The Alpha Legacy Boxed Set 1-7

by Holly Hook

  “Then the Savage King was trying to claim you,” I say. “And it sounds like you were able to hold him off at least a few times, if you remembered pieces of your night. You must have given him a hard time. And then you woke up in Savage territory.”

  “In my birthday suit. It was awesome,” Callie says.

  “Explains a lot,” I say. “Except for how this happened in the first place.”

  “Come on.” Cayden takes my arm and I let him pull me out of the greenhouse, leaving Callie alone. There’s no more question. Callie is the Savage King’s new target and I don’t even know why. But so far, he and his cult have done nothing without purpose.

  “This doesn’t make sense,” I say.

  “I know it doesn’t.” Cayden closes the plastic door to the greenhouse. Not that it’ll do any good if Romulus takes over. “Somehow, the cult bound Romulus to her. Maybe they got one of her hairs or a fingernail. She did go into their territory and the cult saw her and Alex.”

  “Once I call Earl, we’re interrogating Brett.” I pull him up on my phone, step away from the greenhouse, and give him the deal. The real deal, because as much as I like Callie, I can’t put him in danger. And Callie wouldn’t want that, anyway.

  “Tell her I’m coming,” Earl says. “I’ve been throwing up all night, worrying about her. And tell her I’m not leaving her side when I get there.”

  Chapter Four

  Earl collects Callie half an hour later, after bringing her a change of clothes. I leave the two in the greenhouse and head back into the cabin, keeping one ear on the outdoors in case Romulus decides he wants a taste of Earl’s blood. But the greenhouse stays quiet as the couple speak in low voices that even I can’t make out well.

  “You took a long time out there,” Edwin says once I’m back inside.

  Brett lies on the floor still, and I search the house to find no one here but the three of them. Leonora sits on the couch and shifts nervously. She’s paging through Brett’s book, and it’s just as confusing as before. Even a whole coven hasn’t been able to make sense of his symbols, doodles, and horrible handwriting.

  Another wave of pain jolts through my arm at the sight of Brett. I’ve been battling them for over an hour now, some worse than others. I’m definitely not healing any faster than a human for this wound. But I force myself to keep a straight face even as my ears ring in response to it. If I pass out, that will give Brett some satisfaction. And I can’t let him have that.

  “How you feeling?” Brett asks, grinning. “Is that shoulder burning a little bit?”

  “You didn’t get me too bad,” I say, hovering over him. “How’s life? Did you like that broken arm Romulus gave you? I see it’s healed since you’re not in that cast anymore. Romulus must give you lots of vacation time, too.”

  That gets to Brett. He scowls at me and tilts his head up so his sunglasses slide down his nose. But then he speaks with an infuriating calm. “How did you know about that? And you’re responsible for me going over to the other side. I could have helped you. But now my sister’s over there. So I need to be, too.”

  “That was your choice. Her choice. Trust me, Karina made her own decision to work with the cult. Does she wear the pants in your family? And you just tell yourself you need to protect her to make you feel better about yourself?”

  “You know, Brie makes some good points,” Cayden says. He looks at me and asks a silent question. Can I handle this?

  Brett’s face reddens. His cheeks deepen to the shade of the blood caked under his nose for a second. I’m getting to him. If Noah were here, he’d award me a point. Brie, one. Brett, zero.

  “I’ve never killed anyone,” Brett says.

  So this is still about his father. I step back as if he’s slapped me. We’re even now.

  “It was self-defense,” I say, forcing my thoughts away before the guilt can get me. But Brett's making my chest hurt and my heart race. “Do you like working for the Savage King and helping him possess people? That was almost a death sentence for my poor drama teacher and who knows how many others. I see you’ve found a way to get him to possess people without a ritual, too. How did you screw over the Hunter girl? I’m curious.”

  Brett looks away, staring at a crack in the wall. He’s about to lie. My sharp senses can pick up almost everything. And now that he’s off his turf and on the floor in our territory, he’s powerless. I hope.

  “How do you think it worked?” he asks.

  “So you admitted it.” Leonora joins me, standing on the opposite side of me as Cayden while Edwin continues to rock and let us do all the work. The noise repeats itself over and over, upping the tense atmosphere. This probably isn’t Edwin’s first rodeo.

