He knew he needed more blood to help quell the Thirst until he could mate with Imogen, but his need to get out of the cell and on the hunt for her was stronger.
Shaking with the effort to speak without coming undone, he said, “I am.”
“You’re lying, but I’m letting you out anyway. No sudden moves, and no flashing away. If you do, I’ll put you right back inside, and you won’t be released again until this is over and we have Imogen.”
He nodded and then heard the succession of beeps, as she entered the code to unlock the door. There was an audible gasp of air as it opened, like it had been holding its breath the whole time he was imprisoned.
Resisting the urge to run, as he promised, he stepped from the cell and closed it behind him.
“My study?”
“That’s where the others are.”
They went up the flight of stairs to the ground floor, and as they passed through the kitchen, Gunner noticed that the blood stores had been restocked.
“Thank you for that,” he said to Jana, and she inclined her head in response.
“It was a horrible thing for you, but it allowed us to gain more evidence. Your theory about someone working against The Directive from the inside was correct. Expect to get a commendation from us once this is settled.”
“Thank you, but I’m much more concerned about getting Imogen back than recognition for my career accomplishments.”
When they entered the study, everyone stood, and Blaine rushed over and clapped Gunner on the back.
“You okay, man?”
Gunner cocked his head to the side, and out of the corner of his eye, he noticed how Delia was watching him.
“It was touch and go there for a while. Appreciate everything you’ve done to help me.”
“Come sit down,” Blaine said.
“I’ll take the one closest to the cooler,” Gunner replied, as he crossed the room to a black leather chaise with an ottoman.
“Drink another ten,” Delia told him. “You’re still on the edge.”
“How can you tell?” Lee asked.
“He can’t tamp down his flames.” She looked back at Gunner. “Can you?” Rather than answer, he lifted another pack and sank his fangs into it. “Blaine, bring everyone up to speed on where we are.”
“Okay. Let me start from the beginning.” He went over and stood in front of the hearth. “Gunner had heard rumblings and whispers of an insurgency against The Directive. During his investigation, he happened upon a room with many dead supernaturals, and another one passed while in his arms there. And who arrested him? None other than Terrance. After the trial, I attempted to locate the eyewitness and was unable to find him. I can only presume that he was eliminated to tie up loose ends.
“The woman Gunner was unable to save had screamed that she didn’t want to be sacrificed. That takes us to the file that Lee located in which someone I believe to be Terrance tells about a new power rising to rule over both the paranormal and human worlds and how blood would run in order to cement his ascension. But then Gunner was released. I believe this information was passed to Terrance, who then discovered Imogen. He was set on abducting her.”
“Why?” Piper said. “What did she do to him?”
“Nothing. She’s merely a pawn he’s using to manipulate Gunner.”
“For what purpose?” Jana asked.
“I’ve thought about this ever since Reina showed up.”
“She has a role in this?”
“How did she know you were out of jail, Gunner?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t care to ask at the time. I just wanted her gone, so I could focus on Imogen.”
“But I did,” Blaine replied. “She had no ready reason, and though I can’t prove it, I think she was improvising as she went.”
“You believe she’s working with Terrance?”
“I do.”
“Continue.”
“So, going back a bit, let’s look at the night Imogen was first attacked. If you recall, the assailants went for a shoulder hit on Gunner—not a shot that would kill him.”
Shuddering at the memory, Gunner pieced together the events of the past nights, mentally chastising himself for not putting it together as his friend had done so easily.
“Gunner,” Blaine went on, “was suffering from the Thirst. Someone in Terrance’s circle must’ve discovered that, and then he laid another trap.”
“I’m not followin’,” Piper said. “Sorry.”
“No need to apologize. If I’m right, it’s a convoluted plan but set brilliantly.”
“He was doing the same thing as before,” Gunner added with a nod. “He wanted me to go insane with bloodlust and kill with abandon, and then he would use that to prove that I’m a murderer and get rid of the investigation into his activities.”
