by Kim Faulks
“X, honey.” Alpha rolled Gunny to the side and shoved up to stand. “Jesus, X.”
“Had to save you. Had to keep you safe.” Whispered words slipped from the little wolf. She stared at Alpha as he took a step.
He lifted his hands, fingers skimmed the torn skin on her arms. “That was you that threw me?”
“And me. Damn wolf is strong for her size.”
I stared at the hood and the twisted edges along one side. It wasn’t shredded and curled, not like a bomb blast. The wolf covered them with the hood and her own body. Dark eyes narrowed as she lifted her gaze to me. “Had to save you…had to keep you—”
The blast of a firearm smothered her words. I dragged my weapon high as the shot came again.
And then again.
The smoke was tortured with the roar of automatic gunfire. A grunt echoed behind me. Artemas spun, his white shirt bloomed with crimson as I swung back to the enemy and lunged.
“Inside now!” the Senator howled.
The heavy tread of boots echoed behind me as I raced forward.
“Ace…Ace!” Gunny screamed.
But there was no running as shadows flanked me on either side.
One shot…one kill.
I sighted the shadow, center of mass.
The red laser danced for a second as I fired, he dropped, and I moved on to the next.
There were more than there should be, nondescript white, black…it didn’t matter. To me the enemy was one color and one fucking creed…hate.
I squeezed the trigger and moved around the burning wreck of the Camry, taking one down before I moved.
“Two hundred yards to your right,” whispered Alpha through the mic in my ear.
Through the shattered rear window I caught him. One shot in his thigh dropped him to his knees, another in his head finished the job.
If they came here to kill…then they came on the wrong fucking day.
The deafening sound of an automatic weapon cut from my right, seconds later, detonation as another bomb exploded. They were trying to get inside, trying to kill those I cared about.
“Ace, watch your back, we’ve got incoming.” Gunny’s warning was drowned out by the roar of the machine gun.
I skirted right, moving out of the white haze as a Marine came up to my left. His eyes widened, pistol carved the air. I squeezed the trigger dropping him where he stood. The black explorer was fitted with a steel grille like a damn battering ram.
The garage doors to the house were buckled, metal peeled in strips like a damn orange, but the hole was big enough for a body to slip through…or ten. I scanned the bodies I left around me, not enough…not anywhere near enough.
I failed…I let them through.
I slid my finger from the trigger and slipped the strap over my shoulder. Pain flared, something crunched deep inside. I sucked in the agony and the hurt and dragged my Sig free. Gunshots tore from the doorway, and screams of rage followed.
These were the men who tried to kill us. These were the men who shot Irwin’s damn dog.
A small, pathetic, and perfect little creature that jumped for joy whenever I neared.
I ground my jaw and moved deeper, scanning the corners as I moved through the house and touched the mic on my ear. “Friendlies at the rear.”
I had one advantage. I knew this place better than they did, and if there was one place they weren’t getting into, it was the damn elevator. They needed the passcode, one very few people knew.
Three were hunched at the keypad—they had the plate off, wires exposed. “Hey, dickhead.”
Heads snapped up in perfect unison. Three rounds in under two seconds. They never saw me coming.
“You forgot about me.”
I spun at the voice behind me, and stared into the perfect black barrel of a Glock. Hard eyes glared back at me. The bastard was big, six-four, carrying a lot of muscle. He’d be slow, but powerful. I could take him. I weighed up my chances—I could take him.
But not before he pulled the trigger.
And the bastard knew it.
He glanced toward the elevator and motioned with the gun. “The code. Now.”
A smirk curled the corners of my lips as I shook my head. “Do you have any idea who we are?”
That glint in his gaze sharpened, brow furrowed for a second before the bastard answered. “Don’t know, don’t care. We have our mission.”
I flinched with the words. “And what is that?”
