Guardian of Darkness

by Katie Reus

  The ground rumbled and shook beneath her but she kept stumbling along.

  As she reached the trio of trees, in the clearing she saw a huge oak pushing high into the night sky. The middle of its trunk was a gnarled knot, the tree clearly having been tied that way when it was a sapling. Yet still it grew strong and had weathered many years. When she looked up she heard a familiar sound in the background… A helicopter.

  “Bitch!” he screamed in her head, before she felt another push against her psyche.

  Knowing that she’d gotten what she’d come for, she brutally sliced the tether to his mind and opened her eyes.

  “Vega!” Gabriel’s voice was panicked as he held on to her shoulders.

  She blinked a few times, sweat running down between her breasts as she stared into Gabriel’s concerned face. His normally green eyes had gone pure wolf. “There’s no flash drive,” she said, panting. That had been intense. “All the information is in Carson’s head. He memorized everything so no one could take it from him. And he has an extraction lined up. Or at least that’s what I think. He didn’t want me to see it, kept trying to push me out. But there’s a big clearing and I think he has a chopper lined up to extract him. I could hear rotor blades in the distance. I…don’t know if he projected that or not. One thing’s for sure, he knows I was in his head.”

  “I can’t believe you were in his head!” Gabriel snapped even as he ripped off his own shirt and held it under her nose where she only now realized she was bleeding.

  Hell, it was all over her chest and the sheets. Holding the shirt to her face, she jumped out of bed and ignored the way she stumbled. “We have to get to him before he tries to escape.”

  Before she could respond, Gabriel stormed out of the room, his claws fully out. Dropping the shirt, she raced after him down the hall and watched him slam his foot against Carson’s door. Wood splintered everywhere as he disappeared inside. Before she’d made it down the hallway, he stepped back out, his expression dark. “He’s gone.”

  A couple wolves came out of their rooms, but didn’t say anything as Gabriel stalked back toward her.

  “We’re going to see my cousin now,” Gabriel snapped, stepping back into their room with her. “Why did you get into Carson’s head when I told you not to?”

  “I didn’t get into his head. He got into mine. He tried to tell me that I didn’t belong with you, that I should come down to his room and let him…fuck me.”

  At her words, Gabriel’s face partially shifted. She’d never seen someone so angry before, never seen a wolf do that. Just as quickly, he was full human and grabbing a clean shirt from his suitcase. “Get dressed. Now.”

  Understanding the urgency of the situation, she tossed on a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved black sweater. They would be telling Judoc everything now. At least that’s what Vega assumed. She just hoped the Alpha didn’t try to get in their way when they hunted Carson down. She grabbed her burner phone as an afterthought and shoved it in her back pocket. She needed to call August.

  Because if it came down to it, she would call not only August, but her father, and go to war with Judoc. They had to get Carson and stop him.

  * * *

  Gabriel fought the animal rage surging through him. After what Vega had told him, some things clicked into place. Things he would think about later. Not now.

  Not until after he’d hunted down Carson and ripped his throat out. He was going to make sure that wolf didn’t live out the next day.

  He paused outside his cousin’s door, surprised there was a sentry standing there. Maybe it was because of the way he’d just busted down another wolf’s door. He was actually surprised he hadn’t been stopped on the way here.

  He nodded once at the female sentry. She had on cargo pants and a sweater and she was armed to the teeth. “Is Judoc available?”

  Before she could answer, the door opened and his cousin stood there frowning. “It’s three in the morning. And I hear you owe me for property damage.”

  “This can’t wait.”

  “Come on.” Judoc sighed, stepping back so they could enter.

  As soon as the door shut behind them, Gabriel said, “I need to say some things that are going to be hard for you to hear.”

  His frown deepening, Judoc rubbed a hand over his already ruffled dark hair. “Come this way.”

  They stepped into a small room attached to the bedroom. His cousin’s office.