  Brett grins. “Maybe.”

  Hot rage explodes in my chest. How does he get under my skin so well? “I’m not in the mood for this. Let’s put one of his hands under the recliner.” I have to force out those last words. My Noble nature doesn’t like this and it could even bring Romulus back. “Every time Edwin rocks, it hurts your hand. We might stop if you give us some hints. And if it turns out they’re wrong, we start on the other hand.”

  What am I doing?

  “I approve of this message,” Edwin says, rocking a little harder. The feet of the chair tap against the floor again.

  “Let me handle this,” Cayden begs, sidestepping to push me out of the way. “It's too risky for you, Brie.”

  Brett bites his lip. He’s trying to act tough, too, but if I listen close enough, I can hear his pulse increasing. Fear’s creeping in.

  Cayden unties Brett’s wristsm and lifts one off his chest. Brett takes the opportunity to punch Cayden in the side with his free hand. Cayden bites in a grunt. By then, I can’t help it. I seize Brett’s free arm and squeeze.

  “Do not hit him.” I lean close to Brett, half-expecting him to spit in my face. But he holds back.

  “Last chance,” Cayden says, letting his voice descend into a growl. Brett’s bringing a monster out and I shudder just listening to the sound. While I’ve heard Cayden growl before, lots of times, this is something different.

  “Cayden, breathe,” I say. “We just need to do this to get answers.”

  To my shock, Brett nods and slides his legs up into a bent position even though ropes still bind his ankles. He’s bracing for the pain. But then he looks up at Cayden, turning his dark gaze away from me. “Listen to her. You don’t want to become like the Savages, do you?”

  Cayden bites his lip. “You’re responsible for this. Now talk.”

  “The curse—“ I start.

  But Cayden’s already shoving Brett’s hand under the rocking chair’s leg. Edwin puts all his weight into rocking forward and the leg comes down on Brett’s hand. The dark warlock tries to curl his fingers, but decides against it last second and flattens them out.

  Crunch.

  Brett seethes as the chair rises. Edwin puts his foot down to stop the chair’s motion. The older man stays expressionless. If this is bothering him, I can’t tell.

  “This is awful,” Leonora says. “I can't watch it.”

  “I thought we were too nice,” I say to Brett. “How’s that cruel nature for you?”

  Brett curls his fingers in agony. They’re not broken, but they’re flushing red. “What does this have to do with nature?”

  “Please. Do we have to do this?” Leonora asks. She covers her mouth with her hand and paces around us. “Can’t we just make him translate his book for us so we can fix Callie and Cayden both?”

  “Then he’ll give us the wrong info or a spell that will backfire on us,” Cayden says.

  Brett regains his composure. “Very good. If I could clap, I would.”

  I turn away, taking a breath. This is going to take a while. Brett will hold out long enough to goad me. He’s hoping Romulus can return and take me over, and he thrives on hatred and guilt. This warlock knows what he’s doing. He might even sacrifice his life to help his master win. This isn’t an environment where t
he spirit of Remus can return to me. In fact, I haven’t felt him since pulling Alex from the pond.

  “This might be too dangerous,” I admit.

  “You think?” Brett lifts his head and faces me.

  “Maybe you should check on Callie again,” Cayden says. “We’ll keep drilling.”

  “But the curse.”

  “It hasn’t hit me yet here. Don’t worry. We’re on the Russells’ home court, so Brett here is at a disadvantage.” Cayden raises a hand, ready to give Edwin the signal to rock again. “What did you do to Callie and how did you do it?”

  I watch Edwin move his foot and let the chair fall again. Brett grunts as the leg makes contact. A rush of satisfaction washes over me, only to be replaced by an image of Brett’s father lying in the shack, bloody and very, very dead—

  Pressure settles on my chest and I let go of Brett's arm, rising.

  “Out,” Leonora says, shoving me towards the door. In my distraction, I let her push me right out the front door and I barely keep my footing as I stagger along the cobblestones.

  “Thanks,” I tell Leonora.

  “He's nasty and he's getting to you,” she whispers.

