Chapter 15

When Vincent stepped out of the cluster of Agony's men I thought for a moment my heart was going to explode.

It was suddenly like our defeating Brandon's pack had never happened. If anything, Vincent was scarier than I remembered. His eyes were the same dead, psychopathic orbs that'd all but screamed he was through pretending that anyone else's pain mattered in the slightest. He was bigger now though and he moved with an economy of motion that was eerily similar to Alec's movements.

Jasmin's thoughts must have run along the same track as mine. "Look who's back with a graduate degree in sociopathy and all the tricks you'd expect from two weeks of almost constant combat."

Some of my spiking alarm must have made it through to my face, or possibly she just heard my pulse stutter.

"Don't worry. Alec was always able to wipe up the floor with Vincent. Vincent's bigger, but Alec's put on muscle since they last clinched too. Besides, all Alec really needs to do is pop the cork on that little black hole he carries around in his pocket and everyone here will collapse."

Somehow with everything that'd happened since the fight with Brandon I'd forgotten about Alec's power. Maybe it was just that we'd spent so much time needing him to manifest an ability. It was hard to believe it'd really happened, that Alec finally had the ability to keep the pack safe.

Rachel was back with her mom, but the rest of the pack was milling around Alec, creating a rising tide of shape shifter energy. The growing tingle should have been reassuring, but the answering roar of power from the seven figures on the other side of the cavern dwarfed the output of our pack.

As Alec turned towards Vincent I grabbed Jasmin's arm. "Is it to the death?"

"Not necessarily. In theory they fight until Agony deems that the insult has been satisfied or until one of them is defeated."

"In theory?"

"Accidents happen."

Alec handed me his cell phone and then began unbuttoning his shirt. A moment later he was down to his ha'bit and facing Vincent who'd shifted to his hulking hybrid form while Alec was still preparing.

Vincent sent out a pulse of crackling energy which Alec answered with greater power of his own and then they dashed towards each other.

As always they moved too fast for me to follow every motion. Alec shifted to his hybrid form in the blink of an eye and then they were fully engaged. I saw a flicker of movement and then Alec backed away, blood on his claws.

I was able to garner some clues to the fight by watching Abaddon out of the corner of my eye. Every time he frowned my heart rose, every time he smiled I felt a little part of me wilt. It seemed like the two combatants were mostly probing.

The whirling storm of fangs and claws sped up and then suddenly the fight went to the ground. I didn't need the collective gasp from my pack to realize Alec was on the bottom. From everything I'd heard or experienced, I expected Vincent to be ripping away at Alec's body while trying to reposition for a killing hold. Instead they were locked in a kind of stalemate holding onto each other's wrists while Alec's legs had wrapped around Vincent's waist.

Arms that were more than capable of lifting up the front end of a luxury car strained against each other and then slowly they started moving away from Alec, towards Vincent. The first of Alec's claws sank into Vincent's throat and then suddenly Vincent sprang away in an explosion of movement.

I expected them to fall back and regroup but it appeared Alec had managed to keep a hold of Vincent's left wrist. Both hybrids blurred again as they jockeyed for position and then Alec was behind Vincent.

Just to the right of me, Jasmin leaned forward eagerly and I knew Alec had set himself up for the kill. Vincent violently tried to shake Alec off, slamming backwards into a wall and then spinning around, flailing with his claws in an effort to pry Alec free.

Moving so slowly even I could see it, Alec crept up Vincent's back, his hands anchored in Vincent's chest. A split second before Alec's mouth would have latched onto the back of Vincent's neck, Agony moved forward and backhanded Alec into a wall.

"Enough. The offense has been cleansed by battle."

For a second I thought Alec would turn on Agony. Based on the sudden tensing all around me, the rest of the pack had the same worry.

Alec's shape trembled in rage as the man fought with the beast, and then suddenly the hybrid melted away. I didn't see Isaac and James move, it was like they just appeared at Alec's side, ready to support him if needed.

Alec looked over to our pack as though verifying everyone was still okay, and then turned back to Agony.

"The debt is washed clean. Quarters have been prepared for you and your men. I expect you remember where they are?"

At a nod from Agony Alec continued. "All further discussions can take place between you, me and our most dominant members."

"Trying to protect the weaker members of your pack again, Alec?"

"Nowhere does tradition require the entire pack to assemble each and every time we talk. It is my right and I stand by it."

Agony's smile left me feeling cold and dirty. "See to it, Oblivion. Somebody pick up Vincent. I'll see you again after my men have had a chance to settle in, Alec."

**

After Agony's people had left the cavern Alec had hustled everyone back upstairs. "We don't have a ton of time. James, Isaac, settle your parents back in their rooms. Dom, Jess, Alison, Sam, Jack go with them in case they run into trouble. Donovan, if you could please see to my mother? Jas, Rach, can you please help them?"

The boys had already disappeared, girlfriends and submissives in tow. Jasmin grabbed Alec's arm as he turned away.

"Where are you going?"

"Adri needs to get back home."

Donovan had stopped now too. "Master Alec, Agony won't like that."

"I'm aware of the risks. Adri can't afford to alienate her mom right now though. She's got things she needs to do."

Jasmin opened her mouth to argue, but Donovan turned and started walking away, Alec's mom in his arms.

"I don't know what you mad scientists have cooked up, but we're in too deep to do anything but trust you."

A minute and a half later, Alec and I were in his Porsche. He normally drove fairly sedately when I was in the car with him, but he hit nearly triple digits on the lane before he had to break for the main road.

"Please listen carefully, we don't have much time, and we're still in quite a bit of danger."

Alec down shifted around a corner and cranked his car back up to one-twenty. "We've been worried this would happen for quite a while, but our bringing down Brandon's pack was always pretty much guaranteed to force their hand. I need you to go to Mallory. She needs to be updated on what's going on."

"Wouldn't it be safer for you to do it?"

"No, Agony's men will have us under virtual house arrest. There's too many of us for them to follow everyone."

"I don't even know how to find her."

"Take the road past my house then the first right. Just keep driving until you see the shed. There's an overhang about fifty yards further along. If you get to where the road gets bad you've gone too far."

"What about a vehicle?"

"You'll either have to borrow your mom's or find a way into town and borrow Jasmin's. The key is taped to the bottom of the passenger seat. The combination to unlock it is one-one-two-three-five."

"Fibonacci's sequence?"

"Yeah, we standardized all of the unlock codes on all of our vehicles. It was a safety measure in case something like this happened."

We pulled into my lane. The Jeep was just visible in the darkness.

"Things are going to be okay, right, Alec?"

"I don't know. We've been operating under the assumption that my power would serve as an equalizer against the Coun'hij. That's the only reason we haven't been in a panic since Brandon went down."

"So we're okay then."

"The fight against Vincent was a test. I reached out for my ability and there wasn't anything there."