Wolf

“It’s called Skype, Abuela, not skape,” Marisol explained as they sat in the back of the cargo van.

“Netscape. Skape. Skype. I don’t know.” Abuela shrugged.

“This is from the woman who can use the internet like a pro,” Trip chuckled.

“It has everything. Did you know you can look at grandfather Tlaloc ‘s mountain ruins from space? I never imagined.” Abuela shook her head in amazement.

“She calls the internet amazing, when she and Marisol are descended from an Aztec rain god,” Char whispered in disbelief to Wolf.

“Coso thinks we’re descended from Isa the Wolf, the Paiute god of creation. But I don’t think it really matters much. We all exist. That’s all the explanation I need,” Wolf replied with a shrug.

Wolf overheard Coso talking with Bastian. The desert alpha had a lot of theories about why the unusual women had found their way into Shifter circles. Wolf didn’t know if he believed the clandestine talk about reinvigorating the Shifter breeds. If anything, Wolf believed kindred souls gravitated toward each other. People like Ella, Iris and Marisol, needed others who understood them. Ella wasn’t a blooded Shifter, but no matter what happened, she was family, and would always be welcome.

“Alright kids, we’re here. Time for business,” Cain announced as he parked in the lot beneath the Palazzo hotel.

“I remember my part. I get out and make the cameras fuzzy,” Abuela related.

“Yes, but don’t zap the phones you’re carrying. And don’t permanently knock out the hotel’s cameras,” Marisol reminded her grandmother.

“Yes, mija, I know. We don’t want the jackals to become suspicious. I do have a measure of control over grandfather’s gifts,” Abuela teased.

The old woman had more than a measure of control over her skills. Wolf had seen Abuela and Marisol in action. They could control more than electricity. The women could wield all the powers of the ancient Aztec god. Making a few cameras go fuzzy was child’s play.

“Everyone check your phone. Make sure your Bluetooth earbud is working, and you’re signed into the Skype conference call,” Wolf instructed as he pulled up the app on the tablet.

“Got it.” Iris fit her earpiece then adjusted her hair to cover the small bud.

“I’m going in.”

Abuela straightened her hotel uniform, grabbed her giant purse and the package she was assigned, then got out of the van. With her phone clipped to her waistband, Wolf had a clear view of her walking through the parking garage and into the hotel.

“Our turn.” Trip smiled to Marisol and Iris.

Trip was the only Shifter going into the hotel, at least until the signal was given. The brother was considered unusual, even among Shifters breeds. It was comforting that he would be close to the women. Still, Cain looked like he was ready to come unglued as he kissed Iris, before she waddled out of the van. Wolf sympathized. He felt so close to Ella. He wanted to rush into the hotel, kick some ass, and retrieve her.

“Now we watch, and wait,” Bastian spoke through their Skype connection.

Both Bastian and Coso were monitoring the action from the other vehicles parked in garages around the Palazzo.

Char, Cain, and Wolf’s betas, gathered around, staring at the split screen on the tablet. Abuela was already inside the hotel, heading toward the employee corridor. She touched the badge sensor and the door instantly unlocked, as if she had official access. They watched her reach the security room and again repeat the move.

“Excuse me. This area is for authorized staff only,” the security guard said.

Wolf had a good view of the male from Abuela’s phone. He could also see the security monitors in the room.

“Oh, I new. I lost. Lo siento. Hotel muy grande,” Abuela exclaimed in heavily accented, broken English.

Abuela was old, but she possessed all her faculties, which made this farce even more amusing.

“How did you even get in here?” The guard waved toward the door.

“Open,” Abuela replied.

“Dammit. You all need to make sure the door latches behind you,” the man railed at the other guards in the room. “What were you trying to find?”

Abuela set her stuff on the counter opposite of the monitors, then sat down in one of the office chairs, with a tired sigh.

“I find housekeeping,” she replied.

“Jason, show her to housekeeping.”

“Yes sir.”

