Penny tried to keep calm, but her hands shook in anxiousness as she worked on configuring the security cameras for these crackpots. Darius and some wolves had already installed the cameras, but they couldn’t figure out how to get them to actually turn on, let alone record footage.
She wished she’d figured out a way to escape on the drive here, but Darius had thought this kidnapping through. He pulled a gun on her, and it wasn’t hard to smell the silver bullets in it.
“Try to take off and we’ll see how good I am at hitting a moving target in a live scenario. In class simulations, I never miss. Ever.” The creepy, no nonsense look in his eyes, and the fact that she’d been to some of those classes with him scared the crap out her. She’d seen how good a shot he was and knew she wasn’t in the kind of shape she’d need to be to outrun him.
And now she was in the basement of a huge house full of people that didn’t care that she was here against her will. She had no idea how the hell she was going to get out of this mess.
“What happens to me once I get your system up and running?”
“You’ll be let go. Now get it working.”
Right. She didn’t believe him, but she’d also never seen him be violent. Tonight was the closest she’d ever come to seeing him lose his temper, which was a damned creepy thing. He didn’t have a whole lot of emotions, and the ones he had were always… off.
If only the bullets weren’t silver. She could probably live with getting shot. It’d hurt, but she was a shifter so she knew she’d heal. Silver was another story, though. That was like looking death in the face. One shot and who knew how long it’d take to die from it poisoning both her and her coyote. She didn’t understand what it was about silver and shifter magic, but it was no joke. In their hidden community they’d had fights, and occasionally torture or outright murder, but when silver was involved, it was always worse. It freaked everyone out because they were used to being powerful and able to heal from just about anything. They didn’t like to think about the one simple thing that could take them down without a fight.
So she did what he asked, hoping she could figure something out eventually. She didn’t have high hopes, though. She hadn’t gotten much of a message to Suzanne before Darius threw her phone out the window, and this huge house looked like it was stocked for a siege.
A chill crept up her spine. These people were doing this for real, as if the Armageddon was going to happen soon, and Darius seemed completely in his element. And when she’d been forced down to this basement, Darius’ thick necked friend waited for them at the bottom of the stairs with a smug, evil look on his face.
She’d tried to play off her fear with a joke. “You know, they have tech support for this kind of thing. You don’t have to kidnap people to set up a security system.”
“Shut up and move.”
She mumbled, “I’m just saying.”
His rock hard fist slammed into her face and sent her to the ground. She shook her head as stars screwed up her vision and took a second to clear. When she looked back up, the thick necked guy was standing over her sneering.
“You’ll talk when we tell you to talk sweetheart. Got it?”
A thousand comebacks came to mind, but she bit her tongue as her face throbbed. This guy was pure muscle and could royally fuck her up. And since Darius seemed to have gone off the deep end, and the other shifters here didn’t mind this jackass hitting her, she was on her own.
She let them yank her to her feet and kept her mouth shut as she looked desperately around for anything that could help her out of this mess. When they shoved her into another room and towards a chair in front of a computer, the first light of hope popped into her head. If this thing was connected to the internet and she could get them to stop watching over her…
She set to work configuring the cameras while she waited for her chance. Even though these guys knew how to be brutes, and shoot guns, and stock up with food and weapons, they didn’t seem extremely skilled at technology. Here was hoping she could sneak a message out when they weren’t so focused on her. Except they were entirely focused on her because they wanted this system up and running. Shit!
She did her best trying to figure out where they’d ended up with their set up, and when a snowy image appeared on one of the monitors, she worried she still couldn’t figure it out until she realized it was actually snowing outside. Another monitor popped up with an image of light snow falling on a pile of cut wood, then several other images at different angles around the house popped up in tiles across the screen as well.
“Make it record.”
She almost bitched back at Darius and the thick necked wolf, but more wolves had joined them, and since she didn’t exactly like being punched, she kept her mouth shut. She poked around at the programming, going back and forth with the user manual, and finally got one of the cameras to start recording only to have another two go down. “Crap.”
She got a smack upside the head from thick neck guy, who she’d learned was named Quinn. She glared at him and he sneered a creepy smile at her. “That was just because. Now fix it.”
Darius seemed oblivious as he pecked away at his own computer, so trying to get his sympathy was a lost cause. He’d never been all there emotionally, anyway, and tonight looked like he could care less about something as silly as making sure she was kept safe and sound after doing what he’d brought her here for. Damn him… and damn her for getting into his car in the first place. Stupid stupid stupid. If only Vince and her hadn’t been fighting, she wouldn’t have even been out there.
