by Alanea Alder
"If they wanted us dead, we'd be dead. They need me to control Aleks. Ashby, I am asking you to leave me here and go get help." She looked him in the eye. "Please."
He looked at her for a long moment, then nodded. He closed his eyes, and his human form disappeared and he shrunk down to a tiny white fox. She smiled when he raced behind her and started chewing through the bonds. When they snapped apart, he went to where she was lying and licked her face.
She giggled. "Thank you for freeing my hands. They were starting to hurt." She ran a hand over his soft fur.
"Go!" she whispered. He ran for the corner of the railcar where the metal had rusted out leaving a small hole. He wiggled through and then, he was gone.
* * * *
Aleks was standing in front of the club in the empty parking lot watching the sun come up. His Ma and Pa had arrived in the night with Riley, some of Bran's wolves, a few of Liam's lions and Dr. Claybourne. Purgatory became their base of operations. His mouth twisted at the irony. He felt like he was in Purgatory, a limbo between Heaven and Hell. His head turned at the sound of quickly approaching feet.
"Aleks, they're on the phone," Connor said, breathlessly. Aleks raced past him up the stairs to Gabriel's office. Gabriel stood next to his desk and motioned to the phone.
"Okay, he's here, say your piece, parasite," Gabriel said. A maniacal laugh floated through the room from the speaker phone.
"I want to hear the Arkadion, or, you get to hear his bitch." His voice stopped and a painful scream filled the room. Everyone jerked.
"Rebecca! You motherfucker! If you hurt her, I will fucking end you!" he screamed.
"I doubt you will get the chance. Here are my terms. You get me six pints of blood from every shifter in Arkadia. My men will pick it up at the town's entrance." He chuckled lowly. "Except for you. I want every drop of your blood, Aleksander Arkadion. My client will be extremely happy to get the young virile blood of the Arkadion King." The hyena cackled.
"No! Aleks, don't do it. Look to the east, Gandalf should be coming to rescue Gimli from the mines of Moria," she yelled. There were laughs, the sound of flesh hitting flesh, and another scream.
"Uh-oh, Arkadion, her mind is already cracking. You have until tomorrow morning." And then the line went dead.
Aleks roared. Ma stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her son.
"We'll get started in getting the blood," she said firmly.
"Aleks, you give them that blood and you'll never see her alive again. They will keep her and torture her just to keep you and Arkadia in a position to be blood whores," Gabriel said quietly.
"What do you suggest? I am not leaving my daughter in the hands of those insane monsters!" Ma retorted.
That snapped Aleks out of his rage. "We have to find her. He's right, if we give them blood now, they will just use her to drain the town dry. What do we know?" he asked, turning to Gabriel.
"Not much. We have the two witnesses who say they heard something about a delivery. Another bystander who says they smelled of metal, and another witness who refuses to leave the hallway until he identifies what is is smelling. He says it smells like dead plants and animals," Gabriel said, rubbing his bloodshot eyes.
Aleks had found out that Gabriel normally rested during the day. Most of the prince's men had gone underground to gather their strength, leaving only Gabriel and his acting second-in-command Roman awake.
"What was it that she said about Gandalf?" Duncan asked looking around the room.
"She said that Gandalf would be coming from the east to rescue Gimli," Emmett replied absently.
Out of nowhere Connor began to laugh. He laughed as he danced a jig around the office. Everyone stared. He turned and grabbed Aleks by the arms. "Aleks, your mate is a fucking genius!" he said.
"I know," Aleks said feeling confused.
"No! She is an authentic genius. She has an eidetic memory and she's a goddamn librarian! Do you really think she would misquote Tolkien?" he asked. Looking around the room, he got blank stares.
"Really! Come on, people, didn't you even watch the movies? Gandalf didn't ride in from the east to help Gimli," he said, waiting for them to put the pieces together.
"Gandalf the Grey didn't help Gimli, he helped the Rohirrim at Helm's Deep!" Duncan exclaimed.
"He wasn't Gandalf the Grey then, he was Gandalf the White, he kicked some major ass once he was white." Emmett said out of nowhere.