He stilled for a second, eyes tightened as though he weighed up the odds and decided I was a dead man anyway, so he may as well spill his guts. “Four names, Artemas Roth, Regan Rivers, Darrion Slater, and Holden Lee. So I’m thinking you’re either Darrion or Holden.” Lips curled as he leaned closer. “And you don’t look like a Darrion to me.”
Movement behind him in the corner of my eye drew my focus. But I kept my gaze fixed on the smug sonofabitch. “You’re new at this, aren’t you? Yeah, brand spanking new.”
He took a step forward as the shadow crept behind him, moving carefully. I shifted my stance, drawing his attention as soft paws hit the ground with barely more than a sound.
“You really should’ve been briefed a little better.” I clucked my tongue and shook my head. “The Senator is one thing…but his team is another.”
The gun leveled at my gaze, the striations along the barrel were clean and perfect and well oiled. “We were. Four former Marines, if I’m not mistaken. By the gun, and the pile of fucking bodies outside, I take it you’re the sniper.”
I shook my head. “You’re mistaken. Four Marines, yes. But you forgot someone.”
The soft growl slipped through the air as though the warning had been there all along. Silver eyes glinted as X slunk forward, her deep brown coat shone under the overhead lights as I answered. “You forgot about the wolf.”
There was a second where his eyes widened as he took in the thick, bristled fur along her hackles standing on end before X hunkered down on rear legs and lunged.
He fired, missed and that was all the time X needed. Fangs sank into flesh.
Screams followed.
Screams that rebounded from the walls as I turned.
The sickening sound of tearing flesh filled my ears as I glanced at the dead, and silence settled.
The kind of silence I’d heard before.
When the dead waited in perfect endless slumber.
And my team was safe once more.
“Ace,” Gunny’s voice called through my mic.
I lifted my hand and pressed the button. “All boogymen are gone now, Gunny. It’s safe to come out.”
A whimper and a whine came behind me. I turned and glanced at what was left…it wasn’t much. “Thank you, wolf. You saved my damn life.”
X whimpered. Her pink tongue, edged with blood, skirted her lips as the sound of the elevator rumbled. Bulletproof glass parted as Gunny stepped out with weapon raised high and stared at the goddamn mess on the floor.
“Jesus,” she glanced at the wolf. “You did that?”
The whimper turned into a whine.
“Thank fuck you’re on our side, X. I’d hate to meet you in the dark.”
“X,” Alpha called and pushed through. Blood bathed one side of his face. He knelt beside her. “Are you okay? The shift, did it heal everything?”
The whine stopped as Artemas stepped free of the doors. A navy jacket covered his shirt, still he moved like a man in pain. I scanned his shoulders, head, and stepped forward. “The damn Doctor’s dead, and we need to get you to a hospital.”
“That’s exactly what I said,” Gunny snapped. “Now will you listen?”
“No time, we need to get everyone out of here. Regan, I’ve organized a chopper to take the rest of you to the Guardians’. You’ll be safe there.”
Alpha shook his head. “I’m not going. I need to get back home. Gotta make sure everyone is safe. You said yourself that they won’t come looking for us at Soteria, so that’s the best place X a
nd I can go.”
“Alpha, that’s crazy,” Gunny snarled and shook her head. “You’ll be all alone.”
“I have X and if there’s trouble, we can run.” He turned to glance at the wolf. “Can’t we?”
But there was a hardness in his voice. One that spoke a thousand fucking lies.
“Ace?” Gunny growled, tearing me from the thought. “You coming?”
My gut hardened, clenching tight as I shook my head. “No, I’m with Alpha.”
He yanked his head upwards, fear shone in his gaze. “No,” he whispered. “You go.”
But there was no question, no thought. There was nothing but the cold, hard knowledge that Alpha was never going to sit and wait. He was going after them…whoever this Shadow fucking Government was, and he’d use himself as bait to do it.
“You’re staying at Soteria, though. Right, Alpha?” Gunny’s tone hardened.
My brother kept my gaze as he answered. “Yes, Ma’am. Staying at Soteria and protecting those left behind.”
