She stopped the car in front of the house, the two other jeeps parking beside her. They’d even stopped with the surprise attacks since she joined them. She’d made them arrogant. She’d made them indestructible.
“Stay.” Lexia looked over at Derrick as he shut his door, leaving her in the car in her safe bubble. He walked with purpose toward the others. They glanced from him to her, but stepped into line. Derrick was a leader; no one questioned him.
Fighting started inside the house. She tried not to take note of the auras, yet she couldn’t help it. Call it a sick fascination or a habit of torturing herself, or maybe Maura liked to feel Lexia squirm and ache inside of her.
There were four in the house against five hunters. They had no chance.
One. Two. Each light went out like a fist to her gut.
Three. She clenched her hands around the steering wheel; her two halves at war with each other.
Four. She let out her breath. It’s over. It’s… Wait.
She’d made a mistake, missed a crucial part. Lexia burst through the darkness. Out of the car, she ran across the lawn.
This wasn’t a pack. This was a family. A home.
The hunter’s head rolled from his shoulders as her sword sliced cleanly through his neck; thumping to the floor, it rolled to a stop in front of four children who the hunter had sought to kill.
Her knees wobbled as she looked upon the child who stood protectively in front of the others. The child willing to fight a hunter to protect them. Older than the others, he’d shifted into his animal form. He was a panther, a black panther.
Emotions swirled to life within her; dark against light, clashing together in chaos. She never sensed the hunter behind her, never moved as he thrust his sword through her back. She screamed in pain, her head falling back as she dropped to her knees. Maura, however, won the battle.
Her leg whipped out, knocking the hunter who’d crossed her to the floor. She wrapped her hands around his neck and took pleasure in slowly strangling the life from him. Watching as his skin turned blue, his eyes lost their fight for life.
Leaping from the floor, a wild cry rose from her lips. She flung herself at the female hunter who stood stunned behind her; Maura snapped her neck with ease, letting her drop to the floor with disgust.
Maura didn’t stop there, too caught up in her bloodlust. Derrick stood wide-eyed at the door, his hands up, palms forward as she marched toward him. Maura was furious; furious she’d been injured; furious she’d never felt it coming. She’d become weak and lost the battle with Lexia. Her fury unleashed itself on Derrick.
“Lex, please… please don’t do this.” He blocked her punch, doubled over from a kick to his stomach.
“Lexia, fight her. Fight Maura.” She had him on the floor, cutting his airway off. “Fight for Lincoln,” he wheezed.
Lincoln.
The red haze around her cleared and her hands released their grip from Derrick’s throat. “Get out!” she screamed as she scrambled away from him.
“Lex, what are you going to do?”
“I. Said. Get. Out!”
Derrick scrambled back, his back hitting the door. Looking at her for a second longer, he then left the house. Lexia turned and stared at the four children huddled in the corner. Walking toward them slowly, the little black panther growled.
“It’s okay. I won’t hurt you,” she whispered. Dropping to her knees, overcome with emotion, she was at war with herself.
Though he was scared, the cub lashed out at her hand, his eyes flashing golden with bravery, and Lexia finally won the battle against Maura.
She collapsed forward onto her hands, sensing the energy, the power leave her.
The panther cub shifted.
“Your eyes have changed,” the naked boy said.
Lexia smiled at him, at the small, brave boy who’d stood up to a hunter, who reminded her so much of him, of Lincoln.
“Have they?” she asked, sitting up, clutching her stomach as if it would somehow dam the emotions churning inside of her.
“Yes, they’re blue. What does that mean?”
“You know how you learn to control your panther?”
“Yes, my mummy says I have to try to not get mad.”
“Well, it’s like that for me. When I’m mad, my eyes turn golden.”
“So you’re not mad anymore? Are you going to help us?”
“I will try.”
“You’re bleeding,” the cub noted.
Lexia looked down at her chest. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been physically hurt. “I’ll be okay. It will heal. Where’s your mom and dad? Were they here?”
