The Caitlin Chronicles Boxed Set

by Michael Anderle

  Still, the large Were had gotten his wish. He was now Alpha. With that came the responsibilities, the accusations, the praise, the disappointment, the lack of sleep and, in this case, the arrival of strangers late in the night sent to deliver messages.

  Bryce paused as he put his hand on the doorknob to his room, took a deep breath, and entered. Already, the smell made his blood boil.

  “Vamp,” he said coldly.

  “Were,” the woman replied and lowered her hood as she turned to greet him.

  “Bryce,” he added.

  “I know,” she said.

  She was pretty, he had to admit, with her slight frame with a pale tinge to her skin.

  He sauntered into the room, poured himself a drink, offered her one which she refused, and took a seat. With a heavy sigh, he rested the glass on his forehead and relished the cool that it brought.

  “Long week?” she asked with a grin.

  “You could say that. What do you want? My men say that you have grave news, and Lord knows I could do with some more bad news.”

  “I shan’t beat about the bush,” the woman said. “Your pack is in danger. Mortal danger.”

  A beat of silence passed.

  “If your pause is for dramatic effect, I have no time for it. Say your piece and be gone. My stomach already turns at your stink.”

  The woman smiled, and he tried to work out why she looked so familiar.

  “Alicia has been returned to the humans,” she said. “The city has their leader back, and they’re not pleased with her capture or treatment by your predecessor while down in the sewers. Already, they’ve rallied all available men and women, taken up arms, and grabbed torches. Each individual is fixed on one mission and one mission only—to flush the Weres from The Broken City.”

  Bryce closed his eyes and digested this information. A bubble of anger popped somewhere in his stomach as his mind showed him pictures of Kain setting the bitch free. He got to his feet and strolled around the room in thought.

  “How long?”

  “Less than a day, by my reckoning. They’re coming, Bryce. They’ll put an end to the Unknown World one way or the other. Our time is up. It’s over. There’s no more room left for vamps or Weres.”

  “They’ll never find us,” he said and sounded like a defiant child.

  “Do you really believe that? They already have your location. The humans have seen it. Some warrior woman with a sword and her kin know where you are. They’re giving the others directions as we speak. What will you do? Barricade yourselves in and hide underground forever? How is that any better than the sad state you’re in now?”

  “Why are you telling me all this?”

  The woman smiled softly. She approached the Were, cupped his cheek in one cold hand, and stared at him affectionately.

  “My interests lie with the Unknown. If Weres are driven from this city, who’s to say that vampires won’t be next on the list? Times have changed since we began to shape the world and now, it’s our last opportunity. We need to fight to keep what’s left of this broken world and claim it back for our kin’s sake.”

  Bryce fell into deep thought and sipped his drink.

  “And what’s your role in all of this?”

  “I’m but a mere observer, but I may lend a hand when the time is right.”

  “You mean when the wind turns in our favor?”

  “Oh, dear,” the woman said. She crossed the room and ran her fingers sensuously through his hair. “You really need an itty-bitty vampire to fight for you?”

  His nostrils flared.

  “That’s what I thought. Time is against you, Were. I wouldn’t waste a second of it if I were you.” The woman wandered to the doorway. “The humans certainly aren’t.”

  In a blink of his eyes, she was gone.

  The Broken City, Old Ontario

  Caitlin felt nervous as she approached the library. Though she was alone, she could feel the Weres’ eyes watching her from the building down the street. Every step sounded like a drumbeat as she climbed the staircase to the doors and opened them wide.

  She had come to an agreement with them. They would watch her as far as they could see from safety and, should she not emerge in one hour, they’d set the wheels in motion for a rescue.

  Not that she thought she’d need one. With her skills and her friends inside, what were the chances that anything would happen? Triston wasn’t that stupid.

  Was he?

  For the first time since she’d arrived at the city, she noticed the enormity of the old building. The cold barrenness of the corridors magnified sound. She could hear the voices of the people inside the library and felt her heart beat wildly in her chest.

