Bonded

  No, Reno wouldn’t look that concerned over Damien’s love life. If she asked, would Reno tell her what the problem was? Perhaps. And there was no harm in asking, was there?

  Tired of waiting for him to come to her, she got to her feet and wandered over to where he stood apparently deep in thought.

  “What did Damien want?”

  He hesitated before responding. “He’s heading towards Kolding’s Pass. I called him last night, asking him to come as backup in case I needed help getting you out of here.”

  “Oh.” She digested the information that Reno had been concerned enough about her to ask for help. The idea warmed her heart. “So he’ll be here soon?”

  Reno moved off to pick up his pants. Pulling them on, he tucked the phone into his pocket before answering. “He gets here when he gets here.”

  His answer seemed purposely vague but she shrugged it off. “We’re not just going to stand around here waiting for him though, are we?”

  “No. I need to check on the halves and their families. They were supposed to head to the tunnels; however, given the cave-ins, they could be anywhere. And I need to find Klaus, too.”

  She noted how he’d said ‘I’ rather than ‘we.’ Well, if he thought he was going alone, that’s not how it would play out. They went together whether he liked it or not! “The mine entrance closest to town is about a couple of miles from here; that’s the one they were going to meet at so it’s logically the first place to check but… ” She paused, recalling the conversation she’d heard last night. “You can’t go that way. Walt has a hunting party searching for you.”

  “No choice. I’m not staying here twiddling my thumbs when they might need my help. I’m an Enforcer and it’s my duty to protect.”

  Brandi compressed her lips tightly, knowing he was right but not liking it. “Well, you’re not going alone. Don’t think I didn’t notice your wording.”

  The corner of Reno’s mouth curved upward. “Force of habit. Don’t worry; I’m not letting you out of my sight. We move as a team.”

  Still worried about his safety from the hunting party, she wracked her brain for any means of reducing the danger. “We could go through the stream at least part way; that would throw the hunting team off our scent.”

  He shook his head. “Fallacy. The rafts—dead skin cells that all living creatures shed—float on top of the water. And even if the water’s moving downstream like this is, our scent is in the air. We’ll just have to hope the hunters aren’t in the area. If they are… ” he paused and gave her a hard look, “I’ll distract them, and you take off. There’s no sense in both of us being captured.”

  “But—”

  “No buts. I’m in charge. You follow orders.” He lifted his chin, an air of authority radiating from him.

  Brandi swallowed back her comment, instinctively acknowledging his leadership. He was trained in these types of situations. She wasn’t.

  They set off, moving swiftly and silently, watching for signs that others were about. Occasionally, Reno would signal her to stop and point out tracks on the ground or crushed vegetation. Even though she wasn’t a skilled tracker, she knew what the signs meant and could pick up the traces of scent left behind. A hunting party had been through the area several hours ago. She felt it boded well for them; if this part of the mountain had been searched already they wouldn’t be coming back this way soon.

  As they neared the entrance to the tunnel, Reno unexpectedly stopped. Thinking he was unsure which way to go, Brandi gestured to the right, but he grabbed her arm and pulled them both into the shelter of a bush. His lips pressed to her ear, he whispered a warning.

  “Something’s wrong.”

  His breath against her skin made her shiver, but she forced herself to concentrate, raising her brows questioningly. “What?’

  “I don’t know. It’s just a feeling.” He inhaled slowly, testing the air while slowly moving his gaze over the surrounding area. “There are lots of scents. Klaus has been here. Peter and the others. Some I can’t place… ”

  Brandi sniffed and smiled as she recognized some of those present. “Alice—that’s Peter’s mate—is one of them. And their girls. I’m glad they made it here safely. The cave-in must not have affected this area.”

  Reno nodded. “Some are the halves, but I’m not sure about the others.” He compressed his lips and narrowed his eyes. “I don’t know. It could be Klaus’ people. The man’s not an idiot. If he’s planned this as a meeting point, he’ll have set up guards and be prepared to defend the area. Maybe that’s what I’m sensing.”

