“Gideon isn’t Brendan’s father,” he replied, his brow creasing, eyes remaining ahead.
“But I thought, well, with you saying it’s a trait of a shared gene, then—”
“He really hasn’t told you much about himself, has he?”
“Not much, no.”
“Just like Brendan.” He sighed. “He is a great listener, can keep you talking for hours without ever sharing anything about himself.”
Something I had actually noticed, but between the fighting, hunting, getting kidnapped, nearly killing each other, and dying...and the events of last night.... Well, where had the opportune moment to say, “so tell me about yourself,” actually been?
“Gideon use to be part of the Pack. He had trouble controlling his wolf; something that actually runs in his bloodline. The McKeller Clan have always had what we call bad blood. They were a little...well, crazy. Carter had been keeping Gideon in a holding cell down in the cellar, tried to help him take back control. One night, Gideon broke free and ended up attacking a couple on the moors.”
Brendan’s scars flashed in my mind. The tightness in my chest formed into a ball. “Brendan?”
“Yeah. H...he barely survived the attack. Carter found him, brought him back, helped him, and luckily, he survived his first transformation.”
The small ring dangling on the end of the braided leather chain around his neck suddenly made sense. My chest tightened. “And his wife?”
“Fiancée, Natasha. She was dead by the time they got there.”
“So he isn’t a pure blood?”
That explained what Eve had meant when she talked about pure bloods. Brendan was like an Infected, accepted into a group of Vampires. Different, not as strong or fast, but he had obviously worked on it and became one of the most dominant wolves. No wonder some of the Pack had a problem with that. And his scars, he received them when he had been human, which was why they had never healed. He would always have them, marking him, reminding him of his old and normal life. Reminding him of how he lost his fiancée.
“No, he isn’t.”
“Gideon escaped, I take it?”
“Unfortunately.”
“Did the Pack ever find him?” I asked, looking out of the window at the field below us.
“Sofia told Brendan where to find him. He challenged him, and won.”
And something told me she only told Brendan where to find Gideon because he had promised her that he would protect me. A stupid deal, made all because he wanted to kill the monster that ruined his life and killed the woman he loved.
How could my Grandmother prey on him like that? Find his weakness and use it against him? To put him in such a position, making him promise to protect someone he didn’t even know, risk his life all for a shred of information he desperately wanted...how could my Gran do that to him when she knew what he had gone through? And she knew he would keep his promise.
Why did Carter even agree to all of this? Brendan didn’t have to go through all that pain. The house wouldn’t have burnt to the ground. Eve and the others wouldn’t have been taken. God damn it!
Did I even know this woman, Sofia? Did I truly know my grandmother? What the fuck had she seen, and why couldn’t she have just fucking said something?
My hands balled into fists.
“Are you okay?”
I thought I knew her, but I knew nothing about her. How could she be so fucking cruel? So manipulative?
“She pulled Brendan into our fucked-up problems. And by pulling him in, she pulled in the Pack. Last night wouldn’t have happened if she’d have just left him out of it.”
“You don’t know that. This facility has been in Carter’s back yard for the last ten years. These Vampires had wanted to bag a Werewolf for ages. They had been trying to for a good while before Brendan had even left for London. Eventually, they would have caught one of us, and we would have had to do something about it.”
I looked at him. “Why do you all do that?”
“Do what?”
“Make everything okay by presuming—”
“You’re doing exactly the same thing,” he interrupted. “You’re presuming that if your Gran had told you what she had seen, or simply not done anything at all, then the world would be fine. The world we know is not safe. If Sofia had told us, we all would have done something about the facility, but there is no guarantee the result would have been a good one. And if your Gran hadn’t sent Brendan, from what he’s told us, you’d be dead. So you wouldn’t know any better. The Pack’s problems would be our own, as always, and you wouldn’t get to fulfil this purpose of yours.”
I looked straight ahead. Small drops of rain hit the window. “It shouldn’t have happened.”
“But it did, and now we will do all we can to fix it.”
They would. The entire Pack would be hunting for their fellow Wolves while I wandered back to London. I should help, but I had to find Marie because I had to find Marko.
Michael’s face appeared in my mind. I could still see the devious smile on his lips. “He has plans for you, Heather. He has had plans for you for almost a decade now, and now your Grandmother has finally gone and cannot help you....”
Only she did warn me. She just didn’t elaborate on why she was warning me, and it looked like what the Pack needed to find was pretty much the same thing that I needed to.
“Thomas?”
“Yes.”
“Turn the plane around.”
* * * * *
I pushed open the dark mahogany door and stepped into Carter’s hotel room. He sat on a burgundy sofa in the large room, papers before him on a small coffee table.
His brow creased as I stopped in front of him. “Heather?”
“I’m helping you,” I said.
“Heather, I don’t expect you to.” He stood up. “I know that you have a much greater enemy to face. Sofia told me of Marko. Told me how long your Grandfather’s family has been searching for him. I understand how important it is for you to find him.”
