Bite the Bullet (Bitten Book 5)

by C. C. Wood

  We all chuckled as Asher turned onto the gravel road that led to the compound. I looked out the window as we drove through the heavily wooded area between the main road and the pack settlement, and caught the flash of eyes in the trees. It seemed pack security was tighter than ever. After the attack on the compound a couple of months ago, I couldn’t blame them.

  Asher parked in front of Calder’s house and shut off the car. As soon as I climbed out, I could hear Ricki and Calder arguing inside. They weren’t yelling…yet.

  Before we could walk from the car to the house, the front door flew open and Calder appeared.

  “She’s not going with you,” he growled fiercely.

  I lifted my hands in a gesture of surrender. “I know. I only want to talk to her.”

  He glared at me. “Then why is she packing?”

  My eyebrows lifted. “Um, maybe because she’s upset with you for keeping things from her.”

  The growl in his voice deepened, dropping down two octaves to little more than a bass rumble. “She is my mate, pregnant with my pup. It’s my responsibility to keep her safe.”

  Ricki called from inside. “I’m a grown woman, fully capable of making decisions for myself, Calder! Pregnant or not, you should have told me what was going on!” Her annoyed face came into view over his shoulder. “Now, let Shannon in. I haven’t seen her in forever.”

  With a long-suffering sigh, Calder stepped out of the way. “Fine, but you’re not leaving.”

  Ricki rolled her eyes behind his back and I bit back a laugh. She was going to be just as pissed at me in a few minutes when I told her she was staying right here with her mate until it was time to implement our plan.

  I could feel Calder’s frustration and anxiety as I moved past him into the house. I reached out and squeezed his hand gently.

  “It’ll be fine. I promise.”

  The crease in his brow didn’t ease, but his irritation dropped down a few notches.

  Once I was inside the house, Ricki threw her arms around me in a tight hug.

  “God, I’ve missed you!” She released me and looked me over for a moment. “Well, being a vampire agrees with you,” she stated. “You look great.”

  I grinned at her. “Being pregnant agrees with you. You’re glowing.”

  She rubbed the small bump of her belly. While it wasn’t huge, it was larger than I would have expected this early in her pregnancy. Then again, it wasn’t like I knew a lot about the gestational period for shifters. For all I knew, she might only be pregnant for five or six months before she gave birth.

  “It’s been a lot easier than I thought,” she commented. “But I’m hungry all the time. I feel like I could eat a horse right now.”

  Calder slid by me. “I’ll get you something.” He ran the back of his hand along her cheek. “Sandwich?”

  She smiled at him, her cheeks flushing. “Peanut butter and honey. And a big glass of milk.”

  Calder nodded and turned to us. “Can I get you anything?” After we all declined, he walked into the kitchen, touching Ricki’s neck as he moved by her.

  From the way her eyes shone, it was clear that, despite their current argument, Ricki was very much in love with her mate.

  When she turned back to me, I stated firmly, “You’re staying here with Calder until the night we need you.”

  She sighed. “I figured as much.” Rubbing her back, she said, “Let’s go sit down in the living room. I’m not very far along, but my back aches sometimes.”

  We all migrated to the living area, Ricki curling up in one corner of the couch. Asher and I took the love seat facing her and Duncan settled on a chair angled at the far end of the two sofas.

  Before we could continue our conversation, Calder returned with her sandwich and a glass of milk. After he put them on the side table next to her, Ricki grabbed his hand.

  “I’m sorry I yelled at you,” she apologized. “I hate to blame hormones, but it’s either those or I’ve been possessed by a demon.”

  I bit back a laugh, but Calder chuckled as he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the Council’s plan. The only time I’ve ever been truly afraid is when you’ve been in danger.”

  Ricki lifted a hand and touched his cheek, and I felt like a voyeur. I looked away from their conversation and found Asher watching me with steady eyes. Immediately, I knew he was thinking the exact same thing.

  “Okay, so fill me in on the plan,” Ricki demanded as she lifted her sandwich and took a big bite.

