Savage Silence: A Dire Wolves Mission (The Devil's Dires Book 4) (14 page)

W
hen he finally reached the
cabin, Thaus stormed in and shifted right there in the kitchen. Ready to battle.

But he was too late.

The place was trashed. Glass on the floor, cabinets cracked and broken, and Mammon—bloodied and battered but refusing to back down—battling with three wolves in the living room. Phego jumped in to help right away, but Thaus took a look around instead, knowing his brothers could handle themselves just fine. The cabin wasn’t that big, but still, he checked every room. Every closet. Even though he already knew he wouldn’t find her.

Ariel was gone.

Thaus could sense her, though. Could feel the constant pulse of her fear. It created static through his brain and left his thoughts unfocused and scattered. He could sense her but not track her, feel her but not tell where she was. Her fear was so great, it obliterated the bond between them and left him scrambling to keep up. Or maybe it was his fear. He had no way to tell.

But Thaus didn’t need to track her to know what had happened. Someone had targeted the cabin and snatched her. That was the only thing he could come up with. Someone not on that north mountain. Someone…

Someone who knew where she was and therefore could avoid the longer, tougher trek. Fuck, Chilton had tricked him. He’d sent a convoy up the northeast path as decoys, and Thaus had bought in to the ruse like an untried pup. He was going to slaughter that fucker.

Thaus rushed through the living room, ignoring the last few hits of a fight his brothers had won. He didn’t need to be involved, didn’t need to worry about the pawns Chilton left behind to keep his brother busy. They probably knew nothing of Chilton’s plans and were therefore completely expendable. Thaus needed to find his mate. Immediately.

But when he reached the porch, he froze in utter confusion. She was everywhere and nowhere. North and south, east and west. His sense of her spread like a ripple in a pond, like an echo in a chamber, making it hard to find the epicenter. Making it almost impossible. And that fact nearly drove him to his knees.

“What happened?” Phego asked as he and Mammon rushed out to Thaus’ side. Thaus didn’t answer. He already knew, but he couldn’t have forced the words out past his lips if he’d tried.

Mammon growled and wiped a trickle of blood off his forehead. “They snuck up the south side of the mountain. I didn’t even hear them until they were at the door.”

“And Ariel?”

Hearing her name was the break Thaus needed. “He tracked her.”

“Who?” asked Phego, forcing Thaus to meet his eyes as he stood right in front of the Dire. “Who tracked her?”

Thaus released a growl that came from his very soul. “Chilton. He’d been tracking her. He knew she was here, so he sent a group to make themselves seen on the north side. He and a handful of others came up the south side at a slower pace. You can still smell five, maybe six of them. He tricked us, and I fell for it.”

“All this for some old fucking contract?” Phego asked.

No, not the contract. That didn’t fit a damned thing that was happening. Thaus let his thoughts wander, remembering the pack and the packlands, the disarray and rotting structures. The feeling of being watched and the sense of a much larger pack than Chilton claimed as his own.

The fact that Ariel had escaped her captors…the only Omega he knew to do so without help.

The sense of hunters circling the Glaxious land.

Chilton.

And the contract.

“No,” he said, trying to keep up with his thoughts. “This has nothing to do with the contract. Chilton didn’t want to claim her as a mate. He wanted to hunt her, to chase her so he could prove he was better than she was. He and his real pack were involved in the Omega kidnappings, and they wanted to get to her because she found a way to escape. They brought out that old contract to make her run.”

“But, why?” Mammon asked.

The answer slammed into Thaus like a truck without brakes, sending his stomach hurtling into his throat. “This isn’t a contract negation or a mating. It’s not even revenge for her turning Chilton down. This is a hunting party.”

Thaus swallowed hard, holding back his need to shift. His overwhelming desire to race through the woods and strike down anyone he came across. “They’re hunting the one who got away to prove a point.”

