by Mason Sabre
Stephen glanced at Cade as he got up with Raven and Anika, sure that his friend wasn’t worried about whatever Malcolm wanted. His mind was too preoccupied with Gemma and Phoenix.
“Close the door behind you,” Malcolm said.
When the three had gone and Malcolm and Cade were left alone, Malcolm rose from his seat and went to the bureau by the wall. He moved some papers around and exchanged one set of glasses for another before turning to face Cade again. His nostrils flared and he crossed his arms over his chest as he fixed Cade with a non-too-friendly glare. “Do I need to enquire who the father is, or have my assumptions served me correctly and you and my daughter have gone against not just Society law, but the laws pinned down by our Council and the Council before them?”
“We didn’t plan for this to happen.”
“But you didn’t plan for it not to happen, either?”
In truth? No, they hadn’t. They had never thought that it would be possible. “I am in love with your daughter,” Cade refused to back down. Arguing about what they should have done and what they had done wasn’t going to change a thing. It wouldn’t make the pregnancy not exist. It wouldn’t bring Gemma back. She was pregnant and they had fucked up, but Cade didn’t regret a thing.
Gemma was his.
Malcolm nodded slowly. “You do realise that there can never be anything more serious between the two of you? This cannot be allowed to continue.”
“More serious than a baby?”
“She can’t keep it. You are not a foolish man, Cadence. If you were, I would not have allowed you to be working on the DSA or dealing with any Society affairs.” Malcolm moved closer and leaned onto the back of the chair he had previously vacated. “What did you think could happen? You are already promised to a mate. Gemma has a place here.”
“To produce heirs?” It was seditious, he knew it, but he really didn’t care in that moment. Who was Malcolm to tell him that his baby couldn’t exist?
Aware that Cade’s wolf must be going wild—after all, this was his unborn cub they were talking about—Malcolm seemed to excuse his bout of rebelliousness. “Yes ... tigers, not wolves.”
Cade stood, shoving his chair back so that it scraped along the floor. This wasn’t out of disrespect for Malcolm; this was respect for himself. He was not submitting on this one. No fucking way. This was his child they were discussing, not some pet that he wanted to keep. It was his and Gemma’s, and no Society or Council was going to tell them what to do about it. “What if Gemma wants the baby? Will you forcefully kill it?”
Malcolm sighed and stood upright again. “There are laws that we must abide by. We may not like them, but they are there, and they are what we follow when we choose Society. We …”
“I didn’t choose Society,” Cade ground out, cutting him off. “I didn’t choose any of this. It was all chosen for me. Why should I stick to laws that I never agreed to being a part of?”
Malcolm inhaled slowly, his eyes on Cade as he did. His voice held no room for objection any longer. “This child cannot be born. You know this. There can be nothing between you and my daughter. You know this, too. The pregnancy will be terminated, and then you and Gemma will deal with one another only as Society needs. I cannot cast you out without raising questions. I do not wish for your father to seek an execution order for my …”
Cade leaned forward, hands on the desk. “So you can break the laws when it is your child? It is okay then? When your flesh and blood might be killed or your precious seat on the Council is at stake? If we are forced into an abortion, I will speak out.”
A tic worked along Malcolm’s jaw. “Then you will die.”
“I don’t fucking care about dying.”
“But you do care about Gemma dying. You would not risk her life.”
“I will not risk my child’s life,” Cade shot back just as the door to the meeting room burst open and Emily stormed in.
“Tell me it isn’t true … what Stephen told me,” she said. “Tell me …”
Stephen stood behind her. “I tried to tell her you were busy,” he said before his father could unleash his anger at the intrusion.
Emily walked around the table to where Cade was standing, and Stephen came in fully and shut the door behind him, closing all four of them in the room. “I told Stephen that I don’t care if you are busy when one of my children has been taken,” she told him furiously. “I want in on it. The Humans? They have her?”
“We’re dealing with it,” Malcolm said grimly.
