by Dannika Dark
“Oh, Niko. Why did you give yourself up?”
Niko approached her and dropped to one knee. His face was the same, but something was different about him. Not his strong bone structure nor the Mage light that sparkled in the depths of his almond-shaped eyes. Gem didn’t know this man, and that revelation was staring her right in the face.
“Why did your light change when I asked if they hurt you?”
She blinked rapidly and gathered up the blanket. “It’s nothing. He put a cuff on my ankle that suppresses my gifts. It’s like I’m mortal again.”
“That’s not what I meant.” He leaned forward like a knight kneeling before a queen. “Don’t lie to me, Gem. I can read the deception in your light.”
She tugged the blanket onto her lap. “He drowned me in the pool.”
“Cyrus?”
“No. The other one. The one who came in with you.”
Niko glowered. “Arcadius.”
“I guess it was the only way to keep me from flashing away or screaming for help. He lets me go where I want, but if I leave, he’ll hurt Hunter. I can’t, Niko. I just can’t have that on my conscience. Not unless they’re all dead, and I think he’s got more friends on the outside.”
“Indeed. Kallisto is unaccounted for. But if he plans to storm Keystone, he’ll have wolves to contend with.”
“What wolves?”
The door was kicked open, and Lykos appeared. “Cyrus demands your presence, Nikodemos. Now.”
When Lykos walked off, Niko spoke quietly. “Comply with his wishes, Gem. Stay out of sight, and do not meddle in his conversations or business. Cyrus is unpredictable and merciless when provoked.”
“What’s your plan?”
“I have none.”
She shot to her feet and gave an exasperated sigh. “If you won’t give him the book, then why did you come? Why did you give yourself over to him as a slave, knowing he wouldn’t release me?”
Niko stood up and bowed before turning away to leave the room. “To protect you.”
Chapter 17
Christian bristled when he thought about Raven in that jail cell. Not only was Keystone a man down, but they’d left her behind. Fifteen days was a blink of an eye, and they would probably be done with this mission long before that. But it still vexed him.
Viktor had banished the twins to the bedroom in the back, but Christian heard their ears rubbing against the door. He tuned out all the childish whispering to give this shitebag kidnapper his undivided attention.
Carol and her so-called boyfriend were sitting on the sofa behind the driver’s seat, her hand clutching his. Shepherd focused on the road, but Blue was watching them with a hawkish stare from the passenger seat.
Christian nudged Viktor, who was staring at the wee lass like a disappointed father put in charge of punishment. “If I can’t scrub the eejit, at least let me charm him for information.”
“I said I’ll talk,” the boy grumbled. Boy. Now there was a word that didn’t seem to fit. Shifters often matured quickly after their first change, so the ones capable of shifting were easy to spot. “I have nothing to hide.”
“No, you just have something to steal,” Claude said from the seating area adjacent to him. He sat on the side facing the kids, his arms folded and feet resting on the opposite bench. Christian didn’t usually see Claude with such a baneful disposition. Shortly after recovering the pair on the side of the road, Claude had pinned the lad to the floor and threatened to disembowel him. Once he found out the kid was only sixteen, he backed off.
Reluctantly.
The plastic cover on the broken window rattled from the rushing wind outside. Blue had secured it with duct tape and shut the broken blinds to keep the vehicle warm. Apparently Viktor hadn’t secured one with good heating.
Viktor glanced at his watch. He looked like a Russian agent in his black turtleneck and cargo pants, which he’d changed into shortly after leaving the jail. Christian had never seen the man in pants like that, not to mention the hiking shoes, so he had a feeling they would be ditching the RV soon.
“What is your name?” Viktor asked.
“Joshua Salsbury.”
“Like the steak?” Shepherd asked, an unlit cigarette wedged between his lips.
Joshua swung his dark eyes to the front. “No. It’s spelled differently.”
He definitely acted like a child, despite his furtive look and brawn.
“What if he’s not sixteen?” Christian pondered as he stroked his beard. “What if he’s only saying that to save his arse?”
Joshua reached in his back pocket and slapped his wallet on the floor. “My alias ID shows my age. You can look it up if you want.”
Christian lifted the wallet and thumbed through the pockets. He didn’t give a shite about the kid’s ID; he wanted to see if there was a condom in there. Obviously they hadn’t done anything yet or else Carol would be licking her paws, but Christian didn’t quite know how it worked with Potentials. Sex made them become the Breed of their partner, probably through bodily fluids, but did it work when there was a barrier?
When all he found were a few twenties, ticket stubs to a concert, and a penny, he tossed it back in Joshua’s lap.
“How much do you know?” Viktor asked.
Joshua shook his dark hair away from his eyes. “That you’re kidnapping people.”
“We have done no such thing.”
“Oh?” He snapped his head toward Carol. “Do you want to be here?”
Her shoulders sagged. “No.”
Satisfied, Joshua met eyes with Viktor. “See? Kidnapping. Against her will.”
“We are protecting them,” Viktor fired back, his patience tried.
“From what? Life? Look, I know what she is. I know she’s a Potential. But that doesn’t mean you can hold them against their will.”
