Virgo

by Kim Faulks

  And maybe that day of reckoning had finally come?

  The paper slipped from my fingers, and fluttered to the desk. Revulsion wormed through the cracks. That name, that name…

  I closed my eyes to the blood and the screaming.

  Marcus had known this was coming all along…

  The phone vibrated in my hand. I wrenched open my eyes. My damn fingers trembled as I punched the screen.

  “We’ll be there in ten,” Alpha growled. “Be ready.” The line went dead.

  I snatched a piece of paper from the drawer and shoved from the chair. Words had no meaning as I scrawled across the page—nothing did—I grabbed the ancient letter, only this…

  A corner tore as I stuffed the paper into the envelope and flicked off the light. My family had secrets, dark, horrible secrets.

  The kind that haunted a man.

  The kind that tortured a Dragon.

  We’d kept those secrets for thousands of years.

  No more—I yanked the door closed and made for my sister’s room. Please no more…

  I slid the message under the gap and straightened. The cold, empty silence of these walls now whispered of lies and fools. But I was no fool, not then, and not now.

  The front door closed with a soft thud behind me. Headlights splashed the driveway, lighting up my boots and jeans as Alpha swung the Jeep wide and braked to a stop.

  The engine hissed and spat as I crossed the drive and yanked open the rear door.

  Dim interior lights smacked across a hard jaw, revealing a blood-splattered face and haunted eyes. The Marine looked like Hell. I glanced to X slumped down in the passenger’s seat and winced at her shell-shocked stare—she looked no better.

  She shifted her hand against her lap. Blood shone black against the tomahawk’s blade. Questions lingered in the back of my mind.

  He glanced to the front door. “Anyone else coming?”

  “No.” I winced at his hopeful stare. “It’s just me.”

  I yanked the door closed and we were moving. Tires spun, kicking stones in our path as we tore down the driveway.

  He barely touched the brakes and spun the wheel as we replaced stones for asphalt. I grabbed hold of the seatbelt as momentum threw me forward.

  “Try them again,” Alpha barked.

  The phone in X’s hand came alive with the backdrop of green. She fumbled with the screen, sliding her thumb and pressed the button.

  “The speaker. That one…that’s it,” he urged and the ringing tone filled the air.

  “You’ve reached Regan. Leave a message…beep.”

  X lifted her gaze to the shake of his head. “You want me to leave another one?”

  “We’ll try in an hour,” he growled.

  I stared as trees whipped by and glanced to the GPS. “Where are we going?”

  Alpha leaned forward and stabbed the device. “Sonofabitch has them holed up here. We can make it to this unsealed road in an hour, after that, who the hell knows. You can fight, right? I mean…you’re good to get bloody?”

  I glanced at the young wolf at his side. A dangerous sound filled my head. The Saint dragged in the mortal’s scent and the growl deepened. “Yeah, I can get bloody.”

  “Good.” He sucked in a breath and exhaled slow. “’Cause right now you’re all we got.”

  He reached across the seat and covered X’s shaking hand with his. “We’re gonna get the babies back. Hold on to me, okay?”

  Their fingers entwined. She gave him a nod, and glanced over her shoulder. There was a moment when I saw not the quiet, damaged girl, but the warrior. “I don't know friend from foe,” she whispered. “The Vampire tried to help me. Told me where they were. I don’t think he’s dead.” She licked her lips. “I don’t think they can kill him.”

  “Them who?” I leaned in. “Them who?”

  “Diamond,” she answered with a shudder. “And the others. I think, somehow, the Vampires were trying to protect the babies. Trying to keep them safe.”

  Her brow furrowed. She glanced to Alpha and then back to me. “What if we’re too late?”

  The sound of the gunning engine filled the space until the Marine answered. “We won’t be.” But the truth was left unspoken as the car surged forward.

  I tried to piece the words together. “And this Diamond?”

  “Dead, along with the others,” Alpha snapped, then softened his words. “They took X through some kind of gateway to Hell. Damn Vampires lead me to her. They were after someone else…someone important.”

  X nodded. “The one who told me where the babies were.”

