Blown Away (Rogues Shifter Series Book 4)

by Gayle Parness

  “Tell him I’m fine and we’ll let him know about Sinc as soon as we hear from Ethan.”

  “I’m thirsty.” We all glared at Gabriel. He had a big gash on his forehead where he’d collided with the fence and a split lip where he’d probably collided with Kaera’s fist, as well as a few of the same kind of cuts that I had.

  “Kyle could you get him a water bottle? The kind with the spout.”

  “Sure, but if it was up to me, I’d let him stay thirsty.” Kyle glared at Gabe, but then got up to get the water.

  Gabriel asked, “Is Sinc okay?”

  Kyle was suddenly back and choking him, with a knife in his other hand. ”You almost killed her, dogbreath. If you say her name again I’ll cut your ear off.”

  I put my hand on Kyle’s shoulder. “Get me the water, Kyle. We’re waiting for Garrett. Please.” He backed off and did what I asked. I squirted some water on Gabe’s injured lip and forehead and then in his mouth. I left the bottle in front of him on the coffee table. He'd be able to pick it up even though both hands were tied together in front of him.

  Sasha took a closer look at my bandaged arms and back which were visible since I was in a tank top. “Do you need more blood?”

  I smiled at him but shook my head. “I’m really fine. I’m just worried about Sinc. Why don’t you go feed and then head to the hospital. I need to hear the minute anyone knows anything about her condition.”

  “Of course, Mistress.” He disappeared in a breeze of sweet cherries.

  “He calls you Mistress? They treat you like you’re powerful. More than just a shifter.” Gabriel was only being curious but I wasn't in the mood to answer this wolf who’d wanted me dead. I couldn’t understand how it was that, with the exception of Garrett and Sinc, they didn’t know anything about the members of the team they’d hired and brought onto their territory. It showed an arrogance and a lack of judgment from their leadership that surprised me. I turned away in disgust to look out the window. Ashlyn lowered herself into the chair across from Gabe, ready to have some fun.

  She smiled in an evil way as she drew a long blade from a sheath at her belt. “We’ll have to send your father some proof that we have you. So, young wolf, do you want to keep your nose or your ears? If I were a wolf, I’d choose to lose the ears. You track with your nose, and it affects your ability to taste your kill. I believe that you would still be able to hear without the outside of your ear, unless I break the eardrum. Or I could just remove a thumb, but that would make handling objects difficult as a human, so I wouldn’t chose a thumb if I were you. There are other odd parts we could discuss.” She looked at his groin and Gabriel’s breathing speeded up. He looked like he was going to wet himself.

  “You’re just fooling with me, right?” You’re not cutting me, are you?”

  Her expression turned icy. “Do you know what I am?”

  “A fae.” There was only respect in his tone. "A Seelie fae, from Cascade?" It appeared that Gabriel didn't feel the same prejudices as his father.

  “With your coward’s weapon, you injured Jacqueline, a valued ally of the fae people, as well as Sinclair, a former member of your own pack. The two fae warriors you harmed are like sisters to me. You are craven scum, wolf, and you don’t deserve the kind treatment you’ve been given so far. If it were up to me, I would take my blade and dip it in a particular poison that works slowly, but causes much pain. I would cut you in several sensitive places, so that you would suffer horrendous agony for perhaps a week before your body gave up its strength and you no longer fouled the air with your breath.” She shifted her blade to rest beneath his chin. He was smart enough to stay very still.

  “Ashlyn, I think you’ve scared him into submission. Thank you.”

  “I’m enjoying myself.”

  “Yes, I see.”

  Kyle was grinning from ear to ear. “That sounds too easy on him. I think we can come up with something better.” Ashlyn smiled, nodded in his direction and lowered the blade so that Gabriel could breath again.

  Liam flashed into the room, moving quickly toward me. “The sisters will recover. How are you?”

  “Right now, I’m furious. Later the panic will sink in.” He looked at my bandaged arms and back and then suddenly pulled me closer and hugged me. It wasn't a typical action, but today had been intense and I guess we both needed the comfort. I hugged him back.

  He spoke out loud when he pulled away, looking slightly embarrassed. “Kyle, Ashlyn will take you to Sinc, if you’d like to go.”

