Mount Roxby Box Set

by Aimie Jennison

  “Thank you, Dominick.” She has a strange sparkle in her eye as she smiles at him, along with the flirtatious smile she gave Billy earlier; makes me think there’s going to be a love triangle happening sometime soon. She heads back to the bar but when she gets a couple of steps away she glances back at Dominick over her shoulder.

  We really don’t have time for romance at the minute.

  “Dominick. What happened outside?” I ask, making him tear his eyes away from Misty’s direction.

  He opens the bottle and fills all three glasses before answering me. “Well, as you know, Theo arranged to meet me. We were standing out the front and Theo was asking if I could send some of my men on the patrols with his wolves. I wasn’t too keen because it would put my men in danger of attack. The wolves are getting taken but seem to be in good health. We hadn’t been alone long; Billy left us to see you.” He’s staring off into the distance as if he is picturing the scene.

  “He was trying his hardest to persuade me when we were ambushed. Neither of us fought back. Theo tried to command them to stop but he just couldn’t get through. He didn’t want to hurt them because he knew they weren’t in control. It was then the lion jumped on me. I didn’t see anything else. I had to fight back, it was me or him.”

  “Did you just say a lion jumped you?” There is only one lion I know of in town and that is Jared.

  “Yes. It looks like he’s controlling your friend too…Jared, wasn’t it?”

  I nod in agreement and take a mouthful of my drink as I let him carry on.

  “Chomp sensed my distress and joined us in the fight. There was one fighting each of us but no matter how much I injured Jared he didn’t act like he felt it. I don’t know if it was just because they weren’t in control, or if he’s got some protection on them and they can’t actually be injured. I never saw any blood on them. I’m Chomp’s maker. When he died, I felt it. It was then that Jared left me, which turned out for the best because I wasn’t far off death myself, as you saw. I just saw them drag Theo away. He looked like he was in a bad state. He wasn’t moving. I can’t tell you if he is dead or alive.” He looked really concerned. “That’s when Billy came out and I fell in.”

  “He’s alive,” is all the lump in my throat would allow me to say. He has to be alive. Besides, I would have felt it if he’d died.

  Dominick pulls me away from my thoughts. “I guess we now need to come up with a plan to find them. Billy said the scent was gone so tracking is no good.”

  “We need to find out who is controlling them? I can tell a liar through my empathic ability but I can’t interrogate every witch in town.” I pause a second to think. “They have attacked you twice, so it’s safe to say they want you dead. Do you know a witch that hates you enough to want you dead?”

  Dominick laughs, spraying the table with the mouthful of bourbon he’d just had. “A number of people want me dead, Rosabel. Not everyone is as nice to me as you are.”

  “You saw for yourself that no one would offer to save him,” Patsy adds.

  “What if we set them up?” They look at each other then back to me, without saying a word. I explain the plan that just popped in my head. “It’s safe to say they won’t attack again tonight. He’s got too much to deal with. Theo being injured is going to cause him some problems. If he was just another pack member he’d maybe be okay, but Theo is Alpha and no one can control an injured alpha. You need a stronger alpha or to lock him up until he starts to heal and calm down. He’ll probably try again tomorrow night. Theo should be calmer by then. We need to set a trap.”

  They look at each other for a minute. It almost looks like they are having a silent conversation. It’s actually making me feel out of place.

  “What kind of trap?” I can tell from Dominick’s emotions he’s uncertain about something.

  “We’ll have to use you as bait.” I look at Dominick hoping he doesn’t disagree; he nods for me to carry on. A good sign.

  “If you hang out in the back alley, make it look like you’re meeting Wesley to plan what we’re going to do next. I don’t think he’ll understand pack politics enough to know Wes isn’t acting leader. Obviously we’ll have pack members, and whichever of your men, there, watching from a safe distance—close enough to jump in when they attack, but far enough away to not be spotted beforehand. Paddy, Alyssa, and Jared shouldn’t be able to pick up any scents because they’re not in control of their own actions. They won’t be thinking anything but what the controller is telling them; which will be to kill you. The controller has to be at a good vantage point with a clear view so he can see what’s happening. My guess is a roof or fire escape of one of the surrounding buildings. As soon as the controlled wolves arrive, we look for him. If we can’t see him and they attack, we get you out.” I leave it at that, hoping he agrees.

