Hunted

Chapter 30

Trevan shoved Moira against the wall of the cabin, casting a worried glance at the hail battering the window. “This storm is unbelievable.” Quick motions had her handcuffed to iron rings set into the rough wooden planks.

She looked around for a weapon. Shelves held gloves, goggles, and hand warmers. The walls were bare, and unbleached pine spread across the floors. A broken board from the floor would make an excellent weapon. A closed door stood to the north, probably to a bathroom. “Your helicopter isn’t going to make it here, asshole.” Moira struggled to keep her neck upright. The collar seemed to be dragging energy right out of her skin.

Trevan tightened his jaw. “Sure it is. The landing spot is next to this warming hut. We always meet transportation right here.”

A tingling set up at the base of her neck. She focused on the closed interior door. An energy, one barely measurable, pulsated in the next room. Something familiar. “Who’s in there?”

His eyes lightened. “You truly have power, Seventh.” He strode over to the door, ripping it open and revealing a bathroom. Reaching inside, he grabbed something and yanked.

Moira cried out as her sister tumbled out. “Brenna!” Thank God. Relief threatened to steal whatever strength Moira had left. Tears gathered, wanting to fall.

Brenna shook her head, her eyes fluttering before opening. Frayed rope bound her hands and feet. Duct tape covered her mouth. She wore a matching, sparkling collar around her neck. Her dark eyes widened on her sister before she scowled.

Trevan grabbed her hair and dragged her next to Moira, handcuffing her to the wall. “I left her in the bathroom—wasn’t sure how long we’d be.” Flashing a wide smile, he ripped off the tape.

“Ouch god dam it you fucking prick,” Brenna hissed. Angry motions had her tossing strands out of her face. “I am so going to kill you. First I’m going to take your skin, then I’m concentrating on your liver. You think my aunt is scary—”

Trevan backhanded her, slamming her head back into the oak.

Brenna gasped. “Now that just hurt, Trevan.”

Moira struggled against the cuffs, feeling like sand had swallowed her limbs. She’d kill him. She’d take his liver out and eat it. “How did he get you here, Bren?”

“Two of his guys dropped by. I let them right in.” Self-disgust curled Brenna’s lip. “We fought, and I woke up on a plane coming to this palace. He brought me to keep you in control, the dumbass. How did you get here?”

“Transported. Prick.” Moira stared into the darkness outside the wide window. Anger rose at her helplessness. “Take this collar off and fight me like a man, Trevan.” She could take him one-on-one. Using a device made of phanakite violated every oath he’d ever taken.

“No.” He frowned at his cuticles. “I bruised my hand on your cousin’s face already.” His tongue darted out to wet his lips. “Quite a surprise, that one. Thought I knew Simone.”

“Guess you don’t understand women.” Brenna rested her head against the wall.

He shrugged. “I wouldn’t say that. Besides, Simone was a temporary distraction. One I now regret.”

Moira kept her body still, forcing boredom into her tone. “Right. Considering you already have a woman.” She had heard a female voice ... who the hell was it?

“Nice try.” Trevan inched closer to the window. “I promised my lady protection and unfortunately am unable to satisfy your curiosity.”

Moira’s feet began to tingle, her hands going numb. The collar needed to be removed, and fast. “I suggest you make a run for it now, Trevan. My mate will be here soon.”

“I’m counting on Connlan making an appearance. My people will arrive in due time, and we’ll arrange an alternate meeting point with the Kurjans.” Trevan grinned, flipping open a cell phone to speak. “That helicopter needs to land on the roof within thirty minutes, or I’ll kill you and your entire family. Everyone you’ve ever known, in fact.” He listened and then nodded. “I thought you’d see things my way. Are the sharpshooters in position? Good.”

Nausea competed with dread in Moira’s stomach. “You’d truly hand me over to the Kurjans? Knowing they want a witch to experiment on?”

“I need an alliance with them to take over the Nine.” He punched a code into a keypad on the wall, and the hill below them lit, illuminating the pelting hail. Wind beat against the sides, shaking the rafters. “Ladies, I believe we’re about to have some fun while we wait.”

Moira’s eyes fluttered, and she bit down on her lip. The pain helped her focus. “What have you done?”

Trevan rubbed his hands together. “We’re against solid rock with a sheer cliff on the other side. This hill, this sweet-looking hill, is the only way to reach you, Moira. I assume we’ll see your mate shortly.”

The gods continued to hail missiles at the ground, and Moira forced a smile. “Your sharpshooters can’t see through that muck. They can’t find my mate.”

Though was he all right? Conn’s internal injuries hadn’t had time to heal, and the skirmish below had sounded bloody.

