Worry swam in his inky irises, but he pushed his head up into my hand before he turned away.
Taking off, he moved awkwardly on the road then along the sandy beach, but once he hit the water, everything changed. He skimmed through the water as gracefully as a seal. With his immense strength and superior swimming ability, he cut through the water as swiftly as a shark.
My throat tightened. Albert’s boat was still visible, but now, it was only a speck on the horizon.
“Do you really think he can catch them?” Flint asked. He crossed his arms, his mouth a tight line.
“I don’t know.” Luke placed a thick arm around my shoulders and squeezed. “But as we all know, Edgar’s pretty quiet about his powers. He always has been. And from what he just confessed, he has stronger abilities than even me and Susannah. I don’t think we should underestimate him.”
Lena nodded. “I agree. We need to trust him.”
An eagle’s scream tore through the sky. Overhead, Susannah’s large form was visible as she flew overhead, following Edgar. While we didn’t know if she would be able to assist Edgar, she was another eye in the sky. She could keep watch from above and land on the boat if needed, but according to Edgar, if he was successful, he would be able to take control of Albert’s mind. Once he was in control, Edgar would force him to turn the boat around and drive back to the coast.
And once Albert landed back on the beach, a bloody battle would no doubt ensue. Luke was out for blood.
Of that, I was sure.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
An agonizing thirty minutes passed. All of us stood facing the sea. Cold, salty wind whipped through the air, lifting the greasy locks from around my shoulders. Numbly, I lifted a long strand of my blond hair. I haven’t looked in the mirror in three days.
A hysterical laugh bubbled up inside me. And I haven’t showered in three days, either.
Before giving birth to the twins, I’d spent hours every day in front of the mirror primping and preening. I loved presenting my best self to the world even though Lena loved to give me a hard time about it, but fashion was like breathing to me. I was even studying it at school. My dream job was to design clothes. I let the greasy lock fall.
But none of that matters if my babies die.
Luke tightened his arm around me more.
“Is that them?” Flint pointed toward the ocean. His chestnut hair whipped in front of his eyes.
I straightened against Luke. “Do you see them?”
Father put his hands on his hips as Di shaded her eyes.
Lena jumped up and clapped. “It is them!”
I gasped and gripped Luke tightly. A distant eagle flying in the sky was visible as a boat grew closer. The vessel dipped in and out of view as it plunged up and down in the waves.
“Does anybody see Edgar?” I curled my fingers into Luke’s side. His muscles clenched beneath my grip.
Di shook her head. “Does anyone else see him?”
“It’s too bad Mica’s not here.” Lena took a step closer to the ocean. “She’d be able to.”
“Jet and Jasper!” Di yelled toward the road.
The twins turned. Even from the distance, I could tell they were fatigued. They had been manipulating the traffic the entire time.
“What’s up?” Jasper asked.
“That’s the boat!” Di yelled. “We need all traffic to stay away from this area. We can’t have anybody see what’s about to happen. Do you understand?”
Both of the twins nodded. Jasper’s mouth set into a tight line as Jet replied, “You got it. We’ll keep everybody away. Just do what needs to be done to get those babies back.”
I stepped closer to the water as my heart pounded. A few waves lapped against my ankles, soaking through my shoes. The frigid temperature caused goosebumps to sprout up on my arms. With each passing second, the boat moved closer.
I gasped when I caught sight of a sleek animal cutting through the water like a dolphin slipping through the sea. “There’s Edgar!”
Edgar bobbed up and down as he kept pace with the boat. The boat didn’t seem to be moving as quickly as it had been when it left. But it was still moving fast.
My heart pounded so hard, I thought I would pass out.
“Can anybody see them?” I waded deeper into the surf until I stood in it mid-calf. The boat headed straight for me.
Susannah screamed overhead. Her massive body flew right over us as she headed toward the trees across the road.
“Does anybody see Albert?” Father asked.
“No,” I replied. “I can only see someone driving the boat. It must be the captain!”
