Redeem Me (Crimson Pack Trilogy Book 2)

by A Lonergan

  “He will find me again, I can’t leave.”

  Micah’s face fell. “He will not get to you again, do you understand me?”

  I couldn’t look him in the eye. He had think I was so weak. He had to think I wasn’t a wolf anymore. What kind of wolf felt this way? Not a brave one, not a good one. I wrapped my arms around myself and turned back toward the cell. Micah could get out and I would stay. It was what had to happen. I had to protect my friends.

  “Listen to me, if I come out of here without you, I will not make the trip back to the Pack Lands. Do you understand me? Rafe will murder me himself. He entrusted me with this.” He lifted my chin with his finger. “He entrusted me with you. You are all that matters right now. We aren’t afraid of Damian. We will cross that bridge when we get there. Right now, your friends are putting their lives in danger above us so I can get you free.”

  A realization smacked me in the face. “Lucas is still up there.” I turned toward the stairs that led up to the chaos.

  Micah shook his head. “Definitely not. You are the only one that matters. Do you hear me?”

  I gulped. “I don’t care. If we don’t get Lucas, I don’t go with you. He put his life in danger as much as all of you have. He is probably worried sick about me.”

  Micah clenched his jaw as he considered. “You’re really going to be stubborn about this?”

  I crossed my arms over my chest and ignored the pain running through my body. I could get through this. We could get through this. I just had to be a little stronger for a little longer. “I will die on this hill.”

  Micah sighed before he shook his head. “If this entire operation goes down the toilet, I’m going to make sure Rafe knows it was you that botched this job.”

  I shrugged. “So be it.”

  Chapter 51

  Jade

  The steps were a different kind of torture. My body screamed in protest with every single step. Somehow I managed to swallow back my sobs as we took them one at a time. Based on Micah’s wolf hearing, there were no wolves at the door. There was a commotion on the other side of the property. It sounded like a fight but he couldn’t be sure. It was enough of a distraction. We took a left at the top of the stairs and went straight for the rooms. My head spun but somehow I managed to stay upright. Micah kept his fingers on my elbow to keep me steady.

  The hallways were quiet but there was surveillance in this part of the estate. If we weren’t careful everything would go wrong very fast. Micah said we had to look like he was escorting me back to my room. It was the best and only plan we had.

  When he opened the door and shoved me through. Lucas immediately jumped on him. He hit him over the head with the chair leg and Micah sprawled to the floor. My vision swam and I took a dive sideways.

  “Shit,” Micah grumbled from the floor. “I knew it was a mistake to come back for him.”

  Lucas grumbled something under his breath while he picked me up from the floor. The pain was too intense in my stomach to think of anything else. The room around me was a blur.

  “We came back for you before Micah broke me out,” my voice came out in a slurred mess. I pressed my hand against my stomach and I watched in horror as I realized it was soaked through and my hand came back red.

  Micah swore again. “I didn’t know it was still fresh. He must have used wolfsbane to cut her open.”

  Before I knew what was happening, I was being scooped up into someone’s arms and my eyes shuttered closed. “Don’t leave Lucas behind.” I breathed before it all went dark.

  The pain in my stomach was what brought me back to consciousness. I didn’t know how much time had passed but I did know whoever was carrying was running for their life. There were shouts and growls then an explosion behind us. My head hustled this way and that. With all the movement I couldn’t make out what was going on and I didn’t have enough control over my body to hold my head still throughout it all.

  “What’s happening?” I didn’t know if the words even passed my lips until Lucas looked down at me. He was the only thing I could focus on. His face was pained and his teeth were gritted together.

  “Damian isn’t very happy about us taking his property.” Lucas grimaced.

  “Where’s Micah?” I didn’t know how I was even speaking legibly.

  “He’s holding them off for us,” Lucas squeezed his eyes closed as his body jerked like he had been hit.

  “I can walk.”

  He tightened his hold on me. “Like hell you can, your wounds are weeping blood and you smell sick. If you don’t let me get you out of here, all of this will be for nothing. We are not dying today, Jade.”

