Release (The Protector Book 3)

by M. R. Merrick

  “The Sovereign is capable of more than you know, hunter.”

  “Thanks for the heads up.”

  “I did not expect her to be there, obviously.” Vincent rolled his eyes. “What’s important is that you’re alive…in a way.” He turned to Veronica. “Are you alright?”

  “Well, your mother is bat-shit crazy,” she said.

  “Such is my family.”

  “What are you going to do?” I asked. “She’s made an offer and I doubt it will be on the table for long.”

  “I am going to respond in the Taryk way. We’ll need to infiltrate the safe house before she lets the rest of the Sovereign know what she’s done, and rescue the others. How many are there?”

  “A few dozen. Most of us who escaped are still alive. I don’t know about the other safe houses,” Veronica said. “From what your mother told me, they killed only a few to set an example. They are going against their nature in hopes to bring you back willingly.”

  “Wait, you’re going to attack them?” I asked.

  “No, Mr. Williams, we are going to attack.”

  “I felt your mother’s power, Vincent. Attacking a group of ancient vampires like her is suicide.”

  “You agreed to help me. And I don’t think I need to remind you that you killed a pure blood vampire—a creature that is more monster than any member of the Sovereign.

  “And I don’t need to remind you that I nearly died trying. Not to mention that was only one vampire, and everyone’s life was on the line.”

  “And so, it seems they are again. More lives in fact. Just because you do not know them does not devalue their worth.” Vincent narrowed his gaze on me. “Do not fret the Sovereign’s numbers, they are not all here. There will be but a few—my mother, father, and my sister. The Sovereign is not so foolish as to leave their entire territory unprotected just to get little old me. No…this is family business.”

  “Whatever we’re doing is going to have to wait. We need to travel to Silas first and retrieve the Claw.”

  “Oh of course, your agenda takes precedence. Nobody else is important at all,” Vincent snapped. “I’ve already spoken with Marcus and declined his offer to go with you. I will await your return and we will take action then.”

  “Maybe you need a reminder. If we don’t stop Riley, saving your family won’t matter.”

  “So you keep saying.” Vincent rolled his eyes.

  Anger bubbled up inside me and I clenched my fists. “I need to see Marcus. Keep your pet in check.” The fire crackled beneath my skin and I pushed it away, slamming the door behind me.

  Marcus was in the library, surrounded by boxes full of books. He continued to pack, turning the pages of each volume before setting it in a box.

  “We’re moving then?” I asked.

  “We can’t possibly keep everyone here, and now that the warehouse is protected, I think it’s best for everyone.” His voice was low and focused.

  “I’m not arguing. Anything that keeps distance between Riley, the Dark Brothers, and us is a good thing in my book. So what’s the bad news?”

  Marcus nodded, flipping through the pages of a yellow, leather-bound book. He shook his head and dropped the book in the box. “The Circle is the bad news.”

  “Let me guess. They only want us to work with them on their terms. Well, they can forget it. We work together or that’s it. I won’t be their puppet.”

  “I’m afraid that would be good news in comparison. The Circle is gone.”

  I waited for him to tell me more but he didn’t. “Okay…gone as in what? Did it suddenly vanish into thin air?”

  “I mean it’s gone. Destroyed.” Marcus sighed and threw another book into the box he was packing. “Chief sent a scout to check on them since we had not heard back, and—”

  “Why would Riley destroy the Circle?”

  “I don’t know. Perhaps he wanted something from them—a book or a weapon. I’m not sure exactly, but he didn’t take no for an answer.”

  “Are there any survivors?”

  “There were a few hunters alive when I got there.” Chief came up the stairs behind us. “But they were too far gone to save. From what I gathered, your father gave them the option to join him or die. Many chose death over abandonment.”

  I wasn’t looking forward to working with the Circle, but I didn’t want them all dead. I had just come around to the idea of cooperating with them and now that wasn’t an option. Riley wasn’t leaving anything to chance, which meant the sooner we got out of the condo, the better.

  “Was there any trace of Riddley? Was he with Riley?”

