Raising Hell_A Hellcat World Novel

by Sharon Hannaford

  He nodded, words still beyond him.

  “We’ve moved them, got them away from the silver. They’re in pain, but they’ll be okay. The others will find them and help get them out.”

  He grasped her hand, giving it a squeeze as he pushed away from the damp rock wall. They were in another corridor, this one wider than any of the others. Razor was at Gabi’s right ankle, and the Vampires stood guard on either side of the corridor. That was all that was left, the five of them, less than a quarter of those that had started out. They were indeed being whittled down, one species at a time.

  “They’ve taken out the Magi and the Werewolves; it’ll be the Vampires next,” he muttered. He could tell by the look that clouded Gabi’s face that she was thinking the same thing. She turned to Alexander.

  “Kyle’s right,” she said. “They’ll target you next. I think you should stay here and wait for the others to catch up. We’ll go in as the advance party and scope the situation, find out what they’ve laid for you. Once we know what we’re facing, we’ll come back for you and make solid attack plans.”

  “You know that’s not going to happen, right?” Alexander raised an eyebrow in the yellow torchlight. He didn’t bother with a long-winded explanation. They all knew that both Alexander and Tabari would lay down their lives for her, and it had nothing to do with their obligations to their Master’s Consort and everything to do with her and Julius’s relationship.

  “It makes no sense for you to come with,” she tried again. “If they know anything about Vampires, they know disabling you is pointless. They’ll be more inclined to just try to kill you.”

  “And you know it doesn’t matter what they might try, we’re still going with you.” Alexander would not be budged.

  “We are close now,” Tabari said. “Can you feel it? We should hurry.”

  Gabi growled in irritation but looked back at Kyle. “Ready to go?” she asked him.

  He nodded, and the meagre team of five started off deeper into the cave system.

  ********************

  Trish looked down at the beige carpet under her feet. She would have to replace it once this was all over; she’d literally walked a bare strip into it with her pacing. The adrenalin flowed so constantly that any tiredness was gone. Murphy was almost as strung out as she was; she could scent his edginess flavouring the air. The radio silence was agonising. She had become accustomed to feeling like an integral part of the hunts; through the surveillance cameras and commlinks, she always felt as though she were in the thick of it and usually knew more of what was going on than those on the ground. She was useful, valuable, and Kyle and the others relied on her input. Now she was utterly cut off, with no idea of what was going on inside the caves. They could be rescuing Flora already, or they could be dead.

  She concentrated on breathing slower and deeper, pulling herself back from the edge as her wolf senses began to sharpen. She reminded herself that she wasn’t completely in the dark; she knew that Athena was still working on the trap at the entrance, and she was making headway. Derek was only a few minutes away; he and Riley would join up with the team of three Vampires who had arrived at the caves a few minutes ago.

  She put a hand on Murphy’s shoulder as he sat at the monitors, watching the dark screens as though they would suddenly flare to life with something for him to see. She was vaguely aware of the murmurings of the handful of other staff as they hunkered down, coffee flowing, chewing nails, waiting for news.

  “We’re at the parking.” Derek’s voice sounded out of the commhub speaker, making her jump. There were sounds of movement: body armour shifted into position, knives sliding into sheaths and zips being fastened. “I’ve got their trail; they’re not far off.”

  “I’m here,” Trish told him, pressing the microphone button. “Are you sticking to the plan?”

  “Yes, don’t worry,” he replied. It sounded as though he was running. “I’ll send Riley back with news as soon as we find them. Ah, here are the Magi.”

  “Riley, talk to me so that I know your commlink is working,” Trish ordered.

  “I’m here, Trish.” The younger woman’s voice came back to her. The younger woman sounded sure and brave. Trish had been surprised when she insisted on joining Derek for this dangerous mission, but trusted Derek to keep her safe.

  “Be careful,” she told them, knowing the words were inadequate, and wishing she could do more. Suddenly she had the insane urge to run, get into the fastest car in the parking lot and speed out to the cave. Being shut in her safe, electronic domain had never felt like torture before, but it did now.