  “What time and where do you want me?” he asks.

  I’m too shocked to answer immediately. I stumble over my words. “I-I guess first dark. If you meet Wesley by the bins near the back door of the bar. Send your men in and I’ll tell them where to go. In the meantime, I’ll look for some good places to put everyone.”

  “I’ll be there but my men won’t be. I can’t put them in danger—not after losing Chomp.”

  “I understand. That’s not a problem. I’ll make sure we have plenty of pack members.”

  Patsy looks scared. “He controls the weres. What’s to say he won’t take them all over in the back alley and kill you immediately?”

  “We just have to hope we get him before he gets them,” Dominick says, as he stands to leave. “Thank you for earlier. I’ll be there at first dark,” he says, addressing me.

  I stand and lean in to kiss him on the cheek. “I won’t let them kill you, I promise. Even if I die saving you.”

  He laughs as we break away, “I know you are my ‘saviour’ after all. I can feel the truth through our tie.”

  After a smile, I close my eyes and teleport to Theo’s.

  Twenty-Two

  CONTACT

  ROSABEL

  I appear in the drive, deciding that is the better choice because if I enter through the front door like the rest of the pack, they might respect me that bit more. They will probably all know about my druid blood by now. Chloe will, no doubt, be spreading the word hoping for more haters to join her hate-on-Bel group.

  I walk up the steps to find my least favourite werewolf playing bouncer at the front door. I can hear numerous footsteps behind me leading me to think there are at least three or four pack members behind me. Surely she won’t make a scene in front of them.

  “Hi Chloe,” I say politely, as I pass.

  She deliberately plants her feet and stands in front of me, denying my entry. She smirks. “Pack only.”

  I really don’t have time for a fight. I need to find Theo.

  “Chloe, you know full well that Theo has claimed me for his mate and I’ve been introduced to the pack as alpha female. Let me in so we can plan how we are all going to help find Theo and the others.”

  She doesn’t move.

  I sigh. “I haven’t forgotten about your challenge. I told Theo about it and he agreed. I do accept. As soon as he’s back, we are good to go.”

  I glance over my shoulder and count at least eight pack members watching and waiting to get in.

  It looks like they’re going to get a show after all.

  Deciding my only option is violence, I turn my body slightly. To Chloe, it might look like I’m going to just walk down the steps and leave but I’m not. I’m just getting momentum. I swing my body back around with as much force behind my right fist as possible. When it makes contact with her jaw, she flies backwards and smashes through one of the closed, beautiful front doors. Great I’ll have to pay a fortune to replace that. It’s got to be custom-made.

  The small audience behind me gasps. I can feel a small amount of anger coming from them. To stand my ground, I turn to address them. “Does anyone else want to waste more time questi
oning my position?” No one says anything or makes any move in retaliation. I turn back to the doors. I start to step over Chloe, who is out cold on top of the door when I hear Wesley shouting.

  “WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE?” He catches sight of me and bows his head, probably in apology for his tone of voice. “Rosabel?” He questions as he glances down at Chloe, still on the floor.

  “She wouldn’t let me in. I told her once we find Theo we can deal with the challenge she offered me, but she wouldn’t step aside.”

  “Whoa. Back up a minute! She’s challenged you? When? Does Theo know?”

  “Yes. Last night after I left you in your room. I assumed you must have heard with it being right outside your door. I told Theo. He agreed we need to duel.”

  “Okay. We’ll deal with that another day. Are you ready to sort this lot out?” he asks, gesturing with a sweep of his arm at the werewolves.

  I step into the room and hope that is answer enough.

  We head to the dining room. It has been arranged just like the first meeting I attended with the furniture pushed to the edges of the room. We get to the front of the room and stop in front of the three chairs.

