Sin Undone

“Take it easy.” Arik’s voice was the calm, soothing drawl of a police negotiator talking someone off a ledge. But Ky knew Arik well enough to recognize a rare note of stress. “I’m not here to take you in, Runa.”


Kynan angled his body so he could cover the cave entrance. “Are you alone?” “Of course I am,” Arik snapped. His muscled arms bunched up hard, as though he was prepared to end any further doubt with his fists. Because of the charm, Kynan couldn’t be injured—unless he wanted to be injured. He hadn’t had a decent challenge in months, and he almost hoped Arik would throw a punch just so Ky could work off some aggression.

For a long moment tension circulated in the cool air, and then Runa shifted back into her petite human form. Ky and Arik averted their gazes as Serena handed her a robe to replace the clothes that had been shredded by her shift. One of the babies started crying, and Serena disappeared back into the bedroom.

“I’m sorry, Arik,” Runa said, the rustle of cloth on skin mingling with her voice as she shrugged into the robe. “You startled us. And the R-XR does want me as a lab rat.” He had the grace to blush. “It’s not an issue now.”

“So, what, have I been given a pass? And you can look at me now.”

Arik’s mouth tightened into a grim line. “You haven’t been given a pass.”

Runa froze as she tugged her caramel-colored hair out of the back of the robe, and Ky’s pulse picked up. He didn’t want to believe that the man who used to be his friend had come to grab his own sister, but a lot of things he hadn’t wanted to believe had proved to be true over the last couple of years.

“Why are you here?” Kynan tapped the pistol against his thigh, drawing Arik’s gaze. “You’ve got five seconds to fill us in.”

Arik’s pause lasted four. “I refused to give up Runa’s location, and they threatened to lock me up until all of this is over. So I walked.”

“You’re AWOL?” Arik nodded, and Ky let out a low whistle. Absent without leave was a serious offense in the regular military. But from the R-XR? The paranormal unit played for keeps and without oversight. It could do anything it wanted to Arik, and no one would argue or even know.

The only thing that might save him was that the people who worked for the R-XR were specialists and worth their weight in gold. And Arik, an ex–Delta Force operative who could learn any demon language after hearing only a few words, was priceless.

Runa ran to Arik and folded him into her embrace. “You can stay here, Arik. For as long as you need to.” Arik cocked a dark eyebrow at Kynan. “And what does your bodyguard have to say about that?” “Brother,” Kynan drawled, “it ain’t me you need to worry about.”

“Shade will be fine,” Runa said, as she drew away, and Ky hoped she was right. Arik and Shade weren’t the best of friends; Arik still hadn’t forgiven Shade for his role in turning Runa into a werewolf, and Shade had a total distrust of the R-XR.

“Do I get to see my nephews?”

“They’re in the bedroom with Stewie.” Runa’s champagne-colored eyes lit on a rattle on the floor and then flicked back to her brother. “You haven’t met Wraith’s son, have you?” “Nope.”

“Okay, hold on a minute.” Runa went into the bedroom, leaving Kynan and Arik alone.

Ky gestured for Arik to follow him into the living room. Once there, Ky pivoted, putting himself in line to keep an eye on the doorway. “Tell me everything.”

Arik rubbed his hand over his dark, military-short high-and-tight. “Have you spoken with the other Elders recently?” “You could say that,” Kynan said.

“Did they tell you The Aegis is taking orders from the R-XR now?”

“Val mentioned something about that. But I don’t know why The Aegis is going to be the R-XR’s bitch. We didn’t get that far into the conversation.”

Arik glanced through the doorway at the bedroom Runa had disappeared into. “You know born wargs are now being affected by SF, right?” “Yeah. And there’s a danger it’ll jump species.”

“There’s no time left to find a cure.”

Kynan exhaled slowly, as if that would put off what he knew was going to be very bad news. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying,” Arik said gravely, “that the powers that be are done waiting. They’re mobilizing forces and joining up with The Aegis to go out on a search-and-destroy mission. If a cure for this disease isn’t found now, they intend to eradicate every werewolf on the planet.”

They had just gotten to the mountainside Harrowgate when Tay’s phone rang. She peeled away from the group to answer, and through the static and in-and-out reception, she could barely hear Kynan’s voice.

“Tay? Where are you?”

“Montana. Are Runa and the kids okay?”

“They’re fine. But The Aegis has been trying to contact you—” As if on cue, her phone beeped, and the caller ID identified her supervisor, the head of the New York State cells. “Yeah, Richard is on the other line—”