Burned In Shadows (Shadow Unit) (22 page)

Chapter 24

T
heir door was locked. He wasn’t going crazy. The distinct sound of the lock being engaged wasn’t hard to miss.

“I can’t read any of them.”
Ronin said on a snarl. Royce couldn’t either. Fuck! What if he’d made the same mistake as before? Terror seized him and threaten to make him yell in frustration. He thought she was the one. She had to be the one. She hadn’t reacted to either of their blood.
But what if no Phoenix did?

“Now you’re worried?” His brother
sat on the edge of one of the beds with his head braced in his hands.

“It’s too fucking late to consider the consequences. I’m invested.”

No shit. He was just as invested as his twin was.

“You think I’m not?” Royce threw
back. “I don’t care if she’s meant to be ours or not. I’m fucking keeping her.” And that was that.

The
grunt from Ronin let him know his brother was as much on board with that plan as he was.

“Instead of worrying about her,
let's figure out why were locked down in the first place. They won’t hurt her. She’s safe.”

Common sense told him as much, but Ronin loved to point out his short comings. He was worried, but not so much for her safety as he was for theirs
. Something was wrong with this picture. Why did they need to lock them up in the first place, and where they aware few things could hold them?

Everyone always assumed it was his brother they should look out for.
Royce was prone to outbursts, but Ronin was a thinker. If he attacked it was because there was no other possible outcome. Right now, his brother was trying to decide the best way to get out of this mess.

“I think, they think they’re keeping us locked down for their protection.

“You saying our reputation has proceeded us?” Royce asked.

“Why else would they
lock us up? We haven’t done shit. Maybe Solon told them what I did to Oliver.”

That had been some cold shit, but answers were needed. It was far nicer
than what he had planned for the reg.

“Fuck Solon.
There is some serious fucked up shit going on with him. I don’t trust him, and I don’t’ trust these punk ass bitches either. You do realize where we are right?”

Yup, they were in fifth
fucking ward. It wasn’t exactly the dregs of society, but it also wasn’t Disneyland either. Thugs were on the corners hanging out and loitering. Worse, every last one of them were Walkers, Dietrich’s people. He’d figured that all out in two point five seconds, upon entering the building.

“I see you realize the severity of our situation.”

That about summed it up. Dietrich Johnson was a bad ass, a dirty fighter, and the ultimate shit talker. And he hated Royce and his brother more than any of the other members of Shadow Unit. Shit! Fuck!

“Exactly.” Ronin chimed in on his thoughts.

“D is not the talking type. I doubt anyone here even knows us.”

“Everyone talks about you.
None of it is good.”

That was all
true, of course.

There was a knock at the door
, and Ryan was on the other side.

“The Matria has requested your presence.”

Both brothers looked at one another and shrugged.

Ryan took them down a series of halls and brought them into a
vast antechamber that was decorated with Egyptian art work. A tall bronze gilded door opened seconds later into a large room with a dais and a half circle table with eight chairs, occupied with four females and four males.

“There have been charges brought against you.” Surelle voiced in a clear
tone absent of any emotion. No hello thank you for bringing my daughter home. Nothing?

It never failed, they were once again being judged for their actions towards another female.
“
Can anyone say repeat?”

“Quiet. I want to see what they have to say.”

Surelle eyed both of them, her gaze going from the tops of their heads to the bottom of their feet. Again she dismissed them.

“I don’t
speak of my daughter, beasts. You may have been the catalyst, but you will not claim her,”

His
back went ramrod stiff at the announcement, but before he could voice his disagreement, Surelle spoke again. “I speak of the crime against her fiancé.”

What fiancé?

“Belinda has no fiancé.” Ronin said fiercely.

At least his
brother kept his cool. Royce wanted to rip out someone’s larynx with his bare hands and stomp on it repeatedly. Bells wouldn’t have kept something like to herself. Bells was a solid person, she wasn’t one to play games.

“Her fiancé has arrived and will stake his claim during her rebirth.”

“That’s total bullshit!” Royce spat.

“You will not
speak such words in my presence. Ever.”

None of the other members at
the table said a word. He was getting pissed, and the black, thick darkness inside him was stretching its arms just beneath the surface where he kept it locked.

“Bring in my son.”

There were guards posted at the door, and one of them opened it to allow Solon in. The bastard was smiling. He approached the eight at the table ignoring him and his brother.

“Council, these men can’t be charged with the crime they are here for.”

At least the fucker had some sense. Standing up for him and his brother was the last thing Royce would have suspected.

“Why is that?” An older man on the far end of the table asked.

“I’ve been hired b
y House Romulus to bring them home.”

Both
brothers went tight with rage. Albanus fucking Romulus! When were they ever going to catch a break? House Romulus wanted the twins dead. Their father was a twisted bastard and only followed his laws. Well, the laws could go fuck themselves. Their crime had happened over a millennia ago. Surely, the statute of limitations had been reached on that incident.

“My son speaks truth.” Surelle said elegantly as she stood. She walked around the table and approached both men. Warmth engulfed them
, and Royce felt off kilter. It was the same energy Bells had displayed in the car.

“I’ve spoken with Albanus since Solon has come to
stay. His charge trumps that of mine”. She nodded her head slightly. “I am thankful to you both for bringing my daughter home.”

