by Nina Croft
“Caleb?”
At the sound of her voice, he willed himself to change back, and a moment later, he was standing before her—naked.
Her eyes widened, but she didn’t budge.
“Do you know where Regan is?” he asked.
She nodded.
“Give me one minute.” He ran into the house, pulled on some clothes, and was back well within the minute.
“We’ll go in my truck,” he said.
Catrin shook her head. “I have the hounds in the back.” She nodded at the back of the van. “We may need them to track Regan.”
“Okay.” He climbed into the passenger seat and waited, fingers drumming on his thigh as Catrin climbed in and started the engine. “How did you know to come here?” he asked as the car pulled away.
“Regan phoned.”
“She did?” He frowned and turned to look at her. “She told you to come here?”
“No, she specifically told me not to get you involved.”
“So, why did you?”
She shrugged. “A hunch, I guess. Regan still believes that she can change things, and sometimes you can, but most of the time, the future as we see it is fixed.”
“You’ve seen the future.”
“Just flashes, but enough to know that you’re involved.”
“What did you see?”
She shook her head. “Nothing that will help you.”
He opened his mouth to argue, but at that moment, a low, whining growl came from the back of the van. Caleb turned around in his seat and saw the two hounds, Diablo and Satan through a metal grill.
“Are they really hellhounds?” he asked.
Catrin nodded.
“Actually, for that matter, what is a hellhound? Where did they come from?”
Catrin grinned. “Presumably from Hell, but we don’t know. They were an anonymous gift to Regan around forty years ago. No doubt from an old admirer.”
Caleb went still at the words. An old admirer? Could it be coincidence?
“You really don’t know who they came from?”
Catrin cast him a glance, her eyebrows drawn together in a frown. “Regan said they must have been a gift from our mother, but she’s always denied it.”
“You know my father is working with someone. Someone he claims has feelings for Regan?”
“Beware an old lover,” Catrin murmured. “Of course.”
“Regan told me she’d been in love once a long time ago.”
“She did?”
“Hmm, she told me she’d killed him. What do you know about it?”
“Not much. It was before I was born, and Regan won’t talk about it.” She glanced at him. “Though she’s obviously talked to you.”
“I think it was more a warning than a sharing of past memories.”
“She’s scared.”
A flicker of surprise ran through him. “Scared of what?”
“She falls in love one time, he betrays her, and she kills him. Hardly a happy-ever-after ending and unlikely to make her want to risk it again. But she does care for you, Caleb.”
“It won’t matter if we don’t find her.”
“We’ll find her.”
They were silent for the rest of the drive. After around an hour, Catrin pulled up at the side of the road and turned to Caleb.
“This is as far as we can go. Regan told me your father gave her instructions to come here and she’d be met. She told me to bring the hounds to track her. Come on, let’s get them out.”
It was late afternoon, and the light was fading. Caleb climbed out of the van and looked around, praying to see something that would give him an idea where Regan had gone. To the right lay open farmland, but on the left was a thick wooded area. As he watched, a herd of deer ran out from the cover of the trees, racing across the open ground.
He would bet his father was in there somewhere, and he turned impatiently. Catrin moved to the back of the van and opened it. Instantly, the hounds whined. Caleb came around to watch as she unfastened their chains and the huge animals leapt down. She handed one of the leashes to Caleb. “That’s Satan,” she said.
Caleb stroked the huge head and watched as the hound sniffed the air, nostrils flaring red, tongue flicking out. It let out a small yelp and put its nose down to the ground. Growling low in its throat, it tugged on the leash, then glanced back at Caleb as if to say let’s go.
Looked like they had the scent.
***
There was an awful lot that could go terribly wrong with this plan.
The thought occurred to Regan as the huge half-wolf, half-man creature tossed her over his shoulder. She dangled upside-down as he headed off into the forest. At least she presumed they were heading into the forest. She couldn’t actually see from this position, but she could sense the trees around them, smell the resin from the pines. And with a gag in her mouth and her nose squashed against the coarse fur of the were-creature’s broad back, she was struggling to breathe. Unfortunately, with her hands tied behind her, there was little she could do about it.
Despite all this, and whatever Caleb might think—and she was certain his thoughts would be far from complimentary—she knew what she was doing. They needed to discover who was behind this, and to do that, she needed Ethan to think he had Regan exactly where he wanted her.
Mind you, right now, there was very little “thinking” about it. Ethan did have her where he wanted her. But not for long.
Hopefully, Catrin wouldn’t be far behind, and she would have called in the cavalry. While Regan hated to put her life in the hands of the Council, she hadn’t been able to think of an alternative.
Ethan had met her at the appointed place, and for a brief moment, she’d actually thought he was alone, as promised. Then something slammed into her from behind. She’d gone down on her knees, and before she’d had a chance to fight back, the gag was thrust between her lips and her arms wrenched behind her back and securely tied.
Of course, it was all part of her plan. Sort of.
She’d scrambled to her feet and stared at Ethan, allowing the loathing to show clearly in her eyes. And he’d laughed at her.
