by L. L. Raand
“Why not?” Jody asked. “If there are captives there, they’ve been there for months. A day or two more—”
Becca shook her head. “It’s not that, although I hate to think of anyone being held there for a minute longer than necessary, but he said they’re moving out a lot of the expensive equipment. And they’ve reduced personnel to only a skeleton staff.”
“Getting ready to close it down or—”
“Destroy it.”
Jody took Becca’s hand. “I think it’s time to find the Alpha.”
*
“I want him,” Sylvan growled. She leaned against the massive stone fireplace in the meeting room of her headquarters, the centuri and senior sentries flanking her and Drake. Jody and Becca, and Jody’s guards, faced them, all looking coolly elegant and unperturbed by Becca’s news. Sylvan signaled to Max. “Can you get a trace from Becca’s cell?”
“Possibly.” Max glanced at Becca. “Do you have any kind of blocker on your phone?”
Becca shook her head. “No, for exactly this reason.”
“We might be able to trace the source through the cell network with the initiation time, length of the call, and a little help from some of our people in telecommunications. But it’s going to mean calling in some favors and it won’t be fast.”
“Do it.” Sylvan reined in her fury to keep her wolves calm in the presence of the Vampires. The Vampires might be allies, but they hadn’t fought together in generations, and she was still wary of allowing any outsiders, including other Praeterns, to observe her inner circle. She knew the stories of the ancient allegiances, when in centuries past the Vampires had been greater in number and had held vast territories through merciless and brutal battles. The Weres, especially the wolves, had been their armies. The Weres had never been subservient to the Vampires, but the potent draw of the Vampire bite and the strength and powers bestowed through the blood exchange were payment enough for their mercenary services. As the Weres evolved, they claimed their own territory and created their own powerful society. As they did, their ties to the Vampires weakened and eventually disappeared. Still, Sylvan felt the echo of the primal connection in her blood—reason enough to be careful around Jody Gates, heir to an ancient Vampire Clan powerful enough to rival Francesca’s.
Drake eased closer to Sylvan until their shoulders touched. Sylvan rumbled, appreciative of Drake’s subtle support. Tempering her wolf was always difficult but almost impossible now, when she was constantly on alert to protect her mate. Drake’s presence calmed her wolf, and Sylvan stroked Drake’s arm in thanks. She turned to Becca. “How long will it take for you to get us a clearer picture of the extent of the underground complex?”
“An hour, perhaps less.” Becca shook her head, upset. “I shouldn’t have stopped last night, but when I knew you had them, and then Jody—”
“You had no reason to continue,” Sylvan said, “once it seemed the mission was over.”
“This could be a trap—another attempt on the Alpha,” Niki said, standing at Sylvan’s right hand. They’d been together when Andrew brought word that the Vampire needed to see the Alpha immediately. She’d thought Sylvan was going to leave her there, in the sickroom, even though it seemed Sylvan had forgiven her for her transgressions. She’d held her breath, hoping she wouldn’t be relegated to some secondary role, despite everything that had happened. Sylvan had simply said, “Come, Imperator,” as she spun on her heel and vaulted out into the hall. Now Niki was present as Sylvan’s general, and her role was to strategize and, above all, to ensure the Alpha was victorious in any encounter. “We would have sensed other Weres.”
“Very possibly,” Jody said coolly. “It’s also possible whoever was once there is now dead.”
The Weres in the room growled, and their anger and battle lust heated the air with clouds of pheromones. Jody appeared unfazed by the edgy Weres. “I brought this to your attention as it reportedly involves Weres. What you choose to do about it…” She shrugged.
“And if they were Vampires?” Sylvan asked.
Jody smiled faintly. “It would take more than silver in the air to imprison a Vampire.”
Drake stiffened. “You know what they did to our adolescents. You witnessed how Gray and Katya fought back. You dishonor them.”
Jody’s eyes flashed and Becca casually gripped her arm and squeezed lightly.
