Darkness Unleashed (25 page)

“
She’s going to pay for this,” Darcy whispered. Despite how low her voice was, there was no doubt that she meant each word. Gone was the tender side of my mate. In its place, rang the truthfulness of a fighter.

“
She will,” I promised. Threading my fingers through hers, I cringed a little as I bent them. It didn’t stop me from enjoying the comforting touch, however.

“
They wanted to give us a little privacy.” Changing the subject, Darcy drew my attention to our surroundings. Somewhere between coming home and Darcy joining me in the cage, someone had draped the cage’s walls with a blanket. It was the kind of thing that Daniel would’ve done, reminding me there was a debt to be repaid there, as well.

He’d say that it was nothing and that he was simply doing his job as second-in-command, but it was more than that. That extended to Devlin and Wade, too. It went beyond duty and Pack, even friendship. They’d put their own lives on the line in order to save mine.

Grateful for the thoughtfulness, I let out a weary sigh. “I guess it’s time to face the world.”

“
We can wait a little longer if you need to. No one would think any less of you if you did.”

While the thought was tempting, it didn’t change the fact that Helena was still at large and we were no closer to uncovering the identity of the mysterious Master. “No, it’s okay. There’s business to take care of.”

“
I don’t care about that right now. My priority is you.” The earnest look she gave me made my chest tighten. More than anything, I wish I could have said yes and spent the rest of the day lying with my mate, wrapped up in our own little bubble. Unfortunately, neither of us could ignore reality nor put off the inevitable. Nodding, she knew my response without me speaking.

“
I love you, Darcy O’Connor. Thank you,” I whispered, gently taking her face between my hands and pulling her mouth to mine. It was a promise of what would later come, when everything had been discussed and we were, once again, alone in our bedroom. I poured my heart into the kiss, hoping that it would convey just how much I valued her. I was alive and whole because she’d stubbornly refused to take no for an answer.

I knew the kiss wouldn’t be enough, but it would be the first of many. For the rest of my life, I would fill each moment with showing her how she made me feel.

“
Welcome home,” she replied, a soft smile returning to her face.

Home.

I definitely was.

****

I could sense everyone inside, impatiently waiting to see whether I was okay.

After quickly dressing, a fresh set of clothes placed outside the cage, there was no point delaying the inevitable. There were questions to answer and plans to make, now that Helena had blatantly declared war against not just me and the Pack, but with the entire Supernatural community.

The room went quiet as I closed the office door behind us, suddenly becoming the center of attention.

Daniel was the first to reach me, pulling me into a firm bear hug. “You, brother, are a sight for sore eyes.”

Returning his affection, I laughed. “You took long enough to come get me.”

“
Well, if I’d known you were just hanging around . . .” His joking abruptly stopped, Daniel’s face reddening. “Too soon?”

That was what I loved about my best friend. I couldn’t count the times it was his humor that helped lighten a situation, even if it seemed misplaced.

Darcy slapped him hard. “Yes, you jerk.” Giving him a stern glare, I shook my head behind her, letting him know he was fine. I loved the guy and knew his heart. Over the years, our friendship had evolved into something deeper. I saw his comment for what it was—his attempt at telling me nothing had changed.

Little did he know, everything had.

“
How you feeling?” Devlin asked, gripping my arm in a warrior handshake. “You had us worried there, Mason.”

“
I’m not going to lie. So was I.” It was scary to think about how close I’d come to losing myself to my wolf. Looking at my friends, it was hard to find the right words. “Thank you. I don’t know how you found me so fast, but thank you. Helena wasn’t happy that you cut into her play time.” Glancing around, I was surprised not to see Wade.

With our connection back, Darcy knew who I was looking for. “He’s out checking on Pack members. Once he knew you were okay, he thought someone needed to let everyone know their Alpha was safe. He didn’t want to do it over the phone.”