Through the boat’s front windshield, an unfamiliar man was visible in the wheelhouse. His face appeared blank while his hands stayed on the boat’s steering wheel. They were only fifty feet away now.
“He’s going to run the boat aground!” Luke yelled.
Splashing sounded behind me, then Luke grabbed me around the waist. He hauled me out of the way as the boat raced toward us.
The cool wind whipped around my soaked legs, chilling me, but my eyes stayed glued to the boat just as it rammed onto the beach.
Edgar appeared at the boat’s side. He shuffled out of the water in his otter form looking awkward on land.
A loud growl tore from Luke’s chest just as the sound of a wailing baby pierced my ears. In one giant leap, Luke was on the boat. With a blur of movement, Flint was at his side.
“Come on, sister. Let’s find your children!” Lena grabbed my hand, but I was already running.
The boat was an older fishing vessel. A large deck surrounded the enclosed wheelhouse. The man driving the boat still stood docilely behind the steering wheel.
Edgar brushed against my side on his way back to the car.
“Thank you, Edgar!”
I didn’t know if he heard me, but I didn’t stop to find out. Cold ocean water again drifted around my legs as Lena and I tried desperately to climb aboard the boat.
An arm appeared above me.
I glanced up to see Flint’s dark eyes and chestnut hair whipping through the breeze. His jaw was tight. “Luke’s in the cabin below. I’m not sure if you want to see this.”
I grabbed his hand. “I don’t care what he does to Albert. I just want my babies. Now!”
A shot rang out.
My blood turned cold.
The sickening sound of a human screaming tore through the side of the boat as another shot fired.
“What’s happening?” I asked, grabbing Flint’s hands.
A growl from below came next. The sound of fists landing on human flesh filled the air as more screams permeated the breeze.
“Albert must have a gun.” Flint’s jaw locked as he gripped me tightly around the forearms and hauled me onto the boat.
Please let Luke be okay! I turned down my hearing to filter out the sound of the fighting while searching for the sounds of my children. A whimper registered toward the back of the boat. My heart raced.
“Pull me up, Flint!” Lena yelled.
There was a blur to my left, then Lena was on the boat too. I didn’t stop to tell them what I’d heard. Instead, I sprinted to the stairs.
With Flint and Lena at my side, I descended the narrow steps two at a time. I almost tripped on the last step, but Flint caught me just in time.
It was darker below deck, and a fishy smell hung in the air. Off to the side, Luke had Albert around the neck. I breathed a sigh of relief that Luke appeared unharmed. Albert was another story. The older man’s eyes bulged as Luke choked the life out of him. A gun lay on the floor nearby.
“Is there anybody else on the boat?” I asked as Luke slammed Albert’s body against the wall of the ship. I winced at the sound. Violence had always made me sick.
“I don’t think so,” Flint replied.
Doing my best to ignore what my mate was doing, I closed my eyes and listened.
Another whimper permeated the air. My eyes flashed open. “They
’re in there!” I said breathlessly and pointed at a closed door in the back.
Pushing away from Flint, I stumbled over tattered clothing, rope, and fishing equipment that cluttered the area. When I reached the door, I opened it with a mad flourish.
Light from a portside window streamed into the room. My hands flew to my mouth when I saw them.
Lying in a large box were my babies. They were crying and thrashing in anguish, clearly distraught.
I rushed to them and lifted them both in my arms simultaneously. “It’s okay! It’s okay, my darlings! Mama’s here!” I nuzzled them to my neck and pressed their warm bodies against my chest. Tears streamed down my cheeks.
Conroy fussed while Emma wailed and sucked on her fist. The feel of their tiny bodies shaking and so distressed made my knees weaken.
“Help me catch her!” Lena called from the doorway.
Flint and Lena’s hands cupped under my armpits just as my knees gave out.
Sobs wracked my chest as I clung desperately to my babies. “It’s okay, my darlings! It’s okay! I’ll never let him hurt you again!”
The tears fell in warm rivers as my heart broke. Albert had hurt my children. How could I let that happen?
