I needed to get the full story, I reminded myself, but it was a struggle to think logically, when all I wanted to do was… I shook my head, trying to clear the rage.
Teetering on the edge of control, I dragged in a lungful of air, filling out my chest and reminding myself of who and what I was. I eased my weight off Agelius, keeping his arm trapped uncomfortably behind him, twisted just a shade beyond the point of pain.
“Get up,” I snarled. “Slowly.”
The younger man struggled awkwardly to his feet. I did nothing to make it easier for him, and he staggered before righting himself. He stood there, no resistance, head hanging down, the black curls obscuring his face, but he kept his neck bared to me.
Looking across, I saw Johnson had the other guy’s arms twisted behind his back too. That shifter looked like a mean son-of-a-bitch, his eyes narrow and sharp, a beak of a nose and pinched features. His expression was sour, but that could have been because we’d outwitted them. They obviously hadn’t been expecting us to know they were coming - courtesy of my telepathic link with Irian - and they’d been making enough noise to wake the dead. Well, enough to alert a wolf lying in wait for them anyway.
Johnson nodded. I didn’t doubt he had the guy under control. Much larger than Agelius’ accomplice, he’d done a bit of MMA in his younger days, and even some cage-fighting, so he was a formidable opponent.
I shoved Agelius, and he stumbled forward. He knew the way, so I kept my attention on making sure he didn’t try to outfox me and catch me by surprise. But he made no attempt to escape or resist the entire way to the farm.
We emerged from the trees into the clearing where the farm buildings were located. Instead of heading into the main house, one Agelius was very familiar with, I pushed him in the opposite direction.
“In the barn,” I snapped.
“Yes, Alpha,” Agelius’ submissive attitude was puzzling me. I’d expected him to fight back or argue or try and defend himself, or justsomethingon the way down the mountain, but he’d simplyplodded quietly along, at no stage trying to escape. It had to be a trick. Why was he even here?
Agelius stumbled over the uneven ground and I held him up by his twisted arm.
“Ah…” he drew in a short gasp of pain but clamped his mouth shut again as he regained his balance. I eased up on my grip.
The interior of the shed was dark and cool, a paltry beam of light slanted in through a dusty windowpane high in the end wall where it caught the last of the setting sun. The distinctive scent of last years’ left over hay bales hung in the air. This year’s haul hadn’t been brought in from the paddocks yet so the barn was only half full. Our footsteps stirred up the dust, the scent of dry earth and hay combining in the familiar smell of the farm. The farm Irian and I had built our pack on. Another surge of anger washed over me.
Furiously, I spun Agelius to face me, pushing him against the rough timber wall with a solidclunk.
“Where’s Irian?”
“He… he’s safe!” his raspy voice sounded like cut glass, and I felt momentarily ashamed of my behavior. He cast a sideways glance at his accomplice, whom Johnson had pinned in the corner. “At least for the moment. Zarbius has him.”
A roar exploded from my throat and I only just managed to stop my fist from connecting with Agelius’ face. He paled as my hand hit the wall beside him, the timber dissolving in a cascade of splinters. A few wooden shards landed on his face. A few red beads oozed from my knuckles.
“His betas grabbed him in town and took him out to their new camp up in the mountains.”
“Where is it?” I hissed, eyes narrowing.
“I… I don’t know,” he stammered. “I just stumbled on the pack when I was out running.”
“And joined us. He’s second-in-command now,” the other shifter’s gravelly voice supplied helpfully. Agelius flinched.
I scowled at the shifter, then returned my attention to Agelius.
“What are you doing here?”
Agelius gulped. “We… we came to bring you Zarbius’ ransom demand,” his voice was barely about a whisper, the whites of his eyes showing.
“The fuck?” I had my hand around his throat in an instant, squeezing, before I managed to get control of the red rage that had swept over me again. Fuck! This wasnotthe way to help Irian, but by the Goddess I wanted to ring this little traitor’s fucking neck. I relaxed my grip and Agelius sagged against the wall.
“Tell me then,” I spat through gritted teeth.
“He wants half a million dollars and…and…” Agelius paused, sucked in a deep breath, and dropped his voice so low it was barely audible, “he wants Isca.”
If his eyes hadn’t filled with tears right then, I swear I would have ended him. I would have smashed his face into pieces without hesitation.
But I knew in that instant.
He wasn’t doing this voluntarily, or at least, if he was, there was something else going on. But for some reason, he wasn’t exculpating himself, and it didn’t take a great deal of brillianceto figure out that reason might be standing in the corner of the shed.
