From the Grave

by Karina Espinosa

  “I have to call him.” I started to leave the room, but they stopped me.

  “Not yet.” Jackson shook his head. “Not until after the full moon. Once this is over, you can call your family.”

  I scoffed. “Are you serious?” I furrowed my brows. “They’re worried sick. They probably think I’m dead too.”

  “Mackenzie,” Bash murmured as he reached for me, but I shrugged him off. “Mackenzie, please.”

  “They have to know I’m okay.”

  “And they will,” Bash said, and I turned to look into his vacant eyes. “But we can’t give Enzo the opportunity to find out anything. He might have your house scouted. Jackson and Cassidy are right. We have to wait.”

  If we finally wanted to catch Enzo and end this once and for all, keeping quiet is what I had to do. I didn’t like it, but sometimes I had to be a team player to get the outcome I wanted. Damn right I wanted Enzo to pay for what he’d done to my wolf. Whatever I had to do at this point is what I’d do as long as we caught the son of a bitch.

  13

  “I’ve been dodging a certain somebody’s calls, pet,” Lucian said as he followed me to my desk in the squad room. My mandatory two-week vacation was coming to an end. “It’s quite annoying, really.”

  “I’m surprised it took him this long,” I replied. “I’m hurt.”

  “This is no time to throw a diva fit, pet. You might want to call your fa—”

  I put my pointer finger to Lucian's cold lips and stopped him from saying the F word. “I’m gonna stop you right there. If Alexander finds out what’s happened to me, he’ll lose his mind. He has other things to worry about, and I don’t need to add to it.”

  Lucian’s shoulders sagged. “He told you about the Peace Treaty?”

  I nodded. “He’s struggling and getting a lot of pushback from the European Summit. They don’t want change, and they’re trying to block him at every turn. If he finds out what’s going on with me, he’ll drop everything and come to my aid. I need him to concentrate on the treaty. For the Lunas and lone-wolves.”

  “And what about yourself, pet? When will you put yourself before others?”

  I leaned against my desk and crossed my arms over my chest. “You forget I’m doing this for myself as well. I’m a Luna and a lone-wolf.”

  Lucian smirked. “Right. Well, do you want me to answer?”

  “Yeah. Tell him I’m okay and don’t have a phone.” I patted myself down. I really didn’t have a phone. All of my belongings had been left in the library the night I shifted and had been taken by Enzo. I’d have to inquire about that later.

  “What about your wolf? We should really get the witches in here to take a look and see if they can reverse whatever Enzo did to you, pet.”

  “Sure,” I agreed. “As long as there are no shots involved. One is enough for today.” I shivered at the thought. I’d had enough needles these past few days. Just the idea of Belinda hovering over me with a giant, squirting needle made me sick to my stomach.

  While Lucian went to get a witch, I turned on my computer and looked over some emails I’d missed while I was gone. Skimming through my inbox, I opened a wedding invitation.

  “Aw. Scott and Kyle are getting married,” I said as I read the contents of the invite, RSVPing electronically. “It's our first office couple.”

  Michaels entered the squad room. “Oh, you’re checking your emails?”

  “It’s so cute,” I mused.

  “I never would have figured.” Michaels shrugged as he sat at his desk across from mine. “But I guess when you work so closely with someone, it’s bound to happen.”

  I frowned. “What do you mean? We work together and nothing’s happened. And we’ve worked together for a long time.”

  Michaels rolled his eyes and threw a paper clip at me. “We’re different. They went to war. I think they did a tour in Iraq or something. They’ve been through hell and back. That sort of bond unites people in different ways. They chose to take the romantic route.”

  I chuckled dryly. “Wait a sec, are you against this?” I pointed to the open invitation on my computer screen. “Or is that bitterness I hear in your tone?” I quirked a brow. Michaels was a self-proclaimed eternal bachelor.

  He crumpled a piece of paper and threw it at me. “Neither, you bonehead. I’m just stating the different ways people find each other.”

