by Lily Graison
“Infected? You mean she’s a werewolf now?”
“Yes.”
Chad gasped, his eyes widening again. “And Pierson? Her newsroom partner? He disappeared at the same time.”
“Mitch. He’s infected, too. He’s still in Wolf’s Creek.”
Chad shook his head and continued to stare. “Why the hell didn’t you ever tell me?”
“I’ve never told anyone.”
“Did Rayna know? I mean, before they took her. Did she know?”
“No.”
Chad looked surprised. “Is that why you broke up with her?”
Garrett nodded. “That serial killer she thought we had in Bluff’s Point was a werewolf and it was hunting her. I figured the more distance I put between myself and her the harder it would be for it to find her.”
Chad sighed and paced the room, glanced at the others, and walked back to the computer. He stared at the image on the screen. “Do you know how hard this is to believe?”
“Yes.”
“Werewolves are real.” It was more statement than question so Garrett didn’t say anything. He knew it would take Chad time to accept the truth and he still wasn’t sure why he’d told him. He could have demanded the address and been half way to where Rayna was being held now. “A lot of things are real.”
Chad lifted his head. “Like?”
“Other shifters. Werelions and panthers to name a few. Witches. Real witches, not humans who dabble in black magic. Vampires, demons. The list goes on.”
Chad pointed to the computer screen. “And what is that thing?”
“A demon. A Kriladon, to be exact. Demon breeds number in the hundreds. Not all are killers, but that one is.”
When Chad turned back around, he took a deep breath and blew it out loudly. “So, monsters are real.”
“Yes.”
“So who has Rayna and why?”
Garrett told him everything he knew about the Collective, the Breed leaders, their plans and what they hoped to accomplish. When it was all out, Chad shook his head. “If they make her prove to the world werewolves exist, you know what’s going to happen, don’t you?”
The wolf shifted at the thought of it. “Yes. They’ll kill her. Which is why I need that address. Now.”
Chad gave a curt nod before turning back to the computer. “If this is where she is, we’re going to need more than the people you brought with you to get in.”
“We’ll be fine,” Garrett said. “Gavin and Dillon are the strongest fighters I have. They can handle their own once we breech the house. Ethan and Henry might not look capable of a fight but they have years of experience behind them.”
Chad glanced at him before clearing his throat. “And Judith?”
“I can hold my own,” she said. “I may not look like much but you haven’t seen me pissed off yet. Besides, I’ve been a wolf for over thirty years. If Garrett gets to go in, so do I.”
“Thirty years?”
Judith nodded. “I’m the oldest wolf in our pack.”
At Chad’s confused look, Garrett said, “Werewolves don’t age like humans do.”
“What do you mean?”
Garrett grinned. “I’ll be fifty-one in September.”
Chad gasped. “You’re shittin’ me.”
“Afraid not.” He was given a once over as Chad inspected him. For what, he wasn’t sure, but the look on his face was priceless. They both looked around the same age. Mid thirties. And that’s what he told anyone who asked. Telling people he was fifty when he clearly didn’t look that old was hard to explain.
Chad gave them all a critical look before shaking his head. He sighed and rubbed his eyes. “Okay. You were right. I didn’t need to know any of this but now that I do, lets figure out a way to get into this house.”
Henry cleared his throat and looked at Garrett. “We don’t even know if Rayna’s still there. If they have some master plan for her we can’t assume they still have her there.”
“It’s easy enough to find out.” Garrett walked across the room and picked up the phone. “What’s the phone number to the house?”
Chad snorted. “What? You’re just going to call them?”
“Why not?”
“That’s a stupid idea, Garrett. If you call they’ll know we’re on to them.”
“Exactly. We’ll either see them come out of the house with her or they’ll let me know she isn’t there.”
“And what if you calling them makes them act sooner than we’re ready for?”
“We?” Garrett said, raising an eyebrow. “There is no we in this, Chad. You’ve done your part. I can handle this on my own.”
