by D. M. Shane
“Yes,” I replied, suddenly terrified.
The silence surrounding us was deafening. The air shimmered once more, and Arkkadian’s wolf stood before me again. He wandered a few steps forward, and I waited behind him, trembling where I stood. I hadn’t realized I was holding my breath until a gunshot rang out, shattering the silence around us, scattering the birds to the four winds.
Arkkadian jolted to the side, letting out a whimper, but he continued to stand his ground. I ducked as low to the ground as I could, while still keeping watch of my surroundings. Blood splashed on the ground, and I tracked the steadily flowing path upward to the wolf’s shoulder. Arkkadian had been shot! Fear tore through me, and I did everything in my power to will it back down. Now wasn’t the time to lose myself. I needed to keep my head about me.
The phone! Arkkadian had a phone in his pocket. Before I could grab it, a second shot rang out, quickly followed by third, and then a fourth. Down the wolf went, landing on his side, and I screamed.
“Arkkadian! Oh, God! Oh, God! Arkkadian!” I quickly crawled toward him. He didn’t move. He didn’t whine in pain. I gave a giant shove, trying to roll him on his back, but he was too heavy.
My hands slipped in blood. There were three holes in his chest, but not knowing anything about wolf anatomy, all I could do was pray the bullets hadn’t hit his heart. Arkkadian said they couldn’t die unless they took a hit to the heart or… or… what else did he say? Fuck! I couldn’t remember.
I kept shouting his name, trying to shake him awake, but there was no response. My chest felt like it was caving in. Please don’t be dead! Please don’t be dead!
I went for the phone again, but a pair of legs stopped me in my tracks. I tipped my head up and found the last man I ever wanted to see again. Kane leered down at me, nothing but murderous rage written on his face. Ugly scars marred the entire left side of his head, neck, and arm. Burn scars. I scrambled backward through the sand on my hands and feet, stumbling over the lifeless body of Arkkadian’s wolf.
Where was security? How had Kane found me? Arkkadian told me to run and in my panic, I hadn’t listened. Stupid! How could I be so stupid?
Kane just stood there, gloating above me.
“Arkkadian!” I screamed again, one hand reaching back to push on his body, but there was still no response. I willed him to wake up, but my pleas went unanswered.
Climbing to my feet, I stepped over his body, slowly walking backward toward the trail and away from Kane, never taking my eyes off him. He just smiled wickedly, as if he carried a secret. Why wasn’t he following me? Something was wrong. Very wrong.
I continued backing up, preparing to tuck tail and run back down the trail as Arkkadian had instructed. Step by step, back I went until I bumped into something hard. Turning, I came face to face with glowing red eyes and fangs.
I screamed and stepped back as the terrifying man in front of me sneered in disgust. His features seemed oddly familiar, and my mind flashed back to the picture of my mother. Oh, fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!
Behind the creep with the fangs, the young guard from the gatehouse cowered on the ground. Blood covered his face and chest, and one foot was bent at an odd angle. The shame on his face said it all. Hadn’t he sworn his loyalty to me just yesterday? The fucking traitor! That his hands were bound and he was beaten and bloody didn’t matter to me. He’d still betrayed us.
I ran for the trail, but before I could take two steps, an arm clamped hard around my waist. A white cloth pressed down over my face and a sickly sweet smell filled my nose as I flailed, trying to wrench myself free. My nose and throat burned, and I struggled to breathe, unable to avoid inhaling whatever chemical soaked the cloth.
Then the blue sky above disappeared.
42
Aislin
Something wet landed on my cheek, pulling me from a deep, uncomfortable slumber. Drip. Drip. Drip. I wiped the wetness away and my tired eyes landed on the ceiling above me. Tiny droplets of stale water dangled from the edges of a moldy crack in the plaster, waiting for gravity to set them free.
I wrinkled my nose at the damp smell of mold and mildew in the air. A single, dim lightbulb hung by a chain from the ceiling, providing the bare minimum of light while leaving the corners of the dank room obscured in shadow. I sat on a smelly a mattress stained with God knows what, the springs creaking beneath my weight as I sat up. My movements were sluggish at first, probably from whatever they’d drugged me with.
