As soon as they’d arrived, the vampires had separated them. Which meant those bastards had Maeve alone. Belle’s heart thumped as her pulse raced. She’d never forgive herself if Eli hurt Maeve.
She hung her head. “It’s me you want revenge against, you bastard. Leave Maeve alone,” she whispered. She’d screamed it for nearly the first hour since they’d locked her up, but it’d quickly become clear she’d take her own beating if she didn’t stay quiet.
Suddenly, the door to the next cell swung open with a whining creak, and Belle’s head jerked up. Maeve stumbled into the next cell over, eating the concrete face-first from where the vampire guard had shoved her.
“Maeve.” Belle scrambled toward her, reaching through the bars between them as the cell door slammed shut with an echoing clang.
The she-wolf was already pushing herself to her knees. “I’m okay,” she squeaked. “I’m okay.” But from the quiver in her normally enthusiasm-filled voice, Belle knew Maeve was putting on a brave face.
She eased closer to the bars between them, close enough they could touch. Belle brushed Maeve’s short brown locks from her face, revealing road rash across her cheek from where she’d hit the pavement. It was then Belle noticed the way Maeve cradled her arm. Belle reached for the other woman, carefully moving the limb to test that it wasn’t broken, but it was then she noticed the trail of blood at the crook of Maeve’s elbow. Not two pinpricks of a vampire bite, but one tiny, bruised puncture wound.
From a needle.
“Maeve, did they…?”
Maeve nodded.
Belle’s eyes grew wide. Of course. Colt’s blood wouldn’t have given them what they expected since he wasn’t a Grey Wolf. The vampires she’d overheard in the clearing had said the purer the blood, the more strength the serum gave them. Which meant even if Colt and the rest of the Grey Wolves found them before it was too late, the vampires would have exactly what they needed. Not from Colt, but from Maeve.
“We need to get out of here,” Belle whispered, gripping Maeve’s hands. The two of them alone wouldn’t be able to take on all the vampires, but they might be able to slip out undetected. Belle reached to the nape of her neck, removing the bobby pins she’d kept permanently hidden there since she’d escaped from the Missoula Grey Wolf cells. They’d saved her once before. Maybe they would again.
“What are you doing?” Maeve whispered.
“Picking the lock.”
“Where did you learn to do that?” Maeve asked.
Belle ignored Maeve’s question and crept over to her cell door. She’d free herself and then Maeve next. The guards had all but abandoned them, expecting that there was no way for them to escape. She had a feeling their presence was to lure Colt here and little more; they’d gotten what they wanted from Maeve. The only reason they hadn’t killed them outright was they likely had plans to use Maeve against the Grey Wolf packmaster himself.
Belle repeated her trick, using one of the bobby pins to slip into the housing on the lock and twisting. But several minutes later, she still hadn’t managed to work it open. These locks were industrial, but she’d never encountered an average lock she couldn’t pick.
She swore under her breath.
“I think I can be of assistance.” A deep voice sounded from the cell adjacent to Maeve’s.
A figure seemed to unfold from the shadows, his movements so eerily smooth and full of power they reminded Belle of a predatory cat. But the eyes that glowed back at them in the darkness were pure wolf. A scraggly beard obscured the view of his face, as if he’d been here a few days.
Belle’s breath caught. She didn’t know how she hadn’t sensed him there. She glanced toward Maeve. Maeve’s eyes had grown to the size of saucers, and she was staring at the man as if she’d never seen a male of their species before.
“Who are you?” Belle asked, a hint of a warning growl in her voice. She allowed her wolf eyes to shine back in a clear show of aggression. She couldn’t have fought this massive alpha if she tried—tried being the key word—if it came to that.
He answered with a grin. Whoever he was, he was a handsome devil, and from that devious, wicked smile and the fiery darkness of his eyes, Belle had no doubt that devil was an accurate descriptor. His size, matching that of any of the elite Grey Wolves, would have been enough to intimidate, but it was that penetrating stare that stilled her. Not captivating like Colt’s, but terrifying in its intensity.
