by M H Soars
“You want me to sit there?” I ask.
Nadine nods in affirmation, making me stiffen. First, I get new clothes, and now I’m sitting at the table with Valerius. He definitely wants me to stand out. I’m sure receiving preferential treatment from the ruthless alpha is not going to endear me to the rest of the pack. Valerius doesn’t want them to warm up to me. That has become crystal clear. Why else would he order Victor to attack me only to punish him later? Even the disgusting house he assigned to me is a luxury here.
I’m drawing attention by not moving, but it’s going to be even worse if I take the seat Nadine pointed at. I’m tempted to just ignore the girl and get in line for whatever grub they’re serving. In that prison cell, I barely ate anything and my stomach is hollow.
I don’t get to act upon my decision as I’m shoved forward by someone. It’s a miracle I don’t fall flat on my face. Pissed off beyond measure, I spin around, ready to defend myself.
“Get out of my way, bitch.” A preteen sporting a shiner on his left eye sneers at me.
He’s just as skinny as Nadine, but a little taller. The T-shirt he’s wearing is too big, faded, and has several holes. I can’t bring myself to fight with a kid who has seen his fair share of abuse.
“Didn’t your mother ever teach you manners?” I ask instead.
“Fuck off,” he says before he heads for the food line.
Suddenly, the conversation around us ceases. A prickly sensation tingles on my neck. I turn just in time to see Valerius pull out the chair from his table and take a seat. He didn’t come in through the same entrance as everyone else, that much is obvious.
He changed since the last time I saw him. Before, he was dressed casually in jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt. Now, he’s in a dark suit jacket with a white button-down shirt. His long hair gleams under the light. His entire ensemble is a stark contrast to what everyone else is wearing. He dressed like that to demonstrate the sheer difference between him and his subjects. He does think he’s a king.
Does he not know that half the kings throughout history died terrible deaths? The morbid thought gives me pleasure.
When his cold gaze finds mine, I sense a malefic energy reach out for me. Just like the nightmare from the night before. My mouth becomes dry. His evil stare switches from me to Nadine, immediately putting me on high alert. From the corner of my eye, I catch the girl become smaller. Damn it. I didn’t even pause to think that my refusal to sit at Valerius’s table would get Nadine into trouble.
Ignoring the hatred aimed my way, I stride toward the dais, keeping my gaze glued to the son-of-a-bitch’s face. I don’t want him to know he’s intimidating the hell out of me right now. I have to remember he’s a dangerous and completely unhinged wolf. Any wrong move on my part could be deadly.
“I thought for a second you would refuse to dine with me. That would displease me immensely,” he says when I sit next to him.
“I wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Sarcasm doesn’t suit you, Amelia.” He reaches for the glass of red wine in front of him.
I bite my tongue, stopping myself from digging my grave deeper.
“We don’t eat?” I ask instead, since there are no plates in front of us.
He snorts. “Not that grub.”
No sooner does Valerius utter those words than Nadine and two other young girls approach with trays and serve us a feast worthy of kings. Different cuts of meats, steamed vegetables, scalloped potatoes, and salad. The smell reaching my nose is absolutely divine, but my appetite is nowhere to be found, not when all around us wolves are eating scraps no better than dog food.
From the corner of my eye, I catch some hungry glances thrown in my direction, more precisely at my plate of food. I turn to the table nearest to us, and my heart breaks when I see it’s a family with young children ogling my meal.
“You’re not hungry, my dear?” The words are casual, but Valerius’s tone is dangerous.
Turning away from the starving family, I begin to cut my meat, but guilt makes it almost impossible to swallow the food. It’s a miracle I don’t choke on it. My nose begins to burn as my vision turns blurry. I’m on the verge of crying, heartbroken I am witnessing such undiluted cruelty. Nadine was right; Valerius needs to be stopped.
He needs to die.
It’s the voice that doesn’t belong to me, nor to the wolf apparition. Who is in my head?
