Maybe I’d come back tomorrow. Maybe not.
I whooshed out the door, past Kayla and Tony, then bulleted through the house and out the front door. Across the lawn and over the tall stone wall, lightning struck. I convulsed as the violent dose of electricity ravaged my body. My feet stumbled across the top of the wall and I landed on the other side in the soft dirt.
My muscles ached and trembled. Damn Cedric and his security systems. Damn myself for forgetting about them. But I had to keep going or someone might nab me, and it was probably too late to go back. I was already on the other side and vulnerable. Running was my best option—if I was even able to do that.
As I shifted my weight to rocket across the neighbor’s lot, something sharp pierced my shoulder blade. Ah, crap. My knees buckled beneath me, but I shot my fists in every direction, hoping they would land on someone. I tried to morph in hopes of using my fangs on whoever had drugged me, but I didn’t have enough strength or focus. Even if I had, I wouldn’t have been able to stop them from getting the cure. Images swirled and spun around me, and I was plummeting. And then the night sky turned pitch black.
Chapter TWENTY-THREE
Autumn
Zack! Come back, it’s not safe. I waited for a reply, but only silence met me. Somehow, I could still feel our connection. Just like I had sensed when Favianne’s human side had died, I would’ve sensed if Zack had been killed, right? He had to be alive. I tucked my bottom lip under my teeth to keep it from quivering. “He’s not answering.”
Except for Cedric and Regis who stayed behind to monitor the cameras, we’d all ventured out to the front lawn, sticking close together for safety as we searched the grounds for Zack.
“His scent ends here.” Dathan sniffed near the wall, his neck arching so he could smell the air above. “Kayla says he’s not showing up on any of the cameras on the other side. She’s checking recent footage, but it will take a few minutes to go through them all.”
“He’s not answering me either. That’s not like him.” Favianne’s hands fisted as she paced. “Doesn’t matter how angry he is. He’d at least talk to me, tell me he’s fine.”
“For all we know, he could already be dead.” Tony’s gaze darted to Favianne. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have blurted that out.”
Favianne flinched, glancing at Dathan.
“You may still be too young and weak for consistent telepathic conversation, especially over this kind of a distance.” Dathan bounded to the top of the wall and scanned the other side, his body jerking as the invisible force zapped him. He jumped down and shuddered. “That was unpleasant. If Zack escaped over the wall, which appears to be the case with how strong his scent is here, the jolt took him down long enough for someone to capture him. Let’s get inside before something happens to one of you.”
Panic seized me, my chest tightening. “We won’t find him by going back inside.”
“Inside. Now,” he hissed, pointing at the front door. “I’ll explain upstairs. Go.”
Everyone moved in unison, our necks craning in every direction in hopes of spotting anyone lurking. But not a soul stirred, as though the palace’s occupants knew that now wasn’t a good time to be around.
Favianne! In all the excitement, I hadn’t had a chance to show her how thrilled out of my mind I was that she was alive. And by the smell of her, she’d been turned into a vampire.
I waited until we’d been safely ushered into the king’s suite before I threw my arms around her and held my tears in check. Now was not the time to fall apart. “I can’t believe you’re here. Missed you so much.”
“Not as much as I missed you.” She gave me a hard squeeze.
“You’ll have time for reunions later.” Dathan scowled at each of us until we were all sitting. “Zack’s just unconscious. Definitely not dead.”
His confidence in Zack’s condition caught my attention. “How could you possibly know that?”
“I can sense his state of mind.” Facing away from everyone else, Dathan shoved his hands in his pocket.
“But...” Kayla studied him, squinting in disbelief. “There’s only one way to get that kind of a connection.”
Dathan scoffed. “Healing him was necessary in order to catch the culprits who tried to murder Cedric. And then, of course, I required the cure.”
“But Zack didn’t sustain any major damage. He didn’t need emergency healing,” Tony said.
I had needed healing though, and Dathan had given me his blood. I waved my palms around the room. “Wait. Does this mean you and I are connected too?”
