Alpha Pack 3 - Black Moon (20 page)

and he took a deep breath, swaying a little. Blinking the spots from his vision. “Shit, that jacks me up every time.”

“Perhaps you should practice more.”

Malik stood a few feet away, wearing his guise of Evan Kerrigan. He looked like any classy

businessman out for a midday stroll, his dark hair smoothed back, sunshades perched on his angular

face.

“What do you want?” Kalen said with barely concealed venom.

“So testy.” He smirked. “Watch your tone with me, boy.”

“Whatever.” Glancing around, he frowned. “Why are we standing in the middle of a park? Where

are we, exactly?”

“We’re in a small town not far from Cody. The name doesn’t matter. It’s a quaint little place, don’t

you think?” he observed, waving a hand at the peaceful, sculpted slice of town.

Across the expanse of lawn, a couple walked a yellow Lab. A man jogged past them on the paved,

winding path, doing a double take at the undoubtedly odd sight of a businessman and a guy dressed in

Goth attire loitering in the park.

“Yeah, it’s nice. What does this place have to do with anything?”

“Are you so shortsighted? Look around us. It’s the perfect canvas for the first swipe of our brush.”

“Meaning what?” When Malik merely gave him a droll stare, dread crept through his stomach.

“You’re not planning to hurt any of these people, are you?”

The Unseelie scoffed at that. “How can someone who’s lived your life still be such a bleeding heart?

You wandered through many a town just like this one in your days of being starved and homeless. Did a

single one of those people ever offer you a hand?”

He didn’t answer that. Of course, nobody had.

Instead, he shook his head. “That doesn’t mean people deserve to die for others’ indifference. There

would be nobody left on earth if—”

“Yes, yes,” the Unseelie cut him off impatiently. “I’ve heard it all. Even so, none of these humans

are without their failings. The jogger who passed us is cheating on his wife. The couple walking their dog over there closed the door in the face of a Boy Scout who was collecting cans for the local food pantry.

That same Boy Scout struck another student at school just the day before, calling him names. No one is innocent, Kalen.”

“But—”

“This beauty you see is a mere facade. That is why I brought you here, for a simple reminder. And a

second exercise toward your tutelage, as well.”

“What are you planning?” he asked, trying to hide his trepidation.

“My Sluagh are coming this way. They must travel by foot, as there are too many for me and you

combined to transport them magically.” His eyes were snakelike, glittering and cold. “They will level

this pretty little oasis and devour everyone in it—while you and I stand here and laugh over their

screams.”

Kalen recoiled in horror. “There is no fucking way I’m going to allow you to slaughter these people,

much less
help
you do it.”

“You will.” Reaching out, the Unseelie placed his palm on Kalen’s forehead. “What’s more, you

will enjoy every bloody second.”

“No, I—”

“
Abyssus abyssum invocat.”

Hell calls hell.

Their bond opened and flooded every cell, the rush of inky blackness so strong, so painful, it nearly

sent him to his knees. He fought against the rising tide of evil and knew instantly he couldn’t fight this battle and win—not without the strength of his mate’s love on his side. Not without her scent, her

closeness, her belief in him. He had no footing.

He felt the change take place in his mind, felt the slide into depravity. He couldn’t halt it

completely. . . . But out of desperation, he snatched an image of Mackenzie’s smile, the way she looked at him when she was happy. He seized that picture and tucked it close to his mind and heart, even as the corrupted part of his soul rejoiced in the prospect of inflicting his suffering on others.

“That’s it, my boy,” Malik’s voice said in the maelstrom. “You’ve been hurt so much, haven’t you?

You want vengeance. Let it fill you.”

Breathing hard, he struggled against giving in. It was almost easier
before
he’d claimed Mackenzie.

At least then, without the strength of her bond to rival Malik’s, there had been little sense of right and wrong to tear him apart. No light to battle the darkness . . .

Light and love. This is what Sariel had meant was his only savior. But the inner battle was killing

him as surely as the real war would, when the time came.

“You will watch them suffer and die.”

“Yes.” No! He wouldn’t do it.

“Excellent,” he purred in praise, rubbing Kalen’s shoulder in affection. Affection he knew the

Sorcerer craved more than any alcohol or drug on the planet. “They’ll be here shortly. You will remain by my side through it all. By the time your commander and his dogs learn of the attack, it will be much too late.”

He stared at Malik, shaking his head to clear the fog. “No! I won’t—”

“You heard me, boy.” The Unseelie’s face hardened. “You will not fail me.”

The
or else
went unsaid, but it rang in Kalen’s ears anyway as he glared back. There was just no way he could stand by while innocent people died. No matter how strong his tie was to Malik, no matter how badly his soul called out for blood. Ignoring Malik’s shout of anger, Kalen vanished, teleporting

back to the compound. In his own quarters, he paced the living room, fighting to strengthen his shields and push the evil back into a remote corner of his soul. He had to keep his wits about him. Combat this thing.

He’d tell Nick. Right now.

Pushing into the corridor, he hurried to the end and turned down the one leading to Nick’s office. He

rapped twice and heard Nick call out for him to come in. He stepped over the threshold, closing the

door.

“You look pretty serious,” the commander commented, pushing aside a stack of paperwork.

“What’s on your mind?”

