Hunted

Chapter 29

Conn fought to keep his face stoic as the helicopter banked hard to the right. His bones had healed, but the internal organ damage shot shards of pain through his nerve endings. He settled next to Jase, closing his eyes, forcing all sensation into a box. Dage and Talen took up the front seat, while Jordan and Kane followed in two more low-flying Black Hawks.

The sun lowered in the west, bright rays of reds and golds reflecting inside the vehicle. Jase tapped keys on his laptop. “Are you sure you’re up to this, Conn?”

“Yes.” Conn sought his mate, scowling when there was no response.

Jase nodded. “I’ve brought up Trevan’s place in the Cascade Mountains. He’s prepared for us.”

Conn opened his eyes, glancing at the screen. “The house stands in the center of about twenty-five acres. At first glance, I see land mines, external traps, and sensors. Thirty guards, teams of three sweeping the perimeter.” He’d kill them all. “The house is shielded—I can’t lock on any heat signatures.” Chances were Trevan stashed the women in the basement, somewhere secure. He shut his eyes again, searching. “I can’t contact my mate.” Anger mixed with an unfamiliar fear in his gut. Why couldn’t he reach her?

Jase frowned. “How do you contain a witch?”

You knock her out or kill her. “I don’t know.” The heaviness of the weapons arranged throughout his vest centered Conn. “Demidov is a dead man.”

Dage banked the copter in a sharp left turn. “I assume yanking an unwilling person through dimensions and time to land somewhere else would short-circuit anyone’s abilities. Even a witch.” His silver eyes shone with pure shards of vampire blue. “Demidov doesn’t have long to live. But I need him alive for now.”

“He dies.”

“Not until we figure out how he’s transporting people against their will.” Dage glanced out the window. “Then you can kill him.”

“No promises.” Conn settled back into the seat. The only question would be who got to the witch first, Talen or Conn. “If Cara’s hurt, you won’t be able to stop Talen.” None of them would. Conn wouldn’t even try.

“I know.” Dage’s knuckles went white on the controls.

Conn fought the dread in his gut. Cara was pregnant ... being forced to travel dimensions couldn’t be good for her or the baby. His nephew. She’d only had seconds to communicate with Talen ... because the baby was coming.

Talen’s growl came through his earpiece. “Kell just checked in. There was an advanced tracker on Brenna’s computer. That’s how Trevan zeroed in on Moira’s position before taking them.”

Cold. His brother’s voice was low and cold ... a tone Conn had never heard from him before. Learning his mate had reached labor while being held captive had almost sent the vampire over the edge. “Moira’s the Seventh, Talen. She’s strong and smart and incredibly gifted. She’ll protect Cara and your babe.” As he spoke the words, Conn realized the absolute truth in them. His woman was a fighter, and a damn good one. She knew her job.

He’d better do his. “All right. I want four teams. We hit them from the north and the east. Dage, drop Talen and me on the roof of the house. You go make sure the soldiers don’t close in on us.” Conn needed to have Talen’s back and keep the man from getting killed with his focus so completely on his mate.

“Got it,” Dage said.

Conn flashed his teeth. He liked keeping the king close in any battle situation, considering he’d never let his king fall. Much less his brother. “Stay safe, King.” He wasn’t looking forward to the day when he and Talen put their feet down and told Dage he couldn’t go into battle. At least not while the war was heating up and their friends were turning into enemies. The king had to be protected at all costs.

Dage lifted an eyebrow. “Good luck with that.”

“Stay out of my head.” Prick.

“Sorry. Your thoughts are screaming.” Dage banked left. “On the ground in three minutes.”

Jase tucked the laptop under the seat, sliding open the side door. Conn followed suit, his gaze tracking the pattern of trails winding through the pine trees below. He’d memorized the layout of land mines, as well as the last soldier positions. The wind whipped into his face, carrying the scent of pine and spruce. “Keep in mind the power necessary to forcibly transport members of the Coven Nine. Demidov is probably working with someone.” He glanced at Jase. “I want a storm. Massive, powerful, and dangerous. As big as you can make it.”

Jase’s eyes lit up in anticipation. “Hurricane or snowballs the size of basketballs?”

“Hail. Sharp and deadly.” Loud enough to cover their movements through the forest.

“No problem.” Jase leaned out the opening, holding the bar. “But you know I can’t easily turn it off if I make a storm that size.”

“I know.” An issue Conn would deal with later. For now, they needed the cover.

Missiles shot from the earth. Dage evaded, swooping in toward the roof of the sprawling house as the other two helicopters returned fire. “Get ready.”

Conn grabbed the doorframe, leaning out. When the copter perched about ten feet from the roof, he jumped. He landed in unison with lightning rippling across the sky. Clouds formed out of nowhere, throwing hail the size of basketballs. Damn, Jase was good.

