by Sarah Noffke
“What’s that?” Zephyr said, leaning forward, chin to the side.
“That,” Connor said, pointing at the object, “is a handkerchief the guard dropped when he was loading Rio into the back of the van.”
The chair nearly toppled over when Zephyr bolted to a standing position. “Can you read it using your psychometry? What have you learned from it? Why didn’t you say something before?”
Connor smiled, lighting up his green eyes. “We had to get Hunter to the Institute and there’s a few more reasons I didn’t say anything before. But the most important thing is that I know exactly where Olento Research is now.”
“Fucking awesome!” Rox said from beside Zephyr, who looked to be vibrating with sudden excitement.
“What? Why aren’t we there now getting Rio out?” Zephyr said.
“Because I need more time to study the information the handkerchief gives me. The guard, a man named Haiku, had it on him all the time, so there’s a lot of information ingrained in the object. Lots of memories. And,” he said, drawing out the word, “the more important part is that breaking into Olento Research appears, from what I’ve seen so far, to be incredibly difficult. We can’t just bust in there like when we busted out of there at the other place. Especially since we’re at a disadvantage without having Rio.”
“But you have the location? You’re sure?” Zephyr said.
“Yes, I know where it is,” Connor said, and then something spread over his face that was rare. Pride. Connor had done something great and he was going to be how they found and destroyed Olento Research. Adelaide stared at the guy, suddenly feeling a brand new draw to him.
“This is great!” Zephyr said, a smile popping to his mouth, showing a row of white teeth. “Let’s all review the information you get from the handkerchief. We will need to know all about Olento Research and figure out a strategy for breaking in there and getting Rio and Malcolm out.”
“And then we need to level the place and bring Mika to justice,” Adelaide said, staring at the team before her. They were her team. In a strange way she felt like part of the pack. And in a strange way she liked it more than she ever thought she would.
Chapter Forty-One
“’Tis a silly sheep that makes the wolf her confessor.”
- French Proverb
A prison without guards. Only at the Lucidite Institute. Who needed guards when they had technology, which was much more reliable? Zephyr flashed his access badge over the scanner and the stainless steel door slid back to reveal a dark hallway. He turned to Rox, a hesitant feeling settling into his stomach. “I need to go in there by myself,” he said to her.
“Of course you do,” she said, flashing him a genuine smile. It was subtle and he liked it a lot better than the fake, over-the-top ones she normally gave people. When Rox was just being herself, when they were alone, a different person came out. She had depth and was stronger than any woman he’d known. But they couldn’t be together. Not like how they had been. But they could be friends and that might be enough.
“Thanks for your help on the Hunter case. You handled him well and more importantly, got his mother to safety,” Zephyr said. He liked having Rox on the cases. She made things easier, knowing he could always rely on her invincibility.
“Welcome,” she chirped. “I’m glad you didn’t die.”
“Gee, thanks,” he said and then he did something unexpected. He pressed his lips together and kissed the air. A strange gesture, meant for Rox.
She reached up and closed her fist, grabbing the invisible kiss. “Go give him hell,” she said, turning and walking away, her round ass swaying from side to side as she sauntered.
Chapter Forty-Two
“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.”
- Bible
Cells lined one wall; the opposite was all stainless steel. There were no bars, only clear plexiglass with holes for breathing. The rooms resembled the ones where Zephyr stayed in the residential wing. However, there was a toilet off to the side and a few compartments in the wall, probably where food was delivered. The prisoners here never saw anyone unless visited by an authorized person. That’s probably why most startled when Zephyr strolled by, his focus forward. How long had it been since these men and women had seen another person? But they were alive and being cared for and had unlimited books and activities to calm their deranged minds. The Lucidites weren’t monsters who executed their prisoners. These were the criminals who couldn’t be reformed. That couldn’t be trusted. Who had to be punished for the horrible crimes they committed.
Some of the prisoners had metal helmets on their heads. Adelaide had explained that was the dream blocker and kept them from dream traveling and possibly escaping on a GAD-C. Forever they had to wear the helmet that wouldn’t come off. Again the Lucidites had considered everything. They made the world a better place by thinking more efficiently and strategically than the rest.
Hunter wasn’t wearing a silver helmet. No one was going to explain to him about the strange dreams that happened to him, and he’d never know he was a Dream Traveler. And he didn’t know how to use a GAD-C and so he wouldn’t be escaping. And in all honesty, Zephyr knew Hunter wasn’t going anywhere. He knew he needed to be imprisoned. Over a dozen women were brutally murdered by the man who stood before Zephyr. There would be no freedom for him, not physically or emotionally. He would forever be chained to the things he’d done.
“I sensed you coming,” Hunter said, standing a foot from the clear wall.
Zephyr nodded, hearing Hunter easily, although the glass was supposed to be almost soundproof. The holes at the top allowed some sound to come through and Zephyr’s heightened hearing made it possible to easily understand Hunter.
“Why’d you kill so many?” Zephyr asked, his face drawn down, like that of a disappointed father.
Hunter shook his head, a look on his face that said he was misunderstood. “I knew it was wrong, but I couldn’t stop myself. It’s what the wolf wanted. It was what I wanted,” he said.
