by KM Lowe
“Good. We’re all here,” says Lelland as he stands at the head of the table. “Let’s get started.”
“I’ve been racking my brains for the last two hours. I don’t have anything definite yet, but we need to know how many directions they can attack from. I don’t have a pack here that I can call upon to help us. We’re going in here ourselves. They’ve got the upper hand number wise, but we have the strength and agility to complete this. We need to keep our wits about us. There won’t be any time for cock ups. We get in, get the bastards taken care of, and we get the casualties out.”
“As simple as that seems, you missed the part that we can’t get into their camp,” says Callum.
Before I can answer him, Stracey steps in and says, “Yes, you will. I’ll channel some energy from something or someone. I’ll get you in.”
“Does it need to be someone magical that you channel your energy from?” asks Ashley.
“No. Just someone who is willing for me to tap into their energy. Someone who isn’t fighting this battle, because they will feel weak and tired afterwards.”
“I can call Jake.” Ashley stands up and takes a phone from her pocket. “He’ll be happy to help. He isn’t into all of this vampire business anymore, but he is against what’s happening here. He’ll also be on the outside with Stracey if she needs him.”
“Who’s Jake?” I ask.
I’m not sure if that’s a hint of jealousy creeping in, or if my pride has taken a knock, because I should be the one protecting my woman.
“Jake is my father-in-law.”
I nod my head and smile. I met Jake a couple of years ago, and I found it funny that he did everything he could to live a normal, human life. I’m good with him joining us.
“Jasper, do you want to organise the teams we’re in? I’m leaving this to you because I’m not into this carry on now. The last time it was Ashley and Dale we were fighting for, and I promised myself and Lavina that this life wouldn’t overtake me anymore.”
“Okay. Well, I hope you’re all right. I hope this does take them by surprise. From what I can see on the map, there is only one way in on foot. Now, these mutts will try anything to get away from us, so we need to be alert. We have three wolves, three vampires, a witch, and a standby vampire. I say we split into two groups. Stracey and Jake will be on the outside. I’ll take Kevin and Lelland with me, leaving Callum to have Ashley and Lavina. We’re split up equally, because I believe with the mixture of powers we have, the better it will help to bring this to a head. We go in, take care of the bastards causing this, and we get out. Anything else is burned to the ground. We don’t want anyone to come back and bite us on the arse.”
“Jake will meet us at the foot of the mountains in one hour,” Ashley tells us as she sits back down in her seat.
“Good. I say we take a couple of vehicles out to the area Ashley took us to earlier. It’ll be close enough if we need help to get casualties to safety. We can walk the short distance from there. The quicker we get up the mountain, the quicker we get it done. Any questions?”
“Yeah.” Ashley holds her hand up. “What are we not allowed to do? This is the first time I’ve worked alongside the council. Is there anything we should or shouldn’t do?”
“Just do whatever you need to survive and get out,” I say.
“They sent us the best person to work with,” Lelland says as he closes the gap between us. “Any time I’ve worked with Jasper in the past, he turns a blind eye to a lot. We’re here on a mission to help the innocent and protect our kind from being public knowledge. The rogues are not our concern, right, Jasper?”
“Right,” I confirm. “Anything else?”
No one answers me, but I feel Kevin move. I catch a glimpse of him in my peripheral vision. “I’ll be right back. Kev, can I have a minute?”
I make my way into the study and perch on the edge of the desk. Kevin shuts the door behind him and stands in front of me with his arms folded. I think that’s to stop himself from pacing or fidgeting.
“You want to talk about it, son?”
He sighs and shakes his head. He’s stuck because he needs to do right by us, but his wolf wants him to rush off and find his mate.
“I honestly don’t know what to say, Jasper. I…” He shrugs and let his arms flop down by his sides.
“It’s okay to feel like this. Granted, it hasn’t happened at the perfect time, but these things happen for a reason. The Goddess has obviously picked you for this mission. She believes in you. I believe in you. Your mate will also believe in you.”
