by L. L. Raand
“Any losses are worthwhile. Besides”—Francesca gripped Dru in her palm and increased the speed and pressure of her ministrations—“these guerrilla tactics will eventually draw Sylvan out, and our new allies will be only too happy to target her.”
Dru’s thighs tightened. “It is my pleasure to serve, my Queen.”
Francesca smiled and bore down until Dru snarled and the leather beneath her palm heated with the flood of Dru’s release. “Of that, I have no doubt.”
On the monitor across the room, Nicholas Gregory threw back his head, his face a grimace of ecstasy, and pumped his release into the female beneath him. His arms were rigid, his hands clamped tightly around her neck, and beneath the monitor, the red light of the recorder beeped steadily.
Chapter Eleven
“Through here.” The Fae ambassador pointed to a floor-to-ceiling tapestry at the end of the hallway. Gold leaves decorated the borders of the wall hanging depicting a garden filled with climbing rosebushes and flowing fountains. When he touched a blood-red rose with thorns dripping golden tears, a panel swung open onto a passageway. The space beyond was black. Not just dark, but completely without light. Sylvan’s wolf searched for signs of life and saw nothing. She sought the scent of others and smelled only emptiness. The silence was endless. Inside, close to her skin, her wolf paced restlessly, uneasy in the face of nothingness. She could not fight what she could not see or smell or hear.
Niki stepped forward. “Let me go first.”
Sylvan gripped her shoulders, pulled her back, and captured her gaze. “Gather the others and return to the Compound. You are my second, and until I return with the Prima, the Pack is your responsibility. You know what to do.”
“No, Alpha,” Niki whispered, “please. Let me go and I will bring back the Prima. I swear on my life.”
“I know.” Sylvan cupped Niki’s jaw and brushed her thumb over the arch of her cheek. “I trust you with my life as I trust you with the Pack. You must do this for me.” She pushed her back a step. “Now go and do your duty.”
Sylvan turned to the ambassador. “Take me through.”
She could not imagine why she had sensed the darkness was without life. A thousand birds sang, an ocean of water cascaded over her body, and a hundred winds whispered through her pelt. Dancing filaments of light coalesced into a million sunrises blurring past her eyes. The ground undulated beneath her feet as if breathing, and when the dazzling colors faded and shapes emerged, she found herself standing on the edge of a sparkling grotto. The pool, dotted with pale green fronds resembling giant lily pads, was as transparent as glass but, unlike a clear mountain spring, was the sky blue of a spring morning. Fish with filamentous dark fins reminiscent of waving tresses of delicate hair, and slender bodies adorned with brilliant yellow, gold, and orange stripes flitted along the stony bottom and between the undulating stems of emerald plants that beckoned like seductive fingers. The smooth white rock walls on the far side of the pool rose into a hillside of riotous shrubs whose branches dripped with crystalline leaves that tinkled in the breeze. The air caressed her skin like the brush of pelts when she awakened surrounded by Pack, safe and peaceful and content. A longing so deep for the sensation of home flooded through her that she dropped to her knees. Her belly warmed as her wolf curled up beneath the shade of a giant palm.
“You’ll be happy here,” the ambassador whispered. “You’ll have everything you ever wished for—the safety to run, to hunt, to be free.”
Sylvan shuddered and her wolf struggled to rise. For just an instant the ambassador’s glamour faded and she glimpsed brilliant green scales beneath his pale countenance and a crest of red flowing down the back of his neck. His red eyes glinted above a beak-like mouth and then his features morphed into the face he’d worn before—the face he’d assumed to move among the humans without calling attention to his otherness. Just as she kept her wolf at bay until she could run free. Freedom. Faerie didn’t offer freedom, only silken chains. She staggered to her feet.
“How do I find Cecilia?”
The ambassador’s smile was that of a magister toward a pup who wanted to hunt before he could run—indulgent and chiding. “Cecilia, Queen of Thorns and All of Faerie, Ruler of Dark and Light, and Mistress of All Seasons, will find you when she’s ready.”
