Savage Sons (House of Winterborne Book 2)

by Luanne Bennett

  The anger in his eyes was more than a little frightening. “You come into my house and try to kill my assassin? Your own father?”

  “Ryker isn’t my father, and this isn’t your house.”

  “Your powers are useless in my realm. A real witch would know that.” His smirk suddenly vanished and his face went still, as if he’d been struck by something. Stumbling, he regained his footing and met me eye to eye. “Bravo,” he said, recovering from the mind-bending jolt I’d delivered to his head. “But you’ll have to do a lot more than that if you wish to kill your king.”

  I laughed. “You’re not my king.”

  “Oh, but I am.” He crooked his finger, beckoning for me to hand him the box. At first I refused, but eventually I handed it over, knowing he’d take it from me if I didn’t. He set it on the floor and came close to me again. Close enough for me to see the flicker in his black eyes. “Soon I’ll be your father too.”

  I had no idea what type of game he was playing now, but I got a bad feeling in my gut from the way he was looking at me.

  Vikktor walked over to where he’d set the box. An ornate chair appeared out of nowhere, catching him as he sat down. His throne. He glanced at the guards who were detaining Hawk. “Bring me my son.”

  A gasp escaped me as my lungs filled with air. Hawk’s jaw went slack as he turned his eyes to mine while they ushered him over to Vikktor. I couldn’t hear over the sound of blood rushing through my ears as a sickening thought filled my head, the word son repeating in my mind on a constant loop.

  From the corner of my eye, I spotted something black and shiny flutter across the room. A robe. Selene walked up to Hawk and kissed him on the mouth, her facade fading before his eyes as she revealed her true self to him.

  A wide grin spread across her face as her blue eyes turned dark. “I’m truly sorry about your sister,” she said. “But her essence went to good use.” Her face began to change, flashing back and forth between a dark seductress and a young woman with golden hair.

  Hawk’s knees buckled, but the guards caught him and kept him upright. “Did you kill my mother too?”

  She seemed surprised. “Of course not. But someone had to prepare you after she died.” She walked over to Vikktor and sat in his lap, leaning back to plant a lingering kiss on his lips. “I was honored when your father chose me.”

  “I have to hand it to you,” I said to her, desperate to change the subject before Hawk reached his breaking point. “It was pretty smart the way you tried to distract me the night we met. But a little animal blood didn’t keep me from seeing right past your weak magic.”

  “Flyers’ blood,” she said, grinning. “Tasty little things.”

  I fought to hide my shock, remembering all those stuffed birds on her bookcases. Dead Flyers.

  “Are you a Caspian too?” Hawk asked.

  Her face brightened up. “Not yet, but I will be soon.” She gave Vikktor a glance before continuing. “I was one of your mother’s sisters in the coven,” She held her hand out to show him the ring. “But a witch can only gain so much power before she craves more. Vikktor will give me that, won’t you, baby?”

  As her hand slipped between his thighs, Vikktor glanced at one of the guards and gave him a silent order. The guard stepped up to the throne and faced Selene.

  She looked up at him and lost her cocky smile. “Get away from me!”

  The guard yanked her up and practically dragged her across the room.

  “Vikktor?” The look on her face was priceless.

  He stared at Hawk, ignoring Selene’s rants as the guard forced her into a chair in the corner. When she wouldn’t shut up, he raised his hand, silencing her instantly. “I did care for your mother,” he said to Hawk. “If it’s any comfort to you.”

  Hawk had nothing but hatred in his eyes. “What did Selene mean when she said someone had to prepare me?”

  Vikktor seemed surprised by the question. “You’re my son. The dark prince. Successor to the throne should I ever meet my fate. But don’t get your hopes up.”

  “Just like Morgan,” Ryker said. “Your future wife is queen of Clan Winterborne. The two families will form an unstoppable alliance.”

  Hawk and I looked at each other, unable to dispel the grim truth. We’d been pawns in their game all along.

