The burning from the poison did not faze her. As her skin melted, where it came touched the arrow, she did not even blink and instead broke it over her knee into two pieces. Tossing the pieces aside, she put up her middle finger in the direction, where the arrows had come from.
The barrier she put up around Nina’s barrier was significantly stronger, and it doubled the protection. She looked over to see Nina leaning over Terry, as other shifters followed Luke.
Cassie was immediately bundled into the den, and Nina worked on getting rid of the poison in Terry’s system.
“It won’t work like that,” Diana said, as she eyed the surroundings. “He has to bleed out where the arrow hit.”
“Diana, your hand!”
The wolf shifter looked at the injury on her hand and shrugged it off. “This will heal.”
Nina stood up and let Samuel deal with the injured bear shifter. “The poison came into contact with you as well.”
Diana bared her teeth. “This isn’t the first time they’ve used this poison on me. My body knows how to reject it.”
Nina stared at her, and the wolf shifter looked away. There were scars on her body, which hadn’t healed. Scars that she wanted no one to look at. She didn’t want pity. She hated pity.
“You should move inside.”
Luke snarled, “They attacked us, and you want us to hide?!”
“They were testing the waters. Whoever the shooter was, he left immediately, when I intercepted the arrow.”
Kevin stood in front of his mate, a low, thrumming growl emitting from him. “Why didn’t Nina’s barrier work?”
Diana’s eyes were moving over the foliage to see if there was any other threat out there, “Morbus dabbles in dark magic. They could have tapped into a source that Nina is still not equipped to deal with.” She ignored the sound that Nina made, and continued, “Or it could be that her pregnancy might be affecting her powers.”
Samuel exited the den again and overheard the tail end of the conversation. “The child she carries will be immensely powerful. That means it will be drawing a significant amount of Nina’s power. That could be a factor.”
“You are vulnerable right now,” Diana stated. “You can’t be out in the battlefield. If you’re attacked, you might not be able to defend yourself.” A deliberate afterthought. “Or your child.”
‘The female wolf is a protector’, Nina thought to herself. Her actions, her clear head, gave her away. Aside from herself, her ferocity came out if those around her were in danger. Sighing and hating what she was about to do, she stepped back. “I understand. But I will be helping from the background.”
Kevin put his arm around his mate, drawing her into himself.
Luke, however, looked furious. As he growled, the wolves surrounded Diana, their teeth bared.
Nina stared at them and then looked at the wolf shifter. “Luke means you no harm. He’s just–”
“He blames me for this attack,” Diana interjected quietly.
The wolves settled down, but now they looked at everyone as a threat.
“He’s not wrong. There are inconsistencies with what you told me about my abduction. It seems I lost control of my powers rather than deliberately wiping my mind. I’m a danger here. If I stay, Shadow Claw will become a target.”
“We can take care of ourselves,” Luke said, annoyed. “You’re not going anywhere.”
The wariness in Diana’s eyes made Nina’s heart ache. She knew that the shifter was rejected by her own pack, and now she thought she was going to bring danger to another one.
“You have your child and mate to think about. Morbus is not like any enemy you have ever faced. They’re more than humans. Their blood is tainted. Their strength is equal to, or more, than your strength. You can’t hope to face all of them alone and win. Not if they launch an attack on your pack.”
She took a step back. “They have wiped out the strongest packs in history. I will not be responsible for the decimation of yours.”
Kevin spoke up, “Half the Council is here, Diana. Their power is unrivaled. You need to trust us. We are more than capable.”
Something inside her was restless. She couldn’t pinpoint it, but her bond with Fergus seemed to be shaky, and she shook her head. “That may be, but I have to leave.”
She turned around.
Hearing Nina’s voice, she stopped and tilted her body halfway and apologized. “I’m sorry. But something’s not right. I can’t be here. Don’t follow me. Stay and protect the den.”
She broke into a run as the urgency inside her built. She didn’t shift, but her instincts guided her. The wolves raced alongside of her, and she didn’t stop. Something was terribly wrong.
How had Morbus known she would be there?
Unless they hadn’t been after her.
But that didn’t make sense.
She felt the barrier that Samuel and Abigail put up around the den, and its strength was such that nobody would be able to penetrate it. A whisper in her mind.
“Be careful, Diana. I’m keeping watch.”
She hoped Nina didn’t over exert herself.
The forest was quiet, the insects not even making a single sound. It was as if they were aware of the danger and were all in hiding. Stopping at one point, she looked around. A cold, metallic scent, layered by warmth penetrated this area, and she could smell the blood.
It was too familiar a scent to ignore.
Taking a detour to her right, she followed the blood trail and froze when her eyes fell on the lone figure that was propped up against a tree.
Gael looked paler than ever, and his eyes were closed, his breathing shallow.
“Gael.”
She leaned next to the vampire and saw the weapon that was sticking out of his side. A breath hissed out when she recognized it. She had seen this weapon before in the artifacts room in the mansion. It contained a number of cursed artifacts that were deemed to be extremely dangerous.
Somebody had attacked Gael with one of those artifacts? How had anyone managed to infiltrate the mansion? And what was Gael doing here?