  I thought about what Michaels said for a moment and how Scott and Kyle met. They were lab techs in our forensics department now, but I had heard they both served in our military prior to joining the SIU. It wasn’t rare for supernaturals to join the military. It gave humans the advantage at war. I just found it interesting that they met each other at a time of war and found love. Was it really that far-fetched? I was no one to judge. It also made me think …

  “You okay, Grey?” Michaels asked.

  “Yeah, I think so,” I mumbled as I hurried to shut off my computer. “You’re a genius, Garrett!” I went around to my partner and ruffled his hair.

  He pushed me away. “I think your kidnapper loosened some screws!” he called after me, and I laughed. He probably did.

  I took the elevator back upstairs to the witches’ station where I knew I’d find Bash and Duke. They were together, talking about the upcoming full moon and what to expect.

  “Duke!” I called out, and they both turned to look at me. I wasn’t one to put people’s business on blast, but when it put the rest of our lives at risk, discretion had to take a back seat. “We need to talk.”

  “Sure thing, darlin’.” He gave me that lazy smile of his, and I hated what I was about to do. “What’s going on?” I looked around the witches’ station to see some of the Brooklyn Pack wolves milling around with Beau and Wyatt.

  “We need privacy.” I urged him as much as I could with my eyes.

  “Anything you need to tell me, you can say it in front of my wolves,” Duke asserted.

  “Please, Duke, let’s just go downstairs—”

  “Mackenzie,” he stopped me. “Whatever it is, just spit it out.”

  “Fine,” I replied without fighting it further. We didn’t have time, and the sooner I said it, the better it’d be. It was like a band-aid—I just needed to rip it off. Who was I kidding? This was nothing like a band-aid. This was probably the worst thing I’d ever do in my life. I could only hope he’d forgive me one day. “You and Killian. You were together, weren’t you?” Duke’s smile faltered and froze in place. “You loved each other.”

  “Mackenzie, don’t be ridiculous,” Bash argued. “Stop being disrespectful.”

  “I’m asking Duke a question. Unless that’s your name, I suggest you stay out of it,” I replied, never looking away from the Alpha of the Nashville Pack. I was being an asshole, that much I knew, but I needed him to answer me, and I needed him to be truthful. Our lives depended on it.

  “How’d you find out?” Duke asked. “Did Enzo tell you?”

  Small gasps could be heard throughout the station, and my insides relaxed and tightened at the same time. Secretly, I didn’t want to be right.

  “I figured it out,” I answered. “Enzo let it slip about Killian still being alive and him making him suffer. I didn’t understand at the time, but you’ve been defending him all this time. Now I understand. You cared for him, more than the others. Enzo is making him suffer by killing you. Isn’t he?”

  Duke ran his hands through his hair and growled. “I don’t know.”

  “Duke …” I said.

  “I really don’t! Killian went missing five months ago. I thought he’d killed him too, like the others. Now, I don’t know what’s going on!” he shouted.

  “Boss …” Wyatt approached us. “You’re gay?”

  Duke puffed out his chest. “I’m still your Alpha,” he bellowed. “And you’ll do as I say.”

  Wyatt and Beau looked at each other with concern and indecision but ultimately nodded at their Alpha and walked away. This would be a problem for Duke. It was why
I wanted to talk to him in private, but he wouldn’t listen.

  “Duke, I’m sorry,” I said.

  He looked down at the ground. “I know.”

  “But Enzo’s endgame will be you and Killian. Is there anywhere in the city that is special to both of you that Killian might have shared where he might make his final stand?” I asked with urgency.

  “In New York City?” Duke frowned as he thought about it. “We never talked about coming here. Maybe to visit Sebastian, but that’s about it.”

  “Dammit!” I kicked the wall, stubbing my toe.

  “Mackenzie,” Bash said, stopping me, “we might have to wait for Enzo to make the first move.”

  “We’re always waiting. I’m tired of waiting.”

  “We just have to wait one last time,” he replied.

  “In the meantime,” Belinda cut in, “I heard you need a physical.” I groaned. Of course, she’d be the one to give it. I turned around in time to see her put on latex gloves. “Ready?”

