Chapter Twenty-Four
“Connor?”
“Do you have to stop again?”
Evie’s face turned a shade of green. “Yes, please.”
Connor pulled over to the side of the road. The truck barely stopped before she pushed the door open and ran out to the bushes. He grabbed the packet of wet wipes and slid out of his seat, then walked over to Evie.
The previews for Love and Regrets had gone phenomenally well. The critics loved it, and tickets were sold out for weeks. Everyone loved the music, the story, and, of course, the show’s star. The show ran six days a week, with matinees on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Though she was exhausted, Connor could tell Evie was ecstatic. She loved being in the show, and, now that everything ran like clockwork, she didn’t have to be in the theater all day. That meant they spent every moment she wasn’t onstage together. He had never truly felt this happy.
After two weeks, Evie insisted on visiting the Shenandoah farm and his family again. She had Mondays off and didn't have to be in the theater until 4 pm on Tuesday, so as soon as she took her bow on Sunday night, they raced off to West Virginia. Traffic coming out of Manhattan was light, and they slept at a motel somewhere in Pennsylvania around midnight. Connor didn't want or need to stop thanks to his shifter side, but Evie had started feeling sick halfway through the trip. They got up bright and early and were now on their way back to the valley.
A worried feeling niggled at him. Evie had seemed healthy enough during the past two weeks. She certainly ate enough. She chalked it up to all the calories she burned dancing and singing for two hours, eight times a week. He wondered if she was tiring herself out and it was catching up with her.
“Thanks,” Evie said weakly as she reached for the wet tissue. She wiped it across her mouth and took a deep breath.
“Are you okay? Should we maybe stop at a restaurant or a motel and you can lie down?”
Evie shook her head. “No, I want to go. Lily’s expecting us. I texted her last night that we were going to be delayed, but I haven’t heard back. Maybe the reception’s spotty again. I don’t want her to be worried.”
Another strange feeling scratched at him. It wasn’t like his mother not to text. She called and messaged them every day. Jackson was trying to get things in order at the farm, and they were scheduled to come to New York to watch the show next month.
“All right, let’s go.”
They got back on the road, driving deep into the Blue Ridge Mountains. Soon, they were pulling up to the house. It was early still. The sun was peeking behind the hill, bathing the house and green hills in a warm light.
Connor pulled up to the front and cut the engine. As he opened the door, he stopped and then closed it.
“Connor?”
A chill ran over his skin. He looked at the front porch. Empty. No Momma sitting on the rocking chair reading the paper. No Jackson drinking his coffee. In fact, the house was eerily still. There was something not right.
"Stay here," he said.
“What’s wrong?” Evie asked, her tone panicked. “Connor, tell me.”
He looked at her. "Please, Evie, just this once do as I say." He grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "When I get out, come over and sit here. Turn on the engine, lock the door, and if you hear so much as a mouse squeak, you step on the gas and get out of here, okay?"
“What? No!” she protested. “Connor, what’s going on?”
"I don't know, but I'm going to find out."
Before she could protest further, he slipped out of the truck. He heard the click of the lock behind him, and, feeling assured, he made his way to the house. He bounded up the front porch steps and walked to the door. It was open, which rang more alarm bells in his head.
“Momma?” he called as he pushed the door in and carefully walked inside. “Jackson? Austin?”
“Out here.” It was Lily. “On the back porch.”
The sound of her voice did not make that feeling go away. There was still something that wasn't right. Quiet as a mouse, he walked through the kitchen and slowly opened the door that led to the back.
“Glad you could join us, boy.”
Connor hadn’t heard the voice in years, but he’d know it anywhere. He took one step out and turned to the right.
The red-haired man stood at the end of the porch, leaning casually against one of the posts. Two Lycans, both large and mean-looking, flanked him. As far as Connor could tell, the man looked almost the same as he did all those years ago. Same scraggly hair and beard, though now streaked with gray. However, he wasn't as tall as Connor remembered him. Maybe it was because he'd grown himself. He guessed they were probably the same height now.
But that didn't matter because on the other end of the porch was Lily, Jackson, and Austin. They were all sitting down, tied up with ropes, and surrounded by six large men—no, Lycans. Definitely Lycans. Lily and Austin wore frightened looks, while Jackson was naked and had healing cuts and bruises on his face.
