“I’ve done all that.” Matt walked over to one of the sets of bars and pulled on them. I even shifted into my bear form but the bars barely move.”
“Hmm.” Dante pulled a lock pick out of his pocket and crouched down to work the mechanism.
“You carry a lock pick with you?” Matt sounded impressed.
“Never know when one might come in handy,” Dante frowned. “Unfortunately, this lock seems impervious. I wonder if there’s a spell on it; Gwyneth had a handy one for undoing locks so the opposite might also be true.” He stood and stared around the room again.
Sam snorted. “Damien’s always claimed you were the ultimate criminal. Wait until I tell him you can’t even pick a lock.”
“It won’t be the first time I’ve disappointed him, I’m sure.” Dante sighed. “Escaping will require some ingenuity it seems. Bendov, you’ve been here a few days. Is there a schedule or pattern to when the malefic witch appears?”
“What the hell is a malefic witch?” Sam pushed away from the wall, looking steadier. “And give me the pick. I’ve bypassed more than a few locks in my day.”
Dante arched a brow but handed her the pick. “A malefic witch doesn’t accept the agreed values and mores of the collective coven. This one has turned to black magic searching for immortality, fuelling the spells by taking the life force energy of shifters, Fae and even humans.”
Sam frowned as she worked the lock. “What exactly do you mean by ‘taking’ their life force energy?”
“You don’t want to know.” Matt looked grim.
“I’m not some shrinking flower, Matt. Tell me.” She got up and slapped the pick into Dante’s outstretched hand while muttering a sullen acknowledgement that the lock wouldn’t open.
Dante put the pick away. “Taking a life force involves a ceremony with a ring of fire, a spell and then the heart of the victim is ripped out.”
“Oh.” Her face paled.
Matt nodded. “He has something big planned. There’s a black moon this month which increases the power of magic. He plans on using multiple victims and,” he paused and gave Sam an apologetic look, “he was quite pleased to have you. Being pregnant, you’re considered a prime source.”
“No!” She placed her hands protectively on her belly.
Dante gave the door a shake. “I’m afraid so.” He turned to face the werebear. “Is there any chance he has an accomplice?”
Bendov shook his head. “No. He was going on about how he’s duped everyone, that no one suspected him. Sounds like a solo act.”
“Good.” Dante felt a wave of relief wash over him despite the grim situation they were in. His gut feeling about Gwyneth had been confirmed. She wasn’t involved. If she had been… He pushed the thought firmly away.
Chapter 24
Gwyn stood behind the bar, Damien, Reno and Brandi on the opposite side. A bottle of scotch sat on the polished surface between them, Damien having just thrown back his second shot. She’d insisted he have a drink in the hopes of calming him down enough to have a rational conversation.
Cooperating with a bunch of Lycans went against the grain but she wanted to deal once and for all with Dante and working together was the most efficient means of reaching her goal at this point. As Reno and Brandi finished explaining their theory as to why Dante was in town, she downed her own drink and set the glass down with a decided thud.
“Lycan Link has no business interfering in the Universal Coven. If there’s an issue, it should have been brought to our attention.”
“It’s all speculation,” Reno cautioned.
“And this is exactly why we need to regularize relations under the auspices of the Alliance,” Brandi added. “I’ve been working with the Affiliation office to—”
Gwyn interrupted. “An email was sent from your office saying Dante worked for you and was here to interview me.”
Damien sneered. “Forged. The bastard probably managed to tap into Lycan Link.” He got to his feet and began to pace the room. “But what does this have to do with Dante kidnapping Sam?”
“If we all put our cards on the table, we might be able to figure it out.” She poured another finger of scotch and edged it towards his seat. “Frothing at the mouth and pacing like a caged animal isn’t helping any.” When Damien shot her a deadly stare, she held his gaze until he sat down. “Now, to summarize, you read an article about possible black magic being used in Chicago and somehow connected that to Dante’s presence and the fact the Universal Coven is meeting here.”
Reno shot a look at Damien and then spoke, seeming to choose his words carefully. “We believe he has a personal score to settle. That black magic was used to kill a woman he once loved.”
“And he’s tracked the witch to the Coven. For some reason, Lycan Link knows of and supports his actions.” Brandi added. She also gave Damien a sidelong look.
Gwyn narrowed her eyes. They were definitely hiding something from him. Whether it was pertinent to the current situation remained to be seen.
“Now spill what you know.” Reno fixed his gaze on her.
His demanding attitude had her back up but she forced down her usual animosity towards Lycans and responded. “There have been energy fluctuations, something those in the Universal Coven are sensitive to. Extreme fluctuations mean very powerful magic is being used, usually black magic.”
“To what purpose?” Damien narrowed his eyes.
“There are indications someone is trying to gain immortality.”
“Is that possible?” Brandi cocked her head.
“To the best of my knowledge, complete immortality has never been successfully achieved. However, rituals such as the one you saw reported in the paper can give a witch something akin to a booster shot, an infusion of energy that stops the aging process for extended periods of time.”
“Energy infusions?” Reno raised his brow.
“Energy from other living beings. The energy is stronger if the victim is in a heightened emotional state. And energy from Others is even stronger.”
