Beyond the Shadows Page 2

  “I’m aware of that,” Knox replied, his tone a bit more biting than necessary. “But if we can figure out the why, we might be able to figure out the who.”

  “Unless it was a totally random act carried out by some psycho,” Kat pointed out unhelpfully. “There’s a war going on. There’s a lot of power up for grabs. It’s hardly like any of the breeds wouldn’t ally themselves with someone like the person who did this just to get ahead.”

  “She’s right,” Brunton agreed. “Until he strikes again, we can’t draw any conclusions.”

  “So we just let this killer run loose in New York City until he attacks us again?” I asked, thinking that was a shit plan if ever I’d heard one.

  “You want to go on the offensive?” Kat asked, mischief in her eyes.

  “Maybe…” I started, cutting myself off so my mind could catch up with my mouth. “Maybe I can track him down. I found Drake, right? Maybe I can find this guy.”

  “You had something to connect you to Drake,” Knox pointed out, his voice kind but firm. “We don’t know anything about this guy.”

  “Or girl,” Kat added.

  Knox nodded in concession. “Or girl.”

  “I still think it’s worth a try,” I said, formulating a plan. “But we should wait until Merc, Jase, and Dean can go too. Their ghosting abilities could come in handy with this.”

  Knox’s lips pressed to a thin line. “Agreed.”

  “Well, looks like we have some daylight to kill until then,” Kat said, grabbing Benji’s plate of food from the coffee table. “If you need me, I’ll be fueling up for a fight.” With fork in hand, she sashayed out of the room, shooting Brunton a sharp look as she passed him. Whether it was a thank you for his earlier help or a warning to stay the fuck out of her business, I couldn’t tell. But I could tell that Brunton found it wildly amusing. His devilish smile told me as much.

  “She’s right,” Knox said, getting up from the couch. “We need to get ready. Whatever or whoever attacked Benji got the drop on him. We can’t afford for that to happen again.” Knox looked down at Benji and offered a sad smile. “You’re going to have to stay home for this one, Benj. I know Piper fixed you up, but I’d feel better if you held down the fort.”

  Benji nodded, the sign of a good little submissive wolf, then stood up and walked out of the room. I felt bad watching him leave, the slope of his shoulders saying all there was to say. He was embarrassed by what had happened. He felt like he couldn’t hang with the rest of the boys, which wasn’t true. It was no small feat to take down any werewolf. Whoever had done it in such a ninja-like way had to be beyond formidable. The fact that we were going to hunt it later made my stomach queasy.

  How the hell could Kat and the boys eat at a time like that?

  The room cleared out slowly, until only Knox and I were left. He looked at me from the other side of the couch, the concern in his eyes plain.

  “It’s bad, isn’t it?” I asked, walking around the sofa to stand before him.

  He nodded. “It’s bad enough that this thing brought Benji down without him even defending himself, but he or she did it right under the noses of the other three. Benji’s practically a pup, but Foust and Brunton? They’re as old as I am. Their skill sets are honed. So how in the world did this thing do what it did without even being seen?”

  “I don’t know.” I hesitated for a second, not really wanting to bring Merc’s name up at that moment, but the truth was that he might have an idea who could have done it. “Maybe Merc would know?”

  Knox’s expression soured. “Possibly. Guess we should go find out.”

  Knox walked past me and through the exit. He stormed down the hallway, headed for Merc’s room. I scrambled to catch up with him, worried that he’d say or do something to provoke Merc. Those two could get into it about almost anything, a truth that had been repeatedly illustrated in the days following the fey queen’s attack. Virtually any mention of that night set the two of them off in epic fashion. The rest of us had learned not to bring it up, but it didn’t seem to matter. They’d find a way to argue over the color of the sky if they were around each other long enough.

  The strain of their relationship was starting to get to me.

  Knox pounded on the bedroom door until Merc opened it, filling the doorway with his imposing frame. He stared at Knox like he wanted to remove his head from his body until he saw me at his side. His expression softened slightly, but its hard edges were still there. I felt my chest tighten in preparation for the showdown.