She flicked one more look at creepy Quinn, who seemed to be doing his best to undress her with his eyes, then bitterly focused back on her own computer. Feeling sorry for herself wasn’t going to get her out of this mess so she needed to keep her head together. Darius was so distracted right now… if only Quinn and the others would go away for just a few minutes. Just long enough to get a message out.
It was over an hour later before everything seemed to be working right with the cameras and she still hadn’t been able to do anything to help herself. She was frustrated, angry, and knew she was on the losing end of whatever was happening out here. And anytime she strayed from what they asked her to do, Quinn was only too happy to remind her what his fist felt like.
So she did was she was told to do. Darius controlled flood lights around the house through his computer, much to the delight of an old wolf named Miles, and she was able to get some bright images as he turned the lights on and off. Now they needed to run a few more tests to make sure the recording function was still working right.
“Turn off the lights and see what we can make out.”
Another hour went by as they recorded various shifters walking around to test the equipment. A quiet alarm eventually went off and everyone scrambled back into the house, a group converging around her and the monitors. She frantically wondered what was going on, then went still at the scene of the driveway that Quinn, Darius, and the others were scowling over.
Relief and renewed determination poured through her. Anthony, Zach, Suzanne, Sebastian and others were here. Thank God.
**
Vince lingered behind Anthony and the alphas as their whole group walked cautiously down the long driveway.
Zach quietly said, “You sure she’s here?”
Suzanne angrily snapped, “She’s here. I can feel her.”
The gentle snowfall muffled sounds all around them, making the quiet night even quieter as they edged closer to the house. It was a two story brick home with plenty of room inside, from the looks of things.
“What’s with all the crosses?”
Large and wooden, they hung at regular intervals all along the front of the house. They traded some looks of confusion, but kept going.
After a few more feet, Zach said in a hushed tone, “Oh God. And what’s that smell? Garlic?”
A loud pop sounded and the front yard was awash in blinding lights. Benicio fell to his knees screaming as smoke quickly rose from his body.
“UV lights!” Min-chul raced for a bed of rocks and started hurling them towards the industrial sized lamps, everyone frantically running around to help him. Vince was just about to grab Benicio to haul him away from the lights when he burst into flames, howling in horrific agony.
“Benicio!”
A floodlight exploded in a shower of sparks and went dim, but there were too many still blazing brightly all around them.
“Someone help me!” Vince slipped out of his jacket and used it to slap at the flames consuming his friend. It didn’t seem to be doing much good because Benicio was completely engulfed by this point. Smoke burned at Vince’s eyes and the heat of the flames made his skin burn, but he couldn’t just stand by and watch him die like this.
Another light exploded with a loud bang, bringing the artificial brightness down a notch. Benicio was still engulfed in flames, though, and Vince didn’t know what to do. He spared a desperate look around himself and froze at the sight of Anthony.
He stood facing the house with his arms outstretched, smoke rising from his body, and electricity sparking from every one of his fingertips. Energy buzzed and snapped around him, and everyone in their group kept plenty of distance away from him.
His movements were painfully slow as he turned and pointed to one of the industrial lights that still brightly blazed. Smoke grew thicker all around him, seeping out from under his clothes, but his face was stoic as he grunted and forced his hand higher, an anxious arc of energy rising along with him. With a visible lurch, Anthony forced the electricity to the encased light and it exploded in a shower of glass, metal and sparks.
Vince turned back to Benicio and kept batting at the flames with his jacket while Benicio screamed and flailed around, burning alive right in front of him. His voice turned into an inhuman sounding screech as he looked more and more like he wasn’t going to make it, and Vince had never felt more helpless in his life.
Min-chul was suddenly on the other side of them, helping smother the flames with his suit jacket while the last of the lights exploded in a loud bang.
Benicio fell to the ground, his screams now silent as he lay motionless before them, his body burned black from head to toe.
“Benicio, no! Hang in there man! Come on!”
They beat at him until the flames finally died out, but what was left didn’t look anywhere close to human. Vince felt inept as he frantically shouted, “What do we do? Is he still alive?”
He nearly jumped out of his skin when Anthony spoke calmly beside him, though his voice sounded strained when he said, “He’s alive. Barely. He needs blood.” Anthony reeked of smoke, burnt hair and flesh, and his clothes were charred here and there, but otherwise he looked fine. Not like Benicio… not at all.
Vince nearly sobbed with relief. He dropped to his knees and said, “He can have mine.”
