Breene was running towards a huge tree, and Kieron saw that there was a figure at the bottom of the tree. His heart lurched as he ran towards it.
“Simone!”
Breene reached his mate and scooped her up in his arms. Simone was lying at the foot of the tree and her eyes fluttered open at the sound of Breene’s voice.
There were some bruises on her face and arms, but there was no blood on her. Simone looked up and reached out her hand to Kieron. Kieron took his sister-in-law’s trembling hand and knelt beside her.
“They took her,” Simone whispered. “They took Gena.”
“Where?”
“I don’t know. They left me here. But they took Gena. They said...” Simone swallowed painfully. “They said that Gena would be useful to the pack. They’re wolf shifters. I saw some of them shift. And...”
“What?” Kieron tightened his grip on Simone’s hand. “What did they do to Gena?”
Simone shook her head. “There was a mark on her. At the back of her neck. I couldn’t see clearly, but it looked like a snake swallowing its tail...but the tail looked like a head...” Simone frowned. “I thought it was a tattoo, but the wolves kept saying that it was the mark of Serpenta. I’ve never even heard of it! They even said that Gena was a sorceress!”
Breene stared at Simone in silence. Then he cut his eyes to Kieron. “Vanora Serpenta. Gena bears her mark.”
Kieron nodded stiffly.
“You knew,” Breene said to Kieron.
“Knew what?” Simone asked, her eyes rounding. “What are you talking about?”
Breene turned to her. “That mark you saw on Gena...” He took a deep breath. “I saw that mark once.”
“Really? Where?”
“Vanora had that mark. At the back of her neck.”
“Vanora!” Simone gasped. “That...that evil bitch...”
“Yes.”
“But...why would Gena have the same mark as that vile sorceress?” Simone shook her head in disbelief. “Gena is...”
“Vanora’s daughter,” Kieron answered.
“What?” Simone clapped her hand to her mouth.
“That is Vanora’s mark. A two-headed snake devouring itself. All her daughters bear her mark,” Kieron said, fighting to keep his voice even.
“But...”
“Gena was adopted by a human couple,” Kieron said. “Her adopted parents found a newborn babe in the woods...”
“Vanora left her to die,” Simone whispered angrily. “That evil, evil bitch! How could any mother do that?” She placed her hands protectively over her pregnant belly, comforting and assuring her unborn child. “It’s unthinkable, unforgivable! I am so glad that Lester killed Vanora. She deserved to die for what she did! To Gena, to all of us!”
After a brief pause, Simone sucked in a sharp breath as the full import of her words sank in. Wincing, she asked softly, “Does Gena know that Lester killed her mother?”
Kieron shook his head.
“Oh Kieron,” Simone said, covering his huge hand with hers. “I knew that you were deeply troubled, and I sensed that it had something to do with Gena. I saw the turmoil in you, but I didn’t know...I thought you were just confused about your feelings for her...”
“I am confused,” he said, taking a painful breath. “I am so bloody confused! I want her, and I want to protect her. She is...” My heart, my mate.
“She is the daughter of Vanora,” Kieron said, squeezing his eyes shut. “That dark, evil sorceress who hurt my family. She hurt all of you...”
Breene and Simone shared a look.
“Kieron,” Breene said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “You are my brother. And Gena...”
“She’s your mate, isn’t she?” Simone said.
Kieron saw that he could hide nothing from his clever, caring sister-in-law. “Yes.”
“Then Gena is family,” Breene said simply. “She is your mate. She is our sister.”
“But...”
“She is not her mother. She bears Vanora’s mark, but she is not Vanora.”
“She is a healer,” Simone said. “Gena is a healer, not a sorceress. We all saw what she did.”
Kieron stared at Breene and Simone, his eyes widening. The image of Gena’s mark flashed in his mind. He could see her mark clearly in his mind now. His mind had been clouded before, and his sight had been skewed and distorted by his hate and rage. He hadn’t bothered looking closely at Gena’s mark. He only saw the two-headed snake, but it wasn’t the same snake as Vanora’s.