Bastard!
She really didn’t like being laughed at. Never had. Catrin was always telling her she took herself too seriously, but that was just the way she was. Now she forced herself to remember that her time would come.
She tried to ignore the panic rising up inside her, to push it down deep where it wouldn’t impair her judgment, but she hated to be helpless. It must have shown in her eyes, because he laughed again, then reached out and took her chin between his fingers and stared into her face. She met his golden gaze and recognized the madness lingering there.
“Hello, again,” Ethan murmured. “As arrogant as ever, I see, but at least you’ve left Caleb out of this. Was he pleased?”
She rolled her eyes. He wasn’t seriously expecting an answer, was he? She was gagged, for God’s sake.
He must have realized the stupidity of trying to have a conversation with a gagged woman. He gestured to someone behind her, and something big and strong lifted her from the ground and tossed her over a hairy shoulder.
The trip seemed endless, and all the while, her mind kept going back to Caleb. He’d said he loved her. Had he meant it? A little flame of excitement had burst into life at the words. And now, however much she told herself she didn’t want his love, the flame refused to die, warming her through the long, uncomfortable journey.
At last, her captor came to a halt. Regan wriggled, but before she could slide free, she was tossed to the hard ground. The little air that remained in her lungs exited via her nose, and she lay winded. It took her a moment to sense that something was not right. She opened her eyes and scrambled to her knees.
She was within a circle, and she could sense it depressing her magic. She’d expected something like this, but still the panic clawed at her mind.
Ethan crouched down in front of her and pulled the gag free.
> Regan spat. “There was really no need for that.”
“Of course not.” He drew a knife from the sheath at his thigh. “Turn around.”
Regan scrambled around on her knees and felt him slice through the bonds at her wrists. She turned back to face him, rubbing her hands over the red rings left by the rope.
She swallowed, trying to ease the dryness in her mouth. “Could I have a drink, please.”
Ethan raised a brow at her polite request, but he turned and spoke to someone behind him, and a moment later, he was handed a bottle of water. He gave it to Regan and watched as she drank slowly. She took a deep breath and looked around her. They were standing in a clearing in the forest. At the center, a pyre had been built of freshly chopped wood, piled high.
Of course, it was Samhain—night of the bonfires, when the borders between this world and other worlds were at their thinnest. She knew it wasn’t coincidence. All around the country, anyone who believed in the old ways would be lighting fires to the dead. It was also the night when the restless dead would find a way through to this world—if they were strong enough.
A lump formed in her belly, icy cold. All her life she’d lived with the guilt of what she’d done. Firstly, her stupidity and gullibility in falling for Sardi. It was all very well saying she’d been young and naïve, but what sort of person fell in love with a demon? And not just any demon, but one of the high lord demons of Hell.
Then she had compounded her guilt by destroying the one she loved. What sort of person did that? Because she had loved him. Even when she discovered how he meant to use her, that love hadn’t died. Was she now going to have to face her guilt all over again?
She wanted to believe it couldn’t be true, that Sardi was gone forever. Her mother had told her that was so. Had she lied? Not for the first time, she cursed her mother. Always taking the easy way out, at least as far as her daughters were concerned. No doubt, she’d thought telling her Sardi was gone would save her pain—in the short run.
She turned back to Ethan. “Do you have any clue what you are doing?” she asked.
“Of course.”
She shook her head. “You’re an ignorant man who is meddling in things beyond his comprehension.”
“I know what I’m doing. I’ve got you, haven’t I? That’s my part of the bargain.”
“And now that you’ve got me, what do you plan to do with me?”
“I hand you over tonight.” He searched her face. “So, my son is in love with you. It’s a pity—you’re going to break his heart.”
“Perhaps you could consider letting me go, and I promise to keep his heart in one piece.”
He smiled. “Too late.”
All around her, people were entering the clearing. The air was charged with tension as though all that was needed was a mere spark to set off a conflagration. The excitement was building. Regan could sense it herself, and her wolf awoke and paced inside the confines of her body.
One by one, the people undressed, fell to their knees, and the change came over them, until the clearing was full of wolves. They prowled the perimeter occasionally throwing their heads back and howling to the moon. In her mind, Regan whispered soothing words to wolf.
Not yet.
In the distance, a dog barked, and Regan raised her head to listen. She recognized her hound, Satan, and the tightness eased from her limbs. Catrin had found her. The Council wouldn’t be far behind. The sun was well down now, and even the vampires would be awake.
She needed to keep Ethan sufficiently distracted to give them time to get here.
“Why did you kill Kelly and Jason?” she asked.
“They left the pack—pack law says they die.”
“Tell me, did you make up that particular law?” When he didn’t answer, she shrugged. “You really pissed Caleb off. I stopped him today, but he will come after you.”
“Caleb will keep out of it, like he’s always done.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure—he’s changed. And Caleb’s not the only one coming for you. Have you heard of the Council?”
He stared at her through narrowed eyes.
“Yes, of course you have. Well, Caleb’s uncle heads the Council. He’s just found out what you did to his sister, and he’s not happy.”