  “Great, yeah I would.”

  “Ashlyn, you and Farrell may return to Faerie after you’ve delivered Kyle. Thank you.”

  “Yes, Liam.” She nodded and lowered her eyes.

  I caught Kyle’s attention. “Tell Sasha when you see him, that he can come home whenever he wants. Make sure you call here when you know anything.” Ashlyn took Kyle’s hand, nodded at me and then disappeared. Gabriel slumped down with a sigh, obviously relieved that she’d left.

  So now it was just me and Liam and Gabriel. I pulled up some magic and sat on the couch next to him, my body tense and thrumming with energy. Liam looked at me curiously, but didn’t say a word, deciding to see what I had planned. Gabriel straightened, took the water bottle with both hands and squirted some in his mouth.

  I waited until he looked at me, then I asked, “Why? Why did you want us all dead?”

  “I’ll wait for Garrett and then I’ll tell you everything. I have nothing to lose at this point.”

  “You’ve already lost your honor, wolf, but there’s still your life.” Liam was sitting in the wingback chair where Ashlyn had sat only minutes before.

  “My honor? My father's told me the fae know nothing of honor.”

  “He misspoke. You haven’t answered my question.”

  “When Garrett’s back, I'll explain everything.”

  I wanted answers so badly. “I’d like you to tell me now.” A thin line of blood appeared on his upper arm where he could see it. He winced from the pain and looked at me in shock.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Convincing you to answer my questions.”

  Liam sent, “Jacqueline, you need to stay in balance.”

  “Did you see her foot? Sinc may not be able to run or hunt ever again. Brina must be in pain. You say it’ll take over a week for her to recover, that’s a long time for a fae warrior.” I said the next part out loud. “He wanted me to go back inside the house to die with Brina and the vampires he thought were in the basement.”

  He looked away, maybe feeling ashamed or guilty. “You don’t know what’s been going on.” When he turned back his expression was stubborn again. “I'm sorry, but I’ll only speak to Garrett. If anyone kills me, the pack will retaliate by coming after you. He'll know how to negotiate my return without anyone else getting hurt. Garrett will protect you."

  "I can protect myself."

  "He shook his head. "You're a female shapeshifter."

  "Why should we negotiate? What about the boys and Sinc and Brina?"

  "I can't help them now. I tried to help Sinc..."

  I wanted to kill him, not because he’d put down my sex but because of his narrow minded arrogance and disregard for the pain he’d caused. I found myself staring at his neck. I wanted to put my hands around his throat and slowly crush his windpipe and then wrench his head from his body. I wanted to do it for Sinc and Brina and Kaera and for Clarissa Bernard and those silent female servers who looked at me with haunted eyes. Mostly, I wanted to do it for the teenaged boys who might never be found. I leaned in a little closer to him.

  Gabriel started shaking and whimpering, backing as far away as he could get, while still staying on the couch. “Stay away, please, please.”

  “Jackie, your eyes.” Liam had his hand on my arm and was sending me healing energy, as he dragged me toward the bathroom with his hair floating around his head.

  I looked at my reflection in the mirror over the sink. Jeez Louise, I was going demo
n on them. My eyes were bright orange, the color they turned when my demon blood kicked in. But instead of getting angry at Liam for pulling me away, I started to laugh. We were a pair alright: looking like characters from a bad B movie. The Mummy from the Demonic Plain on a Bad Hair Day meets Alien Encounters of the Fae Kind. As I laughed I watched my eyes shift back to green.

  Liam just shook his head and smiled as we left the bathroom. “You should learn how to control your demonic powers asap.”

  “Tell Isaiah. And did you just say asap?” I shoved his shoulder playfully.

  “Who’s this?” Heinrich and William had just come upstairs and were moving toward Gabe, who was still trembling. “Why are you guys home? And why is Gabriel tied up? Did Garrett tie him up because he flirted with you?” He took a look at me and my bandages and stopped smiling. “What happened to you?” I sat down again with a sigh and told them everything. As I spoke their fangs grew and they glowered at Gabriel. The phone rang and Liam got it, just as Garrett and Sasha whisked up the stairs.