  “I know he is.” I hate admitting it.

  “Brett was getting to me, too. When I was in there, I felt like failure, like I could never do anything right. And I feel like I haven't eaten in a week. Something's wrong with him.”

  My shoulder burns again and I grab it. My stomach turns at the thought of doing what I just did. Taking a breath, I face the greenhouse. Callie and Earl stand just inside, and Callie’s now dressed in jeans and a sweater. She leans on her husband, who strokes her hair with love and affection. The pressure vanishes from my chest, and I’m tempted to hold onto it just so Callie doesn’t have to worry about possession. The Savage King can’t control two people at once. He’s only one spirit.

  Earl doesn’t look vengeful. There’s nothing but love and comfort on his face as Callie leans on him. She faces me and waves.

  Inside, Brett grunts in pain.

  “How do you like that?” Cayden asks.

  “I don’t like how Cayden’s acting right now,” I admit. He can hear me from inside, but I don’t care. I hope he does even if I wasn't much better. We need to get info out of Brett, and there’s no easy way to do it, but torture isn’t the Cayden I know. After two good weeks, he’s letting the hurt win again.

  “He’s doing this for you,” Leonora says.

  “That doesn’t make me feel better.” I watch as Callie and Earl, supporting each other, walk down the dirt road and to Earl’s car.

  Inside, Brett grunts again. I hear his finger joints straining. They make a horrific sound between a crunch and a grind.

  “Did you have to do with Romulus possessing Callie? She’s not a Savage Wolf. She wasn’t infected. How did you do it?”

  Edwin stops rocking. “You had better tell this young Wolf.”

  I eye the house as Earl starts the engine.

  “I’ll see you later, Brie,” Callie calls. “And I'll be careful.”

  She's leaving, knowing she could be possessed at any time. I don’t like that she’s leaving with Earl—Romulus could hurt him, would hurt him—but maybe getting away from me is what she needs for now. What do I do? She’s making her decision and Earl’s making his, knowing what kind of danger he’s in.

  “Are you sure about this?” I ask.

  Callie looks at me, silently begging me to let her go. Even though she stands a good fifty feet away I read everything I need to in her gaze. “I'll figure it out. I have a plan.”

  She doesn't sound happy.

  “But we're interrogating Brett,” I say. “He might know how to help you.”

  She pauses. “I have to help myself and everyone else right now. Earl's driving me to a safe place. Call me when you know.”

  She gets into the car and they back down the driveway.

  Another grunt sounds from inside the cabin as Brett gets another rocking chair treatment. “This isn’t working,” Edwin says. “My magical knowledge is limited or I’d extract the truth from him right now.”

  “My parents will be home in a few minutes,” Leonora says. It’s clear she’s not comfortable with this. But who is? “Is it still ugly in there?”

  “Yes.” I listen as Earl's car gets farther away.

  “I hope they’re okay,” Leonora says.

  “Ouch!” Brett shouts. “I can’t feel my hand anymore, okay? You smashed every goddamn nerve in my fingers. We got a sample of that Hunter girl’s blood when one of our Savages scratched her. It was under the dead Wolf’s nail. Then we used it to do the binding ritual on her. All those Hunters don’t want to admit where they come from, so we wanted to remind them. Now can you stop smashing my fingers into the floor?”

  Leonora faces the closed front door. Brett’s yelling so loud she can hear everything, too. I tear open the door and step inside to find Cayden kneeling over Brett, holding his arm down to the floor. Brett’s fingers are beet red. Swollen. If they’re broken, I can’t tell, but I can see the angry blood pulsing under his skin.

  I hate Brett but this makes my stomach turn over. I look to Cayden, who still eyes Brett with hatred. He lifts his gaze to me and frowns. “You heard what he said?”

  “Of course I did.”

  Brett trains his sunglasses on me. “Are you happy?”

  “You got Callie’s blood sample?” I ask, storming over to him.

  “How many times do I have to repeat myself?” The attitude is back.

  “So how do we unbind Romulus from Callie? And why do this to her?” I stand over Brett, resisting the urge to kick him. I have to be careful. Hurting a human is guaranteed to bring the darkest of spirits back to me. It will turn me Savage and rot us all from the inside.

