by Delta James
Darby laughed and shook her head. “I was just awful to him, but he never wavered in knowing we were fated and that he would make me see the light. He did. Even though he and Dylan had started the dissolution process, Jean-Michel killed the bastard who thought he owned me. I wanted to kill him myself, but in the end, I think Jean-Michel wanted him dead even more than I did.”
“So, this fated mate thing really exists? Even for those not born wolf?” asked Shannon.
“It does,” the women said in unison.
“Darby said her first wasn’t, but Jean-Michel is... how do you know the difference?” pressed Shannon. She felt she needed this information, but was unsure that she wanted to know the answer.
“You can feel it... even when you don’t want to,” said Darby as the other women laughed with her. “The worst thing part is, they know. Without you doing anything... they just know. For the most part, they find it very amusing when you try to ignore or deny their call.” She turned to Skylar and Roz. “Do you remember how hard I tried to deny Jean-Michel? And he would just tell me that everything would be fine and I would come to see he was right, that we were fated mates and I would fall completely in love with him.”
“Annoying when they’re right, isn’t it?” teased Catherine, clearly remembering her early days with Marco.
“The best explanation I’ve ever heard,” said Roz, “was that when he calls to you—a growl, or a deep rumbling noise from their chest—you don’t just hear it, you feel it. It’s like it seeps into your body through the pores of your skin... which as I say it sounds kind of gross. But it isn’t, there’s an electricity you can feel running through your whole system. I would think if you don’t know what it is, it would be fairly unsettling. And if you do, and don’t want to, it’s damned annoying.”
Shannon said nothing, but listened attentively. Roz was describing the exact way her body had responded to the reverberation she had not only heard, but felt when James had come into her room after the initial viewing at the auction.
“You can fight it all you like, but you can’t hold out against it forever.” Darby shook her head, smiling. “Ava swears it’s something in our DNA that makes it so we can’t resist them. I think Riley holds the record and she only managed to hold out against Cameron for a few months and mostly because she wasn’t in his vicinity.”
Catherine nodded. “She kept getting away from him. God, she led him on a merry chase,” she said, laughing. “He’d catch up with her and she’d slip through his fingers again. Truth be told, they were both miserable. Do you know she’s freed almost four dozen women? And there are those who have applied to the Council to have her answer for it.”
“For what?” asked Shannon, outraged.
“For destroying property and killing some of those bastards who were part of this thing.”
“Is she safe?” Shannon’s concern for the woman who had fulfilled her promise and returned to rescue her all too evident in her voice.
“Oh, lord, yes,” reassured Darby. “Her Cameron will take on anyone who tries to come after her, as will his entire pack and the rest of the Coalition members. Jean-Michel fears this whole thing may have caused a split in our society that may never be healed.”
“Oliver and I talked about that,” said Roz. “Oliver thinks there’s no way to avoid it. There are too many on the Ruling Councils that had to have known what was happening and were being paid off by deMoncada if not being actively involved. They may try to start something.”
“Given the strength of our Coalition, I don’t like the chances of the old guard,” said Skylar. “We have the strongest packs and more are joining us. Things will have to change.”
“I don’t want to cause any more trouble,” said Shannon.
Catherine hugged her. “You never caused it. The trouble was perpetuated by those who participated and by those who turned a blind eye. Those that didn’t will take steps to ensure that this never happens again. If you believe nothing else, believe this... yes, our society is heavily patriarchal, but the men and packs like ours don’t perpetuate that out of arrogance or a belief that women are somehow inherently inferior. They continue to lead in order to protect us. As stupid as that may sound, they truly want the women in their packs to be happy and safe.”
Feeling more comfortable, Shannon suddenly blurted out, “Oh, my God, Cat, did you ever finish art school?”
Her sister smiled. “I did, and while I’m not as talented a painter as I might like to be, I’m damn good at restoring old masters and I sit on the board of two of the moist prestigious museums in Florence.”
