Wolf Creek Enforcer (21 page)

As big as he was, he was probably the most easygoing guy Ian knew.  At least with
his friends he was.  You would not want him as your enemy.

“We knew the barrier was down and moved closer to
the house, surrounding it.  Just before we heard you howl, David entered the front yard area.  Last we saw, he was going for the front door,” Bruno said.

“Shit!  He has no backup.  Go!  All of you, protect his back.  I’m getting Melanie to Rafe’s car and we’re going
to a hospital,” Ian told them.

Ian was running with her as his men
and Devlin shifted and ran to Braeden’s house.  He trusted them to help David.  Knowing David could transport them to another time and place eased his mind somewhat.

Rushing through the woods, Ian arrived at the vehicle barely breathing hard.  He saw the back of the SUV
was open and Lisa was lying down with a pillow behind her head.  They had the third row seat down so they had plenty of room.  They kept blankets, pillows and medical supplies in the back for emergencies.  He saw Rafe jump out from where he’d been sitting beside Lisa. 

“Is she all right?” Rafe asked.

Ian gently laid Melanie down on a blanket and placed a pillow under her head. 

“She’s sick.  And the bastard hit her, I can see bruising on her face.  Rafe, ge
t us to a hospital, fast.”  Ian’s fear was clear in his eyes.

Rafe had never seen his brother
afraid of anything.  His heart dropped as he ran and jumped in the drivers seat while Ian climbed in the back.

Looking in the rear view mirror, he saw his brother get settled and close the back door. 
Depending on his GPS, he searched for a hospital. 

“Natchitoches Parish Hospital is less than thirty minutes away.  I’m heading there,” Rafe said.

Lisa sat up and studied Melanie.  She watched as Ian scooted in next to her and squeezed her hand.  Reaching out, Lisa lightly touched Melanie’s forehead.  Something was off.  Lisa closed her eyes and concentrated on Melanie.  She easily slipped into her head as Melanie was unconscious and had no barriers up.  Gasping, Lisa’s eyes shot open.

“Rafe, a hospital won’t help her.  Thi
s is black magic, not a human virus.  You’ve got to get her home, right now,” Lisa told them.

“That’s three hours away!” Ian exclaimed.

Lisa opened her mouth to speak, but quickly closed it.  She knew they did not have enough time to get back home.  She decided then and there she would use every ounce of energy she had to save Melanie.  Rafe wouldn’t like it, but being extremely weak and exhausted was an easy price to pay if she could buy her some time.

Rafe was already speeding down the road, determined to get them home in record time.

“No, turn around Rafe and go to Braeden’s house.  That’s where David is.  He can transport her home a lot faster,” Ian said grimly.   

Rafe slowed the car to make his turn, not wanting to throw his
passengers around too much. 

Ian told Rafe about Melanie hiding in a beaver’s den and how the pack was going to help David fight Braeden. 

“Ian, you have a dilemma on your hands.  Are you going to leave Melanie to fight Braeden, or stay in the car?  You know that if you go, I’ll keep them both safe,” Rafe said.

“I’m staying here.  I will not leave her,” Ian
growled.

Lisa had been quietly
sending Melanie tiny amounts of white magic, hoping to stave off the poisoning.  She only had a small amount to give, but she could not sit by and watch her suffer.  Melanie’s eyes opened and focused on her, smiling her thanks.

“Go get em, Cujo.  Kick his ass for me,” she paused to catch her breath.  “That SOB hit me, and it hurt,” she whispered.

Ian growled, furious.

“I’ll pull right up on his fucking lawn so she’ll be right here wher
e you can see her.  Go rip him a new one,” Rafe said.

Chapter 14

David stood behind one of the many trees surrounding Braeden’s home, wondering where Ian and Devlin were.  He waited, watching carefully for any movement.  He’d already scouted the area and saw the cameras cleverly placed around the house.  He wondered why a wizard would use technology that was so easily disabled.  

Shrugging his shoulders, he placed his palm against the tree in front of him.  His magic was a little different from his sisters.  He could feel the earth’s m
agic in every living organism.  If he told anyone the trees talked to him, they’d laugh their asses off, he was sure. 

He jerked his hand back,
grimacing in pain.  Braeden’s black magic was killing this tree.  David knew he would have to call in the Supernatural Board and ask them to cleanse the entire area once Braeden was taken care of.

He sent a small amount of soothing magic out to the land, trying to give the area a little relief from the dark magic permeating the area.

Looking back to the house, he thought it rather ostentatious and ugly.  The two story mini mansion had gargoyles sitting on the roof with demonic grins. Victorian Goth, with black awnings over the windows. 

He sent out an electrical charge to fry any cameras pointed his way.  Then he casually strode up to the front door
, turned the knob and walked in.  He was a little surprised at the silence, expecting to at least find Ian and Devlin inside. 

He would search the house by himself for his sister, not really expecting her to be inside since Ian obviously wasn’t there. 
 

Scanning
the room, he looked for any movement.  No one stood in the living room.  Moving silently, he glanced into the kitchen and dining room.  Still finding no one, he entered the office.  He would have liked to take the time to go through Braeden’s things, especially since they needed to find that book, but Melanie was his first priority. 

Moving to the stairs, David glanced around to make sure he was still alone.  As he turned back, he saw the alarm system on the wall by the kitchen.  That was weird.  Shouldn’t it be beside a door so it could be armed or disarmed when
entering or leaving?

David stepped back off the staircase and went over t
o the alarm.  He studied it for a while, tempted to just set it off and see what happened.  Chuckling, he held his palm over the keys, waiting for an impression.  He sent a small impulse out to the pad and watched as a door slid open, revealing Braeden sitting at a console.