"White. She liked his pretty white fur," Aleks said, smiling.
"Fuck! I think we're losing him, people. Keep your shit together, man," Liam said, walking up to Aleks shaking him slightly.
"Ashby!" Aleks yelled.
"No, I'm Liam," he said cautiously.
"Not you, asshole. Ashby! Ashby is white, not grey. He will be heading from the east from a mine where Rebecca is being held! The shifter in the hallway can't place the scent. The smell of dead plants and animals must be coal! She's near a coal mine," Aleks said and grabbed Connor in a huge hug.
"My mate is a freaking genius!" he said, smiling for the first time in hours.
"Ashby!" Nicholas yelled, holding his phone up to his ear. Everyone got quiet and turned to Nicholas. Aleks ran over to stand beside him.
"Ashby, you're breaking up, where are you?" Nicholas screamed into his phone.
"Ashby! Ashby!" Nicholas looked at his phone in panic.
"All I heard was the word 'railcars'," he said, looking at the phone then up at the group.
"There have only been a few active mines in North Carolina, and all three are located about four hours east of here," Gabriel said.
"Nicholas, you're with me. Bring your phone. Let's go, people!" Aleks said, and everyone scrambled.
#
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
"Damn cell phones!" Ashby yelled and threw the one he managed to steal into the woods. He was freezing his ass off with no clothes and not many options to get any. It was winter. It wasn't like people were hanging their clothes out on their clotheslines. He shifted back to his fox form.
He figured with his tiny legs it would take him two years to get to where Aleks and Nic were. Hoping that he gave them enough to find them, he headed back towards where Rebecca was being held. He didn't like leaving her alone. He would have better luck stealing another cell phone from one of the hyenas than trying to walk through two feet of snow when he was only ten inches tall.
* * * *
It was late afternoon when they arrived in the county that held one of the abandoned mines. Nic was whimpering in the back seat. He had started shaking with cold about an hour ago, and Aleks took that as a good sign. It meant he was close enough to be sharing physical distress. Aleks was desperate to pick up something from Rebecca but got nothing. When Nic's shaking became almost uncontrollable Aleks pulled the car over signaling everyone to stop.
"He's getting closer. He's close," Nicholas said. Aleks jumped from the car and ran over to where Bran sat in the SUV with Liam.
Only Kate threatening to withhold sex if Bran didn't help look for Rebecca had gotten him to join the search party. He reluctantly left her side after getting Pa's promise to stay with her.
Aleks knew that Bran's wolf had to be howling for revenge. His own bear was no less blood-thirsty.
"Bran, Nic says that Ashby is close. Can you guys shift and sniff him out?" he asked. Bran nodded, and he and two of his men headed for the woods.
The wait was excruciating for Aleks. Finally after thirty minutes Bran appeared at the edge of the woods, a half-frozen white fox in his mouth. Being an alpha, Bran was nearly double in size compared to the other wolves, and it made Ashby look even smaller. Aleks ran forward and gently took Ashby from Bran's mouth. The wolf turned and headed back into the woods to where he left his clothes so he could shift back.
Aleks carried Ashby to the SUV and gently laid him beside Nicholas. After a few moments, the white fox disappeared and Ashby lay there naked and shivering. The bond they had with Rebecca and each other seemed to
be different than a mating bond. The mating bond concentrated on feelings and emotions to better ensure open communication and giving your mate what they needed. This bond seemed to be more centered around protection and could be felt over greater distances. He quickly covered Ashby with a blanket as he and Nicholas lay huddled together. Dr.Claybourne lifted Ashby's wrist to check his pulse.
"Ashby, where is Rebecca?" he asked.
"I tried to call," Ashby said, shaking.
"I know, we got your phone call. It got us this far, but we need to know where she is," Aleks repeated, getting impatient. Doc scowled at him.
"I tried to make my way back to Rebecca, but I got lost. Everything looked the same from my height. I got turned around," Ashby said, teeth chattering.
"Can you get us there now?" Aleks asked. Ashby looked up and nodded.