“They can spot him well enough, don’t you worry.” Trevan placed one hand against the window. “Besides, bullets are the least of your boy’s worries.”

“Conn will find land mines and traps,” Brenna whispered. “Don’t worry, Moira.”

Trevan shook his head. “The land mines are set too far down to be sensed. While they won’t kill like normal, they’ll certainly injure and slow a vampire—which is all I need for my shooters to take him down long enough so we can cut his head off.”

Moira shared a worried look with her sister. The plan wasn’t bad. Conn’s injuries would slow him down, and the blast from a land mine wouldn’t help. Not to mention carefully aimed bullets.

“How could you turn your back on everything you’ve vowed to protect?” Moira asked.

Trevan turned, both dark eyebrows raised. “Why would I protect a council that won’t grow? We’re the most powerful species on this planet, yet we follow the vampires’ lead and chase down our own ... for doing what comes naturally.” Two steps and his face lowered close to hers. “Deep down, we all know this. How else could I have spun the king’s training request so easily?”

The bastard had set them all up from the beginning. “So you weren’t concerned the king wanted our soldiers.”

Trevan shrugged. “Don’t know, don’t care. Maybe the king had ulterior motives, maybe he didn’t. But the Coven Nine was all too ready to dig in their feet about training our own soldiers.”

She shook her head. “This is treason.”

“Treason is a matter of perspective.” His gaze dropped to her lips and back up. “How many of your own have you taken down, Enforcer? For practicing magic?”

His minty breath made her stomach roll. “That wasn’t magic. That was the manipulation of matter to harm. The laws exist for a reason.” So the whole damn planet didn’t blow up.

“Laws change along with leadership.” With a dark gleam in his eye, he placed a kiss on her lips.

She bared her teeth and snapped.

He darted back, barely missing her sharp bite. Regret flashed across his handsome face. “I’m sorry I won’t get a chance to break you, Seventh.” With a shrug, he sidled back to the window. “I guess the Kurjans get all the fun this time.”

“Do they know?” As hard as she tried, she couldn’t keep the tremor from her voice. “Did you tell them about the phanakite?” Having the witches’ biggest weakness become public knowledge was frightful. The repercussions were unfathomable.

“No.” Trevan’s breath fogged the glass. “My lady talked me out of that. Guess you owe her.”

Apparently his woman was a whole lot smarter than he was. No way the Kurjans wouldn’t turn that kind of information against him. “Tell me who she is so I can properly thank her.”

He laughed. “Well, while the Kurjans are ripping through your genetics, I’ll have some fun with your little sister here.” His autocratic head tilted toward Brenna. “I’ll still need leverage with the Coven Nine. For a while.”

Brenna bared her teeth, and a gray vein appeared along her smooth forehead. Her eyes were bloodshot. “I’m going to boil your heart to mush inside your body.”

While Moira appreciated the sentiment, the fact her sister’s skin was becoming translucent from the collar clutched fear in her throat.

Trevan squinted into the night and then straightened his shoulders. “Looks like it’s showtime.”

Moira followed his gaze, her stomach clenching hard. A spotlight highlighted a large form at the bottom of the hill, his dark clothing a contrast to the white hammering hail. She sucked in air, using every ounce of her energy to throw thoughts into his mind. Stop, damn it.

Why? Conn’s voice came through low and furious.

She opened herself up wider. Pain slashed into her sides. His kidneys were not ready for battle. Sharpshooters and land mines. They’re too far down to be sensed.

Stay tight, mate. I’ll set one off and discern the layout from that point.

That’s stupid. She mentally raised her voice to a shriek. You’ll blow yourself up.

Relax, woman. The dark form bunched and began climbing the hill in a zigzag pattern. How badly are you injured? Concern melded with pain in his voice.

I’m not hurt. Just shackled to the wall and contained. So is Brenna. Boy, was she going to have to explain that one.

Is Brenna injured?

No. Bruised, pissed, and shackled.

Why can’t you use magic to break the shackles? He grunted, pain exploding in his solar plexus. The figure came closer.

I’ll explain later. Was that your lung? The man couldn’t run without a lung. His internal injuries were worse than even the doctor had realized.

Think so. Need to concentrate now. See you in a minute.

She opened her mouth to protest. Vampires could die by beheading, and vary rarely, from losing all their blood. That wouldn’t kill them instantly, but they’d go brain dead with no hope of recovery. How much blood had Conn already lost?

An explosion rose above the storm. Fire billowed up from the ground followed by a sharp boom.

Trevan jumped once, tightening his hand in a fist. “Finally. A damn mine.”

