This was it. This was Cain. I was in his head.
Focus. Where was he? The street didn’t look familiar. I needed to look for a sign, but I had no control over his head. I couldn’t make him turn it. Shit. Wait…there was road up ahead. A crossroads. There would be a sign.
Something scratched at the back of my mind and then I was falling. I hit the ground hard, crying out at the impact of tile on tailbone.
“Fee?” Petra called out from the lounge.
“I’m okay!” Shit. Had he shoved me out of his head?
I’d been so close. The cuff stopped tingling. I gripped it and focused, trying to get back inside his head, but the metal remained cool and unresponsive against my skin.
I had time. If this could happen once it would happen again. The cuff was acclimatizing to me. I just needed to be ready.
I looked down at the food and my stomach rolled.
My resolve of a few moments ago wavered. I couldn’t eat while Grayson, Hunter and Uri could be in danger. Two hours, Grayson had said. I looked at the clock. They’d been gone less than forty-five minutes.
I’d wait, but if they didn’t contact me by the time the two hours was up, I was going after them.
Yeah, I was Eldrick’s heir, and yes, that was important, but not as important as my guys.
Nothing was more important than them.
I dished up a large helping of the pasta bake, grabbed a fork and began to shovel food into my mouth, ignoring the icky feeling in the pit of my stomach and the flutter in my chest.
If the guys needed me, I’d make damn sure I was in top form.
I just hoped I wasn’t too late.
Chapter Seven
Grayson
Crimson pack territory has a vibe I can’t quite define, but my Loup is never comfortable here. We live by a code, but the Crimson pack are renowned for breaking it. Coming here alone is a huge risk that puts me in danger, but not coming at all could put us all at peril.
The apartment building that Mitchum and his pack call home is a graffitied monolith of dirty windows. Dumpsters line the alley that leads to the main access.
I navigate it easily, very aware that there are eyes on me. Mitchum makes sure scouts roam the night and keep watch on his property. It may not be much to look at, but it’s his castle, and he’s the king.
Best remember that.
I get to the sickly green door with a dingy porch light bolted to the wall above it and knock three times for entry.
It opens a moment later emitting the distinctive scent of weed and cigarette smoke.
A bearded Loup looks up at me with a sneer. “He’s spectin ya.” He jerks his thumb up the corridor but takes his sweet time getting out of my way.
I’m not about to push him. I’m way out of my territory. Still, the alpha in me surfaces. I can feel him looking down at the irritating Loup, and sure enough he backs up pretty quick.
The corridor is dirty, walls smeared with brown stuff. I dread to think what it is. Doors are open left and right, giving me an easy view of the apartments within, but I don’t stop to take look. The only person I need to see is up a flight of stairs, occupying the whole of the second floor of his building.
Mitchum likes his space, and only his betas share it with him. That and any human females he can convince to join them. Humans who’ll believe these Loup to be just regular bikers.
I push through the access door onto the second floor. There is no corridor here. No apartments, either. Mitchum has had a remodel, and the space is open plan and a blatant mimicry of the ground floor of my house.
Someone has castle envy.
There are Loup lounging about on battered sofas. Others play pool or shoot darts. A huge flat screen TV is showing some sports game, and sitting smack-bang in the middle of the room, on a huge leather recliner, a beer clutched in his hand is Mitchum himself.
He raises the bottle as I approach. “The great Regency alpha, come to visit the little people, eh?”
I nod “Mitchum.”
He takes a swig. “You actually came alone.” He looks almost impressed
“It’s what you asked, and this is important.”
He sucks on his teeth. “U-huh. Yeah, you mentioned that on the phone.”
And he could have heard me out over the phone, but he’d insisted on this meeting.
“So?” He jerks his chin up. “What is it?”
“Ulrich has taken the Rising pack.”
His expression remains neutral, not even a flinch or a twitch.
Fuck. “You know.”
He shrugs. “I may not have the swanky territories, but I have the best scouts.”
“Then you know this isn’t good for either of our packs.”
“Really? And how’s that?” He tips his head to the side.
Alarm bells go off in my head. Mitchum isn’t stupid. He’s an asshole, but he’s a smart asshole who made the best of the shittiest territory his lack of influence could net him. He knows how Ulrich taking over could affect his business operations. How Ulrich will muscle in, and the fact he’s so nonchalant can only mean only one thing.
“You made a deal with him, didn’t you?”
He gives me a closed lipped smile. “Like I said, I have my scouts. I knew this was coming so I got cut into the action.” He takes another swig of his beer. “And when you called, I gave old Ulrich a buzz and he agreed to sweeten the pot if I deliver you to him.”
Shit. Not good. “Mitchum, you’re making a mistake. Ulrich can’t be trusted.”
He sits up now, nonchalance gone, eyes chips of glass. “I know Ulrich. He and I, we’re cut from the same cloth. But you… You’re a moralistic do-gooder who thinks he’s better than everyone else. Yeah, we know about your alpha bitch and the miasma having her in your pack provides.”
My hackles rise. “You don’t get to talk about her like that.”
“Oh, I’ll do more than talk about her. When we’re through with you, I’ll show her what a real alpha cock feels like. Well, before Ulrich claims your pack and your bitch of course. He gave me first dibs on her cu—"
I lose my shit.
I’m across the room, claws almost at his throat when pain lances through my side knocking me off trajectory.
My hand goes to my torso and comes away wet with blood.
They shot me.
“Don’t worry,” Mitchum says. “The bullets aren’t laced with silver, just a not-too-mild sedative.”
My legs give out.
“You’ll heal before you wake up.”
Shit. Fee.
Oh god. Fee, I need to….
Darkness claims me.
Hunter
I’m almost at the taxi rank down the street. I can see the winking light of several cabs waiting to start their evening shift when the celestial appears and falls into step beside me.
Seriously? “Go back, Uri. This isn’t your concern.”
“Fee is my concern, and she doesn’t want you hurt.”
I round on him. “You can tell Fee that I’m a big boy and perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”
Uri gives me a funny look. “You can tell her yourself once we make sure Grayson’s okay.”
Wait a second. “We?”