Chad crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. “I used to think this posturing bullshit you did was to just make yourself look good for the chief. But now I’m thinking you’re just too arrogant to let anyone help you.”
Garrett laughed and walked to the desk. “You sound like Rayna now.” He searched the stack the papers for the phone number to the house, checked the computer screen, refreshing the picture to see if anything looked different, and straightened when the number of cars coming in continued to grow. “Looks like we have more guests arriving. I’m going to guess and say Rayna is still there.”
“Then there’s no reason to call.” Chad took the phone from him and turned to face the others. “We need to figure out a way to get inside that house without raising any suspicions. Anyone have any ideas?”
“I do,” Judith said. “I look the least threatening. There’s no reason for them to expect me to do much alone. Get me to the house and I’ll go in and make sure Rayna is okay.”
“And just how are you going to get inside?” Chad asked.
“I’ll knock on the door. How else?”
Chad laughed. “Are all werewolves insane?” He turned to look at Garrett. “First you’re going to call them and now she’s going to just knock on the front door?”
“That’s not a bad idea,” Garrett said, tilting his head as he stared at Judith.
Chad gasped. “That’s a terrible idea! You can’t let her just waltz up to the front door.” He stared at them incredulous. “Garrett, you don’t even know how many people are in the house. You can’t be that crazy.”
Garret scowled. “They have my girl. I’ll do whatever it takes to get her back.”
* * * *
Thaddeus opened the bedroom door and gave Rayna a pointed look. “There’s been a change of plans, Ms. Ford.”
“What kind of change?”
“The others have gathered. Victor is waiting. Come along.”
Rayna stood and crossed the room. The look on Thaddeus’ face was unreadable. She was ushered into the hall and down to the main floor, through a series of hallways, and into a large room at the back of the house. The ornate chandelier’s and the tiled floor made her think of a grand ballroom.
The room was packed with people. If she had to guess, at least fifty were crowded into the space. Their eagerness was almost palpable. Smiles lit the faces of everyone she looked at and Rayna sucked in a calming breath. It didn’t help.
When Thaddeus put his hand on her back, she jerked away from him, turning her head to scowl. “Don’t touch me.” He grinned and motioned her forward.
The walk through the room seemed to take forever. The people, no—the shifters, vampires, an obvious demons she saw staring back at her made her wolf uneasy. It could sense the danger she was in. This many breeds in one place left her edgy. And little choice but to do as they wished. There would be no getting out of this one.
Victor sat at the front of the room in a chair large enough to sit two people. It was made of intricately carved wood and sat on a small raise dais. The only thing missing from his kingly appearance was a purple robe and crown.
His cane was propped against his chair and that hard scowl he always wore was firmly in place. He looked pleased. A tiny smile lifted the corner of his mouth and those dark eyes held the gleam of a true predator.
&
nbsp; When she stopped in front of him, his hard gaze roamed her from head to toe. He shifted in his seat and the soft whispers in the room died. Rayna’s wolf slid then, agitated. She swallowed the lump in her throat and willed her hands to stop shaking.
“Ms. Ford,” Victor said, those hard, black eyes of his gazing into her own. “Please be so kind as to tell me who you called today.”
Rayna’s heart lurched in her chest. He’d found the misplaced phone. She smiled to cover her nervousness. “Call? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I think you do.” Victor glanced to his left and nodded his head. There was a commotion, several gasp’s from the crowd, and a series of soft murmurs. “I’ve questioned your escort but after a few hours of… persuasive discussion, he was unable to tell me anything. Now, please. Tell me who it was you called.”
The crowd parted and Rayna saw what held everyone’s interest. Sabriel was being walked through the room, his body being held upright by two men. She barely kept from gasping at the sight of him.
His lip was busted open, both of his eyes swollen and blood encrusted, and his face was a colorful mosaic of ugly bruises. Both of his hands were mangled, his fingers obviously broken and blood coated his shirt, causing the material to cling to his skin.