  Trish used the intervening time to check that the GPS trackers she’d made the Magi place on the Vodun vehicles and helicopters were working. With the chance of this incursion going sideways, she wasn’t going to risk losing track of them again. Once she was satisfied with those, she checked on Julius’s flight. She knew he would be feeling as helpless as she was. The flight was running ahead of schedule, but he was still over an hour away. She suddenly realised that they might not be able to land early if the airport was busy.

  “Murphy,” she said, “get into Middleport Airfield ATC and make sure Julius’s flight can land as soon as it arrives. He’s ahead of schedule.”

  “Sure thing, boss.” Murphy ran his hand over his bare scalp as he scooted towards one of the keyboards, clearly relieved to have something to do.

  Someone pressed a cup of strong coffee into her hand as she watched him work.

  As she raised the cup to her mouth, the speaker fizzled and spluttered. She rushed back to the commhub, plugging a headset into the unit and setting it over her head in a bid to hear better.

  “Trish, Trish.” It was a feminine voice, it had to be Riley, but the sound quality was terrible. “Trish, can…hear me?”

  “I’ve got you, Riley. I can hear you,” Trish replied, aware of everyone’s attention focusing on her. “What’s going on?”

  “It’s bad, Trish.”

  Trish’s heart began to pound, and a lump of rock thudded into the pit of her stomach. “What do you mean? What’s going on, Riley?” she demanded.

  “The wolves, the Pack, they’ve been poisoned with silver. Tabari and Alexander have been burned. Oh, god, it’s horrible.”

  “Riley.” Trish’s jaw was clenched so hard she thought her teeth might shatter. “Riley, stay calm. Where is Kyle?”

  “He’s…” Her voice cracked a little. “Trish, I think we need you here. He’s been shot. With silver, and Gabi’s being hurt by something. I don’t understand it, but Kyle’s lost it. He’s gone wolf, and he’s trying to protect Gabi from us, and we need to help her, but he won’t let us. Derek’s trying, but…”

  The desperation in her voice froze the blood in Trish’s veins. Before she knew what she was doing, she hauled off the headset and tossed it at Murphy, and her feet were carrying her to the exit door. She blindly picked up a mobile comm unit and a set of keys and waved Murphy off as he tried to catch her shoulder.

  “Riley, I’m coming,” she said into the commlink as she shoved the earbud into her ear. “Meet me at the entrance.” She reached to open the exit door and turned to Murphy. “Take over here; you’re in charge. Put med bay on alert; keep humans away.” She heard the growl in her voice, her wolf so close she could feel claws trying to break through the tips of her fingers. No, she would not let the wolf take control, but she would use her strength, her tenacity and her brashness. The wolf instantly understood, ceasing her bid for total control. They would work as a team; between them they would help, somehow.

  Murphy gave her a sharp nod, and she spun to leave the safety of CenOps. As the external sensor light flared on, she glanced down at the keys in her hand, and a grim smile tightened her mouth. They were Gabi’s keys. To the McLaren.

  She’d driven the older version once, a couple of months ago, and it had scared the living bejeezus out of her. This time she let the shameless overconfidence of her wolf fill her mind. She touched the
car door, and it slid smoothly up and out of her way. She drew in a breath, trying to clear her mind of the picture Riley had painted, and slid into the sporty car seat. The engine roared to life, and she set her hands determinedly on the steering wheel, feeling the warm leather and the neat stitching under her fingertips as she released the brake and put her foot down on the accelerator. The car lunged forward, making her heart skip several beats as she fought for control of it, spinning out of the parking area and onto the blessedly deserted road.

  “Murphy, clear my way as much as you can,” she told her friend. Her voice sounded cold and hard to her own ears.

  “You got it,” Murphy told her. “Take the I7. I’ll create a diversion for the cops.”

  Trish knew these roads like the back of her hand, she even knew the area around the Source, and she knew that under normal circumstances it was a twenty-minute drive. She checked her mirrors, gripped the steering wheel and jammed her foot flat. The car responded like a thoroughbred out of the starting gates. True to his word and his skill, Murphy kept the road clear and the traffic lights green. The car stuck to the road like it was Velcroed there. As the rev counter flared into numbers high enough that another car would be screaming, the McLaren just roared in defiance of the challenge. It was less than ten minutes later that the McLaren screeched to a stop at the end of the tar. It wouldn’t do off-road very well. She gave it a pat of thanks as the engine shut off, and then she was out and running faster than she’d ever run in her life, flying across the uneven gravel despite the darkness, grateful for her sturdy boots and that she hadn’t chosen something more fashionable tonight.

