by Lacey Thorn
“What the hell is that noise?”
She thought that was Murphy again, but was too lost to know or care.
She did realize the keening, animalistic moan was coming from her, but she couldn’t stop it. She wanted to talk, to tell them it wasn’t her they needed to worry about. She wasn’t the one who’d kill them. It was the danger that would follow her they needed to worry about. But she could feel the walls closing in farther, smell the dampness of earth around her, and real terror seized control of her until it was no longer a room she was in. She fell headlong into a past she’d never really left behind.
The chamber. She was in the chamber. Reno’s had been the one betrayal she’d never seen coming.
* * * *
Reno paced the floor, feeling more and more wired as the minutes ticked away. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. He could feel it.
“Talk to me,” Tah demanded. “What the hell is going on?”
“Fuck!” He all but roared. He needed Amia. He shouldn’t have let her out of his sight.
“Reno.”
The command in Tah’s voice sank through and brought Reno’s head up, locking his gaze on Tah’s. If he wanted to get back to Amia, he had to talk. Quickly.
“They took me. I was getting ready to try a little night surveillance when they surrounded me. Tranqed me, and took me.”
“Jesus Christ, Reno!” Tah thundered. “Why didn’t you tell me this?”
“No time. I was lucky to get away.” He blinked his eyes, rubbed his chest, and felt a strong urge to see Amia, to touch her. “She rescued me.”
“What?”
“One minute, I was chained to the fucking wall getting electrocuted and beat all to hell. The next minute, she was there.”
“Fuck! They electrocuted you?”
He watched Tah rub his chest and knew his friend was thinking of the time he’d been chained to a wall, electrocuted and beaten. Looked like hunters had their standard forms of torture. Nothing like a good electrocution and beating to make your feelings about someone crystal fucking clear.
“Are you okay?” Tah asked.
Reno nodded. Except for the crazy vibe he had to find Amia, he was fine. Just fucking fine. He continued pacing and rubbing the back of his neck, then pivoted and headed back across the room, shaking his arms out and twitching as if someone were still running electricity across his skin. Wrong. Something was wrong.
“She found you?” Tah prompted him.
“Yes. Woke up, and she was there.” He felt the purr rumbling up through his chest at the thought of Amia and did nothing to stop it. “She got me off the wall and out of there. We were attacked on the way out. She took a tranq to the shoulder. I took them out. Took her with me, got the Jeep, and got the hell out of there.”
“Are you sure she saved you?”
The growl spilled from him. He remembered the softness of her touch, the way she’d urged him to be quiet, the way her hair had made him think of an angel. “What are you suggesting?”
Tah sighed. “I don’t know. Just seems like they were on to you. They waited and took you. Beat you and left you.”
“Sounds like what happened to you,” Reno fired back. “What does that have to do with Amia?”
“She’s a Blane,” Tah shrugged his shoulders. “Are you sure she isn’t a plant to lead them straight to us? Maybe they sent her in there to release you, expecting you to take her so they could follow.”
“No fucking way.” He kept the roar inside and fought the animal urges with male logic.
She’d shown up out of nowhere, saying she’d heard he was there. She’d fought him every step of the way about taking her but had never seriously tried to run from him after that first time. What if the reason he hadn’t felt threatened in the woods had been because they weren’t there to take them, but to follow them? He’d taken her back and made love to her. The animal inside was enraged at the questions running through his head, and Reno lifted his hands to grip his hair as the battle raged within him.
Did she feel anything for him? Or was it all a tease to get him to bring her here? The need to save her, protect her? But she’d been escaping them for years. How? And why? And why did just the touch of doubt make his soul cry out in fury? Because it was wrong. Tah was wrong.
“Are you sure of that?” Tah’s question interrupted his internal war. “You’re not really acting like yourself right now.”
Pace. Rub. Pace. Growl.
