by Sydney Addae
Scorpio straightened. Cancer moved toward them. “What about crystals?” Scorpio asked.
“Nothing.” Angus moved to the other side of the altar, sat on the edge next to Shyla and kept these two in his sight.
“We have read certain crystals have the ability to heal and in some cases, prolong life,” Cancer said. “Have you heard such a thing?”
Angus frowned. “Where’d you learn about that?” What they said was true, Angus worked with the crystal they referred to, but it didn’t work for humans. Even though the dark hoods covered their faces, Angus sensed their excitement over his reaction.
“Not important, you’ve answered our question,” Scorpio said.
“What’s in it for you?” Angus asked, genuinely curious. “Why are you doing all of this?”
“Service to our master, pleasing him, returning him to his proper place. What else can a servant ask for?” Scorpio said in a pious tone.
“Oh, okay then.” Angus kissed the back of Shyla’s hand and waited. No matter what these men said, their thirst for knowledge of the unknown would get the better of them. He just hoped they’d answer some questions before Nicromja arrived.
When Scorpio gave the other monks chores or sent them on errands, Angus knew their curiosity got the better of them. Cancer approached him first, and then Scorpio.
“This crystal, you’ve seen it?” Cancer asked.
Angus read the eagerness in his gaze and inhaled. He looked at Scorpio. “You’re sick. Cancer?”
Scorpio crossed his arms over his chest and nodded.
“Is that why you’re seeking the crystal?” Angus asked Cancer. “For him?”
“Yes.”
“Why? What is he to you?” Angus asked, hoping he could use this information to free his mate
“My brother,” Cancer said. “Have you seen this crystal?”
“How do you know about it?” Angus asked.
“Does that matter?” Scorpio snapped.
“Yes, it matters to me.” Angus placed Shyla’s hand on his thigh and covered it with his hand while the two conferred. Had they forgotten he could hear their terse discussion? Apparently, someone in their family was dying from an advanced stage of cancer. Scorpio’s cancer was in remission. All of this was for someone at home.
“We found the information in a book,” Cancer said.
“Which one of you romanced the Chancellor?” Angus asked, watching them closely.
“Chancellor?”
“This is not the time for games. One of you played on a lonely woman’s emotions, and took pictures of pages from a book you were not supposed to access,” Angus said.
Neither said anything and he couldn’t see their faces clearly, but he smelled guilt.
Angus shrugged and looked at Nicromja’s statue. “You could ask your god about the crystals or for a healing potion. That’s one of the perks they give for good service, right?” He glanced at them.
“What do you know about the crystal?” Scorpio asked. “There were a lot of crystals in the caves. Is that where you saw it? In the caves?”
“How long have you served Nicromja?” Angus asked. These men didn’t seem too committed to him.
“Ten years.”
“Five years.” They said at the same time.
Angus’ brow rose at the contradiction. “Not that long. Didn’t the book tell you where to find the crystal?”
“Are you going to tell us anything or not?” Scorpio snapped. His brother touched his arm but continued staring at Angus.
“What if we swapped information?” Cancer asked.
“Interesting. Go on.” Angus crossed his arms over his chest and watched them.
“We served Nicromja five years, I lied to make it sound better,” Cancer admitted. “Where have you seen the crystal?”
“In a cave when I was younger,” Angus said honestly. “What are you getting out of this whole deal? It must have been expensive, so why do it?”
The two looked at each other for a few seconds and then faced Angus. “Family obligations. Our forebearers owe the priesthood for a lot of stuff that happened a long time ago. One of the things is the responsibility of the temple.” He waved toward the statue. “We have to keep it going.”
Scorpio inhaled. “Which cave did you find the crystal?”
“I don’t remember,” Angus said, once again answering honestly. At that moment, he couldn’t recall which cave, although he was sure he could find it if he tried hard. “What did you give my mate?”