  Calm down, Kitty-Cat. If they wanted you, they’d have set up a welcome party to snatch you before you could set a foot inside.

  When Caitlin reached the large inner doors which led to the main hub of the city, she paused and leaned an ear against the wood. Jaxon waited obediently at her side. There was nothing untoward that either of them could detect. Life went on as it always had in there. The humans were oblivious to the daily battles their guardians fought against the ever-increasing dangers of the post-Madness world.

  She took a deep breath and stepped inside. In her present tense state, she half-expected everyone to stop speaking and stare in her direction, but only a few people acknowledged her arrival with a quick nod of the head.

  You’re being ridiculous. See? All is fine.

  Caitlin strode through the library as her gaze searched out her party. She had instructed them to act normal, and for them, normal meant being a whole lot different to the other citizens.

  When she passed between two rows of bookshelves, she chanced a look at where Triston and his aunt usually sat. She felt her blood run cold when she saw Triston seated in his chair and hoped he wouldn’t notice her. Despite her best efforts, she was sure he looked her way.

  Moving faster now, she slipped through the rest of the crowd, out the back door, and hurried to the room she had been given upon her arrival.

  She raced up the stairs and through the door and found the room empty. It was almost exactly as they had left it that morning before Caitlin had snuck out to meet Cynthia.

  “Go, boy,” Caitlin said and encouraged Jaxon forward.

  The pooch sniffed eagerly at the ground, and his black nose glinted in the stray rays of the fading sun. He nuzzled a blanket out of the way and began to growl.

  “What is it?” Caitlin asked.

  He turned suddenly and barked, his ears erect and his back straight.

  She already knew what she would find when she turned. Triston stood in the doorway with a group of guards—well, more like slightly armed civilians—behind him with their swords drawn. His own hand rested on his pistol.

  “You really thought I’d let it go?” Triston mocked.

  “I’d kinda hoped you wouldn’t be stupid enough to try this.”

  “I guess we were both disappointed,” he said.

  “Where are they?”

  “They’re safe. For now. Return my mother, and perhaps you can see your friends again.”

  “And if I refuse?”

  “Let’s say I have faith that you’ll take the smart option.”

  Caitlin moved her own hand to her blade. “Let’s say you thought wrong.”

  She drew moxie in a motion so swift and fast that the guards’ didn’t even have time to register it. Before they could react, she charged at Triston, shoved him out of the way, and shouldered through the others. Several fell, and the others merely looked stunned at the sudden attack.

  “Idiots! Get after her,” Triston said.

  They made a dash for Caitlin, but she was too fast. She darted down the stairs and paused only when she met another group of guards waiting for her.

  “Shit.”

  “Shit is right.” Triston’s voice carried down the stairs. “Did you think I wouldn’t bring reserves when I know what you’re capable of, Cait
lin Harrison? Give up. The chase is over.”

  She retreated a few steps, but Triston’s body now blocked her path.

  “Jaxon! Run!”

  The dog sprinted through the legs of the crowd and disappeared down the corridor. Triston paid no attention and instead, grabbed Caitlin’s cheeks in his hands. The pressure was enough to hurt. “Smart girl. Now, let’s see if some time in solitary will be enough to make you reconsider your position—ooof!”

  His eyes closed as he buckled and his hand moved hastily to where Caitlin had elbowed his privates. Taking advantage of the distraction, she spun behind him, pulled his pistol from its holster, and now held the barrel to his neck. She twisted her fingers into his hair and forced his head back.

  The guards looked around nervously, unsure of what to do.

  “Make one move out of line and I’ll blow his fucking brains out,” she said, her voice commanding and powerful.

  The men froze.

  “Now. Lower your weapons.”

  They obeyed. Just beyond them, she could see into the main hub of the library through a door that had been left ajar. Several people now gathered in the doorway, gasping at what they saw.

