“Looking for anything in particular?”
“Maybe. Just, let me know what you find,” he said, and headed for his office where he’d left Amit and Ky.
His brothers stood talking and as he walked in, and Ky was clearly angry. Amit looked up at Enyowas with haunted green eyes. There was a deep sadness etched upon his face.
“I’ll be outside,” Ky said and turned for the door.
“No, you stay,” Amit said.
Ky looked like he was going to argue, then just settled back against Enyowas’s desk.
Enyowas told them about Deidra. “I don’t know what Mother is up to, but she just ran off.”
“On the way here, Veldi said your clan home was set on fire earlier,” Amit said.
“It was. Mother tried to blame it on Elianna, but I am beginning to think she set it, though I have no idea why.” He looked at Amit. “I’m sorry, I’m sure you wanted to see her, and I know she’d have wanted to see you.”
“Veldi also told me how horrible she’s been to you,” Amit said. “Why does she hate you?”
All the air left his lungs.
“Because she thinks Enyo killed you,” Veldi said, walking in.
“At first, she hated me because she thought I left you behind, then when I told her the truth, she refused to believe me. It was just in the last month that she finally accepted it,” Enyowas said.
Amit shook his head. “I really don’t want to see her.”
With a low snarl, Ky sat down in one of the chairs.
Enyowas frowned. “What’s going on?”
Amit stared at Enyowas and Veldi for a long while before he spoke. “I didn’t know any of you were still alive.”
“What?” Veldi asked.
“I—we—would have come looking for you, if we knew,” Amit said.
“I don’t understand,” Enyowas said.
“We were told you—all of you—were dead,” Ky said.
Enyowas frowned, then he understood. “Uncle Denale, he told you we were dead?”
“Yes.” Amit rubbed a hand over his face. “A year after you left, Uncle came home from a trip to North Carolina.”
At the mention of the state, the blood froze in Enyowas’s veins.
“Motherfucker!” Veldi growled.
“He informed us that he’d killed all of you,” Amit said, frowning at their expressions. “But he apparently lied.”
“He lied about killing all of us, but he got Ginni,” Enyowas said, turning away and raking a hand through his hair.
“Wait, what?” Amit asked.
“He killed Ginni,” Enyowas repeated, his gut clenching like it did every time he thought of their little sister. “It was my fault.”
“How is that? Mother’s the one who told Uncle where you were,” Amit said.
Now it was Enyowas’s turn to stare.
“What are you talking about?” Veldi asked.
“Your mother called Denale, told him where you all were,” Ky said.
“That bitch!” Veldi snarled and kicked one of the chairs over. “That is plain fucked up. She got her own daughter killed.”
“She wanted us all dead, and she almost succeeded.” Enyowas paced, trying to wrap his head around everything. How could his mother do such a thing? How could she be so cold, so hateful? He really never understood her attitude toward her children.
Then he stopped moving as it hit him. All this time he’d thought Ginni’s death was his fault, but it wasn’t.
Enyowas looked at his brother—at the anguish on Amit’s face. “I’m sorry.” He wasn’t sure what he was apologizing for—for not realizing Amit was alive and leaving him behind, or for what his brother had lived with, thinking they were all dead?
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” Amit said. “But I am grateful you didn’t take my heart and cut my head off like you did Father.”
Enyowas felt as if he were twelve years old again. “I … I couldn’t do that to you … I.” He’d done that to ensure his father never rose again, as they were supposed to do with all supes, but the idea of desecrating his brother’s body … he hadn’t been able to do it.
“I’m just messing with you,” Amit said and yanked him close.
Enyowas hugged his brother, and then Veldi joined them.
Ky got up and started to slip past them and out of the room when Veldi caught him. “You, too, brother.”
“Get away from me, you perv,” Ky snapped and shoved his arm away.
The office door opened, and Enyowas turned to see his sisters. Tears were streaming down Kayta’s face. “Amit?”
“Kayty-cat,” Amit said.
