by Eva Gordon
She patted her pocket. Her phone would light the path. Once safe, she’d call Lev.
Rachel sprung outside. She turned as an Osprey helicopter, like ones she saw in Africa, landed on the pasture between the ranch house and the barn where her escape route lay. Shit. Had the U.S. military found out about the secret werewolf society? Her adrenaline spiked. Or was it the rogue pack?
The bearded man she’d seen in Nepal stepped out, not bothering to wait for the blades to stop. He barked orders. “We have twenty minutes. Go underground if need be and find Rachel.”
They must know the layout of the compound. The whistle stopped, or was it because being human the high frequency sound no longer bothered her? Did he mean in twenty minutes the high frequency sound would stop? Or was it how long they would remain unconscious?
That could give her time to outrun them. She ran out the back door, her head hurting, not as bad as before but bad enough to slow her. A spasm of pain stabbed her lower back. She flinched and stiffened.
A man grabbed her from behind. “Got her.”
“Not.” She stomped her heel on his foot.
He grunted, but held her with a gun to her throat. “Don’t move, bitch.”
Rachel lifted her hands. “Okay, okay.”
He patted her down, looking for weapons. Instead, he found her phone. “You won’t need this.” He tossed the mobile toward the fence, and then shoved her toward the helicopter while another man called back the other three men. He hauled her into the helicopter. Within moments, they were airborne and flew away.
The bearded man sat next to her. “Dr. Rachel Becker.”
She glared. “And you are?”
He shouted over the din of the helicopter as it rose. “I’m Andres Calopus.”
“Kind of sounds like a species name.”
“Most perceptive.”
A man in front of her seat toyed with a circular device. That must be the sonic weapon. She’d seen something similar used by police during a protest riot, although it had not been effective.
Her concern returned to Cricket and the other Lycans. “Will that frequency kill them?”
“No. We turned it off. Your friends will wake in twenty to sixty minutes, confused and slowly regain their hearing. If they pursue us, our sonic weapon has a 500-mile radius. Trust me, the last thing I want to do is kill our lycan brethren. Someday, we will rule all the packs, under my leadership, but until then they can continue as always.”
Apparently, he’d hadn’t read the lycan status rules book. “How could you, a human, rule over all the packs?”
“I am the new wolf mage. A warlock. I will continue Stallo’s legacy.”
“I thought your name sounded warlock-like,” she quipped.
“My name was Andrew Joki, until I took Stallo’s oath.”
Would she be the nut-bag’s bride? “Hence, we are on our way to Stallo’s island.”
Calopus laughed. “No such place. After you eluded us in New Orleans, and we finally found you in Nepal, I ordered my wolf brothers to mention a frozen island. In case Chernobyl Werewolf found you. As it is so happened, he did and killed my men. Soon, they will be scanning all satellite data for our phantom island.”
“Let me guess, you are taking me to The Island of Dr. Moreau, instead?” Calopus reminded her of the cruel scientist in H.G. Well’s novel, who created animal/human hybrids on a secluded island.
“No. We are taking you to wolf country. To a land we call Stallo Territory. An area the packs call oath breakers’ necropolis.”
“As in graveyard?”
“The wolf necropolis was once a place of dishonor where the bones of executed werewolves lay. Living werewolves avoid it as it is considered a place of evil.”
“Sounds like bad juju.” Regardless, Lev would enter hell to find her.
“Yes, dark, but powerful magic.”
He signaled for a man near the door and nodded.
Oh shit. The man took out a syringe and approached.
“You don’t need to sedate me. It’s not like I’m going anywhere.”
“Better you rest. All this stress is not good for you. We need you healthy.”
And eventually pregnant. How am I going to get away? The man leaned in and shot her in the neck as Calopus held her still with an iron grip.
Her vision blurred.
Chapter 23
Lev and Rylee arrived to a scene of chaos. Lev opened the hatch and leapt out before the helicopter touched ground. A rush of adrenaline encouraged blood lust. He flared his nostrils and stared. Men and women stood and stumbled around as if disoriented. His heart clenched Rachel!
