Resilience (28 page)

the same pound of flesh. They are shifters and should understand my reticence at having them in my small pack.”

“I think maybe you’re wrong about that.” Adam sounded better, as if the pain had

receded. “Or maybe y’all just aren’t as evolved as the North American packs.”

Oh, that didn’t sit well with Maarten at all, and Todd wanted to laugh. Adam did,

snickering at the thunderous expression. “Well, if y’all are more beast than man and can’t have guests of the same species without it being a pissing match…”

“We can,” Maarten grumbled. “Daan, Sim, go back to the hotel and bring the shifters

here. Watch for a tail.”

As much as Todd wanted to see Gabe and the others, he didn’t think Maarten’s idea

was the best. “They’re likely to get their asses kicked first,” he pointed out. “Easier to call.”

“Fine.” Maarten waved at his betas. “Call, but don’t give them our location, and use a disposable phone. I’m paranoid for a reason,” he said when Todd gave him a questioning look.

“If you were smart the paranoia might not be necessary,” Adam pointed out.

Maarten scowled at them. “Why were you Jameson’s best friend? I was told he was a

very nice man.”

“Fuck you,” Adam said succinctly.

“Adam is too, but get your head out of your butt, Maarten.” Todd refused to point out the obvious. They’d been kidnapped and hurt and had every right to be bitchy and furious.

“Of course, you’re right.” Maarten nudged Peter with his foot. “Get up and shift.” To Todd and Adam, he explained, “His wolf has submitted to me wholly, but I don’t trust the man. The beast will obey, however.”

Peter shifted and trotted unsteadily over to a kennel. The door was open on it and he entered it, pawing at the padded surface beneath him before plonking down.

“It’s a security thing, before you think me cruel,” Maarten said. “Peter isn’t locked in, but the small area gives the impression of a den and soothes the wolf.”

“Okay.” Todd didn’t know why Maarten gave two shakes about their opinion of him.

“About Jameson?”

Maarten stood and walked over to a small portable bar. “Care for a drink?”

“No, we’re both on pain meds.” Adam didn’t add ‘duh’ but it was definitely implied.

Maarten almost looked embarrassed. “Ah. Well. If you don’t mind, I will imbibe,

although I doubt there’s enough in here to truly do the job right.” He waved a bottle more than halfway filled. “Scotch, my favourite.”

After he fixed his drink, Maarten turned and leaned against the bar. He sipped slowly then moaned and closed his eyes. “God, there’s nothing quite like this.” Maarten opened his eyes and peered at the glass. “I haven’t seen Luuk or Jameson for over two years, not since shortly after they landed, actually. I was there to greet them, having been standing in Luuk’s stead, in a manner of speaking, while he was gone. There were rumours of a coup, but there’s always such rumours, ever since I can remember. No one had actually tried anything in decades.”

He tossed back the rest of his drink and poured another. “And that was my mistake

then, too, wasn’t it. Not believing the rumours. I had some men check into it, including my close…friend, Luther, whom I trusted, but those very same men are the ones who turned on us. All hell broke loose, as the saying goes. I was hurt.” Maarten tipped his head to the side and it was only then Todd saw the thick scar running across his neck.

Adam hissed and touched his own neck. “That…looks like it should have killed you.”

Maarten’s lips twitched and kicked up on one side. “Well, on days where I’m throwing myself a pity party, I wish it would have, but no, the artery was missed. I was in shifted form, otherwise, who knows?” He sipped his second drink again. “When it was over, only Luuk, Jameson and I had survived that attack. Me, just barely, I suppose. Jameson was hurt as well. He was, at that point, only a human.”

“I’m really beginning to hate that whole ‘only a human’ shit,” Adam groused. “Like

we’re somehow less.”

“You’re not,” Maarten corrected quickly. “Well, not less important or what have you.

Obviously humans aren’t as strong as we are, or as long-lived, and you do tend to break easier. That does not negate the importance of humans, however.”

“How sweet to hear you say so.” Adam stood and Todd did as well, slipping an arm around Adam’s waist.

“I don’t mean any disrespect, I’m just trying to explain. I can’t say either of our species is superior. We each have our good and bad points.”

“How bad was Jameson hurt?” Todd asked, knowing Adam wanted to know but was

afraid of what he’d hear.

