by RJ Blain
Nothing sucked quite as much as hauling bodies around while naked.
The stone had even provided sneakers.
~Magic,~ it replied, its voice smug.
“I figured that much out,” I muttered, stepping to Nicole’s side and brushing her dark hair away from her pale face. While she was hooked to an IV, she wasn’t on life support or oxygen, which filled me with relief. While gaunt, she breathed on her own.
I could work with that. I could handle inserting an IV and keeping it filled with fluids. I wasn’t adept at it, not like a nurse, but I’d learned the basics in case I needed it. I could, in a pinch, handle their care. I wouldn’t like it, they wouldn’t like it when they woke up, and I’d rue and lament the dirty work involved in keeping a comatose person clean and healthy, but I’d make do.
All the beeping machines did was confirm they still lived and monitored their heart rates. While they were thin and on the brink of starvation, their breathing remained steady, their hearts were strong, and I saw nothing physically wrong with them.
The theory Basin brought victims to the brink of death to fuel their blood diamonds seemed sound.
Gritting my teeth, I rummaged through the lab, snatching every bag of fluids and medications I could find and packing it them into several coolers. Their wheels wouldn’t do me much good in the tunnel leading to the house, but I’d make do.
Before I moved Nicole and the other two victims, I needed a vehicle.
A little grand theft auto wouldn’t hurt the dead. I jogged down the tunnel, pushing as hard as I dared without exhausting myself completely, scrambling up the ladder into the farmhouse, hesitating to listen to see if anyone had come.
~Clear,~ the moonstone whispered to me.
“No wonder Nicole’s cranky all the time. She probably thinks she’s nuts, hearing voices in her head all the time.”
~Not all the time, just most of it.~
“Do the other stones talk?” I dodged around the bodies, circling the farmhouse. Snowflake squeaked and yipped at me, darting out from the surrounding woods to bounce at my feet. “Good boy. Your job is to be a therapy fox until further notice. You have three patients, sir.”
~And I thought Nicole was strange. You’re something else.~
Great. Even a rock thought I was crazy. Huffing, I kept exploring until I found a beat-up truck and a brand-new SUV parked between the house and the cliff.
The SUV’s windows were tinted to black, which would make it the safest choice for hiding three unconscious people for the drive. I nodded, headed back inside, and checked the bodies for keys, emerging with four different sets. I took them all, gave Markus a kick on the way by, and hurried back to the lab.
Nothing had changed. I cursed Basin; getting healthy people down into the prison wasn’t hard. Getting them out was an entirely different story, and I resorted to binding their hands together so I could carry them on my back with their arms around my neck. The way up the ladder would choke me, but as long as I got them out, they’d forgive me—not they’d know I’d carted them around like sacks of grain unless I told them.
Which I wouldn’t. It’d be bad enough when they realized they’d had strangers pawing all over them while they were unconscious.
I wouldn’t point that out to them, either, and I’d hope they wouldn’t figure it on their own. To my amusement, the moonstone agreed.
That much I knew; Nicole really didn’t handle embarrassment well, and she tended to light things on fire when she was teased too much. If fire didn’t get the point across, lightning did.
Or whatever the hell she felt like, which made her so dangerous—and, in my opinion, exceptional.
I had one trick, and I didn’t do it all that well.
~Nonsense. Obviously, I will have to impress upon Nicole you’re in dire need of a self-esteem adjustment.~
The moonstone hated me.
It laughed at my thoughts and retreated, leaving me to my work. I saved Nicole for last, carrying the others to the SUV one at a time and buckling them into the back seat. I could only hope the drive to my safe haven—if it was still safe—wouldn’t hurt them.
~I will keep them alive,~ the moonstone promised.
“Make with the magic, then, because it’s going to be one hell of a ride.”
~Just put me in Nicole’s hand, and I’ll take care of the rest. You will be my hands, I will be the knowledge you need to nurse them back to health and restore them. If you can find their souls, that would make my work easier.~
“Souls?”