Rylee went partial wolf and turned to Manny, the computer tech, who joined her at the helipad in front of the ranch house. “Report!” She signaled everyone to meet inside, while listening to Manny.
“They hacked into our system and turned off our anti-LRAD.”
“Get it turned on, now.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The device to ward off high frequency sonic weapons was a device a Russian scientist friend had designed. Lev growled. “If they took Rachel, we only have the evening to find her.” They had to rescue her before the lunar eclipse.
Rylee met his eyes. “We will.” She shoved the door opened and shouted, “Scan the area for explosives.”
Howard rushed toward them. “They took Rachel.” He continued in an emotion choked voice, “I tried to find her…but…I…”
Lev’s heart pounded and his blood heated. Fur lined his limbs and he snapped at her ineffective father. He had not protected his daughter, but then again neither had the entire compound. “How long ago?”
“Thirty minutes. The entire pack was knocked out. I used the stairwell and rushed upside only to see the helicopter leaving.”
Rylee threw Lev a scolding look, placed her hand on Howard’s shoulder and assured him. “We’ll find her.”
Trevor stood at attention, avoiding eye contact with Lev. “We sent two helicopters to scout, but if they use the sonic weapon against our pilots, they’ll crash.”
Lev scanned the premises. Slade sat, holding Cricket.
Rylee’s gaze flinted toward Cricket. “Shit.” She dashed to her side, her maternal instinct appearing to the surface over her normally aloof manner. “Cricket, can you hear me?”
“Come on, hon. Wake up,” coaxed Slade.
Rylee raised her voice. “Cricket, wake up, that’s an order.”
Cricket never recovered as quickly as the others. She finally stirred and looked up at Rylee’s stern face. “Hey, boss lady.”
Slade sighed. “About time.”
Lev narrowed his eyes. “Rachel was abducted.”
Cricket pushed away from Slade and sat. “Crap.”
Lev paced in frustration. His hackles rose and his wolf, or rather bear…no, lion begged for release. “This is Team Greywolf’s fault.”
Rylee glared at him, her heart steady, not fearing his capabilities. The one person besides Rachel who trusted him with their life. He calmed. “Sorry, ma’am.”
“No one is hack proof, not even the Pentagon.” Rylee muttered. “And no longer LIA.”
Slade placed a protective arm around Cricket’s shoulders and growled at Lev. “We’ll find her.”
Cricket squealed, “That’s it.”
Lev and the others asked all at once. “What?”
Cricket flipped her hair back. “Her jacket. If it’s not here, we have a chance.”
Lev cocked his head. “Why?”
“Because, comrade, I lined the inside of her coat hood with a GPS device, undetectable even from wolf noses.”
Cricket took out her phone. “We can track her with my phone.”
Rylee winked at her. “Good work.”
“Thanks, ma’am.” Cricket frowned. “But I should have done more to protect Rachel.”
Slade reassured his mate. “Even the most powerful alpha couldn’t have withstood the sonic weapon.”
Lev stiffen
ed. “I can withstand sonic weapons. She is mine. I should not have left her side. She would not have been taken.”
Rylee turned to Manny. “Are we back online?”
Manny sat with a laptop near the fireplace and gave her a thumbs up. “Yes, ma’am. Power and anti-LRAD on.”
“Good. Grab your laptop and let’s go to the situation room.” Rylee turned to Lev, Slade and Cricket. “You too.” Manny grabbed his laptop and followed them into the elevator.
Cricket wrinkled her brow as she turned on her mobile. “Unless, she throws her coat out of the helicopter, we should get a fix on her soon enough.”
Lev growled, “Real soon.”
“At least they won’t kill her,” said Cricket.
Rylee sighed. “They plan on sacrificing her during the lunar eclipse.”
Cricket shook her head. “What, why?”
Lev scowled. “Necromancy.”
They stepped out of the elevator and went inside where Manny’s crew manned their computer stations. Manny barked at his team. “Faster.”
Rylee turned. “Slade.”
“Yes, ma’am?”
