Darkness Unleashed

by Belinda Boring

  Nothing.

  My stomach churned at the sickening display of brutality. Limbs had been torn from bodies, throats slit, lifeless eyes staring back as we witnessed the destruction. There was nowhere to step that didn’t coat the bottom of our shoes with blood, morbid red footprints tracking throughout each room as we searched for survivors.

  Meanwhile, evidence of magic surrounded us in pentagrams drawn and carved into the floors and melted candles forming circles around each one, covering the different surfaces in various rooms. Bowls of liquid and herbs lay kicked over, spilled so that the fragrance mixed with the pungent odor of beginning decay.

  My wolf stirred, his impatience whispering for me to take action. It was all so unnecessary. While I didn’t know any of the deceased, they were no doubt innocent of any crime other than being overly trusting and in the wrong place at the wrong time. Many were human, which would prove a problem to Zane and the Enforcers because murder on this scale was difficult to keep out of the public’s eye. One or two disappearances were easier to arrange, but judging by the bodies I’d already seen, there were anywhere from twenty to thirty dead.

  This was a massacre, plain and simple. The key, now, was to find out why and who was responsible. My gut told me it was Helena and, from the look on Devlin’s face as he approached, his lips drawn into a thin line of anger, he agreed.

  “Do you think this is the consequence the Master was talking about?” I asked, unable to keep from gazing about. There was so much carnage. Someone needed to acknowledge each person and mourn their passing.

  He nodded brusquely, pointing to the doorway that led to the back of the house. Without saying another word, Daniel and I followed him. As we entered the large living area off the kitchen, my blood ran cold—all thoughts instantly stopping.

  I didn’t need to read the large message that had been painted on the wall. My gaze was riveted to the three hanging bodies someone had nailed to the wall. All men—their faces had been carved up and disfigured, what little skin I could see caked thickly with dried blood. They were still swollen as though whatever had shattered the bones in their arms and legs, had also been used against their jaws and cheekbones. They were a mess—less human, more minced carcasses, and bile rose in the back of my throat. It was everything I could do not to vomit where I stood.

  “What the hell?” I whispered, hesitantly stepping forward.

  “Shit, Mason. They look . . .” Daniel began.

  “They look like you when we found you,” Devlin finished.

  I couldn’t look away, and suddenly my wolf felt too big for my body. He was furious, demanding to be released so he could hunt down the people responsible and remove them from the face of the earth.

  “Take them down,” I murmured, my voice soft at first. When no one responded, I all but thundered in rage. “Take. Them. Down.” Racing over to where the strangers hung, dead, I started working on removing the restraints, unable to remove the nails. “Help me, someone.”

  As each second passed, it became harder and harder to breathe. Finally getting all three men down from the wall, I clenched my fists, desperate to control the fury that coming here had triggered. When Daniel rested his hand on my shoulder and squeezed, I closed my eyes, accepting the strength he was offering.

  I wouldn’t fall apart. This would simply fuel my already building desire to ensure this never happened, again. I would use this to convince the Alphas coming that they weren’t immune to such horrors. Each body lying dead in the house was an innocent—someone who, for all intents and purposes, knew nothing about Supernaturals and our community. They’d still been swept into the Master’s plot to seize control. It proved that no one was safe.

  It also proved he’d go to whatever lengths necessary to enforce his ultimatum.

  Unfortunate for him, I refused to back down. There was much to avenge—this bloodbath only added to the list of evils.

  “If he wants war, he has one,” I said, finally looking at the message on the wall.

  There were three words drawn in blood—one for each victim.

  I am death.

  “There’ll be nowhere for him to run once we find him,” Devlin confirmed, his jaw muscles tight as we stood there, Enforcers entered the room to gather evidence and remove bodies. “It’s only a matter of time.”

  “I’d prefer sooner than later, though,” Daniel added, an odd look in his eyes. We’d gone through a lot together, but this was something new to him. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was fighting back the urge to pound something, like I was. It was difficult to stand amongst such destruction and not hear the call to violence screaming.

  “I need to go check on Darcy,” I stated, unable to shake the building dread. In the wake of this, there didn’t seem enough time to ensure that everything was in place and everyone I loved was safe. There was too much to do, too much riding on the success of the Summit. As each Enforcer passed, their responsibilities weighing heavy on them, they knew it was up to them to hunt down Helena and the Master. Each moment wasted ran the risk of a repeat of this.

  “She’s fine,” Daniel answered, pocketing his phone. I hadn’t noticed him calling someone. “She’s at home and she said she’ll wait there for you.”

  Nodding, it helped me think clearer knowing she wasn’t out in town where she could be ambushed. “Have Wade stick by her and send out an alert to Pack members. No one goes out alone. Hell, tell them to just come to the house. They can pull out the tents and sleeping bags and sleep under the stars. I need to know everyone is okay. If some feel they can, have them go visit relatives until I send them word. I don’t want anything like this . . .” I paused long enough to look around the room. “Happening to our people.”

  “Done.” Excusing himself, Daniel left, leaving me alone with Devlin.

  “Who the hell is this Master? Do we have any ideas?” I asked, impatient for more information.