Carefully erecting his shields, he met the other man’s gaze. “I just saw Malik.”

Nick bolted to his feet. “Here? How did—”

“No, he’s not here,” Kalen assured him. “He summoned me to a town not far from Cody to tell me

his Sluagh are going to attack and kill everybody there.”

Lowering himself into his chair again, Nick let out a vile curse. “When?”

“Any minute.”

“Tonight?” At Kalen’s nod, his expression darkened. “I’ve got reinforcements on the way, but they

won’t get here in time. We’ll have to handle this on our own.”

“What kind of reinforcements?”

“People I trust.” He paused. “Now, where exactly is the attack taking place?”

“The—the east end of town.” At that, pain lanced his temples and he gasped. Feeling dizzy, he sat in

one of the guest chairs. “He ordered me not to tell you, but I couldn’t just stand by and watch those

poor people get murdered—oh, God.”

Another blade seared his brain and the room spun. He barely registered Nick calling his name as he

slumped to the floor, on his back. The commander’s worried face appeared above his and he fought to

make him understand.

“He . . .” A third spear of white-hot agony. Liquid ran from his nose. Blood. “Help them, Nick . . .

Ahhh!
”

The fourth time was too much. Writhing, he screamed as his brain was torn apart, molecule by

molecule. In the distance, he heard Nick yelling.

And then there was nothing.

* * *

Mac was debating the wisdom of going to find Kalen, maybe breaking the ice, when a commotion

exploded in the lobby of the infirmary.

“Get me some fuckin’ help!”

Nick. Immediately she dropped the clipboard containing Sariel’s chart and ran. In the hallway she

almost collided with Melina, and the other woman took the lead. When they rounded the corner, her

heart almost stopped.

Nick was moving toward them fast, Noah on his heels. But Mac’s attention was focused on Kalen,

limp in Nick’s arms, head tilted back, eyes closed. Her mate’s face was covered in blood. Christ, it had even run into his hair.

“First trauma room,” Melina barked, gesturing them in. “What happened?”

“He collapsed in my office.” Nick carefully laid his burden on the gurney and stepped back. “He

was giving me some information about Malik, and this happened.”

“You think the Unseelie is responsible?” Melina asked. Grabbing a penlight, she pried open a lid and

shone it into one eye. Noah began taking their patient’s blood pressure as Nick answered.

“Yeah. I know he is, but
how
is the question.”

Mac spoke up, unable to hide the tremor in her voice. “My guess is he’s using their bond to control

Kalen. By trying to pass along information that would help you, he crossed the line.”

“And now he’s paying,” Nick said grimly. “When I get my hands on that fucking demon, I’m going

to kill him.”

“You’ll have to stand in line,” Mac told him.

Noah piped up. “BP’s normal, pulse is steady.”

“Pupils are reacting normally as well,” Melina put in, visibly relieved. “That’s a good sign—though

I’ll feel better when he regains consciousness.”

Suddenly Mac’s throat burned with the effort it took not to cry. Her mate looked so vulnerable lying

there, struck down by an unseen force. It must have taken a great well of inner strength to go against the leader of the Unseelie.

Fetching a sterile cloth, she cleaned Kalen’s face. She noted he’d bled some from his ears and

cleaned those as best as she could, too. His hair would have to wait until he could shower.

“He’ll be all right,” Melina soothed. She turned to Noah. “Let’s move him to a room and keep him

monitored until he wakes up.”

Mac jumped to help the nurse and together they rolled his gurney into a private room. Noah assisted

her in undressing him, stripping him down to his briefs. As they got him into a gown, she tried not to stare at her lover’s perfect, lean body. But thinking of what he was going through sobered her quick

enough.

As she stroked Kalen’s hair, Noah slipped from the room. For several minutes she simply stood by

him, painfully aware that she could’ve lost him. For the whim of an evil bastard, he could be dead right now. And she never would’ve been able to make up with her . . . mate.

“My mate,” she whispered, tracing the line of his jaw. His lips.

She had a mate.

And if Kalen would give her another chance, she’d start being a real one to him.

Nine

Sprawled in one of the infirmary’s uncomfortable vinyl chairs, Mac made a mental note to hit up

Melina to order better ones. Not that her request would lead anywhere. The other doc was so tight

with their budget she could make it squeal for mercy.

A small movement from the bed interrupted her musings and she sat up, scooting closer to Kalen’s

side. There was rapid twitching behind his eyelids and he moaned, started to thrash a little, maybe facing down an enemy in his nightmares.

“Kalen?” She touched his arm, watchful of any sudden moves. Patients who’d been through bad

experiences could be violent upon waking—and she had extra reason to be cautious. “Hey, come back

to me.”

“M-Mac?” Licking his lips, he blinked slowly, trying to focus on her face.

She had to smile. “That’s the first time you’ve ever called me by my nickname.”

“Tired.”

“I know, honey.” She cupped his face, unable to get close enough. “You gave us quite a scare.”

“What happened?”

“You don’t remember? Nick says you collapsed in his office. You were telling him about the attack

Malik planned on a small town outside Cody.”

For a few seconds, he seemed to slowly process this, baffled, as though she wasn’t speaking his

language. Then a look of horror bloomed on his face as he tried to sit up. “God, the attack! How long

have I been here? Has it happened already? Where’s—”