The Gathering (25 page)

Pulled to her feet, she was pushed back down
into the chair she’d been in earlier. The ropes were tied again.
When she was trussed up so tight she could barely breathe, she
lifted her head.

“Are you that eager, Ms. Ford?” Rayna looked
at Victor when he spoke. He was smiling but there wasn’t anything
amusing in the gesture. “I promise you,” he said, “once everything
is set into motion, you’ll be able to shift without delay. With my
help, it’ll only take moments.”

Moments? Surely he was exaggerating. The pain
Rayna felt when she tried the shift herself was beyond anything
she’d ever felt. A normal shift, for someone new, took time. Long
minutes of torture from what she’d seen and felt. If Victor could
make her shift in “moments” as he suggested, she’d be lucky to
survive it and him prolonging the inevitable was torture enough.
“When?” she asked.

“Excuse me?”

“What are you waiting for? You’ve done
nothing but threaten me since I walked into your house but so far,
that’s all I’ve seen. Threats. Do you even have a plan?”

Victor smiled before looking at Thaddeus. “It
seems Ms. Ford is eager to get started. Call the others and see if
everything is in place. Those lagging behind will just have to
catch up.”

Thaddeus turned to do Victor’s bidding. Rayna
watched him go with a resigned sigh. If this were going to happen,
she’d just as soon get it over with. The longer she had the wait,
the longer her growing fear would escalate.

“Where will this take place?” she asked.

“In the city park. I’ve been told there’s a
festival being held there.”

A festival? Rayna tried to think of what
festival he was talking about. The date, she wasn’t clear on, but
she knew it was August and with that, the realization of what he
meant became clear. The annual Founders Reunion. A week long
festival that commemorated the settlement of Bluff’s Point. She’d
covered the event every year as a reporter and had even been
coerced by her old boss to jump on a parade float once or
twice.

The entire town would be there and Victor was
going to loosen her newly born wolf on them. Hopefully he was able
to control her once she shifted. If not, it would be a bloodbath.
“How will you be able to keep me from eating the first person that
moves?”

She looked up at him when he didn’t answer
and something in his eyes set off alarm bells inside her head. He
looked too—eager. But eager for what, exactly? Just for the world
to know that they existed? To peacefully join with the human’s in
some twisted idea of shared harmony? Or was it something else.

The look on his face told her it was. She
remembered then something Malcolm had told her. She’d thought it
absurd at the time but it made sense. Why would a shifter like
Victor want to live peacefully with humans? He liked controlling
people. Why not control the human population as well?

His smile, and the look in his eyes, let her
know she’d connected the dots. The sinister gleam shining there
said it all. “You have no intention of letting the world know we’re
here and mean them no harm, do you?”

“I often wondered if Malcolm had chosen the
right person for this but you continue to amaze me, Ms. Ford.
You’re very perceptive. And correct.”

“And what exactly do you have in mind?”

He straightened to his full height, his cane
used to hold him there, and smiled down at her. “Once you’ve told
the world about us and shifted, there will be no need for me to do
anything but sit back and watch. That wolf of yours will do what
all new wolves do. She’ll feed on anything that moves.”

“And if I’m shot before that happens?”

“You won’t be.”

“How can you be so sure?”

His smile brightened. “Don’t worry, Ms. Ford.
Everything has been taken care of.”

Thaddeus walked back into the room, his steps
having a bounce to them. She could tell by his posture alone they
were ready. When he told Victor the same, the moment she’d been
wishing for, and dreading, was there.

She was untied from the chair, walked back to
the car and headed for town. When the music from the festival was
heard, Rayna sent up a silent prayer. One she knew wouldn’t be
answered.

* * * *

Garrett ran into a dozen people he knew
within the first ten minutes of venturing into the park. Despite
his flimsy disguise, which consisted of a ball cap and a dark
jacket, his old friends recognized him within moments. They all
seemed happy to see him and the first question they all had was,
“Where was Rayna?” It was a question he’d asked himself numerous
times as he scanned the crowd.

