by Leilani Love
Damien smiled, watching the girls as they pulled up to the house. Kassandra’s smile lit her face as she grinned at him before opening her own door and jumping out of the truck. Before they got to the door, Robert opened it and instantly hugged Kassandra. Kassandra blushed, greeting him and Damien smiled, clasping his friend on the back, “How long have you guys been home?”
“Not long. I was just about to call Alyssa, but wanted to thank you guys for everything you did yesterday.” Robert looked truly happy as he led him inside.
Kassandra and Hope had already made their way to Alyssa and were fussing over the baby. When Alyssa handed him to Hope, he watched his sister’s face. He knew his sister longed to be a mother. Alyssa smiled at him from the rocking chair and he gave her a small kiss on the cheek before sitting next to Kassandra on the couch.
“So did you guys pick out a name?” Kassandra asked once everyone had taken a seat.
Alyssa grinned, her eyes staying on her son. “We wanted to name him after you but couldn’t find a manly enough version of Kassandra so we decided to name him Tyler after my brother.”
“I think Tyler is a much better name for a little boy.” Kassandra replied with a laugh.
After a few minutes Tyler fussed in Hope’s arm and Alyssa blushed saying that he was probably hungry again. Hope passed the baby back and gave Alyssa a kiss on the cheek. Excusing themselves to give the new parents some privacy, Damien pulled Robert aside to let him know that he would keep him updated on everything that was going on.
***
His days kept him busy and he looked forward to the nights when he was alone with Kassandra. Her body was always warm and welcoming and her passion met his own in the bedroom. As much as he enjoyed exploring and learning everything about her body, his favorite moments were afterwards when their bodies intertwined and they talked.
Kassandra had a quick wit that often had him laughing as she teased him. When he asked her about why she became a guard, she told him about how scared she was when the hunters came to her house when she was a child. She explained that after the hunters had started to become an aggressive problem, her parents had installed a tunnel and had caused a distraction while she escaped. Kassandra had hidden away while their parents had died and the house was practically burnt to the ground. Without her saying it, he knew she felt guilty that she could not save her family. Viktor had taken her in. Kassandra never wanted anyone to feel as helpless as she did when she lost her family.
When she asked him questions about his childhood growing up with Lazzaro, he found himself sharing moments he had forgotten about. Kassandra laughed when he mentioned how Hope had wrapped the big bad vampire king around her finger and demanded that he read to them every night when he was with them. Despite his reputation, Lazzaro had always been kind to them. Damien knew that Lazzaro didn’t understand why, when Damien was older he didn’t fight to get his pack back.
Lazzaro had offered his services the moment Aithne had called him asking questions. For the first time, Damien felt like they were on the same page. There were a few smart comments about Damien being tied to a dragon before he congratulated him on making such a powerful match. Damien said he was simply following Lazzaro’s example.
Taking a deep breath, he looked down at a sleeping Kassandra on his chest. Tomorrow they would leave, and Kassandra would use her gifts to disguise herself and slip into Lynwood, the small town where his old pack was hiding. Her job would be to knock out two of the guards who patrolled the back section of town that was against the mountain. This would give them an opportunity to sneak into the town.
The thought of putting Kassandra in harm’s way scared the hell out of him. He kissed the top of her head and said a quick prayer to the Fates to protect her, before drifting into a deep sleep.
CHAPTER 35
The sun had just started to set when the plane landed at the small airport in West Virginia. Viktor had sent them his plane and a few of his personal guards to help them with their mission. It would take less than an hour for them to arrive near the town where both packs had moved to, shortly after Damien and Hope were presumed dead. From the map that they got from Lazzaro, Warrick’s house was strategically placed near the center of town, close to the base of the mountain.
“I still don’t know how I feel about this,” Damien whispered in Kassandra’s ear, low enough to keep the conversation between the two of them.
“I know,” she replied, looking at him. This had to be payback for teasing Chase and Viktor every time they freaked out when their mates wanted to do something dangerous. “I’ll be careful and I’m only going to be gone long enough to make sure he’s there and take out the guards that walk the perimeter behind his house. I promise to make it quick and be safe. No one will know I’m there.”
A soft growl escaped him and she felt his hands slide around her waist, pulling her back against his chest. “This man has taken everything from me. My family, my pack, even my sister’s happiness. I don’t think I could survive if he took anything else from me.”
His words hit her hard and she closed her eyes. She turned in his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck. “He will never ever, take anything else from you.”
The second the words were out of her mouth, he pulled her tight against him, coming down hard in a demanding kiss. As she melted into him, the world fell away.
The sound of someone clearing their throat reminded them both that they weren’t alone. Kassandra looked over Damien’s shoulder to see Hope smiling at them. “It’s time to go.”
Kassandra could feel him stiffen and she nodded at Hope before brushing her lips against Damien’s. “If you want us to work, you’re going to need to trust in me and I will need to trust you.”
