by Dana Archer
Nadia’s words rush together. From the lack of color in her cheeks to her racing heartbeat, I can’t help but believe her.
I drop my elbows to the table and lean forward. “Tell me everything you know, Nadia. Otherwise, Jarah will be sitting in this chair asking you the same questions.”
Her lips quiver. She licks them and scoots back on her seat until the back stops her. “I didn’t know they’d torture Daegan. They wanted to ask him questions.”
“About?”
“A baby. They said he hid one. That he should’ve delivered two to some guy who lives around here. But he didn’t. He only gave my brother-in-law one to drop off.”
Every muscle in my body tenses with what Nadia is implying. Soren has a brother or sister. Somewhere. My twin’s other child is somewhere out there without me to protect it. “Another baby.”
“That’s what they said.” Nadia shakes her head. “I told Barry not to get involved. That we’d get the money he owes another way.” She waves her arm to encompass the kitchen. “I’m giving them everything I have. If those jerks weren’t charging Barry so much interest, he’d be free and clear already. Now Barry’s dead, and my sister is stuck with his debt. They’ll make Gail pay it too. They’re not going to forgive a fat sum like that.”
The knowledge I was right about Nadia’s connection to Gail Farmer doesn’t satisfy me. I have a bad feeling about where this is going. “Barry owed these shifters who wanted to question Daegan money, didn’t he?”
Nadia dips her head, then stares at the soggy paper towels. “A lot of money. He had a gambling problem. Gail didn’t know about it at first. Not until she pulled up their savings statement so she could plan how long she could be off on maternity leave. The account was wiped clean, and their credit cards were maxed out. They fought. Barry promised he wasn’t going to go to those fights anymore, but he kept going and racking up debt.”
“What kind of fights?”
Nadia grabs the balled-up paper towels and uses a clean edge to dab at the lip of her mug. “Shifter fights. He knew it was wrong. He knew it was hurting Gail. He kept going. He said the adrenaline rush was unlike anything he ever experienced. Better than sex. Better than anything. I wanted my sister to leave him. We have family in Delaware. They’d take us in. Gail wouldn’t hear it. She loved him. They were going to work through their problems.”
“While you helped them pay off their debt.”
Nadia rubs at her nose, then scrubs her hand over her eyes. “I’d do anything for my sister.”
“Even allow shifters to torture a good man?”
Nadia yanks her furious gaze to mine. “I didn’t know they’d hurt Daegan!”
“What exactly did you think they were going to do?” I match her glare. “Ask him nicely where he stashed this missing baby, then be content when he told them to go screw themselves?”
She pushes to her feet and slams her palms on the table, spilling more tea. “They told me if they didn’t find that kid, my sister’s baby would take its place.”
“Daegan’s fingers, his toes, his groin, even the skin off his eyelids was sliced off.” Nadia flinches and covers her mouth, muffling a gag. I lean closer and lower my voice. “He couldn’t fight them either. He was paralyzed. All he could do was lie there while they chopped off his hands, his feet…his head. All but one tiny little section of his spine, Nadia. His pride mate found him. Saved him. No thanks to you.”
On a sob, she pushes away from the table and runs into the living room. I follow her and step in front of her, moving from side to side to block her attempts to run. Finally, Nadia stops.
Hands balled into fists and tears running down her face, she glares at me. “They came after my family! I would’ve taken those monsters out my own way if it wasn’t for Jarah. For him, I didn’t. I was a good girl. He made me promise to be good. I don’t want to be a good girl anymore! Good girls end up alone.”
She pushes past me. I grab her arms, stopping her from escaping. Running won’t save her. “You don’t ever want to break a promise to Jarah. He’ll come after you, your family, everyone and anyone you love, and he’ll make them wish they were never born.”
Nadia shakes her head, her ponytail bouncing around her. “Jarah’s not like that. He’s a…”
“He’s the oldest assassin walking this earth, Nadia.” Shock paints itself across her face. I lean closer and lower my voice. “And he considers Daegan his son.”
