Heinz smirked as he swung his hand and slapped the enraged wolf on the side of his shaggy head.
Horst spun in midair and crashed into a cart holding an array of medical implements. He lay unmoving amid the scattered items on top of the wrecked cart.
Heinz stalked toward the fallen Were, his fangs extended and his sharp claws flexing in anticipation. “Get up, damn you. You ungrateful mutt, I should have killed you the first time you defied me. I will not make that mistake this time.”
He was so intent on exacting his vengeance that he failed to notice Akio enter the room until he was standing at the entrance to the stairs leading to Heinz’s private quarters. He froze in mid-step when he saw the katana-wielding figure watching him through hooded eyes.
“You!” Heinz screamed. “You’re a traitor to your kind, choosing humans over their rightful lords and masters.”
Akio raised one eyebrow and continued to watch, sensing that Heinz was stronger than he remembered him from years earlier, the same as Isamu had been.
“Say something, Akio. Or should I call you ‘Dark One?’” Contempt dripped from his tone.
Akio shrugged. “What is there to say? It doesn’t matter what I say or what you think. You won’t be around long enough for it to be of importance.”
Heinz smirked, his attention laser-focused on Akio. “I am not as easy to kill as you may think, traitor.” As he spoke, he palmed a large knife from a workbench and threw it at Akio in a flash.
The blade flew true and impacted Akio’s armored chest. The Jean Dukes armor bent but did not break as the tip of the knife struck, the force of the impact sent Akio staggering back a half step.
Heinz used that minor distraction to bolt through the door into the hall.
Akio regained his balance, but as he started to pursue the running vampire, Horst crossed in front of him, his claws tearing gouges into the tiled floor as he lunged out the door after Heinz.
When Akio entered the hallway, he saw Heinz rapidly approaching the stairs with the wolf close on his heels as Yuko, stepped into the hall from the door of Chang’s room.
Heinz was shocked when Yuko stepped into his path with a bloody sword in her hand. His steps faltered for a second. That was all Horst needed. He pounced in an instant, his strong jaws locking around the back of the vampire’s neck. Both went to the floor in a sliding tangle of limbs and snarls.
Yuko jumped to allow the struggling wolf and vampire to pass under her. She landed lightly on her feet as the two combatants crashed into the unyielding stone wall. The sound of bones breaking was followed by a muffled yelp of pain from the wolf, his jaws still firmly locked on the vampire and a pained grunt from the vampire under him.
Akio stepped up beside Yuko, and they watched as Horst struggled to his feet. One front leg was twisted at an odd angle, his stark white muzzle covered in blood so dark that it looked black. He stood painfully on three legs and forced the broken one out straight as his nanocytes blocked the pain and started to heal it.
Heinz pushed himself up with one arm. The other was shattered to the point it would take several minutes to heal. His tibia protruded from the middle of his lower leg, and dark blood bubbled out around his lips.
He forced himself into a sitting position, his eyes locked on the wolf. He opened his mouth to speak and Horst surged forward, clamping his jaws around Heinz’s throat and savagely pulling back. Heinz’s face paled as blood sprayed from his ruined throat when Horst opened his mouth to disgorge a chunk of bloody flesh.
The nanocytes in his blood started to close the wound. Heinz grimaced as his throat started to heal and tried to get to his feet. His shattered leg had also started to mend, and he managed to push himself halfway up on his uninjured one.
Horst’s form morphed, and a naked man stood where the wolf had been, his features flushed with rage and his body shaking with barely contained rage as he stalked toward Heinz. He scowled at the battered and torn vampire, his eyes glowing bright yellow. “You murdered my father,” he accused, his voice sounding more like a growl than speech.
Caught in the grip of uncontrollable rage, Horst felt a tingling in his limbs. He glanced down at his hand as it lengthened. Fur sprouted to cover it, and sharp claws extended from the tips of each finger. He lashed out with his claw-tipped hand, opening the partially healed wound on Heinz’s throat. “You caused my mother’s death with your arrogance.”
He growled and lashed out with his foot, striking Heinz on the knee of his uninjured leg. The sound of bone breaking was followed by a scream of pain from the wounded vampire as he crumpled back to the floor. “You caused my brother’s death with your insane plan.”
Horst drew his foot back again and slammed it into the helpless vampire’s side. He was rewarded with another scream of agony and the sound of snapping bones. “Now it is fitting that I, Horst, son of Klaus, Alpha of the Rohr Wechselbalg, end your miserable life.”
He reached down and grasped Heinz by his head, then looked into his eyes and twisted. His arms corded with strain and a sickening snap came from the neck.
Horst placed one foot on Heinz’s waist and pulled until the already-torn skin broke free and the head came off in his hands. He gazed at it for a moment, numerous feelings running through him: sadness for the loss of his brother, anger that Heinz was so cruel, and the uncertainty of not knowing where his path now lay.
As he stood cataloging this, a thought came to him. He was free to do whatever he pleased, no longer bound to the beast who had insisted that he call him father. Of all the feelings that had been coursing through him, contentment was the strongest. Whatever tomorrow had in store for him, he would face it as his own man.
