by Rhea Regale
“How many weres do you estimate will be arriving for the party?” Kasa asked. She still wasn’t entirely thrilled with the idea of bringing in strangers.
Slade kissed the top of her head. “You know, we’ve helped them out on numerous occasions. Gladly and without hesitation. They are doing this favor for us, which isn’t being considered a favor, but more of a responsibility to our kind. We may be part of different packs, but in the end, we’re all part of the same wolfen family. We stand up for our brothers and sisters, doesn’t matter the cost.” Slade squeezed her waist. “I’m going to head up to the motel and see how Luke and the others are coming along. I’ll fill them in on our plan so they don’t get attack-happy when the others start arriving, and let them know there might be a delay with Micah’s wound. I want you to stay here. If anything should happen, call me. Micah’s cell is in the bedroom. However, I have high doubts that they’ll make a return tonight. They want to bring this onto their turf. That’s the reason they captured Jordan. If they wanted you, they would’ve come straight here instead. Their work for tonight is most likely complete.”
Their work, taking her brother. Yes, work for them, devastating and worrisome for her, regardless how much she tried to push the raw images aside. She could only image what type of place Jordan endured. What they might be doing to him this very moment.
A chill slid through her. Slade wrapped his other arm around her, pulling her into a full embrace. “We’ll get to him before they can. I promise you.”
Jordan was strong, both physically and mentally. But how long would he stand beneath the torture these rebels might inflict?
Chapter Thirteen
Kasa turned her head against the pillow and stared blankly at the red numbers on the clock. The dashed lines made no sense to her. Thoughts of Jordan pummeled her mind, threatening to unleash the worry she desperately fought to keep locked away until he was safe. A sense of helplessness choked her. Doubt taunted her. What if Jordan was already dead? What if the rebels had no intentions of keeping him alive until she fell into their claws?
If Jordan was still alive, how long would they keep him alive if she stormed their hideaway with dozens of wolves in tow?
She blinked. 3:23. The illuminated numbers finally registered. Nearly three hours of tossing around in her bed, staring at the ceiling, watching the shadows of the snow storm draw out eerie designs over her walls.
Everything seemed out of place. Nothing set right with her. At times, her heart would begin to thud so hard and fast she feared she’d pass out. Her wolf paced and panted, then simmered down for a short time before something triggered her unease.
No. Nothing set right because in a matter of a night, everything had been flipped onto its side with a threatening undertone to destroy everything she’d ever known.
Giving up on sleep, Kasa grabbed a robe from her closet and crept out of her bedroom. Slade hadn’t returned to the cabin yet. He had called not long ago to check up on her and assured her he’d return before dawn. Apparently, a couple boys got a real ass-whooping from the rebels, and he had to fix them up right.
She walked silently up to the sofa and leaned over. Micah slept quietly, his head resting on a fist he propped up on the pillows. His thick hair fell over his hand, dark waves reaching past his wrist. Even in the shadowy living room illuminated only by the reflective snow, she made out each cut of muscle in his stomach and chest perfectly. Each rhythmic breath he took became a hypnotic show. One foot was propped on the edge of the coffee table, his blanket riding high on a muscle-corded thigh.
Averting her eyes from more desirable regions of his body, she licked her lips, suddenly parched, and raised her attention to his side. Faint traces of blood pinkened the bandage, but nothing that raised concern. She would check to see its progress once he woke. She took a deep breath, inhaling his wild scent, allowing it to permeate her body and sooth her spirit.
The walls of the small cabin creaked against the whistling winds and furious snowstorm. A light scratching against the glass drew her attention and she walked over to the window. Anxiety rose, her muscles tightening with each step. Ice crystals lined her veins, but her wolf remained calm. As she stepped up to the window, scraggly tree branches swayed in, tapping the window before tossing back in the whirling storm. Nothing sinister. Nothing threatening. Just the forest dancing at Nature’s ball.
Kasa stared out into the blinding night. Somewhere, her brother was being held. Tortured. She knew little about the details surrounding the mental breakdown of the weres in these prisons but understood they must be brutal to crack a strong male wolf. Would they spare Jordan that indignity? Or would they try to crack him open and meddle with his brain? What was happening to him as she stood in the living room of her cabin, safely secured in her robe, one mate sleeping peacefully a few feet away, the other not more than ten minutes out? What type of interrogation, torture, was he enduring as she watched the snow billow over the ground, creeping up the side of the structure minute by minute? She wanted to call out to him, to hear him respond, but knew the distance was too great to connect telepathically.
Stop stimulating worry. It won’t do you any good. She scolded herself for indulging in such thoughts. She was powerless against a pack of rabid dogs. She was no fool, and knew her limits. Her current position, trying to get shut-eye even though her mind wouldn’t allow her the peace to obtain it, was the best.
Let Slade and Micah reign in the forces. Let the weres prepare for an epic battle, if it turned out to be that great. Let Micah heal. She would need the back-up once she breached the hideaway.
And she would do so…alone.
“It hasn’t slowed a bit since you went to bed.”