  I could see it on his face that each step hurt him but he continued anyway. There was another explosion behind us and Lucas grinned. “I think our pack is excited.”

  I closed my eyes again but this time I listened to all the commotion around us. My wolf instincts and abilities weren’t back to full force but I was trying. The commotion was deafening. There were pops and cracks of wolves transforming, electricity crackling in the distance, and subtle cries and grunts of pain.

  “I have only transformed once, but I don’t know what else to do.” My eyes snapped open. There was no way Lucas could transform into his wolf with all the wolfsbane we had been consuming. He pressed his lips together as his eyes looked around us. We were still on Damian’s property but at least we were out of the actual building.

  I shook my head against his arm. “No, we won’t make it if you do that.”

  “No one is on our trail, it will only take a minute.”

  Before I could protest, he was laying me on the grass and stripping his clothes off. A tear slid down my cheek as his bones cracked and popped out of place. This could very well be the last time we saw each other. I couldn’t transform with him. His brown eyes locked onto mine. “You’re going to have to get onto my back as soon as I am a wolf. Do not hesitate.”

  I got up into a crouch, even though my body hated me for it. His face elongated into a snout as chocolate fur rippled and rolled over his skin. He fell forward onto his hands and knees before a howl ripped from his lips. Right before his tail extended from his backend, I jumped onto his back. I threaded my fingers through the fur at the base of his neck and he jumped forward. Agony shot through my middle but I didn’t ease my grip on him.

  Heat at my back made worry course through my body but I didn’t pay it any mind and neither did Lucas. Was Micah back there? Was he going to make it out okay? I squeezed my eyes closed and pressed my face into Lucas’s furry back. He smelled like a new kind of home to me. Like pine needles and hot cocoa. Like safety and love. A different kind of love I had never experienced before. Tears pricked at my eyes again but I pushed them back. I had to keep a level head throughout all of this. We couldn’t afford my emotions right now. All that mattered was getting to safety then I could fall apart afterwards.

  The wind whipped my hair away from my face and shoulders as we zoomed forward. Lucas’s heart raced beneath my hands. His rapid breathing matched my own. Sweat slid down my temples as he leapt into the sky then landed hard. I could barely feel the pain in my stomach as I felt my consciousness slip again. I blinked my eyes rapidly to stay awake. Lucas growled and I was abruptly brought back to reality. He must have sensed me slipping again.

  I rubbed my fingers back and forth in his fur to let him know I was still awake. His responding purr sent a wave of comfort through me. When he came to a halt, I picked my head up from the warmth of his body. Two wolves were waiting for us on the other side of the path. One had a gray streak through his black fur and the other was pure white with a black spot over its eyes. They growled together before they slinked forward. I went to slide off of Lucas’s back when he bucked me back on. We would do this together. I swallowed hard as the wolves circled us. Their heads were low to the ground while their fur on the back of their neck stood up in the air. This wasn’t good.

  The scent of my blood was still pungent. I couldn’t f
ight with Lucas or I would die out here. I couldn’t risk it with the wolfsbane keeping Nalia down. My fingers sunk deeper into Lucas’s fur before he pounced. The other wolf didn’t see it coming and dove to the dirt. It was exactly what Lucas had wanted him to do. We soared over the black wolf. Lucas didn’t let up his pace as we continue to run. How much farther? My stomach clenched with a dull ache and I knew I didn’t have much time. Would I actually live through this? Was it all for nothing?

  Lucas tossed his head over his shoulder to look at me but his eyes didn’t meet mine. They looked at something beyond me. A howl split the air and I turned around just in time to see Micah covered in wolves while he transformed back into his human form. He continued to slash with his claw extended hands but it meant nothing when one of them wrapped his teeth around Micah’s neck. His shoulders slumped as he fell to the ground and my heart went down with him. His eyes glistened with tears as he saluted us before the wolves completely covered him from our sight.

