The Burning Claw
Page 80
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“What are we going to do?” Jacque asked her.
Jen peeked at her through the hands that were currently rubbing her face. “Have you contacted Fane?” she asked quietly as if he might hear her.
“Uh, that would be not just a no, but a hell no.” Jacque was shaking her head so fast she looked like a curly-haired bobble head. “Fane would blow a fuse if he found out that: one, we are here, and two, Peri left us.”
“Yeah, I’ve kept Decebel at bay too. Any time he tries to check up on me, I send him a dirty thought.”
“Of course you do,” Jacque snorted.
“Hey, if it works then I’m not changing it,” Jen told her as she pushed her feet out in front of her and pulled them back, trying to get her swing to go faster.
“You think she’s going to come back for us?” Jacque asked as she leaned her face against the chain links of the swing.
“Yes, she’ll be back. But it probably won’t be until after her happy time with Lucian. Hey, maybe that won’t take long. I mean, who knows, maybe the fae can do it in hyper mode, like a to the max version of wham bam thank you ma’am,” Jen chuckled.
Jacque lifted her face and her eyes narrowed as she turned to look at her. “How many times did your parents drop you on your head? You can be honest, it’s just you and me. How many times?” Jacque asked.
“Not enough to knock some sense into me, that’s for sure,” Jen muttered.
“At least you’re honest with yourself.”
Decebel raised his muzzle in the air and took a deep breath. They’d been following Costin’s trail since before dawn and had lost it a few times. This was one of those times.
He phased. Vasile and Fane followed suit.
“Can either of you smell him anywhere?” Decebel asked the two males.
“No,” Vasile said. “But I do smell—”
“Blood,” Fane interrupted. He was running as he phased and hit the ground on four paws. Decebel and Vasile were right on his flanks.
The more they ran, the stronger the smells became. Blood. So much blood. Decebel let out a low growl. They had to find Costin. They had to contain him before he did something that crossed the line of no return.
Fane came to an abrupt stop at the top of a steep slope. Decebel walked up next to him and look down at the drop. It wasn’t terribly far, but it wouldn’t be a pleasant landing. They looked around, trying to see if there was another way across. Fane gave a yip when he found a large crevice in the mountain. Light was shining through it from the other end. As soon as they entered the small crack in the rock, they caught Costin’s scent again.
He smelled of blood, death, despair, and rage. Decebel’s wolf was anxious to find their prey and he couldn’t stop the snarls he emitted as they walked through the dark crevice. Once they’d made it to the other side, they took off at a run once again, following the scent of their friend and pack mate.
Many miles later, all three wolves came to a stop. They all phased nearly at the same time.
“Human blood,” Decebel growled.
They followed in their human form, seeking out the source of the smell. When they finally found the source of the human blood, Decebel’s heart crashed to the pit of his stomach.
Costin had killed a human. Not just killed no, that was too clean a term for what the feral wolf had done. A pile of mangled limbs, intestines, and a severed head—the remains of what had once been a human man— lay on the ground before them.
Vasile knelt down and bowed his head. Decebel understood his mentor’s pain. They felt responsible. They were Alphas. They were responsible for the wellbeing of every pack member. Decebel should have recognized sooner that Costin was losing control. And now, because he hadn’t, a human had paid for it with his life.
“There is nothing we can do for the man now. The rightful thing would be to report the death, but at the moment we have more pressing matters. We have to get to Costin before he can kill anyone else,” Vasile said, turning to Decebel. He was looking for approval since Decebel was Costin’s Alpha.
“Costin is the priority.”
“Pray to the Great Luna that we catch him before he comes upon a woman or child,” Vasile said as phased.
Decebel shuttered at the thought of Costin killing someone as innocent as a child. It wouldn’t come to that. He pushed his wolf harder as they ran. If all that was left of Costin at the end of this was his memory, he wouldn’t allow his friends lasting legacy be one of death.
Chapter 19
“I’m cocooned in this shelter. I’m surrounded by a love that I don’t understand but desperately want to keep. Life is going on beyond the door that I hide behind, but I’m not ready to join it. I’m not ready to face the world. I only want him. I want his smile, his touch, his voice, his strength, and his attention.” ~Bethany
Bethany was lying in the bedroom staring up at the ceiling. It was late. Drake had finally carried her to the bed when she kept refusing to leave him on the couch. That had been around eleven. It was now—she looked over at the alarm clock on the bedside table—three a.m. She hadn’t been asleep at all. She’d tossed and turned and gone over all of the words Drake had said to her during the past twenty-four hours. Some of them had been whispered against her skin, and others had been teasing statements while they played a card game.
Bethany knew they couldn’t stay this way, locked behind the door, tucked away in their own private suite, focusing only on each other. She’d heard from Drake that the others in his pack, and the Romania pack, were continuing to fight the vampires and that they were also looking for one of the females who was mated to Decebel’s Beta. She felt guilty for staying there, safe and sound, while those who’d risked their lives to save her faced more dangers.
She heard a knock on the door and rose quickly to open it. Drake stood on the other side.
“I can’t sleep,” he said gruffly. He looked exhausted. He walked into the room, grabbing her by the waist at the same time. Drake climbed onto the bed, pulling her along with him and situated them in the center. He laid her on her back and turned on his side, wrapping his arms around her. Bethany’s head was tucked under his chin and his scent relaxed her. She was so caught off guard by the action that it took her a few minutes to realize that Drake was sound asleep. Within a few minutes of him drifting off, Bethany followed. His warmth seeped inside of her and a contentment she hadn’t realize she’d been missing settled into her soul.