  Vikktor sat deeper in his throne and crossed his legs. “You didn’t think your introduction was serendipitous?” His brows tightened as he cocked his head. “Your union was planned a long time ago, and Mia’s fate was instrumental in arranging that first meeting. It was just a matter of making sure you didn’t kill each other before the attraction set in.” He glanced at Malachai. “What a shame about my brother and Avery. That marriage would have been a nice bonus.”

  I glared at Ryker and shook my head. “I don’t understand. You tried to kill Hawk the night he came for me at your apartment. You nearly severed his head with that silver chain.”

  Ryker grinned wickedly. “But I didn’t, did I? That crow of yours showed up just in time. I couldn’t have planned it any better myself.”

  Hawk had finally reached that breaking point I was so worried about. “You’re nothing but a savage!” he growled at Vikktor.

  Vikktor stood up and let out a boisterous laugh. “Oh yes I am,” he said with a vicious sneer. “And as my blood, so are you.”

  Chapter 30

  Something kept distracting me. A limb of a tree or bush knocking against a window from the wind. I was surprised I could hear and see parts of the outside world from within the realm.

  Vikktor got an irritated look on his face and snapped at one of his guards. “Go out there and see what’s making that damned incessant noise!”

  The king had a short temper.

  As the minutes passed and he conferred with Malachai and Ryker near the stage, probably to determine our fate, I heard Samuel whisper to get my attention. I discreetly glanced at him.

  “The twins.” His voice was barely a whisper.

  I looked at the window where the sound was coming from and caught a glimpse of a shadow. The cavalry had arrived. Now all we had to do was figure out how to break the realm so they could find us. But as Samuel had said, destroying it could destroy us all. After thinking it through for a minute, I realized the answer wasn’t to break it but to change it. End it like the last sentence of a book. But the only person who could end the realm without actually scattering the energy to the wind was its creator. Vikktor had to do it himself.

  Praying that James, Olivia, and Edward knew better than to waltz into the theater and give themselves away, I decided to test that short temper of his. Push Vikktor to the limit.

  “Hey, Vikktor.”

  He looked over his shoulder at me.

  “Did your little crony tell you what I did to his head back in the cellar?” I assumed our prisoner hadn’t come clean about giving up his king’s whereabouts to the Order, not unless he wanted to die a slow death.

  Samuel looked at me like I’d lost my mind.

  Vikktor walked over to me and cocked his head, his interest obviously piqued. “I understand you had a little fun with him before he escaped.”

  “Escaped? Is that what he told you?” I snorted a laugh before clamming up.

  His chin lifted slightly as he squinted at me. “See, now you’re starting to make me angry.”

  “Me? I’m not the one who betrayed you. He was more than willing to talk when I threatened to cook his brain. How do you think we found out you were here on the island?” A smile slowly spread across my face. “And he told you about the auction, didn’t he? He was very eager to cooperate in exchange for his freedom.”

  Vikktor’s pale face started to flush. I could feel the rage building inside him as he realized he’d been betrayed by a low-ranking scout of all things.

  Hawk caught on and decided to push him over the edge. “By the way,” he said, nodding to Selene, who was sitting in the time-out chair in the corner. “Your girlfriend over there has been tryi
ng to get me in bed for years.”

  A lie, but it worked.

  Vikktor’s clenched fists started to tremble. “Bring me the traitor!” He growled, snapping his head in the direction of Selene. She looked terrified but couldn’t get a word out to defend herself.

  The floor began to rumble, and the walls between the realm and the outside world started to fade in and out. It was time to show him what kind of witch I really was, and now was the perfect time to do it with the veil so thin. Aware that it was risky to toss a few Molotov cocktails at him, as Samuel called them, I threw some mind-bending waves at his head instead. He went still for a moment and then shook it off, turning around to glare at me with blood-red eyes.

  A deafening roar came from his mouth, shaking the room like an earthquake, forming a giant crack in the middle of the floor. The painted walls faded, turning back to decaying plaster as crystals from the chandeliers rained down on us, scattering into dust as they hit the concrete floor. The realm had vanished.