  Marcus shook his head. “No, and I’m sure he’s not working with him.”

  “How do you know?”

  Marcus was silent and continued packing up the books.

  “We promised honesty, Marcus.”

  Marcus walked back to his desk, falling into the high leather chair. It sighed as he shifted his weight and his brown eyes watched me carefully.

  “He deserves to know,” said Chief.

  “Know what?” I asked, turning to Marcus. “Other people know and not me? Are you kidding?”

  Marcus sighed. “I’ve only just told him.”

  “Well then you can tell me too.”

  Marcus slid his hand over his smooth head and leaned forward on his desk. “Riddley and I have been working together.”

  “What does that mean? For how long?”

  “Ever since I left the Circle. He was the only one I could truly trust, and he was a link to keep tabs on Blackwell and the others. I knew when he went missing something wasn’t right, which is why I pushed for us to work with the Circle again. I didn’t want to lose our link to them and I had to find out what happened.”

  “Then why would you let me think he was working with Riley?” I asked, trying not to sound angry. “I’ve been working my ass off to keep myself in check and work with you, just to find out you’re still keeping secrets?”

  “I wasn’t trying to keep it from you. It’s just…Riddley has been funding my operation since I left.” Marcus watched me carefully, and when I didn’t react, he continued. “Riddley is an extremely powerful air elemental, Chase. To the point he can alter memory and read minds. Riddley has funneled money to us since the beginning. He’s the reason we’ve been able to achieve what we have, and the reason both Rayna and I remained hidden from the Circle.”

  “That doesn’t seem like something worth betraying my trust over, Marcus.”

  “I did not do it to betray your trust. I’m adept at protecting myself from their abilities, but you are not. I had planned to tell you everything, but after our meeting with the Circle, I thought it was safer if I didn’t.”

  I closed my eyes and focused my mind. Fire throbbed inside me, crackling ember arms reaching out from my soul, daring me to release them.

  The anger wouldn’t fade, so I imagined white caps on a tide of waves rushing over golden sand, dragging it back to the ocean. The cool water flowed in my veins and calmed the anger. I took a long, deep breath before I opened my eyes and looked at Marcus.

  “Well, I guess that doesn’t matter now, does it? Since they’re all dead.”

  “I’m sorry, Chase. Please try to understand where I was coming from.”

  “Whatever, Marcus. You keep your secrets if that’s what you want. I’m not going to play games with you or get angry anymore. I don’t have time for it. I need to focus on finding the soul pieces before Riley, or we’re going to get everyone here killed.”

  “Chase, you know how I feel about you going off to these worlds.”

  Pain started to burn along my spine and I flinched. My body jerked and heat flashed over my back. I gasped and winced as the fire flared in my shoulder. The moment I touched it, I felt something ooze and cling to the fabric of my shirt.

  “What is it?” Marcus asked.

  I shook my head. “Nothing, just starting to stiffen up a bit.” I rotated my shoulder and swallowed the pain. “Look,
I don’t like the idea of going to these dimensions any more than you do, but we don’t have any options. We don’t have to jump headfirst into Ithreal’s world yet, but we need to go to Silas and get the Claw.”

  “He’s right,” Jax said, appearing next to Chief. “As much as I’m against going to any of these worlds, we’re losing too many people. We need to take action.”

  “Exactly,” I said. “You, me, and Rayna will assemble a team, and—”

  “I’m afraid I will not be able to join you.”

  “You’re going to let us go alone?”

  “We need to find Eric. If he is still alive, he’s an indispensable asset. He’s a great fighter, his element is strong, and if any of his people are still alive, he has a loyal team behind him. We’ll need them.”

  “I’m sorry, Chase, but Rayna cannot go either,” Chief said.

  “What are you talking about? Of course she can. She’s fine.”

  “She is fine, but she needs to shift soon.”

  “So we get her to shift now and we postpone everything until tomorrow.”

  “I’m afraid not,” Marcus said. “Once she recovers from the shift, she will immediately start training with Grams. She’s a summoner, which means a great deal to our situation. Athaniel said we would need her magic to hide the soul piece once you returned, which means we haven’t much time to get her started.”