Hearing a scream, she got up and rushed toward the source. Two of the wolves were left behind to guard the unconscious vampire. Diana could feel Nina’s presence in her mind and felt her distress on realizing Gael’s state.
They had underestimated Morbus.
They had already launched an attack.
Her pace was fast, and she picked up speed when she heard another scream. A tremor ran through the mating bond, and it made her stumble.
Why was Morbus attacking in different locations? What was their endgame?
The scream came again, this time high pitched and tainted with fear.
Diana changed her focus to the owner of the voice. It took her a few minutes but when she saw who it was, something in her faltered.
Hill was a fragile woman. The bruising on her face and the black eye that she supported made Diana snarl. The man that restrained her looked up when she made the guttural sound.
“Diana, help!” Tears were streaming down Hill’s cheeks, and her body was trembling. “Help me, please!”
“Get away from her,” Diana growled.
The man said nothing, just watched her unblinkingly. His eyes were focused on her, and Diana noted that he stood rather stiffly.
Another tremor ran through the mating bond. Something was really, really wrong.
Fergus needed her.
She should just kill this man and leave. But something stopped her. Her instinct told her that something was off about this entire scenario.
“Hill, how did you get here?”
The woman was still crying, “Gael brought me here. He was–”
Calm entered Diana’s system. “Gael would never put you in harm’s way. I don’t believe that. Tell me the truth.”
An emotion moved over Hill’s face so fast that Diana was unable to identify it. This time, Hill’s voice was careful. “I am telling the truth. He was ambushed
on his way here.”
“Gael is too smooth a fighter. He would never have let anyone slip through his defenses and attack him like that. Morbus is good. They’re not that good.”
“They were holding me hostage.”
“They don’t attack humans. There is no record of Morbus ever having attacked any human.” Diana’s eyes narrowed. “But wouldn’t it be awfully convenient if one of theirs infiltrated the Council headquarters?”
It had been a bluff, but Diana saw the way Hill’s sweet face morphed into an ugly look. The man holding her released her, and she rubbed her wrists. “How long have you known?”
Diana watched her like one would a viper, not knowing when she would strike. “I didn’t. I just sensed something wrong with this situation, and I pushed you. I never thought it was true. But you gave away your own play.”
“Gael didn’t expect it. I insisted that I wanted to see you, and the fool is so much in love with me that he just gave in. Stabbing him wasn’t that hard either. He still didn’t believe I could have done such a thing.”
Had she imagined it, or had there been a hitch in Hill’s voice?
Wondering at it, Diana studied her. “What are you after?”
Hill tilted her head, “Fergus. We want him. And we want the pups.”
“Why?” She could feel her mate drawing closer, but could feel his discomfort. She needed to stall. “Why the pups?”
Hill brushed imaginary lint off her dress, and said, “The first time Morbus came for you, by some fluke, they were given the impression that you were the target. Their real targets were wiped from their minds. By the time they went back, the pack was no longer there. Or, if they were, they hid themselves. We are acquiring young pups to train them and use them. They make excellent hunters.”
Diana trembled with rage. She was starting to put some pieces together from that night from the bits and pieces she was hearing, and it was not a pretty picture.
“Who told you that Fergus belonged to royalty?” Her voice was hard now.
Hill smiled. “Your alpha. Well, your previous alpha. But wait…” She pretended to think. “That would be your father, wouldn’t it? He found Fergus a threat to his power. The pups were an extra that he threw in.” Hill chuckled. “I wasn’t the leader back then.”
Diana didn’t show her shock. She had figured that Hill was one of the members. But the leader of the organization?
“Jilliard raised me until I was ten, conditioned me, and then sent me walking into Gael’s path. He was becoming old, so I had to get rid of him.” She sighed. “Of course, to survive here as a woman, you need to be twice as vicious, and twice as smart as any of them, isn’t that right, Robert?”
She trailed a finger over her underling’s cheek, who stood stiffly.
“They don’t like me.” She smiled. “But, I keep them in their place.”
“I thought you loved Gael.”
There was small pause before Hill snorted. Diana found that pause very interesting. So, Hill did have feelings for the centuries’ old vampire.
A sense of urgency loomed over Diana. She needed to stall Hill until Fergus arrived. Nina’s presence in her mind was full of anger. Anger at the betrayal that Gael had had to face.
“Did you know that Gael was one of the Council?”
“A myth that has been blown out of proportion. A few of your species have a few extra powers. Big woo hoo.”
So, Gael hadn’t really revealed how powerful the Council was.
Diana found it strange that the human woman had not bothered to ever look into the Council itself. She had a feeling that the Council would have stored records of its history somewhere.
Hill had started walking toward Diana, and the shifter sighed internally. She readied herself for the attack when Hill stopped midway and gave an odd smile. “Oh, did you think I’d fight you?”
Men emerged from the trees, their forms battle ready, aiming their bows at Diana.
