Kyle’s gaze met Gabi’s. She nodded once, drawing Nex and taking a few steps forward, giving Kyle room to swing the McChopper that he drew from the loop on his belt. Razor took up position at her right knee, his fur on end and a low growl rumbling from his chest.
They smelled them before they saw them. They emerged from one of the dark side streets half a block up. Kyle’s sharp eyes picked up every detail. Four of them. The two shorter ones had long hair and smaller builds; they had to have been women, though they now wore baggy pants and a mismatch of overly large shirts and jackets. One of the taller ones had shoes; the others were barefoot. Their outfits made Kyle wonder if these had been homeless people. The first few they came across had been better dressed, though the foul stench was the same. They walked robotically, not dragging their feet or stumbling, not the shambling gait that had been described in the files Athena had brought them. Another point against the Ghoul theory.
The creatures’ eyes fastened on them with an unearthly gleam, and in unison they turned in the opposite direction and began to walk hastily away. Two continued straight down the main street while the other pair peeled off, aiming back towards another side street.
“Not this time,” Gabi snarled, setting off at a run.
“Keep up but keep back,” Kyle threw over his shoulder at the young Magus as he charged after Gabi.
Gabi took the slowest with a slice to the back of its legs; hamstrung, it went down without a sound. That was the eeriest thing about these creatures, their entire lack of reaction to pain. He reached the two farther down the street and swung the axe towards the one on the right, aiming for the centre of its spine. The creature threw itself forward, and the axe caught in the thick tweed coat it was wearing and snagged. He yanked on the handle to free the blade, but the second one had already lunged. It caught him by the throat with both hands. Giving up on freeing the axe, he dropped the handle and grabbed for the dagger on his right thigh while tugging at the creature’s hands to try to give himself some breathing room. His lungs were already crying for oxygen. Before he could reach the dagger, another hand clamped on his arm, freezing his movement. The arm around his throat tightened, and another arm began to squeeze his chest. His ribs creaked and pain flared.
His wolf howled, lunging forward. He should Change, he knew he should Change, but the world swam before him. Dark spots began to eat at his vision; his brain grew sluggish. The hands on his throat were iron bands, completely immovable.
“Wolf,” he distantly heard Gabi’s desperate roar, “Change. Now.” There was a grunt, an angry yelp he knew was pain. “Burn them. Lucy, burn them. Do it. Now,” Gabi screamed. And then the black spots obliterated his vision. He hadn’t even had a last chance to tell Trish he loved her. What a stupid way to die.
Choking.
Coughing.
His eyes burned. His throat was on fire. He couldn’t swallow. Couldn’t breathe.
Fire. He could smell fire. Something was burning. Was he burning?
“Wolf.” Gabi’s voice was sharp with panic. He turned to find her. She was hunched over him, bloodied nail marks down one cheek, the one without the healing bruises, and her face was pinched with concern. He coughed again, unable to speak as a spasm gripped him. A thin trickle of oxygen wheezed into his lungs; pain speared him as cracked ribs protested.
“Stand down.” Gabi spoke low and through gritted teeth. “I’ve got him. I’ll take care of him.”
It took Kyle a couple of seconds to realise she was talking to his wolf. The wolf was baying, scrabbling in the depths of his mind, trying to take over, make him Change. Everything flooded back.
“Okaay,” he croaked, lifting a hand to rub smoke-induced tears from his eyes. He heard Gabi heave out a breath, as though she’d been holding it.
“Holy Lord and Lady,” she hissed. “Fucking idiot.” She fell back onto her butt on the tarmac as Kyle eased himself up into a sitting position, trying to suppress the racking coughs. Shaking his head to clear the last of the haze, he looked around. Several piles of charred remains lay strewn about him, emitting an awful stench; burning human flesh was foul smelling at the best of times. This wasn’t the best of times. Lucy stood several feet away, close beside Mac, who was watching the darkness around them with a grim set to his mouth. The Magi looked shell-shocked, her hands pulled inside the sleeves of her hoody. Alexander was hovering on Kyle’s other side while Tabari prowled the shadows near the side street.