The moonstone sighed in my head. ~The false stones. I felt her pain when they took hers.~
The blood diamonds. I curled my lip in a snarl, nodded, and returned to the lab to retrieve Nicole, carrying her as I would one of my puppies, wincing at how light she felt in my arms. Of the three, she’d fared the worst.
If Richard saw her in her current condition, he’d burn the entire world to get back at the ones who had hurt her.
~A week. Buy me a week, and I can restore much of what they’ve lost, even if you can’t find their stones.~
“I hope so, because it’ll be my neck on the chopping block if I return her in less than perfect health.”
~Nonsense. You’re pack. Richard loves you, too.~
I flinched at the word and everything it meant. “Then he’s an idiot.”
~You’re the idiot.~
“Yes, I am.”
~At least you can admit it. That’s better than Nicole. She’s stubborn. When she wakes up, make certain Richard is there. Her expression will be beyond measure. I’ll enjoy it. She is his life, and he is hers, and they’re too shy to admit it.~
“No,” I replied, shaking my head. “He admits it. Has admitted it. Anyone who knows him knows. I don’t know how he’s gone on for so long without her.”
~People like you.~ The moonstone sighed. ~Until he runs out of people to protect, he’ll keep going. Should that happen…~
“He’ll suicide,” I whispered, settling Nicole in the front seat so I could keep an eye on her while I drove. As the stone wished, I placed it in her limp hand and curled her pale fingers around it. “As soon as it’s safe, I’ll take her home to him.”
~Safety is an illusion. But you know that better than most, don’t you?~
I did. “Guard them while I look for the stones.”
~That I can do. Turn the vehicle on, so if I need it, I can steal its strength.~
I hoped the stone wouldn’t need it, but I obeyed its wishes and left to tear the Basin outpost apart.
Chapter Thirty
I began my campaign of destruction in the lab, tearing everything apart in my effort to uncover any blood diamonds hidden within the equipment.
I found the first in Nicole’s medical monitor, and I pocketed it before smashing my way through every single device I could reach.
After five tiny stones, I stopped counting, and some machines hid multiple blood diamonds. The largest came from a centrifuge, and I could barely close my fingers around it. During my search, I located several handguns, which I claimed along with enough ammunition to take on an army with a high chance of winning. I kept the smaller stones, but the larger one made my skin crawl, and I decided to put the jewel to the test.
I moved the SUV and its precious cargo a mile away, returned to the farmhouse, set the stone on Markus’s cold, stiffening body, and backed away to my max range of accuracy. My first few shots missed, thumping into Markus’s corpse. Had he still lived, I would’ve found the hits more enjoyable, but he couldn’t suffer for what he’d done, not anymore.
My fourth shot hit the stone, and it exploded with a house-flattening boom. Chunks of wood and stone pelted me despite my distance, and I yelped. Red rained from the sky in a shower, drenching me from head to toe. My nose confirmed what I feared.
I was covered in blood.
As I had been taught as a child, I crossed my heart and murmured a prayer for the dead. Either Basin’s victims would live or die—or had already di
ed.
There was nothing else I could do for them, not without Dante. The blood diamonds couldn’t be allowed to exist to be used as weapons of war. I’d destroy the smaller stones as soon as I found a way to do so safely.
Or I found Dante and had him release the spirits of the dead from their red prisons.
I detoured to the nearest stream and washed away as much of the blood as I could, although it stained my clothes and clumped in my hair. If anyone pulled me over, I wouldn’t be able to explain anything, so I vowed to drive as though nothing was wrong, as though I hadn’t just blown two bodies apart and demolished a farmhouse.
There’d be no funeral for Markus, and I found that to be the most satisfying revenge of all.
I returned to the SUV, slid behind the wheel, and wrinkled my nose at the squishing of my clothes on the seat.