  Brandi nodded. “Victor’s not going to release control of the pack easily. Klaus will be expecting some type of retribution. It’s a good thing we’re here to help.” She moved to step forward.

  Reno pulled her back. “No. If it was Klaus’ wolves, they’d have seen us approaching and shown themselves by now.”

  “Then you think some of Victor’s men are here?” She glanced about, an uneasy feeling growing in her stomach. “But if they’re here, why haven’t they entered the mine and recaptured Peter and the others?”

  For a moment Reno was silent, vertical lines showing between his brows as he thought. “Perhaps… ” he began slowly as if the puzzle pieces were just starting to fall into place. “They’re at a stand-off and Victor’s just trying to sit on the situation; to keep a lid on things until after the Purists’ gathering is over. He won’t want to lose face in front of the other leaders, yet he can’t be sure his men can deal with Klaus in time.” Reno scanned the area again while continuing to explain. “If the mixed families and halves are in the mine—and we believe they are—Victor will leave them there for the time being with guards posted so they can’t get out. The entrance under the town hall has been sealed and quite likely he’s directed other men to search out and guard the remaining entrances.” He flicked a glance her way. “That might even explain why the exit we used was partially blocked. It could have been intentional but whoever carried out the deed didn’t check to see if it sealed completely.”

  “So… until the meeting’s over, nothing happens?”

  “That’s my best guess. And once the Purists are gone, Victor will likely send his men in to flush out the mines.”

  “And what about Klaus?” She furrowed her brow. “Does Victor have men hunting him down as well? And if Victor does, he must be running short on manpower. Our pack wasn’t that big.” She began to tick the various groups off on her fingers. “Some of his men are here, some are out hunting for you, and there’s probably a good sized contingent at the meeting with him since he’d want a show of force.”

  Reno pulled his lips back in a nasty grin. “That works in our favour then. Victor’s resources are strained. His best men are likely scattered and he’s having to use less skilled members of his team.” He chuckled. “The man’s likely shitting bricks hoping this doesn’t all blow up in his face.”

  “It would be a pleasure if it did.”

  They were both silent for a moment, each considering all the possible twists and turns the situation might take.

  “So what are we going to do now?”

  Reno rubbed his chin. “Okay, here’s the plan. We’ll assume Klaus is safe and still at large, capable of directing his team and maintaining a standoff for several hours. I’m sure there are guards—Victor’s guards—watching this place. They know we’re here and are just waiting to see what we do. I’m going to distract them, try to lead them away from here while you sit tight. Once they start to follow me, head for the mine. It’s a defensible location. You’ll be safe in there with Peter and the others.” He moved to stand up and this time she was the one grabbing an arm in restraint.

  “Are you crazy?” She shook her head. “No way. First of all, I’m not going to hide and secondly, what good is it to Klaus and Peter and the rest if you’re captured? Victor will just repost guards by the entrance and, as you said, deal with us once his big meeting is over.”

  Reno stared
at the ground, then glanced up at her. “I wasn’t entirely… honest… when I told about Damien’s call. He’s coming… and so are Captain Fielding and the ACS squad.”

  “ACS? Here?” She smiled and relaxed, releasing her grip on his arm. “That’s a good thing. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

  “I—”

  The sound of pebbles skittering down the slopes cut him off. They both turned in the direction of the noise and swore in unison. It was Katie, heading directly towards them.

  “Hey! Hi there!” She was calling out and waving her hands.

  Brandi looked about frantically and just as Reno had suspected, wolves began to appear from several hiding places downwind of their present location. Before she could even decide what to do, Reno had shifted forms and was gone.

  He darted from the bushes, running directly between Katie and the wolves. They faltered, then five of them veered off course and began to chase Reno, while the remaining wolf continued towards the young girl.