“So, you really are happy?” asked Shannon.
“Now that you’re safe and back with me? Completely.”
“I don’t know if I can live within a pack...” started Shannon.
“You don’t need to make that decision now,” soothed Catherine. “There’s time enough to decide what you want to do down the road. And if you choose not to, there are those of us who can and will get you out and get you to wherever you want to be.”
The others nodded.
Shannon wandered downstairs at the bed and breakfast the next morning behind Catherine. She had slept fitfully until Catherine had joined her in her room.
The other women were already awake and the smells from the kitchen were heavenly. It had been so long since she’d just been able to sit down and enjoy a meal without someone watching over her and monitoring everything she ate.
“Oh, my God, is that bacon?” Shannon asked, scenting the air and enjoying her heightened sense of smell.
Roz grinned. “You bet. I figured it might have been a while since you got to have food that was just delectable comfort food. I’m not as good a cook as Riley and I’m out of practice, but I promise it won’t kill you.”
Shannon smiled at her and sat down at the table next to her sister. “Which is more than we could say if Catherine had prepared it,” she teased. “Marco must have a cook because damn sure he didn’t fall for Catherine because of her culinary expertise.”
“No, you brat, he fell for me because he’s not the only one in my relationship that’s good in the sack.”
The dining room was filled with laughter as the other women sought to raise Shannon’s spirits and help chase her demons away. The table was overflowing with a bowl filled with mixed fruit; a platter filled with bacon and sausage patties; and others with French toast and banana pancakes, scrambled and sunny-side-up eggs, and a final one with biscuits and toasted English muffins.
There was also a coffeepot, a kettle full of hot water, big carafes of orange and apple juice, and plenty of condiments ranging from butter, syrups, and jams as well as shredded cheeses, chopped scallions, and sautéed peppers.
Shannon took a deep breath and clinked her knife against her juice glass.
“First, I’d like to apologize for greeting you yesterday with rifle in hand. And also for not trusting you when you first got me and those other two girls out...”
Skylar reached over and squeezed her hand. “No need to apologize, Shannon. You’ve been through hell. I don’t know about the others, but I think you handled it far better than I would have.”
“I haven’t even asked about the other two girls...”
“They’re fine. We sent them to Texas with Riley. They’ll be well cared for. Did you know anything about them?”
Shannon shook her head. “Other than they were... what do you call it? Shifter-born?” Several heads nodded. “That’s about it. DeMoncada kept us isolated from anyone but himself and his acolytes.”
“Hopefully they were kidnapped as you were,” started Darby.
“Hopefully?” asked Shannon, finding it hard to believe Darby had said that.
Darby smiled at her. “Yes, as opposed to being sold to that bastard. If it were me, kidnapped would be easier to take than being sold by my own pack.”
“I’m sorry,” said Shannon. “I forgot one of them said she’d been sold by her father and you’d know h
ow that must feel. I wasn’t thinking.”
“You have nothing to apologize for,” said Darby. “Nothing. Not now; not ever. What was done to you and the rest of the women caught up in deMoncada’s operation is abominable. That bastard needs to die, needs to die painfully, and needs to die at the hands of a woman.”
“He’s mine,” said Catherine quietly but with great malice.
Shannon put her hand over her sister’s. “I would argue I have the better claim, but let’s leave that until we catch the bastard. Right now, I don’t want to think about him. Anyhow, what I started to say was that I wanted to thank all of you for coming to rescue me. One of you may not have been there at the auction, but all of you were here when I needed to be rescued from my anger and fear. More and more they are fading away and as I sit and listen to you and see who you are, I know now why Catherine and Roz embraced becoming a wolf. I want you to know, I’m proud to be considered one of you.”
“And although we abhor the way you were brought into our world, we are honored to have you amongst us,” said Skylar.
Shannon looked around the table to see every other woman there nodding in agreement. She reached up to stifle a tear.
