Red Moon Rising (18 page)

“Stand back human.”  Her voice was a low growl.  “Do not
make me hurt you.  Your sister loves you very much.  When we bring her back
from Draken, it would pain her greatly to see you missing body parts.”

Her gaze drifted down his naked body, and he didn’t fail to
notice the way it lingered at his crotch. 

“Do you think I am frightened of you Lycan?”  He scoffed. 
“I’ve been tortured and enslaved by Lycans for nearly three years.  There is no
pain you can inflict on me that I haven’t already experienced.”

She took a deep breath and willed herself to calm down. 
“Kaden – “

“How do you know my name?”  He gave her a startled look.

“I told you.  Bree is my friend.  She’s told us about you,
and what Draken has been doing with the humans.  We told her we would help
rescue you.  You need to relax.  We’re here to help you.”

He snorted angrily.  “There is no such thing as a helpful
Lycan.”

He looked down at his side, his brow darkening with
confusion, and touched the spot where the sword had pierced him.  “I do not
understand.”  He muttered softly.

“We can explain everything.”  Sophia said softly.  “You need
to – “

The door to the bedroom opened and Dani breezed into the
room.  She carried a bundle of clothing in her hands.  “Sophia, is he awake? 
James is going crazy downstairs and Uncle Tristan – “

She stuttered to a stop, her eyes widening and her cheeks
flushing brightly at the sight of Kaden standing naked next to the bed.  Her
eyes dropped to his penis and she bit at her bottom lip.

“Gods be damned…” She breathed.

“Dani!”  Sophia said sharply. 

The young woman tore her gaze from Kaden and gave Sophia a
sheepish look.  “Yes?”

“Go tell the others he’s awake and I’ll bring him
downstairs.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you, she-dog.”  Kaden spat.

Sophia’s eyes flared green and a growl erupted from her
throat at the insult.  She took a step towards the large, naked man and he grinned
tightly at her.  “I’ve killed your kind before.  I can do it again.”

“Whoa, whoa!”  Dani held her hand up and stepped between
them.  “Have both of you forgotten that Bree is being held hostage?  If we’re
going to save her, you need to stop fighting and start playing nicely
together.”

She took a step towards Kaden and smiled at him.  “I’m a
human, just like you.  My name is Dani.  And you are Kaden yes?”

He nodded and she took another step towards him.  “I know
this is all very strange to you, and I’m sorry we don’t have more time to
explain, but right now we need to save your sister.  Once she is back with us,
with her family, she can tell you everything.”

“Her family?  I’m her family.”  Kaden frowned at her.

“Aye, you are.  And so are we.”  Dani glanced at Sophia. 
“Bree loves Sophia’s brother James.  He is a Lycan and he loves her.  He is
frantic to save her.”

Kaden staggered back and collapsed into a sitting position
on the bed.  “Bree loves a Lycan?”  He whispered.  “No, she cannot.”

Ignoring Sophia’s warning growl, Dani sat down beside him
and patted his shoulder lightly. “Aye, she does.”

He put his hand over his eyes as a memory of Bree telling a
redheaded man that she loved him surfaced in his brain.

“I’m sorry Kaden.  I wish there was more time to explain but
there is not.  Right now, what is important is saving your sister from this
Draken.”

He stared at her.  “You’re a human?  Are you a slave?”

“No, there are no slaves here.  The Lycans will not hurt
you.”  She said softly.

She glanced at Sophia.  “Go and tell the others he’s awake. 
I’ll bring him downstairs in a moment.”

“I’m not leaving you alone with him.”  Sophia snapped.

“He won’t hurt me.  Will you Kaden?”  Dani said to Kaden.

He shook his head and she smiled brightly at Sophia.  “We’ll
be right down.”

