Dawn (The Dire Wolves Chronicles Book 3) (6 page)

“You will.” I hoped my words were true.

“You can’t know that.”

“No, I can’t.” I couldn’t know anything anymore. “But I’ll try.”

“Ok, I guess that’s something.”

T
he food was inedible
. They knew we only ate meat, so why bother giving us processed grains? Either they were trying to make us angry, or trying to remind us who was in charge. Most likely it was a combination of both along with a slew of other reasons I didn’t have the energy to figure out. I was exhausted. I still hadn’t recovered fully from changing Gage and the serum was further weakening me. I needed Mary Anne. I hoped she wasn’t in need of me. Not that I’d have minded taking care of her, but I wasn’t in the position to do anything. Somehow I had to break us out, and unfortunately that wasn’t happening as quickly as I’d have liked. Whether Mary Anne needed me or not, Gage did. I wondered if he’d figured that out yet. He probably had.

After setting the food aside, I gave in and sat down. I passed over the sorry excuse for a cot in exchange for the concrete floor.

I mentally reached out for the others again, but there was nothing. Something in my cell blocked me from communicating. I wondered if all the cells were that way, or only mine. I knew they hadn’t made it for me, but I guess they’d considered every possibility when making their secret prison. Now I had to find a way to get us all out.

“Get up!”

My anger flared when I heard Joseph’s rude greeting. “Why?”

“Because you’re moving.”

“Moving where?”

“Is that any of your business?”

“It is since I’ll be the one moving.”

“Moving because we want you to. You have no say in any of this.”

“Will we all be moving?” That was the most important part. Were we staying together?

“Maybe not all of you.” He walked close to the stall, but he stood back a safe distance. Maybe he’d learned something.

“Joseph, that is enough.” The king’s loud voice came from somewhere down the corridor. “I can take it from here.”

Joseph skulked away, and I stood, waiting for the king.

The king appeared in the same suit. He hadn’t changed, which meant not too much time could have passed. “I apologize for him.”

“Why?”

“Because he indirectly works for me. I take responsibility for all who do. It’s the only way.”

“Then you take responsibility for keeping us here?”

“Yes. Which is why you are moving.”

“And where am I moving exactly?” I walked toward the bars. The king wasn’t going to show any concern about me coming close. To do so would show weakness.

“More comfortable quarters. I do apologize for your short stay here. We didn’t have time to get your new ones ready.”

“By more comfortable, do you mean the morgue?”

He laughed. “Of course not. Do you believe I want you dead?”

“Yes.” That was certainly what he wanted. Whether he’d do it was another story altogether.

“I want answers, and I want an end to the violence.”

“I’ve done nothing violent besides turning over a few humans. I don’t believe that’s grounds to hold us.”

“You mean the humans your pack member killed?”

“We did have a questionable relationship with witches. We needed to protect ourselves. Our numbers are dwindling.” I put it all out there to emphasize my willingness to cooperate.

“What witches?”

I had his attention. “I’ll tell you everything you need to know if you let my pack members go.”

“How about we make a deal?”

“A deal?”

“You move over to your new quarters without causing trouble, and I will free one of your pack members.”

“And why would you do that?”

“You did say I only needed you.”

“You want us all dead.”

“I have no wish for anyone to die.”

“I don’t need your mock politeness. I’m not looking to play games.” I met his gaze head on.

“Neither am I.”

“Then where am I moving?”

“It’s more of a house than a typical prison. Transporting you will be much easier if I have your cooperation.”

“You want me to order my men to listen?” There was no reason for him to pretend otherwise.

“One is freed if you do.” He watched me with the gaze and determination of a hawk searching for prey. He was crow, so it wasn’t far off.

“Do I get to choose who you release?”

His lips twisted into an amused smile. “No. I already know who you’ll choose.”

“In other words, you won’t release Marni?”

“I have a feeling she’s more important than you’re admitting.”

I shrugged. “Believe what you want.”

I played it cool, but I was nervous. If the king freed Chet and not Marni… well no one wanted to see what happened there.

“Your majesty?” I forced myself to use a formal term whether I believed he deserved the respect or not.

“Please, call me Levi.” He slipped his hand through the bar.

Who was this king? Was it all mind games? I accepted his handshake. “I’m Hunter.”

“I am aware of exactly who you are. Hence why I want you in more appropriate accommodations. You are of royal blood after all.”

“Why would you say that?”

“No need to pretend. I’m well informed.”

“Then you already know I haven’t been killing anyone.”

“I don’t know anything to the contrary, but you aren’t the only royal Dire still around.” He stepped back.

He knew about my brother.