“I don’t see a connection to Sam’s disappearance.” Brandi shook her head. “We’re missing something. Dante wouldn’t be in league with this witch, I’m sure of it.”
Damien slammed his hand down on the bar and surged to his feet. “Enough talking. It doesn’t matter who Dante is working for or what his purpose is. He has Sam and we need to find her.”
Gwyn pressed her lips tightly together. The Lycan’s continued outbursts were beginning to wear on her nerves. However, if she ever did love someone, she supposed she’d act in a similar way. “I’m sorry, but despite his annoyingly persistent presence, I really have no idea where he might have taken her.”
“I could request a team of trackers.” Reno reached for his phone.
Brandi furrowed her brow. “Isn’t there some kind of magic you could use? Bianca has said your grimoires have spells that cover almost every occurrence there is.”
“I was on my way to do that when you barged in. The ‘bug’ Dante planted in my office should work. It was probably in his pocket for a while. The longer the contact, the greater the possibility of success.”
“It’s worth a try.” Brandi nodded.
Gwyn picked up the grimoire she’d left on a nearby table when the Lycans had burst into the bar and began to lead the way to the wine cellar. “Normally Lycans wouldn’t be privy to this but given your personal involvement, I’ll make an exception.”
“That book you’re carrying looks familiar.” Damien gestured towards the grimoire she was carrying.
“It’s a book of spells.” Gwyn spoke over her shoulder as she descended the stairs. “Dante found it at a sale and then handed it over to me.”
“I think it’s the same book I found on the shelves at the pack house.”
Gwyn turned to look at him. “Why would Lycans have a grimoire?”
Damien shrugged. “It was in a box of books Sam’s mother had left behind years ago. We were cleaning out the closet in what’s going to be th
e baby’s room. We dropped the whole bunch off at a used book store.”
“Didn’t you say Sam’s mother had some witch blood in her?” Reno asked.
“Yes, her purple eyes.” Gwyn answered before Damien could answer. “She plays the part of a wolf so well, I often forget her heritage.” She continued down the stairs. “Well, this is fortunate. The grimoire might help us locate both Dante and Sam, assuming they’re together since it technically belonged to both of them.”
Sam paced the cell yet again, testing the bars, staring at the ceiling. She was an Alpha and needed to be ready to act, to protect her pack. Technically, she had no pack at the moment, but she felt responsible for those with her, whether they knew it or not.
Inside, however, it was a different story. She was trying to stay in control, willing herself to project a calm image but she was scared. Her mental connection to Damien was missing and she’d never felt so alone, so…incomplete. Most likely, whatever their captor was using to block the cellular signal was also blocking her blood-bond.
She took a deep breath, reminding herself that Damien would move heaven and earth to find her. The only question was, would he be in time? Her hand strayed to her belly and she rubbed the swelling that signalled the life she carried inside. At least that was one positive outcome, the threat had kick-started some of her mothering instinct. No matter what happened, the baby had to survive.
With that in mind, she surveyed the space again, looking for a means of escape. Matt was using his car keys to scrape away at the concrete wall where the metal was secured. He’d been working at it the past two days he’d said but was nowhere near breaking one of the bars free from where they were embedded. At least he was doing something though. Dante was sitting, hands lightly clasped, eyes closed. She stopped in front of him, his inactivity irritating her.
“How can you sit there doing nothing?”
He opened one eye. “I’m thinking. And conserving energy.”
She rolled her eyes but stopped her pacing, leaning against the wall beside him. “I know about you.”
“Really?” He looked up at her.
“From when you were in Chicago last time. From when you conned my grandfather out of his money. You were dressed like some greasy, down-on-his-luck sleezeball.”
“Old news.” He closed his eyes again.
“And Damien’s told me about you, too. He says you’re a scum-sucking bastard.”
“It does seem to be the general consensus.”
She paused and studied him carefully, wanting to catch his reaction to her next bit of news. “I also know you’re probably his father.”
He snapped his head in her direction. “Does Damien know?”
“Not yet. Reno and I were going to tell him together.”
“Smith figured it out?” He raised an eyebrow. “The man has too much time on his hands if he’s digging that deep.”
“Damien asked him to. He wanted to know who his family was so he could tell the baby one day. I was curious, too.” She narrowed her eyes. “Are you really his father?”
Dante didn’t immediately respond. He looked away, a muscle worked in his jaw. Eventually, he nodded. “I am.”
“Damn.”
“Sorry I’m a disappointment.” He shrugged one shoulder.
“Yeah. Me, too.” She leaned her head against the wall. “Damien deserves better.”
“That he does.”
“You agree?” She looked down at him in surprise.
“He’s had a hard life.” Dante stared down at his hands. “I wish things had been different.”
“So, what happened? All we know is that you met his mother, got her pregnant and then went back to the Academy. She died right about the time you went back there.”
“That’s about it.” He shrugged. “I loved her though. I’m sure Smith’s research didn’t show that, but I did. I had every intention of making her my mate once I graduated.”
“At least that’s one positive thing for Damien to latch on to.”