  “One of my boys got attacked in broad daylight today while they were out. None of the guys saw anything. According to Foust, whoever did it nearly killed Benji. They got him home just in time for Piper to save him.” Merc flashed a look of approval my way, then returned his attention to the alpha before him.

  “I take it you’ve come to me with a plan, so tell me what it is.”

  “Once night falls, we’re going hunting. And you and your brothers are coming with us.”

  “Do you have anything to go on, or should we just wander the city looking for something we cannot identify?”

  Knox’s shoulders bunched as his anger grew.

  “Piper is going to see if she can use her magic to track it somehow.”

  Merc’s eyes went wide at that comment.

  “She is not a divining rod for trouble.”

  “Actually…” I started before his rather pointed gaze cut me off.

  “Let me rephrase. You are not a magical tool to be exploited whenever the situation demands. You put yourself on the line to save Jagger and nearly found yourself a permanent captive of the queen.” Though I understood where his anger came from, it still hurt to have it turned on me.

  “Merc, I don’t see any other options. We can’t let whatever it is run free and you know it.”

  “I have no intention of letting this being run free, but I also have no intention of using you to track it. Surely the wolves can put their noses to good use and sniff it out.”

  His tone was condescending at best, and it was clear that Knox didn’t appreciate it. At all.

  “If you and your brothers want to stay home like a trio of pussies, go for it. The boys and I can go out and do your job for you if we have to.”

  “And Piper?” Merc asked, casting a wary eye down at me.

  “She’s a big girl. She can decide for herself what she wants to do.”

  Knox turned and walked away, his trail of anger lingering behind him in the hall. I couldn’t blame him for that; Merc hadn’t exactly been kind during their interaction. Knox had almost lost one of his wolves. A smidge of compassion wouldn’t have killed Merc.

  “Piper,” Merc said, stepping out of his room to join me in the hall. His dominating presence seemed to crowd the vast space in a way it shouldn’t have. “This plan—if one can even call it that—I think it’s unwise.”

  “Maybe, but if you had seen Benji…” I cringed at the memory of the boy bathed in blood lying in the back of the Suburban. Merc put his hands on my shoulders and squeezed, pulling me back to the present.

  “And I don’t want that to be you. That is my point exactly.”

  “Give me a little credit, Merc.”

  “I do. A lot, in fact. But you have no idea what this being is. That lack of information alone makes this extremely dangerous.”

  “Then come with us! Get Jase and Dean, and let’s go find this thing.”

  His mouth pressed to a thin line and he took a deep breath. He clearly didn’t like the idea, but he knew I wasn’t going to drop it. If I was going to do something he deemed reckless, he’d agree to go just for his peace of mind. That and to keep me safe. Somehow, after all that had happened in our time together—all he’d seen me do as my powers came to me—he still wanted to protect me, when in truth, the tides had turned. I was probably more capable of protecting him—at least when my magic wasn’t glitchy.

  I think that reality didn’t sit well with him. For his sanity, I would hav
e to let him think he could.

  “So should I go hunt down those two clowns and let them know we’re leaving at nightfall?” I wound my arms around his waist for a little extra persuasion.

  At that, he laughed.

  “Your tactics, though appreciated, are far from subtle, Piper.”

  “But are they working? That’s the real question.”

  He feigned a serious expression. “Unfortunately, yes. They are.” He pulled away from me, turning to head down the hall to where his brothers’ rooms were. “I shall alert Jase and Dean and fill them in on this weak plan of Knox’s. Jase will have concerns. Dean, however, will be elated. He loves harebrained schemes like this.”

  “Hey!” I shouted in mock offense. “It’s partly my harebrained scheme too, you know!”

  He looked over his shoulder at me and flashed a dark smile.

  “Of course it is. Never a dull moment with you, Piper Jones.”