It was a two-headed snake, but on Gena it was the white head that was dominant. The black head was being devoured and vanquished by the white head.
But on Vanora, it was the opposite.
“Vanora’s mark,” he rasped, his throat constricting. “The black head was the one that was swallowing the white head. Her mark was the opposite of...”
Breene nodded. “Her daughters would become either powerful healers or sorceresses.”
“That’s why Vanora left Gena to die in the woods. She had no use for her. She knew that Gena wouldn’t grow up to become a sorceress.” Kieron surged to his feet.
“I have to take Simone home,” Breene said. “After I...”
“No. You stay with Simone. Your mate and unborn child needs you,” Kieron said. “I will find Gena. I swear I will bring her home.”
“Be careful, Kieron. And be quick. The wolves said something about Thunder...” Simone grimaced and slapped her forehead. “Ah, my memory is so bad these days! And I was feeling so dizzy and sick I couldn’t really pay attention to everything they said...”
“Thunder Creek,” Kieron said. “They’re taking her back to Thunder Creek.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Gena opened her eyes and whispered, “Simone...”
But Simone wasn’t there. She pushed herself up and blinked quickly. “Where...” she began weakly.
“Shhh!” someone hissed.
She flinched when she saw hulking shapes and glowing eyes. Biting back a scream, Gena blinked rapidly to clear her vision.
She saw that she was in a large van, and there were three large males and a tall female in the van with her. The female was the one who had shushed her. She made eye contact with Gena and shook her head very slowly.
Gena read the warning in her eyes. She was to stay quiet and not draw attention to herself by screaming or struggling.
Or maybe the she-wolf just wanted Gena to be a submissive, obedient little captive.
Things might get ugly for her if she screamed and struggled. So she should just shut up and lie down.
Gena knew that these were wolves from the Lightning pack. She recognized the she-wolf. She was a senior lieutenant in the Lightning pack, and Gena had seen her talking to Alex once. Gena suddenly recalled Alex saying that one of the she-wolves had urged him to leave Thunder Creek just before the pack executed Joe. Was she the one who had tried to warn Alex that he was in danger?
Gena decided to heed her warning and lie low. She put her head down and tried to jog her memory.
Where was Simone?
Did they let Simone go?
Gena kept her fingers crossed and hoped that Simone was all right. They wouldn’t kill an innocent, pregnant woman, would they? Simone had nothing to do with all this.
Gena gasped and jerked her head up at a sudden, loud thud. The sound seemed to come from the roof of the van.
She heard the driver cursing and swearing as the van served and veered. Gena was thrown against the side and she groaned at the pain in her shoulder.
There was another deafening bang, followed by the sound of metal crunching. The van veered off the road and screeched to a stop.
The door opened and Gena was yanked out onto the road. She swayed on her feet as someone grabbed her collar. She twisted round and saw that it was Robson.
“Robson.” He must have been riding in the front of the van with the driver. Gena managed a sarcastic smile. “What an honor. The Alpha of the Li
ghtning pack has come all this way for me.”
“Shut up,” Robson snarled at her.
The rest of the Lightning wolves scrambled out of the van and stood behind their Alpha. The only female in the group came up to Robson and said, “I’ll guard her.” She made a show of unsheathing her claws in front of Robson.
Robson nodded and shoved Gena away. “Try not to kill her, Miranda,” Robson said. “We have use for her.”
“Yes, Alpha,” Miranda said impassively as she held Gena loosely by the collar. Robson signaled the other four male wolves forward and they fanned out onto the quiet stretch of highway.
Gena twisted round and saw a deep dent on the roof and front of the van. It looked like something big and heavy had landed on the van.
Miranda tugged her back when a ball of fire exploded in front of them. Gena looked up and saw a ferocious emerald dragon swooping towards them, smoke billowing from its nostrils. Those blazing blue eyes met hers and the dragon hurled another shot of dragon fire at the wolves. Robson bellowed an order and the four burly men flanking him shifted into wolves.