She narrowed her eyes and wagged her finger at him. “Don’t you leave me in the dark on this one, Malcolm Davies. She is my daughter, too. I want to know where she is and who has her.”
Malcolm gripped the back of his seat, the leather creaking under his grasp. “Patterson has her ... and Phoenix, too.”
“She’s pregnant,” Cade added, and Malcolm’s eyes darkened. He had crossed the line, but he didn’t care. He knew that Emily would never allow for her grandchild to be aborted, no matter what Society ordered.
She gasped, putting her hand over her mouth, her pale green eyes widening. “Is this true?” She turned to Stephen, not Malcolm. “Gemma is pregnant?”
Stephen gave a curt nod.
Emily turned to Cade. “They have Phoenix, too,” she said softly, not as a question. He had expected lots of things, but what he wasn’t prepared for was Emily suddenly reaching up and wrapping her arms around him to pull him into an embrace that he hadn't realised he needed until that very moment. His heart ached as she held him. It thudded in his chest, his emotions begging for release at the sudden onslaught of comfort. He wrapped his arms around her, closing his eyes for a moment and taking what he needed. When she let him go, she wiped her eyes and sniffled before turning back around to face her son and husband.
“I will start letting the others in,” she said, and then she walked out of the room with her head held high.
The Society members arrived not long after. Trevor wasn’t first, and that probably pissed him off to no end, Stephen supposed—although the man could be pissed off if his own shadow dared to walk in front of him.
Malcolm opened the meeting when there were five of them there—Angela, from the foxes, Trevor from the wolves, and Aaron his shadow and heir. The bears finally arrived, and Malcolm filled them in on the things that he did know, without the details of the baby. He told them about Phoenix and gave them the story that Stephen and Cade had fed to him.
Cade and Stephen hadn't given him the true events, but what did it matter? They had been staying in the hotel for the night when Gemma and Cade were taken. Phoenix was caught later when Stephen went looking for them. They didn’t need to know about the tickets or the trip to Phoenix’s father. None of that mattered. Before the meeting was done, the phone at the centre of the table rang and for one, long moment, they all just stared at it.
Malcolm hit accept and put the call on loudspeaker—Patterson’s voice rang out. “Malcolm,” he said in a purr of fake, sleazy delight. “I had a couple of missed calls from you it would seem. Is there something bothering the top cat?”
“I believe we have a problem,” Malcolm said tersely.
“We do?”
Malcolm leaned in, palms down on the table. “It would seem that you may have seen fit to detain my daughter, and I was calling to enquire why that is and demand that she be returned home immediately.”
The other Society members said nothing, listening intently. It was doubtful that Patterson would realise he was talking to a room full of Others. He gasped at Malcolm’s accusation. “I have no idea what you're talking about,” he said. “In fact, I think I am quite offended that you would insinuate …”
“I am not bothered what you are. I have it on good authority that you took Cadence MacDonald, Gemma Davies, and now the boy. I am not calling you to ask about it. I am calling to tell you that you need to release them. Immediately.”
Silence greeted him from the other end for a moment, then Patterson’s
stern voice was heard again. “I told you I have no idea what you’re talking about. Now, if you don’t mind, I have business to attend to.”
The phone clicked and the line went dead.
Chapter Twenty-Six
One thing that Phoenix never imagined he would learn was the terrifying lessons about the Humans and all the badness they held inside of them. He had been one of them. He had lived with them. Yet now, he was at their mercy, their cruelty uninhibited. Vile and disgusting and dripping with greed, it was beyond belief. His father’s words and teachings echoed in the back of his mind always. Others were monsters—unnatural creatures that shouldn’t be allowed to exist. Others killed for fun and sport. Others wanted to turn the world for their own benefit and rid it of the Humans. It was lies, all of it, and it stared Phoenix in the face right now. How foolish he had been growing up, blind and gullible, taking everything in and never questioning it. If only his father could see this—maybe then he would see the truth of things.
Phoenix squinted and let his eyes roam the brightly-lit room—a room made by Humans, purpose-built and designed to hold Others prisoner.
