Several tense moments passed as Nova and his protégé stared each other down. Finally, Nova said, “We’ll discuss this later. Every second we waste playing the blame game, the more time Amara’s out there being tortured and who knows what else.” With a centering breath, he held out his hand to take the shirt and its contents.
When his fingers made contact with the fabric, cold and sticky with shed blood, he could suddenly sense only Amara. He only smelled her blood, he only saw her fear, he only felt her pain. She couldn’t move, she was panicked and disoriented, and she was utterly alone. The flash of white hot rage that overtook him was blinding. Nemoy was instantly at his side, pulling him back to reality.
“Did you see anything?” his brother asked warily.
Nova shook his head. “Not in like a psychic kind of see through her eyes kind of way. It was kind of like a dream, gone as soon as I opened my eyes.”
“Did you get anything that might help us narrow things down?” Nemoy questioned.
Nova thought back at the already fading sensation. The mate bond had never been so prominent in his mind before. Was that how it was supposed to feel all the time? He wanted to be elated that maybe he might be getting the hang of it, but a small nervous part of him suspected that it was only so strong this time because Amara was going through something especially traumatic. He’d worry about the how later. Right now, all that mattered was getting his mate.
All he could settle on was the searing pain of his anger. “Nothing much. She’s hurting and scared. I think it’s finally safe for everyone to assume that Kal has something to do with this,” Nova amended, finding that talking about the experience out loud calmed him to normal proportions.
“How can you be so sure?” Jaden asked, speaking for the first time. “Wouldn’t she have the same reaction to any of the Valley wolves? We may have won the war by official standards, but they scattered when they found out their Alpha had perished. Who’s to say many won’t strike out on their own and act independently?”
Nova shook his head. “You remember how she looked the night of our wedding, Jaden. That terrified look was one that only years of trauma could produce. Amara doesn’t fear easily. This entire trip, I haven’t felt fear from her from any of the wolves except two. Callahan, of course…”
“And any time Kal was mentioned, I’m sure,” Nemoy finished.
Nova nodded. “Yep. A reflexive fear that she probably didn’t even know she’d expelled.” He looked back to Jaden. “That’s what I felt from her just now, but one million fold. He’s there, nearby, terrifying her and bleeding her.” He tried to keep the already rising heat out of his voice as he spoke.
“We just need to figure out where ‘there’ is,” Nate said.
“Well for starters, where did you get all of this?” Nova asked Callum, indicating the mount of Amara’s belonging.
“All over,” the young wolf replied.
“Everywhere,” Nate said at the same time. “It was scattered like some sort of weird scavenger hunt. We figured it was intentional after her shirt and two of the knives were found in all different locations, plus hairs and who knows what else is still out there that we haven’t found yet.” Nate rubbed his arm in discomfort. “It appeared that someone, possibly Kal Vann, is trying to intentionally spread Amara’s scent as broad as possible, so we can’t pinpoint where he’s taken her.”
“But to go this far,” Nemoy interjected, “It’s safe to assume that he’s still in the compound. That’s good; it means he’s not too far or travelling right now.”
Nova looked around, “That’s not really great news considering there are nearly a hundred houses hear, too many unoccupied to check quickly.”
Nemoy nodded. “It won’t be quick, but in order to finish eventually, we have to start first.” He sighed. “I’ll go ahead and change back. Callum, Ian, you two should do the same. Spread the word. No house goes unchecked.”
Nemoy looked out at the small group that had already formed around them. “Amara is captured and locked away somewhere on this compound. Let’s find her and go home.”
Chapter 20
It had been hours since the search began. The pack combed through abandoned house after abandoned house, and even uprooted the homes of some of the Valley families to make sure they weren’t hiding Amara’s whereabouts. All to no avail.