Lena kneeled at my side and put an arm around me. “It’s okay, sis. They’re unharmed. They’re safe now. It’s okay.” Her hand trembled as she ran it up and down my back.
Her soothing words only made more tears come as the sound of Luke killing Albert filled the air behind me.
“Wait!” Another voice cut through the cabin. Edgar.
The sound of his feet on the stairs came next. “You can’t kill ’im, Luke! We need to know the chemical creation of the drug! Withou’ i’, we can’t save Emma!”
“You need to stop, Luke!” Di yelled. “With Edgar’s mind-controlling ability, he can access information from Albert’s memories, but we need Albert alive to do that! That means you need to stop!”
Edgar can access Albert’s memories?
That realization and the sound of my mate killing the old scientist made nausea rise within my throat.
“No!” I whispered. With Lena’s help, I staggered to my feet with both of my babies cradled to me. Their whimpers and cries had stopped.
Even though I was loath to do it, I gently moved them into Lena’s arms. “Hold them. I need to stop Luke.”
I left in a whirl with Flint at my side. The sight that greeted me in the main room made my stomach roll.
Albert lay in a bloodied heap on the floor. He was unconscious, and his face was badly swollen and bloody.
Splattered blood covered Luke’s hands and face. He still held the scientist by the throat, his fist reared back to pummel Albert again.
“Luke!” I screamed.
Flint disappeared in a blur. The next time he reappeared, Flint was holding on to Luke’s arm. Veins bulged from Flint’s neck as he tried to restrain my werewolf.
Luke fought against him. Flint groaned.
“Lena?” I turned to my sister.
Her gaze narrowed. “I’m trying to manipulate my energy ball around him, but he keeps moving!”
Despite Flint’s tremendous strength and Lena’s powerful energy manipulations, Luke continued to fight. He’s out of control. Unless he chose to stop, he’d keep fighting.
“Luke,” I said, advancing toward him.
Wild, predatory snarls came from Luke’s throat. Hair had sprouted on the backs of his hands.
I placed a hand on my mate’s cheek. Hot skin warmed my palm. “Luke. My love . . . you need to stop.”
I felt his energy shift as his wild eyes met mine. Rage coated his gaze, but then something else filled it. An awareness . . . of me.
“That’s right, my love. Come back to me.” I stepped closer until his nostrils flared. I knew he’d caught my scent. “You need to stop, Luke. You can’t kill him, not like this. We need him if we want to save our baby.” I still didn’t fully understand how Edgar would read someone’s mind, but that didn’t matter. If there was any chance Edgar could extract the information we needed from Albert, then we needed to try.
Lena appeared in my peripheral vision. She moved closer to us. Emma and Conroy lay quietly in her arms.
An agonized growl tore from Luke’s throat at the sight of our children.
“See, my love?” I crooned. “They’re safe. Emma and Conroy are fine, but if we want them to stay that way, we need Albert. You can’t kill him.”
Ragged breaths filled the room, puffing from Luke’s chest as the hair slowly receded from the backs of his hands.
Flint’s grip on Luke’s arms lessened.
Luke’s wide stance shifted as his deep breaths slowed. With one last growl in Albert’s direction, Luke pulled me into his arms.
I held on to him as his large frame trembled.
“I’m sorry,” he said gruffly. “I lost control.” The guttural note in his voice was gone. His wolf side had fully submitted to his human control.
I ran a hand up and down his back. His huge muscles jumped beneath my light touch. “I know. It’s okay.”
Silence filled the room as my family looked on.
Father appeared at the top of the boat’s stairs. He took them down quickly. With his wispy hair flying around his head, he took in the horrific scene in front of him, his eyes growing wider with each passing second. Swaying into the stair’s handrail, he asked, “Is Albert still alive?”
Di kneeled at Albert’s side and placed two fingers against his neck. “Yes, but barely.” She glanced up at Edgar. “What do you need to do to access his memories?”
Edgar breathed heavily as his hands balled into fists. “I need ’im alive. It doesn’ matta’ if he’s awake or asleep. But he needs ta be livin’ for me to find the information.”
