by Regan Ure
It took me thirty minutes before our cars pulled up alongside Gabe's and we all got out.
Curtis and Keri are werewolves, Gabe informed me as I came to a standstill beside him. The statement threw me. I had no idea. How had they been able to cover that up?
They belong to Victor's pack, he told me.
From where we stood I spotted them loading some stuff into a helicopter. It was time to take action. We shifted into our wolf forms and then we crept up and surrounded them before they could run. They were outnumbered and they knew it.
I shifted as my fighters, who were now in human form as well, held Keri and Curtis in front of me. They looked at me defiantly.
"Where is she?" I spat at Curtis but he refused to talk. It was hard to think that I'd trusted him. The betrayal I felt—I pushed it down. I couldn't let that cloud my mind.
I was about to make him talk with the persuasion of my fists when I got a faint whiff of a scent.
It was Scarlett. I could smell her.
I shifted so that I would be able to smell her scent better and I followed it through the field. It got stronger.
Scar! I called out to her. Then I spotted a building and, at the open door on her knees, was Scarlett. Relief filled me at the sight of her. She was alive.
Scar! I called out to her again as I ran as fast as I could to her. Two of my fighters followed behind me.
I watched with horror as she clutched her heart and gasped in pain. She crumpled to the floor like a broken doll.
I shifted the moment I reached her. I reached for her and lay her gently on her back. I scanned her face frantically trying to figure out what had happened.
The bruises and blood made my heart crack. She'd been beaten badly.
"Scarlett, talk to me," I said, desperation creeping into my voice. I had no idea what was wrong.
Then I heard her heart stop beating.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Scarlett
I gasped and filled my lungs with air. My chest hurt as the numbness in my body gave way to pain. I groaned. My throat was sore and it hurt to swallow.
"Scar," I heard someone whisper. Disorientated, I tried to figure out who the source of the voice was. My eyelids felt so heavy and I struggled to open them.
"Come on, Scar, open your eyes," the voice pleaded in a whisper. The voice was so close.
The sun blinded me for a moment as I opened one eye. Then I saw a face appear above me.
Cade. His eyes were filled with concern and I swear I saw moisture by his eyes. I wanted to reach out and brush it away but it hurt when I tried to lift my arms.
Everything rushed back in that moment: Curtis kidnapping and taking me to Victor, discovering Keri was a werewolf and Victor's daughter. One after another I relived them as they flitted through my mind.
I clutched at my chest when I remembered the pain and then the nothingness. I felt my heart pounding in my ears at the fear of what had happened.
Cade leaned closer.
"It's okay, Scar, I've got you," he soothed.
"Cade..." I said in a hoarse voice.
"You're okay," he assured me as he pressed a kiss to my forehead.
I remembered the syringe and Victor injecting me with air just before I killed him.
"What...happened?" I managed to ask.
Cade brushed my hair from my face gently.
"You died…your heart stopped beating...I panicked so I did the only thing I could think of, I started CPR," he explained. “Just when I didn’t think you were going to pull through I heard a faint pulse. Somehow you came back.”
Then I realized what the moisture by his eyes was. They were tears, tears he'd cried because he thought he'd lost me. I lifted a finger and brushed the tear from his face.
"We need to go," said one of the members of our pack.
I remembered Victor telling me about attacking our pack. I reached out and clutched Cade's shirt.
"The pack?" I gasped, feeling panicked.
"Everything is okay. The fight is over and we won," he told me with relief.
"We'll talk about everything later," he said. "We are still in enemy territory and we need to get out of here before someone sees us."
I wasn't sure what happened or who took over from Victor now that he was dead.
"I killed Victor," I whispered.
"You killed Victor?" Cade repeated in disbelief.
"He is in the basement of the building," I told him. His eyes pierced mine and for a moment an array of emotions passed through them. First fear, then anger and finally pride shone in his eyes.
"Go and get the body," he instructed one of the guys.
He looked back down to me, and his eyes softened.
"Let's get you home," he said. One of the guys stepped forward to pick me up but Cade shook his head.
"I've got her," he said and he lifted me as gently as he could into his arms. I bit on my lip to keep myself from crying out in pain when the small action jarred my aching body.
I clutched at his shirt and buried my face against his chest, savoring the smell of him. I felt safe. After going through everything that I had, I was finally safe.
I was light and effortless to carry for his arms. When we reached some cars I saw Keri and Curtis being put into the back of one of the vehicles. At that moment my eyes connected with Keri's. Her face was void of any emotion. I wanted to be angry with her and I wanted to hate her, but I couldn't.
If I'd grown up with a father like Victor I would have turned out the same. What I felt for her was sympathy. Victor had been a very cold and cruel man and to have been brought up with that must have been a never-ending nightmare.
Someone opened up the back door to the other car and Cade got in the back seat with me. I curled up against him and he put a protective arm around me. The car ride back was long but Cade held me the entire time, soothing me with words.
By the time I saw the familiar surroundings of his house I was in a lot of pain, but I felt relieved. Cade helped me out of the back seat, and then I was standing with his arm around me, supporting me, when Blake came rushing out the door.
