by Katie Reus
“Carson’s escaped,” she finally said after a moment.
No. August refused to let that male go free. “We don’t want him dead. Not yet anyway. I swear if you let us take part in hunting him down, none of us will kill him unless absolutely necessary.”
Pausing only a moment, she finally gave a sharp nod. “You don’t smell like you’re lying. No weapons, and you three split up. You’ll each team up with my packmates. Two of them to one of you. You good with that?” She didn’t bother looking around at the others, just focusing on him. Clearly she understood he was the boss.
“We’re good with that.”
“All right. You’re with me, then. Come on. He escaped from one of our cells because the earthquake split it right down the middle.” She shook her head as she stepped back out into the hall.
The three of them quickly followed her. She continued talking as she hurried down the hallway. August kept pace next to her while the other two stayed directly behind them. “We’ve got everyone canvassing the area and we already had a perimeter set up so it will be very hard for him to escape. Hard but not impossible. He’s smart.”
And he was well-trained, August thought. “You know anything about that earthquake?” he asked as they exited through a side door onto the back area of the property.
“Nope. You,” she said to Neema, “with those two. And you, with them.” Kalisa pointed at Eli, then at two males. “Don’t make me regret bringing you into this,” she finally said, focusing solely on August.
“We are not a threat to this pack.”
“Let’s go, then.”
* * *
“I don’t like leaving her.” Vega wasn’t sure how much time had passed when they reached the original cave they’d been in. Now it wasn’t covered in ice, just chilly. And a couple ropes were hanging down, secured in place to the ground so they’d be easy to climb.
She felt fine. Better than fine. Other than wanting a shower and feeling out of sorts because of losing that connection to Gabriel—one she technically shouldn’t have had anyway—physically she felt as if she could run a marathon.
He hadn’t said anything about their connection severing, and she didn’t blame him. Whatever had happened between them had been a fluke. Or if not a fluke, it wasn’t right to rope him into a mating. She…would mourn the loss of that brief connection later. Even now, she was forcing herself to shove back any and all emotions. To keep everything locked up so she didn’t spiral.
“I know,” Gabriel said. “Let’s give her a little time and then head back down there.”
“We need to talk to Carson,” Vega said, though talking to that shady bastard was the last thing she wanted to do. Throat punching him sounded a lot better. Clawing his face off was also a good option.
Judoc had told them that the male had been captured and was imprisoned in his pack’s detainment area. AKA a private prison cell.
“Yeah.” Gabriel didn’t say any more as they reached the ropes.
Judoc and the two wolves weren’t too far behind them, but she was glad for the privacy with Gabriel. She just wanted to get the hell out of here and decompress. Even five minutes alone would be fine with her.
They started climbing, side by side, and she was surprised by how fast she moved. After what had happened, she’d expected to be winded or sore or something. Not feel…normal.
“You good?” Gabriel asked as they reached the top.
Oh, how to answer that. No, she wasn’t good at all. She’d died. And there was so much she wanted to talk about with him, but they had stuff to do. Like interrogate a rogue wolf. And get back to an ancient dragon whose sister might die. And said sister had literally given her life for Vega. No, she was tempted to curl into a ball and ignore the entire outside world. “It’s weird, it still feels like it should be dark out,” she said, looking around the forest. It was maybe midafternoon, if she had to guess.
“That’s not an answer,” he muttered, “But yeah, I agree.”
They both paused and looked at each other at the sound of a female barking out an order to…someone. Seconds later, August and two wolves she didn’t recognize, but assumed were part of Judoc’s pack, stepped into the clearing where the big hole was.
August eyed the two of them, and for the first time since she’d met the male she saw a true surprise as his gaze swept over them. Yeah, she knew what they looked like. She was also surprised that he was outside. Judoc had told them he was in the library, in “containment” for trespassing until he was able to deal with them.
“Holy fuck,” the female with a buzz cut said. “Y’all look like shit. Where’s Judoc? We can’t get a hold of him.”
“Coming. There was an incident below, had to close a Hell Gate.” Gabriel’s words were so casual, as if that was an everyday occurrence. Though she sensed the tension rolling off him. “But he’s right behind us.”
“Carson’s escaped,” August said, interrupting, apparently not even fazed by the mention of a Hell Gate. All right, then. “We’re hunting him now.”
Vega looked at Gabriel. The shower and anything else could wait. The male was not escaping. “We’ll help,” she said, turning back to them.
The female paused, looked them up and down, and shrugged. “All right. We got a tip that he’s headed northeast, probably hoping to use the river to cover his tracks.”
Before they could respond, Judoc and the others emerged from the hole.
Vega looked at Gabriel as the female approached her Alpha. She mouthed, Let’s go—because she wasn’t waiting around another second.
He nodded once and the two of them eased back into the trees. The last thing she saw before they turned and ran was August winking at her.
Once they were a good distance away, she said, “You want to shift and run?”
“No.”
Okay, then. He hadn’t been chatty since all that crazy shit had happened in the cave, but…she needed something from him. Then she felt insane for wanting anything right now. But man, she was all sorts of mixed up and—
Her wolf went on high alert and if she’d been in animal form, her ears would be standing at attention. Carson was nearby.