  “Liam.” He always answered that way. He listened and then said, “I’ll let them know. That’s fine, I agree. Thank you, Kyle. If she wakes up, let her know we’re here for her.” He hung up and turned to us, his face taking on a serious aspect. “Sinc is going to lose her foot. Nothing can be done. Otherwise, she’ll recover well. She had three broken ribs which had already started to heal because of Garrett’s blood, and a slight concussion. Her legs and hands have second degree burns but they are also healing well. The doctor said that getting her to Garrett made a big difference. Kyle suggests that you come tomorrow to see her, since she’s heavily sedated now and will be operated on within the hour. Ethan and Kyle are staying. Peter is there too.”

  Garrett sat next to me on the couch and pulled me into his arms. I buried my head against his chest, wrapped my arms around his waist and breathed him into my lungs, trying to find comfort and courage there. “I should have tried to heal her.”

  “You wouldn’t have known what to do. You’re not a doctor. And you were hurt yourself, Jackie. She’s alive and she’s going to be fine.”

  “She won’t be able to hunt or climb a tree or run...”

  “Perhaps, but she’ll live and love and maybe find a mate and have children, if that's her choice. She'll continue her work and her research with us. All the most important things.”

  “She won’t see it that way.”

  “You may be surprised. I’ve known her for ten years now. Sinc is a realist. She’ll still be the team’s forensic expert, and that's always been her passion. Plus she has all of us to see her through whatever roadblocks occur.”

  I pulled away and gave him a gentle kiss. “Yes, I know you’re right, it’s just hard.”

  I decided to get my mind on the matter at hand. “We have a wolf to interrogate.” I twisted my body on the couch and Gabriel looked at me warily. “Talk. If you lie I’ll cut out your tongue and make you eat it.”

  “Jacqueline, please.” Liam was annoyed.

  Garrett and the other vamps were laughing. William choked out. “He won’t be able to talk without a tongue.”

  “Fine, I’ll revise my threat. If you lie, I’ll geld you.” All the guys winced and shut up fast, watching for Gabe’s reaction.

  Gabriel wasn’t sure what to make of me, but after a moment he twisted his mouth into a resigned expression. “Karl uses blood magic to control the pack. We haven’t found a way to get around him. If anyone tries, he usually kills one of their family members. Sometimes a kid.”

  “Liam could you lend me your fae blade, the one I killed Antoine with?”

  “I’d like to speak to you privately on the balcony.” I knew that Liam was angry with me, but my friend was in the hospital and she’d never run again. I ignored him. Garrett remained unusually quiet, but the other three vamps were grinning.

  “Shoot, Jackie I’m telling the truth.” His eyes were growing wider with fear. He was finally beginning to take me seriously.

  “Karl doesn’t have that kind of power. If he’s doing what you say, then he has help.” Gabriel didn’t say anything but I knew. “It’s your mother.”

  He looked at Garrett. “I won’t speak against my mother. I’ll give you Karl on a silver platter but I won’t throw my mother under the bus. She had nothing to do with the bomb. She feels responsible for Karl because he inherited her genes.” He turned back to me and glowered. “I won’t say anything else about her, so go ahead and cut me up, bitch.”

  Heinrich was surprisingly fast. He picked Karl up with one hand and threw him against the wall, making the hanging pictures vibrate and almost fall. Holding him there as his legs dangled above the floor, he growled, “You will speak to Jacqueline with respect or I will do worse than anything she has suggested.” His fangs were out, only inches from Gabe’s neck. “Now apologize, wolf, and be polite.”

  Gabriel managed to choke out a few words. “I’m sorry …if...I offended…you.” He started coughing and gasping in air as soon as Heinrich loosened his hold.

  “Heinrich, please put him back on the couch.” Heinrich did what I asked and then resumed his seat in the chair across from Karl. “Thank you.” I took a minute to think. “We’ll leave your mom for now. Tell me about the bomb.”

