His words made Colton’s smile vanish. “Get in the car,” he ordered. “Before I say something I might regret.”
“Go ahead.” Jake didn’t back down. “The two of you are nuts. This all is beginning to feel like a very bad dream.”
Despite everything, hurt stabbed Maddie. Deep. Somehow, she managed to lift her chin and meet Jake’s eyes. “Are you going to give us your word or not?”
Though he swallowed, he finally nodded. “You have my word. I won’t try to escape.”
Immediately, Colton cut Jake’s bonds. “Perfect. Let’s get on the road.”
Without another word, Jake marched to the car and got into the back seat. Maddie sighed. “This is going to be more difficult than I thought.”
“Yeah, I’d say so.” Grimacing, Colton shook his head. “Injured male pride is hard to work around. But I have faith in you, baby sister. If anyone can do it, you can.”
“Thanks.” After several deep, calming breaths, she walked over to the car and got in on the opposite side from where Jake sat. Colton climbed in the front seat and she handed him her keys. He started the engine, put in some earbuds and synced them with the radio, put the car in Drive, and they were off.
Next to her, Jake sat in stony silence. Mentally, she rehearsed and discarded several different ways to get him to open up. Finally, she realized she’d need to go with her gut instinct and speak from her heart.
“Jake,” she began. “You know me.”
He didn’t respond at first. When he finally swung his head around to look at her, the mingled anger and pain in his chocolate eyes made her entire chest ache.
“Do I?” he asked. “I’m beginning to wonder about that. Ever since the day we first met, you’ve done nothing but hide the truth from me. The door in the alley, the secret club, the virus, this group of people you called the Protectors. I have no idea what’s actually going on, though clearly you and your crazy brother do. You say you want to tell me, but then it’s like you need a declaration of love from me first. Have I gotten this right?”
Slowly she nodded.
“That’s what I thought. No way, Maddie. I refuse to allow you to use my feelings like that. I’m not bargaining with you, telling you that I love you, just to finally get the truth. That’s wrong. All kinds of wrong.”
Though she hated her desperation, she seized on his words. “What exactly are your feelings toward me, Jake? Can you at least tell me that?”
His jaw tightened. “Why does that even matter now, Maddie? Can you tell me that?”
When she didn’t immediately answer, he nodded. “That’s what I thought. I don’t appreciate being used and treated like a prisoner. That’s all you and your brother have done since he rammed me with his truck. It doesn’t matter how I feel about you or you about me. Love can never flourish in an atmosphere of distrust and lies. Surely you can see that.”
As his words sank in, she realized he was right. Had the situation been reversed, she would have felt exactly the same way he did. Quite possibly worse.
Now she owed him the truth. Even if it meant breaking Pack law, even if that meant she could face the ultimate punishment—reprogramming or...death.
Of course, if Colton knew, he’d try to stop her. She glanced his way. Earbuds in, he appeared to be intent on the road.
“Jake,” she said quietly, leaning toward him. “Say something awful about my brother. I need to see if he responds, so I can make sure he’s not secretly listening. I’m going to tell you the truth about everything.”
Though Jake narrowed his eyes, clearly skeptical, he finally lifted his chin and looked directly at Colton. “Your brother is a fool,” he said. “A weak and ineffective liar. The only way he can accomplish anything is with tricks and unnecessary violence.” His voice carried the ring of someone who believed he spoke the truth.
Colton didn’t even turn around.
“Perfect,” she murmured. “I’m going to start with what’s behind that door at the end of the alleyway. It’s a bar called Broken Chains, and the only ones allowed admittance are nonhumans.”
“Nonhumans?” he repeated, frowning. “What are you going to tell me next, that you people are aliens or something?”
His comment made her smile, just the tiniest bit. “No. Actually, it’s a bit more incredible than that. By Nonhumans, I mean beings like me and my brother. Broken Chains is a bar for Shape-shifters, Vampires and Merfolk.”