A dark form caught Conn’s vision, and Talen slammed boots on the angled shingles, snagging the pitch to hold on. “Let’s get this bastard.” His eyes glowed unearthly in the night.

“Yep.” Conn straightened, running along the top and arriving at a skylight. What kind of arrogant moron kept a skylight in a house holding hostages? “This guy isn’t expecting us. Must be planning to move the women fast.” No need for stealth. The world was lighting up with fire behind him. Jumping up, he smashed his feet into the glass, falling through to the room below.

He landed in a crouch ... in a master bathroom. The plush carpet was an emerald green matching his mate’s pretty eyes. The reminder of her made his fangs lengthen, his body vibrate as the animal wanted loose. The animal needed to protect and defend his mate. Quiet surrounded him.

Talen dropped down, scanning the area. “Dage wants him alive.” Angry and annoyed, his tone came out through obvious fangs.

Conn rose, grabbing his gun from his waistband. “What are the chances of that?”

“Zero.” Talen kicked open the door. “Where is everybody?”

The moron really hadn’t expected them. “The guards are outside fighting ... Trevan must have an escape route. We need to hurry.” The visible heat signatures had held bulk as well as weapons, so the women must be underground. If they were still there. Dread and fear set up in Conn’s gut, and he ruthlessly shoved them aside.

Priceless watercolors lined the hallway, reminding Conn of his mother’s fanciest parlor. He swept side to side with his gun, hurrying toward the stairs and running down to a sprawling living area with a huge stone fireplace. Explosions echoed in the distance.

He turned the corner, heading down another set of stairs to a playroom with pool tables, arcade games, and a bar. A warning tickled at the base of his neck. “Back.”

Talen whipped back around the corner just as gunfire erupted. Watercolors exploded, pieces of glass shattering. Dropping to his knees, Conn emerged from safety, firing toward the bar. Talen followed suit, aiming at the men behind the pool tables. One shrieked in pain.

Conn’s bullets aimed true, taking out two men with glowing green guns behind the bar. Bottles shattered. The scent of bourbon and scotch permeated the air ... along with blood. With a roar, Talen leaped over the pool table, his knife in hand. Red arced across the window, spraying like a rainbow of death. When Talen rose and turned, gone was his brother. In his place stood vengeance.

Giving a short nod, Conn pivoted and rushed toward another flight of stairs. Down. He’d keep going down until he found his woman.

A whisper of her reached out. The hint of lilacs. A savage wildness consumed him. Taking his mate out of safety and away from him pissed off the soldier inside him. Almost as much as the action challenged the animal lurking even deeper.

She was his.

The soldier easily, almost too willingly, gave over to the predator. Gone was reason, gone was mercy. Anyone else standing between him and his mate would die. Slow, fast, he no longer cared. Their time would end.

With a snarl, the animal rose in dominance, pure instinct taking over.

Talen swept the area, turning his focus and aim to a thick oak door set to the side. Conn nodded, putting his boot to it. The door slammed open to reveal wide cement steps leading down. He hated basements. “Down.”

The metal door slid open and Trevan rushed inside to slam it shut. Moira grabbed the bars with both hands, shielding Cara and the babe from his sight. She forced a smile. “So. Guess we have company.” Though dim, the sound of gunfire could be heard in the distance. Even stronger, the sense of Conn drew nearer. She may not be able to get into his head yet, but his fury sent out vibrations.

Trevan pivoted to her, his eyes wild. “How the hell did they find you?” He gestured toward the walls. “No way you could send a message.”

He didn’t know about Cara’s ability to reach her mate. A closely guarded secret, and one Moira had kept through the years. “I’m more powerful than you think, dumbass.”

A beep sounded from his pocket and he yanked out a phone to read a message. Fury swept across his face in clotted red. “The outer door has been breached. The locks will slow them down some, but they’ll eventually make it inside here.” His smile chilled her blood. The gun he pulled from his waistband heated her right back up.

“You going to shoot me, Trevan?” Not for a second did she believe he’d kill his bargaining chip.

“No.” He took two steps forward and slid to the side, pointing the weapon.

The shot echoed around the small room.

“No,” Moira screamed, leaping to shield Cara and the babe in unison with Simone.

The bullet hit the new mother, throwing her back against the wall. Blood sprayed out, catching Moira across the face. A vicious roar split the night from the other side of the door. Moira leaped forward, her hands going to the wound in Cara’s right shoulder—three inches from the babe’s head.

Cara’s mouth dropped open. She paled to white cardboard, her blue eyes cutting to Trevan. “Talen will kill you.” Her hand cupped her child’s head, caressing when he started to whimper.

