Chapter Twenty-Three

“I don’t feel so well.”

“What’s wrong wild cat?”

They had just finished lunch and were on their way to a mall to shop before heading back to the compound.

“I’m not sure. My stomach hurts. Can we stop and get some ginger ale?”

Xander pulled into a gas station and parked the Jeep.

“I’ll stay here.”

“I’ll stay with Saffron while the two of you go into the store.”

They got out. Neither of them looked happy about it.

“Do you think you’re coming on?”

“Don’t make me laugh Sage.” She was clutching at her belly.

“It’s the twin thing. It makes me think I can blurt out whatever I want.”

“I know what you mean. I don’t think so, but honestly, it's probably time for it. This feels different almost as if I was poisoned.” She screamed before she passed out.

Xander was standing in the store with several bottles of ginger ale in his hands as well as chocolate because Sage said it made everything better. He felt it when he lost his connection with Saffron. Everything dropped as he sprinted for the door Caden on his heels.

Sage was passed out in the back seat. Saffron was gone. In her seat sat a note. He picked it up and crumpled it as he slid behind the steering wheel of the Jeep.

“Where are we going?”

“To prepare for a fight.”

Caden made sure Sage was comfortable before he got in the front seat. He held out his hand. Xander dropped the note in it before he left the gas station.

“I’ll trade Saffron for the other four females or all five of them die.” Caden read out loud.

“I want them, Caden. Nothing except their bodies torn to shreds will satisfy me. Richard is mine.”

“If you need help…”

“I won’t.”

“If you do, I’ll be there.”

Xander smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. His wolf was in command now. He wanted payment in blood.

*~*~*~*

“The longer we keep her out, the more time we have to plan.” A voice she didn’t recognize said.

“It doesn’t matter. No one can find her where we are. When we come out, we’ll be so strong they won’t know what hit them.” That was Richard’s voice, which meant she had somehow been recaptured.

She went back to the pain she felt in the Jeep. He had someone poisoned her or at least made her feel like that.

“I think you’re awake.”

“We have to stop meeting like this. Next time come to my house ring the bell. I’ll send Xander out to greet you.”

“Soon he’ll be so much trash under my feet, and your twin will be dead lying next to you. As for you, the jury I still out. I think you may prove to be useful.”

“Untie her the Jeren want a piece of her.” He walked out the room leaving his minions to once again do his dirty work.

“Why do you work for him? He will kill you after he’s done with you. Ask thing one. Aww, you can’t ask him because he’s dead. How do I know? I saw the body. It was dead, dead, dead.” she said it as if her sanity may be slipping. “That will be you in the end. Richard holds loyalty to no one.”

“She does have a point.”

He was leaning against the doorway watching his minions go about their task.

“Don’t let him fool you; he's a killer, and both of you are on the list.”

They finished untying her and let her body drop to the floor.

“Wait, I can help you.”

The one stopped and turned around. “You can’t even help yourself.”

Her head dropped he was right. They turned and walked out of the room, leaving her alone with Richard. “It wasn’t supposed to turn out this way. I had big plans for the both of us.”

“You can stop this Richard. We can help you.”

“It’s too late. There’s nothing left to do but make sure no one deserts the sinking ship.” He closed the door behind her leaving her lying on the carpeted floor looking into the darkness for shadows.

They came from the walls one at a time. Black figures that were nothing but shadows until they were infused with air. Each took a solid form walking over to her. Their eyes were black with a sliver of white ringing them.

She curled up in a ball hoping to escape their notice. The first one knelt and touched her. She shook in a convulsion while her mouth opened with a sound a pain that wouldn’t come. The second placed his hands on her, the world became flames.

*~*~*~*

They were in The Wolves Den looking for Saffron.

“I can feel her. She just woke up.”

“Talk to me wild cat.” He felt a barrier around her mind that he kept knocking up against.

“I can’t reach her. It’s almost like she’s not on this physical plane. I keep getting the message, I’m not available.” His claws sprung out.

“Wait, we can check the other plane,” Jasper told him hurriedly as his eyes changed.