“Call Dominic and tell him the situation. Advise him to tighten security around Mia.”
Slade nodded and left.
Steele, brother of the current king and now member of team Greywolf, walked in. “Ma’am, we found Rachel’s mobile near the pasture.”
Lev looked at the lunar calendar on the wall. The lunar eclipse began at midnight. “Are you sure she wore the coat?”
“Yes, bundled up in it.”
“Lev, why don’t you go upside? As soon as we get a read, we’ll take off. You’ll need to take over the controls in case our onboard anti-LRAD fails to work.”
Even with the coordinates, if she was on some frozen island, where would they land and how long would it take? For all he knew, they could be on their way to Antarctica.
Cricket looked up from one of the computers and shouted, “Yahoo! We’ve got the coordinates.
“I’ll sync the data to the big screens,” said Manny.
Lev braced himself. If she was on the other side of the world, there would be nothing he could do.
Rylee gaped. “I’ll be damned. Oath Breaker’s Necropolis.”
“Huh?” Lev’s ignorance of their politics, again apparent.
“A forbidden area where we bury evil werewolves. Serial killers to blabbers about our kind. Manny, contact Varg, the bonekeeper.”
Manny nodded and returned to his computer.
Lev glanced at the moon clock and scowled. “Who is Varg, the bonekeeper?”
Rylee pressed a hand on her forehead as if pushing back a headache. “He’s in charge of making sure no one, human or werewolf enters the oath breaker’s burial ground.”
Rachel woke in a luxurious bedroom. Lavender silk sheets on a queen-sized bed, and fine furnishings. On a table lay a tray of pastries, water, and a pot of tea complete with a china tea set and plates. What is it with wealthy shifters and shifter wannabes? She threw the sheets off and stared at her red silk nightgown. What the…Who the hell dressed me? And undressed me.
She jumped off the bed and raced for the door. Locked of course. Rachel spotted a small curtained window. She peered out. Nighttime, yet she could still make out a forest. She’d slept the entire day of her abduction. Or had it been longer?
Rachel explored the room. No phone, of course. Not even a television. She opened a closet and found her clothes neatly folded and her jacket hanging. No way am I staying dressed in a sexy nightgown. Not when they wanted her as a breeder of hybrids. She grabbed her clothes and laid them on the bed.
A male voice over an intercom startled her. “Sleep well?”
Rachel turned to the wall intercom. “The sedative worked, but now I would like to check out of your B and B.”
The door opened and in came Andres Calopus, wearing a long black ceremonial wizard’s cloak, with the emblem of the pentagram and flamed wolf paw. Like their tattoos. Folded in his arm was a white cloak. “Don’t look so shocked. My room is just next door.”
“Are we attending a costume ball?” Or would he take advantage of her in the honeymoon suite? Not if he wants to keep his anatomy intact.
“Nothing so—human.”
“Let me guess, werewolves only?”
“You are being honored in our lunar eclipse ceremony.”
“For some werewolf shotgun wedding?”
His face twisted in feigned sorrow. “It’s a shame we can’t keep you for mating.”
She raised her brow and goose flesh rose on her bear arms. “Isn’t that why I’m here?”
“At one time, yes, but with the lunar eclipse, this is our last chance until next year to build our pack.”
“Let me guess, you want samples of my DNA?”
“You will bring forth departed lycans.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Your blood will return more of our dead.”
“Dead?” Rachel swallowed.
“Svetlana’s blood wasn’t as effective. Only twenty lycans were resurrected. You on the other hand are in your prime.”
The idea of being a breeder, repugnant as it was, meant she’d be kept alive to carry out the task of birthing a hybrid. Was Svetlana kept as a permanent blood donor? Or had she been drained? “Maybe my blood won’t work.”
“Back in the Himalayas before your Russian hero rescued you, we tested a sample on some bones. They animated immediately. ”
Her breath hitched. “That’s why you took my blood?” She’d thought the reason was to determine blood type or later test her DNA. Not to cast some weird spell.
“You can’t imagine our relief.”