“Let’s get him back to the vehicle,” Father said. “What happens to him after that information is retrieved, I don’t know, but right now, nobody is dying.”
~ ~ ~
We managed to haul the unconscious scientist out of the boat and into the back of the vehicle. As for the man who had driven the boat—we left him.
Flint had extracted his wallet, and after rifling through papers kept in the fishing vessel, it became apparent the man was nothing other than a normal fisherman who lived in the nearby town. Most likely, Albert had either paid him off to transport the babies across the ocean, or he’d used force to make the man do it.
Considering Albert had carried a gun and didn’t seem fazed about using it, we all figured Albert had forced the older fisherman to do his bidding.
The fisherman had fallen into a deep sleep after Edgar’s manipulations. And since Edgar insisted the man would be fine and would not remember anything when he woke, we left.
The ride back to Portland felt like it passed in minutes. Since we didn’t have car seats, Luke cradled our babies to him. His steel-like strength kept them safely cocooned in his arms. Having them close to him also seemed to calm his rage.
“Let’s get onboard and get moving,” Di said when we pulled into the airport.
Evening had arrived, with night on the cusp. My stomach growled, and it was only then I realized I hadn’t eaten anything since lunch. With a dazed feeling, I stepped out of the car. The past eight hours had been a living nightmare.
Greg was waiting for us on the tarmac. “It’s a relief to see you have them back.” His eyes crinkled in the corners when he smiled, then his gaze dipped down to study the infants still cradled to Luke’s chest. He ran his finger gently along Conroy’s cheek before he added, “I’ve already cleared our flight plan. I’ll have you home in no time.”
“Thank you, Greg.” I smiled and squeezed his hand before boarding the plane.
Once onboard, I took the babies so Luke could help load Albert discreetly onto the plane. As I settled back into my seat, I still couldn’t believe that we had managed to rescue them. However, we weren’t in the clear yet. Since we didn’t know the chemical composition of Albert’s drug for
certain, my darling daughter was still within death’s grasp.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Father wore a brooding expression when we took off from Portland’s airport.
Albert lay passed out in the middle of the jet. Outside, shadowy nighttime clouds drifted over the jet’s wings as we climbed higher into the sky.
Di huddled over Albert’s unconscious body while Edgar sat near his head.
My werewolf had beat up Albert so severely that he still hadn’t regained consciousness, but it didn’t stop Edgar from doing whatever he was doing.
I clutched little Conroy to my chest as he slept. Luke held Emma, who thankfully hadn’t transformed since Di had brought the medication along, but if Edgar wasn’t able to extract the information we needed from Albert’s memory, we would run out of the drug in a month.
“He’s struggling,” I whispered.
Luke grumbled beside me, but his gaze didn’t leave Edgar. Father stood and joined Di while everyone else looked on.
Edgar had his eyes closed. Beads of sweat covered his upper lip and shaved scalp. Both of his hands were placed on Albert’s head while Edgar groaned and trembled.
“He doesn’t use his powers enough.” Luke shifted in his seat. “He’s unpracticed. That’s why he’s struggling.”
I rocked Conroy against me and bit my lip. “Maybe he can still do it.”
We sped east at thirty-five thousand feet. Di listened raptly as Edgar slowly told her bit by bit of what he found in Albert’s memory.
From the tight frown on Di’s face and her worried looks at Father, it was obvious they were concerned too.
“I need more detail than that,” Di said again. The plane dropped abruptly, and she reached out to steady herself.
Sweat lined Edgar’s brow. He breathed out a rush of air and fell back on his butt. With tired-looking eyes, he shook his head. “I’m trying, Di, bu’ i’ isn’ easy. I don’t know what half these bloody things mean that I’m tellin’ ya, and I jus’ tell ya as I see i’!”
I cast a worried look at Lena and Susannah. They sat across the aisle from us, and considering their brows were puckered too, I could tell it wasn’t just worry over extracting the chemical formula that had them concerned. Edgar’s accent had returned. I hadn’t heard it so thick since we’d first met him.
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