Burned In Shadows

by Eden, Tigris

  “I see you realize the severity of our situation.”

  That about summed it up. Dietrich Johnson was a bad ass, a dirty fighter, and the ultimate shit talker. And he hated Royce and his brother more than any of the other members of Shadow Unit. Shit! Fuck!

  “Exactly.” Ronin chimed in on his thoughts.

  “D is not the talking type. I doubt anyone here even knows us.”

  “Everyone talks about you. None of it is good.”

  That was all true, of course.

  There was a knock at the door, and Ryan was on the other side.

  “The Matria has requested your presence.”

  Both brothers looked at one another and shrugged.

  Ryan took them down a series of halls and brought them into a vast antechamber that was decorated with Egyptian art work. A tall bronze gilded door opened seconds later into a large room with a dais and a half circle table with eight chairs, occupied with four females and four males.

  “There have been charges brought against you.” Surelle voiced in a clear tone absent of any emotion. No hello thank you for bringing my daughter home. Nothing?

  It never failed, they were once again being judged for their actions towards another female. “Can anyone say repeat?”

  “Quiet. I want to see what they have to say.”

  Surelle eyed both of them, her gaze going from the tops of their heads to the bottom of their feet. Again she dismissed them.

  “I don’t speak of my daughter, beasts. You may have been the catalyst, but you will not claim her,”

  His back went ramrod stiff at the announcement, but before he could voice his disagreement, Surelle spoke again. “I speak of the crime against her fiancé.”

  What fiancé?

  “Belinda has no fiancé.” Ronin said fiercely.

  At least his brother kept his cool. Royce wanted to rip out someone’s larynx with his bare hands and stomp on it repeatedly. Bells wouldn’t have kept something like to herself. Bells was a solid person, she wasn’t one to play games.

  “Her fiancé has arrived and will stake his claim during her rebirth.”

  “That’s total bullshit!” Royce spat.

  “You will not speak such words in my presence. Ever.”

  None of the other members at the table said a word. He was getting pissed, and the black, thick darkness inside him was stretching its arms just beneath the surface where he kept it locked.

  “Bring in my son.”

  There were guards posted at the door, and one of them opened it to allow Solon in. The bastard was smiling. He approached the eight at the table ignoring him and his brother.

  “Council, these men can’t be charged with the crime they are here for.”

  At least the fucker had some sense. Standing up for him and his brother was the last thing Royce would have suspected.

  “Why is that?” An older man on the far end of the table asked.

  “I’ve been hired by House Romulus to bring them home.”

  Both brothers went tight with rage. Albanus fucking Romulus! When were they ever going to catch a break? House Romulus wanted the twins dead. Their father was a twisted bastard and only followed his laws. Well, the laws could go fuck themselves. Their crime had happened over a millennia ago. Surely, the statute of limitations had been reached on that incident.

  “My son speaks truth.” Surelle said elegantly as she stood. She walked around the table and approached both men. Warmth engulfed them, and Royce felt off kilter. It was the same energy Bells had displayed in the car.

  “I’ve spoken with Albanus since Solon has come to stay. His charge trumps that of mine”. She nodded her head slightly. “I am thankful to you both for bringing my daughter home.”

  “We’re not leaving without Belinda.” Ronin said through gritted teeth.

  “No, we’re not.” Royce chimed in.

  They were not leaving without their woman. These people were fucking crazy if they thought for one motherfucking moment this wasn’t going to go down without a fight.

  “Did you not hear my son? Your father requests your presence.”

  “Let us worry about our father, lady.” Royce was fucking tired of being nice to people. That dark place deep inside of him was now standing at attention at the ready. He and his brother both took a step back.

  Solon stepped forward removing his gloved hands. “I wouldn’t do that.” The man said quietly. If they wanted a fight, he’d give them one.

  “Enough.” Harper roared.

  Everyone in the room turned to look at Bell’s father. He stood to his full height which was well over six and a half feet.

  “My daughter sleeps. You will respect the nesting. Nothing will be decided until the new Matria awakens.”

  There were nods all around, except for Surelle and her bastard son Solon.

  “Take them to their rooms,” he gave the guards a harsh glare. “As our guests.”

  “We need to see her.” Ronin requested, looking Harper in the eyes.

  “She sleeps. Until her fiancé arrives to awaken her, there is nothing to do but wait.”

  “We are her intended.” Royce spoke up this time. The darkness inside was growing, and he needed to convince it and himself that everything was going to be alright.

  “I would kill my own blood before I allow my sister to lie with you animals.”

  Ronin slanted his gaze to Solon and very slowly said, “Get fucked.”

  “Escort them out.” Harper said glaring at Bells half-breed brother.

  Solon glared at them as the guards shoved them through the door and back down the hallway that led to their room.

  “Touch me again,” his brother said to the guard. “I’ll take your head.”

  This time when they made it back to their room, the doors were not locked.

  “Let’s go find our girl.”

  Chapter 25

  He couldn’t sleep. His dream woman was haunting him again. Zea and his dream women clashed in an overlay. It was her and yet, it wasn’t her. How did things get screwed up so badly? Today the master was going to speak to the recruits. They weren’t ready, but they would have to be. Enri would be happy to add to his band of merry misfits if given the chance.