A heavy shackle wrapped around my left ankle. The other end connected to a wooden post in the center of the floor by a long, heavy chain. The post had several metal rings mounted to it, and I knew without a doubt I wasn’t the first woman locked down here. I tried to stave off the panic creeping up my spine, the thought of other women being chained in this room making me nauseous.
Taking of my surroundings, I looked for anything I could use to my advantage. The floor and the walls were made of thick concrete blocks. It was cold and unforgiving, the chill soaking into my bare feet still gritty with sand. A dirty old plastic bucket sat next to the mattress. It smelled of piss. And other things. Gross. A row of steel bars formed one wall. I might have been able to kick through a wooden door if I tried, but there was no escape through those bars. I made my way toward the cell door, limping as I dragged the heavy chain behind me. It wouldn’t open. There was another cell straight across from mine, two more to my right, and a wall to the left. I called out, but no one answered.
I was alone in this dark and dirty prison.
I leaned against the bars and looked around one more time. A tiny red light in a back corner caught my eye. A camera. I was being watched. The fear that had settled in my spine earlier slithered through me like a serpent stalking wounded prey and striking just as it reached the base of my skull. I tried to remember what had happened.
I was at the lake with Arkkadian. And then he’d been shot. Kane was there. Then the memory of red eyes and fangs slammed into my mind, and I gasped, one hand coming to rest over my mouth, covering a silent scream.
Only one word came to mind. Vamphyre. That’s what Gideon had called them. I quickly felt around my neck, relieved when I didn’t find any marks on my skin. The face in my mind bore a striking resemblance to the image of my mother. Same raven hair. Same ivory skin. There was no doubt in my mind that I’d come face to face with one of her siblings, none other than Rafe Vane. But how? A million questions raced through my mind. Had Kane somehow figured out who I was? Were they working together? Did my grandfather know?
My mind swam. My chest caved further in with every exhale. I scrunched my eyes shut and tried telling myself it was all just a dream, but when I opened my eyes, I was still in the same dark cell. I had to keep my wits about me. Panicking now wouldn’t do me any good. I thought of Arkkadian and let the sound of his voice filled my ears, telling me to slow down my breathing. I inhaled deeply through my nose and counted as I exhaled through my mouth, repeating the process several times until I felt calmer. It surprised me when it worked.
“Well, if it isn’t my long-lost niece,” a voice behind me said. The tone was eerie, almost macabre, with a slight English accent, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.
I jerked away from the bars with a shout and turned around as slow clapping and dark laughter filled the air. The man with the red eyes stood just on the other side of the bars. I’d never even heard him arrive. Amusement lit up his face as I limped away, dragging the heavy chain across the floor again. His eyes radiated pure insanity, and his lips turned upward in a smirk, revealing razor-sharp fangs.
An icy, putrid fear like I’d never felt before spread through me as he stuck a key in the door and unlocked it. This scary son of a bitch made Kane West seem about as vicious as a bunny rabbit on a carrot binge. The cell door swung open just as my back hit the wall. I scanned the room again, hoping to find a weapon or anything I could use, but there was nothing but the mattress, the bucket, and the chain. The chain!
But
I realized my mistake too late. I hadn’t left enough slack in it to do anything, but I couldn’t win a fight against Rafe, anyway. He was a wall of solid muscle and at least a full head taller than I was. He could snap my skinny frame like a toothpick without even breaking a sweat.
“Who are you?” I asked pointlessly, already knowing.
Rafe stalked ever so slowly in my direction. Chained to the floor like I was, I was easy prey for the deadliest predator of all. He came to a stop right in front of me, our noses mere inches apart. The heat from his breath warmed my face as he spoke, making me feel ill.
“What’s the matter? No hug for your dear Uncle Rafe? But then, I suppose this wasn’t exactly the family reunion you expecting, was it, my dear, sweet Aislin?” He laughed and clapped his hands again, enjoying the discomforting effect he had on me.
I turned my face away, squirming into the wall, wishing I could sink into it, all the while knowing there was no escape.
