“Let’s do this,” Taber said, slipping his assault rifle over his head.
Felix nodded. “Remember, if possible, this is my kill.”
After Taber and Styx slid out of the SUV, Adam turned to Felix. “Are you sure? You don’t have to do this.”
“I’m fine. Brother or not, he’ll pay for what he did to my mate, and for what he did to others under the Ohio Alpha’s command.” Felix opened the door, moving slightly so that his black boots hit the ground before taking his gaze from Adam and stepping out. “Let’s end this. We have other threats we need to deal with. Once we eliminate this one, we can focus on the others.”
His words were callous and heartless, but inside, a little piece of him ached. Would killing his twin kill something inside of him? He suspected so, but having someone else do it would make things worse for him.
Hopping out of the SUV, Felix slung his rifle over his chest again, getting a good grip on it. The assault rifles were a new addition to the guards for missions, but they were beneficial when no one was sure what they would encounter. “Let’s avoid the drive. Take the woods and stay downwind of him.”
“Can he smell us?” Styx scanned the woods with determination.
“No. He doesn’t have the same sense of smell we do, but I don’t want us to walk into an ambush.” Felix strolled toward the woods, his senses opened, scanning things as he went. Adam fell in sync with Felix’s steps.
Creeping through the woods, the teams automatically separated. Felix and Adam took the direct path to the house while Taber and Styx circled around the house, keeping the points of escape in sight.
“There appears to be one door and three windows lining the back.” Taber’s voice crackled through the earpiece.
“Received.” Felix crouched by a fallen tree, using it for cover. “Once you get as close as you can, we’ll go in. Ready when you are.”
Quickly surveying the land, Felix opened his shields and tried to focus enough to know where Henry was in the house. Breathing deeply, he picked up on the evergreen trees surrounding him and the wet leaves crunching under his feet before finally settling on the house. Only one person sought shelter within the walls. His tiger picked up on the body of Doctor James lying discarded in the garage where the man died.
Felix’s lips curved up in a restrained growl. Henry killing then leaving the towns’ veterinarian out in the garage had taken this fight to another level. “It’s time. I’ll end this here and now.” Without turning to face Adam, Felix hit the earbud. “Taber, guard the back entrance. Make sure he doesn’t escape. Give me ten minutes with him before you come in. There’s a few things Henry and I have to discuss first.”
“Take Adam.” Taber voice was low and muffled, laced with the crack of branches and crunch of leaves under their boots.
“Let’s go.” Without waiting for an answer, Felix crept toward the front of the house. Nearing it, he drew his weapon, bringing it in front of his chest and aiming it as he went. His finger hovering near the trigger, ready to shoot if Henry attacked as they entered. Without looking behind him, he knew Adam was doing the same. They worked together like two pieces of a whole. No orders were necessary. Felix would take right while Adam took left. It would be a fluid motion, each covering the other while searching the building. When they found Henry, Adam would then fall back, letting Felix take the lead while still covering him.
Felix paused at the edge of the house, still in the cover of the woods. “Ready?”
“Let’s do this,” Adam whispered.
Without further pause, he turned around the side of the house, moving quickly up the steps. With his left hand that was steadying the assault rifle, he reached forward and twisted the doorknob. He was surprised to find it unlocked. Swinging the door open, he scanned the dark entryway, the gun moving in time with his gaze. His night vision gave him an advantage over Henry. With that knowledge, he knew Henry would be in the room ahead with the light on.
Adam must have come to the same conclusion. He nodded forward to the same room. Even knowing where he was, they eased forward, scanning each room as they went, staying alert for any traps that were waiting for them to spring.
“Brother…oh, brother, what’s taking you so long? You must be looking forward to this reunion as much as I am.” Henry’s voice carried through the hallway on the edge of a laugh that sent a chill through Felix. It was truly an evil laugh. After years of his tiger clawing at his mind without being able to shift, Henry had finally gone truly insane.
He held up a hand, pausing Adam in his track, giving the clear message he wanted Adam to stay hidden in the hallway. Still hidden in the darkness, Felix called to his brother. “Why, Henry, why?”
“I’m not very different than you, dear twin. I fought for what I believed in.”
Stepping forward, Felix left Adam in the hall. “What is that, Henry?”
Henry sat on the recliner at the far side of the room, close to the television. It had obviously been turned to face the door while Henry waited for Felix to come after him. A pistol laid in his lap, the safety was off and Henry’s finger rested close to the trigger. “To destroy you. You were always the perfect one in Mom’s eyes, but no longer. You’ll lose this fight, and then I’ll kill your mate.”
“This comes down to our parent’s treatment of us? We did everything we could for you, and this is how you repay us?” He didn’t so much lower the rifle as point it slightly to the left of Henry.
“You call leaving me under the Ohio Alpha helping me?” Henry clenched the pistol tightly. If he had been a shifter, he’d have shattered the stock of the gun.
“I thought the clan’s doctor was helping you.”
Henry shot to his feet, pulling his shirt off as he went. “Helping me! Does this look like helping?”
Angry red welts ran the length of his chest, claw marks mingled in with them, but Felix’s gaze barely saw them. “What happened?”
