He’d been a fool, a stupid, arrogant bastard, thinking that he could outsmart Parker, which had put Anya at risk. “I should have fled with her. I should have just taken her away.” He braced his hands on the wall, fighting to hold his shit together. Fear had taken hold of him, a dark, terrifying horror of what might be happening to her. Images of his mother’s bloodied body flashed through his mind, of his father’s, of his sister’s, of Anya— “Argh!!” He threw his head back and roared his anguish, unleashing a lifetime of pain that he’d worked so hard not to face.
He’d been too late before, and he’d screwed up again, trying to fix the past.
Where the hell was she?
One man knew. One man knew exactly where she was.
He whirled around to face Killian. “Parker knows where she is. I’m going in there.”
Killian’s eyes widened. “You’re just going to ask him?”
“No. I’m going to make him tell me.” He grabbed his brother’s shoulder. “You stay clear, and when they bring her in or reveal her location, you go get her. Got it?”
Killian swore. “I’m going with you.”
“No. If it goes south, I need you on the outside to find her.” He met his gaze. “I’m going public, Killian, and you need to not be associated with me when I do.”
Slade stepped out of the elevator onto the fifth floor. Armed guards immediately stepped forward, and he slammed them with a psychic attack. They all screamed and fell to the ground, holding their heads.
He strode down the hallway and flung open the doors to the meeting room. Everyone spun toward him, and he lashed out with his mind and dropped every security guard in the room, including the ones on the ledge.
They might be dead.
They might not.
He didn’t care.
He cared about only one thing, and that was finding Anya.
William Parker was in front of the fireplace, his mouth open as he stared at Slade. Slade pointed at the room of investors, who were gaping at him. He heard someone whisper The Black Swan, and his gut tightened. He always wiped the mind of anyone who recognized him. It was what he did.
But not this time.
This time, for Anya, he was coming clean. “Yes,” he said, leveling a hard look at Parker. “I’m the Black Swan.”
Parker’s eyes widened, gleaming with interest. “Slade Cross is the Black Swan?”
Slade paused for a split second, looking around the room at all the people watching. A few of the guards were still unconscious, and he strode over to them, stripping them of their hardware. “Yes, I am.” He chucked the guns out the window, ignored the fact that it was closed, then he turned to face Parker.
This was the man who’d stripped him of everything. The arrogant piece of shit. There were so many things he wanted to say to him, so much hate that he wanted to spew, so many things that had been festering inside him his entire life.
But he said none of them, because none of them mattered anymore. Only one thing mattered. “Where is Anya Diaz?”
Parker raised his brows. “Anya Diaz? I have no idea—”
“And her friend Julia. Bring them to me. Now.”
Parker grinned. “Ah, Slade, you think you’re so powerful—”
Slade hit him with a psychic blast, dropping him to his knees. Parker gasped and grabbed his head, fighting against the pain. “Where is she?” he snapped.
Parker looked up, smiling through his pain. “If you destroy my brain, you’ll never find them.”
“That’s why you’re still alive.” Slade grabbed the front of his shirt and dragged him to his feet. “Where are they?” He heard guards closing in on the outside door, so he unleashed a blast against them, listening to the satisfying thuds as they fell.
“I’ll make a deal,” Parker said. “You work for me, and I’ll free them. They’ll be safe as long as you’re mine.” Greed glittered in his eyes. “Both your cat and your assassin skills.”
Disgust roiled through him. “I will never work for you, scum.”
Parker met his gaze. “And I will never turn them over to you.” He smiled, a shrewd, calculating smile. “I don’t care if you don’t work for me, but you care if you lose them. I win.”
Slade suddenly lost the feeling in his hands. They went numb from the shock of his realization that Parker was right. He did care. He cared deeply if something happened to Anya and Killian. He’d worked so hard not to care about anything or anyone, to protect them and protect himself, and suddenly, right here, right now, it had all fallen apart.
