The guy was naked, sweating, and obviously fresh from a shift. Luke waved his hand and clothes covered his friend.
“Thanks,” Rayce muttered. “Forgot how…freaky it is…when you do that…”
When he worked his magic? Or when he shifted?
Luke stalked toward Rayce. “You had a job to do.”
Rayce lifted his head. “Yeah…that job was to…protect my friend’s back. Your back.”
Luke shook his head. “You were to protect her.” And now Mina was gone. “You’d better know where she is…”
“Didn’t you hear me?” Rayce’s breathing had slowed. “You were my priority. For all I knew, your idiot brother was going to skin you.”
As if that hadn’t been done before. Good thing he regenerated so easily.
“Julian stayed with her,” Rayce added quickly. “I went after you. Not my fault I can’t fly.”
Luke glared at him a moment longer.
“What is the deal?” Real shock was in Rayce’s voice. “How are you so twisted up over her? Are you sure her voice isn’t still messing with your head?”
It wasn’t her voice. It was her.
Luke inhaled again, catching the scents around him. “They left us a blood trail to follow.”
“Yeah, I noticed that.” Rayce’s mutter definitely wasn’t thrilled. “Probably because it’s a trap. This whole thing has been a trap from the word go and you know it.”
Yes, he did. And he’d planned for the human’s tricks. After all, he’d known that Garrick McAdams would play dirty. Luke just hadn’t planned on his interfering ass of a brother. “They can’t cage me.” He rolled back his shoulders and felt the stretch of his wings. Why waste time? He’d fly and follow that blood scent.
“Oh, shit, here we go again…” Rayce swallowed. “Can you…try to slow down?”
He rose into the air. “No.”
Death wasn’t slow. Death was fast. He’d show the humans just what hell they’d unleashed. No one messed with his paranormals. No one touched those who belonged to him.
No one.
***
Julian groaned as he opened his eyes. His chest hurt but considering his last memory was of bullets blasting into him, that pain was hardly surprising.
The fact that he was still alive? That was a bit of good news.
But the fact that he was chained to a wall in a pitch black room? Not so much fun.
“Sonofabitch.” The curse slipped from him. Luke was going to kick his ass over this. He’d gotten caught. Worse, he’d let Mina get caught. And Luke didn’t exactly act all sane where she was concerned.
Julian rose, testing the length of the chains. They were thick, hard, and made of silver, but he wasn’t a freaking werewolf, so that silver didn’t burn him. Good thing they caught me and not Rayce.
He’d get out. Eventually. He just might have to cut off his own hand first, not the most ideal of options but—
A faint rustle reached him.
His head turned and he stared into the darkness. A cat could see well into the dark. He knew his eyes would be glowing, shining with the power of his beast, as he gazed at—
His cell-mate?
Hell. He wasn’t even alone in there. His nose twitched. Blood. Dirt. Someone had been in that cell for a very, very long time. “Come on out,” he growled. “I won’t bite.”
Footsteps shuffled forward. He saw the tangle of long, blonde hair. Fragile shoulders. A small body. And—
Her head tipped back. Her fangs gleamed, even in the dark. “I might.” Then she flew at him, her fangs going right for his throat.
Shit. It just wasn’t his night.
Chapter Thirteen
Mina inched closer to the cell beside hers. She put her hand on the glass. Eli was looking up at her, and the poor man barely seemed to breathe. “I wish I could help you.” His face was battered, bruised. Dark circles surrounded his eyes. “It’s my fault this happened to you.” Her fault he was lying there, dying.
It wasn’t an easy death, either. Every breath was a struggle. And she hated it so much. No one should be in such agony.
Eli’s eyes began to close. The air around her seemed to get colder. Tears trickled down her cheeks. She’d come to save him, not to watch him breathe his last breath. Not to—
“I’m back, Mina.” Garrick’s cocky voice blasted through her speakers. Her shoulders jerked. “And I have a present for you.”
He could shove any presents right up his—
“It’s a necklace. One that I think you’ll like.”
She didn’t want to look away from Eli so she didn’t. If he was dying, she wanted him to know he wasn’t alone.
“Or actually…” Garrick mused. “You might hate the necklace. But I’ll love it. Because you see, it will allow me to control that wonderful voice of yours.”
Her hand moved to her throat. Fear slithered through her.
“I’m going to slide this necklace in the cell to you. Then you’re going to put it on. You’ll secure it, and when it’s in place, I’ll let you out of there.”
Because he thought he’d have control of her. Just because she was wearing some dumb necklace?
“If you cooperate, if you put on the necklace for me…I’ll see to it that Eli gets medical attention.”
Her heart lurched in her chest.