An old Pontiac sat in a small parking lot next to an alley ahead of him. Lukas glanced around and didn’t see or smell anyone. There were a few cameras at the convenience store, but it was worth the risk. He elbowed the glass out and reached inside to pop the lock, only to find it unlocked. With a curse, he threw his bag into the passenger seat and checked the visor for keys, but his luck didn’t hold. He popped the panels beneath the steering wheel, found the wires he needed, and got the car started.
“Hang on, Max,” he murmured, pulling onto the street. “Just hang on till I find you guys.”
Chapter 20
CAIUS WASgoing to burn the entire Order to the ground. They were the only ones who could have orchestrated taking Max so quickly and easily, though Savino was a close second. It was a toss-up on which had researched Caius and reached out to his old pack.
He’d caught his uncle’s scent where Max’s ended, and he wasn’t as surprised as he should have been. Kostas hadn’t been happy at all when he’d taken over the pack, only to learn that all the assets had been legally transferred to Caius upon his father’s death.
Caius had struggled with the guilt over leaving those loyal to his father behind when he’d stayed with the Marines, then later formed his own pack, but they’d had a chance to leave. He’d sent word to Leon, one of the few he trusted implicitly, that any who wanted to join his pack would be welcome, but the response was radio silence.
If Kostas was here now, declaring war on his tiny pack, likely in the hopes that all the assets would return to him as next of kin, then he certainly didn’t know that if anything happened to Caius, or subsequently his pack members, all the money was set to be distributed into various charities to help packless teens and disabled veteran shifters.
Kostas would never see a cent. Especially since Caius intended to rip his uncle’s throat out with his own teeth before the day was over.
The surges of pain only confirmed his suspicions. A mage was helping Kostas try to break the bindings, and only a mage with explicit instructions from the Order, or by request from the bound mage, would ever attempt such a thing. With how bad the last one was, he was surprised Max was still holding onto them. The fact the bonds were still intact despite the pain was a relief and proof that Max wanted to remain with them.
If they did break, he had no doubt Kostas would bind Max by force, and the idea of a mage under his uncle’s control was almost as horrifying as knowing it would be Max.
Aradia chirped impatiently from her perch on the dashboard.
“I know,” Quinn snapped. “Just give me a sec.” He was still slumped against the steering wheel, knuckles white where he gripped it.Somehow, he’d managed to pull over and stop when the pain hit instead of crashing. “They’re trying to break the bonds, aren’t they?” he asked, his voice tight as he took slow, controlled breaths.
“Yes,” Caius answered. “We need to hurry.” He glanced at the tablet Quinn had shoved into his hands on their way out the door, but it was still showing Signal Lost. Max had his phone with him, but the tracking app was being blocked. Thankfully, familiar bonds couldn’t be blocked so easily.
“Right.” Quinn sucked in a deep breath and got them back on the road.
Aradia chirped and flicked her tail, guiding Quinn to take the off-ramp. Then they drove a few miles into a rundown neighborhood, where Aradia started barking.
“Stop here,” Caius said. He didn’t like this. They didn’t have the benefit of the dark to hide their approach. It was barely past noon, and whoever Kostas had brought with him would pick up their scents before they got close enough to break in. And they were missing Lukas, who arguably had the best tactical mind between the three of them.
He studied Aradia, at how she was staring intently to the east, at a house behind the one across from them. “Next street over?” he asked, and received an affirmative chirp.
“What’s the plan?”
“Don’t die. Kill my uncle. Get Max.” Finding the Order and anyone else responsible for this could come later, after they found Lukas.
“Great plan. How do you suggest we actually accomplish that?”
Caius grimaced. “Still working on that.”
Aradia lifted into the air with a gentle swirl of wind magic, landed on the power button for the window to roll it down, and promptly flew out of it.
So much for coming up with a plan.
He shared a quick look with Quinn before they got out, grabbing weapons from their hidden stash in the spare tire compartment. Their guns wouldn’t do much against shifters since they didn’t carry aconite bullets, but they did have several custom-made blades with aconite coating tucked into durable sheaths. Tactical blades he’d invested in shortly after Kostas took over the pack, in case his uncle sent someone after him to ensure Caius wouldn’t challenge him later. Black steel, a smooth, sharp edge, and a finger ring on the end for added stability and security.
They each took two and secured one each to their inside wrist and thigh, then rushed after Aradia.
There were enough trees, bushes, and abandoned gardens filled with overgrown weeds to at least offer a little cover as they slipped through one of the yards and over a broken privacy fence.
The moment Caius hit the ground on the other side, several scents hit him at once. His uncle and several members of his pack. Max. Blood and fear sweat. And a few scents he recognized from his meeting with Savino, trace smells he’d picked up while in Max’s home.
A soft, low growl built in his chest as he stalked forward.
Only one wolf was guarding the door, an older man who’d always worshipped Kostas and helped him take over the pack.
Caius saw the moment of recognition in his eyes, but before the guard could call out a warning, Caius rushed him, slamming him into the side of the house. He took a fist to the gut, grunting through it as he drove a dagger into the man’s neck. He shifted his weight, clamping his left hand over the man’s mouth, gritting his teeth against the pain in his shoulder and the sound of hissing as aconite burned through shifter blood.
