Darkest Powers Bonus Pack 2 (7 page)

Seven

When I smelled Carter’s scent threading through Chloe’s, I wanted to tear over there, take him down and save her. I’m sure that’s what Simon would tell me to do. Play the hero. Save the girl. Win her undying love. Except racing through the forest meant Carter might hear me and grab her as a hostage, which would be a whole lot less romantic. Even if I did manage to take him down, I was in wolf form. That would be kinda hard to explain. Worse, I could hurt him, like I had that kid in Buffalo. Time to calm down and proceed with caution.

While I worked this out, I loped through the forest, getting to Chloe as quickly and quietly as I could. Soon I was close enough to tease both scents from the air and realize they weren’t actually together. They were just coming from the same direction. Carter was a lot closer to me.

I slowed and crept through the undergrowth until I could see him. He was standing behind a bush, peering over. I could tell by Chloe’s smell that she was about a hundred feet away—in the direction he was looking.

He was watching her. Spying on her. Stalking her. I fought a surge of rage by telling myself that Chloe was safe. I could get to her before he could. As I worked on a plan, something kept distracting me. His scent. I could still smell cologne, but now, when I was in wolf form, I picked up more of his natural smell. It seemed . . . familiar.

The other day I’d wondered if there was a reason Carter was wearing so much cologne. If he was covering his scent, that might mean he was connected to the Edison Group. Someone I might have smelled at the lab. I had decided I was being paranoid, but now I knew better. I recognized his scent.

Except I didn’t. It smelled familiar and yet it didn’t. How was that possible?

I could work that out later. For now, I just needed to get this guy away from Chloe. While my gut urged me to take him down—jump him, pin him, let Chloe escape—my brain said that wasn’t necessary. I could sneak around and warn Chloe, and we could get away together.

We’d go back to the house and I’d tell Dad. Then we could go after Carter together as I tracked his scent. I’d let Dad handle him. It was the smart thing to do. When Dad realized I’d walked away from a confrontation, he’d understand that I was still me in wolf form, capable of rational thought.
More
capable of rational thought than I’d been when I’d attacked that kid in Buffalo.

I started around Carter, making a wide circle so he wouldn’t catch a glimpse of me. That shouldn’t be hard, considering I’m a black wolf and it was night. Still, I stayed close enough to keep an eye on him and make sure he didn’t go after Chloe.

I passed parallel to him, maybe fifty feet away. As I did, I heard him inhale sharply. I stopped and turned to peer at him. He was still behind the bush, but he wasn’t looking in Chloe’s direction. He was looking in mine.

I eased behind a low bush. Carter wasn’t looking right at me. Just in my direction. Had he heard a twig crack? I didn’t think I’d made any noise. So what had—?

He tilted his head and his nostrils flared. Sniffing? No, that wasn’t poss—

It hit me then. What I’d smelled in his scent. What made it familiar. The underlying scent of a werewolf.

I’d smelled it once before, with two guys who’d come after me. I’d figured out fast what they were. With Carter, even after I detected his real scent the cologne tainted it. But now there was no doubt. Carter was a werewolf.

He sniffed again and his lips parted in a, “Shit.” He peered into the darkness. Then he looked toward Chloe. Back at me. More cursing.

I knew then what I had to do. Get him away from Chloe.
Chase
him away from her. And when she was safe, I had to take Carter down and hold him until she could bring my dad. If a werewolf had found us, we were in real trouble, and I couldn’t let him escape until we knew what the hell was going on.

I continued toward Chloe. Then I cut on a diagonal, heading for Carter’s position, creeping along silently until I was about thirty feet away. I paused, hunkered down. Then I shot from the brush and barreled straight for him, making all the noise I could.

He stumbled away and seemed ready to run for Chloe. But he was too far away. And I was between him and her. One last regretful look her way, before he turned and ran.

I let out a snarl. Chloe scrambled from her hiding place. I glanced back and caught a glimpse of her. I didn’t stop. She could see I was running the other way. Hopefully, she could see who I was chasing. She’d get to safety and bring help. I continued after Carter.