Nadia shoves away from me. She’s shaking. Terror leaves her as white as a ghost. She wraps her arms around her. “Is Daegan going to be okay?”
“Yes.”
She swallows hard. “The two lion shifters who kept giving Barry money to gamble with are from the Krisban pride. Single shifters, but they’re conniving little jerks, messed up with a lot of illegal shit.”
“Gail knows they’re shifters?”
Her sharp nod answers me. “I told her. She knows about your world because of me. Jarah saved me when I was little. Chased off a mama bear who was after me. A real bear, not a shifter. I must’ve disturbed her cubs. I don’t know exactly. I was out running wild in the woods like I always did after kindergarten. He took me home then, and my mom recognized him as a shifter. She’s like me. Gail isn’t, though. That’s how it works. The power’s hit and miss. Sometimes it skips generations, whole family branches.”
“What about Barry? Did he know he was gambling on shifters?”
“No.” Nadia wraps her arms around her stomach. “He knew men were getting hurt, though. Really hurt. Yet he kept going back. Lying to my sister. Risking his marriage. And she kept forgiving him.”
I sigh, wishing I’d had these details days ago. Gail wouldn’t have known to confide in me, though. She’s not like her sister. The only way she’d know she was in the presence of shifters is if I’d told her.
“Pack up what’s important to you. You have ten minutes, then we’re out of here.”
“What?” Nadia skids in front of me as I head to the door. “What are you talking about?”
“You’re leaving with me, Nadia. We’ll pick up your sister, then I’m getting you both somewhere safe.”
She stares at me, utter confusion on her face. “Why would you do that? You don’t even know me.”
“I know your sister. She’s under my protection. Looks like you are now too.”
“Know her?” A hint of protectiveness bleeds into Nadia’s voice. She steps closer to me. “How do you know her?”
“Barry and his brother died in my kitchen. They were shot by Krisban males who wanted my nephew.”
Nadia backs up until her back hits the wall. “I’m sorry. My family or yours. That’s what it came down to. My family or yours.”
“And now your family’s mine.” I motion to the room. “Pack up, Nadia. The clock is ticking.”
Thirty-Six
Ilan
With Gail and Nadia safe within the Winchester pack’s borders, I hurry across the living room of the house lent to Sara and me. The urge to hold Soren is overwhelming. I know what the desire stems from. Guilt. His twin is somewhere in the world without him, without me…without Sara.
Cursing, I grip the banister tighter and jog up the stairs. For now, there’s nothing I can do for Soren’s twin besides send a request to Ella to get into that closed file on him. No matter how she has to do it. The only other option is to go to Daegan’s pride leader and demand the information. Somehow I don’t think he’ll suddenly decide to share details with me he’s worked so hard to conceal. Undoing his work legally is my best bet.
In the meantime, other issues demand my attention. Not more important, but just as concerning. Gabriel’s retrieval is paramount for my pack’s survival. We’re nothing without our alpha, even if he’s not quite right anymore. He’s the center of us. I won’t give up on him.
Sara’s musical voice draws me down the hall. I don’t know the name of the lullaby she’s singing, but her tone is soothing. Had I not been so revved by the call I got from
Uri with the details of Gabriel’s retrieval, I’d sit down and listen, letting Sara’s goodness work its magic on my dark soul. I can’t give in to that luxury today.
It’s time to act.
I soak up the image of Sara holding Soren. With her back to me, she’s swaying slowly, rocking Soren, maybe trying to get him to sleep. Any other time, I’d back away and let her comfort Soren. I won’t leave here today without kissing my true mate and looking into my nephew’s eyes.
“You’re the most beautiful woman on this planet, Sara.”
She stops singing and turns to face me. A shy smile enhances her delicate features and the aura of goodness she gives off. “Ilan, you’re home.”