“Motherfucker,” Phego said, growling harshly. “Mammon, where’s Ariel?”

“They snagged her a few minutes before you came in.” Mammon met Thaus’ glare, an apologetic and sincere expression in his eyes. “I swear, man. I jumped between them. I tried to get her out of their way, but she freaked when I grabbed her arm and almost ran right to them. I don’t think she knew what was going on at that point.”

Of course, she didn’t. She needed safety and security, needed time to trust and find her comfort spot. She couldn’t be grabbed or manhandled. Hell, he couldn’t grab her hand without thinking about triggering her fears, and he was mated to her.

But he’d left her to deal with the explosives, and that had been his biggest mistake. Thaus should have long ago taught the other Dires how to wire the explosives so he wasn’t the one who’d had to go. But he was the head of their armory, the weapons specialist for the Dires; he was the one who’d always monitored and stocked their supplies and knew how to use every one of them.

He’d failed his mate because he’d owned his job. A harsh lesson for the newly mated wolf.

“She’s strong; she’ll fight. But I need to get her back,” Thaus said, and he started to run. Before he hit the south tree line, Mammon grabbed his arm. Thaus struck without thinking, almost knocking the other Dire down.

“Settle,” Mammon screamed with a growl. “Take the time to feel her. Know where we’re going before we start racing through the woods.”

That was easier said than done, though. “I can’t get a bead on her. She’s too stuck in her head.”

“Or you are.” Mammon took a deep breath, imploring Thaus with every word. “Trust me, you’ll feel her. Focus on that bond. Push past all the rest of the static around it, and reach for the thread connecting you. It’s there, and you’ll know where she is once you find it.”

As much as he hated the waiting, Thaus knew Mammon was right. So he stilled his body and quieted his mind. And he searched for his mate. For her fear, for her pain. For her soul. He searched for minutes, standing completely still in the mountain breeze. He let the world go quiet, let the beast within go still, and he thought of nothing but the feel of connection to the woman he most wanted to find.

“West,” he said the second he made contact. “They’re heading for the ocean.”

Phego was already headed that way. “Then let’s go.”

The three shifted to their wolf forms, Thaus grunting through the transition as his shoulder screamed in pain. It didn’t stop him, though. He raced through the woods on four paws without a limp. He’d give in to the pain once he had his mate back.

Twelve paws beat into the forest floor and scrambled for purchase on the rocky ground. Their beasts were made for this sort of thing—were far more skilled and balanced on the terrain than their human counterparts. Going wolf would definitely be faster than staying on two feet, but Thaus could only hope it would be fast enough.

The drop-off ocean cliff came up faster than he’d expected, a solid, sheer slab of rock dropping straight down to the water below. From the sea, it looked as if a wall of stone had risen from the depths to block passage eastward. From the top, it looked as deadly as it truly was. And Ariel was up there.

Thaus followed her emotional trail almost to the edge of the cliff, then turned north. Closer, closer…he raced as hard as he could, knowing she needed him. Feeling her fear turn to panic and then terror. Worried he would be too late.

The Dires took a turn around a rock cropping, and finally, Thaus could see her down the path. On a flat piece of rocky land leading right to the edge of the world, a large group of men stood surrounding her…one of them Chilton. Ariel was backed right up to the edge of the cliff, her chin up and her head back in a posture of defiance. Once more looking like the pissed off woman who’d stormed into the meeting hall back on Kwauhl packlands. His mate was fighting back.

But there were too many men between her and him, and that cliff was too close.

Thaus pushed harder, raced faster, the dread of the situation wrapping around him like a straitjacket. Knowing he was out of time. He was too far away, unable to reach her in time. He could sense her next step; saw it playing out in his mind. And still, he ran. Because it was Ariel, his mate, his angel. He’d promised to keep her safe, and he wouldn’t fail her.