Zephyr studied the man before him who was shorter and slighter in build. His features were also smaller, again making him appear almost boyish. Behind Hunter scratch marks littered the wall. Maybe he’d tried to get out or just took out his aggression on the stainless steel walls. It didn’t matter. He couldn’t harm these walls. They had the same reinforcements as the ones in the safe rooms.
“You can’t give the wolf what it wants. It’s a savage animal. You’re a man and that’s what you lost, your humanity,” Zephyr said.
Shame made Hunter’s brow crease deeply. “I know, but I had to punish those women. They’d hurt me. Some of them destroyed me,” he said.
“We only ever destroy ourselves, Hunter. I hope you see that now,” Zephyr said, standing with his hands clasped behind his back.
Hunter bit down on his bottom lip, frustration welling up on his face, pinching it together. “I don’t, but I’m broken. Maybe in time I will. Right now, I’m just angry.”
Zephyr nodded. “Will it help if I come by regularly and we talk about it? You can’t leave this prison, but maybe we can free you from the pain.”
“You’d do that? For me?” Hunter said, and the most beautiful thing happened. The frustration was replaced with awe. The boy in Hunter almost looked close to smiling.
“Hunter, what you would have found out eventually, when I rescued you, is that I’ll do anything for my pack,” Zephyr said.
“So you’re not giving up on me?” Hunter said and the alpha wolf realized something crucial right then. Everyone had always given up on Hunter.
“Never,” Zephyr said, drawing in a breath, hoping to relieve the pressure in his chest. He could feel the pain in Hunter like it was his own. And in truth, it was his pain because it belonged to one of his pack members. “I’ll be back tomorrow. Try and get some rest. You’ve been through a lot.”
Hunter nodded, the disbelief still covering his face.
Zephyr turned to leave w
hen Hunter called out for him.
“Yes?” he said, looking at Hunter again.
“I’m glad you caught me. Made me stop,” Hunter said.
“I only wish I would have done it faster,” Zephyr said, realizing he’d always torture himself for not saving Hunter before he destroyed himself.
Chapter Forty-Three
“But since all is well, keep it so, wake not a sleeping wolf.”
- William Shakespeare
Pops had asked—well, pleaded—with Adelaide to take Lucien for an hour. The full-time caregiver apparently needed a much deserved break. He’d suggested that she take him to the playroom the Lucidites had set up with various toys for all ages. However, other people’s kids would be there and while Adelaide loved her son, she couldn’t stand other people’s kids. And in truth, Lucien was like an old soul. He was more serious than all other children, seeming to study everything with a critical eye. Lucien was Ren Lewis in every way and she expected he’d go on to do great things just like his granddad.
“This is the best place to run around and it has the best toys in the world,” Adelaide said, setting Lucien down and tapping the button for the library. The door shot back to reveal a sight she never tired of seeing. The black-and-white marble shined in front of her all at once. “You’re it,” she said, tapping Lucien’s shoulder and pushing him to the side so she could get a head start. It was their favorite game and probably symbolized how she preferred to run from him rather than run to him.
Behind her she heard him giggling as he raced after her. Adelaide rounded for the staircase, taking the steps two at a time. “You’re never going to catch me, shorty,” she said, feeling breathless from the run.
“No running!” she heard the librarian yell from the main area.
“Fuck off!” Adelaide turned around and shouted over the banister at the woman. Lucien had made it to the stairs and was climbing up each step one at a time.
“I’ll be in the mystery section, but you can’t read so ha-ha,” Adelaide said, spinning around and running for the third row. She was playing. With her son. And it felt kind of good. It also felt fake, like she wasn’t really doing it for him. Actually, she’d been so elated since the werewolves returned and Connor had announced that he had the location for Olento Research. She was going to solve this case and get the accolades she’d dreamed about. If she completed this level five case, then maybe that could help to heal the wound her father created when he left her. Maybe she could finally feel like she didn’t need him anymore.
The laughter at her back told her Lucien had cleared the stairs and was racing after her. Adelaide rounded into a row of shelves and rammed straight into a figure, sending her back, falling to her hands and backend. She stared up at Connor, who held a book and stared down at her with bewilderment.
“Are you okay?” he said, reaching down to help her up.
She checked her palms, which were red from the carpet burn she suffered. “I’m fine,” she said, checking over her shoulder. Lucien had slowed and was ducking his head into each row as he passed them.
“Were you running? In a library?” Connor said, a lazy smile on his face.
“Yes, but I’m running from someone,” she said, going around Connor so he was blocking her from view. “Stay there.”
“Running from who?” he asked, being compliant and standing with his back to her, his chin over his shoulder.
“That terror,” she said as she spied around Connor when Lucien came into view.
An easy laugh fell out of Connor’s mouth. “Oh, are you looking for this lady?” Connor said, stepping to the side to reveal Adelaide.
“No,” she said, covering her face, like that would make her invisible.
The little boy toddled forward, slapping both his hands on his mum’s knee. “Got you,” he said in his baby voice.
“That you did, Lucy, thanks to the awful help of this guy,” she said to her son.
