For the second time that night, Cade slammed his fist into Liam’s jaw. Liam stumbled back, falling over Mara’s sofa and splintering the leg of her coffee table. “I’ve had enough of your shit, Liam. Goddammit, she’s my mate and I fucking love her! I’m not abandoning her to that bitch.”
Liam rolled over and got to his hands and knees. “Cade.”
When Cade growled, Liam held up his hand and staggered to his feet. No one made a move to help him. The night had been a tense one for everybody, but only minutes before Mara had told him she was leaving, Liam had apologized to Cade and begged his forgiveness. Liam rubbed his jaw. A trickle of blood smeared at his lower lip. “We don’t know if she’s even alive. But if she is, she might have her phone. She would not want ya to risk yourself. We need to leave. Hide somewhere. We’ll ring her. And then we’ll ring her aunt. If she’s alive, we’ll find her. But we can’t stay here.”
Liam was right. Cade scrubbed his hands over his face. His mate could be dead and he’d never told her. Fear was an icy ball in his belly and he couldn’t stop his hands from shaking.
“Get your clothes or shift,” Liam barked at Cade. “The rest of ya, shift. I’ll get the bag. Out the back in five.”
The wolves held their breaths. Cade glowered at Liam, simultaneously angry at his tone and thankful that he didn’t have to take charge with thoughts of Mara dead, burned, or captured racing through his mind.
“You heard him,” Cade said quietly. He turned to Liam. “You’ve stepped over the line one too many times today. But we’ll discuss that later. Right now, we need to get out of here and find her.”
Cade raced into the bedroom, tossed a sweatshirt over his head and nearly fell over trying to get his shoes on. He couldn’t think. He could barely breathe. Mara was out there somewhere. Either alone or with Katerina. She couldn’t be dead. He wouldn’t accept that.
Liam darkened the door. He had a bottle of whiskey in his hand. “Come on, Cade. We’ve got to go. Now.”
“You’re drinking?”
“We have to mask our scent. Focus! You’re no good to her if you let that deranged psychopath kill you.”
Cade followed his beta blindly out into the backyard. They shut the sliding door quietly behind them. The rest of the pack waited at the edge of Mara’s property in wolf form. Liam uncorked the bottle and shook alcohol over the edges of the yard. “Fence. Now,” he ordered.
One by one, the wolves backed up and leapt over the wooden fence. Cade spared Liam a quick glance. His beta had a bag over his shoulder. Clothes for the pack, no doubt. “We’ll find her. I promise.”
Cade jumped up, hooked his hands around the top of the fence, and pulled himself up. Mara, please don’t leave me.
When he and Liam were safely on the other side of the fence, more whiskey painted the wood. “Such a waste,” he muttered, upending the bottle over the ground. He turned to Cade. “Go.”
“Where? We’re in the middle of the city. A city we don’t know.”
A high pitched yip from a few hundred yards away caught their attention. Liam turned and sniffed the air. “Come on.”
Cade and Liam ran towards the rest of their pack. There was a green belt less than two hundred yards from Mara’s house. They ran until they found a main road, then dropped back to keep themselves hidden. Liam pulled out his mobile. “Call her.”
Hi, you’ve reached Mara Taylor. I can’t take your call right now. Please leave me a message and I’ll call you back.
Cade shook his head and ended the call. He pulled the scrap of paper with Lillian’s number on it from his pocket. He ran his fingers over the flowing script. Under Lillian’s number, she’d written a note. I’ll be back. I promise.
What if he couldn’t find her? How in the world would he go on? His fingers shook as he dialed Lillian’s number.
“Wolf?” Lillan’s Southern twang was agitated.
“Yes. Is she there? Please tell me she’s there.”
“They took her. That skinny black-haired bitch and her two young’uns shot my niece full of fire and hauled her off in a black van. Now what in the damn hell are you gonna do about it?”
Cade dropped his head between his knees. “We got out. Mara saved Livie’s life and Livie got us out. But we don’t know where they are. Can Eleanor track them?”
“She’s tryin’. Eleanor?” Lillian’s voice faded a bit. “Get yer ass out here. Did you find them yet?”
“They headed towards Mara’s house. Where’s the wolf?”
“On the phone.”
