Midnight Touch

by L Ann

  “There was a bright light shining directly behind Damien, so he couldn’t see anything around him.” She tried to ignore the feeling of despair and betrayal she’d felt within Shaun and concentrated on what her other senses might have picked up. “He was underground, I think. A cellar, maybe, or a storeroom? It felt cold.”

  “That matches with what Jaden saw. We have to be thankful for the timing, at least. If Jaden hadn’t decided to follow Sam’s scent outside of town, we would never have found the farm, nor seen Damien moving Shaun and Gemma.”

  “But it’s nothing we didn’t already know!”

  “Confirmation is always good, Cassie. We now know, for sure, that Damien has drugged Shaun. It’s something we can account for when we make our move.”

  “But we don’t know how badly hurt he is, or if Gemma is nearby, or where Scarlet is.”

  “We know Gemma is there somewhere. We also know she’s mobile. She walked into the building, not happily or willingly, but she was upright and aware.”

  “But –”

  “No, enough. Go and rest.” He raised a hand when she opened her mouth to argue. “It’s not a request, Cassie. Working the mate-link will have drained you. You need to rest, restore your energy.”

  “I want to go with you.”

  “And that’s not going to happen. You have no training and, as yet, you have no ability to shift. With you there, we would need to spend half our time ensuring you were safe. Our chance of successful is much higher with you here and not there.”

  He opened the door and stepped out into the hallway.

  “Isabella?” He called and moments later, the dark-haired female Shifter appeared from the kitchen. “Take Cassie to her room. Make sure she rests.”

  One dark eyebrow rose at the command.

  “It’s not up for debate, Izzy,” Cormac said, softly. “Pick your battles, wisely.”

  “Do you actually have a plan beyond getting me high and using me as a punch-bag?” Shaun taunted from between bloody lips. “You never were any good at the long game.” The last word left him on a gasp when Damien’s fist collided with his ribs.

  “It’s a shame you passed out earlier. The little half-breed was ready and waiting on her knees.”

  The flood of relief he felt at Damien’s words buckled his knees. He wouldn’t have put it past Damien to have carried on with his plan even if he hadn’t been conscious for it. Masking the emotion, he spat blood out of his mouth.

  He had to hold on, keep Damien distracted. The brief connection with Cassie had cleared his head long enough to realise he’d been giving up, was letting Damien kill him. Cassie’s touch on his mind had reminded him of what was waiting for him, the life he was building. He didn’t think she’d realised it, but by connecting with him it also gave him the ability to see through her eyes and, in that brief moment, he’d seen Cormac sitting beside his mate. While Cassie had clumsily tried to piggy-back his senses to see where he was, he’d deftly slid down their mental connection and spoken briefly to his brother before severing Cassie’s link to stop her realising the extent of damage that had been done to his body, and the fact that her sister had been dropping to her knees in front of him. The effort it had taken to break the connection had used the last bit of energy he’d had, and he had blacked out, with Cormac’s final words resounding in his mind, over and over.

  ~ We’re coming for you, brother. Stay strong. ~

  “What did you do to the girl?”

  “The half-breed bitch?” Damien’s grin was salacious. “She’s a feisty little thing, for a half-breed. We always did like a bit of fight in a girl, don’t you remember?”

  “If you’ve hurt her …”

  Damien leaned forward, the grin dropping away. “Oh, I did. I’ve hurt her a lot, and when we’re done here, I’m going to hurt her again. And when I’ve completely broken her, I’ll give her to the Hunters. They love playing with half-breed females as much as they love playing with full Shifters.”

  “What the fuck happened to you?” Shaun whispered, struggling against the bonds that held him.

  “You happened to me!” Damien screamed, spittle flying from his mouth.

  And that’s when Shaun saw it … the madness in his cousin’s eyes. That moment of clarity when he realised it didn’t matter what had happened. It didn’t matter whether his cousin believed Shaun had left him to die or not, something had snapped inside Damien himself. Shaun wondered if the reasons he gave for attacking the pack, for attacking him, were just excuses to justify the things Damien wanted to do … or was there something darker behind it?