“Fine, but I need to help Irwin. We’ll track these bastards, send you information as it comes through.”
“That’s right, Gunny,” I answered. “Send us what you can. We’ll be waiting.”
She turned, kicked a body and spoke to the Senator while I held Alpha’s gaze.
Fear. Terror…and the unknown echoed through.
We weren’t the kind of men that spoke about our past—or about our future.
We dealt with the here and now, and right now all that mattered was protecting those we loved. Gunny’s voice trailed off as she moved toward the elevator.
“You sure about this, brother?” Alpha murmured. X whined by his side.
I gripped my rifle. The steel still warm from what I did best.
Kill to survive.
Kill to protect.
“Yeah,” I answered. “I’m sure.”
12
Ghost
My heart surged with the sight. I kept on moving as howls from the wolves slipped into the darkness behind me. Trees surrounded the tiny house on three sides, and in the distance mountains soared. I drove my nails into the ground and pushed harder, fighting the last soft hill to close the distance.
Familiar ground. Familiar scents. Familiar sounds.
Home.
I turned my head left, over there…not too far…were more places. Not as big, not as pretty, remnants of others… I gathered what they left behind, drawing their knives and their soft things close. Their smell still lingered, husky and sweet, smells that reminded me of my father…smells that whispered…kin.
Soft grass gave way to hardened paths. I raised my head and sniffed the air. No scents of others. Only me. My place. My home. Stay away…keep out.
Don’t make me hurt you.
Don’t make me kill.
Shadows moved in the trees above. The call of an owl cracked through the night as I neared the front. I slowed my steps, curled my lip at the sound, and climbed the small steps at the front.
Floorboards creaked and moaned; I dropped my nose and pushed the door, the familiar hit me, filling my chest with warmth.
A sob slipped out like a moan as I stepped into the darkness and nosed the door closed. My back feet skimmed the floor, and my body followed. Paws scratched the floorboards as I dragged my body deeper into the house.
Spirit no longer called me.
Spirit was here.
Fires burned like the sun in my mind…memories from long ago.
I could almost hear them. The beat of the drums. The growl of the bear.
The resonance echoed in my chest as I kicked with my good leg and dragged myself deeper into the darkness, where the scent of my parents lay. My body shuddered and trembled. Muscles hot, burning like the sun.
A quake ripped through my side as I shoved through the doorway. Moonlight streamed through the…window. Silver and gray sparkled from the thick bear coat like the night and the moon combined.
I crawled, whimpered…reaching out with claws to skim the fur. Papa…
His spirit soared way above me, like the eagles—close to the sun.
But part of him was here…part of him would always be there…where Human left him.
Where Human came with their guns.
I dragged my gaze to the right, to the rich brown like cold, heavy soil, and felt a pang deeper than any claw.
Mama…
I could still feel her touch, still smell her skin. Still see the sun reflecting through the strands of long brown hair. I shoved one last time and hard floorboards were replaced by soft warm fur. I curled my body, drawing the scent of my parents in deep.
Heat raged through my body. The claw stuck into my side, moving through flesh now and under fur. A whimper slipped from my lips, as the moonlight softened, traces of yellow brightened…I closed my eyes as Spirit raged—licking the pain from my belly.
Sleep came, long and dark…whispers echoed. Human and hunger.
I’m coming for you…Human growled. I’m coming soon.
He held the sun, this Human, held it in the palm of his hands…just as he held it all those years ago. Kill them all, he growled.
Hide little Ghost! my father screamed.
Hide now!
Boom…boom…boom…
I wrenched open my eyes to the cruel glare of the sun. Warmth under me…the smell of sweat and pain still lingered. I stared at my body and tried to remember…paws now long fingers…pain, now gone. I lifted my hand and touched my side.
No blood. No pain. A dull ache moved down the back of my thighs as I rolled over on hands and knees and climbed to my feet.