“I don’t remember,” Scorpio snapped and jerked his arm from Cancer. “No. This asshole is dicking with us. He’s not going to tell us where to find anything.” He stomped to the dais and out the room.
Cancer dug into his pocket and held out a small vial to Angus. “This is what we gave her. I don’t know what’s inside, we were just told to put a half teaspoon in water and force her to drink it or give it to her in an IV drip.”
Angus opened the vial and inhaled. He identified most of the ingredients, but two eluded him. Those two were the most damaging since the others lacked the potency to knock out a shifter. He placed the vial in his pocket and waited for the next question.
Licking his lips, Cancer leaned inward. “What part of the country is the cave located? What I mean is it near your cave or another area?”
Angus’ brow furrowed as he tried to remember. “It was in an area similar to the Chancellor’s, hard to identify without special knowledge. Definitely in a mountainous area with dragon trees.”
“On this continent?”
“Of course, this is the mother of all,” Angus said, surprised by the question. “How do I wake her?”
Cancer’s shoulders slumped. “I don’t know. Nicromja will need to wake her, otherwise, she will sleep. But she will not die, she’s in stasis, everything’s frozen and as long as it remains that way, she lives.”
Fear shot through Angus. Had he made things worse by trying to wake her with energy spikes? Goddess, he hoped not.
“Thank you, for this information. I just want to help my brother.” Cancer walked out and left Angus alone. He tried to remove Shyla from the altar and couldn’t. They’d placed some sort of ward around her. They couldn’t leave. Out of options, he sat next to her holding her hand. “Silas?” He reached out to his Alpha. The absence of their link was a constant ache in his chest.
He threw back his head and howled.
The sound bounced around the large room. No pack nearby. He looked at Shyla, then ran to the door, prepared to fight his way out. No one stood in the halls. Surprised but emboldened, he ran down the long corridor searching for a way out. When he found nothing, he ran in the other direction and came to another dead end. Frustrated he touched the wall and activated the bracelet. Solid stone.
“Shit.” He returned to the room and breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing his mate, they hadn’t moved her in his absence. Sitting next to her, he waited and contemplated his fate.
Minutes later, Nicromja reappeared, this time he wasn’t alone. The Goddess appeared with him.
Angus dropped to his knees and bowed his head. “Blessed be our Goddess.” An energy blast knocked him off his knees and slammed him into the wall.
“You are my champion,” Nicromja yelled.
“But he’s my servant. You used his mate against him, that’s not fair,” the Goddess said. A cool, refreshing wave of energy ran through Angus, reviving him quickly. He stood and returned to Shyla’s side, listening to the two argue.
“Makes no difference why he agreed, he has agreed to this battle and you will not interfere. You’ve done enough coddling of them over the years, damaged them beyond anything I could ever do,” Nicromja said.
“Don’t forget who you’re talking to,” the Goddess snapped.
“I am merely reinforcing our agreement, that’s all. What’s written, signed and sealed governs this day, not your feelings.” Nicromja looked at Angus. “Tell her.”
“What?” Angus asked, co
nfused.
“Tell her you agreed to be my champion.”
“Will you release my mate if I refuse to fight as your champion?”
Nicromja scoffed. “Of course not.”
Angus looked at the Goddess, hoping she would help. She gazed at him for a few seconds and then looked over his head. His heart and confidence plummeted to the floor. Gut twisting, he couldn’t believe she hadn’t stood up for him. “Who severed my mind links?” Angus asked.
“Tell her you agreed to be my champion,” Nicromja yelled. The force of his demand shook the room.
“It’s okay to say the words, Angus. I understand the circumstances,” the Goddess said.
“I agreed to be his champion.” He watched the Goddess the entire time he spoke. Her serene expression never changed. “Part of the agreement was I would never fight my Alpha.”
“What?” Nicromja said in a whiplash thin voice. “You put your Alpha before your mate?”
“No one is before my mate. The agreement to fight as your champion was to your representatives and they agreed on the terms.”