Xander moved toward the door knowing he may need to get out quickly before he decided to kill everyone in the room. Hold on wild cat I’m coming for you. None would survive his wrath.

A roar of pain was torn from his throat before his body hit the floor convulsing. Fire enveloped him. His last thought was that he wouldn’t see his mate again.

“What the hell is happening?” Caden roared as Xander’s pain consumed him. He fell to his knees unable to stand.

Sage stood with her eyes wide not knowing what was happening.

“Cait is on the way.” Fire told Sage.

She nodded, but her mind was whirling trying to put it all together.

“When Saffron almost died, Caden was never affected. Cait said that one person has to stay unaffected to help the others. I guess that means me this time.”

She went and sat down on the floor leaning against the smooth wood of the bar.

“Saffron, I need you to talk to me. Our mates are dying, and we have to save them. Fight sister, please.”

She opened her eyes and crawled over to Caden, who had gone comatose. Her head lifted when Cait walked in.

“Save them.”

“I can’t promise.”

“I feel it running through my blood.”

“Saffron? What is running through your blood?”

“Silver. I tried to pick up a half dollar earlier. It turns out it was pure silver, I can feel it. Why?”

“What’s happening?”

“The Jeren are trying to kill me.”

“Electrocute them.”

“Can’t.”

“Hit them with the silver.”

“Okay, don’t leave.”

“I won’t, we're all in this together.”

Saffron nodded not realizing that Sage couldn’t see her. She could feel Xander’s energy going through her, then she felt Caden’s. Her eyes opened. She was hanging in the middle of the air while the Jeren tried to make her into an all you can eat buffet.

“She’s awake.”

“How’s that possible?”

“Why are we questioning? There is nothing she can. Soon this world will belong to us.”

“Koyzal.” Her voice was woozy. The act of speaking made her want to tear out her throat from the pain, but she had something to say. “You’re leading your people to destruction.”

She slumped glad that whatever was holding her up didn’t drop her. The strength she had was fast leaving her. Another infusion of energy poured into her. Xander and Caden were supplying what she needed.

“Stop talking, you’re nothing but a meal.”

He reached out to steal her energy. This time she pushed the silver in her body up to meet his touch. He fell to the floor writhing.

“Who is next?” She licked her lips and wondered how to get down.

They backed up dragging Koyzal with them.

“One more time, love.” It came out as a whisper, but it was all he had.

She could feel Xander and Caden mix their energy together. It ran through her igniting the electricity in her body. She broke the bonds holding her, then fell to the floor, there was a jolt of pain when she hit. She used the agony as incentive to make it to her feet. Unable to balance she stumbled toward the door. The Jeren moved out of her way scared to touch her.

They obviously didn’t like silver. Not that it mattered to her. Right now, she needed to get away. There was a gray fog covering the doorway. She fought her way through it until she stumbled into another room. She spotted the door for outside and ran.

“Saffron!” Richard’s voice followed her down the steps of the porch. “What are you waiting for find her?”

She ran into the woods. Her hand was clutching her chest, but she refused to allow her heart to stop her.

“I got you wild cat. Just avoid them until I get there.”

“Hurry love.”

She turned going to her hand and knees. The ground was wet. It must have rained earlier. She was using the mud to hide her scent as she crawled through the night looking for somewhere to hide.

*~*~*~*

“How far away is she?” Xander demanded as Chase pinpointed her position from the coordinate he gave him.

“Two hours from here. I’m sending the directions to everyone’s phone.”

Xander was running before his phone dinged signaling a message. Caden picked up Sage and was on his heels. They were heading for the barrier as everyone ran out the club to follow them.

“I’m coming,” he said repeatedly. He sped past a police officer.

Sage looked out the rear window and caught the officer waving them on as he sat back in his seat. On the side of the road, she caught a glimpse of a face that she knew before they were too far gone for her to question what she had seen.

“What do we do when we get there?”

“We kill them.”

Xander’s voice was flat. The only difference was this time she could feel the menace roll off him. A glance through the back window showed her that there was a line of cars behind them that she knew. It looked as if every Kur’ik had followed them.

She closed her eyes and began to gather the current that was in her body.

“No one left alive.”