“You let them both drink from you?” Kayla’s mouth dropped open. “You’ve never shared your power with any of us.”
“It wasn’t life or death.” Tony scoffed. “They’d already killed the attackers.”
Dathan abandoned his spot by the window and stalked to where Kayla sat. He loomed over her with a glare. “Zack was already wounded and weak when gave his own blood to save Cedric’s life. Preventing Zack from becoming insane with hunger was the least I could do after his act of heroism.”
Kayla slumped under his stare.
“And thanks to his foresight, we have a way to track Zack.” Cedric turned to Dathan. “What else can you tell us?”
“Unconscious... and by the strength of the connection, I’d say he’s nearby, possibly on the estate somewhere.”
Favianne rose from the chair. “You think you’ll be able to find him?”
“I believe so. But there’s something I need to do first.” He strode to Cedric’s desk and jabbed his finger into a button. “This is King Dathan, your true king,” he grumbled into the microphone. “The young male werewolf has been kidnapped by one of our own.”
As Dathan spoke, his voice boomed from the speakers outside the door in the corridors. “Every one of you will be in the training room in five minutes. Those who don’t show up will be treated as traitors and killed on sight.” He released the intercom button.
“Now what?” Renzo stood. “My son has been taken and the ones who have him very likely aren’t on the premises anymore. They sure as hell aren’t going to meet with you and leave their captive unattended. So you’re going to meet with a bunch of vampires who probably weren’t even the ones who took him? We could be using this time to look for Zack.”
Dathan’s lip twisted. “I’m merely removing obstacles from my path. Since we don’t know which of our people are trying to overthrow us, we’ll keep the ones here contained while we track Zack.”
Brilliant. Another reason to be grateful Dathan was on our side. Apparently Renzo didn’t object because he kept his mouth shut.
“Cedric, you stay here and watch the monitors. You’re our secret weapon, since they believe you’re dead.” Focusing on Renzo and Alura, Dathan flicked his hand like they were inconsequential. “Can’t have you two ruining this by getting sucked dry by some vampire. You’ll be more useful here with Cedric in case anyone tries to gain access to the suite. Favianne, I can’t use you without proper training,” he told her. “Stay behind with Autumn and help the wolves. Vampires, let’s go.”
As soon as they filed out of the room behind Dathan, Favianne began to pace. Alura’s foot fluttered nervously while Renzo brooded in his chair. I couldn’t blame any of them for being restless. Waiting in the king’s suite and knowing Zack was out there somewhere, possibly hurt or nearly dead, made me light-headed and my hands clammy. I would rather have been out there with Dathan.
“I hope they bring back some weapons,” Alura said. “All I have is this dagger in my boot and a crossbow in Autumn’s room.”
“Fortunately I keep a supply here in my suite. But we’ll get armed in a bit,” Cedric mumbled before returning to the monitors.
I loved that Cedric was so badass and always prepared for anything, even having a store of emergency weapons—unlike Renzo, who wasn’t badass at all. I made a small effort to hide my resentment while saying, “When we have Zack back, the least you could do is tell him you asked m
e not to say anything about you being his father. Now he thinks I betrayed him.”
“You broke up with him.” Renzo’s eyes narrowed at me. “What do you care?”
Favianne snapped to attention. “You two broke up?”
“Yes.” I jumped to my feet, my arms stiff at my sides as I stood in front of Renzo. “Because you talked me into it. Kept going on and on about the different species thing and how much danger we were in, had me convinced it was the right thing to do.” Much to my humiliation, a whimper escaped me. “And then you threw me under the bus.”
“You did this, Lucio?” Favianne whispered. “Interfered with two kids in love?”
Renzo hung his head. “Their lives will be a hundred times harder if they stick together. They’re young. They’ll fall in love with someone else. Maybe someone more appropriate.”
“I was about their age when I met you.” She knelt in front of him and covered his hand with hers. “When you were gone, I didn’t fall in love with anyone else.”