Judging from the way he eyed her, he wasn’t sure if she’d lost her mind or was seriously trying to pull his leg. Either way, she could tell he didn’t believe her.
“Okay, I’ll play along,” he said, his tone sharp and cutting. “Which are you, then? Because you sure look like a human woman to me.”
“I’m a Shape-shifter,” she told him. “In the old days, people called us werewolves. I can change and become a wolf, and later change back to human. If we weren’t in the car, I’d show you. Oh, and telling a human this without a promise of lifelong commitment is forbidden. In some cases, the punishment is death.”
* * *
Though part of him privately considered the likely possibility Maddie had lost her mind, Jake also wanted to see how far she’d go with this. And—truth be told—werewolves would explain the man he’d seen become a huge wolf that night outside the alley. Improbable, true. But technically not impossible.
“That’s why those men attacked you,” Maddie continued. “Humans aren’t allowed anywhere near Broken Chains. It’s our refuge, our recreational safe haven.”
Not sure how to respond, he settled for simply nodding. One thing he’d learned in gathering information over the years was not to discount people with the most improbable tales. Sometimes the stories they told contained more than a nugget of truth.
But when Maddie proceeded to say Carmen was a Vampire while Rick was another Shape-shifter, he had to wonder if this time would be the exception to the rule.
Over the next several minutes, the things she said got even wilder. She spoke of a large governing body of Shape-shifters called the Pack. They were set up in councils, ranging from regional, to state, to country. And they were all over the world, in every country. Which would mean, if her statements were true, that there were a lot of freaking Shape-shifters in existence.
Though he had no choice but to take everything she said with a grain of salt, he continued to listen carefully. After all, until all this craziness had happened, he’d believed he loved her. Deep down, underneath the hurt and the incredulous realization that she truly believed every word she said, he still did.
More the fool, he. What he didn’t understand was the why. People always had a reason for their actions, and while perhaps hers might be based on this fantastical world of hers she’d created, surely her brother didn’t share in her delusions? That must have been why she didn’t want him listening in to this conversation.
Except Colton had made a few comments earlier that might be construed to indicate he knew exactly what Maddie was going to say. Jake filed that away to examine later. In the meantime, he continued to listen intently.
“Hey, you two,” Colton said, removing one of his earbuds. “ETA is in about half an hour. The compound is a lot closer to the old cabin than I’d originally realized.”
Wearing a distracted expression, Maddie nodded. “Okay. We’re still not done back here.”
Though he grimaced, Colton replaced his earbud and returned to listening to music.
Next, Maddie turned to face Jake. “You don’t believe me, do you?”
While he hesitated to call her an outright liar, the fact that she even had to ask the question meant she understood on some level how bizarre her story sounded. “It’s a lot to take in,” he finally said. “But you haven’t told me yet about these Protectors you and Colton are trying to keep me safe from.”
“They’re Pack Protectors, who carry the sacred duty of keeping the Pack safe. They were formed during the Dark Ages, when several of our people reached out to hu
mans, hoping to form an alliance. Instead, they were hunted down like feral animals. The Pack had to do something to keep humans from eradicating our existence. Those first Pack Protectors were the ones who made sure humans believed anything they heard about people becoming wolves was a myth.”
He nodded. “That makes sense.” Assuming, of course, that he treated everything she said as if it was the truth. For now, he’d simply continue to try to keep an open mind.
“Over the years,” she continued, “the Pack Protector organization evolved. Laws were created—and revealing ourselves to humans was forbidden. Telling the wrong person could endanger our entire species. Anything and anyone who was perceived as a threat was taken into custody. They are either eradicated or...” she shuddered “...reprogrammed.”
Now he understood where she was going with this. “And they think I’m a threat.”
“Exactly.” She appeared relieved. “Colton knew I cared about you, so he stepped in and grabbed you before they could.”
“I see.” For such an illogical premise, it all made a weird kind of sense.