  I told her about the visions I’d had during my turning, not all of them, just the ones pertaining to our battle with the Faction. Then I explained that we were still working on a plan, but that I was certain the only way to draw out Cornelius would be if all five of us were together in the same spot at the same time. Otherwise he wouldn’t take the risk of putting himself in a vulnerable situation. She ate as I spoke, occasionally asking questions or nodding. By the time I finished my story, she had devoured her meal.

  Wiping her mouth with the napkin Calder brought her, Ricki tossed it on her empty plate and looked up at me. “So, there’s no real plan yet, you just wanted to know if I’d be willing to participate if you needed me to?”

  I nodded.

  “And you know from your visions that neither the baby nor I will be hurt?”

  “Yes.”

  She took a deep breath, blowing it out as she rubbed her hands on her thighs. “I hate to say it, but my first instinct was to agree with Calder and say no.”

  Her mate looked at her in shock, but didn’t speak. I assumed because he was speechless.

  I nodded again, completely understanding her reticence, even if it was disappointing.

  “But I trust you with my life, Shannon. I know you would never lie about something like this, so I’m willing to do it.”

  “I swear, this will work. We’ll defeat Cornelius and take down the Faction, and you can focus on your mate and your daughter.”

  Ricki’s eyes widened at my words. “My…daughter?”

  I glanced at Calder. “You didn’t tell her?”

  I realized I’d made a mistake when Ricki’s eyes narrowed on her mate. “You knew?”

  I was immensely grateful when Asher interrupted the tense moment before they could begin arguing again.

  “Since Ricki is willing to help, perhaps you’d like to be involved in planning the trap, Calder?” he asked.

  Both of their attention turned to Asher.

  “Definitely,” Calder agreed. “And I want my pack involved in defense.”

  Asher nodded. “Of course. Let’s meet at Connor’s tomorrow and we can start to formulate our plan of attack.” He looked at me, his expression apologetic. “I’m sorry, Shannon, but we need to leave.”

  “So soon?” Ricki asked, disappointment in her tone.

  “We’ll be able to spend time together soon,” I replied. “It won’t be long until this is over.”

  She nodded and started to get to her feet.

  “No, you stay there,” I insisted, rising from the love seat and walking over to her. I leaned down and gave her a hug. “Call me tomorrow night and we’ll talk, okay?”

  She squeezed me tightly and sniffed. “Okay.”

  I frowned when I saw the shimmer of tears in her eyes when I straightened, but she waved a hand in front of her face.

  “Ignore me. It’s the demon hormones.”

  We both giggled and I followed Asher and Duncan to the door.

  “I’ll see you all tomorrow,” Calder murmured.

  I leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “See you then.”

  For the first time since we’d walked in, Calder smiled at me. “Conner’s right, you are a bad influence.”

  I didn’t respond, just smirked and shook my head.

  After Asher and Duncan exchanged quick good-byes with Calder, we were all on our way back to Dallas. It wasn’t until we were a few miles from the compound
that I had the strangest sense of déjà vu. As the feeling intensified, I took in my surroundings and realized I had experienced this before, just a short while ago.

  “He’s coming,” I mumbled.

  “Who’s coming?” Duncan asked.

  “Rhys.”

  Just then, a figure dressed all in black stepped into the center of the road and halted, turning to face us. In the headlights, I watched as he threw back his hood and his long blond hair was lifted in the breeze.

  Though the lights were shining directly in his face and likely blinding him, when he looked up, I knew that he was staring directly at me.

  It was the mysterious Rhys, and I watched his lips form the words, even as they echoed in my mind.

  “My name is Rhys. Help me.”

  Chapter Twenty

  The car fishtailed as Asher stomped on the brakes, cursing in English and French. We came to a rocking halt just a few feet from Rhys.

  “This is from my vision,” I muttered, staring at the figure standing stock still in the headlights.

  Asher turned to me. “Stay here,” he commanded. When I didn’t respond, he snapped, “Shannon.”

  I turned my eyes to his serious face.