“Daddy is here but Mommy went shopping with my aunt. I was looking after my cousins.” He glanced behind him at the three children.
The front door creaked open. “Lexia, we need to leave. Lucy is radioing.”
“I can’t just leave them,” she answered, glancing at Derrick. He gasped when he saw blue eyes instead of gold; regaining his composure, he smiled. “Go shut up Lucy; I’ll be with you in a minute,” Lexia told him.
“What are you going to do?” he asked.
“What I need to.” Lexia walked over to the phone and dialed a number she never thought she’d use again.
“Hello… Hello?”
She couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t speak. Oh, God.
“Hello? Who is it? Lexi?” he whispered her name, heartache and pain within each syllable.
“Hello, Caden,” she said, surprised by her calm, steady tone.
“Oh, God, Lexi, where are you? Tell me,” he demanded.
Lexi…
“Put Linc on, Cade,” she asked, regaining her composure.
“I can’t. He’s… well, he’s… Lincoln’s not really able to talk,” his quiet voice whispered from the phone.
“What do you mean? Is he all right? Is he hurt?” Lexia tried to take a breath. Tried to think past the blinding emotions bombarding her.
“No wait, Lexi. Listen, he’s not hurt, well, not physically anyway. I just… he’s out dealing with his grandfather’s business. He’s doing okay… I guess… if you consider drinking whisky for breakfast okay.”
“What have I done?” she whispered, fighting hard against the avalanche of guilt flooding her.
“Where are you, Lexia? Where are you? Tell me, please. Let me help you. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done. He loves you, Lexi. He’s your mate. We are your family. Let us help you.”
The children shuffled in the corner, reminding Lexia this call had a purpose. This was one mistake she could fix.
“Caden, listen, I’m at a little house off Wagon Canyon Road. A family of shifters live here.” Lived here.
“I think I know it, Lex. Don’t move. I’ll ring Caleb. He’ll be there soon. Lincoln and I can be there within the day.”
For a second, she considered staying and seeing Lincoln’s face again. She imagined how it would feel to kiss him, to feel his strong arms wrapped around her, and then she remembered her mother, the unstoppable force she had to halt. She thought of all the people she’d killed, and the wild storm of guilt tearing her apart.
“I’m so sorry. I won’t be here.”
“No, Lexia, please, please, it’s killing him, Lex.” When his voice broke, her heart fractured and tears fell down her cheeks.
“Listen to me! This is important. I’ve done so many things, Caden. I can never come back.”
“No, Lex, that wasn’t you. I know what you’ve done. We don’t care; it wasn’t you.”
“Maybe not, but it doesn’t change how I feel,” she said sadly. “I need you to do something for me. I’m asking you to forget I called you, but you must come to this house. There are four cubs who need your help.”
“What do you mean?” he asked, frantic.
“I’m going now, Caden. Take care of Linc. Take care of these children. Hide them. Hide them so Lucy never finds them.”
“Okay,” he said in the faintest of whispers.
“And Doc?” she said, already feeling Maura’s darkness lick around her.
“Yes?” he whispered.
Lexia wiped the tears from her eyes and stood straight, forcing her emotions away and welcoming Maura as she took control. Numbed every emotion churning within her. “Forget Lexia. She died the day she left. My name is Maura and I can never come back.”
Maura walked from the house leaving the phone swinging off the hook, listening to the desperate cries, calling Lexia.
You are weak, Lexia. You gave in so easily and let me win.
“Derrick, you’re driving,” she snapped, climbing into the jeep.
Confused, Derrick stood for a second. He looked from the house back to Maura. “Lex?” Derrick murmured.
“She is gone, Derrick.”
“I don’t understand. Your eyes?”
“Listen to me,” she said, glaring at him. “Lexia is weak. She chooses to hide from her problems. She let me win. As I’ve said before, Lexia died the day she joined the hunters.”
“I don’t believe that.”
“Of course you don’t. You are weak, just as the shifters and Lexia are. One day, Derrick, that little thread of humanity you cling to will get you killed.”