The leader of Morbus tittered. “Oh no. This time I want your mate to find your body riddled with arrows. We need him alive. You see,” the smile widened just a little bit, “Fergus has royal blood. His mother died sooner than we had anticipated. She was caught eventually, but she had too much poison in her bloodstream to be of any use to us. With Fergus, we can use him to breed us a new line of royals, one that will be under our control.”
Diana’s eyes widened. “Excuse me? You want to do what with my mate?”
Hill didn’t even blink, and she raised her hand.
Arrows flew in Diana’s direction.
Chapter 16
Everything froze in the clearing.
It wasn’t Diana who was moving her arms. It was Nina.
“I’m sorry. But, I can’t not help. You can be mad at me later.”
Diana’s hands clenched into a fist, and the arrows that had been hovering in midair vanished.
“Help is coming, Diana.”
The Caillagh’s whispered voice in her head felt a little weird, and Diana’s arms moved again, this time facing outward in a jerking motion. All the weapons that the enemy held, were torn from their hands and tossed far off into the forest.
“So, you can use magic? We still outnumber you.”
Diana felt annoyed. She had yet to tap into the bloodlust inside of her. “Why are you even doing this?”
“The human race shall always be superior, and we are here to make sure that happens.”
“That’s a little clichéd, to be honest.” Fergus walked out from behind Diana. The men that had stood there lay on the ground, their throats torn out.
Not even a speck of blood on the wolf alpha.
Diana could see what Cassie had meant when she had said that Fergus was beautiful to watch on the battlefield. Five honed fighters went after him, and Fergus just spun around, twisted one’s neck and kicked the dead man into his incoming companion. The two men that were coming from his side suddenly stopped as Fergus thrust his hands into their chests and ripped out their hearts.
Letting the bodies drop, he said pleasantly, “I really would not like to be used as a breeding machine. I’m a one-woman kind of man, Hill.”
The human female watched him dispassionately, not saying a word.
“Why didn’t you capture me in the mansion, when I was right under your nose?” he mused loudly. He gave Hill a knowing look.
“I needed to know the location of the white omega.”
Fergus smiled, his eyes just as empty as his smile was brilliant. “Such a terrible liar.”
Both parties stared at each other until Hill gave the order, “I’m tired of this banter. Kill the woman. I want the alpha alive.”
Fergus whistled. Out from behind him poured an onslaught of shifters.
It seemed the battle had begun. As she watched the wolves attack, she recalled the words that Hill had spoken, and she realized she had to get to her mate.
She could see Fergus fight against three opponents at the same time, still not having shifted. He moved between the fighters with a grace that captivated her. His eyes were cold and blank, as if there was nothing in there. The way he killed was cold and ruthless. It was like watching an artist painting his masterpiece, a beautiful scene, which spoke of violence and ferocity.
It stirred the bloodlust inside of her, and she realized why Fergus had told her that she never had to hide her anger from him. She dispatched her enemies with ruthless efficiency to reach her mate, and when her eyes fell on the man who was supposed to be her father, approaching Fergus from behind, an icy cold seeped inside her soul.
Screaming out her mate’s name did nothing. There was too much noise in the background. She cried out for Nina in her head, and she watched as her own hand lifted to immobilize her father.
Fergus turned around, sensing her fear through their bond. His eyes fell on his mentor and the Tikaanis’ previous alpha, and he stilled as he saw the carved knife that the older shifter held. He didn’t notice that his mate had forced herself through the
fighting to reach his side.
Diana released her father and stepped in front of Fergus. “You were there. The night Morbus attacked us. You were there!”
Payton said nothing, and Fergus saw the struggle in his face. However, the fury that burned through him had him pushing Diana aside.
“She is your daughter, you bastard!”
Some of the wolves who had been fighting nearby turned at his words.
“Do you have any idea what they did to her in there?!”
Nobody stopped him as he went after the shifter. Payton fought back, not the least bit remorseful, “They came for you! You should have been there that night, not her! I couldn’t stop them from taking her. They would have killed me!”
“Then you should have died! Rather than let them break your daughter!” Fergus roared.
The wild, uncontainable grief in his voice did not hide the fury.
Diana wrapped her arms around her stomach. “He told them they could take the pups as well.”
Fergus swiped his shifted claw and felt immense satisfaction at marking the man that had handed his own child over to be tortured.
“We don’t have time for this,” Diana told him. It felt as if something inside her had destroyed every trace evidence of this man ever being her father. She could recall bits and pieces of her memories with Fergus, but never Payton. The betrayal must have been so excruciating that she had erased his very presence from her mind.
Kevin appeared from behind Payton and shifted into his human form. Grabbing Payton by the arms, he said, “The Council will deal with this later. You have a bigger problem.”
Sure enough, it seemed that Hill had called in reinforcements.
Luke was fighting a little farther away, and he met Fergus’ eyes. They needed to cut the head of the serpent.
Hill was not even fighting. She was watching everyone from the center. Anytime a shifter got too close, she would decapitate him or her. Her movements were fast, and Fergus could see a signature in them. It troubled him that she seemed to have observed Gael a little too closely for his liking.
“She needs to die. Once she is out of the picture, we can round up Morbus before they have a chance to regroup.”
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