Look deeper within yourself and you’ll know the answer.
I freeze mid-chew while I fight to get air into my lungs. What the actual fuck? Am I being possessed or something?
“The food is not to your liking?” Valerius asks, that hint of warning in his tone again.
I swallow the lump of food in my mouth, which goes down like a rock. Reaching out for the glass of water in front of me, I take my time drinking it, trying to recover from the strange convo going on in my head.
“No, not all,” I reply.
A commotion at the entrance demands Valerius’s attention. Two young men are being dragged by the collars of their shirts as if they were garbage. I don’t recognize the shifters holding them, but they look as evil as Valerius.
“My, my, what do we have here?” the odious alpha asks.
“They were late, and tried to sneak in without being seen,” replies the wolf who looks more like a crow due to his dark hair and hawk-like nose.
“Is that so? Excellent.” Wiping his mouth with the napkin, Valerius turns to me.
I don’t like the glee in his eyes one bit.
“I love when that happens,” he continues.
“Why?”
“Because it means entertainment.” He turns to the assembly. “Clear out the tables.”
My heart sinks. Most of the people haven’t had a chance to finish their meals yet. In fact, I see people rushing to shove their mouths with food while others scramble to push the tables against the walls.
As soon as enough room is made in front of Valerius and me, his enforcers shove the two youngsters roughly on the ground. Both have lacerations on their faces and a bit of swelling around their eyes. Those poor kids. I curl my fingers tighter around my knife and fork, while my body shakes with anger. Or maybe it’s my wolf trying to leap through and take charge.
“I don’t know how many times must I go through the rules with you lot. Tardiness is not tolerated in this pack. You know what to do.” Valerius leans back, delight written all over his face.
I want to claw that expression off.
When the youngsters don’t move right away, the enforcers start to kick them.
“Get going, you disrespectful sods.”
I make a motion to stand—no, to leap—over the table and stop this torture, but a clawed hand sinks into my forearm, piercing the skin.
“Don’t even think about it. If you interfere, those boys die.”
“You’re a monster,” I say under my breath.
“Aren’t we all?” He smiles, revealing his sharp canines. Then he releases my arm. I don’t need to look down to know he left marks on my skin.
The enforcers have stopped their aggression. Now, the two teens are slowly removing their clothes. They’re going to shift, but why?
“What are you going to make them do?”
“Isn’t it obvious, my dear Amelia? They will fight each other… to the death.”
“What? Your punishment for being late is death?”
“Well, it isn’t their first strike.” Valerius picks at his nails, as if the matter is of no consequence.
“You can’t do that. It’s insane.”
Valerius throws his head back and laughs. When he’s done, he says. “Oh, if I knew how funny you would be, Amelia, I would have gotten you here sooner.”
“If you keep going at this rate, pretty soon you won’t have a pack left to rule over.”
My words seem to give Valerius pause. In slow motion, eyes narrowed, he cocks his head. “You’re worried about me? I’m touched.”
I might be go
ing crazy, but I don’t think Valerius is being sarcastic right now. He does believe I’m worried about him. Maybe that’s how I’ll get him to trust me, through his ego.
“Why wouldn’t I be? Isn’t this my pack now, too?”
Valerius keeps staring at me as if he’s trying to read my mind. I think he’s smelling my bullshit. Maybe I went too far. He finally turns to the two boys on the ground, who are now naked and waiting for their alpha’s command.
“Commence.”
They shift, the process taking longer than when I witnessed any Crimson Hollow wolf do so. Could it be that lack of food and strength are the reason? A minute later, two wolves are circling each other, snarling as they go. Then one attacks, and the gratuitous violence begins. Not wanting to appear weak, I watch it all, not averting my gaze. The battle turns bloody fast with one wolf coming out as the clearly superior animal. Pushing his opponent to the ground, he goes for the jugular. This is it—he’s going for the kill. I’m sick and furious that I’m impotent. Valerius will kill them both if I try to stop it.