“And since he’s a Protector, too,” she continued, “he’s put his own life at risk by helping us.”
Us. A chill skittered up his spine. If what she said was true, she’d definitely broken her own laws, which she’d said were punishable by death.
“You shouldn’t have told me any of this,” he said. “I couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to you because of me.”
Her eyes widened. “Does that mean you believe me?”
Because he still couldn’t bring himself to flat-out discredit her fantasy—and also because no matter what logic told him, part of it resonated with truth—he shrugged. “I’m still withholding judgment. But if it does turn out to be true, according to what you’ve said, you have put yourself in danger by telling me any of this.”
She searched his face. “I know,” she said simply. “That’s why I asked you how you felt about me. Because there’s that exception to the law. Those in a committed relationship are allowed to reveal the truth.”
“But what happens if the human part of the equation changes his or her mind?” he asked, genuinely curious despite his skepticism. “I mean, say a man asks a woman to marry him and she accepts, but once she reveals that she’s a werewolf, he backs out. What happens then?”
Maddie froze, her eyes wide. “Are you asking because that’s what you want to do? Run away now that you know what I am?”
He could only give her the truth. She deserved that.
“Maddie, I care for you. But all of this—what’s happened, what you’re telling me—is making it difficult. Can you see that?”
Her eyes mirrored the moment when she realized what his gentle words meant. “You don’t believe me,” she said, her tone flat. Then, without waiting for an answer, she shook her head. “I guess I’ll just have to show you. Not right this instant, but soon.”
She didn’t speak again for the rest of the drive.
Finally, they left the highway and turned down a paved two-lane road. After a series of turns, they ended up on a gravel road flanked by tall pine trees.
“We’re almost there,” Colton said, removing his ear buds and glancing curiously at them in the rearview mirror. “Did you two work everything out?”
“Not even close.” The trace of bitterness in Maddie’s soft voice surprised Jake.
“Bummer.” Colton didn’t sound too concerned.
“But we’ll have it straightened out soon,” Maddie continued, still refusing to look at Jake.
One more turn, this time onto a drive marked Private.
“There he is.” Colton pointed. Rick stood on the porch of a long, narrow farmhouse, waving. Colton pulled the car up and Rick got in the front.
“Thanks for coming out here,” he said, turning to eye Jake and Maddie in the back seat. “Judging from your expressions, you think someone died. What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” Colton said, at the exact same time as Maddie chimed in with, “I’m telling Jake the truth.”
“Maddie,” her brother hissed. “You know Rick’s a Protector.”
“So are you,” she shot back. “So what?”
Colton groaned.
Rick looked from one to the other, his brow furrowed. “Jake, are you and Maddie in a committed relationship?”
Taking a deep breath, Jake ignored the stricken expression Maddie wore and the worry in Colton’s eyes. He thought about all Maddie had told him, the risk she claimed to have taken, and how empty his life would be without her. Even if she had some sort of mental health issues, he knew he’d help her work through them. Because she was worth it.
“Yes,” he said clearly. “We are.”
Though tears brimmed in Maddie’s beautiful eyes, she held herself together.
“Then I fail to see the problem,” Rick concluded, glancing curiously at Colton. “Don’t you agree?”
Slowly Colton nodded. He eyed Jake, his expression considering, before returning his attention to Rick.
“What now? Do you have any idea where they might have gone?”
“No. That’s the problem,” Rick began. Before he could finish, Maddie’s cell phone rang.
“Caller ID says Unknown Caller,” she reported before answering. “Hello?”
She listened for a moment, her mobile expression going from puzzlement to relief, then joy, and finally worry. “Got it,” she said. “Watch for us.”
Once she’d ended the call, she practically vibrated with excitement. “That was Carmen. She stole someone’s phone and called me. Right now, she’s playing along and pretending to be human. She says she wants to find out who is actually behind all this.”
