by Setta Jay
She had a split second to look in the window, which showed the destroyed remnants of a couch and some chairs.
The protections are down, Jax said and they were moving through air again as the snarling beast banged against the thick outer walls and door of the home they’d ported into. She heard voices and crashing as she bit her cheek to fight the desire.
More fighting was going on in there. She heard the glass shattering and an angry roar.
“You should have just come with us. Now your brother gets to die out there alone.” The words said in another room sounded controlled, menacing. She and Jax rushed to the hall and saw it. Elizabeth’s Kairos and two others were holding Raff’s brother in a room, one jabbed the male in the neck with a needle as the Kairos’ eyes hit them, narrowed and were gone. Jax appeared in the bastard’s place at the same time he disappeared with the wolf.
A howl split the air from the outside. The anguished, rage-filled noise sent chills down her spine.
“It was the same damned Kairos that took the Mageia,” Jax growled. “No trace of the teleport.”
Sirena, bring the wolf here, Jax snapped
The healer appeared with Raff, and the Lykos howled. It sounded like the same noise she’d heard from outside. Raff fought Sirena’s hold as his eyes darted around the room. He was feral, furious and the healer allowed him freedom.
“Can you check for trace? Elizabeth’s Kairos injected the Lykos with something and ported away,” Jax asked his sister Guardian, a female Ileana only knew from images she’d seen in the cities.
Ileana saw Sirena’s violet eyes grow deadly as she moved into the room.
Raff demanded, “Where is my brother’s body, Guardian?” His eyes were bright flashing amber as he balled his fists at his sides, channeling his rage at Jax.
Sirena growled to Jax, “I can’t track the teleport either.”
Jax growled, “Calm down! Can you locate your brother?” Her Guardian’s muscles were thick as he eyed the furious wild wolf. She looked around as Sirena moved in front of the male.
Raff turned his head and snarled at Jax, “My brother is dead. Elizabeth’s warriors were trying to take him. If they took his body, I will rip them to pieces. I demand blood!” The wolf’s muscles were pulled tight under his thermal shirt, but he was no match to Jax’s size. Her male had a good six inches of height and even more muscle on the wolf. She saw the blood spattering the wolf’s clothes and face. His dark hair was pulled back in a high tail as he faced off against the Guardian.
“Do not forget who you’re talking to, wolf.” There was a deadly pause as the wolf’s eyes narrowed and tension filled the room. The male was enraged.
“Your brother isn’t dead.” Sirena’s lilting words seemed to calm the male, though he frowned.
“How? His link is gone. To all of us,” Raff growled.
Jax growled back, “Forget yourself again, wolf, and I’ll forget you’re grief stricken and rip your limbs off. Slowly. She told you your brother is alive.” Jax’s voice was low, power and promise unmistakable in his words. She slid in the shadows and looked for clues as she listened for more information. Jax’s gaze shot to her before moving to Sirena.
Raff’s gaze moved from Jax to Ileana. His head tilted as he looked at her and scented the air. He was still wild, but, shit, did he recognize her? He’d thought she was a Mageia when they’d had their brief encounter decades ago. Her hair had been different, spelled, and she’d made sure to rub a Mageia’s scent all over her with some very faint flower oil. Would he even remember something from so long ago? He would only scent Jax on her now, which she should have taken time to alter, but she’d been too eager to get there.
Jax growled low. “Do. Not. Look. At. Her,” he warned Raff and she felt the breath sawing out at the power flowing from him. Raff looked in his direction.
“Is your brother’s connection gone from the whole family?” he again asked the male.
“Yes,” Raff spat out as if Jax were toying with him.
Sirena spoke next and the Lykos focused on the blonde as Ileana slid deeper into the shadows. “They drugged him.”
“The link is gone! How?” The male’s eyes narrowed, still wild, but hope shone so bright she couldn’t look. The raw emotion was so intense it wrenched her stomach.
“We saw the injection. Elizabeth needs him alive,” Jax pointed out.
“You’re certain?” Raff demanded.
