Above This Grave (The Cloven Pack Series: Book Three)

by D. Fischer

  Flint Rockland

  Ben hangs up the phone on the way back to the house. “Jacob said she severed herself from their Pack.”

  I stop dead in my tracks, my heart pounding, my wolf terrified. “What does that mean?”

  “It means we have limited time to find her. She’s gone Rogue. If she’s out there, roaming the streets with no place to go, no Pack, it won’t take long before insanity kicks in.”

  Romaine, Ben, and I ascend the stairs to the porch, Kat waiting on a lawn chair. Rage rips through my body, but she pays no mind to my shaky frame. She steps into our path.

  “I need to talk to you guys.”

  “Not now, witch,” I snarl. “We’re busy.” I move to walk past her. She steps in my way.

  “It’s about Irene,” she says with confidence.

  I stop, my thunderous expression turning to hers. “What about her?”

  “She was blackmailed by someone named Jazz.”

  “What?” Ben barks.

  “She had no choice but to play spy. They have her brother.”

  My face relaxes, realization cooling my heated temperature. I remember her talking about her brother with adoration, and then she quickly skipped the rest of the topic. That’s what she was hiding.

  Why isn’t anyone who they say they are anymore? Why does everything come with layers of secrets and deceit?

  “Where is she?” I ask.

  Kat hesitates as all three of our eyes glow. She pulls at the bottom of her shirt, nervous to reveal information to us.

  “She went to Jazz,” she mumbles.

  “Why the fuck would she do that?” I yell.

  Kat flinches. “She was told to bring the baby in exchange for her brother. After Dyson was left dead on your doorstep, she made a plan—to offer herself in exchange for the baby.”

  “She’s sacrificing herself and her brother?” Romaine asks, disbelief in his voice.

  Kat nods. “You can’t let her. You have to go after her.”

  I rake a hand through my hair and begin pacing the deck. I need to do something—I have to do something. That’s my mate. Our mating hasn’t progressed enough that if she died, I would die. That’s of no matter. I won’t let her sacrifice herself, even if she kept all this from me and almost betrayed my Alphas.

  Evo steps out of the broken glass sliding door. “What’s going on? Is the interrogation done?”

  Ben tells him everything—from what the vampire said, to the double crossing of Irene. Then Kat tells him her side of the story.

  Evo grabs his hair before dropping his hands to his sides. He thinks for a moment, his jaw ticking. “This night just gets better and better,” he says sarcastically. He stretches his neck, stress lines wrinkle his forehead, and he glances up at me. “Flint . . . ” I stop my pacing and glance at him. “Any idea how to find your mate?” His face holds sympathy.

  Shock raises my eyebrows. I thought Evo would want to destroy her once he found out. I think for a moment. Dyson would know, but he’s dead. Dead people can’t talk. I glance at Kat. “Can you conjure the dead?”

  She shakes her head. “Anything against the natural order—death or dying—is against the rules. It has some serious repercussions. You don’t mess with the realms and their order.”

  “Fuck,” I growl. Ben places a hand on my shoulder. “Dyson said something about research. What was he researching?”

  Evo frowns. “I have no idea. I was giving him space to deal with his . . . you know.” He clears his throat. “I didn’t know he was working on anything.”

  The silence stretches on as we take a moment to breathe deeply and come up with a solution. The mention of Dyson’s names cuts fresh wounds into our hearts.

  “Maybe he has something in his quarters?” Kat whispers, shrugging when we glance at her.

  “It’s worth a shot,” Romaine says.

  The thought of going inside his quarters, seeing evidence of Dyson’s once life, causes me to take pause. An internal war shifts inside me, a tornado of emotions and reluctance, before I take action.

  I descend the steps two at a time and head toward Dyson’s quarters. Everyone, including Kat, follows me as I jog there. I hesitate at the door knob, my hand curling around it and gripping it with more force than necessary.

  Ben places his hand over mine. “Together,” he suggests.

  I nod back, letting him know I appreciate it, and we turn the handle together. One by one, we advance into the room, shock crossing all our faces. Lining the walls are hand drawn and computer animated maps. News clippings from unexplained malicious dog attacks, robberies, pictures of people who once belonged to a Pack, all line the walls. I examine a name and face I recognize from earlier.