  “We’re doing the best we can; but right now, his identity is a mystery. Everything we know we’ve gleaned from Darcy’s experience with Amber and yours with Helena,” Devlin answered. A young vampire approached him, whispering in his ear. Agreeing to whatever was said, Devlin’s dark hair fell across his eyes, forcing him to brush it back. “The blood is too much for some. I just hope this doesn’t trigger any of my Enforcers. They’re already working around the clock and tired. Scenes like this don’t help.”

  I couldn’t begin to imagine. “Do you need me for anything else?” I didn’t have the same restrictions, but the gore and smell was wearing on my own frazzled nerves.

  “I was hoping by now we’d be bringing Helena in for questioning. That was the main reason I wanted you to join in the investigation. Give you some sense of closure.”

  “I won’t get any until this is over and we’ve destroyed everyone involved in this madness,” I fired back, heatedly.

  “We will, Mason. I won’t rest until it happens.”

  No longer needed, we exchanged goodbyes, Devlin agreeing to stop by the house after debriefing Zane on this latest turn of events. As I rushed through the sordid scene and out into the clear, fresh air, part of me worried that calling the Summit, now, might end in disaster.

  Joining Daniel and heading home, one truth remained.

  Disaster or not, there was no going back.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Darcy

  He looked exhausted when he returned, but it was the haunted expression he wore that worried me the most. I didn’t press for him to open up; instead taking him gently by the hand, I led him to our bedroom. There was no resistance—no telling me there was no time.

  As I slowly undressed him, feathering soft kisses over each patch of skin I exposed, I didn’t need to ask what made him tremble. I’d seen enough through our connection before he mercifully blocked me—shouldering the devastation alone. We both knew there was so much to do, but this took priority.

  If Mason stood any chance of compartmentalizing this afternoon into a box for later processing, he
needed something stronger, more powerful, to cleave to.

  I’d be his light—the hope to overshadow the despair I felt lurking within his mind. Sadness had become a new companion to his indignation and rage, sorrow for so many needless deaths. Life had always been precious to my mate, and he wore each loss on his sleeve, accepting responsibility to avenge them.

  Humans were so frail compared to supernatural beings. They always surprised us with their resilience and ability to adapt to whatever challenge they faced. In that, we were all alike; but without the additional magic and grace our kind was innately blessed with, their bodies broke easily.

  Too easily.

  We were weapons, lethal when unleashed.

  Left to their own devices, the humans in that house hadn’t stood a chance. We were the devil they didn’t know existed, the nightmares that walked among them.

  Not all of us, but there were some who were. It was people like Mason, who took upon themselves the sins of the few and felt responsible for their actions.

  As I pushed him backward onto the bed and quickly stripped my own clothes off, it was up to me to make sure that guilt didn’t crush him. Sex served many purposes. Straddling his hips, my hair falling around my shoulders, I peered down at him and Mason’s eyes softened. Darkness faded away as I began to move, setting a steady pace, his expression lost the jagged edges of burden.

  He became less Alpha and more man.

  His fingers gripped my hips, guiding me, helping me as pleasure took over. There was no more outside, only the safe haven we’d created within the confines of these four walls. Tension ebbed from his features, the hard lines around his mouth easing as his lips gave into the smile I cherished.

  There would always be time for love—for those necessary moments that reminded us why we fought so hard.

  “Sweetheart,” he whispered, his voice cracking as he held my gaze. One word and it was as if an electrical current pulsed through me, opening up my senses and setting them on fire. Resting my hands over his chest, his heart beat wildly beneath my touch, matching my own.

  It was tempting to fall forward, to taste his skin before capturing his mouth for a kiss that would guarantee the hastening of both our releases. Everything about him was like a drug—every stroke, every look, every inch of him addicting. But I didn’t alter from the course. We were both so close. Not just to the approaching sensation that would shatter me from the inside out, but to completely obliterating the remains of earlier.

  Death was easier to process when you were drowning in the bliss of living.

  I wasn’t sure who reached it first. It didn’t matter. All that was important was he’d needed something, needed me, and I’d willingly given it all. No holding back as he took over the tempo and drove us over the cliff together. He didn’t stop once the wave struck, either. As if he was beating back the demons tormenting him, he increased the intensity—our bodies colliding in a frenzy of complete surrender.

  It took a while before either of us could think, let alone talk—Mason’s thoughts just as scrambled as mine through our connection. Still holding me in his arms, he rolled me to the side, stroking his fingers over my back, lightly. When his low chuckle filled the air, I knew he’d be okay.

  “I love you,” I murmured; content to lie this way forever.

  “Thank you,” he replied, sounding much more like himself than when he’d returned.

  “I think it was a team effort,” I laughed, snuggling a little closer.

  “That was all you.” Kissing the side of my head, Mason’s hand rose higher so his fingers could brush through my hair. “You always seem to know what I need.”

  “Love does that. I’m always going to want to be there for you, whenever and however you need me,” I answered.