“Yes. Did he say anything about what they said to him before you lost the link?”
Raff shook his head. She could see the shock in his eyes. Could tell how much he wanted to believe, but likely feared it wasn’t real. This was all a little too much. She kept putting herself in the male’s position, wishing it would have been her finding out her parents were really alive, just drugged somehow all those millennia ago. Was that possible? She panted as her heart raced. She felt a buzzing in her mind and Jax was there. Kitten, the drug they used is less than a century old.
Hope plummeted, leaving her sick to her stomach, her heart pounding. How did you know what I was thinking? And how do you know how long they’ve had the drug? she demanded as it felt like her heart was shredding again.
You broadcasted and we’ve captured and interrogated a few of Cyril’s scientists. Uri took blood memories. The drug was made to be used against us after the bastard failed in his attempt to take Dorian over a century ago. If they’d had the drug, they would have used it on my brother, he replied, and the soft-spoken words only made her stomach clench as tight as her jaw.
She felt for the mental shield and it was intact. Was it possible that she’d sent her thoughts to him as he’d said? She frowned and considered it. She’d been emotional, so maybe she had. She clamped her jaw down against the disappointment. If they’d left her parents’ bodies, she wouldn’t have been so quick to hope, no matter how final her father’s last words had been. It hadn’t mattered that she’d felt his anguish when her mother’s link was ripped away first, had likely seen her die. She turned and closed her eyes for a second. She knew they were dead. Her legs were shaky, but she refused to let the weakness show.
She was grateful for the distraction when Raff finally answered Jax’s question. “Donovan said the cottage was breached. A Kairos and a couple of cats. They said he was going with them. Nothing more. At least not that he told us through the link. My brothers and parents said that was all they heard as well.” That was why the male had been quiet, he’d been talking to his family. She took a breath, feeling Jax’s eyes on her.
Sirena started in again. “What special abilities does your brother have?”
After barely a moment Raff glared at Jax and Sirena. “What do you know that I don’t?” he demanded.
Sirena and Jax were both quiet, ignoring Raff’s question.
“His abilities,” Jax commanded.
Raff’s jaw hardened. It was obvious he didn’t want to tell them. “Why?”
“Doesn’t matter. Do you want to get him back?” Jax growled. There wasn’t a hint of softness. Deadly honest. If the male had any chance of getting his brother back, it was only with the Guardians’ help.
“If you’re going after Donovan, I will be there.” She saw Jax eying the male. There was more in Raff’s eyes than vengeance, there was determination, worry.
Jax lifted the wolf off the ground with a hand around his neck. No growl, no warning, and Raff’s hands went to the Guardian’s wrist as his face grew a furious red. “I’m not going to play with you, pup. When I put you down, you will speak.” A warning.
“What can your brother do?” Sirena asked firmly when the male was back on his feet taking a deep breath. His back was hunched, muscles pulled tight and thick. He was close to shifting; his eyes were filled with the wolf. The Lykos wanted a fight, and for a second she wondered if Jax would give him one. Sirena stepped in front of him, drawing his eyes as she spoke again. Melodically. Using her voice to calm the male. Ileana wondered at the soothing tone that very few healers
could wield and even less could use on an Immortal.
Raff’s jaw muscles eased as he looked down at the female. Ileana could see in his eyes that he was struggling. He didn’t want to tell them, but everyone knew that the enemy was impossible to locate. He wouldn’t find his brother without help. If the Kairos hadn’t been so foolhardy in his search for a key, they’d all still be looking for clues. A second passed before the Lykos finally answered. “He can void spells with a touch.”
They all stilled and a chill ran down her spine.
“Does anyone know that it’s by touch?” Jax demanded.
Shit. This was very bad. The air in the room was charged as they watched Raff, waiting for his answer, though she wasn’t sure it mattered. Elizabeth would take the information easily enough and could very well be using it to release Apollo on the Realm as they spoke.
