“He left ten seconds ago.”
“That’s ten seconds beyond what we were supposed to do.”
I opened my mouth to give a snarky response, but then I shut it. There was no point. I’d just be giving him what he wanted. Attention.
“Come on, Marni. Let me show you to your room.” I led her up the stairs before Joseph could go first.
“Hunter is Alpha, I get to pick his room first.”
“I’m sure both Hunter and Levi would agree that ladies should go first.” I turned over my shoulder to smile. “Wouldn’t you Hunter?”
“Absolutely. I’m in no rush at all.” Hunter smiled at me in a slow and sexy way. I blinked and looked away.
Marni laughed. “Oh yes, Hunter, always the gentleman.”
I shook my head and continued up the stairs with Marni by my side. I didn’t want to give Joseph a chance to argue with us anymore.
The rooms were spaced out exactly equidistant apart on the second floor. They were all far enough away from each other that the prisoners couldn’t communicate with one another, but close enough that a guard could help the others if need be. I selected the middle room for Marni. I did it for my purposes mostly, since it kept me in the middle of things, but also for her benefit so she’d be closer to Chet no matter which room he took. I undid her chains, and gestured for her to enter the room. She did without any trouble.
Joseph pushed past with Hunter. “The Alpha should be in the center room.”
“Too late.” I closed the glass partition.
“Bitch,” he mumbled under his breath.
“There are so many words I could use to describe you, but I’m professional.”
He chortled. “Yeah right.”
Once again I forced myself to ignore him. I refused to play into his hands.
Logan arrived at the top of the stairs with Chet, and got him settled in the remaining room.
“You okay, babe?” Chet called out, and I knew he wasn’t talking to me.
“I’m fabulous.” Marni went heavy on the sarcasm.
“Maybe next time we can book a room together.”
I laughed despite myself. I wasn’t supposed to like these Dires, but they weren’t as foreign as I expected. “Sorry we don’t have any king sized bed rooms.”
“We’d share a double,” Chet muttered.
“Against house rules,” Logan joined in on my joke. Of all the guards, he wasn’t so bad. He was way better than Joseph. At least I got one decent co-worker to spend the next few days with. One out of two would have normally been good odds, but Joseph took horrible to a whole new level.
“Not a bad cell.” Marni sat down on the end of her double bed.
“Better than your last one at least.”
“Different.” She ran her hands over the white quilt.
“I know it’s still a cell, but at least you have a bed and a bathroom.”
“A bathroom without a door.” She craned her neck to look into the small space.
“I’m not going to watch you pee.”
“I wasn’t worried. I spend the majority of my life naked with the pack. I was making a point.”
“Gotcha.” I waited just outside the door.
“Pterons aren’t that way about nudity. You don’t connect to your animal side completely.”
“We connect fine, but we prefer to live a more civilized life.”
She laughed. “Civilized? Is that how you see it?”
“How else should I see it?” I knew the Dires were violent and very animalistic, but beyond that I didn’t know much. I guess from the outside we didn’t seem like true shifters, but we were. We just happened to live a more refined lifestyle.
“You’re not a human. Why do you want to act like one?”
“Just because we like to keep humans alive and we chose to mate with them doesn’t mean we are them.”
“Mate with whoever you want to, but why the city life? Why not live in the country so you can fly freely?”
“I can fly plenty. It’s not hard to leave the city behind.”
“But your home is a place you should be free to be yourself. Don’t you want that?”
“Says the girl locked in a prison cell.”
She shrugged. “I’m merely commenting on your situation.”
“Do you really want me to comment on yours?”
“Not particularly.” She held up her hand. “But I do have a question.”
“What question?”
“Can I have a drink?” She watched me through the glass. “Preferably something strong.”
“I’m not sure if you’re allowed to have alcohol.”
“What’s it going to do? It doesn’t affect me much.”
“Who knows?” I shrugged. “It could interfere with the serum.” Holding the Dires prisoner was much easier when they couldn’t shift. Marni hadn’t taken the shot well, but she’d handled it. She had some self-preservation, and she seemed to have accepted she needed to cooperate if she was going to survive.
“The serum, is that what you’re calling this stuff?” She touched the spot on her upper arm where the shot was given. “It’s inhumane you know.”
“Good thing you’re not human then.” No one in the house was. I knew I was far from human myself, and most of the time that was a good thing.
“You know what I mean.”
“It’s not permanent.” The serum was for everyone’s safety. Theirs, ours, and the entire human race.
“Like you are ever going to let us shift.” She lay back on the bed.
I could no longer see her face, and if she were most prisoners I’d have abandoned the conversation, but if she might be the key to finally getting my spot on the intelligence force. I was going to listen. “Not while you are still dangerous.”
“We’re always going to be dangerous. We’re Dire Wolves.”
“Why do you hate them?” I broke a cardinal rule and asked her a semi-personal question. That made me vulnerable even though I was the one asking the question.
“Hate who?”
“Humans.” It wasn’t as though I loved them. Other than my mother I’d never had a real relationship with one, but Pterons usually mated with humans. We needed them for our bloodlines.
