Tempest of Vengeance

by Tara Fox Hall

  Shit. Lash was probably right. Why hadn’t I pushed Theo to watch Elle? For the simple reason that I’d thought Elle was under house arrest, since she hadn’t been allowed to even see me. But I’d been wrong.

  Lash went the way Elle had, but he stopped at the next big junction of stores. He closed his eyes, and I saw his fangs lengthen as he changed form enough to access his snake’s superior sensory abilities. Lash scented the air with his tongue, flicking it out. Then he turned to the left.

  “That way.” We had been strolling, but now we were almost jogging.

  “Is it her, for sure?” I asked, running alongside him.

  “It’s her,” Lash said darkly. “And she’s not alone. The man with her is a werebear, Sar. He’s polar bear, not grizzly. The scent is more ice than forest.”

  I stumbled. Lash grabbed me, pulling me along without breaking stride. “It’s Ulysses,” I whispered.

  Lash turned to me and stopped walking, his eyes flat. “Sar, maybe you should stay here. Go into a store. No one will try anything in a store. There are too many security cameras. I will—”

  Elle needs me. I’m not staying here hiding. “Do you have an extra gun?” I demanded. “I’ve been practicing, I can shoot—”

  “Sure, in the truck,” Lash interrupted. “But not on me. I have my gun on my back, but that’s it.” I opened my mouth to speak, but he cut me off. “You’ll grab Elle, and I’ll do the rest. There’s likely a group of them outside the mall, and he’s leading her to them. Stay behind me and out of sight until they’re dead. Got it?”

  I nodded.

  Lash took off for the exit a hundred yards in front of us, and I raced after him, exiting the mall into the cold and clear night. “There!” he hissed, then he took off at a dead run toward the van on the very edge of parking lot, far from the other cars. Three men were standing around the back of it, as it rocked noticeably on its tires. I bit back a scream of outrage and went after Lash, sticking close to the vehicles so I didn’t present myself as a target. I was at least forty feet behind him when he drew his gun, silencer attached, the only record of the shot the flash of the muzzle.

  Lash shot two of the three standing there before the third drew a gun and fired back. His gun was also silenced. Lash darted aside at the last second, and the bullet cratered at his feet. He shot back again, and killed the man with a head shot, splattering blood over the van’s back in a dark wave.

  The van was still rocking, harder now. Lash strode to the back of the van, and then I saw a muzzle flash through the windows, the moment of the van abruptly stopping. A second later, Lash hauled out a badly wounded werebear leaking blood from a cratered chest, and grabbed him by the front of his shirt. He punched him in the face for good measure, and the werebear collapsed to the ground. I walked closer slowly, deathly afraid of what I might find inside that innocent looking blue van.

  “Sar, Elle needs you!” Lash shouted angrily. “Get your ass moving and get over here!”

  She’s alive. I shook off my fear, and ran to the open back doors as fast as I could. Lash began dialing his cell phone. The doors were open. Elle lay there, naked, on an inflatable mattress, close to the type I’d been on with Lash in the Everglades. She was unconscious, but her chest rose and fell as she breathed. There was blood on her lip, where she had been punched. And there was blood on her thighs, where she’d likely been forced.

  Oh God...

  For all her talk about wanting to be with a man, Elle had most likely been a virgin. I climbed in beside her, and tried to rouse her.

  “Elle?” I said softly, shaking her shoulders. “Elle!”

  She blinked her eyes, and looked up at me.

  “Mom!” she cried, bursting into tears. I put my arms around her, and hugged her to me. I just held her for a few moments as she sobbed in my arms, biting my lip hard and fighting tears myself. I knew I should be telling her we needed to get her to the doctor, but I kept silent, determined not to rush her. A few minutes wouldn’t matter, and she needed this time to feel safe enough to pull herself together.

  Devlin’s voice called from outside, anxious. A moment later he peered in through the open door, then averted his eyes in anguish. “I’ll bring around the Hummer as fast as I can.”

  I nodded, still hugging Elle.

  Lash closed the open door, then stood at the back of the van facing away, his gun still out. Elle saw him, and cried harder, knowing that he’d seen her like this, and knew what had happened to her.