  “I am not your enemy,” Caitlin said with conviction. “You may think that is so, but I assure you there are worse problems to concern yourselves with than me. War is coming, and there is only one way to stop this madness, to right the wrongs of the city, and create peace.”

  “Pah!” Triston scoffed. “This bitch has my mother and wants to make a truce with the Weres—”

  He stopped as she squeezed the air from his throat. She released the pressure when he no longer tried to speak.

  “Oh, fuck this,” Caitlin said and dragged Triston with her, the gun planted firmly against his flesh. “Move.”

  The guards did as she commanded. She made her way through the crowd, her hostage at her side. The journey through the hub was the longest she had ever taken in her life, and despite her protestations and reminders of who the real enemies were, she heard the whispers echo around the room as she somehow, despite her best efforts, made herself enemy number one.

  When she finally reached the door, everyone had followed and now crowded with hands on mouths and gazes glued on Triston. Somewhere, she heard someone crying, asking where Felicia was at this troubled time.

  Caitlin straightened herself and tugged his head back to expose the thick veins in his neck.

  “Tell them,” she growled into his ear. “Tell them the truth.”

  Triston’s eyes met hers. They were dark like steel. He muttered six words which made her blood boil from the stupidity of it all.

  “You’ll have to kill me, bitch.”

  She took a steadying breath.

  “That can be arranged.”

  Screams rang through the hall as the gunshot clapped so loudly that many ducked and fell. Even he cried out and took a few seconds to realize that the hole he expected through his neck now sizzled in the ceiling, and the woman who had held him captive had gone.

  Chapter Nineteen

  The Sewers, The Broken City, Old Ontario

  Sneaking out of the sewers with the children was almost impossible.

  “I swear to the Queen Bitch, if those little fuckers don’t shut up, I’ll leave them behind,” Kain mumbled as he peered around another corner and flashed his amber eyes.

  “Since when did you pledge allegiance to a vampire?” Cynthia teased.

  He ignored the comment and gestured with his hand for them to proceed. “We’re clear.”

  They hurried down the tunnels as fast as they could. The kids were quick, he gave them that. Their pace matched his own as they followed excitedly behind like ducklings. Occasionally, one would yelp or cry out as they tripped or bumped into one another and would instantly fall silent when confronted by Kain’s stare.

  Seriously, when did I become a mother hen to a dozen annoying brats?

  Not that he truly meant that, of course. He’d already developed a soft spot for the lot of them—even Damien, the little shit who constantly wound the others up and deliberately caused havoc. There was something in that boy that reminded him very much of himself when he was younger.

  All those years ago, when madness was nothing more than what your grandparents suffered from as their mind aged.

  When they reached the next junction, Kain flattened his back against the wall and indicated for the others to follow suit.

  Three voices echoed down the tunnel.

  “I’m tellin’ ya, things are gonna change around here. With Bryce at the helm, we’ll taste freedom before you know it.”

  “I call bullshit,” another voice growled.

  “Naughty word,” Lewis whispered and was immediately shushed by Serena.

  “Huh? What was that?”

  “What was what?” a third voice said.

  “Don’t play tricks. My hearing might not be what it used to be, but I definitely heard something.”

  Kain rolled his eyes, placed a finger on his lips, and stepped out into the tunnel.

  “It was me, dickheads. I was musing to myself about how stupid you all could be to think that anything will change. Nothing changes around here while Bryce is in charge.”

  “Wahey, it’s Geralt’s runaway pet,” the first Were, a pudgy man with a limp, said. The other Weres—the second with a long blond man bun and the third a dark-skinned woman with a shorn head—grinned.

  “Shouldn’t you be tucked up in bed?” man bun asked.

  “Is it not comfortable sleeping at the end of your master’s bed? Does Bryce not treat you like Geralt used to?” the woman added.

  “I don’t know why the fuck he ever forgave him,” pudgy said the others.

  “Me neither. If I pulled that shit, I’d never see another Were again.”