Sophia hesitated and then slipped out of the room.  She
closed the door and leaned against it for a moment.  Anger at his insult, worry
for Bree and another emotion warred within her.  She closed her eyes.  She
recognized the third emotion and she snorted angrily.  Being jealous of her
cousin’s ability to win Kaden’s trust was ridiculous.  He had tried to kill her
for the gods sake.  He might be Bree’s brother but he had none of her
sweetness. 

“Draken, we should not be making camp so soon.  We are only
a few hours from their home.”  Terrence looked around nervously.

“I know.  Do you believe me stupid?  Do you believe that I
can no longer tell time?”  Draken said mildly.

“No, my lord.  But they will come for the woman.  You saw
how the Red looked at her.”  Terrence said.

“Aye, they probably will.”

“We should keep going then.”

Draken laughed.  “You would have me run from other Lycans? 
Most of them are nothing but half-breeds.  They helped the human escape from me,
and now they must pay for it.”

“My lord, what is your obsession with this human?  We should
kill her now and be done with it.”  Terrence pleaded.

He gave a single choking gasp as Draken turned on him and
grabbed his throat.  His eyes were a blazing, bright red and he growled as he
forced Terrence to his knees.  His fingernails lengthened, and he sunk them
cruelly into the Lycan’s neck as he leaned over him.

“Do you question my command?  Would you like to be leader of
this pack Terrence?  Is that it?”  He growled.

Terrence shook his head no as the other members of the pack
watched uneasily.

“The others will come for the human – I’m counting on it. 
And when they do, we will kill all of them.  I will make the little human watch
as I rip the Red apart, limb by limb.  She thinks she suffers now after
watching me kill her brother?  Wait until she sees what I do to the Lycan she
loves.”  He snarled.

His sudden fit of temper ended as quickly as it started, and
he released Terrence’s throat.  He patted the man almost gently on the top of
the head, as Terrence coughed and wheezed air into his lungs.

“She killed three of our brothers Terrence.  Have you
forgotten that fact?”  Draken asked quietly.  “Once we have killed the Lycans
who will come for her, we will take her back home.  Her escape from the hunt
has given the other slaves hope.  I can’t allow that.  We’re taking her back
home alive, and I will make an example of her to the other slaves.”

He stared at Bree who was sitting on the ground, her hands
and feet bound with rope.  “She will be begging me for death before I am done
with her.”

He clapped his hands together briskly and, leaving Terrence
on the ground, strode past the other Lycans who were setting up camp and
crouched next to Bree.

“Hello little Bree!”  He reached out and petted her soft
blonde hair.  Instead of cringing away like he expected, she gave him a defiant
look.

“Do not touch me.”  She warned.

He laughed and then slapped her hard across the face.  The
force of the blow knocked her to the ground.  He grabbed her arm and yanked her
upright, smiling with satisfaction at the bruise that was already beginning to
form on her cheek.

“Your new Lycan friends have taught you bad habits.”  He
frowned at her.  “You used to be so sweet and timid.”

She didn’t reply and he gave her a gentle smile.  “Do you
know Bree, that you are the first human who has ever escaped the hunt?  It took
us much longer than I anticipated to track you down.  My brothers searched the
forest for your scent for weeks. 
Weeks,
little Bree.  Of course, I
would never have guessed that you would have found shelter with Lycans.  My
brothers told me they would not have found you if they had not stumbled upon
your scent while you were fighting the faeries.”

He grinned at her.  “I’ll admit when they came back and told
me that you, weak little Bree, was fighting the faeries, I did not believe
them.  They would have taken you then except your Lycans showed up and rescued
you.  They were so distracted by their worry for you that it was easy for my
brothers to follow them.  Truthfully, I almost didn’t bother to make the
journey.  My brothers told me about how you were stabbed by the faerie’s
spear.”

He cocked his head at her.  “How did you survive their
poison?  A weak, pathetic human like yourself?”

She refused to answer, and he sat down beside her and folded
his legs under him.  “Of course, I would never have believed that a tiny little
slip of a human like you could defeat three powerful Lycans.”