Connor squatted down so he was on the boy’s level. “Did your mom take you to a library to play?”
Lucien looked at Connor like he was an alien, his eyes roaming over his face and then his arms. “Drawings,” he said, pointing at the sleeve of tattoos.
“Yes, I drew on myself. Well, I had other people do it,” Connor said to the boy. “So you’re Lucien? Good to meet you. I’m Connor.” He held up his hand for the boy to high-five. Lucien looked at the hand and then his mum.
“He wants you to high-five him. It’s a dumb thing. Don’t do it,” Adelaide said.
“K, k,” the boy said and then took off, sprinting for the next row.
“I’ll come and find you in one minute. Hide in the children’s section,” Adelaide said, like she was talking to an adult and not a child.
Connor rose from his feet, an amused look on his face. “He’s a beautiful child,” he said and then added, “He looks just like you.”
Adelaide combed her hands through her hair, her fingernails finding her scalp and nervously scratching. “Yeah, well…”
“Aren’t you going after him?” Connor said, looking over Adelaide’s shoulder to where the boy had disappeared.
“Eventually. I’ve got to pick up some books and he’s a super big distraction when I do that. And besides, he’s completely safe in a library and while at the Institute,” she said, realizing Connor was suddenly close. Too close.
Connor held up the book in his hands. “I was just picking out books for the week. This library is incredible,” he said, his green eyes sparkling with delight.
“It really is,” she said, her voice suddenly hoarse. A row or maybe two over, the sound of books being unshelved all at once could be heard. “Pull them all off if you can, Lucy. The librarian loves having to clean up after you.”
Connor smiled at her, a look that seemed to say “I approve of you.” It was a look she could get used to. The way it made her feel, she wanted to get used to it.
“You’re an amazing mother,” he said.
An abrupt laugh fell out of her. “I’m the worst mum.”
“You’re trying and that’s what counts,” Connor said, and then pointed to the hibiscus tattoo on his neck. It was beautifully colored and took up one side of his throat. “See this?”
“Yeah,” she said.
“I got it to remember my mom. She’s dead now, but she loved hibiscus flowers. And she said flowers always made her smile,” Connor said.
“Oh…” Adelaide said, and then realized she didn’t know what to say after something like that. Connor’s mom, like her father, was dead prematurely. She should say she was sorry, but she didn’t.
“I’m telling you that because I know the bond a mother and son share. He’ll know one day that you tried. That you kept trying. That you loved him even though you weren’t perfect. And that’s all that will count,” he said.
“Thanks. I’m glad you shared that. Maybe you sensed I needed to hear it,” Adelaide said, and then Connor was even closer. How was he doing that without her noticing until afterwards? It must be a wolf thing.
“I sense there’s a lot of things you need to hear. And more and more, I want to be the one who says them to you,” he said, gliding his hand onto the side of her face. She found herself looking up at him, his eyes honed on hers. His thoughts pouring into her mind. Thoughts that didn’t repulse her. Thoughts that made her blush.
“I don’t know how I feel about that,” she said across the short distance that separated them, but not for long. Connor leaned down with the grace of the wolf, closing the space between them. He pressed his mouth to hers, breathing her in. Adelaide didn’t pull away. Didn’t want to. Instead she kissed him back, engrossed by the softness of his lips, of the taste of his mouth, at the thoughts that only spoke of how much he accepted her. Of how much he wanted her. Of how much he’d always wanted her. Since the beginning. The pair folded their arms around each other, kissing each other harder. And then a crash sounded from a row over which sounded much like a large volume falling to the g
round.
Adelaide pulled back, but only a few inches. Connor still had his arms wrapped around her waist. She held her chin in the air and directed her words in the air. “Lucy? You all right?” she said.
“Yip,” she heard on the other side of the shelf.
She smiled at Connor and separated from him completely. “Looks like I better go parent,” she said, instantly wishing she could stay in that moment. Live in it.
Chapter Forty-Four
“Love will find a way through paths where wolves fear to prey.”
- Lord Byron
Fingers wrapped around the magnesium alloy bars and pulled. Rio grunted when the prison bars didn’t give way to his super strength.
“Knowing you’d be returned to me, I had this cell built just for you,” Mika said. “That’s the strongest metal in the world, and even you won’t be able to pry your way out of this cell. I don’t encourage you to try, since I need you in peak condition.”
Rio whipped around, his gaze frantically roaming over the metal walls, floor, and ceiling. There was no way of escaping this cell. The only option was through the barred door, which Mika didn’t plan to open anytime soon. Rio needed time to lose his mind. Once he’d done that then Mika could make his mind anew. The brainwashing was always easier when the prisoner was at his lowest.
“Do let us know when you get hungry,” Mika said, a smirking tone to his voice.
“The Lucidites are coming after me. They’re going to get me out of here,” Rio said, rushing to the bars, sticking his thick face through them. The metal framed his face, pinching his cheeks.
“The Lucidites,” Mika laughed; it was a cold, dry sound. “Those imbeciles don’t stand a chance, especially now that I have you. You’re the strongest man in the world and soon you’ll do everything that I say.”
