A Guardians Passion (20 page)

It took the suit several minutes to convince the policeman that he should return to the front of the mansion, but eventually the were did get the cop to leave.

Rayne waited until the officer was out of earshot before confronting the cocky addition to the scene. “Announce yourself, wolf.”

The were pulled off his shades, exposing golden-green eyes. “The name is Lieutenant Jared Hernandez of the Pack Hernandez.” He held out his hand to Fenris first, but when the alpha didn’t shake it, Jared simply nodded to Rayne and Ezra. He took a deep breath before he informed them, “We’ve got our people arriving soon. The Sohon alphas have been notified. We
will
find out who is behind this.”

“Not good enough,” Fenris declared.

Jared frowned, cocking his head at Fenris’s tone. The lieutenant was most definitely an alpha to show such bravery to the giant before him. “Your names?”

Rayne waited, giving Fenris the opportunity to speak first. When Fenris didn’t take it, he announced. “My alpha is Fenris Modhirson. I am Rayne Strattson, and this is Ezra…” He turned to the lanky brown omega, unable to recall his last name.

Ezra ran a nervous hand over his head before answering Rayne. “Dai. Ezra Dai.”

“Right. Well.” Jared sighed. He turned back to address Fenris. “Until we can get the humans out of the vicinity, we’re a bit stuck. We can’t have wolves within the structure until the humans are off the scene. It’s chaos, a fucking nightmare, but we need to investigate this, get to the bottom of this quickly. We will get your mates back. All that I ask is for just a little patience.”

Fenris stepped up and gazed down at Jared, whom he was considerably taller than. In an obvious show of confrontation, Fenris narrowed his eyes. “Humans have no noses,” he hissed, voice filled with the venom of a true beast. “I need to be where the scents are. The females are not here, and I need to have elements to aid in their tracking, and I need those now. We are wasting time.”

“Fenris, I can assure you, our friends will be here shortly. They will clear the scene, and we can all begin the search. Please.”

“Was your female within?” Fenris snapped, his face framed by encroaching fur, his clothing tearing to shreds as his muscles began to grow. Fenris’s neck was already bulging in growth, and not even Rayne’s touch upon his arm could break the murderous glare that he was giving to the lieutenant.

One alpha backed down from the other as Jared shook his head. “N-no.”

“Then stand aside and let me track my mate. My patience is…growing thin.”

Rayne heard the crunch of boots upon gravel and looked down.

Jared had taken a step backward.

* * * *

Lunas were wolves whose transformations went haywire, invariably due to madness. Some grew tusks, some extra limbs. There had been sightings of Lunas who had wings, reptilian scales, and one who had amphibious qualities. Many of them could not change back. They had a form, and they stuck to it as the prisons of their mind would allow no less. Fenris was different, however. He could assume several.

The form he had taken had given him two ridges of spikes from his shoulders down to the swinging tip of a clublike tail. A pale beast with fur, he possessed the long, drawn face of a wolf. He had only four legs in this transformation, but his claws were enormous, frightening things, more reminiscent of a raptor than a wolf. Fenris was sifting through fallen mortar and charred debris while Jared looked on like a wolf that had seen a demon.

Ezra had been sent out on the perimeter to remain alert for any overly curious emergency staff or worse, reporters. The omega had been useful with his descriptions, having informed Rayne and Fenris of the asprega and vampires that had been present, but what Fenris could detect with scent was just as vital.

Rayne was prepared to help Fenris revert once he got the information he needed. Rayne could detect Freya’s scent from those of the others. His sense of smell was strong enough to distinguish the subtle differences beneath the smoke and the chemical fumes emitted from the searing plastic, plaster, and tiles, but Fenris’s abilities could detect more. He could commit to memory the individual scent of each vampire that had been present, each beast as well. Fenris would know the direction that they had gone, vanishing tricks or no!

“What is it that smells like oranges, grapefruit?”

“Asprega,” Rayne answered Jared, his eyes never leaving his alpha.

“What is an asprega? Was it those bat things that they say took the females?”

“They?”

“The survivors. There were a few. They said that they didn’t know what the beasts were. What is an asprega?”