  Brandi’s heart pounded with fear for Reno, yet as much as she’d like to help him she knew Katie had to be her priority. That’s why Reno had bolted after all, to draw them away from the child.

  Brandi shifted and streaked out heading towards the remaining wolf. It was intent on Katie and, using the element of surprise to her advantage, she hit the wolf broadside. The animal went rolling several yards down the slope before regaining its footing.

  Keeping her head low, Brandi circled around her opponent thankful she’d followed Reno’s advice all those years ago and upgraded her combat skills. While the course had dealt with self-defence in human form, the instructor had thrown in a few wolf tricks as well. She hoped they worked as efficiently in real life as they had in the classroom.

  The wolf lunged at her and she leapt out of the way, twisting mid-air and managing to slash his flank. Landing, she twirled and aimed low, going for his hamstring. Take out a leg if you can, the teacher had told her. After that the underbelly and throat.

  She missed the leg, the other wolf moving at the last second. As her teeth clicked together, she felt a searing pain in her shoulder. His teeth ripped into her flesh. Yelping, she jumped away, looking up to see Katie but a few feet away with a large branch held over her head, ready to strike!

  What in heaven’s name was the girl thinking of? Surely she knew better than to step into the middle of a wolf fight! Even as the thought formed in her head, Katie swung, barely missing Brandi but catching the wolf alongside the head. The beast cried out and then slumped to the ground. And just like that, the fight was over.

  Immediately Brandi shifted back to human form. It had been a brief scuffle but she was still panting and keyed up from the adrenaline rush the incident had created. She stared at the wolf on the ground then looked up at Katie. The girl’s face showed surprise before crumpling into tears, the branch dropping from her now limp hands.

  “Is he… ?”

  Brandi knelt and double checked, but the wolf’s breathing was strong. “You knocked him out, nothing worse.” She paused for a moment, staring at the wolf, checking his scent. As she slowly stood, her hands curled into fists. He was one of her cousins, barely beyond a pup. The fact that he was obviously part of Victor’s group and had no compunction about attacking her soured her stomach.

  Katie—apparently oblivious to Brandi’s feelings—seemed to quickly recover from her momentary shock and was now beaming. “We make a good team, don’t we?”

  “No. We do not make a good team!” Brandi felt her exasperation boiling over. “What the hell did you think you were doing, running down the mountain, and yelling at us like that? You gave away our hiding place, put yourself in danger, and now Reno’s… ” She clamped her mouth shut, unwilling even to contemplate what was happening to him.

  “I… I was just trying to help,” Katie looked up at her with sad, puppy dog eyes.

  “Don’t give me that look. It might work on your grandfather but it doesn’t work on me. And how was yelling out like that supposed to help?” She glared at the girl before checking out the wound on her own shoulder. Thankfully, it was a minor cut and already healing.

  Katie folded her arms and huffed obviously miffed that her favourite method of getting out of trouble wasn’t working. “I saw you coming this way so I was trying to distract the wolves. I knew they were there and thought they’d chase after me so you and Reno could head into the mines.”

  “And you were going to outrun six wolves?” Brandi stared at her incredulous. “You aren’t even old enough to shift!”

  “But I know these mountains. There’s a crevice just behind that rock and it leads into a cave and from there into the tunnels. I was going to slip in there and then make my way around to where Peter and the rest are hiding.” Katie tossed her hair over her shoulders and glared.

  Brandi shook her head, unable to believe the girl’s self-confidence. The plan had had some merit—not that she’d admit that to Katie—but Reno’s intervention had added an unexpected curve. “Well, your plan didn’t work because now Reno’s trying to outrun five wolves and he doesn’t know the territory. And he wouldn’t be in that situation except that he thought he was saving you.”

  “Reno was trying to save me?” The girl’s eyes grew large and a look of adoration spread over her face.

  Brandi snorted in disgust at the girl’s crush but was saved from having to comment by the appearance of Peter and Darcy running towards them.