  She found the group of vehicles and the ripped fence, racing through and following the strong trail of scent. Kyle, Gabi, Derek—they’d all been here. Her wolf vision sharpened, picking out the grass that had been flattened by many feet, her hearing pricked for the sound of voices. It felt like hours since she’d heard Riley’s desperate words, but it couldn’t have been more than fifteen minutes.

  She almost ran straight into the Vodun vehicles and the small group of Magi and two Werewolves. They wordlessly pointed towards the cave entrance. She sped past them in the direction they indicated. Athena rose to her feet and turned at the sound of her footsteps. The woman’s face was drawn in exhaustion, but her eyes were filled with concern.

  “I’ve just broken the trap,” she told Trish. “Riley is inside. Alexander…” Her voice broke and she swallowed. “Alexander is alive, but burned badly. We think Gabi is being hurt through an effigy, a voodoo doll. She is in a bad way. We have to hurry.”

  Trish nodded. Despite the lack of update on Kyle’s condition, there was no time for questions now.

  “Melinda, you’re with me.” The Magus raised her voice to be heard by the group who had followed Trish but still hung back uncertainly. “The rest of you return to the vehicles and retrieve emergency kits, blankets, anything that will help, then follow us. I’ll leave more instructions as we go.”

  As the Magi Healer hurried to them, Athena closed her eyes for just a second, in the manner of someone offering up a silent prayer; then she took a breath and led the way into the darkness of the cave entrance. The dankness of the air clogged Trish’s nostrils as a small ball of light flared to life and flew to hover just above Athena’s head, illuminating Riley, who had been pacing the narrow tunnel. She was biting her bottom lip, and as she looked up at them, her eyes told the story of what she’d seen and how badly it had affected her. If Trish had had any cause to suspect her of working against them still, that was blown aside by the genuine fear and panic in her expression.

  “Come,” was all she said as she set off at a jog in front of the other women.

  Trish didn’t pause to take in the size of the first chamber, just followed Riley’s back, past the arrow of stones straight towards the rock wall, only hesitating for a fraction of a second before following their guide through the illusion, which made her ears pop.

  The new corridor was narrower and wetter than the first, but Trish barely noticed except for the heaviness of the air she was dragging into her lungs. Melinda and Athena behind them were panting loudly already, but that didn’t prevent Trish’s sharp hearing from picking up the sounds of whimpers and groans coming from somewhere ahead of them.

  “Watch your step,” Riley suddenly warned as the claustrophobia-inducing tunnel abruptly widened. “Follow me exactly.” She had stopped just in front of a stagnant pool of water. She quickly explained about the illusion and the void on the other side as she stepped onto the flat rock in the centre of the pool, hopped across and then leapt over what appeared to be a perfectly solid section of gravel and dirt floor.

  Trish followed her quickly as the sounds of whines and low growls grew louder. Behind her Athena made an annoyed cluck and the air fizzled with energy. Trish glanced back and saw that the Magus has dissipated the illusion, revealing the fissure in the rock that it had hidden. She shuddered; there was no telling exactly how far the fall would be if someone had stepped in it.

  “The wolves are up ahead. Butch is still in human form, but only just,” Riley said, jogging on as the Magi made the leap over the void.

  They rounded an awkward corner of the passage, and it suddenly widened out. Torches lay on the ground, illuminating the bodies of five large wolves lying in ungainly heaps on the stony ground, and Butch still in human form. He was slumped on the floor with his back resting against the slick rock wall. His breathing was ragged, and he lifted his eyes at their approach.

  “Luna,” he rasped, his eyes bloodshot and unfocused.

  Trish rushed over to him. The others in wolf form let out tiny whines as they too drew in heaving breaths. She pressed a hand to Butch’s cheek, and he closed his eyes and turned into her touch as though it brought him a measure of relief. Then his hand gripped hers, strong despite the obvious sickness ravaging his body.