With a sob, she threw herself at him. “I can’t believe you’re alive!”
“I missed you, too, sis,” Amit said, hugging her back. Kayta sobbed harder, but he just held onto her. Then he looked at Sima with a smile. “You were just a baby the last time I saw you, come here.” He included her in the hug.
When Sima pulled away, she looked at Ky.
“That’s Ky, our other brother,” Enyowas said.
“Hi, Ky,” Sima said and threw her arms around him.
Ky froze.
Enyowas smiled at his obvious discomfort. “You’ll get used to it.” He laughed at the horror that lit his brother’s eyes.
Ky glared at him, but didn’t push Sima away, or Kayta when she let Amit go and went over and hugged him.
Then Kayta looked at Enyowas. “Is it true, Sary’s alive?”
“Yes,” Enyowas said. “She’s hurt really bad, Doc’s got her in a deep-healing sleep.”
“Can we see her?” Kayta asked, and she and Sima both looked at him with hope in their eyes.
“As soon as Doc gives the okay.”
But he didn’t make it far before his phone beeped.
Enyowas waved his sisters on, and slid his cell from his pocket. His footsteps slowed and he stopped. “It’s from Elianna,” he said, his voice trailing off as he read what it said, then reread it. His hands began to shake.
“What is it?” Veldi asked.
Enyowas handed it to him.
“If you want to see Elianna alive, come to this address. Alone,” Veldi read aloud. “Screw that, you aren’t going alone. This is a trap.”
“It is.”
Chapter 27
Enyowas had Kells look up the address which turned out to be an old estate on twenty acres on the edge of the city. “An estate?” he muttered, wondering what the heck Garner was up to.
“It’s owned by an elderly human couple by the name of Dubrinsky,” Kells said, fingers flying across the keyboard.
“Think they’re who Garner was talking about when he mentioned having friends in the city?” Veldi asked.
“No idea, but I don’t like this,” Enyowas said, then glanced at his brothers and Ferno, who were all waiting for him. “The text said I need to go alone.”
“Not happening, brother,” Amit and Veldi said at the same time.
Ky nodded the same.
Ferno grinned. “We just won’t advertise our presence is all. My team isn’t called the ghost team for nothing.”
They kept out of sight of the numerous cameras, and with his brothers, and Ferno’s team covering all the entrances, Enyowas slipped inside the massive sprawling home. He’d caught the scent of death as soon as they arrived, and within moments found the elderly couple. They’d both been slain within the last week.
Under the pungent odor, he caught Elianna’s scent, and followed it. “I’m headed down into the basement,” he relayed to Ferno and his brothers.
The place was old and filled with rooms of various shapes and sizes. What did an old couple need such a place for? As Enyowas made his way past each one, dread curled through his gut, growing stronger and stronger. He didn’t scent anyone else, but that didn’t mean a thing. Obviously he was dealing with someone who could hide their odor, and there were too many hiding places, too many shadows and exits for his liking.
Elianna’s sweet
scent grew stronger, and he knew he was close. He stopped before a set of double doors inset with stained glass. One was closed and the other was opened slightly inward.
He could barely make out the darker form of a male leaning up against the far wall in the shadows.
A single lamp illumined a small portion of the room, enough for him to see that the furniture had all been pushed back out of the way. Why? Was Garner expecting a fight?
A whimper sounded near the shadowy figure.
Genevevia.
Relief filled him that she was still alive, but his eyes were riveted on Elianna.
She sat strapped unconscious to a metal chair in the middle of the room. Her jeans were covered in streaks of blood, and her long-sleeved white shirt was now tattered and filthy, and splattered with crimson. Face bruised, her head lay to one side. Rage surged anew at the sight of her.
With his back to Enyowas, a large male pressed a wicked, curved blade against Elianna’s slender throat.
It took everything inside of Enyowas to contain his anger, especially as his beast raged to be set free on the one who dared to harm their mate.
Though he’d said the words before, the truth of it all finally hit him. Elianna was his mate, he only hoped that she’d accept him when this was all done.
