For now, it was enough.
He closed his eyes, concentrating on the tiny thread of darkness. A gentle tug in his chest pulled him north, and his eyes popped open. With a vicious grin, he headed toward the door at a run. “I know how to find her.”
Chapter Twenty-four
Tyson entered the room with his posse following a pace behind, hatred oozing from him as he locked eyes on her. Annora reached behind her, grabbed the hand of the first guy she rescued and brought it up to her throat, holding him to her neck. “If you take another step, he will rip my throat out.”
To her surprise, the threat worked.
Everyone in the room stopped.
The guy behind her stiffened, and she gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. “While you could possibly get away with killing everyone else in the room, you were given strict orders to keep me alive.”
Tyson narrowed his eyes on her, one side of his mouth kicking up in a nasty smile. “We might not be able to kill you, but that doesn’t mean we can’t mess you up.”
The hands around her throat tightened, the guy behind her dragging her snug against him. “Take another step and she dies.”
The wolves stopped, indecision clear on their faces, and she jumped on the hesitation. “If I die, the symptoms of the drug will only worsen. Taking too much of the drug leads to madness. The drug is a craving, an addiction you won’t be able to beat. You’ll already do anything for your next hit. Part of the drug contains a poison that has been slowly infecting more than your body. It’s infecting your beasts, too.
“Bullshit.” Tyson snorted at the absurdity. He took a threatening step toward her when one of his lieutenants blocked his way.
“Wait!” The lieutenant angled his body so he could keep an eye on both sides of the room. “I want to hear what she has to say.”
A couple of the other men nodded and edged forward. They didn’t look so hot—eyes feverish, clammy skin, skeleton-thin, their hair greasy and limp. They were weak, their beasts unable to filter out the poisons as fast as the others’.
They were dying.
And they knew it.
“While the drug gives you a boost, it’s also a poison, and it’s slowly killing you. It was never meant to be consumed. But it’s not too late. I can force the drugs out of your systems.” She ignored Tyson—the man too lost in the euphoria of the drugs to listen—and focused on the others. “I can give you a second chance.”
“She’s lying.” Tyson yelled, spittle flying.
“I can prove it,” she blurted out when a few of the wolves looked doubtful.
Everyone froze.
She tapped the arm wrapped around her neck. “What’s your name?”
“Giles.” His voice was rough…rusty.
“I can—”
“No.” His thumb brushed against her throat in comfort and threat. “You need me here to protect you.”
But she was already shaking her head. She needed him. He was the strongest, the only one she might be able to heal in her weakened state. Annora glanced around at the others, her gaze stopping on Vicki. “If things go wrong and they attack, kill me.”
“My pleasure.” Her smile was all fangs, and she sauntered forward, exchanging places with Giles, her hand resting threateningly at the crook of Annora’s neck.
Dislike radiated from her, and Annora honestly didn’t know what she did to piss her off, but she couldn’t deny that the dislike was mutual.
Blowing out a breath, Annora held out her hand for Giles, praying like hell she knew what she was doing. Her head still ached enough that she wasn’t sure she’d be able to use her powers, much less visit the afterworld.
Not to mention if she vanished, they would slaughter everyone else.
Giles grabbed her hand, grounding her, waiting in front of her without a hint of hesitation. “You can do this.”
There was no doubt in his voice.
“This might feel strange, or it might hurt, but whatever happens, you mustn’t let go.” She squeezed his hand, then winced when she felt the bones grind under his skin. “Understand?”
“Yes.” Instead of pulling away from her hold, he tightened his grip. “Do it. I’m ready.”
Despite what he said, there was no hope in his eyes.
He would eventually heal on his own. A few weeks, possibly months, but he might never regain full alpha status again, possibly never shift again, his beast too damaged and depleted from trying to keep him alive.
She whispered to Vicki over her shoulder. “Stay close, but don’t touch me unless absolutely necessary.”
Vicki rolled her eyes, but did as Annora instructed, cautiously watching the others, her self-preservation instinct kicking in hard.
Annora closed her eyes, closed out the hopelessness she felt from the others. The pressure to do this right or they would all die was crushing.
The inky darkness slowly slithered through her system, but she resisted releasing it, allowing it to build under her skin. She gathered the darkness, allowing a small cloud of mist to gather in the palms of her hands. Praying she knew what she was doing, she placed her palm against Giles’s chest, and the particles exploded like a cloud of flour, the little spores seeming to swim in the air. Unable to avoid it, Giles sucked in a harsh breath, inhaling the dust.
She followed the path of the particles as they infiltrated his body, noting the severe damage—his organs looked dehydrated, his veins and blood vessels constricted, his bones brittle, the smooth edges full of shards. But what amazed her the most was not a speck of black tar she’d come to associate with evil sullied him.
She’d never seen a soul so pure.
Then she was pulled deeper…to a place of darkness where a lone wolf stood guard. He bared his teeth at her, his fangs dripping saliva, the mangy beast so skinny his ribs stood out, the creature at least fifty pounds underweight.