“Un momento.” Abuela pretended to catch her breath.

Wolf grinned as the old woman played her part to a tee. After a minute, Abuela stood with the assistance of one of the guards and grabbed her purse, leaving behind the pack of paper with the cell phone hidden inside.

Char’s impromptu surveillance, using burner phones, was inspired genius. They cut out a section of paper and taped the phone camera against a small hole in the pack. Now they could see what Drake’s security could see.

“First part down.” Wolf smiled at his companions in the van.

“Abuela did an awesome job positioning that hidden phone. The view is better than I expected. Let’s see what Iris, Trip and Marisol are doing.” Char leaned in to better see the screen on the iPad.

 

Ella

Drake brought me to the middle of nowhere to kill me. He knows I tried to get Bastian’s help. Ella white knuckled the armrest.

“Stay here,” Drake insisted as a van pulled up.

Four of Drake’s goons got out of the van dragging another man with them. Ella stared at the struggling man in disbelief.

“No, no, no,” she cried as she scrambled for the handle on the car door. “Wolf!”

What is he doing here? Oh god. What are these animals going to do to him?

Ella rushed toward Wolf, but Drake snatched her up. Ella struggled to get free of his grasp, then froze as the flash and thunderous roar of a dozen shots filled the night. 

The first bullet struck Wolf in the chest, and he recoiled from the blast. She reached out as the second shot made him jerk. Ella heard herself scream, as she desperately willed the bullets striking Wolf in rapid succession, to halt. But she was too slow. Her curse had no trouble moving the tiny projectiles, but it couldn’t turn back time, or make her respond fast enough to keep them from ripping into the man she loved. Ella watched the blood spread on Wolf’s chest as he dropped to the ground, and something inside her snapped.

They killed him. In an instant Ella’s whole world exploded.

Oh god. What’s Wolf doing here? No, no, no.

The fiery flash from the muzzle of the gun lit the night. The shots echoed off the surrounding rock. But they weren’t half as loud as the scream that ripped from Ella’s throat, as the bullets struck Wolf, over, and over, and over, as the nightmare replayed again, and again, and again.

 

“Chase,” Drake barked as he stalked into the room. “Has there been any change?”

Ella jerked awake, then stilled. The vile man’s voice pulled her from one nightmare into another.

“No. She’s still passed out,” Neck tattoo replied. “I’m kinda surprised she hasn’t pissed herself.”

“Well, the bitch better enjoy her little nap, because when she wakes up, we’re going to discuss what she did to my fucking car,” Drake growled.

Ella didn’t know what Drake was complaining about. Considering his tone, and how she felt, she must have wreaked major havoc. Ella wished she could remember the retribution she dished out, but all she could remember was Wolf collapsing as blood covered his chest. Ella repressed a sob at the memory.

Oh, Wolf.

“Speak of the she-devil,” neck tattoo said from nearby.

Ella’s breath froze in her chest.

No sense pretending to sleep.

Ella didn’t have the energy for it anyway. Plus, since Chase had made the comment about the bathroom, Ella had to go. She opened her eyes and slowly sat up. She was sore down to her bones. Ella gingerly got up off the sofa.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Drake demanded.

“To the bathroom, unless you want me to ruin your Persian rug,” Ella replied curtly, as she glanced down at the carpet that likely cost a small fortune.

Ella didn’t bother to wait for a reply. She turned and wandered to the bathroom. If Drake had anything to say to her, she didn’t hear it. She was past caring any more.

Ella finished and washed up. She stood with her hands braced on the sink staring in the mirror. Her dress was dirty and tattered. Her hair was a mess. Dark circles under her bloodshot eyes, made it look like she hadn’t slept ever. Ella didn’t recognize the reflection looking back at her. She felt empty.

They killed him.

A tear slipped down her cheek, followed by another. She hadn’t known Wolf long, but she’d fallen for him hard. Try as she might to resist the force that drew them together, Ella found herself hopelessly in love with the man. He was the only one, beside her sister, who knew who she truly was. And now he was gone. Ella hung her head as the terrible realization washed over her.

