Dante’s Circle Reborn: A Dante’s Circle Collection

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  It had gotten harder and harder throughout the years to keep their existence a secret, but the Conclave, the governing body of all the supernaturals, always had new and, undoubtedly annoying, ways of making it work.

  Twenty minutes into the trip, they’d gotten far enough out of the forest that anyone looking at them wouldn’t notice where they’d come from. As long as they kept going, too-curious humans wouldn’t happen upon the wards. Of course, if those humans did notice, the wards and magic would push them away, their memories wiped, keeping the den safe.

  “I need coffee,” Liam grumbled.

  Neither of them had said a word since they’d started the trek, and apparently, Liam’s unholy need for coffee was going to be the thing that broke the ice.

  “We just left my place,” Alec said in a tone that he hoped was devoid of emotion. “You could have just asked for coffee there.” He dared to look over at the other man who constantly invaded his thoughts.

  Liam had his fingers around the steering wheel, much like Alec had earlier, the whites of his flexed knuckles prominent against the tan of his skin.

  “I thought we needed to head out and find this rogue,” the other man bit out. “I just wanted to get out of the den and get on our way. I don’t know where the hell we’re going. Hence, coffee.”

  “Hence?” Alec said with a snort. “Since when do you say hence?”

  Liam pulled his eyes off the road for a brief moment, a familiar grin sliding over his perfect face for an instant before the other man must have thought better of it.

  “Becca is teaching me the big words now.”

  Alec snorted. “I thought Becca only taught us the curse words.”

  “Truth, man, truth.”

  They drove a bit longer before Liam pulled over and swore. “I have no idea where we’re going. How the hell are we going to find this rogue and make sure the Pack is safe when I don’t even know where to point the damn car?”

  Alec sighed. “You’re going the right way. I figured we’d head to where the latest attack happened and see if we can catch a scent trail. You just happened to be going the right way as soon as we left the den, so I didn’t comment on it.”

  Liam glared at him out of the corner of his eye. “Of course, you didn’t comment on it. Why would you say anything?”

  Alec gave him a sharp look and then forced himself to relax. They needed to get through this. Get over this. And they weren’t going to do that if they didn’t talk about it. However, going at it right off the bat probably wasn’t the best way to start, especially since Liam needed coffee. Alec wanted to keep his head on his shoulders, thank you very much.

  “Did Hunter give you any info on what we’re going into?” Liam asked after another few minutes of deep silence.

  “The rogue killed a college-aged girl on her way home from work one night.”

  Liam cursed while Alec’s wolf clawed at him. Their wolves might want blood, but they didn’t kill innocents. That was the difference between a rogue and a shifter in control of their animal. The way they controlled themselves might be different than other shifters in how they calmed themselves and even how they sometimes gave in to the wolf for their hunts. All shifters ruled by control.

  It was the only way to keep their souls safe—as well as the rest of the realms.

  “Who found her?”

  “One of us.” Alec let out a breath, calming his wolf. They would track, and they would hunt, and they would kill this rogue. That promise was the only way to keep his wolf sane at the moment since they didn’t have a scent yet. “A pixie and her boyfriend found her.”

  “The pixie we know?” Liam asked as they turned the corner.

  “No, Faith wasn’t near this, though it’s close to Dante’s Circle.” Dante’s Circle was the bar where Hunter had met his mate. It was a familiar place to the Pack.

  “Dante isn’t handling this?”

  “No, the dragon is letting us since it’s a wolf. He said he’d be on standby if needed. Same with his mates and the rest of them.”

  “This is a wolf matter, so we’ll handle it.”

  “That’s the plan.” A breath. “Turn off here. We’re almost there.” He directed Liam towards where the body had been found. Sweepers had come in to clean up the evidence, though they’d done their best to preserve the scent trails.

  They got out of the car in silence, Alec’s wolf at full attention. He inhaled, trying to untangle the mess of scents surrounding the scene. He could smell the burgers from the fast-food restaurant across the street, and pine from the trees surrounding the small grassy area where Kelly Martin had died.