It wasn’t a fair race. He was fast, but in the forest, having four feet and running lower to the ground gave me the advantage. He kept having to duck low-hanging branches. The gap between us closed with each stride.

When I heard the undergrowth crackle ahead, I thought it was a deer. There were some out here and they’d race off in a panic when they smelled me coming. So I ignored the sound . . . until a dark shape leapt between me and Carter.

It was a wolf. A grizzled black wolf. Huge—at least as big as me.

Carter’s grandfather.

I skidded to a stop. I’d faced adult werewolves before. Two of them. Neither had been anywhere near this one’s size, and I’d still been outclassed. Dad said that werewolves protect themselves by gaining a reputation that warns off others. They gain that reputation through fighting. That means even the smallest adult werewolf was more than a match for me. So when I saw Carter’s grandfather, I had the sense to turn in my tracks. But as soon as I veered to race back the other way, I found my path blocked by another werewolf, one nearly as big as Carter’s grandfather.

I dove into the bushes. As I plowed through them, I could hear the two wolves flanking me, angling in to cut me off. I hunkered down, eyes slitted, ears back, protecting myself against the branches and brambles. I kept going, ignoring the crashing of the wolves on either side of me until the sounds of one faded. Still running, I swiveled my ears to be sure. The wolf on my left—Carter’s grandfather—was gone. He must have fallen back, too old to keep up, leaving me to the younger one. If I could just find a clearer path . . .

Slightly to my left the undergrowth cleared up enough for me to get ahead. I just needed to steer that way—

A black shape shot from the trees in front of me. Carter’s grandfather. I tried to stop, but he was too close and as I skidded, he pounced. He hit me hard, knocking my legs from under me as I went down. I tried to scramble up, but his jaws clamped on the back of my neck. He pinned me as the other wolf ran over.

A moment later, I heard a voice.

“I thought they said you were
smart
.”

Carter. I tried to twist to see him, but his grandfather kept my head pinned to the ground. I felt a prick in the back of my neck. A rush of cold. I blinked. Blinked again, as the forest seemed to wobble. Then it went dark.

Eight

I woke up feeling groggy and coughing.

“There’s soda there,” said a voice. “Coke and 7-UP. I wasn’t sure which one you liked.”

I followed the voice to a man. He was older than Dad, with some gray in a mane of dark hair that fell to his shoulders. I’d seen his face before and I blinked again, trying to clear my fuzzy brain, but the answer wouldn’t come.

I turned my gaze to the pop bottles. I imagined taking a gulp and made a face. The syrupy drink wasn’t going to clear my throat or my head.

“I sent Nate out for burgers,” the man said. “Do you like burgers?”

I looked around. I was in a bedroom with no windows. The only exit was a door—behind the man. I sized him up. He looked bigger than me and something about his smell told my foggy brain I shouldn’t even try getting by him.

Damn it, I knew this man. I knew why I was here.
Think, think . . .

“You like chicken instead? Or tacos?” he said. “I can call Nate, tell him to grab some fried chicken or tacos.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Sure you are.”

The man laughed, but it was a weird laugh, kind of nervous. I pulled the covers back. As I sat up, I stared down at myself. I was wearing sweat pants and a T-shirt, but they weren’t mine. They didn’t smell like mine. They smelled like . . . What did they smell like?

The man pushed the pop bottles at me. “Go on. Have some. They haven’t been opened.”

Why would he say that?

I looked around the windowless room again. I opened my mouth. My lips stuck together, gummy, and my mouth felt like I’d eaten cotton.

“Do you have water?” I asked.

He looked confused.

“Never mind. I’m not thirs . . .”

I didn’t finish the word, just left it hanging there as the gears of my brain finally started to turn. I remembered who the man was and exactly what I was doing here.