Jen peeked at her through the hands that were currently rubbing her face. “Have you contacted Fane?” she asked quietly as if he might hear her.
“Uh, that would be not just a no, but a hell no.” Jacque was shaking her head so fast she looked like a curly-haired bobble head. “Fane would blow a fuse if he found out that: one, we are here, and two, Peri left us.”
“Yeah, I’ve kept Decebel at bay too. Any time he tries to check up on me, I send him a dirty thought.”
“Of course you do,” Jacque snorted.
“Hey, if it works then I’m not changing it,” Jen told her as she pushed her feet out in front of her and pulled them back, trying to get her swing to go faster.
“You think she’s going to come back for us?” Jacque asked as she leaned her face against the chain links of the swing.
“Yes, she’ll be back. But it probably won’t be until after her happy time with Lucian. Hey, maybe that won’t take long. I mean, who knows, maybe the fae can do it in hyper mode, like a to the max version of wham bam thank you ma’am,” Jen chuckled.
Jacque lifted her face and her eyes narrowed as she turned to look at her. “How many times did your parents drop you on your head? You can be honest, it’s just you and me. How many times?” Jacque asked.
“Not enough to knock some sense into me, that’s for sure,” Jen muttered.
“At least you’re honest with yourself.”
Decebel raised his muzzle in the air and took a deep breath. They’d been following Costin’s trail since before dawn and had lost it a few times. This was one of those times.
He phased. Vasile and Fane followed suit.
“Can either of you smell him anywhere?” Decebel asked the two males.
“No,” Vasile said. “But I do smell—”
“Blood,” Fane interrupted. He was running as he phased and hit the ground on four paws. Decebel and Vasile were right on his flanks.
The more they ran, the stronger the smells became. Blood. So much blood. Decebel let out a low growl. They had to find Costin. They had to contain him before he did something that crossed the line of no return.
Fane came to an abrupt stop at the top of a steep slope. Decebel walked up next to him and look down at the drop. It wasn’t terribly far, but it wouldn’t be a pleasant landing. They looked around, trying to see if there was another way across. Fane gave a yip when he found a large crevice in the mountain. Light was shining through it from the other end. As soon as they entered the small crack in the rock, they caught Costin’s scent again.
He smelled of blood, death, despair, and rage. Decebel’s wolf was anxious to find their prey and he couldn’t stop the snarls he emitted as they walked through the dark crevice. Once they’d made it to the other side, they took off at a run once again, following the scent of their friend and pack mate.
Many miles later, all three wolves came to a stop. They all phased nearly at the same time.
“Human blood,” Decebel growled.
They followed in their human form, seeking out the source of the smell. When they finally found the source of the human blood, Decebel’s heart crashed to the pit of his stomach.
Costin had killed a human. Not just killed no, that was too clean a term for what the feral wolf had done. A pile of mangled limbs, intestines, and a severed head—the remains of what had once been a human man— lay on the ground before them.
Vasile knelt down and bowed his head. Decebel understood his mentor’s pain. They felt responsible. They were Alphas. They were responsible for the wellbeing of every pack member. Decebel should have recognized sooner that Costin was losing control. And now, because he hadn’t, a human had paid for it with his life.
“There is nothing we can do for the man now. The rightful thing would be to report the death, but at the moment we have more pressing matters. We have to get to Costin before he can kill anyone else,” Vasile said, turning to Decebel. He was looking for approval since Decebel was Costin’s Alpha.
“Costin is the priority.”
“Pray to the Great Luna that we catch him before he comes upon a woman or child,” Vasile said as phased.
Decebel shuttered at the thought of Costin killing someone as innocent as a child. It wouldn’t come to that. He pushed his wolf harder as they ran. If all that was left of Costin at the end of this was his memory, he wouldn’t allow his friends lasting legacy be one of death.
Chapter 19
“I’m cocooned in this shelter. I’m surrounded by a love that I don’t understand but desperately want to keep. Life is going on beyond the door that I hide behind, but I’m not ready to join it. I’m not ready to face the world. I only want him. I want his smile, his touch, his voice, his strength, and his attention.” ~Bethany
Bethany was lying in the bedroom staring up at the ceiling. It was late. Drake had finally carried her to the bed when she kept refusing to leave him on the couch. That had been around eleven. It was now—she looked over at the alarm clock on the bedside table—three a.m. She hadn’t been asleep at all. She’d tossed and turned and gone over all of the words Drake had said to her during the past twenty-four hours. Some of them had been whispered against her skin, and others had been teasing statements while they played a card game.
Bethany knew they couldn’t stay this way, locked behind the door, tucked away in their own private suite, focusing only on each other. She’d heard from Drake that the others in his pack, and the Romania pack, were continuing to fight the vampires and that they were also looking for one of the females who was mated to Decebel’s Beta. She felt guilty for staying there, safe and sound, while those who’d risked their lives to save her faced more dangers.
She heard a knock on the door and rose quickly to open it. Drake stood on the other side.
“I can’t sleep,” he said gruffly. He looked exhausted. He walked into the room, grabbing her by the waist at the same time. Drake climbed onto the bed, pulling her along with him and situated them in the center. He laid her on her back and turned on his side, wrapping his arms around her. Bethany’s head was tucked under his chin and his scent relaxed her. She was so caught off guard by the action that it took her a few minutes to realize that Drake was sound asleep. Within a few minutes of him drifting off, Bethany followed. His warmth seeped inside of her and a contentment she hadn’t realize she’d been missing settled into her soul.