Maarten’s slight nod made Todd think the shifter had the same opinion. “Quite, I’m afraid, although I believe he survived. Not without many scars. A human body is little barrier for a wolf’s teeth. There were only the three of us against almost a dozen.” Maarten finished his second drink and, instead of pouring a third, lifted the bottle to his lips and drank. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and continued as Todd rubbed

soothing circles on Adam’s back. “Jameson was alive, though. Luuk took my car. We didn’t know whom we could trust at that point. And Luther, he is now Alpha Anax here. Early on, I received a note, handed to me by a human boy on the street one day. All it said was, ‘We are.’”

“Alive? Here? We are what?” Todd asked. Adam was too quiet, too still beside him. He looked and found Adam struggling against tears. Todd gently folded Adam into his arms.

Maarten shook his head. “Alive, I took it to mean. It was definitely Luuk’s writing, and I could still catch a hint of his scent on the paper. That was almost two years ago. I’ve tried finding him, but, honestly, I’ve no idea where he and Jameson could be. Rumours have them in the mountains. That encompasses…a shitload of places.”

“How many shifters do you have to help you search?”

“Thirteen.” Maarten cast a glance at the wolf. “I won’t have Peter help. As it is, I halfway expect Luther to send his murdering minions here at any time. But then he would have no hope of finding Luuk, or Jameson. That’s the only reason he’s left me alive, I’m sure.”

“He hasn’t come after you at all?” Todd thought this continent of shifters was entirely too fucked-up to comprehend, or at least their way of doing things was.

“Sometimes, he has. He even caught me once, or, rather, some of his pack did.”

Maarten’s smile was all teeth and not the least bit friendly. “He should have sent more than four, the fool. I think he believes I’m not quite all here.” He tapped his head.

Todd kind of agreed, but, honestly, after what had happened to Maarten, Jameson and

Luuk, who could blame him? “Why does Luther want Jameson? Just to hurt Luuk?”

Maarten shrugged again. “I believe so. To have one’s mate taken, or killed? That would be hell for a shifter. Plus, Jameson was a very attractive man. Luther would enjoy…hurting him. My brother will give up being Alpha Anax—may have already done so—before he risks his mate. I suppose he already has given up on us, and I can’t blame him. I just keep hoping…”

“Why don’t you take over?” How did that happen? Another coup?

Maarten was vehemently shaking his head. “No, no way. I think I’ve shown I’m not the best strategist, and not the smartest guy. Whoever leads us needs to be both, and Luuk is.

Luther is just a murdering bastard who rules through fear. He’s a thug, nothing more, but everyone is scared of him and his followers. He’s always surrounded by guards who would kill anyone just for Luther’s entertainment.”

If Todd had to guess, he’d say that Luther and Maarten had been lovers, and Luther

had used the big man and set him up to die. And maybe that was why Luther didn’t kill him now. Guilt. But did someone like that even have a conscience? Todd had noticed the pause earlier when Maarten first said Luther’s name, as well as the pinched look that settled on Maarten’s expression. Still, it wasn’t his business. Maarten wasn’t a friend, he was dangerous, and Todd had better not forget it.

Loud cursing and crashing sounds announced the arrival of Gabe, Mika, Aidan and

Zane. Adam bolted upright from where he’d been lying in bed beside Todd. Adam had been trying to figure out a way to have sex without it making him want to scream in pain, but had just about settled on seeing if Todd would blow him…carefully, and he’d do the same in return. He just needed some energy, but, yeah, that was going to have to wait.

“Guess they found them,” Todd muttered happily, already up and holding a hand out

to Adam. “I think Maarten is going to have his ass handed to him.”

Adam didn’t disagree, but—“I hope Gabe isn’t the one to try to do it.”

Todd snorted as he opened the bedroom door. “Gabe isn’t stupid. He does have a

temper, but he also likes to stay pretty for Mika. My bet is on Aidan or Zane.”

Yeah, Adam could see that, although he didn’t really know Zane well. But it was

always the quiet ones that could kick some serious ass, wasn’t it?

A roar tore through the house and Todd sped up. “Sorry,” Adam said, knowing Todd

would love to run but wouldn’t leave Adam behind.

“It’s—” Todd began.

“Where are they?” Aidan—Adam was almost certain it was Aidan—thundered loud

enough to make Adam’s head throb.

“Okay,” Todd finished weakly, eyes huge in his face. “Oh shit,” he exhaled as a loud thud sounded. “Did the house just shake?”