The men inched forward in concert, Chilton leading the way and obviously preaching at her about something. The what didn’t matter because Thaus already understood the why. They were going to make her choose—live and go with them, or die and fall to her death. A clear decision for a woman with her history.

And still, he ran, knowing exactly which option she would choose.

Certain he was about to watch her die.

A
s if she
had called his name, three wolves appeared from the trail she’d just walked down. All three were of a massive size, larger than any other shifters she’d ever seen. And they were running straight for her.

All three Dires had made it.

“They’re coming,” one of her captors said.

The humans and wolves all turned to see, to watch the cavalry close in. To see a legend in motion.

“Shit, why are they so spotty?” one of the men asked.

Ariel almost grinned at his ignorance. Dire Wolves. The spots, the size… Anyone with a certain level of knowledge of wolf-shifter history would know what they were. True, they’d been thought to be extinct for centuries, and the old stories had long faded out of fashion, but she still knew. Still recognized them. Thaus had told her, but she’d recognized him for what he was the moment she saw his wolf that first time. And she was still amazed.

“You won’t win against them,” Ariel said as Chilton came around to her side.

“Oh, you stupid child. I already have. You see, I needed my pack destroyed so I could start over. Those fools knew too much and were getting too strong to hold off.” Chilton’s smile chilled her right down to her feet. “Your guards will be busy with my men for a while yet. It’s time for us to go.”

Ariel stood locked in place, though. “He’ll come for me. He’ll track me.”

“You think I haven’t already figured that out?” Chilton tsked then leaned in, whispering in her ear. “I know how to hide a mating bond so you can’t be tracked. You’ll be all mine.”

Her stomach fell, and the fractures of panic inside her mind overtook her, spreading into canyons. He’d take her, and she’d be lost forever. What if she couldn’t escape like last time? What if he figured out how to keep her contained?

What if the nightmares of her past were back to haunt her?

Ariel took a deep breath and stared at her mate as he raced toward her. Soon. That fight would happen in seconds. But he was still far away. So, so far. And he had to win against Chilton’s enforcers once he reached the plateau. Three against…well, a lot, even though Chilton wasn’t fighting. That would still take time, still require a patience she no longer had. That fight would give Chilton the chance to whisk her away and chain her up just as those bastards had done to her once before.

No.

She was on her own again. Her options were limited, but she’d choose the one that gave her the most control. The one that had a chance of a happy ending. If anyone could find her after what she was about to do, it was one of the Dire Wolves. But if they didn’t, well…things could have been worse. So with another deep breath and one last, longing look for the man the fates had chosen for her, for the man who’d been so patient with her, the one she’d truly thought she could love, Ariel forced those canyons in her mind to seal closed. And she grabbed the reins of her fate.

“You don’t get to own me,” she said to Chilton. His eyebrows went up, confusion clear on his pointy rat face. But he was slow, too slow. He didn’t see it coming, didn’t think she’d do it. He’d never been backed so far into a corner that the only way out was destroying everything you were.

Ariel had, and she never would again.

Without another word, she turned and ran for the edge of the cliff.

T
he scene played
out in some sort of nightmare tempo. Thaus’ legs grew heavy, almost mired down as if in quicksand, as Ariel looked his way one last time. As she peered straight at him for a moment. He understood what she was about to do before she did it, knew she was saying good-bye so she could play the only card she had left. And that fucker from Glaxious had no idea. Chilton had considered her wily but weak, which was wrong. No one came through the other side of what Ariel had without a war chest of strength. Even at her weakest, she would always be stronger than just about anyone else. That strength wasn’t physical; it was a mental thing—a need to regain control. And Ariel was about to prove that to Chilton.

While Thaus watched, unable to make it to her in time.