Anger surged hot in her limbs at the sight of him and she felt the wolf brush against her bones. A loud shrieking roar sounded in her head and she clenched her jaw and tried to calm her nerves.
“Now,” Victor said. “I’ll ask again, Ms. Ford. Who did you call?”
Lifting her head, she glared at him. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
Victor stood, bracing his cane in front of him. “Shall I kill him?”
She darted a glance to Sabriel. She knew that’s who Victor was referring to. “It doesn’t make a difference to me,” she lied. “One less Breed leader pushes the odds in my favor.”
Someone in the room snickered. Victor stared out at the sea of bodies, his bushy white eyebrows raised. “I see someone thinks the situation humorous. Perhaps you wish to trade places with Sabriel?”
No one responded. Rayna looked back over at Sabriel and met his gaze. She tried to tell him with a look she hadn’t meant what she said but wasn’t sure she succeeded at first. When her skin tingled with warmth, she gave him a faint smile.
When Victor turned those cold eyes on her again, Rayna held back a gasp when the wolf slammed against her bones. She could hear it inside her head. Feel the cool brush of fur slinking along her limbs and she hoped the wolf wasn’t choosing now to be born. It was agitated and felt close to the surface. Too close.
Fear stole the air from her lungs and she immediately thought of Garrett. She didn’t want to shift without him. Couldn’t turn into a monster without him there to protect her. Just thinking about her mate caused the wolf to grow more restless.
It pushed against her again, the howling inside her head growing more persistent and she wondered if it was Victor’s doings. He could summon the wolf, he’d said. Was he doing it now or was the wolf just ready to be born.
When she glanced up at him, the smile on his face gave him away. He was doing it. His eyes had bled to wolf amber and his gaze was hard and penetrating. “Since you refuse to enlighten us, Ms. Ford, you’ve left me no choice but to proceed sooner than we had hoped.”
Rayna’s pulse leaped. “What do you mean, sooner?”
Victor smiled. “I had a very special evening planned in your honor. All the Breed leaders were gathering, a rare thing indeed, but your reckless behavior has only caused you grief.”
His gaze was intent on her and the people at Rayna’s back seemed to move closer. She glanced at them over her shoulder. Looked at the faces of people who weren’t people at all. Breed leaders. Shifters of every species imaginable, gathered in one room for a single purpose.
They wanted the world to know they existed and they wanted her to enlighten the masses.
It was the beginning of her end. The fear she’d lived with while trying to survive Malcolm’s plan, and the following months coming to terms with the knowledge she’d soon be one of the monsters, was nothing compared to this. The Collective wanted her to shift in front of the world. To show the human race that the things they thought only legend and tales to frighten children were real. That monster’s were real. They lived among them and wanted to be a part of normal society.
What these people didn’t realize was… the world wasn’t ready for them. They never would be. And when she showed them, they would kill her. Or worse, they would lock her up somewhere and experiment on her just as they’d done to Malcolm and the original pack members.
Victor tapped his cane on the floor. “Did you think your attempt for rescue would delay us? All you’ve accomplished is expediting the proceedings and ruining my carefully prepared plans.” Rayna focused her gaze on him and tried to calm her racing heart.
He sat back down, settled himself into his seat before looking back up at her. “You’ll be taken into the city when we’re finished here. Once there, you’ll be forced to shift, on camera.”
Rayna swallowed to loosen the lump in her throat. “No one will believe it. They’ll just think it’s a Hollywood stunt. Human’s aren’t as trusting in what they see on television as you think.”
“There will be a live audience, Ms. Ford. People do trust what they see in the flesh.” Victor smiled but something deadly flashed in his eyes. “Has your pack explained to you what happens once the wolf is brought forward the first time?”
She stared at him and refused to answer. She did know and the thoughts of feeding on something, or someone, while it was still alive, made her queasy. Victor glanced back at Sabriel then. Rayna followed his gaze.