The green dragon landed in front of them and shifted in a blink. Gena’s heart swelled when she saw Kieron striding towards her. “Kieron,” she whispered. She swallowed a small sob of relief and joy.
He was here.
He’d come for her.
Even knowing that she was Vanora’s daughter, he had come for her.
He did care for her. He’d never stopped caring for her.
Whatever happened between them, Kieron would always be her hero, her angel.
Kieron didn’t even glance at the snarling wolves. He looked straight at Robson and said, “Let her go.”
“It’s you again,” Robson said in a bored tone. “Don’t stick your nose in pack business, dragon.”
“She has nothing to do with pack business either,” Kieron said, jerking his head at Gena.
Robson glanced at her and smiled. “Yeah. That’s what we thought initially. I was targeting her gay friend, but he was walking beside a big, brawny guy.” Kieron knew he was referring to Lachlan. “Gena’s a much easier target, since she was with a pregnant woman. But once we got her, I saw that mark on her neck.” Robson laughed. “A sorceress! And all the time we thought she was just a little human woman. I was just going to kill Joe’s toy boy, but a sorceress...is valuable. With a sorceress in our pack, the Lightning pack will be the strongest pack in Thunder Creek. And once we have secured our position, we’ll expand our territory and take over the other towns too.”
Kieron took a step forward. “You’ll have to find your own sorceress. This one’s mine.”
“No she’s not. I got her first,” Robson sang mockingly.
Kieron laughed but his eyes were hard. “Doesn’t work that way,” he snapped and flew forward, his long, sharp claws curving towards Robson's neck.
The four wolves shielded their Alpha and charged at Kieron.
Kieron’s claws glinted as he slashed the throat of a wolf and decapitated another wolf cleanly.
Robson shifted into wolf form, and turned suddenly towards Gena. Gena saw his fangs dripping with a viscous, white liquid and she stumbled back.
Robson was going to inject her with wolf venom. He was going to try to turn her into a werewolf. If he turned her, Robson would be her sire and Alpha, and she would be under his control completely.
“No...” Gena wheezed.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Kieron roared when he saw Robson prowling towards Gena. In a flash, the she-wolf pushed Gena away and shifted.
The she-wolf faced her Alpha and blocked him, refusing to let Robson get to Gena.
Gena staggered away and flattened herself against the side of the van. Her eyes and mouth rounded as she stared at the fierce, snarling she-wolf.
“I was right. You’re Alex’s friend,” Gena whispered. “You were the one who warned him...”
Kieron had no idea what Gena was talking about, but he saw that she trusted the she-wolf.
The ferocious female wolf was keeping Robson away from Gena, but Kieron wasn’t sure she could hold him off for long.
The she-wolf was fierce and determined, but Robson was larger than her. His wolf stood head and shoulders above the female wolf, and Kieron didn’t think she stood a chance against her Alpha.
Kieron was about to rush to the she-wolf’s side to help her fend off Robson’s attack when Robson changed tactics abruptly. Robson was crafty and cunning, and fighting dirty was what he did best. He whirled round and switched his focus back to Kieron.
The Alpha wolf growled an order to his two male lieutenants, and the three wolves circled Kieron and closed in swiftly.
The wolves attacked together, with Robson leading the charge. Kieron fought the two wolves off but he couldn’t land a blow on Robson. Robson was fast and cunning. While the two wolves kept Kieron busy, Robson circled round and attacked Kieron from the back.
Kieron roared when he felt claws rake down his back. He spun round but Robson latched onto Kieron with his claws and tore into him.
Robson’s sharp fangs pierced Kieron’s neck and the wolf bit down harder, trying to reach the jugular.
“No!”
Kieron jerked at the sound of Gena’s anguished, terrified scream. She tried to run to him, but the she-wolf blocked her. “Please, please Miranda...” Gena pleaded. “Please let me help him...”
Miranda turned and saw her Alpha’s jaws around Kieron’s neck. Kieron roared in pain and swiped at the other two wolves, who were trying to drag him down and pin him to the ground.
Kieron refused to fall. If he collapsed, it would be the end of him.