“Ladies?” said Roz. “If you bitches don’t eat the breakfast I got up early to make for you before it gets cold, there will be hell to pay.”
All of the women smiled at Roz’s successful attempt to lighten the mood and began to eat.
Chapter Seventeen
Their morning meal consumed and the kitchen restored to order, the women at the bed and breakfast had awaited information as to deMoncada’s whereabouts. The phone rang and Skylar answered.
“Sky? It’s Maddie. I just heard from Bess. DeMoncada has eluded the men as well as us. Their educated guess is that he is on his way to Niagara Falls on the American side so he can get a private plane and get to safety in Spain.”
“Shit,” said Skylar. “If Bess knows, Declan knows which means our mates know which means they’ll be at the Toronto Airport.”
“Not necessarily.” Skylar could hear the smile in Maddie’s voice. “It seems Jean-Michel had his plane flown up and it’s sitting in a private airstrip. I’m sending you its location now. If you can get there first, you might be able to snatch that plane and get to the Niagara Falls Airport ahead of them and deMoncada. They’re pretty sure that’s where he’s headed.”
“Thanks for the heads up, Maddie.” She turned to Darby. “What are the chances you can persuade Jean-Michel’s pilot to fly us to Niagara Falls?”
“Not bad,” said Darby, smiling. “Jackson has always had a soft spot for me and could be persuaded that the plane had been sent for us to take us to Jean-Michel in Niagara Falls. It’s worth trying. If he won’t, we either get another pilot or take a plane out of there to Niagara Falls.”
“Then ladies, let’s get our stuff and get the hell out of here. It sounds like we need to get to the airport prior to any of the men.”
Catherine looked at Shannon. “What?”
Shannon smiled. “I was just thinking that deMoncada hasn’t a clue about the strength of the women of our kind and specifically this group.” She hugged her sister. “I’m so grateful to all of you. Now let’s go get that bastard.”
“Damn straight,” said Roz.
Within minutes the women had gathered their things and arranged for a professional cleaning service to come in and restore the bed and breakfast to pristine condition so that when its owner returned, it would be as if no one had ever been there.
They made short work of loading the SUV and getting to the airport. Darby spotted the Gautier jet and had the SUV park close by. She got out and approached the jet. Jackson, the Gautier pilot, immediately lowered the stairway and came down the steps toward her.
“Mistress, we’ve all been so worried. Jean-Michel is so angry with you.”
Darby smiled. “I know. I think he was worried unnecessarily, but I’m fairly sure that once we’re back together I’ll need a pillow to sit down comfortably for a while.”
Jackson grinned.
“Here’s the thing,” Darby continued. “He wants us to meet them all in Niagara Falls over on the American side? Apparently, there’s an airport there. Who knew? I just thought it was a bunch of water.”
“Our alpha had me bring the plane up here so that we could get deMoncada out of Canada quietly in order to deal with him.”
“I’m aware, Jackson, and they are after him even as we speak, but he was pretty clear that I was to come get the plane and meet him in Niagara Falls.”
“He told you to have me take you to meet him?”
“Yes. How else would I have known you were here?”
Jackson nodded. “That’s true. Is it just you?”
Darby laughed softly. “No. Unfortunately, the edict was for all of us including Shannon to be on the plane. I understand Marco is in about as foul a mood as Jean-Michel.”
“It is only because he loves you so...”
Darby laid her hand on his arm. “I know. I just wish sometimes he wouldn’t express that love with his hand on my bare butt.”
It was Jackson’s turn to laugh. “From what I hear you’ll be lucky if it’s just his hand. JD said he’s never seen Jean-Michel so angry.”
“Well, JD is probably the one who persuaded him that his hand was not enough. I’m afraid I may have vexed our poor beta once too often.”
Jackson smiled. “Everyone will be happy to have all of you home safe and sound. Should I load the luggage?”
“None of us has much.” Darby turned and beckoned to her companions. “Why don’t you go through your preflight and by the time you’re done we’ll be all loaded up and ready to fly.”