Kasa jumped, gasped, and spun so fast she thought she’d fall over on her butt. Her heart leaped into her throat, pounding furiously. Micah’s head remained propped on his fist, but his eyes were open partway and focused on her. How deep in thought had she been that she wouldn’t notice the slightest change in Micah’s breathing to alert her of his rouse?
“Very deep, I’m afraid. You weren’t cloaking your thoughts well either.”
Kasa pressed a hand to her thundering chest and sucked in a deep breath. Her legs wobbled, forcing her to lean back against the wall.
“You chew your knuckle when you’re frustrated. I’m surprised you didn’t break skin,” Micah added. Kasa lifted said knuckle and observed the dark red teeth marks. A nervous habit she often performed while deep in thought. And alone. “You’ve been tossing around your bed for over two hours.”
“You’ve been awake all along?” Of course he had. The Micah she’d come to know was always a dozen steps ahead of the pack. Of her.
“It’s hard to find a comfortable position to sleep any length of time. I’m resolved to getting a few minutes of shut-eye here and there. I’ve been listening to you most of the night.” At last, he straightened up and stretched his arms over his head. Every hard muscle rippled, making her mouth go dry. He dropped his arms and pushed a pile of pillows away from him before patting the open seat. “Come here and relax.”
She didn’t hesitate. In fact, she was glad for the offer to be close to him. Something about both Castrove brothers wrapped her in a long-sought blanket of security, and she was thankful for it. Times like these, she needed all the comfort she could find, but she would never flat out ask for it.
Micah draped his arm around her shoulders once she settled beside him. He began to stroke her arm with light brushes of his fingertips. Goose bumps spread and her belly coiled tight. She ignored the potent burn of desire, accepting a more modest role of being just Kasa.
“I don’t agree that you taking the lead solo is the smartest way to go,” he murmured.
Kasa glanced over at him, but he remained focused on the dark, cold fireplace. “I wouldn’t expect you to. Neither you nor Slade would agree to anything that places me in danger.” She shrugged. “But I don’t see another way of doing it without alerting rebels and possibly
bringing harm to my brother.”
“Your capture alone will bring harm to him. That’s the only reason they would keep him alive.”
If he’s still alive. The unspoken implication chilled her heart. Yes, there was a possibility that Jordan was dead. She couldn’t forget that, but she wasn’t giving up hope of finding him alive. If the spirits were on her side, he’d be in great shape when she found him.
She drew up her knees, rested her chin on them, and hugged her legs. “Do you have any idea how many there might be?”
“I’m pretty certain their pack is enviable. Fifty, sixty wolves. Maybe more. They had about thirty with them tonight, and I can’t image that being all of them. Some of the strongest, and some of the newbies.”
“You think they’d send newbies on this mission?”
“I got one to crack before I killed him. The others wouldn’t spill a single word. They’re trained to sacrifice themselves to keep secrets. This one particular wolf wasn’t hard to break.”
The smirking tone of his words had her wondering just how much of the wolf had been broken. A dark part of her hoped most of that wolf had been pulverized, especially having been involved with Jordan’s abduction. A sinister shadow that crept over Micah’s eyes promised her the were didn’t go painlessly.
“Tell me what you’re thinking about doing, little love. I want to hear your plan of attack,” Micah said, averting a potentially gruesome topic to one that surprised her. He smiled and quickly melted away any doubt she might have had about finding Jordan. “Then, I think you really need to try and get some rest. You’ve had a trying night.”
“So have you, and you seem as restless as me.”
Kasa sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. She slinked her arm around his waist, drew one knee under her and stretched one over his lap, then closed her eyes. Nothing sounded so strong and powerful, so certain, as the thud of Micah’s heart.
“My concern is bringing all these additional packs into the melee and causing the rebels to panic. If that happens, the chances of bringing Jordan home safely become bleak. What I would like to do is breach their hideaway alone, but keep you, Slade, and a few of my brother’s men within range of contact. This way, I can keep you up to date with where I am, what I see, and whether or not I’ve found Jordan. You can send the information to the other packs to keep them apprised of the situation at all times. Only when it’s necessary would you have to call them in. This will keep fatalities at a minimum, and perhaps make this a quick operation. Once we’re back on our turf, we can take them as they come.” She traced the tape holding his bandage in place. “I know the risk being my pelt, and I know that many of us will have to be spread out to make this work and keep communication lines in optimum working order, but I truly feel it’s the best approach. They want me. Let them have me because it won’t be for long.”
“A lot can go wrong with that plan.”
“And a lot can go wrong if we blitz them on their territory.”
“They’ll know you aren’t going alone.”
Kasa tipped her head enough to catch his eyes. “I can make them think I’m there alone.”
She lowered her head again, not wanting Micah to sense the uncertainty swirling inside her. Her plan had holes, a lot of them. Her ideas were borderline foolish, carrying too much risk. Once the rebels had her, they could kill her on the spot. With her plan, she was betting blindly on their delight to torture and maim over cut-and-dry murder. Dark Moon’s hatred of her, being a white, infused deep into their being. It was parallel to their very life force, something they thrived on. She couldn’t imagine not being subjected to torture of some kind prior to death.