  “It was put in place on Karl’s orders by Jake and a few others before you ever arrived. We had no intention of using the bomb with anyone in the house, at least that's what I was told. It was only to be set off to destroy any evidence you’d gathered. No one realized that you’d be bringing your own lab and not setting things up inside the house. The Western Pack Council had been notified about the missing kids, so that’s why we were forced to hire you. We couldn’t let it look like we weren’t doing anything to find them and you had a good reputation. We didn’t know you’d be so thorough.

  “He’s using the boys for his blood magic?”

  “Yeah, I’m pretty sure. After last night’s meeting, Karl insisted that the vamps, the fae and you, Jackie, had to go. It would look like a gas explosion—a horrible accident.” My expression must have frightened him, because he leaned away from me. “I argued against it, I swear. I tried to tell him that the Fae Elders wouldn’t buy into the accident scenario. That they’d descend on us like a virus if any of their people died. The minute they made the decision to set off the bomb, I knew our pack was history.

  “They?” This was the first time Garrett had spoken.

  He hesitated, but knew by now that we could tell if he lied. “Karl and my father and Jake.”

  “Why didn’t you fall under Karl’s influence?”

  “I can resist most of his magic, but he constantly threatens the lives of my pack members if I don’t stay silent. So I have, until now.”

  “Your father should have been powerful enough to resist him as well. Did you allow your father to fall under Karl’s spell so that you can take his place sooner rather than later?” Garrett had leaned forward and was definitely working a little Influence of his own on Gabe.

  "Karl doesn't need to influence him, They agree on just about everything." He spoke calmly as the glamour kicked in. “I used to want to be alpha, I was proud to be his son and I followed him around like a pup. Then he tossed Sinclair in the dumpster because she was a shifter.

  Did you know we were chosen for each other? I was young, but I was in love with her. It didn’t make any difference to me what she was. He did the same thing to a few of my pack mates who’d fallen in love with humans. One of them tried to leave the pack and move in with his girlfriend. Her dad was beat up one night coming home from work. They told my friend that her little sister would be next. I knew my dad ordered it, but no one would admit to having anything to do with it.”

  He looked at me and slumped down. “When Karl got older, things got much worse. He was experimenting with blood magic, something my mother refused to do. When he was more powerful than her, he started giving orders to the pack. If they weren’t followed, someone would be hurt, usually a
weaker family member. This morning, Karl told me that if I told you about the bomb, he’d kill—he’d kill our mother. She was against the bomb. He’s more powerful than ever, because of the blood."

  “But I don’t feel the kind of power you’re talking about, unless he can mask his level somehow. Liam?”

  “He’s tainted with blood magic and has a fair connection to the lines. He may have performed a masking spell."

  I nodded then looked back at Gabriel. “Why did you come to the house, if your mom was in danger?”

  “I went to the house to get Sinc out of there because I knew that Karl wouldn’t care about one lone shifter surviving the explosion. Only she was the one who got hurt the worst.” He dug his fingers into his hair, resting his elbows on his knees looking distraught. I didn’t feel any pity for him.

  I got up. “Sasha could you check his wounds? I’ll get him some sweats to wear and a sandwich. We’ll cuff him to the bed for tonight.”

  “Jackie, there’s an empty room downstairs in the basement that locks. There’s no furniture, no windows and no light. It's a perfect place to keep a prisoner.”

  “He’s a hostage for now. Let’s see how he behaves.” Sasha nodded and took the first aid kit over to the young wolf who looked at him warily. I sent to Sasha, “He’s to be treated humanely until we figure out what to do with him. Let him use the bathroom to clean up, make sure he eats, then cuff him, but not too tight. We’re not Karl—or Eleanor. We just want to make sure he doesn’t go anywhere.”

  “I hear and obey.” Sasha teased. I shook my head in exasperation. My stomach was churning again so I got up to search the medicine cabinet for an antacid.

  Liam touched my shoulder. “I’ll get the clothes and the sandwich, Jacqueline. You need to rest.” He was right, but I didn’t think I’d be able to sleep.

  “You probably need some rest too.”

  “I wasn’t injured. Let me do this.”

  I wasn’t strong enough to argue about it. In fact, I was unbelievably tired as my adrenalin rush finally left my system. My arms and back still burned from all the small cuts that Garrett had tended. I could have healed myself with my magic, but it took so much energy that I’d probably pass out immediately after.