  Chapter 52

  Rafe

  Ford stood next to me on the steps to the Crimson Manor. His stance mirrored my own. His face probably showed more emotion than mine did, but for some reason, I knew it was because he was more worried than I was.

  My brother didn’t know my Guardians like I did. He didn’t know their fighting routine or how serious they could be when it mattered. They knew what to do when the going got tough. I trusted no one more with my mate’s safety.

  Tracey would die before she let anything happen to her friend. I squeezed my eyes closed as the minutes ticked by. I felt useless. I was more than useless but I had promised I would stay behind so they didn’t have to worry about me too. After all, it was a trap. I couldn’t get caught up in that. My pack needed me. My mate would need me. My family needed me. I couldn’t do anything rash even though everything inside of me was screaming to go there and rescue her myself.

  Ford touched my arm gently. “Don’t worry, they’ll bring her back.”

  The scent of steaks cooking inside made me nauseated. Usually, I could tear up a kitchen right now when I was anxious like this but there was too much at risk.We had never had a mission this important before. Yes, they were all important in their own way. We had saved children. We had liberated Granny from a toxic coven. We had done so much good, but this was different and I hated every second I had to wait. I couldn’t even check in on them.

  I shoved off of the front steps and paced across the worn dirt path. “At that rate, you’re going to have a tunnel to China.” My mother’s voice usually brought me comfort and peace but not today. I didn’t listen to her as I walked back and forth. I rubbed the back of my neck as I watched the drive. It was too late to be up and really past Ford’s bedtime. He liked to complain and object to having one, but he was still a grouch without sufficient sleep. He did well on pack nights but not if his wolf didn’t get a good run in.

  “There’s no point in waiting out here,” my mother’s voice trembled. “You’re going to get sick.” I loved that she tried to be the traditional mother to me even though our bodies could withstand frigid temperatures. “You’re going to get heartsick.”

  This time I looked up and the expression on her face almost brought me to my knees. All of her pain from losing her mate was right there in her eyes. All of that pain was because of me. My wolf perked up in my head and whined. He was usually the vicious side of me. He fought first and asked questions later. He was the reason I had a pair of Jade’s panties shoved in the bottom of my sock drawer. He was the irrational one who liked to hunt our prey and our mate. But today, he felt remorse over what we had to do for our pack. He felt just as terrible as I did.

  So I climbed the worn steps and wrapped my arms around her shoulders. I pressed a quick kiss to her forehead and blinked back the growing moisture in my eyes. Maybe this time I could put it all aside for someone else. Someone that had absolutely nothing to gain from my pain. She sighed contently before she patted my back. “You remind me of him every day.”

  I knew she meant before he got sick but a little voice in the back of my head reminded me that if I got sick, I would have to be put down too. If something happened to Jade, I wouldn’t be far off from where my father left off.

  I had managed to wolf down most of my steak when the sound of tires on gravel had me flying out of my chair. Ford and my mother were right on my heels. The rest of the pack was sound asleep. I imagined Granny was still awake, I didn’t think she ever slept, but she was nowhere to be found. She would come out when she was ready. She would assist when needed but she had little minds to tend to.

  Tracey’s car was the first one in the drive. Behind her was Mav on his motorcycle and Archer’s SUV. No other motorcycle pulled forward. I rushed to the side of Tracey’s vehicle and pulled the door. The way it groaned I imagined it flying through the sky. I didn’t care one bit what happened to this car. I could scent my mate and rot in the air. She was all that mattered. My wolf came up to the forefront in my head. His grumble vibrated my chest. He was ready to fight for our mate.

  No need, bud. She’s in good hands now.

  The seats in the back of Tracey’s car had been ripped out and the floor had been assembled in a makeshift bed. A wolf that hardly fit in the car was nuzzled around her head like a lap cat. I ignored the unfamiliar wolf if he was civil in the car. Most wolves couldn’t stand being in their wolf form in such a small space. I didn’t know how the massive oaf survived it. Until I really looked down at my mate.