“Maybe we should all settle down so we can make a plan,” Becca said quietly. Jody’s arm beneath her fingertips was immovable as stone. Her fury was a metallic taste on Becca’s tongue. Since Jody had risen, the darkness Becca had once sensed only as a distant shadow cloaking Jody’s heart was so much stronger. She thought of Francesca and her cold, heartless beauty. She would not lose Jody to that darkness. “Jody.”
Jody shuddered so faintly, Becca knew no one could tell except her. Jody inclined her head infinitesimally to Drake. “You’re right, Prima. Your adolescents are brave. Had their captors tried to hold a Vampire, they could only have succeeded with UV barriers. The effect would have been the same as the silver in creating a prison.”
Drake’s posture relaxed. Jody had offered an apology by revealing a potential weakness. She nodded. “Difficult to construct, but not impossible.”
“No more sophisticated or expensive to build than the silver aerosol system we encountered in the lab,” Jody said. “This time, we should be sure we haven’t missed anything—or anyone.”
“This time?” Sylvan said. “You plan on accompanying us?”
“You’re going to search, aren’t you?”
“We have to. I couldn’t sense our own adolescents through the silver barriers, so it’s possible there are others. Ours or someone else’s. We can’t take the chance of leaving them there to be tortured further or, if your informant is right, destroyed.”
“Then we should go,” Jody said. “Becca can relay anything she finds on the layout while we’re en route.”
Jace stood on Drake’s left with her legs spread and her arms folded below her small tight breasts. Her eyes glittered with dislike as she took in Jody and her Vampire soldiers. “We don’t need your help.”
Sylvan cut her a glance but said nothing. The centuri were her strongest warriors and headstrong. The young blond twins, Jace and Jonathan, were her newest and not yet tempered, but they were brave. She gave them the respect they were due, as they had pledged her their blood.
“They’ll have perimeter guards no matter how few they have inside,” Jody said as if she were talking to a slightly slow student. “If you want to breach their outer defenses without losing half your numbers, you’ll need someone faster than you to take them out of the equation.”
“Possibly,” Jace said, clearly not impressed. “Why do you care? You’ve just said there aren’t likely to be any Vampires there.”
“Now,” Jody said softly. “There probably aren’t any there now. But if whoever is behind this is interested in studying—controlling—Weres, then how long will it be before they turn their interest to us?”
Rafaela moved up behind Jody’s left shoulder. Claude, apparently recovered from the gunshot wounds of the night before, flanked her on the right. They were all beautiful—dark hair, fathomless eyes, pale flawless skin. Rafaela’s and Claude’s deep blue eyes were as impenetrable as Jody’s, but Jody’s were Vampire red. Hers never lost the fire, the crimson a swirling backdrop to the midnight of her irises. Her expression was just short of bored, but she radiated power.
Sylvan had spent time with Francesca, intimate moments when she’d seen Francesca unguarded and unshielded, had felt the enormous press of her power. Jody was every bit as powerful as the Regent and somehow, Sylvan thought, even more lethal. “The wolf Weres welcome the Vampires in this fight.”
Rafaela and Claude nodded. Jody smiled.
“You are an excellent politician, Sylvan. You make it seem as if you are bestowing a gift upon us by letting us risk our lives for you.”
“I’ve offered you my trust. Is the
re more you want?”
“Yes.” Jody took a step closer. “I want your pledge to fight for Clan Chasseur de Nuit in the days ahead—that our enemies will be your enemies.”
“And our enemies yours?” Sylvan responded.
Jody nodded.
Sylvan cocked her head, listening for Drake’s answer, for the opinion of her Pack. Drake growled. The room filled with the rumbles of Weres, muting the deadly hum of Vampire power.
Yes, Drake signaled.
Sylvan didn’t move a muscle, but her skin shimmered with the force of her wolf rippling beneath the surface. Drake pressed tighter, her arm sliding around Sylvan’s waist, her hand gliding up and down Sylvan’s flank. Sylvan’s canines shot out and her face morphed into sharp angles and hard planes. “The experiments we witnessed inside that facility require a lot of money, a lot of planning, and someone powerful and well-positioned to oversee them. This can’t be the only installation. I doubt this is even the only project. If we don’t stop them now, they’ll hunt us. All of us.”