I said nothing. I wasn’t admitting anything yet.

“We can finish this discussion soon, but tell me. Are you going to cooperate?”

“Yes. I will do what I need to for my pack.” At least for now. He wanted to find my brother Fielding. I wanted the same thing, and my bet was it was for the same reason.

Levi opened the cell himself. I was surprised. Most leaders left the dirty work to those underneath them. He wasn’t what I had expected. He was a better leader than his predecessors, but that didn’t mean he was strong enough to keep control. If we weren’t at war I may have helped him. But helping the leader of the organization systematically killing off my people was never going to happen.

He stepped aside to let me exit.

“Where are the chains? The shackles for my hands?”

“I don’t think we need those.”

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll run?”

“No.” He shook his head. “This imprisonment is nothing compared to what you’ve been experiencing for your entire life.”

“The hunt.”

“Yes. What good would running do for you? An Alpha Dire shouldn’t spend his life running and hiding.”

“We were given no choice.” I stepped into the corridor. Levi gestured for me to walk ahead. He might have trusted me, but clearly not enough to have me at his back. At least he wasn’t completely stupid.

“As I mentioned, I have known about you. We’ve been trying to find you.”

“Of course you have. You want to kill us all.”

“No. That is not my intent at all. I would like for us to reach an understanding.”

“We’ve been at war for centuries.”

“No.” He turned around. “We have not been alive for centuries. We don’t have to continue the same fights of our fathers or grandfathers. It’s our choice what we decide to do now.”

“Who are you?”

He smiled. “You know who I am.”

“But you are nothing like I thought you would be.”

“I could say the same thing to you. I mean you prefer to wear pants and stand on two legs.” He laughed.

I couldn’t let my guard down. His jovial attitude was all part of the plan. He was trying to manipulate me. “I have no interest in taking over your kingdom.”

“If I thought you had one, I assure you, you’d be getting different treatment.”

“You rely on your judgement that much?”

“If you’d been trying to take over, you wouldn’t have stepped foot into my courtroom. You would have sacrificed one member of the pack for the greater good of your plan. But you didn’t.”

I’d been thinking of Mary Anne. Of survival. “The hunt needs to end.”

“And it will if we can reach an agreement.”

“Where will this summit take place?”

“I already told you, a house of sorts.”

“A house of sorts? You are not going to share any other details?”

“Not yet.”

“Don’t touch her!” Chet’s yell had me running down the corridor. He was angry and that wasn’t good for anyone.

I found Chet being held by a Pteron. Semi and Marni weren’t in sight.

“Do something!” he roared at me. “They took Marni from me.”

“There’s nothing to worry about.” Levi tried to calm him. “She’ll be meeting you at the more comfortable place where you’ll be staying.”

“That had better not be an euphemism for the morgue.”

“Funny, your Alpha said the same thing.”

“And is it?” Chet moved, making the chains he still wore around his ankle chime.

“No. It’s a house. Hunter and I have been talking, and we’re hopeful that we’ll reach an understanding soon.”

“An understanding?” Chet glared. “We will never reach an understanding with you.”

Calm down
. I urged him in his head.

His shoulders relaxed.

Levi looked between us. He’d noticed it.

“We may be able to end the hunt on peaceful terms.”

“Don’t believe whatever line he’s giving you. The Pterons don’t believe in peace.” Chet scowled at Levi.

“We will move to our new location peacefully
.” I have this. Do not hurt yourself or Marni by fighting.

Chet said nothing. He cast his head down.

“Your other pack member has been cooperating so far. He has already been moved.”

My warning must have gotten through to Semi. If he was on good behavior it boded well that Levi would release him. That would work out much better for all of us.

W
e were driving
to Tampa with Genevieve in the backseat. Denny must have had a GPS on our phone because he selected a location only a few hours away from where we were. That was both good and bad. I wasn’t sure I wanted the drive to go all that fast.

“Are you really a wolf?” Genevieve asked quietly.

“I thought you didn’t want to talk about the paranormal stuff?” Gage kept his eyes on the road. He was learning.

“I didn’t, but I’m wondering how delusional you are.”

“Oh yeah? You’re worried I’m delusional now?” He looked into the rearview mirror, probably to catch her eye.

“Not just you. Mary Anne too.” Even without turning around I knew she was watching me.

“Then why are you with us?” Gage asked, filling the silence where I probably should have said something. Assured her that I was fine.

She sighed dramatically. “You locked me in.”

“We would have let you out.” I turned around. “I’ve never been one for kidnapping.”

“Would
he
have let me out though?” There was nothing apologetic about her tone. She still didn’t trust Gage, and I knew I couldn’t blame her. She didn’t know him the way I did.