Gabriel paused for only a moment, pointed at her, then upward. Nodding, she climbed the nearest tree, using her claws for expediency. Climbing was usually a feline thing, but they stunk something fierce right now. The sulfur clinging to them, combined with all the blood, would be impossible to hide. Taking to higher ground should help if the wind remained in their favor.
She watched as Gabriel climbed a nearby tree, but then he seemed to disappear. She scanned the forest below, looking for any signs of life that didn’t belong. As she looked, she listened carefully.
Rustle, rustle. The wind suddenly died and she heard that rustling of leaves again. Nearby…to the west of her. Staying as still as possible, she scanned the ground and trees to the west.
There.
She saw something black peeking out at the foot of an oak tree. And the color black wasn’t often found in living nature. Not in plants anyway. Going on instinct, she moved to the edge of the branch she was on and jumped to the nearest tree. Quietly, she clung to a branch and eyed the area she’d seen the black spot. It was still there and kind of looked like a shoe.
Balancing on the branch, she looked around for Gabriel again but didn’t see him. Instead of jumping to the next, farther tree—because she was not a feline—she quickly shimmied down the trunk and used the setting sun to her advantage.
Sunset wouldn’t be for another hour or so, but the shadows were longer this time of day, stretching out and casting odd shapes and outlines over the forest.
Perfect for her.
Closer, closer Vega crept toward the tree where she’d seen that bastard. She scented Carson so it had to be him.
With her supernatural speed, she used the trees and other foliage as cover. By the time she’d looped back around to the other side of that tree, she realized her mistake.
It
was just a shoe. Not Carson.
Inwardly cursing, she started to look for a nearby tree to climb when she scented the treacherous wolf. Close.
Her wolf took over, instantly undergoing the change even as she turned toward the threat. A blur of fur and claws tackled her to the hard earth.
But she’d already died once today. She certainly wasn’t going to die again. And not by this jackass.
Instead of fighting the tackle, she rolled into it and, surprising the other wolf, used her hind legs to kick him in the gut. He reared back and she kicked him in the face before she rolled back onto all fours.
She spun to face Carson even as Gabriel dropped down from a nearby tree next to her, still in human form. Sneaky shifter. Should have known he’d be right with her. No matter what, he always had her back.
Carson looked between the two of them, paused for only a moment, then turned as if to run.
Um, yeah, forget that.
Vega didn’t wait for Gabriel as she sprinted after Carson. It took three giant leaps and then she was on him, her jaws wrapping around his throat as she slung him to the ground as roughly as possible without damaging him permanently.
He howled in pain even as she felt a claw dig into her side. Nothing more than a scratch.
“Stay down or I’ll stand back while she finishes you,” Gabriel snarled. His claws were extended as were his canines as he looked down at the ground to the pathetic wolf.
Carson bared his teeth at them, but when she took a step toward him, her own teeth bared, ready to rip his face off, he backed down, dropping his head in submission.
She wasn’t sure if she bought the act, but he clearly wasn’t going anywhere. The fool couldn’t outrun them. Standing her ground, she remained poised and ready to attack should he make a move.
Luckily she could hear Judoc and August in the distance. The cavalry had arrived. Good.
Because she still wanted a shower and they could deal with this wolf.
“After this, you and I are taking a long, hot shower,” Gabriel said as if he’d read her mind. He sounded as exhausted as she felt.
Before she’d climbed out of the cave she’d felt invincible, hopped up on adrenaline, but the events were all crashing in on her now.
August had once told her that if she wasn’t tired, she wasn’t doing her job. Well, she was certainly doing her damn job right now. Because Vega was pretty certain she could sleep for a week.
Chapter 25
Vega twisted her damp hair into a knot at the nape of her neck as she stepped out of the bathroom. Freshly showered, she felt a thousand times better. When Gabriel had said they were taking a shower, she’d assumed he’d meant together. Instead he’d been quiet and withdrawn when they’d returned to his room. He’d been insistent that they not be separated but he hadn’t seemed to want to touch her at all.
Which…hurt.
Her eyes widened as she spotted the tray of food on the bed. “Meatball subs—you are my hero.”
Gabriel laughed under his breath. “I knew you’d like this. Eat up. I’m going to grab a quick shower and then we’ll meet my cousin down in the holding cell.”
She nodded and picked up the sub. “I just tossed what was left of my clothes on the floor. I’m planning on burning the rags later.” She’d only picked them up from the forest floor because she hadn’t wanted to leave that mess in Judoc’s forest.
He made a sort of grunting sound of agreement and stepped into the bathroom.
Seriously, what the hell? It wasn’t as if she expected… Hell, she wasn’t sure what she expected from Gabriel, but not this awkwardness. Sure, he was talking to her and carrying on civil conversations. But it was as if they’d never been mated, as if they’d never been linked in the most incredible way possible.
She felt as if she was missing something and he barely seemed affected. He might as well have shoved a silver dagger through her heart.
Part of her wanted to storm into the bathroom and demand that he talk to her, but her stomach rumbled and she decided sustenance was the way to go. Then they could get the whole Carson thing out of the way. After that shit was behind them, they would talk. And she was going to get some answers from him.