“I’m getting out of here. Dead or alive.” Sadly, Ella was having a hard time caring if it went one way or the other.

Ella walked out of the bathroom to find Drake scowling at her.

“You ever again pull a stunt like you did in the desert, I’ll wring your neck and leave your body for the vultures.” Drake tapped on his phone, but the sadistic shock collar did nothing.

Apparently, I broke more than his precious car.

Ella grinned a broad smile that hurt her cheeks. She imagined she looked slightly insane. She was. Ella reached out with her curse and snapped the clasp on the choker, then yanked it off and threw it at Drake, striking him in the chest.

“Maybe you should have considered the repercussions of keeping someone who’s cursed,” Ella informed the bastard.

In the blink of an eye, Drake had Ella in his grasp, with his fingers wrapped around her neck.

“Don’t,” he warned, as Ella geared up to do some serious damage to his precious penthouse.

Drake’s grip tightened to the point Ella found it hard to breathe. He was so livid, the freakish animal he harbored, shifted across his face. His claws and fangs elongating.

“Drake, I just got a call from security. We have a problem in the casino,” neck tattoo interrupted.

Ella gasped, when the jackal released her throat. The dim edges of her vision cleared, but she still felt numb.

“Walk,” Drake snarled in frustration as he led Ella toward the elevator by the back of her neck.

Ella’s mind was a blank as the cubicle descended. They exited the elevator when it stopped, and went to a room with a wall of monitors showing the Casino.

“Sit there and don’t fucking move,” Drake snarled as he shoved her toward an office chair. “What the hell is going on?”

“What’s not going on,” the lead guard said in frustration. “Sorry sir,” he apologized for being snippy with his boss. “We have cameras going out all over the place. Electricity is shutting off sporadically in the shops and restaurants, and the pool has somehow been drained.”

Ella perked up hearing the security guard’s abysmal report. She didn’t know how you drained a massive pool, but someone obviously screwed up.

“Excuse me?” Drake snarled, his face turning red. “What the fuck are you talking about? Chase said there’s a problem in the casino.”

“The slots are all paying out jackpots. We tried to shut them down, but the electricity keeps turning back on. We’d have to cut the main trunk.” The guard ran a nervous hand through his hair as he explained the situation. “We have at least a hundred guests complaining that the tables are rigged. From what our dealers say, some woman is going from table to table, telling the players exactly what hand the dealer has. We tried to locate her, but she’s one step ahead of security.”

Good for her, Ella smirked. From the sounds of everything, Drake was getting just what he deserved. Karma’s a bitch.

“Chase, get all of our people down there,” Drake growled, the vein in his neck standing out.

“Yes sir,” neck tattoo quickly exited the security room.

“Repeat that?” The guard touched his earpiece. “Bring up camera 73.”

“That sector is down,” one of the men in front of the monitors replied.

“Sir, I’m not sure if I’m hearing this correctly. We have a new situation,” the first guard reported, looking like he was ready to soil himself. “People are starting to flee the hotel.”

Ella looked at the working monitors. Sure enough, people were in chaos, rapidly heading toward the exits.

If you’re going to get out, now’s the time.

“Just spit it out,” Drake demanded. “I can’t believe the level of incompetence…”

Ella stood while Drake was yelling at the guard, and headed for the door. She wasn’t concerned if he followed or not.

 

Wolf

“Abuela’s a genius,” Char giggled. “How in the hell did she empty that entire pool?”

“What part of Aztec Rain God didn’t you understand?” Wolf asked.

“Iris, finish screwing with the people at the blackjack table, and head toward Marisol. You’ve got a suspicious character, not in uniform, who’s following you,” Cain instructed his old lady through the phone.

“Good eye.” Wolf nodded to his friend.

“Is Marisol still by the slot machines?” Iris asked.