“Don’t act stupid brother, it never suited you.” Henry’s gaze was on him full force.
“I know nothing of what happened to you. Tell me who did it, and I’ll see they pay. We’re family. I’ll avenge you.” A moment of regret for leaving him in Ohio made Felix want to lower the rifle. Then he remembered what happened to Harmony at the hands of his brother.
“You ordered it, to provoke the tiger enough to force the shift. You might not have placed the hot pokers to my skin, but you were the one behind it. It was done on your orders! It’s why I went after Harmony.” Henry raised the gun, pointing it at Felix seconds before squeezing the trigger.
Felix dove out of the way as the bang exploded through the room, sending the smell of gunpowder through the air. His earbud sprang to life with Taber’s voice. “Shots fired. We’re coming—friendlies coming in the back door.”
Adam came out of the shadows to stand inside the door. “Don’t do anything stupid, Henry. Felix never ordered what was done to you. He went to visit you countless times. You never recognized him. He would never do what you’re accusing him of. If any of us would have known, we would have stopped it.” While Adam had Henry’s attention, it gave Felix a moment to regain his footing and get his rifle aimed on Henry again.
“Were you in on it as well? Felix never came to me, nor did my parents.” Henry couldn’t decide who was a bigger threat, Felix or Adam, waving the pistol between the two. “The doctor you had so much trust in kept me drugged until he could no longer keep upping the dose without risking my death. I barely knew what was happening unless they were torturing my beast to break through. Oh, they made sure I was always lucid for that.”
Felix smelled more than saw Taber and Styx step into the room, their own weapons raised and ready for whatever they found. “Hold your fire,” Felix ordered, his attention never leaving Henry. “How was I supposed to know when I never saw any marks on you when I visited? I thought you were getting the care I couldn’t provide for you here.”
“Don’t stand there and try to make me hate you less! No
thing you can say will give me anything but hatred for you. You stole the life I was meant to have. I was the first born—I should have been the shifter. Instead, your accident forced the beast to come before it should have.” Henry lunged at Felix.
Without considering the options, Felix fired, shooting his twin dead center in the chest. If it was coming down to him and Henry, hands down each time he’d win. “I’m sorry, brother.” Tears clouded his vision as he made his way to his fallen sibling. He kept his finger resting on the trigger until he could determine it was safe.
Stepping around the sofa, he found Henry on his back with the pistol discarded a few inches from him. Both hands covered the wound as if trying to stop the squirting blood. Felix slid the rifle to the side and reached to secure Henry’s gun, knowing that Adam was right behind him with his rifle aimed at Henry’s head.
“You shot me.” Henry’s voice crackled as blood oozed out of his mouth.
“You left me no choice.” He knelt next to him, reaching out to take Henry’s hand. “Why, Henry? I never wanted it to come to this.” He might have never wanted it, but in his heart, he knew it would. He knew that one day he’d have to kill Henry in order to set him free. Henry deserved better than to live inside of a body that couldn’t shift, his beast driving him insane with need and pain.
Tears clouded his vision as he wrapped his arm around Henry, drawing his dying brother against his chest. “This is just the beginning for you. Soon the pain and suffering will be over.” Unshed tears made his voice tight.
Memories of the years side by side, until his beast slammed a divider deep between them, flashed before his eyes. Each year his father would take them camping—a week with just the men, his father always called it. They explored the trails and caves during the days while at night they sat around the campfire making s’mores and telling ghost stories. It was a time for the three of them, one that had always haunted him as he thought back on their times together. If things had been different, it could have been Felix lying there on death’s door instead.
“Randolph is gathering the rogues…” Henry coughed, spitting blood as he spoke. “Harmony knows where he is.”
“I’ll find him.” Felix nodded. The information his twin was sharing was important, but he wanted there to be more in the final minutes of his life than more threats hanging over his head.
“Harm…she’s a fighter. You’ve got a good mate there.” Henry’s fingers caught the ends of Felix’s collar, dragging him closer. “I see it in your eyes you didn’t know what they did to me. I’m sorry for what I did to her.”
He blinked, pushing the tears back. “As you said, she’s a fighter. She’ll be fine. I’ll make sure of it.”
“I love you, brother. I always have.” His eyes fluttered, the time was running out. Felix could have called for Galen to heal Henry, but what would it have been for? There was nothing they could do for Henry, as long as he lived, he’d only suffer. They had the duty to put him down, out of his suffering.
“I love you, too.” Even as the words left his lips, he knew his brother’s time was up. He felt Henry’s body go limp as the life left him, the tears flowing freely down his face.
Chapter Sixteen
Harmony stood in the doorway, watching the main gate for Felix’s SUV to return. She was bubbling with the excitement she wanted to share with her mate. Seeing lights in the distance, she pushed open the door, letting the cool night air rush in past her, sending her hair flying back from her face, and stepped outside.
The headlights paused at the gate for a moment before the SUV was thrown in reverse and sped back out. Harmony rushed toward the gate, hoping the guard would know what happened. Three figures were heading toward her, each of them looking worn, their shoulders sinking as they made their way forward. Even from the distance, her night vision allowed her to see it was the team minus Felix coming toward her. What had happened? Where was her mate?