“I’m not ready for this. I’ve just found a stable environment that I call home. We’re in the middle of this war amongst our own kind, and my only family is at home worrying about me. What is the Goddess thinking?”
“I wish I had the answer to that one myself, but no one will truly understand why the Goddess does what she does. She does it to better us. As a shifter, I’m going to tell you the same as I told Markus when Lisa was taken, because I know how much of a pull a mate has on you. I know how difficult it is to keep your head where it needs to be. We go into this together, we come out together. Do not, I repeat, do not go off on your own, no matter what. I can’t go home and tell Lisa we’ve lost you.”
“I won’t, but I don’t think you’d have to tell her. She seems pretty tuned in where I’m concerned. I just wish her vision could tell us more.”
“Me too, but you’re right. Lisa loves you. She’s going to be one powerful shifter when she gets a handle on her power, and she’ll need you by her side.”
Kevin nods, but like Markus, I knew I was talking to a brick wall. If it means their life or their mate’s, their wolf instinct will kick in and they’ll be off like a shot. I just need to keep my eyes and ears on him at all times.
***
Fifty-five minutes later, our cars are parked, and we’re approaching the foot of the hills. I stop dead in my tracks because I can smell a vampire.
“It’s only Jake,” Lelland confirms for us all.
An older gentleman walks up to meet us. He holds his hand out to Lelland but kisses Ashley on the cheek. “Hello, my dear. I take it you had to strap my son to a bed to be here alone.”
“No, he has some business to attend with Carlos in Anchorage. He won’t be home until morning. Hopefully, that’s enough time to get this over with, be home and have breakfast on the table for him, and be the dutiful wife everyone thinks I am.”
We all laugh at Ashley, but for some reason, I think her husband has his work cut out for him. She’s feisty, straight to the point, witty… I shake my head slightly and face my people.
“Okay, thanks for coming out here, Jake. I know this isn’t your thing, but we appreciate it. You’ll be staying on the outside of the perimeter with Stracey. She’s going to channel some of your energy to break their boundary spell. I don’t want you or her anywhere near that pack, understood? You keep each other safe and out of the way.”
“What happens if we get in and the boundary spell goes back up? Are we stuck in there?” asks Callum.
Stracey clears her throat. “I’ll just have to take it back down again, but if you find their witch in there, take him or her out and you won’t need me at all because the spell will automatically be broken.”
“Any one of them could be the witch.” Kevin speaks up for the first time since we left the study an hour ago.
“We’ll be able to find her. We just need to be alert. We have no idea what we face in here. We have one aim–we get in, we get out. Nothing else matters at the moment. We all understand what we’re doing?”
A chorus of grunts and ayes surround me. I take Stracey’s hand in mine and we walk as quickly and quietly as we possibly can. Not another word is spoken as we make our way to our destination. Now I know why none of my enforcers has a partner, because this feeling of walking away, never seeing them again, is torture. I’m never usually on edge when it comes to missions because we’re the big bad wolves, and we can tak
e on anything. But this time, something is off with me. Maybe it’s because I have Stracey and Kevin here with me. Maybe it’s because Kevin’s on edge. Maybe it’s because I know Lisa and Markus need me now more than ever.
“I can hear the clogs ticking,” Stracey whispers.
I try to smile, but I’m lucky if I manage a smirk. It was probably a frown more than anything. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry, just be careful.” She winks at me and we carry on walking. “It’s up ahead. I can feel the magic.”
I nod and hold my hand out to stop everyone. We separate into our teams and Stracey walks ahead with Jake on her heels. I hold my finger up to keep everyone still, but I catch up to Jake.
“I’ll look after her.” Jake smiles.
“Thank you, Jake. I know she thinks she doesn’t need protecting, but I won’t settle knowing she’s out here.”
“She’s in good hands. Just get this situation cleared up so I can get my family back.”
“I’ll do all I can.” I focus my attention on Stracey’s back. She’s kneeling on the ground with her hands held out flat against an invisible wall.