"I'm so glad to see you," he said, sounding relieved as his eyes fixed on me.
"And I'm glad to see you," I replied, giving him a weak smile.
A sound from behind us pulled Blake's attention away.
The other car had parked behind ours and the fighters held Keri and Curtis.
My heart hurt a little when Blake's eyes narrowed and fixed on Keri. He smelled her werewolf scent. I didn't know if he'd been told before now about what or who she was.
His features changed from happiness and relief to betrayal and anger. He knew that she was a werewolf and must have guessed that she belonged to Victor's pack. Soon he would find out that she hadn't just betrayed him, but that she was also the daughter of their biggest enemy.
There were a few moments of strained silence.
"Lift your shirt," Blake ordered her softly, like no one else standing around them existed. For a moment I was confused at his request; then I realized what he wanted to see.
Was it possible? Not once had it ever crossed my mind that they might be mates.
Her gaze fell to the floor as her fingers reached for the hem of her shirt and she lifted the material slowly.
My eyes flickered to Blake, who had an unreadable expression on his face, but I saw his jaw tighten. The calmness on the outside hid the turbulent emotions in him.
My gaze went back to Keri.
Her birthmark was a half-moon-shaped birthmark. Blake's pack had been the silver moon pack. My eyes flickered from the birthmark to Blake's face.
He stared at the birthmark like someone had sucker-punched him, and then raised his eyes to hers. Keri's eyes remained on his as she anticipated his reaction.
He never said another word. Instead he gave her a look of disgust and revulsion before he turned and walked away. I looked back to see a tear slide down Keri's face.
There were no words
to describe the scene I'd just witnessed. I couldn't help but feel sorry for both of them.
I looked to Cade and his eyes were fixed on the retreating back of his best friend. Cade swung his angry gaze to the fighters that held the prisoners.
"Take them to the cells," he commanded. The fighters steered the prisoners into the house and they disappeared inside.
This whole situation was so complicated and I didn't know if they would be able to work through it. I couldn't imagine what they were going through. I was glad that Cade and I didn't have the obstacles that they did.
"Scarlett," I heard someone say and I turned to see Kyle rush forward. Gary stood behind him, looking anxious.
"Easy there, she's injured." Cade put his hand out when Kyle tried to pull me into a hug.
"Sorry, it's just...I'm...so glad to see you," he said as he ran a hand through his hair.
"Let's get her upstairs," Gary said like a concerned parent as he stepped forward and touched my hand.
"I'm okay, just a little sore," I said as Cade lifted me gently back into his arms.
Gary and Kyle followed Cade as he carried me into the house all the way up to our bedroom. At the doorway, they both stood as Cade laid me down on the bed.
"I'll be back later to check on you," Kyle assured me with a smile before they both left.
Cade closed the door and turned to face me.
Jake. You're in charge for the moment. Blake is busy and I'm taking care of Scarlett, he told him through the mind-link.
No problem, Jake replied.
"I want to shower," I said as I tried to get up. He rushed over and helped me to my feet.
"You should be resting," he insisted but I glared at him.
"I'm smelly and dirty," I grumped. "I'll feel better once I've had a shower."
He let out a sigh as his arm slipped around my waist.
"Let's go," he said as he helped me into the bathroom.
We stripped off our clothes and he got into the shower with me. I leaned my head against the wall as he gently soaped me down and then rinsed me off. My chest still hurt and my stomach still ached.
Outside the shower he dried me off with a towel. I couldn't help but gasp when I saw my face in the mirror. I looked awful.
"It will look better tomorrow," Cade soothed as he stood behind me.
He helped me into one of his shirts before he carried me back to the bed.
Someone from the medical center came to look me over. They’d wanted me to go stay in the medical center for the night under observation but I’d refused. Cade told them he would watch over me. I was told to rest and they gave me some painkillers.
Once they left, Cade got into the bed with me. I was starving so he brought me some food which I ate quickly.
"So what happened?" I asked as I put the empty plate on the bedside table. My eyelids felt so heavy. My mind wanted answers but my body wanted to sleep.
"Sleep, Scar," he instructed gently as I shifted to lay my head on his chest. "We can talk tomorrow."
The pills helped ease the pain and I drifted to sleep.
When I woke up I was lying on my stomach. Cade was awake and lying next to me, watching me.
"Hi," he whispered and he pressed a kiss to my forehead. For a moment I smiled and then all the memories of the previous day came back to me.
I rolled onto my back and groaned. I wasn't in as much pain as yesterday, but it would be a few days before I healed totally. I wondered what my face looked like today.
"How are you feeling?" Cade asked with concern.
"I'm still in a little pain but I'm sure I'll be better by tomorrow," I assured him as I sat up and leaned against the headboard.
Cade slipped out of the bed and walked into the bathroom. I wasn't sure what he was doing until he came back with a glass of water. He handed the glass to me and picked up the tablets the nurse had told me to take. He dropped two into my hand.
I swallowed the tablets and handed the glass of water back to him.