Damien’s hands flexed against her back before he finally nodded and released her. Walking out of the hangar, she nodded at Jared, one of the newer guards who had quickly climbed the ranks. Jared looked to be entering his thirties and Kassandra was surprised to learn that he was older than she was. Jared’s family was one of the richest amongst their kind and Viktor admitted to being shocked when Jared showed up to train with the guard. Their numbers were being stretched thin and Jared had proven to be a valuable asset—and a hit with the ladies. His hazel eyes were always dancing with mischief and except for when he was on a mission, always had a smile on his face. The only other time she’d seen him without a smile was when he was in the presence of Aithne’s two older sisters, which had always piqued her interest. Jared opened the door to a rental van, and Hope climbed into the passenger seat.
While Jared accompanied the three of them, the other two guards took another van to set up a roadblock on the north side of town, just in case Warrick tried to escape after the attack started. Nathan mentioned something about magic being used to control and trick the pack using the imprinting bond between Hope and Warrick. Not sure how the spell affected the pack, Aithne and Lazzaro had both suggested that Damien challenge Warrick. The hope was that once beaten, the animal in them would want to bow to the stronger of the two, and hopefully break whatever spell they were supposed to be under.
The air in the van seemed heavy and thick as they rode toward Lynwood. When they arrived at the fork in the road, Jared waved the second van on as the two vehicles split up. As they drove, Kassandra watched Damien. She hoped that his words earlier, about not wanting to lose her, meant he was developing feelings for her as a person. The physical attraction that came when one found one’s mate was nice, but she desperately wanted the relationship she’d watched develop between her friends.
Jared turned down a dirt service road that would get them close to the town, without actually being seen. This time of year was still pretty chilly, so the rangers who normally used the road, wouldn’t be active. Once they reached the end of the road, Jared stopped. “This is as far as we go by van. Time to walk.”
Everyone piled out of the van and headed toward a small worn path that Aithne had told them would branch off. Kassandra
was to take the bottom trail, while the others would wait for an hour before joining her. That would give Kassandra enough time to take out the two guards patrolling Warrick’s property, and make it to Warrick’s house.
Kassandra felt Damien’s hand slide into hers as they began their hike. When the trail branched off, Hope and Jared continued walking, giving them a moment of privacy before they parted ways. “You don’t have to do this,” Damien said when he finally looked at her.
Kassandra rolled her eyes, “Yes, I do. I’m the only one who can get close enough to take out those two guards. I promise they won’t even know I am there until it’s too late.”
Damien let out a long breath, releasing her hand to rub the back of his neck.
Kassandra found his exasperation to be both sweet and annoying and bit her lip to keep from smiling. Somehow, she didn’t think Damien would find her amusement in this situation funny. Nor would pointing out that he better get used to it.
“If anything goes wrong…”
Before he could finish, Kassandra kissed him, effectively silencing him. Only when she felt him relax enough to wrap his arms around her, did she pull away. “If anything goes wrong,” she said, “I’ll trust you to come and save me.”
Damien nodded and she gave him what she hoped was an encouraging smile before turning to take the trail that would lead into town. She could feel his eyes for a few minutes before he went off to join the others. The last rays of the sun had long since disappeared, and Hope had to use her dragon’s sense of sight to find her way.
The closer she got to the town, Kassandra couldn’t help but notice that the air felt sticky, dirty. A faint scent of something acidic curled up her nose. The closer she got, the stronger the feeling became and Kassandra wondered if this is what Lazzaro had been talking about when he mentioned that the wolves that showed up at his door had smelled of black magic. Violca and her four sisters were Earth witches who were learning to use their abilities, and none had ever used any kind of black magic, so the smell was unfamiliar to Kassandra.
She looked at her watch. It had been ten minutes since she came to the path’s opening. The wolf who had given them the intel, didn’t have the exact time that the guards would be walking by, only that there should be two. Kassandra brought a few flex cuffs and rope with her, along with a dart gun from Aithne. The darts, Aithne said, consisted of a special formula that would knock out the wolves for several hours. Damien had raised an eyebrow when he’d overheard that, giving her a look that made her blush.
Crouching low, she didn’t have to wait long for the first guard to appear. Not hearing anyone else, she took aim and shot the guard right in the side of the neck. Before he could reach up to see what had hit him, he fell to the ground with a heavy thud. Not sure where the other guard was, Kassandra masked her scent and quickly dragged the guard to her hiding place.
As she used her flex cuffs and rope to tie him up, she noticed how sunken in his cheeks were, and that he looked dirty and malnourished. When Lazzaro had informed Chase about these packs, he’d described them as one of the strongest in the area. Based on the guard’s threadbare clothes and gaunt looks, she suspected this was no longer true. Not only did he look desperate for a good meal, but under his right eye was a rather recent shiner.
Whatever was going on, she hoped that once Damien freed them from Warrick’s control, they could fix things. The sound of someone whistling let her know that the other guard was on his way. Every guard on patrol should know not to announce their arrival. If Damien decided to take over the pack, he would need to retrain them.
This guard was bigger and better dressed than the first. Probably a higher station. I wonder how he got there. She aimed the dart gun at his neck and shot. “What the fuck?” she heard him say as he reached up to his neck.
Unlike the first guard, this one didn’t fall so easily, so she lunged from her hiding spot before he could yell. When his eyes met hers he smiled, licking his rotten teeth. “Well, well, what do we have here?” he taunted as he circled her.
