Burning Desire (Snake River Prison Camp Book 3)

by Jules Tyler

  “Valid point, brother. I can’t imagine how stressed out ya’ll must be over this. Especially with everything that’s going on around here. What happened to our silent way of life anyways? The inmates we deal with never caused us any trouble, no one ever comes up here, and then McKinzy walked into our lives and everything changed. I don’t blame her for any of this, but I want to know what the endgame is,” Elijah pondered, catching a glimpse of Duke and Desmond coming down the trail with a man locked between the middle of them, Jasper and Anthony trailing behind.

  The closer they got to the cabin, the easier it was for Elijah to see the sneer that the man was wearing on his face. He looked like a crazed wolf, that was certain. He had a scar that trailed from across his eye to just below his collarbone. Little scars covered his chest. He was built like a warrior. Elijah could smell the sickness wafting off of him, telling Elijah that he is just as broken as he thought he was.

  He hurt Mate. He killed Mother Wolf. End. Him.

  Before Elijah entirely knew what was happening, he was running right at the man. He could see Duke and Desmond both trying to warn him off, but whatever they were saying fell on deaf ears. Elijah lunged for the man, barreling into his chest to knock him loose from Desmond and Duke’s holds on his arms. This was between them. Wolf to wolf.

  The man snarled and struggled beneath him, his good eye glowing gold like Candace’s did when she shifted the other night. The wounded eye was glowing solid white.

  Elijah snarled, “Don’t you even think about shifting you bastard. You don’t deserve the wolf in your middle.”

  The man struggled beneath him as Elijah felt his weight shift upward. Someone’s hands were on him, pulling him off the asshole.

  “Elijah, he’s not worth it. We need answers,” Duke called to him.

  “He killed Mother Wolf,” Elijah growled, struggling against Duke’s hold on him. Elijah watched as the man looked up at him, blood streaming from his nose, “Mother

  Wolf? You mean that bayou bitch from Louisiana? She wasn’t the target. You were.”

  White hot fury punched him in the gut as he felt Wolf take control. His bones popped and snapped into place, and he lunged for the man again. This time Zeke was ready for him, shifting below him into a solid white wolf with one demon red eye. Zeke’s wolf didn’t compare to Elijah’s in size or speed though.

  The white wolf snapped up at him and missed. Elijah grabbed a hold of the wolf’s jaw with his and growled. They rolled and growled, a ball of fur and teeth. The sound of another wolf coming to join the fight caught Elijah’s attention. Looking up he could see Candace’s wolf coming to join the fight. Elijah scrambled to his feet, distracted by the sight of her. That distraction was just what Zeke needed though and he rolled from beneath Elijah, knocking Elijah’s feet from beneath him.

  Zeke went for Elijah’s neck again, and this time he was successful. Elijah gulped and gasped for air as he struggled beneath him. Eyes growing wide as he pleaded with the others to pull Zeke off of him. A howl sounded and Elijah felt the weight lift, a final tug from Zeke’s teeth came before he watched the wolf go flying. Candace’s wolf looked at him with concern before lifting her teeth in a snarl and focusing her attention back on Zeke.

  Elijah struggled to his feet and followed Candace’s lead. Together they hunted Zeke as he tucked his tail between his legs and cowered. Two against one was cheating, but Elijah didn’t care. He and Candace would have their vengeance. Today.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Yes. Kill him. Kill him now. Make him pay for what he’s done. Mate will help. Fight together.

  Candace felt the power pumping through her veins. She and Elijah would finally have closer. They could move on together. This would fix everything.

  “No!” Alicia and McKinzy screamed in unison as they ran towards them.

  Candace looked up them and snarled. McKinzy returned the snarl, “Shift back. Now. This is not how things are done here.”

  Elijah and Candace both ducked their heads in obedience and shifted back to their human forms, making sure to keep an eye on Zeke, who followed to suit. Candace took in the man and realized he looked like a stranger to her. The messy black hair had been replaced with a clean shaven head. His face was scared and now bleeding. He smelled sick. None of this made her think of the boy she had known for years.