“No. We kept that part secret. He uses a spell and only a very select few know about even that.” Raff’s eyes were hard. His brother had a dangerous ability. One that could get him killed on the best of days. No one in the Realm would be thrilled to know a Lykos could break down any of their protection spells with only a touch.
“Not few enough!” Jax snapped.
Raff stood with his chin up. Worry and defensiveness blended with the anger on his face.
The wolf had no idea how screwed this situation was, and she sure as hell wouldn’t be the one to tell him.
She heard Jax’s furious mental voice. Elizabeth has the Lykos. They used the drug Cyril made to sever the male’s mental links before taking him. She felt the fury as he paused. The wolf can break any spell with a fucking touch!
A furious snarl filled her mind and she knew it came from Drake. So much power filtered through her head it was almost painful. The dragon’s power was chilling, intense. Find clues to where they went.
She lifted her shield to the main Guardian link, wanting to hear what the others were saying. She hoped the fighting had died down everywhere, because all hell might be about to break loose in the Realm. She was glad that it sounded like the fighting outside the cabin had died down.
With the scent of her male filling the small home, her nipples felt ready to cut through her shirt. She wanted to growl in frustration at her body’s reaction. Her blood was on fire again and she bit back a groan. The frenzy obviously didn’t care about battles or the potential of a God being loosed on the Realm. It demanded one thing and there was no time to appease it.
Sirena was speaking to Raff, asking more questions about Donovan’s abilities. Ileana hadn’t heard specifics with her body aching. The teleports hadn’t helped anything, but now that the fighting had ended and his primal male scent coated the air, she was losing her mind.
“Spell voiding was Donovan’s strongest ability, other than his telekinesis,” Raff told the blonde, which wasn’t surprising, as telekinesis was a predominantly Lykos ability. And Donovan’s having a special ability was fairly normal for a child of a mated pair, but this power would be scary for those in the Realm.
“How strong is it?” Sirena asked.
“We don’t know. He never encountered a spell that didn’t collapse at his touch.”
Sirena looked into the male’s eyes. “The cities’ protection spells?”
“We don’t know. He never tested that.”
The potential wasn’t good. What about the ones at the Guardian compound? Raff was right in not letting it out how the power worked, but they shouldn’t have used it at all outside of the family and they obviously did. She’d overheard the brothers talking, but that was different, they hadn’t scented her, hadn’t known she was even in the woods when they’d been talking about Donovan’s ability.
Raff spoke again. “Tell me what they need him for.”
Jax and Sirena both ignored the question and the wolf narrowed his eyes. Jax raised a brow dangerously at the male, daring the Lykos to piss him off more. “Stay out of the way as I search for clues,” Jax bit out before taking a deep breath, scenting the air and shooting her a heated look that nearly lit her on fire. He’d smelled her desire and his was getting stronger, matching it, snaring her in the heat.
Raff and Sirena looked between them and she knew she needed to leave. She didn’t need the wolf wondering any more about her. And she was only a distraction to her mate right now. They needed any clues he could find and she could use the air.
I’m going outside so you can get a clearer scent. She didn’t even look at her male as she slid out the door. Just the sight of him destroyed her concentration, and neither of them needed any more distraction than they were already dealing with.
I’ll be out when I’m finished, he growled into the link and it reverberated all the way to her clit. I need to get the blood off of you as soon as we’re done. He was still fixated on the blood burning her skin, even when she’d forgotten it. The frenzy had taken all of her concentration.
She closed the door behind her quickly and took a deep breath of fresh air, though it wasn’t clean, it reeked of sulfur and smoke.
The battle may have ended there, but there was a good chance a much bigger fight was coming their way.
She saw the four male Lykos Sirena had brought with her. They were moving around closer to Raff’s cabin and in the areas surrounding it, all gathering the dead hounds and piling them up to burn. She wrinkled her nose. Some piles were already lit and the smoke burned her nose.
Great. Cleanup duty. She grinded her teeth together and headed left, not wanting to chat with the Lykos she knew were brothers of the disturbed Mia. She had no desire to socialize in general. She’d always been on her own and was far more comfortable that way than she was around others.