  They fell silent. It was all the information I was going to get, and right now, it was enough. I stared at the GPS and tried to piece everything together. The letter in my pocket crimped as I moved, and a weight of sadness consumed me.

  What if they knew that this hurt and all this suffering had been for nothing? The night slipped by, bathed in a sheen of white headlights as we headed north, and then turned.

  “Again?” X asked and the Marine nodded.

  She pressed the buttons and waited while the phone rang and was answered with Gunny’s growl. “Alpha? Where the fuck are you?”

  He leaned across and grabbed the phone from X’s hand, pressed the screen and growled. “No fucking time for questions. Take this down. One hundred and three, point six miles southwest of the welcome sign to Newtuck there’s a cabin halfway along some fucking hill called—”

  He leaned across to X.

  “Cutney’s Hill,” the wolf answered. “Cut-ney’s.”

  “Cutney’s, you got it? How long? You want answers, or do you want to find them? Right…” He glanced to the GPS. “We’ll get there before you do…fine. Just save some of those sonsofbitches for us.”

  He dropped the phone to his lap, and stared out of the windshield. “We’re going to get them. We’re going to bring the babies home.”

  And the doctor? I wanted to say the words, but there was no room for her, not in this fight. She was an afterthought, mere collateral damage. I reached up and touched my pocket, paper wrinkled under my touch—weren’t we all?

  Alpha handled the vehicle, swapping asphalt for dirt, and shifted gears. “There’s a bag next to you. Grab what you need. But make sure you can carry it and keep up. I’m not stopping for anyone.”

  I reached for the murky outline in the dark. Steel gnashed against steel as I opened the bag. “Do you need me to carry these?”

  He jerked his head toward me. “No, only what you need.”

  The strap slipped from my fingers as I straightened. “I’m good.”

  “Can you track them?” He glanced to X and waited for an answer.

  “Yes,” the weak word followed. She sounded unsure.

  “We can track them together. You lead, I’ll follow,” I murmured and stared out of the windshield to the endless dark. “I’ll bring the light.”

  “What fucking light?” Alpha leaned forward and looked to the growing mountain on the right. “I think this is it, it’s as close as we’re going to get.”

  Headlights cut across a blur of red and black. The sign was gone in the blink of an eye. I lowered my head and stared at the trees. “There’s something there.”

  The car slowed at the entrance to the trail. Headlights shone, sparking back in a flash of light.

  “What is that?” X whispered and leaned in.

  “A car…” Alpha answered. “Same make, same model as the description Joslyn gave.”

  “Jesus…oh Jesus,” she whispered.

  The young wolf looked unhinged. Panicked, and not one to lead us into battle.

  “They should be here by now.” Alpha looked at the GPS, checked his watch, and braked front on to the black Chrysler. “Gunny and the others should be here. We can’t wait.”

  “Then we don’t wait,” I answered and yanked the handle.

  The door cracked open and night rushed in. I climbed out and lifted my gaze to the slope. They're up there, the Saint w
hispered, and inhaled. I closed my eyes to the sharp pine and the earth and searched. The pungent scent of feline cut through, strong…but not strong enough.

  “I can smell them,” X whispered and raised her head. “There.”

  The snap of a gun shattered the stillness as Alpha racked his weapon and growled. “Lead the way.”

  She moved fast, darting around the front of the four-wheel drive and then headed for the trees. Her steps were light and stealthy, barely breaking ground as she climbed. I matched her pace, keeping to the edges, while Alpha bulldozed his way behind—until X suddenly stopped.

  The sharp draw of breath pricked my ears. She leaned close to a thick patch of brush and jerked away. A small sound slipped from her lips, quiet, hurting until she spoke. “They marked it.” She lifted her head. “They marked the mountain.”

  “What do you mean?” Alpha sucked in a breath and scanned the darkness.

  But I needed no answer. Faint traces of death coasted on the wind and wrapped around me. The longer we waited the more that came. The sickening scent of old mingled with the rich undertones of something else…

  “It’s a kill zone,” she whispered. “The wolves wanted the mountain to themselves.”

