by A. M. Ellis
“So, let me get this straight.” Kipper slurped the last of his icee so loudly Jace would swear lycans in the next town over could hear him, then threw the cup over the side of the roof where he and Jace had spent the last hour sniffing the air and straining out every last useless sound until the unmistakable growl of a lycan could be heard. “You want to catch one of these guys, torture him, and go rescue Malcolm, all before your uncle finds out we’re doing this against his orders.”
Jace kept his gaze on the tree line near one of the small station houses along the railroad.
“I mean, I should be leading a team in surveilling Hollengraf’s building. If he’s into weapons, then the vampires have probably made a deal with him.”
“Possibly.”
“You think there’s a chance we’ll catch one of these guys?”
“I do.”
“Before your uncle finds out?”
Jace closed his eyes in tried patience. “I get it, Kipper.”
“I know, I know…I’m annoying. I just want you to actually hear your plan out loud.”
Jace shot him an irritated look. “And consider another option? No. If we find her father, then my uncle will have no leverage over us.”
“Well, I’d just like to remind you that your uncle has declared war on Kata and if you stay with the clan—”
Jace growled.
Kipper held up a hand. “Hold on, I’m not done. If you stay with the clan, there’s a chance we’ll do battle with Kata’s men soon and we can slip in and find Malcolm without pissing off your uncle.”
“I don’t like being under his control.” Jace inhaled deeply. His thoughts turned to the possessive look in his uncle’s eyes when they’d spoken yesterday in his study. He hadn’t suggested he would claim Kira for himself, but that didn’t mean the man hadn’t thought about it. “I can’t stand the thought of Kira being under—”
“His control?” Kipper raised a teasing brow. “There’s no chance of that, Jace, relax. She would never choose Roman over you.”
“Sometimes…sometimes I think she would,” Jace said quietly. It was a fear he had recently developed but hadn’t faced.
Kipper leaned slightly over the edge, his gaze trained on something in the darkness. “That’s the imprinting talking. It’s an irrational fear. She’d choose me before she’d ever choose your uncle.”
Jace groaned. “Do you really think statements like that help?” The moonlight burned through the clouds and illuminated Kipper’s grin.
“Lighten up, buddy. I would only accept her as my mate if it was my duty for the clan.” He winked at Jace. “Or…”
“Or?”
Kipper shrugged. “If it was to honor your memory.” Kipper chuckled.
“You’re just a riot.” Jace breathed in again, the stench of a familiar hunchback becoming more and more distinct.
“You see what I see over there?” Kipper pointed to a moving shadow near the darkened station.
“Yup. And I smell him too.”
“Is that him? Ugh.” Kipper turned up his nose. “That’s foul.”
“I don’t see anyone else with him.”
Kipper ripped off his jacket. “Well, that makes it easy for us.” He tossed his t-shirt aside and wiggled out of his jeans. He shifted easily and turned his long nose in Jace’s direction. Jace read the question in his eyes.
Out of the corner of his eye, more than one shadow moved. Jace sighed. It would be easier to catch them in his lycan form. Jace begrudgingly removed his jacket and shirt while Kipper leapt over the side, not patient enough for Jace to transform first. ’Cause he knows I don’t want to. Jace stared at the grey moon. “I’m not just a lycan,” he whispered to himself.
He shifted quickly, a surprise since he hadn’t done a complete transformation in a long time. It took him a moment to orient himself with the shape of his body, the itching because of the hair, and in general, the sheer size of himself; he’d grown at least a foot.
A distant howl brought Jace back to the present. He jumped over the edge of the building and raced on all fours to the rail station. Kipper had already disappeared into the trees. Jace increased his speed. The hunchback wasn’t getting away this time.
Ahead, Jace heard Kipper’s low growl and then a different one in response. Jace took a wider path around the sound. The scent of the hunchback was strong and soon Jace detected a flash of grey fur on a perpendicular path to his. Without the hunchback realizing it, Jace burst through the brush at the last second, knocking his rival down before he could attack Kipper’s back.
Hearing the hunchback’s surprised yelp fueled Jace’s hunger to fight. His jaw locked on the hunchback’s shoulder while his claws sunk deeper and deeper into his flesh. Overpowered, he howled in pain. Jace released him long enough to claw at the face of his prey, the savage blow knocking the hunchback to the ground. The blood ran from the open wound, the smell of it far more fragrant to Jace than the dog’s odor.
In a rare moment of flawed combat, Kipper was thrown off by his opponent, but he landed agilely on his feet. The brief separation gave the other lycan the chance to disappear into the forest. Kipper didn’t pursue. Instead, he walked to Jace’s side. Their heavy breaths mixed in with low, guttural sounds. At their feet lay the unconscious hunchback.
Between the two of them, Jace and Kipper hauled the hunchback to the edge of the woods. Kipper shifted back into his human form. “I’ll go get the car.” He sprinted past the rail station to the building where he and Jace had been moments earlier
Jace shifted back and released a sigh. Being an animal was exhilarating, a trait he’d long forgotten. He looked down and saw the hunchback had involuntarily transitioned back into human form. He was still unconscious. This man belonged to the group that was holding Malcolm. He had personally attempted to kidnap Kira in a darkened alley. Jace grabbed the man by the throat and lifted him up. Already the slash to the man’s face was healing, which further enraged Jace. He punched him in the face. The hunchback moaned and slowly blinked his eyes. “Wake up,” Jace ordered menacingly. “I’ve got questions for you.”
The hunchback’s eyes focused on Jace. He thrashed around weakly, his hands gripping Jace’s arm in an attempt to free himself from Jace’s ever-tightening hold. The hunchback began to cough.
“Who are you?” Jace hissed at the man. When he didn’t respond right away, Jace yelled the question.
Behind them, a car came to a screeching halt. “You started without me?” Kipper said with disappointment.
Jace hauled the hunchback to the car and tossed him in the back before taking the seat beside him. Kipper put the car into drive and sped away from the railroad.
“You’re going to tell us everything we want to know.”
The hunchback cowered near the door.
“Where’s Malcolm Warner?”
“I don’t know,” he gritted. Jace raised a fist. “I swear I don’t know! Kata has him in a secret location!”
“Aww, is that info above your pay grade?” Kipper jeered from the front seat.
“Why does Kata want Kira?” Jace asked.
“She’s a seer.”
“Everyone knows that. Tell us something we don’t know.”
“That’s all I know!”
“What use is he to us, then?” Kipper asked.
The hunchback watched as Jace’s claws extended from his hand.
“No use at all,” Jace said.
“No! Wait!” the hunchback begged with hands outstretched. “I know where you can find Kata.”