“Jasper,” she whispers. “You’ll have five minutes to get everyone in before I have to release the spell. I need to keep my energy for getting you out if you don’t find their witch.”
“Understood.” I wave my hands to the guys behind us. My team is behind me and Callum’s team is behind him. “Stracey-”
She stands up quickly. “Don’t, Jasper. Just do what you have to.”
I was going to tell her I love her, but for some reason, she doesn’t want to hear it. I don’t have time for this argument, but I will when I’m finished.
“Jake, I need you to stand with your legs hip width apart. Hold your hands out to the side, and with your right hand, take my hand in yours. You’ll feel little electric currents running through your body when the spell starts, but you’ll be perfectly safe.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’m made of the strong stuff. If you can turn into a vampire after a bear attack, you can do anything.”
I don’t really know Jake’s story, but if what he’s saying is true, then he’ll look after my girl okay.
“Ready?” Stracey asks and we all nod.
With our approval, she takes Jake’s hand and starts to chant. I’ve never heard her chant in a different language before, but I’m not about to interrupt her.
Jake’s head falls down onto his chest, and I keep my gaze on Stracey. I’m waiting for any sign we can enter freely.
“Jasper, go,” she says, but then continues her chant. I side step around her and look back to see her eyes locked on me. She slightly nods, and I race off in the direction I know we need to go. Callum takes his team to the right, and I go straight. By doing this, we hope to create a barrier; something we do all the time.
“We’re getting closer. I can smell them. We need to shift here, Kev. You ready?”
“I’ve been ready from late last night, Jasper. My wolf is howling to get out.”
“Okay. Stay quiet and low to the ground until we can move in.”
We strip our clothes off and leave them in a pile behind some bushes. If Lelland doesn’t like to be around naked men, he doesn’t show any discomfort. As soon as my last garment hits the floor, my shift starts. Bones breaking and aligning. Nails appearing, fur… until I stand on four very large feet.
“Jesus Christ, Jasper. I forgot how big you are,” says Lelland quietly.
I nudge his arm with my nose and he laughs softly. It’s true what they say about men; when they have people to take care of, whether it be blood relations or not, it changes that person. I changed the moment Lisa was born. I changed even more the moment Markus entered my life. Well, Lelland is the same. He’s not as hard-hearted since he changed Ashley and helped her overcome a lot of steps. It’s never easy living an immortal life, but no one said we can’t live a life.
“Mangy mutts stink.” Lelland waves his hand in front of his face and Kevin and I snarl at him. “Not you two. I can tolerate you. You’re clean.”
I want to laugh out loud, because it’s amusing to see Lelland trying to dig himself out of a hole. He’s been like me for years; he had a job to do, a secret to protect, and when you forget about life and humanity, you become a hard-faced bastard, and only love and family can turn your head around.
“Let’s keep moving forward.”
Kevin and I move at each side of Lelland, further into the camp we know is a ticking time bomb. Nothing is out of the ordinary, but Lelland is right, the smell is terrible. Dirty, damp fur isn’t a good smell, but combine that with stale urine and faeces… it’s definitely not one I want to be around for long. Up ahead of us, the area starts to open, and at the end is an open cave. Immediately, my heart rate picks up, because Lisa’s words echo around me. “Kevin was in a cave.”
I let my nose trail against the ground, smelling any trace of humans or blood. We need to get as many people out of here before it becomes public knowledge.
“Jasper, Callum is on the top of that cave. They can see us. Do you want them to stay there?”
I study the area around us, but I see nothing out of the ordinary. Callum is good at many things, but concealing his whereabouts is one thing no one, not even a tracker, can find. I nudge my head against Lelland’s arm and he whispers softly so Lavina could hear him from her perch up high.
I continue to sniff the ground until we reach the foot of the cave. The smell is much worse, but Kevin’s wolf is scratching the ground. He’s getting more worked up by the second. Maybe I should have left Kev out here with Callum, but I need to know he’s safe at all times. I can’t go home minus Kevin. I just can’t. I won’t.
