Infinity Unleashed

by Sedona Venez

  She touched my arm with a cool hand. “I’m really so sorry about your mother.”

  A shiver went through my body. “What? My mother?” I asked in a panic-filled voice.

  Skylar’s eyes darted away before staring at me compassionately. “Maybe you should wait for Mason to explain.” She jumped up nervously, backing toward the door. “I shouldn’t be the one telling you this.”

  I scrambled off the sofa, grabbing her arm. “No! Stop.” I swallowed over my anxiousness, pressing on. “Please, just tell me what happened to her.”

  Her eyes softened with sympathy. “Your mother was attacked and killed by wolf-shifters.”

  “Wolf-shifters?” No, that felt… wrong. “Why would shifters want to kill her?” My heart thundered. “And who were they?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. It doesn’t really matter.” Her mouth flattened. “Wolf-shifters are all the same—ruthless monsters.”

  All my mental barriers came crashing down. Tears slipped from my eyes as the weight of Mom’s death settled on me. My knees buckled, but Skylar was quick. She caught me, gently sitting me on the sofa as I cried so hard my body violently trembled. It was ugly and raw, but I didn’t care. A part of my soul was ripped away forever. Skylar wrapped her arms around me, and for once in my life, I allowed someone other than Mom to comfort me.

  “I know my words may seem hollow, but her soul has gone to a far better place.”

  I had absolutely no memories of Mom’s death, which was odd. Something as earth-shattering as that I would remember. I know that I would. Shaking her arms off, I responded. “You’re right.” I wiped my eyes angrily. “Your words are hollow.” I looked around the suite. Everything felt wrong. I had to go home. I had to see her for myself. “I need my clothes.” I tried to stand but collapsed back onto the sofa. “How long have I been here?”

  “Not long, a couple of hours.”

  I shook my head with disbelief. “A couple of hours? It’s Saturday?”

  She nodded yes.

  “There’s no way in hell.” How could I lose hours of memories? It was too bizarre for words.

  She looked over at me with serene eyes. “Mason told me rogue wolves tried to subdue you with Rejuvenator. He got there just in time to save you, but by then, they had overdosed you with that filthy Rejuvenator garbage.”

  That’s why I was so sluggish. The memory loss was eerily similar to my last Rejuvenator relapse. “And what about Anya?” Anya was like my second mom. I couldn’t lose her too.

  For a long moment she looked at me, as if trying to get the strength to say what she was about to say. “I’m sorry, but I believe she’s dead too.” She reached out to touch me, but I evaded her touch. I just wanted to be left alone.

  “Infinity… Mason will take care of you. I know he loves you dearly. He will do everything he can to make you part of this pride. We are your family now.”

  For some reason, that didn’t exactly fill me with joy. In fact, it made me pretty damn apprehensive. Suddenly, the door swung open with Mason standing in the doorjamb, looking like some tall, blond Greek god. His smile widened as he gestured to the large steaming mug in his hand.

  “I come bearing gifts.”

  He strode right in, looking at me with a desperate longing on his face that made me uncomfortable. He was gorgeous and worked very hard to keep up his persona, but I saw behind the mask months ago. His gold-blond hair, coupled with his unusual, sensual gold eyes, used to make my heart race with adoration. Now, I felt absolutely nothing.

  Skylar heaved a sigh of relief. “About damn time.” She looked at him pointedly. “You two have a lot to talk about. I’ll be back later.” She waved at me before leaving the room swiftly.

  Not wasting time, I went on a verbal attack. “Who killed Kara?”

  Gingerly, he placed the mug on the side table before reaching for me. I recoiled. Everything about him repelled me. He sighed heavily before sitting on the sofa, deliberately crowding my space. It took everything in me not to move. To prove to him and myself that the power that he once held over me was gone. He didn’t own me.

  “I don’t think you’re ready, Infinity. You’ve been through so much the last couple of days between the death threats… and now Kara.” He lifted a strand of my hair, rubbing it between his fingers.

  I smacked his hand away, feeling sick to my stomach by his touch.

