“Ari, I’ve never seen Declan in such a rage. He damn near destroyed an entire conference room with his bare hands. All that's left is the flooring and the framework. He never even extended his claws. Tables were broken, the door ripped from its hinges. His beast went wild, and when he finally settled—” He stopped for a moment and I found myself holding my breath, afraid of what he was going to say next. “Ari, when he finally stopped raging, what was left was someone so broken I barely recognized him.”
My breath hitched as my heart plummeted. “I didn’t mean to. I didn’t know that he would even be aware of anything happening.”
“What did you do?” he asked again.
I hesitated as shame filled me. “I kissed someone,” I finally admitted.
“Is that it?”
I nodded and then remembered that he couldn’t see me. “Yeah, that was it.” I couldn’t have taken things further even if I’d wanted to.
“Why?”
I covered my eyes with my hand. “I just, I don’t know how to explain it. I want…I don’t know, James. I just want to feel something good. I need something good right now.” I ran my hand through my hair, pulling at the chestnut strands, my fingers getting caught in the tangles.
“What happened?”
“Nothing.”
“Bullshit, Ari. Something happened. I know you,” he said. Sometimes he knew me too well.
I heaved a sigh. “I saw my mother,” I said, rubbing my eyes.
“Jesus, are you okay?”
A tear rolled down my cheek and I angrily brushed it away with the back of my hand. “Oh things are just peachy. Not only could she care less about me, she’s also the reason that my father is dead. We had a not so happy reunion.”
“You don’t need her. You’ve done just fine these past years.”
Wasn’t that the truth. It didn’t mean it didn’t hurt, though. “I know that. Don’t you think I know that? It’s just—”
“That she’s your mom and a part of you wants her to care.” He nailed it right on the head.
“Yeah, pretty much.” I was twenty-three years old. I’d been on my own for over six years. I’d watched my father die. I’d survived living on the streets as a teenager, survived being attacked by vampires—hell, I’d survived coming face to face with a mythical legend just earlier this week. I didn’t need Mommy to come kiss my scrapes or hold my hand and tell me how much she loved me. I didn’t need her at all.
“I hate to ask but,” he paused, “is she really to blame for your pops being dead?”
“Yeah, she is.” And even if she did want a relationship with me, that was something I could never forgive her for.
“So what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know. Any words of wisdom for a friend?”
He snorted. “Yeah, come home.”
I sighed. “Anything else?”
“Ari, you need to stop running away from your problems. Haven’t you realized by now that they’re just going to follow you?”
That was the problem. I needed them to just go away, but for whatever reason, when I ran from one, I just stumbled upon another.
“I know, and I’ll come back. But not just yet.” I didn’t know why I was staying here. I had just as many problems here as I did at the Compound.
I could hear the frustration in his voice. “Fine,” he said, “but know that the longer you take, the harder things will be.”
“I know.” Silence stretched between us as I struggled to ask my next question. “Aside from today, how’s he doing?”
“As good as can be expected when his mate is nowhere to be found and won’t even return his calls.”
I hung my head. “James—”
“I know, Ari, I know. But if I’m being honest, you gone is eating the guy up inside.”
“I never asked for this,” I told him.
“I know, but you need to stop looking at it like a curse. Most of us go our entire lives without ever finding our mates, without ever forming the mate bond. It wouldn’t have formed if you weren’t meant for one another, Ari. You have to believe that.”
I didn’t know what to believe anymore.
My gaze caught my reflection in the floor-length mirror within my room. My eyes looked haunted, dark shadows forming beneath them. I rubbed at the dark smudges but they didn’t go away.
“I’m not ready for this.”
“That’s why he’s trying to give you time, to give you the space that you need. Understand that it’s killing him, though. He has a damn near uncontrollable urge to be near his mate. His beast wants you here, within his sights, so he can look after you. He’s losing it with you not only gone but with someone he doesn’t know. He misses you.”
“How can he possibly miss me? I’d been at the Compound for what, a month? We barely spoke to one another, and when we did, all we seemed to do was argue.”
“That may be the way you saw things, but Declan looked at it more as verbal sparring. He liked being around you, even before the bond. Not sure why; I think maybe he has a few loose screws, but then again, he’s my Alpha, so I’m not one to question him. Even if his sanity does seem a bit, well, questionable.” A choked laugh escaped me. Leave it to James to find humor in all of this.
“James, there’s no way he could have enjoyed any of our conversations. All I’ve been to him is a thorn in his side.”
“Well, more than anything, he’d like his thorn back, then.”
A small smile played across my face as I remembered all the times I’d heard Declan mutter curses under his breath after storming off. There was just something entertaining about getting under his skin.
“I can look after myself.”
“I know that. I think he does, too. That doesn’t mean that the urge to protect isn’t there, though.”
I sighed. I knew where he was coming from. I honestly was surprised that neither one of them had stormed the castle yet, so to speak. It wouldn’t have surprised me if Declan had figured out where I was and had come in like an avenging angel to steal me away from the big baddies.
“Whenever you’re ready, just come home.”