“Bastard. Let them go. This isn’t their fight.”
“Oh yeah? Well, you made it their fight.” He clucked his tongue as he walked closer, his boots stomping on the wooden floor. “Why couldn’t you have stayed away, Connor? You could have kept them safe. And, now, they’re going to die, too.”
“Fuck you!” He stepped forward.
“Don’t move an inch.” The red-haired man shook his head, then nodded to Connor’s family. One of the men took out a gun and pointed it at Lily’s head. “What do you think? Momma first, then your twin, and then the brat? Or should I take out the kid first and watch you all scream.”
“No!” Connor curled his hands into fists. “What do you want?”
“What do I want?” he asked with a sneer. “I wanted to be left alone and in peace. When that old man took you, our backer got spooked. See, Baeles didn't know about the fighting ring. We were trainin' you to be part of the Lone Wolf army, but The Cage was a little side gig to make us extra cash. When he found out you had escaped and that we were doing those fights, he shut us down and made sure I was under this thumb. Of course, that bastard rose to power in the Lycan High Council, while his friend, the mage, gathered his own forces and magic." He scoffed. "And me? I was left to pick up the pieces. To punish me for letting you go and ruining our fighting ring, Baeles made me deal with the shit and cleanup. Who do you think kept tabs on Boyd and Booth to keep their traps shut? Threatening their families to make sure they stayed quiet?"
So that was why Booth wouldn’t talk. “How did you find me?”
"The day you showed up at Boyd's trailer and took care of him, one of my guys was there. I should've thanked you for taking care of that. I was really looking forward to you getting Booth, too." His eyes glinted with hate. "But then you took him, brought him to New York. Didn't know you got friends in high places now."
"Booth didn’t give you up.”
The red-haired man laughed. "You think I'm stupid, boy? I knew you'd come sniffing around here soon enough. This is where I took you from, after all, from your sweet Mama's arms. I swear, I can still hear her crying for you. I can still taste your Daddy's blood—"
“Enough!” Connor roared. “What do you want?”
"I want you dead," he said. "You and your family. You're the last witness. That traitor Baeles is gonna talk soon. He's gonna rat me out. But once I take care of all of you, no one will find any evidence of The Facility or The Cage."
“Let’s end this now,” Connor said. “You and me.”
“Ha! You think you can take me?”
“I know I can.”
“This isn’t The Cage, boy. There won’t be no fight.” He turned to his men. “Take the kid and bring him here.”
Lily let out a piercing scream.
***
Evie waited in the driver's seat as long as she could. She felt antsy and uncomfortable. She wanted to throw up again. What the heck was going on?
There was no noise from the house. It was strange that it was so quiet this early in the morning. Usually, by this time, Jackson and Lily were up and about. Austin should already be on his way to school.
A dreaded feeling formed in her chest. She thought about Connor's words, about driving out of here if there was any sign of trouble.
“Screw that!” Connor was in danger, she could feel it. She opened the door and slipped out of the truck. What to do, though? Connor had walked into the house and hadn't come out. Going in there would be horror movie-level stupid, so she thought she'd swing around to the back.
As quietly as she could, she walked around the house, sticking close to the wall. The sound of voices made her freeze, and she scrunched up against the side of the house. Taking a deep, calming breath, she swung her head around the corner to take a peek.
She could see a tall, bearded, red-haired man standing on the back porch. Her heart slammed into her ribcage, beating a thundering rhythm as she realized who it was. The ringleader. The man who took Connor from his family. He was talking, but she couldn't quite hear what he was saying. She shut her eyes, trying to concentrate on his voice.
"I want you dead," he said. "You and your family. You're the last witness …"
Shit! Connor was in trouble. That bastard probably had Jackson, Lily, and Austin, too. But what could she do? She wasn’t a Lycan or a witch. She wasn’t even trained to fight. She couldn’t just go in there. But she couldn’t watch and do nothing, either.
Wait.
She couldn’t rescue them, but she could call for help. She grabbed her phone from the pocket of her jeans and dialed Meredith’s number.
“Hello?” the sleepy voice on the other end said.
"Meredith, it's Evie," she whispered. "Connor's in trouble. The man—the ringleader—he's here, and he's got them."
“Wha—oh fucknuts! Where are you?”