“Thereby illustrating to everyone who would hear about it that I am unfit to serve The Directive,” Jana sighed.
“Precisely.”
“Reina wasn’t upset with me for breaking up with her.”
“Not a whit, my friend. Remember Henry said a woman was involved, a queen? Isn’t that what Reina’s name means when translated to English?”
Gunner hung his head at the con that had once again been set for him and could have succeeded if not for the team assembled there to support him.
“That’s another reason I believe Reina is aligned with Terrance. She destroyed the blood bags, using feigned heartbreak as a cover for her actions.”
“Where’s Imogen in all of this?” Gunner said with his eyebrows scrunched together.
“She’s with the dead,” Henry mumbled from across the room. “I told you.”
“My God!” Gunner yelled, as he jumped to his feet, his eyes landing on Blaine’s. “He’s gonna sacrifice her like he did the others!”
Blaine nodded his agreement, and Gunner flashed to Henry, taking him by his arms, shaking him violently.
“Say something! Do you have an idea where she is? She can’t die! I love her!”
“Unhand him now!” Delia shouted, launching herself into the air.
Before she landed, a sudden breeze went through the place.
Jana stood and said, “Magno! Welcome to our motley crew.”
“There will be no violence unless warranted,” Magno announced, his tone as solid as granite, while Gunner gripped the hands that were wrapped around his neck. “Let him go.”
“I need to know!”
“He gave us a clue, Gunner,” Blaine said. “A very important one.”
Unable to withstand the raw power emanating from Magno, Gunner released Henry and took a step back from him. Everyone else in the room froze in place, as they stared at the ancient vampire. His dark eyes conveyed a strength and astuteness that was intimidating, in contrast to his short stature.
“Continue,” Magno said to Blaine. “I overheard the last part of your theory, as I was coming up the walkway.”
“Thank you. As I was saying, from the outside, it appears that Terrance is following the identical strategy he did before. So, it stands to reason—”
“That he’s using the same building where I found the bodies!”
“Exactly.”
“Perhaps that’s where Terrance is hiding, as well,” Magno said.
“With all due respect, sir, I don’t give a fuck about anything other than Imogen.”
Chapter 37
Despite her attempts to keep her mind occupied, Imogen had succumbed to her surroundings. As tears poured down her face, she envisioned the life she could have had with Gunner. Though she’d been thinking that the universe wouldn’t let them be torn asunder, it was starting to look to her like they’d been abandoned.
I can’t die like this! Not just sitting here like a criminal awaiting execution!
Leaping from where she sat, she ran to the door, banging on it with her fists.
“Somebody, help me! Please! Let me out of here! They’re gonna kill me!”
The music f
lowing into the room seemed to get louder, more somber, and she dropped to her knees, sobbing. Through the speaker, she heard a feminine giggle and recognized the tone of the voice, which belonged to the woman who had handed her over to be killed.
Gunner… find me! There isn’t much time!
Because the room she was in had no windows, she was unable to gauge the passing days and nights. If not for the low light of the sconces, she would’ve been sitting in pitch black darkness. Considering what was sharing the space with her, she wasn’t convinced that the inability to see the pile of bodies would have been worse.
After returning to the corner, she raised her trembling, bruised fingers to count, as she tried to recall what she’d eaten since she’d been there. They’d served her the same thing every day, and it all began running together in her head in a steady procession of images of the dry sandwiches and chips on paper plates.
My God! What if it’s been five? Six? It can’t be!
Terror bubbled up inside her, and she screamed Gunner’s name.
The door eased open, and she looked up through her blurry eyes, as a tall figure approached her.
She whispered, “Gunner?”
“Oh, I’m sure he’s gone mad by now with bloodlust. But regardless of his state, the hour has come for the ceremony. Certain things have been set into motion that could cause my ascension to fail, so I’ve decided to press forward.”