“Yes.” I close the distance between us and press my lips to hers, a chaste kiss. It’s all we have time for. Then I glance into Soren’s face. Sleepy but aware eyes stare back at me. I brush my knuckles over his cheek, the most comfort I can give him right now too. “Not for long, though. There’s activity at the mine site. We’re thinking they’re going to move Gabriel tonight.”
Concern bleeds into her voice. “And you’re going with Shifter Affairs to free him.”
“Yes,” I answer, despite Sara phrasing her words as a statement, not a question.
“Our enemies are going to expect you to go along. It’ll be the perfect opportunity to attack you, and we don’t even know who’s coming for you.”
“You’re right. We don’t, but whoever it is had the perfect opportunity this morning and didn’t take it.” At Sara’s frown, I admit the risk I took. “You asked me to talk to the tattoo artist who was supposed to work on Daegan. I did. Alone.”
Sara’s eyes widen. “But I didn’t mean—”
“You asked me to consider the possibility Jarah might not have my best interest at heart. I wanted to test that theory.”
“By going out to see this woman alone?”
“By telling Jarah what I was planning and asking for directions to her place.” I let Sara see the truth. My trust in Jarah is solid. It was before my trip, and it still is. “He didn’t come after me. He stayed at the hospital with Daegan, exactly as he said he would.”
Sara opens her mouth, then closes it. “I had to consider the possibility.”
“It was a good suggestion. I learned quite a bit by going to see Nadia York.”
“About who attacked Daegan?”
I nod. “And that Soren has a brother or sister somewhere out there. That’s why Daegan was tortured. The Krisban shifters, the same pride of the males who came after you and Soren, think Daegan knows where Soren’s twin is hidden. He doesn’t. He would’ve told me.”
Sara inhales sharply. She glances at Soren. I do the same. He’s watching both of us with an intensity only a shifter baby can possess. He might not understand what we’re saying, but he’s learning. His wolves are helping him. And no doubt he hears our excitement. With our gazes directed at him, there’s a good chance he understands it involves him.
“We’re going to get your twin back, Soren,” Sara promises.
“Of course we will. I’m also going to bring Gabriel home today.”
“While I stay here with Soren.”
“Yes.” I draw Sara and Soren close and wrap my arms around them.
“With Ezra?” Sara looks at me, hope in her eyes. She’s formed a trust bond with the blind feline shifter. No doubt they’ll become good friends.
“And Eli.” The one male who I can say with one hundred percent certainty will not put anyone’s life or wants before Sara’s and Soren’s safety. My order to protect them with his life, if necessary, guarantees it. Well, Eli’s blood oath to me guarantees it. Either way, nothing would stop Eli from carrying out my order, not even his own insanity.
Sara exhales a shaky breath. “So this is it.”
I hold my true mate’s face between my hands. “I will return to you. We will soul-bond. And we’ll find Soren’s twin. I promise you, Sara.”
She holds my gaze for a long heartbeat, then nods. “I believe you, Ilan. And I trust you.”
I kiss Sara, showing her everything I can’t put into words, then I ease back and press my forehead to hers. Breathing slowly, I take in the scents of life—Sara’s and Soren’s. Strength fills me, the kind of power I hadn’t known was possible before innocence came into my life. “This will all be over soon, and then we can build our future together.”
“And it’ll be a happy one.”
“Of course.” I catch Sara’s gaze and grin, hoping to lighten this moment and chase back the anxiety I feel growing within her soul. “With me in your life, it’s the only kind to expect. I am the epitome of joy. I walk into a room and everyone smiles.”
Sara matches my grin. “Only because they know they’re looking death in the eyes and you’re not going to kill them today.”
A laugh shakes my chest, surprising me. “I love you, Sara. More than I thought possible.”
She slips her fingers through the short strands of my hair to the back of my head, then holds me, her gaze never straying from my eyes. “And I love you, Ilan. With everything I am. Everything I will be.”
I nod, then back away from Sara and Soren. The quicker Gabriel is retrieved, the sooner I’ll be able to make good on my promises to Sara.
