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Beyond exhausted, I fell asleep in the back of the Jeep and woke some time later with no clue what time it was or where we were. Sitting up, I yawned and listened to Rob’s growl of a snore repeat as he inhaled again and again. “That’s annoying,” I muttered.
“Try listening to it for the past two hours.” Michael chuckled, hearing me clearly.
“Where are we?”
“West Virginia.”
“What?” I glanced out the unlit windows trying to see into the darkness. There were no street lights as we drove, just the high beams of the Jeep telling Michael where to go. “Where are we going?”
“Caleb’s got a place in Beckley. It’s a small safe house but no one will find us there. We need to change vehicles, stock up on weapons and get organized. I can contact him from there also.”
“What are we doing?”
“Driving to Virginia.”
I poked his shoulder, my other hand reaching for the Siorghra necklace around my throat. “I know that. I meant, what’s the plan? We going to run and hide?”
“No!” Michael glanced at Rob when he snorted and then shifted, a moment later the steady snore returned. “I’m not exactly sure what we will do. I know what we aren’t going to do, and that’s hide. I’m not running or hiding.”
“So you want to face Bentos head on?” My voice sounded so calm and yet everything inside me shook with fear. “I’m not ready to battle him.”
“You will be when the time comes.”
What did he know that he wasn’t telling me? I stared out the front window at the weaving road in front of us. We were making a slow and steady climb uphill. “Where do we go after Beckley?”
“Grace is meeting us there. We’ll wait for her and then head south. Maybe Florida. Rob seems to think Bentos was there looking for you and cleared out a pack of Grollics. Might be the least likely spot he would look. The Niagara Falls pack is going to remember the Jeep or our license plate. They’ll know we are from the west coast and it won’t be hard to track us.”
I’d forgotten for a moment that he could communicate with Grace like a two-way radio inside their heads.
“I haven’t told her everything,” he added. “She’ll tell Caleb. He needs to stay in Port Coquitlam in case Bentos shows up there.”
“What aren’t you telling me?” I didn’t want to argue with Michael, but Rob had made some valid comments. We all had secrets. Michael seemed to have more and more these days.
“I don’t know what you mean.” Michael kept his tone neutral.
“Why would Caleb come here? What didn’t you tell Grace?” I knew my voice had risen but I didn’t care at this point. I was tired of information that didn’t answer all my questions.
“Rob.” Michael drove around a sharp bend and turned the fog lights on to give better light. He had excellent night vision so I wasn’t sure why he would do it, or maybe it was just a natural human habit.
One word? That was it? “What about him? You angry because he knows things about you, and you don’t know anything about him?”
“No!”
“Really? Because the two of you seem to be trying to fight over who’s tougher, and stronger and better to protect me. I don’t need either of your protection if that’s how you guys are going to be. You’ll be more of a danger than a help. I—”
“Rouge,” Michael cut me off. “I didn’t tell Grace about Rob because if Caleb found out he would come down here and kill him. Or take him away to experiment on him. He won’t care he’s your brother. A Grollic is a Grollic.”
“Oh.” My lips stayed in the ‘O’ shape as I wondered how I’d let my mouth run off again. “So Grace doesn’t know about Rob?”
He shook his head. “We didn’t know you had any family.”
“What if there are more? Rob said he was sixth and I’m seventh. There are five more out there.”
Michael shook his head. “I doubt it. I’m guessing Bentos has killed them off.” He hesitated before quietly adding, “Or we have.”
“Pardon?” My head turned sharply.
“Caleb’s been around a long time. He knows a lot of stuff.”
“I don’t give a crap what he knows. What do you know?” It bothered me that Rob had said Michael knew things he wasn’t telling me. How long had he been holding things back? He loved me. I was certain because he had given me his Siorghra. It was his life beat, his heart sitting close to mine. He was a Hunter. They didn’t give that to just anyone.
“I know Rob doesn’t have any other siblings before him. They are all dead. Caleb killed them.”
“All of them?”
“The ones he could find. Some were dead before he found them. According to Caleb, six were dead. He must’ve got one wrong.”
I couldn’t believe Michael had never told me this before. It also made sense why he didn’t believe Rob or never thought I might have family. “How would Caleb know he had one of Bentos’ children?”
“It isn’t as impossible as it sounds. Caleb was a born Hunter. One of the other Elders from the Higher Coven once told me that Caleb used to be incredibly patient. It’s changed over time but he no longer hunts, he leads.” Michael sighed, the weight of being Caleb’s understudy probably sat heavy on his shoulders at times. “One of the earlier remains he thought was Bentos’ offspring might have been a relation to Bentos. Possibly a cousin or uncle or something, I’m not exactly sure. These days blood work and DNA helps a ton. Caleb,” he corrected himself, “we, didn’t know about Rob. We thought the sixth son had been found. That’s why I never thought, never considered, Rob might be your brother. It just didn’t seem possible. Hunting for the seventh, you, we were looking for a son. We—I—never expected to find a girl... or fall in love with her.”
“You were hunting me?” This is what Rob must’ve known. “And Rob?”
“We weren’t hunting Rob.”
I dropped back against my seat, crossing my arms over my chest. “Of course not, you thought the sixth son was already dead.” I was mad. Beyond furious. I’d never been mad at Michael before but the anger inside felt like the ball of hatred I felt toward Grollics. I tried to focus on breathing to control the fury. When I was mad like this, I had a habit of controlling Grollics with a language I didn’t even understand how it worked. Vargulf Bentos Monstrums. I was the one who made the monsters my servants. What if I lashed out in anger? I could say something and not mean it, like have Rob bite Michael. It would kill him. The thought terrified me.
