“I didn’t mention it to him yet.”
“You know he’s not going to agree to that, Eli. We already have a plan. We need to stick to it.” I squeezed his hands in mine. Fear he’d botch everything by continuing with his plan rushed through me. “Promise me you’ll stick to the plan we already talked about with Dorian and Tate. Promise me you won’t try to attack the vampires on your own.”
Eli chewed the inside of his cheek without meeting my gaze.
“I mean it, Eli,” I snapped. “Promise me.”
“I don’t know that I can.”
My heart skipped a beat. “You have to. If you don’t, all hell will break loose and someone will get hurt. You, Dorian, me. You can’t ambush them.”
“I can’t let you be put in a vehicle with them and watch as they drive away either.” His gaze locked with mine. He was scared. Scared he’d never see me again. “I just…I can’t.”
I lifted up to the tips of my toes and pressed my lips against his. My fingers intertwined with the hair at the nape of his neck as I moved my mouth across his. He responded instantly, placing his hands on my hips and pulling me close. For a moment, time seemed to stand still as I poured all of my emotions into our kiss.
I love you.
I understand what you’re saying.
Goodbye.
When I pulled away, Eli leaned his forehead against mine. His hands came up to cup my face.
“I love you, Mina,” he whispered.
“I love you too, but you have to trust me. I’ll be okay. The plan we talked about with Dorian is the only one we need to follow tonight.”
Eli nodded. “Okay. I trust you. Just know I’ll do everything in my power to make sure we get you out of there as soon as we can. And know if one of those fucking vampires lays a hand on you, I will kill them.” His entire body shook with the treat of his words.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less.” I grinned.
“Mina Ryan, you are one tough-as-nails woman,” he said as he released me and took off his backpack.
“Don’t you ever forget it,” I said, sounding braver than I felt. Inside I was a quivering mess. A scared little girl hiding in the corner.
“Oh, I won’t. Trust me,” Eli insisted. He set his backpack down on the ground and pulled out a glass jar. “Now it’s time to stick with tradition. I know we’re not necessarily ending a night together, instead we’re beginning a hellacious one, but we are ending our night together right now. So, let’s do it right. How about a shot of some moonshine?” He wiggled his eyebrows up-and-down.
I chewed my bottom lip, eyeing the jar in his hand. “Sure, what the heck? Might as well have a little liquid courage in my system for tonight.”
Eli’s grin wavered. Maybe my words would’ve been better left unsaid, but we both knew it was what each of us was thinking.
“Here,” Eli said. He cleared his throat and twisted off the lid before handing the jar to me. “You first.”
I took the jar from him and placed it to my lips. “Bottoms up.”
The liquid fire scorched my throat on the way down, warming me from the inside out. I coughed and tried hard not to inhale, knowing it would only fan the fire, before I passed the jar to Eli. He took a swig and then sat down on the grassy area near the edge of the lake. I sat beside him and stared out at the setting sun. My head rested on Eli’s shoulder as I took in all the pretty colors. He kissed the crown of my head, and I filed the moment away inside the vault of my memory as one I wanted to hold on to forever.
8
Tate parked in the same area Eli had the last time we scoped out Peter’s place. My limbs trembled as I slid out of Eli’s truck and started up the driveway sandwiched between Eli and Dorian. Tate did as he’d been told and remained behind with Eli’s truck running. I wasn’t sure how much time we had before Regina’s vampire goons showed up to take me away. I hadn’t paid much attention to those details, but I was glad Eli had thought to fill up his truck.
My anxiety reached an all new high the instant Peter’s house came into view. Eli reached for my hand. He intertwined his fingers through mine and gave me a gentle squeeze. I relaxed slightly.
“Everything is going to be okay,” Dorian insisted as though he could sense my unease as well. “Just stick to the plan. Eli and I will be right behind you, along with Tate. You’re not alone. Ever. We’re going to get you out of there as soon as we can, along with the others.”