Moira took the towel Simone had grabbed, pressing hard against the bullet hole. “Cara. Focus, hon. You’re going into shock.” Rage shot through her. Talen wouldn’t get a chance to kill Trevan. She glared over her shoulder. “What the hell are you thinking?” Who could actually shoot at a woman holding her newborn? What kind of a monster was he?

Simone dropped to her knees by the bed. “Cara, let me hold the baby so we can take a look at your injury.” Tremors shook her voice.

“No.” Cara tightened her hold on the baby, tears gathering in her eyes. Shock had her pupils dilating.

Trevan stepped up to the bars, the gun pointed at Cara’s head. Moira nodded to Simone, who placed her hands on the towel to stem the bleeding.

Then Moira stood and turned, shielding. “Why?”

Trevan leveled the weapon between her eyes, reaching to the side wall and punching in a code. The bars swung open. “Come here. Make one move and I’ll shoot the baby.”

Anger threatened to still her legs. But outside, next to him, she had more of a chance to get the weapon. She needed to get his focus off Cara. So Moira stepped lightly toward him, training moves filtering through her thoughts. He grabbed her hair and yanked her to his side, shutting the door, pressing her back to his front. Cold metal pressed against her temple.

Leather slid around her neck.

Weakness assaulted her limbs. Her blood slowed. A tingling set up in her extremities.

He whipped her around, clinking something into place. She reached up, her eyes widening at the cold lock. “What the hell?” Her eyelids fluttered. A lump of dread settled hard in her stomach. Oh God, it couldn’t be.

Trevan smiled. “Phanakite. A collar just for you, bitch.”

With a low cry, she dug her nails into the leather, her fingers burning. Leather mixed with phanakite. Against her jugular, against her flesh. She tugged. Nothing. Her muscles went lax. It couldn’t touch her skin like this. She might never recover. Tears poked her eyes, and she forced them back.

Trevan punched in another code, and the far wall opened to reveal a passageway. He turned toward the cell. “Simone. I had hoped things would be different.” Then he grabbed Moira’s arm and tugged her through. The door slid shut, and lights strung along the ceiling flickered to life. He shoved her into the passenger seat of a golf cart. “Well now. I guess contingency plans are always a good idea, right, Seventh?”

Her mind twirled. She clutched the fabric seat, trying to keep her balance. “Why did you shoot Cara?” The words emerged slow and slurred.

He pressed the pedal, sending the cart flying forward through the tunnels. “Whatever Kayrs shows up will stop and make sure she and the babe are all right. I just bought us some time.”

Moira struggled to keep upright. Damp earth filled her nostrils. Lights flashed by, and she blinked. She swayed.

Trevan clapped a hand around her arm. “Don’t go falling out, now. Your body will adjust to the collar. You won’t get any strength back, but you should be able to sit upright soon.” His voice echoed from far away.

She lost track of time. Or maybe reality. Finally they came to the end of the tunnel. Trevan jumped out and yanked open a worn door. Snow and wind bombarded inside, and Moira turned her head to the side, shutting her eyes. So cold. Slowly, her thoughts began to organize.

Trevan grabbed her hair, tugging her off the seat.

She protested as he pulled her into the swirling storm. A sprawling hill lay to the right, trees and rock ahead. Atop the hill stood a large warming hut. Hail pelted her, leaving bruises. But the pain centered her. Until she tripped over a rock, smashing to the ground. Her hands stopped her fall, shredding from brittle pinecones. Cold, she was so cold. Trevan tightened his hold on her hair, dragging her along an overgrown trail into the forest.

The knees of her jeans shredded. She stumbled to her feet, yanking her head away. The wind nearly knocked her over. She should run.

Trevan grabbed the front of her blouse and forced her through the trees. A rocky cliff stood before them. He reached out, slid his hand across the rock, and a keypad appeared.

Dizziness swamped Moira. The stones moved. Crap. An elevator? Her mind wanted to fight. Her body wanted to sleep for weeks. “Take the collar off, Trevan.” She staggered inside the elevator, reaching out to steady herself against the walls.

“No.” The door slid shut. The lift began to rise. “Your mate won’t find the elevator, Moira. We’ll be safe at the top while waiting for my people.”

Nobody would see the lift. But Conn would scale the mountain to rescue her. None of it was making sense. The collar muddled everything.

The lift halted and the doors slid open. Mother Nature smashed her way inside. The squeal from the wind pierced Moira’s eardrums. She cringed back when Trevan clasped her hand, but he dragged her into the storm unhampered, as if she had no strength.

Hail pelted them during the short trek from rock to cabin. With a sigh of relief, Trevan pushed open the door and propelled her inside.