The break was quick—faster than even Thaus had expected. One second, Ariel stood watching him. Saying good-bye with her eyes. The next, she was running. Chilton just stood in dumbfounded shock as Ariel spun and raced toward the drop-off. Probably unable to believe she would do such a thing. But Thaus knew her. He saw her fears and her battles and understood exactly what the threat was and why she was taking the option of the sea. Death to Ariel would be better than going anywhere with Chilton. He must have told her about the chemicals they’d used during the Omega kidnappings. The ones that had quieted a mating bond until the partner couldn’t sense their mate. Until the kidnapped couldn’t be found.

Ariel was terrified of being trapped forever in the hell she’d escaped from once, so she was choosing her only other option. Thaus didn’t blame her; he just hoped he was fast enough to save her.

The scene of her jumping played out in slow motion—the push off from the edge Ariel managed even with her arms behind her back, how she seemed to deny the force of gravity as her feet left the ground, and the way she seemed almost relieved as she hovered for one brief moment in midair.

And then she fell out of sight.

Mammon chuffed once, a low, breathy sound that said more than human words ever could. Phego growled low, a constant sound that edged on a whine every few steps. Thaus understood them, though. He heard their fears. He felt their need to save her.

He knew they’d understand why he couldn’t help them fight.

There wasn’t even a pause in Thaus’ stride, wasn’t a moment where he worried about anything other than Ariel. He put his faith completely in his brothers to deal with the threat of the Glaxious pack and went after what he needed to. Thaus pushed himself faster, harder, stretched his stride longer. He raced for the edge of the cliff like his life depended on reaching it…because it did. And just as he hit the edge, just as he reached that asshole Alpha Chilton, he took care of the one piece of business he needed to that wasn’t all about saving his mate from the waters below.

It was about saving her when he finally pulled her out.

One paw, four claws, and a wolf running at a high rate of speed could create enough damage to take a shifter out of commission for days. Thaus struck on the fly, never veering off course, never pausing. The blood spray from Chilton’s wounds didn’t even slow him down as he ran those last few feet. That would keep the man, the one responsible, out of commission while his brothers dealt with the enforcers. Chilton couldn’t escape—he’d come after Ariel again, and Thaus wouldn’t allow that. He would protect his mate.

When his paws hit the edge, when his claws curled around the final step of solid ground he had, Thaus pushed off hard. And he jumped right after her.

Thaus shifted in midair from wolf to his human form. The burn of his shoulder barely registered, though the stiffness in his arm certainly did. Still, he couldn’t focus on that. He had a mate who couldn’t swim about to hit a wall of water so choppy, even the rocks seemed fearful of it.

Needing more speed, Thaus purposely tucked his arms in and held his legs together to fight wind resistance. She was there, below him, still falling. He couldn’t stop her, but he could aim for her. He could follow her into the swells.

So he did.

His heart jumped when she disappeared beneath the water, but he locked his eyes on that spot and let loose a roar that sent birds to the skies. He wouldn’t lose her. Not after he’d finally found her.

When he hit the water, his first thought was cold, but then his instincts took over. He closed his eyes and held his breath, reaching for the one thing he cared about in that moment. The salty water swallowed him, the waves rolling him deeper immediately. There was little light and a hell of a lot of sound as the pressure sucked him deeper, making it impossible to see Ariel, to know where she’d gone. Burying his senses in nothing but water.

Still, Thaus pushed their bond to the max, seeking their connection in a way he hadn’t before, needing it to be the driver through the dark, churning waters. He hit something hard, bouncing off it and losing some of his breath, but still, he sought her. Still, he fought the current and the rocks for her.

That bond succeeded, but so did Ariel, in her own way. As he focused on their bond, her hair floated into his hand as if by magic. The sensation of connection, of relief, was more than Thaus had ever experienced. He immediately went into action, yanking her up and into his arms so as not to lose her. He had no time to worry over if she’d freak out being touched, grabbed, or surrounded—this was life or death, and he’d do anything to save her.

Without thought, Thaus started paddling toward what he really hoped was the surface. He didn’t have much time left. Already, his lungs burned and dark spots floated in his vision. Ariel was limp in his arms, seemingly unconscious. He needed air and so did his mate. Immediately.