“Give Eleanor the phone, Lillian. Please.” Cade looked around at the wolves surrounding him. Only Liam was still in human form. The rest of them sat back on their haunches, watching him. Five pairs of luminous eyes ranging from bright blue to gold. Five sets of low growls echoed in the night.
“Wolf.”
“Goddammit. I have a name,” Cade spat. “How the hell can we find her?”
“Cade, calm down,” Eleanor said gently.
“Don’t tell me to fucking calm down. My mate is in the hands of the woman who tortured me for seven horrible, endless months. You know Mara can’t handle Katerina’s fire charm. It’ll kill her. So don’t tell me to calm down. Help me find her!” He was yelling now and Liam grabbed his arm.
“Hush, Cade. We can’t draw attention to ourselves.”
Cade’s lifted his middle finger. God, Mara. Please be alive.
“Where are you?” Eleanor asked.
“A couple of miles from Mara’s house. At the edge of a greenbelt. North 105th Street.”
“I’m coming to you. I’m in Lil’s car. Stay hidden.” The line went dead.
Mara couldn’t move. Jeremy held her tightly over his shoulder. Her arms bounced uselessly at his back. She couldn’t see much, but she recognized her front walk. “Caaa . . .” she slurred. Her mouth wasn’t even working right. Panic roiled through her belly. If Cade was still at the house, her sister would kill him. And then what would Katerina do with her? What about the rest of the pack?
A weak moan escaped her lips and Jeremy jerked her. “Quiet.”
Katerina tried Mara’s front door. Without her keys—those were still at the bottom of the sewer—they’d at least have a hard time getting inside. “Bella, do your thing.”
A gust of air brushed past Mara’s face, pressed into Jeremy’s back. Locks clicked. Her heart sank.
“He was here,” the air elemental said. “I can smell him. But he’s not here now. They masked their scent. Too bad, that was damn good whiskey they used.”
Katerina’s footsteps echoed on the hardwood. “Take her back to the van. I want a look around.”
As terrified as Mara was, Cade’s escape filled her with hope. That meant Livie was likely alive too. All of them. Her head hit the floor of the van with a thud. Her thoughts were foggy, but she wondered if she’d be able to see the stars—if she could see at all. She was face down, looking at a black carpet with Jeremy’s hands holding her wrists at the small of her back. He needn’t have bothered. She was too weak to move.
Every symptom of her illness had come back with a vengeance, along with Eleanor’s words. You have too much fire in your blood. It may be why not using your element was so detrimental. You must use it. Every day. Or you will suffer again. Letting it build up will kill you.
Katerina’s soft slapping steps approached. “Here. Secure her.” There was a soft whisper of one of her scarves around her wrists and then her hands were bound tightly behind her. She was hauled up and leaned against the side of the van and Katerina climbed in and knelt in front of her. The door slid shut and the interior dome light came on. Mara squinted against the dim glow.
“I’m sorry about this, sister. I am. I don’t want to hurt you. If you tell me where the wolf is, I’ll take this charm off of you and let you go as soon as I’ve dealt with him.” A fiery hand cupped her cheek. Mara tried to pull her head away, but she lacked the strength. If her head hadn’t been tipped back against the van’s wall,
she couldn’t have held it up.
“Don’t. Know. Please . . . siiiick.”
“The charm won’t cause serious damage. I’d never do that to you. It will keep you weak and compliant. That’s all,” Katerina said sweetly. “I’d never harm my baby sister. I love you, Mara.”
“Nu-huh.” Mara shook her head slightly. “Dying. Wah . . . er.”
“No water for you. Not unless you tell me where the wolf is.” Another fake smile and Katerina rubbed Mara’s arm. “Family first, sister. I’ve loved you since the day you were born. Don’t make me keep you like this a second longer than necessary. Tell me.”
She had to make Katerina understand. She really was dying. Not that she believed her sister would show her any mercy. But there wasn’t anything else she could do. She tried to lick her lips, working her mouth to generate any moisture she could. “My blood,” she gasped. “Too much fire. Doctors told me. Dying.” The words were slow and barely audible.
Katerina grabbed her chin and twisted her head closer. “I didn’t expect my sister to be such a drama queen. Tell me where he is and I’ll take the fire away.”
“Fuck. You.”