  Edward flew through a window and landed in front of Vikktor. He pulled his dagger from its sheath and looked into the king’s eyes. “When I sever your head,” he said in a deceptively calm voice, “I want you to think of my mother. Pretend it’s her own hand ending your life.”

  As Edward prepared to strike, I felt a blade at my neck. “Kill my king, and I’ll kill your queen.” Ryker was prepared to decapitate me the moment Edward did the same to Vikktor.

  I glanced up at the ceiling and willed it to come down. A second later, it split and began to crumble on top of us. Ryker let go and ran for cover, but I just stood there as the chunks of debris crashed down around me. The floor split wide open, leaving a giant hole that seemed to have no bottom in the center of the theater. Another sinkhole.

  It began to widen, sending me scrambling backward as the floor crumbled under my feet. Edward and Vikktor fell into it, followed by the box that had been sitting on the floor next to the throne. I looked at Hawk as he lost his footing, his eyes locking on mine a moment before he tumbled over the side and into the hole.

  “Hawk!” I screamed, leaning over the edge, trying to will him to come back up. But I was a second too late. He was already gone.

  A hand suddenly reached out of the darkness and clawed at the concrete edge. Jakob ran around the hole and grabbed Edward’s arm to pull him out. Edward rolled onto his back, gasping and heaving. He sat up and looked at the spot where Hawk had been standing and then at me with a pained look in his eyes.

  “No,” I said, shaking my head. I leaned back over the edge and yelled his name again, but all I could hear was the river below.

  When the reality finally set in, I wiped my face with my sleeve and stood up. The equivalent of a war cry came from behind me. I turned around and saw Selene running toward me, her arms straight out in front of her. But before she could take me with her when she threw herself into the hole, the woman in green materialized and reached around her neck with a knife in her hand. Not seeing the apparition, she ran right into the blade. Mary sliced it across Selene’s neck, severing her jugular.

  As Selene’s body fell to the floor face-first, landing inches from my feet, Mary’s ghostly form evaporated. I looked around the room for the others. The guards had all disappeared along with Malachai, but I spotted Ryker on the other side of the room, staring at me with a sneer on his face. I stalked toward him with nothing but hate in my heart. He’d destroyed everything I loved, and it was time to end this.

  Edward started to follow me, but Jakob stopped him. “This is Morgan’s battle.”

  Ryker glanced at them over my shoulder when I reached him. “You think you’re my equal?” His tone was condescending. “You idiot. I made you, and I can destroy you just as easily.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette. As he lit a match, I willed the small flame into a torch that singed his face.

  “Fuck!” He threw the match to the ground and backhanded me across the face. “I should kill you for that. You’re worthless to me now that I can’t marry you off. Now that the dark prince is dead.”

  His words hit me like a knife to the heart. “His name was Hawk, you bastard!” I slammed my hand into his chest and sent him flying across the room. After sliding to the floor, he scrambled to his feet and returned the insult. A searing pain gripped my head, and I got a taste of what it must have felt like when I compelled our prisoner to talk in the cellar. I closed my eyes as the pain doubled.

  Look up, Morgan.

  Fetch’s voice warned me just in time to see Ryker coming toward me with rage in his eyes. “This is for you Hawk,” I whispered, harnessing all the energy in the room into the palm of my hand. I hurled the sphere of light, aiming for his head where his power lived. For insurance, I threw some vibrations at him to make sure he didn’t get right up again.

  He doubled over and slammed his back against the wall, and I delivered a second round. As I prepared a third attack, he glanced at the window.

  “This isn’t over,” he said, wiping the spit from the edge of his mouth with the back of his hand. He ducked out of the way a second before the light smashed into the wall. Then he jumped through the broken glass.

  Edward started to go after him, but I stopped him. “Let him go. He’s nothing without Vikktor. Besides, if anyone gets to kill him, it’s going to be me.”

  Jakob nudged Samuel. “Let’s go find the others.”