Chapter 2
“Lexia!” He yelled until his voice was hoarse, already knowing she’d gone, yet still unable to stop the agony-filled sounds leaving his mouth. “Lexia, why won’t you let us help you?” he whispered into the cell before ending the call.
Unable to walk, Caden sank to the floor where he was, the cell falling from his hand with a clatter. Thank God, Linc isn’t here, was the only coherent thought he could muster. Dragging in a breath, Caden forced himself to stand and make his way to the nearest chair. From there, he dialed Caleb, praying he still had his phone – wherever he was.
It rang off and he dialed again. “Come on, Caleb,” Caden muttered under his breath.
“’ello?” Caleb answered, panting.
“Caleb, where are you?”
“Around,” Caleb answered nonchalantly.
Caden expected the answer. The last time they saw each other, Lincoln had been ready to sink his claws into Caleb for Lexia’s capture. Caden had stood by and watched, too tired to intervene; he’d not had the strength to control Lincoln.
“Are you still in the Black Hill area?”
“Yes, Caden, what is it I can do for you?”
“Lexia called–”
“She did?” Caleb interrupted, suddenly sounding interested.
“She wants us to go to a house off Wagon Canyon Road. There are four cubs there, Caleb,” he explained, unable to voice the rest of what he expected Caleb to find.
“Just the cubs?”
“Yeah, I’m not sure what has happened; not sure I want to know, but didn’t sound good. Just get the cubs, Caleb, and make sure they are hidden.”
“Hidden?”
“Lexia said Lucy could never know they lived,” Caleb sighed.
“And Lex?” Caleb asked, sounding just as resigned as Caden.
“I’m not sure what to tell you, Caleb. Is there hope? I’m not sure. I’m at the stage where I look for hope in the smallest of things.”
“Is Linc there? Are you going to tell him?”
“No, he’s dealing with the last of his grandfather’s affairs.”
“How is he?” Caleb asked, hopeful.
“He’s out of bed. Not sure what I will tell him. It depends what you find.”
“I’ll ring you back within the hour and let you know.”
Caden ended the call just as Lincoln walked through the door.
“Who was that?” Lincoln asked as he ripped his tie from around his neck. “I’ll be happy to never wear a dammed tie again,” he muttered, annoyed.
“Just my mother,” Caden lied. “How’d it go?”
“Seems David made one last ditch effort to civilize me.”
“How’s that?”
Lincoln walked into the kitchen and pulled a glass from the cabinet. “Want one?” he asked as he grabbed the whisky.
“Sure, why not?” Need one after that call.
Lincoln poured out two large glasses, downed his in one and refilled. Handing the second glass to Caden, he continued. “Fool left me his share of the company. This morning, I was the majority shareholder.” Draining his second glass, Lincoln poured a third.
“This morning?” Caden questioned, taking a sip of his drink.
“I’m not interested in the company, Cade. Fuck, I’m not interested in much these days. Some of David’s shares have been bought by new blood. The rest went to Richard. David trusted him. It’s the best I could do.”
“So you’ve wiped your hands clean of it altogether?” Caden asked, finishing the rest of his drink.
“Another?” Lincoln asked, waving the bottle toward him.
“No.”
Shrugging, Lincoln filled his own. “I’ve a small share still and received a nice amount for the rest. I’ll never need to work again.”
“When have you ever?” Caden laughed.
“I pretended…for a while.” Lincoln smiled.
For a second, Caden caught a glimpse of the face of his best friend – cheeky, wild and full of mischief – but then Linc finished his drink and poured another and Caden realized he may never see his old friend again.
“Slow down, pal.”
“Leave it, Caden,” Lincoln growled. Lifting his glass, he finished the rest of the amber liquid and slammed the glass down into the sink. Picking up the bottle, Lincoln walked past him. “I’m going on the veranda,” he said, shaking the bottle. “Celebrate my recent influx of money. Feel free to join me if you can hold off on the lectures.”