  “Kyle,” he managed to get out, opening his eyes and staring into hers. “Go to Kyle. Use…” he broke off to cough and clear his throat, “the Alpha power. You can…you can do it.” Then his head slumped back against the wall, and he appeared to lose consciousness.

  Damn, damn, damn, choosing between staying here with the wolves or going after Kyle was awful. She knew these wolves needed her, she could feel it in the depths of her soul, but…Kyle and Gabi.

  “Trish, we have to hurry. These wolves will pull through. Melinda can help them later, but they’ll be fine.” Athena’s voice pierced through her mental anguish.

  “Yes, yes,” she muttered, giving Butch’s acne-scarred face a last stroke and praying he’d be alright, before she rose to her feet and continued on after Riley.

  The next chamber they reached must have been the one where the wolves were attacked. Silver lay in small liquid puddles across the space, glinting menacingly to Trish’s eyes. How in hell’s name had they managed to lay their hands on the liquified version, and how had they infected her wolves with it? It had taken years for the Hunters to formulate a soluble version of the metal to use in darts. It had two main advantages over solid silver: it worked almost instantly, as it dissipated directly into the bloodstream, taking their marks down in a matter of seconds, but it also proved easier and quicker to recover from, which brought her a tiny measure of relief.

  “Why would the Vodun use it here?” She hadn’t realised she’d spoken aloud until Athena replied.

  “They set up a fog spell using it as a water source. It was the easiest way to infect the Werewolves unless they wanted to stand around here with guns.” Carefully she picked her way around the glistening puddles to where Riley waited impatiently at an exit that was naturally hidden from view between two large rockfalls.

  “Come on,” Riley begged and took off at a jog again.

  The next several minutes were silent except for their heavy breathing and the sound of water dripping onto rock and into puddles. The rocks had become slick with algae and slime in places, and they were all having to concentrate on where
they put their feet.

  And then Trish heard it: the growling. A vicious snarling threat. Riley led the way past a huge shattered rock, up an incline, and then climbed several small rocks up to a tunnel so narrow that they would have to go through it on their hands and knees. Riley didn’t hesitate, so neither did Trish. The narrowest section of the tunnel was short, and it opened out into yet another cavern. Riley squirmed through and dropped to the ground, closely followed by Trish. She landed slightly awkwardly and was just regaining her balance as Athena’s glowing ball of light emerged from the tunnel and lit the area. The scene before her froze Trish’s blood.

  CHAPTER 20

  “It was right here.” Athena’s words were horrified. “A triggered flame spell. The bastards, the absolute bastards. They laid it right here where there was no quick escape.”

  Trish spared her a sympathetic glance. There was a mixture of rage and anguish and perhaps even some guilt on the woman’s face. But her attention was quickly drawn back to the cavern. The smell of burning flesh filled the chamber, strong enough to turn her stomach. Clan vampires Nathan and Charlie were hovering over two bodies several yards to their left, trying to hold down the writhing forms, speaking in low, calming voices. Nathan glanced up at their arrival.

  “Don’t come too close,” he warned. “They are too injured to control themselves. They need blood and might attack anything warm-blooded.”

  “But Melinda could…” Athena started forward, fear radiating off her. One of those blackened things lying there was the man she loved. Trish felt her pain as though it were her own.

  “No,” Nathan barked. “It isn’t safe. We have bagged blood on the way. It’s their only chance. Go and help Kyle and Gabi.”

  “Trish, Trish, is that you?” Derek’s voice echoed from another section of the cave system, and Riley pulled at her arm.

  She sensed Kyle’s wolf even before she rounded the rock wall. He was standing in a rocky alcove, the huge, magnificent wolf. His lower jaw sagged open, glistening with something. Blood? Drool? His usually amber eyes were closer to ruby red, and grey froth darkened the corners of his mouth. His eyes turned to the newcomers, and his low continuous growl turned into a vicious snarl, his lips lifting to reveal his vicious fangs. He moved half a step to face her, the fur on his shoulders lifting in warning. Trish took a step forward, her hand out to show she wasn’t a threat. His eyes locked onto her, eyes glazed with pain and fever, unable to comprehend who he was seeing.