Lycan on the Edge: Broken Heart Book 13 (14 page)

“You’ve got some big ole lady balls, I’ll give you

that.”

What had she been thinking, going straight into

a nest of vampires and other parakind? She’d had

no choice. Thanks, Ena, you evil bitch. Maybe if

Brigid could help her, she could reverse what

she’d done to fulfill her part of the bargain. Fix it

somehow. She sipped and sipped because she

didn’t want to talk. No, she didn’t want to lie.

Memories flashed. In the forest. The camper

parked at a jaunty angle. Sitting on a worn log.

Staring at the fire in the pit, enjoying the last of

their dinner, laughing at old jokes. Shadows

surrounding them…

“Run, baby! Run!” Her mother’s voice.

Screaming. She took off. She was fast. Had

always been fast. They broke off, chasing her,

screeching. Then they dissipated, like smoke …

then reformed to wiggle away into the forest. She

circled around, returning to the campsite.

She would save her.

She would save her mother.

They danced, their warbling metallic cries

tearing at her like claws. In the middle of their

wavering shapes, she saw Mom. Collapsed next

to the dying fire like a tossed rag doll, her throat

had been ravaged. Her glassy eyes stared at

nothing, her mouth open in a final silent scream

… and her blood, bright as spilled rubies,

flowing, flowing…

“Meckenzie?”

The French-tinted voice snapped to her mind

into the present. She was breathing hard, tears

gathering, and heart racing. Ren stood next to her

chair staring down at her. Hmm. Was that concern

lurking in his golden gaze? She couldn’t deal with

more guilt, more regrets. She put her empty mug on

the coffee table—on a coaster, of course. She

wasn’t a complete heathen.“When did you get

here?”

“Just now,” he muttered. He glanced at his

brother and sister-in-law. “We think someone has

infiltrated our borders.”

Mackenzie didn’t break eye contact. As

vampires, they no doubt heard her increased heart

rate and her slight intake of breath. Adrenaline

started pumping, and she felt her hands curl into

fists.

His expression went cold. “You let them in.”

She kept her gaze on Ren, but wouldn’t,

couldn’t, answer.

His jaw clenched. “You do not deny that you

allowed someone else into Broken Heart. This Ena

perhaps?”

I didn’t have a choice.
But she couldn’t say the

words. Excuses, lies, justifications. Her gut

clenched. She hadn’t much cared about the way she

lived after her mom died. She’d been in survival

mode.

She

wasn’t

interested

in

forming

relationships. Caring about people meant risking

loss, and she was too much a coward to put her

emotions on the line.

“Ena is the witch?” asked Patsy.

“I call her Ena the Evil. She pretty much

sucks.”

Ren looked like he was trying to stare holes

through her. “How did you do it?”

Meckenzie reached into her pocket, drew out

the vial, and put it on the coffee table. “A fairy

wish.” She licked her lips. “If it makes you feel

better I only let one Alberich in.”

The silence fell like an ax.

“And did you intend to hand over Brigid, too?”

The queen’s eyes flashed red.

“No. It’s why I need her. She can stop Ena.”

Tears of frustration welled. “I’m trapped, damn it.

If you would just tell me where she is we can end

this whole thing and I’ll get out of your fur.”

“She’s not here. She’s a goddess and pretty

much does whatever she wants. But I know

someone who can get in touch with her, and I’ll

contact him,” offered Patsy.

Meckenzie felt the tension emanating from Ren

as well as from Patsy and Gabriel. She could

almost taste their fury. It surrounded her, pummeled

her. She deserved everything they’d throw at her.

She had willingly placed herself at the town’s

border. Maybe she could’ve walked away, or

changed her mind but Ena had sent the shadows

and made sure she’d followed through.

“I can’t have you wandering around Broken

Heart causing a ruckus,” said Patsy.

The blood drained from my face. “Are you

going to kill me?”

“It’s an option. Right now you’re getting locked

up in our paranormal prison until we handle the

situation with your bitchy witch and that werewolf-

killing machine you let in. Then we’ll deal with

you.”

She snagged Ren’s gaze. A muscle ticked in his

jaw, and his gaze flashed with ire. He nodded

slowly, his eyes narrowed. “I’ll take her.”

Meckenzie stood, resigned to her fate, and Ren

clamped a hand on her shoulder. As they exited the

house, she heard Queen Patsy say, “We need to get

Sophie and Trent back here STAT. Call everyone.

It’s all hands on deck.”

The chilled air hit them like a fist, and she

sucked in a shocked breath. She’d forgotten how

cold it was outside.

“Meckenzie. Betrayer!” screeched a familiar

woman’s voice. She barely had time to register

Ena’s pissed-off visage before the knife entered

her left shoulder. The tiny blade lodged just below

her collarbone. She wrenched it out. Pain whipped

through her, but she gritted her teeth against the

stinging waves.

“Ena,” she said, tossing the knife into the air

and catching it by the handle. “You’re early.”

Ena’s black gaze burned with unholy light. She

touched the tiny silver daggers lining the belt

around her hips and smiled. Wow. Can you say evil

bitch? She’d planned to kill Meckenzie all along.

