Wolf Creek Enforcer (15 page)

Ian
knew Melissa has been distrustful of Robert since the moment they met.  She had a problem with exceptional looking men, being suspicious of their intentions.  Robert was extraordinarily handsome, as the fae were known to be, hence her skepticism.

Melissa continued, “Once we reached Bolivar,
we drove out near the marshes and parked so we could walk to the beach.”

With a hitch in her voice, Melissa continued, “We were almost to the beach when a man appeared in front of us.  Before I could blink, Robert was reaching over his back to pull his sword.  By the way, that in
of itself was freaky.  One minute he’s wearing slacks and a dress shirt, the next he’s in a kilt with a sword on his back.”

Melanie came over and sat next to her when she saw Melissa tremble, sending her a little feel good magic to bolster her up.

Melissa smiled gratefully and continued.  “The guy looked liked your common tourist with his Bermuda shorts and t-shirt.  He had an old book in his hands, open with his palm lying on top of the pages.  I realized too late that he was reciting an incantation.”

Melissa was agonizing over the fact that she had
n’t shifted sooner.

“The wizard said some words
and Robert couldn’t move, he stood frozen like a freaking statue.  The wizard looked at him and said, come.  Robert walked off like a lamb going to slaughter,” Melissa sniffed.  “Then the guy looks at me and says, run away little kitty, I don’t need a pussy cat.”     

She told them how she leapt at the wizard but it was like hitting a wall.  “That son of a
bitch acted like I was harmless, he laughed at me and mumbled something. That’s the last I knew until I woke up laying in the sand.” 

She tracked them to a house set up in the marshes.  “I guess the idiot didn’t worry about me following their scent.  I got the impression he held shifters in contempt.”

While watching the house, she saw another man through the window.  “I think the second guy is his servant or just his lackey.  I was afraid to leave and get help in case they harmed Robert.  Frankly, I wasn’t sure what exactly I was going to do.  I didn’t have anything in mind.”

She explained how she wa
tched the house, hoping for an opportunity to get to Robert. 

“They
had him tied up, his arms were over his head attached to a hook in the ceiling,” Melissa sniffled. 

She told how drained Robert looked, weak and pale.
 

“I heard
chanting and then a bright light flashed throughout the house.  I had no clue what it was, but I knew I had to do something, so I jumped through a window into the room.”

“I landed and there was a loud boom that knocked me off my feet, only I wasn’t in the house anymor
e.  I was here on this mountain, outside the cave where he took Robert.  I think I hitched a ride on the tail end of whatever it was before it collapsed,” Melissa told them.

David paled, “You could have
been torn apart.”

They all started asking questions, wondering if she actually saw Robert and if the wizard knew she had followed them.

“That arrogant twerp doesn’t even know I’m here and that I’ve been watching and listening.  Y’all have no idea how glad I am to see you.”

Once she assured them
Robert was inside the cave with the wizards, they debated their options. 

“We stick to our original plan, with Melanie and I using our magic to
try and break his hold on Robert.  With Melissa here, we now have one more soldier,” David said.

“Surprise attack or call him out?” asked Devlin.

Melissa answered, “Surprise.  Don’t give him an opportunity to get to that book, or cast a spell.”

“He has to be controlled first.  If he can capture a fae warrior, then he’s using some powerful black magic,” David stated.

“Melissa, can you describe him to me?  I recently met a wizard and I need to know if it’s the same one,” Melanie asked.

“He wouldn’t get lost in a crowd, that’s for sure,” Melissa stated.  “He’s ridiculously handsome, blue eyes, long dark hair, but evil through and through.” 

Melanie shivered, “It’s him, Braeden.”

* * *

After learning from Melissa that the cave entrance was about a quarter mile away, they made plans to attack at night, hoping to catch them off guard. 

Several hours later, they left their impromptu camp, leaving their horses ground tied.  They knew Angus had trained his horses well
, so they could leave them without worry.

The shifters in the group
moved stealthily, avoiding the loose rocks that would cause a slide.  David and Melanie followed behind, advancing like apache warriors, silent but deadly.

Melissa held up her hand, sto
pping their advance and motioning for Ian and Devlin.

“We need to change now, before we get too close.  I don’t k
now if he can sense our magic when we shift, so the further away, the better, in my opinion.”

Stepping behind a tree, Melissa stripped and shifted to her cougar form.
Ian and Devlin followed, while Melanie hid their clothes behind a rock. 

David was
surprised at how large Ian and Devlin were.  They looked like small ponies.  Melissa was only slightly smaller, graceful and sleek, but powerful.  He imagined the male cougars were probably bigger than the wolves, judging by her size. 

You two handle the magic, while we take them out.  Our priority is getting Robert out safely.  But if things go wrong, I want you to get out.  Promise
me
.  She jumped when she heard Ian, still not used to hearing voices in her head.   

“I promise,” she said out loud,
before repeating the refrain in her head.

Melanie lost sight of them as they silently prowled across the ground, entering the cave.  David pulled her along, keeping his back to the wall while his eyes adjusted.

Hearing voices echo along the cavern, it was difficult to know which direction they came from.  David stopped, feeling Melissa rub against his leg.  Running his hand along her side, he grabbed the scruff of her neck.  Holding onto his sister’s hand, he had to trust Melissa to lead them through the darkness.

The wizard had not gone too deeply into the mountain, just far enough to set up his chamber and still be able to leave in a hurry if needed.

Melanie’s grip tightened in David’s hand.  She could feel the dark magic coming from the chamber in front of them.  The voices they’d heard had gone quiet.  Moving closer to the muted light, they stopped when Melissa pulled away.  Her padded paws made no noise as she slunk towards the opening, slipping around the edge of the rock face. 