Again, Jake noticed that no one reacted at all to the strange part of Maddie’s statement—about Carmen pretending to be human.
“Did she give you a location?” Rick asked.
“Yes. She’s back in Galveston. In one of those abandoned warehouses near Broken Chains.”
Colton cursed. “That’s an hour south of here.”
“Only if you drive the speed limit,” Rick interjected.
They made it in fifty minutes.
“Now what?” Jake asked. “Is there some sort of plan once we get to the warehouse?”
Both men stared at him as if he’d spoken a foreign language.
“No,” Rick finally admitted. “We’re playing it by ear.”
As he pulled up to the curb and parked, shots rang out. Rick swore. “Get out. Everyone, out. Stay on this side of the vehicle.”
Using the car as a shield, all four of them crouched behind it. Judging by the rat-tat-tat of the gunfire, they were either outnumbered or someone had a fully automatic weapon, or both. Colton cursed. Maddie winced each time a she heard a gunshot. And Rick, with his clenched jaw and a muscle working in his throat, appeared furious.
“You know what we have to do,” Colton said. “That’s the only way we can move fast enough to take the shooter down.”
“I agree.” Rick spoke without looking at anyone, all of his attention focused on the warehouse entrance. “And we need to go quickly. Not that Carmen is in any real danger, but we don’t need that virus to be spread. Clearly, no one has thought about that or they wouldn’t be shooting up the place.” He swallowed. “I need to make sure you understand. This virus affects Shifters. If it’s been released, you’ll be putting your lives at risk.”
There it was again. Jake kept silent, fascinated. The word Shifters, bandied about so casually. Either all three shared the same delusion, or Maddie had spoken the truth. But how was such a thing possible?
“True,” Colton chimed in. “Except didn’t you say Carmen developed an antidote?”
“I did.” Rick still appeared grim.
“You’re right. We have to go in.” Slowly, Maddie nodded. “Sorry, Jake,” she murmured. “I wanted to show you my true self, but not like this. The timing is bad, but this is necessary.”
He tensed
up. “What are you going to do? How can I help?”
Instead of answering, she cast one final long look at him before nodding at her brother and Rick. In unison, all three began shedding their clothes, right in front of each other and Jake, as if he wasn’t even there. They didn’t look at one another, either. Each appeared focused only on their own movements.
Jake had just come to the realization that their insanity had reached another level when shimmering pinpricks of light appeared, surrounding Maddie, Rick and Colton.
Jake froze. What the... Intrigued and alarmed, he watched as the light show swirled and danced, completely obscuring what had to be their by now naked forms.
When the lights finally winked out, three massive wolves stood where Maddie, Rick and Colton had been. The largest of the three had to be Rick. His shaggy gray fur looked as if it had been dipped in black.
The next wolf, just a small bit shorter than the first, must be Colton.
And as for Maddie—her coat shimmered, a pearly sort of gray color that mirrored her human beauty.
Jake stared, struggling to process what he’d just seen. Then the three wolves took off, running directly toward the gunfire, crouched low to the ground.
They moved so fast they were a blur. Jake braced himself, wondering how to react if one of them were hit. But somehow, miraculously, they disappeared inside the warehouse, unharmed.
Despite the shock and tension of the moment, one thing stood out in his mind, like a blazing sign against a pitch-black sky.
Maddie had been telling the truth.
And if this—the existence of werewolves or Shape-shifters—was real, did that mean the rest of it was, as well? He didn’t have more than a few seconds to ponder this, because a moment later, the gunfire abruptly stopped.
Maddie.
Heart in his throat, Jake didn’t hesitate. Crouching low, he ran for the building, intent on reaching the woman he loved.
Chapter 20
If ever there’d existed a more disorganized bunch of criminals, Carmen hadn’t met them. Infighting, power grabbing and a definite lack of respect for the power of the virus that so far remained inside the unbroken test tubes.
Finding the Texas Wolf Page 24