  “Fuck.” He was restless and needed to burn off some excess energy. Black pulled on his sweats and strode out into the hall. He needed to hit the gym. Or maybe he could visit the human Marcus. Try and get some answers, again. Decision made, he made his way down to the holding cells where the he was being kept.

  Marcus hung suspended, his skin growing over the hooks that were embedded into his flesh. He was alive. Barely. He coughed, and blood sprinkled the floor like tiny drops of water hitting the windshield.

  “Stone.” He struggled in his chains and Black enjoyed the look of pain on his face as the other man tried to speak. “You back for more?” His body heaved, and he let out a sharp gasp of pain as his chest rattled.

  “My name is Black.”

  Marcus’ body convulsed, and something like a laugh leaked out of his mouth.

  “Sure, I’m the Easter Bunny, you dick.”

  His wolf growled beneath the surface of his skin. More and more as time went on the wolf had stopped communicating. But in Marcus’ presence his wolf made it known that the man hanging on the meat hooks was hated. A very dark part of him wanted to rip the man to shreds, piece by piece until there was nothing left but crushed bone, and flayed skin.

  “I’m gonna let you down puppet boy, but if I don’t like what you have to say. Well, just be sure I like it.”

  Black went to the levers that controlled the chains and slowly lowered Marcus to the ground. The man let out a long breath and sagged in his skin as he curled up in a ball on the cement floor. Black grabbed a chair and sat waiting for the other man to collect himself.

  “Who’s Stone?”

  “You.” Blood leaked from the side of his mouth, and Marcus tried to
pull himself into a sitting position, he slid back down onto the ground, unable to hold himself up. Black wasn’t about to offer the other man hand either. Fuck that shit.

  “You were a member of Shadow Unit until he changed you.”

  “How do you know who I am?” The broken human had the nerve to attempt his hand at smirking.

  “I tried to kill my backstabbing wife and slave out her brat kid.”

  This time the other man did manage to hold himself up. He pulled his body to a corner and rested against the wall.

  “Had I known it was a member of the unit that knocked her up, I would have acted more carefully.”

  “Who’s her mate?”

  “You are.”

  This was news to him. He didn’t feel like he had a mate. But it hurts when you lay with Melissa. That had everything to do with his cheery disposition. He didn’t care for sex, it was a release and nothing more, fucking Melissa was more of a hazard than anything else.

  “I don’t have a mate, or any pup for that matter.”

  Why was this guy trying to bullshit him? Did he honestly feel he had a chance to survive this? He was dead as soon as the master gave the order.

  “Sure you don’t.” Marcus coughed and more blood spilled from his lips.

  “My name is not Stone. I don’t have a mate or offspring.” He repeated again.

  He didn’t have time to hear his lies. Black sniffed the air and tried to muddle through the fear and desperation of the other man. He could smell a lie, but nothing came back untrue. How messed up was this human that he would believe his own words. Was he that far gone?

  He stood from his chair and approached Marcus.

  “Don’t hang me up there again.”

  “Question.”

  Marcus nodded.

  “If everything you say is true. When you realized the female was mine, why did you pursue her further?”

  None of what the human said made sense. Even if he did believe his own lines. He couldn’t be mated, his wolf would know. Maybe that’s what had been wrong all along with his wolf? Why wasn’t she out searching for him, if he was this Stone character?

  “Because the bitch left me. Caused me all kinds of trouble. Then she had to go and stumble upon my operations. I punished her that night. I fucked her within an inch of her life. Broke a couple of bones too.”

  The human’s eyes glazed over with malice and glee as he spoke the last words.

  Black had heard enough. He wasn’t happy with the results.

  “I wasn’t happy with your answers.” His voice was dry and lacked any intonation. He’d be in deep shit for getting rid of Marcus, but it was worth. Something inside of him knew this man was supposed to die in a brutal, agonizing way. He figured he do him a solid and make it quick, painless. The human’s neck snapped easier than a twig. He let his body sag to the floor as he walked out of the cell. The human must have been fed images from that sadistic doctor. He had a way to make anyone believe anything he wanted them to. Maybe that’s what happened to you, maybe that’s why you’ve been seeing him for more than two months. Black shook the thought off. That wasn’t possible he’d been with the organization from the beginning.

  # # #

  Zea was wide awake. Her plan cemented, she got up, showered and dressed for the day. The face in the mirror and the body attached to said face was a stranger. Maybe she should change into Melissa. Fuck that. Okay, not her greatest idea. The captain was not playing around. She had less than eight hours to get Black back to home base.

  The leader of the Red Sun was supposed to be speaking today, whether or not she was ready to face the sadistic bastard was anyone’s guess. Ann said she would have her good days and bad ones. This one so far wasn’t looking up. Desperate times called for taking your bosses ultimatum for shit and doing your own thing! Get in the game Zealand. She needed to get a hold of Royce, find out how things were progressing.

  “Royce?”

  “About fucking time!”

  “Don’t get sass with me, Mr. Zarides. I’ve tried you all of a dozen times with no answer.”

  “It’s in my nature. We got a situation here.”