“I didn’t know who she was.”
“And you think that makes it all right. I somehow don’t think Kael will see it that way. But don’t worry, I doubt he’ll kill you straightaway. His sister was a prisoner for two thousand years. Can you imagine what that would do to a person? Don’t bother trying. I think you might find out for yourself.”
“Enough,” he snapped. “Jesus, you talk too much.” He regarded her thoughtfully for a minute, and then smiled. “There is one way to shut you up.” He reached out and gripped her chin in his hard fingers forcing her to look into his eyes. Inside her, wolf cried out in distress.
The memory of the pain when Caleb had called her wolf filled her mind as the real pain ripped through her. She’d known this was a possibility and thought she was prepared for it, but her body still convulsed as wolf was torn from her. She didn’t try to fight, and it was over quickly. She lay on her side, panting.
The man reached a hand toward her, and she growled low in her throat. He laughed then drew a length of rope out of his pocket and tied it around her neck.
“That’s better,” he murmured.
Wolf rose shakily to her feet as he dragged on the rope. She locked the muscles in her legs, but it was futile—she was too weak to fight him so soon after the forced change. Finally, she allowed him to pull her across the clearing and tether her to a tree close by the pyre.
“Now,” he said, “let’s see if we can persuade your old boyfriend to come to the party.”
Taking a lighter out of his pocket, he moved toward the pyre. He flicked it open, and Regan whined softly. Then he went still.
Chapter Eighteen
Deep in the forest, the trees grew close together, cutting out the moonlight, so Caleb and Catrin moved through near-darkness. Their initial fast pace slowed to a walk, but the hounds never faltered, keeping their noses to the ground. They’d barked madly when they first caught Regan’s scent, but now they were silent. Caleb gripped the leash tightly in his hand and fought down the need to urge them to move faster. He knew it was impossible in these conditions, but the panic clawed at his gut.
He tried to tell himself his father wouldn’t harm Regan—she was too valuable. But he couldn’t help but remember the warnings he’d been given, first by Tom, then Kelly, that his father was no longer entirely sane.
He had killed his mate in a fit of temper. What would he do if Regan wound him up? As she no doubt would—she wasn’t very good at not saying what she thought, and sensible just didn’t figure in her character.
Behind him, Catrin moved easily, and it occurred to him that this time Regan had been sensible. This time she hadn’t gone in alone, she had called for help.
Diablo came to an abrupt halt in front of him. Straight ahead, the land rose steeply. The trees had thinned a little, and in the dim light, the hound stood stiff-legged, tension in every line of his body. Caleb turned to Catrin and put his finger to his lips. She nodded once.
He listened. Up ahead the muted sound of voices floated down on the night air.
“I think they’re up there,” he whispered to Catrin.
“Do we wait for the Council?” she asked.
He shook his head. “I need to make sure Regan is all right—I don’t trust my father. I’m not convinced he’s entirely stable anymore.”
“So, what’s the plan?”
Caleb frowned. “The plan is we go in there, get Regan, and get the hell out as fast as we can.”
“That’s not what Regan wants. She needs to find out who’s behind this.” She came up beside him and put her hand on his arm. “That’s why she’s here, Caleb. I think we should go check, then wait for the others.”
“That won’t be an option. Once we ge
t any closer, they’ll sense us straight away. “
She nibbled on her lower lip, obviously not happy, but after a minute, she nodded. “Okay, let’s go.”
For a brief moment, guilt flared in his mind. He had no right to take Catrin into this. “Perhaps you should go back and wait by the car,” he said.
“Are you mad?'' Her silver eyes flared at him and for the first time, he saw the resemblance to Regan. There was obviously no point in arguing. He sighed.
“Okay. But keep out of the way.”
Catrin scowled. “I’m not exactly helpless, you know. I am a witch—I have powers.”
“They don’t seem to have done Regan much good.”
She pursed her lips but didn’t answer. Caleb turned away and headed up the hill. Even the hounds were cautious now, stepping softly on the forest floor, noses raised to the air. Caleb took a deep breath and realized why.
Wolves.
And a lot of them. Was the whole pack here?
He came to a halt at the edge of a clearing and peered in, trying to make sense of the scene, searching for Regan.
He found her in wolf form; tethered to a small tree by a rope around her neck. At the sight of her, his own wolf woke, straining to be free.
Regan raised her head and looked straight at him. Her silver eyes held his, and he was sure he saw real human emotion in there—fury. Her gaze flickered past him to where Catrin stood at his side, and the wolf’s eyes narrowed.
“She doesn’t look particularly pleased to see us,” Caleb murmured.
“I think it’s you she’s not happy about—I’m supposed to be here.”
His eyes moved on from Regan, looking for his father. There were a large number of wolves milling around the clearing, but he finally located Ethan standing not far from Regan, beside a large pyre of stacked wood. He held something in his hand, and looking closer, Caleb realized it was a lighter—he was about to set fire to the wood.
Catrin touched his arm. He jumped and turned to look at her. “What?”