“Love you too, Hellcat,” Kyle rasped, holding out a hand to Alexander, who took the hint and pulled him to his feet. He grimaced through the pain, but his wolf settled down enough that Gabi could release her hold on him. He snapped angrily as if he could take a piece out of her for her insolence, though Kyle knew he never actually would; then he simmered down into a quiet rage. Kyle wrapped one arm protectively around his aching ribs and held out a hand to Gabi, who glared at him before accepting the help.
“You owe your life to Lucy,” she grumbled, her expression still dark as she nodded in the direction of the girl. “She managed to set them alight while they held you.”
Kyle glanced down at himself, taking note of several charred patches on his body armour and some burns on his arms. Then he lifted a hand to his throat.
“Yes, you have some burns. Don’t touch.” She thwacked his hand away.
He realised then that there was a distinct thread of tension in the air, more than his near demise should precipitate. As he glanced around, the faces looking back at him were grim. Too grim.
“What?” he asked, knowing he wasn’t going to like the answer.
A muscle ticced in Gabi’s jaw, never a good sign. “Tabari knows what these things are,” she told him.
Kyle waited; he knew she wasn’t keeping him in suspense on purpose. She was just still processing the info herself.
Tabari stalked closer, drawing Kyle’s attention. “They are Zonbi,” he said, his expression sombre.
“Did you just say zombie?” He cleared his throat; his voice was still hoarse.
The Vampire shrugged a little. “That is the anglicised word. In Vodun they are Zonbi.” He emphasised the n. “They are reanimated bodies. Corpses of those who died of unnatural causes. Controlled by a Boko, an experienced Vodun practitioner.”
Kyle glanced around at the smouldering piles of clothing and human flesh, trying to make sense of it all.
“Wait, so the missing bodies,” he said, “this is them?”
“Yes.” Tabari drew out the word. “I should have realised before, when Master Julius spoke of them, but they are so rare now that I never considered it. There are few Boko powerful enough to raise them.”
“But,” Kyle shook his head, “Flora…” he whispered her name, not wanting to believe it, praying it couldn’t be true.
“No, not Flora,” Tabari said emphatically, allowing Kyle a breath of relief. “She hasn’t got the power. Not yet.”
“So then—” He was cut off by the opening refrain of ‘Thunderstruck’.
Gabi frowned but pulled the phone from a pocket in her pants. Kyle realised he’d left his phone back in the van.
“Yes?” she said in answer. “Wait… Slow down… What?”
Kyle knew by the tightening of the skin around her eyes that the night had taken an even more serious turn.
“Okay, calm down,” she said into the phone, her voice belying the concern Kyle could see in her expression. She caught his eye, made a quick circle with one finger and pointed back towards where they’d parked.
He nodded understanding. “Back to the vehicles. Now,” he barked, picking up his axe and taking one last look at the smouldering bodies on the street. Clean-up would have to wait.
“You know the protocol.” Gabi was keeping her voice very calm even as they jogged back up the street. “Don’t frighten her, get to the panic room, settle in. Extra protection will be there soon. We’ll handle the rest.”
Kyle’s blood went cold. He jerked Gabi to a halt. “Breanna?�
� He barely got her name out, and it had nothing to do with his injured throat.
Gabi yanked out of his grasp. “She’s fine; it’s a precaution,” she snapped. “It’s Flora and Jade. They’re MIA.”
They didn’t take the time to disarm before piling into the van and the SUV. Lucy wordlessly joined Razor in the rear of the van with Gabi and Kyle up front, while the Vampires filled the SUV.
He gunned the engine, not caring about the tyres screeching as he swung onto the main road.
“Head for Haven and give me your earpiece.” Gabi held out her hand.
He pulled out his earpiece, dropping it into her palm, and tapped the commlink card in his pocket to connect with the main hub. He was glad he hadn’t checked in with Trish before his near miss; it was a good thing she hadn’t heard him go down over the commlink.