Sylvan tipped her head back and drew deeply of the spice-scented air. If Drake was in this world, she would find her. “Then I won’t wait.”
“You cannot wander through Faerie.” He smiled again. “Even if you can see glamour.”
“No? And why is that?”
He lifted a shoulder. “Our realm is not what you’re used to. What appears today may not tomorrow.”
“Meaning?”
“The realm breathes and shifts like every other living creature. As the winds change, so do the paths and byways. You’ll soon be lost.”
“I don’t need landmarks. I have something more powerful.”
“You are of the earth. Your power is as a drop of water to your ocean here in Faerie.”
“I do not speak of my wolf, although she does not need landmarks either.”
He frowned. “Then what else is there?”
Sylvan smiled. He was a being of illusion and magic. He would not understand the power of the mate bond even if she had been inclined to explain. “We shall soon find out.”
She turned her back and studied the verge between woodlands and the grotto that even now appeared to be growing smaller as the undergrowth tangled and curled around the shore. Paths radiated from the grotto like spokes on a wheel, each similar to the others. This might not be the world she knew, but her power drew from the elements that nurtured her wild spirit, and from the strength of her mate. She closed her eyes and opened herself to the wind and the water and the ground beneath her feet. She stretched and let her need and passion and love reach for the only one to complete her. When she opened her eyes, she stepped onto the path that called to her. Somewhere ahead, Drake waited.
*
“We are approaching the Compound,” Niki informed Callan as the Rover rocketed across Pack land just after dark. Callan had reported the Blackpaw defections to her when she’d called, and she and the centuri had returned as fast as they’d dared without attracting the attention of police or reporters. They’d seen no signs of intruders on their ride in from the highway, but she did not want to breach the Compound defenses unless all was clear. “Any trouble?”
“No. But we’ve taken precautions.”
Double the usual number of sentries stood post along the ramparts.
“Understood,” Niki said. “Open the gates.”
“Yes, Imperator.”
The gates swung open and Jace propelled the Rover through. Callan was waiting in the center of the yard.
“Report,” Niki barked as she jumped down.
“No sightings along our border,” he said.
“How secure is our perimeter?”
“We have patrols stationed at intervals a mile out from the Compound.”
“Reserves?”
Callan grimaced. “We’ve called up anyone with training, but with some of our squadrons assigned to the Blackpaw camp, we’re thin.”
“Who commands there?”
“Val.”
“Good. Make sure the patrols stay in radio contact and inform Val we may need to redeploy her forces quickly.”
“Yes, Imperator.” He glanced at Jace and Jonathan waiting with the Rover. “The Alpha?”
“Has business elsewhere.”
He nodded and did not question her. “Max is here with Andrea. He says they need to speak with the Alpha.”
“I’ll speak with them. Alert me if anything changes.”
Callan saluted and loped away.
“Get some food and whatever else you need,” Niki said to Jace and Jonathan. “Then report to headquarters.”
The twins headed for the dining hall, and Niki strode toward headquarters. She nodded at the sentries posted on eithe
r side of the door who shot to attention as she pushed inside. She followed Max’s scent to the meeting room that took up half of the first floor. The centuri, a big rough-faced male with enormous shoulders and thick brown hair that tangled around his wide neck, stood by the massive stone fireplace in dark jeans, black T-shirt, leather vest, and biker boots. The female beside him was barely as tall as his shoulder, slight of build but powerful in appearance. She too wore a close-fitting dark T-shirt, jeans with a wide leather belt, and boots. Except for her finer musculature, she might have been a young Were soldier. She wasn’t, though. She was human, and Niki wasn’t yet convinced she was an ally.
