Tainted Souls: A Shadow Creek Novel Read online

“Come on,” he said heading back out the door, “let's go find this son-of-a-bitch.”

  Twenty-Nine

  Down an alley behind 'The Grave Yard' nightclub was a row of old, disused lock-ups. Jack and his men were kitted out in military gear as they approached with caution and found the one numbered 112. Jack checked his throat mic was in place. He could use telepathy to talk to his fellow shifters, but no one knew what abilities these rogues had.

  “Vinny?” he whispered, his voice barely audible. “Check the door, it might be rigged.” He wasn't about to take any chances. Aden Black had proved himself to be an expert where bombs and explosives were concerned and Jack wouldn't risk losing any of his men.

  The group parted like the Red Sea to let the huge sentinel through. The six-feet-seven Norwegian resembled a viking warrior, inheriting his build and looks from his ancestors. With his blond viking haircut, shaved at the sides and braided from the top to the tip of the rope down his back, piercing blue eyes, and thick full beard, Vincent looked menacing. He set to work, moving with the same speed and silence as a stealth plane.

  “It's clear, Boss,” he informed Jack, his deep voice still holding the distinct hint of a Norse accent.

  Palming the key, Jack moved forward and slipped it into the padlock. With a click, it opened, and the group formed their positions, guns at the ready as Jack bent down and threw open the door.

  Flashlight beams shone into the dingy space as he and his men entered. After making sure it was all clear, they began a thorough search.

  “We're too late.”

  Jack turned to Benjamin who was slipping his Glock back into his holster. “Yeah,” he replied, putting away his own weapon. “Dammit!”

  Walking back out into the daylight, Jack was met by Fleet. The alpha peered over his shoulder and acknowledged his comrade with a curt nod of his head. Jack kicked the ground in frustration. “He's gone. Again.” A feeling of unease settled in his gut. He was damned angry the Russian had dodged him for a second time.

  “I had a call from Mitch Stevens,” Fleet began as they walked down the alley. “Seems the remaining group of rogues have gone too.”

  Jack threw his hands on his hips with a defeated sigh. “They could be anywhere. We don't have any other leads.” The place was sparse of anything except some rotting food and cigarette butts. The traces of blood indicated the rogues had formed the irreversible pack–alpha bond with their leader. But there was nothing left behind that would give Jack the faintest idea where Black and his rogues were heading. Snow had had no other intelligence to go on either.

  “Mitch said one of his younger members have heard whispers that Black and his rogues may be heading for Silver Skies.”

  Jack stopped dead in his tracks and turned to face Fleet. “What?”

  Fleet nodded, then continued walking. “The Overseer's been informed, all necessary arrangements will be made,” he paused, his gaze swinging sideways to Jack. “Listen,” he continued, “You and Nevada need to be ready to leave for France tomorrow, can you hand this job over?”

  “Ah, yeah. Benjamin can take over,” Jack informed him. He had unintentionally avoided the discussion with Fleet about Valerie going with him to France. Biting down on his lower lip, he summoned up the courage and turned to face the alpha.

  “I, ah… have an idea.”

  Fleet's head tipped to the side, his eyes tapering with curiosity. “Why do I have the distinct feeling I'm not going to like it?”

  Shit. “Because you're not,” Jack answered, but quickly followed with, “But we're going to need her. She's one of them and she can help us.” He watched as the alpha's face went through a whole range of emotions and finally settled on one of disbelief.

  Rubbing a hand over his stubble, Fleet shook his head before his gaze met Jack's again. “Is this really because you feel she can help? Or is this because you're clearly not thinking with your goddamn brain?”

  Jack held his steely gaze. “I know what you're thinking, but c'mon, she's a vampire. She know's them. How they act… think. She can help us with this Fleet. I swear it's the only reason I'm suggesting it.” He sounded convincing, even to his own ears, but he knew the alpha wasn't buying it.

  “I don't suppose you ran this crazy-assed idea passed the Overseer before he left, huh?”

