by Piper Stone
Rock plucked my nipples, his dark eyes remaining locked on mine and the moment he came, he howled into the night.
Like the beast he was.
Like the feral creatures they’d been turned into.
And I was forced to close my eyes.
* * *
There were no nightmares, no scathing horrors riddling my mind. Just... quiet. I hadn’t slept well in so long that lying on a bed seemed like paradise. When I opened my eyes, I expected to find at least one of the huntsmen with me. But I was all alone, everything in the house silent.
I rolled over, the change in the moon’s direction allowing a glow peeking in through the cracked blinds. I wrestled with the thoughts that my father had betrayed me, unable to understand how he could have done such a thing. What I hadn’t realized was that quite a few memories had been shoved into some dark corner of my mind, including various events around my capture.
But I did remember Scorpio, the man who’d dare defy the guards, even lunging at them when I was punished for speaking out of turn. I would never forget his face, the rage in his eyes and the words that he’d said. My mother was a firm believer in karma, insisting that for every evil done to the world, there would be something more horrific falling on that person.
I honestly wasn’t certain that came into play any longer. It was as if the world had been forsaken and forgotten. I almost felt excitement at the possibilities, but only if the huntsmen were able to storm into the city in a manner that mattered.
Chemical warfare. The thought was horrifying.
My thoughts drifted to my sister, the strong young woman she’d become. She’d been too young to be bred when I’d been captured, at least a saving grace at the time, but now was completely different. Was she the concubine of some asshole living like a king? I bristled at the thought.
Daylight was just around the corner, my apprehension increasing. Whatever was going to happen would change the course of the future.
If there was one at all.
I closed my eyes, willing myself to sleep. The single creak of the floorboard was all I needed, my reaction instantaneous. I reached into the drawer, my hand wrapped around the knife, ready to issue an assault.
I swiveled, lunging at the attacker.
Massive hands ripped the knife away from me, yanking my arms over my head. I struggled, fighting to get out from under the covers.
“Alex. Stop fighting. Now.”
Scorpio’s voice finally filtered into my mind, dominant and sexy, alluring and amused.
“I thought...”
He crawled onto the bed, easing the knife onto the nightstand. “You thought I was a scavenger? There’s been no sign of them.”
“Then why are you here?”
“I was checking on you,” he whispered in the same sultry tone that drove me wild.
He had both wrists in his hands, easily keeping me shackled as he leaned over, nuzzling into my neck. “As I said, I will protect you.”
I turned my head until our lips were centimeters apart. “I believe you.”
The sound rumbling from his chest, slipping past his lips sent a shower of tingles racing down my body.
He raked his fingers down my neck, slipping the sheets past my breasts. “I’m hungry.”
There was no time to answer as a boom rocked the entire house.
“What the fuck?” He jerked up. “Listen to me very carefully. Stay here. Do not move. I will come back for you after I find out what’s going on. Just get dressed.”
“I will.” I was horrified, needing to get to Josie.
He held out his finger, cocking his head. “Don’t fuck with me on this.”
“I won’t.”
I waited until he’d closed the door behind him before slipping out of bed, fumbling to find my clothes. I could hear myriad noises outside as the huntsmen raced to find the source of the explosion.
Once dressed, I moved to the window, carefully looking outside a few times. There were no other explosions, no battle sounds of any kind. Perhaps a fuel tank had exploded or propane or...
The floorboard creaked again just outside the door. I wasn’t a fool. I tiptoed toward the nightstand, pulling the knife and hunkering down beside the bed. The door was opened slowly, quiet footsteps walking in.
“Alex?”
I heard the lilting voice, the sound leaving me trembling, my heart aching. As I rose to my feet, the single slice of moonlight swept over the doorway.
“Oh. My. God.” I fell against the bed, holding the knife close to my heart.
“You need to come with me. I’m the only person who can save your life.”
Chapter Thirteen
Scorpio
“What in the hell was that?” I raced across the field, glaring at the massive explosion, debris strewn everywhere. The small toolshed twenty feet from the main house had been obliterated. At least the building had been a solid hundred yards from the barn. This was the last fucking thing we needed. Our only hope of getting back to the city involved avoiding another incident leading to possible detection.
This was some kind of bullshit and my hackles were raised.
Diesel grabbed my arm, keeping me from heading toward the fire. “Don’t go off half-cocked. From what we can tell, propane was the cause.”
“Propane? That hasn’t been used in two decades. I don’t buy it.” I scanned the forest surrounding us, waiting for an ambush. The scavengers enjoyed watching people burn, like the eternal flames from hell.
“Maybe not but there are plenty of old tanks around. This place hasn’t been used in years.”
I jerked from his grip, taking two giant strides closer. Even the effects of the flames from fifty feet away was enough to create suffocating heat. A propane tank. Perhaps used with accelerants. I knew enough about bombs to detect tampering. “Someone had to be behind this. I don’t buy an accident. Scavengers. I can feel them, their wretched stink covering me. We need to hunt them down.”