But it was the spark of fire, of recognition in his gaze as it fell to Maeve, that caused Belle to snarl.
“And what’s your name, princess?” he purred in Maeve’s direction, though Belle had a feeling he already knew.
“Maeve Grey.”
“Maeve,” Belle whispered in warning. She shot her friend a look of Don’t answer this creep, but Maeve wasn’t paying her any mind.
Sidling up to the edge of the cell’s silver bars, he peered at them. A pair of cold, icy blue eyes stared back. Belle wasn’t sure why, but something in those eerie eyes stopped her in her tracks.
“Pass me that pin of yours, and I’ll have us out in no time,” he whispered.
“You’re a criminal.” The words fell from her lips before she could stop them. She didn’t know how she knew, but she did. This man was trouble, danger. Maybe not to her, but to others.
A devious smile curled on his lips. “By Grey Wolf standards, so are you, I’d wager.”
Belle stiffened. How did he…?
She was still reeling when Maeve stood and eased toward the torchlights on the other side of her cell to get a better look at his face.
“Maeve!” Belle snapped.
A thin, strong arm shot between the silver bars, careless of the burning pain the silver caused, and gripped Maeve hard by the wrist. She froze. His grip on her remained tight enough to hold her still, but gentle enough not to hurt her. Those blue eyes blazed pure fire.
“I’ll make it worth your while,” he whispered to Maeve.
“Maeve,” Belle warned again.
“How?” Maeve asked him, oblivious to Belle’s warnings.
Belle knew how. Maeve might have been too innocent to recognize what he meant, but Belle saw it in the depths of his burning gaze. This was a man who dealt in blood and death, in fire and brimstone, and as much as the prospect of freeing him caused her knees to shake, she didn’t want him as her enemy. Somehow, she knew intrinsically that was what she would be to him. Either friend or foe, no in between.
“There’s a back entrance,” he said. “I can take you both with me.”
Belle didn’t like the sound of this. She didn’t trust this wolf.
“You don’t even have to labor yourself,” he purred to Maeve. “Just slip me that little pin of yours, princess, and I’ll be in your debt. I’m a master with locks. I’ll have it open in half the time.” His voice wrapped around them like smooth velvet.
Maeve was watching his face, refusing to look away. “Give me a bobby pin, Elizabeth.”
“Maeve,” Belle scolded.
“I know what I’m doing,” Maeve said. She could easily pull away from this man’s hold, but she hadn’t. Belle had a suspicion that Maeve knew something she didn’t.
Reluctantly, Belle passed one of the pins to her through the cell bars, and immediately Maeve slipped it into the Devil’s hand. Snatching it away with greedy excitement, he released Maeve and shifted his attention to the lock of his cell. Belle only managed several paces of her own cell before his swung open.
He hadn’t lied. He’d picked the lock in record time. He prowled forth, suddenly more intimidating than Belle had initially imagined. He had the lock on Maeve’s cell open just as fast. As Maeve stepped from the cell, the alpha suddenly seized her again, pulling her against him.
Maeve struggled, her eyes flashing gold. Belle snarled.
“Quiet,” he growled back, dragging
Maeve back into the shadows with him.
That was when Belle heard it. The sound of the guard’s steps quickly approaching. Maeve’s eyes widened as if she’d heard it, too. He tossed the bobby pin back to Belle. It fell just outside her cell, but within reach.
“I’m not leaving without my friend.” Maeve struggled against his hold.
“If you hurt her…” Belle warned.
His grip on Maeve tightened, and his eyes turned toward Belle. “Even I know better than to tempt the anger of Maverick Grey. She’ll be delivered safely back to her big brother. You have my word.” He flashed Belle a wicked grin. “You know as well as I do that a Rogue’s word is worth more than a pack wolf’s.”
In an instant, Belle knew exactly who this wolf was. Like hell she was leaving her friend with this vigilante. But Belle didn’t get the choice, because at that moment, one of the vampire guards rounded the corner just as the Rogue and Maeve slipped into the darkness, disappearing as smoothly as he’d appeared—and leaving Belle no other choice. She snatched the bobby pin from the floor outside her cell and hunkered down to wait.
