Chapter Twenty-One
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It was after five by the time Dalton was available to help them swarm the Changeling outpost for Vinea. In that time, Rye and Kalan had rallied the Clan, who were ready to jump in should things go south.
And while Devon understood the need for caution, his wolf didn’t.
If those Changelings harm her in any way, no telling what I might do, his wolf warned.
Cool it. We have to stick to the plan, Devon threw back. So what if his stomach had already turned into a roiling acid pit. One false move could cause Vinea her life—and ours.
Fine, but I don’t like it.
Even though Devon had nearly died when two Changelings had attacked him, with Vinea in their grasp, he could take on three wolves and win.
“Do we have a strategy if Vinea isn’t there?” Sam asked.
Devon spun to face him. “Are you saying you don’t think the Changelings have her?”
Sam held up his hands. “Not saying one way or the other, but I do think you need to decide what you’ll do if she’s elsewhere.”
He was right. “I realize there hasn’t been a ransom demand or any contact, but it’s the only thing that makes sense.”
“Sam’s right,” Connor said. “Preparation is the key to success.”
“Fine,” Devon said. “After Sam disables the guards, I’ll go in alone to check. If they catch me, I’ll be the only one they attack.”
“Don’t be stupid,” Connor said. “That’s too dangerous.”
“It’s better than all of us being slaughtered if this is a trap.”
Sam placed a hand on his shoulder. “I know you need to do this, but if you’re too emotional, it could cost Vinea her life. Trust me; I’ve seen it happen in my squad.”
He didn’t want to believe that. “I’ll make sure my wolf keeps out of the way.”
“We’ll have your six,” Sam shot back.
Connor nodded. “Good. Do we all know what we need to do?”
“Yes,” they said in unison.
Jackson rushed in. “I flew the drone over once more and something’s wrong.”
Devon’s heart stopped for a second. “What is it?”
“No one’s in the house guarding Vinea.”
Everyone looked at each other. “Why would they leave her alone? Even if they don’t know we’re coming, they wouldn’t abandon her.” Devon asked. “I don’t want to think the stationary person is some plant to fool us into charging in.”
“I don’t like it either.” Connor said. “I smell a trap.”
Didn’t I just say that? Devon kept his sarcastic response to himself.
Dalton piped up. “We have to go in and check things out—albeit carefully. You can be assured the guards will be somewhere close. Now that we’re aware of them, it won’t be a surprise.
Jackson shook his head. “How do you know they are close by?”
“It’s the only logical course of action.”
“I don’t know where they could be,” Jackson said. “I don’t see a clump of heat signatures ready to pounce.”
Sam snapped his fingers. “They might have heard your drone and hid under space blankets. That would block their infrared thermal imaging signature for at least a short time. Eventually, they’ll overheat and you’ll be able to detect them.”
“Fuck, Sam’s right,” Jackson said, pressing his lips together, seemingly angry at himself for the oversight. “I wasn’t thinking straight.”
“So we proceed as if the guards will charge at any moment,” Connor said. Everyone nodded his agreement.
In relative silence they piled into two vehicles and headed up to the hill.
Hold tight, Vinea, we’ll be there soon. She couldn’t hear him, but he hoped the positive thoughts would reach her nonetheless.
*
The dim light in her room suddenly went out, bathing Vinea in total darkness. Her pulse soared as shades of her past surfaced, souring her gut. What was going on? If only she could float out and see what was happening, she’d know. Damn curse.
Wanting to hear something, she held her breath. A door creaked in the distance, breaking the death pall in the room, and she debated calling for help. If Devon and his men were here, she wanted to let them know her location. On the other hand, it could be the evil Changelings planning something.
No wait. They already knew where she was, so a shout out couldn’t cause further harm.
“Hello? Anyone there?” Vinea’s voice failed to project, forcing her to swallow in between words. They hadn’t provided her with much water—or food for that matter—causing her throat to dry out. She tried again. “I’m in here!”