So he swam toward the one spot of light in the sea of darkness, and he held on to his future.

His gasp when he broke through the water came out almost as a howl. He dragged Ariel above the water and let her head rest on his shoulder as he regained his bearings. It took two lungfuls to clear his head enough to start paddling away from the rock wall and toward an inlet that would take him to calmer waters. Thanks be to the fates for air, but death by being bludgeoned against the rocks wasn’t exactly in his plans.

Saving his mate was.

“Ariel.” Still kicking toward shore, he lifted her head so he could see her face. Pale skin, paler lips, and no independent movement confirmed his thought that she was unconscious, but that didn’t deter Thaus. She’d come back to him. She had to. So he tilted her head back and breathed into her mouth. Twice. Three times.

“Don’t give up now.” He squeezed her closer, still fighting the pull of the ocean, and once again breathed for her. Against the waves, against the rocks, against the odds, he fought for her with every breath.

And he won.

Ariel came awake just as a huge wave took them back under for a moment. She gasped and coughed, choking on the water still pummeling them. Dropping underneath the waves for a second even as he held on to her. Thaus cursed and pulled her closer with one arm, using his other to direct them toward the smoother waters. There was nothing safe about where they were, nothing that guaranteed they’d make it out alive and unharmed. Nothing but his own determination. He’d almost lost her, and he wasn’t about to live through that feeling again.

“Come on, baby,” he called over the roar of the waves. “We’re almost to the shallows.”

“My hands.” Ariel choked, coughing hard against him. “I can’t—” She dipped below the surface for a second before Thaus could yank her back up. “They’re tied. I can’t break the cord around them.”

Thaus cursed and reached behind her, finding the nylon tie with ease. He let his wolf come forward enough to extend one claw, then sliced the fucking thing.

“Better?” He held on to her elbow to give her room to find her balance in the water. But Ariel didn’t seem to need the distance. She wrapped her arms and legs around his body and grabbed hold of him.

“This is better,” she said, her voice shaky. But fuck, it sounded so good to his ears. “I was so scared for a second.”

“Thank the fates, Ariel.” Thaus held her tightly, fear of her freaking out gone. He could only be thankful they’d made it as far as they had, even though they still weren’t out of the worst of the waves just yet.

Thaus kept kicking toward the smoother shallows, edging around a rock cropping that seemed to block the worst of the waves. Still, the force of the water was too much at times, rolling them under every few minutes. Thaus kept a hold on Ariel, though. Not even easing his grip. His shoulder burned and his skin felt too tight in the cold water, but he fought through it. For her.

“Are you okay?” he asked as he finally swam into less rough water with Ariel clinging to his chest. How they hadn’t gone under more, he had no idea. But he was thankful they’d made it out of the chop.

Ariel nodded against his shoulder, still hanging on to him like a life preserver, which he sort of was at the moment. “Yeah. Is Mammon?”

Thaus shook his head, letting his soaking wet hair spray them both. She’d almost drowned but was thinking about Mammon.

“You’re worrying about Mammon right now?”

“He tried to help, but I freaked when he grabbed me. I was worried he wouldn’t fight well because of it.” His mate nuzzled his neck, kissing over the spot where her teeth had left a scar a mere few hours earlier. She was so brave, so unbelievably strong, and so ridiculous for worrying about Mammon when she’d jumped almost to her death.

“No, Mammon is fine.” Thaus closed his eyes and kicked toward shore, toward where he sensed his Dire brothers, taking Ariel with him. “I’m pretty sure he’s headed this way.”

“How’d they get past all those shifters Chilton brought?”

Thaus grinned and nodded toward the rock wall. “Dire Wolves, remember? Legendary—and not like Bigfoot.”

“Avast, ye mateys,” Mammon yelled from a cliff edge about halfway up the face of the rocks. “How’re you two doing down there?”