Once again, her reality slapped her across the face. But that time, she didn’t pass out. Instead, she flew towards the door and landed in a heap by the opening.
Press forward? That’s what he thinks of murdering me? Just something to check off his list? Fuck, no!
Jumping to her feet, she ran as fast as she could out of the room and into the warehouse. Her breathing hitched, as she sped through the crowded space, knocking over boxes and crates, while she searched for her freedom, with Terrance’s laughter and footfalls trailing behind her at every turn.
Then Gunner’s powerful voice rang out, “Imogen!”
“I’m here!” she screamed. “Gunner!”
Terrance’s arms, which were like steel bands, wrapped around her, and he said, “He can’t save you.”
As Terrance attempted to flash away with Imogen, she began to slip from his grasp. He grabbed her wrist tightly and dragged her behind him on the concrete floor, scraping her knees, ankles, and feet on the rough surface. As they barreled through the stacks of pallets, wood splintered around her, and a few shards pierced into her skin, digging in deep, while blood streamed down her arm, to her torso, leaving a trail.
“Gunner!”
Chapter 38
Gunner charged forward, chasing after Imogen, while rage flowed through him at Terrance’s treatment of his mate. As he turned corner after corner, following the diminishing trail of her blood, his yearning for it remained. Rather than drinking from a bag, he vowed to sink his fangs into Terrance’s jugulars and rip them from his body. Though he relished the thought of crushing Terrance’s heart in his hands, he was an ancient vampire, and Gunner hadn’t forgotten that Magno said he wanted to pour out his wrath onto Terrance personally.
Rounding a tall wall of boxes, he stopped and faced four different entrances that Terrance could have taken Imogen through. There was no longer any blood to guide him.
Which one?
“Follow the scent,” Magno said from behind him.
Gunner paused, seeking the spot from which she called to him the strongest.
“There,” he said, pointing, and took off down the tunnel with Magno, Jana, Blaine, and Lee at his heels.
Magno and Jana shot around Gunner, racing away with such speed Gunner almost lost sight of them.
Gunner heard Terrance yell, “The Directive is here to end our mission! Stop them by any means necessary!”
“Time to change,” Lee said, as his voice descended from human to a growl.
“Terrance!” Magno shouted. “You will cease this activity immediately! Release the woman and answer for your crimes!”
Gunner skidded to a halt beside Lee’s wolf.
In front of them stood a wall of vampires, shoulder to shoulder, fangs bared and claws lengthened. Through the gaps, Gunner saw Terrance standing with Imogen at his feet. At his side was Reina, pale and smiling, with crimson streams running down her chest in dual lines from puncture wounds in her neck. She swayed aimlessly in front of a stack of dead bodies laid against the back wall. Gunner recognized their injuries as those executed the night he’d been falsely arrested. Returning his attention to Reina, he also saw that she was suffering from massive blood loss and would soon die if the flow wasn’t staunched.
Jana transformed into her beast, and she padded over to Lee. After a moment, they turned towards the horde and roared. The sound rattled the room, and some of the vampires hissed in response, while others shrank back.
“Protect your lord!” Reina croaked out. “He is your salvation!”
Blaine then flowed into his wolf form, joining Jana and Lee. The shifters stalked forward with Magno and Gunner.
“Why, Reina?” Gunner asked. “Why’d you align yourself with him?”
“She’s my queen,” Terrance answered, leaning over to heal her neck with a lick of his tongue across her skin. “And she’ll rule with me over the entire earth after you’re all taken care of.”
Magno strode forward, his gait one of undeniable authority, and the vampires took a step back, cowering before the ancient, as his preternatural power went before him in waves of energy.
“Release Imogen. Now!” Magno thundered.
“Her blood will spill in recognition of my ascension... as will yours!”
Terrance withdrew a dagger from his robe and slashed downward, as Imogen’s scream of terror and pain rang out.