  “...and why the hell didn’t you stop them?” Candace caught wind of McKinzy yelling at the group of men.

  “This was up to Candace and Elijah to resolve, Boss. They needed closure. We tried to pull Elijah off and he shifted. So we decided they needed to resolve this in wolf form,” Desmond explained.

  “What if one of them got killed? What if they actually succeeded in killing off Zeke? Where would we be then, huh?” She continued, “I’ll tell you, we’d be back to square zero with no answers.”

  “None of this is their fault, McKinzy. This is ours. Leave them be,” Candace huffed, making sure to keep her eyes locked on Zeke in front of her.

  “Hello, Candi.” He smiled wickedly.

  “It’s Candace to you,” Elijah snapped.

  “I see that you found yourself another guy to string along,” Zeke taunted. “Pity. I thought me putting that wolf in your middle would’ve solved that problem. You’re so desperate, you pitiful bitch.”

  Candace felt the rage ignite in her middle again, “You don’t get to talk to me like that, you bastard.”

  McKinzy smacked Zeke across the face, “She’s right. Now we have some questions for you, and if you know what’s good for you, you’re going to answer them. Got it?”

  “What makes you think I’m going to answer them?” Zeke quipped.

  Desmond spoke, “Because if you don’t, Duke and I are going to have to resort to more… desperate methods.”

  Zeke’s eyes grew round, “Who says you scare me?”

  Duke’s mouth grew into an evil grin, “You do, or at least, your wolf does.”

  “Candace, Elijah, go get dressed. We’ll meet you at the cabin in a few. Try to gather your control, okay? We don’t need anymore episodes like that today,” McKinzy instructed.

  “Yes, ma’am,” they said in unison.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Elijah stretched out his arms as he walked back towards McKinzy’s cabin. It had been a long time since he had lost control of his connection with Wolf. This time had been worth it, but his muscles were already beginning to ache like he had had the workout of a lifetime. Letting his arms fall to his sides, he smiled as he saw Candace sitting on the front step to McKinzy’s looking as though she was waiting for him.

  “Well howdy, ma’am.” Elijah tilted his head playfully.

  Candace gave a sad smile, “I almost killed him today, Elijah. I lost control. My wolf, she took control of everything and it was like a blur. Just like yesterday with Anthony. What’s wrong with me?”

  Elijah reached down and pulled her up into a hug, “Oh Candi, nothing is wrong with you. Your wolf is much more dominant than you think, and part of that might be because you’re up here with all of these alpha males. She’s trying to adapt. Both times you’ve lost control, you’ve been coming to my aid though, so I can’t complain too much about it.”

  “Do you think that because we’re intended to be together, she senses when you’re in trouble or something?” Candace canted her head in confusion.

  “Could be. Make sense to me. It’s kind of like with the bond. When you’re bonded to someone, you just feel it in your bones that they’re in trouble. So it’s not a long shot to think that that’s your wolf trying to protect what she feels is hers.” Elijah shrugged, looking at the door long and hard. He really wanted to go in there, but at the same time, he didn’t.

  “I’m not sure if I’m ready to face him again.” Candace frowned.

  “Are you still scared of him?” Elijah asked, sitting down next to her.

  “No, not really. I mean, I kind of kicked his ass earlier and that was great. I really just don’t want to
lose control again.” Candace reached for his hand and squeezed it.

  “I know what you mean. Men like him have a really easy time getting under the skin of even some of the most patient people. I think it would be good for both of us to hear what he has to say though. I’ll hold your hand the entire time, when I feel you slipping or if you feel me slipping, we’ll go for a walk okay?” Elijah smiled encouragingly.

  Candace took a deep breath and cast a look at the door before looking back at him, “Okay. Deal.”

  Elijah leaned over and kissed her gently on the cheek, “That a girl. Now let’s get in there and see what the hell is going on, shall we?”