  “What did Scarlet do to you, Damien? What do you blame her for?”

  “What is this, Shaun? Still trying to be the hero?”

  “She’s pack. What have you done with her?”

  Damien leaned back, his eyes moving over Shaun’s features with clear satisfaction, taking in the split lips, one eye almost swollen shut, nose bloodied and broken.

  “Not looking so pretty now, are you?” he mocked, ignoring Shaun’s question. “Guess it’s not impossible to break the Midnight Pack Alpha Trifecta after all.”

  “There is no Trifecta. Cormac is Midnight’s Alpha.”

  “With good reason.” The soft voice came from directly behind Damien.

  Damien spun, eyes wide, and stumbled back from the silver eyes shining in the darkness. He crashed into Shaun, who couldn’t mask a groan of pain at the impact.

  “Don’t come any closer,” Damien hissed, and Shaun felt the cold metal of a blade touch his side. “I’ll kill him right now.”

  “And lose any advantage you currently hold?”

  “What advantage? If you’re here, the rest of the pack won’t be far away. They wouldn’t leave their beloved Alpha without protection.”

  Cormac’s laugh was soft in the darkness. “Do you really think I need their protection, Damien?” He padded forward, moving closer to Shaun. “You know, I remember a situation twenty years ago. A Shifter was found strung up in a warehouse, bloodied and broken. Traces of a strange drug in his system.”

  Damien’s knife pressed closer, drawing blood. “I’d stay over there if you don’t want him to bleed out.”

  Cormac stilled. “A young cub, on the edge of puberty, was found curled up at the feet of the dead Shifter. Do you remember, Damien?”

  “It’s history, the past.”

  “And yet it seems we’re in a similar situation now. Only the cub is grown, and the Shifter in chains was his closest friend. We always wondered what the truth was. Did you kill your father, Damien?”

  “I know what you’re doing, Cormac, and it won’t work. This is just the beginning.” He sank the blade three times in quick succession into Shaun’s side, turned and fled.

  Two shadows peeled away from the darkness behind Cormac and gave chase, while the Alpha himself reached for Shaun, who sagged forward, his bound arms the only things keeping him upright.

  “Hold on, brother.” Cormac pushed the power of his Alpha status into his voice, making his words a command Shaun would find hard to resist.

  “Not sure even you have the power to fix this,” Shaun told him, his voice breathless and weak.

  “You doubt me?” Cormac kept his voice light, while he reached up to work open the straps around Shaun’s wrists.

  “Sorry, brother.” Shaun’s voice grew fainter.

  “Open your connection to Cassie,” Cormac demanded, bracing his shoulder beneath Shaun’s arm as the binding snapped. “Let her lend you her strength.”

  “Can’t …don’t want her to …”

  “Shaun, now!” He barked, Alpha dominance sparking and forcing Shaun to comply.

  “You’re making me dizzy. Come and sit down,” Isabella said, watching as Cassie prowled from one side of the room to the other and back again.

  “They should be back by now, surely?” Cassie worried at her bottom lip with her teeth. “They’ve been gone for –“ she broke off with a startled gasp, staggered and braced
a hand against the wall as the faintest brush of emotion swept across her mind. “Shaun!” she breathed his name.

  “You can feel him?” Isabella asked, and Cassie nodded.

  “It’s not very strong, but it’s there.”

  “That’s a good sign. He wouldn’t reach out if he thought it wasn’t safe.”

  “Unless he’s unconscious and doesn’t know what he’s doing.”

  Isabella shook her head, with a small smile. “Think positive thoughts, Cassie.”

  Cassie didn’t respond. She tried to track down the thread of emotion like Cormac had taught her, but nothing she did worked. The essence of emotion was there, like a thread so fine she couldn’t hold on to it, and before long she was pacing restlessly once again.

  Another hour passed with no news, no change and then the low rumble of a car engine broke the silence.

  The two women traded glances then, as one, ran out of the room and down the hallway to the front door.