~You appear to have gotten rather damp.~
“Found a fist-sized blood diamond, set it on an asshole’s chest, shot until it shattered. It exploded.”
~It exploded? Is that blood?~
“They’re called blood diamonds for a reason.”
~It’s literal?~ the stone shrieked.
“Very. I figured wet was better than bloody. What other tricks do you have up your sleeve? If that doesn’t get someone’s attention, I’ll be very, very surprised.”
~It’s going to be challenging enough keeping all three of them alive. They need food, turned into liquid, and care. I can give them a week, but then I will become dormant unless Nicole can revitalize me with her power.~
Something about the stone’s tone warned me it had as much to lose as Richard, and Nicole’s life meant more to it than I’d thought.
~Yes,~ it confirmed.
“All right. With the North Fork pack wiped out, their hiding holes are probably vacant; Mike had one not too far from here. It’s a few hours away, deep in the woods. There’s no electricity, but I can hunt, start a fire, and do anything we need.” I’d have to steal a lot of things to make my plan work, unless I figured out a way to get my hands on cash without alerting anyone of my presence.
I’d gotten lazy, and I hadn’t prepared well for needing to disappear again. Then again, I’d also concluded that Elliot wouldn’t allow me to fade away again. He’d hunt me for the rest of our lives if I tried to run.
He likely hunted me even now, although I would welcome him if he found me. Of all the people I knew, he could help Nicole the most.
~You could call him,~ the stone suggested.
“I have no way of knowing if there are any other Basin operatives infiltrating our efforts, and he’d blow a gasket,” I admitted. “Maybe several gaskets.”
~This worries you. Why?~
I hissed at the stone, slammed the gas, and headed away from the farmhouse ruins. “I ran away.”
~For a good reason.~
“He’ll be pissed I ran away without him.”
~That’s because he loves you.~
“You’re using that word again.”
The moonstone sighed. ~You’re vexing me on purpose, aren’t you?~
I allowed myself a small smile. While I hadn’t found my mate’s beloved twin, I’d made progress. I trusted the stone to keep its word. In a week, my three rescues would be in better health—and with luck, I could wake them.
The fear they wouldn’t wake up at all lingered, and I tried my best to ignore my worries. All I could do was my best, and that would have to be enough, for better or for worse. “I don’t want any of them to die.”
~It won’t hurt any more or less if you admit it, you know.~
I didn’t, but I found the possibility interesting. Concentrating on driving, I headed to a place I might’ve considered home given time. Within twenty minutes of hitting a real road, emergency vehicles streamed by me with their sirens blaring.
I pitied whoever would be responsible for explaining away the bloody crater I’d created shooting the large blood diamond so its vile powers would never be used.
Three hours after leaving the farmhouse, I reached Mike’s cabin. I had helped him build it, funding the expenses he couldn’t, and in time, it might’ve become a second lodge for the North Fork pack. It gathered dust, and I peeked inside, breathing in deep. The scents were old enough I had no doubt no one had come to the place after the North Fork slaughter.
Later, once I had all three women safely inside, tucked into bed, and resting, I would mourn for everything that might have been without Basin’s hatred ruining it. I moved Nicole first, clenching my teeth through the entire process of inserting the catheter into her thin arm and making sure there were no bubbles in the IV line before letting the fluids do their work.
I could feel the moonstone observing my efforts, even when I worked with the two other women.
~You’ll have to make broth, full of meat and vegetables, to help replenish what they’ve lost.~
“There’s a town an hour from here. I’ll go as a wolf and steal from one of the stores at night. I’ll hunt for the rest.” Vitamins would be mandatory unless I took them to a hospital, and I had no way of explaining away their condition. “Once they’re settled, I’ll see about calling Richard.”
Richard wouldn’t betray his mate. Elliot wouldn’t betray me, either, but until I found his brother, too, I couldn’t bear the thought of facing him.
~You’re too hard on yourself. Will you need help to shift?~
“Probably,” I confessed.