“James, the Compound isn’t my home.”
“Ari, it is your home. You just haven’t realized that yet.”
I wandered the halls, curious as to what else I could potentially find. I’d done some exploring over the past few days, but I’d had Inarus as my shadow each time, and I’d noticed when he had been showing me around that there were certain hallways he’d been very careful to avoid. He thought he’d so easily distracted me, brushing my curiosities aside. I wasn’t an idiot. He’d made it clear he wouldn’t lead me in certain directions, and I’d made a clear plan to wander them on my own behind his back.
Now as I walked, my booted feet making soft thumping noises along the tiled floors, I wondered what would happen if I was caught. I mean, what could they do, kill me? A slight chill ran up my spine as I realized that was a very distinct possibility. I pursed my lips and looked around the barren hallways, taking in the whitewashed walls and fluorescent lights overhead. No turning back now.
I passed all the rooms Inarus had shown me earlier: the green space, the atrium, the commons, and the kitchen. The farther I walked, the more sparse things seemed to become, until the hallways took on a clinical air. A chemical smell reached my nose, making me feel as though I’d passed through a business office and into a hospital. The astringent smell grew stronger with each step I took.
I poked my head into a few random rooms along my way, doing my best to disregard the smell. Some housed books and filing cupboards; others looked like barracks, with metal bunk beds and a small desk and chair. I couldn’t imagine anyone actually living in the rooms. The farther I went, the wider the space between doors grew, until I came to a lone door at a dead-end. The door was made of thick steel, the surface smooth and reflective.
I eyed the door apprehensively, something instinctual telling me that whatever was behind that door wasn’
t a good thing. I went to reach for the door handle when I felt as though someone was watching me. I turned to look over my shoulder—the hall leading back the way I’d come was still empty. I allowed my eyes to wander and saw no cameras, nothing to indicate I was being watched, but I still couldn’t shake the feeling.
My hand hovered over the doorknob when I caught a familiar scent. Rainstorms. Dammit.
“What are you doing here?”
“What’s behind this door?” I asked. If you didn’t want to answer a question, it was always a good idea to just ask one of your own.
“I don’t know, it’s beyond my level of security clearance.” See, crisis adverted.
I scoffed. “You can teleport anywhere you want. You seriously mean to tell me that you’ve never looked inside, not even a little peek?”
Inarus shook his head. My shock must have shown, because his smile grew wide. “Not all of us are rule-breakers, Aria. Some of us actually like structure and order.” That was crap.
“Let’s take a look.”
He shook his head once again. “That wouldn’t be wise. You shouldn’t be over here. The area is restricted.”
“So what? I think it’s worth looking at. Besides, if you really want me to believe that you and the HAC are on the up and up, then I want full access. No secrets.”
“We should discuss this with your mother.”
Fat chance of that. If I had things my way, I wouldn’t have to see her again. I doubted I’d be that lucky though.
“Why? So she can say no, or move whatever happens to be hiding in there to another location? Not happening. Look, you guys help out children’s hospitals. Do you really think whatever is behind this door will put the HAC in a bad light? Come on, please?” I asked, giving him my best pleading look, eyes wide as I batted my lashes. He fell for it, hook, line, and sinker. I knew I’d won when he exhaled a breath, defeat written all over his face. He must really have a lot of faith in the HAC. Now we would see if that faith was misplaced.
“Fine,” he said. “But this is going to be quick, in and out, and don’t touch anything, okay? We don’t know what is in there, and I don’t want to be at fault for breaking anything.”
I smiled wide and nodded in agreement. I’d be on my absolute best behavior—when he was watching, of course.
Inarus reached and grasped my arm in a firm yet gentle clasp, the heat from his palm causing small prickles of pain to shoot into my skin. I wasn’t sure why the contact was slightly painful. Maybe it was the mate bond telling me that this was not my mate. Wouldn’t that just be the icing on the cake.
I cringed internally but kept my expression neutral. I didn’t know how he’d react to the news, and right now I needed an ally, especially if we happened to get caught, because despite his beliefs, I knew whatever was beyond this door wasn’t good.
I felt the distinct tug on my insides as Inarus transported me with him to the other side of the door. It took less than a second, but the motion still had me reeling, my stomach threatening to revolt. I took a moment to gather my bearings, and when I did, I took a good look at my surroundings.
“We need to go,” he said, his voice firm as he stepped in front of me in an attempt to block my view. He reached out for me, but before he could make contact, I sidestepped around him.
“What the hell are they doing in here?” I asked, horror evident in my tone. The room was clinical; white, tiled floors met white-coated walls, with laboratory tables in the center of the room. Lining the walls were a series of cages, some empty but several full, and inside were children, and in a few, animals, reminding me of some sick animal shelter.
When my eyes locked with one of the inhabitants, though, I saw more intelligence than any true animal would have. They were shifters. I rushed to the nearest cage and looked between the bars into the eyes of a young girl who couldn’t have been over eight or nine. She was huddled in the far corner of the cage, shivering. I attempted to reach a hand through the bars towards her, and she curled into herself farther, letting out a mewling sound of pain. My heart clenched.