  “Wes, do we need to wait for Chloe to come around and join us before we start?” I whisper, hoping the rest of the chatting throughout the room covers my words. I don’t want anyone else knowing I have no idea what I am doing here.

  He shrugs. “No. She isn’t of rank. She can join us when she’s ready. It serves her right if she misses out on knowing the plan.”

  I nod in agreement.

  I turn and face the crowd, looking at each pack member standing before me. There are a number of faces I recognise. Darryl and Phil, who Billy had picked for his patrol tonight—the one that got cancelled the second Theo went missing. I have no idea how to start this meeting? How does Theo start them?

  I force a friendly smile on my face. “Hi.”

  They all immediately stop chatting and nod in unison. They remind me of freaky programmed robots.

  Wesley gives me a reassuring smile and Billy moves next to me, reaching out to stroke my arm in comfort.

  I need to be honest with them. “I’m not sure how to start this, but I’ll try to make it as quick and painless as possible.”

  There are a couple of friendly chuckles through the crowd. It helps to relax me; if just a little.

  “First things first. I’ve spoken to Dominick and he’s told me everything that he saw happen earlier tonight. He’s also agreed to act as bait since he has been attacked twice now. I’m assuming that’s the reason the kidnapper is taking pack members. He can control animals so that is his best weapon to kill a vampire! He’s controlling a were-lion too!”

  A guy in the front of the crowd speaks up. He looks like a cowboy from the boots with spurs, to the jeans, checked shirt and hat. I bet he even wears chaps some days. “If he’s controlling Theo, all hells going to break loose. There is no one who will win against him. He’s too strong.”

  They all seem to stare at me awaiting my response.

  “I thought that too, but Dominick said Theo was hurt, badly hurt, and only dragged away once he was unconscious. I can feel Theo’s pain. I don’t think he will be able to calm Theo enough to control him for at least another couple nights. He’ll have him caged up or locked away somewhere until he can control him. If we can pull together a good trap, with Dominick as bait tomorrow night, we might come out of this alive.”

  Numerous voices throughout the crowd shout out. “Yes!” I watch as others nod their agreement.

  “We’ll come up with the details tonight, and then call those we will need tomorrow. I’m not sure who or how many of you we will need so don’t make any plans,” says Wesley.

  I feel a wall of anger drift through the crowd. It takes me a second to spot her but the minute I see Chloe, I know the anger is coming from her and being aimed directly at me. Lucky me.

  “NOT NOW CHLOE! Theo will be furious enough when he gets back and hears about you playing bouncer earlier. You’ll be lucky if he doesn’t kick you out of the pack for this,” Wesley commands. He’s very dominant, thinking back on my words to Theo last night. I’d bet on him to win if we fought.

  Chloe looks from me to him. She immediately turns and leaves without a word.

  The rest of the pack slowly file out of the house.

  After the pack leaves, Billy, Wesley, and myself head to the lounge. It’s like the meeting after the meeting. Billy goes straight for the kitchen to make the drinks; which makes me think that is his usual job. Wesley and I sit on the sofa.

  “You did real good in there, Bel. Theo will be as proud as punch when he hears about it,” Wes praises me.

  “Thanks, Wes. I just hope this plan works and we get them all back soon. He’s only been gone a couple of hours and I’m already feeling edgy. I don’t know how you’ve managed to get through the two days Alyssa has been missing,” I say truthfully. My wolf seems to be pacing constantly and there is no calming her.

  “Neither do I. Just keep telling myself we’ll get her back. We have to,” he admits.

  Billy comes in with three drinks. “We’ll get them all back tomorrow, try not to worry.” Wesley and I both smile at Billy’s words. I have a feeling that none of us are as confident as Billy sounded right then. When there’s a bunch of werewolves going against someone that can control werewolves, there are a number of things that can go wrong.

  “Right. Let’s get down to business. What did Dominick tell you about tonight?” Wesley asks.

  I tell them everything about the fight; from when Billy left Theo and Dominick alone in front of Misty’s, to when Billy returned after I saved Dominick. I take a sip of my coffee and look up to find Wesley looking livid.