  The picture had Dyson’s handwriting on it. In red permanent ink, it says Zane Michaels. The picture is pinned next to his information: Rogue, once a member of the Lotus Pack. Banned for treachery.

  I continue down the line of pictures. Several of them and their descriptions are pinned to this wall.

  Ben stands behind me and glances at Zane’s picture. “That’s one of the guys who attacked Bre.”

  “He’s also the guy who killed Dyson,” I mumble. I vow for him to be the first to go. My wolf growls in agreement.

  I step over to the other wall—the one Evo and Kat glance at full of maps and locations. Feeling me coming up behind him, Evo nods toward the map he’s studying, labeled ‘The Castle.’

  “This isn’t too far from here,” he says, tapping the map.

  “They’ve been under our noses the whole time,” I mumble.

  Evo rakes a hand through his hair. “And he knew the whole time.”

  “Yeah.” I stuff my hands into my pockets.

  “Guys,” Romaine calls. We turn to face him and he waves around a piece of paper. “He left a note.”

  I stride over to him and snatch the note, my eyes flitting over the hand script.

  Flint,

  If you’re reading this, I’m already gone. I made a terrible error, and for that, I apologize.

  During captivity, I made a deal with George. In exchange for your life, I offered my servitude—to report back to him about our Pack. At the time, I believed I didn’t have a choice. But I did.

  After George died, I thought I was free. But I wasn’t. Jazz found me, claimed that the favor was now hers. Since she and George were a team, I was now her unwilling servant.

  I plan to go to her tonight. To do what I should have done with George. Should I not live, I hope you can forgive me for all I’ve done.

  Dyson

  I hold the note in shaky hands, rereading the words before Evo takes the note and reads it himself.

  “Fuck,” he growls. “Why the hell is everything going to shit!” He passes the note to Ben before pacing back and forth in a short line, his hands on his hips.

  “I’ve got to go, Kenna is calling me,” he grumbles after a moment. “Ben, let me know the plan.”

  Ben nods and Evo makes his way out of Dyson’s quarters.

  Kat rocks on her heels, her hands stuffed into the back pockets of her jeans. “So, what is the plan?”

  Ben sighs. “Flint.” I glance at him. “Call the Riva Pack. Romaine, gather our wolves—leave two behind to help guard Evo and Kenna.”

  Kat asks again, a little impatient, “What’s the plan, guys?”

  I glance at her. “We’re going to storm the fucking Castle and burn it to the ground.”

  ChapterThirteen

  Irene Scott

  They take me out back, purposefully dragging me along so my feet can’t keep up. I keep my eyes on the ground, trying to maintain my balance.

  “Irene?” a voice croaks in horror.

  I glance up, searching for the voice. My eyes land on a man tied to a tree. My heart seizes in my chest. “Drake!” I yell.

  Zane yanks me, wordlessly telling me to shut up. I don’t care.

  “Are you okay?” I ask as they tie me to the tree next to him.

 
He doesn’t answer. His bones protruding out of his skin let me know that they haven’t been feeding him. Dark circles under his eyes and bruises, fresh and old cuts, riddle his exposed skin. Wearing ripped, dirty clothes, the smell that comes from him would have wrinkled my nose on a normal day. They haven’t been letting him bathe, either.

  Zane cinches the rope too tight and I hiss in pain.

  “Don’t hurt her!” Drake yells, fighting against his ropes with weak strength. His eyes glow wolf.

  A tear falls down my face, reality setting in. The wolves step back, Luke grinning like a fool. He holds a large stick with fire lit on the end.

  I turn back to my brother. “I love you.”

  His eyes narrow at the torch. “What are you doing here? You should have run,” he growls to me. “You should have never come back.”

  “It’s more complicated than that,” I mumble, another tear streaming down my face.

  The reflecting light from the flaming torch dances across his skin as Luke draws closer. Luke giggles hysterically, like a cackling hyena, and slowly lowers the flaming torch to Drake’s leg. Drake’s eye narrow as he tries to hold his ground, but he can’t hold back the scream when the flames singe the hairs. The smell of burning flesh reaches my nose.