Kassandra knew that since he couldn’t smell her dragon, he’d assume she was a wayward human and wouldn’t be calling for help. She narrowed her eyes, hoping to distract him enough for the dart to take effect. “Why don’t you come here and find out?”
He took a step and stumbled, the smell of alcohol on his breath. “What did you…?” he started to ask, then collapsed.
A sigh of relief escaped her as she dragged him back to the first guard’s hiding spot. The first guard made her feel pity for what these people must be going through, but this one seemed to be part of the problem.
Once both guards were tied and gagged, Kassandra used her ability to make herself invisible as she crept toward Warrick’s house, passing several run-down homes along the way. She would have thought the town was completely abandoned, except for the loud noise emanating from where the center of town should be.
Warrick’s house was easy to spot. Out of all the houses, it was the only two-story building and best kept of them all. Kassandra cautiously walked along the back of the house until she found a pair of double doors leading into the basement. Covering the doors was a heavy chain and lock that seemed like it’d been there since the house was built.
With one quick move, Kassandra grabbed the lock and brought forth her dragon’s strength to break the lock off the chain. The sound of the lock breaking echoed in the quiet night, and Kassandra held her breath listening intently to make sure no one heard her.
Kassandra winced as the doors groaned in protest. She tiptoed down the stairs and into the basement, and felt the hairs on the back of her neck prickle at the scraping sound of metal. The room smelled of sweat, blood—and wolf. As her eyes adjusted to the dark room, she heard the distinct sound of metal scraping that made her pause. Her curiosity getting the better of her, she walked toward a large metal table, and let out a gasp. There were four large chains anchored into the floor securing a man to the table, a beaten-down wolf shifter. There was a long deep scar on his left cheek that looked like someone had tried to split him open. Whatever had happened to him had occurred when he was too young to heal fully.
“Who’s there?” he whispered, his voice gravelly.
For a moment she didn’t dare speak, and her throat constricted in sympathy. If she had to guess, the dried blood around him indicated he’d been tortured over and over.
“Is anyone there?” These words were just a little louder and she could hear the plea in his voice.
“Shhh, I’m here to help,” Kassandra whispered as she gingerly touched the top of his head. It was wet—she couldn’t tell whether from blood or sweat.
“You can’t help me. You need to go before he comes back.”
Kassandra tenderly ran her fingers through his hair. “I need to know where he is. Where is everyone?”
“They’re in the center of town for the games. They’re all forced to be there until the games are over.” Kassandra got a sick feeling in her stomach. Whatever was going on, they wouldn’t like.
She looked the man over; even with the low light, she could tell that he had several broken bones and had lost a great deal of blood, which would make him nearly impossible to move. If he wasn’t a shifter, he’d have died. The amount of pain he was in must be unbearable.
The man inhaled, and frowned in concentration. Still hiding her scent, she knew he was trying to determine who or what she was. “Who are you?”
“That’s not important,” Kassandra said. “What’s important is that we get you out of here. Is there anything you can tell me about the games?” she asked as she ran her fingers along his arm and chest. His right arm was broken and she could feel a break in three of his ribs. She wanted more than anything to break the chains pinning his arms over his head, but knew the smart thing would be to wait for Damien and the others. Being in this much pain, the wolf in him might be feral as soon as he was released, and she’d need Damien’s help.
The man sharply inhaled as she
touched the side of his stomach and he shook his head. “Ma’am, the best thing you can do is leave. If they find you, they’ll kill you.”
“What’s your name? Why are you down here?” Kassandra asked, desperate to find out more about this mysterious shifter.
Before he could answer, the double doors flew open and Damien and Hope crept down the stairs with Jared bringing up the rear. The moonlight allowed Kassandra to see Hope’s wide eyes.
“Warrick,” she whispered.
CHAPTER 36
Damien heard his sister whisper Warrick’s name and froze. There was no one in the room but the man chained to the table in front of Kassandra. No one said a word and he felt his sister tense at his back while Jared closed the door behind them. The click of the door closing released something in his sister who ran to the man at the table.
If that was Warrick, the man he’d blamed for losing everything, then who’d taken over the pack?
“Hope,” Warrick said, his voice cracking. His chains rattled on the table as he tried to reach up to touch her.
“Hope, step back. We need to break these chains,” Damien said, giving Jared a look. Hope hadn’t made a sound, but he could feel her pain and had to push it away, at least until they figured out what was going on.
Together, Damien and Jared severed the chains and Warrick lowered his arms with a moan of pure pain. “Easy, don’t move too much just yet,” Damien warned.
“You have to get out of here,” Warrick pleaded. “Gabriel will kill you both if he sees you.”
“Who’s Gabriel?” Kassandra asked.
“Warrick’s twin brother,” Hope answered, her voice barely a whisper.
The smell of fresh blood hit Damien as Warrick tried to move to his side, letting Damien know that he must have opened an old injury. Warrick tried to push himself to a sitting position, but his muscles quivered and gave out. Jared slipped his hands under the injured man and Warrick’s eyes closed. His heartbeat was so faint Damien worried that they wouldn’t be able to get him to safety without doing more damage.