  “You don’t get to decide when I’m ready. I want the truth. Now!”

  Those gold eyes I once thought were so beautiful locked with mine. He was actually pissed off. His body vibrated with anger. “You want the fucking truth? Boulder played you. While you were panting all over him like some dumbass groupie, he was plotting to kill Kara and kidnap you for Maxim.”

  My teeth ground together. God, I hated his condescending ass. I fought the urge to bang his head into the coffee table with raw violence. To think I once loved him like some fan girl. I was embarrassed that once upon a time I practically begged him to be my first. It made me sick to my fucking stomach. Thank God I dodged the damn bullet by finally coming to my senses.

  “He didn’t play me, Mason. I know people, like I know you. Don’t forget that being in the music industry has honed my bullshit detector.” I wanted to add that I smelled bullshit all over him. “Boulder didn’t lie. He was straight up with me.” In fact, that’s what I liked most about him. He was straight up with no chaser.

  His face twisted into an ugly mass of rage. “Stop being so stupid. Maxim paid Torch and Boulder to kill Kara and Anya. They would’ve killed you too with that overdose of Rejuvenator they shot you up with if Nick and I hadn’t arrived just in time to save your sorry ass.”

  My back straightened. My fingers dug into the flesh of my palm, stopping me from doing what I really wanted to do—gouge his eyes out.

  “Don’t you ever call me stupid again. I’m not going to sit here and be fucking verbally abused by you. Now be fucking nice or this damn conversation is over.”

  He laughed bitterly. “You’re not in control here.”

  “And neither are you.” I looked at him icily. “If you think that because I’m on your territory that I’m going to roll over and submit, then you’ve got another fucking thing coming. Your reign of power over me has been over for months. I woke up.” I pointed in his face. “And what I see behind that perfect mask is not pretty.”

  His jaws snapped and eyes flashed from human to tiger then back to human. I paused, waiting for him to calm down, not giving a shit if he went all tiger on my ass. I wasn’t afraid. Not anymore.

  I continued. “And if this whole conspiracy theory is true, did the Collective have anything do with the attack?” Memories of all of the death threats I received if I didn’t cancel my concert flooded back. Death threats orchestrated by the Collective, a corporation of vampires. Frowning, I asked, “And why does the name Maxim sound so familiar?”

  He gritted his teeth. “It should. Everyone knows Maxim Lupo. Humans know him as the oil tycoon. Others know him as the leader of the New York Wolf Covenant.” He looked at me slyly.

  “Go on,” I said flatly.

  “He’s also your father.”

  My body twitched. “I’m a wolf-shifter?”

  “Hybrid, half Valkyrie, half wolf-shifter,” he spat.

  I licked my dry lips, wiping the perspiration from my forehead. In a weird way, it all made sense, down to the scary spirits that trolled my dreams, showing me snippets of the future and the past.

  “Why did Maxim kill them?”

  “Your concert made everyone nervous.” He leaned forward and sneered. “Vampires run the Collective and the mangy wolf-shifters from the Wolf Covenant are paid to look the other way while getting a cut of the blood for Rejuvenator profits.”

  I looked back at him steadily. He wanted to rattle me. Wanted tme to back down from the knowledge that vampires and wolf-shifters wanted me dead. Not happening. “So it was true. The vampires are using Reju
venator as a cover-up to use humans as their personal blood bags.”

  He quickly hid his shock that I knew the truth all along and most importantly… I wasn’t afraid of it.

  “After the Fire and Ash war, the Other population was nearly extinct and they needed to boost the number of births. That’s the real reason Rejuvenator was engineered. They thought they found a cure, but what they found instead was a cure for human diseases.”

  “Others don’t give a crap about humans,” I stated flatly.

  “Very true, but with so few humans left after the war, the High Council prohibited vampires from feeding on them. That’s how the blood for Rejuvenator got started, creating clean, bottled human blood for vampires to gorge on without killing. It was a fucking brilliant plan, and the Collective made billions. Humans were so damn grateful for a disease-free existence they were falling over themselves to give up their blood for free. It was a win-win situation for all.”