“If she’s a plant, it’s not by choice.” He thought of the scar across her belly, the nightmares, and the shadows in her eyes. There was no way she could have faked all that. He thought of her eyes, her confession that she’d be the reason he died if he took her. He’d never once picked up on her lying to him. The animal rumbled in agreement as he shook the doubt completely away. He would bet his life she was as much a victim as anyone the Blanes had hunted.
“You might be too close to see this, Reno.”
His head came up, and he bared his teeth at Tah. “Is that how you were with Abby when you awoke in that cell? Too close to see the truth?”
Tah’s angry growl filled the room. “Watch yourself. Abby’s my mate. I won’t tolerate you questioning her. Ever.”
“What if Amia is mine?”
“Have you claimed her?” Tah looked tense, uneasy.
Had he? The animal roared yes, but the man was still uncertain.
“Amia is not the enemy,” Reno said in answer.
“Until we know that for sure, we have to take precautions.”
Something about Tah’s tone of voice had Reno’s eyes narrowing in anger. He stopped pacing, shifted his legs wider and crossed his arms over his chest. It took all his focus not to move to the desk Tah leaned on and put his hands on him. Rage burned in him. Rage directed solely at the best friend he’d ever known.
“What have you done?” He did his best to keep his tone level, but the anger was there, in the rumble of his voice, in his very stance.
“What needed to be done to ensure the safety of everyone here.” Tah stood tall and unafraid, at peace with whatever choice he’d made. “She threatened to kill us all. I can’t just ignore that.”
“You don’t have a clue what she threatened! What have you done?” Reno roared the question, his entire body shaking. Claws emerged again, and he burned with the need to attack. He’d taken two steps before he found the control to stop.
Didn’t matter. Tah met him halfway. He was up in Reno’s face, teeth bared, chest out. “I’m protecting my fucking pride because my head of fucking security can’t do his God damn job. Get your fucking head screwed back on right, Reno.”
“Where is she?” The words were a mere whisper of sound as they faced off, enemies instead of friends.
“She’s being contained until we figure out why there’s still a signal trying to go out, even with the Jeep and gear gone.”
“What?” That took the wind out of Reno. How was that possible? He’d taken her clothes, her shoes. There was nothing left from before. Or was there? He shook his head. No more questions. No more doubt. His beast rumbled in agreement. Only one thing stood clear in his mind. They were in danger.
“It’s not her,” he answered. “Where is Amia?”
“Is it you?” Tah ignored his question.
“No.”
“Then chances are, it’s her.”
“She would never betray me, Tah. I’m certain of it. There are things about her you don’t know. Where is she?”
“Then tell me. Make me see her through your eyes,” Tah demanded.
“She’s been hunted, tortured. Christ, I’m not even sure what all they’ve done to her. And still she fights them.” His gaze locked with Tah’s. “I’m not the first person she helped escape them. She’s been helping others since she was sixteen, and trust me when I say she’s paid the price.”
“Then why haven’t they killed her?” Tah demanded, unknowingly mirroring some of the very questions Reno had just voic
ed inside. “Why not just kill her and be done with her?”
“I don’t know,” Reno admitted, and saying it, realized he didn’t care. As long as they never got their hands on Amia again, he didn’t care why they’d left her alive. He was just grateful they had.
“Then I need to do what I must until we do know,” Tah said quietly.
Reno heard the sadness in his friend’s voice. He made it seem as if the choice was either Amia or the pride. Easy choice for Tah. Not for Reno.
“Don’t make me choose between you and her.”
“Are you saying you’d pick her over us? Over me? Over Abby and the baby?”
“I’m saying don’t ask me. I’m not sure either of us would like my choice. Now where is she?”
“I thought you didn’t mate her?”
“I’m not sure what the fuck is going on between us,” he confessed as he paced away again. He wanted to rage, to attack, anything to find out where she was. “I know I need her until it’s a physical ache I can’t satisfy. I take her, and it only makes me want her more. I know the thought of anything hurting her makes me want to kill. And make no mistake. I will kill to protect her.”