  “Here, Elle.” I jerked off my jacket, then stripped off my long gray sweater. The long loose garment went to my knees and wrapped about me like a robe, with a tie in front. I helped her put it on, and then put back on my jacket. Elle was thinner and taller than I was, but the sweater still covered all of her, and it was heavy wool. She’d be warm enough. I held her again after she was clothed, and didn’t say anything, angry vengeful thoughts flooding my brain.

  Damn it! I’d done so much to warn her, tried to tell her how quickly control could shift if she was alone with a man! And it was too late now, because no matter what else happened, what those monsters had done to her would never, ever go away. But that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to burn Ulysses alive for what he’d done to her, him and whomever stood in my way to him.

  Devlin pulled up beside us in a few more minutes with the Hummer. I helped Elle into the back seat, where I again held her in my arms. She was subdued, but able to answer my questions, enough so I understood she wasn’t in any pain. Devlin got in front, and took the wheel. Lash didn’t get in with us, and I surmised as we drove off that he had stayed behind to take care of the bodies, and also to take the last bear back to Hayden, where he could be questioned.

  Devlin called Stephen on his cell phone to tell him to meet us at his office, that Elle had been hurt. I thought quickly about teleporting to save travel time, but surmised Stephen needed at least a half hour or more to get there to his office. There was no point beating him there, as we’d just have to wait for him to arrive anyway. I didn’t want to involve Titus or Terian to go and get him. I crazily debated telling Stephen to just drink some demon blood already so he wouldn’t have to always waste so much time commuting, but decided he might not be receptive to the idea.

  Stephen met us at the office, and led Elle and I into Exam Room One. Elle asked me to leave the room immediately, so she could talk to him alone. I nodded, and went back to Devlin, who was in the waiting room. He slipped his arms around me, and I hugged him, though we didn’t talk.

  Stephen came out a half hour later, shutting the door behind him. “The physical damage is minimal. Elle has healed most of it already. She’s sleeping now; I’ve given her a sedative. But she’s going to need counseling for this, Sar.”

  “Lash said there were four of them. Did they all...?” Devlin said softly.

  I couldn’t breathe. I’d just assumed we’d been in time to prevent that.

  Stephen shook his head. “Just the one. I’ve given her a morning-after pill, just to be safe. And I’ve done STD tests, too. She can call tomorrow for the results, I’ll rush them through.”

  I stifled a sob, nodding, as Devlin hugged me tightly. “I need to call Theo. Or go see him. He needs to know—”

  “She doesn’t want anyone to know about what happened,” Stephen said. “She’s adamant about it.”

  “He’s her father, and he needs to know,” I said bluntly.

  Stephen nodded.

  “Can she go home?”

  Stephen nodded again.

  “Call me tomorrow, and let me know of a good therapist, besides Carol,” I said to Steven. “I need one who is a witch at least, if not more powerful.” One who knew how to protect her mind, because part of what happened was my fault, for letting Ulysses know Danial and I had a daughter named Elle.

  He nodded once more. “Call tomorrow, Sarelle, and I’ll give you the name and number.”

  “Thank you,” I said, and turned to Devlin. “Can you carry her?” I asked him. �
�I’ll teleport you, her, and me to Danial’s. We can get her settled in bed. I’ll tell Theo what happened.”

  Devlin nodded, and a second later, we three were at Danial’s home. I had gambled that Tears hadn’t blocked every room from teleportation, just the major ones which staff were allowed in. So I tried to teleport to Devon’s old room that was storage space now, and it worked.

  We walked to Elle’s room, and Devlin and I put her in bed. He turned his back while I put a nightgown on her. Stephen had already allowed her to clean herself up, though I expected she would be taking a long shower when she awakened. I left her a note, telling her to call me if she wanted to talk, and that I would be coming to see her tomorrow, if she wanted to see anyone, that is. I wasn’t sure what else to do, so I kissed her sleeping form, and closed the door to her room.

  Now for the hard part. “Wait here,” I said, looking at Devlin. “I need to talk to Theo.”