  Two dark SUVs pulled to a stop outside the house and Cassie watched as, first, one door then another opened, and men jumped out. She recognised Asher and Jaden climbing out of one car, and her eyes danced over the faces of the other men until they stopped on Deacon.

  As if knowing her attention was on him, he turned slowly from where he was looking through the back passenger door and straightened, meeting her eyes. His fury was evident even from where she was standing on the raised porch, and she lifted a hand to her mouth, feeling her heartbeat race with fear at what it might mean. Cassie moved forward and stopped when Deacon reached into the car and drew out a woman …

  Gemma!

  Gemma straightened, looking fragile and small beside Deacon, who towered above her. He said something, too low for Cassie to hear, and Gemma’s head turned. A smile broke across her features and she started forward, only to stop at Deacon’s touch on her arm. Cassie saw his mouth move again, and Gemma shook her head, brows pulling together in a frown. Deacon also scowled, and his hands reached out to close the top two buttons on the over-sized jacket she was wearing. She swatted his hand away as Cassie watched, then said something he clearly wasn’t happy about. But he fell back, hands rising palm outwards in an expression of defeat, and Gemma raced forward to where Cassie stood.

  “Are you okay?” Cassie asked, wrapping her arms around Gemma, frowning at the bruises on her face.

  Gemma leaned into her, nodding. “I’m fine. Shook up, but nothing I won’t get over.” She pulled back and gave Cassie a serious look. “I saw what he did to Shaun. Cassie, you need to be ready.”

  Cassie tensed, her gaze going beyond her sister to the second car. All the men from both cars were surrounding it but she could easily make out Deacon and Cormac.

  “How bad is it?”

  Gemma hesitated, her expression blanking, and tightened her arms around her sister. Deacon glanced over and frowned. Gemma held his gaze while she spoke to Cassie. “It’s bad,” she said, softly. “From the talk I overheard, they think he’ll make it. But … he looks so bad, Cassie.” Gemma let her arms drop, and caught Cassie’s hand, entwining their fingers. “Look, they’re bringing him out now.”

  Both women watched as Cormac and Deacon, whose gaze had returned to the car, worked with the rest of the pack to lift Shaun out. Cassie felt Gemma’s fingers squeeze hers and she returned the gesture absently, her eyes glued to the still form being placed onto the stretcher one of the men had appeared with. She watched as they tightened straps to secure him, and then Cormac, Deacon, Jaden and Asher each took a side and lifted.

  Cassie swallowed past the lump in her throat as they reached her, and she got her first good look at him. He was still wearing the jeans she’d last seen him in, only now they were torn and covered in filth and blood. The rest of his torso was bare, and the moon highlighted every bruise and blood splatter. She could hear his strained breathing as the men trooped silently past her and she fell into line, trailing behind them as they carried him up the stairs and into the bedroom. Gemma followed her indoors, breaking away to enter the TV room where Isabella and Roxie waited.

  All but the four who carried the stretcher stopped outside Shaun’s bedroom, moving aside to allow Cassie to enter. She glanced over the serious faces, nodded and closed the door gently before turning to watch as his brothers and friends carefully moved him from the stretcher to the bed.

  “Cormac …” she began, and the pack Alpha glanced up, his surprise at her presence showing just how focused on his brother he was.

  “Good, you’re here. I was going to send for you.” He waved her closer. “Did he open the connection between you?”

  “I … think so.” Her attention shifted to the man lying on the bed, still and silent. “I can feel him, but it’s very faint and I … I can’t touch it. Does that make sense?” Her hand inched out, cupped the lax hand lying closest to her and she smoothed his fingers straight. “What caused those?” She pointed to the raw and red-looking band of skin around his wrists.

  “Leather straps hanging him up by his wrists,” Deacon supplied, his voice a low angry growl, from where he was bent over Shaun’s ribs, peeling away the blood-soaked material they’d used to hastily patch up the stab wounds. “We need proper first aid supplies and where’s Chase?”

  Cormac moved to the door and poked his head out. A murmured conversation later and he was back. “I’ve sent someone down to see what’s holding Chase up.”

  “What can I do to help?” Cassie asked.