  No, died wasn’t a good enough word.

  She’d been gutted, pawed at, mauled, and left bleeding out with her entrails wrapped around her neck and her heart missing.

  The fucking rogue had eaten the organ according to Hunter, and they only knew that because there had been saliva near her chest cavity. Licking for scraps, for blood.

  No, the rogue wasn’t human. Wasn’t shifter. Wasn’t even merely animal.

  It was worse.

  It was an anathema. The absence of life. Of hope. Of death. Of sorrow. It was the worst of all creation.

  And now, Alec and Liam would be the ones to destroy it.

  “Got anything?” Liam asked, and Alec shook his head.

  “I need to untangle first.”

  Liam gave him a tight nod. “Same. Let’s find this son of a bitch.”

  Alec pulled his gaze from Liam—something easier to do when blood ran hotly between them because of death and not lust or whatever the hell they hid behind—and went back to searching. The two of them moved around as one, each taking in scents and trying to get beneath the top layers of the trail and into what they really needed.

  The rogue.

  Alec could still smell Kelly’s blood and tucked that away for future tracking. The rogue could still have her blood on its fur or skin since, in that mindset, it wouldn’t be thinking of DNA and scents and safety measures.

  Alec stalked down the path, leaving Liam in the clearing. He ducked under a tree, following Kelly’s scent. Underneath that was a layer he didn’t recognize until he laid eyes on it.

  “Damn it,” he growled, looking down at the mangled corpse of a raccoon. He knelt down near the furry body and sniffed, his muscles going as taut as a bow. No. That couldn’t be right. That couldn’t be the scent.

  He lowered his nose and inhaled again, his wolf howling deep inside as he caught the familiar musk beneath the gore, rot, and insanity.

  He knew that scent. Had grown up with that smell. It couldn’t be the truth.

  “Alec?” Liam asked from behind him, and Alec almost jumped. It was only the fact that he always knew when Liam was near that he’d been able to sense him at the last moment. Not a safe thing when they were on the hunt. He needed to be on top of things, be better aware of his surroundings. Fuck. This couldn’t be right.

  “It’s Charlie,” he rasped, and Liam froze behind him.

  Alec couldn’t breathe, couldn’t focus. It couldn’t be Charlie. He knew that scent, even under the horror, he knew it like the back of his hand.

  Liam put his hand on Alec’s shoulder. He didn’t react. He couldn’t. Not when it was all he could do not to shift and throw his head back, howling at the world, at the irony of the injustice.

  “It’s Charlie,” Alec said again. “It’s my brother. The rogue is my brother.”

  And they were going to have to kill him. Soon.

  Chapter 3

  Liam stood up, rolled his shoulders back, and then held his hand out for Alec. “We should go. I’ve got the scent.”

  Alec just knelt there, his whole body still like a statue. Liam wanted to scream, shout, do something to help fix this. He didn’t think there would be any fixing this. He remembered Charlie. Had never liked Charlie, though that was of no consequence. Because, in the end, he and Alec would have to kill Charlie. Kill Alec’s older sibling, the one who should have bee
n there this entire time to help, to be the big brother that could guide Alec through the darkness that had been their Pack.

  Charlie should have been there for so much, only he never had. He had always been a selfish jerk that cared more about himself than his family.

  The fact that Alec had always been far more dominant than Charlie had been a thorn in the other man’s paw.

  Liam had never understood why Charlie couldn’t get over himself and just figure out what he needed. Instead, he wanted everything that he couldn’t have. And, in the end, he’d left the Pack because he hadn’t been able to take anyone being Alpha other than him. And Charlie was no Alpha. He had never been, and he never would be.

  Now, all of that past was going to come back at them full force, and they would need to figure out what to do. Because, in the end, Charlie had to die. And Liam would be damned if he’d let Alec be the one to deal the final blow.

  “Alec.”

  “I should’ve known.” Alec stood then, ignoring Liam’s hands before turning. His wolf was in his eyes, that golden glow that spoke of the dominance and the strength of not only the wolf inside but also the man that held the reins.