  “This place is completely insulated,” Judoc said as he shut the door. He motioned for the two of them to sit but neither Gabriel nor Vega did so.

  “Carson is a psychic,” Gabriel said bluntly.

  Surprise and something else entirely ricocheted off his cousin. He didn’t say anything, just leaned against the front of his desk and listened.

  “He just attacked Vega in her dream. I’m not going to get into what he did because it’s not important right now. But the reason Vega and I are here isn’t because I chased her into this territory. We’re hunting Carson. He stole a file on a bunch of supernatural agents stationed throughout the world. He’s getting ready to sell the information to the highest bidder. We have to stop him. Vega is also psychic, and when he attacked her, she fought back and saw where he’s planning to make his escape. It’s on your land. We need to go there now. And I am asking you to lift Carson’s protection. That’s the favor I want.”

  Gabriel laid out everything for his cousin as quickly and succinctly as possible. He was clearly controlling his rage, however, knowing that Carson had been inside Vega’s head. That he’d been pushing her for— No. Not now.

  Judoc stared at Gabriel for a long moment after he finished. Shoving up from his desk, Judoc’s own wolf was in his eyes.

  Gabriel tensed, ready to fight him if necessary.

  His cousin seemed to read his expression and frowned. “I believe you. Why didn’t you just ask me to withdraw his protection before…”

  “You always had a soft spot for him.” Judoc had to remember how he’d been with Carson all those years ago. Now Gabriel understood why. It was possible that Carson had manipulated his way into Judoc’s head. It would be hard to do it with an Alpha, but they’d been linked since childhood.

  “I did have a soft spot for him. But when he left, things somehow became clearer. And now that he’s been back I haven’t been sleeping well. Suddenly that makes a lot of sense. I’ve been annoyed with him. Agitated, and I’m wondering if he tried to get into my head and couldn’t. I’m a hell of a lot stronger than I was even a decade ago.” It looked as if he wanted to say more but he stopped, shook his head.

  “We need to lock him down and I have to get that information. Hundreds of lives are at stake. Our people are at stake.”

  Judoc picked up his phone and made a call even as he motioned for them to step out of the office with him.

  Finally, Gabriel felt like they were doing something. He realized that only minutes had passed and he was forcing himself not to race after Carson. He’d had to have Judoc’s approval. Gabriel might be strong but he couldn’t act like a crazed wolf rampaging after one of Judoc’s protected.

  As they stepped out into the hall, Judoc shoved his phone back in his pocket and cursed. “He’s in the woods now. One of my sentries saw him running, thought he was just out for exercise.”

  Gabriel allowed his own claws to extend before he quickly retracted them. “He’s going to make a run for it.”

  “He won’t get off my property.”

  Unfortunately that might not be true. “If he’s got a helicopter coming for him—”

  “We’ll shoot it out of the fucking sky,” Judoc snarled.

  “I can tell you exactly what the trio of trees looks like near that clearing,” Vega said as the three of them hurried down the hallway. “The one in the middle was an oak with a giant knot in it.”

  Gabriel knew exactly what she was talking about even before his cousin nodded.

  “I know exactly where that is,” Gabriel said. It was di
stinctive enough that their pack used it as a marker for the territory. “It’s about twenty miles from here.” And it would be a rough run through that terrain.

  Nothing would stop him, however.

  “I’ve got a few guys on four-wheelers and ATVs,” Judoc said, shouting out orders to packmates who’d started stepping out of their rooms.

  “I’ll run,” Gabriel said, looking at Vega. “Go in one of the—”

  She actually snarled at him, her eyes pure wolf. “Don’t finish that thought. He attacked me. I’m helping bring him down.” There was pure steel and determination in her voice.

  Though he wanted to tell her to stay back, to keep her safe, he knew it wouldn’t happen. The only reason he was remotely okay with this was that it wasn’t a blood moon right now.

  And he had her back. Always.

  Chapter 15

  “Something’s wrong,” Lyra said as she shoved Finn’s office door open.