A loud piercing noise echoes in the room, making me wince as I try to protect my ears with my hands. Damn enhanced wolf’s senses. Valerius is the one responsible for it. He has an airhorn in his hand.
The victorious wolf leaps off his opponent, turning to Valerius.
“That was pathetic. Shift back, the both of you.”
The teens do as they’re told. The moment they’re back into their human forms, Valerius’s henchmen covers their faces with a black sack and ties their hands behind their backs. What’s worse, no one seems surprised, not even the unresisting teens who don’t bother to struggle.
“What are you doing with them?”
I get my answer in the next second. Martin Black, the hunter who took Rochelle, walks into the barn followed by three companions. If the mood wasn’t already somber enough, it becomes ten times more sinister. Without having being conscious of doing so, I peel my lips back, feeling my gums start to ache. Martin’s dark gaze finds mine when he stops next to the bound wolves. He smirks, then veers his attention to Valerius.
“Got me some fresh blood?”
Chapter 13
Dante
Brian Kane’s house—Jared’s dad—is on the opposite side of the range of mountains that house our compound, but flatter lands don’t mean less nature. In fact, his house is so secluded that if it weren’t for the sign pointing toward the dirt trek that leads to his property, one could miss it entirely. The dark stones and wood used in the construction also helps it blend with its surroundings. The roof has an organic form, and the windows that jut out of it have a round shape, creating a continuum effect.
Ancient trees surround the property and the deep moss hanging from some of them adds the feeling that we have left civilization behind and ventured into the jungle. Besides the remote location of his house, the entire perimeter is also protected by druid magic. I feel the energy barrier as I cross the invisible line, a slight vibration over my skin. I wonder what would happen if someone not welcomed tried to trespass.
I find several cars already parked in front of the place, but not enough to make me think we’ve got reps from the entire supernatural community here. I’m curious to see who has come. Definitely not any witch from the Midnight Lily coven.
I park my car next to Tristan’s SUV, noticing Sam’s Ducati is also here. So all my brothers received the memo about this meeting. As much as it is convenient that our allies are congregated under one roof, I’m not sure how much help we’ll receive if other members of the community are also experiencing problems of their own.
I don’t have to wait long to find out about the mood inside. From where I stand on the front porch, I can hear the angry voice of Xander, the alpha of the Thunderborn sleuth. All eyes turn to me when I enter the room, and Xander—who stands in the middle of the living room—stops midsentence to look at me as well. His angry expression morphs into a solemn one before he lowers his gaze. He’s giving me his condolences for Dad’s passing.
One by one, the others present do the same. Some of the faces here aren’t unexpected. They’re usually always at the town meetings. There’s Brian Kane’s entire family of course, and that alone can fill an entire room. Brian and his wife have so many children I’ve lost count. And let’s not forget the cousins.
Zaya is also here, which is good and bad. Good because she has access to important information before anyone since she works at the hospital. Bad because she must have information for this meeting, and it’s probably not good. The one person I thought would be here for sure was Wendy Redford, and her absence makes me worry. She knows Red was kidnapped by Valerius. I don’t think for a second that she doesn’t care. So why isn’t she here?
“Mom is not coming?” Sam asks, distracting me from my troublesome thoughts.
I see he brought his bandmates, Armand, Jared, and Leo.
All I do is shake my head and cross my arms, not even trying to communicate with him telepathically. I don’t need to; he knows the reason.
“Send Mervina our deepest condolences.” Brian Kane takes a step forward, his light brown hair showing no visible signs of his age, which is not surprising considering his father is immortal.
“Thank you, Brian. I will.” I turn to Tristan before Xander has the chance to resume his angry speech. “Did you tell them about the hunters and Red’s kidnapping?”
“Yes.”