Get to Jax and Sirena the minute the last beasts are down in the cities. I want clues, Drake snarled in the link, and she sucked in a breath as the power hit. The dragon was furious.
She heard the other Guardians’ voices filtering in her mind. They would be done soon. She heard more voices in the cabin. It sounded like the Guardians were already appearing inside. She moved closer to hear without being where her scent would make it hard for Jax.
Explain, Drake demanded, and Ileana wasn’t sure who he was talking to.
Jax went through the details of what they saw when Donovan was taken.
“Does anything seem out of order in here, wolf?” Drake demanded and she was sure it was to Raff. She heard steps as they looked through the house.
She tossed a hound’s body into a pile, frowning in disgust at the carcass and the added burn to her hands. In the future she needed to remember gloves. Her blades would need some care at some point. She’d sheathed them long ago with most of the nasty blood all over them. She also needed to remember to opt for long sleeves instead of short. She listened in rapt attention to the conversations in her mind and in the home. She heard more footsteps inside.
“They left nothing behind,” Raff growled, and Ileana frowned. No clues.
“How helpful will your brother be with Elizabeth?” Drake demanded.
“He would never give her anything. Not one of us would help that bitch,” Raff snarled.
“You’re certain,” Drake demanded.
“Yes. He’s strong. He won’t give in easily.”
Sirena’s voice came in the mental link. We will likely have a small amount of time. Everything I’ve learned about the drug indicates that the Lykos will be unconscious for a few days. At least. The healer paused. Since he’s a Lykos, he shouldn’t go completely insane, but he will probably be feral for a while after that, so who knows what he’ll say during that time. Sirena seemed to allow them time to absorb that information before moving on. The drug stays in the bloodstream for several weeks. The formula is toxic. Cyril was a sick bastard to even come up with it. The good news is that Elizabeth or any other Aletheia won’t be able to take blood memories from the wolf until it’s out of his system completely. The drug would completely incapacitate them. All the research I’ve seen from the lab techs indicate that Aleth
eia are permanently damaged by the effects of the drug. Elizabeth will have to wait or torture him to get his knowledge.
Ileana stilled.
Why would the bitch even chance using that drug? Ileana asked Jax.
To prevent him from being tracked through his family bond. Raff said that people think Donovan’s using a special spell. My guess is that she thinks he has to do it himself. That she needs him there.
Ileana thought about what he said. So that means Elizabeth doesn’t know his secret. That it’s Donovan’s touch that does it.
Doesn’t seem like it, he bit out.
Let’s hope the Lykos power doesn’t even work on something spelled by the Creators. She wasn’t sure who said it, but she was hoping the same thing. Others agreed.
She shook her head. They’d have a minimum of a few days while the wolf was unconscious. After that their days would be numbered until the bitch was potentially able to unleash the God. Her heart raced at the idea of Apollo loose in the Realm. Would he be locked in Tetartos by the Creators’ confinement spell, or would he be able to move to the others like the Guardians? She hoped he was locked in; she wanted the chance to kill the bastard for his part in her parents’ death.
Patrols in the other Realms to a minimum until we find the bastard God. Drake sounded violent. Assents came through the link.
Being outside had only marginally calmed the need, but it flared hard and heavy again when she heard the door click and slam shut. She turned, knowing he was coming for her. She’d already felt him as she hadn’t heard the conversations in the cabin. She closed her eyes and inhaled the scent of him. Her eyes opened a slit, catching the long strides of his leather-clad legs eating up the space between them. His eyes were hard, harsh as they searched her body, and they grew furious as they fell on the blood covering her exposed skin. Her breath caught at the intensity of all that protective anger. It wasn’t a big deal, but she wouldn’t say it again. She sucked in a breath at the sight of the primal male stalking her. Her skin drew tight as she tracked him.
Ileana’s covered in hell-beast blood. I’m taking her home, he growled through the link and the vibrations in her mind rippled through her body until she was flushed and wet. He was lighting her on fire from the inside out.