Redeem Me (Crimson Pack Trilogy Book 2)

by A Lonergan

  “A distraction to get inside, I don’t know, to look through the maps. To survey the room.”

  An idea popped into my head. “We have to somehow get in there.”

  Archer grinned as he shot up from the recliner. “I volunteer as tribute.”

  “You’ve never even read those books,” Tracey grumbled.

  Archer made a face. “I’ve seen the movies.”

  “Not the same thing,” she sighed.

  “Totally the same thing,” he retorted.

  I rubbed my temples. “What did I tell you all about being in here? This is a place to talk strategy. We can’t afford to be so flippant about this.

  Mav cracked his neck. “Gabriel is right, we have to be ready to either send someone inside and cause a distraction or get a message to Jade.”

  “But that still doesn’t solve the problem of families in danger,” Tracey rolled her shoulders. “We should have brought snacks.”

  My eyes went to the refrigerator behind the bar. Mav shook his head. “It’s empty.”

  “We have been at this for hours.” I ran my hand down my face. “Maybe we will have fresh ideas tomorrow, especially with full stomachs.”

  Archer and Knox practically raced each other out of the war room. Tracey gritted her teeth together. “Children.”

  I couldn’t keep the laugh from bubbling out of my mouth. I shook my head. “Go get some rest and food. Your dad will have my head if you don’t start eating again. You were always the first one in line at dinner, now you hardly show up.”

  Tracey didn’t look at me as she passed. “Why isn’t he here?”

  I didn’t know if it was my place to tell her what her dad planned. “I think he was busy. We have been communicating a lot better lately, so he isn’t here because of us not getting along.”

  She nodded like she knew.

  Gabriel was the last out the door. “Have you been to your home recently?”

  I was about to say something about the Manor when I realized that wasn’t what he was talking about. All I could do was shake my head.

  “You should go there, you’ll want to have your own place when she comes back. Your wolf will push you to have a den ready for her and your future pups.”

  My mother had warned me of that when I told her Jade was my mate. She had told me that I would have a drive to keep my mate safe and have a place for her. I had a home but I hadn’t done much with it. I had stayed at the main house but now I realized he was right.

  “If you need any help with the house or getting it ready, let me know.”

  He was gone after I didn’t say anything. What could I say? How could I go there now? She wasn’t here and there was still a chance that we wouldn’t get her back. And if that happened? I would die anyway. Even though we hadn’t completed the bond, I knew what my fate would be.

  When I had taken my father’s place as Alpha, my mom and my brother both moved into the main house. It was a sign of respect to me. It would be my home now. My mother had no problem giving it up. I couldn’t imagine the pain she experienced with having to live there without him. Her life mate. She would live an immortal life without him. I couldn’t understand or even fathom what that felt like and I never would. Female wolves would live on without their mates, but males couldn’t. I didn’t understand it but it was the way it had always been. Females were needed to raise pups. The females were essential to keeping the pack moving and operating as normal, even if something happened to the Alpha. Which was exactly what my mother had done. She had kept the pack going and without worry while I adjusted into my place. She had always been there for every single member of the pack and I had been nothing but rude to her over and over. I owed her so much.

  I locked up the war room and looked at the well-worn path in the dirt. Some grass had sprouted up in places but for the most part, it was clear. I took a deep breath as I turned down the path to my parent’s home- my home. All of my best and worst memories were here. It was the place I had first transformed, the place I had learned to ride a bike. The home was so full of love that I knew it would choke me as soon as I saw it again.

  Most of the grass had grown up around the white farm-style house in the middle of the cleared acre. If I wasn’t careful, I would have to get a tractor out here. I shoved my hands deep into my pockets and maneuvered around the stickers and weeds before I saw my brother sitting on the front steps.

  “What are you doing here?” My voice came out in a whisper like I would wake spirits if I spoke any louder. Like this place held demons instead of happiness.