Iris was psychic, but she didn’t see everything. She also couldn’t defend herself against the shady character on her tail. Marisol and Abuela, on the other hand, could drop the bastard in a heartbeat.

“Yes, just look for the jackpot siren.”

“I’m heading her way.”

“Babe, it looks like Trip is about to do his thing,” Cain informed Iris. “It’s time for us to switch places. You ladies come back to the van and hang with Wolf.”

Cain grabbed his gear and got ready to exit the van, along with Vick, Tony, Mark and Jericho.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Wolf asked Char, when she started to follow the guys.

“Ella’s my friend. We don’t know what’s happened to her. She needs a girlfriend,” Char said with glossy eyes.

It’s my woman in there. She needs me.

“Go,” Wolf replied, even though he wanted to be the first familiar face Ella saw.

Wolf started to snarl in frustration, until the shooting pain in his chest reminded him why he was forced to sit on the side lines. He was lucky to be alive, but it didn’t feel that way. Thinking about what the fucking jackals might have done to Ella was driving him insane. Wolf prayed it wasn’t as bad as he imagined.

“Check it out. Trip was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” Cain chuckled as he hopped out of the van.

Unlike most Shifters, who’s beast ghosted their human form, Trip could shift completely into his inner beast. Wolf wanted to smile when he saw the black jaguar calmly wandering through the casino, like the big ass predator he was. Panicked guests were quickly starting to fill the parking garage all around the van.

“Be safe. I’ll make sure nothing happens to the van,” Wolf grumbled, as everyone abandoned him.

He watched his sister, cousins and friends wade through the crowd, like fish going upstream, to get into the hotel. Wolf froze when he glanced back at the iPad in his lap. There was Ella, standing in front of the camera, planted in security.

“When did she get in there?”

Wolf listened to the jackal alpha yell at some guard, as Ella casually exited the room. His fists clenched, hoping Drake didn’t turn on Ella.

Hurry out of there, Princess.

“Everyone, I’ve got eyes on Ella. She’s exiting the security room,” Wolf reported.

Wolf hated that he no longer had eyes on Ella. Everyone was heading toward the control room, but they couldn’t move fast enough for his liking.

“Son of a bitch. Where’d the girl go?” Wolf heard Drake snarl at the guard he was berating a moment before. “Chase, Miss Roulant is somewhere on the main level. Find her,” the jackal alpha yelled as he stalked out of security.

“Shit,” Wolf cursed.

Ella didn’t have nearly a long enough head start. Wolf got out of the van. He wasn’t in top shape, but there was no way he could stay put.

 

Ella

Ella saw Drake’s men at the casino exits. They were assisting the evacuating guests, but she had a feeling they were looking for her too. Ella turned and headed deeper into the hotel.

They weren’t going to let her go. Even if she made it out of the hotel, they’d pluck her from amidst the fleeing crowd. They’d sniff her out with those animal senses. Drake even knew where she lived. He had her purse. There was no place she could hide.

I can’t lead these people back to Sabine and Char. It was time to finish this.

Ella glanced up as the sprinklers erupted, drenching her already tattered dress. She noticed the sign for the theater and headed that way. As she reached the set of theater doors a man stepped out blocking her path.

“Ma’am, you need to evacuate,” the polo wearing employee insisted, as he pointed to the exit. The man placed his hand to his ear and listened intently. “I’ve got her right here,” he said, looking Ella up and down.

Ella threw out her hand, shoving the man back with her curse. She barely flinched, or felt remorse, as he flew into the far wall. Ella didn’t know if the guard was like Drake, but she didn’t wait to find out. She ran into the empty theater, past all the chairs, down toward the dais. Ella climbed the stage, then turned and stared at the crowd of vacant seats.

Standing there, Ella was reminded of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. A delirious laugh spilled out, echoing in the quiet theater. How many times had she spoken the phrase, ‘Out, damn spot,’ as she looked at her hands? Now, they were stained with the blood of the man she loved. But she wasn’t the only one to blame.