The dark eyes that had feigned kindness only a second ago turned cold and narrowed into slits. “I’ll find him, sister dear. Do not doubt that. And when I do, I will make you watch him die.” She whipped her head towards Jeremy. “Gag her. We’re going back to the hotel. It’s close enough that Bella can try to track them from the roof.”
Jeremy forced another length of silk between Mara’s teeth and tied it tightly around her head. He shoved her down onto her side before climbing into the driver’s seat. Bella, a slight woman with wispy blond hair and a haunted look in her pale blue eyes sat next to her. Angled brows drew together and Bella sniffed the air. Her eyes softened and a cool hand brushed some hair away from Mara’s face. A faint breeze wafted over Mara’s chapped lips and flaming cheeks.
The rumble of the engine soon added even more heat to her weakened and feverish body. Mara closed her eyes and tried to sense the direction they were going, but it was no use. Her mind was too jumbled to concentrate.
They were idling when Mara’s cell phone rang in her purse.
“What the hell?” Jeremy asked.
Katerina squealed. “It’s the wolf.” She turned in her seat and pawed through Mara’s purse. As she withdrew the phone, it stopped ringing. “We have his number now. When we’re back in the hotel, we’ll call. Hurry, babe,” she said to Jeremy. “Ooo. The pretty little weather app on this phone says the rain ends in an hour. Sunrise is at 7:49 a.m. and it’s going to be dry and sunny. I think dawn will offer us a perfect opportunity to end that filthy dog’s life once and for all.”
Eighteen
Cade paced, hidden by the thick trees and the darkness. Liam sat with his back against a log, watching him. “Save your strength. We’ll know something soon enough.”
The words held little comfort, nor did he truly believe them. Mara was gone, taken by the woman who’d tortured him, killed his father’s entire pack, and nearly burned alive every one of his brothers and sisters. He withdrew Liam’s phone from his pocket. He wanted to call her again. Even for no other reason than to hear her quiet voice on the outgoing message.
A car rolled to a stop and a door opened, shut with a click, and footsteps hurried closer. A whisper reached them. “It’s Eleanor. I can smell you. Stay put.”
The air elemental materialized out of the darkness moments later. “I went to Mara’s. Katerina had been there, along with air and earth.”
“And Mara?” Cade balled his hands into fists to keep from grabbing and shaking the older woman.
“Yes. Mara too. She has little time. The scents I gleaned from her were sickly and weak. There is a fire charm on her and it will kill her quickly if we cannot find her and break it.”
Cade saw red and dropped to his knees. Liam was at his side, grabbing his arm. “Get it together. She needs you.”
“Why do you even care?” Cade asked, his voice a hoarse growl. “She wouldn’t have left if it wasn’t for you and your goddamn lack of control. All of you. And if she hadn’t left, she’d be safe. With me. She wouldn’t be near death. You don’t want to touch me, Liam. If I didn’t think I needed you to help rescue her, I’d kick you out of the pack right now.”
Cade’s words registered on Liam like a slap to the face. “I know. I fucked up. When this is over, when we’ve—you’ve—got her back, I’ll leave. But for now, let me help. Please.”
Cade nodded tersely and looked back up at Eleanor. “How do we find her?”
The air elemental shook her head. “I don’t know that we can. They have a car and they’ve got an air elemental with them. They can mask their scent.”
His hand shook more than he wanted when he pulled the phone out of his pocket again. “Ollie? Do you have any contacts in the Sheriff’s department down here?”
The older wolf whined and lay down. His whole body trembled as the shift back to his human form overtook him. He wheezed for a few breaths. “Maybe. They all think I’m dead.” Ollie rummaged through the duffel and withdrew a pair of pants and a cell phone. “I’ll make some calls.”
Cade looked down at the phone in his hand. “And I’ll make one of my own.”
“Dog. I had a feeling you’d call.”
“Is she alive?”
“I have no desire to see her otherwise. Not as long as you’re willing to do what I say,” Katerina replied, her voice smooth with a sing-song quality.
“Put her on.” He gripped the phone so tightly he feared he’d break it, but he had to hear her voice.
“Manners.”
Cade growled. “Please.”
Quiet shuffling and a tiny moan followed. “Say hello, sister.”