  “Stay here. Just this once, don’t ignore me.”

  I nodded, feeling oddly blank. It felt as though two realities were overlapping in my mind—one I’d only seen in my head and the one I was experiencing now. It was a disconcerting sensation.

  Asher nodded to Duncan. “If things don’t go well, get her the hell out of here.”

  His words finally penetrated the fog that surrounded me. “Fuck that,” I spat out. “We won’t leave you.”

  Asher rounded on me. “Shannon—”

  I shook my head vehemently. “No. I’ll stay in the car. That’s the only order I’ll agree to.”

  Abruptly, I could feel Rhys’ impatience pressing in on me. I probed his emotions, barely skimming the surface, and they nearly took my breath away. His presence was heavy, not with the weight of centuries, but with millennia. He was impatient, yes, but he was also desperate. I’d never been around another being of such immense power, except for Cornelius. The only difference was that Cornelius’ power was ugly and fetid. It was as if he were rotting from the inside out, wasting away from all the evil he’d brought into the world.

  Rhys was different.

  “He means us no harm,” I told Asher as he opened his door.

  He shot a look over his shoulder. “Stay in the car regardless.”

  I sighed and nodded, watching closely as Asher got out of the vehicle and walked up to Rhys, his gun in his hand. Rhys’ eyes flicked down to the weapon and I instinctively knew that bullets wouldn’t be effective against him unless maybe it was a shotgun blast to the face. Even then I doubted it would kill him.

  Though I was sitting in the car, behind several inches of armor, I could still hear everything they said. I decided my bionic ears were going to be helpful in the future, especially if I went back to work for the security firm.

  “Who are you and why do you need our help?”

  Rhys tilted his head and studied Asher. “You know the answer.” His eyes found me in the backseat of the SUV. “Your psychic knows who I am.”

  Asher stepped in front of Rhys, cutting off his view of me. “Don’t look at her.”

  I could hear Rhys chuckle. “Don’t worry, vampire. I have no intention of harming your mate.”

  I watched as Asher’s back stiffened and he shifted slightly to the side so that I had a clear view of Rhys. He crossed his arms over his chest. “One last time, who are you and why are you here? Answer me or I’ll get back in that SUV and leave you to deal with your problems on your own.”

  I could feel Rhys’ amusement. It was almost condescending and it was pissing me off. What sort of being was he that he wasn’t the least bit intimidated by one of the most powerful vampires I’d ever met?

  “I’m the twin of Cornelius the Slayer, Rhys the Dark.” He concluded his introduction with a strange, stiff half-bow, almost as though he were performing some ritual greeting. “I’m here, Asher Leroux, to ask for your Council’s help in killing my brother.”

  “You want to kill your brother?” Asher asked.

  I suddenly realized why Rhys’ powers carried so much weight. Kerry had explained what Cornelius was. A soul eater. He’d lived for thousands of years, surviving off the souls of not only humans, but vampires, werewolves, and witches alike. He was the bogeyman of the supernatural world.

  And Rhys was his twin.

  “Yes. He’s become obsessed with the idea of gaining the ultimate power. Complete immortality. If he succeeds, he will be unstoppable.”

  I shivered at the thought of such a wicked being having the power to control the world indefinitely, with no way to kill him.

  To his credit, Asher played it cool. “I’ll tell the Council about your request for aid. How will I contact you?”

  Rhys handed him a slip of paper. “Be at this address tomorrow, 10 p.m.”

  Asher was in profile, but I could see his eyebrows lift. “No cell number?”

  Rhys chuckled darkly. “I’m afraid that beings such as myself render electronic devices useless.”

  Asher frowned at him.

  “Look at your phone,” Rhys suggested.

  I watched as Asher pulled out the burner he’d recently been using. His frown deepened. “What in the hell?”

  “I’m afraid that I can’t use a phone or a computer. Just meet me at the address tomorrow. 10 p.m.”

  “Alone?” Asher asked drily.

  Rhys shrugged. “Bring whomever you like. I’m no danger to you.”