Caden watched Lincoln go outside, shutting the glass slider behind him with enough force to shake the wall. For a brief moment, he considered following. Sometimes he felt ten years older than Lincoln, instead of just three, but then his cell rang, reminding Caden that although he wasn’t ten years older, he held all the responsibility. That was what he chose; it was his nature to shelter Lincoln, and had been since they’d been two young boys playing in a late summer field. On that day, for the first time, he witnessed how cruel life could be
Chapter 3
They drove in silence back to the compound, Maura still fuming over her wound. She felt no remorse for killing her fellow hunters, just mildly amused the fool thought he could stab her and live.
There was a welcome party waiting for them as Derrick packed the jeep in the cargo hold. Lucy stood front and center looking as angelic as ever, except for the fury shining in her eyes.
Maura turned to Derrick. “I’ll let you deal with her,” she stated, stepping from the car, ignoring Derrick’s pleas. She walked away from the crowd with an air of superiority; her heels clicking on the floor with every purposeful step.
“Maura,” Lucy called, but she didn’t stop. “Maura, how dare you ignore me!”
Pausing, silence settled and the air charged around them. How dare I? A little voice in her head begged, please, don’t make her mad.
Maura shook the voice from her mind. Having enough of being treated this way by her mother, it was time she was put in her place. It was time she saw what she’d created.
Slowly, Maura turned, danger and power radiating from her body. Maura looked at Lucy as one would look at an insect. Annoying. Insignificant.
“How dare I?” Bitterness laced her voice. “How dare you! Do you have any idea what I am capable of? I could kill you in seconds and not feel a thing. You created me, Mother. Is this not what you wanted? For me to be powerful, unstoppable, void of all humanity? I answer to no one.”
Maura turned, intent on escaping before the anger, the all-consuming urge to spill blood took control. With each click of her heels, the tension built. She could almost see it; touch it.
Maura knew what would happen; knew her mother so well. After all, she was her daughter. Three steps from the door, she sensed Lucy act. The swirli
ng mass of black, angry energy moved toward her. The room filled with fear. The hairs on her arms stood on end, and the weight of everyone’s emotions pressed down on Maura, making the air hot and close, as if unbreathable. Watching the scene unfold were a mass of hunters, each unsure how this would play out.
Maura allowed Lucy the first hit. With a kick to the back, she stumbled but quickly regained her footing. Smiling, Maura spun around, clasped her hands around Lucy’s small frame, and threw her across the room. Like swatting a fly, it was easy, simple, and she felt nothing from causing her mother pain.
“Oh, and I need a medic to tend to me in my room,” she added before leaving with the echo of her steps and the air of a god.
She wanted a monster. I gave her a monster.
Hearing hurried paces behind, Maura glanced back.
“Jesus, boss, that was like, totally amazing!” Marcus gushed; he ran slightly in front of her and jogged backward. “I wish I had your strength,” he babbled on.
“No you don’t,” Maura replied, feeling stirring once more within her as he smiled goofily.
“We wish we had your courage,” Belinda murmured from behind.
Maura paused to look at her and felt the smallest of thought from Lexia. “You do have courage. You’re still here, still clinging to hope. It’s me who is the coward, hiding behind this mask, because I can’t face what I’ve done.”
“Wow, boss, that was deep,” Marcus laughed.
“Oh, shut up. Go make yourself useful and find a medic brave enough to come fix me.” She smiled, and then shucked it off, forcing Lexia back down where she belonged.
“On it,” he said, running off in the opposite direction.
“Go with him, Belinda. He is incapable of keeping out of trouble. Oh, and inform the medic the blade was laced in poison.” If Belinda noticed her change in tone, the iced edge of Maura, she didn’t react. With a nod, she turned and ran off after Marcus.
Maura carried on walking. Clenching her hands, she ignored the pain jolting through her body with each step. She didn’t slow down to ease the pain; she needed the pain as a reminder of what happened when she was weak – when she let Lexia through. Maura knew she couldn’t afford to lose her focus. There was something brewing within the compound and she sensed it was the elite stirring the pot.
Holocaust (The Deadwood Hunter Series Book 3) Page 2