  Ford blinked up at me and flipped his ball cap around. “I was just visiting. I needed some quiet. Laura had her twins up at the main house and the crying hasn’t stopped.”

  A smile touched my lips and I sat on the steps beside him. “I’m sure the babies aren’t the only loud mouths around there.” I could just picture my mother barking orders at everyone to make sure Laura was as comfortable as can be. The last baby born at the Manor was four years old now. It would be nice to have new pups to teach.

  Ford sighed and it ripped through my chest. “I was thinking about Dad.”

  I scrunched my nose as emotions flooded me. I didn’t know what to say. We didn’t talk about him with Mom. If you mentioned him in her presence, the pain that would flash across her face was enough to bring you to your knees. “Yeah?”

  Ford smirked. “You don’t have to try to comfort me, I know he was sick.”

  I didn’t want to tell him that I knew it was more than that. An investigation hadn’t been opened to respect my mother. But I remembered his black, cursed blood like it was yesterday. I had no doubt that I would remember it until the day I died.

  I leaned my elbows down onto my knees and shook my head. “I don’t know what to say to you. But yeah, he was sick.”

  “I miss his laugh.”

  He did have an infectious laugh. It rumbled through him like his wolf was amused too. He had such a good connection with his inner animal, I was sure that was the case. “Yeah, I miss it too.”

  “You remind me of him,” He looked away as he spoke, like he was too afraid to share his emotions with me. I leaned over and wrapped my arm around his shoulders. They shook gently. How long had he been coming out here to get away from the pack noise? Is this why Gabriel said something? He had been assigned this area to patrol lately.

  “I will never be as good as Dad was.” It was true. He was the best Alpha we had ever had until the end. He was also the best father. Taking his life had been the hardest thing I had ever had to do besides fight my wolf on turning Jade. That still left a bad taste in my mouth, even if my wolf was content with it. He would have claimed her too, if I hadn’t stopped him.

  “You’ll get there,” When Ford looked up at me, his eyes were shining with unshed tears. “Wanna look inside?” He hooked a thumb over his shoulder toward the front door.

  I nodded my head. If there was anyone I wanted to help me making this shell a home, it was him.

  Chapter 31

  Jade

  As each day passed, I found myself getting closer to the witches. They were prisoners just as much as I was. It was the wolves that I stayed away from. They were cunning and ruthless. Damian had chosen the right humans to change for his army. They were the bad boys I would have flocked to before. But now I didn’t feel that way. I had enough of the bad boys and the trouble. I sat with Sheeva one day when a smaller witch with a limp came barreling into the room. Her mascara was smeared in rivulets down her cheeks and her eyes were wide with panic. Sheeva stood up and grabbed her by the shoulders as I watched a group of wolves follow her in.

  I bared my teeth at them as they circled us. “What’s going on here?”

  “She has something we want,” the man at the front of the pack said.

  I crossed my arms over my chest. “Which is?”

  “Her blood,” he shot me a bloodthirsty smile and everything inside of me turned feral. Nalia rose to the surface as a growl rumbled th
rough my chest. The man’s smile faltered for a second. “Give her to us and you won’t have a problem.”

  I looked behind me at the small girl and I saw red. Her neck was bleeding like they had tried to bite her, and her arms were clawed up. Her scent told me she wasn’t a wolf, but a witch. Something protective rose up inside of me as I turned back to the bloodthirsty wolves. My lips peeled away from my teeth. Who did these bullies think they were?

  The tips of my fingers ached as my claws burst through the skin there. I flexed my hands as I prepared for the fight and as the other witches and wolves in the room took a collective step back, I knew I was alone. Which was fine, I wasn’t going to let these wolves get away with this, especially when almost everyone knew who I was. These were the exceptions I assumed.

  I rolled my neck and shoulders as I smiled. “Well, if you want her, come get her.”