According to Nicolas, Victor’s plan was
simple. Put Rayna in front of the town and force her to shift. Her
wolf would take care of the rest. And just as he feared, Victor’s
plans weren’t for a peaceful transition amongst the humans. He
wanted to conquer them. A plan he’d pull off if Nicolas were
right.

The other Breed leaders Victor brought would
share in the bloodbath once Rayna shifted. The town would be in
chaos within minutes. Those who weren’t killed would cower to the
shifters and Victor’s battle would be nearly won.

Bluff’s Point was a dot on the map but once
other preternatural creatures learned what had happened here,
they’d take to the streets in every city in the country. The
ramifications would be devastating.

He spotted Dillon running his way and
stopped, waiting for him to reach him. “What is it?”

Dillon drew to a halt and took several
moments to catch his breath. “They’re here. They just pulled up on
the other side of the park.” They both turned and ran, meeting up
with Nicolas and the others. When Garrett saw Rayna, his wolf
shifted restlessly at seeing her surrounded by men twice her
size.

He pushed his way through the crowd, intent
on getting to her but stopped when Nicolas grabbed him. “Don’t be a
hero yet, Garrett. Those drugs are still in your system. You don’t
even know if you can shift.” Nicolas released his hold on him and
nodded his head toward the stage. “If they know we’re here, Victor
will do something stupid and get Rayna killed before we can get to
her.”

Garrett’s irritation grew. He ground his
teeth and tried to keep an even tone of voice. “Then what do you
suggest?”

“I suggest we wait until the moment is
right.”

“And when will that be? When she’s shifting?
When the police are trying to control the crowd and they shoot her
to ensure their safety?”

Nicolas looked back across the park at Rayna
and Victor’s men. “Look, I know this isn’t how you want to play
this, but trust me. My friends are scattered all over this park.
They know what to do. Just play it cool and everything will be all
right. Just watch for the signal like we discussed. Trust me. This
will work.”

Garrett seriously doubted that but what
choice did he have? If he walked up to Victor and took Rayna like
he wanted to, it was hard to tell what the old man would do. He was
unpredictable. Victor knew what he wanted and would do anything to
get it, even if it meant killing every person in Bluff’s Point. He
had no choice but to go along with Nicolas’ plan, especially if he
wasn’t able to call his own wolf. And if he couldn’t, then
what?

If he couldn’t get to Rayna, there would be
no way to control her. The ramifications of that would be
devastating to her. She loathed what she was now. How would she
feel if she took countless number of lives and had no way to stop
herself? He had to get to her and force her wolf to obey him,
regardless of the fact Victor called the beast. It was the only way
to ensure they all came out of this alive. He had to reach her and
get her out of town.

He spotted Chad out of the corner of his eye
and made his way to him, Dillon following closely behind. When he
reached his old friend he said, “Do you remember that clearing up
by the lake? The one I told you I was going to buy and build a
cabin on?”

Chad nodded. “Yeah. Why?”

“When all of this is said and done, that’s
where you’ll find us tomorrow morning. Bring clothes for Rayna and
myself.” He walked off then, toward Victor and Rayna.

“What are you going to do?” Chad yelled at
his back.

“What I have to!”

* * * *

Rayna felt the beast pushing against her
bones and the pained howls ringing inside her head were
disorienting. Victor was luring the wolf to the surface without
even looking at her. Or she thought it was Victor.

She glanced at him and wondered if he could
draw her wolf out as easily as he’d said. Surely he’d have to look
at her to do it. Then again, she knew next to nothing about
Lycanthropes or how their genetic makeup worked. For all she knew,
the wiry old dog could be in the next room and call her beast.

The crowd gathered in the park was the
largest Rayna had seen. The festival drew most of the town but for
some reason, today, it looked as if everyone had turned out. She
wondered if Victor was the reason but dismissed the notion. He
wasn’t someone well known. Well, not beyond the preternatural
crowd, that is.