“Very formidable creatures with the power to teleport. They are distant relatives to vampires, but the two are like night and day. They don’t tend to be sociable,” Rayne informed the officer as Fenris nudged his leg. Rayne knelt down and placed both hands against the massive bulk of his alpha’s shoulder. He closed his eyes and sighed as he did his best to help Fenris transform back.

It took a good deal of strength and time, but eventually fur, fangs, and talons began to recede.

“Holy fuck,” Jared cried. “That’s…that’s incredible.”

Rayne agreed inwardly. As he dropped his hands from Fenris’s form, Rayne was shaking, sweating just as badly as Fenris was.

When Fenris finally gazed up at him, some measure of clarity had returned to the dark blue orbs. “To the north. The north,” Fenris repeated, voice rumbling with strain.

Rayne nodded. “They could not have gone far, not carrying others, they couldn’t have.”

“Does
he
know?” Jared inquired.

Fenris answered the lieutenant, chest heaving. “The vampires, the asprega… They have gone north. They jumped, several times.”

“C-can you track them?”

Fenris nodded, eyes vacant as he stared at the ground. “The jumps are not good…for cubs.”

Rayne reached out and stroked his alpha’s twitching jaw. “Easy, Fen. We need to handle this carefully, rationally. Okay?” He had to repeat himself twice before Fenris acknowledged him.

“We should go. Hunt now.”

“We will, my alpha. Soon.” So thankful that he had possessed the foresight to call Cole and ask for help, Rayne wondered how long he could continue to maintain control of Fenris. For the moment, Fenris was doing a good job, was still somewhat sentient, but how long would that last? They needed to move fast. “We will have blood,” he promised, handing Fenris his clothes.

Fenris slid his pants back on, was fastening them as the scent of new intruders brought a snarl from him.

“You three! You!”

Rayne turned to meet a fashion model being escorted by bodyguards. The man strode with purpose, in a light gray suit and slacks, a salmon-colored shirt beneath. He had thick blond hair, neatly cut, and piercing gray eyes. He reeked of arrogance, so much so that Rayne had a good idea which pack he belonged to before the man could even declare it.

“Elian Sohon. I got here as swiftly as I could.” The blond spoke, coming to a stop before Rayne, Fenris, and Jared. His gaze went to Jared, showing a glimmer of recognition. “Lieutenant, what have you found out?”

“Vampires and asprega. They were behind this.”

Elian blinked. “Really. Vampires…and what? What are asprega?”

Rayne explained the beasts once more as he handed Fenris his shirt.

“I’ve never heard of such a thing.” Elian sighed, his brow wrinkled in question.

Clutching his shirt in a meaty fist, Fenris stepped forward. He looked down his nose at Elian as he had with Jared. “There is plenty that you’ve never heard of in this world, Sohon. Either way, their stench is all around this hell-forsaken place. Can’t you smell something out of place, something hot and living and vicious, wolf? Beneath all of that foul cologne?”

Unlike Jared, Elian did not flinch, eyes roving over Fenris from toe to head. “What I smell…is a Luna.”

Rayne’s heart stilled as he awaited Fenris’s response to the fool standing before him. Sohon or no, Elian had no idea the mistake he was setting himself up for.

Showing off a dark, venomous glare, Fenris asked, “Of course. And would you like to
see
a Luna?”

Elian did blanch at
that
offer.

Chapter Twelve

Freya was standing in Dredwolf’s Garden and Herb Emporium, a poor excuse for a nursery in West Virginia, which sold more than just tree saplings, mulch, and gardenias. She was in his special greenhouse, the smaller unit just behind the one for perennials. Freya was trying to interrogate the Caucasian werewolf who had an affinity for all things stereotypically rather than authentically Rastafarian. His blond dreadlocks with orange tips were twisted above his head in haphazard bun that had to look a frightful mess when he transformed, she figured.

All the same, he was anything but scary, sitting in a rocking chair, eyes so dilated that they seemed to be black pools outlined in yellow rather than hazel. He had an enormous blunt the width of a Coke bottle inched between his fingers. He took a long toke of the marijuana cigar and then simply flashed stained ochre teeth at her with every threat she made.

For her part, Freya demanded that he tell her what was so amusing. He had always been a good informant in the past. Even after she smacked the cigar from his hand, he only giggled.

She thought about hitting him directly, as in punching the shit out of him, but then one whiff of the surrounding fumes and her intent was lost. Why was she there? What did she need to know? Was she on assignment, and where the fuck was her crew?