  My eyes widened as more pieces of the puzzle started coming together. “You mean it was a win-win for the vampires. The wolves probably got pennies from this scam and the Others were left out in the cold.”

  He looked at me with grudging respect. “I’m impressed you figured that out. As far as I’m concerned, the vampires have held the reins for far too long. It’s time for an organizational change and I plan on leading it.”

  I snorted with disgust. “It’s always about money and power with you, Mason.” He was such a scum bucket.

  “Coming from a woman who’s made millions from pimping her image, I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  “And I used that image to cut off the vampires’ food supply, not to profit from it.” I sneered.

  His lips curled up with distaste. “God, you’re so damn naive. Do you know what would happen if the blood for Rejuvenator program disappeared? Vampires would hunt humans to extinction. Then they would come after Others for food.” He scowled. “There was already grumblings of war. We didn’t need you poking your head in our damn business.”

  “So you think it’s right to use humans as cattle?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t give a shit about humans. Their blood keeps the peace and makes a hell of a lot of money. You almost ground the business to a stop. It was bad enough that some vampires were already grumbling that they were too reliant on the Collective for blood. Your near shutdown of the program just confirmed all their worst fears.”

  “I don’t give a shit. Humans are not cattle.”

  “No one gives a shit about your opinion, Infinity. We’re way past that now. There’s a full-scale war brewing between the Collective and rogue vampires who want to go back to the old ways of hunting humans.” He looked at me coldly. “Congratulations. Your save-the-world bullshit just ignited war. And if you think the Fire and Ash was big, you haven’t seen anything yet.”

  A shiver ran down my spine, but a nagging feeling told me there was more, a lot more, to the story. “So Maxim had Torch and Boulder…”—I swallowed painfully—“kill them because of me.”

  My heart felt heavy. How could I live knowing that I caused all of this?

  Mom had warned me to stop pushing the concert and thumbing my nose at the Collective, but I was too arrogant to stop. My mouth tightened. Feeling betrayed by the spirits in my visions who swore that exposing the Collective’s plot of making humans their personal blood bank would save everyone I loved. They lied and I wanted to know why.

  “You’re not the only one to blame. Kara had a big part in this.” He gritted his teeth. “I told her not to trust Maxim, but she was so desperate to protect you from the Collective that she was willing to sell her soul to the devil.”

  Mom loved me and would do anything for me. Nevertheless, I knew she was far from a fool. She was smart and cunning. There was no way she would go to Maxim for help unless he had something she wanted. As far as Boulder betraying me? That didn’t make any sense, either. My mind wandered to the vision I had of two wolves, Boulder and Torch on the beach, protecting me. The spirits showed me that vision for a reason. My gut told me that Mason was lying and my gut never lied.

  Dazed, I shook my head, instantly regretting the movement. “No,” I ground out.

  He arched a brow. “No what?”

  “They wouldn’t kill her or hurt me.” I gritted my teeth from frustration. There was no way in hell they wanted to hurt me. Shit, they could have done that easily at the concert hall. “Why would they do that?”

  His eyes hardened as if he were one step away from going straight-up bananas. “Because that’s what they fucking do. Kill. I saw them kill Kara and Anya in cold blood.”

  My eyes narrowed. He was pushing too hard, and the edge of desperation in his eyes was making me very uneasy. “So you watched and did nothing while Torch and Boulder killed them?”

  His eyes widened incredulously. “I had to get you out safely.” He touched my arm softly. “Kara begged me to save you.”

  It was definitely Mom’s nature to think of my safety first. I was always first in her life. A devotion that she paid for with her life. I shook my head. This truth was a bitter pill to swallow.

  I felt helpless, guilty, and alone.

  “I need to go back home. Make arrangements for a proper burial.” It would be emotionally difficult, but maybe it would give me some sort of closure and bring back my memories.

  He patted my leg. I moved farther away.

  “I took care of everything. It was just too messy to let humans stumble into Other business.”

  I gritted my teeth. “That was fast. I didn’t even get to say my good-byes.”

