Whispered Bonds

by Tally Adams

  "We need some context for that to make sense," Sekhmet said.

  "They're expecting her to run, right? Why not stage Lyric's flight, to get them moving? If she leaves here apparently alone, they'll think they succeeded, and the rest of us can start trailing her stalkers," Emily explained.

  "I'm not about to have her holed up somewhere alone, hoping we get to her pursuers before they get to her," Paoli said with a bite of impatience.

  "I can fly ahead and be waiting for her," Emily said. "That way, there are no cars suspiciously missing when she leaves."

  "And you honestly think I'd allow you to be in battle alone?" William said stiffly, his own voice hard and unyielding.

  Emily looked at him in surprise, then gave an exasperated huff. "First off, I'm not talking about battles. I'm talking about strategy. And second off, you guys can't keep us pinned to your sides and expect us to simply accept it. We're capable of helping, as I think both Lyric and I have proven," she said pointedly, glaring at him before she turned that same look on Paoli, as if daring either of them to contradict her.

  Both men wisely held their tongues, though Paoli's gaze shifted to Lyric, who raised her chin in defiance. His sigh was one of reluctant defeat and acceptance. He looked around the room in question. "Does anyone have a better idea?"

  Empusa, at least, maintained his composure. Sekhmet, on the other hand, was grinning large enough to tell Paoli he would never hear the end of this. Paoli gave him a sarcastic smile and flipped him off when Lyric and Emily were both looking away, which started him laughing and made Paoli want to throttle him.

  "As much as I know you two don't want to hear this," Empusa said, cutting into the maddening sound of Sekhmet's good humor, "I actually think it's an excellent plan."

  Emily's smile became one of pride and she and Lyric shared a triumphant look before turning their attention back to the discussion.

  "Then it's settled," Lyric said, giving Paoli a tight smile. "When are we doing this?"

  "I think the sooner the better. Today was quiet, but that almost makes me more concerned because it might mean they've spent the day preparing," Emily said. "After yesterday, we know the threats weren't idle. I say we do it now."

  "We need to prepare," Paoli argued.

  "What's to prepare?" Emily wanted to know. "I fly ahead, Lyric grabs her gun and my staff, gets in the car and drives to meet me, and the rest of you track her GPS, just like they're doing. Simple. Then, I fly Lyric out and you guys follow them back to wherever they're hiding."

  After a bit more grumbling and complaining, it was finally agreed and they got everything ready for what might just be the only plan Paoli had ever participated in that he detested before it even began. He looked at Lyric and had to fight everything inside himself to keep from putting her into a hypnotic trance and stuffing her safely in his cabinet. If anything went wrong...

  Chapter Thirty Seven

  Lyric watched from her motel window as Emily's wolf form flew out of sight to await her where they had finally agreed. She swallowed a lump in her throat and tried to get her nervous stomach to calm down. What had she been thinking, to agree to this ridiculous plan? She'd been thinking she'd show Paoli, that's what, she reminded herself. But now that she was facing the reality of her folly, she couldn't help thinking getting herself killed really wouldn't do her any good. Still, it was too late to back out now.

  She was to wait for exactly one hour, just in case she was being watched, then pretend to sneak to her car and head to Emily. If everything went according to plan, they were to wait until they were sure the wolves were closing in, then Emily would fly her out of there and back to safety. With luck, she wouldn't even have to see the wolves up close.

  It wasn't a complicated plan and she really did have faith in it. Still, the very idea of playing bait was hard not to get apprehensive about. Werewolf bait. She was now officially werewolf bait. She took a deep breath and blew it out. Her stubbornness had really gotten her into it this time. At some point, she really needed to get that under control.

  A soft knock sounded at the door and she didn't bother to answer, knowing full well who it would be. Sure enough, Paoli entered when it became clear she wasn't going to acknowledge the sound. He was wearing a look of concern and contrition that was almost comical because it was so unusual for him.

  He closed the door and just stood there, watching her. "I don't want to go into this with anger between us," he sighed.