David saw Ian and Devlin sneaking around the opposite side and moved to follow.  With his back against the wall, he ducked down and peeked around the edge. 

Melanie crouched down beside David, waiting for the signal to go in.  The rock was
sticking out and blocking her view, standing like a doorway into the chamber.  Knowing Ian and Devlin were already in the room, she waited, listening intently. 

Ian spoke tel
epathically
.  Robert’s still tied to a rock and I don’t see the wizards, but I can smell them.  You and David get him out of here while Devlin and I search.

Tugging David’s hand, she stood and whispered, “They’re searching for the wizards, we need to release Robert and get him out.”

David slipped around the makeshift door, pulling Melanie along behind him.  He could barely see anything in the dim cavern, but he could make out the form of a man lying on his back on the flat surface of a huge rock.  Making sure he still had a firm grip on Melanie, he rushed over to help the fae warrior. 

Melanie took some water out of her pack and waited as David pulled his knife from his boot and started cutting the ropes.  Once free, she helped Robert sit up and held the canteen to his mouth. 

“Thanks lass,” Robert whispered. 

Once his wrists were released, Robert clenched his fist, fighting back a groan as circulation returned to his hands.  

Pulling him up, they stood on either side and each put an arm under Robert’s to help him stay on his feet.  Robert wobbled slightly before gaining his balance.  

Turning to exit, they heard the loud scream of a mountain lion and saw a dark figure rushing towards them.  David
pushed Melanie behind him as he braced himself for the threat.  He stood in awe as a huge cougar leapt on the man from behind and took him to the ground.

The man cried in terror as the cougar pinned his chest to the ground and planted it’s huge
paws on his shoulders.  Melissa’s sharp claws slashed through his coat and the first layer of skin, drawing blood.

Screaming in pain, Krew begged, “Call it off!  Please!”

David gathered the rope he’d just cut off of Robert and faced the furious cat.  “You can let him up, I’ll make sure he can’t get away.”

Melissa snarled before slowly releasing her prey and stepping to the side.  She watched intently as D
avid hogtied Krew, only walking away when Krew was fully secured. 

Ian and Devlin
came rushing in from another passage, shifting on the run. Ian immediately dashed over to make sure Melanie wasn’t hurt, “Let’s go, we’ll question him once we’re out of this cave.  I didn’t find Braeden, I think he’s somehow covering his scent.”   
     

Seeing
Ian and Devlin standing there naked, Robert waved his hand, procuring clothes for them.

“Thank god,” David said.  “I’m really not comfortable with the way male shifters let their junk hang out.  I’ve no problem wi
th the females though,” he said, staring at Melissa as she paced the area. 

Robert
glared at David.  “The lass is taken.”  He was regaining his strength quickly, now that the wizard was no longer holding him.

Melissa hissed on hearing Robert’
s statement, swishing her tail angrily as she passed by him.

David
acknowledged Robert with a curt nod as he cut the ties at Krew’s feet and pulled him up by the lead rope tied to his hands, ignoring the muffled complaints from behind the gag.

Melissa waited to shift until they got back to where she’d left her clothing. 

Reaching the spot near the small pond, they reclaimed their horses with Melanie doubling up on Ian’s horse.  Robert mounted Melani
e’s horse, holding a hand out and pulling Melissa up behind him.  No consideration was given to Krew, as David didn’t release his hold on the rope and pulled him along.  They couldn’t travel fast down the rocky slope, so Krew could walk down the mountain behind his horse.

Once they reached the base, they moved toward the forest,
joining Angus and his men.

Chapter 10

“I was an idiot,” Robe
rt stated.  “He took me by surprise, and whatever spell he’d found in that book was verra powerful.  My will was not my own, I was fucking helpless.”

Robert walked
over to the campfire and squatted down, picking up a stick to poke at the embers.  Glancing around, he saw Angus sitting quietly next to his son listening in.  The other pack members were scattered throughout the woods, patrolling the campsite. 

“Man, you can’t be expected to know someone is about to throw some black magic at you.  Especially when you’re on an island off the coast.  Doing the numbers,” they all groaned as Devlin continued, “As I was saying, it’s mathematically almost impossible.  First Melanie is attacked, then you?  He was tracking you and Melanie.”

They’d let Robert know about Melanie’s encounter and he was in agreement with Devlin’s conclusion. 

“He was trying ta
manipulate my magic.  I managed ta get ahold of a small portion from him that night at his beach house and control where we landed,” Robert said.  “He wanted ta time-travel ta Inverness, but I pushed back and got us here instead.”

“That book makes him more powerful,
I didn’t see it when I was searching for Krew, but we need to find it,” Ian growled.  “I don’t want him coming after Melanie again.”

“He must have used it to cast a
spell trying to find a magic user that could help him.  Now we need to know why he wanted to come to this time,” Ian said. 

They all stared at Krew, still gagged and sitting with his back against a tree.  His eyes
glared daggers at David, pissed at being tied like a wild animal. 

Robert rose and stood near Krew’s booted feet, studying the surly biker.

“My magic hae been growing stronger ever since the wizard disappeared, so you really doona want ta test me lad.  You will tell us what you know, and we just might let you live,” Robert glared at him.

Ian pulled a knife from his boot as he stood next to Robert.  Giving Robert the knife, he stood ready to attack if needed.

“Ve have vays to make you talk,” Devlin grinned evilly.

David rolled his eyes as he went to stand next to the men, crossing his arms over his massive chest to glare down at Krew.