“I don’t hate humans.”
“Yes you do.” The Dires were responsible for thousands of deaths. I’d been taught that from a young age. It was part of why it was so important we stayed in power.
“I don’t.” She sat up. “Neither do any of the members of my pack.”
“Then why do you want to kill them?”
“Uh, I don’t.” She walked toward the glass.
“Fine.” I sighed. “I get the whole pack dynamic thing. I’ll rephrase, why does your Alpha want you to?”
“He doesn’t.” She stopped right in front of the impenetrable glass that separated us. “Why would you even say that?”
“Because it’s the truth.”
“It couldn’t be further from the truth.”
I looked down the hall toward Hunter’s room. I couldn’t see him, but I could still picture how he’d looked earlier. Despite the situation, he’d seemed relaxed. What else had Levi told him? Or was it really an act? I also remembered exactly how he’d looked shirtless. He put the rest of the Dires—and Pterons to shame. The man was ripped. Joseph might have been assigned to him, but I was going to manage to get some face time in. It had nothing to do with his physique. I needed to prove myself, and Hunter was going to help me do it.
“He doesn’t want anyone dead. At least no humans.”
“But others?” I jumped on the opening. I didn’t believe her, but I wouldn’t get anywhere with that topic yet. If I wanted to be considered for the promotion I needed to prove my worth. I’d break her. I’d find out what else they were planning.
“Nothing you need to worry about.” She crossed her arms.
“I need to worry about everything.” You never knew what details were important.
“Not this. It’s int
ernal Dire business.”
“Internal?”
“It’s his brother you want. Not Hunter.”
“Brother?” I knew there were a few other Dires around, but no one had mentioned any brother.
“Yes. His twin.”
“His twin?” I arched an eyebrow. “That almost never occurs.”
“It did this time.” She turned and walked back toward the bed. Our conversation was over.
12
Gage
“This is where we’re meeting your wolf?” Genevieve asked as we pulled into the abandoned RV park a few miles outside of Tampa.
The trees were grown up all around the path, and I slowed down to make sure I didn’t hit any. I wasn’t taking any chances when it came to driving anymore. “Looks about right for Denny.”
“You weren’t kidding about him living in the woods.” She opened her window.
“We weren’t. Although there is one RV there.” Mary Anne pointed to a rusted out RV in the distance.
Genevieve rolled the window back up. “Lovely accommodations.”
“I don’t think we’ll be here long.” At least I hoped we wouldn’t be. I didn’t know how much time we had.
“Right, because then we’ll be at the prison.” Genevieve spoke so nonchalantly. She didn’t understand the extent of the mess she’d walked into. Either that, or she wasn’t accepting it.
“Don’t worry, you don’t have to go there.” Mary Anne stretched out her legs.
“I might have to. I can’t do all my work remotely.”
“We’ll make sure you can.” I stopped the SUV a few feet from the RV. I hoped Denny didn’t freak Genevieve out too much with whatever entrance he was planning.
“I will do what I have to. I told you I’d help.”
“And we told you we’d keep you alive.” I planned to keep that promise. I’d also keep my promise to protect Mary Anne. If things went bad I’d get them both to safety no matter the cost to me.
“If it’s that dangerous you guys shouldn’t go either.”
“Maybe not Mary Anne, but I will. I’m going to die if this doesn’t work, so I might as well go out fighting.”
Mary Anne paled. “I’m staying with you. We don’t split up. Remember our deal.”
“And you living and breathing supersedes that.” She still had a chance for a normal life. She wasn’t giving that up.
“What about you? I want you living and breathing.” She touched my arm gently. Too gently. I needed to stay strong. I owed it to her.
“I’m glad you enjoy my being alive, but I’m no longer human, the stakes are different. You can still have a real normal life.” I knew my words wouldn’t change her view, but I had to try.
“Not without you.”
Genevieve let out a gasp.
Mary Anne turned to look at her. “What?”
“You really love him. You actually truly love him.” Her eyes widened in apparent amazement.
Mary Anne laughed. “Yes. I’m aware of that.”
“It’s so strange. You didn’t before. You liked him, a lot, but it was more infatuation. This isn’t that. It’s more.”
“The feeling is mutual.” I needed Mary Anne to know that. To understand nothing was one sided.
“I’m trying to get a read.” Genevieve exhaled loudly.
“What?” I turned around to look at her. “Are you seriously doubting my feelings?”
“You care about her, but do you really truly love her?”
“More than anything.”
“Are you capable of that? I mean you’re not even human.”
I opened my door and got out. “I love her. End of story.” I slammed my door harder than I should have, but Genevieve’s insinuation irked me in a way that little could. She was calling me a monster. The same thing I called Hunter and the others when we first discovered what they were. Could that really be what I’d become?
“Thanks for that.” Mary Anne’s voice carried through her still closed door.
“Before you go and throw your life away for someone you should make sure it’s worth it.”
“It is.”
“It’s a good thing I’m here now.”
“Is it?” Mary Anne hesitated with her door half open.
“I can help advise you and make sure you don’t make any other bad decisions.”