“Yes,” I answered at the same time Gage said “No.”

“See.” She gave me a knowing look.

“He would have, because I would have made him.”

She pushed up her sweatshirt sleeves. “Ok… so yeah, even if you had let me out I couldn’t have left. As a friend it is my duty to make sure you get the help you need. You may be suffering from PTSD or something like that.”

“There’s probably some of that thrown in for her, but I’m a Dire.” Gage merged onto another interstate. I’d lost track of where we were. So much of the past few days had been spent on the monotonous interstate roads that crisscross our country.

“And a Dire is different from a wolf how?” Genevieve was hard to read. I couldn’t tell if she believed us at all. Either way we needed her help.

“We’re bigger, stronger, better.” There was an element of pride in his voice. He was starting to relate to what he was. To feel part of it. I knew that in some ways that was good, but it also scared me.

“Already using the personal pronoun?” Genevieve caught on to the same thing.

“I can’t change what I am.”

“But that means this goes deep.” She tugged on the cords of her hoodie.

“I’m not crazy, and neither is Mary Anne.”

“You don’t always know when you’re crazy.”

“We’re not.” I twisted in my seat to look at her again. “And you are going to be meeting another Dire.”

“Oh yeah? Is he cute?”

I narrowed my eyes. “Seriously? At a time like this you’re asking that question?”

“Seems normal to me.”

I shook my head. Maybe she wasn’t as shaken up as I thought. She was still Genevieve. “He’s kind of cute.”

Gage looked over at me.

“Not cuter than you.”

“She’s obsessed with you, Gage. I wouldn’t be jealous.”

“It’s not obsession. Obsession sounds negative. She’s extremely interested.”

“And what about you, Gage? Are you extremely interested?” Was she really asking him? Despite everything was she still concerned he was using me?

“More than extremely. Completely.”

“Ohhh, nice. Have you been practicing that line?”

“You and I barely know each other.” Gage slowed as we got boxed in behind a large truck.

“So?” Genevieve asked. “What does that matter?

“Why are you so argumentative with me? I’m not the enemy.”

“It’s simple really.” She clasped her hands together in her lap. “Because you got my friend in a lot of trouble.”

“And I got myself in it too. I wish I hadn’t on both counts, except I kind of do because if I hadn’t I wouldn’t be with her now.” He took my hand in his.

“Aww isn’t that sweet? Beauty and the beast.”

“Says the girl who was asking about whether the other Dire was cute.” Gage moved our joined hands to his leg.

“That was out of curiosity. I like to know what I’m in for.”

“Because an ugly shifter is better or worse than a cute one?” He glanced at her in the rearview mirror again.

“I want to know whether to expect to be repulsed or attracted.”

“You won’t be repulsed.” Denny wasn’t my type, but he was attractive in his own way.

“Is that so?”

“He’s out there though.” They were all different, but he was something else. Probably the nicest of the bunch though.

“Out there how? Like he thinks he’s something more than human?”

I shot her an annoyed look. “Very funny.”

“I’m just asking.”

“He drinks out of a flask and lives alone in the woods.” I gave out a few details. “That help?”

“Where do the other Dires live? In penthouses?”

“You are quite the riot.” Gage finally got around the truck. He gave the driver in the left lane who’d boxed us in the finger. I cringed. Road rage wasn’t the best idea in our situation. “The Dires are in hiding.”

“And some are in prison. Yes, I listened to you.”

“Can we agree to get along right now?” We were all stressed and arguing wasn’t going to help any of us.

“Who’s not getting along?” Genevieve leaned forward. “All I’m doing is asking questions. I can’t help it that I have a lot of questions. This situation is a little bit weird. You have to admit that.”

“It’s weird.” Gage adjusted his hand on the wheel. “It is weirder than anything I ever expected to experience.”

“But it’s also cool. Kind of.” She gazed out the window.

“Oh?” I looked at her. “How do you figure?”

“Are you really asking me that? I mean you are sleeping with a guy who can shift into a wolf.”

“Oh, so dating a shifter is one of your fantasies?”

“Not exactly, I’m just saying I could see it being uh, satisfying.”

I shook my head. “You are always full of interesting ideas.”

“I am, aren’t I?” She laughed.

“Especially when they come to sex, I see.” Gage opened a bottle of water and took a large gulp. “Evidently I was hanging out with the wrong crowd.”

“You were.” I accepted the water he offered to me. “The smart girls are where it’s at.”

He put his hand on my leg. “I don’t plan on letting this smart girl go.”

Not planning to? There was something about that added phrase that worried me. I was overthinking things again.