  Helping her to her feet, Elijah resisted the urge to scoop her up in his arms and run away with her. It certainly would be easier than facing the scene that was bound to be developing inside. Elijah opened the door and felt everyone’s eyes turn to them. Pulling Candace behind him, they returned to their seats from earlier and he took in his surroundings. Duke and Desmond were standing on either side of Zeke, who was seated on a chair that was resting on a blanket over the carpet. Elijah smiled to himself. As gruesome as torture was, he had to give Duke and Desmond credit; they were some of the best people to handle a situation like this.

  Desmond and Duke each held a knife in their hands, staring intently at Zeke, who obviously had either refused to speak or tried lying to a room full of shifters. Zeke’s arms were dripping blood but with his healing abilities speeding up the process, the places Duke and Desmond had cut into him were already turning into pink scars. McKinzy stood in front of Zeke, foot tapping impatiently. Apparently they weren’t getting very far judging by the expression she, and everyone else in the room, was wearing.

  “Come to watch the show, Candi?” Zeke sneered from his chair. Candace looked at Elijah with panic on her face. Squeezing her hand with encouragement, he nodded.

  “Damn straight I did. We deserve some answers, Zeke. So why don’t you save your wasted energy and focus it on giving us some. Something tells me that no one here will be letting you walk out of here until we all have what we need,” Candace said, her tone sounding cold and distant.

  “Oh Little Wolf, haven’t you learned anything in our years apart? Nothing is ever that simple,” Zeke said, condescension thick in his voice.

  Duke and Desmond pressed their knives to his jugular, daring him to speak again as Candace spoke again, “I’ve learned plenty of things in our years apart, you ass. You haven’t learned a thing though, or you wouldn’t be here. What kind of a man turns someone without their permission? What kind of man hunts his own kind? I’ll tell you what kind of man, a coward, Zeke. You, sir, are a coward. Someone put a sick animal inside of you and now you’re here, being tortured for information, and you don’t even have the self preservation instinct enough to tell them what they’re demanding of you.”

  Elijah felt himself fill with pride. He knew she could be brave. He took notice of the fact that McKinzy had moved from in front of Zeke to over by the couch, allowing Candace to take control of the situation. What Candace was saying looked as though it was getting through his thick skull though. Zeke looked like a balloon that was ready to pop.

  “I turned you under a command, you bitch! You’re lucky I was strong enough to not take what was rightfully mine that night. You had strung me along for far too long. The pack was feeling my weakness, kept telling me I needed a rut. I was trying to be a loyal boyfriend. You’re the one who was stupid enough to run from me when we could’ve gotten it over with and you could’ve gone home just fine,” Zeke spat, feeding off of the tension that Candace was putting off.

  “Do you even know what rutting means? I wasn’t going to be just your prize that night, I was going to be all of their prize. They were going to take their turns with me, and you expected me to just lie there and take it? I didn’t know you were all wolves. I didn’t know there was any real danger to be had. I ran in hopes I would be able to outrun your pack. It still doesn’t change the fact that you turned me without your permission and then disappeared without even attempting to clean up your mess. You’re a fucking disgrace,” Candace spat.

  “I’m a disgrace? You’ve lived with your dog by yourself in Minnesota. Never lived more than an hour away from where I turned you. You’ve been like a kicked puppy for the last ten years. Rather than embracing your wolf, you’ve been fighting her. You don’t deserve the wolf I gave you. You could’ve joined me. We could’ve been together,” Zeke growled.

  “Why the fuck do you think I would’ve stayed? You’ve become a psychopath. You’ve been killing your own kind! How many, Zeke? How many shifters have you killed before you got caught?” Candace stood.

  “Twenty confirmed kills in the last five years. Damn proud of it too. I would have twenty-one, but I had to go into hiding after I filled your little boyfriend’s bitch mother with bullets. I told you earlier; she wasn’t the target, he was.”

  “Why? Why was he the target? Why did you kill her instead of leaving her be? I don’t understand. Help me understand,” Candace demanded, a sliver of dominance drifted from her.