“And I will, by helping you.”
His tired eyes filled with confusion.
“Carter, it’s Marko who gave the order to set up the facility. When Brendan and I were taken to Michael—the Colony leader—he mentioned something about Marko knowing what I am, and having plans for me. Plans that he had set up over a decade ago. Then we ended up in the facility. That can’t be a coincidence.”
“It is Marko who wants to create the Hybrids?”
“I believe so, yes.”
“You think they are sending the research to him?”
“I have no idea, but if I help you, I can help get the others back and I might be able to find him at the same time.”
Carter rubbed his hands over his face and cursed. “Do you have any idea where he might be?”
“The night we were taken, I had been hunting a Vampire called Luca. I knew he had a link to Marko through his mother, Marie. She is one of Marko’s Bloodlings, the only one we know of. Luca informed me that she is currently in Venice.”
He nodded. “That is going to cause a small problem but—”
“I will go.”
“Heather—”
“Carter, I know you want to find them, but firstly, it is a different country, different territory. You can’t send the Pack there without more trouble.”
He looked at me.
“My Gran made sure I knew certain facts about Werewolves. I know you can’t go onto another territory without a formal invitation from the Alpha in that territory.”
“You need to call Maximo,” Thomas said. He leant casually against the door.
“Yes,” Carter agreed.
“I will go to Italy. Let the others finish looking here first. In the meantime, maybe you could contact this Maximo and explain the situation to him. This is dangerous for his pack, also. Especially the females. It would be a good thing to let them know.”
“Maximo will want to take it into his own hands,” Carter said.
“And rightly so. You will have to make a deal with him, then. Tell them it is personal. A family member has been taken, plus two of your pack members. I’m sure he will understand why you would personally want to deal with it.”
“If Maximo offers to help you, you could accept, on the condition that whoever you send to Italy has safe passage to continue looking and act however they feel necessary,” Thomas said. “We wouldn’t be going over there to start trouble with his Pack.”
“I intend to do that,” Carter replied calmly. “And what if they haven’t been taken to Italy and you go over on your own?”
“Then I deal with my business while you all continue looking. Perhaps I will be able to find out where they are.”
Carter sighed. “Will you give us a moment, Thomas?”
“Of course.”
Carter waited until the door closed before he sat down. “I wasn’t happy about you going back down to London on your own. Do you really think I will let you go to Italy on your own?”
“What I do is not up to you, Carter. I am not Pack, remember? And since you all can’t simply stroll into someone else’s territory, I think sending me is the best option you have. I can hunt for information so when the others arrive, they won’t be wasting time.”
“I will still be informing Maximo of you.”
“Well, that is up to you,” I said.
“You are a stubborn wee thing.” He exhaled. “But it would help if Maximo knew you were there. It would also make me feel better to know you have allies over there if you need help.”
“I would have been going to Venice no matter what, Carter.”
“Something else you didn’t share with myself or Brendan.”
I folded my arms across my chest. “I didn’t see the reason to tell either of you. Until last night, it was still only my fight, despite what any of you thought.”
“That is why you refused his company?”
Does Brendan have to tell him everything?
“Like I have said before, I have put him through enough.”
“None of that matters anymore.”
“Well, even so, I don’t want him to know I am helping, not yet.”
“Why?”
I sighed, my focus shifting to the wall. “Because my Grandmother used his weakness against him and that wasn’t right or fair of her.” And I had never been so disgusted with her.
“You know about Gideon? About Natasha?”
“Yes, and I now understand why he feels so responsible.” I looked at him. “His Pack needs him. He needs to concentrate on finding the others. If he knew about me helping.... I don’t want his promise to my Gran or his stupid feeling of responsibility to tear him apart.”
Carter raised one eyebrow.
“It would be best that he didn’t know. I don’t want him to feel he must choose. His Pack’s safety is more important than mine.”
“I don’t think he will see it in such a black and white way.”
I shrugged. “Well, it’s the truth. He’s needed here.”
He nodded. “I promise he will not know where you are until he needs to.”
“Thank you.”
“But I hope you know the moment he finds out you’re there, he will be on his way to find you?”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, well, he is a pain in the arse. He wouldn’t pass up any opportunity to give his opinion on how crazy I am.”
The amusement flickering across Carter’s face confused me momentarily.
“But...eh, that’s what we want, isn’t it? Brendan and whoever else you decide to send to be on the first plane over there?”
“And they will be, lass. The moment Maximo grants safe passage, they will be right there with you. I promise.”
“Then that’s everything sorted. I will ask Thomas to—”
A knock sounded at the door. “Yes?”
A skinny male opened the door. His hair was an odd salt and pepper shade, hanging limply over his head. “Carter?”
“Hello, William. What can I do for you?”
“After the unfortunate events of last night, I didn’t think it seemed right to bring it up, until now,” William said, walking toward Carter. My focus slipped to a long white envelope in his hand and I suddenly had to sit down. “A letter arrived yesterday for you. I had planned to post it today, but when you called me last night, well....”