  “Same, Dravaggio’s pulled the plug on the entire op.”

  “Shit!”

  Royce told her all the things that were going on over at the Enclave while she filled him on her situation and her plan of action.

  “It’s a shit deal. Get out while you still can, wait for me and Ronin, we can always go in and pull his ass out.”

  “Not happening. We’re running out of time, besides I have something cooking on the side.”

  “Don’t do anything stupid dear. I’ve kind of grown fond of you.”

  So much for one of them having good news.

  Zea answered her door after the first knock. It was Adam.

  “Hey, Blacks gathering what’s left of us. You ready?”

  As ready as she was going to be.

  Her happiness and her daughter’s happiness was on the line. Draven would thank her a million times over, once he got his memory back. Enri had said all she had to do was kill Solon. Solon. Her heart stopped beating when she realized who he was. Bell’s half-brother, the same man who’d helped them. For his own selfish gain. She reminded herself. He was a mercenary. Had lied to them all. There was more to his story, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. Draven amounted to her life and her happiness.

  “Yeah, let’s go.”

  Adam offered her his hand. She took it. At least there was someone on her side. When she reached the auditorium she looked around at the different recruits and their respective capabilities. Enri had a team of recruits that didn’t look like death walkers at all. They actually looked pretty normal by her standers. They were all gathered for what could be called an induction. She wasn’t sure how she felt about being inducted into the Red Hand organization or what exactly it entailed. Royce liked to call them Rejects Organization because clearly they’d been rejected one too many times.

  Black was sitting up on stage with Enri and that bitch Melissa. That he’d picked her to sit by him rankled in a way that made her feel murderous. He looked right at her and smiled. Very slowly he raised a hand and placed it on Melissa’s knee giving it a squeeze. Of course the back stabbing broad gifted him with a smile. She even leaned over and kissed him fully on the mouth.

  Zea’s insides rattled, and everything she planned went right out the window. Her back rigid with tension she growled. The sound scratched her throat on the way to the surface, and it was fierce. She pushed her way through the crowd, not knowing if what she was about to suggest would even be granted. Fists clenched, teeth grinding and truly enraged. She now understood the term, “seeing red.” There was definitely a haze clouding her vision, and it was searing hot, unchecked to a point she knew things were going to get worse before they got better.

  “I challenge you to the death.” Did I just fucking say that? The crowd went deathly silent. Even Black seemed to realize the severity of the situation.

  “Girl. You’re being foolish. You truly wish to fight me?” He asked.

  Zea was cool in her response.

  “No, Black. I want your bitch.”

  Everyone behind her cheered. Wanting to see blood spilled. While she’d been recovering Antony taught her all there was to know about pack law. If Melissa bowed out she’d be a coward. She’d become unappealing to Black. Taking Melissa out was all that mattered.

  “Don’t be foolish. I’ll tear you apart.”

  “Are you scared?” Zea taunted.

  The bitch half laughed half snarled.

  “Don’t be ridiculous.”

  “I’m being serious, whore.” She spat back.

  “Do not address me in such a manner, the only reason you’re still standing is because I allow it.”

  “Right.”

  “Bitch,” Melissa seethed under her breath

  “You do realize you’re pathetic. Holdin
g onto a man who doesn’t want you. Uses you.”

  “That’s not what he said last night.”

  Zea threw Black a look.

  “Admit it kills you to sleep with her.” She prodded.

  He narrowed his black eyes on her and was about to speak when she cut him off.

  “Don’t answer that it was a rhetorical question, moron. You and I both know the truth.”

  Melissa walked to the edge of the platform, looking down on Zea’s form.

  “Who are you?”

  “I’m the one that’s gonna beat you to a bloody pulp, and when I’m done, I’m going to whoop your ass some more.”

  Royce chimed in at that point but quickly bowed out of her head. The last thing he said, “I want every single detail, right down to the last scratch and pull of hair”.

  Enri stood and walked the length of the platform to stand closer to Black. No surprise there. If she hadn’t loved him as much as she did, she’d have left him. Any other woman would realize how fucked up this situation was, and turned tail and as Royce would say, “kick rocks.”

  “I see no reason not to let them fight. It would please the master,” Enri said with a smile on his face. The man was up to something.

  There were cheers from the crowd and Zea felt Adam at her back.

  “This is all kinds of stupid,” he said.

  “Tell me about it later, when I’m done.”

  Enri spoke loud and clear, “It shall be to the death, or near death. Either way I will have gained another fighter to add to my death walkers.”

  Shit! Shit! Shit! She wasn’t expecting that, in all honesty she was hoping to lay hands on Melissa and nothing more. Teach her a lesson and make her yield so that Black’s wolf truly repel her. Now she had to end the other woman’s life. Great going Zealand. Way to stick your foot up your ass.

  A robed figures glided across the stage. His presence was dark and monovalent. She could feel it trying to seep into her pores.

  “Aaah, a fight.” The voice from under the hood said. His voice was strained, weary. There was something off about him. “Normally, I’d tell you there would be no fight as we need every man we can get.” His robed head moved slowly as if he was scanning the crowd for someone. “I say let them have their match.”