"Head towards the old coal mine and then head east. It's an offshoot strip mining location. They have her in a railcar that's in the center of their camp," he said as his shaking subsided.
"Ashby, thank you!" Aleks said and jumped from the SUV. He got his brothers and the men organized. With any luck Rebecca would be in his arms before sunset.
* * * *
They moved in at dusk. Aleks decided to stay in human form so that he could tend to Rebecca when she was found. He paced and waited for the signal. When they heard the screams of the dying hyenas who had been watching the perimeter, everyone began to move. Aleks charged forward. His goal was to get to the railcar as quickly as he could. If he had to rip apart the hyenas that stood between him and his mate, so be it.
Body after body was shredded by his claws. He didn't even see them as people, just objects in his way. He reached the railcar and threw the door open, snapping the chain that was holding it closed. It was empty. The smell of his mate filled the car. He could smell blood, a lot of his mate's blood, but the car was empty. He threw his head back and roared. Six roars echoed in response as his brothers shared in his frustration. He ran to where the fight was dying down. Bran had a man before him on his knees about to rip his throat out.
"Bran wait! Rebecca isn't here," Aleks yelled. Bran didn't stop his swing, only retracted his claws and pummeled the man into the ground.
"Where is she?" Aleks demanded. He lifted the man up with one hand and shook him.
"You'll never find her, Arkadion. She'll die and you'll never find her." The hyena screeched. Aleks looked around helplessly. She could be anywhere. He threw his head back again and roared.
"You may kill us, but your mate is beyond your reach. The rest of my clan will use her to get what we want!" The hyena cackled then coughed up blood causing it to dribble down his chin.
Aleks fought back waves of rage. Giving in to his anger wouldn't help him now, he had to think. He turned to Bran. "Search the woods! Anywhere they may have fled with her."
Bran nodded and started barking out orders.
"Search! Run! You'll never see your mate again," the hyena taunted.
Liam brought his fist down knocking the man unconscious. He looked over at him. "We're going to find her Aleks," he promised.
Aleks fought back his bear. He looked his closest friend. "God I hope so, for all our sakes," he whispered.
Liam's eyes widened at his declaration and the weight behind the statement hit home.
There would be no Aleks without Rebecca, and no Arkadia without the Arkadion and Alpha Mother. Their entire world hinged on one small human.
*****
"I'm telling you, I feel like she's this way," Ashby said pulling on Nic's arm.
"Are you sure? I thought you said she was in a railcar?" Nic asked.
Ashby nodded. "She was, but now doesn't she feel like she's more over here?" He stopped walking and looked into the dark entrance of an ominous looking cave. Roars and screams sounded off all around them.
"You're right, it feels like my heart is tugging toward the cave," Nic agreed.
Ashby began to shake and it had nothing to do with the temperature. He hated dark closed in spaces.
Nic reached down and took his hand. "Come on, she needs us," Nic reminded him.
Ashby took a deep breath. There wasn't much he wouldn't do for his Alpha Mother.
Together they made their way down a steep incline. The further they descended the darker it got.
"Thank god foxes are nocturnal," Nic whispered.
Ashby walked close to his friend. "She has to be okay."
"She will be Ash. We'll make sure of it."
They walked for another five minutes before Ashby's nose began to burn. "Do you smell that?"
Nic had already covered his nose with his hand. "Is that ammonia?"
Ashby skidded to a halt. "Don't they use ammonia in morgues to cover up the smell of dead people?"
They looked at each other for a second then ran recklessly headlong into the darkness. "Rebecca!" Ashby yelled.
"Here!" a soft voice rasped weakly.
Ashby ran to the small figure huddled in the middle of the cavern. Rebecca was naked and lying on her stomach in a pool of ammonia. She had a shackle around her ankle and was chained to the floor.
"Oh god! Nic!" Ashby yelled dropping to his knees. Rebecca's back looked like raw hamburger. "We have to get her outta here and to Doc Claybourne."
Nic was already moving. He picked up the shackle and pulled it apart freeing her leg. He then stood looking around. In one corner a couple of old wooden crates were stacked to one side. Using his fist he punched one until it cracked open. He lifted out a wool blanket. "This will have to do."