Parker was right. He did care. He cared with every single fiber of his soul. He would never allow Anya to be taken. Despite the fact that Parker had murdered his family, and countless others, he wouldn’t kill Parker unless Anya was safe.
He realized he had no leverage. No bargaining power. No freedom to act. None. Because anything he did would risk Anya, and he couldn’t do that. Son of a bitch. He stepped back, running his hands through his hair as he fought for equilibrium. He’d gone from being the one with all the power, to having none, simply because he cared.
And he did.
He had two choices right now.
Kill Parker and avenge his family’s death, and then hope he would be able to find Anya.
Or guarantee Anya’s freedom by making a deal with Parker, the demon who’d haunted him his entire life.
He looked into the smug visage of the bastard he’d hunted his whole life, and knew that Parker deserved to die. He had to die. Every moment that he lived, another shifter was in danger. Slade’s father and his mother would both tell him that sacrificing Anya was the right choice. His job, their legacy, was the battle against men like Parker. His legacy was not to risk everyone else to save one person.
He looked Parker in the eye, and knew there was only one choice he could make. “I agree—”
But as the words left his mouth, a dart slammed into him from behind. Numbness spread through him instantly, and his legs gave out before he could even blink. He slumped to the floor, his body frozen.
Parker crouched beside him, his eyes gleaming with triumph. “Stupid bastard,” he said. “The Black Swan was so caught up in a woman that he forgot to watch his back. Now, you have nothing, and I have everything.”
Slade lay there, unable to move, as Parker stood back up. “The Black Swan is a white leopard,” he announced. “He will be added to the auction list, starting at five hundred million dollars. Bidding starts at midnight in the grand ballroom. I will see you all there.”
And as the people filtered out, taking photographs, Slade could do nothing but lie there and watch them. He’d fucked up. He’d fucked up so completely. Killian.
But Killian didn’t answer either.
Chapter 25
Her body felt too heavy to move. Her lungs ached to breathe. Her head pounded in pain. Anya groaned as she rolled over, but the heavy clank of metal chains jerked her back to consciousness.
She bolted awake, gasping as she sat up. She was in a tall cage, with her hands chained behind her, and shackles around her ankles. Memories flooded back, and she blanched in horror as she quickly looked around. She was in a fancy ballroom with crystal chandeliers, huge windows that showed the full moon and night sky, a massive banquet table…and six other cages, just like hers. All empty, except for the one across from her, where a woman was huddled in the corner, hugging her knees, her head down. Relief rushed though Anya at the sight. “Julia?”
Julia looked up immediately, a smile lighting up her tear-stained face. “Oh, God, Anya. You’re awake.”
“Where are we?”
“Auction room.”
“Auction room?” Anya’s stomach churned as she looked around again. This time, she noticed a podium to the left, and several dozen chairs lined up. A fully stocked bar was to the right, along with an assortment of long metal rods with sharp points on the end, like cattle prods. “We need to get out of here.”
“You shouldn’t have come,” Julia said
softly, not moving. “You were supposed to run.”
“I couldn’t leave you here…”
“If you had, at least one of us would have survived. Now, there’s no one.” Julia shook her head. “You were supposed to run, Anya. Run.”
Her heart tightened at the despair in her friend’s face. Captivity had stripped Julia of all her sparkle and vibrancy. All that remained was someone who’d lost hope. “Fuck that,” she said. “We’re not giving up.”
Julia’s eyes widened. “Since when do you say ‘fuck that?’”
“Since I started hanging around with the unsavory sort, I guess.” Anya sat up, testing the weight of the shackles “Seriously, Julia, did you really think I was going to leave you here to rot?”
Julia stared at her, then a small smile broke out, the kind of smile she’d once had. “I guess not,” she said. “You’re not the type.”
“Damn right.” Anya rolled to her knees, and quickly scanned the room. “The Black Swan will be looking for us, but we need to figure this out, Jules, and fast—”
Julia blanched. “The Black Swan? He’s after us? We’re dead. Completely dead. So dead.”
Anya grinned. “No, he’s on our side. I seduced him with my fantastic lovemaking skills and now he’s my love slave. Super handy having him around.”