“The Alpha is occupied. You have information?” Niki closed the door behind her and breathed the scent of dominant Were mating hormones. She lifted her brow in Max’s direction. His eyes glinted and he slid his hand around the back of Andrea Hoffstetter’s neck. Niki was mated, in all ways but the final one. Without the mate bite sealing her bond to Sophia, their chemistries would not fuse and Niki would broadcast like every other dominant Were. If Max was claiming this female, she was his competitor. He growled softly, an involuntary and perfectly natural warning, but she had no time for it. She’d been gone from Sophia for over twenty-four hours and she’d been continuously prepared to fight, prepared to defend the Alpha, and now, forced to leave the Alpha. The Pack was under threat of attack, and she could do little but wait. Her wolf was half-wild and she needed to tangle with her mate. Or to fight.
“Your human is of no interest to me,” Niki snapped.
“That’s what you say.” Max took a step forward, his rumble growing louder.
Andrea grasped his arm and pressed her palm to the center of his chest. “Max, stop. Your imperator is right. There is nothing of interest for either of us.”
As she spoke, she slowly stroked his chest, and to Niki’s surprise, Max calmed. A human should not be able to affect a Were like that, but then Max’s wolf should not want to claim a human as a mate, yet that was apparently the case. She just shook her head. Too many changes for her to fight.
“Make your report. I have other duties to see to.” She knew she sounded short, but Max’s mating hormones only made her wolf more insistent she find and claim her own mate.
“Andrea has news.” Max dragged the human close, her back to his chest, and looped his heavily muscled arms around her middle. He rubbed his cheek against her hair and watched Niki warily.
Andrea didn’t seem to mind his possessiveness, but instead grasped both his forearms to tighten his hold. “I’ve received intelligence from our people undercover in HUFSI that they are moving toward armed confrontation.”
“Meaning what?” Niki asked. Humans United For Species Integrity was a radical underground group whose stated purpose was the eradication of Praeterns, particularly those deemed most dangerous—the predator Weres and Vampires. Their leadership was kept secret, as were the locations of their cells. Nevertheless, they had a vocal presence aided by the Internet where they released videos and manifestos and recruited others to their cause.
“We’re not sure, but we know that Sylvan has always been a target, and we think they are stepping up their efforts to remove her.” Andrea scratched her nails along Max’s forearm in an unconscious gesture that had Max’s eyes glowing. “The more militant members of the group want to attack the Compound.”
“Do they think they can attack us in our own territory and survive?” Niki rumbled in disgust. She would welcome a chance to meet her enemies face-to-face at last and be rid of them.
“They seem to think you will not retaliate for fear of official reprisal.”
Max snarled and Niki curled her lip. “We do not answer to human law.”
“All the same, you are vastly outnumbered, and if public sentiment turns against you, many of your so-called friends, human and Praetern, will change sides.”
“We don’t depend upon humans, who have little in the way of honor, to stand with us.”
“Be careful, Imperator,” Max said in a low ominous tone. “Andrea and her people risk their lives every day.”
“And you should remember you are a wolf.” Niki stalked forward. “Be careful who you challenge.”
Max stepped out from behind Andrea, shifting her to one side as if Niki posed a threat to her. His canines glinted and he growled again. Niki’s wolf had had more challenge than she could tolerate, and she wanted to let her free. Andrea, though, would try to intervene if the two of them tussled. “I would gladly accept your challenge if the human were not here, but she would be in danger.”
Andrea pushed Max with her shoulder, which had as much effect as if she had tried to move a mountain. “This has to stop. We are all on the same side.” She faced Niki but did not challenge her eye to eye. “Max is afraid if he claims me I’ll become a target too. He forgets I already am and have been for a long time before we met.”
“Mating wolves don’t think very clearly.” Niki glanced at Max and snorted. “It seems to me your wolf has already claimed her. Finish it so the rest of us can have some peace.”
Andrea laughed. “I’ve been telling him the same thing.”
Max ducked his head. “My apologies, Imperator. I—”
“I know. Just listen to your wolf in this.” Niki said to Andrea, “Do you have any more information about the location of the labs?”
“We’ve identified two, but the people we’ve been able to get inside haven’t found any evidence of human or Praetern subjects.”
“We believe several pregnant females have been abducted. We need to find them.”