Enough to lessen the anger so I could control it. “Why do you hunt us?”
They had driven into some sort of small town with stop lights now appearing on the highway. A sign showed Beckley not far off. Michael sighed as he pulled into the left lane and slowed the Jeep. “Us? You’re not one of them, Rouge.”
“How do you know that?” The familiar burn stung near my shoulder blade. “Answer the freakin’ question. Why are you hunting Bentos’ children?”
“I’m not sure.” He turned at the second light and headed down another dark lit road. The sun would be rising soon and the sky had turned the predawn grayish color.
“Caleb knows why. So do you, don’t lie.” You’re his freakin’ understudy. Of course you know why!!
“I follow orders.”
“Follow orders?” The volume of my voice had Rob jumping forward.
His eyes burned yellow as he glanced groggily between Michael and I. “Oh, crap,” he muttered before settling back against his seat and closing his eyes tight.
“You’re not a soldier. Caleb isn’t Bentos. He doesn’t control you.” My words came out tight, each word sharp and enunciated. “Why kill them?”
Michael didn’t miss the way I said them. “I don’t think this is the time to discuss this.” He glanced toward Rob.
“You think he’s going to rat you out?” I was yelling and I didn’t care. “He’s admitted who he is. He hasn’t run from you, or tried to kill you when the Grollics attacked before! I’m starting to think he’s the only one who’s actually on my side.”
Michael pulled down a gravel and dirt road before pulling into a driveway that led to an old farm house. He drove the Jeep toward the large, paint-peeling red barn behind the house, up on the hill. It looked like a dump. He put the car in neutral. “It’s pretty complicated, Rouge.” He jumped out and slid aside an old painted American wood flag picture on the barn wall beside the main door. Inside lay a keyless remote entry. He punched in a code and silently made his way back to the Jeep as the barn doors opened.
Thankfully Rob stayed quiet. He had sat up and silently watched Michael.
Michael sat back in the Jeep and drove it inside the barn.
What looked like a dump outside changed instantly inside. The barn lights lit as the Jeep drove past sensors. The place looked like an underground garage.
“Holy shit, Batman,” Rob said, ducking his head to look at the second floor. “It’s like the Bat-Cave.”
Different trucks and large vehicles lined the one side of the barn. Above them were cars on metal hangers that obviously moved by something mechanical if you wanted one. It saved on storage space. On the other side were computers and locked metal cases that probably held guns, ammunition and who knew what other kind of weapons to use against Grollics.
A female stood near a table tapping away onto a computer. She didn’t even glance up when the door had opened or Michael had pulled in.
“Who’s the hottie?” Rob asked.
“My sister,” Michael barked.
“Sheesh. Can’t a guy catch a break?” Rob stuffed his hat onto his head and opened the Jeep door, flipping the slide at the same time. The chair flipped forward so I could get out.
I scrambled out, clutching my bag with the wolf journal and stood close beside him. He slipped his arm over my shoulder. “Calm down, little Jamie, before you do something crazy.”
Michael glared at the two of us before getting out of the car. He slammed his door shut and stomped over to Grace.
“I hear you, Michael. You don’t have to shout.” Grace still didn’t look up as her fingers tapped away on the computer keyboard.
“What?” Rob’s eyebrows rose as he glanced at them and then back to me.
“They can talk to each other in their heads. Like mental telepathy.”
Grace spun around on her stool at the sound of my voice. “Rouge!” She raced toward me with her supernatural fast ability, only to skid to a stop when she noticed Rob. She sniffed and hesitated. “Who’s he?”
“Rouge’s brother.” Michael grabbed a phone off the table and began flipping through its messages.
“What?” She stared at Rob, her head tilted to the side, her blue eyes bright. “Half-brother?”
“Full.” Michael didn’t even look up.
“Bentos’ son?”
“Yes,” I said, ready to protect her from him and vice versa.
Her eyes slowly moved up and down Rob. “Are you a Grollic?”
He smiled and winked at her. “At your service. I’m Rob, and you are?”
“Grace. I’m Michael’s sister, and Rouge’s best friend.”
Did she just bat her eyelashes at him? I watched their interaction in disbelief. I swore they were flirting with each other!
“You’re the other twin?” Rob stepped forward and held out his hand. “Hopefully the good half.” He nodded toward Michael. “He’s a miserable arse.”
“And a lying sack of...” Grace caught herself just in time. She smiled. “Sorry.” She reached out and rested her hand in his.
Rob surprised me by pressing her hand to his lips instead of shaking it.
“Don’t you dare bite her!” Michael was instantly at Rob’s side, a knife against his throat.
Rob’s eyes burned to yellow, but he held himself where he stood. “I’m not going to.”
“Michael!” Grace slapped her brother’s shoulder with her free hand. “Let him be!”
“He’s a Grollic!” Michael shouted.
“I can see that.” She rolled her eyes. “He’s also Rouge’s brother. Cut him some slack.”
“Yeah, cut me some slack.” The corner of Rob’s mouth pulled upward but he managed to hide the smile.
Michael moved away. His arm holding the knife came up fast as he drilled the weapon into one of the wooden beams across the barn. It sunk deep into the wood. “I’m going inside to shower.” He turned and left the barn without another word and without giving me another glance.