“Cade?” Her voice was so quiet he wouldn’t have heard it with normal human hearing. The tremble in it, the weakness, it stabbed him in the heart.
“Oh God, Mara. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I promise—”
Her moan cut him off. “Don’t come,” she whispered. “I won’t live.”
“I am not abandoning you,” he growled. “Hold on. Please. Fight for me.”
Another moan, this one strangled, was followed by a dull thud and a rustle of fabric. Katerina came back on the line, her breathing calm unlike Mara’s strained wheezes. The tightness in Cade’s chest threatened to strangle him. “What did you do to her?”
“It is merely a fire charm. One that suppresses her water. It will not seriously harm her, but it will keep her uncomfortable and powerless. Now—”
The wolf pulsing under his skin emitted a low growl, cutting her off. “She’s dying, bitch. Too much fire in her blood nearly killed her last week. Can’t you see it? You’re killing her. Right this second. Even you can’t be so heartless that you’d want your own blood dead.”
“Of course not. But I want her to see your death and I’m not above a little pain to make that happen.” Another thud, this one accompanied by Mara’s muffled sob. “Now, let’s talk about your death. You will come to a location of my choosing alone. My sweet sister will watch me take your life and then I will release the charm on her.”
“Where? When?”
“Dawn.”
“She won’t live that long,” Cade said. “Tell me where you are. I’ll meet you right now.”
“Not a chance. I know you have your dogs with you and I need time to ensure they will not be a problem. You will follow my instructions or you will never see Mara again. I have no qualms about keeping the charm on her permanently and taking her back to Arizona with me. She can live out her days in the desert.”
“That’s torture!” He hated this woman with everything he was. “How can you be so cruel to your own sister?”
“Oh I don’t know. Perhaps it’s because I grew up without a mother. No more talking now. I will call you at seven and tell you where to go. Not a moment sooner. If your pack of mongrels come anywhere near me, I won’t hesitate to kill them
too.”
The line went dead.
Cade barely resisted the urge to throw the phone with all of his strength. It was his only connection to his mate and he needed it. “Four hours,” he said, his voice low and guttural.
“She may have four hours,” Eleanor said. “If she fights.”
“She’ll fight.” His mate wasn’t a woman who gave up. He had to believe that—even if he wasn’t certain they’d ever be together again.
Cade surveyed his wolves. Ollie ended his phone call. Liam stood with his arms crossed over his chest. Livie, Shawn, Christine, and Peter sat in wolf form, watching him. Eleanor leaned against a tree a few feet away. He’d give up his family, his very life, if Mara could live.
“I’m to come alone.”
“Like hell,” Liam growled.
Cade held up his hand. “She’s got air. She’ll smell you. And if she does, she’ll hurt Mara. She’s insane. She says she doesn’t want to kill Mara, but if she doesn’t release the fire charm, Mara’s dead. Katerina doesn’t believe me that Mara’s sick. So I’m going. And you’re not going with me. I can die. As long as Mara lives.”
“We can counteract her air,” Eleanor said with a smile. “I am quite old, Cade. I know a few tricks.”
Ollie cleared his throat. “I have help. Two officers. They don’t know about weres or elementals, but I have them looking for the van. There’s an APB out for Katerina and I gave them a description of Mara. Not her name. Too risky. It’s not much, but it’s better than nothing.”
No one else dared to speak or even move. Cade teetered on the edge of control. Mara’s scent, still clinging him, was his only shred of sanity. His family. His mate. His own life. Of everything, he valued his life the least. There was no question he would die. But his family would help ensure Mara would live.
He cleared his throat, hoping his voice wouldn’t fail him. “What can we do?”
Mara was on her side, bound, gagged, and unable to move in a tiny motel bathtub. She couldn’t remember much about the van ride, or seeing the outside of the motel, but traffic whizzed by outside the room. They might be on Aurora, but it was such a long street, with so many seedy motels that they could be anywhere. And even if she knew, she didn’t have enough strength to escape. The plexiglass had been cool when she’d been shoved in here, a blessed relief for a few moments, but the heat from her feverish body had turned it into a sauna. She’d tried to kick at the faucet, only to have Katerina come in and melt the metal handle until it was unusable.
A Shift in the Water Page 27