Tah eyed him, then blew out a rough breath. “Fuck! You’ve mated her, Reno.”
“How can you sound so sure of that?”
“That’s how I am with Abby. Even knowing she’s in the lab with Diane and the Professor right now, I still feel the loss of her at my side. I still twitch with the need to have her beside me, where I can know she’s safe.” He shook his head and looked devastated. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it had gone that far. I asked you, but you… Doesn’t matter. I should have figured it out by how off you’ve been. I knew you’d taken her. I just didn’t realize.”
“What the fuck is going on?” he demanded.
Tah’s mouth opened, but the words never made it out. Just then the door opened, and Murphy stood there. Reno smelled the blood on him and growled. He’d been with Amia. Where was she? And why the hell was there blood on Murphy?
“What the hell is going on?” Reno demanded, but Murphy ignored him.
“She’s been detained,” Murphy said, looking at Tah.
Reno was on him in a few steps. He had Murphy by the neck, feet dangling as he held him against the wall. “Where is she?” he roared in his face.
“Reno!” Tah yelled his name while Murphy’s face started going purple. He felt hard hands pulling at him, but he held tight. Survival instincts were kicking in strong. He had to get to his mate. His mate. Ahh, fuck! She was his mate, and he’d left her.
“Down…stairs…” Murphy was trying to choke out between gasps for air. “Base…ment…”
“If you’ve hurt her, I will rip you apart with my bare hands.”
Reno growled the promise into Murphy’s face as he dropped him and headed toward the hidden stairs that led to the bottom basement level. He thought of the tiny rooms they’d discovered there, rooms the Professor had installed to hold small quantities of supplies. He prayed they hadn’t put Amia in one of those rooms, but he was blasted by her terror as soon as he breached the door.
His roar rocked through the corridor as he hit it at a run. He could hear Tah behind him, yelling his name. Finn stepped out, and Reno could see his mouth moving, but nothing was getting through except the scent of his mate and her terror. He threw his arm out, and Finn went flying. Then he was yanking a door from its hinges and falling to his knees in front of Amia.
She’d huddled into herself, knees to chest as she rocked and mumbled.
“Amia.”
He was afraid to touch her. Her head lifted at his voice, and he growled at the sight of her tear-ravaged face. Then his breath stopped at her reaction. She cowered from him, recoiling from the hand he held out toward her. His mate. Rejecting him.
“Betrayed,” she whispered. “Betrayed me. Not safe. Never safe. Can’t trust anyone.”
He reached for her and pulled her into his lap as she fought and screamed, locking his arms around her as terror held her firmly in its grasp. He could hear Tah and Finn but didn’t care about anything or anyone but Amia. His heart was breaking as her words penetrated his brain.
“Let me go. Let me go,” she yelled, trying to beat at him. “I’ll be good. I’ve learned my lesson. I’ll be good. I promise. Please, don’t lock me in again. Please.”
Her cries wounded man and beast. He shouldn’t have left her. He should have protected her better. He’d promised her she would always be safe with him. He’d promised and failed. Holding her close, he could only croon to her, uncaring of the tears spilling down his face.
He felt Tah’s touch on his shoulder and looked up at his friend with wounded eyes. The mighty roar of a lion echoed around them as Tah got a look at his face. Was he threatening Amia even now? He snarled, ready to defend her to the death if need be, even against Tah. The thought nearly broke him in two, and pain unlike any he’d ever felt before almost crippled him. Then he felt Amia soften in his arms. The tension left as she blinked, slowly coming out of the stupor of terror that had held her so firmly.
“Reno?” She whispered his name, one soft hand coming up to brush his tears. She looked confused and unsure.
“I’m here,” he assured her, holding her even closer. “I’m right here, baby.”
“I thought you left me. I thought I was alone.” She shuddered in his arms, and another growl left him.
“Never.”
“Don’t leave me,” she begged, clutching him, her nails digging deep into his biceps and piercing his skin. “Please don’t let them take me again.”