“I know,” I said. My voice sounded as though it wasn’t mine. There was a foreign waver embedded deep within it.
I cleared my throat and shifted my gaze from Dorian to Peter’s house. Lights were on inside. Not just the basement lights but the main level as well.
“Did you guys let Peter out already?” I asked as we neared his place. The fine hairs along the back of my neck stood on end.
Why were there so many lights on?
“No. We switched on some lights so it would look like everything was normal. Peter’s still in his cage,” Dorian insisted. A sense of satisfaction festered in his words. It made me think he liked Peter in a cage.
So did I.
We walked up the porch steps and through the front door one right behind the other. Dorian led us through the house to the basement. It was the first time I’d been inside Peter’s house besides his basement. The inside was beautiful. It was clean, well decorated, and spacious. The exact opposite of his younger brother Drew’s place. An image of the rundown house that reeked of stale cigarettes and beer made its way through my mind.
This house was so much better.
As we started down the stairs that led to the basement, I noticed how clean the walls were. Drew’s had been filthy and covered in scratches. These walls were bright white and devoid of marks. No one had been dragged down here as though they were descending the stairs to hell.
Why not?
Had Peter tranquilized the members of our pack before bringing them down here? If so, it didn’t make him any better than his brother in my eyes. He was still a damn monster.
The sanitary lab Peter had created in his basement came in to view as I descended the stairs. The stainless steel tables and cabinetry gleamed in the bright florescent lights. My gaze drifted across the room to the cage Peter was in. He stood in the center. For a brief moment, I wondered if he’d been sitting on the cot beside him before we entered the basement, relaxing while he waited for the night to play out.
“I didn’t think you’d actually go through with this,” he said as his gaze locked with mine.
“And yet here I am,” I said, motioning to myself. Confidence I didn’t feel oozed from me as I flashed him a crooked grin, hoping it came off more badass than it felt.
“I’m not sure if I should thank you or tell you how stupid you are,” Peter insisted.
“Watch it,” Eli growled.
“Sorry. It’s just I can’t believe she’s handing herself over to these guys.” Peter’s gaze softened. “You must really care about your pack.”
“I do.” It also helped my mom was among the members who were taken. I didn’t say anything to Peter about her because it seemed too personal. However, I was also scared of what he might say when I admitted she was my sole reason for doing this.
The chance to get her back was one I had to take.
I didn’t know what Regina was doing to the members of our pack besides using their blood to create a drug, but I had a hunch whatever it was it wasn’t a willing process. It was forced. Which meant there was a chance some of the pack members might have died.
My mom included.
“Okay, let’s get this ball rolling. You remember what’s supposed to happen, correct?” Dorian asked Peter, cutting to the chase. “You’re not going to give us any shit. You’re not going to try to run. You’re not going to try to hurt Mina. And you’re damn sure not going to tip off those vampire goons.”
“Of course not. None of that would benefit me anyway, least of all running,” Peter insisted. He folded his arm
s over his chest and met Dorian’s gaze.
“Good. That’s the answer I was looking for.” Dorian stepped to Peter’s cage. He pulled a key from his pocket and unlocked the door. It swung open with a loud squeak that sent a chill up my spine.
I did not want to go in there. Neither did my wolf.
She paced inside me as unease prickled through us. What had we gotten ourselves into? A tiny thread of determination pulsed somewhere inside me. I grabbed onto it with both hands, knowing it was the only thing that would get me through this night.
I was going to rescue my pack. I was going to take down the vampire who’d caused us so much pain. And I was going to win.
As soon as Peter stepped out of his cage, headlights filtered through the basement window.
Regina’s goons were here.
I wasn’t ready for this. I needed time to prepare. My body trembled as I thought about being crammed inside that cage, waiting to be carted away like a prisoner. I glanced to Eli. It was clear he was as shocked as I was about their early arrival. We both thought we had more time.
“What are they doing here so early? I thought you said they were supposed to be here at midnight?” Dorian growled at Peter as he glanced at the clock on his cell. “It’s barely after ten.”