  He’d already pushed up from his desk because he’d felt the same thing. A sharp punch to his senses telling him one of his packmates was in trouble. Not just a packmate. His daughter. “Can you talk to her?”

  Lyra shook her head, her pale violet eyes filled with worry. “No. I tried to reach her along our psychic link, but nothing. Well not nothing, but I can’t get through. It’s like static.”

  Finn knew roughly where she was because of Gabriel, but he didn’t know any of the details of why. He’d always trusted his Guardian and he still did. But… “If we leave now we can get to the outskirts of Judoc McGrath’s territory before daybreak.”

  “Let’s go,” his mate said without hesitation. As a vampire Lyra had an aversion to sunlight, but if they took the pack’s private plane, they could be there with enough time to get Lyra somewhere safe. And they’d be close to their daughter in case she was in trouble.

  For the briefest moment he wondered if he should just stay and trust his Guardian to do what he promised—protect Vega—but there was no way in hell that was happening. Because Vega was his daughter. Nothing could stop him from going to her if she needed him.

  Hell, even if she didn’t want his help, she was getting it. Because he had the sharpest sense that something had happened. And he would do everything in his power to make sure his family was okay.

  “She’ll probably be angry with us,” Lyra said as they hurried from the office and down the hallway toward their room.

  “Like I care,” Finn growled. Okay, the truth was he did care. He’d spent a couple years trying to get a handle on this whole parent thing. And he still didn’t have a grip on it. Hell, he’d just convinced himself that she was grown and that he was okay with her off on her own. A big lie.

  Lyra let out a startled laugh as they reached their door. “Lie to yourself, not me. I don’t care if she’s angry. Something is wrong and we need to be there—and fair warning, if this feeling grows, I’ll invade Judoc’s territory and take down anyone who gets in my way.”

  Yeah, and he’d be right next to his mate. No one would keep them from their daughter.

  * * *

  In wolf form, Carson stumbled through the woods, his mind a haze of images as he tried to keep it together.

  He’d meant to get into that bitch’s head, to get her to hurt Gabriel. He’d done it before to former packmates and there was no better feeling in the world than taking what wasn’t his.

  He hadn’t expected her. Hadn’t expected what she’d done. He’d tried to escape her grasp, but she’d clawed her way into his mind like a battering ram. No one had ever done that and he wasn’t sure how she had. Maybe once he could think clearly, he’d figure it out.

  He slipped on a patch of ice, all his paws going out from under him as if he was a pup learning to walk. His heart pounded out of control as he shoved back to his paws and started running again.

  Extraction point. Had to get to it.

  He’d promised his pilot a hefty fee if he picked him up anytime, day or night. He’d pressed the panic button on his phone, and called the guy for good measure.

  The pilot was on his way, would be there soon. Carson had left his phone and everything back in the room.

  Because he’d known that bitch would come for him. Either her or Gabriel. Or both.

  He should have done more research on her, found out who she was. He’d assumed she was just a hot piece of ass Gabriel had brought home.

  He was so fucking stupid. Maybe Gabriel was working for August. He had to be. Why else would the female have tried to get so deep into his head, to know his secrets? He could never go back to Judoc’s territory, his home. His former home now.

  This trip home had been different anyway. He hadn’t been able to get into Judoc’s head like he had when they’d been kids. He’d always kept a tenuous link growing up, but after moving away and living in the world, the bond had more or less broken. And his cousin would certainly believe Gabriel over him.

  Gabriel, the fucking wolf who’d always been a thorn in his side. The male who had always seen through him. Pain fractured through Carson as he ran into a tree he tried to avoid but couldn’t move fast enough.

  He stumbled back and shook his head. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to try and calm down. He couldn’t keep running blindly like this. He was going to kill himself before he even got to the clearing.

  Turning around, he listened but didn’t hear anyone running after him. Maybe he still had time.