  “Have I told you how grateful I am to have you as my mate? That you didn’t slam the door that day?” It never stopped being a source of amazement that we’d met because of a blind date my mother had set up. That wasn’t what the incredible part was, however. It was the fact we’d both had the exact same dream of the other the night before. Opening the door and seeing him standing there, it had been like Fate had stepped forward and declared us soul mates. We’d later found out Fate actually had intervened, Klothos to be exact, and despite facing the Heart and Death, we’d proven, without a doubt, we were meant to be mates.

  No one could dispute it.

  It was an absolute truth, something that no matter what the future brought, we could always draw strength from.

  “You have, but I never get tired of hearing it,” I teased back, enjoying the ease in his voice.

  “I love you, Darcy O’Connor. And I beg you to remember that over the next few days.”

  It hadn’t taken long for the world to creep back in. “Is the Summit going to be that bad?”

  “Honestly? I don’t know. I’d hope that because of the topic we’ll be discussing, this would be a short meeting. We all know there’s danger looming, so it’s simply a matter of coming up with a plan of attack.”

  “But nothing’s ever simple, is it?” I asked, already suspecting the answer.

  “Where a group of powerful werewolves come together? No. I just need to believe they can place their ego aside long enough to not get into some pissing match. The last thing we need is to be reduced to fighting amongst ourselves.”

  “And that might happen?”

  Mason let out a drawn out sigh and shrugged. “There’s always that possibility. For the most part, we’re at peace. I don’t know of any hostile feelings against anyone, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t start. Emotions are high and each Alpha will be acting in the best interest of his Pack. Some of them are already hotheaded. It’ll be our task to keep everyone calm so we can agree on a united front and return to our properties.”

  “You don’t think they’ll be upset that we’re holding the meeting here?” It was important for me to know what to expect, now that I was his mate. It wasn’t enough to just sit at the sidelines.

  “In the past, we would arrange it so it was at a neutral location and spread it around the country so each Alpha had a chance to host. But with the speed in which we need to come to a decision, there was no time. We can protect everyone better if they’re here at the house. With an increase of Enforcers in town, as well, this was the logical choice.” Everything sounded fine, but I knew Mason, and knew when it sounded like he was still worried.

  “But?” I asked, glancing up at him. Sure enough, he was wearing a frown.

  “I can’t help but think there’s something I’m missing. We’re on the cusp of war. It’s been declared and the first strike has been made. But all the players haven’t been revealed. It always makes me nervous when there are unknown variables in the equation. With our community hosting some of the most powerful leaders in the country, I’d feel a lot better if I could judge where the next assault will be coming from. I know Helena’s involved, but who is the Master? We know he’s vicious, and powerful, and has no problem leaving a trail of destruction, but that’s it. Are we dealing with a werewolf? Vampire? Fae? Witch?”

  These were all good questions, ones I didn’t have the answers to. “We won’t know until he comes forward and reveals his identity.”

  “And until then, he’s an undetermined threat; which makes him incredibly dangerous.”

  Smoothing out the lines that had surfaced on Mason’s brow, I wished I could somehow make this easier for him. “So, tell me what you need me to do at the meeting tomorrow night. Let’s focus on one problem at a time.”

  My request did the trick in reining in his worry. Smiling at my gesture, he grabbed my fingers and kissed the ends of them. “There will be a brief ceremony in the beginning, where each Alpha will come forward and declare his intentions. We’ll have a fire burning where tokens will be thrown in, usually something to honor those who have passed since the last time we gathered.”

  “So something for Jasmine,” I whispered, my mind already thinking of something sui
table.

  “And Nathan,” Mason added.

  That was a name I hadn’t expected him to speak, especially after his betrayal at Amber’s trial. No one had seen the relationship between Nathan and Mason’s ex-girlfriend coming, so when he’d stepped forward and declared his love for the treacherous bitch, it had hurt Mason deeply. Later, when he shifted and attacked me after my challenge with Amber, Mason had been forced to retaliate in protection, killing his Pack brother and friend.

  “He was still Pack, even if he forgot toward the end.”

  Nodding, I didn’t disagree with his decision. “What about Christina? She wasn’t Pack, but she died in its defense.”

  “I’ll talk to Devlin and see what he thinks will be a proper tribute.” I loved that he didn’t hesitate at the mention of her name. “You survived that battle with Julian because of her bravery. Wolf or not, she’s Pack to me.”

  “Let me call Devlin, okay? I want to discuss something with him, anyway.”

  This caused Mason to loosen his embrace; giving me room to move so I could rest on my elbow. “Something you not telling me?” he asked, curious.

  “Nothing’s wrong, I want to be prepared is all.” When he continued to stare at me quizzically, I sat completely up, instantly missing his body warmth. “I’m just worried if something does happen at the gathering, if blood is spilled, what it could possibly mean for me.”

  An understanding lit Mason’s eyes first before spreading across his face. “Your hunger.”

  “I’ve done pretty good at keeping it under control since our last run together and the attack outside the building when you were taken. But other than that, it hasn’t really been tested. I don’t want to be overly confident and say I’m perfectly fine. I’m still freshly converted; and when it hits me, it hits me hard. The last thing we need is discussions to unravel because I decide that one of our guests looks like dinner.” Trying to make light of the seriousness, I laughed, but Mason wasn’t buying it.