Nodding, I was glad someone had the foresight to do it. “I’m thinking it’s time I made his position within the Pack more official.” I sometimes worried I didn’t appreciate the young wolf enough, and I made a mental note to pull him aside when he returned. He’d stepped up, and that was something I couldn’t ignore. Wade was an important part of my inner circle of friends, someone who continually proved his loyalty.

Daniel murmured his agreement, but no one spoke up as Devlin watched on with Darcy at my side.

“
Okay, I’m going to say this only once, so listen up. I’m fine. I don’t want to get all touchy-feely about what happened. I’m back and the only thing I want to focus on is finding Helena and her crew. When we do, we’ll cross that bridge.”

“
You can’t just switch off what happened, Mason,” Devlin replied, his brow crinkling. “No one can go through what you just did, unscathed. You’re forgetting, I was there when we found you.”

“
And we were here to see what it did to Darcy,” Daniel added.

It was his comment that caught my attention. Staring at Darcy, her face reddened, showing me she’d kept something from me. “What do you mean?”

“
Well . . .” she drawled. “I also experienced some of it, at least until our mental link snapped and you booted me out of your head.”

I remembered that, the horror of hearing her scream in agony and feeling helpless to keep her protected from it. “I know that. I felt you there and told you to break out connection. You should never have been in my head once you knew what was going on.”

“
How else were we meant to find you?” she fired back.

“
I don’t ever want you compromising yourself to save me, sweetheart. There are some things I never want you feeling.” Despite how stubborn she was, in this matter I was adamant.

“
Tell him all of it,” Devlin prompted, earning a glare from his niece.

Confused, I looked between the three of them. “Someone needs to start talking.”

When Darcy remained tight-lipped, it was Daniel who revealed the truth. “It seems the bond between you and Darcy is unusually strong.”

“
And?”

“
She started manifesting the physical signs of your torture,” he finally added. “She was so tightly locked onto you, that red welts appeared on her chest and here.” Daniel ran his finger over his left cheek, the exact place where my freshly made scar was.

There was a second of stillness before I exploded. “What?” My mind scrambled to process what he was saying. The bond between mated couples was powerful, but I’d never heard of something like this happening before. The thought that she’d suffered because of me made me ill and I suddenly had the urge to kill something.

Kill Helena.

Kill Ross.

Kill everyone connected to the Master.

My wolf howled inside, rebuking me for not giving him his freedom so he could avenge these crimes. Standing there, my heart pounding inside my chest, my conscience warring with my moral compass, it would’ve been easy to say screw it. It was one thing to attack me, but another, all together, when it affected my mate. My determination to keep my humanity slipped and my wolf sensed it.

If Darcy hadn’t chosen that exact moment to touch me, it would’ve been all over. I would’ve shifted. Once again, she saved me, this time from myself.

Reaching up and turning my jaw until she filled my line of sight, she spoke, “I’m fine. We didn’t know. Now we do.”

“
She hurt you,” I growled, my voice gravelly with rage.

“
She also hurt you,” Darcy answered calmly.

Shaking my head, it didn’t matter. “I swear I didn’t know, sweetheart. I promise you.”

One kiss, one brushing pass of her lips over mine, and she unraveled my fury, giving me the breathing space to regain control over my emotions. “I believe you.”

Gathering her into my arms, I rested my forehead against hers. “She. Hurt. You.” I couldn’t let that one thought go.

“
Trust me when I say this, Mason. We will find her and she’ll pay for this. Everyone will search for her and for this Master.” As each second ticked by, I became more and more grounded.

“
I’ve already got Enforcers coming in to help canvas the area. They’ve been ordered to report any suspicious activity and I’ve given them detailed descriptions, so it’s only a matter of time before they’re caught,” Devlin chimed in. “Zane’s given this top priority because we know that Helena’s connected to this Master character. Find one and you’ll find the other.”

“
They won’t remain hidden, forever,” Daniel added, gripping my shoulder in support. “I’ll reach out to the surrounding Packs, as well, and see what they know. We’ll get to the bottom of this, Mason.”