“I didn’t know about Damien until I went back to get her. By then her pack was under the malefic witch’s spell. I tried to save them.” He paused and stared across the cell, a muscle working in his jaw. “She was killed as we were escaping.”
“I…I’m sorry.”
“Thanks.”
She paused before pressing for more information. “So how did Damien end up in an orphanage?”
“I left him there, thinking he’d be safe there.” He sighed. “At the time, it seemed the best solution.”
“And after?”
“He was better off without me. I’ve kept track of him, mostly from a distance, tried to help out when I could without him knowing I was around.” He gave a bitter laugh. “It’s rather pathetic. I’ve faced down drug lords and Purists but I’m scared of my own son.”
“Why?”
“I suppose because I don’t want to see the disgust on his face.” He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Beyond that, my life has been spent trying to bring an end to this.” He swept his arm out to encompass the cell.
She made a non-committal noise and pushed off from the wall, nervous energy forcing her into movement again. She could sense Dante watching her but she didn’t know what to say to him. Perhaps he’d been hoping for more of a response from her for he continued to speak.
“I really was trying to prevent you from being kidnapped. Damien would be devastated if something happened to you.”
She narrowed her eyes, trying to recall what had happened. “I left the store planning on confronting you and then someone called my name. I turned and that’s all I remember.”
Dante nodded. “I noticed an older man at the edge of the alley and it struck me as odd. You walked out of the store just then, looked his way and froze. I ran over and…” He shook his head. “After that I don’t remember a thing.”
“That’s what happened to me.” Matt looked up from where he was chiselling away at the wall. “I was walking home and saw someone standing in the shadows. He looked familiar, said my name and then suddenly I woke up here.”
“I’m surprised he kept you alive this long,” Dante commented.
“Gee thanks.” Matt stood up and stretched his back having been crouched on the floor for some time.
“Nothing personal, Bendov. It’s just not his usual pattern.”
“He explained that on one of his visits. Said he has something big planned and needs a lot of energy at once. Apparently a werebear is a superior source.”
“But not quite enough since he nabbed me as well,” Sam added as she studied the hinges of the door. “I wonder if we could pop out the pins. I can get my arm through the bars and twist my hand around.”
Matt came over. “They’re pretty rusty. We need to lubricate them. Do you have any hand cream or maybe a lip balm?”
“No, dammit.” She kicked the cell door. “I don’t carry extra crap around with me.”
“Rust is iron oxide.” Dante commented. “If we had some aluminum shavings and an intense heat source we could create a thermite reaction to melt them.”
“Sorry, I left my blow torch at home, too.” She leaned her back against the wall and slowly slid herself down to the floor. “This. Totally. Sucks.”
Damien clenched his jaw, trying to hold himself together. The animal inside was fighting to get out, wanting—no, demanding—they take action and find their mate. He couldn’t randomly run around Chicago looking for her though. With no scent trail and no blood-bond to guide him, he’d be wasting his time. Their only hope was Gwyn being able to use a spell to trace Dante’s location.
If circumstances had been different it might have been interesting to observe a witch at work. As it was, he struggled to hold back a demand that she hurry the hell up.
Her eyes were half-closed, one hand clutching the surveillance device Dante had planted, the other resting on the old grimoire.
“I’m seeing a room. It’s like a jail, metal bars, no fur
niture. There are brick walls beyond. Old.” Gwyn furrowed her brow. “I don’t know where it is though.”
“There are hundreds, if not thousands of warehouses in a city this size.” Reno rubbed his neck. “Is there a window? Can you see a landmark?”
“No windows. Wait…there’s a skylight.”
“That’s not much help.” Frustrated, Damien held back a growl and gripped the back of a chair, the old wood creaking in protest. “What about something on a wall? A poster? Or an old crate or pallet with words on it?”
“Just a minute. There’s a sign, a safety award. Bronze level safety award of excellence, 2003.” Gwyn shook her head and blinked. “Sorry, that’s all I could see.”
“Don’t worry, I’m on it.” Brandi pulled out her phone. “I’ll do a search for winners that year and…” She paused and everyone in the room seemed to hold their breath. “We have a name!”
Damien pulled the phone from her hand, scanning the name. “Okay, I know the place. They went out of business about ten years ago if I recall correctly. I can be there within the hour.” He tossed the phone back to Brandi and headed for the stairs.
Reno halted him by grabbing his arm. “Not so fast. You don’t know what you’re walking into.”
“I don’t care. I have to get Sam back.”
“And going off half-cocked could get you killed before you can save her.” Brandi moved to stand in front of him.
Damien shook off Reno’s grip, a frustrated growl rumbling in his chest.
“If you’re all done growling, may I suggest something?” Gwyn stood with her arms folded. “We all go together. I have my own bone to pick with Dante. You,” she looked at Brandi, “seem to have some negotiating skills that might come in handy.”
“And Damien and I are chopped liver?” Reno asked.
“You said it, not me.” Gwyn gave a saccharine sweet smile.
Chapter 25
Dante pushed himself to his feet and took out his phone.
“I tried mine a few minutes ago. It still doesn’t work.” Sam commented from where she was crouched in the corner working on the wall.