“Adam?” Tears clogged her throat, making the words garbled.
Adam jogged to her while the others peeled off, moving to the main building, except Galen who headed toward his cabin. Slinging his rifle around his back, Adam came to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “Shh, he’s okay.”
“Okay? Where is he? What happened?” As comforting as it was to feel another’s touch, it wasn’t her mate’s, and that’s what she wanted.
“Henry is dead, and Felix needed some time before he could face everyone. He’ll be back soon.”
Shaking her head, she looked up at him. “No, I have to go to him.”
“Harmony, I don’t know where he went. Come home with me, Robin’s there and we’ll have something hot to drink to shake this chill. Come on,” he coaxed, but she wouldn’t move from the spot she was rooted in, her gaze on the gate watching for him as if he would change his mind and come back.
She focused her mind. “Can I get a vehicle? I know where he went. I must go to him.”
“Come on, I’ll take you.” He led her around the building, moving quickly toward the SUVs the clan had on hand.
Now that she knew the mission was over, she had her shields open, connecting with her mate. Felix tried to block her out, but his pain was seeping into her from every corner. If it was this overwhelming for her, it had to be nearly consuming for him. “I’m on my way, love,” she whispered under her breath.
“Get in. I’ll grab the keys inside.” Adam nodded to the first SUV before jogging to the door on the other side of the vehicles.
Climbing into the passenger side of the SUV, she wrapped her arms around her body to ward off the chill of emotions coming from her mate. He was being torn in two as a consequence of his twin’s death. Felix never should have been put in the position of having to choose who to protect, his mate or his twin. Her mate was stubborn. He wouldn’t have anyone else deliver the final blow to Henry. He’d rather suffer for the action than to have to look into the eyes of his brother’s killer each day.
Killer? Is that how Felix sees it? She wasn’t sure, but in her mind, he did the humane thing. Henry had suffered for years, now finally he was out of the misery. Either way, she vowed they’d get through it.
The driver’s door flung open. Expecting Adam, she didn’t turn to look. “Where are we heading?” A deeper voice asked, startling her.
She moved toward the door without thinking about it as she met the gaze of the man who opened the door. “Ty? Where’s Adam?” She should have known Ty was there, her connection to the clan allowed her to sense him—to feel the draw of him—but the emotions pouring into her from Felix had her completely unaware of anything else.
“He’s coming. Felix is one of my best guards, if he’s in need, the clan will be there for him in every way we can. Right now you might be the best thing for him, but if he rejects the comfort you can bring, we’re there as a backup. I told you before, the clan sticks together.” Ty climbed in behind the wheel.
Adam pulled open the back passenger door. “All for one and one for all.” With the back door closed, Ty cranked the engine.
“It’s amazing the clan is that way, not all are. You’re truly his family.” She adjusted the comfort controls to get the heat just right.
“We’re family, all of us, you included. Now let’s go get your mate.” Ty threw the SUV in reverse and sped out of the parking spot. “Where are we heading?”
“There’s a spot above the compound that allows anyone standing there to look over it. If you go out there and turn right, follow it until…I’m not sure when, but there’s a dirt road.” She watched out the window, doubting herself. How was she ever going to find the place again without Felix to guide her? Could she tune into his feelings enough to know exactly where he is?
“Don’t worry, I know where you mean. It’s not far from here, so we’ll be there in a few minutes.” Ty sped around the building, heading to the gate. Someone must have alerted the gate guards since the automatic sliding gate was open.
While Ty drove, she tried to figu
re out what she’d say to Felix to make things better. There were no words to ease the pain of a loss, especially a loss at your own hands. All she would be able to offer was the comfort of her body, her touch, and her love.
The rear door of the SUV was open, allowing Felix a place to sit in the cargo area as he watched out over the compound. Since his beast sprung free, he had been working his way up the ranks of the clan. Each step bringing him closer to the top. The knowledge and understanding that came with the position as well as the danger was something he thrived on.
Now his family had brought danger to his doorstep. Thankfully, there were no injuries to his clan, but it didn’t change the guilt coursing through him. Henry should have been dealt with years ago, but he had been soft, not willing to go against his family. Instead, he let his brother suffer under the hands of the Ohio Alpha. It didn’t matter if he wasn’t aware of the torture, he still felt responsible.
With Henry’s death, he avenged Harmony, but it brought him little comfort. His mate was safe. There would no longer be a threat hanging over her head, but the anguish she endured under him could never be erased.
Lost in his own thoughts, he didn’t hear the SUV pull up until the doors slammed shut. His gaze left the horizon to look back at the intruders. Harmony’s long legs stepped out of the SUV, her red hair blowing in the wind. The sight of her sent a new wave of pain through him.
“Felix,” she called, moving carefully toward him, the heels of her boots and the uneven terrain making it a slow process. Coming to stand in front of him, she reached out for him.
“Don’t…” Against every instinct in his body, he leaned back out of her grasp. He wanted to feel her arms around him, to find comfort in his mate’s embrace, but he was a killer—he didn’t deserve her.
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