“As you wish, Mistress.”
Jackson headed back into the plane.
“Not bad,” said Roz. “I almost believed you myself.”
“This is a Hail Mary,” said Darby. “And it’ll be the only time Jackson ever believes that Jean-Michel wanted me flown to meet him. Let’s go before he really thinks about it.”
“Can you trust him?” said Shannon suspiciously.
“With all of our lives,” Darby said reassuringly.
Once on board, the plane was able to leave Toronto in rather short order and turned toward Niagara Falls. The plane made the brief trip under the radar and within half an hour the women were descending onto the airstrip right outside Niagara Falls.
“We’ve arrived, Mistress,” announced Jackson once the plane had come to a stop. “As there isn’t a vehicle here for you, I would think Jean-Michel wants you to stay put.”
“I’m sure you’re right, Jackson,” Darby said as Roz hit the young male wolf over the head from behind.
“You didn’t hurt him, did you?” Darby asked with concern.
“Jesus, Darby, I know what I’m doing. He’ll be fine. He won’t even have much of a headache,” said Roz as she quickly tied and gagged Jackson. “The last thing we need is him calling Jean-Michel.”
Darby, who was the most familiar with the plane, let down the stairwell and they approached the private airstrip building where they were able to secure a vehicle large enough to transport all five of them. They were just about to head out when they saw a limo pull up and their quarry stepped out.
They watched in dismay as he scented the air, caught wind of them, and lunged back into the limo, closing the door before any of them could reach him. The car sped off and the women were quick to get loaded into their rented vehicle and give chase.
They followed close behind him and were able to block him from heading south. He was now headed north on one of the main expressways and eventually they were able to force deMoncada’s limo onto the road leading directly into the Niagara Falls National Park.
“He’s going to try and lose us in the crowd,” said Catherine.
“We can’t let him get away,” cried Shannon. “Not when we’re this close.”
“We won’t,” Roz assured her. “If he knows anything or tha
t driver is a local, he’ll get off of the promontory and head over to the islands.”
“There are islands at Niagara Falls?” said Darby.
Roz smiled. “Yes, very, very small ones but they afford a better view of the falls.”
“And a better way to dispose of the body if we can catch him,” said Catherine quietly.
Roz nodded. “Goat Island is accessible by vehicle and by foot, but you can only get to Luna Island via a pedestrian bridge. I have an old friend, Heidi, who is both a wolf and a ranger at the park. I think if we clue her in as to what’s gone down, she’ll shut down access to the park and specifically to the end closest to the falls.”
“If there aren’t a lot of people out, we can shift and herd him to the spot where we want him,” offered Catherine.
Skylar smiled. “We can make that work, we can let other tourists know wolves have been spotted.”
“There aren’t any wolves on Goat Island,” stated Roz.
Skylar grinned at her. “Maybe not, but the tourists don’t know that and maybe we can keep your friend more focused on calming down the tourists and keeping them off the island until they can make sure that someone hasn’t turned dogs or wolves loose.”
“He’s mine,” said Shannon quietly but with tremendous passion.
“Look,” said Catherine. “I agree you have a right to kill him, but more important, he needs to die. He’s proven to be awfully slippery. I say whoever has the first and best shot at killing him gets the job done.”
The others nodded in agreement.
Chapter Eighteen
The two SUVs carrying Dylan, Jean-Michel, Mason, Marco, Oliver, James, and Will converged on the airstrip in Toronto, expecting to see the Gautier plane. Jean-Michel entered the office and reemerged on his phone, his temper on full display.
“What do you mean you are in Niagara Falls? What the hell are you doing there?” he said as he rejoined his comrades. “She told you what? I swear to God, your mistress will never sit down again. Do whatever you need to do and get back up here.” Jean-Michel took a deep breath. “It’s not your fault, Jackson; my mate can be most persuasive and charming when she chooses to be.”