  “Stop!” I yell, fighting against my ropes. Drakes screams ricochet against the tree. “Stop it!”

  Luke lifts the flame from his skin and my brother’s screams quiet to whimpers. Luke glances at me, a smile spreading across his face as the Rogue members watch with interest. He heads my direction, intent on the same assault. I lean as far away from him as I can when his breath fans across my face. “Such a pretty little thing.” He licks my cheek and I recoil. My eyes glow, my wolf angered by the unwanted touch.

  He lowers the flame and I beg. “Please, no.” I shake my head back and forth. “Please, don’t.”

  Drake yells at him, repeating the same words. Jazz makes her way through the crowd. Zane follows her with a gas can, the contents sloshing around inside. “Enough, Luke. Your fun will come.”

  Luke hesitates for a moment, his smile disappearing before he steps back. The breath I’ve been holding is released, blessed air reaching my lungs.

  Makenna Goldwin

  I groan as another contraction hits. Evo massages my back as I lean against the bed from my standing position. The pain throbs in waves of heat.

  The flex of my abdominal muscles relaxes and I rock back and forth, still leaning on the bed. “I need drugs. Lots and lots of drugs.”

  Reese glances at me. “You’re too late for drugs.”

  I wipe my hair out of my face. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

  Reese’s eyes widen, taken aback by my attitude. “You’ve passed that mark, honey.” She pats the bed. “Here, lay down. Let me confirm.”

  My mom and Evo help me into the bed. Bre disappeared a while ago, and I haven’t seen Irene since I came to my room. It was nearing dawn already, and no one seemed to be around.

  Reese slides her fingers in and checks my cervix. “Yep, I feel the hair. No drugs.”

  I groan as another contraction hits. Reese checks her watch.

  “It’s okay, baby,” Evo murmurs, pushing hair from my face as soon as I flop my head on the pillow. Sweat beads there, and everywhere else that I didn’t know could sweat.

  “Oh, you shut your mouth!” I yell. “This baby is ripping out of me, Evo. And you’re keeping things from me. I may be pushing a watermelon from a teeny, tiny hole, but that doesn’t make me oblivious.” I grunt, pain in my lower back rippling up my spine. “And my best friend isn’t here. My midwife is off the radar.” I glance at Reese. “I feel like I need to push.”

  Reese lifts my dress again. “Oh wow.”

  “Oh wow?” I snarl. “Oh wow? That’s your professional assessment?”

  She ignores me. “Okay honey, on your next contraction, I want you to push, okay?”

  Oh, shit. This is going to hurt. I’m almost done, the baby is almost here. I can do this.

  I grip the sheets, feeling the beginning of my stomach muscles tighten. I –moan—a deep moan that sounds foreign to my own –ears—and push as instructed. Squeezing Evo and my mom’s hands with all my strength, a scream rips from my throat.

  Flint Rockland

  We pull into the gravel road and park our two cars a mile from our destination. I throw the map on the dashboard. There are no street lamps here—the only thing lighting the landscape is the moon and stars.

  Ben, Romaine, Bre, Victoria, Jessup, Evalyn, and I climb out of the cars, our feet crunching on gravel. I slam my door shut and begin pacing.

  “We’ll get her, Flint,” Bre says, attempting to comfort me.

  “Before they kill her? Or after they torture her?” I growl.

  She remains silent, her eyes averting from mine. She can’t guarantee either of these things and she knows it.

  “The Riva Pack should be here any minute,” Ben comments, checking his watch.

  We remain quiet, the only noise are the birds as they chirp in the trees, awake and already searching for their meals. We’ll be entering those trees, leading us straight to Jazz and her band of fucking assholes.

  My wolf paces inside me, mimicking my own actions, ready for battle.

  Headlights flick across the gravel and over our clothes. The Riva Pack is here. I begin walking toward the first car, anxious to get this going. Jacob exits, along with his Beta, Rex.

  Concern and anger mar Jacob’s flawless face. The car lights reflect off his hairless head before the lights shut themselves off automatically.