  Belinda’s office was like a regular doctor’s office, with soothing, baby-blue walls, except her walls weren’t lined with medical posters. No, they were covered with glowing, orange runes warding the room from any prying ears and probably infections of any kind. Who knew what Belinda’s thinking was when she set up the office? All I knew was I wanted out. I’d let her poke and prod me, and now we were just waiting on results.

  “I already know my wolf’s been suppressed, Belinda. Can you help me or not?” I wanted to be in the squad room helping to come up with a plan to catch the bastard, not in sick ward.

  “We don’t know what Enzo gave you to suppress the wolf, Mackenzie. There are many ways to do it. Whether I can help or not depends on the ingredients he used.”

  I sighed loudly. I was acting immature, but we didn’t have a lot of time.

  “I know you don’t like me, Mackenzie. You didn’t particularly like Amara either.”

  “She tried to have me killed.”

  “Well, I’m not Amara, and I’d like to think you wouldn’t judge me by someone else’s actions,” Belinda replied.

  I scoffed and looked away. “I can’t believe you have the nerve to accuse me of disliking you because of Amara. That’s such a cheap cop-out. I don’t like you because you’re halting our investigations half the time—”

  “Excuse me? When have I done that?” she asked with indignation.

  “Just today when I showed up! All I had to do was speak to Sebastian and you were standing in our way. You want to be part of the team? Sure, that’s fine, but you have to actually play the part! Bash could have seriously hurt himself or worse because of what? Seriously, tell me why you refused to let me see him,” I demanded.

  “He’s my patient—”

  “But he’s my soul mate, and that surpasses everything.” I leaned forward and flashed my silver eyes.

  “I follow protocol, Mackenzie,” she said, unfazed. “You run around here untamed without rules or discipline. That is not how I run things. While I’m around, there will be order.”

  The witch sat stock-still in her chair as if my threats meant nothing. They probably didn’t. She could squash me like a bug with a flick of her wrist if she wanted to. Briggs was my boss, but the Head Witch held a lot of control in the SIU. I needed to keep my mouth shut if I still wanted a job, or she could make it really difficult for me. But of course, I’m Mackenzie Grey—I have no filter.

  “And while I’m here, it is my team.”

  Neither one of us said a word until a ding sounded on her computer, and even then, no one moved. I just had to stir the pot.

  “Your results are in,” she said without looking at the screen.

  “And?”

  Her eyes narrowed before she turned away to read them. “Enzo wasn’t lying when he said he’d used a strand of wolfsbane to subdue your wolf. I can attempt to reverse engineer a cure, but I cannot guarantee it’ll be ready by tomorrow.”

  Our little spat was definitely not going to ensure she’d work faster either. I’d just have to prepare to fight like a human.

  Great.

  I found Amy in the SIU’s gymnasium. She was by herself, lying in the middle of the boxing ring.

  “Ew, Aims, do you know how many bare feet touch that thing? Can you say athlete’s foot?” I’d gone through the whole building searching for her and this was literally the last place I looked.

  “Can you say vampire? I’m immune,” she mumbled.

  I popped a squat beside her but didn’t lie down. She might be immune, but I wasn’t. Gross.

  “What’s going on, Amy? You look like you overheated a blood bag or something.” I laughed at my own joke, but she wasn’t laughing with me. Something was seriously wrong.

  “Is it normal that we joke about those things?” Amy asked. “About the blood bag, I mean.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

  She sat up on her elbows. “No, Kenz, I’m not trying to make you feel bad. I’m just wondering when did that sort of become my normal, you know?”

  I raised a brow. “You’re thinking about the cure?”

  She nodded. “Now that I’ve gotten Jonah’s blessing, I feel better. I don’t feel so guilty about not taking it.”

  “Why do I feel a but coming?” I narrowed my eyes at her.

  “But … this isn’t the life I want for myself, Kenz.”

  My eyes bugged out. “You want to be human?!” I couldn’t believe it. The last few days, I’d struggled as a human and couldn’t wait to get my wolf back and she wanted to go back to … this. If Enzo attacked us, I’d be helpless, yet this is what she wanted to be. I didn’t understand.

