Wounded: Book 8 (A Rylee Adamson Novel)

by Shannon Mayer

  I frowned. “What wolves?”

  “Boss’s pack.”

  I shared a look with Erik, who just shook his head. “They should be in London.”

  And you were supposed to be on your way to London too. Blaz’s voice rippled over me and I turned to the left, the direction he spoke from. That wasn’t really my main concern. “Where’s Liam?”

  Alex let out a yip and then took off into the darkness.

  “Alex, stop!” Which, of course, he didn’t listen to, not for one second. “Fuck!”

  In the distance, there was a howl and then a small chorus of howls started up. I Tracked Liam and the tension flowed out of me. He was not far away, and better yet, he was not hurt. Or at least, not hurt like he had been.

  “Rylee, what do we do?” Pamela asked me as she lifted her hands.

  “It’s Liam. We’re okay.”

  For the first time in what felt like days, I relaxed a little, knowing Liam wasn’t hurt.

  Minutes passed and we waited while the pack and Liam slowly made their way to us. Liam walked next to a dark-haired man who hung from Liam’s side. Pamela rushed forward and put her hands on the man. He straightened up within seconds.

  “Good job, witchy woman.” He gave her a wink and then lifted his eyes to take us all in. “Wolf, you going to introduce us?”

  “Rylee, this is Coyote. He’s the last guardian alive around here.”

  I sucked in a sharp breath. How could that be? What had happened to Bear? Liam didn’t elaborate, just headed straight for me. I didn’t hesitate, either. Too many close calls, who the hell cared what other people thought of what was going to be a seriously public display of affection?

  A large wolf darted in between us and shifted. Beauty was really going to be a pain in the ass, one that I was about done with. “Out of my way, bitch.”

  “Liam, love,” she purred. “Who does this human think she is to question me? Doesn’t she know who I am?”

  Liam love? Oh, fuck no.

  “Rylee, meet Beauty.” He flicked a hand at her, a twist to his lips like he’d bit on something sour.

  I didn’t bother to even try to restrain myself. These were wolves after all, not some pansy-assed human. Mates were taken seriously. “We’ve met. Am I going to have to kill her, or is she going to play nice and acknowledge that I’m your mate?”

  Beauty’s jaw dropped, though she caught herself quickly and within seconds charged me.

  Mistake number one. My whip was in my hand and snapping toward her before she took two steps. A thin line of silver filament was threaded through the leather and as it curled around the naked flesh of her legs, she let out a scream.

  I jerked the whip hard, dropping her to the ground. “Now, did you have something to say to me?”

  “He’s mine!”

  I burst out laughing and flicked the whip so it uncoiled from her legs. “Liam, this is your territory. You want to deal with her, or should I? I really don’t want to kill anyone else. At least, not tonight.”

  Liam moved beside me so we faced her together. She let out a groan as her eyes flicked over me, pausing as she took in a deep breath, her nostrils flaring as she scented the air. Her eyes widened with understanding, and a wicked glimmer crossed them. “Oh, I see what this is. Liam, you should have told me about her. Shameful, so very shameful between a wolf and a human.” Her eyes flicked up and down my body. “You know it will kill her, when the time comes.”

  What happened next couldn’t have shocked me more if Faris had put on a dress and said he was marrying Doran. Shit, I didn’t think Beauty’s words hadn’t been that bad.

  Liam lunged forward as he shifted. She scrambled backwards, her eyes wide, but no one shifted as fast as Liam, and Beauty was no exception. His teeth closed around her neck and she scrambled to push him off. A sharp twist, the crack of vertebrae, and she stilled with a last single gasp of air. Even in death her body was stunning, her hair fanned out around her head as the blood dripped down her pale neck and over her perfect chest, her hands open in an artful gesture.

  Didn’t seem to affect Liam, though. He threw her body away from us and into the night where the lights from Louisa’s home didn’t touch. The werewolves around us sunk even lower to the ground, their teeth chattering in a creepy, clacking unison that brought Alex running from the back of the pack.