Gone was the woman who’d told him to let her go, who begged him to just let her walk away. He knew she’d be back, when this terror faded and Amia regained control. When she was able to push the fear behind her, she would demand he let her go. He only hoped she would forgive him for letting this happen.
“I’ll never leave you. No one’s going to take you from me again.”
His gaze met Tah’s, and he knew he’d made his choice. He loved Tah. Abby and the baby. Logan. All of them. But if he was forced to choose, it would be Amia he walked away with.
“This is on me,” Tah said, locking his gaze on Reno’s. “My order. My blame. I am the only one responsible for what happened here.”
Tah crouched down beside them and put his hand on Reno’s shoulder. Reno was torn apart with the need to defend his mate while being understanding of his alpha. It was a position no man should ever find himself in. Tah moved his other hand toward Amia and softly smoothed hair back from her face. She glanced up and met Tah’s gaze, her eyes widening as she leaned closer to Reno.
“You are home now,” Tah told her. “No one will ever hurt you again. That is my vow to you. I can’t undo what has been done this day, but I can give you my solemn oath it will never happen again. Not here. Not by us.”
Then Tah did something Reno never expected to see his friend do. He bowed his head to Amia, and Reno felt the ripple of that one act straight to his soul. His mate had just been welcomed to the pride.
A single tear spilled down her cheek as she stared at Tah with awe.
“Amia?” Reno asked, wiping it slowly away with is thumb.
“He glows,” she whispered, never taking her eyes off of Tah.
Reno remembered her whispering the same words when she’d first seen Tah on the steps. He’d thought maybe it was the sun playing tricks on her. But there were only shadows down here.
“Even brighter than you. Brighter than any I’ve ever seen. He glows as if the sun itself is inside him.”
She blinked at him, smiled and closed her eyes, passing out and leaving Reno staring at Tah, both of them confused. It was time to figure out what the hell this glow she saw was. What was it she saw that they didn’t?
Chapter Nine
Reno sat with Amia, refusing to leave her side while she slept in his bed. He would be there when she woke up. Finn and Murphy were staying away from him. Smart of them, but
then he’d never considered them stupid. According to Tah, they’d only been following his orders, but still, Reno wanted to beat the hell out of them for the terror they’d put Amia through.
“What did the Blanes do to her?” Tah asked.
Reno hadn’t been able to pull Amia’s shirt down fast enough from where it had lifted as he’d carried her. So Tah had seen the raised scars that marred the perfect flesh of her stomach. Tah had seen and been horrified by it. Even now, Reno could hear the disbelief in Tah’s voice.
“I’m not sure,” Reno said. “Her body is a living testament to her strong will and sense of survival. She hasn’t said much about it, but I know the Blanes have left scars far worse than the ones on her skin. I’ve watched her so deep in a nightmare it makes me ache for her.”
“Anything like what she went through downstairs?”
Reno nodded, unable to speak about what had happened yet, about what his friends, his family had put her through.
“I’m sorry,” Tah said for the hundredth time. “When Finn told me what she said…”
“Don’t,” Reno said. “You did what you thought you needed to.” And Reno wanted to tear him apart for it. Tah, Finn and Murphy. The beast demanded blood. But the man was in control enough to know, in their place, he would have done the same. Besides, hadn’t it been his initial intention to bring her here and demand answers?
“Christ, I’ve never seen anyone that terrified before. And her words. She’ll be a good girl. Just let her out. Jesus. What the fuck did her family do to her?”
“Everything they could to fuck with her. She hasn’t said, but I have my suspicions. Everything they did to us and then some, I’d say. I’m guessing they locked her up in some kind of chamber, at least that’s what they call it. She was taunted with missing it when we were confronted while trying to escape.”
“A fucking small chamber if her reaction to the room downstairs is anything to go by,” Tah stated wearily. “You bring your mate here, and we welcome her by showing her we can be just as sadistic as her fucked up family.”