My gaze drifted to Peter. Something passed across his face that had me thinking he’d done something he shouldn’t. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard.
Another set of headlights swept over our faces as a second vehicle came to a stop behind the first. More than one vehicle door slammed as two male voices rumbled through the night air.
What was going on? Were we about to be ambushed?
The look on Peter’s face told me he knew nothing about the second vehicle. Was it possible he hadn’t been the cause of whoever was out there coming?
Eli stepped to the basement window and glanced out. “Shit.”
“Who is it?” Dorian asked as he stepped beside Eli and looked out for himself. “What the hell?”
I opened my mouth to ask who it was and what was going on, but one of the voices filtered to my ears and I knew who was outside in the span of a heartbeat.
“No!” I shouted as a fear pumped through me. “Alec can’t be here! He needs to leave!”
Without thinking, I headed toward the stairs and bolted up them, taking two at a time. In seconds, I was outside the house, watching as Alec tried to drag Shane back to his running truck.
“You need to leave. Now. You can’t be here,” I said to Alec, ignoring Shane.
“See. I told you she was fucking here. I told you she was part of all of this,” Shane shouted. Spit flew from his lips as his words slurred together. He’d been drinking. I’d spoken with my dad shit faced enough to be able to tell when someone had consumed one too many. “She’s a damn werewolf, Alec, and she killed Drew. Now she’s here to do the same to Peter. We’ve got to help him!”
“She’s not. She wouldn’t. You need to get in my truck, Shane,” Alec insisted. He jerked on him one more time, but Shane barely budged. Alec’s eyes locked on mine. He was at war with himself and his beliefs surrounding me and what I was capable of.
He had every right to doubt me.
“She’s got you brainwashed, man! You’ve got to listen to me. We need to take her out before she kills us. Before she kills Peter,” Shane pleaded.
His words sent a shiver along my spine.
“She brought back up with her,” Shane slurred as Eli and Dorian stepped behind me. “Don’t worry. We can still take them.”
Eli held up his hands. “You don’t need to take out anyone. We’re not here to hurt you or your brother.”
“Lies!” Shane spat as Alec forced him closer to his truck. “You’re here to hurt Peter. You’re here to finish the job. I know you want to kill all of us who screwed with your stupid pack. I’m next on your list, aren’t I?”
“Alec, it’s not true. We’re not here to hurt Peter,” I insisted, hoping he believed me. Maybe it was selfish of me, but the last thing I wanted was for him to think I was a monster.
“Really, Mina? Did he do something to your pack like Drew did? Remember, I told you I knew y’all had something to do with Drew’s death. He was a bad guy. I get it. I understand. But Peter? He’s not a bad guy, Mina,” Alec said. His eyes never wavered from mine.
I had no words and my silence made me look guilty, but I couldn’t help myself. What was I supposed to say to that?
“That’s what I thought.” Alec’s narrowed his eyes as his gaze swept over the three of us. He released his hold on Shane and took a step back as the reality of the situation caught up to him.
“I told you. I fucking told you!” Shane pointed his index finger at us. “They’re monsters. They need to be wiped out.”
“Stop this! You need to get out of here. You have to go home. Please,” Peter insisted from somewhere behind me. I hadn’t realized he’d followed us out of the house. Sweat beaded across his brow as he pleaded with Alec and Shane to leave. “You shouldn’t be here. Not right now.”
“The hell I shouldn’t,” Shane insisted. His eyes were dark, and his face blood red. The alcohol flowing through his system mixed with his sudden rage. “I’m here to save your ass. Show some respect. You would if I was Drew.”
“I don’t need you to save my ass, Shane. What I need is for you to leave. Now. Get out of here,” Peter insisted. His tone had gone harsh.
Shane shook his head and reached into his pocket. I imagined him pulling out a gun or a knife, and then lunging at me, but instead he reached for his cell. His thumb pressed a few buttons before he put the phone to his ear.