“A letter?” Carter stood and accepted the envelope from the hotel owner.
“Forgive me for not giving it to you sooner.”
“Of course.” Carter ripped opened the envelope and pulled out a piece of paper. His brow creased. “Thank you, William.”
William nodded and made his way quickly out of the room.
“Is it from her?” I asked calmly, sitting on the end of his bed. Carter reached inside the envelope and pulled out a plane ticket. He walked over and handed it to me.
I studied the plane ticket carefully. “She knew.”
He growled. “Of course she did.” His entire body flooded with tension. “I will tell Thomas to take you home. I want you to call me every day. So I know you’re safe.”
I wanted to protest, but the sight of his silver eyes, and the expression masking his face, turned my stomach. Accepting the piece of paper from him, I simply said, “I will.”
“Excuse me,” he said, turning and heading toward the door. “I have some phone calls to make.”
I watched as he left the room; my gaze moved to the piece of paper the moment he closed the door.
Ten words sat neatly on the page.
I hope all of you can forgive me one day.
I sighed and looked at the plane ticket.
Destination: Venice, Italy. Departure Time: 21:30. Date: 14/10/2015
I looked at the alarm clock sitting on the mahogany bedside table. Today was October 11th.
I stood up and walked over to the small window. The sky had turned grey, the rain heavy. The droplets chased each other down the glass.
“I hope I can forgive you one day, too,” I told her. Knowing she would have already seen this; heard me saying it.
I looked at the plane ticket in my hand. “Sestiere San Polo. Marie, I’m coming for you.”
Epilogue
~ Brendan ~
October 18th 2015
The smell of scorched flesh tainted the evening breeze as it whipped around me. The pain from the silver chain, wrapped around my hand, swam through my body. Yet, the agonizing feel of the cool metal was the only thing keeping me calm and awake as I dragged our struggling guest of honour up the driveway to the ruin that had once been Carter’s house.
The sight of the blackened remains staining the autumn dusk was a kick in the gut, and a reminder to why the last week had been within the top ten worst of my life. Twenty-four hours of sleep out of a total of a hundred and sixty-eight could really fuck a man up, not to mention a Wolf. But while he collapsed and licked our wounds, I had to keep us standing.
The weeklong hunt would have been worth it, though, if we had brought our Pack brothers and sister home. Instead, I kicked a Leech in front of Carter. A Leech who continued to grunt and hiss as the fading daylight irritated him. His pathetic squirming irritated me to the point where I just wanted to rip his gullet out and been done with it already. But the moment I had called Carter and told him that only the main nest remained, he had give the order to bring the leader back.
“This him?” Carter asked, stepping closer.
With a nod, I removed the blindfold from Michael’s eyes. My grip tightened on the chain as he began to flinch and struggle.
“So you’re the Leech responsible for the little stunt that cost me my house, and three of my Pack?” Carter’s lip curled as he leant down and studied the Colony leader.
Grabbing his shoulder, I yanked Michael upright so he sat on his knees. I removed the gag I had tied tightly around his mouth.
Michael’s arms lay across his chest, locked tightly in to place by the silver chain I had wrapped aro
und him. He leant forward. His face stopped inches from Carter’s, who remained in his position even as a hiss passed Michael’s lips.
“You have made a very big mistake,” Michael told him slowly. “You think no one will come for me?”
“What makes you think we left anyone kickin’, to come and look for you?” Owen sneered, moving from my side to stand with Dante.
“There are more of my kind in this country than you might think,” he replied, his face not moving from Carter’s.
“We’ve had a busy week,” Owen said with a slight growl. “You may find your numbers have dropped surprisingly. If there are any Leeches left…let them come.”
“Where have they taken the three members of my Pack?” Carter asked.
Michael’s head cocked to the side, a bout of dry laughter leaving his mouth. “Where, oh where, indeed.”
I wasn’t in the mood for games. In one movement, I wrapped the heavy chain around his neck and draped the remaining length across his shoulders. He flung his head back, a scream vibrating in his throat as the silver burned into his flesh.
“Tell him,” I said.
“Can’t tell…what I don’t…know,” he hissed.
I crouched down beside him, secretly thankful for the moment’s rest. “I find it very hard to believe you wouldn’t know.” I leaned close to his ear. “Marko told you to deal with me and Heather and send us off to his little facility. You weren’t happy with that decision, remember? We killed your pets.”
“And how…happy Marie and I were…when we find out…the little Infected is still alive.”
I moved back as he slowly dropped his head. Wisps of smoke rose from his neck as the chain burnt into his skin. The scent of his flesh burning brought the smell of decay.
He turned his head carefully, looking around, before settling his attention back on Carter. “She isn’t here? Where is...the precious...Heather?” Amusement painted his strained tone. “Off to play with...bigger Wolves?”
My brow creased as a surge of anxiety ran through my chest. The feeling faded as quickly as it had emerged, my focus slipping to Carter’s darkening gaze. Why had that statement caused him to worry?
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