  “Warm water, towels, sponges, whatever you can find in the bathroom to clean him up.” Cormac replied. “We need to see how much damage has been done beneath the blood and dirt.”

  With a final caress across Shaun’s knuckles – which hadn’t avoided cuts and bruises, she noted – Cassie forced herself to leave him to his brothers and went into the bathroom to do as Cormac had instructed. When she returned, a bowl of water in hand, it was to utter chaos.

  Deacon was yelling at Asher, who was holding Shaun down by his shoulders. Cormac and Jaden were leaning on his legs. Shaun was arching up, spine curved so high Cassie was sure it would snap. He was growling, teeth snapping close to where Deacon and Asher’s arms stretched to either side of his head. She froze in the doorway between the two rooms, unsure what to do, until Cormac spotted her.

  “Get over here,” he snapped. “Talk to him. What are you feeling through the bond?”

  Hurriedly, she placed the bowl on the floor and approached the bed, while she examined the faint connection still teasing the edges of her mind. Fear was the strongest emotion, followed by anger and a hunger so palpable it made her insides ache.

  “Shaun …” she spoke his name, softly. He didn’t react, still straining against the hands holding him down.

  “Again!” Cormac demanded. “Louder! Move closer.”

  Cassie threw him a concerned look but shifted closer. “Shaun, can you hear me?”

  Did his thrashing ease a little? It was hard to say, but Cassie was sure he had stopped straining so hard.

  “Shaun, you’re home. Please stop fighting.” She was beside the bed, close enough to touch him, so she placed her hand carefully on his arm. “Shaun, please, you’re hurting yourself.”

  His head twisted to the side, and his eyes snapped open. Bright yellow, the pupils slitted, they moved over her face. She jumped back a step, her hand slipping free, startled. His lips peeled back into a snarl and, with a furious movement, he broke free of the men holding him and launched himself toward her.

  Cassie held her ground, heart hammering as he rolled off the bed and prowled toward her. Lethal intent flowed off him in waves, but she gave a minute shake of her head when the four men moved forward to block him, putting her trust in what she could feel through their connection. He stopped in front of her, and his head canted to the side. Cassie held her breath, waiting, hoping she hadn’t made the wrong choice and the man … the wolf in front of her wasn’t about to tear her throat out. She didn’t doubt for a second that he could do it �
�� in man or wolf form.

  The men behind Shaun stood poised, ready to move in if he gave any sign of attacking. Cassie ignored them, her focus welded to the man in front of her. He took another step closer, nostrils flaring as he breathed in her scent. His tongue came out to snake across his lips and Cassie mirrored the action, swiping her own tongue over dry lips.

  “Shaun?” she spoke his name, gently. “Do you remember when we met? In this room? You came out of the shower and –”

  His speed took everyone by surprise. He grabbed her, spun her around and pinned her face first to the wall, his body pressed against her back.

  “I pushed you against the wall,” he whispered unevenly, his breath warm against her cheek. “And you smelled so good,” he paused, took in a shuddering breath and eased back, turning her to face him, the yellow leaching from his eyes and leaving behind the vibrant green she knew so well. He lifted a shaking hand to touch her cheek. “Forgive me,” he whispered, and sank to his knees before her. His arms slipped around her waist and he pressed his forehead to her stomach.

  Cassie could feel his entire body shaking and she exchanged a wordless look with Cormac as she threaded her fingers through his hair.

  “There’s nothing to forgive,” she told him.

  “I couldn’t stop him … couldn’t stop. And I can feel it, Cass, like poison eating me from the inside.” The tremors wracking his body grew stronger. “I can’t fight it anymore.” He whispered. “It’s too strong, and I’m just … so … tired.”

  Cassie crouched on the floor, and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, near to tears. She lifted her face to look at Cormac.

  “He’s talking about the belladonna,” he told her, and she nodded.

  “Shaun, listen to me,” she whispered. “You are strong enough. You’re the strongest person I know. Please don’t give up. I’ve only just found you. You have to fight it. Who else will yell at me when I apologise for things I didn’t do?”

  He gave a choked laugh which gave way to a shuddering cough.