“No!” Gunner yelled, as he leaped into the air, over the heads of the wall of bodies keeping him from Imogen.
At the same time, the shifters jumped into the fray, tearing into the men and women protecting Terrance. One after the other, they crushed them under their weight and ripped out throats and hearts.
When Gunner landed a few feet from Imogen, his eyes went immediately to the wound on her neck and the blood that was flowing freely through her fingers covering it. In his mind, he reflected on the woman he’d found in a similar state and hadn’t been able to save.
Imogen’s eyes met Gunner’s, and she mouthed, “I love you.”
Terrance laughed and lifted the blade once more.
“Stop!” Gunner shouted, as he grabbed Terrance’s arm to prevent him from further injuring Imogen.
Though he was 100 times stronger than Gunner was, Terrance was going to have to walk through Gunner’s ashes to hurt his mate again.
Terrance twisted his wrist, breaking Gunner’s grasp, and then he grabbed Gunner by the neck and lifted him off his feet, his legs kicking in the air, as he clawed at Terrance’s grip. Suddenly, Gunner flew across the room and hit the rock wall, cracking his head against it.
“Gunner! No!” Imogen cried, her voice weakening.
Jumping to his feet, Gunner flashed to attack Terrance once more.
“He will not be stopped!” Reina shouted.
Gunner looked down at his side, where he felt a sharp pain, and saw the hilt of a knife sticking out. Reina gave him a wavering smile, as she let it go and stumbled away.
“Thanks,” he growled.
Reaching back, he pulled it out and plunged it directly into Terrance’s heart.
“You’re not taking her from me!”
Terrance grabbed the knife, trying to pull it from his chest, as Gunner leaned in with all his strength. Then Magno stepped through the carnage with deliberate footfalls and stood in front of Terrance.
“Your treachery against humanity ends now. Let it go, Gunner.”
He obeyed.
Grasping the handle in one hand and Terrance’s arm with the other, Magno knocked him to the ground, quickly pinning him with his own body, as Terran
ce yelled for his followers to save him. Placing the sharp blade at Terrance’s neck, Magno pressed downward, turning Terrance’s screams to gurgles.
Gunner flashed to Imogen, and after slicing his arm open with his fangs, he pressed it to her mouth.
“Drink, baby! Hurry! Let me heal you!”
Her lips sealed onto his wrist, and she pulled his essence into her mouth and swallowed. As he watched, her blood stopped flowing, and her skin stitched itself back together.
“Keep going! Don’t stop,” he urged, wanting to assure she would be completely whole.
As he gathered her to his body to shield her from the fray, howls and death screams surrounded them. Ash flew through the air, as the acolytes were destroyed until none remained.
“It’s over,” Magno said, standing on top of the pile of dust that had been Terrance.
Imogen stopped drinking and threw her arms around Gunner.
“I was so afraid you wouldn’t find me!” she whispered, as tremors racked her body. “I thought I was gonna die!”
Holding her tighter to him, he said, “I know, baby, but I’ve got you now. Are you in pain? Is your arm okay?”
She didn’t reply for a while, and he could hear the racing of her heartbeat, as she sucked in several deep breaths.
“Take your time. Gather your strength.”
Imogen clung to him, as the chaos around them came to an end. Only then did her inhales and exhales against his neck lessen to what was normal for her. Gunner rocked her in his arms, soothing her the only way he could in the presence of others.
“I feel like I’ve been run over by a truck, but I’m thankful to be alive.”
“We’ll go home, and you can rest and recuperate.”
“That’s all I’ve been dreaming about, Gunner. Being with you and making our life together.”
Leaning down, he pressed his lips to hers. She opened to him, urging him closer, as she melded herself to him.
“What about her?” Blaine asked.
He was back in his human form, gesturing to Reina, who was trembling in the corner, crying, as she stared at the ashen remains of her former lover. Looking down, Blaine drew his tattered shirt over himself to cover his nudity.
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