From the Grave

by Karina Espinosa

  I didn’t see it before it happened. None of us could have done anything to stop it, really. It all happened in slow motion, like I was in a movie. The humans—the ones who could move—had already started to hover around Enzo, but I thought it was to protect him. Suddenly, they pushed him farther back into the room and piled on top of him.

  “I love you, Duke.” Tears streamed down Killian’s face as he unzipped his jacket to unveil the bomb strapped to his chest.

  “No!” Duke shouted, but Cassidy and I grabbed him and hauled him out of the room just as Killian exploded.

  We were tossed out and slammed into the wall in the hallway where Jackson, Amy, and Jonah waited. I saw stars when my head bounced off the wall. A cloud of smoke covered the area, and I coughed, hacking for air. The soot was so strong, I couldn’t see a single thing.

  “Amy!” I could barely hear myself as all I heard was a beeping sound. I put my hand to my ear and pulled it away to look at it. Shit. I’m bleeding. I shook my head multiple times and tried to pop my ears to no avail. “Amy!”

  “Kenz,” Jonah said, “she’s over here with Jackson. She’s fine. You don’t look so good.”

  I attempted to stand, using the wall as leverage. “I’m—I’m fine,” I stammered.

  “Mackenzie!” Cassidy yelled from somewhere to my left, opposite of Amy.

  “G-G-Grey …” Michaels came in through my earpiece like static. “W-What’s—s-status?”

  “We need help,” I cried. “Send help now!” I stumbled and slid down the wall as I became lightheaded.

  “What’s wrong, Kenz?” Jonah squatted down with me.

  “I-I need you to find Finn.” I swallowed a few times and blinked rapidly to stay awake. I hit my head too hard and was about to pass out. I had to stay awake. “He’s floating around here somewhere I just don’t know. Find him. Get help.”

  Jonah nodded. “I’m on it.”

  Before I shut my eyes, he leaned forward and placed a kiss on my forehead.

  The sound of gunshots woke me, and I was startled to a sitting position that made the blood rush to my head. The fog had cleared, and the remnants of what had happened earlier surrounded me. Straight ahead was the open doorway to the Lunas’ training room, and I could see what was left of Killian. His blood and guts strewn throughout the training room made me nauseous. I searched for Duke and found him to my right, unconscious under a pile of rubble.

  “Shit, Duke,” I mumbled as I crawled over to him. Stacks of shattered drywall and concrete covered his body, and I was able to get most of it off except for a huge chunk that was on his leg. I looked around, but it seemed we were alone.

  “Just leave me,” he muttered. “Leave me to die.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Shut the hell up. You’re not dying.”

  “Is Killian …”

  I looked away and bit my lip. I couldn’t answer that. I tried lifting the concrete on his leg, but it was too heavy for me. “I almost got it,” I lied.

  “You don’t have your wolf, Kenz.”

  Growls and more gunshots sounded from upstairs.

  “Seems like the humans invaded the main floor,” I said. “Scenario numero dos.” I chuckled as I thought of the two scenarios I’d given Michaels. “Did you see where the others went?”

  Duke shook his head.

  “Fuck.”

  “Just leave me, Kenz. I’m no use to anyone anyway. A busted leg won’t do me any good during battle.” He gestured to his injury.

  “That’s out of the question, Duke. I’m not leaving you behind.” I dug through my utility belt for my cell phone and pulled it out. No service. I sent out a message anyway. It would send whenever there was service.

  “Try shooting the thing.” He pointed to the concrete pinning down his leg.

  I scoffed. “Are you mental? That’s the stupidity you only see in movies! For one, it would barely make a dent, and second, the bullet could ricochet and do some serious damage!”

  “You know what you have to do, Mackenzie,” Duke said. “Go up there and get help.”

  I bit my lip as I contemplated what he said, but it was looking like our only option unless Jonah showed up with Finn. It sounded like straight-up warfare upstairs, so I had to prepare for that.

  “All right, but I’m coming right back, Duke. I’m not leaving you.” I squeezed his hand.

  He nodded. “I know, darlin’. Now hurry.”