"So tell me what happened with Victor," Cade said as he sat down on the bed beside me.
"That guy was crazy," I began. I decided not to go into the details of what he had in store for me. Talking about it would only upset Cade.
"He told me how he got me out of the house without anyone noticing. The last thing I remembered was Curtis sedating me, and the next thing I remember is waking up in a cell being held by Victor. He told me he was launching an attack on the pack and I was so worried. I remembered you said that you wouldn't be able to fight off an attack by him."
"It could have been so much worse but the girls insisted they wanted to fight, and then your brother arrived with his pack," he revealed.
"I told you girls could fight," I gloated with a smile. He smiled and shook his head.
"Fine. You were right."
"Say that again?" I teased. He playfully glared back at me.
After a few moments, our playful mood turned serious.
"I'm sorry," he whispered as he reached over and caressed my cheek.
"Why are you sorry?" I asked as I studied his features.
"I was supposed to be there to protect you and I failed," he stated. His voice was filled with regret.
"Victor was determined to get me and he would have done anything to do it. Besides, you had no idea Curtis was working for him," I said, trying to ease the guilt he felt. "We were both wrong but I can't say I was happy when you locked me in the cell."
I remembered how angry I'd been. I didn't have that anger anymore. Maybe it was because, despite everything, things had worked out.
"Will slapping me make you feel better?" he asked in a serious tone. I contemplated it for a moment.
"I can't say that hadn't crossed my mind more than a few times while I was in the cell," I admitted. "But I'm over it."
I shrugged and he smiled at me.
"That's the problem. We're both so stubborn and so intent on protecting each other that we end up doing stupid things," I said.
"I know I could have done things differently but I was scared," he explained as he ran an agitated hand through his hair. "When I found out you had overheard us I knew you were going to do something drastic and I couldn't let you do that."
There were several moments of silence.
"The thought of something happening to you…it's like trying to breathe without air," he said, trying to put into words how much I meant to him.
"I get it. I feel the same way about you. But what you did to me was horrible. Don't ever do that to me again," I warned him. "We are probably going to face other problems and we need to learn to deal with them together."
"You're right. We need to learn to work things out together," he echoed.
"Did Victor tell you how Keri and Curtis managed to hide the fact they were werewolves?" he asked.
"He'd been injecting them with wolfsbane," I answered. "It suppressed their werewolf traits. It was how I defeated Victor."
His eyes darkened with anger and he remained silent. I reached for his hand and took it into mine.
"He meant to inject me with the wolfsbane to keep me from mind-linking or being able to shift. But I managed to get the syringe and I injected him with it. He wasn't able to shift but I was. He was able to get the empty syringe and he filled it with air. Then, just before I killed him, he injected it into me."
I gave him the shortened version. He didn't need to know all the painful details.
"That explains why you collapsed. It had something to do with the air in your bloodstream," Cade said.
I was so thankful it hadn't killed me.
"How did you find me?" I asked, still confused as to how he knew where I was.
"I discovered you were missing," he explained. He reached for both my hands and held them in his. "It had to have been Curtis but I wasn't sure why. Luckily Blake had someone watching Keri. He was worried about her and when he found out from the guy watching Keri that she and Curtis had gotten into a car together, I knew you
had to be with them."
It was still hard to believe that Curtis had been working for Victor.
"The guy tailed them onto Victor's territory and he also discovered they were both werewolves. He told me where they were and I got some guys and got there as soon as I could."
He paused for a moment.
"When I saw you, you crumpled to the ground. I was scared.”
It was still hard to believe I'd come that close to dying.
"I think the fact that you are a werewolf, and heal quicker than a human, is the only reason you survived," he finished. He squeezed my hands.
"What is going to happen to Keri?" I asked as I bit my lip. He'd brought Victor's body back for a reason. And despite the fact that Keri had betrayed us, I didn't want something bad to happen to her.
"She is now the alpha female of Victor's pack and hurting her will start another war. Besides, whether I like it or not, she is Blake's mate," he said as he rubbed his temple.
We'd overcome so much but I was so glad that we weren't in their shoes.
"Why did you bring Victor's body back with us?" I asked. There was no way I ever wanted to see that man again even if it was in a body bag.
"We need to prove that he is dead so that Keri can take over," he replied.
"Why do I have the feeling that we are only safe for the moment?" I said.
"There is no guarantee that the change of leadership from Victor to Keri isn't going to have some effect on the surrounding territories."
I gave him a questioning look.
"Victor was a brutal sadist but at least we all knew where we stood with him. Keri will take over his leadership but the problem is no one knows what type of leader she will be. Treaties will have to be renegotiated."
It was werewolf politics.
He leaned forward and touched his lips to mine. All thoughts of what we were talking about vanished. As he pulled back, I held his face and kissed him harder. I took control and I pushed my tongue into his mouth and caressed his tongue. I needed more.
He groaned against my lips.
"You need to rest," he said as he tried to pull away but I wasn't having that. I snaked my arms around his neck and pulled him closer.
"I need you," I told him as I pressed my lips against his.