With a final look, he dropped the head to the floor and turned to Akio and Yuko. “Don’t we have some people to free?” He started toward the stairs.
Akio nodded once and Yuko called to Horst, “Perhaps you should clean up and find some clothes first. I don’t believe a naked, blood-covered man would be very reassuring to a group of captives.”
Horst looked down at himself, seeing that Yuko was right as Heinz’s blood covered almost all of his naked body. He grunted in reply and calmly walked past them to his room to do as she said.
“He partially changed.” Yuko murmured as the Were closed the door to the room he had entered. “I did not expect he would have the ability to turn Pricolici.”
Akio nodded, a thoughtful look on his face. “He is strong, and extreme emotions such as anger have been rumored to trigger the change into the Pricolici form in wolves. He just confronted his personal monster, one that has haunted him for most of his life. I believe it had a…therapeutic effect.”
Yuko looked pensive, and her lips pursed as she considered that. “You might be correct but, we will need to watch him. Making Heinz pay for the deaths of his family has been his driving force for too long. I don’t want to see him slip into despair now that he has lost everything that has defined him up to now. Plus, I remember how the Weres had trouble controlling themselves when they were in that form.”
“Hai,” Akio agreed. “He should be watched, but I believe you will find that our wolf will adapt to his newfound life easier than you think. That level of vengeance does help to bring things into a new and better perspective, as I have recently discovered.”
Yuko nodded. “I hope that is the case with Horst,” she whispered to herself as she started toward the stairs to free the remaining prisoners.
Chapter Forty-Five
Research Laboratory, Acheng, China
Eve brought the Black Eagle down when Akio called and told her they had finished in the base. She met him at the hangar doors when Horst opened them. “Where’s Yuko? You didn’t lose her again, did you?”
Akio looked behind himself, feigning surprise. Before Eve could respond, he chuckled. “She’s freeing the people Heinz was holding for his experiments. She will be along soon.”
“Not funny.” Eve huffed, then allowed a small smile to play on her face.
“I had a drone follow her into Chang’s rooms. Want to see the recording?”
“Hai.” He smiled, looking back again before he added, “After we get back to base.”
Eve nodded knowingly and focused on the back of the hangar as Yuko entered.
“Did you get them all out?” Eve asked.
“Hai.” Yuko’s reply sounded off.
“What’s wrong, Yuko?” Akio inquired.
“There were only three people left alive,” Yuko lamented. “One of the prisoners told me that Heinz had come there earlier and injected four of them with some concoction. They tore each other apart in their cell shortly after. The bodies were still there. Had we gotten here sooner, we could have prevented it.”
“Yuko,” Akio responded softly as he placed his hand on her shoulder, “we can’t save them all. We can only do what is within our power to ensure that any Forsaken and Weres we find preying on humanity are stopped.”
Eve took her hand. “Yuko, we stopped Heinz, and he can never harm anyone again. I know it hurts you when people die needlessly, but you are not responsible for the acts committed by others. You are responsible to see that they are punished when they step over the line. That is all Bethany Anne wants and requires of you.”
Yuko stood silently for a moment, comforted by her two closest friends left on Earth. “What about the Weres who went to the prison? Do we need to wait for them, or let them go now that Heinz is gone?”
Horst spoke up before anyone could respond. “They are all beasts. They served Heinz willingly, and he allowed them to play sick games with the humans. They don’t deserve to live.”
Yuko’s gaze snapped to him. “Do you believe they will continue that with Heinz gone?”
“They will be worse,” he spat. “Heinz wouldn’t let them hunt as often as they would have liked since he needed humans for his experiments. Without him to restrain them, they will go through the villages and settlements like a plague.”
Akio nodded his agreement when he saw the images in Horst’s mind. “Yuko, I will stay and deal with them. I can return in the Black Eagle when I am done.”
Yuko thought a moment before she answered. “No, I will see this to the end. Although I am tired of killing, I know it is necessary.”
Eve spoke up. “I believe you should all go back to Japan, Yuko. Koda and Asai need you and Akio to screen the applicants so we can open on time next week. I will stay and handle the Weres when they return.”
Akio looked at her. “What do you propose to do, Eve?”
A big smile crossed her face as she answered, “Puck ’em.”
Akio rolled his eyes as Yuko looked at her and shook her head.
Eve followed up quickly, her face taking on a hardness not seen before. “I followed them with some drones when they were sent to hunt. What they did to those people no one should see, let alone endure. I plan to wait until they are all inside and drop the whole thing on top of them. I think that is a fitting end, to be buried underneath tons of rubble in the very place where they tormented and tortured so many others.”
Horst let out a short laugh. “That would be justice. They have been untouchable here for many years. To die where they feel safest would be a fitting end for those bastards.”
“Eve, are you sure?” Yuko pressed.
“I’m quite sure. Besides, we have everything planned for the Palace’s grand opening and still don’t have the staff ready.” She trailed off as she communicated silently with the drones shadowing the trucks. “They are only an hour away, now. Go. I have this.”
Yuko hesitated briefly, then nodded once and walked toward the waiting craft.
“Eve, leave some drones in the area after you’re done,” Akio directed. “If any others show up here, it would be good to know.”