“I, Nicromja, did not agree to those terms, which mean they are invalid. You fight whoever her champion is and win, or your mate dies,” he said in a low voice loaded with venom.
Again, Angus looked at the Goddess and lowered his head. He would not fight his Alpha. The entire wolf nation depended on his brother. Exhaling, Angus returned to the place next to Shyla and held her hand.
Earlier when he spoke of death, he never thought he and his mate would experience it so soon.
CHAPTER 20
“Barticus has pack searching every temple within a hundred miles of Plias. So far they’ve come up with nothing,” Hawke said, sitting at the conference room table.
Jasmine continued staring at the table and didn’t respond.
“Mistress, we have some information on the breeder’s recent main client. Phone records and bank statements confirm two large payments from Wernher, a prominent family in Memphis.” Asia said, walking into the room and taking a seat next to Jasmine. “Research into this family shows they have a long history of idol worship and they’ve given numerous donations to temples in Africa, the middle east, and here in the states.”
“Do they worship Nicromja?” Jasmine asked with a spark of interest. The past two hours had been hell on her nerves. She’d snapped at her mom. Sent Tyrone out the room, twice. Yelled at Jacques for suggesting she lay down. And the kids would be home from school in an hour. She needed to pull it together.
“Here’s something interesting. The Wernher’s migrated to New York from South Africa over 125 years ago. They moved around a bit, then settled in Tennessee. They stay to themselves, don’t socialize much and for the past decade, the entire family has lived on the family estates. There’s not a lot of personal information, but it seems they’re a large all-American family with ties to the motherland.” Asia met her gaze. “One of their companies chartered the plane Barticus met near Plias.”
Jasmine slapped the table and leaned back in the chair. “Have Alpha Gilbert round them up and ship them here.” Her heart raced, they were finally getting somewhere.
“Mistress, it may be better if I go in alone and perhaps bring Bradford Wernher back for questioning. He’s the patriarch of the family and should have the answers you seek. If there are any problems, I can access his memories and find out the location of the temple,” Asia said.
“Time is slipping away. Have Gilbert’s wife, what’s her name?” Jasmine snapped her fingers trying to remember.
“Patsy,” Asia said.
“Have Patsy and a few women go with you in case there are breeders there. Don’t let them engage, just stand in the background in case. Bring him here, put him in the dungeon, and find out where’s the temple where they’re holding my mate,” Jasmine growled.
Asia’s brow rose as she headed for the door. “Yes, Ma’am.”
Hawke stood.
“Sit, Hawke. You can’t go this trip, there may be breeders in the house or someone may try to break your links. I have not forgotten.” Jasmine waved him back into his seat. “Contact Mercy, Alpha Preston’s wife, she may have more information now.” She looked at her watch.
“Mercy and five females from the Georgia pack arrested the breeders an hour ago and took them to the Alpha house. The breeders had no security system and no means of defense. Rounding them up had been quick with no bloodshed. Understandably the breeders were confused. It quickly became evident they never considered female full-bloods in the equation. It was comical watching a few breeders attempt to compel Mercy and the others. It didn’t work. Seems involving females to fight breeders who prey on wolf males will become a permanent strategy.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” Hawke said. If he was upset with Jasmine for clipping his wings, he didn’t show it.
Seconds later, Jasmine looked at the monitor and smiled at Mercy. “Have you learned anything new?”
“Yes, there were two rebels in the basement. They hadn’t been programmed and when the breeders realized the rebels couldn’t protect them against us, they gave up. It’s been years since I kicked ass, lots of fun.”
“Good. Thank you for your hard work. Did you learn anything else?” Jasmine asked.
“There’s a feud of some kind going on amongst rebel leaders. A turf war. These two were in the wrong area and were trussed up and sold to the breeders. Right now, there are five large rebel groups. Preston is working on getting more information on how the rebels operate and will report later.” Mercy laughed. “Having bitches involved is a great idea, Mistress. When the women with me realized the power and level of destruction these breeders have used on our males, they were furious. I don’t think they realized how important it was to stop these women until they saw the rebels in the basement.”