  “Did you just say Dominick fed from you again, and nearly drained you in the process?” he demands. I won’t call him up on his demanding tone. He’s concerned about his missing mate. He deserves some slack.

  “Yes,” I say cautiously. When he doesn’t say anything and just stares at me, I feel the need to say more. “He did drain me, to the point that if I was human I don’t think I’d be here now, but I’m alive and that’s the main thing. It wasn’t Dominick’s fault. He was nearly dead himself and I taste good. Ask Paddy later, he’ll agree—I’m hard to resist.” I laugh nervously, unable to stop my rambling. “He couldn’t stop, but thankfully he stopped in time. I didn’t think he’d drain me, or even come close but he was so out of it…I was wrong.”

  “I’m glad I’m not the one who has to tell Theo when he gets back,” Wes says, thankfully sounding slightly calmer.

  Thinking about Theo being protective brings Ruby to my mind. “Oh my god! How is Ruby? Is she still here? Does she know what’s happened?” I can’t believe I had forgotten about Ruby. She must be so worried.

  “Yes. I’m here and I know,” says a voice from behind me.

  I turn around to see her standing out from behind the sofa I’m sitting on. Her red eyes and wet cheeks tell me she’s been crying for some time. How did none of us notice her? How long has she been there?

  “What are you doing down here? I told you to stay upstairs.” Oh great. Angry Wesley is back.

  Ruby cowers slightly but stands her ground. “No one would tell me anything! I needed to know. Theo wasn’t here,” she points at Wes, “and you guys were holding a meeting and running around looking all worried. I knew something bad had happened.” She breaks down into heaving sobs.

  I get up, put my arm around her shoulders and bring her back to sit on the sofa. She shuffles into the corner of the cozy sofa.

  “I’m Bel. I don’t think we were introduced last night,” I say.

  “Yeah. I asked Ted about you after you left.” She bursts into tears again and I stroke her knee for a second to comfort her. Weres are touchy feely creatures. We use touch to comfort each other. Sometimes we even sleep in piles. Being the outsider of the pride I had never been privy to one of these piles but I have heard plenty a
bout them. Ruby is only human but having grown up around a pack, I’m sure she’s used to touch and comfort as any were is.

  “He’ll be back tomorrow.” I try to sound confident.

  Wesley looks at me. “What did you and Dominick agree on as the plan for tomorrow night?” He still sounds mad but I can tell he’s trying to sound calmer. He probably doesn’t want to upset Ruby any more.

  “We didn’t come up with anything in great detail. Dominick will be in the alley out back of the bar and some of us will be hiding in the shadows to protect him when they attack. But before we jump in, we have to find the controller. He has to be somewhere with a view of the alley. He’ll need a view of them to be controlling them as well as he is. He must be at a vantage point. I’d suggest a fire escape or the rooftop of one of the surrounding buildings. You two would be best to decide who and how many of us go. I think it would be safest if we make it look like you’re meeting Dominick, Wes. As second to Theo, everyone except pack will think you’re in charge. Do you think you’ll be able to handle being in the line of fire when Alyssa attacks?” I hold my breath hoping his answer is what I want to hear.

  “I’d actually prefer that over hiding. I’d want to run out when I see her so if I was meant to be hiding, I would ruin everything. That all sounds great. You are going to make a great alpha female,” he says with a smile.

  “Billy, you have a think about who you think is best for the job overnight. We can discuss your choices tomorrow and then start with the phone calls.”

  “No worries! I’ve been thinking already. The boss can communicate with the two of us when we are in wolf form. Do you think if we tried now he could tell us where he is and we could go get him?”

  Wesley looks serious for a moment before a huge smile spreads across his face. “That might actually work. He’s badly injured so he should still be in wolf form. Only problem is, we can’t talk to him and he won’t know to communicate with us if he doesn’t hear us.” His face is solemn but suddenly hope dances behind his eyes. “Bel, you’re his mate. It should work between the two of you. Dammit! Why didn’t I think of that sooner?”