  I didn’t know where the fight inside of me had come from but I had a feeling it had to do with Nalia. They look a look at my eyes and sniffed the air. I had no idea what they had found as their faces paled, but I didn’t care. The first one rushed me and I stuck my hand out in defense. The memory of Knox ripping a heart out was still fresh in my mind. Nalia loved it. She practically purred as I went over the strategy in my head. Before I could change my mind, I swiped my hand up into his chest cavity. The sound of bones crunching filled the room, but I didn’t stop there. I wrapped my fingers around the organ and yanked with all of my strength. The man crumbled at my feet and I threw the heart down beside him even though Nalia was very disappointed that we didn’t take a bite out of it. I knew it would show the others I was more dominant, but I wasn’t entirely worried about that. There were still two bullies coming at me. Dominance would come later, that is, if I decided to care about it.

  I grabbed the other one by the neck and lifted him into the air before my claws pierced his skin and punctured his jugular. I threw him to the ground and went for the next one but he was already gone. He had tucked tail and disappeared.

  “Anyone else?” My voice came out in a growl. “These witches are here to help Damian’s cause, our cause. If anyone of you harms them again, your death will be slow like this one.” I kicked the man choking on his own blood.

  Our cause? I asked Nalia in my head. I hadn’t realized she had taken over until now. Until I felt sick at all the bloodshed. My claws sunk back into my fingers and I tried to wipe the ichor on my jeans. It was caked under my nails. I tucked my fingers into fists and jutted my chin into the sky. The only way out of this was with dignity.

  Damian has to trust us. He will be watching that scene over the cameras. We had to make it believable. Nalia said proudly.

  Damian was lounging on my bed when I came out of the bathroom. Lucas was on his bed, pretending to look at his tarot cards but I knew better. He was hyper-aware of his past love not even ten feet away from him.

  “There she is,” Damian purred.

  I pulled the towel off of my head and tossed it into the hamper. “What do you want?”

  “Our cause remember?” He smiled at Lucas, who now found the ceiling to be rather interesting, rather than the man staring at him.

  I crossed my arms over my chest. I had scrubbed my body until it was raw and I hoped he couldn’t smell the weakness. I hoped he couldn’t feel it in the air. I had vomited until I felt like I was going to blackout and now I had to pretend like I was okay, like I was going to be all right. “Yes, I remember. I told you that I was on your side, didn’t I?”

  He narrowed his eyes and nodded. “Yes, but you have given yourself over to the witches here. You have alienated yourself from the wolves.”

  “Aren’t you a witch?”

  He regarded me thoughtfully. “Yes, but I thought for sure you would ally with the wolves.”

  I shrugged one shoulder up. “What can I say? I’m not very predictable.”

  He hummed. “I suppose. I’m still trying to figure you out, little wolf.”

  “I thought that was what you wanted. I didn’t think you would want me to side with the wolves. You have had me surrounded by them, except my guard and Lucas. But he’s still technically a witch, isn’t he?” I could feel Lucas’s eyes burning into the side of my face.

  Damian smirked. “Yes, I suppose you’re correct. I guess I should have kept you close to the wolves then?”

  “I still can’t guarantee that I would befriend them. They are all rogues here. They have their own pack dynamic that I don’t care to know. I don’t care about their ranks or their dominance or lack thereof.”

  Damian sat up and a curious look passed over his face. “You like to run alone.”

  “I have been alone since I was a child, what’s new? Pack life doesn’t interest me.” Pack life only interested me if it had to do with the Crimson Pack and that was it. I still didn’t know where I fit in there, but I liked how easy it felt. I liked how good everyone was. Except Rafe, he was still complicated and not exactly good either.

  “I like you, Jade Rivers,” he muttered as he walked to the door. “Don’t make me regret that.”

  Chapter 32

  Jade

  Damian’s trust in me meant lots of gifts and the best food that could be made in the cafeteria. I had expected the witches to stay away from me but they embraced me when I finally had the courage to go to them. The wolves had stopped in their tracks and literally bowed down to me when I passed them in the halls or the commons. My throat felt thick with emotion as a massive cookie was placed beside my steak for dinner. The serving lady, that I finally recognized as the one that had brought the cake to my room, gave me a tearful smile.