One set of footsteps sounded. Did they belong to Devon or to the creepy Brother Jacob? It had to be her captor coming to make sure she hadn’t caused the power disruption—as if she could. Reason intruded. It couldn’t be Devon. He’d never come alone. The lack of food must be muddling her thought process.
The footsteps drew near, and then the door creaked open.
“Vinea?”
That one whispered word came from Devon, and her heartbeat jacked up. If she hadn’t loved him before, she surely would have fallen in love with him then. “Yes. Over here,” she said softly.
Tears brimmed. She wanted to tell him that he needed to be careful, but she trusted he understood the risks.
With his shifter sight, he found her right away. A flashlight clicked on, and he tapped his ear. “I found her. She’s okay.”
Relief weakened her muscles. “How did you get past the guards?” she asked.
“I’ll tell you as soon as I get you out of here.” With quick precision, he untied her wrists and ankles, and pain flowed to the stiff muscles. “Why didn’t you just disappear to escape?”
“They had a witch put a curse on me. I couldn’t become invisible.” The thought once more sickened her.
“We’ll deal with that later.”
Once he helped her up, Vinea wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. “Thank you.”
“We need to hurry. Did they hurt you?”
She’d received a few slaps, but nothing she couldn’t handle. “Not much.”
Before they could take a step, three red-eyed wolves with bared teeth rushed into the room, and her heart raced into overdrive. Devon dropped the flashlight, and the light cast eerie shadows on the walls, making the new arrivals larger than life.
“Vinea, stay back,” Devon commanded. “When you can, run!”
Those were the last words Devon said before he shifted. The first wolf with a white spot on his forehead leapt in the air and landed on Devon. She cringed and clamped a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming. Just as the other two wolves crouched, ready to spring, she waved her hand, focusing all of her attention on freezing time.
A second later, both wolves became suspended in the air. Devon was safe from them for now, but she didn’t know how long she could keep them at bay. He yelped when his attacker’s teeth dug into his side, causing her to lose a bit of focus. Thankfully, the freeze remained in place.
After managing to throw the wolf off, Devon spun around and swiped a claw across the spotted wolf’s nose. The animal retreated. Perhaps it was the rush of adrenaline from seeing the other two animals halted in mid air that gave him the energy to charge this wolf. With a lunge, he landed on the animal’s back and took a huge bite out of his side. The spotted wolf cried out and dropped to his haunches.
Scraping paws from down the hallway charged toward them. Just as they reached the doorway, Vinea’s ability to hold the freeze broke. The two wolves that had been suspended dropped to the ground and came at Devon. But before they reached him, the most beautiful white tiger raced in and sped toward those two. Behind him came another wolf, one that was dark gray with sand colors woven in.
Vinea pressed her back against the wall, not wanting to get in the way of the mayhem. The coppery stench of blood filled the small space, along with growls and whines. Slowly, the whimpers subsided and three dead men lay naked and broken on the cold floor. The fight was over before it had really started. The white tiger and both wolves shifted back. She recognized Connor but not the other man.
Heart pounding too fast, her muscles didn’t unlock for a moment. When they finally did, she ran to Devon who was down on one knee, breathing fast. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.” He rubbed his arm where teeth marks had left an impression.
Devon picked up something that he then placed in his ear. He eased to his feet and rose, clasping a hand on her arm. “We need to get out of here.”
“I’d like nothing more.”
A bit hunched over, Devon wrapped an arm around her waist and led her out the door. Connor and the other man followed. They were halfway down the hall when the lights clicked on, and all three men stopped. Devon tapped his ear bud. “Kip, did you turn on the lights? Then what’s going on? Gotcha.”
Devon tapped his ear once more and then faced his men. “Two Changelings just entered through the back. Sam was able to incapacitate the rest, but these two came from a different direction.”
The white tiger shifter nodded. “If there are only two, I can take them. You get Vinea to safety.”
“I’ll help you,” Connor said to the tall man.