“We’re not leaving without your daughter.” Ronin said through gritted teeth.

“No, we’re not.” Royce chimed in.

They were not leaving without their woman.
These people were fucking crazy if they thought for one motherfucking moment this wasn’t going to go down without a fight.

“Did you not hear my son? Your father requests your presence.”

“Let us worry about our father lady.” Royce was fucking tired of being nice to people. That dark place deep inside of him was now standing at attention at the ready. He and his brother both took a step back.

Solon stepped forward removing his gloved hands. “I wouldn’t do that.” The man said
quietly. If they wanted a fight, he’d give them one.

“Enough.” Harper roared.

Everyone in the room turned to look at Bell’s father. He stood to his full height which was well over six and a half feet.

“My daughter sl
eeps. You will respect the nesting. Nothing will be decided until the new Matria awakens.”

There were nods all around, except for Surelle and her bastard son Solon.

“Take them to their rooms,” he gave the guards a harsh glare. “As our guests.”

“We need to see her.” Ronin requested, looking Harper in the eyes.

“She sleeps. Until her fiancé arrives to awaken her, there is nothing to do but wait.”

“We are her intended.” Royce spoke up this time. The darkness inside was growing
, and he needed to convince it and himself that everything was going to be alright.

“I would kill my own blood before I allow my sister to lie with you animals.”

Ronin slanted his gaze to Solon and very slowly said, “Get fucked.”

“Escort them out.” Harper said glaring at Bells half-breed brother.

Solon glared at them as the guards shoved them through the door and back down the hallway that led to their room.

“Touch me again,” his brother said to the guard. “I’ll take your head.”

This time when they made it back to their room, the doors were not locked.

“Let’s go find our girl.”

Chapter 25

H
e couldn’t sleep. His dream woman was haunting him again. Zea and his dream women clashed in an overlay. It was her and yet, it wasn’t her. How did things get screwed up so badly? Today the master was going to speak to the recruits. They weren’t ready, but they would have to be. Enri would be happy to add to his band of merry misfits if given the chance.

“Fuck.” He was
restless and needed to burn off some excess energy. Black pulled on his sweats and strode out into the hall. He needed to hit the gym. Or maybe he could visit the human Marcus. Try and get some answers, again. Decision made, he made his way down to the holding cells where the he was being kept.

Marcus hung suspended
, his skin growing over the hooks that were embedded into his flesh. He was alive. Barely. He coughed, and blood sprinkled the floor like tiny drops of water hitting the windshield.

“Stone.” He struggled in his chains and Black enjoyed the look of pain on his face as the o
ther man tried to speak. “You back for more?” His body heaved, and he let out a sharp gasp of pain as his chest rattled.

“My name is Black.”

Marcus’ body convulsed, and something like a laugh leaked out of his mouth.

“Sure, I’m the Easter Bunny, you dick.”

His wolf growled beneath the surface of his skin. More and more as time went on the wolf had stopped communicating. But in Marcus’ presence his wolf made it known that the man hanging on the meat hooks was hated. A very dark part of him wanted to rip the man to shreds, piece by piece until there was nothing left but crushed bone, and flayed skin.

“I’m gonna let you down puppet boy, but if I don’t like what you have to say. Well, just be sure I
like it.”

Black went to the levers that controlled the chains and slowly lowered Marcus to the ground. The man let out a long breath and sagged in his skin as he curled up in a ball on the cement floor. Black grabbed a chair and sat waiting for the other
man to collect himself.

“Who’s Stone?”

“You.” Blood leaked from the side of his mouth, and Marcus tried to pull himself into a sitting position, he slid back down onto the ground, unable to hold himself up. Black wasn’t about to offer the other man hand either. Fuck that shit.

“You were a member of Shadow Unit until he changed you.”

“How do you know who I am?” The broken human had the nerve to attempt his hand at smirking.

“I tried to kill my backstabbing wife and slave out her brat kid.”

This time the other man did manage to hold himself up. He pulled his body to a corner and rested against the wall.

“Had I known
it was a member of the unit that knocked her up, I would have acted more carefully.”

“Who’s her mate?”

“You are.”

This was news to him. He didn’t feel like he had a
mate.
But it hurts when you lay with Melissa.
That had everything to do with his cheery disposition. He didn’t care for sex, it was a release and nothing more, fucking Melissa was more of a hazard than anything else.

“I don’t have a mate, or any
pup for that matter.”

Why was this guy tryin
g to bullshit him? Did he honestly feel he had a chance to survive this? He was dead as soon as the master gave the order.

“Sure you don’t.” Marcus coughed and more blood spilled from his lips.

“My name is not Stone. I don’t have a mate or offspring.” He repeated again.

He didn’t have time to
hear his lies. Black sniffed the air and tried to muddle through the fear and desperation of the other man. He could smell a lie, but nothing came back untrue. How messed up was this human that he would believe his own words. Was he that far gone?

H
e stood from his chair and approached Marcus.

“Don’t hang me up there again.”

“Question.”

Marcus nodded.

“If everything you say is true. When you realized the female was mine, why did you pursue her further?”

None of what the
human said made sense. Even if he did believe his own lines. He couldn’t be mated, his wolf would know.
Maybe that’s what had been wrong all along with his wolf?
Why wasn’t she out searching for him, if he was this Stone character?