I enter the cave first, blocking Kevin’s entry to lead. His wolf growls, but I understand what a mess his head’s in if his mate is in the vicinity. I ignore him and swiftly move forward, edging along the wall. The smell of blood is repulsive, especially since I know what some of these poor girls have been through at the hands of these bastards. I’d take great pleasure in ripping their throats out, one by one.
A scream startles us all to a halt. I tilt my head to see over my shoulder to Lelland and Kevin. Kevin noses Lelland out of the way and takes up his position beside me. No one is getting in or out of this cave without going through us first. I give a slight nod of my head and we carry on walking. The further we get, the louder the sobs and screams become. Kevin takes off at a run and I curse him for being so big-headed. I run after him. A few minutes later, we’re standing at the entrance to a big hall. All around the walls are cages stacked upon one another. Girls of all ages, wolf, vampire, and witch, are all undressed, battered, bruised, and covered in dirt and blood. Now, I’ve been doing this job for a very long time, but I don’t think my stomach has ever turned the way it is right now.
I’m taken aback when a loud roar comes from Kevin. I follow his gaze to a table in the corner where a young woman is held in place by handcuffs. Her body is beaten so badly she doesn’t have the energy to move. Her legs are shackled to the table like she’s a wild animal.
This time, when I look around the large space, all eyes are on us. Terrified girls wondering who the hell we are. Rogues are coming in from all directions, apart from behind us. I hear Lelland whisper, and he’s obviously alerting the others that we’re seriously outnumbered… by a lot.
Kevin snarls and takes off into the corner, taking out three wolves in a heartbeat. As soon as I know he’s out of the way, I inch forward and growl with anger and frustration.
“The middle one is the ring leader, Jasper,” says Lelland.
That’s all I need to hear, and I take off at full speed and ascend on my target. He’s quick, I’ll give him that, but he won’t beat me. No one will. I’m knocked off the bastard by one of the minions this clown has working with him, but I’m back up in a flash, gnawing at flesh and snapping my jaw around the bastard’s throat. I feel the life drain out of him as his body becomes lifeless.
I look around myself quickly and two wolves are descending on me. I can only take on one at a time, so I go for the biggest first, paws raised, swiping across flesh. Roars echo around the large space, sending shivers through my body. Adrenalin courses through my veins and my wolf has one mission – to get out of here alive with my allies.
As I’m fighting one wolf, one snaps down on my hind leg. I hear the crunch and pain radiates through my body. As quick as the pain appears, a large wolf jumps over my head, knocking the rogue to the ground several feet away from me… Kevin. I sigh with relief that he got out of the haze he’s been in since we arrived. His large wolf looks back at me, and he tenses when he sees my leg. I roar out and make him carry on. I’ll be fine in a short time. My body will heal quickly and I’ll be fighting fit again. Lelland bends down beside me and examines my injury.
“You good?” he asks, looking over his shoulder.
I nod and push him away with my nose. I’ll be fine. I just need all of these mongrels dead, and I can’t do anything to help them at the moment because my leg is broken. I drag myself on my front paws over to the corner where Kevin made his way to the moment we arrived here. I look over my shoulder and he’s taking control with Callum. They’re both still fighting strong. I pull myself up to my front paws and hear the shifter’s heart beating slowly. If only Stracey was here with me, she’d be able to heal some of the internal injuries. We’ve got here in time, but I don’t know how long her weak body can keep going.
“I take it this is young Kevin’s mate?”
I startle. I didn’t see Lelland until he was leaning over the young girl at the opposite side. He strips out of his jacket and places it over the young girl’s freezing cold body.
I look down at my back leg and notice it isn’t healing as quickly as it should. Fuck this. I growl and return to my crumpled state on the ground. I initiate my shift and wait for my body to return to normal. The moment my wolf is locked away, I stand on my good leg, keeping the weight off my broken ankle, and held my fingers to the girls neck to count her pulse.