“Trish,” Gabi said, and then immediately, “Don’t worry, Wolf is fine.” She gave him a sidelong glare for the duplicity he was forcing her into, but Gabi understood the need to protect Trish from unnecessary worry. “We might have a problem. I need you to track both Jade’s and Sicarius’s cars. Adriana just got in touch with me to say they haven’t arrived back at Haven yet. She’s tried all three of their phones; no one is picking up. It’s possible they’ve broken down out of cellphone range, but I’ve initiated protocol just in case. She and Breanna are probably in the panic room already. You need to get in extra protection for Haven. Call in everyone you can raise. Alexander is arranging a contingent from the Clan; they’ll be under Patrick’s command. They should be there within fifteen minutes. Tell your wolves to let them in.”
There was a moment’s silence. Kyle could only imagine what was going through his mate’s mind. Then Gabi softened her voice. “Breathe, Trish, we’ve got this. You do what you do best; find them. We’ll make sure they’re okay.” She listened for a moment longer then pulled out the earpiece, handing it back to him as he flicked the commlink card again. “She’ll be alright,” she told him. He knew Trish would be, but he hated thinking of how worried she’d be. “At least she didn’t hear you get taken down by zombies.”
His hand unconsciously went to his throat. The skin was still tender, but the blisters had gone. Flinging the van around a corner, he glanced in the rear-view mirror to check on the young Magus.
“That was amazing work, Lucy,” he said, watching as the girl’s eyes lifted to meet his and then dropped just as fast back to her lap. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” she said it so quietly that Kyle barely caught the words. He checked the road, and then glanced to Gabi meaningfully, with a nod back at the girl.
She glared balefully back at him for a second, but then schooled her features and turned in her seat so that she could look at Lucy. “Are you alright?” she asked. “You really got thrown in the deep end. I’m sorry. If we’d known it was going to be—”
“It’s fine, I’m fine,” Lucy interrupted her, though the slight waver in her voice contradicted her words. “It was… I’m glad I could…that I was useful. Don’t worry, I’m fine.”
Gabi turned away, but she caught Kyle’s eye. The girl wasn’t fine, but she’d have to be for now. They had bigger problems.
The commlink beeped softly in his ear.
“Gabi?” Trish’s voice said as he turned it back on.
“It’s me, Trish,” Kyle said, keeping his voice even and calm, hoping she couldn’t hear the slight rasp. “Have you found them?”
“Both cars are stationary. They’re in the same place.” That was something of a relief. Sicarius might be human, but he was a formidable adversary, and he wouldn’t let anything happen to the girls without a fight. “I’m sending you the coordinates now. They aren’t far from Haven.”
Kyle tried to ignore the slight wobble in her voice and concentrate on the road.
They left the last of the City lights behind them, Kyle navigating the rural road at breakneck speed. He knew this road intimately; he drove it every day.
“We’re just about on them,” Gabi warned, checking her phone. Kyle braked, giving the SUV tailing them time to react. And then his headlights caught the cars in the road.
The scene made his chest squeeze. Gabi was out of the van before it stopped moving, the Vampires close on her heels as Alexander brought the SUV to a squealing halt beside the van.
“Stay here,” Kyle ordered Lucy before he joined them. A small red hatchback was pulled half off the road, at least two of its tyres completely flat. A nondescript silver Toyota was stopped in the middle of the road. Doors were open, a window smashed, and red smeared the windscreen of the silver car. A white wolf stood in the middle of the scene. Dark splashes of something, probably blood, speckled her silvery coat. Her lips were pulled back from her teeth, her eyes hard as agate, her growl menacing as she protected a prone form on the ground.
Gabi was already closing in on the wolf, one hand outstretched.
“Gabi, don’t,” he called out quietly. “She’ll respond to me. Don’t tire yourself.”
She halted mid-stride, she was always one to deal with everything herself, but she’d know he was right. Jade was Pack to him; he was her Alpha. It shouldn’t take a lot of effort on his part to calm her. And this night was far from over. Gabi gave a short nod and moved aside.
Throwing a warning look at the Vampires, Kyle approached the wolf. The animal looked up at him, and he could see pain in her eyes. Frowning, he assessed her further. Her breathing was wrong; her heartbeat was wrong. She was standing guard, but it was taking everything she had just to stay upright.
