bitch who hurt our mate. You’re going to do it, and you want to know why?”
Knox watched as Lewis angrily stalked toward him. “Why?”
“Because we’re your destiny. Fate wouldn’t have brought us all together just to tragically tear us apart. I don’t believe that. I can’t!”
“It happens every day,” Knox said lowly. “Sometimes, there’s just no such thing as a happy ending. “
Lewi
s tilted his head and poked Knox in the chest. “Well there is in this damn story. And you’re going to make it happen. Get your head out of your ass, Knox, and stop doubting yourself. I’ve heard what you’re capable of. You’re a bad ass motherfucker. Now, repeat it.”
The confidence his mate had in him made him suddenly aware of all the things he had overcome throughout his past.
“Say it, Knox.”
He tried not to roll his eyes. He was good, but he wasn’t so sure he was all Lewis made him out to be. “I’m a bad ass motherfucker.”
“Really?” Lewis put his hands on his waist. “That’s all you got?”
Knox shrugged. “I guess I am pretty awesome.” He tried not to smile. The more he saw his mate all worked up, the more he wanted to pull him back into his arms.
“You think? Look at you, Knox. No one fucks with you. I’ m not even a wolf and I can feel your power. Imagine how it must be for them.”
“You can?” Well that sure piqued his interest. “You never told me that.”
“Well, it’s true. Lynna and I were actually talking about that a few days ago. She asked me if I could feel it, too. Of course, I could, so that led into a long conversation about how we were mated to a bad ass. We’re proud of you, you know?”
Wow, Knox couldn’t believe his ears. They really thought that? Knox caught his reflection in the mirror and took in his large frame. He couldn’t deny that he was built like a tank. His arms were bigger than Lynna waist. And his chest. He turned to the right and left, inspecting it. He was almost twice as big as regular men. Then if he factored in his six feet four inch height accompanied with how lethal he was. “I guess I am a bad ass motherfucker.”
Lewis smiled. “Yes, you are.”
Knox pulled him into his arms. “Now kiss me good and hard. I’m about to have to go load up the car and I’m going to miss you like crazy.”
Soft lips pressed into his. Knox slid his tongue against Lewis’s and moaned at his taste. The hotter the exchange became, the harder it was for him to breathe. “Damn, you taste so good.” He buried his face against his mate’s neck. Fabric filled Knox’s hands as he clutched to the back of Lewis’s shirt. “Once I take out Dag and make sure Lynna is okay we’re all going to stay in bed for a week. I don’t want you two out of my sight.” Knox groaned. “I wish you could go. I don’t want to leave you.”