  He skidded to a stop when he saw Beauty’s body and clamped his oversized paws on his muzzle. “Oh, shitty dips.”

  Liam didn’t glance at him, just shifted back into human form. “She was bound to cause more grief than either of us need right now.”

  I couldn’t keep my eyes from widening further, if that was possible. That did not sound like Liam.

  He glanced at me and just shook his head. “We have to get out of here, you know that, right? The ogres aren’t going to take long to figure out where we are. The other guardians were possessed, and I’ve no doubt that they have some sort of connection with those possessing the ogres. ”

  Well, wasn’t that just peachy. Explained what happened to Bear and the other guardians, though. “What about Louisa?”

  “I sent her and Crystal on to London. They were clean.”

  I choked a little. “All the other shamans?”

  “Dead.”

  What the fuck, we were losing allies left and right. But that was what Orion wanted, he wanted us cut off and fighting on our own.

  “The only doorway on this side of the world that we know will still let us into the castle is back home.” I turned to look in that direction. It wasn’t close, but ultimately it would be faster than trying to get to London via Blaz. The old mine shaft had become a veritable highway for us when it came to crossing the veil.

  It didn’t take much convincing on my part. Frank was still done in and even if he could open the veil directly to Jack’s, Liam would still be stuck in New Mexico.

  “Liam, you wait here with your wolves. Blaz, are two trips going to be a problem?”

  Don’t insult me. His voice boomed through everyone and, of the newbies, it was Coyote who let out a laugh.

  “Does that mean I’m coming with you?”

  “You don’t have to.” I looked him over. “But I’m thinking that being on your own at this point probably isn’t the best idea.”

  Coyote bobbed his head once, his silver eyes serious, though he had a big grin on his face. On the outside, he might look like this was all just fun and games, but there was a lot going on behind those eyes of his. “I’ll come with you. It’s been a long time since Wolf and I hunted together. And he is rather fun to poke at.” He winked at me as Liam snorted.

  The werewolves backed away into the darkness waiting for Liam. He came to me, touched one hand to my cheek and bent his head to mine. “We need to have a long talk, as soon as we get to London. No more distractions, no matter how bad they are. Promise me.”

  Shit, that didn’t sound good. “If it’s that bad, tell me now.”

  “Not bad, but we have to sort some stuff out that won’t wait.” His eyes never left mine, as if trying to impress something important on me.

  My stomach clenched. He was talking about the secrets he’d been keeping the last few months. I’d wanted to know, pestered him about them, and now that the moment had drawn close, I wasn’t so sure anymore I had any desire to know what he’d been keeping from me.

  He kissed me, quick and clean, and then backed away, shifting. Moments later, a chorus of howls broke the night air; at one time, the sounds would have sent shivers down my spine. Not anymore. Though I couldn’t tell them all apart, I could hear Alex and Liam adding their voices to the mix, and their voices soothed my fears. I had my boys; they would stand by me no matter what.

  Pamela helped Coyote, boosting him with her magic onto Blaz’s back, and then followed him up. Frank and Berget were right behind them, then Kyle and India. I paused, looked to Erik and saw the same hesitation on his face.

  “What?”

  He shook his head, his
eyes narrowing. “Something big is coming.”

  “Yeah, four horsemen, end of the world, all that shit.” I said the words, but in my heart I knew he was talking about something else.

  “Don’t dismiss this, Rylee. You are always going to be the center of things and your intuition is trying to tell you something, isn’t it?”

  I flicked my hand at him, silently asking him to follow me, and we walked to the edge of where the light touched the night.

  “The witches are dealt with. No more demons should easily be able to possess supernaturals. The ogres have been outed. But that damn doorway, it’s still open, and we are planning on walking right by it to get to London.”

  Erik put a hand to the back of his neck, rubbing at the skin. “The horsemen shouldn’t be coming through yet, not until the packs do some serious damage in preparation for them. I think we have time in that regards. But there is something else. Like a crux in time, a moment where we aren’t going to be able to fix whatever it is that happens.”