“You need me to save you, whether you want to admit it or not, Peter,” Shane insisted while he waited for whomever he’d called to pick up. I sent up a silent prayer, hoping it wasn’t Becca. She didn’t need to be involved in any of this. “David. Hey. Yeah, I know. Listen, you need to get to Peter’s. Shit’s about to go down.”
“What the hell?” Alec shouted. “Why are you calling my uncle?”
I smoothed my hands over my face. This was all getting out of control. Time was ticking. The vampires would be here soon, and I didn’t want Alec here when they came.
“You really screwed up. He shouldn’t be here. Even more than you. Not after what he did,” Peter insisted. The veins in his neck had popped out as rage rippled off him—and fear.
I could smell it lingering in the air around him.
“Can someone fill me in on what’s going on here? How is my uncle involved in any of this?” Alec asked. It was clear from the tone of his voice he was irritated. “I knew you were hunting Mina’s pack on the property, but I didn’t think my uncle was involved.”
“He’s who we’ve been working with. David is our connection to the vampires,” Peter informed him. “He’s how this whole thing started. He’s the one who got it going.”
All the blood left Alec’s face. “How it all started? You sound like this isn’t something that’s just recently happened.”
Peter exhaled a long breath. “That’s because it isn’t. We’ve been hunting for years on your uncle’s property. Not necessarily me, but Drew, your uncle, and Shane. I don’t hunt. I do the testing.”
“Testing? Hunting? This is crazy.” A wild look reflected through Alec’s eyes. “Uncle David always said no one could hunt on that piece of property. Not since he was bitten. I knew Shane and Drew had been, but I didn’t think there was an elaborate system in place for this sort of thing.”
“It was all a ruse, Alec,” Peter insisted. “David didn’t want you there. He didn’t want you to be a part of the operation.”
“Yet he let me build my four-wheeler track on his property,” Alec insisted.
“That’s different,” Shane slurred. “It’s not even close to the area they normally prowl.”
Alec shifted to look at me. “I’m so sorry, Mina. If I’d known this had been happening for so long, I would have said something. I would have done som
ething about it.”
I nodded but didn’t speak. There wasn’t anything to say. He was already breaking apart inside, becoming a fragment of the person he used to be. Alec’s view of entire the world was changing, right down to the people in it.
He swallowed hard and glanced at Peter. His eyes narrowed and his teeth ground together. “Why?”
“Their blood, when mixed with ginseng, creates one of the most potent vampire drugs ever. They call it Abstraction,” Peter said.
“They’re killing people all for a high?”
“Not killing. Taking blood from them,” Peter corrected.
“Abducting mothers, fathers, daughters, friends,” Eli insisted. “That’s what they’re doing. It’s just as bad as killing. Some of the missing have been thought to be dead for years. They’ve been thought to have abandoned their families. They’ve been mourned over and missed more than you could ever know.”
“And tonight, were you here hoping to find a way to bring them back?” Alec asked. His gaze fell to me again. Did he think I was the only one who would give him a truthful answer? The one Eli had given was spot on.
“She can’t bring them back, but she sure as shit can join them. All of them can,” Shane muttered as he struggled to remain standing. How much had he had to drink? And how was it possible he’d been able to drive? “I could make a shit ton of money off them right now.”
“Money?” Alec grumbled. “Is that why you’re doing this?” Disgust dripped from his features as he glanced at his best friend.
“Damn straight.” Shane grinned. “Hell, I could cover tuition and my books without a problem by turning in those three.”
Before I knew it was coming, Alec reared back and sucker punched Shane, landing a blow to his jaw.
“You make me sick,” he fumed.
The sound of an approaching vehicle caused each of us to freeze. While Alec and Shane had no idea who might be coming, the rest of us did.
“You need to get in your truck and leave right now. You can’t be here,” I insisted as I lunged toward Alec.
Moon Burned (Mirror Lake Wolves Book 4) Page 6