“I don’t think so, Scorpio. The scouts didn’t detect any activity from man or beast. No sign of the bastards,” Diesel said after flanking my side. “Pressure. Heat. Anything could have caused the tank to blow. We were fucking lucky the explosion didn’t catch the house on fire.”
Lucky wasn’t the word I was thinking. I took another deep whiff, certain I was right. The bastards were hunting all right, but they now had a special target in mind. “We need to put this shit out as soon as possible.” I began to pace, trying to make certain decisions. This was the last fucking thing we needed.
“I have everyone on it.”
As if there was a direct water source close. I tipped my head, watching as the flames licked up toward the sky. “We can’t risk this being seen. We need to move out as soon as the fire is out.”
Diesel huffed. “Dawn is at least two hours away. Might take that long to stifle the embers. Moving in the dark will make the trip that much more treacherous.”
“We have no fucking choice. Do the best you can. This isn’t our home. There’s no doubt this can be seen for miles. One hour.” I walked away, disgusted with the occurrence.
“Yes, sir. Don’t forget, we’re all exhausted.”
I stopped short, shaking my head. That much I knew. “We have almost three hundred miles ahead of us. Bad weather is coming in again and we have no idea how long before an insurgent strike. If we’re going to survive, we have to keep moving.” When Diesel said nothing, I jogged back toward the house.
There were no outward signs that something was wrong, no indication that there had been a forced entry.
But I knew.
Our connection was too intense. My skin crawled, my heart beating in rapid fashion. She was in danger. My omega. My soulmate.
My life.
I burst in through the entrance, rushing toward the bedroom. The door was wide open and even though the moonlight was waning, I noticed a knife positioned almost directly in the center of the bed. Blinding anger surfaced, catching my adrenaline on fi
re. I seemed frozen, unable to move forward for a few seconds.
I could almost feel her crawling through my system, her lithe fingers touching every nerve ending, every cell in my body. I was tingling, my muscles tensing from the realization that she’d been taken.
From our pack.
From the man who... was falling in love.
“Fuck.”
The spell broken, I yanked the blade into my hand, noticing specks of fresh blood.
Her blood.
Of that I had no doubt.
There was no broken glass or an obvious appearance of a struggle of any kind, but everything about this was off. I peered down at the sheets, trying to grab a few deep breaths. Blood had been smeared across the white linen in what was unmistakably a warning mark.
A crude cross.
I held the knife into the limited light, throwing back my arms and issuing a ragged roar, a threat to the monster who’d dared take what belonged to me.
“What the hell is going on?” Rock demanded as he entered the room.
“Alex has been taken.”
“What. The. Fuck?”
“Get the horses ready. You, Diesel, and Montana. We will find her. The others will go to the city.”
“You can’t be serious. She’s just a useless girl. We can find another mate,” Rock said, half laughing. “Or are you too pussy whipped to handle leadership any longer.”
I sucked in my breath, reining in the anger. “I suggest you remember your place.”
“My place? I don’t have a place, Scorpio, or should I call you Doctor? May I remind you that we’re about to enter into another war. While I understand her importance to you, I refuse to allow her to be our demise, especially given what we know.”
I crowded his space, the blade held precariously in my hand. The hard punch to his kidney garnered his attention, pummeling him to the ground. “Asshole. You do not give the orders, Rock. You never have and you never will. While I understand your difficult past, one similar to my own, that doesn’t give you the right to pass judgment on anyone. Besides, I thought you gave a shit about her, or were you just fucking her in order to gain some level of control?” I laughed, blood spots forming in front of my eyes. “She is... Important. Whether you care to believe or not.”
Grunting, he leaned over, holding his stomach before snapping his head in my direction. “Important? To the cause? What cause? How do we know that your beloved sergeant really has a plan?”
I clenched my jaw, staring down at him.
He struggled to get to his feet, hissing as he darted his eyes toward the knife. “What the hell did they do to you? You were once a man of honor. I respected that man. Now, you’re nothing but the huntsmen’s lackey.”
“As if you would understand honor, Rock. I lost everything I gave a fuck about fighting for that very honor. What did you lose? Tell me! As I suspected. You’re just a barbarian who enjoys the plunder. Well, fuck you.” When he said nothing, simply watching me with the same cagey look I’d been used to for years, I turned away. “Get out of here. You will follow orders or I’ll leave you here to rot as you wait for the scavengers. I’m certain they’ll have something in particular to say about the honor you so hunger to achieve.”
I stormed past him, furious my emotions had gotten the better of me.
“My wife and child.”
His frank words were paralyzing. I gripped the doorjamb, the words somehow echoing in my ears. “What?”
“I lost my wife and baby daughter. They were all I had and meant everything to me.”
There was so much agony in his voice, the strain from years of fighting and hiding behind a steel woven mask taking its toll. I turned slightly, watching as he fell against the wall, planting his head in his hands. A chill coursed through my bloodstream, preventing me from even manufacturing the right words.
If there were any.
“How?” I managed.
“Does it really matter?” he finally asked.
In truth, he was right. There was little that could comfort and nothing that would right the wrongs.
“I need your help,” I said quietly, still stunned by his revelation. He’d never talked about himself, had never given any indication he had the capacity to care about anyone.