  I swallowed hard. Erik had hit the nail on the fucking head. We’d heard nothing in regards to the demon packs and what they were up to other than the one we’d run into at John’s motel. That was not a good sign. Either we were too far out of the loop, or the packs were working on something big. Not good, not good at all.

  “We’d better go. The longer we take, the worse this is going to be. We’ve just got to rip the fucking Band-Aid off.” I strode toward Blaz and climbed up, Erik right behind me.

  The flight was cold, but easy. No demons popped out of the sky, no explosions sent us spinning into nowhere. The mineshaft was as we’d left it, ropes and climbing gear still set up and waiting.

  Will you wait for Liam in the shaft, or in London?

  That was a good question. “We’ll wait for him at Jack’s.” It galled me, not waiting for him, but there was no other way. Doran and the others were waiting.

  Our group slid down the ropes with ease and Pamela lit up the inside of the cavern with three floating balls of fire. The mineshaft was cool, but the doorway through the veil felt hot to the touch. I pressed my hand against it. Why the hell would it be hot?

  Without another thought, I pushed hard on the door, shoving it open. A burst of flame curled out and I fell back from it with a yelp.

  Pamela stepped up and the flames bent away from us, but only by a few feet. Her face turned into a deep scowl. “I can’t put it out, it’s not regular fire.”

  “Can you hold it back long enough for us to get through?”

  “I think so.”

  “Then we make a run for it.”

  Erik grunted. “What about Liam and the wolves?”

  “I can wait for them,” Pamela said. “I can get you out and then come back here and wait.”

  I didn’t like it, didn’t want to see her put herself in that kind of danger, but there was no other choice.

  I gave a sharp nod, not happy about the newest twist in events. “Let’s do this.”

  Pamela nodded and her hands clenched into fists. The flames were fucking hot, but we bolted through, all of us.

  Except Berget. I stood inside the castle and looked back to see the fear on her face.

  “I can’t, Rylee. Even from here, the heat is too much. I will wait for Liam and the werewolves, tell them how to get through.”

  A gust of hot air whipped around me, drying the sweat on my forehead. “I can’t leave you again.”

  “You aren’t. I’ll find a way to get to London. I can always catch a ride with Blaz.” She gave me a soft smile and I knew there would be no changing her mind. Berget was right. There was no way for her to get through the fire without going up in flames. Too damn combustible.

  I reached across the doorway and gave her a hug, holding her tight for just a moment. “I’m holding you to that. I expect to see your ass in London, ASAP.”

  “I love you too, Rylee.”

  Lips tight, I turned away and ran after the others. The castle was completely engulfed in deep red flames. They looked like what a child would draw, blood red and towering above us. From time to time as we ran through the castle, they dipped toward us and Pamela fended them off.

  “Who would light the castle on fire?” Frank asked as he jogged beside me.

  It was a good question, and I was pretty sure I knew the answer. “Orion. If the castle is on fire, how do we close the doorway?”

  Erik grunted his agreement and I knew I was right. Not that being right made me feel any better.

  The main entrance in and out of the castle onto the open plane burned hotter than the rest of the flames around us and a niggling fear bit at me. None of us had even considered this might be a trap, a way to end us all in one fell swoop. “Pam, tell me you can get us through there.”

  “If I can’t, no one can,” she whispered, as she flung her hands toward the flaming gate. They groaned and leaned outward, leaving a small gap, just big enough for us to run through.

  The group bolted for the opening, but again, I felt the pause of one of my people. Pamela stood, sweat pouring off her face. “Go, I’ll be okay and Liam will need my help to get the wolves through.”

  I wanted to tell her not to take risks, to just be safe and get her ass back to us in one piece. But it was advice I would never take myself. I settled for something more subtle. “Don’t dawdle.”

  Her lips twitched and I turned my back on her to run through the gate. The heat singed my face, tightened my skin and made me sweat like, well, like I was running through a furnace.

  Leaving my family behind was not something I was comfortable doing, but the last few months taught me I couldn’t do it all. I had to let each of those close to me do the things they were designed for, much as it killed me to let them go into danger.