“Children cannot protect themselves,” Viktor stated flatly. “Especially human orphans. Would you like me to tell you a bedtime story that will give you nightmares about what happens to young Potentials taken by the wrong people? Shall I tell you about perverse men who want child brides, or perhaps you would like to know about the ones who are held in captivity and tortured in order to make them submissive? Or would you like to hear about a breed of Australian cat Shifters who were going extinct because all their women died, and they kidnapped a twelve-year-old girl to mate with every single one of them to produce more children? Or a young boy of seven who—”
“That’s enough.” Joshua cleared his throat, his eyes downcast. “I get it.”
“I have no time to finesse the truth. Following us was foolish,” Viktor fumed, not giving the kid any leniency. “You put all our lives at risk, and you could have killed her crashing the car!”
“I say we leave him on the side of the road,” Claude suggested, his canines still out.
Christian expected the kid to promise how he wouldn’t tell anyone, but he pressed his lips into a mulish line.
“Nyet. He knows too much. He has seen our faces and knows how we’re traveling.” Viktor turned his attention back to the kids. “How did you follow us this far? We were careful.”
Joshua bit his lip.
“I called him,” Carol confessed.
Viktor jerked his neck back. “With what?”
She looked up at him with wide green eyes. “Your phone. I had no idea we were going to a train station, so I got scared. When you left your phone on the floor, I sent him a message to let him know what was happening. I guess he found out from someone at the train station where all our stops would be and sped the whole way. I couldn’t believe it when I saw him at the station. He was gonna take me then, but that black-haired girl caught us.”
Viktor’s neck turned red, and Christian noticed a little vein appearing on his temple.
Christian furrowed his brow. “And tell me how it is the fella knew you were leaving to begin with? You don’t have phones, and he’s not a Potential.”
“Joshua and I made a promise
to each other,” she explained. “They always sneak the kids out in the middle of the night during a transfer, so I said if something ever happened, I’d put a snowman in the window. It’s one thing I saved my money for. It lights up blue and red and green. Joshua lived across the street. We used to just look at each other and wave, but one night he climbed the fire escape to my window. After that we’d meet up on the top floor where nobody’s supposed to go.”
“And why didn’t he take you then?”
She shrugged. “I wanted to, but he said I only had a few years left to go before they released me. As long as we could see each other, it wasn’t a big deal.”
Viktor rubbed his hands together before stroking his beard. “You leave me with no choice. Go in the back until I call you out.”
“Please don’t hurt him,” Carol pleaded. “Please don’t erase his memories. You can’t! It ain’t fair. We didn’t mean to hurt nobody.” Tears welled in her eyes.
“Spare me the crocodile tears,” Christian said, knowing how clever children were at manipulating adults. “Your infatuation put one of us behind bars.”
Viktor snapped his fingers. “Both of you, go.”
Joshua stood first and helped Carol to her feet. He clutched the pixie-sized girl tightly to him as they made their way to the back of the trailer and closed themselves up in the room with the twins.
Viktor crossed the room and took a seat in their place.
Without missing a beat, Blue got out of the passenger seat and dutifully sat beside him. “When’s the last time you had anything to drink? Christian, get him some water.”
He patted her hand. “What would I do without my Blue?”
Christian filled a plastic glass and handed it over.
After Viktor quenched his thirst, he set the empty cup on the divider between him and Claude. “One of you must stay behind and watch the boy until the mission is complete. If we set him free, he’ll either follow us or try to get help. Someone might get information from him or charm him. We cannot afford to make any mistakes, and he is a liability.”
Blue raised a finger. “I’ll stay.”
“Nyet. I need your eyes. And I need Christian’s ears and Claude’s nose.”
Shepherd tucked the unlit cigarette behind his ear. “I guess through process of elimination, that leaves yours truly.”
“But we won’t have a healer.” Blue looked between all the men. “Niko’s gone, and if something happens to one of the children, Shepherd’s the only one who knows emergency medicine.”
Claude raised his finger and cleared his throat. “I can heal superficial wounds.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Superficial isn’t what I’m worried about.”
“If Raven were here, I’d have her stay with the boy,” Viktor said. “But I cannot afford to spare any of you on the last part of our journey.”
“But you don’t need my eyes. We’re driving.”
Viktor averted his gaze and fell silent. Evidently, he had more in store for them. By the looks of the rugged terrain, probably hiking.
She leaned away and put her hands on her lap. “I’ll do as you ask. You’re the alpha of Keystone.”
Viktor wasn’t an alpha wolf by birth, but he had formed a group and led it with as much authority as any Packmaster would. Calling him an alpha was the biggest compliment you could pay to a beta wolf.
Christian climbed into the passenger seat and stared at the open road before them. He needed to forget Raven and keep his mind on the mission, or someone might die under his watch. It felt like an act of betrayal, but he’d seen many men make foolish choices in the name of love. Viktor had smartly included most of the team on this mission to prepare for the unexpected, including the loss of members.
Nevertheless, it wouldn’t stop Christian from paying a visit to that redneck gobshite someday and delivering a little payback, perhaps charm him into believing he’s a circus monkey instead of a cop.