  Liam wasn’t worried, wasn’t scared of the wolf he saw. Because even while Alec was all wolf just then, he was in perfect control. And maybe that was even more dangerous, considering what Alec could do in this state. What Liam had seen him do before.

  “You have the scent?” Liam asked, ignoring Alec’s words. He didn’t know what to say anyway.

  “Yes. I do. I know where to go. At least where he went after the kill. He fucking killed a girl and a raccoon, and he couldn’t even distinguish between the two, I don’t think. He’s that gone,” Alec said, shaking his head. “He’s that gone.”

  Liam reached out and gripped the back of Alec’s head. They both froze at the contact. He couldn’t help himself. He needed to do something. Alec looked in pain, as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. And maybe he did. Liam needed to do something, needed to fix this. He didn’t know what to do, though. Didn’t know how to fix this. Maybe there was no fixing it at all.

  “I’m sorry. I’m so damned sorry it’s him,” Liam whispered. Alec’s wolf pushed at Liam. He could feel it. It wasn’t aggression, more like a longing. The same one that Liam felt within himself. Neither of them was more dominant than the other, and that was something they had always known. They were always on even ground there, even if they numbered themselves and put themselves into rankings to appease the Pack. They knew deep down that they were equals, even if they had this riding tension that they did their best to ignore—yet didn’t do well at ignoring at all.

  Liam slid his fingers along the back of Alec’s scalp, the hair long enough that it curled over his knuckles. They both swallowed hard.

  “I’m so sorry,” Liam whispered again.

  “There’s no fixing it, there never has been. This was inevitable.”

  “Inevitable for Charlie, perhaps. Not for you. Not for me. We can walk away right now. Get Hunter to send someone else, or even get the dragon. It doesn’t have to be you.”

  Alec met his gaze, and then, surprising them both, he leaned into Liam’s hold just a fraction of an inch. Just enough that both of them noticed how close they were. Their heat blended together in an intoxicating way.

  “It has to be me,” Alec whispered. “There is never going to be anyone else. It has to be me.”

  “Okay, it has to be us. You’re not alone in this. We’re both here. Remember that. It’s never just you.”

  “You say that, and yet, sometimes, it feels like it’s always been just me.”

  “We need to go,” Liam whispered, letting his hand fall. He saw the disappointment in Alec’s gaze. This wasn’t the time; they would come to a head with whatever the fuck was going on between them later. The fact that Liam could feel Alec in his soul. Now, they needed to find Charlie, had to make sure that no other girl or innocent raccoon or other animal or shifter died because they were too busy focusing on themselves rather than the rogue at hand. They would deal with that drama, and then they would deal with each other.

  “I have the scent,” Alec rasped. Pulling away.

  “Same here. We’ll find him.”

  “When we do, he’s mine, Liam,” Alec growled out.

  Liam shook his head. “No, he’s ours. We do this together. You don’t get to put this all on your shoulders.”

  “And you don’t get to tell me what to do.”

  “You know, while you’re always stubborn, always a little hardheaded, you’re never like this. You’re never stupid.”

  “I’m not fucking stupid.”

  “Right now? Yes, you are. And I get why, so we’re going to do this together. Like I said, Alec, you don’t get to do this by yourself.

  “Fine. Just don’t slow me down.”

  “Like I ever could, dear Alec.”

  Alec snarled, and then the two of them were off, following the scent. Considering that the death had happened twenty-four hours earlier, if not more, the trail shouldn’t have been this fresh. The fact that it was, meant that Charlie had come back. Liam frowned, a worrying thought sliding through his mind.

  There were two types of rogues out there. Most rogues, the ones that lost control completely, tended to burn out quickly, their animal halves twisting to the point where they couldn’t think. Therefore, they made mistakes and ended up getting themselves killed just by happenstance. Then there were the types of rogues that Liam was afraid Charlie had become.