But first…food.
Her mouth watered as she took that first savory bite. Truth be told, anything would have tasted good right about now as long as it was warm and edible.
Gabriel’s cousin had said that he was going to let August interrogate him first. Apparently August had some type of interrogation method that he swore would work. Something she’d never even heard about during her training, so she was intrigued.
Shaking her head, she allowed herself to just be and not think of anything as she devoured the entire plate of food.
* * *
Gabriel stood next to Vega, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched through the cell door as August interrogated Carson. He couldn’t find an ounce of sympathy for the other male.
Chained to a chair with silver cuffs at his wrists and ankles, the top half of his face was covered by a thick, black mask. Only his nose and mouth were visible. And August had hooked him up to an IV.
Supernaturals didn’t react to human drugs the way humans did, so Gabriel wasn’t certain what August was doing, but the male looked confident in his method.
Relaxed in a chair only a couple feet in front of Carson, August said, “You know why you’re here. The harder you fight this, the worse it will be for you in the end. Tell me what I want to know and your death will be quick. I won’t drag it out.”
Though a cell door separated Gabriel and the others from Carson and August, he could scent everything and he didn’t scent a lie from August. August said he wouldn’t drag Carson’s death out—ah, not a lie because he wouldn’t be killing Carson. No doubt Judoc would take care of that.
In addition to Vega, Gabriel’s cousin was next to him as well as Eli, Neema, and Judoc’s second-in-command, Kalisa. But other than that, there weren’t any other of his packmates.
At first it had surprised Gabriel, but Judoc had told him that he’d made the decision to keep everyone out so gossip wouldn’t spread through the pack. Especially since he was pretty certain that Carson had targeted females of his own pack. This needed to be handled the right way.
“Fuck you,” Carson said, slightly slurring his words.
Okay, then. So whatever was in that IV drip was affecting him. Good. Gabriel hoped it burned the shit out of him, that he suffered even more than he was now. Because those silver cuffs were burning into his skin as it was.
“No, thank you.” August’s tone was mild. “Vega tells me that the information is only in your head. And I’m inclined to believe her since she’s clearly a stronger psychic than you. Did you pass off the information you stole to anyone else?” It was faint, but Gabriel heard a bite to August’s words.
Carson tried to respond, his jaw working wildly. It was as if the male was finding it hard to breathe.
“Yes or no. A simple answer will suffice.” August looked calm as he sat there, his hands folded neatly in his lap.
Gabriel knew the shifter was a bear, but he was also mixed with something else. A hybrid like Vega, though Gabriel wasn’t certain what his other half was. And August certainly hadn’t offered the information up to anyone.
“I sold it,” Carson rasped out.
Gabriel could scent the lie from where he stood.
So could Vega if her small smile indicated anything.
He forced himself not to look directly at her again. Just being near her was distracting. He wanted to toss her over his shoulder like a caveman and head up to his room so they could talk. He wanted to do more than talk, of course. But he also wanted…
“Not… Telling you… Anything,” Carson rasped out.
“Yes, you will. And you know it too. You’re just hurting yourself. Maybe you like that, however. I know you’re into kink.” August’s voice was matter-of-fact.
No response.
&nbs
p; “If you don’t tell me, I’ll put you to sleep and let Vega rip your mind apart while you’re dreaming. Would you like that? To be violated by a female? A young one at that. Someone who shouldn’t be as powerful as you—but is. More so, even.” August scooted his chair back, as if to get up. “I like that idea even better. It’s what you deserve.”
“Fine,” Carson hissed. “I’ll talk! Keep that bitch out of my head.”
August eased back into his chair. “So you did not sell the information.”
“No.”
“Is anyone else aware of the information?”
“Yes… I started an auction, which you know.”
“Is the information available in hard copy for someone to eventually find?”
“No,” Carson spat.
“You destroyed it?”
“Yes… I memorized it. Then destroyed it.”
“Why?”
The answer was obvious, but it was also obvious that August was covering all his bases.
“To make sure I wasn’t targeted for the information. Killing or torturing me for it would be stupid. Especially when someone could simply buy it.”
And Carson was telling the truth. Which meant that August might have a couple more questions, but the mission, for Vega, was complete, as far as Gabriel understood the parameters of this operation.
Next to him, Vega, Eli and Neema all seemed to sigh in relief at the same time.
August continued questioning Carson about a few other things related to former operations then paused, cleared his throat and said, “How many of your packmates did you convince to sleep with you using your psychic gift?”
AKA, how many did that bastard rape? It took all of Gabriel’s restraint not to stalk inside that cell and beat the shit out of Carson. And…he belatedly realized that must have been why Judoc had left them in a closed cell. For that very reason. Because his cousin looked like he very much wanted to do the same thing right now.
“They all wanted it,” Carson slurred.
“Even the taken ones?” Though August’s tone was neutral now, his lips curled up in disgust.
Carson gritted his teeth and August pressed a button that Gabriel hadn’t seen before. It was connected to the IV bag. The male started convulsing but after a minute, stopped, sawing in breaths. “A dozen or so,” he finally snapped.