Chapter 21
They found the abandoned van several miles outside downtown Billings. On occasion, Blaze’s ability to tap into the local police force’s radio scanners had its advantages. From there, it wasn’t difficult to realize that Eli and Lucas had taken Belle and Maeve to the main coven located downtown.
Eli and Lucas…what a bizarre team.
With Sierra’s tip that Belle and Maeve’s abductor was Wild Eight, Colt figured that Eli was the culprit. Considering what Belle had confessed about putting down Wyatt like the vicious dog he was, it was easy to pinpoint why the former Wild Eight member wanted revenge. Colt had no clue whether Eli and Lucas had been working together from the start, but it was of little consequence.
The Billings coven was housed in an underground fortress that boasted superior security. A battle there would cause serious casualties, but it was a risk Colt was willing to take.
Because he was going to get Belle back in one piece—her and Maeve—even if he had to give his own life.
Maverick stood beside Colt, directly outside the entrance to the coven, gun in hand. Maverick hadn’t blinked when Colt confessed the truth of Belle’s identity to him. He’d likely suspected she wasn’t a Grey Wolf, even if he hadn’t known the full truth. Colt had known from the start that Maverick hadn’t fully bought his and Belle’s story.
The reprimand would come later, once the females were safe again.
“You ready?” Maverick asked.
The plan Colt had formulated was simple. He and a small group of his men were going to charge in as if he were on a solo revenge mission, which was likely what Lucas expected. They’d take out as many of their enemies as they could in the first round, shooting and fighting for maximum bloodshed until they were taken captive—which they inevitably would be. Once the blood bags were occupied with them, Maverick and the Grey Wolf elite warriors—minus Colt, and Wes, who was still off on his honeymoon in the Galapagos of Ecuador—would sneak in. Maverick’s team would silently locate Belle and Maeve, releasing them before all-out chaos ensued.
With a nod, Colt cocked back the hammer of his forty-five. Using a silent hand gesture, he signaled his men and they took their places. Two Grey Wolf soldiers moved forward, prepared to pummel the door with a battering ram, when suddenly the door eased open of its own accord.
Every weapon was raised in anticipation. But instead of a vampire, Maeve stumbled out of the coven, bruised in a few places and bleeding a thin trail of blood from the crook of her elbow. They’d taken her blood, too—but she was alive and safe.
“Don’t shoot!” Maverick ordered.
Maeve rushed into his arms.
“Maeve, where’s—?”
“She’s still inside. Lucas has her,” Maeve sobbed. “There was some alpha wolf there, and he helped us pick the lock. He—”
That was all Colt needed to hear. He signaled to his men, who took their positions as Maverick, Maeve, and the elite team fell back into the shadows. They would stay hidden until the first attack calmed down and their enemy least expected them.
Colt charged in, rushing through the halls of the coven, searching for Belle. When he crossed paths with the first vampire, he fired, his bullet hitting the bloodsucker straight in the head. The vamp fell, struggling to regenerate as its blood pooled on the floor, but Colt wouldn’t let that happen.
Drawing his stake from his boot, he plunged the lacquered wood into the vampire’s beating heart. The vamp exploded in a spray of blood. It was satisfying, yet too easy. Lucas would prove the real challenge.
Colt and his men plowed forward, guns blazing. They’d taken out seven bloodsuckers by the time they reached Lucas’s lab. By that point, Colt and his soldiers had separated down the labyrinth of halls in various directions. The whole coven had been alerted to their presence, and the shouts of vampire guards echoed in the distance as they came searching for them, but Colt was going to reach Lucas first. Belle would be close by, and Lucas likely intended to use her to his advantage.
Colt’s irises flashed to the golden of his wolf’s before he threw back his head and howled to draw the attention of all the guards. He sensed he was getting closer to her now. If he had trusted those same instincts all along, he would have known from the start this woman was his mate. She was meant for him, without a doubt. The feral growl of an angry she-wolf sounded down a nearby hall, not far from the cells. Colt rounded the corner, heading toward the noise, gun at the ready. When he reached the cells, he found Eli gripping Belle by the hair, his blade pressed to her jugular.
