by Bianca D’Arc
Billy Bob actually winced. Maybe he wasn’t completely evil if he regretted what had happened to Matilda.
“She knew too much,” he rasped. “The organization sanctioned her. It wasn’t any of my doing. If it’d been up to me, the silly bitch would have lived.”
“Pardon me if I think you don’t seem too broken up about it. You let those Altor Custody people kill your girlfriend.” Elaine scoffed at him, trying to throw him off stride as he advanced. He kept advancing, and she kept retreating. Eventually, she’d run out of room.
“Altor Custodis,” he corrected her with a growling laugh. “And you’re a fool if you think I work for them. They’re small potatoes compared to the Venificus.”
Elaine had no idea what he was talking about, but one look over his shoulder at the small black panther told her that Ria knew. She’d gone stiff with shock, and her animal eyes held a fear that Elaine would never have expected.
Elaine prepared as best she could when she saw Ria slink into motion out of the corner of her eye. Elaine danced closer to distract the werewolf hoping to give Ria some advantage as she pounced from behind.
Billy Bob was quicker that they’d given him credit for. He spun on his heel and knocked the young panther clear across the room. Elaine grimaced when she heard something snap as Ria’s body crumpled against the wall. She’d hit so hard, she’d undoubtedly broken some bones.
It was up to Elaine now. If help was coming, it was too damned slow. Molly and Ria were already suffering. Elaine didn’t want to be the next one lying on the floor bleeding and broken. She had to do something!
Elaine didn’t wait. She didn’t give Billy Bob time to recover, spinning around as she entered his range and delivering a highflying roundhouse kick to his head. It was a bruising blow, but the damned werewolf shook it off as if she’d only tapped him. A normal man would be on the floor, but the were only gave her a toothy grin.
“Is that all you’ve got?” It was his turn to taunt her, and Elaine didn’t like it.
He swiped at her repeatedly, pushing her back as she scrambled to avoid those flashing claws. She was fully in defensive mode, and knew she couldn’t continue to play this game by his rules for long. Eventually, he’d tire her out, then move in for the kill. She couldn’t afford to let it go that far.
One thing was clear. His reach was too long. She’d have to jam him up by getting in close. It was a huge risk, but she didn’t see any other alternative.
She’d do it smart though, using a spinning move that would present her back to him at the critical moment when she got in range of those wicked claws. Her safety depended on whether she could move fast enough and take him by surprise. If she didn’t have either of those two elements, she was a goner.
And she couldn’t use any of the standard targets. She’d already kicked the bastard as hard as she could in the temple, and it hadn’t even fazed him. She’d have to go for the soft spots, much as it disgusted her. She’d never fought dirty before, but this werewolf left her no alternative.
Cade arrived just in time to see Elaine go on the offensive. She spun much too close to the werewolf, but she moved like lightning, faster than Cade would have believed if he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes. She jammed up Billy Bob’s long reach and delivered a shot to the groin that made every man in the vicinity wince in sympathy.
Billy Bob dropped to the floor like a stone, clutching his genitals. Cade didn’t wait to see any more. He bounded inside, shifting on the run, to go to his mate.
Vaguely he was aware of Charlie, Ray and Steve ripping into the werewolf. He’d be dead within moments if the roars and snarls coming from that direction were any indication.
Cade wrapped Elaine in his arms and held her close.
“God, baby. Are you all right?”
Nothing had ever felt so sweet as having her in his arms, safe and sound.
“I’m okay, Cade, but Ria and Molly are hurt. We have to help them.”
Cade gave her a smacking kiss as he pulled back. She was right. They had to tend their wounded and regroup while they had the chance. They’d prevailed above ground, but the safe house’s location was no longer a secret. They’d have to flee as quickly as possible.
Elaine’s nursing skills came in handy once again as she went first to Ria, who was already sitting up, holding her side as she grimaced in pain. It looked like the Nyx had broken ribs and a possible broken wrist, but otherwise she seemed okay.