“No, I suppose not. I admit I was rather skeptical at first when Mr. West reached out, claiming there was a girl I just had to meet. Imagine my surprise at finding you, every bit your traitorous mother’s daughter, waiting right here. All chained up and nowhere to go.”
Rafe placed a hand on the wall on either side of my head and leaned in, his nose just under my ear as he inhaled. Garnering a small ounce of courage, I stomped on his foot and pushed out with my hands. But like a giant oak tree, he stood rooted to the spot. I couldn’t break him. I couldn’t even make him bend. Instead, he just stared at me silently, his eyes lighting up brighter than a ruby splashed in sunlight.
“You smell like a dog,” he sneered with disgust. “Don’t you know? That’s how my lovely sister died, little one. No one violates First Law and gets away with it. Seems your whore of a mother did a lot more than mate with a dog, though, didn’t she? Because here you are. Where have you been hiding all these years? Hm?” Like a spider weaving its web around me, the demonic lilt in his voice made my skin crawl.
“Don’t you talk about my mother!” I yelled, spittle flying out of my mouth and landing on his face.
He wiped it away, and then suddenly his hand was on my throat, squeezing off my air supply. He hauled me up the wall. My feet dangled as I pushed at him, kicking and struggling to draw in air.
“You are an abomination, you little slut. Not only were you born of a forbidden coupling, but you’re consorting with mongrels yourself! My father will be so delighted to learn about you. He already had your mother and that wretched mutt taken care of. Soon he’ll take care of their rotten little cur, too. You know what? Maybe I’ll ask him if I can do it myself.”
I wanted to slap the vile grin off of his face as my fear quickly turned to hatred.
Without warning, he let go, and I dropped to the floor. My windpipe burned with every breath returning to my lungs. I coughed and hacked as I tried to sit up and catch my breath. When I looked up again, my cell was empty, the door locked tight. He’d disappeared just as quickly and quietly as he’d arrived.
I thought of Arkkadian and his lifeless body lying on the beach. He couldn’t be dead. He just couldn’t! He would come for me. I couldn’t give up. He wasn’t dead. I refused to believe it. Arkkadian would save me. As long as I had hope, it had to be true.
Feeling defeated, I curled up in the corner, thinking there was nothing else to do. No, there was something I could do. I could fight. Arkkadian told me I was strong, and dammit, I wouldn’t let him down.
I grabbed the bucket and made my way to the post in the middle of the room, gathering the chain as I went. I struggled to lift it and had to settle for dragging some of it behind me. I sat down next to the post with the cell door to my left and leaned against it. I tugged and pulled on the rest of the chain, gathering it to me, piling it inside the bucket to my right to hide it. If I could lift it, I could swing it.
And then… I waited.
43
Arkkadian
A crisp breeze rippled across my skin, and I cracked my eyes open. It was dark, the stars having filled the night sky hours ago. Brilliant blues, greens, pinks, and purples flashed above as the aurora borealis lit up the sky.
Dazed, I tried to make sense of where I was. Still naked on the beach. My hand touched something cool and metallic in the sand. A bullet. The realization that I’d been shot slammed into me. There were three more bullets lying atop the bloody sand. The remnants of three bullet holes in my chest were still knitting themselves closed. Dried blood covered my chest; the wounds had stopped bleeding hours ago. If one of those bullets had been even half an inch the other way, I would be dead. Fuck!
Confusion gave way to anger as the memory of what happened filled my mind. I’d just introduced Aislin to my wolf. And then gunshots had sounded, sending an explosion of pain throughout my body. The last thing I remembered was collapsing to the ground.
“Aislin!” I screamed.
Where was she?
“Aislin!” I scrambled to my feet, spinning all around, shouting her name over and over.
Fear and anger flooded through me, and a great angry howl erupted into the night sky. Hours had passed. My mate could be anywhere. I would kill Kane when I found him. No, not just kill him. I would tear him apart piece by piece and make him beg for death. Then again, maybe I shouldn’t kill him. Maybe I should let him heal and then torture him all over again. And again. He deserved nothing less.