  I shuffled to my feet and ran out of the basement. Watching out for fallen debris and to make sure I didn’t run into any more of my friends, I hurried to the main floor. Checking my gun, I had it at the ready as I poked my head through the entryway to find pure chaos. Wolves from the Brooklyn Pack were in their animal form fighting alongside the SIU against the bitten humans. Normally, one would think it’d be an easy fight, but the humans had us beat with their numbers. Plus, they were innocents. We didn’t want to actually kill them, but we would if we had no other choice.

  I scanned the main floor and found Jackson fighting back-to-back with Amy. I sprinted across the way to their side. Running full speed toward me was a human I recognized—Natasha.

  “Lovely to see you here.” She swung at me, and I swerved, dodging her hit. “I heard we’re on the same playing field. Is it true?” She kicked me straight in the gut, knocking the wind out of me. I fell into a group of people and tumbled to the ground.

  “Holy shitballs,” I wheezed. “My human body is really getting the crap beat out of itself,” I muttered and tried to stand.

  “Oh, don’t bother.” She kneed me in the face, and I flew back, blood spurting out of my nose. “For all the crap you put me through,” she punched me in the face, “you’re gonna get it twice as bad.” She landed a swift uppercut to my jaw, and I sprawled on my back, my face beginning to swell.

  Sweet baby Jesus.

  “We can help you, Natasha,” I mumbled through the blood. “It doesn’t have to be this way. When you shift, we—”

  “You want me to join a pack?!” she shrieked and kicked me in the ribs. She hovered over me. If she hit me one more time, I’d be down for the count. “I would never—”

  It was all I needed to hear. I pulled out my gun and shot her two times in the chest. Natasha’s eyes widened as they looked down at me and then at herself before dropping to her knees and face planting the ground, landing partially on me. I pushed her off using the little bit of strength I had and stood on wobbly legs.

  The last thing I wanted to do was kill her. Hell, I wanted to save her. Out of everyone here, I wanted her to find peace, but she was too far gone. There was too much hate in her heart, and no matter what was said, she was too angry for what had been done to her. She would never get over the fact she was—or would have been—a werewolf. Nor would she have forgiven Bash and the pack for the interrogations they had to conduct. It would have been a recipe for disaster. She had to be put down.

  I shot a few more humans on my way to Jackson and Amy, but I wasn’t in a very good condition to fight. I avoided it at all costs.

  “Aims!” I called out as I reached for her.

  She wrapped her arms around me. “What are you doing out of the basement?” she scolded. “You were safe down there!”

  “How was I supposed to know? It’s not like you left a note or something.”

  Amy pushed me to the side as a human came barreling toward us. She snapped its neck like a twig. “I told Jonah. At least, I thought I did. I don’t know if he was there.”

  I rolled my eyes. “He wasn’t there.”

  “Dammit,” she said. “Well, nothing to worry about … just a never-ending hoard of humans!”

  “Any sign of Enzo?”

  Amy shook her head.

  Jackson walked up to us. “That little asshole made his getaway after the explosion. He had the whole thing planned out.”

  I ran a hand through my hair. “How the hell does he have it all figured out? I don’t understand.”

  They both shrugged.

  “
This also isn’t the best place to be having idle chit-chat,” Jackson said.

  “Where’s Bash?” I asked as we dodged a couple of humans being gunned down.

  “Michaels took him back to the trucks. Thought you probably didn’t want him in on the action.”

  Oh, that Michaels. How right he was. Except, in this moment, I wanted Sebastian Steel right in the middle of it.

  I held my hand out to Amy. “Give me your earpiece.”

  They looked at one another with concern.

  Amy popped out the earbud. “What are you going to do?”

  “I’m gonna bring Bash in.”

  Since I wasn’t in tip-top shape, Jackson and Amy covered me as we waited for Michaels and Sebastian by the front entrance. We’d cleared the way for them as much as possible, but Enzo had really made it hard for us. It was as if he’d gone on a biting spree these last few weeks and half the New York population was here. I was exaggerating, of course.

  Michaels and Sebastian burst into the warehouse … with Belinda trailing behind them.