  Whatever the soul eater was up to, he wasn’t lying. I could feel the sincerity of his words.

  Duncan and I watched as he backed away from Asher. When he reached the edge of the road, he turned and disappeared into the trees. It seemed as though he dematerialized, vanishing so quickly and completely that I couldn’t even track him with my enhanced vision.

  Asher watched Rhys’ departure as well, waiting until he’d been gone for a minute or so before he returned to the car.

  As soon as he climbed in the driver’s seat, Asher buckled up and put the car in gear.

  “I don’t understand,” Duncan said, “How can the car still be running if he ruins electronic devices?”

  I’d been so distracted by Rhys’ words and his presence, that it hadn’t occurred to me to ask the same question.

  “I think he needs to be within a close proximity of them. He was almost ten feet from the vehicle.” Asher paused. “I wonder if his brother has the same problem.”

  “But we were able to track Kerry’s phone when she was kidnapped,” I stated. “From what she said, Cornelius was within touching distance.”

  “But it could explain why the Faction isn’t using technology to their advantage,” Duncan suggested.

  It certainly did, but it was something to mull over later.

  “He was sincere,” I told Asher. “Everything he said was the truth.”

  “I know,” he replied.

  “So, are we going to meet him tomorrow?” I asked.

  “No, we aren’t. Finn, Conner, and I will meet him. You’ll stay at the house.”

  “Excuse me?”

  Duncan looked pointedly out the passenger window, obviously trying to distance himself from the conversation.

  “Shannon, it’s not safe.”

  I leaned forward in my seat. “He asked me for help, Asher. He came to me with a purpose.”

  His eyes flicked back to me in the rearview mirror. “No.”

  “I’m going.” For a hysterical moment, I realized we sounded just like Ricki and Calder and almost laughed.

  Asher must have realized it as well because he sighed heavily. “We’ll talk about it when we get back to the house.”

  Duncan grunted, then cleared his throat, but he didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. I could sense that he found this entire si
tuation hilarious.

  The ride back to Conner’s was silent. I could feel Asher’s anger and his worry. Duncan had his mental shields firmly in place, so I had no idea what he was thinking.

  As for me, I leaned my head back against the seat and let the visions I’d had during my change play through my mind, looking for any clues that might tip me off on how we killed Cornelius. I could see snippets of the battle, feel the adrenaline and the fear, and saw the end result, but that was it. I knew more than I would have without the visions, but not enough to create a definitive plan based on them.

  I should have tried to analyze those visions before now, but the last couple of days had been hectic, made worse by the intense longing my connection with Asher created. He and Conner hadn’t been exaggerating when they said that the connection between a maker and a new vampire was strong. I wanted to touch him constantly, to be close to him.

  Even now when I was annoyed with him and his bossy attitude.

  As we drove through the dark, I put those thoughts out of my mind and focused on the minute details. My father often used to say that the Devil was in the details, and I’d discovered over the years that he was right. Missions were aborted or successful based on small details. Though this one was personal, it didn’t mean I could let that cloud my judgment any more than it already had.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  The next day was a long one.

  Calder arrived at Conner’s, already disgruntled. Nothing seemed to soothe him.

  We gathered in the study to discuss strategy. The longer we talked, the more intense the males became. We achieved very little before Finn suggested we stop for the day so ideas could be mulled over for when we reconvened tomorrow.

  The rest of the afternoon, I trained with Conner’s men in an effort to discern how effective my newfound strength would be in combat. I think everyone in the room was surprised when I took Luca down, including me. When I was human, that never would have happened. As a vampire, it wasn’t easy, but it was possible. I wondered what else I would be capable of as I grew stronger.

  When the training session was finished, I cleaned up and got dressed before heading downstairs to help Conner make dinner. He was teaching me how to cook chile rellenos, one of my favorite dishes. I enjoyed our time cooking together and the atmosphere was pleasant. It wasn’t until we sat down to eat that tension began to build. I knew that everyone was focused on what was to come later that evening. Rhys was an unknown entity and tonight could end badly if we weren’t on our game.