by J. C. Diem
“He said I was different to normal shifters,” I explained. “He thought the vampirism might have something to do with it.”
“Clearly, he wasn’t aware of just how well you are able to resist him,” Mark said in a wry tone. “His mind wipe didn’t work on you.”
“He did as we asked and questioned Gareth, but he also said it would come with a price. I had to make a bargain with him.”
Kala was confused and had no idea what we were talking about. Flynn had cottoned on and mouthed the word faery at her. Now that she was in the loop, she looked far from relieved. “What was the bargain?” she asked. We now knew just how tricky faeries were to deal with and she was understandably worried.
“He wants a small favor, but he didn’t say what it would be. I think he forced me to agree to it, because the next thing I knew I was shaking his hand and the deal was sealed.”
Mark’s brow creased in worry. “This is concerning. He now has a hold over you. You’ll have no choice but to comply with his demand when he calls to collect on it.”
“How bad could it be?” Flynn asked.
“The favor itself might be small, but the consequences could turn out to be catastrophic,” he said darkly.
I felt guilty even though nothing bad had even happened yet. From the sounds of it, calling on Kurt might have been a terrible mistake. Dropping the spoon into the bowl, I covered my face with my hands. “Why me?” I asked and it came out muffled. “Why do these things always happen to me?”
Before anyone could respond, images began to barrage me. Reece opened the link between us to show me what he was seeing. He was on his way back to us and his car had just been cut off by four vehicles. Sitting bolt upright, I clutched the table with both hands and kept my eyes squeezed shut so I could continue to watch as the scene unfolded.
“What’s wrong?” Kala demanded and put her hand on my shoulder. Without quite knowing how I did it, I used my faint link to her to allow her to see what I was witnessing. She gave a soft gasp as she was drawn into my vision.
Together, we watched as a pack of werewolves climbed out of their cars. Another hand came to rest on my other shoulder and Flynn’s mind touched mine. I drew him into the link as well and he cursed softly as the shifters moved to surround our pack mate.
“We mean you no harm, Garrett,” one of the men said. It was Ned Wilson, Nina’s brother and therefore Reece’s uncle. “We just want to talk. Will you come with us willingly?” The pack was armed with rifles and handguns, but they hadn’t drawn their weapons.
Reece’s alarm was replaced by curiosity. He knew I was watching through his eyes and that I could hear what was happening. It would be highly dangerous for him to go with them, but he nodded anyway. With me watching on, he knew he wasn’t about to disappear without a trace. “I’m willing to listen to what you have to say.”
“Your Mom has been waiting for this moment for eighteen years,” Ned said. “She’s missed you, son. We all have. Our pack needs their true leader and that’s you, Garrett.” He seemed sincere and sudden longing hit Reece. This was what he’d been dreaming of. His true pack was ready to welcome him with open arms. All he needed now was a pure born mate and his ultimate fantasy would become reality.
“I’ll agree to meet with Nina,” he said stiffly. “But I’m not promising that I’m going to stay and become your alpha.”
“You already are our alpha,” Ned said. “But we can discuss it after you’ve had a chance to get used to the idea. For now, just follow us and we’ll lead you home safely.”
Did you see all that? Reece whispered into my mind as his pack returned to their vehicles.
I saw it. I don’t think you should go there alone.
Do you really think I have a choice? The question was rhetorical. I don’t think they want to hurt me.
No, they just wanted to steal him away from me so he could become their alpha. It was a selfish thought and I was glad I managed to keep it to myself. Be careful, I thought to him instead of saying what was really on my mind.
Always. I’ll be in touch soon.
He didn’t ask how his brother was or if we’d gleaned the truth from him. Sick with dread, I opened my eyes and the vision was cut off. Kala and Flynn immediately sagged in exhaustion. What came easily to me had apparently been hard for them.
“I have the mother of all headaches,” Kala complained and rubbed her temples.
“How can you stand it?” Flynn asked, wincing in pain.
“It doesn’t hurt me at all,” I shrugged.
Mark was watching us in obvious fascination. “What did you see?”
“Reece was just ambushed by his Uncle Ned,” Flynn said. “They’re taking him to their property to meet his mother.”
“They want him to be their alpha,” Kala said sourly. “Am I the only one who is skeptical that they’re welcoming him so willingly after all this time?”
“I think Ned was telling the truth,” I said uneasily. “I think they really do want him as their leader.”
“Why?” Her expression was incredulous.
“Because they’ve been without an alpha male for a long time,” Mark replied. “Nina Carter has held their pack together ever since Garrison died. It’s possible she’s thinking of stepping down. She can’t do that until another alpha can take her place.”
“So, I guess there’s no chance that they’ll agree to trade Gareth for Garrett now that they have him?” Kala said in dejection.
“I highly doubt it,” Mark replied. “Why take back a defective lower member of the pack if they can have a sane alpha to replace him?”
That reminded me of something that Gareth had divulged during questioning. “Nina was aware of what her son was doing to innocent humans,” I said. “She used him to bring you here, but I don’t think it was for revenge like he seems to think.”