Nova was exhausted and exasperated. His arm was throbbing; his mind was worn and torn from hour upon hour of stress, panic, and worry for his love. She was still out there waiting, expecting for him to come to her rescue at any moment. And yet, he’d gotten nowhere in pinpointing her location. In a fit of rage, he roared his anger to the sky, toppling a nearby garbage bin. It practically exploded on the stone walkway, shooting shards of plastic bin and glass bottles in every direction. Nemoy, dodged a stray burger wrapper after he rounded the house he’d just morphed to man behind.
He sighed, taking in Nova’s disheveled display. “Aren’t you supposed to be the brother that’s good under pressure?”
“She’s everything I live for, Nemoy,” Nova said, all the fight practically drained out of him and replaced with fatigue.
“I understand that completely, which is why you’re not going to like what I say next, but I promise you it’s in our best interest,” Nemoy warned. He made sure his beat little brother was looking directly at him before he continued, “Let’s take a break.”
Nova bristled almost immediately. “Nemoy—”
“You told me that when we were training Amara for the war, her fear clouded her sense of focus and dwindled her mental fortitude to nearly nothing. Doesn’t that sound exactly like what a certain Beta wolf is doing right now?” He paused, making sure Nova comprehended his point. “Only after a much needed rest did she gain the focus and drive to find something worth fight for, which in turn motivated her to hone her skills to a degree that impressed you. That’s what we need to do right now; go back to the guesthouse, make some coffee, maybe eat something small, and bump heads with the others. Maybe they found more of Amara’s items for you to use the mate bond on.”
Given that Kal was taking her clothes off to provide these items, Nova sincerely hoped that there was nothing else to find. “We don’t have the time,” Nova retorted.
“Running around in circles while you’re loopy and barely there will waste more time than lunch would,” Nemoy reassured. “Come on, brother. You need to be in as best a mindset as possible if you want to get in a punch or two before taking Kal into custody.” He smirked at Nova as he spoke.
Nova planned to do a whole lot more than a punch or two. He’d be lucky if he made it off the compound alive. He sighed, accepting his fate. “Okay, brother,” Nova breathed. “A small meal. Thirty minutes tops. Then we resume the search.”
Nemoy nodded, jogging over the Callum as he loped on all fours out of one house and towards another. “Soldier, do you remember the reconvene howl?” Callum huffed and dipped his large head in a single nod. “Good, go to your Unit guesthouse and make the alert, we’re taking a short meal break to recharge.”
The large search party barely fit in the open kitchen, dining area, and living room floorplan as they chatted and cajoled over a light lunch. Some elected to stay outdoors, the mild valley breeze a welcome change of pace from the mountain’s sharper winds. Nemoy, Nova, Callum, Nate, and Ian were all standing around the island nursing hot mugs of coffee and simple sandwiches.
Nova had to admit, with every bite of his food or sip of caffeine, he was more inclined to agree that this break was much needed. Already he could feel the tension that sang in his body earlier beginning to melt away. Even his battered arm was starting to feel slightly less terrible. As he looked across the island, he could still see abject guilt clouding Ian’s eyes and Nate was finding it hard to be his usually cheerful self. He’d have to apologize to them both for his behavior earlier in the day after they found Amara and finished their business in Valley territory.
A large thump sounded from be
low, and a few nearby wolves chuckled. Nova overheard one of them say, “You think Iso’s kickin’ that old geezer around down there?”
Another barked a dry laugh. “Serves him right. He’s nothing but traitorous scum.”
“Never liked that Isiah,” a third chimed in.
“Hey,” Nate began, “why didn’t we invite Iso up for lunch?”
Nemoy shrugged. “He’s only down in the basement. If he wants to join us, I’m sure he can hear us moving around.” He took another big bite of his sandwich.
Nova opened his mouth to speak, but Callum’s constipated expression cut him short. “Something wrong kid?”
Callum looked up at Nova in surprise. “Oh! Um, no, sir. I mean, I don’t think so… I’m not sure, actually…”
“What’s up kid?” Nate prompted, bumping him with a friendly elbow.
Callum worried the crust on his sandwich. “Well, it’s just um…” He took a deep breath, and boldly met Nova’s eyes as he exhaled. “Sir, I’m pretty sure that Iso left with the unit that returned to our compound earlier today.”