Enyowas straightened his spine. This is what he’d been trained for. He couldn’t afford to lose control and screw up, because he couldn’t lose Elianna.
“Join us,” a voice said, and Enyowas started.
It wasn’t Garner.
“This isn’t Garner,” Enyowas informed his team as he entered the room. He froze and felt like he’d been transported back in time.
Dressed in camouflage fatigues, with blond hair now down around his shoulders, the male beside Elianna was large and menacing. But it was his dark-brown eyes that chilled Enyowas to his very marrow.
“Uncle.” It felt like he was looking once more into his father’s eyes—yet this male had always sent fear to his very soul.
But Enyowas was no longer a small child, though he had no doubt his uncle Denale was still as demented as ever, if not more so. His father’s twin had always taken crazy to another level.
“This is between you and me. Let the females go,” Enyowas said, then let the others know who they were dealing with.
Denale barred his teeth. “No, little boy, I will not. You took something from me, and while I might be able to respect you for having the strength to take out your sire, I want my property back.”
“I don’t know what property you’re talking about, and if you can’t tell, I’m no longer a frightened boy you can cow. In fact—” Enyowas purposely moved closer, keeping an eye on the other figure in the shadows. “I think I can probably take your grizzled, old ass. Why don’t we find out?”
Denale snorted. “You always had big balls, but nah, not interested. I’d much rather sample these two sweet things while you watch. I can smell you on this one.” He leaned in and licked Elianna’s neck. “Yes, she is a juicy one, I’ll enjoy breaking her in.”
“You touch her again, and you won’t be breaking anyone in,” Enyowas said with a deep growl.
Elianna’s eyelashes fluttered, then her eyes opened. She jerked back.
“Sh, love, don’t move. I’m going to get us out of this, all right?” Enyowas said.
As her eyes landed on him, relief filled them. “You came for me.”
“Uh-uh,” Denale said with a tsk. “Don’t move little one, not unless you want me to slice your pretty throat.” Denale licked his lips and grinned again at Enyowas. “Bring my property to me, and I might consider letting one of them go.”
“Enyowas, I overheard him talking, and this is going to be hard to believe, but I think your sister Elsary is alive somewhere,” Elianna said.
“I know, love, she’s safe,” Enyowas told her, not taking his eyes off his uncle. What was the bastard talking about, his property? All they’d taken was money when they left and none of it had belonged to Denale. Then it hit him. Oh shit! “Shabina?”
“I’m here,” she said aloud, walking into the room behind Enyowas like a deadly predator. Like most of those in the EfPP, her body was toned and filled out her black-leather battle gear as if she’d been poured into it. Sheaths and holsters for all her weapons covered her from neck to toe. Over the years her braids had grown longer. At work, she tended to wear them tied back in a single braid adored with sharp hairpins. Enyowas knew they could be used as a weapon if needed.
“Why are you here?” Enyowas asked Shabina.
“I’ve had a bad feeling lately,” Shabina said as she kept her amber gaze on Denale. “I could sense his evil, and knew he was here. Then tonight Kells told me about Genevevia and Elianna, and I knew it was your uncle who’d taken them.”
“That’s some strong priestess mojo you have going on,” he said.
Shabina flashed Enyowas a grin and sauntered over to stand just a few feet away from the male who thought to claim her so many years ago.
Denale’s eyes widened in appreciation and he straightened up, letting the hand with the knife fall to his side. “Finally.” He rubbed the bulge of his green camo pants. “You come with me and I’ll consider letting this little morsel go, maybe even the other one.”
“No, I don’t think so,” Shabina said, circling him, but keeping her distance. “How about this. We fight, and if you win, you let them all go, and I leave with you. If I win, you surrender.”
“Shabina, no!” Enyowas said sharply.
“This is the way it has to be. The way it always had to be.”
“I don’t understand,” Enyowas said. Denale was a brute, and while Shabina could kick ass with the best of them, maybe even more so, he didn’t want to chance it. All it would take was for Denale to get his beefy hands on her—wrap his arms around her.