“We’re in Shenandoah. At the farm. Can you come right away? Daric can bring you, right?”
"Hold on …" There was whispering in the background and Evie could hear a masculine voice talking. Daric, probably. "Shit, you're right!" Meredith said to her husband. "Evie," Meredith began. "Daric can't transport us because he's never been there or seen the place. But, we're gonna go to Quinn's now so he can show us satellite photos. We'll bring the cavalry if we have to. Please hold on."
"Please hurry! I don't know what to do! I think … it's bad. He's threatening to kill them all. He brought other Lycans here, too. I’m not sure how many."
“Just a couple of minutes. Distract them or something.”
“Distract them? I can’t do that!” she said in a hysterical voice.
“Evie ….” Meredith let out a breath. “Daric made me promise not to tell you, but you’re Connor’s True Mate.”
“I’m what?”
“Surely you’ve realized it by now? Connor smells really good to you? Tell me you haven’t been eating a lot and maybe throwing up?”
Evie's hand went to her stomach, but she stayed silent.
"Ding ding ding! Congratulations, you've won the True Mate bingo," Meredith said in a wry voice. "If he hasn't been wrapping up his willy while you do the horizontal mambo, then you know you're riding the baby train! And guess what, honey? You're invincible. Nothing can harm you. Not bullets, not poison, not animal bites. Your basically Superman. Er, Supergirl? Anyway, you know what I mean. Now, I just need two minutes! We're already at Quinn's loft, and we're hauling him out of bed to track your phone. Go and save your man, okay? Quinn! Selena! Cover your bits, we're coming in!" The line went dead.
Evie stood there, the information sinking in. She was pregnant? Shit, she knew Lycans didn't always reproduce easily, which was why she never worried about protection. Damn Connor and his super True Mate sperm. Or did she have super True Mate eggs? Uterus?
A scream tore through the air, jolting her out of her inner monologue. It sounded like Lily.
“Don’t kill him! He’s just a boy!”
“Shut up, bitch!”
Fuck! “Austin,” she whispered. She had to go in there. One minute, forty-five seconds. That’s all Meredith needed now.
“Don’t!” she shouted, running around to the back porch. “Don’t hurt him.”
The red-haired man turned in her direction. "Well, what do we have here? Did you bring your bitch, boy?"
"Evie!" Connor growled. "I told you to stay put in the truck!"
“Get her!”
One of his goons strode to her and grabbed her by the arm, yanking her up to the porch. She saw Jackson and Lily to one side, Connor by the back door, and Austin kneeling in the center. Another Lycan had a gun in his hand and was pointing it at Austin.
“Austin!” she cried as she wrenched herself away from the goon and stumbled toward the young boy. She wrapped her arms around him protectively.
“I’m brave,” he said in a small voice, then let out a sniffle. “I’m brave like my grandpa. Like Grams, and Dad and Uncle Connor.”
"That's right," she said, running her hand down his back. "You're a brave boy, and I won't let anything happen to you."
“You let them go now,” Connor yelled. “Or I swear to God …”
“You’ll what?” The red-haired man laughed. He strode forward, grabbed the gun from his henchman, and pointed the barrel at Evie and Austin. “Say goodbye.”
“No!”
The sound of the gunshot sounded so loud to Evie's ears. Pain ripped through her shoulder, and her grip on Austin loosened. The bullet tore straight through her and left a streak of blood flowing down her arm. She slumped over Austin and heard him calling her name.
When her ears stopped ringing, she could make out loud growls, ripping clothes and paws landing with a loud thud. More footsteps. Voices. Screams. She blinked and sat up.
“Aunt Evie,” Austin cried as she sat up. “You’re not dead!”
"No, I'm not." A quick glance at her shoulder told her there was no more wound or flowing blood. She looked at Austin, tears staining his cheeks and eyes wide with terror. At his age, Lycan healing abilities wouldn't have kicked in yet. She had to get him to safety. She picked him up and put him on his feet, then moved him toward the back door.
There was a loud snarl behind her, and she could feel the wolf's hot, moist breath right at her ear. With a final shove, she pushed Austin through the door and shut it just as the gigantic Lycan with red fur pounced on her.