Thaus growled, though to be honest, he was really happy to see the guy. His shoulder was on fire from the running, shifting, and swimming, and the fight to the shore wasn’t over yet. As smooth as the water became in the shallows, that was only compared to the wildness beyond the rock outcropping protecting them. It was still a hard swim to shore. He’d be glad to get out of the water.

“Just fucking dandy. Want to point me in the best direction so we don’t get pummeled against these rocks?”

Mammon pointed to Thaus’ right. “That way looks easiest. And don’t worry. I handled most of the pack, and Phego’s got Chilton all taken care of. We’ll snag the runners once we get the little mermaid down there to safety.”

Ariel jerked, a sense of fear radiating from her. “Chilton’s alive?”

Thaus could have snarled, but he was more afraid of scaring Ariel than not. Fucking Chilton deserved far more than he was about to get.

“Not for long.” Thaus swam the two of them in the direction Mammon had indicated, trying not to wince whenever he had to use his bum arm. “Phego’s our best information gatherer. If he’s taking care of someone, it’s to get the information we need before we dispose of him.”

Ariel paddled along with him, obviously much more comfortable out of the rough waves of the open water. “You mean like torture?”

“It’s a possibility.”

“Why? What does he have that you need?”

Thaus grabbed hold of the rock ledge and pulled the two of them along the length of it. At that point, it was easier than swimming. Even his legs were tired.

“Chilton knew where you were, baby. He and his crew were tracking you, but not by scent.”

Ariel’s eyes went wide. “So…oh. They microchipped me when I was…”

Thaus hated the way her voice faded. “Yeah. When we get to Chicago, we’ll have the docs check you over to see if they can find something that gave them that access.”

The waves finally flattened out. There wasn’t far to go, though Thaus still couldn’t touch the bottom of the bay. Ariel was quiet as they crept along the rock wall, almost introspective.

“There will be more,” she whispered as Thaus’ foot finally hit rocky bottom. “The other Omegas. If there’s something in me, they all need to be checked.”

Thaus agreed, but before he could respond, there was something he wanted. Something he needed more than anything else. Unable to help himself, he grabbed Ariel and lifted her so her legs were once again wrapped around his waist. Before she could argue, he planted a kiss on her soft but cold lips. The adrenaline coursing through him ebbed, leaving him shaky and slightly off-kilter, but he had his mate in his arms. She survived, and that deserved to be celebrated. Even if they were still in the water. Ariel must have agreed because she fisted her hands in his hair and held him to her, letting him dominate her through the kiss. Their bond hummed, pulling their souls closer and strengthening their connection. Uniting them in a way Thaus had never experienced.

“We won’t leave any of you unprotected,” he gasped when they finally broke apart. “Especially not you.”

She tucked her forehead against his and wrapped her arms around his neck, still breathing hard. Fuck, that was a good kiss. The tingle in his lips and feel of his mate safe in his hold left Thaus calm and confident, let him enjoy the feeling of her in his arms.

“You didn’t freak when I grabbed you,” he whispered as he walked them through the chest-deep water.

Ariel shrugged, still clinging to him. “I was too worried about drowning.”

“You’re still not freaking.”

“Because it’s you.” She looked into his eyes, her smile filled with emotion. “I feel safe with you.”

Nothing could have meant more to Thaus than those words from her. “Good. Because you are.”

“Yo, swimmers,” Mammon yelled. He stood on a flat patch of rock a few yards away, looking ready to jump into the water if needed. “Ready to leave the pool yet?”

Naked and filthy, Mammon held out his hand. Thaus walked the two of them over to the spot, not sure how to handle the extraction. There was no way Ariel would let his brother pull her out. He’d need to climb out first, then drag her himself, but he didn’t want to leave her alone in the water. Couldn’t bear the thought of her being in danger for a single second, especially as the depth was still probably a little too high for her to keep her nose above water.