He paused and gave her a considering look.  “Mind you, that’s
not entirely true is it?  The wounds on two of them suggested that you had help
from Lycans.  Tell me, did you kill any of them or did your new friends do your
dirty work for you?”

“I killed Curtis.  I pierced him through the heart with a
tree branch.  It was actually quite easy.”  She taunted.

His eyes flashed red and he raised his hand again.  She
flinched and he grinned, showing his sharp white fangs.

“They’re going to come for you human, and I’ll make you
watch as I kill the Lycan you love.  He’ll suffer and beg for death in front of
you.”

She surprised him by grinning fiercely.  “I think you’ll be
surprised at who begs for death before this day is over.”

“Aye, perhaps.”  He replied softly.  He stood and walked
away as she huddled into herself against the biting cold.

* * *

Kaden paused outside the closed door.  He could hear loud
voices, and he glanced down at the slender blonde woman standing next to him.

“I promise no one will harm you.”  She smiled and took his
hand before opening the door and leading him into the room.

The room quieted.  He kept his back straight and his head up
as Dani squeezed his hand reassuringly.  The room was large and it was filled
with people.  He didn’t know how many were Lycans and how many were humans, and
his hand tightened unconsciously around the blonde woman’s.  All of the people
were staring at him except for the large Red.  He was standing next to the
fireplace and staring into the flames.  His entire body was vibrating lightly,
and his hands were clenched into tight fists.

“Danielle.”  A dark-haired man spoke the girl’s name
sharply.  He was standing beside a woman who looked so much like Dani that
Kaden knew she was Dani’s mother.

“Come over here.”  The man said quietly.

“Dad – “ Dani began to protest.

“Now, Danielle.” 

Dani dropped his hand and crossed the room to her father. 
He put his arm around her as a redheaded woman and a tall, long-haired man
approached him.

“Hello Kaden.  My name is Avery.  I’m a human and I’m
married to Tristan.”  She glanced at the man beside her.  “He is a Lycan.”

When Kaden didn’t reply, she took Tristan’s hand and he
linked their fingers together as she took a deep breath.  “I know you have many
questions, and I promise we will answer them later.  Right now, we need to save
your sister Bree.  We care for and love her as much as you do.”

“Doubtful.”  Kaden grunted.

Avery gave him a small smile and continued.  “We consider
Bree to be a part of our family, and as her brother that means you are too.  We
hope you can set aside your hatred for Lycans for now, and trust that we want
to save Bree just like you do.”

Her speech finished she turned back to the others.  “We need
to decide who will go after her.”

There was sudden high-pitched yipping and Tia skidded into
the room.  She ran straight for Kaden, barking and whining and wagging her tail
excitedly.  He bent and picked her up and she lunged at his face, licking his
skin excitedly as he petted her gently with one large hand.

“Hello hairball.”  Kaden said softly.  “I’ve missed you.” 

He continued to pet the excited dog, and Sophia inhaled
sharply when a smile crossed his face for a brief moment.  Gods, he was good
looking when he smiled.

As Kaden petted Tia, Tristan squeezed Avery’s hand.  “The
problem is that they’ll smell us coming.  We can’t risk them hurting Bree
before we can save her.”

“We need to disguise our scent.”  Dani’s father said.

“Aye Marshall, we do.”  Tristan replied.

An older man spoke.  “We can use the horses.  They’ll help
to disguise our scent.”

“That’s a good idea Ian.”

“What about human scent?”  Avery said thoughtfully.  “If
they’re busy smelling the humans, Lycans may be able to sneak up on them.  Maya
and I could walk with Kaden.  Our smell may – “

“No.”  Tristan shook his head immediately.  “You’re not
going Avery.”

She gave him a look of impatience.  “You may need me if
someone gets injured Tristan.”

“We have James.  You’re not going, and neither is Maya.” 
Tristan said firmly.  “But, we can use your scent to help disguise ours.”