Claws slashed at her back, ripping her skin through her shirt. The pain this time was unbearable; she thought she'd pass out. She staggered back. "Motherfucker!" she cried. Meredith said she was invincible but never told her it would hurt like the dickens. It was a good thing she could already feel the wound sealing up.
The red wolf made another lunge at her, and she braced herself. But he never came. A large, light gray blur knocked him down.
“Connor!”
The two wolves tangled on the porch, breaking through the banisters, and landing with a loud crash on the ground below. Evie scrambled forward to get a better view of what was happening around her.
There were Lycans everywhere in full-wolf form, fighting and ripping at each other. She saw a white wolf cornered by two large ones, and a black wolf running to the rescue. A brown wolf fought alongside two gray ones. A flash of blond hair to the left caught her attention, and she saw Daric as he waved his hand, sending one of the wolves crashing against a tree.
Evie ran to where the two wolves had fallen earlier and looked below. They were now circling each other slowly and carefully. She gasped. Connor's feral-looking wolf was massive, probably the largest she'd ever seen. It was eight feet tall on its hind legs with light gray, mottled fur and giant paws with razor-sharp claws. Its large maw opened up, baring fangs that could rip into bone, as saliva foamed at its lips. The wolf had the same scar down its eye and cheek as Connor.
Fear gripped her heart. This was it. Please, she thought. Fight Connor. She wanted him to win so he could put his demons aside. This was what he needed. What his wolf needed.
The red wolf gnashed its teeth at Connor, goading it. But Connor didn’t take the bait. Good. "Give up!" she screamed. "You've already lost!" The red wolf looked around itself, seeing the other Lycans quickly being defeated by Connor's family. It let out a fierce growl and looked up at her, its dark eyes filled with fury. While it was distracted, the gray wolf lunged at the red one, tackling it to the ground. They rolled around, but Connor's wolf ended up on top. The feral wolf opened its jaws and went straight for the throat.
Evie turned around and fell to her knees. She buried her face in her hands as tears of relief sprang from her eyes. She could hear the ripping of flesh and crunching of bones, a cry, and a sickening gurgle. Then silence.
She wasn't sure how long she had been sitting there with her hands over her eyes, slumped down on her shins. Heavy footsteps came close to her and, slowly, she put her hands down, but kept her eyes on the floor. Two large feet came into view, and she looked up.
"Connor," she said with a relieved sigh. He was naked, and there were streaks of blood on his forehead and chest, but he looked like he had wiped off most of the carnage. She reached up to him, and he bent down and pulled her into his arms. He wrapped her in a fierce hug before setting her down.
“I thought I lost you … what’s going on?” He had a confused look on his face as he examined her bloody, ripped clothes. “Are you …”
She nodded. “Yes. I’m pregnant. With your baby.”
His face went white, and, for a moment, she felt dread. But when his mouth curled into a smile, her heart nearly burst. "I love you so much," he whispered into her ear as he put her in another crushing hug.
"I love you, too." She pulled away and looked up at him. "But how did you get back? I thought you said you couldn't just shift back right away?"
"When I saw you hurt, I lost it," he said. "The feral wolf ripped out of me, and I wanted nothing more than to kill the ringleader. But, when I shifted this time, it was different. I could actually see what was happening. I wasn't blacked out. The wolf shared our body. It didn't push me down. For the first time, I was in control."
“So, how does it feel?”
“How does what feel?’
“Revenge.”
Connor shrugged. "It's not like I thought."
“How so?”
“I’ve imagined it lots of times, you know. What it would be like. I thought I’d feel satisfied. Or even happy.”
“But now?”
“I just feel relieved,” he confessed. “That you and my family won’t be in danger anymore. And I’m glad because I know I have so much to live for now.”
“You do,” she said, placing his hand over her belly. “So much.”
"Hey lovebirds!" Meredith called as she bounded over to them. "Oh. My. Freakin'. God. Another baby on the way!" She was smiling, but tears were also forming in her eyes. "I'm so happy for you guys!" She hugged both Evie and Connor. Behind her, Daric walked up to them.
“You knew, didn’t you?” Connor asked the warlock.
“Yes,” Daric said with a nod. “I’d seen Evie in my visions for a while now. Both her and Selena and even Luna. You were all destined to find your mates. I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you. But the journey has been worth it, I hope?”
Connor looked down at Evie, his hand still on her stomach. “Definitely worth it.”