  “I’m coming with you,” Devlin said stubbornly. “I don’t need to breathe in your scent to know you’re really upset by what’s happened. And he’s probably going to be a jerk when he sees you, like usual—”

  “Dev,” I said dangerously, and he shut up. But secretly I was thankful of his insisting. I hadn’t seen Theo since the night he’d attacked me. I didn’t want to be alone with him under any circumstances.

  I walked into the great room. No one came out to see who was there, but then, Titus, Rip, Terian and I were the only ones who could teleport in. Terian was most likely at the were compound, if he was home yet, with Sundown. For all I knew Theo was there, too, though I expected he was still sleeping in the main house, in order to guard T and Elle. Great lot of good that had done her, all his bullshit about keeping her from seeing me to keep her safe!

  Stop it, Sar. It’s as much your fault as it is his.

  I turned to Devlin. “Who’s here?”

  He closed his eyes and listened. “T’s in Danial’s bedroom, sleeping I guess,” he said, after a moment. “The upstairs is empty. Jenny and Theo are below us, at least, two weres are there—”

  The basement door opened, and Theo stood there, gun in hand, with only his jeans on. He looked as buff as always, and my gaze roamed his skin before I slapped myself mentally, and focused.

  He looked at me and Devlin with narrowed eyes. “What are you two skulking around up here for?” he spat, his eyes angry and his tone icy. “Couldn’t you have called first, before you barged in?”

  “No,” I said calmly, trying to be patient. “There’s an emergency. Get some clothes on, and come outside with me. I have to speak to you privately—”

  “Fuck off,” Theo said, glaring at me. “Say whatever it is you need to say, Sarelle, or I’m going back to bed. Jenny’s waiting for me.”

  “Get your fucking clothes on now, and go with her!” Devlin growled, his eyes red. “You are going to thank me for insisting later, Theopolis.”

  Theo caught the note in Dev’s voice, and his eyes went a little yellow. He turned without a word, and went back in the basement, closing the door behind him. He appeared a moment later with his shoes on, and a T-shirt. He had just shrugged into a long sleeved cotton shirt when Jenny appeared behind him in her robe. It was like mine had been, a light blue velvet one. She looked a little flushed, too, but I didn’t know if that was from being in her bathrobe in front of us or because they had been having sex when we arrived.

  I opened my mouth to ask Theo if he couldn’t have gotten another color for her, then shut it. It wasn’t my business. Not anymore. At least I knew it wasn’t my robe. Mine was ashes in the ruins of my house.

  “Let’s go,” Theo growled at me, making me start. “I need to get back to bed.” He turned to Jenny and kissed her at length, and then told her to wait for him below.

  “I could wait with her,” Devlin purred, smiling at Jenny. “Keep her safe for you, Theo.”

  I saw her expression when she noticed him, that look of instant desire I thought it was likely every woman had when they first saw him. I felt a flash of pride he was mine, and grinned a little, because I knew he’d done this on purpose, to make me feel better.

  “Good Evening, Jenny. I’m Devlin, Danial’s brother. I’m sure you’ve heard of me?”

  “Jenny, go below now,” Theo growled, and she turned right around and left without a word. Just like a good Stepford wife...excuse me, mate, should.

  Theo turned to Devlin. “If I smell you went downstairs, Dalcon, I’ll—”

  “Save it,” Devlin said arrogantly, hugging me gently around the waist from behind. “I’ve got all the woman I need right here. I don’t need to go after one of yours, at least not anymore.”

  “Jenny’s all I need and want,” Theo growled, heading toward the mud room. “Get moving, Sarelle, before I reconsider.”

  Theo walked first out the front door. Devlin drew me back, and put his mouth over my ear, making it look as if he was kissing me. But instead he whispered to me. “Sar, go to the big maple tree on the front lawn. I can see you, and hear you from there if you scream, but I can’t hear your spoken words, so no one else should overhear. No one else is around. Scream if you need me, and run toward me. I can make it to you before Theo can, even if he shifts.”

  “Okay,” I whispered gratefully, then turned away from him and followed Theo. He was waiting for me impatiently on the lawn. We walked together to the maple tree, where he turned to me.

  “Start talking, and make it fast,” he growled. “I haven’t got all night.”