They were both dying, and unless she could slip into the afterworld, there was nothing she could do to siphon off energy from others to give to him.
Then something Logan said about how shifting into his beastly form helped the healing process came back to her. Maybe if she pulled his wolf forward, it would accelerate his healing.
She was gambling with their lives.
If she was wrong, they were all dead.
Acid churned in her gut as she pulled on the darkness around the wolf. To her surprise, the beast began to dissolve, the particles scattering throughout his body, the blast of it kicking her out of him. She stumbled back, watching as Giles roared, his fangs descending, his eyes turning feral, his claws slicing through the tips of his fingers.
His hair thickened and grew, the wounds shrinking, his skin healing over.
Then he dropped to his hands and knees, panting as he struggled to control his shift. “Giles?”
He slowly lifted his head, his arms shaking almost too hard to hold himself off the floor. When he peered up at her, his beast hovered just beneath the surface, but he was holding steady. “Are you okay?”
He swallowed hard, his throat bobbing, but he nodded. “What did you do?”
Annora shrugged, because she sure as hell didn’t know.
“Holy shit.” Vicki whispered in awe.
A few of Tyson’s goons stood protectively at Annora’s side, and she stared at everyone in confusion. “What’s wrong?”
Everyone gaped at her.
“Only the strongest of alphas can do partial shifts,” Vicki whispered reverently. “You—you—”
“She did shit.” Tyson roared, glaring at Annora with pure loathing. “Fall back in line.”
When no one moved to obey, a snarl curled his lips. “If you aren’t with us, you’re against us. They can always use more lab rats.”
Before anyone could move, he lunged out the door, slamming it behind him, the locks engaging just as three of his wolves crashed against the metal barrier. Then everyone turned toward her as if she had all the answers. “Does anyone have the code for the door?”
/> “Yes, but only for the doors inside the labs. The outer doors have fingerprint scanners.” Tyson’s lieutenants stepped forward, pressing in the code, and the door clicked open. When a few of the other wolves glanced at him, he shrugged. “I saw him punch it in the keypad.”
Annora nodded, grabbing the door, but paused before she headed into the hall. “They aren’t going to let me go without a fight.” She turned toward the lieutenant, hoping she could trust him. “Can you take the others and hide them?”
“Where are you going?” He narrowed his eyes, looking ready to protest.
“I’m going to see if I can get us out of here.” There was no way she could leave without destroying every piece of information they had on file about her, and a pang of self-loathing threatened to gut her at putting her needs ahead of their lives.
But she couldn’t allow her secret to get out or they would never stop hunting for her, never stop killing others to gain power. She tried to convince herself she was doing the right thing, and silently vowed to do whatever it took to get them out of here alive. “You need to be ready to move. Tyson seems to be enough of an asshole to go tattling to the bosses. Is there anywhere you can keep them safe until I can get the doors open?”
“I know a place, but you’ll need to work fast.” The lieutenant ran his fingers through his wild hair. “It won’t take them long to find us.”
“I can run maintenance on the cameras and knock them out for about an hour.” A young kid piped up.
Another one stepped forward. “A few of the others are just looking for an excuse to leave. I can spread the word to them, and they’ll look the other way.”
They were willing to risk their lives to help her.
“Are you sure? If you’re caught—”
“They won’t get caught.” The lieutenant interrupted, and the two kids nodded, determination hardening their expressions.
“Thank you.” Gratitude welled up in her. As if taking her words as approval, the others headed toward the door. The lieutenant held back, waiting until they were alone.
“There are a lot of us who want out, but we’re trapped. We have to obey our alpha.”
“Why is now different? Why rebel to help save us?”
He gave her a frank look. “You’re an alpha, maybe one of the few strong enough to beat him. If you defeat him, we would be honored to join your pack.”
But Annora was already shaking her head. “I’m not a shifter. I can help you get free of this place, but the ones you want to follow are either Giles or Lionel. They’re the alphas who will keep everyone out of trouble. They’re tough, but fair.”
He looked a little disappointed but not surprised and gave her a nod. “Be safe. Get us out of here alive, and the wolves will owe you a debt.”
He disappeared out the door before she could protest. The last thing she wanted was the attention of the wolves. She had enough trouble with them already. Getting mixed up in their business was very unlikely to be a good thing.
She headed down the hall, her head throbbing with each step, the ferret rubbing itself along her jaw to soothe her. She passed two empty rooms, and a chill snaked down her spine when she saw each room had at least a dozen cots ready and waiting for more patients.
They were ready to go into mass production.
Which meant whoever was in charge knew the truth about her and planned to drain her dry each day to do it.
The next room was different. One bed stood in the middle of the room, the single occupants a boy only one or two years younger than herself. He was strapped into the bed, his arms and chest hooked up to a number of tubes.
He was different from the others, not one of the kids being harvested. She was about the close the door when a hand reached from inside the room and yanked her forward.
And she came face to face with Terrance.
“How did you get out?” He sounded weary, unable to meet her eyes as he pulled her toward the door, clearly intending to return her to her cell.
“You know this is wrong.” She dug in her feet, the rubber soles chirping against the floor.