“Want some?” I offered a fresh bottle of water to Genevieve.

“No thanks.” She shook her head. “What if your wolf friend doesn’t like me?”

“Dire.”

“Whatever. From your side of the conversation it didn’t sound like he was expecting you to bring more company.” She was right, he wasn’t, but none of us were expecting anything.

“All he cares about is saving his pack. If you can help us do that, he’ll be happy.”

“But what if I can’t? What happens then? Am I thrown overboard? And no literal response about us being on land.”

“Then we’ll get you home.” I wasn’t going to let her get hurt. She was helping us, and I’d make sure she was safe and that I could pay her back one day.

“Oh, that easy? Even though I know your secrets?” She reached for the water I’d left in the cup holder.

“Our secrets?” I handed her the bottle without mentioning how quickly she’d changed her mind. “You think we’re crazy. Is that a secret?”

“Your Dire secrets, the fact that you are still alive when everyone thinks you are dead.”

“We’re not going to hurt you. It’s me.” Could she really believe I’d hurt her? Had she lost all trust in me already?

“You are kind of still you.”

“Oh yes, because I can’t be me now that I’m having sex with Gage.”

“You’re different. You may not be the one claiming to have been changed into a wolf, but something is different. You’re not the same girl I said goodbye to before you left.”

“What about you?” I really looked at her for the first time. There were bags under her eyes. “Have you been sleeping?”

“I thought you were dead.” She leaned back in her seat. “I thought my only friend in college was dead, and I was the last one to see you alive. I should have convinced you not to go.”

“And then I’d be dead.” Gage moved his hand back to the wheel. “The only reason they didn’t directly turn me over to the witches and let them kill me was because the Alpha wanted Mary Anne. So in that way I owe you my life too.”

“Hmm, when you put it that way.”

I smiled. “I’m sorry you went through so much.”

“Which is why you are going to have to tell your parents.”

“I will, eventually, but not until I know I can go home.” I truly hoped that would be soon, but I knew it wasn’t going to be easy no matter when it was. I had more than a little explaining to do.

“By the way, Roy tried to convince everyone you guys were together.”

“I saw.” I remembered listening to the girls at the mall. My hesitation to date him had been right. He was an attention hungry opportunist.

“How did you see? Were you in Boston?” There was something accusatory in her voice, like she was suddenly doubting our story.

“No. On TV. We were at a mall, that’s why I ended up dying my hair.” I held out my black locks. “I needed to change my appearance.”

“In all the craziness I didn’t really notice. I’m not sure what that says about me.” She ran a hand through her own brown hair.

“It says you aren’t superficial.” It was one of the things I loved most about her. Aside from my attraction to Gage, I was generally the same way. At least I tried to be.

“Nice positive spin.”

“It’s true. You were relieved to see me alive, and that was more important than my hair. Maybe that’s the difference you are seeing though, you just didn’t mentally process it.”

“Nope. It goes deeper than hair.”

“Did you know Mary Anne is a seductress?” Gage stretched one arm above his head. He’d been driving for hours, and he was due for a break, but I knew he’d refuse.

I pushed his arm. “I am not.”

“Oh, she seduced you?”

“Well yes, but also this other wolf. We needed her to so we could escape. And well…”

“Wait, escape?” Genevieve set aside the water. “From the prison?”

“No this was from the Dires’ cabin before we got caught by the witches.”

She put her hands on either side of her head. “Ok, this is getting way too complicated.”

“None of it matters right now.”

“You will explain it in exact detail later.”

“Most of it.” I wasn’t going into details about having to sleep in Hunter’s bed or anything.

“All of it.
All of it
.” She was asking about a very specific set of details. Ones having to do with sex.

“You perv.”

“I’m not a perv. I had to put up with you moaning about him for months, I at least deserve some of the details.”

Gage laughed. “You girls are something else.”

“Like guys don’t talk that way.”

“Of course we do. But we’re guys.” Gage sped up to pass another car. We’d been on the road for far too long.

“And we’re girls.” Genevieve gave the exact response I was planning to give.

“You two like arguing.” I didn’t mind it all that much because it helped pass the time as long as it didn’t involve talking about my sex life.

“No, we don’t,” they said in unison.

“No more sex talk.”

“Why? Is it distracting?” Genevieve waggled an eyebrow.

“Considering everything else that’s going on, yes.”

“But distractions can be good.” Gage turned off at our exit. Finally.

“Sometimes.” But nothing could distract me from the road ahead of us. We had Genevieve, but that didn’t mean I knew what to do next. Hopefully Denny could give us some clues on where to start. Until we knew where to find the prison and where to find the queen, there was nothing we could do.