The curtain was falling on her hour to strut and fret. Drake would arrive any minute now. However, she would not gently give way, like a candle simply snuffed out. No, this finale would be full of sound and fury. 

Ella cried out for Wolf, though outwardly she stood frozen like a statue. A fierce swirling torrent of anguish and anger consumed her. The doors on the theater flew open, but Drake’s men had arrived too late.

Spotlights and speakers rattled loose, crashing to the floor, as Ella’s curse surged forth. Row after row of seats ripped free from the floor and flew outward. They whipped around the theater, striking her pursuers.

“Enough,” Drake snarled menacingly as he fought his way through the chaotic debris, a determined sneer twisting his face.

Ella stared at him stoically as she rose off the floor. The walls began to shake when the final floodgate on her curse fell. The violent tremors grew, knocking the men to the floor. The plaster and stone veneer on the walls came crashing down, only to be swept up in the swirling maelstrom.

Drake’s eyes widened as he suddenly understood the error of his ways. The jackal made a futile attempt to back down the aisle, but he was pinned by the unseen hand of vengeance.

 

Wolf

“The jackals followed Ella into the theater,” Cain reported to everyone. “But we’ve got a problem, the casino’s starting to shake like it’s having a seizure.”

“Ella!” Wolf heard Char cry in distress. “I’m going in there.”

“His men are trying to get out of there, but you want to go in?” Cain yelled through the earpiece.

Wolf ignored the pain in his chest and stomach as he ran into the hotel lobby.

“She might calm down if she sees me,” Char said.

“We’ve got your back then,” Vick replied.

“Get out of my way,” Tony snarled.

Wolf heard the scuffle in his ear, as the jackals attempted to prevent his pack from reaching Ella.

“It’s your funeral,” one of the guards yelled, giving up the fight.

Wolf grunted as he made his way through the casino. The last of the guests and employees didn’t care if they knocked into him as they fled. Wolf forced open the rattling theater doors. He briefly glanced at Char and the guys. They were tucked against the back wall, attempting to avoid the churning chaos.

Wolf’s eyes swung to the stage, and he was instantly riveted to the sight of Ella. She was a vision unlike any he’d ever seen. Ella hovered twenty feet in the air. Her long auburn hair was swept back, suspended in a wild halo, as all around her whipped a vortex of debris.

Her hands were outstretched, palms up, in a gesture of supplication. Ella’s head tilted to the side, her expression placid as she gazed upon the doomed soul standing at her feet. She was an angel, beautiful and pure, awesome and terrifying.

The power radiating from Ella, pressed against Wolf, crushing the breath from his lungs. Still he fought to reach her, ducking the debris careening through the air. Wolf wasn’t the only one attempting to get to Ella. The fucking jackal alpha stood in the eye of the storm. But he wasn’t going anywhere.

Wolf watched in smug satisfaction as Drake dropped to his knees under the weight of Ella’s immense power. The bastard bellowed, and shook with impotent rage, his fangs gnashing. But the invisible force tore at the jackal without mercy or reprieve.

Wolf stared in horror and awe as the skin began to rip from the jackal’s body, starting at his outstretched hand and working up his arm. Muscle and sinew were revealed, layer by agonizing layer, followed by bone, which crumbled to nothing as Ella laid waste to her tormentor.

“Wolf, no,” Char screamed in horror, when she looked away from the nightmare, to see Wolf’s struggling forward.

“She needs me,” he snarled.

“You can’t. Look what she’s doing.”

“I know, Sis.” Wolf calmly smiled back at Char, despite the chaos.

Ella had lost herself to a force Wolf could barely fathom. She saved him. Now, it was his turn to save her. No one else could do it. And it had to happen soon. The hotel was starting to come down around them.

Wolf battled against Ella’s immense strength, putting one foot in front of the other. He looked down and noticed he was bleeding again, but pressed forward any way. His wolf surfaced giving him strength, until he finally got to the point where he couldn’t go any further. The stinging, suffocating, sensation of Ella’s gift was too much.