"That was kinda sexy," Rebecca teased weakly.
Ashby forced a smile. He could tell Rebecca was holding on by a thread. "Let's get you up okay? Then we can go find Doc Claybourne, he can have you fixed up in a jiffy," he said brightly, though he felt his smile wobble.
"Liar," she whispered.
Ashby helped her to stand, letting her lean on him.
Nic gently wrapped the blanket around her, freezing when Rebecca hissed in pain. Tears were streaming down his cheeks. "I am so sorry," he choked out.
"Not...not your fault," she gasped.
They moved slowly in the darkness, with Rebecca wedged between them. The way back seemed to take three times as long with Rebecca gasping in pain between them.
When they reached the incline Ashby looked at Nic. There was no easy way to lift her without touching her back and Rebecca was barely standing as it was, she would never be able to walk up that.
"Nic you're the tallest, you'll have to put me over your shoulder," Rebecca said looking up the slick hill.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"No, but we're out of options."
"I'll go first and pull you as we go," Ashby offered.
Nic nodded then gently lifted Rebecca up over his shoulder. Ashby started up the incline and reached back for his best friend. "We can do this," he said encouragingly.
"Don't feel bad Nic, I get to stare at your butt," Rebecca said, weakly.
Ashby sniffled and smiled. Rebecca's humor got them moving. Carefully, as they could not afford to fall and drop their injured Alpha Mother, both he and Nic made their way to the top.
In the distance, twilight made the exit glow with the soft white light of the moon. Once they were on firm footing Nic eased Rebecca down to stand on her own two feet.
"I need a weapon," Rebecca whispered her eyes filling with fear when a hyena's cackle filled the air.
Ashby watched shocked as Nic reached behind him and pulled a gun from his waistband. Wordlessly he handed it to their Alpha Mother.
She looked down at the gun in her hand and nodded slowly. "They all have to die." She met their eyes. "They said they were coming for the children," she said her voice sounding stronger.
Ashby straightened. "We're with you no matter what," he promised.
Rebecca nodded, then looked out toward the woods and the sounds of the fighting. An inhuman roar reverberated through the trees. She gave a soft smile. "That's A
leks."
"Come on Alpha Mother, the Arkadion is waiting for you," Ashby said taking her free hand.
Nic took a defensive position in front of them, despite being unarmed.
Another roar had Rebecca chuckling, then gasping in pain. "He's always so loud."
"TMI," Nic said in a deadpan voice.
Ashby stopped when Rebecca did, she clutched at her blanket and tried desperately not to laugh. "Owww it hurts." She grinned up at them. "Nic, you're awesome."
He winked at her. "Come on."
Ashby felt as though Rebecca's pain filled laughter had somehow began to thaw the icy fear that had surrounded his heart in her absence. As long as they had Rebecca, he knew they'd be okay.
*****
"Aleks, you're being loud again," a soft voice said from behind him. Aleks spun around. Rebecca was walking slowly, supported on either side by Ashby and Nicholas. A rough wool blanket was wrapped around her naked body, and rivulets of dried blood covered her arms and legs. He ran to her and dropped to his knees in front of her. He wrapped his arms around her carefully and buried his face in her chest. He couldn't hold back his tears.
"The bastards had her chained in one of the mine shafts in a pool of ammonia to mask her scent. I bet he wasn't counting on Nic and I being able to sense her," Ashby said, staying close to Rebecca.
"I'm okay. I'm okay," Rebecca kept repeating.
"Aleks, step back, son, let me look at her," Dr. Claybourne said. Aleks shook his head unable to move.
"Aleks, if she's hurt, I need to make it so she's not in any pain. You don't want your mate in any pain, do you?" the doctor asked in a very calm voice. Aleks shook his head and leaned back.
"Are you hurt?" he asked Rebecca gently then stood. He pulled the blanket back carefully. The wool fibers stuck to her back, and she cried out when it was removed. Dr. Claybourne immediately covered her front with a sheet. Aleks stood shaking with the need to destroy.