  The world around us faded. Everything was happening so fast but through my head, it was in slow motion. Jade’s shirt was gone and all that covered her chest was a thin strip of fabric. A little pair of shorts was stretched over her backside. Deep cuts marked up and down her legs in a grotesque fashion. But the worst of it was the deep, jagged ‘D’ in the center of her stomach. Blood and infection poured from the wound. I reached forward but someone slapped me away.

  It took a moment for the sounds to rush back to me. The wolf by Jade’s head was growling. Tracey was screaming something about needing Granny. Knox was being carried from Archer’s backseat and my mother was shouting orders to the rest of the pack as they emerged from their homes to see what all the fuss was about.

  “Bring her to my home,” my words halted everything else. “I have a room for her there.”

  It wasn’t much but it was quiet and away from the prying eyes of the pack members. Tracey got back in the car as I ordered Archer to do the same. Knox would be brought back to my house too. It was the best I could do. The infirmary had been prepared for whatever outcome but I couldn’t allow them to go there. I couldn’t stomach it. My wolf ripped through my skin. The trees flashed by as I outran their vehicles. I managed to make it to my house before them and pulled my clothes out from the wooden steps. My dad had designed the house like that. All around the porch there were little airtight compartments to keep clothes and shoes in case a shift came on unexpectedly. I shoved my legs into a pair of loose-fitting boxers as Archer’s car skidded forward. This time Knox pushed the door open and collapsed beside it. Mav was next to him in a matter of seconds.

  I pointed to the front of the house that had been left unlocked. “First door, down the hall, on the left. There’s a twin bed in there and bandages in the nightstand.”

  Knox grinned at me as the boys helped him up the steps. “You missed a good fight, buddy.”

  “Next time I’ll fight by your side,” I pressed my hand into his shoulder as they passed. Blood spotted his naked skin but I couldn’t tell if it was fresh or not. It smelled like his but he seemed to be healing alright as he walked up the stairs. Tracey’s car took a few seconds to slide beside Archer’s. Her face was grim and there was blood splattered on her fighting leathers. From what I could see and smell, she wasn’t injured but she had done a lot of killing. The scent of death clung to her skin.

  The same wolf stayed curled up at my mate’s side. I looked at Tracey as I bent forward and tried to think of the best way to
retrieve my mate. Mav was back beside me in no time. His big bushy brows were pulled together on his forehead and sweat slid down his temples. “What do we do?”

  “I’m going to hand her to you,” I whispered as I climbed into the backseat carefully. He nodded before he stood up straight. A yell made the hairs on the back of my arms stand up.

  Mav pressed his lips together with a grim expression. “He was shot with bullets laced with wolfsbane. Knox will be fine, but having to cut through his skin to get them out won’t be fun. For any of us.”

  I nodded my head once then began to scoot my mate’s body from the car. Tracey watched beside Mav with a pale face. One of her hands was pressed to her lips. I didn’t know how I managed it but after a few painstaking minutes, I had Jade in Mav’s arms. As soon as I was free from the tiny backseat and the wolf hopped out, Mav gave Jade back to me immediately.

  It was like muscle memory from the night she had curled herself around me after that painful shift. She winced as we climbed the steps and I wondered the kind of person and wolf she would be after all of this.

  My wolf whined in my head but somehow it escaped outside my body. A howl itched at the back of my throat. All I wanted to do was fix her immediately but even if it was possible for her body, it wouldn’t be for her mind.

  Chapter 53

  Rafe

  Granny had managed to get most of the wolfsbane out of Jade’s system with an IV and a little magical help. Granny had been a nurse in another life before she met Tracey’s grandfather. She had saved lives with her magical knowledge and her medical skills. When we were little we would sit around in her cottage to listen to all the stories of all the lifetimes she had lived. She especially loved being a nurse in the Second World War. She had hated the destruction, but she had loved how many she had saved and helped. She didn’t mind being on the frontlines if it meant saving people. She had left in the dead of the night when Jade’s vitals had evened out.