Julia stared at her, hope flaring in her eyes. “Seriously?”
“Yep. All we have to do is stay alive until—” The door slammed open, and she jerked back as William Parker entered, along with two men who were dragging Slade between them.
Oh, crap. “Slade!”
Anya. His thoughts were sluggish, as if the drug was trying to claim his mind. Shit, I’m sorry. I screwed up. His anguish was palpable, weighing on Anya with crushing force.
Her hands bunched into fists as they dropped him in front of her cell. Parker picked up one of the pokers, stepped over Slade, and stopped in front of Anya’s cage. “Shift.”
She went cold, staring at Parker. A psychopath holding a fireplace poker could not be a good thing. “What do you want?”
“Shift. I know you’re a white leopard. Shift.”
Fear shot down her spine, and for a split second, she couldn’t breathe. She saw Julia freeze, out of the corner of her eye, but she didn’t dare look at her. She swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. “I’m not—”
“Shift!” He grabbed Slade and pulled his head back, angling the poker right at his jugular. “Or, I’ll kill him.
“God, no! Don’t!”
Slade’s calm voice slid through her mind. Don’t do it, Anya. He can’t sell you if you don’t shift. He isn’t sure you’re a leopard, so he’s testing you. He’s not going to kill me. I’m worth a shit ton of money. He’s faking.
But—
Parker slammed the poker into Slade’s shoulder, and his pain struck Anya as if she’d been hit herself. “No, don’t! I—” She tried to grab her foot to palm her tattoo, but she couldn’t reach it with the chains. “You have to unchain me, so I can—”
“Shut up.” Parker yanked her cage open, ripped off his tie, and gagged her with it, then threw her back on the ground. “Now shift.” Before she could react, he turned back to Slade and struck him again.
Anya screamed through the gag, trying to get her hand on her foot, but she couldn’t reach it with the chains. She tried to tell him she had to reach it, but Parker ignored her muffled screams. Slade! Tell him! Tell him to let me go so I can shift!
Slade met her gaze, and she saw in them the greatest pain she’d ever seen in her life. I will never betray you again, Anya. I love you. I’ll never let him make you shift. And then he cut off all contact, cutting her off from his thoughts, and the pain.
Stunned, she could do nothing but lay there, watching and crying as Parker tried to use Slade to make her shift, and Slade could do nothing to defend himself, trapped by the drug that had immobilized his body and his powers.
She was sobbing by the time Parker gave up. He dropped the poker in disgust. “I guess she doesn’t care about you the way you care about her.” He kicked Slade once, then turned away.
Anya lay on her side, blood trickling from her wrists from trying to reach her foot. Why, Slade? Why did you do that?
His gaze was bright and triumphant. The man actually looked like he’d won a gold medal, instead of being smacked around by a poker-wielding psycho. Because I love you.
Tears filled her eyes. Now? You tell me this now?
It took until now for me to understand. He met her gaze. Stop worrying about me, sweetheart.
Was he insane? Stop worrying? You’re bleeding all over the floor!
It’s a fashion statement. It’s all good.
But—
Anya. This is nothing for me. I’m great at blocking pain. Seriously. Besides, I figure if I go all manly and tough on you, you’re going to think I’m even hotter than you already do. I know, that’s not really possible, but I pride myself on being the best, so I figure this makes sense. He winked at her.
Winked. The man actually winked at her. He was drugged, chained, and bleeding. She was chained, imprisoned, and crying. And he was winking at her as if they were flirting across a late night bar. You have lost your mind. She glanced over at Parker, but he was in deep discussion with his henchman, no doubt planning his next move.
Sweetheart, I’m the Black Swan. I live for this shit. Plus, I heal fast, so I’m really just faking you out. No pain, no lasting injury, but really, you want me even more right? Plus, letting this guy work his psychological issues out on me has the added benefit of not betraying you, so it’s all good. Want to play naked beer pong when we get home?