  Jack screwed up his face and shook his head.

  “Jesus Christ, Jack!” he cursed and began to pace in front of him. After a protracted amount of mumbling and curses, Fleet came back to stand before him. “If you can get her to drink some bagged blood… she can go. But, Jack,” the tone of his voice suddenly dipped into warning territory and Jack felt a jab of the alpha's power as he moved closer. “She's your responsibility… anything happens to her… if she goes missing… it's on you. Got that?”

  “Loud and clear, Fleet.”

  Jack watched the alpha stride away. That had gone easier than expected. If anything went wrong, though, his neck was on the line. All he had to do now was trust his gut that Valerie would help him and not leave him high and dry when the time came. But that was a risk he was willing to take.

  §

  Gabrielle was all packed and ready to go. As much as she wanted to stay and have more passionate sex with Ryker in the cozy B&B, she had a life. And an apartment that she had to get back to over three and half hours away in Charlotte.

  Her job was also waiting for her and she'd stretched out her few days off as much as she could. Gabrielle's next assignment was in France. She had a day to get her stuff together and organized before flying out there and meeting up with Nevada and Jack Henderson. They'd be staying in a secret location not too far from Simeon Chaput's home in Normandy.

  In some way, Gabrielle was glad Ryker wouldn't be coming with her. So much had happened between them in such a short space of time, her mind was a whirlwind. Some time to herself to get her head back down from cloud nine was possibly a good thing.

  The knock at the door had her head whipping up and her smiling like a cheshire cat.

  Yeah, like she really wanted to be apart from her soldier right now… Not.

  “You ready?” Ryker asked as she opened the door.

  Nodding she grabbed her case. “My car's out front.”

  Ryker came toward her, taking her case in one hand he slid his free arm around her waist. Pulling her in close, he kissed her hard and groaned into her mouth.

  Oh, hell. Her bones had just melted.

  “Sorry, Gunner will be driving your car… I'm taking you myself.”

  Slightly stunned, she leaned back to look at him, lifting his cap back so she could see his eyes. “You are?”

  “Yeah, I mean I figured I would, but—” he started to back pedal but she silenced him with a kiss.

  “It's fine,” she breathed against his lips. “Thank you.”

  She'd fallen, well and truly off that ledge in love with her soldier. Her rules and regulations were nothing but scattered words in the wind and her future was a new emotional rollercoaster she couldn't wait to ride.

  Ryker cleared his morning with Fleet so he could take Gabrielle back to Charlotte himself. Naturally, he wanted to go to France with her. He sure as shit didn't like the idea of his girl being thousands of miles away. While he'd tasted her blood—her DNA now etched into the very fibers of his being so he could find her anywhere—it did nothing to comfort him or his wolf. They weren't mated. He hadn't embarked on that conversation with her, yet.

  Besides wanting to spend some more time with her before she left for France, he also wanted to check out her apartment. See what kind of security she had, get a feel of how she lived. Yeah, he was a nosy son of a bitch and wanted to know everything about her.

  He had a new assignment himself, which would drag his ass even further away from her. While she was in France, he'd be heading north to the Alaskan wilderness alongside Gunner. Together, they'd be tracking Aden Black and his rogues who were supposedly on their way there right now. Not an easy task, but one that would take them
over a week and four and half thousand miles from home if they tracked on all four paws alone. Lucky for them, they would drive part of the way and try to pick up Black's trail close to the border.

  He gave Gunner a nod. Sitting in Gabrielle's car behind, Gun would follow them to Charlotte and then he and Ryker would continue north.

  Throwing her case into the trunk of the SUV, he slammed it shut and pushed his over-protective, dominating tendencies aside. Gabrielle wasn't the kind of woman who'd be caged. She had wings and he had to let her fly solo or risk losing her before he even had a chance to claim her.

  And he would eventually claim her, no matter how far she flew.

