Untouched (31 page)

Kerry’s in there, and that’s all that matters.
Impatience and desperation clawed at him.
Besides, the only people we can really trust are probably with her
. He stood to run inside, but Peter grabbed his arm and pulled him behind the stone and brambles.

“Hey, boss,” Pete whispered and gestured toward Joseph’s cottage. “What about the old guy? We don’t know if there’s anyone in that cottage.”

Dante did his best to keep his back to Peter, hoping he wouldn’t see his shifted eyes. “I need you to stay out here and keep an eye out for him or anyone else,” he said over his shoulder. “The last thing we need is more surprises. When Kerry comes out of the house, with or without me, you get her the hell out of here.”

“Shit,” Peter hissed. “If you think I’m going to leave you out here, you’re fucking crazy.”

William grabbed Peter’s shoulder and spun him so they were now face-to-face. He locked his shifted, glowing black eyes on Pete’s shocked face. “You have absolutely no idea what you’ve just been dragged into.” His voice, low and deadly, stayed just above a whisper. “So, do as Dante tells you, and stay here. The last thing we need is human blood on our hands.”

Peter’s face flickered briefly with surprise, but without missing a beat, his usual steadfast gaze took hold. He held his ground along with William’s harsh gaze. “I got your back…
boss
.”

Dante, his eyes burning like two embers in a fire, turned to Peter and gave a nod of gratitude. A brief flicker, a mixture of confusion and wonder, moved over Pete’s features when he saw Dante’s eyes.

Peter licked his lips and slowly nodded his acceptance. “You just have to promise me that when this whole thing is over, you’ll tell me what the hell is going on.” He double-checked the ammunition clip in his gun and slammed it back into place. Somehow, checking the tangible gun in his hand helped confirm that this was really happening, and he wasn’t having some kind of bizarre hallucination.

“William, go check the cottage and get an aerial view of the property. Give us a better idea of what’s going on, and see who we’re up against.”

William gave Dante a curt nod and stood up. He spread his arms wide and kept his glittering black eyes locked on Peter. “
Verto
,” he whispered.

Peter watched with genuine awe as William shimmered briefly and shifted into a large Gyrfalcon. His enormous white and brown flecked wings flapped as he hovered briefly above the ground. He shrieked loudly through a hooked beak and flew into the twilight sky.

“Holy shit,” Pete whispered. “That guy has some creepy-ass eyes. They were all black, and I could swear they were edged with yellow. They fucking glowed in the dark, boss.” He turned to Dante, and his eyebrows flew up. “So do yours, but for some reason, yours don’t freak me out quite as badly.”

“They are the eyes of our clan,” Dante said simply.

“Uh-huh,” Peter breathed. His gaze held Dante’s, and he nodded slowly. “Like I said, explain it to me later.”

The two men watched as William circled high above the property. Strong waves of shock and confusion pulsed from Peter. Dante had to admit he was surprised that Peter took it so calmly.

“Man, I thought I’d seen everything,” he mumbled, his eyes still on the sky.

“Not quite everything.” Dante kept his sights on William and watched as he swooped down to the cottage.

His sharp voice cut into Dante’s mind.
He’s not in the cottage. It’s empty. There doesn’t seem to be anyone else outside of the house except us—Amoveo or human.

Can
you
get
a
closer
look
inside
the
house
itself?

Of
course.
William flew behind the house and out of sight. Dante swore softly and glanced at Peter who was looking at him through narrowed eyes.

“What’s going on, boss?”

“The cottage is empty,” Dante said. He kept his glowing gaze on the sky. “William’s going to see if he can get a closer look and see inside the main house.”

“Uh-huh. And how do you know that?” Pete asked warily.

“Telepathy,” Dante said in a very matter of fact manner. “It’s how we communicate with each other when we’re in our clan form.”

“Of course,” he murmured quietly. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

Before Pete could ask anything else, William swooped down behind them. Startled, Pete swore softly and jumped involuntarily. William shifted back into his human form and squatted next to them. His intense, now human eyes, immediately landed on Peter. “Sorry if I frightened you.” A smug smile played at his lips.

“You didn’t scare me. You startled me. There’s a difference.” He eyed William’s suit. “Aren’t you a little overdressed for this?”

“Peasant,” William mumbled.

Dante let out a frustrated sigh. “Could you two duke it out later?” He turned to William. “Did you see anything?”

“Yes.” William nodded, his mouth set in a grim line. “I’m sorry to say I did. Samantha, Malcolm, and Kerry are all in their clan form. The women are caged, and Malcolm is tied to a perch like some kind of house pet.” His lip curled in disgust. “There is one human. A male. I didn’t recognize his energy signature. There were definitely two others. I couldn’t see or sense who they are, but they’re definitely one of us.”

“One of us?” Pete’s brow furrowed in confusion.

William sighed and rolled his eyes. “An Amoveo, you simpleton.”

“Simpleton? Who are you calling a simpleton, you birdbrain?”

“Both of you shut up,” Dante hissed. He furrowed his brow in confusion. “Why wouldn’t they shift? Malcolm and Sam could just transport themselves out of there. Damn!” He ran a hand through his hair and stared up at the ominous house. “What the hell is going on?”

“I’m not sure. However, I know that Samantha saw me. I tried to connect with her, but I was unable to create a mental link. It was as if…” He trailed off, a look of worry etched deeply in his face. “It was as if she wasn’t there.” His somber eyes flicked back to Dante. “Just as you said.”

“I don’t know what the hell is going on here… exactly,” Peter hedged. William shot him a look of doubt, which caused Pete to let out a frustrated grunt. “Okay. I have no freakin’ idea what the deal is, but I do know that Kerry is in there, and some sick son of a bitch put her in a cage. So how do you boys want to handle this? It’s getting pretty dark in this creepy-ass swamp,” he said in a loud whisper as his eyes scanned the surrounding area. “Can we please go get her, so I can go back to New York City and deal with the regular weirdos?”