  “What is she doing here?” I yelled

  Michaels rolled his eyes. “She insisted on coming. You know I try not to piss off the witches.”

  “Just hear her out, Mackenzie.” Bash reached out and held my hand. Something on the third floor collapsed, and we all crouched down for cover.

  Belinda held up a syringe, and my eyes lit up. “It’s not for you,” she said, and I deflated. “I’m still not finished with your cure, but I was able to replicate what Enzo made to suppress your wolf.”

  It was my turn to roll my eyes. “And what good will that do me? Do you see my face? I look like a week-old banana.”

  “Instead of killing Enzo, we can capture him.” Belinda handed me the syringe. “Following proper protocol.”

  I sighed. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

  “Mackenzie,” Bash started, but I cut him off.

  “Don’t you Mackenzie me!” I raised a finger at him. “You didn’t see what he did to Killian right in front of me and Duke. I didn’t even know the guy, but I still have his guts all over me. No. The bastard doesn’t get to live. Not after that.”

  Bash’s nostrils flared. “I want him to die just as much you do and not just for Killian, but for what he did to you. But the witch is right. You were right. We have to do things the correct way. Don’t lose sight of that.” Bash brought his forehead to mine and closed his eyes, breathing me in. He gripped the back of my head, holding us closer together. I gripped the front of his shirt and closed my eyes. He was right, of course.

  “Fine. Let’s finally catch this son of a bitch,” I whispered and gave him a small kiss.

  He still wasn’t at a hundred percent, and I definitely wasn’t, but we would have to give it our all.

  Holding hands, we marched through the throngs of humans, pack members, and SIU officers fighting for their lives as we made our way to the middle of the main floor. We left the others by the entrance. Still holding Sebastian’s hand, I raised the gun in the air with my other hand and fired multiple shots at the ceiling. Everyone stopped fighting and turned to look at us.

  “As you can see, Sebastian Steel—Alpha of the Brooklyn Pack—is alive and well,” I shouted into the main floor. Pack members surrounded us for protection. “Enzo’s vendetta isn’t over. I want him here. He can come challenge Sebastian himself and this will be over, or we’ll kill all of you. The choice is yours.”

  The humans murmured to one another, apparently not knowing what to do or how to handle the situation. I wasn’t even sure if the threat would work. I knew the humans were being compelled, but how they contacted him still eluded me.

  “You dare challenge me?” Enzo called out from within the crowd. He’d been hiding in plain sight. I’d missed him in the fray and the dozens of others wearing hoodies, but there he was.

  “Enough with the games. You’ve been hiding behind your humans long enough. Face me yourself.” Sebastian released my hand. I didn’t want to let him go, but I knew he had to do this on his own. This was one battle he had to fight himself. “Or can you not shift?” Bash cocked his head to the side, taunting him.

  Enzo growled. “I can shift!” He ripped off his hood and went into a half-shift as he groaned in pain. The side of his face that was marred by burn scars was left untouched and unmoved while the rest of his face shifted. If he was disfigured as a human, it was worse as a wolf.

  “What are you?” Bash mocked him.

  “I’m a wolf!” Enzo screamed as he pounded on his chest. “I’m a wolf!”

  Bash tsked. “You’re not even half a wolf.”

  Enzo barreled toward Bash on all fours, but Bash was quick. While Enzo was blind with rage, Bash was smart and ready for his sloppy moves. No wonder he needed the humans to fight for him—he couldn’t do it on his own. Enzo rammed into Bash like a linebacker, knocking him down to the ground. My breath hitched, and I tightened my fists. Digging my nails into my palms, I felt blood trickle out as I watched the man I loved fall on his back, his head bouncing on the concrete ground. I couldn’t help but be worried. I really shouldn’t have, though, because Bash flipped Enzo over and started to wail on him. Punch after punch, Enzo tried to block them, but he wasn’t fast. Instead, he clawed at Bash’s side, kicking him off himself and jumping to his feet. I squeezed my fists even tighter and wanted to shut my eyes. I had all the faith in the world in the Alpha of the Brooklyn Pack, but Enzo was tricky and made me nervous.