“
We will. Everyone’s doing everything they can to right this wrong,” Devlin reaffirmed.

“
What can I do?” I asked. There was no way I could sit by and watch everyone else work. I needed to be busy. My sanity demanded it.

“
Go with your wife and rest,” Daniel ordered, a grin on his face.

“
No,” I blurted, earning a funny look from Darcy as her eyebrow raised. “As enjoyable as that would be, I’m Alpha. I need to do my part.” I was backpedaling and they knew it.

“
You just returned from being tortured, dude. I think that warrants a little extra down time while you recover some more. I know you think you’re the big, bad wolf, but even Superman needed to rest. Besides, don’t make me pull rank. While you were indisposed, I was acting Alpha,” Daniel laughed.

“
And it went to your head,” I retorted, rolling my eyes.

Shrugging, my reaction didn’t faze him. “Doesn’t change the fact that I’m right. It’s not going to hurt to take the next few hours to recoup. I’ll personally come tell you if we hear anything.”

Not letting me argue, Darcy took hold of my hand and tugged me toward the door. “Sounds like the perfect plan.”

I still wasn’t convinced, though. “I need to see them brought in to answer to their crimes, Daniel.”

“
And you will. In the end, everyone will get what they deserve.”

With nothing else to do, I nodded and relaxed, walking with Darcy to our bedroom.

Everyone will get what they deserve.

Daniel’s last comment echoed in my mind until I finally gave in and let my mate distract me—her gentle touches slowly erasing the ones that had scarred my body.

Chapter Twenty

Darcy

Reaching for Mason and finding his side of the bed empty, I woke with a start. I hadn’t meant to fall asleep. After returning to the bedroom, we’d somehow managed to silence the rest of the world out and escape. Both of us had gone through so much and the hours that followed did a lot to restore us.

There was a strength that came from sharing peace with the one you love—something that went beyond mere words. What started out as whispered concerns, quickly evolved into something deeper. Our bodies were in tune with each other, the intimacy of our love being the catalyst for healing.

Sex was never just sex with us. The air seemed a little easier to breathe in the midst of chaos afterward, our ability to keep going, fortified. There was nothing we couldn’t face as a couple, nothing we couldn’t overcome.

Despite knowing all that in my heart, it didn’t stop it from racing until I heard his voice softly through our connection. Not wanting to disturb me, Mason had returned to his office to hear what news Daniel had managed to gather.

As much as I hated it, the world truly didn’t stop spinning—the affairs of the power hungry making it impossible to simply enjoy a day without drama.

After a brief stop in the kitchen to grab myself some blood, I quickly headed toward the meeting I knew was going on. If there was an update on Helena and the Master, Mason would be brainstorming ways to capture them. We still didn’t know what form retribution would take, but if there was one thing that was certain, it was that he’d need me by his side.

He was an authority in the community, a leader everyone looked to for help and direction, especially as any threat spread. If the Master was determined to govern over all Supernaturals, his influence wouldn’t be contained to just this area. He’d be looking to dominate the country. He’d want to rule the world.

Like any wild fire that burned out of control, the only hope in containing it would be to prevent it from gaining momentum. The next few days—weeks—would be crucial to keep those we loved safe. There was no way Mason would sit by and idly wait. Being a proactive Alpha, despite his own personal injuries, he would work tirelessly to ensure everyone was protected.

Entering the office, my quiet musings proved correct. Both Mason and Daniel were in heated debate, with Wade listening in on the sideline. Unlike the previous meetings I’d been part of, this was every bit the war room. The click of the handle as I closed the door didn’t faze them, either.

Something had happened to put all three of them on high alert. I could sense their agitation from where I stood.

“
I disagree, we need to act, immediately. Waiting to see whether the others can be reasoned with might be too late,” Mason argued, dragging his fingers through his hair as he left out a frustrated breath.

“
True; but if we jump the gun, it may show that we’re worried more than we should be,” Daniel retaliated.