Thirty-Seven
Ilan
The spot Ella chose on the mountain above the coal mine is high enough to give me a layout of the place, even under the cover of night. With the shots she made everyone take to mask our scents, we won’t risk giving away our location either. There’s only one thing left to do: move. We’re wasting valuable time staring at this valley.
“Do we have a map of the mine?”
Uri nods. “And enough Shifter Affairs’ agents to surround the place in case they somehow get Gabriel past us.”
They’re all trained in missions like this too. These same men got Owen out of the place where he was being kept. Some of them helped free Xander too when he was captured not long ago. I’m surrounded by experts who share my goal. Yet nobody is acting.
“What’s the plan?”
“On the opposite side of the hopper, there are several vans, a mix of humans and shifters, and equipment meant to seal mine entrances.” Uri’s features harden. “Our agents on that side of the mine picked out some of the humans pointing in the direction of the recently sealed areas. They didn’t look happy. We’re too far away to hear anything, unfortunately.”
While I have no concept of what a mine explosion feels like, I’ve seen news coverage detailing blasts that have occurred over the years. “Methane can build up in sealed areas if not properly vented.”
“And methane explodes.” Uri nods. “We need to move.”
Exactly my thoughts. “Then why aren’t we?”
“Ella wants to wait. If they’re retrieving him, she’s going to let them. It’s safer for our people to move after Gabriel’s on the surface. None of her men have ever been in a mine. It’s a different world down there according to some old-time miners I talked to in town. Tunnels where you have to crab-walk through. Others where you have to suck in your chest and shimmy past tight openings. Pitch-black too, without lights. It’s like a living tomb according to those men. And the company running this place doesn’t do a lot to ensure safety. They do the legal minimum or less where they can get away with it.”
And Gabriel’s been down there for years. Alone and unable to shift. I drop to a crouch, the height I’d have to maintain to crab-walk. How high is the section where Gabriel’s been kept? Can he stand? Or see? The thought chills me, stirring my rage and ensuring when I unleash it, I’ll kill with a cold fury. “And if they’re not retrieving him?”
“Then we will. Ella has a mine expert who can guide us via radio to the section where Gabriel’s kept.” Uri hands me a pair of binoculars, then points to a section of land several thousand feet to the left of the sealed mine entrance. “Right there, under the cluster of bushes, is where I felt Gabriel’s presence. According to the map, he�
��s in one of the original sections of the mine that’s been left mostly untouched. Other areas of the mine have been dug out instead.”
“No doubt to avoid the humans accidentally finding him.” I scan the ground with the high-powered nighttime binoculars, moving the viewport from the ground above where Gabriel is being kept to the sealed mine entrance. “At least he’s nowhere near the area they’re calling unstable.”
“Yeah.” Uri crouches down next to me. “Unfortunately, he’s nowhere close to the active entrance either.”
My wolves push at me, announcing the approaching shifter. I glance over my shoulder and collide with Jarah’s gaze. He looks from Uri to me. “Dante sent me over. We’re moving closer. The humans and a couple of the shifters have descended into the mine. Without the sealant materials. Those items are sitting on the surface.”
“Then they’re moving him.”
Jarah nods. “And we need to be ready.”
I push to my feet, feeling the wonderful stretching of muscles as I rise to my full height. When was the last time Gabriel stood?
Years, little brother. Maybe hundreds or thousands. I can’t judge time anymore.
I shake my head, clearing it of the memory. I won’t have any idea how long it’s been since he stood until I talk to my brother again. And I will soon.
Uri’s raw curse yanks my gaze to where he’s standing, overlooking the valley with the binoculars pressed to his face. “The mine’s—”
The ground shakes. A boom echoes in the night, followed by another and another. I rush forward. Flames leap into the night. More explosions follow, one after another, the sounds growing dimmer with each one. I toss the binoculars and run, taking the quickest path down from this mountain.