  “This is it,” Gabrielle said as she unlocked the door outside of her building. Stepping inside she punched in the security code. Ryker smiled, pleased she had the sense to have security installed. He checked it out as he entered, it was a good set up. The ground level to the nineteenth century building had a security door and there were only three levels with two apartments on each floor. The neighborhood looked clean and friendly. Ryker sent Gunner for a walk to check it out.

  The place was light and airy with oak floors and large bay windows at the front in the living area. The kitchen was small but modern with only the minimum essentials. It was clear Gabrielle didn't like clutter and her color schemes were pastel shades throughout.

  He checked the locks on the windows, everything was top notch.

  “The place is secure, soldier. I'm a safety girl.”

  He turned and carried her case over to her. “I can see that.”

  Leading the way into another room, he followed. The bedroom was calming shades of teal, beige and pink. Quite a contrast to her firecracker character. But he liked it. The way the whole place smelled like her, her scent laced every room, and he could imagine her lying on her double bed watching tv alone.

  The wolf in him reared its head. Needed to mark this as his territory too.

  Putting down her case, he prowled to the window, checked the lock, examined the view, then pulled the curtains closed. Feeling her body brush up against him, he turned to face her.

  “I've got a little more time… before I have to go,” he said, cupping her face in the palm of his hands. He suddenly had a gripping pain in his chest and an urgent need to be inside of her.

  “Then let's not waste another second.”

  Thirty

  In the space of a just a few months, Christopher Warden had seen many changes within his shifting community. His only grandson, Cade, had become a powerful shifter in his own right; a strong and intelligent man and now mated to a remarkable human woman.

  They worked more and more alongside human law enforcement agencies. It was a delicate relationship. His soldiers true identities remained a secret from their human counterparts. But he wondered just how much longer they could hide the truth of what they really were from them and the rest of society. More and more shifters were stronger, dominant, and finding their soul mates outside of the shifting world.

  His mind flashed back to his own son, Stephen. How foolish he had been to push his only child away simply because of his refusal to change the Society's laws and accept his human mate. He glanced sideways to look at Cade piloting the helicopter. His focus was precise and trained on the terrain that stretched out in leagues before them. Christopher's chest swelled with pride, momentarily replacing the pain and longing that plagued him like a ghost; always present and whispering his failures in his ear. When the time came, Christopher had faith his grandson would lead their people in the right direction and continue building on the very foundations he and his forefathers had created.

  The chopper tilted north-west toward over six million acres of the Denali National Park and Preserve and Christopher's gaze was suddenly transfixed on the stunning view. September in Alaska was one of his favorite times of the year. The days were still fairly warm, though frequently wet, the nights and mornings were chilly and crisp. Mountains were tipped with snow and the tundra plains further north would be a blazing red blanket. He peered down at the panorama view unfurling like a patchwork quilt before him. The trees were a neon yellow with large patches of evergreens peeking out and dipping between the mountain ranges, crystal clear lakes, and rivers.

  Everything took him back to his childhood; to running through the wilderness with his friends. And after his transition, chasing Maria through those trees, making love under moonlit skies, and bathing in the cool river waters.

  “We'll be landing shortly.”

  Cade's voice tugged him back from his memories. They were the approaching the manse array of log buildings of Silver Skies set on lush, rolling grounds and surrounded by golden foliage and mountain peaks. It had the best state of the art security, despite being miles away from humanity.

  Cade set the chopper down and a familiar face opened the door and peered up.

  “Well, well. Long time, no see, stranger.”

  Christopher jumped down from the chopper feeling his tight, aching muscles relish the stretch after such a long flight. “It's good to see you, Oben,” he said, greeting the young shifter with a bear hug. He took a step back to look at him. The male had been barely out of his transition the last time he'd seen him. Now, the son of the Silver Skies alpha stood a good six and a half feet tall and was built like Goliath with his mother's captivating good looks.

  Cade shut off the engine and joined them with Kit and Lakota by his side.