  Lyric turned from the window to look at him. He didn't look angry now. Instead, he looked strained and worried and she felt some of her anger cool. "Then stop being an ass," she said sharply.

  A small muscle in Paoli's cheek twitched. "I'm just trying to keep you safe."

  "You can't keep me safe by taking away who I am," she informed him. "Whether or not we're connected by fate or blood, or whatever, I still have to be me. That's something you're just going to have to accept."

  Paoli gave her a considering look. "You're right," he said begrudgingly. "I don't like it. The idea that half the day you're left unprotected while we're surrounded by enemies is torture for me. Knowing that I might be held prisoner by the sun while you're in danger isn't something I can easily accept. But I may have gone a bit far yesterday-"

  "A bit?" she cut in scathingly.

  "However," he continued, throwing the word out sharply. "I'm new to all of this. So I'm bound to make a wrong turn here and there."

  Lyric found a reluctant smile forming, in spite of herself. While not quite as good as him admitting he was an ass, she could see he was at least trying to meet her halfway, which his uncomfortable posture and recent behavior told her plainly was unusual for him. The fact that his words and his demeanor were clearly at odds was comical to watch, and brought out her puckish side. "Why Paoli," she said in feigned surprise. "Was that an apology?"

  "As close as you're going to get," he grumbled, crossing the distance to pull her into his arms; so close she could scarcely breathe.

  He closed his eyes and breathed her in. Her scent comforted him; reminded him she was here and safe. The feel of her in his arms was like a balm to his battered soul. With two fingers beneath her chin, he tipped her head up and kissed her; a long, leisurely kiss. He tried to put a lot of unspoken things into the kiss; to make her see what she meant to him. Maybe then she'd understand why he needed to keep her safe.

  Lyric was left breathless when she pulled away. "We can't let this get out of control right now," she whispered against his lips. "We have a job to do."

  "To hell with it," he said huskily, and he tried to recapture her mouth, but she turned her face away. Always willing to adjust as the situation dictated, he trailed kisses down her cheek and jaw, instead.

  "Paoli, we need to stop now," she groaned, trying to fight the heat he sent skittering through her, but without much luck. Her resistance was quickly ebbing away beneath the onslaught of his mouth.

  A sharp rap on the wall signaled it was time for her to go. "I have to leave," she said, stepping out of his embrace regretfully when all she wanted to do was wrap herself around him.

  He released her with the greatest reluctance, fighting the urge to keep her with him, instead. This whole plan was madness. Knowingly allowing her to put herself in danger went against his every instinct, both as a vampire and a man. She was his. He had the honor and responsibility to keep her safe. Still, he knew he couldn't chain her to his side and expect her to thrive. So, he reined in his every screaming instinct and watched her cross the room to carry out the worst plan he'd ever heard, hoping against hope that nothing went wrong. That she wouldn't fall into enemy hands because he'd break every immortal law to rescue her, and consequences be damned. It was a humbling realization; that her life meant more to him than the peace of the immortal world.

  "See you soon," she said, giving him the innocently nervous look he always felt clear to his toes.

  His answering smile was stiff and forced. "Be safe," he said, not even aware his words so
unded like a plea.

  Chapter Thirty Eight

  Walking to her car alone was one of the hardest things Lyric had ever done. Her knees were like rubber and she was acutely aware of her entire body. She was trying to look natural in case anyone was watching her, but for the life of her, she couldn't figure out what she normally did with her arms. They seemed to be swinging around her thighs like a pair of tube-sausages. Did they always look so weird, just dangling like that?

  She breathed a deep sigh of relief when she finally managed to get herself behind the wheel of her car and thought once again about what an idiot she'd been to agree to this. She headed toward the place she was supposed to be meeting Emily—thanks to Emily loading the directions on her phone; at least GPS served good purposes, too—but her mind kept asking her quite clearly if she'd lost her senses altogether. Her eyes scanned everything around the crack in her windshield as she drove, searching for the hint of fanged teeth or werewolf forms.