  “You do realize she’s going to be pissed, right?” Nobody responded and I stifled a laugh. “Fine, but one of you is telling her, not me.”

  Marcus nodded. “I’m quite aware of how she’ll feel.”

  “Well, then who am I supposed to take? Tiki, naturally, but Willy’s not in the best shape right now.”

  “What is wrong with him?” Jax stepped forward.

  I explained what happened to Willy and how Vincent’s mother had compelled him. I could understand Willy not being thrilled about it, but why he was as upset as he was confused me.

  “I’ll speak with him.” Jax nodded. “I cannot afford to relinquish any more of my wolves. Willy is yours.”

  I didn’t know if I wanted Jax dealing with it. I didn’t like the Shadowpack giving orders, but I wasn’t in a place to argue. I had started to grasp the whole concept of ‘pick your battles’ recently and this one just wasn’t worth it.

  “Arian, Riley, the Brothers, and now Vincent’s mother…” Marcus sighed. “It appears we’re going to have to travel all avenues with caution. We can’t afford any other enemies right now.”

  “I am happy to send Garrett and Karissa,” Chief said. “Unfortunately, our numbers have been greatly hurt, and that is all I can afford to give you.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Vincent has already made his position clear,” Marcus said. “You should try and convince him to join you. He’s powerful and I, for one, would feel better knowing he was with you.”

  I nodded. “I’ll make sure he and his newly turned friend come. That won’t be a problem. Is that all we have?”

  “There is nobody else,” Marcus said. “Both the werecats and werewolves have been hurting these past weeks—even more so now. Those who are injured need rest. We’ll require them at full strength for whatever’s coming. The coven has other obligations and nearly all the rogue hunters we’ve recruited are gone, which leaves us a handful of able bodies. I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be, it’s not your fault,” I said. “We’ll get by with what we’ve got, I guess.”

  Marcus nodded. “We have no other choice.”

  ******

  I was staring up at the weapons that lined the training room when Rayna burst through the door and shoved me with both hands.

  “You’re going without me?”

  “Take it easy,” I said. “It wasn’t up to me.”

  “It doesn’t sound like you put up much of a fight.”

  “They had a fair argument. When we get the soul piece, we can’t afford to lose it. Look what happened last time.”

  Rayna’s hard expression softened and she crossed her arms.

  “Look, you think I want you to stay here? I don’t. I want you beside me every step of the way. I can’t count on anybody like I can count on you, and you know that. But you have a different job this time around. You’re a summoner, and we need you to keep the soul piece safe. We can’t do that if you don’t know how your magic works.”

  Her green eyes moved over my face and I could see the tension leaving her shoulders. “Can’t you wait just a few days?” she asked. “Grams is certain it won’t take longer than that to get me started. She says I already have a great foundation, we just didn’t apply it in the right place.”

  “We need to get ahead of him, Rayna.”

  Rayna wrapped her arms around my neck and her body pressed against me. “I know,” she said. “I just…wanted to be there with you when you did.”

  I pulled her close and squeezed her back, wishing I wasn’t leaving without her.

  “Please be safe,” she whispered, her lips brushing against my ear.

  My pulse spiked beneath her breath and I squeezed her tighter. “You know I will.”

  “Hope I’m not interrupting,” Willy said, sounding angry.

  Rayna and I broke our embrace and found Willy staring up at me.

  “No,” I said. “What’s going on?”

  “I’ve been ordered to come with you.”

  “You sound thrilled.”

  Willy’s angry eyes faded and he shook his head. “It’s not you. You know I want to help, Chase.”

  “Vincent?”

  Willy sighed and nodded.

  “What did he do now?” I asked.

  “Nothing new, it’s just…” Willy shuddered and his chameleon skin changed to match the brown of the wall behind him. “Having his mother inside my head reminded me of times I never wanted to think of again.”

  “Do you want to talk about it?” Rayna asked.

  Willy shook his head. “I just want to be left alone, but since that isn’t an option, here I am.”

  Rayna and I looked at each other and she offered me a half-smile.