Wolf watched what remained of Drake explode and whip violently around the theater. Yet still Ella raged out of control. He had to reach her somehow.

Wolf took a deep breath.

“Hey, Princess,” he bellowed with as much force as he could muster, his beast tinging his voice.

Ella turned blank eyes toward him. Their beautiful hazel depths suddenly filled with sorrow.

“I’m sorry he killed you,” Ella mumbled, torment twisting her beautiful face.

The despair she felt manifest in her power, and Wolf felt it grip his heart. It was as emotionally painful as it was physical.

“Beautiful, I’m not dead. You saved me. But you gotta calm down. I’m here to take you home,” Wolf called out to the woman he loved, trying to break through the nightmare she was trapped in.

“Wolf?” Her brow furrowed as she blinked. The power eased to a low roar, and all the churning debris crashed to the floor, as Ella stared at him in confusion. “Wolf, your face.”

Dammit. Wolf realized he’d shifted, as he ran his tongue over his elongated canines.

“You’re one of them,” Ella whispered.

Her power no longer held him back, so Wolf pressed forward. But he had to approach her slowly. Ella was wary. Wolf couldn’t blame her. Ella had been blissfully ignorant of Shifters, until the worst of their kind revealed himself, and plunged her into absolute terror.

“Not exactly, Beautiful. Remember I told you we’re all weird. I wanted to tell you about it, but I had to go rescue that little boy.”

“You found the boy?”

The caring side of Ella shone through, even in her confused state. Wolf moved closer, forcing his beast to recede as he did.

“He’s just fine,” Wolf replied as he stood at Ella’s feet. “Please come down here, so I can hold you. I’ve been out of my mind,” he entreated as he reached out for her.

Ella dropped into his outstretched arms with a heart rending sob. Wolf squeezed her tight as she trembled uncontrollably.

“I don’t know what’s going on,” she heaved as she pressed her face into his neck.

“We’re going home, Princess,” Wolf husked, relief nearly overwhelming him.

He cradled Ella in his arms, ignoring the pain in his chest, and headed for the emergency exit. The others eagerly followed. Once outside, amidst the mass of people and fire engines, the group quickly moved toward the road.

“Trip and the other ladies are waiting across the street with some of my men,” Bastian stated.

Suddenly six jackals, dressed in plain clothes, barred their path.

“Neck tattoo,” Ella whispered as her power spiked.

Wolf zeroed in on the jackal with the neck tattoo. He may not have been the one to pull the trigger, but he’d been there that night in the desert. And the man was just as responsible for Ella’s torment. Wolf took a step forward then stopped. He didn’t want to release Ella, but he couldn’t help the others fend off the bastards while still holding her.

Coso and Bastian’s men melted out of the crowd, surrounding the jackals.

“Think very carefully about your next move, Chase. Drake is gone.” Coso informed the jackal with the neck tattoos.

Chase shrewdly considered Ella, then all the other Shifters. Wolf could see the man playing out what would happen if he chose to follow in Drake’s footsteps. The jackal could call in back-up, but would they arrive in time? Chase had already witnessed what Wolf and his friends were capable of. The jackals might outnumber the desert wolf and feline tribes, but the gifted women tipped that scale.

“Perhaps it was time,” Chase replied.

“Indeed.” Coso nodded in agreement. “His head got a little too big.”

“I don’t have that problem. And I know when to leave well enough alone,” the jackal wisely replied.

Apparently, Chase wasn’t the idiot his alpha had been. Wolf wasn’t sure if he could forgive the bastard as easily as Coso seemed to, but now was not the time or the place.

The jackals dispersed into the crowd, and Wolf’s group headed for the vans, before anyone else thought to detain them. Wolf gripped Ella tight against his chest. She was stunned and disoriented, but she was whole.

“I have you,” he whispered as he nuzzled her hair. “I’m not letting you go.”