  Chapter Three

  Merc had called his brothers’ reactions to the plan with eerie accuracy. When we all finally assembled in the foyer, Jase’s expression was full of uncertainty, whereas Dean couldn’t have looked more pumped. He was raring to go. I thought he was going to scale the walls if we didn’t let him out soon.

  “What’s with him?” I asked Merc, watching as Dean flipped a dagger over and over in his hand.

  “He just ate,” Merc replied, a hint of amusement in his voice as we took in the show.

  “Oh…” Then I thought about his food options in the house. “Wait! Who’d he eat?”

  Merc’s eyes drifted across the room to where Kat leaned against the wall. She looked at me and shrugged.

  “What can I say? The weirdo likes my blood.”

  I heard a low rumble echo through the space, the high ceiling allowing it to continue on for a while. I expected to find Grizz staring daggers at Dean, but when I located him in the crowd, he looked totally unfazed. Clearly not the source of objection in the room.

  “We take four vehicles,” Knox said, cutting off my train of thought. “Merc, you and your brothers can take a few of my boys. The rest of the pack that’s going will split up among the other three.”

  “And Piper?” Merc asked, leaning closer to me. Knox did little to hide his contempt for the gesture.

  “She’s riding with me. If she needs a boost in power, I’ll be there to give it to her.”

  “And if she needs it cut off?”

  Here we go…

  “Then I guess you’d better be nearby.”

  “I’ll go with you. Foust can join my brothers.”

  The finality in his tone was plain. There would be no room for further discussion as far as he was concerned.

  “Fine. Let’s go,” Knox replied, leading the way outside.

  The group filed out: at least half of Knox’s pack, Kat, Grizz, and the three brothers. The rest of the enforcers had made a point of being involved in other matters that evening. I felt the rift between them and the wolves grow a little wider that evening. I hoped it wasn’t a trend that would continue.

  “Shotgun!” Kat shouted, making her way toward one of the massive SUVs. Brunton, Jagger, and a handful of wolves packed into that vehicle, the rest piling into the others. Foust found himself riding in the passenger seat next to Jase, with an overenthusiastic Dean leaning against his seat. Foust shot me a desperate look as I passed by, and I couldn’t help but laugh. The misery in his eyes helped calm my nerves a bit, distracting me from the mission we were on, if we were actually on one at all. That would rely on me entirely—on my ability to somehow connect to and pinpoint the assassin’s location.

  I climbed into the SUV with Merc and Knox, settling into the passenger seat next to the alpha. Merc leaned against my seat as Dean had Foust’s. Even in the simple matter of seating arrangements, he seemed to not want to be one-upped.

  “Okay Piper,” Knox said calmly. “See if we can get this tracking party started.” He gave me a tight smile and reached over, putting his hand on mine.

  I returned his expression, then closed my eyes, hoping that I hadn’t oversold my ability—that I could find a way to use my magic to find him. While I focused, he started the car and backed out, rolling to a stop at the end of the driveway. I muttered under my breath, hoping that I chose my words well and the magic would understand what I wanted. It always had in the past.

  That night proved no different.

  “Find the one who attacked Benji,” I said, waiting for whatever sign would lead us to him. A rush of wind came through the window I’d cracked, wrapping itself around me. Then it withdrew with such force that it pulled my hair through the narrow opening. Without thinking, I unhooked my seatbelt and bolted from the SUV. Merc was at my side in a second, silent as he surveyed the grounds.

  The wind danced along the driveway, kicking up dust as it went. It painted the way toward the woods I’d run in that afternoon. For a moment, I wondered if the magic had misunderstood me somehow, but with every second I hesitated, the force of the gusts grew, nearly knocking me forward. I stumbled into Knox as he rounded the back of the vehicle. His questioning stare quickly turned to one of understanding.

  “He’s here.”

  The others started to climb out of their respective vehicles, wondering what in the hell was going on—if maybe our search was over before it started. But the moment the wolves took in Knox’s expression, they knew otherwise. The collective growl they let out was evidence of that fact.