I leaped from the bed, landing on him and knocking his chair over backward. I ran to the door and yanked it open to see Carter. I pulled back my fist, but his grandfather was already on his feet and had the back of my shirt. He yanked, and I stumbled. His arm went around my neck in a headlock and when I tried to fight, I couldn’t breathe.

“Just stop fighting, Derek. I’m not going to hurt you.”

“Chloe,” I rasped. “Where’s Chloe? The girl I was with. What did you—?”

“We didn’t touch your girlfriend. She’s fine. Gone home.”

I heaved for breath. The man’s arm loosened around my neck.

“You better lay back down,” he said. “Have a soda. Food is coming. You’ll feel better once you’ve eaten.”

No, I’ll feel better once you let me out of here.

I didn’t say that, just nodded. He released his grip. I backed onto the bed.

“Might help if we gave him another shot,” Carter said from the doorway.

“No,” his grandfather said. “Seems like he got too much the first time.” A look toward Carter. “More than I measured out.” He turned to me before Carter could answer. “Do you know who I am, Derek?”

“You’re supposed to be his”—I nodded at Carter—”grandfather. Or that’s what you were pretending to be at the mall.”

“I am.”

“Okay.”

Silence. He kept studying me, like he was waiting for more.

“You know
what
I am, though, don’t you?”

“A werewolf. Like him.” Another nod at Carter.

“Anything else?”

I shook my head. He looked disappointed.

“My name is Theodore. Theo.”

“Okay.”

“Theo Cain.”

I stiffened. I didn’t mean to, but I remembered the other werewolves—Liam and Ramon—talking about me.

He’s a Cain.

“You know that name, don’t you, Derek?” The old man’s rough voice had softened. “Cain?”

“Someone told me . . .”

I swallowed and took another look at Theo. When I’d first seen him, I’d thought he looked familiar, but I couldn’t remember ever seeing him before. Then I thought Carter’s scent was familiar, but I figured it was just the werewolf smell. It wasn’t. I looked at Theo Cain—his dark hair, his square face, his big build—and I knew why I’d recognized him. Because he looked like someone I saw in the mirror every day.

“I heard . . .” I began. “I met two werewolves. Liam and Ramon. They said I’m a Cain and I’m guessing they told you. They must have thought I was related to you because I kind of look like you. But I’m not.”

“Did those scientists say your daddy was someone else?”

“No. I . . . They never mentioned my parents.”

“Then how do you know my boy, Zack,
wasn’t
your daddy?”

Because I don’t want him to be. Because I look at you and I look at Carter over there and I don’t want you to be my family. I don’t want anyone to be my family except my family. Dad and Simon.

“It wasn’t those two who told me,” Theo said. “I know who Liam and Ramon are, but I haven’t run into them in years. Someone else who knows those scientists said they tricked Zack. Or had some girl trick him. She got pregnant and he never knew it, because if he did, he wouldn’t have left you there. He would have come for you. We all would have come for you.”

I knew those words were supposed to mean something. That I was supposed to feel something. The little boy, locked up in a lab, dreaming of his family coming to his rescue and giving him a normal life should have felt something.

But I hadn’t known enough about normal life to even understand the concept of family. Or that I should or could be rescued from that life. Then I
had
been rescued. By my dad. Even if we didn’t share a strand of DNA, Kit Bae was my father. He’d saved me and he’d given me a family and the closest thing to a normal life as possible.

If these Cains were my biological family, then maybe I should feel something. A few months ago, I would have been happy for the chance to speak to another werewolf, but Dad had already found someone I could talk to—a guy who knew a lot about them. So now all I thought was that they could supply me with a family medical history, which could be useful. And probably not the response they hoped for.

“Okay,” I said after a moment.

Theo watched me, then said, “Okay what?”

I shrugged. “If you say I’m Zack Cain’s son, then I guess I am.”

“I’m your grandpa, Derek.”

“Okay.”

I felt bad then, seeing his disappointment. There wasn’t anything more I could say, though. I couldn’t pretend I was thrilled to have a “real” family. The best I could do was nod at Carter and say, “And he’s my . . .”