  “He’s the only wolf that could cause problems for my bosses. He has a tendency to sleep shift. He saw things in the bayou as a pup that he was never meant to see. They were afraid that he would run to the wrong people and tell them what he saw. He was out running the bayou the day I shot her. She found me before I found him though. I shot her to save myself, and my bosses paid off the cops to cover up the problem. When Elijah didn’t go to anyone with the information we thought he knew, we went into hiding and they shipped me up here. They said I was too unstable,” Zeke huffed.

  “But they were never finished with you, were they? They figured out a way to contact you and give you a new mission,” Duke muttered.

  “That prick Michaelson delivered the message. They were blackmailing him for something. Told him he had to give me the laptop and cell phone for Cole to use once he got here. Said they had to send in the dragon to get a dragon. Told me if I did as I was told, they would come for me after the dragon bitch was out of the way. Then he disappeared and Cole got his sorry ass killed. Now I’m sitting here staring at my two biggest fucking mistakes in my life,” Zeke said, eyes growing wide as he realized he had just given more information than he intended.

  “Who do you work for?” McKinzy stood and walked to his side, taking the knife from Desmond, fire filling her eyes.

  “Someone who wants to see the dragon race thrive. Someone who wants more control,” Zeke ground out through clenched teeth, eyes drifting to Anthony.

  “Who dammit? Who do you work for?” McKinzy shouted as she slapped him across the face.

  Zeke spat on the floor before speaking again, “The government, bitch.” “Fuck,” everyone said in unison, looking to McKinzy for guidance.

  “Duke, Desmond, Jasper, Isabelle, and Adrian. Can we all speak outside?” McKinzy grit out between clenched teeth.

  They watched as the group filed outside and Elijah’s eyes drifted back towards Zeke’s.

  “You are so fucked dude,” he sneered at Zeke.

  “Am I though?” Zeke smiled knowingly.

  Before Elijah could understand what was happening, Anthony was pulling Zeke from the chair and they were running for the door. His eyes shot to Candace before he let go of her hand and darted out of the door. He gave his body to his wolf, wanting more than anything to catch these assholes. Sometimes it was easier to be a wolf than it was to be a man.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Candace sat in a daze as she watched Alicia and McKinzy discuss the information with Isabelle.

  “Did you know? What the fuck is going on Isabelle? We need answers, and now you’re the only one that can give them. You were my friend and I trusted you,” Alicia said, uncertainty written all over her face.

  “I told you everything I know. The task force I worked with… We weren’t privy to this information. I was put up here to find Michaelson and to keep an eye on things around her
e. I knew they were making another special shifter force, I just didn’t know what for and why. I left when they wouldn’t let me help you. I know it’s hard to believe anything I’m saying, but I swear on my life that I’m telling you everything I know. No wonder we’ve felt like we were chasing smoke for so long. I’m beginning to question if the Firebirds even exist, or if it’s just a name that the government made up to keep us chasing our tails all this time,” Isabelle pleaded.

  “I’m sorry, I just don’t know if I can trust you right now,” Alicia shook her head.

  “If I was working with them, don’t you think I would’ve ran off with Anthony and Zeke? Don’t you think I would rather be anywhere but here?” Isabelle asked.

  “I don’t know what to think right now. Desmond seems to trust you though. So for now, that will have to do. You’ll have to be attached to Desmond or Jasper from now on, until I can wrap my head around all of this,” McKinzy said, rubbing her temples.

  “Fine, if that’s what I need to do to gain your trust back, I’ll do it,” Isabelle folded her arms and leaned back against the couch.

  Adrian walked back inside from standing guard on the porch, “They’re back.” Candace jumped to her feet and hurried outside to watch the group of animals walking

  towards the cabin. She could see Jasper’s polar bear and Desmond’s kodiak bear first. Trailing behind them she could see Duke’s tiger and finally Elijah’s wolf. Candace ran to Elijah’s wolf and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  “I’m so glad you’re okay,” she said.

  Elijah huffed a sigh before leaning his head against her face.

  “Alright boys, get some rest. Adrian has already put the inmates on high alert and put some incentive out there to whoever can bring Zeke or Anthony to me if they resurface. For the time being, just be on the lookout. Desmond, Jasper, I need to talk to you inside,” McKinzy said from behind Candace.