Figured.

“You think I can’t destroy all of Broken Heart

with just one Alberich?”

Nope. Hah.
“Fuck you.”

Ena threw a second knife, and Ren jerked

Meckenzie out of the way and leapt in front of her.

Ena’s second blade clattered to the porch.

Meckenzie pressed her hand against the wound,

hissing as acidic pain jolted through her. Terrific.

Those daggers were poisoned. She dropped the

blade and wondered how long the poison would

take. Knowing Ena, it would be a long and painful

death.

“What the holy fuck!” yelled Patsy as she

marched outside, shoving Meckenzie and Ren out

of the way. She lifted her hands and ropes of gold

magic unleashed.

The ropes looped around Ena, but the witch

only laughed.

“You’re dead, Meckenzie Braith.
Dead!
”

She easily shoved off the vampire queen’s

magic, and then, in a puff of acrid smoke, Ena the

Evil disappeared.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

SOPHIE STRUGGLED WITH the bombshell Trent

had dropped. “How is that possible?” she asked.

“What happened to the other destroyer?”

“My wife and I volunteered to be the weapon.

We vanquished the Alberich, but it took a toll on us

both. I survived, but Laura did not.”

He’d been married? To the first destroyer? She

pressed her hand against her stomach sure she was

going to vomit. The feeling roiling in her gut felt

too much like betrayal.

“You used me.”

“No.” Trent reached for her hand, but she

pulled away. “I care about you, Sophie. What

we’re building between us is real, I swear it.”

She shook her head, tears forming.

“This wasn’t part of the deal,” said Virginia.

Sophie turned toward her grandmother. “You

knew?”

“I knew he survived the Alberich, and that he

could help you.” Nana glared at Trent. “You

should've told me Sophie was some kind of

weapon. I’m gonna read Queen Patsy the riot act!”

“We weren’t sure,” said Trent. “We knew that

when Laura died, her power would pass on to

someone else. Once the spell is enacted, it always

finds hosts. Not that it mattered. We always

believed the Alberich had been defeated. But one

found you, Sophie. And you vanquished him.”

“And almost died,” yelled Nana. “Did you

forget that part?”

“This doesn’t make sense. How did a power

find me a hundred years after your wife passed

away?”

“I don’t know. I believe the power found you

because the Alberich have returned. Maybe

because you were the first of our kind to be

attacked by one since we drove them off so long

ago. It’s just a theory, but even if it’s wrong, it

doesn’t change anything. You are the destroyer.”

“So, just dumb, bad luck? Bullshit. Someone

did this to me, and I want it undone.”

“It doesn’t work like that, sweetheart.” Trent

stood up. “We need you, Sophie.
I
need you.”

“Sooner rather than later.” The new voice

sounded a lot like Patsy.

Sophie looked over her shoulder. Patsy and

Gabriel stood in their hotel room. Well, why not?

How had this day started out to be the best in a

very long time and then turned into the worst?

“We don’t have much time,” added Gabriel.

“There is already an Alberich in town. And four

others prowling our borders.”

“I don’t know how to be the destroyer,” said

Sophie. She hated that she sounded whiny. She

didn’t want to be that person. She wanted to be

strong and brave, but her previous encounter with

the Alberich had scared the crap out of her.

“I’ll help you,” said Trent. “We’ll do it

together.”

Somehow, the idea of facing the problem with

Trent eased her rising panic.
Get on your big girl

panties, Soph.

She nodded. “Okay.”

She would do this for her friends and the town.

But once the Alberich had been defeated, she and

Trent had a lot to discuss. If she decided she was

still talking to him.

REN HELD MECKENZIE’S upper arm and

guided—and by guided, she meant hauled—her

down a narrow hallway. He’d had the audacity to

handcuff her, and even though twelve ways to get

out of the cuffs had already occurred to her, she

hadn’t tried. With his werewolf strength and

vampire agility, Ren could totally whoop her ass.

They stopped in front of a transparent plastic

door. When he opened it, she noted the floor-to-

ceiling white interior and the single, narrow bed.

On the back wall, there was a closed door that she

hoped led to a bathroom.

“Way to hold a grudge, dude,” she said, laying

on the sarcasm. Deep down, her feelings were hurt.

The fact Ren had no reason to trust her (you know,

that whole lying and conniving she’d been doing)

was not the point.

But Ren was obviously not a leap-of-faith kind

of guy.

He waited, pinning her with his gaze, and she

felt her lungs slowly deflate. His nostrils flared.

His lips curled with just enough snarl to remind

her that somewhere inside him lurked a wolf.

“I can tell you why I did it,” she said.

“I am not sure that matters.”

“The why always matters,” she said, offering

another wisdom gem dropped by Mom. Mary

Braith had been smart and kind and deserved a

better daughter. She tried to be that but kept failing.

Yep. She was pretty damned good at failure.

“Go ahead. Tell me why.” Ren’s voice was

tainted with anger.

She flinched inwardly but held steady. “Ena