“Favianne, it’s different with us.” He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.
“What, we weren’t different species?” she asked, slanting her head and leaning away from him. “Or are they not the right kind of different species?”
A corner of his upper lip turned up. “Maybe it’s not a matter of species, but the right kind of love.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t be the one to judge,” she chided, looking down at their joined hands. “There was a time when someone tried to tell you who not to love.”
Renzo caressed her hands. “She doesn’t love him enough. And to be honest, I don’t think he cares for her as much as you’d like to think.”
“And you know this how? You have so much to learn about your own son.” Favianne yanked her hands from his, then backed away and sat next to me. “When Zack is back, I’ll speak to him,” she told me.
I could kiss Favianne for standing up to Renzo. I wanted to do more than that though. The compulsion to morph into a bear and add to his facial scars had me squirming in my chair. Instead, I put that energy toward convincing my eyes not to leak.
I gave her a sad smile. “I appreciate the thought, but he’s not any happier with you two.”
“He’ll come around.” She leaned forward and kissed me on the forehead. “I’m sure of it.”
“I hope so.” I sniffed and raised my chin to check her out more carefully. “You’re totally hot, by the way. You could probably pass for a college student.”
Her lip twitched. “The perks of quick healing. Our bodies are constantly regenerating and keeping us in our prime.”
“Are you three finished?” As soon as Cedric had our attention, he pointed to the monitor. “Dathan is keeping all the vampires in the training room until further notice. Kayla, Tony, Braulio, and Regis will be guarding all exits—obviously Regis’s presence is no longer a secret either. That leaves you guys and Dathan to find Zack.”
That didn’t sound encouraging. “But we have you and Dathan on our side. And these.” I tapped my incisors.
Renzo smirked. “We both know your fangs don’t have the same bite as ours.”
My lip curved up. “I’ve killed one werewolf and a couple of vamps. With Dathan’s blood, after a little more training I could probably take you.”
He lifted his lip to show his teeth and leaned forward. “I’ll be ready when you want to try me out.”
“Lucio, what is wrong with you?” Favianne stuck her hands on her hips. “I’d appreciate you taking less interest in their relationship and more in your own.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” He blinked at her from the settee.
“It means that now is not a time for prejudice and clinging to old ideas. We must save our son and once we do, your hostility for the girl he loves won’t help rebuild your relationship with him. Or me, for that matter.” Favianne sighed. “I need you to be the man I know you can be.”
That was the second time today someone insisted Zack loved me. Maybe he’d come close to that before I’d dumped him, before I failed to tell him about Renzo. I seriously doubted Zack would ever want me back now. My chest hollowed out at the idea that Zack would want nothing to do with me.
Renzo rose from his seat and stomped toward her. “He’s only eighteen and couldn’t possibly have any clue what he wants.”
“And when I was his age, I got married. To you. It’s okay for me but not for them?”
A low rumble came from Renzo. I opened my mouth to tell them not to fight over me, that it wasn’t an issue because we had broken up anyway.
“Can we stay on topic?” Cedric snapped, his brows pulled down.
Three knocks, followed by another, signaled Dathan’s return. The door opened and he glided through the gap. “Let’s go get your boy.”
Chapter TWENTY-FOUR
Autumn
“We’ll need stakes, tranquilizers...” Cedric marched to the corner of his office where Regis had emerged from the secret tunnel earlier. Just like before, he ran his hand along the wall, pushed, and the door eased open. He disappeared through the doorway, and a light switched on just before he motioned us to follow.
Gleaming metal of every shape—guns and rifles on hooks, crossbows, a variety of blades, and some things I couldn’t identify —covered the walls. Zack would’ve gone nuts in this place. And it was almost as big as the weapons room in the gym.
“How’s your aim?” Cedric asked, handing me a crossbow.
“Uh...” I stared at the thing, wondering how I would load it.
“Anything you give her could be taken and used against us. Let her have a dagger for emergency.” Renzo nudged the crossbow away. “She’s our best weapon.”