“Don’t fear, brother, I saw this,” Shabina said. “Denale always underestimated me because I’m a girl. I don’t imagine that’s changed. Besides, this has been a long time coming.”
Enyowas knew that Shabina sometimes had visions, but if she’d seen this, why hadn’t she said something?
“I’d much rather you and I do something else,” Denale said with a sick leer. “But if you want to fight me, we can do that as well.”
“Agree to the deal,” Shabina said, still circling him.
“What do you mean you saw this?” Enyowas asked, ignoring Veldi’s indrawn breath.
“I couldn’t tell you, it had to play out,” she said. “Do you remember my mother’s prophecy?”
“What?” What was she talking about now?
“Remember,” Shabina told him, still circling Denale.
Remember what? The day her mother died?
He remembered that, would never forget it. He’d stood with his brothers as her mother bled out and died from the wounds his father had inflicted upon her body. It had brought tears to his eyes and turned his stomach. Enyowas wanted to look away, and started to do so, but Amit pinched his arm. They were all expected to watch, and not doing so would end in severe punishment.
It was midafternoon and the sun was scorching down on them. The air was dry and dusty, and Shabina had stood a little distance away, so quiet and still. Not a tear appeared on Shabina’s face as her mother, a priestess of the clan they’d been taken from, held her daughter’s gaze. Then, right before she took her last breath, she turned her head and looked straight at Enyowas. Eight words spilled from her mouth that made no sense at all, at least to a young boy, and they still didn’t.
Chapter 28
Enyowas went over that scene from so long ago, trying to figure out what Shabina was telling him. She’d become like another sister, but sometimes she was so damn cryptic, it drove him nuts. Still, it was all he could do to stay still and not leap in and take care of Denale himself. Except if he did, then he’d be putting Elianna’s and Genevevia’s lives in danger.
“I agree to your proposal,” Denale said, watching Shabina. “But onl
y on the condition that Enyowas stays here and doesn’t interfere, no matter what.” A glint of crazy flashed in Denale’s eyes. “I’m not done with my nephew.”
Shabina shot a glance at him.
“No idea.” Enyowas shrugged, then spoke aloud to Denale. “I’ll stay and won’t interfere, but only if you let Elianna and Genevevia leave first.”
“No, they are my insurance policy, my little mice, and as a big cat, I love to play,” Denale said, then glanced over at the male hidden in the shadows. “Son, come guard this one.”
Enyowas tensed as a male he recognized as his cousin, though three years younger, emerged from the dark.
With a full head of sun-kissed brown hair, golden eyes, and an impassive face, Enyowas’s younger cousin, Jager, went to stand directly behind Elianna. Though he stood a good six-two, Jager had none of his father’s bulk, but was instead all lean muscle. Dressed completely in black and sporting his own weapons, he looked every bit the mercenary, or assassin. Was Jager one of the males Ky and Amit had been hunting?
“Take this, and if Enyowas so much as moves, you kill this little leopard.” Denale handed Jager his blade, then approached Shabina.
“This will be some presex fun, little girl, then you and I will go find us a nice secluded spot where we can get down and dirty,” Denale said as they circled each other. “When we’re done, we’ll fetch my sweet little partner in crime and maybe have us a threesome.”
“You always were such a disgusting douche, weren’t you?” Shabina said as she palmed two custom-made blades and prepared to use them.
In the guise of getting out of the way while the two went at it, Enyowas slowly inched down along the wall—closer to Elianna.
Denale was all growling bulk, his punches landed hard and punishing, but Shabina evaded every fist and kick—each body lunge, and grasping hands.
“We’re coming in. We took out another cousin—the one Amit and Ky’s been tracking, along with a stranger who was watching the house,” Veldi informed him.
“Good, but be quiet and mask your scents,” Enyowas said, noting how Jager’s narrowed eyes didn’t leave his father.
Dance With Darkness Page 18