The dream haunted, lingering too long inside my mind.
Human is coming, Spirit whispered.
And we must hide.
13
Ace
The sun peeked over the horizon as we pulled back into the empty streets of Soteria. The drive was quiet with X curled up on the backseat. Artemas’s long sleeved shirt draped over her thin frame, rolled sweat pants cinched tight in the front.
She looked peaceful.
She looked healed.
Alpha nosed the borrowed Silverado into the driveway and killed the engine. I could feel his tension as he grabbed his phone and punched the buttons. He’d just found his dad, and the truth that his uncle had been the one to order his father’s execution.
Brother to brother. For Newman Slater it meant nothing. Not us…never us.
For those I loved, I would do terrible things.
For a second I sat there, staring at the small house as Alpha drew the phone from his ear. “Still no answer. It doesn’t feel good. But I gotta trust he can look after himself by now. We can’t wait around forever, and I have to find out what’s there. I can’t let it go, not after the images…not after Hiccups. He’s gotta pay, Ace. He’s gotta pay for every damn life he stole—human and shifter.” He lifted his gaze to stare into the rearview mirror. “And everyone he touched.”
X murmured, and whimpered in the backseat. There was something about her that made the man in Alpha weak. We didn’t unearth our secrets. We didn’t share our dreams. But I had a feeling for Alpha this could never be over, not until his uncle was firmly in the ground.
“Then we go back out there,” I growled. “Find the shit he didn’t want us to see, and expose them for what they really are.”
He nodded, tears shone in his eyes.
I raised my hand, fist tight. “For Stitch.”
He blinked, swiped his eyes with the back of his hand and punched mine. “For fucking Stitch.”
Alpha shoved open the door and moved around the rear seat. I followed, grabbing the guns while he opened her door and cradled X in his arms.
She’d sleep while we planned a war. God knew when the next time either of us would rest. I made for the back door and held it open while he carried her through.
I heaved the bags into the kitchen and made for my room, with the rifle bag over my shoulder. I could hear them in his b
edroom, whispering words of comfort and of love as I grabbed a clean set of clothes and headed for the bathroom.
The Doctor—I closed the door and dropped my clothes onto the counter as the silver Camry reared in my mind. Dead because of me.
My hands shook as I gripped the basin and lifted my gaze to the mirror. My breath burned on its way out. Brown eyes of a stranger stared back at me.
The eyes of a killer.
The eyes of retribution.
The Doctor had been close to death by the time the bomb detonated.
Throat slashed, already bled out.
They killed her…
They fucking killed her, and then used her as a weapon to kill the rest of us.
I dragged the blood-splattered shirt over my head and peeled the bandage off my shoulder. Scars savaged my chest and carried down to my side. My fingers trembled as I traced a jagged line over my kidney, remembering all the blood that seeped from the wound. My foster mother screamed at me…screamed that they couldn’t take me to the hospital while I held my belly and cried.
That kid came to the surface with a roar—small, pathetic, afraid of everything, and everyone.
Until they taught me to hate. I touched the circle burns on my shoulders. Just like the ones that covered my back—cigarettes, lighters…bleach.
Cuts, broken bones, busted nose, broken socket of my right eye.
Broken teeth.
Broken Spirit.
To defend, to protect, and to never back down, and for that I was prepared to bleed.
I twisted the taps and stepped into the spray, blood mingled with the rivulets to run down my thighs. Wash, eat, plan, and then go to war. I scrubbed, and tested my shoulder.
I could still fight, still shoot. If I could breathe then I was fine.
I switched off the water and stepped out, swiped a towel across my body, and yanked on clean khakis.
Gotta dress that wound, soldier. Stitch’s voice echoed through my head.
You gonna be my nurse? Gotta nice little white uniform you could wear.
I smirked with the words. “Yeah, I got your uniform,” I growled and opened the overhead cabinet, pulling Neosporin and the shit Stitch nagged us to use from the shelf.