Mark studied me and guessed what I was thinking. “You think she intended to lure Reece here so she could convince him to become the pack leader that he was always meant to be.”
My nod was decidedly unhappy. “Yeah. And I think her plan is working.”
“He won’t really leave us, will he?” Kala asked.
Flynn spoke when the silence became too oppressive. “If you had a chance to live with a pack of werecougars, what would you do?”
She opened her mouth to utter a denial then closed it without saying anything. Neither she nor Flynn were pure blood, but they had the same instincts as Reece. They wanted to belong to a group of their own kind. The link that we’d forged wasn’t strong enough to make us a true pack. Even the bond I had with Reece wasn’t enough to make him truly happy.
“What are we going to do about Gareth?” I asked. “Are we going to put him down?” I knew the answer even before Mark answered me.
“Not yet. We’ll have to wait and see what Nina Carter wants before we can make a final decision.”
“He’ll probably be hungry by now,” Flynn said with a grimace. “I should go and feed him.”
“Is he still shackled to the chair?” I asked.
“Mark wouldn’t let me leave him like that all night,” he said with a reproachful look at our boss. “He’s roaming loose in his cell.”
“You’re not going in there alone,” I decided. I wanted to give Flynn backup, but I was also curious about how much the prisoner remembered about being questioned by Kurt. If he was anything like the others he’d have no recollection of the bald faery at all.
₪₪₪
Chapter Seven
Fresh out of the shower, Gareth wore only a pair of boxer shorts when Flynn pushed his cell door open. I swept my gaze from his head to his feet and back up again. He looked so much like his brother that my heart ached. For the first time, I felt pity for him. He had so much potential, but madness had twisted his mind and had turned him into a malevolent monster.
“Like what you see?” he asked with a knowing smirk. He crossed his arms, which made his biceps bulge even more.
“No
t particularly,” I replied honestly with my gun trained on his face. I wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger if he so much as sneezed.
“You’ll get used to me soon enough.” His arrogant confidence was disturbing. He truly believed that I would be his and that I’d come to enjoy his embrace. “Is the kitty-cat going to pay me another visit today? I miss her knives.” His wounds had healed, but ugly scars marred his shoulder, chest and abdomen. They’d fade in time, but they’d never disappear completely.
Flynn placed the tray that held a bowl of cereal, toast and a bottle of water on the cot. The prisoner had been given a plastic spoon and bowl. We weren’t taking any chances that he’d get his hands on a deadly weapon.
“I’d rather it was a juicy femur, but I guess this will do,” Gareth joked. Or at least I hoped he was joking. It was all too feasible that he might still eat people even when he wasn’t in wolf form.
I’d seen enough and it was clear to me that he had no recollection of Kurt Jorgen’s visit. Only I remembered the real question and answer session that had taken place in this cell.
We retreated outside while he sat on the bloodstained chair to eat his breakfast. Every time I glanced through the barred window, I found him staring at me.
“What are the chances that both a father and his son could turn out to be psychotic?” I asked Flynn.
“I’d say they’re pretty high in this case. Certain types of madness can be hereditary.”
“Even in pure born shifter families?”
“I guess so.” He was silent for a few moments. “We’re lucky the madness skipped Reece and was passed to his brother instead.”
Gareth hadn’t had combat training and he was already deadly enough. Reece would have been far more dangerous if he’d received the defective genes that had driven his brother to turn rogue.
When Gareth finished eating, he placed his tray on the floor and backed away from the chair with his hands in the air. His smile was mocking when we entered. Mark was watching us on the monitors. Only he, and Kurt Jorgen apparently, could open the doors for us.
Seeing Gareth’s shoulders tense, I knew what he was about to do and I was ready for it when he leaped at me. Waiting until the last possible moment, I sidestepped. Using my left hand, I punched him in the face hard enough to make his legs wobble. Blood burst from his nose and he snarled at me.
“Try it,” I told him softly with my gun pointed directly at his eye. Only inches separated us. My bullet would tear through his eye socket and exit the back of his head before he could even come close to touching me.
Flynn’s gun came to rest on his temple and Gareth flicked his eyes sideways, weighing up his options. “Sit down, or I’ll end you right now,” Flynn ordered him coldly.
Without taking his gaze off me, our prisoner did as instructed. Wiping the blood from his face with his palm, he licked it clean and grinned at me. “I guess I had that coming.” He would have been charming if insanity hadn’t been dancing in his eyes. “We’re even now.”
We backed out of the room then Flynn closed the door. “What is he talking about?”
“He punched me in the face and gave me a split lip when he tried to mark me,” I explained. If Gareth thought we were even, he was even crazier than I believed. He’d tried to rape me and to steal my bond from Reece. Nothing could ever redeem him for that, let alone for all of the lives that he’d taken.
If the door hadn’t already been locked, I had the feeling Flynn would have marched back inside and done away with our captive. Instead, he closed his eyes, took a couple of deep breaths then headed for the stairs. “I hope Mark reaches a decision about what we’re going to do with this guy soon.”
“I kind of hope this ends with the Cleanup Crew being called in to dispose of his bullet riddled corpse,” I muttered.