  “You seem shocked,” she said, stifling a laugh. “Is it because of your current situation?”

  “Besides my oracle sight, I’m a little useless, Amy. I’ve had my ass kicked more times than I care to admit recently, and I think I have the beginnings of arthritis.” I blushed.

  “You’re not unbeatable, Kenz. And you’re not useless, even if you didn’t have the sight. Whether you want to admit it or not, you fight like a beast. Maybe not recently,” she laughed, “but Roman trained you well. That’s not the wolf. That’s all you, Mackenzie Grey. As for me, I have tons of skills as a human. I don’t need to be a vampire to kick ass.”

  “I never said you needed to be one,” I quickly added.

  “I know. It was something I worried about.” She played with her eyebrow piercing. “A long time ago, I asked you how you went from being extraordinary to ordinary again. But I forgot I was extraordinary as a human too. Being a vampire only amplified it.” She winked.

  My mouth hung open as I watched my best friend. Her flaming-red hair was picked up in a messy bun, and besides the fact she was a bloodsucking vampire, nothing truly had changed about her. I was looking at this all wrong. What made Amy special wasn’t her vampire speed and strength—it was her brains and love for the people she cared about most. Whether vampire or human, she’d go to the ends of the earth for those near and dear to her, and I wouldn’t put it past her that she could defeat any foe standing in her way.

  “You’re right. You’ve always been brilliant.”

  “You have too, Kenz.” She reached for my hand. “You just have to dig deep and find yourself. And when you do, you won’t be a prisoner anymore.”

  “A prisoner?” I stopped myself from arguing further. I got it. In her own weird way, it made sense. “So … you’ve made your decision, and nothing will dissuade you?”

  “Yup. After this is over, I’m going to take the cure.” She grinned. “I’m not that stupid. I’ll wait until Enzo’s been taken care of before becoming human again.”

  I released a sigh of relief. “Well, I’m glad for that. I don’t think I could handle it if Enzo got his hands on you, or worse …”

  “If he bit me?”

  “Don’t even say that.” I shuddered at the thought.

  “There’s definitely no cure for that,” Amy muttered. “Lo
ok, I haven’t told Jackson or anybody yet. Would you mind holding off on telling anyone until I’m ready?”

  “Of course, Aims. This isn’t my secret to tell.”

  She pulled me into one of her bear hugs and, with her vampire strength, practically strangled me in the process. I let her. I knew she needed it. The decision she was making wasn’t an easy one, but it was one she needed to make for herself and no one else. She’d had a lot of pressure from others to take the cure, so I was glad she’d taken the time to consider her options.

  We were still embracing when Jonah came through the door. He was frazzled, and had he still been alive, he probably would’ve been beet-red. He was talking a mile a minute, and I couldn’t understand what he was saying.

  “Whoa, slow down, Jo.” I pulled away from Amy and put up a hand to stop him. “Easy. Take a breath. If you can,” I joked.

  “Mackenzie …” It was one of the few times Jonah had said my full first name. This had to be serious. “It’s Duke. He’s gone. I saw him leave the building through the back exit. He knocked out the officers guarding the back door or killed them or … I don’t know because I’m dead and can’t check their pulse, but they’re just lying there, and no one’s gone to check on them, and I can’t find Finn, and—”

  “Breathe Jonah, calm down.” I started to stand.

  Amy stood with me. “What’s going on, Kenz?”

  “He’s going after Enzo on his own,” Jonah explained. “I don’t know why or where.”

  “I do.” I ran a hand through my hair and turned to Amy. “Jonah said Duke attacked some officers and left the building. He’s gone rogue.”

  “Shit,” she muttered. “Why would he do that?”

  “Fuck!” I snapped one of the ropes from the boxing ring. “I outted Duke. Killian and him are in love. Enzo is using that to his advantage. He’s holding Killian hostage. I told Duke, and he’s probably going to try to save him and get himself killed in the process. God damn it!”