“This is for trying to escape, you bitch,” Eli growled.
Colt’s heart dropped, but he remained focused. He wanted to tell her he’d choose her over everything. He’d feared that she would be a weakness for his enemies to exploit, but she already was his weakness. His weakness and his greatest strength.
At the sight of him, Belle struggled harder. “Colt.”
Eli snarled, pressing the blade harder against Belle’s jugular. The hateful look in his eyes said he didn’t think twice about hurting a woman. “Surprise. Surprise. Look who’s here to save the day,” Eli mocked.
Colt held his gun steady, trained on Eli’s forehead. Neither wolf nor vampire could survive a .45 to the skull.
“Don’t fight him, Belle.” His gaze caught hers.
I’ll protect you. Think of yourself and the baby.
Belle gave a barely perceptible nod.
“Put the blade down, or I shoot,” Colt warned Eli.
“Not a chance,” Eli growled. “You want to bet I can slit her throat before you take your shot?”
Colt snarled. He would bury this fucker six feet under even if it was the last thing he did.
Within seconds, the vampire guards swarmed the hall, surrounding Colt with weapons raised.
“Commander, you finally join us.” Lucas emerged from the crowd, a twisted smile on his face.
“Tell him to lower his gun,” Eli demanded.
Lucas nodded. “You heard the man.”
Colt shook his head. “Not unless I get something in return.”
“I don’t think you’re in a place to negotiate, Commander,” Lucas hissed.
“Really? Because last I checked, my gun is aimed straight at your errand boy’s head.”
Lucas cast a side-glance toward Belle. “Eli will let her go if you answer me one question, Commander.”
“You said the bitch was mine as soon as you had him.” Eli gave Belle’s hair a hard yank, and she gasped in pain.
Colt’s finger itched to pull the trigger. Maverick and the other alphas would be closing in now. It’d only be a matter of minutes. He just needed to keep Lucas talking.
Lucas gave an amused nod. He clearly thought Eli was about equivalent to a bug bene
ath his shoe. “And you’ll have your fun once I’ve had mine.”
“What the fuck do you need her for? You have him here. Now the bitch is mine,” Eli growled.
Lucas ignored him. “How’d you do it?” he asked Colt.
One of the vampire guards had disappeared into the hall and hadn’t returned, and Colt had a feeling his packmaster and the Grey Wolf elite alphas had something to do with that. Maverick moved with all the silence of a large cat or a leopard, yet he was twice as lethal.
“Don’t play coy with me,” Lucas hissed. “You’re pure-blooded Grey Wolf. The sample should have been perfect. How did you circumvent my serum?”
Colt schooled his features. So that was what this was about. Not revenge for his escape or a target on the remaining Wild Eight wolves. Belle had been no more than a ploy to get him here. He hadn’t been the target because of his identity. He’d been a target because of his lie, the mask he wore as a Grey Wolf soldier, and then his blood hadn’t worked. Of course it wouldn’t.
“I think you’ll find I’m a bit of a disappointment, Lucas,” he said.
Colt sensed his packmates closing in. He needed to hold Lucas’s attention a beat longer. Colt’s heart pounded, throbbing in his temples. He knew what he needed to do. He needed something that would anger Lucas, deflate his ego, throw him off guard.
He met his enemy’s gaze, speaking the truth aloud even though he knew Maverick and his fellow warriors could hear him. “Because unfortunately for you, I’m not a Grey Wolf.”
Lucas’s red eyes narrowed as Maverick drove his blade down into one of the guard’s backs. The guard screeched, his blood exploding everywhere. Eli jerked toward the noise just as Colt pulled the trigger. His shot rang out, releasing an all-out melee. The bullet landed straight in Eli’s forehead. The bastard crumpled to the ground, dragging Belle down with him. Colt tried to run to her, but Lucas lunged for him, knocking him to the floor and sending Colt’s gun skidding across it.
From the corner of his eye, Colt saw Dean ushering Belle toward safety. Which left him to focus on fighting Lucas.
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