I ran straight for the water to wash off the blood, checking for other wounds and finding none. I yanked my phone out of my shirt pocket. It was just after midnight. Nearly five hours passed since I went down. I dialed my brother, pacing back and forth in the sand.
The moment he answered, I barked into the phone, “Aislin’s missing. I want everyone to report to the security building now!”
“What the fuck is going on?”
“I’ll tell you when I get there! Just go!”
If there were tracks, I couldn’t find any. So, I shifted back into wolf form and sniffed around. Where the sand met grass at the edge of the woods, I picked up two distinct scent trails. One I identified instantly as Kane’s. The other called forth a murderous wrath once I recognized it for what it was. Vamphyre. What the fuck was a blood leech doing on Pack land? And how in the bloody hell did they get through our security?
The urge to follow the scent trail plagued me, but if I was going after the assholes who took Aislin, I needed my team. My wolf howled beneath the surface, imploring me to run after her, but I couldn’t. Not yet. I needed to think. To plan. Jumping straight into battle without backup was a fool’s errand.
I picked my phone, tucked it carefully between my teeth, and raced back toward home as fast as I could. I didn’t stop or shift back until I reached my cabin, where I quickly dressed and then filled a bag with a pair of sweats, one for myself and one for Aislin. She might need clothes when we found her. I realized too late that I’d left her shoes at the lake.
By the time I made it to security, my lead team was already there, along with nearly every other member of Pack security. Except for Elijah, who was at the gate, and one other. Eric, the new trainee, was missing. Dammit! If that little shit was involved, I’d kill him myself!
“Where’s Eric?” I demanded.
“We can’t find him,” James answered. “We’ve accounted for everyone else.”
I ground my teeth. “If I find out he has anything to do with this…”
“Arkken, let’s focus on Aislin,” my brother said, reminding me of what was important. He was right. Finding Aislin was more important right now. “Tell us what happened.”
“We were up at the lake having a picnic and watching the sunset. The birds went silent, and I knew something was wrong. Then I took three bullets to the chest and one in the shoulder. When I came to, it was dark, and she was missing. I picked up two distinct scents, Kane’s and a fucking Vamphyre. How the fuck did they get in without setting off alarms? I want answers and I want them yesterday!” I screamed that last.
Like a torrential flood, fury engulfed my entire being, overflowing into every other individual in the room. As one, they all tilted their heads to the side, baring their necks in deference to their Alpha.
Elijah’s voice sounded on the radio, static punctuating his words. “Someone better get the Alpha. And a medic. Eric’s here, he’s torn up bad. Says he’s got a message.”
Wrath boiled beneath my skin, the beast inside me a ticking time bomb. Detonation was imminent. The veins in my neck throbbed, and an angry heat crept up my face. I was known for my steadfast control even in the worst of situations, but ever since finding my mate, that control was slipping entirely out of my grasp. This wasn’t like Aislin’s accident. It was so much worse. This wasn’t how the Alpha of Lycan Nine behaved, but since Aislin had come into my life, I was finding it more and more difficult to overrule my baser instincts.
Gideon placed a hand on my chest. “Calm down.”
It was everything I could do to keep from ripping my brother’s hand off at the moment. He was right, but anger didn’t see reason. Rage could make even the most rational person lose control.
While I tried to calm myself enough to think, Gideon addressed the team. “Madigan, I want every experienced tracker at the lake in thirty minutes. Find the trail. James, I want you to go through all the security footage for the last twenty-four hours. Find out what we’re missing. I want to know how, where, and when they got in. Corbin, retrieve Eric and take him to the infirmary. We’ll meet you there.”
This was why my brother held the title of Beta. I could trust him to lead in my place and get things done. I wasn’t graceful under fire when my mate’s safety was threatened.
Corbin’s face was grim as he met us at the entrance of the infirmary and led us to Eric’s room, where he was still being attended to by Emmaline. The younger ones didn’t heal as quickly as older shifters. Time was of the essence, though, if we were to find my mate, and Eric had the information we needed. His face paled when he spotted me, and he bared his neck in submission.