“What if getting you was a bad decision?” Her words made me smile. Leave it to Mary Anne to make a comment like that.
“Do you want my help or not?” Genevieve crossed her arms.
“I want your help with the hacking.” Mary Anne got out and stood right next to me. The action meant more than she could know. She was with me, and she didn’t view me as a monster.
Genevieve didn’t get out for a moment, and I realized she was fiddling with the child lock. Finally she opened the door and jumped right back into the same conversation as though no time had passed. “You mean you aren’t relieved to have your friend with you?”
“I’m glad to see you.” Mary Anne pulled Genevieve into a hug. “I appreciate you coming. You could have said no. Most people would have said no.”
“I’m not most people.”
“No, you’re not.” Mary Anne smiled.
“Is this your ‘idea’?” Denny called from behind us.
I turned to find Denny standing outside the RV shirtless and barefoot. I wasn’t too surprised.
“Yes, I am.” Genevieve straightened and stared him dead in the eye. “And you must be the other wolf.”
“Wolf?” He looked at me questioningly. “What did you tell her?”
“We told her a short version of everything.” I kicked at a rock. Genevieve had riled me up enough that I had excess energy I needed to get rid of.
“And you think she’s going to help how?” He looked her over.
“They wanted my technical expertise.” She raised her chin.
“Technical expertise?” He narrowed his eyes. “You picked this one for that?”
“She’s the best I know,” Mary Anne explained. “And that’s saying a lot because I’m an engineering major. Lots of computer nerds around.”
“And what do you plan to do with this ‘technological expertise’?” He used air quotes.
“Crack the The Society system and get us into the prison.”
Denny laughed. “Society system?”
“Yes. There has to be one. I assumed it was complicated, which is why—”
“The Society has been around for centuries.”
“So?” Mary Anne wrinkled her brow.
“You think they’ve upgraded to the latest technology?”
“They have to use something.” Mary Anne held out a hand in front of her. “Everyone uses some sort of technology system.”
“Yes. Brute strength and magic.”
I shook my head. “No way. Not a chance.”
“It’s true. No computers necessary.”
Mary Anne sighed and slumped down to sit on the dirt ground. “Great. All that work for nothing.”
“It wasn’t for nothing.” Genevieve sat next to her. “I’m here for moral support too if you remember.”
“Why aren’t you ready to kill me for dragging you here for no reason?”
“I’m your friend, and I already told you, my life is boring. This isn’t boring by a long shot.”
“Do we move on to plan B then?” I sat down on her other side. Seeing her deflated calmed my anger. I’d take care of her first and then worry about myself.
“Find the queen?” she asked.
“The queen?” Denny’s eyes widened. He remained standing and looked down on all of us. “Which queen?”
“I thought there was just one.”
“You can’t mean the Queen of The Society.” Denny shook his head.
“That’s exactly who I mean.” Mary Anne moved to standing, and I followed behind.
“Why? Why would she be of any help?”
“Because she’s a good person. Becau
se I know she will.” She seemed too sure. So determined that it rubbed off on me. I found myself nodding.
“And you expect us to walk in there and turn ourselves over to them?”
“No.” She shook my head. “I’ll go alone.”
“No way!” I grabbed her hand. “Not a chance.”
“She won’t be alone. I’ll go.” Genevieve nodded committedly. “They won’t want me. I’m just an average human.”
“What if they try to use you to get to us?” I didn’t hide my concern. Mary Anne needed to see the logic. This was a dangerous move. “It’s too risky.”
“Maybe this was what I was meant to do. Part of Hunter’s dreams.”
“Hunter’s dreams were bullshit.” I looked right into Mary Anne’s eyes. “Complete and utter bullshit.”
“Uh, what dreams? And who’s Hunter?” Genevieve asked.
“The Alpha that wants Mary Anne,” I explained. Genevieve cared about Mary Anne which meant she’d be a good ally.
“The one you want to break out to finish changing you?” She furrowed her brow. “He also had dreams about Mary Anne?”
“Yes. Apparently I was destined to end the hunt, and that’s why he wanted to mate with me.” Mary Anne sighed. “Exciting huh?”
“But what does mating with you have to do with you ending the hunt?” Genevieve moved to standing.
“You may be on to something.” Denny paced. “Hunter might have misinterpreted everything.”
“It’s possible. Men do that a lot.” Genevieve grinned.
“So do women.” Denny shook his head.
“Not as much, but sometimes.” Mary Anne seemed pensive.
Genevieve unzipped her sweatshirt again. “Either way, Mary Anne and I can handle this.”
“What will you do if the queen won’t help? And how will you get to see her anyway?” If they weren’t going to ask the important and logical questions, then I would.
“Maybe my technological skills can help after all.” Genevieve smiled. “I can find anyone that’s on the grid. Is she on the grid or as old fashioned as the rest?”
“She seems modern, and she’s human.” Mary Anne bounded excitedly. “I bet she has a cell phone.”
“I need names and addresses, and I can get you everything you need.”
“You’re awesome, Genevieve.” Mary Anne grinned.
Dawn (The Dire Wolves Chronicles Book 3) Page 8