  The ones that could think, could focus on their prey, and sometimes remembered who they were and what their goal was. They were the more dangerous ones. They were the most powerful of all rogues. They had the thoughts of a shifter who once had dominance and control…and more.

  “He came back,” Alec said, echoing Liam’s thoughts.

  “Yes, he did. He came back, and that means he wanted to see his kill again or see who found it,” Liam agreed.

  “Fuck. I wish you were wrong.”

  They didn’t speak. There was no need. They would have to figure out what they were going to do once they got to Charlie, even though the end result would be the same. Charlie could not go on living. He couldn’t live in any of the realms. He’d not only killed the girl, the raccoon, and probably more, but he’d done it with a vengeance that spoke of insanity. He had risked the humans finding out what had happened. Keeping their secret was of the utmost importance. They would have to take the next steps to ensure that their people were safe and hidden.

  They hunted for an hour, Liam taking the lead since he was usually the better tracker. Well, not always. Sometimes, it was Alec. That’s why they worked together, why they were so good together. When they weren’t fighting over the fact that they were both ignoring who they were to each other.

  Liam just wanted to know why he wasn’t good enough for Alec. Why Alec always chose being alone over what they could have. Of course, Liam wasn’t any better. He wasn’t going to think about that right then, though. He couldn’t, not with so much at stake. That was always the case, wasn’t it? There was always so much more to be done, so much more than the two of them. And that was why Hunter was threatening to kick them out of the Pack. Because they had focused on everyone else for so long, they had lost themselves. Now, they were likely going to lose the rest.

  They came upon a stronger scent over an hour into their search, and Liam held his breath.

  “Liam,” Alec whispered, and Liam came to Alec’s side, nodding.

  “Charlie was here,” Liam, said, his voice low.

  Alec stiffened. “Is.”

  The growl behind him made the hairs on the back of his neck rise. There was no time for talking then. The rogue came at them, Charlie’s scent wild and manic with a touch of decay.

  Liam didn’t know if the decomposition was from his kills or from his soul rotting. In the end, it didn’t matter because it was Charlie. This had to be the end.

  There was
no other solution.

  Alec twisted as the two of them fought first, with Liam bringing up the rear.

  This was how Charlie wanted it, fighting his brother with whatever conscience he had left. He must have known that Alec was Liam’s…maybe the scent. Who knew? No matter what he was thinking, Charlie wasn’t going for Liam at all. If anything, he seemed to be avoiding him, keeping all his attention on Alec, letting nothing else distract him, even in his rogue form.

  Liam ducked Charlie’s single jab and then punched the rogue in the gut, his claws out. He froze at the sound of whimpering. He barely held back his strength, knowing the sound couldn’t have come from Alec, even as the two pummeled each other, punch after punch.

  Alec wasn’t winning. Not yet. The problem with finding a rogue was that the toxicity in their brain made them up to five times stronger than an ordinary wolf or shifter. They had nothing to lose and used all of their energy. Liam or Alec might be able to take Charlie down, but it was going to take strategy, not just fighting.

  That’s why Hunter always sent two out on a hunt, not just one. It didn’t matter that they were both strong and could take down any number of their Pack except for Hunter himself—and even then, Alec and Liam together could probably best Hunter.

  A rogue on the verge of death and infamy could take out so much more than a single dominant wolf with skill.

  However, that’s not what Liam was focused on just then. No, it was that whimper. The sound of someone young. And near where Liam had just punched.

  Fuck.

  Something small moved under Charlie’s coat. Liam growled and looked over at Alec, who gave him a slight nod. They couldn’t hurt or kill Charlie yet, not with whatever he was holding. Liam inhaled deeply, trying to catch the scent under the rot that was Charlie.

  Fox.

  A fox shifter.

  Hell, it was a baby kit.

  Motherfucker.

  Liam distanced himself from the encounter and gave Alec a look, raising one finger. Alec nodded and then went one way, while Liam went the other. Charlie seemed to understand, and that was something that Liam and Alec had both known going in. Charlie would be able to understand their signals and know them.