“And I was just telling Tristan that as much as I would like to help get the girl back, I have my sleuth to worry about. I need to deal with the demon who killed my bears.”
“You don’t know if it was a demon,” Tristan replies.
“If it wasn’t a demon, then what the hell was it?”
“Your members weren’t the only casualties,” Zaya chimes in. “Two nights ago, we admitted a goat farmer. He was badly injured; something tore through his leg when he went to investigate the ruckus his animals were making. It wasn’t a clean cut made by a blade. It was messy, definitely done by a beast.”
Xander throws Tristan a victorious glance. “What did I tell you?”
“So you’re saying you’re not going to help us in case Valerius attacks?”
The bear shifter scrubs his hands through his hair, cursing under his breath. “I didn’t say that at all. I’m just saying I can lend you only a couple of my bears when you go demand your mate back.”
Ah, so Tristan already told the bear alpha he’s Red’s mate. Good, at least that part is already over with. I’m glad that I missed it. It’s bad enough that only he can say he’s bonded to Red.
“Wait, what?” Leo speaks loudly, earning everyone’s attention. The fox is known to be quiet, so his outburst sounds a little peculiar.
I notice The Howler’s drummer is not the only one staring at Sam with equally stupefied glances. Armand and Jared are both frowning in my brother’s direction.
“Red is Tristan’s mate?” Jared cocks his head, staring intently at my brother.
“Eh…” Sam’s panicked gaze finds me. For fuck’s sake. Did my brother open his big mouth?
Opening up my channel, I send a question to him telepathically. “What have you done?”
“I told my friends the truth. I couldn’t lie to them.”
Flaring my nostrils, I fight hard to keep my irritation contained. Why can’t Sam follow simple instructions? I want to throttle him.
“Is there something going on that we should know?” Brian asks, staring directly at Tristan, who seems like he’s about to explode. Actually, a vein on his forehead is throbbing already.
Now that Sam’s friends know, keeping up the lie will be futile and only serve to lose our allies’ trust.
“Yes, as matter of fact there is. But this is information that cannot leave this house.”
“I see. I have wards in place. No one outside of this room can hear anything.”
“I’m afraid that won’t be enough,” I say.
Brian’s eyebrows furrow toget
her as his lips become a thin line. “Are you asking me to cast a silencing spell on everyone present?”
Because of my special ability, I’ve always had a curiosity for anything related to the occult. Since there’s such a big druid community in Crimson Hollow, I learned as much as I could about their ways and powers. So I know exactly what they’re capable of.
“Yes,” I answer with certainty.
“What the hell is a silencing spell?” Xander asks, darting his attention from me to Brian.
“It’s a precaution spell, a small compulsion that prevents people from discussing certain things,” Carol, Brian’s wife, answers.
“Hold up.” Armand raises his hands. “I didn’t sign up for having my mind messed with.”
“Why are you even here? You don’t have any supernatural powers anyway,” one of Brian’s younger sons says. I can’t remember his name now.
“He’s here because he’s my friend,” Sam replies before turning to Armand to whisper something in his ear. The lanky guy furrows his brows, face going rigid.
With a sigh, he finally says, “Fine. You can do your druid mojo on me.”
I don’t know what Sam said to his friend to make him change his mind so fast, but I’m glad he was able to convince him since we’re in this tight spot thanks to his big fucking mouth.
Brian glances at Xander, who shrugs and replies, “I’m fine with it.”
When no one else opposes, Brian and Carol close their eyes and begin to chant some incantation in a foreign language. My guess is it’s Gaelic. I feel a light vibration in the air surrounding me, but it vanishes after a few seconds.
The druid opens his eyes again, then declares the spell has been cast.
“Now, can you tell us what the hell is going on? This meeting is taking too long already.” Xander cuts right to the chase.
“Tristan is Red’s mate. But that’s not all. Red is also mine and Sam’s mate.” When no one utters a word, faces confused, I continue. “All three of us are mated to Red.”