  By the time the direction voice announced 'you have arrived', she'd worked herself up so much trying to watch everything as she drove, she was exhausted and had the beginning of a headache.

  Relax, came Paoli's voice, actually making her jump in surprise since it had been so long since he'd spoken in her head. You're broadcasting your fear. The wolves are following you, but we're following them. Just find Emily and we'll do the rest.

  It was strange how comforting the voice she'd once considered a curse had become. Be careful, she returned.

  He didn't give her a response, so she steeled herself to get out of the car and walk to the clearing where Emily was supposed to be stationed. A quick glance overhead didn't show her flying visible anywhere, and Lyric was suddenly filled with doubt. What if she was in the wrong location? What if she walked to the clearing and Emily was waiting for her somewhere else? It wouldn't really prove anything to Paoli for her to be torn apart by werewolves. And why did she need to prove anything to him in the first place? There were certainly easier ways to get her point across.

  Another glance still showed no sign of Emily. In the end, it was the thought of having to explain to William that she'd chickened out and left his mate sitting alone that finally got her out of the car. As it turned out, she was more afraid of William than a pack of werewolves bent on her own demise. It was good to know.

  The shadows of the trees seemed to be looming and menacing; thick with the possibility of hidden foes. There was no help for it; she had to go through to get to the clearing. Without breaking stride, she put her head down and tried to block out the sounds of the night, telling herself how childish it was to think every scraping twig was the sound of a monster closing in.

  Still berating herself, she stumbled out of the small copse and into the open clearing. With anxiety fast settling in, she began to run to the center of the cleared area where she and Emily were supposed to meet up. She kept reminding herself just because she didn't see Emily didn't mean she wasn't there. The whole plan was for Emily to be invisible to their enemies, and maybe she was just excellent at it.

  A small patch of grass was illuminated by the moonlight and it beaconed her with the promise of clear visibility. Emily would be able to see her easily there. Never mind the fact their enemies would be able to see her easily, as well. One thing at a time. In reality, it didn't matter to either one since she knew they all had excellent night vision. But it made her feel better and that's what mattered.

  Standing there like a target in a spotlight, however, did nothing to boost her confidence or steady her nerves. Instead, she felt like she should be holding a sign that either read 'victim', or maybe 'free dinner'. Minutes passed without incident. Not a single werewolf appeared. In a strange way, it almost made her more nervous not to be surrounded by vicious beasts at this point. Maybe Emily was wrong and they weren't tracking her, after all. Was it possible the two wolves at the gas station had stumbled across her by coincidence?

  Then Paoli's voice spoke in frantic tones and the whole world seemed to stand still. It's a trap! Find Emily and run.

  Are you all right? she asked, her heart in her throat.

  I can't concentrate to hold this connection. We've been taken to Lycaon. Get away from there now! he demanded urgently.

  Her legs couldn't support her and she sank down onto her knees in the grass, trying not to hyperventilate as she reached for him and found...nothing. A feeling of horror was twisting in her gut, cutting off her ability to breathe. Lycaon had Paoli. Something had gone terribly wrong, but not in the way any of them thought to worry about.

  Emily landed softly at her side and faded from the massive wolf into the woman she knew. Lyric could only stare up at her from her position on the ground, her eyes wide and terrified. "Lycaon has them," she said in answer to the question on Emily's face.

  "What?" Emily gasped. "Are you sure?"

  "Paoli told me we're supposed to get away from here," she went on, her voice beginning to crack as tears fell. "And now I can't feel him anymore. Does that mean he..." she couldn't continue. The very idea was beyond her ability to contemplate. Paoli couldn't be gone. He was immortal, after all. Undead. Surely he wasn't-

  "No," Emily said, as if reading her thoughts. She grabbed Lyric's arm and used it to pull her to her feet. "You're still here. That means they aren't dead yet. Come on," she said, propelling Lyric toward the car.

  Lyric got in the passenger's seat automatically and saw nothing but grim determination on Emily's face. Without a word, she took Lyric's phone from the dash and powered it off, took out the battery for good measure, then started the car and headed toward the highway.