Before Devon could lead her away, angry voices sounded, and suddenly Brother Jacob appeared with a man she didn’t recognize. Jacob stopped and held out a hand for the man to halt. Jacob’s lips twisted, and the hair on his face darkened. “What are you doing here?” he said with a sneer on his face.
She thought the answer was obvious.
“Vinea, go out to the front,” Devon commanded through gritted teeth. “Our men are out there. You’ll be safe.”
No way in hell was she going to leave Devon with Brother Jacob and that other man. It didn’t matter that Sam had incapacitated all the other men or that Connor and the other weretiger could help. She might be able to do something. “No.”
“Don’t argue with me, just do it!” Devon practically shouted.
Not wanting to distract him, she turned toward the main entrance and pretended to leave, though she had no intention of actually doing so.
Without warning, Brother Jacob and his sidekick shifted, forcing her to look in their direction. The man who had been the white tiger stepped forward, but Devon held up his hand. “Dalton, Brother Jacob is mine.”
Vinea wanted to shout at him to let his friend help, that he didn’t need to be some hero to prove something to her, but the stubborn man never listened.
All three men shifted again. This time Connor and Dalton stalked Brother Jacob’s sidekick while Devon crouched low in front of the black and tan wolf. She had thought Devon was a large wolf, but Brother Jacob was even bigger. His genetically defective genes seemed to have imbued him with extra weight and muscle. She could only hope that Dalton and Connor would kill the sidekick and then come back to help Devon with his foe.
Brother Jacob snarled and charged, aiming for Devon’s hind leg. He hit the mark, biting down on Devon’s upper thigh, and when he yelped, her breath hitched. Yes, she could freeze time again, and maybe even interfere somehow, but Devon would never forgive her if she did. He needed to battle with this man—whether it was to prove something to her, to himself, or to his family.
Part of her didn’t want to watch the fight-to-the-death, but her love for Devon made her stay put. The sidekick howled, and the tiger and wolf stepped back as he transformed into a dead human. Yes! One down. Only one more to go.
She expected both friends to jump into the fray, but they merely surrounded the two fighters, honoring Devon’s wish. Keeping out of sight, Vinea held her breath, wincing every time Brother Jacob got in a good scratch or bite. Devon growled. Keeping his eyes on the red-eyed devil, he circled him, while Dalton and Connor moved back to give them room. As if the two fighters heard a shotgun go off, they both launched themselves into the air. Teeth collided, and they pawed at each other, jockeying for the best position. When they landed, Brother Jacob had a hold of Devon’s throat.
No! Vinea’s knees nearly buckled. Her mind swirled, trying to think of something she could do to save him. If she’d been able to become invisible, she could have rushed in and kicked Brother Jacob. He deserved all the pain she could give him for what he’d done.
When both Dalton and Connor moved closer, Devon’s growl stopped them.
She couldn’t watch, so she closed her eyes and prayed to her sister, to her mother, and to her father, begging them for forgiveness. When she opened her eyes a minute later, blood covered the floor, and the strong stench of copper stung her nostrils.
Both wolves stood facing each other, poised to charge. This time, Devon made the first move. Instead of leaping like he had before, he kept low. When he was close to Brother Jacob, Devon rolled onto his back and then latched onto Brother Jacob’s neck.
Jacob’s red eyes practically glowed, and then his legs gave way. Not until he collapsed on top of Devon, did Devon let go. When the man she loved didn’t move, Vinea rushed to his side. No sooner had she knelt down than Jacob died, transforming into his human form.
She feared Devon’s wound was too much for his wolf to handle. Without giving it a second thought, she placed her hands on his head and concentrated on drawing out all of the evil. Pain soared through her veins, but she would willingly take ten times that amount if it would help him heal. Her heart fluttered, and her body weakened.
When Devon opened his eyes, she let go and tried to smile, but she didn’t have the energy. A set of hands grabbed her shoulders, and the last thing she remembered were her eyes rolling back in her head.