  “Heck, you were just a pup when I left here,” he said to Oben.

  “Yeah. Not so small anymore, huh,” he replied, his attention quickly drawn to the two females beside Cade. “Hi.”

  Kit smiled as her mate quickly slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her into his side. “I'm Kit, Cade's mate, if you hadn't just guessed. This is Lakota.”

  “Hello,” Lakota offered her hand.

  Oben took it, the hold lasting longer than it should. “Ah, yeah. Pleased to meet you,” he finally said after their brief introductions. Two shifters took Alex to a secure unit where he would be under constant supervision. The rest followed Oben from the helipad to one the largest cabins on the site. “Come on, the old man is looking forward to seeing you,” Oben said with a grin as he led the way across training grounds at the rear of the property.

  “You've gotten old, dear friend,” Theron said standing with his mate Nara on the wraparound porch.

  Christopher smiled. This was the one place where he was respected as Overseer but treated like a friend. Theron was, and always would be his best friend. They had grown up together, trained together, and sometimes even fought together. He noticed how Theron had aged since he'd last seen him. His blond hair graying at the temples and his apple green eyes were edged with wrinkles, but his big, warrior frame reminded Christopher that Theron was still a powerful alpha.

  “So have you, old man, so have you.” Christopher embraced Theron before turning to Nara, who's raven hair, ocean blue eyes, and russet skin of her Asian descent drew him in like a moth to a flame. Her beauty was mesmerizing. “You are as beautiful now as you have always been,” he said with warm affection before kissing her cheek.

  “Come on, let's get you all settled and then we'll eat,” Nara replied leading the way inside. “Your parents are eager to see you.”

  Standing in the familiar room, Christopher had the strange feeling of being a child again. Everything was the same. From the dark wood carvings in the ceilings, to the thick woven rugs his mother and the other maternal females made covering the wooden floors. He stared closely at the photo's adorning the hefty beam over the stone fireplace. Happy, innocent times of childhood.

  “What a beautiful room,” Kit said as she and Cade entered behind him.

  “Yes,” he said, turning around. “I spent many years in this room, playing with my brother and Theron. My father and I would spend hours at that table,” he pointed toward a chunky pine table with carved legs over by a large bay window. “It was the first thing he taught me to carve, I
etched a chessboard into the top so we could play together.”

  Cade came up level with him and Christopher gripped his shoulder, his throat suddenly becoming a tight knot. “I can't tell you how sorry I am, that I robbed you of the opportunity of knowing them as your grandparents.”

  Gripping Christopher's hand, Cade smiled warmly. “It's okay, I grew up here knowing them. I was loved and cared for by everyone. There's still time.”

  Christopher didn't deserve such understanding. He only hoped Cade would consider his future actions with as much charity.

  “Cade!”

  Cade's maternal mother, Alisha ran into the room with her arms open wide and a beaming smile of delight on her face.

  The two of them shared a warm embrace, one of a doting mother and an appreciative son. Christopher was immensely grateful Cade had had such a caring maternal during his childhood.

  “And this must be Kit?” She asked, drawing back from Cade's hold.

  “Hello.” Kit hugged her. “It's so nice to meet you.”

  “I can't believe I wasn't at the ceremony, I should tan your backside if you weren't the size you are, Cade.” They fell into easy conversation until footsteps had them all turning around to see two of the elder's entering the room.

  Christopher's mother was still the tall, slender woman she had always been. Her silver hair was scraped back into a neat knot at the nape and her violet eyes glinted with affection as they met his. Shifting his gaze to his father, he felt the power, the dominance his silver eyes still held. His hair was more gray than black now and his face had more lines around the corners of his eyes and his mouth. His lofty body moved forward with a grace that only an alpha of his caliber could, and Christopher suddenly saw the resemblance between his own father and Cade.

  “Father.”

  “We have much to talk about, son.”

  Christopher nodded. Yes, they had so very much to talk about and he had so little time left with them all.