  "What are we going to do?" Lyric asked.

  Emily glanced at her. Beads of sweat stood out on her forehead and upper lip. She looked like she was in pain and her eyes were starting to have a red ring around the purple. "What's happening to you?" Lyric cried.

  "Someone in the flock is wounded. I'm feeding him strength from everyone else," Emily said, her voice a hoarse whisper. "I don't want to take too much from the guys since we don't know what they're facing, so I'm giving him my own."

  Fearing she already knew the answer, Lyric asked the question anyway. "Who's wounded?"

  Emily continued to face forward as her skin grew paler even as Lyric watched, making her look sickly. Small purple veins became visible on her neck, the color creeping toward her chin like a spider web. "You know who," she answered.

  "Is he all right?" Lyric asked, hearing the desperation in her own voice.

  "He's losing strength faster than I can feed it to him," Emily said between clenched teeth. "He needs help."

  "Can you find them?" Lyric whispered around the lump in her throat.

  Emily glanced her way again and the hard set to her mouth told Lyric the answer before she even gave it. "Yes."

  "Is that where we're going?" Lyric asked, feeling her own inner power push the fear aside when Emily confirmed their destination. If the werewolves had Paoli, then that's where she'd go. She'd either get him out of there or die trying.

  "But first, we need to even the odds," Emily said, grabbing her own phone out of the car's center console and hitting buttons. "Lycaon won't take my flock," she growled fiercely when the phone began to ring. "Not if I can help it."

  Chapter Thirty Nine

  Paoli stood on a platform that had once been a stage for kindergarten plays and wonderful childhood memories. Now, however, the school was long abandoned; the stage suffering the ravages of time and currently functioning as a temporary torture chamber for Lycaon's madness. Lycaon, himself, sat on a regal throne across the stage; a hungry, predatory smile contorting his face.

  "We will rule together, Executioner," he said to William, who stood stiff and unyielding a few feet away. "With you and your mate at my side, we can have complete control."

  Paoli's eyes scanned around, trying to find a weakness; any way they could break from the silver chains binding them to the stage. Sekhmet and Empusa stood on the other side of William,
both bound in the same manner; with silver chains to ankles and wrists, secured by heavy silver bolts in the floor.

  Paoli had to admit, Lycaon had planned this rather well. Strategy was clearly his strong suit. He'd had wolves tracking the girls—or so they'd thought—and none of them had considered the possibility that Lycaon was actually boxing them in; sandwiching them between two groups until the silver nets had fallen on them from the trees. Now, here they stood; on Lycaon's stage like actors for his amusement.

  A large group of werewolves were gathered in what had once been an auditorium, watching the spectacle on the stage before them. Apparently, their job was to bear witness to Lycaon changing history. He always did like to put on a show in front of an audience.

  Paoli could have told them they were more likely to see Lycaon kill all four of them than they were to see William submit to Lycaon's demands, but his mind was focused on other things; like finding a way out of this mess.

  "You'll never rule, Lycaon," William said in a bored voice, and Paoli was impressed with how indifferent he sounded. Even the burn of the silver didn't seem to bother him. "Not even I can give you the power you seek."

  "I disagree," Lycaon said, surveying William carefully. "With you bound to me, I'll have the connection I need with the vampires. They will follow me, because I won't give them a choice but to submit to blood bonds."

  "Do you hear yourself?" William scoffed. "Do you think every vampire on Earth will follow you, just because you control the hybrids? You seriously overestimate our value."

  Lycaon's mouth thinned. "You'll accept me as alpha, and we'll see," he snapped.

  Paoli watched him try to force William's eyes away in a show of dominance. Instead of lowering his gaze, however, William met the force with an equal one of his own. The two men ended up in what amounted to a staring contest, with neither willing to be the first to look away. Energy crackled almost palpably between them. It made the air feel thick and heated with a combination of William's rage and Lycaon's bloodlust.