“The war has already started,” Jody said as Becca’s hand slid down to grasp her fingers. “Shall we fight together once more?”
Sylvan extended her arm. “As equals, Liege Gates.”
Jody clasped Sylvan’s forearm. “As equals, Alpha Mir.”
Chapter Twelve
A shaft of light cut through the gloom in the small cell. They were coming for them again! Gray jumped from her place against the wall and landed on the floor in a crouch, putting herself between Katya and the intruder. She growled a warning and prepared to spring. Her canines erupted, her claws extended, and she thrilled to the anticipation of blood. She would take her enemies down, tear them apart, and feast on their carcasses. She was powerful, the predator, never the prey. Never again. Her vision shimmered to shades of silver, her wolf taking command. She willingly relinquished control, reveling in the swell of strength that flowed through her on the tide of her pelt bursting free, her bones transforming, her senses and her sex surging with excitement. A rumble rose from deep in her chest, and behind her, Katya whimpered, caught in the wave of Gray’s thirst to hunt. This was freedom, this was what she was born for.
“Gray, come here,” Drake said quietly, closing the door behind her.
The Prima’s voice was soft, gentle, but the command so clear, Gray could not suppress the need to obey. Still, she feared a trap closing on her leg, silver teeth biting into her flesh, crippling her wolf, killing her inch by inch. She whined and shuddered.
“Gray,” Drake repeated, unmoving, waiting. “Come.”
The edge of command was sharper now, impossible to ignore. Gray could run, or fight, or accept her Prima’s dominance. Where would she run to? Whose body would curl against hers in the dark? Where would she find the comfort of another heart beating in time with her own? The utter, terrible isolation of the prison cell rose up to choke her, and she doubled over.
You’re ours. You’re not alone.
The Alpha’s voice. The Prima’s voice. A thousand voices of the Pack, calling her. Slowly, Gray straightened, finding her legs, quieting her wolf. She smelled Pack, felt the warmth and security of home wrap around her. Her wolf backed away, hunkered down, wary and watchful and waiting. Gray crossed the room and ducked her head. “Prima.”
Drake stroked her face, clasped her neck. “It’s good to have you home.”
At the first touch, Gray stiffened—remembering other hands roaming her body, violating her. But this was no stranger, no enemy. This was a welcome. This was belonging. She relaxed into the caress, and Drake quickly kissed her forehead before releasing her.
“I need to speak with you and Katya about what happened to you,” Drake said. “It won’t be easy. Are you ready?”
“Yes,” Gray said instantly, and from the shadows, Katya declared, “Yes, Prima, we are ready.”
“Good. The Alpha and I, all of the Pack, need your help.”
Gray’s heart swelled with pride. She had wanted to be one of the Alpha’s warriors one day. She had wanted to serve, and now, after this, she feared she might never be worthy. Drake opened the windows that had been shuttered since Gray and Katya had been brought into the room—a safety measure when they hadn’t been able to control their wolves, to keep them in, to keep them safe. But a prison, all the same. Gray sniffed the air—smelled dew on the pines, the tang of prey, the crisp night breeze. The night sky was crystal clear, punctuated with bright stars and lit by a nearly full moon. Her wolf came to attention. The mountains called, the night seduced. The moon filled her with power. She panted and shivered.
“I know you want to run,” Drake said, leaving the window open. “I know you both need to shift again. Let’s talk, and then I’ll find someone to take you out for a run.”
Gray did not return to her bed but sat beside Katya, her hand finding Katya’s. Any other time, they would have struggled for dominance, tussled for position in the presence of the Prima, the way all young dominants jockeyed to claim their places. Once, being of the same age and both dominant females, they had been friendly competitors. She wasn’t sure what she was to Katya now, but if they ever found their places in the Pack again, if they could, she would never challenge Katya for anything or anyone. She trembled and gripped Katya’s hand harder. She did not want the Prima to know she was afraid.
Katya straightened and Gray felt strength flow into her.
“It’s all right,” Katya murmured, and Gray remembered the voice in the dark that had kept her sane and kept her safe inside her head for weeks.