I wasn’t sure if that was an insult or a compliment.
“Magnus taught me a few tricks before he brought me here.” Favianne eyed the row of swords. “I’ll have one of these.”
“This one would be good for you.” Renzo handed me a long dagger. “No plastic or man-made parts. It’ll morph with you.”
“Thanks.” I cast him a sideways glance, unsure if he was being genuinely nice or setting me up for something.
“Whether you use wood, metal, or plastic, a stake through the heart works the same way,” Cedric said, handing stakes to each of us. “These are wood and will morph with you. Be sure to leave them in the heart or the target will heal and, if they get a chance to feed, you’ll be back where you started.”
“Good reminder.” Although I didn’t need it. I nabbed a couple of dart-type thingies. “Tranquilizers?”
Cedric nodded. “Yes, it will take out its target instantly and keep them that way for almost an hour. Plastic though. Won’t morph with you.” He retrieved them from me, then checked his watch. “If they hit Zack with this, right about now is when he should be coming around.”
“Running out of time, folks. The longer Zack is gone, the farther away he could get.” Dathan shoved a thin knife in his waistband and dropped another into his boot, then chose a crossbow. “Let’s go.”
Go where? And what if we never found Zack? What if they’d already killed him? My muscles tensed to the point of quivering.
Cedric headed out of the weapons room. I plucked up a couple of tranquilizer darts and trailed after him. If I were caught in a fight before I had a chance to morph, the darts might come in handy. I stuffed them in my jeans pocket and rushed to catch up with the others.
He stopped before the door that led to the corridor outside his suite. “Dathan, don’t let them out of your sight, especially the little one.”
“Obviously.” Dathan switched to Renzo and Alura. “And, in turn, you two will do the same for Cedric.”
“Are you kidding me? I’m going out searching for my son.” Renzo attempted to shove past Dathan.
Dathan blocked him. “With my connection to Zack, I’m best equipped to find him. I will bring him back. In return, you will stay here and protect what’s most valuable to me. Make sure Cedric survives.” He wai
ted a beat, his jaw tightening. “It’s not up for debate.”
“You’re not my king and you can’t stop me.”
“His Majesty is right.” Favianne laid a hand on Renzo’s arm. “Let’s do as my king suggests. Please, Lucio. Our son’s life is at stake. Please.”
Renzo backed off, giving Dathan a curt nod. “Bring my son back alive.”
Dathan led Favianne and me out of the suite, paused to make sure Cedric locked up behind us, and then he continued toward the stairs. “Since all palace personnel are in the training room under guard, in theory the rest of the palace is empty. Wouldn’t hurt to keep our eyes open, just in case. I imagine word has spread to the enemy and they know we’re looking for Zack. They’ll be waiting to pick us off.”
“Do you think they’re holding Zack on the estate?” Favianne whispered. “Or did they grab him and run?”
“He’s close by. Obviously using him as bait.” Dathan tilted his head toward a room. “They could ambush us at any of the exits. We’ll go out through one of the windows, since it’s impossible for them to guard them all.”
In a matter of seconds, we could be in battle. My body went taut as adrenaline coursed through my veins. “How many vampires are in the gym?”
Dathan grunted. “All but the four guys you killed when Cedric was staked.”
I gritted my teeth. “Which means the people holding Zack aren’t residents. And we don’t know anything about them or how many there are.”
“Or how they managed to get back onto the property past the electric-enhanced walls without anyone seeing them.” Dathan motioned for us to continue down the corridor and, moments later, halted in front of a door. He turned to me and brushed a few strands of hair from my face. “Relax, little one. We’ll find him and he’ll be safe again,” he said softly, surprising me with his gentle words.
“Okay.” I forced a smile. Dathan had earned at least that.
“For now, this is reconnaissance. We’ll search the premises and the woods. Once we figure out where they are, we’ll back off and formulate a plan.” Dathan’s eyes darkened and his words took on an ominous tone. “And then we’ll slay them all.”