Rock lifted his head, taking several deep breaths. “I’ll do what I can getting the horses ready.” He walked out into the hallway.
“For what it’s worth, I’m so sorry for your loss.”
He hesitated, shoving his hands into his pockets. “And for what it’s worth, I do care about Alex and not for the reasons of the fucking serum racing through my veins. She’s a good woman and I...” Sniffing, he wiped his eyes, shaking his head after a few seconds. “We will find her. There’s one more thing you should know.”
“What?”
“Gunner. I overheard him talking with the other assholes you kicked out of the camp.”
“And?” I shifted until I could see him.
“The chancellor is dying. Evidently, he injected himself with one of the serums, trying to live forever. From what I heard, there is no cure for the diseases. The people of Washington and all the Elite are nothing more than a ticking time bomb.”
The news was startling, forcing my throat to cinch almost closed. “How long?”
“They didn’t say, but this means that even if the government doesn’t bother to annihilate the rest of the country with bombs or chemicals, it really won’t matter. We’re all going to be dead within a matter of months.”
I concentrated on the way his boots thumped against the dirty hardwood floor, matching the swift beating of my heart. We’d already lost. We were nothing but rats in a cage.
I ran the blade of the knife along my palm, still shaking as a trickle of blood appeared. There was no pain. I felt nothing, as if I was dead inside.
Fuck this.
No matter the circumstances, we would find the woman I loved and the person responsible would die by my hands.
There was one last thing I needed to do before I left.
* * *
Time of the essence, I stomped toward the girl’s door, stopping just outside and calming my frustration. I could afford to spend two minutes with her. As I walked inside, easing the lantern on the table, I could detect nothing but even breathing. I checked her pulse first. It was no longer racing. Even her fever seemed to be down, a good sign.
“You know more than you’re telling.” I kept my voice as even as possible, devoid of emotion.
The girl was positioned exactly as she’d been placed, on her back with her eyes wide open. She remained unblinking, her mouth pursed as if ready to say something, to expound knowledge to the world.
I shifted the lantern closer on the nightstand, highlighting her soft features. She was far too young to understand anything that had happened to her. Josie. I had no time for this bullshit, but if Alex had been right, the girl knew more than she was telling.
I sat down on the edge of the bed, remaining quiet for a full minute. “Josie. I need your help. I know you can hear me.” I darted a glance in her direction. She wasn’t blinking or moving. Even her eyes appeared dilated.
“You said something about a prophecy when you were talking with Alex. You have to tell me what you were talking about.”
When I reached over, touching her hand, her skin was ice cold. I wasn’t going to get anything out of her. Easing off the bed, I adjusted the covers, even though she’d be forced back into the truck in a matter of minutes. The girl was helpless.
And useless.
“I’ll leave the light on. There’s been a change in plans,” I said as I eased to my feet. “We’re heading out. The scavengers will be closing in and we can’t risk it. Alex is missing.”
Perhaps I’d allowed Josie to be startled, even frightened. She was likely lost in her mind forever.
There wasn’t a single movement.
I was exasperated, unsure of which direction to go. The scavengers were sloppy, but with at lea
st thirty full minutes head start and with the darkness, there would be no good indication of the direction they’d gone.
I adjusted the pistol I’d placed behind my back as I headed for the door.
“She has the key.”
I heard her voice, the words stated calmly, as if commenting on the weather. “What did you say?”
“The key will solve the riddle, save the world. You must find her.”
A series of shudders rushed through my body, both terrifying and freeing. I shifted toward her, half expecting her to be floating in the air. She was in the same position, her tiny mouth pursed as if in reverence. Even her hands were together as if praying.
As if there was a God to pray to.
“I will find her.” I wasn’t certain if my words offered any comfort, but at least she would know my commitment.
Josie slowly turned her head, her eyes locking onto mine. “You are the hero.”
My throat tightened as I backed out of the room, my chest tight, my ability to breathe ripped away. Who the fuck was this girl?
The key. There was no way the girl could have known anything. Unless she was a plant.
Unless I’d been lied to.
My mind was reeling, the rage blinding.
There was no additional time to waste and a slim chance that we would find her. As the four of us took off, riding horses and heading into the dense forest, I envisioned Alex’s face. Beautiful. Beguiling. Mischievous.
The steeds were pushed hard as we raced through the forest, looking for any signs of her. There were no telltale footprints, no broken limbs or evidence of a fight of any kind. After almost hours moving in all directions, and with no sign of struggle, despair set in. She’d disappeared.
Morning light had broken through, the sky white as a storm approached, this time an unpredictable snowstorm. We’d moved into a small clearing, the lush grass and moss food for the horses. I stared up at the sky, inhaling the drying air.
“The storm will be here within a few hours,” Diesel offered.
“Yeah, I know.” I scanned the perimeter, listening to the limited sounds of nature. An eerie feeling had washed over the entire area, ominous and foreboding. There was danger all around us and I had the distinct feeling we were being watched. What did surprise me was the lengths the scavengers were going to. They were brutal in all manners, striking even when they had no chance of winning. The unusual behavior continued to make me antsy.