Drake crouched in front of them, her arms resting loosely on her knees, her eyes level with theirs. She looked at them not as a dominant looks at submissives, but as a leader looks at warriors.
Gray swallowed. “Anything, Prima, anything you want to know.”
“What do you remember about when you were captured?”
“Nothing,” Gray and Katya said simultaneously.
“Go on,” Drake said patiently. “Start with the last thing you can recall.”
“I was on my way to a night class,” Katya said. “I took a shortcut from the dorm across the parking lot, the way I always do, and the last thing I remember is walking between rows of cars. Then I woke up in a cell.”
“Did you scent anything? Hear anything?”
“Nothing. If I had, they wouldn’t have taken me so easily,” Katya said bitterly.
“I know it’s hard to relive this,” Drake said, “but can you remember anything you saw or felt when you woke up?”
Katya shuddered and Gray slipped her arm around her shoulders.
“Take a minute,” Drake said.
“I remember it was hard to breathe,” Katya said softly. “The air was heavy, as if it was filled with smoke, but I couldn’t see any. I couldn’t see very far at all. My vision was blurry.”
“Gray?” Drake asked, “Did you have the same experience?”
“Yes,” Gray exclaimed, the memory flooding her senses as if it were still happening. “A bitter taste every time I breathed, and my arms and legs as heavy as if they had weights on them. They chained us—” She choked at the sensation of being helpless, spread out against the cold wall, blood running down her back.
“Easy,” Drake said soothingly. “You’re safe now.”
Gray swallowed back the panic. “They chained us and we couldn’t shift. My wolf was caught somewhere in a trap, held down—so weak. Couldn’t fight back.”
“It was silver,” Drake said. “There was nothing either one of you could have done to escape. They poisoned you from the beginning, weakening your ability to think, to reason, to plan. You survived because you are both strong. Because you are both brave.”
“I am not strong,” Gray snarled. “I let myself be taken. I was hunting alone and I had just shifted back to skin after a kill. I was proud of myself, celebrating my hunt. I wasn’t watching, I wasn’t wary. I’d forgotten everything Callan taught us in sentrie training, forgot everything the Alpha taught us abo
ut hunting. It’s my fault I was taken.”
Drake shook her head. “No. There are reasons we hunt together besides capturing our prey quickly and cleanly, but there are reasons you need to run alone too. There is no prohibition against a solo hunt. You broke no rules. What happened to you could’ve happened to any of us—except the Alpha.”
“A centuri would never have been captured.”
Drake laughed, and the sound rippled through Gray like sunshine at dawn. When had she last heard laughter?
“Someday, you may be as strong as a centuri. But for now, you are both more than strong enough.” Drake lightly gripped their legs. “Can you describe your captors?”
Katya’s grip on Gray’s hand tightened to the point Gray thought her bones would break, and she pushed closer, pressing her naked thigh to Katya’s. Sharing her warmth, reminding Katya as Katya had reminded her so many times that she was not alone in the dark.
“I remember voices,” Katya said slowly, “and hands touching me. Cold.”
Katya shuddered and fur rippled beneath Gray’s fingertips. Katya’s wolf wanted out of the cage, wanted freedom. In another second she would break free and bolt out the window, and they would have to hunt her down and bring her back. Gray couldn’t let her be a prisoner again.
Gray pulled Katya into her arms and tucked Katya’s face in to the curve of her neck. “It’s all right. No one will hurt you again.”
Katya whimpered and licked Gray’s neck, seeking comfort and security. Gray forced down a growl of fury at seeing her Packmate, so beautiful and strong, so terrified. She kept her voice soft, letting her wolf creep forward to nuzzle Katya’s ear. “Let me tell her.” She nipped Katya’s jaw and Katya curled more tightly against her.
“I’m sorry,” Katya whispered.
“No,” Gray said, firmly, realizing now that as tormented as she had felt in that cell, Katya had been more abused. They had given Katya the hormones to stimulate her glands, siphoned off her blood, drained her sex, used Katya’s body to excite Gray into ejaculating. Katya, a dominant Were, had been forced into submission over and over.