Andrea grimaced. “We know Veronica Standish is involved. We’ve had her under surveillance, but we can’t find her or her current lab. We’re reaching out to all our informants. If anyone knows anything, we will too before long.”
“We’ve already reinforced our perimeters, and the Alpha is always well protected.” Niki uttered the lie with total confidence. No one could know that Sylvan was even now in mortal danger.
“We can support you here with personnel temporarily,” Andrea said.
Niki frowned. “Human soldiers in the Compound? Impossible.”
“With your patrols—each one personally vouched for by me.”
“Federal agents.”
Andrea nodded. “Sooner or later, you will have to accept human friendship.”
Niki snarled. “We have survived millennia without it.”
Andrea slid her arm around Max’s waist and rubbed her cheek against his chest. “It’s a new dawn for all of us.”
“We will take the offer under advisement. Let us know as soon as you locate that lab.”
Niki left them and hurried toward the infirmary. Her mate was there and she needed her. She bounded up the steps and through the door, drawn by her mate’s scent. As she expected, Sophia was caring for the infected human females who’d been liberated from the labs and were now mutia. Niki would have destroyed them, but Sophia and Drake believed they could be saved, and the Alpha would not turn her back on a Were, even a mutant. When Niki entered the isolation room and saw Sophia sitting by the bedside of one of the comatose females, she was grateful that the Alpha was wiser than she. Sophia had been like these females once, and the Alpha had not abandoned her. Sophia looked up, heat in her eyes.
“I don’t like it when you’re away so long,” Sophia said.
“Nor do I. Can you leave them?”
Sophia glanced at the monitors and set a chart aside. “For a short time.”
“I only have a short time. I need you.”
“I am always here.”
Chapter Twelve
Sylvan climbed up the twisting path until she reached a clearing where the trees parted to frame a view down the hillside. She stopped and looked back, but the grotto was gone and in its place a field of yellow daisies stretched as far as she could see. The ambassador was gone as well, and there was no indication the Faerie Gate had had ever existed. She suspected the Earthside entrances were fixed,
but where the Gate led into the Faerie realm was likely determined by the destination of the one passing through or perhaps by the will of whoever was watching. And she was certain someone was watching.
Her wolf scented the presence of others but she saw no one other than the myriad insects, some flying species resembling butterflies but with three sets of iridescent wings and needle-thin bodies, and others with a dozen legs clinging to leaves and stems while spinning gossamer webs of shimmering green and gold. All were brilliantly hued and seemingly unperturbed by her presence, as were the multicolored birds that flocked in the nearby trees and swooped overhead, and the small prey—rabbit-like furred creatures with stubby ears, large orange eyes, and sleek catlike bodies who hopped along beside her for a while and then broke away, only for others to appear a few paces farther along. Perhaps the winged species were scouts of some kind, reporting her progress through the landscape that changed from forest to farm to jungle in the blink of an eye. For all she knew, the rabbit-y creatures might be Fae soldiers cloaked in glamour. Her wolf wanted to eat one, more to send a warning than to satisfy her hunger, but she was not here to hunt—at least not foreign prey who might very well strike back with weapons of their own. Her only goal was to find Drake and Misha and take them home.
She traveled what felt like an hour, although she could not trust her sense of time passing. Clouds drifted overhead, spinning and changing direction so quickly she could not judge the points of the compass. Sometimes she moved from sunlight to shadow, but she could mark neither distance nor time by the position of the sun because she couldn’t find it. When she searched the heavens, the light was so bright she could only blink and look away after a few seconds. Perhaps all of Faerie was perpetually drenched in light, or maybe that was only here and some other part was eternally dark. No one knew, because the Fae kept their secrets better than all the other Praeterns, having withdrawn from Earthside millennia before when the Vampires and Weres went to war against the humans and all Praeterns fought for their lives. The Fae queens decided they needed none of what the earth had to offer except the fertility of human and Were males from time to time, and they had no difficulty luring Earthlanders to Faerie with the promise of eternal spring and everlasting youth.