Dred’s weed must have gotten more potent since the last time she had visited him.
Probably mixing it with gunpowder, cow manure, and…oranges?
Her head was throbbing with every breath that filled her nostrils.

“You be in some big trouble now, gurl.” The pale wolf finally snickered.

Freya shook her head, seriously doubting exactly who the one in trouble was. Coughing as she inhaled too much of the stench, Freya clenched her fist. “Look, you scum-sucking, wannabe-Marley cur. What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Trouble. Trouble. You are in trouble,” he kept repeating over and over. “You and your Bun are in trouble now, gurl!”

Freya reared back in confusion. The term
Bun
sounded familiar. She looked down and saw the fabric of her tank top protruding over her swollen belly. She was pregnant. Placing her hand upon her stomach, she was dumbfounded by her state. When had she gotten pregnant?

“Seriously fucked, mon.” Dred laughed.

Freya heard a crackling, tearing sound and looked up to see a crimson line running down Dred’s face. Blood. He was trembling, eyes rolling back in his head. The skin began peeling back from the center as if invisible fingers were pulling it away. Before Freya’s eyes, the form of Dred was unzipped to reveal the toothy, malicious grin of an…asprega.

Recollection crashed down on her like a barrel of cold water, forcing her upright and out of the dream with a shout. As cool fingers touched her shoulder, Freya had to stop herself from immediately swinging on Benna.

“Oh, Freya,” the Sohon cried, tears glistening in her eyes, a crease of a smile upon her lips. “Ah, thank the moon. You’re all right.”

Freya nodded, coughing as she took in a true breath of the surrounding air. It was even worse than in the dream. The smell of blood and flesh hadn’t been in Dredwolf’s nursery; it was surrounding her, on her. The citrusy aroma was so potent it made her head spin. “Fucking teleporters,” she swore.

Benna leaned over, rubbing Freya’s back. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I’m fine.” Freya shooed Benna away and slid from beneath Benna’s palm. She then took in the sight of the younger were.

Benna had never looked so disheveled. Her coppery red hair was a mess of frayed, blood-dappled curls. The pale pink evening gown she wore was a shredded rag of satin.

“They grabbed you too?” Freya asked.

“Y-yes,” Benna stammered after a long, sullen pause. “Look around. They took…they took all of the females.”

Freya scanned the cell she was being held in, observing several of the females who had been in attendance at the retreat. They were being kept in some sort of prison, fifteen-foot-tall ceilings of solid stone and titanium bars keeping them from freedom. To her left, she noted more bars. There were several cells, female wolves in all of them. There wasn’t one male. Clutching her spinning head, Freya recalled the words of the vampiress about wanting cubs. “Everyone, huh?”

Benna’s eyes drifted low, and she stared at the dark stone floor. “Yes. They even took the cubs, Freya.” She dropped her face into her hands and began to sob.

Numb, Freya didn’t know the first thing about consolation or despair. Benna wasn’t the only one crying. There were plenty of others. Some of the females were paralyzed with shock, and others rocking with worry. Freya reached over and gripped Benna’s shoulder, trying to at least mimic the actions of Benna’s prior comforting. “It’ll be fine, cub. Everything is gonna be fine.”

“How?”

Before Freya could even find the words to explain, two other females, a heavyset brunette named Shuanna who looked to be ready to give birth any second, and a skinny Indian were with mocha skin and ink-black hair, approached her with hope in their eyes. They wanted answers too.

“How did this happen, Freya? What were those things?” asked the brunette. “What are they going to do with us?”

The Indian wolf was just as frantic. “My cub, Freya. They have my cub! My Tiffany. We have to get her back. You and yours are warriors—”

“Calm down. Just calm down, and gimme a minute,” Freya started, only to be bombarded by nearly a dozen interested faces. Other females drew close, queries sparkling in their eyes, undoubtedly waiting for a solution that Freya was unprepared to give. Feeling nauseated and somewhat claustrophobic, Freya came to her feet and gestured for the women to give her room. Bun did not like citrus, and the urge to vomit rippled through her.

“They’re going to kill us. I just know it,” Freya heard another wolf lament. She seriously doubted that death was in the cards—at least not for the immediate future—but she couldn’t be sure of anything just yet.