“It’s alright,” he said quietly. “We’ve got it from here.” He allowed his wolf to come forward, let his presence be felt, and watched as relief filled her eyes. Without a sound, she moved a step to the side and slowly collapsed onto the ground.
“She’s been shot full of silver.” Kyle heard his voice, but it seemed to come from someone else. Her pain had become his own; his wolf howled in unrestrained rage. His knees threatened to buckle under him.
“Kyle.” Gabi’s voice was sharp. “Keep it together. You won’t help her like that.”
Gabi was right, he hissed a harsh breath in through his mouth. Ignoring the pain in his ribs, he forcibly untangled himself from Jade’s pain, pushing his wolf back.
“Call Jonathon,” he ordered, his voice more animal than human. “Get him to Haven. Now.”
“Mac,” Gabi barked, “bring the emergency kit. I need something to muzzle her with.”
Kyle couldn’t keep back the snarl.
“Wolf, you know we need to secure her before we move her,” Gabi snapped. “Help us or get out of the way.”
He could hear Alexander talking on his phone. Even though he’d pulled back from Jade, her agony was biting at him like a thousand fire ants. He concentrated on lessening their connection, concentrated on his surroundings to ground himself. It was then that he smelled the blood. It was human. The prone figure on the ground, the one that Jade had been protecting, it was Sicarius.
“He’s dying,” Kyle whispered. “Too much blood loss, his heart is failing.”
“Kyle, you have to keep Jade still while I muzzle her,” Gabi ordered. She was grim faced, the gouges down her cheek were still bloodied and inflamed, and several wisps of hair blew around her face in the cool evening breeze. Alexander and Tabari were bent over the motionless figure of Sicarius as his heartbeat stuttered and wavered.
“Where’s Flora?” he asked, though the words were barely a whisper. A lead weight had settled in his stomach.
“Kyle,” Gabi barked; her annoyance and anxiety laced the air between them.
He blew out a breath. She was right, one thing at a time. Jade needed help, the wolf, his wolf, was in agony; they had to move her to help her. He had to help them help her. But to merge with her enough to do that meant he’d once more share her pain. He braced himself.
The searing burn of silver coursed through his body; his wolf snarled, viciously ramming against the shackle
s of his will. Adjusting to the pain, he reached out, feeling for the Pack, those tiny, ethereal threads that connected him to each and every member of his family: Derek and Butch both closing in on their location, Trish safe at CenOps, those at Haven so close he could almost see them, the rest scattered throughout the City. They responded without question, lending him their strength, feeding him what he needed. The tingle of energy spiralled through him, fighting back the pain, filtering through to bolster Jade’s failing strength.
“Now,” he gasped, suddenly aware of the cold tarmac against his palms, of blood pumping in his ears, of the urgent hum of whispered conversations. He focused enough to watch as Gabi deftly wrapped a thick bandage around Jade’s snout, behind her head and back again, securing it in place before nodding to Mac, who didn’t hesitate in lifting the wolf into his arms and carrying her quickly to the open door of the van. He laid her down on the floor of the van in the space Lucy must have created by moving equipment and gear aside. Kyle felt Gabi’s hand on his arm as she propelled him forward and thrust him inside the van beside Jade.
“Keep her still,” she told him. “Lucy, get in up front.”
“Sicarius?” he ground out. “Flora?”
“Lex is bringing the assassin,” Gabi told him as she jumped into the driver’s seat and gunned the engine. “We can’t help him out here. Flora is gone. Whoever attacked them has taken her.”
CHAPTER 12
Kyle lifted the white wolf’s trembling body from the back of his van and carried her into med bay. The couple of minutes’ drive had given him the time to use the Alpha energy to cushion the direct link to her fear and pain, at least enough that he could function and respond as needed.
“No,” Gabi said, turning on the lights as he went to lay her on the first available bed, “put her in the isolation room.”
His wolf growled in opposition.
“You can’t hold her all night,” Gabi argued, on some level aware of his wolf’s sentiments. “It’s safer for everyone if she’s in there. Butch will see she gets the right sedative.” Gabi was right, again, but it grated on him. Silver-sickness made wolves crazy as it worked its way out of their system.
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