“If I’m lucky, I’ll get inside without being detected. If I’m not, well, you’ll be close by enough that I can fill you in on the details while I’m detained,” Kasa finally said. “Until I have Jordan in my sight, and see that he’s still alive, we can’t put him in any more danger.”
“We’ll discuss this with Slade when he returns. I still don’t like it, even if I see your logic.” Micah’s hand cupped her chin and tipped her face up. He pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “Rest, sweetheart. We’ve got a long day ahead of us.”
* * * *
Kasa paced the living room, her fingers knotted tightly under her chin. She couldn’t believe Slade and Micah refused to let her go along on the hunt. After a long, intense discussion and dissection of her plan, they both decided against it. Another low blow was having three massive, brawny weres standing guard outside her cabin. Her intelligent mates had covered their grounds, or so they thought. Never underestimate a caged white with a will to accomplish anything she set her mind to.
Finding her brother was her goal. Nothing would stand in her way.
The sky had darkened to a deep navy blue. Tonight, stars twinkled and a moon in the last waxing stages before its full beauty hung low on the horizon. Large, succulent, it cast a silvery glow over sparkling white snow and turned icicles into diamond spectrums.
It was a perfect night for a hunt. For a victory.
Kasa grabbed a few beers from her fridge and popped open the tops. She dug through her cabinet until she found the sleeping pills Jordan insisted she take shortly after her traumatic experience with Tom. Nightmares had plagued her for a time afterward, and the only relief she found had been the nights she followed Jordan’s instructions.
Now, they would come in handy. Hopefully, she wouldn’t cause any of the wolves to overdose.
With efficiency to rival a top chef, she ground the pills into a powder and evenly dispersed a double dose into each beer bottle. The drinks bubbled slightly, cresting at the lip of the bottles, but soon settled back. She used a skewer to stir the contents together then headed to the front door.
Two men turned to her, expressions hard. Slade and Micah definitely did a job on these guys.
She held out two bottles. “Figured you can use a drink, having to play babysitter to a grown woman.” The men took the bottles, and their expressions softened. “Did they leave you my feeding schedule as well? What I can and cannot eat? How about my nap time?”
“Boy, they sure have their hands full with you,” one said with a chuckle before he took a deep swig of his beer. “That one guy wasn’t kidding.”
“Yeah, sure they love it, too.”
“Those two need a woman to keep them in line. They’ve been walking the ledge of feral and tame for a long time now.” He winked. “Maybe you can bring them back to humanity.”
“Trying, but their tactic of locking a woman in a tower with no escape is pretty medieval, if you ask me.” Kasa looked around the man who started the conversation—she dubbed him Talking Wolf—when she heard footsteps crunching down the high snow. There he was, guard number three. She held the last bottle out for him. “Here ya go. On the house.”
“Great. Could use it,” Number Three said. He jogged the rest of the way and took the bottle. After a drink that sucked down half the beer’s contents, he let out a loud “ahhh.” “Was pulled out of my chair before I had dinner last night. Been parched and hungry since.” He nudged the talking guard. “That drive-thru was nauseating. Can’t believe we were forced to eat that shit.”
“It was something.”
Kasa pulled open the front door all the way. “Come in. I’ve got plenty of food. I’ll cook you up some rib eyes. I plan on making Slade and Micah hunt for their meals tonight.”
“Awesome!” Number Three didn’t hesitate to enter her cabin. Talking Wolf followed close behind. Silent Wolf eyed her, his expression still hard. He hovered in the doorway, blocking her escape, had escape that very moment been her plan. She glanced past him, shuddered for effect, and offered him a smile. The open night pulled at her spirit, tempting her to dash out and be gone. One look at the three wolves in her presence served as a stark reminder she might not get far.
A half hour should be all it takes. The thought soothed some of her anxious nerves while Silent Wolf shutting the door behind h
im shook others. Freedom was within reach and her patience wreaked havoc with her. How close were the packs to the hideaway? Had they even begun to hunt or were they still going over plans and strategies?
She had to thank Micah for not withholding a key piece of information earlier, of which she recalled as she led Silent Wolf into the kitchen. “She said I’d know how to find her. Never covered her scent trail, the foolish bitch. Between the dead wolf’s directions and her scent, we should easily find this lake.”
There weren’t many lakes in the vicinity. She remembered coming to the shore of one sizable lake the night she first encountered Micah and Slade and barely breached a tunnel before the rebel sniffed her out and the chase was on. Her instinct whispered to her that evening, just as it did now. She had been so close to the hideaway, within reach of ending all this. Tonight, though, she’d get past the guards, get inside the mountain, and release her brother.
She trembled with excitement and anxiety. It was long overdue for these Dark Moon dogs to pay for all the suffering of their captives.
“Have a drink with us.” Talking Wolf’s voice yanked her back to the present. Her gaze first landed on Silent Wolf, whose eyes had narrowed suspiciously on her. She made quick work to paste a smile to her face and turn her full attention to the friendlier wolves. Talking Wolf patted the seat beside him. “If you have some chips and dip, that’ll work. We’ve only had the opportunity of meeting Jacy’s mate, short as it was. We’d love to get to know a white.”