Humans—such sick and disgusting creatures.
His head throbbed unbearably and his stomach churned. His eyes shone brightly against the dull room, a kaleidoscope of colour captured within them.
Patterson stood in front of him, or was it Fucking Patterson, as Stephen so often called him. It seemed to suit him more. Phoenix chuckled as the thought first entered his mind, causing him to flinch and regret the action immediately as the action rocked his brain in the confines of his skull and sent bolts of agony around every single nerve fibre, turning his laughing into an agonising growl. When the pain eased and he could open his eyes again, Phoenix focused his sights on Patterson—fucking Patterson—and breathed, short, shallow breaths to better control the pain. God damn them, he wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of crying from it. He had even managed to grit his teeth through the pain in his shoulder where the stupid Human had shot him—with silver of all things. Did they really not know?
“Why are we here?” Gemma asked. She had been wheeled into the room and shoved into a cage. It was close enough to Phoenix that he could see every detail on her exhausted features, but far enough away that Patterson could stand between them with the reassurance that he was safely out of reach of either of them. Phoenix entertained the thought of kicking Patterson square in his smug, smiling face, slamming him back against Gemma’s cage so she could hopefully rip his throat out. But the probability of that working out well for them was low. Chains held Phoenix’s arms out to either side, and another pressed around his throat, keeping his head back and cutting off his own air supply if he tried to look down. Yeah, Stephen had it right—fucking Patterson.
The Human with the wonky smile stood at the side of the room working on one of the many computers that lined the long counter. He had drawn blood from Phoenix and gave the impression of being some kind of doctor. The machine spat out a printout to him and he yelped and squealed, his excitement rising with each new piece of information. “This is amazing,” he exclaimed and hurriedly brought the papers to Patterson. He thrust them in front of his face, breathing rapidly. “Look at this ... just look. I have never seen anything like it. It’s incredible.”
Phoenix watched them curiously, wondering what the hell the guy was yapping about. After a moment, Patterson and the doctor lifted their eyes to stare at Phoenix. His mouth had transformed into a wide, lopsided smile even worse than the one he had displayed back at the car. All he needed was a white coat and a wiry hairstyle, and he would be set.
“So this is the half-breed,” Patterson murmured, glancing at Phoenix before turning to the next sheet. Phoenix was sure that at any moment, the doctor was going to start bouncing on the spot. Patterson raised his eyes to him once more. “You're very special, do you know that?” he smiled. “It is such a shame that it took us so long to get you here.” His smile broadened. “Not to worry, though. You’re here now.”
The doctor grabbed the papers from Patterson’s hands, who earned himself a dangerous stare, but he didn’t seem to notice. His excitement over his findings seemed to outweigh everything else. “Look at this one,” he said animatedly, pointing at one of the pages from the back. “It’s not like usual. The Other blood didn’t take over the Human blood. It’s like … like … they joined hands. This is even better than Anika.”
“Let us go,” Gemma suddenly shouted from her cage, but Patterson ignored her. She slammed her hand against the bars of her cage, making it rattle loudly. “Hey, Patterson. I’m talking to you.”
Patterson tilted his head at her and smiled. “Patience, my dear.”
“Fuck patience. What do you want with us?”
The Human in the leather jacket sat in a chair close to Gemma. While the doctor had been examining Phoenix’s blood, he had kept smiling lewdly at Gemma until she had fixed him with a stare and explained to him exactly what she would do to his testicles if he even considered coming near her. He had laughed and told her he “liked 'em wild” until Patterson had told him to cut it out.
Patterson paid no more mind to Gemma, however, and turned his full attention back to Phoenix. “You have a very special gift I want. It can teach us so much.”
“Aren’t gifts meant to be just that? Gifts?” Phoenix replied.
Patterson laughed. “Oh, it will be. I promise.”
Phoenix had no idea what the fuck he was talking about. His eyes glanced around the room, trying to look for any means of escape. There were two doors to this room—the one behind Phoenix where they had entered, and the one near Gemma’s cage. It opened just at that moment, and as it did, Patterson’s smile widened, lighting up his eyes.