With a sudden burst of strength, Kieron managed to tear Robson off his back and fling the wolf away. Robson bared his bloodstained teeth and advanced towards Kieron.
Kieron was bleeding profusely, and Robson knew that he had been greatly weakened. It would just be a matter of time. The wolves would take him down.
Kieron ignored the blood pouring down his neck and kept fighting. He tore out the eyes and throat of one of the wolves and shook the hot, fresh blood from his face.
Kieron knew that he had lost too much blood. He could feel his strength draining from him, and everything was tilting and blurring…
He saw Robson’s glowing, murderous eyes, and saw the glint of his deadly fangs. The large wolf leaped at him, those lethal claws and teeth preparing to rip out his throat and heart…
But Robson never reached him.
Miranda pounced, her claws slashing down the body of her Alpha.
Robson turned and snarled at his lieutenant. He growled an order and the remaining male wolf ran at Miranda. Kieron saw at once what Robson was going to do. While Miranda fought the other wolf, Robson would attack from the back. It was the same tactic he’d used on Kieron. He would leap onto the she-wolf’s back and plunge his fangs right into her neck.
Kieron summoned all his strength and charged at Robson. He managed to wrestle the Alpha wolf to the ground as Miranda tore into the other wolf. Miranda was a good fighter. She was nimble and swift, and her blows were decisive and deadly.
Before long, she had a dead wolf at her feet.
Kieron pushed his claws into Robson’s neck and slammed him to the ground. Miranda growled and Kieron saw that her eyes were on her Alpha. The she-wolf moved even before Kieron could pull his claws out. She slashed down and delivered the killing blow.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Miranda shifted back to human form but she didn’t retract her claws.
Kneeling, she yanked Robson’s head back and decapitated him with her claws.
Kieron stood and faced her as she held Robson’s head up. She had killed her Alpha and taken his head. His position in the pack was now hers.
“Alpha,” Kieron said, acknowledging her new position as Alpha of the Lightning pack.
Miranda gave them a grim smile. “It’s time. It’s high time things changed. Things have been rotten for too long.
The Lightning pack used to be a respectable pack but under Robson, it has become a pack of degenerate, corrupt wolves.”
Gena came running towards Kieron. She threw her arms around him and hugged him tight. When she saw the vicious wounds all over his body, she abruptly burst into tears. “Oh, Kieron...you...”
“Do you need me to drive you back to Redrock Valley?” Miranda said. “The van is right there.”
“No.” Kieron held up a bloody hand. “We’re fine. You go back to Thunder Creek, and clean up your pack. And keep the Lightning wolves away from me and mine,” he snarled.
Miranda gave a curt nod. “May we never meet again.” She turned to Gena and said, “Tell Alex I wish him well.”
Without a backward glance, Miranda strode off with Robson’s head. She tossed the head into the van and climbed into the driver’s seat. She had to take his head back to the pack to claim the Alpha position.
Kieron watched Miranda drive away. He didn’t care what happened to the Lightning wolves. Miranda had her work cut out for her. Maybe another wolf would try to stab her in the back and kill her. Pack politics was a dirty, complicated business and Kieron wanted to stay the hell out of it. Miranda had saved them, but he had saved her too and helped her kill Robson. They were even. He didn’t owe the she-wolf anything and that was exactly how he wanted it. He refused to even accept a ride from her. These scheming wolves couldn’t be trusted.
Once the van was out of sight, Kieron turned to Gena. He pulled her close to him and rasped, “I’m sorry, Gena. I’m so sorry...”
She pressed a finger to his lips and blinked away her tears. “Let’s go home...”
“We’ll take the fastest way home. I don’t want you out here for even a second longer.”
“But you can’t fly,” she cried. “Not when you’re bleeding so badly...”
“I can,” he said through gritted teeth. He would use all his remaining strength and energy to drag his dragon out and fly Gena home. “I will bring you home,” he whispered. Even if it kills me.
The Dragon's Match: Paranormal Shifter Romance (Hearts on Fire Book 3) Page 10