Min-chul snapped, “No. He can feed from me. Go find your woman.”
His temper rose. “Don’t tell me what to do. Ever.”
Min-chul’s eyebrow arched, but then he stilled with a knowing look on his face, which only ticked him off even more. “Have you ever fed a vampire before? And especially one in this bad of shape?”
Vince glared at Benicio’s motionless form because he didn’t want to look at his father. “No, but I’m not incapable of helping him.”
“Then you have no idea how long it’ll take you to heal and have your energy back afterwards. I know what my limits are. Now go find your woman.” Min-chul put his hand on his shoulder and Vince felt immediate disgust at his kindly gesture. He also hated that he was right.
He shrugged out from grasp and stepped aside as Anthony rolled Benicio’s charred body over, cringing in horror at what was left of him. All his hair was burned off along with some of the skin and tender parts of his face, but his fangs were bright and white. When Min-chul pressed his wrist into those sharp teeth, Benicio shuddered and somehow worked his jaw enough to feed.
Vince asked Anthony, “Are you ok man?”
He inclined his head as if to indicate everything was fine, but his slow movements and heavy eyelids told a different story. “Go. We’ll be fine.”
Vince took one last look at Min-chul and was reluctantly thankful for his presence here tonight for a lot of reasons he didn’t want to think about right now. For the time being, they exchanged a brisk nod before he took off to join Zach and the others.
**
Anthony needed to release some of this earth energy he’d unknowingly called upon and trapped within himself. Luckily, both Min-chul and Benicio were powerful enough to deal with him testing out his abilities on them. He hoped anyway, because he desperately needed an outlet before the force of it tore him apart, either figuratively or literally. He didn’t know enough about how to control these new powers he had to even know what kind of damage he could do to himself, but he had more than a feeling that he could use it to help others.
Benicio was looking slightly better, but he’d drain Min-chul and still need much more blood to fully heal after being nearly burned alive, and having a starved vampire around while they were trying to save a shifter wasn’t a good thing. “Benicio, let Min-chul go.”
He shook with need but obediently stopped feeding, and Min-chul looked droopy eyed as he pulled his wrist away.
“He’s not healed yet.”
Anthony reached for them both. He grasped Min-chul’s bare wrist, then carefully placed his other hand on Benicio’s raw, burnt chest. “I believe I can heal you both. Please stay still.”
Benicio’s short, pained breaths were distracting as Anthony closed his eyes. He tried to tune it out, focusing on both of their energies as they pulsed in the air around them. Warm and frenetic from Min-chul, cool and crisp from Benicio. He felt almost too attune with his senses, so he let his mind wander to a place of peace and serenity, a memory of Kaia in his arms, and the pressure inside him began to ease. The power of the earth ebbed out of him and flowed into these two men, and Anthony could feel them healing. Benicio ate hungrily at the energy, his body quickly soaking it up, while Min-chul took the scraps that Benicio missed.
When the excess power inside Anthony suddenly evaporated, he opened his eyes and slowly let them go.
Benicio curled into a naked ball of completely healed flesh, his clothes long gone to the flames. He hugged himself as he rocked back and forth trying to stifle whimpers of pain. Min-chul shook on all fours, his eyes glowing, his animal held barely below the surface. He stared in the direction of the house, the rumble of his growl sounding feral and deadly, making Anthony worry he’d turn jaguar and wreak havoc on everyone here.
“Min-chul! Look at me.”
The man jerked his head around, his snarl barely contained.
“Are you going to be all right? I can’t let you go if there’s a chance you’ll hurt Vince or Penny.”
He nearly lunged at Anthony, but rocked back on his knees and closed his eyes until he’d calmed. When he opened them again, he huffed out, “What did you do to me?”
“I… healed you. Do you feel all right?”
He looked down at Benicio, who’d finally stopped grunting in pain. “You healed him too?”
Anthony nodded.
“Then why don’t you heal Vince? Heal my son!”
“It’s not that easy. He’s not as powerful as the two of you, and this energy… it’s unpredictable.” He gestured to both of them. “I’m not a natural healer, but I gambled that you’d both survive my power. Would you have me gamble on your son’s life?”
“You gambled on our lives though?”
A loud noise forced their attention back to the house. Anthony said, “You should go. This is a shifter fight, not a vampire fight, and Vince may need your help whether he wants to admit it or not.”
Min-chul narrowed his eyes at him, then grudgingly said, “He’s as stubborn as his mother,” and raced off.