The redhead by the fire spoke for the first time.  “Neither
human nor horse scent will be enough to fully disguise our own.  You know
that.”

“True.”  Tristan said quietly.  “But it may help to confuse
them a bit.  It may give us the extra time we need to save her.  We will – “

“Enough!”  The Red shouted.  He turned and glared at them,
and even Kaden stepped back at the fierce rage in his eyes.  “It will not be
enough!  You know it won’t!  We’re wasting time talking about plans when the
only chance she has is if I go by myself.”

“James – “

A blonde haired man started to speak.

“No Nicky!”  James shouted again.  “She is my mate, and it
is my responsibility to go after her.  Not yours.”

“You’re my brother James!”  Nicky shouted back.  “You’re
crazy if you think I’m letting you go after this Draken alone!”

James howled at him in rage but before he could shift, Avery
was standing in front of him.

Although he was nearly twice her size and shaking with anger,
she reached out and took his arms without fear.  “Calm my love.  You must be
calm.”

He seemed to shrink in front of her, and he gave her a look
of utter despair before sinking to his knees and burying his face in her
stomach.  “I told her I would keep her safe mama.”

“I know my love.”  She soothed, her hands stroking his
hair.  “But you can’t do this alone.  You know you can’t.”

Kaden spoke to them for the first time.  “The only chance my
sister has, is if I go after her alone.”

James climbed to his feet.  “That’s not going to happen.”

Kaden gave him a look of disdain. “Do you believe you’ll
stop me Lycan?  She is my sister.  I will do whatever it takes to keep her
safe.  You – “

“She is my mate!”  James snapped.  “If anyone is going after
her, it will be me.  Do you understand human?”

“I understand that for someone who keeps saying they love my
sister, you’ve done a poor job of keeping her safe.”  Kaden replied.

James roared with anger and charged at him.  His father
shoved him back.  “James!  This isn’t helping Bree!”

Breathing harshly, Tristan looked at Kaden.  “If you want to
see your sister again, you’ll let us help you.  Don’t be a fool.  If you go
after them alone, they’ll kill you.  They nearly killed you once already.”

Kaden’s hand rubbed at his abdomen through the shirt Dani
had given him.  He still had no idea how he had survived the stabbing, or why
there was no trace of the wound.  He was opening his mouth to ask when Sophia’s
low voice drifted across to him.

“What we need is a distraction.”

Marshall frowned.  “What do you mean?”

Sophia stood beside her father and looked up at him.  “Papa,
the Lycan wanted me.  I could smell it on him and see it on his face.  He even
muttered something about taking me instead of Bree.”

Tristan frowned.  “You’re not going with us Sophia.”

“Like hell I’m not.”  She immediately retorted.  “I’m not a
little girl.”

He opened his mouth to protest again and she scowled.  “Draken
wants me.  I may be able to distract him while the rest of you surround him. 
You can still use the human and horse scents to try and mask yours.  The
combination of both scents, as well as my presence, may be enough to allow you
to at least get close.”

“Sophia, do you really think he won’t suspect something if
you just come strolling up to Draken?  He’ll know we’re planning an attack.” 
Nicholas said softly.

Sophia stared at Kaden.  “He’ll go with me.  He’ll tell
Draken that he’s taken me as a hostage, and brought me in exchange for his
sister.”

“No.” Nicky said.  “I don’t trust the human.”  He stood next
to his sister and put his arm around her.

Kaden snorted. “I don’t trust you either.”

“It’s our best chance Nicky.  You know it is.”  Sophia said
quietly.

“Sophia – “

“Nicky, be quiet.”  She squeezed his waist before moving
past him to James.  She cupped her brother’s face and kissed his forehead.

“I can’t ask you to do this Sophia.”  James whispered.

“You’re not asking me baby brother.  I’m offering because I
love you and I love Bree.”

James looked at his father and Tristan sighed heavily. 
“It’s the best idea we’ve got.”