  “Thanks for calling,” Jacob begins. “Where are they?”

  Ben points, standing next to me with my Pack behind our backs. “That way, about a mile. We’ll be going through these trees.”

  Rex and Jacob nod, several of their wolves now behind them, listening in.

  Ben continues, “These are Rogue wolves we’re dealing with. They’ll fight dirty, and most likely have weapons. The goal here is to retrieve Irene and her brother.”

  “And to kill as many of the fuckers as you can,” I add.

  ChapterFourteen

  Irene Scott

  I watch, fidgeting with my ropes again, as they pour gasoline over my brother. He squirms against the tree, trying to get away from the offending and destructive liquid.

  Jazz stands back, examining a fingernail. The Rogues around her chat with each other, like this is some social gathering and not an execution. My wolf snorts in disgust. They have no sympathy for their own kind, not a drop of humanity left in them.

  Zane checks the binds around our wrists again, making sure they are secure, while Luke travels in my direction with the gas can. “Time to burn that pretty skin of yours, little lady. It’s a real shame. I could lick every inch of you, maybe take a bite or two. A real beauty.” He licks his lips, giggles, and lifts the can.

  A few drops pour on my skin, the smell burning my nose and eyes, when a howl sounds in the distance. All the Rogue wolves and I glance in the direction. Luke pauses his pouring when more wolves follow the first howl.

  Hope blooms in my chest before I squash it. Hope is a dangerous thing. It can suck you into its depths with such promise before it shatters before your eyes.

  “Light the fire!” Jazz yells.

  Luke drops the can of gas and uses his other hand that’s holding the lit torch.

  My brother pleads unintelligible words as I cry. “No. No! You can’t! Leave him alone!” I fight against my ropes with all my strength. I vaguely think to shift, but I know in the position I’m in, it’ll do more harm than good. The ropes would break my wolf’s bones, rendering me useless to help my brother.

  Luke touches the fire to my brother’s skin and he’s immediately engulfed.

  “Drake!” I yell. His screams erupt into the night. The sounds inhuman, thick, and full of an unimaginable pain.

  Flint Rockland

  All partially shifted, we race through the trees toward
the Rogue Pack. Low hanging tree branches snap against my arms, face, and torso. All the men left our shirts behind in favor of better movement.

  From the excitement, many of our entourage howls as they race, echoing through the trees and encouraging me to move faster.

  The smell of burning flesh reaches my nose. This tells me two things: One, we are close. Two, they’re burning a body. The stench is unmistakable.

  My wolf and I panic, frightened that it’s our mate. The probability is high for such a scenario.

  Wolves, some partially shifted, some half-shifted, begin to head in our direction from the other end of the trees. Snarls and growls break through as they clash with our wolves.

  The first to engage is Ben and Bre—the leaders of our group. Ben grabs the first wolf and throws him, slamming him into a nearby tree. I barely avoid the hurling body and then keep pushing forward.

  Bre is now out of my vision as Ben attempts to clear my path. He shifts to my peripheral vision before he’s no longer visible, and I keep running toward the burning smell.

  A partially shifted wolf steps in my way. A male with blond hair giggles as he stalks closer. The sound escaping his mouth is distorted by his canines. I take a stalking step toward him, intent to destroy.

  A blur of chocolate fur barrels into the partially shifted wolf, knocking both of them to the ground. Snarls and teeth clashing vibrate in my ears. The chocolate-colored wolf is Jacob, his scent reaching my nose as the breeze shifts.

  I veer around them and continue forward, reaching the end of the tree line. The battle noises behind me sing through the night. Screams of pain, howls, growls, curses—I leave it behind as I advance out of the woods. I halt in a small clearing at the side of a large shed. My eyes zoom in on the blaze that has a whole tree lit on fire.

  Jazz’s back is turned to me. She talks to my mate not far from the burning tree. Her long, platinum hair flat as a board, even with the slight breeze. Another larger man, Zane, turns his body as he hears my feet rustle against the grass. I continue advancing, intent on getting to my mate and mowing down this bastard in my way. A sneer contorts his lips as he matches my steps.