The entire party at the island froze.
“I didn’t hear anything of this,” Nemoy spoke, the beginnings of alarm evident in his voice.
Callum shook his head. “That unit was all last minute, self-formed and already departed before you two returned here. They didn’t have time to pass it up the chain of command, especially if the fleeing Valley wolves decided to take their anger out on Strathford or our hom—”
“Are you absolutely certain that Iso was in that party,” Nova barked, quiet, but fierce.
Callum visibly paled. “I… well, I think…” He physically shook the nerves away, and once again met Nova’s glare. “Yes, sir. Absolutely. Whoever’s in the basement, it’s not Iso or Isiah.” It was clear in Callum’s eyes who he actually thought was down there, and the possibility of it made Nova’s blood run cold.
The silence stretched long and tight over the kitchen island before Nova moved to leave, dropping his half-eaten sandwich haphazardly on the countertop as he departed. “Don’t follow me.”
“Like hell I’m not,” Nemoy countered.
“I’m going, too,” Nate added. Callum nodded in agreement.
“No,” Nova bit back heatedly. “Kal is seriously messed up right now, and he has my wife hostage. If we charge an army of wolves down there and it is in fact them, we’d all be putting her in danger. I’m not going to take that risk. Just stay here.”
“As I said, Nova, like hell,” Nemoy repeated. “I’m not letting you waltz down there busted arm and all and go toe to toe with a completely mental wolf that has held a personal grudge against you for as long as I can remember.” Nova pleaded silently with his eyes, but Nemoy was having none of it. “If you won’t accept my answer as your brother, accept it as your Alpha. I’m going with you. End of discussion.” He turned to Nate and Ian. “Keep things quiet up here while we go check what’s bumping around.”
Nate nodded. “Howl if you need help,” he replied, watching the two brothers with a concerned look at they left.
The entrance to the basement was outside about half way into the lawn. The doors lifted upward out of the ground, where a steep set of stairs descended into the hallway that would lead to a few rooms closed off directly under the house.
They crept down into the dank darkness of the underground hallway in soundless movement and Nova made sure to keep an ear strained in case he got a clue of what they were up against.
Sure enough, another thump sounded out in one of the enclosed rooms. Underground on the same level, it was more of a scrape against the cement floor, than a slam against something, the noise much louder than when he was standing in the kitchen.
There was another, smaller scraping noise followed by the distinct sound of heavy footfalls. But it was what Nova heard next that chilled every fiber of his being.
“Why the fuck won’t you listen!” Kal’s cruel voice shouted, the words predicated by the loud slap. The harsh noise bounced off the cement walls in a harrowing echo. “If you honestly think I can’t find other ways to have some fun while your useless band of dogs wanders around upstairs, keep trying me, Princess. I dare you.” His voice was manic, dangerous, and too far gone to put Nova at ease.
His heart hammered in his chest, and he could barely focus on anything aside from quieting his frantic breathing. Amara was here. She was right here. All this time, right where they’d begun. It was downright comical when Nova thought about it, and in his mental hysterics it took effort to keep from laughing out loud at the situation.
As he took another silent step forward, the scrape and thump from earlier sounded again, but this time the scrape elongated and there was a long pause before something heavy slammed the floor, clattering loudly as if it had fallen over.
“God damn it!” Kal’s frenzied voice roared. “Are you fucking insane? Do you want me to hurt you some more? Is this what you want?” Amara’s muffled raw and terrified shriek rattled the stone walls of the basement and shivered through Nova’s body to resonate painfully in his heart.
Before Nemoy or reason could stop him, Nova launched himself forward, tearing open the basement door with a feral wrath that he couldn’t contain any longer.
Chapter 21
Amara didn’t know how long she’d been trapped in the room with Kal. Had it been an hour? A day? Longer? She didn’t know if anyone else had survived the war, or if she was even still on the compound. She didn’t know why he tortured her, first with her own knives, then his own. She didn’t know what he did when he left the room with her bloodied shirt, knives, and the handful of hair he’d torn from her head. She didn’t know how much longer she’d be able to remain conscious or sane in this eternal prison. She didn’t know much of anything anymore except pain.