Braeden was cursing while adjusting the controls in front of him.
 

“Fuck, it looks like mission control in here,” David said.
 

A
nanosecond later, he pulled his glock from its’ holster.  Using a two-handed grip due to the weapons powerful kick, he had Braeden targeted instantly.  With no safety on a glock, he was ready to fire, having checked his weapon earlier like any good soldier. 

Braeden’s chair scooted behind him as he
pushed it back.  “How’d you get in here?” He asked, stunned to see someone in his secret room.  “Wait, I saw you in Scotland.  Who the hell are you?”

“I’m the brother of the woman you kidnapped, asshole.  Where is my sister
?”  Casually, David continued, “I will shoot you, not to kill, yet.  So think carefully before you answer.  I have fifteen rounds in this magazine, so any muttering of spells will cost you your bicep.  Then your kneecaps.”

David watched him carefully, waiting for Braeden’s reaction.

Braeden dropped his arms to his sides and casually leaned against the console.  “Your sister?  She’s not here.  She rather ingeniously escaped from my home.”

Knowing the wizard would strike, David saw the telltale sign when the muscl
es in Braeden’s arms tightened.  The hollow point blasted through Braden’s right arm a millisecond later. 

Screaming, Braeden fell to the floor, grabbing his arm.  “I’ll kill you, you son of a bitch,” he panted.

David cautiously walked forward, not letting his guard down.  He was still six feet away when Braeden rolled under his desk, disappearing from view.

“Shit!” David exclaimed, running towards the console.

He heard the wolves entering the house, their nails scratching the wooden floors for purchase.

David fired another round towards the opening under the desk before crouching down to peer underneath. 

Braeden had disappeared. 

Backing out from under the desk, David stood to see several naked men standing in the room.

“Braeden’s gone.  I got one good shot in his arm so you should be able to track him.  I do not believe he has the power to transport, there must be a spelled door under his desk,” David said, angrily going back under the desk to search.

“Move back David,” Ian ordered
.  “We’re going to rip this shit apart.”

The men tossed the electronics across the room, bouncing them off the opposite wall to fall broken on the floor.  Ian and Devlin grabbed the desk and tossed it on top of the electronics.

Turning to his pack members, Ian gave instructions.  “Search every room, his blood loss should make him easy to track if he’s hiding out in the house.”

The six men shifted and took off, separating between the first and second floors.

Ian, Devlin and David faced the now empty wall, looking for a door.

David walked up to the space where the desk had sat, crouched and studied the wall where Braeden had been.

“I can fucking smell his blood behind the wall,” Devlin said. 

Ian simply walked over and punched his fist through the wood.

“Well, I guess that’s one way to find the opening,” David said.

All three men used their fist to punch holes in the wall.  Their knuckles were becoming bloody from hitting the hard surface when
, finally, they found a small crawl space.

“We’ll shift and follow his trail.  David, Melanie is in Rafe’s car out front
.  Braeden poisoned her with black magic.  I need you to transport her to my home and then get her into the pond to save her life,” Ian told him gravely. 

David ran to the door
, “Once I know she’s out of danger, I’ll be back.  I have to find that book and give it to the fae.  They can keep it safe from someone like Braeden getting hold of it again.”

Ian started to shift, but Devlin stopped him.  “Um, bro, won’t Melanie be changed to a wolf shifter once she enters the water?  You won’t be there for her change,” Devlin said sadly.

“I don’t think so.  The gift from the Faerie Queen is for mates, so since I’m not there, the ceremony won’t be completed,” Ian said.  He wasn’t certain, but he was hoping that was the case.

Devlin remained silent as they shifted and went through the opening they had created.

* * *

David ran from the house and stopped, seeing the SUV parked o
n the grass next to the porch railing.  Looking at the lawn, he saw where the vehicle left deep marks in the grass.  Stepping off the porch, he rounded the car and hurried to the back. 

Rafe was sitting on the edge, holding Lisa’s hand while she lay next to Melanie.

Looking at Rafe, he told him to wrap his arms around Lisa and hold on tight.  Nodding, Rafe crawled in and pulled Lisa onto his lap, holding her tightly.

David
held Melanie, surprised when he felt how hot her skin was to the touch.  Wrapping his arms around her waist, he scooted back between Lisa’s legs and told her to hold on tight. 

Once everyone was set, David opened his senses to the unive
rse and requested a door to take him directly to the pond in front of the castle.

The vortex opened, swirling around the car and whipping their hair into their eyes. 

Rafe tightened his legs around Lisa and reached over her to grip both David’s shoulders, pinning Lisa between them as the chasm pulled them in.  He hated traveling through space and time.

They landed together, directly in front of the pond. 

“Now I know how sardines feel,” Lisa muttered.

David stood with his sister in his arms and walked directly into the water. 
He could feel the magic surround them, entering his skin and strengthening his own magic.

Lisa moved around David and laid
her hands on Melanie, sending her healing magic with help from the water.  Rafe stood behind her with an arm around her waist, supporting her.

“Come on Sis, wake up.  Rise and
shine, time for school,” David teased her.

The water swirled around them, gently caressing their skin.
   

Melanie eyes slowly opened, blinking at the bright sun shining down on them.  Lisa moved her hand to Melanie’s forehead, blocking the sun.
 

“Ian?” she mumbled. 

Rafe whispered softly, “He’s busy kicking ass.”

She gave a small laugh, then sighed, closing her eyes once again.
  She was exhausted, barely understanding where she was, but realized it was her brother holding her.