“Don’t worry, shifters heal fast as long as we don’t lose too much blood. That’s what weakened Molly. Go to her, Elaine.” Ria touched Elaine’s wrist as she turned toward the door. “And thanks for everything you’ve done here. Everyone, including me, underestimated you.”
Cade was behind Elaine, blocking her view of the carnage in the center of the room where the growling was beginning to die down. He caught his breath at Ria’s words. His cousin was right. Elaine moved like the wind, and she fought well under pressure—better than he ever would have given her credit for. She had the grace and style that could—and had—outmaneuvered a shapeshifter. Even Harris couldn’t do that, though the old man had come damned close.
But for all Harris’s skill, he couldn’t move as sinuously as Elaine. That slinky way she had of executing lightning fast strikes was more than a match for the average shapeshifter—even one half-shifted, which was their most deadly form.
Cade kept himself between Elaine and the center of the room as she scurried quickly to Molly’s side. Already injured in the attack on the dojo, Molly had been recovering slowly from blood loss. As Ria had said, blood loss was one of the few things that could really slow them down.
“She’s unconscious,” Elaine reported as she inspected Molly’s still form for broken bones and other injuries. Elaine paused at her head, treading lightly around a head wound that seeped blood. “I think she cracked her skull.”
“Thank goodness,” Cade said in a low voice, drawing a disapproving glance from Elaine.
“That’s nothing to be happy about, Cade. She’s in very serious condition.”
“No, baby, you don’t understand. Shifters can heal from broken bones in a matter of a day or two—sometimes even in a few hours. Any swelling or injury will go away as easily. My fear was that she was bleeding out. That’s one thing we can’t mend so simply. A concussion? No problem. Broken bones? Piece of cake. But blood loss is serious.”
Elaine shook her head as she ripped a piece of Molly’s ruined jacket into strips and used them to cover and wrap the wound on her head. By the time she was finished, Molly started coming around.
“See? What’d I tell you?” Cade whispered in Elaine’s ear as he bent over her shoulder to look into Molly’s confused eyes.
“What happened?” Molly’s voice was groggy and her pupils didn’t match, but Cade wasn’t too worried. “Billy Bob!” She stiffened as memory returned. Cade put a firm hand on her shoulder to keep her from rising.
“He’s dead.” Cade heard Elaine’s gasp of surprise, but he couldn’t hide the facts from her. “Ria’s all right. A few broken ribs and maybe her wrist. Ellie downed Billy Bob, and the guys took care of the rest.”
Cade darted a quick look over his shoulder to see that the cleanup had already begun. It wouldn’t do to leave a shifter body around for anyone to discover. They always cleaned up their messes. It was the only way to keep their secret.
“You fought Billy Bob?” Molly asked Elaine as they helped her sit up to lean against the wall.
“In half-shift, no less,” Cade said when Elaine only nodded.
He was proud of her, yet pissed off at the same time that she’d had to fight a creature twice her size. He hadn’t been there to protect her, but she’d managed well on her own. Still, he hated that she’d been put in such a position in the first place. He could only thank the powers that be that she’d had the skill and courage to take care of not only herself, but Ria and Molly as well. He knew Billy Bob wouldn’t have left anyone alive.
M
olly’s gaze tracked to him, and Cade saw her doubt and surprise. Grimly, he nodded to her silent question, and Molly tried to refocus on Elaine.
“Thank the goddess you were here, Elaine.” Molly’s words echoed Cade’s own complicated sentiments. “I’m sorry I doubted you. You’re the bravest human I’ve ever known.”
“Thanks,” Elaine answered, clearly uneasy with praise.
Steve ambled over in human form. His skin was streaked with blood, but Cade had the satisfaction of knowing it wasn’t Steve’s. His arm had healed sufficiently by this morning to allow him a comfortable shift to panther form, and he’d fought well against the small contingent of weres that had infiltrated the house.
“We need to move,” Steve said in a low, urgent voice.
Cade nodded. “Bonnie was closing up when I left her upstairs. She should be down any time now with our packs, clothes and the essentials.” As Cade spoke, Ray and Charlie left the room with their grisly burden. Billy Bob’s body would never be found.