Janie walked in … except she wasn’t alone. A small hand held hers, that of a Human child. She looked frightened, her eyes darting around the room before she quickly, shyly, averted them to her shoes. She can’t have been more than six or seven.
Gemma moved to the side of the cage closest to Janie and gripped the bars. “What are you doing with her?”
The young girl reminded Phoenix of a small fairy that belonged on the top of a birthday cake rather than here in this room—her dainty feet made next to no sound as she walked. Phoenix’s stomach recoiled with images of what the Human’s intent might be. He had no idea what Patterson was planning, but to go to all of this trouble, to set this all up and to dare to kidnap Gemma Davies …
There had to be worse things to come.
Ignoring both Gemma and Phoenix now, Patterson walked to the little girl and crouched in front of her, smiling a malicious smile. He raised a hand to her hair, and stroked it, but then his fingers sunk under the strands and twisted. She whimpered and reached up to stop him, but her small fingers could not pry his fingers away. He twisted her hair tighter, bringing a cry from her. “Beautiful, isn’t she?” Patterson asked as he forced her head back for Gemma to see.
“Leave her alone,” Gemma growled at him. “She’s just a girl.”
“Yes,” he grinned and nodded before motioning to the Human outside her cage. “Unlock the gate.”
Gemma stepped back in her cage and went to stand at the far side.
“Don’t worry,” Patterson said to the child, “you’re quite safe in there.” He pulled her by her hair, dragging her along and she started to sob, tears streaking down her dirty face. She pulled at his large hand, where his fingers twisted in her hair and kicked out at him with bare feet as she shrieked, but he ignored her, making her small legs work quickly. When he got to Gemma’s gate, he grinned at her. “A gift for you,” he said, and then he launched the child into the cage. She stumbled, tripping over her small feet. Gemma lunged for her, trying to catch her before she slammed into the concrete floor, but the girl scrambled away and threw herself into the corner farthest from Gemma. “Your progeny,” he laughed.
“My progeny?” Gemma padded over to Patterson, barefooted, as they closed the gate, shutting the
child in with Gemma. “Do you think that I am going to turn her? I do not bite Humans.”
Patterson’s smug smile told Gemma that that was exactly what he wanted. “She is yours to create. Just a little bite. It doesn’t matter to me where as long as you don’t kill her. Wouldn’t want you giving in to those hunger pangs at the wrong moment.”
“I’m not biting her,” Gemma said, setting her jaw in a determined line. “I’ll sit here and fucking starve if I have to.”
“Oh, there is no need for that.” He sauntered over to Phoenix, sure of himself. Positioning himself behind him, like he had with the girl, he reached up and twisted his fingers in Phoenix’s hair. Phoenix wasn’t a child, though, and it didn’t hurt the same for him. His head was yanked back, exposing his throat, the chains that held him in place rattling from the movement. Patterson held his hand out to one of the Humans, who placed a small knife in it. “What about now?” he asked and pressed the blade to Phoenix’s throat.
“You’re not going to kill him,” Gemma said. “You’ve gone to too much trouble to get him here.”
Patterson leaned forward, glaring at Gemma over Phoenix’s shoulder. He pressed the blade against Phoenix’s Adam’s apple. Patterson’s breath was thick and hot against Phoenix’s face, his every word dripping with poison. Patterson wasn’t like the others, Phoenix realised. He didn’t smell like fear. No … it was something else, something worse.
Patterson was power-hungry.
He laughed at Gemma. “No, you're right there. I won’t kill him. But you know something we have discovered with this half-breed business?” He paused as if waiting for her to answer. “It’s that they have this amazing resilience to death. I mean, we have shot young Phoenix here ...” He used the tip of the knife to point at the wound in Phoenix’s shoulder that was nothing more than a dark bruised lump now. It was hard to tell that he had been shot. “His body even rejected the silver. I know you all heal fast, but thirty minutes?” He raised his eyebrows at Gemma. “Bite the child.”