~You’re such a terrible wolf,~ the moonstone grumbled.
I laughed because it was true. “And an even worse witch.”
~No, not at all. Your control over your witchcraft is specialized but superb. You could have brought ruin to many, but you reined in the storms with minimal damage.~
“I didn’t, actually.”
~That was luck?~
“I never said I was a good witch or a good wolf.”
~You’re serious. You have no real control over your witchcraft?~
“Sometimes, when it’s really important, I can do things with the weather. Mostly, I sense it. The last time I used it, I killed over twenty people because a coven of witches used a focus crystal to try to call winter early. I brought in a hurricane to counter what they’d done. It created a lethal storm, but…” I sighed.
~But it restored the weather patterns to the area.~
“Right. My magic works best when I don’t have to use it all.”
~You’re a better witch and wolf than you think,~ the moonstone offered, and I sensed it attempted to make peace with me.
I accepted its efforts because I couldn’t remember the last time anyone had tried, even if I didn’t believe it. “I haven’t run wild yet, so I suppose that is an accomplishment.”
~For a wolf your age, it is. You and your wolf fear the wildness. Most wolves desire it. So no, you’re a much better wolf than you think. You’re not balanced, but you’re not unbalanced, either. Welcoming her won’t make you more likely to run wild, and should you, I can bring you back from the other side.~
“Help me shift for now. I’ll worry about that later, once Nicole wakes up.”
If Nicole woke up, but I couldn’t bring myself to voice the possibility she wouldn’t. The moonstone understood, and it, too, remained silent on the matter.
There was little as foolhardy as robbing a grocery store and a pharmacy as a wolf in the middle of night. If anyone saw me, I’d become a threat to the Inquisition’s secrecy, because no one would believe a wolf my shape, coloration, and size could possibly be natural.
Fortunately, the weather helped; I hadn’t called the storm, and I hadn’t meant to strike the building with lightning multiple times, but I wasn’t going to argue with the results.
No cameras meant I could take everything I needed without consequence. No electricity meant the alarm system wouldn’t go off. I could pillage as I needed, and I needed a lot to care for my three charges.
I began with the canvas bags from the registers, stealing more than a few so I could carr
y my purloined goods away efficiently. Efficiency mattered during a theft. I needed to grab everything they required to survive, and I needed to grab it as quickly as possible. Then I needed to turn tail and get the hell out of town before anyone with a gun decided to go hunting for a trophy.
I filled one bag with cleaning supplies and an assortment of vitamins and medications, things that might help the other two witches although Nicole wouldn’t benefit. I raided the canned goods section for soups, vegetables, and anything with tolerable nutritional value I could mince or crush into drinkable form with little effort. Meat and vegetable stocks took up an entire bag, and I filled several more with meat I plundered from the refrigerators. While I wouldn’t be winning any races, I could drag everything with me in one trip, which pleased me.
Most of the meat would be turned into stew during the day, and I’d keep it warm so it’d last several days despite lacking electricity. I’d eat the rest while I kept watch.
When I ran out of supplies, I’d have to pick a new town—or cave and call Richard.
In reality, Nicole’s health would determine my course. If I thought she wasn’t improving, for any reason, I’d take the risk of exposing us to bring in the pack to do what I couldn’t. I just worried it wouldn’t be enough.
That was my sort of wretched luck.
It took me till dawn to return to Mike’s cabin, and the chill of winter settled in, far colder than I expected for the area, cold enough to freeze the ground and my groceries if I left them outside, which I did. With a nudge from the moonstone, I shifted back to human, and like before, the stone clothed me in an outfit suitable for the cold. I already appreciated the warm socks, and the fleece and leather gloves would do me a world of good when I needed to gather firewood.
~They slept quietly while you were gone,~ the moonstone reported.
Unless they woke from their comas, if they were in comas, they’d always be quiet and still. “No changes at all?”