“Sabriel has volunteered to offer himself up as your first meal.”
Rayna’s stomach turned. Deep breaths didn’t calm the sensation; instead, it left her dizzy as she stared at Sabriel. He was staring at her, his body still, and no emotion showed on his face.
“I see you’re not too fond of the idea,” Victor said.
“Not particularly, no.” She turned to face him. “I’d much rather rip your throat out.”
Victor laughed, the sound coming out as a cracked wheeze before he settled. “I may look like nothing more than a bag of old bones to you, Ms. Ford, but do believe me when I say you wouldn’t stand a chance against me.”
Rayna stared at him and felt her eyes burn. It was hopeless now. The Collective had won. They’d sacrifice her to gain the world. She blinked away tears, refusing to show any of these people a single moment of weakness, and hoped Chad had called Garrett. Even if he couldn’t save her at least he’d know what happened to her. She only regretted not being able to tell him she hadn’t left on her own. That she had turned around and was coming back to him when Carmen stopped her.
A series of muffled yells was heard from somewhere in the house. Growls and screams and the distinct thud of things crashing caused those in the room to turn and stare wide-eyed toward the back of the room.
Victor was again on his feet, issuing orders for someone to see what the commotion was.
The man who raced across the room only made it half way before the doors were flung open, smashing against the walls. Rayna’s heart slammed against her ribcage the moment she saw him.
Garrett. Her mate. He’d come for her and he was pissed.
Chapter Thirteen
He entered the room like walking death. Splatters of blood were painted across his cheek; the front of his shirt soaked in crimson and the look on his face was one Rayna would never forget. This was the creature she had feared.
His eyes were wolf amber, his facial features slightly distorted, and she knew he was struggling to hold the beast back. His gaze bore into her as his long stride ate at the distance between them. When her legs stopped shaking, she ran to him. He caught her with clawed hands as she buried her face in his neck. “Garrett.”
He lowered his head, his breath warm against her
ear. “Did they hurt you?”
“No. Just scared me.” She felt his chest vibrate, his hold on her tightening. She stared at the shifters at his back and wondered how they’d get out of this. Garrett appeared to be alone and she wasn’t delusional enough to think Victor would just let them leave.
That wheezing laugh of Victor’s caught her attention and she turned her head to look at him.
“You must be Garrett,” Victor said. “I’d like to say it was a pleasure to finally meet the man who destroyed Malcolm but your timing is unfortunate.”
“Actually, it looks as if I’m right on time.”
Victor sat back down, propping his cane against the chair arm before looking back up at them. “Depends on what you hope to accomplish, I suppose.”
“I don’t hope to accomplish anything,” Garrett said. “What I will do is take my mate and leave.”
Another wheezed laugh filled the room. Victor’s eyes flashed amber for a split second before the old man grinned. “You are every bit the arrogant Alpha I was told you were, Garrett, but I’m afraid I can’t let you do that.”
Garrett stiffened, his hold on her tightening. “It’s not a matter of you allowing it. I came for my mate and I will leave with her. Whether you survive is still debatable.”
Someone in the back of the room laughed and Rayna could tell by the look on the faces of those around them that the Breed leaders were intrigued.
Victor stared at Garrett for long minutes, one finger tapping against his chin, before he lowered his arm. “You would risk your own life for her?”
“Yes.”
Rayna looked up at Garrett’s quick answer. He was watching Victor, the wolf shimmering across the surface of his face. The deadly glint in his eyes caused a trickle of fear to crawl up her spine. He wasn’t leaving without her. She knew by the look on his face he’d fight anyone, and anything, that got in their way of leaving.
She looked toward Sabriel. He was watching her. The sight of his bloodied, swollen face caused her heart to ache. That would be Garrett soon. There was no way Victor would let them leave. They’d never make it out of this. Not alive. The Collective would have what they wanted regardless. Garrett would pay with his life and she wasn’t willing to stand by and watch.