  The group began to run, following the trail of dust and wind as it led toward the tree line. Merc and Knox flanked me, with Grizz at my rear. I felt a strange sense of déjà vu as we crossed the part of the property where the four of us had stood against the fey queen. It was then that I wondered if she was behind the whole thing—if whoever had attacked Benji was one of her fey assassins. Maybe she wanted to toy with us like the sadistic cat she was.

  The wind grew stronger as we broke through the wall of brush and ferns. I felt it drawing us closer to the gorge and the bridge that crossed it. That made me nervous in and of itself. What a perfect place to level your enemies, dropping them hundreds of feet to their deaths. But the wind’s path changed, leading us away from the bridge and certain death. Instead, it circled back toward the mansion. I stopped, breathing hard as I looked at how the leaves danced in its wake.

  “Something’s wrong,” I said, my voice raspy.

  “It’s leading back to the house,” Kat observed, sounding as irritated as I felt. “Are you sure we aren’t just chasing our tails here?”

  “No,” I replied honestly. “I’m not.”

  Then a scream cut through the night air, raising every hair on my body. It was somewhere between human and wolf, and the group broke into a dead sprint toward the mansion the second we heard it. Knox and Merc led the charge, the others trailing right behind them. Unable to keep up with their pace, Grizz and I pulled up the rear. I asked the winds for a gentle push and soon found myself back in the chase. But when I arrived, I wished I hadn’t.

  I could hear Knox shouting as we neared, calling a name over and over again. There was an urgency to his voice, a fear that rocked me to my core. Pain. So much pain. When I pushed my way through the crowd, I found him kneeling on the ground with a limp body in his arms. I dropped beside him, hoping to help, but just as it had been with Jensen in Faerie, I was too late.

  Benji was already dead.

  Chapter Four

  “I told him to stay inside,” Knox said, his anger belying his sadness. “What the fuck was he doing out here?”

  “Knox,” I said, gently pulling his arm away from the body. It was then that I saw the head had been completely severed. A wave of nausea rolled through me. “Knox… let’s go inside. We need to see if anyone in there knows why he was out here.”

  I looked up at Foust and he nodded, bending down to take Benji’s from Knox. A tiny growl escaped the alpha as Foust reached for the dead wolf, and he backed off. I put my hand on Knox’s face, pulling his
attention to me.

  “It’s not your fault,” I said softly. “We’re going to find who did this…”

  Brunton, who must have checked the perimeter of the mansion, ran into to the driveway, a look of concern in his eyes. Brunton never looked concerned.

  “Knox,” he said, doing his best to ignore Foust as he successfully took the body—and head—from Knox and walked away. “We need to talk.”

  “What?” the alpha roared, snapping his head to look at Brunton.

  “Not here,” he replied, jerking his head to the empty yard at his right.

  “Just say it,” Knox growled, rising to his feet.

  “I caught a scent…”

  Knox straightened at his words. “Who?”

  Brunton shook his head. “Not a who—a where.”

  I looked up at Knox and found wide eyes staring at Brunton. “Show me.”

  The two of them took off in the direction Brunton had just come from. I followed along, Kat and Grizz at my side. I could hear Jase and Dean behind me, theorizing about what Brunton had found. Rounding the far side of the house, we nearly ran into the two wolves.

  “Motherfucker,” Knox said, slamming his fist into the brick exterior of the mansion. Dust and mortar clouded the air around us, and I coughed as it filled my lungs.

  “What is it?” I choked out.

  He didn’t reply right away. Instead, he stared at something behind me, and I turned to follow his gaze. It landed on Merc.

  “Faerie,” Knox said, his stare never faltering.

  “That fucking bitch!” I shouted, frustration and anger coursing through me.

  “No.” Knox’s voice pulled me from my downward spiral. “Not the queen. The king.”

  Holy. Shit.

  “But…”

  “Perhaps he’s come to reclaim what he views as his,” Knox continued, ignoring my outburst. “Or maybe he’s come to cut us all down one by one.”

  “You belong to the fey king?” Kat asked, her tone incredulous.