“How much blood are we talking about?” Her adrenaline spiked, more in fight rather than flight mode.
“Every drop. You, my dear, are special. One of the few Stallo women around with the gene marker. In the past, others died for nothing. Your sacrifice might bring back as many as a hundred lycans.”
“Zombie werewolves.” Calopus should be in a straitjacket, rather than a cloak.
“You don’t understand the art of necromancy. When they rise, I give them a potion that allows them to return to their former selves. Most are angry their alphas commanded their execution, but grateful to have been returned, loyal to their new father and wolf mage, me.”
How had he collected the remains? “So you snuck into a pack’s territory to rob graves?”
He roared a laugh. “I would have been caught immediately.” He patted his beard as if combing it. “My secluded territory is in the oath breaker’s necropolis. A burial ground where all dishonored lycans are buried. Dumped like waste so as not to pollute the grave sites of legitimate packs. A place all packs avoid. When a pack dumps their executed member, they fail to smell us, thanks to a potion that covers our scent.”
“The lycan that bit Lev and caused a festering wound, was he dead?”
“The awakened lycans look normal, but still have elements of decomposition in their system which last a year.”
I need to convince him to keep me alive. “I can help you figure out a better way than needing so much blood.”
“Science may eventually work, but magic works faster.”
Would Lev and Team Greywolf figure out where she was? Or were they searching the globe for some frozen island? “I’m sure your evil plan will be discovered.”
“Even if they figure out our location, they’ll never get here in time to save you. The lunar eclipse begins in an hour or so.”
She met his gaze. “The packs will never join you.”
“Once they realize I’m the new wolf mage, they will submit. If they don’t, I’ll unleash the resurrected to bite as many lycans as possible. Their bite is lethal. Starting with lone wolves, wardens and isolated pre-change packs.”
“Lev was bitten and though it took longer to heal, he healed quite well.”
He shot her an intense fevered stare. “Yes, we know. He is
the exception to the rule. Our mole and Svetlana revealed much about the so-called Chernobyl Werewolf. Trust me, the other werewolves we captured died within days of being bitten by the newly arisen.”
Though Lev’s mutations would never allow her to be his mate, at least it protected him from the formerly dead werewolf’s bite. Maybe even provide an antidote for the poison. Her gaze lowered and she tilted her head. Fascinated by the abnormal visible pulse on his neck, Rachel wondered if he had a heart condition. Or was he reacting to fear. “Chernobyl Werewolf claimed me, he’ll eventually find you, and take revenge.”
“Yes, a delicate matter, indeed. That is, if he and Team Greywolf ever finds us. Once we eat the evidence, no one will ever find you.” Calopus pretended to bite her in a Hannibal Lector, Silence of the Lambs way, and she leapt back.
He laughed. “Don’t worry; you are not to be blemished before the ritual.”
Like her nightmare of being eaten by wolves.
He opened the door and called to a fellow henchman. “This is Varg our beta who serves as the graveyard’s bonekeeper.”
Varg wore a similar robe with the wolf paw pentagram symbol. His black eyes met hers. “An honor.”
“Can’t say the same about meeting any of you.”
“Take her to the circle and prepare her.” He smiled at her. “I will see you soon.”
Varg bowed. “Yes, master.” He grabbed her, his hands clawed. “Come.”
They walked down a long hallway to a set of double doors. They passed a chamber where people chanted incantations in a language she didn’t recognize. Varg pushed the door open. In a circle, cleared of snow and surrounded by trees, a pile of bones laid beneath a vertical wooden wall equipped with shackles, where she would be tied, no doubt to be drained of blood. “No welcoming committee?”
Varg grinned, baring long fangs. “They are preparing for the sacrifice.”
How much time do I have to plan an escape? “Are you okay with a human ordering you around?”
“He is Stallo’s prodigy.”
“Does your alpha agree?”
Varg sneered. “Our alphas were killed by Chernobyl Werewolf. Master Calopus is our alpha.” He narrowed his eyes. “How ironic, I was assigned here by the lycan council.”