  “My daughter was the one you saved the other day,” Her voice trembled as she whispered. I bowed my head in response. I didn’t know what to say but I knew the witches felt like they owed me. I didn’t mind either. It would help me, in the long run, to get out of here.

  Lucas was already seated waiting for me. His steak looked pitiful. I switched our trays and took the little one. I wasn’t feeling like myself. Usually, I was ravenous but today, I still felt sick about killing those wolves. I wanted to eat, I really did but every time I looked at the meat, all I saw was their blood on my hands. Instead of eating the steak, I took the cookie and broke it into little pieces.

  “You know he’s watching you, right?” Lucas nodded to my untouched steak.

  “I’m aware, I think I’m sick or something.”

  Lucas scoffed. “Werewolves don’t get sick, silly.”

  I frowned. “We don’t?”

  “You shouldn’t…” He trailed off. “Unless you’re getting sick from being kept from your mate.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Everyone keeps bringing up my mate, but wouldn’t I know it if I had one?”

  Lucas shrugged. “I’ve never had a mate, I wouldn’t know.”

  My shoulders fell. “Why does everything have to be so confusing?”

  Lucas chuckled. “That’s life, baby doll.”

  I wrinkled my nose at the nickname. He had been trying different ones out since we had our heart to heart. I wasn’t really fond of any of them, but he wasn’t going to stop until something stuck. “I am not a doll.”

  He grumbled. “You’re right, you’re not fragile at all.”

  I sat up straight as a thought came to me. I leaned forward and brushed his hair away from his face in a flirty manner and whispered, “I think I have a plan.”

  He raised his brows and leaned closer before he pressed a kiss to the corner of my mouth. “This is dangerous. He’s watching you.”

  “We need a distraction,”

  “Kissing in the middle of the cafeteria will do that.” He smirked as he leaned in closer and licked up the side of my neck. I shivered and felt all the eyes in the room turn to us.

  “We need something more dangerous.” I panted.

  He leaned back in his seat but I stayed poised above the table, like I was waiting for more.

  “Yes, I agree but the timing isn’t right.”
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  I pouted. The only place that there wasn’t surveillance was the bathroom. We had never ventured in there together but this was different. Things were getting more dangerous. Even though the wolves bowed down to me, I could taste their anger. I had taken valuable members of their pack. They would retaliate. I had to be ready. I had to get the witches out of here safely.

  My hands shook as I turned the shower on. Lucas peeled his shirt off as he walked into the room and then closed the bathroom door behind him. “We won’t have much time.”

  I nodded. “Can you find the witches’ families?”

  He shook his head. “I told you that my magic doesn’t work like that. We would need blood from one of the families in order to track the children. I don’t deal in blood magic.”

  I sighed. “But someone can?”

  He pressed his lips together. “My granny can.”

  “But how are we going to be able to get her some blood?” I paced across the tile.

  “We get one of the witches out,” He chewed on his bottom lip. “That’s the only way.”

  I shook my head. “That’s too dangerous.”

  “You’re the one that said all of this would be dangerous.” He shook his head. “You think this is dangerous? Our lives were in danger the moment he brought us here. We will be lucky if we make it out alive, you have to understand that. We might die.”

  A nervous laugh escaped my lips. “We will not die. I won’t let us. I won’t let you die.”

  He shook his head like he had already accepted his impending doom. “Then we will talk with Sheeva, but not right away. She will work with us and the cook. We are going to have to make a massive distraction that might kill someone, do you understand?”

  “They have to know the risks before we involve them,” I pulled my shirt over my head then shimmied my jeans off. We couldn’t come out of this bathroom without the evidence that we indeed showered together. They would be watching. He averted his eyes while I stepped under the spray and scrubbed my hair.