“Cousin. First cousin. So is Nate. You’ll meet him soon.”

“He was the other wolf that attacked me.”

Theo winced. “We didn’t mean—”

“Whatever. And Zach. Your son. The one you think is my father. He’s dead, right? Killed by the Pack?”

Grief flashed across the old man’s face. I had to bite my tongue to keep from saying another casual, “Okay.” I tried to look like I was sad about Zack being dead, but the truth is that I didn’t feel much of anything, except maybe a little sorry for this stranger’s loss. I hadn’t known my father.

“So now what?” I asked.

Theo looked confused. “Now what?”

“What happens now?” I looked around. “You kidnapped me and brought me here to tell me this. So now what?”

The confusion deepened. “You’ll come with us. You’re a Cain.”

“No,” I said slowly. “I mean, biologically, I am, but . . .” I wanted to say I already had a family, but my gut warned me it might not be in my best interests to bring that up. I shrugged. “I don’t know you.”

“You will. You’ll come and live with us. We’ll take care of you. You’ll stay with me.” He moved closer. “Don’t worry, Derek. We’re going to make this real easy. You can even go to school.”

“College?”

He gave the same confused look as when I’d asked for water. “No. High school. Cain boys are home-schooled, because we move around a lot. But we know an education is important to you, so I’ll make sure you go to a real school as often as you can. You don’t need to worry about college. You won’t need that. You’re already smart.” He smiled. “Don’t need a piece of paper to prove it.”

I wanted to say, “Are you sure we’re related? Really sure?” but again, it didn’t seem wise. I remembered what else those werewolves said about the Cains.

Three things every Cain has in common. Big as a house. Ugly as a mud fence. Dumb as a brick.

I didn’t much appreciate the second part, but I knew I wouldn’t be trying out for a modeling job anytime soon. As for the last, I knew that was wrong. At least for me. But if “not too bright” was the hallmark of a Cain, and these guys were Cains . . .

I evaluated the situation as I pretended to consider Theo’s words. I was trapped in a windowless bedroom. Guarded by one werewolf who could take me out and another who probably had a syringe of sedative in his back pocket. Then there was a third one—bigger than Carter and younger than Theo—who’d be back any moment.

I wasn’t getting out of here by brute force.

I reached for the Coke, twisted off the top and gulped it. Then I looked at Theo. “You said burgers?”

He smiled and relaxed. “Yep. Burgers, fries, even onion rings if Nate can find them. We’ll keep you well fed, son. You don’t need to worry about that.”

I finished the bottle, set it aside and stared at it, again feigning deep contemplation.

“It would be nice to be with my own kind,” I said finally.

“Course it would.”

“Mr. Bae is a nice guy and all, but . . . he’s not a werewolf.”

“Course he isn’t.”

“He doesn’t really understand me, you know?”

Theo smiled. “Course he doesn’t. He can’t. Not his fault. I’m sure he tried. But he’s not a werewolf.”

I nodded. Then I scratched my head and made a face. “You think I could go have a shower before those burgers show up?”

Theo chuckled. “Is that what you want, Derek? A shower? Or are you hoping there’s a window you can climb out?”

“Huh? No. I just wanted—”

He leaned forward. “You’re a smart boy. I’ve been warned about that. I might not have much of an education, but I know a few things about us. About werewolves. We need family. We need a pack. You’ve got that. You’ve got a daddy and a brother and now you’ve got yourself a real cute girlfriend, and you’re going to do your damnedest to get back to them. So if you want that shower, I’ll take you, but you’d barely get your head out of the tiny window. Even if you did, there’s no one around to call for help.”

He pushed to his feet. “It’s gonna take time for you to come around. I know that. And you’re not going to be too happy with me for a while. Soon you’ll see that I did the right thing and you’ll thank me for it. But for now, I’m keeping a real close eye on you, Derek. So—” He met my gaze. “Do you still want that shower?”

I looked at Carter, snickering behind Theo, and I slumped back.