She stared at him. You’re insane! I know it hurts! I—
His gaze flicked toward Parker. Hey, babe. Listen to me. He can’t sell you if you’re a human, so don’t shift. Killian is out there. He’ll find you. When he does, you guys take off. Got it?
She blinked at his command. Take off? You mean leave you behind? Are you kidding? But—
I’m having too much fun to cut it short. I’ll catch up.
“He’s talking to her,” Parker said, suddenly. “Cut him off.”
Slade met her gaze, even as one of the guards pulled out a gun. Anya. Get out when you can— The guard fired the gun at Slade’s chest, and the bullet shot into his heart. He slumped over instantly, a dark red stain spreading across his shirt.
Slade! Anya screamed his name, gripping the bars as they dragged him to the side, his body limp, his mind not responding to her. Dear God. Even he couldn’t heal that, could he? Unless he’d missed. Maybe he’d just hit a rib or something. Maybe… God… maybe…
He still didn’t move.
Anya felt like her world was imploding. She couldn’t lose Slade. Not Slade. He’d taken the bullet to keep her safe. To protect her. He’d let himself be captured for her. She knew that Parker never could have taken the Black Swan unless Slade had allowed him to do it. He’d done it for her, to save her, to keep Parker from getting her.
She watched helplessly as they dragged him across the room, leaving streaks of blood on the floor. Was he dead? Almost dead? How could he recover from a bullet wound to the heart?
Parker took the gun from his guards and aimed at Slade’s head. Dear God, there was no chance he could ever survive that. Ever. “No!” She screamed it through the gag, twisting and turning to get her palm on her tattoo. She yanked her hand as hard as she could, drawing upon strength she’d never before had, and suddenly, somehow, the chain broke under the force of her move. Triumph and disbelief filled her, but she didn’t waste time gawking at what she’d done. She just slammed her palm onto her foot and screamed the chant, fighting for the words through the gag.
One time.
Two times.
Three times.
Parker turned and looked over at her. “What are you doing?”
Four times.
Five times—
Pain exploded through her. She screamed as her bones tore apart a
nd her skin twisted and stretched. It was lightning-fast, a split second of agony so intense she couldn’t breathe, and then she was laying on her side, panting, fighting to stay conscious against the pain.
Parker dropped the gun and spun toward her, his jaw hanging open.
The sight of him galvanized her. Power rushed through her, and she lurched to her feet, landing on all fours with lithe, deadly grace. Her eyes narrowed as Parker neared, and her body coiled to attack. A low growl built in her chest, reverberating through her. She felt powerful and strong, more than she ever had in her life, finally, for the first time, at one with who she was.
The leopard’s mind was merged with hers, all the strengths of each form mixing together. Slade and Killian were wrong. She wasn’t being controlled by her cat. She was in complete unison with it, on every level. And she knew, in that moment, that she wasn’t simply a leopard. Like Slade, she was more. So. Much. More. She didn’t have to look down to know that there was a circle of black dots on her chest, right over her heart…just like her mother had claimed to have.
“Oh, my God,” Julia whispered, gripping the bars. “I didn’t know, Anya.”
“Son of a bitch.” Parker’s jaw was slack in stunned surprise as he stared at her. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
Anya crouched low, her tail flicking back and forth as she watched him approach. Every muscle was taut, under her precise control. The bars were solid steel, but somehow, she knew they wouldn’t be able to stop her. She was more than that steel, more than that paltry cage, more than the man striding toward her with such arrogance. Behind Parker, Slade lay immobile, blood still darkening his chest. She was the leopard that Parker had been hunting his whole life…the one he was never, ever going to have.
Anya dug her claws into the floor, her nails digging into the steel floor of the cage—
Parker stopped, his eyes going to her claws, to the holes she’d made in the steel floor.
She knew in that second that he’d realized exactly how pissed she was…and he realized what she was. “Dart her,” he shouted, backing up. “Dart her!”
Leopard's Kiss (Shadow Guardians) (Shadows Guardians Book 1) Page 26