  She shot forward, slamming her heels into the ground. The soft earth came away behind her.

  I lifted my gaze, taking a second as the Marine whispered, “Fuck,” and scrambled after her.

  My boots sank into the ground as I lunged. I could smell them now, fainter, growing stronger with each second. They were all around me—wolves, Vampires, and the dark, sickly scent of cat.

  I grabbed branches and pulled, heaving myself higher as I cut across the rise. Snatches of moonlight lit the way. I can smell them, my Dragon whispered, drawing closer with one thunderous step. He lifted his head, emerald green flared with blue. Faint glimpses of white light shone from his mouth as he growled. I can smell them all.

  A brutal thud hit the ground to my left. I jerked my head toward the sound. Alpha scurried, kicking the ground to climb to his feet. “Jesus…Jesus…what the fuck is that?”

  The sharp click resounded. A beam of light splashed the ground, drifting over patches of midnight fur flattened with dried blood.

  Glazed eyes stared into nothing. The beast’s mouth hung open, white fangs exposed. The torchlight skimmed, lingering on the spilled remains. The foul stench seemed to bloom with the impact. I swallowed, and jerked my gaze higher.

  “Keep moving,” the young wolf whispered. “We’re close.”

  The blare of a two-way cut across the mountain. I wrenched my focus to the darkness and drew in the scent of my kin.

  “The others are here,” X whispered. “I can smell…Joslyn.”

  The Marine seemed to come alive. He snatched a mic from the webbing of a thin vest and barked. “We’re on your left, Gunny.”

  A breathless answer was drowned out by the heavy echo of steps. “We’re almost to the top. Almost…”

  A sickening growl came from our right. The guttural sound was punctured with a sharp whine. The beam of light cut across the ground. Bright eyes glistened, lips curled from fangs as the wolf panted.

  “Jesus,” Alpha growled.

  Silver eyes glinted as the Marine drew his weapon. I scanned the thick body wedged hard against the tree—he wasn’t going anywhere. “Don’t bother. He can’t move.”

  Pain echoed from the beast, vicious and cruel. His legs splayed unnatural. The bitter scent of urine pinched my nose.

  “Jesus.” The Marine yanked his gaze away and lifted a hand to cover his mouth.

  “You’re broken, aren’t you?” Icy words slipped from the young shifter’s lips. X took a step, skirting the beast. “Broken spine, broken soul.”

  Steel glinted as she swung the weapon and buried the blade into the trunk. The deep thud was brutal, shards of bark hit the ground at my feet. She leaned in, drawing in the fetid stench and whispered. “So they’re close.”

  I scanned the rise and stilled. Dark shapes huddled on the ground to my right, and my left.

  “There,” she growled and yanked the blade free.

  The snap of twigs echoed to my right and the stampede of feet followed.

  “Alpha.” The female growl tore through the trees.

  Out of the darkness they rose, climbing out of a ravine. I searched through the trees, finding nothing, until I sensed him behind me.

  “Michael?”

  My stomach tightened. Fear raced through my veins—but there was something else now…a name that once had no worth, not when it came to one of my kin—betrayer. My top lip curled. I turned at the sound, and stared into the midnight eyes of my brother. “Marcus.”

  The bull rose like retribution. He looked to Alpha and then me. “What the Hell are you doing here?”

  My top lip twitched, a sting lashed my words. “Same as you. Did you expect me to stay behind like a good dog and wait?”

  His forehead creased. He sucked in a breath. “Good dog? What the fuck are you talking about?”

  But there was a flicker, a moment where panic rose to the surface and for the first time I saw it. The letter seemed to burn against my chest. I want to tear the paper free and shove the damn thing into his face. I wanted to demand the truth and not live the lie.

  “Michael.” Softer words slipped through the trees to my left. Victor slowed, sucked in a breath and clapped me on the shoulder. “Good to see you brother.”

  “Where? Where are my babies?”

  Joslyn appeared like a damn ghost, clutching Zadoc’s hand, or was it the other way around? Her pale skin looked gray under the moon’s rays. Once bright eyes were dull, and lifeless, filled with panic as she scanned the trees. The wide dressing around her neck captured my attention.