Terror slammed Moira’s heart against her ribs. She peered out the window, forcing tears back. The hail had turned to snow, mingling with smoke from the explosion. Spotlights shifted to land on a figure lying prone. Conn.

He rolled to the side and staggered to his feet. His head lifted. The silver of his eyes shone through the night, focusing on her.

Moira struggled against the handcuffs, turning her wrists raw. Pain reached to her fingertips. “You’re a dead man, Trevan. Run now. But it won’t do you any good.”

About halfway down the hill, Conn’s head swiveled one way and the other.

Brenna gave a weak laugh. “He’s on to you, Trevan. He’ll decipher the configuration now.”

Land mines, especially modified ones, needed to be buried in a pattern so they didn’t set each other off.

Trevan nodded. “Yes.” He lifted the phone to his ear, pressing a button. Three breaths later, he said, “Shoot him.”

“No!” Moira cried out, reaching for Conn in her head. Nothing but static filled her mind. Either her terror or his injuries were keeping them from communicating. Nausea gagged her. The numbness in her extremities had gotten worse. She eyed Brenna. “Are you going numb?” she mouthed.

“Hours ago,” Brenna whispered.

Moira bit her lip again to try and retain some clarity. The small pain didn’t help. What kind of damage might the collars do if left on too long? As far as she knew, once a witch was away from exposure, their powers returned. But most witches hadn’t spent time with the mineral touching their skin. “We’ll be all right.” Desperation had her yanking at the restraints, nearly pulling her shoulder out of joint. She needed to get free and help Conn.

Shots rang out. He fell. More shots cascaded in quick succession. He struggled to his feet, staggering closer, and closer.

“Fire!” Trevan yelled into the phone.

A rapid volley of bullets fired through the air from high in the tree line. Conn’s body jerked with each one. Moira gasped at every impact, her body clenching. So much damage. He dropped to his knees. Pivoting, he turned and fired into the trees. A bellow echoed when someone crashed down.

More flashes of fire lit the tops of the trees. There were too many shooters for Conn to get them all.

“Stop them, Trevan. Please.” She wasn’t a woman who begged. But this time, she would.

“Not a chance, Seventh.” Smug satisfaction coated Trevan’s smooth voice.

Rage burned so fast through Moira her tears heated. “I don’t know when. I don’t know how. But someday, I’m going to rip your heart out of your body.” She said it as a threat, felt it as a vow.

He turned slowly, his eyes darkening, his face paling. “Well then. Let’s hope the Kurjans arrive before I decide you’re an actual danger to me.”

Oh, he understood the threat. “I’m the Seventh, Trevan. Don’t you ever forget it.” As if she could protect Conn with her eyesight alone, she searched for him through the falling snow. Spotlights lit the area, keeping him visible.

He stumbled to his feet, leaving a river of red on the ground.

God. He’d lost too much blood.

Flashes of fire cascaded from the trees. More bullets impacted him. His body shuddered. Yet he stepped forward.

So brave. Her mate. Love was too pale an idea to describe what flew through her. Power, destiny, fate commingled in an inferno that had her head snapping back. Gathering her strength, pretending she had more than she felt, she sent every ounce of her power careening through the air. Sent all the power of the Seventh, all the power of a mate, to help him. For one second, she believed she was stronger than phanakite. Stronger than her enemies. More powerful than death.

Conn shot to his feet. His chest expanded. His shoulders snapped back, his head up, his chin down—ready to charge.

A light pierced down from high above. A dark form swimming among the clouds. A helicopter.

Oh God. Trevan’s backup.

Trevan puffed out his chest. “Apparently our ride has arrived, ladies.” He pivoted to watch the scene outside where Conn had stopped to stare up at the circling beast. “Well, I guess we could wait for a couple moments as they blow your mate to miniature particles, Moira.” His exhale scattered fog across the window. “Even you won’t be able to reassemble him.”

Pain and fear rippled through her so fast her knees buckled. She’d sent everything she had to Conn, and it wasn’t enough.

The rapid smattering of gunfire filled the night, flashes of orange coming from the nearly silent helicopter. The spray careened into the tree line, igniting the tops of the fir trees into a billowing mass of fire. Into the tree line! A spotlight captured the beast, illuminating Jase as he leaned out, firing into the forest.

Almost in slow motion, Moira turned her head toward the hill. Conn came running at them full bore, his chin down, his gaze on her.

Trevan jumped back, yanking a gun from his waistband. He levered, aiming for her mate.

With a flash of speed and the shattering of glass, Connlan Kayrs leaped through the window.