Ray returned with Bonnie a few moments later. She had packs for everyone that she passed around in a hurry.
Steve had crouched down next to Molly and was talking to her while Elaine had gone back to help Ria to her feet. Cade just watched, standing guard over them as best he could. He was proud of his woman and glad they’d all come out of this fiasco alive, but things had to change soon. They couldn’t continue living like this, always on the defensive. They had to root out their enemies at their core. Soon.
Molly was able to stand with Steve’s help a few minutes later, and everyone convened around the pool in the center of the garden room. Cade took advantage of the fountain to clean some of the sweat and blood off his skin. He noticed Elaine averted her eyes since everyone except she and Molly were naked from shifting. His human lover had a lot to learn if she was going to hang out with shifters.
He saw her checking out her knapsack that was stuffed with clothing, courtesy of Bonnie, no doubt. He pulled jeans and a dark shirt out of his pack and dressed quickly as everyone else did the same. When he looked back, Elaine was rolling up cuffs on some dark stretchy pants and a shapeless dark T-shirt, Chuck the cat beside her.
Cade looked over at Bonnie and mouthed the word “thanks”. Bonnie had unbent a little toward Elaine but Cade knew as soon as the former Royal Guard heard how a human had saved the Nyx’s life, she’d give Elaine the respect she deserved. It ruffled his fur to have his woman thought less of only because she was human.
Bonnie was a hard case when it came to humans. Disappointed by her youthful experiences in a human high school, Bonnie had learned to hate the human bullies who had ganged up on her. Always being the new kid because her parents had been on the run much of her youth, Bonnie had never found a way to fit in. That she’d never turned on some group of nasty kids and shown some teeth or flashed a claw was to her credit, but the lasting bias was a real problem.
It was just as well they’d be going their own ways after this. They needed to disperse to reduce the threat and to figure out which target was the real one—Elaine or the Nyx.
“We’ll need to split up,” Steve said, echoing Cade’s own thoughts.
“I agree.” Cade went to stand by Elaine who was looking up now that everyone was mostly covered. Chuck was in her arms, purring as he snuggled into her. “At this point we don’t know if they were after Ria or simply got lucky because they followed Elaine’s trail here. Either way, we should split them up.”
“You’re going with Elaine, of course,” Bonnie said in an accusing voice as she rolled her eyes.
“Yes, he is.” Ria surprised them all by stepping forward, anger blazing in her gaze. “She saved my life, and for that she deserves to be protected by our best. My cousin—” she emphasized their relation in a way she seldom did, “—will see to her safety as I’m sure, she will see to his.”
Unspoken was the implied insult that without Cade, Ria would be stuck with the rest of these clowns. Cade had to suppress his amusement. His little cousin was becoming a master of veiled putdowns.
“I’ve done what I came here to do,” Ria continued, stepping in front of Elaine. Ria limped a little and held one wrist close to her aching ribs, but she looked as royal in that moment as Cade had ever seen her. “I wanted a chance to meet you, Elaine, and I’m glad to see my instincts weren’t wrong. You’re a friend to the Clan, and a friend to me.”
Bonnie gasped as Ria leaned forward to kiss Elaine’s cheek. Ellie didn’t know it, but she’d just been given entrée into the Clan, if she chose to accept it. It seemed Cade had more explaining to do once things quieted down a bit.
“Now…” Ria turned back to the stunned group around her. “I assume the rest of you are coming with me, no?”
Cat's Cradle: String of Fate, Book 1
Chapter Twelve
The plan was to leave en masse from the compromised safe house, then split up once they’d reached a certain point. Only Cade and Charlie Gantry knew their intended final destinations.
Bonnie had unbent enough to give Elaine a modicum of respect. Ria had seen to that, and Elaine was grateful. She didn’t like Bonnie’s attitude, but even more, she could see it hurt Cade when Bonnie treated her badly.
They left the basement as a group, exiting to the topside garage where Cade’s motorcycle waited. The garage was bigger than Elaine remembered. She’d been in such a state when they’d arrived she hadn’t even seen the two vehicles besides the bike. Then again, maybe there had only been one when they got there. More than likely the second vehicle had brought Ria, so it wouldn’t have been there the day before.