  When they left the room, I walked back to the hole and dropped to my knees, finally letting my grief sink in. I closed my eyes and listened for a moment to the sound of waves moving back and forth somewhere at the bottom. The sound of the river below. The waves grew louder, and I could have sworn I felt the water rise up and spray my face.

  I was about to pull myself together and go find the others when I heard a loud splash. My face was wet when I reached up to see if it was my imagination. When I peered back over the edge, I nearly collided with Hawk as he came flying up from the dark pit.

  “Hawk!” I was so shaken I barely made it to my feet without falling in.

  Soaking wet but alive, he landed on the other side and shifted. When he came running around the edge of the hole, I threw my arms open and watched him run right past me.

  “Hawk?”

  He lunged at Mary as I turned around, knocking the knife from her hand before it reached my throat.

  “Get the hell out of here, Mary.” He kicked the knife into the hole. “We’re leaving this place for good.”

  Before fading away, her eyes grew wide as she looked past us toward the other side of the hole. There were two apparitions wearing white scrubs, and they were cutting off Selene’s finger. The one with her coven ring.

  Hawk stared at her body. “I guess she got what was coming to her.”

  “Yeah, she did.” I motioned to the men in white. “Who are they?”

  “The butchers. Some of the patients got to keep their wedding rings. When someone died, the rings sometimes disappeared on the way to the morgue. They got those rings off one way or another.”

  “That’s awful! Let’s get the hell out of here.”

  We left the theater and found the others. Jakob was so happy to see Hawk that he grabbed him and gave him a bear hug. “You scared to hell out of us.”

  “Scared the hell out of myself. You should have seen the inside of that hole.”

  Olivia glanced at everyone’s hands. “Where’s the box?”

  “Somewhere at the bottom of the East River,” Hawk said. “That’s where that hole leads.”

  Samuel groaned. “At least we know where it is. And where Vikktor is too.” He glanced at Edward. “You didn’t by any chance manage to slice his head off on the way down?”

  “Unfortunately not.” His eyes were filled with frustration.

  “At least we’re all still alive,” I said, glancing at Hawk and trying not to grin like a fool.

  The guards are coming back, Morgan. Get out!

  I snapped out of my momentary peace. “Fetch just said t
he guards are coming, and I’m too tired to fight anymore. Let’s get the hell off this island.”

  Cabot was pacing the floor when we arrived back at the penthouse. Jules glanced at him with a concerned look and then nodded to Rebecca, slumped in a chair in the corner.

  “Where the hell have you been?” Cabot spat out, his face frantic.

  I took one look at Rebecca’s red, swollen eyes, and my heart sank. “What’s happened?”

  My grandmother walked out of the kitchen, carrying a tray with several cups of tea, and set it on the coffee table. “We have a problem.”

  Cabot looked at her with wild eyes. “Problem? My daughter has disappeared! I’d called that more than a problem!”

  She handed him a cup of tea and gently patted his arm. “I know, son, but someone has to be the rock here. You go ahead and fall apart while I deal with the practical side of the situation.”

  “She’s been kidnapped!” Rebecca wailed, finally lifting her head to look at everyone.

  “What happened, Helene?” Jakob asked my grandmother.

  She glanced around the room before bringing her eyes to mine. “Did you fail tonight? I don’t see a box in anyone’s hands.”

  My eyes shot to Samuel.

  “She knows,” he said.

  Cabot’s distraught expression turned angry. “What the hell’s going on?”

  His mother brushed him off without taking her eyes off mine. “We’re going to war with the big guns.” Her voice was deep and firm, not at all like her usual disarming tone. “They have my granddaughter, and we’re going to get her back before we kill them.”

  I stared at her resolute eyes as a gut-wrenching thought ran through my head. “Who has Georgia?”

  “The Caspians.”

  Last time I checked, Vikktor was at the bottom of the East River, and Ryker and Malachai had also gotten away. Was it even possible for them to have gotten back here and planned this so quickly?

  “When did you notice her gone?” I asked Cabot.