  His gold eyes widened. “I couldn’t wait. Imagine the scandal if word leaked. Others take care of their own.”

  “I still have to go back home. I can’t stay here forever.” Nor did I want to. It would be hard to go back to an empty home without Mom and Anya, but I sure as hell didn’t want to live my life under Mason’s creepy thumb.

  His eyes hardened. “Not possible. Maxim has a bounty on your head. You’re safer here at Degrassi Creek.”

  I arched a brow. “Excuse me? I wasn’t asking for permission. I’m telling you what I plan to do. I have a life and I will not live it cowering behind your back. Mom wouldn’t want that.”

  “You’ve always been so fucking selfish. For once think about someone besides yourself.”

  I flinched as if he physically slapped me.

  He looked at me coldly. “She died defending you, and I’ll be damned if I let her sacrifice be in vain. No, you’re staying here until I think it’s safe enough for you to leave.”

  “Who made you boss of my life? I’ll recuperate and then leave when I’m ready.”

  “I’m not going to argue with you. Maxim is dangerous. I love you too much to watch you die.”

  My stomach rolled from queasiness. I wasn’t going to argue with him either. It was just a waste of time. When I got better, I was leaving, and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it.

  He pulled me to his chest, rubbing my back with slow, long strokes. My mind willed me to pull away, but my body suddenly felt unnaturally languid, unwilling to move.

  “I’ll take care of you until it’s safe for you to go back.”

  With effort, I struggled, pulling away from his clinginess. “Why did you hide that you’re a tiger-shifter?”

  His eyes flashed angrily. “It wasn’t my choice. Kara thought it was best to slowly reveal the truth about me. I disagreed. However, what Kara wants, Kara gets.” He extended the mug. “It’s getting cold. Drink. You need to get your strength back.”

  I hesitantly took the mug. He wrapped his fingers around mine, squeezing them before I jerked away, scooting back like a cornered cat. Something urged me to examine the contents of the mug carefully, but it looked like nothing but clear broth.

  “I had my personal chef make it. It’s only broth mixed with healing herbs to help you detoxify from the Rejuvenator. Would you like me to tas
te it first?” He reached for it.

  “No. It’s okay.” I wiped my damp forehead, fighting the sudden dizziness.

  What was wrong with me? It was just clear broth. Why was I so paranoid and skittish? I sipped the broth, enjoying how it scalded my throat going down. God, I was so hungry. The more I drank, the more I wanted. I drained the mug only to look up to see the very smug smile on his face. An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of my stomach. Slamming the mug down, I looked at him defiantly.

  He stared into my eyes. “What happened to us, Infinity? We were good together.”

  Pushing through the lethargy, I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms across my chest.

  “You know exactly what happened, Mason. Once upon a time when I was desperate and stupid, I offered my heart and body to you. You rejected me.” I swallowed hard. “You could never be with a woman like me. Your words, not mine.”

  I was proud of the fact the memory didn’t hurt anymore. I snorted, thanking the universe he rejected my offer. Just thinking about how foolish I was to think that I loved him made me want to slap myself. God, how could I have ever thought I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him?

  I remembered that day vividly. How much it hurt to see the cold look in his eyes when he laughed at me and told me he could never be with a woman like me. I was so confused, hurt, and depressed that I medicated my hurt away with a mammoth Rejuvenator binge that sent me to the pits of hell and back. But thanks to Mom, Zoe, and Diego, I was able to crawl out of the abyss. I was stronger, wiser, and harsher. It was my lesson to learn and I was a very good student.

  Mason was the biggest mistake of my life. He was a leech who didn’t love me or anyone else for that matter. All he wanted was to control me, and now he was kicking himself for letting his window of opportunity close when he rejected me.

  His eyes softened. “I was a fool. I didn’t think you were ready for what it took to rule this pride with me.”

  I started to say that he could kiss my ass, when he placed a finger over my lips. My thoughts started to cloud again.

  He took my hand, looking deeply into my eyes. “Let me finish. I know I did a shitty thing by rejecting you. I’m an ass, and I’m sorry. Forgive me?”