“I don’t have a choice.” He reached for the door, his grip firm but not bruising. He had no intention of letting her go.
“We all have a choice.” She grabbed her own wrist, twisting her arm toward his thumb to break his hold the way Camden showed her.
His eyes slid over her shoulder, landing on the bed behind her, and a muscle jumped in his jaw. “You don’t live in the real world if you believe that. Shifters don’t get to live their own lives. They live and die by the pack.”
“And you think what you’re doing is going to save him?” Annora asked softly. “Drugs aren’t the way to do it.”
Terrance met her eyes, the emotions completely burned out of them, everything except defeat. “I don’t touch that poison. I refuse to even sell it.” Rage hardened his face. “I only procure the stock to create the drugs.”
Annora glanced back at the bed and understood. “For him.”
He swallowed hard, his throat moving. “He’s my brother. He’s the only pack I have left. I can’t leave him. That drug is the only thing keeping him alive.”
“What do you mean?” She glanced at the boy, but there was a stillness to the kid that said he was completely lost to this world and had been for a while.
“He overdosed on the drug. It destroyed his wolf and drove him insane. A tiny dose is the only thing keeping him docile. If he goes too long without it, he begins to wake up and goes into withdrawals so hard that he seizes violently enough to snap bones. Without his beast to help heal him…he’s vulnerable.”
When Terrance turned his attention back to her, resolve hardened his face. “So you see, I really don’t have a choice.”
Annora skipped out of his reach, watching annoyance cross his face as he took a step after her, and she raised her voice, “And if you had a choice?”
He hesitated, indecision crossing his face for only a moment, before he shook his head. “No shifter comes back after losing their beast.”
“Then why keep him on the drug?” She glanced at the kid on the bed, noting his waxy face, his hair limp and greasy against the pillow. “If you know he will never wake, never be the same…why?”
Anger darkened his face and he grabbed her arm, once again dragging her toward the door without answering.
“What if I could wake him up?” She yanked at the sleeve of his shirt, twisting the fabric to get his attention. “What if I could take away his addiction?”
He lifted a brow at her. “Then what? What kind of life would he have without his wolf?”
His tortured question brought a lump to the back of her throat, and she lifted her chin and faced him directly. “What kind of life does he have now?”
Terrance suddenly stopped moving, staring blankly at the door, his head bowed. “I can’t let him go. He’s all I have.”
Annora edged in front of him, waiting for his eyes to lift to hers. “Would he really want you to be killing people just so he can live the rest of his life as a vegetable on that bed? Would he rather be dead, or live as a human?”
Hope and despair warred on Terrance’s face. To lose their beast meant leaving the pack. If he woke his brother, he would have to choose to live without him or live as a lone wolf, an outcast who would never be accepted by other shifters.
Only when he nodded did she allow herself to relax.
Determination hardened his eyes. “What do you need me to do?”
“Do you have some rope?” she asked with a bright smile.
* * *
As Annora walked down the hall, her hands bound in front of her, the connection between the guys flickered faintly to life, leaving her with just a vague impression of their emotions.
Anger.
Fear.
Worry.
Relief at knowing they were unharmed weakened her knees, and she cleared her throat to relieve the tightness. They were coming for her, somehow, some way. She just
had to hold out long enough for them to find her. The ferret chattered happily in her ear, rubbing his face along her neck to comfort her.
The rope between her and Terrance went tight, and she realized she’d slowed down.
He turned and gave her a questioning look, the hope in his eyes dulling. “We can turn around if you have doubts. This isn’t your battle.”
He couldn’t be more wrong.
“No, people are dying. These people need to be stopped.” She cocked her head to the side as she stared at him. “Have you changed your mind?”
“No.” He licked his lips before looking back down the hall. “But we need to go. If we wait much longer, they’ll get suspicious.”
Annora grunted in agreement, then turned her head slightly. “Does the wound look fresh enough? Maybe you should hit me.”
He blanched as if she’d asked him to cut off his balls and hand them to her. He backed away and held up his hands. “Your face is one massive bruise, the wound is still split open, and your hair is matted with blood. You haven’t healed at all. If I hit you, I’m afraid I’d end up killing you.”
If only he knew.
“Good. That’s good.” She gave him a reassuring smile, brushing at the wound, grimacing when she felt the crusted blood crunch in her hair. “I deliberately stopped the healing process. I need to look weak.”
His throat bobbed as he swallowed, and he nodded. “Mission accomplished.”
She lifted up her bound hands. “Are you sure you’re up to this?”
He lifted a brow at her, then straightened his spine. “Let’s do this.”
They hurried down the twists and turns of an old warehouse, or possibly an abandoned apartment building of some sort. The farther they traveled, the better the condition of their surroundings. Things weren’t as broken-down and crumbling. More lights worked. While still dusty, the place was otherwise swept clean of debris and rat droppings.
After one last turn they stood outside of a set of double doors to an office of some type. Raised male voices could be heard through the door. Terrance stopped a yard away, glancing questioningly at her over his shoulder, and she gave him a nod.
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