“Not all of us breeders are wicked enemies to the pack. Make sure they see and understand the difference,” Jasmine cautioned.
Mercy’s mouth dropped as her cheeks reddened. “I’m sorry Mistress if I offended you. It was not my intention. Sometimes I forget, but you are right and I will make sure to reinforce what you said. Just as the rebels are full-bloods who violate the law, there are breeders who do the same. No group is absolute.”
Pleased her message was received and that Mercy’s investigation had opened the door to find the family involved with Nicromja, at least she hoped they had the information of the fight location, she waved down the woman’s apology. “No worries. The last thing I want this group to become is biased or prejudiced against others because of differences. We are eyes and ears, reporting what we see and on occasion, like today, acting on behalf of the Nation.”
“Yes, Ma’am, you are right. Thank you,” Mercy said. “What do you want us to do with the breeders?”
Jasmine wasn’t sure. “Silas and I need to discuss it. For now, detain them, and I’ll get back with you.”
“Yes, Ma’am, and again I apologize if I offended you in any way. You have my utmost respect and loyalty.”
“No worries, you and your pack did a great job today, the Nation thanks you.” Jasmine disconnected and looked at Hawke, who wore a slight grin. “What can I say? She was beginning to piss me off.”
He held his hands up. “Totally understandable. Asia has left and should arrive in less than an hour. Assuming she steals identities along the way, we should have information within 90 minutes. Would you like the kitchen to send lunch?”
She couldn’t eat. Not with her stomach twisted in knots needing her mate. “Order whatever you want.”
“Mistress, you must eat to keep up your strength,” Hawke said,
“I asked you to order lunch, I can’t eat what’s not here.” She pushed back from the table and paced. “Rebel gangs selling pack members, what are they thinking?” She rubbed her forehead. “Who’s marketing for the breeders? Someone’s coordinating all of this. Has anyone been paid from the breeders’ account on a weekly or monthly basis, like a finder’s fee?” she a
sked Hawke.
“I’ll check.”
“Different things,” she muttered. “Breeders provided a piece of the puzzle, but they have no connection to the challenge. Okay, put them on the back burner for now. Breeders filled an order to provide muscle for Bradford Wernher, he charters a plane and leaves before muscle arrives. Has he contacted the person he placed the order with? The breeders have not been contacted, so we don’t know.” She paused going over the information in her mind again. “Is this isolated?” She looked at Hawke. “This is the only order from Wernher and its within the past six months. So, did he order the muscle for the challenge and that’s the extent of his involvement with the breeders?”
Hawke nodded slowly. “That could be the case. When Asia arrives, she should target the patriarch and search his memory thoroughly. The payments came from his account, he should have answers.”
“Yes, but will we get those answers in time?” Jasmine said, looking at the clock on the wall.
CHAPTER 21
“How dare you kneel for her and not for me without force?” Dressed in a purple robe that opened in the front and matching baggy trousers, Nicromja strode toward Angus and stopped short of walking on top of him. Laying prostrate on the floor, Angus closed his eyes against the sting of Nicromja’s brutal anger. Fiery needles raced across his skin leaving a trail of incomprehensible pain and the stench of smoking flesh.
“You think I won’t leave your mate forever in the condition she is now if you don’t fight to win against anyone the Goddess sends forth? Not only will I leave her comatose, I will give her to my faithful to use as they see fit. How does your beast like that?”
Invisible strings pulled Angus from his chin to his crotch, stretching his abdominals as his neck and pelvis were curved backward. The unnatural arch of his spine and neck robbed him of air. His body vibrated with pain. Would his back snap? His neck?
“Know this, your mate will become the house whore, freely given to anyone who crawls on top of her. Perhaps I will allow her to understand what’s happening but unable to wake fully.” Nicromja laughed. “For a bonded mate, that’s worse than death I’m told.”