  The wolf’s growl deepened, pain mixed with the savage urge to survive.

  “Is that him? Is that the beast who took my babies?” Desperation bled into her words. She raised her head, but it wasn’t Zadoc she looked to—it was the young wolf, X. “Is it?”

  The young shifter moved before an answer came, swinging the tomahawk through the air and drove the blade between his feet. “Are you?” X growled and crouched.

  The wolf flinched, black lips curled, before a tongue sneaked out, licking its mouth. The beast was terrified. X dragged in the piss-stained air and eased back. “No, he didn’t take them.”

  She stilled, crouched over, staring into the wolf’s incensed eyes filled with panic and fear, before she whispered, “But he ran with the pack that wanted them.”

  The growl ended. The truth now known. X rose, dragging the blade free, and stood over the wolf. I didn’t know if it was a mercy, or an act of vengeance as X swung the weapon, raised the blade high and brought it down, this time buried into flesh.

  The wolf stiffened, a whimper slipped free.

  “I release you,” the young wolf whispered.

  “No!” Zadoc roared, and lunged. Red eyes blazed as he towered over the shifter, “He could’ve told us where they were.”

  She never flinched, but held his gaze. “He’d tell us nothing we don’t already know.”

  “Over here,” Gunny snapped. “Over here. There’s a cabin.”

  All eyes snapped toward the call. Desperation surged as we moved. Zadoc snatched Joslyn’s hand and lunged toward the Marine, tearing through trees and men in his wake.

  I drove my heels into the earth and charged as the rest moved. Panicked voices filled the night, until the crack of wood followed.

  “Are they in there?” Joslyn screamed.

  Out of the shadows, an old cabin reared, half-hidden by a thick clump of trees on one side and overshadowed by a sheer cliff at the back. Shattered wooden planks gaped wide like a scream. There was no door, not here on this side, but the hole was big enough for a man…or a beast.

  We were too late—I jerked my gaze to the bloated remains of the panther—we were far too late. The crack of wood ripped through the night. I turned to the ruined dwelling, cat
ching the glow of Joslyn’s white shirt disappear as she crouched and slipped inside.

  Zadoc gripped the broken walls and heaved. Boards splintered and the gap opened wider. The darkness inside called to me as though the answers I needed were somehow kept inside.

  Marcus’s stare burned a damn hole in the back of my head as I made for the cabin.

  “Michael?”

  I tore my gaze from Gunny and X as they followed Zadoc inside and stared into the flare of orange cinders. Evander stepped out of the shadows, took one look behind me, and set those eyes on me. “Everything okay, brother?”

  I clenched my jaw and nodded. “Fine.”

  But the word rang false and Evander heard it. He gave me a slow nod and glanced to the cabin. “Whatever happens in there, we have to stick together.”

  The warning filled me as he stepped toward the shattered wall. Justice flared, burning brighter than hate as the Saint swelled inside me, and the sharp sting of light followed.

  Red veins burned white and then glowed as I lifted my hands. The ground at my feet lightened, and the shattered wall became clear.

  “Jesus,” someone growled as I dropped my shoulder and slipped through the opening.

  Cloth tore and the icy breath of the night licked along my spine, but it was the shadows that held me and the darkened splayed shapes that covered the floor. Black leather shone as I neared. The sole of a shoe caught my gaze, and the rest of the Vampire followed.

  Shadows receded as I slipped inside. Joslyn raised one hand and covered her eyes, but she never slowed, bending down to grasp an arm and turn the dead over.

  “They’re not here.” Broken words slipped from her lips. She dropped the dead Vampire’s arm and grasped her knees, rocking in place. A whimper tore free from the human—low, guttural, an animal in pain. She closed her eyes and shook her head. “They’re not here…not here. What were we thinking? We left the trail. They could’ve been back where we were…”

  The Saint’s power hummed through my veins, burning brighter, revealing more of the room. She opened her eyes and dragged that empty gaze to me. “I trusted you. You told me they were here…I trusted you…I trusted you because you were there with Alpha when Gunny called. You said…you told me…”