  “If they killed me, maybe they’d make it look like an accident. At least do me the courtesy of thinking I’d been brave enough to kill myself,” the plump Were continued.

  “Oh, that’d be nice.”

  A thought suddenly crossed Kain’s mind. These idiots had no idea that he attempted to escape again or that he had been imprisoned by Bryce and released Alicia. The three had been trapped in their own little bubble, and now, were more interested in winding him up than anything else.

  An idea popped into his mind.

  “You know, if you’re really interested in making a difference, I know a few people who can help us restore glory to the Were name.”

  Their ears pricked up.

  “What do you know about freedom?” man bun asked.

  “Erm…duh!” the woman said. “He ran away and lived in the forest for months. He knows a whole lot more than us.”

  “What’s it to you, Sudeikis?”

  Kain smiled and waved down the tunnel to where the kids hid. Cynthia led them all out, and they stood wall to wall in the tunnel behind Kain.

  “What’s all this?” Pudgy asked, and moved a hand instinctively to a sword at his side.

  “We’re about to escape,” Kain said simply. “The Weres’ time is up. Tonight, there’ll be a battle, and you need to choose a side.”

  “Between Weres and humans?” Man bun laughed. “Easy choice.”

  “There’s a third choice,” Cynthia said and moved forward to stand beside Kain.

  “Oh yeah?”

  “Stand with the city.”

  The three looked at each other with confused expressions on their faces. “What does that even mean?”

  “Encourage a truce. Humans and Weres living alongside one another. It’s the only way.”

  The three were silent a moment before they broke into laughter so complete that they clutched their stomachs. They only paused and wiped their tears when they saw the unamused expression on both Cynthia and Kain’s faces.

  “You’re serious.”

  “Deadly.”

  Podgy looked at the others. One by one, they drew their swords. “Then you’re as mad as we thought you were, Sudeikis.
Ain’t no one going to find a way to bring this city together, and anyone who’s a traitor of this pack is an enemy of ours.”

  Man bun drew his own sword cautiously, seemingly unsure of what he was doing. “Yeah.”

  “Bryce might give us a pretty penny for capturing you on yet another escape,” the shorn lady said. “Maybe we’ll be his little lap dogs for a while and reap the rewards of loyalty. Who knows? This could be good for my career.”

  “I think you mean our career,” pudgy said.

  “I’ll give you one last chance to change your mind,” Kain said and drew his own sword. Cynthia drew her blades beside him and the kids gasped.

  “Nah,” pudgy said and took a step forward He arched his back, and a loud howl exploded down the tunnels. The other two followed suit and effectively raised the alarm and indicated their whereabouts.

  “Shit,” Kain said. “Run!”

  The three Weres howled until the very moment they were knocked off their feet. Kain moved quickly and smacked pudgy across the head so hard the Were saw stars. Cynthia leapt onto the woman, knocked her backward, and booted the blade from her hand to send it skittering across the floor. Man bun shouted in surprise before he was mowed down by a dozen or so enthusiastic children who delighted in trampling him to the ground.

  Damien yelled in delight as he picked up the stray sword from the tunnel floor.

  “Put that down,” Cynthia barked.

  The delight extinguished in a flash as the boy obeyed reluctantly and followed the group. “N’aww, man…”

  They sprinted through the tunnels now as howls responded from every direction. Kain sniffed the way, and Cynthia kept track of the kids behind. Around every bend, pairs or trios of Weres sprinted forward and surprise registered on their faces as they realized what charged toward them.

  “Move out the way, fuckers, this isn’t about you guys,” Kain yelled at one group as they tried to push through without bloodshed

  But the Weres they encountered stood steadfastly. Kain and Cynthia were locked in one battle after another and the time between each fight shortened. Kain did his best to parry and not kill and successfully obeyed his own wish not to hurt his Were brothers unless absolutely necessary. Damien stepped in against one particularly fierce Were with a torn shirt to reveal rippling abs and slashed his sword across the man’s thigh. Blood spurted, and the Were backed away.