  I didn’t know how to say it, so I just said it. “Elle was hurt tonight, Theo.”

  Theo looked at me in total shock. “She was here all night. I saw her go to her room at six, she said she had a stomachache—”

  “She was at the mall by about seven or eight. And she wasn’t alone.”

  “God damn it!” Theo roared.

  I slapped him hard. He snarled at me, and I put my hands on his shoulders, and dug in my fingers. “Lower your voice!” I hissed loudly. “Elle was hurt in a way she doesn’t want anyone to know about! Understand?”

  Theo looked at me in horror, and then all the fire went out of him. “No, not Elle—”

  “She’s okay,” I interrupted. “Dev and I took her to Stephen, and he took care of her. He’ll have results tomorrow on her tests, and she’s not pregnant.”

  “Was it more than one, or...?” Theo asked in a whisper.

  I wanted to slap him again harder. What was it with men, that that was important? “One,” I said coldly.

  “I’ll have to thank Dev,” Theo said morosely. “He saved—”

  “You can thank Lash by phone,” I said bitingly. “He’s at Hayden.”

  “He saved her?” Theo snarled. “That fuck!”

  I slapped him again with everything I had, and this time, it was enough to piss him off. “Stop hitting me, you bitch!”

  “Your daughter was raped, and you care more that a man you hate saved her than about her,” I said hatefully. “If he hadn’t been with me when I saw her, and acted as fast as he had, the gang rape they were planning would have happened! Elle might be dead now, not just traumatized!”

  Theo closed his eyes and swallowed hard, his jaw working. I gave him a minute to pull it together. “Are they dead?” he asked finally.

  “All but one, the one who did the deed. He’s at Hayden, I’d assume in the dungeon. Lash is probably questioning him right now.”

  “Good,” Theo growled. “I want to kill him myself.” He moved to go.

  I forced myself to touch his shoulder, while keeping as far away from him as possible. “She didn’t want me to tell you, to have anyone else know. But if it had been you who’d known, I knew you’d tell me. Please watch over her tomorrow. The sedative Stephen gave her should last until noon or so. I left her a note to call me tomorrow, but she may feel too upset. Please, if you think she needs me, call me, and I’ll come and talk to her. Agreed?”

  Theo pulled me close. “Thank you, Sar.”

 
I was stiff in his arms, remembering him trying to turn me. I’d never been afraid of him before, but I was afraid of him now.

  “I’ll call you tomorrow. Thank you for telling me, and for insisting we come out here, so no one but me would know. I’m sorry I was so—”

  “It’s okay,” I said, pushing him away, and stepping past him in a fast walk towards Devlin and safety. “But I need to get back.”

  Theo nodded, following me to the house. Devlin waited, leaning against the front door, watching us. As I came to stand by him, he slipped an arm around me.

  “Thank you for insisting,” Theo said grudgingly to Devlin. “I’ll come tomorrow afternoon or night, to kill that bear.”

  Devlin nodded. “We’ll save him for you.”

  Theo went past him into the house, and Devlin shut the door behind him. I walked with him to the edge of the trees, and from there, teleported us home to Hayden. Without a word, I let him lead me to his bathroom, where we showered together. I’d held in tears all night, and here I finally let them fall, sobbing loudly. Devlin didn’t say anything, just held me under the pulsing flow of water. I was grateful for his silence. There was nothing he could say that was going to make me feel any better about what had happened to Elle.

  After I finally calmed down, we got out, and I dressed in one of my nightgowns, the one Devlin liked best, a little slip of black silk that had thin straps, and went to mid-thigh. Sexy though it was, I took comfort from its familiarity, and that wearing it would please him.

  Just as we got into bed, there was a knock at the door. Devlin got up to answer it, revealing Lash, still dressed in his clothes from the mall. There was a spattering of blood on the left side of his face, and blood here and there on his clothes.

  “He’s in a cell, unconscious,” Lash hissed, ignoring me. “I think I got everything from him.”

  “What was the plan?” Dev asked reluctantly. I understood that: I didn’t want to hear what had most likely been in store for Elle. But I needed to hear it, too, to remember it, so if Ulysses or his bastards were ever in my sights I wouldn’t hesitate to kill them all.