“If you kill them and Miko, there are no others,” Horst stated.
“Just the same, Kamiko’s network was extensive,” Akio replied. “It would be imprudent to assume that there are no others who know of this place.”
Horst shrugged and headed to the craft.
Eve looked at Akio. “Thank you.”
“For what?” he asked.
“For treating me like a member of the team and trusting that I will succeed,” she replied.
“Eve,” he replied solemnly. “You have always been and always will be a trusted member of this team, as well as my friend. Now, get ready to show them what a master pucker can do.” He grinned.
Eve nodded and grinned as she turned toward the Black Eagle. “They won’t know what hit them.”
He shook his head, fighting to control the laugh that threatened to burst out as he made his way to the craft for the ride home. She really is acting like Bethany Anne’s child now.
Horst maneuvered the craft out of the hangar once they were all aboard and set the heading for Japan. Once he had the course set, he leaned back in the pilot’s seat and closed his eyes, seeming to rest but with his mind running all over the place.
What will I do now? I have no family and don’t know if any of the pack is still alive in Germany. It’s been many years since there has been any contact. The last time we had contact with anyone in Germany was when Heinz went there with Dieter and secured this craft shortly before the world fell apart. Dieter didn’t care enough to look for them even if Heinz would have allowed it.
He continued with this line of thought until he was interrupted by Yuko.
“Horst?”
Horst opened his eyes. “Ja? Um, I mean, yes?”
“Have you thought about what you want to do now that you’re free of Heinz?” Yuko inquired.
“I intended to go to Germany,” he replied. “But I don’t know if there is anything there for me. It’s been years since we have had any contact with anyone there, and longer still with any Wechselbalg.”
“If you will give me a general area to look, I can ask Eve to see what she can find,” Yuko offered. “As you have probably figured out, we have advanced methods of obtaining information.”
“That would be good. I would hate to go there and find nothing.”
“There is another alternative if you would like. We have homes scattered around Japan. If you wanted, we could set you up in one of them. You are welcome to remain there until we find out about your pack or longer.”
“I don’t know. How could you trust me? It’s not as if you know anything about me other than that I hated Heinz.”
Akio had been watching the exchange in silence. He leaned forward, looking into his eyes. “Horst, I know you are trustworthy. I know you didn’t agree with the way Heinz or the Weres treated humans, and that you refused to take part in their depravities. If you would like to stay, you will have a place here.”
Horst was overwhelmed by the sincerity he heard in his voice, but his eyes narrowed when he tried to remember telling Akio that he didn’t participate in the hunts.
“How did you know that?” he demanded. “I never said anything about not taking part.”
Akio raised one eyebrow but remained silent.
Horst’s forehead wrinkled, then his eyes shot wide open. “You have Michael’s powers. You can see into minds!”
“I am nowhere near that powerful, but do you deny that anything I’ve said is not true?”
“No, it’s true. I just don’t know where I will fit in. I have been living in that bunker for the last twenty-plus years. I don’t know if I can function in this world.” He sighed.
“Horst, you function like everyone else does,” Yuko told him softly. “Day to day, week to week, year to year. As long as you continue to move forward, the rest will take care of itself.”
None of them spoke again for the remainder of the trip until they drew close to the Japanese mainland. “Horst, please take us down into the overgrown area south of the section of the city where Riko’s is. You know it?”
“The site where the old temple complex is?”
“Yes.”
“Will my craft be safe there?”
“It will. After dark, it will be moved to a secure area,” he explained. “For now, it is close to where we need to be, and we also have a place for you to stay nearby.”
Eve had been waiting ten kilometers above the lab complex, watching the four covered trucks slowly make their way down the rough mountain roads. She had sent numerous drones into the complex so she could be sure her quarry was inside the trap.
When the trucks arrived, one of the Weres jumped out of the cab of the first truck and opened the doors to a garage. As soon as the last one was inside, he closed and locked the doors.
She switched to a live feed from the area and turned up the volume as she watched on the Black Eagle’s HUD.
“Gerhart, where the hell are those damn workers? I’m going to rip one of their heads off and beat the other to death with it,” Kurtz growled.
“Silence,” Miko commanded. “Something is off. I smell blood.”
The Weres all stopped and sniffed the air around them. “Kurtz, Franz, shift and scout the area. I smell it, too,” Gerhart ordered.
Both shifted to wolf form, leaving a pile of torn clothing behind as they jumped to obey.
“Gerhart, take the others and spread out. Alert me if you locate anything.” Miko directed. “I’m going to check the kitchen area. I smell something burning.”
Gerhart nodded and motioned for the remaining Weres to follow. He went to a concealed door at the back of the garage and tripped the latch holding it closed. A section of the wall swung out, revealing a narrow stairway leading down.
Miko went through the side of the garage into a passage that sloped down to the common room. The passage had several closed doors that led to storage areas where the food and other necessities were kept. He passed them by, homing in on the strong odor of something left to cook too long.
When he entered the kitchen, he saw an oven with smoke leaking out around the closed door. When he made his way around the counter in the center of the room, he stopped short, seeing the cook’s obviously dead body on the floor.
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