  A howl rose in the distance, quickly followed by another and then another.

  He was out of time.

  They were coming for him.

  The sound like a starter pistol, he raced off into the woods.

  Chapter 16

  As Vega and Gabriel raced toward the line of trees, Judoc kept pace with them. He’d ordered his packmates to secure the perimeter as far as they could, and Vega assumed that he would leave her and Gabriel to hunt down Carson.

  She planned to claw his face up when she caught him.

  She was a little surprised by how accommodating the Alpha was being, and had questions—so many questions about Carson’s past—but wasn’t going to ask him now. Maybe never. The only thing she was truly concerned with was hunting this monster down.

  Gabriel tugged his shirt off halfway to the woods and she did the same.

  Frowning, he glanced at her as they ran but didn’t say anything. What the hell did he think she was going to do, rip her clothes when she shifted? She could run in human form and likely keep pace because of her vampire genetics, but decided to go completely wolf. She wasn’t sure what kind of terrain there was and was more nimble in animal form anyway. Besides, her wolf was ready to come out and play.

  “You can shift?” Judoc asked.

  She shot him a surprised glance. He knew who her parents were, so she’d assumed he knew she was a hybrid. Obviously he didn’t realize that meant she had a dual nature. Hell, a triple nature. Not to mention she was a day walker and a psychic. “Yeah.” What else was she going to say?

  He didn’t respond but started stripping as well.

  Gabriel growled slightly and she turned to find him frowning at her. What was going on with him? Was he annoyed that she might see Judoc naked? They weren’t playing a role anymore, so he could lay off, especially now. They had more important things to do.

  Rolling her eyes, she put on a burst of speed and fully stripped as she reached the tree line. She gave zero fucks about modesty right now. As soon as she bundled her clothes into a tight ball, she underwent the change. Like always, pain and pleasure mixed together as her wolf overtook her human side, until she stood on all fours. By the time she’d shifted, the two males had as well.

  Since she had no idea where they were going, she waited until Judoc raced into the forest, a giant beast of dark brown that blended into the trees. Even though Gabriel knew where they were going it was clear he was letting the Alpha take lead. He had a similar coloring in wolf form, a dark brown that allowed him to blend into the shadows as they raced.
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  She was more of an inky blackish-blue-colored wolf and she blended well too—but no one was as good as Gabriel. Vega fell in step with him, her paws pounding against the cold earth as they ran full speed through the forest. She reached along her psychic link, trying to see if she could connect with Carson—and maybe get into his head again, slow him down—but couldn’t reach the male. In fact, she couldn’t feel much of anything along her link. Probably because she needed blood.

  As a hybrid, she could eat food and didn’t need to feed as much as her mother did, but she still needed blood for her survival.

  She jumped over a cluster of thick roots, the wind rolling over her as they raced onward.

  Judoc had said twenty miles so she started keeping track. She was roughly aware when they reached the one-mile mark. Then the two, three, four, five. She was so amped up on adrenaline that she barely felt winded. At least physically. Mentally she was drained.

  She had a hell of a lot of stamina and didn’t need a lot of sleep. As soon as possible, she’d drink Gabriel’s blood, if he was a willing donor. She’d never drunk from him before, had rarely drunk from anyone in her pack.

  As she and Gabriel jumped over another cluster of roots, she saw that Judoc had picked up speed slightly.

  He was maybe thirty yards in front of them. Damn, that wolf was fast.

  Wanting to keep up, she’d started to run faster when a rumble shook the ground. Underneath them, the earth shifted and suddenly split into a huge cavern. A cacophony of colors burst out everywhere, almost like lasers. Blues, greens and purple illuminated the forest, their own personal light show.

  She wanted to cover her eyes, but fell into the hole, unable to stop herself. As she tumbled down, she shifted back to human form, hoping to grasp onto something. Reaching out, she clawed at the sides of the cavern. But it was useless. She couldn’t get purchase anywhere.