“What have they done to you?” I whispered. She turned towards me, peeking over the arm that had been covering her face, and I saw the metallic glow in her cornflower-blue eyes. She was a shifter, without a doubt. I pulled away from the cage and checked the next closest one. A boy that looked twelve was inside, but as soon as I neared, he shifted. His brown hair turned into the thick fur coat of a small bear. He struck at the bars with claws and fangs extended. His growl filled with pain as he vocalized his anger.
The third cage was worse. Inside was another girl. She was small and waif-like. Her blonde hair hung in thinning strands around her face, her cheeks hollow from a lack of food. She couldn’t have been older than four. I crouched in front of the enclosure and reached out to her. She eyed my hand with apprehension.
“It’s okay,” I said. “I won’t hurt you. No one will hurt you anymore.” I heard Inarus shift his weight behind me. He cleared his throat in an effort to grab my attention, but I ignored him.
“Come here, sweetheart,” I crooned.
She carefully inched forward, and I noticed that her right leg dragged behind her as she crawled my way. I bit my cheek to hold back the foul curses I wanted to spew. How could they do this to innocent children? As she neared, I made sure to keep my heartrate even, to exude calm. When she was finally close enough, I allowed my hand to tuck a piece of blonde hair behind her ear. She leaned into the touch, rubbing against my palm in a feline manner.
“You smell like home,” she whispered. My eyes began to water, and I wondered if my spending so much time in the Compound was why she’d made the comment. Was she one of the Pack’s cubs? How long had her parents been searching for her?
“I’m going to get you out of here. I’ll take you home, okay?”
She looked up into my eyes, her gray eyes sad and filled with more pain than any four-year-old should ever have had to experience in their life, but inside their depths, I saw trust. She knew I was telling her the truth, and I’d make damn sure that I followed through.
I turned back to Inarus, rage boiling in my blood, but I had to contain it. I couldn’t let my pyrokinesis out now. It would only frighten the children further. “You have to get them out,” I said.
Before I’d even finished the comment, he was shaking his head, regret stamped across his face. “Aria, I can’t. We shouldn’t even be here.”
I bit back a curse and curled my hands into fists.
“They’re just kids. What do you mean you can’t? Is it you can’t, or you won’t?”
“Look, Aria, I know you don’t understand, but they’re here for a reason. I don’t know what that reason is, but the HAC wouldn’t have taken them without cause.”
Was he really that blind?
I shoved him into a nearby wall and got in his face, my nose only inches from his while flames already licked across my fingers. So much for keeping a lid on my abilities.
“There is no reason to ever take a child,” I said, “Look at her, Inarus. Really look at her. Her leg is broken, she’s barely been fed, and there are bruises covering both of her arms. They are torturing them, torturing children.”
“They’re shifter—”
I cut him off with a slap to the face as hard as I could muster. His eyes grew angry as he brought his hand up to his cheek. My palm left behind a red impression. Part of me was sorry; I shouldn’t have struck him. The other part of me needed him to stop being an idiot and realize that the HAC wasn’t all sunshine and roses.
I heard footsteps in the hallway, and we both froze, eyeing the door warily.
“Get them out of here,” I said in a vicious whisper, praying desperately that he would listen to me. If we were caught and he hadn’t taken the children, any chance of rescuing them would be lost.
He stared at me, a battle waging in his eyes. After a suspended moment of silence, he caved. He gave me a terse nod as he moved to the nearest cage—the one holdi
ng the four-year-old girl—and extended his hand. She drew away from him in fear.
“It’s okay,” I told her. “We’re going to take you home, but I need you to let him touch you. We can’t get you out of here unless he can touch you.” She was shaking her head vigorously and I knew she was afraid. The footsteps in the hallway grew louder, voices now joining in. I didn’t know how much time we were going to have.
“Please, sweetheart. Trust me. I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”
She finally nodded and moved towards him.
“Take her to my apartment.”
Inarus nodded, his lips pressed into a thin line, but as soon as his fingers met hers, they were gone. In approximately six seconds, he was back. I was already in front of the next cage, trying to calm the bear cub into staying still. He swatted at my hand when I reached for him, and I bit my lower lip to keep from crying out as small droplets of blood seeped from the wound. Inarus slid his hand through the bars and over the bear’s back, and again, they were gone. We continued that way through seven cages, releasing seven children in just over a minute.
The last cage carried the oldest child, a teenager. He eyed me with anger, hunger, and pain.
“We’re going to take you home,” I said.
“He’s one of them,” the boy said, indicating Inarus.
“He won’t hurt you,” I said, trying to comfort him. When he didn’t move, I tried again. “He’s going to take you to the rest of the children.” That drew a reaction, and I could see the agony in his eyes as he thought of the others. He was old enough that he likely felt responsible for them. It was in his nature to want to protect them, and I was counting on that to get him free.
“I was supposed to protect them,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
“You still can. Please, let us take you to them. You can look over them while we find your parents.”
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