  I just hoped I was making the right choice.

  Chapter 17

  WATCHING RYLEE AND the others run through the gate left me feeling … funny. That she trusted me enough to leave me on my own was an amazing high. But being left on my own within the castle reminded me there were demons just waiting to snatch me again. The fear of being kidnapped haunted me, made my blood freeze.

  I spun and ran back toward the doorway where Liam would come through. Second floor, end of the hallway. The flames weren’t as bad there since I’d already pushed them back. Which was good, because the door to the mine shaft wouldn’t open when I got to it.

  “No, don’t be a wanker,” I whispered, jerking on the handle, yanking it hard. Nothing. Despite the heat from the flames around me, a chill slid down my spine. I couldn’t wait anywhere else, which meant I had to sit here and fend off the fire until Liam, or Berget, opened the door. Sound didn’t travel between the doorways, so I could knock all I liked and no one would hear.

  I hadn’t told Rylee the fire was more than magical. It was alive. There was some sort of entity running it, making it push hard against me, testing my boundaries even as I held it at bay. I swallowed several times, trying to get saliva flowing. My mouth was parched, dry and hot, like I’d been sucking on desert sand.

  I put my back to the door and stared into the flames. Using a technique Milly showed me, I put a barrier between me and the flames. Like a wall for the fire to hammer at, it gave me some relief. Yet I knew it couldn’t last. The barrier drew off my power, like I was a battery feeding it. There would come a point where I couldn’t hold it any longer, when I had finally run out of juice.

  “Hurry, Liam,” I whispered as I slid to the floor and put my hands on the warm stone. “Please, hurry.”

  The ride to the mineshaft proved difficult only because the wolves would be naked if they shifted to their human forms, since they couldn’t retain their clothing like he could, and without clothing they’d freeze in the air. Blaz grumbled the whole way about claws digging into his hide.

  You are lucky I like you, Liam.

  He just snorted. “Luck has nothing to do with it. You like Rylee, and that’s enough.”

  Blaz echoed his snort. Tru
e.

  The dragon spiraled down to the edge of the mineshaft and the werewolves jumped off Blaz’s back in unison. And then the second problem Liam hadn’t really considered presented itself. There was no way to get the wolves down the mineshaft. Sure, he could have them shift, but they just weren’t strong enough for shifting multiple times, and some of them were still healing from the battle with the other guardians.

  They milled around him, and finally he shook his head. “End of the line. Go back to your territory here. I will call when I need you.”

  The second in command, a young male that resembled a pinto horse with black and white splotches on his body let out a whine, his eyes full of worry. They’d lost one alpha already; they didn’t want to lose another. .

  Liam nodded. “I know. But for now, you keep things going. I’ll be back for you.”

  The much smaller pack gave out a chorus of howls as they spun in the snow and tore off across the badlands. Liam watched them go, the wolf in him wanting nothing more than to run free, to be wild and not have a single care in the world. But that wasn’t his life, nor meant to be.

  “Alex, you coming?” He turned and his jaw dropped. Alex had already rigged himself up and was sliding down the open mouth of the mineshaft.

  “Yuppy doody, going down, boss!”

  Alex let go of the rope and disappeared from sight. A howl of excitement echoed up the mine shaft.

  I think it won’t be long now, for him, Blaz said, leaning over the shaft and peering down into it.

  “What do you mean?”

  Won’t be long before he remembers how to shift.

  “I wondered if that would happen.” Liam set to putting on his own harness. “Thank you, Blaz. We’ll see you on the other side.”

  A smart blast of wind curled around them as he said those words and Blaz’s eyes narrowed with concern.

  Premonitions abound, Wolf. Be safe. She needs you yet.

  Nothing he could say to that; he agreed. Rylee needed him and he would fight for her ‘til his last breath.

  Sliding down the ropes made him think of the first time he’d come down the mine shaft, with Rylee’s legs wrapped around him. How he’d come to realize she’d been innocent of the crimes he’d thought she’d committed. Lost in his memories, he hit the bottom of the shaft quickly.