“How do you think Reece would handle it if we killed his brother?”
I blew out a sigh. “Not well.”
“It’s times like this I’m glad I’m not Mark,” Flynn muttered.
We were in perfect agreement there. I wouldn’t want the pressure of making the decisions that affected everyone in the team.
Kala cornered us as soon as we entered the main area. “I’m bored. Who wants to do some training?”
Beating each other up was a far better option than sitting around waiting. I stood on the sidelines beside the boxing ring while my squad mates sparred. It was a no gloves, full contact bout. Blood flew more than once, but they were too controlled to lose their tempers. Of course, their inner rage was nothing compared to a werewolf’s. My species had the hardest time controlling our anger when it was roused.
After a short break, it was my turn in the ring with Kala. She stalked me like the feline that she reverted to with each full moon. A smile hovered around her mouth, but her eyes remained watchful. She was ready to exploit any openings that I gave her.
I managed to avoid most of her punches and kicks and even got a few of my own in. My concentration went out the window when Reece opened the door between us again. Fortunately, Kala saw my eyes glaze over and pulled her punch before she could knock me on my butt.
Is Gareth still in one piece, he asked.
I couldn’t pretend that I wasn’t hurt that his first thought was about his psychotic brother rather than any of us. He’s fine. My reply was almost curt. How is the pack treating you?
They’ve been courteous so far. His reply was as short as mine had been and I could tell he was hiding his emotions from me. I didn’t sense that he was in any peril. If anything, it seemed like he was trying to smother excitement.
When are you coming home? As soon as I posed the question, I wished I hadn’t. To him, the pack was home.
Soon. Nina will be arriving in another hour or so. I’ll stay long enough to meet her and let her say her piece then I’ll head back to the base.
I wanted to ask where his mother was, but he was gone from my mind before I could voice the thought.
“Was that Garrett?” Kala asked then winced when she realized she’d called him by his true name.
“Yeah, he was just giving me an update. Nina apparently isn’t even in the compound. She’ll be arriving in another hour or so. He said he’s going to talk to her then he’ll head back here.”
“Are you okay?” she asked softly, picking up on my misery.
“Not really. I need some air. I’ll be at the outdoor range if anyone needs me.” There was no need to avoid the range now. Nina Carter and her kin knew we were here. They’d probably known all along. Our attempts to remain unnoticed had been a complete waste of time.
I took the stairs two at a time and Mark didn’t even hear me when I trudged past him. He was reading something on the computer table rather than putting it up on one of the monitors. That meant it was most likely confidential information.
Kala had been under the belief that there were no secrets in the Shifter Squad. Sadly, we now knew differently. Mark had kept the knowledge of Reece’s true origins from all of us. It made me wonder what else he was hiding from his team.
Out on patrol again, Zeus raced to meet me when I exited through the backdoor. He stopped long enough to pick up a stick then trotted over to me with a hopeful expression. I threw the stick for him as we made our way along the path through the trees to the range. Not even his unending joy in his favorite game could lift my spirits very far.
Unpacking my sniper rifle, my hands automatically put it together. It had been custom made just for me and had cost my father a small fortune. Painted camouflage colors, it was smaller than a normal sniper rifle and was lighter as well. The weight of a weapon was no longer a hindrance to me, but it was still my favorite gun in my personal arsenal.
Lying down on my stomach, I pushed a pair of soft, squishy earplugs into place then sighted on the most distant target through the scope. Man-shaped rather than a circular target, I pictured Nina Carter’s face and pulled the trigger. The targets were made of bullet proof metal. My round barely left a mark
where her eye would have been.
Zeus flinched when the air was split by my gunfire. With a regretful look at me, he slunk back towards the base. He didn’t want to abandon me, but the gunfire was too loud for him. Left on my own I sighted on the target again but I didn’t pull the trigger. I wished we’d never travelled to Bradbury to investigate the dark coven. Doing so had led us to be captured by two succubae who had brought our fondest wishes to life. Thanks to the dream of what his perfect world would be like, Reece could no longer kid himself that he could be truly happy being bonded to me.
Flynn had told me that there might be a way for our bond to be broken, but it would be a highly traumatic experience for us both. Closing my eyes, I was torn between my love for Reece and pure selfishness. I knew that if it came down to a choice, I couldn’t let him go. Not even if it meant he’d be unhappy for the rest of his life or if it meant that he would come to hate me.
To me, our bond would last forever. Possibly even beyond death. I knew it was dramatic and childish, but I almost felt as if I’d prefer to die rather than lose him.
₪₪₪
Chapter Eight
Reece returned to the base while Flynn was in the middle of cooking dinner. We all turned when the door that led to the hallway opened. He looked weary, but his mind was still closed to me and it was difficult to read his mood.
“How did your meeting with Nina go?” Mark asked with forced nonchalance. He’d been a parent to his three agents in all but name for most of their lives. It couldn’t have been easy for one of his adopted sons to meet his birth mother. Especially with the complicated personal history that existed between Mark and Nina.
“It was interesting,” Reece replied. “I’m going to take a quick shower. I’ll tell you all about it during dinner.”