  “Good luck,” Brett says. “I don’t even know how to do it. It wasn't my decision, but the cult wanted you to see her suffering so you'd take the burden on yourself. So you'd let the Savage King take you over.”

  I shudder. It sounds right and like something they'd expect me to do.

  “Then make up a banishing ritual,” Leonora says, joining me. She speaks with surprising force. “That’s up to you to do. You know that and you’re not telling all of the truth. What sigils do you use to represent Romulus? I know you must have a way to summon him.”

  I don’t know what she’s talking about, but I grab the book off the couch. It reeks of Brett and old leather. Moldy paper. The moisture has gotten to it, blurring the bad handwriting and the symbols inside. One of these has to represent Romulus, but every symbol in the book looks ugly and alien.

  “So you’ve been studying,” Brett says to her. “Smart girl. It's up to you to figure the rest out.”

  “He’s not going to cooperate,” Edwin says. The old man rocks his chair back. “I want to break all his fingers just for the sake of it.”

  “Then we’ll move on to toes,” Cayden says, eyes darkening.

  “Cayden, no. There has to be another way.” I kneel beside him even though that puts me inches from Brett. Cayden holds Brett’s wrist so tight it’s amazing any blood is getting to his fingers at all.

  I don’t want to see my mate like this. It fills me with dread. I can feel his agony and rage as he’s doing this. “You have to stop being this way. Brett’s goading you, hoping your anger bleeds over into me and brings the Savage King back.”

  Brett doesn’t have a snide comment for that. Cayden looks at me, eyes widening. “I can’t stand what he’s done to you.”

  “I can’t stand it either. But this has to stop. We can wrestle the answers we need out of him if we want. Remember Lawrence?”

  “But that’s because you’re alpha and you ordered him around.” Cayden seems to think for a second before his eyes widen. “You’re saying we should turn him?”

  Chapter Five

  Brett stays really, really quiet on the floor for almost a minute as Cayden and I stare at each other. The threat hangs in the air.
Edwin watches us with pure interest as his jaw drops. He wouldn’t have thought of this and I’m not even sure why I blurted it out at first.

  Clearly Brett doesn’t like this idea.

  “You want one of us to bite him?” Cayden asks.

  “How else will we get him to open up?” I ask. “One. Brett won’t be able to go back to the cult or the Savages if he’s a Noble Wolf. Two. I can order him around. And three. Working against me will mean his doom.”

  “Like he cares about that last point.” Cayden looks at Brett from the corner of his vision.

  No snide comments. Brett screws up his features as he struggles to keep his face neutral. He hadn’t expected this turn of events. That alone tells me this is a good idea. It’s better than letting Cayden torture the guy. He's not cut out for that. My mate won’t come out of this unscathed if we let this go on for too long.

  “Wait,” Leonora says. “Won’t it take until the full moon to make Brett turn?”

  Cayden clears his throat as adrenaline rolls off him. “Nobles and Savages are a bit different. If bitten, Brett will turn right away like Mr. Saffron did, but he won’t shift until the full moon unless he chooses to. That’s…that’s what happened with Remo. He turned right away and that’s how he survived the car accident. Savage infections always hide until the full moon.”

  My mate doesn’t want to do this. I’m throwing him into another mountain of crap. Good job, Brie.

  “I can do it,” I say.

  “But then you’ll be hurting a human.” Cayden turns to me, releasing Brett in his distraction. Cayden takes my hand before he realizes what he’s doing.

  The young warlock rolls and bolts off the floor, ankles still tied. He hops to the door in terror. But Cayden rises like he expected this. He’s going to take this burden for me, too, and it’s my fault—

  Stop it, I tell myself.

  Too late. The pressure roars into my chest, riding on the guilt. I fall back, facing the ceiling and gasping for breath.

  Cayden rips off his jacket as a growl emerges from his throat. Brett bangs into the door and opens it. Adrenaline fills the room, but it fades as the darkness closes in. I lie on the floor as Leonora shouts my name, and then Cayden’s name, but he’s already off, popping and changing shape. Distracted, he doesn’t realize what’s happening to me.