  “Let’s go, kitty cat,” Grams beckoned from the kitchen. “Come out, come out wherever you are!”

  “That’s me, I guess.” Rayna sighed. Her hands touched my shoulder and sent pain shooting down my back.

  “Ouch!” I said, pulled back from her.

  “What’s wrong? What’d I do?”

  “It’s not you,” I said, rotating my shoulder. “It started bugging me a few hours ago,”

  Concern fell over her face and she turned to the door as Grams pushed it open. “Hey you, let’s go. I’m taking you to Chief and when you’re back from your shift, you’re coming with me.”

  “I’ll be right there.” Rayna touched my chest. She stood on her tip toes and pressed her lips gently against my cheek. “Please be careful.”

  “Always.”

  “Oh gods. Enough kissy face already, we’ve got crap to do,” Grams said.

  Rayna touched Willy’s shoulder on the way out of the room. “And you be careful too.”

  Willy nodded but didn’t look up from the floor. His hands were in the pockets of his torn up jeans, and a yellow t-shirt with dark stains along the bottom was tight against his body—he looked strong.

  Distinct muscles had started to show, stretching the short sleeves of his shirt. The same yellow fabric that hugged his arms was tight against his defined stomach. Becoming a werewolf had changed him in more ways than I realized, but inside he was the same old Willy.

  “Are you sure there isn’t anything I can do?”

  Willy shook his head. “Just keep Vincent away from me.”

  ******

  I made sure the lock on the bathroom door was engaged before I pulled my shirt over my head. The long cut along my chest was almost healed and a thin red line was all that remained.

  My fingers glided over my shoulder, and the moment I felt the pain, my entire body tensed. The muscles in my stomach cl
enched and made the red scar running down the center of my torso curve slightly against my abs.

  “What the hell is that?” I whispered, turning my back to the mirror. I couldn’t see well over my shoulder so I pulled the medicine cabinet open and used its mirror to get a better look.

  The wounds Rayna had bandaged were healed. I couldn’t see any leftover scars, and if there were any, they were buried in the tattoo.

  Inky wings spread over my shoulder and covered my back. The sword was defined with light gray shadings and the symbols inside the blade were vibrant in black ink. Each of the four symbols represented one of my elements, and they covered only part of the blade.

  I searched my back for any other wounds, and the burning ache in my shoulder revealed a small but wide gash. The skin had split and the wetness I’d felt against my shirt was a smear of blood. The wound was open and the blood reflected the vanity’s light.

  Stinging and burning converged in the wound when I pressed my fingers around the edges. The flesh around it was darker, but with the ink made it impossible to distinguish the color.

  I jumped as a knock came at the door and winced as my fingers unintentionally slid into the wound. “Dammit,” I said in a hushed voice. “I’ll be a few minutes.”

  An unfamiliar voice grumbled and footsteps squeaked away along the hardwood floor.

  How the hell had this happened? Could it be Riley or the Dark Brothers? The wounds they had once inflicted on me in the dreams had become real, but I hadn’t had any more dreams. The cut on my chest had happened when I jumped through the portal with Tiki, but where had the other ones come from?

  I turned the water on and grabbed a cloth, dabbing the wound and washing around the edges. The last time I’d tried to heal myself it caused nothing but pain and made things worse. I wouldn’t make that mistake again. I had spent seventeen years fighting demons without any elements, and I could survive a few cuts and bruises without them now.

  I taped gauze over the wound the best I could. It wasn’t pretty but it did the trick. It would keep any debris out at least, and hopefully prevent an infection.

  After I’d pulled my shirt back over my body, I turned on the taps and splashed water on my face. I tried to focus my mind and prepare myself for what we were about to do. Being in a foreign world with unique creatures and landscapes I wasn’t used to took me out of my comfort zone. I didn’t like that. The quicker we got this done, the better. I was trusting Vincent and Veronica to watch my back, instead of Rayna and Marcus. That in itself was discomforting. Thankfully, Tiki said Silas was, in general, a peaceful world. I was just hoping it stayed that way while we were there.