  When they were both on their feet, Sebastian toyed with him for a while, swerving and dodging his moves, playing a game of cat and mouse and tiring him out while we watched. My right leg began to bounce as I waited with bated breath for the final move.

  “C’mon, c’mon,” I whispered to myself as I tapped at my leg, waiting for Bash to end this. Enzo’s moves were slowing down, while Bash was still upbeat. And when he least expected it, Bash put Enzo in a headlock, pulled out the syringe, and stabbed him right in the arm.

  Enzo shifted back to human form and slowly slid to the ground as he fell unconscious. I couldn’t believe it. I released a pent-up breath.

  We were finally free.

  15

  “Ouch!” I cried as Belinda injected me with a needle. I swore she stabbed me harder than she needed to, and I was positive she got some sort of enjoyment out of it.

  It had been two days since we de-wolfed and captured Enzo at the Brooklyn Pack warehouse. It had also been two extra days that I’d been dealing with bruising and pains like a human instead of shifting. But finally, Belinda was able to reverse engineer a cure for my suppressant and reawaken my wolf.

  She rubbed the injection site with an alcohol pad. “Don’t be a baby.”

  “A baby?” I scoffed and turned to Lucian, who was standing beside me holding my hand. Since he’d worked with Adaline on the first elixir that had repressed my wolf when I was born, Lucian has been assisting Belinda with the current suppressant.

  “Calm down, pet,” he said. “You know that’s not what she meant … I think.” He scratched at his head.

  “Whatever.” I rolled my eyes. “How long does it take to go into effect?”

  “I don’t know,” she said. “This is my first time working with this kind of magic and chemicals. It can be automatic, or it can take a few hours. It just depends.”

  I felt like steam was blowing out of my ears as I drilled holes into the back of Belinda’s skull when she turned away from me. I really didn’t like the new head witch.

  “Well then, let’s get you back downstairs. Your beau is waiting for you,” Lucian said as he stood in my line of sight. “And play nice,” he whispered, looking back at the witch.

  We went downstairs to the squad room where it was a full house. Of course, there was a new investigation going on that had the team on the go, but due to the circumstances, I’d asked for an extension on my mandatory vacation. Let’s just say Briggs was more than willing to comply.

  “You want in?” Ca
ssidy waved a file in the air from his desk, hinting at a juicy case.

  “It’s a good one, Grey,” Michaels added.

  “And right up your alley,” Finn said.

  I bit my lip and rubbed my hands, just itching to hop into the action, but I shook my head. “Sorry, boys, not this time. I’m taking some time off.”

  “Are you for real?” Michaels’s jaw nearly fell to the ground. “What alternative universe is this?”

  “The one where I need to get some actual rest.” I chuckled. For once in my life, I felt like I could sleep for a week straight, and I wanted to. Maybe it was everything my body had gone through, but I was also emotionally drained, and Bash and I could use a few days to ourselves.

  Bash stood from my desk. “You ready?”

  I grinned and nodded. “Ready when you are.”

  The drive to the Cadwell Estate was long—almost four hours to be exact. We dragged it out and took the scenic route as we weren’t in any rush to get there. I looked in the back seat and there he was—Jonah. My eyes teared up, but I tried not to cry. I promised myself I wouldn’t.

  “Have you spoken to Duke?” I asked Bash as he drove.

  “Yeah, he made it to Tennessee.”

  “And?” I pushed.

  “And nothing, Mackenzie,” Bash said. “He has a meeting with the Summit next month, so we won’t know anything until then.”

  I sagged into my seat. I felt responsible for whatever would happen to Duke, but I had a plan just in case.

  “What about his pack? Wyatt and Beau know.”

  “There’s nothing that can be done about rumors, unfortunately,” Bash said. “Duke can either deny them or admit to it and take control of his pack. It won’t be easy, and many will oppose, but it can be done. The power of the Alpha is strong.”

  “He’ll be fine, Kenz,” Jonah offered from the back seat. “I’m sure you won’t let anything happen to him either.” I turned around to catch him winking at me, and I smiled. I wouldn’t. They’d have another uprising on their hands. Now that I was going to Cadwell Estate, I figured I would drop that little nugget in Charles's ear so he could inform his little pals.