Dante nodded and sharpened his focus. “Pete, you stay here, and keep watch on the perimeter. William, I want you to fly up to the second story, and wait for my signal.”

“What the hell are you going to do,” Pete asked incredulously. “Just walk up and knock?”

A slow, deadly smile spread across Dante’s face. “Not exactly.” He stood, spread his arms wide, and whispered, “
Verto
.”

Peter watched with wide eyes as Dante shimmered and shifted into his clan form. Slowly, approval and something that resembled admiration spread over Peter’s features. His gaze followed Dante as he trotted in his fox form noiselessly across the gravel driveway and whisked up the steps of the house in a dark red blur.

“Holy crap,” Peter mused. “He’s a fox?” He laughed softly and shook his head. “Well, the ladies always did say that about him.” He turned to William, but his smile faded quickly at the look of his unamused face.

William’s sharp dark eyes studied Peter intently. “You have to know that he will die to save her,” he said quietly. “His life will mean nothing if he loses her.”

Peter turned to face him, a look of annoyance blanketing his face. “Look, I know. Of course he’d be upset. She’s his client.” Peter knew that they were more than just business associates, but this guy, whoever he was, didn’t seem to be a big fan of human beings.

“She’s his mate.” William bit out the words, each one dripping with impatience. Peter’s blatant dislike of William rolled off him in angry waves and was now compounded by major confusion. William rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. “Never mind.”

William’s head snapped up as Dante’s voice captured his attention.
The
door
is
open
a
crack. I’m going in. Which side of the house is that room on?

The
back
far
right
corner
of
the
house. The one closest to the water. I’ll fly around back now. Don’t do anything rash, Dante. Get your mate, and get out of there. I’ll get Samantha and Malcolm.

Peter watched the intense concentration carved in William’s face and suspected he was speaking with Dante. He glanced to the porch and saw Dante slip inside the open door. A soft whisper behind him and cool breeze brushed past, as William shifted into his gyrfalcon and took flight. Peter crouched low at the edge of the fountain and positioned himself, so he had a clean shot of the door. If anyone or anything came out of that house, it better be friendly, or it was going to end up dead.

He looked at the chipped cherub wrapped in vines. “Guess it’s just you and me kid.” Then he turned his full attention to the house. “Game on.”

Dante stilled when he entered the enormous and oddly familiar front hall of the old house. His heart thundered in his chest as he inspected his surroundings. It was exactly as it had been in the dream realm Kerry created. Everything. Every detail of the mammoth gilded mirror and the faded pattern on the rug runner—all of it was just as it had been in the dream. She’d been right. She was definitely somehow connected to this place.

He closed his eyes, stuck his snout in the air, and drew in a deep breath. He picked up her exotic scent immediately. His body flooded with relief. It wasn’t the mental link that he craved, but it was better than nothing. She was here.

He padded silently across the old wood floors and paused at the foot of the grand staircase. The floorboards creaking above him caught his attention. Footsteps? His large ears pricked up, and he stood stone still, straining to hear more. He closed his glowing amber eyes and concentrated on the energy signature that pulsed through the house. The ripple or disturbance in the energy field was even stronger inside, and it was coming from upstairs. William had been spot on—as usual. Someone had put a mental shield around the house, but it was coming from upstairs. Whoever did it had taken Kerry. His lips curled back, and a low growl rumbled in his throat.

Slowly, he crept up the curved staircase and paused just before he reached the top. His large bushy tail flicked behind him. The light sound of a woman giggling drifted toward him. A door creaked open and echoed through the halls. The snickering grew louder and bounced down the hallway from the right side of the house. He had to shift back to his human form. His fox was perfect for stealth movements in the dark of night, but now he had to be prepared for battle. Members of the Fox Clan were well known for their abilities to slip in and out of places without being noticed, but they were physically stronger in their human form.

Dante whispered the ancient language and shifted. He pressed himself against the wall and listened. He called up the acute hearing of his fox and kept his eyes shifted to take advantage of the sharper vision of his clan. Dante peered around the corner at the top of the stairs and found it empty, except for a soft light coming from the last door on the right. He needed a weapon. A gun would’ve been ideal, but that was far too complicated to visualize—too many working parts. Only the oldest Amoveo had the ability to do that.

In his mind’s eye he visualized a large, steel hunting dagger with a leather-wrapped handle. Within seconds he felt the weight of it in his hand. Dante gripped it tightly in his right hand and smiled at the cold steel blade. Prior to connecting with Kerry, he never would’ve been able to visualize a weapon like this, let alone do it so quickly. Samantha kept saying he was the missing piece to Kerry’s puzzle, but the truth was that Kerry was his. They fit. He wouldn’t lose her. Not now. Not ever.

With the dagger gripped tightly in his fist, Dante silently eased his way down the hall. He repeatedly attempted to connect with Kerry, but each time found nothing. He stayed close to the wall with its faded and peeling wallpaper and inched his way up to the door that stood open just a crack. Light flickered, and just as Dante was about to kick open the door, an unfamiliar female voice stopped him dead in his tracks.

“No need for violence. Come on in, lover,” she purred. “We’ve been waiting for you.”

Anger burned brightly in his glowing eyes. He held the dagger pointed out and swung the door open with his free hand. The hinges screamed their resistance as the room came into horrifying focus. Pasha Zankoff stood in the center of the gigantic bedroom bathed in soft, dancing candlelight. There must’ve been fifty candles lit and flickering throughout the decrepit room.