Charlie got into a dark sedan with Steve and Molly while Bonnie and Ray took Ria in their SUV. Elaine and Cade were on the motorcycle, so Chuck the cat went with Ria.
Elaine didn’t like to be parted from Chuck, but it wasn’t safe to have him on the motorcycle the way they’d done it the night before. Besides, it was daytime and someone was bound to notice an orange tabby cat riding on a motorcycle. Elaine knew it was better not to draw attention.
So she said goodbye to Chuck and gave him to Ria. The traitor seemed to like Ria even more than Gina and paid little attention to Elaine after he found a comfortable spot on the bench seat next to the Nyx.
“I can see why you like this cat. He’s a charmer,” Ria said with a grin, one hand on Chuck’s orange fur.
“He is that,” Elaine agreed. “Thanks for keeping an eye on him.”
“My pleasure. Elaine,” Ria’s tone turned solemn. “Good luck on your path. I’ll pray to our Lady that She keep you and my cousin safe.”
“Blessed Be.” Elaine knew the proper response from having hung out with Gina her whole life, and it popped out of her mouth without thought. Ria tilted her head, eyeing Elaine with surprise, but said nothing more as Ray took his place behind the wheel. Elaine backed away and let Bonnie shut the door to the SUV.
Elaine and Cade mounted the bike only after the men had checked it and the vehicles for any trace of tampering. They’d been looking for homing devices, Cade told her and she’d been jolted to remember she was in the middle of a real life cloak and dagger thriller.
One she was more than willing to end. Any time now. She’d had enough of fighting for her life and running like a bat out of hell every other night.
The small convoy exited the row of garages with little fanfare, and Elaine was surprised to see it was still early morning. They joined the flow of traffic from the suburbs along with regular people on their way to work. Elaine felt a pang of regret that her life would never be so uncomplicated again, but by the same token, she wouldn’t give up having met Cade for anything.
Having him in her life made all the rest seem almost worthwhile. Though she figured she could do without the constant threat of danger.
The sedan was in the lead, the SUV following close behind and Cade and Elaine brought up the rear of the parade on the motorcycle.
A van came out of nowhere and clipped the back wheel of the bike, sen
ding it spinning into an alleyway. The sedan and the SUV sped out of sight as Elaine and Cade took a wild ride that ended when they smashed into a brick wall. Elaine heard a sickening crunch and when everything stopped spinning, Cade was unconscious with blood gushing down the side of his face.
Elaine tried to crawl over to him, but her world was spinning and strong hands held her back. She had just enough presence of mind to realize she was being manhandled into the back of the van, but she was too out of it to offer any real resistance. She cried out for Cade, but he couldn’t respond.
“What about the guy?” Elaine heard one of the men ask the other.
“Leave him, dude. We’re supposed to get the girl. He didn’t say anything about killing the dude.” The casualness of the man’s remark cut through her disorientation. “He’s dead anyway. Nobody takes a hit like that with no helmet and lives.”
Anguish clouded her brain until she realized one of the men was fastening her hands behind her with a cable tie. It hurt like hell and would be impossible to escape. She started to struggle in earnest, but it was already too late.
The blond guy who seemed to like the word “dude” climbed into the driver’s seat and put the idling van in gear. The dark haired one bundled her ankles together in one thick hand and used another cable tie to completely immobilize her, then climbed up front to sit in the passenger seat as the van shot forward into traffic.
They’d gone less than a mile when Elaine became aware of an annoying popping sound. The dark haired one was cracking his knuckles repetitively in a way that set her teeth on edge. She decided to give them names since it was unlikely they’d ever introduce themselves.
The blond “dude” with the killer tan became Beach Boy and the dark-haired one immediately became Knuckles in her mind. Elaine had to stifle a laugh, which she realized bordered on the verge of a hysterical. She was losing her mind. She knew it. Naming her captors like it was some sort of game. Something had to be very wrong with her responses if she couldn’t even work up the energy to fight back against these two losers.