Adam didn’t have the chance to answer, because the yelling and cussing and growling

and snarling was too damn loud and scary to boot. He tugged on Todd’s hand. Todd

stopped and frowned at him. Adam tipped his chin towards the living room where all the chaos seemed to be.

“Maybe we shouldn’t go in there,” Adam said, “because it sounds like a pack of wolves, and I don’t know how that works, if they’re all shifted and we aren’t and—”

Because Todd was facing him, Todd didn’t see what Adam did, a large grey wolf

barrelling down the hall towards them. “Todd!” Adam forgot about his ribs and every other part of his battered body. He shoved Todd behind him with every bit of strength he had.

“Damn it!” Todd yelped, grabbing at Adam. Adam kept his eyes on the wolf as it skidded to a halt right in front of him, literally feet to…paws. “That’s—”

Adam figured it out the second before the wolf shifted. Zane knelt nude and staring up at him, his silver eyes still the wolf’s, or was it the wolf’s were always the man’s? Jesus Christ, what did it matter?

“Adam, Todd.”

Adam was still trying to get his heart to stop trying to fucking kill him when Zane

darted up and gave Adam and Todd a very nice view of his, well, everything.

“Geez,” Todd huffed, and Adam understood that completely. Zane was perfectly

formed, each muscle chiselled and standing out in stark relief—but he wasn’t Adam’s

beautiful, built man, not by a long shot.

“You two were hurt,” Zane growled, and Adam yelped then because Zane was patting

and touching him, poking and reaching back behind Adam to get at Todd. “How bad? Who did it and are they still alive? They won’t be…”

Just then Aidan’s shout turned into a howl and Adam guessed they hadn’t all been

wolves in the front room, but they might be now.

“Fuck!” Zane about whipped his head off his neck turning to glare down the hallway.

“That was Aidan’s challenge, and…and I don’t want to fucking live here if he wins!”

“Why would you have to live here?” Adam was beyond confused. Didn’t Aidan and

Zane have free will?

“Because if he defeats Maarten then Aidan has a pack to care for, get it?”

Oh, that responsibility thing. Pack dominance and alphas and all. “But what if Luuk is found?” And Jameson, God, please let him be okay.

Zane snorted even as he turned to keep poking at them. Adam hissed and slapped at

his hand when he touched Adam’s ribs. “Watch it! They’re bruised.”

“God damn it,” Zane spat. “And if Luuk is found, he is the Alpha Anax of the European packs, not just the alpha of this one.”

“Couldn’t Aidan appoint someone?”

Zane stopped and finally looked at Adam. “Well, yeah, I suppose.”

Adam pushed him back. “Stop it already and go do something in there before there’s

blood and guts everywhere. I don’t think Maarten is the bad guy, just…not the brightest bulb in the pack, you know.”

Zane scowled. “Which is why there’s the whole survival of the fittest. If he isn’t smart enough to back down then he deserves whatever Aidan dishes out to him. Even death.”

“I don’t think I like the shifter laws,” Todd said, sounding more than a little shaken.

“And Maarten was worried about bringing strange shifters into the pack, about power

exchange and stuff like that, in case it makes any difference. He was trying to keep some sort of peace, and he had a spy in his midst that did this.” Todd gestured at himself and Adam.

Zane bit his bottom lip then seemed to deflate somehow. He gave a sharp nod then

tipped his head towards the front room. “It might matter. I can actually understand, but I think I’m the calmest of our bunch. Mika’s possibly—” Another howl rent the air. Zane’s eyes bulged. “Or maybe not. Come on.”

Adam still couldn’t run. “Go stop the chaos,” he said as he shooed Zane.

Zane gave him what might have been a scathing look, it was hard to tell when the man was all but a blur of movement. One minute he was all nude flesh and flapping bits then poof, not so much.

“This is a disaster,” Todd said as they made their way, albeit slower, after Zane. “It’s like they all think any little thing is an excuse to give in and let the animal part of them take over.”

Adam would have disagreed but he wasn’t one for lying. “Maybe the wolf is really

stronger than the human or something. Or maybe you’re right and they just think, fuck it, let’s be wild beasts.” Adam shrugged then bit back a whimper, because, damn it, that hurt. “I don’t know that I’d be much different, really. I’d have torn off Maarten’s head, Peter’s head, hell, probably even Daan’s and Sim’s and they aren’t even that bad, just…sheep in wolf’s fur, hey.”