There were a few news crews stationed around
the park, most of them taking random footage. She wondered if any
of those cameras had a live feed running. She really hoped not but,
according to Victor, the world would see her shift. If he said it
would be, she had no reason to doubt him.

She was led to the far end of the park where
the stage sat. The town council used it for announcements and the
bands featured during the week used it for their shows. It looked
as if today, she would be the main attraction. When they reached
the steps leading up, she dug her heels into the ground and jerked
on her arm. “Victor, please, don’t do this.”

Carmen stepped into her line of sight.
“You’re in no position to demand anything.”

Rayna turned to look at her, the smug look on
the woman’s face baffling. She still hadn’t figured out Carmen’s
role in this, other than to just be a pain in her ass. Ruling the
pack, Carmen had said was her goal, but she would have had that
anyway. Leaving the mountain accomplished that for her, so why
would Carmen play a part in this beyond that?

She studied her for long moments before
asking, “What’s in this for you, Carmen? Surely being Victor’s
lapdog isn’t reward enough.”

Carmen growled low in her throat and stood to
her full height. “The benefits are well worth any trouble I’ve
endured. When all of this is said and done, I’ll have everything.
I’ll have your worthless pack of wolves and Garrett.”

Rayna stared her in the eye. “He’ll never
have you.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. He’s already
accepted.” Rayna’s blood ran cold then, her pulse jumping to rapid
life. She stared at Carmen and the woman’s smile was near blinding.
“He’ll be Breed leader of our territory once this is all said and
done and I’ll be right by his side. His rightful mate to rule over
our region as true leaders.”

Garrett a Breed leader? Rayna had no doubt he
could accomplish anything he set his mind to but he didn’t even
want to be a pack leader. Why would he want to be a Breed leader?
Responsible for hundreds of lives, most of which he would never
even see.

Rayna’s momentary fear that Carmen was
telling the truth gave way quickly. She knew enough about her to
know the woman lived in a world of her own and was surely making
this up. Rayna knew Garrett, and she knew how he felt about the
Collective.

A laugh bubbled up Rayna’s throat and she
gave it air enough to be heard by any standing close enough.
“You’re just as delusional as ever, Carmen. Garrett didn’t want you
twelve years ago. He doesn’t want you now and he for damn sure
isn’t interested in being a Breed leader.”

“Are you sure about that?” Carmen took a step
closer, the perfume she was wearing filling Rayna’s lungs until she
was nauseated. “Do you honestly think you’re more important to him?
Power is an intoxicating thing, Rayna. One taste and even the
strongest Alpha’s fall to the lure of it. Garrett did regardless of
what you believe. You think he showed up and gained access to the
house because of his need to save you?” Carmen laughed and her eyes
shifted to wolf amber. “He came because of what Victor can give
him. To be a Breed leader. He came to stand beside me, his true
mate.” She looked down at Rayna’s body before snorting another
laugh. “You’re just too pathetic to realize you’ve been
played.”

Rayna saw Victor walk to one of the news
crews and speak with them briefly before turning back to their
little party. He glanced at Carmen and Rayna had to wonder if she’d
been telling the truth. Had Garrett sold her out to be a Breed
leader? He’d been beaten and thrown into the pit with her but had
it all been an act? And if so, why?

The gleam in Victor’s eyes was frightening
and Rayna knew she didn’t have the time to figure it all out.
Within the hour, the world would know preternatural creatures
existed.

The news crew Victor had spoken with now had
their cameras pointed in her direction and she knew without being
told, that feed was live somewhere. Victor’s plan would go off just
as he’d said. The world would watch as she shifted. They would see,
in living color, that the monsters they thought were figments of
the imagination were real.

And she would be dead. The outcome wouldn’t
matter then. Not to her.

She watched as Victor spoke to another man
she didn’t recognize and waited, ignoring Carmen, and turned her
head to scan the crowd. Familiar faces met her gaze and the nausea
she’d been fighting for the last hour intensified. A tug on her arm
was all it took for her stomach to roll. “Let’s go, sweetheart,”
the man holding her in place said. “It’s Showtime.”