Cuts and gashes marred her arms and chest where Kal bit into them with the tip of his knife. He’d relished in her screams of agony for what felt like an eternity now, and when she was finally too exhausted to scream, her throat too raw and swollen to make even the smallest of sounds, Kal would stop just long enough for her to regain a sliver of hope that maybe he could be reasoned with. And then he’d slice her again.
Amara was only certain of a few things:
She would die in this cell.
No one was coming to save her.
Contrary to her original thought, this was nothing like the Second Trial.
The Trials were scary, important, and influential, but they were fake. They were fabricated illusions that played with the mind and felt real, but ultimately she was always safe, never in any harm’s way. When the Kal in the Trials carved into her skin, it hurt like hell, but she knew, somewhere deep in the back of her head that all she had to do was hold on a bit longer and it would be over soon. Now, as she fought to ignore the stinging pain of the wounds spread across her skin, she knew with an absolute sense of powerlessness that the pain would never go away.
Where she could muster up the courage and confidence to trick Kal with seduction in the Trials, she could barely keep her heavy lids open from fatigue. But she didn’t dare try to sleep anymore. The cuts got deeper when she fell unconscious. Her body trembled against her will in fear, exhaustion, and maybe the beginnings of shock. There was no way she’d be able to pull off ‘sexy’ by any stretch of the imagination.
And even if she could… this Kal, the Kal that paced hungrily and restlessly from one edge of the cell to the next, he was so far beyond talking to that she honestly wasn’t sure why or how he hadn’t accidentally killed her yet. He was still cruel and cold, but his lunacy had multiplied after his father publicly shunned and abandoned him. Something deep inside of Kal Vann had broken, and there was no amount of seduction, negotiation, or coercion that would get Amara out of the chair she was bound to.
Caught up in all of her fears of the trials becoming a reality, Amara had made the grave mistake of forgetting that real life could be so much worse. She wasn’t strapped to this chair to pr
ove her love for Nova, she was simply there because Kal wanted her to be. She wouldn’t earn the right to marry the man of her dreams by breaking free this time. In fact, she’d likely get killed trying to loosen the chains.
Even if she did manage to break free, to what avail? There was nothing to gain, no motive, no lesson learned. The sun would rise in the east and set in the west, Kal would go to the Tribunal and likely be sentenced to death, and she’d still be forever influenced by the trauma he’d forced her to endure. In the Trials, she could justify her actions and write them off as fiction, but she’d never be able to justify the way her fingers couldn’t stop trembling or the saliva that dribbled down her chin with blood after he struck her.
Every cut would become a new silver scar on her body, another reminder that she’d allowed Kal Vann to commandeer her life after making a vow to put that chapter behind her. Even if she were to walk away from this, the manacles would never leave her wrists. She’d be forever bound to Kal Vann, his traumas, his abuse, his obsession of her.
She’d always be the visual manifestation of her most detrimental failure.
Maybe her inevitable death was for the best after all.
Amara sat slumped and defeated in the metal chair for another eternity, silently wishing for death with every rise and fall of her chest. As she contemplated forcing Kal’s hand to hopefully end things quickly, she thought she heard something faint like humming or buzzing coming from the ceiling. At first, she thought she might finally be going into shock, but then Kal paused his perpetual circuit around the small cell to look up at the ceiling as well.
He looked back to Amara, then back up to the ceiling. “Huh, they’re back sooner than I thought.” He grinned with too many sharp teeth flashing. “Maybe they already gave up on you. You’re just human, after all.” He glanced at something in his pocket. “Ah speaking of…” He made his way back over to her, and without delay, she slid the knife effortlessly over her shoulder. Her mind was too busy analyzing the words he’d just spoken to react.
Mountain Wolf Protectors Complete Series: Books 1 - 4 Page 42