  “We saw Victor’s guards take off and came out to see what was going on.” They looked down at the unconscious wolf. “I guess you didn’t need us though.”

  “Just lucky,” Brandi answered tightly, frowning at Katie. “We took out this one but the other five are after Reno.” She glanced in the direction he’d gone. While her wolf was urging her to go to the aid of her mate, she knew running all over the mountain made no sense. “What’s going on here?”

  “We’re holed up in the mines. Our mates and pups had just arrived with their escorts and we were heading back to where you were when there was a cave-in. We tried to clear the rubble but it was too unstable so we headed back this way. Unfortunately, by the time we returned to the entrance, Victor had guards posted.” Peter shot a look at Katie. “And this one didn’t tell us there was another way out. We didn’t even notice that she’d left.”

  “No one pays attention to kids,” Katie shrugged. “Besides, the opening’s too small for adults and Gramps always says to keep an ace up your sleeve. That was mine. I slipped away and was keeping a lookout from a higher vantage point.”

  Brandi rolled her eyes at the girl’s reasoning and then explained what had happened since they’d last seen each other. “Reno thinks Victor’s plan is to keep you trapped until the Purists conclude their meeting. Then they’ll come for you.”

  “It makes sense. We’ve been wondering why they didn’t attack.” Peter furrowed his brow and pulled on his lower lip. “Any idea where Klaus is?”

  Katie piped up. “Gramps is going to blow up the meeting room that Victor’s been building. He has charges laid all around the opening. Once the Purists are in there… kaboom!”

  Brandi felt her eyes widen at the news, the DC officer in her already thinking of all the problems such an occurrence would cause. “So Klaus is there?”

  “Probably,” Katie answered. “Once when I was spying… I mean I accidentally overheard him talking once and he said he’d be there for the showdown and reclaim his pack!”

  Peter backed her story. “He mentioned having a plan to me as well, though I didn’t know it was quite that radical. But he did say he had about a dozen wolves he could trust and they’d all be ready to act when the time came.”

  Brandi nibbled her lip wondering what the best course of action would be. Did she wait here, hoping the ACS would deal with the problem? Did she go help Klaus with his crazy plan or should she follow her heart and find Reno?

  She wished Reno had been a bit more specific about when Damien and the ACS would arr
ive; the knowledge would have helped her decide what to do. It was strange that he’d held back on telling her.

  “I think we should find Klaus.” Peter stated firmly. “I’m tired of waiting around, cowering in caves, and letting others ‘save’ me. We’re part of Klaus’ pack; we’ve earned our place and we need to make a stand.”

  Darcy nodded in agreement. “We might not have claws and teeth like the wolves, but we have guns. We can stand up to the Purists.” He pulled a small weapon from his pocket.

  “No guns.” Aran walked up and yanked the weapon from Darcy’s hands. “They’ll only escalate the problem. Besides, our children are here. What example are we setting for them?” He jerked his head back and they turned towards the tunnel entrance to see a small group had gathered and was watching the proceedings.

  Darcy glared at Aran and took the gun back. “Klaus gave them to us. He has no problem with firearms.”

  “To defend the children and keep the Purists out of the tunnels. We were to use them only if necessary.” Peter clarified.

  Darcy pocketed the weapon but didn’t look happy. “What about this one?” He poked the wolf on the ground with his foot.

  “Tie him up and put him in the mine.” Brandi said with barely a hint of regret. The wolf was her cousin but familial loyalty played no part in this. There was right and there was wrong and he’d chosen to back the latter. “The ACS is on its way. You can wait here safely and let them deal with the situation… ” She held up a hand to stop their instantaneous protests. “But if you’re determined to join Klaus, remember it means heading right into Purist territory. And you can’t all go. Some need to stay back with the pups just in case.”

  The men discussed the matter between them and then headed back to the mine to talk with their families. Brandi took Katie by the shoulder and spoke to her sternly. “You are not going with us. Do you understand?"