Revenge was not only a dish best served cold, it was one served in the middle of the night, five years in the future.
Chapter 18
My internal Mage clock told me it was late afternoon. I had given up on concealing my presence from General’s brother, but I didn’t speak to him. I used the toilet, drank water from the sink, and stuffed my coat back in the bag, putting the hoodie over my T-shirt instead. Cold leather against my arms just wasn’t cutting it.
I wonder where they are? Have they made it to their destination? Probably not. Has Niko found Gem? Why the hell would Niko’s nemesis have taken her to begin with? Ransom?
We were stronger as a group, and the more divided we became, the more vulnerable. Hopefully nothing else had happened, like Carol escaping with that boyfriend of hers.
I jumped to my feet when I heard the outside door open. Someone whistled a melody out of tune while they unlocked the heavy door to the cells. A skinny man stepped in, silhouetted by the light in the front room.
I squinted and recognized the man. What the hell? It was Willie, the server from McDonald’s earlier that morning. The door swung wide and showered the room with light.
He walked jauntily in and headed toward Major’s cell. “So what did you do?”
“Fuck off.”
“Don’t you want a french fry? Why are you naked? Are you a Shifter?”
A scuffle ensued, and I cocked my head to discern what might be happening.
“Try all you like, it’s not like you’re going anywhere,” Willie said. His footfalls approached until he appeared in front of my cell, a sack of food in his hand. “Hey, I remember you. Maybe if you had ordered something, you wouldn’t be in here. What did you do?”
He reached in his bag and ate a french fry. While amiable, this guy seemed to get off on questioning criminals.
“Why are you here?” I asked quietly.
He ambled up to the bars. “My uncle owns the building.”
“The cop?”
“Yes’m.”
“Isn’t he a…”
I didn’t dare say the word.
“Mage?” Willie finished. “Uncle Al doesn’t like me here, so I made a copy of the key when he was drinking one night. They have those neat little key machines at Walmart, you know.”
This kid seemed to be a few cards short of a deck. “You’re a rebel, aren’t you?”
He grinned, revealing a mouthful of crooked teeth. He was a gangly-looking guy, probably eighteen or twenty if I had to guess.
Willie wiped his greasy fingers on his dark work shirt. “My uncle got me the job at McDonald’s and invited me to stay here, but he doesn’t trust me. It’s not fair that he doesn’t let me work here. I could be a special deputy.”
“You sure could.” I took a seat in front of the bars so that we could talk more privately.
Willie had a thumbprint of hair below his lower lip that wasn’t well groomed. “Want some fries?”
“Sure.” I reached through the bars and pulled out a couple. I wasn’t hungry, but this wasn’t about hunger. I was playing a game, and the object was to get the hell out of jail. “So you’re a Mage too, huh?”
“No,” he said, acting like a teenager who didn’t get what he wanted for Christmas. “The Mageri doesn’t like nepotism and turning family. I’m just a human.”
I ate a second fry. “I thought humans weren’t supposed to know about us?”
“He got approval to make me a trusted human. I guess ’cause he’s law and all. My dad died a few years back, and I didn’t have any other family to take me in. I was already sixteen, so I guess they didn’t think it was a big deal. That’s why we moved to the middle of nowhere.”
“So you wouldn’t have any friends to tell?”
He reached for a small sandwich and unwrapped it. “Do you really want to know? Nobody ever asks me questions.”
“Sure I wanna know. You’re the most interesting person I’ve met in this town.”
He sat up a little straighter and chomped into his chicken sandwich. “I grew u
p in Parkersburg. My uncle thought it would be safer if we lived somewhere that didn’t have a lot of Breed. I guess he didn’t take into account all the Shifters. It keeps him busy. We could have moved since I’m over eighteen now, but he likes it here.”
“If you’re not a Mage, how come I felt energy when I went into the restaurant?”
“Uncle Al was in the drive-through. That’s how he gets when he’s hungry and has to wait for us to cook up his order. He flares his anger like some kind of food demon.”
While Willie was yapping about his job, I took notice of his pockets and belt as I searched for keys. The ones that opened these cells were different from the key that opened the main door.
“What do you do around here for fun?” I asked.
He shrugged. “I don’t know. Rainelle is only a thousand or so people, and I ain’t got any friends. That’s why I like to come up here and visit the prisoners. Uncle Al doesn’t usually lock up that many people. Mostly drunk Shifters, but once he busted a Vampire sipping from one of the ladies who works at the thrift store. I still come up here every day after work. It’s my excitement. Tonight’s a busy night! Two of you. Are you together?”
I shook my head.
“What did you do?”
“Public display of gifts in the middle of the road.”
He cackled and finished the rest of his sandwich. “I bet I can guess what that was. What’s your name?”
I wasn’t sure if Major could hear us since he was several cells down, and I also didn’t know if he was aware that I was locked up in here. I decided to play it safe. “Jonie.”
“I’m Willie.”
“I know.” I gestured to his shirt.
He glanced down at the name tag. “Oh, yeah. Duh.”
I leaned forward. “If your uncle doesn’t know you come up here, why don’t you let me out? I can’t sit here for fifteen days.”